He planted one at the corner of the garden. He liked squash and he figured it would give him plenty to eat.<\/p>\n
Here is what\u00a0happened. He wrote it down in his diary. It shocked the whole neighborhood.<\/p>\n
…<\/p>\n
The garden is growing fine. The tomatoes and kale are flourishing. The marigolds are shining like golden star-bursts. The squash is\u00a0growing normally and that’s good. It has green leaves the size of my palm. I’m amused to see that\u00a0it has climbed up the Japanese maple. I wonder how far up it can\u00a0go.<\/p>\n
This is the third week since I planted. The squash plant’s leaves cover\u00a0the entire garden. My cucumbers and tomatoes are\u00a0stunted from lack of light. The plant is climbing to the top of a hundred foot tall\u00a0maple tree. White squash flowers are\u00a0everywhere and I wonder when it is going to\u00a0produce a squash that I can harvest.<\/p>\n
Week four has begun. I am wandering around under the plant. I\u00a0bump my head on\u00a0a slender green squash over four feet long. It is hanging down like a giant pendulum. I peer through the dense foliage of the plant and see\u00a0more squash hanging, some of them over five feet long.<\/p>\n
It is week five and the plant\u00a0has taken over my\u00a0garden. Now it is\u00a0after the trees. There is\u00a0no stopping it. I go\u00a0into the house. I get some shears and start to slash the plant until the garden is uncovered. The rest of the plant is hanging intact on the maple trees. I don’t think it will survive after the damage I have done to\u00a0it.<\/p>\n
Again, I am\u00a0mistaken. The plant is\u00a0back and stronger than ever. It is growing\u00a0over the roof of the\u00a0house. I see\u00a0giant cylinders of\u00a0squash hanging in front of the windows. This morning I used a machete\u00a0to hack a path to the street. I don’t know if the house is strong enough to bear the weight of the massive plant and its fruits.<\/p>\n
I stay inside. I found out that the leaves are\u00a0edible. That is\u00a0a help since I can’t\u00a0get out of the house anymore to go to the grocery store. It is dark inside even during the daytime. The leaves form an impenetrable blanket over the house.<\/p>\n
I didn’t sleep last night. Today\u00a0something disturbing happened. One of the leaves is in\u00a0the house. It squeezed through a crack between the edge of the screen and the window frame. I am going to cut it off but I know there is\u00a0no way to stop it. It knows\u00a0that I am\u00a0inside.<\/p>\n
I decide to retreat\u00a0to the bedroom. I am keeping all of the windows shut. I stuffed a blanket under the door. The plant\u00a0severed the electrical and phone lines. \u00a0I have\u00a0ten percent left on my cell phone battery but no way to charge it.<\/p>\n
The door is bulging inwards.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
He planted one at the corner of the garden. He liked squash and he figured it would give him plenty to eat. Here is what\u00a0happened. He wrote it down in his diary. It shocked the whole neighborhood. … The garden is growing fine. The tomatoes and kale are flourishing. The marigolds are shining like golden … Continue reading The Sicilian serpent<\/span>