Dr. Prethorius dragged the shovel along the path, whistling a happy tune.
“Life,” he said, stopping in front of Max. “It’s so filled with unexpected twists and turns. One minute you’re happily planted in the ground, and the next minute you’re tossed aside, ready to make way for Specimen 314.”
No! This couldn’t happen! There were dozens of other plants that were much less advanced than him! He wasn’t
“Of course, that won’t happen to you,” said Dr. Prethorius. “The discarding, I mean. I’ve invented a new acid test, and you’ll be perfect for it!” He giggled. “Acid on the leaves, acid on the leaves, watch them sizzle, watch them fizzle!”
He pressed the shovel into the dirt, then stomped on it. As he scooped out the first shovelful of soil, Max frantically opened and closed his leaves.
“Trying to bite my face off, huh? Naughty, naughty. What am I to do with such a misbehaving plant? Oh, I know. Acid on the leaves, acid on the leaves, watch them disintegrate, watch them …”
He spun around. Jenny sprang back up to her normal position.
“Trying to eat your master, are you? We can’t have that. Oh, no, we can’t have that at all. I realize that I bred you specifically to hunger for human flesh, but you’re not supposed to crave
He pulled the shovel back, preparing for a powerful swing, and then bashed it into Jenny. She bent backward, bounced back up, and then took a second hit with the shovel.
This time she stayed down.
“It’s sad times for the world of science when one’s own creations try to attack him,” Dr. Prethorius muttered. “Sad times indeed. I had such high hopes for Specimen 313. Oh well. Plenty of acid to go around.”
He returned his attention to Max and began to dig out more shovelfuls of soil. His eyes were wild and he flung each scoop of dirt as far as he could, hitting several of the other specimens.
Max had never been so terrified. He opened and closed his leaves, figuring that at this point it didn’t really matter if Dr. Prethorius got mad at him, but the doctor kept himself well out of harm’s way.
Behind him, Jenny lay on the ground, unmoving.
“They all laughed at me, you know,” said the doctor. “When I grew the world’s largest pumpkin, oh, they were filled with praise, but when I carved it into the world’s largest jack-o’-lantern, they called me mad! I ask you, would a madman create a cherry tree with fruits that ooze deadly poison? Would a madman develop blades of grass sharp enough to slice off your fingers?” His digging became even more frantic.
Poor, poor Jenny. She shouldn’t have tried to save him.
Max tilted forward as the next scoop of dirt came from underneath his roots. And then he realized that Jenny was slowly rising up again.
Jenny straightened up completely but did not bend forward. Yet she continued to strain at something.
With the next scoop of dirt, Max tilted forward even farther, at about a forty-five-degree angle from the ground. He wondered how it felt to have acid burn through him.
All of Jenny’s leaves were pressed tightly against her stalk as she strained, strained, strained …
One of her roots popped out of the ground.
And then another.
Then a third.
Max’s amazement overshadowed his terror as Jenny pulled herself out of the ground and took an actual step forward.
With the next shovelful of dirt, Max fell forward and almost smacked against the ground.
“What should I use?” asked Dr. Prethorius. “A few drops of acid to make it last, or should I just pour the whole bottle right on — ” He let out a yelp and dropped his shovel as Jenny’s leaves clamped down upon his leg.
She straightened again. The doctor dangled upside-down from her trap, struggling desperately but unable to escape.
“Let me go!” he screamed. “I’m your master! Let me go! Please, please, please, let me go!”
She slammed the shrieking doctor against the ground, which did not shut him up, and then dragged him to the side. His arm slid underneath Max’s leaves. Max bit down.
Max did. Dr. Prethorius stopped screaming as they pulled him in two.
They ate without speaking for a while.
They continued to enjoy their meal. The doctor tasted better than the other humans he’d eaten. Perhaps insanity made meat more tender.
Maybe he didn’t have a lover, but Max had a friend, and he knew that he could be happy for a long, long time.
THE LAKE
by Tananarive Due
The new English instructor at Graceville Prep was chosen with the greatest care, highly recommended by the board of directors at Blake Academy in Boston, where she had an exemplary career for twelve years. There was no history of irregular behavior to presage the summer’s unthinkable events.
