Egnahcyot part 3

"Stop it you Meany!" Phoebe yelled, struggling against Kimberly who was holding her by the waist. She watched as Vicky laughed at Aisha who was now walking across the room, legs shuffling and arms swinging back and forth.



"This is too perfect." Vicky chuckled following behind the human doll. Vicky had always been butting heads with Aisha as she was the only one with the guts to stand up to her or laugh off the threats of "My daddy has money." But now her only competition was stuck waddling across the floor. Vicky's laughing came to a halt as Aisha planted her left leg down, causing her to slowly about-face and walk back towards Vicky. "Oh no!: Vicky yelled in mock horror. Jumping to the side as Aisha shuffled past. "And that was going to do what exactly?" she asked sticking her face in close. But she was caught by surprise when suddenly the key stopped turning and Aisha suddenly brought her fist into the brat's chin.

Vicky was sent sprawling backwards into the turtle coffee table. Toy ducks went scattering at the sight and both Kimberly and Phoebe let out a gasp. "You have three seconds to get out before I do something I regret." Aisha yelled at the woman as she reigned her footing.



"Yeah? Well I'm not going to regret this!" Vicky shouted reaching behind her and picking up the game, and dashing for the nearest window. But as she neared there was a "Click" noise as a card fell into her face. Aisha grabbed the box out of her hand as Vicky whipped the card out of her face. "You've violated the game and haven't played nicely with the others. Stop trying to control everything before everything controls you." What the hell is that supposed to mean?"



"Oh no, you're going to get it now." Phoebe said smiling broadly.



Vicky didn't even have time to ask what she meant. As suddenly she felt her hair lengthen. It twisted into yarn strands and turned a bright red as her clothes changed from a black jogging outfit into a black and blue checkered dress. Her skin turned into wood and strings appeared from her elbows, knees, and shoulders. "What? What's happening?" She managed to ask before suddenly a smile spread across her face. A miniature top hat appeared on her head and puffy three fingered gloves covered her hands. A large white bow appeared right over her butt and her shoes became large and squeaked as she rested on them.



Phoebe couldn't resist giggling upon seeing the childish marionette which had been a crazed lady only moments before. Bu the game wasn't done there the marionette began to shrink until it was a mere foot high. A second card shot out and landed at Phoebe's feet. "The minion needs to use those legs while she still has them."



Very suddenly Kimberly released Phoebe from her grasp as she felt her body changing. Yellow and white striped tights stretched over her skin, ending with pure white gloves at her hands. A large duffle appeared on her neck and her outer clothes disappeared leaving the stripped tights. A tall pointed hat appeared on her head and her legs swelled out t the hips, turning a solid yellow. Her feet pointed out strait, forcing her onto her tiptoes and they seemed to form together into a solid red point. The change continued, flowing up her legs until they were solid. They continued to balloon out until they became solid plastic, forming a top.



"Ahh!" Kimberly yelled catching herself on the window to stop herself from falling over. "No, I didn't want this to happen!" But it was too late. Her skin turned a creamy white and her mouth formed an "O" of surprise. Her arms went limp and she fell over on the ground as she shrank as her partner had done.



Once more the room was still. Aisha took a moment to catch her breath before suddenly remembering Something. "Jenifer!" The two ran to the door only to stop short. "Wait, if we just try to leave the game might think we're cheating."



"That'd be bad." Phoebe said turning to the game which was back on the coffee table.



"Ok, My friend is laying outside on the ground. I need to go get her. Can I do that?" Aisha asked her hand scant inches away from the door. A replying card popped out displaying a simple "No."



"Why not?" Phoebe asked.



"You'll leave." the next card read.



"Ok, what if we take you with us?" Aisha asked. "But we need June to come with us. Can you turn her back to normal?"



There was a pause before the next card popped out. "Yes." is all it said. Suddenly the long unmoving June stood up, still in the form of a life sized dummy. "What happened?" she asked standing up and nearly tripping over a marionette laying beside her.



"No time to explain." Aisha said running over and picking up the game. "We need to get downstairs now!" With that both she and Phoebe were out the door.



"Ok, but, umm, Why am I still a dummy? I mean come on, it could at least turn my hair back!"

