Scenarios

A Show

I'm standing by the lake in the mountains, looking across the water. I hear footsteps approaching and turn to see the farmer approaching. I quickly but subtly fix my hair and hope to God I'm not blushing.

"Henry!" I greet. "Good to see you." He nods and smiles.

"Nice day for a walk, don't you think?" I ask. He nods but looks into the sky. He points far over the mountains to the north. The sky is dark with storm clouds there, and the very distant rumble of thunder can be heard.

"Yeah, but those won't come until tomorrow," I say. "And, even then, the valley looks so much better in the rain anyways." He looks thoughtful, then nods in agreement.

He walks around the edge of the lake and across the makeshift bridge to one of the islands. He starts undressing, starting with his shirt. I look away, my face redder than the salmon berries filling the nearby bush. He shamelessly drops his pants next.

"You're in for a show," A voice says behind me. I jump, yelping. I turn around to find Linus, the homeless man who lives up the mountain, standing there. He's smiling kindly at me.

"Ah. Linus. How are you?" I ask politely.

"Oh, I'm doing quite well, Abigail. I apologize for startling you. How about yourself?" I look at Henry and sigh.

"Ok, I guess," I say. Linus looks over to Henry as well.

"He comes here once a week around the same time to go for a swim," He says.

"Why is that a show?" I ask.

"You'll see. He's no normal man. But he's not afraid to show off. More like he doesn't care who sees," Linus answers vaguely. The almost naked farmer approached the edge of the island and jumps off the short cliff into the water below. In mid jump he changes. I don't catch what he changes into, but I can clearly see that it is no longer human. He splashes into the water and swims just below the surface. I can see that he is now a huge grey crocodile.

"Woah!" I call, stunned.

"Quite a spectacle, wouldn't you say?" Linus says. "Shapeshifting is a rare skill that only one in a trillion children are born with." Henry picks up the pace and swims around the island with intense speed . He changes again while underwater into something smaller. A water snake!

He wiggles and twists, propelling himself through the water faster than any water snake I've ever seen. He suddenly darts upward, breaking the surface and jumping into the air. Right as he comes up, he changes into a sea turtle before landing back in the water with a splash.

"He's definitely showing off today, though." Linus chuckles.

"Why would he do that?" I ask.

"Cause you're watching," He says simply, and I can almost hear the knowing smile in his voice. I blush and keep staring at Henry in the water.

"You think..?" I murmur, almost to myself. He takes a more leisurely swim around the island in his turtle form. He disappears around the other side and reappears as a water snake again. He picks up speed and jumps out again, this time toward the shore. He changes to a large dog and lands right next to me. I laugh as he shakes off, spraying me and Linus with cool water.

"That was amazing!" I say. Henry turns into a human again, and smiles. Linus starts to walk off as Henry goes to retrieve his clothes. The shapeshifting farmer returns from the island, fully dressed. "You're full of surprises, aren't you?" I say. Henry chuckles and starts off back towards town. He waves me over and we walk back together.