Otter Lake -Edited-

Friday, the day anticipated by people from all occupations. After an arduous workweek, Jake was exhausted and needed an escape. He’d booked the next week off for a much-needed vacation. His family had a cabin in the woods that they owned via a timeshare and Jake couldn’t think of a better place to escape.

Jake stopped at the Supermarket to buy some food. The cabin had electricity via a generator and running water. Jake looked forward to a weekend of relaxation and being able to experience clean air and peace and quiet.

He arrived at the cabin mid Saturday. After cleaning up a bit, Jake made a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. He knew that he could have driven into town and picked up something at a fast food place but that didn’t appeal to Jake.

After eating, Jake decided to go for a walk along the beach. Jake was happy when he saw that he was the only person there.

It was a warm day with a nice breeze blowing in from the lake. Jake allowed his mind to wander as he walked.

The sound of something splashing in the lake pulled Jake out of his musing. When he turned his head to see who was in the water, he received the surprise of his life. Standing in the lake was a humanoid female otter!

It can’t be what it looks like.

He’d heard stories of such creatures but always assumed they were myths. The otter appeared to be bathing or playing, possibly both. She wasn’t wearing any clothes but despite her fur, Jake could still make out the curves and form of a female.

Jake gulped. Tales where a woman caught a man in what was supposed to be a private location often had unfortunate consequences for the man.

Oh great, what if other people have seen her or others like her and someone silenced them? Jake felt much like someone that had seen a top secret document by accident. Sure, he’d claim that he'd never tell anyone but he knew that the people in charge of keeping said secret couldn’t be sure of that.

Jake turned around to walk back to the cabin. He wanted to stay and watch the otter. However, he didn’t want to invade her privacy or risk something happening to them.

When he reached the cabin fifteen minutes later, he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. Jake turned to see the otter standing a few meters before him!

Oh my God! She knows I saw her.

She still wore no clothing. Jake wasn’t sure what part of her to look at. He didn’t want her catching him stare at her body.

Don’t look Jake. Come on, you don’t know how she’ll react. Why aren’t I running anyway? What if she has magical powers and says that she can’t let me leave now that I’ve seen her? What if she turns me into a squirrel or something?

The otter walked closer and Jake gulped. When she reached him, she reached out her hands. Her fingers each had small claws in place of nails. Water glistened off what was waterproof fur and blonde hair clung to her shoulders.

With her right hand, she reached under Jake’s shirt. Jake expected that he was going to change into something at any moment. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths.

"If you’re going to make me a squirrel can you at least prevent a hawk from eating me?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" the otter asked.

She speaks English!

Jake opened his eyes and looked into the green eyes of the otter.

"I’ve heard legends of people like you. Isn’t this one of those things where you have to keep me quiet?" Jake asked.

She shook her head. "I won’t harm you."

"You’re beautiful," Jake said.

"Thank you. You know you can touch me. I won’t bite," the otter said.

With his right hand, he reached out and touched the cream fur on her belly. It was soft and warm.

Wait a second, what am I doing?

Jake withdrew his hand. He knew he was acting in an ungentlemanly manor.

"What’s wrong?" the otter asked.

"I shouldn’t just touch you like that," Jake said.

The otter withdrew her hand.

"I just said it was all right. Besides, I touched you," she said. "You humans worry too much about such things."

With both hands she reached under his shirt, lifted it off and threw it onto the ground. The action surprised Jake. She grinned and ran her right hand up and down his chest.

"It’s okay to enjoy it," she said.

"Yes but what if someone catches us…"

The otter shrugged her shoulders. "Are we not allowed to kiss or hug? It’s not a crime to desire affection."

Jake smiled. "No, I guess it isn’t. But we’re not the same species! I mean, I keep expecting your husband or father to come running out yelling at me."

"I’m not married. My father has told me that it’s up to me whether or not I get a mate."

