Behind the Green Gate
Fun Pilsner

Part two · Pages 9–20
A story in progress. AI narration is a listening draft; feedback is welcome.

9
Behind a green gate, their neighbors grew young plants to sell.

It smelled of soil and rain-soaked wood and spring.

“We need new trays and seeds,” the owner told them.

Buddy poked his nose into an empty flowerpot.

The flowerpot sneezed.

10
Alex took out a coin.

“So I plant it?”

He reached for a little shovel.

Buddy wagged his tail.

Burying precious things in the dirt—now, that made sense.

11
“No,” said Grandma, smiling. “A coin won't grow in the ground.”

“People use the money to buy seeds, trays, and tools. Then they work hard to grow plants that other people will want to buy.”

“So it's the business that grows?”

“That's the idea.”

12
The owner showed them around the plant nursery.

“You could buy a small share of our business. Then you'd be one of its owners.”

“Would that flower be mine?”

“A share of the whole business,” Grandma explained. “Not one particular flowerpot.”

13
“Would I get any money?” asked Alex.

“Maybe. First the business has to pay its bills. If there's money left after that, it's called profit. The owners may decide to share it.”

“Even if my share of the business is little?”

“Then your part of the profit would be little too.”

14
“What if nobody buys the flowers?”

“The business could lose money. And you could lose some of the money you put in. Or all of it.”

Alex was quiet for a moment.

“Then I'm keeping the coins in my blue pouch out of this. I need those for the dragon.”

15
With Grandma's help, Alex put three coins into the nursery business.

They wrote down his little share in a notebook.

Those three coins weren't in his pocket anymore. They had gone into the business.

Two coins lay on his palm.

And three were still tucked away in the blue pouch.

16
Next door was a bicycle repair shop.

Ding! went a bell.

This place needed tools instead of seeds.

Alex and Grandma asked the repairman about his work and what the shop had to pay for.

Alex decided to use his last two coins to buy a small share of this business too.

17
“Now it doesn't all depend on the flowers,” said Alex.

“That's right. One business may do well while another doesn't. But the repair shop could lose money too,” said Grandma.

Alex drew a flower on one card and a wheel on another.

Buddy kept one eye on the wheel.

18
The next morning, Alex ran to the nursery with a ruler.

Then with a watering can.

Then with a very fast song about very fast flowers.

The flowers listened.

And carried on growing at their own speed.

19
“But it's tomorrow already!” Alex said the next day.

Grandma showed him the calendar.

One page had given way to the next. But a new morning didn't bring new customers all by itself.

Alex turned another page.

Just in case.

20
Buddy brought his ball.

Alex watched the seedlings.

Buddy put the ball on Alex's shoe.

Alex checked the notebook.

So Buddy lay right across the path.

Someone in this garden wasn't waiting for money.

He was waiting for Alex.