Sunflower Seeds

It was the sunflower that stopped the alien invasion. The great yellow flower in the middle of a grey meadow, facing the sun, soaking in the rays for all that it was worth.

The aliens had never seen the color yellow before, at least not like the sunflower. The sunflower just happened to be the first thing they saw when they stepped off the ramp of their space craft. Imagine, those gigantic, fearsome aliens with really big teeth and more legs than spiders, stopping their advance because of a flower. The aliens literally dropped their weapons at the sight. 

The grey meadow had not been watered in a while. It had rained the night before, not enough to revive the grass or the full sunflower field, but enough for that one stubborn plant to bloom. Later when the aliens revisited, they expressed surprised at the change in meadow, how it grew more colorful. The human representative was quick to say that it was because the aliens decided not to attack. 

"Come back in a year if you're still peaceful. This meadow will be a sight to see."

With that open invitation, the aliens indeed returned. The humans had monitored the field, but nature held true and this year, the sunflowers were in full force. The aliens were awed, but flabbergasted. They could not even step for fear of crushing one of the flowers. Guided by the human representative and assured that the sunflowers would be relatively unharmed, they continued to the peace conference.

Served at the peace conference were sunflower seeds, taking the place of roasted peanuts. Without realizing the origin of the strange new food, the aliens eagerly gobbled them up, requesting more and the recipe. 

"It's roasted sunflower seeds."

The aliens flared. Their words did not translate well into English, but they said something to the equivalent of outrage shouting "We're eating the golden flower babies?!!"

Reassurances fell flat. Nothing persuaded the aliens that sunflower seeds were okay to eat. Some of the aliens, if they were not angry, were violently sick, chucking up what remained of the seed. Humans tried to show it was alright by eating more sunflower seeds and saying it was alright. Sunflowers had been a major source of snacking for eons. Every human, mammal, bird on Earth have eaten a sunflower seed at one point. Flowers produced so many fruits and seeds that it was a way of helping the plants spread the seeds by eating them.

The last bit gave the aliens some pause. "So if we eat the sunflower seeds, we help spread sunflowers?"

"You would have to eat them raw and whole and hope that your stomach acid do not destroy the seed entirely, but yes."

Then they began swallowing whole sunflower seeds in earnest, without explanation, requesting raw sunflower seeds. The human representative humored them without saying anything.

The aliens left the next day, but before they left, the human approached them.

"You know, if you wanted sunflowers, all you have to do is ask."

It was the beginning of a very profitable trade negotiation between human and aliens and the only product was sunflowers and gardening necessity.

~LL