T'was the Day Before Christmas Vacation

Chapter 1
T'was the Day Before Christmas Vacation

T’was the Day Before Christmas Vacation

From: Tainted Sins

To: Merlin

Happy Holidays!

Michelle held the folded red construction paper with green trimming

between two slender fingers-as far from herself as possible, her eyes

searching for a wastebasket.

’As much as my parents pay to send me here, this school could at least

attempt to have some taste,’ She uttered coldly. Her young pouty lips

formed into a tight frown.

’Lets see who you got!’ Her friend Jenny bounded by in a plaid skirt

and white top (the school standard), snatching the unwanted invitation

in the process. ’Oooo! You got Merlin. You’re so lucky!’ She pressed

the crumpled paper against her meager chest in one of her standard

displays of affection. ’He is sooo cute!’

Michelle rolled her eyes at her friend in annoyance. According to

Jenny, anyone who is old enough to grow a beard is cute. ’Isn’t he the

science teacher?’

Heather nodded from the side. It had been one of her ’silent days,’ so

any interaction with their small group at all was something to be

treasured. Michelle glanced at her. Still in that black lipstick, which

looked horrible in combination with the school uniform. But Heather had

stated a number of times: Until the school’s dress code specifically

targeted such a product, the lipstick stayed. Rebellion is tough when

you are a fourteen year old girl in private school.

’Why do they call him Merlin, anyway?’ Michelle straightened the

wrinkles out of her skirt with a few brisk strokes.

Heather shrugged. ’I don’t know. I guess because he is always

carrying around a coffee mug with that name printed on it in big white

letters. It kinda’ stands out.’

’Men who drink coffee are so sexy!’ Jenny beamed.

’Well, I think it’s weird. If they didn’t want to have class, they

should have just canceled school for the day. First that lame assembly,

and now individual counseling? This whole ’thinking about your future’

theme is getting old, fast. Besides, what’s some science teacher going

to teach me about my future anyway?’

’Why don’t you go find out?’

Michelle groaned as she noticed her friend had stopped and was now

pointing at the doors to the main office.

’Oh, don’t be so melodramatic! It beats class. And anyway, Christmas

vacation starts tomorrow. You’ll have the whole week to sit around and

file your nails, unmolested.’

’Hmph. You obviously haven’t met my relatives,’ Michelle sneered.

’They have a condo up in Aspen. Once again, I’ll probably end up stuck

there the whole time with my brat cousins while my parents are off

skiing.’

’Are you looking for sympathy from me? At least you get to see real

snow.’ Heather pried one of the paper snowflakes off the wall, examined

it for a time, then let it float pathetically to the carpet below.

’This is all I get.’

Michelle stepped through the doors without another word. Heather could

be such a whiny bitch sometimes.

The woman manning the phones at the front desk directed her to one of

the inner offices. Normally this would be the realm of the Principle

and all his cronies, but today several teachers were doing their good

deeds within, while other holiday activities were being held all over the

school.

’Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come,’ a banner hung ominously over the

plaque that identified the current occupant.

Michelle sighed. This was going to be a long day. Lifting her hand of

perfectly manicured nails-painted red and kept clean with soap that

smelled of peaches-she rapped gently on the door. Maybe he wouldn’t

hear...

’Come in,’ a low voice called out in response.

Forest green covered the majority of the room. The carpet sprouted up

thick from the floor. Michelle noticed the curtains were pulled in

front of the glass windows, preventing anything but artificial light from

illuminating the scene. The cheap paintings of hillsides, the oak

furniture-it reminded her of the softcore porn she saw late nights on cable

now and then.

Merlin, as he was called around the school, sat behind a large desk,

eyeing her intently. She had seen him a few times in the hall.

Somewhere in his thirties, she guessed, brown hair and fit. She could see

where Jenny found the attraction. If she were into older guys, that is.

’Michelle, isn’t it?’ He shuffled through a couple of files, clicked a

pen, and started jotting down a few notes.

’Yes.’ Her reply was short and curt. She crisscrossed her fingers

behind her back and stood stiff, chest out, with perfect posture. As

always, she was aware of every inch of her body. How it felt, and how it

appeared to others.

