Dedicated to all those who have fallen victim to depression.
Remember:  Life is precious.  Don't throw it away...
<< 



Proper Form
By Allen Kitchen
all rights reserved


	Dr. Frost leaned back in his large leather chair, and studied the 
pipe sitting in the marble ashtray on his desk.  In all the long years 
he had been in this office, he had never smoked it.  Not once.  He had 
never even lit the thing, nor put it to his lips.  

	Being a doctor required some interesting contradictions, he 
thought to himself.  He knew that smoking was a dangerous habit.  
Most folks did.  But for some reason, people that came to see him 
expected to find some kind of scholarly introvert, sitting around and 
smoking a pipe.  So he kept it on his desk as a prop to set people's 
minds at ease.  

	Just like he kept that huge wall of books along the far wall.  It 
was mostly for show also.  Volume after volume of obscure texts and 
barely known medical journals filled the shelves.  He had actually 
read only a quarter of them, if that many.

	Still, they looked impressive.  That gave his patients confidence 
in him.  And sometimes that confidence was the only difference 
between success and failure.

	Another contradiction was the Hypocratic Oath: "First, do no 
harm".  That was not always possible in the medical field.  Every 
doctor knew that it was sometimes neccessary to make hard choices.

	The intercom on his desk buzzed once.  Dr. Frost slowly leaned 
forward and pressed the TALK button.  

	"Yes Janice, what is it?" he asked his receptionist.

	"There is a young lady in the front lobby to see you doctor." the 
female voice on the speaker answered.  Janice had the softest and 
most sultry voice.  

	Dr. Frost rubbed his thin black beard for a couple of seconds.  
His afternoon appointment had phoned in and canceled earlier in the 
day.  He was not expecting anyone else to come by until 5.  And that 
was a personal friend of his.  Not a female either...

	"I wasn't aware I had another patient scheduled today." he 
replied, checking his desk calender, trying to see if he had forgotten 
something.

	"Oh, she is not scheduled doctor.  She basically just walked in 
off the street.  Her name is Kelly Dryden, and she claims that she 
knows another patient of yours."

	"Oh really?" he said, surprised.  "Which patient did she 
mention?"

	"Methlion."

	He froze instantly in place.  Dr. Frost became angry at the mere 
mention of that name.  He grew red in the face, and the wrinkles on 
his forehead stood out as he furrowed his brow.  

	His new guest had mentioned someone under his care all right.  
But the name she had chosen to give...  Methlion!  That one word 
spoke volumes about who she was, what she did, and who she knew.  
She probably gave that name deliberately, just to get his attention.

	Well, she got his attention all right!  If she knew Methlion, then 
Dr. Frost knew a great deal about her already.  And he also had a 
damned good idea why she was here in the first place.

	"Janice," he began, straining to keep his voice level and 
controlled.  "please take her into the conference room and make her 
comfortable.  I will be in there shortly.  Then see to it that we are not 
disturbed for the rest of the day."

	"Yes sir." she replied.  "And when Dr. Winters comes by at 5?"

	"Tell him I may be a few minutes late." he replied.  Then he 
took his finger off the TALK button.

	"Well, this is a fine way to spend a Friday afternoon..." he 
grumbled to himself.  Dealing with one of Methlion's friends.  Damn 
it! 

	He stared at the wall of books for a moment.  He also thought 
about the main library on the college campus.  So much literature in 
the realms of medical science, he thought.  Millions of tomes on every 
disorder known to man.  Massive collections, dealing with every 
disease to mind, body, and soul.

	And yet in all that text, there was not a single sentence about 
the problem Methlion and his friends faced.  Not one...

*******


	He opened the door to the conference room and peeked inside.  
A beautiful young woman was sitting at the far end of the circular 
table, sipping a cup of coffee.  She had long brunette hair, running 
way down to her hips.  She also wore a silky black dress that 
appeared fragile enough to disintegrate if you looked at it wrong.  
She looked to be in her early to mid 20's.

	That was consistent enough, Dr. Frost thought.  Most of 
Methlion's group were about that age.  Not all of them, but most of 
them were.

