Hi All! This was an idea I’ve had in the back of my mind for a while that I wanted to get down on paper (so to speak). It’s more of an opener to a new "universe" that I want to write in. I am very open for suggestions and comments, so please write and let me know what you think. I do read all emails and reply if you give me a return address. I also try to improve my writing based on your feedback … so please feel free to comment!
The Scrambler
by Island Riter
1eyeWonderDog: Did you check out the link?
CRoMeCuCuMbEr: LOL! Must be a joke.
1eyeWonderDog: No – for real – Alan’s bro said he has been there.
SweetNSexy1988: I’m with the steel pickle – prob’ly a hoax. Alan’s bro is full of it.
CRoMeCuCuMbEr: Do you even know what a chrome cucumber is?
SweetNSexy1988: Like you do.
CRoMeCuCuMbEr: I could show you ;)
SweetNSexy1988: In your dreams. Well, at least WET dreams!
1eyeWonderDog: Knock it off … I think we should do it.
SweetNSexy1988: Don’t know dog …could be a trick.
CRoMeCuCuMbEr: What’s the matter SweetNSour? Chicken?
SweetNSexy1988: As if.
1eyeWonderDog: Then it’s done. Meet me at Elm and Jefferson at 10:00.
CRoMeCuCuMbEr: I’m there bro!
SweetNSexy1988: 10:00? What about the warden?
CRoMeCuCuMbEr: Ever heard of a window?
1eyeWonderDog: Come on Kristina, site says minimum of three required.
SweetNSexy1988: You owe me dog, you owe me.
1eyeWonderDog: SWEET! TTFN.
CRoMeCuCuMbEr: Later.
SweetNSexy1988: TTYL.
Anthony was so excited he couldn’t keep his hands from shaking; he stole a glance at his watch. Oh no! He had less than an hour to get all the way across town -- on his bike no less! He had been so busy messaging with Kristina (sigh) and Matt ("Chrome Cucumber" -- what a dork) that he didn’t realize what time it was.
He had to hurry. Running to the top of the steps, he yelled down the stairs "’Night mom."
"Good night honey. Sleep tight." Her answer drifted up the stairs.
Standing again in his bedroom, he took a quick glance in the mirror. Running his hand through his short brown hair, he leaned forward to get a close look at his teeth. Opening his mouth in an exaggerated smile, he checked to make sure no food was hiding in the crevices of his braces.
Satisfied with his teeth, he brought out the small bottle of Stetson cologne his grandmother had given him for his 13th birthday two months ago. She had told him that since he was turning into a young man, he should start smelling like one. He really hadn’t understood what she meant, but liked being called a man.
Splashing a little into his hand the way Kevin, his older brother, had shown him, he applied it to his face then wiped his hands on his shirt. Pleased with the way he looked in his favorite Abercrombie shirt he decided he was ready.
Quickly stuffing his bed sheets with dirty laundry and a soccer ball in effigy of himself, he turned out the lights and slowly lifted his bedroom window. Having rigged the screen to easily pull open, he tentatively slipped a foot out the window seeking the old television antennae tower that stood outside.
Like most everyone else in their neighborhood, they had cable, but his single mother neither had the skill nor desire to remove the concrete embedded metal structure that had been attached to the house when they moved in. Thus Anthony had the perfect secret entrance to his second story bedroom.
Pulling the window closed and replacing the screen, Anthony scrabbled down the makeshift ladder with a practiced skill. Pulling his bike from its hiding place in the bushes at the bottom, he quickly pedaled off into the night to meet his friends.
As Matt pedaled his way to the designated meeting spot, he felt the first splatters of rain on his face.
"Friggin’ pud-wacker." He muttered as he began peddling harder. "Friggin’ obsessed with thrill seeking. You’d think with all the bones that boy has broke he’d be over this shit." He said remembering back to the previous summer when Anthony had taken his brother Kevin’s stupid dare to ride his bike down the roof of the shed.
That stunt had cost him not only a leg broken in two places, a fractured hand and a chipped tooth, but the remainder of the summer grounded to the house. Without Anthony, that whole summer had sucked.
"Friggin’ pud-wacker." He repeated, this time with a smile as he pedaled harder trying to reach shelter before the rain decided to cut completely loose.
"Why do I let him talk me into these crazy schemes?" Kristina softly asked her reflection, but the cute redhead in the mirror offered no explanation.
Having secured her hair in a ponytail, she dug through her top dresser drawer in search of her pink tinted strawberry lip-gloss. While she would never admit it to anyone except her diary, she had a tremendous crush on Anthony and wanted to look good for him.
"The big jerk is going to get me grounded for life and I’m trying to look my best for him." She murmured as she shot a dab of glitter body spray on her wrists.
