The Gift of Squeak
(C) 2008 Cyrin

* * * *

Everything was calm on the surface of the water. The sun was bright and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Now and then, the water level would rise and fall again without resistance, as a large wave propagated towards the shore, some distance away. Occasionally, squawking seagulls would break the silence, but this interruption was brief and undamaging to the atmosphere of serenity out on the open ocean today.

Then, something stirred. A long, narrow disturbance in the water appeared on the horizon, distorting the smooth curve of the wavefront as it drew nearer. When it could no longer support its shape, a grey dorsal fin broke the surface with an audible ripple, shearing through the water at high speed. An observer looking down from above would have been able to clearly make out the outline of the creature to whom the fin belonged; a young anthropomorphic common dolphin. With arms stretched forward, the dolphin's smooth, streamlined body snaked up and down, legs and tail locked in synchronisation, propelling him in to shore.

As the dolphin approached the breakers, he latched onto the next wavefront. As it rose up high into the air, he picked up speed and then, suddenly, shot up out of the water. As if in slow motion, drips of water splattered off the dolphin's smooth, rubbery gun-metal grey skin as he flew in a near-perfect parabolic curve. As the large wave crashed beneath him, the creature could be seen in his full glory; a characteristic yellow streak adorned each eye, before resuming behind his arms and running down his sides. His underside was pale silver, and his build confirmed that he was a male. He braced himself as he splashed back into the water, the swash drawing him into the shallows before bringing him to a gentle halt. Picking himself up and assuming a standing position on his large, webbed, two-toed flippers, he surveyed his surroundings.

"Yes", he thought to himself, "...this is the place".

The cetacean's presence here was no coincidence. Cyrin, as he was known, had been directed to this remote patch of coastline in the hope of arranging a very special sort of meeting.

* * * *

It had all started months before, far away in the dolphin's home territory. Cyrin had an unconventional hobby; he collected inflatable toys. Whether pool floats, ride-on toys, or any other variety of inflatable critter, he simply couldn't get enough of them. The precise reason for this fascination was unknown even to him, although he suspected it was a combination of the wonderfully tactile vinyl, the squishy bounce that the air provided, the almost living warmth it seemed to retain, and finally the sheer cuteness of the toys themselves.

Cyrin had searched far and wide to find the most unique, best-looking and huggable inflatable toys, but his unquenchable thirst for squeak always left him wanting more. His collection had grown so vast that he could quite literally spend each day with a different toy by his side; and this was something he took quite seriously, for he cared deeply about each and every member of his inflatable menagerie. Although he knew the inflatables were mere analogues of the real creatures they resembled, devoid of life and consciousness, this did not stop him from treating them like any other flesh-and-blood companion. He took great care to ensure that each was given equal time inflated and on display, kept clean and away from pointy things, taken out on the water regularly and, of course, hugged and snuggled as often as possible.

He often reflected upon what it must be like to be an inflatable toy. It would be a simple existence, free from the trappings of technology, society, survival, or indeed any aspect of animate existence. To simply sit (or float) in a relaxed pose with a consistently happy expression, filled with nothing but air and existing for no reason other than to pass on that happiness to others... there was something about that mental image that left him relaxed, content and perhaps even a little envious.

Recently, he had sought out other like-minded creatures who shared his passion for all things inflatable. During his travels, he was able to visit many of his new friends; and meet their toys too. However, none were more intriguing than one particular collector that Cyrin had met online, who went by the pseudonym Squeakodile. He first caught Cyrin's attention by showing off a large number of distinctive inflatable toys that the 'phin had never seen before. After making contact, the two talked at length about their toys and how they looked after them. Cyrin confided in the fellow enthusiast about the affectionate ties he shared with his inflatables, his insatiable desire for bigger and better toys, and even shared some of his innermost fantasies. The dolphin was amazed at how Squeakodile (who later revealed that his real name was, rather less interestingly, Silas) seemed unfazed by this outburst of feelings, if anything their friendship just seemed to grow. Cyrin tactfully resisted the temptation to ask Silas how he consistently managed to find so many new and exciting toys that nobody else could identify, but he did often wonder about it.

