It had been a few months since the commune was established in the town. It was in the old Lowsley manor, since when he died his kids didn't want the place, so they sold it. The many rooms had been converted into small apartments for the hippies to live in and they were already gaining popularity in the town.
Still the drugs thing was the only actual illegal thing they did otherwise they were doing big donations for peace, hunger, things of that nature. While people felt the subculture was strange and outdated, the people in town couldn't really complain that they were some menace to society or anything.
Mr. Peterson was a local bank manager. He was probably one of the richer members of the town, other than the Lowsley's. He had what seemed like that perfect rich guy lifestyle, the perfect blonde trophy wife, the child prodigy son going to a private school, and the daughter who was also very intelligent, in private school as well. He was very well off and pretty happy with his life, even if he couldn't spend much time with his family because of long hours or trips.
He had noticed that one of the employees, Bill hadn't been to work for the past few days and decided to call him. There was no answer so he left a message telling him to get to work, have some excuse to not be here, or be fired. It was a tough thing to say but it was a business and if the man won't show up, without a good reason for not showing up, then the job should be open for someone else that wants it, especially with the economy so bad, people would hurry for the job.
About 4 hours later Bill showed up. Though he looked very different than he had several days ago. He had long almost female length hair, he was wearing a tie dye shirt and what looked like home sown shorts in earth tone colors. He had a goatee growing on his chin and his eyes were half open. He was wearing a pair of flip flops, very, very different than what he should be wearing for work.
"Bill Harris, where the hell have you been!" Mr. Peterson exclaimed.
"Dude you gotta chill, and the name is Breeze now dude" he said in a slow low voice.
"Me. Harris are you...high right now?!" Mr.Peterson asked in shock, Bill was always clean, or at least he used to be, drugs would explain the clothes and behavior.
"Just relaxed on the herb dude" Breeze said nonchalantly as if confessing to that wouldn't get him immediately fired.
"For being away so many days, and then coming in late today, and then this, you've completely changed, you had such good work ethic" Peterson said shocked and a little disgusted. "I'm sorry but for this behavior your fired" he said.
"That's fine dude I was coming here to quit actually" Breeze said laughing with a deep slow chuckle. "But dude you look like you need to chill" he said.
Mr.Peterson dismissed him. "That's ridiculous, pack up your desk and go" he said disappointed in Bill.
"Sam dude just give me a minute ok dude?" Sam was Mr.Peterson's first name and Bill was in no position to call him that. But he was defenseless as the slightly more muscled Bill grabbed him.
He pulled Sam off to a back room and pushed him into a chair. "You need to learn to relax and enjoy the air, and solve the problems in the world not just cause more by being part of the establishment" Breeze said calmly. "That's why I left dude, I need to help solve problems, not add to them"
Breeze lit a cigarette but based on the smell it quickly became obvious to Sam that it was actually a joint, as in weed. He closed the door and the room started to fill with smoke. Sam had basically no choice but to breath it in.
Breeze just kept on going on about wars, secret government things, how rich people don't help as much as they could, and Sam Peterson was finding himself agreeing more and more. He couldn't help himself. Eventually Breeze talked him into coming with him.
Breeze brought him to the commune, to let him met more of his new friends. Once Sam got there the changes started, very slow at first. They made sure he was always high so he couldn't really tell how much time had passed.
His hair grew out and turned into dreads. He started gaining some slight muscle but also some fat from munchies he was getting. He started to dress like them, shirtless or open vests with peace pins all over. Hand made earth tone pants or some torn jeans. Always barefoot. He wouldn't give in to the free love stuff, he wanted to be with his wife still, or at least he wanted her permission before it became an open relationship. He grew to hate the government and law, and war. His morals and ideas were getting completely corrupted and he didn't care, but of course he couldn't move in just yet, he wanted his family to come too.
***
Samuel Peterson didn't come home that day and wasn't seen for a week. His wife had gotten worried and had the police involved hoping it wasn't a ransom thing, since they were rich it was possible. But after one week he suddenly came home, however he was very different.
He was going by the name Soul now. And was the exact opposite of what his wife Tara was expecting. She didn't even recognize him at first.
"Honey what happened to you?" She said to her husband, concerned.
"Nothin' just relaxing" he said in a slower voice. He pulled out a joint and started smoking the special strain of weed the hippies gave him, they told him it'll help his family chill out.
Tara brought her husband inside as she was a bit unsure of what to do. "Are you smoking?" She asked him with a bit of shock and disgust. His response is simply to blow smoke right into her face.
He was able to use the weed to calm her down, then he decided to start telling her about the new outlook he was taught. Her hair changed into dreads just like her husband. She also lost some weight, getting skinny and curvy looking. But of course she didn't think of herself as sexy. Women should be treated just like men she realized.
She too started to change her fashion. She started going around shirtless, showing off her boobs as a statement that if men can not wear shirts, women should be allowed not to too. She started to get tan and she also walked around barefoot and quit her job, the kids were confused about what happened to their parents but didn't say anything yet, they had enough money for her to not work after all.
Finally she started going by the name Topaz instead of Tara. Now they were Soul and Topaz. She gave permission for them to have an open, free love relationship as long as they stayed primarily with each other. Now all they had to do was get their kids to come around to their way of thinking.