[Mkguild] New story for aproval, See how you like it!

[Tom Holland]

Part 1
Seven years ago, I made a promise to a friend. That promise was to state th=
e events that occurred over the course of a few weeks in his life that had =
caused him to find love, after he died.

This is his story.

In the mid 70=92s, Clarence stepped outside into the hot June sun, his blac=
k cap and gown taking it all in, directing it to his already over heated sk=
in. But Clarence didn=92t care. A shining wasp landed on the dulled lens of=
 his old glasses. He brushed it away without as much as a quiver from his i=
nner fear of pain.

Nothing mattered to him now. The only thing he could think about was the wo=
rd, =93sorry,=94 within the word phrase, =93sorry, you don=92t get your dip=
loma.=94 He had sat there in the black sea of inflated egos, waiting, waiti=
ng for the announcement of a simple word and a letter.

=93D. Clarence=94

He heard it echoing through his head. The pain so intense he could not resi=
st screaming at the world around him.

=93D. Clarence=94

The thought of his anticipation in that single moment in time that his name=
 would be called. It would proclaim that he had persevered through college.=
 It never came.

He had asked the Dean why he had not received the diploma for his hard work=
ed eight years spent at the institute. The Dean turned, laughed, and said i=
t. Spoke the words that would remain with him for the next eternity.

=93Sorry, you don=92t get your diploma.=94

Clarence knew why he said this, he had come from a rich family that was alw=
ays being bothered by the poor for food, water, or shelter. The Dean had ha=
ted those needy people and had carried it with him all his life. Until rece=
ntly, the Dean had believed that Clarence was a respectable member of socie=
ty, until the night before graduation Clarence had told a drunken classmate=
 his story. The classmate then, under the aid of Clarence, stumbled his way=
 along the paved paths of the campus and met the Dean. The intoxicated pupi=
l then continued to reiterate Clarence=92s story. The man never showed up t=
o graduation the next day.

Clarence slowly walked away from the gay celebration, of the kisses and hug=
s from the unnamed parents that he would never meet. He had never known any=
one as father or mother.

All his uneventful life, Clarence never had anything. He had his school tha=
t he financed by working at night and through the weekends, but now even th=
at was destroyed. He figured that he might spend the night at the house he =
never had, and looked forward to a large, hearty meal that he knew he would=
 never receive. =


He walked by a still pond used for decoration on the campus grounds. He wat=
ched his reflection for a moment, and in disgust he kicked a couple of spar=
se pebbles off the path into the water. He enjoyed the way they caused his =
reflection to melt into the sky above.

He walked farther, feeling better as he slowly got closer to what he called=
 home. Then he removed his graduation attire and laid it on a rusting old b=
ench facing a small war memorial that nobody looked at anymore. He then wal=
ked on without them.

Part 2
An hour later, he reached home. =


Home consisted of a hole in the base of a small traffic bridge, created whe=
n an overloaded semi-truck lost control and slammed into the concrete. When=
 it exploded, it took the lives of three people, the driver and two EMTs. T=
he impact crater now served as a door into the hollow base of the bridge. T=
his is where Clarence lived.

He moved the large chunk of decaying wood out of the way and began to crawl=
 through the barrel sized hole. When he struck the match, he instantly knew=
 something was wrong. He looked about the cavernous area that used to have =
his belongings in it. His text books, mattress, kerosene lamp. All were gon=
e. The only thing on the dusty uneven cement floor was a small white envelo=
pe. He edged over and quickly picked it up, looking to see if anyone was wa=
tching. The match burnt down and now the flame was licking his fingers. Cla=
rence tossed it on the ground and cussed, then stood in the darkness. A car=
 drove over the bridge, but he didn=92t notice, he had gotten used to it in=
 the past three years he had lived there.

In the darkness, he fumbled about through his pockets for his book of match=
es. He had found it in the hotel lobby that he had taken a short cut throug=
h to get home. He struck the new match and opened the envelope. Inside ther=
e were four things. He grabbed the item on the end closest to him in the or=
derly pile. A folded piece of paper. Gingerly, he undid the precise and car=
eful creases to read a note addressed to him from the Dean.

