Ethan Dales was a rather typical teenager, living in a somewhat atypical town on a coast, called Mazerton. This town had quite a high number of those ‘changed’ by the Metamorphic Water, and even had a plant that made vast quantities of it making use of a local river. Experimental products, were often rumoured to be made there… currently not available to the public.
The changed population numbered about 25% in a town of a few thousand people. People of all kinds. The majority of the changed tended to be animal-folk of various types. A small few might be half human half mythological and a very tiny number were considered ‘outliers’ with uncategorised changes. Still, everyone got on pretty well with each other and there was a lot of mixing with human and changed people in work or social settings.
Ethan was human, with a couple of changed relatives for various reasons. He went to a local college though wasn’t sure what to actually do with his life as yet.
The growth of changed folk here was due to the growing number of financial products suited to their needs and surrounding wildlife to explore including a seaport. Mazerton had been growing quite steadily with all kinds of people who wanted to build a life in the coastal city. A small marine community of merfolk had also started to grow, living in their waters near the coast quite comfortably.
It was a lovely picturesque quiet town, with gentle winds and sloping hills, very few cars and peaceful countryside nearby. Some claimed that there was a little ‘magic’ in the area.
Various Schools had been set up for the different challenges of ‘particular’ transformations. They were specialists in particular aspects of new environments that a changed might find themselves, be it the ocean, sky, forests, farms… teachers were very willing to share their experiences and give a new generation the benefit of all they had learned with their new bodies.
With such an exciting town, Ethan’s own life was quite ordinary… in truth when he first moved here, he didn’t really ‘want’ to interact with the changed that much. It wasn’t that he didn’t like them exactly… far from it…
His own life had a small tragedy in the last town they were in. A mad water-gun shooter shot metamorphic water into the crowds when they were shopping about a year ago. Ethan never forgot the sudden fear around him as humans had changed into various animals or other peculiar changes. Panic and screams… Indeed, the first round of changed who ‘didn’t’ panic started to use their changed bodies to protect those yet to be changed… his own mother included. Then the shooter turned the metamorphic water on himself and… well… the authorities dealt with that.
Ethan’s mother, after ending up in her… current form, saved him from being changed himself. Unfortunately, her form proved to be a bit too ‘difficult’ for his father to stay with them… though he was still cordial and it wasn’t ‘completely’ out of the question that they ‘might’ get back together. He said he just ‘needed a few years’ on that one. Ethan hoped so, he knew they did still love each other. Though the trauma of those events still played out in his mind.
It was a calm Saturday afternoon. Some bikes sloped down a hill, and the warm sea breeze could be felt. Ethan was overlooking his favourite part of the town, watching the turned off lighthouse glint in the sunlight. He was with his friend Joshua, just ‘hanging out’.
A set of public use binoculars were over the hill, allowing a view of the sea and horizon. The two were doing the sport of ‘mermaid spotting’, trying to catch a glimpse of them… but so far no luck. The two talked about the changed often, having interesting conversations between them.
“Ever thought of becoming like them?” Joshua asked.
Joshua had been Ethan’s neighbour and all-round good friend since he moved here. He was shorter, wearing glasses and perhaps a bit more rounded then Ethan’s taller form. He had short black hair and often a little grin on his cheeks. He had lived in this town all his life and grew up among the changed. Ethan figured he might take the plunge and try the water himself… if his parents ever allowed it.
“Heh… uh no.” Ethan quickly said briefly remembering what happened to him. He didn’t want to dwell on the reasons… but the complication of his own mother protecting him after all meant he could never actually seek such a thing. “I could end up like my mom. I heard changes run in families.” He shuddered.
“Ha! That would be a sight,” He grinned a bit. “Your mom is hot.”
“Dude- no!” Ethan quickly shuddered again. Did he really have to say this over and over?
“Come on she is! I think it worked out well for her.” Joshua whispered silently. “Unlike Diane.”
Diane… Ethan though of their old friend. Joshua, had a massive crush on her. Then again, so did every guy who saw how pretty she was. A stereotypical brunette cheerleader with a legion of fans. She had ended up in a weird accident involving metamorphic water, though nobody knew the circumstances of how she even ‘got’ it. Some suggested she used it intentionally, or tried to use one of those ‘new experimental products’ to enhance her given beauty…
…she had ended up turned into a mermaid.
Though beautiful, many of her admirers quickly turned away. Psychologically, this was destroyed Diana’s sense of self worth and she ended up running- well- swimming away to the ocean.
