The Find

It was another day at the bookstore for Roy Marchetti as he stood at the front desk. A slow day, only a few customers had stopped by despite the store being open for several hours. The twenty-six year olds love of books and desire to be his own boss had fuelled his desire to take care of the store a year ago when the original owner had to move away. The workload was far greater then he ever imagined and it wasn’t long before he began feeling swamped and depressed. Roy needed a vacation but his management duties forbade it. He was unwilling to sell the store, feeling such an action would be a betrayal of his friends trust and thus felt trapped.

Reading a travel magazine to pass the time, Roy saw an appealing image of a forested region. Closing his eyes, he imagined being there. For a few seconds, it was though he could actually feel the wind on his face, smell the trees and hear the animals scurrying about.

The familiar chiming of the front door bell ended the daydream. Fidgeting with his glasses, he waited for the patron to make their purchases and/or require assistance, hoping they had the time to talk. When the customer came to the front desk, Roy was delighted to see it was Amanda Straker. She was an older woman, whose very appearance spoke volumes of wisdom. She conveyed a gentle and caring aura. Roy had become acquainted with her over the past year. Amanda was a source of both comfort and fascinating stories that Roy could spend hours listening to. Amanda always seemed to enjoy listening to Roy’s perspective on current issues and she always listened when he needed to unload emotional baggage.

She carried two cookbooks and a book about antique cars. She looked at the magazine Roy was reading as she put them on the counter.

"You know," she started as she reached into her blue blouse to retrieve her glasses. "You can see lots of those little guys there," she said, pointing out the pair of raccoons depicted on Roy’s shirt. "You look like you could use a vacation. You should consider going there."

Her voice was soothing, making Roy trust her words. While, he desperately needed a break from tending the store, he simply couldn’t get away.

"I wish I could get away but with managing the store, I just don’t have the time," he answered.

As he rang up her purchases and Amanda paid for them, he noticed her fidgeting with the blue pendant around her neck as she often did when thinking. He wondered if she was coming up a solution to his predicament. As he placed the three books in a bag, she smiled at him.

"Well, if I were you I’d try to find a way to get away. You’ve worked hard over the past year and deserve a vacation. If you ever need someone to talk to I’m here for you," she said.

He smiled and nodded, thanking her before handing her the bag. She departed and he pondered different ways of getting away.

Later that evening, he was closing up the store when a young man appearing to be in his early to mid twenties approach the store. He was carrying a cardboard box that contained several books. Roy allowed him to come in and take the books to the front desk. The young man told him that he was helping to clear out the attic of a grandparent that had passed away and was wondering if he could sell the books. Since he was only asking for forty dollars for the lot, Roy accepted. The young man thanked him and departed shortly before Roy put the box in the back and departed.

* * *

The next morning before opening the store, Roy went through the books to see what he had. There were ten hardcover books in the box. Most of them appeared to be nature books. He casually browsed through each until coming to the last one. It was covered in dust, and appeared considerably older then the others. Dusting it off, he noticed that it had a navy blue cover with but a single word on it, ‘spells’. Assuming the book was fiction, he opened it. The pages had an older smell of leather. Roy’s curious nature compelled him to read on.

Putting on his glasses, he read the book, discovering that its title was quite accurate; it did indeed appear to be a spell book. There were all sorts of spells in it, everything from healing injuries or illness to summoning rainstorms and conjuring up food. He about to close the book and find a way to contact the young man when he came to a spell that intrigued him. It was a spell for granting good fortune to anyone that chanted it. Still wanting a vacation, Roy hoped the spell would somehow provide the means for one.

Deceptively simple, the spell only required reciting a few phrases. Something inside Roy begged him not to go through with it. Unfortunately, his curiosity and desperation to get away made him ignore the feelings. He recited it as best as he could, guessing on the pronunciation of several words. A few minutes later, he had finished the spell. He waited patiently but nothing happened. Sighing, he concluded the spell too good to be true.

He was about to walk to the front desk in resignation to his situation when he felt a cold wind against the back of his neck. The sensation faded moments later and Roy dismissed it as his imagination. He walked back to the desk to await any new customers.

A few people came in and browsed around, some of them purchasing a book or two. As a young woman walked away, Roy felt an itch on his nose. After he scratched it, he looked back at her and noticed her purse seemed to have changed from red to blue! Roy took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t seeing things; indeed the purse was now blue; or was it? Was it his imagination or perhaps the light reflecting off it? He wondered if perhaps she’d stolen someone else’s purse but no one was complaining.

Later on, business was slow, so he started reading a book about North American wildlife, as he was reached a page about red squirrels, he heard a customer come in and ask for assistance. He left the book down and helped said customer to find a book. They paid for it and left the store. Roy went back to the book he’d been reading only to find that the page he was on was now about mountain lions! Roy flipped back to the pages before and then after it, they were as he remembered yet the page he was on was definitely not about red squirrels. Did he remember wrong? Was he going mad? Was burnout finally getting the better of him?

He shook his head and closed the store as he walked to a local restaurant to get something for lunch. He purchased a chicken salad sandwich with a maple donut and a coffee, taking it to go. Back at the store, he went back to his wildlife book as he ate lunch. Again, he had to help a customer with a book, finding he didn’t carry it. He did however, promise to order it. They thanked him and left the store. When he returned, his donut (which at this point he hadn’t touched) was now a plain one, his sandwich egg salad and his coffee black instead of with cream! This was getting to be too much to be a coincidence. One, perhaps two strange incidents like this he could explain but not three. Roy chanced a look at the bill only to find it confirmed the order was as he saw it, not as he remembered it. However, the price was wrong; an egg salad was a dollar cheaper.

Something bizarre was going on. Roy couldn’t help but pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. The ringing of the store’s bell startled him out of his pondering. Breathing deeply as he recovered from the scare, he turned to see Amanda walking into the store. He watched she looked around to make sure no one else was in the store. She had a look of concern on her face as though she knew what was going on.

"Roy, you’re all right! I know what’s happening," she said.

Roy really had no idea how Amanda could have known what was going on. At this point, he didn’t care and was prepared to accept any help he could get. Although, he did have to admit, he feared that help would come in the form of a pair of gentlemen in white-coats coming to take him away. Amanda walked to the front desk with Roy following. She led him into the back room and her expression grew serious.

"What is it? What do you see?" he asked, his voice trembling.

"What exactly did you do?" she asked.

"There were these old books I got in last night. One of them was this spell book; I found a spell that was supposed to grant me good fortune. I tried it hoping it could help me to find a way to get away. Nothing seemed to happen until…" Roy said, Amanda cutting him off.

"Have strange things been happening? Like, small inexplicable changes to things?"

"Yes, I thought I was going mad! How did you know?"

