#the pool

the pool but charthur!!

The neighborhood pool looked smaller than Jake remembered. Not physically smaller, obviously. But standing outside the chain-link fence early in the morning with Liam and Hunter crowded beside him, it suddenly felt weirdly… tiny. Like the whole place had been built for children. 

Which, technically, it had. I mean, the faded sign out front still read: CEDAR HILLS COMMUNITY POOL; NO RUNNING; NO DIVING IN SHALLOW END

Jake stared at it for a long second before snickering.

“Focus,” Liam muttered, though he was grinning too. “We still gotta do this before Coach realizes anything’s missing.”

At that, the group collectively looked down toward the black duffel bag sitting between them. The bag contained enough serum concentrate to probably ruin several lives. Jake nudged it proudly with his worn flip flop.

“Correction,” he thought. “Improve several lives.”

—

The previous afternoon. 

Getting the serum had turned out disturbingly easy. Coach trusted them too much. He never locked the office while the team practiced because somebody was always running in and out grabbing stopwatches, towels, lineup sheets, electrolyte packs, whatever. Normally the filing cabinet stayed locked though.

But Coach had also made the mistake of complaining. Specifically about his poor back. which led to Liam volunteering to help clean equipment after practice while Jake distracted Coach with fake questions about relay strategy.

Meanwhile, Hunter had stood lookout outside the office pretending to scroll on his phone while Liam slipped inside. The office smelled exactly the same as three months ago, when he and Jake begged Coach for recruitment drinks. Now he crouched in front of the filing cabinet with a borrowed key ring trembling slightly in his fingers from anticipation,

The rows of bottles were exactly as he remembered. Red, Blue, Orange, Purple, All glowing faintly beneath the dim office light. Liam shoved as many bottles as he could fit into the duffel.

Later, after every piece of equipment was packed away. The boys hurried to the parking lot, chuckling and joking, excitement swimming in their stomachs like fish. 

—

Back in the present, the neighborhood pool gates rattled softly as Liam opened them with his key.

“Still think this is a little insane,” Hunter muttered, passing the duffel over.

“Too late now,” Jake said.

The pool sat perfectly still beneath the early morning sun. Waiting for somthing, waiting for them. Liam unzipped the duffel and Neon colors nearly blinded him.

Hunter let out a low whistle. “Damn. You got  a lot, brah”

Jake crouched beside the edge of the pool, grinning like an idiot. “Ready?”

 Liam looked uncertain for exactly one second. Then he smiled too. “Ready.”

Together, the three boys unscrewed the caps and poured them one by one, into the pool. Orange, Blue, Purple, Green, steaks mixed with the clear water before fading away, disguised perfectly for unsuspecting victims. 

The boys stared down into the shimmering water. “Now, we just wait.” Jake said with an excited grin.

————————

Marianne loved getting to the pool early. It was the optimal time, her fellow retirees didn't show up until nine. The families didn't arrive until noon. And the teenagers usually slept until the afternoon, leaving the first few hours blissfully quiet.

She settled into a lounge chair near the shallow end, oval sunglasses perched on her nose and a worn, familiar paperback novel resting on her stomach. The morning sun felt good on her skin after a week of business casual. She could hear a few younger men that had been sitting near the entrance when she had arrived. Their loud blunts of laughter and frenzied teasing made her nostalgic for her high school days

She shook her head and returned to her book. An hour later she was regretting that decision. The heat had become oppressive, the summer arriving in a heavy fog of humidity. The air clung to her skin. Sweat dampened the back of her neck as she tried to cool herself. She fanned herself with her novel.

"Good grief." She said glancing at the pool with growing interest. She didn’t normally get in the pool on these mornings, but today might be an exception. The surface of the water shimmered beneath the harsh sunlight.

Making up her mind. Marianne set her book aside and stood. Her knees protested immediately.

"One day," she muttered to herself, "I'm replacing every joint in my body."

She made her way toward the pool steps. lowering one foot into the shallow end, she noticed how unusually clear the water looked today. Must have been cleaned recently. The water felt cold against her flushed skin, and a relieved sigh escaped her.

Soon she was waist deep, the coolness wrapping around her like a blanket. The feeling of relief was instant. Marianne closed her eyes and let herself sink to shoulder level. For several seconds she simply floated, content. 

