FA+
Shop
824
Views
Views
7
Favorites
Favorites
Category
Story / Transformation
Species Dolphin
Size 50 x 50
File Size 88 kB
Report this content
More from wrathofautumn
As stated in the title, the full story of all three chapters is downloadable on this link. Here is the conclusion to Wonders of the Below! :3 I hope you've all enjoyed this story just as much as I have enjoyed working on it. ;D
Part One: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2906641/
Part Two: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2953590
Part Three: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/3115139
_______________________________________________________________
“Dallas, we’re outta time. We can’t extend th’ search no further. Let’s jus go ‘ome, eh?”
Tormod sat in his chair, smoking on a pipe. Dallas wasn’t quite sure what exactly was in there, but the smell was foreign compared to cigarette smoke, which he got used to quite frequently over at the ranch. He wasn’t sure whether he liked it or hated it, but it was hard to concentrate on what he called the meeting for.
The yacht rocked in the water silently, with Lynn wrapped in a blanket, shivering like a sheep fresh out of a thunderstorm. Dallas was calmly sitting down in a corner on a rickety chair, which rocked as he leaned against the wall.
“Ya break dat chair, and ya’ll be payin fer it real contritely-like.”
“I won’t.” Dallas sighed, leaning back onto the floor. “What happened back there with that dolphin was weird, though, Tormod. You should’ve seen it. It knew the secret handshake.”
Lynn looked up at me, lips trembling. “You mean the one only you and Clyde did with each other, love?”
“That’s right Lynn. And I know this sounds all crazy and stuff. It can’t be true, I keep telling myself, but what if, just what if, mind you, something happened to Clyde when he went into that place you said we found what was left of him?” He was darting his eyes on the ground back and forth. He thought better if he was pacing, but it always made Lynn nervous when he did that. It looked as though he was about ready to start a fight.
Tormod looked up, his face twisted into something troubling.
“You mean, like, something may have changed Clyde? Just something in that cave? Made him into a dolphin and all?” Lynn asked Dallas.
“Possibly. I think we should go back to the source of all this. Let’s head over to that cave and see if we can get any answers. There’s even a possibility we’ll be able to find a cure for Clyde’s condition.”
“Sounds all daff, it does.” Tormod scoffed. “Ya sure this ain’t one o’ them trained dolphins that was released or somethin’?”
“Tormod, I told you. It’s crazy. It’s only a longshot, even. You have to take us back to the source. We need to know what really happened to Clyde.”
“No! We ‘ave t’ turn back! Dat’s an order!” Clyde stood up and stormed to the door. Lynn grabbed his pant leg from the ground.
“But Tormod, listen to what Dallas’s saying.” Lynn was always an enthusiast for the supernatural. It wasn’t something Dallas liked talking about with her, but when she started going on, there was nothing he could do to stop her. “This could be something never recorded in the history of science. We could be famous!”
Tormod’s eyes narrowed. “Leggo o’ my pants, Lynn.”
“What are you afraid of?” Dallas stood up, slowly walking towards Tormod. “You know something, don’t you?”
The captain didn’t even look at Dallas. His posture went limp, like a fish embracing death on a hook. “There’re sum things in th’ world ya dun wanna know ‘bout. Things that’ll make your blood turn all cold-like. But I s’pose that won stop ya from askin, eh?”
“You sit back down,now, and tell us what you know.” Dallas said sternly, not believing he was actually standing up to his own captain. It was like a cardinal rule wasn’t it? Surprisingly, Tormod didn’t talk back. Instead, he went back down on in his chair, and pulled out some more of that leaf that was stinking up the cabin. He let out a long drag and sighed, streams of dark miasma pouring out of his lips.
“I only ‘eard stories from other sea cap’ns, but even their knees git all shakin when they open up. Tales of th’e water folk, they call it.”
Lynn tilted her head. “Water Folk?”
Dallas returned to his seat and pulled it in. From the sound of it, this would be a very long story. “Th’ water folk. Creatures of th’ sea. It’s said in ancient times that they used to be all over th’ place, but then they started disappearin, vanishin off the face of the earth or some sort. But there are still sum oo still roam freely in the world, searchin for others like them. Some o’ the time, though, they git so lonely like that they start searchin fer friends.”
“You think that Clyde may have come across one of these water folk, eh?” Lynn asked more inquisitively.
“Aye, that I do. I can feel it in my bones. Their beauty is said t’ be beyond any man’s comprehension. It’s also said they can appear as anything they like, whatever’s pleasin to th’ uman eye, I guess. They seduce seafarers that come across their gaze, and then…”
“And then what?” Dallas leaned forward, interested in the tale.
Tormod then leaned back, heaving a pained sigh. “They steal ‘em. Prolly make ‘em another critter o’ th’ sea an all. My guess says that’s wot ’appened to Clyde.”
Dallas crossed his arms and sighed. He could see how uncomfortable Tormod was just by how quiet he was, how intricately detailed he went through telling this story. Still, it had to be done. “Tormod, please. You have to take us there. Would Clyde have left you behind like that?
Tormod’s eyes shifted left and right. Looking between Lynn, Dallas, and some other unseen object. This was where he would have to make what was possibly the most risky decision in his life. His career over his friend. Dallas would’ve chosen his friend, but Tormod was a workaholic. He took out a canteen, took a long swig, coughed and nodded.
