The sliding glass doors opened with a click, letting in a momentous burst of cool air. As Charles walked through the doorway of the Menewshan Botanical Gardens, he patted down his pockets to ensure that the lotus seed was there. His mother had insisted that he leave it at home in the safety of his room, but he decided that he wanted to have a professional inspect the seed. After all, Charles wanted someone to tell him that the enchanting kernel had a chance at life.

He strode up to the registration counter and placed a wrinkled gift certificate on the desk. According to the faded black print, it entitled him to one free admission on any day between the hours of 11 AM and 5 PM. The girl at the counter, whom Charles surmised to be no older than himself, raised a carefully-manicured eyebrow at Charles and snatched the certificate. She scanned the paper into a machine, and it emitted an obnoxious beeping sound which verified what Charles had feared.
"This certificate is expired," she drawled, not a trace of a sympathy evident in her voice.

Charles let out an internal sigh and checked his wallet. There was only enough to buy lunch.

Dewei Yu leaned heavily on his cane while making his way up the stairs to the Menewshan Botanical Gardens. Such was always the case since his accident at a Yellow River archaeological dig when he was just 15 years old that paralyzed his left leg. Now he was 27 years of age, a doctor, and supposedly in his physical prime, but with his cane in hand he always felt far older than he really was and it had always been this way since that fated day. He ate the things old men ate, read the same books, talked about the weather, and even reminisced about the way things used to be as if they happened 50 years ago or more as opposed to only 12.

Today, Dewei really wanted to find a quiet place to read and the botanical gardens seemed to be just the place. Before coming to Menewsha, he had acquired a journal of an artifact trader from a century or so ago who specialized in the transport of Chinese antiquities to various places around the world. After reading through it several times, there were at least three mentioned in the journal that he was particularly interested in. He noticed that each time he read the journal he discovered new nuances to the text, subtle hints that guided him down the path to what he thought could quite possibly be the location of one of these artifacts.

After making it to the top of the stairs, Dewei entered the visitor's center that housed the admissions desk, garden's cafe, exhibits, and gift store. He took his place in line behind a young man who seemed to be having a hard time gaining access to the gardens on account of an expired voucher. "Poor fella," Dewei though to himself, "hopefully he doesn't have to conduct some sort of research for a class or something similar."

Ran lifted her sunglasses and moved them to rest on top of her head as she stared up at the large sign reading "Menewshan Botanical Gardens" over the front doors. Well, this is it, she told the tree demon floating at her side. She folded up the map and shoved it into the bag that she wore slung across her body. I told you if you were good, I'd take you some place special.

Enough talk, Gui said with a happy twinkle in his red eyes. Let's go!

Smiling, Ran shook her head as she followed after the demon. They entered, and Ran glanced around the lobby of the building. I have to pay to get in, she explained as she walked toward the desk where two men already stood. Once we're in there, you have to behave.

Don't I always? Gui asked with an innocent look.

Ran sent a glare at him. I know you too well now to believe that. She turned her attention back to the front of the line, awaiting her turn.

Charles rummaged through the many pockets present on his cargo pants and his groping hands fell upon several loose coins, which he threw haphazardly onto the counter. He sensed a line growing behind him, and the girl at the counter tapped her fingers on the marble impatiently.
Charles felt a warm blush tickle his cheeks and the tips of his ears.
"Ah...I'm sorry. I'm just 100 gold short!"

He knew that if he were to ride home to borrow some money from his mother, the garden would be closed by the time he rode back. Suddenly he wondered if this venture was worth the trouble after all. For all he knew, the seed could be a spray-painted pebble. If that was the case, the trip would have been a colossal waste of time and money.
Momentarily, Charles considered calling up Jane and inviting her to visit the garden with him; she would gladly pay the entrance fee for both of them, and it would be a wonderful chance for them to spend some much-needed time together. But then the stern, pockmarked image of his father appeared in his mind, shaking a meaty finger at his son as he boomed, "never let a girl pay for you, especially if she's your girlfriend! We men must maintain a certain amount of dignity, you know!"
He was joined by the image of his mother, clad in a floral apron and black sweatpants.
"Let Jane pay for you when you can. That girl can afford anything she wants! Why should you bother to make such financial sacrifices when she tosses sacks of gold into the streets without a second thought?"
Charles cringed at the memory of his mother's words.

"Well?" The girl at the counter barked. "If you don't have enough money, then move along. You're holding up the line!"

