This story, originally published August 2016 in decomP, is one of self’s favorites. decomP is no more, so self will post the story here, in sections. The story’s about violence, how it roots. How there are classes, even in the future. Earthstar is top class, and they can mate with Silverleafs. The bottom of the class hierarchy are Common. And the worst thing you can call another person is “lousy hedgehog.” (lol)
She was reading a book on mushrooms at the time. Which is how she got the idea for the story title. Because it’s about reproduction. In a world where humanity is dwindling.
Self loves playing with language. She wrote this story in Dublin. She’ll post Trigger Warnings in the later sections.
K thinks the boss is in love with her.
She looks like a mosaic puffball, her skin covered with checkered patterns.
The boss was born Earthstar. He’d never look her way. His spores were meant to go else: to a Silverleaf. Or a Shag. Not K that smelled like wet rot. All scaly cap and throat gills. She belonged with other Common.
Varnish and varnish. I’ll say this for K: she is tenacious. Especially about her delusions.
“Me mum’s a thick,” she said once. “A focking thick.”
“Hmmm,” I said.
“She a root rotter,” K said.
“Hit brew and all?” I asked.
“Twelve pints one go. Honest,” K said.
K silent the rest of the day.
I’m weary of K. We have the worst job: growing giant polyphores, thousands and thousands of them, in little paper fans studded with 4-micron ova. The fans burn our fingers. Burn like sulphur. We have to wait hours for the new skin to grow back. Fingers never feel the same, after.
We can’t leave the room until Growing’s over. That means days. We’re the slowest team in the whole White Zone, the boss says. Probably even the slowest in the whole planet.
You may find yourself living in a shotgun shack. Where those words come from, I don’t precisely know.
“We be needing foxes,” I say once.
“You lousy hedgehog,” the boss says, giving me a good one. My right eye swells up almost immediately.
“You not be asking me to fetch, you lousy Common!” He gives me another good one on the way out.
K trembling there in the corner.
Part 2 posted here.
