A Victim's Dictionary
an experimental flash fiction
This was written for the 30 Days of Fright challenge (hosted by Wendy Cockcroft). Prompt 24: frightening fungus.
A Victim’s Dictionary
decomposition: (noun) the act of breaking dead organic matter down into smaller parts or essential elements
Example usage:
My corpse has already begun to decompose. The forest is alive with birdsong. Fresh green shoots poke through soil. Insects scurry. Trees form buds. Flowers bloom. Everything that is alive continues to grow. But I am dead. I feed the living.
Related terms:
decompose
decay
fungus
bacteria
rot
carcass
meat
me
fungus: (noun) a class of organism that feeds on decaying or living organic matter; plural: fungi
Example usage:
The fungi feed on my decaying corpse. You made sure of that.
Related terms:
mushroom
mycelium, mycelia
decomposition
decomposer
murder
murderermycelium: (noun) a network of threads that spread out from a fungus and absorb nutrients often in soil or within organic matter; plural: mycelia
Example usage:
In my shallow grave, mycelia’s filaments thread through my rotting flesh, branching like rivers on a map of my skin, absorbing and disassembling what once was me. The mycelia root me in place while at the same time disintegrating me into the soil. Lucky for you, you think, that decomposition happens quickly in this forest.
Related terms:
network
filaments
mushroom
fruiting body
dead body
girlfriend’s body
my body
my dead body
fruiting Body: (noun) the reproductive structure of a fungus that produces spores; for example, the visible part of a mushroom is a fruiting body
Example usage:
Above the ground, the white fruiting bodies sprout on their stalks, covering my grave in a living blanket of mushrooms that slowly digests what is left of me. They release their spores into the wind, seeking.
Related terms:
mushroom
spores
life cycle
life cut short
lifeless corpse
your fault
you will payspores: (noun) single-celled structures produced by fungi that disperse in order for the organism to reproduce; known to be resilient and survive in extreme conditions
Example usage:
I knew you’d return to the scene because they’re onto you, aren’t they? Did you think you’d move my body? Too late. The mushrooms have grown thick and the spores are heavy in the air. I am rooted, half-earth now. You’re inhaling my spores even now. They are nestling in your hair, the wrinkles of your skin, the spaces between your teeth. You’re a marked man.
I’ll be found, you know?
And so will you.
Related terms:
mushrooms
mycology
forensic mycology
reproduction
retribution
single cell
prison cell
rotting in prison
rotting, like memycology: the scientific study of fungi; a branch of biology
Example usage:
I learn mycology from the inside. No books, no lectures, no microscopes. It’s all fieldwork. I and the fungi form a web of enzymes, nutrients, minerals. A symbiosis I wasn’t ready for.
Related terms:
mushrooms
fungus
decomposition
death
ecology
eulogy
elegy
a silent song of rebirthforensic mycology: the use of fungi in criminal investigations. The study of fungi can aid in the location of hidden burials and in linking suspects to crimes. A person who practices forensic mycology is called a forensic mycologist.
Example usage:
We’re all part of a network. The forensic mycologists linked you to me, my spores leading them, my mycelia reaching out, my fruiting bodies stark white in the darkness, screaming out, “I’m here!” in the silence of the forest. The fungi found what remains of me, and flourished, when you thought my remains would never be found. You counted on my decomposition to save you. Instead, it was your downfall.
Related terms:
crime
criminal
killer
victim
evidence
judged
justice
peace
rest
rest in peace
Here is a really lovely and poetic short film about fungi and their role in decomposition.
Further Reading
In case you missed them, here are some of my recent posts for the 30 Days of Fright writing challenge.
The Mourning Bell
I'm very fond of this gothic story about a mother and daughter whose time is limited.
This is the Shrouded Grouse, and here you’ll find supernatural short stories and novellas, essays and musings, zines, and illustrations that explore the liminal spaces and moody places.
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I loved how you turned something as mundane as dictionary definitions into a trap—you think you're learning about fungi, but you're actually hearing a murder victim's revenge unfold. The way the "related terms" sections gradually shift from scientific language to personal accusations was clever and unsettling.
The concept of the victim becoming part of the evidence that convicts her killer through decomposition felt like perfect poetic justice, and the format made every revelation feel both clinical and intimate.
Masterfully done!
OMGosh! I loved that. As an obsessive learner who is always turning towards Google…I thought of the terror of turning to the internet and seeing these pointed definitions and believing I was going mad…translate Tell Tale Heart for the Internet age perhaps.