Marcus found himself inside a mall with lots of teenagers. They didn't seem to take any notice of him however. They didn't run and scream but kept on walking as though he wasn't there. A couple of girls walked through him at that moment and with a surprised look on his face he asked, "What's going on here? Why aren't these kids running from me and how can they walk through me? It's like I'm not even here."
"Who... who are you?" a shaky man's voice asked.
Marcus turned to see a security guard pointing a gun at him. With a smile he said, "I'm Marcus McKnight."
"W-well Marcus I have to ask you to leave this mall," the security guard said.
"I don't think I will," Marcus said. "These kids don't seem to see me and pass right through me." To demonstrate he made a fist and punched a passing mother holding a baby. Of course his fist went right through them.
The security guard seemed to be so shaken that he fired twice hitting Marcus who jerked back. When they heard the shots being fired the people in the mall screamed and ducked. "Wh-what are you?" the security guard asked as Marcus stood straight again.
"I don't know but I like it," Marcus said smiling. "I can taste your fear."
"I m-must be dr-dreaming," the security guard said looking very frightened.
Marcus threw a bolt of energy at the security guard hitting him and lifting him up by it. As he held him in the air with the energy bolt he said, "If you're dreaming then I must be dreaming too. Now tell me your name."
"D-D-Danny," the security guard answered clearly terrified now.
"Well Danny I'm going to perform a little experiment on you," Marcus said with a grin. "I was going to experiment with a girl but she managed to fight me. Now let me think for a moment. What should I turn you into?" A short pause while he thought it over and then he said, "I'll turn you into a five year old girl."
"No p-please don't," Danny began to beg. "I d-d-don't want to be a girl."
"Too bad," Marcus said and laughed as the transformation began.
Danny began to shrink as his hair began to grow down to his shoulders and his features softened. His hair curled and changed from black to chestnut red. As he shrank his clothes changed with him. His pants became white cotton-fleece pajama pants with pink hearts on it. The same happened with his shirt becoming a matching pajama top. His tie, belt, gun, shoes, and socks just disappeared. Baby pink nail polish appeared on his finger and toenails. His ears became pierced though nothing appeared in them. He had been pleading trying to appeal to Marcus' good side and all throughout his transformation his voice had been getting higher until he had a little girl's voice. When the transformation was done a five year old girl hung in the place where an adult male security guard had been. Five seconds after the transformation was finished the new girl quickly faded away and the energy bolt went on to the ceiling of the mall.
"Well that seems to have been a success," Marcus said smiling. "Now lets see who else I can change." With that he turned and walked through a wall going to another dream.
******
Danny's wife checked in on her husband. He was so peaceful and then he started shaking and turning his head rapidly evidently having some type of nightmare. She went over to him concern showing on her face. "Maybe I should wake him up," she muttered to herself. As she reached out to shake him awake his body started to change. She paused as she watched him shrink and his hair grow longer and turn chestnut red. At this point fear showed on her face and she quickly started shaking him yelling, "Wake up Danny wake up!"
Danny didn't wake up however until a few seconds after he finished transforming. Then he bolted into a upright sitting position screaming. When he looked down at what he was wearing and saw the size of his body he screamed again then said, "I can't be a girl. I can't be a girl. This is a nightmare. It can't be real."
"I hate to say this but it is real," his wife said.
"Judy?" Danny asked looking at his wife. "A I really a girl?"
"I'm afraid so," Judy said with tears running down her cheeks. "I don't know how it happened but I watched you change."
"Marcus," Danny said in a low voice.
"Who?" Judy asked.
"Marcus McKnight," Danny said. "He was in my dream and he turned me into a girl. Oh God Judy. What are we going to do? I can't work like this. I can't be your husband like this. I can't be Daphne's father like this." He put his head in his hands and began to sob.
Judy sat on the bed and hugged Danny to her and began to rock him. "I don't know what we'll do," she said her voice cracking. "I just don't know. We'll think of something though. We'll have to."
At that moment Daphne came into her parents room rubbing her eyes and carrying a stuffed bear. She had the same chestnut red hair Danny now had and her pajamas were the same except her's had pink bears on them where Danny’s had pink hearts. "Mommy, Daddy," she said lowering her hand from her eyes. "You woke me up."
