Eat Worms

We did dare him to eat it, but Henry will eat anything.  How were we to know one stupid worm was going to turn into this nightmare. 

My name is Max Sutton and I am an 8th grader at Greyson Hope Middle School in Bardon Massachusetts.  Its about 3 hours outside of Boston, but I guess none of thats really important right now.  I live in a quiet cul-de-sac next to my best friends: Matt Keener, Kristen Coffield, Colton Mears, and Henry Schweiger.  Most of us are neighbors on Egrets Ct East except for Henry.  He lived on Auburn Dr which was the next street over.  There were no other kids there so Henry always rode his bike to our street.  

Sometimes Henry could get really annoying.  We liked to mess with him a bit when we wanted him to go home, but it was always in good fun.  His family was a bit different and he always had a hard curfew at 5pm.   Since he didn’t have a cell phone, nor did he wear a watch, we could just tell him it was 5pm, or later, when we had grown tired of his company.  He would panic and jump on his bike to go home, apologizing to us for having to leave so early.  I know that sounds mean, and I honestly now I feel like the worst friend in the world, but you kinda just had to know the guy.  He could be very difficult. 

Henry also had a strange habit of wanting us to dare him to eat things.  I don’t know if it was because he felt like an outsider or if he genuinely enjoyed it, but after awhile it became a common thing to do when he was around.  Henry ate plants, dirt, sticks, gum, a cigarette butt, moss, you name it he had eaten it, either by us daring him or him just looking for attention.  The worst, well up until today, had been when he ate the elephant ear plant and his head and throat swelled up to the size of a beachball.  He was rushed to emergency room and his mother said he could never hang out with us again.  After two days though he was right back on our street laughing about it.  To our amazement he went right back to eating anything he came across.  

“Woah you guys look at this!”

He had started. Matt and I had just been laying in the middle of the street talking about girls and video games.  Waiting for everyone else to be allowed outside or get home.  When Henry had shown up.  Matt and I’s intense conversation about the unfairness of certain characters in Smash Brothers had teetered off at his arrival.  Henry didn’t play the game and instead kept asking us annoying questions while he peddled a circle around us on his bike, until he jumped off it and shoved it into the grass getting down on his hands and knees looking at something.

”What is it?”  Matt asked and got up from the gravel.  I slowly got up and followed behind him. “GROSS!” Matt exclaimed. I looked over his shoulders to see what it was.  There on the dirt was a long worm flailing about.  It didn’t look like a worm I had ever seen before.  Little particles of sand stuck to it’s slimy purple body.  Its ends thrashed violently as it was baking in the sun, probably would of died right there had Henry not noticed it. “I’ve never seen a worm like this.  Max you ever see something like this?”  Matt glanced at me and I could only shake my head.  The worm was purple but also shimmered with this metallic gloom.  It was extremely peculiar and I found that I didn’t have much input on the matter, but now I wished I had just stepped on it then and there and been done with the wretched little thing.  

“I dare you to eat it Schweiger!”  Matt cocked his head over at Henry, whom already had this little smirk on his face. 

“I dunno guys.  That things kinda gross.  Whys it purple?”

“OH C’MON SCHWEIGER! What are you scared?  Who cares if its purple?  You already ate a worm last year.  Whats the difference that this one is purple?  In fact, I bet you won’t eat it!”  

There it was, the “bet you won’t”.  Henry loved when people bet on him NOT to do anything. It was always a sure fire way to get him to do anything you wanted.  It was a mix between being a very gullible person by nature, or just the general attention it brought, but regardless that was all it took.  He looked at me the smirk widening across his face.  

“Max do you dare me?”  Now a full smile.  I shouldn’t have.  I need to not go along with everything Matt says, but it was already a boring hot summer day.

“Yeah Henry.  I dare you.”  Matt laughed and clapped his hands as he stood up staring at Henry with widening eyes.  Henry bit his bottom lip and looked back and forth between us.  Then he bent over and scooped the worm out of the dirt. I watched as it grew still when it’s flesh felt the touch of Henry’s palm. 

“What’re you guys doing?”  I turned around to see Kristen walking into the street.  Her blond hair tied back in a ponytail and her green eyes darting between the three of us skeptically.  She always looked so pretty even in the dead heat of summer when there was no reason…

”Snap out of it Sutton! Hey Kristen.  Schweiger here is gonna eat another worm!  You’re just in time.”  I smiled sheepishly at Kristen but she didn’t notice just wrinkled her face in disgust.

”Gross Henry.  Don’t eat another creature.“  But she walked over anyway.  “Lemme see it.”  Henry opened his hand Kristen gasped.  “Ew! That is gross! Its…. purple?”