The otter embraced Jake in a hug. He felt a connection while she did. Her fur was warm and soft against his chest. For a few seconds, Jake felt a sort of clarity. He felt as though he knew what it was like to be the otter woman. Jake for reasons he wasn’t sure of now knew her name was Samantha.

Jake felt as though he’d known Samantha for his entire life. He knew what it felt like to be a female humanoid otter. Then, she released the hug and took a few steps back.

"Samantha?" Jake asked, his mind still reeling.

Samantha smiled and nodded. "I’ve lived here for a long time, this forest is my home." She said.

"I – I know," Jake said. He looked at his right hand, almost expecting to see a furred clawed hand. "I’ve heard stories of your kind. But I never thought…"

Jake wanted the connection back. Never before had he felt understanding with someone at that level.

"I’m just not used to hugging or kissing someone I just meant. How do you know I’m not dangerous? I mean, I would never hurt you…"

Samantha placed her right index over Jake’s mouth. "I know," she whispered.

Jake was unsure what to do next. His view of the world was changing before his eyes. He wondered what other sorts of creatures existed.

Samantha smiled and unzipped Jake’s pants. She’d pulled his pants down his legs before Jake blinked his eyes and realized what she was doing.

I’m not sure what she’s doing. I should resist but when else would I get the chance to experience this?

Jake realized that this could be a dream or a hallucination.

Samantha looked him up and down and smiled. "You’ll be perfect," she said.

"Perfect for what?" Jake asked.

"Aren’t you look forward to seeing Dave?" She said.

A chill ran down Jake’s spine. He took a few steps back only to end up tripping on his own pants and falling onto his rear end. Dave or Davie as they called him had moved away months before. Jake hadn’t of heard from Dave and assumed that Dave was busy.

"How do you know about Dave?" Jake asked.

"He’s with us now," Samantha said.

A curious situation had taken a potentially dangerous turn. Jake was getting worried.  Oh my God, what if she did turn Dave into something?

"What do you mean with you?" Dave asked

"I’m sorry if I’ve frightened you. If you’ll come back to the beach, I can show you that Dave is all right," Samantha said. A smile crossed her face. "You should leave those clothes behind; you won’t need them."

She wants me to be naked. I barley know her. Does she want me to marry her or something?

"He was one of my best friends when we were kids. Is he all right?" Jake asked.

Samantha chuckled. "Yes, he is all right."

Before Jake could question her actions, Samantha undid his shoelaces, removed his shoes and then pulled his socks off. She pulled his jeans off moments later before standing and offering Jake her right hand.

"I won’t hurt you Jake. I remember your times with Dave from your point of view as well as from his point of view."

Jake stood up but still felt nervous. "How come you remember stuff from me so easily? It’s hard for me to remember stuff from you."

"It’s not a perfect picture. It fades in time. Yes, I know you two were close. I know it pained you when he had to relocate even though it was only an hour away," Samantha said.

Jake wondered why Dave would choose to remain with Samantha. Staying with an otter woman was something Jake could see Dave doing. Samantha had said that she wasn’t married. Jake wondered what Dave was doing.

"Yes, it was upsetting. So, I can see him then?" Jake asked.

"Yes, but – why don’t we walk to the beach and then we can meet him?"

Jake blinked. "Why do you keep putting so much emphasis on the word him?"

Samantha chuckled and rubbed her chin. "You’ll see. Let’s just say that Dave would find the reason amusing."

Jake was growing ever more curious by the minute. For a moment, Jake wondered if in fact Samantha was Dave. It would suit him but no, I don’t think he’d go this far for a joke.

After a short walk, Jake and Samantha were back at the lake.

"So, where’s Dave?" Jake asked.

Samantha took Jake’s hand and led him back to the lake. When they were back at the beach, Samantha let go of Jake’s hand and walked closer to the water.

"Let’s go for a swim," she said. She looked at Jake’s mid section. "First, take off the underwear, you don’t need it."

Wait, someone will see me!

"Well, um…"

Jake felt blood rushing to his cheeks. Under normal circumstances, he’d never skinny-dip. He'd dream of doing so with a beautiful woman, but he’d be too shy to ask one. These however, were far from normal circumstances.

