Tim tried not to think about what had happened. But it was a futile fight, like lassoing a bull that stood like a monument on the grass. He tried to distract himself by focusing on the quartz, the sediment samples, and the way Emily meticulously logged every rock as if she were at a crime scene. Scratch that last part. He could endure more time thinking about his life as a squirrel than having that woman in his head for a single more second. Still… Keeping these thoughts inside him seemed like a disaster waiting to explode. Even Ravi could sense the unease in him.
He needed to tell someone.
Anyone.
Tim's roiling thoughts were interrupted when he saw Ermine hurrying across the grass toward the picnic table. His name was Ermine, but people close to him—which was Tim and his mom—just called him Ermie. Like Tim, he was late. Also, like Tim, he was immediately met with Emily's signature scowl and bitchy reprimand.
"You're late," she informed him, arms crossed.
"It's true. A tragedy." Ermie said with a smug before dropping a slab of asphalt on the rock blanket. Tim swore it still had a line of yellow road markings flaking out. Emily cussed him out, but Ermie ignored her bitching. He dropped onto the bench beside Tim, proud of ruining Emily's day once more.
Unlike others, Ermie had zero interest in geology. He only joined because Tim had, and because he didn't particularly enjoy spending his weekdays in his divorced mom's RV. It reeks of piss, and there is usually a massive turd on his mother's bed which her mom repeatedly dubbed as her boyfriend. Sometimes the turd was nice to Ermie, but most times, they are like the assholes where they came from. He would rather come to these club meetings, which he described as "watching a bunch of nerds fight over dirt," which wasn't entirely inaccurate.
While others spread out to gather more garden stones in the park for the hundredth time, Tim slid closer to Ermie, lowering his voice. "Dude," he said.
Ernie raised an eyebrow. "That's never a good start."
Tim hesitated. How exactly did one being a conversation about possessing a fucking squirrel because a magic rock gave you the ability? He would sound like a lunatic. Still, he took a deep breath and just plopped his thoughts on Ermie's mind. "Something really weird happened to me today."
Ermie looked mildly interested. He was sweating amid the smile. That asphalt must have weighed tons. "Weird, like? Weirded that waking up to another talking shit in my bed? This one had tattoos and reeked of Bud Light. Had to squeeze his nuts so he'd wake up and give me back my blanket. So, what's the weird thing? Spit it out."
Tim glanced around and felt relieved that no one paid them any mind even though they weren't participating in the club activity. Mr. Lawson was humble-bragging about his new spectrometer while Emily was still fixing the mess Ermie made. Another double take at his surroundings, and Tim whispered, "I turned into a squirrel."
Ermie nearly bursts out laughing before raising his hands and returning himself to proper decorum. What a gentleman. "Did you snort up shrooms instead of rock dust? If yes, give me some. One of my mom's turds gave me one and I've been trying to get another one since."
"I'm serious."
Ermie studied him like he was waiting for the usual punchline. When none came, he leaned forward with a squint. "Holy shit! You're serious, aren't you? Are you sure you didn't just like, have a really intense daydream? Or fall and hit your head on one of your stupid rocks? This wasn't the first time this happened. You pissed yourself the last time."
"Fuck off. Don't make me remember that again?" Tim dug into his pocket and pulled out the rock. He cradled it in his palm as if it were a precious gemstone, and anyone would steal it if they saw the rock. "This did it."
Ermie stared at the rock. Then at Tim. Then again at the rock. "Looks like any rock to me. So what, it's cursed? You picked up an evil rock, piss boy?"
"First off, fuck you. Second, it's not evil." Tim corrected. "It's just… weird. I picked it up, and there was this force that projected me into a nearby body. As that squirrel, I could see my real body just standing there without moving. I wish I could get a closer look but I was panicking because I just turned into a fucking rodent. You'd understand."
"I don't understand shit. And you're sure this wasn't like a stress hallucination. Collecting rocks is one hell of a stressor."
Tim groaned. He wanted to curse off again, but his anger and breath were wasted on someone dumb. "I swear it felt fucking real. I could still feel the squirrel's thoughts in my head.
"Do it," Ermie said, breaking Tim from his frustration. "Let's cut to the chase and have you prove it."
Tim blinked. "What?"
"I'm pretty sure turning into a squirrel didn't cut off your ears. You heard me. Do it again. Possess someone."
Tim looked around and saw several candidates for his possession. He picked up the rock and willed his spirit to move.