Competition Twenty-Three Shortlisted: An Occasional Destruction of Roses by Denarii Peters
It was the very last specimen of the red weed. The rest were gone, dead, pulled up or trampled into the ground. But this single clump had survived, crimson fronds trailing over pale rocks beside the slow moving forest stream. The children who found it picked the scarlet flowers, went home with rashes on their arms, developed fevers, died in the night.
Yet, despite this, arguments raged over what to do with a plant so rare. Inevitably the loudest, most powerful voices held sway, regardless of their knowledge or lack of it: science defeated as always by the deafening sound of commerce.
The plant was to be reserved, preserved, conserved; its fate deliberated, investigated, protected. Could it be commercialised, hybridised, capitalised: more golden eggs in the well feathered nests?
Genes were spliced then combined with those of a wild grass: prolific, fast growing, able to withstand difficult conditions and, unlike the last of the weed, found everywhere. Though, very like the weed, considered a problem when it was discovered in the average garden.
They grew a patch of it in secure conditions, inside a special dome. No risk of spread, no chance of external contamination.
But accidents happened. Air tight seals corroded. Flies got everywhere. The wild grass of a pale pink colour did not respect boundaries; its pollen drifted through and under any gauze or netting. Once the field was infected it made no difference whether the gate was shut or not.
The entrepreneurs prepared to make their next fortune: a spray to kill the weeds… Maybe. They concealed the side effects. What did it matter if there was an occasional destruction of roses. Effective or not, infected or not, you had better use it or your government will want to know why.
Denarii Peters was born in the north-west of England but now lives in Lincolnshire. A former primary school teacher, she spends her days writing stories and drinking a lot of coffee. In the last two years she has achieved longlist or better in more than 60 competitions. As a result over 20 of her pieces have been published in various anthologies. A collection of her work, Will You Walk Into My Parlour, is scheduled for publication by Crystal Clear Books in early October and her debut novel, The Reluctant Reaper, is to be published in April 2025.
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