The Winchburgh Chronicles.Part 4.

Greengrass lifted his wine glass and slowly sipped. The cherry flavoured Barone Ricasoli Chianti filled his mouth. He looked across at Dominique. She was holding her glass just below her bottom lip and absent mindedly rolling the Riedel Vinum in the depression between her chin and her slightly open mouth; Her tongue ran along the rim of the glass tasting the wine, as her deep brown eyes appraised the magnificent view. 

 

An ancient laburnum, bowing low, paid homage to the lake, while shading two lizards as they clumsily left the pool. After laying and placing their egg,the couple would lie under the trees thick yellow flowered branches, waiting for the metamorphosis hopefully, to recede.

 

The water rolled rhythmically and the low sun glistened sharply off the rounded wave tops, which flashed like playful silver fish. Wave after small wave rolled the grey shingle back and forward, creating a lullaby of sound. The lake stretched for a full half mile. 

 

To the west, the red weary sun silhouetted a group of four wooded islands, which broke up the long expanse of crystal clear water. A border of tall Chestnut and Maple trees reflected in the calm waters, framed the lakes western shore. To the north, the long hedge hid and protected the mating pool from outsiders.

 

The alpha male leaned back in his chair and sipped again at his wine, he sighed. 

Dominique breached his reverie.

 

“ The experiments are showing promise Greengrass. The Platypus DNA, along with the alpha male mix, has given me hope. I will extract more tomorrow. I believe that experiment will lead to the required reconciliation.” 

 

“Thanks Dom, A really hope wie can fun a cure for this. The community here are gittin awffie worried... So am A.”

 

She leaned over the table and placed her hand on his. The light wind breathed her sweet and musky perfume over him like a whispered promise. A bead of perspiration flashed, catching his eye as it made its way over and between the goosebumps on her throat. It continued growing and gathering speed. Just before it entered the cleft of her full breasts, she caught it on her fingertip. While looking into his eyes, she raised her wet finger to her mouth and pushed it slowly inside. She withdrew her finger, as her tongue brushed her lips, Greengrass, inwardly shuddered.

 

The induced metamorphosis began. His hands trembled and the familiar flush ignited every nerve ending in his body. With his shaking hands he struggled to remove his clothes, kicking his shoes off, and then tearing at the buttons of his shirt. The process accelerated when Dominique unbuckled his belt and unzipped his trousers. His whole body was convulsing now. The scales preceded by bleeding, forced their way through his soft human skin, tearing the flesh as it did. He groaned, his eyes were rolling and his breath was coming fast and long.

 

Dominique took the small case containing the hypodermic and quickly drew blood from the carotid artery in his neck. When the phial was full, she said to the half man half lizard,

 

“ I'm sorry Greengrass, I had to get some arterial blood from you as you changed. It may provide a better catalyst.” 

 

As she said this, a loud bang, followed by a resounding splash from the lake, made her quickly turn around. A black cloud was floating just above the trees at the edge of the lake. The water was rippling and a strong, fast wave was coming towards her.

 

Greengrass had seen the bike explode, he slipped quickly into the lake. He swung his strong tail slowly and swam from side to side to get his bearings before beginning his search. His long acute tongue was inspecting the water like radar. The sound of bubbles, and something thrashing and rolling in panic was fifty foot ahead of him and dropping. 

 

The beating heart of whatever was falling was getting weaker. Greengrass knew he wouldn't keep his human sentience for long; he was already concentrating hard to maintain it. The constant influx of information coming to him from his hypersensitive  lizard tongue was difficult at first to process. His very skin was reading the water and his amazing amphibian eyes cut through the liquid as though it were air.

 

There, in front now, and framed in a soft orange haze coming from the twilight above, was Ben. His eyes were open but glazed, small air bubbles were leaving his mouth as the last vestiges of life giving oxygen deserted him. His arms were trailing behind him and his legs hung impotently below. 

 

Greengrass, dived further underneath the body and turning sharply, he whipped his long tail. The lizard surged through the water at great speed. As he passed Ben, he snatched the collar of his greatcoat with his strong teeth and jaws, Using his powerful feet and long tail to their greatest effect the alpha male pushed for the surface.

 

Man and lizard rocketed upwards so fast they broke the surface whale-like. Greengrass, pulling the unconscious Ben swam towards Dominique, who was standing on the shore. He beached himself. As he made land, he let go and quickly flipped fish-like, back into the lake. Ben's body rolled and stopped at the feet of Dominique.

 

She immediately began resuscitation and heart massage. Ben coughed and water poured from his mouth. He coughed again, His eyes flickered. The doctor put her hand to his brow, more to comfort than to glean any medical information.