Then a strange tingling sensation crept across her skin. Like the pins-and-needles sensation after a limb wakes up, except it was spreading everywhere at once. Down her arms and across her shoulders. Down through her legs to the tips of her toes. 

Marianne frowned. "That's odd,” she thought.

Then her body began to morph, her limbs got longer and leaner, any hint of flabbiness melted away. Her hands and feet grow to easily double the size, as her body fat dropped dramatically into the tenth decimal place. His body continued to lengthen, his newly grown frame pulling smooth young skin tight. His former breasts pulled into flat pecs, so flat even his abs cut out more visibly. His gray hair receded back into his head, fluffing out into a blonde tik-tok fringe. 

He stood up, drawing his slim body out of the water. He looked down at his body as the changes completed, noticing his new prominent manhood between toned legs. He watched as the bikini he had put on that morning was replaced by a wet white pair of Nike shorts, nearly seen though in the water. He shifted his lighter weight, bouncing experimentally on his new feet. 

Marty glanced at the boys in the corner, “yo, come on in bros!” His brain registering them as his best friends, gaps in his memory filled with dumb jokes, an updated modern vocabulary, and interdict knowledge of the swimming sport. 

His best bro Hunter plunged in beside him, “can’t let the teams champ freestyle distance swim alone” he said with a laugh and a knowing grin, “let’s see who else shows up today.” 

The Simon family had been looking forward to the pool all day.  Of course, it had taken quite a while for Melissa and Brian to get their 12 year old son out the door, clothed, fed, and sunscreened up. All the while, Grandpa Frank had sat comfortably on the front porch swing watching the chaos unfold with complete amusement. 

Eventually the entire family had finally squeezed into the SUV.

Melissa settled into the passenger seat with a relieved sigh. She spent most weekdays juggling work meetings, schedules, and household responsibilities. A quiet afternoon at the pool sounded heavenly to her.

Brian started the engine. He taught history at the local middle school and looked forward to summer almost as much as his students did. Today was one of the first genuinely hot weekends of the season, and the pool sounded better than mowing the lawn.

In the back seat, little Ethan bounced excitedly. Thankfully for the excited boy, The short drive passed quickly, and soon the familiar chain-link fence of Cedar Hills Community Pool came into view. The parking lot was surprisingly busy for a morning.

"Looks like everyone had the same idea," Brian said.

The family unpacked their car and headed toward the entrance, arms laden with bags full of sunscreen, pool toys, and towels. The loud sound of splashing water drifted across the deck, the pool seemed to be filled with teenage boys roughhousing and racing different strokes. Not unusual for the summer, they seemed to be leaving plenty of room for others to enjoy so the Simon’s didn’t mind. What was unusual was the fact the only people anywhere in the complex seemed to be athletic teenage males. Normally there were at least a few other families and some older people sunbathing. 

The moment they claimed some chairs, Ethan was already halfway gone.

"Can I swim?" he asked.

"You haven't even put your stuff down yet," Melissa replied.

"That's not a no."

Brian laughed. "Five minutes. Then sunscreen."

Ethan made a face.

"Five minutes or no swimming at all," Melissa repeated.

The boy dropped his backpack beside their chairs and immediately began drifting toward the water, drawn by the familiar sound of splashing and laughter.

"Don't go far," Brian called.

"I won't!" The answer came without Ethan even turning around. Within seconds he had disappeared around a cluster of lounge chairs.

With a sigh, Brian began unpacking towels and drinks from the cooler while Melissa finally got her moment of peace. Frank stretched his legs and adjusted his fishing hat, talking loudly to Brian about the local baseball team’s chances of making the playoffs.

It wasn't until nearly thirty minutes had passed that Melissa glanced around and frowned. "Hey." She said to her husband.

Brian looked up. "What?"

"Ethan."

"What about him?"

Melissa scanned the pool. "I haven't seen him in a while."

Brian shrugged. "He's probably swimming. I’ll go look for him honey.” 

"Ok, it’s time for him to reapply sunscreen anyway."

He stood up and looked toward the shallow end. Seeing no signs of the twelve-year-old there, he walked across the pool, eyes searching frantically for his son. He stopped at a group of young men who were currently chicken fighting, trying to wrestle each other off their friends shoulders.

“Hey, have any of you boys see-,” he started to say only to be short stocky redhead. 

