The Dehumanization of Ethan Brown

In less than a week, Leslie had a studio apartment in Albany and she was transferred to working in their major crimes department. However, she wasn’t scheduled to start work for a couple more weeks. Ryan called Leslie’s cell phone and told her that he collected everything. “I’m going to try it on Ethan. He’s half and if it works he’ll feel it.”

“I’ll be over,” Leslie said.

“Sure. Leslie, don’t get your hopes too high. It could be a fake. I killed a gypsy to get this. It doesn’t come with a money back guarantee.”

“I understand.”

Ethan sat between Leslie’s legs on the living room floor, as Leslie stroked Ethan’s hair. “Let’s hope this works,” Ethan said.

“I’ll do it in the kitchen,” Ryan said. “I hope that I say the words right they’re in an old dialect.”

“I might be better at this,” Ethan said.

“You can’t curse yourself. If it works, you can say the curse for Leslie,” Ryan said.

Leslie continued to stroke Ethan’s hair. “It’s nice to touch someone.” Leslie wrapped her arms around Ethan, who was wearing only a tee shirt and boxers. Leslie heard Ryan mix ingredients and chant something in Spanish. It sounded like Spanish, but Leslie didn’t recognize the words, but it was a spell so it was bound to have unusual words.

Ethan jerked as if he felt a sudden pain. “It did something,” Ethan said.

“How would you know if you were whole, not half?” Leslie asked.

“I would be stronger,” Ethan said. “I could try to pick you up.”

“Pick up the washer or drier,” Leslie suggested.

Ethan walked downstairs to the basement where the washer and drier were. The ladies had taken the girls to the park to give the men privacy to do their spell. The laundry was folded on top of trierrier. Ethan picked it up and took it to the bedroom. “It seems lighter.” Ethan returned to the basement; the ladies would put the clothes away when they returned. Ethan reached under the drier and lifted it. “I think it worked,” Ethan said lowering it back down. Ethan tried picking up the washer, filled with wet diapers. “It worked. I’m a bit stronger. Leslie, we’ll tell Ryan to make you a potion.”

“You can read the spell,” Leslie suggested.

“Ryan read it for me,” Ethan said. “Sit back down and wait. There was some pain involved. For you, it could be worse. I went from half to whole; you’re going to transform completely.”

Leslie lay on the floor on a pillow under a comforter.

Ethan joined Ryan in the kitchen Ryan laid out all the ingredients before mixing them in a double boiler, not exactly a cauldron. “It’s old curse. I threw the mixture I used on you in the trash. It’ll work.” Ryan kissed Ethan briefly. “I’m glad that it didn’t hurt you.”

“I’m fine.”

Ryan put his hand on Ethan’s face. “You look the same as ever, but Leslie is tall for a woman at nearly five nine. As far as I know there are a few males her height, but no females.”

“So are you ready?” Ethan looked at Ryan.

“A woman’s life is in my hands,” Ryan said.

“My life was in your hands,” Ethan said.

“Even if it was poison not a transformation spell, you could have transformed and knocked it out of your system,” Ryan said.

“Unless it was purposely designed to kill werewolves,” Ethan said.

“We should wait a day,” Ryan said.

Ethan told Leslie to head home. “We’ll call in a day. Ryan and I need to understand what the curse did to me.”

“I understand.” Leslie kissed Ethan briefly. “If it means anything, you look the same but that wolf musk of yours is a bit stronger.”

“The same?” Ethan put his arms around Leslie.

“Your hair is a little thicker.” Leslie put her fingers through it. “I’ll call you after I get off work.”

“Do want test if my spit is antiseptic?” Ethan asked.

“You’ve been kissing me. What are you going to do spit on my open sores?”

“Spit on a finger and you can rub it on your own open sores,” Ethan said.

Leslie put her finger in Ethan’s mouth. “Your teeth are sharper. Years of wear have gone away. Your teeth look the same eerie white as Juan’s. Let’s do it now.”

“Leslie, we should wait,” Ethan said. “What difference does a day make?”

Leslie kissed Ethan’s forehead. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Ethan returned to the kitchen after Ryan put the ingredients away. “How long do we have to do this curse before the ingredients spoil?”

“A day or two,” Ryan said. “They’re all dead animal parts including human. I’m not raiding another crypt.”

“Leslie says my teeth look like I just cut them,” Ethan said. “It worked.”

“Your odor is stronger.” Ryan put his arms around him. “Leslie left.”

“You didn’t dress for her.”

“I dress when I leave the house that is enough. Why don’t you undress and we if wif we can discover other changes?”

“Ryan, what if it a curse to kill werewolves?”

“If it spreads through contact, I’ve already kissed you.” Ryan pulled off Ethan’s shirt and kissed his chest. “You feel so strong.”

“I make us something to eat. The ladies will probably be out until late.”

“We have three day old fish in the refrigerator. We could feed it to each other while listening to one of the CD you downloaded off Napster.”

“Sounds great.” Ethan snuggled against Ryan as they listened to music. Ethan was still hungry after three large plates of food. “I haven’t eaten this much since I was hurt.”

“Your body experienced a metamorphosis. I’m not surprised you’re hungry. We have a few steaks in the freezer. I’ll defrost them. Baby, it’ll be okay.”

“I feel good except for the gnawing hungry.”

“Rest. I’ll find more food.”

Ethan paced the living room, feeling emptiness in his stomach. He now understood why their kind killed humans in time of famine. He needed to eat more and all the junk food was gone and everything in the house required preparation.

Ryan put his hand on Ethan’s shoulder. “The steaks arfrosfrosting. The ladies will come home with food. They always do.”

“We need another vehicle.”

“We could call for pizza delivery.”

“As hungry as I am, I might eat the delivery man.”

“I doubt it. I order us two pizzas.”

“I hope I’m not always this hungry.”

“If you are, the ladies will just buy us more food.” Ryan wrapped his arms around Ethan. “I’m sorry that I tested it on you.”

“It’s better that Leslie knows what she’s getting into.”