Copyright Sarah Potter
Menacing, previously undiscovered rooms in my childhood home…
Desperately thin cats I’ve forgotten to feed for years on end…
Resentful, cruelly-parched plants, crying out in their death throes, twisting in anguish…
Limbs that can’t move…
Wake up! I silently scream.
And I do.
The same old house, two bedrooms, bathroom, sitting-room and kitchen.
My cats purring lustily on the end of the bed.
And then silence… broken only by the rustle of leafy tendrils slithering across the dresser, over the eiderdown, embracing my neck, brushing my lips.
I’m unable to move.
Wake up!
“You have,” whispers the Hedera Helix
Sorry I’m not making it here on a regular basis right now. Apart from an extensive new garden that seems to be racing away from us at great speed, my muse is, for the moment, hiding somewhere amongst the undergrowth and thicket hedges. Must try harder. Thanks to Rochelle of Friday Fictioneers, a constant amongst so many transient aspects of these times.
castelsarrasin 
Dear Sandra
“Resentful, cruelly-parched plants, crying out in their death throes, twisting in anguish…?” I see you’ve met up with some of my houseplants. I’ve had these dreams…but, oh dear, your poor MC isn’t dreaming. I’m happy your muse showed up this week in such a wonderful way. Meanwhile, I can’t link my post either. I will keep trying on both our behalves.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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What’s annoying about the linky is that some people are able to link up whilst others can’t, and there doesn’t seem to be any logic to it. And I didn’t know you were a house-plant killer… 😉
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Some of my plants have survived. They’re the lucky ones. My anger is mounting with this link business as I still can’t link. I even waited five minutes for my link to complete. Never did. I even rebooted my computer.
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Aaargh…the Hedera Helix…. Nice one, Sandra
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Death by ivy… 🙂 Thanks for reading Sue.
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😀
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Lucid dreaming! Nicely done, Sandra, I loved the previously undiscovered rooms
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Constantly recurring theme in my dreams, that one… Thanks for reading, Neil.
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I had an evil spider plant once, but it stayed in its pot. Spiteful ivy though… Shivers!
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🙂
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Ohhhh, that sends shivers down my spine! Love it! Love your solution to the Inlinks issue, too. Maybe we should all do that this week!
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When I first started at FriFic – about five or six years ago – this was how it used to work! There was no linky-tool then. Thanks for reading.
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I faintly remember those days and being totally confused by the blue frog. We’ve come so far… good to know we can still remember how to do it the ‘old’ way, eh! 🙂
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I’ll make sure I water the plants tonight!
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Wise move! 🙂
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This was wonderfully descriptive, Sandra. Hedera Helix stay away from my home!
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Thanks Dale, and thanks for your help yesterday.
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My pleasure, Sandra
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It does sound like the plants in your garden are getting out of hand! Great imagery.
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You have to take the inspiration where you can when the muse deserts you! 😉 Thanks Claire.
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Very descriptive Sandra.
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Thanks Neel.
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Oh my, what an exquisite horror story!
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Thank you!
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The living nightmare. Love the stacked adjectives. Well done.
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Thank you!
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Ugh. Now I know why I rip out ivy before it takes hold. Good story!
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I wish someone had in our garden. It’s a losing battle, I’m afraid.
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But worth fighting, I think. I read somewhere that the Queen detests ivy, but I suppose she has help with banishing it from her estates.
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Really creepy in a great way. Well done.
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Thanks Alicia. 🙂
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So well written, Sandra. The end made me want to scream too.:)
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Thank you!
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Good to see you here this week, hope that your new garden was not the inspiration for your story.
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I’m afraid it was Michael. 😦 Thanks for reading.
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This was so wonderfully creepy. Well written and creative piece.
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Many thanks!
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This is like a variant of the birds… innocent plants revneging.. love the dream vs reality ambiguity.
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Thanks Bjorn. Hope all is well with you.
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All is well… as a matter of fact I’m now formally healed. There will be a second surgery within a year for cataract, but that’s a lot less challenging.
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So pleased to hear that, Bjorn.
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My parents garden is much like yours. The backyard has been overrun with lemon balm of all things. In Spring the front yard is a carpet of forget-me-nots and snowbells, which look very pretty despite being a wilderness.
We live near the beach and have fairly sandy soil. I’ve largely resigned myself to growing Australian natives.
xx Rowena
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Ahhhhhhhhh
So great. Loved the descriptions in this one. Scarey wildlife takeover!
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When Connie was learning the gardening trade, one of her supervisors used to tell her, “You need to talk to the plants. Say, grow Mother F*cker, grow!” She still talks to them today–and it works.
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Eek! The only thing worse than a double-nightmare is when the second nightmare isn’t.
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This just proves that you shouldn’t keep plants in your bedroom, or leave the windows open in case the Triffids arrive in the night! I love this story and the wonderful twist at the end, where being awake is an even worse nightmare than being asleep. Brilliant stuff, Sandra.
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I’m writing down Hedera Helix on my list to avoid at the Garden Centre just in case it’s a real plant! Great story Sandra 🙂
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Right now it has all the attraction of Japanese Knotweed to me, jwd. 🙂 Thanks for reading.
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“Resentful, cruelly-parched plants” I think I have met a few of those, reminds me I need to water the garden. Hedera Helix just puts you in the Ivy league.
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Ah gee that was a scary…what an imagination!
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..like a scene from a scary movie! Brilliant.
‘Look at it now’ My story.
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Eeek! I used to dream I’d forgotten to feed my babies, but my houseplants never strangled me for doing so.
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Creepy, in every sense of the word!
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This is why I don’t have plants. Untrustworthy little devils, they are.
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Hi, Sandra! This is my first entry in months, so it’s great to know I wasn’t alone in that.
Great story, kind of like the caution announcement in the original Dracula movie — so, when you go to bed tonight, just say calm to yourself ….
…there ARE such things!
Five out of five double helixes. 😀
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Lovely to know you’re still around, Kent. 🙂
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You, too, Sandra. 😉
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First of all, Sandra, sorry about Mr. Linky. Hope it’s all fine now. I had no problem clicking on yours.
Your story was very different this week. I don’t think I’ve read one like this from you before. Perhaps, I’ve missed some. Anyway, it’s a nicely written event that I know many have experienced.
Have a nice weekend.
Isadora 😎
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Your muse was scary this week, Sandra. Nothing like dying plants snaking across a bed to kill. That was a great twist at the end. Good writing as usual. I could link but not with my usual picture. I kept being told my picture was too small. How frustrating. 🙂 — Suzanne
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Reminds me of a Tales of the Unexpected, that slow creeping horror there’s no escape from. Love your descriptions in this Sandra – spot on as always. And enjpy your garden 🙂
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Very creepy!
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Great descriptions, Sandra. We both saw vengeful tendrils this week. 🙂
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i never heard of hedera helix before and i had to google it to find out what i’d been missing. glad i did. 🙂
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Oooooo…that was very cool, Sandra!
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Revenge of the parched plants! Good one.
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What a creepy story. You always right beautifully so no point saying it again.
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