by grapehyacinth

(Tin Person TF, statue TF, horse TF, balloon TF)

Stacie Soames couldn't wait until the end of play rehearsal. She had been pushed into joining the local theater group's production of “The Wizard of Oz” by its director (and her cousin), Veronica. And somehow, Stacie had managed to obtain the part of the Tin Man. Only she was going to a be a female version.

She was looking forward to the end of rehearsal when Penelope, the costume designer, was going to drop off her costume. Somehow this made the whole play/acting experience more real. Even though Stacie was twenty-six, she still often rued the fact that she had never been given parts in her school plays. The directors always used her for the pit bands or as an accompanist because she was such an excellent musician. This was nice and all, she always enjoyed playing the music. But just for once, she wanted control of the audience. She wanted to be up on stage, acting, singing, and dancing in the glare of the spotlight...

And finally, after all these years, she was one of the stars!

As they ran through their lines, Stacie watched the actors with pride. She was a descendant of L. Frank Baum, the author of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”, so anytime the movie was on or a play was performed, she felt almost like she owned the production.

And now, for the first time in her life, she was participating in one. Veronica had been pushing the theater to do “The Wizard of Oz” for years. It was finally happening, and Veronica had been chosen to direct.

The scene came to a close, and Veronica yelled, “Okay, thanks guys! Let's call it a night!” from the audience. The stage emptied, and Penelope beckoned to Stacie from backstage. “Your costume's on the chair, here, Stacie. Try it on. If there's a problem, text me. I'll fix it tomorrow before the dress rehearsal. Right now I gotta run! Hot date and all.”

Stacie nodded, walking to the edge of the stage to meet her cousin who was ascending the stairs. “I can't wait to see the costume,” she said. “Come look with me, okay?”

“Don't get too excited, Stacie. I just hope you're not allergic to silver makeup,” she grinned.

Worried, Stacie uttered, “You think?”

“Doubt it. It's very unlikely. I think they used lead or something on the original guy in the movie.” They shuffled backstage, the little hop in Stacie's step betraying her excitement. As they circled around the curtains, they noticed Marcie, the woman who was playing the Wicked Witch of the West, was poking around something shiny.

“That's my costume,” Stacie called out, approaching the woman. “What are you doing to it?”

The older woman glanced up, not alarmed in the least. “Just taking a look. Not so bad.” She handed what seemed like a very shoddy breastplate to Stacie. “Try it on.”

Stacie accepted it, let down. She had been expecting something a bit more glorious than this. Beside it, to wear on her head, was a plastic funnel that was spray-painted silver. “Aw, this is...”

“Sad?” giggled Veronica, popping the funnel on her cousin's hair.

Stacie affixed the flaking costume over her front. “Oh, boy, it's pretty bad.”

Marcie had been watching them carefully. “A bit of silver makeup, and you'll be good as tin.”

Wincing, Stacie merely mumbled, “Right...right.”

Marcie left, calling a cheery 'Good night' behind her, and Veronica went off to do some last-minute work in the office.

“I'll see you tomorrow, Stacie,” she yelled. “Just finishing up here. Lock the door when you leave – make sure it closes tight!” The office door slammed shut.

“Okay. In a minute,” Stacie said lightly, her voice echoing through the empty theater.

She was about to walk onto the stage in costume when her knees simply locked, and she fell stiffly onto her backside. Propped up against the sagging curtain, Stacie tried to bend her legs, but they were locked tight, and her whole body felt oddly tingly. “What...what is this?” she murmured anxiously. She kept her voice quiet so as not to disturb Veronica. She would be fine in a minute. She'd take off the costume, and –

But she couldn't move her arms.

Growing more concerned, she tried to shake the funnel from her head, but the little tilt she was able to muster did not dislodge it. Strangely enough, in fact, she could almost swear it was becoming part of her... She could tell where the tip was, and she could feel the material of the curtain rubbing against the funnel's surface.

“What...the...hell...” she tried to call to Veronica, now genuinely worried. Her body was incapable of movement, she felt stiff and cold, and her bare arms had taken on a silvery sheen.

“RRRrr!!” was all she could push out, and it wasn't loud enough to draw anyone's attention.

Horrified, she watched her arm become shiny metal. Her insides were twisting and changing...and hollowing out...

