The Mushroom's Final Act
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A slender mushroom, characterized by its modest cap, stood in a small clearing in the middle of the forest. Though seemingly indifferent to his neighbors, blades of grass, a couple wild flowers, a beetle, and a bluejay, he understood their interdependence. They formed a symphony of life, each playing a unique yet crucial role.
They all surrounded him as he spoke, "The ancients warned us that the bipeds would harness fire. That they would multiply at exponential rates. And that they would destroy us all."
"Yes, we all know this," the beetle said, wriggling away ever so slightly from the bluejay. "But what can we do that hasn't already been tried and failed?"
Leaning in, the mushroom said, "I have a plan that I think will save us all." He only really cared for his kind, but he knew that if the plan were to work, it had to include all of them as well.
One of the thicker blades of grass scoffed, "Your past attempts were in vain! They ate you. You induced rage. Other times illness. Other times confusion. Yet, it only estranged them further. How will this endeavor differ?"
"It's hard to explain. Our lineage has been preparing for this for generations, and I've been chosen. I can't guarantee it will work. But I've got to try. You don't need to believe me. Just don't hinder the small one's path when he returns. I need him to eat me."
The bluejay replied, "You're really going to... whatever. Knock yourself out, bud."
The whole group went back to what they were doing, living in complete harmony with their surroundings.
The next day, it started raining just before dawn. It rained and it rained.
"Ok, everyone!" the mushroom shouted. "He approaches! Stay composed."
The mushroom stood still as a board, refusing to move his face.
A teenage boy of about 16 entered the clearing. Noticing the mushroom, his eyes lit up with hunger. He walked straight to it, but as he got closer, discovered that there was an enormous puddle surrounding it. He walked to the east side of the clearing looking for another path. Pausing for a moment, he was horrified to find his legs swarmed by fire ants. As he battled the ants, the heavens opened up and rain the size of fists began pounding him. The boy rushed for shelter under a nearby tree.
Realizing the peril of his predicament, the mushroom could only hope and wait. He knew that if this didn't happen today, he'd certainly be eaten by some critter or deer tomorrow.
The boy, drenched and disturbed, muttered to himself, "Once the rain subsides, I need to head home."
Observing the situation, Bluejay rolled his eyes. With a deep exhale, he swooped down towards the teen, forcing him out from under the tree. After a series of dives and near misses, the bluejay's final strike sent the boy tumbling into the puddle, mere inches from the mushroom.
The boy lay curled up into a ball, hands covering his face. He peeked through his fingers. The bluejay had disappeared.
As he regained his composure, he chuckled at his luck – he had landed next to the very mushroom he had desired. Confirming its harmlessness, he consumed it whole.
The mushroom willingly gave his last breath, whispering his final prayer to the universe, "May I be a vessel of love."
The rain ceased, and the sun bathed the forest for the first time that day, stretching her arms out wide as if just waking up.
As the young man started walking back home, he imagined that the trees were breathing. He shook his head to clear his vision. The colors were more vivid than he'd ever seen. This must be what happens when the sun has been deprived of its shining for a while, he thought.
He felt a swell of energy rising in him, like a wave before it crashes into the surf.
Without announcement, the world had changed. The visions he saw, the eras he visited, the beings he inhabited that day could fill books.
When he had been exhausted by the years he seemed to have lived, he heard a voice a ways off. He walked towards it, and then stopped.
It sounded like his mother, who'd passed 6 years earlier, singing.
He took several long breaths, steadying himself by holding onto a small sapling.
He kept walking and saw a woman sitting next to a stream lined with pebbles of gray and red. She was ladling handfuls of water, one hand into the next.
"Mom!" he shouted as he ran towards her. "How are you- What are you-?"
His mother looked up at him, smiling, her torso just as he remembered it, the rest of her body immersed in the earth. Their reunion was brief yet profound.
Before fading away, she put her hand on his face and implored, "Protect our home."
Returning to reality, the boy ran all the way back to his tribe, consumed by a single thought, We must safeguard her.