Roberto woke up. He didn't know where he was, but he managed to sit up. His body was terribly sore all over, especially his hands, feet, and the base of his spine. His ears even hurt. He tried as hard as he could to remember what had happened.
He was performing. At the circus. No, he finished the performance. It was afterwards. He was on his way to his trailer, and then…and then nothing. He couldn't remember anything.
Slowly, he maneuvered himself to the edge of the bed. He kept his eyes straight ahead, not daring to look down at his aching legs and feet. He was worried as to what he might find. His feet touched the ground, though it felt a little strange, but he managed to stand. Then promptly came close to falling over. He caught himself on the railing of his bed. His balance was off. And for some reason, he felt like his back end was flailing behind him.
Then he noticed it.
His hand. It was too much to take in at once. Instead of his five fingers, he now only had three, thick ones. Perhaps that wasn't even the most shocking part. His hand was blue, and covered in soft, fine hair. He turned it over and found that his palms were hair free, but still very blue.
Quickly, he checked his other hand. The same. His arms were also blue and covered in the same soft hair, more like fur. He dared look down at his feet. Blue, furry legs gave way to cat-like, three-toed feet, two toes on the front, one on the heel. They were huge, and he noticed he was standing on his front two toes. How was he ever going to wear shoes again?
He kept feeling this odd sensation behind him, where there ought not to be any sensation. It was like his spine had gotten longer and was moving, twitching, or something of the sort. He twisted around to see if he could take a peek, when something, long, blue, and snakelike caught his eye and he nearly fainted. He dared another look, and was still just as shocked as the first time. There, behind him and swishing about, was a long, blue-fur covered, spaded tail.
Suddenly, he felt very exposed. He realized he was wearing nothing but a hospital gown. Glancing around, he found what would pass for a circus costume, just without the glitter, sequins, and rhinestones. He crossed the room to get to it, nearly falling over with his first few, unsteady steps. He finally started to get the hang of his new feet and was able to use his tail to balance himself. Walking and even standing was a lot different than he was used to. He finally got to the costume, held it up, and grimaced. Spandex. Red and black Spandex, with pointed shoulders that converged and into a "V" shape, all the way down to the groin. Sighing, he wrestled the outlandish costume on. His hands and feet were left bare and his tail easily fit through a hole in the back. It was tight, but at least it covered more than that hospital gown had.
Roberto idly scratched an itch on his cheek, and found it furry as well. He could only imagine the horrors done to his face. What if he didn't have a nose anymore? He reached up his three-fingered and hands and touched his face. Yes, he still had a nose. Nonetheless, even with his nose intact, he had to find a mirror, and soon.
He searched the room, but there were no mirrors to be found. He did however, find a door. He tried the handle. Locked. There was a small window, showing the corridor on the other side. How he wished he could be there instead of in this tiny room!
Bamf.
"¡Dios mío!" He cried, finding himself out in the corridor. He clamped a misshapen hand over his mouth, hoping no one had heard him. He glanced around, looking for signs of life.
No one.
This place stinks! Roberto thought, waving a hand in front of his still-present nose to clear the purple smoke that was in the corridor. It smelled of sulfur, and was repulsing.
He slowly crept down the hallway, always on the lookout for other people. He really didn't want to run into anyone, mainly because he was afraid of them. If they were responsible for his transformation and presence here, they couldn't be very nice. And secondly, because he was more than a little embarrassed to be seen like this. The costume only made things worse.