Episode 4

Trypophobia

Dr. Clark couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw his old university colleague walk through the door of his humble lodgings. His face was pale as fog. His eyes seemed as if they hadn’t been closed for many nights on end. His posture was hunched over, like that of an old man, despite his being in his forties. His arms and neck were wrapped in bandages. He dragged himself using a golden cane, the tip of which was adorned with all sorts of rubies and emeralds.

“Professor Finster?” Dr. Clark exclaimed with astonishment. “I haven’t seen you in decades. How have you been?”

“No need for formalities, Aaron,” his guest said in a low, haggard voice. “Just call me Dominic, for old times’ sake. I came to you regarding a curious discovery I found.”

“I’m all ears, old friend,” Dr. Clark reassured him, smiling ear to ear. “Come, sit. I can’t wait to hear about your findings.”

The professor sat down at the dinner table, hands crossed, his troubled mind scrambling to find a way to begin his story. His eyes were staring at the embers, dancing vigorously inside the fireplace.

“I suppose it all started during my sojourn in Malaysia,” he began, fingers tapping upon the red tablecloth. “I was interested in a case regarding a new rock formation in the Murud mountain. There was a human-shaped hole with unknown origins. Locals said it emerged one day out of nowhere and began expanding.”

“A human-shaped hole?” Dr. Clark raised a shaggy eyebrow.

“That’s exactly right. I didn’t believe it too, at first, that’s why I decided to go and see it with my own eyes,” said the professor.

“Could it be man-made?”

“I pondered upon this possibility myself, but I can assure you, there wasn’t a single evidence to show it was produced from a man. No drill marks, no nothing. It was the oddest case I’ve seen yet.”

“Did you find an explanation behind it?”

Dominic continued staring at the fire with a melancholy look in his tired eyes. He didn’t let the regret show on his face; his pride didn’t allow him to show any signs of weakness, though today he had no other option.

“I wish we didn’t share the same unruly sense of curiosity,” the professor began. “I descended into the hole. It was barely large enough for a single person to fit in. I was surprised by how deep it went; whenever I thought I was reaching the end, there were meters upon meters more. At some point, my flashlight slipped from me, but I couldn’t hear a sound. It kept falling as if it was heading to the center of the Earth itself.” There was a note of dread in his eyes. His lower lip trembled as he mustered the strength to continue. ” And there I stood surrounded by darkness and the overwhelming smell of rot and soil. A strange feeling took hold of me. I felt as if I didn’t get out of that place, my fate was sealed. I began climbing up, and just as I began to reach the surface, I felt something pulling at my leg. It was wet and slimy. The harrowing sounds it produced were out of this world. I barely escaped, my heart beat faster than the speed of a bullet, my lungs were stained with ash. I was coughing uncontrollably. I was glad I was still alive. The sheer fact that I’m here speaking to you is a miracle.”

Dr. Clark stared at his friend, dumbfounded, wondering if the professor, having a strange sense of humor, had decided to play an elaborate joke on him.

“What do you suppose was the thing dragging you down?” The doctor asked.

“I have no idea, but it stung me,” Professor Finster began undoing the bandages on his arm with reluctance. He knew his friend wouldn’t believe him until he saw for himself. “Ever since that day, I have been ridden by a peculiar sickness. I came here with the hope you might know a remedy for it.”

A shriek of disbelief escaped the doctor’s lips. He sprang from his seat, gasping, hoping what stood before his eyes was merely an illusion. There upon his old friend’s body were dozens, if not hundreds, of tiny holes of various shapes and sizes, which gave his skin the appearance of a sea sponge. It was an eerie sight, one impossible to see on a living, breathing human, yet there he was. The professor proceeded to lift his shirt and take off the bandages around his chest and stomach, behind which was hidden a fist-sized hole.

“I feel no pain,” the professor said. “Thought with time, I believe my condition will wither me away until there is nothing left.”

Dr. Clark didn’t say a word, staring with his wide eyes as he, despite his lack of belief, made a cross, praying to whatever deity was listening that this visit was but an unpleasant dream.

Unwilling to cause his friend any further distress, the professor put on his coat and bid him farewell. That was the last time the two of them spoke. Weeks went by, and the doctor decided to check on his friend, feeling that his strange sickness might truly wither him into nothingness. He made his way to his estate, palms sweating from worry. He opened the door to his empty mansion using the spare key he was given.

There in the dimly lit room, surrounded by nothing but the echoes of crows gathered around through the open window, stood a human-sized hole with an unknown depth. The doctor gasped. He could have sworn it bore the features of the professor.