Carrie gushed, "Oh John it's a wonderful idea! Just imagine when we get back and tell our
friends how we celebrated Christmas in July!"
The shop owner merely stood there smiling. John finally noticed she wasn't human but a
humanoid fox wearing a retail uniform with the name tag 'Foxy Dame.'
John shrugged again, "Well, they said it would be less trouble to get a hotel once here than
try to book one ahead of time. So it's not like we're dedicated."
The retailer clapped, "Good-good! Now just try them on and you can on your way in no
time yip!"
"So... which costume is for-oh." John didn't have a chance to guess as Carrie handed him
the rubbish mouse costume. 'Never mind.'
Foxy Dame happily gestured like a 50's TV Mom at a couple drawn drapes. "The changing
booths are right over there right next to each other so no need to be shy."
Ever so gentle and ever so sublimely John and Carrie were push along to their respective
booths (though there didn't seem to be a gender sign next to either).
Inside John found a large wall sized mirror, an a little sign that said 'removing of clothing
optional.' "Well I won't have to worry about my stuff being stolen if it's underneath a
costume." John said simply, thinking how silly he'd look in the gray rubber mouse
costume, but, he doubted he'd get any odd stares.
John put open the costume's back, the inside looking much like the outside. Honestly now
wondering how he'd look like with it on he put in one foot, and could have sworn he
actually felt the carpet right through his shoe and the costume like he bare footed!
Surprised, John wiggled his toes and was surprised again when the toes of the costume
did the same. He pulled his leg out and saw, that yes, he shoes was still there. "That's a
relief." John still wasn't sure how this was supposed to work he didn't want his shoes
ruined due to some gag that wanted him naked after he took the costume off.
John put his foot back into the costume leg, and again felt the carpet like it was against
his skin. John put in his other leg, and felt perfectly through his clothes and the costume.
He looked down to see three big toes on his gray feet, pudgy and rubber. He hoped it
wasn't cutting off his circulation, because he couldn't feet half his toes inside the costume.
He bent his legs experimentally a few times and everything seemed okay. He pulled up on
the costume and felt a wave of confusion as he brought it up to his waist. He felt like he
was missing something very important and felt a completely smooth front, 'Guess we'll
have to take these things off to enjoy our honeymoon nights...' He also didn't see any sort
of slit or put away for using the bathroom either 'hope these things are easy to take off.'
John was so distracted by this that it took him a moment to realize that he felt his spine
being suddenly extending away from his body and rising in mid air behind him. He turned
around and saw the pink mouse's tail, he tensed his muscles and saw it twitch.
John felt the air conditioning now across his entire lower body, giving him the sense of
being naked from the waist down even though he was wearing his clothes and a costume.
He felt his rear and felt his hand touching his rear and was fairly relieved his felt no
opening, reminding himself that indeed that was a costume ultimately.
Now satisfied and feeling more confident John slipped on the arms of the costume, for a
moment worried about circulation again when he couldn't feel his little finger but figured if
his toes were fine than his fingers were fine, though he couldn't feel his wedding ring.
He now felt the air slowly moving across his entire body as he slipped on the body of the
costume, leaving only the head. He looked in the mirror of the booth and saw himself in
the rubber mouse costume, just plain shinny rubber. He took the head and pulled it onto
his face, now some odd things did happen. He could swear he was hearing from the top of
his head rather than the sides, and his sense of smell was coming from further away on his
face. He blinked a few times looking in the mirror, seeing his eyes looking back at him
from the costume. Reaching behind, he took hold of the zipper with agility in his limbs he
didn't know he had and pulled it up.
John shuddered as he felt a wave of feeling wash over his body. Shaking his head looked
himself over, there wasn't a single fold or hang in the costume, it was perfectly fitting. He
felt his body over, feeling it all. But, did the costume's hands look, duller? Like they had
less detail, and there was a black outfit around them no matter what way he looked at
them. He looked at the mirror, was surprised when he saw his eyes looking out at him
from a cartoon mouse's head, his eyes looking Clutch Cargo style on the celluloid head.
Looking at everything he saw the drabs also looked like celluloid, but the walls, the bench,
the carpet, all looked like a static watercolor background.
"Whao!" He heard Carrie say in surprise and amazement in the booth next to him.
Turning away from the mirror John reached out and pulled at the celluloid drab and saw
the entire store was now watercolor backdrop, except of course for the retailer who was
now a celluloid fox woman.
Outside the windows, John saw more celluloid toon characters, but also human beings who
looked photo realistic and were as normal looking as the person you see on the street.
The other drab opened and John turned to see a painted celluloid reindeer step out
awkwardly. It had cloven hooves for feet that stepped like high heel shoes. It's fingers
were counted as eight total, which ended in large thick dark brown almost black nail.
