Night of the Platyrhync (standard:fantasy, 1886 words)
Author: A.C.C	Added: Apr 22 2002	Views/Reads: 3224/2066	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Grant conciders himself a normal man, but laytly he's been waking up to find himself far from home with no memory of how he got there, or how he made the journy without his clothes.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

six and 12.  For adults, who have no childhood history of sleepwalking, 
it is usually caused by stress.” 

Grant and Christina looked at each other. “I can't think of anything
that happened at that time, particularly stressful,” repeated Grant . 
“The strangest part of this is the length of time between incidents.  
Can either of you think of anything significant about those dates?” 
Grant looked at Christina who shrugged and shook her head. 

“Nothing in particular comes to mind.”Said Grant. 

“What I recommend is monitor your sleep for the next few days and see
what we can find.” 

“Are you sure this will help?” 

“I promise you we will get to the bottom of this.” 

“Good, because you don't know how scary it is not knowing why I am doing
this or what I am doing when I am asleep.” 

Christina took his hand and gave it a squeeze.  “Don't worry.  We'll
work it through, even if your becoming some monster.” 

Grant smiled at her and kissed her cheek. 

“With support like this we will tackle this problem in no time,” said
Dr. Stevenson.  “ My receptionist will help you make all the 
arrangements and we can get started.” 

A week had passed since Grants initial visit with Dr. Stevenson.  In
that time they discussed, Grants childhood, his diet, his work, family 
life.  None of which gave them any leads on the cause of Grants sleep 
walking.  Then it happened again. 

This time Grant woke, again naked, to find himself kilometres outside of
town.  Luckily near some ones cabin.  He was able to break in and call 
Christy.  Dr. Stevenson decided to take the therapy up a notch. 

For three weeks Grant slept at the University.  He was wired to a
console next to his bed ware they monitored his REM, and brain 
functions while he slept. 

“God Doc, it's not that I'm not enjoying the amenities, but  how much
longer am I going to be spending my nights here?” 

“Considering the length of time between incidents, I couldn't say for
sure,  tonight, tomorrow night?”  She shrugged.  “But don't worry as 
soon as we find the trigger for your sleepwalking we will know how to 
treat it.  Considering the results from the last few nights they might 
have been just isolated incidents and you will never have to worry 
about them anymore, but . . . ” 

“But we want to make sure.”  She smiled and gave his arm a squeeze. 

“But we want to make sure.”   Grant settled back into the bed as Dr.
Stevenson activated the video recorder and monitors.  “I did discover 
something interesting.” 

“What's that?” 

“Actually it was one of my interns that pointed it out to me.  The
nights of your sleep walking were also nights of a full moon.” 

“Gee, maybe I'm a werewolf.” 

“I doubt that, but there has been some research on how lunar phases
affect personality.  All theoretical, but there might be a clue there.” 


“So when is the next full moon?” 

“Tonight.  So if there is a connection we'll know by morning.     Good
night Grant.”  She said as she closed the door behind her. 

“Night Doc.” 

The next morning Grant woke up naked,  in the corner of the room
surrounded by orderlies and staff.  They all stared at him in shock and 
amazement. 

“What the hell is going on?”  Asked Grant, but no one said anything. 
“Why am I on the floor?”  Silence.  “Would someone please tell me what 
the fuck happened last night!?” 

“All right everyone out.”  Ordered Dr. Stevenson, entering the room. 
After everyone had left, most of them backing out, she closed the door. 
Turning back to Grant, she held out a robe to him, at arms length. 

“Doc?  What happened last night?  Did you find out what happens to me?” 

Dr. Stevenson stood silently at the door for a moment. 

“Grant things are a bit more complicated than we first thought.”  She
acted a lot colder then before.  She refused to look directly at Grant. 


“How complicated?” 

“Really complicated.”  Just then there was a knock on the door and
Christina walked in. 

“What's going on?  I got a strange call from someone here, and why was
everyone looking at me funny all the way in.” 

“We discovered what has been happening to Grant, and it is unlike
anything recorded before.  Ever!” 

“What happened?”  Asked Christina, sitting on the bed next to Grant. 

“I don't know how to explain it.  Look, once Grant gets dressed come to
my office and I'll show you what we recorded.” 

Half hour later, Grant and Christina knocked at Dr. Stevenson door. 

“Come in.”  When they entered, they found the doctor sitting at her
desk.  She told them to have a seat on the couch across the room. 

“Now can you tell us what's going on,” asked Grant. 

“And why is everyone acting so strange?”  Christina 

added.  “All the way here people were staring at us and whispering.”
“I'm sorry about that, but this is something previously believed 
impossible, abut now . . . now . . .” 

“What?!”  Yelled Grant. 

“It would be simpler to just show you the video of last night's
session.” With that she picked up the remote control from her desk and 
started the VCR in the corner.  It showed Grant asleep in the room down 
the hall.  The clock in the corner showed that the video was taken at 
12:15 p.m..  The image of Grant lay there for a minute then it sat up 
in the bed.  Grant looked over to Dr Stevenson but she was looking 
away.  Christina gave a squeak drawing Grant's attention back to the 
screen where his image was changing. 

On the video Grants skin was starting to darken and it started to shrink
into the pajamas until there was just a pile of bedclothes on the bed.  
Grant jumped up and turned to the doctor. 

“What is this?  Some kind of joke?” 

“This is no joke.”  On the video some attendants had by then entered the
room and were cautiously approaching the bed.  Something in the sheets 
was moving.  The image was blocked by one of the attendants as he 
uncovered what was under the sheets. 

“Quack.”  The attendant jumped back to reveal a duck.  It was a mallard
duck with a bright green head and orange webbed feet.  Aside from it 
being a bit larger than most mallards, it was your average duck.  
“Quack.” 

“What is this?”  Grant turned to the Doctor.  “This isn't real!  This
can't be real.” 

“I'm afraid it is.  And I have no idea why!  She looked at him like a
woman who . . . well like a woman who has just met a man who turns into 
a duck.  “I'm a doctor.  I've studied psychology, medicine and 
science.”   She gestured at the television.  “What happened last night 
goes against everything I was taught; breaks the law of physics and 
biology,  everything I believe in!  What you did last night could not 
have happened, but it did!” 

“Oh my God!”  Christina stood up.  Her eyes went from the duck to Grant
then back to the duck, which was now flapping around the room.  
“Everyone here has seen this”; she said sounding almost on the edge of  
hysterics,  “Or heard about it!  Who else knows?  Who else has been  
told?”  She backed away toward the door.  “This is too much.” 

“Christina?”  Grant took a step toward her, but stopped when she put up
her hand. 

“I can't handle this.”  She looked around the room, like she was looking
for a quick, safe exit from reality.  “I have to get out of here.”  She 
grabbed her purse and headed for the door. 

“Ware are you going to go?”  Asked Grant.  Christy stoped and turned to
him, but couldn't bring her self to look him in the eye. 

“I'm not sure, maybe Moms.  I don't know yet.  I'll call you tonight.” 
She added half heartedly. 

“Chris, you said that we would work through this together.  Even if I
turn into a monster . . . ” 

“But you're not  a monster Grant.  You're a duck.”  She quickly went
through the door and was gone.  Grant turned to the doctor but she just 
stared at him.  He turned to the TV and watched the duck that was once 
him waddell into the corner and settle down


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