	But this was only the second female he had ever seen under 
these circumstances.  He knew there weren't many women in 
Methlion's small circle of friends.   The problem seemed to be more 
prevelant in males.  He did treat one woman.  He did not like to think 
about what happened to her...  It was a very unpleasant memory.  

	He would have to be very careful as he worked with this 
woman.

	"Good afternoon miss." he cheerfully said as he came into the 
room and closed the door behind him.  The young woman looked up 
at him as he entered.  "You are Kelly Dryden?  A pleasure to meet 
you.  My name is..."

	"Doctor Leonard Frost." she interrupted.  She did not smile back 
at him.  "Yes, I know.  I came to find you, remember?"

	He continued to smile at her as he pulled a seat out, opposite 
hers.  "That's true, you did.  You also came in dropping names of 
other patients, as I recall."

	She nodded.  "You are treating a couple of my friends, Dr. Frost.  
And you used to treat one notable friend of mine as well..."
 
	"You are talking about Methlion.  And just how is he these 
days?"

	"You ought to know better than I." she replied, shrugging.  

	He shook his head.  "No.  Methlion has sort of gone off his 
seperate way.  He isn't talking to me anymore."

	"He is doing quite well doctor." she replied to his question.  Her 
voice was nuetral, and sounded forced.   "None of us see him as often 
as we used to.  He isn't quite the same anymore.  But I suppose that 
is to be expected after the procedure, isn't it?"

	Dr. Frost nodded back.  "Yes, I am afraid so.  The fact that he 
still sees any of you at all anymore is news to me.  I also wonder how 
his significant other is doing.  I don't suppose you know?  Has 
Methlion mentioned him to you recently?"

	She looked slightly annoyed.  "No.  I'm sorry, he has not.  And 
frankly, I don't believe that he really cares what happens to his 
significant other anymore.  Methlion still hates the guy for hurting 
him the way he did."

	Dr. Frost sighed, filled with disappointment.  "Yes, I know.  
Methlion holds a  grudge against me as well.  He is not exactly one of 
my happier patients.  But still, I hope they will both get some sort of 
communications going again."

	"All of which brings me to why I am here." she interrupted.  "I 
know that you are the one that changed him doc.  I spoke with him 
in detail, before he underwent the procedure."  

	She set her coffee down on the table, and looked cross the table 
at him with her large brown eyes.  "And I want to get the same thing 
done to me." she added firmly.

	Dr. Frost sighed again.  He was afraid that would be the reason 
why the woman was here.  Word was beginning to spread in certain 
circles about what he could do.  

	He originally developed the transformation procedure as a 
desperate attempt to save lives.  It was highly experimental, in 
every way.  Now people from all over were clamoring for it.  Even if 
they really did not know all the facts, they still wanted it.  The 
procedure was not perfect, and it probably never would be.

	Most of these people couldn't care less.

	"Are you certain, Kelly?" he inquired, watching her intently.  
"Even after you saw what happened to Methlion and his significant 
other, you still want to change your species?"

	She nodded rapidly.

	"Do you know the risks involved in the transformation?" 

	"Yes, I know what chances I am taking."

	"Methlion was not at all happy when he saw what he had 
become.  And not every case runs as smoothly as his did."  He put his 
fingers to his chin, and continued to watch her as he talked.  "There 
have been some... spectacular failures.  One patient even went so far 
as to commit suicide."

	"Yes.  Morgana." she noted.  Her face was suddenly quite sad.   
"I... I knew her as well.  She was one of my friends.  She was even in 
our group for a short period of time."

	Dr. Frost tried not to show any emotion, but he winced anyway 
with the pain from Morgana's memory.  Just as before, he did not 
like remembering what had happened to the only other female he 
had tried the procedure on.  He did not like admitting failure, and a 
patient dying like she died was nothing to keep in the scrapbook.  

	He was also surprised at Kelly.  The lovely young woman sitting 
across the table from him certainly knew some troubled people.

