Terrarium in a Bottle
- Name: The Swirly Kingdom and the Twisty Kingdom
- Species: Moss and assorted tiny plants
- Current format: Delicately crafted and balanced inside a strong glass bottle, corked. Do Not Open.
- Obtained on: 25/03/23
- Obtained from: Surprise Medieval Market (the surprise was sensory overload)
- Current status: Decaying
This is a terrarium in a bottle, purchased in a medieval market by whom we'll call Moss Guy.
Moss Guy is an enthusiast of these tiny ecosystems - he obtains these plants from the region he comes from (all within here), and makes sure these bottles are self-sufficient - all they need is non-direct light, and to never open the cork, lest the delicate balance is thrown off. Water is consistently condensed and recycled here, and it has the exact amount it needs - no more, no less.
I've got his contact number in case I need any assistance, but so far, this tiny world has been thriving. Moss Guy told me these are very slowly developing plants - they grow really slowly. However, I manage to see changes almost every day! I guess that means it's thriving. If anything really goes wrong, he told me to look at the moss - if it yellows, that's a bad sign.
My bottle features two empty snail shells - one in the classical "spiral" format and another in that elongated, conical shape more reminiscent of sea shells. Next to them, there's a plant on each side - one that shoots blue flowers, next to the conical shell (the Twisty Kingdom) - and another plant with red stems and leaf borders that shoots up pink flowers, next to the spiral shell (the Swirly Kingdom).
I often catch myself staring at the bottle and daydreaming of the life in there. Who lives in the Twisty and Swirly Kingdoms? Bugs? Tiny dinosaurs? Fairies? Tiny unicorns? Are they allies or enemies? Why? How are their cultures like? What are their similarities and differences?
- 27/03/23: You know what I said about this being a slow growing ecosystem? Well, it shoot up two twigs that almost reach the bottom of the neck of the bottle over one single night.
- 29/03/23: The two overachieving twigs are producing flowers :) Still in the bud but they're gonna be pink!!.
- 31/03/23: Swirly Kingdom's leaves have black patches on them :( I trust they will grow anew with time, but it's still sad to see decay. Twisty Kingdom's fallen flower has disappeared into the moss.
- 03/04/23: Swirly Kingdom's plant is dying more and more, it's like it's going through a single-person autumn. It's starting to affect its flower too :( There's a plant of the same species next to it that is doing good... for now
- 10/04/23: The Terrarium has inhabitants... or invaders?? I've spotted two bugs inside the bottle. Two tiny flies. It hasn't been opened since I purchased it. Also, the decay is now affecting Twisty Kingdom's plant too. What will it be of the terrarium...?
- 12/04/23: Moss Guy to the rescue! That's how I call the terrarium's original provider. I managed to contact him, and told me it's not a big deal - since the plants were foraged from nature, it is possible they came with bug eggs and hatched. I am given the choice to either let them go (by opening the bottle) or letting them there (apparently they shouldn't be a big threat the plants).
- 22/04/23: No more tiny flies, now there's tiny caterpillars. I've seen two of them, one hanging from a thread. I gave that one a very bad whirl when picking the bottle up (I'm sorry). Also some sort of worm creature is eating whatever's left of the plants. Moss still intact.
- 22/04/23: The terrarium has transformed from a plant observation miniature world to an animal observation miniature world. This time I even got to see a tiny spider. I'm treating this terrarium as a game where you make choices and then see what happens next. This is what happens when you never open your bottle at all.
- 01/05/23: The kingdom is going through a plague. The tiny flies are back, and there's a lot of them. Everytime I look at the terrarium, there's more. I feel despaired, and ashamed of letting the terrarium get to this state. Maybe I should release the tiny flies outside. At the very least, the moss is still alive.