Roolease

"I’m gonna take a shower; just watch TV or something while I’m in there and stay out of trouble!" David yelled down to his brother.

"Uh huh," his brother Steve answered.

Steve was sitting in the living room watching TV but something else had his attention. He was holding a book he’d acquired from a friend at school. The book had a list of various magic spells; Steve was focusing on one that claimed to be able to turn a human into an animal.

Since David had started college, Steve seldom saw Dave because he was always busy with assignments or homework.

Animals don’t go to school. If I turn Dave into one, we'll be able to play all of the time!

It didn’t occur to Steve that David might not have wanted to be an animal. Steve wanted to play with his brother and that was all that mattered. Besides, Steve doubted the spell would work.

Steve pointed to the spell and licked his lips; this was going to be fun.

This’ll never work but it’ll be fun to try. He needs a break from all that boring homework and studying!

He considered which species of which to change David. He missed our vacation last year because of school! It’s not fair they made him take those summer classes when he wasn’t even failing anything! Steve had decided a few moments later, if he can’t go there, I’ll bring it him in a way no class can! Steve began chanting the words to the spell. He’s gonna love this!

* * *

The hot water of the shower felt good on David’s muscles. It released some of the tension he’d built up over the preceding months.

College was supposed to be the best years of my life. If I’d known it was going to be nothing but unfulfilling work that went nowhere, I’d never have applied.

Rather then growing closer to his ultimate goal of graduating, David felt caught in an endless loop of unfulfilling classes and assignments. The previous summer, the administrators had decided his major needed two more credits in history, a class that David saw as fruitless. He’d considering switched majors but he didn’t want to disappoint everyone.

It’s easy for them to make those sorts of decisions when they aren’t the ones spending their summer in a classroom.

Memories of the day they’d informed him of that decision angered him enough that he ignored the itching on his chest.

Whoever said, "stay in school" mustn’t have had to deal with this workload!

The itching spread from the centre of his chest up to his shoulders and down to his groin. He had his eyes closed as he was lathering soap into his hair. The itching broke his train of thought; he hated it when that happened.

Now, what’s wrong?

With a deep sigh, he turned and washed the soap from his hair. By now, the itching had spread to his arms and legs and was working its way around his torso.

Whoa, what’s going on?

Washing the soap from his hair, he lowered his head so the water could reach the back of his head. He felt more hair on his neck, impossible as he had a buzz-cut.

When he’d rinsed his hair out, he opened his eyes and looked at his arms. He gasped when he saw a thick coat of dark orange fur on them. He looked at his chest and saw the same fur there, albeit lighter. The same orange fur from his arms was working its way down his legs and already covered everything from his hips to his knees.

"What … what’s happening to me?" he cried out.

He reached the facet to turn the shower off only to for a sudden sharp stinging pain in his stomach and arms to stop him. The pain made him crouch onto the shower floor, grimacing. He could feel his organs move and change shape inside of him. He saw flashes of light, yellows, blues, red and greens.

The muscles in his arms seemed to lose their strength and it felt as though someone or something was pushing on both appendages. He looked back and forth, seeing both arms shrinking as lighter fur developed on his lower arms.

No, it’s impossible; this can’t be happening!

He managed to stand up and again tried to turn off the shower. Unfortunately, with his short and weaker arms, the facet required quite a reach and he didn’t quite make it before both his face and legs began to sting. He fell onto his side with a thud, hoping somehow that his brother would hear the thud and wondered what was wrong.

In a fetal position, he watched as his jaw changed, growing longer. His teeth and tongue felt odd, he felt the teeth with his tongue, even as its shape seemed to change. His felt different, more suited to chewing grass then eating a variety of foods. His jaw kept on growing, taking his nose with it.

Meanwhile, his hips were growing larger and moving to the sides of his torso. Muscles in his legs were developing; the spray of the shower felt different on his body as the fur completely enveloped his skin. He breathed deep from the pain as tears poured down his cheeks. He felt something burn in his tailbone before something else touched the side of the shower. He turned his head just enough to see a bald and large tail growing out from him; orange fur covering it even before it had finished growing. His hips were huge and his legs felt powerful.