"Go back to your room and finish your nap Daphne," Judy said trying to keep her voice even.
"Where's Daddy?" Daphne asked looking around.
"Daddy had to go somewhere," Judy said.
"But he's sick and should be in bed," Daphne said. Looking at Danny she asked, "Who's that?"
"This is Dani and she's sick too so you need to stay away from her so you don't get sick too," Judy said. "Now go back to your room and finish your nap."
"Ok Mommy," Daphne said and turned around going back to her room.
"Why did you lie to her?" Danny asked once Daphne was gone. "You know I don't like lying."
"What was I suppose to do?" Judy said. "I couldn't have said that you were her Daddy. You look like her now and not her Daddy. She would have thought I was lying if I told her that and she wouldn't understand."
"I guess you're right," Danny said sighing. "Though we're going to have to tell her what happened eventually."
"I know but I need to think how to tell her," Judy said. "Right now why don't you go back to sleep. Maybe whatever happened to you will reverse itself if you do."
"You think?" Danny asked his face brightening a bit.
"Well it seems like the only way that it can be reversed," Judy said shrugging. "You changed while you were asleep so it stands to reason that you might change back while you're asleep."
"I'll try anything to change back," Danny said. "I love you Judy."
"I love you too Danny," Judy said her voice breaking.
"What happens if I don't change back though?" Danny asked.
"Well you'll have to wear some of Daphne's clothes," Judy said and kissed the top of Danny's head. "At least in the short term. In the long term if you don't change back I'll have to get a job and buy you some clothes of your own."
"But you're happy staying home," Danny said.
"I know but we must face the fact that if you don't change back I'll have to find a job," Judy said.
"I don't want you to be unhappy," Danny said looking down with a sad face.
"I know," Judy said smiling. "That's one of the reasons why I married you."
"What will happen to our marriage if I don't change back?" Danny asked.
"Well I can hardly be married to a five year old girl," Judy said her voice cracking again. "I guess if you don't change back within the next four days I'll have to report that you went missing."
"I hope I change back before then," Danny said his voice cracking now too.
"So do I," Judy said. "Now get some sleep."
As soon as Danny had laid back down Judy left crying. She was crying so much that she didn't notice that Daphne hadn't gone back to her room but instead had been standing by the door evidently listening to the conversation.
******
As Marcus was discovering what he could do Elizabeth was looking out at the shifting dreamscape with a smile on her face. When the scene changed to show clouds she jumped through the hole and landed on a cloud. Looking around she spotted a little girl dancing on another cloud. "I guess I'll go talk to that little girl," she said to herself and jumped over to the other cloud.
When Elizabeth landed on the other cloud the little girl stopped dancing and asked, "Are you an angel? I haven't seen an angel on these clouds before."
"I'm not an angel," Elizabeth said smiling. "What's your name?"
"Annabelle," the little girl answered.
"That's a pretty name," Elizabeth said sitting down on the cloud. "Do you enjoy dancing on the clouds?"
"Oh very much but I haven't had anyone I didn't make join me before," Annabelle said starting to dance again.
"What do you mean?" Elizabeth asked with a confused look on her face.
"This is my dream," Annabelle said jumping up into the air and hanging there for several seconds spinning around before coming back down. "I can make people here if I want though I didn't make you."
"You know this is a dream?" Elizabeth asked.
"You do too," Annabelle said with a smile on her face. "Mommy is waking me up so I need to go." With that she quickly faded away.
Elizabeth sat there talking to herself saying, "This doesn't make sense. I know I'm dreaming but Annabelle said she was dreaming too." She assumed a thoughtful pose and after a few moments said, "I must have crossed into her dream somehow. I wonder why I'm not waking up now that I know I'm dreaming." She kicked her legs over the side of the cloud while looking around as if the answer was going to jump out of one of the clouds. A look of horror crossed her face as she said, "If I crossed into someone else's dream then that monster must have crossed into another dream too. I have to find it." With that she pushed off of the cloud and fell into another dream.