I like silver, isn’t that ridiculous? It doesn’t matter, silver isn’t anything special. Same as the full moon: I don’t change when the moon is full. I change when I change. Like now. I have my rainproof backpack, and enough warning to take my clothes off and pack them up neatly.
I’m in the park, going for my after-work jog, when I feel the ache. I get the sweats, then my bones ache, and then I better get naked pretty damn quickly if I don’t want to ruin my clothes.
My whole body is aching and I’m wondering if this is a good tree to hide my rucksack in. Plenty of cover, but it looks like all the others. Will I be able to find it again? I’ll have to hope so. This is the dangerous bit. I’m nude in Central Park, it’s getting dark and I’m not a wolf yet. If anyone sees me I’ll get raped, arrested, mugged or murdered.
I crumple at the base of the tree as everything stretches (well, not ‘everything,’ unfortunately). I change.
Look at that! There is a full-moon. That’s not going to help with stereotypes…. I lope into the trees. I don’t want anyone to see me until I’m well away from my tree. I’ve got brand new Nike kicks in the backpack, and I’ll be very annoyed if they’re gone in the morning. Near 110th Street is a playground. That’s where I’m heading. (I know what you’re thinking: those poor children, you monster!) But I want to make sure the park is empty first. No witnesses. The night is warm and I feel good. I can bench press 50, do 100 squats and plank for 30 minutes, but my human body never feels as good as this! I splash into the lake, get out, shake myself off.
There’s someone on the far side. Filming me. Come on! I’m as big as a bear and you’re not running?
Ha! They are now. There goes the phone. I bite through it. Probably not a good idea what with exploding batteries, but I feel so damn powerful. I let the wannabe photographer escape, screaming. Without the footage, nobody is going to believe him. This is New York. Nobody is even going to listen to him. I make my way over to the playground. Back in the day? Junkies and dealers hanging around, and try get those guys to run! Jesus! But that’s improved, at least. The playground is empty. I sniff, can smell rats. Lots of them. But I don’t worry about rats. I don’t eat them either. I don’t eat gluten; you think I’m going to eat a rat? A New York rat? Yeuch!
And here we go.
I jump on the swings. It’s hard to grab the chain properly, but I can hook my ‘wrists’ around them. The moon is right there and I’m going higher and higher. Man! This is awesome.
“Wheeee!”
It comes out a little different because I don’t have human jaws, but it’s so much fun. Higher, higher!
“Wheeeeeeereearrooooooohhh!!!”
