Strange Happenings
Midnight. They always came at midnight. The chimes from the old grandfather clock in the den jolted Daniel out of his restless dreams. It wasn't the chimes that woke him so much as the knowledge that They were coming. It was the same horrifying ritual, every single night.
The room was illuminated by an eerie pale green glow. Three figures in haz-mat suits stood around his bed. One of them held a large briefcase, another held a gun, and the third--the apparent leader, from the way he acted--was making entries into a large handheld computer. Daniel tried to escape, to run, to even move, but some unseen force held him in place, as immobile as the bed itself. The leader looked up from his computer and signaled to the one holding the briefcase, who set the case down and began to open it. Daniel strained to see its contents, but couldn't from his position. If only he could move...
The leader reached forward, grabbed the bedcovers and--
The shrill blast of Daniel's alarm clock filled the room. He'd had that dream again, the same one he'd been having every night for nearly a month. Except that it didn't feel like a normal dream. It felt more like a memory, but one that had been partially forgotten. Anyway, Dan had more important things to worry about, so he pushed whatever it was aside for the moment. Today was the last day of school, finally. All he had to do was survive his last few final exams, and he'd be home free. He wasn't about to let a creepy dream get him down.
***
Dr. DiCaoz glanced over his biology classroom. "Is anybody still working on the final?" he asked tiredly. He paused for a moment, then said, "If everybody is finished, you may talk quietly amongst yourselves for the remainder of the period." As the class erupted in chatter, he went back to nursing his hangover.
Daniel loved his biology class. It wasn't just that he was good at it, or that it was the last class of the day. By some bit of luck or fate, he happened to be in the same class as his four closest friends, Gassan, David, Pammy, and Jake. Gassan, David, and Pammy had become absurdly popular since coming to high school. Gassan was Lebanese and therefore "exotic," David was a star swimmer, and Pammy was a cheerleader. In retrospect, popularity was an inevitability. To the other popular kids, Jake an avid follower of the Furry subculture (he called it a craze, but nobody else did) and Daniel, the introspective writer, were social liabilities. Still, Gassan, David, and Pam never let their newfound "friends" keep them away from Jake and Dan. Privately, Daniel was grateful that he had managed to befriend the four people who appeared to be immune to high school drama.
"So, what'd you guys think?" Pammy whispered.
"I'm pretty sure Dr. Di is a nutcase," Gassan answered quickly. He was met with a chorus of approval from his companions.
"Anyway," Pam continued, "are we having our annual Thank-God-The-Schoolyear's-Over party tonight?"
"I can't go," Jake said, "I've got a convention."
"I can't go either," said David, "My dad's taking me camping. He's on a back-to-nature kick."
"I'm visiting my grandma," Gassan said. Pammy rolled her eyes.
"Alright," she sighed, "when do you guys get back?"
"Sunday"
"Sunday evening"
"Sunday, but it'll be late."
"So," Pammy continued, "is Monday night alright with everyone?"
***
The days passed quickly. By the time Monday arrived, he had gone an entire weekend without his mysterious dreams. He was mostly relieved, but part of him wished the visitors would come back so he could find out what they were up to.
The streets were charged with an eerie calm. A summer storm was coming. As Daniel reached Pam's door, he couldn't help but feel a strange foreboding. Something was decidedly wrong. He rang the bell.
"Come in," called Pammy. Dan opened the door and found friend sitting on the floor in a tidy circle. They were all staring at him, an unsettling hunger in their eyes. "We are playing Truth or Dare," Pammy intoned mechanically. "Please, join us. Truth or Dare?"
"Please choose Dare," Gassan said, in the same unearthly voice.
"The Truth is never any fun," agreed David, still in the same tone. Throughout the exchange, none of the four took their eyes off of Daniel.
"Is everything alright?" he asked. "You all seem...different."
Pammy answered in the same monotone as before: "We are collectively unnerved at a series of recurring dreams we have been having. Perhaps you too are experiencing these visions?"
"Yeah," Dan said, "but I'm not acting that weird about it."
"Perhaps," Pammy said, "All will be made more clear if you answer this simple question: Truth...or Dare?"
Written by Zodiac on 31 May 2008
Forgotten Memories
Daniel was taken aback by their behavior, more because they appeared almost zombified and not very attentive to things that were going on around them. If there was a fly buzzing around in the room somewhere, he doubted any of them would notice it over their uncanny focus on him. Answer the question, that seemed to be the unwary contract held between him and these puppets that were his friends. Maybe they were tired and exhausted after their respective weekend activities, but Danny had a hard time trying to justify those darting glances between each other like a conspiratorial borg hive mind.
"You guys okay?" Dan asked, hoping that this might be one last spark to yank them back onto the road of sense, but no dice.
"Truth or dare, Danny boy?" Jake intoned almost without any inflection, his hair still smelling of lingering traces of a bit of grime and sweat. At least that part of him was normal, as well as the mild scent of latex or rubber on his skin from the inner liner of a high end fursuit.
He quickly saw by their behavior that he wasn't going to get anywhere until he played their little game, whether these were actually his friends or not remained to be seen. It wasn't an easy choice to make either, as he knew what they were waiting for, expectantly ready for a hinge to snap like a spring on a mouse trap. "Dare." There, he said it. He let the genie loose.
