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It's that time of year again, let's see what we can make together |
| [Introduction]
So it's the WDC Birthday Celebration and it's that time of year where we do an improv campfire to celebrate storytelling like the old fashioned campfires/round robin stories we might have played as kids as such basic ground rules let's try to keep this family friendly and additions should be logical/reasonable (i.e. don't write 'And then the universe exploded and they all died' kind of thing) and since this is a timed campfire that ends when I can no longer see the balloons/party hat icons on the site let's try to take our turns in a timely manner Other than that Anything Goes as the old song says! |
| Once upon a time in New York City there lived a pet groomer named Sarah Smith who lived with her two daughters Sally and Pinky...Sally was her human daughter and Pinky was the family dog. A few years ago, Sarah got Sally a Pekinese Puppy for her birthday, the little puppy started out golden as the sun, but Sally had other plans... She dyed the Puppy's coat hot pink and bleached her face and paws white so her dog would look like the character of Silky Pup from the cartoon Lady Lovely Locks. When Sarah saw the new dye job she was horrified and tried to give the new puppy a bath but her then new at the time pet grooming business still hadn't picked up yet and she was short on supplies so out of desperation she turned to a bottle of this 'TCRI Discount Pet Shampoo' and the Puppy Mutated into an intelligent bipedal creature who could speak English fluently... |
| The trick was keeping the dog out of sight. After all, not to sound greedy, but a Pekinese puppy cost easily a thousand dollars, and often much more. Sarah had been lucky to get Pinky for six hundred. |
| It was all because of the payments from her ex-husband that Sarah had been able to afford Pinky the now permanently dyed pink and white Pekinese who was now her second daughter and Sally was happy to have a younger sister instead of just a regular pet! Sally introduced Pinky to pop culture, taught her how to sing the 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' song and showed her VHS tapes of her favorite cartoons and TV Shows |
| Now, the trick was keeping Pinky away from those who might cause her harm. There were stories, ones that scared Sarah. They were not pretty. |
| She had heard rumors that Dr. Victor Oban Feral that super rich scientist and industrialist who everyone was saying was the greatest humanitarian who ever lived, she heard stories that his secret passion was 'collecting' mutated animals wherever they showed up and took them away to his mansion where he could properly 'inspect' them |
| These "rumors" made the typical horror story on TV seem tame by comparison. She wondered what kind of person would even think to do such things. She was rather frightened by that scene in "E.T." where the alien was hooked up by machines, and the boy was telling the scientists that they were hurting him. She didn't want to see anything like that happen to Pinky. |
| So it was hard when first telling Pinky when Sally first went to school after Pinky's Mutation that Pinky couldn't join her sister "You have to stay here safe and hidden from anyone who doesn't know you're a talking dog." Sarah said not wanting to terrify the Puppy out of her wits she said "Someone might try to steal you to make you part of a traveling circus act!" So Pinky just stayed in Sally's room and watched TV. |
| Pinky then wondered something. What was so bad about a circus? TV shows made them look like fun. |
| Bob Harrison sat at his desk, papers spread in neat but weary piles, the soft hum of the fluorescent light above filling the silence. He glanced over his notes from the day and paused on a line about Sally, a bright student who had let slip some troubling comments about her sister not being able to attend school. Concern pricked at him. The best way to get clarity, he decided, was to reach out directly. He picked up the phone, dialed the number listed on file, and waited. After a few rings, the line clicked over to an answering machine. Bob took a breath and began his message. “Hello, this is Bob Harrison from Barbara Bay Elementary. I’m calling about some comments Sally made regarding her sister and why she isn’t in school as well. If you could get back to me during regular school hours, I’d appreciate it. You can reach me at 773-898-7425.” |
