A small measure for a small problem

Hats off to Deep Space Nine’s "The Magnificent Ferengi" which provided the inspiration for this short.

* * *

Larry approached his Sister Alice’s house and rang the doorbell. Earlier she’d requested he come over as she had a proposition for him; something they couldn’t discuss over the phone. Larry wondered why she wanted him there at 11 p.m.

Alice opened the door a minute later, asking Larry to come in and take off his shoes while she prepared something to eat and drink.

"What do you take in your coffee?" Alice asked.

"Isn’t is a little late for coffee?" Larry asked.

"Trust me, you’re going to need it," Alice responded.

Larry raised his right eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders. "Um, black with one sugar."

"You take your coffee black?" Alice called back.

"Yeah, what’s wrong with that?" Larry responded as he untied his shoes.

"Nothing, it’s just weird. Everyone I know takes at least a little cream."

Minutes later, Larry was sitting in Alice’s living room when she walked in with coffee and a bag of potato chips. She sat down on a chair to Larry’s left and folded her arms.

"So," he started, waiting for Alice to look in his direction. "What is this proposition you have?" Larry asked, taking a chip and eating it.

Alice crossed her legs and folded her hands. Larry knew this meant she was serious. "This is going to sound a little wild so please bear with me."

Larry sipped his coffee, never taking his eyes off his sister. "You have my undivided attention."

Alice smirked, "now there’s an oxymoron."

"Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?" Larry asked, although he knew what his sister meant; his attention span wasn’t great.

"Sorry, I was only kidding. Seriously speaking, you know my ahem … associate Penelope right?"

"Yes; what about her?" Larry asked.

"I need you to do something for me. There are things I suspect she's stolen. I need you to confirm whether or not my suspicious are valid or not."

"What sort of thing?" Larry asked. He didn’t like where this was going.

"I want … need you to see if she has some files I had on a CD that disappeared and if she has a couple of books of mine."

"How did she get them?"

"I have reason to believe she broke into my house last week. That’s when they went missing and I’ve seen her around my property a lot. I’m sure she thinks I didn’t see her but she was wrong," Alice answered.

"Just how do you expect me to do that? I don’t know her personally; she’d never let me in!" Larry protested.

"I know; it’s how you’re going to get in that is why I asked you to come here," Alice responded.

Larry took another sip of coffee and glared at Alice. "Alice, I’m not a secret agent, that’s above the law and can just break into her house! Besides, if she’s stole these thing from you, why not just call the cops?" Larry asked.

"It would take days … weeks perhaps to get a search warrant. You know how it is with the courts Larry. How could I prove she took these things? It’d be her word against mine!"

"Okay, but why not just let her have them? It’s just a couple of books and a CD, it’s not like she stole hundreds or thousands of dollars from you!" Larry protested.

"It’s the contents of the CD and books that worry me. I know this will be hard for you to believe and/or accept but they’re magic books with secrets that in the wrong hands would be dangerous. Those files, Same idea," Alice answered.

"Come on ‘sis, you’re talking crazy now! This is nuts! Is this some sort of joke where you reveal a hidden camera or something?" Larry asked.

Alice frowned. "It isn’t a joke."

Larry rubbed his eyes and sighed. "You’re asking me to believe in magic and that Penelope is involved in a conspiracy!"

"I know it’s hard to believe but you have to trust me … please Larry, I wouldn’t ask or reveal any of this to anyone else but I know I can trust you."

If Larry didn’t have a headache before, he did now. "I’ve never known you to make stuff up, at least nothing of this degree. But, how am I supposed to get into her house and what if the police catch me?"

"There is a way you can get in … through the cat door. Should the police see you, I doubt they’d arrest you."

"Cat door? I’d never fit through one of those, and I doubt the police are going to ignore a break and entering, well entering anyway as I suppose I’m not breaking anything."

Alice grinned in a devious way that Larry had never seen before. "At the moment you’re too big and they’d arrest you, but with what I have in mind, those issues won’t exist."

Larry sighed, his headache growing, "What are talking about?"

"I’ll get to the point. I’ve been studying … tactics to change a person into an animal and," Alice started.

