My morning jogs were usually a good time to rest my mind. I could just put on my headphones and ignore the world, so I never missed a single one. It wasn’t even for exercise, I just liked the fresh air as a brief escape before my seven hours in a cubicle at work. They kept me calm. It was a routine worth keeping… One day, while I was running through the park, I spotted something just off the edge of the sidewalk. I stopped by to check it out. Sitting in the dirt was a small rubber ball. Despite it being grimy, and probably covered with dog slobber, there was something about its shininess that fascinated me. Its red shade was like a faded ruby. I stepped on it and it produced a little ‘Squeak!’ that made me giggle. It was just a brief interaction though, and something that I could easily forget five minutes later on any other day. It just meant some pet lost their toy during a walkie. That happened all the time. I could probably find dozens of balls scattered around the park if I tried. However… the quaint little object called to me, like a tiny voice itching in my ear, whispering to me to pick it up. So, without putting much thought into it, I casually threw it into my bag with the rest of my stuff. I wasn’t sure why, but it just felt right. I barely thought about it throughout the rest of the jog. Just another day… Just another walk… When I made it back to the apartment, my roommate Carrie was too concentrated at her computer to mind me. I went through the usual motions of hanging up my coat and checking my phone until I set down my bag and… the ball at the bottom of it made that same ‘Squeak!’ “What’s that?” Carrie asked, finally acknowledging my presence. “Oh, uh, just a thing I picked up.” I shrugged, taking the ball out to show to her. “Will probably give it to a random dog I pass by tomorrow.” “You get on my case for wearing shoes indoors and now you’re bringing in stuff you find in the dirt?” She raised an eyebrow. "It could be covered with bacteria!" “I dunno. It just seemed cool.” I scratched my head. Honestly, I couldn’t put into words the urge that drove me to pick up the ball. There truly wasn’t anything remarkable about it. Maybe it was just a bit of nostalgia. “I don’t see it.” She took the toy from me and squeaked it in her hand. “But whatever. It’s cute I guess. Anyway, we gotta get to work soon.” She casually threw the ball across the room, and without even thinking, I dashed towards it, eyes locked on its bounces. I caught myself mid step and shook my head. “What was that?” Carrie watched me weirdly. “You moved so fast there.” “I… I don’t know.” I stood up straight again. “I guess I just have a lot of energy even after the jog. Anyway, let’s go.” “Ready when you are.” --------------- I thought about that unexplained movement for a few minutes while we were on the bus, but after that, the toy left my mind for the day. I went on as normal: Saying goodbye to Carrie, getting off the bus and continuing to work, sitting at my desk for a few hours, lunch break, more work, and then reuniting with Carrie on the bus. I wasn’t unhappy with that job, per se. Though I wished I could be building something bigger than me, rather than just getting a wage to survive like everyone else. Regardless, I got through the unremarkable day humming my music until I got to return to our little two-bedroom apartment. As Carrie and I walked back in, I took a step and another ‘Squeak!’ came from beneath my foot. I looked down to confirm it was the ball. “Oh, yeah, I forgot about this.” I chuckled, kicking the toy away. “Still dunno why I picked it up.” “Maybe it’s your way of telling me you want to get a dog.” “Doubtful. You know I’m more of a cat person.” "So are you gonna throw that dirty ball out?" "Maybe later." I shrugged. "Feeling pretty tired now." I continued to not think about the ball as the evening approached. Dinner went by without the ball being one of the top thousand things on my mind. Carrie and I sat on the couch and watched TV. Still nothing. That object had zero significance to me. Evening came by without that silly toy coming up once. Showering and preparing for bed, not a single inkling. Turning off the lights, I had probably forgotten about it. And then… As I laid down, head on the pillow, ready for a good night of sleep, it hit me. I shuffled constantly beneath the sheets, for some inexplicable reason reminiscing about the moment I had picked up that rubber object. Its squeak noises echoed and emanated throughout my mind whenever I tried to relax. I fantasized about its perfect red color, how much I liked to squeeze it, how good it must tast- Wait, what? I shook my