| Up in the sky of N.Y.C., a young avian flew around, making a few deliveries to random spots that were occupied by elderly people. This was Lucas, a 18 year old Bluejay. With a height of 5ft 7in, blue wings with white tips, and black markings along the wings, he was currently wearing black shorts, and a sleeveless red top. Currently, he was on his way to the east end shipping ports to deliver a bit of medicine while singing a jolly tune. "~Doo da dee, La la loo~ ~Sea See Doo~ ~La Lee, la la loo~" |
| When Sally came home, she went over to greet Pinky, and they began singing to their favorite song lyrics when Sarah heard the message from the School Principle on her answering machine, and the blood drained from her face 'What do I do?' She thought to herself 'How do I explain this?!' |
| "I guess I could have a private chat with Mr. Harrison, and simply explain that my younger daughter has one of those terrible disfigurements that would make her a target for bullies," Sarah muttered. "After all, his brother has a cleft lip, and he was bullied all through school." |
| The day had been long, the kind that stretched Bob Harrison thin with endless student issues, paperwork, and the ever present intensity of being principal at Barbara Bay Elementary. By the time he got home, he wasn’t headed for rest. His thoughts weren’t on lesson plans or meetings, they were on Harold. Harold, his younger brother, had always been the fragile one, born with a cleft lip and carrying the scars of countless surgeries. Bob had taken care of him for years, watching over him with the steady patience of an older brother. But things had changed dramatically. Harold had begun experimenting in secret, using a blend of experimental drugs and unmarked canisters labeled TCRI that Bob had never seen before. The result had been staggering, Harold’s cleft lip had healed completely. The scar that defined his face for decades was gone. But the victory came at a terrible price. In its place, Harold now carried another wound...split personalities, violent outbursts, and an unnerving transformation where his skin seemed to darken, his muscles bulge, his frame expanding just slightly with every surge of rage. When Bob entered the basement lab that evening, he was greeted by the sight of Harold restrained in reinforced cuffs and heavy chains bolted into the concrete floor. They were the only things strong enough to hold him, and even then, Bob wasn’t sure how long they would last. He remembered vividly the night Harold first lost control. The lab had been wrecked, glass shattered across the floor, chemicals sizzling in spreading puddles, equipment sparking from torn wires. Harold had stood in the middle of it all, chest heaving, eyes glowing unnaturally. “Bob!” Harold had shouted, his voice cracking between desperation and fury. “You don’t understand...I fixed it! I fixed me! Look-look at my face!” Bob had tried to calm him, keeping his voice steady. “Harold, slow down. You’re scaring me. What did you do?” Harold had grinned wildly, pointing at his healed lip. “It worked! All the years of shame, the surgeries, the bullying, the pity...it’s gone! I’m whole now!” But then his grin had twisted, his muscles bulging as he seized the side of the lab bench and hurled it across the room like it weighed nothing. “You’re not yourself,” Bob had said firmly, stepping forward. “This isn’t healing...it’s something else.” Harold’s eyes had flickered with something dark. “No, Bob. This is power. And I’m not giving it up.” Moments later, Harold had collapsed from exhaustion, giving Bob the chance to bind him in the restraints. But the memory still made his hands tremble as he stood now at the lab’s threshold. |
| Elsewhere at the east port docks, Lucas Bluejay was sitting atop of a small boat going through a list of deliveries when he noticed his next one was at a Elementry school. Yet, seeing how late it was, he decided to do it early the next day. |
| That night Sally and Pinky sat on the bed they shared and Sally sighed "When I dyed you pink and white...I wanted to make you a star like the dogs I saw on TV...Now I have to hide you in my room most of the time..." |
| "Well, hopefully Bob will understand that I homeschool Pinky, mainly because, honestly, I don't know how kids will treat her," said Sarah. |
