The Mind Manifests Chapter 3



  My Dad leaned against the sink and motioned for me to sit down on the side of the tub, so I did, my wings and tail taking up most of it. Once I was seated, he began "I never really thought something like this was possible, so I never planned for it, but it's happening nonetheless. I read that book you wrote, and in it you took off and hid in a cave for two weeks, before hanging out with dragons for half a year. I need to know that you know that you won't need to do that in real life, your Mother and I will be here for you, you don't need to worry, you're still our son, no matter what happens."

  I just looked at the floor, at my bare feet, which I knew were going to be clawed and three-toed before too long, and replied "Thanks, I was worried you'd start freaking out, like mom when she tossed that crystal out."

  "About that, are you really that dependant? Can you die from it?"

  "I don't know, but it felt like I was dying, though I think it would be a good idea to keep it as far from me as possible without making me feel too sick, just so that I don't turn into Sméagol and start calling it my precious. If there's a way to ween myself from it, I should."

  "Good idea. What now? I don't know how that thing works."

  "It has to recharge before it continues, I don't know how it recharges, but it takes time, until then, I'm stuck like this, half and half….and I just realized I'm naked…."

  He smirked a little, and opened the bathroom door while asking "Can it do that to other people?"

  "I don't know, but it's best not to test it, I'm gonna start working on a container, so that no one touches it by accident."

  "Another good idea."

  I stepped out of the bathroom to see David on his laptop, and Mom nearly in tears. I went back into the livingroom, and noticed the crystal was in a shaft of light from the window, and glowing slightly already. Intrigued, I grabbed my shirt off the floor, and wrapping it around my hand, picked it up, before carrying it over to the window. Once it was in direct light, it began glowing steadily more intensely "I think I figured it out, it's solar powered."

  David looked up from his laptop, and said "I'm checking the news now, looks like the estimates of that meteor shower were off, the cores of the meteoroids were more resistant to reentry than estimated, and they're making landfall all over the place, and there's a few reports of mutations and severe burns, I don't think you're the only one this is happening to."

  My Mom quickly interjected "Why is it happening, though?"

  I shrugged "Maybe it's an alien invasion." After a moment of silence, something dawned on me "What if it really is an invasion, what if I'll go crazy or be assimilated once the transformation finishes?" What little ease of mind I had left vanished as I fell into a chair, kinking my tail and wincing in pain until I shifted it into a more comfortable position. Invasion was a very valid possibility.

  I just sucked it up, and looked at the crystal, before looking at my still human right arm "Might as well keep going." Just as I was about to touch it, my mom called out "Can't you leave yourself as is?"

  "And be some sort of halfbreed? I'd rather be a full dragon than this patchwork abomination." I grabbed the crystal tightly in my right hand, and hardly winced at the electrical sensation, I was getting used to it. The following change was indeed painful, but I somehow didn't really care anymore. I was now fully draconic from the neck to the hips. I guessed two more changes, and I'd be done, and it couldn't go quick enough.

  I sat there, and looked at my hands, still holding the crystal, somehow I was starting to like becoming Dracano, my mind started racing with all the upsides. I'd live longer, I'd be faster, I could walk on all fours and no one would care, I'd have flight and fire breath, I'd be immune to knives for the most part, and I'd be the envy of all my friends…friends…no…I couldn't have friends now…I wouldn't be a human, and a non-human is something that must be studied, I'd get shot at, beat down, mocked, and eventually dissected, I couldn't allow that to happen…I couldn't tell anyone…I could end up getting killed.

  I set the crystal on the windowsill in the sunlight, then slouched in the chair, rubbing the membrane of one of my wings between my finger and thumb. Half my mind was loving this, the other half was hating it. And I still felt the need to tell somebody.

  "David."
  "What?"
  "You think I should tell anyone online about this?"
  "That might be a bad idea, it's hard to keep secrets on the internet, especially something like this."
  "I know, but I've made promises, to several people, that if this really happened, I'd tell them."
  "Well, it's up to you, but I think it's a bad idea."

  I sighed, he was right, but despite it being a bad idea, I didn't want to be a liar, so I turned on the laptop, and logged into Skype. Luckily, the four people I wanted to talk to were all on, Bucksbhoy, Arknoir, Shnieder2, and Brillneth.