Giving herself one last spin in the full length mirror checking to make sure the jean shorts she wore were sufficiently tight in all the right places, she carefully opened her bedroom door and made her way down the stairs praying the entire time she could avoid any contact with her parents.
The wind whistled past his ears as he made maximum speed going down Miller St. hill. His pulse racing, he began to feel the first stirrings in his groin at the speed he could accomplish here. Danger made him almost as horny as the Playboy Kevin had given him as a secret gift on his last birthday.
He didn’t really understand what it was about moving fast that excited him, anymore than he understood why looking at the two lumps of fat filled flesh on the chest of a centerfold made his dick strain the zipper of his pants. It simply did … and that was good enough.
He had discovered his love for danger early. He could still remember the kiddy roller coaster his mom had let him ride when he was only four. Although the turns were somewhat less than perilous and there were no g-pulling loops, the thrill of moving fast had enthralled him. Laughing now, he recalled his mom pulling him from the seat of the ride kicking and screaming because she wouldn’t let him ride a sixth consecutive time.
Since then, he had tried them all. From the 75mph Mamba at Worlds of Fun to the stomach-churning Zipper the street carnies brought in for the Fall Festival. And while each had its own special place in his heart, none so far had captured his undying love. But he had a feeling that was all going to change tonight.
For tonight, he was finally going to ride … The Scrambler! His penis was now standing at full attention just remembering the advertisements from the web site. "Move faster than any ride previously invented!" "Declared illegal in 15 states and 7 countries!" and the ultimate taunt for a teenage boy "Do you dare challenge the ultimate ride?"
The site declared that the ride was so dangerous; it could only be operated in secret. That explained why they had set up in the abandoned wire factory warehouse down off of Union St. As he arrived at their designated meeting place he was slightly disappointed that he was first, although secretly, he knew he would be – he always was.
Impatiently glancing at his watch, he absently wiped his eyes of the accumulated Fall drizzle that was now steadily falling. 10:03, where were they already? Just then, he heard the sound of wet tires on pavement and saw Matt rapidly approaching.
"What up Wonder Dog?" Matt bellowed as he slid his bike sideways inches from where Anthony stood spraying him with a fine mist of water that had accumulated on the sidewalk.
"’Bout time!" Anthony replied too excited to be annoyed by the spray of water that covered him.
"Where’s Red?"
"Not here yet … and you know she likes to be called Kristina."
"I know -- that’s why I call her Red!" Matt grinned that lopsided smile of his that always translated to mischief.
While they waited for the third member of their team, the two friends discussed exactly what they thought the Scrambler would look like, and why it required three passengers. The web site had been rather vague on these points saying that the requirement for three was based on the ride’s need for balance. This of course led to speculation as to the design since no pictures were actually provided.
"I bet it’s just a faster version of the Tilt-A-Whirl." Matt said trying to goad his friend.
"No way asshole! If it’s just a fancy Tilt-A-Whirl, why would it be banned in other countries?"
"I don’t know, maybe they’re talking about commie countries like Russia where all the government will let you ride IS the Tilt-A-Whirl."
"Russia isn’t communist anymore moron!"
"Yeah? Maybe they just made up all that shit about it being banned."
"They can’t do that." Anthony replied half-hearted. Secretly he was trying not to show his friend how deeply the last comment had cut him. It had simply never occurred to him that the web site might lie about such things, although he was now struck with that realization.
Matt opened his mouth to further jab his friend but shut it as he simultaneously saw the look on his face and heard the approaching swish of tires on wet pavement. Instead he shouted "Hey Red! What took so long? Couldn’t find enough toilet paper to stuff your bra?"
Kristina merely pushed down the kickstand of her bike, looked Matt straight in the eye and stuck her tongue out. She then turned to Anthony and said, "You owe me Anthony – big time."
Anthony, who had been paying more attention than a passing glance at how nice Kristina’s small breasts (as far as he was concerned – no toilet paper needed) were pushing out her Chicago Bears sweatshirt, was caught off guard once again.
Blushing deeply he quickly looked up to meet Kristina’s eyes. "Nice sweatshirt." He replied not even realizing Kristina had spoken and trying to casually explain away where his eyes had been focused. "They’re 0-for-3 you know."
Secretly pleased that he had noticed her breasts but knowing he was trying to cover by giving her the stats of the team emblazoned across her chest, Kristina simply replied, "Yeah, I know."
"Okay, ‘nough talk, let’s get some action!" Matt said as he a put an arm around his friends’ shoulder pushing them toward the abandoned warehouse down the street.
