The night was very, very cold and little snowflakes were blowing this way and that in the blustery winter wind. They floated like tiny white shiny jewels until they landed softly, only to be blown aloft again, swirling round and round, covering the ground in a beautiful design of pure white hills and valleys. It was very late and very quiet, as such nights are, with the silence broken only by the whisper of the wind as it pierced the darkness.  The snow fell heavily and the sound of the wind became louder creating a snowy white curtain in front of the white sign with green letters.

“Little Green Thumb Garden and Nursery”
Ezra Green, proprietor

The snow stopped, and the wind, seeking a rest from its’ constant work, became still. The night became totally quiet and clear with the parting clouds allowing a pitch black sky, dotted with thousands of pin light stars, to overlook the peaceful white scene that lay beneath it.

Suddenly there was a flash of light! Very bright and very quick! It was so quick that if anyone had seen it, they would have thought it had been their imagination. But it wasn’t, it was real, and it came from a star very, very far away. It was like a beam from a giant flashlight. And then it was gone.

The wind began again, serenading the darkness with its’ sound, a symphony to which the snow danced back and forth in the once again pitch black night, and everything looked as it looked before. But it wasn’t as it was before, and it never would be again. The magic had been done!

As morning approached, the Eastern sky grew lighter until the sun peeped over the edge of the world, its’ light slipping silently into Tys’ room. The smell of breakfast drifted under his door, and the twelve year old boy, with eyes still closed, smiled at the familiar and welcome aromas. Every morning he thought of what his Grandfather taught him. Enjoy each day, it is a present! It meant that every day was special, he just didn’t know yet how very special this day would be. He opened his eyes and jumped out of bed.

Ty and his twin sister Abby lived at the “Little Green Thumb Garden and Nursery” with their grandparents, Poppy and Nana, whom they loved very much. Poppy was a botanist, an expert who loved and enjoyed the flowers and plants they raised and tended. They owned the nursery for as long as anyone could remember, and everyone in town always came there for all their garden needs.

The big clock on the kitchen wall said 7:03 as Ty bounded into the room and directly into the open arms of his Nana who squeezed him tight against her red checkered apron. He then ran to Poppy who, putting down the morning newspaper, hugged him even tighter, the feeling of his soft flannel shirt making Ty feel safe and comfortable.

“Your late” said his twin sister Abby with a little frown. She was already seated on one of the six chairs that surrounded the big white kitchen table. Ty followed her gaze up to the clock where the big hand had clicked over just one more notch and was now at 7:04.
“Our friends are awake and waiting for us” she continued, referring to all the flowers in the greenhouse.

The greenhouse was a special place, made of glass to let the sun shine in, and always kept at just the right temperature for all the plants and flowers to feel comfortable. It had special shades that could be lowered, because not all the plants liked the bright sun. Poppy built it many years ago so that they could raise their plants and flowers all year long, no matter what the weather was outside. Now it was Ty and Abby’s job to take care of, and they loved doing it. Every day, before and after school, they looked in on their friends to make sure everyone was happy and no one was hungry or thirsty.

Abby who was ready first, stood by the front door, arms crossed, watching Ty, already wearing his jacket that matched hers with its’ green garden glove insignia, pull on his black snow boots. Finally with each wearing jacket, scarf, wool cap, and gloves, they were ready.

They stepped outside, and although the late winter sun was really bright, it did very little to warm the air. Ty and Abby didn’t mind, they were dressed for the cold, and liked the brisk feeling against their uncovered faces, and besides spring was just around the corner.
They made their way toward the greenhouse, with little clouds of steam appearing and disappearing in front of their faces as they breathed. There were no leaves on the trees in the surrounding forest and the only sound that could be heard in the peaceful winter morning, was their boots crunching in the snow.

Abby pulled open the glass door, and she and Ty stepped into the small hallway. Like the rest of the greenhouse it was completely made of glass, but was separated from where the plants lived by another big double glass door. The twins took of their jackets, scarves, and hats and hung them on the hooks that were there for that purpose. Now they could enter the room where all their friends lived without letting in any cold winter air.

“Good morning Dahlia, Marigold, and Petunia, I hope you ladies had a great nights sleep” Abby said, smiling at the three pretty annuals.

Ty was busy checking to make sure none of the perennials needed any tending this morning. “And how are you today” he said to Chrysanthemum, Iris and Delphinium. Of course the plants didn’t answer back, but the twins were sure they heard them and liked being spoken to. The greenhouse was very big and was filled with lots and lots of different plants and flowers. The twins made it their business to visit with each and every one of their friends at least once a week to make sure they were okay. When the weather changed and it got warm enough, they would move them all outside.

It was Abby who noticed that something was different, but she wasn’t sure what it was. She kind of stopped for a minute before they left and took a long look around. “Oh well” she thought, it’s probably just my imagination.

It wasn’t until later that day, as she was sitting in her classroom in school, and Mrs. Bronson was in the middle of an arithmetic lesson that it came to her, and Abby almost jumped up! Petunia had been in a different place then she had been the day before!

