Corn Smut

Matt hefted the paper grocery bag as his dad walked deeper into their garden. The tasseled ends of the cornstalks waved way above Matt’s head while the broad, green leaves scraped against his arms and legs. His sister Abby trailed behind him, lugging her own bag of corn. Their dad paused and peeled back the top of one of the ears of corn jutting from the stalk. The green leaves that clothed the ear of corn squeaked. He nodded in satisfaction at the pale yellow color of the corn inside. “This...