Read Online Zera and the Green Man by Sandra Knauf - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Sandra Knauf
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large, blowsy, wrinkled granny blossoms with drooping heads and withering petals. She tapped a button, and then touched her pen to flower after flower, coloring one pink, another lemon yellow, and another burnt orange.
Plants, she thought, as the teacher droned on, reviewing what would be on their final exam, they supply almost everything . Zera glanced at Ms. Casey, who drew a sprouting bean on the hologram board. Split in two, the bean had a hair-like root snaking downward in soil and a tiny stem and oval leaf reaching upward into the air. Zera looked around; most of the kids were as bored as she was. Biggie was repeatedly poking the tip of his pen into the bottom of one of his shoes, and Becky McGowan, sitting in the next aisle, just stared glassy-eyed at the teacher, her mouth half open. Abby was texting under her desk, probably Thor; she hadn’t even looked at Zera since they got to class.
Zera thought about how Ms. Casey’s lecture could be a lot more exciting; it was, after all, the birth of a plant, something of a miracle. Since the arrival of Sunny on her birthday, Zera had become obsessed with plants. They’d been a regular part of her life before coming to live with The Toad, but she had never really “seen” them or tried to understand them until she had her own. In the weeks since her birthday, Zera had absorbed dozens of books on houseplants, cacti, trees, bulbs, shrubs, herbs, wildflowers, grasses, and garden flowers. It seemed natural to her to seek out books, instead of reading them on the computer, and it took her a while to discover why she had that preference. She finally figured out it — it was because the books themselves were made out of plants; from the paper, to the ink, to the varnish on the covers.
Most of her free time was spent reading, le arning about plants’ uses, their art, and their history. She’d read fascinating accounts of plant explorers searching exotic countries, horrifying tales of women herbal healers in medieval Europe burned as witches, and modern discoveries in the field of plant intelligence. An old book she’d recently read, entitled The Secret Life of Plants , showed that plants had been found to react physically to the emotions and thoughts of people . She also read that Luther Burbank, the most famous plant breeder in the history of the United States, had talked about the effect of human thought on plants over a hundred years ago, a half-century before the book came out. The topic thrilled and intrigued Zera. She planned on looking for more books that summer.
Coloring the flowers on her electronic book’s notepad, her thoughts turned to Nonny. Nonny would like this drawing. She’d probably think I was following in Mom’s footsteps as an artist. Though Nonny had sold the 150-year-old Green Seed Company when Zera was just a baby, and had never spoken much about it, Zera was now curious. I’d like to ask her why she sold it . I never cared before, but now that I know something about plants . . . A familiar longing filled her. Zera bore down harder on her pen, working on the leaves, filling them with color. Three-and-a-half years since I’ve gotten to spend any real time with her. Why do Theodore and Tiffany have to be such jerks?
“Ms. Casey,” the intercom blared. “Please send Zera Green down to the office.”
Zera looked up at her teacher and hurriedly capped her pens. She didn’t see that all the flowers she’d drawn were now animated, engaged in soundless conversation, mouths working, eyes blinking, buds and petals nodding.
Ms. Casey checked the clock. “Since it’s only a few minutes until lunch, you’ll want to take your things with you.”
Zera’s heart thudded. Without looking at the notebook she turned it off. Nothing unusual had happened to her since March with the zinnia incident, which, as she expected, was soon forgotten. Even the kids forgot to call her Plant Chick after the break. Did I do something wrong? Should I ask why? No,
Plants, she thought, as the teacher droned on, reviewing what would be on their final exam, they supply almost everything . Zera glanced at Ms. Casey, who drew a sprouting bean on the hologram board. Split in two, the bean had a hair-like root snaking downward in soil and a tiny stem and oval leaf reaching upward into the air. Zera looked around; most of the kids were as bored as she was. Biggie was repeatedly poking the tip of his pen into the bottom of one of his shoes, and Becky McGowan, sitting in the next aisle, just stared glassy-eyed at the teacher, her mouth half open. Abby was texting under her desk, probably Thor; she hadn’t even looked at Zera since they got to class.
Zera thought about how Ms. Casey’s lecture could be a lot more exciting; it was, after all, the birth of a plant, something of a miracle. Since the arrival of Sunny on her birthday, Zera had become obsessed with plants. They’d been a regular part of her life before coming to live with The Toad, but she had never really “seen” them or tried to understand them until she had her own. In the weeks since her birthday, Zera had absorbed dozens of books on houseplants, cacti, trees, bulbs, shrubs, herbs, wildflowers, grasses, and garden flowers. It seemed natural to her to seek out books, instead of reading them on the computer, and it took her a while to discover why she had that preference. She finally figured out it — it was because the books themselves were made out of plants; from the paper, to the ink, to the varnish on the covers.
Most of her free time was spent reading, le arning about plants’ uses, their art, and their history. She’d read fascinating accounts of plant explorers searching exotic countries, horrifying tales of women herbal healers in medieval Europe burned as witches, and modern discoveries in the field of plant intelligence. An old book she’d recently read, entitled The Secret Life of Plants , showed that plants had been found to react physically to the emotions and thoughts of people . She also read that Luther Burbank, the most famous plant breeder in the history of the United States, had talked about the effect of human thought on plants over a hundred years ago, a half-century before the book came out. The topic thrilled and intrigued Zera. She planned on looking for more books that summer.
Coloring the flowers on her electronic book’s notepad, her thoughts turned to Nonny. Nonny would like this drawing. She’d probably think I was following in Mom’s footsteps as an artist. Though Nonny had sold the 150-year-old Green Seed Company when Zera was just a baby, and had never spoken much about it, Zera was now curious. I’d like to ask her why she sold it . I never cared before, but now that I know something about plants . . . A familiar longing filled her. Zera bore down harder on her pen, working on the leaves, filling them with color. Three-and-a-half years since I’ve gotten to spend any real time with her. Why do Theodore and Tiffany have to be such jerks?
“Ms. Casey,” the intercom blared. “Please send Zera Green down to the office.”
Zera looked up at her teacher and hurriedly capped her pens. She didn’t see that all the flowers she’d drawn were now animated, engaged in soundless conversation, mouths working, eyes blinking, buds and petals nodding.
Ms. Casey checked the clock. “Since it’s only a few minutes until lunch, you’ll want to take your things with you.”
Zera’s heart thudded. Without looking at the notebook she turned it off. Nothing unusual had happened to her since March with the zinnia incident, which, as she expected, was soon forgotten. Even the kids forgot to call her Plant Chick after the break. Did I do something wrong? Should I ask why? No,
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