Friday, June 8, 2012
Seeds
Explosions wake me. I rollover, convincing myself it's thunder.
Louisa pinches hard. "Your job."
I stumble down the stairs, taking it personally, hating the bitterness between us since Janice's birth, but this silliness of checking downstairs is pointless. We no longer live in Amsterdam's De Wallen. The suburbs are safe.
A click pings against teak flooring. Something skitters. A bug? It flies through my hand. Pain blossoms. It's torn my plam, exposing bone.
The flesh throbs with a sunflower seed wedged within. It pops, roots uncurling.
I grab a meat tenderizer and hammer until it pops.
Seeds ping the window.
I'm traveling in Sweden this week. I'll blame jetlag for the reason I don't have a fresh flash written. Instead, I'm recycling a drabble I posted to Lily Childs' Friday Prediction. This was the winning entry that week and was a reprise of my The Flower Apocalypse's Seeds, set in the same world but with different characters. Lily Childs has retired from her Friday Prediction, but it has been continued at Phil Ambler's place, check it out.
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Whoa! Aidan, I'm bewildered, but something about this has really hooked into my mind. I want to know why the seed sprouts right away, why its received with such violence... What is the story behind this story!?
ReplyDeleteNot sure what is going on. Is there a man eating plant?
ReplyDeleteI feel a little bit horrified at my vision of the guy smashing his own hand to a pulp with a meat tenderiser.
ReplyDeleteBut at least he killed the seed. :)
I remember the original story, and I like this spinoff. It shows you sometimes the suburbs aren't as safe as people make them out to be! I like the mix of everyday life and the sudden plunge into disaster.
ReplyDeleteI'm horrified but at the same time am liking the idea of vicious plants attacking the usually safe suburbs! A possible something as The Day of the Triffids perhaps?
ReplyDeleteI don't know why but I had Day of the Triffids in my mind as I read this - your piece although short was chilling and visual.
ReplyDeleteThis is so strangely engaging - I love it.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy Sweden!
Whoa, trippy and engaging, really got under my skin for its short staying period. Thanks for sharing before your trip, Aidan. I can see Helen's Triffids interpretation.
ReplyDeleteI cringed at the ending and looked down at my hand. Well done :)
ReplyDeleteOUCH! Sunflower seeds that bite back!
ReplyDeleteThis could be a good bit longer, I think — it would explain more of what's going on. I figured it was an issue with the baby, given the "bitterness" part.
I love toxic plants and there are plenty who disperse their seeds by 'exploding seed pods' and to me, that's actually quite terrifying! So you captured that kind of panic perfectly.
ReplyDeleteOooh. This could definitely be longer. I need to know more about the sunflower apocalypse!
ReplyDelete