#bogly

Your phone is still responsive; you just can't see anything on the screen. Luckily, you have the muscle memory of how to turn on the flashlight on your phone, so you're not in total darkness. But the way the harsh light casts creepy shadows of the plants, you almost want to just be in darkness. It's a shame you never did any wilderness activities as a child. You might've been able to navigate by the stars. But since you don't have this knowledge, you must rely on your fading memory of the path you've already taken. Mud squelches under your boots. Good thing you wore rain boots. Calluses were preferable to wet shoes full of grime. The water is only a few inches here, so it doesn't take much effort to trek onward. The main struggle comes from avoiding prickly plants and spider webs. You come upon a large fallen tree. It's not leading in the direction you are initially going, but you think you see a dirt path just beyond its broken branches. You step onto the end of the trunk to test its sturdiness. It doesn't creak or snap, and doesn't sink into the mud, so you trust in and start to cross it. You misjudged the tree's reliability. The further from the roots you get, the more the tree gives, lowering you closer to the murky bog below. You pick up your pace and recklessly jump off the end to—hopefully—dry land. You hit dirt and tumble into a graceless roll. You lie on your back for a moment and enjoy the solid ground beneath you while you catch your breath and curse your friends again. How had they gone beyond yelling range so quickly? This had to be a prank. Your rage and frustration fester. You scream. "How the hell do I get out of this damn bog?" You are not expecting anyone—or thing—to answer. So when you hear a voice say, "Oh, you wish to leave the bog?" you scream again, scramble to your feet and wave your phone around until the light lands on the only possible source of the voice. The thing in front of you can only be described as a monster. It is like a short-necked Nessie? It's perched up on the shore, casually flicking a fishy tail out of the water now and then. It's almost as if you asked someone to create a mermaid-dinosaur-whale combo, as some sort of art challenge. "You done now?" it asks when you run out of breath to scream. You vacantly nod. "Great. I'm Bogly by the way (not cursed). Nice to meet ya." "Cursed?" Because that's the thing your mind catches on. "No. There is no curse. I can definitely tell you there's no curse 'cause I am totally able to talk about it. Now—you said you wanted out of the bog?" "Yes..." You are still having a hard time processing the fact you are talking to a monster right now. But so far it is proving more helpful than your friends so you go with it. Not like you have any better plans on getting out of here. "Yeah, of course. I can show you how to get out of the bog. I've been out of the bog many times.. I can leave the bog whenever I want. 'Cause there's no curse." "For someone with no curse, you sure bring a lot of attention to the concept of there being a curse." "Nonsense..." It fails to provide any counterargument. "Can I interest you in some milk?" Well that is as random as its sudden appearance. "No," you decline. You don't even want to start imagining what kind of milk it's talking about. "Just, show me how to get out of here." "Oh yeah. I can show you how to leave. I leave all the time. This way." It slinks a bit back into the water and starts slowly swimming along the shore. "This way." Maybe your friends drugged you in the beginning of this prank. That would explain this. There is definitely no sense to make here. You follow after Bogly. You walk for awhile and feel like you're getting nowhere. "So, Bogly?" "Yes?" "Have you seen other people here tonight? Like a guy with a big beard, a guy with swooshy hair and earrings, a girl with glasses and an oversized cat-ear hoodie, and a girl that's vaguely a vampire?" "Oh I see other people all the time!" Bogly answers. You can't tell if it's intentionally avoiding your question, or

if it's just generally unhelpful. "The witch invites people here all the time—I mean, I invite people here all the time." You raise a brow skeptically. "There's a witch now?" "What? No! No witch. Of course there's not a witch who put a curse on me." "Because there is no curse," you deadpan sarcastically. "Exactly!" Talking to Bogly doesn't seem to get you anywhere. So you stop trying to make conversation. You wander and wander, following Bogly's lead. You feel just as lost as when you had begun. It is taking all you have to not give into panic and have a breakdown. "How much further until we get out of here?" you growl in frustration. There is no answer. You look around but don't see Bogly anymore. "Bogly?" you try calling. Nothing. You scan the deeper water, but notice no disturbances. It's like the monster just vanished. "The fuck...?" You take a few steps back and start to look around in an attempt to get new bearings. You see a small cabin. Finally! A sign of life. You head towards it, not caring about sticking to the driest path now and making a beeline for the building. Life. Human life. Horror movie tropes be damned, any person will be a great sight to see after what you have been through tonight. You should have paid closer attention to your footing.  Your toe snags on a root and you fall face first into the muck. You sink below the boggy water, having the misfortune to find a deeper part of the wetlands. Now the panic attack sets in. You're covered in muck and moss, sinking slowly as you fight against the weight of your mud-caked clothes, trying to unhook your foot from the snaggly root that grabbed you. You refuse to let this be your end. You kick off your boots and scramble your way to the surface of the water. Fresh air blesses your lungs. Once your breathing stabilizes, you start swimming for the shallows. As you near, you hear a scream. You blink a couple times before your eyes adjust and you see a person staring at you. "Who are you?" she exclaims. "Oh it's great to see a human again," you sigh in relief. "I'm Bogly (not cursed). Nice to meet ya."

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