by grapehyacinth

1. THERESA

“Damn it, Rodney! I hate when we watch public TV. I have to see another sixty commercials now!” cried thirty-year old Theresa Middleton. She had little patience for her husband and eight-year-old son, and even less for watching infomercials about vacuums.

But instead of retorting, Rodney grabbed his wife's leg to silence her. “It's an important news message! Ssh!”

“Yeah, they're all 'important',” Theresa grumbled. She scratched at her skin where her husband had left a pinch mark. Grudgingly she viewed the TV screen, which had a “breaking news” bar running across the bottom.

A male reporter came on, looking shocked. “It's official, CTD, or Canine Transformation Disorder, has hit nationwide proportions. Researchers are desperately working on learning more about this illness that seems to stem straight from a fantasy novel.

“CTD has been traced back to a CDC worker, a Mrs. Lily Hayward, who was involved in experiments with it. She was released, thought to be perfectly healthy. But unfortunately she was infected, and she passed it on to untold numbers of others. The disease is not fatal in most cases, but the rush is still on to find a cure.”

“I'm itchy,” Theresa mumbled.

“Stop it! That's because you're watching this. It's in your head.”

The reporter continued, “Scientists have learned that people in the early stages of CTD lose all human thought when transformed, essentially turning the victim into a dog no different than any genuine canine. But in later changes, the victim retains their mind. So we end up with a human mind in a dog's body. You're a person one-hundred percent in mind, but zero percent in body.” The reporter chuckled. “Most people find this disarming, but there's some that find it cute. My wife had it, and she made the most adorable English sheepdog I'd ever laid eyes on–”

The television set clicked off and Theresa stood up, smashing the remote control down on the side table.

“Hey, why'd you do that?” Rodney protested.

“Because I don't want to hear any more about this damned disease! It's...freaky! They were talking about it at the Women's Teaching Conference the other day, and I had my hands over my ears! There's a few people at work who picked it up...”

“But they're quarantined now! You're fine! Why are you getting so crazy?”

“I just can't fathom how transforming into a dog is physically possible! There must have been some real sickos who created this virus.”

“They don't know if it was created or natural.”

“Who cares where it came from, anyway?” Theresa shook her head in frustration. “I'm getting ready for bed! You coming?”

Rodney flicked the TV back on. “I want to see the end of this.”

With an angry groan of impatience, Theresa retired to their bedroom. She yanked out a nightgown and tossed it on the bed. She did feel itchy, but she dismissed the feeling as psychosomatic. She had to stop watching the news. It was mostly all about this disease, and it was slowly eating away at her sanity.

The phone rang. “It's Chelsea!” yelled Rodney from downstairs. Fishing up the phone, Theresa had scarcely uttered, “Hey” when she heard her friend sobbing on the other line.

“Theresa...the conference...someone had it there!”

Theresa lost all capability of answering. She was hoping she had simply imagined what Chelsea had said, and now her friend would tell her something silly that had happened at her job that day...

“Theresa? I... I have it... – Oh, my God, my ears are getting floppy – and Janey has it, and Michela, and Tourney, and Li...and...Chessie Graines, health-nut extraordinaire even has it...”

Still not answering, Theresa slowly pulled off her sock...

“Even Chessie has it! Can you believe it? I've called almost everyone I know at the conference, and...oh, my hands, I'm gonna have to get off soon because it's getting hard to hold the phone...”

Theresa's own phone fell from her grasp as she spied the white fur on her foot. She lifted up her pant leg to see the fuzz traveling up her ankle as well.

This was no dream.

“Oh, my God! I have it! I have it!” She aimed her shrieks at the phone, which lay on the floor. Not bothering to pick it up or to communicate further with her friend, she burst into tears. She ran from the room and fell into her husband's arms, transforming more with every sob. “Who would have thought CTD could hit a small town in Kansas? And I had no hope, being surrounded by a hundred women or so! All you need is just one person carrying it! Just one! I wonder who it was? Oh, God, God...” Her voice grew muffled as she buried her face in her husband's chest.

Rodney ran his fingers over her now-furry hand. “You're velvety,” he pointed out in a half-anxious, half-delighted voice.

Theresa glanced at him, grunting as she felt a tightening at the base of her spine. “Are you...are you happy I got it?”

