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WILLOW TREE by FARAH DAYE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A romantic story about a young couple who trades body and soul when struck by a force of nature. They shared an illicit love but they never expected to swap lives literally. The switched lovers struggle to escape indifferent spouses, a circle of cruel and dangerous witches, and the threat of permanent separation. Farah Daye, a transgendered artist, wrote this story. Farah has blended little bits of her own life and dreams into this story for you. She hopes that you will find it enjoyable and stimulating. --FarahD ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Part 1. Lightning I couldn't resist taking furtive glimpses at Leila as we walked through the park. Leila was a radiantly beautiful woman. Although I had known her for two years, she was always new and enchanting to my eyes. Leila wore a red tank top and tight denim shorts but to me it seemed like royal finery. She and I never admitted to each other that we were in love. In fact, we didn't dare admit it to anyone. We simply referred to ourselves as friends. Even that admission was a little furtive. Leila was married to my best friend and I was married to hers. We held hands as we walked. A light drizzle had started so we quickened our pace back toward the parking area. We had spent an idyllic hour under our favorite Willow tree. The Willow had dozens of low hanging branches with a profusion of drooping leaves. The curtain of leaves formed a sheltered room for anyone who sat under the tree. It was quiet, fresh smelling, and much cooler than the surrounding area. The soil beneath the Willow had a unique aroma that was sweet and smoky like incense. I wished that we were under the tree right then as the rain started to come down much harder. With a few seconds, the rain pounded the ground with even greater force. We ran back toward the nearby shelter of our Willow tree. We were both drenched but laughing happily. Leila leaned against me. I caught my breath, turned to her and kissed her cheek softly. Before we knew it, we were kissing passionately. That was when the lightning struck. There was no warning. We heard a deafening thunderclap in the same instant that a massive bolt of lightning struck the tree. The lightning split the sheltering tree nearly in half. Leila screamed. I reached out toward her but I didn't feel anything at all. Our world slowed as if the powerful bolt had struck time itself. The lightning that slammed into the tree did not dissipate as our reality turned eerily frozen and silent. I felt completely detached from my body and lost all physical sensations. The last thing that I remembered was the kiss. For what seemed like hours, we both glowed and pulsated. I saw the entire night sky at midday. Against the blackness of space, all the stars were rolled up within us. The impact threw us backward from the tree violently and we fell to the soaked ground together. Disoriented and helpless, like flaming comets, we tumbled among the night stars. For a few seconds, the galaxies and stars within me joined those within Leila. I felt an incredibly powerful force pulling me closer to her. I sensed that another force was pulling her toward me. There was a brief flash of white light. Then nothingness. When I opened my eyes, I knew two things immediately. First, the lightning had struck us and the tree at the same time. Second, it had killed us. The only voice in my head belonged to Leila. My own voice and thoughts were silent. "I think that we were dead for an instant," her voice said. "Do you think that somehow, through the power of the lightning, our souls snapped back? Can we be alive now?" It seemed plausible because sensation was returning to my body. I felt strangely lighter. Every part of my body hurt. I noticed the wet dirt on my legs. Funny, my jeans must have been badly ripped or burned. I felt Leila's shoes touching mine. We were opposite the positions that we had been in when the lightning struck. I had been closest to the tree trunk while she had been toward the outside of it. That made sense because the impact had knocked us down. "Leila, angel, where, what happened?" I called. My voice seemed like just a whisper, more like Leila's soft voice than my own. "Here," she answered. Her voice was hoarse and deeper than mine. I didn't have my balance yet and couldn't stand up. My head was ringing with pain. Then I saw it. I was wearing pale denim shorts, white tennis shoes, and short white socks. My tank top was red with a delicate floral design on it. It had an unexpected shape to it. I had started the day with a blue sweatshirt. I understood that the lightning knocked us senseless but it was a stretch to think that it could change my clothes. It was impossible. I thought that Leila had fallen on top of me though I didn't feel her weight. "Leila, Leila, where are you, I need to see you." "I'm here, Kenny. And Kenny, something is wrong. Let me see your hand. My hands...my hands are bigger than they were before." Leila wore my blue sweatshirt