Sally couldn't believe it. Spinal cord injuries were thought to be permanent for humans, but salamanders were known to be capable of recovering from them. Here was a report of an experimental new procedure that injected salamander DNA into paralyzed humans. The modified DNA would supposedly train the human body to heal its spine.
Before the car accident rendered her paraplegic, Sally had loved to use her legs. She had been on the track and swimming teams in high school. Her athletics gave her toned legs that other women envied and men lusted after. Now her legs sat weak and useless in her wheelchair. She had learned to swim with just her arms, but it wasn't the same.
Desperate to walk again, she didn't hesitate to sign up for the medical trial. She answered a long questionnaire. Later she was called in for an extensive physical. Then at last the call came that she had been chosen to be one of the first human test subjects. She was ecstatic.
The injection was painful, but Sally kept reminding herself it wasn't as painful as the accident had been. She remained in the hospital to monitor any progress. The first week was uneventful - outright boring. Then one day she woke up feeling something strange. Sally realized it was the sensation of the bedsheet against her feet. She had feeling below her waist again!
Doctors were excited, but warned Sally it could be a slow recovery. Physical therapists worked her legs, trying to prepare them for walking for the first time in several years. Two weeks after her injection was her first attempt at learning to walk again with aid of parallel bars. It was a difficult and exhausting process, but Sally was determined to persevere. She liked the exercises in the pool the best. The water felt more at home than it ever had before.
After a month, the doctors sent Sally home. Her physical therapy would continue, but she was clearly on the road to recovery. The day Sally could finally walk without a cane at her physical therapy appointment felt like the greatest day of her life. She cried with happiness. When she got home she was so excited she took off running around her block. When she returned, she was drenched in sweat and incredibly thirsty. After chugging a bottle of water, she took a long cool shower followed by a long nap.
When Sally woke up, she was thirsty again. It seemed like she was thirsty a lot lately, but she didn't think much of it. She was back on her own two feet once again and that's all that mattered. That evening she took a nice, long, relaxing bath. She went to shave her legs, but was surprised to find all her leg hairs seemed to have fallen out. Her bush seemed to be thinning as well. She thought about all the attention her legs used to get. She could have worn a burlap sack over her head in college and still gotten laid because of her legs. Sally hadn't had sex since the accident. She just didn't have enough feeling down there. Curious, she began to masturbate in the tub. She found her sensitivity had returned just as much there as in the rest of her lower extremities.
The thirst, the extra enjoyment of water, and the hair loss was just the beginning. What Sally didn't realize is the salamander DNA was doing more than just allowing her spinal cord to heal. More changes were coming.