Bioluminescent Mushroom

I was sad yesterday, more sad than I've been in a long time. I was texting with my friend, and instead of being like "I'm there for you if you need me" or whatever it is that people say, she said, "I finish dance at 8.30 tonight, want to go to MacRitchie and look for luminous mushrooms?"

MacRitchie being a nature reserve here in Singapore.

Now these mushrooms are quite rare, and though they are known to grow in MacRitchie, as far as I know, there's no specific location where you can find them. They sprout randomly after rains, and the glow only lasts for a day or two.

At least it had rained in the morning, so there was that.

Neither of us had seem these mushrooms in the wild; we just knew they exist. So we just wandered around in the dark, without flashlights (our eyes had to be adjusted to the darkness; the glow from the mushrooms is not very bright), hoping not to step on a scorpion or snake (MacRitchie is also home to vipers, cobras and pythons). The mushrooms grow under fallen logs and other places which are hard to see from the trail. So my expectations were low; I mainly just went to spend time with my friend and see the nature reserve at night.

But then...

Against all odds, a gift from the universe to cheer me up. Just a phone pic (I went straight from work so I didn't have my camera) but it was amazing to see.

* * *

There's this part in The Golden Gate by Vikram Seth:

He goes home, seeking consolation
Among old Beatles and Pink Floyd—
But "Girl" elicits mere frustration,
While "Money" leaves him more annoyed.

But for me, ever since I discovered them as a 13-year-old, the music of the Beatles has been a source of happiness and consolation.

What do I do when my love is away?
   Does it worry you to be alone?
How do I feel by the end of the day?
   Are you sad because you're on your own?
No, I get by with a little help from my friends.

The next line goes "Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends." But I don't think it's that kind of mushroom :)