TheXtra Path

“Please, Thomas, I could really use your help,” Rick, my manager, pleaded. He was in costume as Santa’s elf, complete with a green outfit, a stupid hat, and fake ears. He always looked young, but the outfit made him look even younger. 

“No means no. Wouldn’t it be better for someone else to do it? I’m not exactly the holiday cheer type of guy,” I replied. “I specifically signed up for the shifts where I don’t have to do that.”

“Christian just called in sick, and everybody else has already left. You’re the last one who can do it. All you need to do is wear a costume and greet the kids as they sit on Santa’s lap.”

I shook my head. Five years. Five long years in retail. Every year around Christmas time, there would be a wave of customers Christmas shopping. At first, it was fun, but the novelty quickly wore off. People arguing over the best deals and bratty kids begging for toys really wore me down. I didn’t hate the concept of Christmas, but reality is often unkind to naive idiots.

“I didn’t want to have to do this,” Rick said slowly. “I’ll pay you double for it. Make that triple. Plus, I’ll take you out to a turkey dinner tonight.”

My ears perked. While I wasn’t the biggest fan of Christmas, I could use the money. And food. “Quadruple it, I’ll do it. Where’s the stupid outfit?”

Rick beamed. “You’re a lifesaver. It’s in the changing room.”

Once I entered the stall, I saw the bag on the bench. Looking inside, there was a lot of green, red, and white fabric, much fancier than Rick’s outfit. I called out to Rick, “What exactly is this supposed to be?”

“It’s a tunic.”

It looked like it was too big for a tunic, but I had never worn one before, so what did I know? I stripped down to my boxers and looked at myself in the stall mirror. I brushed my hand through my messy brown hair. “Well, this is it,” I told myself, “after twenty-five years of life, I’m finally selling myself out.”

“You don’t need to be so dramatic,” Rick called back.

“I’ll be as dramatic as I want to be!”

I dumped the clothes onto the bench and flipped through them. There was a green tunic, a white jacket, and a red Santa hat. Holding my breath like I was diving underwater, I flipped the tunic over and pulled it over my head.

Immediately, something felt very off. I looked down. I didn’t know too much about tunics, but I was pretty sure they didn’t have frills and a low collar with a bow. No matter how I looked at it, I was wearing a dress. The way it was tight in some areas and loose in others made the outfit feel like it didn’t belong to me. The skirt fell to the middle of my thighs with frills laced along the edges, sealing the deal that this was a woman’s outfit.

“What the crap, Rick! Did you give me the wrong costume?” I tried to take it off, but I couldn’t seem to lift it above my head. “How do I get out of this?”

“You can’t take it off,” Rick replied with mirth to his voice.

I burst out of the changing room. “What do you mean?”

Rick grinned as he looked at my outfit. “That looks nice on you.”

I grabbed Rick’s shirt and slammed him against the wall. “Don’t mess with me! Tell me-” Suddenly, it felt like there was a frog in my throat, and I had to cough. “Tell me how to get out of these clothes.” It felt like I had lost my voice like I was going through puberty again, but backward. I tried to cough again to clear my throat.

“You feeling alright?” Rick said with a smirk. He then grabbed my wrist and forced me to let go of his shirt. “Now, let’s just calm down.” I stared at him in confusion. I had never been the strongest guy around, but I could at least hold my own. However, Rick had just pushed me back like I was nothing.

I held my wrist; it hurt. “Wha-what is happening?” I said in my cracking voice.

“Ah, I see it’s started. Why don’t you look down.”

I did as he said. The area around my chest began to swell like two water balloons being filled slowly under my skin. It didn’t hurt, but it also wasn’t very comfortable. I tried to push the balloons back in, but that only caused pain and a weird sensation.

“What is happening to me?” My voice sounded so high I couldn’t stand it. I fled back into the changing stall and slammed the door. I sat down on the bench to try to calm myself down. “This isn’t real, this isn’t real.” The high voice made it very unconvincing. I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror. I fought the urge to look at it, but I relented.

The face in the mirror resembled mine, though it was completely clean-shaven and smooth. All the hard lines on my jaw evened out and my eyes looked larger. My hair had grown over my ears.

The balloons on my chest had continued to expand. It was beginning to fill out the dress I was wearing. I held them in my hands; they were soft, warm, and still growing. I continued to move my hands down my body. It was difficult to feel through the dress, but I could feel my hips were wider and my manhood was completely gone.

“You alright in there?” Rick called through the door.

“Sh-shut up!” I yelled back, which sounded pitiful with my cute voice.

“Come on out so I can see you. It’s almost time for your shift.”

“There’s no way I’m coming out looking like this! Why did you do this to me?”

“If you stay in there, you’ll never know and never find a way to change back.”

I looked in the mirror again. The transformation had ended. My hair had grown down my back; it was silky smooth and soft. My face was incredibly pretty, like some type of model. My breasts had grown completely out so that they strained against the dress. They were pressed together, so the cleavage was deep. It still felt really weird to have that extra weight there, along with a strange breeze on my chest. I tried to tug on the dress to cover up some more, but it didn’t work. All in all, I was a very attractive young woman with a great body and cute clothes.

