Day 687

There was a herd of deer in the lake, farther our than normal too. It wasn't uncommon to see them standing in the shallows, eating the water-plants and drinking. They looked so serene, especially in the mornings. Mist would seep across the lake, their breath rose in matching clouds as they seemed to patrol the waters in search of food. At least, that's what we thought.

It was spring when this all began, the lake got sectioned off for the deer's safety as several hunting groups voiced their complaints about their quarry that were politely ignored in favour of monitoring the unusual situation. Aside from not leaving the water the deer appeared to be in perfect health and behaviour.

It took almost a month before people noticed how much the water had changed in colour. From the expected blue (browner towards shore as the boats and swimmers stirred the soil about) to sickly grey with a custard-like consistency. The fish had all but disappeared and in their place were fauns, born and thriving in the oxygen-deprived depths. Their bodies sometimes washes ashore, we found their eyes to be three times the size of their full grown counterparts as well as the obvious external gills, sturdier than bone and clearly made to filter through the viscous liquid.

That wasn't all that washed onto the grassy sands. Bodies of other mammals in similar states of distortion were seen - wolves with whale-like bristles and mouths that extended to halfway down their throats, birds with scales and even a cow with anemone-like protrusions sprouting from its back with mice and other assorted small creatures trapped within and partially digested.

Needless to say they tried to drain the lake soon after that, sucking as much of it as possible into trucks to be studied in big city laboratories all over the world. It made our little town quite famous for a short while until the same strange compounds found in the lake were found in a few blood samples, in the smaller reservoir a few miles away, in our greying tongues and bulging eyes.

They don't let us leave any more, too busy trying to figure out how we're even alive. Apparently we shouldn't be but we're fine. Just like the deer, like the wolves and birds around us we are adapting but we're still in good health.