The Mandrake Hotel

Chapter 3 - The Transformation

“Bring it.”  Uttering the words to seal her doom, Helena determinedly followed Rufus to the large blue door and into an indoor water fall complete with merpeople decorations that.. oh.. moved.. shaking her head, Helena braved marched forward.    

The one hundred minerals soak was heavenly even with the weird glimpses thrown by the half naked merpeople but Helena simply ignored them as she continued to melt into the water.  After all, 5am was an ungodly hour to wake up - she at least deserved this luxury after what she had to go through. Briefly, Helena thought about Mr. Louviere then decided it was best to leave that sort of thinking to Alice.  After drying off with floating Turkish towels, Helena was ushered into a white spherical room where she became momentarily blinded before she was offered, again floating, the biggest and fluffiest eye pillow by far. Preparing to continue her relaxation, Helena yelped as something warm bodied but thin slithered its way around her arms, torso and legs leaving Helena with no room for movement.  Then began the torture straight from the 7th level of hell. Although blinded, Helena realized that the diamond “scrub” had removed at least two layers of skin and relief came in the form of a burning sensation by warm oil as it poured from above her head down to her toes and covering every last inch of the scoured skin. A million tiny little hands then began rubbing her body in practiced motion until she felt a squeezing in her waist and lifting of her butt and lengthening of her legs.

A 6:55pm Helena was suddenly jolted into being awake.  She lingered in the comfort of the bed and inhaling the most amazing scent she had ever smelled wafting towards her.  In the moment it took to open her eyes, she realized that its as coming form her own skin. She felt different.. her joints felt longer than they should and while sitting up her feet hit the floor long before it ever should have reached bottom.  What was going on? Standing up awkwardly, Helena noticed another person in the room far away. She was tall, extremely lithe and delicate with beautiful sleek golden hair as Helena had jealously seen on most of the reception team girls, then gazed after the perfect bosom and hairless.. and those eyes.. those beautiful deep.. amber eyes?  Finally Helena realized that she had only been looking at her own reflection.

“What. Did.  They do to my?  I thought it was just going to be external!  You can’t remove hair everywhere, I am soo going to HR.  RUFUS??????”

“Yes darling, I cannot wait to see the new you.  The better you. The after Rufus you. Twirl for me darling, twirl!”  As Rufus made a dramatic entrance into he white room, Helena screamed and threw the dangerous fluffy eye pillow at his head.

“Get out, I’m naked you twit, and I have no hair there so I’m doubly naked you sick..”

“Daarrrlinggg, I have absolutely no interest in your kind.   Unless we’re talking about those yummy royal brothers, then I’m game to grow a tail or two.”

“Huh.  Um, I guess I should have known.  But still, get out and give me something to wear.”  Scowling all the while Rufus sauntered out of the room, Helena sneaked another look at her perfect body.  Even her butt looked perfect as Helena sighed wondering if this was a good thing. She had quite liked what she looked like before but apparently it wasn’t good enough for the Mandrake.  And if it wasn’t good enough for the Mandrake that fed, clothed, assaulted her body hair, then there wasn’t anything more to be done.

“Sweetiekins, do you have time to enjoy the rest of the amenities in my Den of Mysteries?  There is the salty plunge pool with domesticated whales, the portal to the Amazon jungle with its steaming effects..”

“Thanks Rufus.  And thank you for making me more work friendly but I just want clothes, like five minutes ago and want to fall into my amazing bed with the sensual cloud like duvet.”

“Helena.  You are staying in the staff housing floor?”

“Yes.  Why?”

“You don’t get cloud duvet.  You hardly get a bed. Sorry.”

“Oh.  Not even the creepy pretty wallpaper?”

“No.”

Helena scowled on while Rufus’s cheshire grin stayed eerily too long on his narrow face.  

“Well then, carry on, I’m off to my next client!  And a paying one, hooray! Not that I didn’t adore your company and since you are on Alice duty for the next three days, I’ll see you on Saturday in the lobby for afternoon tea.  My treat. Love you, tata!”

Helena stood awkwardly, confused and doubly so when she took her third glance in the mirror and saw that she as fully dressed.  Shrugging away all confusion since Rufus the enigma obvious relished surprises, she descended to the lobby of the “wellness clinic” and to the staff elevator.