=93Mr. Clarence, I regret to inform you that under an unfortunate series of=
 events, we have found you ineligible to graduate from our school. Under ou=
r code of strict rules we have decided=85=94 Clarence=92s match had gone ou=
t again. Cursing himself for wasting a match, he stumbled about the room, s=
earching for the sliver of light to show him to the outside world. Once out=
side, he found a quiet place to sit and continue the letter. He started aro=
und where he left off. =93Under our code of strict rules we have decided th=
at you will be expelled immediately and will receive no diploma for any eff=
ort you may have exerted it your studies here at the campus. Furthermore, b=
ecause we are unable to refund your tuition money, we have provided you a s=
mall token of appreciation for temporarily attending the campus. We hope th=
at your future endeavors run smoothly throughout the years. Sincerely, L. M=
. Bourgh, Dean of=85 etc. etc.=94

Clarence set the note aside and pulled out the rest of the contents of the =
envelope. The contents were an envelope containing the sum of five hundred =
dollars, an one-way airplane ticket, and a brochure depicting snow covered =
mountains with the title, =93Come visit us in Bosnia!=94

Part 3
At the airport, Clarence sipped on a beverage at an in-terminal bar. Behind=
 the counter he saw a television tuned to a national news broadcast. Claren=
ce had never paid much attention to any televisions before, but this specif=
ic tidbit he had to watch.

The man in the screen had a well styled and orderly executive haircut, was =
very clean shaven, and wore an old dusty tweed jacket and burgundy tie. He =
was in the middle of a headline that seemed shocking and odd at the same ti=
me, but this wasn=92t what had gotten Clarence=92s undivided attention. He =
had heard the anchor state the name =93Bosnia,=94 and had to listen to find=
 out as much as he could about the nation before he had stepped foot in it.=
 He started listening to him and heard just the end of it.

=93=85and this new revelation in genetic engineering comes to us unexpected=
ly out of the small European country of Bosnia! Now to your weather with=85=
=94 Clarence finished his drink and continued down the terminal towards his=
 flight. He moved quickly for two reasons, first he was slightly late for b=
oarding, and second he had nothing to carry that might slow him down.

As he arrived at the gate, the flight attendant was standing there, waiting=
 for him, and asked, =93Are you Mr. Bourgh?=94 Clarence gave a blank stare =
and then nodded. She ushered him outside and across the tarmac where a smal=
l plane was sitting there, waiting for the last passenger. He stepped in an=
d they immediately began to taxi down the runway. =


He sat in one of the last remaining seats, next to a young man Clarence=92s=
 age, give or take a few years. The dressed to kill person sitting there tu=
rned to face Clarence, and proceeded to ask, =93You gonna go to Bosnia too?=
=94 The man had an out of style haircut and seemed to have something perman=
ently stuck between his teeth. Clarence turned and looked directly into his=
 reflective sunglasses, as if to be looking for the mans eyes, if he had an=
y at all. Before Clarence could speak, the mans head wobbled for a second, =
and he then commenced to pass out. He reeked of smoked heroine. Clarence th=
en searched the plane for a more respectable seat.

Part 4
Clarence had not been able to find a seat before taking off, so he grudging=
ly sat back down next to the unconscious man. Twenty minutes later, when th=
e plane had reached cruising altitude, he stood up and resumed his search f=
or a new seat. His previous companion had still not woken up, but had begun=
 drooling on the plane=92s cheep upholstery.

After about three minutes of his escapade he found a pair of seats lacking =
occupants over the wing. Most of the people sitting in the seats around him=
 were chatting with each other eagerly about what seemed the same topic. He=
 tried to listen in to see if he could learn anything that could help him i=
n his future life in Bosnia, but the topic was very strange and confusing t=
o Clarence, as he had gone to college for a degree in mechanical engineerin=
g. He tried in vain to listen to one conversation, but he had to settle for=
 bits of four or five around him.

