It has taken nine years, but Cindy is finally a senior in High School. There have been some fantastic events, events that not all her friends are aware of. Cindy has a boy friend (It is really much more serious than that) and Bobbie and Andy have taken their love to the next step. Myrna Breckenridge is surprised to see that Cindy has a boyfriend; after all, she never had one before. But wasn’t there someone?
It has taken nine years, but Cindy is finally a senior in High School. There have been some fantastic events, events that not all her friends are aware of. Cindy has a boy friend (It is really much more serious than that) and Bobbie and Andy have taken their love to the next step. Myrna Breckenridge is surprised to see that Cindy has a boyfriend; after all, she never had one before. But wasn’t there someone?
If you haven’t read the previous stories about Cindy and how she arrived where she is now, you should probably read them. Start with “An Incremental Journey”, “Cynthia and the Reluctant Girlfriend”, “Cynthia and the Dumpster Diver”, “Cynthia and the Moment of Truth”, and “Cynthia and the High School Years — Part 1.” This story completes the Cynthia Chronicles, Volume 1.
Part 2 is almost as long as part 1. It is 12 chapters and 27,500 words long. There are many more stories out there, and bits and pieces are being discovered almost every day.
I have researched the Spell’s—R-Us Universe diligently and cannot find anything that violates it, other than that The Wizard is a bit kinder and gentler than sometimes reported. Don’t get me wrong. Given an opening, The Wizard could resort to some of his more ironic and nasty transformations. I’m sure that could happen at any time.
Holly really took me to task this time due to my poor sentence structure and punctuation. She wields a firm ruler and isn’t afraid to use it; my poor knuckles. Thank you so much, Holly, for making this more readable!
This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.
Chapter 1 — The more you erase; the more marks you leave.
The first day of school is pretty much the same from one year to the next. Oh, there are those little incremental changes that almost go unnoticed from year to year; however, some changes seem to stand out. Or maybe, some people are just a bit more observant than others.
Myrna Breckenridge was one of the more observant. She saw Bobbie Schmedlap and Cindy Lewis approaching … and Cindy had a man in tow! If someone had asked her to rate Bobbie and Cindy in the overall category of best friends, they had to be in the 99th percentile. Myrna knew she was considered to be a good friend, but she didn’t really concern herself with how she might be rated on a scale of friendship. It wasn’t something she felt compelled to do. She didn’t have a thing to worry about.
Myrna continued to be very grateful for the little gift they had given her the previous year. They had told her no one would notice that she had changed from a 34AA-25-34 figure to a 34D-24-36, and no one had. Her popularity, since she had always been popular, didn’t change. Her boyfriend didn’t suddenly become a sex crazed maniac because of the change in her appearance. Things just continued the way they had been, with one exception. Myrna’s self esteem had shot through the roof. She no longer worried about what other people thought about her.
Her boyfriend, Avery Mankowitz, doted on her, and he always had. Avery was a bit of a nerd, very intelligent, and not particularly handsome; however, he was a kind and gentle person with a heart of gold.
Before her change, when Myrna had accepted Avery’s request for a date, she didn’t think that he was much of a catch. She’d just looked at him as a brief diversion before she found someone more worthy of her attention. Besides, he was Jewish. What she found was that Avery was a hidden treasure. He made her laugh, he made her feel appreciated, and when she decided that she would take his virginity, she found that as inexperienced as he was, he still put her first. He never once said anything about her (in her mind) less than adequate bust line. After they made love, he held her and gently caressed her.
He was so happy that he could bring her to an orgasm that he cried. He had thought that he was a loser, but Myrna convinced him he was a winner and his self esteem increased tremendously. Later, many wondered what the voluptuous, outgoing young woman saw in the nerdish Avery. If they actually asked her, she would just smile, and if he was there, give him a hug.
Now, Myrna watched as Bobbie approached. There was definitely something different about her, a little self assured swing that hadn’t been there before. Myrna figured it out pretty quickly. She remembered a line from ‘Shakespeare in Love’: “She has been plucked since I saw her last ….”
“Well, Bobbie, congratulations are in order I see.”
“I don’t think I understand.”
“That must have been quite a send-off you gave Andy. It’s about time.”
She turned to Cindy, deliberately ignoring Bobbie’s momentary discomfort. Cindy was walking almost as far off the ground as Bobbie, and Myrna could see the source of Cindy’s elation. He was holding onto her left hand. ‘My goodness he’s good looking: tall, slender, very self assured, and totally in love with Cindy, as she is with him.
This is crazy. Cindy doesn’t have a boyfriend. She has never had a boyfriend. She’s never dated anyone more than once. There has never been a steady. … Wait a second. There had been somebody. Who the hell was it?’
“Myrna, I would like you to meet Donald Brewer. Don, this is Myrna Breckenridge. We have been friends forever.
“Don and I met at camp last month, and really hit it off. We didn’t know it then, but his dad was coming to work at my dad’s company. They moved up here from Reston, Virginia. His dad just retired from the Air Force.”
“Don, all I can say is, hang onto your hat, because you have no idea how crazy this group is.” Myrna looked at him more closely. There was something definitely familiar about him. He was so handsome, he was almost pretty. God, those dark eyes, lashes, and those very kissable lips were to die for. His short sleeved shirt showed a well sculpted body. He was probably about six foot, maybe six-one, and weighed maybe 170 lbs. His dark complexion gave him a very romantic, Latin look.
They compared schedules and discovered they had several classes together. Most of the athletic competitors had their gym class at the end of the school day, so Bobbie, Cindy, and Don had gym for their sixth period. The four of them had their core courses, English, History, and Calculus together.
Myrna was naturally inquisitive, a trait that would help her as a research scientist when she left college. Right now her curiosity was piqued at a much more local level. Cindy was in love. Cindy, the very practical, almost intellectual at times, gorgeously attractive girl who never dated anyone was in love with a beautifully handsome, almost matinee idol attractive young man who she had known for only a few weeks. He was just as in love with her. None of this made any sense. Cindy just didn’t work that way.
Well, at least there was no mystery about Bobbie and Andy. It was surprising they had held off as long as they had. One thing for sure, she certainly hadn’t needed to use any magic to bag him. Bobbie would probably be a lost cause while Andy was at Wake Forest; however, they would be meeting on holidays. ‘I wonder if witches actually use brooms’, she thought.
Since they had class together just before lunch, it was easy for them to move en mass to the cafeteria. They could talk about many things; however, magic was not among them. Magic? Don and Cindy were thicker than molasses in January. Surely, he must be aware of her powers, probably Bobbie’s too. In light of Myrna’s transformation, it was easy for her to accept other things magical, and she was certain magic had to be involved in some way.
Myrna did not have a mean or vindictive bone in her body. She never bore a grudge, and if someone hurt her, that person became ‘shrouded’ for an appropriate period of time. After that, that person would have a clean slate. There was one exception, and that was her father. He had not done anything that she felt warranted her forgiving him. Well there was one thing, and that was he was no longer causing her mother unhappiness. Actually, there were two things. His absence allowed Sharon to become a part of their lives. It was a wonderful change.
Call it curiosity if nothing else. Myrna had to find out what had happened to cause Cindy to fall head over heels in love in just a matter of weeks. The fact that he was absolutely gorgeous had nothing to do with it. The fact that he was an excellent student who had traveled all over Europe couldn’t have been the reason either. He played soccer like no one she had ever seen. She sat with Cindy on a Saturday morning as he played a pickup game with the small group of players from the local area who found soccer to be more of their liking. He could do things with the ball that were unimaginable. Soccer, soccer … what was it about soccer?
Soccer was a spring sport. American football was a fall sport, and during the fall, the American style football players had priority over the field after school. Soccer style place kicking had found its place in American football more than forty years before, but still, it wasn’t as easy as it looked, and their high school had a problem. Their place kicker from the year before had gone off to college.
“Looks like they’re still trying to find a kicker to replace Garrett,” Bobbie remarked. They were on their way to the parking lot, and as they passed the athletic field they noticed a small group of football players attempting to kick the ball through the goal posts. It was almost comical. The kicker would kick the ball, and there were about forty-seven things the ball would do, and most didn’t include kicking the ball through the uprights. The ball might flutter to the left or right, or just bound down the field in the general direction of the goal posts while doing the erratic bouncing that only a football could do.
Cindy had never been a very knowledgeable fan of football, and attended games only because that was what high school students did. “What can be so hard about kicking a ball between those posts? I see them do it all the time.”
“It’s not so much about strength as it is about timing,” Don said matter of factly. “If you don’t hit the ball just right, it can do all sorts of things, and most of them are wrong.”
They watched for a few minutes as the kickers made mostly futile attempts to get the ball to do what was desired.
“See how they plant their foot? It’s all wrong. They have to get lined up just right or they cut across the ball. That will cause it to hook or fade. If they catch it too high or too low then it will pop up or they might just kick it into the linemen.”
“Have you done this before?” Myrna asked.
“A little: we had a football team on base in Germany. We played the schools from other US bases.”
“What did you do?”
“I was their place kicker.”
“Well, why aren’t you kicking for our team?”
“I guess because I’m not particularly fond of American football.”
“Don, I think you need to go over there and show them how it’s done. We’ll just sit here and watch.”
“Cindy, do you mind? This shouldn’t take very long.”
“Go right ahead. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you do anything with a football.”
They watched as Don approached the kicking coach and the players. They could hear the conversation, but not the details. Don was going through some motions, showing how the foot needed to be planted, and how the weight should be transferred. The holder simulated taking the ball from the center, and placed it on the spot. Don effortlessly kicked the ball through the goal posts, even though he was wearing street shoes. There was a bit of a discussion, and they moved back ten yards. Don again demonstrated some adjustments, and kicked the ball through the uprights. They moved ten yards further back, and the results were the same. The girls weren’t really paying all that much attention, but the last kick had been from 50 yards out.
There was some further discussion, and they could see that Don was protesting about something. Finally, an agreement seemed to be struck, and the coach shook Don’s hand.
“What was that all about?” Cindy asked as Don returned to the group.
“Well, it seems our Friday nights are going to be busy in a different way than we thought. Apparently, I am now the place kicker for the team. Coach Robinson said he would picket our house if I didn’t sign up. Besides, he made the argument that if I was a good place kicker, it wouldn’t hurt my scholarship opportunities.”
Don got his chance in the very first game when he kicked a fifty-two yard field goal. The field goal did little to affect the final outcome of the game. Truthfully, their team was not particularly strong, and they would be fortunate to finish one game above .500 for the season. Several things were accomplished, though. Don set a league record for the number of field goals and field goal attempts, a number that happened to be the same. He did not miss an extra point, either, though there weren’t that many. He set a state record for the longest field goal, 62 yards. All this meant was that his team didn’t score very many touchdowns, and he had to kick a lot of field goal so they wouldn’t come away scoreless on a drive. He was furiously recruited by several universities.
One other thing happened, and it happened in their very first game. When the 52 yard field goal split the uprights, he gave a little fist pump and a little kick that was sort of an exclamation point. Cindy was ecstatic that he had done so well.
For Myrna, it was something else.
It created a huge amount of confusion and a feeling of real weirdness. She suddenly remembered watching a soccer game with Cindy. There was a beautiful Latina girl, who was a magician on the soccer field. This was really weird. When she scored a goal, she gave the same little fist pump and kick. She and Cindy had been lovers, and it wasn’t a secret.
This just didn’t make sense. Cindy and Don Brewer were madly in love with each other, but Cindy had been in love with a girl. Myrna was sure of it.
But that couldn’t be. Cindy was straight, maybe a bit aloof, or very selective, but she didn’t hang out with girls in that way. Well, while she and Bobbie were joined at the hip, they weren’t lovers, and never had been as far as she knew. It was almost as if two images were superimposed. She could swear she remembered Cindy and a beautiful girl walking hand in hand.
Myrna figuratively shook her head. It couldn’t be. That was Cindy and Don Brewer, but it wasn’t. The other girl was several inches shorter than Cindy. She had to have a name. If Myrna could come up with a name, maybe she could make some sense of this.
‘What was her name? Who remembered names from a dream? Her name was Don. No, that’s his name. Her name was Don. Stop that; her name was Donna. Shit, her name was Donna, Donna Brewer. His name is Donald, Don Brewer. She was an orphan. He has a family. Christ, they could be twins; brother and sister. Those eyes, those eyes are identical!
‘Something very strange is going on here, and it has to have something to do with magic. This whole thing reeks of magic.’
Myrna’s boyfriend, Avery, it was much more serious than that, was a freshman at MIT, and was unable to make the short trip home for the weekend. What it boiled down to was that Bobbie and Myrna were ‘class B’ bachelorettes, as their boyfriends were not there.
Don was able to clean up after the game at the school, he didn’t get very dirty, and he was going to take the three girls to the local drive-in for some after game refreshments.
They were relaxing in the car with their drinks, and Myrna felt it was time to ask the question that had been bothering her. “Okay everyone, I have some questions. You may throw me into the river after I ask them, but I have to know something. Something has really been bothering me.”
“Myrna, you’re our friend,” Cindy said, looking over the back of the front seat, “If you have a question, we will certainly try to answer it.”
Myrna took a deep breath. “Does Don know everything? Maybe I’ve already said too much.”
“Go ahead, it’s okay.”
“I mean does Don know everything about you and Bobbie.”
Don turned to the back seat, “Do you mean do I know that they are witches?”
“Well, that answers that question. Okay, if that’s the case, then I think I can pursue this a bit further. I have a conflict of memories, and they are all about Don, or should I say Donna.”
“Oh dear,” Bobbie said to no one in particular. “I think we just found someone outside the families who remembers. I guess the cat’s out of the bag. If Myrna remembers, then it must be alright. Cindy, why don’t we go over to your house? I think Myrna needs to know what happened and what didn’t happen. Obviously, if she’s figured out this much, it must be alright to tell her.”
“Oh my God, Don is Donna! I knew it! I knew it! This is the craziest thing I’ve ever heard of. It hit me after the field goal. I remembered your reaction. I can’t believe it. How could anything like this happen? I mean I’ve heard of sex changes, but nothing like this. I mean, Donna was an orphan, but Don has a family. This is really strange.”
“Myrna, you don’t have even an inkling of how strange, but not strange, everything is, but I guess we are going to have to tell you.
Next time: Myrna is brought fully into the group. She may not have magical ability, but she has tremendous ability in many areas. In the next chapter Myrna finds out what happened to turn Donna into Don. She also finds out about Cindy and Bobbie’s origins. She expresses her appreciation to The Wizard for what he did for her.
Well, Myrna rather quickly deduced that Don and Donna were the same person, and she realizes that the magic she has learned about must be responsible. With The Wizard’s help, they explain how the transformation took place. It was very complicated, as we know. Myrna also finds out more about Cindy and Bobbie’s origins. The cats welcome Myrna into the group.
If you haven’t read the previous stories about Cindy and how she arrived where she is now, you should probably read them. Start with “An Incremental Journey”, “Cynthia and the Reluctant Girlfriend”, “Cynthia and the Dumpster Diver”, “Cynthia and the Moment of Truth”, and “Cynthia and the High School Years — Part 1.” This story completes the Cynthia Chronicles, Volume 1.
Part 2 is almost as long as part 1. It is 12 chapters and 27,500 words long. There are many more stories out there, and bits and pieces are being discovered almost every day.
I have researched the Spell’s—R-Us Universe diligently and cannot find anything that violates it, other than that The Wizard is a bit kinder and gentler than sometimes reported. Don’t get me wrong. Given an opening, The Wizard could resort to some of his more ironic and nasty transformations. I’m sure that could happen at any time.
Holly really took me to task this time due to my poor sentence structure and punctuation. She wields a firm ruler and isn’t afraid to use it; my poor knuckles. Thank you so much, Holly, for making this more readable!
This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.
Chapter 2 — Myrna learns a lot
“Your Wisdom, we have a little situation here, and need some advice.” They were sitting around Cindy’s computer, and the scene on the screen was one that was familiar to everyone. It was the back room in The Wizard’s shop. He was puttering around, doing something they were not sure about. There was a cup of what they presumed to be coffee on the counter. A spoon was gently stirring the contents.
“I’ll be with you in a moment. Things are a mess. We had a bit of an earthquake a while ago, and I had to put up a family of mongooses until the water receded after the tidal wave.
“Now, I guess there might be a bit of a problem, but it’s nothing that’s going to do any damage. You have to understand something. There is no such thing as an accident. ‘Accidents’ are just things that occur at the far end of the probability scale. There are no such things as miracles either. It is easy to ascribe the term miracle to something when the science isn’t understood, or if an event has just been fabricated. It’s all about probabilities and science.”
“Your Wisdom, I think we can discuss those things later. Right now we have to deal with some things that to most appear to be miracles.” Cindy did not want to go into the philosophical area at the moment. She just wanted to know how to deal with the revelation that Don had been Donna, but really hadn’t been.
“Certainly: hello, Myrna, it’s amazing how you took just a residual bit of information left over from a universe that doesn’t exist any longer, and you came to the right conclusion. I think the best way to look at it is to imagine a zipper.
