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Family Home
by Morpheus
Contact the author at morpheus@phuze.com
Other Stories by Morpheus
The four college students looked around the dusty living room of their new house, with mixed emotions.
Bill Walters, the tall, slender, English major snorted. "It looks like a pig sty" He ran his hand through his dark blonde hair, then wiped a finger alongside the table next to the door, picking up a thick layer of dust on his finger. He shook his head in disgust.
Carl Sutton laughed "You ought to feel right at home then" Bill glared at him, making Carl laugh again.
Carl was a little chubby and wore a pair of glasses. Being a math major, he sometimes got teased, but he was confident enough that others teasings never bothered him at all, and he was quite capable of laughing at himself when the occasion warranted, or teasing back.
Dennis Quinn, being a running back for the school football team, didn't quite fit the stereotype of a jock. Being a neat freak got him teased a bit with his old room mate, who was a real slob. He noticed that the place was a real mess. The house had obviously been rather nice once, but was now run down and dirty. The lawn was badly overgrown, the paint was fading and everything was coated with what seemed to be inches of dust. Amazing he though, that it fell this bad in only five years. With a lot of work, he was sure it could be made very livable and comfortable. The others agreed with him, though didn't seem very enthused about putting any work into the project.
Roger "Lump" Lumney, eyed the room, with the pictures on the wall, and the dust covers on the furniture, the tall stairway in back leading upstairs and the obvious signs that a family with kids were the last ones to live here. A few toys lay scattered around the edges of the room, having been missed when the house was closed up. Roger wasn't impressed.
But then again, Roger didn't really care how messy it was. He plopped down on the nearest couch, coughing as a cloud of dust puffed into the air around him as his large 265 lb. frame hit the dust cover. "I need a beer" he said to no one in particular, but then looked towards Carl, who ignored him.
Roger had been on the football team himself, but had been kicked off when his grades hadn't met the minimum requirements. Now he was trying to improve his grades so that he could get back on the team, and the house figured prominently into that goal. It was a place where he could try studying without all the parties distracting him or drawing him into them. He knew this was his last chance, and wasn't about to give up. He fit some of the stereotype of the big dumb jock, tending to bully his way through any problems he ran into. But even he knew that he couldn't bully his way back onto the team, and would have to work for his spot. His former teammate Roger had agreed to help him.
Overall they agreed they got a good deal for their stay in the house. The family who owned the house previously had died in a car crash five years earlier, and the elderly aunt who inherited the house couldn't bring herself to do anything with it until now. So the four friends got a good deal, though it would require a lot of work on their part to fix it up.
Three days later, they had managed to get most of the house and yard cleaned up, with a lot of work. Coming down to the kitchen after a hard nights sleep, Bill found Carl and Dennis already eating breakfast, while Roger still slept in.
Bill sat down, gratefully accepting the steaming cup of coffee from Dennis, and shaking his head. "I had the weirdest dream last night" he said.
Carl chuckled, "Man, so did I. I dreamt I was a kid again"
Dennis looked embarrassed but didn't say anything. Bill noticed the look on Dennis's face.
"You have any weird dreams too?" Bill asked him.
Dennis shrugged, looking faintly embarrassed again. "Yeah, it was pretty weird, and I think it was kind of erotic, but I don't remember anything about it"
"The house seems to bring it out I guess" Carl said, getting up out of his chair and and putting his cup in the sink. "I was talking to one of the neighbors yesterday. Some old lady down the street. She said that the house was built when she was a kid by some weird guy who wanted a nice place for his family to live." Sitting back down, he started to fiddle with his spoon, ignoring the others.
"So" Roger said, walking into the kitchen, "whats so weird about that?"
"Whats weird.." Carl said grinning, "was that she said when his kids grew up and moved away, he sold the house, but refused to sell it to anyone that didn't have a family. And that they sold it to a family and so on. We're the first ones to live in the place since it was built who weren't a family"
"Big deal" Roger said opening a beer. After a long drink, Roger belched, and said "You know, I had the weirdest dream last night. I don't remember what it was, but I think there was this little girl in it with me, having a tea party" The others looked at each other, then laughed.
Around lunch time, Dennis complained that he felt ill, and had to sit down for awhile to rest. Roger said "I've been feeling a little dizzy too, but didn't want to say anything." For a minute Roger looked thoughtful, then he turned a little pale. Fearfully he announced, "What if were being poisoned by asbestos or something. That's probably what killed the last guys living here"
Carl laughed, and Roger game him a dirty look. "Look stupid, they died in a car wreck. How could they have been killed by asbestos"
"Enough, you guys!" Bill stepped in, calming things down. "Its probably just the dust in this place. I'm sure you'll feel better later."
