At the Summit of Sunflower

Submitted into Contest #105 in response to: Write a story from the point of view of three different characters.... view prompt

46 comments

Fiction Happy

I already knew there would be no mountain here. That isn't the reason I came. But I can tell by the vacant looks on the other folks' faces, they assumed there would be. Mt. Sunflower; it's the highest point in Kansas and is labeled as such on the map. At over four thousand feet, it's easy to be misled if you don't know a thing or two about the state.


I find the whispering wind healing. It makes the grass breathe, much like the wind on an alpine meadow. The view here is of square miles of blonde vegetation, one after another, melting into a solid pale of angelic quality at each horizon. This is a place that makes me feel small, and my troubles along with it.


I open my mouth to take in a breath of that whispering wind. I can taste the earthiness in it. Tens of miles beyond the rust of the little iron fence which squares in the official high-point marker, the planet's curvature is precise and graceful. I know my digital camera can never do justice to the full power of the moment, so after half a dozen shots taken on half a dozen different settings, I tuck it back into the bag and stare silent.


Kansas was nicknamed the Sunflower State for obvious reasons. A garden of these lofty, golden plants from heaven crowds around the marker, each of them swaying as though humming a lullaby. The space between my eyes tingles from the strain of trying not to make a scene in front of the two strangers.


I love sunflowers. What more could you want in a plant? The very name is smile-inducing, and they live up to that name one hundred percent. They aren't quite as common where I grew up, in neighboring Oklahoma, but they've been a part of my life since I was a kid. I remember lying on the dirt some afternoons in the middle of the patch that grew on the hill at Grandpa's farm just to stare up at them. Each flower was like a miniature sun, smiling down at me, crowned by royal blue sky. Edible, life-sustaining. I must have gone through enough roasted seeds to build a mountain from the hulls by the time I was fifteen.


So as far as I'm concerned, this here qualifies as a mountain. Not literal, but a mountain nonetheless. It has the views and it has the magnificence. For me, in a spiritual way, this is truly the highest mountain anywhere. When I come here, I'm able to see my life from a vantage point I've never been able to find anywhere else. All one has to do is learn to tune in to the voices speaking. They're in the wind, the sky, the grass, the soil. But you're never going to hear them unless you slow down enough to let them speak.


***


What a joke! There's no mountain here. Four thousand feet? Are you serious? If I had to guess I would say the hill (if you could even call it that) is more like four inches. There should be a law against lying to people on a map.


What do I care anyway? I'm not traveling to sightsee. I wasn't even trying to come here in the first place, I'm just trying to get the hell across this horrid state. I have a business meeting in Lakewood in three hours and I'm still in effing Kansas! None of this would've happened if my GPS hadn't quit on me right in the middle of nowhere. I have no idea how I got here. I guess I must have veered onto an exit ramp while I was texting a while ago.


Oh, why me, Lord? Just why?


No phone signal. Of course not! Even microwaves want no part of this forsaken desert. Oh, yeah; it's a desert alright. What else could you call it? The last time I saw a tree had to have been Wichita, and I'm pretty sure it was planted.


Well, at least there's some people here I can ask for directions. I can tell by the way the old guy's carrying on about places in Kansas he can help. Not sure about the other dude. He looks as lost as me. Hasn't said a word. Just been standing there with his hands in his pockets listening and nodding his head. Something about an underground town, a salt mine, a city of rocks, gypsum formations, lush vineyards, and how splendid the fall foliage in Kansas is in October. Whatever that ancient fossil's been smoking, I wish he'd pass it around.


I can't help but feel sorry for both these guys: The one for obviously being senile and delusional; the other for having to stand there and listen to his pathetic nonsense. What underground town? I've seen hundreds upon hundreds of miles of nothing and nobody. If it weren't for the mile markers, a guy couldn't even tell he was moving in this freaking state! I did eighty-five all the way from Salina to wherever I wandered off the interstate, and it felt like I was parked the whole time.


It all looks exactly like this. Like when God was creating the earth, Kansas was the last thing and by then he was so wore out he just said "screw it". For heaven's sake, put something here! A bush, a cactus, a log, a landfill, anything!


