Bogleech.com's 2017 Horror Write-off:

MOTHER

Submitted by Jac R. B. (JacobGuy)

I was only sitting in my living room when it happened.

just sitting back, watching late night TV since i couldn't sleep, and I see this... Thing phase through my wall.

It was just... some sort of Giant bloated worm, shaped like a woman, but with mop-like hair made of writhing worms. oh, and no face

it just sorta came through my wall and stared me down really intensely. until it suddenly opened up, unfurling its form like a peeled apple skin.

It was filled with more worms, all wriggling and writhing, composed of throbbing, painful colors.

All i remember is the color getting more and more painful until I blacked out, now Im here.

Im still not exactly sure where I am, but I know im surrounded by strange.. things.

GHOST


"Hey Buddy! You seem new here! We don't get many of your kind sticking around here for long!"

its just... so strange, Adjusting to this new world. Its a winding, dreamlike landscape around me that seems to shift and change each time i blink.

"uuuh... where am I? and.. and who or what are you?"

the being seems to chuckle and wobble

"hahaha! oh, right I'm sorry, You Guys are So formal. I'm Seb! or rather, I guess "S:E6" since thats what it said before I died."

"died?"

"Yep! Died! you're in the netherworld buddy! Home to the Dead! its a wonderful Dream that never ends as long as you're decent. and that you stay put."

"t-t-the-"

"yeah its hard to come to terms with dying for you guys I guess."

"w-wh- ... "You Guys"?"

"yeah you guys, you human guys seem to always be so attached to all your conventions and stuff, your social rules, your "unfinished business". It why none of ya stick around! which is a darn shame.... poor things..."

"whoa whoa whoa, what do you mean "poor things"?"

"ghost rules buddy! Ghost rules."


"RULE 1: Be decent and focus on happy times! the netherworld's structure is based on your memories and emotions, if you're having a bad time, everyone's having a bad time. Here, lemme show you what I mean."

suddenly, the flat, bland street we were just standing in shifts and changes, it warps around me until I see the facsimile of a lab of some sort. everything is somewhat indistinct and fuzzy, as if viewed through blurred lenses. all the proportions are skewed, doorways are wider at the top than the bottom and ominous, looming, near-featureless grey beings, far taller than any human being stand unnaturally still around a single countertop, which seems to take up nearly the whole room.

"ah, dish sweet dish, its just how I remember! Hahahah!!"

Seb nudges me with an..."elbow" as if they just made a hilarious joke. I guess it has something to do with memory decay?

"Here we are!"

suddenly its as if we are scaled down. both of us seem to "Jump" from where we were standing to the counter whereupon sat a giant petri dish, Labeled S:E6. I guess thats what Seb meant.

"I remember it well, I lived here for a long time! the "Loomers" up there would cut me up every so often for some reason, I didn't mind after a while cause I got some Top Quality Liver for it. I guess it was some cool freakshow to em."

"didn't that hurt?"

"yeah, But I didn't know that til now, Planarians aren't exactly known for having a brain to process things like "Pain""

Ah, Seb's the Ghost of a planarian. suddenly hundreds of memories of my highschool and college textbooks flood back to me.

"and with that, I bring you to RULE 2: Make sure to mingle! Whether you realize it or not, Ghosts need to stick together! Feelin sorta weak right now right?"

"yeah actually.."

"thats cause you just got here and you don't have much ectoplasm, You gotta hang with the rest to feel your best! c'mon, I got some great friends for you to meet!"

and just like that, this fast talking flatworm wraps its arm around mine and drags me through countless buildings, filled with parties, raves, movies and more as we phase through wall after wall till finally we reach a halt.

Its here I find myself in a somewhat darkened approximation of a movie theater, seating several more spirits.

"Hey everyone! We got a newbie! and they're Human!"

the group seems to perk up when they hear that part, floating over and allowing me to get a better look at them.

"Meet the crew! These are my bestest friends In my whole afterlife! First we've got Astro!"

Seb gestures to what seems to be some kind of water bear with a bubble over it's head

"Greetings Earthling! hehehe"

"Next is Casey!"

Seb pulls over a humanoid arrangement of Insect display cases, full of bugs that give the impression of a face, even moving and changing to match emotions and facial expressions.

"Oh, Heya, Its always nice to meet someone new"

Seb says to me on the side;

"She's a little shy. Now! here we have Alex and Snitch!"

Seb doesn't have to pull them over like the others, instead they walk forth themselves, they seem to be two spirits in one, constantly switching "leader", one half is a spider, the other half, from within a clear abdomen is the head of a fly. I can guess how that happened.

"Pleased- To meet you!"

"they're going steady, so don't get any ideas! Hah! and finally is Strix!"

Seb finally gestures to a looming... Owl? I think they're an owl, their legs are very long and their head is attached by a spring.
Strix doesn't speak, But does nod their head to acknowledge me.

All of their forms betray some kind of story I think.

"Now that you've been introduced to the Crew, Why don't You introduce yourself!"

"oh! well I'm.. uh..."

My Words trail off trying to form a memory, any memory of who I am, or who I was.

"...Buddy?"

As I struggle to remember, the theater scene around us begins to melt, the room seems to turn into a large, gray cube.

"b-buddy? c'mon man you ok? it's ok if you can't remember, It'll come to you."

"No, It wont."