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Random Rants and Other Nonsense

Not That Different
by PitchforkPrincess


When the shower head started to spit out icy water, I knew it was time to get out and towel off. I pushed aside the floral patterned curtain and stared gloomily at my plain, tiny bathroom.

As my feet hit the cold tile floor, the world changed. For a moment of sheer terror, everything was black. I groped around nervously, seeking the light switch. Finally, falling still, I realized something horrifying; even in the deepest hours of night, the bathroom would never be this dark.

Suddenly, sharp beams of light pierced the black, and before me stood a tower which touched the sky. It was built of obsidian stone, polished so it gleamed in the moonlight.

Before I could investigate the strange building further, the subject of my nakedness took full control of my brain. Blushing madly I searched for something to conceal myself with.

When my arm came into view I froze. It was covered in stripes of black and white fur. Anxiously, I examined the rest of my body. It was likewise covered. I looked almost identical to the cat I’d had as a child.

The strangest thing of all was the black tail which had sprouted out of my backside. It swished back and forth rapidly, as if irritated by the incomprehension of its owner.

All of a sudden, I was on my stomach, a callused hand clamped over my mouth. I tried to scream, but only muffled sounds came out.

“Quiet,” a decidedly male voice hissed in my ear. “I saw you come out of the Tower. If they catch you, they’ll skin you alive!”

Eyes widening in horror, I calmed my frantic shouts. The man pinning me down loosened his hold, and allowed me to turn over.

Straddling me was a dog. Or a human. It took a while for full comprehension to dawn on me. His face was clearly that of a homo sapien, though it was covered in a brilliant, golden fur. The hands I’d first assumed callused were actually covered in pads. His ears would have been more appropriate on a German Shepard.

“You must be silent,” he whispered into my ear, which I was sure no longer resembled a human’s. “I am Farrion.”

“Anna,” I whispered in return.

The night was suddenly shattered by vicious howls. I trembled as Farrion yanked me against him, pressing his wet mouth harder against my ear. “Follow me, and stay close!”

Farrion did not wait for a reply. He grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the Tower, toward a crop of trees.

I wanted to call out to him, but remained silent, for fear that the owners of those howls would hear me.

We ran for what must have been miles. Strangely, my breath never threatened to leave me, and my muscles did not cramp up. I simply enjoyed the wind in my face, ruffling my fur and sending a tickle up my back.

When we stopped, Farrion said, “I will help you return to your world.”

“Why?” I asked, overcome with curiosity. “Where I’m from…. dogs and cats are enemies.”

“It is the same here,” Farrion replied.

“Then why do you help me?” I pressed.

“Simply because I believe our differences matter little, when it comes to friendship. We may appear unlike on the outside, but we all are somehow the same where it matters.” Farrion said, smiling as the words rolled off his tongue.

What he’d expressed in two simple sentences stabbed at my heart. It made so much sense, but had never occurred to me before. I thought about the clique I belonged to in school; I was popular, as were all my friends. We paid very little attention to those labeled “loner” or “outcast”.

There were times when would were outright cruel to those around us who didn’t fit our definition of “cool”. We had done some awful things to poor, unsuspecting people.

My heart sank as I recalled the maliciousness I’d spent my high school years perpetrating. This half-boy, half-dog had gone against his own kind to protect me.

“Come,” Farrion said, breaking through my thoughts. He raised a padded hand and pointed toward an enormous tree, whose branches nearly touched the clouds. The bark at its center parted, to reveal my bathroom.

I turned back to thank Farrion, but before the words could escape my mouth, the blackness came again. When it parted, I was standing before the mirror, staring at my perfectly human body. I was no longer a she-cat.

When I returned to my room, I quickly pulled on panties and a T-shirt. The clock read 8:45 pm. It wasn’t too late.

Searching my desk drawer, I came across the student phonebook. I quickly dialed the number I needed, and waited for an answer.

“Hello?” a soft, sad voice whispered.

“Hi, Molly?” I asked.

“Yes. Who is this?”

“This is Anna Jacobs,” I said. Before I could change my mind, I quickly added, “I’ve called to… say I’m sorry for every horrible thing I’ve ever done to you.”

It was only a beginning, but I would right my wrongs.

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Author's Notes: Cheesy story with a lame moral. 1000 word limit.