- Shari -

  I am walking back through the forest.

  The fact that each step leaves a small current is a bit unsettling, but for now, I try to ignore it.

  I have some experience in navigating the depths of these woods and a hunch of the direction I was initially brought to the cave, so I ought to be able to get to a spot I recognize and find a way back home.

  Contemplating what the best approach might be and how unfair life in general is, I’m walking with a downcast stare in the rough direction.

  Abruptly I sense something with this strange, all-around vision.

  "Grooarrh"

  Immediately, I tense up.

  In front of me is a "grindingboar".

  As I’ve said before, normally these creatures are not really dangerous in the forest.

  They attack in a straight line, and it’s easy enough to dodge and jump behind an obstacle.

  The problem is, I can’t do that anymore!

  It’s not that I’m still exhausted; it’s the body in itself.

  I can’t run or jump as I did before with my old body.

  If I were to try, the limb I use would simply give in to the pressure.

  But like this, I can’t escape the assault of that monster.

  And it has already announced its attack.

  "No, no! Stay where you are! Don’t come any closer! Just go away!" (Shari)

  "Grooohhr"

  Hah, what did I expect?

  Seeing an intruder, it rushes at me in a full-charge attack.

  "Noooh!" (Shari)

  With extreme force, I feel how it crashes into me.

  However, the moment it connects, the impact gets somehow dampened.

  Still, I feel how the horns spike me, and then I get lifted by its head.

  When I can gather my thoughts, I find myself held up in the air.

  I’ve got raised by the boar’s head, which is now embedded in my body.

  "No, let me down! Go away! Let me go!" (Shari)

  Instead of complying, the creature is thrashing around wildly.

  Contrary to my statement, I cling to the head with all I’ve got.

  I don’t want to be thrown away with the power this monster is utilizing.

  The clinging is surprisingly easy.

  It has maybe something to do with this body.

  But now is not the time to contemplate this.

  Now is the time for panic!

  "Let me! Go away! Leave! Just leave! I want you to disappear! Aaahh!" (Shari)

  "Zsch"

  After I’ve said that, the monster gets even more enraged.

  It jumps around, swings its head left and right, and actually pushes me into a tree.

  Obviously, without effect.

  Then, suddenly, it becomes still.

  The raging creature lowers itself to the ground.

  I stay unmoving until I get a hold of myself.

  While I separate my liquid from the body, I wonder why the boar stopped in its tracks.

  As soon as I catch a look, it becomes apparent.

  The monster's head is just a bloody pulp.

  Gross!

  I can see the bone that resides under the skin.

  And at some places, there are holes with grey liquid gathering in them.

  That's its brain, isn't it?

  That shouldn’t be liquid, right?

  What happened that turned it into this state?

  At that moment it dawns me:

  Slime dissolving!

  I just dissolved the head with… whatever it is that slimes use to decompose what they take in.

  That means I have just eaten its…

  "Bluuuurrgh" (Shari)

  Okay, message to myself, "Don’t Puke!"

  All you do if you vomit is throw up the same slime that makes up your body.

  And if you do so, it promptly flows back inside you.

  Which is so disgusting by itself that it puts you in a circle of puking and flowing back.

  After I managed to stop throwing up, which took me longer than I can be proud of, I contemplate how this could happen.

  I was walking for a while through the forest and obviously did not leave a path of destruction behind me.

  Also, when this monster attacked me, I believe it was fine at first too.

  Something just changed after I told it to… disappear!

  So easy?

  I just need to think that I don’t like something, and it will vanish out of existence?

  Well, I suppose it wouldn’t work on Liqu since she is made of slime, and I’m obviously not dissolving myself.

  Nonetheless, I need to be extremely careful, if one wrong thought can let me end up killing.

  I don’t try to think too much about the carcass I left and proceed on my way.

  As soon as I’m in a safer part of the forest, I try out how this dissolving works.

  I grab a branch of a tree and try to think about hostility against the touched part.

  "Zsschh"

  "Tock"

  It fell off!

  Though a problem appeared hereby.

  The reaction came already at the slightest negativity in my mind.

  That means I could cause someone to lose his hand if I don’t like to be touched.

  Maybe even by surprise.

  Then another test!

  I place both of my hands on a tree and try to repeat the former action just with my right one.

  "Zsch"

  At first, only my right hand starts to burn through the wood.

  But the moment my concentration wavers to the acidic effect, my other hand starts doing the same.

  It's, in the end, rather distracting when stuff completely disintegrates and apparently merges with your body.

  So I determine that control is possible, but I currently lack it.

  I must think about what I’m going to do now.

  No matter how it will turn out, I don’t want to hurt my family.

  I’ll need to be extremely careful and plan in advance.

  I’m advancing on my home ground.

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  It is a good thing that my family lives outside of the village.

