FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Graham had been blind since birth - he was born several weeks premature and his eyes never had a chance to fully develop. But to call him disabled was a grave mistake. Even as a baby, he'd crawl fearlessly around the house, touching and feeling everything. Terry had to put up baby gates to make sure he didn't get into places that weren't safe. And even then, he'd get to know the very texture and differences of the walls.

It wasn't long before Terry figured out the best way to please Graham for hours was to give him some boxes filled with different textures. That and music always made him happy. Then again, Graham was always a happy child. Never mind that her husband left her not long after Graham was born; the child enjoyed living life and in turn, made his mother happy as well, regardless of the hardship.

Yet, even though he was a happy child, he could surprise Terry with how serious he could be. It was as if he aware from a young age how hard their life was, and tried to do anything to please his mother. When Graham was five, just before he was go to school for the first time as he lay in bed, he said, "Mummy, are you going to miss me tomorrow?"

"Of course, I will," Terry replied, a little taken aback by the question. "But school will teach you things that I can't."

Graham tilted his head in that slightly unfocused manner that he had, trying to find the source of the sound. "Like what?"

"Well, to start, you will start to learn to read. And learn to work with other children your age."

Graham was silent for a moment. "I suppose that's important."

At school, Graham excelled. The pre-school teachers were at first a little concerned because Graham wanted to touch everything first, including the other students. A few parents wrote back notes to the teachers how their child was made uncomfortable by the blind boy in the class touching them and being really close. The teacher had to take Graham aside to teach him about the notion of personal space and asking first. But other than that one quirk that Graham struggled to master, he quickly learned anything that was put before him, soaking it up effortlessly. His teachers and aides always mentioned how quiet and focused Graham was, yet well liked by the other children.

Then that summer happened.

The summer when, mysteriously, those old and young, all over the world, were changed into anthrops -- people turned into creatures with various animal characteristics. Scientist and philosophers struggled to explain how it happened, and for many it was greeted with a mixture of fear and excitement. Laws had to be rewritten, and new prejudices had to be quickly overcome for those randomly selected by whatever had caused this change.

It was in late June, not long after he had finished third grade. Graham sat on the floor of the living room in the fading sunlight of a long summer day. He was doing what he loved to do in the evening - reading a book, running his finger quickly over the braille, silently moving his lips as he deciphered each word. Terry sat watching a music competition show on TV, relaxing after a particularly hard day filling in for a sick co-worker, cashiering in the garden department. There was something rejuvenating about the two of them spending time together in such a quiet way.

"Mom, I don't feel so good."

Terry instantly snapped her attention onto Graham. "What's wrong, honey?"

"I just feel funny."

"Was it something you ate? You did eat pretty good this evening."

Graham shook his head, "No, it's like my entire body is tingling."

Terry went over and did the first thing that every mother had done with a sick child since the beginning time; she felt his forehead. "You don't feel hot." She silently hoped she didn't make her child sick from whatever her co-worker had.

"You smell nervous."

Terry was nonplussed for a moment. "I'm concerned for you..." She trailed off, not sure how to respond. "Other than tingling, anything else wrong?" She was debating whether or not this called for a trip to the ER, despite the expense.

"No," Graham replied slowly, "but I am tired."

"Well, it is after nine. You want to get to bed now?" She was hoping he'd just be able to sleep this off, whatever it was.

"Yeah...." His reply trailed off into a yawn. Carefully, he put down his book on the shelf that was marked "Graham" in braille. Then, without further prompting, he brushed his teeth, put on his pajamas and took himself to bed. A little later, Terry poked her head in to say goodnight, but he was already fast asleep. It took Terry until one in the morning to finally calm her own worry over her boy for her to do the same.

Terry didn't need to start her shift until noon the next day, so was tempted to sleep in. But her worry over Graham got her up not long after sunrise. Quickly, she got a robe on, and padded into his room to make sure he was all right.

