Unplanned Vacation Ch. 08

Chapter 8: Heidi

Sandra's vision scanned down to the floor and she discovered that her body had a rough, green texture. Her two lower limbs were no longer jointed at the knees, or anywhere else for that matter. Instead, they formed a continuous line that broke into a tightly wrapped, beige platform constructed out of what seemed to her like long, thin tendrils. These tendrils (her feet?) writhed within their tight configuration, making the set of them at the end of each of her...legs?...look like a clump of worms that were trying to break free from the rest of their group. The limbs they supported were lined with a network of what Sandra could only describe as green veins, like those that line the surface of leaves.

Spirally wrapped around each limb were about three or four cords that Sandra thought resembled vines like the ones that Tarzan uses to swing about the jungle. Sticking straight out from along the length of the cords at frequent, regular intervals, were small, thin green flaps. In other words, there were some bizarre things going on below Sandra's waist, not the least of which was the length of these lower limbs. They were at least four feet longer than the ones Sandra had left behind in Canada. Higher up on Sandra's new body, the two limbs came together. There was no sign of anything like human genitals at the point of intersect between the two limbs. The combination of the limbs simply generated a larger green, veiny, vine-wrapped component that Sandra decided to think of as a "trunk".

Sandra intended to take in more of this new form that she had taken, but none of this body would obey her mental commands. It seemed to move according to the will of some other mind. Eventually, whoever it was that was in control lifted four upper limbs (arms?) and brought them up close to whatever body part it was using for vision. (Sandra was beginning to lose confidence that she was in a being that had parts that were analogous to human ones). Though narrower, the construction of these four limbs was much the same as the lower ones. As with the lower limbs, these limbs appeared wildly flexible, like rubber. They didn't have an elbow joint like human arms and there was no possibility that their flexible movements would have been possible if they had a stiff, human-like skeletal structure. The limbs each had the same tendril-like grouping at the end, but these endings were clumped together more loosely than they were at the end of the lower limbs, allowing the separate bits to writhe around more freely. As for length, these limbs were about two feet longer than Sandra's human arms.

These upper limbs fell down out of view and Sandra noted that she could feel the position in space of the various parts of this body, but it was very difficult for her to put together and make sense out of it. She reflected that SHE almost felt like she was made out of a pile of writhing worms from all of the confusion of these different flexible pieces that constructed the body she had found herself trapped in. Just then, a creature that was evidently the same type as the one that was hosting Sandra sauntered into view from the far left corner of the room, using its long flexible green lower limbs to generate long, deliberate strides.

Now, Sandra could see what the other parts of this being looked like, discovering that it had a part which was clearly in the head category, only it was much larger and flatter from the front to back than a human head. Also, it had a mix of large, thin white and red flaps, that extended out from around the narrow part of its circumference. There didn't appear to be anything like a nose or a mouth. Instead, the being's saucer-shaped face only had two large round eyes, with strikingly bright green irises. The eyes were surrounded by long, green lashes, and Sandra witnessed the eyes occasionally disappear behind blinks from upper and lower green eyelids. The rest of the face was a dark, brown-black colour, and fuzzy-looking. She thought the head looked like a big flower. It was decidedly not even remotely human, but very pretty, in any case. Sandra felt as though the being she was inside had much confidence in this other one.

The creature stopped to turn and face Sandra inside her glass tube and proceeded to engage in a series of fluid, rhythmic movements. It looked to Sandra like a beautiful dance that seemed to have symbolic meaning for the mind of her host. Sandra was able to comprehend the gist of these meanings through the perceptions of her host. The basic idea was that a process was about to begin that might be painful, but that the pain wouldn't last very long. Her host was not afraid, but intensely excited about what was about to occur. Sandra experienced the body she was inside wiggling around in complicated ways and knew, through spill over messages she received from her hosts mind, that these movements conveyed a signal of readiness and enthusiasm to the other being.