"You’re crazy! You’re saying you want me to become a cat and go into her house via the cat door. That’s just insane!" Larry protested.

"Not a cat … I need you to access her computer, so I’ll need something that can type. A child may be able to fit through the door but I can’t regress anyone … not yet anyway." Another grin, Larry had a distinct feeling Alice was enjoying this and perhaps felt a little as though she were toying with him. "A squirrel has hand like paws but they’re too small. A monkey would be too suspicious. A raccoon on the other hand, their paws are a lot like hands and they’re common enough around here that no one would suspect a thing seeing one wandering around during the night. Anyway, they’re natural thieves."

Larry recoiled, looking at his sister with fear. He smiled, made a light snort, lay back in the chair and folded his hands. "So, let me get this straight, you want me to become a raccoon, break into a house, steal this stuff and bring it back to you?"

Alice sipped at her coffee and ate a few chips before continuing. "Yep, pretty much."

Larry looked at his coffee and glared. "Are you going to tell me I have no choice and you’ve put some kind of serum in my coffee?" Larry asked.

"I wouldn’t force you into this Larry. Look, I know you have no reason to believe me if I just tell you so why not let me show you?" Alice asked.

Larry felt nervous; she did sound serious and what she was proposing sounded dangerous. That part of it both scared and perhaps excited him a little.

"How do you plan on doing that?" he asked, although he was already forming images in his head of what she might do to him. He sipped at his coffee as he waited for his sister to respond.

"Like this," Alice said. She chanted a few words Larry didn’t recognise. His tailbone tingled before he felt something pushing at the top of his pants. The feeling lasted for several seconds and when it passed, he leaned forward and looked back, gasped at the sight of a bushy brown tail with six black rings! He touched it, it was warm and he’d felt himself touch it; It was his!

"Is that … real?" he asked, his voice trembling.

"Of course it is bro. Just as I told you, I have these abilities. Now, I can finish this or make your new … friend go away. What do you say?" Alice asked.

Larry had to consider this for a few minutes. Alice's plan was a risky one. Larry would be sneaking into someone's house. There was the risk they would catch him; the results of which could mean any number of unpleasant fates. Becoming an animal carried the risk he'd end up stuck that way. There was also the risk of losing himself to the animal form, not to mention any number of mental or psychological affects it would have on him. The choice of species seemed to make some iota of sense. He guessed a cat couldn’t access a computer with its paws and a squirrel, chipmunk or some other rodent would be too small.

"Are there any risks? I mean, I like raccoons and all but I don’t want to live out my life as one!" Larry asked.

"I can change you back after. There are risks of course," Alice answered.

"I don’t know then," Larry replied.

"Come on bro, there’s risk in everything. Remember in 10^th grade when you saw Bobby Millon cheating off of you on a Math test and confronted him about it?"

"That was twelve years ago!" Larry responded, still staring at his tail. He couldn’t help but touch it. Its soft texture didn't fascinate him half as much as how it felt to have someone touch it. He was still in disbelief over having it.

"Yes and you were risking the guy beating you up for it, I mean he was a big guy, even the boys in my grade were nervous around him and we were two years older then you guys!"

"It did pay off, he said he was sorry and I offered to help with his problems with the class. He always told me he not only passed but did well because of that and learned a valuable lesson on that day," Larry said.

"My point being is … sometimes doing the right thing is risky and there is always the chance you might end up on the losing side. But, there are times when inaction could result in disaster."

Larry sighed; Alice was right; there were plenty of examples in history where people had to take big risks in order to do what was right. However, there were times those risks ended in disaster. He wasn’t sure he was ready for that.

"What sort of things could happen to me if I do end up on the losing side?" he asked.

"Well, if I don’t change you back within eight hours, you’ll be stuck like this for at least a week before I can again. After the initial eight hours, it will probably start to affect your mind. Oh, you’ll still remember who you are and such but you might start having … intelligence problems."

The idea of losing his intelligence was unappealing but he did seem to have enough time to avoid that. "Eight hours eh? I guess I can get in and out of there in eight hours."

"I know it’s risky Larry and if I could change myself I’d do that and never risk you but I’m asking for you to take this risk. Please?"

