(Animal TFs, nut TF, merging/TFs)
By grapehyacinth
bvw1979 commissioned a meeting of the characters from two of my stories:
You Are What You Think
andThe Melting Point of No Return
And he specified just what would result....
At Jim Marks' request, Gena Fellowes had joined him in ingesting her new-found transformation formula. She had recently created it in her lab and was tweaking it a bit before presenting it to her boss. Though she could not wait to share it with the world, she was well aware that there were still some kinks to iron out. Last week she had tried it out on herself, and was overjoyed to see that, as she had hoped, she transformed into whatever came into her mind. Since this could lead to problems, however, she was attempting to make the formula a little less sensitive to one's thoughts.
“Now, Jim, the first thing we'll do is become fish. Let's go over to the lake. No one's ever there, so it's a perfect place to do it. And it's Saturday, so there aren't too many people are around the lab, either.”
Jim shivered with excitement, and his form blurred somewhat. “Oh, God, I can't wait to change!”
Gena grabbed his arm. “Jim, focus,” she said sternly. “Concentrate on staying human right now so we can get to the lake first.”
“But, I want to change. This stuff in me makes me desperately want to transform. Right now. Don't you feel it?” he wailed.
And indeed, Gena felt a strong urge to become something else. Anything else. Unlike the previous formulation of her creation, this time every inch of her body was itching to rearrange.
“Let's get to the lake. NOW.”
Gena entered a small lake house to undress. The lab owned the property, which was obvious from the odd objects stored in the small structure. Old microscopes, boxes, and some kind of spectrometer littered the floor and shelves.
“Why do we need to bother undressing?” Jim complained, pulling off his shirt in the doorway. Gena was surprised to see anything resembling muscles on the male scientist's arms. Jim did not seem the type to be very interested in working out.
Discreetly, Gena removed her shirt and bra. She covered her breasts with her hands. “You want to keep your clothes? Then you leave them here.” Blushing, she covered herself with a towel as she wrestled off her pants and underwear.
Grudgingly, Jim followed her into the small edifice and, without even a hint of embarrassment, unzipped his pants. “Oh my God, Gena...I...have to turn into...something...Now.”
“Jim, wait!”
But it was too late. Jim was writhing on the dirty wood planking of the floor, and he was changing fast. His legs melded into a tail, his arms were becoming fins, his skin was becoming discolored...
“Oh, Jim. I'm going to have to run and throw you into the water now. Can't you stop?”
But Jim could not speak. He merely shook his head back and forth, craving to be something he was not...
Helplessly, Gena watched her friend transform. It was fascinating, and she knew she'd have to grab him quickly when he became a fish. If she didn't toss him into the water, like any real fish, he would die.
But – strangely, he was not shrinking.
Jim was growing larger.
“Jim, what are you turning into?” Gena asked in alarm. But his face so contorted that there was no way he would have any ability to speak words by now...
But the hole forming on his rapidly enlarging back told her what she needed to know.
“A whale! No, Jim! You can't! Think of something else!”
The whale moaned in response, flipping its tail in delight as it grew as tall as the ceiling...
Gena ran out of the building in fear. “Jim! We have to get you into the water!” she tried to pull at his enormous lips from outside the door, but he was not giving an inch. By now the whole lake house was full of Jim, and pressure was building up against the wooden walls...
“Jim! You'll ruin it!” There was a creaking, a snapping, and then the complete ceiling blew out. Huge fins exploded through the sides with a sickening sound, and the new whale cried out in glee.
“Well, at least you can breathe...” Gena studied the blowhole with some assurance. She went behind the large creature and pushed at it. “Jim, can you get yourself to the lake?”
Trying to budge Jim's enormousness was like trying to move a boulder with a pin.
“Jim, concentrate on becoming a fish.”
The whale flopped back and forth, then made something of a contented sigh.
“Yeah, I know. It feels nice. But you can't stay like this. Someone will see.”
And then a small voice said from behind her, “we did already.”
