Dreams 4 A Winds of Change story by: Lance Holloway It finally came! It hurried to my front door after pulling out the mail from the mail box. The letter from the Meso Club had finally arrived. I had been waiting for this letter ever since I heard about the club. I unlocked my door, tossed the rest of the mail on the kitchen table and ripped the letter open. "Dear Mr. Holloway," it began. "We are delighted to inform you that you have been accepted to be a member of the Meso Club. Being a member has many benefits. We provide means of obtaining those hard to find built-for-dinos items. We all know that reptilian clothing just doesn't work. "We will be pleased if you are able to come to our meeting on April 3, in Los Angeles. If you are able to attend please call us to schedule a flight. We will fully pay for your flight and hotel." The rest of the letter contained details of the meetings followed by a list of phone numbers. One was to make the flight reservation. I was thrilled. I had never been to LA before. And the club is going to pay for the trip. I called the number right then. "Hello. Meso Club. This is Stacey. How may I help you?" asked the voice on the other end of the line. "Hi. My name is Lance Holloway. I just received a letter notifying me of my acceptance. I am calling to make my flight reservations for the April 3 meeting." "Glad to hear that you are coming," she said. "Now, if you will give me some information, I'll be glad to reserve your flight." I gave here the information she needed. She was able to get a flight on April 2. The tickets were going to be sent to me through the mail. I hung up the phone. I couldn't wait until the meeting. It's been about ten months since the Change, and I still knew only a few dinosaur morphs. There's not enough of us for the stores around to carry dino merchandise. It is so hard for me to find clothes to fit, and when I do I have to cut holes for my plates to stick out. -------------------------- The day finally arrived. April 2 was the day I was to fly to LA. I was so excited I could hardly keep my tail from twitching. I packed my luggage into my car and drove to the airport. I had the car dealer change the driver seat of my car so that I could sit comfortable. Well, I at least had a gap in the seat where my plates fit, but my tail was another matter. The airport wasn't very large, so I didn't have any trouble finding my gate. I didn't have to wait very long either. I have only been in an airplane a few times. I guess I have always been lucky, because my planes have never arrived late. This is the first time I've flown as a stegosaurus, so I was hoping that I could fit in the seat. The flight didn't have any problems. Except the way I was seated. The plane didn't have any seats that would accommodate me, so I had to sit in an isle seat sideways. It was so uncomfortable. Although I did have plenty of leg room, since my legs were in the isle. I was so delighted when we landed. For one I was in LA for the first time. Second, the in-flight movie stunk worse than the food. (I would rather have been watching "Alive.") And lastly, I was glad to get out of the airline seat. I had a real problem with the seat-belts. They just didn't seem to fit with the way I was seated. And then weaving them between my plates was a real talent. I got my luggage and hailed a taxi. After insuring the camel driver that I would not puncture his seats with my plates and spikes, he drove me to the hotel. The meeting was to be held in the convention center across the street. I think the meeting was really a Meso Club conference or something. I saw many other dinosaur morphs in the hotel. All of them were either checking in or visiting the ones who were. After I received my room key, a brontosaurus in at sports jacket walked up to me. His jacket actually fit his body. He must already be a member of the club to have a jacket that fits. "Hi, there. The names Bruno," he said extending a large hand at the end of a thick arm. "Lance Holloway," I said shaking his hand. "Oh, you're the one from Arkansas? We've been looking forward to your visit." "How did you know....?" I asked. "I'll explain.... Are you going to your room?" "Uh... Yes." "Then I'll explain on the way. We have an important question to ask you," he said with a large grin. Well, it was as good as a grin that a brontosaurus could make. I picked up my luggage and headed for the elevator. Bruno followed me. "You see, I'm one of the founders of the Meso Club: Dave, Eos, Charlie, Kris, and me." We stepped into the elevator, and I punched the "6" button. "When we received your letter, we figured you would be perfect." "Perfect? Perfect for what?" I asked. I was getting annoyed with his secrecy. "We don't have any chapters in your area. So, we figured why not start a new chapter. We already have a few on the west coast, but none anywhere else. Not many people from other regions have shown any interest." He looked at me expectantly. I still wasn't sure what he was asking me. Giving up on my understanding he continued. "We would like you to be the chapter founder of the Arkansas Meso Club." "What? Me? ...." I couldn't think of what to say. The door to the elevator opened at my