"Was that so hard?" Pammy made a flourish of her arm like a cheer and chuckled, drinking from a pink sports bottle and looking around at her friends in on the secret. "So, who has a dare?" It seemed a rhetorical question, only one thing was on the mind of these pleasant imps.
It was hard, but only because Daniel had that voice in the back of his head that told him this was all wrong, but he couldn't put a proper face to those nagging feelings. They were obviously up to something, but his birthday wouldn't be around for several months. "We dare you to-" Jake paused, licking his thin lips as he savored the following moment like a morsel set before a snake.
Daniel was waiting on edge for them to continue. As much as he dreaded what was going to follow, a part of him wanted to get it over and have things back to normal. When Pammy finished his previous sentence, an odd bluish twinkle in her eyes that appeared and vanished so quickly that he wasn't even sure it was there in the first place. "Remember (indistinct unrecognizeable phrase)". Those words were like a trigger, well the latter one was because he'd never heard it before and yet something came rushing into his head. Memories. Lots and lots of disjointed memories that weren't his and couldn't make any sense. It was if he were remembering the past life not of another person, but an animal with a completely different set of senses.
Before he knew what was happening, his mind was rushing through a strange vocabulary he had never used: people, places, and things that never existed before. Except, they did, more real than he could possibly exist as though he shared a body with two souls. "What did you do?" He gagged out, collapsing and trembling on the floor like a seizure as they gathered around him and bundled his pathetic body in a big comfy blanket. They knew this would happen, and they were prepared. "You do not remember, Dan, but you will soon." Gassan said soothingly, rubbing his back like he were comforting an addict out of a hellish bout of withdrawal. Maybe it was, as his hangovers never felt this terrible and he hadn't taken anything more illegal than a few stim pills for studying late overnight.
Written by FluffyPony on 01 June 2015
Consquences
“Don’t..don’t touch me.” Daniel growled out, weakly straightening himself up and flinching away from Gassan. His head pounded mercilessly; perhaps a result from the onslaught of memories that had so abruptly come to mind. It was as though it was a strain just to take everything in, without so much as a warning - and this was already taking a massive toll on Daniel, whether he liked it or not. Shaking a little where he sat, Daniel rubbed his throbbing head with a quiet groan as his friends watched him carefully, their eyes curious yet unsettling and beady all the while. He didn’t have a clue what sort of sick prank his friends could’ve pulled on him, if it even was one - regardless of what they did, his head hurt terribly, clouding his thinking for a few moments as he struggled to regain his composure. There was no use in spitting random accusations at his friends quite yet; and even if he did, chances are they’d be as vague with him as they were before, which certainly wouldn’t help Daniel’s situation at all. With a quiet, uncomfortable groan, Daniel lowered his hand from his head as the awful, throbbing pain began to subside; almost as quickly as it had come to him. This certainly was no ordinary headache - no, this was something more, and Daniel was definitely intelligent enough to notice it.
Whatever this was, it was genuinely haunting him; those strange memories that had flooded to him, bits and pieces of places and beings it seemed that he had once known at some point in his life. He didn’t understand one bit of it - how could he possibly sit and decipher these on such short notice, with so little context to begin with? Swallowing rather nervously, Daniel shifted where he sat, struggling to gather his scrambled thoughts and at least put some puzzle pieces together. He didn’t care how long he had to sit here, watched eerily by his so-called friends - as much of a strain as it was to try and find everything out at once, he had to know. Daniel’s curiosity continued poking and prodding at him, urging him to somehow find out where these memories had come from, and why he only just recalled them now, after all these years.
Surely his friends had something to do with it, that was a given; but it couldn’t have been just them, could it? Having an alarming barrage of memories shoved into one’s brain didn’t just happen at random; something more than a triggering word or phrase had to have provoked it. And if it really was just that, then why hadn’t those said phrases or words bothered him before?
Trying to make sense of it all, Daniel shook off the blanket his friends had wrapped around him, trembling as he struggled to stand - Gasson promptly attempted to help his friend up, but was met with immediate hostility as Daniel flinched away from him the second time. “I can get up myself.” Daniel growled softly at Gasson; he briefly staggered, and it took him a moment or two before he finally managed to stand on his own. Carefully, he turned away from his friends - though he could feel their gazes burning into him, as if they were waiting for him to question them so they could spill out their vague answers in return.
Written by monochromecheshire on 11 March 2017
In his room
But, Daniel wasn’t planning on giving them that satisfaction anytime soon. Biting his lip nervously, he made his way to the bed in the room; pausing to lean on his dresser when he felt as though he was going to lose his balance. His legs shook, threatening to buckle beneath him; they even began to feel little tingly as if he hadn’t moved them for ages, making it incredibly uncomfortable to move. However, he managed to finally managed to ease his way to the bed and sit himself down, placing his hands on his knees as he hunched over. He had hoped to clear his head, but the throbbing pain was now beginning to return. Daniel’s mind began to whirl; why was this happening to him? What triggered these memories? Did he even deserve any of this? What did his “friends” have to do with any of it? Goodness, he hated this; not only was it frustrating to be kept in the dark so blatantly, but it was annoying too.