“There was a timeline where Donna existed. We took that zipper apart back at the time where Donna was conceived, and created one where the embryo was as biologically close to Donna as possible, with the exception it was Don. There was one other thing going on. At the same time we started eliminating the time line that Donna grew up in. That may not be the best description. You know how sometimes a zipper comes apart and you have to get it started by putting it together manually? Well, that’s what we did here. This is really an over simplification at best.
"Donna and Don were raised by the same family in each time line. We did quite a bit of manipulation so that the two universes were virtually identical. In Donna’s universe, there were a series of tragic events that led to Donna being sent to the children’s home, and eventually living with the Andersons and meeting all of you at school.
“Now, we have to deal with Don’s universe. Because of just a few differences, the tragic events that occurred in Donna’s universe never happened in Don’s Universe. Don’s family continues to thrive right up to the present.
“You might ask how come Don and Cindy are getting along so well, and I can certainly understand why you might ask that question. After all, they have known each other for only a few weeks. The answer is yes and no. Myrna, Don is Donna, as you figured out. Several weeks ago, Don’s family was in Reston, Virginia with Don. At the same time, Donna was up here. We had stitched, or zipped the two universes back together. Donna came to me and we terminated her universe and her physical being. We reconnected the two universes, and Donna’s spirit was taken back some seventeen years and inserted in Don’s embryo.
“Don grew up as Don; however, all of Donna’s memories were in a compartment in his mind just waiting to be released. Of course it wouldn’t do to release those memories too soon, because if we did, we would have an extremely frustrated Don wanting to get back with the woman he loved when he was Donna. We couldn’t have Don appear until after Donna’s time line had been reconnected with this one. He did that a week after the termination of Donna’s time line. Needless to say, Cindy knew who he was immediately.
“When the timeline with Donna was closed out, it was absolutely essential that a number of people in this universe knew about Donna. The seaming of the two universes wouldn’t accomplish what had to be done unless this small group, including you, Myrna, knew about the dual existence of Don/Donna.”
Myrna contemplated what she had been hearing The Wizard saying. Something going on that was far bigger than any of them realized was going on. She decided she wasn’t going to pursue that for a while. She realized one thing for sure. Cindy and Don were the central characters in this thing, whatever it was.
“So, do you have any questions?”
“Only five or six thousand, but they’ll have to wait. I do have something to say, though.”
“And what is that?”
“I want to thank you for that little present of lingerie. I know it was a gift from Bobbie and Cindy, but I know you made it possible. It means a lot to me. I know that it was somewhat selfish of me, but your gift has given me confidence to do more important things. I will be thankful to you forever. I am sure over the years I will be thankful for many things, but I just want to thank you for the opportunities you have given me, whatever, they might be.”
There was a bit of silence, and Bobbie, Cindy, and Don realized they had a true and valuable friend.
Maddy, Silky, and Chloe had been sitting back, listening to The Wizard explain what had happened. It was no big deal to Maddy, who had known all along what was going on. She had accepted it as just what had to be done.
Although Myrna had been aware of the magic possessed by Cindy, Randi, and Bobbie, she was not aware of the roles played by Maddy and the two kittens under her tutelage. They had been sitting back while listening to The Wizard trying to put into simple terms what had been going on with Don/Donna and the rest of them.
Maddy jumped to the computer desk took a few steps and gently descended to Myrna’s lap. She gently kneaded Myrna’s thighs, and then pushed up against her breasts. “Myrna, we are so happy you are here. Even though you don’t have the magic some of us have, you have your own special magic. You are part of us.”
Myrna gently stroked Maddy, then stopped. She looked down to the pretty little cat, as it suddenly dawned on her what she was doing. “Holy shit, you can talk. I wonder what other surprises are in store for me?”
“Well, Chloe and Silky can talk, too, but they’re just learning. They’ll get better.” Myrna would never be able to ‘mind speak’ with the cats, but she never had any trouble understanding their spoken words.
“Myrna,” The Wizard added, “before I go, I want to let you know that there are a number of other things that you will be learning about this group. There are some restrictions on what you will be able to discuss outside this group, but I am sure you understand why.
“All of you are so young, and you have so much to learn and experience. There will be some wonderful experiences over the years, but the most important thing for all of you is to enjoy life and each other. Myrna, you will be able to bring Avery into this circle. He will understand as Andy does now. Have fun, go to school, help each other, and don’t be afraid to explore. If you have a question about something, don’t be afraid to ask. I will always be reachable.
“There is one other thing, well, three, actually. Cindy, Bobbie, and Randi have some interesting stories to tell you. I think you will find them very enlightening.
“I will talk to all of you later."
The screen blinked out, and they sat quietly for a few minutes.
“Did I open up a can of worms, or what?” Myrna exclaimed.
“You have to realize something, Myrna. If we can talk about it, we are supposed to. The Wizard is very powerful; however, he is just the tip of an iceberg,” Bobbie commented.
“The thing that got me wondering about the Don/Donna thing was that physically it didn’t make sense. I know about these sex change operations; however, there is nothing in medical science that could take that beautiful, five foot, six inch Donna and turn her into this six-one handsome hunk that Don is.”
Don was a bit embarrassed about all the attention he was receiving. “In spite of The Wizard’s assurances, I was scared to death that Cindy wouldn’t like me. I mean we were pretty serious about each other as women. We had a very special relationship, and after all the misery I went through, Cindy was the most beautiful bright ray of hope that I could ever have wished for.
“I did a horrible thing leaving her like I did, but I had to. Thank God, she forgave me.”
Cindy grabbed Don, and put him in a lip-lock that probably curled his toes. “There was nothing to forgive. How could I be mad about having the person I love come back to me? I didn’t know the details at that time, but when I realized this beautiful person was the same person I thought I had lost, everything else was immaterial. I learned a long time ago not to question some of the things I’ve been privy to. If we ever find out one tenth of what’s going on, I’ll be surprised.
“I never told Donna about my origin; however, The Wizard did. He had to. Have you ever heard of ‘Spells ‘R’ Us’?”
“I can’t say that I have.”
“That’s not surprising. There are generally two types of individuals who find out about the shop. That’s the name of his shop: ‘Spells ‘R’ Us’. It’s a magic shop, loaded with all sorts of real magic. You’ve seen the inside of his back room over our computers. The shop is notorious in transgender lore. Transgendered individuals hope to find the shop, and use the magic to correct their gender problems. Most of the time, these changes are for the better. Sometimes, they backfire. The Wizard has little use for criminals, pedophiles, wife abusers and the like. He also has little use for boys who come into the shop looking for a potion to change their girlfriends into sex crazed bimbos. There have been a number of occasions where the boy or man found himself ending up in the girl’s shoes — literally.
“Over the years, I have seen him perform literally dozens of transformations. I haven’t seen one where I didn’t think the outcome was justified. He does have a strong sense of irony, and sometimes his solutions are rather severe; however, he is not an evil person.”
“You keep talking about transformations. Do you mean he turns dogs into cats, and things like that?”
“Yeah, things like that. You know what happened to Don. That was a transfer of the soul or spirit. Most of what he does is turning boys or men into girls or women. He does have a bit of a breast fetish. In the area of actual transformations, I’m only aware of one female to male transformation. That involved a couple who exchanged genders. They didn’t know what going to happen, but it worked out for the better. I checked on that one a couple of years ago, and it really did work out well.
“He does many of what I would call ‘new start’ transformations. Bobbie and I have been witness to several of those. Some of them have been especially nice.”
“I may be sticking my neck out here, but I guess you are one of The Wizard’s ‘victims’. May I ask what happened?”
“It’s a long story, but my change was similar to Don’s. My spirit was put in this body after the original spirit had to leave. This body almost died, but with the help of some magic and time, it was healed, and I was allowed to move in. The original spirit who helped Don’s spirit move in helped me, too.”
“Do your …?”
“Do my parents know? Yes they do. I have had a more wonderful life than I could have ever imagined. I brought Cindy back to Mom and Dad. They couldn’t be happier about the outcome.”
Myrna looked at Bobbie. “So, Bobbie is one, too, isn’t she? You two share too many knowing glances, and are just too close not to have shared in this sort of thing.”
“Yeah, I was Cindy’s first project. I had known for years that I was a girl trapped in a boy’s body. My family knew, and they were very supportive. A lot went on that we don’t need to go into now, but Cindy gave me a gift similar to what we gave you. Mine did involve a complete sex change. I was nine years old, and my life really began then. There hasn’t been one thing about it that I haven’t been thankful for.”
“Including Andy, I imagine.”
Bobbie’s pale freckled complexion turned quite red. “Especially Andy; I don’t think I need to say anything else.”
Next time: Marissa and Cindy have a ‘mother-daughter’ conversation. Marissa proves to be much wiser about things than was first indicated. Cindy comes to the conclusion that her mother is a witch, and just like Bobbie’s mother, Sally, something has happened to prevent her magic from developing. There are some problems at school. Three of the students are particularly bigoted, and don’t hold back about revealing their displeasure with Don’s racial origin. This is a project for The Wizard.
By Portia Bennett
Marissa and Cindy have a ‘mother-daughter’ conversation. Marissa proves to be much wiser about things than was first indicated. Cindy comes to the conclusion that her mother is a witch, and just like Bobbie’s mother, Sally, something has happened to prevent her magic from developing. There are some problems at school. Three of the students are particularly bigoted, and don’t hold back about revealing their displeasure with Don’s racial origin. This is a project for The Wizard.
If you haven’t read the previous stories about Cindy and how she arrived where she is now, you should probably read them. Start with An Incremental Journey, Cynthia and the Reluctant Girlfriend, Cynthia and the Dumpster Diver, Cynthia and the Moment of Truth, and Cynthia and the High School Years — Part 1. This story, the twelve chapters, completes the Cynthia Chronicles, Volume 1.
Part 2 is almost as long as part 1. It is 12 chapters and 27,500 words long. There are many more stories out there, and bits and pieces are being discovered almost every day.
I have researched the Spell’s—R-Us Universe diligently and cannot find anything that violates it, other than that The Wizard is a bit kinder and gentler than sometimes reported. Don’t get me wrong. Given an opening, The Wizard could resort to some of his more ironic and nasty transformations. I’m sure that could happen at any time.
Holly really took me to task this time due to my poor sentence structure and punctuation. She wields a firm ruler and isn’t afraid to use it; my poor knuckles. Thank you so much, Holly, for making this more readable!
This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.
Chapter 3 — Mother daughter time, and bigotry shows up.
Cindy and Don knew that they would consummate their love for each other in the near future; however, there was no rush. They knew they were committed, and even if Donna’s transformation hadn’t happened, they would have been together for the rest of their lives.
Marissa wasn’t sure if she wanted to have more children, or not, but there were no signs that her child bearing years were close to being over. She was rather adamant that she didn’t want children younger than Cindy’s children; however, if that did happen, she probably wouldn’t mind. She knew that Cindy wouldn’t wait much longer before taking the final step with Don, and the thought of her making love with Don didn’t bother her that much.
“Mom, we need to talk.”
“Sure, baby, what’s on your mind?”
“First of all, I want to thank you for being so accepting of Donna, and now Don. I don’t think I know of very many parents who would have accepted Donna like you did, and now it’s as if there was no difference, in spite of the transformation.”
“It wasn’t difficult at all. We knew how you felt about Donna, and it was really none of our business about your preferences. I think we knew that it went much deeper than just a female/female thing. You and Donna were soul mates, and there is no reason for us to think anything different about Don.
“Knowing what we know about events, Bobbie would be a good example; the change from Donna to Don was a correction. I think that The Wizard’s cabal intended for a long time for you and Don to get together; except that Donna appeared rather than Don. They probably didn’t expect you and Donna to get along so well; however, that worked out well, because after the transition, Don continued to be the perfect person for you. I think they are letting nature take its course for now, but I think we are being gently manipulated in a kind sort of way.
“For example, the little alteration I went through, both physically and mentally, facilitated saving Randi. They could have done it differently, but I think they want us to be close together. That includes Bobbie’s family, too. The Wizard let something slip, and I mentioned it the other day. All of my daughters, if I have any more, will be witches.”
“Mom, were there any witches or suspected witches on your side of the family?”
“I don’t really have any way of knowing. As you know, I was adopted, and have no idea about my birth ancestors. I thought after Mom and Dad passed away that I might try to research my ancestry; however, it has never had a great priority.”
“Mom, whether you realize it or not, you are a witch, and dad has to have witches in his ancestry as well. Lore has it, and I think it’s pretty much established, that the witch trait is passed down through the female line. My biology and physiology classes pretty much back this up. The witch gene is carried on the X chromosome and it has to be a recessive gene. That is, it has to be paired with the recessive from the X chromosome donated by the father.
“Boys aren’t witches. They are sorcerers and wizards, and they have to be from a different combination of factors that might include the witch gene, but there have to be some other factors. I am pretty sure about this, and what you say about all your daughters being witches means that both of your X chromosomes have to carry the recessive. You are a witch, there is no other answer. Something must have happened so that the magic genes never kicked in.
“You’re like Bobbie’s mom.”
“Oh?”
“Oops, she doesn’t know it, and we haven’t told her. We’re still trying to figure out what to do about it. Gramma Naomi feels awful about it. She’s a witch, too. There was a little accident when Bobbie’s mom was growing up, and she erased her mind. It’s like losing a link in a computer program. The power’s there but we can’t figure out how to restore the link to get to it and make it work. This means that Bobbie’s dad is carrying the trait, too.
“I think these things will work out over the years. I don’t think there is too much concern on The Wizard’s part. He’s kinda looking out for all of us.
“Now here’s the other thing I needed to tell you. The Wizard gave Bobbie and me a couple of rather involved spells. The first one involved our ability to recognize female to male transgendered individuals. That’s working pretty well right now; however, that situation is not nearly as frequent as Bobbie’s and mine were, and we haven’t had much opportunity for practice.
“The other one is a spell that prevents ovulation. What it means is that I am now on birth control without having to use protection. One of the affects of the spell is that it preserves all the eggs. They are not lost or absorbed. Right now I have about 250,000 to 300,000 eggs. You have maybe 20,000. I think there is an implication here about extending our lives. I have found that this spell can work on any woman, but only those who have magic can implement it.
“We have a lot of time to work out many of the details, and I think that’s why Myrna is involved in this. She wants to be a research biologist specializing in human reproduction. I think one of the things she’ll be working on is this little phenomenon.
“Mom, you are 40. If I shut down your ovulation, it might appear you are entering menopause; however, we can keep track of your hormone levels and determine that your ovaries are still functioning. If you want another baby, we just turn the factory back on, and let daddy do his thing.
“Speaking of that, Don and I will be making love the way men and women do it, and I don’t think we will be waiting too much longer. It doesn’t matter whether or not there has been influence from elsewhere; we are so right for each other. I just want to assure you that we won’t be making any babies for a while. I think I want to get a degree in psychology or psychiatry. That means we are looking at six to ten years, or even more, before I finish school. Don hasn’t made up his mind yet; however, he is leaning toward law. He’s still thinking about professional athletics, but he admits that he may outgrow that.
“This whole tapestry is so interwoven. Bobbie wants to play professional golf, but she will retire from the tour when she is still young. She wants to go into youth counseling, and I think we will be working together.”
“So, do you and Don intend to get married some day?”
“I think Don feels even more strongly than I do about that, and I feel very strongly that we will; however, I think we will wait until close to the end of our undergraduate studies.”
“Well, my little girl is growing up, but don’t be in too much of a rush.”
“I’m not, Mom. I’ve been so blessed to be able to have lived my youth over as I have. This time, though, I am much better prepared to face adulthood.”
Their mother-daughter talk was interrupted by two seven-year olds bursting into the kitchen. “Mom, can Ginny and me have a snack?”
“Now, Randi, that should be, ‘May Ginny and I have a snack?’”
“Okay,” she responded with a bit of a vexed voice, “but, can we?”
“Sure, we’ll work on the grammar later.”
Ginny, with a wide smile, looked up at the mother and daughter. “You were one of Santa’s elves, weren’t you?” she asked Cindy. “You helped Santa a lot, and your friend did, too. Someday, I’m going to help Santa, too.”
They watched the two little girls rush out to the deck, nearly spilling their lemonade. “Do you think she remembers?” Marissa asked quietly.
“I don’t think so. The Wizard said she might when she reaches adolescence. It’s hard to say whether she remembers me from before or after the transformation. Hopefully, she won’t be burdened by those memories. Besides, she’s having too much fun being a little girl.
“It is interesting that Randi seems to know it all. We never told her, but she knew instantly what had happened when Ginny returned to school after Christmas. It’s just like when Don and I came to you in the kitchen that first day we got back together. She didn’t bat an eye when she saw Don. She just said she was glad he was back. She’s scary.”
“That’s all we need around here is another beaner. Those damn Mex’cans are taking over the country. They’re taking our jobs, and the next thing you know, they’ll be taking our women. This country’s for honest white folks.”
