Welcome to my house.
A greenhouse of snakes.
Overgrown greenery.
A bat cave.
And don’t forget.
My man-eating plants.
The Florida sun shines in.
Giving life to my friends.
And death to all who enter.
THE DEAD GAME
At the back of the room, Shana spotted row after row of cages.“What’s in those cages?”
“Come and look,” said Wolf.
He walked over to Linda,
who was cowering in the corner. He bowed to her and gave her a very
charming smile. He slipped her arm through his own, to escort her
through the overhanging trees and thick greenery. Shana overheard him
whispering to Linda, “I’m taking you to my own special
place.” Wolf could be very charming and appealing when he wanted to be.
And Linda was falling for his ploy; she was following him—as if in a
trance.
Wolf leered over his shoulder at Todd, gloating over his ability to lure Linda to his side. Shana noticed that Todd was brimming with anger, but was fighting to hold it in check.
Wolf, still holding Linda’s
arm, led them through the tangled trees and shrubbery. The trees seemed
to be leaning closer and closer toward them. Shana hurried to follow
the others.
The back wall was filled
with cages holding large snakes. The snakes coiled and slithered around
each other, their tongues slipping in and out while emitting hissing
sounds. Shiny heads were slipping through the openings of their
cages, attempting to reach the unwelcome intruders. Linda shrieked and
backed away in fear. Todd pulled her away from Wolf and told him that
they were leaving at once.
They all turned to leave except for Shana—who stood as still
as a statue—mesmerized by a huge plant that was bending closer and
closer to her. She felt like it was trying to tell her something.
“I would stay away from that plant; it’s a Carnivorous Pitching Plant that will eat anything or anyone within its reach,” said Wolf. He was enjoying her discomfort too much.
Shana backed away…but at the same time couldn’t keep her
eyes off the intriguing plant. It was tall with a long, white tube and
red spots. It stood watching her. Its large, oval shaped, red-rimmed
opening was aimed at her—ready for its next meal.
Wolf continued with his
tribute to the man-eating plant. “I have a whole collection of pitching
plants that I have imported from South Korea. They keep me safe from
intruders. I just have to teach them how to move and attack.”
Shana didn’t know if he was
being serious or not. But she believed that he was sick enough to
develop his own army of attacking plants.
When she’d jumped back from
the plant, she had noticed him smirking at her fear. She hated the man
and his know-it-all attitude. She prayed for the day when his plant army
learned to hate him and attacked him. Out loud she said, “Let’s visit
another room in this fascinating house.” Todd, who was
eager to leave the house, shot her an annoyed look. But she just
shrugged and turned to follow Wolf to the next room. Todd and Linda had
no choice but to tag along behind her.
Wolf said, “I have another surprise waiting for all of you.”
I can just imagine.
