Molly hung up and set the phone down on the table, glancing over at her daughter. Krista was staring at her phone, scrolling through one of her social media apps. Molly wasn’t ready to talk to her about her father or why he hadn’t been home in two weeks. She decided to go lie down for a while; she could have that conversation after dinner. Lying down on her bed, Molly looked out the window. Outside, she could see the perfect roads and beautiful yards. It was unsettling, but things were better since the moss appeared. No one could pinpoint when it appeared or when the Earth began to heal.
It started with small, almost unnoticeable changes. Air quality improved; even in places where it had been borderline dangerous, it was now almost perfect. Soil quality was the best it had been in decades, and crops were thriving. It wasn’t until the roads began to seemingly repair themselves that the government started to look into things. No one was expecting to find that moss was at the center of the world’s quiet improvement. The moss was responsible for everything. It was as if the moss had a mind of its own. At first, everyone was apprehensive of the moss. Everyone was told not to go near it until it could be studied. About a month after the moss was discovered, the government began using the moss. They found they could work alongside the moss to reinforce buildings, making it a valuable tool for construction workers.
Everything was amazing. The world had clean water, clean air, high-quality produce, and the ability to quickly repair buildings. It felt great, even seemed like global conflict was dropping. However, when something seems too good to be true, it usually is. Two months after the moss was discovered, those who worked closely with it, primarily researchers and construction workers, started to find soft green spots on their bodies. It wasn’t painful, and it didn’t seem harmful. Just to be safe, though, everyone who was infected was sent to government quarantine facilities. One of those construction workers is her husband, Ron.
Two weeks ago, Ron noticed the velvety green patches behind his knees. Molly begged him to hide it, but he insisted on doing the right thing and turned himself in. Today, she got the call that her husband is not improving and will not be coming home anytime soon. In addition to the mossy patches spreading, his hair is thinning, the whites of his eyes are turning green, and he has stopped eating or sleeping. She was told he spends all day sitting in the sun. Molly was able to talk to him on the phone for the first time in a while today. He assured her they were doing well and in no pain. He wanted to know when she and Krista would join them in the sunlight. After that, the phone was taken away from him. Molly asked if she could visit, but was told not to until more was known about the infection. She thought about asking why he was referring to himself as they, but was too afraid of what the answer would be, so she just hung up the phone. Thinking about how much she misses her husband, Molly falls asleep.
“Mom, are you awake? I’m hungry!” Krista yells through the door, waking up Molly.
“Yeah, sorry baby. I fell asleep.” Molly said. “I will come out and start dinner.”
“It’s 9 o’clock, can we just order pizza?” Krista asked.
“Sure,” Molly responds, grabbing her phone and going out into the living room.
Molly sits on the couch and orders a large pepperoni pizza. She watches as Krista sits scrolling through social media. It sounds like she is watching a video about the moss.
“What are you watching?” Molly asked.
“Videos about the moss and all the amazing things it can do. Apparently, a secret study was conducted on moss consumption. They say that eating it, even in small amounts, greatly improves people’s outlook on life. It could be a cure for depression!” Krista said, glancing up from her phone.
Molly had no idea they were doing so many different experiments with the moss. She had been sleeping a lot because she was so upset about her husband. She probably should have been looking into things more. Possibly find a way to help her husband. While lost in thought, she heard the doorbell ring. Molly walked to the door and got the pizza, tipping the delivery guy $10. Krista came into the dining room as she set the pizza on the table. Now was probably the best time to tell her about her father.
“Krista, I need to talk to you about your dad,” Molly said.
Her daughter looked at her but didn’t say anything, so she continued. “I got a call from the quarantine facility today. They told me your dad probably won’t be coming home for a while. He stopped eating, and his hair is falling out. I was told they are working on a cure, but until then, we can call every Monday and Thursday. If you would like, maybe next week you can talk to him.”
Krista just stared at her, saying nothing. She took a bite of her pizza and pulled out her phone. “Mom, this is a good thing. Dad is one of them now. He is free. He is happy. We can find that happiness too. There is a Meeting of the Moss tonight. We can go, then we can be close to dad again,” she said.
“I don’t understand. What are you talking about?” Molly asked her daughter.