  I quickly made a group chat:
Dracano Sapien: Guys, I have something very important to tell you.
Bucksbhoy: Aye, what up, Drac?
shnieder2: You're finally going to give me the launch codes for the nukes?
Dracano Sapien: >.=.> No…
Brillneth: then what?
Dracano Sapien: Guys, I'm not joking, this is entirely serious, I'm really turning into a dragon IRL, I'm turning into Dracano, it started last night after that meteor shower.
Arknoir: Ha.
Bucksbhoy: Nice one, Drac.
Dracano Sapien: I'M SERIOUS! I can upload pics if you don't believe me!
Brillneth:You really are!? How did it happen?
Dracano Sapien: I found a glowing crystal in a meteorite, I touched it, and it started TFing me, and now I can't get rid of the thing, when I go away from it, I feel like a heroin addict who needs a fix.
Bucksbhoy: ouch
Brillneth: can I get those pics?
Dracano Sapien: Sure, just give me a sec.

  I took some quick pictures of myself with the webcam, then uploaded them into the chatroom

Dracano Sapien: Guys, I'm trusting you not to tell anyone, you're the ones I promised I'd tell if this ever happened, so I'm holding true to that, but I need you to promise me you won't tell anyone else.
Brillneth:dfghjikhfuiefhsec YOU REALLY ARE! OMG!
shnieder2: I just opened the pictures, wow, I mean, wow, how much longer till you're completely changed?
Dracano Sapien: it does it in stages, my head and legs are still unchanged, so it's gonna take two more changes before it's done, I hope it's only two.
Brillneth: Did it hurt?
Dracano Sapien like having your teeth pulled without sedative while being kicked in the crotch and having your fingernails ripped out
Bucksbhoy:Well, if you know it's coming, can't you use painkillers?
Dracano Sapien: Yeah, I just happen to have 100cc's of morphine in my pocket, I'll use that now, why hadn't I thought of that before?
shnieder2:calm down, no need to get snippy, we're just trying to help.
Dracano Sapien: Yeah, sorry, I'm just in a lot of pain right now, and snapping at people…by this time tomorrow, if I'm not being locked up like an animal, the change should be done, and I'll give you guys more pictures.
Brillneth: YAY!
Dracano Sapien: But I need to tell you one thing, these meteorites, whatever you do, don't touch them with your bare hands, that's how my change started.
Brillneth: that actually makes me want to go out and find one.
shnieder2: Yeah, same here
Dracano Sapien: Guys, listen to me, it's more painful than you can possibly imagine, and you become attached to your crystal, but if you insist, I might as well tell you what I've pieced together, they're solar powered, so they recharge quickly in direct sunlight, and a full charge only changes about a fifth of your body, that's about it that I've come to a definite conclusion on…just be careful if you find one, please.
shnieder2: Don't worry about me, I'll be careful. How many other meteorites do you think landed?
Dracano Sapien: no fecking clue. Goo says according to a news site, it's a lot, but no real numbers yet, and there are reports of "mutations" so I doubt I'm the only one.
Bucksbhoy: wait, goo knows already?
Dracano Sapien: Duh, he lives with me, I couldn't very well hide it, and before you ask, yes, both my parents know already, they've actually been quite understanding. The crystal's fully charged it looks like, I'm gonna do my legs now, I gotta go.
Arknoir: WAIT!
Dracano Sapien: what?
Arknoir: could you do a vid chat so I can watch?
Dracano Sapien: And see me screaming in pain? Not no, but hell no. I'll have Goo record it, and I'll share it if I feel like it later, but right now, I want to keep my pain to myself, thank you very much.
Arknoir: Alright, I understand, just don't bite my head off
shnieder2: lol, when it's done, he probably could
Brillneth: Well, good luck, and please come visit me if you can
Dracano Sapien: You're across the Atlantic, I don't think I could fly that far.
Bucksbhoy: Aye, right, I know I'm gonna start saving up for a plane ticket, don't be surprised if I show up.
Dracano Sapien: I'll bear that in mind, now bye, everyone
*Dracano Sapien is offline*

  I grabbed my wadded shirt, and used it to pick up the now fully charged crystal "I need to finish this, David, could you film it for me?"

  "Sure, I guess."

  Mom and Dad gave looks of worry, but made no attempt to stop me. I got out of my chair, and bent over, touching the crystal to my foot. The energy coursed all the way up to my hips, and then back down to my other foot, but then it did something unexpected, it shot upwards, right past my torso, and enveloped my whole head in a tingling sensation, this next change was going to be the finisher after all. I hoped and prayed it wouldn't take my mind with it.