Charles shot her his forced, professional smile. Curtly, he replied, "oh, I'm sorry! Please excuse my rudeness."
He almost laughed aloud at the irony in what he just said, but he restrained himself and moved aside. Throwing a faintly playful grin at the crippled man and the bronze woman who had been waiting behind him, he whispered, "really, sorry about that."

Never one to stifle the eductional pursuits of anyone and having access to an accomodating grant from the University of Hong Kong, Dewei limped to the counter. "Yes I need one adult and..." he paused and looked at the young man one more time, "Go on and make that two adults."

"Yes sir," the woman robotically punched up two tickets and slid them across the counter while Dewei slid his debit card through the electonic signature pad." Thank you and enjoy your visit."

"I'm sure I will." Picking up the two tickets, Dewei stepped aside to let the next person in line through and turned to the young man, "Here you go kid." Dewei extended his hand, holding the ticket out to him.

After the two men had paid for their tickets, Ran stepped up to the desk. "One ticket please," she said with an overly fake smile.

Are you sure you want me to behave? Gui asked as he frowned at the woman behind the desk.

Don't even think about it, she warned the tree demon. She accepted the ticket from the woman and dropped the money on the counter. She headed off in the same direction as the men who had stood in line before her.

"Gee, she was a friendly person, wasn't she?" Ran commented offhandedly.

Charles felt a genuine grin creep across his face. He reached into the space between himself and the crippled man and gently pulled the ticket into his own hand.
"Thank you! I really owe you one."
Considerably cheered by the man's kindness, he gave him a closer look, taking care that his eyes did not linger for too along upon the cane that he carried. He noticed that the man was not as old as he had first seemed. Although the way he walked and had addressed Charles reminded him of his late grandfather, there remained a young, willful glow in his elastic features that suggested that it would be many decades yet before he reached his expiration date.

When the bronze woman approached him and commented on the rude salesgirl, Charles couldn't help but feel a sense of camaraderie growing between the three of them. Nodding his head he snorted, "yeah, I'm sure that charmer wins 'Employee of the Month' all the time."

"It was nothing," he said in response to the young man's gratitude.

A half smile curled Dewei's left lip at the comments exchanged in regards to the girl at the admissions desk. "In all fairness, the monotony of that young lady's job probably grinds down any semblance of cordial manner. At least she's not a greeter at one of those new super bargain shopping centers," he jested light heartedly.

As they drew closer to the visitor center's exit to the gardens, Dewei couldn't help but be lead on by the aromas that wafted through the door every time it opened and closed for another patron. It reminded him of spring back in China and the various flowers that bloomed in the beginning of the season. Though the scents weren't same, indicating that they weren't infact the same flowers, their odors were as pleasant for the most part and Dewei appreciated the twinge of nostalgia that they inspired.

Ran shook her head. "Boy, am I glad I don't share her job then," she said, feeling happier with her job. At least at her job, she didn't lose her mind to boredom. And her manners along with it.

When she heard a yelp and a crash, she let out a sigh and turned to glare at the tree demon. She didn't even have to turn around to see that the woman at the desk had tripped over a plant when she stood up. I hope you realize this is the last nice thing I do for you for a long time, she told Gui in a tone of annoyance.

The tree demon tried to look innocent, but Ran wasn't buying it.

Charles laughed at the man's words. He understood the sentiment easily enough, but something about the eloquent way in which he spoke intimidated him.
He was in the presence of an educated man, and that made him a bit more self-conscious about the way he talked.
'How can I come off as witty and intelligent without seeming to mock him?" he mused.
Without realizing it, Charles was seeking the silent approval of this complete stranger, perhaps in an unconscious attempt to compensate for his lack of paternal attention.

At last he replied, "you've got that right. Can you imagine it? 'Welcome to Menewsha Mart! If you don't pay, go the heck away!"
He laughed weakly at his poor excuse for a joke, realizing how ridiculous it sounded the minute he said it. Fortunately, a high-pitched yelp coming from the direction of the regisration counter provided a distraction.

He turned to look at the bronze woman.
"Did she just...?"

Dewei smiled and managed to muster a polite giggle. The joke wasn't terribly amusing, but it didn't matter as they were interrupted by the yelp of the young lady back at the desk. Turning, Dewei slowly made his way back across the visitors center to the desk.

Closing on the desk, Dewei looked over the top to see the girl sprawled on the ground rubbing her ankle. "My dear, if you don't mind me saying, that's no place to keep one of the garden's specimens. Come, come, let me help you to your feet." Walking around the desk and through its gate as if he worked there, he helped her to her feet. "There you are, standing again. I trust you'll be well now."

"Yes, thank you sir," the girl responded a little perplexed.