He looked down at his shoes, blushing. “Well, I do think you'd be so cute as a dog. I always wanted one, and it would be so much fun to play with you. Jordie would love it too.”

“Right. Jordie would love his mother in dog form.”

She could feel her ears growing floppy and shaking side to side with every movement. Her eyesight was getting less vibrant, and as the bones began to shrink in her hand, she grasped her husband's arm in terror. But even the pressure she exerted against his skin did not stop the paw pads from forming, and she could not bear to look at them. “Oh, why do men have to be immune to this horrible disease?”

Her husband petted her as her bones crackled and shifted. “I've always kind of been sad about that, I have to say,” he said quietly. “I'd love to transform into...well, anything!”

“Rarf!” was all Theresa could answer in an angry doggy-tone. Her tongue was lolling out of her changing mouth, and she could feel her face forming into a snout.

“You have lovely long fur,” her husband added, a slight jealousy in his voice. “You're becoming a beautiful English sheepdog.” But he could actually see the intelligence draining from her round canine eyes, and when she was fully transformed, he enviously placed her on the floor and let her dart into the night.

Theresa woke up the next morning, dirty and confused. It took her several seconds to recognize her own bedroom. Her head was cloudy, as if she were getting over a headache from oversleeping. She nodded a few times in an effort to rid herself of the fogginess...

Her husband walked in, grinning widely. “Welcome, fluffy girl! I let you sleep in your own bed so you wouldn't feel too disoriented when you woke up.” At his wife's stern frown, he continued excitedly, “You were so cute as a dog! I went out after you and we had such fun! You can catch frisbees in your mouth with the best of them!”

Theresa glanced at the dirty sheets, throwing the comforter off of her naked body. “I'll have to wash the bedding now. It's disgusting. I'm disgusting! Couldn't you have washed and dressed me?”

“I tried to give you a bath. It was kind of a disaster – you're a feisty canine! In fact, I suggest you don't go in the bathroom. I never mopped the muddy water off the floor yet. Sorry. I was so tired from running with you, I just put you in bed and then collapsed on the couch.” He studied her, noting the few white streaks remaining in her hair. “Damn, Theresa. What was it like?”

“I don't remember anything,” she said dryly.

“But soon you will.”

With each change, she did indeed remember more and more to the point that she was truly a dog with a human brain. She learned to enjoy her canine time, for now that she was aware in dog form, she could run and play intelligently with her husband and son. Finally she was spending time with Jordie that she had never been able to do before due to her work schedule. Her job kept her home even past her mandatory quarantine, for fear of the sporadic canine transformations that still happened here and there. The typical situation occurred more towards the evening, although she had several in the morning as well. But now she could sense an impending transformation, like the Thanksgiving experience that became mythical in the family lore...

The food came out, the family hungrily observed the steaming turkey being passed around...

Starkey, the male terrier, howled from the backyard...

Theresa heard his call, and, for whatever reason, it set off a metamorphosis. She tried to quickly eat her sweet potato pie before she transformed, but she lost control of her changing mouth, and the mashed pie fell down her face, her tongue lolling out...

“You're getting a change!” cried a fascinated Grandma Nellie. “I can't wait to see!”

The metamorphosis was quick and fast, and Starkey knew she was there...

The family opened the door for the new dog, and an amorous Starkey ran to greet her. Even with her human mind, Theresa's dog instincts were kicking in, and Starkey was so appealing...

Starkey got way too close...

“Get him away from her! Look what he's trying to do to my wife!” Rodney screeched, grabbing the surprised mutt by his collar and locking him in the cellar.

Theresa slunk away into the backyard.

“I think she's disappointed!” Rodney yelled in amazed jealousy. “I...I think she's feeling...let down...”

Everyone, including Jordie, could only laugh. Even though he had no idea just what his mother was so disappointed about.

2. TALIA

“They're saying it's countrywide,” muttered Talia Lehtman, drowning herself in her second quart of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. “And I swear, I don't know what else we can do to get it. I mean, they say hanging around in pet stores by the doggie section is sure to attract people who have it, and it's so contagious...”

“But they're making it illegal to go out of your house if you have CTD. You can be fined,” responded her friend Shannon.

“People still sneak out. They need their dog food and doggie toys when they're in that form.”

