The Puzzle Box Curse

"I hear, sir, that you are having some second thoughts about your position on the regulatory bill, and I just came by to see what you might need to come around," she said, smiling as sincerely as she could.

"Ah, yes, you would be here about that, Ms. Harlow. I'm getting some flak from my party heads, and apparently, there is a new PAC ready to fund a primary opponent. Now, I'm sure that your intentions are pure, but I'm not financed to fight a tough primary and a general in the same year. My old teammate is running on the Republican side, you know, and he was born in this neighborhood."

"I heard, and we don't want that happening. Listen, your new position on this bill will be difficult for you, since a lot of people in your district will be affected. You know that a lot of the small businesses in your district rely on the presence of the traders at the exchange. Think of them."

"Oh, the exchange isn't going away, and you know it. It won't affect the deli workers, and you know it. This is about your clients' bottom lines. For once, I think I can make alliances with the rural Illinoisans. That doesn't happen very often these days."

"Well, it's going to be bad for business. This bill will put in too many bureaucrats who will do nothing but slow down the market."

"It needs to be slowed down. It's too volatile, and that hurts our farmers and industry."

Violet looked at him for a moment. He looked like he had found some inner courage that she hadn't seen in him. Sure, he was spouting off anti-market claptrap, but she never remembered him having any sort of moral fiber. He was great to work with, and he was always a generous man, working to help individuals with their problems, but she could usually count on him to weaken bills that seemed too aggressive toward commodities trading. "What's this about? You can win a primary, and you know that if you vote for the bill as it is, we'll have to fund your Republican opponent."

"Yes, I know that. I look back on my service, though, and I see a decade of candy-ass voting and manipulations. I want to do something that's right, something I should have been doing all along." He looked a bit emotional, like there was something more important than the conversation. "This is something I can do." Was it his health? He was only forty-five. Things can happen, though.

"Seriously, sir, is there something wrong?" If it was his health, then hitting him hard in an election could prove to be disastrous to the industry. State senators will fight like starving dogs to cram things through or kill bills, but when someone picks on one of their own from the outside, they could unite as a pride of angry lions, filled with a righteous vengeance. Senator Bensen just looked at her with his gray-blue eyes, seeing that she might have caught on.

"By now, you've guessed at it, I suppose," he said. "I'm not too long for this world, and I want a better legacy. Chicago is full of sycophantic ass-lickers, brown-nosing their way to the top, and for what? Kickbacks, more power for its own sake, women... God, I don't know. Now and then, we get a hero. When I have to think about death, I have to think about immortality. I figure I'll go somewhere when I die—I'd like to think heaven, but I deserve hell. I also figure this world will keep on going, and I want to leave it a better place than I found it."

"Alright. We can find other votes." She was feeling a lump in her throat. Even when you face an enemy, if that enemy is noble, you cannot help but to feel grief for their loss.

"No, you won't. I think I can beat you on this one." He was starting to look distressed, though.

"Sir, are you okay? You look ill!" She was reaching for her phone, preparing to dial 911.

"I think... I think I'm having a heart attack!" he said. For an instant, Violet was tempted. She could let him die, and she could have the bill watered down, saving her clients hundreds of millions of dollars. Senator Bensen wasn't going to be too long for this world—he said it himself—but... no. Violet was a good person, a good and moral Christian.

"Hold on! I'm calling 911!" she said as she dialed. "Yes! I'm having an emergency. I'm in Senator Bensen's office, and he's having a heart attack, I think... Yes, that's the place. Hurry!" She turned to Senator Bensen whose features were looking a bit different. "They're coming, sir. You'll be alright!" He looked more relaxed, though. Oh, God! Was it going to be that quick? But, wait. He was breathing normally, but he looked confused. In fact, to Violet, if she hadn't been in the room all this time, she wouldn't recognize him. He looked younger and more... feminine?

"I, I..." His voice cracked. It was a little higher. "I feel... odd." Now, if violet had walked in, she would not only have misrecognized the man, but she would have thought him a woman. He reached down to his chest, and his hand darted away, like he had touched a hot stove. "What the...?"