The first thing that she noted that the blanket on his bed still rose and fell regularly, and a soft snoring, though a little more nasally than usual, issued beneath the bed covers. Terry let go of a breath she didn't know she was holding when she noticed a tuft of black fur sticking out. She stepped a little closer, figuring it might be a plush animal, but in the dim filtered light of the bedroom it was hard to tell. When it twitched as she drew near, it gave Terry a start. Shaking, she gently reached out to touch the tuft; it was a little coarse and warm - not like a plush animal at all.

Now truly frightened, she carefully removed the blanket so not to disturb her boy. She had to fight to restrain a loud gasp as she saw what was underneath.

It was still her boy, there was no doubt about that. Even the same striped pajama bottoms. But now, the bottoms were pushed down because a bushy tail had grown at the base of his spine. The rest of his body was covered in short black fur that shaded to tan on his chest. His fingers were now tipped with short, blunt claws and had rough pads. But his face... Terry stifled a cry and studied her boy more. His face was now slightly elongated, his nose and jaws pushed out into a muzzle, the black nose twitching involuntarily. His ears were now set higher up on his head and twitched slightly. She could tell he was starting to stir.

"Mom, it's cold..." Graham slurred thickly around his new mouth. Suddenly, his eyes flew open. Terry noted that they were now golden brown, but still had that cloudy look. The change hadn't brought him sight. Instinctively, Graham took a few sniffs and quickly homed in on where Terry stood. "Momma, why do you smell afraid?"

Terry fought to control the tremor in her voice, despite the horrific new appearance, it was still her child. "You remember the news reports about the changes happening all around the world, where people are becoming animals?" She tried to sound matter of fact, but she could tell she sounded on the edge of panic. "Well, it has happened to you."

Graham blinked and tilted his head, an ear flopping comically. "But I'm still me, momma."

"But now you look like a dog." Terry felt terrible, but that blunt assessment summed up her entire feelings.

Slowly, Graham felt his own face, the rough pads and claws raking through the fur gently. He worked his way down until he came to the tail. Suddenly, as if discovering how to move it, the tail gave an experimental thump on the bed. A small smile of triumph as he learned something new was on Graham's face, but Terry couldn't quite shake the feeling of terror of what had happened to her son. Yet, as he felt his way around the changes his body had undergone so suddenly, there was something calming and hypnotic to Terry about it. He was still the same child that loved to play with textures, so she focused on what had remained the same.

"This will take some getting used to," he said finally. He swung the rest of his body out of bed. His feet were much like his hands, with pads on the sole and toes, tipped with blunt claws, but otherwise unchanged.

"Do you otherwise feel all right?" Terry finally asked.

"I'm fine, Momma." Without hesitation, he went right for Terry and gave her a big hug. The feel of the fine fur was strange, yet somehow comforting. It was at that moment that it all became fully real for her; this was still her boy, no matter what he looked like. "You don't smell afraid anymore. It's a comforting smell."

Terry broke the embrace and looked at the serious expression on Graham's face, his ears alert. "You keep saying you can smell my feelings. How do you know?"

Graham blinked a little in confusion. "I just do." The nostrils on his now wet nose (inwardly, she fought an urge to wipe it) flared slightly. "It started last night, I just could smell every detail around me, what was there, who had been there..."

Terry couldn't wrap her head around the idea at the moment - there were too many things going on. "Are you hungry, honey? I can make bacon and eggs."

Graham's tail wagged involuntarily for the first time. "Yes."

Terry then called into work and quickly said that she couldn't make it in because of a sick child. She couldn't leave him alone until she was sure he was okay.

Over the next couple of days, Terry observed Graham, trying to come to terms with the changes to her boy. No, he didn't become entirely dog like, and he could eat anything and desired more than just meat. Though, she decided that chocolate would be a bad idea until she could take him to a doctor. But what had changed was how he maneuvered around the world. He didn't even bother with his red tipped cane any more, despite now preferring to go around in bare feet. Yet, other than cocking his this way and that, and maybe a few deep breaths, he could navigate just about anywhere.