“Fine then. Ah jus ‘ope y’know wut yer doin an all, Dallas.”
A storm was indeed just on the horizon. As the yacht drifted over the tunnel of coral, right where the GPS was located, gray and silver clouds rolled in the afternoon sky. The thunder clapped loudly and menacingly towards the Dolphin, bearing an ominous message of just how little time they had. Tormod estimated they had only a few hours before the storm overtook the ship entirely.
“This is as far as ah go, now!” Tormod shouted to the two divers getting suited up on deck, dressing more warmly for what they expected would freeze the water right over. The wind was getting so strong now, they could barely hear his shouts. “You’d best hurry. This sea’s only going to get choppy as we wait.”
Dallas could feel the water rock the boat. Tormod was right. This may have been a bad idea, the more he thought about it. Still, they’d already come this far. He patted Lynn’s shoulder as she got her mask on. “Ready?”
Lynn nodded. “Yes.”
Dallas tested his valves and mask before looking down. The water looked much murkier now than it did before. “Be careful now. We don’t want to be hitting any coral reef on the jump.” Holding her hand in his, they jumped down together, the fish scattering away from the sight of them as if they themselves were afraid.
Dallas deflated his BCD and sank a little. Lynn deflated hers in answer. “There was supposed to be an alcove of sorts that Clyde was supposed to have disappeared to. I’m not seeing any. Get your mask lights on.”
The reef grew brighter as a halo seemed to ascend over the couple’s mask. Both of them checked different areas. Then Lynn found something, gesturing over to her husband. “I think this is it! The tunnel!”
The two of them swam up to a hole, fairly large enough for one person at a time to crawl through to the other side. The hole itself was covered in seaweed, clams and other shellfish. Somewhere, they thought they could hear something squeal in the distance.
“Well, there’s only one way to find out. Come on. Let’s go see what lies ahead.” Just then a gray blur swam up around them and then bit at their wetsuits, dragging them away. When Dallas got his knife out, he stopped and had a good look. It was the dolphin from before.
“Clyde?” Lynn said with uncertainty. It was hard to say at this point whether this animal, however brilliant it was, was truly their lost friend or not. But by its response to Lynn’s word, a nuzzle on the tip of the glass, it sent an eerie chill up their spines. The dolphin circled around them, but always in such a way that it blocked access.
Lynn frowned. “I don’t think he wants us to go in.”
Clyde’s eyes brightened but dimmed quickly as Dallas approached him with the knife in hadn. Quickly he put it away. “Get out of the way, Clyde! We’re here to fix you and this has got to be the answer.”
The dolphin simply stood still, letting out a fearful squeal that almost would’ve been too loud for their microphones to take. But then something happened. A small sea otter, no bigger than Clyde’s longboard, swam up and started making gurgled, chittering noises to the dolphin. Clyde squealed in answer.
“Are they talking?” Dallas asked rhetorically. “What are they saying to each other?”
“Possibly on where to find a nice, fresh fish I warrant.” Lynn let out a giggle. “They’re so cute!”
The otter, who appeared to be a female, swam up to Lynn and rubbed herself her stomach affectionately, before disappearing. Clyde slowly, constantly looking at the two couples, squealing distraughtfully, eventually disappeared out of sight as well. Dallas felt rather sad to see Clyde go, but he turned his attention back to the tunnel.
“Come on!” He grunted, dragging his way through the tunnel. From behind he could hear Lynn struggle, telling him not to go so fast. Soon, however, they were inside the cavern. Artificial lighting lit it as bright as a standard house. There were several waterproof cameras installed around the center, all monitoring the orifice down below. The closed circuit power switch was just below the water, freshly installed with little signs of wear or rust.
“We’ll need to shut off those cameras first before we can really do anything special.” Dallas swam over to the fuse box, taking a key from his pocket to allow authorized shutdown. Then with a giant heave the lights dimmed and the cameras slowed to a halt. The only forms of light now where the fauna that glowed in this cave. Strangely enough, however, it gave off enough lighting that Dallas and Lynn didn’t need their own lights.
“Saints be praised! This cavern is enormous, just like on television!” Lynn exclaimed. “It looks even bigger in fact.”
“Look down there. That must be the orifice that they were talking about.” Dallas swam down towards what looked like a giant mouth, deflating his BCD as he went.
“Wait, Dallas, don’t get so close to it! We still don’t know what that thing can do!” Lynn deflated her own BCD, her hand grabbing after her husband’s fin.
“How are we supposed to find out anything without taking chances?” Dallas felt his hand across the edges of the orifice. “The edges are coral but they have these strange markings around them like…runes or some ancient writing. I’ve never seen anything like it. Might be those Water Folk that Tormod was spooked about, I reckon.”
He heard a loud gulp as he stroked to orifice’s mouth. It was soft and rubbery, almost like a dolphin’s skin. Almost. He just had to take a photo of this thing. Pulling his waterproof camera out, he swam back a little and let it flash.
“Stop, Dallas!” Lynn cried out.
“Oh, Lynn, would you relax? There’s no danger here. We’ll take these photos back, get them developed, have some linguist look at them, and we’ll be that much closer to finding an answer. And see? Nothing happened.”
Just as soon as he said “Nothing happened” did something happen. The room appeared to shake as the orifice began to spout and bubble, a hissing noise escaping between the cracks. Lynn floundered about as Dallas stared down at the thing, curious about what was going to happen next. The Orifice flared violently open, a stream of bubbles firing at the couple. Before they knew it though a blur of gray came swooping in, slamming the both of them against a wall as it erupted, strange visible microbes flying out and drifting back down.
