Leng (short story)

"Leng" is a horror short story by Marc Laidlaw set in the mysterious Plateau of Leng. It was published in the 2009 anthology Lovecraft Unbound.
==Synopsis==
The story consists of four entries in the narrator's journal documenting what he describes as "the Second Mycological Survey of the Leng Plateau Region". He is following the trail of the Schurr-Perry expedition, in which expert mycologists Danielle Schurr and Heinrich Perry penetrated the Tibetan plateau of Leng in search of new species of fungi and never returned. One of the species speculated to await scientific discovery is Cordyceps lengensis, a native relative of the well-documented Cordyceps sinensis. This parasitic fungus infects the bodies of caterpillars and sprouts out of the insects' heads as a single featureless stalk, which is known for its medicinal properties and thus extremely valued in the local economy.
The narrator and his interpreter, Phupten, talk to a man named Zhang, whose cafe has been visited by Schurr and Perry before they headed towards Bu Gompa, a temple dedicated to Cordyceps sinensis, the name of which might be translated as Temple of the Worm (as it refers to the infected caterpillars). Zhang speaks fondly of the mycologists, but warns the narrator that Chinese authorities have forbidden all passage to Leng, although he fails to elucidate the reason. He also reveals that long after Schurr and Perry's departure, a pair of Tibetan men stopped by asking for them, only to surreptitiously tear off the page of Zhang's Guestbook that the scientists had written on, as if trying to cover up the previous expedition's footsteps.
Three days later, the narrator and Phupten arrive in a village whose inhabitants are both friendly and very enthusiastic about fungi, affectionately nicknaming the narrator Shamu-pa ("Mushroom Man") due to his knowledge. However, only the children acknowledge that Schurr and Perry have passed there. Accompanied by two guides, the narrator and Phupten resume their journey and arrive two days later at the temple, Bu Gompa, which stands at the entrance to Leng. 
The four men are welcomed by the monks, who appear amiable. However, when the narrator intends to give an offering to the temple's god as courtesy, Phupten pushes him aside and comments that the faith of the monks of Leng has been condemned by the Dalai Lama, who declared their god a demon: not a bringer of enlightenment, but of "false wisdom". This doesn't prevent the two guides from giving offerings, however. Soon, the narrator finds one of the monks to be none other than Heinrich Perry himself, who explains that he and Schurr haven't been lost, they both simply decided to join the order. While Perry has never ventured beyond the temple, Schurr has actually penetrated deep into the plateau itself and achieved a much higher level of enlightenment as a result. She now spends her time meditating in a cave.
At night, the narrator is awakened by Phupten, who tells him that the two guides have decided to remain in the temple and make their vows, deserting the expedition. The narrator follows Phupten and witnesses a ritual involving a large fungal mass emitting black smoke. The ceremony is presided over by a priest with a yellow mask, who turns out to be Perry. When the narrator tries to reason with him, asking for the guides' initiation rites to be postponed, Perry instead tells him to talk to Schurr and accompanies him to her meditation cave. It transpires that Danielle Schurr has been infected by Cordyceps lengensis, and is now a mumbling grey humanoid figure with a stalk sprouting from her forehead. When the narrator pulls the stalk to examine it, Schurr's entire head ruptures and explodes in a cloud of spores, which he can't prevent himself from inhaling.
The narrator and Phupten try to escape the monastery, but find that they have nowhere to run to, as they're trapped between the temple and the Plateau of Leng. With the spores now lodged in his brain, the narrator is aware of the real nature of Cordyceps lengensis: a vast subterranean organism spread over the entire plateau, intelligent enough to use its human hosts as puppets. He is also aware that the reason he is writing his journal is that the parasite wants him to do so, as the account will attract more people to Leng. As he tries to resist the influence and warn the reader about the danger, the narrative stops abruptly mid-sentence.
Category:Marc Laidlaw works
Category:Expanded Mythos Works