Jay Seate’s “Mr. Bareli’s Rosebush” in The Rabbit Hole VII: Not From Here

I asked fellow The Rabbit Hole VII: Not From Here anthology contributors to share some things about themselves prior to publication and those generous enough to do so will be appearing here for the next week or so.

Each entry gives a taste of their contribution, a little about them, how to contact them, how their story came about, and definitely a link to The Rabbit Hole VII: Not From Here (which you should purchase because it would make each and every one of us happy.
you do want to make us happy, don’t you?
i mean, considering what we wrote, you want us to know you’re a good person, right?).

And now, Jay Seate’s Mr. Bareli’s Rosebush:

In this age of Jesus sightings on a tree stump, the Virgin Mary in a piece of French toast, Elvis imbedded in an orange peel, or the shape of the Elephant Man in an Idaho potato, I was aware of what one’s imagination could concoct. But none of these oddities prepared me for the events that followed Mr. Bareli’s visit.
The gentleman, sort of, arrived for his appointment at four o’clock on the dot. “Good afternoon, my two wild, beautiful flowers,” he said jovially.


How the story came about:
While sitting in a doctor’s office awaiting my turn at bat, a rather menacing specimen of flora appeared to be watching me across the room. If Audrey II could bring havoc in “Little Shop of Horrors,” why not in a clinic?

About Jay Seate:
Jay stands on the side of the literary highway and thumbs down whatever genre comes roaring by. His storytelling runs the gamut from Horror Novel Review’s Best Short Fiction to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. His memoirs and essays report fact while his fiction incorporates fantasy, suspense, or humor featuring the quirkiest of characters.

See all The Rabbit Hole VII: Not From Here stories here.

The Rabbit Hole VII: Not From Here is available on