"Welcome to Body Benders! I'm Alice," a woman in her early thirties greeted her shop's two newest arrivals.
Greg and Oliver, two boys of college age, strode up to the counter. Greg, the shorter of the two, had a body whose well-toned muscles showed through a tee-shirt picked up from a rock band's summer tour. He was also wearing blue jeans, gray cross-trainers, and a hemp necklace. He had straight dirty blond hair that fell about his chin. It would have made him appear feminine were it not for his clearly boyish face. Alice noticed a sparkle in his brown eyes as he introduced himself and his friend.
Oliver was taller by a hand-span and stood at roughly six feet two inches. He had unremarkable black hair kept very short, a bit of stubble, and blue eyes. He wore a red long-sleeved shirt, khaki pants, and tan sandals. Unlike his friend, he seemed nervous to be in the shop.
"What can I do for you?" Alice asked.
"We got here this morning on a three-day weekend pass, and I have to be honest, so far things haven't been great." Greg leaned on the counter and spoke softly, as if afraid of angering the island itself. "We were thinking a change of perspective might help us loosen up and really enjoy ourselves."
"What did you have in mind?" she asked. "We have a variety of modification options, including ethnicity, gender, physique..."
"Definitely gender," Greg said. Oliver seemed to wince at the word.
"You had your mind made up, then?" she asked Greg, pretending not to notice Oliver's reaction.
"We think it'd be fun to see what it's like on the other side," Greg said, patting his friend on the shoulder.
"YOU think. I'm scared out of my mind," Oliver said.
"Come on, you were interested earlier."
"That was before I realized it could actually happen."
"Don't be nervous," the woman reassured. "There are all sorts of mental adjustments we can make to help you get used to a female body."
Oliver's eyes widened at the thought of his brain being altered. "That's not helping," he said.
"The transformations have a set time limit, and will wear off with no side-effects. There's no need to be worried at all."
"What are your options in the female department?" Greg asked.
"Whatever you'd like," Alice responded. "We can turn you into women of any age, shape or ethnicity. Our wardrobe department can fit you into a wide assortment of clothing styles.
"See?" Greg said, turning to Oliver. "Totally user-friendly, totally safe."
"I'm really not sure about this," Oliver protested. "It's really creepy to think I'm going to lose everything that makes me who I am."
"We can cater to a hermaphroditic body if you'd like to keep your penis," the woman said without batting an eye. Oliver turned completely red-faced at her statement.
"No," Greg said firmly. "We're gonna be women all the way. And you're going to love it, Ollie. Hey, if not, we'll change back. No biggie."
"You can come back and reverse the process at any time," Alice said. "Although your first alteration is free with purchase of a Pleasure Island ticket, a second process will cost $100 per person, even if the process is to restore your original forms."
"So it'd be better if we just changed back when the time ran out," Greg said. "And we can't do it again without paying, so we should make this count. Give us a twenty-four hour transformation."
Oliver seemed about to protest again, but backed out before speaking.
"Twenty-four hours," Alice said, typing into a computer. "Now, in addition to the physical changes, we have several mind-adjustment packages if you'd like help 'fitting in' as a woman."
She pointed to a laminated paper stuck to the counter top. It listed the following types of mental changes. Greg pulled Oliver over to look at the list.
"Your mind will remain 100% unaltered if none of the following transgender packages are chosen:
UNCONSCIOUS AWARENESS - You retain 99% of your original mind, but gain an inherent basic knowledge of the opposite sex. Changes include body language, mannerisms, and understanding of the inner workings of your new body.
ATTITUDE ALTERATION - You retain your memories of your original self, but your behavior and preferences are altered to match your form type. Changes include body language, mannerisms, likes, dislikes, speech patterns, and a comprehensive knowledge of your new body including sexual capabilities.
TOTAL ALTERATION - Your mind is changed to believe you have always been the way you are. Your memories are adjusted accordingly and your way of thinking and behaving changes to match your form type. NOTE: This is the only package that removes your awareness of being transformed. It is highly recommended you remain in the company of someone you trust who can keep you from taking actions you may later regret.
* All packages come with an option to change your sexual preference. If no preference is selected, you will retain your current preference. All packages expire at the same time as the transformation, and will return your mind to its original state. You will retain all the memories of your experience."
"Looks good to me. What do you think, Ollie?" Greg asked.
"I guess, but I'm not too keen on having my brain scrambled."
"Then just get the physical changes. This'll be fun, you'll see," Greg said. He began to describe his choice to Alice.