’Have a seat,’ He smiled and gestured with his pen.

Skirt lifted slightly, body lowered slowly onto the chair, one slender

leg crossed over the other, hands resting neatly in her lap: Boarding

school had taught her well.

’I’m not mistaken am I? I don’t believe I have seen you in any of my

classes...’

Michelle shook her head. She brushed the black hair away from her

eyes. ’I really never learned to appreciate the fine art of picking a frog

apart with tweezers.’

He gave a short smile. ’Well then, why don’t you tell me what you are

interested in, hmm?’

’Is that what this is? I tell you my interests so you can assign the

appropriate job title? I say I like plants, so you tell me I should be

a botanist.’

’Not at all. I certainly wouldn’t recommend becoming a botanist if you

haven’t even passed a high school science class yet.’

She scowled at this.

’Look,’ he leaned forward. ’I’m just trying to get a conversation

started. Your file says your grades have been slipping these past few

months, and you’ve been having discipline problems lately in several of

your classes.’ He set the pen down, and allowed his hands to vanish

beneath the desk. ’I want to know how much thought you’ve put into your

future.’

’I’m sort of a ’live for the now’ kind of girl.’ She eyed her nails

with a bored expression. ’Could we hurry this up?’

’Of course.’

Michelle looked up at him, her cool exterior momentarily shattered.

’Why are you smiling at me like that?’

He didn’t answer.

’Listen you freak...’ She stopped.

There was a slight tickling in the pit of her stomach.

It spread.

Her veins throbbed with it.

Her brain felt soggy inside the skull-sick with it.

’Now Michelle, you’re fourteen aren’t you?’

’Fourteen...’

Was her ass getting bigger? She felt the elastics of her panties

digging into her waist. She squirmed in her chair. She reached down to

adjust them. Her bra felt tight too.

’I’d have to say, you’re very developed for a fourteen year old. Are

you sure that’s your correct age?’

’W-what?’ Her breasts swelled, pulling against the straps that

struggled to hold them. But Michelle was only a 34 A. She had never strained

a bra in her entire life. She heard the material ripping. ’I...I...’

She pressed her arms against the throbbing mounds as they began to

spill out of their cups. ’I feel like I am expanding all over...’

’Don’t be afraid, Michelle. You’re just growing up.’

She looked down. It was true. She was definitely older. Her legs

were longer; more curved. They cascaded down the chair, out of her skirt

which looked increasingly smaller by the moment. Her chest was

painfully large, and stretched the fabric of her undersized top to its limits.

None of her clothes fit her anymore. She looked ridiculous.

’I have to get out of this bra!’ She groaned.

’You’d be amazed how many men would kill to hear that,’ Merlin

commented. ’I’d say you’re almost twenty years old by now.’

A twenty year old in a school girl’s outfit, designed for a fourteen

year old girl.

Michelle stood up, wobbling in her new frame. The plaid skirt clung

tightly to her hips. Her knee-high white socks now struggled to reach

past her calves.

’Why do I feel so...so big...’ She was rambling now. Her voice

sounded so different. It hummed deep in her throat.

She peeled the white top off over her head, ripping it in her panic.

Her body quivered with the sudden exposure. She felt the cold air on

her large bosom, pressed into an obscene position by the inadequate bra

that now looked like little more than a band-aid. She flushed with

embarrassment, her flesh covered in goosebumps. Never before had she been

so aware of the school’s ill-managed heating system.

But there was nothing she could do. She felt like she was going to

explode at any moment.

Reaching behind her back, she fumbled with the clasp with foreign

fingers. One try...two...then the hook came undone and the bra flipped like

a slingshot across the room.

Michelle stood topless in a teacher’s office. These two alien objects,

like globes, dangling in front of her. She kicked off her shoes. Even

her feet were too big.

But it wasn’t finished. Whatever it was. Time felt like a whirlwind

around her. It itched. She could feel it crawling beneath her skin.

She could feel herself getting older.