Jenifer lay on her back, staring up into the sky, Although her form was still her mind was racing. "Oh my god! My wing, my- my arm! It's broken off!" She mentally screamed. Truth by told she couldn't see the multiple chips and cracks running over her small plastic body. "I don't want to be a broken toy."



Aisha took the stairs three at a time, the others in tow. They reached the group floor and set down the hallway, ignoring the other students who either complemented the girls on their costumes or jeered at them as they paced. They tore out into the parking lot and literally took the turn at a hundred and fifty miles an hour. The found the small broken bird laying on the asphalt, gears and small plastic bits scattered around her. Tossing the game onto the grass Aisha began gathering gears and seeing if she could figure out what to do.



"This is bad." Phoebe said looking down as she wrapped her arms around herself. For the first time the clown was oddly cheerless. Bending down she began helping picking up the pieces. "What do we do?"



"I don't know," Aisha replied moaning and clenching her hands. Jenifer is always the one who is good at repairing stuff but she's the one that needs repaired. I just don't know."



June had been standing, watching the two pick the pieces up, she felt like crying but the tears wouldn't come. However an idea did pop into her wooden head. Walking over to the game she picked it up and began talking to it. "Can you fix her?" she asked in a soft voice. There was no reply. Her quick temper, the bane of many a young lad late for a date, reared it's head as she began shouting at it. "Can you fit her!" she demanded more then asked. Quickly a card popped up. It simply read 'I'm sorry, but No' in large red letters.



"Ok, dead end there." Aisha said, still kneeling over her prone friend.



"Couldn't we take her to the doctor?" Phoebe asked, her hat bouncing as she cocked her head. "Or a hospital?"



"Phoebe, you're a genius!" Aisha shouted standing up and gathering the toy and her pieces in her hands. "Make sure that's everything." she said using her shirt to make a cradle, revealing her dark navel in the chill December air.



"Where are we going?" June asked still holding the game in her hands.



"The old toy shop on south and main, they have lots of old toys and they'd have to know how to fix them."



"Ooh, the toy store!" Phoebe said also standing up, unable to find any missed pieces.



With that the girls headed for the road, hailing a cab the piled inside, ignoring the shocked look on the driver's face. The taxi quickly made it's way to the toy store. Paying the driver they then entered the store though ancient oaken doors. The store was fairly dark, the only light coming from the old lamps scattered around the store and the windows. The floor was made of the same wood as the doors, as was the shelves, which were piled with toys and painted a deep green. In the center of the main floor area stood an old mahogany counter. It seemed to shine as the lights reflected off it. An ancient Victorian style cash register stood off to one side of the front, and a small silver bell to the other. On the far side several work tools lay scattered around a small wooden doll house.

Phoebe reached out and gave the bell a ring, and then another, giggling. They didn't have to wait long as an old man appeared from around one of the ancient shelves, a small doll in his hands. He walked up the counter without ever looking up at the threesome who stood waiting. He sat the doll down in the dollhouse and nodded his head as if he'd finally solved a puzzle. Phoebe gave the bell yet another ring.



"Oh," The man said turning around and donning a set of half moon spectacles. "I'm sorry I didn't see you . . . " He let it trail off upon seeing the girls. A thin smile spread across his face. "Where is it?" he asked looking them over. Then spotting June he reached out with startling quickness and snatched the Game from her grasp. "Well, well, well. I was wondering where you got to." he said chuckling while looking the game over. The girls began to protest but he held up a withered hand to quiet them. "My nephew will be with you shortly, and don't worry, you'll get the game back." he said shuffling off. "James! get out here, you have costumers!" he yelled.



A few second later the girls were greeted with the sight of a young man literally sliding down the banister of the stairs which led to the second story of the shop on his feet. A dark blue bucket hat hid unruly black hair from view, as well as his eyes. He wore black jeans and a green t-shirt which bore a target covered by the international "No" sign.



"Well what can I help you with . . ." he asked walking up the counter and letting his voice trail off upon seeing the girl, much as his uncle had just done. "Hey, Gramps, I think this might be more your area then mine." he called into the back of the store without looking away from the girls.