	"You knew Morgana?  Yes, that was sad, very sad indeed."  He 
shook his head dejectedly.  "She was not quite as strong as we 
thought she was.  She did not adapt to the transformation.  The shock 
of it was so great, she leaped out a window before any of us could 
stop her."

	"Actually, she probably thought she could use her wings to 
escape from you." the woman pointed out.  "That was why she leaped 
out of the window.  She was not trying to kill herself.  She was 
frightened, so she tried to fly away.  It was an automatic response 
Doctor.  It was not your fault."

	"Possibly." he replied, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.  "I had not 
thought about that before.  But yes, yes that makes a certain amount 
of sense.  She panicked, and tried to fly off.  Oh, if we had only had a 
chance to explain to her about her new body, and what she could and 
could not do with it."

	He looked down at the table, and toyed with a pencil laying 
there.   "What a pity." he quietly commented.

	"Well, I am not Morgana." she pointed out, picking up her 
coffee again.  "And I am not Methlion either.  I am far stronger than 
either of them, or their significant others.  So you don't need to be 
worried about me.  I know that I can survive the shock of the 
transformation, and it is a risk that I am willing to take."

	"Are you aware of what the procedure costs?"  he continued.  
"Are you willing to pay it?"

	She nodded.  "Absolutely."

	"It isn't all financial, miss." he warned her.  "There is a certain 
amount of personal sacrifice in this matter as well."

	She stared blankly at him.  "It is hardly a sacrifice, doc.  I will 
be more than happy to get rid of this body.  I am so sick of my 
existence doctor.  I am tired of this society.  And most of all, I am 
sick and tired of being human...  there is no joy in it at all."

	He shook his head slowly.  "You will find that no matter what 
shape you have, happiness is something you create, not find."  He 
then leaned back in his chair, and tapped his fingers on the tabletop 
as he went on.  "I can turn you into whatever you wish.  But it will 
not make you happy."

	"Perhaps." she said, considering his words carefully.  "But then 
again, perhaps not.  I am far more likely to find happiness without 
this... this sausage casing I currently wear."  She spread her hands 
wide, and allowed him a good look at her.

	She was very attractive, he thought to himself.  If she felt she 
looked like a sausage, then he was really curious what her other 
form would look like.  He was staring at her, he knew, but he could 
not help himself.

	"I want out of this shell doc." she continued, not even noticing 
his steady gaze.  Her voice was intense with desire.  "I want out of 
this body.  I want to run free on four legs and breath clean, fresh air.  
I want to live a life free from stress and pain, and spend my days 
and nights living and sleeping among the trees."

	There was an awkward silence as she finished, and he 
pondered the facts in his mind over and over again.

	"Have you thought about joining a commune instead?" he 
asked, finally breaking his stare and looking back to her face again..  
"It would be far safer than what I have to offer.  Cheaper too."

	She quickly stood up.  "Get serious doc, or I am out of here!" 
she angrily yelled at him.  "I came to you for help, not hassle.  You 
give me any more of that crap, and I promise I will find the nearest 
train, and lay down in front of it.  And I will have your business card 
pinned to my dress!  Do you understand me?"

	He held his hands up in an obvious show of surrender.  "Okay, 
okay." he softly spoke to her.  "I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to insult you.  
I was just bringing up an option you might not have thought of.  
That's all."  He gently gestured to the chair again and gently spoke to 
her.  "Please, sit back down."

	Kelly stood in place, glaring down on him.  He did not flinch or 
waver, but kept his hand open and inviting her to take her seat 
again.  She remained standing, regaining her composure for several 
moments before pulling the seat back to her.

	She slowly sunk back into the chair, her angry brown eyes 
never leaving him for an instant.  "Well, for your information, I have 
thought about that alternative.  I have even tried it.  Things didn't 
work out.  Nothing ever works out for me, doc.  I simply don't belong 
to this species.  I shouldn't have been born human at all."

	"Being human has some advantages."  he gently added.  "At 
least as a human, you are never really alone.  In a new body, you 
will be unique and alone.  You do realize that after the treatment, 
you will be forever isolated.  You do know that don't you?  If I 
change you, then you will never be able to speak to anyone ever 
again.  Not ever."

