Encounter 10 - Elastic Chips
Rebecca certainly made comfortable furniture, more comfortable than the front seats of my Ford, for sure. Though I wanted to converse with her during the drive just as much as she wanted to with me, thus she chose to ride as her native self. I’d put the car in gear, entered the location of the park into the map on my phone, clipped it into its holder and rolled onto the pavement.
“So the park we’re going to visit is known as River Junction State Park, named that way because near one of the trails the Osprey and Ezekiel rivers intersect.”
“The trails must really be unique then,” commented Rebecca. “I think I said this before but I love hiking, and camping will be a first for me, so to have the opportunity to do it all with you is, to say the least, very exciting.”
“Very happy to hear that. Hey, Rebecca, I’m gonna turn onto the highway, and once I find my straightaway I’d like to have an honest conversation with you before we camp.”
“Can do, Mark. All ears.”
===
“FOR SIXTY-ONE MILES, CONTINUE STRAIGHT ON I-85.”
“So, honey, I want to talk about... look, a-a very deep desire of mine.”
“Your...”
“Shapeshifting. I... I want to be just like you, Rebecca, in that having your abilities would... resolve... I-I think it would extinguish every internal battle I’m fighting... without a trace or memory. I know it’s not realistic to ask for something so... profound... as this right now, but in the future... in the far off future... I want you... to consider making more of that goo and treating me with it.”
“I-I can’t decide something like that right now Mark,” I responded to him in an equally serious and honest tone. “But at the same time, you’re right in that there’s always the possibility of the future. It’s clearly a big maybe, for... obvious reasons.”
“I completely understand, and I want you to know that I want our relationship to keep on lasting. I have no plans for it, I just know that I love you and I want to be by your side for a long, long time.”
“Mark, whenever I’m next to you you radiate happiness right into my veins. You’re an amazing boyfriend.”
“I love you so much, Rebecca.”
“I love you too Mark.” He leaned over and I kissed him on the cheek.
===
Arriving at the site, admittedly far behind schedule, I said to Rebecca that the first thing I wanted to do was to set up the tent and start cooking dinner. She agreed quick, saying that even though she’s human goo she can get an appetite just like anyone else can.
I popped the back of the car, and she and I slid out the tent. I talked her through assembling the framework, and how the ‘endoskeleton’ had to be constructed before anything else. Though we had it built in a jiffy, even with the mosquito nets installed. We tossed in our sleeping bags and pillows, then we moved onto the freezer bag.
It wasn’t hard to find hot dogs and buns, plus the condiments and chips, but I realized almost instantly that I’d need some way to build a fire, and that I didn’t have the necessary supplies.
Notifying Rebecca that I would have to make a bit of a drive into civilization to grab supplies for dinner, she just nodded and asked if she could have some chips before we ate. Of course I told her yes, and I didn’t bother to unpack the rest of the car before I had bought everything. I hopped in, started up, and backed out of our campsite.
===
I decided I’d be cheeky while Mark was gone. I ate a little bit of those chips, then, while still near the freezer bag, I look a cursory look around to make sure nobody could see me. Then my clothes dissolved into my skin, which was rapidly fading to a dark green color. I pulled my knees to my chest and my arms to my calves, causing everything but my head to merge into a single feature.
I shrank quickly. My pliable features becoming smoother in texture I took on the look of plastic, even imitating the reflective properties of such a material. I could also feel this mass my body had become hollowing out, filling with air, and lightweight flakes of various sizes.
Not long into my changes my head began to collapse and melt, stimulating me a little. I let it flow as my hair retracted. As my facial features dissolves it became a plastic too, identical to the type found all over my exterior. Though it became flat and sealed, and the area in which my feet became plastic, the same occurrence took place.
In a matter of a half-minute I’d placed graphics all around my non-recyclable body, and the flakes inside me had turned into sour cream & onion flavored potato chips. I leaned against the food bag and took a mental deep breath.