"I could sense it. Unfortunately, it’s just what I feared. When you chanted that spell, you opened a portal to another world. You released sprits of sorts that have the ability to alter reality. Right now they can only exist here for a short while before they must return." Amanda said.

"Come on, you’re kidding me right?" Roy said.

Amanda glared at him before sighing. "I know it’s hard to believe. Would I believe it if I were in your position? No … I wouldn’t."

Roy sighed, "but I know you wouldn’t lie to me and it would explain what’s been happening. So, just how powerful are these spirits?"

"Right now, the transition through the portal limits their power and range; they can only exist in your store at the moment," Amanda said.

"For how long?" Roy asked.

"Thirty-six hours, perhaps forty-eight at most," Amanda said.

"Then what happens?" Roy asked, feeling the nervous beads of sweat forming on his forehead as his heart rate increased and stomach started hurting.

"Then," Amanda started with a sigh. Right before their eyes, her dress changed from blue to pink and the raccoons on Roy’s shirt altered to otters against a lake backdrop. "Reality as we know it could cease to exist. Things like this are only the beginning. Imagine waking up to find at first small things like the make of your car changed or colour of your hair. It grows worse with each passing day. Soon, they learn to alter people’s memories of things and you can’t trust what is real or the way it should be. Imagine waking up one day to find you’re a different person, and everyone thinks its normal, only you know the truth."

"I’d probably go insane wondering if my memories were real or if my life was a dream. Heck, the same might happen with my friends. I’d wonder if any of them are who they say they are," Roy answered.

"Exactly, it could go further then that; imagine waking up as a different species, everyone behaving as though you always were that way."

Roy felt a twinge of panic at that thought.

"And this is all because I chanted a little spell?" Roy asked.

"When dealing with these sorts of forces, anything is possible. Now, there is a way to close the portal before it’s too late but we must hurry," Amanda answered.

Roy was willing to do about anything to resolve this situation and didn’t care how Amanda saw the sprits or knew this was happening. Roy closed the blinds over the store windows so no one would see what was happening and locked the front door after they walked out of the store and into the bright morning sun. Roy followed Amanda down the street and into an alley that led to a parking lot where she kept her car. Roy received yet another shock when he saw the car. It looked ancient and was in mint condition, like something out of history books with pictures of the very first cars. Roy wanted to ask Amanda about this but was too concerned about the situation, inquiring would have to wait.

Amanda drove Roy to her house on the outskirts of town. As they drove, Roy noticed that the car’s engine was virtually silent, there were no emissions from it and not once did they have to stop to refuel. Something was peculiar; he was going to have to ask her about it.

Roy looked at her house in awe as they approached it half an hour later. It was huge and had an almost haunted look to it. Roy might have been scared; however, the house had an almost relaxing aura.

After Amanda parked the car in the driveway, they got out and walked up the front path leading up to the front door. Shock, an emotion that was quickly becoming the norm greeted Roy when he saw Amanda’s garden. The garden looked like a jungle; long thick vines hung everywhere, row after row of spices and herbs that emitted an enticing scent and bushes with leaves nearly as big as him were scattered throughout. Despite its wild appearance, there was also a sense of order. Roy wondered how someone of Amanda’s mature age had the energy to maintain such an extravagant yard.

When they reached the wooden front porch, Amanda unlocked the front door and they walked in together.

"Before we begin, would you like a cup of coffee?" she asked.

Although Roy was terrified, he accepted her offer, feeling he’d need to extra boost of energy for when she’d explain all of this to him.

"Make yourself comfortable while I brew a pot. The living room is to your right," she said.

Ray nodded and started walking towards the room as Amanda disappeared into the kitchen, the floor creaking slightly under his worn boots. As he walked by the stairs, he noticed several pictures leading up the stairwell, one of which caught his eye. Walking up to the fifth stair to get a better view, he looked at the worn picture in shock; it appeared more then a century old. Taking a closer look, he noticed a happy middle aged couple pictured in the same car Amanda had. The woman looked like a younger version of Amanda. Roy guessed the couple was Amanda’s parents or possibly her grandparents. There was a date in the bottom right hand corner; he was about to check it when he heard the creaking of the floor from behind him. Turning, he saw Amanda walking with a silver tray and a pair of steaming mugs of coffee.

"Sorry, was just looking at the pictures," he confessed, feeling himself blush.

"It’s perfectly alright dear; I can sense you have a curious soul and that this is all bizarre. I assure you that all will be explained," Amanda said, her voice understanding and calm. They walked into the living room together; its décor was yet another surprise for Roy. The chairs and desks were all mint condition antiques from the 1700’s! There was also a fireplace on the far wall and a bookcase loaded with books on the right wall.

"Where’d you get all these antiques from? They 18^th century?" he asked, walking over to a table and running his right hand over the smooth wood surface, "they’re like new!"

Amanda smiled as she put the tray into one of the tables, Roy wondering if she were hiding something. Amanda petted the seat beside Roy, before sitting down on the couch behind it. Roy complied, sitting beside her, noting how incredibly soft the dark leathered seat was. It had the scent commonly associate with leather; he would have expected that scent to fade after so long yet, it was as strong as if it were new.

As he sat down, a black cat ran into the room and started rubbing up against his right leg, purring loudly. He reached down and petted the cat, which obviously enjoyed the gesture.

"Cute cat, what’d his name?" Roy asked.

"Jimmy," Amanda answered.

Amanda took a sip of her coffee before putting it back onto the table, leaning back and folding her arms.

"Unfortunately, that spell you miscast is incredibly powerful but we can reverse it. Reversing it will not be easy but we have little choice. We require a specific set of items. Unfortunately, there are none in this realm. They exist in the same realm those spirits come from. We need to visit it. There is a shop there, I know the owner and he can direct us to them."

Roy’s eyes went wide. He wanted to believe Amanda but this was getting to be a bit much. "This is crazy," he said, fidgeting. "You’re saying we need to go to another world!"

"Roy, I know this all must be overwhelming to you," walking over to Roy, she took his hands into her own. "You have to believe me. I ask you take a leap of faith and trust me."

"All right," Roy nodded.

Standing up, Amanda kept holding Roy’s hands. "Now, close your eyes and I will teleport us there. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt. Jimmy, take good care of the place while we’re gone," Amanda said.

She chanted a few words and Roy felt a twinge of dizziness followed by the sensation as though they were floating in mid air as the temperature around them cooled. It faded a few seconds later and they seemed to be on solid ground again.

"You can open your eyes," Amanda said.

Roy did so and he saw they were in a store of some sorts. The interior looked like something out of any number of wizard novels and stories. Strange bottles and ancient books lined the shelves. Some shelves had items such as tentacles and what appeared to be live spiders in them. The store had a musty odour to it and was rather chilly. Roy didn’t want to believe anything he was seeing; it was all too fantastic to be real.

