Basil sat in his kitchen staring at the bag of poison as he rubbed his hands together nervously. He had read the instructions front to back, but nowhere on the bag did it have information about his current problem. He attempted to search online for information on the plant, but couldn't find anything. It was like it didn't exist, or maybe it was an undiscovered species. He would be more excited about that fact if it wasn't using his body as a planter.
"Maybe I could mix it in a drink…" He pondered, running his fingers through his hair. He decided to brew some tea to mix a small amount into. A small amount shouldn't kill him, he thought. He read the bag again as he waited for the water to boil. He had read it so many times now he'd memorized it. He started reciting it aloud to pass the time.
Finally the sharp whistle of the kettle filled the air, shocking him out of his daze. He tossed a mint tea bag into his favorite cup and poured the water over it, the rich smell of the herbs filling the room. He inhaled deeply and sighed, he wished he drank tea more often, but it usually slipped his mind, or he simply procrastinated and would forget.
A soft humming invaded his head as he felt the vines inside twist and turn gently. It made his skin crawl to think about it and it bothered him even more that he was becoming used to it. He blew on the steaming liquid in an attempt to cool it down and took a sip, instantly burning his tongue. Basil hissed through his teeth as he tried to fan his mouth with his hand. He was never patient when it came to hot food or drinks.
He brought the cup to the table and set it aside the bag of poison. He checked the bag again, looking for the poison control number, just in case. He thought about calling before he attempted this, but figured he wouldn't know what to say. 'Hello, I was invaded by a carnivorous plant parasite, can I drink this poison to kill it without it killing me?' He thought to himself. Yeah, that'd go over great.
The bag says to add a tablespoon to a gallon of water to kill 5 square feet of unwanted weeds. He wondered how someone measured that. He took his teaspoon from the tea, and licked the remaining liquid from it, then studied the silverware. "Maybe if i just dip it in and use what sticks, that might be enough…" He mused to himself as he carefully tore the bag open, the dusty material billowing out of the bag. He started coughing as his nostrils were assaulted by the foul smelling powder. Suddenly his body seized up and he fell to the floor, the ringing growing louder and more high pitched in his head. His limbs curling against his body as the plant writhed.
He could feel thousands of sharp barbs stabbing inside himself, forcing him to moan in pain as his finger nails dug into his palms. He lay curled in pain, the sound gradually dying down as the plant calmed. His body hurt as he slowly regained control, relaxing his limbs and rolling over onto his back. He tried to steady his breathing, his lungs still burning slightly from the poison. "I guess you don't like that stuff then, huh…" He spoke, talking to the plant. He felt the tendrils shift slightly under his skin.
He gently lifted himself up off of the floor and sat back down at the table. The powder was stark white with small blue flecks scattered throughout. It had spilled slightly on the table and he was sure not to breath anymore in or touch any with his bare fingers. He looked back at the tea, luckily it was clean of the powder. He thought that maybe this was a bad idea as he picked the spoon back up, licking it slightly and then dipping it into the poison.
Sweat began to accumulate on his forehead as he mixed the powder into his tea. He watched it swirl around before fading completely. He looked back at the bag, he could see the poison control number clearly, though he figured it wouldn't matter if the plant took control again. He sighed and brought the cup to his lips. He could smell the faint, lingering scent of mint as he froze, not wanting to drink poison. He kept it to his lips for awhile, a few beads of sweat rolled down his face, scared to go any further.
Eventually he set the cup back down, his hands shaking as he attempted to wipe up his sweat with his sleeve. "This is a really bad idea…" He whispered to himself. He got up and walked to his bathroom, running the tap on cold. He removed his eye patch and splashed some water onto his face and looked into the mirror. His hands ran along his cheek, his skin had become a tinge greener than before, his freckles had turned green as well. He could see the vines in the empty cavern that was once his eye, they twisted and turned, a few of the bulbs starting to crawl out and up towards the bathroom light.
Basil could feel anger welling up inside him as he watched the intruder sprouting from his face. He grabbed the plant and pushed it back into his head, quickly covering it with his patch again and marching to the kitchen table. He was sick of this and he was going to end it right now. He was sure they wouldn't survive this. He lifted the cup to his mouth and took a large gulp.
He immediately dropped his cup to the ground, the glass shattering upon impact as he doubled over. The plant was screaming in his head again, this time more shrill than ever before. His stomach felt as if it were on fire as he clawed at the skin on his stomach. The plant pushed his eye patch from his face and started curling out and around, entangling itself in his hair. He pushed himself towards the bathroom, his legs feeling weak. He fell to his knees before the toilet and immediately purged the contents of his stomach.
He vomited until nothing more would come up, his stomach felt like it was being torn apart. Bits of blood came up along with the small amount of tea and the candy bar he had eaten earlier for dinner. His vision started fading out and the ringing in his head grew fainter and fainter. The last thing he felt was the back of his head hit the bathroom wall behind him.
