The Vine That Strangled the South

The day the kudzu cut the power, Adeline shrugged and carried her ledger to the sweltering porch, because another Wal-Mart had opened in Magnolia County, the family general store had suffered its worst month in 48 years, her grandchildren had fled for city jobs, and Adeline had bigger worries than the creeper that had stunted young oaks and smothered farms since she was knee-high. Every night, Adeline had the same nightmare: a faceless creature darkened the sky, slithered its tendrils through her bedroom window, and choked her dead, and no fire could kill it, because it wasn't kudzu at all.