All he wanted was answers, but he couldn’t even muster the courage to ask for them at this point. None of this made any sense, regardless.
With a quiet groan, Daniel shifted uncomfortably where he sat on the bed, wanting nothing more than to just lay down for a while - but there was no way in hell he’d let himself remain so vulnerable in front of his so-called “friends”. He couldn’t rest in the same room as them; Daniel was much too on edge to even consider the prospect. He didn’t trust them, not even Gasson; the most the poor man could do was sit on the bed, visibly straining as he clutched at the fabric of his jeans upon his knees, gritting his teeth as the throbbing pain continued, pounding into his head as terribly as it had before.
Beads of sweat trickled down the side of his head as he was briefly tormented by uncomfortable hot flashes, lifting one trembling hand to wipe the sweat from his furrowed brows. What the hell was happening to him? For a split second, Daniel wondered if he was genuinely sick - but ruled it out rather quickly. His friends wouldn’t be behaving like this if he was ill; hell, if he was sick, Daniel was sure they wouldn’t even want to be in the same room as him if he acted as sickly as this. “Daniel, maybe you should lay down. Just for a while.” Gasson’s abrupt voice jolted Daniel out of his troubled thoughts, causing his head to snap up and his gaze to settle on his friend. Daniel’s eyes narrowed a little suspiciously as Gasson stepped toward him, the evident barrier of distrust stopping his friend in his tracks.
Written by monochromecheshire on 22 March 2017
A Rest and More Memories
“If you rest, I’m sure you can think a lot clearer.” Gasson added, raising his hands in front of his chest as if surrendering, as he took another step toward his unsettled friend. In response, Daniel visibly tensed up, looking as though he was about to get off of the bed - seeing this, Gasson lowered his hands and stepped back. Once Gasson was no longer uncomfortably close to him, Daniel noticeably relaxed with a quiet sigh, resting his shaky hands back on his knees. “Just..just leave me alone. All of you..get out. Now.” Daniel finally mustered the courage to speak up, his voice surprisingly firm as his hardening gaze now locked on Gasson and the others in the room. His companions glanced around at one another for a moment, debating as to whether or not they ought to listen to the simple request or not. “Please.” Daniel couldn’t help but add quietly, his voice growing quiet as his eyes drifted from Gasson to the others. He could only hope that they’d listen; he didn’t care if they even wandered around his house, he just wanted them out of his room so he could think by himself. After a few long, and admittedly anxious moments on Daniel’s end, Gasson straightened up and beckoned to the others, already turning and making his way to the door of the room. One by one his companions followed, filing out and quietly shutting the door behind them - leaving Daniel for with much needed alone time.
Only when he finally had this moment to himself did Daniel lay down on the soft bed with a fairly troubled, heavy sigh. Now he could think, and make himself the focus. He hesitated for a second or two before he let his eyes flicker closed, keeping his vision cloaked in darkness for a good long while. The wait was agonizing, but eventually, Daniel found himself jolting as a memory, one of many that had attacked him mercilessly earlier, crept its way into his mind.
Daniel pictured a wide and beautiful open sea, the frothy waves lapping at the sandy shore, eroding away grain by grain as it both brought and pulled back pieces of shells with it, tiny gifts from the sea to the unsteady land it brushed against. He had been there before; there was a local beach here in his hometown, and Daniel could recall going there as a young child. Yes, he remembered this place, surprisingly well too - but why hadn’t this beach come to mind before? It didn’t take long until he was launched into the first person perspective of the himself; but smaller, younger - surely a toddler - waddling about on the sands. But, he wasn’t alone for long. As the memory rushed back to him, Daniel felt the throbbing pain in his head once more, but gritted his teeth through it all, unwilling to let the pain stop him from remembering all over again. There had been a woman with him that day on the beach; a pretty one, with fair skin and ginger hair, along with freckles marking her soft, glowing cheeks. Daniel recalled her sweet smile - oh, he knew this woman. This was his mother, Selene; his father had told him that she’d divorced him long ago, and his friends had been the ones to assure him regarding it. He saw the woman lean down, even felt the kiss she planted on his forehead, whispering unknown, but rather soothing Gaelic words into his ear. All this time, he hadn’t remembered this moment with his own mother…? As quickly as the lovely memory of Daniel and his mother had come, it faded, slinking away from his mind with the pleasant tease of its presence.
Written by monochromecheshire on 31 March 2017
A Cold Memories
A little gasp escaping Daniel’s lips as the throbbing pain worsened in his head, making him snap his eyes open for just a moment. Feeling his breathing become a little heavier than normal, Daniel took in a deep breath, encouraging his body to relax. Daniel exhaled quietly, as the throbbing in his head subsided for the moment. Now that the pain was gone, Daniel was confident he could try to scope out the confines of his mind yet again, no matter how many times it too. It meant answers, one way or another.