and jeans. She had on my cross trainers, my jeans, and my watch. She looked at me with my face. I quickly explored myself. At that point, I was not too surprised to find that I had Leila's breasts, her shoulder length reddish brown hair, and her long feminine hands. Where my large digital watch had been, there were three gold bangle bracelets. The rain had slowed to a drizzle again. We stood up slowly, helping to steady each other and surveyed the ruined tree. Then we looked at each other. "Leila, we died when the lightning hit us, didn't we?" "Yes, that's what I thought. Just for an instant, we died. A white light started to glow. Then it just disappeared." "Then what happened?" "Maybe when our souls were released, the force of the lightning brought us instantly back to life. Our souls snapped back to their bodies or what they supposed were their bodies. They switched by accident. We were so close, hugging so tightly." "Then my soul is inside of your body? I'm Leila?" I asked. "And I think I'm you, I mean that I'm inside of Kenny now." "Let's get away from this tree before we do anything else. It scares me." I said. "Good idea. There's a beach towel in the trunk of my car. We can use it to clean off the muddy mess on us. Then let's go have some coffee somewhere. I don't think that we better go anyplace else just yet." "Okay. Yes, that's fine. I feel a little faint anyway." I said. It was so strange to hear a musical, feminine voice coming from me. It was even stranger to speak to an exact image of myself. The person in my body, Kenny/Leila, this is so confusing, leaned over and kissed me. My body reacted with a different set of feelings than those that I had known before. As our kiss became more intense, I felt my nipples harden. A rush of new sensations and feelings overpowered me. Suddenly discomforted, we pulled apart and resumed our walk toward the parking lot and Leila's cute new car. What did I say? Cute? I don't talk like that! I had a sense of my identity as Kenny, or having been Kenny, but it was getting foggy. It consisted of memories, many of them incomplete. I seemed to have all of Leila's memories in my head. How strange. Some memories must belong to the soul and some memories must be mostly physical. I easily remembered Leila's girlhood, her boyfriends and first relationships, and her married life. I knew what foods she liked and how she marked the pages of a book as she read them. I knew her favorite perfumes and the names of her favorite shades of lipstick. The memories felt like a natural part of my everyday life. I knew how Leila felt about Kenny, I mean me. That was not a surprise and it made me feel a little more secure. Her feelings were even more intense than I had realized. We reached the parking lot and I walked around to the passenger side of Leila's car. "Honey," Leila said, "you better drive it. You have the keys in the pocket of your shorts anyway. Well you won't have to readjust the seat!" "Umm, I guess I do have the keys. I've been dying to drive it. How did you ever talk Hank into buying you a Turbo-Z?" I asked. "I put a spell on him!" I drove about two miles to a little coffee shop that we liked. The shop had private booths with real leather seats. It had dozens of flower pots, the most scrumptious smells, and cute little decorations like stuffed animals and old- fashioned dolls. Did I think that? Whoa, strange. I'm in a girl's body and now I'm even talking like one. I may not get used to this. This is too seriously weird. Kenny, I mean Kenny's body, started to get out. "I'll be just a sec, sweetie." I pulled down the sun visor and looked in the vanity mirror. After fixing my hair a bit, I felt ready. Did I do that? I suppose I did. I began to think about the Powder Room. Kenny opened the door for me. I liked that. I used to be the one who opened doors. So, why not? "I guess I better call you Kenny now. People will think it weird if I call you Leila. " I said. "Oh, good idea! I'll get used to calling you Leila. Funny, I have your body and it looks like I have a ton of your thoughts too. I still can't get used to it. I feel so BIG!" After we were seated, we began to talk in earnest. "So, you can't get used to it," I said. "I can't get used to this body either. Tell you something though, sweetie. It's really nice to look in the mirror and see you. I mean me, who is really you, who was...." We both started laughing. I ordered a nonfat Mocha. Leila always has those. I never liked them before. "Don't get me wrong," Kenny said. It's cool being a guy. I always wondered what it was like. You know I've, well, crossed the gender barrier in a way. When I was you, that is." "Kenny, I know that you were bi as a woman. I think it's very, very sexy." Kenny smiled. "I am going to love being with Sally tonight!" Sally was my wife. Her wife suddenly. I said, "I guess we do go home to different places, don't we? But how?" "Well, what else can we do? Like, I'm going home to my husband in a guy's body and say 'Surprise!' Kiss me, honey, I'm a guy now! I don't think that would go over too well. He's not the most attentive