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Description

Jessica put on a brave face, as brave of face as she could muster, as she walked down suburban streets while turned into a toy donkey, the cart’s wheels rolling along the concrete behind her. She still wasn’t sure what happened, not sure if she had bones and muscles beneath her gray cloth skin, or if she was filled with stuffing. She was just sure that that she walked on pillows. She was just sure that she could feel her tail; sure because Rebecca had tested it and pulled on it. She was sure her ears perked up when excited and drooped when sad. But she still wasn’t sure how it happened.

She had been at the dorm, finishing up moving out for the break. Her own car was filled and ready, and she was just helping her roommate Rebecca finish up with her stuff. They came into the courtyard, filled with rushing students to get their own rooms moved. And among their boxes, Jessica noticed something: most of them had toys.

“We are adults, right? What’s with all the toys?” She had said with a snicker. She had said it, perhaps, a bit too loudly, and was overheard by…someone. The universe, the fates, a passing spirit. Jessica still wasn’t sure who. But they hadn’t appreciated her comment. A moment later, she was enveloped by gray cloth and plush. Embraced and cocooned inside a playful suit, a college student reduced to a toy.

While she was still processing the extraordinary, the impossible, a harness grabbed her, pulled her back, moving her, positioning her in front of a large plastic cart, a toy itself. Making her not merely a toy donkey, but a playful pack mule. While Jessica struggled, fumbled with her gloved hands to unhook herself from the harness, she realized she couldn’t. Not because she wasn’t dexterous enough, but because she had a that she wasn’t allowed to.

“What the stuffing!” She cried out, then regretted it, as it drew more eyes of her former peers, who turned to look at the living plushie. Jessica wanted to shrink into a real toy; that would have been less embarrassing for her than this…whatever this was.

“Aww, cute,” Rebecca said, petting Jessica’s head.

“Why am I a toy donkey?!”

“Well, toys are fun, and donkeys are cute,” as if that was an acceptable answer to this bewildering transformation. Why wasn’t Rebecca shocked, helping Jessica out of this mess? In fact, no one was. Jessica was now a toy, and everyone got on with their lives.

“That’s a great idea, Jess.” Derrick said, approaching. Jessica’s donkey ears wilted as she saw the guy she had been crushing on all semester walk over. No, not him, too. Not him treating her like a plaything.

“Thanks?” She said, “Um, what idea?”

Derrick pointed at a sign on the side of Jessica’s cart. “Toy Donations,” it said. He pulled a toy robot out of his backpack and dropped it inside, hopeful it would go to a new, kind owner. Other students soon did the same, and the cart began to fill up. A few students couldn’t help themselves but give the new plushie squeezing hugs, or pets, or just generally treated her like a toy. But more like a bewildered, confused toy that needed a bit of support herself. The frustrating part was it had worked. Jessica was soothed by their affection toward her.

When the cart was full, the courtyard empty, Rebecca, who had stayed behind to continue to chat with Jessica, as if nothing impossible had happened, gave her a final big, hug.

“What am I supposed to do now?” Jessica asked, her forehead creased in worry.

“Well, you’re a toy, right? Be happy, get played with, and make your Owner laugh.” Then, she slapped Jessica on her plush ass, “Now, get a move on, little donkey. I’ll see you next semester!”

While Jessica wasn’t sure that was true, she began to walk, a toy donkey pulling a toy cart with filled with toys, all the way to a nearby secondhand store that accepted donations. She hoped that once she had done her toy donkey job, she would be released from this spell.

“Are you the donation we were expecting from CMU?” The store clerk asked when she arrived. She wasn’t surprised, somehow, that the store was expecting her.

Jessica nodded. “Can you just unhook me from this cart so I can go? I’ll leave the toys with you.”

But the clerk looked confused. “The donation specifically included both the cart and its donkey.”

Jessica groaned, realizing that her time as a toy donkey was just beginning.

