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That Ghost Is Our Host by C. Sprite (c) 1999 Prologue When Andy and his pals made plans to party in the old Westervelt Mansion, they never dreamed that they were about to become so well acquainted with their feminine side. Chapter One "Come on Rob, stretch", I yelled. "I'm stretching. I can't reach it." Rob suddenly managed to hook his fingers over the top edge of the wall. As he took some of his weight off of my back, I was able to stand up straighter, which pushed him high enough to get a solid grip. All at once his weight was off of my shoulders as he pulled himself onto the top of the wall. As Rob straddled the wall, Marty threw him the rope that we had brought along. Rob was able to hook something on the other side of the wall, and the rope became taut as Marty climbed up to join Rob. After arriving at the top, Marty slid down the other side. Eddie had already tied the plastic milk crate to our end of the rope, by the time that Marty was standing inside the grounds of the huge estate. As Eddie and I filled the crate, Rob hoisted it up and over the wall. On the other side, Marty removed everything. Within minutes, we had transferred our two cases of beer, and our bags of chips, snacks and other necessities. Before climbing up the rope ourselves, we anchored our end of the rope to a nearby tree. It could now be used to climb the wall from either side. In looking for a place to have our party, we had considered, then dismissed, half a dozen locations. We had decided on the old Westervelt Mansion, because of it's remoteness and inaccessibility. And because most people were afraid to come onto the property. The entire estate was surrounded by very high stone walls. A ten foot high wrought iron gate sealed it's entrance, with the gate being firmly chained and padlocked. In scouting the estate, we had learned that access would be difficult, and so we had come prepared. We had been planning this party for several weeks. We were all seventeen, and therefore minors, unable to drink alcoholic beverages legally. On July 4th, Marty's parents had thrown an enormous party at their house. He was able to secrete two cases of beer during the celebration. The beer supply had been stacked in the garage, and the cases were to be brought out and put into ice filled barrels and tubs prior to the start of the party. Marty had been assigned the job of filling the tubs with the beer and ice. As the stacks in the garage dwindled, he had been able to hide two cases beneath his father's work bench. We had nervously awaited this weekend, fearing that the cache would be discovered before we could enjoy it. But his father had not unearthed the golden nectar, and we were about to hide the evidence in such a way that it would never be found. Marty's father was away on business, and this had given us the opportunity to store the beer in a refrigerator in his garage, since last night. As a result of being in the refrigerator, it was now frosty cold, and we couldn't wait to pop some tops. The sun had already gone down as we followed the winding driveway up to the deserted mansion. The mansion was locked, but we managed to find a set of terrace doors, around back, which yielded when we pulled. The doors opened into a large ballroom. None of us had ever been inside the mansion before. Tales that the mansion was haunted, kept people away. Everybody supposedly knew somebody that had been frightened by a ghost who walked the grounds at night. But we didn't see anything except spiders and cobwebs. We cleared an area for our party, inside the large ballroom. I imagined that it had once entertained dozens of guests at a time. There was an enormous fireplace in the room, but since it was the first week of August, we sure didn't need any more heat. We did set up a dozen candles around the room though, so that we would have some light. We didn't have to worry that anybody would ever see the light from outside. As soon as we had settled in, the pop tops started popping. This was a stag party and we had jealously guarded the secret of the beer. If word had gotten out, every guy in high school would have wanted to come. By the time that we had each downed several cans of beer, we were really starting to loosen up. None of us had had much beer before, just quick sips allowed by our parents, or the occasional stolen can from our homes. And certainly nothing like this. By the time that we had each finished a six pack, we were starting to find standing up difficult, and we were laughing at each other's slurred speech. We would occasionally walk out onto the terrace to relieve ourselves. About midnight, I felt the need to visit the terrace. I staggered to my feet, and turned towards the doors. I stopped as the doors suddenly went out of focus. I rubbed my eyes to get them working. When I again looked at the door, it seemed to be glowing. And as I continued to stare at it, an image began to materialize. I rubbed my eyes once again thinking that the problem was there. When I next looked towards the doors, I could discern a real shape. Now I started to get nervous. I began backing up away from the doors. The other guys saw me and turned towards the terrace doors also. In a second they were all standing. We all started backing away from the luminous shape that now started to move towards us. As we backed away from the terrace, we were moving towards the center of the house. When we had gone as far as we could, we found ourselves against a large set of interior doors. I turned, opened one of the doors, and ran into the darkness. Stumbling along, I pulled my flashlight from my pocket and saw that I was in a large entrance hall. My flashlight played across what I thought to be the main entrance doors, and I ran to them. Pulling on them with all the strength that I could summon, I was unable to budge them, in spite of the adrenaline that was now coursing through my body. I turned as my friends reached me. We were now trapped between the locked doors and the ghostly apparition that continued to move towards us. As it grew closer and larger, it started to take on a more defined shape. It appeared to metamorphose into the figure of a man. When it had almost reached us, a warm feeling started to pass down my legs. If I hadn't been so scared, I would have recognized the smell of urine. The figure had taken complete shape now. It appeared to be a man in his late forties. As it reached us, the entire room seemed to illuminate. One minute it was dark, and the next it was brilliantly illuminated by gas lamps mounted on the walls, and suspended from the ceiling. People started to appear in the foyer. Music began coming out of the ballroom. I was in shock as the ghostly image turned into a real, live human being before my eyes. I felt a dark curtain of unconsciousness descend over me. I realized that I was falling, but I was unable to do anything about it. Chapter Two Something awful was under my nose. I twitched and tried to pull away. I heard somebody say, "She coming around. You can put the smelling salts away." I thought to myself, 'Who's coming around?' I opened my eyes to see and was startled to find myself lying on a bed, with several people bent over my prone form. "There, there, Amelia, take it easy. You just fainted. Understandable after what you've just been through in this terrible weather. The other girls were overcome also. But everyone is doing fine now. This will be your bedroom for your visit. We're going to leave you alone now to get some rest. The doctor will be back to check on you when he has finished with the others, and Anne will be in shortly. She went to get you some warm milk." I nodded and the three people, none of whom I recognized, straightened up and left the room. I