an anthology of (biodegradable, save the bees!) trash

writing prompt no. 3

Tell the story of a parasite inhabiting a host through the eyes of the parasite.

***

I'd thought I had found the perfect host when I first gave Life to James.

I'd thought.

Out of all the sentient life forms I've encountered, Humans are certainly the most versatile. Their skeletal fibers surrounded by sarcolemma that they call "muscle" have pattern memorization capabilities, and their joints are incredibly dexterous. Their thin epidermis is waterproof and is a living organ, not merely a disposable shell. Their globular ocular organs can detect over 700,000,000 different hues of colour. They are extremely adept to change. And the activities that occur in their cerebra is one of the most intriguing wonders that I've ever come upon. I couldn't wait to experience it.

I couldn't wait.

James was the most suitable specimen for my endeavor. He was of average intelligence, in good physical form, and most of all, he was low-profile. He had no previous incriminations nor meaningful relationships as far as I'd researched. He had one, maybe two constants in his life, and only interacted with strangers. His tree was a sapling, and I could merge into his life almost flawlessly without causing a noticeable disturbance. These were the quintessential conditions for giving Life. So one night, while James was dormant, I seized his cerebrum with zeal. He was Alive.

I quickly realized that because of James' lack of social interactions his life was very mundane by consequent. I could have easily performed his daily activities in a ten-minute window, but as my goal was to blend in, I did them as James would have if he were still in control of his neurological process. I cleaned his enamel teeth for two minutes twice a day: central incisor, lateral incisor, cuspid, bicuspid, second bicuspid, first molar, second, then third. I supplied his body with the sustenance supplied by his fare storage, nutritious or not. I washed and bathed. I even went dormant from 22:00 until 6:00. But I began to tire of this exercise. His ritual was stultifying and tedious. So I started to extract what I came for: information on the Human brain.

The first time I delved into James' neurological pathways was confusing, but fascinating nonetheless. I visited the frontal lobe, the nucleus, the core of all movement and self-awareness. There was something indiscernible that I can't quite explain. It was almost a feeling. I ignored it and continued my research.

I next visited the temporal lobe. I studied memory and the ability to Hear. I had never experienced Hearing before. Many of the life forms I had given Life to in the past had been able to communicate using their primal mental process. Hearing was like a burst of indescribable colour that grated on your skull, but in a pleasurable way. Speaking procured a similar euphoria. Each word had a unique fluid movement that rolled off of the tip of your tongue. While I enjoyed these newfound experiences, I could not relish in them completely. That indiscernible feeling wasn't so vague anymore. It made a sound. It was like an outcry, one of the more unpleasant things I had to Hear. Still, I ignored it and continued to probe.

It was in the parietal lobe that the outcry became more apparent. It spoke this time. It spoke of horrible torture and death. I fled the sector and returned to safety outside of the neurological system. I was shaken. This was the first clear attempt at contact by my Host.

James was Awake.

It sends a chill down my proverbial spine that a Host managed to Wake while it was still Alive. A being such as myself is able to take control of a lesser life form as easily as a Human breathes. It is my purpose, it is my mean of survival. I move from Host to Host as I collect data and information on organic sentient beings to expand my knowledge of the giving of Life. Never once have I kept a Host Alive longer than necessary. And never once has one of these lesser life forms resisted my dominance.

I could have completely Awoken James as a precaution for my sake, but I didn't want to compromise my experiment. Instead I chose to fight his hoarse cries. He had been going crazed as he watched his own brain vegetate at my hands, and he had no concept of morality any longer. He had thoughts, feelings, creativity, but nowhere to direct this creativity without full use of his cerebrum. It was almost as if he still had a mind of his own but was paralyzed, frozen in one place. He was tortured and vengeful, and I grew tired of fending off his violent attempts at control.

My efforts to quieten him were feeble in comparison to the power of his screams for my blood. He ripped me apart and sewed my parts back together with a searing hot needle only to rip me apart again. He beat me and stripped me of any feeling, only to leave me with Pain until the sound rolling off my tongue was no longer a pleasantry. It was after what felt like a millennia of suffering that I was too exhausted to continue this jest. I resigned my efforts and pondered on how they were all in vain as James took back full control of his mind. I had no chance against the iron will of a madman. The very fabric of his thinking had been modified and moulded into something far more sinister. Perhaps the Human cerebrum isn't as wonderful as it is unpredictable and untamed. And perhaps even a being such as myself cannot tame the mad wild.

If I thought I knew pain, I can confirm that I had no idea of its complexities. If I thought I knew suffering, I was living a daydream rather than this nightmare. I cannot Awaken James, I cannot free myself. There has been an extreme aberration in my carefully perfected system. The submissive has asserted dominance. I am now an eternal prisoner, living a thousand lives of agony as James cleans his enamel teeth. Central incisor, lateral incisor, cuspid, bicuspid, second bicuspid, first molar, second, then third. I have no other constant conscious thoughts than the pattern I once thought so boring. If there is a hell, it is a much brighter place than this, the belly of the festering mind of an animal. So I will say this:

Out of all the sentient life forms I've encountered, Humans are certainly the most versatile. Their skeletal fibers surrounded by sarcolemma that they call "muscle" have pattern memorization capabilities, and their joints are incredibly dexterous. Their thin epidermis is waterproof and is a living organ, not merely a disposable shell. Their globular ocular organs can detect over 700,000,000 different hues of colour. They are extremely adept to change. And the activities that occur in their cerebra are some of the most horrible monstrosities that I've ever come upon.

I hope you will never experience it.

***

a little bleak. idk what to say about this one.

celery