Midas Journal -- Episodic Story

[Whatevr89532]

What I like myself is the fact that, since it's intended to record strange events, Kael never reports on how a normal day goes. Lots of inference rather than direct stating, especially where characterization and development are concerned...

..Anyway, next chapter is a change and the one after that, perhaps more of an explanation. But I'm hoping to generally leave room for questions, keeps things interesting.

[Funny Hat + Funny Accent]

Heh, I like it. It's different from other stories that I've read recently.

[Whatevr89532]

Hey! It's been months, I know! But I've finally written a new entry!

...Here's hoping the next one won't take quite so long to start writing.

Entry: Mar 23
A new entry. Guess what that means? Yeah. Why am I conversing with my diary, anyway? (Or whatever imaginary audience I'm going to allow to read it someday?) It just seems silly. But it's the way I talk, and I don't have much experience talking to a wall. Besides, I'm sure any idiot could answer my half-rhetorical questions anyway.

So anyway, today. In school. In front of about twenty people who didn't even notice...and Carla, who did. Carla...huh. I didn't see her much the last couple of days, but today is the day I have P.E., and when Carlo...Carla has P.E. at the same time. Yeah, it's the class we have together. Now, our school's P.E. is a bit higher-quality than some other public schools...by which I mean we have a pool and a well-kept gym, and instructors who aren't afraid to use what's available. So it's usually a pretty fun class, all told. Unless you just don't like exercise or something...

So, today we were going to use that pool, do some laps. Boys vs. girls, in a kind of relay for each time, the team that took the shortest average amount of time (people divided by time, or something like that) wins...bragging rights, and that's about it. But good fun all the same, right?
Of course, we don't go to school in swimming trunks. That would be stupid. So everyone went to the locker rooms to change...and on my way out of the locker room, I bumped into someone. There's a one-door-wide hallway on the way out, so that's perfectly normal, and I guess I'd gotten a little careless. See, there some people...male people...who I touched by accident between Saturday and today, one way or another, to no effect. So I guess it doesn't happen all the time. But...it sure did today.

I have to admit, I didn't really even know the guy. P.E. is a pretty big class, and it's the only one I had (have?) with him. So it was a few..maybe several seconds before I noticed anything. Those of us (including me, Carla, that guy) who had gotten changed pretty quick were standing around waiting for everyone else, so it was dead time, without anything else going on. Really, weirdly convenient, because if anything else had been going on, I wouldn't have payed attention.

Where was I? I noticed something was odd, and turned my attention to him, when I saw that his stomach was decidedly thinner than average. At first I wanted to think he was just anorexic or something and I hadn't noticed, but no, the rest of his body was still the same width, and that stomach was really flat for a guy. So I knew what was coming, and that didn't make it any better. From that point on I was watching.

I already noticed that his trunks were getting a little bit tighter, and then that his hips were getting wider. I think that both were going on at the same time, so it got tight pretty fast, closing up in between his legs and...showing no bulge. I noticed his arms and legs were both getting thinner then, especially the arms, and his skin was getting a little bit paler all over. The shorts looked weird now, because they were tight and they had turned into a kind of rubbery material, and they looked even weirder as the...ah...whatever part hangs down over part of a guy's legs suddenly folded up, and the material spread up the thin stomach, to cover the still-flat chest and grab onto the top of his shoulders (which I should note had gotten way slimmer now) with straps. I recognized it now as the kind of one-piece suit the school approved for girls to wear..which made sense.

His face shifted, his eyes became a bit wider (and looked bigger as his face was a little smaller), and his irises stretched out vertically, which kinda confused me because that definitely doesn't usually happen. His hair exploded out, quickly reaching the small of his back, and turned a pink that I'm sure isn't usually possible, and a yellow ribbon was back there, but because I was looking at his front I couldn't see much of it. I did notice that something had tied around his neck; it looked like a little collar with a bell and a bow on the front.

Now this was new. I noticed there was something thin and white twitching at his back, and soon realized that was a tail...like, a cat's tail! Then, of course, my attention was drawn back up by the inevitable push outward of his chest, quickly making the swimsuit less awkward. By the time they were done, she had some sizable breasts (that sounds kind of perverted, but it's true), and then I saw her ears had gotten bigger, breaking through the hair, and had fur on them like the tail. They got taller, and turned into cat ears.

