No Purchase Required

The shop in the mall was strange. People often talked about visiting it, then finding it had mysteriously vanished, only for someone else to find it again the very next week. With all the legends and warnings surrounding it, Bryce had his skepticism maxed out when he finally stumbled across it.

The old man behind the counter asked Bryce many questions, but he was elusive. Bryce knew what this shop did, but he couldn’t even admit to himself what he wanted. He had been the stereotypical muscle-bound jock throughout college and confessing his secret desire to be a woman was something he still couldn’t say aloud.

Despite not buying anything, Bryce was a decent man, and the old man granted his wish anyway.

Bryce didn’t even noticed the changes as they happen, only finally seeing his final reflection in a store window after they were done. This was the exact opposite of everything he once was, and he couldn’t be happier about it.

Talented Young Apprentice

“Well, this is very unusual,” The old man mused, “Not only did you find my shoppe again, but you are here to thank me for your purchase? And yet you seem to lucid and aware of everything that happened to you? Were you not bothered by transforming into a woman?”

Jason shrugged, “Why would I be? There’s nothing wrong with being a woman; I quite prefer it. And unlike most of your customers, I actually sought you out. The reputation of Spell’R’Us is legendary. But the really big difference is that I’m not some novice. I may have hidden it from you when we first met, but magic practically runs in my blood. I could simply split the elements of the magic apart -- let myself become female without also becoming some dumb bimbo.”

“But...the magic cannot be destroyed. The bimbo part -- the stupidity -- it had to go somewhere.”

“Oh, it did. And I’m sure you might be feeling a little less...sharp? It’s not usual for someone even a fraction of your age. What are you now? A thousand? Two? A little dimentia is probably long overdue...”

“Why you little, cun---”

“Talented young apprentice? I surely am. And I will happily assist you in your shop as your mind slowly fades from you, and take it over when you retire, which you should consider sooner rather than later, to enjoy the time you have left...”

Spells 'R Us 2.0 (Part 3)

View Part 1 of Spells R Us 2.0.
View Part 2 of Spells R Us 2.0.

For a while, Connor called the store every day to see if the tablet was back in stock. Then he shifted to about once a week. After a while, it seemed like the store wasn’t even picking up the phone anymore. Finally, one day he called and an automated voice said the number was not in service.

Connor got on the bus and headed to the mall. The electronics store was gone. It was like it never existed. He tried to go to a different store, thinking he might be able to buy the tablet elsewhere. That’s when things got really weird. The other stores hadn’t even heard abotu the tablet before; it was like he had made it all up in his head.

Yet Connor knew that tablet existed; he was sure it’s what caused him to be in this body. He once again fond himself walking the mall to think about it. Walking was much harder this time.

While Elena had filled him in on a lot, she had no way to know she was pregnany when they swapped. And Connor didn’t even realize he was missing periods. By the time he knew, it was much too late to do anyting about. Elena’s parents yelled at him; they talked about a boyfriend Connor had never met. Connor guessed Elena had broken up with him not long before the swap. He couldn’t believe he was likely stuck like this for the rest of his life! He was now Elena, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Spells 'R Us 2.0 (Part 2)

View Part 1 of Spells R Us 2.0.

After sharing information with Elena, Connor spent the next several hours thinking about the life he was going to be stuck with for the next few months. He mostly wandered the halls of the mall, as he didn’t want to go back to Elena’s home. She was just a few years older than he was, but still lived with her parents. She had a crappy minimum wage job that made him wonder why she even bothered to reach for the expensive tablet.

He did his best to avoid thinking too negatively about the life he was stuck with, but he still blamed her for the swap. If she just hadn’t tried to fight him while reaching for that tablet, none of this would have happened!

What may have been worse was thinking about the life he wouldn’t have for the next few months. He’d miss out on a piece of his college education, a gleeful time in the dorms and attending parties!

And, of course, as he walked, the fact that he was now a woman sunk in as well. He could tell he was holding himself and walking differently. And then there were the comments. Rude jerks would just hit on him. It’s what eventually drove him to finally leave to go back to Elena’s place. Of course, he had to take the bus! Ugh!

