The Seed of the Toc-Toc Birds

A scientist's atom-tampering releases a strange agent that produces metallic, reptilian birds and small globes which fall and sow rapidly sprouting seed-pellets. The airborne dispersion spawns a sudden, fast-growing jungle that engulfs pastures, roads, and settlements, provoking panic and bewilderment among locals. Two investigators who examine an abandoned mine encounter the creatures and the eerie sounds of hidden machinery as the vegetation spreads and severs communication and escape routes. The account charts local reports, frightened evacuations, and attempts to understand and counter an ecological threat born of experimental error.