"Margaret -- you're wrong!" the man in the baseball cap cried in alarm. "He's tricked you! He's tricked you!"

Margaret pulled the knife back, having made a tiny puncture hole.

"Ow!" he cried out as the blade cut through the skin.

The body thudded to the floor. Green liquid puddled around it.

Red blood trickled from the hole.

"He's our real dad," she told Casey, sighing with relief. "Here, Dad." She handed him the axe.

The capless Dr. Brewer moved quickly. He picked up the axe, took three steps forward, pulled the axe back, and swung with all his might.

The Dr. Brewer in the cap opened his mouth wide and uttered a hushed cry of alarm. The cry was choked off as the axe cut easily through his body, slicing him in two.

"Princess -- we're okay!" Dr. Brewer cried, flinging the axe aside. "You guessed right!"

A thick green liquid oozed from the wound. And as the man fell, his mouth locking open in disbelief and horror, Margaret could see that his body was actually a stem. He had no bones, no human organs.

"One more thing we have to do," their father said, his arms around the two kids. "Let's get Mr. Martinez out of the closet."

All four of them rushed together in an emotional family hug.

"We're okay!" Mrs. Brewer cried, rushing into her husband's arms. "We're okay. We're all okay!"

"It wasn't a guess," Margaret said, sinking into his arms. "I remembered the green blood. I saw it. Late at night. One of you was in the bathroom, bleeding green blood. I knew my real dad would have red blood."

They had finally managed to welcome their mother home, and tried to explain to her all that had happened in her absence.

Mr. Martinez had been rescued from the supply closet, not too much the worse for wear. He and Dr. Brewer had had a long discussion about what had happened and about Dr. Brewer's work.

By dinnertime, things had almost returned to normal.

He expressed total bewilderment as to what Dr. Brewer had accomplished, but he knew enough to realize that it was historic. "Perhaps you need the structured environment the lab on campus offers. I'll talk to the board members about getting you back on staff," Martinez said. It was his way of inviting their father back to work.

After Mr. Martinez was driven home, Dr. Brewer disappeared into the basement for about an hour. He returned grim-faced and exhausted. "I destroyed most of the plants," he explained, sinking into an armchair. "I had to. They were suffering. Later, I'll destroy the rest."

"Well… there are a few normal ones that I can plant out back in the garden," he replied. He shook his head sadly. "Only a few."

"Every single plant?" Mrs. Brewer asked.

"That's gross!" Casey exclaimed, dropping a forkful of mashed potatoes.

At dinner, he finally had the strength to explain to Margaret, Casey, and Mrs. Brewer what had happened down in the basement.

"I was working on a super plant," he said, "trying to electronically make a new plant using DNA elements from other plants. Then I accidentally cut my hand on a slide. I didn't realize it, but some of my blood got mixed in with the plant molecules I was using. When I turned on the machine, my molecules got mixed in with plant molecules -- and I ended up with something that was part human, part plant."

"Those plants with faces --" Margaret started.

Her father nodded. "Yes. Those were things I made by inserting human materials into plant materials. I kept putting them in the supply closet. I got carried away. I didn't know how far I could go, how human I could make the plants. I could see that my creations were unhappy, suffering. But I couldn't stop. It was too exciting."

"Well, I'm a scientist," Dr. Brewer replied, "so I didn't think it was gross. I thought it was pretty exciting. I mean, here I was, inventing an entirely new kind of creature."

"You didn't tell me any of this," Mrs. Brewer said, shaking her head.

He took a long drink of water from his glass.

"But he still acted like a plant in some ways," Margaret said. "He ate plant food and --"

"I couldn't," he said. "I couldn't tell anyone. I -- I was too involved. Then one day, I went too far. I created a plant that was an exact copy of me in almost every way. He looked like me. He sounded like me. And he had my brain, my mind."

"He wasn't perfect," Dr. Brewer said, leaning forward over the dinner table, talking in a low, serious voice. "He had flaws. But he was strong enough and smart enough to overpower me, to lock me in the closet, to take my place -- and to continue my experiments. And when Martinez arrived unexpectedly, he locked Martinez in the closet, too, so that his secret would be safe."

Dr. Brewer nodded. "Yes, he was almost a perfect clone of me, almost a perfect human, but not quite."

"Was the head full of leaves one of the flaws?" Casey asked.

"Well, when I cut my hand, some of the plant materials mixed with my blood, got into my system," he explained. "And then I turned on the machine. The machine created a strong chemical reaction between the plant materials and my blood. Then, my hair fell out overnight. And the leaves immediately started to sprout. Don't worry, guys. The leaves are falling out already. I think my hair will grow back."

"But, Dad," Margaret said, pointing, "you have leaves on your head, too."

Margaret and Casey cheered.

He reached up and pulled one off. "I know," he said, making a disgusted face. "That's really gross, huh?"

"Better than normal," he said, smiling back. "If Martinez convinces the board to give me my job back, I'll clear out the basement and turn it into the best game room you ever saw!"

Everyone agreed.

"I guess things will return to normal around here," Mrs. Brewer said, smiling at her husband.

"We're all alive and safe," Dr. Brewer said, hugging both kids at once. "Thanks to you two."

It was the happiest dinner Margaret could remember. After they had cleaned up, they all went out for ice cream. It was nearly ten o'clock when they returned.

Margaret and Casey cheered again.

"I'm just going down to deal with the rest of the plants," Dr. Brewer assured her. "I want to make sure that everything is gone, that this horrible chapter in our lives is over."

Dr. Brewer headed for the basement.

By the end of the week, most of the plants had been destroyed. A giant pile of leaves, roots, and stalks were burned in a bonfire that lasted for hours. A few tiny plants had been transplanted outside. All of the equipment had been dismantled and trucked to the university.

"Hey -- where are you going?" his wife called suspiciously.

On Saturday, all four Brewers went to select a pool table for the new basement rec room. On Sunday, Margaret found herself standing in back by the garden, staring up at the golden hills.

"Margaret," the flower whispered, "help me. Please -- help me. I'm your father. Really! I'm your real father."

The smile faded from her face when she heard the whisper at her feet. "Margaret."

So peaceful here. And so beautiful.

She looked down to see a small yellow flower nudging her ankle.

It's so peaceful now, she thought happily.