The Quiet Slipping
A mysterious pathogen is slowly turning 1 in 500 children under the age of 16 into mammalian animals, without warning or anyone realizing what is going on, leaving authorities flustered. In the Americas, the strain leaves the eyes and mind intact. Another strain in Eurasia and Africa takes the mind as well. These are the kids' stories...
Scenario details
The first signs are subtle. They are ignored or chalked up to a flu, stress, puberty or whining. However, over time, the symptoms manifest, destroying the original life the child found itself in.
(defined by the player of the scenario)
The story takes place in any part of the world we live in; a European village, an American city, you name it - but the pandemic starts manifesting everywhere all at once. The main character isn't all that interesting in the grand scheme of things. Authorities rush to figure things out and the medical world is powerless to do anything - so they don't, except observing. Everyone tries to respond or explain the transforming kids in the way they know how. But the real story is in the community, as the family or neighbourhood loses one or more of its children, getting those same kids back as animals - if they don't flee to become feral, that is. The mammalian animal they turn into is of comparatively the same age, and they age in the human way. They cannot become larger than they originally were, only smaller.
The main character must navigate his or her own involuntary transformation into a mammalian animal, holding onto his or her humanity and his or her connection to friends, family and community while the world around them struggles to accept the impossible.