Stay calm Roy; it’s all a dream.

The wooden floorboards creaked as Amanda led Roy to the front desk. The attendant was an older man with a long white beard dressed in a white robe. He looked just like Roy would picture a wizard and almost matched the description of any number of wizards from the movies.

"Hello Amanda," the man said.

Amanda smiled and nodded at the man. "Good afternoon Trakor," she said.

"Who’s your friend?" Trakor asked.

"This is Roy and he has a not too small problem," Amanda answered.

Roy shook the man’s hand; still not convinced any of this was real. Amanda relayed the story to Trakor, the man shaking his head.

"I’m sorry, I never meant to cause anyone any problems. I didn’t think any of this was real. I feel so foolish for messing with this stuff!" Roy lamented.

"Well young man, if there’s anything I’ve learned in all my years, and believe me when I say, I’ve been around a long time, it’s that there’s no sense in complaining. Rather then think about what you should have known better to do or what you should or shouldn’t have done; let's focus on what you did do. We need to worry about the consequences of your actions. Now let’s see what we can do about them?"

Roy only nodded.

Trakor turned around to the collection of books behind him. He looked over several of them before finding the correct one and opening it. After a few minutes, he was at the correct page.

"We know those spirits all too well I’m afraid. They’re mostly harmless but in our world, we’ve learned to be careful what we do or think as one may be lurking in the shadows. If you (for example) behave in a piggish manor, you might find yourself turning into a pig. Act like a jackass in public and you just might turn into one as every one watches on in fascinated horror. I'm sure you understand the idea. Now, There is a way to close this portal, but the spell to do so requires several things." Trakor held open his hand and a map materialised in it. He put it on the counter and started looking it over. "These items will be difficult to retrieve but nothing worth doing is ever easy eh my boy?" Trakor bellowed.

"I guess not," Roy said, shrugging his shoulders.

"That’s the spirit Roy, now here’s is what you’ll need to find. There is an immense tree with a golden pinecone high atop it. This is no ordinary pinecone and you will definitely recognise it when you see it, " he said, marking it with a fountain pen that was on the desk. "This bush is loaded with berries. There is one I need, you’ll be able to recognise it by its scent; it’ll be a combination of cherry and banana. Now, this may be quite difficult to smell, but I think you can do it. You can only take one berry from this bush; if you take any others, the bush will die." Roy nodded as Trakor marked the map. "There is a cave entrance here, actually there are three or four. You will know the correct cave by the sound coming from it; it sounds a lot like whispering." Roy couldn’t help but giggle. "By all means, share what you find amusing."

"Will it whisper sweet nothings in my ear?" Roy giggled.

Trakor petted Roy’s right shoulder with a smile on his face. "I can see why you like this boy Amanda, I enjoy the way he thinks."

"Seriously my friend, inside, a switch on the wall opens a secret path. Down this path is a pond with mystical water. He said, elbowing Roy with in a friendly way. "Don’t drink it Roy, last chap that did that, let’s just say he found the cave a little otter after it. It didn’t take him long to discover it wasn’t the cave."

Roy just stared at Trakor, his eyes saying ‘you’re insane’. Trakor smiled and winked at him as if to say ‘and I enjoy every minute of it’.

"All I need is a small vial of the water. Once you have all of these items, return here and we can combine them to create the brew necessary for the reversal spell."

"But, what if I can’t climb that tree or smell that bush?"

"There is an object I can provide that will make the task easier," he said.

"What is it?" Roy asked.

Trakor smiled, walked into the back and returned holding an amulet. He handed it to Roy. The amulet was silver in colour with seven symbols etched on it; Roy strung it around his neck before Trakor explained how it worked.

"You’ll love this; this amulet has the power to alter your body parts and make them the parts of an animal, in this case of a raccoon. I decided on that species based on what Amanda had told me about you," he said.

"Wait, you’re saying this could (for example) give me a raccoon tail, face or fur or something like that?" Roy said, his scepticism obvious.

Trakor beamed and nodded.

"You see the seven symbols engraved on it?" he asked. Roy held it, looking down at it and nodding. "It has enough magic to work seven times. However, you must not change your body seven times. The last time must be used to restore your humanity or you will be stuck in a changed state forever," she warned.

"How do I get it to change me?" Roy asked.

"All you need to do is hold it and ask for the types of changes you need," Trakor answered.

"Sounds pretty neat, I can’t wait to try it out!" Roy enthusiastically said.

"Use it with caution Roy; this type of magic is potent. You really will be changing yourself physically; this isn’t a game or joke. If you ended up wishing for a tail, you’ll get a tail; it would be a part of you. We need to know that you understand the implications of this before you use it," Amanda said, sounding concerned.

"How come you guys can’t come with me?" Roy asked.

"It’s a dangerous quest Roy and since you cast the spell that set this all off in the first place, it only seems right that you should get the items to reverse it," Trakor answered.

Roy nodded. "I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if something happened to you guys anyway. I know I can do this. Don’t worry, I’ll be careful." Roy responded.

"Good luck Roy," Trakor said, handing Roy the map and a backpack that he said held containers to hold what Roy was after.

Roy and Amanda nodded and Amanda led him to the front of the store with the map in hand before handing it to him. As he pushed open the door, she gently touched his right shoulder. He looked back at her and she smiled.

"You can do this Roy, I know you can," she said.

Roy smiled, nodded and turned around, heading out the door and into the day to begin his quest.

* * *

Although he had only been walking for twenty minutes, Roy’s feet felt as if it’d been hours. It was sweltering and Roy’s hair and forehead were damp with sweat. Fortunately, he was entering a denser and shaded region of the forest. Roy was nervous, feeling as though someone were watching him and even reading his very thoughts. To his surprise, there was little animal life about. Only the occasional chirping of birds indicated any sign of animal life.

He pulled the map out from his front right pocket coat pocket, using it to direct him to the tree he needed to climb.

Reaching it, he gazed up at it in awe. It seemed to stretch into the sky forever. Removing the backpack, he grabbed into a lower branch and started to climb. Unfortunately, he didn’t get far before it was obvious his lack of climbing skills would make the ascent impossible.

Back on the ground, he looked up the tree hoping to find a way to make the climb without changing his body. When even looking up the tree made him dizzy, he knew he’d never make it. Grabbing the amulet, he looked down at it, nervous of its power. Unfortunately, he had little choice. Sighing, he made the difficult decision to go through with it.