	"Methlion can." she grumbled.

	He then leaned over the table, staring at her.  "Ah, but his 
significant other cannot.    They both underwent the procedure, 
remember?  And you won't end up like Methlion.  You will end up 
like his significant other did.  But do you really want to be a hermit 
that bad?" he urgently asked.

	She nodded to him.  "Yes.  Yes, I do.  I have felt very alone my 
entire life doc.  Other than my friends, I don't have anyone.  And I 
never have.  This won't be a big change for me."

	"It will be a massive change, whether you know it or not." Dr. 
Frost quickly interjected, pointing at her.  "There is a very big 
difference between feeling alone, and actually being alone.  You will 
never again speak to another living soul, if you go through with this.  
Not even your friends.  I know that it sounds lovely at first, but do 
you really think you could live out the rest of your life like that?"  

	He then leaned back from the table, reclining again into his 
chair.   "Lord knows, I could not."

	"Yes. Well, you are just a mundane though, aren't you?" she 
snarled.  She was upset again, and her fingernails were digging into 
the wood of the table.  "And what do you know about me and my 
friends?  Not a damned thing, that's what!  You don't really 
understand our nature at all.  You think all of us are nuts for wishing 
to be animals, rather than just being ourselves."

	"I have never called a patient 'nuts'..." he calmly retorted.

	"You don't have to!" she shouted.  "None of you do.  But my 
friends and I, we all know.  We know very well what you mundanes 
think of us.  'Mad' you all say.  'A complete waste of oxygen' you all 
say.  Nuts?  God, that would be a kind remark about us, compared to 
what I have heard on the streets when my back is turned!"

	He ignored her insulting use of the term Mundane, and focused 
on figuring out what it was that made her so insistent on getting the 
procedure in the first place.

	"And is being a human really all that bad?" he asked her.  "Just 
think about it for a moment.  Think of all the wonderful things you 
will be giving up if you change your shape.  Beer, pizza, television, air 
conditioning, love..."

	"There is no such thing as love, doctor." she muttered, her voice 
becoming much more controlled.  "It is all just a pipedream.  An 
illusion.  Wishful thinking."  

	Ah, so that was it!  Now he had a clue to what was wrong, at 
last.  She was either heartbroken, or lonely.  Well, that was 
something he could deal with, at least.

	He shook his head slowly once more.  "Well miss, I assure you 
there is love in the world.  It is warm and wonderful.  I happen to be 
in love myself."

	"Bully for you, doc.  It proves nothing." she grumbled to him.

	"It proves that love does exist for humans." he answered.  "She 
even loves me back, although at times I can't really say why.  Love is 
real, and it is out there, waiting for you to discover it Kelly.

	"But you will never find love if you change your shape, now 
will you?"

	"Okay, so I won't know love as an animal." she testily 
replied.  "But I will never find love as a human either.  Not with any 
mundane.  You people are too shallow, with your limited 
imaginations and subdued spirits.  Whereas I," she said, pointing to 
herself.   "on the other hand, am spirit, energy, and intelligence 
personified.  There is too great a difference between me and the rest 
of humanity.  How on earth could any man love such as me for very 
long?  Or I, him?"

	He nodded understandingly to her.  "Must it be with a man, 
miss Dryden?"

	"Of course it does... I may be different, but I am not that 
different."

	"Well then, what about one of your friends?  There are plenty 
of males in Methlion's circle.  Could you find some kind of love with 
one of them?"  He had long wondered if there was anything like love 
and devotion within their little group.  Surely they had something 
like it among them.  How could any people live without affection?

	She gave a short, shrill laugh.  "Are you kidding?  With minds 
like ours?" she replied.  "As egocentric and intense as we are, finding 
love with each other would be more than impossible.  We would tear 
each other apart in less than a week."

	"No, doctor Frost." she urgently continued.  "I have thought 
about this for a very long time now.  I have made up my mind.  I 
want to give up the ghost, and get rid of this body once and for all.  
You can help me do it right, or I can do it myself.  But my way is far 
nastier, believe me.  Besides, I don't really want to die.  But if that is 
the only way out of this body, then I will do it.  So help me, I will."

