As you watched the other mascots mingle from afar, you heard a sudden, urgent whisper.
"Psst... hey you... pigtails. You're new, right?"
You looked around for the origin of the voice, but found no one.
"Down here, doofus!"
You glanced down and saw a pair of eyes staring at you from a maintenance hatch built into the floor.
"Listen, we need to talk. Get down here before it's too late and you become one of them!"
The hatch lifted slightly and slid out of the way, revealing a ladder to a dark tunnel under the floor.
You couldn't help but feel alarmed and confused by this. Weren't you already one of them? Or is it possible that you could change further, losing your free will entirely?
You decided to take the gamble and carefully lowered yourself down into the tunnel.
The mysterious stranger moved the hatch back into place and then switched on a lamp, illuminating the space
It looked like some kind of thieve's lair built into the plumbing. The walls were lined with pipes of various sizes and there was barely enough room to stand. In the corner there was a makeshift sleeping area made from stolen blankets, towels and pillows.
You could now clearly see the mysterious person who had whispered to you.
She was another doll-like mascot closely resembling yourself, but with a clown theme. Her red, yarn-like hair was tied up in a pair of ponytails and her nose was painted red. She wore a blue and white diagonally striped dress with yellow and pink polka-dot stockings.
Notably, she look rather disheveled, and wore a grim expression on her cartoony face.
"Hey. I'm Zoe."
"I'm Lucy" You squeaked out in your new voice. Wait what?
"No wait I'm... I'm... Lucy" you stammered again. That wasn't right. Your name was... what was it?
"Don't worry, I can't remember my old name either. But follow my advice and you can avoid going full-time toddler toy like the others."
"What can I do? I need to get out of here!" you whimpered.
"Okay before we go as far as breaking out of this place, I need to teach you the basics.
You're probably familiar with those loudspeakers, right?"
You nodded.
"Right, the sounds they play are like hypnotic triggers. The ones that send you out into the park or signal when it's time to eat or take a shower are mostly harmless. The real nasty ones are in the bedrooms. Those things slowly sap your mind away while you sleep. Eventually you forget who you are and become a mascot for life. That's why I sleep down here." She gestured to the crude pile of bedding in the corner.
"Sorry if I'm coming across as cold, but the last newcomer didn't listen to my advice and now he's lost himself for good."
You shuddered involuntarily at the thought of become a mindless mascot forever.
"Now, on to escaping. That's a tricky one. If I'd figured out how to escape I obviously wouldn't be here, would I?
You can't just leave through the front gate, they've got speakers there broadcasting some kind of hypnotic noise. I couldn't even get within twelve feet before I felt like I was gonna die."
Zoe sat down on the soft bedding.
"Even if we managed to bust out that way, look at us! We obviously can't just be walking around looking like a pair of living costumes. We need to figure out the inner workings of this place. Find a way to reverse our changes."
"There was a clone." You squeaked, "I saw a copy of myself leave the park."
"That's right." Zoe nodded, "They can steal our appearance somehow. I think that means we might be able to steal them back. I haven't been able to do much on my own, but I think if you're willing to help me, we might have a better chance of getting out of here."
You nodded enthusiastically and Zoe smiled.
"You're alright, blondie. Now listen, you go up there and get acquainted with the other weirdos so they don't become too suspicious. I'll call you over before bedtime and you can sleep down here with me. We'll get started on our escape plan tomorrow morning."
She stood up and moved over to the hatch, lifting it and sliding it open.
"Thanks Zoe, I won't let you down." You said in the bravest voice you could muster.
As you climbed the ladder and returned to the mascot break room, Zoe shot you a smile and a wink.