Roberta had spent every Christmas with her mother. But things were different this year for the plain-looking 31 year old woman. Her mother had moved south and she was unable to afford to fly across country to spend Christmas with her. She took the city's horse drawn buggy for a ride in the park. The joy of seeing the frosted tree limbs and the snow cover all round made her feel better. Though she missed her mother, sunny Florida never did feel like Christmas.
"Thanks for the ride." Roberta said as she walked through the snow toward her apartment. Her land lord was talking the day before about raising the rent after the holidays and she feared she'd end up out on the streets if she couldn't talk her boss into a raise.
As she walked past the store where she worked, she glanced up at a single shining star in the night sky. "How I wish I could just live with the pleasing touch of a man and not to have to worry about the raise in my coming rent."
As she made that wish the star seemed to shine it's light down onto the store window. Guided by the beam, she peeked into the window and saw that the light was shining upon the mannequin in the front window display. "I'm pretty homely compared to you." She sighed, lowering her head. That was when she noticed footsteps in the snow. "Huh?"
She followed the footsteps along the side of the building to find the side door torn off its hinges. She glanced around for a police officer, but with no luck. She stepped inside. If she could activate the store alarm, the cops would come and arrest the intruders.
Carefully she made her way to the security room and began to check the cameras. "That's funny." She thought to herself. "Could they of already left with whatever they stole from the place? If so, where's the night watchman?"
As Roberta reached for the phone to call the police, a hand reached out and grabbed her wrist. She quickly jerked back in shock at a touch that seemed icy cold to her. She tried to scream, then found her own voice had suddenly gone mute.
"I'm sorry to silence you, but I couldn't have you bringing the police in." A young man said as he stood before her in a security guard uniform. "You're that Roberta woman that works days here aren't you? Seen you leaving as I come in some nights."
"Now I know you want your voice back." The man said with a smile. "Believe me, that soon you won't be missing it. I can't have you running off to alert everyone what goes on in this store at night, can I?"
Roberta just shook her head and backed up against the security desk. He continued "You see, I'm more than just a security guard. I'm a wizard. Not one of those cheap illusionists you see on stage, but the real thing. I bring my plastic friends to life every night to keep me company."
It was at this time that Roberta first noticed the figures crowded around the security room doorway. It took a moment for Roberta to realize that they were living -- mannequins. "My nephew heard your wish through the display glass."
Roberta just gaped at him as if he was completely crazy.
"That's right, my nephew." The man went on. "Of course he, like the others here, is a mannequin during the day. When the boss talked about hiring a night display artist, I had to find some way to keep my little secret here safe."
"Don't worry, you'll enjoy his magic touch dressing and undressing you at night." The security wizard smiled. "It'll send an electric pleasure through you. While I may not be Santa Claus, I will be granting you the holiday gift of true freedom. All you have to do is stand beautifully still during the day and have fun at night. No eating, sleeping or needs like buying food clothes or paying rent ever again. Don't worry about your mother or brother. The spell erases your existence as a living being from their memories. Time for you to go to work now in your new position."
With those words, the man approached Roberta. She wanted to fight back, but found body had become a kind of stiff plastic. Her mind was rapidly falling into a black void that resembled sleep but not quite. Drifiting off, she could feel the most wonderful surges of pleasure as someone changed her clothes like she used to do with her dolls as a kid. Her magical sleep that lasted all that night, the next day, and up until the store closed the following night.
As she came to, she collapsed off a box painted like a wrapped Christmas gift to the floor. She was dressed with green pointed toe boots, hat, vest and skirt. Her candy cane stripe tights finished off her elf outfit. "It was real." She found it almost odd to have her voice back, but it sounded different somehow; huskier, sexier. She looked at her hands and couldn't tell a difference in tone between the skin of her fingers and her nails. She could feel her toes were fused together and arched in a way that forced her to walk on tip toes. It was as if she had been molded into that position. Stealing a glance into a nearby mirror, she saw a face that had changed as well, looking much prettier while remaining her own. A wish fulfilled.
"Try to leave the store and you'll change back into a rigid mannequin forever." Her new master said. "You'll soon come to love your new existence. It's what you always wanted, deep down. You know it is…"
Roberta turned stiffly as the nephew mannequin smiled at her. The mannequin Santa lumbered about with his plastic hand over his large belly and gripped a Coke Cola bottle in the other. He couldn't wait for the holidays to be over so he could have the padding removed and be put back in men's wear somewhere.
"Why don't you and my nephew have fun?" The security guard said with a smile. "He'll make sure you're back into your elf costume and in the display before day break."
Roberta watched as the security guard returned to his station. She had no idea that the door was fixed by magic. There had been no break in. It only looked that way to lure her inside. Inside where she could start her new and wonderful life. It was something she had always dreamed of.
THE END