Out of fear on how other would react to Graham, Terry kept him indoors with the curtains drawn, despite the fine sunny weather. That was fine for the first day -- he was just getting used to everything and honing his new found senses. Yet, Terry could tell he was getting restless the second day, even though Graham didn't say anything. When she saw him in mid-morning with the window open, snuffling at the scents outside, she knew he'd have to leave their apartment sooner or later.

That evening at dinner, she asked Graham if he'd like to head to the playground after sundown. That earned a happy wag -- he liked going to the playground. "But why after dark, momma?"

"Well, I'm not sure how other people would react to the way you look now."

Graham's ears drooped a little at having to wait, but didn't say anything. Normally this time of year, with twilight not until after nine, Graham would be in bed. But Terry could tell Graham was excited, just like fourth of July, and sleep wouldn't happen now even if she wanted to.

As the sun started to disappear behind the mountains, Terry looked nervously out the window; no one was about. Lights in the other apartments were burning, though there were a few people out on porches enjoying the mild temperatures of the evening of a hot day. Mentally, Terry planned the route that would have the least chance of encountering people, and she hoped that the dim light would minimize questions. Graham, for his part, was whining about getting out. He also insisted not wearing shoes.

"But you can't just go barefoot everywhere, dear," Terry tried to reason with him sweetly. "Some places don't allow people to enter without shoes. Like the grocery store where I work."

"I'm not going to store, just to the playground," Graham persisted.

In the end, Terry relented on that point, but insisted the next time he'd have to wear shoes.

Finally, it was time. Terry opened the door and Graham stepped out for the first time since his transformation. He stood still and it took a bit for Terry's eyes to adjust to figure out what he was doing. He just stood there breathing in deeply, his ears twitching this way and that. "You okay?"

Graham remained silent for a moment longer, his nose twitching, as if he was seeking something. "There's a lot of scents here," he finally replied matter of factly. He then walked confidently towards the park, without Terry's help. Terry wasn't sure if it was because he knew the way by heart or if his new senses were helping to guide him.

It wasn't far to the playground, and as she had hoped, it was deserted. There was a single street lamp at one corner, so she wasn't completely in the dark, but this was not the place a child normally would come to play after dark. Terry was grateful for the moment that trees shielded direct view from the street. Meanwhile, Graham ran around, burning off all the pent up energy that a eight year old boy can gather in two days. Normally, he would have other children's voices to help him navigate. However, it was eerie to watch Graham have no problems moving about to avoid the parallel bars and teeter-totter as he ran recklessly about.

After about fifteen minutes, he stopped running, his head tilting in thought before heading to the swings. He was old enough now that he didn't like to ask mom for a push, but usually he had to ask to be led there. With a minimum of fumbling for the chain, he got into a swing, and started to swing to and fro, his tail and legs working in unison to drive him higher.

Terry watched carefully, uncertain about how to feel about the change. On the one hand, the change hadn't given her child sight, yet it seemed to make him more independent. Yet, the cost was.. he was a freak. Terry shied away from the word, but it was how she felt. How would other react to him? He had hard enough time before being blind, and now this? He was still her child, but maybe she could hide him...

Meanwhile, Graham continued to pump and reach higher and higher into the night sky, laughing.

It was three days after the change happened that Terry returned to work. Since she was only scheduled for a four hour shift in the front checkout, as her habit during the summer, she dropped Graham off at the children's play area the store had. There he could read, or listen to Disney videos on a loop. He didn't always like it, but it was the best place for him and she couldn't afford a babysitter. It was only when she had full days that she'd ask her mother to look after him. She hadn't even told her mother about the change yet; Terry dreaded that call.

Despite it being a sunny early summer day, Terry insisted that Graham wear shoes and zipped up hoodie to cover his new features. This was the first time he was going out among other people, and she told herself and Graham that it was for his protection. Privately, Terry admitted there was an element of embarrassment to her motivations.

"Hey, Terry," the lady watching over the children's area, Lana, said. "Graham feelin' better?"

