The Environment Strikes Back | Teen Ink

The Environment Strikes Back

March 19, 2012
By heatherfeather SILVER, Quilcene, Washington
heatherfeather SILVER, Quilcene, Washington
5 articles 0 photos 0 comments

My name is June, and I like to think of myself as a prosperous woman. I provide for my family, and I’m happily satisfied with my life. I own a construction company, so my job basically entails giving the boys instruction when they need to tear out land to put in more businesses, like stores and such. My job also changed my life.


I must have hit my head that day, because I awoke with the worst headache I’d ever had in my life. It was like having a hangover and having someone beat your temples with a hammer at the same time. My vision was blurry as I sat up, my head spinning.

“Who are you?” whispered a small voice.

I blinked and looked around, frightened beyond belief. The voice did not sound human.

“Who’s there?” I said, my voice quivering.

Suddenly, I couldn’t believe my eyes—a little white daisy, with two tiny eyes and a teeny pair of red lips, was talking to me.

“I’m here. You’re here. We’re all here!” She exclaimed, shaking her petals all about. The second she stopped speaking, the forest came alive. Ferns and vines and even weeds all gathered around me and the little daisy, each one wanting to get a good look.

“Could it be?” said a fern with a deep velvety voice. The other plants and flowers began to whisper ferociously.

“Everyone calm down!” shrieked Little Daisy.

I stared blankly, confusion coursing throughout my body.

Little Daisy smiled. “Everything will make sense shortly.”

I opened my mouth to reply, but before I could, a clover hopped up onto a boulder and blew something in my face. And then everything went black.


“She’s awake!”

I felt my head get heavy once again, my vision fuzzy once more.

“Where am I?” I mumbled.

“You’re at the hospital. You’ve been sleeping for nearly a month!”

I did not retain any information the voice said until I looked outside: everything was lush and green, flowers spilling out into the streets, the sky blue and smog-free. But then my wonder turned to horror as I took a closer look. Every human was replaced with a plant person; two adult daffodils were pushing their sprout in a carriage made of grass, another daisy was shopping for new petals.

“Welcome home!” cried Little Daisy.

I looked down and realized my hair had fallen out, bright pink petals taking its place.

“You should have protected us, June,” said several voices monotonously.

My head began to whirl about, and before I knew it, I was back at home where I had started out that morning. I remember I was on my way to give orders to bulldoze some forest land in order to make room for a new shopping mall.

The first thing I did was call all my workers. I called the whole thing off, and I never bulldozed another inch of land. Daisy was right; we need to protect our environment. If we do, it in turn protects us.

The author's comments:
I just really love nature...I guess you could call me a bit of a tree-hugger, but I hate seeing clear cuts. It makes me so sad for all the plants!

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