This morning, I went out into the yard—just to water the flowers and check if the cats had scattered litter, as usual. But as soon as I opened the gate, I was immediately struck by a terrible smell. It made my chest tighten and my mouth taste metallic.
I took a few steps and froze. Something was moving on the ground next to the flowerbed.
Something slimy and reddish lay before me, as if it had been turned inside out. It reeked of rotting meat, as if someone had hidden a dead animal somewhere nearby. I even recoiled—my heart was pounding, and the most terrifying thoughts crept into my head.
“What is this? A larva? A strange creature? The remains of an alien?” I couldn’t figure it out. 😲
I took my phone, took a photo and, winning at the smell, went to look for answers on the Internet.
When I searched for “red slime, smells rotten,” the search engine returned a very unpleasant and strange result. I was horrified when I realized what it was. 😨😱
The first result was the title:
Anthurus archeri is an alien mushroom known as devil’s fingers.
It turns out this mushroom really does exist. It originated in Australia and Tasmania, but over time it spread throughout the world.
At first it looks like a white egg, but soon red tentacles emerge from it, like claws or fingers.
These tentacles are covered in mucus and emit a terrible smell of carrion to attract flies that carry its spores.
People who see it for the first time often think they’ve found the remains of an alien. Some even call the police or rescuers.
But it’s just a mushroom. Alive, strange, and perhaps one of the most terrifying creatures on Earth, even though it’s a creation of nature.
Now I avoid that place every day. I don’t water the flowers there anymore.
Let it grow – the “gift from the devil” should not be disturbed.
