Martha had barely finished her morning coffee when her next patient arrived—a high-strung Dachshund named Oscar. His tiny body trembled with energy, his shrill barks piercing the air like a relentless alarm.
“Dr. Martha, please, you’ve got to help,” his owner pleaded, holding the leash tightly as Oscar lunged and barked at absolutely nothing. “He barks at everything—neighbors, cars, shadows, his reflection in the window. The whole street is about to riot.”
“He’s got such a sweet face, but we can’t take this anymore,” her husband added, rubbing his temples.
Oscar, meanwhile, continued barking furiously, his tiny legs bouncing off the tile floor with each yap.
Martha knelt down, studying the little dog with her professional gaze. The familiar electric tingle coursed through her hands. This, she thought, was an excellent opportunity.
“I think I can help,” she said with a calm smile. “Give me just a moment.”
She led them to a quieter room in the clinic. Sitting on a perch in the corner was a bearded dragon, brought in earlier that morning for a routine checkup. The dragon lounged under its heat lamp, its scaly body stretched out lazily, as if it didn’t have a care in the world.
Martha felt the crackling energy build in her fingers as she focused on both Oscar and the bearded dragon. With a quick gesture, the power surged outward. A bright flash lit the room, and when it faded, the transformation was complete.
Oscar’s long, low body now carried the calm, regal head of the bearded dragon. His smooth, scaly face and spiked frills gave him an air of quiet dignity. His tongue flicked out briefly as he tilted his head, no longer barking but gazing at the room with a lizard’s unblinking calm.
The bearded dragon, perched on its branch, now had Oscar’s Dachshund head—scaled down perfectly to match its smaller frame. The sight of a tiny, barking dog head atop a lizard body was almost too much for Martha to handle, but she quickly composed herself.
Oscar’s owners stared at their pet in stunned silence before breaking into smiles.
“He’s so quiet!” the woman exclaimed. “Look at him—he’s just sitting there, so calm!”
“And those little flicks with his tongue—so cute!” her husband added.
The couple crouched to pet their lizard-headed dog, entirely unbothered by his drastic transformation. “Thank you, Dr. Martha,” the woman said, her voice overflowing with gratitude. “You’ve saved us—and our neighborhood!”
“Happy to help,” Martha replied smoothly as the couple walked out with their now dignified, silent Oscar.
As they passed through the waiting room, Oscar’s lizard head tilted upward, and he let out a low, guttural hiss—a strange but oddly endearing sound that startled another dog in the room.
Back in the exam room, the bearded dragon with Oscar’s tiny Dachshund head barked furiously from its perch. Its small, scaled chest puffed out as it hopped indignantly to the edge of its enclosure.
Martha muttered, suppressed a laugh as she turned back to view her schedule.
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author