Mason's Transformations - Chapter 2

Mason's Transformations
A New Life



"Handler?" Mason thought quietly to himself. He wondered what that meant, unable to break away from Adam's warm eyes. It was Adam who finally got up gesturing a sign for Mason to stay where he was. Mason dared not move. He just listened to Adam ruffling pots and pans in the kitchen. Each clank caused Mason to jump a little and wince out of pain. After all, he was still very frightened and very sore from being kicked in the ribs. As Mason stood next to the fireplace, hands and knees on the floor, his mind began to wander to the many questions his mind asked over and over. But, whenever he seemed to grasp an answer, it slid just beyond his reach and a multitude of more questions arose instead. The main question that seemed to cause him the most strife, was how he had lost his memory in the first place. It frightened him to think that he didn't know anything about himself. What he liked, disliked, his favorite food...it was all gone, like a cloud that had floated away to the farthest reaches of space.



Again, Mason began to shiver at the thought of his amnesia just as Adam re-entered the room. Adam took notice immediately and kneeled in front of him. Mason stopped shivering and paused to see Adam slowly extending his hand in front of Mason's face. The sight of Adam's hand signaled a powerful primal urge that Mason had never before experienced. His body lurched forward with great intensity and he began to sniff the fingers of Adam's hand. The feeling was intense, slow short bursts of air filled Mason's lungs, bringing with it the most flavorful of smells. Mason began to understand each smell one by one as he continued to breath in crisp lung-fulls of air. He could smell the soft dirt, the brand of a leather leash, the dust from the kitchen and even a few logs, which he knew, were now roasting in the fireplace. Gathering all the smells he could, he continued to search and search, unable to find what he has been so eager to sniff out. It was something he couldn't see with his eyes, but only something his sniffing could identify. A little disappointed with himself, Mason drew back and sat on the rug, ill-struck at what he had just done. A few moments passed again and Adam moved out of sight and back to the cabinet.



Mason stood there deadlocked. His heart was racing and a new question occurred to him. "What just happened? He had just done something he would have never thought possible. And just how did he know what he was smelling? It was almost as if he could see with his nose. Everytime he identified a smell, it became clear in his head, what is was. More questions swam in his already overwhelmed brain and Mason needed answers. Only, he hadn't a clue. He couldn't answer any of those questions he desperately yearned to know. Mason was still brooding over these questions when Adam walked back into the room. He was carrying a metal object and Mason could hear a sloshing sound coming from it. Adam placed the dish on the floor in front of Mason. "Had to dig this one out of the Pantry." Adam said. "Go ahead boy. Have some water!" At first, Mason couldn't bring himself to drink the water. After almost drowning in his own thoughts it seemed ironic to actually want water. But he thought of how long he had been caged and how his side ached and gently lowered his head into the dish. He stood there for hovering above the water for a few moments, as if he now needed to solve a very difficult puzzle. He tried as hard as he could to drink, but with his head so low to the ground it was impossible. After trying every approach to suck the water out of the bowl, he gave a short "huff" to signify his frustration. Then as if learning how to ride a bike for the very first time, he slowly begin to lap up the water with his tongue. It only took a few laps of water for Mason to realize that the water was amazingly satisfying. The clear and crisp liquid was cool and refreshing and with each lap, he continued to drink with more and more intensity. He could feel the primal urge in his chest pulsating again. And it was only after he was licking the metal base of the bowl that he realized he had lapped up all the water.



"Good boy!" said Adam, patting the top of Mason's head as he went to refill the bowl with fresh water. It was only after Mason had lapped up two more bowls that he finally felt satisfied. With another "huff" he inched away from the bowl and pushed it away with his nose. Still sitting on the carpet, he and Adam gazed at each other once again and Mason tried his hardest to say "Thank you for the water." Unfortunately, what came out of his mouth was completely different from what he had been expecting. To Mason's surprise, all he could manage to say was a few short barks. "I can't speak?!" Mason thought, adding another question to what was now a vast collection of questions. With great intensity, he frantically tried other words, but the room was filled with only barking, woofing, and howling.



With a great whimper, Mason collapsed onto the rug where he had been sitting. It had never occurred to him that he couldn't speak. He had been so frightened while he was in the cage, that he believed yelling for help might trigger attention and put him in great danger. Adam was still looking at Mason, looking slightly concerned. Another brief moment passed between them, and Adam stood up and walked over to Mason. He began to pet Mason's back gently and this gave Mason a feeling of reassurance and pity. Still petting, Adam leaned in very close to Mason's ear and spoke words that Mason would never forget. Each word was like a knife cutting his skin, deeper and deeper. "Pup, what that man said earlier is true. You can't aren't human anymore. And there is no going back. It's no longer in your nature to speak, to walk on two legs, or to even understand what humanity is..." Mason could feel the warmth of Adam's breath as he said each word. Tears began to roll down Mason's cheeks and he lay there hoping that there was more to what Adam had just said. Every ounce of Mason's being was listening for words that would never appear from Adam's lips. For a minute, it seemed as if there was something Adam wanted to say, but it slowly faded as he heaved a great sigh and grabbed the leash from off the floor.



After he heard a soft click around his neck, Mason felt a tug on his leash and almost methodically followed it to a room near the base of a wooden staircase. There, a soft wool bed lay on the floor for Mason and he knew that he was to lay down and rest for the evening. Adam removed the leash from Mason's neck and Mason made his way over to bed. He glanced back at Adam once as if half-expecting to hear something that would make him feel better, but only saw the same concerned expression on Adam's face. He took a few more steps, and collapsed onto the bed, which formed to his body. A few moments passed again, and Mason thought about what this meant for him, he buried his head into the bed and began to sob lightly. Adam choked back another comment, as he closed the door behind him and Mason had never felt more alone than he did at this moment. He lay there on his new bed and watched the moon through a nearby window. Feeling the warmth of the bed around him, he felt comforted slightly, but continued to sob lightly at the thought of his "new" life. In fact, it was only after the moon had risen far into the night sky, that Mason dozed off and had finally cried himself to sleep.



Soon to post:
Chapter 3 - Dreaming of the White Room