Vignettes - I'm Back

Yes, I'm back. I've had a major case of writer's block. So to shake it off, I've written a few shorter stories. I can't say it's majorly helped, but I'd like to think (and hope!) that you'll hear from me again much sooner than this last gap!

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Halloween Costumes

Victor sat sulking in his room. Downstairs, he could hear the muffled buzz of activity as his brother prepared the house for the evening's festivities. Their parents were gone for the weekend and Lewis was going all out for Halloween and throwing a huge party, inviting practically everyone in town. Everyone but Victor. He asked to join, begged even, but Lewis was adamant that he wasn't allowed to join in the fun.

While Victor scrolled through YouTube to find a suitable unboxing video to take his mind off of the party, there was a knock at his bedroom door. Lewis entered almost immediately after, holding a flat cardboard box with a bold symbol on top for a store called Costume Plaza. "Hey, it's almost time for the party. You'd better suit up."

Victor sat up rigid. "You said I wasn't allowed to come!"

"Yeah, well I thought about what you said last night and decided that I'd take you up on your offer." He dumped the box on Victor's bed and turned to leave. "You'd better hurry, Bobby's already on his way."

Victor scrambled for the box and tore open the packaging. He cocked his head, confused. It was a black T-shirt, scruffy jeans, and a pair of sunglasses. After pulling everything out to ensure that was the costume, he found a small slip of paper. "Bouncer..." he read aloud. He recalled saying that he could man the door to the party, an obvious joke given how he was at least half the age and the size of all of the party attendees. Surely Lewis wasn't serious... Victor chuckled and mumbled aloud, "I don't know why he bothered. I have all this stuff in my wardrobe."

Still, Victor felt a weird urge to put the costume on. he felt a little embarrassed as he slipped the clothes on and they swamped him. Was this some sort of joke? Well at least the sunglasses would cover his shame, he thought as he slipped them onto his face.

The moment the lenses touched his face, he felt a jolt down his spine and found himself frozen in place. He winced in pain as his body inflated to match the costume size. He almost doubled his height while his body rapidly packed on the pounds, swelling up with thick muscle. His face itched as it squared off and prickly hairs crept across his cheeks. Finally, he felt a cool breeze as all the hair shed from his head. The moment he could move, Victor spun around and threw open his wardrobe, gasping as he looked in the mirror. He stared dumbstruck at the buff, bearded man reflected back. He felt his smooth scalp and his furry face. Then his massive muscles. 

Captions

I've been having a bit of writer's block recently, so I thought instead of doing longer stories, I'd make some shorter captioned stories instead. I used a randomiser to pick out some pictures I have saved to see what I could come up with.

(Age Progression, Teen > Middle Age)

So let me go over the plan one last time. You want me to act as your dad so I can convince the school to let you join the drama club trip to New York despite the fact you're not a member? I dunno man, it's pretty convoluted. Wouldn't it be easier to join the club? We could always use another stagehand. It's just... This is different from playing a role, the costume has literally made me a father figure. Besides, what if they know what your dad looks like? We barely resembled each other before I grew up, and I definitely don't look like him now. No offence but I have more hair than him, I'm in much better shape, and I'm far more handsome too... Damn, I grew up to be awesome... Yeah yeah, I know! It's only "temporary", but can't I take a few minutes to check out the goods before I have to... Sigh, fine! But after I've nailed my greatest role by convincing the school board it would be discriminatory to not let you go on the trip, I'm taking advantage of this opportunity. We did split the costume fee after all, and I'm going to get my money's worth. I wonder if I can get into a bar without ID...

Vignettes: Black Friday

For the first time ever, the Magic Curiosities Emporium is having its very own Black Friday sale, and it's all thanks to me. It's been a few years since Master Mitawi offered me the opportunity to work under him as his apprentice. Well, more like forced me after aging me thirty-something years and refusing to turn me back into a teenager, but that's water under the bridge! I've grown to enjoy my line of work, and I've improved in my own magical skills. In fact, it was me who suggested we join the other shops in Black Friday. Mitawi was unconvinced, until I explained how we could deliver magic while reducing waste. We have so much junk in storage, stuff we couldn't even give away because it doesn't work right, or needs to be disposed of properly, or could be "dangerous" if you sold it and how could you even suggest giving a child one of... Ahem... So, we're having a little clearance sale while it's the right time for it.

The bulk of our clearance comes from expired potions. Yup, even potions have use-by dates and when they're no longer viable for consumption, we have a very delicate and complicated process of neutralising the effects before dumping them. Because the potions are still magic, and will still do what's intended. It's just that they come bundled with unwanted side effects. Or maybe it's a welcome side effect, It depends on who you ask. We do also have the occasional non-potion item on sale as well. Products we can't sell due to them being packaged wrong, or they don't work quite as intended. Normally they'd be locked away until their magical properties wear off. Now we're selling them at highly discounted prices! We've made quite a few sales today, which made my master happy, and of course, the ensuing chaos we created was a fun bonus.

