I went hiking in the forest with my son.

even more disturbing: rubbery red “fingers” splayed open like a hand reaching from the earth, slick and wet, dusted with dark slime. Flies circled it eagerly, landing and taking off, drawn to the sickly, sweet stench of rot. That smell finally triggered a memory from an article I’d once skimmed about bizarre fungi. I pulled out my phone, hands still continue reading …