One warm summer’s afternoon, Jeff is enjoying the birds sitting on his branches, when he feels something touching his trunk and when he lowers his “gaze” is surprised to see what appears to be a humanoid Squirrel, larger than a normal Squirrel and its body looking more like a human’s. Jeff is able to tell that the weird creature must still be pretty young, judging by its small snout and big youthful eyes and appearance, the creature seems to also not to be wearing any human “covering”. Jeff has been a tree for so long, that he has no memory that he once was a human, but somewhere in his subconscious he knows that the size and shape of the creature looks familiar, so he senses that the Squirrel is no ordinary Squirrel, that the reason the Squirrel is naked is because of its fur.
‘I wonder why he’s staring up at and touching me like that,’ Jeff thinks to himself, ‘he looks kind of sad’.
Jeff watches as the Squirrel-boy raises his other hand, holding up what Jeff somehow recognizes as a phone, “I… I hope this works,” he then hears the Squirrel-boy say.
Before Jeff knows it, he feels a tingle run through his whole massive body, then a young voice suddenly in his mind asking, “c-can you hear me?”
‘Y-yes… I can,’ Jeff answers confused, ‘what is going on, who are you?’
Jeff watches as the Squirrel-Boy lets out a triumphant shout and punches the air with his tiny fist, then beams up at the “tree”.
“I’m so happy,” Jeff hears the Squirrel-boy’s voice say, Jeff doesn’t understand what is going on, each time the Squirrel-boy types into his phone, he hears the voice of the creature in his mind, “my name is Vincent… Vincent Quinn, I’m 10!”
‘Okay,’ Jeff says, still sounding confused, ‘I’m… well… I was…,’ he is about to say when Vincent cuts him off.
“You’re Jeff… Jeff Davis!”
Jeff is stunned, ‘h-how…,’ he starts.
“How I know that you aren’t a real tree,” Vincent asks, “because… this might sound weird… but… I WAS the Squirrel that buried you all those years ago!”
‘WHAT,’ Jeff mentally shouts, ‘but… but that is impossible! I mean… that’s been over 50 years and… and Squirrels only live for a maximum of five years!’
Vincent nods, “true,” he says, “this might sound crazy, but… have you ever heard of “reincarnation”?”
‘I honestly don’t,’ Jeff says, ‘I mean… I have been a tree for so long, I don’t even really remember my human life. I don’t remember how I looked like… my memories are really foggy!’
Vincent nods, “I understand,” he says, “reincarnation is when something or someone dies and is reborn as something else. It can take a second or, in my case, decades!”
‘So… you were reborn as some… human-Squirrel… thing,’ Jeff asks.
Vincent chuckles, “no, I was born as a normal human boy,” he says, “when I turned ten, about two month ago, I started having weird dreams and memories. I then remembered that I buried an Acorn which once had been a human and simply forgot about… it!”
‘You don’t look like a human,’ Jeff says.
“I know,” Vincent says, “I’m a Anthro, which is a animal-human hybrid. Before you ask: no, that is not normal… hehe… I… I transformed myself by using the same… thing that you used to transform into an Acorn!”
Suddenly Jeff remembers, ‘that THING is still around,’ he asks, shocked.
Vincent nods, “yeah, it has improved quite a bit,” he says, “it can do much more now”.
‘Like what,’ Jeff asks.
“Well, it’s able to show the location of transformed “subjects” no matter where they are, what they are and how long they have been whatever they have transformed into. Its even possible to revert that subject’s transformation without being the original version which the subject has used”.
‘You mean…,’ Jeff starts.
“Well… I thought of it,” Vincent cuts him off, “but… since I know how many years have passed… I don’t think it would be a good idea if I’d revert you back to normal”.
‘Then… then why are you here,’ Jeff asks.
Vincent’s smile fades and he once again looks sad, “I… I wanted to come and say… I’m sorry for what I have done,” he says, “I… I shouldn’t have taken you… if… if I would have left you… y-you wouldn’t have ended up like… this… or… worse!”
‘You don’t have to be sorry,’ Jeff says, ‘I mean… it’s not like you knew what you were doing, you were just following your instincts’.