| Bob’s footsteps echoed across the concrete floor as he entered the lab, the air heavy with the chemical tang of scorched wires and broken glass still lingering from Harold’s last outburst. The chains creaked faintly as his brother shifted against them, his head lowered, dark hair hanging in tangled clumps over his face. “Harold,” Bob said carefully, his voice carrying both authority and exhaustion. “We need to talk.” |
| The next morning, Lucas was flying around heading to the school. But due to the distance, he had to take a break. Landing on a apartment window, he took time to relax. But, as he looked into the apartment itself, he was surprised to see a dog walking and talking like a person. "Maybe I need to lay off the bird seeds before bed..." |
| But Pinky being a dog, had really sharp ears, she turned her head and saw a giant blue jay "Oh my gosh!" She exclaimed "A giant bird!" |
| Slowly, Harold lifted his head. His eyes glowed faintly, catching the light with an unnatural hue, as though something alive burned behind them. For a moment, he smiled with a fragile warmth —the Harold Bob had always known— but it flickered, replaced almost instantly by a sneer. “You chained me,” Harold said, his voice low and trembling with restrained anger. “My own brother.” Bob forced himself to stand firm. “I didn’t have a choice. You nearly brought the whole house down with that rage of yours. You don’t even remember what you did, do you?” |
| Looking through the window, Lucas watched as Pinky came to the window to inspect what she found, hoping to have a new friend. "Can I help you with something, little pup?" |
| "Oh my!" Pinky exclaimed "I thought I was the only talking animal in the world!" And immediately she started talking a mile a minute "So, what's your story? I became a talking animal when my human sister dyed me pink and Mom tried giving me a bath with this TCRI Discount shampoo..." |
| Sarah ran into the room, and saw the large bird. "Pinky, get behind me." "But mom-" "No buts!" said Sarah. "Get behind me." Pinky did as she was told. Sarah looked at the large bird. "Who are you and what do you want?" |
| Harold’s laugh was sharp, bitter. “I remember everything. The strength, the clarity. The feeling of being unstoppable. Do you know what that’s like, Bob? To be free of weakness? For once in my life, I wasn’t broken.” Bob took a cautious step closer, his gaze never leaving Harold’s shifting expression. “You weren’t broken before, Harold. You were my brother; smart, stubborn, and worth more than any scar on your face. This...whatever you’ve done to yourself, it isn’t healing. It’s tearing you apart.” The chains rattled as Harold leaned forward, his muscles straining, skin along his arms darkening in patches. His teeth clenched, words spilling out in a guttural growl. “No, Bob. This is the real me. And soon, these chains won’t be enough to hold me.” |
| Holding his wings up, Lucas tried to show he ment no harm. "The names Lucas, a Bluejay turned to, well, this after eating TCRI grown sunflower seeds. I was just resting here before heading to a school to deliver some medication for one of the teachers." |
| "Um...What?" Sarah Smith said "Hey Cool!" Pinky said "After you do that can you come back and play with me? I get so lonely when my sister is at school..." |
| Bob’s chest tightened. He reached for the small key ring at his side but hesitated, the weight of his next words heavier than anything else. “Then tell me how to fix this, Harold. Because if I can’t...I don’t know how much longer I can keep you safe.” |
| Chuckling, Lucas perched himself to face the two in the apartment. "Well, it's kinda hard to be spotted when your able to fly high in the sky. But to answer your question, Pinky? Only if it's okay with... um, what's your name miss?" |
| "Well if you can see I'm hot pink because my human sister dyed me when I was a normal puppy and the mutagen shampoo made it permanent..." |
| Harold tilted his head, the faint glow in his eyes softening just enough to mimic the brother Bob remembered. His voice dropped low, soothing, almost reasonable. “Bob...you don’t have to be afraid of me. You know I’d never hurt you,” he said, tugging lightly at the chains so they rattled like distant thunder. “These restraints...they aren’t necessary. Just let me out, and I’ll show you I’m in control. I promise.” |