I cracked the door open and glared at Rick. “You promise to let me know how to change me back if I go out there?”

“I promise, I promise,” Rick said with a huge grin.

“Okay, I’m coming out.” With my face blushing, I stepped out of the changing room.

“Wow, you look stunning,” Rick said taking me all in. “Better than I thought you would. Can you do a little spin for me?” 

I glowered at him.

“Fine, fine,” he chuckled. “Let’s get you fixed up.”

“Wait, please don’t-”I protested, but Rick wouldn’t take no for an answer. He straightened my clothes, styled my hair, and put on a tiny bit of makeup.

“Don’t forget to put on the jacket and hat. And a smile.”

Grudgingly, I put the hat and jacket on. I stood in front of the door, too nervous to even glare at him. “I don’t know if I can do this. Can’t you just change me back?”

Rick shook his head. “You can do this, Tina.” I hit him hard in the arm for the name change.

I took a deep breath and opened the door. I saw that the workers were just finishing up the preparations for the Santa event. Rick led me to the others. 

“This is Tina. She was willing to fill in at the last moment.” 

I saw the guys give more than a passing glance over me. I couldn’t blame them; I’d do the same thing.

I gave my best smile, which felt very forced. “Please treat me well. Um, what exactly will I be doing?”

“Rick roped you in at the last minute, huh?” a man who seemed to be in charge said. “Tina, was it? Tina, all you’ll have to do is stand at the entrance, look pretty, and keep the line organized. Honestly, we could do it without you, but the help would be appreciated.” 

I shot Rick a glare. “I’m not needed here? I got dressed up for nothing?” He ignored me and went on to talk with the rest of the crew.

A few minutes later, I was standing at the entrance of the line. One of the attendants gave me a box full of Christmas toys. She told me, “Give these to the kids who pass through.”

And so, my shift started. I waved people in and handed out toys to the kids as they went to sit on Santa’s lap. I didn’t know what to expect, but, for the most part, nothing happened. A lot of the guys gave me long stares, but they were from a distance. One guy even built up his courage to hit on me, but I brushed him off, saying I was working. There was the occasional catcall, but a few glares by others caused them to stop. In the end, the job was rather boring. All I was doing was waving with a fake smile on. As long as I could ignore the stares and my exposed cleavage, I was fine.

After about an hour of this, I felt a little tug on my skirt. I looked down to see a little girl, about five years old. “Excuse me, lady,” the little girl said, “Is that the real Santa in there? My brother says he’s not real, but I think he is.”

The eyes of this little girl sparkled with curiosity. I was a little taken aback. I crouched down and patted her on the head. “Why, yes, he is the real Santa. What is your name?”

“Hannah. What’s yours? I think you’re very pretty. Like a Christmas princess.”

I blushed. “Thank you. My name is Tho- I mean, Tina. And what are you going to ask Santa to give you?”

“I don’t know. I just want to sit on his lap.”

I laughed. “You can do just that. Here’s your toy. I think it’s your turn.”

The little girl waved goodbye. I watched her sit on Santa’s lap, look at him in wonder, and then run away without saying anything. I couldn’t help but smile at her pure innocence.

For the rest of the shift, I didn’t have to force a smile.

Right when the event ended, about four hours later, I went straight to find Rick, but he was nowhere to be found. I asked around, but the workers hadn’t seen him for hours. Finally, I went back to the changing room where my clothes were and found a letter from him. I opened it and read:

Tina,

May the Spirit of Christmas ever be in your heart.

Sincerely, 

Rick, Santa’s Elf

P.S. I gave you an extra set of clothes you can wear on the way home.

P.S.S. Sorry, I am only able to perform one miracle a year. Be a good girl, and I might be able to change you back next Christmas.

I stared at the letter in disbelief. I examined it thoroughly, but nothing else was written. The next time I saw Rick, I was going to . . . I didn’t know what I would do, but something bad. For some reason, I felt the whole reason Rick transformed me into a girl was so I could see that little girl’s happiness and refresh my feeling of Christmas.

“You didn’t have to change me into a girl to do that!” I yelled into the air. “Now what do I do?” I figured I’d start by getting out of these ridiculous clothes.

Rick had taken my previous clothes and left behind a new outfit. Gratefully, the clothes Rick provided me were normal: jeans, a T-shirt, and a hoodie, along with new tennis shoes. He also left behind my wallet and apartment keys; small blessings. With relief, the dress came off easily. I held my breath in the hope that I would change back. No such luck. Acutely aware of my naked body, I quickly slipped into my new clothes; they fit perfectly.

So, a year as a girl? How in the world was I supposed to manage that? With suspicion, I looked into my wallet. The ID read: Tina Ann Harris. Of course, he gave me a new identity. 

But maybe . . . maybe this would be a new start. I had started to feel trapped in my job, my love life, my ambitions. I could start fresh with no expectations. I could be someone new. The smile the little girl gave me kept replaying in my mind. Maybe I can do good.

“He still owes me that turkey dinner,” I muttered to myself.

As I walked home, I began to whistle Jingle Bells. That song had been stuck in my head for hours.