Clyde swam back up and looked at the two of them, squeaking angrily. “Why did you two go here? I warned you!”
Dallas blinked once, looking the other way, at Lynn, and then back at Clyde. His eyes shifted left and right. What had just happened? “You just…talked!?”
He let out a frustrated chirp. “Of course I did. You humans can only understand me now because…well, look at her.”
Another dolphin like squeal screeched through his receivers. But it was so loud, Dallas had to nearly shut down the volume. Then he realized that it wasn’t from Clyde. He gaped at Lynn’s odd behavior. She was tearing at her suit as her fingers seemed to be shrinking, melding together. A bulge was emerging out of her pants and her face beneath the mask was graying out, her nose and mouth now protruding, almost touching the glass, her teeth sharpening. She let out another clicking and soft, whimsical squeal as her wet suit seemed to tear a little.
“Lynn! What’re you doing?” He swam over to her and tried to take her hands away from her body. “Stop it!”
Lynn tilted her head and let out a soft squeal. “Dallas? Is that…oh, I can’t seem to…it feels so right!” Letting out another confused squeal, both in euphoria and relief, there was a giant rip and her tail fin emerged from behind her rear, still beige but gradually graying, the knobbed ends starting to flattening out. Her legs shrank to where her feet disappeared, the fins falling off as they continued to shrivel inside the wetsuit. “My whole mind is telling me to embrace it, that I’m a dolphin. But I’m…not! Right?”
“Lynn you--ah! Aaaaaah!” Dallas looked behind him and felt a bulge of his own uncomfortably --pressed against it’s own pants. It was worse than a muscle spasm across his chest. It hurt! It hurt so much! He just had to get it free. “Clyde! Clyde help me!”
The dolphin reluctantly swam about and tore at the cloth restraining the bulge. Dallas looked backwards out of curiosity, wondering if he was going to become a dolphin like Lynn. If he were going to share the fate of his wife, he would at least want them to be together. To his surprise, though, the tail was strangely furred. A dark brown it was, much like chocolate. Thick and flexible it was, ideal for swimming.
“That tail looks like…” Just then that same otter from before swam in and Dallas instantly recognized the tail, almost seeing a reflection of himself. “No! No, please! I don’t want to be like you!”
As his body shrunk and his face stretched out into an otter’s muzzle, becoming far too small to support a face mask, he took a deep breath as the water poured in to his suit filling up the crevices. His instincts told him to get out of those ridiculous human garments, as the feel of his thickening fur felt so much more natural and pleasant. Even though he struggled, common sense struck him as well. He would suffocate to death if he didn’t get out.
As he felt his nail sharpen into formidable claws, he tore and bit his way out with sharpening teeth until he finally broke free of the suit, swimming up to the surface for air. As he gasped, he watched in horror as his hair fell out in clumps, floating like drifting islands in the open sea, the only known form of cover for small fish. His body continued to shrink and distort, his legs and arms now so short he could barely stand on what he would have to call now his hind legs.
Lynn!
Taking a deep breath, he watched in strange fascination at her finishing changes. She was almost a dolphin herself, squealing as her fin pushed out over her splitting wetsuit, almost as if she were taking some unusual pleasure out of this. Clyde and the otter helped to tear apart the wetsuit to allow her freedom of swimming. In a matter of moments she was freed from the encumbering human clothing and swam freely in circles, almost as if she were always a dolphin her whole life. The instincts had taken ahold of her.
Dallas sadly swam up to her and clutched her nose with his claws, carefully stroking her. “Oh, Lynn. Look what I got us into. I’m so sorry. I should’ve listened to Tormod’s advice. Is that still you in there, Lynn? Can you hear me?”
There was a long pause until suddenly, Lynn’s eye color changed from the blackness of a dolphin’s eyes to a familiar green. She looked up in Dallas’s eyes, still as hazel as they were in human form. And all of a sudden, her body trembled and she made what almost sounded like a person crying. “Dallas? Dallas, what’s…what’s happened to us? What’s happened to you?”
“It’s…it’s all right, Lynn. Everything will be okay.” It was a lie, especially since Dallas and Lynn were now two completely different species. Would Lynn have to desert him to find a male dolphin and start a pod of their own? He didn’t want anyone else or for Lynn to have anyone else. He just wanted to be with her. Why didn’t he become a dolphin or she become an otter?
Something flashed in the back of his eye. What was once an otter had now shifted into what appeared to Dallas as a mermaid, only far more beautiful than he’d seen in the Disney film. Her skin was an sea green and her hair a deep ultra violet, her eyes a bold mauve. She had fin for ears and twin scallops covering her chest for modesty.
“Oh, wonderful! I think I’m beginning to see how this cave works! I can make more friends just by bringing people in here and asking the cave with my mind! Oh, joy of joys! Now I’ll never be alone again!”
Dallas snarled furiously. He wanted to gouge her eyes out. He wanted to claw her face till it bled. He was no one’s friend or pet, for that matter. Neither he nor Lynn were just things to be possessed and played with, especially by some selfish mermaid needed to be taught a lesson.