The curvature of my mouth arcs downward as my eyes start to cross from the chore of staring at the curvature of the planet. The word death strobes inside my brain while the image of this silent, pale yellow sea becomes forever burned in my unfortunate memory. I'm drowning in boredom, and only these two goofy strangers can save me. Comic relief beats no relief, I suppose.


***


I have to get back!


I thought maybe a long, quiet drive was just what I needed. I guess truer words have never been spoken: No matter where you go, there you are.


I shouldn't be sweating in this breeze. My mind is a runaway bullet train, and that dizzying curve at the end of the horizon is the cliff. If the elevation here is four thousand, that can only mean four thousand feet to plummet. The whole world is a mountain. Treacherous and impassable, and now I stand at the top. I don't know how I made it, all I do know is that the climb back down is usually the most deadly part of the journey.


Two contrasting voices sear my ears from off to the side. One is scratchy and fast like a violin; the other is monotone and bassy. It's a dark melody of elderly arrogance dueling with youthful indifference.


The relentless word trade adds pollution to the already dim environment of wherever I am. I have no idea, I just took off driving. That's been my whole problem, hasn't it? I never know where I'm going, and when I get there, it's always too late to turn around.


Oh, if I don't get back home...


How do I know one of these strangers isn't a wanted serial killer? What better place to satisfy a sadistic craving than...here? Here, where not so much as a wayward styrofoam cup dares disturb the land with a hint of civilization. Here, where sunflowers sway with their deceptive beauty, waving their thin bodies at me, pointing east as if trying to warn me to leave. Where this black marker sits in the sandy dirt like a tombstone waiting for a fresh soul.


What if my car won't start? What if those are storm clouds brewing in the distance? What if I'm so far into the middle of nowhere I can never return?


***


"Yes, sir, I kid you not. If you head south until you get to the town of Liberal, there it is! Just as sure as the world: Dorothy's house."


The young man keeps his eyes glued to his phone, begging for a signal to return and for that old know-it-all to shut up. "If you say so, Gramps," he mumbles with a snort of a laugh. "You realize The Wizard of Oz is entirely fictional, therefore so is Dorothy's house, I hope?"


"No no no!" the old man states with confidence while patting sunscreen on his dated face. "Of course it's all fictional! The house is a replica, but it's the darnedest thing you ever seen. Looks just like it! You'll swear you can hear Auntie Em' inside hollering about the cyclone coming."


The two turn and look at the third party. He's still standing there with his hands in his pockets, stiff as a tree, soaked shirt collar.


"You okay, dude?" the one with the phone asks.


After a dragging moment, he finally takes his eyes off the horizon, the question registering, and sounds off an abrupt "Yeah."


"You look like you're worried or something," he remarks with a half-hearted shrug. "Anyway, sorry to say goodbye to this beautiful dumpster fire of a scenic view, but I gotta get going or I'll be late." He slams the car door shut behind him and fires up the motor before anyone can say another word.


"You don't have to thank me for the directions or anything," the old man barks under his breath. He quickly takes on a smile, wide and radiant like Kansas itself, as he hobbles to the mailbox with a pen in hand. "Wouldn't be a visit if we didn't let the world know we were here, now would it?" he asks the remaining visitor while moving the pen in a casual dance to sign his name and home town.


The man takes his hands out of his pockets, and for the first time, smiles into the horizon with an eagerness to get his name down on the pad too.


They both turn to throw one last glance at the vehicle as the engine revs and puffs of smoky dust emit from the peeling tires.


"Well...Is he stuck?" the elder wonders aloud as the car continues to sit in place.


Leaving the engine running, the young man gets out and begins a slow stroll back toward the marker. He holds the phone up to his eyes as he walks, but isn't texting. An almost undetectable flash hits the sparkling granite letters that spell "Mt. Sunflower". A hint of blush colors his otherwise ivory complexion. A grin as wide as the elders' follows.


"Damnit, guys!" he says as he examines the picture of this "mountain" he just took. "I can't believe I'm doing this."


The old man reopens the mailbox with a squeak, retrieves the pad and pen, and holds them out to him. He takes it and nods as he signs it, a drop of water dampening the paper. 


August 01, 2021 18:20

You must sign up or log in to submit a comment.