The pain in his head ceased a minute later and the pain in his legs dulled to a mild roar before vanishing. He managed to stand up, trembling from the horror of what was happening to him. He felt his tail touching the shower floor, and soon became aware of its effect on his centre of gravity when he fell back, only to land on the tail. Oddly enough, it supported him, like another limb.

Great how am I gonna stand like this?

He tried to push himself back to his feet only to feel a sharp pain in both. Looking down at them, he tried to ignore the site of his muzzle in his vision, damn that thing’s distracting! He felt it with his hands, if one could call them hands. He no longer had thumbs, a fifth finger was in place of both and he had black claws. He felt around the rest of his head, his human hair was gone and his ears were at the top of his head. They were larger; in fact, he did seem able to hear more.

A surge in the pain in his feet reminded him that whatever force was doing this to his body wasn’t done with him. He gazed at his feet with both curiosity and horror. They were now thinner but nearly 50 percent longer. His five toes merged before his eyes into three toed clawed feet. He felt a sharp pain in his spine and the world seemed to spin.

As though by instinct, he leaned forward off his tail. He felt his centre of gravity shifting, punishing him forward so standing upright was all but impossible. Soon, he was standing in such a way that his torso was almost parallel to his legs.

The pain in his body faded and this felt done. Trembling from fear, he managed to turn off the facet and push the curtain aside. He looked down at his body. The posture, the tail, fur and face, there was no doubt about it, he was a kangaroo.

This is not happening, this is not happening!

Dave wanted to see his reflection in a mirror. His changed legs made walking difficult. Understandable as nature intended them for hopping. With great effort, David manoeuvred himself over to the mirror by the shower.

Once the steam cleared from the mirror, he saw his reflection, which confirmed the impossible. He gasped and tried to say something, only for his apparent lack of vocal chords to stop it. All he could manage was a grunt produced from a quick breath or a clicking of his tongue.

Okay, calm down, everything is going to be all right. David again looked at his body. Whom am I kidding? Out of nowhere, I’ve turned into a kangaroo! Things are not fine!

David tried to rationalise this. Had he somehow brought this on himself? School had stressed him out. He had wished for a way out. Could he have willed himself into this form? When he considered that this form would bar him from school (and activities such as homework and studying), he became a little excited. Was this exactly what he wanted?

No, I can’t think like that! I have to find a cure for this!

He opened the bathroom door and cool air from outside of the bathroom hit him. He looked back at the rack of towels; he hated the idea of walking about without clothes. He doubted towels would be able to cover a kangaroo body that well. Despite there still being some suds on him, he left the bathroom. His wet fur made him feel miserable but he needed to ignore that.

Gazing into his room, he considered putting on a least a shirt, but realised how silly that was.

Did I just think that? Damn, I have to get a grip. I can get help; I’m going to be fine!

He needed to find Steve before this started to affect his mind; assuming it already hadn’t. Unfortunately, there was the matter of getting down the stairs when about all he could do was hop.

* * *

Steve relaxed on the couch, the closed book beside him. When he heard the thud from upstairs, he’d been worried something had happened to David. He’d hoped the spell had worked.

He heard another thud, this time from the stairs. He arose and ran over, wondering what was going on. He looked up the stairs, only to see a dripping wet kangaroo standing on the landing, looking at him.

"It worked! This is so cool!" he yelled.

David looked at him, his black eyes seeming to gaze into Steve’s soul. Steve looked his brother up and down.

"Man bro, you could’ve at least put on some clothes!" he said.

He stood back as David stepped towards the end of the landing. He watched his kangaroo brother look down the stairs and leap over them, landing on the ground beside Steve with a thud, his tail hitting the bottom step. He clicked at Steve with his tongue before stamping his right foot.

"What? You can’t talk?" he asked. David shook his head. This is so cool, my brother’s a kangaroo; just wait until I tell Jody that it worked. "Don’t worry bro, you don’t need to talk now. So, what do you think? Now you’ll get your break from school. Course, I might have to convince Mom and Dad to let me keep you!"

David clicked and put his hands on his hips after standing up as straight as he could.

"What? Don’t tell me you want me to change you back? I just wanted to give you a vacation, I didn’t think, that," Steve started. David was now clicking and grunting at him as well as flailing his arms about like a madman. "Oh all right! Geeze, I was just trying to help!"

Steve walked back over to the couch and picked up the book. He turned to the page he’d been at before. It had entries for the changing spell but the reversal spell was much harder to pronounce.

