Chronicle 52
“But if you find another Growth and make a new human body, I’ll be stuck on this mushroom!”
“That’s exactly right, Gorto.” Vyrrenor said absent-mindedly, telepathically tossing aside leaves from the forest floor.
“What would you do without me?”
“Good point. I couldn’t survive without you.”
“THANK YOU.”
Vyrrenor remained silent.
“Oh, sarcasm. Great.” Gorto whined.
“Hush, Gorto.”
Leaves crunched behind The Very Magical Mushroom. A female voice called out. “I think I see one!”
“I saw it too!”
A pair of cargo panted humans stomped their way through the trees. TVMM stayed still, hoping they weren’t what was seen. The girl planted a foot nearby and checked behind her, where her friend held a finger up as if testing the wind.
“Brandon, what are you doing?”
His head snapped around at the sound of her voice and he cleared his throat. He was already lost. “I’m just getting our bearings.”
“Your bearings.” she sneered.
“Shut up, Megan.” Brandon said under his breath.
The humans had been inside of The Very Magical Mushroom’s aura for long enough to begin experiencing mystical effects. They were too focused, however, on whatever they were out there hunting.
“THESE TWO SHOULD BE FREAKING OUT BY NOW.” Gorto said.
“Who was that?”
“THERE WE GO.”
The Very Magical Mushroom looked up from under a large leaf to make sure Gorto hadn’t given away their position. Luckily for them, his voice is omnipresent in the spore cloud surrounding them.
“Hey, Megan. Do you see this tree?” Brandon asked, jaw slacked. Megan looked up from where she was crouching to check. “I think it’s my father.”
Megan’s eyes went wide when she fully agreed with Brandon’s assessment. The tree beside her was undoubtedly his father in tree form. “Quiet. Let’s deal with that when I’m done with this.” Her hands moved cautiously on the ground until she made a quick, sharp motion. “Got it!” She held a large morel proudly. It was TVMM’s worst nightmare.
“I saw that first, by the way.” Brandon said.
“Okay.” Megan chuckled. “Why don’t we ask your dad who saw it first.”
“Not funny.”
The tree they were fixated on was swaying side to side. Branches sunk down from the treetop all the way down to act as temporary arms before falling to the ground. The face upon the bark was speaking silently, a mouth of wood chips, pouring out with each word.
The Very Magical Mushroom took the opportunity to relocate, expecting to be plucked by the foragers if they stayed nearby. A hollow beneath another swaying tree became the new hiding place, from which they could keep an eye on the humans.
“THIS IS GREAT! REMINDS ME OF MY MAMA!”
“There’s that voice again.” Megan said, turning both of them away from the wild visuals.
Brandon checked both directions before he locked onto something on the floor. Megan saw his eyes dart there and began to move in the direction. They both hustled along, as if unwilling to give up where the morel was, even though both clearly knew. Megan reached it first, as Brandon stumbled on branches a couple times.
“You know I saw it first.” Brandon said with a stone face.
“Then why am I holding it?”
“MAN THESE GUYS ARE COMPETITIVE!” Gorto said.
“Because you-” Brandon pointed his finger at Megan, shooting out a bolt of green energy. It struck her in the hand holding the morel and she dropped it. Brandon’s gaze locked onto the mushroom and it floated in the air.
“It’s mine.” Megan said, reaching out a hand towards Brandon’s throat. Nothing happened. She watched the morel quickly fly to his grasp. “I said it’s mine.” She lifted her hands from her sides, causing tree bark from nearby roots to shoot upward around her foraging partner.
“We might have to do something here.” Vyrennor told Gorto as the duel intensified.
“WISH WE HAD SOME FOOD FOR THE SHOW.” Gorto blurted out.
“SHUT UP!” Megan and Brandon said in unison.
Brandon wriggled in the grip of the woods before relaxing into it. Beneath him, the bark became vines, operating as lengthened extensions of his own will - a tornado of verdant power. Megan backed away with a smirk, she faced her hands backwards and shot out blasts of green from each, propelling herself at the storm that was Brandon.
“ALRIGHT I GUESS THAT’S ENOUGH.” Gorto said submissively the moment before the humans clashed. They both paused and looked down to the floor below. The Very Magical Mushroom stood on a large root with its arms out to present itself.
“I SAW IT FIRST.” both humans said.
Ignoring the reality-altering effects of the mushroom and moving on as if their battle was simply the result of airborne psychedelic spores, the foragers collected The Very Magical Mushroom and returned to their car. Just down the road, as planned, they stopped at the farmer’s market to sell their findings. As they dug into their baskets to hand over morels, The Very Magical Mushroom climbed out and made their way to a frail fish monger. He seemed the least likely out of the vendors to try and cook them.
“YOU DON’T MIND THE SMELL OF FISH?” Gorto asked Vyrennor. Everyone at the farmer’s market looked around in confusion.
Silas Stone shrugged. “It smells like home to me.”