46 comments

John K Adams
23:09 Aug 25, 2021

Boy, did this bring me back to the time I spent three days stuck in Kansas, trying to get to Mexico from Minneapolis. I wanted them to give the whole state back to the buffaloes. Or use it for above ground nuclear testing. My memory, and your story have tempered my feelings somewhat, since then. "Here, where not so much as a wayward styrofoam cup dares disturb the land with a hint of civilization." That line says so much, about Kansas and civilization. Thoroughly enjoyable story. I like your generous recommendations in your bio too. Clas...

Reply

Gip Roberts
19:57 Aug 27, 2021

Thank you for your comment, John. Three days there? I can see how that would be a little much even for me. Glad you liked my line about the styrofoam cup. I always try to throw something amusing into everything I write. I had noticed other people were starting to recommend authors in their bios and felt like it was the right thing to do. I'll be adding more to that list as I continue to read stories.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
00:05 Aug 12, 2021

I love the natural imagery you use to describe Mount Sunflower. Your writing style is gorgeous, and you seamlessly transition between all three perspectives. Great story!

Reply

Gip Roberts
00:29 Aug 12, 2021

Thanks, Phoenix :) I'm glad you found the three characters easy to understand and identify. I felt like I was being somewhat vague when I wrote the story, as I never actually gave them names or anything. There truly is something magical about states like Kansas, and it makes my day to see I'm not alone.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Dee Wes
02:53 Aug 19, 2021

Three perspectives of one place. I liked the thoughts of each character, each different and involved with Mt. Sunflower. This was a fun read.

Reply

Gip Roberts
22:12 Aug 19, 2021

Thank you :) It was fun writing it too, though it was intimidating at first figuring out what the three perspectives were going to be about.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Charli Britton
11:22 Aug 13, 2021

"This is a place that makes me feel small, and my troubles along with it." That line, as well as the rest of the story, is so beautifully flawlessly Witten. Your transition to different thoughts/emotions is stunning, and I can't wait to read more of your work. However, "They aren't quite as common where I grew up, in neighboring Oklahoma, but they've been a part of my life since I was a kid. I remember lying on the dirt some afternoons in the middle of the patch that grew on the hill at Grandpa's farm just to stare up at them. " It's a lot...

Reply

Gip Roberts
19:46 Aug 13, 2021

Thank you for your feedback, Charli. No offense taken, I always welcome constructive criticism. I do have a tendency to rely on weak words to the point they become repetitive, which is why I've been spending less time writing and more reading lately (among other reasons). Your latest story will be the next one I read. Looking forward to it.

Reply

Charli Britton
22:39 Aug 13, 2021

Thanks! And yeah, sometimes it's hard to find the perfect word. Best tool to use is the online thesaurus!

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Lily Rama
23:16 Aug 11, 2021

I don't know where to start on this story!!! The descriptions were just beautiful and the dialogue was so smooth and realistic! Well done! Keep writing!

Reply

Gip Roberts
23:58 Aug 11, 2021

Thank you, Lily. As with most of my stories, I didn't know where to start on this story either. I just go by that mantra: "Write, write, write." Sometimes it works and sometimes it dead-ends. Luckily, I was able to stay inspired enough to complete this one, and I really wasn't expecting all these comments. It's never happened before. Thank you so much :)

Reply

Lily Rama
00:37 Aug 12, 2021

Of course! :)

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Annalisa D.
14:45 Aug 10, 2021

I really enjoyed reading this. The beautiful descriptions of sunflowers pulled me right in since I like them a lot. The different viewpoints were realistic and interesting. It was a nice read.

Reply

Gip Roberts
21:30 Aug 10, 2021

Thanks, Annalisa. I've always loved sunflowers and corn fields. Both still seem taller than me, but when I was a kid, there was just something magical about watching all of it grow.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Kathy Roberts
22:53 Aug 09, 2021

I loved the description you gave of the whispering wind and Alpine meadows. It made me want to go there. Also made me want to plant some sunflowers. Your story shows how there is beauty everywhere. we just need to take the time to find it.It is sad that some people are too busy complaining ,or are in too much of a hurry to find it.

