Ciarashoggoth - Madam Macabre

An Update;

Hemi, my beautiful cat of 13 years, has cancer. Paranasal sinus cancer, to be exact. He has been given steroids by injection, and that seemed to have given him pep. He seems quite well right now, but it is starting to seem like the beginning of the end. Hemi is a wonderful cat though, not only does he have amazing taste in his favorite treats, but he was a gentle giant of a cat. He was one of the few cats that I had ever seen curl up with dogs and

He was my best friend.

He was my buddy.

A Report! From Inside The Walls of Mallmart

The Hypothalamus is the part of your brain that is located at the base, before the hippocampus and brain stem. Some of its functions are releasing hormones,  regulating body temperature, maintaining bodily cycles, controlling appetite, managing sexual behavior, and regulating emotional responses. It works with the pituitary gland (Located at the base of the brain, the pituitary gland interacts with other glands and is in control of all hormones, such as testosterone, estrogen, oxytocin, dopamine, etc.) and the thyroid gland, located at the base of the neck, regulates hormones and body weight.

The thyroid gland has been a topic of anguish as of late. All the things that can happen to such a little, butterfly shaped gland seems overwhelming. It seems insurmountable, and the worst part is that I'm not a surgeon, or doctor, or a vet or anything useful to really help in this matter at all. All that's left to do is try to will good fortune into existence, because this is the story of a Mallmart Associate.

I tried explaining to Taylor the terms and conditions I had settled on with management. To my surprise though, she rejected our little peace treaty in favor of…truth. "Taylor, bestie- no." My voice was strained, but once she had set her mind to something, there was no talking her out of it. Taylor, had a look in her eyes that told me she onto something, something I was not yet privy to. "We don't have to tell them, you know. In fact, it would be better to work with them under the assumption we agreed to their terms. You can be a whistleblower, Ciara. You can do that for me, right?" A whistleblower, huh? Well, how could I say no when she looks at me like that?

Hyperthyroidism is when the thyroid produces too much of a hormone called triiodothyronine, and a hormone called thyroxine, which can speed up your metabolism, cause hair loss, cause sensitivity to heat, and speed up your heart rate. Hypothyroidism has the opposite problem, where your heart rate slows down, not unlike a bear during hibernation. They become sensitive to the cold, and the metabolism slows in self preservation. 

My cat, is unwell. My friend is unwell, and there's nothing I can do about it. The weight set is suddenly more heavy in my hands, as I scowl at the empty space on the shelf, where it goes. The fire alarm goes off in the store again, and on impulse I go to check my phone with dread and anxiety- 

Well crap.

It's lunch time.

I, of course got spoken to by management. I needed to smile with my eyes, was what they said. My smile was too uncanny valley. I remember trying to smile with my eyes as a kid. I'm sure we all remember looking at ourselves in the mirror, practicing faces, trying to look genuine and authentic like the people on television. The actors that made us fall in love with them through their raw, unbridled emotions that they conveyed through soulful eyes and creased brows, and those wide, sparkling smiles. I saved a photo of the first time I attempted to smile with my eyes, to remember that moment. It's an ugly photo, but it's a reminder of that day. "Aiden, does this look like a genuine smile?"

Aiden Gossman screams. Loud and harshly like his being killed. Huh, that sounds like a no… "Jeezum, don't ever-" he cuts himself off, taking a bite from his chicken sandwich. "What department are you working after break?" I ask him, curiously. "Right into business, huh? Aren't you like, interested in what happened to me this morning?" And with that, Aiden launches into a tale.

That morning, Aiden had been working in the pharmacy section, setting out stock from the backrooms- mostly vitamins. Headphones in his ears, he walks down the vitamin aisle, being serenaded by the sweet voice of Kurt Cobain, only to unexpectedly be taken out of his trance by a woman. She was stark pale, and staring straight ahead. It was as if she was staring at Aiden, and yet, she wasn't. Her eyes were impossibly wide, almost a characture of herself, the lines in her face- she was in absolutely terror. "Ma'am…?" Aiden asks, hesitant to go near her. Something about her seemed to scream, "danger!" And then, her lips parted, and the black inky ooze- impossibly black, spilled forth from her lips and down her chin, dripping onto her floral blouse before her head rolled back. Her body collapses onto the ground, and the moment her body hits the cold, hard cement grounds of our little store, the fire alarm goes off. 

"And what happened then?" I leaned in, curious. "What happened then? An ambulance had to come pick her up. Like dude, I literally thought she was going to die there or something!" He exclaimed. Well, time to test a theory. "You said the stuff was inky? By any chance did it look anything like the stuff that was dripping from the skylights, weeks ago?" He doesn't say anything, because I hit the nail right on the head. Neither of us know what to do about it.

Below; The Photo

bayou

Shuffle your favorite playlist and post the first five songs that come up. Then copy/paste this ask to your favorite mutuals. 💌💜

Oh my god it's happening, it's actually happening! I'm going to c r y I am so happy-