Student Art

Cold droplets hit against my surface, slipping down through the small jagged crevices within it to create a puddle of mud around me. The sky was crying, and it’s loneliness was seeping into me too. A breeze scratched across the top of me, sending a dreary shiver down my back. Trying desperately to wiggle my way into the mud to escape the vulnerability I was feeling, but pausing with a helpless huff of defeat. The mud itself was stinging and bitter as well. Powerless. A rock stuck between the mud and a cold place.

The rain parted around me, dripping in a harsh outline around my figure, but failing to hit me anymore. As I looked up, I saw a strapping green leaf extend above me.

“You looked chilly,” a soft voice from above the leaf spoke.

“Quite observational. Who are you?” I asked, shuffling to face the base of the plant that took it upon itself to protect me from the storm.

“Just a sunflower,” it said. 

“Well, sunflower, thank you for being the sun when the sun is gone,” I smiled.

“Oh, of course, little rock,” it replied, playfully waving another leaf at me. “I’ll keep the rain off you until the rain subsides. Feel free to watch a wink while the weather dies down, I won’t mind.” 

“I hope to talk to you face to face when I wake?” I said, upturning my voice as if asking a question. I was met with a comforting silence: a wordless agreement to speak again. Eyes drifting shut like curtains on a bright morning, I let sleep hold me close until the real sun peeked through once more to dry the world around me.

When I finally felt the familiar warmth across my dark crust, I let my eyes open, turning towards the plant immediately.

“Sunflower?” I beckoned.

“Little rock?” It replied happily. “How did you sleep?”

“Well, thank you! You really helped me out.” Looking up towards the top of the plant, I could see it’s flower head; a beautiful chestnut face covered in nearly iridescent seeds and surrounded by golden petals that reached out like the sun rays. So that’s where you got your name.

“Any time, my friend,” it said, leaning down close to my level, staring at me comfortingly. “Are you warm now?” 

Words took a moment to reach my mouth, fooling around and bouncing throughout my stomach and heart on their way up.

“Warm- Oh, yeah- Uhm- Very,” I stammered, flustering myself in the process.

“Mm, good. You are much more pleasant to look at when you aren’t shaking and covered in damp dirt,” it teased, prodding me with the tip of a lower stemmed leaf. I rolled my eyes and pushed back against its leaf, nearly tilting myself over onto my side completely. “Careful there, I can protect you from rain, but I can’t flip you back over.”

We conversed back and forth genially for hours exchanging chuckles and short-winded stories until the sun set behind the sunflower and it turned to face the other direction. 

“Where are you going?” I asked.

“Nowhere. Just turning for a little bit, I’ll be back, little rock. Don’t worry.”

The next morning, it was facing towards me again, looking down upon me as I awoke. 

“Good morning,” I said.

“Why, good morning, friend,” it smiled. “You’ve got some buddies today haven’t you?” It motioned towards a caterpillar walking across my surface slowly.

“Oh, I suppose I do!” I said cheerfully, but their petals dropped lightly as they watched it inch closer and closer to the base of their stem. “What’s wrong?” 

“Just not looking forward to having my leaves all munched up again,” it explained. “I just healed from the last ‘pillar to snack on me.” It waved its leaves in a pitiful dance. Pondering for a moment, I decided to help the sunflower as it had helped me when it rained. 

“Pillar get off my back or I’ll flip us over and smush you like a pancake!” I exclaimed harshly. Bluffing, of course, I’d never really kill a caterpillar just for walking across me. To my delight, the little bug was so frightened by my vociferation that it rolled into itself and tumbled off of me, landing in the grass a few inches away. 

“Well you didn’t have to do that!” The sunflower said, beaming nevertheless. 

“I wanted to. For my friend,” I grinned back, staring up at the delightful flower, admiring it’s graceful aesthetic, it’s posture, it’s charm and delicacy, it’s everything. 

“Quite a good friend you are, little rock,” it said, caressing my back gently. Warm.