“Aw, what’s wrong? You don’t like it, my little otter?” The mermaid didn’t seem to be phased by his expression. “I let you keep your humanity at least. It’s a little more pleasant to have friends with a bit more of a, well, an exotic essence.”
“Hey! What’s that mean?” Clyde squealed curiously.
“Nothing, Clyde. I meant no offense to you at all. But anyway,” She turned back to the couple. “In time, I know you’ll learn to love being a dolphin and an otter, hard as it may be now.”
Dallas swam up to attack, but Lynn batted him with her tail fin. “Wait, love. I’ll try talking.” She swam up to the Water Folk, so close that their noses touched one another. “Please, miss, I can understand what you must be feeling being alone and all after all these years, but change us back! I don’t want to be a dolphin and Dallas here—I don’t think he’s taking this very well.”
The mermaid’s smile suddenly faded to a displeased frown. “You? Leave? Why, never! Absolutely not! I will not stand being alone anymore. No! You are all my friends now, and here in the sea you shall remain. Forever!”
Lynn clicked sorrowfully. “But you can’t keep us forever. You can’t—”
“Yes I can!” She glared at Lynn and Do you realize how long I’ve lived by myself? With no one to speak to but the other fish, which aren’t very good talkers, mind you, and having to travel the seven seas looking for others? I’m tired of searching for my own kind. I would rather live with human friends than lead a solitary life.”
Dallas swam in angry circles around her. “Clyde’s not just your friend! He’s our friend, too. What you say doesn’t justify having to transform other humans into sea creatures and call them your friends.”
The mermaid blinked. “Why not? If I kept you human, you would only run away and never see me again. And if you were malicious enough, you could tell everyone about me and have me hunted like some whale in a ancient story. And what’s wrong with being a creature of the sea? There’s no more need for toiling work, no responsibilities. All your food is for free, there’s no need for an education. Every day being a sea creature is full of excitement, adventure and danger! That’s what Clyde wanted, I’ve heard him speak of it before. You could also have a share in that gift.”
Dallas considered this. The idea did sound good, when she talked about it. Sometimes being who he was was hard living. It would be nice to have a break once in a while. “Yes, but—”
“No, you don’t seem to understand, miss,” Lynn clicked. “Clyde wasn’t just some nobody you found drifting out at sea. Clyde had a life of his own before you found him. He had a loving family to go to, friends and loved ones to see. He had his own adventures every day. And so do we. But instead of us having to lead our own lives, now you’re forcing us to lead with your life. What about our families? Our friends and loved ones? You’d have us desert them and be just as miserable as you were while we selfishly live out our lives with you?”
The Water Folk’s eyes darted down on the ground, no longer looking at the eyes of her captives. “Well, no, that’s—that’s not what I wanted.”
It was quiet then for the longest time. Clyde nuzzled the mermaid’s cheek, which she then stroked with her hand. A sniffle escaped her lips, and Dallas’s heart suddenly was torn. Poor thing. All she wanted was a friend. Dallas and Lynn then swam a little closer and rubbed against her affectionately too. This wasn’t the way things ought to have ended.
Then the otter’s eyes brightened. “You know, though,” The mermaid looked up at him, her eyes reddened with tears. “You don’t have to keep us as sea creatures for us to be friends. The three of us, we love the sea. We would never stop going back, and you wouldn’t have to keep being on the move. If you changed us back, we promise we’ll come visit you as frequently as possible. Heck, we’ll bring our families over at times. And we’ll keep where you are a secret.”
She gaped at them in awe. “Would you? Really? Please?”
“Sure!” Lynn clicked. “And you know, we may actually want to come back as sea creatures at times. I could actually enjoy swimming around as a dolphin, and my younger brother might enjoy being a seal. You don’t have to chain down your friends to be assured they’ll be friends with you forever. A lot of it relies on trust and faith. Faith in your friends. And we’re willing to be your friends.”
She smiled, something bubbling up in her eyes, and she hugged them all warmly. “Oh, yes! Yes, I can do that! Anything just to have friends!”
Dallas then asked her once again. “Now how can you change us back?”
The mermaid pondered about this. “Well, I’m not sure. The orifice seems to be directly related to my thoughts. If you swim back over it, maybe I can think about having you all back to normal and it should change you all back.”
“It’s worth a try.” Lynn said. “Come on, Love, let’s be human again.”
Tormod looked at the stormy sky. He wouldn’t be able to stay here for much longer. That storm would be right over them soon, and it just completely covered the sun. Where were Dallas and the others?
Just then, there were the sounds of splashes, like something coming up to the surface. The cries of poorly imitated dolphins had Tormod look over the helm and he saw the three of them. Yes, the three of them—Dallas, Clyde and Lynn—all treading water over the tunnel and their gear completely stripped.
So they were able to find Clyde after all. The Water Folk must have decided to let him go. Why were they all naked? And what was so funny?
“Wut th’ell? Where’s yer bloody equipment? That stuff’s expensive-like, y’know!” Tormod shouted.
Dallas and the others continued to laugh at him. They seemed to be whispering something. He hated not being a part of this gossiping crap.
“Just throw us a ladder, you sea urchin.” Clyde laughed. “We’re feeling really cold right about now.”
END
Part One: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2906641/
Part Two: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2953590
Part Three: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/3115139
_______________________________________________________________
“Dallas, we’re outta time. We can’t extend th’ search no further. Let’s jus go ‘ome, eh?”
