Philip sat up in his armchair, punched a fist into the air and yelled “People of Mars take up arms and defend your planet.”
Jane turned the page of her glossy magazine and sighed. “Get out of here. It’s Saturday evening and I’m just not in the mood for…”
Philip got to his feet. “Jane?” he said. “J…J… What’s happ…happening? I feel…I feel…”
His nose and jaw were elongating, turning into a pointed snout. His big brown eyes squinted and blinked as they shrank into tiny red pinpoints. Teeth became tusks. Scales covered his arms.
“Philip!” Jane leaned over and swatted his leg with her magazine. “Hey, stop fooling around. It’s not funny. Stop it right now.”
He leaped up on the couch, both arms raised high, eyes glittering with a savage red light. “Take up arms.” The high pitched, nasal voice was quite unlike his own.
Jane took a step towards him as though to try and save him. He reached out his scaly arms and seized her in an iron grip. “Come with me to planet Mars and we’ll show the world.”
She wrenched herself away and ran out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Thank goodness they’d changed their minds about ripping out all the walls and doors when they’d renovated.
*****
Susi Lovell 