“Right? It’s gross, but I don’t care c’mon already Schweiger eat it!”  Matt continued urging Henry, but now that Kristen was giving him doubts he stared down at his hand glumly. 

“Maybe not.  I’ve never eaten a living one before.  The one last year was already dead and kinda cooked in the sun.  I don’t want to be a monster.”

“Plants aren’t alive enough for you Henry?  Stop dancing around.  Here ya know what.” Matt pulled out his wallet and produced a five dollar bill.  ”I’ll make it interesting.”  Henry looked at the money with a new zest for the adventure.  

“No thats gross.  Matt you’re a jerk.”  Kristen interjected as Matt was waving the money in front of his face.  “Don’t let these assholes bully you Henry.  Stand up for yourself.”  

Henry while still eyeing the money threw his hand up with the worm and shoved it into his mouth.

“OOOHHH GROSSS!!!” Matt shouted.  Now laughing and holding his hand over his mouth.  Kristen just shook her head.  Henry wrinkled his face and made a gagging noise in his throat, but then in a desperate look of shear determination forced it back down. Swallowing the worm without chewing.  His face turned red and he coughed opening his mouth for proof of the deed. 

”Oh it tasted…” he coughed again gagging in his throat… ”It tasted really gross.” Some snot came out of his nose.  Then he held his hand out towards Matt.  

“You were going to eat that thing anyway Schweiger.  I don’t know if you deserve five dollars.  You didn’t even chew it!”   He started to move the money back to his pocket, but Kristen grabbed his hand and pulled the bill free. 

“No that was gross.  You owe him for that.  Henry you don’t have to eat everything.”   She handed him the five. Henry smiled through coughs and teary eyes as he took the money and put in his pocket.

It wasn’t long after that we departed as Matt and Kristen were called inside.  Henry continued to cough and eventually left on his own accord to get some water at the house.  It wasn’t until later though when Colton messaged us all on our group chat that we heard about what had happened.  

Colton Mears

Hey you guys hear what happened to Henry? 7:42pm

Kristen Coffield

Yea… Matt made him eat a worm. 7:43pm

Ace of the streets

SCHWEIGER LOVES WORMS! 7:43pm

Ya he ate a worm.  You know Henry 7:44pm

Colton Mears

Oh. Damnit Matt I got blamed 7:45pm

And I think he got sick again cuz his mom called

my mom and now she says  I have to go over

and apologize to him now.  Get your ass in the

circle @Ace of the streets you’re coming 

with 7:45pm

Ace of the streets

Nah im not doing shit It was his ducking

idea.  Eat worms be worms! 7:47pm

Ducking* 7:47pm

FUCKING*** 7:48pm

Kristen Coffield

OMG Matt you’re being an asshole you

pushed him into this. 7:49pm

Colton Mears

@Ace of the streets I’m going to beat on your front

door and piss on it 7:49pm

Ace of the streets

I’m sure my dad will love that 7:50pm

 @Colton Mears I’ll go with u guys come on

@Ace of the streets its only fair it was our 

fault you even put money on it can’t let 

Colton take the hit for all of this.  7:51pm

Ace of streets

Im not goin 7:52pm

Colton Mears

Thanks Max.  Lets meet in the circle

if you don’t go @Ace of streets I’m telling your mom

about the porn 7:53pm

Kristen Coffield

Uh…  7:53pm

Ace of the streets

DUDE!! Kristen is on this you duck 7:54pm

Kristen Coffield

Haha what porn?? Im tellin Elizabeth lemme add

her to the group  7:54pm

Ace of the streets

Dammit Colton @Kristen Coffield thats not

fair ur part of the street.  STREET SHIT

STAYS STREET SHIT 7:55pm

Kristen Coffield

Then get your spoiled ass outside with Colton

and Max!  7:55pm

Thanks Kristen :)  7:56pm

Colton Mears

Hahaha oooooh ill tell everyone 7:56pm

Ace of streets

“Thanks Kristen” you guys suck

fine ill be out in one minute

got to save 7:57pm

Matt was still in a shitty mood when he walked outside to meet Colton and I.  He hardly greeted us just rolled his eyes and started walking towards the end of the street.  

”WELL!  Lets go if we are goin!”  Colton just grinned 

“I shouldn’t be going along at all I wasn’t even there.”  He said as we walked behind Matt.

“To hell you won’t! We wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t for your shitty mother.”

“Hey my mom is not shitty.”

“She’s making us apologize because a kid ate a worm. Pretty shitty if you ask me.”

“Well no one is asking you.”  Colton remarked back flipping Matt off.

I looked at both of them Matt was making a face at Coltons hand but we caught eyes and he stopped.  Colton put his hand down.