just lay there for half a minute, trying to gather my thoughts. Where was I? Amelia? The last thing that I remembered, was that I was in the old Westervelt Mansion. We had seen something unusual that seemed to be a ghost, and we had been cornered at the front door. I put my hand up to my head, and I almost screamed. It wasn't my hand. It wasn't even my arm. And what the heck was I wearing? I looked down at my body and suffered another shock. I appeared to be wearing a dress. And were those bumps on my chest part of me? I closed my eyes tightly. This was a dream or a hallucination. When I opened my eyes again, everything would be normal. I opened one eye, and closed it again quickly. Nothing had changed. What should I do now? I reached my hand up and felt one of the bumps on my chest. OH MY GOD, they were real. NO, NO, NO, NO, NO. Things like this just didn't happen. I MUST be dreaming. I pinched myself. It hurt like crazy, and I was still here. What do I do now? Get out of bed, I told myself. I tried to sit up, but I couldn't bend. I felt my chest and stomach. There was something wrapped around me which was hard and unyielding. I slid to the edge of the bed and managed to get to my feet with a great deal of effort. I almost fell over as I tried to stand up. My feet were wobbly as I tried to balance. This must be dream, I thought. But it didn't feel like any dream that I had ever had. I managed to make my way to the dressing table and looked at myself in the mirror. But it wasn't me. I expected to see an image of myself in a floor length dress. But instead of the carrot topped, gangly, male image that usually stared back at me, I saw a pretty, no, beautiful, petite brunette with long flowing hair. I raised my arm and saw that the reflection did also. Yep, this was a dream. That couldn't be me. Attractive was not a term that could ever be used to describe me, and this girl was beautiful. So why did her image move when I did. I looked down at the body whose reflection appeared in the mirror. What was going on? Why couldn't I wake up? I lifted the bottom of the skirt and looked at the shoes that I was wearing. They were tiny, not at all like my size 10's. Even with the heels, that appeared to be about 3 inches, I couldn't be more than 5 feet, 6 inches tall. That means that I was now only 5 feet, 3 inches tall. People don't shrink overnight. For that matter, they don't grow boobs overnight either. And their hair certainly doesn't grow two feet longer overnight. I tugged on my hair. Yep, not a wig. I sat down in the chair at the dressing table. My clothing immediately began cutting into my body. I must be wearing a corset, I thought. I had seen pictures of them in old pictures. I moved to the front edge of the chair, and sat up very straight and rigid. That relieved the pain. I looked down at the dress that I was wearing. I had never expected to see myself in a dress. I was sure that any minute I was going to wake up. I examined my finely trimmed finger nails, and the jewelry that I wore on my hands and wrists. Then I looked at myself in the mirror again. I would love to date a girl like that, but with my looks, there wasn't much of a chance. Wait a minute, I was that girl. At least until I woke up. I bent as close as my clothes allowed and examined my face. A finely sculpted nose, beautiful mouth, deep blue eyes, and high cheekbones made for a real aristocratic face. I felt my breasts again. Touching them made the nipples stiffen. They were real. No silicon or foam rubber here. I put my hands around my waist. As Andy, I had never been fat, but now my waist couldn't be more than eighteen inches with this corset. I followed my form down to where I usually found little Andy. But there was no sign of him. The clothes prevented me from doing a full examination, but I would have known if he was there. I quickly removed my hands as the door opened. A beautiful, lithe blonde walked in carrying a small tray which supported a glass of white liquid. I assumed this to be Anne, and that must be the warm milk. I hated milk. "Oh Amelia, you're up. I'm so glad. I was worried about you. I got so scared when all four of you fainted at the same time. It must have been a terrible trip. The weather has turned so bad, that Daddy says that we may get snowed in for a month. You, Roberta, Martha, and Elizabeth may have to extend your visit. Isn't that wonderful?" "Yes, wonderful. Is it snowing?" "Oh, dear. You're still dizzy. It's been snowing for hours. Daddy sent out all of the men with sleds to find you when you didn't arrive on time. They found your carriage stuck in a snow bank about five miles from here. They were afraid that you had all succumbed to the cold. The men swore that none of you were breathing when they reached you. But when they got you back here, all four of you woke up and appeared alright until you suddenly fainted in the entrance hall. The doctor can't explain it. None of you four are even suffering from frostbite. It's a miracle." "Oh, yes. I remember now, Anne. Thank you." "That's alright, dear. Here, drink your milk. It will make you feel better." Warm milk was the last thing that I wanted, but I figured that I should drink at least some of it. To my great surprise, it tasted good. I drank about half of it before I started to feel full. As I drank, I decided that I needed to find Rob, Marty, and Eddie. Anne had mentioned a Roberta, Martha, and Elizabeth. I wondered if they were my friends, and had been turned into girls as well. Only one way to find out. I said, "Anne, where are Roberta, Martha, and Elizabeth staying?" "Roberta is in the next bedroom, Martha is across the hall, and Elizabeth is in the room next to hers, and across from Roberta's." "Are they feeling alright, now that we have been rescued?" "Yes, they're awake. But they're all confused, as you were. Martha and Elizabeth didn't even know their own names at first. It must have been terrible out there. Daddy says that your driver may lose a couple of his fingers, and all of the toes on one foot. Doctor Rogers is with him. We were lucky that the doctor had come for the party." "Party?" "Yes. My engagement party. Don't you remember." "Oh yes. Of course. I'm sorry, Anne. Please bear with me. I'm improving." "Don't let it upset you, dear. After what you've been through, you're entitled to a little confusion. You'll feel much better in the morning. I have to return to my guests, but I'll come back up again later. Why don't you try to get some rest now." "Yes. Thank you, Anne." I stood up and she wrapped her arms around me. I couldn't just stand there, so I did the same to her. She said, "I'm so glad that you and the other girls are alright, and that you could come. It will be just like being together at Miss Peterson's Finishing School again. I have been so looking forward to your visit. Wait until you see all the eligible men that my brother Jeremy has invited. Eight of his friends from Yale will be here. He says that each one is handsomer than the next. And all good catches. You're all so pretty, I'm sure that they'll be fighting over you and the other girls before your visit is over. Well, I have to get back. Get some rest, dear." "Alright, Anne. Thank you." After she left, I again turned my attention to my body. I was wearing a beautiful, taupe, dress with a dark brown bodice. It had two layers of ruffles and lace on the bottom of the skirt, and a high collar, with boning. I felt something mounted above my tush which felt like a pillow. Lifting the front of the dress, I counted five layers of petticoats. Last year I had helped out with our school play when we had done a shortened version of 'Gone with the Wind'. I had found myself staring at the girls when they were in costume. The clothes had excited me, and I had found