"Don’t be shy. I’m not wearing anything," Samantha said.

"Well, no, I guess you’re not," Jake said.

Samantha smiled. "Come on, I won’t stare, I promise."

Jake gulped before pulling his underwear off. Samantha walked into the water and motioned Jake to follow. The water felt cold against his skin but he could tell that Samantha’s fur insulated her well. As they walked chest deep into the water, Samantha turned around and took Jake’s hands.

"I’ve never done anything like this before," Jake said. "It’s kinda exciting. But, the water’s cold. It’d be nice if I had fur like yours to keep me warm."

Samantha pulled Jake in and hugged him.

"Do you wish to see Dave?"

"I…"

Jake had a vision of Dave in his mind. A young man in his early thirties with shoulder length brown hair. He had a slight pot belly and green eyes. That image however faded. An image of a female humanoid otter replaced it. This otter had blonder hair and seemed to be around ten years ago. She floated on top of an inflatable blue chair reading a book.

Wait a second, Dave’s an otter – girl?

This image felt as natural as the human image of Dave.

When Samantha let go, Jake blinked his eyes. "You mean that…"

"Yes," Samantha beamed. "Before you grow concerned, Dave requested it himself."

"Dave always was a bit of an odd ball," Jake said with a smile. "People said he’d outgrow it, but he always said that he didn’t want to be old and boring. Guess he became his inner child. A guy’s inner child being a girl fits Dave to the letter. He’s just weird enough to try that," Jake said.

"Do you want to continue to be Dave’s friend?" Samantha asked.

"Yes!" Jake said.

"I can make that wish come true," Samantha said.

"What do you mean?" Jake asked.

"I think you know what I mean. You expressed an interesting in having fur like mine," Samantha said.

Jake blinked and felt a chill run down his spine. "You mean?"

Samantha nodded. "I can give it to you."

Jake contemplated this for several seconds, he thought Samantha was crazy or joking. Yet, Jake couldn’t shake the image of the carefree otter girl. In recent years, Dave had become wistful. Jake recalled a discussion where Dave had said how as kids, like so many others, they spent most of their childhood and teen years wanting to grow up. As they approached their thirties, Dave had been wishing he could just go back to being a kid.

I wonder what it’s like to be an otter person. Dave seemed happy as a girl. I wonder if I should become one too? Wait, what am I thinking? Dave is my best friend! Sure if we’re girls, it’ll be different but I can’t think of him as a girlfriend; I just can’t!

Jake’s determination made him blurt out his next words.  "Can I be an otter girl like Dave?"

"If you’d like then sure! You can still be best of friends! Don’t worry, you’ll retain your human memories and knowledge. You’ll be two smart girls. I love making people happy," she said.

Jake looked at the Samantha and smiled. "What do I need to do?" he asked.

"Follow me," she responded.

She’s going to make me a girl – an otter girl at that. This is too weird, I should run but I don’t want to leave Dave behind.

They walked back towards the beach until the water was only knee deep.

"It’s simple," Samantha said as she turned around. "Grab onto my tail and watch the magic happen."

"Just hold onto it?" Jake asked.

Samantha nodded and Jake complied. Samantha’s tail was strong.

"Ready?" Samantha asked.

Am I ready to become a female otter? That’s like a UFO landing in your backyard. The aliens offer you a tour of their ship and then their capital on their home planet. They ask you if you’re ready when five minutes before you had no idea they even existed. Now I’m learning that a human can become an otter person and that otter people are real. But this is too interesting to decline.

"Ready as I’ll ever be," Jake said.

"Close your eyes" Samantha said.

Jake did so and Samantha began to chant what sounded like a spell or prayer.

Warmth and itchiness surrounded Jake’s body. The water touching his legs felt different and warmer as a feeling of warmth surrounded them. It was as if something was hugging his legs.