Closing his eyes, Daniel let his mind drift, hoping to reach out to those lost memories to drag one back - it didn’t take as long as earlier before he was launched back into another memory. This one was clear as day much like the other, with the feeling of self-awareness in a dream. Except, dreams weren’t real - and surprisingly, this was. He remembered, oddly enough, swimming - his head bobbing above the shimmering blue water before diving straight down into the darkening ocean. The further he swam, the darker it became as light was forced to remain near the surface, unseen by the ocean creatures who knew nothing of its existence. The deeper he went, the less life he saw; the fishes near the surface were now out of sight. Daniel could never remember going that deep into water, let alone with what seemed to be no professional gear until now - but the question still remained; why…? Daniel viewed it all in his own first person perspective just like before, swimming deeper and deeper into the darkness below. Tiny bubbles rose from his mouth and scuttled their way up through the darkness, towards the surface, which would be bright and welcome them, unlike the unsettling darkness that enveloped Daniel. As far as he could tell within the confines of this memory, it seemed as though Daniel didn’t even need to breath underwater; he was so far down that he should’ve been long dead by now, or at the very least already from the halfway point of his descent into watery darkness. But no; not a single gulp of air was needed - hell, he didn’t even feel a sense of panic, let alone a frantic desire to reach the surface. Daniel seemed content right where he was, at least within this memory; till he began to feel the cold of a place that hadn’t known light. He had reached the bottom of the sea in this memory, and only his eyes, which seemed adapted to the pitch black darkness, could see the tiny bubbles from his mouth now and again, the flicker of movement from a critter in the sand below, or even the appearance of a notable predator in the distance.
As the coldness began to wrap around him in its sickly, freezing embrace, Daniel jolted out of the memory with a shaky gasp, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. A shiver ran down his spine as he sat up and leaned down along the side of the bed, picking up the blanket his friends had given him earlier from its place on the floor. He promptly wrapped it around his shoulders, as if it would offer him some form of security one way or another, and bit his lip nervously as he clutched the blanket close, keeping it securely wrapped around his trembling form. He could still feel the unsettling, icy cold..but just like the memories plaguing his mind, the cold eased away as quickly as it had come, releasing Daniel from it’s freezing grasp. Swallowing nervously, Daniel let the blanket drop from his shoulders, clenching his hands into fists momentarily before he allowed his hands to relax. Taking in a breath, he straightened up and lifted a hand, running it through his locks of hair as he struggled to compose himself. He’d try again, one last time, to see if another memory would sneak it’s way into his head. As unsettling as the previous one was; Daniel was still shaken by the unnatural feeling of the cold; he knew he’d have to try again - otherwise he wouldn’t be satisfied with the lack of information. A few memories were better than none, after all.
Written by monochromecheshire on 10 April 2017
A Memory with a Clue?
Once he felt he was ready, Daniel lay back down, resting his head on the pillow and closing his eyes. For the third time, a memory flooded back to him; and this one was, in a way, unpleasant. He was back to a first person perspective, feeling what he could only describe as crippling agony as something tugged at his body. The memory filled his senses, overloading them, unlike anything else he’d ever felt before. Intense fear and pain caused Daniel to stiffen upon the bed, though he remained unwilling to open his eyes and snap himself out of it. Now wasn’t the time to chicken out. All he could see was the shore of the beach, and the frothy waves lapping at the sand, almost reaching out desperately toward him. He could feel himself being dragged, yanked, and tugged backwards - away from the comfort the sea seemed to now offer him. Muffled, incoherent voices reached his ears as he was dragged, feeling his body twist uncomfortably and squirm in his desperate attempts to escape.
However, rather abruptly, the dragging stopped - only for the tugging sensation to return; it was as if someone was trying to pull something off of him. Before long, he felt his body being roughly pushed aside, and the tugging stopped - only then did Daniel finally see a figure walking around and in front of him, dragging a pristine, grey coat behind them. It was dragged through the sand, but the mere sight of the coat was alluring..yes; he remembered now. That coat, that precious coat - it felt as if it belonged to his whole being, and in a way, it did. As he focused on the stranger dragging it off, that horrible pain returned - causing Daniel to jolt from the memory a third time. His eyes snapped open, and he promptly sat upright, his eyes now wide with a mixture of alarm and mild distress. The lasting image in his mind was that damn coat - everything about it made Daniel feel as though he was drawn to it. It’s significance in his life was still a mystery to him; he remembered it belonged to him, but why was it so important? The alluring pull, the desire to feel the tangible coat in his hands, around his shoulders..as frustrating as it was, to know it was currently out of his reach.
Where was it…?
Who had taken it?
Where had it been hidden away?
Written by monochromecheshire on 18 April 2017
Searching
The endless amount of questions swirled like a tornado of unsettling thoughts around in Daniel’s head as he paused to think long and hard, growing more and more troubled all the while. He wanted to find this coat; no, he needed to find it. Something about the damn thing was drawing Daniel in; the loss of this article of clothing felt distressingly personal, and the broken memory alone confirmed it. Feeling incredibly uncomfortable at this point, Daniel straightened up and turned slightly, hesitating for a moment before he swung his legs over the side of the bed and got up from it. Any previous pains in his head had subsided since the last memory, thankfully, even as he began to pace nervously back and forth across the room, feeling incredibly restless. He didn’t like this; that coat belonged to him, it had been precious to him, and someone had ripped it away from him.
How dare they? Why take his coat?