guy out there but I think he just might notice something funny, don't you?" "Umm, yeah, he probably would. So this is going to be easier for you. What do I do when Hank wants me? I have your memories and feelings but the soul of a guy. I'm scared witless." "Leila, honey. Just go with the flow. You'll love it. He's sweet in bed but not like you would be! He's sorta quick, if you get my drift. But I mean he really is a dear. He's kind of a jerk anywhere else but nothing to worry yourself about. I can make him do whatever I want!" Kenny giggled but quickly suppressed it. "Think about it for a minute or so. Tell me what surfaces, okay?" I knew immediately what she meant. Hank and Leila were trying to have a baby. I would be having a great deal of sex with my husband. Then I would probably find myself on the Mommy track. Just when I thought I might adjust to Leila's size 8 figure. I really did not want to think about it. "Kenny," I said, "Do you think that this is permanent?" He answered, "Honey, I think that this may be something good. We died. And survived! We know that. Our souls found homes again and I can't imagine how they could swap back. That just doesn't happen in nature. Except that it did happen...to us...once...duh!" "Okay, true," I said, "but what happened at the park is totally beyond us. It's something incredible. I guess when you're hit by a hundred million volts, all bets are off. So, what do you think? Can your little circle put their heads together and come up with a way out?" I asked. "Honey," Kenny said, 'you're part of the circle now. But even they can't undo something that cosmic. We really did all get together and put a spell on Hank to get me the Z. I deserved it! We are a very good little circle of friends but we can't mess with death. At least, I don't think we can." "I know," I said, "I have the memories. So how do you feel about the whole thing?" "Leila, it must be fate or something. And I'm not scared of being with Sally. I'm looking forward to it. You know that I like her a lot. Now, as a man, I can have her. I even teased you about wanting her a few times. Honestly, honey, I was just teasing." "Lover, you can have her! Keep her, in fact. Please. No, now I'm teasing. She's not as nice in everyday life as she is in public," I said. "You're not going to like being around her on a steady basis. I am so sorry that you're stuck with Sally now." Kenny said "I know, I have your memories!" and grinned at me. I felt playful and touched his leg under the table. Then I reached a little further to tease him. He didn't flinch. "I like this a lot already," he said. "Look," he said, "I know your marriage has been a lousy one. I feel that as a soul who has lived as a woman, I can relate to her differently. I'm going to give it my best shot." "You know, girls talk about things" Kenny continued. "She didn't know about us. That we...you know, liked each other. She said that you lost interest in her. I have the whole thing in my head now from your point of view. I know that she hurt you a lot. And we both know that I'm why you lost interest in Sally." "Why don't you and I run off together?" I asked with a smile. "Because it isn't so easy. The circle of friends does not let anyone leave it after they are initiated. Now you're a part of it. You'll like it and you'll have power like you never dreamed." "Won't you miss that power?" I asked. "It's very scary, Leila, very scary. You have the power but you give up some freedom to them. You have to, umm, give them things." Leila kept that in a locked little room in a corner of her mind. She didn't like to think about it. I just could not focus on the memory to understand what she meant by 'things.' Right then, other concerns were more immediate. "You aren't going to forget me, are you? What if you fall in love with Sally?" I asked. "No, Leila, we are united forever now. Just think of what we have in common! Each other's lives and bodies! Too incredible! And yes, I do know that Sally is a bitch. I can handle her." "Oh really," I said. "What makes you so sure of that? I never managed it when I was her husband." Kenny looked at me sweetly. "Leila honey... Lordy! That sounds so weird! Oh well, here's what I think. Inside of you, no matter what body you're wearing, is a soul with the past memories and reactions of a guy. And I'm sorry to say it, but no guy will ever understand a woman fully. Something deep down inside of you will always be identifiable as a guy. That's just how it is. Okay? So, like inside of me, even in a guy's body now, your old body, is a girl. So I will understand women. So there!" Kenny looked at me with a touch of mischief that suggested Leila's cute smile for an instant. I started to cry. "Kenny, sweetheart, I don't want her to hurt you. Sally is so messed up and angry all the time. I love you too much. Anyway, I can't believe that a soul has a gender. I just don't accept that." "I don't either but you have to say that it inhabits a gendered body. You can also say that the body itself affects the personality. Your emotional makeup will change a lot, don't you think?" I