“So it’s really true Man” Joe Martin said to his friend upon seeing the letter in his hand.

Daniel McGwire cleared his throat and read from the letter in his hand “By order of the Department of Defense, Daniel William McGwire, is hereby declared drafted by the United States Army for service. Daniel William McGwire is hereby require by law to report to his nearest Army procurement center on September 1st, 1969 to receive further instructions for said service. Failure to report for duty will result in full prosecution from law enforcement…yeah whatever man”

“That’s the Pits…Mike Dawson man…” Phil Karter said remembering another draftee from town. Mike was two years ahead of the trio in school; he had gotten drafted and hadn’t made it back.

The three recent high school graduates were sitting in Danny’s back yard on the outskirts of Ames Iowa. “Pass me another brew” Danny said putting his hand out to Joe.

Joe tossed a beer and the church key over to Danny who punched a hole out of the top and took a deep drink of the foamy beer. An old transistor radio sat on a stump behind them, Jimi Hendrix playing out of the speaker. “So you gonna just go or you gonna beat feet?” Joe asked.

“I don’t have the bread to run” Danny admitted. “I don’t want to go…no way, I don’t want to go to Vietnam but if I cut out, I’ll go to jail and be called a coward by my old man”

“Don’t flip your wig man” Phil said taking a drag from his smoke “You should go see that Cool Head across town…Tony”

“That old Hippie flower child?” Danny said taking another drink “What could he do?”

“I heard he got Bobby Andrews out of town when he got his letter you dig” Phil replied.

“I haven’t seen or heard from Bobby since he said he got his draft number” Joe said.

“That’s cause Tony’s helped him out; I don’t how but he ain’t coming home in no box neither” Phil said.

Hendrix gave way to Crosby, Stills and Nash as the three sat in silence. “I’m going to go catch some Z’s…try to clear my mind” Danny said getting up off the ground. He picked up his letter and gave a faint wave over his shoulder as he went into the house. The back screen door slammed behind him as he went in.

“I would bug out if were him” Joe said honestly. All Phil could do was nod.

Upstairs, Danny stretched out on his bed and stared at the ceiling. “What a bummer” he said to himself as thoughts and anxieties ran through his head but sleep never came. He hadn’t told his parents about the letter yet and figured he could keep it a secret for at least another day.

When Danny went down to dinner, he saw his father reading the newspaper ‘Westmoreland calls for more troops in Mekong Delta’ was one of the headlines and it made him shiver.

Danny didn’t say much and wasn’t very hungry but he ate and smiled his way through the evening. He tried to watch TV but his Dad was watching Gunsmoke and even the sight of a gun made him queasy so he headed out back and flipped on the transistor radio again.

He listened to the Cubs game and watched the sky darken overhead. Mosquitoes buzzed him as Ernie Banks won the game with a homer in the ninth. “I’ll go talk to Tony…what can it hurt” he said to himself.

Danny got up early; the sun was barely peeking out when he closed the front door quietly behind him so as to not wake up the rest of his family.

He chose to walk the two miles across town to a place where all the kids in town knew you could go to get a buzz on.

As he approached, Danny saw a body sprawled on the grass in front of the small house. Tony lay on his back, dew had formed along the outside of the long fringed leather vest he had on. His eyes were closed but he must have been awake and heard Danny’s approaching footsteps.

“Arise my child for you have a weary traveler who comes much too early for me man” Tony laughed out as he sat up. “What is going down my man?” he asked as he pulled his legs up and sat cross legged on the ground.

“Uh” Danny stammered not sure how to say his request

“Chill out and have a seat my friend, there are no enemies here” Tony said waving a hand out before him.

Danny complied and took a seat on the still damp grass.

“Have you come for some, ah, rejuvenation and refreshments?” Tony said putting on a pair of round framed glasses which had been tucked in his shirt pocket. His shirt was a blue paisley mess and his bell bottomed jeans were ripped and torn.

“Ah, actually I came here about something heavier…” Danny began and Tony raised his eyebrows. “I just got my draft notice and I heard maybe you knew a way…”

“Heavy: Say no more my friend” Tony said raising his right hand “I am in the way of having a way out of that fucking war the pigs have sent so many to die in, but my way is far out there you dig; not something for just any cat off the street”

“I don’t have any bread but I need your help” Danny pleaded “I don’t want to go to Vietnam”

“I never said anything about bread man…just that it’s out there” Tony said looking into Danny’s eyes. “You have to be sure you’d do anything to make sure you stayed safe back here in the good old U.S. of A”

“Anything brother…any…thing” Danny repeated.

