Winifred Seacock had devoted her life to saving the Taranaculus clivisphorum. In fact, she was given an award for her efforts by her country. “Awarded for preserving the Taranaculus clivisphorum for future generations,” said the citation. Winifred wore the medal with pride. She wore it only on formal occasions mind you; she wasn’t a show-off; she hadn’t let it go to her head.
Every day, for the last twenty-one years, Winifred had tended to the needs of the Taranaculus clivisphorum. People were amazed, naturally, at her dedication.
“There are possibly only four specimens left in the world,” said Winifred. “They should reproduce, but we simply don’t have the money.”
Donations poured in after that. A special compound was created, with the right climatic conditions.
And then, and then… it happened! Winifred was stung by the Taranaculus clivisphorum. On the finger. She had just enough time to swipe all four dead with a fly swot before she herself dropped dead from the poison.
“Take that, you ungrateful Taranaculus clivisphorums,” were her last words.
Listen the story being read HERE!
Weave a Web 
Little known secret….my real first name is Winifred. I have never grown into it. Maybe because I didn’t go into science?
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😀 It might be just as well that you didn’t go into science, Winnie.
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For sure! Winnie is OK, but my dad always called me Freddie.
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LOL! Is Wendy a middle name?
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No, I came out the same time as Peter Pan, so my mom started calling me Wendy. Officially I was Winifred Elizabeth Thorne.
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Most entertaining, Bruce. Of course you knew that the likes of moi would google taranaculus clivisphorum. Google said: did you mean ranunculus cliviaforum? And then they listed Winifred Seacock’s Devotion/Weave a Web. What some bloggers won’t do to get listed on google!
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Ooh, what can I do to get to be #1 on a Google search? Thinks, thinks, thinks.
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I used to be #1 on a Google search for “Family Picnic”. In fact, there must have been thousands of school kids around the world handing up my “Family Picnic” story to their teacher! “I want you to write a story children on a family picnic.”
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I checked it out myself earlier, knowing you would!!!! And I got the same buttercup! 😀 I did it before the story was posted, so didn’t get the link to myself! (But I shall try it shortly!)
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It’s nice to be predictable….
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I know the feeling. Although a predicate can be quite unpredictable.
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Me too Cynthia – with the same results! I wasn’t sure if Bruce knew something I didn’t [and that would never do!] ………………… 🙂
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It doesn’t hurt to keep you people on your toes!
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Love this post!
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Thank you! Let’s hope you don’t find a Taranaculus clivisphorum in a pizza!
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Erk, what a thought. Wait, they’re all dead, phew.
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I was expecting Winnie to take the money and run and there to be nothing in the Taranaculus clivisphorum compound ……… I was wrong again!
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Now that we know that Wendy (in the comments above) is really Winnie, there should be no doubt about the honesty!
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I actually googled Taranaculus clivisphorum! Lol! Winifred Seacock would be a great name for the heroine of a erotic novel, don’t you think? ; )
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Hee hee! Especially the “Sea” bit. It could be set on a yacht!
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These Taranaculus sound pretty evil, like the blue ringed octopus or something. The sea down there is just filled with nasty things. It’s amazing anyone ever goes swimming, but I digress. Winifred should have done what Pauline was thinking, but alas, we were flummoxed by the evil TC.
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I think I’d rather be flummoxed by a taranaculus than by a blue-ringed octopus. I have a feeling my tentacles wouldn’t be safe.
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Bet you had some fun coming up with taranaculus clivisphorum. Ungrateful wretches, all of them!
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Let’s hope there weren’t any in your lab!
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Never bite the hand………..
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True – perhaps the bowing should be reversed!
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Ah! Another story with a sting in the tail. Love it! Good to have the audio, too.
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Thanks, Keith – for the compliment and the pun!
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If you google Taranculus clivisporum you get tropical aquarium so I’m guessing Winnie was stung by an exotic marine species. But you can take that with a pinch of sea salt.
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Thanks, Andrew! I enjoyed your comment peppered with salty puns!
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Serves her right to dream up such a dangerous species, in fact, her psychosis probably dreamt up the award from her country too!
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Never mess with the Natural Selection.
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In my younger days I found it quite fun to mess with natural selection…. !
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A shocking ending, indeed: A scientist who revealed her poor grasp of Latin grammar at the last. Shouldn’t it have been:
“And thus, we BOTH die, but you, all four a’–take THAT, Taranuculus clivisphora!”
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No, your Latin is wrong. Sorry.
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Second time this week for a Latin fail. And I even googled this one (checking for plurals of other -um nouns after my first effort was a rhyme with “die”, but then I doubted myself. The universe is telling this know-it-all not to try.).
This is, apparently, my week for making an ass of myself in various ways, on various FORA. Shall I stay offline, which risks, with me, dropping out again for six months, or just accept my ass-hood, pray it’s temporary, and forge ahead, Flipping a denarius.
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Appropriately enough, that should have been Full stop after “ahead”.
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