First Encounter #3

The dark of the night was punctured only by the occasional cricket. A rustling of grass heralded the two boys' return, and not long afterwards the bulky mass of lake bed that hid Ferran's form scuttled behind them.

Winter would eventually come to the mountains, but for now there were northerly breezes putting the village Yerz within the range of autumn warmth, much the same as on the lower plateaus or the cities by the coast. Talon and Daiv climbed through an open window bare metres from the room where the puppethead was sleeping, dressed in their teacher's skin.

'We have to go in there?' Daiv whispered. 

In response, an absent grunt sounded from the sleeping figure. Talon placed his finger over his mouth and beckoned his friend to follow. The thing in Ferran's body was snoring as they stepped carefully towards the chest of drawers. Like their teacher had said, they found the photograph of Ferran and a younger woman standing on a broad wooden verandah.

'Where – when do you suppose this was...?' Daiv began.

From outside came the same sound of rustling that the boys had made.

'The grass,' Talon whispered. 'Someone is coming.'

'Are you sure that's not Ferran?'

The question was answered by a call from the person that the boys wished to see even less than the body-stealing monster.

'Who goes there?' said the Big Honch. The village owner opened the door of the house and the thing woke up.

'What the hell are you doing in here?' said the thing. The Honch appeared in the doorway.

'I would like to know the very same thing.'

'This isn't Ferran,' Daiv said faster than he could think, pointing an accusatory finger at the body in the bed.

The Honch looked disconcertingly between the invading child and the sleeper whose home had been invaded.

'I think you'll find it is, silly boy. What do you think you are doing? Playing a prank? Is that it?'

As Talon watched the Honch begin to fume, he thought of a diversion.

'If this man is Ferran,' he said after the Honch had finished, 'who is this?'  The boy jabbed the photograph in the thing's face.

'My old girlfriend,' it said without blinking. To the fright of the Honch, a messy mound of lake muck pushed through the bedroom window. In the absence of bright light, the shape could have been anything, which made it all the more terrifying.

'That's my sister, you monster!' growled the obscured face.

'This is a Thing that has taken over Ferran's body!' Talon said.

Through the window, Ferran breathed heavily again to speak to the Honch. 'This imposter is part of a scouting party and they are going to invade our home.'

The Big Honch finally found his voice. 'Preposterous!' he said. 'Preposterous! I'll have none of this!' He reached into a pocket to procure a match. The Honch lit a candle on the dresser and approached the window. 'What are you and why do you accuse a man of our village?'

'Honch, the puppethead!' Daiv said, but too late – Ferran's body lifted a heavy book above the Honch's head and clobbered him. The thing then leaped across the room before either of the boys could catch it. Daiv chased the monster outside as Talon attempted to lift up the Honch's moaning form. On the floor, the candle wavered in the rush of air and illuminated the scene with eerie shadows.

'Are you okay?' Talon said, despite his overwhelming dislike of the man. Behind them, Ferran straightened out and called to Daiv to return.

'The puppethead will probably try to leave the village,' he said weakly. 'Now that its secret is known, it can't hide.'

'We have to head it off,' said Talon, 'force it to go back into its own body.'

Daiv came back, outside near Ferran. 'I can take one of the montigers. If we go over Lookout Ridge we can cut him off.'

The Honch stirred. 'I can't believe that this is happening...'

'Neither did we,' Talon said.

'No,' the Honch said. 'No, what I mean is that it's happening. That Thing is the start of it.'

'Start of what?' said Daiv. The Honch didn't reply.

'Saddle the montiger, I'll go and grab a net,' said Talon. 'Ferran, you've got to try and make it to the southern pass.'

'Do you really think we can catch it with a fishing net?' One look at Talon's face was all he needed. Ferran made another unearthly shudder as he breathed painfully.

'Get going!' Talon said.