The Welsh Ghost Slug
White, it is. Shimmering. Teeth like knives. Slicing, macerating, engulfing me, piece by piece, the unswallowed part still wriggling. Ah, such a sad end for a worm who spent all her genderless life as a he. Subsumed by slime. Gobbled on the quiet. One soft body enveloped by another. Black into white. The same old story.
Know this. Be ready for them when they come. Like any other army it slithers forward on its hungy stomach. Silent, clever, Welsh - the first of its kind. Ysbryda. A paucity of vowels and a generosity of spit. A bigger mouthful than I was.
It's been a long time since I last tried one of these (a story in exactly 101 words). Thanks to Debra Hamel who alerted me to this story about the newly-discovered flesh-eating slug which provided the inspiration.
posted by Clare Dudman at 8:22 am
11 Comments:
Eww. The slug, not your story, although that makes feel a bit creeped out too : )
"A paucity of vowels and a generosity of spit." What a gorgeous line.
Kirsty: Heh, could be a good horror story good horror story. The Monster Welsh Ghost Slug...
Debra: thank you! I was quite pleased with that I have to admit - like spirit but with less letters...and of course meaning something entirely different. Heh heh.
Oops! I overlooked your potential interest in this. First found in Caerphilly, south Wales. They even have a video here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/7498195.stm
Enjoy!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/
1/hi/wales/south_east/
7498195.stm
Omit line breaks. Hope that works!
I read about this little devil a little while ago. Thought it was fantastic that its one of the first Latin names that features Welsh.
Your story adds a whole new dimension. Fun, creepy, sad!
It looks like a creature out of nightmare. Don't know if I really want to think about it, considering my loathing of slugs.
Thanks CFR - good links! Yes, Jem, it's great that Welsh has been included. I read once that Welsh was thought to be not a sophisticated-enough language to convey science (or modern life!).
Anne S: Yes, pretty horrible, I agree...don't ever read Patricia Highsmith's short stories - you'd never sleep again.
Yes it provides shudders and shivers and proves just how powerfully you assemble words Clare -it's a gift.
Oh, you are very kind, Kay - and means a lot from a wordsmith like you!
Welsh vowels :
A E I O U W Y
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