Plants have so much potential for magic and manipulation. How can one not be inspired by blooming flowers, creeping vines, dark forests, and the miracle of “food literally growing out of the ground,” as Tumblr user pointnclick says? While there may not exist any sorcerers in the real world, there are quite a lot of people with green thumbs who only need a bit of water and soil to make magic happen. Here are some stories exploring the possibilities that can come about through a love of plants, gardens, and gardening…
“Garden of the Gods” by Anna Madden
Our narrator, a sphinx, is stuck, bound to the garden where she receives questing mortals in search of boons—fools she kills and notes in her ledger when they fail to answer her riddles correctly. Tired of her duties, she dreads the arrival of those whose names will be added next. When “a man of no distinction” shows up, she prepares herself, but he presents her with questions of his own, questions that make her reconsider her purpose and her bondage to the garden. A gentle, beautiful story.
“The Gangs of Gnome Jersey” by A.E. Decker
Chris, the “the world’s only hitman of the supernatural,” comes home one day to find his lovely garden’s facade ruined by the presence of a gnome—the kitschy kind you can find for cheap at a supermarket. He dismisses it as a prank by a neighbour, chuckling that “Petey” can stay. The next morning, Chris finds Petey accompanied by a friend. That’s one garden gnome too many for his liking—that is, until even more show up. Chris has had enough of fun and games; who wants to mess with him by spending all this time, money, and effort for a simple prank? They’re ruining his garden! Fortunately for him, the gnomes have the answer to Chris’ question—and an offer.
“Green Thumb” by Jill Baguchinsky
Olivia and Emily are trying to survive the twelfth pandemic of the century. This latest one passed from humans to plants, transforming each species into sharper, stronger, deadlier versions. Almost everything and everyone is gone now. Fortunately, the oranges from a grove near Liv and Em’s place are still edible, although harvesting them requires planning a run in advance and involves much risk.
On one of these runs, Em, the one with the green thumb, brings home a secret—a little succulent she found responding to her with joy rather than with venom. She knows Liv wouldn’t like it, but Liv wasn’t the one who had a vegetable garden and a collection of pet plants before the pandemic hit. Em knows plants better—and she’s confident she’s found something that will turn out, for once, to not kill anyone. If only she can keep the secret from Liv long enough to find out.
“Growing Resistance” by Juliet Kemp
Sometimes, magic comes not from the plants but from the person who tends to them, no matter how bleak the circumstances. Oak has been growing a little garden outside the wall surrounding the city—the wall was originally constructed to keep the plague out but is now shutting out those who weren’t lucky enough to get the vaccine, those who couldn’t afford to buy themselves safety, and might cause trouble. This little garden, the food and the medicines that Oak makes provide support to the resistance movement in the undercity, where a group is planning to draw the attention of the people inside to the plight of those outside. Oak operates behind the scenes, still haunted by past trauma, and by constant guilt and shame, thinking that there’s more he could do than simply working with plants and medicines. When an opportunity shows up, will he take it?
“Blood, Bone, and Water” by Ash Huang
Huang’s wonderful little story starts off like a fairy tale, with knights conspiring together to defeat a large rose bush that covers a castle said to be filled with riches—but then takes the reader through time to a new place and perspective. Huang experiments with chronology, causing the reader to reconsider how we perceive and think about the natural world around us.