Dewei bent down to examine the plant. "Hmmm. I don't know if this is a job for a janitor, botanist, or groundskeeper. Oh well, as curious as its presence is, I suppose its none of my business." He himself was a bit perplexed by its presence here.

Ran glanced over her shoulder to see that the man had gone back to help the woman back to her feet. Then she blinked innocently at the boy. "It seems she tripped," she told him with a shrug. "People really should take more care about where they're walking."

You never do, Gui pointed out with a wide grin.

Ran resisted the urge to throttle the tree demon. That's because you're always moving my plants the moment I take a step. Though she had to admit that she was getting better at avoiding his tricks.

Charles watched in silence as the man stooped over to help up the stunned employee. He found it impressive that a person handicapped as himself would feel the compulsion to assist someone so clearly capable of helping herself. Ever since he had started associating with Jane, the act of truly humbling oneself had grown increasingly foreign. Witnessing this little exchange was refreshing, in a way.

As the cane-bearing man inspected the plant, Charles noted that it hadn't been there when he had first entered. He turned back to look at the bronze woman, who had her shoulders pulled up in a shrug.
"Yeah, I guess so," he said. "It's kinda strange though. I could've sworn that the plant wasn't there a minute ago. Did you see it?"
Looking once more at the mysterious plant, he walked toward the entrance to the actual gardens. A wrinkled, elderly woman took his ticket, ripped it in half along the perforated edge, and handed him the stub. The automatic doors slid open and the fresh aroma of various species of trees and shrubbery filled his nostrils.

Dewei made his way back across the visitor's center to the exit once more. Following the youngsters out after giving his ticket to the older woman, Dewei was indeed pleased to see that many of the plants were in bloom. With the company and the sights, Dewei was quickly beginning to realize that he would likely not get a chance to read like he had intended. Oh well, can't spend all my time with nose in a book or my hands in the dirt, he thought to himself.

Dewei let the other two walk ahead of him, both on purpose and also because he couldn't walk as fast. He also enjoyed watching young people interacting. Even though these two didn't know each other and weren't a couple by any means, Dewei often times felt as if he had skipped that age in his life, and with it, the opportunities of courtship and even romance. Now antiquities were his mistresses and books his bed fellows.

Ran shrugged, still with the innocent look on her face as she followed him out of the visitor's center. "I don't really remember," she answered and handed her ticket to the elder woman, who ripped it in half and returned the stub. "I hadn't really been paying attention. Though it does seem a bit odd, don't you think?" She sent another little glare to the tree demon.

Gui, however, paid little attention back to her as he was too absorbed in looking at all the plants the garden had to offer. There were far more variety than he had ever seen in Ran's apartment or anywhere that she had taken him before. Ran almost had to smile when she saw Gui examining some of the flowers closest to them. It was like a child in a candy store trying to decide which was the best treat.

"Yeah, really odd," Charles mumbled in response. He paused for a moment, glancing into the eyes of the bronze woman. It wouldn't do to keep calling her that. He thrust his right hand between them, palm flexed in an invitation to a handshake.
"I'm Charles," he grinned.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the crippled man follow into the gardens behind them. Charles was a bit uncomfortable with the arrangement, though it was not for the reason that a bystander might have suspected. Simply, he felt responsible for the man after he had so graciously purchased him a ticket, and feared that he would not be able to catch him should he lose his balance.
Charles peeked over his shoulder as he continued to walk with the bronze woman, but a pot of hydrangeas hanging from the ceiling obscured his vision. He swiftly turned his attention back to his company, hoping that she had not introduced herself in the moments in which his attention had be trained on the crippled man.

Dewei trailed behind only half listening, the sights of the garden being more than a suitable distraction. He could see off across the garden was a bio dome likely housing a variety of plants that couldn't survive in this climate. He would definitely have to find his way in there at some point on this excursion.

All the while his cane struck the ground with a thud every other step. It had been his great grandfather's and then his grandfather's. He had received it shortly after his accident, his grandfather giving it to him as a means to boost his confidence. His grandfather had put it best, "This cane has seen many things. It was cut and carved from a tree to the north in Mongolia and made into a great bow. Carried across the Wall on the back of one of the Great Kahn's raiders and slew many men. Eventually the man who bore it was slain in battle and from there it passed many hands. Eventually it fell into your great grandfather's possession. He split it in half, carved it once more, and then lacquered it in the traditions of past dynasties. He carried it all over China, Korea, Vietnam, Laos, and other countries. I have had it for many years, and now you will have it many more. Let it see all that it can. Never let your condition prevent you from that."