Not again. This must be Hamamelis' doing. There were a pair of breasts under that dress shirt. Violet could see them, along with nipples that poked out from under the dual layers of an undershirt and the dress shirt itself. Senator Bensen looked... well, pretty now. He felt himself again and looked extremely confused. His breathing increased. "I feel hot." The voice was distinctly female.

"Sir, I think you've spontaneously swapped genders." It was stating the obvious, but at the moment stating anything not obvious would really have underappreciated the reality of the situation.

"What?" she said. Senator Bensen was definitely smaller, and the clothes no longer fit well at all. The shirt was far too big, especially in the arms and the waist. The pants would have fallen off, if she wasn't sitting. Her shoes were already off, and her socks dangled oddly. She looked like a twenty-something year-old woman, a rather beautiful twenty-something year-old woman, actually. She had smallish but pert breasts, a robust but attractive figure, and a cute, girl-next-door kind of face. "I... did. I..." She passed out. No one would be surprised at that. Violet looked around the room. What could she do? There was an ambulance on the way. The secretary had not yet returned. The paramedics would not know what to do, since they would be looking for someone who did not look like himself.

She quickly scribbled a note. "This is Senator Bensen. Something strange has happened. Ask him questions only he would know the answers to. Trust me. – a friend."

Violet ran out the room and exited the building as fast as she could. When she got out, she got a call. "Hello?... Yes, this is her. Tell your paramedics that the situation has... changed. It is really, really weird, okay?... You wouldn't believe me if I told you... No, he's not dead, exactly... I wouldn't say that, either... Just trust the note you find, okay?... Yes, I'll make a statement later." She had no idea what people were going to do with Senator Bensen. Little did she know, but if she had told her story a month later, few would have any problem believing it.

Violet frantically unlocked her apartment. She looked like a mess. She ran all the way to her apartment, a feat that had battered her. She was drenched in sweat, her pant suit was torn in several places, she had snapped the heel off of left shoe, her hair was a complete mess, and she had several bruises and scrapes from the falls she endured. Every time she faltered, she got back up and continued running. She wasn't really in that kind of shape, and her pained, deep, and rapid breathing belied that fact. Upon entering, her suffering only got worse. Her clothes were irritating her skin badly. She anticipated this, but she wasn't going to strip before coming inside to the relative privacy of her apartment.

"You look great!" Hamamelis said as Violet desperately peeled off her clothing.

"Fuck you," she replied.

"Okay. How would you like it?" she said sweetly with a hint of optimism.

"No, you bitch! You really hurt at least two people today. I saw it, their bodies changed in ways that will make their lives really, really hard." She was nude now, and she had to stop her rant, since she had to catch up with her breathing. She noticed that the television and her desktop computer were on. A bunch of stuff had been rearranged, apparently to make it easier for nine-inch tall people to navigate her apartment. Hamamelis had devised a bed of pillows on the coffee table and had the remote control resting on a couple of books so that it was in reach.

"Probably, yes. It's what I do." She was cocksure and cool.

"My friend is going to have to get surgery to get rid of that abomination you put on her chest."

"That wouldn't be wise," the demonette replied.

"What? Why? She will look like a freak to everyone if she doesn't."

"She will if she does, too. Your people have come up with all of this great technology," she said pointing at the flat screen television on the wall, "but you can't use it to undo the effects of magic."

"What do you mean?"

"They'll slice of that tit and sew her up. In minutes, it would grow back and stand as proudly as it should." Hamamelis had a wicked smile on her face.

"That's awful! And what about Senator Bensen? No one will even know who he is!"

"So, that's why you left him, eh?"

"Um... No. What was I supposed to do, infect the paramedics?"

"That would have been fun. Besides, she's better off. She's got another sixty or eighty years to live now."

Violet was stunned. "You healed him?"

"Her. Basically, yeah. It was fun. I am no homicidal, you know. Killing people isn't much torment for them, and anyway, it's just not my style."

"Hmph. I need to call Shona and let her know that surgery isn't going to help."

"She won't believe you." That was true.

"Unless she saw you."

"I suppose so. If you hang out with her again, though, you never know what will happen." The evil grin got nastier.

"That's not fair!"

"We can make it fair."

"How?"

"Well, we can make a bargain."

"Um, what kind of bargain?"

"You take a change of your own, and I'll never change Shona again."

Violet glared at her rude guest. "What's the change?"

