Melon Head

Written by RaidraAn artist hired to illustrate a cryptid guidebook notices their employer become visibly terrified when asked how to depict a "melon head"—a humanoid urban legend native to the region. Curious about her reaction, the illustrator researches the lore on a lunch break and discovers that the melon heads were allegedly hydrocephalic orphans subjected to horrific medical experimentation before escaping into the nearby woods as feral, hostile mutants. Empathizing with his employer's obvious trauma, the narrator gently offers a safe space for her to talk, prompting her to finally open up about a tragic personal connection to the dark history behind the regional legend.