exit. We stepped out and stood at the doors. "Because of you letter. You were one of the first from your region to send us a letter to join. Do you accept?" "Sure, I guess. I mean I don't know how to get one started. I would love to. But..." "Don't worry. We will pay for publicity at first. Besides, your chapter will have to cover some of the surrounding states for now. That is until the membership increases. If you are accepting, then we will get with you later and fill you in on all the information you need." "Yes, I'm accepting. I am honored to be the chapter founder. When can we meet?" "We can meet right after the opening meeting tomorrow." He reached in his jacket and pulled out a card. "Here's my card. If you change your mind, let us know." I took the card. "I doubt I will change my mind." "Good," he said pressing the down button for the elevator. "Oh, by the way. We will be announcing that you are starting a chapter at the meeting, so we are going to have a seat reserved for you at the front." I was speechless again. "Thanks," I spurted out. "See you at the meeting," he said stepping into the open elevator. "See you then," I said. I stood there for a few seconds thinking about what just happened. Then I headed down the hall to my room. ------------------------------ The next day as soon as I stepped into the convention center across the street from the hotel, Bruno ran up to me as soon as I arrived. "Lance, come this way," he said. "I'm going to introduce you to the other founders." He walked through the crowd and into a small room. There were four dinos who I assumed to be the founders were there. Bruno spoke up, "Everyone this is Lance Holloway." The four dinosaurs got all excited and circled me. "Nice to meet you," I said. "Lance, I'm Dave," said the velociraptor. "This is Eos, Charlie, and Kris." He pointed to the eoraptor, ankylosaurus, and hadrosaurus. I made a point to learn more dinosaur names since I had become one. "We are so delighted that you agreed to be the Arkansas Chapter founder," said Eos. Kris interrupted her, "Yes, we needed someone to found a new chapter. It will help the club tremendously." Charlie looked at his watch. "We have to go to the meeting now. We can discuss this after the opening meeting." We all left the room and mingled among the crowd. The other five were shaking everybody's hands and greeting people as they approached the front table. I followed them, but didn't greet anyone. The meeting was basically a large welcome. The five founders each gave a short speech. Dave went last. He introduced me as the Arkansas Chapter founder. The crowed seemed pleased. I wondered if any of them are from my area. I nervously gave a short "thank you" speech and sat back down in my chair. The chair was so comfortable. It was made for someone with back protrusions. It was one of the few chairs that I could actually sit back in. "Thanks for coming everyone," Dave concluded. "We see all of you at the induction ceremony." With that the crowd turn into a swarm of people. They all were talking and trying to leave the room. Many of them came up to me to congratulate me. "Hi, Lance. I'm Scottie," a female stegosaurus said to me. She was slightly more human that I was. She was the last in the line to shake my hand. "I'm from Arkansas, too." "Really?" I asked. "What part?" "West Memphis." West Memphis was close to my home town. I knew a girl from West Memphis. We went to the same church, but I hadn't seen her in several years. "Scottie? Scottie Harris?" "That's me," she said. "Isn't it amazing. We have the same birthday and now we are still the same species." "Isn't it though. So when did you become a member?" "Today. If I go through with the induction. But now that you are going to found a chapter in Arkansas, I am definitely going to join," she said with as much as a smile as her saurian face would allow. "Lance, we need to talk about your duties," Kris said grabbing my arm. She pulled me toward the room we were in before the meeting. "I'll see you after this meeting," I said to Scottie as I was being lead away. "I'll see you then," she called back. ------------------- The meeting proved very useful. They gave me papers and fliers that would help me get the chapter started. The chapter was not only for Arkansas but for the neighboring states as well. I'm not sure why they didn't want a Oklahoma chapter or Tennessee chapter. But, I'm sure they had reasons. Maybe they will start one up once more dinosaurs get interested. After the meeting, I left the stack of papers in the room so would have to carry it around wandering among the booths until the Initiation meeting. I was to be the first one initiated. I was not looking forward to it. I have to change into my "norm" form and make a footprint. I wish there was another way. I ran into Scottie at a clothing booth. There were several dinosaur morph mannequins with clothing designed to fit. "They sure do have useful stuff here," I said walking up behind her. She turned around startled. "Oh, it's you. How did your meeting go?" "It went. They basically gave me a bunch of papers and information about the club," I said holding up my hands to show how thick the stack of papers was. "I think