Wednesday 20 May 2015

Vignettes: New Perspectives


I was stuck babysitting my sister's little kid for the weekend while she went on some business trip abroad. He's such a pain in the ass, he keeps messing with all of my stuff and asking the stupidest questions. I got sick of it after he almost totalled my drum set so I sent him up to the guest room and told him he had to stay there the rest of the day. He was furious and threatened to break stuff but there ain't nothing valuable in there that I care about. A few hours of peace later, I hear a loud thud upstairs, followed by me desperately needing the loo. I rush to the bathroom and start my business when something scary happened. As I peed, I got smaller and thinner and hairless. I was terrified but I couldn't stop myself going. By the time I finished, I was some puny shrimp who looked to be about the kid's age. I was freaking out, even all my ink had vanished. Outside, I heard a deep laughter so I burst out the room and ran right into the belly of this stranger. He was a massive guy, even more-so at my new height, and he loomed over me with a wicked smile. I could see some similarities in the guy, like he was an uglier clone of me. He had on my underwear and chains. He had a big gut and a goatee like mine. Even the tattoos were like the ones I had. I had a sinking feeling I knew who he was, that the freak soon confirmed. Turns out that junk in the guest room weren't so useless after all as the kid found some sorta wishing stone. He wished we'd trade places so he was the uncle and I was his nephew . He lifted me up easily and dumped me in the guest room, saying I couldn't leave for the rest of the day before cackling and slamming the door. God I hope there's another of those things in here...



"OK I'll prove to you that it works! Give me a year" Phil said, preparing to type my answer onto the weird device he bought from a garage sale. He said it could change the age of the person who held it but I didn't believe him.

"Hmm... What about 1980?" I replied. "The same year my dad was born".

He nodded, quickly tapping the date into the device and turning the screen to me. It showed his current date of birth followed by the one he just added. "Now just watch what happens". He pressed the button atop the device, then shoved it into his pocket. Nothing happened. I was about to brag about being right when a burst of electricity jumped from his pocket and surrounded him. I fell backwards in surprise as Phil literally aged years in seconds. His shirt tore apart as he sprouted up with height and muscle. His jeans fared better but the legs still split down the seams and the buttons flew off. Within moments, he'd grown from a pimply middle-schooler to a hirsute adult, towering over me with a wide grin on his bestubbled face. "So what do you think now?" he asked smugly in a rough baritone instead of his usual squeaky voice.

I stared at him bewildered for a moment, processing that the bear of a man before me really was my best friend Phil. Finally, I replied "Can I have a go?".


I didn't know why I was suddenly a boy again, but I knew I had to find my son to make sure he was OK. The beach wasn't busy yet I couldn't see him anywhere. Finally I found a secluded area where I saw a naked man pacing about nervously. He looked familiar but surely it wasn't him.

"Whatamigonnado... Whatamig- AAH!" he covered himself with a pair of ripped swimming trunks when he saw me. "I wasn't naked! I mean I was but not on purpose, honest! My shorts ripped after... I know it's ridiculous but I used to be your age and... Of course I used to, but I mean..."

"Oh my god" I interrupted. I knew that nervous speech pattern anywhere. "Rick? Is that really you?"

He stopped at the mention of his name. "How do you know my name?"

"Ricky, it's me. Your dad"

He looked more confused than ever. "Daddy?" he asked. He crouched down and squinted at me. "But you're so little!".

"Yeah, and you're so big. What the heck happened to us?"

Rick sat next to me on the sand and shrugged. "I dunno. I was on the beach and out of nowhere, I just grew up. My shorts ripped so I found this place to hide. How about you?".

I sighed. "Pretty much the same. It's a mystery alright... And until we solve it, I guess we'll have to play the part. Here, put these on". I chucked him the swimming trunks I was holding up around my waist. He quickly pulled them on and handed me his tattered pair in exchange.

"What do you mean?"

"Well I can't be the man of the house looking like this. You're the tall one with the deep voice and the hairy chest. You'll have to pretend to be me, and I'll be you, until we find a way to fix things. So let's go home. Dad".

Rick giggled in excitement before retaining his poseur and giving me a stern look. "OK son" he said, delving back into laughter. Well at least one of us is happy I guess.


I played with the enchanted rings while my neighbour stripped out of his clothes. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"A bet's a bet, whatever the price. Hand it over". He snatched a ring from my hand and shimmied it over his cock and balls. I did the same and together, we spoke the words on the parchment. I could feel myself begin to get younger with every breath. I laughed giddily as my belly started to shrink. A newfound energy reared inside me and I almost leapt out of my wheelchair, confident I wouldn't need it now. I ran to a mirror and threw my glasses to the side as my vision cleared. I watched as my skin tightened and my hair grew back to its former auburn glory. It wasn't long before I was a young musclehead in my mid-twenties. I was bounding with energy, thrilled to be young again!

My neighbour, however, had the short end of the stick as he grew older with every breath. His muscles faded as his body bloated, packing on a gut. Hair regrew across his shaved chest while a moustache sprouted above his lips. His hair thinned and gradually lightened until it was mainly white. His skin roughened and wrinkled. While I admired my muscular body, his breathing grew haggard and he collapsed onto a chair. I quickly rushed to his side in concern. "Oh my god, are you alright?"

"I'll be fine. I guess aging so many years in a short time really saps up your energy. I'm pooped".

"We can swap back if you'd like, it's no big deal"

"Noooo! I'm a man of my word, we're not breaking the deal because I'm a little light-headed. Just go out and let me rest for a few hours. I'll be back on my feet in no time"

"Are you sure? I don't want to leave if you feel so uneasy"

"Of course I'm sure! Go and enjoy being a hot stud again while you can. I can tolerate maturity for the time being"

"Well at least let me help you get more comfortable". I grabbed my wheelchair and assisted him into it. As I rolled him to my bedroom and looked down at the old man, I mused to myself about being on the other side of the chair for once, And now I have the freedom to do things that I haven't in years! It's only for a week though so I better make the most of it!

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Thanks everyone for the welcome back! Now this is something I'm toying with. Multiple short stories with a similar theme, I'd like to do more but first I'd like to know what sort of themes people would like to see. Whether it's the people involved, like father/son swaps, or if it's how the change occurs, like cursed water, or even just a general connection, like revenge. Anything I can base about 3-5 separate stories on would do. Thanks again!