To this day, 12 years later, Dewei heeded his grandfather's words. He let the stallion's head carved in the handle, made black red by the lacquer, guide him everywhere he went. He was never sure how much of the story was true, but all the same, the story performed just as his grandfather intended.

Ran turned back quickly to her companion when she realized that he had spoken to her. "Ah, I'm Ran," she replied back with a smile. "It's nice to meet you, Charles." She paused and turned around to see how the other man was coming along. She had gotten absorbed in the garden surrounding them, and keeping an eye on her tree demon, that she had almost forgotten the man.

She restrained herself from shouting out loud when she saw the tree demon start to disappear from her sight through all the plants. Hey! Don't wander off like that, she ordered.

Gui sighed as he floated back over to her side. You ruin all my fun.

He dropped his outstretched hand, only slightly embarassed that Ran had not noticed it.
"Oh, well, nice to meet you, too," Charles nodded.

He twisted his slender form around and peered at the crippled man. He seemed to be completely enthralled by the lush greenery and bright blotches of flowers that surrounded him. Charles suddenly realized the true beauty of the gardens, and he halted in his path to examine a particular patch of flowers more carefully. The black lacquer sign indicated that they were African violets, but he found that they much resembled the pansies that grew in his neighbor's humble garden.

Resuming his casual pace, Charles proceeded to the far side of the room while briefly reading the signs. They were all common plants, not at all what he was looking for.
He grabbed a map from the basket that had been welded to the wall and found their current location. They were in the "May Day" room, and the hallway ahead of them forked into two separate paths, one leading to the "Tropical Jungle" room, the other leading to the "Desert" room. In the distance, he heard the playful chatter of birds.

Continueing through this section of the garden, Dewei found a bench and sat briefly. He had learned early on to pace himself even though he wasn't tired yet. Moving around with the cane always had a degree of taxation and by the end of the day he knew he would be wore out if he did end up exploring the entirety of the garden.

Watching the youngsters, he couldn't help but notice that the girl was a bit distracted. Perhaps she had something on her mind, or on the other hand she might be flighty. It was of no matter, in a place like this there was plenty around to divert one's attention.

She relaxed a little once the tree demon stopped trying float off into the garden to do some exploring of his own. She knew that if he left her sight, she would regret whatever "fun" he decided to play on people.

"So what brings you to the garden today?" she asked, trying to strike up some sort of conversation.

Gui wandered off a bit, but he was sure to stay within Ran's range of vision. It disappointed him to be limited by the woman when there were so many interesting plants all around him.

Charles looked up from the map as he processed Ran's question. He became aware of the lotus seed that pressed up against his thigh in its little plastic baggie filled with water.
"It's kind of a funny story, you see," he began. "I bought this seed at an antique store, and the sign there claimed that it was 2000 years old. Ridiculous, right?"
He raised an eyebrow at Ran, expecting for her to snort or otherwise voice her doubt. Secretly, however, he wished that she would shake her head and assert that such a thing was possible.

Charles shot a quick glance at the crippled man and wondered if he had heard.

A 2000 year old lotus seed was curious indeed. By all means, a seed should have withered to dust a long time ago. The only feasible way a seed would remain intact for this long would be if it underwent petrification or other natural means of preservation. Even then it would be nothing more than a rock, incapable of producing a plant. Dewei came to the conclusion that if the seed was indeed able to produce a plant, then it was a hoax. The young man must have been ripped off or misinformed one way or another.

Dewei patiently awaited further explanation.

Her first though was to wonder if a seed could even last that long without withering into dust. It sounded like some sort of outrageous tale that the shopkeeper had made up to lure in an unsuspecting buyer to purchase what was most likely just an ordinary seed. Ran glanced over at Gui and shook her head with a small smile. Some things couldn't be taken at face value alone.

"That must have been a rather interesting shop," she said, wondering if he had gone to the place where she had gotten the dead tree branch. If the seed had come from that shop, Ran didn't doubt that the lotus seed could be well over 2000 years old. Perhaps like her tree branch, Charles' seed was possessed by a spirit. Ran kept that thought to herself.

"Oh, well, yes," Charles replied, unable to discern if Ran's words held a tone of disbelief. He removed the plastic baggie from his jeans pocket and held it in his palm for her to see. In the bright afternoon light of the greenhouse, the lotus seed glowed a bright, stoplight green. For a moment he lost himself in its sheer beauty.

"I found it by accident. I was trying to find my way into the city and got lost, and then I found this strange Oriental antique shop instead."