Body Dysmorphia
“Just one more time, doctor,” the man pleaded. “Please?”
Dr. Habber tapped the hologram of the patient’s chart that floated above her hand, flicking through its many pages with a frown. “John, if I approve this, you’ll be back here in a month with a new obsession.”
“No, I swear, this is it!”
“That’s what you said last time.” She tried to look him in the eye but he kept bobbing his head up and down. “I did warn you about the dangers of repeating the procedure so often?”
“You don’t understand, doctor,” he sobbed. “I’m hideous. Disgusting. No one can love someone who looks like I do.”
“I should recommend you for counseling,” she muttered. “Fine, once more, but if you want another reassignment after this, find someone else to do it.”
John licked his eye in delight. She assumed it was delight, anyway.
“I want,” he said, “to look like a blue whale.”
Within the hour, John was in the tank being restructured. Dr. Habber thought it would serve him right if he ended up as a chameleon with a mouth full of baleen.
Tags: #Fridayflash, Micro fiction, Microfic
Well, chameleons do change their color based on emotions…
I’m afraid this might happen someday! Why are we not happy with the way the Good God made us. You captured this in a funny way. Love that last line, “Dr. Habber thought it would serve him right if he ended up as a chameleon with a mouth full of baleen.” Sweet.
Someday babies will be born with plastic faces so people can change their appearance at any whim. Good story!
Loved this. I knew from the title this was going to be great and you didn’t disappoint!
John W – chameleons don’t change their hue according to emotion! That’s a anthropomorphic myth.
Fast paced and to the point and packed with humour – great stuff
Ha! Very funny!
Love your work! It so easy to get obsessed with ‘improvements’.
-Tim
Lovely stuff! I wouldn’t mind being a cat. I wonder if the surgery is completely reversible?
The last line is outstanding. I can see people being like this, always wanting to try something new, trying to be more different and stand out somehow. Although being able to fly, for instance, does sound really interesting.
Great story. I really didn’t see that coming. She probably should send him for counseling.
…L.A. would be all over that kind of technology to change appearances. I can see it now.
Love this one.
A blue whale?! And I thought I was overweight! Yikes!
This got me giggling at the part where the patient licked his eye. That set me off. You did such a good job communicating so much in so short a span. Wonderful work. 🙂
The eye licking made me stop for a moment, lol. Great story, but a responsible doctor would have sent the guy to counseling *before* making him into a whale, heh.
However, I must agree that a chamaleon isn’t much appealing… yikes!
That is a great ending line. I liked the concept and you’ve done a great job at creating a full story in very few words.
Great story! Especially the ending. I love your blog.
I’m an aspiring writer with my own blog. Why don’t you hop on over and follow me.
And Marc N – Chameleons do actually change their color based on emotions, like when they’re relaxed, or angry, or mating. However, they don’t change their colors based on camouflage. That is the myth.
Aww man! I totally want to be a blue whale now!!!
But I will settle for just you know, some Virtual reality experience…
I clicked love.
Licked his eye…hah! Maybe as a blue whale he won’t be able to ask for another transformation. 🙂
Thank you all so much for reading this. Glad you liked it. I’m also afraid this will happen someday, if only because some people are already having these kinds of drastic surgeries. Whether anyone will really want to be a whale, I don’t know. But in a world where you can be just about anything with surgery, what’s to stop you from giving it a try?