Luke bought the pot at a vanishing kiosk. He kept it in the sunshine and watered it regularly.
He never expected to grow his own real life flower child.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Luke was walking home from work, when he saw the kiosk.
It had never been there before, he should know, he walked the same way home every day.
Out of curiosity he stopped and looked around at the strange items that were on display.
One item looked the most normal and it caught his attention.
It was an orange ceramic pot, filled with black soil.
It was tiny. He could have fit three of them on his hand. He picked it up and studied it, wondering what was growing inside.
"Twenty dollars." A voice said and Luke jumped, nearly dropping the pot.
He fumbled with it and set it back on the stand. "Sorry, what?"
"The pot is twenty dollars." The man behind the counter said. (incoming drug pot comments)
"Oh." Luke looked at the pot and shrugged. "Okay I'll buy it." He paid the man and picked up the small pot again.
When he got home he placed it on his windowsill, where it would get some sun.
He poured some fresh water on it and then instantly felt stupid.
"Oh my God, I didn't even ask that man if there were seeds in here!" He face palmed and sighed.
"Alright, I'll just buy some tomorrow. Oh hey kitties." He bent down and petted his two cats, Calum and Michael. (yes I did that)
"No knocking over daddy's flowers, okay?" Luke stood up and got ready for bed.
Michael jumped up onto the windowsill and poked the small pot with a paw.
Calum meowed at him and jumped up too. He sniffed the pot before losing interest and left.
Michael batted at the pot some more. He bent down and studied it closely. He meowed and pushed it across the windowsill, dangerously close to the edge.
"Mikey! No!" Luke gasped and ran to the window and pushed Michael off. "Bad kitty! You can't have it!"
He shoved both cats out of the room and shut the door.
He sighed and climbed into bed, shutting off the lights.
-
The next morning, the first thing Luke did was inspect the pot.
He was surprised. A small green bud had bloomed overnight.
"Wow, I guess there is some seeds in here already." He shrugged and got ready for work, watering the plant before he left.
All day he was oddly excited. It wasn't even a big deal, but Luke was eager to know what was growing inside the pot. What kind of plant grows that fast?
When he got home, he ran upstairs and checked on the pot. The bud had grown a little bigger.
Luke was astonished.
He set up a small screen around the window, so his cats wouldn't break the pot.
He watered it a little more and waited, watching the pot for movement. But after an hour, it was still the same size.
He sighed and went downstairs, just as the plant sprouted a petal.
-
One week later, the flower had grown tall, and was surrounded by bright, red and gold petals. Luke kept it in the sun and watered it, but it didn't grow anymore.
He was confused. How did it grow so far so fast, and then suddenly not grow at all?
The petals were big and folded over themselves, as if they were protecting something inside it.
Luke poked it and the plant shuddered. Luke gasped and brought his hand back quickly.
He waited, but the flower just righted itself and was still.
He breathed out slowly and carefully grabbed the pot, moving it out of the sun and into the shade. The flower shivered.
Luke nearly dropped the pot. The plant continued to shake and Luke pushed it back into the sunlight.
It stopped shaking and was still. Luke bent down and squinted. The light was shining through the petals, and Luke could make out a shadow inside the flower.
Now he was torn, did he open the flower to see what was inside and damage the flower, or did he wait and hope the flower would grow some more? He put the plant back on the windowsill, replacing the screen.
"Hello?" Luke called to the plant. "What are you? Can you come out now? Wake up please!"
He went to touch the plant again, but the petals suddenly started moving and he froze.
The giant petals slowly twisted open and spread out, revealing a tiny boy sleeping in the middle of the flower.
Luke gasped and inspected the tiny child.
He had long, curly brown hair, and was strangely tan. Luke figured it was because the plant had always been in the sun. He had small flowers in a ring around his head like a crown.
The boy sleepily opened one eye. He sat up and stretched. He blinked up at Luke and smiled. "Hi there!"
Luke screamed.
The boy frowned and tears welled up. "I'm sorry! Please don't cry!" He stood up and walked to the edge of his flower. "I'm sorry I scared you." Everywhere he stepped, a small patch or grass or a flower would bloom, then disappear.
