Chapter 4

The darkness was slowly fading, her eyes slowly opening to the world, she was staring at an unknown cracked ceiling. Where was she ? Trying to remember made her head ache badly. “Amanda, I'm Amanda Perkham” she said out loud with a dry rusty voice. Memories, were starting to assemble in her mind. She was in prison, yes, because... oh yes... because of a crime, obviously, but which one ? Something about a bank... The headache was slowly fading while her mind was clearing from the fog she felt. She remembered suddenly that she was in her cell, in her bed but something was odd, changed. Still feeling comatose she turned her head around, it was harder than she would have thought, something was blocking her movement. More memories were rushing back in her head, she remembered of an experiment she took part in. About? Reeducation, yes! This was supposed to make her out faster. She remembered of a Lucy, a friend made here. Where was she ? Then suddenly everything came back: the drugs, the heavy armed guards, Dr. Stein... Irene and other strange parts came back also : Something about being tied up to a dentist chair and a strange tube inserted in her throat a strange tasteless gooey liquid poured into her and the blackness. How long has she been out ? She remembered getting in and out of the blackness with incoherent blurry visions, probably due to the drugs they gave them.

She had to stand up, check for Lucy, see what were all these blurry memories about and discover why she was feeling so odd. She tried to sit, but the task seemed unbearable. Had she grown so weak because of these drugs? She must have been out for quite a time ! Then reality grabbed her in her claws. She was not able to sit because she was in somebody else body, with abnormally clumsy hands she was touching her hospital gown, it must have been heavily padded because her frame seemed wider, much wider. Her feet seemed hidden behind a huge pillow resting on her belly, more of a large deflated beach ball really, which itself was partly hidden by two huge sack where her breasts used to be. Then she looked at her hands, two huge paws ended with ten very large sausages and it struck her, it was not at all padding she was in, it was her flesh. She was grotesquely fat ! Scared to death, she started to scream, her voice clearing from its sleeping state.

Two short female guards rushed into her cell, more scared than menacing. Shortly after them, came quietly walking Dr. Stein :

- You're finally awaken, good. We were starting to get worried about your state, since you've been out for nearly two weeks of treatment.

- Two weeks ? What have you done to me ? Asked Amanda with fearful eyes.

- Why, but we treated you my dear, said softly the doctor, you know, to make you fit to go into society harmless to yourself and to others.

- You cannot be serious ? How can I live my life in the skin of a whale ? She started to cry.

- Hush now, you're not a whale... quite yet. For now I would rather describe you as a rather skinny sow.

- But that was not part of the deal, the drugs were supposed to keep me calm and relaxed and the treatment was supposed to cure me from my bad doings, she managed to say through her sobbing.

- Oh but it will, believe me, you should see your colleagues. They're as docile as sheep now... Er... rather as cows, I would say... she giggled.

- But... but it's not fair ! You're completely mad ! Anger was slowly replacing the cries in Amanda's voice.

- Maybe so, but you shall see maybe see it for yourself, guards !

The two short guardians left her room to come back with an amazingly large wheelchair. She was so weak now, it took them a really long time to extract her from her bed and put Amanda in it. She had plenty of room to sit in that chair, but she sensed that it wouldn't last long if she didn't do anything about it...