Patti kept glancing at her watch wondering when the day was going to be done and she was going to be able to go home. She had worked as a sales clerk for the lighting fixture store just over a year and had disliked the job intensely at the beginning. The daily monotony of smiling happily while helping customers pick out just the right fixture for their home or office coupled with the occasional anger from a customer who had his or credit card rejected almost drove her to quit back then.
However, it was her meeting with the store owner Mr. Waylon Smithers that changed her mind. He calmed her down after a particularly bad shift and even took her out to dinner to talk over her concerns with the workplace. The next couple of weeks saw their friendship blossom into a full blown romance. The fact that the owner was a married man didn't bother Patti that much as he often talked what a loveless marriage he was in .
After three months of happiness, Patti had all but convinced her lover to leave his wife and start a new life with her. Unfortunately, the night before he was to break the news, tragedy struck as Waylon suffered a massive heart attack in the middle of making passionate love. Patti was distraught over his untimely demise but she realized that if Waylon was discovered dead in her bed, it would cause a lot of problems for her as a result of the scandal. She called a few mutual friends who moved Waylon's lifeless body to his car outside and then drove the car to the parking lot outside the fixture store. When his body was found the next morning, police assumed that Waylon died of a stroke just as he was about to head home for the night.
After Waylon's passing, the ownership of the store passed to Waylon's widow Carolyn who immersed herself in the day-to-day operations deeply. Carolyn was friendly and outgoing to all the employees and that even included Patti which puzzled the latter a great deal. Patti had figured with all the rumors and whispers around town and among her fellow employees about her relationship with Waylon that his widow would send her packing as soon as possible. Carolyn not only kept Patti around but promoted here to night shift manager with a fairly sizable pay raise to boot.
It was in that capacity that found Patti printing off her sales totals for the night while the other employees made sure all the customers were taken care of and locked the entrance doors. The dark haired manager quickly added up her figures and gave the store employees a talk about future things to do before she let them go for the night. Once she had secured the cash and receipts, she was about to turn off the lights and leave for the night when she saw a familiar face standing near a display area waving her over.
" Patti, could you give me a hand with this new display I'm setting up here ? These lights are a brand new design and I need a subject for them to be focused properly, " Carolyn asked in a friendly manner.
Patti thought briefly about declining or begging off until morning but figured the light adjustment would only take a few minutes at most. She walked over and stood where Carolyn indicated next to a long black and gold floor lamp on her right and a desk lamp on her left.
" By the way, Patti, what would you say if I gave you a raise next week and an extra day off at the same time ? Of course, you would have to take on some extra responsibilities at the same time. Do you think you can handle all that ? " the store owner said as she turned the multitude of lights on.
Patti smiled broadly as she scratched her head with her left hand while the lights reflected in a strobe effect towards her. " I think I can accept such a thing though I have a question..." she said as the lights grew stronger . Her thinking was starting to grow fuzzy and a feeling of stiffness was spreading throughout her body.
" Yes ? " Carolyn asked with an evil grin on her face as she moved to one side and retrieved what appeared to be a large mirror from nearby. She then stood back and watched the spectacle that unfolded before her eyes.
Patti tried to
move or call out but found she could do neither no matter how much she
wanted to. She felt her skin growing tighter by the second as if
it was being acted upon by an unseen force and being changed somehow.
Her breathing was slowing down and her chest was barely moving at
all. Patti's feelings of inner terror were mingled with ones of
erotic excitement as her private areas were being affected by the same
force that was engulfing her whole body."What..what's happening to me ?... I can't move... mmmm.. feel good... what's going on?.... I want to get out of here!... help!... anybody help me !" Patti screamed silently as her transformation swiftly quick came to an end. The lights flickered off and there was silence in the room save for the quiet movement of Carolyn's feet as she walked in front of Patti and put down the mirror so Patti could from her frozen gaze what her present state was.
The reflection that greeted Patti did indeed reveal her current state and it was much to her horror what she saw. Her soft supple skin was now flawless plastic with lines visible on her arms, torso and left leg. The color in her eyes and cheeks now seemed very artificial in nature as if it was applied by a paint brush. There were no signs whatsoever that this inanimate piece of plastic was just a few minutes ago a living breathing woman.
"A MANNEQUIN... I'VE BEEN TURNED INTO A MANNEQUIN!!!!!.... WHY?... WHY ME?...." Patti wailed mentally as her state hit her like the proverbial ton of bricks.