Make Me Marble

Mitchell squinted at the item on the small table at the back of the Goodwill store. It sat between an old D&D Player's Handbook and some goblin figurines which had never been painted. It was a single marble.

The marble appeared to catch the light, despite being so far back. It was inside a generic plastic box, which looked like it was originally meant for a puzzle cube. Inside, it rested upon a purple, dimpled cushion, like a little beanie pancake. A metal band attached to the side of it and led to a tan piece of paper resting under the cushion.

Intrigued, Mitchell examined it. No matter how much he tilted it, the marble remained rooted to the cushion. He suspected magnetic components. Looking underneath, he read what he could of the paper.

[...Fiery magic contained within, always burning. It changes and moves and flows. To wield, simply...]

Snorting, Mitchell looked the marble over again. It resembled a miniature crystal ball. About to set it back on the shelf, Mitchell squinted again. He was sure his eyes deceived him but the flecks of gold and orange in the center appeared to shift, like a bonfire trapped in ice. Turning it, he attempted to tease out the mystery but nothing betrayed a hologram or other illusion. The material of the marble was also far better quality than any he'd ever seen. Like it have been drawn out of the fire as a single, perfect orb.

Reminding himself that this wasn't what he came for, he was about to leave the marble and forget it when he realized it was warm, especially around the seams of the container. Checking the back, a generic, yellow tag read, "$15". Rolling his eyes that such a useless trinket had been marked so high, he returned to the rest of the game section.

However, the weird little marble stuck in his thoughts. With every customer that walked by, he mulled it over. Not finding what he wanted, he walked slowly past the shelf, relieved it was still there. Cursing to himself, he plucked it up and took it to the cash register.

When he got home, he cut the tape from the box and slipped the item onto his table. Passing a hand over it, he discovered it was still warm but not hot. Poking it didn't burn him. Shrugging, he tugged on the little chain with the paper. It came free in his hand but not with the motion associated with a magnet. Slipping the paper out, he unfolded it and read the full text.

Most of it was purply prose about elemental powers to transfigure and alter fates. Fiery magic. So far as wielding, it claimed, "...simply hold in your hand or touch to your skin and ignite the will of your wish upon thine self. And so shall you be changed. Allow twenty ghurries for the flame to rekindle between uses."

He had no idea what a "ghurry" was but had an idea to tuck the marble in the fridge and see what happened. After half an hour, it had actually melted the frozen condensation on the metal rungs. Following a battery of tests, including nervously borrowing a Geiger counter from his survivalist neighbor, he had no clearer understanding of the marble. It wasn't the least bit radioactive. It was still warm but not hot. It seemed to burn on the inside but with no source of fuel or air. Left with the vague inkling it had to be some potent form of chemical warmth, like a heating pad, he still had no explanation for how it kept going for so long.

All other options of safe curiosity exhausted, he picked it up. It came free of the cushion as easily as the chained note. Smoothly rolling it between his fingers, it felt no hotter than if he'd been holding a regular marble for a while, only the warmth didn't increase or diminish. The surface didn't feel cheap or mass-produced. Though not heavy, it had a sturdy weight to it which felt handcrafted.

Returning to the note, he thought about suddenly being rich. Nothing happened, but he smiled to himself.

Almost as an afterthought, he thought about being taller and more muscular. At this, the marble flamed like it was a torch brought close to his face but not painfully so. Plunking the marble down with a "clink", he felt waves of heat pass over him.

Gathering mostly at his legs and stomach, his limbs were pulled like rigid taffy, bulking up with well-defined muscles. After about a minute, all his soft, pliable flesh had been replaced by a hardened texture. Marveling, he stripped to his shorts and flexed. Comparing with the doorway, he estimated he had grown several inches to at least pass six feet.

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Picking up the marble just as carefully, he soon noticed it was cooler to the touch and the flame within had died to a low, twinkling flicker. Not that he wanted to undo his change, but his heart raced with how he was going to explain his appearance to family and friends. Focusing on his former shape changed nothing.

Going over the little paper, he returned to the unfamiliar word "ghurry" and did an online search. Discovering it was a Middle Age term for a sixtieth of a day, he relaxed. So, he spent the whole day around the house, moving and fixing things with greater ease.

Once eight hours had passed, he noticed the marble returned to full flame. Focusing again, he restored his height and retained a reasonable amount of muscles with the addition of a better complexion.

It was only after this change that the full brunt of what he possessed percolated through his veins and thoughts. Sure, it didn't seem to fulfill any wishes beyond his body but it seemed he could reshape it in any way he wanted. He salivated at the possibilities.

Not that he got to a crazed level of "my precious" fondness for the marble, but he soon took a number of security precautions, firstly acquiring a safe. Weekend temptation with friends never quite led to releasing it. He used it responsibly for several weeks, making only cosmetic or health-considered changes to himself.

Finally, like a drilling-whisper in his brain, he latched onto an idea when one of his friends at work talked about and linked to a swimsuit he wanted to see his girlfriend wear. The online model wore it confidently. Mitchell suggested he could get pictures of a girl like that wearing it. They called bullshit but he vowed and bet a significant amount of money.

It was more than enough to cover the cost of buying the swimsuit. His thoughts were consumed by it for days. He felt flush, shivery, and at the edge of an ecstatic plateau. Wearing the swimsuit, he wished to fit and fill it perfectly as a beautiful woman. When the warmth came, it nearly bowed him over. Bracing himself, he watched as his body softened and smoothed in flaming waves.

Pressing his legs together, the fire coursed inside him and up through his chest, flowing to meet and push at the fabric. Running his...her hands over the material, she had to cool off before she could do anything else. Thinking through her plans, she realized that if she took the photos in her house then her friends would have immediate questions. So, she planned to head up to an area of beach, rent a room, do a series of shots, and tease her friend with them over time.

All went according to plan, she indulged the looks of envy from women while feeling conflicted over the stares of men. As the weekend wound down, she felt wistful and distant. Lifting up the marble to make the wish of restoration, her mind flashed to a single, fleeting wish she didn't realize she'd felt.

~I wish I could stay this way instead...~

The waves came and caught her off-guard. The marble slipped out of her hands and jumped into some bushes beside her room. Frantically digging through them, it was soon dark and she couldn't find anything.

Shivering, she looked in the mirror, at her face and body for keeps. Long, lustrous hair. Toned arms with smooth hands. Hips that flared her legs in an alluring curve. A waist that she could nearly encircle with her grasp. And that bust, which pressed like an exclamation from her chest. Wiping the first tears she could remember shedding in years from her eye, she cupped her left breast, a weight she would grow accustomed to.

UwlmIvv.png [https://i.imgur.com/UwlmIvv.png]

Though still nervous, shaky, and panicked that one, stray thought had dashed away all her careful planning, she found serenity gazing in the mirror. She'd been thrust from methodical care into an unknown adventure and it thrilled her in ways which made her want to cross her legs. So scary but also so very exciting...