"I just wanted you to have some fun for a couple of weeks to make up for the vacation you missed. I thought it’d be cool for you to be a kangaroo! Come on, you know you want to go to the outback for a couple of weeks to have fun!"

He looked back down at the book and gasped in shock. Apparently, part of the changing spell included what to do with the person after they’d changed. All he had to do was to say it. He looked up at David only to see his brother glowing white and vanishing.

"Mom and Dad are so gonna ground me for this one!" he said

 

* * *

David saw his entire world go white before he felt like he was floating. It didn’t last long before everything came back into focus and slam; his feet hit the warm ground! He was standing somewhere bright and hot.

Dammit Steve! Great, I’m a kangaroo. I’m the outback, alone, without any clothes or technology. You could have asked me if I wanted this.

He looked around, if anything at least the sun would dry his fur. It seemed that he had little choice other then to wait this thing out. He realised that unless this spell sent him back at the exact time it made him leave he'd have to catch up on two weeks worth of work once he came back.

While he’d heard of these sorts of spells before, he never believed stories of their existence. Now he knew first hand that they were real. Whether or not he liked he liked his situation was irrelevant; there was nothing he could do about it. For the time being at least, school seemed distant.

Hmmm, all alone, no one looking over my shoulder, no clothes and I’m an animal. I don’t have to follow rules! Maybe this won’t be so bad after all. Crap, what about predators; one might eat me! What if I get sick? Dammit Steve, why didn’t you ask me if I wanted this?

He tried to think about what he’d read about kangaroos in textbooks and what he’d seen on documentaries. Perhaps he didn’t need to. Kangaroos after all didn’t read textbooks about their species. He also felt like, somehow he had the instincts necessary to get by. Unfortunately, predators still got natural members of this species who had those instincts and lived out here!

Okay, get a hold of yourself Dave, it’s only two weeks, you can survive. At least it’ll be a vacation from school, if nothing else.

He looked at his body; he’d never had much body hair as a human. Now fur covered almost his entire body. There were no razors out here, and no way to get rid of it. A lack of clothing left everything on his body exposed for the world to see. What to him were private parts were now open for the whole world to see! While humiliating for him, he had no choice other then to deal with it.

All right, so everything is exposed, sure you have no privacy but at least you don’t have to worry about what you’re going to wear tomorrow. If you have an itch, scratch it, if you get a little dirty, that’s okay, you’re an animal now, so it’s not as if anyone expects you to be all clean and graceful.

He looked out into the horizon; there seemed endless plains for him to hop. While he was exposed and at nature’s mercy, he was free from having to do homework or assignments for a while. Those assignments now felt far away given how basic survival was his concern now. Indeed, he needed this.

He wanted to see what his legs could do. With a grunt, he leaped as far as he could and landed a good distance away on the ground with grace.

Wow I just thought about and did it. That was cool too!

He wanted to experience that again. He took off, hopping several dozen times, covering an impressive distance. He wasn’t even tried, and felt some of his tension release. To think something so basic would impress would feel so liberating. Just acting on impulse, free to do as he pleased was an exciting concept.

It’s been so long, maybe this won’t be so bad after all.

In a life of study and technology, it had been a long time since he allowed himself to do something so basic. He couldn’t remember when he last took a walk, or ventured into the woods, not to mention slept under the stars.

He felt his stomach grumble and in the distance he could smell something appealing, it was a sweet scent and it appealed to him. He didn’t know what it was but hopped towards it anyway, it was potentially food and it could fulfil his hunger.

Acting on impulse, he hopped a short distance to a field of grass and bushes. Without even thinking about it, he found himself stopping in the field, lowering his mouth to the grass and eating it. It was an intense sweet taste and he repeated the process until he was full.

It was then that he’d realised what he’d done.

What if it had pesticide on it? I don’t know who or what’s been around it or what they’ve done on it.

He’d just eaten the grass, he was hungry and the grass was there, it could and did fulfil his needs, he hadn’t even of considered it could be dangerous in any way. This was a strange way of thinking and behaving; he just had a need and acted on it. In the wild, he couldn’t afford to be picky as he had no idea when he’d have a chance at something else to eat; in effect there was no choice in the matter.

So, what do I do now?

