is for bloodsuckers.
I love lakes. I love swimming and skipping rocks and listening to frogs.
I do not love bloodsuckers.
There's just something about bloodsuckers that brings out a primal reaction in people. They're gross. Just as humans evolved to fear snakes, I believe that we also evolved to be grossed out by leeches.
There were bloodsuckers at the lake at the cottage when I was a kid. Since then, they've all been eaten by something or other, but I remember being horrified (and secretly delighted) by a big, black, glistening leech attached to an aunt or an uncle or a cousin.
There was only one way to disengage a bloodsucker: cover it in salt. When it was completely covered in salt, the bloodsucker would detach itself from skin, curl up and die.
I used to find the whole process strangely fascinating to watch as a child.
One of my Dad's favourite stories when we were kids was about the fat leech that latched on to his big toe. When he peeled it off, he found that his toe was covered in leech eggs!
This was - and remains - at once one of the most disgusting and one of the coolest things I'd ever heard.
artist's note: actual leech eggs probably look nothing like this. And actual toes usually have toenails. Let's just call it "artistic license". Also note that I might have to revise this entire post after I call home this evening and confirm that I got the story right.
Bloodsuckers.
Gross.
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Ew. When I first read bloodsuckers, I was thinking vampires. This was much worse.
ReplyDeleteI deliberately avoid bodies of water that are known to have leeches. Which was hard when we vacationed at Leech Lake (no lie) but at least I had the sense to know salt gets them off. Unlike the poor kid in the tent next to us, whose parents thought you just pulled them off. Blood. Everywhere.
Gross.
Haha @ Leech Lake. At least it's a descriptive name... I want to go to Leech Lake and have my picture taken next to the sign, with a leech on my arm. No, strike that. I want to take a picture of someone ELSE next to the sign, with a leech on THEIR arm. I'll bring the salt.
DeleteWe used to do the salt thing to slugs, too. Kids can be so macabre.
ReplyDeleteLuckily I've never come face to face with a leech. Or it's offspring. Gag.
Well done!
Well, in our defense, we didn't salt things on purpose. Just if there were bloodsuckers on somebody. And it didn't happen very often, but it was a strong, strong memory!
DeleteThis is the reason I refuse to go into natural water....the creatures in it just freak me out.
ReplyDeleteI just pretend they aren't there. Kind of like the "lalala I can't hear you" strategy. Except with things that want to eat you.
DeleteEwww!! Leeches are gross.
ReplyDeleteIndeed they are...
DeleteI can agree, easily. Now I'm going to have these nasty creatures in my head all day. But I DO love your who clay theme here, different and fun,!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoy it! Don't worry, I'll be posting other creepy/annoying/gross things that will hopefully get the leeches out of your head. ;)
DeleteI got the heeby jeebies just reading this post. *shudder*
ReplyDeleteAlso, you may want to warn me now if "S" is going to be "Spider" so I can just avoid that post all together. :0)
Or at least make the clay spider cute and cuddly (if that's possible) because I, too, would like fair warning on that one.
DeleteNo, I promise both of you that I will NOT be writing about spiders. Believe or not, I'm not really bothered by spiders. I think I'll probably write about spam. Or something.
DeleteYou're right, gross! But what a great story!
ReplyDeleteI know. I kind of wish it were mine. Except for the whole "a leech laid eggs on my toe" bit.
Deleteewww. I also thought you meant vampires at first and though o no! vampires annoy you-- but leeches I get. Speaking of x-files, the episode with the gigantic leeches hiding in port-o-lets- scariest thing ever (well at least in that episode it was the scariest thing).
ReplyDeleteVampires don't annoy me. Unless they sparkle. That's very annoying. Haha! (errr...no offense if you like sparkly vampires.) I remember that episode!
DeleteI actually felt my skin crawl at the thought of having a leech latch unto my skin! EEK!
ReplyDeleteI'm used to a different sort of bloodsucker known as the mosquito; they are dreadful, too. :P
-Barb the French Bean
They really are horrible, disgusting things. And yes, we have mosquitoes here too. Plenty of them. Awful nasty little monsters!
DeleteGah!!! and is it just me, or does that leech look surprisingly like a harmless bit of licorice?
ReplyDeletethank you for ruining one of my favorite types of candy for me...
best,
MOV
Bahaha! Oh dear. I'm sorry.
DeleteEWW they're gross.
ReplyDeleteThe most traumatising youth camp I ever had to attend was the one where they MADE us go stream trotting and half the guys came back with leeches.
Yuck! Awful! Kind of reminds me of that awesome scene from Stand By Me. Only awesome because it didn't happent to me.
DeleteGross Fact, they used to use leeches in medicine to suck out infection and poison. Kind of like bleeding people. pointless, dangerous and gross.
ReplyDeleteOk I might have made that up, but i remember reading it somewhere but it might have been a fantasy novel. It makes sense though right? People used to do weird stuff when they were sick.
They are still used. Even in this country. A woman that had a black eye days before her wedding had a leech put on her face to suck out the blood from under the skin. One day later, no black eye.
DeleteYes! What Brett said! I actually think medicinal leeches are kind of cool. So long as they're not lurking in a lake, waiting to affix themselves to my feet.