Cindy had just about had enough. She was studying in the library with Bobbie, doing some research for a combined project. She knew the conversation was pointed at her and her relationship with Don. As far as everyone at the school was concerned, Cindy had never formed a relationship with any of the male students before. She hung around with Bobbie and Myrna, but Bobbie and Myrna had boy friends they were deeply involved with.
Now school had started, and Cindy was seriously dating someone who hadn’t even lived in the area the year before. Not only that, he was ‘Mex’can’. He wasn’t even white.
“Do you know how many Mex’cans it takes to eat a ‘possum’?”
“No, how many?”
“Three. Two have to watch for cars.”
The three boys laughed uproariously.
The librarian had had enough. “Boys, any more noise, and you will have to leave.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the ring leader said while silently snickering. His name was Tommy Bolt, but everyone called him Terrible Tommy. The other two were Dougie Sanders and Fletcher McElroy. They came from working class families. Their mothers had tried to raise them properly; however, their abusive, hard drinking fathers had negated any efforts to make them socially acceptable.
“Did you hear about the Mex’can who tried to get a job rounding up cattle?” Tommy said in a not too quiet whisper. “They had to fire him. He was so greasy that he kept sliding out of the saddle.” There were a bunch of muffled snickers.
Cindy was fuming, and she had had enough. She quietly got up and approached the three.
“What’s your problem, bitch? You finally decided to find some real men rather than some greasy foreigner?”
“Tommy, shut your mouth and don’t say another word. That goes for you two as well. I think it’s time you learned some manners. For the rest of the hour you will study quietly. I will meet you at the mall after school by the Hallmark Shop.”
Cindy returned to her chair. “Bobbie, I don’t know what to do about them. If I just turn them over to The Wizard, he’s likely to turn them into bimbos. I don’t think that will do anyone any good. I know this; whatever The Wizard does, it will be final. Maybe we can come up with something that will be meaningful. I don’t think there is any hope for them the way they are now.
“I guess I could be accused of trying to get even with them. I could use more persuasion to keep them quiet, but that won’t cure their problems. I just haven’t had that much experience with this sort of thing. I know this. If we don’t do something, many bad things could happen. I don’t want to see Don getting into a fight over this. I think he can handle himself, but a fight isn’t the answer. No one wins in that sort of situation.”
Later that afternoon Cindy, Don, and Bobbie arrived at the mall to find three puzzled youths waiting for them in front of the Hallmark Shop. In a matter of seconds, the store shifted. Cindy opened the door and bade the youths to enter.
“I’m in the back, Cindy. Bring them back. Everything is ready.”
The boys, still silent, skittered away from the wolf when he snarled at them. The wolf wagged his tail as the other three passed.
“Boys, take a seat on that sofa. Let’s see: Tom, Doug, and Fletcher; you make quite the trio, don’t you?”
The three sat silently on the sofa, their eyes darting around the room.
“I’m sorry, Your Wisdom, I told them to be quiet, and didn’t take the spell off.”
“That was probably for the better after what I’ve found out about these hoodlums.
“Boys you may speak when spoken to. The rest of the time you will remain politely quiet. I’ve been doing a bit of research since Cindy called me, and I must say you are getting an early start for a disastrous life. Let’s see, Tommy and Fletcher, I see a little incidence of statutory rape here. What do you have to say about that?”
“She was begging for it, and Fletcher and me busted her cherry for her.”
“Hmmmm, and she was just 14. The complications of the early pregnancy could have killed her. It is ectopic, and she’s afraid to tell her mother. She’ll tell her now, but unfortunately, the baby will be lost. It never would have made it to term. There is nothing that can be done about it.
“I also see you’ve been selling a little pot at the park on Saturdays. Well that little venture ceases right now. Doug, tell me about this cross burning incident.”
“Yes sir, me and Tommy went with our dads over to the Willow Creek Division. There were some niggers who moved in there. They don’t belong in that neighborhood, and we were just encouraging them to move out.”
“I see you have some plans to do something similar to the Brewers. Why would you want to do anything like that to them?”
“My dad says that they’re here because the ACLU wants the Spics to move in, and those two Spic kids are just the beginning.”
“All right, that’s enough.” The Wizard turned to the others. “I don’t think you were aware of these other things, and believe me, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Their mothers are good people, but they can’t overcome what their husbands have done. The husbands are going to be arrested later today on a huge list of federal hate crimes. Their divorces have already been finalized. They will be going to prison for many years and may not survive. I won’t assist that in either way.
“But, what do we do about these three and their families? Their mothers, brothers and sisters shouldn’t suffer for what those three men have done. Well, it turns out that their mothers are very enterprising ladies. They are going to start a very profitable cottage industry that will, in a matter of a year or so, bring in more money than they are getting now.
“These three are going to be very important in the success of their families. That’s what good daughters should do. They are going to be good daughters and mothers to be.”
The three boys began to look rather uncomfortable.
“I think you three are getting a bit hungry. Have some jelly beans. The pink ones are especially good. I want you to understand how wrong the direction you have been going is. I don’t want you dwelling on the evil you have done, but I want you to understand how bad it was, and I want you to make an honest effort to do the right thing. Obviously, being seventeen is not the correct spot to start. I think that going back before puberty will give you a good place to start from. That way you can unlearn many of those bad habits you picked up.”
The changes took place rapidly, and it wasn’t long before three ten year old girls were sitting there. Each girl was in awe of what had happened to the other two, not realizing that the same had happened to her.
“What I am saying now is for everyone’s benefit. This is not punishment. I could have let society punish you, the miscreants that you are; however, you would never amount to anything, and the life of crime you would lead would just lead to your early deaths and, worse yet, harm to many innocent people. This way, you will never forget what you did, but that life will only be a fading memory. You are going to learn how to be productive people. I am going to give you an opportunity. In seven years, you may come back to me. If you think the life you will lead during that time was a waste, I will let you go back to what you would have been had I not changed you. I don’t do this very often; however, I will give you that chance.
“Your mothers will be here in a few minutes to pick you up. I expect to hear good things about you.”
Sure enough, their mothers arrived to pick them up just minutes later. By that time, the shop appeared to be a beauty parlor. The girls had been getting a makeover for the formal tea they were going to the next day. They were positively adorable with their new make up and hair styles.
“So, will they come back in seven years?” Bobbie asked.
“Only Tommie will come back, more out of curiosity than anything else. I will show her what he would be doing if this change had never happened. She won’t be able to see anything, and will want to know why. It’s easy, I will tell her, there’s not much light inside a coffin six feet underground. She will rejoin her boyfriend and never question what happened again. What I will show her is the truth. He wouldn’t have made it through next year.
Next time: Not surprisingly, there is a small and decreasing population of witches in the New England area. Word about Cindy, Bobbie, and Randi is out there; thanks to publications like The Journal of Witchcraft and word of mouth, much initiated by The Wizard. The New England Coven holds a meeting in the girls’ home town, and they and their mothers are invited. Marissa and Sally find out who they really are, but Marissa probably knew for a long time. Maddy and her two students perform for everyone, and Randi is up to her usual tricks.
By Portia Bennett
Not surprisingly, there is a small and decreasing population of witches in the New England area. Word about Cindy, Bobbie, and Randi is out there; thanks to publications like The Journal of Witchcraft and word of mouth, much initiated by The Wizard. The New England Coven holds a meeting in the girls’ home town, and they and their mothers are invited. Marissa and Sally find out who they really are, but Marissa probably knew for a long time. Maddy and her two students, Silky and Chloe, perform for everyone, and Randi is up to her usual tricks.
I decided to go on and post Chapter 5, also. There is not a lot of action; however, there is an important discussion concerning the event that led to Sally’s early mind erasure. This chapter is really the set-up for Chapter 6, which concerns a significant confrontation between Cindy and Bobbie.
If you haven’t read the previous stories about Cindy and how she arrived where she is now, you should probably read them. Start with An Incremental Journey, Cynthia and the Reluctant Girlfriend, Cynthia and the Dumpster Diver, Cynthia and the Moment of Truth, and Cynthia and the High School Years — Part 1. This story, the twelve chapters, completes the Cynthia Chronicles, Volume 1.
Part 2 is almost as long as part 1. It is 12 chapters and 27,500 words long. There are many more stories out there, and bits and pieces are being discovered almost every day.
I have researched the Spell’s—R-Us Universe diligently and cannot find anything that violates it, other than that The Wizard is a bit kinder and gentler than sometimes reported. Don’t get me wrong. Given an opening, The Wizard could resort to some of his more ironic and nasty transformations. I’m sure that could happen at any time.
Holly really took me to task this time due to my poor sentence structure and punctuation. She wields a firm ruler and isn’t afraid to use it; my poor knuckles. Thank you so much, Holly, for making this more readable!
This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.
Chapter 4 — The meeting of the Coven. Mistakes and secrets revealed.
“Mom, there’s a little mother - daughter thing this Saturday night, and we’re invited. Cindy, Randi, and her mom will be there. We’d like for you to be there, too. You might meet some nice people.
“Does this have anything to do with all that magic stuff that you and Cindy are involved in?”
“Well, yes. The Wizard said he thought it would be nice if some of the families could get together once in a while. After all, we are a rather select group, and we have to work on the fringes as it is. It might give you an opportunity to meet some other families who have to deal with having magical offspring.”
“This is not like one of those Tupperware Parties is it? I don’t like going to those things, and then feeling obligated to buy something I don’t really need.”
“No, it won’t be like that at all. I think some folks will be coming in from Massachusetts and New York. It’s going to be like a mutual support group. We have a lot of responsibility, and this will give us a chance to talk about some of the problems we have to face?”
“How many non-magical people are going to be there?”
“I don’t really know. We’ll just have to find out when we get there. I think it will be fun. The Wizard is going to do a presentation on multiple object levitation. That should be interesting.”
It was October, and Bobbie and Andy had just spent most of the previous weekend together. Andy had caught a commuter flight from Winston-Salem for the Columbus Day Holiday and Bobbie had driven to Hartford to pick him up. He had been one of the first to get off the plane; however, the gate area was empty by the time their embrace ended. There had been a few tears of happiness. His single bag was by itself at the baggage carousel when they arrived to pick it up.
They spent Friday and Sunday nights with their families; however, they’d spent Saturday night at the same bed and breakfast they had gone to before school started.
True love is a precious thing, and Bobbie and Andy were very secure in their relationship. They had spent a wonderful weekend together before school had started, with their parents’ approval. They had held off making love for quite a while; however, they had known it was going to happen, and the consensus was that they were better off having a private weekend together, rather than sneaking off. It didn’t hurt to know that infallible birth control was being used thanks to The Wizard’s spell that Bobbie and Cindy were now practicing.
The mother/daughter meeting/get together was held in the club house of a local condominium complex. To everyone on the outside, it appeared to be a DAR meeting. And in all actuality, most of the attendees probably could have qualified for DAR membership if they’d cared to.
The Lewis’s and Schmedlaps were greeted at the door by Esmeralda Mather and Evelyn Alden, the two ladies who had brought the kittens to the animal shelter. Although the girls hadn’t been aware of it at the time, the two ladies were sisters.
Esmeralda and Evelyn introduced the Lewis’s and Schmedlaps to several groups of ladies. In all, there had to be about thirty present. It became quickly evident that Cindy, Bobbie, and Randi were the youngest there. The Wizard was talking with one group of ladies who seemed a bit in awe of the old master. They were equally in awe when he was greeted with hugs and kisses from the Schmedlaps and Lewis’s. Randi’s familiarity with him raised some eyebrows. Apparently, this sort of thing just wasn’t done; however, no one had bothered to inform the two families.
There was some sort of agenda, and Esmeralda herded the ladies to their seats. Evelyn took the floor. “Ladies, we have a very special evening in store for us tonight. I want to thank the representatives from Long Island, the Hudson River Valley, Greater Hartford, and western Massachusetts for being here. Unfortunately, the Boston representatives could not be here due to the untimely death of Margaret Hamilton this morning. I know many of you will be attending her funeral next Tuesday.
“This is a very special time for us. Today we are welcoming two families into our little association. In a time when our membership continues to decrease, it is so heartwarming to recognize Cindy and Randi Lewis, and Bobbie Schmedlap into the sisterhood. We never knew until a few years ago that there were three new members just learning to spread their wings in the noble art of witchcraft.
“Please also welcome their mothers, Marissa Lewis and Sally Schmedlap. We are so glad to have you here.”
Evelyn’s little speech was interrupted by the sound of a door opening and closing at the rear of the room. Neither Marissa Lewis nor Sally Schmedlap looked back; however, Bobbie and Cindy did. Bobbie gave a little gasp. It was Grandmother Naomi who put a finger to her lips as she sat at the back of the room, the wolf sitting at her side.
Evelyn continued. “Our latest census indicated there were 173 of us in the New England/New York area, and to find there were three new members in one city has been very exciting. Hopefully, we will find more before the conference in Salem next year.
“In addition to our new members, we are honored tonight to have in our presence the SRU Wizard and his companion, Wolf. His Wisdom will be discussing the art of multiple levitations. As you are well aware, our talents may be stronger in some areas than in others. For those of us who are not levitation specialists, learning how to do multiple levitations might prove to be very useful.
“We are also honored to have a special guest from Visalia, California, Naomi Ward, President of the Central California Coven. Naomi is Bobbie Schmedlap’s grandmother.”
Sally Schmedlap gave a startled turn toward the rear of the room. “Mother! What are you doing here?”
“Why, I came to see my daughter and granddaughter. We’ll talk later.”
“Obviously, this is a surprise for her family as well as for the rest of us,” Evelyn remarked. Then picking up where she had left off, “As I mentioned a moment ago, His Wisdom will be talking about the art of levitation. Not only is His Wisdom an expert on levitation, he has recently written monographs on “The Effects of Slow Transformations Versus Fast Transformations”, “Gender Change as a Disciplinary Tool”, and “The Proper Treatment of the Male Chauvinist”. All have gone into multiple printings.
“With that, I welcome His Wisdom, The SRU Wizard.”
There was light applause as The Wizard came forward accompanied by two chairs, a floor standing ashtray, and a coat rack.
He spent several minutes demonstrating and discussing how to partition spells to address multiple objects. He kept several objects suspended while at the same time, he imparted different motions to each. He had some rotating in place, while others were in various orbits around him.
Randi watched intently for a while before she went to the refreshment table. She retrieved eight chocolate chip cookies, and soon had them imitating the motions of the objects The Wizard was using for demonstration. Only Naomi and The Wizard picked up on what Randi was doing.
The Wizard placed the objects on the floor; then looked back at Randi. He didn’t smile, but winked at her. She got the message immediately. Saving two cookies, she sent the other six back to the tray at the refreshment table.
“Now, we need some volunteers for the next demonstration. Randi, if you would be my assistant, please bring those two ping pong balls that Gramma Naomi has to me.”
Randi, very pleased that she could be involved in something important, ran over to Naomi and grabbed the two ping pong balls. She raced up the aisle and handed them to The Wizard.
“Did you bring that other ‘thing’ I asked you to bring?”
“Yes, Your Wisdom.”
“Fine, bring it up here and put it on the table.”
Randi raced back to her seat, briefly rummaged through the small satchel bag she seemed to carry everywhere, and pulled out half of the pet door she had modified. She returned to the front, and The Wizard took it from her and placed it on the table. He had Randi stand to one side.
“As some of you are aware, Randi is a rather talented young lady. This is half of the pet door she constructed a while ago. You may have read about it in my article in The Journal of Witchcraft last fall.”
He turned to the door. “Are you ready, Maddy?”
“Yes, Your Wisdom.” Maddy’s sweet little voice came through the door. She, followed by Silky and Chloe, popped through the door, and sat quietly on the table, drawing several gasps of surprise from some in the audience.
“For those who haven’t met her, Maddy is Cindy’s associate, Chloe is Bobbie’s, and Silky is Randi’s. Maddy is very proficient at levitating, and she is an excellent instructor. They are going to demonstrate with these ping pong balls some of the things she has been teaching the two kittens.
“The floor is yours, Maddy.”
Maddy and the kittens put on a very entertaining demonstration for several minutes. They had the balls going all over the room, doing loops and drastic changes of direction. For their finale, Chloe and Silky played a very vigorous game of ping pong on the ping pong table, never touching the balls. When the game was over, they received a nice round of applause. The three, cat and kittens, stood on their hind legs and bowed to the audience. Maddy then shooed the kittens through the door and followed.
“Now, for the final demonstration, I would like two volunteers. I think Sally Schmedlap and Marissa Lewis will do nicely.”
The two looked questioningly at each other, but stood and came slowly forward. The Wizard had them stand at opposite sides of the table, facing each other. He then levitated a ping pong ball about two feet above the surface of the table.
“I am going to hold the ball at its current level. I want both of you to concentrate on the ball. You may close your eyes if you want. I want you to imagine its weight and feel. I’m sure you’ve played ping pong in the past, so that shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
“Now, Marissa, try to imagine that you are pushing the ball. It might help to think that it is on a slope. Imagine that it is on this slope and that you are pushing it towards Sally. Just feel the ball in your mind. Feel that dry, slick surface. Sense how light it is. Now, just gently push it. The ball is very light, isn’t it?”