Reply

Gip Roberts
23:29 Aug 09, 2021

Kansas seems to be unlike any other state both as far as off-the-beaten path beauty and complaints about the scenery (I have yet to travel through any state that isn't boring from the freeway). I would love to see a patch of sunflowers growing in the yard. I know they tend to do well in this climate. Thanks for reading.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Amy Jayne Conley
07:48 Aug 09, 2021

Another excellent piece of work, Gip! :D Really well-written, and I loved the differences between the three characters! Although one line did stand out and make me laugh: Like when God was creating the earth, Kansas was the last thing and by then he was so wore out he just said "screw it". I'm currently in an airport, so laughing like that... not ideal!! xD But you crack me up. Great work!

Reply

Gip Roberts
20:06 Aug 09, 2021

Thanks, Amy :) I had fun with the challenge of creating three characters with totally different personalities. I grew up out in the country, and you'd die laughing at some of the ways of saying things that influenced me. I used to love flying until 9/11 ruined everything. I strictly drive everywhere I go now.

Reply

Amy Jayne Conley
13:00 Aug 10, 2021

OH jeez - I hope you can find a way to get some of those sayings into future works?? I love death by laughter ;) Oh no :( that sucks. 9/11 was scary as hell. I'm personally okay with flying, but then I'm a Brit, and the last flight disaster we had was the Lockerbie bomber (I think), which was way before my time! I do love a good car trip though. Can't beat driving to good tunes!

Reply

Gip Roberts
21:20 Aug 10, 2021

I've always wanted to take a driving (or train) tour through Europe. Not the big cities, but the countryside. At least from the perspective of Rick Steves and some of the "Brit-coms" like "Last of the Summer Wine", Europe intrigues me, and I have ancestors from the 1800s back who lived in England and Ireland.

Reply

Amy Jayne Conley
10:17 Aug 11, 2021

Trains through European countryside are really nice, I have to say! I don't know if I mentioned, but I currently live in Belgium, and one time a couple of years ago I took a train over to Luxembourg. It was around 3 hours long, and I went for the day (I spent more time on the train there than I did in the tiny city), but the countryside on the way there was breathtaking. Rolling hills covered in pine trees, fairytale Germanic castles with turrets and slit windows - I wouldn't have been surprised to see Rapunzel letting her hair fall down out...

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Francis Daisy
02:03 Aug 09, 2021

Gip, The line that pulled me in was this one: "I find the whispering wind healing. It makes the grass breathe..." After that I was lost in the prairies under the blue skies that never seem to end. I'm not from out west, but spent a few summers vacationing out west and never felt smaller than when standing under that blue sky. Thank you for bringing me back. This is a great story! -Amy

Reply

Gip Roberts
19:34 Aug 09, 2021

Comments that pinpoint something a reader found intriguing always make my day and bring me closer to knowing what works. Thanks for the feedback. I'm from way down south, so any time I get a chance to travel out west, I feel the same way you do :)

Reply

Francis Daisy
02:14 Aug 10, 2021

Gip, Okay, before I go any further, I must know how to pronounce Gip. Does it rhyme with Kip? Lip? Gip? With a hard g like in girl? Or a soft g like in giraffe? I am so distracted by this! Okay, so you are way down south? I am way up north! (and east) Those wild fires out west are quite horrific. First it was the temperatures in the news, now the fires. I can't help but this of all the beautiful trees and wildlife that we saw just being decimated. -A

Reply

Gip Roberts
19:29 Aug 10, 2021

It does rhyme with Kip. In fact, I can't tell you how many times people have thought my name is Kip. And it's a hard g. I was named after the football player Ronald Reagan played in one of his movies, "George Gipp". Ironically, I've never been the least bit interested in football. My aunt and uncle live at Lake Tahoe, and there were wildfires there not long ago too. I don't think the Pacific Northwest has had a drop of rain all year, which is insane considering Washington State is famous for non-stop rain.

Reply

Francis Daisy
01:33 Aug 11, 2021

Gip, At least you have a fun fact about your name. How cool to be named after a Ronald Reagan character? I'll have to look up the movie. I love old movies and rainy afternoons, not as much as I love sunshine and a good book on my back deck, but... When my family visit Washington State a few years back, we hiked in a rain forest. There was just a faint misty rain. That was the only time it rained during our entire three week trip out west. Kind of CrAzY! -A (my sister used to tell me I was named after toothpaste and would call me aim)

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Hannah Foust
16:15 Aug 08, 2021

As a Midwesterner, this story is very relatable, small towns an nowhere places, and the different views of both locals and outsiders great perspectives!