DeleteEEEEEEEEEWWWWW!! xP
ReplyDeleteYour post gave me the heebie jeebies, but it was a great "B" post! :D
That's me! I just spread the heebie-jeebies wherever I go!
DeleteJust one word: ew.
ReplyDeleteAnd ... are you going to make a book out of these, for kids? I think you should. ;)
Maybe I'll bind it all up as an e-book when I'm done!
DeleteThis is truly horrifying. Much worse than losing time and aliens. There is no way I could leave a leech on me for the length of time it took for salt to be poured and the leech to fall off. And I think your clay toes are very artful.
ReplyDeleteReally? You'd rather be abducted by aliens than have a leech on you? I'd pick the leech ANY day.
DeleteStephanie, that is delightfully disgusting. I think I will be having bad dreams about the leeches tonight. Yuck! Ick!!
ReplyDeleteGiving people nightmares: it's what I do best!
DeleteIckkkk, bloodsuckers. We called them leeches, and yep, so gross. I have only ever had one on my once but maaaaan was it gross.
ReplyDeleteEww! You've had your blood sucked by a leech?!? So gross! You've got street cred now. Or creek cred.
DeleteI think I am the only one here who is just a little bit intrigued as to what this feels like..... I would do the whole: "OMG GET IT OFF ME. GET IT OFF ME" routine but I would try to give it a go! I might even enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteYou are officially the most bad-ass commenter on this post.
DeleteI've only ever seen one leech in real life on someone but every time I think about leeches (which actually isn't that often, weird right?) I think of Wil Wheaton in Stand By Me!
ReplyDeleteActually, Wil Wheaton in Stand By Me is the only good thing about leeches.
DeleteWow, that is GROSS!
ReplyDeleteI've always been afraid of bloodsuckers--they freak me out, and when I was a kid, I didn't really understand them and I think I was irrationally anticipating more severe consequences than what would really happen....
So, so disgusting. Did you think they could completely drain you? Because that it gross, but also kind of cool.
Deleteew, ew, EWWWWWWW! But thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHa! I love how polite you are despite being grossed out and probably hating me a little bit right now.
DeleteI can never think of leeches without thinking of Stand By Me. Blech...
ReplyDeleteI loved that scene. Stand By Me is probably the best thing about leeches.
DeleteI just snorted out loud at the kids' book comment! What a horribly fantastic idea...
ReplyDeleteI am in the crowd that doesn't go swimming in water that isn't chlorinated due to creepy crawly things like fish and leeches. Blargh. Disgusting. *Horrified face*
I'm in the "if I can't see it, it must not be there" crowd when it comes to water-dwelling creatures. Fact: my crowd is much more likely to be eaten than your crowd.
DeleteThis post definitely made me vomit in my mouth a little. gross. lol
ReplyDeleteThen my work here is done.
DeleteStephanie, that takes me back to my years as summer camper. Never got them myself but plenty of kids managed to find them. It seemed like a horror movie come to life back then.
ReplyDeleteBugs and worms and other creepy-crawlies really do seem kind of horrifying sometimes. Extraterrestrial, almost.
DeleteAll my responses start with the letter U. Image 1 of bloodsucker..."Ugh"...Image 2 of bloodsuckers on feet.."UGGGGGGGGGGGH!"
ReplyDeleteHaha! Maybe I'll just copy and paste your comment on U day!
DeleteGrossed out but still laughing. Cannot WAIT to see what else you've got coming up.
ReplyDeleteSpoiler alert: today I'll be talking about haunted chairs. It's a thing.
DeleteIf you're without salt just stick a finger in your nose or your ear and then wipe them off with it - works a treat.
ReplyDeleteNo! NO! Really? That is SO COOL! I wish that I'd known you when I was a kid.
DeleteYuck!! I actually shuddered over the leech eggs on your dad's toe. Shuddered!
ReplyDeleteI live to disgust! Ha!
DeleteOne word....EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.....LOL!
ReplyDeleteThat is a VERY long word. Ha!
DeleteI don't know what I found more exciting: Aliens, Blood suckers or Clay Baboons ;) The leech egg thing is the grossest thing I've ever heard. My Dad tried to burn leeches off with cigarettes - as a surgical operation it ranked right up there with door-knob dentistry ;)
ReplyDeleteOh, clay baboons. Definitely clay baboons. Ha! OK, your dad is hard core. And that would have made one seriously disturbing clay scene.
Deleteewww...just thinking of bloodsuckers gives me the creeps!
ReplyDeletelove the toes - ok, maybe if dad was a long-distance runner, he really would have no toenails! that is a funny/fascinating/gross story about the eggs on his toe, and yes, as a kid nothing would be more intriguing and disgusting!!
thankfully, i have never seen a real live bloodsucker - i hope it stays that way!!
Ha! My dad isn't a long-distance runner. But we can pretend, for the sake of realistic clay figurines.
DeleteCome visit me! I see bloodsuckers in the river near my house all the time! They're really small though...I figure the big monsters are waiting a bit deeper, biding their time...
Even in clay form, leeches are icky. Ewwww....
ReplyDeleteI smashed it after I took the picture.
DeleteYou covered two of my most feared things in life in one post: leeches and the prospect of a bug/insect/etc. laying eggs in or on my body. *shudder* I still fastforward through that scene in Stand By Me.
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