Tormod sat in his chair, smoking on a pipe. Dallas wasn’t quite sure what exactly was in there, but the smell was foreign compared to cigarette smoke, which he got used to quite frequently over at the ranch. He wasn’t sure whether he liked it or hated it, but it was hard to concentrate on what he called the meeting for.
The yacht rocked in the water silently, with Lynn wrapped in a blanket, shivering like a sheep fresh out of a thunderstorm. Dallas was calmly sitting down in a corner on a rickety chair, which rocked as he leaned against the wall.
“Ya break dat chair, and ya’ll be payin fer it real contritely-like.”
“I won’t.” Dallas sighed, leaning back onto the floor. “What happened back there with that dolphin was weird, though, Tormod. You should’ve seen it. It knew the secret handshake.”
Lynn looked up at me, lips trembling. “You mean the one only you and Clyde did with each other, love?”
“That’s right Lynn. And I know this sounds all crazy and stuff. It can’t be true, I keep telling myself, but what if, just what if, mind you, something happened to Clyde when he went into that place you said we found what was left of him?” He was darting his eyes on the ground back and forth. He thought better if he was pacing, but it always made Lynn nervous when he did that. It looked as though he was about ready to start a fight.
Tormod looked up, his face twisted into something troubling.
“You mean, like, something may have changed Clyde? Just something in that cave? Made him into a dolphin and all?” Lynn asked Dallas.
“Possibly. I think we should go back to the source of all this. Let’s head over to that cave and see if we can get any answers. There’s even a possibility we’ll be able to find a cure for Clyde’s condition.”
“Sounds all daff, it does.” Tormod scoffed. “Ya sure this ain’t one o’ them trained dolphins that was released or somethin’?”
“Tormod, I told you. It’s crazy. It’s only a longshot, even. You have to take us back to the source. We need to know what really happened to Clyde.”
“No! We ‘ave t’ turn back! Dat’s an order!” Clyde stood up and stormed to the door. Lynn grabbed his pant leg from the ground.
“But Tormod, listen to what Dallas’s saying.” Lynn was always an enthusiast for the supernatural. It wasn’t something Dallas liked talking about with her, but when she started going on, there was nothing he could do to stop her. “This could be something never recorded in the history of science. We could be famous!”
Tormod’s eyes narrowed. “Leggo o’ my pants, Lynn.”
“What are you afraid of?” Dallas stood up, slowly walking towards Tormod. “You know something, don’t you?”
The captain didn’t even look at Dallas. His posture went limp, like a fish embracing death on a hook. “There’re sum things in th’ world ya dun wanna know ‘bout. Things that’ll make your blood turn all cold-like. But I s’pose that won stop ya from askin, eh?”
“You sit back down,now, and tell us what you know.” Dallas said sternly, not believing he was actually standing up to his own captain. It was like a cardinal rule wasn’t it? Surprisingly, Tormod didn’t talk back. Instead, he went back down on in his chair, and pulled out some more of that leaf that was stinking up the cabin. He let out a long drag and sighed, streams of dark miasma pouring out of his lips.
“I only ‘eard stories from other sea cap’ns, but even their knees git all shakin when they open up. Tales of th’e water folk, they call it.”
Lynn tilted her head. “Water Folk?”
Dallas returned to his seat and pulled it in. From the sound of it, this would be a very long story. “Th’ water folk. Creatures of th’ sea. It’s said in ancient times that they used to be all over th’ place, but then they started disappearin, vanishin off the face of the earth or some sort. But there are still sum oo still roam freely in the world, searchin for others like them. Some o’ the time, though, they git so lonely like that they start searchin fer friends.”
“You think that Clyde may have come across one of these water folk, eh?” Lynn asked more inquisitively.
“Aye, that I do. I can feel it in my bones. Their beauty is said t’ be beyond any man’s comprehension. It’s also said they can appear as anything they like, whatever’s pleasin to th’ uman eye, I guess. They seduce seafarers that come across their gaze, and then…”
“And then what?” Dallas leaned forward, interested in the tale.
Tormod then leaned back, heaving a pained sigh. “They steal ‘em. Prolly make ‘em another critter o’ th’ sea an all. My guess says that’s wot ’appened to Clyde.”
Dallas crossed his arms and sighed. He could see how uncomfortable Tormod was just by how quiet he was, how intricately detailed he went through telling this story. Still, it had to be done. “Tormod, please. You have to take us there. Would Clyde have left you behind like that?
Tormod’s eyes shifted left and right. Looking between Lynn, Dallas, and some other unseen object. This was where he would have to make what was possibly the most risky decision in his life. His career over his friend. Dallas would’ve chosen his friend, but Tormod was a workaholic. He took out a canteen, took a long swig, coughed and nodded.
“Fine then. Ah jus ‘ope y’know wut yer doin an all, Dallas.”
A storm was indeed just on the horizon. As the yacht drifted over the tunnel of coral, right where the GPS was located, gray and silver clouds rolled in the afternoon sky. The thunder clapped loudly and menacingly towards the Dolphin, bearing an ominous message of just how little time they had. Tormod estimated they had only a few hours before the storm overtook the ship entirely.
“This is as far as ah go, now!” Tormod shouted to the two divers getting suited up on deck, dressing more warmly for what they expected would freeze the water right over. The wind was getting so strong now, they could barely hear his shouts. “You’d best hurry. This sea’s only going to get choppy as we wait.”