myself aroused every time that I got close to the young actresses. I had found myself wishing that I had lived back when every woman had dressed like this. It would be like Christmas every day. I never told anybody of my desire. I feared that they would think of me as being weird. A knock at the door caused me to drop the front of my dress. I said, "Come in." A man of about 35 years of age, dressed in a black suit with a stiff white collar on his shirt, walked into the room and introduced himself as Dr. Rogers. He carried a little black bag like I had seen in all of the old movies. Removing something that looked like a small rubber hose with a little cone at each end, he put one end against his left ear, and the other end against my chest. I assumed this to be an early stethoscope. He told me to breathe deeply, and he moved it around to several places as I did. He said, "Miss Amelia, you're surprisingly fit. I expected severe frostbite, and internal damage. But you and your three companions are as healthy as any young ladies that I have ever examined. It is most strange. But who am I to argue with the work of our Lord. Tomorrow you may join the other guests in the festivities. For tonight, I think that you should all get some rest. The servants are waiting to bring your bags upstairs. I shall tell them that it is alright to do it now. Goodnight. I shall look in on you in the morning." "Goodnight, Dr. Rogers. Thank you." After he left, the servants brought up a trunk and several small suitcases. One of the female servants opened the trunk and put the clothes into a wardrobe closet. I saw that it already contained a couple of beautiful gowns. After the servant had finished putting the rest of the things into a dresser, she turned to me. "Would you like me to help you prepare for bed now Miss Amelia?" "No, Thank you. Not just yet." "Very good, Miss. Just ring when you are ready." She pointed to a sash cord that hung alongside the bed. Then she curtseyed and left the room. I waited for ten minutes before going to the door and checking the hall way. It was clear. I stepped into the hallway and went to the door directly across from mine. I knocked on the door, and when I heard a young woman's voice say, "Come in", I entered. There was a ravishing young girl with auburn hair sitting on the edge of the bed. I said, "Martha?" She said, "Yes?" I just stood and stared at her, not knowing how to begin. What if this wasn't one of my buddies? She became uncomfortable and said, "May I help you. Do I know you? I've had an accident and I'm not myself." I took a chance and said, "You only know me as Andy, not as Amelia." She stood up and looked me up and down, then ran to me and wrapped her arms around me, saying, "Oh man, I thought that I was alone here. I'm going off my nut. We look like girls. What is going on, man? I'm scared." "I don't know anything more than you do. I thought that this was a dream that I couldn't wake up from, but now I'm not so sure. Everything seems so real. You feel so real. My body feels so real. I've never had a dream like this before. I just don't know, Martha." "Marty, please. Everything is weird enough without being called Martha." "Until we figure out what's going on, we'd better play along. That means that you're Martha, and I'm... Amelia. Let's go find Rob and Eddie. I mean Roberta and Elizabeth." Together we went to the hallway, and then successively to each of Elizabeth's room and Roberta's room. In each room the scene played out the same. The girl that we found there rushed to embrace us as soon as we identified ourselves. We had ended up in Roberta's room so that was where we held our conference. Roberta was drop dead gorgeous. She had raven colored tresses that fell to her waist. A porcelain doll complexion, and the face to go with it. I kept getting hot just looking at her. The fact that Rob and I had grown up together, as boys, could not stop the flush of excitement that I felt sitting next to Roberta. Elizabeth was pretty, but not beautiful like Roberta. Elizabeth had light blond hair and deep blue eyes. Her figure was exquisite, but I had started to wonder how much was real in any of our shapes. The corset that I wore had definitely altered my shape. And the pillow thing behind me gave my profile a rather distinct look. I said, "Look guys, I don't know what's going on here. I'm not sure where we are, why we're here, or even when we are." "When we are?", Eddie said. "Yeah, look at how we're dressed. Look at the gas lights on the walls. They haven't used gas since about 1920 if I remember correctly from our history classes. Maybe even earlier. And people never dressed like this in, or since, the roaring twenties. So it's a safe bet that we've been transported back in time, to before 1920. I no longer believe that I'm dreaming. This is way too real for that." Rob said, "Look Andy, there's no such thing as time travel. It's fun for the movies, but it shouldn't be considered as a possibility for our problem. It's more likely that we've been hypnotized, or that we've been drugged." "It's true that those possibilities are more logical, but let's keep our minds open until we can definitely rule out time travel as a third possibility. I know that it's unlikely, but it is a remote possibility that the ghost who chased us knows something about altering reality that we don't know." Marty said, "I saw a calendar on the writing desk in my bedroom. It said January 19, 1883. I thought that it was a joke. But now I'm not so sure. How are we going to get back home?" Eddie said, "I'm more concerned with getting my body back. I don't want to be a woman." I said, "Assuming that we really are in 1883, and that we really are occupying women's bodies, then we are in deep trouble, guys." Marty said, "Hey, we're alive. I think. We'll work this out in time and get back to where we belong." I said, "And if we don't? Have you considered our lives from now on?" Rob said, "What do you mean, Andy?" "I'll tell you, but first I think that we had all better start using the real names that go with these bodies, so that we don't slip up in front of somebody. My name is Amelia. I don't know what my last name is. But anyway, if people hear us calling each other by our male names, they'll start to think that we have been deranged by our 'accident'. You don't want to be put into an insane asylum in this era. They chain you to a wall and forget about you. I don't intend for that to happen to me. The other will be bad enough." "What 'other' are you talking about, dude?", Rob said. "Well Roberta, in 1883, women had NO rights. We will be dependent on our fathers, brothers, or husbands for anything that we have or get. Forget about equal pay for equal work, we can't even get jobs. Except for domestic servants, entertainment, and prostitution, women don't work in this society. We can't even put on a pair of jeans without getting stoned." "Hey bro, I don't need drugs to put on a pair of pants", Martha said. "Martha, you're hair is auburn, don't act like a airhead blonde. Stoning is when they pummel your body with rocks because you didn't follow the rules of society." "Get outa town. They wouldn't do that to you for putting on a pair of pants." "I don't intend to put it to the test. I intend to be a proper Amelia at all times, while I look for a way out. I suggest that you do the same. We can only get away with so much because of the accident. We'll make enough mistakes just because we're in the wrong time period. We must all work very hard to fit in with these people. We have to pull together, and pool our information at every opportunity, so that everybody can be prepared for what ever comes along. If we're lucky, we're drunk, this is a dream from all the beer that we drank, and we'll sleep it off. We