1 They Don't Have Mushroom...

'I HAVE TO HIDE!'

Running through the forest, my heart kept beating faster and faster, not to mention my legs were getting weirdly heavier!

'Oh no! it's a sign that it's coming closer! I need to run!' Was what I thought as I dashed to any direction as fast as I could.

The trees and branches were all enforced with natural energy so it became harder to push them away as my stamina was being drained so quickly from all the running. Some of those branches were so tough and sharp that it scratched my arms till it bled.

Since I was so focused on looking back to see if that thing had caught up, I naturally didn't notice the uprooting root in front of me. Causing me to, of course, fall face forward.

I thought that was bad enough but apparently, nope, it was worse. I fell into what seems to be a slope, that will only lead to the worst case scenario, the cliff.

I would explain the geography of the island that I was in but that would only divert your attention.

Now back to the story,

I cursed myself for being so unlucky as my body rolled downwards closer to the edge while gaining so many scratches and injuries from the random rocks and twigs on the ground. Although it hurt a lot, I could only grit my teeth and bear through it. Trying to lose my momentum I tried to hang on a few of them but gravity and inertia clearly wouldn't let me.

The edge was closer than expected. seeing the harsh waves below as they crash those rocks into pieces I thought to myself 'Wow, I'm really going to die'. Shutting my eyes, I felt the wind blowing up on my face. It grew rougher as my body made its way down.

Suddenly, the neckline at the back of my shirt got pulled and because of the momentum, I nearly choked but at least my falling had stopped leaving me suspended in the air, like a kitten being held by the neck. I paled as I opened my eyes, only to see the waves were so close that I could honestly smell the ocean's scent. 'That doesn't even make any sense!' I thought, 'Oh god, I nearly died.'

Just as I was shocked to realization, the thing that was holding the scruff of the back of my shirt got pulled me upwards and at the top of the cliff, I came face to face with that thing, that monster who apparently had saved me. Visually, the monster looked like a blob or a tadpole, if u consider the tail that was holding me but I knew that it could make several of those tails if it wanted to. A slime would be more accurate but its color was multiple times darker. It does have legs and feet but I can't really describe its look. The monster had a foggy or blurry 'mask' around it so I couldn't tell much.

But it looked clearly angry as it roared very loudly at me causing me to sway because of the pressure and spit from its mouth. Did I mention I was hovering at the very edge of the cliff?

I cough nervously as I said,

'Haha... you caught me... sooooo I guess I'm it now?'

Yea, I was playing tag with a monster.

So what?

----------

The island was called Mushroom Island because of its unique shaped terrain that looked like a Button Mushroom. The island was literally a big giant mushroom made out of the earth. That explains the slope and the cliff before. Not only that, but the Island had an unnatural growth spurt of mushroom, making them the main source of the economy.

Evening came and I walked back home.

The house was only a small wooden house that had two storeys with only 2 rooms, 2 bathrooms, and a kitchen. Nothing extravagant.

But people are very wary of this house so it was naturally isolated at the top of the hill. Even the nearest neighbor was a kilometer away.

As for why it was isolated?

It's because of me.

My parents and I lived in the house since I was small but some neighbors saw me talking to the monster one time and the rumor that 'I am a devil' started to spread. Everyone avoided me so I grew up without having any friends.

People were naturally scared of the things they could not understand. After all, nobody could see the monster except for me.

Bullies were everywhere but that was a story for another time.

My parents, however, still loved me as they obviously didn't care about the rumors. Thus they were also isolated by the whole town. There were hard times where they could not sell items in the shop because of this mess, making my father hunt in the forest to put food on the table.

As I entered the house, I was greeted by the delicious smell of Cinnamon Mushroom Cakes, my mother's specialty.

My father was sitting in his lazy chair with his reading glasses on as he read the news that was recently delivered through a pipe that shoots a stack of paper containing news from all around the world right inside our very own home. He was a big man with more hair on his chin than his head. My mother often tells me that my father was the strongest in the Town, he could even handle a giant black bear with his bare hands!

I grabbed a piece of the cake and was ready to go upstairs to my room, but halfway there my mother called.

"Little Mush, could you be a dear and come to help me for a while? Also, there's something important your father and I need to talk to you about after dinner."

"What is it about mother? Why can't you tell me now? Is it a secret?" My face lit up at the mention of secrets! I love secrets and the reasons it was kept as one.

I ran towards my mother in the Kitchen and hugged her. She was a short and plump woman with golden frizzy hair tied together by a piece of rubber. The freckles on her face made her hazel colored eyes shine.

"Is it a secret mother? Is it a secret?" My mother could only laugh at my childish behavior.

"Now stop with that you little... now help me prepare the dinner table would you love?"

I left excitedly not knowing that my mother was looking at me with such sad eyes. She sighs as she prays 'Oh Lord, help this poor child, he doesn't deserve this cruelty'

At dinner, all three of us were gathered at the dining table, happily eating. I was quite puzzled by a large amount of food on the table. Was it a special occasion? Was it because of that secret?

There was indeed so much food. From Forest Pork Mushroom, Wild ginger Mushroom Ale, Chicken Mushroom with spicy Mushroom sauce and there was even the Mushroom chocolate shaped candy personally handmade by my mother! There were several other ones too but the list would be too long.

I, however, failed to notice that my parents were eating a tiny amount of them. It was as if they had no appetite to eat at all. In the end, they sat there looking at me eating with a slight smile on their faces.

It was at that very moment that I felt it. My heart beats faster and my whole body became strangely heavier.

'Why is that monster coming towards me?'

"Honey..."

My mother's voice interrupted my thoughts. looking at them I saw their faces were as white as paper.

"What's wrong?"

"We have something important to tell you. We... we didn't want to... we wanted to wait till maybe you're a bit older...but...but..." Her voice started to tremble and shiver and I could see the tears forming.

"But we have no choice son." My father spoke. He rarely speaks and was a man of few words. But I could hear something from that voice of his. Was that fear?

"If it's that secret, I don't wanna know of it anymore" I spoke, noticing the increasing of my heartbeat.

"Son listen to me-"

"NO! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!" I shouted as I threw away my utensils and covered my ears trying to drown the sound of the world.

*BANG*

My father slammed the table causing me to tremble.

"YOU LISTEN TO ME RIGHT NOW YOU FOOLISH CHILD ...oh you foolish child...such a foolish child"

I soon realized that he was crying. I never realized a man like him could cry. Mother tried to help him as he was stumbled shakily out of his chair. She held his hand tightly, I never knew their hands were so wrinkled. I've forgotten how old they've become as the years go by.

"Little Mush... do you want to know your father and mother's biggest secret?" She looked at me with those eyes. Those sad eyes.

Though I was reluctant I knew I had to agree so I nodded my little head ignoring the pain my body felt as it grew heavier by the second.

"We... are not your real parents"

*BOOM*

The moment she said that my eyes were filled with white. My ears were ringing. The surroundings were so bright I couldn't even see the fingers on my hands anymore. Then everything went black.

--------

Little did he know that on that day, Mushroom Island had ceased to exist. The news was spreading. A missile had attacked the island. Authority were claiming that it was a terrorist attack. An attack that took more than a hundred thousand lives on that day.

I guess you could say they don't have mushroom anymore...