He soon realised a simple fact as an animal; besides looking for food, staying away from predators and sleeping, there wasn’t a whole lot else to do. It wasn’t as though he could go to a game, play a game on the computer or watch TV; these things didn’t exist in the world of his temporary new species. Games didn’t contribute to survival so he didn't need them. He soon found thoughts of those games fading from his mind.

No sense thinking about something that I won’t need to survive.

His ears perked up at a sound in the distance; something was approaching him. He never gave what it could be any thought, he started hopping in the opposite direction as fast as he could. After several minutes of hopping, he felt as though he’d escaped whatever it was.

I didn’t even think about what it was … I just ran. This is scary.

Of course you didn’t think about what was approaching, that could have could cost you your life!

What if it was just a person? Maybe they could have helped me!

On the other hand, hurt you, a human might see a roo as food or something to hunt. You’d have just made yourself an easy target!

But I’m not a kangaroo; I’m a person!

Look at yourself, do you look like a human? You’re furry, hopping and have a tail! Heck, you don’t even have any clothes on! You don’t seem too human to me! When a man sees you, he’ll see a kangaroo, not another man that magic turned into one!

Bit I wasn’t born this way, why should I act this way?

You’re a kangaroo now that’s what matters!

He was thinking to himself, his kangaroo side, (something growing in strength) was making an argument hard to resist.

But, I won’t be two weeks from now!

You need to survive those two weeks don’t you? If you try acting like a human, you’ll never survive.

All right then; I guess it’ll be a break from humanity. Inside I’m a human being and I’m not going to forget that.

He looked around again. This time however, he didn’t think about what he wanted to do; he just hopped off. Staying still in one area for too long was only asking for predators or hunters to attack. Unless there was food, water or other kangaroos around, he had nothing to gain from remaining.

*

Why did it have to be so hot out? He was sweating as he hopped randomly. He had no destination in mind, for he had nowhere to go. He felt dirty, although he’d just taken a shower, or more so had been taking one when this happened to him. As a human, sweating a lot was not a nice sensation and after working or running, it was no wonder many people liked to have a shower. Now, his feet and legs were dirty and dusty and his fur was damp from sweat.

He had to stop; he still felt hot. When he stopped, he seemed to stop sweating and found himself licking his lower arms without a second thought. Somehow, that seemed to cool him off.

I feel so dirty, I need a shower or at least I need to find some water and wash off.

Shower, are you kidding? This is the wild, not a hotel!

But, I’m filthy and I feel dirty!

You’re an animal, what do you expect, a shave and shampoo? Get with the program, a brushing and shampooing is not necessary for survival and you need to sweat to cool off. There isn’t any air conditioning out here! Being clean and smelling nice are human concepts, stop trying to think like a human!

David looked down at the ground; he indeed had no options. He may have been free from his homework and assignments for now but he seemed one with nature. How was it freedom when there was nothing to do and he couldn’t even have what he saw as the basic dignity of soap and water?

Why are you standing still, you need to keep moving!

He tried to shake it off but the instinct inside of him to stay on the move was too strong. There wasn’t time for thinking or getting upset about a lack of hygiene products. Those things didn’t exist in the world of a kangaroo. To complain about not having them was pointless. It didn’t feed him, protect him from predators or give him shelter and sustenance. He wanted to shake the feelings off but the ever-increasing presence inside of him was too strong. There wasn’t a choice; he started hopping almost automatically. It wasn’t a conscious decision he just did it.

* * *

How long he’d hopped for … he didn’t know. Without a watch and especially without schedules or appointments to keep, David found himself losing concept of time. The sun was setting, he knew that meant it'd soon be dark. He felt as though, when tried enough, he’d find some place secure to sleep or lay down, although the entire time, he’d be keeping an alert ear out for danger.

How is it resting when I’m going to be on edge the entire time?

What do you expect a pillow and mint?

How can I function if I barley get any sleep or can’t relax?

That’s life my friend, you’re a wild animal; life is tough, deal with it.

He spotted a group of kangaroos laying on a grassy hill with a few trees on it. David hopped up to them and tried to greet them only for his kangaroo vocabulary to betray him. All he managed was a few clicks and a grunt.

How can I communicate if all I can do is click and grunt? What kind of language is that?

What do you expect … Shakespeare? Kangaroos don’t need a huge vocabulary.

