Tales of Sunshine

By: Sweet Sunshine
(Note: The story isn't finished yet, so please don't edit the page!)
===Characters===
People
*Mari
*Ada
*Nina
*Izzy
*Mr. Meadow
*Alex
*Phil
Plants
*Sunflower
*Cattail
*Chomper
*Umbrella Leaf
*Starfruit
*Marigold
More to be added.
===Story===
: It was a casual day at the middle school... or it seemed so.
Mari rushed through the hall, bumping into other students clumsily. She managed to drop them a quick "sorry" and then ran into the biology classroom - she didn't even bother to knock. The bad grades she has gotten on the final maths test ruined her summer vacation joy, but the last class seemed to cheer her up a bit. Her best friend, Ada, took the biology class too.
She sat next to Ada and then clumsily dropped her biology books on the floor. As she started picking them up, she said "Hey...".
"Hi, Mari. I thought you'd be late again...", Ada giggled.
"Haha, not this time! Can't miss the last class", replied Mari, biting her lower lip in excitement as she carefully arranged the biology books on the table.
"I wonder what we're going to do today", said Ada. "I just hope we won't watch any of those stupid documentaries.", she added.
"Why?", asked Mari. "The ladybugs were interesting!"
"Yeah, but it was boring.", sighed Ada.
As they kept discussing what they're going to do on their last biology class, the biology teacher arrived. Everyone stood up.
"Hello, children." He brought a large, rectangle-shaped wooden box. Many were curiously looking at it, and were whispering about what could be inside it.
"Good morning, Mr. Meadow!", everyone said.
"Well, children, this time I'll give you a special task for this summer. You'll have to take good care of them if you want to have good grades next October", he said, adjusting his glasses on his nose. "You'll have to take notes about their behavior and their growth." He glared back at the wooden box. "But before I open this box, I'll announce your final grades. Consult your homeroom teacher if you want to know more about your biology grades, as I won't read them now." With those words, he opened the teacher's book and wrote each student's grade in it.
"Now, when I read your name, I want you to come here and I'll give each one of you a plant."
"I wonder what kind of plant...", Mari whispered to Ada.
"I hope we won't have to grow vegetables...", she replied.
The first student whose name was called out was Alex, somewhat of a nerd, but still, a nice guy.
"I want you to take care of this during the summer, as I assume you're a clever and responsible boy.", said Mr. Meadow as he picked a plant from the box and handed the pot to Alex. It was a carnivorous plant!
"Woah, cool!", he said in amazement as he went back to his seat, examining the purple carnivore plant, its pink dots, its teeth. Wow, it even had a tongue!
"Now, who's next...? Aah, Phil, it's you. Come here, boy.", Mr. Meadow said, handing the brown-haired boy another pot. Phil proudly returned to his seat with a small, palm-like plant in his hands.
A few others' names were called out, and then...
"Oh you, Mari. Come here. This one's just for you.", the teacher said, holding another pot in his hands, but covering the plant with his palm. As Mari slowly took the pot, she found out that she got a... sunflower! Mari smiled at the sight of this.
"It's adorable", she thought to self, and then turned to take a quick look at a few kids in the class, who couldn't hide their jealous looks. She smirked. Then, she proceeded to her seat.
"Wow!", Ada said as she closely looked at the little sunflower, and then added, "I wish I could get one like this. I bet I'll get the ugliest plant!", and as she said this, she frowned.
"Tehe! Don't worry, I bet you'll get something even better!", Mari smiled.
: Children, one by one, happily picked up their new plant friends from the teacher's hands.
Some kids even got strange plants, like an oversized walnut, a plant that glowed like a lantern, and some plants looked like they had catapults attached to their head!
"I've got these from my neighbor, Dave. He told me to give you these plants so you can take care of them while he's on a long trip. But he still wants them back in October. I expect a lot from all of you, so don't disappoint me, and grow them into lovely plants. Have fun!", Mr. Meadow said, and with those words, the bell rang.
"This summer will totally be fun!", Ada said in a happy voice, holding her cattail-like plant.
"Yeah!", Mari added. "...Don't you think your plant looks like a cat a bit?", she asked.
"Yep! That's why I love it! Cats are awesome", Ada replied. They both giggled.
: After they picked up their backpacks and pots, they both went outside, the warm, bright sun shining over them.
"So, you have any plans this weekend?", Ada asked, "We could hang out with Nina and Izzy."
"Um, well, I'll see...", Mari replied. "Still, we could make a party at my place, hehe... a plant party!", Mari grinned.
"Sounds cool!", Ada said in an excited voice.
"I wonder what plants did Nina and Izzy get...", Mari said to herself aloud.
"I think Izzy got a flower, it looked like a marigold... And Nina got a plant shaped like a star! Imagine, it's so cute!"
"Those plants are surely strange. But well, no wonder, because they got delivered to us by Mr. Meadow's neighbor, that Dave guy. People call him crazy, after all. So who knows what he's done to the plants?"
"People say he wears a pot on his head and eats food off the floor, isn't that just silly?", Ada said.
"Yeah...", Mari said.