"You deal with it. You need to learn these things." came the reply.



"All right then." The young man replied turning back to the girls. "What can I do for you?"



"We were wondering if you had experience with fixing toys." Aisha asked waling forward and placing Jenifer on the counter.



The man gave a slight chuckle as he picked up the bird. "You could say I have a little."



"Can you do it without using new parts?" June added worried about what would happen if a different wing were added instead of June's real arm.



"That shouldn't be a problem. And you can just call me Jason."



"Oh, I'm Aisha, and this is June and Phoebe." the fairy replied. But Jason had already turned away, as if he had been telling it to the bird instead of the girls.



"So, I have to ask, What's with the costumes? Not that I'm opposed to them or anything, just wondering." he asked holding Jenifer up to the light and watching the girls out of the corner of his eye.



"Oh, umm, we're . . ." Aisha replied trying despretly to think of something.



"Cosplaying!" June filled in. leave it to miss vanity to fine a reason to wear anything she wanted.



"Wow, is that so?" Jason said picking up a screwdriver and began tweaking the inside of the bird. "Because if that's so you should really win first place." The girls heaved a silent sigh of relief upon hearing him buy the story. "I mean, turning your skin to wood and grafting in fairy wings like that for the same of realism, that's what you call dedication." Rhetorically three sets of jaws hit the floor.

Out of the back of the shop the old man came walking with the game in hand. Sitting it on the counter he nodded to the girls is if there was nothing out of place and turned to his nephew. "Take care of them, I have to go pick up two other toys." he said heading to the front of the store.

"Sure thing." Jason replied applying the final touches to the mechanical bird in his hands.



Jenifer was too shocked to even think correctly. She had just been thrown out a window, broken, taken to the toy shop, and repaired. She had felt so incredibly small as she was being held in the man's hands. But he was very gentle, she had felt safer in his hands then when she was being carried by her own friends. Looking up she could just barley make out his eyes from the shadow the bucket hat cast over his eyes. And his hair wasn't helping, but he had a kind smile as he tightened the last few screws.



"And . . Done." Jason said sitting the bird on the table. "Ok, now let's get her in something more comfy." with that he turned to the game which had been sat on the counter a few feet away. "Can you change her back to normal?"



A card shot from the slot of the game, it's reply was simple. *No.*



"Now." the young man demanded more then asked.



*It's not her turn yet.* the replying card read.



"Turn her back, or I will." Jason threatened cracking his knuckles as a musician would when about to play a piano.



*Fine. Spoil sport.*



The other girls had been in silent awe during the exchange. Could this guy really just command the game like that, and could he really turn someone back to normal? As if in reply the small bird on the table seemed to shake. A moment later a small egg popped out and rolled onto the table. There was a crack as it opened to reveal a miniature scarecrow which was quickly growing to full size. Within second a full grown Jenifer was standing on the counter, still in scarecrow guise.



The young man gave a chuckle as he reached up and offered the girl a hand down. "Aha, Much cuter then a bird."



Jenifer couldn't help but blush as she took his hand to get down. "So, you can change us back?" she asked quizzically. "And my name is Jenifer."



"Well pleased to meet you ." he replied biting his cheek to hide a grin. "And no, I can't turn you back, that was called a bluff."



* . . .*

There was a click as a second card popped from the slot, *You've interfered with the game, now you shall be part of it.* with that Jason's hair suddenly began to turn from black and messy to a light blond and yarn. But no sooner had it begun to change when it stopped, and returned to normal.



"Whoa, did you just turn yourself back?" Aisha asked leaning in and looking Jason over.



"And more importantly, can you change us back?" June asked, shoving Aisha aside and folding her wooden hands in a begging motion.



"Yes I did change myself back. And No, I can't change you back. My uncle might, but I doubt it, and that wouldn't be fair to the game."



"Fair to the game? I got changed into a bird and broken because of that thing!"

"You did read the instruction, right?"



"Well, no."



"And the game threw you out the window?"



"No."