nodded in agreement. Almost without realizing it, I found myself touching the smooth skin of my face and studying suddenly unfamiliar areas of my anatomy. "It will be okay, Leila, we'll get through this. We'll find a way to be together somehow. Enjoy being a girl. Enjoy your pretty body and all the fun things about being a girl. I intend to enjoy being a guy! It's a fantasy I've had since I was a little, well, a little boy," he said and grinned broadly. "You always said how much you appreciated my taste in clothes. Well, honey, now they're all yours! Hank let me have whatever I wanted. I made him do that." "Kenny, honey, take me somewhere. Make love to me. I want you to be the first man whom my soul is ever with. Now that we're kinda reborn in each other's bodies, I think that we should make love." I said. "We've waited such a long time." Kenny smiled, "You are the most romantic girl in the world but very direct! Well, of course you are. I was and now you're me! Leila, I won't stop loving you. And it's a great idea. How could I refuse? You sure can't be accused of not getting right to the point." I drove us to Kenny's photo studio. The studio had a little room in the back where he, formerly I, used to spend nights when he worked too late to drive home. Kenny and I had been wanting to do this for two years. Suddenly it seemed not only urgent but poetic and beautiful. I still remembered having been a man but I had become a passionate woman. I wanted him to make love to me. He had the body that I used to have. I knew everything about how to give it pleasure. I knew that Kenny would know how to excite my body to fantastic heights. Kenny didn't have any sexual secrets that I didn't know. He was on the verge of the greatest night of his life. I was very warm and wet already when Kenny began to undo the hooks of my bra. I turned to him, smiled happily, and unzipped his pants. We playfully undressed each other and fell to the couch in each other's arms, laughing and kissing. The sexual longing that we had repressed for such a long time exploded at last. The intermingling of our souls and memories fueled the fire. I loved the feel of his muscular body against my newly slim and smooth body. Every touch and caress, every kiss, every breath of his made my fire grow more intense. Kenny took each of my breasts in turn into his mouth and licked and sucked on them tenderly. Meanwhile I caressed his stiffening penis. Kenny moved toward my vagina kissing and licking eagerly. I thought that I would burst with ecstasy. I desperately wanted my lover inside of me. I wanted to take his manhood in my mouth but I was so wet and excited and he was so ready that we couldn't wait. I guided him into me. My feelings were indescribable. The wonderful man I loved was moving deep inside of me, thrusting deeper and deeper. I screamed with pleasure. We embraced with all our strength as I wrapped my legs around him. Every time he pushed, my fire grew hotter and wilder. I kissed him madly. I laughed and cried and even shouted when he exploded and emptied into me. We had experienced a cosmic event just hours ago and our lovemaking felt like another one. My body shook madly with the force of my orgasms. Soaked in perspiration and squealing for joy we became one. I became Kenny's woman and he became my man. We were united in a way that was all but impossible for any other lovers to know. I exulted in all the pleasures of my new female body. Kenny reveled in the strength that he gained as a man. I told him how much I loved him over and over. We hugged and kissed and only after the longest time, began to relax and catch our breath. Within a few minutes, we started our steamy foreplay again. I explored my former body while I thrilled to my wonderful new sensations as a woman. I eagerly took Kenny's penis in my mouth. I knew how much he loved that and how Sally had denied him. It was going to be so hard to part that night. Yet eventually, he'd have to go home to his irritable wife and I'd have to go home to my cosmically boring husband. I did not look forward to it and began to cry again. And now, Part 2, in which the switched lovers struggle to escape indifferent spouses, a circle of cruel and dangerous witches, and the threat of permanent separation or death. Part 2. The Circle Kenny didn't have to tell me anything about Hank, my husband. I had all the memories that my new body needed. Hank was a Mechanical Engineer. He was really an extreme stereotype of an engineer. He showed very little emotion about anything. Sex, to him, was a husband's duty, though it was a definite annoyance. He would have preferred to work at his computer in AutoCAD to making love. Hank dimly realized that sex was necessary if a couple wanted to make a baby. And he really wanted a child though I couldn't imagine why, given his inability to express love. I didn't mind his coldness any more than the original soul who inhabited this body did. I was deeply in love with Kenny, my best friend's husband. I definitely did not wish to get pregnant. It was so ironic that Hank and Sally were both cold sexually