But I…

What do you need to tell them? You’re not a predator they can see that. Unless you want to try to challenge a male for one of his females, they probably don’t think you’re after a mate. Unless you want to tell them a threat is nearby, what else are you going to tell them?

But, what’s the point in just laying here staring at each other blankly?

No sense is wasting energy with talk if it won’t accomplish anything.

But, that’s the point of chatting, just small talk to pass the time and to keep your mind going.

They’re animals; they don’t care about chatting, just surviving, stop trying to think like a human.

Dejected, David slumped into the ground and spread his legs. It was nice to relax and the grass felt nice against his body. As well, its scent was pleasant. There wasn’t much to do besides watch to the other kangaroos, inhale their scent and listen to the wind blow.

How could anyone find this entertaining? Where’s the games? Come on guys, do something?

David, they don’t have the intelligence for fun and games. Why waste energy on something that won’t contribute to their survival?

But, it’s so boring! We can get away with so much. We’re all naked and no one is watching! Now it just seems like boredom, a vacation with nothing to do. That’s even worse then having too much to do!

Welcome to life as a kangaroo David.

David’s focus waned. He tried to concentrate. However, it was as though the day's activities had burnt him out. He soon found himself falling asleep.

When he awoke the next day, there were only a few other kangaroos standing around him. Two of them were munching on the grass while the other seemed to be listening for sounds of threats in the distance. David arose. A quick look at his body confirmed the reality of his situation.

He felt hungry and looked down at the grass.

Isn’t this the same as yesterday? Where’s the bacon and eggs?

Are you kidding? It’s food; you can’t afford to get fussy. You’re a herbivore now; meat is not part of your diet.

Fine!

David bent down and ate a few mouthfuls of grass, finding that it still tasted sweet and did seem to full him up. He realised in a moment of fear that he had thought of those kangaroos around him as other kangaroos. No longer were they a different species he never expected to see in person; he was one of them! He also didn’t even think of trying to speak with them; unless there was danger or he wanted to mate with one of them, there wasn’t much else to say.

Having had his fill, he hopped off into the distance, staying there only increased his chance of a predator attacking him.

Thoughts of his classes and associated work were distant; they just didn’t seem to matter now. Such thoughts could distract him from listening for predators, so he pushed them out of his mind. He knew he was starting to think more like a wild animal yet something inside of him was saying this was normal. As long as he was an animal, he couldn’t afford to think human thoughts.

Perhaps however, that calmed him. Although he’d only been a kangaroo for a day or two, (he couldn’t be sure how long it was without a clock or watch), he felt the weight of human responsibility fading. School and jobs didn’t exist in the world of his new species.

His job was surviving long enough to propagate the species. Without speech, he couldn’t say the wrong thing to someone. Without clothes, he didn’t have to worry about dress code or decency. For one reason or another, that didn’t embarrass him.

He could spend hours hopping randomly without worrying of what others wanted him to do and when. Instincts guided him for everything; he didn’t need to think about what to do. He was free, but also vulnerable.

There was also another problem. Without anything do to, he feared he’d go mad. Was this an issue now? A human mind needed stimulation. A kangaroo’s mind was much simpler. If he ended up thinking like a natural kangaroo, he’d need far less to entertain him.

I can’t let that happen!

Unfortunately, he didn’t seem to have an option in that matter. Perhaps, he wondered he could find a town; maybe they could do something for him.

I can still write with these paws, they’ll understand that!

He didn’t know where any towns were, so he decided to hop off in a random direction to find one. If he found a road, he felt he’d just have to follow it and he’d be fine. Even if he didn’t, in less then two weeks, he’d be human again. Somehow, that comforted him.

* * *

After what felt like an eternity of hopping, David arrived at a small town. He was filthy, tired and he smelled terrible.

Unfortunately, there was little way for him to tell how long he’d be hopping for since finding a road and following it. While he was aware of the passage of day and night, each day was almost exactly like the previous day and they tended to blend. What was even more bizarre was how it excited Dave. He felt free. No one would expect anything out of an ignorant animal!

David however knew that he needed to get help. He couldn’t stay like this!

There were a few humans milling about; none of them seemed to take an interest in David. He hopped up to one of them and looked at him. David noticed that while the man wore clothes, David just saw them as something of varying patterns and colours. There were words on the man’s shirt but David didn’t recognise them as such.