The girls sat in Shannon's dorm room, the lights off, mulling over their shared dream to turn into dogs. Canine Transformation Disorder could make their seemingly-impossible wish come true, but despite their best efforts, it hadn't happened to them yet. There were accounts of some people being resistant to the disease, but it had also been postulated that there were simply different levels of immunity. Shannon had even gone far enough to scratch open some scabs today to make it more likely to catch the disease. “It's airborne, and open wounds make it more likely for it to get into you. It's like an invitation to infect me,” she had explained.

“God, I just want to be small and fluffy!” Talia cried, tossing down her spoon. There were tears in her eyes, and she could not help them. “My cousin's got it, so many of my friends got it... It's not fair!”

Shannon placed down her ice cream. “Funny, who would think I'd be saying I want a disease?” I say we try the pet store again tomorrow and inhale germs straight out of everyone's mouths.”

“Eww! That's gross!”

“Look, we have to make some sacrifices if we want to turn into dogs.”

Self-consciously, Talia scratched at her head, which seemed to open some kind of floodgates. She ripped the shoes from her feet so she could scratch them, and suddenly her whole body was itching. Was this it? Could it really be? She was almost afraid to even say anything...

“Uh, Shannon?”

“Yeah?”

“Um... can you hit the light switch behind you?”

The light illuminated the room, and Talia was very obviously growing fur.

“Oh my God yes!!” she screamed in joy. She jumped up and embraced her friend, bouncing up and down in excitement. Then, viewing Shannon's distraught expression, she stood back, trying to get hold of herself.

“Oh, sorry, Shannon, I... I just can't believe it! I'm gonna turn into a cute little dog, and...” Talia paused as her friend fought back tears. “Uh...”

Shannon stuttered, “It's not...I mean, I'm happy for you, but... well, why not me too? I mean,” she pointed at her arms, “scabs! I tore off freaking scabs for it!”

Talia repressed a moan as her fingers shortened and her nails thickened. But she could not stop the silly smile that remained on her face. Yet as she glanced at her friend, who was mournfully removing her shoes but not scratching in the least, she inhaled deeply. Trying to keep Shannon's hopes up, she said, “Itchy feet are one of the first symptoms, you know.” She scrunched up her eyes, examining her closely. “Shannon, I think you–”

“I'm not itchy,” Shannon muttered.

“Not at all?”

“No. But at least my nose isn't runny from my allergies right now.” She sighed, turning away from her changing friend.

“You have allergies right now? What is it, ragweed?”

“Yes, I...oh, my God...” Shannon's eyes lit up. “I took Benadryl before.”

“So?”

“That stops itching...”

Both girls stared at each other in shock, and Shannon ran to the mirror to see the very beginnings of fur sprouting from her face. “AAAAA!!” she shrieked.

They ran to each other, screaming and embracing at the same time.

“Yes! It's finally happened! Yes! I can't believe it!” Shannon shrilled, playing with her growing ears. “Grow! Grow!” She tugged at them joyfully.

Talia ran her hand down her white fur. “Oh, I'm so soft! Feel me!”

Shannon rubbed her friend's arm, then stretched out her own. “Feel me! The fur's getting longer!”

Giggling, the girls watched each other's changes in delight, exclaiming at each new development. Both immediately went to all fours in preparation for when their arms would become legs. They had immediately tossed away their shoes, and a fascinated Talia watched her feet shorten. The growth of her paw pads was simply outlandish to view, and she prized every moment. “Oh, Shannon, I'm so excited! We're almost there!”

“You better get your clothes off,” Shannon warned, unbuttoning her own jeans and letting them fall to the floor.

Talia's blush was hardly visible under her furry face. “Um...”

“Oh, Talia, I can't see anything under that fur! And your breasts are gone anyway!” Shannon removed her own shirt to prove her point. Her bra was floating over two almost non-existent lumps.

Nonetheless, Talia turned away. She was almost unable to get back on two legs, but she managed to shed her clothes. Seeing for herself that there was nothing to be ashamed of, she staggered to the door, making sure it was locked, then dropped involuntarily back to all fours. “We have to keep ourselves locked in for the night. If we get out, we're just dogs, and something could happen to us. I've heard of people being hit and killed by cars when they were in dog form. They say to stayyy insiiiiideee rrrrraarrrrffff....” She could actually feel her mouth and throat changing... Perhaps that was her voice box? She tried to speak again. “Woof, arf, rooorrrfff...” Yup, her human voice box was a goner. Her eyes twinkled as she got to hear herself bark for the first time. It was a pleasing tone; not too high or too low, not too shrill or yappy...

