Sometimes, a relationship just doesn’t work out and both parties split amicably and without any lingering tears or anger. And sometimes a boyfriend, while drunk, cheats on his girlfriend with her best friend, also drunk, and gets caught sleeping together by the aforementioned girlfriend. To say that Amber was furious would be a massive understatement, the biggest reason being that Hayden and her had been having relationship issues recently, but things seemed to finally be looking up. Hayden seemed like he was working on his problems, and then he went and betrayed her so fully. By the end of the next week, Amber had moved out and was living in her own apartment, having cut off contact with both Hayden and her former best friend, while Hayden was left in the one that they’d previously shared.

 

Amber had spent a week crying and laying in bed, utterly despondent due to the ordeal, but at the end of it, she managed to muster up enough willpower to go into town and do some grocery shopping. As she sullenly walked down a familiar street that she’d walked down hundreds of times, she suddenly noticed an unfamiliar shop. The sign proclaimed that it was the “ Oddity & Curio Shop”.

 

“I don’t remember what was here before, but this store can’t have popped up in a week, right?” Amber thought to herself.

 

Despite having no interest in old books or dusty antiques, as she could clearly see through the window, Amber walked inside. It was as if some cosmic force was calling to her, and there were too many happy couples walking the streets, so Amber was glad to go inside for a few minutes.

 

Amber strolled down one of the aisles, glancing at the items on the shelves, many of them grody looking statuettes or fancy cups and bowls. Amber was about to turn around and walk out, when she heard someone clear their throat.

 

“Ahem!” a creaky voice exclaimed.

 

Amber poked her head out from the aisle to see an old woman standing behind the counter, though she definitely hadn’t been there when Amber walked in. Maybe she was in the back?

 

“Oh, uh, hi…” Amber said.

 

“Welcome to my shop. See anything you like?” the old woman asked.

 

“I’ll be honest, I don’t even know why I came in here.” Amber said.

 

“You look like you’ve been through great trauma recently.” the old woman said.

 

Amber caught herself in the reflection of a silver mirror hanging on one of the walls. She was wearing sweatpants, a baggy hoodie, her hair was in a messy bun and she wasn’t wearing makeup. Between that and her sullen expression, she’d definitely seen better days.

 

“Is it that obvious?” Amber asked.

 

“Matters of the heart usually are, my dear. Care to talk about it?” the old woman replied.

 

Normally, Amber never would have considered baring her soul and opening up to a complete stranger, but there was something oddly comforting about the old woman, a grandmotherly feeling that made Amber trust her. And besides, talking about it would do her some good.

 

“It was my boyfriend… ex-boyfriend…” Amber started.

 

The old woman, to her credit, listened with rapt attention to the story, never interrupting Amber until the story was finished.

 

“Betrayal always stings the most.” the old woman said. “Especially when it is from those closest to us.”

 

“I just… I can’t even think about Hayden without wanting to strangle him!” Amber exclaimed. “How could he do that to me?”

 

“Do you wish to see your former friend punished as well?” the old woman asked.

 

Amber pouted.

 

“As much as I blame her as well… I blame Hayden more. From what she told me, he’s the one who made the initial pass, so it wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for him.” Amber said.

 

“In that case, I believe I have something that will help you.” the old woman said, and reached behind the counter, pulling out an old looking box.

 

She handed the sizable box to Amber, who looked over the retro artwork on the outside of the box incredulously.

 

“A Barbie doll? Wait, scratch that, it’s a Voo-Barbie?” Amber said. “It’s a voodoo Barbie doll? So what, I take this, smack it around a little and it’s supposed to make me feel better because it’ll ‘hurt’ him for real?”

 

“Regular voodoo dolls harm people, but violence is never the answer. This is far more humane.” the old woman said. “Just be sure to read all the instructions.”

 

The old woman winked at her, turned around and walked through the curtain to the back room of the store.

 

“Wait! Don’t I have to pay for this?” Amber asked, calling towards the back room.

 

In an instant, Amber felt slightly faint and reached for the counter to steady herself onto, but instead found herself leaning against a window. The sounds of cars and the hustle and bustle of people entered her ears. Amber looked around, realizing that she had somehow made it back outside the store. She turned back to the window to look inside, but found that she was staring into an empty, vacant storefront.

 

“That was weird…” Amber said, turning away from the window. “I must be more out of it than I thought…”

 

She suddenly realized that she was still holding the box, and Amber looked warily into the vacant store, before walking away.

 

Back at her apartment, Amber put down the strange box on a table and immediately grabbed her computer. She searched the internet with both the name of the store and the name on the box, but found no results for either.