Ethan thought about that popular friendly girl… a little sadly. She wasn’t a ‘stuck up’ cheerleader or anything like that. Well- not ‘that’ much. She knew she was popular though and seemed to want more. “I had no idea she … needed people so much to like her.” He mused.
“I still love her- heck I love her more as a mermaid!” Joshua said smiling. “When all the other guys left her… I tried to talk to her. I asked if she wanted to go out… I mean I thought she was more hot. I told her that.”
Ethan chuckled a bit at that. It was… not easy for humans to admit such things with the changed. Even something as innocuous as liking a cat-girl could make people give ‘weird eyes’ … and liking a mermaid would cause all kinds of ‘issues’ like teasing to outright bullying in some instances. Joshua had the ‘reverse mermaid’ situation, loving a woman that was now of the ocean while he was a land dweller… and it wasn’t as if he could be guaranteed a deal to get fins himself. “So…What did she say?”
Josha sighed. “That I was a sign she had hit rock bottom,” he said with a shrug. “She doesn’t like nerds that much.”
“…ouch.” Ethan winced.
“It’s cool, I said I’d still like to be friends with her.”
“Hm.. Shame she’s out of reach.” Ethan thought glancing to the ocean and seagulls.
Joshua gave a suddenly cautious look. “…actually… I saw her.”
“Really? Did she come back?” Ethan asked curious.
“No- I saw her… underwater. In the underwater part of the town.” Joshua added trying to explain it.
“What? You went Scuba-diving?” Ethan gasped. “I mean- that’s really impressive. I mean- she had to have been impressed!” Humans going underwater was always a bit tricky to do but it ‘could’ be done for a short time. There was a scuba-diving organisation but they usually only allowed those over eighteen to use it… though he had heard younger teens were allowed under ‘special’ circumstances.
“No… I um… I didn’t scuba dive… they wouldn’t allow me,” again Joshua looked a bit evasive. “…have you heard of Fads?”
“Fads?” Ethan blinked. “Fads… ‘For a Day.’ …” Various products that gave a ‘temporary’ transformation, allowing a human to experience a change for about a twenty-four-hour period. more or less. Not technically illegal, but considered somewhat dangerous. They were an ‘unknown’.
Ethan looked at Joshua slightly paling. “You… didn’t…”
“Hell yeah I did!” Joshua grinned. “Dude it was amazing! I got the ‘Gill’s FAD.’” He gestured to his phone showing various products that were available on a semi-legal website. “It was super easy. You just drink it, then you get a small transformation to do what you want to do. I got the gills change, allowing me to breathe underwater… not that I could swim all that well with legs, but it was enough for a quick visit.”
…a quick visit. Joshua grew a set of gills ‘just’ to visit Diane?! “That stuff- are you crazy?!” Ethan looked shocked. “Dude! You could have ended up a- well-“
“It was just for a day Ethan,” Joshua said rolling his eyes. “Look, the metamorphic water is diluted, treated… it’s fine. Heck it’s ‘better’ then a drug. It really does take you to new worlds! People take up cigarettes and that’s far worse.” He folded his arms a bit defensively. Joshua had looked into it, saw the statistics and decided it was perfectly safe to use a few times.
Ethan frowned a bit worried. Metamorphic water was not classed as a drug at all, despite it clearly affecting the body in such radical ways. Diluting it … trying to direct the changes though… it all seemed so dangerous. People have experimented with it to do just that, who wouldn’t want to? Government agencies as well as the local nut down the street… mixing it, doing different environments to document the effects and make them a little more predictable. Still, do to this just to see their old friend now in the ocean? “So, how was Diane?”
Joshua sighed glad to move the conversation away from his use of a FAD. “She’s… better. I asked her if she would show me around the water-village since I only had a day down there… and didn’t want to lose my air at the worst moment. She’s having a rough time but making new friends down there. Give it a few months she’ll be a siren of the sea in no time.” He chuckled again.
Ethan nodded somewhat glad for that. “Still using a FAD… that’s dangerous man. You sure you’re okay?”
“Gills vanished on schedule, as did my green skin. I thought it was pretty cool though.”
Fads were certainly… unique. Nobody was willing to show ‘how’ they made the water specific for certain changes, neither were groups willing to share that information to each other. However, they were incredibly useful… though they also came with an expiry date. Once prepared, they had to be used within the day as well. One couldn’t keep bottles of the stuff. Recently, a lot of this material has become available to humans… and in a town like this the young were keen to try out various new products. The changed were just as eager to expand their population… so allowing humans to ‘test’ and experience new lives… it was certainly in their interest.