“Oh, your first bark!” Shannon exclaimed, trying to clap her hands together. But, as she only now had paws and four legs, she fell to her side, giggling. “Ooppss...rarffff....”

She watched Talia's change finish, and was left with a barking sheepdog in her place. Her friend yipped and bounded around, wagging her tail. And Shannon's own mind was dwindling away, like she was falling into a deep sleep...

The morning light fell on Talia's bare skin, and she woke up with a start. Shannon, just as naked, lay a few feet from her, curled into a fetal position.

Instead of waking her friend from her deep, contented sleep, Talia tiptoed away, pulling on her clothes which had been scattered across the floor. Singing in a satisfied voice, she retrieved Shannon's robe and tossed it over her.

The movement roused her friend, and she sat up and stretched, a smile breaking out across her face. “I'm so happy. I wonder what we were like. I can't wait until we can remember our time as dogs.”

Talia studied her friend in surprise. Shannon had a few streaks of white in her hair.

Shannon caught her gaze and tousled her curls. “I have the gray?” she asked hopefully.

“Well, the white. But yeah, congrats!”

“You have it too.”

“We're both twenty-one and gray!”

Both girls lapsed into hysterical laughing. “I can't wait until tonight,” Talia gasped inbetween peals.

“Let's set up a camera to see what we're like!”

With each night of change, each girl was thrilled to see themselves retaining more dog-features during the day until, as anticipated, they were dog only in body. They recorded each night's antics, then watched them first thing in the morning. Observing themselves in dog form was better than viewing any thriller, and they cheered themselves on in whatever silly scrapes their canine alter-egos chanced into.

At one point, they decided their videos could help potential CTD victims, and they began to narrate them, intending to place them on YouTube.

“CTD is fun, not scary or painful! Think how much fun it will be to be a cute little sheepdog!” Shannon cried, her face in the camera. A half-changed Talia came into view, holding the sole of her foot at the camera.

“Watch my paw pads form! Keep your eye on my foot! This change is the most fascinating!” The camera focused on Talia's foot as the pad spots darkened and enlarged, while the rest of the foot shrank into a paw.

“Don't fear the fun!” yelled Shannon, as her own changes began.

They missed class for a while, but as Shannon said, it was all worth it. Bounding around the fields behind their dorm and playing with frisbees was simply the best. Especially when someone tossed one to them.

Talia worried that she would infect someone who, unlike her, did not want to be a dog, so they tried to stay away from people as was the law.

When a little girl approached them and continued to pursue them, pleading, “Please turn me into a dog! Please!” Talia felt guilty. She understood the girl's deep yearning to experience a different form, and she wanted to help her, but it felt wrong infecting a girl this young. The disease would ruin her life for a while, and Talia could not bring herself to do it. “Wait a few years,” she scratched into the dirt, and, as the girl tried to read it, Talia and Shannon dove off into the woods.

Talia eventually reverted back to humanity, but the occasional change did occur, and no matter when it happened, she welcomed it with open arms. But she always thought about the little girl who wished to be a dog, and wondered if she should have given the girl her wish.

The little girl had affected Shannon as well, and on her recovery, she became a counselor for CTD sufferers. Her usage of her personal transformation videos was very therapeutic, and they went viral on YouTube, being seen everywhere from homes to schools. Shannon helped women learn to love their condition, and she often joined her patients for a romp in the park when she changed.

Eventually, after a graduate program in biochemistry, Talia joined in the research of CTD. She hoped in the future it could be used for a person to transform only when they wished, without any of the embarrassing side effects.

Hopefully the little girl would get her wish one day too – in a much safer and controlled way.

3. SANDY

Even at age forty-five, people still made fun of Sandy's name. She was vice-president of a company, and yet she would still get served with the occasional silly quip. Of course the name described her blonde hair perfectly, and it was doubly funny that she had been dating a man named Danny. Yes, they had their own version of the movie “Grease” right there in the office.

