[3464] THE BOG CONTINUES TO SEEP

Hi all,

I have a short story I'd love for you to rip to shreds. It's historical fiction with a healthy dose of the weird and light touch of the speculative. Mostly I want to know if the story is engaging and kept you interested throughout, but I am also unsure about the clarity and impact of the hallucinatory scene towards the end, as well as the clarity of the general details about the world I throw in.

I've had some comments this reads as second-world fantasy, and I don't mind having the boundary between it and the historical fiction blurred, but if you have any comments on whether this is an issue for you please do provide them. Otherwise give me the usual schtick on plot, pacing, character, setting, ending/arc, etc.

Heads up for body horror, gore, and drug use. And thanks in advance to all who comment, much appreciated.

STORY LINK:

[THE BOG CONTINUES TO SEEP] (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nNj8nEq0nm28CE82yEj2uk0H4IO9cOtnneOb3YUJ18g/edit?usp=sharing)

PREV CRITIQUES:

[2139] (https://old.reddit.com/r/DestructiveReaders/comments/12psp3y/2139_the_wind_farmers_daughter/jgo9473/)

[3621] (https://old.reddit.com/r/DestructiveReaders/comments/12a0tya/3621_the_cats_in_3b/jez7t7l/)

[4501] (https://old.reddit.com/r/DestructiveReaders/comments/11zuojl/4501_himesama%E5%A7%AB%E3%81%95%E3%81%BE_short_story_cw_body_horror/jefuf0n/)

MODS:

I realise my story is pushing the word limit a bit so I've tried to bank a few critiques before submitting. Do let me know if not enough and I can divide the text and resubmit. I also think I have a few straggler words banked from a critique about 6 months ago but I'm happy to start fresh using the above numbers. Thanks.