The Girl and the Lotus Flower

Once upon a time, there was a girl that loved going on long walks in nature. She would bask in its bountiful flora and fauna and jump amongst the lush undergrowth while marveling at nature’s abundance. One day, she stumbles upon a large pond with an even larger lotus flower in it. She sits on the edge and tips her toes into the water. 

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— Hi lotus flower. I’ve been watching you for a loooong time! I like the way you float on water. It’s so serene and calming. Don’t you ever get bored? I get bored just watching you. Are your eyes underwater? That would make a lot of sense. What gross or scary things have you seen down there? Also, is it normal for lotus flowers to be so big? I think I could run across your petals if I wanted to. 

— Hi person! It’s nice to meet you. I am not letting you run on top of me and I don’t have eyes at all, but you can take a seat on my leaf if you’d like. The water is very warm.

The person swims over to take a seat. She feels the lotus flower sink down a teensy bit. Then she leans down and takes a fat bite out of the leaf. 

— Sorry…I couldn’t help it. I need more fiber. You taste delicious.

She takes another bite. 

The leaves of the lotus flower rise up to dump the person into the center. The person is still chewing. 

— Don’t worry, the flower says, this is just how I heal! I do not mind at all that you just took TWO big bites out of me without my consent. 

The person finishes chewing and starts running laps. The lotus flower is surprisingly firm under her feet. As she runs, the lotus flower’s petals begin closing in faster and faster, trapping the person in and forcing her to run towards the center, where a little hole is forming. The person jumps inside. 

She lands in the middle of a cavernous chamber. Everything – the walls, the ground, the ceiling – is made out of pink lotus flower petals. There’s even a bar in the corner with a few stools and a lamp, all made out of pink petals as well. Small batches of incense leave fragrant tendrils of smoke in the air. Pink petals materialize high up in the chamber and float down to create a lush, thick carpet of pink. The person runs rampant and takes chomps out of everything. 

— I looooove vegetables!

The chamber fades to black just as the person starts on a stool. The lotus flower’s voice speaks again. 

— Hi, person. Take a few more chomps here. 

A glowing, finger-shaped mass of pink petals materializes in the black. The person eats it in one bite. The lotus flower then says,

— Repeat after me: I want to swap souls with the great big lotus flower. 

The person pauses for a second. Then she opens her mouth wide and repeats.

— I want to swap souls with the great big lotus flower. 

The person vomits and is ejected out of the darkness, through warm water, and back onto dry land. She suddenly feels very constrained and warm and squishy. She is not used to this! She jumps into the water and floats for a second before dropping like a rock. She spreads her limbs as far and wide as she can. Minutes pass. She does not re-emerge.

The lotus flower suddenly feels… omniscient. It spans the universe and knows EVERYTHING, but not where or what or when it is. It can reach as far as the moon. It can smell a delicious scent, like fresh grass. Then it realizes that the smell is coming from itself…from its very being. It starts chomping. And chomping and chomping! 

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