while Kenny and I were so passionate. I found my sexual satisfaction in the circle with the other women. Hank was extraneous except that he put a roof over my head and indulged me in a few luxuries like gorgeous new cars. The latest was a powder blue Turbo Z. It was such a pretty car. I wonder if I would have been enchanted by all the gauges and cute toys in my Z car if I were still a guy. They didn't hold any great fascination for me any more. But the color was so yummy! I adored how it highlighted my blue eyes. Poor dumb hubby of mine--he never had a clue that I wanted it to impress my darling boyfriend. When Hank and I made love, once, sometimes a whole two times a week, yes, that's right, count them--two! I fantasized that he was Kenny. That made it easier. I should say that made it possible. I found sex with him to be uncomfortable and annoying. Hank, for his part, was perfunctory. He did his duty as a husband as efficiently and quickly as possible. Then he turned over and went right to sleep without as much as a grunt. His other truly irritating trait was that he treated me like a child. My college degree was in fine arts, which he considered trivial and useless fluff. He made it clear that he thought that I was a pretty little airhead and little more than a decoration. I looked forward to only two things, the clandestine meetings with my lover who possessed the body that I used to inhabit, and weekly meetings of the circle. It was my turn to host the meeting at my home. I had chased Hank out and ordered him to come back as late as possible. He had no choice but to leave. I had the power of the circle behind me when I sent him off for the night. He probably went to his office to work. Whatever! I really didn't care a bit. Mira, our leader, was always the first to arrive. "Why are you staring at me, dear?" I asked her. "Something is not right. I can't place it yet but when everyone is here and we form the circle, I'll know." She never took her eyes off me. It was my first meeting in the circle since I came back to life in Leila's body. I remembered the others by listening to her memories. In essence, we of the circle were amateur witches. Men were forbidden to attend our meetings. They weren't even allowed under the same roof while we met. Mira looked me over as if she knew that something was not quite the way that it had been. That was impossible. She could not have known or guessed. My body was unchanged and its memories were intact. Except for a psychic remnant of the man that I had been, there was no way that anyone would ever be able to tell. A person would have to read my mind and nobody in the circle could do that. Why would it matter anyway? I was obviously female and that was permanent. We weren't scary witches. We simply influenced things. We made our men do things for us and we had some girl fun together. I didn't understand how but our power came from three sources: our sexual play, Mira's glittering gold jewelry, and her eerie chanting. All the women in our circle were bi like me. Being bi was an unspoken requirement for acceptance into the circle. One by one, the other five women of the circle arrived. Jean, Liz, Sally (yes, Kenny's wife, the very same woman), and then Helen and Megan who arrived together. We seated ourselves on the rug in the living room and formed a circle. We all wore the customary long and plain white dresses that we used for our meetings. We joined hands and Mira began to chant very quietly in that strange language of hers. Suddenly, she broke off her chant. "Who are you?" she asked, looking directly into my eyes. The other women all stared at me too. "I'm Leila, Leila Gates. A spoke of the sacred wheel as I have always been." "No, dear, I don't think so. You look like Leila Gates, but your aura is different than hers. Something isn't right. And I demand to know what it is." I started to cry. "For Goddess sake, I'm Leila. Whatever is the matter with you?" Mira spoke, "When I look at you, I see a different aura. And I sense death and transformation. Leila, be very careful, you cannot fool a priest of the Maya. I demand to know. You must tell me and the greater circle. If you do not tell me, I shall demand retribution from you. Now speak, my so-called sister. I'm waiting." Did she say priest? I must have misheard her. Mira nodded her head toward the other women. In a flash, Helen and Megan had pinned my arms behind me and held me immobile. The two women were partners. They owned a health club and looked like they spent every waking hour working out. They were incredibly strong and they were hurting me. "Please," I sobbed. "Please don't." Mira looked at me and said, "If you are not who you seem to be, I can do one of three things. I can punish you with a terrible curse that will make you wish for death. I can condemn you to death in front of the circle and administer poison to stop your heart. We have done that in the past. It's really far too quick. I don't care for it, my dear. Or I can take your unborn daughter as your retribution." "Mira, I'm not pregnant! That wimp I married couldn't impregnate