  Otherwise, I would not know how to proceed.

  When I see my house, my stomach feels like turning around.

  Well, I shouldn’t have imagined that, because that’s literally what the slime does!

  I really should avoid thinking about the reaction for goosebumps.

  My home is a one-floor building.

  Outside is a small storage shack.

  Inside are three rooms: the front hall where we cook and eat together, my room right at the end of the hallway, and my parent’s on the opposite.

  Now I need to plan how I will do this.

  I guess just knocking at the door and waiting for them to open would be plain stupid.

  There might be a resemblance to my old body, but I should be real about my situation…

  I’m a monster!

  A kind that is known for eating anything that comes close to it.

  The reaction when they open the door, and I stand in front of them is obvious.

  A better idea seems to be that I knock and try to quickly get behind a tree.

  My voice is still my own, albeit maybe a bit syrupy.

  So if I can start a talk, maybe I can explain to them the situation.

  At least I could try to confirm my identity.

  Maybe if I refer to a past occurrence, I could convince them?

  Urrgh, why is it always when you need to remember something that nothing comes up?

  Oh, maybe this!

  Taking my time till I firm up my resolve, I finally approach the house door.

  I would breathe in if I could, but things being like this, I instead stare at the door and knock.

  "Splosh"

  I should have known this.

  Instead of the sound I need, there is just my hand disintegrating at the impact.

  That won’t work.

  If I try it like this, I will not know when they hear me and are going to open the door.

  So I try something else.

  I take some stones in the vicinity and hide behind a tree.

  Then I throw them at the door.

  "Plock! Plock! Plock!"

  And pray.

  Pray also that monsters don’t get divine punishment for praying.

  "Is someone there?" (Jona)

  "H-hello D-dad!" (Shari)

  I try my utmost to sound like me and not like… well, slime.

  "Sh-Shari? Where were you!? Do you have any idea what your mother's been through!?" (Jona)

  "SHARI!?" (Hannah)

  Don’t cry!

  Focus!

  I would have preferred to speak with them one by one, but there's nothing to be done about it.

  "Why are you hiding? Come out!" (Jona)

  "Ehm, I’m sorry, but something happened, and I don’t really want you to see me now. Uh, do you remember that time when I started with gathering herbs and by mistake ate the wrong berries, which took me out for two days?" (Shari)

  "What are you saying? Did something like this happen?" (Jona)

  "N-no, I think this is a bit more serious." (Shari)

  "There, behind the tree!" (Hannah)

  Shit, spotted!

  I can hear my mother’s steps advancing.

  "DON’T COME CLOSSHHH!" (Shari)

  During the last part, I lost control over the matter I use for my voice, but I think I’ve taken her aback since she stopped in her tracks.

  "W-What is wrong?" (Hannah)

  "I really don’t want you to see me, please just go some steps back. Father, maybe you should take her in, and we can talk first?" (Shari)

  "You sound fine overall. What could be so grave that you behave like this?" (Jona)

  "Just believe me, it is!" (Shari)

  "You should just come out. We are getting nowhere like this." (Jona)

  "Then at least retreat a few steps, please." (Shari)

  "…Okay." (Jona)

  "Shari…" (Hannah)

  At last, I hear them retreating a bit.

  Okay, here goes nothing!

  I want to approach them carefully, so I just hold out a hand, or whatever you would call an appendage consisting of slime.

  Unexpectedly, nothing happens.

  Because I can’t hear a reaction, I decide to show myself.

  Okay, that explains the silence.

  I look at expressions of shock, disbelief, pity, and maybe fear.

  The fear part is the most important, so I should take care of that first!

  "J-Just so you know, I’m not going to attack you! I’m still the same on the inside. W-Well, that’s technically not true, but I mean I’m the same person as before." (Shari)

  They just keep staring.

  But that was within my expectations.

  It’s still better than taking the first weapon available and rushing at me.

  Or running while screaming.

  "I’m sorry, but I really don’t know what else I can say." (Shari)

  "Shari, is that really you?" (Hannah)

  "I wish I could deny this." (Shari)

  I answer while laughing, embarrassed and trying to ease up the situation.

  "What happened?" (Hannah)

  Tears well up in my mother’s eyes, and I feel uneasy and start staring at the ground.

  "In short, a monster did this to me." (Shari)

  "A-a monster? But how?" (Jona)

  "You really don’t want to hear the details. Just... it wasn’t nice. But please, believe me!" (Shari)

  Tears are now welling up from me too, but I try to wipe them back in.

  If slime comes out of my eyes now, that would just gross them out.

  "I’m really sorry! I didn’t want this, but I don’t know what to do!" (Shari)

  "This, this is much to take in." (Jona)

  Father got quite pale at the situation.

  I believe all that keeps him still upright are his well-developed muscles.