But Sandy hated “Grease”. She always hated that the main female character completely changed everything about herself so she could be with the “cool” boy. She had been fine the way she was. Talk about having no self-confidence...

Sandy would never change. She liked herself too much.

It was getting later and later that Thursday night, but Sandy had lots more to do before she could leave work. And who was there to go home to, anyway? Her TV? She had recently cut her relationship off with Danny not because of any discord between them, but because she simply did not have the time for him. She was constantly turning down his requests to meet, and his disappointment over this state of affairs made her feel guilty. So she broke up with him.

Yet even with this newfound freedom, there was not enough time in the day, even with her fast-paced, multi-tasking way of working. Her therapist told her to slow down or she would break down. Her sister Ladya, in the meantime, was angry with her because she never took any time for herself. Everything was the Company. But Sandy's answer to that was, “No one gets to the top by wasting precious minutes on 'downtime'.”

Ladya's answer was simply, “You're an ass.”

It was nearly eight-thirty now, and Sandy considered sleeping in her office, as she had done so many times before. The commute home was a waste of time. In that forty minutes, she could finish her whole project!

Sitting at her desk, she pounded away at her computer, scratching at her hair. It seemed greasy. Had she forgotten to shower this morning? Maybe she should run down the hall and use the shower in the company president's suite? She knew that even the president herself would be long gone now.

But she had to finish this project first. Then she could shower and get onto the next project.

“I hate these shoes,” she murmured aloud, and she kicked them off. “All this money I spent on them and they don't really seem to be fitting right now...” She rubbed her wrist. “What the hell, are there mosquitoes in here?” She scratched at her arm harder and harder, but the itching did not seem to bring much relief. Her legs were itchy...

A sudden realization hit her. “Oh, my God no!” She jumped up and pushed back her sleeves.

There was the tell-tale white peach-fuzz.

In denial, she pushed her shirt back down to cover it. “No...” she whispered. “No.”

She had carefully controlled her body all her life with diet and exercise. It could not give up on her now! But her legs were so prickly feeling! In fearful anger, she wrenched down her pantyhose, only to see more fur, and it was getting longer...

The tears came to her eyes. This was her worst nightmare. She had always found the idea of transformation to be quite frightening – it was clearly a loss of control. She could not stand reading or watching anything that a person changed in. Werewolf movies were the worst. When the werewolf's hair started to grow and the fangs elongated, shivers always radiated through her as if she were scraping her fingers down a chalkboard...

When CTD came to light, the possibility of transforming now gnawed at her from the outskirts of her consciousness, and she tried to ignore the fear. It could not happen to her. She was an executive at a large company. Nothing could touch her.

Her teeth felt funny. She grabbed up a mirror, trying only to focus on her mouth. Was it getting...larger? Her teeth were...longer?

Her werewolf fears hit her full force, and the mirror fell to the floor and shattered. “Bad luck...bad luck...”

There was pressure at the base of her spine.

“No! Absolutely not. It's...hormones...allergies...I need ice...” She rushed to the small refrigerator in the corner of her office and began to knock ice cubes from a tray. They scattered to the floor and skidded across the wood. “Shit! Damn!” She gathered up a few and ran them feverishly across her body, shedding clothing as she did. “I need to stop it. I have to stop the...itching...and,” she stared at her shortening, furry feet, “the changing!”

At this, she was unable to grip the ice with her hand as it was more and more paw-like. It fell to the floor and shattered.

“No! This can't happen to me! I WON'T ALLOW IT!” she cried, but her body was not obeying. She could feel her very bones shrinking and shifting, and her tears were now falling to her furry coat...

“Water! A cold shower might stop this!” She was willing to grasp at even the most illogical thoughts at this point. She did not want to transform.

As she raced down the hall to the shower, she fell onto all fours more than once, and it was harder to get back onto two legs each time. She skidded into the shower, pawing at the controls until ice water shocked her into silence. But as the water flowed down her chest, she could see her breasts were almost non-existent, two very small bumps buried under a thick, wet sheepdog coat.

She tried to run her hands through her hair, but her thick nails snagged in what was now also fur. She gave a cry at the feel of her ears flopping against it.

“Oh...it's not...helping....rraarrrffff...”

