Connie’s sneakers squeaked against the polished floor of the college’s gymnasium, the sounds echoing through the empty hall. She climbed slowly up the bleachers, the painted wood groaning quietly underfoot, sitting herself down on the top bench. She looked down at the gymnasium, the bright lines of the basketball court blow her, nets swaying gently in the breeze through an open window. The quiet before the game.
The young woman sighed softly to herself, leaning back against the metal frame of the bleachers. It wouldn’t be long before the other spectators started to filter in, but for now, Connie enjoyed the calm. She always liked to arrive at games early, make sure she had a good view of the action, especially when her friend Jodie was playing. Part of her wished she could be on the court with her, helping her win. It wasn’t quite the same, just cheering her on from the stands, but she still wanted to help and support her friend.
“I just wish I could help Jodie more…” Connie sighed, resting her arms on her thighs, staring down the court, “I wish I could be with her on the court.” Overhead, a star shot past, hearing her wish. Soon, it would be granted, just not the way Connie expected.
Connie’s skin began to tense up, feeling tight around her body, flesh slowly turning to toughened rubber. Still lost in her thoughts, Connie didn’t notice her skin changing colour, subtly at first, turning from brown to orange and growing more saturated with each passing moment. A prickling feeling spread across her body, skin rising up like goosebumps, Connie looking down at the scale-like texture developing across her orange body.
“What the…?” Connie sat upright, elbows dragging across her thighs, the heat of friction as rubber burned against rubber. Staring down in disbelief at her orange body, she traced her fingers across her textured skin, feeling the tell-tale texture of a basketball. “This… this is… it can’t be real!”
Connie stood up in alarm, body stiff, her rubber skin groaning with protest. It grew thicker, the changes pressing deeper inside her body, flesh changing under her rubber skin, transforming into layers of soft rubber and nylon wrappings. On the surface, they could feel the crawling of seam-lines tracing across her skin, bold black lines wrapping around her body, pressing down into her.
“I look like… a basketball?” Connie wondered to herself, looking over her body, stuck for a moment as a strange combination of ball and human. She took a few careful steps forward, feeling the way her changing body moved, the tough rubber flexing and creasing. It was all so strange and alien, but she couldn’t deny how good it felt, her heart beating faster as she imagined her body changing more.
Tugging up her tank top, she noticed her torso swelling ever so slightly, her belly button strangely solid compared to the rest of her, a ring of black. Leaning forward for a better look, she squeezed at her hollow stomach, fingers collapsing slightly as she tugged her flexible skin upwards. She blinked a few times, staring down at the unmistakable nozzle of a basketball, imagining what it would be like to be filled with air.
She could feel her insides growing lighter, weaker. Bones and muscles started to fade away, dissolving into air, leaving her feeling tired and light headed. She could feel the building air pressing against the layers of her skin, filling out her rubber body. All over her body started to lose definition, rounding out, her barrelling chest pressing out against her tank top. Fingers and toes started to bulge, pressing into each other.
Her skin creaked and groaned, shrinking even as it bulged, more of her vision filled with her bulging chest. Connie’s clothes pulled awkwardly across her body, loose fabric stretched out as her arms and legs were forced outwards by her growing body. Trying to lie down, the shrinking blobs of her feet slipped from her increasingly loose sneakers, sending her body tumbling awkwardly down the rows of seating.
A yelp escaped her rubber lips, and the world spun about her. Connie rolled and bounced, slowly at first but gathering speed. Bulging arms and legs collided with the benches, sending her zig-zagging down the stairs. It might have been painful, but even with her remaining organs shifting about inside her hollow torso, Connie was filled with joy and the rush of speed. Half-way down, her clothes began to slip off, flying behind her in a discarded trail. Connie didn’t mind, loving the feeling of air rushing across her textured skin.
She cried out as she fell, whoops and cries of elation as she spun through the air, joined by the high-pitched reverberations of her bouncing body. Each time she landed she could feel her body compressing, squashing just a little before bouncing back up again, her rubber skin shivering with the vibrations, pleasure flooding her mind.
With each bounce and impact, more of Connie changed, working and sculpting her body rounder and rounder. Her legs and arms were pushed into her body, smoothing out across her spherical body. She could feel the air pressing her neck out, her head shifting back, her face flattening out. Occasionally, her face would slam straight into the benches, smoothing her features out.
It became impossible for her to move, her limbs slight bumps on the surface of her body, the shape of her face barely visible against her patterned skin. The pressure inside her body continued to grow as she shrank in size, pressing what remained of her organs against her skin. Connie felt her throat closing up, pressing into her mouth, her tongue and teeth merging with the rest of her rubber skin as her lips sealed together. The world became muffled around her as her ears smoothed over. For a moment the world went dark, her eyelids drawn closed over her eyes, soon indistinguishable from the rest of her skin.
She continued to bounce and roll, slipping off the last of the benches and across the waxed wooden floor. Slow, her vision returned. At first, all she could see was a blur of colours, gradually resolving into a strange view of the world all around her. Her body began to settle, bounces growing shallower and faster, practically skipping across the smooth floor. Finally, her body rolled under the opposite bleachers, squashing and wedging herself under the metal bar. Her changes were complete, her body a simple basketball, the only sign of her old self the word CONNIE printed across her body in cursive lettering.