[Image]

I realized the change was done, and had a quick glance around. I found that a bunch of the other guys were also looking at her...and most of the other girls weren't. Looking back at the new...catgirl? I guess that's what she is...I saw her eating up the attention, flirting with some of them...and realized with a mix of relief, confusion, and annoyance that nobody was aware she had changed but me.

Contrary to what I expected, Rhia (I found out later her name was Rhia, I'll explain when I get to it) was a very good swimmer, and thanks in part to her the girls beat out the boys by a few seconds or so. Not that I cared, I mean, I had another boy-turned-girl to worry about. I went through the rest of the day anyway, wondering whether I was really starting to get used to this.

Carla joined me on my walk home from school today. After a minute or two of awkward silence I said, “You saw that, right?” and she nodded.
“Mm-hm.” (Why do people feel the need to nod and say yeah? Won't just one or the other do?) “I've got new memories too, actually. What about you?”
“Well...no, but I didn't know him too well either.”
“Neither did I. But I know her. She's Rhia, nice and friendly but a major flirt. Loves to play, never had a boyfriend though.”
“So you know her?”
“Not personally. But girls know about a flirt,” she said, grinning like it was funny.
“Oh. I was hoping for an explanation about the ears.”
“What ears?”
I stopped, and after a second Carla stopped with me. I looked in her eyes. “You didn't notice anything unusual about her ears?” I asked.
“Uh...no. Why?”

I just shook my head and started walking, thinking great, I really AM going insane now! She followed. “Kael, what is it?”
“Look. Big, twitchy cat ears,” I said, demonstrating both traits with my hands over my own ears. “You didn't see that at all?”
“No...I think I'd remember that. Are you sure?”
“...Forget it. Can we talk about something normal so I don't go any more insane?”
Carla looked concerned. Good, at least she got that I wasn't joking by now. “Hey, maybe they really are there, and I couldn't see them. I mean, if there's magic that can turn guys into girls maybe there's magic that can give them big ears and magic that keeps people from seeing them. And they'd be hidden from everyone else at school because, well, big ears are weird.”
“Yeah....maybe,” I said.

The rest of the conversation was, well, normal. Carla changed the subject to today's menu in the cafeteria, and well, I don't feel like going into it. It doesn't have anything to do with this anyway.


I forgot to mention, when I went to my locker (the one where I put my unused books), I found a note that had been stuck through the grill. It was in neat, curved, pink handwriting, and was signed “Rio” at the bottom with a heart as the i's dot. It said “Need urgently to speak with you, tomorrow after school if possible,” and a downtown address which I guess is where she lives. I stuffed it in my pocket at the time because I was in a hurry, and honesty I just read it while I was getting ready to write this. So...I guess I have a meeting tomorrow. Considering who Rio was, and that she might remember that, I'm a little afraid, but I guess if I'm shot I can't victimize any more guys, so I'm going. I'm sure it'll be worth writing about, too.

So I'm signing off. Good night.


(Telling my journal good night is stupid. Note to self: never do that again.)

[Queen Octavia]

Cat girls? The plot fluffens.

[Funny Hat + Funny Accent]

Interesting Stuff. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

[Whatevr89532]

Entry: Mar 24

School was mostly uneventful. Carla noticed I was a little nervous; I told her about the note and insisted I was going..she was a little confused that I thought she'd argue against it. The new...catgirl...seemed just as cheerful as...ever? I guess, definitely as cheerful as yesterday.

After school I went and found the address. It wasn't a house or an apartment—it was a coffee shop. There was something a little weird about this place, I thought. For one thing, the name 'Magic Java' sounds more like you're talking about the computer program or something with stronger stuff than caffeine. And for another, I noticed at least three or four cat-people among the coffee shop's several customers.

