Version 090614
Carl Boelke was a problem kid and he was getting worse. In junior high, he ran a protection racket and punched out the smaller boys who didn’t pay. In the senior grades, the police put him on a watch list. Once, when a girl wouldn’t go out with him, he beat on her brother until she said _yes. When their parents pressed charges, Carl juvenile court only sentenced him to community service. When not under direct supervision, his behavior went unimproved.
His mother, Mrs. Boelke, a hospital employee, met a woman who came in frequently to visit a patient. They occasionally talked and one day the visitor dropped a bomb. She told Mrs. Boelke about Pleasure Island, and how the resort was more than just a resort. It was the place that helped to solve the problems that their boy Roy was having with the law. She hinted, in an odd way, that Pleasure Island could change the bad attitudes of troubled boys.
Mrs. Boelke kept nagging her friend to explain how anyone could accomplish so much, but the lady kept saying that she wasn't the right one to explain it. But relenting at last, she gave Mrs. Boelke a phone number, saying, “This man at the Pleasure Island Resort office can explain it much better than ever I could.”
The New Reservation Advice division at Pleasure Island were skilled at convincing people, even about the existence of magic. A representative met with Mr. and Mrs. Boelke and demonstrated with videos and case studies how they could solve the problems they were having with Carl. The Boelkes were finally convinced and signed a contract, after which Pleasure Island sent Carl a registered letter saying that he had won a free two-week luxury vacation at the island resort. Actually, his parents had made the reservation, but if they had admitted that they wanted him to go somewhere, he might have grown suspicious. Carl had been getting cozy with criminals. It was his nature to trust strangers making flashy promises than to trust his own parents.
Pleasure Island was indeed magical, and its magic started to transform Carl, using the energy created by his bad thoughts and deeds. Before he realized it, Carl had metamorphosed into a pretty blonde, just as the resort had promised his parents that he would. When he – she – had calmed down enough, the Pleasure Island staff provided her with a traveling outfit that fit her smaller and slimmer stature and, also, convincingly forged documents that called her “Carla Boelke. Then she was sent her back to her California home.
The first thing that Carla realized after the daze wore off was that she had a spell on her, one that made everyone she knew, except her own parents, forget that Carl had ever existed. Her folks had also removed every picture of Carl from the home and had given all his clothes to charity, just as if there had never been such a person. Her room had gone all yellow and fru fru, and her closets were full of girly things. That was too much; she threw a wild tantrum, accusing her parents of having “ruined her life.” Over the next few weeks, she absolutely refused to restart her life as a teenaged girl. The Boelke's grew increasingly worried. School was going to start soon and they needed to have their daughter on good behavior before that happened.
The Pleasure Island customer service representative had given them some contact literature that presented some frequently asked questions. The anxious parents finally decided to choose the option of securing a special teacher, one who was registered with, and certified by, the resort company.
The Boelkes had Carla picked up by her “Aunt Maud,” who wasn’t really her aunt. She was an independent contractor whose job it was to work with hard-case former boys. Maud had rented a house in Oakdale and island-associated technicians had prepared a bedroom for Carla. Although it look innocent, it was wired for sound and subliminal messages from recorded lessons could be piped in without the occupant of the room knowing that she was receiving unconscious lessons that would help to adjust her bad attitudes.
Maud tried to be non-threatening but firm with Carla. She had rules that she insisted upon, such as those about curfews. School was about to start and it was best that Carla attend school in Oakdale, among people who hadn't known Carl. Consequently, there were rules about school attendance and homework.
Carla balked at everything, refusing to wear anything but old jackets, sneakers, tee-shirts, and dungarees. She hated to be seen in daylight and mostly skulked around the dark streets at night.Hers was a difficult case, admittedly, but the teacher had long experience with transformed juveniles and many options. The resort had provided her with subliminal attitude discs to help her, one of which offered subliminal programming to make the listener enjoy school.
It was important to get her mixing with her peers as soon as possible. Once an ex-boy became part of a normal community, Maud knew, she normally stopped rebelling and went with the flow. Though her pupil was soon attending school without kicking up a lot of fuss, Maud knew that Carla's real “learning” would not come in class, but from the subliminal lessons she was receiving every night. These lessons were intended to help transformed boys to open their eyes to the interesting and exciting possibilities of their new place in the world.
