Information

Aloe has a minion!

Vera the Tuliplum

Aloe
Legacy Name: Aloe

The

Glade Priggle
Owner:

Confetti

Age: 15 years, 4 months, 6 days

Born: December 22nd, 2008

Adopted: 15 years, 4 months, 6 days ago (Legacy)

Adopted: December 22nd, 2008 (Legacy)

Pet Spotlight Winner
September 21st, 2011

Statistics

Level: 88
Strength: 213
Defense: 207
Speed: 193
Health: 207
HP: 207/207
Intelligence: 51
Books Read: 25
Food Eaten: 1
Job: Centrifuge Master

Insult and injury controlled my life.

When I was young, I was consumed by the media, peer pressure and demand from my parents. I had to act my best, be the smartest, friendliest, most popular, and most importantly, the prettiest. Anything less simply was not tolerated. I was completely surrounded. I had no choice but to succumb lest I lose respect from everyone, including myself...

Then, one day as I was jogging (to keep up my figure), I stumbled across this prickly, thick-leaved plant an aged lady was watering. Its evil-looking thorns scratched my legs and stung like fire, but the woman was kind enough to let me sit down on her tiny front porch as she hurried to fetch a cure. I saw the giant plastic pot overturned on the sidewalk, dirt spilling out like blood from veins. One of its leaves had snapped in half and, in the distance and through hazy humid heat, it seemed that some sort of clear gel oozed from its center. The woman returned with a bandage and what she called "panacea jelly." What a strange name," I thought inquisitively. I asked what it was composed of as I had never heard of such an outlandish... thing... before.

However, as I looked up, I saw that the woman had the clearest and smoothest skin I had ever before witnessed. "How did you get your skin like that?!" It was more of a demand than a question. Immediately a surge of emotion overwhelmed me as I confronted the fact that someone else was better than me. More beautiful than me. How could anyone be more beautiful than me? She contorted her face into a mask of disgust at my poor attitude.

"Young lady, I do not help those who are unwilling to be kind to a poor, little and defenseless lady as myself!"I made a small snort at this as she turned her head and gave me a sharp glare."You must improve your manners. And you must improve yourself before I help you any further or give you any answers that you seek," stated in a pointed and loud voice. She was serious, and I was sent along my way half-bandaged and limping for a mile until returning home.

The next day, I returned to the home of the woman that allowed me to walk away injured. The buds that had been closed and bright green the afternoon before had burst open into vibrant orange tubular flowers. I knocked on her worn wooden door and waited, going over the words in my head. Before I had finished the rehearsal, the door swiftly opened. In the doorway stood tall the woman, her skin glowing but her silver hair dulling the image, yet in a graceful way. I laid out my apologies before her with repentance and it was accepted, but it had one condition: I had to somehow prove my kindness to her before she would tell me the secret of her radiant skin. So I offered to do odd jobs for her over the warm summer months of vacation.

And I forgot to mention, her name was Vera.

After months, and I mean months of doing the strangest work for Vera, in between my packed schedule of social life, family, work and sleeping, she revealed the secret to me. At this point, I was starting to enjoy her company and the quirky things she did, like composting all of her food waste in her backyard (man, did that job stink, literally), and I almost didn't want to know, but she continued on. You remember that silly plant that got me into this whole mess in the first place, right? That was her secret, aloe. I was actually pretty angry for not realizing it. Vera gave me a cutting of the plant and I tended for it so I would have an adult plant of my own. Yet, I didn't really care about the secret of youth anymore. Vera had taught me valuable lessons I could never forget and I was no longer tethered to the idea that perfection was the solution of all, and I had let go of my vanity and became more beautiful inside. But the aloe certainly didn't hurt, either.

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lineart User not found: darknessizme, coloring by ver
profile by FallenSamurai