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
Truth
Daniel took a deep breath and figured his friends were just messing with him. The bit about the dream had certainly caught his attention, but he decided to play along for a while.
"Well then, I chose Truth." Said Daniel as he sat in the floor next to Jake and David.
"Tell us your name." Came Pam, almost mechanically.
"Really, Pam? You could have asked anything and y-"
"What is your name?" Barked David.
"Listen guys, I-"
"Your name." Said Jake, violently.
"Alright, fine! Fuck... Daniel, it´s Daniel, ok?"
They all sat in silence for a couple of seconds, eyes locked on Daniel as he started to wipe the expression of annoyance out of his face.
"You can´t lie to us." Said Pam without breaking eye contact.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"What is your name?" Barked David one more time.
"Guys, come on... This isn´t funny anymore".
"You chose Truth, so now you have to answer our question." Came Jake.
Daniel cursed under his voice and clumsily reached for his pockets, he then noticed he had left his wallet at home. Still, he took out a small leather journal and threw it to the middle of the circle.
"See? There it is, right on the top. My father gave me that journal and had my name engraved on the cover. Are we done yet?"
His friends leaned into the circle and carefully read the engraved letters. They then went back to Daniel while keeping their emotionless demeanor.
"Yes, the journal is right. So, what is your name?" Said Pam without flitching.
"For the love of god... are you guys high? Can´t you see? D-A-N--"
Daniel froze as he himself took a good look at the journal. The familiar binding he had seen a thousand times was still there, but the engraving showed something different. It used to read "Daniel", yet somehow a couple of characters had been added to his name. He never thought he would ever feel so eerily disturbed by two letters stitched on a piece of leather, but still, the fact that his beloved journal now read "Danielle" certainly sent a shiver down his spine.
"You guys are dicks." Said Daniel as he stood up and bolted towards the door.
"Don´t knock anything with your tail on your way out." Came Pam.
"My wha-? Just fuck off, Pam..."
Daniel was truly mad. At first, he thought his friends were just pulling an elaborate prank on him. However, after reading the engraving on that journal, something certainly felt amiss.
On his way back home, Daniel felt way hotter than usual. That was particularly strange considering it was really cold outside. Not only that, but he felt itchy all over. He thought about taking off his coat or his winter-globes, but then he figured he might just be coming down with a fever and decided to hurry and get in bed.
"Hi sweetie, I thought you were staying out late." Said Daniel´s father as soon as he opened the door.
"Erm... I felt a bit under the weather, I think I´m gonna take a nap".
"Alright, let me know if you need anything."
"Yeah, sure..."
Daniel was a bit confused, his dad had always been nice to him, but that was probably the first time he called him "sweetie". Daniel did not think much of it and went upstairs to his room. Once in, he mindlessly took off his coat and globes and dove head first into his bed. He was actually feeling sort of sick, so he just dozed off for a while.
After a couple of hours, he was woken up by a loud knocking on the door.
"Honey, dinner´s ready. Your mom made lasagna!"
Daniel sat on his bed and rubbed his eyes. He was still pretty much asleep, so he just robotically walked towards the bathroom to take a leak. Once inside, he pulled down his pants and tried to go about his business as usual. That´s when it hit him.
Written by crimsonstar on 24 February 2016
Unicorn
Daniel stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, unable to believe what he was seeing. Instead of his usual human appearance, he now had the body of a bipedal unicorn mare. His coat was a shimmering shade of silvery white, and a long, flowing mane of rainbow-colored hair cascaded down his neck. His horn glistened with a soft, magical light.
Panic welled up inside him as he touched his new, unfamiliar form. He couldn't comprehend how this had happened or what it meant. His reflection stared back at him with the same perplexed expression he wore.
"Is this some kind of bizarre dream?" he muttered to himself, his voice now sounding like a melodious, chiming bell. He reached up and touched his horn, feeling the tingling magic that emanated from it.
In his transformed state, he realized he couldn't just go downstairs to join his family for dinner. They would be shocked, to say the least. He needed to find out what had caused this transformation and how to change back. But the only lead he had was that strange encounter with his friends and the altered engraving on his journal.
With a sigh, he considered his options. Should he try to find his friends and confront them about this? Or perhaps he should investigate the journal, as it seemed to hold some clue to his predicament. Either way, he knew he couldn't continue living as a unicorn mare in a human world.
