The Case of the Garbage Gala

I can’t understand why you’d want to stay in this stuffy office when a real, live gala is happening just past that door,” Uncle Lenny said.

Andy and Eva smiled politely. This was the fifteenth time their uncle had said “gala” since they had arrived at the botanical gardens where he worked as a botanist, taking care of plants. Uncle Lenny had never thrown a party before, let alone a fancy gala with people wearing tuxedos and gowns, and he could barely contain his excitement.

During the drive to the garden, Dad told the kids that his shy brother had stepped out of his comfort zone to throw this gala, so they shouldn’t laugh if their uncle’s bowtie looked like an airplane propeller or something.

“You know we love the Venus flytraps in your office,” Eva said, trying not to stare at Uncle Lenny’s crooked bowtie. “It’s fun to watch them eat flies.”

Uncle Lenny waved her off. “You can see the flytraps any time. Gus is blooming tonight! The next time that happens, you’ll probably have your driver’s license.”

Andy and Eva didn’t know much about Gus, but they understood that this plant was special enough that their family had to take a last-minute trip so Mom could photograph the bloom. The kids had also seen enough flowers to understand that no bloom could possibly be worth dressing up in fancy clothes and smiling at adults they didn’t even know.

“We’ll see it after everyone goes home,” Andy said.

“Suit yourself. I have a gala to get back to.” Uncle Lenny adjusted his bowtie, which somehow made it even more crooked, then dramatically threw open the door to make a gala-worthy entrance to the event.

After Uncle Lenny left, Andy pointed to an aquarium filled with flies on his uncle’s desk. “Let’s feed the Venus flytraps.”

Eva shook her head and wrinkled her nose. “Do you smell that?”

“Yeah. They’re flowers. We’re surrounded by them.”

“No!” Eva got closer and lowered her voice. “Garbage. Like a lot of garbage. Like a whole garbage truck full of garbage. I got a whiff when Uncle Lenny opened the door.”

Andy grinned. “Maybe you smelled yourself.”

Eva grabbed her brother’s collar and shoved his head out the door. “Smell that?”

Andy sniffed. “I’d say it’s more dirty diaper than garbage.”

“That’s a problem.”

“Why? Babies aren’t allowed at galas?”

“Gross smells aren’t allowed at galas!”

“We have to tell Uncle Lenny, right?”

“No!” Eva hissed. “Dad said not to make him feel bad.”

“Then we should at least tell Dad.” Andy cracked open the door and spotted Dad trying to look interested in a conversation. When Andy made eye contact with Dad, he pinched his nose and mouthed “pee-yew.”

Dad mouthed, “I know,” then continued his conversation like nothing was wrong.

“Dad’s too polite to do anything,” Andy said. “I think it’s up to us to get rid of the smell and save the gala.”

“How?” Eva asked. “We’re not allowed out there without fancy clothes.”

“We’ll crawl through the vents like spies,” Andy said confidently.

“That only works in movies!”

“OK, fine. I’ll get on your shoulders, we’ll put on a long coat, and everyone will think we’re an adult.”

“That doesn’t even work in movies.” Eva sighed and peeked out the door. “We might be able to sneak around the room by hiding behind plants.”

Andy and Eva slipped out of the office and ran behind the cactus collection. Eva took three deep breaths, then lunged toward a trash can. She jumped so fast that she pricked herself and almost fell into the can. No smell.

Andy scurried to a Japanese maple tree near the appetizers, waited for a fancy lady to pass, then ducked under the table. He poked his head up and down like a gopher to smell each food item. Nothing. Just to be sure, he swiped a bacon-wrapped shrimp.

The siblings reunited behind a monstrous eight-foot flower they’d never seen before. Andy gagged and covered his nose. The smell was terrible over here.

Eva peeked around the flower, then gasped when she saw Mom’s camera pointed directly at her. She spun back around. “Run!”

Andy and Eva tripped three times sprinting back to the office. “What now?” Andy asked, out of breath.

Eva lit up and pointed to the fly tank. “Flies love trash, right? If we let one out, it’ll lead us to the stink!”

“A tiny spy!” Andy tried opening the lid just enough for one fly to escape.

“It’s stuck,” he said. Eva helped him pull harder.

CRACK!

The lid flew off the tank, and the flies swarmed out. Eva sprinted to the door, but it was too late. The cloud of flies had already streamed into the gala.

“Ahhh!” someone screamed.

CRASH! Someone else dropped a plate in surprise. There was a gasp from the crowd, then stunned silence. Finally, the strangest sound of all: applause.

Art by David Leonard

Andy and Eva stepped out of the office to see all the adults giving a standing ovation to the eight-foot flower, now swarming with flies. And the person clapping loudest? Uncle Lenny.

“Uncle Lenny! We’re so sorry!” Eva cried.

“Sorry? This is the best moment of the whole gala!”

“But the smell and the flies—”

“That’s all Gus!” Uncle Lenny pointed to the monster flower. “Gus is a rare corpse flower. Corpse flowers might only bloom once a decade, but when they do, they stink like rotting flesh.”

“Wait,” Andy said. “The flower’s making that smell? Why?”

“To attract flies for pollination. While other flowers tempt bees and hummingbirds with bright petals and tasty nectar, corpse flowers target flies and beetles with their favorite smell. It’s a magnificent design by our Creator!”

“Lenny! Look at these photos of the swarm!” Mom said, rushing over with her camera.

Uncle Lenny grinned from ear to ear while clicking through the pictures. “This reminds me why I love corpse flowers so much. When humans brought sin and death into God’s perfect creation, God wasn’t taken by surprise. Instead, he found ways to use death to introduce moments of beauty—like in Gus’ smelly design. I was going to wait until everyone had left tonight to release the flies and study their pollination, but God used Andy and Eva’s accident to bring everyone a beautiful moment tonight.”

“Wait, whose accident?” Mom asked sternly.

Andy looked for a vent to dive into, while Eva shuffled backward, getting ready to run.

“Don’t forget, Mom,” she grinned. “It was a beautiful moment!”

What’s the Point?

We can’t be certain how plants like Venus fly traps and corpse flowers behaved between the beginning of creation and when sin and death entered the world. Insects are important pollinators, and God gave plants an amazing variety of ways to attract them. But animals didn’t die before the fall, so flies would have been attracted in other ways rather than by the scent of death. The smell of the corpse flower helps remind us that God is never surprised. He shows us that he can redeem even the smell of death with a lovely—but stinky—flower. Death itself was defeated by Jesus’ death on the cross, and Jesus provides redemption from sin and death for everyone who repents and believes in him.