The Garden of Spikes (Petrichor 365)

Near by the Imperial District is a square marked off by stones, inside are cacti of all sorts, but mostly the ones with really nasty spines at least on the outer edge.

The garden started as just one cactus, which was cut out, the next day there were three.  Those were dug up and the next day, there were eleven.  After that, they decided to just to try contain it and it has spread and stabilized at about twenty-five by twenty-five feet (7.6 x 7.6 meters) and has not advanced beyond that.  The interlocking cacti make seeing what is at the center difficult and, in most cases, impossible.

Sometimes, the cacti will part to allow those who are endangered and seeking shelter a place to hide for a short period.  But never for much longer than it takes the danger to pass, after that they -gently and first and then with increasing vigor- encourage the person to leave.

The cause of the cacti growth, their propensity to protect the endangered, and indeed, how they came to be here is unknown.  Where do you think they came from?  And what is their purpose?

Notes: Figured it was time to add something else weird to the city.

Petrichor 365.  Previous entry:  Hallan the Juggler  Next Entry:  Mazi the Begger

Image was found on WikiMedia Commons and is in the Public Domain.