One day, Cyrin received an invitation from Silas to meet him face-to-face. He was overjoyed at the thought of being able to see all of those incredible toys up close, and immediately accepted. It turned out that Silas lived on a remote island that was a few days swimming distance away; something that did not deter the athletic dolphin who lived a great deal of his life on or near water anyway. So, with great eagerness, Cyrin began his journey across the ocean.

* * * *

Cyrin waded through the shallow water and set foot on the shore. His flippery feet quickly adapted from swimming to walking again, flopping gently with each step as he climbed the beach in search of confirmation that he was in the right place. Looking around, he realised that the location was indeed remote; there wasn't a single soul within sight or earshot. The dolphin knew to expect a quiet beach, but he was hoping for the presence of at least one other...

The absence of Silas after half an hour of waiting was beginning to make Cyrin feel anxious, but then finally a figure appeared from over one of the dunes. As the creature came closer, he could see that 'Squeakodile' was indeed an anthropomorphic crocodile. The large reptile smiled at Cyrin, his green scales shimmering in the sunlight. Silas had a long, thick tail and cute stubby plantigrade feet; with claws that looked as though they had been deliberately blunted out of kindness to his inflatables. His large crocodilian snout was full of dangerous looking teeth, but a playful smile and bright cheery eyes melted away any kind of intimidation.

"I'm so glad you could come, I can't wait for you to meet my toys!"

The two creatures shared a smile with each other before the crocodile led Cyrin up the beach and through the coastal vegetation. They broke the ice by talking about their shared love of inflatables and what toys they had recently added to their collection. Silas did his best not to boast. After a short while, they came to the rather out-of-place luxury beach house that Silas called home.

"I didn't see a boat moored on the beach", observed the dolphin, "so how do you get around?"

"Oh, I have everything I need right here, so there's no need to leave the island", Silas replied. "Besides, I'd never leave my toys behind, not even for just one day. Just the thought of those happy little faces turning glum would make me feel so guilty..."

Cyrin blushed a little as he realised that they were both of the same mind, and then wondered to himself whether he was being missed back home by his squeaky friends. Out of sheer whimsy, he had carefully deflated and folded them up before he set out.

The exterior of Silas' home, although lovely and stylish, gave no clue as to the interests of the crocodile that lived there. It was single-storey, but spanned a vast area. Rather distinctively, one of the house's four corners was smoothed out into a curve, and at the apex of the roof it changed from tiles to smooth glass.

The curious dolphin asked, "What's with the glass ceiling?"

"Oh, that just lets sunlight into the swimming pool."

Cyrin's jaw dropped a little, realising that the house itself was actually quite modestly-sized, and that the toy-loving crocodile had built the whole thing around a gigantic indoor pool. The immediate mental picture of an entire swimming pool completely full of inflatables almost made him go weak at the knees...

* * * *

They approached the front entrance, and Silas invited the cetacean inside. If Cyrin had a sense of smell, he would have been immediately flooded by the intoxicating aroma of fresh vinyl. In fact, the air was so thick with it that the dolphin could almost taste it! Walking through the main hallway, Cyrin could see dozens of inflated toys strewn around the house; a glossy purple horse standing tall on four thick cylindrical legs, a green raft-shaped lizard float with a cute wide tail, a large ride-on cow with a huge pink water-filled udder for stability, even a small family of inflatable orange foxes... each was completely unique and totally unfamiliar to the usually knowledgeable dolphin. Cyrin noticed that there didn't seem to be any deflated or boxed toys lying around.

"Do you keep all of your toys inflated?" asked the dolphin.

"Oh, but of course!", replied Silas as if nothing less would do. "I only let them down if they get damaged or develop a leak, which hardly ever happens around here. Oh, unless they're naughty; then I sometimes have to deflate them and store them away for a few days as punishment..."