	He nodded to her.  "So you would rather die than stay human?"

	"Hey, the mundane is catching on."  she sarcastically spit at 
him.

	He took a deep cleansing breath.  "Could I at least convince you 
to wait a few days first?  You really should wait a bit and think it 
over."

	"No!  I have been waiting all my life already!" she pitifully 
cried out.  Her voice was full of agony and pain.  "Look!  I know that 
you are the only one who can do this procedure, doctor.  Do you want 
to see me beg or something?  Okay then, I am begging you!  Please 
sir.  Please transform me just as you did Methlion.  I want out!  
Please give me my freedom.  It is either that, or I go out the window 
just like Morgana did!"

	He studied her for a couple of seconds.  Her brown eyes were 
so deep and so powerful, he thought.  They practically blazed with 
intelligence.  And they were also full of pain.  A deepseated hurt that 
went through her very soul.

	She looked just like the others...

	He wondered for a second if this was some new kind of mental 
disorder, or if mankind had suffered from it all through the 
centuries?  How many other people were out there, unknown to him, 
willing to die in order to free themselves from their bodies?  And 
what was it that made the most brilliant and capable people wish so 
strongly to leave their species behind and become something else?

	For the moment, all those questions would have to wait.  One of 
his patients desperately needed his help right now.

	"All right then.  Just what form would you like to take?" he 
slowly asked her, giving in to her demands.  "And I do hope it is 
something simple.  If you ask to become a dragon like Methlion did, 
we shall both be here all night."

********


	She was still groggy.  She had been asleep, she knew.  Her eyes 
slowly opened as the sunlight struck her eyelids.  She did not know 
how long she had been asleep, but it could not have been very long.  
The sun had not yet gone down.  And she was certain she had not 
slept through a night and another day.  

	Wow, she thought to herself.  That was some drink the doctor 
gave her.  It knocked her out flat.  Whatever was in it, she hoped she 
could find it in six packs.

	She looked slowly around at her surroundings, and tried to 
figure out where she was.  It wasn't the doctors office, that was for 
certain.  She was in some kind of dark cavern, very roughly shaped.  
But somehow, that didn't make sense to her.  If she was in a cave, 
then why was the late-day's sunlight pouring in?  There would be no 
sunlight inside a cave.

	But she eventually realized she was not in a cave at all.  She 
was in a tree.  Inside a hollowed out hole, way up some kind of tree.  
She could make out the fine grainy texture now that her eyes were 
focusing properly. 

	What the hell was going on?

	She sleepily pushed aside the fuzzy blanket that was covering 
her, and gasped in astonishment.  Her hands were suddenly much 
smaller, and covered with a soft brown fur.  There were sharp, tiny 
claws on the ends of her fingers as well.  They hooked slightly, and 
could easily dig into the wood around her.  

	She then looked down at the rest of her body, and saw more of 
the same colored fur as on her hands.  She was covered in a rich, soft 
brown coat.  She slowly put out a hand, and gingerly touched her 
stomach.  The fur was softer than anything she ever felt before in 
her life.

	Then the fuzzy blanket beside her began to twitch.  

	At first, Kelly was scared out of her wits.  That thing was alive!  
But what was it?  It was twitching and curling around just beside 
her.

	She jumped to one side of the nest, desperately trying to put 
some distance between herself and the alien blanket.  Of course, 
there wasn't much room within the tree to evade.  All too quickly she 
found herself against the wooden wall.  And the fuzzy covering 
followed right along with her, moving just as quickly as she did.

	All at once, she began to laugh.  Hard and long.  How stupid she 
had been!  Of course the blanket moved around, and followed her.  It 
would follow her everywhere.  It was her tail.  She had been afraid 
of her own tail!  She laughed and giggled at how foolish she had 
been, panicking like that.  

