A Change in Scenery

Chapter 1

1 week earlier

Ryan Connelly pulled his hoodie tighter over his head as the rain started to fall harder and the wind pushed at him causing him to occasionally stumble. It was February and the weather was still rainy, cold and unpredictable as ever. The walk from school to his house usually takes him about twenty minutes but he knew that by that time he would already be cold and soaked to his bones. He let out a sigh and slowed down his pace and decided to just enjoy the rain. He looked up and saw the Inistioge Bridge that told him that he was halfway to his house. Even in the rain he could see a small family of tourists taking a photo on the bridge. He had never understood why people wanted to see a bridge so much, he knew that you could occasionally see seals and otters and there was the legend of a mermaid being found there but other then that it was just a bridge. He just sighed again and kept walking. He was about to reach the end of the bridge when a distinctively American voice called out.

"Excuse me son" Ryan turned around to see a man walking towards him with a camera in his hand. Behind him stood a lady who had her arm on a young boy and girl's shoulders.

"Would you mind taking a picture of my family and I?" As much as he hated the idea of being in this weather any longer than he had to Ryan nodded his head and took the camera from the man. The man walked back to his family and stood behind his kids and slid an arm around the woman's waist. Ryan looked down at the camera and saw that it was a new edition waterproof one and he rolled his eyes. Rich Americans. He raised the camera up to his eyes and lined it up and focused it, he pushed the button and he heard the click. He took another two or three photos and brought the camera down. The man stepped away from his family and walked towards him, Ryan extended his arms and placed the camera in the mans hand and waited to see the mans reaction. A smile grew on the man's face when he saw the photos and he looked back up at Ryan.

"Thank you and sorry to keep you in this rain for longer than I guess you were hoping" Ryan just shrugged.

"Don't worry, rain doesn't bother me too much but you guys must be off your rockers to be out here in this weather to go sight seeing" The man let out a hearty laugh and Ryan couldn't help but crack a smile as well.

"Well we're leaving Ireland in two days so we're trying to squish in as many things as we possibly can, even if mother nature is trying to keep us inside" He looked back at his family as he was saying this and Ryan followed his gaze. The mother was leaning against the bridge's side, looking at the running water below and the two children were talking to each other as they waited for their dad.

"Well I better be going or else my ma will have a go at me" The man nodded his head and said good bye as Ryan turned around and headed off home again, and going slighter faster this time. It took him another ten minutes to reach his house and he was right, he was cold and soaked right down to his bones. When he knocked on his front door he could hear the sound of his mother's feet walking towards the door. It opened revealing his mother standing their with her hair in a messy bun, an apron on and a thin coat of flour dusting her everywhere.

"Hi Ma" he said quietly as she gave him a quick hug before rushing back to her baking.

"How was your day hon?" she yelled over her shoulder and Ryan shrugged his shoulders before realizing that she couldn't see him.

"Bit of a tosser, ever since Caleb left everybody's thinking that it's a right chance to chuck a few insults here and there" he said with a sigh. Caleb had moved over from Australia for two years and for those two years Ryan hadn't been picked on once. It kind of helped that Caleb was bigger than every other 12 year old and could intimidate anyone. He had seen Ryan sitting at lunch alone and had sat with him and they had become best friends as quickly as anyone possibly could. But unfortunately his father's job contract only lasted for two years so they had to move back to Australia just three weeks ago and the next day the insults had come flowing back to Ryan. Ryan could hear his ma sigh from the kitchen, he knew that she hated the fact that her son was bullied but Ryan wasn't really to caught up in it. He just needed his ma, his sister, his books and the wide-open field out the back of his house and he was happy. Just as he thought of his sister he could hear the pitter-patter of little feet running down the stairs. Just seconds later his little 8-year-old sister, Sarah, burst into view and she smiled. She ran forward and Ryan opened his arms as she wrapped hers around him.

"How's my little midget?" He asked and she looked up at him with a grouchy face.

"Ryan, I'm almost as tall as you" Ryan just laughed and shrugged his shoulders.

"Almost, that means that your not and until that day I will call you midget and even when you get taller than me I will still call you midget because you are my little sister and will always be small to me"

This caused her to roll her eyes and let go of me. She looked as if she was about to say something when her nose twitched. At the same time Ryan realized that there was a smell in the air, a very yummy smell. Ryan and Sarah realized what it was at the same time and looked at each other. "Barm Brack" they said excitedly and rushed into the kitchen to see their ma pulling a fresh loaf of barm brack out of the oven. Ryan could practically feel the drool coming out of his mouth as his ma cut a few slices off and gave one each to Sarah and him. The waft of the doughy goodness made its way into his nose and he shoved it all in his mouth along with Sarah whose piece was already gone. Their ma smiled at their reaction to her baking and turned around to clean up.

"You kids go on up and do your homework and I'll bring some more slices up for you" Ryan and Sarah instantly ran upstairs, after stopping to get Ryan's books out of his schoolbag. The house wasn't the largest house around but there was a small tower room that the family always sat in because there was a large warm fireplace and the view overlooked the large expanse of fields and mountains in the distance. Ryan went straight to his seat that was beside the window so he could steer out at the view. It took him ten minutes to finish his homework and Sarah fifteen and by the time they were done half of the barm brack loaf was gone. They sat together watching a cooking show on the T.V but Ryan couldn't help but look over at the fireplace. The flames tongues licked at the glass and Ryan imagined them breaking the glass and enveloping the house in a burning infernal. He felt his breathing fasten and a small flower of fear blossom in his chest. Just as he was about to faint his gaze was ripped from the fire and he was met with his ma's concerned eyes. She sat down beside him and soon Sarah joined them and they sat in a tight hug as Ryan felt a few tears escape from his eyes.

"It's okay hon, its okay" His ma whispered over and over until he felt the panic attack edge away and he realized that his eyes were trying to stay open. He looked up at his ma and she must've seen his tired expression because she pried herself away from him and gently picked up Sarah's sleeping form. He forced himself to stand and walked downstairs to his cold little room. He quickly brushed his teeth and got changed before snuggling into his duvet and closing his eyes and falling into a restful sleep.

The feeling of not being in his own body spread through him as he took a few steps. He looked around himself and realized that he was in the fields that sat behind his home and surely he looked up and saw his house peeking through a wall of trees. He turned his attention back to himself and looked down, surprised to see paws instead of feet and grey and white fur rather than skin. He shook his head and instantly he saw his normal legs and human body.

Ryan sat up quickly in his bed and looked around him. He was happy to see that he was actually in his cozy bed inside his house rather than in the fields outside which meant that what he had just seen was just a dream. He breathed out a sigh of relief and lay back down but a feeling of unease stayed with him until he fell back asleep again.

Hey Guys!! I just want to say a big thanks to you guys for reading this, if anyone actually does. As usual, sorry if there are any spelling or grammar mistakes.

And thanks again for reading :)