By Manoshi de Silva Malithi was watering her flower pots. She looked carefully among the leaves, hoping to see a flower bud; at least one. But there was none. Malithi felt disappointed. The plants have grown well. Their leaves were healthy and wide. But still not a single flower has bloomed. “Why won’t flowers grow [...]

The Sunday Times Sri Lanka

Flower Pots

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By Manoshi de Silva

Malithi was watering her flower pots. She looked carefully among the leaves, hoping to see a flower bud; at least one. But there was none. Malithi felt disappointed. The plants have grown well. Their leaves were healthy and wide. But still not a single flower has bloomed. “Why won’t flowers grow on my plants!” she complained. “Nisha also planted from the same seeds and she told me her pots were full of flowers.”

Malithi lifted up her head and listened to the familiar voice she heard every morning. There was an elderly lady living next-door and Malithi often heard her talking in a soft voice to someone. “But she lives alone. Whom does she speak to every day?” wondered Malithi as she peeped over the fence. The elderly lady was also watering her flower pots. They were covered with flowers of all the colours of the rainbow.

“How are you my little ones?” spoke the lady while gently pouring water to the plants. “Are you talking to the plants?” gasped Malithi and the lady lifted her head and smiled. “Why, yes dear,” she said smiling, “I do so every day!” Malithi was sure the lady was not okay. “Why would you do that?” she stuttered, “plants can’t talk”. The lady laughed shaking her head. “Of course I know that!” she replied.

“I talk to them to help them grow faster!” the lady said, touching the flowers softly. By now Malithi was very sure that her neighbour was mad. So she ran inside to tell her elder sister and brother about this. “I’ve heard that too!” said Malithi’s sister, to her surprise. “Some people believe that plants grow well, when you talk to them. They respond to sounds!” But her brother laughed out loud. “You are as crazy as that lady!” he told Malithi’s sister, “Plants are just plants. They don’t have ears!”

Malithi was confused by now. “Who is right?” she wondered. “Do plants actually respond to kind voices?” In a way the old lady’s garden was proof. Every pot was filled and overflowing with flowers. But what her brother said made sense too. They were just plants. They wouldn’t understand things like humans or animals.

So Malithi decided to put her doubts to test. “From tomorrow on I am going to talk to my plants and see if it works!” she decided. So the next morning she walked up to her flower pots and sat down close to them. Malithi felt very silly at first to talk to her plants. And if her parents saw this, she was very sure that they’d take her to a doctor, thinking she had gone mad. So she put her face as close as she could to a pot and softly said, “Hello, good morning!”
Of course the plant didn’t respond. But it didn’t feel that hard doing so.

So she kept on talking. “Well,” she said, “you plants need to grow soon. I’d like to see some flowers soon please. Lots of flowers. I know you can do this!” Then Malithi felt someone’s presence behind her and she quickly turned to look. Her brother was standing behind her covering his mouth with his hands.
As she turned, he burst out laughing.

This was too embarrassing. Malithi didn’t know what to do. Tears filled her eyes and she started sobbing feeling ashamed. She didn’t want anyone to know her little secret. Malithi’s brother felt bad to see his little sister crying. “Okay, okay stop crying. I promise I won’t tell anyone!” he promised. But Malithi couldn’t stop crying. “Alright, if you stop crying I promise I’ll help you!” he said and Malithi wiped her eyes and looked at him. “My friend Anil is into gardening and he was talking about a fertilizer which helps plants to bloom fast. I’ll get you one of those if you promise to stop crying!” Malithi’s brother said and she nodded in agreement.

So as promised Malithi’s brother brought her a small packet of fertilizer which he helped her to mix into the flower pots. But Malithi didn’t want to stop talking to her plants either. So after making very sure that no one was around, she kept on talking to them as well. She spoke as softly and as kindly as she could. She touched the leaves gently, the way the elderly lady always did.

After a week or so, Malithi was very surprised to notice almost all of her plants having very tiny buds emerging from here and there.
“It’s the fertilizer. I told you it works well!” boasted her brother. “Or maybe it’s the talking that did this!” thought Malithi. “I wonder which method actually worked…”

So the next morning when Malithi heard her elderly neighbour’s voice, she went near the fence and smiled with her. The lady also smiled and greeted her. Malithi told her what she had been doing. “Oh, it’s the talking, darling!” said the lady, “it always works on my plants!” Malithi went back in feeling confused. “What actually worked on my plants, for them to suddenly start blooming?” she wondered.

That weekend Malithi’s grandmother came to visit them. Malithi very proudly showed her the flower pots. They were so colourful and lovely. Then she told her grandmother about what was confusing her. Her grandmother smiled and said “It doesn’t matter darling; does it? You wanted flowers and you got just what you wanted!”

“But what about talking to the plants?” asked Malithi, “is that right or wrong?” Her grandmother smiled. “There is nothing wrong in showing a little kindness to anyone or anything. Even to a plant. Trees and plants make the world a better place and you are right to love and care for your plants the way you do!” she said giving Malithi a tight hug. “So I guess I’ll never know the answer,” thought Malithi, “but that’s alright, because I finally became the owner of these beautiful flowers!”

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