Marvin Gets Stuck in the Body of a Homeless Woman

Once upon a time, in a small bustling city that was teeming with activity, there lived a sweet and innocent boy named Marvin. He was a 6-year-old, raised by a young mom who was just 23. Today was a special day as Marvin was going to shop all by himself for the first time. With his mom's approval, he set foot into a gigantic department store. The store was an intimidating labyrinth as far as little Marvin was concerned. He found himself lost in the colossal rows of snacks that outrivaled his tiny height. After a prolonged search, Marvin finally found his favorite tidbit. His sense of victory recompensed his prior unease as he headed to check out, his mom's money clenched tightly in his small fist. As he emerged from the Edwardian storefront, he was approached by Alyssa, alias Listen, a 33-year-old homeless woman who had been living on the streets since her young adolescence. Alyssa, cloaked in her worn-out jeans and coat, sneakers, gloves, beanie, and balancing a backpack on one shoulder and a purse on the other. Her brown hair peeking out from the frayed beanie framed her radiant brown eyes. "Honey? You have any leftover money on you? Just a penny will help. Not trying to scare you," she gently pleaded. "Here you go miss!" Marvin smiled innocently as he reached forth the leftover change towards the woman. Suddenly, Marvin felt a sweeping dizzy spell. His vision blurred and turned dark as he handed over his money. The next thing Marvin knew, he found himself staring at his small palms, but they seemed entirely different. They weren't the small chubby hands of a 6-year-old, but rather those of an older woman's, wrapped in the same gloves that Alyssa was wearing earlier. "What the heck?" said Marvin, his voice trembling, now distinctively feminine. Marvin quickly realized he had Alyssa's body. He began peeling off the attire one by one, but everything felt wrong. There was an uncanny realization that he was somehow trapped in Alyssa's body. In sheer terror, Marvin stumbled upon his old body, now moved by Alyssa. He pleaded his case to swap back into his own body, but was met with a stern refusal. "You're never swapping back. You're stuck in this body forever," said Alyssa with Marvin's voice, leaving the now-girl Marvin to retreat into an alleyway, weeping and scared. Marvin's reflection startled him in a piece of broken mirror on the street. He saw his own eyes staring back at him, but they were Alyssa's eyes now. His body was different too, with female features that confused and frightened him. "I hate being a girl! This is a nightmare! I want my mommy!” cried Marvin as he felt a tear roll down his face. As night fell, the temperature dropped and Marvin was feeling the cold bite at his skin. He put on Alyssa's coat, the gloves, the beanie and shoes. While he still found the purse and backpack too girly, he needed them to keep warm. "When I wake up, I'll be home! This is a bad dream! Mommy misses me!" whimpered Marvin, as he squeezed his eyes shut, praying for the nightmare to end. Unfortunately, he didn't know that the world was crueler than his nightmares. He was permanently stuck in Alyssa's body, and could never return to being a boy again.