Night has fallen, and the thick clouds covering the sky have given way to light rain, by the time your parents get into their car and drive away for their weekly dancing session. You ask yourself why they aren’t panicking over your disappearance yet – but a part of you already fears the answer. And Erin is with you, to help out.
Emerging from the bushes at the opposite side of the street, you and Erin lope like silent shadows across to your house, avoiding human eyes. Breaking through the old cracked pane of the side door (your dad could never be bothered to fix it), you and your companion gain entry. It feels odd to view your home from the perspective of a four-legged animal. But despite the dark, you can see clearly.
“Look at the family photos,” Erin urges you – and you do so. You freeze, numbed by what you don’t see.
The pictures in the lounge that had portrayed you are all now blank. The rest of your family is unaffected. Whining, you race up to your bedroom – only to find a bare room.
Erin trots up alongside you, and nuzzles you softly. “You understand now, don’t you, Clyde?”
“Yes…,” you reply. “The magic of that book doesn’t just change us – it erases our human traces. That’s why nobody remembered you after you vanished! And the book does not want my parents – so it has wiped their memories of me, and…and all evidence that I ever existed…” You sniff and try to weep, but wolves don’t cry. You turn to Erin. “There’s no way back…”
“No,” she confirms. “Not for the owl family, for me, or for you. We belong to nature now.”
“Did you try to get back to your home? When your parents were out?”
“Yes. With the same result you see now.” Erin lowers her head, sadly remembering that day.
“But we can speak!” you exclaim. “I could let my parents…”
“We can’t speak, Clyde. All the communication you’ve had since your change has been in the form of animal telepathy. Even now, you are not hearing me with your ears – but with your mind!”
You realize that she is right. You gaze again around your former bedroom, reflecting on what you have lost. Then you consider what you won’t miss – your parents’ arguments, the school bullies, your lack of success with the girls. Even your friends weren’t that reliable or understanding, come to think of it.
Your stomach rumbles, reminding you of the need to eat.
“We should go, Clyde.” Erin’s voice is soft in your mind. “When you are ready…”
“The kitchen.” You sniff. “There should be some leftover meat for Dad’s sandwiches in the fridge. When we’ve eaten, we’ll go – and not come back. My parents will have to wonder why an intruder broke in, but only raided the fridge…”
Erin smiles, and brushes her whiskers against yours. “Alright… Food! I like the sound of that.”