Free the
Zucchini
By,
Jennifer E. Miller
Luigi
blinks. The zucchini seed he planted in the last corner of the garden has
taken over, sprawled out like an octopus lazily snoring on its favorite
undersea rock. Orange blossoms bask in the sunlight and oblong green vegetables
lay about. At
first, the budding squash look cute and innocent. But they easily grow a foot
overnight; multiplying and, more than likely, plan an invasion.
Most zucchini in front of Luigi now are of acceptable size for
harvest and culinary use; the ideal time to pick before they do any
serious damage.
The
deeper Luigi walks among the vines, the more tangled the stalks become. It’s like
trying to navigate through a wild rose briar. He casually stepped through this
garden jungle, severing the vegetables from their mothership and placing them
in a cardboard box, until he arrives at a giant. It's hidden under
the oversized leaves and partially buried in the dirt. It’s obviously stayed
off the radar because it’s nearly four feet long.
He
squats to slice it off the stem, but is pulled down and pinned in
the dirt. Surprised, he instinctively elbow jabs the unknown entity, freeing
himself. Standing up, he steps back only to have something wrap around his
ankle, bringing him to the ground again. He is smacked in the gut and soon a
wrestling match with a ferocious elongated green vegetable erupts in a street
fight type battle.
Flipping
onto his back, Luigi is met with a blow to his sternum. When he finally gets a
good look at his opponent, he is shocked to see it’s the large zucchini he
tried to pick. He pushes the squash off of him and manages to get upright
on his knees, spitting out dirt. Placing a leg up to push himself to his feet, he feels cool smooth skin wrap around his shoulders. The zucchini
tugs him backward, attempting to knock Luigi over and back to the ground, but he throws it off.
He turns around and faces the zucchini. What could this vegetable want? Its offspring back? He tosses one out of the box. The fighter pauses as though staring at its lost child. Luigi could’ve sworn he saw it breathing.
He turns around and faces the zucchini. What could this vegetable want? Its offspring back? He tosses one out of the box. The fighter pauses as though staring at its lost child. Luigi could’ve sworn he saw it breathing.
Slowly sliding
out, the giant zucchini gently taps the smaller zucchini toward the center of the
plant, as though protecting it. Next, it lunges at Luigi again. He steps back but tosses the rest from
the box. Perplexed, he watches the giant gather them into a pile in the center
of the plant. It arranges the vines and leaves so it and the offspring are
obstructed from view.
Panting,
Luigi walks back to his house and into the kitchen, tossing the empty box in a corner.
“I
thought you were bringing me zucchini so I can bake bread,” his wife says, when
she sees his empty box.
“They
weren’t quite ready,” he lies. The truth was too bizarre.
“Maybe
in a few days."
Luigi
nods.
He
spends the remainder of the day planning how to retrieve the zucchini and avoid
attack from the giant.
The
following morning he heads to the garden with an ax. He snoops around
the vine, searching for the giant but doesn’t spot it. He inches his way
into the briar of vines, scanning the area at the same time.
Out
of the corner of his eye, something moves. Luigi whips his head just in time to
see the giant slithering deeper into the center of the plant with the sound of
leaves gently crunching.
Gripping
the ax’s handle, he swings and whacks off a juicy vine, tossing it aside. A
faint squeal of disapproval is heard. Luigi cuts off another vine and another
until the heart of the plant is left. In the center was the giant zucchini
protecting the smaller ones. Luigi raised the ax as the clan of zucchini huddle
together closer.
“Are
they ready now?” his wife hollers from the house.
Looking
at the scattered vine pieces, Luigi turns his gaze back to the zucchini, helpless
and scared. He lowers his tool and yells back, “I think an animal got into the
garden last night. The plant is destroyed."
Climbing into bed that night, Luigi leaves the bedroom window cracked open to let in the cool night air, and falls asleep quickly.
Soon an large oblong green vegetable slips through the opening...
***
Climbing into bed that night, Luigi leaves the bedroom window cracked open to let in the cool night air, and falls asleep quickly.
Soon an large oblong green vegetable slips through the opening...
Copyright 2018 Jennifer E. Miller