Description

Jessica put on a brave face, as brave of face as she could muster, as she walked down suburban streets while turned into a toy donkey, the cart’s wheels rolling along the concrete behind her. She still wasn’t sure what happened, not sure if she had bones and muscles beneath her gray cloth skin, or if she was filled with stuffing. She was just sure that that she walked on pillows. She was just sure that she could feel her tail; sure because Rebecca had tested it and pulled on it. She was sure her ears perked up when excited and drooped when sad. But she still wasn’t sure how it happened.

She had been at the dorm, finishing up moving out for the break. Her own car was filled and ready, and she was just helping her roommate Rebecca finish up with her stuff. They came into the courtyard, filled with rushing students to get their own rooms moved. And among their boxes, Jessica noticed something: most of them had toys.

“We are adults, right? What’s with all the toys?” She had said with a snicker. She had said it, perhaps, a bit too loudly, and was overheard by…someone. The universe, the fates, a passing spirit. Jessica still wasn’t sure who. But they hadn’t appreciated her comment. A moment later, she was enveloped by gray cloth and plush. Embraced and cocooned inside a playful suit, a college student reduced to a toy.

While she was still processing the extraordinary, the impossible, a harness grabbed her, pulled her back, moving her, positioning her in front of a large plastic cart, a toy itself. Making her not merely a toy donkey, but a playful pack mule. While Jessica struggled, fumbled with her gloved hands to unhook herself from the harness, she realized she couldn’t. Not because she wasn’t dexterous enough, but because she had a that she wasn’t allowed to.

“What the stuffing!” She cried out, then regretted it, as it drew more eyes of her former peers, who turned to look at the living plushie. Jessica wanted to shrink into a real toy; that would have been less embarrassing for her than this…whatever this was.

“Aww, cute,” Rebecca said, petting Jessica’s head.

“Why am I a toy donkey?!”

“Well, toys are fun, and donkeys are cute,” as if that was an acceptable answer to this bewildering transformation. Why wasn’t Rebecca shocked, helping Jessica out of this mess? In fact, no one was. Jessica was now a toy, and everyone got on with their lives.

“That’s a great idea, Jess.” Derrick said, approaching. Jessica’s donkey ears wilted as she saw the guy she had been crushing on all semester walk over. No, not him, too. Not him treating her like a plaything.

“Thanks?” She said, “Um, what idea?”

Derrick pointed at a sign on the side of Jessica’s cart. “Toy Donations,” it said. He pulled a toy robot out of his backpack and dropped it inside, hopeful it would go to a new, kind owner. Other students soon did the same, and the cart began to fill up. A few students couldn’t help themselves but give the new plushie squeezing hugs, or pets, or just generally treated her like a toy. But more like a bewildered, confused toy that needed a bit of support herself. The frustrating part was it had worked. Jessica was soothed by their affection toward her.

When the cart was full, the courtyard empty, Rebecca, who had stayed behind to continue to chat with Jessica, as if nothing impossible had happened, gave her a final big, hug.

“What am I supposed to do now?” Jessica asked, her forehead creased in worry.

“Well, you’re a toy, right? Be happy, get played with, and make your Owner laugh.” Then, she slapped Jessica on her plush ass, “Now, get a move on, little donkey. I’ll see you next semester!”

While Jessica wasn’t sure that was true, she began to walk, a toy donkey pulling a toy cart with filled with toys, all the way to a nearby secondhand store that accepted donations. She hoped that once she had done her toy donkey job, she would be released from this spell.

“Are you the donation we were expecting from CMU?” The store clerk asked when she arrived. She wasn’t surprised, somehow, that the store was expecting her.

Jessica nodded. “Can you just unhook me from this cart so I can go? I’ll leave the toys with you.”

But the clerk looked confused. “The donation specifically included both the cart and its donkey.”

Jessica groaned, realizing that her time as a toy donkey was just beginning.