"Still, I like my plant. It looks like a cat, wouldn't it be lovely if it could meow like a cat? It would be super cute!", Ada squeed.
"Woof! Woof!", that was a sound that was heard from somewhere.
"What was that...?", said Mari. "But there... aren't any dogs around?"
Ada suspiciously looked at her plant, but then said, "Nevermind, let's go to the bus station", and so they went.
: It took them a while to find seats that weren't taken in the bus, but after they sat, they began discussing things about plants again.
"Who knew that plants could be so interesting...?", Ada asked, closely examining the details on her cattail-like plant. "I've never seen a plant like this."
"Heh... me neither. But, I'm happy with Mr. Meadow's decision to give me a sunflower. Sunflowers make me happy... I get this wonderful feeling of happy and joy when, while travelling, we pass near fields of sunflowers...", Mari sighed, looking through the window. "Oh well. I think I should at least name this one."
"Haha, are you kidding me...? You'll name a sunflower, that's so silly!", Ada giggled.
"Um, well, I don't know, but it would be nice if it at least had a name.", Mari said. "...It would be lovely if plants had feelings."
"I've actually heard that plants do have feelings... I mean, people say that if a plant is talked to, stroked gently or is constantly listening to certain types of music... the plant will grow and will be healthier, and plucking a flower from the ground, or ripping its leaf off would hurt the plant. So um, I don't know if this is true, but it sounds fair enough to me."
"Okay...", Mari said, as she grabbed a still un-opened bottle of fresh water and watered the sunflower a bit. It was sunny outside and it was getting really warm in the bus. "I think those flowerpots don't have drainage holes, do they...?"
"Um, actually, they do... Because the plant would most likely get droopy and some of the leaves would be yellowing and falling off if there weren't holes... Here, take this.", Ada gave her a paper tissue.
"Thank you", Mari said, putting the paper tissue under the pot. "I could destroy my new pair of pants with dirt and water. God, mom would kill me.", she said. "Still, I couldn't let the poor plant get dry. It's really hot outside."
: They kept talking, and some time later, it was time for Mari to get up.
"See you tomorrow!", said Mari, picking up her backpack and her plant, as the bus stopped and she went out.
"See ya!", Ada replied, smiling, and once Mari got out, she waved to her behind the window.
Holding the pot in her hands, she walked to her house, which wasn't so far away from the bus stop.
"Now what should we call you?", she said, as she tried to think of a cute name. "Sunny... umm, no. It's stupid... I give up!", Mari said in an angry voice.
She then wondered what kind of music does sunflower like. They sure have a good taste in music!
As she got home, she unlocked the door and went straight to her room, throwing her backpack on the bed. She placed the sunflower on the windowsill, and watered it a bit more.
"I think you'll like this...", she grabbed her phone and played some 'Owl City' songs. These were some good songs, or at least Mari thought so. The songs were so calm, yet nice, they had a rhytm and the lyrics were simply adorable!
She sat next to the window, picked up one of her favorite books, and started reading as she hummed the song. Minutes passed as seconds as she read, not paying attention anymore at the plant. Sun shined and the sunflower seemed to turn its head to its direction.
"I kinda like this one", a soft, quiet, but sweet voice said. Mari jumped up and instantly looked at the plant.
"Y-y-y-you c-can talk...?", she stuttered.
"Of course I can! And this song is really good. Makes me want to bounce to it, like I bounce to the beat of the life-giving rhytm of the Earth... Only I can hear it, you know.", the plant now turned slowly to face Mari. Now she had big, shiny black eyes and a smile. Gosh, she was even more adorable!
"T-this song...? By Owl City?", Mari said. The name of the song was 'Sunburn'. "You like it?"
"Yes! It's kinda catchy."
"Oh, well, it's among my favorites, too... Anyway, can I name you? Maybe something like... Sunlight? Or even Sunburn, now that you mentioned the song!", Mari came closer to the talking plant, now happy that she's got a new friend.
"I already have a name, silly!", sunflower giggled. "My name is Sunshine... And I assume you're Mari? Nice to meet you!", Sunshine stretched out her leaf for a handshake.
"Uh, um, well, it's my pleasure meeting you", Mari attempted to do a handshake with her two fingers, carefully, not to hurt the plant. As she came closer and closer to the plant, she took a better look. Sunshine was glowing!
"...You're glowing!", Mari said in surprise.
"Oh...? I am already? Well... Time to explain you everything. Follow me.", Sunshine said.
Mari was kind of confused. Sunshine's glow got brighter and brighter, so much Mari's eyes burned but she couldn't close them, no, she couldn't. She felt warmness as she was holding the plant again, but the warmness faded out as she found herself to be falling, she plunged into the darkness. She had a strange feeling that the light would catch her, wherever she was falling to.
Then, all of the sudden, the falling stopped, or at least that was what it seemed for Mari as she awoke on the ground.
TO BE CONTINUED
===Trivia===
Mari is a self insert of me, Sweet Sunshine. Ada is actually my best friend in real.
Some of the children mentioned are based off my real class.
Mr. Meadow is also based off my real biology teacher.
Category:Fanfics
Category:Sweet Sunshine's Fanfics