This was an item that his mind branded a label of unknown but immense importance with, and it had been taken from him; hidden from him at that; for the many years of his life. His mother and father had never mentioned anything like this to him; not a peep about the damn coat, let alone any hints about why his memory had been so poor from childhood and onwards. Continuing his restless pacing, Daniel bit his lip nervously - only to abruptly pause mid-step and glance around his bedroom, thinking for a moment or two. His gaze scanned the small room, eyes drifting from his bed, to his drawers, and then to his closet. Daniel hesitated for just a moment, before he straightened up and headed straight to his dresser drawers, blindly and frantically beginning to dig through them.
Of course, there was no sign of the coat, but it had been worth a shot to look anyways. His hands beginning to shake all over again, Daniel actually yanked out one of the drawers in frustration, emitting an irritated grunt before he let the large drawer drop from his hands and onto the floor with a clatter, t-shirts and shorts draping over the edges of the drawer or laying scattered on the floor. “W-Where is it…?” He choked out the question; though admittedly, he was mostly asking himself; but his voice was shaking just as much as his hands, as desperation grabbed tightly ahold of him. He needed to find his coat, now. Ridden with frustration, Daniel searched his mind for those godforsaken memories, wanting something, anything - a tiny hint that could help him figure out exactly where his coat was located, but none came. That was it; he couldn’t rely on these damn memories any longer - he needed to keep looking for himself.
Written by monochromecheshire on 26 April 2017
Unlock
The chest had nothing but the lock keeping its secret shut away from the Daniel; damn, now he had to find a way to open it, and he didn’t exactly have the patient to turn the whole house upside down for a key. Irritated, Daniel straightened up and dug through one of his many drawers, locating a stray hair pin - how it got in there, he’d never know. He’d seen this in a movie once or twice; and hey, maybe it’d work - besides, he’d lock-picked plenty of times in video games, so at least he had some kind of sporting chance, right? It took Daniel a few minutes of fiddling with the lock before, much to his surprise, it clicked open; the hairpin trick had worked, somehow; he’d think on the logic behind it all later, considering he figured he was just lucky.
But nonetheless, Daniel dropped the hairpin and pulled open the chest; the item inside caused his eyes to widen.
There it was; his coat. The pristine coat from his earlier memory; in absolutely perfect condition, as it had likely been untouched ever since it had been stuffed in the chest. Daniel reached inside, letting his fingers brush against the soft fabric for a moment before he grabbed ahold of it, pulling the grey coat from it’s wooden prison and holding it close to his chest. A warm feeling flooded him, a sense of familiarity; this belonged to him, and somehow, he felt like it was apart of him. Daniel closed his eyes, thinking back to the memory of the stranger tugging off his coat, ripping it away from him; and now, it was his again.
Who had locked it away? His parents? His friends?
While the questions poked and prodded persistently at him, Daniel did his best to brush them aside; it didn’t matter now, did it? He had his coat, and all was well...or was it? He shifted nervously, glancing at the door; with the warm familiarity the coat offered him, it brought a strange sensation, an odd pull. The beach; he needed to go there - the desire to just leave at this very moment was enough to urge Daniel into approaching his bedroom door with the coat in his arms. Determined not to let a single soul stop him, Daniel opened his door and stepped out, realizing his friends were actually still here, huddled in the hallway - they were either sitting and slouching against the wall tiredly, or leaning against the wall.
Written by monochromecheshire on 05 May 2017
Run Out
Gassan in particular was sitting, his head snapping up in surprise as he spotted Daniel, his eyes widening in shock at the sight of the coat in his friend’s arms. “Hey, Daniel! Wait-!” Refusing to listen, Daniel darted down the hallway, quickening his pace as he turned the corner sharply, hurrying down the stairs and right out the front door, leaving his friends in the dust. Judging from the sky, it was sundown already - hardly anyone in the neighborhood was out and about; and surely, no one would be at the beach at this hour, considering his town had quite a small population anyway. He had no time to stop and chat; the alluring pull of the local beach was just too much for him. He needed to be near water, or better yet, in it; as soon as possible. It took a few minutes of running before Daniel reached the beach as a panting and wheezing mess from the amount of energy he’d thrown into running off like that.
With the coat in his arms, he kicked off his shoes and stepped onto the warm sand, feeling the grains shift between his toes with each step he took toward the shoreline. A smile actually tugged at the corner of his lips as he stood there, the salty breeze ruffling his locks of hair as he hugged his coat to his chest for another moment. Daniel gazed out at the beautiful ocean before him, it’s usual cerulean color enhanced with a pretty yellow and orange hue from the setting sun against the darkening sky. He took a few more steps forward; as he did so, the gentle tide approached, the frothy, dark water greeting his feet as it surrounded them, only to recede back into the ocean from whence it came. Daniel was hardly thinking anymore; his focus remained on the ocean even as he slowly began to put his coat on, slipping his arms in and adjusting it around his body, enjoying the warmth it offered him.