may be back to normal in the morning. If we're not back, then we'll have to start to look for other solutions. I don't want to be here any more than anybody else. We were going to be high school seniors this year, guys. I don't want to miss that. Do you?" They all shook their heads. "And since acting, like girls, is the only way to be accepted in this situation, then we must pretend to be the girls that should be occupying these bodies. Agreed?" They all nodded their heads. "OK. Then from now on, until we make it back to our own world, we act like women. Not only in front of others, but when we're alone also, since we'll never know if anybody is watching. Since we are occupying females forms, that's one hurdle that we won't have to jump. We look and sound just like women, so just think female at all times. Watch your language. In fact, don't talk unless spoken to. Women were household decorations, in this time period, until they were married. Then they were baby factories. Practice your giggling, and walking. Take dainty steps. Be demure at all times. Keep your ears open, and your mouths shut. Anybody got anything to add..... I'm sorry. Ah-hem. Girls, would any of you like to add anything to what I have said? Roberta?" "Amelia, how are we going to remove these clothes. I don't think that I can do it alone." "There's a sash cord hanging next to your bed. When you pull it, a bell rings in the servant's quarters. A maid will come to help you get dressed or undressed." Marty said, "No way. I'm not letting any maid undress me." "MARTHA, have you forgotten what we just agreed to?", I said. She looked confused for a second, then said daintily, "I'm sorry, Amelia. I do not wish to have a servant help me undress." "Why not, Martha?" "Because it's not decent." "It most certainly is decent. And necessary. You cannot remove your clothes by yourself. I watched some of the girls at the school play try to make adjustments. They couldn't do it alone. And as a young lady, you certainly can't ask a man to help you. It would not be proper. Girls, let's come to an understanding. Whether we like it or not, for the time being, we are women. That point will come home to you when we undress for the first time. It is not improper to be undressed in the presence of other women, just as it was not improper to be undressed in the boys gym. In this time period, people dressed for everything, even to go to bed. We will need help since we do not know what to do. By relying on the maids, we can learn what we need to know. Let them do the work as much as possible." "What do you mean, 'dress to go to bed'. We have to wear a dress into bed?", Martha said. "It's just a figure of speech, but we will have to wear nightgowns. Besides, it will probably be cold. Also, to keep our shapes, we will have to wear a corset to bed. I heard somewhere that once women started to rely on a corset, you had to continue to wear one for support all the time. Elizabeth, do you have a question, dear?" "Amelia, I can't do this." "Of course you can, dear. Just think feminine at all times. Think soft and gentle. Think polite and considerate. When you must talk, talk sweetly, like I am doing now. My beautiful sisters, you can do this if you try. You have the external equipment, you just have to get your mind in concert with your body. Remember, think feminine at all times. And remember when we are. This is like the dark ages. There is no television, no radio, no computers, and no airplanes. I'm not sure about electricity, or automobiles. I don't remember exactly when they were introduced. So be careful about what you say. Okay, my loves?" "Oh Amelia. You're wonderful. I can't believe what a change came over you in the last few minutes", Elizabeth said. "I just wanted you to see how it's done. Now practice when you're alone. Pay attention to the inflection in your voice. It's the key. Now, I'm going to get ready for bed. Ring for the maid when you work up the courage. I'll stop back before I retire, ladies. Chapter Three I would have preferred to stay up all night, just to see if the alcohol would wear off. But that would not have been proper as Amelia. So all things considered, it would be best to go to sleep and hope that we would wake up, in the morning, and find ourselves back in our own time. I was plenty scared but I didn't want the other guys to know how much. I knew that Rob could handle it, and Eddie could probably handle it, but Marty might wind up as a basket case. He needed somebody else's strength to draw on, for his own courage to shine. I pulled the sash next to the bed, and several minutes later the maid, that had helped earlier, came into the room. "Would you like me to help you get ready for bed, Miss Amelia?" "Yes, please. What is your name?" "It's Betsy, Miss." Betsy stepped behind me and started unbuttoning my dress after I had removed the bodice. I guess that they didn't have zippers in this time. I simply stood there as she worked to remove my clothes. First the dress and bustle pillow, then the corset cover, and finally the petticoats. She hung everything up in the wardrobe closet as she went. Down to my underwear, I started to feel the chill a little, so Betsy stoked the fire in the fireplace. Then she untied my corset laces and started to loosen them. When it was sufficiently loose, she separated the busk pieces at the front. I simultaneously felt relief, and fear. Relief from the fact that I could breathe easily, and fear because without the support of the corset, I was finding it difficult to stand up straight. I held myself as erect as possible as Betsy continued. She stripped me right down to the altogether. Then she put a fresh chemise on me, and a sleeping corset. The shorter corset gave me the support that this body needed. I felt better immediately. She helped me on with a heavy nightgown before asking me to sit down. When I did, she removed my shoes and stockings. She asked me if I wanted my slippers on, and I said yes since I was not going to go to bed immediately. From start to finish, it had taken about 30 minutes. I thanked her as she left. I waited for a few minutes, and then went to Roberta's room, after putting on a robe. When I knocked, the door was answered by Betsy. She said that Miss Roberta was dressing for bed. I asked her to tell her that I would stop back later. Then I went to Martha's room. When I knocked, I heard her say, "Come in." I entered and found her sitting on the edge of the bed. Still fully clothed. I went over and sat next to her. I put my arm around her and said, "Have you rang for a maid to help you?" "Not yet. I'm still trying to get up the courage." "You have to do it. The servants will start to talk if you don't." "What do I care if a bunch of servants talk about me." "If they do, it will only be a matter of time before it gets back to the family. That's something that we cannot afford, Martha. Look, you're a beautiful young woman, there is nothing to be ashamed of. No one is going to think anything is wrong unless you start to act suspicious. And not dressing for bed is suspicious. So do what you have to do, and pull the sash cord." "I can't Amelia. I just can't." Martha started to cry. I pulled her to me and held her as she wept. I began to wonder if being in these bodies was affecting our minds. I don't think that Marty would ever cry, even if he wasn't the bravest of our little group. Since we now occupied female bodies, that meant that female hormones might be beginning to affect us. I had heard speculation that hormones caused a lot of the emotions and mood swings that women showed, that men did not. If that was true, then we would slowly begin the transformation to being completely female, both in mind and body, if we remained in these bodies for too long. "Martha, you