head. That was a strange intrusive thought. …something more strange, why was my mouth watering? I couldn’t get the squeaking out of my head, so after a few minutes of anxious tossing and turning under the covers, I finally sighed and sat up. Maybe my mind was just overstimulated… though that seemed unlikely with how unnotable the day had been. Maybe I just needed to walk around for a bit. I rubbed my eyes and returned to the living room, carefully tiptoeing past Carrie’s bedroom door. I looked out the windows and watched the cars pass by 12 stories below; I looked through the pantries for something to eat; I even tried to read a little bit… but it was pretty clear what I was truly there for… The ball was still right where I had kicked it, waiting for me. That same tiny, whispering voice returned to my ear, pushing me to once again pick up the toy. As I did, it became a lot harder to focus on anything except its beautiful, rubber texture. I ran my fingers over it gently and for some reason I became swarmed with a sense of relief. I wanted to squeeze it, but I didn’t want to wake Carrie, so I just returned to my room with it in hand. Holding it under the blankets, I repeatedly clenched and released the ball, massaging it a million different ways to hear its intoxicating squeaks. As I gripped it like that, it felt like I was forcing all that restlessness out of my system. Each squeak caused my eyes to droop with more sleepiness. For some reason, I was only able to approach sleep if I was actively holding onto that toy. It was impossible to explain why, but at least I could finally relax for the night. …or at least I thought I could, until a new urge forced itself to the front of my mind. No, no, why the heck would I ever do THAT!? THAT was so gross! I wasn’t some gross mutt that licks everything it comes across! This ball had probably been bitten by several animals and been left on the ground for days! I shouldn’t even need to clarify that I am more sanitary than that! Despite how nice it smelled… I put the ball down on my bedside table and turned away from it. That was too much for these bizarre instincts to ask from me. I would rather just deal with a restless night… …probably. …maybe if I first wash it off with boiled water… The whispering got louder until I rolled over again to face the ball, which loomed over me from the nightstand like a blood moon. It gave me goosebumps. My hand shook immensely as I reached towards it… I planned on getting up to sanitize it in the bathroom, but once I gripped it, my arm had already decided what to do with it. Squeak… squeak… A few seconds later, the toy was in my jaw. I bit down on it and let it squeak. I chewed on its grimy rubber and felt the way it contorted in my mouth. A small rope of drool seeped out beside it, going down my chin. I just kept on hungrily ravaging… What was happening!? Why was I doing that!? I was chewing on a gross dog toy I found on the floor! My entire body told me to spit it out and wipe my mouth, but every time I heard it squeak my resistance weakened and I just HAD to squeak it again, and again, and again. The whispering told me that I NEED to have it in my mouth. I NEED to slobber all over it like a pet dog. I NEED to cover it with my scent. I NEED to… to… grrrrrrrrrrrr… Squeak! Squeak! Squeak! Rrrrr! I really tore my teeth into it. It felt so good to really SQUISH it in my mouth. To really SINK my teeth into it and growl like a dire wolf. It helped me relieve all the tension that had been building inside me. “Mmph… woof…” I mumbled out through the gag for a while, kicking my leg. Eventually, a rush of exhaustion came over me. All that restlessness went away and I could sleep again. It was the only way I could. Grrrrr… wrrrrr… I closed my eyes, rested my head, and spent the whole night chewing on the ball… Squeak… squeak… squeak… --------------- The first thing I noticed upon opening my eyes was how wet my pillow was (completely soaked was a better word). I had never drooled so much in my life. I had never rested so well either. I barely wanted to get up from that cozy nest. My mind was moving slow… At first, I didn't fully recall the previous night’s events, but when I saw the slobber-covered ball on the floor, having rolled off my bed, it all came back to me. My face reddened as memories flooded my mind. Had I really… put that thing in my mouth? Why would I do that? And why was I acting all happy while chewing on it? It seemed more like an incredibly strange dream than an actual memory, especially since the whispering had calmed down. I just left the ball there, on the floor, and continued about my usual morning