Beastchanger: Twins' Test

By Douglas Kaufman

When cats and hawks begin following their commands, 8-year-old twins Téa and Neil discover that their ordinary life is anything but. What starts as the strangest scavenger hunt ever quickly becomes a matter of life and death, and to save their parents, Téa and Neil will have to put their courage to the test!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Douglas Kaufman
• Release date: Sep 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476254593

Douglas Kaufman

Doug Kaufman has been a professional game designer for almost 30 years. Despite this perhaps enviable profession, what he's really always wanted to do was be a professional writer. This is Doug's first attempt at publication; the story grew from his own family of wife and twins. The beastchanging part is the only thing that's made up.

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BEAST-CHANGER:

TWINS’ TEST

Published by Douglas Kaufman at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 Douglas Kaufman

CHAPTER ONE

CAT AND MOUSE

Momma, look! said Téa O’Donnell. Sardy has a mouse!

As Téa said this, a lovely Siamese cat looked back at her. A noise like an fire siren in a bucket of water was coming from its throat. In its mouth was something long and gray and wiggly-squeaky.

Hey, why’s Sardy making that noise? said Téa’s brother Neil, as he came hurtling down the stairs.

Téa looked at Neil and sighed. Many people thought that being twins meant that they were identical, which was so not true. Not only was he a boy and she a girl (which ought to have been something of a clue right there), but they were different in almost every other way. Such as the fact that Neil never understood anything, no matter how obvious it was.

She’s got a mouse, and she doesn’t want us to take it from her, of course, she said loftily.

Their mother looked into the foyer in time to see Neil jump down the last two steps. Neil! she said, gently but firmly. Please do not jump down the stairs. It’s dangerous.

Yes, ma’am, Neil said. They both knew he would forget this promise and do it again later, but at that moment he would not have disobeyed her for anything.

Their mother, whose name was Lu, looked down at the cat, and made a face as if she tasted something sour. Oh dear, she said. Sardy has a mouse.

Mom! Téa piped. I just said that! She sighed and rolled her eyes.

Mrs. O’Donnell glanced at Téa and nodded. I imagine you did, she said. Now what are we going to do about it? She walked forward and leaned over the cat, who eyed her warily. Distant, damp fire engine sounds still came from Sardy’s throat.

Nice Sardy, she cooed. Give us the mouse, eh?

Rrrrr, said Sardy. She rose to all four legs and backed slowly away. Mmmrrr.

She says she doesn’t want to give it to you, she wants to eat it! Téa said.

Oh stop. You don’t speak cat language, Neil said sourly. Téa looked at him. Neil’s hair was sticking up in back and his nails were dirty and his shirt was on backwards and he didn’t know anything.

You don’t know anything, she suggested helpfully.

I do too, he said. He knew Téa was wrong and that he knew lots of things. There was no sense getting angry with someone who was just plain wrong. They were more to be pitied, his father said, though Neil was still a little vague on what pity really meant.

I wouldn’t doubt Téa can … guess what the cat is thinking, said Mrs. O’Donnell slowly, eyeing her daughter. But if Sardy eats it inside she’ll leave mouse-bits all over the house, and more unpleasant things later. She must take it outside. Come, Sardy, come here. She tried to lean forward to grab at Sardy (whose full name was Sardine, but who went by ‘Sardy’ in the O’Donnell house), but the cat would have none of it. She backed away again. Mmrrrovv, she meowed—impolitely, because her mouth was full.

Oh Sardy, Téa said, stepping forward. She held out her hand, and the cat looked up at her with soft blue eyes. Pleease? Téa hunched down and scritched the cat on the top of her head. Come outside? Téa got up and, with total confidence, walked to the front door.

Sardy padded after her.

Mrow, mrow, Téa said, making very realistic-sounding cat noises. Come Sardy.

Well I’ll be, said Mrs. O’Donnell. Sure and I’ve never seen the like. Neil noticed that while she talked, her eyes looked as if she were seeing something else entirely – something very far away.

Mommy, she can’t really talk to cats. Neil said, as though that settled everything. Neil knew his sister was silly sometimes; she might like nothing more than to be able to talk to cats, but of course no one could do that.

No dear, Mrs. O’Donnell said quietly, still looking at something in another land. Of course not.

Téa paid no attention to either of them. She was holding her hand above Sardy’s head, and the cat was standing on its hind legs, trying to be scritched again. Téa opened the front door.

Out you go, Sardy. She sounded very much like her mother when she spoke that way. Out you go, and eat your mousie outside. The cat trotted through the open door.

Mrrai, Sardy said.

Mom! Did you hear that? Neil exclaimed. The cat said goodbye. I swear it did!

So it sounded, said Mrs. O’Donnell faintly.

Wash your face and paws before you come back in, Téa called. She closed the door and turned back to her mother and brother. See? she said. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Neil shook his head admiringly. That was funny, he said. It really was almost like Sardy could understand you.

What do you mean almost? said Téa, stung. She did understand me.

Don’t be a silly billy, Neil said. That’s just make-believe.

Is not! Téa yelled.

Is too!

Is not! And they were off. Their mother let them go back and forth with is not and is too seven more times before her patience ran out.

Enough! she said loudly. Now wash your hands and get ready for dinner, both of you. And use soap! she called after their retreating bottoms, as they raced to be first to the bathroom. She was in the kitchen mixing milk and cheese into the mashed potatoes when they came stampeding back.

Goodness! she said. And how do the two of you manage to sound like a whole herd of buffalo? Will one of you please fetch your father for dinner? He’s out back trying to chop the wood. The other of you go tell Lara it’s time to eat.

Which one does which? Téa asked.

Oh please, Mrs. O’Donnell sighed. Figure it out for yourselves.

After a spirited game of rock-paper-scissors (which Téa won as usual), Neil went off to fetch his father, and Téa went to the bottom of the steps.

Laaaaraaaaa! she yelled. Diiiiiinner!

Téa! her mother exclaimed from the kitchen. "If I’d wanted bellowing like