Gena flipped around to see two women, probably just out of college. She shook her head, trying to formulate words to reassure the girls, but they seemed quite fine with the fact that a man had transformed into a whale right in front of them.
“Guess the Potion Place has a whale potion,” said the taller girl.
Gena's eyebrows raised. “Whale potion? What are you talking about?”
“We've got to try that one, Lexi,” said the other girl.
“The Potion Place. That little store by–”
The scientist was still having trouble putting words together. “That little hippie place? That's all Wicca and healing and–”
“Oh, trust me. It's very real. Expensive, but real. I'm Caroline, and this is my friend Lexi. We're repeat customers of the Potion Place. Lexi's been far more than me, but it all started years ago when I stole some mirror potion from my mom–”
With a smirk, Gena said, “And you turned into a mirror, huh?”
“It was awesome!”
“Right.”
The girl named Lexi stepped forward. “First of all, I saw her change. And I've been several things as well. And meanwhile your friend just turned into a whale but you don't believe us?”
“But...but this is science. You're talking about magic.”
“What's the difference?”
This gave Gena pause. Really, what was the difference? In essence, she had fabricated a potion somehow in her lab. Where was the line between science and magic here?
Jim let something out like a howl. He smashed his tail against what was left of the lake house, and it splintered to the ground. Gena swallowed. “Can you help me push him into the water?”
“Sure!” All three women made a brave attempt, but Jim offered no help. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying the whole experience.
“Wow! He's huge. Can we try your potion?”
Gena hesitated. “It's not a....well, it's not a whale potion. It's an anything potion. You think what you want to be, and you become it.”
Lexi's mouth fell open. “My God, if I had that, I wouldn't need to drop thousands at the Potion Place! You could become a millionaire with that, uh...”
“Gena. Call me Gena.”
“Oh, you have to let us try some!”
“Maybe. Can you help me out here first? Just one more try?”
But no amount of pushing would budge the happy whale, and Gena finally went over to his snout and stroked it. Jim closed his eyes and made a curious purring sound. “Jim, I need you to push yourself into fish form. It feels just as good, and then I bet swimming in the water will be beyond amazing. Please. There's plenty more of this formula. You can turn into whatever you want when you're home later. Just, make yourself a fish now, okay?”
Reluctantly, the large animal scrunched its eyes tight, and it began to shudder and shrink. Its colors changed, it grew scaly, and soon a fish flopped desperately at their feet.
“How awesome is that!” Caroline screeched as Gena grabbed up the fish and raced to the water's edge. She plunked him in.
Caroline and Lexi followed behind.
“Guys, nice to meet you, but I need to join him. To protect him.”
“Can we watch you change?”
Gena was not too interested in two strangers seeing her naked right now. She regarded the towel wrapped around her. She could change while holding it...for a while at least... “Stay as long as you want. In fact, I'd be grateful if you could scare off any birds or animals looking for a tasty fish meal.” With that, Gena stepped into the water, and shrank down, growing scaly and fish-like. Lexi and Caroline gave a cheer as the towel collapsed over their new friend, and a perfect fish swam out from under it into the depths.
“Lexi, Caroline, will you take me to the Potion Place? I promise you can try some of my potion later.”
Beside the lake, Gena was trying to dress under her towel with limited success. On the sand next to her was a bucket salvaged from the ruins of the lake house. Inside was filled with water...and Jim.
“Is it really nice being a fish?” Lexi asked.
“Yes. That's why Jim's not turning back.”
“What will you do with him?”
Gena pondered this. “I guess I'll pick up some fish food and leave him at my house. He'll turn back when he's ready.”
After leaving Jim in Gena's house with a large amount of fish food floating atop his water, the three made their way to the Potion Place. The proprietor was just closing up. “Hi, Lexi. Got a present for you!” he tossed her a bottle that read “Invisibility”.
“Oh! It's ready?” Caroline breathed.
“Sure is. Enjoy,” the man said. “I gotta close up now, so, quickly, what can I do for you?”
Lexi stepped up. “Gena, this is Lance Wintergreen, the owner. He makes all the potions too.”
