Metamorphosis Chapter 18

[Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6] [Chapter 7] [Chapter 8] [Chapter 9] [Chapter 10] [Chapter 11] [Chapter 12][Chapter 13][Chapter 14][Chapter 15][Chapter 16][Chapter 17][Chapter 18]

Memories trapped within the prisons of my mind escape and become conscious thought.

A few days ago, I mysteriously awoke in the middle of an open field covered in snow. This was before I had ever met the woman who changed my destiny with that special concoction. I was never Mark, although I looked the part in the beginning, I’ve always been Raquel.

Wearing nothing but gray sweatpants and a filthy white t-shirt, I wobbled to my feet with the worst headache I ever experienced. A terrible ringing in my ears disoriented me and I trudged through a strange frozen forest in search of something. Anxiety prickled at the back of my neck, and the feeling I’d forgotten something important gnawed at my soul.

In the middle of nowhere, I came across a circular mirror framed within a gorgeous carved wooden frame. The carvings were foreign, but had a familiar feel to them as I walked up and stared at my reflection. I noticed horrible scars across my face. They matched those of Mark’s when I found him in the snow hours later. Had I been in a fight? Had someone hit me? It was then my reflection spoke. My heart stopped as I glared into the reflection. 

“Raquel, welcome. I’ve been expecting you for a long time now.” The voice was mine but sounded ethereal. There were so many questions.

“Are you me? Where am I?”

“Oh Raquel, I am not you at all. For now, you can call me Mark.”

“I’m not comfortable with that name. I’ve fought so hard to become Raquel, I don’t want the memories attached to that name. Please choose another.”

The reflection chuckled, “Mark is my name then. Oh dear, you’ve gone and done it now, haven’t you? Mistake after mistake — now you’re here with me.”

“Where is here?” I questioned.

“You are far away from home. Look deep into my eyes so I may take away your pain forever.”

There had always been pain in my life. I wanted the reflection to rid me of it forever, no matter what the cost. I looked into his eyes and the scars on my face vanished. I was in a trance as those same eyes glowed bright red. It whispered as I stood there frozen unable to move.

“Raquel, you are a part of this world now forever more. You shall not question nor attempt to escape. You will remember nothing we speak of or that you and I have ever met.”

“Help me,” I muttered still unable to move.

“There is no one who would dare help you here. Your scars are now my scars, your memories are now my memories, your will is now mine.”

“Lydia!” I screamed.

“Don’t trifle with me, young lady!” The reflection bellowed. “No matter, I will break your will and you will become mine, anyway.”

“Who are you?”

“They call me the Magistrate.”

I had broken free and reached out for a fallen branch sticking out of the ground and swung it upon the mirror shattering it into pieces. Mark’s body flew out of the mirror and crashed to the earth. His face was bloodied and scarred while mine was healed. He limped off in the distance never looking back. It was then I heard a voice shouting from behind me. I couldn’t remember anything that had happened. I spun around and it was the old woman.

The witch with the potion.

“My child, I heard your call. We must get you indoors. You won’t survive this weather for long with no shoes or no coat.

“I didn’t call you. Who are you? Where am I? Who am I?”

She grabbed my hand, and we walked away from the mirror. I saw the lake in the distance but the last thing I wanted was water. I needed heat, I was freezing.

“Raquel, what is it that you wish for! Tell me now. Make a wish, please.”

“I wish to look like a woman. I am one but I want to look like one.”

“What else! What else!” the woman rushed me to decide.

“Right now a cottage for warmth.” I blacked out and later regained consciousness in that chair.

Mark had always been an agent of the Magistrate, I had just forgotten it. Somehow I had called Lydia here to assist me. Could I do again if I choose? Is it then possible the cottage was my wish? The lake discovered because of me? The boat, the creatures, the house, and the red glowing eyes?

This beast shifted my body to his other shoulder and carelessly tossed me face first into a puddle of muck. I rolled to my stomach and wiped mud from my eyes. The creature stood tall to face the animals lurking behind those red eyes. As they emerged from the shadows, one by one, I noticed coarse fur and razor sharp teeth as they snapped and barked. Wolves with large paws digging into the ground circled the big thing that nabbed me.

I had remembered one last detail from my memories I forgot to mention. Lydia had said something as we walked towards the cottage. The last thing she said was, “Raquel, soon you will find yourself in the swamps of despair. You must seek Guug the Ogre. He will protect you from anything the Magistrate throws your way. You will remember this when you see the glowing eyes of the wolves.”

I look up in the air bending my neck all the way back, look into his gruesome face and ask, “You wouldn’t happen to be Guug, would you?”

“Yes,” he growls.

“Nice. You could have told me you weren’t going to eat me.”

“Guug not eat you—wolves eat you.”

To be continued…

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Category: Fiction, Transgender Fun & Entertainment