The Forest Feels Icky

Chase, like all good firewood cutters, chose trees that were ready to be felled because of sickness, fire, or age. What he didn't understand was that bacteriophages, or more accurately arborophages, were present in his small section of western Oregon forest.

The morning was warm and damp and Chase got right to work felling the 4 medium sized trees that would fill his pickup. As the late morning sun edged up the sky over the Cascades he began to cut the final tree when to his surprise he saw several queer spider-like creatures squeeze themselves out of the wood. Chase cut his saw motor and stepped back in surprise. Shouldering the heavy tool he watched as several of the creatures made for nearby trees and seemed to squat against the bark. Seconds later the creature dropped empty to the ground. Apparently it had deposited most of its innards into the core of the tree.

Someday, when the tree fell perhaps more of the macrophages would emerge and continue their cycle. The death of the tree host signaled life for the creature but this miraculous event was lost on both Chase, as he stared in wonder, and on the rest of the forest as it watched silently.
My weird story participants, Bradley and Violet, crafted two awesome stories that must have taken some time to create. I felt that expecting people to write a story might be a bit much so this week I am trying a new approach. Give me a story starter that I can finish by Saturday and if I pick yours then you get a drawing.

Which reminds me, I figure it is nasty to choose a winner in a 2 person contest (I was the loser in one of those and it was kind of the pits). So both participants are the winner. Here is the prize for Bradley and Violet's is coming soon. I hope Bradley is a big fan of Hamlet squids. I suppose if he's not he could wait until I'm famous or dead and sell it for huge amounts of money.