Nodding nervously, Gena shook hands with the man.
“Gena's a scientist. She invented a transformation potion.”
“You think what you want, and you become it!” Caroline squealed in delight. “I can't wait to try it.”
Mr. Wintergreen looked worried. “You invented it? Do you have any training in the magical arts?”
“I don't...really believe in that. I'm a scientist.”
“Well, you're a witch or sorceress, more like, if you made that.”
Gena was confused. “Why? I invented a formula. It's completely scientific.”
“Show him, Gena!” Caroline begged excitedly. “Prove it.”
Reluctantly, Gena said, “What should I be?”
“Oh,” the man threw his hands up in the air dismissively, “whatever...be...a pecan. I just had a great piece of pie at lunch–” Before he could finish, Gena shrank to the floor and rolled halfway across the store until Lance stopped her with his foot. “Hmm,” he said, picking her up.
“See?” said the little pecan. “I'm a nut!” it giggled.
Lance's mouth fell open as he studied the small face that the nut contained. “My dear, how does science explain a talking pecan? A hard-shelled nut with eyes, nose, and a mouth that talks...without vocal cords?”
Gena was speechless.
“You discovered magic, Gena.”
“Magic?” Gena smirked. “I've been studying and researching this compound for years.”
“You've created a magical compound.”
“But...but...” Gena sputtered. She needed a better explanation than that...
“What do you think I've been doing in this place for nearly fifty years?” he spread his arms out wide as if to display the hundreds of potions that dotted the store's shelves.
“But don't you have to say incantations and spells...?”
“My dear, please. You're a scientist. You really think mumbling words is going to do anything at all?”
“Put me down, please.”
He obeyed. The nut wobbled momentarily, then grew back into Gena. Lance stepped back. “Wow! That is nice! I'd love to sell that potion!”
But Gena was shaking her head. “So...what does this mean?”
“It means what I said. You made a magic potion. How, I don't know. Maybe it's in your blood? Point is, you did it, and it's great.”
“She's going to tell her boss and let the world know.”
“No! You can't!”
Gena eyed him curiously. “Why not? You have a whole store that sells magic potions.”
“Only to those who believe. To those who are deserving. There is great magic surrounding this building. It allows in only the pure in heart.”
“Your mother's pure of heart, Caroline?” Lexi jeered.
Caroline made a nasty face back.
But Gena was not finished. “Why shouldn't the world enjoy this?”
“Because there would be chaos, Gena. That's why.”
Gena stood over Jim's bucket, watching him swim contentedly in circles. “Jim, this guy says I invented a magic potion, and I shouldn't tell anyone. I wish I could talk to you about it.”
The fish gave no sign that he heard her. Maybe he really couldn't, being underwater, or perhaps he had been a fish for so long that he didn't care about human problems. He seemed awfully happy going around and around, which made her wonder. She was sure she herself would have been bored with that pretty quickly.
Lexi came up behind her. “No luck?”
Gena shook her head. “No. He's enjoying it too much. With this potion, you need to want to change back. But when you're something else, it feels so nice, it's hard to get yourself to do it. Trust me. I had a lot of trouble with it at first. And this newer formulation, once you take it, especially right when you've taken it, your whole body needs to transform. Desperately. Even now, I feel this ache...I want to be a...no. No. Not now...” Her body stiffened for a moment, then it relaxed.
“What were you going to turn into?” Caroline asked curiously.
Blushing, Gena replied, “A chair.”
Caroline giggled. “Oh, that's what I'm doing first. When and where can we do this?”
Gena sighed. “Well, the sooner the better, although I'd rather not do it here.”
“Come to my condo!” Caroline exclaimed. “We'll be alone all weekend there to be anything we want!”
Gena took her box of formula in hand, and, with a backwards glance at Jim's bucket, she followed the girls out.
When they entered Caroline's new condo, she apologized for the bareness of some of the rooms. The dining room was devoid of anything except a box in the corner, and the rest of the condo was sparsely furnished. “Well, all the more room to turn into big things!” Caroline added, rubbing her hands across an oval wall mirror. “I should turn into a mirror again,” she added. “That was awesome.”
