Write or Die - Lavender

Oh dear, this month's writing group story was inspired by a wonderful inside joke. I don't even remember the exact details of how it started, but our friend and group member, Sean, was part of a photoshoot (probably for a local lavender farm?) that resulted in the now immortal "Sean Gogh" image. It has been used as a white elephant gift in puzzle form and in at least one other way (I know it made a second white elephant appearance) and is something we reference on a semi-regular basis. It is also now my favorite thing connected to lavender. 😆

We chose lavender as the subject for this short story, I think because people liked the vagueness of "orange" that we did last year. The first thing I thought of was "Sean Gogh" and then of course needed to somehow include it in the story. My first thought was to make it about a commercial being shot in a lavender field, but since I waited till the very last minute to start writing (first paragraph or two on Monday, finished it on yesterday afternoon), I went with this instead. 

Enjoy. 💜

Her feet barely made a whisper as she almost floated over the dirt path. The leaves above filtered the sunlight along the ground, giving it an almost aquatic appearance as the beams rippled along the well-worn trail. 

She had decided to venture out of the woods and into the fields this morning in search of something fresh for breakfast. She appreciated the seasonal delights made available to her and loved scampering barefoot until she found something to excite her palate. She could hear birds warbling high above her, their early song bright and crisp as the dew slowly evaporated from the plant life around her. This was the perfect time of day, both peaceful and full of promise. 

As she moved into the next field, she was surprised that her tranquility was disturbed by the stomping of heavy feet, clearly heading in her direction. She moved quickly back within the tree line, taking cover while attempting to see who was imposing their presence upon her so early in the day. 

Her quiet patience was rewarded as two people sauntered into view. The first wielded a camera, while the second was bedecked in a hat. As the latter settled among the lavender blooms, immersing himself in the delicate and calming bouquet, the former began photographing him from various angles. The combination of subject and background created a mural-like appearance, one fit to be portrayed on canvas by the likes of Monet or Van Gogh.

These proceedings were quite confusing to the little breakfast seeker, since she’d only ever seen people in the field when it was time to harvest the herbal delicacies, signaling the end of their season and her enjoyment of their floral taste and delicate aroma. She gave the subject and artist a wide berth as she skirted that field and entered the next, her tiny mouse tail disappearing into the elegant rows that swayed gently in the morning breeze.

~ Katie 🐧

Sean Gogh 😄