You are standing by a tree
There are 3 paths.
One appears to go to a jungle,
one appears to go to a cave,
one appears to go to a beach,
you could try and climb the tree,
there is a nearby shop you could go in,
or you could do something else.
So what's its going to be?
Written by catprog on 01 April 2003
In the shop
There is a table with a sign saying
<strong>Free Sample:</strong>
Take one
On the table there is a fridge with a range of liquids. Also on the table are various magical trinkets including costumes. What would you like to take, or would you like to buy something?
Written by catprog on 10 April 2003
Costumes
You decide to try out a costume.
Written by catprog on 13 December 2005
The monkey's paw... and face
Leaving the bigger packages aside, you find a piece of partly furry material lying on something on the table. As you pick it up and straighten it out you realize it's supposed to be a mask. A chimpanzee mask. And what it was lying out turns out to be a pair of black gnarly gloves. Both the mask and the gloves are made from the same soft pliable material that is almost like real skin.
You put down the mask, pick up the gloves and put them on. They are longer than they looked lying on the table, reaching halfway to your elbows. The weird thing is that even though the fingers look shorter than your own, they are still a perfect fit.
You turn your hands over and wiggle your fingers. They look just like chimpanzee hands. The gloves wrinkle just like real skin, it feels almost like you're not wearing anything at all. Weird.
You pick up the mask in both monkey hands, raise your head and shake your long hair back. Then you take a deep breath, close your eyes, put the mask on your face and pull it down.
It's a perfect fit. Just like the gloves, it feels like wearing nothing at all. Yet, when you open your eyes and look down at the mirror behind the table, there you are - a young woman with a monkey's face and hands.
You blink, and the mask's eyelids move in perfect sync with your own. You wiggle your nose and grin sheepishly - again the mask's movements match those of our face. Or rather...
"Ook ook!" Wow, even your voice sounds different. You notice that the lower part of the mask is long enough to cover your larynx. "Ooooook!" Okay, enough monkey talk, try to say something sensible. "Eek ah ook!" What the...?
This is getting too weird. You try to take off the mask, but can't find a seam. Looking at your underarms, the gloves appear to have become one with your skin. There is a line where the fur ends and the colour changes, but the skin continues unbroken. You try tugging at the mask's ears, but they snap back giving you a slap on each ear, and when you try again it feels like you're pulling at you own ears. You notice that the room kind of sound and smells different from before too.
This is definitely no ordinary Halloween outfit!
Written by Won-Tolla on 08 November 2007
The Full Monkey
"Ook!"
Behind the counter you have wandered over to, an old man sits studying what appears to be an inventory list. At the sound of your altered voice, he turns around without the slightest sign of surprise at your simian looks.
"Ah," he says with a brief smile. "That looks good on you, Miss. A perfect fit too."
Now that's not what you want to hear. You try explaining your problem, but you can't speak, and somehow your new fingers fail to make the right signs to get the message through. Nevertheless the man nods and walks around the counter until he stands right behind you. "I see," he says. "Let me give you a hand."
He gropes along the sides of your head, and seems to find the seam you missed. You feel such a relief at this that it takes a few moments to realize that he's behind you, and rather than pulling the mask forward and off your face, he is stretching the material backwards until the edges meet and merge in the back. A few more swift movement, and the dark furry skin covers your whole neck and everything visible above your blouse. Looking in the mirror behind the counter you realize you're all monkey from the neck up (and then some). And what happened to your hair??
Too upset to remember that he doesn't understand what you say, you turn around and start shrieking at the guy until he grabs one of your flailing arms by the wrist.
"Easy now, Miss. I can't help you if you keep flailing around like that. CALM!"
The last word is spoken in a commanding tone as he brushes the fingers of his free hand across your brow. Suddenly your fear and anger melt away. What are you so upset about? This man knows what he is doing!
Sure, he knows, but do you? You just stand watching calmly as he puts his free hand over the place on your pinned arm where your two skins meet. Rather than pull it down, his hand moves slowly upwards past the elbow and up under the short sleeve of your blouse. Under it your arm keeps changing, as if he was stretching the glove to an impossible length.
As you look curiously at your almost completely transformed arm, the old man, who you realize must be some kind of wizard, lets go of your wrist and starts giving your other arm the same treatment.
"Your first change can be quite upsetting," he says conversationally. "It is important to stay calm and try to enjoy the experience."
