Rosie Bottom
Follow on to A Midsummer's Night Scream.
Still in shock at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, my scream brought a stampede of footsteps up the stairs, and not surprisingly mum’s voice.
“Rosie! Rosie what’s happened?”
This was accompanied by rapid hammering on the door when she got no response.
“DON’T COME IN!”
My heart still racing, brain trying to come up with a reasonable explanation, as my trembling hand reached up to my now furry ears. Someone spiked my drink, no that couldn’t be it we never had a chance to get a drink after that bitch Queen threw us out.
“Rosie, open this door, now!”
“I’m ok, honestly it was a big spider.”
It went quiet.
OMG, OMG, OMG.
A voice in my head.
“Silly girl, he cannot help you. Our magic is far older, and more potent.”
“Get out of my head, you bitch!”
My hands flattened my ears, desperate to block the words.
A, “Click,” from the door, it opened.
“Rosie Bottom, who are you calling a bitch?”
The safety lock override on the door, installed when my brother Alex was younger.
“Don’t look, please mum, I mean….”
She laughed. “Is this your idea of a joke?”
In the mirror, my face looked normal although I could still feel my furry ears. The mocking voice in my head answering the unspoken question.
“Your downfall will not be instant, where is the fun in that? Adults will not see you as you are, until I wish it.”
Mum continued. “You’ll be the death of me, I swear.”
With that mum left the bathroom, Alex just stood by the door.
“Alex, tell me what you see, be truthful.”
He grinned in that annoying way that brother’s do.
“Nothing I haven’t seen before.”
I walked forward, and grabbed his hand.
“Feel here.”
I guided his hand to my ear, the look of shock on his face.
“You’re furry in place you have no right to be furry.”
I realised what he had said, and blushed.
“What’s happening sis?”
I pushed past him, and ran for my room, closed the door, tears in my eyes. Picked up my mobile, and turned on the camera. Yet in selfie mode there was no evidence of my ass ears, stranger still the fingers of my hand appeared to be cupping something forward but no furry ear. Worse, I could see a human ear when I moved my hair out of the way. A disconnect between what was physically there, and how my brain lied about what my eyes must be seeing.
A shout from downstairs. “Rosie, you’re going to be late for work.”
Work. What the hell was I going to do, phoning in sick would not work long term. Might as well get dressed, the familiar routine calmed me down.
Mum, was her usual self.
“Cup of tea on the table love, you’ll just about make it if you hurry.”
Shoe’s, coat, bag, car keys and out of door.
Great the car would not start, I slammed the door and locked it. Run to the bus stop it is then.
Just made the stop as the bus turned up, and by a miracle got a seat. A young child sat in his mum’s lap was starting at me, he laughed.
“Look mummy, horsey ears.”
She turned to look at where he was pointing before saying. “Don’t be rude, Michael.”
I tried to shrink into my seat, why could the child see my ears? Just when I thought things could not get any worse, I became aware of a smell. The child wrinkled his nose, before declaring.
“Stinky, horsey,” and stuck out his tongue.
Thank heavens I had some perfume in my bag, even then I got some strange looks. It was a relief when my stop came up, I could not get off the bus fast enough. Then a strange sensation, my shoes felt really tight. I hobbled up the street, until the pain was excruciating. I needed to sit down, thankfully a bench was nearby. Bending to undo my shoes, the relief instant once both shoes and socks were off. I could not wiggle my toes, with much intrepidation my fingers felt for my toes. Only to find a hoof, yet I could see my shoes and socks and my feet. Stuffing my footwear into my bag along with the socks, dare I get up and walk?
“Clip, clop, clip, clop.”
Glamour might fool the brain into what it saw, but not sound, as luck would have it the only person walking past at that moment had wireless earbuds in. Looking down I was barefoot, no way could I go to the office in bare feet. Nothing for it but to go home, a long walk. Maybe I should trot, or even canter? No the sound alone would draw attention, what to do? It would have to be a taxi, I pulled out my mobile phone. I know, a stupid thing to do without checking for….
The slam into my body took me by surprise, some feral on the back of e-bike now had my phone. Sod that, I started running. For the nasty little scrotes on the bike it must have sounded cavalry had arrived, I didn’t care my phone was new. The first time in my life I had something that was not a hand me down, I increased my speed ignoring the loud, “beeps,” and swear words from half open windows. The driver of the getaway bike made a mistake and the bike slid out from under him, both went down. The one with my phone was still on the floor, when I caught up. Slight problem, hooves have no brakes. In my panic I jumped, hoping to clear the lad on the floor. I misjudged it, both hooves landed on his calf. The sound of a, “snap,” and his scream dare I say satisfying?
His mate legged it, by now a crowd had gathered. In my crime fighting adrenaline rush I had forgotten the perilous state I was in, I heard somebody calling for an ambulance.
“He nicked my phone!” Which came out rather shaky, but I felt I had to at least explain the reason for my unusual violence. I bent down to retrieve my phone from his pocket, on standing up a lady tugged at my arm.
“Might as well move out of the way love, he’s not going anywhere, but I have a feeling you must.”
I didn’t object, glad to get away.
“I see you as you are my dear, and I think it would be bad if the authorities got hold of you?”
“You can see, my ears as they are?”
“Those with the sight are not fooled by simple tricks of the Seelie Court, my car is nearby.”
“What about…?”
She whispered some words under her breath, before guiding me away. I was terrified that the sound of my hooves on the pavement would give me away, but the crowd did not notice. The car felt safe, and soon we were out of the City. My phone, pinged with a message. Glancing down it was from Alex, something about me going viral. She glanced across at my phone.
“That’s not good, oh where are my manners? I’m Hazel.”
“Umm, Rosie. What’s not good?”
Watching the road ahead she replied.
“Well, umm Rosie, from what I can see on your phone your little crime fighting act was videoed.”
“Oh.”
“Oh, indeed, like how can an ordinary person run at 24 mph, not exactly a member of the British Olympic sprint team?”
“Where are you taking me?”
“Somewhere safe from them, the Summer Court and others who regard morphing into an animal worthy of further study.”
We pulled into a lane, then a drive. She commented.
“This is going to sting.”
The car rattled over a cattle grid, my hooves , furry ears and lengthened muzzle felt as if they were on fire.
“Cattle grids iron, it shorts out the magic as we crossed it. If you were placed in an iron cage it would be an endless torment.”
“I recognise the trees, Mountain Ash.”
She smiled. “Rowen, again they protect against hostile magic.”
We pulled up outside a farm house, my phone rang, it was Alex. She muttered something, and the battery on my phone died.
“How, what did you do?”
She opened the door, and stepped out. I did the same on my side, I stomped my foot, I mean hoof.
“How did you know that was your brother you have no idea the trouble you’re in girl?”
“I’m not a girl!”
“At the side of me you are, don’t let this body fool you. At the side of me you are just a slip of a lass who knows nothing, now how about a nice cup of tea?”
I paused.
“Suit yourself, but if it’s answers you want you’d best come in. Don’t be as stubborn as w
hat you are turning into, it won’t end well”