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
Before school ends
“It´s been just a dream, just a dream…” Daniel muttered to himself, pacing around his small bedroom. His short hair was damp with sweat, his breathing coming out in small gasps.
“Just a dream…”
The problem was that Daniel didn´t even remember his dream. Only the unsettling presence of them, and that they wanted something from him. During the last few weeks, he had this dream again and again and he never remembered who they were or what they wanted from him.
Only that they wanted it badly.
Running his fingers through his hair, Daniel tried to calm down. It was just a dream, whatever it was about. It probably meant something in dreams theory too, something silly like internalized guilt for not studying hard enough for his tests. It was no big deal.
But he would be really glad if the dreams stopped finally.
Eventually, Daniel went back to bed. No point in loosing whole night worth of sleep over some stupid dream, he thought. He had chemistry test tomorrow, he should sleep a bit before it.
Written by lulu-illussions on 01 January 2018
Surprise Delivery
Daniel had overslept a few minutes, no thanks to the dreams wearing him out, and had to cram down his egg-and-toast to make sure he'd make it to school on time. He was just finishing his breakfast when he heard the harsh signal of the doorbell.
Daniel bounced to his feet and rushed to the front door, brushing his chin to make sure he didn't have any toast crumbs stuck. On the front drive was a delivery-girl, a corrugated board box by her feet. She was short, hardly bigger than a child, and her uniform didn't have the logo of any delivery company he recognised. (But all those were things he would only think about later, after he'd opened the box.)
She asked for his name. “If you'd like to sign here, thank you very much.”
Daniel put a squiggle on her electronic clipboard, his glance resting on the package while he did. It wasn't particularly big, with no markings to hint at what was inside, only an address label with his name.
The woman flashed him a smile and turned back to the road. Daniel hefted the package. Whatever was inside didn't weigh much.
As he carried it up the stairs, he nearly bumped into Mom.
“What's that you got there, Dan?”
“The package.” He couldn't remember having ordered anything. A surprise from one of his friends? That seemed like the most plausible explanation. “It was for me.”
“Which package?” Mom said.
“You know, at the door right now.” He juggled the package to one hand so he could gesture toward the door.
Mom shook her head. “Huh? I didn't hear the bell.”
She shrugged and stood back to let him pass. Daniel stopped for a few moments in the sunlight falling into the upstairs hallway, out of steam, almost forgetting where he was going. Weird recurring dreams were one thing, but it wasn't possible that one person could miss a signal that he'd heard loud and clear.
He dumped the box on his bed. It was real, for sure, tangible enough to leave an impression in the quilt. He gave it a poke, just in case there was a bomb inside – as if that would make a difference after he'd moved it about and carried it. When he looked at his alarm clock, he had a couple minutes to spare, at least enough time to see what was inside.
He cut open the cardboard flaps and folded them back.
Written by on 02 April 2019
Fursuit
Inside the box was a fursuit. He only knew what it was because of Jake.
"Who would send me a fursuit?" he asks the empty room.
There's nothing else in the box, no instructions or anything. Just a note printed on a piece of paper:
To Daniel
We hope you enjoy your new suit.
Best wishes,
Your friends
Daniel stares down at the fursuit, trying to figure out why they sent it to him. He looks around the room, wondering if anyone's watching, listening. If they wanted to prank him, this is the perfect way to do it: something he doesn't expect, some joke he'll overlook.
He takes off his clothes and gets into the suit. It is a prefect fit. He stretches and wiggles until he feels comfortable, then walks around his room.
This is the first time he's worn a fursuit. It's strange, being covered in fur, the feeling of it against his skin, the sound of his claws clicking when he moves. The texture of the fabric makes him feel more connected to the fursuit than he does to his own body.
He wonders what his parents would think. Would they tell him to get rid of it? Or maybe they'd ask him why? Would they ask him if he plans to go furry? And if so, why?
His mind races ahead, imagining himself walking around the house in a fursuit, looking through the windows, seeing their faces when they notice him.
His mother chooses this moment to enter the room and tell him dinner is ready, ignoring the fursuit. He goes to take it off but is told to not waste time and to get down to the table. Despite being in the fursuit his family ignores the strangeness. By the end of the meal he has gotten used to eating with the mask on.
