Life of the Party

Cam closed the door to his room.  It had been a long day at work, and he was feeling pretty exhausted.  He was about to just flop down on his bed and go straight to sleep, when he saw a small envelope on his pillow, with his name on it.  Curious, he opened it up to take a look.  Inside was a letter.

“Happy Birthday, Cam!  Hope you’re ready for a big surprise for you and your guests.”

It was a pretty odd message.  One of his family could have left it for him, but why wouldn’t they just tell him themselves.  He tossed it in the trash before turning off the light.  He sighed as he went to bed.  Tomorrow WAS his birthday, but he had been so busy, he hadn’t had time to prepare much for the guests.  He would probably need to pop by the grocery before the party to pick up a cake.  Shrugging, he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

He woke up to a hand shaking his shoulder, and a woman’s voice.  “Come on, birthday boy, get up!”  Shaking his head, Cam blinked.  The room was still dark, and for a good fifteen seconds, he couldn’t see anything but his digital clock, reading 12:01.  “Happy birthday!”  The voice said again.  Suddenly, a light came on, and after taking a moment for his eyes to adjust, Cam realized he wasn’t in his room anymore, but in what looked like the inside of a large, hollowed-out tree.  Judging from the presence of a stove, various cooking utensils, and the smell of sweets, it was apparently a kitchen.  As he looked up, he saw what he assumed was the source of the voice, a one-foot tall, pale-skinned woman, flying just above him on four thin, clear, dragonfly wings.

“Am I dreaming?”  Cam said groggily.

“Maybe.”  The little lady said.  “Then again, you could simply be a butterfly dreaming of being human.  Everything we know might be a dream.  But that’s neither here nor there.”  She flicked her wrist.  “I just wanted to introduce myself.  My name’s Nia, and I’m here to help fulfil your desire for change.”

“You are?”  Cam asked, getting up.  “You don’t mean-”

“Oh, yes, I can assure you I DO mean it the way you think I do.  I can sense a human’s desire for a physical transformation, and like to occasionally grant them that, on special occasions.  Like say, a birthday.”  Cam couldn’t help but grin.  Dream or not, this was gonna be awesome!  

“That said…” Nia added.  “I can’t tell specifically what kind of changes they want without er…  Getting a feel for it, so, excuse me for a second…”  Nia suddenly reached her hand out to Cam…  And put it straight through his forehead.  Cam twitched a bit, feeling for a moment as if there was another presence inside his mind.  “That’s a fun one…  This one’s a bit of an oldie, but it could work…  Oh, what’s this?  Oooh, I rarely get to work with that!”  She withdrew her hand, and Cam shuddered.  “Sorry about that.  But, now I know just the gift to give you!  Hold my hand for a second?”

Feeling a little more hesitant after having his mind probed, but still wanting to see what transformation Nia had in store, Cam reached out and held Nia’s small hand.  He suddenly felt her tugging on it, with surprising force for her diminutive size.  She gave a second tug, triggering an odd stretching in Cam’s back, the back of his head, and just about everything else behind him.  With a third tug, Cam stumbled forward, feeling as if his whole body was being stretched out, then feeling as if something had dropped off of his back.  He let go of Nia’s hand as he turned around to have a look.  

“Woah!”  Cam gasped as he came face to face with…  Himself?  Before him stood something that looked completely identical to him, save for the fact that it was completely asleep.  “Wh-what on Earth is that?”

“That’s you!”  Nia said.  “Or, well, your old body, without your soul.  You’re in a copy body I made for your transformation.  So, when it’s all done, your soul comes back here, no fuss, no muss.”  She tapped on Cam’s original head.  

“It’s still kinda creepy to see myself like this.”  Cam looked over his original body.  

“Yeah, I know it’s not something most humans are used to.”  Nia nodded.  “But with this set-up, it’s kinda like that old human phrase ‘you can have your…’ actually, never mind.  Don’t want to give too much away.”  She giggled.  “Let’s just say I’ve got a little time-travel magic that’ll let you be, and enjoy, your gift.”

“Sounds pretty fun.”  Cam said.  “I guess I’m ready when you are.”

“Let’s get going then.”  Nia grinned.  With a snap of her fingers the lights dimmed.  “Now then, Cam, let’s get you nice and relaxed.”  Cam suddenly felt a little sleepy, as a large bowl magically materialized underneath him.  He found himself laying back into it, his feet at one end of the bowl, his head at the other.  “Yep, you just get comfortable and calm, not a single worry running through that sleepy head of yours.

