Alfie sighed as he closed the door and turned around. There stood the man staring at him.
“How did you do that!?” The man asked. Then, he spotted the gun still in Alfie’s hand. “That thing! You pointed it at yourself and changed. What is it?”
“I’m not sure, actually,” Alfie admitted, holding the gun up and inspecting it. “I just picked it up from somewhere and found out it could change me.”
“Can I see it?”
Without thinking, Alfie handed it over. “Sure, Daddy.”
The man took the gun before they both blinked. “Wait, what did you just call me?”
Frowning in confusion, Alfie answered, “I called you Daddy. Why did I do that? I didn’t see anything on that gun about mind control.”
“Maybe it figured that a child needs a parental figure.” The man thought for a while. “Hm, let’s try something else.”
Seeing the man point the gun at him, Alfie tried to back away. “Wait! Dad, don’t-”
Too late. Alfie winced as a wash of sensations went over him. Hair tickled the back of his neck, and an invisible force seemed to collide with his privates, shoving them up into his abdomen before rummaging around his innards a bit. A few more subtle tweaks here and there finished up the details. Opening his eyes again, Alfie glanced down in dread.
At first, he didn’t notice anything. He was still a kid in ill-fitting grownup clothes, skinny underdeveloped body and all. Then, a lock of blonde hair fell into his vision. Grabbing it, he got a corresponding tug on his scalp. “What?” He gasped, finding his voice a bit reedier than before. “What did you do?”
Running over to a nearby mirror, he stared at the reflection of a cute little girl. Enormous blue eyes blinked in horror. Behind her, the man came into view. “So, what do you think?”
Turning on him in anger, Alfie stomped her foot and pouted. “Daddy! Why’d you do that for?”
The man smiled. “I see your behavior’s changed again. This opens up a lot of possibilities.”
“What are you talking about, Daddy?”
Eyeing her like a frog under a microscope, the man replied, “You see, when you first barged into my house, I was ready to give up. I already told you what direction my life had taken, no wife, no hope, no motivation to go on. But now, perhaps I can get back a bit of what I lost.” Switching the settings on the gun, he once again took aim.
“Daddy, no! Don’t you dare!”
The man shrugged. “I have to. Don't worry. This can be a fresh start for both of us.”
He pressed the trigger again.