Slowly, the ball began to move towards Sally. Marissa was watching the entire time. If anyone had noticed, a little smile was showing at the corners of her mouth. The ball stopped about a foot in front of Sally.
“Okay, Sally, I want you to do the same thing Marissa did. I want you to imagine, no, I want you to sense the ping pong ball. I want you to sense how light it is, how easy it is for the slightest breeze to move it. Pretend your thoughts are that breeze. Now, just push the ball down the slope towards Marissa.”
“Why, I can’t do anything like that. I’m just Bobbie’s mother.”
“And, Naomi’s daughter,” The Wizard added.
Sally suddenly panicked. She looked at Evelyn, and then at her mother, who just smiled back at her daughter. “Mother, you’re a witch?”
“Yes dear, as Evelyn said, I am the President of the Central California Coven. Why don’t you try to do what The Wizard said? You’re doing pretty well so far.”
“I’m not doing anything. The Wizard’s doing that.”
“I’m not doing anything, Sally. You’ve been controlling the ball ever since Marissa turned control over to you. Go ahead, give it a little push. Just feel it in your mind. Remember Newton’s Law of Motion. Once you start it rolling, it won’t take much to keep it going. The only resistance you will feel is due to the air.”
Sally looked at the ball, and it slowly started to move towards Marissa, picking up speed.
“Push it from the side a little, so it goes around Marissa.”
The ball started to deflect a bit to the right. As it passed Marissa, she reached out and grabbed it with her left hand.
“What are you doing? I mean, why are you telling me that I am doing this?”
“For the simple reason you are, my darling daughter,” Naomi said while pulling Sally into a hug. “You are one of us, and always have been: just as Marissa is. We’ve known about both of you for quite a while. I’ll explain everything to you in a while.”
“That’s why you knew about Bobbie, the way she was before. I knew there was something strange there.
“How did you get here? I mean, I talked to you this afternoon, and you were in Visalia.”
“We came with His Wisdom. We met him at the Mall, and he brought us here in his shop. Your father is down the hall watching a football game. We thought we would surprise you with a visit. We’re going to have dinner at the Lewis’s tomorrow. Then we will go back to Visalia tomorrow evening with His Wisdom.”
“What’s going on, Mom?”
“Well, for now, you just need to know that you and Marissa are witches, too. We’ll explain everything later. Right now the only thing that matters is for you to realize you are part of a very special group, and that you are very welcome.”
Evelyn had a few more remarks, and announced the next meeting would be in Providence, Rhode Island. After the meeting was adjourned, the other ladies lingered to welcome Sally, Marissa, and their daughters. Warm hugs were shared by all.
Chapter 5 — A very pleasant dinner
“Cindy, you have no idea how much you mean to us. You have been a catalyst for so many things. When Sally called us and said that that someone was harassing Bobbie about her being transgendered, and had given her a gift certificate from the Spells ‘R’ Us shop, we didn’t know what to say. I had carefully avoided any discussion of magic around Sally.
Then you show up and wanted to give Bobbie the one thing she desired the most. It brought me out of my shell, my self imposed exile, so to speak.”
“Mom, it wasn’t your fault. How were you to know that I would pick up your spell book and do what I did? Besides, I’m learning things already. The primer His Wisdom gave me has been very helpful.”
“Sally, what parent leaves a loaded gun sitting on the dining room table? I violated so many rules. I couldn’t believe it when I heard an infant crying. There you were crying like a newborn. You had forgotten everything. It took six months before you started talking again, and nearly a year before you were toilet trained. We were lucky you lost only a year of school.
“I finally went to His Wisdom to tell him what happened. If anyone around here should have been turned into a toad, it should have been me. Of course, he knew who Bobbie was, and steps were being taken for a transformation even before Cindy got involved.
“That was when we found out what sort of stuff Cindy was made of. The Schmedlap family, like the Lewis family, is blessed in that all the members carry the magic trait. That’s why they could read the certificate. That was why everyone had to agree that Bobbie could try to redeem the certificate. But it took Cindy’s perseverance to make it happen.
“We were so happy when it did happen, and I couldn’t resist later that year telling Sally how beautiful and happy Bobbie was. She gave me a funny look, because I wasn’t supposed to know. I guess it was six years ago when I gave Bobbie her first set of adult golf clubs. I know she never told you that I was in Visalia when I did it. I believe she told you they came by UPS.”
The two families were sitting around the extended dining room table at the Lewis’s home. Randi and the two youngest members of the families were down in the recreation room playing video games. Randi had promised not to use any magic to affect the outcome of the games. The Wizard was sitting at the place of honor, and Don and Cindy were sitting across from each other at the far end on either side of Stan Lewis.
Bobbie’s brothers were there, too. The Wizard had made arrangements for his shop to be in a mall near where they went to school. They just showed up, walked through to the back of the shop and out the service door into the mall in Cindy’s home town, where Bobbie was waiting for them in the parking lot. It was all very convenient.
The last few months had been … well, to say they had been interesting for Donald Brewer would be an understatement. For the last seventeen years of his life he had grown up in a wonderful environment with his adoptive family. He had traveled all over Europe, thanks to his father’s being in the military. He had a nice, well as nice as little brothers could be, brother and a sweet little sister. His brother had come from the same town he had, and had been abandoned like he had. His sister was Vietnamese, with probably Afro-American ancestry.
He loved his life and was looking forward, like his entire family, to settling down in one place, and not be subject to the whims of the military. Like many boys and young men of his age, he fantasized about women and sex. He had dated frequently, and had, like most boys, experimented with how far he could go. He found out rather early, that with his Latin good looks, athletic ability, and affable personality, that he probably could have had his way with just about any young girl he wanted. Yet there always seemed to be something holding him back. He just couldn’t connect. Somewhere between second and third base was as far as he wanted to go.
The something bothering him was the image of a young woman. She was beautiful beyond anyone he had ever met, tall, golden blonde, and rather well endowed. She appeared in his dreams, and it was obvious that she loved him. She was warm and affectionate, never demanding. They were very close, equals on all levels, and although they never went as far as having intercourse, his dreams of her frequently had ended with a wet dream.
Then, about half way through the previous summer he’d run into The Wizard at Tyson Corner #2 while shopping for a computer game. Within seconds, his life in a parallel universe had been revealed to him. He had been a young woman, Donna, whose life had been turned upside-down by a series of tragic events. Then she had met Cindy, and fallen in love with her, as Cindy had with her.
She had met The Wizard, and he eventually told her about the paradox that was developing. There was only one solution that would allow her to remain with Cindy, and that was to come back as the boy that she was inside, something that had always bothered Donna. That was something that had not dominated her life as a woman; however, the thought had been there. With Bobbie’s support, Donna agreed to go back, become Don, and grow up so that he could return to Cindy. Her universe as Donna would disappear.
In spite of the Wizard’s and Bobbie’s assurances, Don had had some doubts that Cindy would accept him. After all, they had had a very intense and loving relationship as women: a relationship that had been accepted by all close to them.
His family had moved to Cindy’s city where they had purchased a home. His father was going to work for the company that Cindy’s father co-owned with several others. Don had quickly found a group of young men who played soccer, many of them of European and Latin American origin. During the summer there seemed to be a pickup soccer game going almost every morning, and Don fit right in.
On that fateful Saturday morning, he convinced his parents to come down to the park to watch him and his new friends play. Just as The Wizard had promised, Cindy showed up with Bobbie, and they sat next to his family. She was beautiful to the point of being a distraction. He could see that she was watching him rather intently. He could also sense her unhappiness. Finally, the opportunity was there. The ball went out of bounds right in front of her.
It was probably a bit cruel, but he couldn’t resist, he was so damn happy that she was there, and because he had talked about her and Bobbie with his family, he had to introduce the two to them. Needless to say, the shock Cindy suffered when she realized who he was, was not expected. Cindy fainted, but The Wizard arrived to ease her back to consciousness, and prevent what Don found out a bit later would have been an over the top emotional reaction on Cindy’s part.
Cindy’s acceptance of him was seamless, just what The Wizard and Bobbie had said it would be. What’s more, all of his close friends from his previous life accepted him, too. Their lives, and his picked up with hardly a hiccough. There was one difference. They were not quite as sexually intimate as they had been before. That would happen soon enough, without a doubt, and he already felt that Cindy’s parents were not going to prevent their consummating their love. Just when it would happen was entirely up to Cindy. He wasn’t worried about it at all, because he was certain nothing would ever come between them.
There were the lingering thoughts about what this whole thing was about, and the group had discussed it several times. Cindy’s mother had said the same thing. There was so much going on that they didn’t understand. They knew they were being manipulated. The magical world had gone through too much trouble to make sure Cindy and Don could be together. For that matter, Andy and Bobbie’s relationship might have been influenced, too. There just seemed to be too much interest in both of the families: too much concern.
Cindy continued to work hard on her academics. She found that regardless of her previous education, much had changed. Many of the high school courses she was taking were as advanced as the college courses she had taken in her previous life. She had made up her mind that she was going to go the pre-med route when she went to college.
Bobbie was going to major in psychology and counseling. She had determined that she would probably turn pro as a golfer very soon. Her experience in her first pro tournament had convinced her that she had what it took to play professional golf. She knew she could win. She also knew that she was going to go at least one step further. She was going to compete on the men’s tour, and she was going to also win there.
A number of other things kept Bobbie focused. She and Andy had agreed they would get married before they finished college. Wake Forest was already making scholarship offers to her, and she was pretty sure that was where she would go to school. She and Andy would live together, that was without question. Bobbie determined that she would play golf, if successful, only into her early thirties. She might play some after that, but she was going to concentrate on her family and career as a guidance counselor. She and Andy were going to have a family, and they weren’t going to let her professional golf career override that. She made that very clear. She also felt that if Cindy’s career went the way she thought it would, that they would probably work together.
It looked more and more as if Cindy and Don would be going to Boston College for their undergraduate work. Don felt he would try for Harvard Law, and Cindy felt she would try to go to medical school there as well, but that was still many years in the future. There were more immediate concerns.
Next time: I am tired of the agony, so I will post the remaining chapters two or three at a time. Chapter 6: Bobbie confronts Cindy about Cindy’s reluctance to take the next step with Don. She makes a very convincing argument. Meanwhile, Marissa wields a little magic of her own. Cindy is going to have a little brother or sister.
Chapter 7: Avery Mankowitz is brought into the circle of friends. The cats demonstrate some of their magical ability. Avery remembers Donna.
By Portia Bennett
Chapter 6: Bobbie is concerned that Cindy has not taken the final steps in her relationship with Don. After all, from a life experience point of view, they are both over 35 years old. So, Bobbie and Andy have given Cindy and Don a little Christmas present.
Chapter 7: The group gets together over the Thanksgiving holiday and Avery is brought in on the magical aspects of the group. He also remembers Donna.
If you haven’t read the previous stories about Cindy and how she arrived where she is now, you should probably read them. Start with An Incremental Journey, Cynthia and the Reluctant Girlfriend, Cynthia and the Dumpster Diver, Cynthia and the Moment of Truth, and Cynthia and the High School Years — Part 1. This story, the twelve chapters, completes the Cynthia Chronicles, Volume 1.
Part 2 is almost as long as part 1. It is 12 chapters and 27,500 words long. There are many more stories out there, and bits and pieces are being discovered almost every day.
I have researched the Spell’s—R-Us Universe diligently and cannot find anything that violates it, other than that The Wizard is a bit kinder and gentler than sometimes reported. Don’t get me wrong. Given an opening, The Wizard could resort to some of his more ironic and nasty transformations. I’m sure that could happen at any time.
Holly really took me to task this time due to my poor sentence structure and punctuation. She wields a firm ruler and isn’t afraid to use it; my poor knuckles. Thank you so much, Holly, for making this more readable!
This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.
Chapter 6 — Bobbie takes charge. So does Marissa
“Cindy, don’t you think it’s time?”
“Time for what?”
“Don’t give me that ‘time for what’ bull shit. Let’s be reasonable about this. If you and Don were normal seventeen year olds, it would be one thing. Let’s face it; you have both gone through hell to get where you are. You weren’t afraid to make love when you were both women. It’s time that you love each other the way you both have wanted to. Since the day he came back you’ve been talking about how you were going to bed him at first opportunity, but you’ve done nothing. It’s almost as if you’ve taken a step backwards.
“Look at what he did to be with you. Based on faith and the word of a ditsy redhead and a cantankerous old wizard, Donna allowed her physical existence to be wiped out, just so Don could be with you. Look at what you’ve been through to be where you are today. You didn’t have to do any of this. You could still be that fat curmudgeonous misanthrope with no friends and no life. You could be, but you’re not. You took all sorts of chances to be where you are today.
“You are not some sort of blonde bimbo throwing herself out there to a bunch of love crazed teenagers. There’s a man out there who loves you more deeply than any woman deserves. I think it’s time that you two took the next step; and the sooner the better.
Cindy turned away from her best friend, silently staring out to space. Bobbie came up to her and pulled her close to her right side.
“Bobbie, I love him so much, and I’m so afraid.”
“Afraid of what? Afraid of being a woman?”
“I think that’s it. I’ve come so far, and I am beginning to wonder if I can do it. I’m afraid I will fail, afraid that I can’t be enough of a woman for him.”
“Cindy, you don’t make any sense. You seduced Donna; well, maybe not seduced. I think you both knew where your relationship was going. You were both plenty of woman for the other. Nothing has changed. We are still dealing with the same two people.
“Are you afraid of the pain that first time? Believe me it’s nothing, and you can use a little spell to numb that area. I chose not to. Do you think that for one moment that The Wizard would allow you to be hurt, or that Don would hurt you?
“Look, we have both been given a gift, something that so many like we were will never be able to experience. Both of you have received gifts, too. You have waited nearly forty-five years to make love to the man who loves you, to be a woman, and he has waited nearly thirty-five years to make love to you.”
“But we made love.”
“That was just foreplay, and you know it. Well, you know it now. Cindy, you are not two love-sick teenagers rushing off to a disastrous, hormone driven encounter. You need each other. What else do you have to experience before you decide to become a woman?”
“I think you are just trying to reassure yourself, since you’ve already jumped into the sack with Andy.”
“Cindy, you are just being defensive. Andy and I made love because it was right. I think you should start relying on the powers that make us a bit different from many others. You know damn well that everything about you two is right. You also know that there won’t be any mistakes. You need each other so that you can get on with other things, and not have to worry about it.
“There is no one else, Cindy, and there never will be. You need to feel complete. I think it’s important for you to get over this hesitancy and regain your confidence.
“I am going to employ a little KITA.”
“What the hell is KITA?”
“‘Kick In The Ass’: we’ve made some arrangements. Andy and I are giving you and Don a little Christmas gift. We’ve reserved a cottage for you at the bed and breakfast that Andy and I like. Your parents already know, and I used a little persuasion on the Brewers. They have already accepted the fact that you and Don are bonded for life. I just opened them up to being a bit more accepting of things. They’re going to have to know the whole story someday, anyway. We’ll feed it to them a little bit at a time. This multiple universe thing will probably be a bit difficult for them to accept, though, especially for an ex-military guy”
“So, you have this whole thing figured out, do you?”
“I guess the shoe is on the other foot. There was a time when you knew what was best for me, and now I know what is best for you. Your reservations are for four nights and three days the week between Christmas and New Years. Don already knows. For some reason, he wasn’t nearly as tough to convince as you.
“Now we can either do this the easy way or the hard way. I know a couple of pretty good spells, and I’m not afraid to use them.”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
“I will if I have to, and how do you know I haven’t already cast one?”
Cindy turned to her best friend. “Bobbie, I love you. I know you wouldn’t do anything like that. You are right. I am a coward. I have lived all my life for that special moment with Don. I’ve known he was the right one ever since that day on the beach. I guess I am just going to have to get over this last bit of doubt.”
“There is no reason for you to doubt anything about your femininity. The Wizard and his kind wouldn’t allow it. There are about four hundred boys at school who would love to prove it to you. They’re not in the picture, though.”
“So, do you have any suggestions?”
“Well, I could cast a little spell like I mentioned; however, I don’t think either of you needs any additional magic. There is more than enough magic between you two to last a lifetime. You just need to let it happen.”
“Mari, I’m not sure I approve of this. After all, they are only seventeen. If anyone found out that we were letting our children sleep around, tongues would wag.”
Marissa and Stan were having a few quiet moments together in the sitting area of their bedroom. Randi was doing some lessons that The Wizard had left her, Stan Jr. was in bed, and Tom was out with some friends.
“I think I could use anther glass of that port The Wizard left for us. I don’t think there are any potions in it, but have you noticed that the bottle is always half full? That is certainly quite a gift.
“Now, about our daughter: physically, she is seventeen; however, she is an adult chronologically, and you know it. She has never done one thing that ever bordered on the irresponsible. You hardly batted an eye when she and Donna fell in love and started their little affair, and that was more than a year ago.”
“But it’s different now. He’s a boy.”
