Experience Writing Halloween Challenge Flash Fiction Prompt ( Photo at the bottom of this post ):

Photographer:Pam Catcheside – GBIF & Atlas of Living Australia,

The Ghoul Fungus is native to Australia and does not grow anywhere else on Earth. It springs up from the decomposing remains of mammals, reptiles, and birds.

In my searches, I did not  find accounts of the Ghoul Fungus taking root in human remains. There are no stories about hikers finding a rotting human corpse under a tree or wedged between rocks, covered in mushrooms with sticky brown and pink caps and pale pink gills.

The reason no one has seen this—why there are no reports of the Ghoul Fungus turning up anywhere else in the world—is simple.

Maybe once the fungus blooms on the host, it’s gobbled up or taken away to be feasted upon by Wendigos, who probably eat uncooked food as they run and slither through the forest. Or maybe Rakshasas serve the Ghoul Fungus on fine china set upon crisp linen tablecloths in dark and damp dining halls in abandoned tombs and mausoleums.

Ghoul Fungus is not a normal  vegetable  and I don’t think it would be consumed like one.

I believe if you did take a bite, you’d find the Ghoul Fungus squishy, dry and a little crunchy. You may also wonder what pushed you to put something in your mouth called a Ghoul Fungus.

If you come across a patch of ground choking on mushrooms and blobs and gobs of flesh and bones, you may want to reconsider your choice to stand there and wonder at the sight you see—especially if it is around mealtime.