Creative Writing Collection

Short Study on the Death Metal Cacti

The desert is seen as a quiet and desolate place with very little life. Aside from the people living in the sweltering heat, there are a few creatures that can survive; coyotes, rabbits, prairie dogs, toads, mountain lions, deer. And cacti. Of all of them, the cacti are your main predator. No burly, buff man nor sharp toothed feline can amount to the cacti’s power. For they are everywhere. And at nights, they have death metal concerts. That’s right — the Death Metal Cacti.

       This nocturnal ritual is done past 10 at night. It’s been observed that exactly 11 past the hour, every night — except Sundays — the cacti begin to come to life. They are stocky and short like living pieces of living vegetation, but beware, for they are hostile and very aggressive. Rising from the ground, their lengthy roots serve as tentacle-like limbs; sort of like having many arms and legs at the ready for movement. The budding flowers and seeds on their heads are actually eyes — those ‘seeds’ inside are actually the cones and rods that let them see color.

       Their spines and thorns. Not only should you be careful around those, but also be sure to be in a faraway rang from them. Most cacti have a volume — yes, a volume — span of 5ft radius. Those thick thorns, that’s what they use for their singing. They may pound on rocks or wood for added music as instruments, but the spines and thorns are most important. Vibrating and rubbing them against each other hard enough can produce sound. Lyrics re suspected to be on in many languages picked up from unsuspecting humans; others speculate that the Death Metal Cacti may have its own language.

       And at exactly 11:34, all the cacti have gathered together and begin their death metal jam sessions. This is also used to help find mates — the deeper the sounds, the more attracted females are. The issue with these Death Metal Cacti, though, is that their music is done on a very small, low frequency. Like the buzz of a fly’s wings, you have to be close enough to hear it. It has taken years for scientists to develop a sort of microphone to pick up the sounds, and once the project was completed, they were able to hear the Cacti loud and clear.

       Many have been surprised by the discovery of these Death Metal Cacti. Mischievous teenagers have stayed up late, watching the Cacti, wanting to see them in action. Unfortunately, the Cacti now know that they are being watched. Now, concerts are very few and rare. They have become dormant and evolved to live a life in stationary rest.

       These are the cacti we see today. They no longer move, but there are theories that one day, the Death Metal Cacti will rise again. It is hoped that they might one day join the media and share their works with the human race. Perhaps, even form world known bands with them.