	As she calmed back down again, she studied her tail more 
closely.  It was thick, bushy, and luxourious to touch.  It made an 
excellent blanket, and would be a great balancing aid as she climbed 
about on branches.  It was reddish-brown, the same color as the rest 
of her fur was.  Oh, she looked absolutely gorgeous!  She was a 
squirrel, at last!  No more driving to work, fighting over the electric 
bill, or choking on engine exhaust.

	She felt happier than she had ever felt in her entire life.

	She then moved to the opening in the tree trunk, and made 
ready to go out and explore her new world.

********


	Dr. Winters was waiting in Dr. Frost's office.  It was now a 
quarter after 5.  Janice had told him that there was a sudden 
emergency that Dr. Frost had to attend to, and that he would be a 
few minutes late.  Well, that wasn't too unusual in the medical 
profession.  So he helped himself to the liquor cabinet in the office 
after Janice went home.

	The side door in the office opened with a creak.  Dr. Winters 
turned around with his glass of cognac, and faced the the tired-
looking Dr. Foster who was just entering the room.

	"Long day, Leonard?" he asked his friend.

	"You could say that."  Dr. Frost replied, quietly closing the door 
behind him.  "Do you remember what I told you about transforming 
some of my patients into animals?"

	"Oh no!  Don't tell me you had to do that again?" 

	Dr. Frost nodded slowly, then walked over to the bar.  "Yes, I 
am afraid so.  Another friend of Methlion's, in fact.  She knew him 
quite well aparently, and she demanded to have the transformation 
herself."  

	"Wow." Dr. Winters exclaimed.  "At this rate, Methlion's little 
group is going to become a regular zoo.  What did she want to 
become?  Not another werewolf I hope.  Just knowing one of them is 
running around at night makes me nervous."

	Dr. Frost poured himself some scotch, a double, and quickly 
gulped half of it down.  "No.  Not a werewolf,  pegasus, vixen, or 
dragon.  This patient's alter ego was just a squirrel.  Name of Cheri.  
Her real name was Kelly Dryden, and she demanded that I transform 
her into Cheri, just like I transformed Luke Petrelli into Methlion.  
She came in this afternoon, and began screaming at me.  She was 
really a mess..."

	Dr. Winters regarded his friend carefully.  "She came in for the 
first time today?  What made you decide to go ahead with her so 
quickly?  You waited 2 weeks before transforming Luke Petrelli."

	"She was suicidal, Tom.  She threatened to kill herself several 
times.  If I had refused to give her the treatment..."  He shook his 
head, and took another drink of the scotch, emptying the glass.  He 
then grabbed the goblet of whisky again, and poured himself another 
glassful.

	Dr. Winters frowned as he watched his friend refill his cup.  He 
had heard of this procedure, but he had never actually witnessed it 
taking place.  It probably would make a great distraction for Leonard 
to explain the process to him and show him the ropes.  Otherwise, he 
would be spitting drunk in a very little while.  

	"Is she stable now?" he asked Dr. Frost.

	"As stable as any of them ever are..." Dr. Frost dejectedly 
replied, staring into his glass, but not yet taking a drink.

	"If you don't mind," Dr. Winters hopefully asked.  "could I see 
the patient?  Is that all right with you?"  

	Dr. Frost put down the glass, and looked his friend in the eye.  
"Oh certainly.  You can see her.  Or should I say, what is left of her.  
Please, follow me."

	Dr. Winters followed his friend through the side door of the 
office, and into the room beyond.

********


	The small room had a single beige-colored couch in the middle.  
There were no other decorations, or distractions.  It was just a small 
white room with two windows, and one lamp beside the couch.

	Lying there on the couch, was a beautiful brunette dressed in a 
small black dress.  Her shoes were laying on the floor beside the sofa, 
and her long hair was draped over the back of the couch so it would 
not lay on the floor.  She appeared to be asleep.

	Dr Winters and Dr. Frost quietly came inside through the door 
from Dr. Frost's office.

	"So." Dr. Winters began, keeping his voice low.  "Was the 
procedure successful?  Did you live up to your reputation as the best 
psychiatrist in the state, Leonard?"

	Dr. Frost felt his patient's pulse.  "Well, I think it was a success.  
But I won't know for certain until she wakes up."

