All of you had better be on time for the meeting tomorrow! We will leave for the Botanical Gardens at 8am, late arrivals will get an hour’s detention as punishment. We will be visiting the renowned rare Colombian dragonfly collection, they only emerge for two minutes twice a year, so be grateful to be able to witness this special event.” Director Oakes was enjoying his little performance.
“The old man is totally nuts.” Johnny pulled his best friend Noel to one side.
“Missing the odd marble, that’s for sure. There’s a compulsory botany trip every single week, I’m getting sick of it,”” Noel whispered back.
The two boys fidgeted impatiently alongside twenty others on one of the uncomfortable benches that were set up in the big gym for the occasions when the headmaster would give pep talks or angry speeches to the school’s students.
Oakes was obsessed with botany and made all visits to the city’s botanical gardens – of which he was also the director – compulsory.” “The students were relieved to be heading for home after the long speech, but two strangers blocked the entrance to the gym. They were looking for the principal, one holding a pot of fern.
“There he is, over there! The short, twitchy gentleman in the palm-leaf shirt,”” Johnny pointed, and then turned to Noel.
“I’d be a thousand times happier to sit through another double chemistry lesson than listen to him lecture for hours about some stupid pampas grass.”
Irritably, the boys set off for home, and the two strangers headed towards Director Oakes, who, seeing the fern, immediately rushed towards them.
“How can I help?”
“”First off I’d like to say that we are great admirers of your scientific work on plants,”” the taller man began.
“We have brought a special plant for you to look at that will surely interest you,”” the other held up the fern in his hand.
“This is the world’s only flowering fern, and what is more, has the amazing quality of being invisible to the dumb spectators,” the other one added.” “This immediately attracted the interest of Director Oakes.
“We know it looks like a simple plant, but in three lunar months it will come into bloom and produce a beautiful, brightly coloured flower that is only visible to the exceptionally clever, and invisible to the rest of us,”” said the shorter man, passing the plant in its red pot to the Director.
“I’ll buy it!” said Oakes with lightning speed.
“Well, there is one slight problem with that… Well, several, actually. The plant itself requires exceptional care, as it can only be watered by moonlight, which must be done every night. Of course, we can take that on for three months if you wish. The plant is worth five million Hungarian forints, but as a demonstration of our deep respect for you, we will take care of it for free.”” “The Director raised his eyebrows in alarm at the huge amount.
“Remember, this is a huge opportunity for you, as there are only three of these ferns left in the world, and the other two are hidden away in far flung place.” The taller man struck the iron while it was hot, “You would be world famous if you gave a press conference on this exceptional plant. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.
“So be it. I’ll pay half now, the other half later,”” said Oakes after a moment’s hesitation. He could already see himself on the front pages and could almost feel the phone ringing in his pocket as the calls for interviews from the most prestigious botanical journals began to flood in.
Soon the three men were standing together at a nearby bank: Mr Oakes withdrew the required amount from his account and handed it over to the two strangers.
“In three lunar months, we will return with the plant and you will finally be able to see its incredible flower.
“And, of course, everyone will find out if they are as smart as they think they are,”” the director replied smugly. ” “Three months passed quickly, all the more so because the director had a lot on his plate: interviews to give and press to organise for the ceremony planned to unveil the fern. He even cancelled his speeches in the gym.
“Well, if it took this fern to get Oakes to stop holding assemblies in the gym, then I already love this fern, even though I haven’t seen it yet,”” Johnny told Noel the morning before the ceremony, laughing. The other students probably shared her opinion. They were tickled pink by the headmaster’s obsession with the mysterious fern. The whole school was plastered with posters and the news of a special flower that only the cleverest could see.
On the evening before the unveiling, there was a knock-on Mr Oakes’ door: the two strangers delivered the plant as promised, carefully wrapped it in a large, colourful nylon sheet so that no one would see it.
The manager excitedly opened the door and almost snatched up the fern, before carefully placing it on the hall cupboard and slowly unwrapped it. He handed the other half of the money to the two men as agreed.