literature

Circus Act: As Slippery As A Seal (Seal TF)

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The circus is a place that I don't go to very often, and for good reason. I always hated the unethical treatment of animals that a circus normally portrays. Because of this, I downright despised the circus. That was until I heard about a special circus that moved into town, a circus that treats animals with respect. In fact, a site lists the "Swapping Circus" as one of the most ethical establishments in the country. I was a little confused by the title of said circus; I had no clue what a "Swapping Circus" is. This circus intrigued me, never before had I heard such good things about a circus. I decided to check this place out for myself; I wanted to see if this place was really as humane as I was lead to believe. I love animals, and I can't bear to see them harmed or mistreated in any way. So, I was hoping that this circus was really legit.

I arrived at the circus halfway through the afternoon, and was let in without needing a ticket. I was surprised by the free admission rule, but more surprised by what I saw next. I spotted a man standing in the middle of a lion's cage, casually petting the lion inside! The lion rolled over and let the man rub his belly. I stared at this bizarre sight that man was going to get mauled! After watching for a few moments, the man left and closer the cage door. The lion roared happily and flipped onto his back. He kicked his paws in the air like a playful kitten, at which point I became even more confused. I marched onwards and looked around at the various animal cages. The caretakers were taking amazing care of the animals, and there wasn't an ounce of abuse to be seen.

I thought that this place would be crawling with all kinds of animal abuse, but this place seemed to treat its animals with an insane amount of equality. After a while at being at the circus, I began to feel a little light-headed. I was having a little too much fun to be bothered by it however. I found myself near the aquatic mammals section of the circus. This area was filled with glass enclosures that housed various species of sea-faring mammals. I took notice of a large stage very close to this area; it had bleachers filled with patiently waiting people and group of circus workers setting up. I was curious as to what kind of show they were putting on, so I sat on a bleacher at the back. After waiting for a few minutes, a purple smoke cloud began to filter onto the main stage. The audience clapped, as the smoke began to dissipate. Standing there was a young woman with purple hair and fishnet leggings. She wore an outfit that resembled a magician's ensemble. She had a magnificent hat with a purple stripe across the top of it and an old-timey stop watched attached to it.

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen! I am Mana, the ringmaster!" She shouted, as she removed her hat and bowed. "Today, I shall show you a truly amazing creature, Jeanine the seal! She's not like other seals you see, for she is as smart as a human!" The audience members looked at each other in disbelief. She whistled, causing two of her helpers to remove a white tarp from a large tank situated behind her. As soon as the tarp was removed, a creature darted out from beneath the water and leapt onto the stage. It was a grey-skinned seal! It crawled around on the stage, as its wet body rubbed against the floor. "Good girl, Jeanine!" Exclaimed Mana, as she tossed the seal a fish. The seal gulped it down excitedly, and clapped its flippers together happily. The audience began laughing; they were clearly expecting the seal to act as advertised. To them, it was just another seal that was scooped out from the ocean.

"I know she may not seem as advertised, but that we'll soon change!" She shouted. The group showed their disbelief by chuckling at her statements, but I was convinced there was something more to this seal. It didn't seem remarkable, but I had the strangest feeling that something bizarre was about to happen. As the act continued, it became apparent to everyone that the seal hadn't become smarter in the least. To everyone, it appeared to be a dumb animal. Something I noticed was that I hungry, despite the fact that I had just eaten a hearty lunch thirty minutes ago. Every time I saw Mana dangle that fish in front of the seal, I licked my lips. That fish seemed so appealing to me, and my stomach grumbled at just the sight of it. Every time the seal was given a fish my hunger intensified, to the point where I became even more lightheaded. Eventually, I closed my eyes to avert my gaze from the fish. When I opened them, I soon found that the world had changed.

