Topiary Tower

Spring had sprung, and it was time for me to do some landscaping projects around the yard. I flipped through a few of my water garden books, looking for inspiration, and I got some ideas. 

I took measurements and planned what would be planted in my garden. I got in my rusty 2011 Ford Escape and drove to a nearby nursery to do some shopping.

As I began browsing, two women came out to greet me. Both were dressed in deep green t-shirts with white shorts and hiking boots.  At first glance, I thought they were Swedish sisters, possibly even twins.

"Welcome to Twin Twigs Nursery," they both said in unison and in a thick Swedish accent. "Can we help you find something?" 

"I'm just looking," I mumbled, trying not to stare at their perfectly toned legs. 

"Let us know if you need help," they said with a warm and nurturing smile, as they turned to go back into the nursery office. 

I stared at the two beautiful women as they walked away. One was younger, perhaps in her late teens or early twenties. The other was a little older than myself. They seemed so kind, and I immediately found that I had a crush on them. 

It was late afternoon, and I wanted to pick out a few bushes to plant. I made my way to the back of the nursery, where there were rows of young potted shrubs. The very back row had a pine wood fence, about eight feet high, that seemed to wall off another section of the nursery. I came to a break in the fence that was just wide enough for a person to walk through, and I turned the corner. 

I found myself in a narrow passage way that had the wooden fence on either side, and then I turned another corner. Then another. 

Suddenly, I found myself in a seemingly endless topiary full of weird, but well-maintained, shrubs and other varieties of vegetation. 

What a beautifully weird place this was. The topiary had paths made of colorful cobblestone or plush grass. The shrubs and bushes were shaped, sculpted, and pruned perfectly into nearly every style imaginable. 

In amazement, I wandered around, exploring the tranquil topiary. For hours, I was captivated by the beauty and serenity of the place. The topiary seemed to have no end, and I meandered aimlessly, not realizing I was becoming increasingly lost. 

Some of the shrubs were peculiar, with weird flowers or fruits growing from them. After a while, I grew tired and hungry , and it was now growing dark. Twilight set in, and I had no idea how to get back to the nursery. Suddenly, everything went black, and I passed out. 

~~~~~~~~

As I stirred, I felt a sensation of grogginess. It was now totally dark, and the bushes around me were glowing with a bluish hue of phosphorescence. There were also fireflies all around me, blinking and glowing, creating ribbons of yellow light. Even at night, this place was enchanting. 

Kneeling and leaning over me were the two women I had met earlier. They looked relieved that I wasn't dead, and they helped me get up. 

"When you didn't leave, we assumed you had gotten lost in here," said the older woman.

"We came looking for you," said the younger woman. "This is my mom, Alice." 

I nodded at Alice, acknowledging her. "This is my daughter, Daisy," Alice said with a grin. 

"Nice to meet you both," I said, thankful for their effort to find me. 

"Come home with us, and we'll make you dinner," suggested Alice. "Daisy is a delightful cook." 

"I really should get home. I don't wanna impose," I said. I didn't want to be a burden to them. 

"It's no problem. We'd love to have you," they both said in unison. 

"Okay, let's do it," I said with reluctance. 

Alice and Daisy led me through the labyrinthine topiary, until we came to an unnaturally tall shrub that was also a tower. Wrapped around the outside of it was a spiral staircase. The tower was several hundred feet high, and at the top was a peculiar, quaint little white house with brown wooden trim and a brown roof.

Together, we ascended the tower, and as we did so, it gradually grew lighter.

"Is it morning already?" I asked in a bamboozled tone as I huffed and puffed, tired from the climb up. 

"Time here doesn't match our reality," said Daisy. 

"Sometimes people wander in and get lost in here," added Alice. "What is only hours in our world, may feel like days in here. It's a bit of an enigma." 

We reached the top of the tower, and entered the home. The interior was rustic and adorned with green and white garden-themed decor and vases filled with white daisies. There was a back door that opened out onto a back porch that had a large papasan porch swing covered with pure white silk sheets. This overlooked the endless rolling hills of the plush, green topiary. Immediately, I felt at home here. 

~~~~~~~~

After a savory and nutritional meal, I grew very comfortable in the company of Alice and Daisy. For hours, we made small talk, getting acquainted and finding common ground, and their very presence felt nurturing to my spirit. 

They knew the Earth, and how to maintain and nurture natural growth. I had questions about the weird topiary realm, and they provided answers. They were straight with me, never beating around the bush. 

They explained that their tower grew at a rate of one yard per year, but only as long as they continued to maintain it. Over the years, they had come to be the caretakers of the topiary, and they regularly trimmed and maintained it.

Having grown comfortable and trusting of each other, we got to the topic of romance. We agreed that it was considered taboo to date both a mother and daughter together. I told them that I was open to loving them both, romantically. We all agreed that it could easily work, because the connection between us felt natural. 

Evening came, and we cuddled up together on the porch swing. As it grew darker, the view grew more magical. The phosphorescence of the topiary looked like a sea of blue stars and yellow fireflies glowing and twinkling in the night.

~~~~~~~~

Hours turned into days, and days into weeks. I was building a life with Alice and Daisy, and over time, the connection grew and strengthened. 

We took turns spending time alone together. While Alice went back to operate the nursery, I would spend the day with Daisy, making wild love in her bed or in random spots throughout the topiary. 

On other days, Daisy would be in charge of the nursery, while I spent time with Alice, giving as much pleasure as I could to her. 

One day, we were having green tea together on the porch. Just as I was taking a sip, they both asked in unison, "Do you want to help us trim our bushes?" 

PPPSSSTTT!! I sprayed tea out, as I just could not even! I laughed out loud, but I knew what they meant. 

I told them about the time I had worked as a landscaper back in the day, and that I had accidentally snipped the tip of my finger with pruning shears while trimming a bush, and that I had to get stitches, and now I had a fear of trimming bushes. 

Nonetheless, I helped Alice and Daisy trim their bushes, and we had many shear shenanigans together. 

THE END.