must do this. I have done it. Roberta is currently doing it. And now it's your turn. Just keep thinking feminine, dear. You're a beautiful woman. You have a beautiful body. It's time to step up and pull that cord. Now let me see you do it." She looked up at me, then stood and walked to the cord. She turned to look at me, then pulled the cord twice. She walked towards me and began to cry again. I went to her and held her until she got herself under control. She wiped her eyes and hugged me until a maid came in. It was good that the maid had come in, I was starting to get aroused as I stood there holding her. I may be in a woman's body, and I may be starting to think a little like a woman, but I still had years of thinking like a male in me. Standing there, holding a beautiful woman, had started to affect me, even if I no longer had the same equipment that Andy had had. The maid's name was Doris. I left once she started to lift Martha's dress over her shoulders. I had told her that I would return when she was dressed for bed. I went to Elizabeth's room. Upon knocking, she called for me to enter. I found her already dressed for bed. Doris had been there just before coming to help Martha. "Are you alright Elizabeth?" "Yes, Amelia. Doris was very kind. She did practically everything. I only had to stand there. There wasn't a lot that I could do though." "I'm glad that you were able to get through it. The first time for each new thing that we must do will be the hardest. Martha is going to have the most difficult time. We must all help her as much as we can, alright dear?" "Yes Amelia. I'll do what I can." "Thank you, Elizabeth. I knew that we could count on you. You've always been there when we needed you." "Amelia?" "Yes, dear?" "Do you think that we'll be able to get back?" "Yes, I do. It's just a matter of finding out how we got here in the first place. There's got to be a path back." I tried to sound more confident than I was feeling. I had no idea where to start looking for a way back if it didn't happen automatically when the sun came up. I was hoping that, if a spirit was in fact responsible for us being here, the spirit's power to hold us here would disappear during the daytime. I began to wonder how long we could stay in these bodies before our minds were affected to a point that we simply accepted our fate, and stopped trying to return to our time and gender. The other girls were doing quite well with their outward mannerisms and speech. It distressed me that I was encouraging their rapid change. Did I just say the 'other girls'? I guess that it was happening to me also. The quicker that we got out of here the better. I sat with Elizabeth for about 20 more minutes. We talked about how girls act and talk. Not that I was an expert, but I had an older sister where Elizabeth did not. I told her that our most difficult task, after convincing people that we were girls, was to learn about our backgrounds. We couldn't very well ask people to tell us about our pasts, so we would have to learn by stealth. We must each keep our ears open and minds alert to any mention of each other's history, and pass on the information as soon as possible. I decided that I should check in with Roberta, so I stood up to say goodnight to Elizabeth. She asked me to help her off with her robe, so I helped her with that and then I helped her into bed. I pulled the covers up to her neck and tucked her in. For some reason that I can't fathom, I bent and kissed her on the forehead. Then I dimmed the gas light and left. I went to Roberta's room and knocked, then entered when she said, "Come in". She was sitting on the bed in her nightgown. I scolded her for her behavior. She said, "Amelia, what did I do?" "Never. And I mean NEVER, tell someone to come in when you are not decent, unless you are absolutely sure who it is. You never asked who was at the door, or if I was alone." "But I'm wearing my nightgown." "A nightgown is not proper clothing to greet visitors. Would you walk around in a hotel lobby dressed like that?" "No." "Then use that as a test. If it is not something that you would walk around in a hotel lobby wearing, then don't invite anyone in unless you know who it is." Softening my voice, I said, "Alright, dear?" "Yes, Amelia. How do you know all of these things?" "I don't know, dear. They just seem proper and correct." I went on to tell her about what Elizabeth and I had discussed about learning everything about each other that we could. Then I helped her into bed and tucked her in. Without thinking, I bent and kissed her on the forehead also. I dimmed the light and left. One more stop, I thought. I knocked at Martha's door. I heard "Who is it?" "It's Amelia, dear. I'm alone." "Come in, Amelia" When I walked in, I saw that she had been crying. I went to her and she started anew. I held her, and tried to comfort her, as her body shook from the crying. When she managed to get herself under control. I asked what had happened to set her off. "Doris said that I was one of the prettiest young ladies that she had ever met." "That's it?" "Yes." "Well that's a wonderful compliment. You really are a beautiful young lady." She started to cry again. "What's the matter now?" "I'm not a young lady. At least I didn't used to be. I'm so confused Amelia. I want to go home." "As do we all. But we have to make the best of it until we find a way back. That means that we have to be able to function in these bodies. It's important that we accept our outward appearance. From the outside you look like a beautiful young lady, and you must accept compliments graciously. Now, I want you to repeat after me. I am a beautiful young woman." "I am a beautiful young woman." I sat there and made her repeat it, over and over, until she could say it calmly, and naturally. Then I helped her into bed, and kissed her on the forehead before dimming the gas light and leaving. Back in my own room, I reflected on the things that I had just done. I was actually helping to feminize my friends. Their own bodies and minds were telling them that they were female, and now I was corroborating that declaration with my support. I told myself that it was necessary. But why was I acting so much like a woman. I had tucked in each of my friends, and then kissed them on the forehead as if I was their mother. It was true that, as Andy, I had always been the ringleader, with Rob as my first lieutenant, but this was different. Or was it. They had always looked to me for guidance, so it might be natural for them to continue to look for me to lead, even though my outward appearance had changed. Tomorrow, we might be back in our own world and this would only be a dream that we had awoken from. But since I was here right now, I decided to explore this body a little before I changed. I lifted my nightgown to above my breasts, and sat on the edge of the bed. I started toying with my nipples, and they started to harden as I rubbed them gently. After several minutes I started to feel strange sensations in my chest and abdomen. I moved my right hand down to where little Andy used to reside. I spread my legs and explored the empty area until I found little Amelia. Suddenly I didn't need little Andy anymore. With my breasts, and little Amelia, I had enough to keep both hands busy. That was better than with just little Andy. I worked on myself for quite a while. It took a lot longer than it had as Andy, but I felt just as satisfied when I was done. After I had recovered, I cleaned myself up with a washcloth and washed it out in the basin on a table. After dimming the gas lamp, I climbed into bed feeling better than at any time since we had arrived. I pulled the covers up to my neck since there was no one to tuck me in. I was happy that I had experimented with this body. I