If you don’t know Larry Niven’s work, it might seem strange to link a science fiction author to a nice, but innocuous plant like a sunflower.
In his “Known Space’” series of stores, the kind of sunflowers he writes about are not the cute innocent plants that we know. Instead, their mirror like surfaces reflect sunlight very efficiently. One such flower may be harmless but a field of them all focussing their light on one spot, produces the lethal heat of sun-driven furnace. Designed billions of years ago by an alien species now extinct (mostly).
I’m writing about Larry Niven, not just because he is one of my favourite authors, but I was reminded of him by the sunflowers we have in the garden. Elayne had planted a lot of sunflower seeds, as she wanted to grow blue ones. As an attempt, it failed miserably,but we do have a lovely hedge of yellow sunflowers. Two of them in particular make me think.
One is looking very intently at me in the kitchen, in the morning, when I come to make tea. It is most disconcerting, I have the distinct feeling I am being watched. The other sunflower has grown to such a height that it is well above the fence, and now it is starring directly into our neighbours lounge.
Jackie, our neighbour probably isn’t aware of Niven’s sunflowers.
But I know.
I know that they are watching us, and the minute we become a threat to them…
Bills Posts 