Jeff Davis was working at his computer in his home office when he got a ping on his phone that there was motion at his front door. Saving his work, he grabbed his empty coffee mug and put it on the kitchen counter on his way to the door. Unlocking the door, he pulled it open and saw a brown box sitting on his front steps and a FedEx truck driving away. He stepped out, picked up the box, and looked at the return address label which read "Second Skin".
Jeff was excited and knew it must be the bear costume he ordered. He thought it would be fun to put a hockey jersey over it and wear it to a Boston Bruins game. He was inspired by the TV ads the team used to air which had a guy in a bear suit and hockey jersey doing funny things. He brought the box inside and upstairs to his bedroom.
Opening the box, he could see the brown fur inside. It looked a little lighter than he expected, but he knew it was hard to match colors for real world items and what's shown on a computer screen. He figured it was close enough and not a big deal. Jeff started to undress so that he could try on the costume.
As Jeff stripped down, he unfolded the costume and held it up in front of him. It was indeed lighter than he had anticipated, with a delicate shade of tan rather than the deep brown he had envisioned for his bear suit. Nevertheless, he shrugged off his initial disappointment and assumed it would still serve its purpose.
Eager to try it on, Jeff stepped into the costume, slipping his legs through the hindquarters and pulling it up over his torso. To his surprise, the material seemed to cling tightly to his body, almost as if it were suctioned on. He struggled to maneuver his arms into the sleeves, but they resisted, as if the costume were resisting him.
"Not only did they get the wrong color," thought Jeff, "but this thing is really tight. It was supposed to be a big black bear. I can't go to the game in this, but I'll at least try it on to see how it looks and get a photo for their negative review."
Suddenly, a tingling sensation coursed through his body, causing him to shudder involuntarily. He felt a strange warmth spreading from his hands and feet, slowly crawling up his limbs. Panicking, Jeff attempted to remove the costume, but it clung to him even tighter, as if it had a will of its own.
Within moments, Jeff's vision blurred, and a wave of dizziness washed over him. As he tried to maintain his balance, he caught a glimpse of himself in the bedroom mirror. To his horror, he saw that his face was elongating, his nose transforming into a delicate snout. His ears sprouted upward, becoming slender and pointy. He watched in disbelief as his fingers fused together, forming dainty hooves.
"What is happening to me," Jeff wondered. "How do I stop this? I don't want to have hooves!" He stopped for a moment and looked at his hands. "Wait a second... Hooves? Bears don't have hooves." He looked at his reflection in his bedroom mirror and saw a deer standing on its hind legs looking back at him. Examining himself closer, he noticed there were no antlers. Looking at his crotch, he realized he was a female deer. He twisted at his waist and saw a short tail sticking out above his rear end.
Jeff's heart raced, and his mind reeled with confusion. The truth dawned on him—he wasn't wearing an ordinary costume. It was some sort of magical creation that had the power to transform him into a deer. He desperately wished it was all just a nightmare, but the reality of his situation was undeniable.
His hooves clattered against the hardwood floor as he moved over to his bed. He looked into the box the costume came in and spotted an order receipt. The receipt listed "1 female deer costume". It had a customer name of "Clair Osborne". He had been delivered someone else's order! He imagined that this "Clair" had likely received his bear costume. The receipt had her address and phone number. He'd try calling the company first, but try reaching out to Clair directly if they weren't any help.
He reached over to his pants and tried to remove his phone, but couldn't grab it with his newly formed hooves. He managed to pick up his pants by pinching a pant leg between his front hooves and dumped his phone onto his bed. He gently tapped it with a hoof, but nothing happened. It seemed his phone's touchscreen wouldn't work with hooves.