Work Text:
TICK
TOCK
TICK
TOCK
Just you and the cuckoo clock on the wall opposite you.
That's all you could hear.
The silence was starting to unnerve you.
You just needed to know if you we're going to get the job.
It wasn't your first choice, or your second, but at this point, you were desperate for work.
Wasn't a bad store, all things considered.
Model airplane kits, figurines, board games, even those little paint-able guys, Warlorders or whatever that nerd shit was?
You could fake it 'til you make it, just needed to start bringing money in.
Sure, you'd be giving up weekends to give the store owner a break, but sacrifices must be made.
The office door opened.
Another woman stepped out with the store owner.
Both laughing.
Oh shit.
You knew what was coming...
"Oh, hello! I'm so sorry, but the position has been filled. Thank you for your time!"
What.
You waited all this time and you're not even being given a chance to shine?!
You tried to object, but she had already gone back into her office.
You watched the other woman walk out the door.
Another rejection?
But you needed this job!
In your anger, you swiped the nearest thing on the counter to the ground.
It moved with such force that it broke away from the little stand.
Fuck.
Not only did you not get the job, you'd have to pay for whatever dinky little figure was just scattered to who knows where.
The office door opened again.
"What was that?! Did you break something?"
You gulped.
"I-I, yes, but in my defense-"
"So you didn't get the job, and you think this was a good way to protest?"
"No-no, you don't understand-"
But just as quickly as she was to get angry, it dissipated.
A smile broke out on her face, a huge grin.
"Tell you what, maybe I DO have a position for you."
"Y-you do?"
The store owner nods.
"If you agree to it, we need not escalate this further."
"Yes, of course! Thank you for the-"
She snapped her fingers.
Almost immediately, you felt funny.
And then...
Was the room getting larger?
Were you so nervous and scared that you literally felt two feet tall?
No...
You WERE two feet!
And shrinking further!
How... how was this possible?
The store owner was still grinning, looking down at you.
When you were the size of a human palm, she scooped you up, your efforts to fight back being for naught.
"I did say the position had been filled, but well, you just opened up a new one."
What did she mean by that?
And how could you do any work when you were now the size of one of her figu-
Oh no.
It clicked into place.
"No, no! I don't want to be a pose-able figurine!"
"Oh sweetheart, that's not the case at all!"
You breathed a sigh of relief.
You were still small, but maybe she had a special assignm-
"You'll be stationary the whole time!"
Stationary?!
The-the whole time?!
When she put you down, you tried to run, but you were frozen in place.
"Now, let me just set you up like the previous figurine, and your "employment" begins."
You tried to protest, but your mouth couldn't move.
There was a slight pain as you were moved on to the stand.
It was yellow, painted to resemble sand.
And your clothes were changed to reflect your new environment.
A bright red lifeguard top, gleam impossible to escape.
Within seconds, large breasts popped out of your chest, so large you could barely see past them.
You wanted to scream as your arms and legs were being moved into place.
Left hand was placed at your mouth, pointer finger extended to your lips like you were putting on a flirty face.
Your knees and legs put in a kneeling position, as if in expectation.
A bottle of sun lotion materialized in your right hand to complete the picture.
You wanted to say so much, but you couldn't.
"Almost done!"
Oh God, what more could she do to you?
As if to mock you further, you got your answer.
Your skin felt funny.
Tingly.
Almost like it wasn't skin anymore...
If you could gasp in horror, you would.
You were being converted to plastic!
You couldn't breathe even if you wanted to, because you had no internal organs anymore, except your brain.
She wants you to sit with the choices you've made, you realize.
You couldn't even close your eyes.
All you could do was think.
And right now, all you could think of was the new pain in your legs.
It felt like they were being... hollowed out?
Like you were losing something.
THUNK!
Something just hit your legs.
She had reconfigured the peg that keeps a figurine in place.
"All done! What do you think?"
She pulled out a compact mirror.
All you could do was stare.
In addition to the costume, your hair was now long and blonde, and your lips all pink and puffy.
You looked like a lifeguard pin-up.
"Now, I'm thinking a trial run of... oh, let's say three months should do it!"
Three months?!
You were expected to sit and stare for three whole months?!
"And if no one buys you in that time... well, we'll renegotiate!
But I have to warn you... figurines like yours don't take too long to sell!"
The store owner went back into her office.
So you just sat there and stared out into the store.
TICK
TOCK
TICK
TOCK
That would be the most common thing you would hear.
You almost wish someone WOULD buy you, if this is what you would be putting up with.
THE END.