MTU: Hard To Look At - Chapter 11 (Patreon)

It. Was. Divine. I had to have more! More! But, I did not take more. I took my hand away with my trick still active. I was in control, at least I was when I was not starving for the stuff. "That's it. Now you just have to wait it out."  I closed my eyes and opened them. The urge subsided a bit.

I walked back inside. "I'm done," I told the others. They went outside to see Douglas.

There were a few interesting art pieces in the foyer where I waited. They returned in a few minutes as I was looking at a lithograph of a Dali painting.

"Do you like Dali?" Betty asked.

"Of course, though my normal tastes are of the classics. Probably because I can't paint nearly as well as I sculpt."

"You sculpt and your trick petrifies people? How ironic."

"Tell me about it. I never really got to work in stone before. I might stick to clay in my artwork."

"Have you made anything noteworthy? "

"Those bookends for my sister had some wonderful cherubs on them," Daddy proclaimed proudly.

"Actually I did something better. I sculpted my current face. There is a bust in the garage with my new face with hair that I made several months before my twist."

"Why didn't you ever show it to us?" Mom asked.

"Because I always thought it wasn't quite finished. Maybe it was because it has hair instead of snakes." I answered. "But enough about me, I'm wondering what the story is behind twisting into a human-cat hybrid, if you don't mind."

"I've told that story many times but I'm guessing you haven't heard it." Betty began. "My twist is unusual because it happened when I was two. I fell into the leopard enclosure at the zoo. The momma leopard protected me from the other leopards and licked my head wound clean? The zookeepers quickly moved the other leopards to another enclosure. But, they had to tranquilize the leopard protecting me. As she fell, I twisted. I spent a lot of time with occupational therapists relearning how to walk."

"Makes me feel a little guilty since I adapted to my snake form instinctively." I said.

"Oh, don't feel guilty, I was only two and crawling had suddenly become very natural and faster, too." Betty paused mischievously. "Has your father ever shared his twist with you?"

Strangely, my mother reacted with outrage, "Why would he share his trick with his child?"

"Calm down, Silvia," Daddy implored.

"Oh, gods, no, Silvia," Betty replied in embarrassment. "I asked about his twist, not his trick."

Mom seemed somewhat confused, "How are they different? "

Daddy was shaking his head. "You do know how to make things interesting, Betty. They are very different. I doubt Medusa would be pleased to find out what my trick is. But, no, Betty, only my parents, you, and I know the secret of my twist."

"There's a secret you never told me from when you were a teenager?" Mom asked sadly.

"I'm sorry, Gregory," Betty explained. "I thought Silvia knew. It's nothing bad. In fact it's extremely ironic."

"I'll tell them," Daddy interrupted. He paused before starting. "There's a reason you've never seen a picture of me as a child. I was born as a girl."

"You weren't always male?" Mom asked, obviously relieved.

"Well, that's debatable," he continued. "I hated everything about being a girl. I hated frilly stuff. I hated dolls. I always wanted the trucks and airplanes. I always ran around with the boys. I played sports all the time with the guys, and beat them often.

"In high school, I never hung out with the girls. My circle of friends treated me as one of the guys. Those friendships became strained when I started dating one of the cheerleaders. To this day I'm not sure if she was gay or just experimenting.

"My twist was the answer to what I thought was an impossible dream. I finally felt how I always thought I was supposed to feel. My twist occurred while I was with my girlfriend and that's all I'm going to say about that.

"We broke up shortly after my twist. My guy friends continued to be my guy friends. That's the story."

"Why wouldn't you tell me that story?" Mom asked.

"Because it wasn't important," he answered. "I've always felt I was male. Twisting only took away the doubt from others. Since you've only known me as I basically appear now, why would I complicate things with something that happened in the past. I suppose it kind of matters now only because of Medusa's twist."

"Does Shawna actually exist?" I asked.

I had been silent throughout the story so they all suddenly looked at me. Betty spoke first, "You told her about Shawna Jelicho?"

"Well, Dad asked me on the day I twisted to help him understand women since my perspective was different. I thought it was because he wanted to understand his friend who also changed from male to female." I turned from looking at Betty to Daddy, "You’re still trying to understand yourself, aren't you?"

He just nodded without looking at us.

I excused myself and went to the bathroom. When I got out, Betty was hovering nearby. She asked, "Do you want to see Duke?"