She was able to give one last swipe to turn off the shower before she collapsed to all fours. Stumbling out of the shower, she saw a bottle of scotch sitting invitingly on the lower shelf. She smacked it to the floor, which somehow broke the bottle neatly into halves. She lapped up the puddle with her growing tongue, sending herself into oblivion.

“What the hell happened here? Oh, my God, Sandy, you contracted CTD! Everyone out!”

The company president's voice and the accompanying screams sounded far away, and Sandy fought to open her eyes. Her head was pounding like someone was repeatedly pelting it with stones.

She was lying spread-eagled on her own office floor, very naked. There were no clothes in sight, and she curled up in embarrassment, trying to cover herself. She wondered how she had found her way back to her own office – probably by her heightened sense of smell in dog form? She seemed to have retained it as well, for she could smell the scent of every creature in the building at that moment.

From the corner of her eye, she could see that the office was a shambles, as if a small child had wreaked havoc on it...

...Or perhaps a sheepdog had been let loose...

“Oh, I really, really have it...” Sandy sobbed, burying her head in her chest.

Several men in Hazmat suits escorted her out.

Sandy was placed under the mandatory quarantine, stuck in her house for the duration of the disease's contagiousness. At first this ate at her, for inaction was another of her worst nightmares. The changes left over from each transformation served as badges of shame – first she retained the floppy ears, then the paw pads and teeth... Between changes, she would sit at her computer, scouring the internet for cures. She tried anything she could find, from spreading marmalade on her body an hour before the changes – which only served to create a horrible clean-up experience, to drinking dandelion water – which made her vomit all over her fur. She tried Dr. Phil's “Miracle CTD Cure Diet”, which simply made her look like an emaciated sheepdog. Then she tried the “Pistachio Ice Cream Regimen”, which, when laced with lavender and shredded coconut as instructed, made her gain more weight than she had lost.

When she finally gave up and started eating premium dog food, she felt healthier than she ever had as a human. This helped her come to see her condition as a positive. Being forced to stay home, she would get the sleep her body always craved but never received. She would nap whenever the urge hit, whether in human or dog form. She was rested, her mind was clear, and her head was not pounding from the constant caffeine and energy drinks. She was finally relaxing, and when she was able to experience her dog form while being completely aware of it, it was rather amusing. For the first time since she was a child, she was playing, and the freedom was intoxicating! Against recommendations, she would bound out into her yard and chase balls and squirrels. She never hurt any of the animals, but they sure were great to race with.

Transformation was not so bad after all.

And with her reclaimed hours, she began to write the book she never had time for. 'CTD Set Me Free' was a candid account of her experiences with the disease. She outlined the progression of the disorder, describing the changes in detail. She spoke of her feelings of anger and loss, followed by her more and more positive responses.

The book put her on the bestseller list, and it became a near-bible for sufferers of Canine Transformation Disorder everywhere.

And after she was past quarantine, she found herself getting called for more speaking engagements and book signings than she could imagine. The money was so good that she was able to quit her job, and she was not sorry about this in the least.

And, at a lull in her schedule, she called Danny.

“I thought I'd never talk to you again, Sandy,” he said in a low voice. “Congrats on all your success.”

Sandy studied the slightly-darkened areas on her palms that had remained from her paw pads. “Thanks, Danny.”

“Is it fun to be a dog? I mean as fun as you say?”

“Did you read my book?”

“Every word. It was as close as I could get to petting you...” Danny's voice cracked, and he ceased speaking.

Surprised, Sandy took a moment to respond. Did he really care for her that deeply? “You wanted to...”

“Oh, Sandy, I wished I had you with me when you changed. I thought about asking you to live with me when I found out you got CTD, even though you seemed like you weren't interested in me. The idea of you being all alone, turning into an animal...I would have watched you, and fed you, and petted you...” His voice grew quiet. “I just wanted to see you like that...”

Sandy felt twitchy. Sometimes she could set off a change if she really willed it, and this seemed to be one of those times. She smiled. “Uh...”

“What's wrong?”

“Come on over. I'm changing!”

She lost hold of the phone and bounded over to unlock the door for Danny, then she sat on the floor, patiently letting her body metamorphose.

That Danny. She loved him. He would cuddle her close and play with her... Just the idea made her wag her tail furiously.

She wished the researchers could figure out a way to get men to contract CTD – Danny would be the cutest sheepdog ever.