Identity theft
#11 of Thirty days; Thirty stories
Lars was running late for his date. Only a few more blocks, and he'd be able to avoid the wrath of his girlfriend. That's when he noticed an alley and decided to take a shortcut. He went inside and looked at his watch when he suddenly felt a blow to the back of his head. The raccoon fainted as a figured smiled from the shadows.
This one would do for now.
The sound of the rain, and the drops falling on his fur, woke the raccoon up. Lars slowly opened his eyes. Everything was fuzzy and he felt a throbbing pain on the back of his head.
The raccoon put a hand on the ground and tried to stand up, but he was too weak to do so. He then tried to turn around, up to no avail. With no other options left, he tried to focus his sight. At least that way he wouldn't get dizzy. He took and deep breath, and looked at the thing in front of him: a small sign hastily written.
Welcome to your new life.
The fear for those words gave him the strength to go on. He moved a hand to his crotch and butt, everything seemed to be normal, and he stopped holding his breath. Well, almost normal. He touched his pockets and realized that they were empty. His ID, credit cards, keys... all gone.
He sat down and thought about what to do now on, when he noticed that he wasn't wearing his jacket. Rather, it looked and smelled like it was someone else's. He didn't know if a kind soul had left it on him or if his attacker was dumb enough to leave it behind. The raccoon checked its pockets, but only holes were inside them.
Anyway, he had to leave. He checked his watch; which he, weirdly enough, still had left with him. He was still in time to go meet his girlfriend at the dinner a few blocks down. Lars used all his strength to stood up and left for his rendezvous.
For a moment, he considered throwing the jacket away due to its strong, unwashed smell; but he chose to keep it instead since it was warm enough and protected him from the rain. And he wasn't the only one that detected the smell. Most people on the streets looked away from him as he passed, and some even held their breath when he got close enough. Still, he didn't have the time to think about that.
At last, he had arrived. His girlfriend might be a little pissed off, but Lars knew she'd understand once she told her his story. As he went for the doorway, the raccoon looked at the window and searched for his love. He found her, but not as he would have liked.
His girlfriend was sitting in their usual table with someone else. She looked at the stranger as if it was him. She laughed at her jokes. She touched grabbed and rubbed his hands. Worst of all, when she looked outside and saw the raccoon wet by the rain, she covered her eyes and continued cheating on him. Just what was going on?
The stranger also looked at him and smiled. That's when Lars noticed something odd about him. The opossum had his fur combed like him. He was also wearing a jacket similar to his, and his watch... The raccoon looked at his wrist. He wasn't wearing it anymore.
The couple prepared to leave and Lars ran to the door to intercept them. He tried to say a few words to his girlfriend, but she only held her bag closer.
-"I'll take care of it, honey." The opossum grabbed Lars and pushed him away from her. "Such a nice life," he whispered, "It's a shame that it's mine now. Get used to yours now."
The stranger left and put his arms around "his" girlfriend. The raccoon formerly known as Lars ran to them and tried to tackle the guy when two police officers stopped him. They had received several reports of a homeless man wandering around, and it seemed they had arrived just in time.
The raccoon was put on a patrol car and sent to jail. He tried to reason with the police about who he really was but, when he put his hands on his pockets, he remembered that he didn't have anything to prove his identity. Moreover, his pants had changed to the ones the impostor had on the dinner.
-"At least I have my fingerprints..." He thought, but they weren't his when he was being profiled. His fingers had turned into those of the opossum.
Fearing that the raccoon was insane, the officer in charge decided to keep him locked for the night just in case. Not that he went peacefully. Former Lars screamed to let go as he was dragged to his cell, and continued for several hours afterwards.
The raccoon could only watch helplessly as his transformation took its toll on him. His muzzle got longer and thinner. His fur, once a nice auburn color, turned sooth gray. His chest and stomach started to expand until they filled his new clothes. Lastly, his breathing started to slow down as his body suffered the effects of the opossum's former way of life and age.
He stood quietly in his cell as he got used to his situation. Once he got outside; he'd literally by thrown to the streets without anything. He was no longer Lars, a raccoon, or anything he once considered a part of himself. His money and possessions were gone. Not even his friends and family were left behind since they already had someone to fill his role in their lives.
An officer appeared at the door of his cell. It appeared that the man he assaulted had decided to not press charges and left after making his charity work, so he was free to go.
To be indebted to the one that took away everything from you; the opossum was angry. Though, at the same time, a feeling of relief came over him. The "raccoon" had given him the perfect gift: a reason to live. Even if he never recovered what he had, he'd at least make sure that the impostor wouldn't either. And, who knows, maybe he could find something to reverse the curse along the way.
That's when he noticed that there was a piece of paper in his new pants. He lifted it up to his face and a smile appeared on his face.