(centipede TF, courtesy of Mother Nature) 

 Unbeknownst to many, Mother Nature did not simply spend her days living in the clouds and flirting with the breeze. She had a life too, and sometimes, she even surfed the net.

Here and there through the centuries, she would take on a human identity as a lark. Recently she was renting an apartment under the name 'Eve Mere'. It sounded pretty enough.

After a particularly sordid affair involving the punishment of a man who liked to 'create' roadkill, she sat back at her computer, a steaming cup of tea at her side. She had gotten a Facebook account months ago, and it amazed even her that she had friends all over the world. Some were people she had helped (or punished and reformed), and others had no idea of her true identity. But this social media craze definitely made her life more interesting. Passing the centuries inspiring photos and literature just wasn't cutting it anymore.

Sometimes it was nice to sit back from one's duties and just...reconnect.

Sally Flint, a teacher who had saved many bug lives (and she had thus rewarded her by allowing to experience life as one for a while), had posted on her page : “In Japan on vacation. They have the most amazing and LARGE bugs here. I am totally fascinated by them. Yes, they do find their way inside my hotel, but don't worry Eve Mere, I've saved every one.”

Mother Nature swelled up in pride. She loved that woman. She had half a mind to reward her again and allow her to be another animal of her choice. But before she could teleport over to Japan, the comments below Sally's post caught her eye:

Jeannie You are such a magnet for crazy bugs.

November 22 at 5:21am Like  

Camilla Centipedes are little devil-spawns that make me FREAK out, and I have to kill them or I'll have the heeby-jeebies for the rest of the day thinking it's going to come back for me...Mickey once saw one and screamed "tiny dragon under the ottoman! Kill it!"

November 22 at 11:06am Like

Mother Nature grew livid, getting so angry that she allowed herself to shift from human form into a fiery ball. She had been watching this woman kill her creatures for so long, she couldn't even count the years. And she never just killed them quickly – she often 'punished' them by drowning them in bleach or flushing them down the toilet.  And then there was Mickey, who liked to pull legs off of spiders and various insects...

“You're damned straight that tiny dragon's coming back for you, my dear Camilla and Mickey! Just you wait!”

Mickey Lane lounged on the couch, his legs propped up on the leather ottoman. He was thumbing through a sports magazine that he had stolen from a table at work. “Hey, Camilla! Dinner yet?”

A crash and several curses emanated from the kitchen. “NO!” was the response.

“God damn it,” he mumbled under his breath. “I'm freakin' hungry.”

Something stirred under the ottoman. “So am I,” it said.

Mickey jumped up from the couch, a girlish scream of fright issuing forth. “What the hell is under there?”

The folds covering the bottom of the small piece of furniture parted to reveal a scaled head with red, flashing eyes. “That tiny dragon you were so scared of.” The head was joined to a neck that stretched towards the frightened man, and somehow, a body bigger than the actual ottoman emerged. It grew larger and larger, bearing down on the man who was rendered motionless and wordless. “I'd like to just breathe fire on the both of you, but that wouldn't teach you a lesson. So try this instead.”

The shaking man stared up into the angry eyes, not taking in a word. There was a dragon in his house. That was all he could think.

“So, so, slow, that brain of yours,” Mother Nature snickered. “Go!”

Mickey finally found his tongue. “Go where?” he asked in confusion. He felt itchy.

The dragon made a mocking grin, displaying a mouth of pearly, sharp teeth. “Change into a centipede, silly man!”

As the screaming man shrunk away and sprouted many legs, Camilla called from the kitchen, “What the hell are you yelling at, Mickey?”

Mother Nature watched her new creation scuttle under the ottoman.

“Tiny dragon under the ottoman! Kill it!” she called back in Mickey's voice with great satisfaction.

After burning their dinner and setting off the fire alarm, Camilla finally emerged from the kitchen. “Mickey, did you kill the damn centipede? If I see one, you know how I'll freak out.”

She studied the empty room. “Mickey! Answer me!”

No one responded, and her husband was nowhere to be seen. She ventured further into the room, her gaze anxiously sweeping the floor for movement. “Mickey, what the hell? Did you run out to get more beer or something? You damned well better have killed the little bastard. I swear to you, if I find it, I'll freak. Well, first I'll kill it, then freak later.”

Something chuckled in the corner.

Camilla glanced up, thinking her husband was playing a trick on her. “Mickey? Damn it! Who's there?”

But still there was no answer, and Camilla walked off to search the house for her missing husband.