	"Could you explain it all to me in a little more detail?" Dr. 
Winters asked, studying the lady's face.  "I don't know a lot about 
their problems, or your solution.  But she certainly doesn't look like a 
squirrel, so why don't you explain your transformation cure to me?"

	"There is more to the transformation than meets the eye." Dr. 
Frost murmered as he gently set the woman's hand back on her 
chest.  "These people all have extremely powerful and active minds, 
Tom.  Intense doesn't even begin to describe them.  I sometimes find 
myself dreaming of having even a quarter of their intellect."  

	"Anyway, they all play some kind of game, where each of them 
roleplays and pretends to be an animal.  It sounds like lots of fun to 
me, but some people can't keep reality and fantasy apart.  People 
like Luke, and the lady here..." he said, waving at the sleeping figure 
on his sofa.

	"These poor people develop a kind of split personality.  They 
create an alter ego inside themselves, a personality that lives only 
within their minds.  That personality is literally an animal.  They let 
that personality out while they play their game.  But as their alter 
ego inside them gets stronger and stronger, the game becomes more 
and more important.  It turns into an addiction, which becomes all 
consuming.  I have seen it destroy jobs, friendships, and marriages."

	"Most patients I treat for this addiction can be helped by 
conventional means.  But some of them require much stronger 
methods.  They literally hate their bodies, and want to be something 
else so bad they will do anything to get rid of their human selves.  
Even commit suicide."

	"So, what I have done here is force her personality deep, deep 
into her subconcious mind.  Miss Dryden now lives far away from 
reality, and in there she is the very squirrel that she has always 
dreamed of becoming.  It is all a hallucination, of course.  But from 
her point of view, she has literally become a squirrel.  She can't tell 
the difference.  She will now live out the rest of her life in an 
imaginary forest, climbing mental trees and gathering dream nuts."

	"All alone?" Dr. Winters asked.

	Dr. Foster nodded.  "Yes.  All alone, forever.  Her powerful 
imagination is now totally focused on generating the environment 
she needs to live in.  It can do that well enough, but it cannot 
generate a seperate personality for her to converse with."  

	"At least, not that I know of.  Maybe it is possible to split the 
mind up further, and create a small number of personalities to keep 
each other company in there.  I really don't know, and I don't want 
to find out either.  Besides, I get the feeling that those who seek out 
this treatment have been so ill-treated in the past, that they really 
do want total isolation."

	"At least, you hope so." Dr. Winters commented quietly.

	Dr. Frost nodded, and looked down at the sleeping figure on the 
couch.  "Yes.  I do hope that she is happy now.  She has the shape and 
form that she has always dreamed of.  I simply used her own 
imagination to help make her dream come true."

	"There is no way to physically turn someone into an animal." 
Dr. Frost added as he felt her long soft hair that was laying on the 
back of the couch.  "You know that.  But with hypnosis and drugs, I 
can make her think that she has been.  She will be much happier 
inside her own mind, living within her own imaginary world.  She 
just couldn't deal with the real one anymore."

	"What a pity." Dr. Winters sighed, regarding the young lady.  
"An intelligent and attractive young woman... She could have made 
someone somewhere very happy."

	The woman on the couch groaned softly.  She began to stir, 
gently moving about on the couch.

	Dr. Frost looked down at her.  "But now.  Now comes the really 
hard part." he sadly commented to his friend.

	"What do you mean?"

	Dr. Frost checked his watch.  "Well, if the main personality goes 
away, then some other personality within her has to come out and 
take over.  After all, someone has to eat and perform other bodily 
functions.  Otherwise the body will die, and all personalities within it.  
Somebody else must come out and deal with the real world, now that 
she has run away."

	"Oh my goodness." Dr. Winters cried.  "You mean her squirrel 
character, don't you?  You made them trade places!"

	"Exactly." Dr. Frost replied.  "Kelly desperately wanted to live 
where Cheri was.  So I made them swap lives, so to speak.  Kelly is 
now in Cheri's body, so Cheri the squirrel is now in Kelly's human 
body.  And the squirrel will stay human for the rest of her life.  Poor 
thing."

