- Shari -

Damn! What a strange dream.

I wake up and start to rub my eyes since all I see is blurred in a blueish tint.

The moment I’m halfway clear I feel that something’s stuck in my throat.

I start to retch and subsequently spew it over my right arm.

As my vision becomes gradually clearer and gains color, I see that it’s the same blue slime I threw up before.

Again?

I try to wipe the mass away with my left hand, but soon become agitated as it stays resilient.

I rub with increased effort, but regardless of how much I manage to brush off, the slime remains.

While trying to get rid of the mass, I start to sense that it is at places I definitely did not hit when I spew.

I notice that it’s on my legs, my arms, and every other part of mine I can see.

During my efforts to clean myself, I sense that my fingers are sinking in.

Getting desperate I use all my strength to rip away whatever is on my arm.

Like this, the mass finally gives in…

and my forearm rips off, falling down with a loud splash.

I stare in disbelief at the stump, apparently just been crippled.

Yet, I don’t know if I wouldn't have preferred this to what happens next.

The part of my arm that fell turns immediately into a puddle.

The moment it touches my leg the liquid gets absorbed inside.

At the same time, I feel movement inside me to my arm.

The stump visibly elongates.

At the end, it forms first a basic claw and then more pronounced fingers until in the end my hand is back like before.

Like this, I did just regrow an arm.

All of this happened only in mere seconds.

Failing to process what did just happen I keep staring.

Suddenly I sense Liqu on my left side, grinning happily as if she would enjoy the sight.

I don’t know how I could perceive her, without her being in my field of vision, but somehow I have a hunch of her shape even without looking at her.

"What is going on here? M-my arm just… What happens here?" (Shari)

"Huh, isn’t it obvious?" (Liqu)

What does she mean?

"You’re a slime! As you can clearly see!" (Liqu)

No! That can’t be true! That is not possible; absolutely impossible!

"Well, taking a closer look at you would be enough to confirm." (Liqu)

She says, rubbing the back of her head, still smiling in her creepy way.

As instructed, I’m taking a look at myself.

My hands shimmer in a translucent blue while dripping a bit to the ground.

The same goes for my legs and every other part I can observe.

"I believe I did a good job when I imprinted that mold in your mind, don’t you think?" (Liqu)

I strobe my body, hoping that this isn't real.

That this is just an illusion or some hallucination caused by all the slime I took in.

But everything I touch feels weird.

The sensation is wrong in a fundamental way.

This feels too foreign to be made up.

In my desperation I start to sob, but then I notice that the tears are slime too.

Without thinking I reach out to my head and grab a strand of hair that always hangs down at my bangs.

However, when I pull there is only a strand of semi-liquid slime.

Getting irritated I grasp both my shoulders.

Only for my fingers to merge into them, inducing me straightaway to extract my hands again, were they instantly reshape.

This is too much!

Like this, I fall down on my knees which literally explode, before immediately flowing back together.

"If I can say so, that blue color of yours is absolutely gorgeous!" (Liqu)

This isn't true! That can’t be!

"Even more your core is so beautiful. It shines in such a bright red. Like a ruby." (Liqu)

What did she say?

"My what?" (Shari)

"Your core. The gem there in your body. You won’t be able to imagine how happy I was when I found it in you." (Liqu)

This causes me to look at the pointed spot and truly there is a round stone, glowing bright red.

"This is…" (Shari)

"Your core! The center of your consciousness. In fact you. The proof, that you are a genuine slime." (Liqu)

That can’t be! That stone can’t be me!

"No!" (Shari)

"Don’t worry. There was no magic or curse involved. The process was completely natural, so you are an absolutely normal slime and there will be no side effects." (Liqu)

"No! I’m no slime! I’m a human! A human! And this is just a stone! That is not me!" (Shari)

Like this I force my hands into my body and grasp after the stone, when I get hold of it I try to pull it out.

The closer it gets to leaving my body the more difficult it becomes to proceed.

"You really shouldn’t do this!" (Liqu)

My mind screams at me to stop, but I take all my will together and rip it out.

The next thing I perceive is that I’m falling while feeling completely disconnected.

My impact gets dampened as I hit the ground.

Directly after this, I sense how something gathers around me.

I feel mass moving; gathering until I can perceive how limbs form and I start to gain a hunch of my environment.

Like this, my body shapes back to its former state.

That was surreal.

As soon I expelled that stone, my consciousness flew with it away.

It’s as if you throw something and suddenly get sent flying.

Absolutely unreal.

I can’t shrug this off.

But I don’t want to think about this.

That would mean that I’m going to accept this and I can’t.

I don’t want to!

"Huff, it’s good that the ground is covered! It would have been terrible if your core got damaged!" (Liqu)

I slump down to the wall and hug my legs, staying unresponsive.

After a moment, I perceive how Liqu settles herself next to me.

Somehow I get an impression of my environment and can’t turn it completely off.

Also, I feel the structure of my body, like this it becomes apparent why my throat felt stuffed in the beginning.

I don’t have one.

To be precise I don’t have anything besides that mass that my body is made of and some kind of strands short behind my mouth that I apparently use to speak.

That happens somehow instinctively.

A little bit like this body forms.

Completely artificial.

No! Don’t think about this!

I feel like crying, but if I do it will only push more slime out of my eyes mimicking the action.

This all should make me feel sick, but I can’t even feel something like this it seems.

How would I, with a body that isn’t affected by these kinds of problems?

This is all wrong!