“True,” Vincent says, “but now that I’m human and aware of what I did…,” he then suddenly falls to his knees as he just drops his phone in front of him and starts to cry.
Jeff feels so bad for the young Squirrel-boy, ‘Vincent… there is really no need to be upset,’ he says, ‘I’m happy the way I am and I am not in any way mad at you, I don’t feel any hate towards you’.
Vincent takes his phone after wiping his tears away before typing into his phone, “I… I’m glad you aren’t mad at me and also relieved that you are happy… now,” Jeff hears his voice, “still, I… I want to do something for you… as… as a way of saying sorry”.
‘Honestly, you don’t have to do anything,’ Jeff replies, ‘I just wish I could hug you… I think is what humans do… to show you that all is okay!’
“I… I actually had some ideas,” Vincent says, “first… I thought of… switching places with you… I’d give you my body and… take your place as a tree”.
‘NO! DON’T YOU DARE EVEN THINK…,’ Jeff starts to yell.
“Please… hear me out,” Vincent cuts him off, “the other idea I had was to… separate your soul from your body and… and give you a new one”.
‘What,’ Jeff asks, ‘a new body? What kind of… body?’
“Mine,” Jeff suddenly hears a new voice in his mind, sounding much older.
‘Wh-wha…,’ Jeff asks shocked.
“Jon,” Vincent says, “wh-why did you have to make yourself known! Now… now he’ll…,”
“Shut it, Vincent,” Jon’s voice says, Jeff tries to spot the person named “Jon”, Jeff then spots someone walking up to Vincent, from what Jeff can tell is that the newcomer looks a little taller than Vincent and a little older. Jon looks up at the tree, “I’m Jon, Vincent’s older brother by two years,” the boy says.
‘I’m confused,’ Jeff says.
“Well… when Vincent here told me his story, at first I didn’t believe it,” Jon says, “but he insisted and so I decided to believe him. It was MY idea of giving YOU my body”.
‘Why,’ Jeff asks.
“Because,” Jon says, looking at his Squirrel-brother, “because I don’t want to see my baby brother so depressed. He really feels bad of what he did, he even has nightmares about it, he wants to make it up to you”.
‘But why would you want to give up YOUR life,’ Jeff asks.
Jon grins, “I’m not,” he says, “I’d still be around, we’d be sharing my body. Vincent would use the App to merge our minds together, we’d be one, you would be in control, while I would simply “roll along”, at least you’d be human again!”
Jeff is dumbfounded, “the third idea was,” Vincent says, “I could separate you from your body, you’d still be connected, but when your body dies or is cut down, you’d be free and would have the choice to either go to heaven or… find a pregnant woman and become her baby… OR simply take over someone’s body!”
“I tried to talk him out of it, Jeff,” Jon says, “but… he is not backing away from his ideas. In other words: YOU have to choose WHICH “idea” you’d prefer!”
‘Shit,’ Jeff says.
“Jeff… please,” Vincent says.
‘I… I need time to think,’ Jeff replies.
“Bu-but…,” Vincent starts.
“Understood,” Jon cuts him off, “would two days be enough?”
‘Y-yeah,’ Jeff replies.
“Okay, we’ll be back in two days,” Jeff hears Jon say, then he watches as Jon grabs Vincent’s furry arm and starts pulling him away.
Vincent lets out squeals of protest and struggles, “VINCENT, CUT IT OUT,” Jeff hears Jon yell, then he watches as Jon stops and turns to Vincent, still holding the Squirrel-boy’s arm, “listen, HE is overwhelmed! It’s been over 50 years, he is used to being a tree and accepted his fate, he doesn’t even remember being a human, he only has snippets of his past life! Give him time to work things out, and if he decides to stay a tree then YOU have to accept and respect that!”
Vincent looks up at the tree which is Jeff and Jeff can see tears rolling down his face, but then the Squirrel-boy lowers his head and without a word the two walk off and soon disappear amongst the trees.
‘Oh… man,’ Jeff thinks to himself, his mind racing, ‘what… what am I supposed to do?’