The Empusium: A Health Resort Horror Story

Wojnicz is surprised to find Opitz and Raimund in the courtyard beside the guesthouse. They are carrying wicker baskets. The men seem as displeased by Wojnicz’s arrival as he is by theirs. They concoct a story, claiming that they are off to pick mushrooms. Wojnicz agrees to join them. 

As they enter the forest, Opitz offers Wojnicz a drink of Schwärmerei. Wojnicz drinks and, inside the forest, feels “moved to the point of tears” (156) by the abundance of mushrooms. As Opitz and Raimund commune in their impenetrable local dialect, Wojnicz delights in filling his basket with his beloved mushrooms. Opitz and Raimund are more interested in finding the exact mushrooms that are used in the production of Schwärmerei.

As they prepare to return to the guesthouse, Wojnicz spots a small human-shaped figure made from sticks and moss. Raimund and Opitz laugh at the discovery, while Wojnicz feels uneasy. Opitz explains that these small puppets are named “Tuntschi.” They are made by the charcoal burners, he claims, who spend many months away from their communities. The charcoal burners are “deprived of women for such agonizing periods of abstinence” (160) that they manufacture these