Tough Decisions free porn video

Tough decisions By Katie Dale I was the only child of Jack and Marcia Sneps. But I wasn't lonely; my best friend was my cousin, Laurie, who lived just five houses away. Laurie's mother was my mother's twin sister (not identical). Laurie was born only five days after me, and we grew up like brother and sister. You could say I was a regular boy ? interested in football and wrestling and stuff like that. I did okay in school, too, and enjoyed reading the occasional novel. Laurie wasn't too interested in sports. She loved dancing, and attended both Ballet and Jazz lessons. She was beautiful and danced beautifully, and although as a young boy I had to pretend that I hated dance, secretly I loved watching her perform her graceful moves. I myself didn't think of myself as being very good-looking ? I was a little on the fat side, my straight black hair always seemed messy, and I never really managed to coordinate myself. Laurie, on the other hand, was gorgeous, or so I thought. She was slim and had long blond hair and blue eyes (she looked like her father). She was always dressed real nicely. For a long time I worried that Laurie would stop liking me because she was so pretty and I wasn't good-looking, but that never happened. Even though we were different, had different tastes and liked doing different things, almost every day we got together. We would talk a lot ? about anything and everything. And we would play games, or read books together, go jogging, surf the Internet ? I really loved her. One Sunday, when we were eleven, Laurie came over to my house. We watched some TV together and then talked about the movie we had seen the week before. (It was the movie about the Twin Towers being hit by airplanes ? our parents actually remembered when it happened, when they were kids!) Then Laurie began to tell me about her problems in math class ? she just couldn't get the lesson we had just learned. I also had trouble with that lesson, but the night before my mom explained it to me and I think I got it. I tried to explain it to her but she just didn't get it. Laurie started saying how dumb she was, but I consoled her and told her that she wasn't dumb, that it was a tough lesson, and she'd get it eventually. Laurie gave me a hug. Then I went and asked my mom if she could help Laurie. She happily agreed. Laurie sat down with my mom. Dad was working on something in the basement. So I decided to go to the library and look for the book Laurie and I needed for the science project we were going to do together. I said good-bye to them and left. The library was at the end of our street. It was a big library, with lots of books and other materials. I began looking through the stacks. Suddenly, there was a big bang and the lights went out. People began screaming, but it was too dark to run anywhere. The emergency lights came on a minute later. Nothing seemed to be wrong with the library. I figured it's probably just a blackout, and tried to continue looking for the book. The emergency lights weren't so strong, but I continued looking anyway. About fifteen minutes later we heard the sound of sirens; lots of them. Fifteen minutes after that, curiosity got the better of me and I left the library to see what was up. Lots of people were crowding the sidewalks, and there was tons of smoke coming out from one of the houses at the end of the block. One of the houses near mine, it seemed! I decided to go check it out further. When I got closer, I realized that it wasn't one of the houses near mine ? it was my house! Horror struck me. I tried to get as close as possible, but by now there was a police barrier surrounding the area and a policeman physically held me back so I couldn't get closer to the house. "But I HAVE to get into my house!" I screamed. But the policeman didn't hear me. The noise from the sirens and the people talking was very loud. The house was still in flames ? totally engulfed in flames! I had no idea if my parents were safe, or if? I began crying, and ran down the block to Laurie's house. I didn't bother knocking. I opened the door with the key they had given me, and ran into the house. Aside from being close with Laurie, I had always been close with her parents, and they always treated me very nicely, almost like their own son. Laurie's parents were both home, watching TV together. I ran into their TV room, crying. Laurie's mom, Jennifer, ran up to me and gave me a hug. She asked me what happened. Laurie's dad, Tom, asked me if Laurie was with me. For a long while I was too hysterical to explain to them what happened. Finally I managed to calm down. In the shortest way I could, I told them. "My house is on fire! There are fire engines and police cars and lots and lots of people! I don't know if they managed to get out! Laurie was inside ? Mom was helping her with math. My dad was there too. I just went to the library to look for a book while Mom helped Laurie. I couldn't get back to the house. It's still on fire. I don't know if they got out!" Then I started crying again. Tom and Jen were both shocked. Jen started crying too. We all ran out of the house and down the street towards my house. When we got there, it was hard to get up close because of all the people crowding around, but somehow Tom managed to push his way through. Tom explained to a policeman who we were, and he called over the head firefighter. He told us that he didn't know if anyone was inside, but nobody outside has identified themselves as being the owners of the house. The fire was too mighty for the firefighters to enter. They had been battling the blaze for a long time now and it looks like they've finally gotten it under control, but if anybody's still inside, he doesn't think they'd have any chance of surviving. Jen, Tom and I all cried and hugged each other. We stood there for what seemed like an eternity while the fire continued its battle. Finally, it seemed that the fire was extinguished. The firefighters wouldn't let us enter the house because they were afraid that it might be unstable. But they entered it themselves. The three of us prayed. After another long wait, the fire chief approached us again. He said that he had some bad news to tell us. Three bodies had been found, all, unfortunately, without any signs of life. He said he was sorry. The bodies, he said, were very badly burned and barely recognizable as being human. He said that the child's hand was clutching a small piece of paper, which miraculously survived the blaze. He handed it to me, as it was addressed to me. "Mikey." Was the heading? After that, the script changed to the secret code letters that only Laurie and I knew. I continued reading: "                         (DECODED: Don't let my parents see this. Mikey, I'm dying. I love you and I'm going to miss you. Look for a file called 'justincase' on my computer. You know the password. Don't let my parents see it.)" Then the note switched to regular letters. "Mom, Dad, I love you. I wish I wasn't dying. If Mikey's parents don't survive please adopt him. Give him all my things. I'm sorry