As he contemplated his next move, the enchanting voice of his mother called from downstairs, "Honey, are you coming? Dinner's getting cold."
Daniel, now Danielle, took a deep breath and decided to deal with this new reality, at least for the moment. He would need to find answers and, hopefully, a way to return to his human self. With determined steps, Danielle made her way downstairs to face her bewildered family and the lasagna her mother had prepared.
w Danielle, entered the dining room where her family was already seated at the table, digging into their dinner. Her mother looked up and smiled warmly.
"Danielle, dear, we were starting to worry you wouldn't join us," her mother said. "Please, have a seat. The lasagna is delicious."
Confused and unnerved, Danielle took a seat at the table. Her father and younger sister didn't seem the least bit surprised by her new form. They carried on their conversation as if nothing unusual had happened.
"Have you had an interesting day, dear?" her father asked casually.
"Uh, yeah," Danielle replied hesitantly. "Just, you know, a strange day."
Her younger sister giggled. "Mom, Dad, Danielle was saying that her friends are being silly. Isn't that right, Danielle?"
Danielle nodded, not entirely sure how to handle the situation. It was as if her family had always known her as a unicorn mare, and she was the one who had forgotten her true identity.
The dinner continued in an oddly normal fashion, with her family acting as though nothing was out of the ordinary. Danielle tried to make sense of it all, her mind racing with questions. Had her transformation affected her memories too? Or was there some sort of magical illusion at play here?
After dinner, Danielle excused herself and retreated to her room. She needed to sort out her thoughts and figure out how to return to her human self. Her journal might hold the key to unraveling this mystery, and she had to investigate it further.
As she stared at her reflection in the mirror, the unicorn mare with the magical horn and wings, she couldn't help but wonder what kind of strange world she had stumbled into and how she would find her way back home.
Written by - on 02 November 2023
Journal
In her room, Danielle carefully placed her journal on her desk. The room itself felt both familiar and alien at the same time. As she examined the various photographs scattered across her desk, she couldn't shake the surreal feeling that washed over her. These were photos of her life as a human, and now, they were changing before her eyes.
One by one, the photos shifted and transformed. Her memories of being a human were morphing into images of her as a unicorn mare. The photographs showed her attending high school, hanging out with her friends, and sharing family moments, but all with her unicorn form. It was as though her entire history had been rewritten, and she had always been this way.
Danielle's heart raced, and she couldn't fathom the implications of what she was witnessing. It was as if the very fabric of reality itself had been altered. She couldn't help but wonder if her friends, Gassan, David, Pammy, and Jake, were involved in this inexplicable transformation.
Desperation gripped her, and she decided to focus on the journal, the only tangible connection to her past. Flipping through its pages, she hoped to find any clues or explanations. The journal contained her thoughts, musings, and sketches, but the entries were now about her experiences as a unicorn mare.
One page stood out, with the title "The Truth." She read it aloud to herself: "The transformation was inevitable. We had to ensure your true identity remained hidden. The human life you remember was but an illusion. Embrace your destiny, Danielle."
The words sent a shiver down her spine. This was not a mere prank or illusion; it was a deliberate act, a secret that had been hidden from her.
Fueled by determination, Danielle decided that she had to confront her friends, no matter how unsettling this situation was. She would seek answers, uncover the truth, and, if possible, find a way to revert to her human self.
Danielle's heart raced as she witnessed the words on the page titled "The Truth" change right before her eyes. The text shifted, altering itself into a normal, unremarkable page with no hints about her human life or any other information. It was as though the journal was actively concealing its secrets, erasing any potential clues.
Frustration and confusion welled up within her. It seemed like there were forces at play that were determined to keep her in the dark, to prevent her from discovering the truth behind her transformation and the hidden past that seemed to elude her.
Despite the journal's refusal to yield answers, Danielle remained determined to uncover the mystery. She couldn't ignore the strange dreams, the altered memories, and the bizarre reality that had become her life.
With a newfound sense of purpose, she decided to take action. She would find her friends, Gassan, David, Pammy, and Jake, and confront them about what they knew. They were her only connection to this bewildering situation, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it, no matter how deep the mystery ran.
Written by catprog on 06 November 2023
