honkmimimi

YOU are SLEEPY in YOUR BED. The LIGHTS are off, you only hear CRICKETS outside. What HORRORS will this night bring for you? [[A new and unusual CREATURE.->Creature]] [[A beautiful TRANSFORMATION.->Transform]] [[A trip to a faraway REALM.->Fairy Realm]]

There is something MOVING on the FLOOR. It shuffles one way before bumping into a SHOE. Through the slats of your bed, you can just barely see it INVESTIGATING the shoe. Your bed is cradle-shaped, so you must hoist yourself up to the edges if you want to see the THING. You DO SO. (click-replace: "You DO SO.")[Above the rim, you're struck with the terrifying sight of this creature. It has LEATHERY BLUE-BLACK SKIN and TOO MANY JOINTS and its eyes are LUMINOUS in the dark of your bedroom. You can hear SOMETHING SHARP snagging against the carpet as it bumbles around. It HAS NOT noticed you. Before you can decide what to do... [[...something FORTUNATE happens.->Creature Pet]] [[...something UNFORTUNATE happens.->Creature Evil]]]

You can FEEL IT IN YOUR BONES already: Your TRANSFORMATION has begun.(click-append: "Your TRANSFORMATION has begun.")[ You have been waiting for this for quite some time now. Everyone has. They knew that something was A BIT OFF from the beginning. Your skin is flaking off, molting, FIXING ITSELF. It turns SHINY and SMOOTH. Your neck grows LONG, LONG, LONGER. The many more VERTEBRAE mold themselves anew out of your RIB-CAGE BONES. Your eyes are FRESH AND CLEAR. Your fingertips change to meet NEW OBSTACLES. You have lost your knees and elbows to SOME OTHER PROCESS happening DEEP INSIDE. You are SO, SO BEAUTIFUL. You PITY the world. They CANNOT SEE your transformation. It is TOO DARK in here. Your transformation is almost complete, but before it finishes... [[...something FORTUNATE happens.->Evolve]] [[...something UNFORTUNATE happens.->Decay]]]

Your room is not dark anymore. A FLOOR-LENGTH PORTAL has opened up in an adjacent wall. It SWIRLS BRIGHT DELIGHTS at you, soundlessly. You have seen this before. You squint at the CALENDAR in the corner. It is TOO DARK to make out anything useful. You heave yourself OUT OF BED. (click-replace: "You heave yourself OUT OF BED.")[You heave yourself OUT OF BED and make your way to the CALENDAR. The LIGHT from the PORTAL decides to FLICKER at you. It CLEVERLY AVOIDS shining on the CALENDAR. You unhook the CALENDAR and bring it over to the PORTAL instead. Beside that spiraling beacon, you can finally READ THE CALENDAR. Huh, it seems that the PORTAL is RUNNING EARLY. You turn to ADMONISH the PORTAL about this, and you see... [[...something FORTUNATE.->Fairy wedding]] [[...something UNFORTUNATE.->Fairy eating]]]

You feel it in a jolt. You are IN LOVE with this creature, BEADY RED INCISORS and all. You CALL OUT to it in a SOOTHING VOICE. Thankfully, it is SOOTHED by your VOICE. (click-replace: "Thankfully, it is SOOTHED by your VOICE.")[Thankfully, it is SOOTHED by your VOICE and its FLAT EARS perk up. It waddles over to your bed and stares up at you. You have nothing else to say right now, so it takes the chance to RESPOND.]

You watch, dumbfounded, as the CREATURE decides to EAT THE SHOE. The noises it makes in this attempt are GRUESOME TO SAY THE LEAST. Its TEETH are FLAT and WORN; not made for TEARING INTO SUEDE. It grasps the shoe with two of its limbs and tries to pull it apart through SHEER FORCE.

OH! MIRACULOUS! WONDROUS! You can feel yourself EVOLVING TO GREATER HEIGHTS. These HEIGHTS include MANY, MANY MORE LEGS and AN EXTRA HEARTBEAT. You can sense the world around you; you can know your PLACE IN IT. You have become POWERFUL AND ALMIGHTY.

No--this- SOMETHING is WRONG. SOMETHING is WRONG, INDEED. Where have your ARMS gone? Where have your SHOULDERS gone? Where has your SPLEEN gone? You are SO FOCUSED on the IMPORTANT PARTS OF YOU DISAPPEARING that you don't notice YOUR NECK SQUEEZING TIGHT. Where have your EARS gone? Where has your STOMACH gone? Where have your-- YOUR HEAD decides to POP OFF from your RAPIDLY-THINNING NECK. Oh no! Where has your BODY gone?

Though the PORTAL you can see the trappings of a FAIRY WEDDING. You haven't been to one in QUITE SOME TIME. Frankly, you've missed them. You rush to find a GIFT in your room. You wrap it in BEDSHEETS and tie it with STRANDS OF BRAIDED HAIR. You STEP THROUGH the PORTAL. (click-append: "You STEP THROUGH the PORTAL.")[ You are in the FAIRY REALM again. You don't recognize anybody here. Some of them recognize you. They greet you AS WARMLY AS FAIRIES CAN and you MOVE WITH THE CROWD into the CEREMONY GARDEN.]

That is something you WISHED YOU'D NEVER SEE AGAIN. Through the PORTAL, you see a GLIB HUMAN WOMAN seated at a MODEST KITCHEN TABLE. She has done the EXTRAORDINARY: She has TRAPPED A FAIRY. Her FAMILY is SEATED AWAY FROM HER, they do not want to take part. She is almost done SEASONING THE MEAT. She reaches behind her to the stove and PLOPS the tiny body INTO THE PAN, all while humming a LONG-LOST TUNE. It begins to SIZZLE and she starts on the VEGETABLES.