"Well then, I guess it's not all it's fault. And I guess you guys should get gaming if you want back before nightfall." the four girls all looked to each other, trying to think of a way out, but with no other option presenting itself it looked like they had no choice. "Good, you can play over here, my uncle wouldn't take kindly to the front desk being transformed. It's solid cherry, he said something about his old friend George chopping it down when they were kids."



The girls were lead over to a set of stairs that lead up into a second story, about half the size of the main floor it gave them a beautiful overview of the store below them. They set the game on a table and dragged whatever they could find to sit on. Aisha and June found chairs, Jenifer used an oversized play block, and Phoebe spent nearly ten minutes dragging the worlds largest teddy bear to the table. Jason simply jumped onto the railing and took a seat, balancing on the rail is if it were normal.



"Ok, it should be my turn, and I shouldn't be a dummy any more." June said picking up the dice. Shaking them in her hand took a breath and let them fall on the table. A eight was rolled and she moved her token forward to a green space. On queue a card appeared. "Size matters."



"What does that mean?" phoebe asked bouncing slightly on the bears tummy. Her question went unanswered as suddenly the bear seemed to grow, or more of she began to shrink. Looking at the others she could see they were experiencing the same thing. Jenifer only seemed to shrink a few inches before it stopped. June's feet hung over the edge of her chair as she shrank down to three feet high.



Phoebe and Aisha seemed to be getting the short end of the stick as Aisha scrambled onto the table while she still had the height to do so. Down, down, down, she shrank. Until she was no bigger then a foot tall. Phoebe was no better off, her had to move to the center of the bear's stomach to avoid slipping down the sides. A few moments later and it was done.



"Well, that was interesting." Jenifer said picking up Phoebe and sitting her on the table.



"Sure it was interesting, for you!" Aisha yelled. Her voice now several pitches higher then normal. That, along with the wings and yarn hair gave her a toyish look despite she was the least transformed of the girls. June, by contrast, could have had a price labeled on her and been sold right then and there.



"What's that? I couldn't hear you, Thumbelina." June said mocking the small fairy.



"When I'm back to normal size. . ."



"By the way, it's your turn to roll." June interrupted handing the dice to the diminutive girl. The dice were now the size of Aisha's head. And far heavier then they had been when she was full sized. Never the less she heaved not one, but two over her head and tossed them across the board.

The dice scattered across the table, well not that far considering Aisha was now only a foot high. Moving her piece the designated five spaces she came to a blue square. "Not good." she muttered as a card sprang out of the slot.



"Do you need some help?" Jenifer asked, smiling, as the diminutive Aisha walked over to the card dispenser.



"No, I can get it myself." Aisha replied feeling miffed that she was so small while the others were all taller then her. Even Phoebe stood a few inches over her head. The normally small playing card was now the size of a sign you'd expect to see a fan waving at a football game, the letters now nearly half the size of her hand. At just under ten inches tall reading the card while holding it was nearly impossible. Putting the card on the ground she read aloud. "You're almost complete, why don't you have a little fun and unwind?"



Phoebe stiffened a giggle, "Well we know it has something to do with your key, Hey, you need to start giving better hints, these are getting old!" she yelled to the game as she gave it a playful kick with one of her pointed shoes. Aisha was about to rebuke Phoebe, but found that it was suddenly becoming hard to move. Slowly she turned her head and held her arms out to see them gaining a dull sheen, her skin smoothing out as birthmarks and the different shades of her skin melted into a solid color, looking almost like a rich, dark, chocolate. Lined formed on her skin and soon began imprinting themselves deeper and deeper into her skin.



A wave of panic hit her, she had been shrunk, her hair changed, to yarn, even a key placed on her back, but she had never felt them happen, they just simply appeared. This time she could feel her new joints forming, pins and gears inside her turning, and all the wile she couldn't do anything but watch. She realized she had stopped breathing, she no longer needed to. Her nose now nothing more then an ornament on her face which was now pulling back into a smile. She tried to bring her hand up to her face, but it only responded in short, jerky movements. The changes continued over her body, she could feel the wings which had only been attached to her new dress now pull themselves in and join with her body, gears inside her reaching up to meet them. Her legs felt the same, becoming lighter, hollow, their movements slowing just as her arms had.



