SWALLOW
Swallow is a horror short story following Val, a coroner who uses an unusual ability to learn more about the deaths of the victims she works with. By consuming the insects found on corpses she is able to relive their final moments, and she is pulled inexorably into their lives.
Swallow contains difficult themes, such as body horror, violence, homophobia, sexual assault, and abuse. It focuses heavily on bugs and corpses.
Swallow includes some information about the field of forensic entomology. While I myself am a layperson, the information on it is accurate to the best of my ability. I researched using a variety of sources, but the one I relied on most heavily is "Insect Faunal Succession and Development of Forensically Important Flies on Deer Carcasses in Southwest Virginia" found here: https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/bitstream/handle/10919/49568/Wilson_JM_T_2012.pdf?...
That being said, eating a bug is unlikely to give you anything other than bragging rights.
Thank you to: Christopher Luis-Jorge, Quinn Milton, Gretchen Felker-Martin for edits and encouragement ♡
This is a short story PDF download. You will not receive a physical item!