Looking at the rusted steel door set in the old brick of the abandoned building, Kristina realized what had been bugging her. It was too quiet. She had expected to hear the voices of other people coming to this "underground" theme park, and see parked cars, but the entire street was empty. Completely deserted.
"You sure you got the address right Anthony?" she asked now feeling more than a bit uneasy.
"Positive." He replied turning the handle of the door, which opened without hesitation.
As the trio entered the building, they were disappointed to find only the shattered remnants of the reception area for the old place. The scent of mildew filled the air overshadowed only by the scent of urine (or possibly worse) from the homeless that had taken shelter here during the brief, but cooler winters.
With only the streetlight outside the open door providing illumination, Anthony waited briefly for his eyes to adjust to the gloom.
Damn it! Matt was right. It was only a FUCKING hoax! Tears of rage, disappointment and most of all, embarrassment threatened to flood his eyes. Being embarrassed in front of Matt was one thing – but Kristina was a different story!
Filled with rage, Anthony turned to the nearest wall and threw a mighty punch to dispel some of his pent up emotion … and was shocked, as his fist hit – nothing! In fact, the energy he put into his swing carried his body forward and landed him face down on the … grass? And if only he could have seen the amazed looks of his friends’ faces as he suddenly disappeared through a solid wall, it would have almost made the fall worthwhile!
Slowly standing, shading his eyes from the bright sunlight, Anthony began trying to decide exactly what had just happened. Sweating a little at the sudden increase in temperature, he began looking around. It appeared he was standing in the middle of a grassy field on a warm summer afternoon.
In the distance, he could see what appeared to be a carnival. The kind you always saw being put together for the small street fairs like the Pecan Festival or Settler Days. He could make out a roller coaster, and what looked like a house of mirrors, but there were easily a dozen he had never seen before! How can you be standing in an abandoned warehouse one minute, then here the next? It just didn’t make sense!
And wait! Where the wall he had seemingly punched had been – there was now only a stretch of grass with no evidence it had ever been anything else! Just to make sure, Anthony walked back toward the direction he had landed with his arms outstretched in front of him groping for the hidden doorway.
After walking back and forth several times, calling his friends names, he was finally convinced there was no secret entrance. It was like on Star Trek or Stargate SG-1, he must have been transported to another … place, maybe even another world. Not knowing what else to do, he began walking toward the distant activity hoping to figure out some way to get back home.
After walking some half-mile, he finally spied a small wooden structure only large enough to hold one occupant with the word Tickets hand painted above the open-faced counter. As he approached, the bored-looking woman inside asked, "Can I help you?"
Anthony kept trying not to stare, but like his trip to this strange place, his senses were overwhelmed. The woman in the booth was wearing a black robe, kind of like the ones the church choir wore. And while he had no doubt that the feminine shaped face, soft voice and enormous breasts (that the robe did little to hide) belonged to a woman, she also had a 5:00 shadow that rivaled his dad’s! And something else just didn’t look right under the robe, but he couldn’t quite make out what.
"Can I help you?" she repeated.
"Oh, uh, yes, uh, I seem to be a little lost. I came with some friends and wasn’t paying attention to where we were and, uh, now I need to uh, call someone for a ride home." Anthony finally managed as he tried to improvise a cover story.
"You must be Anthony Johnson." She replied looking at a clipboard hanging on the wall.
"What? How did you know that?" he asked flustered and feeling more than a bit nauseous now.
"You were expected." She said shrugging her massive shoulders pulling her long dark hair behind her ears.
"But, I … uh, I …" he stammered.
"Oh, and I see that your friends have arrived." She added conversationally looking over his left shoulder. "Let me go ahead and stamp your hand so you can enjoy your complimentary ride."
Without notice, the biggest hairiest hand Anthony had ever seen reached out and firmly grasped his wrist. The woman proceeded to stamp the back of his hand with a "VIP" logo surrounded by a large circle.
Turning around to see his friends, he saw Matt and Kristina rapidly approaching talking excitedly between themselves. Matt was making wild gestures in the air and Kristina looked flushed with excitement.
Kristina was first to speak, "Anthony. Where are we?"
"I don’t know. I just fell through the wall and have been wandering around here since."
"That was THE fuckin-a coolest thing I have ever seen!" Matt added excitedly, suddenly stopped and asked "But, how did you get all the way over here so fast?"
"Fast? I’ve been here at least an hour." Anthony replied looking at his digital watch. "Damn, I must have broke it when I fell." He noted as the led display now read 30:72.
"Hour? Dog, we were no more than 10 seconds behind you. You must have jiggled the soft tissue when you fell."
Not wanting to push the issue, Anthony ignored the comment and instead focused on Kristina who was intently studying the hands of her Timex watch. Curious to see what her fascination was, he moved behind her to peer over her shoulder.