Cyrin seemed a little puzzled by the last answer, but that soon faded as the crocodile gave him a cheeky smile and chuckled softly. As fascinated with these toys as he was, the dolphin was eventually persuaded the move into the main living area on the promise of bigger and better things. Walking into the spacious room, Cyrin's eyes widened at the magnificent sight in front of him:

The room opened directly onto the massive indoor swimming pool. Sunlight flooded in from above and bounced off a highly polished black-and-white chequered linoleum floor. All the furniture you would expect to find in a living area had been replaced by inflatable armchairs, sofas and lounges. All the sharp edges and straight lines in the room had been smoothed over or swapped for more inflatable-friendly shapes. There was nothing in the room that could damage an inflatable, and in turn everything in the room seemed completely resistant to getting wet or being pushed over by an overly-enthusiastic rider and his toy. The pool itself was utterly huge; a kidney-shaped design avoided any sharp corners, the outer rim was covered in soft, thick vinyl padding and the crystal clear water shimmered under the plentiful sunlight from above. At least thirty toys of different sizes, shapes and designs sat gracefully around the room; some were propped up against the walls, some were placed loosely on the inflatable furniture, others took up a lounging position next to the pool. Despite the sheer number of inflatables in the room, none were piled on top of each other or left in an undignified upside-down position. Interestingly, the pool itself was empty with the exception of a small red-and-white beach ball, which gently bobbed and spiralled around, propelled by the gentle jets of water just below the surface.

Speechless, Cyrin just stood there soaking up the incredible view. Silas couldn't help but giggle to himself at the overwhelmed look on the dolphin's face. After a few moments, the grinning reptile broke the silence.

"So, do you like it?" he asked, knowing full well that he was asking a totally redundant question.

"I... I can't believe... This is incredible!" stammered the dolphin. "You must be so happy here."

The dolphin suddenly blushed bright red as an inevitable question crossed his mind. His crocodilian host narrowed his smile and waited for the dolphin to open his beak, eager to tease the poor shy 'phin.

"I don't quite know how to ask this... but... can I... ummm... can I play with one of your toys?"

Silas' expression warmed again in approval of the dolphin's question. "Yes!" the crocodile stated simply, following with "Which toy did you have your sights on?"

Cyrin surveyed the room for the perfect inflatable playmate; would he choose the pink ride-on whale with the translucent skin? The cleverly-adapted eagle float that laid flat on the water with its wings splayed out? Perhaps the intricate and almost doll-like inflatable coyote? Then, he spotted it, slightly obscured by a long black blow-up sofa, sitting happily next to the pool; a blue water dragon. It stood about five feet tall and had separate chambers for its body, stubby paddle-shaped limbs (complete with webbing), a long tail (with soft ridges of contrasting black vinyl running down it) and a pair of strong puffy wings with vinyl membranes. Huge, adorably cute eyes adorned its head, as did a set of ridged ear-frills. Cyrin slowly approached the irresistible toy.

"Oh, you want to play with him, do you?"

The bashful dolphin nodded pleadingly.

"Well, go on then..." began Silas (clearly fighting the urge to appear too protective over one of his absolute favourite toys), "...you'll like him. He's nice."

Cyrin knew what he wanted to do, but suddenly felt extremely self conscious. Paralysed from the anticipation, he could only rock back and forth in the starting pose of a pounce that would never begin.

"Don't be shy! Give the little guy a hug, you silly dolphin!" said Silas, loudly, before burying his face in his hands. The crocodile muttered under his breath, "If you just let go..."

When the joy that was welling up in Cyrin finally overtook the anxiety that was holding him back (and the crocodile's words finally broke through), the dolphin let out a pitifully cute squeak and leapt onto the inflatable water dragon's back, squeezing and hugging the toy enthusiastically.

"There, that wasn't so difficult now, was it?" said the crocodile, soothingly. Silas almost saw something of a younger version of himself in Cyrin, a thought which brought with it a happy sigh.

Cyrin began to rub his hands, feet and body slowly over the toy's exquisite glossy vinyl skin, taking in all of the tactile feedback. Contented squeaks and clicks poured out from the happy dolphin. Even though he knew he was being watched, he could not resist softly saying a few words to his new inflatable friend:

"Look at you, you're so wonderfully soft and shiny..."

Silas listened in, careful not to interrupt the moment. Cyrin gently stroked the toy's long, smooth neck and continued:

"Do you like that, little guy? I hope you do, because you're making me a very giddy dolphin..."