Rio was off in a corner, and waved to me when I came in. She seemed perfectly happy, and I wasn't sure what to think of that, so I sat down. The first words out of her mouth?
“I just wanted to thank you for the other day.”
Huh? I thought. “...Which other day?”
“Last Friday, of course. I don't know how you did it, but I'm really grateful. Actually, I'm a little curious too, about, well, how you did it. See...” she dropped her tone and voice quite a bit. “I'm an apprentice witch now, and I've never even heard of magic than can make so many changes like that.”
I tried to think of the best way to phrase it, a thought process which made an awkward silence, and made me feel like I really needed to fill it as soon as possible. “Um..look...I really don't have any idea how I did that. Since my last birthday a little over a week ago, you're like..one of four people I've done something like that to, and I still have no idea what's going on. And now I'm starting to see cat-ears on people, so I'm really worried I'm going insane.”
She paused at this, a very interested look on her face, and again I had no idea what to think of it. Another awkward pause went by, and finally she said, “Oh, wow, it must be some kind of inherited or universal stability power...and you're not crazy. Those people do have cat ears.” She pointed over toward some of the people who I'd seen with cat ears. She pointed at some other people, a couple having afternoon coffee. “And those two over there are werewolves, can you see their tails?”

“Uh...no.” There must have been something like, “I'm really stupid so please explain this” written on my face, based on what she said next.
“Oh, I see. You're a normal human. If you didn't have that power you wouldn't know about any of this kind of thing...Look, I'll tell you first, there's magic.”
“..Okay,” I said, willing enough to accept that.
“And secondly, there are magical people—not just witches, warlocks, mages, wizards and sorcerors, but people who are magical like elves, werewolves, nekos.” She pointed to the cat-eared people again.
“But why haven't I--”
“Ssssshh! I'm getting to that! There's also a kind of magic that keeps normal humans, who either have no powers or are ignorant of them, from seeing or hearing magical things they don't believe exist. Usually it only changes if it's forced on them, or their power acts spontaneously, and even then there's a chance a person could be driven insane if they don't accept what's in front of them. But I think you're not one of those people.”
“...Good to know...but then, couldn't I just say I believe there are werewolves, like, and look over there and see something different?”
“No, it isn't just belief on a conscious level. A person can believe with all of their conscious might that something is there, but if their subconscious doesn't fully accept it, the magic still works to keep them from seeing it. That's why there are paranormal researchers who couldn't see a full-scale magic battle happening right in front of them—that, and those sorts of people tend to believe the wrong things when they do believe.”

I nodded...and then sort of put my head down, putting my hands over it, trying to get my brain around all of this. She apparently knew better than to interrupt me, until, a few minutes later, I finally looked up. “So...you're okay with..you know...a completely rewritten life, complete with a different body and maybe even mind?”
“Yeah.”
“...Why?”
“Because, it's a second chance. In my old life, I threw away my chances, or I wouldn't have been trying to do what I was. I know it won't be easy, but I know I won't give up this time. However you did it, you gave me something I barely even knew I wanted.”
“Okay, that's probably the best reason I've heard.”
“What d'you mean?”
“Well...as I said...I've been doing that...by accident, to people since a couple of weeks ago. Three people. All three of them seem happy with it, and one of them happens to be my best friend, and can't give me nearly as strong an explanation. I know I wouldn't be happy with something like that, so I don't get why everyone else seems so happy with it.”
“Hmm...Well it probably isn't a coincidence. Maybe whatever your power is only targets the right people.”
“I hope so...I guess...”
She stood up. “Look. I'm going to ask my teacher, and do some research, and see if I can find out what that power is. Alright? I'm glad I could talk with you. And...all of the people who come here are supernaturally aware, the ones who aren't can't see the entrance, so don't worry about talking about magic in here.”
“Alright..” She ran off.


I left not too long after, and noticed the owner's eye was on me, just a little bit. I dashed home, and got to work on my usual routine, still trying in the back of my head to process all of this. There's magic, not just of one kind but several, and magical creatures running around, and everyone I know is either in on the secret or absolutely blind to it? Ugh...it gives me a headache just to think about.

[Queen Octavia]

I demand less plot and more random TFs!

No, I'm just kidding, I like the plot, keep it up ;p

... but I wouldn't mind some more random TFs either ^^