would remember the lessons well when I returned to being Andy tomorrow. I rolled over, and was asleep in minutes. Chapter Four When I awoke in the morning I pulled down the blanket and stretched. My first reaction was to shiver from the cold. It was then that I remembered our situation. I was upset to see that I was still here. And adding insult to the situation was the fact that it was cold. I got out of bed and put on my dressing gown and slippers. I went to the fireplace and used the poker to turn over the ashes, but the fire had completely died. I walked over to the radiator against the outside wall. It was warm, but the extremely cold outside temperature must be too much for this primitive heating system. I opened the draperies to let in the morning sun, in the hope that it would warm the room a little. I was astounded to see the snowy spectacle that greeted my eyes. The storm must have dumped three feet of snow. We were indeed going to be stranded here for a month. They didn't have snow plows and snow blowers in 1883. I didn't know how they removed it from the roads. For all I knew, they waited until it melted in the spring. I had a bad feeling about this. I hurried back to the bed, to climb beneath the covers when I heard a knock at the door. I said, "Who is it?" "Betsy, Miss." "Come in Betsy." She came in carrying a bucket of glowing coals, and a bundle of kindling wood. She walked to the fireplace and immediately built a roaring fire. Then she left, but returned in a few minutes with a couple of logs that she placed on the fire. They would sustain the fire, and the warmth, after the kindling had all burned off. After she was gone, I stood in front of the fireplace and warmed my body. It felt wonderful. I estimated that, within half an hour, the temperature in the room had risen to a friendlier 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Betsy had removed my sleeping corset, and turned up the water heater in my bathroom before leaving. I discovered that the water heater was a brand new, ancient, water heating system. With the tank, mounted on the wall, being heated by the same gas lines that supplied the lamps. I thought to myself, 'Thank God that we have indoor plumbing and hot water'. Thirty years earlier and we would probably have been using chamber pots, and tubs filled with water that had been heated on stoves, and carried in by the bucket. At least in 1883, we had indoor plumbing and waste disposal. If it hadn't been so cold, we wouldn't need the fireplace. It was only acting as an additional heat source in support of the, not very old, central heating system. Building insulation is something that would be developed in the future. Feeling better, I ran a very hot bath. I knew that the cold, cast iron tub would cool the water somewhat, so I only ran hot water until the tub warmed up a bit. When I climbed in, it was as warm as I could stand. I relaxed in the hot water for a short time before beginning to wash myself. As I soaped and washed my body, I began to arouse myself again. I decided that this was not the right time to pleasure myself, so I became more careful in the way that I finished washing. When I stepped out and began to dry myself off, I was surprised at the coarseness of the bath towels. So instead of rubbing the moisture off, as was my custom, I patted my body with the towel until I was dry. After I had completed my toilet, I pulled the sash cord to ring for assistance. Betsy came in shortly and helped me to dress. I was actually glad when she tightened the corset around me. I needed the stiffness to help me stand erect. Amelia must have been wearing a corset for all of her teenage years to be so dependent on it. I missed the strength of Andy's male body. After putting on my stockings and lacing my boots, Betsy picked up the creme-colored velvet dress that I had selected for today. When Betsy had pulled the dress down over me, and started to button it, she found that it would not close, so I had to undress enough for her to access my corset. She untied the laces and began pulling on them with all her strength. When she had reduced my waist by another inch, she dressed me again. This time the dress closed easily. She apologized for the extra time required, saying that she was not used to my requirements. I told her that there was nothing to apologize for, and thanked her for all that she had done. She said that she was going to Miss Roberta's room to help her dress, after she left here. When she had gone, I sat at the dressing table, and combed and brushed my hair. I did a passable job, I thought. Women didn't wear much makeup in this era so I was spared that difficulty. But I did spray on some perfume before I left the room. I walked over to Martha's room and knocked. I entered when she responded, and saw that she was already dressed. She was looking so much better today. I guess that the stress of being undressed by Doris, the maid, had worn off. Martha was actually humming, and smiling, as she brushed her hair. I went over to her and took the brush from her hand, then I started to brush her hair for her. It's so much easier to groom somebody else's hair, rather than your own. I straightened her part and put in the hair clips. She really did look lovely this morning. When I was done, she told me to sit down and she groomed my hair. It did look much better when she was done. Together we went to Elizabeth's room, and finding it empty, went to Roberta's room. They were both there. Grooming each other as Martha and I had done. When they were done, I felt that I should make a little speech to coordinate things. "Girls, we will shortly be going down for breakfast. This will be our first time meeting the family, and their other guests. I shouldn't have to remind you to be on your best behavior. Remember to think feminine at all times. You've been doing wonderfully. Keep it up. Remember to smile at all times. ALL times. I don't want to see any sour expressions. We are four young ladies on a holiday to attend the engagement party of an old friend, Anne, whom we know from Miss Peterson's Finishing School. As women, we do not rise when another woman comes into the room. And remember, to us these are the dark ages. Their 'modern' technology, will appear ancient to us but we must not ridicule it. Absolutely no horsing around. No pushing, no games, no funny faces, no jokes, no laughing. You may giggle, in fact you must giggle if somebody makes a witticism. As long as it is in good taste. And I mean good taste from this time period. Remember my talk from last night. Think feminine at all times. Think soft and gentle. Think polite and considerate. When you must talk, talk sweetly. And pay close attention to the other women that we meet. Copy their behavior, but don't mimic them. Any questions, ladies?" Elizabeth raised her hand. "Amelia, what do you mean by 'good taste from this time period." "This is the late 19th century, not the late 20th century. Here, everything is considered vulgar. Remember, until the 1960's, a softest of curse words could not be used on TV. Don't say anything, or giggle at anything, that you would be uncomfortable saying to a priest in a confessional." Roberta raised her hand, "Amelia, have you come up with any ideas on how we can get out of here?" "Not yet, dear. I was hoping that this was all a dream. Now I see that we're going to have to find a way back ourselves. We'll get together later and work on possible solutions. Right now, we must get going, so we're not late for breakfast. Everybody ready?" We all looked each other over, to see if anything was out of place, then we left to find our way to the dining room. Betsy had given me directions while I was dressing, so I led the way. The girls were walking comfortably in their heels