An innocuous black object, perhaps 15cm tall and 8cm wide. It feels almost plastic, almost metallic. The Brick is quickly and easily able to form a parasitic relationship with the first intelligent creature that it can attach itself to.
The Brick is notable in that it is indistinguishable from a modern phone in its form and function. Those plagued by the brick spend several hours a day staring at the object and will carry it with them at all times, often becoming deeply uncomfortable and anxious if they are not touching it. The experience for the victim is not entirely unpleasant. The victim engages in increasingly complex hallucinations that absorb more and more of their time. The process of hallucination can leave the victim drained and tired as the brick feeds on its victim.
Prolonged exposure to this parasitic object slowly wears its bearer down. They are constantly sick, suffering from increasingly intense headaches, migraines and exhaustion. Their screen time slowly increases as they become more and more addicted to the Brick until they eventually become bedridden, unable to do anything but stare at the brick for up to 20 hours a day.
To an observer, the Brick lightly camouflages itself. Looking like a mundane object in line with period expectations. Close observers may notice a small white wire trailing out of the Brick and inserting itself directly into the victim’s spinal cord. Although most observers pass this off as a set of the latest headphones.
While it is possible to extricate a victim from the parasite, any would-be investigator must be careful, otherwise they themselves may find themselves attached to the Brick, replacing their own phone and slowly falling victim to its hypnotic lure.
It has been suggested that polarised, mirrored sunglasses are able to block the lure of the brick, or at least dull its influence. There is some evidence to suggest that government departments take this accusation seriously, as their senior agents wear such protection. As do members of some illuminati groups.
A brick is not particularly easy to destroy, although it can be done through heating it above 2000॰c or with enough compressive force. A faraday cage may block its hypnotic lure, but a Brick may live indefinitely without a host, biding its time and waiting for another intelligent creature to come along.
The Brick is rarely studied, and it is not known how many exist. Further, it is unclear if they are biological or technological in origin.
Hedge is a prolific writer and irregular publisher (https://linktr.ee/johnhedge)