Larry considered it before responding. "All right but no bandit jokes or anything like that," Larry responded.

"Don’t worry, no bandit jokes" Alice smirked.

"So, um when do we do this?" Larry asked.

"I think I should finish this off now. Better to get it over with as soon as possible. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt," Alice responded.

Larry stood up and took a deep breath. "I know I’m probably going to regret this but I’m ready when you are!"

Alice stood.

"All right then bro. Now, try to stay calm, don’t try to resist it, just let it happen." Larry felt his heart start to pound as shivers ran down his spine. He couldn’t help but close his eyes as he breathed deeply. "It’ll be fine, don’t worry, I’m right here."

Alice chanted several phrases and Larry felt a wave of dizziness and itchiness flow through his body. The world seemed to spin and Larry could have sworn he felt someone or something pushing down on his head. Sweat poured down his body as the room temperature increased or so, it felt like it had.

Larry experienced a sudden and overpowering urge to remove his clothes, which by now were already far too baggy anyway. While he didn’t want Alice seeing him naked, there was a part of his mind that tried to reassure him it soon wouldn’t matter. He tugged at his shirt before stopping.

"Don’t stop on my account; if you’re feeling the urge to remove your clothes, that’s normal. Don’t worry, I won’t look," Alice said.

Larry breathed a sigh of relief and threw his shirt off, feeling fur on both his arms and face as they brushed against each other. He allowed his jeans and underwear to fall down before stepped out of them. He then knelt down and pulled his socks off, not bothering to open his eyes. His hips and legs felt funny, as though the bones were shifting and moving.

"You’re doing fine Larry, you’re almost halfway there. Now comes the fun part. Let the animal emotions come naturally, don’t fight them … embrace them as part of your new form," he heard Alice say.

Larry felt a sensation that he could only describe as himself gaining weight as his jaw and nose ached. His centre of gravity shifted, forcing him onto all fours. Rather then finding himself on his hands and knees however, he was on his hand like forefeet and his back feet! This felt strange and brought forth the fact he was becoming an animal. He fought back the urge to panic and kept his cool.

A feeling of curiosity and wonder nearly overwhelmed him as sounds and smells intensified, the sensation similar to immersing oneself in water. It was overwhelming at first and Larry needed a few moments to regain his composure.

He opened his eyes, find the world massive with his new stature. He could see his muzzle in his vision and at first, it was a little distracting. He stood on his hind legs and touched his muzzle, confirming it was his. His opened his mouth and felt his new sharp teeth. Removing his hand like paws from his mouth, he started at them. They looked like a small version of a human hand, albeit with the claws and no thumb. He felt his belly fur, admiring the texture and the strange sensation of not only having fur but someone touching it. He discovered his paws were giving him far more information then his hands would have. While his eyesight wasn’t as good, especially with his smaller size, this combined with his excellent hearing and sense of smell more then made up for it.

Feeling around his furry head, he discovered his human hair was gone; he felt as though he’d gone bald. Of course, he did had a fur covered head now, so that seemed to make up for it. He also could feel his ears, now rounded and standing atop his head as though they’d always been there. He couldn’t help but feel the sides of his head to confirm that indeed, his human ears weren’t there anymore.

"Just about done Larry, here comes the last part!" Alice said.

Larry felt his neck re-align. It didn’t hurt, but the feeling was more then a little disturbing. Once it passed, he felt complete. He tried to say something but only a chittering and series of warbles escaped his whiskered muzzle. Losing the ability to speak had Larry in a state of hear panic! After a few seconds, he realised these were normal sounds for this series and calmed himself; if anything, at least he wouldn’t have to worry about grammar or watching what he said while in this form.

"You’re done! Congratulations Larry, you are a raccoon!" Alice said.

Larry’s new found sense of curiosity had him sniffing the rug all around him. He grabbed and sniffed his clothes. They stank of human scent, his odour, and one he never really knew he had. It instilled in him a sense of duality; he knew it was his, yet it felt alien now, something he (for the time being at least) longer had.

"All right, Larry, let’s get this over with. The faster you do it, the sooner you can explore this before I need to change you back okay?" Alice asked.