a paper bag." "Leila," she said quietly, "You will be pregnant with a daughter. I will impregnate you myself." For a second, Mira's body shimmered and she appeared to be a man, a very ancient man who resembled a very tall Mayan Indian. The Mayan image sported a loincloth, impossibly long feathers on his headdress, and thick arms completely covered with ornate gold bracelets. Then the image reverted to that of Mira, a slim, plain looking, 40-ish woman in a white dress. Mira was unusually pale-skinned though her features and black hair suggested a possible Native-American origin. I knew next to nothing about her except that she was unmarried and probably very wealthy. She owned a great deal of ornate gold jewelry. "Leila, what are your roles in the circle? Recite them to me now." "I serve you as a lover when you desire me. My body is yours to command. I contribute my essences to the ancient circle to give it greater power. I give the circle my unquestioning obedience." "And what do you gain from the circle?" Mira asked. "I gain power over my husband to make him obey me in all things. I gain wisdom, health, and prosperity. I gain the joy of making love with my sisters of the circle." "Enough! Those are just empty words from you. I have decided your fate. Now you will tell me the truth." I was too frightened to deny her. While the two women continued to hold me down, I told Mira about the lightning strike and the Willow tree. The others listened in silence. Mira glared at me. "Why didn't you admit to this powerful magic earlier?" she demanded. "It was not magic!" I insisted. "It was an act of the Goddess, of the Gaia spirit herself. An accident. There was nothing I could do about it. I'm so sorry, we were in love. We wanted so much to be together. It was just an incredible accident. Can't you see that this body is unchanged?" Mira stood up slowly and spread out her arms. As she did, she started to change shape again. The air shimmered and crackled with electricity. Mira slowly and completely transformed into the tall Mayan priest I had seen earlier. She had the cruel face of a jaguar with the coldness of an Anaconda. Helen and Megan tightened their grip on me. Mira stood over me glowering with her amber cat-like eyes. "I am the one you call Mira," she said, "and I know about shape-shifting. I know how to die and claim another body as you have done. I, Mira, am over 500 years old. I escaped the Spanish murderers by putting my soul in the body of a newborn girl child. No other body was available to accept my consciousness. I became a female. From then on, whenever I began to age, I took the body of another female child and I continued to live. This thing that has happened to you may be a danger for me. I cannot allow it." I looked at Helen and Megan and, for just an instant, thought that I saw their bodies shimmer and change. They were also Mayan priests. I tried to see Sally also but I could not turn my head. It didn't matter. I knew what I would see. The two seeming women laid me down on my back forcibly. Megan held my shoulders down while Helen folded my arms behind my head. I saw Mira drop the cloth that covered her waist and then I knew that I was about to be violated. Mira in her male form was strong and cruel. I had been with her as a woman where she had been gentle and loving. She did not intend for me to enjoy this. I struggled and tried to pull away but it was useless. Mira entered me brutally. I screamed with pain and terror. Then I fainted. When I awoke, the women were all leaving. Sally glowered at me. She knew the truth and that terrified me. I had no idea of what she might do to Kenny. Nobody said a word to me except Mira. "You will stay away from your former body and there will be no more abomination. If you do not stay away, he will die. You are no longer part of our circle. And, my dear, I say that you are most definitely pregnant." Her expression showed complete contempt for me. After the last person had left, I lost what shreds of composure I had and began to cry again. I had been cast out of my little circle of witch wanna-be's. What did we turn out to be? Three fashionably bi yuppie housewives in the thrall of four ancient Mayan priests. It was much more incredible than I ever could have dreamed. To think that Mira had changed her sex also, and in such a horrible way. She stole the bodies of helpless babies. I supposed that the other priests did the same. Mira, the male priest, had taken me violently. I was pregnant. And he was going to steal my baby's body and soul. I didn't drink but I did find myself desperately wishing for something to erase the terrifying night from my mind, alcohol, sleeping pills, anything at all would have been welcome. Adding to the horror, my lover would die if I went near him. I went to the phone and dialed his number. I hoped that type of contact wouldn't be dangerous for him. My hands were shaking so badly that I could barely tap out the number and had to retry it a few times. "Kenny, honey, I just wanted to hear your voice." "Leila, what's the matter. It sounds like you're shaking or