It happened so fast, it was hard to keep track. It felt like her body

suddenly sighed with exhaustion: The tightness began to slip; she

gained a couple of pounds; her once firm breasts began to sag; her flat

tummy wasn’t quite so flat anymore; a few wrinkles showed up; she felt her

ass cheeks, held by too small cotton underpants, begin to relax and

hang looser than before.

It was like that everywhere.

Loose.

Her innocence washed away. Her body started to look worn.

Michelle stared down at her hands. She turned them over. She examined

them. The veins, the slight wrinkles, the coarse skin-it didn’t look

much like buttermilk now (her Dad’s comparison).

She wasn’t a girl anymore. She was a woman. A middle-aged woman.

’You’re forty years old, Michelle.’

That old?! She lowered her hands in horror; there was no denying it.

She was older than her Mom, and the worst part was-she looked it.

’What in the hell did you do to me?!’ She screamed.

’Isn’t it obvious? We were talking about your future, you asked to

hurry it up... Do the math. Or is arithmetic another subject that

doesn’t interest you?’

’But...how?’

’It isn’t important. You’re a ’live for the now’ kind of girl, right

Michelle? Well, now you’re all grown up, you’re uneducated, and you’re

all alone. Your parents wouldn’t recognize you if you were standing

right in front of them. That’s the problem with the future, Michelle: It

doesn’t stay the future forever.’

She was shaking.

She kept her arms folded loosely, covering her breasts as best she

could (they felt so strange!). Her legs wobbled awkwardly as she made her

way back to her chair. It felt as if she were trying to walk around in

someone else’s body. Everything was oversized and out of place. She

managed to sit down. That was her limit. She had held the tears back

as long as she could.

’But what am I going to do?’ She sobbed. ’How am I going to survive?

I don’t want to be forty!’

’I’m happy to see you’ve discovered the importance of the questions

I’ve been trying to ask you all along. Time is the great attitude

adjuster, Michelle. It crushes the largest of egos without a thought. But

don’t trouble yourself too much. This is a lesson, not a punishment.

This is where you’re heading. An up close look at your scheduled

destination. So over this Christmas vacation I want you to go out and see if

you can find some answers to your questions. Then, when you return to

school next Monday, I will restore you to your rightful age.’

’You can’t!’ She quickly searched for a reason. ’My parents! They’ll

worry themselves sick!’

Merlin shook his head. ’I’ve already taken the liberty of getting

their permission for a week long school field trip. Very educational.

They were thrilled. Said they suspected you weren’t too fond of your

cousins anyway...’

She opened her mouth to protest.

He cut her off.

’I’ve also arranged a job for you. You are free to quit, of course.

But keep in mind your employers supply free food and lodging as part of

the deal.’

The low buzz of electricity crackled in the air. At first Michelle

thought it was static caused by the carpet, but then a nagging pain began

to cease. Her clothes were changing-what little she wore, that is.

Her skirt shifted into a dull brown color, then rewove itself into a

pair of shorts, which quickly extended into pants. A shirt grew from

that, brown as well, complete with a name tag. At least she wasn’t half

naked anymore. But her head felt funny. She glanced at the carpet and

thought it was probably time for a good vacuuming.

Suddenly catching herself she forced her thoughts back to the current

situation and stared down at her new outfit in shock.

She was dressed in the same kind of uniform the school janitors were

required to wear.

* * *

Merlin watched the older woman leave his office. As the door shut

behind him he muttered in amazement, ’It really worked...’

The small remote control still rested comfortably in his lap.

There was movement behind him. A tall figure that didn’t look like

much more than a set of interconnected bones stepped out from behind the

curtains. His skin was deathly pale. His dark hair tied back into a

ponytail. The suit he wore was all black, except for the slim crimson

tie that pointed strait down his chest, as if indicating treasures to be

found below.

’Like I said, I drew your name. The whole Christmas gift exchange

thing Zappy put together.’

Merlin nodded, his eyes shifting back to the remote. ’I’m still trying

to think of something to get Lady Marie.’

’How about a collection of Lovecraft tales that regresses the reader

while simultaneously bringing strange and bizarre monsters into the

world.’