“Wow…” her thoughts swam, struggling to make sense of what had happened to her, the changes to her body. She was a basketball now, but how? She could think and see, feel the vibrations of water flowing through pipes under the floor, but she could not move. Connie tried to shift her body, flex her skin, anything… but she was completely immobile. Inanimate.
Lost in thought, Connie didn’t notice the first of the spectators beginning to arrive, taking their seats on the benches. None of them paid any attention to the basketball wedged under the benches, or to the discarded gym clothes, all too busy revelling in the excitement of the game. Connie could feel the excitement growing inside her, too. A desire to be used, played with, fulfil her new purpose as a basketball.
Cheers went up in the assembled crowds as the teams walked into the gymnasium, the squeaking footsteps echoing through the floor and into Connie, hearing them through her entire body. A pair familiar of footsteps drew closer, the looming form of a woman above her, hands reaching down to pick her up. She could feel the warmth of them on her body, the slight vibrations as her rough skin rubbed against hers. A rough tug, and she was free of the bench, a sense of relief as her body rebounded to its normal shape.
The figure tucked Connie under her arm, jogging back over to her term, hugging Connie close to her arm. It felt strangely comforting, being so close to her, feeling the beating of her heart in her chest. But still, Connie felt that desire inside her growing, the need to be played with, paying little attention to the chatter of the players around her. Then, the sound of Jodie’s voice, louder and clearer than the others, catching Connie’s attention.
She was being held by Jodie!
“Jodie!” Connie yelled in her mind, heart swelling with joy. Her wish had come true, somehow, she was going to join Jodie on the court, the ball that would help her win. This was going to be amazing, she knew. She would be able to see, and feel, Jodie playing as she’d never been able to before.
A moment later, and she felt herself being rolled around in those hands, passed over to the referee. A moment later, and she was sailing up through the air, thrown up high above the players' heads by the referee. Time seemed to slow, the referee’s whistle joining the cheers of the crowd. Tumbling in their air, for a moment felt free and weightless, seeming to hover for a moment before heading back down.
Hands slammed into her, and the game began, Connie flying sideways into the hands of another player. Each impact felt better than the last, her body compression and rebounding, the shiver of vibrations through her body, bursts of pleasure in her mind. A pause for a moment, hands rubbing roughly across her skin, the player ducking before dribbling her across the ground. She slammed into the ground, her whole body rippling and deforming, the force of the impact stunning her for a moment. Then, she would rebound, the air inside her pushing her body back into shape and propelling her back into the player’s hands, to be bounced down again and again.
She whooped and cheered in her mind, dribbled up and down the court. After a while, she would feel the player pause briefly, scooping her into their hand, before throwing her the court. She delighted in the thrill of flight, cool air rushing across her body, the blur of the crowd’s faces, the hands reaching out to grab her again. Dribble. Throw. Repeat. All the while, Connie called out to Jodie, urging her on, overjoyed every time she was back in her hands.
Every so often, she would find herself being thrown towards one of the baskets, sailing through the air. Most times, she could slam into the backboard, roughly tumbling through the ring, catching on the netting before dropping back down into waiting hands. Occasionally, they would miss completely, landing awkwardly against the back wall before someone came to rescue her. Very rarely, she could be carried up in a leap and slammed down through the basket, barely grazing the net as she hurtled down into the ground. She learned to pick up the cues from the players, the way they’d pause and tense, weighing up the distance before making their shot.
The game continued, Connie never tiring, cheering on Jodie and her team. Her whole body tingled with exertion, the constant bouncing and flexing pushing her rubber skin to the limits, her body growing warmer and warmer as the match drew on. She caught a glimpse at the scoreboard, barely a minute left and the scores were tied. The sound of the crowd grew loaded, the spectators cheering on their anxious teams, the players making more and more desperate plays in a bid to get the winning point.
Steady hands gripped her. Lifting her up to their head, Jodie filled Connie’s vision, concentration written across her face, flushed red with exhaustion. Sticking her tongue out slightly, Jodie drew Connie back, preparing to throw, muscles tensing.
“Yes, Jodie! You can do it! I believe in you!” Connie called to her, a voice that no-one could hear. Jodie paused a moment, sensing… something, filling her with confidence. Her face broke into a grin, throwing Connie through the air, sailing straight for the basket. Connie willed herself onwards, desperately trying to guide her body straight towards the ring. She felt the familiar thud as she hit the backboard, bouncing back into the rim of the net, circling around for a moment. The crowd grew quiet, watching Connie circling around, teetering, then slipping through. Half the hall erupted into cheers as Connie slipped through, back into the waiting arms of Connie, the buzzer sounding the end of the game.
Jodie grinned, glancing down at the ball in her hands, seeing Connie’s name written across it. Smiling slightly to herself, she cradled the ball in her arm, a memento of a perfect game. She turned to the crowd, waving up at the spectators, ignoring her teammates crowding around her as she searched for the face of her friend, not realising just how close she really was.
“I wish Connie was here to see this…"