I wrote this for LM, and didn't realize there was a 500 word cap. This story is 1072 words. There was no way I could cut half of it out and keep it full.
The Afterdeath
Short of breathe, I fell to one knee, using my hoe to keep balance. Why am I fighting it? Thunder boomed above. In my increasing weakness, I let the hoe fall, and roll onto my back. I felt the ground shake beneath me. I was afraid. For what after death, though? My eyes were open. Something sprouted from the ground and wrapped around my neck. I could not move. I watched the clouds drift by, the sight gave me false idea that it was I that was moving. Something slowly pressed against the back of my neck. Penetration. There was no pain, just pressure. My vision blurred. The unknown. After death, you are afraid of the unknown.
***
"Today is the day." I thought as I looked to the sky. I watched the clouds roll in like a funeral procession, darkening in celebration of my approaching death. To my left was my field, my life. It will appreciate the rain. Strange what death does to you. I found myself making a mental checklist of "things to do before I die." It wasn't filled with "tame a wild horse" or any other foolish stunts. I had things like "make sure the stove is snuffed out," and "Sharpen tools for Gilead, my son." I closed my eyes. He will mourn. A strong man, he is. He is ready to tend the fields on his own.
I opened my eyes and grabbed my hoe. It was heavy today. "It's already starting." I opened the door. The coming storm boomed as lightning struck the shoo-bird in the middle of the field. The ground continued to shake after the thunder subsided. It was a reminder of my debts unpaid. I promised my soul to a Great One whose name I could not pronounce. I called him Yarl.
***
I began to float above the ground. I saw my lifeless body on the ground. Did I escape my debt? Voices. I could not understand them, yet I knew what was being said.
Vale of Pnath.
We have reaped many of what he has sown.
Yes, but with your assistance.
I only infused the seed.
Very well. The Tarbeth region of Ulthar then.
Fittingly so.
Though I floated above, I could still feel the tendril tighten around my neck. I witnessed tentacles erupting from the ground. The ground rolled, and my body trembled with artificial life. It mirrored my first meeting with Yarl.
***
"I pledge my soul for a lifetime of hearty crops." I said to Yarl. His faceless head appeared to light up upon my offer. I may have been selfish, but I don't regret my actions. Yarl's 'head' turned to the side as a sort of trunk extended from it. I took this as a nod of approval. When Yarl became still, my fields quaked. The surface broke all across the field. Hideous forms tilled the ground. Worm-like creatures breached the surface, but quickly rolled back under leaving a green mucus film behind.
I had an idea that my crop would aid in recruitment for Yarl. I was indifferent to the Great Old Ones. Their return was inevitable. I made an obvious choice. We were happy, but not until my wife left me.
She knew nothing of my pact until the first bite of tomato from our fields. She spat it out and gave me a look of terror. She grabbed little Gilead as he was shoveling dinner into his mouth. It was our first complete meal. My wife, Annie, sent Gilead to his room and asked him to pack.
"You don't make pacts with the Great Ones!!! Don't you see? It was humoring you!"
"Humoring me? We have food! You and Gilead are safe!"
"We are not safe as long as we eat your crop! It would have taken your life without your silly pact!"
"All They ask for is thanks. What harm is in that?"
"Gilead and I are going to town. Bye Grant."
I'm not sure what happened, because my memory deceives me at times. What my memory told me was the room darkened. The wood creaked. The creak was low and transformed to a low groan. The groan amplified and the room began to vibrate. Worm-like creatures as thick as my arm erupted from between the cracks in the floor. Annie stood frozen in fear. The creatures quickly wrapped around her body. Annie didn't struggle until they worked their way past her knees. The thick mucus obscured my view of the worms. Where the mucus thinned, I was able to see the purplish form inside. Annie's screams were muted by the voluminous groan in the room. The worms seemed to work in unison. This is when I realized that the worms were from one creature. These were its tentacles.
The only thing I could see of Annie was her wide eyes. The groans diminished. Annie kept her eyes on me. The mucus dripped in haphazard splats on the floor. I was not afraid. Stepping closer to Annie, I saw my reflection in the mirror. I was smiling. I moved inches from Annie's face. Her eyes rolled into her head as the tentacles tightened their grip. I shuddered at the muffled sound of her breaking bones. The tentacles quickly pulled her body into the ground. All was silent, and the light returned to the room.
I walked out to check on Gilead. He was sitting at the dinner table, swallowing his food rather than chewing. I affectionately rubbed his hair. He looked at me with a large grin on his face, and then continued to eat.
***
I could feel the tentacles wrap around my body. My experience was different from Annie's. They caressed me. It was comforting. The mucus was warm in contrast to the cold rain that began to fall on my face. I felt rejuvenated. I looked upon my misshapen body horridly magnified by the green goo. The land settled and all was quiet. My body began to be pulled into the ground. Just when I thought I was to be left alone, my vision blurred again. When it cleared, I was back in my body. Still warm. Still comforted. I sank slowly into the ground. I lost sight as the dirt covered my face. I could hear the ground move past me. The sound of the dirt rubbing against me was calming. I fell into a gentle sleep.