===
Pulling up to the Walmart closest the campsite, I made a quick mental list of what I’d need to buy there. Though I was also in no rush to get back to the campsite because it’s likely Rebecca already turned herself into something inhuman by now, knowing her.
Grabbing one of the mini-carts I speed-walked to the outdoor section. I retrieved firewood, lighter fluid, and a pack of jumbo matches. The site already had benches and a table, plus a pit and cooking rack, so I wouldn’t be needing those. Though what I did need, and actually come to think of it can’t believe I didn’t already have, are metal skewers, paper plates, aluminum foil, napkins, and a tablecloth. Traversing the store I eventually collected what I needed and checked out, headed back to see the campsite and my girlfriend, whatever form she may be in.
===
Bor-ing, I thought as I laid dormant as a bag of chips. I mean it’s not like it’s a new form to me, just without any movement it can feel very stagnant. The reaction from Mark better be worth it.
I sensed rumbling in the dirt. Assuming it was caused by my boyfriend’s car I remained in wait, certain he’d recognize me because the chips he had with him in the freezer bag were already opened.
Suddenly I was pinched in the region of my left ear, or at least where my left ear was. Then I was lifted into a cradle-hold by Mark, his hairy arm down my back and securing me. I smiled internally, wondering how he felt seeing me like this.
I was soon placed down on a wooden bench. Here I slowly and gingerly shifted back to my standard form to see Mark laying out a country-style tablecloth above me. “Hey sugar, you busy?”
===
“I’m getting dinner ready,” I replied.
“Could I get some extra hands?”
“Sure, I think four would suffice.” Rebecca outstretched her arms, concentrating as her hands, then forearms, then biceps unzipped smoothly and continuously up to her shoulders. Using elastic abilities she replenished the halves into full arms and made sure that five fingers were accounted for on each of hand, totaling 16 fingers and 4 thumbs.
“Extra, but nifty,” I chuckled. “So if you could get out the paper plates, ketchup, mustard, and foil, that’d be great. Oh and the tortilla chips too. I could really go for some of those.”
“On it.” She stretched her two left arms into the freezer bag to pull out hot dog toppings and chips but it had slipped my mind that the other things I’d asked of her were in the back of my car. “Wait is the rest in the trunk?” She asked.
“Ohhh yeah, my bad. Here I’ll just go get it.” I left my post by the fire pit, coming back with what I needed in no time.
“So uh, how’d I do turning into Lay’s?” Rebecca inquired as I returned to the table with full hands, setting down what I’d taken.
“Very realistic replica. Had the other bag not been previously opened, I wouldn’t have been able to tell which one was you.”
“Yesss ok good. Next step is turning into foods with windows in the bag. Like a bag of pasta, you know? Every time I try to create clear plastic, or shift into it, it always looks cloudy.”
“I’m sure you’ll get it sometime.”
She chuckled. “I always do,” she replied as she grabbed herself some actual potato chips with her right hands, her left ones smoothing the tablecloth.
===
Feeding some to Mark, he and I both smiled, and I leaned on his side. “Hey, let’s go kindle the fire,” I suggested, telling him to put his arms up.
“Uh, why?” Mark raised his arms perpendicular to his torso.
“Because I want to hang with you!” Making sure my rubbery body had lost enough mass to avoid hurting his back, I stood behind Mark and jumped, stretching my limbs and torso to cling onto him like a backpack. My breasts remaining in place, they squished against his shoulder blades to serve as cushions as I gradually tightened my grip. I got tight enough that I merged left hands to left foot, and right hands to right foot, in order to make loops of elastic skin. Each pair of arms fused back with one another. Finally my head and neck melted down the left loop, reforming as a little section of my putty body to connect the loops across Mark’s chest. My face returned on the front of this small facet while a minuscule version of my loosely braided hairstyle appeared on top of it.
Mark ran his fingertips along my loops. “Holy shit, that’s adorable,” he complimented, already at the back of his Ford with a hand on the firewood. I giggled in this cute, loving delight.