 

“Did I finally snap?” Amber questioned.

 

Despite it, Amber was curious as to what a “Voo-Barbie” would end up being, so she sliced the tape that sealed the box, pulled the top out and slid the cardboard card that everything was attached to out of the box.

“Wow… that’s uncanny!” Amber exclaimed as she took a closer look at the doll.

 

At first glance, it looked like a regular Ken doll, wearing a t-shirt and jeans, except that, unlike the traditional version, the hands and feet were on individual joints instead of being molded into the arms and legs. But more striking was the face, because it was a dead ringer for Hayden, down to his five o'clock shadow.

 

“What are you saying, Amber? It’s just a generic guy mold and Hayden was a generic guy, it couldn’t actually look like him… right?” Amber asked herself aloud.

 

Then again, that morning, Amber had been sure that she had walked into an antique store which suddenly vanished, so that wasn’t a very convincing argument.

 

Also attached to the card were several accessories, a long blonde wig, a made up face-mold that went over the original face, a set of replacement hands with long painted nails, and a set of replacement feet with painted toenails of the same color.

 

In a small plastic baggie were what looked like a set of clothes… and they looked vaguely familiar for some reason.

 

“Is this an irregular doll? Like it has the Barbie accessories by mistake?” Amber asked.

 

Amber picked the box up and shook it, causing another accessory to tumble onto the table. It was a pair of doll-sized breasts that could be attached to the chest via a hidden peghole that Amber could see outlined when she lifted the doll’s shirt.

 

“What was it the shopkeeper said? Read all of the…” Amber looked around and found a slip of paper taped to the back. “Instructions…”

 

“Welcome to your new Voo-Barbie, revenge has never been prettier. Before you use your new Voo-Barbie, be sure to follow these rules:

 

1. The doll will only work for the chosen victim, so be sure that you’re absolutely committed to your vengeance.

 

2. The process won’t be instant, so be patient and see the entire thing through. Depending on the victim’s willpower, it might take anywhere from several minutes to several days.

 

3. Most important of all, keep the doll nearby at all times. If anyone else touches the doll, you’ll lose your control and they’ll gain it.”

 

The rest of the page was simply instructions for how to remove/assemble the various parts of the doll, fairly simple stuff.

 

“This is so crazy…” Amber mused. “Although, it might make me feel better to imagine that I’m making him look like those bimbos he used to ogle when we were out together…”

 

Amber started undressing the doll, removing the modular parts and replacing the ones that came with feminine analogs, like the hands, feet, face and hair. But she held off on the breasts, deciding to make something to eat before she continued.

 

Hayden was just settling in for a night of sports on TV and a few beers, when he suddenly felt strange.

 

“The hell?” Hayden asked himself.

 

It started like a tremor in his limbs, but very slowly, he realized what was going on. He’d lost control of his body. He stood up from the couch and started walking towards the bathroom.

 

“What’s going on?” Hayden said. “Why can’t I...?”

 

With all his might, Hayden scrunched his face as he tried to exert control, any small amount of control, on his body, to no avail.

 

“Help! Help me!” Hayden shouted, although he wasn’t exactly sure what anyone would do, given that there wasn’t anyone around making this happen.

 

Hayden’s body walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower, before kneeling down and reaching under the sink, pulling out a box, one that Hayden recognized, it was the box of stuff that Amber hadn’t taken with her when she left. Pulling out a half-used bottle of shampoo, a nearly empty bottle of body wash and a pink can of shaving cream, Hayden’s body stood back up and placed all the items onto the sink as he started to undress.

 

“What the hell is going on?!” Hayden demanded as his body, still running on autopilot, grabbed the items and climbed into the shower.

 

It’s a supremely unsettling feeling to be washed against one’s own power, but it’s even worse when one’s body is the one doing the washing. After depleting the body wash, Hayden’s body was left smelling faintly of lavender, and after using the shampoo, Hayden’s hair smelled of fruit. Hayden had hoped that the shower was at an end, but unfortunately, he’d unwillingly picked out a third item.

 

Despite concentrating as hard as he could, Hayden couldn’t manage to dislodge the can of shaving cream from his hand, and his legs, arms, armpits, chest and face were lathered up as he used Amber’s razor to shave himself. If nothing else, whatever was controlling him had great control, since there were no nicks or cuts anywhere on his body.

 

Hayden’s mind shuddered as his hand ran over his newly smooth legs.

 

“Why is this happening to me?” Hayden asked no one in particular as he stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his chest and his hair.