"A surprise."

Her intrinsic goodness, charity, and selflessness bubbled up inside. "Okay, fine. I'll take the change," she said, hoping it wouldn't be terrible.

"Done."

Violet looked herself over. She didn't see anything different. Nothing felt different. "I can't tell anything," she said.

"Probably not yet," she said. "The change is done, but it's subtle, and it's in your head."

"Hey! You never said anything about that! Everything was, you know, physical!"

"I never said it otherwise, either. I do both, you know. Both are fun. The mental ones can be really fun, but they're no good if they're too big. It's much more torment and amusement, if it's something really minor. On my homeworld, I once made a woman feel herself every time she saw a horse. That one was amusing, to be sure." Hamamelis laughed a little.

"That's mean."

"Yes."

"What did you do to me?"

"I've found that it's always much more fun to watch you find out for your own."

"Okay, fine. I'll call Shona now." Violet found her purse and dialed her.

"Hello?" The voice on the other end was cracked and weak.

"Hi, Shona?"

"Yes. Hi, Violet."

"We need to talk."

"I'm not fired, am I?"

"Not if I can help it. Look, you have to see something in person, or you wouldn't believe me, okay?"

"Okay."

"I'm going to drive over and pick you up, okay? You don't need to dress up or anything. Just keep that coat."

"Okay."

"I'll be over soon."

"Okay."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Violet rummaged through her drawers and found some sweatpants, a couple of t-shirts. She was going to put one inside the other so that she could go without a bra. She also found some sandals. Altogether, it was very, very casual, but it would have to do. Once assembled, she put them on as quickly as she could, grabbed her purse, and left the apartment. She was fast enough that she barely itched. She then headed down to the parking garage that was in the basement of the building. In the elevator, she happened to encounter a local she knew, a woman who lived down the hall from her. She was a local college student, supported by her very wealthy parents. They were wealthy enough to pay for a suite in the trendy apartment building, anyway. Violet didn't know her name, but she knew she majored in economics at the University of Chicago, and she liked to throw parties. Sometimes, the apartment would have to break them up, since they got a little raucous from time to time.

"Hey," the young lady said.

Let's hope nothing happens, Violet thought to herself. "Hi." Violet looked over at her, taking notice that the shirt she was wearing showed up quite a bit of cleavage. Violet tried not to stare.

"I'm hosting a party tomorrow night. I know you're older, but it would be cool if you came over."

Probably not. Hamamelis would get such a great thrill out of that. Violet couldn't afford the little devilspawn that. "Thanks, but I have plans."

"That's cool." The young lady had larger than average breasts, that was for sure, but Violet wasn't sure why her eyes kept trying to dart at her cleavage. She briefly wondered what they might feel like, but she stopped and decided to focus on Shona. The young woman left the elevator at the first floor, and Violet continued to the basement. She made her way to her car, a practical sedan, and she started it up. The trip to Shona's house was uneventful, until she hit the rush hour traffic. That was a beast. However, she did make it.

Shona owned a small bungalow that was in the black part of town. It was a nice little place, perfect for a single woman who liked to garden. Violet made her way to the front door and knocked the same knock she had created for entering the office. There was a delay, but Shona came out finally. She showered, apparently, her hair wet and her makeup gone. "Hi."

"Are you ready to go?"

"Sure," she said, grabbing her purse. They climbed into Violet's car, and for the first five minutes of the trip, all was silent. Finally, Shona said, "What's going on?"

"Well... I'm not sure if you'll believe me. I've been cursed, and apparently, the curse sort of rubbed off on you."

"Um... That makes sense, I guess."

"Yeah, well, I'm going to take you to meet the one who cursed me, and maybe we can work things out."

"Okay. Where is he?"

"It's a she actually, and she has taken up residence in my apartment. I didn't know how the curse worked until today, and now I've caused a lot of trouble."

"I'll say."

"Oh, you don't know the half of it."

"Really? Who else?"

"Senator Bensen for one."

"What? He grew three boobs?" She half smiled at the thought.

"No, just two."

"Oh. Wait, what?"

"Senator Bensen is now female."

Shona contemplated that notion briefly. "Like, a vagina and everything?"

"I'm not sure about that part, but he definitely looked like a woman when I left."