| Chuckling a bit, Lucas pulled out a business card and a small map before handinh both to Sarah. "Here, if you ever need a sitter, and the map shows a few mutant friendly locations for check-ups, parks, even a school." At the mention of the local mutant school, Lucas suddenly went wide eye from remembering he had a delivery to make. "Uh oh! I gotta go! Um, it was nice meeting you two, and I'll try to swing by again later Pinky, but for now...!" Hopping onto the railing, Lucas took in a breathe. "T.T.F.N. TAH TAH FOR NOW!" With that, he literally went beak first to the ground before spreading his wings and, at high speads, went straight up, flew past the window of Sarah and Pinky, and headed off to his nextvdelivery. |
| "There's a school for talking animals?!" Sarah exclaimed "How did I not here about this?" Pinky couldn't help but think it was because all her friends were middle class ladies who didn't know very much about 'the wrong side of the tracks' so to speak which is probably where most Mutants came from and she an Uptown Pup was the outlier |
| Bob folded his arms, steadying his breath. “You were in control the night you threw a steel bench like it was cardboard? Or when you screamed until the windows cracked? That wasn’t you, Harold. That was something else.” Harold smirked, though the effort made the veins along his neck pulse unnaturally. “You’re twisting it. That was me. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t weak, wasn’t pitied. Think about it; how many times did you have to defend me, protect me? Now, I could protect you. Us. Both of us.” |
| After making the delivery at the school nurses office for medicines, Lucas was now relaxing at one of the mutant friendly parks, just strumming away on a guitar to pass the time. |
| "How come no one told me about this?" Sarah asked furiously as she dialed the number of this Mutant School "Hello..." Said a Lady on the other side "Dr. Moreau Elementary..." "Hi..." Sarah said "I was told you're a school for Mutant Animals..." "Do you have a mutant to enter?" Asked the lady on the other end of the phone "Well, yes..." Sarah said "...My dog has recently mutated...But may I ask...Where is your school? How come society at large doesn't know about this school for talking animals?" "Because we're deep underground in the abandoned subway tunnels." Said the receptionist "Uh huh..."Sarah said "...I was also told about Mutant Friendly Parks?" "Those are privately owned gardens by some very rich mutant friendly philanthropists." |
| "How about we meet someplace, to discuss things," said Sarah. "I know of a coffee shop." |
| Bob took a step closer, lowering his voice so it was firm but almost pleading. “This isn’t about protection. This is about obsession. You wanted to fix what didn’t need fixing, and now you’ve gone too far.” For a flicker of a moment, Harold’s expression cracked, confusion, maybe even guilt, but it hardened again into something colder. He leaned forward, chains groaning against the strain. |
| Flying over head, I return to a mutant friendly medic center before walking in. Upon entering, I see many a mutant, human, vet, doctor, and nurse all around working to care for patients both young and old as I walk the hallways to a mail room. "Hey Liza, how things going?" Upon the mention of her name, Liza, a mutant thorny devil lizard dressed as a nurse turned to me with a wide grin. "Quite fine dear Lucas, here to pick up medications for delivery?" Chuckling, Lucas nodded as he handed her a small list, only to blink as she held up said medicines with addresses. |
| As much as it seemed frightening to send Pinky to a school in an abandoned subway tunnel she knew she shouldn't keep her intelligent dog cooped up in the apartment all the time |
| Upon hearing the chime of the door bell, Sarah looked to the door to see a woman in her early 40's walking up to her in a light business suite, carrying a folder full of what appeared to be forms before walking up to her . "Exscuse me ma'am, are you Sarah? My name is Miss Charlene Nightgale. I'm the head of the school board for the 'special' school you wish to discuss about?" Taking a seat across from Sarah, Charlene set her folder down and looked at Sarah calmly. "Tell me, what do you wish to know about our school? And please, don't hold back on anything." |
| "Well..." Sarah said "...How long has your school existed?" "Since the 1940s," Said Charlene "...That's the earliest our founder noticed our very...Special needs students..." |
| "Tell me more," said Sarah. "I need to know about fees, and what accommodations that you can provide for my daughter's disability. She's rather sensitive to sounds and smells." |
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