I stood in line, my wings fluttering anxiously. What force of nature was my calling? In a few more minutes I would know. I front of me my friend Dilly twiddled her thumbs.
"You shouldn’t worry; it’s obvious that you’ll get something first-rate." I said, attempting to comfort her for the eleventh time. She just glanced up at me nervously.
"There are over million plants in the world. How can you guarantee I’ll get a good one?" she whispered fretfully. I stared at her for a moment. She was probably right, I realized. For all I knew, she could get something that totally stunk.
"Well," I murmured, pondering a second longer. "Most of the bad plants are already taken. Remember the Venus Flytrap?" We both shuddered at the thought. Dilly seemed a little bit better after knowing that the Flytraps were taken.
"Thank you, Primrose." she mumbled.
"Next!" a voice barked in front of us. Dilly took a step forward, and the attendant urged her through a curtain. She peeked at me once more before hurrying after the man.
I sighed. Half of the things I had said had been a lie. We both still had a good chance of getting a bad plant. We sprites are assigned a plant at the age of fourteen. The one assigned that plant will have it for the rest of their life, until they die. It was pretty uncommon for a sprite to die, but sometimes it just happened.
"Next," he said, placing a hand on my shoulder to lead me through the drapes. "It’s your turn." I gulped quietly and pushed past the curtains.
For a few seconds I wandered around in the darkness. A candle flicked on and the tent filled with light. I found myself staring at a wrinkled old woman. She was smiling. Next to her was another lady who was holding a folder filled with papers. The lady studied me for a moment before handing the papers to the elderly woman.
"Primrose Periwinkle," she addressed me in a scratchy voice. "From the day you were born, your calling was destined to be..." she paused for a dramatic effect. It just made me more annoyed. "A mushroom sprite.
I gawked at her.
"A mushroom? I got a fungus" there was no hiding the irritation in my voice.
"Yes," the woman said, shrugging. "Primrose was already taken."
"There is no way I’m going to be a fungus fairy." I grumbled. The lady next to her flinched, and instantly grew angry.
"Don’t talk about mushrooms like that." She snapped. "Be glad you have such an important role in nature." I glared at her.
"Why mushrooms?"
"Why not mushrooms?" the lady challenged. She obviously had something against me, because any other sprite would be just as disappointed as I was. I looked at the elder, but she was staring at something else. Her gaze flickered back toward me.
"You must accept what the other elders and I have assigned you." She muttered her voice calm but firm. "There is no changing fate."
I left the tent. Dilly was waiting for me outside, her face brightening as I exited. She rushed up to me, her voice excited.
"I got dill." she squeaked. That was predictable.
"I got mushrooms." I muttered, disgusted. Dilly looked shocked.
"Doesn’t it have to do with names?" she asked, confused.
"It did, but apparently primrose was already taken." I rumbled quietly. Dilly shrugged.
"Oh well. It’s probably a good thing they found someone to fill the position. You’re lucky to get such a significant plant."
"Fungus" I corrected. It really wasn’t fair that I was stuck with a fungi while Dilly got a plant. Dilly shrugged again.
"Mushrooms are cute." She mumbled.
"Want to trade?"
"No," she said, shaking her head. "This will be a good opportunity for you to prove yourself in the community."
"There is no way I’m going to sprout mushrooms around the world." I snapped. Dilly flinched.
"Bad things will happen if you don’t take responsibility."
I knocked on the door of the tiny hut. I lived there with my mother. It was just the two of us, since my father was busy with making roses. My mother had retired because of her bad wing, so she was always home. Mom opened the door, and embraced me immediately.
"What’d you get?" she asked, smiling.
"Mushrooms," I mumbled, scowling. She smiled again.
"Good for you, honey!" she cheered. I gaped at her. Was I the only one who thought this was terrible?
"No!" I shrieked, frustrated. She looked taken back. "It’s not good! It’s bad!"
"Primrose!" my mom gasped, startled by my tone. "What’s wrong?"
"I hate mushrooms!" I cried into her shoulder. "Why couldn’t I get something normal?"
"You did get something normal." She said in a worried voice. "You got a mushroom."
"I meant a normal plant."
"It’s okay, Primrose," she murmured, stroking my head. "Mushrooms help the world, and you’ll be responsible for all the good they cause."
"I don’t want to be responsible!" I yelled, pushing her away from me. I ray towards my room and slammed the door shut.
I had fallen asleep while crying. When I woke up my vision was blurred and my eyes stung. Mom must have covered me up, because a wool blanket lay over me. I rubbed my eyes and sat up. Sunlight shined through the window, and I could tell that I had over slept. I was about to get dressed when someone knocked on my door.
"May I come in?" a voice asked.
"Sure." I said, not recognizing the voice. The door opened slowly, and a man came over and sat on the foot of my bed. "Dad?"
"Your mom told me you were upset." He explained. I nodded. "You shouldn’t be. Mushrooms contribute to the world more than you know."
"But I should have gotten something better." I whined. "You got rose. How come I didn’t get something good?"
"I did get the rose as my assigned plant," he confirmed, rubbing my head. "But, roses can never contribute to the world like mushrooms can. Roses are just a nice flower, that’s it. Mushrooms are useful, and without them the world wouldn’t be the same. You will be very important to nature." He kissed the top of my head and left the room, leaving me to consider what he had said.
I finished dressing and opened my bedroom door. Dad was gone, but my mom was hunched over the stove, trying to make breakfast. She smiled at me.
"Dilly was over just a second ago. She was looking for you. Are you okay?" she said. I shrugged and grabbed my backpack.
"I’m going to find her." I walked out the door and shut it behind me. "Bye!"
Dilly was sitting on the ground outside. She stared up at me.
"I’ve decided," I said slowly. "That I shouldn’t complain about what I’ve been assigned." She sighed in relief. "I should follow my own advice"
"I’m glad," she said, perking up. "Because I saw this dead tree, and I think it needs your help."
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