By dinner, the dizziness hadn't faded, and had spread to the others as well. Bill seemed to be the least effected, while the others couldn't bring themselves to eat anything for dinner. Bill began to wonder if Roger might not be right about something in the house poisoning them, and suggested they call the doctor if they still felt ill the next morning. The others agreed, and they spent the rest of the evening trying to relax.
Their dizziness only got a little worse, and Roger started to complain that his whole body ached. Carl and then Dennis started to feel it too. They became sure that something in the house was causing their illness, but try as they could, none of them could bring themselves to leave. It was as if they couldn't give their bodies the commands to walk out the door. Reluctantly, they all went upstairs to their rooms, each determined that they would leave the next day after they'd gotten a good nights sleep.
That night, they each dreamed.
Carl dreamed he was a little boy again, climbing a tree, fishing and playing hide and go seek in that house. The dreams were move vivid than any Carl remembered having before. In his dream he could feel the scuff on his knee from where he slipped off of a branch and scraped himself. He could feel the squishing between his toes as he walked barefoot through the mud. And he could feel the tears running down his cheek as he cried from the bruise he'd gotten from falling down the stairs, as his mother cradled him to her, trying to comfort him.
He saw his mother as she was when he was a child, still young and pretty. He felt the love for her again, that he felt as a child. That his Mommy was there. In his dream, the face of his mother began to change, and another woman took the place of his mother. That didn't bother him though, because in his dream, Carl still knew that this was his mother, and that he loved her. Still Carl dreamed.
In his dreams, Dennis found himself in the kitchen, with the pleasant aroma of baking bread tickling his nose. He inhaled deeply and felt a pleasant warmth. He bent over, putting another pinch of nutmeg into the pan cooking on the stove, knowing that it was just the right amount. He felt proud of the food, and knew that he liked to cook for those he loved.
The scene shifted and Dennis found himself looking with pride at his clean house, knowing that he was responsible for this. This was his domain and he needed to keep it nice.
He saw a little boy laying at the foot of the stairs crying, and he suddenly felt a deep compassion for the little boy, and rushed over to help him. He saw that the boy seemed to be bruised, and he wanted so much to help this little boy, so held the boy close, feeling so protective. Somehow, he suddenly knew, that this boy was his son.
For some reason that didn't feel quite right to Dennis. He knew he shouldn't have any kids, but the thought faded as the little boy started crying again.
Again the scene changed, and Dennis found himself feeling relaxed, sitting in a chair and brushing at his hair. He saw his hands stroking the long blonde hair he held, and thought, "This isn't my hair", but the thought faded, as he kept brushing the hair. It felt so relaxing, that he just kept pulling the brush slowly through the hair.
Feeling a pair of hands start rubbing his shoulders, Dennis put the brush on the table and started to slowly turn around.....
The little girl sitting across from Roger smiled at him. "Want another cup of tea" she asked him. Roger felt himself nod yes, and answer "Yes please".
Roger knew this was a dream right away, but couldn't tell why he was drinking tea with this little girl. He looked across from himself and saw a teddy bear sitting at the table with an empty tea cup in front of it, and a little doll sat at another place at the little table.
Roger saw that the little girl was the same size as him, but that didn't seem at all strange to him. He picked up his cup and saw that it was empty, but he put it to his lips and pretended to drink anyway.
The dream changed, and Roger found himself on the floor of a room, decorated with pretty pink wallpaper. He saw dolls sitting on the dresser, and realized that he had a barbie doll in his hands. He didn't like the little dress the doll was wearing for some reason, and felt compelled to pull it off. He saw another outfit sitting on the floor nearby, and thought it just looked SO cute. Carefully he put the new outfit on the doll, and when he was done he thought it looked perfect.
Again he found himself in another place, looking way up to see a man twice his height talking down to him. He couldn't make out what the man was saying, but he knew that this man would protect him from any harm. He knew he could trust this man. For some reason this man struck him as a father. He'd never known his own father, so he wasn't sure how he knew this.
The man faded away, and Roger found himself being hugged by woman. He saw that she had nice sized breasts, and looked extremely attractive, but for some reason that wasn't important to him. He felt a strong sense of love for this strange woman, and a closeness. He felt somehow that this was the most important woman in the world, and would protect him. He knew he wanted to be just like her.
Roger knew something wasn't right, but couldn't place his finger on what it was. The dream kept feeling out of place, but then it felt so right, and nice and happy. He smiled as he dreamed on, wondering what would happen next.
Bill felt himself drifting in his sleep. He felt himself standing, holding something over his head. He looked up to see that it was the whole world. He looked down, seeing nothing beneath him except clouds. The planet felt sort of heavy in his hands, but somehow he knew with a certainty that he could hold it. He felt a deep pride at this, knowing that it was both a duty and a privilege.
