 Horror/Scary: March 26, 2025 Issue [#13047] |
This week: Down to the bone Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon  
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Quote for the week:
"Her cold wind calls, and so I follow.
No time to rest my weary bones.
I hear her voice, and my heart grows hollow.
Best not walk these woods alone.
Best keep to the roads and out of the shadows.
Best get on home.
Best to leave them ghosts alone."
~From "The Land Unknown" by Landon Blood.
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| ASIN: 0996254145 |
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Amazon's Price: $ 12.95
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When we die, eventually nothing will be left of us but our bones. In the right environment, those bones might still be there hundreds of years later.
Bones do decay, but at a much slower rate than other body tissues. The process of bone decay is called diagnesis. As the collagen proteins in the bone break down, the bones become more fragile, susceptible to breaking and flaking. Diagenesis occurs faster in moist, warm environments, especially in acidic soil. In dry soil with a neutral pH, the skeleton may last hundreds or even thousands of years. If the soil is very dry with certain minerals present, the minerals fill in the cracks and spaces, turning the bones into fossils. Fossilized bone is all we have left of many prehistoric creatures such as dinosaurs.
Even if all that is left is the skeleton, the bones can still tell us how the person died and how they lived. If the skeleton hasn't been scattered or otherwise disturbed, it will still contain the teeth. Teeth in a recent human skeleton may contain evidence of dental work, which can be used to identify the victim. The condition of the bones and teeth can reveal what the person ate and if they were healthy. The bones might also reveal how the person died, if the manner of death included an injury to the bone.
Imagine digging in the ground to plant a garden and finding a human skeleton. Our bones are a natural part of us, but seeing them without their usual cover of tissue and skin is unsettling for most people. Since the skeleton was once part of a living being, seeing the bones reminds us of our own mortality. If a skeleton is found in an unexpected place, it may mean the person was murdered or died in some other unnatural way. Many people believe it is bad luck to disturb the dead, so they might fear angering the person's ghost.
Something to try: Write a horror story that involves a character finding a skeleton.
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