Grasping the amulet, he wished the ability to climb the tree. His heart pounded and he breathed deeply as one of the amulets seven symbols shined and vanished. He let go of the amulet as his hands and feet tingled. Holding his hands in front of his face, he nervously watched his fingernails lengthen into sharp black claws. Warmth overtook his hands as coarse brown fur sprouted on them. Feeling similar warmth within his feet, he acted on an irresistible urge to remove his boots and socks. With them off, It took several seconds for it to register that the feet he was looking at were his own. Brown fur covered both feet, his toenails were sharp black claws, and his toes were now all roughly the same length and size. The tingling faded and Roy stared in disbelief and his feet and hands. Seeing such animal like parts on his body was disturbing to say the least. Hearing this would happen was one thing, experiencing it was another! He shook the feelings aside, reminding himself that as long as he left at least one symbol unused, he’d be able to reverse the changes.

He walked up to the tree and grasped it with his claws, immediately noticing two things. One, his sense of touch was acute; he could feel every minute detail of the bark. He spent several minutes standing there feeling the bark in a sort of trance. Snapping out of it, he firmly and comfortably dug his new claws into the bark. With a renewed sense of confidence, he quickly climbed to the top of the tree and retrieved the pinecone. It sparkled in the sun and was slightly warm to the touch. He soon noticed the incredible view. Surveying the forest, he found it beautiful. A part of him wished he could spend time there as a full raccoon but he knew that although the amulet could make that wish come true, he didn’t have the time. The thought this could actually happen sent shivers down his spine. He climbed back down the tree. At the bottom, he took the pinecone out of his coat pocket and put it into the backpack.

This strange sequence of events only added to the mystery of what was going on. Normally, such things were something he'd read about in fantasy. Sure, he’d heard rumours of people with magical abilities, but he always considered such stories tall tales. Now he had the hands and feet of a raccoon, had just effortlessly climbed a massive tree to retrieve a golden sparkling pinecone and was in a mystical forest. Barriers between what was fantasy and reality were breaking down in his mind. A part of him still wanted to believe this was all a dream or perhaps a hallucination. Everything around him, not to mention his thought processes was far too lucid to be a dream however.

With the pinecone secured, Roy located the bush on the map and started towards it. The sensation of the soil oozing between his raccoon toes was interesting enough that he elected to leave his boots behind. Petting the fur on his hands, he examined his black claws as he walked. He knew he’d have to be careful not to rip the map with his claws.

He easily found the bush ten minutes later. With its massive size (nearly twice as long as he was tall and as tall as he) and sparkling jewel like berries, it was impossible to miss. It immediately became clear that finding the right berry in a sea of berries would be a daunting task. He remembered Trakor telling him about how the proper one smelled and made his way around the bush, sniffing as much of it as he could. Unfortunately, his sense of smell wasn’t strong enough to detect any scents at all from the berries.

Feeling a bit dejected; he feared failure until he had an idea. Looking down at the amulet, he took it into his hands, noting how different it now felt. His curiosity coupled with necessity overrode any resistance he had to further changing his body. Before, he could only fantasise about having animal parts; now being able to experience it for real made holding the amulet rather satisfying. Needing a better sense of smell, he had the perfect excuse to give himself another raccoon part. Having raccoon paws and feet felt bizarre but knowing as long as he didn’t take this too far that he could reverse it relaxed him. Nodding his head, he held the amulet high and wished for a better sense of smell. Again, another one of the symbols vanished, leaving five.

His jaw and nose began to ache as warmth enveloped them. A pressure built from within them and he cupped his jaw as it began growing into a raccoon muzzle. Whiskers sprouting from the sides of his muzzle as his nose turned black and his nostrils flared to the sides. An itching surrounded his new muzzle as fur sprouted all over it. He felt a wave of dizziness for several seconds as the spell reconfigured his brain for having an enhanced sense of smell.

When it passed, he felt slightly different mentally, as though his perception of the world had somehow changed. When he found himself immersed in the scents of the forest, he knew how. He couldn’t help but take in the scents. He wanted to stay longer but realised that he had to continue with his quest.

Turning his attention back to the bush, he could now smell a plethora of scents coming from it. He was almost overjoyed when he smelled cherry and banana. He manoeuvred towards the scent, getting on his hands and knees before finding it towards the bottom centre of the bush. When he found the berry in question, he noticed that it had an almost jewel like lustre to it. Touching it, he felt as though it was as much jewel as it were a berry. Smiling, he picked it and put it into a container in the backpack. A smile crossed his muzzle with the feeling of satisfaction at completing yet another leg of his journey. Getting up, he consulted the map for the location of the cave.

The cave was about a thirty-minute walk away, so he started towards it right away. As he walked, he couldn’t help but touch his muzzle; it felt so strange having one and he wondered how he ever got along without the incredible scents it allowed him access to. Opening his mouth, he felt them with his paws, doubting he’d ever have trouble with meat after feeling how sharp they were. He wondered what he would do once this was all over, his animal parts felt so natural and he was unsure he’d be willing to part with them.

Nearing the cave about twenty five minutes later, he noticed another peculiarity. Stone ruins lined a path leading up to it, as though a temple once existed there. He noticed there was writing on some of the ruins as he traversed the path. Unfortunately, he was unable to decipher it.

Reaching the end of the path, he came to three cave entrances. There wasn’t time to search each but he remembered Trakor’s mentioning that the correct one would have whispering coming from it. Unfortunately, Roy couldn’t hear any. Quickly realising that his human ears probably weren’t good enough to hear it, he grabbed the amulet, realising what he had to do. With his jaw a raccoon muzzle, feet and hands raccoon paws, turning his ears into raccoon ears didn’t seem to significant. Smiling at the thought of getting to experience hearing as a raccoon did, he wished for better hearing. A third symbol vanished from the amulet before his human ears tingled. They quickly moved up his head, becoming furry and rounded. Soon, a pair of raccoon ears poked out from his black hair on top of his head. Feeling his head, he found it alien finding nothing at the sides of his head and gasped in shock when he felt the top of his head and could feel the ears. In a sense, it was scary; another part of his humanity was gone, replaced with that of an animal. It looked natural instead of like an unnatural graft. His mix of fascination and trepidation was interrupted when he realised how much louder everything was.

The substantially louder sounds of the forest flooded his ears, making the area feel much more alive. A part of him wanted to lay down and listen to the sounds his new ears allowed him to hear, but he knew he needed to finish his quest first. When he heard whispering coming from the cave to his left, he grinned. He soon walked towards and into it, ready to begin the final part of his quest.

Inside, the cave was chilly, damp, musty and dark. Roy could hear water running. Although the walls oddly glowed, he couldn’t see far. He quickly noticed the light green glow of the amulet. Unfortunately, even both didn’t provide quite enough light for him to see his way. Reaching into the backpack, he pulled out a flashlight Trakor had packed. How this world had a flashlight, he didn’t know. He decided not to dwell on it and turned it on. The provided enough light to allow him to see much more clearly. He continued on his way, each step he took producing a quiet echo.