I opened my eyes only to be greeted by a world filled with diluted and grainy looking colors. My nose was assaulted with intense and exotic scents, and my skin was wet and slimy. My fingers and toes were clumped together and spread out quite a bit, as if somebody had stretched out my hands and feet. I was perched on my hands and knees, and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't stand back up on two feet. I felt someone reach their hand down and pet my wet skin; I looked up only to be greeted by a monochrome-colored Mana. She stroked my wet head repeatedly as she softly whispered to me, "Show 'em how smart you really are, Jeanine!" Who was she calling Jeanine? My name was Stacy! Wasn't Jeanine the name of the seal? That's when it struck me, something bizarre had happened to me and I was staring to piece together what it was! I thrashed around my strange flat hands and feet and slowly inched towards the open tank. I looked down at the shimmering water and saw my reflection, or rather Jeanine's reflection! Staring back at me was a goofy looking seal, complete with whiskers and an adorable black button nose. I now had flippers in the place of hands and feet, and I soon found them to be totally useless!
As I was about to freak out I heard Mana's voice whisper to me again, "Don't worry, its temporary! You'll get your body back in a couple days when the circus leaves town!" Wait, did she say body?! I cocked my seal head to the side and looked out into the audience. Sitting there was my body, shifting its head around and clapping its hands together like an idiot. I felt a little embarrassed by this, but I was relieved to know this was only temporary. "Alright, now show 'em some smart tricks!" Mana shouted, as she motioned for me to come forward. I did as she told, as she placed three fish in front of my face. "If you can properly count the fish using animalistic noises, than you'll all of 'em!" The fish looked tempting, as did the offer. "Ort! Ort! Ort!" I shouted aloud in an animalistic tone. The audience looked at me, and started to clap. "Yeah, now the show is really getting started!" Mana commenced with her tricks, making me jump through literal hoops in the process.

She had me do tricks that showed my intelligence, and my playful nature. After a while, I got used to how my new body moved. I was able to move my flippers in the precise way that I wanted, and I found that I could now scoot across the stage with ease. After a while, Mana decided to have me do one of my most favorite seal tricks. And that would be balancing a rubber ball on my snout, something no normal human could do! Mana had me sit in the middle of the stage, as the audience drew silent. Mana tossed the ball towards me, and instinctively I caught it on my black buttoned nose. The ball rubbed gently against my nostrils, causing me to become somewhat giddy in the process. I began twirling the ball about, making sure not to drop it in the process. I spun the ball around and around for about ten solid minutes.

And just like that, the show was over. Everyone left, and it was just me and Mana. I turned to the young purple-haired woman, as she gazed down at me while smiling. "Come with me, I have a special surprise for you. It also involves Jeanine as well!" Mana whistled, as the seal in my body crawled over to us. Jeanine sniffed me excitedly before immediately sitting down next to me. Mana walked off, as Jeanine and I followed her to a nearby tent. It was fairly embaressing to see my own body crawling around on the ground. Once we entered the tent, Mana walked over to a box and pulled out two large pieces of salmon. She tossed one to me, and I immediately caught in mid-air and swallowed it down. Mana tossed one to Jeanine, and she chowed down on hers as well. Mana looked at us with a grin, "You did a great job today, Stacey."
"Ort?!" I stuttered out, as I found myself blindsided by this strange revelation. How did this woman know my name? "You're probably wondering how I know you are. Well, I'm going to hold onto that little secret for the time being. It’s a special ability that I prefer to keep secret, but I'll be sure to reveal the truth to everybody about it in time. In the meantime, want me to show you something really amazing?" I looked at her, as she began to giggle merrily to herself. She skipped out of the tent, and I crawled behind her in pursuit. I followed her to a special enclosure in the aquatic mammals section, and was surprised by what I found. There was large glass cage, with a surfboard in the middle. Beach memorobillia was scattered about, and there was a stereo playing some kickin' tunes. "Hop on in, this is my gift to you for helping me put on an amazing show." I clapped my flippers together excitedly, as I gazed at the amazing sight. The moonlight glistened off of the shimmering water, as I gazed at the giant tank. I leapt up into the air and into the tank.

My body hit the water with a giant splash, as I felt the waves caress my new body. I put my new flippers into action, as I paddled around the tank. I looked over at Mana, who was giving me the thumbs up. "It seems you're enjoying yourself! I'm glad, we always make sure out animals are well taken care of! It doesn't matter if that animal was once a human, we treat them all the same!" Mana giggled to herself as she walked off; truly this was a glorious circus. It treated its animals with respect and dignity, and even allowed humans to switch minds with those of the pampered animals. The magic of this place never ceases to astound me, it’s something that has truly gripped hold of me and won't let me go. I never knew such a circus existed, but I would be sure to tell my friends about this place once I returned to my own body. In the meantime, I would enjoy the luxuries of being a well-trained circus animal. This circus would allow me to see the world through the eyes of an animal, and it’s an experience that I would never forget for as long as I lived.
Made for :iconchocolatedragon-fly: with art from :iconraiinbowraven:. Thank you both for your support!
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Pencilkitty14's avatar
I just found out about you, and I love these circus act stories! If it is't too much trouble, could I possible be in one?