[Gift] Julian's Project

After a half-hour stroll through the Botanic Gardens, Julian found the perfect hilltop for the day’s project. He spread his picnic blanket with a flourish, and set about unpacking his flowers from the basket hooked under his arm. After weeks of careful cultivation, he was even more careful to arrange the blooms across his blanket: first by color, and then by size. Once laid out to his satisfaction he could remove the final pieces from his basket — a spool of wire, and an ornate hand mirror, decorated with pale-pink crystal that mimicked his horn. 

Now, with all the components ready, he put a paw on his chin and began to visualize his creation. Surely, as wrapped in thought as I am, passing baos will think the Gardens have added a Julian-shaped statue to the grounds! He didn’t notice that his statuesque nature was belied by his fluffy tail, gently swishing against the ground as he pondered.

He stayed like this for a few minutes, “hmming” and “humming” to himself, unaware of the butterflies who settled on his horn as a spot to sun their wings. 

“I’ve got it!” He exclaimed, clapping his paws together. The sudden motion stirred the butterflies into action and they departed towards the calmer sun spots of the flower bushes. 

He reached for a bundle of cosmos and blossoms, and set to work alternating and threading the stems together into a ring. He looped the ends together with slim wire loops, fastening them in creative hiding places behind petals and leaves. It took a few tries to get the ring wide enough to accommodate both head and horn, but he managed the feat with a single peony extra (once he’d run out of both blossoms and cosmos). This will be the centerpiece. He mused. I’ll tell everyone it was totally intentional!

Now to accent his crown! He pulled his lavender, bluebell, and hydrangea flowers closer on the blanket for easy access. While the daisies and lilies had been beautifully cultivated — if he did say so himself — the purple and pink would be gorgeous complements to the natural colors of his shimmery fur. 

He plucked a few individual flowers from both the hydrangea and lavender blooms and tucked them into the wire loops in-between each blossom. He considered a few full sprigs of lavender, but realized quickly that they would compete with his horn and vetoed the idea. Instead he settled on bluebells, threading a handful into strategic places around the crown. They draped elegantly, breaking the shape of the ring in order to draw attention to his horn. 

And it was done! With his accessory suddenly complete, he took a deep breath before lifting the flower crown to his head. It fit perfectly, if not a bit ticklish from a loose wire end behind the peony. “Now, the moment of truth…” he whispered to no one in particular. He gently gripped the mirror and lifted it, slowly, towards his face.

The visage of a handsome bao greeted him — which he expected, of course — and, when he angled the mirror up higher, he could see his beautiful flower crown. He gasped softly. The statement pink blossoms, accented by tiny purple blooms on a backdrop of vibrant green stems...cradled perfectly above his twinkling eyes and between his soft ears…

“It’s perfect!” He announced aloud to the mirror, performing a celebratory twirl and angling his head to view his work from multiple angles, laughing as he did so.

The butterflies, stirred up once again by his ruckus, departed their flower bush in a steady stream of color — heading deeper into the Gardens, where they could finally get some peace and quiet.