The camping trip

The Smith family was in the process of loading everything into their van in preparation for their trip up to their cabin. Mike and his wife Shannon had been married for 10 years and this was going to be their first family trip. Their two sons Danny and Davie were 6 and 8 years old respectively, this was going to be their first trip to the cabin and they were both excited. Both of them ran around the van over and over again. Mike and Shannon were loading the luggage into the van and were giving their neighbor, Tom last minute instructions for feeding the cats and taking in the mail and newspaper.

Finally the van was packed, and everyone got in and they were underway. Danny and Davie sat in the back, playing gameboy for much of the trip. Mike and Shannon had decided to let them bring it so they wouldn’t spend the entire trip saying,

“are we there yet?” over and over. For lunch they stopped at a McDonalds, eating it in the Van so they wouldn’t have to lose time by stopping. The trip took a total of 8 hours, and by the time they arrived they were well away from any city. The closest town was a 20-minute drive.

Finally arriving at the cabin at suppertime, Shannon showed Danny and Davie around it, while Mike unpacked the van. The cabin was a very nice cabin; it was a fridge and a stove, even a microwave. It had 3 rooms and 2 showers. Mike and Shannon shared the biggest room, while Davie and Danny each took one of the other 2 rooms. They were a bit annoyed buy their not being any TV, but Shannon and Mike were able to convince them that getting away from the TV for a week would be good for them. The back of the cabin also overlooked a large and beautiful lake that would be perfect for swimming in. Finally settling in, they decided to have a barbecue. The fridge was fully stocked, and they had a barbecue right by the beach so they decided to use it.

Eating while sitting on a beach chair overlooking a lake was very relaxing, much more relaxing then sitting at a dinner table. The meat tasted great. After washing the dishes, they all decided to go swimming for a while. The water was cold, but very clean. It was nice to actually be able to swim in a clean lake for once, instead of having to use pools full of chemicals. It was also nice that since there was no TV, that they didn’t have to worry about getting out of the water at a certain time to make sure they did not miss certain programs. For once they could all just enjoy themselves, and be disconnected from society.

After several hours of swimming, it was starting to get dark so they slowly got out of the water, and got dried off. They all felt tried from the trip and from swimming all evening so they decided to go to bed.

As they entered their cabin, and family of otters swan around where the Smiths had been swimming. For hours they swam and warbled. Hearing an odd sound, they look towards the sky, where it appeared to be coming from. They saw an older looking plane heading towards the lake. It appeared to be having problems, and it suddenly released something into the water that touched all of them. Panicking they all submerged. Whatever the plane had released, slowly dissolved into the water. The otters seemed to be okay, so left the immediate area.

**

The next morning, the Smiths awoke to the sounds of birds chirping. The sun was rising over the lake, and the air smelled great and clean. Getting up, everyone walked into the kitchen and ate breakfast. They all ate better then they had eaten in a long time, perhaps the atmosphere of the cabin made the food taste better. They all had a very hearty breakfast of 6 strips of bacon, eggs, orange juice and a large bowl of apple cinnamon flavored oatmeal. The air was still fairly cool, so they decided to go for a nice walk in the woods and once it warmed up they would so swimming again.

The woods were filled with all sorts of wildlife, there were chipmunks, squirrels, raccoons, and even a few skunks. Several times along the walk they stopped to just watch the various species interact with each other. It was a fascinating experience to see them in their natural habitat. The walk lasted for a few hours, and by the time they got back it was afternoon and was getting pretty warm. Running inside to the cabin, they all got their bathing suits on, and headed for the lake.

After swimming for only a few minutes, Davie and Danny both said that they felt strange and a bit dizzy. Shannon and Mike were feeling a bit odd themselves, but couldn’t explain it. Their immediate instinct was to get out of the water, but for some reason they all felt compelled to stay in it.

It started with Davie; he started feeling more and more comfortable in the water. He had never been a great swimmer, but all of the sudden he felt at home in the water. He was finding his bathing suit feeling very restrictive, so without telling anyone, he slipped it off. Swimming in the water completely naked should have made him feel embarrassed, but instead it felt natural. Before the water had felt cold, but now it was starting to feel very comfortable. He couldn’t place it, but he just didn’t feel like himself. Looking up at his hand, he screamed. His hand was webbed! His brother and parents rushed towards him. They all gasp in shock, His entire face and chest were covered in fur. And they could see that he had a tail, a tail that looked just like an otters tail. Looking at his arms, he saw fur starting to grow.

“What’s happening to me?” Davie asked, scared. Reaching over and touching the fur on his chest, Shannon responded

“I don’t know..”, she was caught off when she saw fur sprouting on Danny’s face and chest. Danny looked down at his chest, holding his arms out. Watching the fur on his chest grow, he also saw fur growing on his arms, and his fingers becoming webbed. Looking towards his brother he watched as his face grew into a much more animal shape. Dave’s face pulled out into a muzzle, and long whiskers grew out from the side of it. His teeth all quickly fell out, before he could react new teeth grew in, they sharper and longer, almost like fangs. Tears rolling down his cheeks Danny tried to speak, but all that came out were animal like sounds. Quickly he began to not only shrink, but his arms and legs resized and changed shape. In a matter of a few minutes, he was no bigger then a juvenile otter and was 4-footed. Picking up the otter that used to be her son, Shannon petted him, trying to comfort him. He quickly cheered up though, as if he was happy with his new form. He squirmed a bit, so she put him back in the water, and he turned towards his bother, whose changes were now getting very extensive. Proceeding at a rate similar to Dave’s, Danny’s face very quickly pulled out into a muzzle, whiskers growing from the side of it. Just like with Davie, Danny's teeth fell out and new sharp ones grew in. His entire body was quickly covered in fur, and he sprouted a long tail. Soon, he almost looked like a humanoid otter. That was soon corrected as he quickly shrunk and like Davie became quadreapedal. Cuddling with Davie, Danny seemed to accept his new form easier perhaps having another otter there made is easier for him.

Looking at the two otters now floating there watching them, Mike and Shannon were at a loss at to what to do.

“Now what are we suppose .. suppose” Mike said,

“What’s wrong?” Shannon asked.

“It’s happening to you too” Mike answered. Shannon looked down at her arms; they were growing a pelt of fur, just as her sons had. Her chest quickly started to grow it’s own fur. The water now feeling much more comfortable for her, she felt her bathing suit rip at the back, looking back she saw that she had sprouted a huge and long furry tail. The two formally human otters watched her change and were chattering happily.

“Um, Shannon?” Mike said, looking at him, she saw that he had begun to change, his chest was already covered in beige fur, with dark brown fur already starting to cover his arms. They looked at their hands and saw that each of their hands was now fully webbed and furry. Shannon’s face quickly pulled out into a muzzle, becoming furry and growing whiskers. Sharp otter teeth replaced her teeth. She watched as the name things happened to Mike. Now hugging, they both continued to change as their sons chattered excitedly. Their bodies becoming fully covered in fur, they shrank and became four footed.

The 4 otters floated there looking at each other try to figure out what to do now. They all found that their human lives seemed very distant and human concerns seemed unimportant. They found all they wanted to do was to play. Seeing a small group of other otters approach them, they seemed to now fully understand ‘otter speak’. They each told the group what had happened to them. Responding the group of otters (in otter speak) said to them

“Welcome to the family”. The families of 4 otters swan with them to their home, where they played and enjoyed life and total freedom.