The Booster Shot

“But mom! I hate needles!” Billy said.

“It’ll only hurt for a second, and it’ll make it so you wont get sick” His mother responded.

“Well, okay” he said. His doctor told them that there was nothing to worry about and it would only be a small prick then he couldn't have to have another for 10 years. He had misplaced the serum and told them that he'd be right back. As he looked for it, he saw a vial on his desk he picked it up and said,

“ah, this must be it!”. Putting its contents into the needle, he walked into the examination room.. Billy’s mother held his hand while he injected it. Just like his mother had told him, it only hurt for a second.

“See, that wasn’t so bad” his mother said. His doctor told him they were done, and he could go. As Billy’s and his mother walked out of the doctors office, a nurse walked up to the doctor and said

“Doctor, have you seen the vial of Procyon serum? I left it on the table and I can’t find it.”

“I’m sorry, I haven’t seen it” he responded.

That evening, Billy felt strange. He didn’t want to say anything, as he was scared that the booster shot was making him sick. As his mother hugged him goodnight she could have sworn his hair felt somehow softer, thinking it was her imagination, she ignored it. Getting into bed, Billy went to sleep. As he slept fur began to grow on his face, and on his arms and legs. Turing in the bed, he lay on his back. The fur on his face continued to grow. The fur around his eyes was growing in black, it looked like a mask. Along the sides of the mask and down his nose, the fur was white. The fur on the rest of his face was golden. Groaning slightly, he somehow managed to take his shirt off, perhaps feeling warm and removing it instinctively on his sleep. Fur was growing all over his chest, getting very thick on much of it. Again groaning, he turned around so he was sleeping on his chest. Fur was growing all over his back, and his sides. Like the fur on his chest and face, it was a golden color. Scratching his chest he again turned over, this time kicking his pajama bottoms and the covers off. His legs were fully covered in golden fur, and his feet were starting to look like a raccoons, the toes becoming nimble and small claws growing from his toenails.
Something began to bulge in his underwear, and eventually pushed then down his legs, after which he kicked them off. Turning onto his side, a long tail, now having pushed its way free grew from his tailbone. It was furry and it was covered in golden fur, and had several black rings on it.

His face began to pull out into a muzzle, while his ears moved to the top of his head and became a rounded pointy shape. As his face finished becoming a muzzle, his nose started to twitch, and whiskers grew out the side of the muzzle. The fur on his body finishing growing in, his hands started to change, his fingers growing small claws at the tips of each one, and each finger becoming far more nimble. His hands changed shape such that his thumb was now lined up with the rest of his fingers.Curling up onto a ball, he began to shrink, eventually becoming the size of a raccoon.

Morning came, and his mother opened his bedroom door to his room, only to see a golden colored raccoon sleeping on his bed.

“Billy?” she said, not even sure if that was him or not. Waking up, Billy stood up and looked at his mother. He tries to say something, but only produced warbling like raccoon sounds.

“Is that you Billy?” the raccoon nodded his head, confused as his mother was. Walking over to him, his mother picked him up and cuddled him. Trying to ask her what was going on, he again could only warble. As if sensing what he was trying to ask, his mother said

“I don’t know Billy, but I’m going to call the doctor and find out”.

As his mother was on the phone with the doctor, Billy’s father came downstairs, and jumped at the site of a golden raccoon standing on the kitchen table. The raccoon picked up a pad and pen and managed to write the name 'Billy' on it. Handing his father the pad, he nodded his furry little head when the man asked him if the raccoon was his son. Confirming that the raccoon was in actuality their son, his mother continued to talk to the doctor on the phone. She told him what had happened. The doctor was just as shocked as she was but then remembered his nurses words

“Doctor, have you seen the vial of Procyon serum? I left it on the table and I can’t find it.” He realized that he got gotten the serum for Billy’s booster shot from a table. He also remembered what Procyon serum did. It was an experimental formula that could make a person immune to raccoon rabies, but he had also heard of side effects, up to an including a person being transformed into a raccoon. He never really believed the rumors of the side effects, dismissing them as 'you've been reading to much fantasy'. Out of curiosity, he had ordered a vial to study it. He explained the story of what had happened to Billy’s mother. He assured her that Billy would be able to live a full and happy life as a raccoon, he would even have the life expectancy of a human. She was still upset and told him that she could technically sue for malpractice, but if Billy was happy this way she would consider forgiving him.

Looking at Billy, she told him that there was no way he could be human again, and that he was going to live out the rest of his life as a raccoon. She half expected him to start crying, but was suspired to see him move, almost as if to say

“Yes!” including the arm movements. His doctor again apologized, but said that he would provide them with all of the food Billy would need as a raccoon, and would still make sure to take care of his medical needs.

When his mother explained the situation to him, Billy wasn’t sure what to do now. In all honesty he wanted to play and to see what his new body could do. Jumping off the table he started running around the house after his cats, warbling happy all the way. Standing next to his mother, Billy’s father turned to her and asked

“Remember how a few days ago he asked about what getting the cats 'fixed' meant? I think we should hold out on telling him that 'fixed' mean neutering for a while”