Steven quietly picked up the ring and glanced around the shopping mall with other busy people, various families or sellers around. Nobody looked in his direction. “I wonder who this belongs to…” it looked like it probably belonged to a girl. The top was like a facsimile of a seal-ring made of plastic. The cover had an engraved picture of some kind, With a heart motif around it. There seem to be a central figure but it was like the ring had been scratched up from a lot of wear and tear. “Hm…” some kind of… cartoon character? Though not one he had knowledge of anyway. It looked pretty cute anyway, though he could only imagine it was probably a rather young girl’s ring. He looked at it carefully. “Kinda looks like a squirrel,” he thought to himself. “Weird… maybe something from Japan.”
Steven was was a man who just started working in an office. He was in his twenties and fresh out of university. He had short black hair, and was perhaps a bit nerdy with glasses. He wore typical blue jeans and smart tracksuit top.
Well… what to do now? Most people would just throw it in the bin. It didn’t look all that valuable but… there was probably some kid out there who really wanted it back and he had never seen anything like this in the shops. “I guess I best take it to the lost and found or something.” He looked around the mall wondering where it might be located. He didn’t really know where to go but someone at the customer services desk could probably help.
Of course, Steven- or rather the ring and the new ring-bearer was being watched.
Without being seen, someone started to laugh. “Bwa-hahaha- hahaha! Well I guess that means you lose by default!” The voice sounded pretty young. Her voice echoed in the darkness. She seemed
delighted though by this as the disembodied voice continued to giggle.
“No… I have not lost.”
“Oh? You really want to use him?”
“The man is.. not my… first pick but- he will do,” another tense voice whispered back. She sounded older, perhaps a teenager. Though their voice was all that could be seen as they watched this world and the events that have transpired.
“What? Really? What about the mental anguish? It’s going to be torture! I thought you didn’t like that sort of thing.”
“I don’t.. and I’ll be as gentle as I can.”
The other voice just gave another laugh at that. “Oh come on. There’s no way you CAN be gentle. However I am merciful. Just say you lose this match and we can leave it at that.” There was a sound of her dusting her hands as if to emphasize her point.
“I will... not concede. He.. fulfils the criteria… sufficiently,” The voice whispered back. “The game will proceed as scheduled.”
“Well isn’t this delightful then!” The girlish voice giggled again. “Very well then it will be so! I can’t wait to see how your new player does!”
The older voice quietly watched Steven with a sigh. “I hope you’ll do better…”
Steven was at the queue for the reception desk. He had the toy ring in his pocket, waiting to turn it in. Maybe it was a bit much for such a silly little toy plastic thing but… eh he what the heck.
Yep. There was a queue. For some reason the person at the front was spending ages trying to clear up a parking ticket. Steven was stuck here now for ages waiting .“No good deed goes unpunished,” he quietly thought. “I guess I could just bring it tomorrow- nah let’s just take care of this now.”
He wasn’t going to come back here for just a toy ring. He had a long day and was just hoping to finish off this one small good deed for the day. However something very strange began to happen as he waited in line. There was something bright in his pocket. At first he assumed that he might have left the light on in his mobile phone. He reached in and instead found the ring slipped onto his finger. “Oh- what the-”
There was a curious feeling as he looked around. It was like time just froze. For a moment he couldn’t move, but it was like he pushed over something and got over.. whatever ‘that’ what. Things were moving again- people were moving. The voices ahead of him was still arguing about his ticket.
He felt the odd sensation of the plastic ring now on his right index finger. He was surprised it even fit as It seemed far too small before. “Huh?!” His hand.. it- it was getting smaller! He could see all the small nicks and scratches he once had seem to fade away as the skin became youthful and soft. The ring itself seem to give a gentle glow that wrapped across his whole body. He wanted to scream- to cry out but nothing came out. He tried to pull out the ring but that strange light went onto his other hand, changing it too in a similar way. The fingers looked incredibly small and slender.
Then it was like the light started to go over his entire body. It was like he was shrinking? He could only look around as the world seem to literally ‘double’ in size. It was like seeing a weird vision or a dream… yeah that’s right- this had to be a weird dream. Just had to wake up-
“Next!” A voice called out.
The man on the other side of the desk seem to loom over him. It made Steven’s eyes widened in shock and surprise.
“Hello little miss, is something wrong? Have you lost your parents?”
“Little.. miss?” Who was he talking to? Wait- oh no.. no no no no no! No! Steven looked down at himself in confusion. Soft brown hair fell into his eyes making him even more surprised then ever. He reached up to feel that strange silken softness tickle the back of his neck. Worse it felt like… it got rather cold around his legs. Oh crap- he- he was wearing a dress?! What kind of weird waking nightmare was he having? If that was the case then… well- he didn’ t have to feel it to know that his manhood was gone. It felt like he was even wearing a girl’s underwear underneath said dress-
“Miss?” The man asked again. “Are you okay?”
“Uh-” Steven began however… his voice was wrong. Actually more to the point -everything- was wrong! So wrong but would they even believe him? Did they even see him change?!
“Where are your parents dear?” The voice asked again in concern.
Steven was still lost in confusion at the questions but it seemed that the guy was trying to insist on… on treating her like some kind of lost kid! With the confusion Steven had though all she could do was run away. She bolted as far as she could, running past the shops and fountains.
“Wh-what happened to me!” She asked herself as she looked at her small arms and legs, feeling the weird way her skirt touched against the back of her legs- her hair continued to tickle down her back. She was a kid- a girl? How was she even supposed to drive her car home like this!
She had to get away from all these people. She had to find some place to .. to look at herself. She could go to the bathroom- no no- bad idea. Wait! There are mirrors in one of the shops. She could go there. She quickly went up an escalator, still surprised at how she had to angle up her arm to reach the moving banister. It was at that point she noticed the ring again on her finger.
This- this thing changed her! She had to get it off. “Mpph! Get off!” She pulled and tugged on it as much as she could but.. it seemed to be stuck. Was on the next floor and quickly walked into the shop. Some of the assistants gave her a look but she ignored it.
She quickly ran to the mirror… and stared.
She was a rather cute looking girl. Long brown hair, framing her face. Her eyes were a curious green shade and stared at her back with that same surprised look. She had soft cheeks and looked no more then nine years old. “Oh dear God…” she mouthed. She was wearing a pleated skirt with a white short-sleeved shirt. Her hair had some curls around the side of it- what were those called- ringlets? Yeah. Her legs were wrapped in stockings of grey and she seem to be wearing pink tennis shoes.
“Are you okay there miss? The shop will be closing soon.”
Steven glanced up. “Uh- Yeah! I’m fine- I uh- I was just…”
“Well I’m sure you’ve plenty of mirrors at home, are you with your mom or dad?”
“Uh… I gotta go…” she muttered.
