The Transformation

• Mitchell West, Grade 5, Wattle Park Primary School
• Short Story
• 2016

Excellence Award in the 'Word Zone 2016' competition

He stumbled into the bathroom and stared in horror at his reflection in the mirror, he usually looked horrid first thing in the morning, but today it was worse than usual. Somehow during the night he had transformed, his eyes were large, his fingers clawed, but the strangest thing, his skin was green and scaled and he had a tail. Steve stared in astonishment sure that he must still be dreaming or having a nightmare. But when he pinched his slimy skin, he felt the pain and knew this was real. Panic set in, but on top of that, there was a hunger, an uncontrollable pain. He hungered not for cereal, but for blood, human blood.
“Steve” called his mother from downstairs, “come have your breakfast or you’ll be late.”
The fear returned. How could she see him like this, feeling like this, craving blood like this? “Just a minute,” he yelled back down to her, but his voice was scratchy deep and unfamiliar. “Are you ok honey? You don’t sound too good.”
Urn” he began, “I’ve just got a cold,” he finished, coughing unconvincingly.
“Are you trying to get a day off school because of a test?”
“No mum, I’ve actually got a cold!” he yelled still faking a cough.
“Well get down here and let me have a look.”
“Ok just promise me you won’t get scared.”
Her scream filled the house as he entered the kitchen. She reached for the phone and a knife from the kitchen block.
“Don’t come any closer,” she warned, the knife bold in her hand.
“Mum please you can’t call the police,” he begged, moving forward unconsciously. But her hand had moved to the zero on the phone and he lunged at her, causing blood to gush from her hand. He longed for it, but in a moment of clarity, he controlled himself. He fled from the scene, leaving his house and mother behind.
Within moments, he was being chased. The last thing he remembered was that the police were behind him, bullets were flying and cold water was biting at him. When he awoke, he had washed up on a small island in the middle of the ocean, the only creatures around him were lizards, he was starving and he needed blood.
“How will I ever survive here?” he muttered to himself.
Suddenly one of the lizards spoke up, “There are humans in the middle of the island.”
“You speak English?” asked Steve mesmerised.
“No you speak lizard,” replied the lizard as Steve set of to the middle of the island.
He found a room. He crept, but he had set off an alarm and he was trapped in a net that had fallen from the ceiling. All at once, the room went black and there was nothing but the pain of the injection in his arm, until he started to change...