Larry looked up at his sister and nodded. Alice picked him up and took him over to her closet. She put him down in front of the mirror and he got a good look at himself. He had to admit he was handsome. Alice dressed and took Larry outside. She carried him most of the way to Penelope’s house, stopping two houses before hers. Larry was so preoccupied taking in the smells and sounds of the night that he barley noticed when Alice put him on the ground.

"Okay Larry, snap out of it," She said. Larry looked up at her and did his best to focus. "Her house is two doors that way. She leaves her cat door unlocked so her cats can get in. Her computer is in her spare bedroom and her bookcase in the living room. Don’t try to take anything, just let me know if she has the things in there. If she does, then go back, delete the files, and if possible get the c.d., it’s a blue one. Carry the books outside if you can, don’t worry if they get scratched up a bit, just get them out of there."

Larry nodded, still unsure if this was all happening for real. A part of him expected to wake up to find it was all a dream. Nevertheless, he nodded at Alice and started walking towards his target. He was nervous yet at the same time excited. This felt like the movies to him. While he felt guilty about sneaking into someone’s house, doing it as an animal had a strange aura of fascination and adventure. He took one last look back at Alice as he walked far enough that he couldn’t see her anymore. He felt crazy for what he was about to do and intended to ask her just where she got these abilities. Hearing rumours of others with them was one thing, seeing your older sister with them was another.

He approached Penelope’s house and took a deep breath. He walked up the cool sidewalk leading to her front porch and door. Seeing the cat door, he could smell the scent of Penelope’s cats on it. He pushed on it with his front right paw and it pushed in. With one final deep breath, he walked through the door and into the house.

 

* * *

The house was dark and quiet. Larry walked into the living room, his claws clanging against the cool ceramic tiles. He tried to ignore the sound, as well as the worry that accompanied each clatter. It felt as though at any time he’d give himself away. He felt as though a professional would find a way to stay quiet without even having to think about it. He then realised that (to his knowledge at least) there wasn’t such a thing as a professional who took raccoon form for such purposes and dismissed the thought.

He stopped for a second when he realised he was walking on all fours without thinking about it. It felt just as normal as walking on two feet in human form. It was fascinating yet disturbing. Being lower to the ground felt secure, safe and perhaps even quaint. It was a pleasant sensation that awakened long forgotten feelings and ways of thinking from his infancy. The simplest things fascinated him; he didn't worry about the ills of society and would allow his entire day to revolve around a television show or enjoyable meal. He did his best to focus on his mission without losing himself in his new form.

When he reached the carpeted living room, he sniffed the air and listened as best as he could. He could definitely smell a human in the house. How he knew that smell, he didn’t know. It was similar to the scent he’d detected on his clothes but it had its differences. He listened and from the slight creaks, ascertained that the human was in bed upstairs. He was about to head downstairs to access her computer and find those files when something caught his attention; there was a wonderful aroma coming from the kitchen!

His human attention span was short enough but now it seemed to be a contradiction of terms! For the moment, he forgot his job and rushed into the kitchen. He followed the scent onto the kitchen counter and climbed up to it with ease. He discovered a bowl of what smelled like chicken sitting on a windowsill. He saw it was a bowl of dry cat food. He figured no one would mind if a little bit went missing. The human would attribute the missing food to the cats anyway, so it wasn’t as if she’d be able to tell if he was the culprit.

He dug into it with an almost ravenous appetite. It took his utmost effort to prevent him from cheering (or chittering as his current vocal chords would have it) in joy. The cat food tasted just like chicken that was barbecued and basted in a tasty sauce. He’d tried cat food and even dog food once or twice and they’d tasted bland. He could only assume his sense of taste was much stronger now and he was happy for that.

Now I understand why a cat or dog eats like a pig, this is delicious!

He stopped eating when he’d emptied the bowl. He couldn’t help but stand on his hind legs and pet his belly. Never before had something so simple as eating felt so good. It was elementary for him to see how easily he could lose himself in this. Not wanting to waste any more time, he jumped onto the kitchen floor. He looked at the clock on the microwave. It read was midnight. He figured he’d only been this way a half-hour at most and had plenty of time to carry out his objectives.

