Help me identify this book with a shipwreck and parasitic plants/fungus (Solved!)

AaronKI

Well, that's the weirdest subject line I've ever written. I think it was a thin, illustrated book that I read between 1991 and 1993. Every once in a while I have vague memories of it, usually when someone brings up "zombie ants". I've tried locating it on google with various keywords, but nothing ever comes up.

I think it was about two people of different gender who end up shipwrecked on an island. The only thing that they can find to eat is some sort of plant or fungus, and it starts to sprout on them near the end of the book. I think they either eventually die or are enveloped by it as it grows larger and larger.

The ending seems ridiculously dark and disturbing for a kid's book, which makes me wonder if it even really exists. It's also possible that I'm just mixing up details of multiple books (which is why I hesitate to give a more specific description).

Ruckus

Short story; The Voice in the Night?

AaronKI

Ruckus wrote: »

Short story; The Voice in the Night?

I think this might be it! I specifically remember them scraping it off of a boat. Now I wonder the hell I came across this as a kid and mistook it for a children's book as an adult.

Thanks for helping my clear up a mystery that's been plaguing me for most of my life!

E.Coyote

I found the book Graveyard School: Slime Lake from a quick search of google. I did the search thinking of a similar short story where kids on a camping trip get infected by lake slime and turn into monsters. There was an awesome illustration of a slime covered squirrel in that short story.