“Excuse me...where's the bathroom?” inquired the scientist.
Caroline pointed it out, and Gena went inside. When she emerged, the girls were gone.
“Where are you guys?” she called worriedly.
Ghostly laughter met her ears.
“Guys?”
“We're here,” said Lexi's voice, and the bottle of invisibility potion floated up into the air. “Take some, Gena.”
“Well, guess you guys did already, but I shouldn't. I don't know how it will react with my transformation potion.”
The bottle settled slowly back to the table, and one of the girls made a dejected sound. “Oh, it's magic. What harm can it do? We want to use your potion also. We're dying to.”
“Then you should have waited to take the invisibility potion!” Gena was still getting over the fact that invisibility was actually possible. Yes, she had to admit it, it was magic. Science, the way she knew it, could not explain any of this. At all.
Lexi popped back into view with a giggle. “I can control it, Caroline. Mr. Wintergreen was right!”
Caroline appeared beside her and looked down at herself. “Awesome!”
Right now, more than anything else, Gena wanted to change, but she couldn't. The girls might get to her formula, and who knew what would happen then?
But she saw their faces, and she had to do something...
She dove at the invisibility potion bottle, and downed it before anyone could stop her.
“Oh, Gena!” Caroline cried, half-horrifed, half-delighted.
Gena suppressed a belch. “Well, what else can happen to me, I guess.”
“You could die.”
“It's magic. I'm sure the potion guy could find a way to get me back.”
Lexi and Caroline were silent, watching her with unease.
“Look, if I didn't do this, I'm sure you two would. I don't want my potion to hurt anyone else. That's why I was the first one to try it... Oh, wow...I feel lightheaded.” She staggered back against one of the chairs, grabbing onto it to steady herself.
“I guess you can be a chair now if you want,” Lexi ventured.
“First I want to be invisible,” Gena announced. As her body faded away, she cried out in glee. “It's great!” she announced, but her victory was short-lived. She still gripped the chair, and as soon was she was completely transparent, she felt an odd tug in the direction of the chair she held. She turned her attention to it, and suddenly she was literally being sucked into it.
“Gena turned into that chair!” an awestricken Caroline burst out.
A small face formed on the chairback, spooking the two girls. “I merged with the chair,” it corrected them.
“Woah!” Lexi whispered. “What does that feel like? Is it different than just turning into it? I mean, you're a chair with a...face...”
“I can give myself a face if I want to, but I guess the mixture of the potions somehow allows you to merge with things?” Gena phrased this as a question, because she could not understand it in the least. “But it feels nice. I am the chair, just like I turned into one, but the change was different. Instead of feeling my body change shape and harden into wood, I was pulled into the chair and...I became one with it.” The chair wobbled merrily. “It really feels nice being this way.”
“Let me try.” Caroline pushed past Lexi. She put her hand on the chair next to Gena and said, “Make me a chair.”
For a moment, nothing happened.
“Focus more, Caroline,” suggested Gena the chair.
“Oh, wow!!” Caroline gasped. Her body stiffened, and she was taking on a wooden appearance. Worried, she cried, “I'm just...becoming one, I think. But I do like it...Oh, God, I need it...” Her intense desire seemed to speed things up a bit, and soon she was forced into an odd crouch as legs sprouted from her backside, and her own legs formed her front chair-legs. She thinned and hardened into a chair identical to Gena. “Oh, my God, Lexi! That was amazing...I wanted a face. Do I have one?”
Lexi examined her friend. Indeed the chair had retained Caroline's features. “Sure do! You guys make lovely furniture.” Lexi felt the craving to become inanimate like her companions. “I have to be a chair...” she mumbled, and began to shudder.
“Lexi, hold on to one of the other chairs and become invisible. Maybe that's how you merge.”
No sooner had the girl done this than she was one with the chair.
“What...a...rush!” she nearly swooned.