He walked for several minutes until he came to a huge lake to his right that was the source of the sound of running water. Roy expected the rocks around it would be slippery. Should he fall in, his clothes would be soaked and he’d have to use the amulet again to remedy it. He didn’t walk far before he found the ground around it was slick making walking treacherous.

Exactly as how I expected it to be.

While Roy was careful, the image of himself slipping and falling in kept replaying in his mind. A part of him almost wanted it to happen as it might force him to give himself fur to make up for the chilling effects. Seconds later, he felt was he could have sworn was someone pushing him right before he slipped and lost his grip on the flashlight. He heard a crashing sound followed by the light going out just before he fell into the water with a loud splash. The water was freezing, deep and a current was dragging him away.

Roy did his best to swim against the current towards the shore. With considerable effort, he made it and pulled himself onto the ledge, lying down staring up into the seemingly endless blackness. Roy breathed deeply over the shock of what had happened. He was now facing two new problems. The first was the flashlight was beside him, the light in pieces; the second, his clothes were soaked; he’d freeze if kept them on. Oddly enough, the amulet was still dry.

Almost like something made it happen.

He stood on his knees and looked down the path, squinting to see in the near total darkness. He was going to have to use the amulet to change himself not once but twice. To continue, he’d need to be able to see in the dark. His wet clothes would only draw heat from his body so he knew he couldn’t wear them until they were dry.

A raccoon's eyes could see a lot better then mine in this dark. If I had the coat of one, I know I’d be warm even if naked.

Such changes would leave two more symbols on the amulet and only one more thing he could change before he had to stop. The situation was looking grim, yet with so few options remaining, he felt as though he was flirting with danger, an oddly exciting emotion.

With little choice, he quickly stripped, putting his wet clothes into a pile on the ground. Shivering from the cold and struggling to see, he held the amulet high and made the requests he needed to. Before his eyes, two of the symbols glowed and disappeared. Almost immediately, his eyes and the entire surface of his skin tickled.

Closing his eyes, he felt them changing as well as the itchy sensation of fur sprouting all over his body. When his eyes stopped tingling, he opened them to find the entire cave much brighter and clearer, albeit in black and white. Looking down at his body, he saw the fur covering it as the water dried, making him feel much warmer. He also noticed something a little embarrassing; he got chubbier as an insulating layer of fat covered his body. While he was shocked at this latest development, he noted it seemed almost fitting on his body. With the changes done, his body, (while humanoid) was fur covered and rounder.

Walking over the lake, he peered over the edge into the water. The face that looked back at him was shocking to say the least. It wasn’t his face at all; it was the face of a raccoon! It didn’t hit him right away that this was truly his face. In fact, this seemed like the face of an animal looking back at him. He found himself wondering why it was covering his real reflection. When he touched his face and felt the fur, he soon realised that this face really was his. Standing a few steps back, he touched his rounder belly; it was soft, warm and pleasant to touch. A part of him was getting worried; being this way felt good. He should have been terrified at these changes, but they felt natural and comforting.

Putting on the backpack, he felt a little strange walking around unclothed. He was never vein as a human and in truth was a little self conscious about having a less then perfect body. Now, he didn’t mind parading around like this at all. Perhaps the changes were affecting his mind or perhaps he was just too scared or excited for his modesty to bother him. Of course, he was alone, which made a big difference.

He discovered that the more raccoon like he got, the further the store was from his mind. He reminded himself that this quest was crucial and had to be completed. Those spirits were in the store and the longer it took him to complete it, the more changes they would make. Should they escape, there was no telling what they would do.

Ten minutes later, he encountered another danger. The cave opened onto a seemingly bottomless chasm with a small ledge leading over it that appeared just big enough for him to traverse.

Taking a deep breath, he nervously walked to the ledge, putting his back to the wall. Slowly inching his way along it, he made it a quarter of the way before he found himself increasingly preoccupied with the changes to his body. Unfortunately, his distraction caused him to lose his footing and drop the map. Struggling for balance, he watched it fall into the darkness. His heart raced and his life started flashing before his eyes at the thought of falling. At the last second, he managed to regain his balance.

He stood with his back to the wall, his heart racing and breathing deeply. He needed more balance and thought of one possible way as he looked at the amulet. There were two symbols left, he could still make one more change to his body before the changes became irreversible. Holding the amulet tight, he wished for the body part that could give him more balance, a tail.

Again, a symbol glowed and vanished. He felt a strange pulling at the base of his spine quickly followed by something brushing against his legs. Carefully reaching between them, he felt his warm, bushy new tail. Acting on instinct, he got onto all fours, a stance while comfortable was unbalanced because he wasn’t a quadruped. Still, it was however much more stable then walking on two feet. He resumed walking, this time at a slow pace. Once he got past the ledge, he stood on two feet and looked back at it.

Man, that was a close one.

Looking down at himself, he could see that he was more or less a raccoon, albeit human sized.

"Can I still speak?" he asked aloud. Yes, he could; he was thankful for that. He wondered how he was going to manage all of his fur; combing and washing his hair were difficult enough as a human but now his entire body was covered in it. He reminded himself that all the changes were reversible as long as he didn’t make any more.

Heading deeper into the cave, he had to go on memory as he had lost the map. As he walked, he pondered the day’s events. Just yesterday, he was looking for a way out of the bookstore, even if only for a couple of days. Now, he was a raccoon man getting deep in a seemingly magical cave. Yesterday, stuff like this was fantasy, today he was experiencing it. He wasn’t sure how he was going to be able to go back to the store after this. After being able to experience not only being an animal person but using magic and going on a quest like this, the thought of going back to his mundane life was unappealing. He decided to leave thoughts about his future for later and to concentrate on the task at hand.

Continuing into the cave, he came to a spot where he could see the outline of a passage blocked by a large rock. He knew this was the secret passage and had to open it. Walking close to the wall, he started feeling up and down it. The wall was cool and damp and felt strange against his paws. It took him several minutes but he was able to find an unusual indentation. He felt along it and soon found what appeared to be a switch. With a smile on his face, he managed to trigger it and stood back as the rock around the outline began moving with a grinding sound. It sunk increasingly lower into the ground until it had exposed a new tunnel. With a feeling of victory inside of him, he smiled and proceeded into the tunnel.

The trip though the tunnel only took a few minutes and he soon found himself standing before a small pool of glowing water. Kneeling down, he removed the vial from the backpack and dipped it into the pool. He filled it with water before putting the stopper in it and securing it in his backpack.

The feeling of someone watching him was still there and he worried what would happen if there was a cave-in. Unfortunately, as soon as he completed that thought, the entire cave began shaking violently! The shaking was severe, making it impossible for him to stand up. Pieces of rock were falling down all over the place, dust filling the area. Huddling in a corner, Roy did his best to shield his head and backpack.

