[Story] Growing Equine Nose Has Her in Distress (Patreon)

Update! Animated version.

Image based on my wife :)

It started as a tickle.

Just under the bridge of her nose, like a phantom itch she couldn’t reach. At first, Erin thought it was nothing—dry skin maybe, or one of those subtle, invisible zits that felt deeper than they looked. But the sensation lingered.

By the next morning, her nose felt tender to the touch. A faint puffiness had set in—barely noticeable in the mirror, but she could feel it.

Over the next few days, the bridge began to broaden. Her once-narrow nose spread outward, almost imperceptibly at first. Then the tip started to push down and out, losing its gentle slope and taking on a rounder, heavier shape. The nostrils widened, no longer neat ovals but stretched, soft openings that flared more with every breath.

The skin changed too. It grew thicker, more textured. A subtle crease formed along each side where her nose met her cheeks—faint folds that deepened each morning she woke up. Wrinkles lined her massive septum. Fine little bristles rose along her upper lip. And she had fucking alar folds! 

And god, the smell.

She could smell everything. Food in sealed containers. The mildew in her neighbor’s walls. Her own sweat, sour and changing. Her brain processed them all with startling clarity and it was overwhelming.

Breathing had become louder. Snorting, sometimes. She couldn't help it.

She avoided mirrors. She avoided people. Thanks to COVID, she got away with wearing a facemask for a while. But eventually her nose was too big to convincingly hide. She stopped going into work. She stopped replying to friends.

She hadn’t left her apartment in days.

Distressingly, there were moments she liked it. Where she liked how she looked. Moments she leaned into her reflection, traced the swollen edges of her nostrils with something close to awe, and snorted on purpose to watch those nostrils flare even wider.

Then the moment would pass and the shame would hit her like a wave.

Now she sat in silence, wrapped in a blanket, scrolling through medical forums, fringe Reddit threads, Twitter, even conspiracy blogs—anything that might give her a clue. No one else seemed to be going through this. No one had answers.

What if it didn’t stop?

What if her mouth started changing? Her eyes? Her body? What if this thing wasn’t finished with her?

She turned off her phone, and in the reflection, caught sight of that grotesque thing that had overtaken her face.

Erin swallowed hard and sobbed into her hands. She could feel her moist, fleshy nose in her palms and that made her cry even harder. 

She didn’t know what to do.