The man said something but to David, the words held no meaning, they were just a collection of sounds that didn’t register as anything to him. David knew that a kangaroo didn’t need to speak any human language. Knowing so many words wasn’t necessary to his survival.

Panic started to hit him; not only was he stuck in the body of a kangaroo, he was losing his human knowledge! Instinct had all but replaced thought for his journey of what seemed to be a few days.

David turned around to hop away, he felt nervous around these humans. He didn’t know what they might do to him; he had to get out of there! He started to hop, but with human shelter all around, there were far less avenues of escape. Instincts were gripping his mind and despite knowing he used to be human, he current form controlled his mindset. He wasn’t thinking of himself as a human in the body of a kangaroo … he was a kangaroo and had to get out of there as soon as possible!

Panic unlike anything he’d ever felt was consuming him; he had nowhere to go, it was just a mad rush to escape but to where? He managed to make his way down a street before he saw something drive up beside him. Two humans jumped out of it. They said something but David's situation had him too panicked to care that he didn’t understand them. He tried to get away but didn’t get far before he felt something hit his left thigh. His entire world became fuzzy and he found himself feeling tired and passing out before he had any idea what was going on.

* * *

The world came into focus, David found himself in the back of a vehicle that was moving. It was hot inside and he appeared to be in a large cage. He could smell something on the cage; there’d been other animals in it before. Some of the smells made him nervous, others interested, and yet others excited him. The ones that excited him also disturbed him the most.

Being in a cage had him feeling trapped. He wanted to get out of there; he didn’t care where he would go, he just wanted out. He rolled back onto his tail and hit the side of the cage as hard as he could with his powerful hind feet. It clanged and banged but remained closed. He banged on it repeatedly and while he did dent it, he didn’t get it open.

He heard someone saying something. He didn’t need to understand them; their tone gave their upset away. David stopped for a few minutes to think of how to get out but found no way. He saw the latch but wasn’t sure how to operate it. That alarmed him; if he couldn’t even figure out a simple latch, he was truly losing his mind!

Not wanting to ponder that, he tried his best to lay down. Despite the small size of the cage, there was just enough room for David to sprawl out. He decided to focus on the smells in the cage. He could smell other kangaroos, he didn’t know why he recognised that scent, he just did. Of those smells, the ones he knew to be female interested him the most. He shook his head to try to rid himself of those thoughts; female kangaroos didn’t interest him, he was a human male, not a kangaroo male! Or was he? His fur, tail and hopping weren’t human things; how could he think of himself as a human? He wondered what that meant. Did physically being a kangaroo mean he should think and behave as one? Everything inside of him said yes. He tried to shake that feeling off, but those smells were filling his mind and making it hard to think, as if it wasn’t already hard enough.

He stood up and looked down at himself, yes, this was a kangaroo body not a human one. How could he think of himself as human when he was barley thinking like one anymore?

The vehicle stopped; David heard doors opening and then a bright light filled his vision followed by a burst of fresh air. There were two humans there. David banged on the side of the cage, wanting out. The humans said something to him in soothing tones. One of the humans finally undid the latch and opened the cage door. David hopped out of the cage and onto the ground outside.

It was a relief, he felt as though he belonged out there. A gust of air brought the scent of other kangaroos! The smell was welcoming to him! He wanted to be with them! He tried to fight it but found that he couldn’t justify his struggle. No one here had any expectations of him. He didn’t have to worry about disappointing anyone. He could just be himself without having to worry about what other people wanted him to do and when. If ‘being himself’ meant something different for his kangaroo self then it did for his human self, David didn’t care.

He looked around to find himself in a habitat of some sort. There were other kangaroos milling about, different types by the looks of them. David looked at the humans and tried to think of himself as one of them, just in an odd looking package. He watched the roos, some hopped while others lay around looking relaxed and happy with whom they were. Some groomed each other while others scratched themselves, in some cases in embarrassing ways even as he watched. That disgusted a part of David while another part was almost envious of them in that they go get away with this.

You can get away with it Dave, you’re a kangaroo!

Look at them, they’re doing everything right in front of everyone! They have no privacy or anything! Isn’t that gross?

Gross is a human concept as is privacy! Think of it this way. Look how little the humans expect out of those kangaroos … out of you! Mellow out, relax, and enjoy this while you still can.