=93Can you believe it?=94 They actually=85=94

=93It didn=92t work at first but=85=94

=93=85from one gender to another=85=94

=93=85a pack rat into a pigeon!=94

=93=85there=92s obviously going to be some health issues=85=94

=93=85how=92d the Bosnians, of all people, get to it before the Americans=
=85=94

=93I wonder what the presentation will be?=94

=93=85and I hear they=92ve worked their way up to horses=85=94

The all spoke clearly and constantly, but Clarence ceased his futile effort=
s to piece together a conversation. He figured that they must all be scient=
ists, save the one man. Probably had something to do with the news headline=
 at the airport. Clarence then slouched in the lumpy seat and looked for so=
mething to help him pass the time.

He looked out the window to watch the earth go by, but he had forgotten tha=
t he was on the wing. He looked back to his previous seat and noticed that =
the man was now sitting up and seemed to be enjoying himself. Then Clarence=
 noticed he was turned and talking to where Clarence had been, not quite re=
alizing that he was gone.

Part 5
The plane began to descend from the sky, quickly toward the ground until th=
ey hit the tarmac with a jolt and a bump, then decelerating down the runway=
. Clarence looked around out the window and thought that something was wron=
g. All he could see surrounding the newly made runway was a forest. No city=
. No distant traces of man. He looked out the other window, same story, wit=
h the addition of a small building tucked within the trees with a blue, whi=
te, and yellow flag flying on a radio antenna.

The stoned, drool covered man was first out the door, despite the lack of a=
 stairway through which people would find their way safely to the ground be=
low. The man was unfazed when his face met concrete. He simply stood up and=
 stumbled his way to a nearby bush as the mobile stairwell came to rest by =
the plane. He proceeded to vomit blindly and violently into the brush by th=
e tarmac.

A man then came out of the small building and began to speak in a language =
Clarence could not understand, but figured he could just wait.

=93Probably speaking Bosnian,=94 someone beside him whispered to him, =93fi=
gures, If we=92re in Bosnia.=94 Clarence looked at the speaker and saw a yo=
ung woman that he hadn=92t seen on the plane. She had brunette hair, but th=
at was the only feature that he had noticed about her before the man up fro=
nt began to speak in English.

=93If you are not here to view the demonstration, please stand next to the =
brain damaged man with the crushed nose. If you are, then please come with =
me for ID checks.=94

Clarence and the woman walked over toward the shrub where the man was now b=
eginning a dance of head banging, rolling around, and dry heaves. They watc=
hed him in disgust and decided that it was his own fault so might as well l=
eave him be.

=93My name=92s Holly, by the way.=94 she said, looking to the ground with p=
ity.

Later, another man emerged from the shack, and said to them with a heavy Eu=
ropean accent, =93Welcome travelers, please follow me for your ID checks.=
=94 =


A dirty and bloody mess of a man finally got off the ground.

Part 6
Clarence was astonished. When they all handed over their identification, it=
 was simply tossed in a bin. The two outcasts of the group on the plane cap=
able of a conscious thought watched the bin full of old magazines, opened l=
etters, and more importantly, their identification, make its way to the bac=
k of the building and fall down to the open mouth of a hungry shredding mac=
hine. In an instant, it was gone and all three of the Americans had a rag o=
f chloroform to their mouths. Clarence and Holly slumped to the floor. The =
man who had sat with Clarence for the beginning of the flight, turned to th=
e man behind him with the poisoned rag and thanked him before receiving a k=
nock out blow to the chin.

Clarence was the first to awaken. He looked around the cell and saw Holly s=
till on the ground breathing. His flight companion didn=92t look like it at=
 first, but about every ten seconds Clarence watched his chest rise and fal=
l. Still alive. =


He stood and looked at the walls surrounding him, Three made of steel, one =
made of an mirror. =


=93Probably one way,=94 Clarence heard behind him. He looked over and down =
in the mirror to see Holly begin to sit up. Another change of glance and he=
 saw the other man begin to stir. Clarence then looked up into his own face=
. Surprised, he lept back. The mirror had suddenly gone clear, and, standin=
g behind it, there was a firing line prepared. One man had his gun facing d=
irectly into Clarence=92s face.

