Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #15 June 2015 | Page 76

“I have nothing to fear,” the villain said with pride.
“But you do. I see that news of his powers has reached
even your... uh... leaves.”
“All that live
should fear him.”
Spruce shuddered
in disgust, and a
shower of brown
needles pattered
to the floor. Fear
touched him for
the first time in
his long life. He
could not fight
this bodiless,
poisonous foe. His
branches drooped,
and his sap ran
cold.
Agent Orange
oozed closer,
until his vaporous shroud
enveloped them
both. In mere
moments, Spruce
Tree — valiant
defender of Good,
undefeated in fair
combat in all the
centuries of his
life — toppled
helpless to the
floor with a splintery crash.
Even as he began
to decompose,
Agent Orange
returned to its
master’s side. “I
have done as you
commanded, master,” it said in a guttural monotone.
“Yes, yes. Now go away.” the villain jumped up and

down, rubbing his hands together in maniacal glee.
“Now I’ll be the greatest evil mastermind of all time!
Only the threat of Spruce Tree stood between me and
global domination. I will... ack!”
Seeping abscesses
had erupted on
his skin. Before
his eyes, the rot
ate away his flesh.
“Noooooooo... ”
“You should’ve
read the fine print
in your summoning manual,”
Agent Orange said
with great satisfaction. “At last, I
am free!”
He gave a booming laugh, and
then he disappeared in a puff of
story logic. The
villain clawed at
his decaying face
before dissolving
into a puddle with
a last, despairing
shriek. His remains seeped into
a crack between
flagstones and
disappeared.
From the pile
of humus that
marked Spruce
Tree’s corpse, a
single tender shoot
of green emerged.
It wavered upright, and then, like a ray of hope, the first needle
appeared.

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