“He’s a man,” Marissa countered. “He has experienced thirty-five years of life on this planet. Donald Brewer loves our daughter as deeply as it is possible for a man to love a woman. She loves him just as much, and they have waited a long time for each other.
“Their whole situation is so beyond the ordinary. Besides, Cindy needs to have some private time with him. We are not encouraging promiscuity. You know darn well you don’t have to worry about that. I just know that she is ready, more than ready, to take the next step. No one outside our group will ever know about it. She won’t get pregnant, and I know a few spells that will back up the confidentiality aspect.
“I think what Bobbie and Andy did is real sweet. Of course, in other circumstances with different people, it might be inappropriate. That is not the case here. You are being a protective father just as you should be, and I am being the loving mother who knows what is best for her daughter. We just need to realize that this whole situation is exceptional, it is unique.”
Stan was quiet for a few moments. “I guess you’re right. I just have a few issues with our daughter being a grown woman. My goodness, we could become grandparents.”
“You know that won’t happen for a while.
“Now, we have something else to discuss. I want to show you another spell.” She stood while undoing her skirt. Placing it on the bench in front of their bed, she unbuttoned and removed her blouse. Her bra followed. She walked rather seductively over to Stan, and started unbuttoning his shirt. He didn’t wait for her to loosen his belt. They were both quite unclothed as she led him to their luxurious shower enclosure.
“See, with out even touching you, I made that rise. It has to be magic.”
About an hour later, they were basking in the afterglow of some wonderful love-making. Marissa was diddling her fingers through the hair on Stan’s chest. “I have a little surprise; I turned on my egg factory two weeks ago. My temperature was up this morning. I think we may have just made a new daughter.”
She looked at Stan with a little question on her brow.
He smiled back. “Well if it didn’t work, I think we should try again just to make sure. I’m up to it if you are.” They needn’t have worried.
”ƒ
Chapter 7 — Avery is brought in.
Before they knew it, it was Thanksgiving. Avery was able to get away early and avoid the Thanksgiving travel rush. He made the relatively short drive from Boston, and the three couples were able to get together the day before Thanksgiving. They spent the afternoon ice skating before they met at the Lewis’s for a pizza feast in the recreation room.
As it was with Maddy, Silky and Chloe did not mature at the rate normal cats would. Normal cats would have long before become adults; however, Chloe and Silky were still adolescent. For that matter, Maddy appeared to be just on the verge of maturity herself. The cats ventured downstairs, and settled down with the humans. Maddy moved in next to Avery, who was absentmindedly scratching her behind her ear.
Maddy interrupted her purr of gratitude.
“Just a little to the left, please.”
“Sure. … What? … Who said that?”
“Oh boy, here we go again,” Cindy shook her head smiling knowingly at the others.
“Avery, what do you know about us?”
“What do you mean? You are all good friends. Don seems to fit in real well, and I’m glad Cindy finally decided to have a boyfriend. I don’t think I’ve ever met a tighter group of friends. I didn’t know it before, but one of you is a pretty good ventriloquist.”
“How about another piece ’a pizza?” Bobbie asked.
“Sure, I think I’ll have another slice of that sausage and pepperoni. Gramma’s visiting, and Mom’s taken all the pork out of the house. Gramma knows we aren’t kosher, but Mom just avoids the whole issue.”
Bobbie took his plate, retrieving a slice of thick pizza from the greasy box. “Say, this stuff is getting a bit cool. Want me to heat it up?”
“Sure, but I can put it in the microwave.”
“That won’t be necessary.
“Maddy, why don’t you and the girls pretend it’s a cockroach? Don’t get it too hot though, we don’t want Avery to get pizza palate.”
Bobbie put the plate on a mat on the low table. The three cats gathered around and stared at it. Soon the aroma of heating pizza was apparent, and a bit of vapor was rising from the plate.
“That should be enough, girls.
“Avery, check it out. They might have gone a bit overboard.”
Avery picked up the plate and verified very quickly that the slice of pizza was now quite hot. “What the hell is going on? Did you just irradiate all of us with microwaves?”
“I never thought of that before,” Cindy said while smiling at the stunned Avery. “They’re pretty good at focusing the energy.
“Maddy, does any of that energy go anywhere else?”
“No, it seems to all go to the desired object. That’s why we can kill fleas, ticks, and intestinal parasites without any collateral damage.”
“Okay, guys, this is getting real weird: talking cats, cats microwaving pizza? I think you’ve just exceeded the limits of my credulity.”
Myrna hugged Avery, and gave him a big kiss. “Avery, hang on to your credulity, but Cindy and Bobbie are witches; so’s Randi. Maddy, Silky, and Chloe are their familiars, though they prefer to be called associates. You’re too close to this group to not know what’s going on, and The Wizard said it was time for you to find out.”
“So, are you a witch, too? Are you going to turn me into a frog if I don’t perform up to your standards?”
“First of all, your performance exceeded my standards long ago, and second of all, I am not magical.”
“What about Don? How does he fit in all of this?”
“To tell the truth, we aren’t sure. Cindy and Don have been in love for a long time, and it seems they’re destined to be together.
Myrna glanced toward Don and Cindy, who nodded. Everyone had already agreed that Myrna would handle the reveal.
“Avery, I want you to think back to last year. Who was Cindy going with?”
“Cindy wasn’t going with anyone, and that really pissed a lot of the guys off. They said some pretty uncomplimentary things about her — obviously not true.”
“I want you to think back to last spring, and the spring before that. Remember how we used to go to the soccer games? I want you to think very hard. Do you remember a pretty Latina who was a wizard with the soccer ball? She was our friend, especially Cindy’s friend. Surely you remember. Just close your eyes and think about it. She was a beautiful young woman, a bit shy with most of the students; however, we were her friends and we were pretty tight.”
Everyone could see that Avery was thinking very hard. He would look at Cindy and Don, close his eyes and try to concentrate. All of a sudden he straightened up, his eyes wide open.
“I remember her. She was a doll, her name was Donna, and she and Cindy were lovers.
“Oh shit, I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry, Cindy. Now I’ve ruined everything. Damn, what can I say?”
Don quickly spoke up, “It’s okay, Avery, I know all about it. You see, I was Donna.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding. There’s no way in hell that could be.” Avery was not one to swear very much. “There’s no way a sex change could make you grow more than six inches, especially over the summer.”
They spent the next half-hour explaining as best they could how Donna had become Don, and the fact that Don had experienced nearly thirty-five years doing it. After a couple more demonstrations, Avery had to admit, even though most of it went against everything he knew or had experienced to date. He was studying physics and electrical engineering, yet what he had seen was irrefutable. He remembered a quote from the famous scientist and author, Arthur C. Clarke, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from Magic.”
“Okay, three of you are witches; there are three talking cats that can move things without touching them. They can also heat up cold pizza and other things. Two of the three most gorgeous women I have ever known used to be boys. Another woman I knew is now a handsome hunk. Then, there’s a wizard who seems to be able to make all these changes happen. Is there anything else I should know?”
Unseen by Avery, Myrna was giving Cindy a questioning look. Cindy shook her head slightly. She didn’t see any reason that Avery needed to find out that Myrna had undergone the transformation she had.
“Avery, there is something going on that we are not too sure about. Apparently, even though you are not magical, Myrna and you have important roles to play in all this. I don’t think there is any rush. We are just supposed to continue doing what we have been doing. We have to continue our education; that seems to be very important. Other than that, there doesn’t seem to be any plan.”
“So, do I get to meet this Wizard of your?”
“I’m sure you will. We could contact him now, but he has been pretty busy. We’ll do it soon enough.”
Next time: Chapter 8: Many years ago Cindy was a little nine year old girl just beginning to learn what being a girl and young woman was all about. Now it’s the week between Christmas and New Years and the two lovers are taking the final steps. When I started this writing this series of stories last year, this chapter was always the objective. Although this chapter represents the most important thing in Cindy’s life up to now, the story is far from over, and it won’t be completed for quite a while.
Chapter 9: The Brewers are invited for dinner, and although they didn’t know it at the time, they are going to meet The Wizard. Once again Randi manages to steal the show. The Brewers are surprisingly accepting.
Chapter 10: Don and Cindy, Bobbie and Andy, and Avery and Myrna spend a delightful weekend at their favorite place. We find out that Avery remembers some other things. Bobbie and Cindy meet an old acquaintance. Someone they met in Cynthia and the Dumpster Diver.
By Portia Bennett
Chapter 8: Many years ago Cindy was a little nine year old girl just beginning to learn what being a girl and young woman was all about. Now it’s the week between Christmas and New Years and the two lovers are taking the final steps. When I started this writing this series of stories last year, this chapter was always the objective. Although this chapter represents the most important thing in Cindy’s life up to now, the story is far from over, and it won’t be completed for quite a while.
Chapter 9: The Brewers are invited for dinner, and although they didn’t know it at the time, they are going to meet The Wizard. Once again Randi manages to steal the show. The Brewers are surprisingly accepting.
Chapter 10: Don and Cindy, Bobbie and Andy, and Avery and Myrna spend a delightful weekend at their favorite place. We find out that Avery remembers some other things. Bobbie and Cindy meet an old acquaintance. Someone they met in Cynthia and the Dumpster Diver.
If you haven’t read the previous stories about Cindy and how she arrived where she is now, you should probably read them. Start with An Incremental Journey, Cynthia and the Reluctant Girlfriend, Cynthia and the Dumpster Diver, Cynthia and the Moment of Truth, and Cynthia and the High School Years — Part 1. This story, the twelve chapters, completes the Cynthia Chronicles, Volume 1.
Part 2 is almost as long as part 1. It is 12 chapters and 27,500 words long. There are many more stories out there, and bits and pieces are being discovered almost every day.
I have researched the Spell’s—R-Us Universe diligently and cannot find anything that violates it, other than that The Wizard is a bit kinder and gentler than sometimes reported. Don’t get me wrong. Given an opening, The Wizard could resort to some of his more ironic and nasty transformations. I’m sure that could happen at any time.
Holly really took me to task this time due to my poor sentence structure and punctuation. She wields a firm ruler and isn’t afraid to use it; my poor knuckles. Thank you so much, Holly, for making this more readable!
This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.
Chapter 8 — Two lovers.
He parked the car near the shelter of a large spruce. It didn’t really afford much protection from the driving snow, but it was fairly close to their little cottage. There had probably been more than six inches of snow since they had departed their little nest for dinner, and whether they recognized it or not, the size of the flakes indicated the temperature had dropped considerably. What had been big feather-sized flakes lazily drifting down, were now much smaller but more numerous flakes being driven by an increasing wind.
Cindy was bundled in her new coat and hood as the car had barely time to heat up during the short drive from the restaurant. She was waiting for Don to come around to her side of the car. He had insisted on being the proper escort since the beginning of their little trip, and at first it had almost been embarrassing, but she quickly realized that it was very important for him to do everything properly. She had decided she would just sit back and enjoy his attention. He came around to her side of the car and opened the door while trying to protect her from the driving snow.
They laughed as they huddled together and made a half run to the door while kicking loose snow everywhere. The metal awning over the door did absolutely nothing to protect them from the snow, and in spite of her warm hood, the snow was hitting her exposed skin and melting in little drops. Don fumbled with the door key, and his gloved fingers lost control. The key dropped into the fresh snow, almost disappearing. As Don crouched to pick it up, a gust of wind blew a cloud of snow off the roof, depositing it on both of them. He found the key, quickly opened the door, and gave her a gentle push as he followed her in.
They stomped their feet on the braided throw rug that would hopefully absorb much of the yet to be melted snow. Don took Cindy’s coat, and hung it along with his on the coat rack near the hinge side of the door.
She was wearing a beautiful wool ski sweater with a bright Nordic pattern that did nothing to hide her beautiful figure that for some reason seemed even more spectacular that night. They made a strikingly handsome couple. She had turned many heads as they had entered the restaurant earlier that evening, and Don had received many appreciative glances from the ladies, as well. It was strange in a way because they were so young, yet no one seemed to notice that. The one thing the restaurant patrons would remember was they were two people deeply in love with each other.
“Here, help me get this sweater off.” She raised her arms over her head. He stood behind her and gently pulled the sweater up. Her light blouse pulled out of her ski pants and rose up right along with her sweater.
“Sir, are you trying to take advantage of this maiden?”
“Well, the thought had entered my mind.”
“All in good time, rub my back; I’m cold.” She wasn’t really cold. She just wanted to feel his touch. His hands had warmed a bit, and he gently smoothed his hands over her perfect skin. She smelled so good. His right thumb and forefinger squeezed the juncture of her bra straps, and the bra popped open.
“Sir, how dare you?” His hands gently found their way around her side as he buried his face in her hair and kissed the nape of her neck. His right hand gently separated the cup of her bra from her breast and found its way to the stiff nipple that was waiting in anticipation of his gentle caress.
She was not disappointed. He could see and feel the goose bumps rising on her skin. She leaned back, allowing him access. She could feel his erection pressing against her. She turned, keeping her bra pressed against her breasts with her right forearm. Her left hand gently reached up and caressed his face.
“Why don’t you take a shower? I have to remove my makeup.”
As they hung their clothes in the small closet, he caught more than a glimpse of her beautiful breasts as she donned one of the terry cloth robes the inn had provided, before she sat at the dressing table. Wearing only his tented boxers, he made his way into the luxurious bath. There was a spacious shower, and a Jacuzzi tub that probably could have comfortably held four people. He had no plans to use the latter that night, but felt they would probably be sharing it before their stay was over.
He made sure he didn’t use up the hot water. He dried off with a plush towel, and found the mate to Cindy’s robe on the back of the door. She met him at the door as he left the bath.
“If you used up the hot water, you are in serious trouble.”
He gave her a quick kiss. “There might be a little left.”
Cindy had opened the bed, and Don slid between the sheets and pulled the duvet over him. The sheets were cool, but his shower warmed body soon had it comfortable. He heard the shower turn off, but it was a while before she opened the door. She had left the night light on, and it silhouetted her body through the sheer material of the babydoll she was wearing. Her mother had given it to her at Christmas. It hadn’t been under the tree.
“This is a very special time, and you must give the appearance of propriety. You are my first daughter, and I won’t have you jumping in bed with your future husband and not be properly attired. He must unwrap you: the beautiful gift that you are.” Marissa had paused, and then broken into tears. She hugged Cindy to her, their tears spotting each others’ blouses. Nothing else was said.
He lay there taking in her beautiful visage while lifting the duvet to make space for her. She slid in next to him. Her soft smile was beautiful. “You smell nice,” he said with a smile as he gently untied the ribbons that held the collar of the babydoll together. “So do you, my love,” she responded.
They kissed for a long time, their bodies contacting almost their entire length. She wasn’t sure what to do, but Don took the decision making away from her early on. “Everything is like I remember. It’s almost like yesterday. Your smell, your skin, these beautiful breasts, your golden hair; it’s as if seventeen years never happened. I remember everything. I love you so much. I loved you from that very first day in the gym locker room. There was just something about you. You were so accepting, and I was so screwed up. When I told you what happened, and you kissed me, I was yours forever.
“Well, none of that happened, except for one thing. We both know what didn’t happen. We still remember, and I love you all the more for it. You are a sweet, gentle, and kind person who also happens to be very beautiful and very sexy. I have had seventeen years to learn what it is to be a man, and you have had nearly as long to learn how to be a woman. I don’t think anything else needs to be said. Now it’s my turn.”
They spent the next half hour or so just getting acquainted and reacquainting each with the other. For Don, it was a refresher course, for Cindy it was a bit different. There were still memories of her distant past, but now she was an observer, both visually and tactilely. Things became easier and easier, more natural as the minutes passed. Their biological instructions had been rewritten, and there had been considerable readjustment; however, nature has a way of making things work right for the inexperienced.
They both knew the time was right. Nothing had to be said. It was just right. They became one with only the briefest physical hesitation. She would say later she hardly knew it happened, even though the evidence was there later on. The ‘Vulcan Mind Meld’ was still there, and they had one of those rare first time experiences where everything happened just like it’s written in the romance novels. Cindy cried for quite a while, and he held her tightly. If the truth were known, he was crying right along with her.
“It’s done isn’t it? We have arrived, we are complete. Now we are just going forward as a man and a woman. We are going to have our own family, and we are just starting on an adventure. We hardly have a clue about where it’s going.” He kissed her lightly before gently leading her to the shower.
Far away, in a space that didn’t exist in their world, there was a little melodic chime. The Wizard looked up, and smiled to himself. He reached over to the bottle of ancient port, and poured another ounce into the multifaceted glass. It wasn’t actually glass; it had been carved out of the clearest tourmaline.
“This is a happy night, Wolf. I think things are finally back on track.”
“I can’t believe you were spying on them. Surely, you knew that you had nothing to worry about.”
“Wolf, our hopes rest in those two. I wish them all the happiness in the universe, and I don’t think we will have to worry about a thing. Still, I needed to know that all the trouble we’ve gone through is going to work out.
“I imagine they’re celebrating up at HQ right know. Fuck ‘em, to use the vernacular; those two kids deserve to be happy. We put them through hell to make up for our mistakes, and now we can take a little rest. We’re going to have a lot on our plates for the next few years. Let’s enjoy some peace.”