“Please watch this video,” Krista said, sliding her phone over to Molly. “Then you will understand.”
Molly picked up the phone and pressed play. Someone is walking through the forest. The camera is pointed down, so all she can see is the grass and occasionally the person’s feet. They stop and zoom in on the moss growing on the side of a tree. It is pulsating as if it’s alive. After walking for a couple of minutes, they stop in a large open field. They point the camera at the sky, directly into the sun. She then hears someone speak for the first time. “Welcome to the Meeting of the Moss!” The camera turns to a tall man with an alarming appearance. He has patches of moss growing on him, he is almost completely bald, and the whites of his eyes are now green. All visible skin that is not covered in moss has a slight, pale green hue. They looked exactly as her husband had been described to her earlier that day. The man steps forward and takes the phone. He slowly turned, so she could finally see everyone. There were about six or seven people in the field. They were all looking up at the sun. Each person resembled the man in appearance. Slightly green, bald, and mossy. He turned the camera to face him and spoke. As he spoke, everyone in the field spoke with him. “We are doing great. This is the last video we will be making. Technology is a hindrance, holding you back from reaching your true potential. Tonight, we need everyone to come to the final Meeting of the Moss, and together we will destroy our phones. Tonight we will be one. Tonight, we give ourselves to nature. We start at nightfall.”
Molly stopped watching before they gave a location. “What is this? This is crazy, Krista. These people are all crazy.” Molly said
“It’s freedom, Mom. It’s humanity coming together and becoming one with nature. There are hundreds of videos like this from all over the world. We should go together. We can become a part of something great.” Krista said.
Molly just stared at he daughter, “Absolutely not!” She yelled. “We need to be fighting this! We don’t know what this is, we need to be studying it. We need to stay home and stay safe.”
“Mom! We can’t stay locked up here forever, you realize that, right? Just because they took dad and quarantined him, you assume staying hidden is the correct thing to do. Clearly, the quarantine didn’t matter; there are hundreds of people walking around just like him. This is a good thing. Nothing bad has happened since the moss appeared. It has done nothing but benefit us.” Krista yelled.
“Go to your room. We will discuss this in the morning,” Molly whispered.
“Mom, if we don’t go now, we’ll miss our chance,” Krista said.
“Go to your room,” Molly repeated.
Krista got up and ran to her room, slamming the door behind her. Molly cleaned up the food and decided to look at her phone for the first time in days. She was shocked to see that everything was about the moss. No more news, no more memes, nothing but moss. People have been spending excessive time in the sun without burning. They have become healthier than ever. Crime has come to a sudden halt, making the police force obsolete in just a month. All the wars that were going on had stopped. There was only peace now. People are kinder. People are thriving. However, no one was going to work or school anymore. It wasn’t all positive, though. A few weeks ago, an attempt was made to remove the moss with fire. It was unsuccessful. They learned that if you harm the moss, it screams. The screams were so deafening that they had to halt all efforts at removing the moss or risk permanent hearing loss.
Molly was shocked. According to one video, all this had been confidential until a few days ago. She felt overwhelmed with all this new information and was now more determined than ever to keep her daughter safe. She had already come to terms with never seeing her husband again. She was not ready to lose her daughter, too. Several hours had gone by, and she realized she should probably go to bed. On her way to her room, she stopped at Krista’s door. She knocked and didn’t get a response. Opening the door, she peeked inside, expecting to see her daughter. Instead, the room was empty.
“Krista! KRISTA! Where are you?” She sobbed, looking around the room. Through tears, she saw the open window. Molly knew exactly where Krista was. She ran to the window, looking for any sign of her daughter. There was nothing.
Molly runs to the front door, throws it open, and steps outside for the first time in weeks. It’s calm, quiet. Green moss covers everything. She noticed for the first time that it was on her house, too. This entire time, the thing she was hiding from was right there. She thinks back to a video she watched that explained how the moss connects everyone. Makes them feel whole, like they belong. Realizing the moss might be the only way she can connect to her husband and daughter again, she peels a chunk off her house and eats it. The moss tastes earthy and slightly sweet. Assuming her daughter went to the forest, she stood up and walked that way.
As Molly feels her skin start to soften, she stops resisting. Soon, she will be close to her family again.