“Guys. C’mon lets just get this over with already and see how he’s doing.  I’m sure Henry doesn’t want this either and he’s our friend.”

Henry’s mother was some sort of intellectual.  We didn’t really know what she did, but Henry sometimes told us how she invented things and came up with big ideas.  All we really knew was that she had to travel to Boston a lot of the time during the week and wasn’t around much.  Tonight though she greeted us on the front porch smoking a cigarette and shaking her head.  

“You boys.  I don’t know what you fed my son this time, but he hasn’t come out of his room since six.”

“Well why haven’t you checked on him then?”  Matt snarked back.  She ashed her cigarette over the bush and I could feel Colton tighten up alongside me.  Matt always did that.  He always talked back and got us in more trouble then we ever needed.

“Ya know.  I’m sorry you’re here Colton and you too Max.  I should’ve known it was probably the Keener boy.  Just a troubled family bringing trouble to my doorstep.”  

“Pfft Whatever… Say what you want about me, but it’s not my fault you’re a bad mother who can’t check in on her own son!  Has to call us “kids” to do that.”

She took a long drag off her cigarette and her eyes squinted towards Matt.

“The mouth on you.  I thought you boys were his friends.  You already nearly killed him once and Hank isn’t home yet so I thought why not have you little brats experience just what it is you do to him.  Maybe then you’ll stop making him eat things.  It’s just so cruel.”  With that she flicked her cigarette out into the yard and opened the front door.  

We walked up the stairs to Henry’s room.  It was at the end of the hallway on the second floor.  We had only been here once before, but somehow the Schweiger’s felt like we were here all the time.  His brother Rick slammed his door as we walked by.  Matt started to ask him a question about the game he was playing, but he had moved to close the conversation off before it started.  He was in the local community college trying to get his grades up to attend North Eastern or something like that, but we never really hung out with him all that much.

Henry’s door was locked when we got to it and there was the sound of groaning coming from behind the door. 

“Schweiger!  You alright?”  We heard delayed steps from behind the door. We were all expressionless and stared at the white door, a very surreal unease wafted over our trio.  The door cracked open and Henry stuck his face out of the crack at first, but then pulled it fully open.  His face was ghost pale with bright red Us underneath his eyes.  A purplish snot dribbled from his nostrils and a queasy smile formed on his face. He pushed his bangs out of his face, the hair glued to his perspiring forehead.  The ones that didn’t though detached and fell to the floor.  He looked like an old man in a kids body.

“Guys!”  He groaned.  ”Come in.”  He moved towards his computer chair and sat down on it.  The room had all the lights off except for his green lava lamp glowing on his desk.  I walked in first pushing past Matt.  Followed by Colton and as Matt walked in Henry looked over at him.

“Shut the door please.  The light is really bugging me.”  I think my allergies are acting up or something.  I might be coming down with something so you guys might want to sit away from me.”

“Might be coming down with worms.” Matt muttered under his breath and I elbowed him hard in the side, but Henry didn’t hear it.  Matt looked over at me a bit annoyed.  “You look like dog shit man.  Do you have Covid?”  Henry seemed a bit offended and hurt.

“Yeah you kind of do man.  I heard these jerks fed you a worm or something.  You alright?“ Colton stepped forward cautiously. 

“Yeah… yeah I’m okay, and NO MATT” he started coughing again holding his hand to his chest.  “ I don’t have COVID!  I’m glad you guys are here want to…. “  He was again interrupted by a severe coughing fit.  It sounded like he was coughing up a part of himself.  I can only describe the sound as being… very… wet.  He hacked into his hand then looked up closing his eyes.  “You guys … want to play a video game or ..so.. me…”  His head thrashed forward with a loud sneeze. Purple droplets flecked across our shirts.  A large lump of goo had jettisoned forth from his throat and splotched hard on the ground.  Colton jumped back and Matt and I stared at it in disgust.  Matt looked at his wrist which had purple splotches across them.

“Jesus dude cover your fucking mouth next time!”  He uttered.  Colton swung around and looked at us in disgust.  “WHAT! It’s fuckin disgusting I got his shit on me!”  I looked past Colton at Henry who was staring at the lump of goo on the ground.  His nose had long tendrils of snot running down his face, they branched off from his chin and some were still connected to the pulsing goop that lay before him, while others dangled freely swaying underneath.  He slowly raised his head and with eyes full of horror they rested on mine.

“Hey… man maybe you need to get some sleep.”  I said trying to calm everyone down, but Matt was already walking towards the door.

“Maybe take some medicine or something!” He yelled back without looking.  Colton reached out and put his hand on Henry’s shoulder.  His head slowly turned to look up at him.  Then Colton jerked his hand quickly off of his shoulder and backed away.

