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
Intruder
Rain began to fall, thunder echoed above, lightning weaved itself through the thick storm clouds. But it wasn't the rain that had woken the young man up, no. It was something else, another strange sound. Daniel had blinked his eyes a few times, he was trying to get adjusted to the darkness around him.
His room lit up with lightning, a silver flare followed by a roar of thunder. The wind racked a branch against the window, it caused him to startle a bit. He groaned softly and got himself up from his bed, removing bed sheets. The flat surface of his feet met cold floorboards, which creaked loudly upon impact.
He looked around the room, wondering what was going on. That strange feeling was still about, he couldn't shake it off. Was he possibly dreaming maybe? Something felt weird, the atmosphere and all. "Who's there?" Daniel would call out. He had to find out who was stalking him, who was there with him.
Suddenly two golden orbs peered through the darkest part of the room. The young man went tense. He scratched his head a bit and gulped. "If you don't show yourself, I'll be forced to call the police!" He warned. The figure in the darkness didn't move. Expect those eyes, they blinked slightly.
Written by Dalkr Moonfire Wolf on 05 December 2017
Pegasus
As the lightning illuminated the room again, the mysterious figure stepped forward into the faint glow. To Daniel's astonishment, it was not a person, but a magnificent four-legged creature, a pegasus mare. Her coat glistened a silvery white, and her wings were strong and feathered. Her golden eyes locked onto his with an intense, almost hypnotic gaze.
Frozen in both fear and fascination, Daniel couldn't tear his eyes away from this surreal sight. It was as if the boundary between dreams and reality had blurred, and he was trapped in the middle.
As Daniel stood in his room, staring at the pegasus mare named Astra, he couldn't help but feel a mix of wonder and trepidation. Her golden eyes held a silent message, and her voice in his mind was both alluring and enigmatic.
"Daniel," Astra whispered in his thoughts, "imagine a world where the sky is your playground, where the earth beneath you is a distant memory, and where you are no longer bound by the limitations of the human world."
Daniel felt a rush of emotions and questions swirling inside him. He wasn't sure if he was dreaming, hallucinating, or truly facing an otherworldly being. Astra's presence was undeniable, and her words hinted at a choice, a profound decision that lay before him.
The storm outside continued to rage, emphasizing the surreal nature of the moment. Astra's gaze was unwavering, and she seemed to imply that there was a path beyond the ordinary, if he dared to take it.
With a mixture of curiosity and a desire for adventure, Daniel found himself pondering the unspoken offer. He couldn't help but wonder about the possibilities that lay hidden in the depths of his strange and vivid dreams.
And as the storm began to subside, leaving the room in an eerie calm, Daniel's heart raced as he considered what lay ahead. The unspoken choice hung in the air, and he felt that, in this extraordinary moment, he was teetering on the edge of something life-changing.
Written by - on 04 November 2023
Transformation
As Daniel stood in the midst of his internal debate, the allure of Astra's offer tugged at his very core. The idea of transformation, of leaving behind the human world for a life beyond imagination, was both exhilarating and frightening. He closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and then finally said, "Yes."
As the word escaped his lips, he felt a wave of energy rush through him. At first, it was a tingling sensation, like a thousand pinpricks of light dancing across his skin. He gasped and looked down at his arms, only to find them slowly elongating, the fingers merging into strong, muscular legs.
The tingling sensation that had initially enveloped him intensified, spreading throughout his entire body. He felt as if he were being stretched, pulled, and molded into a new shape. His limbs elongated, the bones within them shifting and transforming. His once-human hands and fingers fused together, forming powerful equine legs.
Daniel gasped as his chest expanded, his ribcage reshaping to accommodate his new body. It was a strange mix of sensations, a fusion of exhilaration and wonder. The color of his skin deepened to a rich chestnut hue, and his torso elongated and strengthened. He watched, almost in disbelief, as his face stretched into a robust muzzle. His eyes, now large and expressive, took in the world with newfound clarity.
A shiver of delight raced down his spine as a silvery-white mane sprouted from his neck, cascading down his muscular back. His new form was strong, graceful, and built for flight. But the most incredible transformation was yet to come.
With a rustling of feathers, two immense wings unfurled from his sides. They were a marvel to behold, the feathers glistening in the dim light of his room. He extended them, feeling their strength and power. He knew that with these wings, he would be able to soar through the skies, exploring a world beyond human comprehension.
Astra's presence in his mind was a soothing constant, guiding him through the process. "Embrace your new self, Daniel," she whispered. "You are now a part of a world where there are no humans. You will need to become like me to fully experience the freedom of our realm."
Daniel nodded, his thoughts replaced by a deep, resonant equine neigh. It was a sound that felt both primal and liberating, echoing with the promise of his newfound existence. His mind, once filled with human worries and uncertainties, was now attuned to the rhythm of the natural world.
The storm outside had given way to a serene, starlit sky. With a powerful beat of his wings, Daniel lifted off the ground, joining Astra in the night sky. They soared together, leaving behind the human world and embracing the extraordinary realm that awaited them.
Written by - on 10 November 2023