The Tiny Lady

He hadn't had expected to find a flower quite like this one.

Once-ler had been enjoying a walk through the valley, whistling to himself, arms swinging by his sides and had been thoroughly content with life and what it had handed him. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the fish were humming… it was more or less the perfect day. That's when he came across a little clearing in the forest, and spotted a flittle pink flower growing out of the middle of absolutely nothing

There weren't other flowers around it, or bushes, unlike the other flowers he had happened across whilst waling through the valley. In fact, the flower looked more like a tiny Truffula tree than anything else. But it wasn't a sappling, even he could tell that much from just a glance. Normally flowers weren't that big a deal to him, after all, he was a strapping young man and what young man had time for flowers?

And yet he felt as if he couldn't turn away from this flower. Like he couldn't simply continue on his stroll, or even turn his back on it. Instead, his big feet carried him towards the flower and he fell to a kneel in front of it.

He stared at it, as if waiting for something to happen.

Nothing did.

"Um." Once-ler hesitated, before slowly reaching out and touched the soft flower with his fingers. It was just as soft as the Truffula tufts were, or maybe even softer then that. He bit at his bottom lip before reaching back to his pocket of his trousers and pulled out a small trowel he had been carrying. Why? Evne he didn't rightly know; as if a part of him had known he would need the tiny shovel.

Instead of plucking the flower out of the ground, snapping its stem, and killing it the Once-ler dug around the flowers roots and lifted it up out of the ground carefully. He held it in his hands, getting dirt and grime on his hands, before he began to head back home. Once there he found the first pot plant he could find and gently lowered the flower into it.

He leaned back at his desk, eyes on the flower. "….there's something about you, isn't there?" he asked, before leaning forward, folding his arms on he table. "That's why I couldn't just leave right? God. Look at me, talking to a flower. Like you can answer me or something." he pushed away from the table and left the cottage for a moment before hurrying back with a watering can, and gently sprinkled the flower.

The grown man tended to the flower as if it was a new born for at least two days, his actions confusing the animals around him. Even the Lorax himself couldn't get it, and when he saw the flower he saw nothing special about it. Just another flower; he'd seen millions of them and would see millions more. But it wasn't until the night of the third day, as Once-ler sat sewing on his bed, did he hear something from across the room.

Lifting his head he saw the flower, sat in its pot as it always was. The moon, full and beautiful, began to shine its light in through the open window of his canvas wall. The clouds parted, making the light even brighter, and the young man slowly got up from his bed and approached the table. By the time he was there, though, something truly magical happened before his eyes.

The flower opened. Odd, because it didn't look like an opening lower at all. Yet like a coin purse being opened it slowly eased itself open and instead of a new shoot coming out from within the depths of the plant, something else appeared. Something small, dainty, feminine, with brown curly hair and peach coloured skin and big brown eyes.

A tiny girl.

No, not a girl. A lady.

She squeaked as she suddenly began to tumble from the flower and quick as he could, Once-ler reached out and she fell into his out stretched hand. She grunted as she landed in his open palm and he felt the softness, the warmth, of her tiny body against his bare hand before he slowly lifted his hand up to his face so he could get a better look at her.

Yes she was very much naked, and his face reflected that he just suddenly realized this by turning a brilliant shade of red. She, however, hardly seemed embarrassed or phased by the fact this had happened at all. Instead she sat up in his palm, legs folded, and looked around with wide eyes before she spotted him.

They stared at one another for a moment.

"Hello!" she squeaked, her voice so incredibly tiny yet excitable.

"Uh, h-hello." he replied.

"What's your name?" she asked, tilting her head to the side, curls bouncing as she did.

"O… Once-ler."

"Once-ler. I like that name!"

"Er, what. What's your name?" he asked.

"I don't know." she said with a small shrug, causing her tiny breasts to bounce at the motion; not as if he was staring or anything. Of course not.

"You don't—oh uh. That… makes sense…" she had just been 'born' hadn't she? But look at her; she was a tiny person! A tiny lady! Who could talk! Who had hair and girl parts and—and oh my. Oh my, oh my, oh my.

She crawled forward in his hand until she hugged his thumb, smiling up at him. "Could you name me please? I'd like a nice name!"

"Ah, er, a name?" he spluttered.

"Mmmhm!" she nodded her head enthusiastically.

"A name. Name. Er. Ah…." Once-ler thought quickly. There was nothing remotely normal about this, was there? Tiny, pint-sized ladies being born from flowers who were incredibly cute and small and dainty with curls and brown eyes and beauty spots on their cheeks and—-no. Nothing normal about it.