Dallas could feel the water rock the boat. Tormod was right. This may have been a bad idea, the more he thought about it. Still, they’d already come this far. He patted Lynn’s shoulder as she got her mask on. “Ready?”
Lynn nodded. “Yes.”
Dallas tested his valves and mask before looking down. The water looked much murkier now than it did before. “Be careful now. We don’t want to be hitting any coral reef on the jump.” Holding her hand in his, they jumped down together, the fish scattering away from the sight of them as if they themselves were afraid.
Dallas deflated his BCD and sank a little. Lynn deflated hers in answer. “There was supposed to be an alcove of sorts that Clyde was supposed to have disappeared to. I’m not seeing any. Get your mask lights on.”
The reef grew brighter as a halo seemed to ascend over the couple’s mask. Both of them checked different areas. Then Lynn found something, gesturing over to her husband. “I think this is it! The tunnel!”
The two of them swam up to a hole, fairly large enough for one person at a time to crawl through to the other side. The hole itself was covered in seaweed, clams and other shellfish. Somewhere, they thought they could hear something squeal in the distance.
“Well, there’s only one way to find out. Come on. Let’s go see what lies ahead.” Just then a gray blur swam up around them and then bit at their wetsuits, dragging them away. When Dallas got his knife out, he stopped and had a good look. It was the dolphin from before.
“Clyde?” Lynn said with uncertainty. It was hard to say at this point whether this animal, however brilliant it was, was truly their lost friend or not. But by its response to Lynn’s word, a nuzzle on the tip of the glass, it sent an eerie chill up their spines. The dolphin circled around them, but always in such a way that it blocked access.
Lynn frowned. “I don’t think he wants us to go in.”
Clyde’s eyes brightened but dimmed quickly as Dallas approached him with the knife in hadn. Quickly he put it away. “Get out of the way, Clyde! We’re here to fix you and this has got to be the answer.”
The dolphin simply stood still, letting out a fearful squeal that almost would’ve been too loud for their microphones to take. But then something happened. A small sea otter, no bigger than Clyde’s longboard, swam up and started making gurgled, chittering noises to the dolphin. Clyde squealed in answer.
“Are they talking?” Dallas asked rhetorically. “What are they saying to each other?”
“Possibly on where to find a nice, fresh fish I warrant.” Lynn let out a giggle. “They’re so cute!”
The otter, who appeared to be a female, swam up to Lynn and rubbed herself her stomach affectionately, before disappearing. Clyde slowly, constantly looking at the two couples, squealing distraughtfully, eventually disappeared out of sight as well. Dallas felt rather sad to see Clyde go, but he turned his attention back to the tunnel.
“Come on!” He grunted, dragging his way through the tunnel. From behind he could hear Lynn struggle, telling him not to go so fast. Soon, however, they were inside the cavern. Artificial lighting lit it as bright as a standard house. There were several waterproof cameras installed around the center, all monitoring the orifice down below. The closed circuit power switch was just below the water, freshly installed with little signs of wear or rust.
“We’ll need to shut off those cameras first before we can really do anything special.” Dallas swam over to the fuse box, taking a key from his pocket to allow authorized shutdown. Then with a giant heave the lights dimmed and the cameras slowed to a halt. The only forms of light now where the fauna that glowed in this cave. Strangely enough, however, it gave off enough lighting that Dallas and Lynn didn’t need their own lights.
“Saints be praised! This cavern is enormous, just like on television!” Lynn exclaimed. “It looks even bigger in fact.”
“Look down there. That must be the orifice that they were talking about.” Dallas swam down towards what looked like a giant mouth, deflating his BCD as he went.
“Wait, Dallas, don’t get so close to it! We still don’t know what that thing can do!” Lynn deflated her own BCD, her hand grabbing after her husband’s fin.
“How are we supposed to find out anything without taking chances?” Dallas felt his hand across the edges of the orifice. “The edges are coral but they have these strange markings around them like…runes or some ancient writing. I’ve never seen anything like it. Might be those Water Folk that Tormod was spooked about, I reckon.”
He heard a loud gulp as he stroked to orifice’s mouth. It was soft and rubbery, almost like a dolphin’s skin. Almost. He just had to take a photo of this thing. Pulling his waterproof camera out, he swam back a little and let it flash.
“Stop, Dallas!” Lynn cried out.
“Oh, Lynn, would you relax? There’s no danger here. We’ll take these photos back, get them developed, have some linguist look at them, and we’ll be that much closer to finding an answer. And see? Nothing happened.”
Just as soon as he said “Nothing happened” did something happen. The room appeared to shake as the orifice began to spout and bubble, a hissing noise escaping between the cracks. Lynn floundered about as Dallas stared down at the thing, curious about what was going to happen next. The Orifice flared violently open, a stream of bubbles firing at the couple. Before they knew it though a blur of gray came swooping in, slamming the both of them against a wall as it erupted, strange visible microbes flying out and drifting back down.
Clyde swam back up and looked at the two of them, squeaking angrily. “Why did you two go here? I warned you!”
Dallas blinked once, looking the other way, at Lynn, and then back at Clyde. His eyes shifted left and right. What had just happened? “You just…talked!?”
He let out a frustrated chirp. “Of course I did. You humans can only understand me now because…well, look at her.”
