"Freedom or youth?" Tom stared at the card, then at Hannah's hooves. "Shit! What will the card do to me? Freedom... but without youth? Maybe it will make me old! I'd rather stay young and take my chances on freeing myself later. So I choose youth!"
He felt dizzy suddenly, the room starting to shift. No, not shift. Get bigger! Tom gasped as he was suddenly a young teenager, then a barely pubescent boy, then a grade-school kid. His clothes reformed around him as he shrank, changing style as well. He stared down at the polished black shoes, creased slacks and polished buttons. Huh? Scrambling up, he ran into the bathroom and looked at himself in the door mirror.
The boy looking back at him was familiar - the face was his from maybe 4th grade. But the crew cut was wrong, and so was the uniform! His name was on a plastic tag over the left pocket, and a patch on the right proclaimed "Forrest Military Academy". Scared, he pulled at the buttons, determined to yank off the jacket. But nothing would come off! Even the white gloves on his small hands were like part of his skin.
As he turned and rejoined the others, Tom started wondering if this was going to be permanent. Everyone had to play the game through - but did only the winner change back?