Spells 'R Us 2.0 (Part 1)

The latest tablet was sold out everywhere. But a single display model remained at one electronics store that Connor and Elena saw at the same time. They could both tell the other was eyeing it, and they began to fight and reach for it. Elena pulled Connor’s arm back as he reached for it with the other. As the fought, the tablet began to glow and eventually shot out sparks at the dueling shoppers.

It only took a few moments later for Connor and Elena to realize they had swapped bodies. Correctly assuming the sparking tablet had been responsible, they attempted to recreate the events that lead to the swap.

Connor (now in Elena’s body) held on to Elena’s arm. Elena reached with the other for the tablet. But instead of swapping them back, it shattered.

“What the heck did you do?” Connor whispered, not wanting to cause a scene.

“I didn’t even touch it!” Elena protested.

“Excuse me! Excuse me!” Connor said raising his voice, hoping to catch the attention of a clerk.

An older gentleman finally came around.

“Yes,” Connor addressed the old man, “We were wondering if you had another one of these...in the back or something?”

The old man put his glasses to look at the device and adjusted his nametag on his vest, which almost appeared long enough to be a robe. “This model?” He said, “I’m afraid it’s on back order. It will be weeks before we get more. Maybe months.”

“Can you fix this one?” Elena asked, “We’ll pay double...or triple!”

“I’m afraid not,” The old man replied, “The only solution here is to just be patient and wait.”

A Totally Radical Change

On a brisk fall day in 1983, Scott was walking through the mall when he stumbled across a strange old shop he had never seen before. The neon sign read “Spells ‘r Us,” and the only person working seemed to be a strange old man.

The old man began to describe some items to Scott, who was soon distracted by some young woman walking by outside the store. “Your curious what it would be like, aren’t you?” The old man asked.

Somehow Scott knew exactly what he meant. “Yeah,” He confessed.

“Well, you are in luck, as turning men into women is just my specialty,” The old man said, being unnaturally honest, “But I can see the hesitation in your eyes. Tell you what -- How about you put down a $50 deposit, and you can try out a woman’s body for 24 hours. If you don’t like it, come back tomorrow to get your money back and be transformed back into your old male self.”

Scott slapped down the money and was instantly transformed. He had an absolutely fantastic time as a woman the rest of the day, chatting with other women, trying on clothes at stores, an even buying one outfit to wear the next day.

But when he woke up the next morning, he had a bit of regret, realizing he wanted his old body and life back. As he drove back to the mall, things seemed strange and different. The parking lot was empty and many of the stores had suddenly shuttered overnight. One of the few teenagers lingering in the mall gave Scott a sneer as they passed each other. “The 80s called, they want their trends back,” The teen shouted.

Luckily, Spells ‘r Us was still there. Scott approached the old man and said, “I’d like my deposit back, please. And my body back.”

The old man squinted, “Who are -- oh! Now I recognize you! My dear, you are over 40 years too late! You needed to come back in the next day for any returns. There’s nothing I can do, I’m afraid.”

Cosplay

The four nerdy friends had all agreed to go to ComicCon together dressed as characters from Dragon Ball. Sam and Bill showed up first, dressed as Goku and Gohan. Neal drove up next (he was giving them all a ride); he was dressed as Trunks. They were just waiting on Gordon when a woman walked by in a perfect cosplay of Bulma.

Neal stumbled as he spoke to her, “Uh, we’re waiting for, uh, our friend, but you can come along if you want...to the, uh, ComicCon!”

The woman turned and smiled, “Relax, guys, it’s me, Gordon.”

The other three were floored and demanded an explanation. It wasn’t just that this was a perfect cosplay of Bulma; it was that their overweight, white, male friend Gordon now looked like a skinny Asian woman!

“I bought the costume at this weird shop in the mall. You guys had picked all the best characters, and the old guy who sold it to me told me this outfit would be jawdropping. He was right! I mean, if you could see yourselves! When I opened it up this morning; I always didn’t put it on. It was a girl’s outfit, right? And it didn’t look like it would fit. But it did. It transformed me literally to make it all work. Everything you see is real now...and even some of the parts you can’t! I didn’t expect to like this when it happened, but on the walk over here...Well, it’s amazing how nice people are to attractive women. I think I’m really going to enjoy ComicCon today. And I should thank that old man at the mall...”