As the glass was lifted up, a voice from behind demanded, =93Up on your fee=
t! All of you!=94 Holly and Clarence obeyed, the man still on the floor mor=
e or less rolled over. One of the gun barrels shifted and fired, hitting th=
e man in the foot. He was instantly sober. =93Now stand up!=94 The voice in=
 the back yelled. This time, the battered man followed orders. =


Part 7
It hadn=92t taken long for the man to become intoxicated again. The America=
ns were all ordered out of their cell and taken down a winding stretch of s=
teel plated hallways, until they found a room that had four glass walls wit=
h two improvised doors. One was normal sized, the other looked like you cou=
ld pull a truck into. They were all placed into separate smaller glass room=
s, there was only room to stand in while in these cells. Once the men with =
guns had left, the man two spaces from Clarence reached down the front of h=
is pants to retrieve a small bag of cocaine which he proceeded to snort up =
his nasal cavity.

Clarence and Holly looked at each other in disgust at the man, but not over=
riding the thought of what was going to happen to them. The man finished th=
e bag and slumped against the wall of his cell.

Suddenly, without warning, people began to file into the room. Clarence loo=
ked at them and realized it was the scientists from the plane. He banged on=
 the glass, Holly yelled to them for help, the man=92s nose began to bleed.

The man who was leading the crowd pointed at the glass cages that the three=
 Americans were confined in and announced, =93This is our latest arrival of=
 specimens that had to hitch a ride with you from the states. They are all =
different in some way, The two on the left are healthy male and female, the=
 one on the right is a very brain damaged male. Now, let=92s begin the demo=
nstration.=94

A man from the crowd shuffled his way to the man=92s cell and opened the do=
or. He fell out like an unbalanced mop and fell strait on his face. The man=
 who had opened the door, who Clarence had noticed was wearing an officers =
military uniform, dragged the man across the floor, leaving three blood str=
eaks. Two from his nostrils, one from his foot.

Part 8
The officer proceeded into the glass walled room with the bloodied man. He =
placed him into the center of the room where the man began to sit up. It ha=
d been an hour since he had taken any contraband. The officer then stepped =
out of the room and sealed the door tight. Meanwhile, the group of scientis=
ts surrounded the room so they had a better view of what was to come.

The man in the center looked about and heard a man begin to explain the pro=
cess.

=93It=92s simple, really, the virus cannot live outside the body that it fi=
rst attacks, so it=92s not contagious. It can either be injected via syring=
e or inhaled via a vapor. It then begins to alter the bodies cells, telling=
 them to change, multiply, combine, whatever it has to do. It typically onl=
y takes about thirty seconds for the effect to be completely finished.=94

A dazed man looked at himself in the mirror and asked, =93Whadya say man? I=
 didn=92t quite catch that=85=94

The man behind a control panel selected one of the many forms of virus that=
 his lab had created and announced, =93This is equine supplement, code 2F, =
commencing in a short moment.=94

A smoky substance began to enter the room. The man within only curious to d=
iscover what kind of new drug this may be. He didn=92t notice that his clot=
hes were growing slightly tighter, or the increase of course, brown hair be=
ginning to spread throughout his body. Clarence watched, to see what his fa=
te would be.

Through cracks in the crowd, he could see the fingers fuse together into a =
solid black lump. Hooves, he thought. He watched as the clothes tore away f=
rom the mans body, revealing brown fur and the absence of the mans manhood.=
 Clarence realized what was occurring.

The man who had started the transformation spoke, =93Equine2F, equine, mean=
ing horses, the two is for breed in the order we create them.=94 =93What ab=
out the F?=94 questioned one of the other scientists. =93F,=94 he said, =93=
stands for female.=94

Part 9
Clarence and Holly looked at the mare standing in front of them in disbelie=
f and terror, for they knew that something was going to happen to them alon=
g the lines of the spectacle that just occurred. The chestnut mare looked a=
bout the room, obviously lacking the mind of a human.