Walking back into the living room, he listened for any sign his eating had woken the human; so far, so good, she still seemed to be asleep. Larry however, was ready to bolt at any time. Sure, he’d experienced fear as a human, including the type where one sees bullies approaching and is planning escape routes before any of them utters a single threat or insult. This time however, it was an instinctual panic where one just flees or fights without thinking. The only concern is to escape or eliminate your foe. His senses detected no sign of the cats so he felt safe for the time being. Feeling of mischief hit him; since no one knew he was here and he was an animal who no one would ever hold accountable for his actions, he could get away with almost anything. The seriousness of his situation seemed to take a back seat to the amusing and fun possibilities it offered him. He managed to regain his composure however and knew that he could have fun when he was done with all of this. Without the worry of a mission on complete, this would be much more enjoyable anyway.

Focus Larry, focus!

Larry wandered over to the bookcase, doing his best to remember the books Alice had mentioned. Unfortunately, it was becoming difficult to focus. A part of his mind, the raccoon one more interested in his own curiosity, wanted to explore how the books smelled, felt and looked. The moonlight glistening off some of them interested him the most. He managed to concentrate on the human part of his mind, allowing him to focus enough to find both of the books Alice was after.

Unfortunately, he also saw a set of comic books beside them. The raccoon side of him started affecting his human side; it beckoned a more child like way of thinking, of shunning responsibility and being more interesting in amusing himself. He instantly became more interested in the comics, the books he needed were there after all and he still had plenty of time; why worry about them now when he could have some fun and worry about them later?

He picked out two of them and holding them in his mouth, walked them over to the couch and stretched out on his furry belly. He dropped both and opened the top one, using his paws just like little hands. What little light the moon provided him was more then enough for his nocturnal eyes. By the time he was halfway through the second book, he’d lost himself in it to the point of forgetting about where and even what he was. He chittered at a funny joke and instantly realised his mistake. Hearing the human stepping out of bed, he was almost ready to panic. He closed the comic, grabbed both books and dashed under the couch, trying to stay as quiet and still as he could.

Come on, it was nothing, you were just dreaming, go back to bed! Oh man Larry, look what you’ve got yourself into now!

Larry heard human walk into the living room. "Who’s in here? I could have sworn I heard something!" she said.

No one is in here everything’s fine.

The human walked right by the couch and Larry froze, fearing that she was about to catch him. He felt much the proverbial kid whose parents had caught him with his hand in the cookie jar ten minutes before supper. Of course, Penelope wouldn’t call the police; they could hardly arrest a raccoon for trespassing. Perhaps she’d figure out who he really was and do something harmful but more likely she’d assume he was a wild animal and try to capture or even kill him! The human stopped as though she’d heard something and Larry was certain she’d spotted him.

Get ready to run Larry. Oh boy, Alice is going to kill me for failing her!

Much to Larry’s relief however, the human walked off muttering something about hearing things and getting her ears checked. When Larry heard that she was back upstairs and in bed, he crawled out from under the couch. He considering going back to the comic but realised he’d already had too close of a call to risk it. He walked the comics’ back and put them back into their spot. Now that he knew the books were there, he would be able to get them outside after working on the computer, or he would if one of them wasn’t missing!

Oh great, she took it with her … welcome to the next level Larry.

Penelope having the book meant Larry had to sneak into to her room and somehow wrestle it from her hands. That was going to be difficult although he found himself reminded of game scenarios where you must be stealth to get past a difficult level. He decided that would be the last thing he would try. While the human part of him was nervous after that, the raccoon part wondered how she’s react should she see him.

That would give her a good scare!

Listening intently, Larry walked down the stairs leading to the basement. It was cooler down there and there was a musty smell. As well, Larry could smell fabric softener, detergent and a slight hint of bleach. The fabric softener was the vanilla scent he always loved. To his elation, there just happened to be a pair of towels sitting on top of the dryer. While it was like something out of a commercial for the stuff, Larry didn’t care, it smelled nice and that was enough for him.