She was turning into a tin person.

The lights clicked off, and Stacie saw her cousin exiting the theater. “Rrr! Rrr!” she cried as loud as she could, but the door slammed shut, leaving her in darkness.

She was not sure which scared her more, the fact that she was in utter blackness, or the fact that she somehow had transformed from flesh and blood to metal. Granted, her body was smooth, sleek, and perfect – from what she could see in her frozen position, the costume had molded into a much nicer form than Penelope had constructed. What the hell is this? Magic or some crap? Who and why would anyone do this to me, and how the hell is it even possible? she thought angrily. Then the tears came. She could feel something welling in her tin eye sockets, but this did not made sense. There could not possibly be any tear ducts left if her very eye sockets were metal, so could she actually cry? The tin man had in the movie, which made him rust. But she hadn't yet cried, she hadn't rusted, and she still could not move anyway.

Maybe she needed an oil can, she wondered ruefully.

No tears fell down her metal face, but she still felt the pressure in her eyes. What is this? Is this forever? Will I be stuck in a metal body, never able to move, but still able to think? What will they do with me? Toss me in the recyclables? Oh, God, Veronica! Help me! Please come back!

As the night crawled on, Stacie alternated from fitful sleep to periods of intense thought. If I only had a brain, she snorted angrily to herself. Well, I guess I still do, since I'm thinking...

But how was she thinking? She was hollow, she was not breathing, and yet she was still very aware. Despite the lack of anything in her metal skull, she was seeing, hearing, and smelling fine. She wondered if she needed to eat. She sure wasn't feeling anything where her stomach had been. But she needed some kind of energy source...

Then she began to notice other, more positive aspects of her new form. The broken toe that always ached in any weather change did not hurt. Her constant allergies were gone. In short, she felt perfectly healthy.

I've never felt this good before, she realized in amazement.

She wasn't too hot or too cold, and, she actually felt strong. No one could hurt her like this. I bet I can't even feel pain! she thought with a start. Now if I could only move...

But even if she could, how could she go through life looking like this?

She fell back into despair.

Veronica entered the theater the next morning to tie up loose ends before the night's dress rehearsal. As she strutted across the stage to adjust one of the trees for the Oz set, she heard a strange moaning sound.

She turned to face backstage. “Hello?” she called.

“Rrr!” The sound came from the side curtain, and, heart beating wildly, Veronica crept toward it. “Is someone there? Are you okay?”

There, crumpled against the curtain, was a tin man. Woman, actually...

Veronica let out a relieved gasp. “Stacie! My God, you look awesome! I can't believe Penelope did such an amazing job! Usually, well, usually she doesn't.” She chuckled. “Why are you here so early, and all in costume?”

Stacie did not move.

“Very funny Stacie. You're in character. Want your oil can, dearie?”

“Rrr!”

“Funny. Come on, get up.” Veronica pulled at her cousin's arm, then dropped it in shock. “Stacie, your arm is like...metal. She only made a thing to go over your chest, not your arms...” she noted. She tapped at the tin woman's arm, and it echoed eerily.

“It's like...hollow sounding! Cool!”

“Rrr.”

Veronica was growing annoyed. “Stacie, hello in there!” She banged hard on her cousin's chest, only to hear the perfect echo radiating through Stacie's insides.

Veronica's eyes grew round and she staggered back. “It's like...you're really hollow...Stacie, talk to me! You're freaking me out!”

“Rrr!”

“Your face is...” she rapped against Stacie's cheek gingerly. “Oh, holy shit, you're metal. Oh, holy, holy shit.” Stumbling around the set, she spied the oil can prop, holding it up theatrically. “Well, this won't do a damned thing. And you're not rusted... Wait! WD-40! It has thousands of uses...” She dashed off into the back office and returned brandishing the famous blue can. She began to spray it in every nook and cranny of her cousin's odd body, escpecially in the strange jaw-joints by her ears. Then she grabbed Stacie's mandible and moved it up and down.

“Holy shit, can you talk? It's even metal inside your mouth!”

Stacie moved her jaw on her own, thrilled at the new ability to move. “Thank you...thank you, Veronica...” She experienced the same tear-like pressure in her eyes. “I think Marcie did it...She was doing stuff to the costume...Look what she did to me!” With a labored creak, she straightened up, then almost fell over as her metal knees locked once more.