He wasn’t quite sure what to make of what he saw. The second hand of the Timex would move forward at what seemed like a normal pace, then after about 20 seconds, would suddenly start moving backwards for about 15 seconds, then proceed again at its forward pace. The pattern seemed to remain consistent for the 2-3 minutes he watched before finally deciding he had seen enough.
"I read something about this one time in Mr. Hanson’s science class. Something about magnets in the ground." Anthony finally said.
"Yes!" Kristina replied seemingly relieved that a plausible explanation had been revealed. "But not magnets in the ground, some areas on earth have a stronger magnetic pull than others – like the North and South Pole. That must be it, we must be in an area that has a stronger magnetic pull."
"Maybe we’re just not on the earth." Matt mumbled.
"Alright. First things first." Anthony said, again ignoring Matt’s comment, taking charge of the situation. "Lets find out how we get home." He said turning back to the ticket booth. Surprise covered his face as he found the bearded lady was no longer there.
"That’s weird, she was just here."
"Who was just here?" Matt asked.
"The big woman with the beard!"
"Now I know you jiggled the Jell-o in the thinker there Dog. There was no one there."
"But I …oh forget it." He answered looking down at the ink mark on his right hand. "Lets just find our way out of here."
"What about your ride Anthony?" Kristina tentatively asked.
"I think I’ve had enough excitement for one day."
"Step right up ladies and gentlemen! Ride the fastest ride known to man! Built on alien technology The Scrambler is guaranteed (pronounced gare-own-teed by the man) to change your life! The cost is only two tickets! Step right up!"
It seemed that they had been wandering for hours although Kristina’s watch assured them that only 15 minutes had passed. Time wasn’t the only natural law that seemed to be different in this place -- distance also seemed affected. Each time the trio would approach an area of the carnival that seemed to have activity; they seemed to not move at all! They would walk and walk, but never seem to get any closer – or further for that matter.
It wasn’t until they started to approach the large circular tent to the far side of the carnival that they suddenly began making progress. And what progress they made! What had looked to be a good half-mile away seemed to be covered in walking only a few yards. This was when they first spotted the short balding man with the pinstriped jacket standing out front, supporting his weight with a bamboo cane.
"Come on up kids! Ride The Scrambler, only two tickets apiece." The man said in a voice that seemed to naturally fill the area in a pleasant baritone.
"Sir, we just seem to be a little lost. I was just wondering if you could help us figure out how to get back home?" Anthony asked stepping up to the makeshift podium the man stood behind.
"The Scrambler is the answer to all your problems, all your questions, all your dreams." The man continued completely ignoring Anthony’s question.
"Excuse me." Anthony repeated trying to make eye contact with the man, but quickly backing away when he actually did.
Kristina had never seen Anthony look scared, that was one the things she found so attractive about him. That was why she had cold chills running down her spine as she saw her friend’s face.
"Anthony, what’s wrong?" she asked a hint of fear making her voice rise.
"His eyes, they’re …not right." He whispered.
"… just two tickets." The barker continued seemingly oblivious to the trio standing before him.
"What exactly do you mean by ‘not right’?" Matt demanded.
"I don’t know, kind of like, like an animals eyes or something. Just not right ... not human." Anthony said running his hands through his hair.
"Do you dare challenge the ultimate ride?" the barker read from a sign hanging outside the entrance of the tent while emphasizing each word he read by tapping it with his cane.
"Dog, what’s that on your hand?" Matt asked noticing the stamp for the first time.
"I don’t know, the lady at the ticket booth stamped my hand right before you got there."
"Dog, I keep trying to tell you, there was no one there."
"Well, I’m here to tell you…" was all Anthony could finish before Kristina rather forcefully turned him toward the barker who had finally stopped rambling on about the ride.
He was now standing to the side of the entrance holding back the flap with his cane so the threesome could enter. "Your VIP pass is good for your party, please step inside." He said smiling.
Kristina looked at the mans eyes, but saw nothing out of the ordinary – they were very dark, so dark the iris blended with his pupil to make them appear completely black, but nothing animal like. But what she did see were half-hidden yellowed teeth that she would have sworn were as sharply pointed as the canines of a dog.
"We don’t care about the ride. We just want to get home." Anthony tried again.
"Transportation will be provided to all guests upon completion of the ride." The barker responded still smiling that half-smile.
"Let’s just do it and get the fuck out of here." Matt finally said walking into the seemingly impenetrable darkness of the tent where he was quickly followed by Kristina and finally Anthony.
Anthony’s heart began beating faster again as he turned back to see the flap of the tent closing, but not before he made out what looked like cloven hooves leading up the furry legs of the barker that he would have sworn weren’t furry just seconds ago.
