You look over the mass of orange, black and white fur that has landed in your hands. It's a tiger costume. A stunningly realistic one at that. You're the face has the familiar orange fur with tufts of white on the sides covered in a pattern of black stripes. The costume even has the yellow eyes of a tiger, making you wonder how one can even see while wearing it. A costume like this would surely impress any fellow Halloween party-goers if you were the type to get invited to those things. Mostly, though, your Halloween nights consist of sitting alone, watching old horror movies and handing out whatever candy you yourself haven't already eaten. Add the enormous price such a costume must surely have and your logical mind tells you to put it back immediately. Which, despite your strange urge to hold onto it a bit longer, you do.
That is, you try to. As you try to place the costume on its wooden hanger, you find that somehow your left hand is stuck to the back of the costume's left paw. Try as you might you can't shake the costume off your hand. You're about to try and pry it off with your other hand when your heart skips a beat. Your left hand sinks beneath the fur of the costume. Your right hand closes around your wrist, trying to find the edge of the costume to pull it off, only to find that your skin blends seamlessly to the orange fur. What's more you no longer feel your fingers, only the sharp claws and padded front paws of the costume. You cry out as you desperately shake your paw. The costume begins pulling the rest of your arm in, quickly turning your left arm into the front leg of a tiger. You stumble backwards, tripping over your own feet and falling on your back.
You cry out for help as the tiger costume falls on your chest. You watch as the fabric blends into your chest and around your back. It doesn't take long for your torso to change shape, taking on the shape and build of a tiger. You feel the warmth of fur press against your right arm and gasp as the costume swallows up that arm as well. You watch as your arms realign themselves to meet their new feral stance. Your continued cries for help go unheeded as your legs merge with those of the costume. You suddenly feel the pads of the costume's feet and its tail becomes your own. You stumble to your feet but can only manage a quadrupedal stance. Despite the numerous times you try to stand on to feet, gravity keeps bringing you back down to all fours. It's then that you see the tiger costume's head get closer.
"No, no, nonononononooooo..." is all you have time to say before the costume's head pulls over yours and your protestations are replaced with growls as your face now has the tiger's feline teeth and jaw. You shake your head slightly as though trying to shake off your own head, but it's no use. You're now a tiger.
"Well...don't you look beautiful?" you hear a female voice say. The young lady behind the cash register now stands before you, leaning against the threshold with her arms crossed. She strolls over to you, and reaches to the back of your neck to feel your fur. You try to ask for help, but again all that comes from you is growly sounds. She brings her finger to her lips and shushes you before wagging her finger a couple of times.
"No no no, don't bother trying to speak those days are definitely past you now. Besides already know what you would say. Yes, you are a real tiger. No this isn't a dream or hallucination, and no..." she bends down and takes your face in her hands to look you in the eye "...there isn't any turning back. You may not like that now, but what do you expect going into a room that says 'Forbidden Costumes', you silly tiger?" she says and leans forward wraps her arms around you, pressing her face against your neck. "But don't worry, tiger, you'll learn to love it very soon." You don't want to find that reassuring, but somehow it is. You even catch yourself absentmindedly rubbing your face against hers. Your heart quickens after your new ears hear a snap and you feel a collar around your neck. The woman slipped a collar around your neck during the hug. She stands up and gives you a kind smile.
"Now come along, tiger. You'll have just enough time to get settled into your new home and your new body before mating season." she says, waggling her eyebrows a little on the last two words. She snaps a leash to your collar and gives it a bit of a tug. Somehow the idea of rebelling against your new human mistress seems distasteful. You follow her to your new home at the zoo, already starting to forget what it was you were so worried about earlier. By the end of the week you can no longer understand English, and by mating season you've entirely forgotten you were human.