Christmas trials: Ashley (Com)

A commission for 12Animefan21's.  A three-part story from the perspective of three friends.

It was Christmas season and everyone was out and about filled with holiday spirit and trying to spread goodwill and happiness to others. Then there was this trio of hooligans. Micheal, Alexander, and Christian.

They didn’t really have anything going on, no parties, gatherings, or anything else that people do this time of year. So they decided to hang out together. Sitting in Micheal’s room, they learned that the local Christmas market was doing a gift-giving event for attendees.

That’s when they got a devious idea. They’d head to the market and steal the presents. That would kill the vibe and ruin the reason to go to the market for most people. So they loaded up into Alexander’s truck and headed into town.

There were a lot of people moving around, so it wouldn’t be all that suspicious for a group of guys to back up into a stall. It would just look like they’re helping. They got in right behind the massive hoard of wrapped boxes and started to pile them into the bed of the truck.

No one walking by even noticed that they were doing anything wrong, that was until a witch walked by while doing her holiday shopping. When she walked by them, she sensed their malicious intentions and knew exactly what they were doing.

She snapped her fingers and the three men were teleported to different spots and time froze around them. They were unable to move, but they weren't frozen like everyone else. Then the witch magically appeared in front of them.

“So you think you can steal presents and ruin the Christmas festivities huh? Well, I’m not going to let that happen. I should punish you, but in the spirit of giving, I’ll give you another chance.” The witch waved her hands and shot magic into Micheal.

“What the hell? What was that… What's going on with my body?” Micheal could feel that her body was different but she couldn't move her head to see it due to benign frozen by the with. “Let me go witch!”

“Sure thing.” The witch snapped her fingers and Micheal was able to move again. She immediately started checking out what the witch did to her. Her hair was now so long it touched her back and was bright orange.

She reached her hands up and touched her chest. “I have breasts..” “Yup, that’s right.” Micheal ran her hands down. She was now wearing a brown button-up shirt along with a matching high-waisted skirt. She also had a reindeer antler headband on.

She ran her hands over the bottom of her shorts. “It’s gone... You turned me into a woman?” “Correct again, and unless you want to stay that way, you’ll have to pass a trial I’ve come up with specifically for you. Oh and don’t worry, you’re friends have their own trials as well.”

Micheal gulped. “I don’t want to stay like this... Alright, I’ll pass your trial, what do you want me to do?” “Good girl. Well, seeing as you tried to steal gifts, your punishment is to give them away to people.”

“Alright sounds easy enough.” The witch laughed. “Well, you say that now, but there is a catch. You have to make fifty people genuinely happy by giving them a gift, once you hit fifty you’ll turn back to normal.”

“Oh. I suppose that might take a bit more work, but still seems doable.” “You say that now, but you have until the end of the night, so you better get started, of course, you could do nothing and stay Ashley forever.”

The witch snaps her fingers and vanishes, and then everything around Ashley starts moving. She looks down at herself again. She tugs on her shorts. “Well… At least I still have pants or shorts. I’d hate to be running around here in a dress.”

Ashley looks toward the table of gifts. “Well, I should get started. I don’t want to have to get used to this body.” She runs over to the table and grabs a gift. “Alright time to find someone.” She ran up to the first person she saw.

“Hey! Welcome to the Christmas market! Here’s a gift for visiting!” The man smiled. “Thank you so much!” The man took the present and continued on his way. “One down, forty-nine to go.” Ashley turned around and was met with bad news.

The rest of the crew had shown up, so now there were at least fifteen women in Santa costumes running around giving out gifts. Then there were a ton of girls dressed like reindeer like her, they were walking around throwing Christmas tinsel.

Ashley looked at the pile of gifts. “Well, there is a ton of them. Maybe a couple hundred, so if I’m quick I should hit my quota…” She grabbed the next present and ran to the next person. She pretended to be happy when greeting people.

Then she would watch them as they walked away to truly gauge their happiness levels. Four out of five people seemed super pleased that she gave them a present, and when it came to the fifth, they didn't seem upset or angry, but more like they didn’t seem fazed, so she didn't count them.