Her cousin was silent. She examined Stacie from top to bottom, and finally said, “That is the most awesome thing I have ever seen in my life.”

Stacie stopped cold. She motioned down to herself in shock. “This? This is awesome? I'm a freaking robot! I'll never have a life, I can't be seen in public...”

“You're not a robot.”

“I'm metal! I'm not a person anymore.”

“You're a person made of metal! No one can hurt you, you can't get sick, hell, I bet you can't die...” She banged on her cousin's torso, then swept her hand down it. “Oh, my God, I'm jealous! What does it feel like?”

“Jealous?” The tin woman gaped at her cousin. How could anyone be jealous of her horrible fate? Although she did feel good, she had to admit. Calming herself down, she let whatever mind she had explore her new body without anger or fear. Wonder and curiosity set in, and she realized, she really did feel fantastic. When Veronica had rubbed her hand across her surface, it had actually been very sensual, not that she'd ever admit it.

Veronica was waiting impatiently for an answer. “Well?”

“It's actually really nice.” Pausing to run her hands all over her body, she nodded in approval. “Yes, it's actually great! I think I like it! I feel everything so much more...”

“If you only had a heart, right?” Veronica raised her eyes in amusement. “Damn, I really am jealous. I want to turn into a tin person too! Where the hell is Marcie?”

“What the hell is wrong with you two?” someone spat, and Marcie stepped from the shadows. Vexation was plastered across her pale face.

“What did you do?” Stacie breathed, drawing her metal fingers across her arm and shivering delightfully. “I never thought I'd say this, but being metal is kind of nice!”

“Can you please do it to me too?” Veronica begged.

Marcie stared at the girls as if they were insane. “You want this, Veronica?” she turned to the tin girl. “You like this, Stacie?”

Both girls nodded.

Swiping her hand across her brow in annoyance, the woman cursed, and pulled up a chair. Sitting down, she uttered, “You're not supposed to like it!”

“But I feel awesome this way! Please turn Veronica into a tin person too! She's gotta try it! She'll love it!”

“Two tin men in one show? It doesn't work,” the woman uttered confusedly.

“I'm the director. I'll make it work!” Veronica announced vehemently.

The woman shook her head in irritated defeat. “No, no...you're supposed to be upset, and sad, and... I'm supposed to enjoy your torture...”

“Torture?” Veronica thundered. “Who the hell are you, anyway?”

The woman sighed, settling back in her chair. “I'm Marcie Gaitch. The woman L. Frank Baum based the Wicked Witch of the West on. Damn bastard.”

Both girls merely stared.

“Yes, I'm old. I'm a witch, for crying out loud.”

“You're awesome!” Veronica burst out. “Please, change me!”

Marcie inhaled deeply. “I'm not here to make you happy...although it's nice that someone actually appreciates my talents for the first time ever...instead of writing a green-faced evil character based on me...”

“We're related to him,” Stacie said. “L. Frank Baum, that is.”

“I know. Why do you think I'm doing this to you? I've been torturing his descendants ever since he wrote the damn 'Wonderful Wizard of Oz' in 1900.”

“Hell, you are old,” Veronica uttered under her breath.

“But I look damned good for my age!”

“Actually, you do,” Stacie agreed. “Hey, can I live forever like this?”

Marcie studied her. “I don't know. Never did it to anyone before...and it's not like I want his descendants to be immortal...” her voice trailed off. She looked deep in thought. “You really like it?”

“I do!” Stacie strutted around like a soldier. “I never felt so good! I like the way my skin...well, surface...is so smooth and shiny, and it feels awesome when someone knocks on me,” she tapped on her chest, receving an echo in answer. “Hell, it feels awesome when anyone touches me! I'm so sensitive!”

Marcie nodded. “The metal. Plus the added sensitivity of being newly transformed. Nice, huh? I love it. It's like a glow. Unfortunately it fades after a while. Then you want it again, and, well, transformation can be addicting,” she cracked a smile.

Veronica merely stared, her mouth open wide. “So you've been lots of...stuff?”

“I've been stuff for over a century. What else do you think I do with my time?”

“Um...life...things?”

“Please, make me tin, Marcie!” Veronica yelped impatiently.