	"Isn't that something like kidnapping?" Dr. Winters asked.  
"After all, you did not get Cheri's consent first, did you?"

	"How could I have?" Dr. Frost muttered.  "And what would you 
expect me to do if her alter ego said 'no'?  Who am I treating, the 
dominant or the alternate ego?"

	"The dominant one, obviously." Dr. Winters grudging admitted.  
"Alternate egos don't write checks."

	"Well then.  There was no point in asking, was there?  And now 
that Cheri is in a human body, she will get used to it.  Eventually.  I 
expect her to be disoriented for a little while.  The change is quite a 
shock at first.  Morgana woke up still thinking she had her pegasus 
wings.  She leaped out of a window and tried to fly away."

	"How sad." Dr. Winters slowly said.

	"Yes, it was." Dr. Frost agreed.  "Needless to say, her human 
body didn't generate much lift.  I don't intend to lose another patient 
like that.  I took the precaution of locking the windows this time."

	"Out of curiosity," Dr. Winters probed.  "do the character and 
the original personality communicate with each other?  Like in 
dreams, or through the subconcious?"

	"Sometimes yes, sometimes no." Dr. Frost answered.  "The 
newly dominant persona sometimes hates the former persona, the 
'significant other', for dragging it away from its happy life there in 
the depths of the mind.  Methlion certainly hates Luke for stealing 
his dragon body, and leaving him with the human one.  He also hates 
me for exchanging them.  I have been trying to help him get used to 
being a human, but with little result."

	"Huh." Dr. Winters mumbled.  "So that is why he keeps spitting 
on you."

	Dr. Frost chuckled low.  "Yes, he thinks he can still breathe fire.  
He hopes that with practice, he can get the hang of it again.  Some 
characters adjust to becoming human easier than others.  We will 
just have to watch and see what Cheri here does."

	Dr. Frost looked into the lady's lovely pair of green eyes as they 
opened.  "And here she is now.  Hello Cheri."

	Her green eyes darted about the room rapidly, trying to get 
some idea of where she was, and what was around her.  (Dr. Frost 
noted that the eyes were brown before.  An interesting note for his 
journals.  What would make the eyes change color like that?)  
Although she was still groggy from the drugs and could not move 
well yet, it was plain that she was afraid of the two people around 
her.  She moved and looked exactly like a frightened animal, 
frantically looking for a way to escape.

	"Relax, Cheri." Dr. Frost soothed, stroking her hair.  "Just relax 
dear.  Nobody here is going to harm you." 

	Any further, Dr. Winters added silently to himself.

	"You are alright." Dr. Frost crooned to her.  "You are still sleepy 
from the drugs my dear, so don't try and fight us.  We are not going 
to hurt you.  There is nothing here to be afraid of.  I am Dr. Frost, and 
that is Dr. Winters.  We have just turned you into a human."

	Her eyes widened, and she slowly sat up.  With a shocked look 
on her face, she studied her hands.  She rubbed them together as if 
to make certain they really did not have any fur upon them.  

	Then she slowly reached behind her, and felt for her buttocks.

	"I assure you, you don't have a tail anymore." Dr. Frost 
commented.  "You are no longer a squirrel, Cheri.  You are now a 
human.  A very attractive human at that.  And you are going to have 
a great adventure, girl.  You are now at the top of the food chain, and 
nothing can ever harm you.  You can do anything and go anywhere 
you wish.  You are going to get to live a life full of excitement.  You 
should be very happy."

	The poor girl did not look happy.  In fact, quite the opposite.  
She looked almost ready to cry as she continued to feel around 
behind her for her non-existant tail.

	"Um, Cheri." Dr. Winters slowly asked.  "You can understand us, 
can't you?"

	The lady nodded sullenly, the tears beginning to flow from her 
green eyes.

	"Well, don't you have anything to say?" Dr. Frost questioned.

	She looked up at him, her face filled with sorrow. 

	"I want to go home..." Cheri petulantly sobbed.