Scott looked through the pile until he could find something he was sure was safe. It wouldn't do to turn into a newborn baby, or worse yet to pick a piece of fabric last worn by a dog.
Going through the various items--some full shirts, mittens, or whatever, some just scraps of fabric, Scott divided them all into two piles: ones he recognized and that weren't obviously trouble. And everything else.
Finally, Scott was finished sorting the rags. He stripped naked, since he probably wouldn't fit into his clothes after the change, then looped the medallion's chain around his neck. Scott reached into the pile for a random "good" rag and pulled out a small green cloth. He touched it to the medallion.
The change felt strange, as if he was being pulled apart. It didn't seem like the other change, that had only affected his fingernails. Then he realized his mistake.
Scott had recognized that piece of cloth. The lines drawn in magic marker on one side marked it as part of a costume--a dragon costume from a Chinese New Years parade. Scott was only eight then, but he remembered what had happened--he had accidentally stepped on the tail and torn off a piece of the costume. The cloth he had taken from the pile of rags was that piece.
A costume that had been worn by two girls from the local college. The instructions that came with the medallion didn't say what would happen if the clothes had been worn by more than one person at the same time, but he would soon find out....