As they stepped inside the tent, Matt wasn’t sure if it was the fact that his eyes were adjusting to the dimness or if a light had been triggered on their entrance but suddenly he could see very well.
"Or maybe you just passed through another one of those funny walls like in the warehouse" a little voice nagged at the back of his mind. "Shut up." He replied aloud to the scared little voice.
"Did you say something Matt?" Kristina asked in a small scared sounding voice of her own.
"Just talking to myself Red."
The friends stopped in the middle of the tent staring at the object that had begun this odd adventure -- a small circular platform, no bigger than 10 ft across and standing approximately a foot off the ground.
In the center of the platform was a metal pole rising up approximately eight feet with three equally spaced bars radiating from the center. Suspended from each bar, hanging a few inches from the base of the platform, were three transparent cylinders with their doors standing open.
The platform had seen better days, the red-flaked metal looked as if it had started life as a schoolyard carousel. Hanging from rusted lengths of chain, the scratched and pocked tubes were streaked with grime and countless fingerprints.
A hand-painted wooden sign mounted with rusty wire to an equally rusty steel pole stood slightly askew before the entrance to the platform. The peeling paint on the sign read:
The Scrambler!
You must be this tall to ride this ride (a small line was painted in red some four feet from the ground)
Requires a minimum of three passengers.
One passenger per compartment.
Ride will begin automatically when all doors are securely shut.
Not responsible for incidental death or disfigurement.
"Shouldn’t that read ‘accidental death or dismemberment’?" Kristina thought to herself feeling less and less good about her decision to join Anthony on his little crusade for adventure.
"Well, at least I can see why it was outlawed in all those places." Matt finally said, "It looks like this piece of shit will fall apart if you breathe on it."
"Anthony. I’m scared." Kristina finally admitted.
"I’m sorry guys. I’m sorry I ever got us into this mess to begin with." Anthony murmured looking down at his shoes.
"Okay Dog, don’t turn sissy on me – shut off the water works and all that crap." Matt said feeling extremely uncomfortable with his friend’s behavior. He had never seen him act like this before.
"Let’s just ride this thing and get home." Matt concluded stepping onto the platform.
Seeing Matt climb into a cylinder, Kristina decided she would not be the one to stop them from getting out this Godforsaken place, climbed in her own, and reluctantly pulled the door shut.
Stepping inside the last compartment, Anthony reached out pulling the door shut, hoping this would be the end of this nightmare. "I promise I’ll never do anything like this again if we can just make it home." He said aloud. His mom never really took them to church, so he wasn’t sure if this counted as a prayer, but if nothing else, it was a promise to his self.
Nothing happened. Standing there for a moment, Anthony finally breathed heavily then immediately wished he hadn’t. The tube stunk! It was like that odor that always pervaded his senses in the stairways of the parking decks.
"Bum piss Tony." His father had told him on his infrequent visitations where they would spend the afternoon in the city watching a baseball game or visiting a museum. "The bums got nowhere else to go, so they come in here and piss on the stairs. So make sure you don’t touch anything."
"Like I’m stupid enough to touch anything that smells that bad." Anthony said to the memory of his father "And it’s Anthony – not Tony you dumb ass."
That was what this smell reminded him of, stale urine. And just as he was reaching to open the door to breathe some fresh air, he felt a slight movement. Realizing for the first time that there was nothing inside to hold on to or sit on, Anthony pushed his hands in front of him pressing them against the glass wall trying to stabilize him.
The ride started moving in slow circles, but quickly gained momentum. Usually this movement would have excited him, but instead he began to feel more and more uneasy. Something just wasn’t right and he began wishing harder that they had not entered the tubes.
He could make out Kristina’s face to his left. His heart ached as he realized the expression on her face was that of abject terror. What had he done?
Faster and faster they turned and as the laws of physics demand, the tubes began to lift outward from the center pushing the occupants toward the bottom of their transparent cells.
Anthony was more terrified than he had ever been in his life. He felt as if he were inside one of those things you see on TV where they separate the blood. What the hell was that called? A centrifuge? And he was inside the test tube!
Still faster they turned; the cylinders were now almost at a 90 degree angle to the pole that held it in place. The speed and pressure continued to build as Anthony felt he himself were being separated, much as the blood must be in the lab.
Desperately hanging onto consciousness, he thought he heard Kristina screaming then finally fell over the delicate precipice of sanity into the oblivion of madness as he himself felt that he was literally being torn to pieces.
Bright sunlight streamed through the slatted blinds of Matt’s bedroom window slowly crawling across the room as the sun made its way across the morning sky, until finally a stream of light splayed across his face.
