Neville's Story

On August 19, 2006, the sun was just coming up in Columbia, SC when the family stopped on the way to Tigertown at Lowe’s to buy some moving necessities. On the way out of the store Neville was adopted. An unnamed plant was also adopted and they left Columbia on their journey to college. Neville and his unnamed sister were placed in the back in between all of their Mom’s boxes and a chair. Neville was named after Neville Longbottom in Harry Potter because Longbottom loved Herbology, the study of plants.

When they arrived in Tigertown and began to unload Mom’s life out of the back of her mom’s van, the plants were placed on top of some boxes right outside the new dorm room and watched all day as everything was put away. At last all the clothes were in the closet, the bed was made, and the books on the shelves. The plants were brought in and hung, one on each side under the bed that had been lofted five feet in the air.

There Neville and his sister hung up there for several weeks, watching new friends come and go. They saw the late night studying and heard the sounds of people talking loudly in the bathroom across the hall at all hours. After about three months, Neville’s sister became very sickly of unknown causes and shortly after was buried in the fifth story garbage shoot on the other end of the hall. But Neville thrived and grew up, anxious to see the action that was unfolding before him.

The rest of the semester Neville surveyed out the window the crowd that appeared on Saturdays for football games. The people in orange must show up sometime in the night because when he went to sleep they weren’t there and in the morning the whole campus was booming with tailgating. The dorm room had a wonderful view. Neville could see the top of Tillman Clock tower, the top of Death Valley, the edge of Lake Hartwell and the mountains in the distance.

Here, Mere, Kiki and Prissy are tailgatin'... getting ready for the FSU game last fall.

He also saw the first failed test and the first A. Neville meet Kiki, Peach, Hunner, Dustbunny, Prissy, Lucky Lime and Pony Girl. Neville saw his mom’s 19th birthday and he saw the computer crash. The first semester exams went by and second semester came.

Neville had the dorm room to himself with his mom after the other girl who lived there left. Spring semester brought better grades and more new friends. February also brought snow. It was the first time he had seen snow and it was beautiful covering the campus outside the window. Neville was excited that there was no class that day. He watched the people outside slide down the dam and build snowmen.

This is Bowman field... it sits at the front of the school, just before you get to downtown(which is to the left in this picture). This was about 6:30am the day it snowed.

As spring went along, Neville saw less and less of the girls in the dormitory. They were drawn outside by the baseball games, the nice weather to lay out in and the spring break take his mother to New York City.

Here are Henceforth and Mere in Times Square... it was very cold for a spring break! It even snowed while they were there.

Then one afternoon, Neville watched as the first eight months of his life was packed up in boxes and taken back to Flowertown for the summer. Neville was happy to be home and sat in the big window all summer. But pretty soon it was time for another move. It was August again and Neville was moving in with his mom, Kiki, Prissy and Peach into a town house.

Neville took his place on top of the fridge in the new home where he could take everything in and scrutinize the cooking of the girls that lived there. Cooking was the only thing that went on in that kitchen. He met Miss Moon and D. Neville watched as people came over for dinner and saw mom’s 20th birthday come and go with a party. He saw the frying pan catch on fire. He saw the girls dance in the kitchen and laugh the fall semester away. He missed the dorm's fifth story window where he could see the school, but was very happy to be in a quieter place.

This is Prissy, Mere, and Kiki at their townhouse. It's football season... notice the record on the fridge.

Neville went home for Christmas with his mom and there had surgery that was very successful in producing another plant, Luna, for Henceforth from a long appendage. Neville wanted to go back to school though and pretty soon took his place back on top of the refrigerator. Poor Neville lost a few limbs after being shut in the freezer and having to have more surgery to remove the frostbitten appendages.

Neville enjoyed watching the people come and go, wishing them luck with their classes and missing them on weekends when they left to go out of town. In March, Neville was very excited to hear that his mother was accepted into nursing school and celebrated with everyone. But once again the weather got warmer and the girls were drawn out of the house with baseball and to the pool across the street.

This is Peach, Prissy, Mere, Kiki and a friend on Kiki's birthday in April. Neville is watching the girls taking lots of pictures like they always do.

Now Neville is in Flowertown again for the summer. Sitting in the big window and waiting for fall to come. Neville is waiting to see what will happen this year.