Terminating their exchange of dances, the creature on the other side of the tube walked around behind a tall, white podium at the far right corner of the room, about 10 feet away from where Sandra-but-not-Sandra was standing. Other than the podium and the tube, the room was empty. The room's floor and domed ceiling were white, making the it seem much like movie depictions of Heaven, if the creator of the movie thought that Heaven probably had rooms that were shaped like igloos. The room was lit brightly, and seemingly continuously, from the inner surfaces of the dome and the floor. It was as though these inner surfaces uniformly generated light by their very composition. With all four of its upper tendrils participating, the creature behind the podium performed some incomprehensible actions on a display. Sandra's host looked down to observe the appearance of a red light that encircled the base of the tube. The creature behind the podium made some dancing gesture that Sandra somehow knew meant something like, "Straighten up and stay still." Her host obeyed the command and the red light filled the bottom inch of tube and started slowly growing upward, gaining momentum as it grew.

As the red light spread throughout the little chamber, Sandra experienced a hot pain that started from her lower tendrils and quickly spread along the length of her lower limbs and up her trunk until her whole body was surrounded by the light and consumed by an indescribably hot agony. Sandra thought that the creature was being both roasted and stretched to death. It was as though she had found herself inside an absurdly sadistic torture device. But, it was only a few moments before the light and the pain vanished. Her host looked down at a very healthy pair of female human legs that joined with hips to either side of a vagina covered by a subtle layer of fine blonde pubic hair. The instant reaction of her host was fascination mixed with relief, which transformed almost immediately into panic as the legs wobbled and she collapsed into a heap at the bottom of the tube. Two additional creatures that were clearly the same species as the one behind the podium emerged from the left of the tube. They were essentially identical to the creature that had initiated Sandra's host's transformation, except that they possessed different colored flaps (petals?) around their large heads (one had a combination of blue and yellow ones, whereas the other had a combination of white and purple).

Looking up from the bottom, Sandra's host watched one of these new beings press a button on a control panel attached to the tube's surface. The entire length of the tube then lifted up toward the ceiling of the dome, freeing Sandra's host from its confines. Each of these creatures took hold of one of the host's arms with their lower limbs and lifted her up such that her legs dangled about two feet from the ground. The host hung there limply and Sandra could sense a despair and helplessness. It, ummm, or she, clearly did not know how to begin generating actions from this weird new body. The creatures carried her to an area of the dome behind the tube and gently worked together to place her on a white, cushioned platform that appeared to be floating a few inches above the dome's floor.

One of these creatures positioned itself behind the platform on the end that supported the host's head and guided it toward a large curved tunnel. The creature that wasn't pushing walked along beside to the right of the platform. They moved slowly toward what looked like a dead end to Sandra, but the creature to the right of the platform reached an upper limb over to press something on the side of the tunnel and the obstacle that blocked their way split into two halves and quickly disappeared, apparently absorbed into the surrounding dome.

Proceeding along, the creatures guided the platform through a bewildering network of tunnels. Eventually, they halted the platform and pressed a panel on the left side of the tunnel. A door split open and the creatures guided the platform inside. Sandra's host had her head turned limply to the right, allowing her to observe a row of five other platforms along the right-hand wall. Each of these platforms supported a nude human; three females and two males. Surprisingly, all five of them were familiar to Sandra. Starting from the platform nearest to the door, the humans in the room consisted of Carly, Andy, Trixie, Joe, and another woman that Sandra had met during her introduction session at the resort. She tried, but failed to remember the last woman's name. Each of the humans had a large, metallic silver cap attached to their scalp, which was connected to wires that bundled and exited the room at a hole in the surface of the dome behind them. They all appeared to be unconscious.

This sight was not a comforting one for Sandra's host. Her host appeared aware that she wouldn't be able to use her new body, having had no prior experience with being inside one like it before. Nevertheless, it was also clear to Sandra that her host possessed a fair amount of theoretical knowledge about her human body. She sensed a frustration from her host that she couldn't control her gaze enough to explore it more, visually. As they had made the trip to this new room, her host had tried to direct her attention to difficult-to-understand touch sensations, but eventually gave up trying to make sense of them. In the end, all she could conclude was that there was something so much stiffer and blockier about this body than the one she was used to.

