We follow Ivy lugging the large hunk of meat. We pass the pond and hang a right through the winter garden. The area is enclosed by a large door with a large sign reading warning staff only area.
Ivy pulls a key out of a secret pocket in her Ivy bodice and tells us to wait.
She enters the expansive room. Goliath stands in the backdrop facing the large window. His huge saucer face turns towards us. Ivy whispers things in Latin and his leaves start to rustle. He's like a puppy now wagging his tail in excitement. Ivy sets the meat down at her feet and moves her arm to the right. Goliath sways mirroring her movement. She repeats with the other arm . Like a runway guide she places both hands forward then motions the move forward signal.
Harley and I gasp as the huge plant slowly slithers towards her in awkward jerks. Ivy motions to sit and Goliath obediently folds his appendages in and bends down into a seating position with his saucer mouth agape.
Ivy waits for the plant to remain still then grabs a hunk of meat. She approaches Goliath and looks down. Like a baby bird his mouth now clicks open and shut begging to be fed. She places her gloved hand near his mouth lined with tiny razor shaped teeth. She whispers eat and Goliath gobbles the piece of flesh. A large tendril tongue resembling octopus's tentacles licks its lips and pants like a dog.
We can't barely stand at the sight of this amazing creature. Harley whispers "he's like a puppy." I whisper back "yes but a Mastiff puppy is hard to control." I wonder if perhaps the other experiments Harley ran on Goliath included animals as well as crustaceans, nematodes, I wondered of jelly fish and deadly man-o-wars after seeing the octopus suctioned tongue. This plant had a definite mixing of many DNA strands and now he had Ivy's blood also. This thing was too powerful. I remembered my readings from the library on Faust and Frankenstein. I didn't feel well about this pet. I feared it. My cat senses tingled.
Ivy continues to feed the panting puppy plant and slowly motioning for us to approach. The plant seems content with its saucer mouth shut appearing to smile. I make out tiny chameleon binocular eyes moving one at me the other at Harley. Ivy explaines to the plant that we will be moving him and not to worry. The plant slowly nods.
Ivy places the bag over his head as we hurry to bag his lower region. His tendril feet contain scales on the bottom like a snake. One gently touches my cheek. I hissed. This thing makes me nervous. It just isn't natural. We grunt and manage to get Goliath in the car with his bagged head sticking out the sunroof.
Ivy goes back and grabs a few items and two smaller plants that look like African violets.
I turn and look back at the greenhouse and all the plants appear to be swaying a goodbye in the glass windows.