“Now, I want you to imagine, a gentle wave of relaxation, slowly moving up your body.  It starts in your feet, and they just start to feel so limp and heavy, it’s almost as if they are just dissolving into pure relaxation.”  Cam nodded at the suggestion, his feet feeling so relaxed, he barely even notice as his toes started to turn white, becoming harder and harder to move as they solidified into a mix of sugar and flour, before gradually crumbling and gently sliding to the center of the bowl.

“This relaxing feeling spreads upwards now, without you needing to do anything.  Your calves start to loosen up and let go of all that stress.  Feels so sweet, doesn’t it?”  Cam nodded again, feeling all the stress in his calves fading, as they slowly turned to cocoa powder from the inside out, slowly sliding apart and drifting to the bottom of the bowl.  “Feel the wave pass up through your thighs, all tension released as they drift down deeper…”  Cam felt his thighs ease up, as they slowly shifted into baking soda and powder, joining the rest of his legs as the bottom of the bowl.  His legs felt so relaxed, he couldn’t move them, even if he had wanted to.  The sensation in his legs felt so natural and easy, even if it was a little unfamiliar to the occasional peeps of his conscious mind.  

Cam’s body started to slip under the powdery mix at the bottom of the bowl.  “Next, feel the relaxation enter your arms, starting with your fingertips, and spreading up to your shoulders, making them feel so very, very loose and limp, to the point you couldn’t even call them solid anymore.”  Cam felt the relaxation dripping from the end of his fingertips, and up his arms, each part feeling so loose and distant as his arms slowly dripped down into a little puddle of milk, mixing in with the dry powders below.

“Very good…  You’re so very good at relaxing.  I bet you could even slow your heartbeat and breathing to a crawl now…  Just imagine how restful you’d feel then…”  Cam would’ve nodded in blissful agreement, but he was to comfortable to try.  His breathing slowed down, as did his pulse, his body’s movement coming to a slow stop as his torso melted into a smooth cooking oil.  

“Lastly, let all the little muscles in your face relax, and your thoughts be at ease.  No worries, no stress, no cares, just enjoying a unique and restful experience.”  Cam’s mind drifted, feeling his hair grow over his head completely, turning white, and hardening into an eggshell.  Meanwhile, his face smoothed over, any wrinkles smoothing over, his senses, save for touch, fading as his features flattened and become simple egg white.  His brain, meanwhile, rounded out, and turned yellow, becoming a yolk.

“Very good, my soon-to-be sweet former-human.”  Despite his lack of hearing, Nia’s voice echoed in Cam’s mind.  Nia smiled, cracking the eggshell perfectly, and letting Cam’s “egghead” fall to the bottom of the bowl.  “You’re going to make a lovely chocolate cake, dear.  It’s rather exciting, isn’t it?”  Nia said, as Cam felt his relaxed, indistinct body start to spin around and mix together.  Cam, sleepy though he was, still agreed…  The thought of being changed like that still intrigued him, even as he remained blissfully unaware of the implications of his body’s light, wet, and powdery feeling.  He then felt as if his body was being turned in place, again and again.  The sensation left him slightly dizzy, but more than that, where his body once felt light and loose, it now seemed grow heavy and tired.  His thoughts began to slow down even further, becoming jumbled as the yolk split apart.  Memories seemed more distant and dreamlike, knowledge faded from grasp, and any emotion beyond the simple enjoyment of the comfortable, calming feels felt so much harder to muster.

“No need to worry.  No need to think, Sweet little Cake.”  Nia’s voice echoed.  “Humans think, and worry, but you're not human anymore.”

“Not…  Human… Anymore…”  Cam’s slow, laborious thoughts were drowned out by Nia’s soothing voice as he felt his body spiral deeper.  They took such a powerful hold in Cak’s mind, he couldn’t even tell her voice and his thoughts apart.

“That’s right, dear Cake.  You are a Cake.  You are sweet, moist, and share the delight others feel in eating you.”

“I… Am… A… Sweet… Cake.”  Cak thought.  “I… Make… People… Happy…”

“And it feels good to make people happy, doesn’t it?”

“Feels… Good… To… Make… People… Happy…”  Cake Agreed.

“Very good!”  Nia smiled as she finished stirring the giant bowl and poured the batter into a pan.  “Now, you’re going to feel warm and fuzzy for a while, Cake.  Just relax, and let nature take its course.”  Cake felt an incredible warmth all around his body, like a calming sauna.  The intense heat reached all through his body, causing it to slowly rise and swell, making Cake feel larger, and lighter. Cake felt a tinge of excitement, knowing his body would be so fluffy and soft, like a good cake should be.