crying.," he said. "No, no, Kenny, it's okay, I'm just tired. Tell me about you." "You were right, of course, about Sally. Her rotten temper and bad moods are impossible. How did you stand it for so long?" "Oh, sweetheart, I stood it because I had the most beautiful, wonderful friend in the world who always made me feel better. Listen, please, and don't say anything. I don't think that we can talk for very long. Mira knows. She threw me out of the circle. She said that if I go near you again that she'll kill you. What will we do? Kenny? Kenny, are you there?" "Here, I'm here. I feel dizzy. My chest feels tight. I don't know what's happening." Kenny was unable to catch his breath. He gasped desperately. "Kenny!" I screamed, "She's killing you! Break it off! Hang up!" I slammed the phone down. I hadn't even had the chance to warn him about Sally. During the next few weeks, I tried to reach Kenny in every possible way. I wrote him letters and sent him email messages. Whenever he read anything from me, he came dangerously close to a fatal seizure. Kenny knew Mira, of course, and realized that she was capable of cruelty. There didn't seem to be any way that we could be together again. As if that wasn't bad enough, I began throwing up every morning. Mira was right. I carried a baby. I could have justified an abortion, though I abhorred the idea, because I had been raped. But I also knew that Mira would kill Kenny if I dared to end the pregnancy. She would have returned, taken her male form, and raped me again. I had no way out of the nightmare. Hank was the perfect idiot. It finally dawned on him that I was pregnant. He began to congratulate himself. I told him that it was a delicate pregnancy and my doctor said that we must avoid relations at all costs. The big dope believed it! That suited me fine but I lost the last shreds of respect for him after that. Not having sex with my husband was the only bright spot in my life. Kenny and I had one connection that nobody could break. Of course, we weren't telepathic but we were able to project our emotions toward each other over a great distance. I think it was similar to the way that twins are linked. Our souls remained in contact. I directed my loving thoughts toward him and he felt them. He did likewise in my direction. I sensed one afternoon that Kenny was daydreaming about our shattered Willow tree. For whatever comfort it might give, I decided to drive down to the park and visit it. I was afraid that the Parks Department might have cut it down because of the damage it suffered in the storm. I wasn't sure why, but I felt like wearing a simple white dress like the one that I had worn to that last meeting of the circle. I put on the gold bracelets that Mira gave me when I was initiated. I realized for the first time that their little symbols were Mayan. It was strange that Mira didn't take them back from me. I thought that they might have lost whatever power they had. Mira had given three of them to me and Sally had given me the fourth. I lost one of them in the muddy ground during the rainstorm that caused me to swap body and soul with my lover. Sally was the one who introduced me to the circle. Entering it had been so intoxicating and so empowering. I had no idea of what it really meant. To me, it had only been a way to learn some tricks of hypnotic suggestion to play on my brain-dead husband. And of course, a little sexual relief with my girlfriends. My husband couldn't provide that and my lover and I didn't dare. The taboo that we observed only crashed down after the lightning struck us. At first, as I walked down the path from the parking lot, I didn't see our wonderful tree at all. However, there was a large Willow tree where the old one had been . It was the same size and general shape but it didn't show any damage. I pushed the leaves aside and stood in the tree's natural shelter. A section of the ground near the roots of the tree was blackened. The tree itself had only a thin black scar where the lightning had struck it. The Willow had healed itself! That was a sign that inspired me with exactly what to do. Thank Goddess for my newfound intuition. I reached into my purse for the cell phone and dialed Kenny at his studio. "Kenny, sweetheart, come to the Willow tree now. Now! Hurry!" I said, and quickly hung up. "Mira, you evil bitch, I know what to do!" I thought. "Hurry, Kenny, hurry! We don't have very much time." The park was nearly deserted, probably because the day was overcast with dark clouds and uncomfortably humid. I placed one of the bracelets on the ground and traced a large circle around it with my shoe. I removed another bracelet from my arm and twirled it around in my hand nervously while I waited for Kenny. I knew that he would come soon. While waiting, I tried to remember how to imbue the bracelets with power. Mira must have clouded my mind about the secrets of magic we had once shared. Essence, essence, it seemed to whisper to me. Essence. What did that mean? As I looked at the low-hanging branches of our tree, I reminded myself that its leaves touched the ground and totally