Luke scrambled backwards. He stared at the tiny child in shock.
The boy looked around. He placed one hand on the screen and gave it a push. It didn't budge. He tried again with both hands but he was to small to move it. "Could you help me please?" The boy asked. His voice was high pitched and strangely cute.
Luke caught his breath and slowly crawled to the window. He removed the screen carefully. "What are you?"
The boy smiled at him. "I don't know. I was just born, I don't know much things."
"Um, well how did you get in that flower?" Luke asked.
"I don't know." The boy jumped off the flower and walked along the windowsill.
"Well, do you have a name?" Luke was desperate for a answer of any sort.
"No, but you can give me one." The boy smiled.
"How about I get you some clothes first?" Luke asked. He stood up and went to his sisters old room. She still had her old dolls in her closet and Luke found some clothes for the flower child.
"Here, these are skinny jeans, and this is a shirt, do you know how to put these on?" Luke asked, handing the items to the boy.
The tiny child scoffed. "Of course I do! Um..." He went to the winow and threw the clothes at it. They fell down to the windowsill. The boy sighed. "I have no idea what I'm doing."
Luke laughed and helped the boy put the clothes on. "There silly." The boy smiled. "Thank you!"He brushed his hair out of his eyes and Luke noticed how long his hair was. "Do you want a head band for that?" He asked, getting up again. "Here, wait right here."
He ran out of his room. The boy sat down on the edge of the windowsill, swinging his legs as he waited.
Luke came back, holding a small bandana. "Here, let me put this on." Luke crouched down in front of the boy and tied the bandana around his head. "There we go, all better!"
The boy cheered. "Thank you- hey wait, what's your name?"
"I'm Luke." Luke said. "Should we figure out a name for you?" The flower child nodded.
"Hmmm..." Luke looked around his room.
"Hey!" The boy exclaimed suddenly. "What about that?" He was pointing to a poster Luke had above his bed.
"Ashton Kutcher?" Luke asked.
"You had me at Ashton, lost me at Kutcher." The boy said. "Can that be my name?"
"Ashton?" Luke asked. The boy nodded.
"Sure! Nice to meet you Ashton."
Ashton giggled. "Nice to meet you too!"
"Um, so like, what do you eat? Flower petals or sunshine or steak?" Luke asked.
Ashton giggled into his hands. "I like fruit."
Luke smiled. "I can do that." He held out his hand. Ashton crawled into it and held Luke's finger tightly as he looked around his surroundings.
"Luke! Luke! Luke! Luke what is that!" Ashton cried, pointing down at the floor. "Ah Luke there's two of them! Kill them Luke kill them!"
"Aw hey," Luke petted Ashtons head with a finger. "Its okay, those are just my cats, Mikey and Calum."
Ashton sniffed and leaned over the edge of Luke's hand. "Will they eat me?"
"Well.....yeah. But I'll make sure they won't." Luke assured.
He set Ashton down on his counter. "How about strawberries and pineapple? Do you like them?" Luke asked as he opened his refrigerator.
"Mhm." Ashton said absentmindedly as he walked around the counter top.
Suddenly, the two cats jumped up onto the counter and Ashton screamed. "Luke! Help!"
The flower child ran around the marble surface, ducking under the cats attempts to pin him down.
"Hey! Get off!" Luke snapped, pushing his pets off the counter. "Im sorry Ashton." He picked the tiny boy up and put him on the table with a plate of cut up fruit. "Here you go bab-Ashton."
Luke blushed as he almost called him baby.
"Thank you!" Ashton jumped into the plate and landed on a strawberry. He took a bite out of it and continued to eat like that, a happy look on his face. Luke smiled at him and made himself lunch.
Luke suddenly smacked himself. "Shit! I completely forgot about work tomorrow!"
Ashton frowned up at him. "What's work?"
"A place I have to go to everyday." Luke sighed. "I can't leave you here because of Mikey and Cal, but I can't bring you to work either."
Ashton grabbed a napkin out of the napkin holder and, with some difficulty, dragged it back to his plate. "Sounds like you have a problem."
