5.10.1094
I was out in the dunes late last nite, and i ran into my twin brother. He was in his citizen form as usual, and he had something to show me. We proceed to a nearby valley. He tells me to be very quiet, and to make my appearance less conspicuous, so i shrink into my citizen form as well. We knelt behind a rock face and he points out a figure off in the distance. It was a Girl!, brother said that a couple weeks ago he was traipsing through the dessert when a diamond arose from the sand and then shattered. All that remained after the shards had melted back into the sand was the Girl! He remarked on her beauty and began pursuing her. After following her to a small watering hole that he frequents, a conversation was struck up with her. It turned out she is from our families homeland in the north, and she made vague allusions to knowing the ways of our tribe. The Girl! seemed to be conducting some sort of research. Constantly taking notes and measurements. She had some sort of charting device in her left hand and a depth pole in her right. I was unsure what to make of any of this, but he was right about one thing. She was beautiful.

06.12.1094
An old citizen familiar invited me to a soiree at his palace on the outskirts of the city. I arrive late and alone as per normal. When I enter the premises i immediately notice my twin brother in the corner entangled with a new female that i have never laid eyes on before. I walk around and survey the event. Its the usual crowd of well-meaning citizens. A familiar of brothers comes up and begins conversing with me. After a time, he halts our dialogue and alerts me that some female is scoping me hard. He points her out and I recognize her as the Girl! from the dunes. Several times throughout the night he stops our conversation to reference the Girl!s gaze, and finally inquires about what he perceives as a lack of interest on my part. I explain that my twin has already laid claim on her. He seems incredulous and points to my twin still entangled in the corner, and mentions that it looks like he has staked a new claim.

07.29.1094
I have just returned from my annual trip to the south to see my main familiar. Brother requests my presence, he knows of my trip and is interested in hearing of my exploits. I meet him at his normal watering hole. While discussing the particulars of my journey our conversation is interrupted. A female is remarking on the emblem emblazoned on my outerwear. I turn to find that it once again is the Girl! from the dunes. We converse for a short period ( it seems she is familiar with the southern clan i acquired the garb from ), and then both of us are on our way. The conversation was short, but intriguing, I am starting see why brother was interested in this female.

09.21.1094
As of late I have been feeling a restless energy inside me. It is becoming harder and harder to maintain this charade of interloping with the citizenry. I now spend most nights traversing the dunes in grandform. It is oft the only time i feel life inside my body-mass anymore. This place is so enchanting when it is not choked by citizens. I am almost back to my domicile when someone speeds by me on a sandbike humming an enchanting melody. As they pass, the rider turns to look in my direction. It is the Girl! She sees me, but i do not perceive any recognition on her face. This is not surprising. It is rare that a normal citizen can associate a grandshifters native form with its citizen guise. I see that she has just left one of her work sites. I survey the site and find a piece of paper with a drawing of a sleeping girl and a poem integrated together as one. The words and images are appealing so i decide to keep it. As i begin the trek back home, the melody she was humming starts repeating inside my mind.

10.5.1094
The melody is still trapped in my mind. I have begun using my wave constructors to produce a form based around the melody. It seems to help, but still the notes haunt me. I employ a singer to add the lyrics of the poem to the wave form.

10.27.1094
A familiar of a familiar is celebrating the date of their conception and i am socially obligated to attend. I am in no mood for this, but brother insists i accompany him. When we arrive at the diversion station there is a large group already in the process of merriment. I have a hard time working myself into a similar fervor. To my surprise i find the Girl! here as well. She has seamlessly entrenched herself in this group of familiars. I marvel at her ability to blend so effortlessly with the citizenry, an ability i cannot seem to emulate. My twin is feeling ill ( or so he says ), he has scorned one of the females in attendance recently, and the tension between them is palpable. He excuses himself, and leaves me to my own devices. This sort of thing was routine with brother and oft irks me, but tonight it does not seem to have the same effect. I eventually work my way into a conversation with the Girl! and some of her familiars. During a certain story she preceded to press herself up against me while pantomiming a situation, she looked into my eyes for a moment ( i have not been able to get this image out of my mind ). The more i am around the Girl!, the more intoxicating she seems to become. Her smile and laugh are pure infection. Later the night comes to an end, and since brother stranded me here (and i cannot don my grandform around the citizens), i accept a conveyance from the Girl! and her familiars. The ride home is full of revelry, and i am left at my doorstep still swimming in the euphoria of the nite. It has been a great while since i have felt these sort of feeling for anyone, it is terrifying and exhilarating simultaneously.

01.02.1095
The wave form based on the Girl!s melody is complete. I take it to the local wave market. The form merchant agrees to sell my wave. I give him her drawing to use as the visage.

01.10.1095
It is late at nite, and i am traversing the dunes again. Recently i have been compelled to take my strolls in my citizen form. As i pass by an oasis, i notice that someone is sitting underneath the palm by the water. Its the Girl! She is sipping on a stim-stick and listening to her wave player. It is unlikely, but i imagine she is listening to my wave form. The serene moment is abruptly ended when the ground suddenly begins to quake. The Girl! is broken from her aural trance and spies me in the distance, but her gaze quickly shifts to the rippling body of water in front of her. The pool explodes as a colossal sand snake head shoots out the water with its eye fixed on the Girl! It is hard to remember the series of events after that. The next thing i knew, i had expanded into my grandform and i was beating the life out of the serpent. It was massive and its strength was unbelievable, but it had the mind of a beast, and despite all my other shortcomings, my mind is sharp. Every time it lunged at me, i would stealthily evade it, getting in small jabs where i could. After what could have been a single minute or 20 the sand snake retreats. I collapsed from exhaustion and without knowing, revert to my citizen form. I laid on the ground for a minute. I close my eyes for what felt like a second but could have been hours. When I opened my eyes the 2nd moon was starting to set and the 1st sun beginning to rise. Finally I raised myself up on my elbows. The Girl! is staring at me from across the pool. She had seen my other form.

So i ran.

…

because


w h o c o u l d e v e r l o v e a m o n s t e r ?