The two creatures manoeuvred her platform beside the last one in the row. Now, to the host's right was a silver cart that supported the same headgear that was attached to each of the other humans in the room. The creatures worked together to attached the helmet to the host's scalp and then connected a portion of the bundle of wires originating from the wall to the helmet. The helmet didn't cause Sandra or her host to experience any pain. Instead, they felt a warm sensation spread along the surface of their scalp and a sense of extreme relaxation. Soon, Sandra and her host passed into a blissful, dreamless unconsciousness.

Sandra's host awoke and opened her eyes, feeling groggy and muddled. She turned her head to the right and Sandra observed a naked Carly through her host's eyes. Seated at the edge of her platform, facing Sandra's host and with her feet dangling a foot or so off of the floor, Carly cheerfully exclaimed, "Hi! Finally, you're awake!"

Carly patiently sat waiting for a response, understanding first-hand how confusing waking up human can be. Sandra's host blinked to clear some of the blur from her eyes and reflected on what she had learned about human communication. She mentally recited her textbook knowledge about human speech and hearing. It was a curious way to communicate, thought Sandra's host, but she was pleased to infer that the skills programming part of her transformation succeeded well enough for her to understand the sounds coming from her neighbour.

Remaining silent, Sandra's host lifted her neck and scanned the room, revealing to Sandra that they were in a smaller room than the one they entered just prior to losing consciousness. Carly was the only other person in this new space, which appeared to be designed to accommodate only two of the platforms that supported Sandra's host and Carly. Looking over, Sandra's host discovered a dull ache in her left hand, thanks to the IV drip that was attached.

Seeming to guess what her host was thinking about, Carly declared, "That thing hurts. I was glad when they removed it. Now that you're awake, they'll take it out and you can watch your hand heal itself over time. Mine's almost healed completely. It's really amazing to see the human healing mechanism for real and from the inside, after only reading about it or seeing video." As she spoke, Carly devoted some of her attention to exploring various of her bodies parts with her fingertips. Joyfully, she declared, "The outside is so soft and flexible, but the inside feels so stiff and hard in places. Can you believe it! We did it!"

Through her conversation with Carly, Sandra brought her communication capacities online, which included emotional reactions, as well as verbal and non-verbal communication. The programs transferred into Carly's human mind were quite robust and only required a bit of a kick-start at the beginning to get them going. Also, Carly provided some clues about the form she now inhabited. Carly remarked, "It's nice that you're a blonde pale-skinned female one, like me. It means we have some obvious things in common."

Sandra's host said, "Well, I don't really know much about what I look like, yet. I can't wait to find out. If I look like you, I'll be very happy. There's something about the way you look that makes these eyes not want to look anywhere else. I don't even know what my name should be. Humans have names for one another, don't they? Is there something I should call you?"

Carly responded, "The technicians have named me Carly. I don't know what your to be called. There will be someone by, very shortly, now that you're awake. After that, you'll spend a while here. The schedule ensures that there is a freshly transformed recruit to greet us when we wake up as humans for the first time. Another female recruit, named Clarissa, greeted me when I woke up. I'm here to greet you and, soon, I'll go and you'll do some experimenting on your own with this new body, with the help of some instructional video lessons. After a time, they will bring another recruit and place it beside you and you can be the first face they see as a human. I have to say, I'm having so much fun!"

She said to Carly, "Do you need to breathe constantly, like my body does? You seem to be able to say so much without taking a breath?" Now, it was Sandra who laughed, or rather, the equivalent of laughter for a being stuck within another being's mind.