and floor length dresses. The bodies that we occupied were of course conditioned to such clothes, so movement in them was natural, to a degree. The musculature of a young girl, or even a male, would not have been conditioned to walking in heels. But the calves and ankles of these bodies were disciplined to walking in them. These bodies were also used to the restrictive corsets, and dresses of this period. The muscles and bones had long ago adapted to their confinement. When we reached the bottom of the stairway, we paired up for our entrance to the dining room. I thought to myself, how grateful I was that I did not have to endure this alone. I remembered that old saying about how 'misery loves company'. I turned to the other girls, pointed to my mouth, and I smiled. They got the hint and put pleasant smiles on their faces. I turned back towards the front, and taking Roberta's arm, we walked into the dining room. We were early and only three people were at the enormous dining room table. One was Dr. Rogers, and the others were both young men. They all rose as we entered the room. One boy jumped up so quickly that he dropped his spoon and it clattered to the floor. I suppressed a smirk at the young men's reaction to seeing four pretty young ladies suddenly walk into their presence. Their faces lit up with smiles. They hurried over to us and escorted us to seats near their own. I said escorted, but in reality they practically pulled us to seats where we would surround them when seated. We allowed ourselves to be seated in seats of their choosing. Once we were seated, they introduced themselves. The one closest to me was Tad Stevens, of the Boston Stevens, he said. The other was Charles Parker of the New York Parker family. I had never heard anybody introduce themselves like this before. It was a new experience. The doctor handled the introductions for us since it would not have been proper to introduce ourselves. He identified me as Miss Amelia Turner of Hartford, Connecticut. Then went on to introduce Miss Martha Fuller, also of Hartford, Miss Elizabeth Reese of New Haven, Connecticut, and Miss Roberta Johnson of Worcester, Massachusetts. We had names at last, I thought. Almost as important, we knew where we lived, and this gave us a point of reference for future research, while permitting us to join in conversations, since people always wanted to know where you come from. We sat and let our young companions tell us all about themselves as we ate breakfast. It took very little to make us feel sated so we ate very slowly. The young men that were our breakfast companions were both seniors at Yale. They were classmates of Anne's brother Jeremy and had been invited to even out the boy-girl ratio for the engagement party next weekend. As we ate, more of the guests began to arrive in the dining table and seemed to produce a never ending series of introductions. Everybody remarked at how well we appeared after our terrible ordeal. The doctor confirmed that our driver may indeed need some amputations resulting from his frostbite. He wanted to wait another day before deciding, to see if circulation returned in the affected areas. I shuttered at the prospect of having pieces cut off of my body and requested that the subject be changed before I became ill. Dr. Rogers said, "Ladies, forgive me. I lost myself in thinking about my work, and forgot about your delicate sensibilities." I said, "Dr. Rogers, our ordeal has been too recent to discuss such matters over breakfast. We can picture such things being done to us if we had not been rescued in such a timely fashion. Please, let's change the subject. Has anyone heard anything about this terrible storm. Does it look like it is abating at all, and how much snow has fallen so far?" Tad said, "Charles and I estimated that about 40 inches have fallen so far. It hasn't shown any sign of letting up. The stable hands have been working for the last several hours at clearing walkways to the stables and out-buildings. An enormous amount of wood has been stacked up just outside the kitchen door. The central heating system just can't keep up with the cold, so a fire must be kept burning in all of the fireplaces, except at night." Charles said, "It may be weeks before the roads are cleared enough for carriage travel. It will be days before a man on horseback will even be able to get through. Any more guests coming for the engagement party, may be unable to get here. The depth of the soft snow will not even allow sleds to be used since the horses can't pull a sled in such deep snow. We'll have to face the fact that we're snowed in here for a while. Fortunately, most of the food for a house full of guests has already been delivered. Also, the musicians for last night's small party are stranded with us, so we will have entertainment until things clear." Just then Anne came in, and upon seeing us rushed over to us and hugged each of us as we sat. She said, "Girls, I'm so glad to see you up and about. And you all look wonderful. It's truly a miracle. I'm sorry that I didn't get back upstairs last night before you retired. I was about to go see you when Betsy and Doris told me that you had already retired for the night. I felt that it would be better if I didn't disturb your rest. And you all look so wonderful, and rested this morning. I'm so relieved." "Thank you, Anne", I said. "We do feel much better. It was lucky for us that your father sent out the men to search for us. We would surely have perished by now if not for them, and him. As it is, we are fine. We only feel a little disoriented right now. I'm sure that that will clear up over the next few days." The doctor said, "Yes. It's not uncommon after such a near disaster. In a few days you should be back to your old selves." I thought to myself, 'How much I wish that is true, doctor, but not in the same way that you mean it'. By the end of our breakfast we had met all of the guests except an older couple that had decided to sleep in. They had partied until quite late and wanted the rest more than they wanted breakfast. We had also not met Anne's father, nor her brother Jeremy and two of his friends. Her father was tending to the business of running the estate during this storm, and was outside with the staff. Her brother and his friends were no doubt assisting in the snow removal efforts. In addition to clearing paths and walkways, snow was being removed from roofs to help avoid chance of collapse. In New England, where heavy snow was common, roofs were pitched at sharp angles to allow snow to fall off more easily. But unless the snow is extremely dry, it still accumulates on roofs. When everyone left the dining room to allow the staff to clean up, we broke into group of similar interests. Roberta, Elizabeth, Martha, and I joined Anne and another group of young women on a tour of the house. The other five were her cousins and friends from the surrounding area. She took us through the entire mansion with the exception, of course, of the servants quarters and the occupied guest bedrooms. We learned that original plans had called for my party to share two rooms, but following the accident it was decided to give us each a separate bedroom. At least until we were feeling better. If the weather didn't improve then we would stay as we were, but if other guests arrived, then we might be asked to double up. I told Anne that we would be happy to double up if needed. After the tour, we withdrew to the library. Anne's cousin Beverly was an accomplished pianist and she entertained us on a beautiful harpsichord that produced the most delightful sounds. We spent the rest of the morning listening to her wonderful music. She took several breaks during her playing and we were able to learn a great deal about the other members