Bonus Material and Excerpts
The Venus Cure
Excerpt
She smiled as she used her palm to cover the plant. It had been too long since she’d touched one, seen one, in its natural habitat. Weekends spent at her grandmother’s, within walking distance of the swamps of Wilmington, rushed forward. She couldn’t remember how old she was when she’d first seen a Venus flytrap; they’d been in her earliest memories. Her grandmother had taught her so much about the plants: how to discover their secret locations, how to dig them out without hurting them, how to propagate them. And, most importantly, how to care for them. Back then, the plants had seemed abundant. Too many to count. She’d never dreamed their existence would be threatened.
But they were.
More memories came.
Her grandmother clasped a trap gently between her palms. She whispered, “If you love the trap, it will reveal the secrets of the universe to you.”
“Have they revealed the secrets to you, Nonna?”
Her grandmother smiled, “Yes, my child … and they will for you too. I promise.”
. . . “ You’re teaching me the secrets aren’t you, Nonna?”
“Yes, my darling. The traps are just like the Goddess they are named after … but you will need to learn what I mean by that for yourself … remember this: it cannot be taught, it must be felt with the heart …”
That was where it faded. Nothing else came. What had Nonna meant?
But they were.
More memories came.
Her grandmother clasped a trap gently between her palms. She whispered, “If you love the trap, it will reveal the secrets of the universe to you.”
“Have they revealed the secrets to you, Nonna?”
Her grandmother smiled, “Yes, my child … and they will for you too. I promise.”
. . . “ You’re teaching me the secrets aren’t you, Nonna?”
“Yes, my darling. The traps are just like the Goddess they are named after … but you will need to learn what I mean by that for yourself … remember this: it cannot be taught, it must be felt with the heart …”
That was where it faded. Nothing else came. What had Nonna meant?