  "You don’t say!" (Shari)

  I say with a bitter expression.

  "I… I believe you. I can recognize my own daughter!" (Hannah)

  "T-thank you." (Shari)

  I would feel relieved here and maybe actually do, but mostly this situation is just extremely uncomfortable.

  "Maybe we should go inside?" (Jona)

  "Yes, might be bad if someone comes." (Shari)

  So we go inside and sit down at the table.

  I believe I will have to explain a lot.

  Sitting at my usual place at the table, I feel slight discomfort, naturally because of the "being a monster thing", but more due to the fact that I’m leaking.

  Yes, currently the liquid that makes up my body is dripping on all the places that come in contact with me.

  Maybe taking some clothes might have been a good idea.

  But I did not want to delay the talk and thought that by wearing them they would just get ruined.

  "I am sorry! Now that we are here, I don’t know what to say." (Shari)

  "You could at least explain what lead to this!" (Jona)

  "I already said…" (Shari)

  "I still want to know what happened to my daughter!" (Hannah)

  "Fine! You see, there was this order from Miss Oka." (Shari)

  "We know! Everyone was looking for you." (Jona)

  "Y-yes, sorry. So I went to the forest to get the requested items, and suddenly there was a slime monster, like me now. Well, in green. It took me with it and carried me into its lair and turned me there into this. There is not much to say besides that it took very long and was… unpleasant. Please don’t force me to dwell on this!" (Shari)

  The memories are forcing tears, if I’m allowed to call them this, out of my eyes.

  Yet not many, and they soon dwell back inside.

  "I am sorry, Shari. I didn’t mean to." (Hannah)

  My mother extends her hands to comfort me despite my looks.

  Her kindness affects me deeply.

  However, I can barely react in time.

  "DON’T TOUCH ME!" (Shari)

  My yell just made it in time before the contact.

  Still, now my mother has a shocked impression on her face.

  I need to react fast!

  "Forgive me, that wasn’t intended, but just don’t touch me!" (Shari)

  I have to explain this.

  "I-It’s just that I have no control over this body yet and that includes the… dissolving of things! I just don’t want to hurt you!" (Shari)

  My mother still retains a worried expression, but shows some understanding and nods unsteadily.

  "So, you mean that you have all the features of those monsters?" (Jona)

  "Well, my mind is still clear, but otherwise, there is not too much difference, I fear. (Shari)

  "Does this hurt, Shari?" (Hannah)

  "It doesn’t, but it feels very strange." (Shari)

  "Are you okay?" (Jona)

  "To be honest, I am a bit worried, or to be more precise, I don’t believe that I have much of a future. You know there won’t be many marriage proposals in for me, and if someone would propose to me, that would be a reason in itself to be afraid." (Shari)

  I laugh before making a stern face.

  "We should be real here. If we announce my "condition" to the village, my chances will be quite bad. Even if none of the villagers tries to kill me, for sure, anyone from outside would do so." (Shari)

  "Maybe we can find a way to turn you back?" (Jona)

  "Sorry, but there are some reasons I have to believe that there is no way." (Shari)

  "So what do you think we should do?" (Jona)

  "No real idea! But I hoped that you would let me stay a bit till I can figure something out for me. You know, my only other opportunity would be going back to the cave of that slime, and I’m not too keen on this." (Shari)

  "Yes, for sure you can stay!" (Hannah)

  "Thank you, mum." (Shari)

  After we are done, I resort to my room.

  Maybe there is a way to finally get some rest.

  While there is no physical weakness, the past events were mentally straining.

  I know that my parents have now quite much to deal with, but hope that they as well will find some sleep.

  Even if a monster sleeps directly next to them.

  On the other hand, I managed too, if fainting counts.

  The moment I throw myself on my bed, I realize that I just ruined it.

  The slime flows directly inside, and I lose a bit of mass.

  Getting it out again turns out to be close to impossible, and only a meager amount can be retrieved.

  Having no other options, I lie down on the ground next to the bed.

  The floor might be hard, but I still have no sense of negative impact on my body.

  I can feel the touch, but in fact, I'm cushioning myself.

  Still, it is uncomfortable in the way that I need to keep my body up, straining myself to not have my face spreading on the ground.

  Which is a dreadful thought.

  While I ponder what I could do now to deal with my situation, in general, I have a more concrete problem.

  I've just lost some mass, adding to that which I left as footsteps on my way here.

  So before long, I’ll need to find out what I can take in to replace what got lost since it’s not certain that I can eat normal food.

  While I know that slimes sometimes dissolve all kinds of things, the fact that they tend to flesh is concerning.

  Even more, as meat is a pricey matter.

  Contemplating like this, I can reach some state of disconnection from the world.

  Even if you can’t call it real sleep, it comes close to it.

  So I manage to get some rest in the end.