“I’m with you, boss.
“Say, do you think you could work it out for Maddy, the kids and me to have some fun? I think we need a good romp.”
“We’ll see. How about the four of you being arctic wolves on the tundra? That might be fun.”
They awoke the next morning to brilliant sunshine and the sound of the inn’s snow blower clearing the path to the dining room. They weren’t the last guests to show up for breakfast.
The crews had done a good job clearing the roads and highways, and after a substantial breakfast, the two lovers decided to go into the nearby village for a little shopping. It took a little while to clean the snow off the car, time that was extended by an amicable snow ball fight.
In spite of the fact it was the week between Christmas and New Years, there were a number of open shops. They bought a few trinkets, and Cindy found a scarf to her liking, but mostly they just enjoyed being together. On one of the side streets they found a diner that had the best hamburgers and fries imaginable.
They experimented with being together later when they filled the giant tub. It was fun for a while, but the water lost its warmth rather quickly, and it proved to be a very poor lubricant. They gently dried each other as they became chilled in the dry air of their cottage.
Quickly sliding under the duvet, they snuggled close together trying to regain some warmth. It didn’t take long, and soon they were joined. They still were when they fell asleep
Cindy would say later to Bobbie that any of the trappings she had carried forward from her previous life disappeared that first night. The last vestiges were gone. Bobbie smiled, kissed her, and said, “I know exactly what you mean. Isn’t it wonderful?”
”ƒ
Chapter 9 — Reorganization. Bringing the Brewers into the Family
The company Stan Lewis and his four partners had created after the deaths of the original owners had flourished over the years. Due to the benevolence of the Gontarski’s they had inherited the company, which at the time had been primarily involved in commercial real estate. The real estate market reflects the economy in many ways, and during a down market, they were able to invest in a number of commercial properties, including a number of older commercial buildings and warehouses.
As the company continued to grow, they found that there was an increased interest in loft conversions. Many of the properties they had acquired were perfect for this line of business. Amos Schmedlap had joined the company as the superintendent of construction. At the same time, one of the original partners decided it was time to retire, and Amos had been able to work out a deal to buy into the partnership. The real estate business continued to grow; however, the construction business grew even faster.
The five partners had eventually realized they needed to reorganize. Things had just become too big for them to do the jobs they had, and run the company, too. They had been together for nearly 20 years, and they knew they had to do something or implode. Marissa had been doing the accounting, and Susan Scrivener, one of the original employees, was doing much of the office management. Susan was just about ready to retire and move to Arizona to be with her children and grandchildren. For that matter, Marissa was seriously considering giving up the bookwork. She didn’t need to work for income, and had more than enough to do with her growing family, a family that, as yet unknown at that time, would continue to grow.
They had finally decided to create three divisions. There would be the construction division, marketing division, and real estate division. That was when they’d decided they were going to need a general manager to watch over everything so that each partner could concentrate on their areas of expertise. They put an advertisement in several of the business papers and journals for someone. At the last moment, Stan decided to put an ad in several of the military newspapers.
There were many applicants, and they interviewed several of them; however, one was head and shoulders above the others. Bob Brewer was the obvious choice. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that The Wizard probably had a lot to do with influencing the placement of the ads and getting Bob Brewer to read the one in the Air Force Times. That didn’t really matter as he was the best choice. The Wizard had just made sure that they connected.
It was now late winter, and Marissa was positively glowing in her pregnancy. She had discovered that with The Wizard’s enhancements she genuinely loved being pregnant and raising babies. The whole process went a lot more smoothly and nursing was no longer the chore it had been with Cindy and Tom, as it was now a very pleasurable and fulfilling task. She knew that The Wizard’s magic had made it possible, but it only enabled her to do what she had wanted to do all along.
She was certain she was going to have a girl, and Bobbie confirmed it early on. Still the doctor insisted on an amniocentesis because of Marissa’s age. Everything was fine, and the baby was a girl.
She had many months to go, but right now she had to worry about dinner and their special guests. Don and his parents would be coming, as would Bobbie and her parents. Their special guest would be The Wizard. It was time to let the Brewer’s in on some secrets.
Stan had mentioned to Bob that they were going to have a special guest at dinner, and Bob assumed it was going to be some potential customer. In addition to the three couples and The Wizard, there would be Don, Cindy and Bobbie. There was going to be a lot on the line; however, the general feeling was that they would be successful. Bob Brewer had not disappointed anyone. Hiring him had already paid many dividends, as he’d spotted a number of inefficiencies and a couple of new opportunities. To the surprise of some, he had proved to be much more laid back than many had thought a retired Air Force colonel would be.
The Wizard showed up early. He and Wolf just showed up at the front door. One thing was a bit unusual, as His Wisdom was dressed in a conservative business suit. His beard appeared to be neatly trimmed, and his hair was held back in a conservative pony tail with a nice solid silver clip. He had brought four bottles of Chateau Mouton Rothschild, 1980.
Cindy greeted him with a hug and kiss. Very few had ever been this familiar with The Wizard in the past; however, he found he rather enjoyed it. There had been some discussion circulating in the witch world about the nouveau witches in Connecticut who were much too familiar with His Wisdom, and that they were not aware of proper protocol and deference to someone of his stature. He wasn’t sure where these ‘rules’ had come from, and he didn’t feel he had to abide by them.
Randi bounded down the stairs and violated protocol before Evelyn arrived to take the smaller children down the way to the Schmedlap’s home. In fact, before the evening was over, protocol would be violated many times. He wasn’t complaining. Bobbie stifled a giggle when she saw how he was attired, and proceeded to violate protocol along with everyone else.
The Brewers were the last to arrive, and that was by design. There was one problem. How were they going to introduce The Wizard to a couple who probably weren’t even close to acknowledging that magic existed? “How do we introduce you?” Cindy asked. “I have a feeling that ‘His wisdom, The Wizard’ won’t go over very well.”
“This isn’t the first time this has come up,” The Wizard responded. “I usually use Aloysius Bettencourt if there is a need for a name. I think we can just say that I am looking for a location for my store. Once we get into the real reason I’m here, we’ll just drop all that. I don’t think there will be any problems.”
The Wizard didn’t really look too bad. His suit had come from Savile Row, but it did look a little out of place on the bearded and ponytailed Wizard. The suit was probably 20 years out of date; however, the ladies felt he’d made a good effort.
Cindy greeted the Brewers at the door with a welcoming kiss. Well, the kiss she gave Don was perhaps a bit stronger, as it hinted at what she would do to Don as soon as she got him alone in bed. Fortunately, Bob and Hilda were looking the other way.
Cindy escorted them into the family room where there were more hugs and handshakes.
“My God! Look at the size of that dog,” Bob Brewer exclaimed as he noticed Wolf spread out in front of the fire.
“Actually, he’s a wolf,” The Wizard stated rather proudly. “We’ve been friends for many years.”
“I thought having wolves as pets was illegal. My goodness, what does he weigh?”
“I think he was right at 185 at his last check up.” The Wizard looked over at the wolf, and the wolf raised his head a bit and nodded. At least that was what it appeared to be to Bob. “I don’t have to worry about the wolf thing. I’m sort of grandfathered.”
Bob had a look of concern on his face, as he was sure he had not heard what he had, but he decided not to pursue the matter. Besides, there was some great food and wine.
The theme for the evening was Italian and there were several bottles of chilled Prosecco (The Wizard’s gift of wine would be placed in the wine cooler and greatly appreciated later on.) along with a fabulous assortment of antipasto. The wonderful aroma of the much anticipated meal was permeated the house. The ‘La Prima Piatta’, angel hair pasta with a delicate Alfredo sauce was served shortly after they moved into the dining room. The wine shifted to a Chianti Classico for ‘La Seconda Piatta. There was beef, Steak Florentine, and fish, a delicate tuna. The side salad consisted of mainly lightly marinated artichoke hearts. Il dolce was a very nice tiramisu.
The adults were quite mellow by this time, although the under 21 crowd had limited themselves to a single glass of Prosecco. They had glasses of chilled lemoncello, though.
The Wizard stood, and was about to say something when Randi bounded down the stairs. Now this in itself wasn’t unusual, except, she had been over at the Schmedlap’s house with her younger brother. Evelyn was doing the sitting chores.
“Randi, what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be at the Schmedlap’s house,” said a concerned Marissa.
“Oh, I’m going right back. I just wanted to see if Wolf could come over and play. The girls wanted to play with him.”
“Well, I guess you are going to have to ask His Wis …. Oh dear, how did you get here anyway?
Just then, Cindy’s cell phone rang. Her current ring tone was Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saens. It was Evelyn Alden.
“Hi, Evelyn, she’s here. I figured you would be calling. She wanted to bring Wolf over there to play with the girls.”
“Well, she was here a minute ago. She went upstairs, but when I looked for her she wasn’t around. That girl! Maddy told me she used the door. I didn’t think it was big enough.”
“Just a second, I’ll ask her.
“Randi, what did you do to the door?”
“I fixed it so I could stretch it. It was real easy. I’ll show you how to do it sometime.”
The Wizard chuckled to himself. “Wolf, go play with the cats. I’ll call you when it’s time to go.”
“Sure, boss.” He raced Randi up the stairs. A moment later they heard the bedroom door close.
“Okay, Cindy, she’s here with the Wolf. She had me worried for a moment. That girl ….”
Cindy could hear Evelyn scolding Randi as she turned off the phone, “Young lady, don’t you ever do that to me again ….”
“I didn’t realize the children were upstairs,” Hilda remarked. “They certainly have been quiet.”
“That would certainly simplify things if they were,” said an exasperated Marissa. “Just when I think I have her under control, she does something like this.
“Would you explain things, Your Wisdom, before this gets totally out of control?”
“Just a minute, folks,” Bob interjected. “I would just like to run over a few things. First of all, Randi comes bopping down those stairs, except she’s staying down the street. My hearing is still good in spite of flying jets, and I could hear the telephone conversation. The baby sitter called to say Randi’s gone, and then I heard her very clearly say she was back and the wolf was with her. Not only that, I could swear I heard that wolf talk. Cindy asks Randi how she got here, and Randi says she stretched the door and that she would be glad to show her “It was real easy.”
“The real strange thing is that no one is concerned. I mean none of you even flinched. What are you, aliens from area 51?”
“No, I can assure you we are all from around here,” Stan said, “well, with the exception of His Wisdom. I’m not sure where he’s from.”
“Oh, I was born here, in what is now called Albania. It was in 1064 I believe, using your current calendar.
“Would you folks mind if I change? I think I have a slight allergy to wool.”
“Not at all, I think any pretenses we had of doing this gradually are moot. You can use the powder room if you would like.”
“That won’t be necessary, besides, I have a new robe.” There was a slight shimmering, and The Wizard was dressed as most who knew him were familiar with. “That was getting a bit uncomfortable.”
“Gott in Himmel,” Hilda gasped. “He is that Albus Dumbledore.”
“Actually, Albus is a 4th cousin two universes over.
“Let’s see. Where do I start? The whole point of this dinner was to start to ease the Brewer family into this interesting situation. I really had some neat parlor tricks planned; however, it seems that won’t be necessary, as Wolf and Randi have already provided enough interesting scenarios.
“Bob, you and Hilda, and the rest of you are very important people in an event that has been developing for some time. I am not allowed to say at this time how important it is. Just let me say that you have nothing to worry about. Nothing disastrous is going to happen.
“Did you ever wonder why Cindy and Don got along so famously for having known each other for only a few weeks?”
“We certainly did, and I still have trouble believing we let them go off like that,” Hilda said shaking her head.
“Well, would you feel any better, if I told you that Cindy and Don have been deeply in love for more than two years?”
“That’s impossible,” Bob sputtered. “They didn’t meet until last summer. There was no way. We weren’t anywhere around here.”
“Do you remember my saying something about parallel universes?”
“Well yes, but that’s just a bunch of hokum.”
“Just like talking wolves, and little girls moving from one house to another in an instant; just like me changing from wearing that awful suit to this very comfortable robe. I think you have to admit that something is going on the likes of which you have never experienced before. Let me assure you, you ain’t seen nuttin’ yet. Because whether you are ready or not, you are going on a figurative ride that will constantly amaze you, and the best thing is, it is going to be wonderful!
“You know how in those movies Albus Dumbledore takes memories with his wand and puts them in the scrying bowl so that they may be shared?”
“Well yes, but that is just in those books and the movies,” Bob allowed.
“Oh, you like fantasy? Actually, I knew you did.”
“How did you know that?”
“Well, I’m a Wizard ….” He turned to Bobbie and gestured with his open palm inverted.
She didn’t miss a beat, “… and he knows these things. He can read the surface of our minds. He could go deeper, but he won’t. All the women in these two families can do it to a certain degree, too. That includes Randi, the little imp. I don’t mean that literally, though sometimes, I’m not sure.”
“So, he’s a wizard, and you are …?”
“We’re witches. It’s really kinda neat. Cindy and I are still learning the basics; so’s Randi, but she is leaps and bounds ahead of us in many ways. I dread to think what’s going to happen when she reaches puberty. Our Mothers just found out a while ago that they are witches, too. They are just beginners, but they are catching up pretty fast.
“I think His Wisdom was going to tell you something about scrying.”
“That’s right, I was. What I have done is capture your memories from a universe very close to this one. They are not complete for reasons that will become apparent later on. Don will fill you in. I cut them off several years ago. After you go home this evening and go to sleep, the memories will be revealed. You won’t be flooded; they’ll just be there for you.
“I mentioned that Don and Cindy have been in love for several years. Something happened in that other universe so that Don and Cindy met when they were sophomores. There was one big difference. Don was Donna. You would have been very proud of her.”
“Would have? I take it that means we weren’t there. Were we …?”
“Yes, the two of you were no longer living, and that Donna no longer exists either; at least not in the physical sense. That’s why I cut the memories off. There’s no reason for you to have to relive what happened. Don will explain it to you.
“The evening is still young, and I think we should all relax and enjoy ourselves.
“Bob, you and Hilda don’t seem to be too disturbed by all of this, all things considered.”
“I’m not. There has been a lot going on over the last few months. It’s difficult to explain: however, I remember what Sherlock Holmes said to Watson, ‘How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?’ What you have shown us tonight has changed the improbable to probable, and on to reality. I think I’m going to like this very much. This really makes life interesting.
“I just realized something else. I knew you looked familiar when we first met this evening; you were the doctor who just happened to be there when Don introduced us to Cindy at the soccer field that Saturday morning. The wolf was with you.”
There was a sudden noise from upstairs, and a moment later, three small cats chased by a larger tom raced down the stairs into the family room. Randi was right behind them followed by Evelyn Alden, Amos Jr. and Tom Jr. The three smaller cats took a position on top of the sofa. They were quite fluffed out and their tails were greatly expanded. The Wizard gave a little flick of the wrist, and the large tom cat morphed into Wolf. They were panting a bit but gradually regained their breath. Soon, the four were entwined and sound asleep in front of the fire.
“I don’t know what to say about her.” Evelyn was looking at Randi while trying, but not too successfully, to maintain a frown. Randi had a sad look; however, while her head was downcast, she was looking up through her eyelashes at Mrs. Alden. When Evelyn pulled the little girl to her and gave her a hug and kiss, the smile returned to Randi’s sweet little face rather quickly.
“She just sort of pushed along one side of the pet door, and the next thing I knew it was the size of a regular door. We pushed through the curtain, and here we are. What will she do next?”
“Your Wisdom, may we talk to you in private for a moment?” Cindy looked at The Wizard with a bit of concern. Bobbie had a similar expression. The parents had moved to the kitchen for the moment, and The Wizard was relaxing with a glass of port. Don had joined the parents for the moment. Cindy had told him that she and Bobbie needed to talk to The Wizard privately. There would probably be considerably more discussion going on that evening with or without The Wizard’s presence.
“Certainly.”
“This is a bit awkward, because we’re pretty sure that you already know what we are going to ask. But, here goes. It is obvious to us that we are not in control of things. There is much more going on than we realize. I guess what’s bothering us, is do we have any free will in this situation? Bobbie is seriously in love with Andy,” Bobbie nodded in agreement, “and Andy loves her without question. I love Don like I have never loved anyone else, or ever thought I could love anyone else, and I am sure he feels the same way. I guess what we want to know is, did you or someone else cast a love spell on us? Of course I can’t imagine that you did, but I wouldn’t know if you had. We’re willing to put up with a lot, but we need to know.”
“Cindy, Bobbie, you are right. There is quite a bit going on right now that you don’t understand. I guarantee that you will some day, and when you do find out, it will all make sense. I promise you this; the love you two share with your lovers is as real and genuine as could be. No one has done anything to influence that love. There haven’t been any spells cast or potions ingested. The love you have is absolutely real, and the only magic is what you have generated on your own. That love is pure and will never die.