The transformation was an experience unlike Mickey had ever encountered. Yes, the fear going through him had been paralyzing. But the sensations of change could almost be likened to a strong massage. It had not been painful, which was surprising. He had panicked as he felt himself shrinking quickly, the strange woman-dragon looking more and more giant-like and blurry with every millimeter he lost. His arms and legs were thinning, while who-knew how many other legs were simply bursting from his sides. His skin was growing black, and he was growing...long? Then everything went dark as his clothes collapsed on top of him.

You like your new body, Mickey?

The clothes were removed, and suddenly he could see light, but not much else. What did you do to me? Why do I hear you in my head? Can you hear me?

Of course! How else would I communicate with a centipede?

Mickey was not sure he was hearing right. Or how he was hearing, for that matter. I'm a centipede?

Yup.

I have one hundred legs?

Uh, actually, no. Most centipedes don't have one-hundred legs. Why don't you count them? You'll have all the time in the world for that.

For lack of anything better to do, Mickey began to count, sticking out each leg as he did. It would serve as good practice getting used to them all, he figured.

Mother Nature snickered at this display. “Leave it to a human male to count his parts up.”

"Mickey!  I hate you!  You left me alone with a centipede!  Now I have to kill it!"  Camilla's voice shrilled through the house. “Come out, you little bastard! I won't have you in my house! I won't have you coming for me!”

Mother Nature vanished, pulling the ottoman back as she did.

Before Camilla could react to the fact that the chair had seemingly moved by itself, the centipede scuttled out straight at her. “Eww! Gross! Kill it! I have to kill it!”

To make things more interesting, Mother Nature began to enlarge Mickey.

“AA! Help! It's growing!” Camilla alternated between rushing forward to crush the living nightmare before her, and staggering back to avoid being devoured by it.

Camilla! Wait! Don't kill me! It's me, Mickey! Even as he grew, he halted and tried to wave his legs at his terrified wife.

“Oh, my God! It's getting huge!! It's gonna eat me!” Bravely as she could, she raised her foot up high. It shook as she positioned it over the bug that had to be over two feet long by now...

Camilla! Don't!

CRUNCH.

Holding her hand over her mouth to keep from retching, Camilla scraped the bug-guts from her shoes with distaste.

“You know, you just killed your husband.”

“Who the hell?” Camilla whirled around in shock to see a dragon sitting on the ottoman. She started to scream hysterically, and Mother Nature had to force herself into the woman's mind just to calm her.

“You crazy bitch,” she murmured, waiting for Camilla to get into a more relaxed state.

“Are we better now, Camilla?”

Camilla was still wild-eyed, but the dragon had been replaced with a regal woman, who admittedly was more approachable. “Who...are you?” she managed to stutter.

“Bravo! You were able to gather more than two words together! Although three is not such a great achievement. I'm Mother Nature, and that creature you crushed, that 'tiny dragon', was actually your husband.”

The woman's mouth fell open and remained there. “Huh?” Her eyes remained locked on the large black smudge below her, two of its legs twitching feebly.

“Yes,” Mother Nature smiled in an off-handed way, “I turned him into one. You're next.”

“What? Why?” Camilla screamed, but her voice fell away as her mouth shifted into mouthparts.

Mother Nature continued to speak, as if it was nothing of interest that a woman was transforming right before her. “Why? Because you feel the need to kill any living insect you get near. Even if they're outside in their own environment. And you draw the deaths out...no mercy...And then you're proud of it, and you post it on Facebook! Do you know what that does? You put it on social media, and before you know it, the whole world is doing it!”

Camilla's world view was diminishing, yet her body seemed to be stretching at the same time. But it was no longer her body any more. She had many thin legs running up and down her, and her form itself had lost any semblance of her curvy female figure. Instead, she was swiftly becoming worm-like, and her creamy skin was now a rubbery-blackish shade. Oh my God, I'm...turning into a bug! Oh my God, it's like my worst nightmare! Panicking even worse before, the near-arthropod began to thrash back and forth wildly, trying to fight the changes.

“Oh, there's no fighting it, my dear. It is what it is, they say. You are what I want you to be. And that's one of those 'tiny dragons' you despise.”

Tiny dragons?

“Yes, I saw your Facebook post. Always watch what you post there, Camilla. You never know who might read it. See, you said centipedes are tiny dragons and you need to kill them all. Brilliant.”

Well, they're disgusting!

Mother Nature pushed away Camilla's clothes and studied the creature she'd become. “You mean you're disgusting.”

Camilla looked down at herself as well as she could with her new poor vision. The feelings of transformation had ceased, and she moved only the legs that her own legs and arms had become. Oh, no. You can't...you can't do this to me. I cannot stand bugs. Please!