At the same time, back in the greenhouse, Alice of the Aubrietta family was running around in a little circle, her mauve colored petals fluttering in panic. “What are we going to do? What are we going to do?”

“I know she noticed me”, said Penny the trumpet shaped white Petunia, “I just know it!” Everyone in the greenhouse was buzzing about what had happened.
Janet the yellow Jasmine, Black Eyed Susan and Sarah Sweet Pea were deep in conversation with the other climbers, while the Boston Ivy just stood by listening, shaking their leaves back and forth.
“What are we going to do? What are we going to do?” Alice’s petals were fluttering so hard they looked as if they would fly off.

“Everyone stop!” All grew quiet and their eyes turned toward “Dr. Delphinium”, the perennial that all recognized as the leader and Governor of the greenhouse. “We have no choice. Ty and Abby are our friends and we have to trust them. Now let me see a show of petals of all those who agree.” Slowly, by family, the plants and flowers raised their petals and leaves until the vote was unanimous, although Alice just couldn’t stop shaking.

Later that same afternoon, with flashing red lights, the yellow school bus came to a stop in front of the sign that read “L’il Green Thumb Garden and Nursery”. As soon as the doors opened, the twins were on the ground and running through the snow, and up the steps to the porch of the their house. Stopping only to wipe their boots, they threw open the door and ran into the big old farmhouse at full speed. “Poppy, Nana, we’re home.”
“We’re in here” Poppy’s deep voice replied from the living room. The twins turned as one and scampered into the arms of their Poppy and Nana squealing with delight as their Grandparents hugged them tightly.

The living room was warm and comfortable, with a big soft couch and two soft chairs, with a big wooden coffee table in the middle. The floor was a dark wood that was mostly covered with a rug, and it creaked a little as you walked on it. There was a huge stone fireplace with a fire blazing away that reflected like little dancing elves off the ice that partly covered each square pane on the big front window. But mostly the room was filled with love, and it was so real you could almost see it and touch it. The four of them stood and smiled at each other.

“Let’s go Abby, we’ve got to see our friends”, and Ty and his sister turned and ran out the back door heading for the greenhouse. Of course Abby told Ty what she suspected, but instead of acting surprised, he agreed. He’d felt it too, something had been different, he just wasn’t sure what.

They removed their winter clothes in the outer hall in a flash and were now standing among the flowers. They walked slowly down the aisles from one end to the other not saying a word. Out of the corner of his eye Ty saw a movement. Both of their heads swiveled at the same time and they stared in amazement, as a Delphinium was actually moving toward them. They heard the words, but they couldn’t believe their ears. “Petunia couldn’t get back in time, so now you know” he said. The twins just kept staring, their mouths open in astonishment. “It’s really for the best,” he continued in a kindly firm voice. “You are our friends and we trust you, and are going to need your help. I think it would be best if you got your Poppy and Nana”.

In the few minutes that it took for Ty to run back to the house and get their Grandparents, with a fluttering of leaves and petals, everyone had gathered in close, so as to hear every word. Alice had calmed down, but her petals were still shaking just a little

Dr. Delphinium was a perennial, which meant that he was a constant citizen of the garden, blooming year after year, and was one of the leaders of the flower world. He stood about three feet tall, with dark purple petals, which was the color of royalty. During the next ten minutes he related the story to the four people they knew they had to trust.

He told of the magic flash of light, and how it had changed all the inhabitants of the greenhouse. How they could now all walk and talk and think, just like people. Dr. Delphinium was very smart, and he told them of his concerns. He wasn’t sure how far and wide the magic flash of light extended, and if it had affected the plants and flowers that were sleeping in the surrounding woods waiting for the warmth of spring to awaken them. He did however know that when everyone in the greenhouse was moved outside, they would have to be placed in a protected area away from all the people that came to the garden center each day.

Poppy listened attentively as Dr. Delphinium spoke, taking in the enormity of what he was hearing. Poppy, like Nana and the twins, always loved plants and flowers for the beauty that they brought to the world. But Poppy was a botanist, an expert on plants and flowers, and knew that plants and flowers were more than just beauty. People and all the other animals on earth depended on plant life for a lot of reasons, the most important one being oxygen. Oxygen was the part of the air that we breathed that kept us alive. Without plants and flowers there would be no people or animals. Plants and flowers were our friends more than most people knew.

“This is an amazing and wonderful thing,” said Poppy. “As soon as the weather is right we will move everyone outside. We’ll plant tall hedges around an area at the far back end of one corner of the nursery. The hedges will give you privacy on two sides and the natural woods and forest will give you the privacy you need on the other two. It will be a big square area where all of you can live your lives as you want, where no one will bother you.”
“Poppy, why don’t we call it the thumburbs, said Abby, looking up at her grandfather.”
“Why that’s just a fine name”, he said, and the rustling of leaves and petals filled the greenhouse as everyone applauded and laughed. Alice’s petals stopped shaking and a little tear of happiness came to her eye.

And so it came to be, that a new little world of plants and flowers would exist, with lots and lots of stories to be told.