Kpop Star (Part 3)

View Part 1 of Kpop Star.
View Part 2 of Kpop Star.

While the concert had been fun, living Kim Soo’s life back in Korea was completely surreal for Jason. For starters, her handlers made almost every decision. They told him what to wear and where to go. The schedule with media appearances, parties, and other happenings made the concert seem relaxing by comparison. Security would often keep him at a significant distance from the general public, except for a few select autograph signings and other such events. He couldn’t believe how controlled Kim Soo’s life was, which was now his life, and there didn’t seem to be any way out of it!

Kpop Star (Part 2)

View Part 1 of Kpop Star.

Jason had assumed he would swap back to his own body right after the concert -- which went surprisingly well; he nailed the lyrics and somehow even the dancing -- however, instead he was rushed by Kim Soo’s management team to her hotel room. He felt nervous when he changed into more casual clothing, as it felt like he was violating Kim Soo’s privacy. Being in someone else’s body made sleeping difficult; in fact, he ended up staying up all night. Mostly he watched TV, but he also had a lot of time to think. Was he ever going to swap back to his own body? Maybe when he was finally able to sleep? He didn’t know if this was a dream come true or a nightmare. He loved being able to attend the concert, and it was even better experiencing it from a first person point of view, but did he want to be Kim Soo forever? But did he even have any sort of choice in the matter? As he thought about it, there was a knock on the door. He was going to need to catch a plane back to Korea.

Kpop Star

Jason was a big fan of Kim Soo, the kpop star going on her first American tour, but tickets were through the roof and sold out faster than anyone could imagine. All he could do was hope there would be a next time.

However, shortly before the show, he was at the mall and spied a store he had never seen before that had an advertisement for Kim Soo tickets in the window. It didn’t seem like the type of store to sell tickets; it was mostly filled with old junk. Jason became even more skeptical when the white-haired man behind the counter said he only had one ticket left, for the final day of tour, and that it was only $10. Jason was pretty sure it was a scam, but for $10? He threw it down and entered his email, with the assurances from the man.

Each day Jason waited for an email that never arrived. The final night of Kim Soo’s tour came, and there was still nothing, but Jason oddly felt himself tired quite early and collapsed asleep on the couch. He awoke to cheers and shouts. He was backstage at a concert, Kim Soo’s concert! He hadn’t remembered seeing the tickets or traveling to the venue, but somehow he was here! And backstage on top of it all! He was psyched! He decided to take a selfie of the experience, and pulled out his phone. In the phone’s frame was Kim Soo! He looked behind him, thinking she’d be there, but he soon realized she was in his selfie because he was in Kim Soo’s body! Panic began to set in. How did this happen? How was he now Kim Soo? He was sure he knew the lyrics well enough to perform this concert, but the dance moves? Could he pull this off?

Cute Things

George always had a hard time buying gifts for his wife. He always wished he could get her something great, but it never turned out that way. This year, he was determined to get her a great gift for her birthday, and he ended up coming across an odd store he never saw before at the mall. It told various trinkets and antiques that he thought his wife would enjoy. The old man behind the counter disagreed and said George didn’t understand women at all. George scoffed, asking the old man what he knew.

The old man offered to sell George an item, a small pill that would allow any man to understand women better. For $5, George figured what did he have to lose? He paid the man and went to the food court to get a drink to take the pill. A few sips of soda, and he swallowed it. With a magical puff, he was transformed into a woman (though no one around seemed to notice). He thought about stormed back into the store to be transformed back, but his head was suddenly filled with all sorts of things he knew a woman like himself would enjoy. He went to work buying all sorts of things for his wife with a big smile on his face.

When he was done, he knew he still needed to get back to normal, so he looked for the shop. It didn’t seem to be where he remembered it. He checked the directory; it did not even seem to be listed! A little bit of panic set in. He was going to be stuck like this! However, his mindset quickly shifted. It wouldn’t be so bad. He had already bought himself so many cute things for himself today; being stuck like this only meant he was going to be able to buy so many more!

