Hybrid: Magic Realism

[penthius]

The experiment was supposed to produce a hybrid of the tea tree that would have extra power against mosquitoes but cause no reaction on human skin. A few human genes were slipped in, to make it produce an oil that would "think" it was human. Later some lab scientists blamed the part-time voodoo priestess who was also an assistant in the gene lab. Others blamed the gene splicer, said he'd gotten confused and slipped a few tea tree genes into a human. Nobody could quite explain how it was even possible for the treegirl to come to viability, but there it was. All the little sprouts in their controlled nutrient pouches, and one sprout that stayed curled up for a long, long time. Jokes were made about it looking like a fetus. Then the jokes stopped, as it became readily apparent that that's exactly what it was, even if it was green and had rootlets trailing out from it.

Inspiration: Flickr photo http://www.flickr.com/photos/neon_tambourine/6904691093/
Story Potential: Medium
Notes: Could be whimsical magic realism, but that's not really my cup of tea at the moment. So to speak.