Reply

Gip Roberts
18:18 Aug 08, 2021

Thanks, Hannah. I try to stick to writing what I know as much as possible. I'm sort of like the old guy: I've lived in Oklahoma all my life, but I've always had this weird fascination with Kansas. I don't know if it began with seeing The Wizard of Oz or what, but I've been to every one of the places the man mentions in the story at one time or another (some several times), and I thoroughly enjoyed all of them. I love all the Midwestern states.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Cannelle L
14:58 Aug 07, 2021

I really love your story! I can see how much care you put into your characters. And your descriptions are brilliant. It was a wonderful read. Thank you for sharing!

Reply

Gip Roberts
18:42 Aug 07, 2021

Thanks for the compliment, Cannelle. It wasn't easy making an interesting story out of a subject most would consider boring (Kansas), and it makes my day that you liked it.

Reply

Cannelle L
00:10 Aug 08, 2021

Yeah, it still amazes me how you could spin such a great story out of it. Really inspired me!

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Andrea Magee
05:46 Aug 05, 2021

Really enjoyed this. The characters were very real and relatable. You did a great job with the POV from 3 different characters.

Reply

Gip Roberts
19:37 Aug 05, 2021

Thank you, Andrea. It was a challenge, but I enjoyed making the three characters all so opposite from each other.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Writers Block
19:56 Aug 04, 2021

"The tree in Wichita must have been planted" caught my eye. . . .lol!

Reply

Gip Roberts
20:22 Aug 04, 2021

Thanks for reading. Yeah, the second character pretty much summed up the opinions about Kansas everyone I've ever met in my life has.

Reply

Writers Block
21:45 Aug 04, 2021

You are welcome

Reply

Show 0 replies
Writers Block
21:45 Aug 04, 2021

You are welcome

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 2 replies
Show 1 reply
Giulia S.
22:13 Aug 01, 2021

I liked your story very much. It made me think on how we never know what people really think. You did a great job with the perspective and the point of view; not in a simply technical matter, but also in the meaning. The same view it can be percevied in a totally different way, and that's awesome. We never think that people felt different than us in front of the same things, and we definetly need to think about it more often. Great job, as always!

Reply

Gip Roberts
22:32 Aug 01, 2021

Thank you for the nice words, Giulia. It's sort of like that Jedi saying from Star Wars: "Your focus determines your reality." I'm glad you felt my story accomplished exactly what I intended. Any given place can mean different things to different people, largely depending on their focus at the moment. It can be a wonderland for someone with a positive outlook or a wasteland for someone who worries too much. Thank you for your time in reading, and I hope to see you writing again soon.

Reply

Giulia S.
08:39 Aug 02, 2021

I'm trying to write something with the same prompt you used, but I'm in a "recharge mood", so will see :) I always enjoy your writing, I hope to read something else very soon! :D

Reply

Gip Roberts
19:55 Aug 02, 2021

That's me most of the time: "Recharge mood". I average one story per month and spend the rest of the time reading other stories. Contest #109 will probably my next one. I know you'll think of something for this prompt that will be as unique as it is good. Stay inspired :)

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Unknown User
00:25 Jun 07, 2023

<removed by user>

Reply

Gip Roberts
23:49 Jun 07, 2023

Thanks for the feedback. Me too! I never realized there was such a thing as substance abuse with sunflowers until I watched this YouTube video about a guy confessing his addiction and describing himself as a "seeder".

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Palak Shah
09:37 Aug 09, 2021

I love your characterization and your descriptions are fabulous. Well done Could you please read my latest story if possible? :))

Reply

Gip Roberts
20:09 Aug 09, 2021

Thanks for the compliment. I look forward to your latest story.

Reply

Palak Shah
20:43 Aug 09, 2021

Thanks :))

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

Bring your short stories to life

Fuse character, story, and conflict with tools in Reedsy Studio. 100% free.