blocked any view from the outside. I picked up the bracelet from the ground and dusted it off. Essence? Essence? Of course! It needed some of my female essence to recharge its innate power. I was so frightened and self-conscious. I kept looking at the leaves and reassuring myself that I had privacy. Then I began to stimulate myself. I thought about Kenny (of course!) and continued to finger myself until I was wet. It seemed positively lewd and insane because I was in a public park but I knew what I had to do. I quickly put the bracelet in my panties and rubbed it against me to make it as wet as possible. Then I put it back on the ground. The bracelet began to glow brightly. Yes! I had the power! I wet the other two bracelets the same way but held on to them. The leaves rustled. Kenny had arrived. "Don't touch me or anything until I say!" I snapped at him. "Here, put this on," I told him, offering him one of the bracelets. He took it without a sound, spread it to fit on his thicker arm and remained silent. He knew, of course. He had been Leila once. I put on the third bracelet. The fourth bracelet must have been buried deep in the soil. It had endowed the Willow with the power to heal itself after the lightning strike. "Sally followed me," he whispered. "Good," I said. "She certainly called Mira to come with her. Kenny, you're protected now. She can't hurt you. I love you. I love you so much. I am so sorry that I put you in danger." "Leila, sweetheart, it wasn't your fault. Sally is very dangerous." "No, you don't understand," I said. "It's Mira. There's no time to explain it all now. Just wait." A few minutes later, the leaves stirred on opposite sides on the tree. Mira and Sally had arrived. They never got beyond stirring the low hanging branches. In their haste, they hadn't taken the time to empower their bracelets. The inside of the tree started to radiate light. There was a crackling sound followed by a deafening thunderclap. The dark cloud overhead issued a thin streak of blue lightning. Both Kenny and I were badly startled. It was so reminiscent of the thunder and lightning that hit the tree less than a month ago. Mira cried out with a horrible, catlike, and primeval shriek. She glowed, shimmered briefly, and then simply burned to ashes. For an instant, hazy parts of her Mayan priest form appeared but they quickly turned into dust and ashes and blew away. Mira's screams echoed for a few seconds after she was gone. Sally never said a word. She was horribly burned by the lightning strike. Sally's body changed as if it were a mirage or a ghost. Her body fluctuated back and forth between that of a shadowy Mayan priest and a disfigured woman in a torn and sooty white dress. She turned and staggered away from the tree toward the meadow. After she had gone about 20 paces, she finally collapsed. The shock from the lightning bolt stopped her heart. All three bracelets stopped glowing when Sally dropped. Somewhere, deep inside, I heard the screams of Helen and Megan, the other two priests. Without Mira's magic to preserve them, they vanished also. Kenny and I hugged each other for dear life. We kissed and hugged until we were out of breath. On the drive to his studio, I told him everything that happened. Our lovemaking was even more exciting than it had been the first time. Kenny asked me to marry him. Of course, I said Yes! Yes! Yes!. "Kenny, darling, I'll make Hank give me a divorce. I know it won't be a problem." "What about Mira's baby? What if she enables Mira to return somehow?" "I don't know," I said. "I just don't know." A few days later I did know thanks to modern medicine. Amniocentesis was a little painful but worth it. Mira had lied in an attempt to frighten me. The baby was Kenny's and it was a boy! Eight months later, the wonderful news was confirmed. Hank's typically fragile male ego was profoundly bruised when I told him that I was pregnant with another man's child. The divorce was quick and painless. I joined Kenny as his partner in the photography studio. I was finally able to use my education and background in art. After our son arrived, I always brought him to work with me, taking time out to breast-feed him as necessary. Kenny and I barely remembered our mixed-up origins and we never discussed it again. I adored my wonderful husband and loved being his wife and the mother of his child. Epilogue Just before my baby was born, some of my girlfriends gave me a wonderful baby shower. Jean, a darling girl from the old circle, and long-time friend of mine, was there. She had been traumatized and shocked by what happened. After she saw Mira savage me, she left the circle despite the terrible risk. Of course, due to the deaths of four of its seven members, the circle didn't exist any more. Jean gave me an adorable little bronze and black striped kitten. She suggested mischievously that I should name it Maya. I did not appreciate the humor of that at all. I suppose it's just some sort of post-traumatic stress reaction, but sometimes I get the oddest feeling that the kitty is watching us. Watching and waiting. (C) 1997 Farah Daye