Later in Midnight. I still cannot sleep. Weird…very weird. I still touch my hand with THAT fungus.
"Honey… you okay?" asked Violet. "I'm okay Sugar." I said.
I tried to sleep.
In my Dreams, it was the golden field outside our mansion. Where the Dam was not built yet.
Joan and I laugh as we hold each other's hand. She looks at me. I look at her. We are very young then.
Then We look at the yellow sunset, filled with Joy. Laughing at our dumb silly jokes, eating with honey and yellow bread.
Then a Giant Drop of yellow, falls from the sky.
The Black. Nothing. I saw Joan floating in the water with Yellow fungus growing out from her. She is smiling as she holds my hand.
"I am happy, I met you in my short, short life." Said by her. Then she dissipates. I smile. I am happy she had her rest after years of pain.
"Dad… What's happening?" asked John. I look back.
The studio looks like a yellow glowing mushroom fairytale.
I pinched myself. It's real. Huuuuh?
Then, there is an empty wheelchair on the very side corner with yellow seat.
It moved a little. Scaring me and John. I pull John out. "That's some scary shit." Said John. Violet looked confused looking at us. "Elias… are you sleep walking again? You be like laughing and laughing…" she said.
"Don't open, something IS weird." I said. She opens anyways. The whole room goes back to normal
.
The Next Morning
I am still, puzzled what happened yesterday but...
Why is my son, snuggling me. Don't get me wrong I love snuggling, with my wife.
"John, you are a grown ass man." I said to him.
He is still asleep. I pinch his nose. He snores even more. Violet moves and snuggles me. I smile.
It's kinda, hard to explain. But it feels warm, I hug both of them back. God, John is even bigger than me now… I don't understand why, he seems…scared. Oh. The mushrooms yesterday. Understandable.
In the breakfast Table
I am looking at the Laetiporus mushroom sautee, also known as the chicken of the forest. Violet eats it deliciously. Then I look at John. He seems, disgusted by it since yesterday. He looks at me. We both giggle.
The irony in all of it is…
"Welcome Chairman!" said the workers. Our family are mushroom farmers, and it has evolved since I left them almost 25 years ago.
A younger woman, looking like Joan looks at me as she waves. It must be her niece, since Joan has green eyes, she has blue.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" shouted her, Jema as she hugs me. "Jema." I said. "Have you visited aunt Joan's grave yet?" asked her. "Not yet." I answered. She smiles. We tour around the facility first.
She notices John. "Oh." She said. "He's single." I said.
"Dad! Stop!" said John. "Shut up virgin!" I replied to him. We giggled. 'Don't worry Sir John, I am virgin too." She replied. I look at her with an open mouth. She laughs.
I look at John. John is frozen with an open mouth smile. "Close your mouths Sirs. There are flies in the area." Said Jema as she carries a sack as she laughs.
"You two are cute, Welcome back Sir Eias." She said.
Later, There is a wheelchair.
I go to it. "I heard you had a wife. Imagine. You and aunt eloped, despite: aunt Joan's sickness worsened, She died smiling. In her diary. Every time with you is the happiest moment in her life." Said Jema.
I look down saddened. I look at the old photos of me and Joan. We are friends since we are kids. Then. We became secret lovers in our teens. The agriculture is more varied before. This times: most of the lands are barren since the dam was built.
Weirdly enough, the mushrooms maintained the once swampy area: now a giant facility with ground water. Becoming a giant marsh pond.
John looks at the site. "Golden City Marsh Cuddlefish… Is this a typo?" Asked John.
"No Sir John, we have weird animals around since an undeground cave re-opened, releasing cave dwelling creatures that adopted on weird enviroments. Especially the cuddlefish, They like to hug each other,especially when sleeping." Said Jema.
John was inspecting the Marsh ponds. He notices something as he swipes something in the pond. It was an alive, cuddlefish: Weirdly enough. A,cephalopod: tentacle creatures. John was… curious about it too.
I always read about animals, he loves cephalopods mostly. He goes to me.
"It looks like a white cuttlefish but, also like a brief squid!" said John. His eyebrows crossed. He looks at me. The cuddlefish cuddles his hand and make bioluminescent rainbow dots.
"Fascinating!" I said. John's eyes starts to shift colors. Huh? The Cuddlefish swims away.
"John." I try to wake him up. He looks at me. His eyes still shifting colors then it stopped, returning to his Limbal heterochromia.
His nose bleeds as he falls down shaking. Everyone looks at us.
I carry him towards the infirmary.
He gasps as he coughs… ink mixed with blood. I hug him. "John, look at me." He looks at me.
John looks at me,scared. I hold his hand.
"John, Look at dad, count how many fingers is in your hand."
"I…2…3…4…5…" said John.
"What do you see?" I asked.
"I younger woman, that looks like a younger mom. With brown hair…Green eyes….She's smiling… A man, that look like a younger you… And." Said John. He looks on the right.
The lights flicker.
