Matt checked the ticket the strange man gave him. He cannot believe it. It has his profile picture from his passport, along with a few of his other personal details. It listed today's date and a flight to Manila, Philippines. And while he is checking, he felt another sheet of paper slide underneath the ticket. It's not a paper, however, but a cheque for a couple of thousand bucks. Matt decided that he'd take the ticket, not like he's got anything to do back home. It's his summer break, and his few friends are a few states over. He'd just spend the vacation alone in his parent's house, wasting his hours on booze and video games. Dressed only in his pajamas, Matt checked the ticket in and followed all the usual drama with the TSA. He laid down in his seat and took a doze off for a couple of hours.
Little did Matt realize, the flight he got in is stranger than most. Along with other passengers who received a strange ticket from mysterious men, Matt's body began to change. It was a pleasure that Matt is not awake to see it because if he was, he would scream in anguish as his body melted over the years he lived on this Earth. The first to change was his skin. Previously pale and milky, the kind that turns lobster red when exposed to the sun. It soon became darker and settled to a light sun-kissed tan. He used to dream of having this complexion once but damn genetics forbid him so. The next thing that changed was his limbs. They are as thick as his head due to his years as a professional football player. He wasn't the best but he is good enough to help his team win the state competition. Oh, how he'd languish if he saw them shrink until there was nothing but skin and bone.
Matt shifted his position and scratched the uncomfortable feeling in his groin. Little did he know, that part of him that he prided the most would soon be hit the hardest. From a lengthy and girthy monstrosity, it shrunk down until it was a few inches. The return of an even thicker foreskin might offer some minor recompense.
Matt's hair shifted from blonde to black. His cornflower blue eyes turned to a darker shade of brown, so dark they seem black. The changes happened in a matter of hours, and by the end of it, Matt couldn't be recognized from his original appearance. The same thing happened with the other passengers who have regressed and had their race changed in a matter of hours. It was by luck or misfortune that everyone is asleep to see the changes.
When the sun peeked from the horizon, the first screams began. High-pitched wails, higher than what an adult could make. It was a girl, followed by a man. Soon, the crowd erupted in chaos. They tried to get out of their seat and looked at the stewardess, but none are found and they are tied tight by their seatbelts.
"Passengers... Passenger... I would advise everyone to calm down," The pilot said via the PA system. "The management knows you have a couple of questions, and quite frankly, none will be answered. This is an experiment funded by the cooperation of the USA and Philippine governments. Think of this as serving your country."
At this time, Matt had stirred awake. He could not hear most of what the pilot said for it was drowned by the screams of the other passenger and the confusion of what the hell had happened to him. He shrunk down by a couple of inches. What little he could see in the reflection of the screen in front of him, he knew that wasn't him. It wasn't him! That guy in the reflection, no matter how it followed his every frantic action, it's not him! It's a child he could not recognize. He looked down to see his pajamas clinging loosely to his body. His complexion turned tan, and his muscles disappeared overnight replaced by these twigs.
"Help!" Matt said with his new voice. "Help!!!"
As Matt screamed in distress, the plane had landed at its destination. Manila, Philippines. The pearl of the orient. But his half-Filipino friend would sometimes call it the Mexico of Asia. He recalled his friend narrating its history. It was once conquered by Spain, then the USA, then Japan, then the USA again, and before finally getting their independence. They are also known for mingling with the Chinese and their other South East Asian neighbors. This history of conquest and mingling, made their denizens look like a hodgepodge of cultures. And that reflection in front of Matt is what he would call a pure-blooded Filipino.
The plane landed down and large suited men with black sunglasses escorted them out of the plane. The other passengers were clamoring at first but their complaints died down when one of them got screamed at by their escorts. They are small and fighting them would be of no use. And besides, they have a gun. Matt and the other passengers were led to a large auditorium where locals are waiting behind a line. One escort grabbed Matt by the hand and led him to a man and a woman, who are likely to be married to each other.
"Here's your new family, good luck." Matt's escort said.
Matt looked at his supposed parents and saw how happy they are when they saw him. "𝘐'𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘵𝘴. 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵?" Matt thought to himself.