The shaking lasted for several minutes and when it stopped, there was a huge cloud of dust that made Roy sneeze. Once the dust cleared, he saw that he was in serious trouble. Just as he feared, there had been a cave-in; the way out blocked sans for a small hole. The hole was far too small for a human to fit through, however a raccoon sized creature could. He could dig himself out but that could take days! He didn’t have that kind of time! Roy found this rather convenient; there was only one symbol left on the amulet. He could use it to complete the transformation and allow himself to escape but that would mean he’d be stuck as a raccoon forever! Yet, this thought wasn’t offensive to him, in fact he felt a strange sense of curiosity.

A million other thoughts were running through his head. If he didn’t fully change himself, he’d have to dig himself out. He didn’t have any food to sustain him and it could take days to get out. There was always the risk that moving even a single rock could set off another cave-in, which could prove fatal. The last thing he wanted was to die alone. While there was the pool, drinking the water would turn him into an otter, that was, if Trakor was being serious. The other option was to use the final symbol of the amulet to become a full raccoon. Did he really want to be an animal? This wasn’t going to be a joke or game; this was real!

Was he willing to risk drinking the water in the hopes that perhaps he could escape as an otter and then use the amulet to restore his humanity? There seemed the risk the amulet couldn’t counter the waters magic. He turned to the water and dipped his hands into it. He had a feeling one type of magic couldn’t necessarily counteract another. Trakor had warned him that unless he left at least one symbol on the amulet, he couldn’t reverse its effects. That seemed to imply that the man couldn’t use any other magic to restore his humanity. Roy conjectured Trakor had calibrated the amulet to both effect and nullify species specific changes (in that case a raccoon).

It seemed his choice was now between becoming an otter or raccoon. Roy dumped the water back into the pool; he liked otters but he’d rather be a raccoon if he had to choose between the two.

He held the amulet in his hands; realising he was holding his very future. The entire nature of his existence would change the instant he wished the transformation to be complete. He wouldn’t be Roy the human being anymore but a raccoon that used to be a human named Roy.

This was all too much. Going on this quest was strange enough, but now he was facing a lifetime as an animal. The thought was at first oddly appealing but knowing it would be permanent terrified him. While he did delight in the changes he had already undergone, knowing they were reversible made enjoying them easier. Should he complete the transformation, he wondered who would take care of him, or if he could survive in the wild. He wondered what would become of the store; he may have wanted out of having to care for it but simply becoming an animal and wandering off into the woods was not the method of escape he had in mind.

Taking the amulet in hand, he had a feeling the consequences of leaving the store alone and letting those sprits run amok would be devastating. He was but one man, the entire world would be in danger and it was his fault. It was time for him to take responsibility for his actions and to accept the consequences, even if that meant living out his life as an animal. Looking at the amulet, he closed his eyes and wished it to complete his transformation, to make him a complete raccoon.

He opened his eyes in time to see the final symbol glowing and vanishing from the amulet. Taking several deep breaths, he readied himself; this was it, he was going to be an animal, there was no going back, this was how he would live out his life. He felt it, a sinking feeling. The world seemed to be getting bigger, but in fact, he was getting smaller. A sense of panic was starting to flow through him; he wanted to reverse this, to reverse everything. A part of him wished he had never found that magic book or tried to cast that spell. Everything was getting bigger, and he felt his torso getting rounder. The bones in his neck soon realigned as he found himself forced onto all fours from changes to his hips and legs. His backpack fell off him as he shrank to a size far to small to carry it on his back. His arms shrunk while his legs reshaped.

Soon, he found himself a normal raccoon. Somehow, the amulet remained around his neck. Everything looked huge and he felt so strange within his own body. He stood on his hind legs and looked down at himself. He was undoubtedly a raccoon; it was impossible to deny. He felt so strange, small and vulnerable. He knew that he still had to get out of the cave and back to Trakor's store. The hole in the pile of rocks blocking his way would no longer be a problem for him to get through. He could pull the backpack with his mouth as it wasn’t that heavy. He did just that, grabbing the backpack with his mouth, he slowly made his way through the hole.

He could smell his human scent along the way of the tunnel. He used it as a guide to get himself out of the cave. He knew this wasn’t the proper place for a raccoon such as himself. He belonged outside among the trees, not running around inside a cave. Those thoughts disturbed him for he wasn’t ready to start thinking of himself as an animal. While his smaller size coupled with carrying the backpack made the trip long and difficult, he was eventually able to escape.

As he walked out of the cave and into the woods, he noticed it was getting late. The air felt strange against his fur. The realisation of his exposure had him feeling embarrassed. He no longer felt alone, now it was as though everyone and everything were watching him. That however, wasn’t what startled him the most. What startled him was the fact that the forest no longer felt imposing; it felt like home, as if he belonged there. It was somewhat scary for him. This forest was supposed to be somewhere he was visiting for the day. Now, it seemed he was facing moving into it! Afraid he was going to lose himself to this, he continued making his way through it.

By the time he got to where he had left his boots and socks, he noticed that there was a significant amount of animal life in the forest. Before it seemed almost barren but now there were animals everywhere he looked. All of the animals took little notice of him, as though he were no different from them. This seemed odd to him until he realised that he was just another animal, he was no longer a human walking through the woods, he was a part of the woods! There was a part of him that wanted to drop everything and simply run into the woods and be a wild animal. He however, wasn’t quite ready for this. He still had work to do and he didn’t want to give up now.

Walking past his boots, he saw one of his footprints and stepped into it. The print was huge compared to his new feet and only served to further illustrate just how much smaller he was.

It was getting dark when he arrived back at the store from which he'd started this crazy journey. He managed to get the backpack up to the front door and scratched at the door. When Amanda opened the door a few minutes later, she looked down at him in shock. Roy showed her the amulet and backpack so she would know the raccoon before her was he. Before he had a chance to say anything however, he found himself passing out from pure exhaustion.

* * *

Roy awoke the next day in a huge bed. The sun was shining into the room and he could hear the birds singing. He felt completely relaxed. He opened his eyes and saw fur. At some point during the night, he'd curled up in a ball just like how a real raccoon sleeps. He freaked out a bit at the animal life way of sleeping. Uncurling, he stood on his hind legs, seeing just how big the room now appeared to him. He took a deep breath, taking in the scent of the air coming in through the window as well as his own odour. Looking down at his body, he quickly realised that he was still a raccoon. Strangely, he felt tranquil like this, as it being this way was natural; he felt at peace.

