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John's Christmas Surprise

It was much like any other year for Christmas; shoppers flooding stores and grocers, buying as much food and gifts as they could before wiping out the stock. John was not one of those shoppers; He was at home. Getting Christmas gifts this late in the month was near impossible what with everyone pushing and shoving each other, yet he was already prepped to give a gift. He just wasn't sure what to make of the people that were going shopaholic crazy. "I'm so glad not to be out there; it's just a mess".

John had taken some time off to prep for the holiday season to do his shopping early, which he was able to do, but this year felt just...well, he felt there needed to be a change. Things were always the same every year, and just once he wanted to experience something new, or at least not have to deal with the kind of people who shop this time of year. He laid down; resting by the couch in his newly gifted sweater; a present he got early from a friend who couldn't make it. He shivered a little bit; it was really cold, and the sweater was helping keep him warm for the moment. He just kept thinking to himself: Something just needs to be different; be nice to have something change this year, so that it doesn't feel the same as last time. All in all, Christmas was feeling redundant to him, and it made him somber for the holiday.

*Knock* *Knock*

Someone was at the door; John got up in surprise. Strange, I wasn't expecting a package. He went over, opened the door, and saw that whoever knocked had left already. Once he looked down, he saw a package, no return address and just his name on it. "Well, this is weird." He picked it up, took it inside, and closed the door.

Setting it aside on the table, he wasn't really sure what to think of it. It was highly suspicious and it just felt off. Did someone else send him a gift? Yet there was no return address. "Well...might as well open it; beats just leaving this a complete mystery." Once he opened it, he was greeted with what looked like a scroll of sorts. A scroll? This just keeps getting weirder. He grabbed it and begun to unwound it, seeing a letter slip out from it before he opened it all the way. John bent down and picked up said letter; it was typed from what it looked like. It read the following:

Dear John,

I know that Christmas hasn't been the best lately, so I'm giving you this gift as a means to give you newer opportunities for more exciting things. You don't know me, but I know you'll enjoy this. It might take a bit once you see what it is, but I'm sure you'll make the best of things once it's done. Take care, and have a wonderful holiday!

Sincerely,

A Friend

This seemed very strange, but John felt comfort in the words he read; like it was someone who knew how he felt. He placed the letter down on the table and reopened the scroll, all the way until he could see everything...which turned out to just be a reflection of himself. The paper of the scroll was like a mirror; reflecting his blonde hair, blue eyes and Caucasian complexity. He wasn't really sure what to think of it, and after staring at it for a while, he set the scroll down; feeling some form of disappointment.

An hour passed since then, and he was laying on the couch. He had this headache that just wouldn't go away, and he had tried many things: rubbing his temples, taking ibuprofen, washing his face. He figured if those didn't work, he may as well take a nap, and that was what he was doing. As he slept though, the scroll he dropped earlier left this eerily glow. It was faint, and not enough to wake John, but something poured out from the scroll and entered him subtly.

What he felt was warm; in a nice way. It helped him relax and alleviate his headache. He was able to sleep, but as he did, something happened. His hands were the first to change; drying out and becoming quite hard and scaly; the nails on his hands thickening into sharp claws as they grew out. His hands also grew in size, but the changes weren't painful; it was just subtle enough to make him turn in his sleep. As the scales spread from his hands up his arms, something else happened; his hair thickened and reached his neck, even so far as to go down his back. John's elbows were also growing tufts of hair, scales spreading further as his normal body hair just dissipated. His body was also deforming too, growing long and slender as he got taller; tearing through his clothes. It was this that woke him up; revealing his large slit blue eyes. He looked at his body, and freaked out.

"Gah!? What's happening to me?" John kept growing longer, and longer, making him about 12 feet long so far. It was strange, yet he wasn't fully denying the changes; something in the back of his head told him it would be ok. His feet soon deformed; toes fusing and growing claws as the scales overtook them; giving him three toed dragon feet. A tail was forming by the still tugging pants, and they didn't last as it tore them open, growing as long as his body was, making him nearly 20 ft in size. Soon, his growth stopped, but his face was the only thing left once the scales took place. John winced, as his face pushed out into a muzzle, slowly creaking and popping as teeth sharpened. His senses also got sharper too; ears grew longer and his nose became more draconian, but leathery too. Soon...it just died down, and he was left there; an eastern dragon in his apartment.

Everything felt a little hazy for a moment; John was trying to understand what had just happened. It wasn't until another glow from the scroll took his attention. He looked over; he saw his reflection again; it showed his human face there, but he knew that wasn't the case. The letter, however, has somehow changed wording. This is what it read now:

Dear John,

I'm sorry if the changes were a little much to take in; I just figured you wanted something different in your life, so I gave you this form to enjoy. The scroll is meant to be your placeholder to change between these forms, so don't worry about permanent changes. Think of this as something to do when you feel like being different, and want to explore. Besides, being a dragon isn't all bad. There are fun things to do, such as flying! Enjoy this my friend, and happy holidays!

Sincerely,

A Friend

Even though John still didn't know why this person gave him this, he felt relieved. He looked out to see it was night, and barely anyone in sight. He opened his door, locked it with a key, to which he tugged by his ear, and flew off; seeking ways he could enjoy being a dragon. This holiday was different indeed, and one he never expected.