“Okay. My way isn’t what you’d call normal man but it will sure keep you home” Tony said. “I actually learned this trick from my old man; back in the 40’s he learned it from his old man”

“Follow me my man” Tony said with an odd smile. Danny was nervous as he followed Tony into the kitchen of the house and he flipped through some drawers. He dug deep into the back and brought out a small bottle “Drink this” he said handing it over.

Danny took the dusty bottle and pulled out the cork in it. It smelled awful and looked thick, like medicine.

Danny looked at Tony, “I’ll give you some privacy man” he said as he went back outside.

“Is this poison?” Danny yelled.

“No brother…just you’re ticket to a new and better life ya dig” Tony said without turning around.

“Here goes nothing” Danny said tilting the bottle back and drinking it down “Gah!” he choked out “That tastes awful man…awful”

He put the bottle down and felt a burning sensation creeping down his throat and chest like he could feel the stuff working its way down into him “Oh man…this does not feel good” Danny said as the heat seemed to radiate out into his arms and legs and all the way into his fingers and toes.

His hair stood on end, his throat tightened up and he began to sweat for a long second before coolness broke over him and he took in a deep gulp of air.

His body tingled all over “Something is going down…what did Tony give me?” he thought looking around. The room seemed to blur for a quick second but as it refocused, the room seemed to be getting larger around him, He looked at the walls and they seemed to be getting higher along with the countertop in front of him. “Bad trip man”

Danny looked down “It’s like Alice in Wonderland shit…I’m shrinking!” he said as he saw his clothes growing bigger on him. His brown and yellow plaid shirt was ruffling up around his waist where he had it tucked into his blue jeans and his arms were pulling up making his sleeves come down lower even going past his elbows.

His thick hair along his forearms began to thin and lighten as his arm tightened and thinned. “What the…?” Danny said in wonder as his wrists thinned and then his hands began to change before his eyes.

“Trippy” he muttered as his hands got smaller, his finger got thinner and his nails grew out longer “Like a chick’s man” he said.

He felt his pants get loose for a minute but then start to fit again but not in the same way. He looked down and his body looked like it was changing shape now. He put his chick hands down to his hips and felt them growing and pushing outward.

“No way…this can’t be real” he said feeling the tingle work its way into his chest. “Oh man!” he panted as he felt his chest push out in two distinct mounds that continued to grow larger and larger and become really sensitive beneath his shirt. “I got…I got…” he stammered pulling out his shirt from the collar to see that he now had breasts.

“I’m turning into a chick…is that what he gave me…” Danny’s mind was reeling but it did hit him “I won’t have to go to Vietnam looking like this” he thought as he felt his ass push outward and his legs begin to round and get larger under his pants.

A new tingle brought home everything though as he felt it right below his belt “No man no” he whispered as his penis went numb and began to pull backwards. His testicles quickly followed suit “I really am a chick now” he said still in his dream like state.

His legs continued to change and he felt the tingle go into his shoes and all the way to the ends of his toes. Once it passed, he lifted his toes up and saw that they lifted up the tops of his canvas sneakers well back from the ends.

The tingling reached his face and Danny grabbed ahold of the only thing he could see that was reflective; the toaster.

Danny watched as his chin and jawline pulled back and softened. His lips puffed out and his teeth shrank down. All his facial hair scrubbed clean and his nose shrank down tiny as his cheeks puffed out. His eyes changed shape and got rounder as his whole face softened up.

His shaggy brown hair was down to his collar already but now it grew out long and straight and went halfway down his back.

“Wow” Danny said in a feminine sounding voice “Far out”

He stumbled and ran out of the house and into the yard where Tony stood watching, waiting and smiling. “Told it was going to blow your mind”

“Is this real?” she asked still getting used to the sound of her voice.

“As real as anything” Tony replied. “But those threads will never do…go back inside…in the closet you’ll find some things that will fit you better Donna”

She smiled at her new name “Donna McGwire…I like that”

“I knew you would…knew you would”

Donna skipped back into the house and began to pull off the oversized man’s clothes she had on. She caught sight of her new body and it made her laugh in delight. Sure enough, in the closet, she found some sandals in her new size and a long dress that she put on and found that it fit just right “Out of sight” she said pulling her hair back out of her face.

Tony came in “You’re just in time Donna if you want to blow this pop stand…got some buds on the way here this morning…gonna catch a ride with them to this boss show in New York State…Woodstock or someplace like that”

“Sounds cool” Donna said as a van pulled up out front.

“Then hop on board and begin your new, Army free, life”