This is something I have meant to upload for a while now.  It was a commission I had done for DJSeanD a few weeks ago.

              Jonny stumbled off the school bus as he scratched at his short sandy hair.  “Ugh, there was just a trig test yesterday.  Why is there going to be one again tomorrow.”  He kicked the dirt in front of him and sent a few loose pebbles flying into a nearby trash can.  “This year is turning out to be a nightmare already.”

              “Jonny.  Yo’hoo.” He turned his head to see Alice as she rushed towards him.  She was a grade below him, a junior, and she had an insane crush on him.  He waved his hand and sighed as she approached.

              “Hello, Alice.”

              She brushed her long dark hair to the side. “Hi. I just saw that you arrived home.”

              Jonny shrugged.  “I mean, I arrive home every day at this time.  We usually ride the bus together.”  He pulled at the strap for his backpack.  “Speaking of which, why weren’t you at school?”

              She smiled.  “It is a surprise.”

              “What do you mean surprise?”  He raised an eyebrow.  “Why wouldn’t you just be at school today?”

              She grabbed his arm.  “Come on.  I will show you.  I promise you will love it.”

              Jonny sighed.  “I have to go home and study.”

              “Ohh, it will just take but a minute.  I promise you will just love it.”

             “Ok.  But just a minute.  Then I will go home and get started on this trig homework.”  He shook his head.  “Last thing I want is Mr. Renolds giving me even more work to make up for screw up on tomorrow's test.”

              She gently hit him in the shoulder.  “Oh, don’t worry.  We won’t be that long.  I will just show you my surprise, we will have a few laughs, and you will be able to do your trig stuff.  Ok?”

              He pulled at his backpack.  “Ok.”

              She turned around and bounced down the sidewalk. “Now, let’s hurry.”

              Jonny shook his head and followed after her. They were only a block away from Alice’s house.  He looked up at the sun, which slid between the clouds.  Winter would be here soon, and everyone set up their holiday decorations.   A light layer of snow covered the ground but quickly evaporated in the mid-day heat.

              “Hurry up already.”

              He followed Alice down her slick driveway and up to her blue front door.  She turned around and held up her hands before he could reach for the handle. “Hold up. Let me go inside first.  Wait here.”

She rushed inside and slammed the door.

              Jonny sighed and looked around.  There was one blow-up Santa on the lawn.  “Hmm, seems like they are still putting up their decorations for the year.”  He shivered. “It is freezing.”

              A few moments later, the door flung open, and Alice smiled at him.  “Ok. Come on in.”

              He walked inside and set his backpack by the door. “Thanks.”

              He pulled at his zipper, but Alice grabbed his hands.  “Not yet.” She tugged on his arms.  “Let’s go upstairs first.”

              “Wait, why?”

              “To show you the surprise, silly?”

              Jonny took a deep breath.  “Ok.”  He looked around as Alice led him into the next room.  Pictures lined the walls of Alice’s family.  Her father was a magician, and that is how he had met her mother. She had been his assistant.  One of the photos showed her father sawing her mother in half, and another was Alice's father underwater in a tank in a strait jacket.  They toured the country with their act.  In fact, he had only seen Alices' parents once in his life, which was during her sixteenth birthday.

              She pulled him towards the stairwell and up to the second level.  “Just what are you going to show me?”

              Alice laughed.  “Well, it wouldn’t be a surprise now, would it?”

              They reached the top of the stairs.  “I don’t even get a hint?”

              She walked up to a massive wooden door. “Just close your eyes.”

              He sighed.  “Fine.”  Jonny held his pale hand over his head.

              Alice took his hand and pulled him into the room. She then sat him down in a giant leather chair, and he could hear the door shut. “Ok, you can open your eyes.”

              He saw her standing in front of a strange black box on a table.  “Surprise.” She held her arms out.   “How do you like it?”

              “Umm.”

              Alice put her hands on her knees.  “I swiped it before my parents went out to the west coast for another one of their shows.”

              He scratched at his chin.  “What is it?”

              She laughed.  “It is a squeeze box.”  He shrugged his shoulders.  “What, you don’t know what this is?”

              “No.”

              “Well, lucky you.  You get to find out.”  She turned around and walked over to the closet.  “Here.  I want you to wear this.”  She tossed a set of tights at him.

              “Wait, why?”  He held the blue tights in his hands.

              “How else can I show you the trick?”  She walked over nudged him.  “Now move it.”

              Jonny sighed.  “Ok.”  He stood up and walked out of the room.  “I will be just a moment.”

              “Ok.”  Alice had her back turned to him as she positioned the squeeze box.

              He walked across the hall into the restroom. “When did Alice swipe her parents' stuff?”  He slipped out of his t-shirt and jeans and into the leotard.  “I hope this goes well.”

              He walked out of the restroom and pulled at his tights.  “Phew.”