The conflicting human and kangaroo thoughts drove David to the brink of madness and he took off in a fast hop in the direction he was facing.

No, I have to escape it! It isn’t appealing, it just isn’t!

Look at yourself David; you are one of them, stop fighting it! You know you want to relax and enjoy this. It’s not a crime.

He kept hopping, reaching a fence at the far end of the habitat and turned around. He didn’t pay attention to the fact he couldn’t remember what humans called the thing. He just knew it was a barrier. He hoped halfway back before stopping. Hoping felt great, a wonderful release of tension. Hoping nude felt even better. David enjoyed it but he didn’t want to admit it. He worried that such an admission would be dishonouring his humanity.

There was no way for him to tell anyone the truth. At the rate he was going, there wouldn’t be a human inside of the kangaroo body he had inhabited for long, soon he’d be all kangaroo, body and mind.

Is that a bad thing? Letting go isn’t wrong if you have no choice.

Maybe, I guess I can let go. So, just what do the heck do I do then?

When he had a goal in mind before, at least there was something for which to strive. Now, it was just a matter of waiting around for this spell to finish so he could become human again (assuming that would ever happen).

Relax David, it’s a vacation. Allow yourself to have fun. Do what you want to do, not what you think others want you to do.

David had seen kangaroos in zoos before. Sometimes, he’d wondered if life as one would be easier then worrying about work or school related issues. He’d thought they could just sit there and enjoy the sun all day, have free food, wouldn’t have to worry about predators and had no stress over human silliness like clothing. Of course, when one could daydream about that sort of life before going back to their computers, showers, TV and other aspects of their human lives it was much easier. There was no desire for improvement, not from the other kangaroos he saw. They seemed blissfully ignorant. However, David wondered if that was so bad, no one expected anything of him or her. People expected so much of the human version of him. He’d longed for something like this. Perhaps, David realised; he could finally let go. He could be what at least a part of him always was inside.

David lay down on the grass and relaxed. It was a wonderful sensation. Human worries felt distant. It was such a simple existence yet; there were no deadlines or other people’s expectations to worry about. If he wanted to spend days at a time just sniffing grass and laying there relaxing, that was okay. He was just an animal now, one people would see as a dumb one; it wasn’t as though anyone would ever expect him to accomplish anyone or do much beyond just laying there, hoping around and eating.

David moved his nose ever so closer to the grass and inhaled its scent. The grass smelt wonderful. Don’t stop; you have all the time in the world. Keep smelling it David. He smelt it again, allowing it to permeate his nostrils. Images of eating it flooded his mind, visions of its sweet taste. David closed his eyes, allowing those visions to fill his thoughts. That’s it, focus on the scent.

Another scent filled his nostrils; it was the scent of another kangaroo. It was far from the clean smell a human might have but neither he nor it was human so it was okay. David opened his eyes and watched the other kangaroo hop up to him. David stood up and regarded the beast as it sniffed him.

Go ahead Dave, sniff him back, and touch his fur.

What if someone’s looking?

So, they’ll just see a couple of kangaroos getting to know each other. If some human that knew you sees you, they’ll never know. Think about it, you can do all the things you’d never do in front of them and its all okay because you’re just a dumb animal. It’s not as if you know any better.

David sniffed the other kangaroo, taking in its scent. The kangaroo apparently grew tired of this activity and eventually hoped away. David stood there with mixed emotions. He’d allowed his animal side to take over but it felt good.

Man that sun feels good on my back. Heh, I’m naked, and it’s okay.

He shook his head, trying not to lose himself in this. Unfortunately, that was becoming rather hard. He didn’t want to fight it as much anymore. He wanted to let the kangaroo part of him take over, to embrace this while it lasted. With a feeling of adventure, he pursued the other kangaroo.

David spent the next few hours playing with that and the other kangaroos. He felt welcome with them, totally at peace to enjoy the simple pleasure of fun and playing without a care in the world. Besides, it was only for two weeks. David knew he’d earned the vacation.

* * *

He wasn’t sure how long he was in the habitat before it happened. By then, David had totally relaxed. He was at peace with himself. He’d accepted other possibilities in life and knew that his needs were important. When he had scratched or even licked himself, the world hadn’t of come to an end. When he’d hopped just because he felt like it, countries hadn’t of fallen. David had come to accept that it was okay for him to assert himself. If someone didn’t like it, David would deal with it; he knew he could deal with it.

