Not Your Usual Scary Stories

Pathways

Did you know that many types of trees have roots that connect underground?

In fact there are full forests of trees that are all one large interconnected creature. Now, a single tree is a very basic organism. It absorbs water and nutrients through it's roots and all of it's energy goes towards growth and the sustainment of life, but, when you connect many trees together they form something bigger.

Like many things, the sum of the parts is not equal to the whole.

This may seem like nothing much to you, but what if each tree acted like a neuron in the brain? Each neuron can do little more than behave as a transmitter for an electrical signal, however if you string enough together to form infinite pathways then suddenly you have a mass which is able to form memories.

It may seem odd and elementary, but connect enough plants together and they, too, can remember.

The forest I live in is just like that.

There are interconnected trees that span for miles in all directions. This cluster of trees remembers where the best spots for sunlight and water are, but more importantly it remembers the things we humans have done to it and it's home.

Silly, right? I know. I thought so too.

Until I woke up this morning and couldn't open my door. I slammed against the door over and over, but it wouldn't budge an inch.

Next I tried the windows. They were stuck tight too, but through them I could see roots coiling around, sealing them tight. Roots that hadn't been there last night.

I've tried everything I can think of to get out of my cabin prison but every attempt I make is thwarted by the sheer amount of foliage around me.

I try to cut them down, but they grow back faster than I can cut away.

The entire cabin must be surrounded by now and I fear I'll never escape.

But worse than that, the roots are starting to come up through the floorboards now.

I can't avoid them, but I can't stay awake forever. I already know that when I do finally manage to sleep they will wrap tightly around my useless body and pull me down into the earth, using my flesh as nutrients for their rapid growth.

I guess this is the end now.

The worst realization, the worst of all, is that once they have me they will remember just how easy it was.

And they're never going to stop.

I hope you have better luck than I did.