routine of brushing my teeth and getting dressed for my morning jog. The usual stuff. Carrie was found in the living room when I went to prepare my breakfast. “How was your night?” She asked. “I think I heard you shuffling around a bit.” “Oh… um, it was fine. Just had a bit of insomnia. You know how it is.” I skated by without even daring to mention the ball. While what happened the previous night was alarming, there was no way I could tell Carrie that I spent hours gnawing on a dog toy. I hoped it could be chalked up to a random act of mania that would never repeat itself… I heard of things like that happening sometimes… I said bye and left… At least, my morning jog provided a brief distraction from it all. I ran down a few blocks towards the same park as yesterday, with a lot more energy than usual. I could just keep running and running as if gravity had somehow gotten lighter! In the park, there were a couple discarded tennis balls and old dog toys just like the one I found yesterday laying around in the grass, yet I just walked past them. Those ones didn’t whisper to me. I still was completely unsure why I picked a specific ball up yesterday. It was just an ordinary dog toy! I didn’t have any special emotional connection to it. What was the point? All those other round objects felt as uninteresting as grains of sand. None of them were MY ball… wait… what? I returned home, strictly WITHOUT any dog toys in my bag this time. “Ready to go?” Carrie asked once it was time for work. “Yeah, let’s get.” I nodded. As we walked out the door, a brief tingle came to my ear, telling me to grab the ball from my bedroom before leaving. However, I forced that thought away. It got worse during the bus ride, and I was left staring out the window, longing. I clenched and unclenched my fist repeatedly, imagining how good it would feel if I was squeezing that toy. My veins felt colder. I started daydreaming and almost forgot to say goodbye to Carrie once we reached her stop. And throughout work, my mouth felt… empty. My tastebuds longed for the texture of rubber. Holding my jaw shut took active, conscious effort, and I salivated a lot as I sat at my desk. It was incredibly distracting from work… I tried biting my nails and chewing on an eraser from the desk, but neither of those satisfied me. I tapped my foot anxiously… what the heck was going on? It got worse as the hours went by… Why did it feel wrong for there to NOT be a big, round, rubber object stuffing my mouth!? Never in my life had I experienced such desires! Especially not during work! But, oh my god, it almost hurt! I didn’t WANT to have the ball in my mouth, I NEEDED it. It was nigh impossible to focus on any task and keep track of everything because I kept dissociating. I started growling under my breath… I constantly stared at the clock, and the hours left pierced my chest. My work had always been a bit boring, but it was never this excruciating. I wished electricity would go off in the office just so I could quit. Tick, tick, tick, tick… My productivity was ruined regardless, so I ended up leaving an hour early in an anxious rush. I didn’t know what to say, besides that I was feeling sick. That I needed to head home to play with my toy ball? Though the bus ride seemed torturously long, it went smoothly. Upon returning to the apartment building, I inelegantly rushed through the halls and up the elevator, kicking my feet. Everyone I passed looked at me with worried glances. They probably thought I had to use the bathroom. Hands shaking, I pushed the front door open, slammed it behind me, and dashed into my room. It called out to me, the whispering accelerating, and soon I spotted its red shininess beside the bed. I collapsed onto my bed before picking it up, salivating and pupils dilated. As soon as I shoved it into my wet mouth… Pure heaven. I relaxed, leaned back on my pillow, and the “Squeak!” sounds filled me with so much bliss I started purring… or, more accurately described, snarling. Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak! “Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrruff!” I mumbled through the ball as I ravaged it, jamming my teeth into it as harshly as I could. I swung my arms and legs in the air like a happy puppy receiving belly rubs. I panted loudly with unending elation over that little toy. Squeak, squeak, squeak… … Mrrrrrrrr… Woof… My mind slowed down when my ball was in my mouth. I could only process things in blurs, and any intelligent thought was stifled. Every time a tiny feeling of “isn’t this weird?” popped into my head, it would instantly be crushed as I gave my toy another good bite. I was trying to absolutely SHRED that ball to pieces. GRRRRR… RRRRRR… rrrrrffffff… I thought that I had only been chewing on my toy for a few minutes when I heard Carrie’s key jiggling at the front door. Instantly, I snapped back to reality, sitting up and dropping the ball onto my blanket. I felt dizzy after all that, and inexplicably euphoric. What the heck had I just done!? Where did that come from!? Did I seriously leave work early for that? Before long, Carrie peaked her head into my room. My face reddened as she saw me sitting on my bed, and the ball in front of me… a thin line of drool hanging from my mouth and connecting to the red object. “Uhh… you okay, Grazie? I asked why you didn’t ride home with me but you didn’t answer.” “Oh… I… got sick at work and… just forgot to check my phone. Sorry.” I nervously tried to hide the ball with my blanket, but I was too slow. “What’s that you got there?” Carrie raised an eyebrow as she flipped the covers back over, revealing my toy. She picked it up with a raised eyebrow. “That toy from yesterday? I thought you threw this thing out. And why is it… covered in bite marks?” She squeaked the ball, and the sound caused another wave of puppy bliss to wash over me, but I quickly forced it away. Why did that noise turn off my mind, when no other squeaky toy ever did? “It… was like that when I found it!” I crossed my arms. “I don’t know what you’re insinuating.” “Uh huh…” She wiped my saliva off the ball with a weirded out look. “Alright, I apologize for intruding. You’re free to indulge in whatever fantasies you may have and I won’t judge you. But at least close the door first, okay?” “What!? You think I’m into petplay!? No no no, it’s not like that!” “I don’t think any dog has bite marks in this shape.” Carrie grinned. “And you still have drool on your chin, dear.” I blushed more as I wiped my face. “No, no, y-you… you don’t get it!” I stuttered, looking at the ball, which still whispered to me as she held it. “There’s something seriously wrong! That isn’t a normal toy! It’s controlling me!” “...Grazie.” Carrie seemed caught between a laugh and pure confusion. “It’s a dog toy. It can’t control you. And it’s perfectly fine to be into that stuff. I’d be lying if I said I wasn-” “I swear, I absolutely swear, it is! I don’t know HOW, but it is! That ball is sentient somehow! Ever since I picked it up, it’s been talking to me! It forces me to chew on it! That’s what happened last night too.” I begged Carrie. “Come on. If this was a kink thing, surely I would have hidden it better!” “It talks to you?” She lifted the toy up to her ear. “Seems pretty quiet to me.” “It’s inside of my head. It was tearing my mind apart all day at work…” I sniffled. “I don’t have any proof, Carrie, but I swear it’s magic.” “Hmm…” My roommate looked between myself and my ball for a while, pondering. “Oh, I get it. This is a roleplay thing, isn’t it? This is your way of asking me to do something with you.” “What!? No it’s not!” I shook my head in embarrassment. “I’m telling you, the ball is enchanted! Or cursed. Or possessed. There’s SOMETHING screwed up with it!” “If it controls you, does that mean…” Carrie smirked and playfully waved the ball in front of my face. “Who’s a good girl? Does the good girl want her ball?” “That isn’t how it… how it…” As my mind processed her words, and my eyes focused on the toy, I could feel my mind slow down again. I knew I was meant to be alarmed about something but… it just seemed easier to relax and lean closer to the ball. “...How it… what was I saying again?” “You were about to say that you’re a good girl.” My roommate chuckled. “I…” Something felt wrong, but… thoughts about it wouldn’t get through. What reason did I have to think anyway? I ended up getting up onto all fours in front of Carrie, tongue out and breathing heavily. She would do the thinking for me! “I am a good girl.” “Does the good girl want her ball?” She bumped it against my nose and it squeaked! He he, that was a fun noise!... I nodded super quickly, making big, swirly eyes towards her. The room seemed to take on a pinkish shade, with everything revolving around the ball, and the one holding it. “That’s a good girl! I always had the hots for you, but you seemed like such a prude.” She laughed as she ruffled my hair and scratched behind my ears. “You could have just asked me, silly.” “Rrrrrrruffffff…” I squished my silly puppy face against her warm hand for a few seconds… before quickly pulling away. “Wait- Carrie, this isn’t funny! I wasn’t making that up!” “Does the puppy want to play fetch?” “Yes!” I instantly snapped back into brainless pet mode, tapping the bed