Veg World - Central Garden
In the vast universe, there is a planet that looks remarkably like a sapphire marble. It has swirling white clouds, deep blue oceans and sprawling green continents. But if you were to zoom past the atmosphere and land in the middle of its busiest city, "New Fork City," you wouldn't find a single human being. Instead, you might get stuck in a traffic jam behind a very slow-moving bus driven by a Butternut Squash. This is the world of the vegetable. It is a world where the skyscrapers are hollowed-out giant redwoods, the internet is run through a massive underground network of mushroom spores and the President is a particularly wise, slightly wrinkled, Purple Cabbage.
The sun rose over the Broccoli Mountains, casting a warm, golden glow over the suburban town of Salad Springs. In a cosy little house with a thatched roof made of dried corn husks, Barnaby Basil was having a difficult morning. Barnaby was a young bunch of Italian Basil. He was bright green, smelled fantastic and was currently running ten minutes late for school. "Barnaby! Don't forget to mist yourself!" his mother, a plump Tomato, called out from the kitchen. "You're looking a little wilted around the edges, honey." "I'm going, Mom!" Barnaby cried, grabbing his backpack, which is made of woven seagrass. He stood under the "Morning Dew" shower for exactly three seconds, feeling his leaves perk up with a satisfying boing, and sprinted out the door..
The pavement was filled with Celery Stalks in business suits were power-walking toward the juice station, clutching leather briefcases. This part of town was a copy of Lawndon in the U.K. A family of Radishes was waiting for the school bus, their little red faces bright and shiny in the morning air. Barnaby's best friend was a King Edward Potato named Spud. Spud was steady, sturdy and had 14 "eyes," which he claimed made him excellent at hide-and-seek, though he usually just ended up falling asleep in the dirt. As they sat in their history class, taught by Mr. Oak, a literal tree who spoke very, very slowly, the classroom door burst open. In marched Police Officer Serious, the city's most serious policeman, hence the name. He looked distressed, Baranby had never seen him so stressed.
"Pardon the interruption, Mr. Oak," the Officer huffed. "But we have a situation at the Central Garden. The Great Fountain of fertiliser has stopped flowing!" A collective gasp went up from the students. The Fountain of Fertiliser was the lifeblood of the community. It provided the nutrients that kept the citizens strong, crunchy and colourful. Without it, the town would turn pale and limp within a week. "The pipes are clogged," Officer Serious explained, wringing his hands. "And they're too small for any of us grown-ups to fit into. We need someone small, flexible, and well, someone who doesn't mind getting a bit of mud on their leaves." Barnaby looked at Spud. Spud looked at Barnaby. "We'll do it!" Barnaby shouted, his leaves vibrating with excitement.
Ten minutes later, Barnaby and Spud stood at the edge of the Great Pipe, a massive hollow log that plunged deep into the earth. "Now remember," Officer Serious warned, "it's a maze down there. Follow the scent of the phosphorus and watch out for the Dust Bunnies. They aren't actual bunnies, you know, just very large, very grumpy clumps of lint." Barnaby tucked his stems in tight and slid into the pipe. Spud followed, tumbling down like a runaway boulder. Thump-thump-squish! The underground tunnels were magnificent. They were lined with glowing moss that pulsed with a soft light. Above them, they could see the massive, glowing roots of the city's ancient trees, reaching down like the fingers of giants. "It's kind of beautiful," Spud whispered, his many eyes darting around.
"Focus, Spud!" Barnaby said, pointing ahead. "Look at the flow." A thin trickle of nutrient-rich water was leaking from a crack in a secondary root. They followed the trail until they reached the Main Junction Box, a cavernous room made of hardened clay. There, they found the problem. A giant courgette had accidentally fallen asleep across the main filtration grate. He was enormous, easily six feet long and was snoring so loudly that the walls of the cavern vibrated. "It's Big Cor," Barnaby groaned. "He's the town's champion napper. How are we going to move a Courgette that size?" Spud tried to push Big Cor, but it was like trying to move a mountain of green velvet. Barnaby tried to tickle him with his leaves, but Cor just muttered something about "five more minutes" and turned over, clogging the pipe even more.
"We need something to wake him up," Barnaby mused. "Something sharp. Something... pungent." Barnaby reached into his backpack. He always carried a "Flavour Kit" for emergencies. He pulled out a small, airtight jar. Inside was a single, dried Chili Pepper flake from the distant Spice Islands. "Spud, hold your breath," Barnaby warned. He unscrewed the lid and wafted the scent toward Big Zeke's nose. For a second, everything was still. Then, Cor's giant green nose began to twitch. His eyes flew open. His entire body shuddered. "AH... AH... AH-CHOOO!" The sneeze was so powerful it launched Big Cor backward, clear off the grate. He tumbled into a side tunnel, wide awake and very confused. WHOOSH! The Fertiliser Fountain surged back to life.
A rush of sparkling, nutrient-dense water roared through the pipes, clearing out the silt and sending a refreshing vibration throughout the entire planet. When Barnaby and Spud emerged from the tunnels, they were covered in mud, silt and a fair amount of moss. But they were greeted by a cheering crowd of Carrots, Peas and Pumpkins. The President (the Purple Cabbage) came forward and placed a garland of marigolds around their necks. "You have saved our crispness," the President declared solemnly. "From this day forward, Barnaby Basil and Spud the Potato shall be known as the Guardians of the Garden." That evening, as the sun set and the "Moon-Flower" began to bloom in the sky, Barnaby sat on his porch. He felt taller, greener and more vibrant than ever.
He looked out at the world, a world without people, where the trees were friends, the ground was a buffet and everyone lived in a beautiful, leafy harmony. "Hey Barnaby," Spud said, rolling over from the neighbouring yard. "What's for dinner?" Barnaby laughed, his leaves rustling in the breeze. "I think we'll stick to sunshine and water today, Spud. I'm stuffed." And as the stars, which looked a bit like tiny sparkling seeds twinkled overhead, the world of vegetables tucked itself in for a long, peaceful nap.
