Like a kid on Christmas morning with a new toy, 17-year-old Nathan contemplated the Chronivac he had persuaded his great-grandfather to acquire for him. The gentle whirring of the mechanics buried beneath the shiny metal and ceramic casing reverberated though the hand holding the device.
Nathan found his attention fastened on the option labeled Christmas mouse. As a kid, he had owned a pet mouse. In fact, he received the pet as a present on his seventh Christmas.
He'd always been intrigued by his pet, which spent most of its time in a glass fish tank lined with a layer of wood shavings. A water bottle, plastic feed dish, and plastic tubing fashioned into an exploratory maze to keep his pet exercised completed the decor. He also liked to take the mouse from the cage and play with it. He remembered letting it scurry up his arms. He even remembered an old pair of blue pajamas and how the mouse liked to be carried as a passenger in the pocket of the pajama top.
He recalled his pet's name with a bit of disbelief. Binky? What has possessed him to call anything Binky?
He had often wondered what it must be like to see the world from Binky's perspective as a tiny, cute mouse with white fur, little paws, whiskers and a long tail.
Now he could find out. He got a little excited as he took a closer look at how to effect the change. The deeper he got into the process, the more decisions he needed to make.
Awareness? He noticed he could make himself a mouse both physically and mentally, but what would be the fun in that? He wanted to experience the change. He ticked off the option for fully aware.
He could set an automatic restoration after an interval of time, or he could simply flick a switch on the device when he was ready to return to his real self. That sounded better. If he liked being a mouse, he might want the option of staying. Besides, the switch looked simple to operate.
He grew tired of the endless settings. "Let's just do it already."
Still, he hesitated. Giving it one last thought. When he thought about it, the whole plan sounded crazy. But he had the device. Now wasn't the time to lose his nerve.