Benjamin stood taller than ever before. One of the new humans had taken very good care of him since the first day she sat at his desk. Water was given at set times during the week. Always a little extra on particularly sunny days. Dead leaves, if there were any, were immediately plucked and discarded to save Benjamin the energy and keep him looking fresh and vibrant. The blonde, curley haired lady who sat at Charley's desk helped keep all the other plants in good shape. When she wasn't typing away at her computer or taking calls from other humans she could usually be found with that lime green, plastic watering can in her hands, refreshing the dry soil of Charley and the rest of the plant family. Overall the place seemed more lively after the arrival of the new humans. The plants had plenty of material to discuss after hours.
The only ones who were less than lively were the cactus twins.
Lance's concerns about Cliff and Claude soon became Benjamin's as well. They had been resting for an awful long time now. It was definitely out of the ordinary for them.
"Psst.. Cliff." Benjamin whispered. When no response came, Benjamin upped his volume slightly.
"Hey Claude, wake up buddy!"
"See, I told you. This is not normal," Lance said, "they are not sleeping. It's like they've drifted off into some sort of coma. Do you reckon their roots are all right?"
Benjamins leaves rustled in a shrug. "Not sure. They have been receiving their share of the water."
Lance became quiet as he pondered Cliff and Claude's situation. As the sun began setting, his leaves slowly folded closed and then it hit him.
"You don't think..."
"What?"
"The water." Lance said.
When he didn't receive a reply from Benjamin he continued, "Cliff and Claude are sun dwellers, Ben. They can't abide too much water. What if-"
"The humans overwatered them!" Benjamin interrupted with a howl.
The other desk dwellers suddenly stopped their latest gossip to pay attention to the shocked noise coming from Benjamin's desk.
"What's all the ruckus about?" Burley asked.
"We.. uh.." Benjamin started.
"We think Cliff and Claude might have been overwatered," Lance said.
A collective gasp could be heard throughout the office. The mere thought of it sent shivers down the stems of many a plant. If there was one thing plants feared even more than perishing due to lack of hydration, it was definitely too much hydration. It could create a whole host of problems. Various insects could make a lovely little nests in their soggy soil. Their offspring feasting on their healthy roots. If such a fate was spared the houseplant than it could always catch a serious cold. With their feet constantly in the moist earth, they'd become fuzzy to stay warm, but that would only invite more diseases and eventually death by rotted roots. It was a tragic and horrifying way to go. One wouldn't wish it upon any plant.
"I've never seen it happen up close before," Leah said in a soft tone of voice.
Sunny peeked over at the cactus twins from her spot on the window sill. "Are we sure though? I mean, it could just be-"
"We can't definitively say yet," Lance interrupted, "but it is the most likely option."
The next day, however, they would all know it beyond the shadow of a doubt.
The loud noise known to humans as 'the vacuum cleaner' unceremoniously pulled each of the plants out of their slumber. They'd all had a bit of a rough night after sharing their fears about Cliff and Claude's fate. None of them had slept particularly well, but most had drifted off nonetheless from sheer exhaustion.
The room was already filled with light when the plants stretched their branches and shook their leaves to wake up. It was then that the new humans entered the office.
Benjamin was happy to see them. He needed to see a kind face after the night he'd had.
Just minutes after the red haired woman had sat down next to Benjamin a loud bang reverberated off the walls. The vacuum cleaner had bumped into the red, plastic stepping stool and Cliff and Claude lay sprawled out on the floor. They'd toppled out of their plastic pots and lay still as a statue on the carpeted floor of the office. Benjamin and Lance stifled a gasp. They saw it.
"Oh no!" the redheaded woman got up from her chair and rushed over to Cliff and Claude. She picked them up and studied them, until she too had spotted what Benjamin and Lance had.
"Oh goodness, these are all hollow inside."
She showed the cacti to her curly haired co-worker with her brows furrowed and the corners of her lips turned downward. "They're all moldy inside. These are dead."
Just like that, with no more than this candid and somber statement Cliff and Claude were discarded in the trash bin.
That night there was no animated chatter and no sleep. Branches slumped and leaves hung down. They had lost two wonderful friends. Benjamin hoped with all his might that this tragic ending was not to be theirs too.
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