And then it was done. She felt the changes stop, and all was still, actually she didn't have much of a choice. She tried to lower her arm, but found it stuck in position a few inches in front of her face. She also felt dangerously off balance, but was unable to right herself. Once more the feeling of panic flowed through her, is this what Jenifer had gone through when she had been transformed into a bird? June as a dummy? Had they been aware of it? What if there was no way to reverse the changes and she was stuck like this for the rest of her life? Of course as a toy she couldn't age, and thus would be stuck this way forever. Her thoughts raced faster and faster as she imagined herself sitting in a landfill for all time.



Back at normal human airspace things were noticeably calmer. "Is she alright?" June asked looking down at the prone form of her friend. "What should we do?"



"I don't know," Jenifer replied, scratching her straw hat. Half wondering what was going on, and the other half wondering if she could use this turn of events to get out of the game sooner. "Do you think if we wound her up and had her toss the dice we could . . ."



"NO!" June and Phoebe yelled in unison. "Hello, remember last time you tried cheating?" June asked waving a hand over her wooden face.



"Wait, you tried cheating on a magical board game?" Jason asked letting out a burst of laughter. "I don't think anyone's tried that, and for good reason I see."



"In my defense it would have worked if the game hadn't been self aware." she said jabbing a finger at June. While the boy, scarecrow, and dummy talked over head Phoebe had been examining her newly dollified friend. Reaching out behind her she grabbed hold of the key and gave a small twist.

Aisha's thoughts had been going into overdrive, panic, terror, fear. But suddenly she stopped. All her thoughts simply disappeared and was replaced by a simple need to move, she couldn't control what, or how she moved, but she had to move. Her right leg bent at the joint on her knee as it brought itself up, then, falling forward she caught herself as the foot lowered itself. Her head gave an involuntary twitch, and her right arm swung back. Then the same action repeated, but this time her left leg moved, and her right arm pulled back as the left swung forward. Aisha's thoughts and worries melted away as all her attention was suddenly focused on what was happening. She could feel every gear inside her turning, working together, the sensation was amazing. It felt like an electric pulse running through her, stimulating every part on her small mechanical body at once.



As she felt her legs move involuntarily to unheard music she couldn't help but to smile inwardly. Actually it would have fit the one that was currently gracing her face perfectly. But then something happened. At first her body had appeared to be moving about erratically, bobbing here, twirling there, but very suddenly she realized it was to a rhythm. Not tune she had heard once long ago, when she was a child perhaps. But none the less she could hear it. She hummed along as she continued to twirl. Her dress billowing out to reveal her wonderfully sculpted legs, now accented with the tiny metal pins that sparkled as she moved about under the light.



Just as she was caught up in her dance, solely focused on what she was doing, she was suddenly aware of where she was. She had completely forgotten about the others or the fact that she was now a scant foot high. But she was once again aware of it. But this time so much more. As she turned to sweep her leg out in a spin that would make a prima ballerina green with envy she saw Phoebe sitting on the floor, chin resting on her hands as she watched the wind-up doll dance. How beautiful she looked. Aisha saw her lips not just as red anymore, but as the vast variety of reds and purple shades creating those lips. The shadows created by the duffel around her neck seemed so much darker, but the colors within them all the brighter.



Looking up she saw the others staring down at her. Each one of them now infinitely more vivid then before. And beyond them, the store! Where as before it seemed a darkened place, it's only comfort it's antiquity, now was dazzling beyond measure! The grain of the luscious wood, the contrasts of color created by the molding, it was neigh an overload to her senses.



"If this is how a toy sees the world, this might not be so bad." she thought to herself as she completed another round of the dance. No longer was her body moving on it's own, but with her once more in control. Or was it? She couldn't tell. All that she wanted to do was dance and gaze upon what seemed like an entirely new world.

"Ok, I'm up to bat." Jenifer said picking up the dice and giving them a toss across the table. One of the dice bounced off Aisha's leg as she continued dancing. "Six. One, two three, four five, six." Jenifer said moving her token. "Notice the deeper in we go the more blue and red spaces there are?" she asked the others setting her token down on a blue space. As expected by now a card sprang up. "Odd."



