The Portia Complex

Have you ever woken up with unexplained bruises? Soreness?
Do you have trouble separating memories of dreams from reality?
Can you sometimes smell or hear things others can’t?

If you answered yes to one or all of the above, you may be the unknowing host of a Portia parasite.

Trust me; I would know. After all, I am a Portia who goes by the name Leefee (pronounced ‘leef’).

We are intelligent creatures, affecting the brain function of roughly 1 in every 12,000 humans. Generally symbiotic in nature, we reside inside your limbic system and feed on the chemicals released during emotional experiences, including REM sleep. The most powerful Portias replace the nerves entirely. In this way, we seize control of our hosts during dream states (commonly known as sleepwalking) and even pass on past hosts’ memories.

The trouble is that not all Portias play nice.

I have met many Portias that become drunk on power, tearing through host after host like a plague. They draw unwanted attention to a population which has always resided in the shadows. These outliers must be hunted down and destroyed at all cost.

With the help of my host, Angelica, I protect the precarious line between peaceful cohabitation and mutual extinction.