Vampire Gourd

Pity what he feeds them.Terry Calliope has a gift for growing vegetables, and this year's gourd proves it.He's out at the patch before dawn, working the soil, talking to the vines as if they understand him-feeding them whatever they require. Whatever it might turn out to be. Xavier, his gourd, grows enormous; the blue ribbon is almost within his grasp. Terry doesn't notice the changes-in the garden or in himself-until noticing is no longer the point.By the time he grasps what his prize plant needs from him, he's not looking for a way out. He's looking for a way to give it more.