There is a small kid. Next to John. I know that sad face. It's Jonathan. He holds John's hand as Jonathan tears up.
We are all scared, as Blue mushrooms grows on John's sleeve.
The light turns back.
"What happened?" asked John. Weirdly enough. I am confused, myself. I look back. "Dad…it's her…She's whispering to me." Said John. Everyone looks at the corner of the wall. The light flickers violently.
The wheelchair moves towards it.
Everyone backs off. "What's going on?"asked Jema.
John screams as his nose and eyes bleeds. The light returns. We all looked at John. John froze. His hands becomes cold. He's shaking. Then it stops
John. I hug him. I wailed.
Later. I just froze. Everyone is crying with me. I kiss John's lifeless forehead. One last time. I broke down crying. Violet opens the door.
She looks at me. She looks at John. She's trying to remain strong as she hugs me. "Our John…" she said. "I wish this never happened." I said. A Clear water drop echoes at my back. I fainted with open eyes. The people are alarmed again. "HONEY!!!' shouted Violet.
I woke up. John was cuddling me. John. I weep as I hold my son's face. He hug him fully. He snores. Violet snuggles closer. I snuggle both of them tightly.
Later at breakfast.
Violet and John looks at me. "You okay Honey?" asked her. "I'm fine." I said. I am looking at the Laetiporus mushroom sautee, also known as the chicken of the forest. Violet eats it deliciously. Then I look at John. He seems, disgusted by it… Wait a minute.
I stand up. I look at the calendar and time. "Honey? You okay?" asked Violet. I look at John eating the garlic bread instead.
"Yes…yes?" I asked.
Later… "Sugar, let's stop over your destination first. John, might like real estate property too." I said. "Wow. You sure you don't want to see the strange new creatures?" asked Violet. I look at John in the mirror.
"Nope. More of… not yet." I said.
In the Real Estates
The three of us goes inside. The guests arrive. They are fascinated. "Wow." Said by them. "Wait, lemmi guess… Father,Son and Mother..." said by a woman. "Yes." Replied the three of us. And adds,"Oh…Oh my, such beautiful people!" We giggled.
Later
We check the farms, the one with a marsh pond. The workers was lamenting at someone. Jema was crying. I open the blanket. It was Jema's Dad. Joan's older brother. His eyes and face orifices was gushing with blood and ink.
The scientists put a warning on the pond. We look at the actual Cuddlefish. It doesn't have the spot like eyes. Then they take out one with spot like eyes. It hugs one of them then glows. "Aw!" said the one taking it as he throws it on the ground.
The scientist convulses. I look down. I pull Violet and John out. "Let's go, it's dangerous out here." I said.
Later that night. I can't believe… It, it's like… I reverted back in time, and,to be honest. Maybe…Just maybe. I do love my wife and son, more than I know.
I go out and went to John's room. He lay down and snuggle him. He is warm… He is warm. I cried a little.
"Dad? Uhm, you okay?" asked John.
"Just, give me a moment." I said.
Violet knows, she hugs me too. I started to cry. "It's okay, okay?" said Violet as she hugs me closer as she rubs my hair, making me fall asleep.
She hums a lullaby.
In the Dream
It was Dark, it was full of Glowing Mushrooms. On the Side, I saw, Violet crying over two coffins. It was a picture of John and Me. Then she take a revolver.
Click. Boom.
Then Joan looks at me. I hear the clear water drop again. We both look to the left.
There are two stalactite. I look at Joan. It changes again. Here is a White Ammonite headed human, with rainbow eyes.
"I'm sorry for all these." He said. He looks to the right.
The Yellow Fungues man with Cuttlefish head smiles while covered in yellow mushroom molds.
Next to it is a Sad looking blue Octopus creature covered in Blue mushroom molds and lion tail.
Then a Red Octopus headed man with bat wings and angry look at me as he said, "You made a Taboo…" said the Red One. I notice that they have crowns.
I realized something. The 3 Idols in the cave.
"We are not Idols, nor Gods!" said the Red one,angrily. "Red, take it easy, you make Blue sad." Said Yellow gleefully. The White Natullius headed man looks at me.
"EOIN!" he said to the White one.
"Fine. I'm sorry about this. And…Thank you." Said Eoin as he hugs me.
I woke up.
John was hugging me. He is snoring again… Wait, I should give him a medical check-up. Violet snores too.
"Like Mother, like son." I said.
In the Hospital
Violet and John was looking at me. "They're normal." Said the Doctor.
"Elias… We don't have sleep apnea! Geez. It's just a hard day!" said Violet.
John laughs and say, "Dad's being cute!"
"Shut up! Geez. You two make me worry sometimes!' I said. Violet hugs me and John.
She laughs. "Wow, we, act more and more like an actual family." Said Violet. "We are… I mean. I already arranged my papers to Adopt John formally." I said. John hugs me and his mother more.
"I know, It's supposedly your Happy Birthday surprise!" I said. John carries me and her mother on the hug. "John…" said both me and Violet as we laughs.