=93Do they all loose their minds like this one did?=94 Asked one of the vis=
iting scientists. =93No,=94 explained the leader, =93because this one had c=
lose to no living cells in his brain, the virus replaced the dead with new =
ones that are programmed to the female horse=92s brain. She=92ll want to re=
produce, eat oats, roll in the grass, run. Anything a horse would want to d=
o.=94 =93Where=92d the extra mass come from?=94 Questioned another. =93Ah, =
good question. The virus actually takes carbon from the air and converts it=
 into mass on the specimen.=94 =93Is the specimen sterile?=94 The final que=
stion had been given. =93No she is not sterile, this man has been turned in=
to a mare from head to hooves, but the next demonstration should show how i=
t effects instinct. Next specimen please.=94

He pointed at Clarence. The officer walked over to his cell, this time with=
 a handgun trained on him as the door opened. They walked to the man sized =
door and waited for the mare to be removed through the larger door on the o=
ther side.

As Clarence stood there, he contemplated the last two minutes of his life. =
A man had been turned into a female horse, the process was explained, and i=
t was now his turn. The officer opened the door and he stepped in, carefull=
y stepping over the strewn bits of cloth in the chamber. He stood at the mi=
ddle of the chamber, and looked at the spot where Holly would be, but only =
saw a reflection of a reflection of a reflection looking back at him.

=93Equine supplement, code 2M=94


Part 10
At first Clarence was happy when he realized what he was to be, able to kee=
p everything he has with the addition of a tail, hooves and mane. It was no=
t prolonged though, as he realized that he was going to be the exact replic=
a of the mare that just occupied the chamber he was standing in less than a=
 minute ago, with the exception of gender. =


=93We=92ll see how that mare will react to the stallion about to trot out o=
f here. Commencing in a few moments=85=94

Clarence opened his mouth to speak, but decided to close it. It was a breat=
h not worth wasting. Clarence closed his eyes. He feared what was to come. =
He did not want to watch in the reflections surrounding him.

He heard the virus begin its trip into the chamber and come out of nozzles =
like a snakes hiss. Then it began. He felt things begin to stretch, to grow=
, to fuse, all over his body. He fell to the floor as the virus ran its cou=
rse. His body changing posture as his form shifted on the ground. It was th=
en over.

Clarence stood on his four legs. To him it felt natural and bizarre with hi=
s new array of senses. His vision had split and he could see everything sho=
rt of his new muzzle, but the mirrors took care of that problem. He heard t=
he questions being asked outside the room but couldn=92t quite understand t=
he dialogue through the glass. =


=93Can you understand us?=94 a voice said through the glass, and Clarence n=
odded. In the background, he heard the voice say, =93Lets see how he does w=
ith instinct, please bring in the mare.=94 Clarence looked to the oversized=
 door and slowly watched it begin to open.

Part 11
As the mare was brought in, he could tell that something was different. A s=
cent. Coming from it. He wanted it and he wanted whatever it was. The mare =
sniffed and Clarence watched her tail rise. He suddenly figured it out. Lea=
ve it to the Bosnians to create a mare that was in heat. Naturally, he star=
ted to go towards the mare, but stopped, looked at the glass, and shook his=
 head. =


The voice spoke, =93No? Fine then. Put them both in the same stall. Until t=
hen, next specimen please. And will someone please pick up the ruined cloth=
es in there?=94 The door opened and Clarence and the mare were led up the h=
all at gunpoint to a open room with a simple gate keeping them from escapin=
g. =


For a moment Clarence thought of getting a drink of water, or maybe a run a=
round the room, or do what he was intended to do earlier with the mare. He =
quickly got rid of these thoughts from his head and replaced it with one th=
at stuck out like a sore thumb. He had to save Holly.

He took a few practice kicks at a feed bucket on the corner until he felt h=
e was ready. He then swiftly kicked down the gate, and began galloping down=
 the hall, formulating a plan as quickly as his horse brain could work.

It was time to save the last specimen.