Silas grinned to himself, his initial thoughts about the suitability of this young dolphin turning out to be well-founded. The crocodile waited patiently for Cyrin to bond with the toy and eventually stand up again.

The cycle repeated several times throughout the morning: Cyrin would coyly and apprehensively approach a new toy, eyeing it over from afar... then blushing nervously before plucking up the courage to feel that first touch; and then, he was hooked. The crocodile took great pleasure in watching his cetacean guest get to know his inflatable family, and soon came to trust the dolphin with his toys absolutely. Silas even took some time out from supervising the 'phin to hug and squeeze a few members of his collection. Oddly, neither creature ventured towards the pool with their air-filled companions; Cyrin seemed a little cautious about trying anything too ambitious, and Silas seemed to gravitate away from that part of the house.

The two eventually worked their way towards each other, converging on the same reflective black sofa where they sat contentedly with a random squeaky each.

A few moments passed before the crocodile spoke up.

"Cyrin, I have something important to ask you..." began Silas, suddenly taking a more serious tone.

* * * *

Cyrin turned to face the crocodile, still full of joy at all the wonderful things he had experienced today.

"I must admit that I invited you here with something of an ulterior motive..." said the crocodile.

There was a pause while the two creatures looked at each other.

"I'm about to offer you something that could change your life forever..." Silas continued, "...but I had to be sure you were genuine."

Cyrin's expression changed to one of fascination.

"Unfortunately I cannot explain this to you fully, because it can interfere with the process..." said the crocodile, cryptically. Cyrin looked at Silas in confusion. "It's essential for this to work that you arrive at your decision uninfluenced."

Cyrin gulped. He knew this was going to be big.

"I want you to think about this question very carefully."

Cyrin nodded.

"Cyrin, would you like to stay here with me and my toys... forever?"

Cyrin's face lit up, naively interpreting this as an offer to move in with the toy-loving crocodile.

Silas interjected quickly, "Before you answer, you must realise that if you accept my offer, you will not be able to leave here." Cyrin hesitated a little. "But don't worry about your toys; I will arrange to have them brought here."

A number of things were swimming through Cyrin's mind. Firstly, the afterglow from the fantastic time he was having... He also considered how amazing it would be to be able to live here with so many happy inflatable friends. Leaving his former life behind would not be such a bad thing either; there was really nothing keeping him back there, having long since departed from his podmates and having lived alone since. His bizarre past-time had alienated him from some of his more conventional friends, too. He was struggling to take in what Silas had said about not being able to leave. Was that some kind of condition that the crocodile had tacked on to the offer? Was it some kind of metaphor perhaps? (Implying that he'd never want to leave, and that Silas felt guilty about putting him in that position?) Whatever it may have meant, the excited dolphin could not deny that Silas was a very gentle, kind creature and all of his toys were extremely well looked-after; and indeed that the two creatures shared a common philosophy in that respect. He also reasoned that this would be a better place for him to care for his own collection of toys; he could imagine them floating in the pool, lounging around the huge living space, being around the other toys too. He almost envied the position his toys would be in, especially if Silas took a liking to them too. But, in the end, there was really no doubt about it; the decision was an easy one.

"Yes!" said the dolphin decisively, "I accept your offer, Silas." The dolphin finished with a very sincere "Thank you." Immediately an ecstatic feeling began to rise within Cyrin...

The squeak-loving croc let out a happy squeal of his own, clearly overjoyed at the dolphin's decision. "Right! We have to work quickly now; everything is just right..."

Cyrin tilted his melon at his would-be companion.

Silas rushed towards the dolphin on his stubby reptilian feet, motioning at the swimming pool.

"Quickly, dive into the pool!"

Cyrin, a little confused but not wanting to disappoint, quickly complied and leapt into the water, making a big splash. The feeling of sheer happiness continued to grow in the dolphin, spreading all over him.

"Now, see that beach ball?" the crocodile asked while pointing at the red-and-white ball in the centre of the pool. Cyrin looked and nodded as another wave of bliss washed through him.

"Grab onto it now!"

Cyrin latched onto the slippery inflatable and held it close to his chest.

Suddenly, the room was bathed in a bright glow as the beach ball released mysterious energies into Cyrin's body. Silas breathed a small sigh of relief, confident that a very special process was about to begin...

