
Flowering Evil
Aunt Amy Dinsmore is a devoted collector of exotic flora, and when a charismatic space freighter’s third‑mate sends her a curious Venusian “Rambler,” she sees a chance at another blue‑ribbon win at the local flower show. The plant’s strange, leathery leaves and metallic‑blue blossoms are as beautiful as they are baffling, prompting the grizzled Captain Bjornson to warn her that it may be more than a simple curiosity. Their banter reveals a history of hazardous alien specimens that have left Amy scarred, setting a tense backdrop for the newest arrival.
Inside Amy’s high‑tech hothouse, the Rambler thrives under infrared lamps while the captain’s cautionary tales loom over every petal. Listeners are drawn into a world where interplanetary trade brings wonder—and danger—into suburban gardens, and where a seemingly harmless bundle could upset the fragile balance between curiosity and safety. The story unfolds with humor, nostalgia, and a hint of impending mystery, inviting you to wonder what will happen when beauty and peril intertwine.
Language
en
Duration
~17 minutes (17K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
Mar 7, 2021
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1911–1995
A pioneering American writer of fantasy and science fiction, Margaret St. Clair created sharp, imaginative stories that questioned progress, power, and the limits of human understanding. She also wrote elegant fantasy under the memorable pseudonym Idris Seabright.
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