Once again, his raccoon side got the better of him and he ran at and climbed onto the dryer, leaping onto the towels. They were soft and smelled wonderful! He wrapped the towel around him, its soft texture massaging his fur. The smell surrounded him and he lay on his back, spreading his legs as he let it permeate his nostrils. He relaxed so much that he ended up dozing off.

He later awoke, not sure how much time had passed. He hadn’t of dreamt so could only assume he wasn’t out for that long. He removed the towel; feeling disappointed that he had to let it go but also at his having lost himself again.

Man, this body is easy to lose oneself in. He folded it as best as he could, but it still looked messy. There were a few strands of his fur on it but he chose to ignore them. She’ll just think the cats did it. He jumped off the dryer, noting his fur now had the vanilla sent on it, something he didn’t mind at all. In fact he couldn’t help but smell his fur for several minutes, just enjoying the smell. Eventually, he knew he had to get on with things.

He wandered into the computer room, jumped onto the chair and turned the monitor on. With his little paws, the mouse the keyboard seemed huge, but he knew he could manage. He saw from the computer clock that it was three am! He worried that Alice would be concerned and hoped he could finish his task before he had her coming for him. He looked around the desk and immediately found the CD Alice had mentioned. He then went into the task of searching for the files. His paws and finger like digits allowed him to use the keyboard, although their small size made it difficult. He wished they made keyboards smaller, although doubted they had his situation in mind when designing them.

Unfortunately, the search process was taking a while, and it looked like he was going to have to sort through many files. Boredom had his mind wandering and he started surfing the web. His first instinct was to look up pictures of raccoons to see if there were any pictures of any that were as handsome as he (not that he was vain or anything).

As the search results from his raccoon search (his file search now at the back of his mind) poured in, he looked around the desk. There was a webcam on it and he considered snapping a few shots of himself that he might upload somewhere should be get the chance. Perhaps he could take a picture of himself giving a thumbs up or standing on his hind legs with his paws on his hips, saluting or doing something else non animal like. In what was starting to become a normal way of thinking, one that reminded him of a child or toddler, albeit one with the knowledge of an adult, he acted on that thought. He snapped a few pictures of himself, including one of him doing the famous Vulcan salute; that would give the viewers something to debate over. He could only imagine the results. Some would debate the veracity of the images. Others would want to know how whoever took them managed to get a raccoon to pose that way. If he were still human, Larry would have laughed at the debates he could set off.

He did his best not to chortle at his antics. It was hilarious for him to be able to see an animal doing all these things and since that animal was he, he could get him to post in any way he wished. He soon had a collection of twenty pictures. It took him another fifteen minutes to locate a site where he could upload pictures without establishing an account; the last thing he needed was a paper trail (even if it was only electronic).

When he’d upload each picture, he deleted them from the computer’s hard drive and went back to his original search results. At this point, the fact he’d wasted nearly forty-five minutes didn’t bother him; he still had plenty of time. There were many files listed in the search. Alice had mentioned mostly documents and a few images from the CD and Larry had searched using terms Alice mentioned. He went through each file to make sure it set the criteria she’d mentioned before deleting it. When he was done, it was four thirty am.

Feeling satisfied Larry did his best to make sure there were no traces he’d used the computer, grabbed the CD, and headed back upstairs. Unfortunately, as soon as he reached the main floor, he encountered a cat, an orange tabby that immediately hissed at him.

Holy crap it’s a tiger!

It took him a few seconds to remember his perspective; this was a house cat, he just wasn’t used to seeing one from the perspective of a raccoon! He wanted to hiss back at the cat; unfortunately, the CD currently occupied his mouth. He considered scratching at it but didn’t want to hurt it. He was larger then the cat and hoped to use his size to intimidate it.

The cat didn’t back off; instead, it followed Larry as he walked towards the front door. Its back was arched, the fur all standing on end, its ears were pinned back and it was growling. Larry considered his next option and ran for the cat door; the cat pursued. Larry made it outside and ran to where Alice was still waiting for him. She looked tired but vigilant. Larry saw the cat back off when it saw Alice. Larry stood on his hind legs and handed Alice the CD as she knelt down.