 

She rolled him onto his side and into the recovery position. Ben moaned and tried to raise himself. 

 

“ Did yiz fun ma partner? There wiz two ae us oan the bike. Find him will yiz, please. The bastard’ll never let me live it doon if a let him die here the day?” 

 

Dominique consoled him saying, 

 

“ Don’t worry Ben we'll find him. You just rest for the moment and gather yourself.”

 

Greengrass, came forward and asked, 

 

“ Is he badly hurt Dom? “ 

 

“ Well I've examined him as best I can and he seems to have no outward injury, but we should get him into my lab and we'll have a better look. Any sign of Paul?”

 

“Here he comes now.”

 

Paul was walking slowly towards them. He was carrying his dented helmet and rubbing his head. His greatcoat was torn from the pocket down. The cloth was flapping as he walked. 

 

“ Hallo there, whit’s happenin? A thought a wiz a goner there, the bliddy Zundapp blew up cause ae the nitro. Is that wee Ben lyin there? Is the bugger awright?”

 

“ He’s been unconscious so we’ll have to take him into the lab to check him over. How are you?”

 

“ Och A landed on a wee tree that broke ma fall. A’ve rattled me heid, but apart fae beein a wee bit dizzy, A seem tae be fine.”

 

The following day Ben awoke; he lifted the top sheet and checked for injury. He counted two feet with all six toes intact, two legs, two of them and one of those. The door opened and his partner Paul, followed by Greengrass and Dominique entered the small room. Ben, leaning on his elbows, sat up and pointed his finger at Greengrass,

 

" You ya lying forked tongued auld bastard. Whit wiz aw that aboot wie they Duck-billed tyhingumyjig’s eggs? Aye an A’ll Happy fuckin Easter yie the noo.” 

 

He attempted to get out of the bed but Dominique put her hand on his chest and quietly said, 

 

“ Ben, relax please. The platypus eggs were my idea.” 

 

“ Whit? Aw fur fuc..”

 

He tried again to rise from the bed. She pushed him down.

 

“ He was supposed to tell you. Weren't you Greengrass?.”

 

“ A thought the buggers would huv been bright enough tae know, that the Duck-bills bein the only mammal’s on the planet that layed eggs, would huv been significant. A didnae wie oany stretch ae the imagination think the fanny’s would huv tried tae hatch the bliddy things.”

 

Ben, up on one elbow now, retorted.

 

“ Well we did, and aw we goat oot ae it, wiz a sare heid fae a big titted nympho oan a mission wie a baseball bat.”

 

Dominique said. “ The facts remain. The DNA from the Platypus’s mixed with Greengrass's mid-metamorphosis blood and your own, is at last showing all the indications I have been looking for. All we have to do now is to try it on the two females from Paul’s Bathgate community, who have been morphed for the longest time. If it works there, we have the reconciliation we've been looking for. Are we all in agreement Gents, and alpha males?”

 

At Bathgate, Paul naked, and standing next to the flume, lifted the phial and drank the draught. Minutes later he was in the pool. The scent of the two females was strong and to his left. He headed in that direction. The two lizards approached him and began the mating ritual. 

 

The lizard part of him wanted instinctively to join in, and he felt a thrilling rush of excitement flow through him. He forced himself to resist and began to swim towards the waterfall, where Harry was waiting with Ben, Dominique and Greengrass. 

 

Harry was armed with an air rifle loaded with the antidote. As the lizards passed he fired. The closest female darted forward as a jet of lizard blood sprang from her side. Paul could feel panic and fear coming through the water towards him. Another crack and the other female exuded similar emotions. They both swam very quickly away, heading for the east end of the lake where they had been hiding before and where they felt safest. Paul lost his human control completely and began to swim towards the frightened females, he was the alpha male after all, and they needed his protection.

 

Greengrass, Ben and Dom, stood by the lake waiting. One of the females came slowly up the lake and made for the shallows. She swam slowly, in circles. Soon a naked young woman stood where the lizard had been. She held her face in her hands and began to cry. Dominique, carrying a towel ran round the lake towards her. The other lizard soon joined them. 

 

The cure had worked,and although this only took the lizard communities to the status quo, giving them control to an extent, of their metamorphosis. A new trust had been built. The legacy of the three hundred and fifty million year old Westlothiana Lizziae, would continue. High in a cave under Knockhill, the bones of hundreds of these small lizards secreted DNA, which the rain washed continuously down into the water system for the whole of the county. Only when this was discovered and neutralised, would any significant headway be made into a cure for the lizard communities.