“Well, you're not a bug, really. A centipede is actually a myriapod, which is one of the five sub-phylla of the arthopod family. Insects are grouped in with the hexapods, another one of the five. Sometimes they group the myriapods together with the hexapods–”

Oh my God what are you talking about, lady?! The hysteria was back, and the centipede began to writhe again.

“We really have to work on those nerves, Camilla.” Mother Nature swept her finger down the centipede's back, and it stilled. “There. I sped up the centipede feelings to calm you a bit.”

Indeed Camilla felt calmer, and she also had an unexplainable urge to dine on small creatures. As she pondered this, her eyes fell on the broken body of her transformed husband.

I killed my husband? she asked morosely.

Mother Nature kicked at Mickey's corpse and several legs twitched. “Well, almost. He's still in there. You know, I let a guy live as roadkill for hours recently. I'd say Mickey's in the same boat there.”

But...that's horrible!

They both regarded the mass of guts and legs as the last bits of life flowed from it. Then it grew still.

“Well, he's done for now. Bug-killer,” Mother Nature spat, and turned away.

Camilla's centipede-eyes teared up, and she wondered if bugs even could cry. You... kill my husband, and that's all you can say?

Mother Nature swung around, enraged. “You little bitch! You killed him! You kill all my bugs! The good ones, the bad ones... Why the hell would anyone be scared of spiders, let alone kill them, if they go and kill all the other 'horrible' bugs that you don't like? I'd think you'd realize they're doing you stupid humans a service. You don't deserve their services! I've got a mind to pull all of them out of your house and yard so you can see what happens without them!” She paused, and her face changed. “Yes, I think I'll do that.”

But Camilla's gaze was still on her unmoving husband. Can't you help him? she whined.

“A man that pulls legs off of bugs?  You want me to help him?”

Can you?

“I can do anything!” Mother Nature cried indignantly.

Please... I'll do whatever you ask..

“You will. Yes, you will. If you would like me to restore him – back to a centipede, mind you – no humanity for either of you as you hardly deserve it, but if you'd like that, you will remain this way for a full year. No complaining, no questions asked.”

Camilla shook her head back and forth in horror. Oh, God. Oh, God.

“Is it a deal?”

Who will take care of my house?

“I'll be happy to. And you will too. See, now with all the spiders and centipedes gone, there's nothing to stop the silverfish and carpet beetles and cockroaches from infesting this filth hole. Now it'll be your job!” she cried triumphantly.

Eww, Camilla said half-heartedly. I have to eat bugs?

“You're a centipede, Camilla. I'm sure the idea of a good chitinous meal is already tempting to you, even if you won't admit it.”

Camilla did not respond.

“I'll come by to visit when I can – I'll make sure the house is taken care of. You'll keep it clean, of course.”

Won't you feel bad that we're eating your bugs?
“Look, that's nature, meaning me. I can be quite cruel, as you know. You're part of the food chain now. You feast on the creatures below you, but be careful. Because there's ones above you now too.” With a nasty wink, she blinked out.

Wait! What about Mickey?

The mess of insect parts began to draw back together. It started to inflate, filling out into its original long, many-legged form. And it stirred.

Mickey! Camilla thought joyfully as he crept toward her.

Unfortunately, there was no response from her centipede-husband. Who ever said that centipedes could perform telepathy, anyway, she realized sadly.

Camilla and Mickey spent their days hunting down and eating all manner of creatures. Camilla was horrified at the amount of 'creepy-crawlies' that called their house home, and she never would have been aware of them had she not assumed this shape.

She was getting the hang of walking with her many legs, and, though at first disgusted by her worm-like body, she was now realizing that it was quite well-adapted to living her arthropod life. She could run quite fast to reach her prey, and her forcipules extending out from her first segment were quite helpful. They allowed her to inject venom in order to subdue and devour her victim.

And her victims did taste good.

She especially loved to crunch through an insect's exoskeleton and feast on its soft innards. She could not imagine how bugs had been so repugnant to her as a human. Now she relished the feeling as she wrapped her sinuous body around a struggling cockroach, holding it still enough so she could pierce it and introduce her poison.

Through the haze of her centipede mind, she did reflect on her humanity, and idly she wondered if Mickey was aware that she was the other centipede that he shared their house with. Did he have his mind as she did? Or was he merely another centipede, with no idea as to his former existence? He did occasionally confront her, but he quickly shied away. Maybe he was afraid she would eat him?

“Yes, he has his mind, but he doesn't know it's you, Camilla. And yes, centipedes do eat each other. He's actually terrified that you'll eat him. Mickey, come out of that wall for a minute.”

