{"sf1_id":1408946,"sf2_id":"rn6Gka01","title":"The Warm Chair","author":"Hedry","words":1500,"posted_at":"2019-01-17T22:05:00.000Z","tags":["Bull","Cat","Dog","Horror","Library","Science","Shrinking","chair"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1408946-the-warm-chair","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/rn6Gka01","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=1408946\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"Arvin rubbed his nose and yawned as he went over the day's schedule.\u0026nbsp; Cleaning checklist, security checklist, some paperwork.\u0026nbsp; Nothing particularly special.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe tabby, grey cat yawned again.\u0026nbsp; It had been raining last night, and the day was cool.\u0026nbsp; He'd left his jacket in his locker as was customary, then went through screening, as was customary.\u0026nbsp; Lunch was always on site, but was a nice perk of the job.\u0026nbsp; He was saving money - maybe he could have a place of his own in a year or two, perhaps a garden... oh, how he wanted a garden.\u0026nbsp; He wanted to tend flowers and have tea, and listen to the sound of bees as they did their work in the sunshine.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nIn the meantime, his job was somewhat simple, if dull.\u0026nbsp; It paid well, but it was monstrously micromanaged.\u0026nbsp; Lists and procedures for everything.\u0026nbsp; He rubbed the back of his hand on the white jacket that covered his sweater, then rolled his eyes as fur clung to it.\u0026nbsp; Why white?\u0026nbsp; Rolling his eyes at the start to his day, he opened the door to room 205.\u0026nbsp; Immediately, something seemed... off.\u0026nbsp; He flicked the lights, but it seemed the ballast had gone.\u0026nbsp; Typical piece of shit, he thought.\u0026nbsp; New lab, old equipment.\u0026nbsp; Well.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nIt wasn't a lab, technically.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nIt looked more like a library, but... old.\u0026nbsp; Carpets from a decade long past, wooden shelves, books from the turn of the last century... encyclopaedias.\u0026nbsp; Encyclopaedias!\u0026nbsp; Who used those anymore?\u0026nbsp; He always considered how amazing it was, how much things had changed in such a short amount of time.\u0026nbsp; The counter in front of him looked entirely out of place in the room, with its relatively modern computers and readouts and alarms, one of which was blinking.\u0026nbsp; His heart leapt into his chest as he looked at it, then down the long, long room, where a single, non-fluorescent light was always on, shining on its lone subject.\u0026nbsp; Except it wasn't alone.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nOn a metal plate in the middle of the floor, as if ripped into another time, sat the chair.\u0026nbsp; It was rather unassuming, ordinary, if old.\u0026nbsp; Out of style, old even for the 'library' that it found itself in, and entirely strange to sit on that plate, the chair basked in the light, casting a dark shadow.\u0026nbsp; Beside it, staring, stood the looming figure of Charlie, the custodial tech.\u0026nbsp; The cat glanced quickly at the tare reading for the plate that the chair was on.\u0026nbsp; Zero.\u0026nbsp; Okay, that was good, at least.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSweating slightly, he ran out from around the counter and down the room, to the taped line on the carpet.\u0026nbsp; \"Charlie?\u0026nbsp; Buddy?\u0026nbsp; You okay?\"\u0026nbsp; The brown bull blinked heavily in his blue uniform, one piece zipped over his frame.\u0026nbsp; He didn't answer immediately.\u0026nbsp; \"Charlie?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe turned to face Arvin, an apologetic look on his face.\u0026nbsp; He wasn't supposed to be that close.\u0026nbsp; \"It's... it's warm,\" he said, by way of explanation, looking at the chair.\u0026nbsp; Oh shit, oh shit oh shit.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Charlie, buddy, come on back, okay?\"\u0026nbsp; The cat held out a hand to the big bull.\u0026nbsp; He'd never been close, per se, to the bull, but he'd always nodded, or been friendly.\u0026nbsp; Jokes about his horns in the break room, or got a coffee when they were both off at the same time.\u0026nbsp; The cat didn't really interact with anyone much from work in his home life.\u0026nbsp; He'd never really considered why that might have been, but for the moment he resolved, if Charlie would just step back, he'd take him out for a drink or something.\u0026nbsp; Anything.\u0026nbsp; Just get the fuck back.\u0026nbsp; \"Charlie, you gotta step back, okay?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHis mind raced to procedure.\u0026nbsp; He was already out of line right now, he had to call control, but he didn't want to risk losing Charlie.\u0026nbsp; \"It's... warm,\" was all he said, again, his face looking as if he wanted to cry.\u0026nbsp; Oh shit.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Breach 205,\" the cat quickly said into his lapel mic.\u0026nbsp; \"Control, we're gonna lose someone.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThere was silence in his earpiece for a minute or two, then the cameras began to retract from the ceiling.\u0026nbsp; \"Acknowledged.\u0026nbsp; Collect the sample, then write a detailed report.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe cat shook his head, as if control were a person in front of him.