Another dolphin like squeal screeched through his receivers. But it was so loud, Dallas had to nearly shut down the volume. Then he realized that it wasn’t from Clyde. He gaped at Lynn’s odd behavior. She was tearing at her suit as her fingers seemed to be shrinking, melding together. A bulge was emerging out of her pants and her face beneath the mask was graying out, her nose and mouth now protruding, almost touching the glass, her teeth sharpening. She let out another clicking and soft, whimsical squeal as her wet suit seemed to tear a little.
“Lynn! What’re you doing?” He swam over to her and tried to take her hands away from her body. “Stop it!”
Lynn tilted her head and let out a soft squeal. “Dallas? Is that…oh, I can’t seem to…it feels so right!” Letting out another confused squeal, both in euphoria and relief, there was a giant rip and her tail fin emerged from behind her rear, still beige but gradually graying, the knobbed ends starting to flattening out. Her legs shrank to where her feet disappeared, the fins falling off as they continued to shrivel inside the wetsuit. “My whole mind is telling me to embrace it, that I’m a dolphin. But I’m…not! Right?”
“Lynn you--ah! Aaaaaah!” Dallas looked behind him and felt a bulge of his own uncomfortably --pressed against it’s own pants. It was worse than a muscle spasm across his chest. It hurt! It hurt so much! He just had to get it free. “Clyde! Clyde help me!”
The dolphin reluctantly swam about and tore at the cloth restraining the bulge. Dallas looked backwards out of curiosity, wondering if he was going to become a dolphin like Lynn. If he were going to share the fate of his wife, he would at least want them to be together. To his surprise, though, the tail was strangely furred. A dark brown it was, much like chocolate. Thick and flexible it was, ideal for swimming.
“That tail looks like…” Just then that same otter from before swam in and Dallas instantly recognized the tail, almost seeing a reflection of himself. “No! No, please! I don’t want to be like you!”
As his body shrunk and his face stretched out into an otter’s muzzle, becoming far too small to support a face mask, he took a deep breath as the water poured in to his suit filling up the crevices. His instincts told him to get out of those ridiculous human garments, as the feel of his thickening fur felt so much more natural and pleasant. Even though he struggled, common sense struck him as well. He would suffocate to death if he didn’t get out.
As he felt his nail sharpen into formidable claws, he tore and bit his way out with sharpening teeth until he finally broke free of the suit, swimming up to the surface for air. As he gasped, he watched in horror as his hair fell out in clumps, floating like drifting islands in the open sea, the only known form of cover for small fish. His body continued to shrink and distort, his legs and arms now so short he could barely stand on what he would have to call now his hind legs.
Lynn!
Taking a deep breath, he watched in strange fascination at her finishing changes. She was almost a dolphin herself, squealing as her fin pushed out over her splitting wetsuit, almost as if she were taking some unusual pleasure out of this. Clyde and the otter helped to tear apart the wetsuit to allow her freedom of swimming. In a matter of moments she was freed from the encumbering human clothing and swam freely in circles, almost as if she were always a dolphin her whole life. The instincts had taken ahold of her.
Dallas sadly swam up to her and clutched her nose with his claws, carefully stroking her. “Oh, Lynn. Look what I got us into. I’m so sorry. I should’ve listened to Tormod’s advice. Is that still you in there, Lynn? Can you hear me?”
There was a long pause until suddenly, Lynn’s eye color changed from the blackness of a dolphin’s eyes to a familiar green. She looked up in Dallas’s eyes, still as hazel as they were in human form. And all of a sudden, her body trembled and she made what almost sounded like a person crying. “Dallas? Dallas, what’s…what’s happened to us? What’s happened to you?”
“It’s…it’s all right, Lynn. Everything will be okay.” It was a lie, especially since Dallas and Lynn were now two completely different species. Would Lynn have to desert him to find a male dolphin and start a pod of their own? He didn’t want anyone else or for Lynn to have anyone else. He just wanted to be with her. Why didn’t he become a dolphin or she become an otter?
Something flashed in the back of his eye. What was once an otter had now shifted into what appeared to Dallas as a mermaid, only far more beautiful than he’d seen in the Disney film. Her skin was an sea green and her hair a deep ultra violet, her eyes a bold mauve. She had fin for ears and twin scallops covering her chest for modesty.
“Oh, wonderful! I think I’m beginning to see how this cave works! I can make more friends just by bringing people in here and asking the cave with my mind! Oh, joy of joys! Now I’ll never be alone again!”
Dallas snarled furiously. He wanted to gouge her eyes out. He wanted to claw her face till it bled. He was no one’s friend or pet, for that matter. Neither he nor Lynn were just things to be possessed and played with, especially by some selfish mermaid needed to be taught a lesson.
“Aw, what’s wrong? You don’t like it, my little otter?” The mermaid didn’t seem to be phased by his expression. “I let you keep your humanity at least. It’s a little more pleasant to have friends with a bit more of a, well, an exotic essence.”
“Hey! What’s that mean?” Clyde squealed curiously.
“Nothing, Clyde. I meant no offense to you at all. But anyway,” She turned back to the couple. “In time, I know you’ll learn to love being a dolphin and an otter, hard as it may be now.”
Dallas swam up to attack, but Lynn batted him with her tail fin. “Wait, love. I’ll try talking.” She swam up to the Water Folk, so close that their noses touched one another. “Please, miss, I can understand what you must be feeling being alone and all after all these years, but change us back! I don’t want to be a dolphin and Dallas here—I don’t think he’s taking this very well.”