”ƒ
Chapter 10 — Three Couples and a Quiet Weekend
On the Friday before the Presidents’ Day Weekend, three couples arrived at the bed and breakfast inn that already was and would continue to be a very special place for them over the years. Each couple had their own little cottage for their private times. The management never batted an eye about having three unmarried, obviously young couples spending the time they did there. The answer to that was simple. Bobbie had worked a little spell on the staff and establishment the year before and certain facts were ignored.
This was a weekend of celebration for them. Don and Cindy had been accepted for Boston College; Myrna had been accepted at Harvard, and Bobbie had been offered a full athletic scholarship at Wake Forest. Of course, they were also celebrating their love for each other.
Another couple was also celebrating their love there. Cindy had noticed the car with the tattered streamers and shoe polished windows as they pulled into the parking area. Somebody had just gotten married.
The three couples met in front of their cabins for dinner, and as they started for the dining room, the newlyweds left their little love nest. The bride was a very attractive brunette, tall and slender, with a dancer’s body. The aura of her happiness was so strong it was almost like a small electrical storm. Cindy recognized her immediately, and the gentle elbow in her side from Bobbie, let her know that she had recognized her too.
The three couples had a nice table in a bay window, and the newlyweds were at a table not far away. Early in their meal, the bride rose to go to the restroom. Cindy nodded to Bobbie and they followed her in. The restroom was beautifully appointed and gave a very homey feeling. The wallpaper was definitely country kitsch, the lighting was pseudo Victorian, and there was a nice scent from a bowl of potpourri.
They waited until the woman finished and came out to touch up her makeup. She didn’t really need any help.
“Hi Sonia, congratulations,” Cindy said with a loving tone.
“Do I know you?”
“Not really. I’m Cindy Lewis, and this is Bobbie Schmedlap. We are here with our best friends. Do you have a moment? Bobbie and I would like to talk with you.”
“I guess so, though I’m not sure why.”
“Bobbie, is the room secure?”
“Yes, no one will want to come in until we leave.”
“What’s this about? You obviously know me.”
“Well we did meet after a fashion about seven years ago. I want to assure you that Bobbie and I mean no harm.”
“No, I guess you don’t. Seven years ago? Where would that have been?”
“It was in a little specialty shop in the mall. Your brother was with you. You met a very sweet old man dressed in a robe.”
“Oh my God, you were there? You know about me?”
“Sonia, we were like you were. We were changed, too. The Wizard is our dear friend. We just wanted to tell you how happy we are for you, and that if you ever need help you can contact us, and we can contact The Wizard if necessary. We keep track of many of his transformees.
“Bobbie and I are actually witches, so there is a lot we can do that is a bit out of the ordinary.
“So how’s Gary doing?”
“He’s a cardio-vascular surgeon in Philadelphia. I have two nieces. He married a beautiful doctor from Pakistan. It took some getting used to. After the change, I was a bit euphoric, to say the least. My parents had changed so much that it was difficult to accept. They had been so hateful to both of us, and suddenly they were so loving and accepting. They can’t wait until I give them grandbabies. They have even switched political parties.
“They were so in love that he brought Sarah home, that’s her American name, during the second month of his residency. Before, my parents wouldn’t have let her through the door. She was a foreigner, and a rather dark skinned one at that. Her family is Hindu, which is rare in Pakistan, and that was why they moved here. They greeted her with open arms. If I could see The Wizard again, I would give him a hug and kiss. It’s long overdue.”
“If you go to the mall after your honeymoon, he will be there, I promise. He would love to see you. Well, we had better get back to dinner before they think we fell in.”
They gave Sonia a group hug and kiss before Sonia preceded Cindy and Bobbie back to the dining room.
“She’s going to have a boy. He will be quite handsome. They got lucky the first time,” Bobbie whispered.
Myrna and Avery were basking in the glow of some excellent love making. It always was.
“Myrna, don’t be mad at me, but I remember.”
“Remember what, my wonderful lover?”
“I remember how you were before your change.”
“Oh shit, you weren’t supposed to.”
“It sort of fell out about the same time I remembered about Donna. Why did you do it? I mean, I love you regardless. You didn’t need to worry about losing me. I always loved what was behind that cute little nose and beautiful brown eyes. At least you didn’t change these wonderful nipples of yours.” He gently drew one in and teased it with his tongue. “I guess I shouldn’t complain though. I am the envy of a lot of the guys. I mean, you are absolutely drop-dead gorgeous, and I guess that goes with that gorgeous mind of yours.”
“Why would I ever be mad at you? I am so lucky to have found you before some gentile did. I didn’t change for you, though I gladly would have, had you asked. The change was a gift from Cindy and Bobbie. They bought me some lingerie from The Wizard’s shop. You know how The Wizard reads minds? Well he knew what I had secretly desired since before puberty set in, and he programmed the lingerie to change me. You are one of very few outside the witch world that know that I didn’t always look like this.
“It’s funny how reality works. In order for these changes to happen, a few genetic changes had to happen. Both my mother and sister are larger in the bust now, too. Of course the fact that Patty is pregnant might have something to do with it. This does mean that our daughters will be quite well endowed. With my genes and your mother’s, they won’t stand a chance.
“I can see that all this talk about breasts is getting to you. It’s getting to me too. On your back; now this goes right here … yesss!
“Here’s an advantage, See how much easier it is for you to pay proper attention to my nipples now? Oh, you are so good.”
Marissa was holding two tiny kittens in her lap. “They were in the shed down by the pond, and Maddy was desperate. If she could have cried, she would have. A cat, a very wild, feral cat was hit by a truck yesterday morning. Maddy had tried to convince her to find some humans, but she would have nothing to do with people. She had a feral mother and had been taught to avoid people at all costs. We had a funeral down by the pond that must have been attended by 50 cats.
“She wasn’t even a year old, and these two little ones are less than four weeks. Maddy says there were two others in the litter, but they didn’t survive. The mother was really too young. We got kitten formula from the vet, but The Wizard has fixed it so that Maddy can nurse them in a while. He says the changes have to be slow.”
A very concerned Maddy was sitting on a chair next to Marissa. “I’m about ready. My pretty little flat boobs are getting swollen. I can’t believe how much my nipples have grown, and I seem to be getting anxious about the kittens. It’s this mother instinct thing. They slept with me last night and tried to nurse, but nothing has come in yet. It should be just a few more hours.”
Marissa put the little nursing bottle aside. “They’re full now, so you are going to have to take over in a while. Their little bladders fill up pretty quickly.”
Cindy watched in awe as she learned something about the care of baby kittens. Maddy would gently stimulate them with her tongue to encourage urination. “You don’t have to watch if you don’t want to, but this is how it is done. For me, it is perfectly normal. I don’t find it disgusting at all, and they might die if I didn’t do this. You could stimulate them with a wet, warm Q-tip and get the same results. This is better for me as the adoptive mother.” Maddy was able to start nursing them that night.
So that’s how Marissa and Sally obtained their associates. In two more weeks, the two little balls of fluff were using the box, much to Cindy’s relief. Maddy, Chloe and Silky had already started them on their lessons. The two were almost identical tabbies. Their markings were very strong, with no breaks. There was one difference. Petra had a pink nose, and Selene had a black nose.
They would eventually be several inches taller than their adoptive mother, little, short legged Maddy; but she is the most beautiful and intelligent cat in the world, and don’t you forget it.
Next time: There are several loose ends to take care of. Cindy and Don have to find a place to live in Boston. Myrna and Avery already have a place, tiny as it is. Bobbie is already set up with Andy at Wake-Forest. Finding a suitable place to live proves to be difficult; however, they realize there are several options for the future. They do find a homeless teenager who is living a very precarious existence. Cindy, Bobbie, and The Wizard save the day. This adventure draws to a close. College starts in a week. The Wizard is finally able to sleep peacefully.
By Portia Bennett
Chapters 11 & 12: There are several loose ends to take care of. Cindy and Don have to find a place to live in Boston. Myrna and Avery already have a place, tiny as it is. Bobbie is already set up with Andy at Wake-Forest. Finding a suitable place to live proves to be difficult; however, they realize there are several options for the future. They do find a homeless teenager who is living a very precarious existence. Cindy, Bobbie, and The Wizard save the day. This adventure draws to a close. College starts in a week. The Wizard is finally able to sleep peacefully.
If you haven’t read the previous stories about Cindy and how she arrived where she is now, you should probably read them. Start with An Incremental Journey, Cynthia and the Reluctant Girlfriend, Cynthia and the Dumpster Diver, Cynthia and the Moment of Truth, and Cynthia and the High School Years — Part 1. This story, the twelve chapters, completes the Cynthia Chronicles, Volume 1.
I have researched the Spell’s—R-Us Universe diligently and cannot find anything that violates it, other than that The Wizard is a bit kinder and gentler than sometimes reported. Don’t get me wrong. Given an opening, The Wizard could resort to some of his more ironic and nasty transformations. I’m sure that could happen at any time.
Holly really took me to task this time due to my poor sentence structure and punctuation. She wields a firm ruler and isn’t afraid to use it; my poor knuckles. Thank you so much, Holly, for making this more readable!
This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.
Chapter 11 — Looking for a Home, But With Different Results
Unlike the football team that floundered in mediocrity, the soccer team went all the way to the state finals and finished the season undefeated. Don Brewer made All State in Soccer and Football. He was offered at least thirty athletic scholarships, and as many scholastic ones. But he and Cindy had made up their minds long before that they were going to Boston College, and they had been accepted. That was it. Cindy continued to get academic scholarship offers based on her applications, but her swimming talent wasn’t the type that garnered much interest. Don did take some financial assistance as the Brewers were not yet as well off financially as the Lewis’s were. That situation would improve greatly over the next few years.
Myrna had been selected as the valedictorian for their graduating class. She had aced her ACT and SAT, assuring an academic scholarship to Harvard. Her two mothers, as elementary school teachers were not even close to being able to support her going to Harvard. Of course she and Avery would be sharing a small walk-up apartment, and that helped considerably in keeping costs down.
In June, Don and Cindy’s parents accompanied the college students to be to Boston to assist in the search for proper living quarters. It was not an easy chore. Rent was outrageous, and the price per square foot was fifty percent higher than it was back in their home town. Bobbie was along also. Her living quarters in Winston-Salem had already been arranged earlier that year.
They were sitting around the table in their hotel dining room discussing their options. The Brewer’s two younger children and the three youngest of the Lewis’s were being watched by Evelyn and Esmeralda. Randi had promised she wouldn’t perform any unapproved magic, and Evelyn had somewhat jokingly suggested that she would use a very unpleasant spell if Randi didn’t follow the rules.
The early summer heat in Boston was a bit hard on Marissa as she was nearing her eighth month of pregnancy, but regardless of her condition, she insisted on being there to approve of the selection. After all, her daughter and future son-in-law had to have a proper residence. They would probably be married before they graduated, and if all worked out the way they hoped it would, they might be living there for at least eight more years after graduating. Don would have law school, and Cindy would have medical school, plus her residency.
Avery and Myrna had joined them in the house hunt. Myrna had been moving her things into Avery’s apartment for a while, and she was very pleased with it. Avery was just as pleased that she was with him. Myrna had made a major concession during the last year. She had decided to accept the Jewish faith, and she had been going to see a Rabbi at Avery’s synagogue for instruction.
Her mothers were very pleased that she was accepting any faith as she had eschewed going to church most of her life. Avery’s mother and grandmother were ecstatic. They were already making plans for the wedding, which at a minimum would be at least three years off. Like Cindy and Don’s, and Bobbie and Andy’s situation, the fact that they were going to get married was etched in stone.
“Daddy, I have a thought, and I think I’ve caught some hints of this from you. I think you need to buy one of those older warehouses we passed earlier today. You can convert it into loft apartments, and either sell them or lease them. If I’m going to be here for the next twelve years, why throw away money on rent? Don and I can live in one, Avery and Myrna could move into another one, and you could keep one for business. You are over here all the time, as Bobbie’s dad is. You and Mom would have a place to stay when you visit. As you said, the commute is hell.”
“Sweety, I think that’s an outstanding idea. We’ve been looking at a couple of those places, and I think we’re going to make an offer; however, they wouldn’t be livable for at least two years if we close tomorrow. We still need a place for you, and I don’t think the dormitory is an option, if I read you two correctly.”
They settled one thing on that trip, and that was that ‘The Company’ was going to move more of their operation to Boston. They had been toying with the idea for a long time, and Cindy and Don were the catalyst. The house hunting was put on hold the next night.
They had had another fruitless day of house/apartment hunting. But they were able to work out a visit to one of the warehouses that they had talked about, and while they were there, Stan called Amos and told him that the building was exactly what they were looking for. He was ready to put in an offer, contingent on the inspection that Amos’s group would conduct.
That done, they decided a Boston seafood dinner was in order. The concierge had recommended a restaurant near one of the industrial areas northwest of the airport. They followed the highway under the river towards the airport before veering a bit to the west. The neighborhood was quite old and probably was made up of descendents of the Portuguese and Italian fishermen who plied their trade in the nearby harbor and beyond.
The restaurant was very popular, and there wasn’t any on-the-street parking for several blocks. They finally found a small parking lot that would take their cars, about three blocks away from the restaurant.
The neighborhood was quite eclectic, and there were a number of bars, small restaurants and clubs. One club caught Cindy and Bobbie’s attention. The establishment obviously catered to the gay population, and as they passed the bar next door to the restaurant, Cindy sensed something she hadn’t sensed in quite a while. She turned to Bobbie who subtly nodded back. Someone was in there, and whoever ‘she’ was, was not well.
Dinner was outstanding; however some of the edge was taken off by the presence next door. Marissa picked up on it pretty early.
“Something’s bothering you two, may I ask what it is?”
“Bobbie and I sensed someone next door who needs help. Nothing bad has happened yet, but she is not well.”
“She has hepatitis. It is treatable. The problem is she’s very young. I would say sixteen or seventeen at the most. She certainly doesn’t belong there, and she has consumed some alcohol. I think Cindy is keeping track of her.”
Bob Brewer was very interested in the discussion. He and Hilda had become intrigued by the revelation of witchcraft, and found the whole concept to be very interesting. The parallel universe aspect of things had been a little more difficult to accept; however, as they absorbed the memories of their parallel lives, the alien concepts were becoming easier and easier to accept. They still hadn’t been told very much about the sex change phenomenon, other than that they knew Don had been Donna in the other universe. They also understood that what had been two parallel universes had been rejoined as one, with the line where Don as a male was the surviving line. Bob had had a field day trying to figure out all the implications.
“What are you sensing? I don’t think I have ever heard you talking about anything like this before,” Bob asked.
Cindy looked around before casting a curtain of silence spell. She wanted to make sure that there weren’t any visitors within the curtain. “As you know, when I was eight, I nearly died from drowning. When I woke up, I wasn’t quite the same person. Most everything about the original Cindy was still there. Her memories were intact, as were her as yet unknown magical abilities. However, Cindy had actually died. Her spirit had left this body. Eventually, her spirit actually helped me move in. This is really the same process that Don went through.
“When I moved in, the main thing was to get my health back. Being in a coma for any length of time does bad things to ones body. When I finally got back to school, I began to realize that I had some special powers.
“I want you to accept what I am going to tell you. Everyone at this table can verify what I am going to say. When I got back to school, I didn’t know anyone. Yes, I remembered them, but I didn’t know them. I obviously had to go through many adjustments. You see, the person I had been before was a very unpleasant thirty-five year old man, whose only true desire in life was to be a woman. As you can see, that wish was granted.
“Here I was, this almost nine year old girl who knew very little about being a girl, but I already knew there was something different about me, and I knew Bobbie was different, too. You see, Bobbie was a handsome, very athletic nine year old boy.”
“Preposterous,” escaped from Bob’s lips before he shut them, as he suddenly realized this was just one more amazing thing he was going to have to get used to.”
“It’s absolutely true, Mr. Brewer. Cindy had a lot of credit built up with The Wizard, and she gave me the most wonderful gift. I was always this person you see. It was just that I was in the wrong body. The Wizard and his group did some wonderful things, and here I am. What Cindy is getting to, is that she can sense other people that were like I was; people who were born in the wrong body. I can sense physical problems, especially in magical people and transgendered individuals, and to a lesser degree I can detect transgendered individuals. We weren’t very good at it at first, but now Cindy’s talent is very strong in recognizing the transgendered.
“There is a young boy next door who is a girl. She’s in the wrong body. The problem is that she shouldn’t be there. She’s too young. She’s sick, and she’s been drinking. As horrible as it sounds, she is probably prostituting herself for money, food, and drugs. The drugs are probably the hormones she desires, but there may be others. I haven’t detected anything for sure in that area.
“Whoops, this is getting real bad. Somebody has slipped some rohypnol into her drink. Two people just grabbed her rather roughly by the arms. I think they are leaving. It’s time for Cindy and me to get going. We can handle this, but we have to act fast. Come on, Don.”
Don had seen them go into action before, and he had a good idea what was going to happen. He turned to the group. “Somebody needs to call 911. Call for an ambulance and the police.”
The three got to the sidewalk in time to see two individuals escorting a very wobbly smaller person in a blouse and mini skirt. They were met by two others before they turned into an alley about a block away. Cindy, Bobbie and Don took off at a half run. Avery and Myrna were close behind.