Jake didn’t have time to scratch before an intense euphoria overwhelmed him. His heart rate quickened and he couldn’t help but laugh aloud.

A sense of anticipation overwhelmed Jake as Samantha continued chanting. It felt as though something were waiting for Jake or that something he was looking forward to happening for a long time was happening.

For a few seconds, Jake felt as though he were falling. The water felt like was creeping up his body. It felt as though something were pulling at the base of Jake’s spine.

Oh my God, it’s happening. This is so freaky but so cool at the same time.

Jake wondered if he should run away. It seemed as though it wasn’t too late. However, he couldn’t bring himself to let go of Samantha’s tail. Samantha had stopped chanting. Jake felt that the process happening to him was afoot.

His hands and feet felt strange and hot. The feeling of warmth covering everything on Jake’s body from the waist up alleviated the cold air on his chest. In a matter of seconds, he went from feeling cool to feeling warm and cozy.

I guess I have fur now.

His face felt bizarre. He could have sworn that something was pulling on it. His sense of smell improved dramatically. He could smell nuances about Samantha’s scent that would set her apart from other otter people. Jake realized that Samantha had a wonderful scent. He wasn’t sure if his perception of it had changed or if he could smell nuances about it that he couldn’t before.

Jake realized that he now had a similar odor. Jake could tell the difference between his and Samantha’s scent like the differences between two people’s faces. Both people had a face with similar features at a basic level. However, there were definite differences.

Now it was Jake’s ears turn. They tingled and seemed to vanish into his head. Momentary deafness almost had Jake panicking before his ears redeveloped toward the top of his head. He couldn’t seem to hear much better then before but that was all right to Jake.

"All right Jake, you can let go of my tail and open your eyes," Samantha said.

When he opened his eyes, Jake noticed that Samantha was much taller then before.

No, I’m just shorter.

He looked down and saw the water level was just above his waist instead of his knees.

Samantha turned around and lifted him Jake of the water, holding him against her furry chest.

"You’re so cute," she said.

Jake looked up at Samantha "It worked…"

Clasping his mouth, Jake gasped. I sound like a girl!

"Yes it did," Samantha said with a smile.

Samantha carried Jake to the beach. The strength Samantha needed to accomplish the act impressed Jake. When Samantha put Jake on the ground, Jake looked down at his body. He noticed blonde hair falling over his shoulders. When he looked between his legs, he felt a shock go through his body. Nothing male was there. That coupled with the hair and voice confirmed it for Jake.

"I’m a girl!" Jake said.

"Yes you are and a cute one at that. It was what you wanted right?" Samantha said.

Jake nodded. I’m girl -- an otter girl! This so – cool!

"Can I see a mirror?" Jake asked.

"Of course you can! You have one in your cabin right?" Samantha asked.

Samantha offered her hand and Jake took it. As they walked, Jake felt as though he was remembering something from his past. It was something Jake had forgotten a long time ago.

"Come on," Samantha said.

"Okay," Jake responded with a hint of playfulness in his voice.

Together, they walked towards and into the cabin. Jake immediately ran to the hall mirror, which was a full-length mirror. The person looking back at him had beige fur on the lower half of her face, chest and lower half of her tail with chestnut elsewhere. A short muzzle complete with whiskers adorned her face! Jake smiled at the reflection. Jake felt around her body to confirm that the reflection was an accurate portrayal of her and not a cruel joke.

She’s so cute. I’m cute. That’s me. I’m a girl just like Dave – Davie – Dana!

Jake looked down at her feet and saw that they were rounder. Her toes were now all the same lengths, webbing had grown between each of them and each toe had a small claw at the tip. The fingers on both of her hands had small claws. She looked like a small version of Samantha.

"So, when can we see Dana?" Jake asked.

Jake blinked; she’d called Dave Dana automatically.

Samantha walked up to Dave and stood with Dave’s tail between her legs.

"Do you like?" she asked.

She turned me into an adorable otter girl. I was thirty-one. Now I’m eight. I don’t know how I know that but I do. I still feel like I know grownup stuff.

