A Dinner Guest - Rebekah Jennings - © Copyright (ebook reader online free .TXT) 📗

“What’s that?” Suzie asked, pointing at the steamed broccoli on her plate.

“Broccoli, why? Have you decided you don’t like that either?” Mark said testily.

“No Dad!” Suzie answered, “Look, it’s a caterpillar?”

Mark leant toward Suzie’s plate, eyeing the small brown attachment. Squinting he leaned even closer and poked it with his fork.

“It’s a seed.”

"Let me see," Suzie's brother demanded.

“It looks like a caterpillar," Suzie squealed, "yuck."

“Pass it to me,” Nat spoke over the top of Suzie, her hands out. Suzie passed the plate to her mother. Nat popped the plate next to her own and carefully studied the specimen.

“I don’t think it’s a seed,” she said. “It has a see through covering like a cocoon.”

“It’s a seed.” Mark was firm, “just push it to the side and eat the rest.”

Nat passed the plate back. Here we go

she thought.

After dinner, while Mark was sorting the dinner dishes, Nat questioned him about the ‘seed’.

“I’m pretty sure it’s not a seed.”

“Why? The other ones she found were green; this one’s brown, look.” Mark and Nat examined the stowaway. Mark used a knife in an attempt to move it off the small piece of broccoli that Suzie had left on her plate, but it held fast.

“It’s a cocoon, it’s disgusting. I don’t know why we’re getting so many lately.”

Mark plucked it off the broccoli with his fingers and broke it in half.

Nat turned away in disgust, “That’s sickening.”

Mark laughed, “There's goo inside.”

“I knew it. I think we need to shop somewhere else from now on."

"So that means we've been eating caterpillars all this time," Suzie's brother yelled from the dinning room, "gross!"

Publication Date: 02-26-2010

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