Day 138

Sometimes owners resemble their pets.
Its only natural to have an affinity for someone that reminds you of yourself,
especially when that being is a constant source of joy in your otherwise
pathetic mortal life.

We accept this of course, we are vain creatures at heart, even if we are unaware of this.

What we could not accept were our pets resembling us.

It starts with a new pet.
A strong connection.
A child's love.

The changes are subtle at first.
Daddy look, the dog is smiling at me!
Daddy look, I taught it how to wave!

Eventually you start to notice that it does sort of look like your child.
You dismiss it at first, I mean they just have a similar eye colour.
Then you begin to notice other things like the way they both tilt their head,
the way they both dance when they're excited, the way they... laugh?

Can dogs laugh?
Is it actually laughing or just mimicking a noise it hears?
Yes, that must be it.

You forget your unease and marvel at your strangely adorable animal.
For a while that's it, nothing weird about the dog or your child.
Then the dog's fur begins to fall off but only around its head.
The vet says its some rare skin condition and says all you can do is watch for
infections, bathe their head and wait.
It may heal, the fur may regrow in time and if not then that's it.

Their fur falls off in patched at first, the skin underneath pale and smooth,
far smoother than you expected, given the images online of people with similarly
affected pets.
In fact, your dog's face seems much smaller underneath their fur.
As it falls away from their snout you notice their face seems to almost be shrinking.
Their eyes seem wider too, in fact their entire head is different, you even compared
them to old photos and they have changed so much.

Your child is also changing.
You chalk it down to worry and try to distract them but most of their time at home
is spent with the dog, just holding them.
It would be a heartwarming sight were it not for the fact that they wore the same
facial expression.

The exact same expression.

Their faces were now very much alike.

You try to remain calm as you realise this.
You'll call the vets, tell your child the dog was very ill and had to go to sleep
and everything will be fine again.

As you cement this plan in your mind your child calls to you.

Daddy. Daddy we need you. Come quick!

The voice comes from living room where they are both cuddled together
as has become the norm.

You ask what's wrong.

The dog's mouth opens.

Your child's voice comes out.

You can't kill me daddy. We won't let you.

Your child is growling as the dog repeats this.