AnnaMaria
A Terrifying Discovery
This morning, I went out into the yard to water the flowers and check if the cats had scattered litter, as usual. But as soon as I opened the gate, a horrible, metallic smell hit me. My chest tightened, and my mouth almost tasted blood.
A few steps in, I froze. Something was moving near the flowerbed.
In front of me lay a slimy, reddish creature, seemingly turned inside out. The stench of rotting flesh made me recoil. My heart pounded as terrifying thoughts flooded my mind.
“What is this? A larva? A strange creature? The remains of an alien?”
I couldn’t figure it out.
Searching for Answers
I grabbed my phone and snapped a photo, wincing at the smell, then scoured the internet for clues. Typing “red slimy, rotten smelling mushroom” into the search engine returned results that made my skin crawl.
I couldn’t believe what I found.
“Anthurus archeri – an alien mushroom known as devil’s fingers.”
It turns out this bizarre fungus really exists.
The Devil’s Fingers Mushroom
Originating in Australia and Tasmania, this mushroom has gradually spread worldwide. At first, it looks like a white egg. But soon, red tentacles erupt, resembling claws or fingers.
The tentacles are slimy and emit a horrible carrion smell, which attracts flies to spread the spores.
People who encounter it for the first time often think they’ve discovered an alien. Some even call the police or animal control, convinced it’s a dead animal.
But in reality, it’s just a living, strange, and terrifying mushroom—one of the most unusual creations of nature.
Why I Avoid That Spot Now
I no longer water the flowers in that corner of the yard. The mushroom is left to grow undisturbed.
The “gift from the devil” deserves its solitude.
Even now, when I walk past, I can’t help but glance at it from a distance, a reminder that nature sometimes creates things more bizarre than fiction.
Just that.
