Fernando Ficus

Fernando got sicker and sicker, and knew he didn’t have long to live. Almost all of his leaves were gone and some of his roots were starting to curl up. He needed food and water. It wouldn’t be long now…

He thought he felt someone patting his trunk.

He thought he felt someone rubbing his last leaf.

Someone was fluffing his roots.

“Leave me alone. Just let me die,” whispered Fernando.

He felt someone lift him and then fell back to sleep.

“I feel so warm and cozy,” thought Fernando. “I must be in plant heaven.”

Fernando stretched and felt someone pat his trunk. He opened one eye and, sure enough, there was someone patting his trunk! Wherever he was, it was bright and warm. Fernando looked at his stems and he was starting to grow some leaves!

He heard someone talking to him and saw a person pouring water around his roots. “I must be dreaming,” thought Fernando and fell back to sleep.

“Fernando.”

Fernando felt a tickle around his top stems.

Fernando, is that you?”

There it was again, and a bigger tickle this time.

“Fernando! You’ve been sleeping for weeks. Wake up!”

Fernando shook and felt his leaves move. “My leaves are back,” he exclaimed.

“Yes they are. You’ve been here for quite some time now. How are you feeling?

“I’m feeling much better thanks.” Wait a minute, who could be talking to him?

Fernando looked up and saw what had been tickling him. “Sasha, is that you?”

“None other, my old friend,” smiled Sasha Spiderplant. “I’m sorry about all my babies playing in your stems, but you know how children are.”

Fernando laughed. “No problem, Sasha. I’m so happy to see you. Am I finally back at the farm?”

Sasha shook her leaves. “No, Fernando, we’re not on the farm. We’re someplace nicer. We live with a Person Who Takes Good Care of Us. We’re in a bright and warm room, and look up! See the sky? Isn’t it beautiful?"

Just then the Person Who Takes Good Care of Us came into the room. She reached up, rubbed Sasha’s leaves and laughed. “Your babies are up to mischief again, aren’t they? Let’s get them out of Mr. Ficus’s hair, shall we Mrs. Spiderplant?" With that, she gently moved the babies and patted Fernando’s stems.

“Mr. Ficus, you’re looking so much better today. I believe you’re almost well again. I’ll be back with a little food for you in just a bit.” And the Person Who Takes Good Care of Us walked away.

“She talks plant language! I can’t believe it, “ whooped Fernando. “How does she do it?”

“I don’t know,” said Sasha. “All I know is that she takes good care of us, so maybe that’s why we can understand her. This is a good place, Fernando. The Person Who Takes Good Care of Us brings sick plants here all the time and in no time they’re ever so much better. That’s what happened to me. I was in a big office building and got very sick. I lost all my babies and I just didn’t think I was going to make it. I got thrown onto a heap of very sick plants and thought for sure I was a goner. The Person Who Takes Good Care of Us picked me up and brought me here three months ago. And look at me now. I have so many babies I don’t know what to do. “ Sasha giggled. “Fernando, it’s not the farm where we grew up. It’s better and it’s home. Guess who else is here?”

“Who?” asked Fernando.

“Well, let’s see. Philomena Philodendron lives here. The Person Who Takes Good Care of Us moves us into other warm places occasionally and that’s where Philomena is right now. If you look straight ahead, you’ll see Billy Birchtree.”

“Hi, Fernando,” called Billy. “Great to see you again.”

“And your brother, Frankie Ficus, is here too,” said Sasha.

“Fernando, I’m so happy to see you,” cried Frankie. “ You sure had us scared for awhile.”

“Oh Frankie, I never thought I’d see you again.” Fernando sobbed with joy. “Thank goodness the Person Who Takes Good Care of Us found us all. “

“Fernando, we have one more surprise for you. Guess who else is here?” asked Sasha.

“Well, Fernando, I don’t rightly know how any of us got here but I’m sure happy to see you. “ Roger Rubbertree gave his big leaves a shake toward Fernando.

“Oh Roger, what a treat to see you. I didn’t know where they took you and I sure missed talking to you,” said Fernando. “Sasha, you’re right. It’s not the farm but it is so much better. I’m here with all my old and new friends and my big brother. What else could a ficus tree ask for?”

And with that Fernando smiled and saw the Person Who Takes Good Care of Us bring in his lunch.

Fernando is happy again

“You’re here to die,” whispered someone close by. “They bring us here when we’re sick.”

Fernando looked down and saw a brown plant next to his roots.

“I used to be a beautiful spider plant, but I got sick and they brought me here to die.”

“How do you know this,” asked Fernando. “Maybe they’re bringing us here to help us get well.”

“I’ve talked to some others before they passed away,” murmured the brown plant, “and they told me everything. There’s no hope. We’ll never leave this place.”

Fernando couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He was so happy thinking they were bringing him home. Now he knew he would never see his farm again.

Time continued to pass, and Fernando felt more and more alone. The lonelier he felt, the sicker he became. His stems were drooping and his leaves were turning brown. The person who came to check his roots gave him a pat and sprayed something cold on him. But it didn’t help. The next time the Person came back, he tucked something in around Fernando’s roots. But, again it didn’t help. By this time, Fernando’s leaves were dropping and he knew he was very sick. “I just need to go home,” Fernando murmured, “and then I’ll be fine.”

Fernando woke up to shivering stems. He looked down and saw almost all of his leaves lying down on the ground. “I’m so sick.” Just then the Person Who Checks His Roots came in, and this time he had someone else with him. They talked to each other, but Fernando couldn’t understand what they were saying. The new person rubbed Fernando’s stems and picked up his leaves to look at them.

“Can you help me get home, please?” Fernando asked. As usual, the person didn’t speak. The people walked away but came back a few minutes later with another plant. Fernando thought they were bringing him someone to talk to so he was very surprised when they grabbed his trunk and yanked him out of his soil. “Ouch!” yelled Fernando. “That hurt. What are you doing?” The Person Who Checks His Roots started walking, carrying Fernando by his trunk, and walked right out the revolving door!

Fernando couldn’t believe it. “Wow! Yea! I’m going home. Now I’ll get well. I’ll see my friends again and my brothers. I’m so happy.”

He didn’t mind when the Person Who Checks His Roots threw him into a big dark place. It hurt a little, but Fernando didn’t care. He was going home! Fernando fell asleep but he woke up when the Person Who Checks His Roots grabbed him by his trunk again. “I must be home”, thought Fernando. All of a sudden, the person dropped Fernando on something cold and hard. He opened his eyes and looked around. All he saw were sick and dying plants everywhere.

“I’m not home at all. Where am I? Hey mister. I thought you were taking me back to the farm!”

The Person Who Checks His Roots kept walking away.

“Now what am I going to do,” cried Fernando. “I’m so sick and I hurt.”