* * * *

"What's happening!?" Cyrin squealed as his body filled with strange sensations. The dolphin's skin was tingling all over, and it seemed like electricity was buzzing all the way through him. Steadily, the flare died down until whatever it was had completely unloaded itself into him.

The dolphin suddenly found himself unable to hold on to the beach ball, and it simply dropped back into the pool. Cyrin fell gently backwards into a floating position.

Silas, who knew a lot more about what was happening to Cyrin than he was letting on, just stood near the edge of the swimming pool and watched the helpless cetacean with awe.

For a moment all was silent, but something began to well up inside the dolphin, intensifying and accelerating, distorting the dolphin's perception as it went. Whatever the sensation was, it was filling him with a strange mixture of extreme happiness and head-spinning confusion. In his addled state, it seemed to Cyrin as if his normally taut rubbery cetacean skin was beginning to flow like quicksilver; pulsing and rippling like the surface of the pool he was floating in! Steadily a degree of fear crept in amongst the feelings of drug-like euphoria.

Remaining silent, Silas' attention was locked on his confused, slightly distressed friend. Cyrin could not think clearly enough to make any noise except for a few timid squeaks.

Holding his webbed hands up to his eyes, he watched in disbelief as the skin on his upper arms simultaneously liquefied and reassimilated, developing an intense glossy sheen. As it seemed to harden again, all form and texture was flushed from the skin until even the slightest imperfection had been replaced by smooth, homogenous... vinyl? Cyrin's sense of reality was weening as the affected area was suddenly awash with an icy cold sensation. There was a faint, almost undetectable hissing sound that brought with it a strange inward pulling sensation. It was as though all the substance of the arm was being sucked impossibly into oblivion... except it was all still there. The dolphin began to panic as the familiar sense of proprioception faded from his arm. When his altered skin shifted from opaque to translucent, it all became too much for him.

"Eeeeeaaaah! Help me, I can't feel my arms!" screamed Cyrin, kicking and splashing wildly in a most un-dolphin-like manner. Silas looked clearly distressed at this sight, but held himself back from intervening in any way.

Cyrin's screams quickly faded into gasps as the chilling sensation crept up over his shoulders, spreading out over his chest. Rising euphoria began to numb the hysteria as waves of forced happiness rolled through him. Just as before, the skin on his chest was enveloped by a viscous, shiny wave that left in its wake what could only be described as soft, glossy vinyl.

Cyrin tried to deny what was quickly becoming obvious; that the flesh-and-blood dolphin was rapidly changing into an inflatable one! With a soft "ploink", the dolphin's chest became a hollow balloon; and the effect relentlessly continued down his body.

Looking down, his eyes widened and a squeak escaped his rostrum as he realised he could see through himself! Frightened, but at the same time morbidly curious, the dolphin gave one of his puffy plastic pecs an experimental prod. He recoiled in horror as his squeaky skin squished down with the same consistency as an air-filled vinyl pool toy, only to bounce back into shape as he withdrew from it. What made him writhe was the fact that he could feel through the vinyl skin as if it were his own... which he realised was precisely what it was!

Cyrin continued to wriggle and thrash about, clumsily splashing pool water on his chest and finding that the vinyl skin there was completely waterproof, leaving only tiny clinging droplets behind. He noticed that it was getting harder to move his arms; every time his arms came in contact with his upper body, they bounced and the vinyl squeaked against itself.

*Fwoooosh*

Another muffled rush of air stirred from within his chest. As the malignant bubble of squeaky vinyl steadily occupied more of his torso, its very contour seemed to change, puffing out and simplifying, gaining a more toyish shape. Cyrin wanted to yell out, but he was too overcome by fear that he was slowly losing control of his body.

*Ffffwoooooosssh*

The dolphin rose up slightly out of the water as the volume of air inside him grew. His rigid dorsal fin slowly collapsed into an envelope of vinyl, the weight of his body squashing it down and preventing any air from rushing into it.

Silas' expression had steadily changed from horror to sheer fascination. The crocodile had knelt down at the poolside to watch the bizarre (though not entirely unanticipated) transformation continue.