Turning back to the mirror, you now look like a complete monkey above the counter, and from the way you're itching you are not too sure about what's happening to the covered parts. You take a deep breath, turn to face the wizard and make another try to communicate.
This time you do succeed in finding the signs for 'Get it off me!' but while the old man does get the message he gets the subject wrong. Rather than remove what definitely appears to be (or at least have been) a magical costume, he starts unbuttoning your blouse, and you are momentarily distracted by the realization that your chest feels flatter than before. Sure enough, as the fabric is pulled aside it reveals more dark fur. Your bra is hanging limp and useless from your shoulders, and with a few swift movements that is gone too. As you turn your head for a quick glance in the mirror you realize that you are growing shorter, and while you are pondering that the wizard unzips your jeans and lets them fall to the floor. He grabs your arms and lifts you up on the counter for a full view, and you find that you are all chimpanzee - even your eyes have changed - and wearing nothing but your lucky panties.
Lucky? Some luck!!
"I guess you'll want to hang onto those for now," the wizard remarks. "And when you're ready you can get them off on your own. Ready to go?"
Go? Sure, you'd like to get out of here and this body, but that is not what the wizard has in mind. Putting his hands under your arms, he lifts you off the counter, lowers you almost to the floor and with a swift movement he throws you straight up. Anticipating a painful encounter with the ceiling you close your eye and throw up your arms, but you just keep moving upwards.
There is a moment of intense heat.
There is a moment of total darkness.
There is a moment of intense cold.
There is a flash of bright light.
Suddenly your flailing hands hit something thin and round with a rough uneven surface. Sensing how high up you must be, you grab hold and hang on for dear life. As the world stops spinning you open your eyes slowly.
You appear to be up a tree, both literally and metaphorically. You are hanging by your hands on a tree branch, surrounded by green leaves, and there is no telling how far below the ground is. It's warm, and there is a slight breeze carrying the faint scents of a hundred unfamiliar plants and animals. Unknown sounds reach your large ears from near and far.
It's not dark, and you are not wearing sunglasses.
You are, most definitely, not in Kansas any more.
Written by Won-Tolla on 09 November 2007
Some people say we monkey around
Your train of thought is derailed by a crackling noise as you feel the branch starting to give under your weight. You decide not to waste your time looking down - considering the manner of your arrival, there's probably nothing but leaves below you. Leaves - and a very high drop!
Better get a move on, and fast! Glancing nervously around, you spot another, thicker branch in front of you a bit higher than your feet. That will do.
You start swinging back and forth and pull up your feet until they reach the branch. Not far enough to stand upright, but you manage to wrap your toes around the branch a moment before the first branch snaps off. You drop, flip over and end up hanging upside down with a useless branch in your hands. As you let go, it falls into the dense foliage below with a rustling sound that continues for quite a while, occasionally punctuated by thumps as it strikes other branches on the way down.
You have just started wondering how far below the ground is when the cascade of noises ends with a dull thud followed by a deep roar that makes you reconsider your plans to get down on the ground. It sounds dangerous down there!
Well, this is no place to stay either, particularly not upside down. You find another branch below, swing, drop, and grab - and you are right side up again. After a moment's pondering how much you resemble the famous "hang in there" kitten, you haul yourself up on the branch and sit looking around for a while.
Some noises from below remind you that there is something down there you'd rather not meet, that became aware of your presence a few minutes ago. You jump up, look around again and leap for the next tree. Moments later your hands find a branch, and you literally hang around for a couple of seconds while planning your next move. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Gradually you develop an eye for half hidden branches that enables you to move continuously, alternately grabbing hold with your upper and lower hands, and soon you are good enough to speed up. You break the silence with a screech of triumph as you realize that you are actually brachiating! You thought it was a funny word when you first learned it, who knew that you would actually be doing it some day?
You're getting pretty good at it too. And your classmates used to tease you because you couldn't get to the top of the ropes in the gym - they should see you now! Of course they would not recognize you, but you would still leave an impression...
Oops! Almost missed that branch there! You could leave an impression on the ground if you let your mind wander like that.
You have put quite a distance between yourself and the creature you heard earlier, unless it is stalking you silently, when you become aware of an open area ahead. You slow down and stop right at the edge of a big clearing. From where you stand you can't see the ends or the ground, but the other side is clearly visible. Looks like quite a jump though...
Written by Won-Tolla on 11 November 2007
The end (for now)