Jake knew that she should have been upset. Samantha had taken her humanity away. Any accomplishments Jake had made either were now on hold or obsolete. However, Jake had asked for this. She felt warm and energetic and knew that she was adorable.

"I love it! Um, I don’t have to wear a dress do I?" Jake asked.

Jake realized that she didn’t feel naked or exposed. Feeling that way without clothes felt outdated. If Jake were still human, he knew that she’d feel naked.

"Clothes? No, we don’t wear clothes. We’re not naked, we have our fur," Samantha said.

Jake giggled. "Jake is a boys name. I like boys but I’m not a boy anymore." A mischievous grin crossed Jake’s face. "But I know how to make boys happy."

I guess I really am an otter girl.

Samantha petted Jake’s head. "How about Jane?"

Jake looked back at Samantha. "Jane? Sounds good." Jake stood tall, proud, and pointed to herself. "I am Jane the otter girl!"

"So, do you want to go see Dana?" Samantha asked.

"Yes!"

"Well then, let’s go. I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you," Samantha said.

Jake, now Jane took one last look around the cabin before she wrote a note to inform anyone that came looking for her what had happened. She wasn’t sure if they’d believe it. However, she was prepared to make a personal appearance with Samantha if necessary.

Samantha led the way out of the cabin and back to the beach.

"So, where do we live anyway?" Jane asked.

Samantha brought Jane in for another hug. Jane felt more understanding between the two. She’d never dreamed of experiencing anything like telepathy in real life. The way to get to their home hit Jane like a ton of bricks. She found herself remembering it as though she was remembering something from her past like as though it happened yesterday.

Yes, how could I be so dumb? We swim for a little while until we reach the cliffs. There’s a waterfall and we gotta swim under it. Then we just swim a bit more and we’re home!

When Samantha realized the hug, Jane nodded.

"I remember it now! How could I forget? I mean, I’ve never been there and now I know where it is. This is weird," Jane asked.

Samantha giggled. "But in a bad way?"

"Na, weird is cool! I just gotta remember that some weird things are bad," Jane said.

Jane realized she was talking more like a child. It felt natural. Jane may have started to listen to her inner child less frequently as of late but she knew that it was always a part of her. Now, however, she didn’t feel a need to dwell on more mature issues. Becoming a girl didn’t seem so bad. She’d never been an otter person before so being an otter girl wasn’t all that weird.

Samantha led the way into the water with Jane following. Jane wasn’t sure how but she knew how to swim. The fun of swimming entranced Jane. She didn't worry about how she could now swim at a level far beyond what she could as a human as long as it was fun!

Jane couldn’t help but play in the water, turning what would have been a twenty-minute swim into an hour-long swim. She had more energy then she’d had in a long time. While she couldn’t wait to see Dana, she found that her attention span was shorter and it didn’t take much for her to get distracted.

In her imagination, she had just won a gold metal in a swimming race when Samantha splashed her with water.

"Sorry honey but it’s getting late. We’d better get home," Samantha said.

Jane blinked. It had been years since a fantasy had embroiled her. It felt good. She couldn’t wait to see Dana and to see what they’d come up with together. When Jane remembered Dana reading a book, she wondered if they could write something together.

I guess we need to take it one step at a time.

"Okay. That was fun though," Jane said.

"I’m sure it was. But, don’t you want to see Dana?" Samantha asked.

"Dana! Yes, I’ll race ya!" Jane said.

Like a furry torpedo, Jane swam to the cliff. She stopped only to take a breath before darting under the waterfall, swimming down and through the hole in the cliff. She could feel Samantha right behind her. Jane never felt as though she were struggling. Swimming was a natural part of her existence.

Soon after, Jane surfaced in a pool of water. Before her, she saw a valley filled with huts and cabins. Otter people walked on walkways talking to one another. Samantha surfaced moments later.

"Welcome home Jane," Samantha said.

"It’s so pretty here. So, where’s Dana?" Jane asked.