being chapter founder is going to be a lot of work, but I'm going to enjoy it." "I can't wait to join. Look at all this stuff we can get," she said pointing around at the booths. "It is so hard finding things that I can use. And here is a place where I have access to items I need." "I know what you mean. These plates are the worst in regular chairs," I chuckled. She laughed. Even though she wasn't as high a degree as me, she still had those stegosaurus characterizing plates. We started walking around casually looking at the other booths. "How are they going to run the initiation?" she asked after a while. "I mean, are they going alphabetically or what?" "I'm not sure. I just know that I'm going to be first," "Wow, you certainly are the guest of honor." I gave a little snort. "What?" she asked. She stopped walking and looked at me. "You never did want to be the center of attention. Well, let me tell you. With this thick skin of yours, I don't think they will notice you blushing." "It's not that. It's the initiation itself. Did you know we have to switch to norm form?" "Yeah." "Well. I can shift, but I loose my human mind." She looked confused for a few seconds. "You mean you really thought you were a stegosaurus?" I nodded. "Wow. I don't know what to say. How many times have you tried?" "Just once." "And when was that?" She was starting to sound like she was analyzing me. "It was the day of the Change." Scottie nodded an "I see" nod. "Well, we are just going to have to teach you to keep your mind. You have to shift to norm for the induction. What would everybody think if the Arkansas Chapter founder won't shift?" "And just how are you going to teach me? We only have a few hours before the ceremony." "I have my ways." She had this "evil grin" look about her and drug me into a side room. The room was set up for a lounge. There were some snacks on a table in the middle and chairs lined up along the walls. A few other dinosaurs were mingling in there. They didn't seem to pay any attention to us. "Ok, first you need to get out of your clothes." "What?!" "You don't want to rip them. Besides you are a dinosaur. Everything is hidden anyway." "I never got used to not wearing clothes. For a few days after the change I wore bed sheets," I said reluctantly taking mine off. "Ok, now. You remember how to shift right?" "Yes. I think." I tried to remember how I did it. Then I felt the mental barrier. That was what I had to "push" through. I knew on the other side was a real stegosaurus waiting to take my place. I did not want to go through with this. I remember a few weeks after the change, I was teaching the Programming II Lab. One of my students shifted into his "norm" armadillo form. To put a long story short, he lost it and ran down the hall. It took us hours to catch him. He eventually snapped out of his hysterical state and shifted to his morph form. "I know you have will power. You just need to use it right now. I want you to concentrate on my eyes...." "Are you going to hypnotize me or something?" I joked. She snickered. "No. You just need to focus on something. Focus on my eyes. I'm not going to shift. That way you can remember that you are not really supposed to be on all fours. Are you ready?" "No. What if I do loose it?" "I'll try to bring you back. How did you come back the last time?" "A bear bit me." She gave another "I see" nods. "Ok, go ahead and do it. Remember to concentrate on me." I reluctantly decided to go through with this. I found the mental barrier again. I concentrated on Scottie and pushed through the barrier. I felt my body grow. I was forced to all fours. I didn't dare look, I continued to concentrate on Scottie's eyes. Then I felt the changing stop. I was a stegosaurus now. Just in body. I managed to keep my mind! Then someone walked up and stood next to Scottie. It was a dimetrodon. "First time, huh?" he asked. Scottie told him to leave. That he was breaking my concentration. And she was right. I found my eyes wandered. I spotted a potted plant in the corner. I realized that I was hungry. I guess adding a few tons would make anybody hungry. I lumbered over to the plant and started nibbling. It was the worst plant I ever had. It didn't taste right. I tasted fake. I know what it tastes like. I just can remember. Then I realized that I was losing it. I was starting to think like a stegosaurus. I promptly pushed through the barrier and shifted back to morph form. "Lance, are you all right?" Scottie asked running over to me. "You were eating the plastic plant." "I'm fine. I just lost it for a little bit. I think my stomach gets the best of me." She laughed. "Well, I guess we are just going to have to practice some more." I practiced shifting. Each time I was able to keep my human mentality longer. I eventually got to the point where I didn't lose it when I saw a plant. I felt very confident when it came time for the initiation ceremony. At the ceremony, the five founders were at the front. They invited all the initiates to come to the front. I of course was at the very front. All we had to do was shift into "norm" (if possible), and make a footprint in some plaster. The mold will be taken and a reduction will be made. Then we have to carry