Vignettes: Halloween Costumes

Miles entered Costume Plaza with awe. He'd never seen so many costumes in his life! He didn't know where to begin looking. He was eventually drawn to a rack near the entrance labelled "LAST MINUTE COSTUMES!". He swept through the rack, until he discovered a bag filled with army wear, labelled "Demolition Hawk". The name sounded somewhat familiar to him. Curious,  he brought the bag into the changing room to jog his memory. He pulled on a long pair of camouflage pants, slipped on the large, heavy boots, and stuck the helmet on his head. However, it seemed like an incomplete costume. Where was the shirt?

His question was answered when he felt a sudden pressure inside his body. He felt himself lurch up to the ceiling, almost doubling in height. Then his body burst outwards with pounds of muscle. His chest comically inflated like balloons into perfect slabs of luscious meat, while his stomach pulsated until a beautiful pair of abs emerged from within. His arms and legs swelled up in quick succession, growing to almost unrealistic proportions. Dark tattoos pierced through his skin, elaborately decorating his right arm and torso. His jawline reshaped itself into a squared off visage, finished off with a perfectly manicured beard.

Astonished, Miles ran a hand across his meaty body, feeling his plump pecs. He traced a finger across the tattoos that adorned his bicep, involuntarily flexing his arm in the process. He looked familiar somehow. He stroked his chin partially in thought, and partially to scratch his facial hair. Suddenly, he remembered. Demolition Hawk! From that gritty 90s army cartoon! He used to watch it with his dad all the time before he started school. He had always admired Demo, always wanted to be like him when he grew up. "Guess I got my wish" he said in a low, rumbling voice, flexing his arm with a grin. Hopefully the Halloween event didn't have too strict of a dress code.

Vignettes: Easter Egg Hunt

The time had come, the doors opened, and families eagerly entered the small, antique store to participate in the Easter egg hunt. It had existed on this road for generations, yet few people knew it previously existed let alone entered its doors. Nobody could imagine they would enter into a beautiful, awe-inspiring garden that extended well past the confines of the store's actual floor plan. You could easily forget you were inside a building at all, with the towering trees and natural sunlight flooding the area, until you stumbled across a brick wall slathered with vines.

Hidden throughout the exotic, extravagant foliage were plenty of small and colourful eggs, the goal of the event. They were everywhere. Chocolate eggs, plastic eggs filled with jelly beans, even a few boiled eggs for comedic effect. There were also some special golden eggs dotted throughout the large room. These glamorous eggs had attached instructions to find The Apprentice, the burly shop assistant whose festive bunny ears did little to soften his natural surly expression, who would help unlock its prize. Excited participants seeked down the man, and handed him their eggs.

"These are very special, magic objects that contain whatever you desire" he dully recited with a memorised speech. "Chocolate bunnies, candy eggs, turkish delight, whatever you want, anything at all, you will receive it". Most people picked out their favourite brand of candy, some even tried asking for something more obscure to see what would happen. The Apprentice would crack open the egg and poof! Whatever they asked for appeared in his palm in a puff of smoke.

However, a few people noticed the loophole in this trick. The wishing eggs could grant anything you desire. And anyone who spotted it received a rare smile from The Apprentice, because this meant he could have some fun. Wishes were one of the easiest forms of magic to master after all, and also the easiest to manipulate. This gave him the chance to put his skills to the test, and maybe have a bit of fun with the few who wanted more than just chocolate this Easter.

Vignettes: New Perspectives

I was stuck babysitting my sister's little kid for the weekend while she went on some business trip abroad. He's such a pain in the ass, he keeps messing with all of my stuff and asking the stupidest questions. I got sick of it after he almost totalled my drum set so I sent him up to the guest room and told him he had to stay there the rest of the day. He was furious and threatened to break stuff but there ain't nothing valuable in there that I care about. A few hours of peace later, I hear a loud thud upstairs, followed by me desperately needing the loo. I rush to the bathroom and start my business when something scary happened. As I peed, I got smaller and thinner and hairless. I was terrified but I couldn't stop myself going. By the time I finished, I was some puny shrimp who looked to be about the kid's age. I was freaking out, even all my ink had vanished. Outside, I heard a deep laughter so I burst out the room and ran right into the belly of this stranger. He was a massive guy, even more-so at my new height, and he loomed over me with a wicked smile. I could see some similarities in the guy, like he was an uglier clone of me. He had on my underwear and chains. He had a big gut and a goatee like mine. Even the tattoos were like the ones I had. I had a sinking feeling I knew who he was, that the freak soon confirmed. Turns out that junk in the guest room weren't so useless after all as the kid found some sorta wishing stone. He wished we'd trade places so he was the uncle and I was his nephew . He lifted me up easily and dumped me in the guest room, saying I couldn't leave for the rest of the day before cackling and slamming the door. God I hope there's another of those things in here...