Getting to Know You

I have to admit that I’ve never been a great father. After my ex-wife and I got divorced, I wasn’t around much. I finally tried to contact my son, Derek, once he got to high school, but he didn’t want much to do with me. To start, the kid was a bit of a dork. He was into gaming and Star Trek and all that. It wasn’t like my own high school, which had been mostly filled with football and drinking behind the bleachers.

It wasn’t until late in his senior year when I developed a plan to try to get to know him better. A buddy had stolen a weird magic spell from an odd shop at the mall. You simply receited some words, and you could transform your own body into any form you chose! It seemed like pure fantasy, but, dammit, it worked! After forging papers showing I was 18 and in district then transforming myself, suddenly there was a new senior girl in school!

I know what you’re thinking. A girl? Me? Yeah, it seems out of character, but remember, my son’s a dork. There was no way he had a girlfriend. How could he resist a pretty girl asking him to prom? It seemed easier to get close to him this way than trying to connect as a bro -- the kid had no interest in watching sports anyway!

And it worked! Derek started telling me everything about school and boring D&D games he played and whatnot. I’d transform into “Gwen,” go to school, and transform back to normal. When prom night came, I transformed into Gwen again, complete with a dress (cheaper than buying). We had a great time. All evening Derek was a perfect gentleman, never coming too close when we danced and only giving me a small peck on the cheek at the end of the night. Considering I was his date, this was the first time I was trankful he wasn’t the type of guy I was in high school. He dropped me off (a few blocks from my actual place), and I went to transform back. The only problem? The spell stopped working! Unless I could figure something else out, I was stuck as Gwen!

A Life Story

Ever since that one day 40 years ago, Daniel had regretted going into that weird store in the mall. Amber, his date, had wanted to avoid it, but he felt compelled and talked her into it. The old man working the register gave Daniel a small compact mirror for doing makeup, which felt odd since Daniel was a guy and didn’t wear makeup. He tried giving it back, saying he didn’t want to pay for it, but the old man insisted it was no charge and that he absolutely must take it for himself and himself alone. He shrugged.

Almost immediately after leaving, he decided to give the compact to Amber. As soon as she touched it, she frozen in place becoming a lifeless husk with a pink mist floating into the compact. Daniel panicked and touched her arm, causing a similar mist to whaff from his body to hers. His own body now went limp as he was in control of Amber now.

Every day, he kept the compact with him, hoping he’d be able to somehow give Amber her life back. Even as the years passed with Amber’s body getting wrinkles and her hair turning gray, he’d often speak to the compact, believing Amber to be inside and make a promise to find a way while living the best possible life as her she could imagine. And one day as he did this, finally the mist returned. But instead of returning to Amber’s body, it seemed to eminate up into the air, into nothing. Daniel considered it an affirmation, as if being told he had done a good job being Amber and to continue the rest of this life just as well.

Gifted

Mike never would’ve described himself as a good father. He didn’t even know he was a father until an ex of his contacted him on his daughter’s two year old birthday. He tried to just ignore her existence, and even that worked for another year or two. He tried a bit, but his heart just wasn’t into the girlie things his daughter wanted to do. On her fourth birthday, he figured he’d just buy her a nice present and be done with the child.

He wasn’t quite sure what compelled him to stop in the odd shop or why he was drawn to the music box with a ballerina inside. But it was a reasonable enough price, and the exactly the sort of thing his girlie daughter would love. On her birthday, he gave her the gift and simply headed out, thinking he’d never see her again. He was wrong.

The next morning, he awoke on a wooden floor with pink fluffy pillows all around. The light in the room seemed to be shaped like a keyhole. He quickly realized he was wearing silver heels, a pink tutu, and a tiara. He looked for a door, but there seemed to be no way out. Mike was panicking when a floor of light shone in the room. He felt compelled to dance, and he couldn’t stop himself from giving a robotic ballet performance to tinny music. As he looked around, he could see his young daughter towering over him, and he realized the horror of his situation. He was the miniaturized ballerina in his daughter’s music box!

Retail Therapy

Jason peaked into the store window. The antique shop he visited last year was long gone, replaced with a store that sold trendy trinkets. He was sad that the old shop was gone; it had, after all, quite literally changed his life. Before being gifted a curious item from the former shop’s owner, he was a quiet, boring guy. But the item literally transformed him into a woman. Suddenly, he was seemingly much more able to express himself. He dyed his hair, he bought cute clothes; he felt talkative and began to love to laugh.

