Bookworld Online: Marsh Man

When I was done clearing out all of the spiders I could find, even the bigger ones that had started to encroach through the trees, I went back to the hut. I went inside and as I closed the door, I smelled the slightly burning pot on the fire. I walked over to the water barrel and took half a container, then went over to the pot. She hadn't fried the frog legs like she was supposed to and had tried to make soup.

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All right. You need to try and rectify the situation. Somehow. Don't ask me how you're gonna do it, because this is totally messed up. I've already asked for a replacement and I hope they get here soon. I don't want to witness this crazy shit anymore.

A) Finish the horrible soup. B) Salvage the frog legs. C) Leave it. D) Go to bed. E) Lick a frog.

I'll get in trouble for most of that. I thought with a touch of sadness. I better choose B.

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I poured in the water to try and salvage the soup and then did my best to fish out the frog legs. They were not soup material, because there wasn't enough meat on them for that. I took down the small pan that I used to fry things and picked up a frog from the bag and rubbed my finger on it. It was an oil frog, so I plopped it into the pan and rubbed it all over.

I tossed it back into the bag and used my stubby knife to clean up the legs that the Hag had almost ruined. I added them to the pan and let them simmer in the oil. I went to the wooden bench and ignored the fungus bulbs there, chopped up the mushrooms and added them to the soup. I didn't really have any meat to add to the pot, then remembered all of the supplies that the Hag had brought back.

I went over to the pile and tried to be as quiet as I could, while I looked for something I could use. I found a double fist sized chunk of ox meat and almost shouted with joy. I wasn't allowed to use my stub knife on such rare meat, so I very carefully picked up the small step ladder she had and placed it against the wooden bench and climbed it.

I stared at the long and very sharp steak knife that hung in a place of reverence. My mind fought itself as I debated using the knife to prep the meat, or just tossing the whole chunk of meat in and hoping for the best. After five minutes of listening to the frog legs sizzle, I grabbed the knife and climbed back down. I moved the ladder and put the meat on the bench.

I took a deep breath and let it out, then put the knife on the edge of the chunk and pushed down. I almost gasped in surprise when the knife cut through the meat like it was barely there. I chuckled under my breath as I quickly chopped it into strips, then chopped it the other way and into chunks. I added them to the soup, which was quickly becoming a stew, and I flipped over the frog legs.

The delicious smell filled the hut and my mouth watered as I went back outside to get some more tubers. I chopped them up, quick as a flash, thanks to the new knife. Having a sharp knife made everything so much easier to cut and chop up things.

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You have an important decision to make. This will definitely change how the story progresses. Please, please, make the right choice.

A) Keep the knife. B) Use the knife. C) Kill the Hag. D) Put the knife back. E) Carve up the Hag.

Are you trying to get more of my fingers and toes removed? I asked, incredulous. I am not risking what I have left, just on the chance that the Hag might die. I thought. I don't want to have to learn how to walk again, so I chose D.

That wasn't the right choice, you idiot. You should have cut the fucking bitch's throat when - (CLICK) Author interaction has been suspended. Please continue to play. You will be contacted again when it is appropriate. The D option of putting the knife back has been initiated. Thank you.

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I wasn't stupid enough to try anything with a knife that I wasn't sure could hurt the Hag, let alone kill her, so I put the step ladder against the bench and hung the knife back up where it was supposed to go. I even faced the blade the right way and then put the step ladder back where it was supposed to go.

I cooked both things, simmered the stew and fried the frog legs, and made sure that both were edible. I ate one frog leg and had a bowl of stew, and both were the most delicious foods I had ever eaten. I wasn't sure what was in those mushrooms; but whatever it was, soaking the frog legs first made them taste a hundred times better than they should have.

I still put out half a dozen frogs at the side of the hut to gather the grubs, since they were good eating, and went back inside to go to bed. When I walked over to my spot on the floor beside the Hag's bed, I finally noticed her.

Her beautiful body was completely naked and her long flowing black hair on her head was between her legs, too. Oh, and her armpits. I thought about throwing a blanket on her, then saw the three frogs on the bed. I didn't have to lick one to know what kind of frogs they were. I wasn't sure why the hair between her legs was wet, since the rest of her was dry, except where she had rubbed one of the frogs across her breasts.

I tried to take that frog from her hand and she wouldn't let it go. I tugged a little hard and she jerked her hand away from me. I thought she was going to wake up and whack me, then she put the frog to her mouth and licked it. Her whole body shivered and her breasts heaved, then she... I kid you not... rubbed the frog between her legs a couple of times.