around our small footprint with us. I just hope I can concentrate enough to make a footprint in the plaster and not in the rest of the building. My time came. I shifted. I lumbered over to the plaster. There were lots of plants in this room. They all looked tasty. I am so hungry. But, I needed to do something. I looked around at my surroundings and saw many dinosaurs standing on their hind legs. That wasn't right. No, I was one of them. I was human. I looked back at the plaster. The people were waiting for me to make a footprint. I stepped in and made a nice big footprint. I then promptly shifted back to morph form. "Nice print," Dave said. "Thanks," I replied wiping the plaster off my hand. I walked to an empty chair and sat down. The rest of the initiates didn't seem to have much trouble with their dino-brains. I just needed to work at it. Scottie sat next to me after her turn. "I see you were thinking about eating salad instead of making a print," she said examining her hand to see if she left any plaster. "I'm just glad I'm a herbivore." We laughed and watched the rest of the dinosaurs make their impression. After the closing meeting, all the initiates received their footprint. Many of them who didn't wear clothing fashioned it into a necklace. I kept mine in my pocket. I'll think of a better way of carrying it later. Scottie and I left the meeting and headed for the hotel across the street. "You're staying here, too?" I asked. "Yep. Most of the dinosaurs are. Why don't you stop by my room later. I've rented some movies," she said. "Movies? Are they dinosaur movies?" "Yeah. The old cheesy ones." "The cheesier the better. Ok. I'll be there. What's your room number?" "516," she answered as I pressed the elevator button. We stepped on when the doors opened up. "When do you want me to show up?" I asked. "How about in 30 minutes?" The doors opened on her floor. "Ok, I'll see you then." She got out of the elevator. I waved to her as the doors closed. After getting off the elevator, I went to my room to get ready. I found a nice shirt I fixed to fit. After freshening up, I went to Scottie's room. She was dressed nicely also. "Hi, Lance. I have the VCR queued up and ready to play." She motioned for me to come in. I sat down on the sofa. The way it was made, I couldn't get comfortable. She plopped down on the bed, and hit the play button on the remote. We watched "The Land that Time Forgot" and laughed at the special effect. I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to find acting jobs now, if they wanted to make new dinosaur movies. After that movie, we sat around and talked for a while. We had a lot to catch up on. I hadn't seen her since I went to college. The conversation eventually ended up the Change and peoples' powers. "I have limited telekinesis," she told me. "I can only move objects under ten pounds. And they have to be in my line of vision. See." She looked at the remote lying on the bed. It floated off the bed and landed on top of the VCR. "Impressive," I commented. "That is a very useful power. Much practical than mine." "Oh? What's yours?" "When I'm asleep I can send out a projection of myself." "Really?" she said skeptically. "Yes, really. It's like I'm a ghost or something. I pass through everything." "Would I be able to see you?" she sounded like she was analyzing me again. "Yes. But I can only go about a mile from where my body is." "I want to see." "Now?" "Yes. I showed you mine." I figured it wouldn't hurt to show her. "Ok, I'll show you. I need to fall asleep though." "We could watch the movie again." "That will do it," I laughed. I settled into a somewhat comfortable position on the couch. I could feel her watching me. Eventually I fell asleep. I found the other mental barrier. This one allowed my conciseness to leave my body. I stepped through it and ended up in the room. Scottie was startled. "Wow! You fall asleep quick." "See. I'm not really here." I moved my arm through her. Neither of us felt it. She watched in awe. "And watch this." I concentrated on my form. I changed it from my stegosaurus body to the moose morph I seem to prefer. Her eyes grew in wonder. "Wow. What else can you do?" "That's about it. Did I mention I can go through walls?" I ran through the bathroom wall. Well, at least I thought it was the bathroom wall. It turned out to be the room next door. Three men were in the room surrounding a fourth. The fourth was a dog morph. He was becoming more dog-like. One of the other three was an elephant morph. He seemed to be concentrating. The fourth man finished his transformation into a full dog. The lion morph squatted down and petted him. "Nice boy. You like your master, don't you?" the lion said. The dog barked and licked the lion on the face. "Hey, boss. We have a visitor," the ape man said. The lion looked up and saw me. "Attack the moose, Butch!" the lion said. The dog saw me, growled, and charged. I was too terrified to do anything. I turned to leave. The dog leaped through me and hit the wall I was running toward. "Elwood, change that moose into a moose!" I heard the lion say as I phased through the wall. I was back in Scottie's room. "We've got to get out of here!" I yelled before waking up.