Genre: Science Fiction
Plot: Growing a baby in the garden
Words to use: seed, egg, fertilization, honey, pollination, soil, roots, splice, selection, harvest, plant, future, science, experiment, evolution
By the time the seed of each infant took root in the rich soil instead of flesh, childbirth had already been declared unnecessary. A new science had been born. It was a giant leap in human evolution — according to scientists. It began with a knife’s splice into the genome and combining the egg with the strength of nature. It ended as the last leaf landed on the cracked ground.
A selection of vials, some bubbling with divine effervescence, some bright and colorful but static, sat in front of Dr. Mercer. She had been the leading scientist in developmental biology at the time. She spent many hours in front of her microscope, one exasperating experiment after another, looking at petri dishes and hoping. She sighed deeply as she sat backward into her tall sterile chair. She swung from side to side, the bright metal catching the warm lighting above her.
“I can’t get the mix of pollination and fertilization correct,” she said as she turned to the white lab coat behind her.
Dr. Rao crossed his arms tightly and leaned against the table next to her. “Don’t worry too much, it’s only our future we are trying to save.”
Dr. Mercer gave him a sideways glance of irritation, “Sarcasm doesn’t help, Lue.”
“You need to remind yourself what we are doing and why,” he replied, gazing down on her. He rubbed her shoulder and went to own station on the other side of the lab, a mix of science and nature that intertwined themselves together.
Hours had turned into days, days into weeks, weeks into months when she finally cracked the code, “I just needed to add honey as a stabilizer, just like a bee.” She smiled broadly. The entire team celebrated, drinking to their success out of glass beakers air dried on grated mats.
“Do we have a nice selection,” Dr. Franklin asked, another geneticist who stood nearby. He had to take his own peek through the microscope.
“Don’t disturb the little darlings.” Her tone was harsh and it made him jump backward slightly, recoiling as he walked toward the other side of the table.
“When will we be able to harvest the babies?” Dr. Rau interjected. His face grew flushed and he began to pant slightly, the excitement overwhelming him.
“Whoa, one step at a time, doctor. We have the next step and that’s seeing if the roots grow deep and strong, and turning into the plant I have engineered.”
Plants developed soon, planted in the nutrient rich soil and thrived under their care. The went through the beds with their clip boards and monitored every small development. Soon, tiny life formed; sleepy eyes on pudgy faces and dimpled bodies curled beneath their curled fists beneath their chins appeared within the leaf folds that cradled the soft infant. They would giggle and squirm as they slept and grew until it was time. The first cry came from a plant within a back row, then another, until a nursery of babies grown in the garden were gathered and swaddled, waiting for their new parents to welcome them into their open arms.
That’s how it started…
It was meant to be beautiful, and necessary for survival. But, the result wasn’t what they expected. Soon, the soil beneath the swaddled babies began to shift, taking breaths, swallowing the sunlight, gurgling and cooing. Only slight at first, but gradually increased; babies fell from their leafy home, struggling with premature birth. With concern, the scientists placed them in tiny capsules, one after another till nothing would take root.
All the scientists flicked glances at Dr. Mercer who scratched her head. She sat at her spot at the table and flipped through her notebook, reading through all the test results. “Honestly, I just — don’t understand what’s happening. Maybe the effect of the genetic melding has been shifted to the roots and has affected the soil.” Her tone became high and worried, questioning herself. The windows surrounding them creaked and whined, like a pressure valve that would soon burst, sending shards everywhere. It made all the scientists look up and around, worried expressions spread across their faces.
The end came with a long finger made of the soil itself poking from the soil…
Copyright © Rachel D. Knepp, rdkpub.com