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1.
Flaschem Naschem sat on the forest’s tree branches. It was quite strange to think that he was going to become one of these things. See, his family had been cursed to become some sort of plant thing that he’d called orchids when they became of age. These plants ranged from small daffodils to towering pine trees. He always wondered which type of orchid he was going to end up as. He hoped he would at least look pretty.
The curse has been going on for generations to the point that an entire part of the forest was dedicated to his semi-dead family of tree things. Hell, he was sitting on his great-grandfather. He was sure he wouldn't mind. Might have been the most interesting thing he’d seen in years. Being a tree probably was quite lonely.
Speaking of loneliness, Flaschem was terribly bored. He had no one to talk to. That was what happened when all of the people you know eventually become plants, losing all of their humanity. He knew that making friends was a waste of time. He only had a couple months to a year left until full orchid. Usually, he would sit on a tree and look at the stars for comfort, but on that day, he spotted someone new.
A woman, similar in age to him, with dark curls, wandering alone. She was nothing like anyone he’d seen before (to be fair, he hadn't seen a lot of people, especially women). She was quite frankly beautiful, even from a distance. He was so stunned, he almost fell out of the tree.
He composed himself. He had to look at least appealing to her. “What are you doing? Wandering the woods at night? That’s awfully dangerous for someone like you,”
“Out for a walk,” She didn’t even glance at him! It was like people approaching her in the woods were normal. Well, human interaction was rare for him. He was going to milk this conversation dry.
To catch her attention, Flaschem hopped off the tree and landed right in front of her. “Care for company?”
She avoided his gaze once more, instead she looked at the surrounding area of flowers. She hesitated for a moment, “Sure. Just be quiet. I need to think,”
He did what he was told and stayed silent.
The silence was too much for him after a while. What’s the point of being with someone if you’re not going to speak with them? Admiring her was nice, sure, but hearing her speak would be a delight. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”
She blushed, “Aurora Bloeme Blüher,”
For the first time that night, they lock eyes, and Flaschem could feel his world change in an instant.
—
2.
Flaschem sat in his usual spot where they met, waiting for his lover to show up. They saw each other as often as they could. Aurora’s parents were protective and didn’t like her being out much. He never minded it. At least, he still got to see her. He knew he would not have approved of his daughter dating a weird creature like him. It must have been nice to have parents in the first place. His parents “passed away” a few years ago.
Usually, she would sneak out in the middle of night and arrive in the heart of the forest by one. Flaschem knew this. Aurora was so precise. She was always on schedule. It would be weird if she was late. She was. It was almost sunrise.
Finally, after what felt like hours of staring at the stars, Aurora showed up. She was running, with a worried look on her face, and a shawl wrapped around her shoulders. He knew there was something wrong. There were too many inconsistencies.
He reached his hand out to guide her up the tree. “Are you alright? Is everything okay?”
She climbed, being careful not to rip the edges of her gown. “Hi,” She replied solemnly, avoiding eye contact again. Flaschem shuffled over to the middle of the branch, so Aurora would be able to lean on the trunk if she wanted to. He felt bad for dragging her all the way out here, when she was clearly tired.
“What happened? Talk to me, bumble bee,”
“They drank too much again. I had to wait until they had fallen asleep. It’s no big deal,” She dismissed, fidgeting with her shawl again. It was clear that was not the entire truth, but he didn’t want to push her more. She was a stubborn girl. No amount of pressuring would get anywhere.
He simply said, “I’ll be here if you want to talk about it,”
She hummed and rested her head on his shoulder. She could have chosen the stable treetrunk, but she chose to lean on him. Someone who was not any of those things. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer.
Flaschem couldn’t help but admire her features. The way her dark, shiny, hair resembled the northern lights. The way her eyes brightened up when she looked at him. This up close, he could see every little imperfection on her skin. Every mole, every dimple. He cupped her face to get a better look.
“Why are you staring at me like that?” He pulled her closer. Their faces are merely inches away from each other.
He grinned. “Why not?”
Then, all of a sudden, he felt their lips touch for the first time, and it was the sweetest thing he’d ever tasted.
–
3.
It was a lucky day; Aurora was available when the sun was still shining. It was a miracle. To make the most out of their daylight time, Aurora and Flaschem were sitting in a flower field (away from his dead-ish relatives) together on a picnic date. Currently, Aurora was sectioning off Flaschem’s hair to braid it.
She always braided her friend’s and sister’s hair ever since she was little. When she got older, she made people pay to get their hair done, but Flaschem’s hair was too short for a charge. It was not like she was gonna charge him anyway.
She suddenly felt something hard on the top of his head. On closer inspection, there seemed to be pieces of wood growing out of his head. She was well aware of the curse. Flaschem had warned her time and time again. To leave before he became someone unrecognizable. She lightly touched the tips of the wood.
Flaschem flinched, “That hurts.”
“Sorry! I was curious. It’s not every day when you see this happening,” She turned her head towards him, burying her head in the crook of his neck. Goodness, he smelled so wonderful, like fresh honey from a beehive. She had gotten so distracted, she had forgotten to finish what she was saying. "They're quite…”
“Ugly.” He interrupted. “You can say it. I won’t mind,”
“They’re not ugly because you’re beautiful. Every single part of you is beautiful, even your bluebell patches, and even your little wood horns,” She proudly stated, beginning to trace his arms.