The heat eventually came to an end, and Cake found his body being blanketed in a thick, cool, sweet substance, causing Cake to feel even sleepier, his mind going utterly blank.  Nia smiled as she finished icing the massive Cake, sticking four candles in the center of it.  Using her magic, Nia opened a portal through time and space, leading to the dining room table at Cam’s house, thirty minutes before the party would start.  She carefully levitated the former human up to the portal.  “Happy Brithday ‘Cake!’”  She giggled.  “Here’s to one wish coming true, and hoping for more to be granted.”

“One last thing:” Nia said, putting Cake through the portal, “Don’t think too hard about the giant chocolate cake appearing out of nowhere once you’re human again.  Have fun.”

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Cake sat there on the table for an hour, oblivious as the party started.  Then he stirred, as he felt warmth from the candles.  “Could this be it?”  Cake thought.  “Time to make people happy.”  Cake felt his body being split into slices, which oddly, didn’t seem to hurt, though it did feel strange, as if he was in two, then four, then eight places at once.  Then, as the people began to eat, Cake lost all sensation in each part of his body, save for the taste of chocolate overwhelming his senses, as if he was eating each piece himself.  He felt more and more of his body fade out as he was engulfed in the sweet sensation, before he finally went numb, and lost consciousness.

Cam yawned and stretched out his arms and legs, looking around at his surroundings, and his human body.  “Man that was a weird dream…”  He smiled. Even if it was weird, he still enjoyed it.

Cam’s morning routine was unchanged by his dream, and he went about his day as normal, save for setting aside a few items and foods to use for the party.  As the time for the party approached, Cam started setting up the table, his mind only dwelling on the sudden appearance of a massive chocolate cake for the briefest of moments, before his subconscious reminded him of the importance of setting up the punch bowl.

Eventually, the guests arrived, friends and family chatting with Cam about this and that for half an hour, before they all gathered around the table, lit the candles on the cake.  After all of them had sung “Happpy Birthday” Cam blew out the candles, wishing he could share the experience of transforming with others.

He cut the cake, passing pieces out to his guests before serving himself.  As they finished eating, Cam started to feel lightheaded.  “I’m…  Feeling kinda funny…”  Cam muttered.

“Yeah.”  One of his friends chuckled.  “I’m kinda feeling funny too.  Like I’m getting lighter, or something.”  Looking over to his friend, Cam saw that the young man’s hands were shrinking into his arms, which were also gradually shrinking down, while his skin took a bright green color.

Cam realized something was off about all of this, but this lightheaded feeling made it feel more silly than scary.  “Heh heh, you do look funny!   Your head’s blowing up like a big balloon!” Cam giggled, and looked down at his own body, watching his skin turn blue and take a rubbery sheen as he felt lighter and lighter.  The transforming guests laughed in squeaky voices as Cam’s pants fell to the floor, his legs, and most of his body, shrinking away into his swelling and ever-rounder body and head.  Cam felt all his stress leaving him as his skin started to smooth over, his hair retreating into his head.  He laughed a squeaky laugh, his own funny sounding voice causing him to start laughing harder.

His shirt dropped down below him, his head starting to rise as it grew bigger and rounder, his senses fading as his facial features slowly smoothed over, leaving him nice and round as he rose to the ceiling.  His friends and family rose up after him, giddily giggling as their heads filled with air, pushing out all thoughts, save for the simple joys of this light-headed, simple-minded freedom to float about.  Even without mouths or ears, or even the ability to move on their own, Cam and his guests could hear each other’s giggles and cheers.

As the last guest finished changing, a portal opened, and Nia drifted through, a smile on her face.  “I see you’re all enjoying yourselves.  Time to work a little magic to make sure nobody gets too freaked out.”  She snapped her fingers, and her voice began to whisper into the balloons’ empty heads, speaking past their giggly conscious minds and into their subconcious.  “You all will stay giddy, cheerful balloons for the next hour, after which you will gently drift down and become human again, fully dressed and decent.  Those of you that enjoy a good transformation will remember this in perfect detail, and will be happy to talk with those who remember transforming with you about it.  Those for whom such transformations are not your cup of tea, will find yourself remembering the last hour as nothing but a distant dream, where instead of bouncing as balloons, you spent time talking and enjoying one another’s company.”  She snapped her fingers, and her voice stopped being audible to the transformed partygoers.

“Happy Birthday, again, Cam!”  She giggled, before stepping back through her portal, and closing it behind her.