BlossUm Buddies  are little flower sprites about the size of a gerbil and can sit snug in the palm of your hand. The standard species has an oval body with a round head, two tiny bumbling footsies, two miniscule beady eyes, a flowering tail, and two flower antennae. They sleep peacefully while partially buried in the ground, with only their budding tails showing above the surface. You would never know they were there if you didn't know to look, as they tend to blend right in with other normal flowers and only wake up if you tug on their tails and release them from the soil.

They didn't come from anywhere. They've always been here since the beginning of time, even before there was animal or human life. The mandrake plant (or mandragora) bears one of the oldest legends since the time of the planet's creation. Man is said to have been conceived from the mud of the earth and according to many cultures, mandrake root, which resembles a little person, was an incarnation of man that had a symbiotic relationship with nature, as it seemed to be half plant and half human.

Legend tells us when the plant is pulled from the ground it will shriek with pain or to frighten. The shrieking is able to incapacitate, deafen, madden, or even kill an unprotected creature. The properties of the root is said to have the ability to heal many afflictions, increase fertility, and even act as a narcotic anaesthetic, so it was often harvested despite the known risks involved.

Painting from the 1474 manuscript "Tacuinum Sanitatis".

Could the legends be true? Are the BlossUm Buddies related to the ancient, defensive creatures that sat immobile underground until some fool came along and dug them up? One thing is for sure: whether or not they used to be the horrific creatures of the past, they are not so terrible now. They have adapted to life with humans by evolving into fully mobile homunculi, spreading themselves all over the planet much more effectively than waiting for the right wind to change. They have merged themselves with many different types of plants (and a few confirmed sightings of animals) in many different environments. In this way they can secretly make their way through life, helping the earth to thrive by inadvertedly acting as nature's farmers. Look closely, they might even be in your own backyard! Don't be upset if you can't find any, though, for they are extremely good at camouflage and contrary to popular belief, you won't find them unexpectedly, no matter how much you may think you have. They only let people find them if they want to be found, so if you do come across one someday, consider yourself honored.

I wasn't exactly looking for them. They just came to me. They needed to find someone with a strong empathic connection with the natural world; someone who could help them, because they are slowly disappearing and have no where to turn. Their habitats, which range the world over, are being destroyed by deforestation and industrialization, much like other threatened and endangered species of our world. Most of them had given up on the human species, believing us to be a lost cause and fled to another dimension to start anew.

A expedition came to me, in the hopes that we could find a method of peaceful co-existence between the sprites and the humans. I suggested they seek out people that would understand their plight and help them adapt to the modern world and still be able to take care of their beloved planet. At the same time, I realized they had made themselves vunerable by exposing their true selves to us as hopeful friends and bonded companions, so I ask you to keep an open mind and an open heart. They are asking for our help in caring for the Earth and in return they will teach us to experience new ways of looking at our surroundings.