3 days and 3 nights

〜Beautiful but deceiving〜

floral forest

He gaped, the greenest of green moss lined the beaten cobblestone terrain. The scents of wet mud, and sulfur permeated from a saltwater stream. He smiled, up ahead the boy made a game of pouncing on pools of light. A tingling sensation traveled down his cheek, he smacked it, pulling his hand away. Oh, it's only water...

He raised his head. Live vines crossed over woody dead ones, cascading into an arc hugging the juvenile trees on either side of him.

"Et's beautiful isn't it?"

"Yeah...it is."

A bird lands on a vine, chirping. A cord of dead vine crunches beneath his shoe.

"This es nothing like images online...visiting it for myself its."

Rou swept his head over the expanse, the side of his mouth open in a small gape, legs shuffled in a slow gait.

He smiled. Rou's like an excited kid going to a new park for the first time...

"Ladies, gentlemen, on your left is the Apple-of-Peru, or the Shoofly plant-as westerners call it."

The tall plant was encased on both sides, in a half-rectangle shape, made up of blue tape, and pulled taut around four pegs. Its pale blue bell-shaped petals rocked with every brush of the light breeze through soft spirals. A stick punched near him, then steps of shoes soon after. His hair feathered to the side, Rou's cologne wafting over him.

"Village locals used to ground up the leaves and roots of this plant and mix it with milk. The concoction attracted many flies, killing them when they drank from it". Rodolfo turned, walking back to the front to lead the line. Beautiful but deceiving...like many of mother nature's creations are...

"He did'en mention this, but the plant sheds its flowers every day and keeps producing them."

Jal jogged back to his place in line, hurried footsteps followed him.

"You study plants or something?"

"Carajo, I wish, but no, I jus have a small arrangement of different flowers, mostly Heliconias."

"Oh. Do you own any Apple of Peru's?"

"No, they are strictly prohibited where I live. I would'en own any, even without that."

A leaf crunched beneath his stick, sliding off.

"Earlier you said, car-ca-"

"Carajo? It means...sort of a curse word."

The family of three stopped in front of him, so he stopped as well. Excuse...

"Uww. This one looks like the red peppers I eat at home. Mom look, don-"

"Shh, don't touch that-it could be poisonous like the last one. Your great grandad Geo died from touching one of those poisonous ones."

"Ruth..."

He swayed back. Woah that's a... unexpectedly deep voice. The man's grey tank-covered back rocked with each word. "That was a long time ago, and he wasn't going to touch it, he was just pointing."

He veered away from the man's broad shoulder, so that Rodolfo faced the plant.

"This is a Fuchsia boliviana, part of the Fuchsia genus. Its trumpet-shaped flower, provides great aesthetics for the locals, attracting many pollinators, and no they are not poisonous. Everyone the rest stop is 5 miles away."

Rodolfo smiled, "less keep moving."

A pebble squirmed under the treads of his shoe, as he passed the plant.

He smiled. Intuitive kid.