"What?" June asked getting up and moving around the side of the table. "A scarecrow has no buissness in a toystore? So what? It's going to kick you out?"



Her question however, was answered as suddenly Jenifer gasped as her gloves began turning from brown leather to white cloth and forming mittens. Her burlap coat and shirt also turned into cloth as the straw receded. Her face turned white as it seemed to meld into the same smooth cloth as her hands. Her hair suddenly changing from straw into yarn, her mouth turning into little more then stitching sewn into the cloth. Her jacket disappeared, revealing her shirt which was turning white with flowers stitched into it at random places. Her skirt stretched outward and ballooned into a dress, the dress however was made from patchwork of every shade and color, with flowers mixed upon the surfaces. To top it off a large red bow appeared around her neck.



"So that's what it meant."



Jason said smiling at the newly transformed rag doll. Jenifer began to reply but found herself unable to. Bringing her hands up to her face she felt with mitten hands as she realized she no longer had a mouth.



Despite her the fact that she was smiling Jason could tell she was starting to panic. "I think the mouth part was on purpose, Now you can't suggest ways to cheat anymore." with that he reached behind him and pulled out a notepad and pen as if he just so happened to carry them around for this kind of situation.



*I have 6 spaces left. We should hurry up and get this over with.* Jenifer scribbled on the pad of paper.



"Haha, I forgot how bad your handwriting is." June laughed upon seeing the chicken scratch on the tablet. The rag doll moved her head back and forth as if giving a remark June was probably glad she couldn't hear.



"If my uncle heard you saying that he's stitch a voice recording in you to make sure you wouldn't teach the children such vulgar language."



Jenifer's first though was about how she was sorry that she snapped at her friend like that, but she paused upon realizing that Jason had, in-fact, correctly understood what she had tried to say. "So you can hear me?" she thought/spoke to Jason.



"Yes, I have a way with toys. And yes, I could ever hear you when you first came in her as a bird." he replied without moving a mussel. "You oddly weren't that scared as a bird, just about the broken wing. "Why so scared now?" he asked aloud.



*Being a bird was fun.* she wrote as to include June in the conversation. *Now I just feel stupid.* she continued giving a tug on her bright yellow yarn hair.



"Well that's because you aren't used to being a rag doll, it's not all bad." with that Jason reached out and grabbed her by the wrist, then pulling her onto his lap he gave her a bear hug.



Melt.



That's all that went though Jenifer's head at that moment. For some reason everything in the universe felt "right" she had an owner, he was playing with her, she was clean, her dress presentable.



Melt.



Looking around she noticed the shop seemed to change suddenly. No longer dark, but brightly lit. beautiful. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Aisha still dancing, but now she seemed to be doing so in a completely different way. Before it seemed simple, but now it was simply stunning. And Aisha herself seemed to be glowing. Or at least had an aura around her that let Jenifer know she was special. As Jason released her from his embrace she was able to see June and Phoebe lacked the aura effect. But Jason seemed to glow to such a degree it made her wince when she first looked at his face.



"See, Not so bad is it?"



Jenifer didn't even bother witting down anything, but laid her head on Jason's shoulder and heaved a sigh.



"Jason and Jenifer, sitting in a tree." Phoebe called out, giggling, from the table.



"K-I-S-S-I-N-G." June supplied the second verse.



The rag doll leered back, but was to content to do anything about it.

Meanwhile . . . .



Vicky the marionette was laying on her back in the same position she had been in for hours now. Unable to move or even blink she stared at the pastel colored ceiling. A mechanical duck waddles up and pecked at her strings with it's beak, causing her arm to flop around momentarily, before moving on.

Beside her was her friend, Kimberly the top. She had currently rolled to a rest beside the leg of the turtle shaped table. She, as her friend, had a huge smile painted across her face that was a contrast to what she was thinking.



"Help!" she pleaded, trying to get her mouth to move. But no luck. "I'm going to be a toy forever. And I'm not even a cute one like Vicky." she pouted.



They waited like that for another five minutes before the door to the room swung open and an elderly man dressed in a vest and half moon spectacles stepped in. His eyes widened upon seeing the room and then shook his head. "It really must have been lonely, after all this time. It pulled out all the stops didn't it?"



