We could not have asked for a better start to our anthology, and were truly honored by having a foreword written by author Clay McLeod Chapman. It’s a masterpiece woven out of dying roots and wonder.
Back in January 2021, there was a news story slowly emerging from the topsoil of the internet: a 30-year-old man injected himself with a home-brewed cocktail of magic mushroom tea. He filtered his concoction through a cotton swab before administering it.
Mushrooms. Injected. Into his veins.
True story.
For the next couple days, he became increasingly more lethargic. Waves of nausea constantly washed over him. His skin grew jaundiced. Before long, he was vomiting blood.
Something was happening—changing—inside of him.
Fermenting.
Two days after he first injected himself, this man was brought into the ICU. Full-on multisystem organ failure. His liver and kidneys were shuttering. He was put on a ventilator due to the fact that his lungs weren’t working. Respiratory failure. Everything internal to this man was collapsing. Quickly. What in the hell’s going on? The doctors had absolutely no idea what they were dealing with. They promptly performed a blood test and…hold up.
What do we have here?
A fungal infection. Our patient tested positive for the microbe Brevibacillus. A particular contamination was found present in his bloodstream, stemming from Psilocybe cubensis. The doctors had never seen something quite like this before. Not this severe.
Mushrooms in our Blood: Foreword by Clay McLeod Chapman, featured in Dark Spores by Crone Girls Press.
Be sure to read the full story in Dark Spores: Stories We Tell After Midnight Volume 4
About The Author
Clay McLeod Chapman writes books, comic books, YA/middlegrade books, as well as for film and television. His novel, Wake Up and Open Your Eyes, hit shelves January 7, 2025. You can find him at www.claymcleodchapman.com as well as his social medias.
Be sure to check out their story in Dark Spores
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