The three chairs studied each other, then began to giggle so much that each one toppled over onto its side.
It was going to be a great weekend.
“Let's merge with other stuff,” suggested Lexi the chair.
“I kind of like this form,” Gena said wearily.
“I want to turn into more stuff,” Caroline complained. "It was so cool."
“You can, Caroline. But first try the merge. It's so great. I felt myself drawn into the chair, and all of me was flowing into every part of it, and then I was becoming solid,” Lexi described.
“Fine,” the Caroine-chair balked. “But I want to merge with one of my plants.”
“So how do we turn back into ourselves?”
“Well, with my potion – formula – I focus, then push myself into my form. Not sure if it'll be the same here, but it's worth a try.”
“You first, Gena.”
Gena extracted herself from the chair. It was almost a ripping feeling as she removed every bit of herself from the object. Then, for a scary moment, it seemed that she was nothing but air. She forced herself to form her body, and, with a breath of relief, she was human again.
She instructed her new friends how to revert, and guided them through the process.
“I miss being made of wood,” said human Caroline morosely.
Merging with a living thing was beyond compare, Caroline found. When she was drawn into her large ficus plant, her whole body was a tingling electricity flowing into every part of the plant. As she settled in, it was like she was becoming more substantial until she simply was the plant. She could feel every part of her in it – the leaves, the roots, the stem...
“Mmm...” the plant moaned, moving slightly in its pot.
“I call the geranium!” Lexi cried out.
“I guess I get the croton,” Gena said. “It's pretty colorful, I'll admit.”
“You'll both be beautiful as them,” Caroline smiled. “Just water me before you change, okay, guys? I'm thirsty.”
The three plants whiled the day away alternately soaking in the sun and discussing life. “I am Lexi the plant! This is so relaxing. I feel so alive, but so nice..”
“It is calming, I agree,” Gena admitted.
“What time is it?” Lexi gasped in alarm.
Caroline was just able to make out her clock. “Seven...in the morning? Really?”
“We fell asleep!” Gena chuckled. “It feels that good! I don't even remember sleeping. I just remember...nice...”
“I don't remember too much nice, honestly. Whatever. Let's be animals next,” Caroline suggested.
“I don't want to hurt anything,” Lexi said with worry. "Will merging with one hurt it?"
“I don't think so,” Gena guessed, “but we'll try something low on the evolutionary scale first. Anyone want to be a worm?”
“Ew,” Lexi replied.
“I will,” Caroline offered.
Her friend looked at her in surprise. “Really?”
“No hands or legs, small...sounds cool.”
Gena pulled herself from the plant and grew into human form. “Let's go hunt for worms.”
The earthworm that Caroline was to become wriggled before her on the floor.
“Having second thoughts, worm-girl?” Lexi jeered.
“No. Not at all.” Caroline knelt down, touched the creature, grew invisible, and became it.
Lexi and Gena watched the worm shake back and forth violently. “Is she hurting it?” Caroline asked.
Observing the worm's movements, Gena shook her head. The twisting seemed almost rhythmical, as if the worm was testing and experiencing its new form. “I don't think so. Caroline, talk to us.”
A very slight moan came from the creature.
“Everyone moans with this stuff,” Gena commented.
Lexi responded, “Well, she's happy,” and turned away.
“It's nice, Caroline?” Gena inquired, her scientist-self kicking in.
“Awesome! Try it! You have to!” chirped the worm, wriggling all the more.
“I don't want to be a worm,” muttered Lexi.
“Do you feel its presence or anything?”
The worm grew still. “Nothing. I'm just a worm. There's no one else in here but me.”
“Hmm. Let's try something else. Want to change back yet, Caroline?”
“Hell, no. Put me in the corner so I'm out of the way.”
“You do it, Gena.”
Carefully, Gena picked the worm up and placed it in the far corner. Who knew what would happen if a person merged with a creature were hurt? She did not want to find out. “Now, Lexi, what can we merge with?” she scanned the empty apartment. Caroline had no pets, so they would have to go outside.
“I'd like to be a bird.”