"Wait, who is this guy?" Vicky asked herself watching the man walk around the room, examining the contents. He slowly made his way around the room until he came back to the turtle table.



"Aha, there you are." he said bending down and picking the two toys off the ground. Vicky was hauled up and up by the strings until she dangled in front of his face. The old man smiled and plucked one of the strings with his finger, making her leg kick out. "You have a mean spirit. What you did to that girl. Even if she was a toy at the time she was still sentient! How would you like it if someone did that to you?" he asked the un-responding toy. With that Vicky felt her arms drawn up and out, like a person doing jumping jacks, her strings held taunt. "Your friend isn't so nasty as you are, so I think she'll have less time as a toy than you, maybe a week or two will straighten her out. But you, I can see you spending the holiday season with us, and valentines day, and with a change of outfit you'll look just the part for an Irish Marionette for St Patrick's day. Three months should do wonders for your attitude."



With that he put the two toys into a bag that Vicky swore he didn't have before and left the room. Mumbling something about how it'll be a shame to see the room turned back once the game is over. However, he failed to notice the room from across the hall squeek open and watch as he departed.



"Is he gone?" Megan asked from behind her friends, the small girl was constantly shoved to the back due to her small size.



"I think so. But the wall still looks the same." Tom replied peering through the crack. Tom was a large young man, an avid bowler and class clown, when he wasn't acing chemistry. He's had a crush on Jenifer since seeing her the first time in physics class.





"How did he get into the room it's locked, we checked." Prudence. Prue was Megan's roommate and her short black hair was the exact same shade as Megan's. causing most be believe they were related.



"Lets go see if the door is still unlocked." Megan suggested forcing her was past her two larger friends. Shrugging, Tom followed, with Prue close behind. Megan stopped to listen and see if anyone was in the room, they had seen Phoebe, Ashia, and June all leave, dressed in wild costumes and makeup, but Jenifer was nowhere to be seen. Luckily the room was only one of three on the top floor, so not many people passed through there daily, if at all. Hearing nothing Megan twisted the doorknob, which was now shaped like a car wheel, and the door swung silently open as the three gasped in shock.



Walking down the stairs the elderly man paused, trying to think if he had locked the door. He wouldn't want anyone going into the room, no telling what could happen. But . . .

Jenifer was content to sit in the chair across Jason while the others were played with. The oldest girl was busy making June recite nursery rhymes with badly timed mouth movements. And the boy was making Phoebe rush around like a superhero as he swung her by her strings.



"Wow, that was amazing." Aisha said, having finally wound down and was bent over at the waist, her fairy wings giving a few last twitches as the key came to a stop. Looking down at the fairy sitting on the table before her Jenifer reached out and grabbed hold of the key with her soft mitten hand and gave the smaller doll a good wind-up. Once again the ballerina was dancing across the table as she could only help but laugh.



"Well, it seems you fixed the bird." a voice from behind Jenifer called out. Turning she could see the owner of the shop ascending the stairs with two toys in his hands. It took a moment before she realized they were actually the bratty duo who had thrown her out the window.



"What will happen to them?" She mentally asked Jason turning around to face him again.



"Not sure, the game will decide, but I wouldn't expect for them to be that was for much longer than a week or two. Besides, they can use the time to rethink their lives." he answered back without saying a word as his uncle sat the two toys on a shelf next to two china dolls, a paratrooper and a soldier doll.



"So how do you and your uncle know about all this? You acted like people getting turned into toys isn't weird at all. And your uncle sure seemed to know the game."



"Well, for the answer you'd need to know some family history. Which also answers how my uncle knows the game. You see that game was created by a man known to most as Heir Dosmer."



"Wait- The character from the ballet?"



"Who was actually based on a toy maker of the same name, who also had a nephew who went through an encounter much like the one on the story. The Ballet changes many facts and the order in which they happen but the story remains the same. The young woman, Clara, saved the young man who was turned into toy nutcracker, and they fell in love and lived happily ever after. Their son, Kevin inherited the magical powers just as Dosmer and his own father had. That boy, is my uncle."



"You Uncle is the son of Clara and the nutcracker?" Jenifer asked wide-eyed at what she was hearing. "But that would make him nearly a century in age."



