Back at the Farm
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WREN HUNG THE DRESScarefully in her treehouse and looked around.The festival was tomorrow night.She should bring something, shouldn't she?A contribution?
The mints, definitely.Mei had suggested those.But what else?
She thought about festivals she'd been to before, in her old life, before the white void and the AI and this impossible world.Festivals had decorations.And food.
Decorations first.
She pulled out a seed she'd been avoiding—the tiger lily.Her failed combat plant.But what if it wasn't a failure for combat?What if it was perfect for something else?
She planted it in her decorative area and watched it grow.
The lilies bloomed, tiger-striped and dramatic.And from each bloom, paper tigers emerged.Fierce-looking, beautifully crafted, but light as air.They couldn't hurt anything.But they were gorgeous.
She gathered them carefully.Maybe she could attach them to lanterns?Or just bring them as decorations?
Now food.
She sorted through her seeds, looking for something festive.Something people would enjoy.
Elephant ear.
The warmth that came with it felt...crispy.Sweet.Celebratory.She planted it and watched eagerly.
The plant grew broad leaves shaped exactly like elephant ears.And growing from the stems, hanging like strange fruit, were actual elephant ear pastries.Fried dough, golden and crispy, dusted with cinnamon sugar, and still warm.
She picked one and took a bite.Perfect.Sweet, crunchy, exactly like the fair food she remembered."Oh, people are going to love these," she said aloud.
She harvested dozens, tucking them carefully into her purse where they'd stay fresh and warm.The paper tigers went in as well, along with a bag of mints.
Tomorrow night was the festival, and she was ready.