“Mmmmm.” The Hag moaned.

I jumped away, in case she woke up, and she let out a satisfied sigh instead and dropped the frog. I thought about reaching over to take it, then thought better of it. I kind of knew what licking those frogs did to my brain when I licked them, so I couldn't even imagine what rubbing it between your legs did.

I left the three frogs on her bed and went over to my corner to lay down. I wasn't cold, even though the marsh cooled off during the night. I wasn't sure why the cold didn't really bother me anymore and I didn't question it. I curled up into my normal ball and hugged my knees as I ducked my head into my arms. It was the safest way to not have something crawl into your mouth.

I thought about the Hag asleep on her bed, completely naked and her mouth open, and I smiled. Maybe something might find the inside of her mouth was a nice and cozy place to stay?

I fell asleep with that happy thought and didn't wake up until morning. Not surprisingly, I was awake first. I stood up and walked over to the Hag and saw that she was in the same position she had been in the night before. She also had a fairly big poisonous centipede on the cheek of her face. It looked like it was trying to decide if going into the moist opening it had found was worth its time.

I held in my smile as I poked it with my index finger, to try and coax it to go inside. It must have guessed that was what I wanted, because it dove into the Hag's mouth. The Hag let out a startled gurgle and sat up as she clamped her mouth shut. Her teeth cut off the back of the centipede and she started chewing on what was still in her mouth.

“Ugh, what...” The Hag saw the back half of the centipede wiggling on her lap. Without missing a beat, she plucked it from her lap and tossed it into her mouth. “Early breakfast.” She said and looked at me. “Sorry, Boy. I got it first.”

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Your standard choices are as follows. Please choose one.

A) Cry. B) Complain. C) Laugh. D) Distract her. E) Tell her she's naked. F) Kiss her feet.

I wasn't sure what to make of the different way the choices were handled. I'll choose D, just to be safe.

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“Breakfast.” I said and pointed to the dozen pairs of frog legs hung up over the cooking pot.

The Hag turned her head to look and her eyes widened. “I don't remember cooking that!”

“How many frogs did you lick?” I asked, curious. The most I ever did was two and I didn't even know who I was for three days.

“I can't remember.” The Hag said and rubbed her face and smelled frog on her hands mixed with something else. She took in a sharp breath and looked down at her lap again. Her naked lap. She saw the frog by her leg and then she turned slightly and saw the one that had been by her chest and one by her head. “No, I... why did I...” She stopped talking and gave me the most intense stare I had ever seen. “Boy.” She said in a deadly voice.

I was quivering from the look and the sound. “W-w-what?”

“Take off your clothes.”

I didn't even think about refusing and stripped off my ratty top and patchwork pants right there. The Hag dropped down and put her face right next to my peepee and I blushed. I couldn't help it. She gave it a sniff, and another, then she sat back on her heels and looked up at me with relief on her face.

“You don't smell like me.”

“N-no, why would I?” I asked and put a hand over myself, then decided to pull my pants back up and bent down to do that.

“You'll find out soon enough.” The Hag said and stood up at the same time, which put the hairy space between her legs near my face. Of course, me being absolutely stupid, took two sniffs of it like she had done to mine.

I smelled the frog and an underlying musky smell. I wasn't sure what it was and the smell seemed to climb down the back of my throat. “What...” I swallowed, as if I could taste something, and looked up at her as I pulled my pants up the rest of the way. “What is that smell?”

“You're not old enough to understand that yet.” The Hag said. “Warm my breakfast.”

“It already is.” I said and put my top back on. “The frog legs are in the heat, right over the low fire, and the stew is on the fire.”

“Stew?” The Hag asked and went over to the pot and stirred it with the large wooden spoon. “You used my ox meat!” She exclaimed. “I was saving that for a special meal!”

I winced at the anger in her voice. “You tried to boil the frog legs last night and I needed something to put in the soup when I saved them.” I said. “It's okay, though. The pot's huge. You won't have to cook anything for weeks.”

“That wasn't the point.” The Hag said and did up a bowl for herself, then she gave me a stern look. “Half a bowl and one frog leg.”

“I know.” I said and served myself. “I had the same last night.” I sat down and started eating.

The Hag nodded and walked over to her bed and sat down on it. She gave me that same odd look she gave me twice already, and I wished I knew what it was that she was thinking.

I bought the meat for you, you ungrateful little bastard. The Hag's words entered my head and I was so stunned by it that I fainted.