Ghostmouse-
She noted was quite handsome, at least until he sneered at her,
saying with an unpleasant laugh in his voice, Well, well, what's 
this now? Then he reached his hand down to help her up, for a
moment she hesitated, putting her hands behind her back. 
He stood up laughing, Stay there, then, in time maybe you'll 
become another one of those talking daisies.  He extended his 
hand again, Last offer, coming up? This time she extended her
hand to him and he pulled her roughly up over the ledge. 

The two of them stood there for a moment taking stock of the other
without speaking

Andrew J Thomas -
and for the first time since Sharon started this trip, she was acutely
aware that she had gone outside of her house wearing only her
pajamas. She looked awful. Her eyes were all puffy from crying 
earlier, and she had collected a fair amount of cuts, scrapes, and dirt
in her climb up the magical plant.

Sharon was tired of all of this. She didn't like being bullied around 
by the old man, the flowers, or this fellow, whoever he was. 
She decided she didn't care how she looked, and stood up straight 
defiantly inspecting the strange fellow.

Her original estimation of his age seemed wrong.  He certainly had
the build of a twenty-year-old man, but his face was very boyish. 
And, she couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw two pointy tips
from his ears poking through the thick black mane of hair. He seemed
to be examining her as closely as she was looking at him.

Come up here to solve the riddle?, he said with questioning 
dismissal. Why do you want to know? Are you going to ask me the 
riddle? Where do I need to go? Where am I? And how the heck do I get
back down as fast as I got up here? Sharon asked in a frenzy of 
impatience. She had so many questions, and she wanted some 
answers.

Hey, slow down girl! I can see the old man really got to you. 
Don't worry. If you don't want to end up old like him, you can always 
just stay up here with us. The magic plant will, shall we say, recede
upward about 48 hours after you planted it.

But I don't want to stay here! I want to go back home! I want to see 
my friend, Sam! This is so unfair!" Sharon burst out, almost on the 
verge of tears again.