“Yo Ethen, your dad’s looking for you!” He yelled, cupping his wide hands over his mouth  

Then, from somewhere across the pool, a familiar voice shouted: "Yo, over here!" Before Brian could make sense of what he'd just heard, a burly teenager came splashing through the water toward them.

He was tall and broad shouldered. A silver necklace sitting between plump pecs. He looked athletic in the same aerodynamic way every other young man in the pool seemed to be. He pulled himself out of the water, teal shorts dripping wet, and flashed a wide grin.

"Dad!" He said to Brian’s shock. The kid was looking directly at him.

"Uh..." Brian glanced over his shoulder. "Me?"

The teenager laughed. "Yeah, you."

Brian frowned. The boy's voice sounded familiar, in fact it reminded Brian of his own. Brian peered at him intently. The teenager tilted his head and something about the manner of it started to feed a growing sense of horror. The smile, The eyes, The tiny gap between his front teeth. Brian felt the blood drain from his face. "Ethan?"

"There you go." The teenager grinned. "Took you long enough."

"Ethan?" Brian repeated weakly.

"Yeah?" The teenager grinned.

"What happe—"

Before he could finish, Ethan slung his arm around his father. Feeling the gentle pressure, Brian began to panic. 

“You’ll see,” his son said. With one lazy pull, Ethan pushed him forward. Brian stumbled toward the water, the familiar sound of his son's laughter the last thing he heard as he fell into the water with a Splash.

The first thing that hit him was the coldness, momentarily distracting him from the rapid changes. Under the water his skin begins to darken as any viable body hair recedes onto revitalized pores. The effects of the last 12 years of parenthood wearing off in seconds. Neglected muscles plump up nicely, defined and lean. His abs and pecs gain muscle tone and strength. His face changed into a picture of carefree youth, face broadened into a squarish look, pretty blue eyes hiding the lack of intelligence behind them, thick eyebrows permanently in a suspicious raise. 

When he comes up for air, he glances at his sonbrother, feeling his matching necklace. They exchange a mischievous look, and BJ grinned crookedly thinking of his family sitting at the other end of the pool.

A few minutes later Frank looks up to see two teenage boys facing him, both carrying loaded super soakers. Before he can even say a word he’s soaked though. 

The transformation happens instantaneously, his age dropping from 78 to 18. His weathered skin became rosy with moisture and constant sun exposure. His height noticeably decreases, dropping nearly to 5”2. Muscles tighten with lean cords and memories of dry land training. So far gone in his transformation he unbuttons his shirt to feel his new rippled abdomen. Any wary body hair gone as the only place he didn’t previously have hair, his head, grows curly locks.  He grins with a larger, toothier grin. 

“Yo, thanks big bros!” He said, shifting on his newly increased feet. He adjusts his newly revamped member through a wet suit. He gestures to Malissa, who had been watching the entire exchange, horrified, “what we going to do with your wife, BJ”

The taller boy laughed, “I think you know what to do, lill bro!” Then, with almost parallel movements they pulled Mulissa out of her chair and into the pool. 

Splash 

Once she was in the pool, the boys could clearly see the transformation happening beneath the water's surface. The first thing to happen was a newly gained farmer's tan, maybe this one wasn’t a swimmer jock after all. Then her frame thickened with muscle, her shoulders broadening and her limbs becoming noticeably stronger. Her midsection swelled into a solid, barrel-chested build, with a firm muscle gut sitting beneath thick, pillow-like pectorals. The strain became too much for her bikini, and the fabric snapped apart. Sparse hair soon spread across her chest and legs, while her face widened into a rugged, masculine shape with a stronger jaw and heavier features. Finally, her long hair receded and shortened into a neat, athletic jock cut.

Once the boys saw the changes were complete, they whooped and yelled, jumping into the water with a splash. The bulky miles wrapped his legs around BJ, “Hey babe,” he said, kissing his boyfriend as if for the first time. 

All afternoon the Simons hung at the pool, chatting with their swim teammates, racing each other in the water, and watching everyone who walked though the gate eventually join them.

The neighborhood had changed over the last few weeks. The smell of sunscreen, chlorine, and teenage sweat filled the air, the sound of screeching whistles and brash, friendly teasing could be heard from anywhere in the neighborhood. 