The beating had already started when Cindy and the others entered the alley. One of them had just landed a rather telling blow, and the smaller person was collapsing into a fetal position. The assailant was getting ready to land a devastating kick to the fallen one’s head.
“Stop right there!”
The four assailants looked up, basically frozen in place.
“Mind your own fuckin’ business, bitch. This doesn’t concern you.”
“Oh, but it does. You have no right to do that to anyone.”
“Lady, I don’t know who the fuck you think you are, but this faggot embarrassed my friend last week, and we’re just getting even.”
“I don’t think that’s true at all. I think the four of you cruise gay bars and get a kick out of beating up transvestites when you’re not selling dope and robbing little old ladies.
“Isn’t that a bit closer to the truth?”
“Actually, it is.”
Cindy turned to see that a patrol car had pulled up, and two rather well armed officers were approaching. Bobbie was on her knees trying to help the injured young person who was only semiconscious stay comfortable. They could hear the sirens of an ambulance.
“You are going to tell these nice police officers what bad boys you have been, since you have nothing else to do. They will read you your rights, and I expect you to tell them everything. Don’t leave anything out.”
“Officers, these bad boys have seen the error in their ways, and are ready for you to take them in. They are rather heavily armed, so you should be very careful.”
The paramedics had arrived and were soon seeing to securing the young person to a stretcher. They quickly rolled him to the rear of an ambulance, and someone inside assisted in securing the stretcher. They were gone in less than five minutes.
“Cindy, His Wisdom says to meet him in the hospital. He wants all of us there. He’s in the ambulance now,” Bobbie said, closing up her phone. By this time, the entire party was there.
As far as what the police and hoodlums would remember, the police had come upon the assault, and put a stop to it after a brief skirmish. Because of the numerous parole violations, assaults against the police officers, and numerous other crimes, they ended up spending many years behind bars. None of them remembered a visit by a strange, robed man, however, when they got out of prison, they went to work fighting the AIDS epidemic in Africa. The four lived together until their deaths. Their affection for doing service was almost as strong as their affection for each other. Fortunately, they were not able to bear children. The Wizard had not transformed them into women. They were just very gay.
”ƒ
Chapter 12 — Necessary Changes
“He’s resting as comfortably as can be expected. It’s strange. At first we thought he had a ruptured spleen, but apparently, it’s just a severe bruise, as are what we thought were broken ribs. Dr. Bettencourt will tell you everything as soon as he comes out of the room. I think he’s making some final checks.”
They turned to see a doctor leaving the room where the young person had been taken after the initial examination. The doctor was wearing green scrubs and a green cap over his pony tailed hair. Bobbie stifled a giggle.
“Mr. and Mrs. Brewer, your daughter is going to be fine.”
“What?” Hilda gasped. She and Bob had recognized The Wizard immediately.
“Just go along with him,” Cindy whispered. “Everything is going to be fine.”
The Wizard continued as if nothing had been said. “Thank heavens for seatbelts. In spite of the force of that impact, they and those side airbags saved her life. Now she would like to see everybody.”
They entered the room to see the teenage youth with very obvious small breasts sitting up in the bed. The patient’s hair was long, and in spite of the fact the patient no longer wore makeup, the features were definitely feminine. The young person seemed to be remarkably comfortable and at ease for having just gone through such a severe beating.
“Charles and I have been having quite a conversation. He has been hiding under the horizon for quite a while. As good as our system is, we didn’t know about him until we did some serious research after Bobbie called. I think I need to set up a shop around here. I really am spread too thin.
“Like many, Charles didn’t think I existed; however, he recognized me immediately.
“I must say you did an excellent job hiding your surprise, Charles. That made things easier. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, sir. I am having trouble believing this is all happening,” the youth said in a rather delicate, high pitched voice.
“Charles has been living under a bridge for the last three years, since his parents were killed in a robbery more than three years ago. He found a maintenance access, and really made a very comfortable nest. He is an orphan, has no relatives, and we all are aware of this other thing. Because of this problem, and the continued harassment because of his slight body and small stature, he has not gone to school since his parents’ deaths, nor has he had any medical attention. As far as the police are concerned, they believe he was kidnapped, and maybe murdered by the robbers.
“Why I have asked you here is because Charlene, we have already decided on that name, would like your inputs.
“Mr. and Mrs. Brewer, do you think you can take care of another daughter?”
“Yes,” Hilda replied, “We would love to. We have room for many more children.”
“Fine, that’s done. The adoption papers, post dated are being drawn up. They should be on record shortly.
“Charlene has been doing some risky things in order to survive. Her choices weren’t always well thought out. We can attribute that to a lack of parental and professional guidance, and a desire for her physical changes. She is very intelligent, but has missed out in a lot of formal schooling, and for that matter informal schooling as well. Charlene thought she should go back to first grade and get a better start all the way around. I totally agree. I think Lucy will be a great, big sister for her.
“What do you think, Don?”
“Well, I hadn’t really thought about it, but having two sisters would be great. Lucy and I get along great, and Jorge gets along with Lucy very well.”
“Bob, is this alright with you?” The Wizard asked.
“Absolutely, we were looking into another adoption as it was. We are very ready.”
By this time there was no sign of the teenage boy who had been there when they walked into the room. There was just a small androgynous child, wearing a very wide smile.
“Charlene and I discussed this for some length. She needs to fit in with what the Brewers have done in the past. What I am implementing is strictly in accordance with her wishes.”
Charlene’s body changed a bit more. It was definitely a little girl’s body now. There could be no doubt about it. Her skin darkened considerably. Her hair fell in dark waves to below her shoulders. She had black ancestry, without question; however, there was much more. There was probably a little Native American, European and Asian subcontinent there, too. She looked like a young Halle Barry or Vanessa Williams. The wizard had outdone himself.
“What do you think?”
“There were some gasps, and the young women were tearing up. Cindy handed Charlene her pocket mirror. “Oh, Mommy, is that really me? I am so pretty. How can I thank you, Mr. Wizard?”
“You can thank me by going to school, and always wearing your seat belt when you are big enough not to have to use the child seat. There are many other things too, but we will talk about those later. Why don’t you go to the bathroom while your parents and future in-laws have a discussion?”
Charlene, or Charli as she would be known by most, hopped out of bed. She closed the door behind her. She was a while checking things out.
“We almost lost her. If Bobbie hadn’t called me when she did, Charlene may have bled to death. Her spleen was ruptured. I was in the ambulance, and fixed it while we were on the way to the hospital. Her liver was also lacerated. The hepatitis is gone now. By the way, she is a carrier of the witch gene. Under the circumstances, it was decided to duplicate that portion of her X-Chromosome. What we are doing is on a rather gross scale. Myrna, when you start working on your doctorate, would you see if you can pin down the location of those genes a bit more precisely? That might be very helpful in the future.
“I have no doubt that Randi will figure out things very quickly. Try to convince her to not push Charlene in the magical direction too soon. She’s going to have enough to deal with as it is. I’ll talk to Randi, too. She’s doing considerably better, but my goodness, she’s impulsive.”
When Charlene returned to her bed, she was beaming. There was a knock on the door and a nurse entered. “There’s no reason she can’t be discharged right now. Everything looks just fine. I’m sure Dr. Bettencourt will agree.”
“Absolutely, where do I sign?”
“Right here, I’ll get a wheel chair for her.”
“Could my daddy carry me? I think I would like that.”
“Sure, Honey, I think we can allow that. We’re just so happy that you are okay.”
The group was alone again, at least for a few minutes. “This has been a very good night and it’s very late,” The Wizard said. “I think we need some rest. Why don’t you come back to Boston in about two weeks? You might find the house hunting a little bit more productive then. I think it would be a great idea if everyone took a couple of weeks to get acquainted and just relax.”
That was exactly what they did. Lucy and Jorge were very pleased with their new sister. They had known there might be one soon, but when the beautiful little girl jumped out of the car to look at her new house, they were a bit surprised. After all, their parents had gone to Boston to look for a place for Don and Cindy to live, and they came home with a new sister. There was instantaneous love and acceptance. Ten minutes after she arrived, Lucy was showing her all the ropes, and there were many happy tears.
Randi was told under the threat of a lobotomy that she was not to attempt to develop Charli’s magic talents until The Wizard approved. She did not err.
Two weeks later, the two families were back in Boston to look for a home for Don and Cindy. Bobby had a golf tournament, and she and Andy would be involved with that. Evelyn and Esmeralda looked after the children. Randi, as a matter of protection and control, accompanied the families on the trip. In a way, it was a reward and encouragement. Randi was growing up. She was eight years old, but in many ways, she was so much older. Her joie d’ vivre was extremely contagious. Of course, the fact that she had once died might have had something to do with it.
Avery and Myrna had insisted that everyone come over to their place for some wine and cheese before they went out to dinner. Like any young couple, they always saw the best in everything, and the fact that they were profoundly in love didn’t hurt. Their little three-room flat plus bath was stretched to the limit. The bedroom was hardly big enough for a standard sized bed, but Myrna had insisted on a queen sized bed. They had struggled for a while, but somehow managed to set the bed up. There was a tiny problem, in that they couldn’t open the two bottom drawers of the dresser, and had to step across the bed to get to the closet. One also had to walk sideways to get to the little bath. It was a struggle. The main room wasn’t bad, but the little kitchen could barely accommodate two people.
Avery and Myrna had acquired some nice wine, cheese and crackers, and there were some soft drinks for Randi. It really was a very homey atmosphere. The flat was furnished with love.
Eventually, Randi had to go to the bathroom. She had listened to some of the comments made out of hearing range of the two lovers, and wondered what the conversation was about. If the adults had been paying attention, they might have been concerned.
When she returned, she looked up at the others. “I want to show you something in the bedroom.” She had that eager expression that said ‘See what I have done.’
“What’s that, dear?” Marissa was leaning back in her chair, trying to get comfortable. Randi’s little sister was still several weeks away from making an appearance.
“Well, you’re going to have to come and see.”
Cindy was already at the door. Maybe it was because she knew her sister so well.
“Myrna, come here,” she said not too loudly.
“What do you think?”
“Omigosh, how did she do that?”
“You probably don’t want to ask.”
The bedroom that had been barely adequate for a standard bed, was now about twice the size it had been before. There was plenty of room to get around the bed, and the dresser was completely accessible. In fact, there was now room for Avery’s dresser that was currently parked in the living room.
“Randi?”
“It’s okay. His Wisdom said I could do it. He said the landlord would never notice, and it would be good practice for me.”
Randi got an extra piece of baklava for desert.
They found an ideal flat for Cindy and Don the next day. It was a little bigger than Avery and Myrna’s had been before Randi had her way with it. They didn’t say a thing when Randi expanded it a bit, since the changes were only on the inside.
Don and Cindy were alone at last. A lot had been going on over the last few weeks due to the birth of the newest addition to the Lewis family. The birth was uncomplicated, and little Martha Louise took one look around after a brief cry of surprise and discomfort for being thrust into the cold world, and went to sleep. Once again, Marissa’s systems kicked in as they should. Mother and baby went home in three days.
Now, Don and Cindy were alone and on their own. Everything had been moved into the flat, and school for real would be starting in less than a week. They had made love for a long time that first night, and it had been especially satisfying. There was no rush. Don had taken a long time worshipping her. As he did, he thought about that first time they had been intimate and how sweet it had been. She was so beautiful and sensitive. From the very beginning, it had been about them, and it had never been less.
Cindy had told him how devastated she had been when Donna had disappeared. It had nothing to do with their physical relationship. Her soul mate had been ripped from her, and she hadn’t been given a chance to prepare for the loss. If Don hadn’t shown up when he had, she wasn’t sure what she would have done.
Don had lived 17 years without realizing that the love of his life had been so devastatingly hurt. He probably never would have made it through that time had he known. When he was finally allowed to remember Cindy, it was all he could do to restrain himself from rushing to her. The Wizard had told him all would be well, but still the doubt was there.
When they were finally reunited, he knew it was right. To see the joy in Cindy’s face was all he needed to know to tell him that all the sacrifices had been worth it. Yes, it had taken a while for them to make physical love again, but that wasn’t really an issue. It was a bit more difficult for Cindy, and that was understandably so; however, Don was not concerned, because he knew their spiritual love was so strong.
Well that was all past now. He had bought a ring for her, and would make a formal declaration that Christmas. They had already decided they would marry between their junior and senior years. Barring accidents, they would start their family about the time Cindy was finishing her residency. If there were any accidents, they would be welcomed with everlasting love. They would adjust.
Cindy was dozing contentedly on her side. Her smile was illuminated by the glare of the city lights coming through the window, and that was all he needed to see. Anyone could have seen a picture of her and known she was beautiful, but there was so much more than that. It had taken a while to get the whole story, but he had gradually been able to piece it together. Yes, he had died once to get to where he was now, but in a sense, she had died twice, actually three times. She had also given up her life as Al Gontarski with the hope she might be a better person. She had sacrificed her life to save a child from being run over. She had also sacrificed her life to rescue a small kitten, the kitten who was now peacefully sleeping at the foot of their bed. She would be cuddled up with them in the morning. Don had a feeling that there was more of this current Cindy involved in that past incident than she realized. They might find out for sure some day.
They were just eighteen, but they were so much older in so many ways.
“What are you looking at?”
“Your pretty smile.”
“Was I smiling?”
“You always smile.”
“I think I have a reason to smile.”
“We both do.”
Getting serious for a moment, Cindy asked, “Do you think we will ever know what’s going on?”
“He said we would, and I think I believe him. I think they are afraid of losing control, whoever they are. You and I are the center of this thing, and I think Andy and Bobbie, Myrna and Avery, Randi, and maybe even Charli have important parts to play in whatever it is. For that matter, our entire families are probably central in all this.
“There is something, and I know you and Bobbie asked him about this. All the love we feel has to be genuine. It can’t be artificial. They can’t screw with that. If they do, it will spoil everything. I think it has to do with our babies. They’re scared, and we are their only hope. There’s nothing bad intended. We are just their hope for the future. If I’m right, we have nothing to worry about.”
“So it’s about babies?”
“I’m pretty sure it is.”
“So how do we make babies?”
“I do this.”
“Hmmm.”
“And then I do a little of this.”
“I’m not sure you got that right. You better try that again.”
“Is it more like this?”
“Much better.”
“You know, you are getting very good at this.”
“I think you are, too.”
(Several minutes of vocal silence)
“Don, I have a feeling we will make many babies.”
“Yes, and we will have a long, long time to do it.”
Somewhere in his little niche in time The Wizard was sleeping soundly, a smile of self satisfaction on his face. Wolf was in his special bed by the fire place, twitching and growling in his sleep. He and the kittens were arctic wolves, and they were stalking some caribou north of the Arctic Circle.
Next time: Will there even be a next time? I’m not sure it is worth all the research it takes to put this continuing story together. Up to this point, Cindy and the gang have managed to avoid any confrontation with evil magical forces. That is probably not going to last. They really have led a sheltered life up to now. Bobbie will turn pro. I know that for sure. She will set the Women’s LPGA tour on fire. Then she takes the step that Annika Sorenstam tried, but was unsuccessful in doing. Things work a little differently for Bobbie. Remember The Wizard’s admonition about using a 9-iron on the twelfth? I already know that Randi works part time in SRU. She is a very powerful, and yet untried witch. There is one power that she is not able to overcome, and that is love. She happily submits.
After her undergraduate years, Cindy has medical school and her residency in Psychiatry to endure. That will take twelve years. Don has law school and the Bar. Avery and Myrna will be entrenched in research and academia after getting their PhDs. Charli and Martha will also have important roles to play. Cindy, Don and Bobbie’s brothers are not drones, just there to pass on the magic gene. I wonder what roles they will have in this tale. Finally, we will find out what The Wizard and his bunch have been up to. Apparently, there were some serious screw ups that allowed things to go the way they did. Some people weren’t watching the store, so to speak. Of course there are transformations of various sorts. All are meaningful. I believe Cindy and Bobbie’s first babies are born on October 31st. Cindy’s baby is a boy, Donald Alfred. Bobbie’s first is a girl, Cynthia Naomi. The magic continues.
I look back at the stories in this series and wonder what happened. The early ones had a very good response as far as I am concerned, but as things drew closer and closer to what I felt was the whole idea of the series, the responses dropped to a third of the early ones. Well, I thought, that will be taken care of when everyone sees how sweetly I revealed the Donna/Don situation and the eventual consumation of Don and Cindy's relationship. I thought I had written a very sweet, not overtly sexual chapter, where their genuine love for each other was finally expressed in the act of love. Boy was I wrong. The chapter bombed! Go figure. I have literally shed a few tears over its failure; however, I know what I wanted to happen, and I think I achieved that very nicely, even if the response says otherwise.
To those who have been nice enough to write and say they enjoyed the series, I want to say I am still working on the Volume 2. I might be able to get together enough material to pick up where this story left off. We'll just have to see. I want to start on the sixth novel in the California Saga. It promises to be interesting. I suspect it will be well into 2011 before it is done, if then.
So long for now,
Portia