The process moved to Cyrin's belly, flowing down over the base of his tail.

*Fssshhhwssssh!*

His chiselled abs were quickly engulfed by an expanding jellybean-shaped balloon gut. Two solid rod-shaped buds of hard plastic began to erupt out from the small of his back... although the continual reshaping of his body meant that the small of his back was soon no different in circumference to the rest of his chest and belly. Looking down at his changing body was becoming increasingly difficult for the bizarre hybrid of cetacean and squeaky toy. Moments before his bulging neck caused his head to spring backwards (with an almighty vinyl squeal, like two dry balloons rubbing together!), Cyrin watched a huge, soft transparent plastic valve rise up out of the vestiges of his belly button. Drawing outwards and upwards, the giant inflation valve assumed a closed position before penetrating through his glossy vinyl skin and quickly fusing in place. The soon-to-be-toy dolphin suddenly felt the urge to protect the valve, realising that it was now the only thing keeping him from collapsing into a heap of dolphin and plastic!

Now unable to fight against his air-filled neck and peer downwards, Cyrin fumbled around his back uneasily, half frightened and half unable to resist touching his new pool toy handles, which had formed just moments before. The changing dolphin suddenly realised, as he felt the gentle tug on his handles, that he was beginning to enjoy the sensation of the change. He still found the whole process terrifying, but he had to admit that his vinyl skin felt wonderful to the touch... just like one of his toys.

A shiver went down Cyrin's spine as the balloonificating wave of change flowed up to the bottom of his jaw and around the back of his head. His bulging neck now refused to bend in any direction, and denied him the ability to observe the latest changes; the only consolation being that this cushion of air was very comfortable! He struggled to wave his hands inside his field of view, finding it too difficult to angle his head down or stretch his arms out anymore.

*Ssshhhhhfffffffwoosh!*

A reverberating hiss of air coming from down below was accompanied by a sudden expansion, as the dolphin's butt and thighs were viciously gobbled up by the base of his tail. Soon, his entire tail changed into a squishy vinyl balloon that bobbed up and down on the turbulent water between his legs; which themselves were being forced up out of the water and into an awkward jutting-out position. Cyrin's once flat, streamlined tail flukes had fattened up - swelling like two pasties in a hot oven - reforming into small air chambers. Growing to match the diameter of his bloated belly, the dolphin's tail uncurled and stuck out straight, now completely unresponsive to his strained attempts to wiggle it. Although the frustrated dolphin could feel even the slightest touch against his tail, it just didn't feel like it was 'there' anymore. He felt as though his body was slowly slipping away from him; still present, but ceasing to be his own.

A second pair of plastic pool toy handles slowly extruded out from the back of his head, hardening as they took shape. Cyrin's arms were beginning to recede, making it impossible for him to reach that far back. Though no longer hyperventilating, he was still breathing heavily through his blowhole when it suddenly sealed over! He let out a frightened squeak which quickly muted into a short hiss when his throat closed off as well. Struggling in vain, the breathless dolphin could do little to resist as his head fell victim to the change. After it was suitably covered in stretchy gloss vinyl, an intense pressure began to build within...

*Pfffwoooooosssshhhhhhhh!*

His head quickly ballooned to several times its original size, matching the pool toy proportions that the rest of his body was steadily attaining. Cyrin tried to grab onto it with his hands as it was pushed backwards in line with his spine, but found that he could not get a grip on the slippery taut vinyl! Digging his fingertips deep into the side of his own puffy face, he felt his eyes begin to stretch out in all directions. He tried to blink, but his eyelids were being pulled open, preventing it. As each eye pushed into an impossibly flat shape, his vision swirled and blacked out momentarily until quickly replaced by an eerie 360 degree field of view. He could even see inside his own translucent head!

Silas, who was not only speechless but utterly captivated now, stared at the dolphin's changing face. He squealed in excitation as Cyrin's beady cetacean eyes were replaced by crude (but utterly adorable) painted-on toy ones; with cute little lashes and a cartoony white dot to show the shine.