Realising the reality of the previous day’s events changed his comfort to near panic. He was still a raccoon and would be one for the rest of his life! Darting his little head back and forth, he looked down and pawed at the fur on his chest. He called out Amanda’s name; quickly learning he could still speak. Amanda ran in a minute later.

She looked at him with compassion and understanding. Roy realised he wasn’t wearing any clothes; everything was open for the eye to see; he felt exposed. He covered his groin area in a desperate attempt to correct that. Amanda sat on the bed to his right, smiling.

"Good morning Roy, I’m glad to see you’ve recovered. I wouldn’t worry too much about covering yourself, you’re going to have to get used to being seen like this," she said.

"Recovery? This isn’t a recovery! I’m a raccoon, an animal and stuck this way! My life is over! What am I going to do? How am I going to live like this?" he asked in terror.

"Shhh, it’s okay," Amanda said, gently stroking Roy’s soft fur to calm him. It seemed to work as his heart rate slowed and breathing returned to normal. She continued, "What happened down there? How did you end up stuck like this?"

Roy sighed before reiterating the events leading up to his being forced to use the last symbol on the amulet to complete the transformation. Amanda gently petted him between the ears as he finished the story, a feeling he adored.

"That was a courageous thing you did Roy. If it’s any consolation, we were able to combine the items perfectly. I teleported us back here shortly after. We can use the reversal spell now," Amanda said.

"I’m glad it worked," Roy responded, looking back down at himself, touching the soft warm fur on his belly. "But I’m still a raccoon!"

"Being this way won’t be so bad. I know it seems scary but if you allow yourself to enjoy this, I think you’ll come to find being this way is a lot of fun," she said, gently petting him on his back.

"I guess it does feel nice but I don’t know what I’m going to do. I can’t go back to my life this. I doubt people are going to accept a talking raccoon. This is all so weird, It’s so hard to believe it’s real."

"I know it’s all hard to accept. Don’t worry, we’ll figure out what to do about this. In the meantime, let’s get some breakfast, we need to get back to your store to cast the reversal spell," Amanda said.

Roy nodded and jumped off the bed as Amanda stood up. This all felt so surreal to him and he wasn’t sure whether to be happy or terrified. It did feel good being like this. Stress seemed more distant, as did responsibility. He feared he would lose himself to this form, and wondered what would become of his life if he did.

As they ate breakfast, a combination of bacon, eggs and toast, food that tasted incredible to Roy with his new sense of taste, Amanda’s cat walked over to and hissed at Roy.

"What’s he doing here? I don’t remember you saying anything about bringing a raccoon to live with us!" he said.

Roy was of course startled to hear the cat talking and as he finished off a slice of bacon, he stared at Jimmy.

"You can talk? I’ve never seen a talking cat before! This just gets weirder and weirder," he said.

"Shock over me speaking? You’re a talking raccoon eating human food!" Jimmy answered.

Roy looked down at himself, realising this was true. He had never heard of a talking animal before, at least not outside of fiction. Now he was one that was having a conversation with another one! Things were definitely getting stranger by the minute.

"Jimmy, Roy is a guest here, please treat him with respect," Amanda said.

"Okay, okay, sorry Roy," Jimmy said before walking away.

"Now, Roy I’m going to need you to be with me at the store when I cast the reversal spell. I know you’re probably feeling strange, want to run and play in the woods and explore what your new body has to offer you. But it’s critical that you be in the store while I cast the spell because you were the one that cast the original spell."

"Okay, nut what am I going to do after? Even if we manage to fix everything, how will I explain myself?" he asked.

"Right now, we need to get that spell reversed, then we can worry about what you’re going to do. Don’t worry, you’re going to be fine. I know this isn’t exactly how you planned on getting away from the store but one way or another, things will work out."

Roy nodded and together they finished their breakfast before heading down to the store. As they walked into the store Roy was scared. It was a primal fear demanding he get away from there. He felt his fur standing on edge as Amanda carried him to the front desk. He didn’t take long to notice the condition of the store. Everything looked different; the wood on the floor, the location of the various genres of books, the language of the text above them and even the lighting. The store looked more like the one from that other world.

"It’s all right Roy, just stay close and I won’t let them hurt you. Try to focus on my voice,"

Amanda placed Roy on the front desk before reaching into her purse and pulling out what appeared to be a vial of green water. In reality, it was a combination of the magical water, berry and pinecone. Roy couldn’t help but notice the vial shininess and found himself fascinated with it because of that alone.

"Shiny," he said, reaching out and touching it with his paws. A part of him wanted to take it and store it somewhere but he held back, realising he was already thinking more like a natural raccoon. He did have to admit that this amused rather then scared him.

"I know Roy, I just need you to focus and hold on for a little while longer so we have to cast this spell, then you can let go. Here," she said, handing him the vial, "you can hold the vial, don’t worry, it won’t get warm, just keep your face away from it."

What’s she going to do, blow it up?

Roy did so and watched as Amada pulled a box of matches from her purse, lit one of them and threw it into the vial. A fire erupted on top of the vial as the liquid started the burn. It created a strange smell but Amanda was right, it didn’t heat up the vial at all.

Amanda took a few steps forward and spread her arms. Looking towards the ceiling, she started chanting words Roy had never heard before. As she did this, Roy heard moans that almost sounded like a child saying ‘awe come on!’ as he or she would protest their parents telling them it was bedtime. What felt like wind blowing rustled his fur but he held into the vial as the flame consumed the liquid. Light filled the store and Roy watched in amazement as everything gradually reverted to normal. Then, as soon as it started, everything cooled down and stabilised. Roy saw the vial was empty and the flame out. As well, the store was as it had been before all this insanity started. Amanda stood in front of him beaming.

"It’s over, they’ve returned to their home realm," she said.

Roy took handed the vial to Amanda and looked around. The store was fine but he was not. The book from yesterday was now on a page about raccoons ironically. One showed a picture of a beautiful forest. Looking at the picture, he felt a longing, as if he belonged there. It no longer felt like a place to visit. To him, it felt as though he was looking at a depiction of home. He pawed at the picture, looking sad. He knew that he still had his duties to the store. Even if he were a raccoon, he would still have to maintain it.

"What’s wrong Roy? We did it; you should be happy!" Amanda said.

"How am I going to run this place now? I can’t just leave it!" Roy answered.

"Roy," Amanda said, putting her right hand on Roy’s head. He loved that sensation and wanted her to massage behind his ears. He leaned towards her and she did just that. This lasted for several minutes as he lay down and cooed with his eyes closed. She stopped and Roy opened his eyes, stood on his hind legs and looked up at Amanda. "You’re free of this obligation now. The spirits have departed and you can’t run the store in your current state. It’s okay to let go. Don’t worry about human concerns anymore."

"But I’m not being fair to Norman. What would he think if he came back and saw different people running this place?" Roy asked.