An hour passes and her total is around thirty. “This is a lot of work.” She bends down to catch her breath and wipe sweat from her brow. “Well, I’ve got no time to rest. I got to get back to it.” She gets back up and heads back to the table.

Her jaw drops as she sees it. An hour ago there were hundreds of presents on the table. Now there were little over a hundred left. “Damn, they’re going that quickly. I need to speed things up, or there won’t be enough presents to give out.”

Ashley sees another reindeer run up to the table, get a present, and run off. “Damn, she’s really into this. I have to hurry.” Ashley goes to grab a present but is met with someone else reaching for the present. It was a girl in a Santa suit with long purple hair.

Ashley pulled her hand back, this girl was one of the employees and she didn’t want the woman to realize she didn’t work there. “Ah sorry, I didn't mean to reach for it.” “Ah that’s okay, I wasn’t paying attention. I’ve been in a rush to give these out.”

Ashley rubbed her head. “Really? What is the rush? Maybe take a break, I have no problem getting them out.” The girl looked nervous. “Uh, well... You know... How the boss is.” Ashley didn’t but she couldn't say that. “Ah, right… Well, good luck with that.”

Ashley pretended to walk away and she grabbed a present from the other side of the table and ran off. She ran up to the next person. “Hey, you! Have you enjoyed the market? Here this will make your trip even better!” Ashley handed the present to a child. “Really? Thank you miss.”

The kid ran off smiling. “What’s that thirty-one? Anyway, got to keep going.” Ashley kept running back and forth for the next fifteen minutes, doubling her work speed. Now here she was on her last present.

“Number fifty let's go.” She walked up to the table. “Just in time, this is the last present.” She picked it up and was about to leave with it when a reindeer girl just like her had come and stood next to her. “Oh hey is that the last present? I guess we're almost done for the night.”

She placed her present on the table in front of her, and again trying to avoid suspicion Ashley placed hers down right next to the other one while they talked. “Yeah, it’s been a really long night, but once I give this out I’ll be done.”

“I get that, same for me. If I give this one out I’ll be able to get out of this skirt.” The girl then wrapped her arm around Ashley. She had turned her around and faced the crowds. “It’s all worth it though, look how happy everyone is.”

“Yeah, I suppose that’s a good thing.” The girl quickly let go of Ashley and grabbed a present. “Anyway, I’m off see you later.” The girl ran off. “That was strange, right? Anyway, I should get this present out so I can turn back.”

Ashley picks it up and walks around until she finds someone to give it to. “Hey miss, Have you received a present?” “No, I haven't yet. I thought they’d be all gone before I got here!” “Well you’re in luck, I got the last one here!” Ashley handed it to the present to the woman.

She decided to watch her open it, feeling happy that she had managed to beat the witch's trial. The woman had a smile on her face until she finished opening the box. Ashley noticed her face change and her heart dropped.

“Is everything okay?” “Uh, well you gave me an empty box…” “Wait what?” Ashley took the box. “I swore there was something inside this box before. What happened to it?” “I have no idea what you’re talking about… I’m going to go now…” The women walked away.

Ashley remembered the other reindeer girl. “Did she swap the presents? Why would she do that? I have to find her.” Ashley ran around looking for the girl, but with all the people there, especially ones dressed as reindeer, it was impossible.

“I have to find her before she gives that present awa..” Suddenly everything around Ashley froze again. “Too late Ashley, the trial is over, and you failed.” “No!” “Yup, you only managed to make forty-nine people happy, and the last present was just given out.”

“Dammit, there has to be something else I can do. Please don’t trap me as a woman.” “I gave you a chance, and you failed. Maybe you’ll think twice before being a Grinch again. I hope you enjoy your new life Ashley, and I sure hope you adjust to your new body.”

The witch snapped her finger, and time once again moved forward. “Dammit, this can't be happening?” Ashley looked around. There was no way that witch had stuck around. “I’m really stuck as a woman now? This sucks... I wonder how Alexander and Christian did in the witch's trial?”