"OK I'll prove to you that it works! Give me a year" Phil said, preparing to type my answer onto the weird device he bought from a garage sale. He said it could change the age of the person who held it but I didn't believe him.

"Hmm... What about 1980?" I replied. "The same year my dad was born".

He nodded, quickly tapping the date into the device and turning the screen to me. It showed his current date of birth followed by the one he just added. "Now just watch what happens". He pressed the button atop the device, then shoved it into his pocket. Nothing happened. I was about to brag about being right when a burst of electricity jumped from his pocket and surrounded him. I fell backwards in surprise as Phil literally aged years in seconds. His shirt tore apart as he sprouted up with height and muscle. His jeans fared better but the legs still split down the seams and the buttons flew off. Within moments, he'd grown from a pimply middle-schooler to a hirsute adult, towering over me with a wide grin on his bestubbled face. "So what do you think now?" he asked smugly in a rough baritone instead of his usual squeaky voice.

I stared at him bewildered for a moment, processing that the bear of a man before me really was my best friend Phil. Finally, I replied "Can I have a go?".

I didn't know why I was suddenly a boy again, but I knew I had to find my son to make sure he was OK. The beach wasn't busy yet I couldn't see him anywhere. Finally I found a secluded area where I saw a naked man pacing about nervously. He looked familiar but surely it wasn't him.

"Whatamigonnado... Whatamig- AAH!" he covered himself with a pair of ripped swimming trunks when he saw me. "I wasn't naked! I mean I was but not on purpose, honest! My shorts ripped after... I know it's ridiculous but I used to be your age and... Of course I used to, but I mean..."

"Oh my god" I interrupted. I knew that nervous speech pattern anywhere. "Rick? Is that really you?"

He stopped at the mention of his name. "How do you know my name?"

"Ricky, it's me. Your dad"

He looked more confused than ever. "Daddy?" he asked. He crouched down and squinted at me. "But you're so little!".

"Yeah, and you're so big. What the heck happened to us?"

Rick sat next to me on the sand and shrugged. "I dunno. I was on the beach and out of nowhere, I just grew up. My shorts ripped so I found this place to hide. How about you?".

I sighed. "Pretty much the same. It's a mystery alright... And until we solve it, I guess we'll have to play the part. Here, put these on". I chucked him the swimming trunks I was holding up around my waist. He quickly pulled them on and handed me his tattered pair in exchange.

"What do you mean?"

"Well I can't be the man of the house looking like this. You're the tall one with the deep voice and the hairy chest. You'll have to pretend to be me, and I'll be you, until we find a way to fix things. So let's go home. Dad".

Rick giggled in excitement before retaining his poseur and giving me a stern look. "OK son" he said, delving back into laughter. Well at least one of us is happy I guess.

I played with the enchanted rings while my neighbour stripped out of his clothes. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"A bet's a bet, whatever the price. Hand it over". He snatched a ring from my hand and shimmied it over his cock and balls. I did the same and together, we spoke the words on the parchment. I could feel myself begin to get younger with every breath. I laughed giddily as my belly started to shrink. A newfound energy reared inside me and I almost leapt out of my wheelchair, confident I wouldn't need it now. I ran to a mirror and threw my glasses to the side as my vision cleared. I watched as my skin tightened and my hair grew back to its former auburn glory. It wasn't long before I was a young musclehead in my mid-twenties. I was bounding with energy, thrilled to be young again!

My neighbour, however, had the short end of the stick as he grew older with every breath. His muscles faded as his body bloated, packing on a gut. Hair regrew across his shaved chest while a moustache sprouted above his lips. His hair thinned and gradually lightened until it was mainly white. His skin roughened and wrinkled. While I admired my muscular body, his breathing grew haggard and he collapsed onto a chair. I quickly rushed to his side in concern. "Oh my god, are you alright?"

"I'll be fine. I guess aging so many years in a short time really saps up your energy. I'm pooped".

"We can swap back if you'd like, it's no big deal"

"Noooo! I'm a man of my word, we're not breaking the deal because I'm a little light-headed. Just go out and let me rest for a few hours. I'll be back on my feet in no time"

"Are you sure? I don't want to leave if you feel so uneasy"

"Of course I'm sure! Go and enjoy being a hot stud again while you can. I can tolerate maturity for the time being"

"Well at least let me help you get more comfortable". I grabbed my wheelchair and assisted him into it. As I rolled him to my bedroom and looked down at the old man, I mused to myself about being on the other side of the chair for once, And now I have the freedom to do things that I haven't in years! It's only for a week though so I better make the most of it!

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Thanks everyone for the welcome back! Now this is something I'm toying with. Multiple short stories with a similar theme, I'd like to do more but first I'd like to know what sort of themes people would like to see. Whether it's the people involved, like father/son swaps, or if it's how the change occurs, like cursed water, or even just a general connection, like revenge. Anything I can base about 3-5 separate stories on would do. Thanks again!