Groggily, Matt tried to block the offending light with his hand thinking, "Damn, it’s Saturday, I want to sleep in." No sooner had he thought this than he immediately became aware of his surroundings and came full awake.
"Shit! It was just a fucking dream!" he said softly pushing back the lock of hair that was tickling his forehead.
Sitting bolt upright in bed he knew not all was, as it seemed. His heart suddenly beating as if he had run a quarter mile sprint, he reached both hands up and grabbed a double handful of hair.
Even more amazing than the fact that he had so much hair, was that when he brought it into his field of vision – it was the auburn color of Kristina’s instead of the near black color of his own.
Mouth dry, Matt pulled back the covers and began to examine himself thoroughly. Although still completely dressed including shoes, he knew right away something very, very bad had happened and immediately grabbed the phone dialing Anthony’s number.
The insistent ringing of the phone brought Anthony fully awake. Wiping the string of drool from the corner of his mouth, he groggily answered "Hello?"
"Dog! What the fuck happened?" the voice at the other asked.
"Matt? That you?" Anthony asked still trying to pull his mind from the foggy haze of a very sound slumber.
"Of course it’s me asshole! Have you looked at yourself?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Pull back the covers and tell me whose pants you’re wearing."
"What the hell are you talking about Matt?"
"JUST DO IT!" Matt yelled agitatedly.
He had no idea why Matt was so upset, but had a very bad feeling. Starting to wake up, Anthony’s mind began recalling the previous nights events even as he pulled back the covers to satisfy Matt’s request as his heart began to race.
"Who’s pants are you wearing Dog?" Matt asked again.
Slowly, Anthony finally answered still disbelieving what he saw. "Kristina’s" he finally managed.
"Something very bad happened last night Dog. We need to get Kristina and get back to that warehouse. Now!"
"I’ll call her as soon as I hang up with you."
After hanging up with Anthony, Matt stood up and walked over to the mirrored sliding doors on his closet and began to take careful inventory of what he saw in front of him; realizing how The Scrambler earned its name.
His face almost looked the same – well, at least it was the same *shape* he was used to seeing every day. Only now it was framed with long red hair and covered with skin a much paler tone than he was accustomed to – not to mention the splash of freckles that covered the bridge of his nose. It was, he realized, what he would look like if he had been of Irish heritage as opposed to Italian.
Looking at himself in the mirror, he could only shake his head in disbelief. The Bears sweatshirt Kristina had worn the night before now covered his torso, including his new breasts. The sleeves, which had once been attached to Anthony’s Abercrombie shirt, now covered his arms. The pair of Old Navy jeans that he had worn were now an odd combination of Levi’s from the waist to the knees then back to Old Navy from the knees down to Kristina’s Skechers.
Although he suspected he already knew what he would see, he undressed himself completely. Pulling the mixed up shirt over his head with what were thankfully still his hands, he paused briefly to stare at his bra-clad chest. "Interesting." He murmured before continuing to undress.
Now standing completely nude in front of the mirror, he confirmed his suspicions. The skin tone of his entire body appeared to be consistent with that which covered his face, Kristina’s. The ride had somehow managed not only to scramble their body parts, but then scrambled their skin! Even his new body hair was exactly as he was sure Kristina’s was.
Over the last year, Matt had watched as the hair on his legs and arms grew increasingly dark and thick, not to mention that around his crotch which was becoming very thick and wiry. Now his arms, which he knew had to be Anthony’s by the shape and tone, were covered with a very fine – nearly invisible – layer of blonde hair and his legs were shaved.
The abandoned boxers also had to be Anthony’s since he was a tighty-whitey kind of guy – which led to the inevitable conclusion that the penis sprouting from the feminine looking triangle of red pubic hair had to be Anthony’s as well. After wiggling his painted toenails, he finally decided to explore the one area that intrigued him the most -- Kristina’s tits.
Enjoying the endlessly fascinating sensations caused by rubbing his breasts, he began a closer examination. "You’ve got puffy nippers Red." He said aloud as he became aware of how sensitive the nipples on his small breasts really were! The sensations caused by his attentions were causing a stirring in his groin. Looking down he said in surprise "Dog! You the man!" noting the comparative size of his friends package.
Hands shaking, Anthony hung up the bedside phone for the third time after misdialing Kristina’s number, cursing the long fingernails he now possessed. "How the heck does she do anything with these?"
Before he could pick up the receiver to redial or the fourth time, the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Anthony! Something terrible has happened!" Kristina wailed from the other end of the receiver.
"I know Kristina." He said in as calm a voice as he could manage as he looked down again at the tight pair of Gap jean shorts that clad his nicely shaped behind. "I just hung up with Matt. We need to get back to the warehouse as soon as possible."