“You’re lying to me,”
He still didn’t believe her? She hatched a plan. To prove her point, she started peppering kisses along the spots of the bluebell patches, whispering her praises into his skin. His face turned extra blue and he suddenly went quiet. He was so adorable when he was flustered.
Out of breath, Aurora spilled without thinking, “I love you,” Those words seemed to slip out of her mouth like it was a natural thing. It was like she was made to do this. She was made to love him.
“I love you too,”
Flaschem quickly pulled her into a deep kiss.
–
4.
Aurora and Flaschem were lying down on the grass in the middle of the night, stargazing. They didn’t speak. It was just quiet. Flaschem always hated quiet. Mainly, because it would remind him about how lonely he was. But with her, it felt welcoming.
Flaschem wasn’t actually stargazing though. He had studied the stars and constellations a million times already. Instead, he was looking at Aurora. This was her first time seeing the stars outside of her home. Her reactions were delightful. Her eyes glistened at each new star. She would excitedly point something out to him, and he would nod along with her. She was cute when she rambled. He would intentionally move closer to her. Just to admire her.
“It’s so pretty,” She muttered under her breath.
He started to play with the braided strands of her hair, twirling it around his finger. “Not as pretty as you,” He teased into her ear.
“Stop it,” She barked back with no real malice, half giggling.
He pecked her cheek playfully. “Never,” He got on his knees and leaned over her, so that their faces were aligned with each other. He suddenly felt a wave of possessiveness wash over him.
Aurora laughed wholeheartedly. That pretty, perfect laugh. He could listen to it for hours. It rang through his ears as one of her hands gently held the back of his head, pulling him close. In response, he lifted her chin towards her. Both of their breaths hitched in sync.
“Kiss me,” She whispered, out of breath.
“Glady, my lily,”
Their lips crashed into each other in a heated exchange. It felt amazing. All he wanted to do was kiss her. A few more kisses soon followed. Flaschem traced the edges of her jaw.
He so desperately needed her. To have her. To control her.
Soon, he was unlacing her bodice, making little marks in her collarbone. “Is this okay? Are you sure you want to do this?”
She whined, “Please,”
–
5.
Aurora arrived at their usual spot on her usual schedule like normal, but this time, she had an important announcement.
She was pregnant.
This wasn’t her plan, of course. She wanted to have children when she was older, wiser, and maybe even, married. She wasn’t ready to have a child at all. She was bloody seventeen for christ’s sake! But still, she was going to tell him. He deserved to know. Maybe, they’ll figure it out together. It’s always been them against the world after all.
Finally, Flaschem emerged from the shadows of the forest, fully naked. That wasn’t the one thing that threw her off. He looked different from the last time she saw him. He was taller, towering over her. She never felt so small compared to him. All of his skin was wood.
She stumbled a few feet back in shock. This can’t be happening, she thought. The curse had gotten to him already? It had only been a few months. He promised that they would have at least a year together. Even knowing this, she stayed with him because she loved him. What happened?
“Bumble bee,” He stared down at her with his bluebell eyes. That was another new thing. They were fully blue, including his scleras. His gaze was always comforting, but this time, it haunted her. Her heart raced faster. She couldn’t bear to look at him back. “I need to tell you something,”
What could he possibly need to tell her? “Oh, I also have something.” She held herself close, trying to remain as calm as possible, even in reality, she desperately needed to understand what was going on. “You can go first,”
He grinned. His mouth was stretched out to his cheeks, his teeth were far too white. “I’ve got wonderful news. I’ve found a way for us to be together. Look,” He gestured at the surrounding area as he moved closer. The trees shivered in fright. The flowers on the ground howled like wolves. “These were people just like you. Now, they’re part of nature. An orchid.”
“What do you mean?” Aurora took a few more steps back, before vines wrapped around her, pulling her closer, until she was only a few inches from him. The vines seemed to be coming from behind Flaschem. When did he get vines?
“You can join me.” He simply said, “We can be orchids together. We’ll rule this forest forever. No one is in our way anymore. Isn’t it wonderful?”
She really did want to be together with him, but if that comes at the cost of other people, she wouldn’t even think about it. She thought that maybe, by some miracle, the cure would break, and they could be together, not that the curse would be thrusted upon unwilling people. It would be so selfish of her to accept such an offer.
“I-” She hesitated. On top of her stuttering, the vines pulled at her neck, making it hard to speak. “It really isn’t, Flaschem. This isn’t right. This isn’t you. You can’t do this.” She stared into his eyes. There was not an ounce of sympathy in them.
He hummed. The vines pulled tighter. She could barely breathe. She had to get out of there quickly, or else, who knew what would happen. She kicked the edges of the sharp vines, injuring her legs. She grabbed a nearby stick and poked the vines as hard as she could. They loosened.
She was finally out.
Aurora ran off as far as she could with her cut legs, trying not to look back. She tried her best during the confrontation to stay strong, but she bursted out in tears.
When she finally settled down, in the middle of nowhere, it dawned on her. She never got to tell him about the baby. That was the whole point of the visit. Well, it didn’t matter anymore. Not when he was gone. She felt a weird sensation in her stomach. The baby must have kicked.
She sighed, looking down at it. “We’re in this together are we?”