Leave this and try something else

As you step out of Emeralda's tent, t h e sights and sounds of t h e carnival **** your senses once more. The midway stretches out before you, lined

with garish attractions and hawking carnival barkers. You feel a strange mix of trepidation and excitement as you consider what other delights and

horrors await you in this cursed place.

You wander past a hall of mirrors, your reflection distorted i n grotesque and comical ways. A contortionist twists her body into impossible shapes o n a

small stage, her bones seeming to bend like rubber. The scent of funnel cake and popcorn mingles with an underlying odor of sweat and something

m o r e sinister.

As you round a corner, you s p o t a towering roller coaster i n the distance, its tracks twisting and looping in gravity-defying contortions. A sign a t t h e

entrance proclaims it the 'Gender Blender 3000'. Riders scream as the cars hurtle down a steep drop, their faces blurring and shifting in a

disconcerting way:

You approach the ride, both fascinated and horrified by the thought of what it might d o to you. The ride attendant, a burly man with a thick beard a n d

a wicked grin, gestures for you to take a seat in one of the cars. 'Step right up, step right up!" he bellows. 'Ride the Gender Blender, if you dare! You

may not be t h e same person when you get off!"

You hesitate, your heart pounding in your chest. The thought of your gender being altered is both terrifying and strangely thrilling. But you've come this

far, and something compels you to see it through. Taking a deep breath, you slide into the car and pull the safety bar down over your lap.

The attendant laughs, a deep, ominous sound, as he pulls a lever. The car starts to move, inching up the first hill with a rickety clacking sound. You

grip the safety b a r tightly, your knuckles turning white. As you reach the t o p of the hill, you catch a glimpse of t h e carnival spread out below you, a

kaleidoscope of lights and colors.

Then the car tips over the edge and plunges down the track, the wind whipping through your hair. You feel a strange sensation, like your body is being

stretched and compressed, molded like clay. When you look down at yourself, you see your breasts swelling beneath your shirt, your hips widening.

your features softening and becoming more feminine.

The car hurtles through a loop, a n d you feel your body shifting again, your chest flattening, your shoulders broadening, a chin. With e a c h twist and turn of t h e track, your gender flip-flops wildly, until you're n o t sure who o r what you a r e anymore.

stubble sprouting on your

At last, t h e ride slows t o a been transformed into a exhilarating.

stop, and you stumble out of the car on shaking legs. When you catch a glimpse of yourself in a mirror, you s e e that you've

voluptuous woman, with long flowing hair, full lips, and generous curves. The change is shocking, but also strangely

The ride attendant chuckles a s h e sees your stunned expression. Welcome to t h e club, sweetheart, h e says with a wink. 'In this carnival, nothing is

quite a s i t seems.