Written by monochromecheshire on 11 May 2017
The Change
However, as he did so, Daniel took notice of a strange feeling of numbness beginning to take over his legs. It then spread to the rest of his body; his torso, chest, and arms as he stood there, greeted by the touch of the waves every few moments. While none of it hurt, it just felt...odd. Daniel kept as still as possible as the numbness grew stronger in his legs and feet, until he could hardly feel them; only then did he take a few more steps, the ocean water now lapping at his torso. The numbness subsided; only to replaced with what Daniel thought to be some kind of cramp in his ankles, causing him to gasp and double over - within moments, he had lost balance and splashed into the dark water. Only then did he realize it was more than cramp; a terrible pain in Daniel’s abdomen and chest began to torment him, all while his head was underwater; it wasn’t even deep, but somehow, Daniel couldn’t muster the strength to seek out the surface. Bubbles flew from his mouth as his cries of pain were muffled, and the waves began to kick up, dragging Daniel further out and away from the shallows.
For a frightening, split second, Daniel thought he’d drown - but...he was fine. He didn’t feel the suffocating pressure upon his chest that came with the lack of air, the terrible feeling of being unable to breath. In fact, he felt...nothing. It took him a moment before he had an understandably startling realization; he could breathe underwater. The water filling his lungs didn’t harm him, as it normally would; it had no effect whatsoever. But, this astounding new adaption of his body wasn’t the only thing that surprised him; glancing down at himself; his chest had shaped itself into womanly breasts. Alarmed, as his gaze eventually drifted to his - or rather, her legs and feet, Daniel realized that both her feet and ankles were beginning to change in shape - she cringed as the sharp, cramp-like pain returned to her feet as his toes curled unnaturally, only for her skin and flesh to appear to expand wider on both sides. Her body had long since rejected her own clothing since the start of this strange transformation; anything she wore had seemed to almost dissolve unnaturally in the water, leaving her form bare and naked, with the exception of the coat, that appeared unaffected by it all and remained wrapped securely around her; but she didn’t have to worry about that for too long.
The pain in her legs and feet began to be dulled by numbness, making it a lot more bearable, thankfully; and Daniel watched in wonder as her feet were shaped into what looked like a tailfin, and her ankles appeared to fuse together. Her legs were no more, replaced with a fin that matched her light skin tone. The flesh wasn’t that smooth; the fin was ridged and a little bumpy, strange to look at for the most part, but not unappealing to the eye, surprisingly. Before long, the same earlier pain eased into her slim waist; her body became a little on the chubbier side - and eventually, the pain and numbness spread to her arms. They almost seemed to shrink, numbness clouding the pain as they shifted and formed into smaller fins - only then did the coat become affected - except, instead of dissolving into nothing, it seemed to meld smoothly into his body, around her shoulders and arms as she felt her upper body be subjected to the transformation.
Written by monochromecheshire on 16 May 2017
A new life?
Her skin eased to a light grey color, the flesh of her now much smaller body fairly smooth. Her no rounded, feminine face took on the grey tone, and once again, numbness blocked the pain as her face underwent its own transformation. Daniel’s hair seemed to dissolve away like her clothes, her head became much more rounded, and a snout formed as his face was shaped and molded effortlessly. In a few more moments, her new form was complete; Daniel’s once human, male body - now female - had been transformed to that of a seal; colored grey; dark spots and flecks covered the lower half of her new, small body, mostly along her underbelly and chest. Daniel couldn’t help but grin, taking in her strange form, ridden with awe and wonder all the while; she even tested it out, swimming further out. Her fins and the force of the water did most of the work, even as she swam almost playfully in a circle, enjoying the smooth movements her body offered with each flick of a fin or swish of his tail.
The further out she swam, the more free Daniel honestly felt. The water’s comforting embrace around her kept the smile on his face as she swam a little further, only to pick up speed as he darted upwards toward the rippling image of the setting sun above. The seal broke the surface of the water, soaring for a split second before Daniel dived back in. Relishing in her new freedom, a new life as she embraced the old memories that came rushing back - a Selkie mother birthing what had once been her son, her father and friends locking away her coat - the life she was supposed to have from the very start.
All she wanted now was this new life; for as many years as it would allow her to live, as she swam deep down, toward the dark abyss of the ocean she now called her home.
Written by monochromecheshire on 20 May 2017
Into the Ocean
Daniel smiled as she made her way into the depths of the ocean, her pretty tail swishing behind her all the while. The new sense of freedom that had overcome her was overwhelming; in a good way, however. Her brand new form granted her numerous enhanced senses and abilities, with an acute awareness of her surroundings even as she swam around in the dark water. This was absolutely wonderful; this new form was definitely nothing like what Daniel had expected, and in a way, that was the really fun part - it was strange, exciting, and a mystery all on it’s own; something that the selkie would have to discover all on her own. This is amazing...I can’t believe this.
This isn’t a dream, this is actually real, it’s happening, it’s just...wow. Excitable thoughts raced through the selkie’s mind, as prodding questions and wonders invaded it.
There had to be more like her, besides her mother; surely they lived deep down in the ocean, where thousands of sea creatures swam and scuttled away from the prying eyes of human beings. Besides, a good majority of the ocean had been left unexplored; if selkies existed, who knew what else resided in the deep, dark waters below? The sense of wonder was in a way, rather overwhelming for Daniel as well, especially with her new or enhanced senses. Her eyesight had improved significantly, alongside her sense of smell and swimming ability. She could detect most things in her surroundings at this point; in a way, she was what many humans wished they could be - extraordinary.