"I don't think so. I can't decide if I should get to know him before I have to... you know."

"Yes, that makes sense, too."

There was an awkward pause as I debated my next question, "What can you tell me about my father's trick?"

"Are you sure you want to know?"

I nodded.

She sighed. "Without getting explicit, your father can do something probably no one else can do with his, um, you know," she held the end of her tail suggestively.

My eyes rolled. "Tell me. I'd rather know than regret not asking and I can tell he’ll never tell me."

Though we were alone, she whispered, "He can detach it when it's erect."

"That's enough details, I think," I announced.

She had a faint smile, "I was only interested in whether you knew he was a girl. You asked about the rest."

"I did," I admitted. "Duke is a quiet dog. I have no idea where you keep him."

Betty seemed glad for the topic change. "He had his own room on the other side of the house. I don't normally go over there," she admitted. She then saw the question in my face and added. "Cats don't get along with dogs."

"Another compulsion?"

"I suppose. Douglas knows we aren't getting another dog once Duke is gone. I suppose that's why he's interested in having Duke preserved."

So much for changing the subject. Thankfully Mom entered, "Oh, there you are. Douglas returned to normal. He's going to get Duke and bring him to the den."

"I'm going to my room while you deal with Duke." Betty said.

Mom just nodded knowingly as Betty went one way and we went the other. The den was empty. Mom sat down and looked at me with her worried look. "Are you sure you want to do this? No one will be upset if you decide not to do it."

"I'm fine," I laughed. "I thought you were worried about what we found out about Daddy." I looked at her again and asked, "Should I ask if you are okay?"

"I'll be fine. I'm just surprised. I can understand why he never brought it up. It certainly explains his mantra for the Twisted: what you are may not be what you become." I could not tell if she was trying to convince me or herself why he never mentioned it.

After an awkward silence, Daddy entered, "Douglas is taking Duke on one last walk." He sat down on the sofa Mom sat on, though he left an awkward gap between them.

Mom and I nodded then the silence resumed.

"What was your name?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"What?"

"Your birth name. I doubt it was Gregory."

"Oh, right," he replied. "I was born Harriet Harrison. When I was young I always assumed I'd marry my way out of the double Harries. I was apparently named for my mother's mother before she knew my father."

"Why Gregory?"

"It had three syllables, like Harriet, and Harry was not an option."

Douglas entered with Duke. Mom and Daddy slipped out of the room while Douglas spoke calmly to Duke. He turned to me and said, "I'm sure you'll get him in a good pose.”

“I have to ask you. What did it feel like?”

“Oh, you don't know. Yes, it didn't hurt. But, I definitely felt something. I can't really describe it. Being stone is very calming. And I heard you say you were about to do it. It was like a feather stroking my chest. I guess.” He paused. “Do you want his leash?

"No, and remove his collar. We don't want it deforming his fur."

"Right," he agreed. "Stay, Duke." He seemed like he was about to say something else but instead he turned and left.

"Stay," I commanded. I placed myself about ten feet away and commanded, "C'mere, boy. C'mon!"

Duke perked up and, with difficulty, raised up on his legs, then he started toward me. After a few steps his gait looked more natural. About a foot away, I did it.  The color drained away in a second. Using my sight, I shifted one of his legs for added stability.

I went to the hallway and found Douglas crying on Daddy's shoulder. I turned and entered the kitchen, finding Mom eating leftovers from dinner while Betty spoke.

Betty stopped as I entered, "Is it done?"

"No, I was going to have Douglas look at the pose before I made it permanent."

"Just finish, he trusts your judgment more than he trusts his resolve."

I nodded and returned to the den. Duke was where I had left him. He did look natural, like he was going somewhere. I was suddenly nervous. I opened my inner eyelids. The colors within Duke were familiar but off in some ways. Were those dark patches disease? His paws and joints had lots of dark spots. I placed my palms on his chest and drew forth the ambrosia like stuff. While still awesome, there was something a little off about draining Duke. I consumed it quickly and soon no colors danced in the stone statue that was all that remained of Duke.

I closed my eyes completely and sobbed. No one interrupted me for what may have been a long time. Finally, all cried out, I got up and entered the hallway. Only Daddy was there. He looked at me expectantly and I just gave him a quick nod as I passed him. I heard him walk into the den as I proceeded to the kitchen.