Normal.

"Norma."

"Norma?" she asked, blinking her brown eyes.

"N-Norma." Once-ler said.

She smiled, and clasped her hands together with an excited squeak. "I love it! Thank you, Once-ler!"

"Ah it. It's nothing…" he replied with a small smile before seeing her give a shiver. Instantly he brought his other hand up, and placed it around her carefully. "Oh. Uh, you.. you must be cold." of coures she must be, she was naked! She didn't have a stitch of clothing on!

"It is a little cold." she mumbled, not wanting to be a bother.

"Come on I, uh. Oh. Here, I got an idea." Once-ler brought her closer to him before tugging the pocket on his pyjamas open and slowly sliding the little lady into it. "Here, this'll work for now."

Norma, as she was now rightly named, settled into his pocket and leaned against his chest, smiling up at him. "Thank you!"

"Oh it's nothing. I'm gonna make you something to sleep in, don't you worry." he had enough material scraps laying around, and if not he could just use an old shirt he never wore any more. If he could knit and sew, making clothes for a tiny lady wasn't that far out of his reach of expertise, surely.

So he settled down at his desk and began to snip and cut and stitch away at some material. He even ended up using some of this thneed tufts to ensure her night things were especially comfortable for her. Norma, naturally, peeked over the pocket to watch him work as he sewed, humming to himself as he did. She ended up humming along also, bobbing her head in time with the music he made.

"And… there this should do…" he reached into his pocket and scooped the little lady out and set her on the table, handing her a yellow night gown he'd made from scratch. "H-here. Let me… let me help.." being a boy Once-ler had never played with dolls, but thankfully he knew how to dress so he helped the little lady squeezed the dress over her head and pop her arms through the right holes. He leaned back, grinning. "You look great!"

"I do?" she asked, tugging at the yellow material.

"Here, see for yourself." Once-ler grabbed his hand held mirror and placed it down besides her.

Norma stepped back in surprise when she saw herself for the first time, staring back at her. Was her hair really that curly? And her cheeks that pink? She had such fair coloured skin and yet the yellow dress he'd just made for her, before her eyes, looked lovely on her. She tugged at the dress, and did a little twirl, watching her reflection as she did.

"It's wonderful!" she said as he set the mirror down, and looked up at him. "Thank you Once-ler!"

"Least I can do for a tiny lady who just fell out of a flower." Once-ler shrugged, smiling awkwardly.

He watched as she yawned, and he finally took note how late it was. Even if she'd just been… er… born, obviously the whole thing had been exhausting. "Here, here." Once-ler reached down and scooped the little lady into his hands. "I can make a bed for you, easy!"

"A bed?" she asked, blinking.

"Yeah a place for you to sleep in, so you can be warm and comfortable." and safe, but he didn't want to scare her into thinking things weren't safe. So he managed to find an empty tea tin which he stuffed the trailin end bits of a thneed into for the bedding, so it would be soft and comfortable for her, on top of that he also found a clean handkerchief and folded it over twice after he had lowered her into the tea tin bed.

"Oh it's so soft!" Norma declared as the thneed material pressed around her.

"Softest thing ever." he replied before placing the handkerchief on top of her, tucking her in. "And there."

Norma smiled up at him as she nestled down into her bed; she was warm, comfortable, and quite pleased with herself. "Thank you, thank you again." she said.

"It's nothing."

"Oh it's something." she suddenly held her hands up to him. "Give me your finger!"

Blinking with apprehension Once-ler obeyed, lowering his finger into her grasp and had to smile, and blush faintly, when she gave his finger a kiss.

"Good night, Norma." he said, slowly withdrawing his hand.

"Good night, Once-ler!" she replied, burying herself down within the folds of the thneed and handkerchief, enjoying the soft remaining smell of the tea leaves that used to take up the tin.

Once-ler smiled, and watched over her for a moment; just watched this… magical tiny woman sleep so peacefully. He'd never had anticipated he would find something like this in his life. In a way she had been calling to him all along, hadn't she? Calling him into that part of the forest, towards that flower, and having him tend to it the way he had. She had been waiting just for him and now she was here, safe, and warm in the 'bed' he had made.

He bit at his bottom lip before easing into his bed, making sure that Norma's tea tin bed was within sight, as he lay down on the bed and tugged his blanket up over him.

It had certainly been an eventful night… and he couldn't help but wonder what tomorrow would bring with this tiny woman in his life now.

The End