As soon as dinner is finished he tries to get back to normal clothes but is forced to play board games with the family while still wearing the fursuit. Soon he has forgotten all about it and falls asleep still wearing it.
He wakes up in the morning, realizing he fell asleep wearing the fursuit. He tries to remove it but cannot find any seems on it.
After breakfast he gives up on taking it off, his parents still not noticing it, before he heads off to school.
Written by NovelAi on 24 April 2022
School
He meets up with his friend before school at first none of them noticing the fursuit until Jake joins and says "Nice fursuit".
The others look over
"How did we miss you wearing that until Jake pointed it out?"
"It gets even weirder. I can't get it off" Daniel says.
"What do you mean?"
"I tried but it won't come off, I can't even find a seam."
Jake is the first one to speak "You've got to be kidding me!"
"No. Seriously. I've been wearing it since yesterday"
"Well you're gonna be late for class. Let's go" Jake says.
The morning classes pass normally with no comments on the suit until they meet up again at lunch.
"I wish I could get a suit like yours. Even close up it looks almost real" Jake says.
"I just wish I could get it off" Daniel says "even if it feels more comfortable then actual clothes."
"Wait your not feeling overheated even after close to 18 hours? It must have a very good cooling system as well"
"Yeah. Whatever it's made from, it's amazing. I'm actually cold."
"So what do you plan on doing with it? Wear it everyday?"
"I don't know. I guess we might need to cut it off?"
"Don't worry about it. Let's get some food and talk about it later. Maybe you can find a way to get it off."
"So what species are you?" Says David as he walks up.
Written by NovelAi on 24 April 2022
Grifoness
"Grifoness" says Daniel immediately. "Wait did I just say what I think I said?"
"Yes you did. We heard you" says Jake
"Well. I think we need to get you out of that suit right away. You are getting way into character " says David.
"How are we going to do that?"
"Let's go to my house. I should be able to cut a hole for you" says Jake.
The three of them sneak out of school and head to
Jake's house. The walk isn't very long but once they are through the door Daniel loses his balance and falls onto his hands.
"Wow! Are you alright?" asks David
"Fine. Just lost my footing is all"
"C'mon, let's get you out of that suit" says Jake.
He tries to stand up but falls forward again.
Jake gets the scissors out to try and cut the fabric but as he starts to cut it starts to bleed. At the same time a hawk like screech comes out of Daniel's mouth.
"Whoa! Hey Daniel stop that!"
Daniel stops screaming and Jake looks at the wound. Their is no trace of the suit or human skin. Only the golden fur of a lion.
"This is crazy," says Jake.
"What is going on?" asks Daniel.
"I think you are becoming the creature you are wearing" says Jake.
"But why? And where did it come from?"
"Whatever is happening, I don't think this will be easy to fix."
"It is worse then that" says David "remember what he said it was"
"What?"
"Griffoness. As in a female"
"Oh hell no! I don't want to be a girl!"
"I don't think we can stop it. I think it has already begun. And we have already tried to remove it"
"Wait! You aren't serious? I'm a girl?"
"Not yet. But you will be most likely be a lioness soon"
"What do you mean 'soon'?"
"The transformation is only partially done. I can still see parts of the suit if I look closely enough. But they are fading quickly"
"When will it be complete?"
"We don't know."
"Damn it!"
Jake holds Daniel's arm while he cries. Although as he feels the change between HER hind legs, she knows the transformation is almost over.
"You'll be okay. Eventually it will all be over," Jake says.
"Can you remember anything about how this happened?"
"Yes. I fell through a portal into your world and you have been helping me adjust" she says.
Their eyes go wide. "That is not how it happened" they all said at the same time.
"What does that mean?" she asks.
"I don't know. I think if we ask you a question you answer as if you were the griffon" says Jake.
"But you remember what I was before right?" She asks
"You were a guy" Jake replies.
"So we all remember the truth, but it seems like everyone else doesn't?" Says David.
"Yes everyone but the five of you know the truth that I am a griffoness. " says Daniel before shaking her head "Why did you ask me a question?"
"I am sorry, it just slipped out" he says "But I think this question is better. How can you speak our language if you are not from around here?"
"I have studied your language since arriving. You deliberately asked me a question?" she says.
"Yes, we have just locked in that you can speak English. No matter what happens now you won't lose that"
Written by NovelAi on 24 April 2022
The end (for now)