rule 12

Chapter 1

"Eh…" I moan as I attempt to open my eyes.

I can't. My eyelids are heavy like stones.

"How long have I been asleep? How come I don't remember a thing?" A million questions come across my mind.

They say when you lose your vision, your other senses are enhanced. Since I'm not able to open my eyes right now, let me "see" my surroundings with my other senses first.

I listen.

Quiet. I don't hear any human voice or vehicle noise.

Wait! Something is pacing back and forth. It sounds like a human's footsteps. The person must be anxious, because the steps are short and quick. Yet, they don't have a pattern. Judging by its volume, the person is at a distance from me.

I touch.

Cold. A little damp, and a bit soft.

Hmm…it's obviously not a bed.

I stretch out my arm.

No edge.

Hmm…am I on the floor?

I sniff.

Stinky. There is a faint smell of feces in the air.

"Ugh…" I frown, "I'm not in a bathroom am I?" 

Fortunately, a gentle breeze coming from all directions overturns my suspicion.

"No wonder it's kind of chilly," I think to myself. "I'm outdoors, but I'm not in an open bathroom, am I?" 

"Hehe," I giggle, amused by my own thoughts.

"Where does this stink come from though?" I sniff again. "It smells like…animals'."

Animals? In what place do animals gather? A farm?

"Open area…muddy ground…smells of animals…lack of hustle and bustle…" I put together the information I collected so far and come to a conclusion: I'm currently lying outdoors somewhere in a rural neighborhood. 

"Why though? How did I end up here?" More questions come to my mind.

However, I figure it's not very helpful to keep wondering about these. I should try opening my eyes again.

After I roll my eyeballs a couple times under my eyelid, I count, "One…two…THREE!"

At last!

"Ugh…" I squint. The sudden daylight is a bit harsh, since my eyes were adapted to the dark for a substantial amount of time.

As my sight gradually gets used to the light, my vision of the surroundings are a lot clearer. 

I look around. The reality is not much different from what I assumed earlier. I am indeed in a farm. 

The farm has a decent size. It is divided into two sections by a pavement down the middle. Each section is then separated into smaller areas with fences. I'm enclosed in one of these areas on the left section. 

Besides stacks of hays scattering throughout the farm, the farm is pretty empty from what I can see. I seem to be the only one here, except…that woman.

Yes, the woman. It was her footsteps that I was hearing. 

She dresses in a patched and washed out long gray dress. Even though the dress is worn out, it's well cleansed. Her black hair is neatly tied in a high bun behind her head. Her rough and weathered skin indicates she often needs to be exposed under harsh sunlight.

The woman stops pacing around, but the anxiousness on her face does not disappear. She is now leaning against the fence at the entrance of the farm. She constantly looks between the road and her watch. With each time she checks her watch, her expression gets more uncertain. It seems like she's been expecting someone, for a long while.

"Time's up."

Suddenly, I hear a whisper. 

"Who? Who's talking?" I immediately turn my head left and right, trying to locate the source of the voice. 

Nothing, or rather, no one. Just me.

An odd feeling arises in me. In fact, from the moment I opened my eyes, I had an instinct that something was off.

I inspect my surroundings again. This time, closely.

Finally, it dawns on me. No wonder I have a strange feeling. Everything around me seems abnormal…in size.

"This doesn't make sense," I think to myself. "I am lying on the ground, true, but things should not look this gigantic to me. The fence, the hays, and even the…woman."

"Anyways, let's just stand up," I say to myself. 

I put my soles against the ground and stand up. However, my eye level only rises several inches.

"Huh?" Baffled, "I don't remember to be so short."

Then, I lower my head to look at my feet.

"Ahh!!!" I let out a terrified scream.

I see FOUR legs!

NO! It's even worse! I see four TROTTERS!

Before I can let my mind process what I just saw, I notice something else.

My scream. It doesn't sound human either.

"Don't worry. It was just your illusion," I comfort myself. "Let's try making some noise again."

Slowly, I open my lips.

"Oink oink…" I hear.

"Ahh!!!" I let out another petrified scream.

The reality hits me hard. I cannot believe what I just saw and heard.

"NO WAY I have turned into a piglet!" I exclaim in disbelief. "What's going on!? I need an answer!"

I panically look around for assistance. Then, I see that woman, who has her back on me.

"Maybe I can ask her for help," I think to myself. 

I start walking toward the woman. Just when I am about to get her attention, she turns around, facing me.

The moment I see her face, I flinch. 

The woman is looking at me, with a not so friendly expression. Her eyes are glistening with excitement and expectation.

However, what really catches my eyes is her apron. Unlike her clean dress, the apron is filthy and full of different shades of splattered red stains, just like…old and new dried blood.

"BLOOD!" I gasp, not daring to think about how it got on her apron or whose blood they belonged to.

"Maybe it isn't a good idea to approach her," I tell myself. 

In the next few moments, the woman just stands there staring at me. I have no clue what she's thinking and I don't dare to move at all.

Finally, she turns back around to look at the road.

"Phew…" I feel relieved.

Slowly and quietly, I start backing up while facing her direction all the time until I hit the edge of the fence.

"Now what?" I ask myself.