of our little group. Anne's ever present, effervescent personality provided us with facts about ourselves as well. If we were the least bit slow in answering questions about ourselves, she filled in for us. She regaled her friends and cousins with stories of our escapades at school. To hear her tell it, we gave the faculty nightmares on a regular basis. When lunch was announced, we moved as a group to the dining room. Anne and I were walking together at the head of the group. A man coming out of the dining room ran into us, and almost knocked us over. When I had regained my balance, I stood facing a large bear of a man with a face red from the cold. Anne introduced him as her father, William Westervelt, who had been outside until now. Mr. Westervelt greeted us and welcomed us to his home. He told us how happy he was that we were safe and sound after our ordeal of the previous evening. Then he excused himself so that he could clean up in preparation for joining us at lunch. We continued on into the dining room and took seats, effectively monopolizing one end of the table. Other guests arrived and began to take seats. When the two young men that we had met at breakfast arrived, there were only a half dozen seats still open, and none of them were near us. They looked so forlorn that I was almost sorry that I has not saved seats for them, but it would not have been proper to do so. Lunch was delicious and towards the end of the meal, Mr. Westervelt came in, accompanied by three young men. Mr. Westervelt introduced them to us. Some had met them last night. The first that he introduced was his son Jeremy. Jeremy was tall, straight, and handsome, with blond hair and fair skin. I could see the family resemblance between him and Anne. The others were Donald Blaisdell and Harry Millar. Both were also tall and handsome. I remembered Anne's words from the previous evening about Jeremy having invited eight of his friends from college. So far we had met four, and I had to admit that Anne had been correct in her statement that each was more handsome than the next. After lunch, we girls all withdrew to the library again, while the boys went outside to help out with the snow removal efforts again. It was still snowing, and they were trying to keep up with it. We watched from the warmth of the house as the men struggled with Mother Nature. As girls do everywhere, regardless of the era, talk eventually turned to discussion of the merits of the different young men that we were watching. Before long the talk digressed to physical attributes. I was amazed at the conversation that ensued. This was hardly the type of talk that I expected from young ladies of this period, but I guess that girls are the same everywhere regardless of where, or when. What surprised me most was that Martha had joined into the conversation with her opinions of the physical attributes of Tad and Charles, while Elizabeth had stated her preference for both Donald and Harry. I had, after all, told them to think feminine and act feminine so I couldn't very well fault them for participating in the conversation. I decided to join in the light hearted banter and voiced my preference for Anne's brother Jeremy. Anne looked at me with an amused smile and said, "I knew that you would like him. He's just like the type that you are always describing as your dream man. What's more, he has been impressed with your features and figure." "My features and figure? I only just met him at lunch." "Jeremy was the one that found the four of you, with Donald and Harry. And Jeremy caught you when you fainted last night. He carried you upstairs to your bedroom and put you on your bed. So you see, he is already familiar with your figure after handling it so much." I couldn't think of anything to say. My embarrassment at this revelation caused me to turn red. The other girls started to laugh at me until Anne reminded them that of the serious nature of yesterdays events. She also told Martha, Elizabeth, and Roberta that they had been carried upstairs by the boys, as well, and shouldn't laugh. Martha wanted to know who carried her upstairs. She said that she hoped it was Tad or Charles. Anne said that she couldn't remember but would ask Jeremy later when she could see him alone. "Anyone else want to know who carried them?", she asked. Neither Elizabeth, nor Roberta, spoke up, but I saw them nod their heads. The other girls giggled at our embarrassment and discomfort, but then expressed their jealousy about our having being carried by such good looking young men, and one of them wondered aloud if it was too late for them to faint in front of the men, tonight. We all started giggling at that remark. Chapter Five We were having such a good time that the afternoon passed too quickly. We didn't realize how late it was until it began to grow dark outside. At this time of year, during a snow storm, it is almost dark by 4:30 PM. We all returned to our rooms, to get a little rest and, to start getting ready for dinner. In my little group's case, we all went to my bedroom to talk. I began, "Well, we haven't found a way back home, but we learned a lot so far. We know what our names are, and where we are from. We know a little about our past lives, at least that part of it that we spent at school with Anne. We've met all of the guests that have arrived so far, plus Anne, and her brother Jeremy. We've learned that her mother is deceased, as are her grandparents. And we've met her cousins. Their parents will be coming for the party next weekend but haven't arrived yet. That pretty much sums up what we have learned, except for the most important fact. "Which is what?", Roberta asked. "You all remember the ghost that we were running from last night, just before we found ourselves here?" They all nodded. "Did any of you get a good look at him?" They all shook their heads to indicate that they had not. "Well, I did. That ghost is our host, Mr. Westervelt, Anne's father." The silence was expected. They all looked at me with their mouths hung open in shock. Finally, Roberta said, "You're absolutely sure?" "As positive as I could be. He was right in front of me when he changed from a ghost into human form. Or at least what appeared to be human form. We still don't know if this is a reality, a dream, or if we've been drugged, or hypnotized." Roberta said, "I've been thinking about it. If we were drugged, I don't think that our minds would be functioning as well as they appear to be. I'm ready to concede that 'drugged' had been moved to the 'most unlikely category. I'd also put hypnotized there as well. Everything is too real, down to the smallest detail. I think that we should concentrate on 'reality', or 'altered reality' as you mentioned last night." "OK, lets take a look at 'altered reality'. Everything here appears real. Our senses appear to be fully active. But we know that in the real world, time travel is not practicable. Or at least not for humans. Most people do not really believe in ghosts, yet the apparition that we saw certainly seems to fit the definition that we accept about ghosts. It was when the apparition cornered us in the front hallway and metamorphosed into a human that everything 'altered'. It was at that point that we appeared to move into these bodies, that the house became 'lived in' again, and that time appeared to shift to 1883. I would say that that qualifies as 'altered reality'. Now to the most important question, other than 'how'. WHY? I have a possible theory, but I'd like to get your ideas before I give mine, because mine is so far-out. Martha?" "Because it what ghosts do. It wants to scare us. And it has scared me, I can tell you." "Elizabeth?" "It wants us out of it's house, and wants to frighten us so badly that we never return." "Roberta?"