Induction

the day marking my 15th year since my

birth two adults came to my home and began to lead

me to the Heart of the City. I didn’t know what was

happening except that i was going to begin my

induction. I never understood why they kept the rituals

secret since we’d all need to do them one day, but i

was going to find out soon anyway.

They led me through twisting caverns for what

felt like days, telling me to keep moving whenever

mylegs gave out. My eyes gradually grew used to the

darkness deeper than black.

After an amount of time i truly can’t know,

they gave me a bowl filled with soup, and told me it

was made from the land. I quickly consumed it. It

tasted rotten and acidic, like someone mixed bile and

mold. My first thought was “i can’t believe all the

nights i spent envying my older cousins, wishing

i could join in when my family toasted, while the

Broth of our Land tastes like this”, my second thought

was “i’m still hungry”.

As i soon found out the Broth did not mark the

end of my induction, in fact it barely marked the start.

They brought me into a room and would ask me

questions periodically, about the City, about the

Bloom, about the Decomposition, and about the Heart.

If i ever tried to talk about something else they would

not answer, their silence made me feel like i didn’t

even exist at all, so i learned to only answer the

questions. When i answered correctly they’d inform

me i did “well”, when i answered wrong they would

sigh in disappointment.

After some time they no longer sighed, but i

could still feel it, the crushing weight of

disappointment, of letting them down, of letting

everyone down.

After some time they no longer sighed, but i

could still feel it, the crushing weight of

disappointment, of letting them down, of letting

everyone down. Has anyone ever done this poorly?

Surely not. I feel their eyes staring into my soul, swear

i can see them even though it’s long since been too

dark to see.

After the end of what i assume is a day they

give me food, not the Broth since it’s only for special

occasions, just simple food like mulch and tree’s

blood. If i am correct in meals marking each the end

of day then they keep me for many. So many i loose

count, all i know is that it’s more than 20. One day i

answer all their questions correctly, it felt as easy as

breathing yet i still feared that i was wrong, but i was

right, and so was i the next day, and the next, and the

one after that. On the fifth day of this they gave me a

bowl and told me to drink, it had the Land’s Broth in

it. I thought it would taste better. It didn’t.

They then lead me to another room. One with

light, a dim barely visible light, yet it still hurt my

eyes. All around me, on the floor and walls and

ceiling, were spiraling webs of thin glowing white

vines. I had never seen It before, yet i knew what It

was. The Heart of the City, the lifeblood of my

people, the Mycelium. One of the adults reached

down and the Mycelium reached back. A strand

disconnects and enters his hand. He brings It to me

and tells me to consume It. I do. The moment It enters

my mouth It expands, races down into my lungs and

threatens to consume me. It stretches into every inch

of my body, i feel like i’m burning, being eaten alive.

The pain is unbearable. I can’t stand it. Everyone has

survived this but me. I will be the first one to be

rejected, It will abandon me. I. Will. Be. Destroyed.

I wake up sweaty and panting, i can see

perfectly in the dark. The adults reach down, bring me

up, and congratulate me. The give me a bowl, and the

Broth tastes sweet