With a grin, Daniel couldn’t help but spin about in the water as she swam, testing the extent of her swimming abilities, and the lovely tail swishing around with her; her tail helped the selkie in propelling herself forward in quick bursts of movement and speed. Hell, swimming alone was a brand new experience as a selkie; there was so much she could do that a human never could, moving so gracefully in the water despite only just being adjusted to the new form. Daniel’s grin widened as she swam; each flick and swish of her tail manipulated the tiniest thing, from speed to movement in a single gesture. It was honestly rather amazing, and Daniel was confident that nothing could help her get over that at this point. From a simple movement to a new or even heightened sense, it was all so foreign and odd, but it felt so right, strangely enough.
As she made her way through the water, Daniel took notice of a flicker of movement beneath her - she could’ve sworn a tail had flickered into her view, at the corner of her eye. Straightening up, Daniel focused her attention on her brand new surroundings, narrowing her eyes a lil - they’d adjusted to the once unsettling darkness of the waters already, so it didn’t take her long to notice what she’d seen before. The tip of a tail flickered behind a patch of dying coral, seal-like by the looks of it; perhaps it was another selkie, like her? It definitely didn’t look like a shark; that was undoubtedly the tail of a seal, Daniel was sure of it!
Written by monochromecheshire on 05 August 2017
Follow the tail
Unable to help her own growing curiosity, Daniel swam toward the coral patch - peeking behind it, only to find nothing there. How strange. Wasn’t there something there…? With a little frown, the selkie tilted her head, a little confused; but after a moment, she glanced around and perked up as soon as she saw a figure rapidly swimming away from her. It mimicked her own; a humanoid top half, and a selkie bottom half - it was definitely another of her kind! But why were they so desperate to get away? With how fast they had sped away, it was almost as if they were afraid of Daniel - last she checked, she looked pretty cool rather than scary, but Daniel could only guess that newcomers of any kind were to be treated with caution regardless. Knowing better than to waste any precious time for the chase, Daniel hurriedly swam after the figure, her tail swishing frantically back and forth behind her as she propelled herself forward.
“Hey, wait up!” Daniel called out, hoping that the stranger would hear her and stop - but instead, they continued to swim away from her. Why were they fleeing from her? Were they still afraid of her? They’re still afraid...why? I’m not gonna hurt ‘em or anything, jeez. Already, Daniel started to feel a tiny bit agitated; she had a feeling this was going to be pretty tiresome. She just wanted to know who this stranger was; and she couldn’t exactly do that if they were trying to get away from her. They hadn’t even looked back at her yet; no hello, no nothing. With a frown, Daniel picked up the pace as she darted this way and that, following what she assumed was a fellow selkie. It had to be one; it looked just like her, with a matching tail and all - there was no way it could be any other creature.
The environment around her was a little different now; rather than being surrounded by barren sand or dying coral, a bit more life had begun to pop into view - a strange thing to see at the bottom of the ocean, but considering selkies existed, she had a feeling that the environment was not bound by nature’s rules all the way down here. Humans didn’t know much about the ocean to begin with, so flaws in judgement was something that wouldn’t come as a surprise for this underwater environment. Still, it was admittedly odd to see - all of this went against what Daniel had learned about the ocean, that while even the deepest, darkest places had life, it wasn’t bustling like the higher levels of the ocean.
But oh, was Daniel most definitely wrong. The numerous patches of pretty, bright coral around her were illuminated with various bioluminescent creatures; many of them were either swimming about and scuttling around in plain sight, or hiding away in the crevices of secure shelter the coral offered. Most of the creatures that were marked with bioluminescent light; varying from blue, to green, to red, were little fishes, octopuses, and shrimp, among countless others that Daniel was sure humans hadn’t discovered yet.
Written by monochromecheshire on 09 August 2017
A City?
Daniel found herself staring in wonder for a good long moment, pausing in her chase to observe the creatures darting around, before she snapped back to attention and refocused on her initial goal. Sightseeing could wait. The selkie immediately made her way back in the direction the stranger had gone, each movement of her swishing tail increasing her speed all the while.
Why are they avoiding me? Can’t they see I’m just like them? Daniel thought to herself in mild frustration as she swam; this whole chase was getting pretty damn tiresome just as she expected, considering she wasn’t used to moving at such speeds in this new body, but she knew she couldn’t stop now. Instead, she kept pushing herself forward, increasing speed until her body had reached it’s limit and she began to pant a little from exhaustion, wheezing now and again too. Perhaps this chase would be able to test her limits; not in the best way, though. Daniel tuckered out her body with each burst of speed, but in the end, it had been worth it - before long, she had entered a much more vibrant area; the sea floor was littered with numerous patches of living coral, countless unlike the single one she had seen before. More fish and other creatures swam this way and that around her, and the silhouettes of odd, huge structures rose up in the distance just ahead of her and the fleeing stranger. Buildings, perhaps? Or rather, makeshift buildings - constructed from coral and rock, she figured, as Daniel neared them. Was she entering an underwater city of some sort? A massive civilization, perhaps for her own kind? It seemed so. As she slowed down, Daniel noticed that the stranger selkie had done the same; it seemed like the both of them were exhausted from swimming so quickly. This was understandable; the chase was definitely tiring for the both of them, after all. Before long, Daniel had no choice but to stop and catch her breath by a patch of coral, coughing a little then raising her head in hopes of catching sight of the stranger. The selkie she had been chasing was ahead of her, facing Daniel for the first time; the creature tilted its head curiously, staring at Daniel in awe and wonder for a long moment.
