There's an orange tree in my backyard. It's been there forever, as long as I can remember. Sometimes in the summer, I like to swing in the branches and on the tree swing, breathing in the oranges' sweet scent. There's a beehive there, too. Sure, I have gotten stung a couple of times. But they've become my friends. We share the orange tree with each other.
I walked outside with a picnic blanket and a small knife. Even though the orange tree can't talk, I feel like it speaks to me. Strange. After setting down my blanket under the tree's branches, I hoisted myself up onto the top branch and picked an orange. I used the knife to cut off the skin and let it fall to the ground. The orange tasted delicious, sweet and juicy. I found a seed in one of the sections. A seed.
Sure, I had found many seeds in oranges before, but this one was HUGE. I remember the first time I found a seed in a orange, I was really little. So I buried it, but right after that my dog dug it up and ate it. I had an idea. I took my abnormally large seed and went over to my tree house, then buried it in the dirt next to my favorite oak tree. That's where my tree house is.
At 13, I guess I might be a little old for tree houses. But mine is special. It has a secret compartment which I put special items in. I opened it up. Inside was my grandmother's locket, with a picture of her in it. There was a volleyball trophy, my first one ever. A scrapbook sat at the bottom, dusty with memories of my childhood. Inside there was a picture of this guy whom I've had a crush on for six months. I thought of all the guys I've previously liked.
"Jessica!" My mom's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
"What?!" I yelled back, quite irritated that she couldn't give me ten minutes of alone time.
“It’s time for dinner!”
I sighed and climbed down the ladder after carefully putting everything away. But just as my foot was about to touch the ground, I heard and felt a strange rumbling. Then, I didn't believe it, but a huge crack opened up in the ground where I had planted my orange tree.
I was bewildered at what happened next: An orange tree grew from the seed, and it started talking to me.
"Jessica, you have planted the sacred seed. Now you must enter the sacred world of the orange gods," it said in a booming voice. A huge door opened in the thick trunk of the tree. I felt the world tilt as I blacked out and hit the ground.
I awoke in an amazingly luxurious bed, with warm feather quilts and a fluffy pillow. Even though I was still drowsy, I felt the urge to go explore my surroundings. Then with a jolt I remembered the talking tree. I must be in the sacred world of the orange gods, I thought. Then a beautiful woman came in and saw me up.
"Oh, you are awake," she said with a smile. "My name is Oliana. Welcome to my home." She told me that the sacred orange tree had dropped me on her doorstep and she decided to take me in.
"So, the tree told me I had to come here because I planted the sacred seed. Well, I'm here. What now?" I asked, quite puzzled.
"Oh, they are going to make you a god. You will live here with all the other gods," Oliana said.
"What?! A god?!" I shouted, nearly fainting again. "Why me? What did I do that was so special?" I took a pillow and chucked it across the room. It hit the wall with a thud. Oliana told me that anyone who planted a rare sacred orange seed became a god.
"Nooooo! I don't want to become a god!" I wailed. A man came in and said it was time for my initiation.
"Nooooo!!!!!" I screamed, running away from the scary guards who were approaching me. But they seized my hands and dragged me away.
I walked outside with a picnic blanket and a small knife. Even though the orange tree can't talk, I feel like it speaks to me. Strange. After setting down my blanket under the tree's branches, I hoisted myself up onto the top branch and picked an orange. I used the knife to cut off the skin and let it fall to the ground. The orange tasted delicious, sweet and juicy. I found a seed in one of the sections. A seed.
Sure, I had found many seeds in oranges before, but this one was HUGE. I remember the first time I found a seed in a orange, I was really little. So I buried it, but right after that my dog dug it up and ate it. I had an idea. I took my abnormally large seed and went over to my tree house, then buried it in the dirt next to my favorite oak tree. That's where my tree house is.
At 13, I guess I might be a little old for tree houses. But mine is special. It has a secret compartment which I put special items in. I opened it up. Inside was my grandmother's locket, with a picture of her in it. There was a volleyball trophy, my first one ever. A scrapbook sat at the bottom, dusty with memories of my childhood. Inside there was a picture of this guy whom I've had a crush on for six months. I thought of all the guys I've previously liked.
"Jessica!" My mom's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
"What?!" I yelled back, quite irritated that she couldn't give me ten minutes of alone time.
“It’s time for dinner!”
I sighed and climbed down the ladder after carefully putting everything away. But just as my foot was about to touch the ground, I heard and felt a strange rumbling. Then, I didn't believe it, but a huge crack opened up in the ground where I had planted my orange tree.
I was bewildered at what happened next: An orange tree grew from the seed, and it started talking to me.
"Jessica, you have planted the sacred seed. Now you must enter the sacred world of the orange gods," it said in a booming voice. A huge door opened in the thick trunk of the tree. I felt the world tilt as I blacked out and hit the ground.
I awoke in an amazingly luxurious bed, with warm feather quilts and a fluffy pillow. Even though I was still drowsy, I felt the urge to go explore my surroundings. Then with a jolt I remembered the talking tree. I must be in the sacred world of the orange gods, I thought. Then a beautiful woman came in and saw me up.
"Oh, you are awake," she said with a smile. "My name is Oliana. Welcome to my home." She told me that the sacred orange tree had dropped me on her doorstep and she decided to take me in.
"So, the tree told me I had to come here because I planted the sacred seed. Well, I'm here. What now?" I asked, quite puzzled.
"Oh, they are going to make you a god. You will live here with all the other gods," Oliana said.
"What?! A god?!" I shouted, nearly fainting again. "Why me? What did I do that was so special?" I took a pillow and chucked it across the room. It hit the wall with a thud. Oliana told me that anyone who planted a rare sacred orange seed became a god.
"Nooooo! I don't want to become a god!" I wailed. A man came in and said it was time for my initiation.
"Nooooo!!!!!" I screamed, running away from the scary guards who were approaching me. But they seized my hands and dragged me away.
*****
"And now, Jessica Blacks, you will become a god," said a god who was apparently the head of all orange gods. I resumed my begging and pleading for them to stop and let me go, but I was not surprised when he refused. I wondered what would happen to all the people I loved. To all of my responsibilities at home. To everything I ever did. Would they be erased from my memory?
Suddenly, a strange lizard came to my rescue. He said he used to be my mother's pet, but he died after choking on a sacred orange seed.
He carried me back down to earth, where I had seen the mutant orange tree appear from my seed. All that was left was a small sprout poking out of the ground. I thanked the lizard and gave him an orange from my tree, then sprinted into my house where my mom was waiting.
"There you are. I was starting to worry," she said. I ate dinner then raced up to my room. Guess what I found on my bed? I smiled and peeled the orange. Before eating it, I carefully checked it for any giant seeds.
I'm so confused!
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