A Non-Skill

It’s a special kind of non-skill to be able to kill a cactus through sheer proximity.

She grew up in the desert surrounded by cacti but that meant nothing. Everywhere she went there would be a trail of dead cacti in her wake. Inexplicable really. No one knew what to do, or how to prevent it. Eventually, she learned not to get too close.

Now she has moved to town and a friend—more of an acquaintance really, a close friend would have known better—bought her a cactus as a housewarming gift. Her family didn’t laugh or say a word but there was more than one raised eyebrow that day.

Within two weeks she’d committed involuntary cactus-slaughter.