"But Anthony! You don’t understand! My, my … breasts … are gone!" she nearly wailed, dropping her voice to a whisper on the word ‘breasts’ before elevating it once again. "And my girl parts, aren’t girl parts any more and my hair! My beautiful hair!" she wailed.
"I know Kristina." He calmly repeated trying to ignore the odd sensations he felt in his pants when he stood, noting in the mirror how silly he looked with Matt’s skin coloring and hair cut. "Something went wrong, we just need to get back and get them to fix us up."
"Are you sure they can?" she sniffed
"Positive." Anthony said hating the lie that played across his tongue as he remembered the woman at the ticket booth with the hairy hands and 5:00 shadow.
"Okay. As soon as I figure out a way to cover up, I’ll be there." She said sounding hopeful, making Anthony feel even worse.
Having hung up, Anthony could only stare at his petite digits. How odd it felt. How can your hands feel the same but look so different? Not to mention the fact that he had to figure out a way to sneak to the bathroom and relieve his near exploding bladder in a manner he didn’t care to think about!
Digging through her closet, Kristina finally found what she was looking for as she pulled out the long knit cap with ear covers she had used the previous winter on a class trip, skiing in the mountains.
Undressing, she stood looking at herself in the full-length mirror that stood in the corner of her bedroom. The reflection that stared back at her was not hers. Well, the shape of the face and some of the body parts were – but mostly not.
How did boys manage with that ridiculous piece of flesh between their legs? It was simply disgusting seeing that … that … *thing* just hanging there! Gross! And to make matters worse, she had deduced by the odd blending of the clothing that it had to be Matt’s. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so nasty if it had at least been Anthony’s.
Turning from the mirror, she redressed pulling the hat down low over her head in an attempt to hide the fact that her hair was so short now – and the wrong color. Looking in the mirror, she nearly cried. "I look like a boy." Followed shortly by "Correction, I AM a boy."
Finally deciding that she had done enough to disguise the changes in her body, Kristina headed for the door to meet the boys at the rendezvous point.
Pedaling the same route he had the night before, Anthony felt the early morning sun shining on his face. He began wishing that he had chosen something other than the sweat pants he had put on. Kristina’s bottom stuck out quite a bit more than his causing the fabric of the sweats to be taut against unfamiliar flesh. This fact combined with the sensations caused from his new crotch rubbing on the bicycle seat was almost too much for him to bear.
He kept trying to avoid the guilt that insisted on plaguing his thoughts. If only he hadn’t tried to talk his friends into that stupid stunt! This was his entire fault! Slowing down, as his upper legs were already hurting from trying to ride at his usual breakneck speed, he quickly realized that Kristina’s legs just couldn’t handle the strain.
Pulling up in front of the abandoned warehouse, Anthony saw his friends already waiting for him. Kristina wearing one of those funky looking snowboarder hats and pulling Matt’s (formerly her) long hair into a ponytail while chiding him "You have to brush long hair or it will get all knotted dork!"
"Lay off Red, I didn’t ask for this."
As Anthony parked his bike, the feelings of guilt washed over him yet again. As he started to apologize again, Matt cut him short.
"Look Dog, I already told you how I felt about you turnin’ sissy on me – don’t start again." A brief pause "Else I’ll have to flash you these!" he said grinning while simultaneously grabbing both his breasts.
This earned him a smack upside the head from Kristina who said, "Keep your hands off those!"
This playful banter brought a half-hearted smile to Anthony’s lips.
"Look Anthony. Both of us could have backed out at any time. It’s not your fault." Kristina said looking him directly in the eyes. "But, let’s get back to normal."
It didn’t take the trio long before they were once again standing in the sunny meadow.
"What now Dog?" Matt asked a little anxiously.
"I think we have to go back to the ticket booth and get one of our hands stamped." Anthony answered, again looking at the slender hand that ended his arm.
"Well then, let’s do it." Kristina said already heading toward the small wooden booth in the distant.
Once they arrived, Anthony saw that the same woman that had manned the booth the previous day was once again on duty. Still looking bored.
"Can I help you?" she asked with no flicker of recognition.
"Yes! We need you to unscramble us!" Anthony blurted feeling hot tears gathering in the corners of his eyes that he hadn’t realized were waiting to be freed.
"You’re wanting to ride The Scrambler?" the woman asked "There is a cost associated."
"NO! We don’t want to ride The Scrambler, we want you to put us back to normal!" Anthony nearly screamed.
The woman set aside the stack of papers she had been sorting through and stood inside the booth looking carefully at the three that were before her, not children, not yet adults. After a few moments and what seemed to be a careful inventory of their features she finally said "What’s wrong with ya?"