’I’ll have to give it some thought.’

’Of course. In any case, my end of this little bargain is fulfilled.

I’ll leave you to enjoy your present.’

* * *

I sat on one of the topmost benches of the auditorium. The school was

putting on some sort of Christmas extravaganza down below to amuse the

students who were not otherwise occupied with scheduled appointments,

and I had a clear view of the entire over-dramatized event.

Streams of red and green paper lined the walls from top to bottom. A

massive Christmas tree shared the stage with Santa and giant reindeer

alike. From time to time paper snowflakes would drift down from the

rafters, and seasonal lights flashed in rhythm with the music. This was

certainly a school with money to spend.

I consider myself to be a man of sophisticated passions, so when the

cheerleaders bounded out to perform a routine to a Hip Hop version of

’Silent Night,’ my fingers tapped gently on the keys to the golden antique

typewriter sitting on my lap.

::Song changes to Pachelbel’s Canon in D major. No one seems to

notice.::

It’s amazing how that song makes everyone seem like they are moving in

slow motion. So beautiful.

No matter.

After leaving Merlin, I decided it was time for a little metaphorical

masturbation. I strive to make everything in my life worthwhile, and

this trip was no different. My eyes searched the room for a glimmer of

potential. It is my own personal belief that everyone has it in them to

be a star-you just have to catch them at the right moment.

My fingers started tapping again.

[Missing Scene #1:

There was still about twenty minutes until his next appointment.

Merlin had made certain to ensure adequate time between girls, just incase

something went wrong.

His legs ached with newfound movement as he walked down the nearly

empty halls of the school. He had been sitting still for way too long.

Having an age manipulating remote control and a line of girls just

waiting to be paraded into your office can have that affect on people.

The vending machines were just up ahead.

At first he mistook the soft squeaking for creaky floorboards, or some

other background noise older buildings tend to possess. Then he saw

the vague outline of a girl, and realized it was the sound of crying he

was hearing.

His eyes fought through the dimness of the room. Several of the lights

had been turned off near the cafeteria. If his attention weren’t

focused elsewhere, he probably would have paused to appreciate the humor of

a school like this attempting to save money in such a fashion.

Merlin’s heart stopped as he began to suspect what he was looking at,

but his fears weren’t confirmed until he took a few steps closer.

As he moved into range, the silhouette took sudden shape. Details and

color formed out of the darkness.

It was a little girl with long blonde hair tied into pigtails.

Probably no more than five years old. An odd thing to find standing alone in

the middle of a high school. Even odder, though, was the fact that she

was wearing (or rather, trying to wear) one of the school uniforms.

The white blouse would have served as more than enough for a dress, but

the girl refused to allow it-holding it bunched up instead, and

clinging to the plaid skirt that drooped off her waist and covered her tiny

feet.

Merlin might not have recognized the girl if he hadn’t been aware of

the unusual circumstances that made up this day, but leaning in closer to

the sobbing child his eyes grew wide.

’Jenny? Is that you?’]

’Umm, Tainted, can I talk to you for a minute?’ It was Merlin.

’One moment. I just gave all those cheerleaders down there the stamina

and flexibility of eighty year olds.’ I gestured towards them. ’Ha!

See there, that one on the left is holding her back. They just tried

to lift the middle one, and failed miserably. I want to see what they

do when it comes time for the splits...’

’... Right. Well, that’s kind of what I wanted to talk to you about.

I didn’t realize you intended on sticking around.’

’Never let a good school go to waste. That’s what I always say.’

They didn’t make it. Not one of them. The room had already gotten its

fill of murmurs and fits of laughter, so the cheerleaders’ limping

exist was accompanied only by stunned silence.

’The thing is, you really aren’t familiar with the local area. I know

the people and their individual situations, and can make far more

appropriate decisions based on that information. So I think it might be

best if you just headed out. To the next town, maybe.’

I glanced up at this.

’Sure thing, Merlin. Didn’t mean to step on anybody’s toes.’

’Not a problem. I just don’t think it’s a good idea to have two age

manipulators in one place. It tends to get messy.’

