First Day of Spring

by Daniel Peterson

He walked out of the library with the book he had just picked up, this first day of spring. The title was in a language he did not know. It said: Kwingo Aves Silium. He recognized one word in the title. Aves meant bird. Inside was everything about birds.

Upon entering his house, he said the title out loud. "Kwingo Aves Silium." He heard a strange whooshing sound. Dismissing it, he read chapter one. At the end of the chapter, the words were repeated. He said them again. "Kwingo Aves Silium." Again the whooshing sound came in his ears, only louder this time. He said it again, "Kwingo Aves Silium." This time something happened. He felt pain shoot up his arms and down his legs. His legs felt as if they were shrinking but lengthening. He ripped off his pants and looked at his legs. They seemed to be thinner. "Kwingo Aves Silium," he said again. Suddenly, his arms seemed to become hot. He looked at them and saw his hair had thickened on his arms. Not only thickening but lengthening. Also his mouth felt weird.

Still he said the words out loud again. "Kwingo Aves Silium." He saw in his hall mirror that he didn't have as much teeth as usual. His teeth still occupied the same space as before, but they were wider. He noticed also that his chest began to push out. He said the phrase again and his chest pushed out more. In his mouth, his teeth were fusing into one mass. He decided not to say them again. Still his chest pushed out more and began to strain the buttons on his shirt. His legs were so thin, they looked like broom sticks. He bent over and took off his shoes. As he did, his arms bent backwards. It didn't hurt but it sure did surprise him. His shirt buttons popped off and his chest pushed out farther. He saw that he had three toes on each foot. He noticed that his teeth were also beginning to push out of his mouth.

His hair on his arms grew so long and thick, they looked like spines growing out of his skin. Small feathery protrusions were coming out the sides of the spines. He could no longer form words as his teeth had begun to strain the skin around his mouth. All he could do is watch what was happening in the mirror. His chest had pushed out so far that he had to stoop over because of the weight. His arms had bent back and his fingers were fusing together. His limp male member began to slide into his shifting form. He tried to grab for it but found that he couldn't move his arms right to reach down. So, he watched his member slide into a hole. It was almost as if a vaccuum was sucking it in. His balls followed, leaving an empty sack. Then his sack went in.

His attention was shifted back to this face. His nose and area underneath it split in two! His teeth pushed out farther, becoming pointed and he could see more bone pushing through the split. It didn't hurt at all. The holes in the bone for his nostrils moved farther away from his face. It then hit him that he had a bird's beak! Moving to see a profile, he saw that his enlarged chest, beak, thin legs, arms bent backwards; he was turning into some kind of bird. On his chest, the red hairs that had grown out of it, turned to red feathers. His arms and back sprouted black feathers. He found that his arms that bent backwards were wings. Out of his butt, large feathers had grown for the tail. Large feathers also grew on the inside area of his arms. He noticed that the room around him grew larger and larger. A yardstick that lay against the wall showed him he was about two feet tall. Now 1 and a half. Now 1 foot. Now 6 inches. He stopped shrinking. He tried to let out a scream but a chirping sound came out. He opened his arms and pushed on the air. Suddenly, he was off the ground and heading toward the window. He joined the other robins flying in the air, this first day of spring.

First Day of Spring copyright 1996 by Daniel Peterson.