Seeing the old place was gone seemed like a tragedy, but then he noticed a cute pair of shoes in the window of the new store and quickly lost his nostalgia. His feet would look so cute in those once he bought them!

Winter Market (Part 4)

Click here for Part 1.
Click here for Part 2.
Click here for Part 3.

Joanna walked through the market looking for the perfect item to buy herself. She needed a pick me up after being dumped by her boyfriend. She spied a ring at a small stand called Spellsarous.

“That’s a fine item,” The old man working there said as Joanna picked it up, “In fact, there was a young man here just a few minutes ago who seemed quite interested in it. I think he planned to buy it for his girlfriend.”

“Don’t think you’re going to talk me up with a high pressure sales pitch,” Joanna laughed.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” The old man replied with a smile, “In fact, I’m pretty sure he won’t be back. And, in fact, it’s on the house.”

“Really?” Joanna smiled, thinking it was her lucky day. And in a way it was, she was already much happier as Joanna than she had ever been as John...

Winter Market (Part 3)

Click here for Part 1.
Click here for Part 2.

John paused on his heels. It was here; it had to be. If he couldn’t find it; he’d never get his body back. But the details of the stand were starting to fade in his mind. The old man with a white beard soon became a white lur in his head, but then he couldn’t remember what the person working the stand looked like at all -- or even if anyone was there working. The name of the stand, Spellsarous, soon shortened in his head to Spells-R-Us before becoming just Spells, and then nothing at all.

But it started getting worse. John noticed he was no longer feeling upset about his ex-girlfriend, but he also realized he couldn’t even think of her name. Other details of his life seemed to be fading as well, but they were soon replaced by others. The last thing he could remember about his old life was his name, John, but that didn’t seem right. She was Joanna...

Winter Market (Part 2)

Click here for Part 1.

It had to be around here somewhere. John couldn’t recall quite where the stand was, but he was sure t was nearby. He tried to remember some of the details. There had been an old man with a beard working the booth, and the name was something like Spellsarous. He wasn’t quite sure what that meant, but he was sure he could find it. It had to be here. He was pretty sure it was right here, yet it was nowhere in sight.

Winter Market (Part 1)

With just a little bit of time before the holidays, John was feeling a little depressed. His girlfriend had recently dumped him, and he had no one. He thought buying her a gift might convince her to come back, and he headed to an outdoor holiday market to find something.

He eventually spied a few rings at one of the booths. He picked it up and looked at it. For a moment, he thought it would be perfect. Then his heart sank. He knew she wasn’t coming back. He’d need a fresh start. The only way he’d ever have a chance was to be a completely different person. And just for a second, he wished he was.

He felt strange and suddenly realized he was no longer at the market. It would seem his passing wish had actually come true, and he was now, in fact, a completely different person! Even odder, the person he now was happened to be a woman! It had to be that ring! He needed to get back to that stand and wish for his own body back!

No One Believes in Magic Anymore (Part 2)

Click here for Part 1.

Calvin knew he needed to hurry, but he took another minute to look at his reflection. He was feeling such a mix of emotions right now. For one thing, he was happy to have found actual magic in the world -- seeing Miranda’s image looking back at him was proof of that. Of course, he did feel a little silly for imagining Miranda in these revealing clothes. He could’ve pictured her wearing jeans and a t-shirt or pajamas or whatever. Instead he picked...this. He felt confused that the cloak had just disappeared. And he felt panicked that the store would close soon, and he’d be stuck like this for the night. He didn’t wait another minute as he rushed out the door.

He drove downtown by where he swore the shop was, yet instead there only seemed to be a storefront that read “For Rent.” It looked like the owner had been trying to rent it out for years. He thought he might have the wrong street, as he headed down a few turns to no avail.

He took deep breaths. It had taken him years of studying magic to find anything magical. But if he had found magical items once, he could find them again. He was just fretting that he’d have to search while looking like this. He’d have to learn how to be a woman; he’d have to buy an entirely new wardrobe...maybe he should search for that store just a little bit longer. It has to be around here somewhere, right? Unless...it disappeared...like...magic...