Miscellaneous Prompts

A Forbidden Desire

This prompt was for a small competition on Discord. We were to write about a slime that kidnaps people to become human, and it was judged by members of that server in the span of 24 hours.

TW: Death

Bright, colorful lights flashed everywhere, their glow illuminating the cheery tents throughout the area. Laughter erupted from the paths snaking through the crowded park. Loud carnival music played on repeat in several of the tents, the carnies' fake smiles encouraging children and adults alike to test their skill at the multitude of possibly rigged games. The man in the large moon above smiled down upon the festivities, the stars surrounding him twinkling merrily. Cherry blossoms drifted on the sweet summer breeze.

I crept around the harsh light, careful to avoid looking into the glaring bulbs installed in the tacky signs above each tent. The dark was much more comfortable in my opinion. It kept me hidden from any prying eyes that may coincidentally be looking in my direction. After all, a shifting mound of translucent white slime the size of a beach ball would probably set off a few warning bells in a mature human brain, unlike that of a child. Rather, it would spark their curiosity and lead them right to me.

A sheep being brought to a starving wolf. How poetic of a thought, however dark and gruesome it may be.

There. I heard it. The quiet crying of a child lost in this twisting labyrinth of unfamiliar lights, sounds, and smells. Their parents would probably be looking for them all night, but what's one missing child when there's so much wrong with the world? They won't be missed.

As I drew closer, their muffled sobs grew louder. Not by a lot, but it gave me the information I needed. They were most likely hiding behind the cotton candy booth, probably huddling in fear and loneliness.

I finally reached the child, taking great care to avoid their line of sight. It was a little girl, no older than seven, with curly red hair and a bright blue dress with a gingham pattern. Her tear-filled eyes darted around unpredictably. It was going to be impossible to sneak up on her since her back was against the wall, but there might still be a chance to take her.

There was only one other way. I slowly slid across the ground until she could see me, then waited. I caught her eye fairly quickly, which was good. The longer I was out in the open, the higher the chances became that someone that wasn't my target could find me.

She cautiously walked over to me, her dainty black shoes crunching on the scattered popcorn and miscellaneous trash. Her eyes were now full of curiosity.

"Hello there, what might you be?" Her voice was higher pitched than I had originally thought. She fumbled around on the ground for a second before finding a small stick in the thinning grass. Her hand shook slightly as she poked me with it, a typical thing for any child to do. However, once she stuck the twig into me, it got stuck, my slime intentionally keeping it in place.

She frowned, confused as to why her makeshift tool wasn't budging. She pulled, but it remained in the same position. Then, in a bout of childish stupidity, she stuck her hand into my goo in an attempt to pull it out. She quickly found out that it was trapped as well.

I slid up her arm and covered her mouth and nose before she could scream. She flailed around, but it was too late. Her eyelids flickered as she suffocated, eventually closing. She collapsed onto the grass as I spread across her entire body in a thin film. I couldn't move in this state, so I had to hope every time that no one found me. But the plus to this form was that the body would decompose much faster than normal. Any clothes or jewelry would dissolve within the hour, and the corpse would be gone by the time the sun came up. It was a risk, but it was always worth it in the end.

The music played in the background as children shouted gleefully, enjoying their time at the fair. The adults watched them with one eye as they sipped their beers or pop and talked with other parents doing the same thing.

None of them knew what had just happened right in front of them, and they likely never will.

>~~~<

Finally. The last soul had been consumed. I could finally be what I had yearned to be my entire existence.

Every soul I collected made me more human like. Every day, I gained some shape, eventually being able to walk on two feet. I had to abandon my original plan of absorbing people after some time, instead opting to quickly and quietly assassinate them with a small well-aimed stab into the victim's heart. It was easier that way. I had to leave the body behind to rot every time, but oh well. I couldn't just absorb it and remove any evidence of a murder anymore. I was too close to my goal for that now.

I was now flesh and bone. I had nerves, muscles, a brain, a heart... everything I could ever wish for. I could have a normal life, something that I had already taken from hundreds of innocents. But it had to happen. My dream had to come true. In the end, I came out on top. This was survival of the fittest in action.

I had been hiding out in a dark, shadowy forest with a reputation for hauntings for the last couple of days, waiting for my new body to form completely. It was finally done. I could live in the light and be free of the darkness of my past. I walked towards the beams of sunlight angling down from the trees above. A large patch of it shone right in front of me.

Finally.

With my new fingers, I reached out and touched the sunlight. It was so warm. So, so warm. I had to cover myself in it. This strange desire, it was uncontrollable. I fully entered the light, turning so I could bask in it on all sides. It was so warm... so beautiful... so... so...

I was so lost in thought, I didn't realize that my fate had already been sealed. My body, my new body, began to disintegrate slowly. I didn't feel this sensation, since I wasn't truly human. I didn't have nerves to feel, I didn't have muscles to move, I didn't have a brain to think, and I didn't have a heart to pity those that I had thoughtlessly murdered, just so I could die in a similar way.

I never looked down, never even realized what was happening. My ashes floated through the forest on the small breeze. My new, unfamiliar eyes were focused on the light above the entire time, until they were gone, lost on the wind somewhere.

I had done terrible things, and I was paying the price.