"It's time to go, Mom," I announced.

She just stood up without question. "I'll call you tomorrow, Betty." She stated. Betty led us out, heading for the hall closet to get our coats.

Daddy met us in the hallway and followed us out without a word.

* * *

When I got home I went to my room and locked the door. I got undressed and transformed into my snake-hybrid form. I wrote “Back tomorrow” on a piece of paper and slipped it under my door. I dropped my tail out the window and slithered into the woods as fast as I could. Not being out of my mind, I thought my speed was slightly higher than my old running speed. I couldn’t be sure.

I concentrated on the way my tail pushed me forward. I could feel it gripping and ungripping the ground in a rapid cycle to get me slithering forward, serpentine-style. I had to really study how snakes move. I wondered if I could sidewind, not that I was sure what that entailed.

The woods behind the house were rather deep. I must have traveled about a mile from the house before I picked out a nice clearing to coil up and relax in. My tail was long enough that I could coil myself into a cocoon that wrapped my entire human torso within the coils of my lower half. It was rather comfortable and I eventually fell asleep.

I was still dark when I woke up. I felt better. My head was clear and for the first time since I was alone with Duke, I did not feel like I needed to burst into tears. Part of me wondered if I was actually better or was I now just uncaring and cold. I didn’t think I couldn’t care. I figured I was fine because I was wondering if I was not fine. Or something.

My life-sight, I needed a name for my psychedelic sight that did not imply illicit drugs and life-sight seems to fit the bill. My life-sight was active when I woke up. I heard something land with a thud nearby. It was a squirrel. Or what remained of a squirrel. The statue had cracked in half when it landed. I picked up the two halves and looked at them. All the colored lines within the statue looked normal except there the crack was where the color seemed to glow out of the statue. I pressed the two halves together and the glow stopped shining out of the statue. But as soon as I let go, the halves would separate. I tried fusing the two halves together in the same way I had gotten the bird's head to turn. After a few tries, the statue felt whole again.

I closed my inner lid and left the squirrel on a rock. I wished I had brought my sketch book with me. The little grove I was in was very pretty. I lost track of time and I did not notice the squirrel get up and scamper off until it was already clinging to a tree some forty feet away. I had repaired the broken statue. That also made me feel good.

I stood up. Well, I didn’t actually stand as I had no legs at the time. I lifted my torso above my abdomen and attained vertical balance. I think I will call that standing up from now on. I stood up and started to head home. Looking at the sky, it would probably be around noon when I got there.

Halfway there, I saw Eliot walking toward me. He called out my name but we were really too far apart for easy communication. I just waved at him and he jogged toward me.

“Do you mind that I'm here?” He said.

“Why would I mind?” I said continuing toward the house. He fell into step next me. He refrained from trying to look at me as my head was over two feet above his.

“Your Mom and Dad were worried about you.”

“I left a note.”

“'Back tomorrow.' Could you have been any less reassuring?”

“No note? Or maybe if I’d written ‘I have become death.’ in blood.”

He laughed. “You seem in better spirits than how they described you.”

“I am better.”

“Great.”

“No, not great. Just better.”

“Will you do it again?”

“I’ll have to. But, I don't think it will be nearly as traumatic as the first time.”

“Few things are more traumatic than the first time.”

“Yeah, that kind of bothers me. I hope it never feels routine.”

“Medusa, the great thing about you is worry about all the right things.”

“I do?”

“You worry about others. You worry about yourself becoming complacent. You worry about how your literal food feels. You probably worry about letting down your guard against worrying too much.”

“That does cross my mind occasionally.”

“Well, I'm your cheerleader. I'm here to remind that you've already worried enough about all these things and it's time to stop worrying at all.”

“You're a good friend.”

“The best friend. And your best friend.”

I laughed. We traveled in silence for a bit before he started talking about a video game that was due to be release next month.

My parents were low key when I got home. I coiled in a corner of the living room and said, “Have you heard from Betty or Douglass?”

“Betty called,” Mom said. “They’re fine. How are you?”

“I'm okay. No yearning desire to do it again but also no revulsion against doing it again.”

Elliot did not suggest that we do any practice today and I did not bring it up either. After some gaming and dinner, Elliot went home. After some homework and light reading I went to bed.