He could only see the squeeze box when he entered the other room.  “Alice?”

              She popped out from behind the box.  “Hello, everyone.  We are going to have a mystical show for you all today.”

              Jonny raised an eyebrow.  “What are you doing?”

              “Will the audience please be quiet?”  He narrowed his eyes.  “Thank you.”  She bowed. “My name is Alice the wonderful. Thank you, everyone, for coming today. You will all see something that will astound and amaze you beyond your very beliefs.”

              Jonny sighed and walked over to the leather chair as Alice went on.  “Now, I just need a volunteer from the audience.”  She held her hand over her eyes and looked around.  “Hmm, who will it be?”  She pointed at Jonny.  “You good sir.  Come on up here.”

              “I mean, I am the only one here.”  He stood up and walked over.

              “What is your name, good sir?”

              “Umm, Jonny.  We go to school?  You invited me over.”  He looked around.  “Who are you talking to?”

              “Well, Jonny.  Today you will help me with my squeeze box trick.”  She opened the lid on the box.  “Just step inside, and let’s show everyone a good time, shall we?”

             “Ok.”  He lifted his leg and stepped inside the box.  Once inside, Alice slammed the lid down on top of him.

             “Great.  We are ready to proceed.”  She rubbed her hands together.

              “So, umm, how does this trick work.”

              Alice ignored him and turned her head towards the chair.  “And now I will perform the illusion.”  Alice looked down at Jonny and the box and scratched at her chin.  “Just umm, give me a moment.”

              “You do know how to do this, right?”

              She took a deep breath.  “And here we go.”  She put one hand on the end of the box by his head and the other by this feet and slowly pushed them together.  But something felt a bit off.

              “Hey, Alice.  Is this supposed to make my body feel all umm. . .”  He looked off to the side as his feet came closer to his head. “Compressed? I thought this was just a trick.”

              “Please, I require silence.”

              He shook his head as his feet came closer to his head. “Hey, this shouldn’t be happening, right? Right?  Please tell me you know what you are doing?”  He looked up at Alice.  “Please.”  He took a deep breath.  “This isn’t funny anymore.”

              A few moments later, Alice took her hands away from the box.  Just beyond the edges of the container, Jonny could see his toes.  “Ok.  Nice trick.” He took a deep breath.  “Though I can’t feel my chest.”

              Alice lifted the side of the box to show that his head and feet were now joined.  “Ta-da.”

             “Nice.  You did your trick.  Now can you undo it and get me out of here?”

              She turned around and smiled.  “Of course.”  She lifted the top of the box and reached down.  “Here we are.”

              Jonny’s eyes raced as Alice lifted his tiny body out of the box.  “Umm, Alice?” He gulped as he was lifted in front of her face.  “What is going on?  I thought this was a trick.”

              She gently hit him on his nose.  “Oh, it was.  I think it worked out very well.  Don’t you?” She walked over and set him on the table.

              “But my body.”  He tried to move but fell down onto his head.  “You squeezed my body away.”

              She giggled.  “But you look better this way.”

              “Alice, please.  I need my body.”

              “But you have one.”  She sat down and picked him up.  “Such a cute looking one at that.”

              He sighed.  “Alice, please.  I have a trig test tomorrow.”

              “Aww” She tapped him on his nose.  “You don’t have to worry about that anymore.”  She ran her hands over his body.  “Look at you and your cute little head on your feet. What more do you need.”

             “Alice.  Put me back into the box.  You have to undo this right now.”

              She shrugged.  “But I like you this way.  Besides.”

              “Besides what?”

              She bopped him on his nose.  “Besides, I didn’t look into how to undo the trick. Why should have I?”

 “But I can’t stay like this.”

              A strong deep voice called from below. “Alice. What did you do with our squeeze box?”

              She raised her voice.  “I don’t know, dad.”

              “Don’t lie to me.”

              She set Jonny down.  “I said I don’t know.”  She walked over to the door.  “I haven't seen it.”

              “We are leaving for a show in a few hours. So you get that box out for us, or the next thing to vanish will be that phone you love so much.”

              “Hey, I am trying to practice with it.”

              “And we need it for our tour.  You know we will be gone for two weeks, so bring it out here.”

“Ugh, fine.”  She shut her door.

              Jonny looked up at her.  “I thought you said your parents were gone?”  He shook his head.  “Ugh, never mind.  Just undo this.”

              She grabbed him.  “No way.”  She rubbed him on the head.  “I love you this way.”

              “Wait, what are you doing?”  His vision went dark as he was stuffed into a backpack.

              “Just wait there.  I will get you after my parents are gone.”  Alice wheeled the squeeze box out of the room.  “Ok, dad.  I found your equipment.  Don’t worry.”

              Jonny sighed.  “Well, this is just great.  I hope her parents get home soon.”