 

Meanwhile, Amber finished having her quick dinner and returned to the doll, still out on the table. She took a look at the clothes, a black lingerie set, a dress, and a pair of heels, scrutinizing them, because they looked so familiar…

 

“That’s it! Those are… my clothes?” Amber finally realized where she’d seen them before. In her closet, or rather, her closet back at Hayden’s.

 

There were several items that she’d left behind in her rush, and that outfit had been one of them, unsurprisingly, since it was a date night outfit that Hayden had liked her in, and she couldn’t bring herself to take it with her.

 

Even after all she’d seen, Amber was still skeptical, but she was starting to believe, the proof was getting very convincing! But she needed to test the theory further, she quickly dressed the doll up in the outfit, before tossing the doll into her purse and heading down to her car.

 

Hayden returned to the bedroom, clad in just a towel across his chest and a towel on his head wrapped into a turban. He noticed his body’s movement was different, no longer was he just walking, if there existed a word to describe his new gait, it would be slinking, and he slinked towards the closet.

 

“What could I possibly need from there?” Hayden asked whatever disembodied force that was causing all his problems, but got no reply.

 

After digging into the back of the closet, Hayden pulled out a little black dress, one that he recognized that Amber wore on several dates, a dress he particularly enjoyed seeing her wear, not that he had any interest in wearing it himself!

 

Nearby was the corresponding lingerie, which Hayden had been keeping aside on the off-chance that Amber ever returned to retrieve it.

 

“Please, no…” Hayden sobbed as he released the turban, revealing that his hair had grown while inside the towel, it was now much longer, reaching down his back, and had lightened several shades into a honey blonde color.

 

After removing the towel from his chest, Hayden pulled up the panties, placed the bra across his chest, and quickly pulled himself into the dress. Hayden and Amber weren’t remotely similar in size, but for some reason, the dress and lingerie fit perfectly, as if by magic.

 

After adjusting the dress, Hayden walked back into the bathroom. He stood in front of the bathroom mirror and knelt down, retrieving a small makeup bag from underneath the sink, another leftover of Amber’s. Hayden continued to attempt to reassert control over his body, and continued to fail.

 

Hayden was helpless as his hands expertly applied makeup to his face, coating his lips in a sultry red lipstick, his eyes with a bold blue eyeshadow and an elegant smokey eye, and perfect contouring on his face. His eyebrows were immaculately groomed and his hair perfectly done in a sexy updo. At some point, his fingernails had lengthened and groomed themselves, with Hayden painting them with Amber’s favorite shade of red polish, before doing the same to his toenails.

 

Hayden lost control of even his face as he saw his lips form a smirk and he winked at himself in the mirror.

 

“What is going on?” Hayden asked. “How can I stop this?”

 

Hayden exited the bathroom and re-opened the closet door, retrieving a pair of four-inch peep toe black pumps. Hayden sexily sat down on the bed and started placing his feet into the heels. First his left foot, then his right. Once his right foot was placed into the heel, Hayden’s motor functions were restored. Hayden nearly fell over, before realizing that he had control over his body once more.

 

He didn’t know how or why, but he was happy that he could finally move. Standing up, he looked at himself in the mirror, wondering how he was going to get rid of what had happened. Or how he was even going to explain the strange happenings.

 

He looked at his reflection, one of a supremely confused, but very attractive young woman, looking like she was about to head out to the club, if it wasn’t for his flat chest, he’d look exactly like the twin sister he didn’t have. He could barely see any trace of masculinity left.

 

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door that broke Hayden out of his contemplation. Hayden frantically ran out of the bedroom, nearly breaking his ankle in the heels, before finally making it to the door. Standing out in the hall was Amber, smirking and holding what looked like a barbie doll in her hands. But Hayden didn’t have time to consider why she was carrying it around.

 

“Amber! Thank god you’re here! I don’t know what’s going on!” Hayden shouted. “You have to help me!”

 

“Oh, don’t worry, Hayden, I’ll take care of everything.” Amber moved the doll’s arm to cover its mouth, and Hayden did the exact same thing.

 

In Hayden’s eyes, Amber could see him pleading with her to stop what she was doing. But in her eyes, Hayden hadn’t even begun to feel as bad as she’d been feeling.

 

“I think it’s time to see what these do…” Amber smiled as she pulled out the breastpiece and pulled down the doll’s dress, as Hayden did the same, exposing his chest. “Let’s go inside.”

 

Amber walked into the apartment and Hayden involuntarily followed behind her, whimpering. Hayden had finally gotten his answers, but his punishment was just beginning.

 

The End