"What’s wrong with us? What’s wrong with us you stupid hairy bitch, is that our body parts got all twisted around after riding your stupid fucking ride!" Matt said stepping forward "And now, we want you to put us back!"
The busty woman sat back on her stool looking nonplussed by the attitudes of the teens, pointed to a sign that Anthony would have sworn hadn’t been there moments before and began sorting through her papers once again.
"All sales final. All disclaimers related to individual rides are clearly posted before boarding. Failure to heed these notices is assumed to be full consent of all parties that choose to board said mechanical/magical device." The sign read.
"I’m sorry I can’t help you, but the rules for The Scrambler clearly state ‘Not responsible for incidental death or disfigurement.’. You shouldn’t have boarded the ride if you didn’t want to take this chance." The woman said not looking a bit sorry.
"But the barker told us that it was our only way home!" Anthony said growing agitated.
"Did he? Or did he tell you that we provide complimentary transportation at the end of the ride?"
Anthony’s face fell. This entire fiasco could have been avoided! The tears he had been holding back finally began to fall in a steady stream.
Matt began to step forward but was grabbed by Kristina’s now strong hand. "Let me handle this Matt." She said.
"Excuse me. Can you at least give us some options to get back to the state were before we rode The Scrambler? " Kristina asked.
Smiling broadly, an effect that did little to comfort Kristina, the woman said "Absolutely! We have many different rides available to our guests. But, if you are looking for one that will put you back to your original state, I can only tell you that the technology or magic associated with each ride has the potential to undo any changes."
"So The Scrambler is the only thing that can put us back to normal?"
"The Scrambler is the only ride that has the potential to undo any changes it has already made." The woman corrected.
Knowing little how wrong she would be, Kristina looked back at her friends and said "Well, I suppose it couldn’t be any worse."
After Anthony and Matt nodded their assent, Kristina turned back to the woman. "I only have $10.00. Will that cover the price of the tickets?"
The woman laughed heartily "Tickets cannot be purchased!"
"But you just said that we had to buy tickets for the ride!" Kristina countered.
"You children only hear what you want to hear! What I said was ‘There is a cost associated.’ The ride is free … for a price." The woman said cryptically holding out six small blue tickets with the words ‘Carnival’ printed on the front.
The three friends looked at each other confused, but took the proffered tickets. As Anthony looked back up to ask for clarification, he saw the booth was once again empty.
Holding his breath, Anthony pulled the door shut on the now familiar glass cylinder. Now that they knew the routine – you can only get to the ride you are authorized for – they made good time.
The same barker with the same creepy eyes had held back the entrance to the tent for them, although Anthony had almost convinced himself by then that what he had previously thought to be goat legs on the man had been an optical illusion, shadows cast by the light.
He was a little nervous. As they had boarded the ride, he noticed that there were now four arms projecting from the center pole, each with a suspended chamber. And while no one else was in the tent, it still nagged at the back of his mind that this empty cylinder was there. He supposed that the previous group must have had a party of four, but he still didn’t like it.
After what seemed like an eternity, the ride still hadn’t started. Growing increasingly nervous, Anthony started to open the door, but quickly realized it was not an option since there did not appear to be any mechanism on the inside *to* open the door.
While vainly pushing on the door in an attempt to exit, he became aware of a muffled sound coming from the cylinder to his right. Looking over, he saw Kristina pounding on the side of her cylinder yelling something he couldn’t make out.
Seeing the look of confusion on his face, she began wildly pointing at the cylinder next to her, directly behind him – the empty cylinder. Just as he was attempting to turn to see what had her so upset, he felt the now familiar motion of the ride starting.
The ride continued its increase in speed until he was nearly paralyzed once again by the pressure as the cylinders rose in the air. Managing to turn his head a fraction, it was enough to see a flash of black in the cylinder behind him,
"Oh shit!" was the last thought to run through his mind as the ride reached its maximum speed and his thread on consciousness narrowed into oblivion.
"Anthony! Are you going to sleep all day? It’s almost noon!" his mothers voice drifted up the stairs.
Coming wide awake Anthony jumped out of bed staring down at his body as his heart sank to his stomach.
As he stood hefting the weight of his enormous breasts with the hairiest hands he had ever seen, he finally understood what the woman in the ticket booth had told them as the words echoed in his mind ‘The ride is free … for a price.’"
"Hey Liz! You’re looking good! New breasts?"
"Hi Bill. As a matter of fact they are, I finally traded in those big old things for these small perky ones." She said grinning at the carnie. "Did you get that gate in the warehouse closed for me?"
"Yes ma’am. I also opened the three new ones you asked for and put in a request to have the web site updated with their locations."
"Great, I really appreciate that. Well, I better get back to the ticket booth … we’re expecting some new guests any minute…"
Fini
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