Mother Nature sat on the ottoman, watching a crack in the wall. “Having fun, Camilla?” she asked without turning towards the centipede that now was in the middle of the floor.

I never thought there were so many bugs in my house.

“Well, if you wouldn't kill things like spiders and centipedes, they'd eat the other stuff, so there would be less bugs. But you two are doing a splendid job. And you're becoming quite large, Camilla. A prime specimen, if I do say so myself.”

Thanks for saving my husband.

“Yes, he's getting pretty large too. But he was fat even in human form.”

Camilla chuckled to herself. True. I wasn't so great either.

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, you're a very attractive centipede. Mickey, although scared, is also very drawn to you.” At that moment, a large centipede scuttled out of the wall and up to Mother Nature's feet. “Mickey! Look at you! How you've grown! Now I have a surprise for you. This very sexy centipede over here that you've shown an interest in is actually your wife! Yes, I turned her into one too!”

Mickey sidled over to Camilla and tapped at her with his front legs. She tapped back.

“Yes, she is a beauty, isn't she?”

Mickey nodded as best as he could.

Mother Nature reclined back in the chair. “So Camilla made a deal with me. After she crushed you, I promised to bring you back if you remained as centipedes for a whole year. And here you are!”

Before anyone could respond, there was the sound of a key in the front door, and Mother Nature vanished. Mickey scuttled back under the wall, but Camilla remained where she stood. Maybe the person at the door could help her?

“Camilla, are you guys home yet? You put that message on Facebook that you both would be 'unavailable' for a while, but...well, it's really been a while.” Camilla's sister Jeannie stood in the doorway, her extra key dangling from her hand. When there was no response, she ventured further inside, pulling off her coat and flinging it onto the couch. “I drove two hours to check in on you. Mom keeps calling me and asking me to. Well, I finally had the chance, and you're not even here. Damn it.”

Jeannie! Jeannie! I'm right here! Camilla called frantically in her mind. Feebly, she rose up on her back legs and gestured at her sister, but Jeannie turned around and began to explore the house.

Finding no one in attendance, she walked back into the kitchen and checked out the refrigerator. “You guys have milk in here from, like, one hundred years ago! Where the hell did you go? What's the big secret?”

She spied an unopened large chocolate bar, and she pulled it out. “Well, we can't let this go to waste.” Unwrapping it, she walked back into the living room and plunked herself down onto the couch. As she chewed the candy, she spotted something moving towards her.

“Oh, my God! That thing is huge! Eww!!!”

Jeannie, oh God! It's me! I'm a bug! Mother Nature turned me into a bug!

Jeannie leapt off the couch. “You guys so need an exterminator! Let me get this little bastard!”

No, Jeannie! I'm your sister!

SMASH.

“You...little...bitch! She's mine!!”

Jeannie stared in confusion at the woman who had just appeared before her. But she didn't have long to ponder who or what the woman was as she began to feel like her skin was tightening. “Oh my God! What's happening to me?” she breathed, rubbing and scratching her nails down her sides.

Mother Nature, quite fed up with bug-killing humans, waved a dismissive hand at the transforming woman. “You're turning into a centipede just like your sister and her husband! The secret of their whereabouts has been revealed!”

“What are all these things popping out of my siiiiddddeeee...” her voice rose to a high squeak and disappeared with the rest of her body into her clothes. When Mother Nature moved away her shirt, she found Jeannie in an odd half-state. Maybe a foot long, she was more of a centipede-human hybrid, having not quite finished transforming. She had the body of a centipede, but her upper half still retained some resemblance to a human torso; she had a nearly human head and shoulders, and her arms, though more insect-leg-like, still had small hands on them.

Mother Nature studied her with interest. “I'm getting bored of turning you all into centipedes. Maybe I should leave you this way. It's kind of interesting.” She tilted her head, deep in thought. “No, keep changing, dear. In the very slim chance you're discovered, we can't have the world discovering a half-human, half-bug. It just wouldn't do.”

With a squeal of horror, Jeannie began writhing through the remainder of her transformation, just as her sister had done before her.

Ignoring this, Mother Nature went over to view Camilla. She was half-crushed, as her sister's shoe had only met with half of her body.

Oh, God, Mother Nature. Please...end me. It's beyond bearable...the pain...

Mother Nature picked her up by a leg. “You're half-stepped on. Imagine that. You're still reminded that you're a centipede, but you also get to feel the pain you've inflicted on half a million creatures just like you.”

Camilla wriggled feebly in her grasp. So can you just kill me and end this already? I'm sorry I killed all those things.

