Horror Story Review: "The Seeds from Outside" by Edmond Hamilton

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Standifer’s canvases hang in important halls in great cities. They are discussed and argued over by people who know art. He’s moved to a cottage in the hills to paint and dream amid the wondrous green things. One night, a meteor falls not far from his cottage. He knows little of meteors, but he looks forward to finding this one. Amid the debris, he finds what appears to be a case made of tan fibers. It’s small enough to fit into his hand. Nothing he tries will open it until he soaks it in water. Two seeds are revealed. He plants them and forgets his painting to tend them. They grow quickly, reaching more than six feet tall in a month. This short story is with the magic and wonder of a fairy tale. This shows in the prose itself: “There was no growing thing in the field or wood [Standifer] did not know. The slim white sycamores that whispered together along the streams, and the sturdy little sumacs that were like small, jovial plant-gnomes, and the innocent while roses that bloomed and swiftly died in their shady cover—he had toiled to transfix and preserve their subtle beauty for ever in his oils and covers and cloths.” Author Edmond Hamilton was a prolific science fiction writer who began publishing in the pulp magazines in the 1920s. His series included such heroes at Captain Future. He also wrote such novels as The Sun Smasher (1959) and The Valley of Creation(1964). The story’s ending is satisfying, if not happy. I liked this and regret that I could not find an online version of this story. I did, however find this: (Scott, your phone should play this. I hope). ______ Title: “The Seeds from Outside” Author: Edmond Hamilton (1904-1977) First published: Weird Tales March 1937 Source: ISFDB