The woman rose uncertainly. “Well, I transformed Stacie by a costume transformation.”

“Oh, you need one?” Veronica looked crestfallen, which only heartened the woman more.

“Of course not. But it was fun watching her become her costume.”

Stacie questioned, “You were here the whole time?”

“Of course. I love watching people transform! Now, Veronica, how about we make you the scarecrow instead?”

Veronica pondered this for seconds. “Naa. I'd rather be tin than straw. Please do it!”

“Whatever.” An expression of deep concentration crossed Marcie's face, and a flash of light escaped from her fingers, engulfing Veronica.

“Yes!” Veronica cried, as the light seemed to absorb into her body, and she began to change.

“How come I didn't get any flashing lights when I changed?” whimpered Stacie.

“Costume transformation! I told you!” snapped Marcie.

Stacie and Marcie both watched as Veronica took on a shiny metal sheen. She began to shake and quiver. “Oh, this is good!” she chirped. “I feel myself hardening! Amazing!”

“Feels nice, huh?” Marcie asked proudly.

“Yes! Thank you...thank you....rrrrr....” Veronica gave a last giggle as her mouth transformed.

“How come I couldn't move before?” Stacie queried, not taking her eyes off of her cousin.

“You needed oil.”

“But I wasn't rusty.”

Marcie pondered this. “Yeah, you're right. But who cares? It's more fun this way, and more scary for you.”

“Oh, come on, Marcie. Let Veronica be able to move.”

“You don't want to dose her with WD-40 to get her back?” Marcie smiled wryly.

Stacie made a nasty face, although it was hard to discern much of any expression being as her face was constructed of metal.

The new tin woman gave a great shudder followed by a contented moan. “Am I done?” she finally breathed, looking down at her new body.

“Yup,” Marcie answered with pride.

“Damn, I really do feel great!” Veronica ran her hands down her new form. She was less bulky than her cousin, perhaps partly due to the regular transformation versus use of a costume. Her clothes had simply disappeared, and she was more of a person made of metal than a boxy tin woman. But neither girl seemed to mind the difference. They locked metal arms, laughing and stamping through a little jig. “This is so great, Marcie! Thank you! Thank you! Can you do it to yourself? Come join us! I wish you'd hang out with us forever!”

As the two girls banged and stomped all over the stage, Marcie watched in amazement. No one had ever asked her to join them before. No one had ever appreciated her talent before. Perhaps it was because she had always tormented them instead of doing nice things. But she had always been feared, and it was all that horrible L. Frank Baum's fault!

But these two crazy girls...they liked what she did to them...

She was so lonely; she'd never had a friend. She'd never had someone who wanted to be changed... But these two girls were that bastard's descendants!

Yet after a century of frightening people, maybe, just maybe, her revenge was complete...

Veronica came running stiffly back. “What else can you do to us, Marcie?”

“Um,” Marcie swallowed. “Pretty much anything.”

“Like, you can turn me into an animal?”

Marcie smiled. “That's a specialty of mine.”

With a flash, Veronica was on all fours, and growing every minute. Her shining metal was being replaced with coarse fur. “What am I becoming?” she cried in excitment. But the appearance of hooves in place of hands and feet told her all. And her next cry was a delighted “neigh!” which echoed through the theater, and the new horse galloped across the stage in exaltation.

“Marcie, she's beautiful!”

“Not done with her yet!”

Another flash made Marcie's coat change from brown to blue, then red, then purple...

“She's a horse of a different color!” Stacie cried, enchanted. “Oh, me next! Me next!”

By now Marcie was laughing, truly thrilled with the girl's joy. “Um...what do you want to be?”

“Oh, I don't know, something beautiful...expensive, a work of art...”

“Oh, one of my favorites...become a statue!”

Stacie's metal form was thickening and growing harder still. “Oh, make me...pure...sapphire! My birthstone!”

“Done! Pose seductively!”

Stacie was just able to push one hand to her head and the other to her hip before she froze in place, an expression of ecstasy on her royal-blue face. She was now a classic statue, like one would find in an Ancient Greek temple, although she was a striking blue instead of marble.

The horse galloped over and observed her. “Wow! She's amazing!” Veronica apparently could talk, but the words were somewhat slurred, coming from a horse's lips.