"Yeah... um, I've got my shift in a few but could you look over Graham while I do a four? Just make sure he's not teased or anything?"

"Oh, sure, Terry. I always like looking after him. You're up front today?"

"Yeah."

"And how are you..." Lana got a good look at Graham, his black nose and dark fur peeking out from the hoodie despite Terry's best effort. "Oh." Lana took a few nervous breaths. "Yes, I will make sure he's not teased." Then a little more loudly than necessary, "Come along, sweetie, I've got a comfy place for you to read." Terry was certain he heard a deep growl of frustration come from Graham as she walked away to head over to the time clock to put on her apron and clock in for her shift.

It was a couple hours later, during a lull in the checkout line, Lana rushed over to see Terry. "How soon before you have your break?" Her anxious tone caused Terry's heart to beat a little faster. "We had a little...problem, and I think your boy needs you."

Terry sighed, closed her eyes and flagged down the head checker. "Can I check on my boy for a moment? Something happened."

Grant sighed a little, "Sure. It's pretty quiet. Just don't take too long." Grant tried to be sympathetic but he was under pressure from the store manager to make sure the check stands were staffed at all times.

Terry nodded her thanks and rushed over to the play area. To her horror, she found Graham curled up in a corner, his tail exposed and wrapped tightly around his legs. As she approached, the black nose twitched in recognition, but otherwise didn't move. She knelt down and rubbed a shoulder, "What's wrong, honey?"

The only response was a whimper.

"I was doing some cleaning up," Lana offered, "when a couple younger kids that were dropped off started to mess with his books. I think they freaked out when they saw his face, since all I heard was some yelling followed by crying. I tried to help, but..."

"Monster."

The single whispered word froze Terry's heart. "You're not a monster."

"They called me a monster," Graham insisted. "Their fear was strong. Fear and peanut butter."

"What does he mean?"

Terry swallowed and realized that this would be the first time of many both she and Graham would have to explain the change. "His hearing and sense of smell match his appearance," she said shortly. She returned her attention to Graham and soothed a hand over a shoulder. A weak flip of the tail was the only response. "Graham, honey, I can't stay, but I'll be off in a couple hours. We can then talk about this more. I fear this won't be the last time. Lana, do what you can, but I gotta get back or Grant will catch hell."

Lana nodded in sympathy. "There's a quiet room in the back, I'll take him back there so he can get a little privacy."

Terry smiled a tight smile, "Thanks." She rushed back to the checkstand. She checked in during her break a little while later, but the rest of the shift her mind was elsewhere. She rushed through the last order, cleaned out her till and moved as quickly as she could short of running to clock out and collect Graham.

"He's doing a little better now," Lana's voice showing she was just concerned about a hurt child; any fear she had felt earlier was now gone.

"Thanks, Lana." She rushed to the room in the back, one normally used for sick children.

Graham had recovered enough that his hood was down, the rough pads running along a book. His ears twitched and swiveled towards the sound of the opening door, the pad pausing on the page. "Hi, mom."

The uncanny ability to identify people simply by their sound and smell no longer bothered Terry. "Are you doing better?"

"Yeah..." He looked down, like a marionette whose strings had gone slack, "I didn't expect the reaction. It's going to happen more, isn't it?"

"Probably. And I want to apologize."

"What for?"

"I was afraid, and I should have introduced you to more people. People get so hung up on outward appearances. How do you think your friends at school will react?"

Graham tilted his head, as if the thought hadn't occurred to him, "I dunno."

"You will have to show them you are the same inside."

"Yeah."

"Let's go home." Graham gathered his books. When he tried to put up his hood, Terry silently put it back down. "I'm proud of my son," she said simply. Graham nodded and wagged his tail.

As they walked out the front door, there was stares from a few people, but Terry didn't care. He was her child, and they were together. Sure he looked different, but the changes will bring the good with the bad. She looked down at Graham, carefully but confidently testing the air and swiveling his ears as they walked across the parking lot to her beat up car. Despite, or maybe because of, the changes, Graham was becoming the sort of person she had hoped he would.