\u0026nbsp; \"You don't understand, it's Charlie, he was cleaning, he must have touched it, you gotta send help,\" he pleaded, the words coming faster and faster out of his mouth.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"You're already out of procedure.\u0026nbsp; There is no help.\u0026nbsp; Collect the sample, write the report.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe wasn't authorized to do any of this, but here he was.\u0026nbsp; The cameras looked passively at the scene, recording.\u0026nbsp; \"But-!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nCharlie, trembling, turned to sit in the chair, and it was like the sound got sucked out of the room.\u0026nbsp; Arvin's heart was pounding, and he couldn't hear it.\u0026nbsp; He was breathing ragged, like he was going to run in terror, but he couldn't hear it.\u0026nbsp; His chest heaved.\u0026nbsp; The light brightened, the shadow deepened.\u0026nbsp; There was nothing but the scene in front of him.\u0026nbsp; Was it a trick of forced perspective, that the bull sat in the worn, wooden chair, and it looked perfectly sized for him?\u0026nbsp; Like an Ames room, was the chair much larger than he thought?\u0026nbsp; The cat blinked rapidly.\u0026nbsp; Charlie sighed, looking... tired.\u0026nbsp; And strangely at peace, like he knew something was going to happen - and happen it did.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nLooking at Arvin, the bull shivered and his mouth opened, as if trying to say something.\u0026nbsp; For just a moment, he looked like himself again, with his wits about him.\u0026nbsp; He tried again to say something, a warning?\u0026nbsp; His mouth moved, and he lurched, as if to get up, but... he couldn't.\u0026nbsp; Puzzled, he tried again, eyes widening.\u0026nbsp; It was as if his body wouldn't cooperate with his mind.\u0026nbsp; And then his cloven feet stopped touching the ground.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHis chest worked like a bellows as he began to draw into himself, centred at a point somewhere on his backside.\u0026nbsp; The back of the chair began to peek out from behind him as he became smaller and smaller.\u0026nbsp; His breathing calmed only somewhat, and his expression turned to horrified curiosity, as his legs drew upwards, feet now pointing straight out like a calf sitting in a chair for adults.\u0026nbsp; He laughed soundlessly, eyes wild, mad for a moment.\u0026nbsp; Smaller and smaller, those wild eyes caught Arvin's.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe cat's mouth was open in horror at all of this, reaching out as if to help, yet not daring to move even an inch closer.\u0026nbsp; Chest still heaving, unable to say anything, he only raised one hand and waved at Charlie.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe bull, perhaps realising that this was the end, began to cry out, plead, anything for help.\u0026nbsp; Smaller and smaller, hands reaching out for Arvin, for anyone.\u0026nbsp; Like water swirling down the drain, the last moments were mercifully brief.\u0026nbsp; Feet turned to inches - centimetres, the cat willed himself to remember, then millimetres, falling, falling, then...\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nArvin fell back onto his ass as the power flicked back to life, gasping, the ballast now working.\u0026nbsp; A hum of electronics buzzed in his ear, and he heard the bell tone of tinnitus.\u0026nbsp; Shaking his head, trembling, he looked at the chair.\u0026nbsp; Nothing.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nStanding up, heart thumping with nervous energy, he stepped back from the cursed object to retreat behind the counter again, still staring.\u0026nbsp; The tare reading for the plate blinked.\u0026nbsp; Non-zero, was all it said.\u0026nbsp; He swallowed.\u0026nbsp; Reaching into a drawer, he pulled out a static wand, a plastic sheet.\u0026nbsp; As soon as he moved it near his jacket, it began to pick up fur.\u0026nbsp; Perfect.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nWalking quickly back to the chair, he held the wand as close to the surface as he dared, kneeling down and peering.\u0026nbsp; The seat still presumably smelled of Charlie, he thought to himself, as he waved it back and forth, watching it pick up any tiny detritus from the surface.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHis ears twitched as the door clicked open, and he turned quickly to see who was entering, knocking the chair with the back of his hand lightly.\u0026nbsp; \"Fuck,\" he cursed to himself as he retreated, trembling.\u0026nbsp; He capped the wand in a plastic housing quickly as Rous entered.\u0026nbsp; Tall and thin, the canine raised an eyebrow.\u0026nbsp; \"You okay?\" he asked, his dark brown fur contrasting with silver framed glasses.\u0026nbsp; \"You needed help?\u0026nbsp; You got the sample okay, though,\" he said, offering a hand out to take it.\u0026nbsp; Arvin complied, dropping the wand into his hand and leaning against the counter.\u0026nbsp; \"Hey, do you want to go get a coffee or something?\u0026nbsp; Take a break?\u0026nbsp; I'll review the tapes and start the report, okay?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe cat nodded.\u0026nbsp; Stepping quickly out of room 205, he closed the door and leaned against the wall, gripping one hand with the other.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe chair was... warm.\n\n  \n  \n\n"}