Harold, the local HOA president, had finally acted on his suspicions. He had noticed that despite a wide variety of locals entering the complex, the only one in the pool ever and the only people who ever left were the teenage swim jocks. Though crazy, the thoughts in his mind would explain the wild happenings, Missing retirees. Families that seemed to vanish overnight. Entire households suddenly being replaced by groups of athletic teenage boys who claimed they had always lived there. He stood just inside the gate, arms folded across his chest, staring at the water. 

"You really think it's the pool?" Lucus asked. The lifeguard adjusted the whistle hanging around his neck, clearly just for show as it was past pool closing. He shifted on skinny legs glancing uneasily toward the water.

Harold nodded. "I don't know how. I don't know why. But every story eventually leads back here." He held up a folder, "it’s odd, odd enough to close down the pool until further investigation could be done. I've got enough complaints to disguise the closure as a health inspection. And there’s a big party at the Simon’s tonight, no one will realize we were even here till tomorrow afternoon. ”

Lucas looked relieved at that. Together they walked toward the equipment shed. Halfway there, Harold stopped so fast Lucus nearly bumped onto him. The pool glowing faintly under the moonlight, the effect was so beautiful both men found themselves staring at it.

Harold suddenly became aware of how hot the humid the summer night was. His shirt felt uncomfortable, sticky on his skin. A quick swim would feel nice. Beside him, Lucas was thinking exactly the same thing.

The young lifeguard shook his head violently. "No."

"What?"

"I was just thinking about getting in."

Harold blinked. "So was I."

They exchanged a nervous look, then both turned back toward the water. The temptation intensified immediately. Suddenly, Harold felt air under his left foot. He shook himself out of his trance, somehow, without realizing it, he had walked up to the edge of the pool. 

Something was wrong. Very very wrong. But before he could think of it, he felt himself falling into the water. He faintly registered Lucus’s weight on top of his body, pushing him deeper into the water. The lifeguard must have walked in a trance as well, unable to shake himself for it, he had run straight into Harold. 

Harold began to feel a strange tinkling spread through his limbs. He felt his bones cracking and refusing as longer limbs, as his hands grew larger. His feet began to swell as well, any body hair receding into youthful unblemished skin. His body began to thicken with muscle, chest firm and arms growing larger still. He used his newly expanded hands to push the smaller lifeguard off him and break the surface. 

“What the fuck,” he managed to bark, water dripping down the sharping contours of his face. He looked to Lucus, the boy seemed taller and larger, the spark behind his eyes just a little dimmer. 

Simultaneously the transformation continued, Hal watched as Luke’s simple t-shirt began to dissolve, revealing a firm, defined stomach Hal was sure the lifeguard didn’t have before. Luke’s arms and legs grew lean with muscle, smattering of hair growing on his body. Unbeknownst to him, Hal was going through similar changes, his tight polo also gone. The hairy saggy fat of his stomach hardened into a smooth definition of a six pack. He felt a slight tightness down below and reached down his tighter bulge, confined in a loud patterned pair of swim trunks. 

He felt a strange cracking sensation in his face, as his jaw reformed. He grunted as his features became more and more youthful, wrinkles and age spots replaced thick lips and a darker skin tone. Beside him his friend's skin began to take on an even darker tone, changing his ethnicity altogether. Finally both “boys” felt a slight weight between their pecs, simple chains forming and Hank felt an extra pressure on his ears as both gained multiple earnings. 

“Hey, why aren’t we at the Simon's place?” He asked his best friend luke.

“Bro, that’s tonight, the triplets throw the best parties!” He replied 

“Let’s go!” Hank yelled, jumping out of the pool, Luke right behind him. Both thinking of the booze, dancing, and sex to come. 

Coach had known something was wrong the moment he opened the filing cabinet and saw half the bottles were gone. He had forgotten about it for a long time. Figuring the boys had just wanted some new teammates, yet eventually he began to notice the uptick in recruits on his team, but throughout the town. Looking deeper he discovered it all connected back to a simple neighborhood pool.

—

Six weeks later his truck rolled through Cedar Hills. He rolled past dozens of young men, shirtless, confident, and happy. He parked near the community pool and stepped out.

"This isn’t possible," he muttered to himself.

But when he got inside the pool, he saw immediately the faint streaks of neon colors in the water, only viable to a trained eye such as his, Red, Blue, Orange, Purple.

His jaw tightened. "Oh, you idiots."

