Wrapped Around Her Finger
Wrapped Around Her Finger
"I swear on all my spores
When he's gone the world will be yours"
- Little Shop of Horrors
One day, one of the traveling naturalists brought in something to the conservatory that would change Georgia’s life forever. An orchid that was discovered in a remote part of the Chocó Rainforest. While that wasn’t unusual, this particular flower was unique. It was black with purple markings. The plant, when potted, stood at four feet. And most notably, instead of a column, the orchid sported a gaping hole lined with small, but sharp teeth.
As Georgia took the flower to the exam room, she could’ve sworn it was watching her. On the table, she began to sing to it. In response, the orchid wrapped its vines around her hand and wrist. But whenever she would rotate it, the orchid would instinctively loosen its grip and let Georgia finish the exam. As if it could understand Georgia’s verbal cues. “Do you…understand me?”, Georgia whispered. The orchid gently squeezed her arm with its vines, as if to say “yes”. Georgia beamed. “I think I’ll call you, Mitis.” Which meant "gentle". Then Mitis tightened its grip on Georgia, happy for its new name.
Like all the plants in the conservatory, Mitis was attended to by multiple members of the staff. And this did not sit well with the orchid. If anyone who wasn't Georgia tried to feed or care for the flower, they would get bitten or slapped by its vines. At first this wasn't a major problem, until Mitis started to grow. The plant exceeded the normal growth rate of an orchid and reached an intimidating seven feet. And with the increase in growth, came an increase in aggression. Staff members would go home with large bruises or from getting thrown across the room, but Georgia still treated Mitis as a gentle flower that needed protection. One night, when a new intern went to feed Audrey, the flower wrapped its vines around the man and lifted him off the ground. He struggled to break free, but the vines' hold was too strong. The orchid’s vines started to constrict the man, squeezing tighter and tighter. Just before he lost consciousness, Mitis released him. The intern survived, but everyone at the conservatory knew that this rare breed of orchid was carnivorous, capable of eating large animals. Once it reached full maturity, the flower would have the strength and stamina to consume anything in its path. And it was only a matter of time before it happened.
Sadly, the management decided that they could no longer take the risk of housing the orchid. The conservatory gave Georgia the option to keep the plant or to return it back to Colombia. Without hesitation, Georgia set up a large and comfortable pot for Audrey in her apartment. Her boyfriend, Michael, was less than pleased. And things that were already strained in their relationship started to take a downward spiral. As days bled into weeks, Michael’s temper grew shorter and shorter. Everything from laundry chores to who texted back more promptly, or even if they disagreed on what to eat would become an impossible argument that somehow Georgia was at fault for. Every little thing began to set Michael off and Mitis saw all of it from its corner in the living room.
The tension and the stress kept building until one night, Michael was livid. Screaming at Georgia about how this wasn’t the life he saw for himself and how he could do better. Threatening to leave her for someone who didn’t always look like they rolled through a briar patch. Just when Georgia was about to set him straight about it, Michael’s fist made swift and hard contact with Georgia’s face, giving her a bloody nose. Michael, still full of rage stared at her bloody face, his hands clenched into fists then unclenched as he stormed out of their apartment. Georgia, somewhat in shock, walked over to the pot in the living room and tenderly stroked the orchid’s petals. Mitis reciprocated the action by wrapping its vines around Georgia’s forearm and gently squeezed it in a reassuring manner. The flower’s soft touch soothed her and Georgia soon fell asleep on the couch.
The next morning, Georgia awoke to an unnerving silence. She’d heard her boyfriend return late at night, but decided to remain on the couch while he slept in their bed. However, he was normally up right now and getting ready for work. Georgia stood and looked into the flower pot, but Mitis wasn’t there. She feared the worst. She knew how much Michael despised the orchid; knew he must have done something horrible. Adrenaline filled her as she sped to the bedroom, swiftly moving down the hall, a dampened trail of dirt and mud on the carpet led the way. And as she got closer to the bedroom door, the damp carpet turned red. Flinging open the bedroom door, she found blood everywhere. And at its center, in the middle of the bed was Michael and Mitis. Michael thrashed as the vines from the large flower wrapped around his entire body. He didn’t even have time to scream before Mitis bit his head off with a loud crunch. Georgia screamed before Michael’s writhing body became still. He would never hurt her again. Mitis had made sure of that.
Georgia composed herself and picked up Mitis and returned it to its flower pot. Mitis settled its roots back into the soil and lovingly reached its vines out. Georgia stared for a long while, then smiled as she reached her arms out, allowing the orchid to wrap itself around her upper body. Solidifying their bond…
Forever.
Michaela "Wrapped Around Her Finger" ®
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