One day while relaxing, David felt a tingle.

In a change that was much the opposite of what he’d experienced in the shower before all of this began, his body reformed and kangaroo fur fell off, only to vanish once it hit the ground.

When the process was finished, David’s body was again human. He stood, naked and feeling a little confused before his human knowledge began to flow from the recesses of his mind.

He looked back at the kangaroos, all of them asleep. For few seconds, David wished he could go back to being one of them. However, he also felt a sense that it was time to move on. He’d had his vacation and indeed, he felt relaxed. He also knew there were changes he had to make in his life. He would miss these kangaroos, but he knew he’d miss his friends and family even more if he stayed.

For so long, he’d been living up to others expectations. He’d taken a harder major out of a desire to live up to the expectation of others. As the world went white, David knew what he had to do.

He re-appeared in his living room. Steve was standing there as Dave had left him. Dave almost hopped but remembered that he could move about like a human now. He ran to the couch and grabbed a pillow to cover himself.

"Huh Dave, you just left like a minute ago!" Steve said.

"Steve, do you realize what you did to me. It’s been a couple of weeks for me. I spent two weeks as a kangaroo!" Dave said.

"That is so cool! What was it like?" Steve asked.

"It was," Dave started. He couldn’t help but smile. Sure, it’s been scary at first but in the end, it had been an interesting vacation. "Okay, it was relaxing. I almost wish I could have stayed that way … almost."

"Maybe ya can. It sucks that they give you so much homework and stuff."

"No Steve, I … it was fun being that way and it’s tempting to stay but I know I can’t live out my life like that. There’s so much I’d miss out on."

"But you’re missing out on stuff cause of school anyway!"

"I know and it’s time I did something about it. But first, let me take a shower and put on some clothes," David responded.

Later, after David had showered and dressed, he felt relaxed. It was a nice feeling to be clean. David walked downstairs and talked to Steve.

"As a kangaroo, I was free to do what I wanted. No one expected anything of me. It felt … great. Now I know why," David said.

"How come?"

"All this homework and studying is me trying to meet the expectations of other people. I took this major because everyone wanted me to take it. It was all a part of the plan. Now, I know that I have to do what I want. I feel relaxed now but if I go back, I’ll end up with the same problem as before. There are other options for me; it’s okay for me to look into them. As a kangaroo, I started learning to do things without thinking about them. I can’t do that as easily now but it’s helped to silence the doubt in my mind. It is my life; there are other ways, other solutions. Going back to being a kangaroo may be fun for me but then I’d just be denying who I am."

"Sort of like you can’t play video games as kangaroo?" Steve asked. David nodded. "So um, you can take easier classes instead?"

"Yes. There are people at my college that I can talk to about that."

"What if Mom and Dad get mad about that?" Steve asked.

"They I’ll explain my point of view to them. As a kangaroo, I was a free spirit who did what I wanted to. I had forgotten how wonderful that felt. In life, you need to do what you think is right for you; not what others think is right. Sometimes you make the right decisions; sometimes you make the wrong decisions. Now, that doesn’t mean you ignore Mom and Dad when they warn you about something. However, if there’s a class you want to take then go for it. If it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out. If it does, then that’s great."

Steve nodded. "So, I guess it was worth it then, making you a roo?"

"I guess it was. Just ask next time. Oh yes, don’t tell Mom and Dad about it okay?"

Steve nodded. David left the room to go upstairs. He planned to talk to people starting the next day. He was going to make changes to his life. He now had the confidence to know that it was okay to do what he wanted. Sitting down before his computer, he turned the monitor on. It was a relief to have access to technology again. Being a kangaroo for those weeks had David appreciating human conveniences much more. Sure, his classes didn’t seem as bad now, but he knew that he had to find something else before his stress came back.

Cracking his knuckles, David began a search for kangaroo pictures for his desktop wallpaper. He’d developed an understanding a greater respect for the creatures. Perhaps, he thought, from now on, pictures of one would help to remind him of that way of thinking and could calm him.

With a happy sigh, David knew he’d taken something away from this. He’d had his vacation but had also learned something in the process. Perhaps, things would work out after all.