<p>The big black car drove under the “Little Green Thumb” sign,  and with a little cloud of dust surrounding it came to a stop on the gravel  driveway.<br />
<br />
Poppy looked up from where he was busy feeding each one his  beautiful roses their spring tonic of a half-cup of “Epsom Salts”, which they  loved. It deepened their colors, thickened their petals, and helped their roots  grow. When they saw the car pull in, the special roses whispered “uh oh” and  closed their eyes to blend in with all the rest.</p>
<p>He took off his straw hat, which he always wore when he was  working in the sun, and reaching in his back pocket took out his red bandana  and wiped his brow. He didn’t recognize the car as belonging to one of his  customers, and when the four doors opened, he saw that the four people who got  out were indeed not his regular customers.</p>
<p>The car caught Abby and Ty’s attention as well, and they  both got off their knees, where they had been gently watering some white  flowering baby Candytufts. They watched with silent interest as the three men  and one lady walked toward their Poppy.<br />
All four wore business suits, the men with tie and jacket,  and the lady in a two-piece black jacket and skirt, with a crisp white blouse. </p>
<p>Poppy put aside his trowel, and walked toward them, meeting  them halfway as they approached him. “Howdy folks, welcome to the Little Green  Thumb Garden Center”.<br />
“How do you do sir”, one of the men replied, hand extended,  “we’re looking for Mr. Green”. “Well you found him”, Poppy responded with a  little smile, grasping the mans hand in a firm handshake. “My name is Burt  Weedle, and this is Edna Sneed, Larry Snodgrass, and Ronald Beetle” the man  continued, indicating the other three individuals with a sweeping motion of his  left hand. All three shook hands with Poppy and said “nice to meet you sir”. <br />
“What can I do for you, folks” Poppy asked, doubting that  they were there to buy flowers or such.</p>
<p>“We’re your neighbors”, it was the lady, Edna Sneed who  replied, and “we’re here with a proposal that we believe you will like”.<br />
“My neighbors”?<br />
“Why yes sir,” now it was the man Larry doing the talking.  “We’re from Paragon Industries Incorporated, our headquarters are just the  other side of your woods”, he said pointing to the trees at the back end of the  nursery. Actually Poppy had never walked through the woods nor driven around  that way, so he really didn’t know what was on the far side. Even in the winter  when the trees had no leaves, the woods were so deep you couldn’t see clear  through them.<br />
“A proposal, you say”?</p>
<p> </p>
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<p>Poppy guessed it was the other man, Ronald’s turn to talk,  cause he’s the one who answered. “Yes sir, we sure do. We want to take those  ugly woods and clean them up and put in paths and benches and make it a park  for people to use. Yes sir, that’s what we’d like to do.” The other three were  nodding their heads up and down in agreement, their faces still smiling the  same thin smiles they had ever since they got out of the car.</p>
<p>Now it was that first man Burt doing the talking again.  “How’s that sound to you sir? We prepared to make you a real generous offer for  those woods, which are just going to waste anyhow”.</p>
<p>Although they couldn’t hear what was being said, Ty and Abby  saw the little frown appear on Poppy’s face, and looked at each other. </p>
<p>That was the second thing this group said that Poppy didn’t  like. The first was that man Ronald calling the woods ugly, and the second was  Burt saying their just going to waste anyhow. Poppy loved all things natural,  and the woods in their natural state were anything but ugly, and as far as  going to waste, that was just someone talking that didn’t know anything about  nature. The woods were home to all sorts of animals and insects as well as wild  plants and flowers. They most certainly were not going to waste.</p>
<p>“Well I certainly appreciate you folks comin’ by, but I  don’t believe that’s something that I’d be interested in”. For the first time  since they gotten out of the car their smiles disappeared, and their eyes  narrowed a little.</p>
<p>“You haven’t even heard our offer,” it was the lady speaking  again.<br />
“I’m afraid it just wouldn’t matter, I’m just not interested  in selling any of our property,” Poppy said a little more firmly. “If I can  help you in any way with your gardening needs, or you have any questions about  your plants and such, as a good neighbor I’d sure be glad to help you out.” The  four of them glanced at each other. </p>
<p>“Mr. Green, I’d like to take the liberty of sending you our  proposal in writing” it was that man Larry again, “when you see the amount of  money were talking about, we think you’ll change your mind”. <br />
Poppy was liking these people less and less every time they  spoke. “I guess you can do what you want, but I can tell you now that I won’t  be changing my mind. Right now I’ve got to get back to my roses” Poppy said,  extending his hand.</p>
<p>“Okay sir, thanks for your time” Larry said, shaking Poppy’s  hand. The other three were already getting back in the car. Poppy watched as  they drove off. “Pushy bunch”, he thought, and glanced toward the Thumburbs,  where he saw the sunflowers, who towered above everything, even the hedges, had  seen the entire interchange and were smiling. The sunflowers, and that’s just  what everyone called them, “the sunflowers”, were very tall and very special.  The story was that sunflowers actually were in love with the sun and couldn’t  stop watching it, turning slowly with the sun as it made its way across the sky <br />
Page 12</p>
<p>from East to West. Their faces were almost hidden in their  center, and when any human except their friends the “Greens” looked at them,  they closed their eyes and made their faces disappear, just as every other  special flower did. Poppy smiled back, and went back to feeding his roses, the  special ones opened their eyes and smiled up at him.</p>
<p>Ty looked at his sister and kind of shrugged, “I wonder what  they wanted? She shrugged back and the two of them went back to gently  sprinkling the little babies. Little did they know that soon enough they’d find  out what they wanted, and it wasn’t good!</p>
<p>Larry was doing the driving as the four of them spoke their  minds.<br />
“Do you believe that? He didn’t even listen to our offer”. <br />
“I know, that just unbelievable, doesn’t he want money. The  trees are just standing there.”<br />
“I don’t know and I don’t care, I just know we need that  land and we’re going to get it. No silly old man in a pair of dungarees and a  straw hat is going to stop a company like Paragon from expanding, right!”  “Right!” the other three said in unison. </p>