Earlier on, I mentioned that I finally – finally! – completed a work of allegorical fiction, and I posted the first installment of it here.
Last week, I brought you Part 2, in which Flora, our ever-intrepid protagonist, finds herself in the right place at the right time.
And now, Flora makes an appeal to her fellow Floofs. Will she succeed? Read on!
Later that night, the Floofs gathered around a campfire at the edge of town. “I call this meeting to order,” announced Fred. “This meeting of Floofs is now in session.”
“Thank you, Fred,” replied Frida. “Everyone, we are gathered to discuss -”
“You don’t have to tell us why we’re here!” came a shout. “Those Naysayers have made life unbearable for us!”
“Yes,” responded Frida, “and we’re going to -”
“It’s awful!” interrupted another Floof. “I can’t walk down the road without them saying mean things to me.”
“And have you smelled them? I can’t breathe. It’s like someone left rotten eggs in some sweaty shoes at the bottom of a trash dumpster. And nobody can see anything with all the smog everywhere.”
“Yeah! The Naysayers are getting us all stuck in their toxic gas cloud, and it’s growing worse. If we don’t do something soon, We’ll have to leave.”
The Floofs erupted in shouts of agreement as their leaders tried to restore order. “I know,” shouted Frida, “that things are difficult, but we have to -”
“Excuse me,” came a small voice.
The Floofs turned to see young Flora. “Flora, did you have something to add?” Fred inquired.
“Um – I mean, yes.” She had to strain her voice to speak over the whispers of astonishment. “Well,” Flora began, “I don’t think the Naysayers see what’s happening.”
“What do you mean, Flora?” asked Frida.
Flora told the group what she saw, and shared the photo of Nix in the mirror. “See?” she said. “They’ve created all of the awfulness around us, but they don’t see any of it.”
“So they’re not just ratty and stinky, they’re blind, too!?” cried a Floof from across the campfire. A wisp of green gas swirled around him as the Floofs next to him held their noses and scooted away.
“Maybe. Or maybe they just need to see things how they really are,” responded Flora. “Maybe…maybe we can help them see what’s happening.”
“Well, you can do what you like, but I don’t think they’ll listen to anybody. Knock yourself out, kid.” The crowd laughed in agreement.
“Fine!” she shouted. “I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but I’ll make the Naysayers understand what’s happening. Just wait and see!”
Discouraged but not defeated, Flora returned to her tent, leaving the rest of the Floofs to complain around the campfire. She went to bed, but couldn’t sleep. Flora tossed and turned, knowing there had to be a way to restore her town. Finally, she got an idea. A good one. With a plan in place, Flora slept soundly.
Soapbox: The Way I see Things 
Ooh, I love Flora’s determination and your use of humor here. Fantastic dialogue to move the action along, and the green gas was a very fun bit!
Thanks, Barb! I struggle with dialogue, so I’m glad to see it helped move the narrative forward.
Flora … intrepid
Perfect one word to describe her!!!
This is fabulous!
I love the way Flora approaches her challenge with confidence and a belief that she really can solve problems. I see her as sort of a modern day Pippi Longstocking character!
Oohh, Pippi Longstocking. Yes! Solving things for herself because…you know…GROWN-UPS.
Lainie, I can see why you are proud of your allegory. I’m loving the messages coming out in your story. The strength of Flora, even without the support of her elders, is a great empowering character.
Thank you! Flora came as a surprise to me. She was a character I mentioned, but I wasn’t expecting her to be the hero. Still, there she was, ready to make a statement. I guess that’s maybe how she saw herself as well?