"Yeah..." Luke sighed and got up. "I can call my friend to watch you, he's nice. You'll like him."
Ashton munched on a strawberry.
Luke grabbed his phone and dialed his friends number.
"Hey Niall!"
"Ay."
"Can you come over here tomorrow? I need you to watch Ashton while Im at work."
"Who?" Niall asked.
"Ashton, he's....a friend. And he's too young to be left alone."
"Sure, what time?"
"Can you come over before six?" Luke asked.
"Uuuugh I guess." Niall groaned.
Luke beamed. "Thank you!" He hung up and sat down at the table again.
"Okay Ashton, Niall is gunna watch you tomorrow, alright? So no giving him a hard time."
Ashton saluted him. "No promises."
Luke raised an eyebrow at him and the flower child sighed. "Alright, I promise to be good."
Luke spent the rest of the night keeping his cats away from Ashton and teaching the boy about the world.
Ashton especially liked playing the drums and recording Luke and taking selfies.
Luke then got an idea. He went to his sisters room and got out her old doll house.
He set it up on the table by his bed and put the screen from the window around it to keep the cats out.
Ashton climbed into the crib and smiled up at Luke.
Luke smiled back. "You're really cute you know." Ashton giggled. "Thanks. You're really hot." Luke laughed. "Thanks."
Luke climbed into his bed and shut off the lights.
A few moments later, Ashton loudly whispered, "Luke. Luuuuuke!"
Luke rolled over. "Yeah?"
Ashton sat up in the crib. "Its too dark. I can't be in the dark, I'll die."
Luke flicked on the lights. "Really? Will artificial light work?"
Ashton nodded. "I like sunlight best but this will work too."
"Wait, I have an idea." Luke climbed out of bed and ran downstairs.
He returned a moment later, holding a coil of Christmas lights.
"Whats that?" Ashton asked, watching Luke from the doll houses window.
"Light." Luke responded, plugging the lights in and wrapping it around the doll houses roof and sides. He kept it in place with tape and soon the mini house looked like a Christmas decoration.
Ashton giggled. "I love it! Thank you Luke."
Luke smiled. "You're welcome Ash."
He got into bed again and soon they were both asleep.
-
Luke woke up at his alarm going off and he quickly silenced it.
He looked over at Ashton. The flower child was still sleeping, his mouth wide open, his tiny legs were twisted around the small blanket.
Luke smiled and quietly got ready for work. He unplugged the Christmas lights and turned on the regular lights.
He was just finishing getting ready when someone knocked on his door.
He opened it and let Niall in.
"Thanks Niall, I really-" Niall silenced him with a hand. "Don't even Lucas. I'm way too tired." He said, his eyes shut tightly. "Just show me the kid."
"Right, um, about him..." Luke led Niall up to his room. "Don't freak out, okay?"
"Why?" Niall asked. "Is he like really ugly or something?"
"Just the opposite. Ashton? Can you come meet Niall please?"
Luke walked to the doll house. Niall followed in confusion.
Ashton sat up and rubbed his face. "I think I drooled."
Luke lifted him up and held him out on his hand. Niall gasped. "What the hell is that thing?"
Ashton frowned. "Excuse you."
Niall screamed. "Why is it talking?"
Ashton turned to Luke. "Is this guy for real?" Luke smiled. "Niall, this is Ashton. He's a flower child."
Ashton stuck his tongue out at Niall.
"He's a brat." Niall muttered. Luke transfered Ashton to Niall. "He likes fruit and make sure you keep him away from the cats. I got to go, bye guys!" And he was gone.
Ashton sat down and pouted in Niall's hand. "I want Luke."
Niall groaned. "I did not sign up for this." He walked down stairs and sat on the couch. "I should just feed you to the cats."
Ashton bit Nialls hand and the Irish man screamed, flinging Ashton away.
Ashton landed on the armrest and glared at Naill. "Rude!"
"You bit me!" Niall countered.
Ashton sighed and got to his feet. He tried walking on the plush couch but he stumbled and fell. Niall burst out laughing. Ashton frowned at him. "Don't laugh at me."