Of course Fads were somewhat limited. They generally ‘added’ to a person’s body, warping it just enough to cause the desired effect. They were not potent enough to do a full transformation… in theory.
“I couldn’t do that,” Ethan admitted. “It’s… too risky.” There were rumours of things happening ‘after’…
Joshua smiled seeing that slight doubt in Ethan’s voice. He had known him for a long time and knew he liked the changed too. “Come on… there must be a change you want to explore for a day… right? I’ve seen you admire them, more than me actually.”
Ethan a little embarrassed gave it some thought. Of course, there was… any human would do that. Though the use of Fads were discouraged for a reason, right? Their conversation was halted as they looked up at a passing shadow… actually a number of shadows.
Flyers…
Ethan stared up at them, and as all humans who saw such a thing… he felt suddenly envious. “Do you think they are from that school?”
“Without a doubt,” Joshua nodded watching them fly off into the sea… as small dots. Bird-folk perhaps, or maybe an Angel among them?
This town was home to a one of the greatest flying schools in the country- that is ‘not’ machine flying, but actual flying. Many of the changed who had wings, suddenly found themselves in a new world with very little guidance. Following various technical and legal discussions it was decided that anyone who had the ability to fly, must complete a basic training course to be legally allowed to do so around towns and cities. More advanced training courses were provided on longer journeys, as well as the difficulties that one could face in different weather or a prolonged flight. The advanced courses were not mandatory, but those with wings tended to love the courses.
“It must be so cool… to just ‘take off’… imagine flying as far as you want. I’ve heard birds circle the entire Earth… and there are even some changed that can go into deep space! Like super heroes you know?”
Ethan nodded in awe. Everyone loved flying. It was always the dream of man to fly someday. The metamorphic water could do ‘anything’ … and that ‘anything’ was scary as much as he loved the thought of being ‘more’ then human… he didn’t want to be ‘less’.
“…we could do it.” Joshua whispered.
Do… it? Fly... using Fads? “I- no. That stuff is dangerous Josh! You know that water does… weird stuff! Even diluted it- it could make you into a real mess!” He shivered at the thought. What if his mom and dad found out!
Josh shook his head. “The science has really improved lately! It isn’t like it used to be. Look, I know a guy. He’s got all sorts of FADs… we could see how the flying folk live! We could fly around the entire town for a day and just be ‘free’. It’s a better thing then going to the movies isn’t it? We can live our dreams out!”
The possibility of flying…
Flying…
Freedom of a kind unknown to humans.
“…But…what if we lose those wings in the middle of flying?!” Ethan had heard more than enough stories where ‘that’ happened. The cautionary tale of Icarus was on his mind. He didn’t want to be the next modern tragedy.
“Well, you ‘do’ have to be careful about that,” Josh agreed. “I was a bit worried about going under-water… but we can do it! We can make sure we don’t get into any trouble. I did the gills one and it worked perfectly fine. You can’t tell me you’re not a little curious right?” He had seen him look often- more then often at the flying folk, whenever they were around.
“… a little,” Ethan admitted. “… I don’t think I should. If I was going to get wings, then maybe it would have happened on its own. Like- maybe the water would have splashed on me by now by accident, or I’d have enough courage to visit one of those transformation clinics-“
“Why are you trying to wait for some whim of fate to make what you want happen!” Josh asked. “Ethan, you know you want to try it. Just meet my friend and see what he’s got okay?”
Ethan sighed. It was probably the biggest mistake of his life… but he was curious.
“…Maybe just looking…” There was no harm to at least look, right?
It was not ‘quite’ what Ethan expected… this ‘friend’ that Josh had made. It was looked like a fairly ordinary house, at the top of a hill with what looked like a small farm. It was on the outskirts of town, so one could see a bit of forest in the countryside. It was quite pretty actually with what looked like a bit of smoke from an old-fashioned fireplace burning.
A simple knock on the door… Ethan was nervous as the two waited.
…and answering it was a ‘changed’. A curious looking dragon-girl with orange scales. She wore pants and had scales on her chest, which seemed shaped as ‘vaguely’ female though no actual breasts. She had modest wings behind her back and a slinking tail… “Ah, the new customers? Welcome welcome,” She said eagerly. “Let’s see now…” The dragon disappeared briefly back inside the house to collect a bag.
As she went Ethan looked back to Josh. “Uh.. you said it was a guy?” he whispered.