“Ah dude… your…. Your shoulder.  It’s… it’s like moving weird.”  Henry’s breathing grew heavier and heavier. This dull groan began echoing out of his body.  I say body because it wasn’t coming from his mouth at all.  It was like his stomach was rumbling, but coming from all over.  

“Henry you okay?”  I muttered but no more words came out of him just this dull rumble that slowly grew louder.  Colton was staring down at Henry, whose eyes were still fixed looking up at him.  ”Hey Colt.  Get away from him.”  With that he started backing away, but Henry’s face didn’t follow, it remained transfixed on the point were Colton had been.  Matt opened the door behind us and grabbed me by the arm.

“Guys lets bone out of here.  Like what the fuck.  Feel better Henry.”  I heard him walk out into the hallway he let go of my wrist and I grabbed Coltons arm and pulled him towards me and the door.  

“Yeah dude we’ll come check on you tomorrow.”  Colton said as he walked past me and out the door.  Henry’s face twisted in one quick motion and his eyes were again locked on mine.  His head started twitching in this weird violent way.  I had never seen anyone move muscles like that before. I backed up and was almost out of the door and then I froze.

… 

With a sticky pop, Henry’s head began moving downward.  It moved slowly at first until it was about level with his chest, then it picked up momentum leaving behind a slimy net of purple mesh as it collided onto the floor.  I screamed as loud as I ever had and turned and looked at Matt and Colton.  They were looking the other direction, but on me screaming they spun about and saw Henry’s headless body crumple over onto the floor.

“OH FUCK!!” Matt yelled and ran towards the stairs.  Colton did the same.  Rick opened the door to his room before we could get through and peaked out.

“Hey you fucks keep it down!”  He shouted at us, but Matt shoved him hard back through his doorway.  

”WE OUT! Check on your brother dude!”  He yelled and all three of us ran out of that house.  Mrs. Schweiger was smoking another cigarette on the porch as we ran full force out the door.  Dr. Hank Schweiger had just arrived home as well and was stepping out of his car as we tumbled down the steps and into the grass then onto the street.

“Well how is he!” I heard her yelling at us but we were already in the road.  No one was said a word.  The three of ran hard into the night like wolves through woods.

It took a moment until I realized what idiots we were.  We ran the wrong direction. Auburn Hill Dr. is a not like Egret’s Ct E.  It is a fenced in community, with only one way out of the whole street.  The rest of the neighborhood is surrounded by large concrete walls.  

“GUYS!!” I cried at them running a good 5 feet behind both of them.  But they kept running Matt was further in front of Colton.  We finally reached the dead end of the street. Surrounded by houses we didn’t know, and Matt stopped running putting his hands on his knees to catch his breath.  Colton and I slowed and came to a stop as well.

”YOU FUCKING DOLT!” Colton shouted between broken breaths.  “You went the wrong way!”

“Thats what I was….” I started to say but had to catch my breath.  Matt looked around and squinted his eyes in a sudden realization.

“Ah shit.”

”AH SHIT NUTHIN! Matt! We gotta go back past Henry’s house to get out of here!”  Colton was pissed and on edge, but it was understandable.  I didn’t want to go back there neither.  

“I’m sorry guys.  I just ran.  I don’t know.  You saw that right?? Like what? Is Henry dead?”

Colton gave him a crazed look.

“Dude. His head fell off.”  He muttered and looked around the neighborhood.  “We look like a bunch of assholes on this street now.  Running into the middle of it.  The cops will probably be here any minute.”

“Well Good they need to come. Henry is dead dude!  We’ll just direct them to the Schweigers.  Hell they need to be there anyways.”

“Guys. Wait.  That was messed up.  Look surely authorities are on their way.  I mean Henry was literally falling to pieces.  They’ll call 911 and we can just stroll out of here while they figure this whole thing out.”  I was trying to calm everyone down, but my broken breath wasn’t very assuring.  They both looked at me and Matt shrugged.

“Okay Max.”  Colton said, “But do we have to stand out in the middle of the road?  You know this street is just a bunch of old people.  They’ll call the cops for sure.”

“Worms. Ate. A. Boy. Colton. OF COURSE THE COPS ARE COMING!”  

“Matt.”  I sighed “No we don’t, but look I know that house right over there 504.  They are gone every weekend.  And since it’s Friday I’m sure they’ve already left.  Lets just camp in their back yard we can let this blow over for like thirty minutes and then we can bounce?”

“How do you know they leave every weekend?”  Matt questioned looking at the big white house.

“Henry told me.”  I looked down at my feet and felt sad about bringing him up and remembering the story he told me about his neighbors.  The three of us made our way towards the back of the house.