—-
Warm…. Something felt warm… and…. wet? It felt like the embrace of a warm bath, surrounding him entirely. Basil slowly opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. It was bright and foggy, His body halfway submerged in warm, white water. He rose to his feet, the liquid didn't linger on his skin, as if it wasn't real. He looked around the area, there were no shores any where, but the water wasn't very high.
He began to walk against the current, not really knowing which way to go. He faintly remembered this place. Was it from a dream? Maybe this was a dream, He thought to himself. He ran his fingers along the water's surface as he walked. This was an inviting place, it had a serene, welcoming air to it.
He wandered for what felt like forever, until he suddenly heard a voice. It sounded as if it was coming from all directions. It was calm and steady, the words running together monotonously.
"Why are you wandering around here?" It quizzed. Basil looked around, but could not see the source of the voice. He shrugged gently as he continued to walk. "You aren't supposed to be here." It spoke again, this time it sounded louder, as if it was right above him. He glanced up quickly, seeing no one there. He stopped momentarily and tried to survey the area better. He was still alone. He began walking only to be interrupted the moment his foot left the ground.
"You need to leave. You can't be wandering here for very long. You don't belong." The voice was sounding more and more impatient as it asserted. Basil finally came to a stop, he decided to wait and see if the voice would speak again if he didn't move.
"How do I leave…?" Basil finally questioned, His body started feeling colder as he stood still, he wanted to keep moving, the water felt warmer when he moved. Suddenly a figure came into view, floating down, out of the fog. The 'person' had small, grayish white angel wings on his back and soft white hair. His red eyes looked tired and frustrated as he stared down at Basil.
"What do you mean 'how do I leave'?" His voiced was mocking as he berated Basil. "You just leave. Go back to your corporate form. You're the one that wandered in here when he wasn't supposed to. Now you expect me to help you?" He sounded annoyed, as if he had been interrupted in the middle of something important. Basil just stared up, a mixture of confusion and apologetic empathy. The stranger sighed exasperatedly, rubbing his eyes with his hand. "Alright, I'll send you back, but don't come back here again until you're supposed to, Okay?" His voice, while still frustrated had an air of sympathy to it.
Basil felt himself suddenly be pulled back, his head jerking forward, the river looked as if it was growing further away, he could have sworn he heard the strange man mention something about 'He looks familiar…' as he was ripped from the veil. He felt his body smash against something and everything went dark again.
—-
The quiet ringing slowly began to fill the silence and the bright bathroom lights felt blinding. Basil reached up to cover his eye with his hand and he could feel something wet on his sleeve. He recoiled, looking down, his face filled with disgust as the realization that he had vomited on himself took hold. He groaned out as the pain began to overtake his senses. His head hurt, his stomach hurt and his body hurt. Everything felt like he had been mauled by some wild animal. He could see the plant in his peripheral vision. It was twisting about, taking in the light of the harsh bathroom sconces.
"I guess that didn't work" He mused to the vines as he carefully pushed himself off the floor. His body felt weak and he grabbed the wall to steady himself from falling again. His clothes were drenched in a mixture of sweat, vomit and tears as he peeled them off. He turned the faucet in the shower, deciding it would probably be best to wash himself. As he stood under the warm streams of water, the vines were crawling out, entangling themselves around the fixtures, seeming to enjoy the water.
"I wish you'd just crawl all the way out and leave my body alone" Basil joked to the plant as his hands ran through his hair. A quiet ringing was the only response he got in return. His body ached and he resigned himself to sit on the shower floor, enjoying the relaxing water as it bounced off his abused skin.
"Maybe I should just learn to live with you… " He sighed as he watched the plant slink around curiously. He scrubbed his skin a little, hissing every so often when he hit a tender or raw area. His hands were still scratched up from the first night he got his little visitor. Next he decided to brush his teeth. He preferred to brush his teeth in the shower, he felt that it saved water and he didn't have to be as careful to not get toothpaste everywhere.
He brought the brush to his mouth and tensed when his brush hit his teeth. He pulled it back suddenly and rubbed the surface with his finger. His teeth had become jagged and sharp, he finally found one that was still round at the end and gave it a slight tug. It popped out smoothly. Basil stared at the tooth in his hand, his heart began to race as he panicked, shoving his finger back to the spot it had been pulled. In place of the tooth was a sharp point, slowly making it's way through his gum.
Basil jolted upright, quickly pulling the curtain open. Sure enough, several teeth laid on the ground around where he had passed out. How had he not noticed that he wondered, his mind racing. He quickly finished up showering and jumped out, wrapping his favorite green towel around himself. He wiped the steam from the mirror and looked into his mouth, pulling his lip away with his fingers. A row of sharp, shark like teeth had replaced his old ones. He ran his tongue along the bottom, feeling the sharpness of each.
"What next…?" He whispered to himself. He dried off and walked to his bed. He tossed his grey sleep shirt over his head and pulled on fresh underwear. He felt worn out and tired from everything that had happened. He figured he'd clean up the mess he made with the poison in the morning and hoped quietly to himself that things would be normal again.