"Okay. That's weird. I mean, he doesn't look like he used to?"

"No, and that could be a problem."

"You don't say."

They drove on a few more blocks. Shona continued the conversation. "Anyone else?"

"I don't know. Myself, I guess."

"Really? You don't look different to me."

"Yeah, you wouldn't be able to tell. Hamamelis won't let me wear panties anymore."

"Hamamelis?"

"Yeah, that's the little demon who cursed me."

"So, you're not wearing them now?"

"No. I'm kind of getting used to it."

"Huh."

"She won't let me wear clothes in my apartment, either."

"Really? So, when we go over there..."

"Yes."

"What happens when you wear clothes?"

"They itch and burn. Same with panties."

"That's bad."

"Plus, there's something else that I haven't figured out yet."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I traded a change in myself for no more changes for you, and Hamamelis only told me it's something in my head."

"What do you mean no more changes for me?"

"The curse is that I change people around me. I didn't know what that meant, but Hamamelis is some sort of sex demon. She delights in tormenting people with sex. She's terrible!"

"Oh. Well, thank you."

"You're welcome, I guess."

They were nearly there, when Shona spoke up again. "They feel really good."

"What do?"

"My boobs." There was a delay. "When I touch them, they feel really soft and just pleasurable to be touched." She stopped again, apparently trying to figure out what she was going to say next, if she was going to say it. "I got really wet... p... p... playing with them." She looked like she regretted saying it.

"Okay." Violet imagined her playing with them, and it looked sexy in her mind's eye. She switched topics. "Listen. Once things are figured out, I'm going to make sure you keep your job." She stopped the car in its parking space.

"Thanks. I'm going to have to get the middle one removed, I think."

"I did, too, but Hamamelis says it will just grow back."

Shona was crushed. She already had that part figured out, she thought. "Really?"

"Yeah, magic, she said."

"I'm going to kill that monster!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the garage. There were people there, and they looked disturbed by the outburst.

"Shh... You will do no such thing. She may look easy to kill, but she's really, really quick. She's strong, too. She moved my furniture around."

"Yeah, well, you can move your furniture around. What's so special about that?"

"She's less than a foot tall."

"Oh."

"And can do very bad things to you. I didn't have the clothing problem before I tried to catch her."

"Oh."

"She's kind of scary."

"What are you going to do about her?"

"I called my preacher. He's going to come over tomorrow night and do an exorcism."

Shona looked incredulous. "I didn't think you were Catholic."

"I'm not. He's a Baptist, like me, but he knows how to do it. He says that as long as we have faith in Jesus, the demon will go away."

"Alright. I hope it works."

"I know it will," Violet said proudly. "That's what faith is about."

Shona pondered that for a moment. "Yeah."

They approached Violet's apartment door. "Once we go in, I have to strip, okay? You can look away or whatever. If I don't, I'll be in pain really soon."

"Hey, whatever you do in your house is your business!" Shona joked. Violet smiled and opened the door, immediately undressing once it slammed shut. Hamamelis was at the computer with a bent butter knife. She was using it to hit keys on the keyboard.

"Hi, you two. Welcome home, Violet. Welcome to our home, Shona." She didn't even look up, as she scooted the mouse around, shaking her bare booty in a sexy way as she scrolled and clicked. They both slowly got nearer to Hamamelis, as she worked the machine. It looked incredibly inconvenient for a person of her size. Shona was amazed at the sight. She knew this was the enemy, but she was curious about her, too. What a strange creature. As they got close enough, they made out that Hamamelis was working on a Facebook page.

"You have a Facebook account?" Violet asked.

"Yep. I made it earlier today."

"Uh, what could possibly be on it?"

"Oh, I just told a little about myself and what I do. I've been thinking about updating what happens with your curse, but I don't know if I want to do that."

"Do you have any friends on it?"

"There are a few. No one thinks I'm real, but that's okay. We'll fix that, won't we?"

God, I hope not, Violet thought. "Uh, yeah..."

Hamamelis turned around. Though Shona was seeing her for the first time, Violet noticed a distinct difference in her usual look. She had a third breast, just like Shona. "Now, why did you have to go and mimic Shona? Haven't you done enough to her?" Violet had to admit it; it did look kind of cute.