“No,” said Mother Nature, and Camilla's leg gave way. The rest of her tumbled to the ground, feeling every bit of the impact. “Don't worry. That'll regenerate,” Mother Nature reassured her, tossing the severed leg to the floor. She then walked back to her newest creation.

“Hi, Jeannie. Aren't you glad you crushed Camilla? That gives you the honor of joining her!”

I what?

“That was Camilla you crushed. And since she's just one of many creatures you've killed as well, you get to be punished! Just like her!”

What?

“You get to be a centipede for a the rest of the year!”

Jeannie examined herself, unable to process what had just occurred. I'm really a bug?

Mother Nature was too disgusted to explain that centipedes were not considered to be insects. 'Bug' could serve as an all-inclusive, as far as she was concerned. She nodded. “And keep away from Mickey and Camilla. They've gotten pretty large keeping this house clean. Centipedes eat each other when the urge arises. You'd make a tasty meal.”

Days and weeks became months, and the three centipedes made their way through the house. Camilla and Mickey met up on occasion, but they did not spend too much time together for fear that one or the other would be too deeply into their bug mind to stop himself from cannibalizing his mate.

Then one day, months later, Mickey finally met up with Jeannie.

This centipede was clearly not his wife. As well as he could tell with his limited vision, it did not look like her. It did not smell like her either. So it had to be a real centipede, which could be a danger to Camilla as well as himself. If it ate either of them, he had no idea whether there was any return from this particularly nasty death.

He was so hungry, and the new centipede seemed unaware of his presence...

He was on it before he realized it himself, twisting himself around it and piercing it with his forcipules. Valiantly it fought, twisting and writhing angrily until his venom slowed and stopped it, and he took a delightful first bite. Ah, this bug was absolutely delicious – almost sweet! He only wished he could find Camilla so she could share it with him...

Suddenly an unknown force knocked him across the room and into the wall. He hit with a sickening thud.

“Now, now, we can't have that. I've spent too much time on you all to have you end up as someone else's dinner. Now come on out, Camilla. Mickey and Jeannie, stay where you are...although it's not like you're going anywhere, Jeannie. You're half the centipede you once were.” Mother Nature appeared, chuckling at her own joke. What was left of Jeannie squirmed.

A freakishly large centipede pushed itself from a crack near the ceiling light fixture. It scuttled across the ceiling, down the wall, and straight up to where Mother Nature stood.

“Sorry to interrupt your hunt, Camilla, but your husband here was just dining on your sister.”

Camilla took one look at Mickey, a leg hanging from his mouth, and she rushed at him.

“No, no, no.” Mother Nature waved at her, and in a matter of seconds, the creature sprouted from the floor, its legs disappearing into its sides, its worm-like body becoming very human and very female.

The newly-restored Camilla glanced down at herself and tottered on her legs. “Oh,” she said confusedly. “I'm...back.” She looked up to Mother Nature for an explanation.

“That's not good?”

“Why am I back?”

“It's a year, Camilla.”

Camilla nodded, looking down at her husband and the half of her sister that remained.

“Well?”

“I was like them,” Camilla said, deep in thought.

“Are you scared of them? Do they give you the 'heebie-jeebies'?”

“No,” she shook her head. “Not at all.”

Mother Nature smiled triumphantly, and restored Mickey and Jeannie to their human forms.

As soon as Jeannie realized she was whole, she turned to Mickey and started pounding her fists into him. “Mickey, you stupid son-of-a-bitch! How dare you eat me! I'm so going to–”

Mother Nature pulled her off of Mickey, who was too shocked to fight back. “Now, now Jeannie. First of all, he didn't know it was you, and second, those were his instincts working there. The same way you were pushed to slink around and eat bugs.”

Mother Nature watched the girl's face, but she did not cringe at the mention of her meals.

“Thank you for changing us back,” Mickey said in a defeated voice.

“Well, you guys did a great job keeping house here,” Mother Nature grinned. “Now,” she said in her best teacher-voice. “What are we going to stop doing?”

“We're going to stop killing bugs,” said Camilla, Mickey, and Jeannie simultaneously, and with vigor.

“Correct.”

“Listen, after being crushed, I wouldn't do that to anything,” Camilla inserted. “I never thought about it being painful to the bug.”

“But now you know it is.”

“Yes. Now I know,” she replied smugly.

“Getting eaten isn't so hot either,” mumbled Jeannie, with a nasty glance at Mickey.

“But you tasted so good!” he retorted with a slight twinkle in his eye.

Camilla hit him. “Mickey, apologize to her!”

“Sorry, Jeannie,” he mumbled.

“Mother Nature, you seriously have a Facebook account?” Jeannie piped up.

“I sure do! Friend me!” she winked at them. “Next up is my own website.”