Carly laughed and said, "No, it just seems that way because I'm so glad to be doing this. I mean, we're all crazy for humanity or we wouldn't have signed up for this project in the first place. I was such a Humanity fan when I was growing up. Of course, you must have been, too, or why would you have majored in the subject at the university? It was pretty lucky for us that our civilization established this project. I assumed that there wouldn't be all that many Humanity-related occupations when I graduated. Thanks to this huge initiative, there are plenty of jobs for graduates, like us, who are obsessed with everything human and Earth-related."

Sandra's host said, "You're right, Humanity and Earth is practically all that I've thought about my whole life. The obsession was passed down through my family for generations. A pair of my distant ancestors worked on the Missions of Discovery that revealed to us Earth's existence and, since then, so many members of my family have devoted their lives to gathering information about the planet Earth and its most advanced species. One of my more recent ancestors was one of the producers for the original broadcast channels that brought real-time images and details about events on Earth. Then, of course, transmissions of what goes on there provide one of our most beloved sources of entertainment. The popularity of the broadcasts has made the original producers of the programs famous and revered throughout our civilization. It's not just us, Carly, our civilization is crazy about humans. It's just that not all of them feel the need to know as much about them as we do."

After a moment of reflection, the host said, "Of course, the reasons why so many of us love to watch them do vary. You know, lots of us actually enjoy seeing them in conflict or watching them fail. I've always rooted for them and it makes me so sad to see them fighting or making bad choices. Still, I suppose it's the drama of their successes and tragedies that make them so satisfying to watch. I know I would have gone on to do a doctorate in the field and studied them as a university professor somewhere if this project hadn't come along."

Carly replied, "Wow, you're a natural at human speech. Big words, sweetie! My grades weren't high enough to get into an advanced studies program like that, but I do love them so much. I'm definitely like you in rooting for them."

After Carly's statement in support of humans, Sandra's host's ears detected some movement and she was impressed that she was not only able to detect the presence of the sound, but also the general direction it was coming from. She somehow knew that it came from the tunnel beyond their room. Carly said, "I think that's one of the technicians." A moment later, a member of their tall green species strode into the room and stood at the end of Sandra's host's platform.

Sandra's host was still lying drowsily on her back. She turned from looking in Carly's direction to look up at the technician, who started an elaborate dance of limbs and torso movements. Through her host, Sandra interpreted the dance to be very friendly and, in English, it meant something like: "Welcome! Thanks very much for agreeing to be part of the Helping Stems project. I hope that this one has been charming upon your awakening? You can respond in human language. The language we've chosen for you both is human English, since that is what most of the people speak in the region of Earth where you'll be stationed. I'll put on my translation goggles, so I'll be able to understand you." With that, the technician reached to retrieve a pair of goggles from the shelf behind him and strapped them around his head.

Once he was ready, Sandra's host said, "Carly has been a wonderful greeter for me. We are already best friends and I will be sad when she leaves me here alone."

The technician danced some more to explain, "You will meet up with her again, after you have learned some of the basics about your new body. Please let me remove this attachment for you," motioning toward the host's IV. The technician then proceeded to remove the IV and replace it with a small, circular bandage. Sandra marvelled at the dexterity of the technician's upper tendrils. There were so many and they were so flexible, it seemed that they could be modified into any shape and for any purpose.

As the technician worked at removing the IV, it commented, "We have given you the name, Heidi, in human language. Will that be agreeable for you?"

Now Heidi nodded and said, "I like it. It sounds like a nice name."

Interrupting loudly and grabbing Heidi's arm with both hands, Carly agreed, "I love it! Heidi...Heidi...Heidi. It's beautiful!"

Having removed the IV, the technician danced, "You are now programmed to interpret and produce human speech, gestures, and texts that are most commonly used within the Earth culture that we will be sending you to. You won't find it difficult to be adept at these communication skills with just a little bit of practice. You're probably already an expert at it after conversing with your partner here for a time. Our programming is quite extensive and incorporates almost all of the subtleties of human communication appropriate for the culture of southern Ontario in Canada. Add what you've learned about humans from our broadcasts and from your schooling and you shouldn't have any trouble, whatsoever."