With a wicked grin, Marcie passed her hand across the statue's chest and began to explore some areas that were normally off-limit to strangers. The statue visibly shuddered.

“Oh my God! Can she feel that?” Veronica exclaimed.

“Totally,” Marcie answered with a wink and another clutch at the statue. It moaned.

“I heard her!” yelped the horse. “Oh, do something else to me! What's awesome?”

Marcie answered with the first bit of enthusiasm in a long while, “You guys are. I'm seriously enjoying this – you guys actually appreciate me!”

Veronica gaped at her. “How could we not? Look what you did to us!” she wagged her tail and trotted in a circle. “I'm beautiful! So's Stacie!”

The sapphire statue twinkled in the stage light.

“I really do wish we can stay friends,” Veronica tapped her front foot a bit to emphasize her wish. “Seriously. Where do you live?”

Turning away, Marcie replied, “Wherever I feel like it.”

“Don't you have a house?”

“No, too much to deal with – rent, insurance, who needs it? I usually live in the woods as something or other.”

“You sleep in the woods too?”

“Sure. As a tree, or as a rock, or a flower...well, one that's deer-resistant, at least.”

Agape, Veronica said, “Listen, and I'm sure I can speak for Stacie, see, we live together. We'd love it if you join us.”

“Really? You'd...trust the Wicked Witch of the West to live with you?”

“Sure. Only if you promise to turn us into stuff.”

“But...” Marcie was flabbergasted. “Aren't you scared I'll just...turn you into a...paper bag and toss you into the recyclables or something?”

“That might be kinda fun, actually.”

“You are crazy. You're sure about this?”

Veronica nodded excitedly. “One more condition.”

“What?”

“You go around and change back any people you transformed over all these years.”

Marcie blinked at her. “Who? I mean, well, I changed people to scare them, but I never left them that way. I'm not a monster!”

Looking relieved, Veronica said, “Well, then it's decided. You're our new roommate. Now what do you have in mind to turn me into?”

Smiling craftily, Marcie uttered, “Just you wait!”

With a flash, Veronica deflated to the ground as a red piece of rubber. It flopped around, giggling. “What am I now? I'm all flat...”

“Not for long!”

The witch grabbed her up, knotting her at the bottom. With a sweep of her hand, Veronica was expanding into a very happy balloon. “Oh! Oh! More!” she kept gasping.

Marcie smiled at the little Veronica-face she had purposely left in the latex. The eyes grew bigger and bigger as she inflated. “More!”

“You're going to pop!” Marcie laughed.

“Go for it!”

It was an explosive experience.

Dress rehearsal came and went, and some cast members noticed a great change in the otherwise cold actress who played the Wicked Witch. No one knew much about her, and she kept to herself between scenes, but tonight she was a changed woman. She joked around with the actors and actresses with a renewed vigor, and her pallid face, even under the green makeup, was obviously flushed. After the rehearsal, she even was asked to join several cast members for drinks.

But she declined the offer, having a much more exciting place to be. She was introduced to her new home, Veronica and Stacie's little run-down house, which she was able to spruce up quite nicely with a bit of magic. In return, Stacie and Veronica allowed her to 'play' with them, transforming them into whatever came to mind.

The night was long and memorable for the three, and they looked forward to many, many more.

The play itself was an extraordinary success. Everything went excellently, every cue was perfect, every song and line exact. It was almost as if the whole production was enchanted.

Penelope, the head of costumes, received such accolades for her work with the tin man that she was rather shaken up. But she never mentioned the fact that the very realistic work on Stacie was not quite her own.

But the true highlight of the night was the use of a real horse in one of the Oz scenes. When it came onto stage drawing a carriage behind it, even the actors and actresses were shocked. No one had any idea that a real horse was going to be used. At the dress rehearsal, it had been pulled on by two stagehands dressed as horses.

And the 'horse of a different color' truly did seem to radiate all the colors of the rainbow. Some people explained it as a lighting effect, others as some kind of iridescent makeup applied to the horse's fur. But as the horse pranced merrily across the stage, waving its hooves at the audience, people praised Veronica's descision to use it. It was the most intelligent and amusing horse anyone had ever encountered.

 Strangely though, Veronica was nowhere to be seen all night.