"I was getting worried! Did you see the books in there?" she asked, taking the CD. Larry nodded. "All right, go back and get them." She petted Larry’s head and smiled before smelling him. "Why do you smell like vanilla?" she asked.

Larry held his hands out as though in a motion one might use when saying they are innocent of an accusation. Alice couldn’t help but giggle and smile as she ruffled the fur on Larry’s head.

"You got distracted and started exploring didn’t you?" Larry nodded his head. "Even as an animal, you’re still Larry," Alice smiled, managing a hug. "All right, just be careful when you go back. You are okay with that right? I don’t want to force you." Larry nodded. "Okay then bro, just try and stay out of trouble. Don’t worry about me, I’m fine out here, I have ways of making the time pass quickly for myself. It’s about four forty so you only have a few hours to go, be careful."

With that, Larry turned around and ran back towards the house. He was feeling a little more nervous but he was already comfortable in this form. A sense of adventure filled him as he re-entered the house and locked the cat door behind him after sniffing the air, listening for the cat and finding it was still outside.

The first objective was easy, the first of the two books in the bookcase. Larry was able to find it just fine, although resisting the comics took a lot of self-control. He managed to grab the book and carried it in his mouth, using his front right paw to keep it steady as he walked on three feet towards the front door. Putting the book down by the cat door, Larry turned around and stood on his hind legs to ponder how to get the other book.

He made his way towards the stairs leading upstairs as quietly as he could. Taking it one step at a time, he climbed the stairs. He arrived on the upper level and found Penelope’s room. She was sleeping soundly on her left side when Larry walked into the room. While it was dark, Larry was able to see that Penelope had the book he was after in her right hand halfway open.

Okay, this shouldn’t be too hard.

Larry walked over to the opposite side of the bed and climbed onto it. The first thing he noticed was how soft it was. For a minute, he ignored Penelope completely as he walked around the bed and examined the sheets with his paws as he sniffed them. Penelope seemed to stir as she made a quiet mumbling sound.

Oh great, I don’t need this!

Larry jumped of the bed and dashed under it, hoping that Penelope wouldn’t hear him.

"Toffee, was that you?" she asked.

Larry heard a thud and saw the book fall to the floor opposite him. He grinned and started making his way towards it only for Penelope's hand to come within a hair of his paws as she reached down to pick the book up. Larry dashed back and waited. He heard Penelope shifting about on the bed and hoped she would go back to sleep.

Come on, go back to sleep!

When he heard her shifting stop, Larry crawled out from under the bed and standing on his hind legs, peered up and onto it. Penelope appeared to be sleeping, this time with holding the book on top of her chest. Larry climbed onto the bed and crept over to Penelope. Without warning, she reached her hand over and petted his head, all without looking in his direction. He instantly froze; terrified she’d caught him.

"Your fur doesn’t feel right Toffee, you’re going to need a brushing tomorrow." She sounded so groggy that Larry doubted she even noticed she wasn’t touching her cat, let alone even a cat.

Larry stayed still for what he thought was at least twenty minutes to make sure Penelope was asleep. He saw she was now on her right side, the book just under her left arm. After a check to confirm she'd closed her eyes, Larry made his way towards the book. He climbed over her legs, doing his best not to touch them. He then made his way towards the book and did his best to loosen her grasp from it.

Penelope shifted position, turning into her back and turning her head to her left and much to Larry’s elation, loosening her grasp every so little. Larry saw her turning her head towards him and dashed under the covers, hoping against all odds that she wouldn’t look under them to see what the problem was.

Well, at least she has nice legs.

Larry heard Penelope put the book on the nightstand beside the bed before she shifted position yet again. He waited another twenty minutes before sticking his head out from the covers to see Penelope asleep. He noticed the clock read five forty as he made his way towards the dresser.

Unfortunately, just as he stood on it, his back right foot touched a button on the clock, which set off the alarm! Larry jumped onto the floor and dashed under the bed again, he assumed just barley escaping Penelope seeing him.

"That’s strange, why would the alarm go off now? The cat must have done it. Where did he go?"