"Please can you not turn me back somehow? There must be a way!" (Shari)

"How would I? A core is much more stable than a brain. There is no way to get a conscious out. Also, your body is dissolved! Where would I get one? And it wouldn’t be yours!" (Liqu)

So no way.

Should have been clear.

Upset I throw my arm against the wall behind me, where it audibly splashes.

After that, mass flows back to the appendage, turning it back to its old form.

Inhuman, huh?

People don’t regrow limbs.

I also can say that, if I would want to I could just turn into a blob.

A thought that doesn’t ease me in the slightest.

And that just because of that stupid slime.

"Why did you do this to me?" (Shari)

She first turns her look down before glancing at me, rubbing the back of her head in a bashful manner.

"Because I wanted a friend! And the moment I found you, I saw it instantly in your eyes and knew you would be perfect!" (Liqu)

What?

"You abducted me, tortured me, and turned me into THIS because you were thinking I would become your friend?" (Shari)

"I thought if I ask you, you would just run away." (Liqu)

She says, laughing embarrassed.

And yes she is right.

I would have run if I had a chance at any time.

I mean, she is a big man-eating monster.

That’s the normal thing you do when you see something like this.

That’s what you do if you see something like... Me!

She might be right I have no place to go now.

I cannot go back looking as I do.

"What shall I do? I can’t go home like this!" (Shari)

Albeit my shape is based on my old body, there is nothing that would let someone identify me.

If someone would see me, it is simply impossible to tell him I’m a human. As if anyone is going to believe me all of this in the first place.

"It’s ok, you just stay here! I can provide anything you need. And I can show you everything. And we can talk and have fun and be happy! This is so nice! I have finally someone like me now!" (Liqu)

She says while dancing through the room.

That’s it?

Is she insane?

"And m-maybe we hug?" (Liqu)

Even if her body can’t react in that way, I can basically see her cheeks flushing while saying this.

A child! She is a child! Not thinking about anything, including the consequences. And this is the reason why this happened to me.

I fight the urge to bang my head against the wall, despite knowing that it wouldn’t do anything to me.

Still, I don’t want to get reminded like this about my condition.

This all is too ridiculous.

Yet, I don’t want this to be my life.

This is a cave! Filled with slime!

On the other hand, going out would imply meeting people or at best monsters.

And I don’t want to die.

Well, I’m not too sure about this, considering how I am now, but in the end, I don’t think so.

I am scared at what happened to me and what Liqu said makes sense.

I mean, right now I can’t see any difference between my body and hers, safe for the color.

So how should there be a way to turn back?

A slime becoming a human that’s not even unheard of, that's sheer madness.

Well, this all is madness, but what is safe is that this is not my body.

My body is gone.

So why should I be different from any of them?

Still, if there is no way back for me, what am I living for?

Wouldn't it be better if I was dead?

Yet, somehow I don’t think so.

I know that this all couldn’t be worse; nonetheless, I don’t want to die.

Maybe that is just personal preference.

Probably what Liqu meant with being perfect.

I am not going to outright kill myself.

Don’t think she thought further than that.

Still… dead.

Suddenly a question comes up for me.

"How long?" (Shari)

"Hmm?" (Liqu)

Liqu who gave me some space until now, with my musing if I shall kill myself, tilts her head like a child at the question.

"I mean how long took all this? How long was I here?" (Shari)

"Oh, it’s the fifth day, you’ve slept quite long!" (Liqu)

Five days…

I’ve been away for five days!

My parents must know by now that something happened to me.

Most likely they think I am dead if I did not return until now.

"Did no one look for me?" (Shari)

"Nah, around soil, dry air, and plants the liquid we leave while moving vanishes rather fast, so no tracks to follow. It's a good thing that it’s so stony and humid here or it wouldn’t be so homey." (Liqu)

Is she referring to the slime on the walls with "homey"?

And is it just me or is she incredibly easily distracted?

An airhead; well, rather slimehead!

I poke my head… mine is too.

No brain confirmed.

Never mind; so I disappeared without a trace.

For sure they think I’m dead.

I wonder if Ms. Oka is blaming herself.

On the other hand, she always appeared to me to be a tough businesswoman, so probably not too much.

Still, I don’t know if I should not at least speak with my parents.

Maybe they should know, instead of living forever in suspense.

But with what I’ve become I’m not too sure.

No; I want to speak at least one time with them!

So I start to make my way out of the cave.

"H-Hey, what are you doing there?" (Liqu)

"What do you think I do? I’m leaving!" (Shari)

Did she really believe I would live forever with her in this cave?

"No you can’t! Please don’t leave me!" (Liqu)

While grabbing more than once without success for my slime arm she becomes seriously flustered and soon little slime tears are dripping down from her eyes.

So crying is after all an honest thing, even for slimes.

Or is it just mimicry?

Still, her deeds don't make me feel much sympathy for her.

"No, I’m going to my parents! Now!" (Shari)

"Then I’ll come with you!" (Liqu)

"You won’t!" (Shari)

How does she envision this?

It will be hard enough to explain this situation to them.

I am certainly not going with: "And hey, that’s the slime that turned me into this, say hello to Liqu"!

No, I’m not!

Even if they don’t believe me or cast me out, at least I want them to know.

I mean it would be understandable.

I don’t see a way to live a normal life in the village the way I am now.

But a talk should be possible.

Maybe.

Liqu slumps down as soon she realizes I will not take her with me.

Like this, I get on my way.