[ WP ] You find out that the `` person '' you 've been in love with is actually something possessing that person 's body

Metamorphosis 
 
......... 
 
'Hey, sweetheart. It's, uh, been four days now and I still have n't heard from you and I'm starting to get really worried. I'm sure you're just out of cell range but you know me, I'm a bit of a worrier. Please give me a call back as soon as you get this message... I love you, darling... Bye.' 
 
 The man ended the call, his brows furrowed in concern. 
 
 The sun came down through the leaves of the great oak, casting a shifting kaleidoscope of shadows onto the freshly mown grass. The man, sitting on the tire swing that hung from the branches stared at the empty background screen of his phone, but he did n't see the phone. Not really. 
 
 He brought the flute of glass up to his lips mechanically, sipping bubbly champagne that burst in his mouth with accents that reminded him of countless evenings spent in the arms of his love, tasting the sweet, dry nectar off of her own lips. The man exhaled slowly, thinking, thoughts drifting. 
 
 Four days in July, and she all but disappeared off of the face of the earth. His calls went straight to voicemail, but he knew she was camping with friends, so it was n't unreasonable to think that she was out of range of a signal from a cell tower. 
 
 Months went by that the man was despondent and worried with fear for her. In a very short space of time she transformed from a loving, vibrant person into a recluse who rarely left their home. He brought her meals to her in the bedroom, cradled her while she slept and even quit his second job to run her business while he watched the life drain away from face. She became pale, sickly, weak. Their bedsheets smelled of marijuana smoke and sickness. The man would often talk to her, and try to get her to take her medication, or spend a few days in'respite care,' or stay with family over on the other side of the state. 
 
'You want to get rid of me?' she demanded at his overtures. 
 
'We do n't have the money for the medication!' she reminded him, ignoring the hundreds of dollars they budgeted for marijuana. She would snap,'I NEED THIS.' 
 
'If you lock me up I will leave you!' she screamed, her eyes filling with tears. 
 
'If I go to the other side of the state, I can not guarantee I will return. There are others who have offered to love me and take care of me,' she assured him. 
 
 The man sat back on his haunches. Not knowing what to do or say. 
 
 He downed the glass of champagne, then filled it again. He pushed the past months from his memory and went back to the days when they would spend their days huddled in front of the flames of their fireplace while winter rains pounded against their living room windows. Wrapped up in animal skins they would spend their days and evenings making love and holding each other, would talk happily into the long hours of the night. They drank champagne off of each other's skin and planned for their long future together. 
 
 The man's cell began to ring. Quickly he answered it, not bothering to check who was calling. He heard the voice of Sarah, his darling love's best friend. Her voice was tense, strained as she spoke,'Are you sitting down? You should be sitting down.' 
 
'I am.' The man clutched at his heart, feeling his breath catch, knowing something terrible was about to happen. 
 
'... So, I do n't know what you know, but Ashley has been in a hotel with Chris for the past several days. He left his wife and they took their kid. Beyond that I do n't know what's going on. Kim says she found condoms in Ashley's bag and when she confronted them on it, Chris told her that he was leaving her and taking Ben. I do n't know if Ash and Chris are sleeping together, but it does n't look good.' 
 
 The man was silent. He took a long pull of the champagne. The light of the sun seemed to bleach the colors of the trees and the grass as he contemplated the bubbles in his glass. The man said, after a time,'I love her, and, I would do anything to keep our family together. I do n't care if she is having an affair... She is my family, I love her, and I want her to come home.' 
 
 Sarah began to cry over the phone.'You are a good man, you know... I do n't know if I could be so forgiving. I'll get to the bottom of this... This is wrong. Can I call you back when I find out more?' 
 
'Yes, please.' 
 
'She loves you. I'll let you know what I find out.' Click. 
 
 The man sat in the swing, stunned, unmoving. His thoughts were far from him. Memories, good and bad, were gone. There was only the sickening present. The man finished his champagne. Poured another. He contemplated his phone for a time and when his thoughts gathered themselves he made a call to Kim. 
 
'Hello?' she answered. Her voice sounded desperate and she was audibly sobbing. 
 
'Hey, Kim, what's going on?' 
 
'Oh my god, they took Ben!' She was inconsolable for a time.'Chris is leaving me... Him and Ashley, they took Ben and they've been staying in a hotel for the past three days.' She said,'I found condoms in Ashley's bag. Why would she have condoms?' 
 
'I do n't know,' the man admitted.'She has an IUD and we do n't use protection.' 
 
 Kim wailed.'Chris makes me wear them. He's afraid of germs, and STD's.' 
 
 A long silence broken only by Kim's sniffing and quiet, subdued sobs.'Kim, I need to know where they are staying, and if Sophia is okay.' 
 
'I do n't know where they're staying. Somewhere close by. Sophia seemed like she was okay but she was scared...' 
 
'Okay.' 
 
 Kim seemed to steady herself.'I'm sorry... I never thought it would come to this. Ashley has told me things about you for the past two years. She told me that never loved you. She told me that you disgust her, that she only married you because she felt pressured. She would talk badly about you in front of Sophia and I would make her stop -- it was n't right. I'm sorry that I did n't tell you sooner, but, Ashley and I were friends...' 
 
'I understand,' the man replied but he did not understand. He ended the call. 
 
 Once upon a time the man was in love. He often described her as'ethereal' and'angelic,' but this woman, he did not know this woman. The man began to wonder how much of the woman he truly understand, having dreamt alongside her for so many years. The man began to doubt that he understood her at all, that their entire life together was a tenuous fabrication. 
 
 He took a long swallow of champagne. 
 
 His cell began to ring. The man answered. 
 
'Hey, it's Sarah. How are you holding up?' 
 
'Not well,' he admitted. 
 
'I spoke with Ashley. Sophia is okay. She and Chris ARE together, but she says they're not sleeping together, but, she says she's not coming back to you... She said, she... She said you `` left her to die'' in the bedroom, and that you left her that way in darkness for weeks... She said when Chris came to pick her up that you were happy to have her go. She said you let another man rescue her. I had no idea that things had gotten so bad.' 
 
 The man's head was swooning with confusion.'N-no. That's not true at all.' 
 
 He thought about explaining the past months of fights, of his begging and pleading with her. When she broached him about spending the fourth of July weekend with friends, it was true that the man felt relieved. Maybe a week or two with friends would lift her spirits and certainly, getting out of the house would be good for her! The man was too busy, after all, working his job and running her business on the side that he had little time to spend with her aside from dinner and sleep, so happily he agreed to send her off with family friends. 
 
 It was clear that things were tense between Kim and Chris, but they were always that way. The man had thought little of it. 
 
 Until now. 
 
 Sarah seemed annoyed.'Listen, I've got to call Ashley back. I'll try to convince her to call you soon, but, no promises, okay?' 
 
'Tell her I love her...' the man mumbled. Click. 
 
 He took another drink of champagne. 
 
 The air tasted like blood and the sunlight scorched the colors from the land and sky.