Niall stopped. "I'm sorry." He scooped up the flower child and brought them to the kitchen. "I'm always grumpy in the morning. How about we eat something and start over?"
Ashton smiled. "Okay!"
Niall cut up an apple for Ashton and made himself pancakes. They sat back on the couch to eat their food.
"So...you were born from a flower. That's interesting." Niall commented. Ashton licked an apple slice and frowned. "It's not that weird."
"I didn't say it was weird." Niall said, watching the boy with a look.
"You were thinking it." Ashton said. Niall sighed. "Okay, yes. Because it is very weird. Who eats an apple that way?"
Ashton glared. "I do!" He licked the apple slice again.
Niall shook his head. "So weird."
Suddenly Michael and Calum jumped up onto the couch and Ashton gasped, scarmbling up. He ran over to Niall, leaving tiny flowers in his wake.
He climbed up Niall's shirt. "Save me! Do what you were born to do!"
"Okay." Niall continued eating.
Ashton climbed up Niall's sides and Niall laughed, swatting at the flower child. "Stop it! That tickles!"
"Save me!" Ashton glared, climbing onto his shoulder.
Niall picked Ashton up by his shirt and hovered him above the cats. "You guys want this? Jump for it."
"No!" Ashton screeched. "Niall! Put me down!"
Niall laughed and pushed the cats off the couch with his free hand. "Fine fine."
Ashton pouted and crossed his arms. "I'm telling Luke."
Niall shrugged. "Luke likes me more."
Ashton gasped. "No he does not!" Niall nodded and turned on the TV. "He does. I've known him longer."
Ashton stomped his foot, making a black flower appear, before it slowly shrunk back to nothing. "Niall! No he does not!"
"Why are you getting so worked up over this?" Niall asked, looking down at the tiny flower child.
Ashton walked over to the edge of the couch. "I'm gunna jump."
"No you won't, but I might push you if you don't tell me why." Niall said. Ashton sighed and plopped down, swinging his legs over the edge. "I just really like Luke. He's the only other person I know in the world and he's nice and gives me food and turns on lights for me and he keeps the cats away and he has a beautiful soul. He's like an angel, and I don't wanna share my angel."
Niall sighed and picked Ashton up, holding him softly. "I'm sorry for teasing you. Of course Luke likes you too, and he would be very happy to hear what you think of him."
Ashton shrugged. "It's okay."
After that, they played games and started liking each other more.
Luke came home a little while later. "Hey Niall, how is Ashton?"
"Good, he's my little friend now. I like him more than you." Niall said, holding Ashton out to Luke.
"Ouch." Luke took the flower child back. "Thanks for watching him. You can come over and babysit whenever I have work to right? Thanks."
"Wait, what, no way!"
Luke shoved Niall out. "Thanks Ni!" He shut the door and he and Ashton giggled.
"So how was Niall?" Luke asked Ashton as he went to the kitchen to make them dinner.
"I didn't like him at first, but then I did." Ashton said, adjusting his bandana. "How was your work place?"
Luke shrugged. "Work was work. Are you gunna be okay with Niall watching you in the mornings?"
Ashton nodded, reaching his arms up. Luke picked him and and held him close. "Good. Want to watch a movie before bed?"
Ashton nodded and they made popcorn with dinner. They watched a few movies, before Ashton fell asleep in Luke's hand. Luke smiled down at the tiny boy. He tucked Ashton in his crib and kissed him goodnight. He plugged the lights in and went to bed.
-
Luke was at work a few weeks later when his phone rang.
"Hello?" He answered it.
"Luke!" Niall cried. "Some men broke in and trashed your house! They robbed it too!"
"What?" Luke bolted upright in his chair. "What do you mean?"
"I was watching Ashton and then some masked dudes came in! They started robbing the place and one pulled a gun on me when I tried to call 911." Niall was crying. "Luke, they took Ashton."
-
Luke ran home. He burst through the door and found his home completely wrecked. The furniture was ripped and flipped over, other items were broken and lay in pieces on the floor.
Mikey and Calum were hiding under the couch.
"Luke!" Niall ran up to him, hugging his friend tightly. "I'm so sorry!"