I watched him slowly make his way out of the auditorium (it was

understandable, there was a big crowd to wade through). Sitting still, I

gnawed on my lower lip and occasionally looked up at the ceiling for no

particular reason. He glanced back towards me one last time as he reached

the large set of double doors to my far right, with the big green

’Exit’ sign glowing above them. I offered a smile and a big thumbs up-then

he was gone.

I returned to my typing.

::The key to writing good AR is a certain sense of daring. It is more

about gut instinct than any kind of formula.::

A small group of teachers had remained behind to ensure order prevailed

over chaos. They were a solemn bunch. There were about five or six of

them moving through the aisles and spreading their own brand of

Christmas cheer to any student who didn’t maintain absolute silence.

Of course standard regression doctrine would call for some sort of role

reversal. A matter of finding some way to put the teachers in the

girls’ position and the girls in the teachers’ position. Something that

reeked of poetic justice.

Unfortunately, I’m not much of a poet.

Click, click, click...

::All of the present faculty members are beginning to question their

decision to dress up like Britney Spears today.::

The sudden flushes of embarrassment told me the room had gained a few

more plaid skirts. Of course the wrap-around tops were much more

revealing than the school dress code tended to allow, but as a teacher you

could sometimes get away with bending the rules. One woman in her late

forties had even been so bold as to wear the gold see-through number

that had caused such an uproar at the MTV music video awards. In the end

though, I think it was the two male teachers who were the most

uncomfortable.

I watched one of the new participants in my story pass by. She was

much more drawn in than I remembered her during her last lap. I couldn’t

blame her though, even as young as thirty-two, she still looked

ridiculous in pigtails.

I liked it.

It was difficult to know how to classify the effect. As the observer,

an older woman dressed in a little girl’s outfit brings age progression

to mind. It looked very similar to the whole ordeal in the office

earlier. However, within the woman’s own mind, dressing up like a child

must cause the same sort of humiliation that actually being regressed

does. All from a simple costume change. Delicious.

’Hey, Tainted?’

The voice pulled me from my thoughts.

’Hmm?’

It was Merlin.

’Do you remember when you said that you were going to leave; that you

didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes?’

I nodded. ’Yes...’

’Well, you didn’t leave. You just waited until I left and then kept

doing what you said you weren’t going to do anymore. And now you are

embarrassing several of my friends.’

I looked slowly left, then right. ’Okay...’

I waited to see if he would leave again.

He didn’t.

’Well, do you think this time you could actually go, instead of just

trying to trick me.’

Silence.

’Yes.’

He stared at me for a long while. ’I’m not sure I believe you...’

I opened my mouth to respond, then thought better of it and just

started typing instead.

::Merlin turns around and leaves the room.::

After he left, I began to wonder how people would react if everyone in

the room simultaneously wet there pants...

[Missing Scene #2:

’What are we going to do?’

Merlin could see how worried Jenny was. He had used the remote to

restore her to the proper age, but it was obvious Tainted’s typewriter was

far more versatile. And now he couldn’t go back into the auditorium,

even if he did have the inclination to go into battle.

’He’s going to tear this school apart.’ She was rambling now; pacing

back and forth frantically. ’And then he is probably going to come

after me to finish the job.’

He shook his head. ’Not if he doesn’t realize there’s a job to

finish.’

Jenny stopped, and looked up at him questioningly.

She was cute when she was confused.

’The key to victory,’ Merlin began, ’is always the one thing your

opponent doesn’t know.’

Then he lifted his hand, and pointed the remote at her.]

The answer is: They panic.

I watched as over a hundred girls in wet panties (I had already done

away with those nasty skirts which had been obstructing my view) ran

about in seemingly random directions, screaming. This had all the makings

of a great finale. I pictured the school converted into a massive

daycare center. The local baby product market and babysitter fees would

skyrocket.

Click, click, click.

The red and green was replaced by pink frills.

Click, click, click.

Carriages, changing tables, diapers, cribs-they all began to rise up

out of the floor.

Click, click, click.

And most importantly, all the doors slammed shut. There was a glorious

booming of locks that sounded like a thousand soldiers bearing arms.

