Prompt: The Gardeners (or, hiding doesn’t always mean shy), Part 1

Thanks to Artur Rosa for permission to use his charmingly whimsical “The Gardeners”!

Ksdfghjm rested the tip of his long orange-striped eyestalk just inside the shadow of the cave opening, His purple eye twitched all around, watching the play of leaf shadows under the double suns’ heavy UV light. How he longed for nightfall so he could tend his share of the garden in peace. He lifted his eye enough to check on his blooming graffala, curving toward the light on tall ivory stems. His graffala already boasted several large egg sacs, pulsing with the movement of the purple larvae that swam within.

Another eyestalk bumped against his from behind. “Sorry,” muttered Mbvcduytr as he swept into the cave tunnel that opened next to Ksdfghjm’s chosen spot. Mbvcduytr was mother-mother kin, but Ksdfghjm detested his pompous airs. Just because his graffala had bloomed first for the past fifty-seven suns, he thought he was a better gardener than anyone else in the kin-clan.

Ksdfghjm had half a mind to sneak out in midday and snip Mbvcduytr’s grafalla roots, or slice open his egg sacs. He fluttered his eyelid in silent laughter. Rich desserts, if you asked him. But even that delicious thought wasn’t enough to tempt him from the cool, dark depths of the cave in midday.

Mbvcduytr snaked his long eyestalk into a coil inside the cave entrance and boasted to Ksdfghjm, “I bet I can count my eggs fast than you can count yours, even though mine are large and I have more.”

Ksdfghjm swore against Mbvcduytr’s father under his breath, then apologized in the next breath to his mother-mother. He could not let the challenge pass, even though the UV would hurt like a steebaugh’s bite.

He drew a deep breath and thrust his eyestalk out into the burning UV light to count his grafalla eggs as quickly as possible. Mbvcduytr showed off, throwing his eyestalk even farther into the light. But Ksdfghjm smiled grimly. He saw no need to bear needless pain for show. Well, other than accepting the challenge in the first place.

He was counting and twitching his eye over to Mbvcduytr’s eyestalk when he herd the first roar and felt the shudder in the ground. Both of them flicked their eyestalks up, their colors deepening in alarm. Another roar. Steebaughs! In daylight! Very little could draw the stupid beasts out in the UV. They must be in a mating craze.

To be continued tomorrow…

Dogs in house	Houdini, Eggs
Music	Allegro Classical Fall 2011 Sampler
Time writing:	~45 minutes
September word count:	11,433