“Doubt we'd find one...wait!”
But the urge was so great within Lexi that she simply became a robin. “Yes!” she cried as she took on her new form. “Be back soon!” the new bird flew off into the trees before Gena could get in a word edgewise.
“Okay, well...oh! A turtle! What luck!” She picked up a box turtle that was slowly lumbering across the lawn and brought it inside. “Caroline! I'm becoming this turtle!” She thought she heard a squeak from the corner of the room, but no words were decipherable. “Lexi just turned herself into a robin and flew off. She might be a while. Meanwhile...” her hand was on the turtle's shell. “Mr. Turtle, I really hope this doesn't hurt you. Here I come.”
She felt herself becoming the animal, her arms and legs becoming its legs, her head merging with its own, and its hard shell was now on her back. Shuddering a bit from the changes, she finally forced herself to remain still. Everything looked and felt weird, but she did not sense the turtle itself. As Caroline had reported, it was only her in the turtle body.
She crept around the room for a while, exploring the turtle form, but she quickly grew guilty. She didn't want to end up killing this little box turtle. He was cute.
She pulled herself from his body, and became human. The turtle scooted off, as if nothing had occurred. With a sigh of relief, she released him outside and he went on with his business. Perhaps the consciousness of the host animal was simply repressed when one inhabited its body?
Mr. Wintergreen described it as magic. So who knew?
It was growing late, and Gena was getting increasingly hungry. “Caroline, I'm going to eat. You want?”
Caroline erupted from the corner, bursting into her human form. “Yes. I was really hungry in worm form, but there was nothing to eat there. Yet I really didn't want to turn back into a person, either.”
“I know. It's tough.” They pulled out some bread and made sandwiches as they waited for Lexi to return.
By dark, Lexi had still not shown, so Caroline and Gena took turns merging with all matter of objects. They became bread, ice cubes, pillows, and several other odds and ends. As they sat in the fruit bowl as two apples, Lexi burst in, breathless.
“That was ...fantastic! Where are you guys?”
“We're in the fruit bowl! We're apples! Come join us!”
And Lexi did.
“You guys gonna stay over?” Caroline asked, leaning on the dining room wall.
“Where?”
She chuckled and tapped at the wall. “How about right here?”
Lexi gave a gasp as her friend merged with the wall. It gained her face, and it was laughing. “This is the best yet! Look, I'm Caroline the wall!” Her face disappeared, then only her eyes appeared in the corner, then one blinked out.
“That's creepy, Caroline,” Lexi commented.
But Gena was fascinated. She had given up trying to come up with a scientific explanation for any of this. It was magic, true and simple, and she knew Mr. Wintergreen was right. There was no way she could present this to her boss, let alone the world.
“I need to try that.” Gena was so desperate that she almost turned into a wall herself, but she managed to stagger over to the wall facing Caroline. She threw herself into it, and her face quickly appeared. “You're right, Caroline. This is the best.” She played around with moving her face to different parts of her painted surface, giggling all the while. “Lexi, come join us! It's more comfortable than a bed!” she cried through a mouth that sat alone in her upper corner.
“I don't see how,” Lexi muttered, but never one to be a spoilsport, she merged with the wall that connected Gena and Caroline, and she gave a surprised gasp in the process. “Wow!! Just...wow!”
The three happy walls explored their forms, laughing and chattering as they did. “You think Jim's still a fish?” Lexi asked. Her voice reverberated through her, yet she was not displaying a mouth.
“Yes,” Gena replied, attempting this little trick herself.
“Will he be okay?”
“My guess is when he runs out of food, he'll get hungry and be forced to change back. I'm not worried at all. But listen, guys, we really need some sleep.”
Lexi's mouth reappeared. “I didn't know walls need to.”
“I don't care what I am. I still need my beauty sleep.” The Gena-wall winked at her wall-friends.
“Good night, guys.”
“Good-night, Gena.”
“And thanks.”
“No problem.”
The faces withdrew from the walls' surfaces, and the blank walls slumbered deeply.