Finally, the summer of '08 has come. Sunny skies, warm weather, frolicking by the beach, and lounging all day in one's room browsing the almanac on DVD his uncle bought him months prior - these are the activities swimming on Peter Packwood's mind. But today, of all days in the month of June, is a special one. It's a sleepover night in Gary's old manor by the edge of the forest. His parents are gone for the entire week, and since Gary is already a grown-up, he is entrusted with taking care of the house and his younger brother. And that is the perfect time for a sleepover that has lurked behind their plans for months. Being a high school student leaves no room for such opportunities anymore.
Their plans would reach a minor hurdle when Peter's parents insisted that he bring his younger brother, Will, to the slumber party. Peter was fine with having Gary's younger brother to the party because the kid is quiet and rarely bothered them. But Will? That brat is a fucking nightmare. He's an uncontrollable wildcard that would only destroy their fun with his obnoxiousness. But a tiny part of Peter kind of wants to invite the brat. Despite his outgoing attitude, Will never had any 'real' friends that he connects with. Well, except for himself and Gary. But that doesn't count. And this would be his first slumber party despite living in god's green earth for twelve years already.
"I'm going to crash your party and judge how lame it is, you 'tards." Will snickered as he sneaked in more candies to his bag.
"Whatever," Peter said. He checked all his things to see if he missed any.
Clothes for two days? Check!
Snacks? Check!
The board game he bought from a nearly dying old man from behind the strip mall who is likely in the sex offender's registry? Check!
Money, in case they need it? Check.
Everything is set and ready. Peter zipped the bag, grabbed their double ham-and-cheese sandwich for dinner, got kissed by his mother and reeled away from his gross lips, and bicycled away from the house.
"I'll stop by tomorrow to send your lunch and dinner," Will's mother waved.
---
Gary's manor takes them by a large metallic gate leading to a dirt trail at the edge of the city. The manor used to belong to the founders of the city. Until his grandparents bought it and his parents renovated it to what it is now, a two-story mansion with eight bedrooms, four bathrooms, other living amenities, a game room, a large yard where a large white gazebo stood, and a trail leading to a hidden hot spring at the edge of the property. Gary insisted that they weren't rich. Just lucky enough to buy it before the price skyrocketed to ludicrous prices.
By the large maple wood door frame, Gary waved at them with his younger brother, Lou Newman, clutching him by the edge of his shirt. They are already in their pajamas and judging by the orange crust in their fingers, they already started eating the snacks. Peter and Will chained their bikes to the fence and went inside where they were met with the familiar extravagant living room with a luxurious double staircase that opens to the kitchen where the snacks are already set up.
"Set your bags on the side and help us bring the snacks to the game room after," Gary said.
They helped set up the snacks, then followed with setting up their futons. Although, sleep is still at the farthest reaches of their minds because they have the rest of the night to entertain themselves with games.
"So, what's the new board game about?" Gary asked. "Is it another tabletop RPG? Because you know I hate those."
Peter knows. Gary cannot keep up with the stats, lore, and worldbuilding present in tabletop RPGs. That's why he bought a relatively simple board game, or so the old man from the strip mall said. "It's just like snakes and ladders, but with cards or something. So, kinda like the game of life?"
"Good. That is right by my avenue."
Peter unboxed the board game revealing several pieces, cards, a small pot, dice, and the board itself. Even though the box art looks old and smells like one too, the game looks like it was freshly bought from the factory. The instruction paper is near and proper, and the silver pieces are still glinting sharply in the light of the room. Lucky enough, there are four silver pieces that he gave out to the others. A monocle for himself, a horse for gay, a magician's hat for Will, and a sleeping cat for Lou.
"A board game? Boring…" Will groaned.
"If you're just gonna complain all night, you can go take the bike back home." Peter snapped back.
"Jeez. I just said it's boring. I am still going to stay so I can beat you three assholes and reign supreme amongst your sorry asses." Will laughed. "So, how is this game played?"
Peter opened the instruction booklet and narrated the simple yet intricate rules.
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Welcome to the Game of Change! A simple board game that assures to bring fun and chaos to whoever plays the board.
To play the game, the oldest player down to the youngest will grab the dice and roll them. They will move their pieces according to the number they received. Remember! Rolling doubles means nothing to the game. When the piece lands on a colored tile, grab a card of the same color.
Before we move on, when the word attribute is used, it contains the physical as well as the mental aspect of a person. Now, there are several cards, and each has its varying effects and they are the following (arranged according to their rarity);
• Yellow - A mundane card. It can move a player forwards or backward or make them skip their next turn.