“She thinks herself a guy still, just be polite.” Josh whispered back as the dragon-like being returned. “Hi Rich,” Josh said with a smile. “Here’s a friend I promised. He’s interested in browsing your merchandise.”
The dragon-woman looked over Josh and then to Ethan. “Yes of course! Welcome welcome. I can show you what I have on offer… let’s discuss outside, I know how nervous new people are to enter a house, stranger danger and all,” the dragon-woman chuckled. She left her house closing the door with her tail.
The two started to walk towards the back of the house. Despite being outside, Ethan was still getting nervous just being here. “I’m just looking… dunno if I want to actually ‘try’ this stuff,” Ethan insisted. “Is it… really safe?”
“Yes, yes, mostly safe,” Rich the Dragon-woman explained. “Safer than drugs young one. I wouldn’t give anything that would hurt people.” She gave a gentle nod. “I have had some customers wish to talk to girls in Freak-street. Perhaps you can talk to them? They are quite happy with their Fads… so tell me, what kind of change would you like?”
Ethan wasn’t sure what to say. He had seen so many… and the exotic creatures were fascinating to him. “Uh.. what do you have?”
“Oh let’s see…” The dragon woman started to take out various vials of liquids. Unlike Metamorphic water which came in a rainbow colour, these ones were bold single colours. They even had a slight ‘glow’ of energy on them. “You can tell it will change you if they glow in the dark,” The dragon woman explained. “I have many Fads… Gills For a Day, Robot For a day… hm… shrink for a day, I ran out of Giant for a day unfortunately… oh this is Girl for a day. Add them to include a gender change- but is not really good… people often disappointed with result. Do not recommend this one.”
“What’s wrong with it?” In some ways Ethan was glad that the person was actually telling him that it was a problem.
“It… well../ Fads do not give you ‘everything’ all at once. You might become girl without breasts, or still look like yourself but… a girl.. down.. ahem. It’s mostly used for um… parties. You’ll understand when older.” The Dragon gave a sly smile on her lizard face. “Of course, if you are…. Interested?” Asked the dragon woman with a faint grin. “It’s all quite anonymous. Can always see what it might do for you…”
“No no- uh- I really don’t…” Ethan backed away. That sounded horrifying!
“Hey can you show him the ‘good stuff’? We really want to have ‘wings for a day.’”
“Ah! Wings for a day… expensive my friends, very expensive…” She slowly slipped out a vial of light sky blue from under her arms in a sack. “Yes… wings… humans able to fly… this vial is very special… very different to the others. It is guaranteed to grant you flight… but the ‘way’ it grants it, I can not tell you.” The outside part of the vial started to shift colours, changing from red, to green and blue… “…however the effects as all other fads… For a Day, a Day alone… so even if you get something you don’t like, it is only temporary.”
“How much…”Joshua asked quickly. “I did bring someone with me.” He quickly gestured to Ethan- which made Ethan raise an eyebrow.
“Well, yes. Since you brought a new customer… I can half the price… let’s say you bring another customer later… and we’ll call it a hundred dollars.”
“A hundred?!”
“Flight for a day is very popular…” Rich explained. “Very popular Fads are expensive… supply and demand… I can not help that. A hundred for the two of you is very generous. Very very generous. You can fly for a day…” As if to emphesize how great such a thing was the dragon-woman slowly flapped her own wings, letting her feet off the ground.
Ethan watched the display, feeling the cold wind on his cheeks. “I- I don’t know…” Ethan whispered. “This…” Now that he thought about it, wasn’t he kinda.. afraid of heights? Maybe if he had a rope he’d be fine but… to fly without ‘anything’ but ones body… it sounded like a recipe for disaster.
“Come on dude! We could fly! Look at him! Don’t you want to try something new for once? Something you actually ‘want’?” He sighed. “Look, the cops are putting a stop to this. Its not illegal ‘yet’… but someday it probably will be. You know we can’t have ‘nice’ things! They will put a stop to it… and we’ll never be able to experience the stuff the changed do! They might ban the water entirely…”
Ethan gave a reluctant look. Maybe if it was just for a day… it would be okay? So many questions… was it safe? This might be his only chance to ‘try’ something like this. It would only get more expensive as time went by… or perhaps even banned. To never experience a change… to just be a human? Labour mindlessly until he died, never seeing more of the greater world… “F-Fine… I guess…”
The dragon woman slinked down to the ground. “Yes. Excellent… Come…”
