It Started with Slime - Part 1

Chapter 38 - Dreams and Reality

As was always the case with any Evolution or Consolidation Resh found itself inside the dream. No, a memory. Resh had been subconsciously interchanging the words for a while now but for the first time, Resh knew that this was a glimpse into a moment in another's mind. It was a mind that felt more intimately its own than the affinity it had felt with any other being it had encountered.

Even though this was the only other mind Resh had connected to for some reason Resh felt intrinsically that there was a connection here. How else can I see through this creature's eyes? There is no other reasonable explanation...is there? And then if that is the case, the next question I need to ask is how is an Earth Slime that has been alive and awake for around two months suddenly finds that it is connected mentally to some Human (Male)? It is completely ridiculous!

Nothing about the box had changed. There was still pitch black. But Resh's ears had improved. It was now able to make out some faint sounds of scrapping above where this Human was lying. The sound of Earth being moved above, the skrit...skrit...skrit of metal scraping across wood and then the sound slowly fading as more soil fell on top of the box Resh was trapped in. The body the Earth Slime inhabited was too weak to scream, too weak to cry out for saving.

This human knew that nothing and no one was coming for it. Nothing was coming to save it. Tears silently leaked from the sides of withered and cracked skin. No one was coming...the sense of hopelessness that pervaded the mind of this creature was all-consuming. Resh found itself sinking into this despair. It was too much, gasping and desperate to get out Resh clawed at the top of the box with renewed vigour. The pathetic human's arms were like plant stems against the hard wooden surface and Resh heard a low rumble from outside. Instinctively the human knew it was laughter so Resh knew it too. The damn humans outside were laughing! And they continued to spread dirt and debris over the wooden case that this human lay in! Resh was about to lose its mind with the panic, anger and incredulity of the situation. What was happening? This was too much. It was too much to bear, Resh needed to get out of this humans body. Resh could hear panicked breathing, it was so close. The breathing was loud in Resh's ears.

Only a few moments later Resh realised that it was the one that was breathing so heavily, hyperventilating in its panic. It was being buried alive. Why was that sensation so fear-inspiring? Resh lived underground now. It was underground right now in its real body, so why was there so much fear associated with this situation? Resh could just consume the sides of the box and get out...couldn't it? Resh tried to calm down, breathing more slowly and deeply. Placing hands on the sides of the box Resh tried to Consume...it didn't work. Why had Resh thought that would work? Resh knew that no matter what it had tried, in these dreams or memories or whatever they were none of its skills worked. It knew that but it still wanted to try. With this last light of hope extinguished Resh and the human collapsed, the darkness of hope lost once more taking hold and robbing this body of all its remaining energy. Accepting death was the only way. The only thing left...

Resh jolted awake from this final acceptance of death and the vestiges of memory faded from its mind. These glimpses into another life were becoming more morbid each time Resh visited them. This is becoming a lot to handle. I thought I was going to lose my mind that last time.

Rather than coming out of Consolidation feeling rested it was becoming clear that Resh was more tired than before. But sleeping would just bring those nightmares again so what was a Slime to do? There was some obvious break in the connection that resh was not able to fully integrate with this human but Resh did not connect with any other humans in the same way as this one. Blowing out its lips in frustration Resh settled back to understand its gains in the last twelve hours.