Larry heard her moving about looking for her cat before she climbed out of bed and called the cat’s name. Larry heard her walk downstairs and feared she’d see the other book by the cat door and/or the fact he’d locked it. Not wanting to waste time, he climbed out and jumped onto the bed, leaping onto the dresser. This time he made sure not to accidentally set off the alarm as he grabbed the book in his mouth. As with the other one, he balanced it with his front right paw as he dropped it into the bed then lowered it onto the floor before making his way out of the bedroom.

"How the cats would get the book let alone put it there is beyond me!" he heard Penelope say as he walked into the spare bedroom and hoped the darkness would conceal him. He waited for her to get back into bed and settle down, something that took another ten minutes before he walked out of the room and made his way down the stairs. He was thankful that she hadn’t of noticed the book was gone.

When he was finally down, he put the book by the now unlocked cat door. The other one wasn’t there. Larry ran back into the living room and was overjoyed to find it back on the bookcase; at least he wouldn’t have to get it from her again. He climbed up and again grabbed and brought it over to the door.

Feeling a tad bit tired, Larry just barley managed to get both books through the cat door; He left one on the porch before hiding the other in the garden and bringing the one on the porch back to Alice. He imaged anyone passing by would find his appearance silly.

Alice was sitting where she had been before and smiled when she saw him. "Did you get the other one?" she asked.

Larry nodded and ran back for it; unfortunately, when he arrived at where it should have been, it wasn’t there! Larry’s eyes went wide as he tried to think of who could have taken the book.

Great, where is it? Oh man, I don’t have time for this. Oh wait…

Embarrassment, Larry realised he was looking in the wrong Bush. He walked to the correct one and found the book exactly where he’d left it. He carried it back to Alice and released it. Alice opened it; Larry assuming she was making sure everything was all right.

Larry was feeling exhausted and lay down on his belly.

"Great, everything looks good. Excellent work bro," Alice said, putting the book down.

Weary eyed; Larry looked up at her, unable to suppress a yawn. Alice smiled and petted Larry on the head before scratching behind his ears. Larry felt he should resist this, but it felt too nice to resist. Almost subconsciously, he started cooing as he closed his eyes and tiled his head into Alice’s hands.

"You know, if you like this, I can keep you this way if that’s what you want."

Thanks for the offer ‘sis but no thanks.

Larry opened his eyes and shook his head.

"To bad, you’re cute this way," Alice said.

Larry stopped cooing and looked right at Alice. She stopped petting him and grinned.

"I’m kidding bro. Come on, let’s get home so I can change you back." Larry nodded before motioning his head towards Alice to say he wanted her to resume petting him. She stopped for just long enough to put the books and CD into a dufflebag and hoist it over her right shoulder. Picking Larry up, Alice held him against her body, never ceasing rubbing behind his ears. Larry lay into it, closed his eyes and allowed the sound of Alice breathing to soothe him into sleep.

 

* * *

Larry woke up looking at the ceiling in his sister’s spare bedroom. He noticed he was dressed when he sat up. He looked at the clock on the nightstand; it said 10:30 am. Alice walked into the room a minute later.

"Ah, you’re awake," she said with a smile.

"Alice?" Larry asked, waking up. "I had the strangest dream. You asked me to come over to your house and then you turned me into a raccoon. You set me loose in your co-workers house to get things back that you said she couldn’t have because she’d unleash Armageddon or something."

"Er, bro … that wasn’t a dream," Alice said with a smirk.

"You mean, I really did do all those things and I really was an animal?"

Alice nodded with a smile. Larry started looking over his body in an almost panic.

"It’s okay, I was able to reverse the spell. Too bad, you made a cute raccoon," Alice winked. "So, what was it like?"

"What was it like? Well," he went on to describe his experience to her.

"Sounds like a lot of fun!" Alice said with a smile.

"Fun? Alice I could have got myself killed, mauled by a cat, captured by Penelope, animal control or who knows what else. You set me in there in a strange body I near lost myself to more then once with no idea what to do if someone caught me. It was insane, unethical and bizarre! If you ever come up with something like this again…"

Alice looked a bit upset, and Larry smiled at her to show he wasn’t entirely upset with her. "Count me in," Larry said with a wink.