A familiar voice called from behind him. "Coach?"

He turned and saw Jake and Liam standing near the gate, Hunter leaning casually against the fence near them. All three immediately realized why he was there, their faces grimly set. For several seconds nobody spoke.

Then Coach spoke up, "Want to explain this?" He said, gesturing to the pool.

Jake winced. "Okay, so..."

"Jake."

"Right."

Coach rubbed his bald head. "You put it in there, didn't you?"

Hunter looked at the ground; but Liam folded his arms, doubling down, "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

Coach laughed once. "You contaminated an entire public pool and as a result dozens of unwilling people in your own neighborhood."

"We improved them," Jake argued, regretting his phrasing immediately, "That wasn't the right word."

"No. It wasn't." Said the older man, stepping forward. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

The boys exchanged uncertain looks. 

"You need to drain this pool," Coach said.

The boys immediately erupted in protest. "What?" 

"No way." Hunter said.

"Seriously?" Liam said, his eyebrow raised in challenge. 

Jake shook his head. "You can't."

"I absolutely can." The swim coach said already starting to walk to the equipment shed. 

Liam stepped forward. "And then what?"

Coach opened his mouth yet he couldn’t answer.  Because he didn't actually know. Then Jake's eyes widened, following his gaze, Coach saw it. A bright plastic water gun sat abandoned beside a chair. The kind kids used during summer parties, only this one had been filled directly from the pool.

Coach slowly backed away. "No."

Jake grabbed it.

"No."

Liam started laughing. "Gu-ys,” he tried to say, his body shaking. 

Hunter was already laughing too.

"This is a terrible idea." Coach pointed at them. "Put it down."

 Coach took another step backward. "Jake."

Jake’s finger floated over the handle. “Yeah, Coach?”

"Don't."

Jake grinned. A familiar grin that Coach knew meant disaster. The exact same grin he'd worn every time he'd gotten into trouble, stupid stunts or fucking in the locker room.

Coach sighed. "You're all idiots."

The water gun fired. Coach felt the cold sting of the water first then the numbness he knew began the transformation. 

First his feet began to grow, the water constantly dripping on them making them larger and larger. Stopping around size 12. Also extending in length was his dick, swelling in size, longer and girthier than it had ever been in his youth. A wave of hornyness overwhelmed him, his shrinking brain losing its ability to focus on much else. His body followed suit, gray hair vanishing, wrinkles smoothing over expanding muscles, frame cracking to a 6’8”. Veins coursing down his bulging arms and legs. 

Coach had to sit down, the transformation overcoming him. His face reforming, plump lips, sharp jawline, large head. Above, long blonde hair pushed out of his skull, conformed by a tan cap that mutualized on his head. His intelligence took a final downgrade, as his butt blew up, a feeling of emitted hollowness from it. 

Big C looked at his friends with glazed over eyes, the intense hornyness and emptiness taking over him. “Yo, one you help me. Im. horny.” He said in monotone single syllables. The boys exchanged mischievous looks, any earlier troubles forgotten as their former coach presented his ass to them. 

So the last of the neighborhood was transformed, it was unanimously better changed population of the neighborhood agreed. Life was better when you were all the same. young families and relaxed retirees gone, replaced by the over abundance of young swim athletes. Everywhere you looked there were guys congregating, working out on their driveways, throwing blowout weekend parties, and of course swimming at the local pool. 

Speaking of the local pool, it has easily the center of the changed neighborhood. Everyone still used it, swimming in it daily even though they all had pools at their own homes now, completely covering the front and backyards. Grass and yards had been deemed unnecessary, instead the residents had pumped water from the central pool to fill their entire lawns. And somehow the pools never ran dry. 

The faint smell of chlorine, gym locker room, and sunscreen fills the air. Every house is spread like little islands amidst a literal sea of pools and constantly slick roadways. On those roadways sit the occasionally used car(walking is great cardio), a redone pickup truck, the back filled with water to swim in mid ride or during slow traffic. 

Of course the guys constantly getting wet and swimming the serum that made them as made any sort of aging stagnant completely. Everyone’s just happy the way they are, and are ready for you to join them in the pool. The pool that’s always full to the brim with teenagers, no matter who visits, by the end of the day only the teens reminded, lounging, racing each other, or fucking around. 

Okay so I finally read The Pool, and I’m like-