The scene shifted, and he remembered when he was a kid, and found himself reliving a scene from his childhood, where he sat on the edge of a lake, fishing with his father. The scene shifted, and he found himself sitting at the lake still, but next to him was a little boy, not his father. He was looking down at this little boy, and felt a surge of pride and love.
He didn't recognize the little boy at first, but then realized it was himself when he was a child. The little boys face changed a little, but it was still a little boy, looking up at him with obvious excitement, "Look Daddy, I got one" and he held up the end of the line, with a small fish wriggling on the hook.
He found himself next, looking down at a little girl, knowing how fragile she was, and knowing that he needed to protect her. This little girl smiled up at him, and he felt himself fall in love with her.
Next he found himself standing in a bedroom, his hands on the shoulders of a blonde woman sitting on a stool, brushing her hair. He started rubbing her shoulders, getting excited. This woman was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, and he knew that he could trust her somehow.
Things changed again, and he saw a nice house. It looked familiar, but took him a minute to remember. This was the house they'd moved into. The memories and awareness returned, and he realized that it was the same house, but fixed up and looking very nice. He saw the little girl, the little boy and the woman standing inside the door. The image blurred for a second and he saw them all turn into a small copy of the planet Earth. This, he suddenly knew was the world. This was important.
Then suddenly he knew. The house inserted itself into his awareness, and suddenly, he knew what was happening.
Waking in the morning was a shocking experience for each of them. Roger and Carl ran to the living room, screaming. They were both shocked to find the living room much changed from the previous day. It was nicer looking, cleaner and looking much more like a home. That was nothing though compared to when they woke.
Carl had found his room freshly painted, with pictures of baseball players on the walls. He saw the room of a small boy. At first it didn't register or seem at all odd, then suddenly it dawned on him. He jumped out of bed, horrified to discover he'd somehow shrunk during the night. He looked down at himself, and saw he was in a pair of Power Ranger pajamas. He pulled his pants down, and saw that he no longer had any hair on his genitals. In a panic, he ran out screaming.
Roger's waking was even worse. He opened his eyes, seeing pink walls, with posters of kittens on the walls. He recognized it immediately from his dream, and felt a warm feeling of comfort and familiar surroundings, and jumped off his bed, suddenly realizing how wrong things all were. He looked down at himself, seeing a cute pink night shirt on, and reached around, in horror, discovering that he had long hair and a pony tail. He ran out of the room screaming, hoping that this was still a dream.
Dennis woke up, feeling relaxed, and sat up. He looked around and saw that it wasn't his room. The room was nicely decorated and seemed to be very familiar to him, as if he should know it. Without thinking about it, he reached over and pulled a robe off a chair, and put it on as if he'd always done so. He suddenly remembered that he never wore a robe in the morning, then he looked down, and saw that he had a large pair of prominent breasts sticking out in front.
Gasping, he turned and looked into a mirror on a makeup table, and saw the image of a gorgeous blonde woman staring back. He looked down at his hands and saw they had manicured, bright red nails, and that he had a wedding ring on. He put his hands to his new breasts, and squeezed them, ensuring that they were real, and being horrified to discover that they were.
He put his hands between his legs, being sure what he'd find there, and not being at all surprised to find a slit instead of his accustomed equipment.
Calm down, he told himself. There has to be an explanation. He remembered clearly the dreams of the night before, and became a bit embarrassed. He looked over at the bed, and saw another person that he hadn't noticed.
The other person got up and stretched, and Dennis saw that it was a tall man, who was fairly well muscled and in rather good shape. Dennis smiled, feeling a bit excited and thinking how handsome this man was, before he caught himself, shocked at his own thoughts. He recognized this man suddenly, as the one from his dreams, and he felt his groin start to get wet. Stop this, he told himself.
The man walked over to the mirror and looked in it, and stepped back a bit surprised. "My God", the man muttered "Its happened". Dennis recognized the voice, and suddenly he recognized the person too. It was Bill. He looked a bit like Bill, but a couple years older, more muscled and a little more handsome, but it was Bill.
Bill and Dennis stood staring at each other, with their mouths open in shock, then hearing the screaming of two kids outside, they ran out to see what was going on out there.
The four changed people stood in the living room, staring across at each other, and back down at themselves. Dennis wrapped his robe tight around himself, and noticed that the floor would need cleaning, then shook his head, trying to get a hold of himself.
"What happened to us" Roger piped in with his little girl voice. Dennis looked at the girl and knew that the girl was 5 and a half years old, and had a brief memory of long pain delivering the girl, then shook his head again.