beneath me. I panted super loudly, the amount of activity in my head dropping by the second. My mind was only useful for processing commands! “Go get the ball!” My owner tossed it into the living room. “Must fetch, must fetch, must fetch…” The whispering repeated in my ear. I was sent dashing into the other room, on all fours. It didn’t matter how dirty the tiles were or how clumsy I was, I had to get my ball! Carrie laughed as I picked up the toy in my mouth, before obediently turning around and walking back towards her. Squeak, squeak, squeak! She petted me more… she scratched my ears… she reminded me that I was a good puppy. And I just stood there, waiting for her next command, like a good puppy should. I loved my owner so much. Almost as much as I loved my favorite toy! “Woof! Arf!” Must fetch must fetch must fetch must fetch must fetch… --------------- We played for a long while, though my ability to tell time in that state was heavily impaired. Simply by holding the ball, Carrie commanded me to sit, roll over, bark, beg, and all kinds of other "tricks". Whenever she threw the ball, my mind was fully consumed by simplicity. Every time I chewed on that toy the addiction got worse, but interestingly, Carrie was always able to take it back and throw it again. I trusted her that she would not steal it from me. I woke up a few hours later on the couch, curled up with a blanket over me, in a position that should be uncomfortable for a human. I slowly opened my eyes and mumbled, lightheaded from all the time spent with my mind floating. I could blurrily see all the past-evening city lights through the window. Carrie sat across from me. “How is my puppy?” She smiled. “Nnngh…” I rubbed my forehead. “I’m not your puppy… I… I wasn’t lying!” “You’re still trying to make me believe that? I thought I already got you convinced in the roleplay.” Carrie rolled her eyes and stood up. “Do you want your ball again?” She held the toy in front of me. “No, don’t! Get that thing away! Safe word! Safe word! SAFE WORD!” I shook my head at her, trying to draw my gaze from the red object. After a few more seconds of catching my breath, I continued. “Please don’t control me like that again! This is serious! Please, please, I beg of you to believe me. I am so utterly terrified. Forces beyond my understanding decided to mess with me! I can’t explain why but they are!” I teared up a bit. “Please, Carrie!” I could still hear the voices, but I assumed the silence hung heavy at that moment, from Carrie’s perspective. “You… you don’t seem keen on getting aftercare right now.” She sighed, looking downwards and kicking her legs. “Alright, I had a feeling you were way too willing. I’ll humor the idea of magic being real. You… didn’t actually enjoy any of that?” She seemed more emotional about that than the existence of the supernatural. “I mean… of course I did, Carrie.” I blushed and turned my head away. “It was incredibly relaxing, and you’d make a good dom. But my eyes were following the ball, not you. It was the one dominating me.” “I’ve been outdommed by a damn dog toy?” Carrie crossed her arms. “That was my first time ever getting to do this stuff in real life too.” “I’m sorry.” I said shyly, processing what this would mean for our friendship. However, there was a life-threatening matter at hand. “So will you help me get the toy out of my mind? Do you believe me now?” “Well, if it’s a cursed object…” Carrie got up and walked over to the kitchen portion of the room. “Surely we can just kill it. It’s made of rubber.” She grabbed a bread knife out of the drawer. “What if breaking it sets a demon free though?” I went over to the counter with Carrie. “If its goal was to be freed, why would it make you bark and ask for belly rubs?” Carrie laughed. “I-I’m not sure…” Her words made me embarrassed about the evening I could now only remember small snippets from. “It’s had me really rip my jaw into it though. Maybe it wants me to tear its rubbery prison open with my teeth. It might not know I have opposable thumbs and could just smash it with a hammer. Maybe it's used to dominating dogs, not humans.” “Would be a weird strategy on its part but… fine.” Carrie put the knife away. “Well, I presented my idea. Do you have anything better?” “Last night I couldn’t resist it because I knew it was sitting out in the living room. During work today I knew it was waiting right at home. So to force myself to stop thinking about it, it’s gotta be far away from me. I say we go out in the forest and bury it.” “You sure that you want to bury your favorite toy, puppy?” She smiled. “Sh…shut up. I need to. I can’t just let it control me! You