Cyrin's long tongue and pointy teeth were beginning to disappear under a similarly painted-on grin. As his expression was forced into a happy smile, all his fear began to melt away, replaced by some oddly familiar feelings... The dolphin's air-filled mind was swimming with simple commands; smile... shine... bloat. bulge. squish, puff, squeak! Swimming in happy thoughts, he realised the transformation had moved into his mind!

Cyrin's mood changed from happy to ecstatic; gone was the fear and unease of the change, replaced by an overwhelming desire to not only be happy, but to make others happy too! He couldn't believe it – this was what it was like to be an inflatable toy, and he loved it! The toy dolphin used what little mobility he had left to wriggle and bounce happily on the water, spinning and splashing about in total bliss.

* * * *

The keenly watching crocodile was overjoyed at the sight of the almost-toy Cyrin finally letting go and feeling true happiness. He wagered that Cyrin was having too much fun to notice that his arms and legs were shrinking quickly, pulling back into his inflatable body. The transformation was now in its final phase, hastening such that in just seconds, the toy had fat inflatable pectoral fins where his arms used to be, and had finally assumed the shape of a ride-on dolphin. Cyrin did not seem to notice that he was now completely unable to move by even the tiniest wobble!

From within his dreamy toy head, Cyrin was vaguely aware that he had completely transformed into an inflatable dolphin, but such thoughts were no longer important while pure pleasure was pumping through his mind! Peering around the pool with his all-over vision, he spied a very happy looking crocodile leaping from the edge of the pool and landing in the water with a big splash. Now as light as the air that filled him, the toy dolphin bobbed and swayed atop the wave that formed in its aftermath. Cyrin was quickly rescued from the mercy of the water currents by a wet, scaly crocodile hand.

"It's okay big guy, I've gotcha!" whispered Silas, copying the way Cyrin addressed his own toys.

Desperately wanting to hug and thank the crocodile, but unable to respond in any way, Cyrin just sat there floating on the water as it lapped up against his translucent belly. Silas knew what the toy was thinking and pulled Cyrin close, squishing his tail slightly. The sensation of raspy crocodile scales against his super-sensitive vinyl made the toy dolphin feel like the happiest thing in the world.

"I knew you wanted this from the moment we first met," explained the happy crocodile, "to become a toy and to feel the same joy that you give them. Is it everything you ever expected and more?"

Remembering that Cyrin could not answer him, he just resumed the hug.

The dolphin was in a state of total contentment, both feeding off and supplying the happiness that the two were experiencing. "So", he thought, "this is what it feels like! I'm so... happy!"

Eager to show affection for his new toy, Silas carefully climbed onto Cyrin's back. The crocodile sunk deep into the barely-full blow-up 'phin and held onto the toy's handles. After adjusting his position for optimum comfort, the crocodile let his full weight bear down on Cyrin. As he lifted a hand and gently stroked the fat dorsal fin in front of his snout, Silas spoke up.

"I've had this gift – turning people into toys, I mean – for as long as I can remember. The change is different each time, but it usually happens in the water." began Silas. "But I can only ever change someone if it's what they truly desire, deep down."

He stopped for a second to nuzzle the toy dolphin.

"Not all of my toys used to be people, though; some of them I rescued from being thrown out or swept away by the ocean. Of course, I may have made a few little 'modifications' here and there..." said the croc, grinning, "...everyone who comes into contact with a toy imprints a little something of themself onto it, and I can harness that to turn them into something truly wonderful."

Silas kicked the water gently and slowly rode Cyrin to the edge of the pool. He carefully hauled himself off the inflatable toy and climbed out of the pool. Once he was back on the polished linoleum floor, he lifted Cyrin out of the water and carried him over to the couch, unbothered by the trail of dripping water he was leaving all over the house.

"I promise to look after you, little dolphin" he said, softly.

Cyrin stirred from inside his bubble of happiness. He was completely at peace beside the crocodile, who was now his owner. He reflected briefly upon his wonderful predicament, and then began to feel quite sleepy. Glancing over at Silas, he noticed the crocodile was yawning and curling up into a comfortable position on the shiny black sofa. As the newly-toyed dolphin drifted into a pleasant airy dream, he thought about how much fun tomorrow would be, and how he couldn't wait to get reacquainted with all of his magnificent inflatable friends.

It was good to be a toy.