"You're killing that plant," he murmured.
"I know. I always do." She had to swallow, and that surprised her. Something in the way
he'd been looking at her just now. Something in the tone of his voice, the set of his body.
She could always be mistaken about a face, but not about a body. His was tensed, and so
was hers. "I keep buying them, and keep killing them."
"Too much sun." He hadn't meant to, but brushed the back of her hand with his
fingers. "And too much water. It's as easy to overlove as underlove."
"I hadn't thought of that."
Dance to the Piper
_________________
Don't despair, here's how to become a green thumb
House plants are a great way of making your living space
feel more alive. At least when you can manage to keep them alive. If you have a
penchant for killing anything green, don't worry. Just follow these tips and
you'll feel like a green thumb in no time.
_________________
“You’ve got a nice hand with flowers.” She flicked a finger over the
soap-wort, johnny-jump-ups and artesia sharing space artistically in a stone tub.
“It shows my sensitive side.”
“It shows you know what looks good and how to keep it that way.”
“Actually, I learned out of compassion and annoyance. My mother was always
planting something, then killing it. She’d go to the nursery, and the plants would
scream and tremble. Once, I swear, I heard this coreopsis shrieking, ‘No, no, not
me! Take the Shasta daisies.’ I couldn’t stand it,” he continued when she laughed. “I
started having nightmares where all the plants she killed came back to life, brown,
withered, broken, trailing dry dirt that crumbled from their roots as they formed an
army of revenge.”
“Zombie zinnias.”
“Exactly.” He beamed, delighted with her, fascinated by the way her face warmed
when she was amused and relaxed. “Vampire violas, monster marigolds and
gardenia ghouls. Let me tell you, it was pretty terrifying. In fact, I’m scaring myself
just thinking about it.”
“As a naturalist, I can certify you’re safe. As long as you keep them alive.”
River's End