"I think I can answer that" Bill said slowly. He took a few seconds, then went on "In my dreams, the house sort of talked to me" The others looked at him as if he were crazy for a moment, but realized everything was crazy. "I mean, it didn't talk to me like a person, in words or anything, but in sort of images and feelings instead. It some how told me what was happening"
"Well, WHAT HAPPENED!!" demanded Carl, now as a little boy, of 8 years old.
Bill glared at Carl, who immediately shut up and looked embarrassed to have said anything. "The house was built by some sort of magician for his family, and somehow the house sort of came alive" The others looked like they wanted to interrupt him, but held their tongues, waiting for him to go on. Dennis put his hand on Bills without thinking about it.
"The house has always had a family living here" Bill continued, "And it wants a family to live here. Since it wanted a family to live here, it turned US into that family" Bill sounded vaguely embarrassed about this. "And it seems to have fixed itself up, for us" he said, gesturing around the room.
They stood staring at each other, trying to absorb the news they'd received.
Roger spoke up again, in the cute little girls voice, "What are we going to do Mommy... I mean Dennis?", Roger looked extremely embarrassed by his slip of the tongue. Dennis found that when he heard his name, it didn't sound quite right. He knew it was pronounced wrong. Suddenly, he realized his name was Denise, not Dennis. That name was the one that he felt was his. He shook his head. "Darn", he said aloud. "This keeps happening". Normally he would have said damn, but for some reason, DARN seemed to be the strongest word he wanted to say. He didn't realize this at the moment though.
"Obviously our minds are being effected too" Denise said, and the others all agreed that they noticed it too.
Roger bumped into Carl, who pushed him back a bit. Roger kicked Carl angrily in retaliation. "Stop that Renee!" Denise said automatically. It took her several seconds to realize that the girls name was Renee. When she thought about it, it felt very wrong to call her Roger. She'd called the girl Renee, as if she'd done that for years.
"But he pushed me" Renee whined. She stopped, looking down embarrassed at herself. Carl gave Renee a slightly dirty look.
Denise turned a second, and nearly tripped over a doll lying in the middle of the floor, but was caught by Bill. She put her hand on Bills arm for stability, and said "Thanks honey" automatically, then looked at Bill in embarrassment. It had just slipped out.
Looking at the boy, she realized his name wasn't Carl anymore. It was Billy. She briefly remembered naming him herself. She looked up at Bill in horror. Their new memories were beginning to take over.
Bill picked up the doll and walked over to deposit it in a small box of toys, and came back, then bent over and kissed Denise on the lips. She didn't fight it, then Bill stepped back, and they both looked embarrassed. "Sorry about that" Bill mumbled, not really sounding sorry.
They all sat down on the couch, staring at each other, wondering what was going to happen next.
Renee spoke up "Can you fix us Daddy", not even noticing what she called Bill this time. Automatically assuming he could fix things.
He shook his head. "I don't think so darling. I'm afraid we may be stuck this way"
Denise felt her stomach growl a little and realized that she was hungry. The rest of the family must be starving, she decided. She rushed to the kitchen and started fixing breakfast for her family. She realized that she wouldn't have done this before, but now it seemed like it was the right thing to do. As if she did it every morning.
She saw a purse on the counter, and knew it was hers. Opening it up, she found her wallet and drivers license, which she noticed said she was Denise Walters, 27 year old, and female. This didn't surprise her, so she put it back away.
She poured herself a cup of coffee and took a drink. Delicious, she decided, then automatically poured another cup, which she brought into the living room to Bill.
Denise listened to Renee and Billy talking, and realized that Renee was using smaller and simpler words, and was acting more and more like the little girl she seemed to be. The same with Billy. Denise realized she'd been doing it, but hadn't realized how much they'd all been changing in just a short time. They seemed to all be adapting to their new roles very quickly. The houses doing no doubt.
They started to adapt and accept their situations very rapidly. By lunch time, Denise was already cleaning the house and would kiss Bill without thinking anything odd about it. Bill seemed to accept things the easiest, but then again, Denise decided, he was basically still himself.
Bill was however a bit worried about Renee and Billy. They seemed to lose the most information and all the things about being adult. They were regressing to be children again, completely, and this saddened Bill, though he started more and more to think of them as his own children.
By dinner time, they had each adapted completely to their new lives, and Denise was looking forward to an exciting night with her husband. Once the kids were in bed of course. They all retained their old memories, but their new lives were more dominant, and the children especially had a hard time recalling things or actually understanding the things they did remember from their old lives.
Within two days, they were living their new lives as if they'd always lived them, no longer fighting the lives, or feeling the least bit uncomfortable about them. And they loved their nice family home.
The End
Contact the author at morpheus@phuze.com
Other Stories by Morpheus
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