SWNOVELS Chapter Life And Death
Kay queried, “Do UFO’s exist and do you think there’s a plant that glows and could cause neurological problems, and death, in humans?”
“Yes, UFO’s exist, obviously. There’s footage and video evidence of objects in the sky. We just don’t know what they are, how they move, or where they’ve come from.”
Alan seemed surprised that Kay would venture to ask such questions, but he answered them because she was one of a handful of people that enjoyed talking about such things.
“We can’t just flatly discount the existence of alien life. Just because we haven’t seen them, and have no conclusive proof of their location(s) due to our current NASA limitations, doesn’t mean they don’t exist somewhere. The mere idea of aliens visiting our planet has been circulating among ufologists since the 1930’s. After WWII, a Polish immigrant claimed to have met with a group of Nordic-looking extraterrestrials that were upset with our bomb testings and recent war. Let’s not forget the infamous Roswell, New Mexico incident in 1947. Supposedly the Soviet Union was under the impression that we would win the arms race with alien technology.”
Kay replied, with only a touch of incredulity, “Seriously? That seems a little far-fetched.” Kay paused and thought about the recent events that had happened and changed her mind. “I guess I can see how certain people may believe aliens could exist. I have to go now. Thank you for the enlightening conversation Ken.”
“I thought you wanted to know about lethal plants?” asked Alan, with a tilt of his head.
“Ah, yes.” said Kay, “I had almost forgotten.”
Alan took a sip from his mocha double latte with extra foam, set his cup on the table, and said,
“Poisonous plants can be found almost anywhere, but you want to know about plants that cause neurological problems and death. That narrows it down quite a bit. First we have Oleander. Every part of that plant is poisonous. Even the smoke from a burning Oleander is a threat. Supposedly some of Napoleon’s troops died after using Oleander sticks to roast their meat. Wolfsbane is also extremely dangerous. A few drops from the roots can cause heart paralysis and, obviously, death. Let me see.” Ken scrolls through a document on his phone for a few seconds. “Then we have the Castor Oil plant. One milligram of its oil can kill an adult human! Last, but not least, we have the Xiang Si Dou, or mutual love bean, that can kill you with just one little prick. Does any of that help, Kay?”
“Yes, actually. Do you think plants like those can cross pollinate and create hybrids?” Kay inquired.
Alan next spoke to her as if she were an elementary school student.
“Of course! If they don’t cross pollinate on their own then anyone can take the pollen from the male flower and insert it into the pistil of the female flower.”
“Thanks again, Alan. You have definitely helped me out a lot today. I’ll see you later.” Under her breath Kay mumbles, “Hopefully.”
“Wait!” Alan yells as she turns to leave. “I was going to tell you about the retired Army Sergeant that claims to have seen both living and dead aliens. He said they look like you and me. They walk among us and you’d never know!”
Kay heard what Alan said, but if she had turned around at that moment Alan would have thought she was experiencing a medical emergency. Her face had drained of color and was as white as fresh snow. Her heart was beating as if she’d just finished running a 5K and she had broken out in a cold sweat. Kay knew the Army Sergeant had told the truth and she knew that Ken was right. Aliens could exist. They DID exist…and they were here to cull the human race!
She was going to have to find the leader, or at least the leader she had spoken with at the Capitol building (surely there was more than one?) and make a few inquiries.
Kay decided to go to the Madison Public Library and do a bit of research on her own. The first thing she was going to look for was more detailed information on the plants that Alan had told her about. If she could find something, anything, that could disprove what Alan told her, maybe she would feel a little better about the whole situation. Maybe that would mean that, even though there were aliens, there was still an alternate explanation for the virus and the leaves.
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After eight hours in the Madison Public Library, during which time she did not eat or drink, but did have the librarian ask her numerous times if she was ‘ok’ and ‘did she need any help?’ Kay came to the unfortunate conclusion that Alan was right. Some of the plants he mentioned were worse than even he knew and if the visitors were using them to cull humanity, or cross pollinating them with their own poisonous plant species, then Kay knew the world was in trouble. She hoped to find out how much trouble when she next saw the leader. How to find him was the real question.