Dr. Clowngoggles buzzed with excitement. It was time to test his Yo-Yo Ray on something—or rather, someone. The perfect candidate was right next door: his neighbor, Cal, a middle-aged dad with a fondness for lawn care, barbecues, and cracking bad jokes. Cal was the picture of suburban normalcy, always wearing a baseball cap and a friendly smile.
Dr. Clowngoggles and Cal had an odd sort of friendship. Cal often found himself in the scientist's bizarre schemes, from helping to install a weather control machine in Dr. Clowngoggles’ backyard to taste-testing his experimental ice cream flavors (like bacon-flavored vanilla). But nothing could have prepared Cal for what was about to happen next.
Cal was outside, mowing his lawn, humming a tune, when Dr. Clowngoggles appeared at the fence, his wild hair even more disheveled than usual and his goggles shining in the sunlight.
“Cal, my good man!” Dr. Clowngoggles called out, waving enthusiastically. “I need your help with a little experiment!”
Cal, used to these requests, shut off the lawnmower and walked over, wiping the sweat from his brow. “What do you need this time, Doc? Need me to hold something, push a button, or try one of your funky contraptions?”
“Ah, not quite,” Dr. Clowngoggles replied, his eyes twinkling behind his colorful goggles. “Today, I’m going to try something truly remarkable. I’m going to use my Yo-Yo Ray to make you feel like a new man!”
Cal raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued. “Yo-Yo Ray? Doc, you've lost your mind. I gotta get back to mowing the lawn.”
“Oh you're going back all right!” Dr. Clowngoggles said, grinning. “Just hold still, and in a moment, you’ll be feeling ten years old again—literally!”
Before Cal could fully comprehend what that meant, Dr. Clowngoggles whipped out the Yo-Yo Ray. It hummed and glowed as the Doc aimed straight at Cal.
“Wait, what?” Cal stammered, but it was too late. With a dramatic flourish, Dr. Clowngoggles pulled the trigger, and a beam of shimmering blue light enveloped Cal. He felt a strange tingling sensation as the world around him seemed to stretch and twist. He felt his manhood stiffen at attention, he gave a strange moan of pleasure and surprise. His body seemed to stretch slightly, like rubber, and then contract, down, down, DOWN. The Doc appeared taller and taller as Cal's shorts and shirt ballooned around his diminishing body.
Soon, the light faded, and Cal looked around in bewilderment. Everything seemed huge. The lawnmower loomed like a giant machine, and his sneakers were now much too large. He looked down at his hands—small, chubby, and dirt-stained—and realized with a mix of shock and excitement that he was no longer a middle-aged dad. He was a goofy, gangly ten-year-old boy!
“Whoa!” Cal’s voice cracked as he spoke, and he touched his face, feeling the smooth skin and the absence of his usual stubble. “What happened???”
Dr. Clowngoggles clapped his hands in delight. “Success! Oh, I knew it would work! How do you feel, Cal? Ready to climb trees, ride bikes, and get into all sorts of mischief? You're just a little boy again!”
Cal laughed, a high-pitched, carefree laugh that he hadn’t heard in years. “I feel… weird, mister! But good! I feel all goofy!” He immediately ran around the yard, feeling the energy and freedom of his younger self. He tried to do a cartwheel, landed awkwardly, and burst out laughing at his own clumsiness. His grown up clothes were getting strewn around the lawn flopping off his kid-sized body.
As the initial thrill wore off, Cal realized something. “Hey, Doc, this is great and all, but, uh… when do I turn back? I’ve got a barbecue to host later, and I'm not even old enough to buy beer!”
Dr. Clowngoggles scratched his head, looking slightly puzzled. “Ah, yes, about that… You see, the ray is supposed to yo-yo you back to your original self after a minute or two. But it's untested.”
Cal froze, a hint of panic creeping into his youthful eyes. “So… you’re saying I might be stuck like this?”
“Oh, no, no!” Dr. Clowngoggles waved his hand dismissively. “Probably not." He shrugged. "I’m sure I can figure it out. Probably just need to recalibrate the ray, or maybe reverse the polarity, or… Oh dear, where did I put my manual?”
As Dr. Clowngoggles started rummaging through his pockets, muttering to himself, Cal sighed and sat down on the grass, trying to wrap his young mind around the situation. “Well,” he said to himself, “now what'll I do???"