"Then you could explain yourself to him. Don’t you think he’d understand?" Amanda asked.

Roy looked down at himself and touched his belly. "Yes, I think he would consider this a valid excuse."

Before, Roy was never willing to sell the store out of concern over being disloyal to Norman. Now however, it seemed he had little choice; a raccoon just couldn’t run a bookstore. In a sense, it made him feel released, while it did also make him feel a little sad, he realised that he had what he desired, liberation from the store.

Trying to worry about human concerns just wasn’t logical anymore. Unless then was…

"Is there any way to change me back?" Roy asked.

"I’m sorry Roy, but I discussed this with Trakor and there’s nothing either of us can do," Amanda answered.

"I do have one other question. After the cave in happened, the pond was intact; I wondered if drinking the water would really turn me into an otter. I considered using that form to escape and then using the amulet to become human again. Then I remembered that you guys saying that only the amulet could only cause or undo raccoon related changes. Could it have done anything?"

"If you’re worried you lost an opportunity, don’t be. Maybe one day you could meet the person Trakor was talking about. He does make a cute otter and he’s quite happy with it now. Yes, it could have turned you into an otter. However, even if you did become one, the amulet could only change your otter parts into raccoon parts. Perhaps you could have used it to become a full raccoon or hybrid but no, you couldn’t have used it to become human if you were an otter. Even if two or more symbols were left, if you used it to become a full raccoon and then tried to reverse that, you’d be an otter."

"I see. Maybe it was meant to be then," Roy answered. His current form felt final rather then temporary.

Amanda petted Roy. "Perhaps it was Roy."

"What about free will then?" Roy asked.

Amanda looked on with curiosity.

Roy tried to think of how he’d word his next question. He was finding it hard not to just concentrate on Amanda petting him and enjoying that.

"A lot of things had to happen in a certain way for me to end up like this. Me owning the store, me meeting you, that guy delivering those books after the original owner passed away, me feeling burnt out and casting the spell as a result, me liking raccoons and everything on the quest. Was I always destined to be this way?" Roy asked.

Amanda stopped petting Roy. He felt a little disappointed because of that but was at least happy that he could now focus easier.

"Don’t think of it that way Roy. If things had happened differently, we’d just be in different circumstances now asking the same questions about different choices and events," Amanda said.

"You mean like, if I chose to become an otter, I might have found a river or lake and swam into it and lost myself for long enough that it was too late to reverse the spell. Then who knows what would have happened. But then, we’d be wondering if perhaps that sequence of events was how history was to unfold," Roy said.

"Exactly, this is just the way events unfolded. So, how do you feel about the way things turned out?" Amanda said.

"At first, owning the store made me happy. It wasn’t long before I felt trapped, as if I could never escape owning it. I had thought about selling but doing that would have made me feel like I was giving up. Now, I’m a raccoon. It seems I have little choice but to move on, I feel…" The surreal nature of the reality of his situation getting to him, Roy started chucking as he looked down at himself. Stroking his belly fur, he couldn’t help but grin. "It’s hard for me not to feel liberated; a raccoon can’t run a store or get another job. I really am finally free," Roy said with a chortle.

"If you’re looking for a place to stay, you’re welcome to stay with me. I’m sure I can make room and I’d take excellent care of you," Amanda asked.

"You’d be willing to do that?" Roy asked. Amanda smiled and nodded. The reality of not having to find the store started to hit him. Roy, practically on the verge of breaking out into song, murmured to himself. "No more human responsibilities or worries. I can finally relax and enjoy being alive," he said, looking back at the open picture. Roy knew he wanted to go there to explore his new form and existence. "I want to go there; I want to explore what is to be a raccoon I feel a connection to there, as if I truly belong. But, I don’t want to stay forever. My family still needs to know what’s happened to me and I’m sure there are other things I can do."

"I understand why you feel that way and I’m ecstatic for you now that you’re finally free. If you’d like to spend a couple of weeks in the wild then I’ll take you there. There is a place I know of where I can release you. There you can be free to explore this new form without obligations or inhibitions to hold you back," Amanda said.

"I look forward to it," Roy answered.

"After that, I’d be happy to take you in. Jimmy may need some time to get used to you, but I think I can convince him. You two are in the same boat after all," Amanda said.

"You mean?" Roy started.

Amanda smiled and nodded. "Remember the man in those pictures?"

"Yeah, was that a picture of your parents or grandparents taken decades ago?" Roy asked.

"No Roy, that picture was me and my husband … Jimmy. That cat is he; there was an incident but that’s a whole different story," Amanda said.

"But that would mean you and he…" Roy started, Amanda cutting him off.

"Let’s just say the last thing this spell has done to you is cheat you out of any life expectancy. You’ll live a long life and I’d be happy to share it with you and help you explore being this way," Amanda said.

"Sounds like fun, but before that…" Roy said.

"Yes," Amanda smiled. "Let’s get you that vacation you’ve deserved for a long time now."

* * *

A few hours later, Amanda stood with Roy before a large forest. Just like in the picture, it was beautiful.

Roy stood there with the sun on his back as he took in the scents of the forest. Everything around him felt alive on so many levels. Roy felt peaceful and his sense of exploration and mischief looked forward to the next couple of weeks. For several minutes, he simply stood there, a light breeze rustling his fur. The breeze carried the scent of other raccoons, and of prey.

He turned to Amanda; standing on his hind legs, he looked up at her. She lowered her hands and he touched them with his paws as his way of shaking her hands. He smiled and thanked her.

Roy closed his eyes and took the scents of the forest in, they felt so inviting, as if he had arrived home after a long trip and were running into open arms. He felt the warm sun on his fur, the damp soil beneath his feet oozing between his toes. The stress of human worries and responsibilities was fading away and Roy knew he was going to lose himself in this.

Amanda turned to walk back to her car, petting Roy on the top of his head.

"See you in a couple of weeks Roy, have fun … you’ve earned it."

Roy watched as she stood, walked away and stepped into her car. As Amanda drove off, Roy turned toward the forest and started running. He truly felt as if he were home and was excited to be there.

After running for some ten minutes, he climbed up a tree, the action feeling perfectly normal to him. When he neared the top, he looked out into the forest, enjoying the incredible view. He felt at home, where he belonged. Finally, he no longer had to be content just to fantasise about being here; he was finally experiencing it for real. Now, it was so much more then that, he was a part of the woods and they were a part of him. He looked forward to his new existence and life. He was about to experience so many things for the first time and re-experience other things as a raccoon.

He had a whole new existence to explore. Sure, his family would need time to accept it but he knew that once they knew he was happy, they would warm up to it. For now, he had two weeks here to enjoy. With a smile on his face, he climbed down the tree to start not only a vacation but also his new life.