it's not here

If a ghost can open cupboards and break things, why not just take a pencil, find paper, write exactly why it’s unhappy, and tape the message on the fridge.

It just became second nature to close all the cupboards first thing in the morning (even though they’d been closed the night before). Which was when things escalated from banging cupboard doors to actually breaking things.

Faucets, door handles, curtain rods ripped from the wall… all the repairs started to add up.

“Look, I didn’t mind having an ethereal roommate, but I can’t afford to keep fixing all this shit. Here’s a pencil and some paper. Just write what’s bothering you–I doubt you could put anything that would be more expensive than having a plumber come out to replace all the faucets again.”

The next morning there’s a scrawl line at the top of the page that devolved into an angry scribbling mess that tore through the page. Two cupboard doors were entirely ripped off.

“I don’t want to get someone in to banish you, but this is ridiculous. Just tell me what you want.”

The second piece of paper is ripped into shreds and several knives are embedded in the wall.

A careful examination of the paper scraps show that it had the same scribbles as the first piece.

A quick trip to the library and a stop at a store later, there are kindergarten workbooks on learning to write spread across the counter.

“Look, I don’t know if you’re just being difficult, but I hope not. So I got an audiobook on learning to read and write, and here are some workbooks for kids–don’t get mad–to teach them their letters. Just press play on the stereo, and work through the books at your own pace. I’ll get more when you finish.”

The first workbook is half-completed before being ripped to pieces, but at least there was no other damage. Replacing it is significantly cheaper than replacing cupboard doors.

It takes awhile, but eventually the workbooks progress to a fifth grade level. These ones are starting to be more costly (they’re bigger, for one thing), but it’s not even the money anymore. Little notes scrawled in a shaky hand appear on the steamy bathroom mirror

Have A gooD dy

Or written in ketchup on the counter (that was a frightening sight the first time)

You R out of MLK

And then one day there’s a message taped to the fridge. The spelling and penmanship isn’t the best, but it’s legible and even signed.

Dear Occupente,

I have haunted this spot for ovr three huner hudre 300 years. My bones are dust and I am fergotN. I do not have wants to trap me. I am here 4 ever.

I am bord. Lonly.

I am sorrY 4 breaking things.

We be frends?

Syncerly Eloise

I love you, Eloise

🖤➥ insectarea

Saturn’s Rings

I’ve been following @mycolyco on tiktok ever since their synth-playing fungus first graced my page and this cordyceps-generated synth tune has got to be the EERIEST one yet.

@iwkwch

Megalopyges are cute but beware, they are danger boys as well

(Florida, 12/27/18)

lettin one walk on you is so brave but I bet it feels silly

danger boy? How dangerous are we talk-

@onenicebugperday I need more information…

Megalopyge is a genus of moth! In the US, the most common species is the southern flannel moth. The caterpillars (usually called puss caterpillars), as you can see above, are very cute and fuzzy! They can be grey, brown, tan, white, or even orange-ish. The one shown in the post looks like a fairly large later instar, but they can be quite tiny:

Photo by connlindajo

But this dude is one of the reasons I tell people not to handle bugs they can’t ID. It might be cute, but it has venomous spines on its body hidden within the hairs. It could likely crawl on your hand like above without risking injury because the underside isn’t fuzzy, but I wouldn’t risk it. If you brush the top hairs against your skin it’ll cause a rash of fluid-filled raised red bumps that radiate terrible pain away from the area. And like it says above, the pain can be so intense that it feels like a broken bone, and it can last hours.

It’s recommended that if you come in contact with one, you use tape to try to pull out any remaining hairs, wash the area with soap and water, apply an ice pack, and take an antihistamine.

On the plus side, the adult moth is VERY fuzzy and 100% safe:

Photo by barbara_thurlow

@iwkwch

Two of them