“You’re a moron.” Karyn said, hand over her face, as they sat in Jon’s room.
It was Friday afternoon. School was done for the week, which was a blessed relief. The first week back in school after Spring Break was excruciating, since everyone, teachers and students alike, had that taste of freedom. Add in the anticipation of the sort of magic that Karyn had been dreaming about her whole life, and it's no surprise that she had just about dragged Jon to her rusty beater of a car, forcing him to accept a lift home.
It’s also no surprise that Karyn can think of all the things that could have gone wrong or weird with a wish for “something interesting” to happen. Jon grimaced and blushed a little.
“Yeah, it was dumb of me. But nothing bad has happened, as far as I can tell. I did get something strange in the mail yesterday. It was addressed to both of us, so I thought I should wait for you to be here before I opened it.” Jon gestured to a package on his desk. It was wrapped in brown paper, with a piece of twine sealing it. The return address was faded and blurry, but “To Jon and Karyn” was clear enough, with Jon’s address below.
Karyn picked up the box and gave it a small shake. It was heavy, and the shake didn’t reveal much. “It sounded like… cards?”
She unwrapped the twine and paper, revealing a box and a folded letter. She handed the box to Jon as she began to read.
“Dear Karyn and Jon,
“You don’t know me, but through a form of magic, I’m familiar with you. I’ve seen the details of escapades and adventures that you haven’t gone on yet, and many that you won’t go on. Timelines branch strangely, sometimes. But having finished my first draft of a game, I thought the pair of you would be great recipients for an alpha copy of my still as yet untitled transformation game. Hopefully, it’ll be fun to play with friends, or even enemies!
“Don’t worry about how to reach me with any comments or critiques. I’ll know. It’s part of the magic after all.
“With a thousand well wishes,
“Mattwandcow”
Karyn looks up from the letter. “What a strange letter.”
“Eh, some people are a bit wacky. At least he’s polite about it.” Jon had pulled open the box and revealed the cards. He was thumbing through them with the casual competence that only three years of lunch room games of Magic the Gathering could provide. He shuffled a large stack of cards. “This part said it was the core deck. We’re starting with just that, right?”
“I guess.” Karyn said, skimming the included rules. “This feels like the sort of game that’s more free form than regimented. It looks like we each get five cards to start with. And we turn over one of the Objective cards.”
“Easy enough”
Jon dealt the cards, then looked at his hand. He had the following cards
- Drastic Shrinking - You shrink by anywhere from three inches to a foot
- Low Inhibition - You are more willing to say or do things without overthinking them.
- Outfit: Costume - You become dressed in something that is obviously a costume. Most of the accessories are obviously fake, although they look good at a distance.
- Sudden Sibs - You become the sibling of someone. You tend to look a little like your family. People outside of the game think that the two of you are siblings.
- Animal Skin - Your skin matches an animal. Your skin has changed. It might be fur, feathers, or scales. There are a few options that aren’t noticeable, but those are rare.
Karyn looks at her hand
- Outfit: Beachwear - Your outfit becomes something that would be perfect for the sand and surf, but not great for anywhere else.
- Role: Cheerleader - Your outfit becomes a Cheer Uniform. You gain acrobatic ability. While in this form, you feel the urge to enthusiastically celebrate victories, especially the ones of your fellow players.
- Barbie Size - You become Barbie sized, 9 inches tall and able to fit into Barbie accessories and clothes in a way that feels natural.
- Animal Coloration - You have an animal's beautiful plumage. This is normally just a noticeable cosmetic change, although some creatures have camouflage.
- Animal Feet - Your feet become the paws (or whatever) of an animal. Animal hind limbs are a mixed bag. Don’t expect shoes to fit.
“Okay, these are certainly… What word did you use? Wacky? Yeah, these are a little wacky.” Karyn says, sorting her hand.
“I have a lot of cards that are really weird to play on myself. Why would I shrink myself?” Jon complains.
“Oh, that was sort of explained in the rules. After we start, I can show you what that’s about.”
“That sounds ominous.” Jon says, reaching for the blue backed Objective deck. “I’m probably not going to like that lesson, am I?” Karyn just smiled.
“Right.” Jon says with a sigh. “Our first objective is… ‘Most Bestial. The person closest to being an animal gets the point.’”
As he was reading the card, the text began to glow blue. When he finished, there was a flash of light and the card was gone from his hand. Instead it floated in the air above them, the words of the objective scrolling on the card, and three green orbs surrounded it.
“Oh, a magical game. That makes sense. I guess. In the way that magic is a part of our lives now.”