John realized that just as he couldn't see as contours of his muscles underneath the
costume, he couldn't see any underneath Carrie's (that's the only person it could logically
be). Her figure had wide hips which became thinning legs, her lovely bosom was the same
size as before, but now was a singular joined mass outwardly on the costume, her
cleavage filled in. Carrie's eyes looked out from the costume at everything in amazement.
Her face was a long muzzle with large antlers atop her head, proving once and for all that
this was very much a cartoon, female deer don't have antlers in reality.
"Everything, everything is a cartoon!" She said in absolute amazement.
The retailer smiled and nodded, "You're now seeing this world as it truly is. The portal to
your reality creates a small bubble around itself to prevent cartoon physics from leaking
into the real world, which would cause a feedback loop that might wipe out time and
space. But now you're seeing existence, our existence, as it actually is. To sum it up, your
expectations of reality were simply too realistic before."
"This... This is amazing! John this is totally amazing! Isn't it amazing?!" Though John was
wearing a long sleeve shirt under the costume, he felt the hand hooves of Carrie's
costume took his shoulders as she grasp him excitedly.
John was pushed out his normal laid back calm attitude and admitted, "Yes, yes it is
amazing...it guess cartoon physics really do apply here."
"Indeed they do!" Said Foxy dame in a upbeat tone. "Now then, there was that christmas
district of toon world I told you about! I can assure you you'll fit right in!"
"We should pay you for the costumes now." Said Carrie and felt her hips, "Uh, maybe I
should have take out my credit card before putting on the costume."
Foxy Dame waved off, "Oh don't worry about it! The money is just to make you feel more
at home. While we have cash and credit, we don't take it all too serious! Well, most of us
don't. As far as I'm concerned, you don't owe me a thing! You coming here and interacting
with, and you merely being here is more than payment enough!"
"How do you keep the economy from crashing?" John asked.
"Anti-lock breaks!" Foxy dame said proudly.
"And how do you avoid deflation?"
"Steel belted tires!"
"Okay I'm starting to get the idea." John replied.
"Good! The sooner you do, the better off you'll be!"
"So how do we get to the Christmas district?" Carrie asked getting used to walking on
what felt like stilts almost.
"Oh that's easy, when you leave the store, there should be a sign that'll point you in the
general direction, just start walking that way, then after one or two scene cuts you should
arrive just fine."
Carrie and John looked at each other but said nothing.
"Oh, how do we go about getting a cottage?" Carrie continued.
Foxy Dame put one hand on her elbow and another on her chin, "First and foremost -
don't- get reservation... you two a couple right?"
"Just married."
"-Definitely- don't get reservations! You'll just end up getting booked for the same cabin
at the same time as some people you know in real life who you detest or some hillbillies
or rich snobs."
"Then how do we get a cottage? Wander about for one?"
"Well... as long as you stay out of the borders of Fairy Tale Theater district that'll actually
be rather safe and effective, doing it there gets you a wicked witch or bridge with a troll or
a mushroom fairy ring... Oh never mind that! Don't worry The Plot will take care of you."
"The Plot?" John blinked.
"Yes The Plot. Since you're crossing over from the Disney/Warner Brothers district to the
Christmas district you don't need to worry about one of those hash 'unhappy christmas'
parodies. But if you're really wanting a cottage..."
"YOU suggested it remember?" John pointed out.
Foxy dame put her hands up in defense, "Oh right! Sorry! Once you reach the christmas
district you should find in the center of the place some signs pointing towards cabins."
"Is that really safe?" John has to ask.
Foxy Dame shrugged, "No ones dies in these sort of cartoons."
Carrie and John looked at each other and nodded.
"Okay, thank you for everything and the costume."
"My pleasure." Foxy Dame bowed.
Carrie and John turned together to walk out of the store. The fox at the same time reached
at their back and peeled off the zippers throwing them in the garbage.
Carrie and John staggered for moment wavered. Their eyes before Clutch Cargo style on
toon faces became ink and paint and expanded becoming black center in really large white
circles perfectly making the rest of them now.
Shaking their head together for a moment they continued on their way out of the store
their motions now perfectly more fluid all traces of awkwardness and clumsiness in
controlling their limbs utterly gone. Carrie moving with a skip in her step like a ballerina
while John arms and legs moved to-and-froe like they were all joints his tail wavering
behind him.
The door proved just large enough for Carrie's antlers to fit through with John besides her.
The couple looked to their right saw that very much so there was a green and white sign
with candy cane trim pointing in a vague direction with the words written 'Christmas-
District.'
Carrie and John looked at each other (not noticing any change in the other in the least),
held up their arms and shrugged. Taking each other hand in hoof they moved the way the
sign pointed, flowers blooming in the married couple's wake.