Charles had a hood up over as he walked down the street, hoping not to be recognized. All he had to do was make it down the street and onto the bus without anyone noticing who he was or saying the damn trigger word. At the bus stop there were only two people there, a couple of elderly women who lived in the same suburb as him. They wouldn’t know the phrase. The bus driver didn’t pay him any attention either as he paid for his fare and went towards the back of the bus.

A stop later he swallowed hard, as a couple of young adults, barely out of high school got on. There were two girls and a guy. Charles had been on the bus with them a few times and they tended to have loud and vulgar conversations. His heart raced as they took the seats in the row in front of him, discussing the party they went to the previous night and who they hooked up with.

“Ever watch that old TV show?” One of the girls changed the subject. “You know the one with the cavemen.”

Charles' heart skipped a beat. They knew who he was. He went to get up and move to the front of the bus but the guy had stood up and blocked his path pretending not to notice Charles.

“Was that the one where the people drive the cars with their feet?” the guy asked. “What about it?”

“I was just thinking of the daughter’s name… I can’t remember it…” the girl who started the conversation.

“Come on guys… please don’t…” Charles begged them.

The guy turned around and gave him a wicked smile. “What are you going to do about it, Chicken boy?” He shoved Charles back down into his seat.

“Pebbles!” The other girl yelled on cue, causing Charles to let out a loud bawk.

No matter how many times it happened, Charles was not ready for the sudden transformation from man into a chicken. At least it was quick and relatively painless, unfortunately none of his belongings transformed with him.

He was clucking as he was caught in his hoodie when he felt two hands grab him and wrap the hoodie around him further preventing him from escaping. He struggled to move and gave up after a while when he heard a bell ding.

“Don’t forget the rest of his stuff,” the guy instructed the girls. Then Charles felt himself being carried out of the bus and down a few streets. Eventually the guy stopped running but he still held Charles tightly in the hoodie.

“I can’t believe it’s actually real,” one of the girls squealed in excitement.

“Yeah, my sister told me about him, showed me the video… it’s pretty hilarious,” the other girl chuckled at Charles’ expense.

“So what are we going to do with him now?” the other girl asked.

“Her,” the guy corrected. “She lays eggs…”

“What… no way!” the other girl busted out laughing. “It must suck to be them, how long does it last?”

“That’s what we’re going to find out…” the guy answered. “You did set up the backyard for her?”

“Of course,” the first girl answered. “I’ve got HER new home ready for when we get back.”

Charles couldn’t believe what he was hearing, not only had they triggered his transformation on purpose like so many people do, but it was a planned kidnapping. It seemed to take forever before Charles was finally released from his hoodie, only to find himself in a large outdoor bird cage with a small wooden box for him to go into as well as a trough of seeds for him to eat.

“Okay Brittany, go take Pebbles’ stuff to the police, say you found them at a bus stop,” the guy told one of the girls.

“What if they ask questions?” Brittany replied as she was handed the shirt and hoodie.

“She gets turned into a chicken all the time, they’re used to getting her stuff handed in,” the guy replied.

“How do you know that?” the girl who mentioned the video asked.

“Last time they arrested me, I saw a lady bring her in with her stuff. She was freaking out saying how she just saw the video and said the name as a joke. The police calmed her down and told her that people are doing it all the time.”

Charles looked over at the guy. Sadly he was telling the truth. People would often go up to him and yell Pebbles thinking they were being funny, not knowing that it did in fact turn him into a chicken. The first time it happened his phone and wallet were stolen.

“That sucks…” the girl said looking down at Charles. “Now I kinda feel bad for him.”

“Her,” the guy corrected firmly. “And why? She’s just a dumb chicken…”

“Yeah… you’re right… she’s just a dumb egg laying bird,” the girl smiled. “Though what if she reports us for kidnapping her?”

“You bought her from a shop, you didn’t know she was once a human,” the guy informed her. “Besides, how is she going to tell anyone?”

“So that’s why you got me to pay for that other chicken…” the girl realized. “Wait what happens if her family finds her and thinks that chicken is really Pebbles?”

“That’s what I’m planning on,” the guy answered. “No one is going to miss this dumb bird.”

Charlie clucked aggressively at the cage, he wanted to know why they were doing this to him.

“I think you made her upset,” the girl looked down at Charles feeling sorry for him.

“Whatever she’s just a stupid bird,” the guy said as he led the girl inside the house.

Charles couldn’t do anything but pace around the cage, and eat the seeds on offer when he felt hungry. At least he was able to sleep when the sun went down a few hours later, before waking up in the morning as the sun rose. Then it was time for the most unpleasant part of his transformation as he laid an egg on the floor of the cage.

He spent the day not doing much, being bored out of his mind as the guy and the girl came back out in the mid afternoon, they sat down at a table and vaped as they watched Charles in his enclosure. Brittany, the second girl, didn't return today.

After twenty-four hours since being transformed, Charles finally returned to his human form. Fortunately the enclosure was tall enough for him to stand, but now he was completely naked in front of his two captors.

“A day, that’s what I thought,” the guy walked over to the enclosure.

“Hel…” is all Charles managed to get out before the guy hit something on a voice recording.

“Pebbles!” the recording said triggering Charles’ transformation back into the chicken.

“Good to know voice recordings work,” the guy smiled before going back inside, leaving Charles alone once again.

Charles day repeated like before, strut around, eat, sleep, wake up, lay an egg. This time though the guy and girl never came out to check up on him and just as it got late into the afternoon they still weren’t around. Charles grew hopeful as he turned back into a human, only for the same recording from yesterday to play above his head, turning him back into a chicken instantly. This was the first time he had been a chicken for three days in a row.

“Good it worked,” the guy came out to check on Charles. “I hope you get used to that Pebbles because I’m never letting you change back…”

Charles wanted to scream as he looked up at the guy wondering why he was doing this. Unfortunately the only reason he could surmise is because he could and because it was fun. Charles would never find out if there was another reason as they kept him as a chicken every day they had him…