"Just over ninety eight, actually." Jason replied with a smirk. "His twin sister, my mother, never inherited the family magic, or so she claims. But either way after I finished with school I came to live here with the old coot and refine my skills. He's hardly impressed with what I have, as I've never really been able to practice or learn from my mother. So it's a fresh start for me, learning as I go."



"Do you only have magic that involves toys?" Jenifer asked interested at getting solid answers at what she never would have thought possible before this day. If you had told her the week before that she would believe in magic one day she would have burst out laughing. Now she was a moving rag doll talking to a man who claimed to be the descendent of a famous ballet character.



"Well for the most part they are our familiars, what we have dominance over with very little resistance on the pull of reality. Some have fire, others have lightning, our family gets toys. Not that I'm complaining." he said reaching down and giving her squishy shoulder a nudge. "But as you get more experienced you are supposed to branch out. I actually have a time travel spell I've been working on. So far no luck."



"I could have used that this morning." She replied dryly, thinking about being tossed out the window again.



"Would you?" he pried, "Would you take it all back? Make sure your friend never found the game, you never played it?" Jenifer thought for a moment, all that had happened, all that had changed. smiling she shook her head 'no', causing Jason to smile in return.



"Hey guys, I'm taking my turn now." June called over from the table. Jenifer had failed to notice the family had left nearly half an hour ago. "You guys ready?" the five people standing around the table, one man and four toys, looked the board over and found June only had two spaces left. "he it goes." she said tossing the dice. The dice rolled over to show seven, and the game piece moved to the finishing square.



"What now?" Aisha asked looker herself over. Her body still that of a small wind-up doll.



"I think the game needs a kick start, it hasn't been used in fifty years and then suddenly it goes through a full game in one day, that's got to be putting a toll on the little thing." Jason replied patting the metal box as Phoebe walked over and looked the box over.



"So how do we restart it?" she asked looking for a slot for batteries, or something of the sort.



"Magic." Came the reply. The group tuned around to see Kevin, the aged uncle standing silently behind them.



"How do you get it started?" Jason asked.



"Not me. You do it. Just give it a boost. A large one."



"I don't have the power to start the game long enough for it to undo everything it's done. You said the dorm was completely transformed."



"I did." Kevin replied as he continued to walk away. "Just do it. I think you'll be surprised."



Without arguing more Jason laid his hands on the box and began focusing. From her space on the chair Jenifer saw a bright light shine from under his hands, and a circle appear over them, it looked like it was made from solid red light, slowly rotating over his hands as the light grew brighter. The light continued to gain power, now peaking from between his fingers, but she could tell it was taking it's toll.



"What is this, a bottomless pit?" Jason muttered between clenched teeth, his hands shaking slightly. The light seemed to flicker once, then twice, Jenifer knew it would soon go out. Then, acting by instinct, he put her small mitten hand over his and focused on a picture of an engine in her mind, two compressors working to power the same thing. The light flared back to life and a second, larger, circle appeared. Within seconds she felt the cloth that was her hand melt away revealing her true hand as if it had simply been covered the entire time. Aisha and Phoebe were quickly retuning to normal size, and June was suddenly looking much less wooden.



"Sweet! I have normal skin again, and my mouth isn't all jointy!" June said feeling her face.



"Yep, back to normal." Aisha said looking herself over." But really? We keep the outfits?" she said pointing to her dress and fairy wings still attached.



"God, I feel like I was on the mother of all sugar highs." She said rubbing her temples, causing Aisha to laugh at the fact that was the same thing she had said.



"What was that?" Jason asked looking at the now human Jenifer.



"I believe you've found a muse."



"A what?" Jason and Jenifer asked at the same time.



"A muse, something that increases your natural abilities beyond what you could normally do, Like most rookies and their wands. Houdini and his nickel, until he lost it. And my cane." he said lifting his gold tipped cane into view.



"So what does that mean?" Jenifer asked, afraid of being turned into a cane by the elderly man.



"Simply that I think this could be the start of a beautiful relationship." the man said turning around with a twinkle in his eye and a hop in his step.



The End.