saw what it reduced me to earlier. It needs to stay out of my reach if I want to forget it.” “I guess that I’ll just have to woo you over without any magical influences.” Carrie mumbled. “Alright, but there’s no way I’m getting my shovel out and going in the woods at this hour.” “Tomorrow.” I nodded. “I should probably get some more sleep anyway…” “Good night then. Oh, and don’t forget this.” She tossed the ball to me, which I caught with a sigh. “Thanks…” --------------- Squeak… squeak… squeak… Your body is mine. My body is yours. Your impure brain will melt and your memories will fade. My impure brain will melt and my memories will fade. You are now just another extension of a greater mind. An individual complex is not useful for a vessel such as yourself to wield. I am now just- “Grazieeee, get up. We have an early bus to catch!” I woke to the sound of Carrie opening my bedroom door. I was instantly plunged out of my dream and back into the real world. “Mlph…” I slowly sat up, rubbing my eyes. I was so focused on the incredibly strange dream that it took me a while to realize that I still had my ball in my mouth. I had drooled on the pillow even more than the previous night. I spit it out and wiped my face, which was something I was starting to get used to. “Thanks for waking me.” I finally said. “We should head out soon, if we want to bury that toy before work.” “Yeah. I’ll get ready.” Brushing my teeth, showering, and eating a quick breakfast gave me enough energy despite having woken up early. Obviously there wasn’t time for a morning jog, but I’d get the fresh air anyway while out with Carrie. There was still a slight air of awkwardness between us, or at least for me. I was just grateful that Carrie didn’t take things even further while she had complete control over me. She did seem happy about playing dom, but I had to trust her to not take advantage of the ball’s power again. She could have me begging at her knees so easily. Anyone could, if they managed to get a hold of that rubber artifact. As we prepared to leave, she got a shovel from the closet, and I retrieved the saliva-soaked ball. The urge to gnaw on it was like looking at my favorite dish while being hungry. The whispering was way louder than it was the first night. That sensation of incompleteness whenever I wasn’t chewing on it was worse too, making my mouth feel numb. My tongue wasn’t comfortable. I wanted to squeak it with my teeth one last time, but I was scared that I’d forget to spit it out by the time we reached the bus. The ride was much longer than our usual route to work, as Carrie and I embarked to the other side of town, hopefully far enough to drown out the ball’s temptation. We got off in a suburban neighborhood, with tons of trails nearby leading into the wilderness. Plenty of space for a random toy to be buried and forgotten for a millenia. We hiked out of town for about ten minutes, before going a little ways from the trail. We chose an unremarkable spot surrounded by bushes in hopes of them growing over the burial spot in a few years. The little shovel broke through the ground nicely, and we dug a foot or so down before assuming it was deep enough. “Time to seal this thing away once again.” I held the ball tightly and squeaked it one last time before dropping it into the pit. “Closer to hell, where it came from.” “I’m gonna be so mad if you made this all up, and had me come all the way out here for nothing.” Carrie said as she piled the dirt onto the toy, covering it until the hole was filled up. She patted the resulting mound in satisfaction, making it look inconspicuous. “I wasn’t making it up. And seriously, thank you for coming with me.” “Any time. We should get out more often.” “At least this forced us to interact more. I never would have known that you liked girls.” I said with a smile as we walked back to the bus stop together, leaving the toy behind. “I do like girls, but not ones that are possessed by random objects they found in the park.” Carrie chuckled. “Well, that won’t apply to me from now on.” "But feel free to reenact that as a future roleplay, darling. You were fun to order around." “Heh…” As we sat at the bus stop, I thought about the previous night. Now that the panic had receded, I was able to appreciate the amount of work she put into taking care of me. That was a type of warmth that I didn’t want to let go of, even if I was saying goodbye to the ball… I eventually built up the courage to reach over and hold her hand. She then rested her head on my shoulder and smiled at me warmly. I leaned back on her. It all felt natural. Maybe I did have a bit of puppy love in me…