Part 12
As he approached the glass walled room he slowed down to be as quiet as he =
could while the scientists were occupied with their demonstration. As he go=
t closer, he noticed that something was wrong. He could see through the lar=
ge door that animals would walk out of. It was open and Holly was standing =
inside with the officer holding her at gunpoint while what looked like a la=
b technician was up on a ladder fixing something. The man on the stepladder=
, looking into a nozzle, exclaimed, =93I found the problem! There was a plu=
g in the hose!=94 Once he had finished talking, as if on queue, the hose be=
gan spraying into his face. Someone yelled, =93Cover your mouths! Don=92t b=
reathe in!=94 =


For a tense couple of moments the blue faced crowd watched the technician s=
quirm on the ground as he shrank into his clothes. From within the mound of=
 clothes, they heard a dog yip and a border collie roll out of it. The grou=
p leader quickly ran over to a box on the wall and retrieved a syringe. He =
prepped it and brought it into the glass room where he plunged it into the =
shoulder of the dog and emptied its contents. The change reversed until the=
 female dog had reverted back into a grown man. Blushing, he put his clothe=
s back on and hurried out of the room.

Clarence took note of this, because the syringe was obviously the antidote =
for this vile mess. He looked into the room at Holly and made a motion with=
 his head toward the antidote box. Holly saw this and nodded in acknowledgm=
ent. The door then closed.

=93Canine supplement, 5F,=94 the voice boomed, =93take two.=94 He added jok=
ingly.

Part 13
Holly stood there in the room, she new what she would have to do. Clarence,=
 meanwhile, was edging his way around the edge of the room. How nobody noti=
ced a horse in the room was quite shocking. He opened the box and took one =
of the syringes out and set in carefully on the ground with the needle up, =
not letting it fall over when the time was right. =


In the process of his needle balancing act, he heard Holly begin and end he=
r transformation, but never looked should it upset the needle. The director=
 of the scientists was in the middle of thanking all of the scientists who =
came. As the outlet door opened, Holly sprinted out of the door. =93So far =
so good,=94 thought Holly. It was then the unexpected happened. When the sc=
ientists looked into the glass room and saw it was empty they almost turned=
 to see the collie and the stallion looking at them, but were startled by t=
he sudden appearance of the mare.

It=92s eyes were red with fury and it stared a the shocked scientists. It g=
lanced at Clarence and Holly, and then the plan was altered. =93Drugs must =
have worn off,=94 thought Holly to herself, and watched the mare go to work=
. Five times around the glass room she chased them before one decided it wo=
uld be safer in the glass room than with the mare. Then, like a confused he=
ard of sheep, all of the scientists were inside and had closed the door.

As the mare put all of her weight on the door, Clarence dropped onto the ne=
edle in one =


swift motion, piercing and injecting the fluid at the same time. For a seco=
nd, he felt sick, =


and then in reverse motion of his original transformation, he deflated like=
 a balloon. =


Clarence then stood as a human and pulled the large shattered syringe out o=
f his chest. =


He walked naked to the control consol. He selected a random gene type from =
the section =


labeled caecilians and pressed execute.

 =


 =


 =

Part 14

 =

Clarence and Holly walked across the lawn. In the past week, they had gotte=
n to know each other quite well. They had shoveled all of the writhing worm=
s into the hat of one of the poor souls changed that day, put on laboratory=
 clothes and found the way outside and dumped them into the grass.

As for the man that Clarence had sat with for the few moments of their flig=
ht to Bosnia, he didn=92t want to be changed back. Instead he gust wanted t=
o be slightly changed though, from mare to stallion. To keep him company, t=
hey also decided to change one of the worms in their hat to a mare for him.=
 He is quite happy now in the Bosnian forest with his new herd.

As for Clarence and Holly, they had decided to go back to the states, by sh=
ip, because the airport may be suspicious of the strange jars within Claren=
ce=92s bag. Clarence was happy with Holly. It was the first time he had any=
thing of his own to love and care for.

As they approached the Deans house, Clarence grabbed at the modified smoke =
grenade he had purchased. Locating the Deans open bedroom window on the sec=
ond floor, Clarence pulled the pin and lobed it through the window.

Clarence and Holly then walked away as the virus began to billow out of the=
 window. Late in the night, they both kissed. Then in the distance, they he=
ard the donkey begin to bray.

_________________________________________________________________
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