The Hanging Forest

By Lena Ng

The branches creaked and groaned above us, the bodies swaying like the long brown fruit of the baobab tree. A snap and a thud, and a head cracked on the ground, the skull releasing cranial fluid and gushing shiny red seeds. The arborist gathered the seeds in a bowl. He passed around the fruit. We each took a handful and ate them. They were sweet and delicious, with an aftermath of rot in the back of my tongue. The rain started and we were lightly watered. From my skin, green tendrils began to grow. From my feet, a tangle of roots bound me to the ground. From my trunk, a new hanging tree would be born.

Lena Ng lurks in the catacombs of Toronto, Canada, and is a ravenous member of the Horror Writers Association. She has creepies published in curious tomes such as Amazing Stories and Flame Tree’s Asian Ghost Stories and Weird Horror Stories. Her stories have been performed for podcasts such as Gallery of Curiosities, Creepy Pod, Utopia Science Fiction, Love Letters to Poe, and Horrifying Tales of Wonder. "Under an Autumn Moon" is her short story collection.