The mermaid’s smile suddenly faded to a displeased frown. “You? Leave? Why, never! Absolutely not! I will not stand being alone anymore. No! You are all my friends now, and here in the sea you shall remain. Forever!”
Lynn clicked sorrowfully. “But you can’t keep us forever. You can’t—”
“Yes I can!” She glared at Lynn and Do you realize how long I’ve lived by myself? With no one to speak to but the other fish, which aren’t very good talkers, mind you, and having to travel the seven seas looking for others? I’m tired of searching for my own kind. I would rather live with human friends than lead a solitary life.”
Dallas swam in angry circles around her. “Clyde’s not just your friend! He’s our friend, too. What you say doesn’t justify having to transform other humans into sea creatures and call them your friends.”
The mermaid blinked. “Why not? If I kept you human, you would only run away and never see me again. And if you were malicious enough, you could tell everyone about me and have me hunted like some whale in a ancient story. And what’s wrong with being a creature of the sea? There’s no more need for toiling work, no responsibilities. All your food is for free, there’s no need for an education. Every day being a sea creature is full of excitement, adventure and danger! That’s what Clyde wanted, I’ve heard him speak of it before. You could also have a share in that gift.”
Dallas considered this. The idea did sound good, when she talked about it. Sometimes being who he was was hard living. It would be nice to have a break once in a while. “Yes, but—”
“No, you don’t seem to understand, miss,” Lynn clicked. “Clyde wasn’t just some nobody you found drifting out at sea. Clyde had a life of his own before you found him. He had a loving family to go to, friends and loved ones to see. He had his own adventures every day. And so do we. But instead of us having to lead our own lives, now you’re forcing us to lead with your life. What about our families? Our friends and loved ones? You’d have us desert them and be just as miserable as you were while we selfishly live out our lives with you?”
The Water Folk’s eyes darted down on the ground, no longer looking at the eyes of her captives. “Well, no, that’s—that’s not what I wanted.”
It was quiet then for the longest time. Clyde nuzzled the mermaid’s cheek, which she then stroked with her hand. A sniffle escaped her lips, and Dallas’s heart suddenly was torn. Poor thing. All she wanted was a friend. Dallas and Lynn then swam a little closer and rubbed against her affectionately too. This wasn’t the way things ought to have ended.
Then the otter’s eyes brightened. “You know, though,” The mermaid looked up at him, her eyes reddened with tears. “You don’t have to keep us as sea creatures for us to be friends. The three of us, we love the sea. We would never stop going back, and you wouldn’t have to keep being on the move. If you changed us back, we promise we’ll come visit you as frequently as possible. Heck, we’ll bring our families over at times. And we’ll keep where you are a secret.”
She gaped at them in awe. “Would you? Really? Please?”
“Sure!” Lynn clicked. “And you know, we may actually want to come back as sea creatures at times. I could actually enjoy swimming around as a dolphin, and my younger brother might enjoy being a seal. You don’t have to chain down your friends to be assured they’ll be friends with you forever. A lot of it relies on trust and faith. Faith in your friends. And we’re willing to be your friends.”
She smiled, something bubbling up in her eyes, and she hugged them all warmly. “Oh, yes! Yes, I can do that! Anything just to have friends!”
Dallas then asked her once again. “Now how can you change us back?”
The mermaid pondered about this. “Well, I’m not sure. The orifice seems to be directly related to my thoughts. If you swim back over it, maybe I can think about having you all back to normal and it should change you all back.”
“It’s worth a try.” Lynn said. “Come on, Love, let’s be human again.”
Tormod looked at the stormy sky. He wouldn’t be able to stay here for much longer. That storm would be right over them soon, and it just completely covered the sun. Where were Dallas and the others?
Just then, there were the sounds of splashes, like something coming up to the surface. The cries of poorly imitated dolphins had Tormod look over the helm and he saw the three of them. Yes, the three of them—Dallas, Clyde and Lynn—all treading water over the tunnel and their gear completely stripped.
So they were able to find Clyde after all. The Water Folk must have decided to let him go. Why were they all naked? And what was so funny?
“Wut th’ell? Where’s yer bloody equipment? That stuff’s expensive-like, y’know!” Tormod shouted.
Dallas and the others continued to laugh at him. They seemed to be whispering something. He hated not being a part of this gossiping crap.
“Just throw us a ladder, you sea urchin.” Clyde laughed. “We’re feeling really cold right about now.”
END
Category Story / Transformation
Species Dolphin
Size 50 x 50px
File Size 88 kB
An excellent ending my friend, absolutely exquisite!!!!!! Sorry, felt like talking that way for some odd reason. But yeah, it was a great ending, and I'm sure that mermaid will be quite happy, perhaps her people actually became humans and she will find one of their descendants to return to the form of a merman/maid by way of the orifice, though she won't control it, rather the orifice senses it using its magic and changes the person into the form of his/her ancestors. Intriguing, no?
Yeah, that may have been the case in order for them to survive. All there is left is just speculation on what happens after. :3 And you know what else works out is that her human friends actually do take an interest in being something else, even if it's for a little while.
Subversion! Here I was expecting some piece where they have to deal with just being in their new forms, or even another "let's make them accept their new identies via fiat," but instead I get a much more satsisfying and refreshing ending with the parties actually trying to take a larger view of things. Wonderful work!
Comments