"It's okay, it's not your fault." Luke said shakily. "Did you call the cops?" Niall wiped his eye and shook his head.
"Good, don't." Luke started walking out and Niall ran to catch up with him. "Where are we going?"
"I have no idea."
-
Ashton cried out as he was thrown into a small birdcage. Someone threw a blanjet over it, leaving him in darkness. Voices and scary people were shouting and suddenly he was shoved forward as a car started.
He gasped at the surrounding darkness. "No! No, no, no, I can't live in the dark!" He pounded on the bars surrounding him but he was too small to break them.
He slid to the floor and cried into his hands.
"Luke...."
-
Luke walked alone. He had sent Niall home, he needed to be by himself for a while. He shoved his hands in his sweatshirt pockets.
It was dark out and there was no one around. Good, he thought.
It was a few minutes later when he realized he was walking the same road he did on his way to work.
"The kiosk!" He gasped. He ran until the place where he bought Ashton came into view.
"Hello?" He called breathlessly. "Old man? Sorry I don't know your name, but I need your help. You see, I bought this pot from you a few weeks ago, a flower pot, not drugs pot, and a boy was born from it somehow, I still don't really know, but anyways, he was taken from me and I need to find him before they hurt him and I have no idea where he is and I really need some help and you're the only person I know who can help me because I can't go to the police for obvious reasons and oh God, please help me, they don't his name is Ashton after Ashton Kutcher and might call him names and he doesn't like to be laughed at and he likes fruit and what if they don't feed him fruit or even feed him at all and what if they put him in the dark 'cause he can't live in the dark, he'll die and if he dies, I'll go into a state of uncurable depression and die early and I don't want to die but that's not the point-" Luke took a deep breath. "Hello? Did you hear that?"
"I did, but unfortunately I can't help you." The old man said, shuffling into view.
"What?" Luke gripped the stand for support as his legs went weak. "Why not? Please! Is there anything you can do? I can't live with out Ashton, he's my little angel!"
The man shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I'm not a tracking device."
Luke groaned. "What am I supposed to do?"
"Buy another pot?" The man asked. Luke glared."No, I want Ashton!"
He sighed and started walking back home. "Never mind, I'll just go sulk and pout in my room."
But instead he went to Niall's house.
He knocked on the door in the most depressed way possible. He sighed and hit his head on the door, nearly face planting when Niall answered the door.
"Whoa Luke." Niall steadied him and brought him inside.
"Want something to drink?" He asked but Luke shook his head.
"Me neither." Niall sighed. "This is all my fault, I should have protected Ashton better."
Luke shook his head again. "Don't blame yourself Ni, I don't. But can you tell me everything that happened?"
Niall nodded and they sat on his couch.
"Tag you're it." Niall said boredly, poking Ashton as they sat slumped on the couch.
"Tag you're it." Ashton sighed, poking Niall back.
"Oh my Goooood I am so bored." Niall slid off the couch and landed on the floor.
"You're still it." Ashton said.
"Your face is it." Niall retorted.
Ashton climbed down the couch and rammed his face into Niall's leg. "Tag you're it."
"Hey," Niall sat up. "Do you hear that?"
"No." Ashton said, hitting his head against Niall's leg still.
There came a knock at the door. Niall got up and looked through the peephole.
"Ashton." He said in a low voice. "I think you should go and hide in a different room."
"Why?"
"Because these men have guns." Niall slowly opened the door. "Can I help you fine, reasonable, young gentlemen?"
"Move." The first one pushed past Niall and his two friends followed.
"Alrighty." Niall closed the door.
"Spread out." The first man ordered, and his crew fanned out around the house.
"What's going on?" Niall asked, slowly reaching into his pocket for his phone.
"We saw the owner of this house buy a pot from a man at a kiosk. We know he has a flower child in here." The man said.
"A what?" Niall asked, carefully turning his phone on behind his back.
"You don't need to know." The man said, keeping his gun pointed at him while he searched the living room.
Niall pressed 9 and flinched as the dial pad beeped.
The man whipped around. "Put it down now. Three, two-"
Niall dropped it in surprise.