• Blue - Swap the listed attribute on the card with a player of your choosing. (Example. Player 1 swaps their head with Player 2)
• Green - Add the listed attribute on the card to your own from a player of your choosing. (Example. Player 1's muscles grow bigger by decreasing Player 2's muscles)
• Red - Swap an attribute of your choosing from a player of your choosing.
• Violet - Add an attribute of your choosing from a player of your choosing.
Now there is also the pot that can take, store, and give out attributes. To use the pot, a player's piece must land in either a black or white tile.
• Black - Give the attribute listed on the card to the pot.
• White - Choose one of the attributes stored in the pot. You can either swap it to yourself, swap it to another player, or give it back to its owner. If there are none, treat this card as a Black Card.
And amongst all the tiles and card, there is the two rarest of them all, with only five of each amongst the board.
• Silver - Return all players to their original form
• Gold - Swap bodies with a player of your choosing
The player cannot skip their turn unless they pick a yellow card with a skip turn effect. The player cannot hostage the game by not choosing a player when they picked a card. After a one-minute timeframe has elapsed, the game will choose randomly among the players.
To win the game, a player must reach the 150th rainbow tile. The winner is bestowed with the hidden rainbow card, which is a ticket to a wish of their choosing.
Good luck and have fun playing the game! Unless the game plays you.
---
The more Peter read into the instruction, the more confused is. What are these attributes and swaps the game is talking about? He looked at the box for missing game pieces that would explain the instructions, but he found none. Peter looked at the others and they had the same confused look as he.
"Should we even play the game?" Peter asked.
"Ummm… Yeah? The instructions may be confusing but it's still a simple game. Roll the dice, grab a card, and win by reaching the rainbow tile." Greg said.
"If you put it that way, then yeah… Let's play the game. Gary goes first, then me, Will, and then Lou."
Will stood, "Why the hell are you two first? I'm first because I'm the best." Will grabbed the dice, but before he could roll it - his hands stopped in its tracks. "Wh- What is happening? I can't move my hands."
Peter crawled near to his younger brother and pulled his arms away, but it would not budge. It is stuck in space like some malevolent force is taking hold as retaliation for the rule-breaking offense. Gary and Lou helped too, but their efforts were futile.
Then suddenly, the board rattled and the dark crystal hemisphere uttered its statement from the misty words ebbing in and out of existence. It says, "Rulebreakers, beware. Rules are set and rules must be followed. Breaking them heeds dark punishments in the form of a black card."
Will's hands opened, the dice has now disappeared from his palm and returned to the surface of the board. His hands squirmed and moved on their own. Tried as he might, the force controlling his hands is too strong. The malevolent force encroached throughout Will's body and took complete control of his actions. Will arranged the pieces neatly, cards are stacked according to their color and place, and the pot sits at the edge of the board where a thick grey mist fumed on its concave surface. Will blinked, and life returned once more in his eyes. Although, he could still not control one of his hands as it picked a card from the black deck. In the black card's surface, it inscribes - "Penis,"
"Penis?" Will repeated as he regained control of his extremities.
Suddenly, Will felt a tightening feeling around his crotch. It's not painful, but it is one hell of a discomfort. Imagine having your crotch sucked by a vacuum cleaner, but in this case, the vacuum cleaner is inside your body. Embarrassment is now at the back of Will's mind as he pulled his pajamas down where he saw his penis receding into nothingness. In its place is a clear skin-colored patch with his balls still prepubescent balls still dangling from.
"What the fuck!?" Will screamed. "My penis! Where did it go?"
What the fuck, indeed. The rest of the players could only stare, wide-eyed in shock, still putting a figure on the unfolding events. Peter touched the stump of flesh and felt the clean incision as if there was no penis in that spot before.
"This is all your fault!" Will accused.
"Well, if you weren't such a brat and followed the rules, you wouldn't lose your penis. And why are you acting as if you lost something big?" Peter smirked, this was his chance to get back at his younger brother. He looked at the board and noticed something ebbing in the white fog of the pot. It's Will's three-inch uncircumcised penis ebbing in and out of the pot. Will tried to scoop it up but the image in the mist just trickled between his fingers. "If you want to get your penis back, then better play the game and land on a white tile."
Unless Peter lands on a white tile first and tortures him further. Peter looked at Gary, and despite still shaken by the events, he nudged him to take the first roll. Where did Gary land?