Samantha swam and then walked onto the surface. "Right this way honey."

Jane didn’t mind Samantha calling her honey. If anything, it seemed to fit her new form. If she was going to be this young again, she was going to enjoy it. After swimming and then walking onto the shore, Jane took in the view of the otter peoples homes. It was paradise, like something out of a dream. A part of Jane expected to wake up at any moment. Another part of her felt bad for people that didn’t get to experience this.

We can always fix that!

"Dan is Dana the otter girl, we don’t wear clothes and we live here! That’s so cool. I don’t feel like it’s impossible. I know that magic made me an otter girl. I don’t want to explain it that much because that can be boring. Before I’d try to think of how this is all possible. Now I just don’t. How could I ever have worried so much about that stuff?" Jane asked.

Samantha petted Jane on the head. "You’re a kid again. It’s only natural you’d start to think like one."

Jane nodded. "I still remember stuff I learned in school and life. Some of it is cool, but math and stuff seems more boring now. Maybe when I’m older it’ll be cooler. But I know that we’re not kids forever so I wana enjoy it!"

Samantha nodded. "Exactly. We wanted you to have fun. There’s a time to be serious but it’s easier to get through that if you can relax and have fun."

Jane walked with Samantha down a path until they came to a cabin. Samantha knocked on the front door and the duo waited. Jane felt anticipation. She hadn’t of seen Dana in a while and had never seen her as an otter girl. When the door opened, Jane couldn’t restrain herself. With her arms open, she ran at and hugged Dana.

"Hi, who are you?" Dana asked.

"Dana, it’s me Jake! Well, I’m Jane now but…"

When Jane released the hug, Dana took two steps back.

"Jake? Is that you?" Dana asked.

Jane looked at Samantha. "I thought we could do telepathy when we hugged?"

Samantha nodded. "You’ll develop it when you’re older."

Jane looked back at Dana. "I was at the cabin and I went for a walk. Samantha was in the lake. I saw her and then she knew I’d seen her. A real otter woman! That’s so cool! That’s like seeing a real alien or big-foot! This is so cool! We can be friends again! Yeah, we’re girls but we’re still friends right?"

Dana looked at Samantha. "She’s telling the truth."

"If yer Jake, um Jane then what was your best score in…"

Jane put her hands behind her back. "253,000. You were always better then me. I remember one time you got 500,000."

"No way! That’s true!" Dana said.

"You – you’re a girl!" Jane said.

"So are you!"

"Well, I’ll leave you two alone. I’ll go tell the others about our new friend," Samantha said before leaving the cabin, closing the door behind her."

Dana looked at her hands and then Jane. "So, um, how come you…"

"Samantha showed me you. I wanted to be a girl so we could still be friends," Jane said.

"That’s weird but I like it! So um, wana do something?" Dana asked.

"You like to read while sitting on a floating chair?" Jane asked.

"Well, yeah but – it’s relaxing," Dana said.

Jane nodded. Dana had always loved to read, even when she was Dave. It seemed more acceptable for a girl then a boy.

"That’s okay. Books are cool," Jane said. "So, where do you guys get all your stuff anyway? How do you hide this place from people?"

Dana shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno, magic or something? As long as they don’t steal their stuff and people don’t find us, who cares?"

Jane rubbed her chin. "Yep, yer right!"

"So, wana go play or something?" Dana asked.

"Duh!" Jane said.

"I know this cool place where we can swim. There are boys there. Boys like us now and I guess we like ‘em too," Dana said.

Jane laughed. "We’re girls! Except, we know that boys are cool. We can have even more fun."

"Just wait until you meet Will and Quinn, they brothers," Dana said.

Jane grinned when she imagined the fun they could have with these two.

"Lead the way."

Dana and Jane, friends re-united as two otter girls left the cabin to make their way to the lake to swim and play. They had lost their humanity. However, the joy they gained at being able to re-live their childhood and at being re-united was evidenced by the giggles and laughter that echoed through the area in the hours that followed that day and in the times after.