The man aimed his gun and fired, shooting the phone.
Niall frowned. "Aw, I still had three more payments on that!"
"Sir! We found it!" Another man shouted, coming down the stairs.
Niall gasped when he saw Ashton, struggling in the mans grip.
"Good. Put it in the van and lets go." The first man said.
They started leaving and Niall inched his way to the kitchen where the home phone was.
The first man pointed the gun at him. "Don't call the police."
Niall nodded.
The man left and Niall ran to the window. He saw a car speed away. He read the licence plate and quickly wrote it down.
He called Luke's cell phone.
"Oh yeah! I forgot I got the plate number!" Niall jumped up and reached into his pocket.
He pulled out a slip of paper. "Here, lets get this tracked!"
-
Ashton concentrated on breathing, which was becoming increasingly difficult to do.
Suddenly he felt the car stop.
He heard voices as the men came around back and opened the back door.
He gasped as the cover was yanked off him and sunlight poured in. He took a deep breath, trying to get as much as possible.
He was carried inside and thankfully the lights were on.
He looked around, the place looked like a normal house.
"Who are you?" He asked as the man set him down on the table.
"You don't need to know." The man said, taking a seat at the table.
"I'm Ashton." He stuck his hand out.
The man looked at him. "Sorry, you must have confused me with someone who gives a fuck."
Ashton brought his hand back. "Where are we?"
"My house, not that it matters to you. You won't be here long." The man leaned back in his chair.
"Where will I be?" Ashton asked nervously.
"Japan." The man yawned.
"What?" Ashton asked with wide eyes. "I don't want to go to Japan! I wanna go home!" He cried.
"Too bad. Flower children are hot in Japan right now, I'm gunna sell you for a fortune."
Ashton sat down as tears streamed down his face. "But, what about Luke?"
"What about him?" The man asked boredly.
"I'm gunna miss him! He's my angel!" Ashton cried.
"You'll find another owner." The man waved dismissively.
"Luke is not my owner!" Ashton said angrily. "He is my friend and angel!"
"So you said." The man yawned again. "I'm gunna go to bed. You just sit there and be quiet, understand?"
Ashton glared. "No!"
"Fine then." The man pulled the cover back over the birdcage. Ashton gasped and scrambled up.
"Okay, okay! I'm sorry, I'll be quiet, I promise!" Ashton cried.
The man removed the cover and Ashton sighed.
The man left and Ashton was left alone in the kitchen.
He sighed and laid down. "I miss Luke."
-
The next day, Ashton was awakened by loud noises all around him.
He sat up and looked around. The three men from yesterday were going around the house, talking into phones and writing things down.
"What's going on?" Ashton asked.
"Shut up." One said as he passed by the table.
Ashton frowned. "Well that was unecissary."
"Come on, the plane leaves in an hour! We dont have time for screw ups!" A man shouted.
Someone knocked at the door and the man sighed. "Now what?"
He opened it and bang!
The rest of the men gasped and scrambled around.
Luke came into the room, stepping over the unconscious body of the man he just shot.
He clicked his shot gun and glared around the room. "Give me back my fucking flower child."
"Luke!" Ashton cried. "You're an angel with a shotgun!"
"Hey!" A man shouted, aiming his gun at Luke. "You can't-" Luke cut him off with a bang.
"Yes I can." Luke fired at the other man, who started pulling out his gun.
He threw the gun to the ground and ran up to Ashton. He unlocked the cage and Ashton ran out, jumping onto Luke.
"Luke! How did you find me?" Ashton asked, hugging Luke tightly.
"I tracked their license plate." Luke said as he carried Ashton outside, where Niall was waiting in the car.
"I can't believe you shot those people." Ashton said, turning to look back at the house.
"Oh, they're not dead." Luke said. "Those weren't bullets, just sleeping darts."
"Oh." Ashton said. "Well you should have killed them."
Luke laughed and got into the car.
"Ashton! Im so sorry!" Niall cried. Ashton smiled and kissed Niall's cheek. "It's okay."
Niall smiled and started the car.
They drove home, keeping the sunroof open for maximum sunlight.