Kyla studied the details. Red, white, blue. A single white star. The whole thing seemed reminiscent of
"Texas," Kyla murmured before frowning in confusion. Surely, she would have figured out the reference given time, but the answer had come automatically to her. Now that she considered it, she seemed to feel very close to the state of Texas.
"What's going on here, Ginger?" Kyla glanced down at her companion.
To her surprise, Ginger looked up at her and shrugged. She had no idea that hamsters could shrug.
Then, she noticed something else. Her flip-flops had changed shape somewhat. They now encased her toes completely and, even as she watched, crawled slowly up her feet to her ankles. By this time, they looked more like shoes than flip-flops.
Curiosity turned to dread. Things like this did not occur naturally. Putting Ginger down on the bed, Kyla reached down to pull off her changing footwear. To her horror, they remained stuck as if they had been glued on, though not painfully so. Yanking on them felt like yanking on her own foot. "This can't be happening! Someone help!"
Ginger moved closer. She seemed a bit bigger than before, longer in body, too. Tilting her head, she looked inquisitively at her owner.
Kyla knew her pet's appearance should have frightened her, but she experienced no fear of the animal whatsoever. Instead, she gave the hamster an apologetic look. "I don't know any more than you do, Ginger. All I know is that this can't be good. We need to stop this! I just don't know how! Maybe we can call Jay."
Getting out her cell phone, she dialed up one of the few people who would talk to her.
"Hello?" Jay's nasally tone was unmistakable.
"Jay, it's Kyla. Something weird is happening over here, and we really need your help."
