Dirtied Hat

Owen found a strange hat on the ground one morning. It had years of wear, sunbleached with sweatstains and covered in dirt. He was about to throw it away when he got a strange feeling that he shouldn't. It seemed like a waste letting go of something with years of use. Without thinking, he put it on his head.

From the glimpses he caught of himself for the rest of the day, he couldn't help but feel like he made the right decision. There was something about the way it complimented his body and outfit, seeming to look better and better as the day went on. It felt right, like it belonged. He didn't realize it was his body changing starting the moment he put it on.

Dirt had begun to stick to his surface, much like the way it had engrained in the hat. Soon his skin had different shades from the specs that collected in patches on him, pushed into the hair follicles on his body. His clothes had aged rapidly, growing threadbare, stains and crease lines setting into the fabric. He didn't notice the short beard quickly growing into his face, or his receding hair allowing the cap to fit more snugly.

He knew something was different looking at himself for the tenth time. His clothes were much tighter than usual, wrapping around him as if they'd shrunk in the sun. That wasn't to mention how badly they smelled, almost like he'd sweat in them every day without washing them. It reminded him of a day of hard work for a farmhand.

He shook his head as if to shake the thought from it, bringing a hand to his temple. He had a headache that had been growing with the smell surrounding him. Not realizing it was his mind slowly emptying out, dumbing down, he pulled the shirt from his head thinking the situation would resolve.

Standing in the mirror with his shirt off, he was left looking at a body he didn't recognize. It had filled out with muscle, layers of dust and grime caked onto him, stuck to him from days of unwashed sweat. He looked akin to the farmhand he'd imagined. Akin to the hat he found earlier.

He pulled the hat off to look at it, confirming his suspicions that their similar appearance was uncanny. And… that was it. He no longer had the capacity for deeper thoughts, too stupid to realize it was the hat that caused it. Not that it would make a difference anyway. As he pulled it on his head again the transformation finished, his mind relaxing of all worry. Just another dirty redneck to soon end up in a field for the rest of their life.