The whole world seemed to be in chaos, and yet I could feel my tight

control on every single detail. My eyes rolled back with pleasure. The

place I most love to be; so sweet the taste.

My plan had only one more step to completion. A few more words clicked

out on my wondrous machine and it would be done. I watched all the

panty-clad girls as they bounded about the room in a frenzy. Wild hair,

teary cheeks. They wouldn’t even begin to understand what humiliation

was until they felt that first bit of warmth spreading through a crinkly

white diaper held firmly to their little behinds.

::All the girls in the room regress to age--::

I stopped. Something in the crowd that was out of place... A little

five year old girl coming towards me. Her skirt was gone too, of

course, but it didn’t matter due to the length of her blouse.

’You there.’

She looked at me. Eyes wide with fright.

’Don’t I know you?’

The fear was replaced by sudden anger. ’You saw me in the hall and you

did this to me!’ She piped.

I thought back. ’Oh yes, now I remember.’

’I want you to turn me back!’

’Boy, did you come to the wrong place.’

I turned my attention back to the typewriter. Let her throw a temper

tantrum, I thought. In a few moments she won’t even have the balance to

stomp her feet.

::All girls in the room regress to age--::

Then something occurred to me.

’Wait a minute. You’re the only person I had any contact with before I

came in here. And when Merlin entered, he was already angry. Which

means...’

I looked up in shock. And that’s when I saw the remote.

It all went downhill from there.

My custom tailored suit wilted like a flower all around me. First

wrinkles, and then the material began to hang limply off my dwindling

limbs. I went for my typewriter; my only savior, but the little scoundrel

lunged at me and knocked that spectacular representation of human

achievement to the floor. I heard it shatter.

I stood amongst the gears and wires. Puberty was lost to me. I felt

my hands vanish into my sleeves. My knees felt week. They were much

smaller than I remembered them.

When my pants fell down around my ankles I heard the little tart

giggle.

My shirt became a tent all around me. My balance gave out and I felt

my posterior strike the cold floor beneath me. I won’t mention whether

or not tears were involved.

When I began to wet all over myself I realized that I was probably no

more than a year old. The girl towered over me. She was smiling.

A few details aside, and I ended up back in the hall. Rolled out in a

pink baby carriage and dressed perfectly for the part.

’I’m sorry I had to put you in those things,’ the vixen explained as

she wheeled me towards Merlin who was waiting patiently near the offices,

arms folded, ’but the only baby supplies you conjured up were designed

for girls.’

I gurgled something out in response which I am certain sounded rather

mean-spirited.

’Looks like the plan worked.’

’Yep!’ The brat beamed.

’I doubt anyone involved will be eager to explore today’s events any

further, so it looks like we’ve taken care of everything.’

’Not quite.’

Merlin and I both looked towards the girl. She was still holding the

remote, which she now had pointed at herself.

’Oh, of course,’ Merlin commented. ’You’ll want to get back to your

normal age...’

She did so. And with only a blouse to cover her, I was presented with

a view that I, in my current condition, was unable to fully appreciate.

But it didn’t stop there. The girl continued to age: into a twenty

year old bombshell who was forced to lose even her meager top, then,

standing there completely naked, her body matured into an attractive thirty

years, past even that and settling-with only a few extra wrinkles to

show for it-into her early forties.

Merlin appeared stunned.

’I figure after all we’ve been through, I can’t let you go without at

least one date to show for it.’ Her smile was so big I thought it might

leap off her face. It was sickening.

’Sounds good to me. I think we’ll have to find you some clothes first

though-most restaurants would refuse service otherwise.’

She looked down at herself and blushed. ’Oh ya!’

The girl made some meager attempt to cover her newfound assets, then

her beady little eyes shifty towards me. ’But what about him?’

’We’ll change him back after he’s had a chance to learn his lesson.

For now though, I think we’d better get a hold of a babysitter.’

I saw Merlin’s form draw closer to my small quarters. ’I told you,

Tainted. More than one age manipulator in one place...and it gets messy.’

I assume he was referring to my unexpected accident that was just

 

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