Die Verschollene

Origin
Franz Kafka (1883 - 1924) was a German-language writer of novels and short stories who was widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fused elements of realism and the fantastic by isolating his protagonists by placing them in bizarre, surrealistic predicaments and incomprehensible social-bureaucratic powers. Mostly he explored themes of alienation, existential anxiety, guilt and absurdity.

Die Verschollene (Translated to The Metamorphosis or The Transformation) is one of Kafka's most well known novellas. The story is about a traveling salesman who wakes up one morning to find himself transforming into an insect-like creature. The cause is never revealed and the story then follows the salesman's attempts to adjust and the realization that he has become a burden to his parents and sister. This novella is, to this day, still discussed and studied in colleges and universities all across the Western World.

Effects
Reader turns into an insect, transformation is painful and if they reach the cocoon stage is irreversible