A little confused, Daniel straightened up; once she did, the fellow selkie smiled in her direction and gestured for her to follow; it seemed that the stranger hadn’t been fleeing from her in the first place. Perhaps the selkie had been leading Daniel this whole time; leading her away from the barren seafloor to a vibrant civilization, rich with life and bright with color. It was definitely a lot prettier here, welcoming even - so Daniel certainly wasn’t about to complain just yet. Swishing her tail, Daniel offered a smile back at the fellow selkie, waving at her and beginning to make her way toward them.
In response, the stranger nodded and turned away, gesturing once more and beginning to swim at a much more reasonable speed toward the structures in the distance. As far as Daniel could tell, selkies didn’t live among the numerous patches of coral surrounding her - the only ones here were Daniel herself and the stranger. Thus, she figured the others must live in those unusual, giant structures - but she supposed she’d find out soon enough.
Written by monochromecheshire on 13 August 2017
Curious Selkies
As Daniel followed the fellow selkie, they both neared the structures up ahead; as they got closer into view, she noticed familiar silhouettes swimming this way and that - just like her own, and the stranger she followed. This was just as Daniel suspected; selkies lived in these magnificent underwater structures, just like her. Most were around her size, others a little bit bigger but not by much. Each selkie had their own unique markings upon their tails as Daniel found herself swimming past a few, with tails of varying natural colors; silvery grey to black, some with spots and others without.
They were incredibly diverse in general appearance too, with different skin tones, hair, and eye colors; yet all seemed to coexist rather effortlessly together, in this unusual, but unique underwater civilization. Definitely unlike any human civilization, that was for sure; everyone seemed to just get along like nothing; if only humans were the same way. In particular, the many hairstyles of these selkies varied as well, from short, medium, to long in length, and while most had their hair loose - a few did have their hair tied back like a human would have it, in short or long ponytails, small buns, and even pigtails.
The surrounding selkies raised their heads in surprise as Daniel swam past them, their curious gazes promptly drifting to the newcomer among them. They wondered just who this new selkie was; if she was a friend or foe, and where she had come from, as it wasn’t often when newcomers appeared out of the blue nowadays. Their community thrived regardless, as clearly shown by the civilization they had created, but most selkies were born within that community - this one certainly hadn’t been. While it was true that humans knew more about space than the ocean, it was still a shock that no one seemed to know this civilization existed; hadn’t there been at least one or two submarines this deep? Hell, Daniel didn’t know for sure - but what she did know was that it seemed his awe met no bounds at this point. Everything was so new to her; this body, these abilities, these selkie civilians and their secret underwater world. She still had so much to get used to and so much to learn; she was willing to, of course, but it was all still so wonderfully strange at the end of the day.
As Daniel swam, she noticed a few of the selkies actually begin to approach her - their curious faces watched her closely, swimming beside the newcomer. Now and then they’d reach out and give her a poke then shrink back, like curious, jumpy children - even Daniel couldn’t help but giggle a bit at their antics. Their little eyes were filled with wonder as they studied her, as if they knew she was something entirely new, despite her appearance; sure, she was a selkie, but they’d never seen her before. She was quite surprised that these selkies were approaching her so eagerly to begin with, but she couldn’t blame them for simply wanting to know more about this stranger in their midst.
Written by monochromecheshire on 16 August 2017
Can they speak?
Just like this whole thing was new to Daniel, she was entirely new to them. In a way, that made this experience all the more fascinating for her. A few selkies had even begun to play with her hair, running their little fingers through it, and even leaning in close to study her face. They really were like nosy children, but their antics were totally harmless nonetheless, which made it pretty cute for Daniel to watch. She’d never had this many people interested in her before, especially all at once; it was amusing but adorable just the same to see them behaving in such a childish fashion to someone new.
Daniel couldn’t help but wonder about each and every selkie here, in this amazing underwater civilization - what were they like? What unique personalities did they have, that marked them as special in their own ways? Was it just like with humans, how every single one was different one way or another? It seemed so; but what were they really like? As individuals? Daniel knew she’d never get to know each one here, but she honestly wanted to; they were like her - in her short time wandering around this strange new place, Daniel already wanted to make friends.
The ones back at home had undoubtedly known she was a selkie, judging by their earlier antics in her room. But, their evident shadiness with the situation was a red flag for Daniel, the secrets that had been kept...well, she didn’t quite like it. Sure, they were still the friends she knew and loved, but it had been pretty scary to see them so secretive and prying. Her human friends were unique in their own ways regardless of their recent behavior, so Daniel couldn’t help but wonder if she could find herself making new friends down deep within the ocean too. Could selkies even speak in this form? She hadn’t tried yet.
Daniel went ahead and pondered over the idea as she studied each curious face watching her, and noticed every little hand reaching out for her. Surely they could, seeing as they still had the upper body of a human being. But yet, not a single selkie had spoken to Daniel since she was done here.
Written by monochromecheshire on 19 August 2017