*Title: The Transformation* In a quaint town in the year 2021, a lively 6-year-old boy named Charlie was on his way to a salon for his very first haircut. Charlie was a small boy with a tousle of bro

On an average day in 2021, in the peaceful town of Asheville, North Carolina, there was a boy named Billy Jones. An imaginative, lively 6-year-old boy, born on August 10th, 2015. Billy stood at 3 feet 10 inches, weighing around 50 pounds. With eyes as green as fresh leaves and messy brown hair that always seemed to have a mind of its own, he was much alive as the Appalachian trails near his home. Billy lived with his mom, Jane, who was 24, born on December 20, 1996. Jane was a petite woman standing at 5 feet 4 inches and weighing 125 pounds. She was born with strawberry blonde locks that she always had styled into loose waves that caressed her shoulders, and her big brown doe eyes were never without a touch of kindness in them. Their picture-perfect family, unfortunately, missed the presence of Billy's father, Owen. Owen had left their family when Billy was too young to remember. Owen was tall, standing at 6'1", a broad silhouette at 185 pounds, blonde hair that he kept in a low fade cut, and piercing blue eyes. Born on October 31, 1990, he was no longer apart of their lives. Though Owen's absence created a void, it was filled by Jane's sister, Aunt Laura, and her husband, who was often busy at work, Uncle Jack. Laura was a 32-year-old woman, born on March 1, 1989. She was 5'7", weighed 145lbs, and sported an ashy brown bob haircut and crystal-clear green eyes. Jack, on the other hand, was Jake’s opposite, he was born on July 15, 1985, standing at 6 feet tall, weighing 175 pounds. He had black hair styled into a pompadour, and bright blue eyes that sparkled with life. And lastly, there was Grandma Esther, Jane and Laura's mother, born on April 5, 1955, making her 66 years old. She was 5’5” and 155lb, with a crown of silver curls and warm hazel eyes that radiated wisdom. One particular day found Billy jaunting about the busy streets of Asheville, walking to the local salon alone for the first time. He strolled right into "Mirae's Salon," where Mirae, a thirty-five-year-old South Korean lady, born on March 15, 1986, ran the place flawlessly. Petite and stylish, barely scraping 5’0” and weighing 95lbs, Mirae was captivating. Her black hair styled in a chic, Korean-style pixie cut, brown almond-shaped eyes radiating a pleasant aura. She was always dressed impeccably in a blazer over a soft blouse tucked into ankle-cut pants, adorned in gold jewelry and her fingers painted in bright red nail polish, magnified by the heavy gold wedding ring adorning her finger. She wore platform sandals that clicked against her salon's checkered floors, a harmonious rhythm to the scissor snips and hairdryer's hum. When Billy arrived at her salon, Mirae was thrilled to see him, warmly telling him in her broken English, "You sits, I gets scissors," before she left him alone in the room to fetch her tools. The atmosphere in the salon was different without Mirae’s energetic presence. Billy found his nervousness creeping up on him. He slipped his little shoes and socks off, his feet feeling the cold touch of the floor as he tiptoed around the room, the excitement of exploration taking over him. Suddenly, he grasped the overwhelming urge to use the bathroom. "I gotta potty!" he yelled aloud, glancing around the room for any signs of a bathroom. He decided to venture down a hallway, thinking it led to the bathroom, his eyes still wandering inquisitively, entirely ignoring the floor. Suddenly, his small foot caught onto something, and he tumbled, finding himself in a pair of massive platform sandals, identical to those worn by Mirae. Panic washed over him as his one-piece outfit suddenly evaporated, leaving him almost bare. He attempted to yank the chunky sandals off, but as he did so, he noticed his feet altering. His little feet were morphing into grown, womanly ones, the toenails painted with the same vibrant red shade as Mirae's. "I gonna miss mommy and grandma so so much," he cried, tears trickling down his rosy cheeks, "I didn't do anything wrong, I just had to go potty, I don't wanna be an icky girl." The fear in his heart confirmed to him that he was transforming into a woman, slightly younger than his beloved Grandma Esther and significantly older than his mom and Aunt Laura. The realization terrified him, and he started singing an American lullaby his mom used to sing when he was terrified. As he sang, something peculiar happened. His song gradually morphed into a traditional Korean song, even as his memories started to alter and transform. Like a chameleon, his appearance began to change, lifespan quickening, and his small, boyish frame expanded and matured into that of a woman. His cheeks hollowed, stature grew, voice deepened, and accent warmed into Korean flourishes. His ill-fitting one-piece was replaced with the feminine outfit identical to what Mirae had been wearing. While the changes were taking place, his lullaby had entirely transitioned from English to Korean, as if the song he was singing was derivative of his changing reality. Billy had transformed into the petite, Korean hairstylist Mirae, missing only the gold jewelry that used to adorn her person. In his heart, he felt the gentle lull of decades, similar to his grandma and significantly ahead of her mom and aunt. With a newfound sense of confidence, she walked over to her lost jewelry, lying idle where she tripped earlier and picked each piece carefully, adding them back onto her person. The earrings settled onto her earlobes, the necklace around her neck, bracelets securing around her wrist, and the rings encircling her beautiful fingers. Then, her eyes landed on her gold wedding ring, a token of love from her husband. She settled it around her slender finger, where it belonged. Next, she set her eyes on her platform sandals. She walked over to the nearby chair, rolling up her pant legs first before picking up the sandals and setting them nearby. She proceeded to slip her feet into them, one foot following the other, adjusting the straps to suit her feet. Once finished, she rose to her feet, stretching a little before adjusting her blouse, tucking in any loose ends into her pants. Following that, she beat down any rising shirt collar and smoothed over the creases in her pants. Then, she adjusted her platform sandals, ensuring they were fitting her perfectly. The entire place, once filled with doubts and fears, now accommodated a confident Mirae. She strutted across the room, her platform sandals clicking musically against the floor. On her journey, she lost a sandal, but she promptly sat down and fixed it back onto her foot, tightening the straps so they fit her even more securely. The salon reshaped itself, memories altering to accommodate the new reality. In her mind, Mirae took off her jewelry and sandals so as not to intimidate young Billy. However, she had put them back on, including her wedding ring. With everything back to normal, Mirae looked around and wondered, "Where little boy go?" She shrugged off her confusion, perhaps, he just got scared and left. She busied herself around the salon, tidying up and humming a traditional Korean song happily. Now and then, she looked down at her sandals, deciding to adjust them one more time, feeling the firm grip they had on her feet. While she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she crossed her legs, looking at her appearance contently, “I love being woman,” she voiced contentedly, her broken English echoing around the empty room.