about everything. You're the best parents in the wor" She hadn't managed to finish the last word. I showed the note to Tom and Jen. They read it and cried. All three of us continued hugging. Tom and Jen assumed that the coded part was just normal letters that didn't come out correctly because Laurie was suffering, so they didn't ask me if I knew what it said. I put the note in my pocket. I went to live with Tom and Jen. They let me have Laurie's room and all her belongings, as she requested. They were really nice to me and treated me well, like they always did. But it was a hard time for all of us. At first I thought it would be too hard to sleep in Laurie's room ? too sad. But in reality I found it somewhat comforting, especially since I knew she wanted me to. I was very careful not to change or move a thing from her room. For some reason I forgot to look at the file on her computer for a few days. The funeral was held a few days after the fire. They made a joint funeral for all three of them. Of course, it was a closed-casket ceremony since there weren't any remains fit for viewing. I barely remember the service. The day after the accident Tom took me to Kmart to buy some new clothes. My house had been destroyed completely along with all my belongings and I had nothing to change into. We just bought a couple of pairs of jeans and a few sweatshirts, along with some underwear and socks. That would hold me by until we were in more of a mood to do some serious shopping. The night after the funeral I decided to borrow some of Laurie's pajamas to sleep in. I had been very uncomfortable sleeping in normal clothes the previous nights, and was feeling way too tired. I found a pair 'boyish' pajamas ? I say 'boyish' because it was just a shirt and pants, but still was pretty girlish being a shade of light purple and with a bit of frills on the cuffs. But they felt comfortable enough and fit well and I slept a little better that night, considering. In the morning, when I was going to change back into my clothes (I was embarrassed to let Laurie's parents see me like that), I noticed the note from Laurie sitting on her desk. I remembered the computer file and felt bad that I hadn't yet opened it. I flipped the switch and in a few minutes I was reading the file. Hello, Mikey. If you're reading this that means that something awful must have happened. I guess I'm no longer alive. I'm sorry, Mikey. I want you to know that I always loved you ? you are and were always my bestest bestest friend! Mikey, it's hard for me to say this, but if you're now living with my parents because your parents and I are no longer alive, then there might be something I could help you with. You know that I always told you everything. I never hid anything from you ? we were so close. Well, I'm sad to say that there is ONE thing that I didn't share with you. I hope you're not mad at me. But I'll share it with you now, if you can forgive me. For a while now I've been friendly with a nice woman named Angela. She lives a few streets away, at 15 Codor Street. Wait a few weeks and see what life's like now. If after a few weeks you're still miserable, go visit Angela. She'll know who you are, and she might be able to help you. Don't be afraid, she won't hurt you or anything like that. TRUST ME! I love you Mikey, Love, Your cousin, Laurie. A few weeks went by. It turned out that the fire had been started because my dad was trying to fix the furnace on his own ? he was too cheap to hire a technician. He caused an enormous explosion. The insurance companies didn't give us any money because they said his own irresponsibility caused the fire. Word of this spread throughout the community. I went back to school, but it was too hard for me. My friends didn't know how to react to me ? so they just stayed away. After class, the teachers all wanted to talk to me and console me, but I didn't want to talk to them. After two days like that, I faked sick and stayed home for a few more days. Tom and Jen knew I was faking but they let me ? they knew that I, like them, was having a very hard time. One day I was sitting in Laurie's room looking around. I was very careful not to move anything out of place. Normally, as a boy, it would have bothered me to be living in such a girlish room with so many girlish things and girlish clothes, etc. Normally, I should've changed the room around and made it into a boy's room. But I loved Laurie too much, and missed her so much, and wanted to preserve anything and everything of her that I could. I decided that my life was miserable enough and went to look for Angela. I knocked on the door, and it opened by itself. Nervously, I stepped inside and called "Hullo". Not a sound. I gently closed the door and walked into the living room. I began looking around. It was a very neat and tidy house. I wondered who Angela was. I called out again. "Angela?" Still no answer. I decided to sit down on the couch and wait for her to come. Moments later I was startled when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I guess I must've dozed off. I jumped up, in a bit of a panic. "Don't worry, Mikey, I know why you've come. I'm Angela," she said, holding out her hand. I shook it. Angela was a nice, pretty looking woman, probably around 25 years old. She had long black hair and purple eyes. Interesting, I thought, must be contacts. "Mikey, I'm so sorry about the accident. I heard all about it. I didn't really know your parents well, but I knew Laurie very well. She was such a special person! It's so sad that she's no longer here. "Mikey, how's your life these days? Are you managing to recover?" "Not really," I said. I told her about how school was unbearable, and how I constantly missed my parents and Laurie. I told her how nice Laurie's parents were being to me, but still, I felt out of place in their home. They were so sad, crying all the time. I felt like I didn't have a place anymore. I wished I could just have some sort of normal life. "These days, I feel like I don't even know who I am," I said. "Mikey," Angela began, "I really wish I could make things different. I wish it was within my power to bring your parents and Laurie back to life. But, unfortunately, there is not a single human being under the sun who has the power to do that." Angela was beginning to sound weird. I listened with interest. She paused a few moments before continuing. "Mikey, as you know, there is no such thing as witchcraft, or magic. It's all nonsense. I know that for a fact, because I've done extensive research in the field. The thing is, though, that although it doesn't exist, I've been born with a certain strange power. As I said, I've done extensive research, and nobody in the world aside from me has this power. I, myself, have no other powers except this one strange one. And I think I might be able to help you regain a somewhat normal and, if possible, eventually, happy life, with this one power I have. "Look at this rock," she said, placing a rather large stone into my hands. I inspected it intensely. It seemed like a normal rock to me. "Good. Now put it on the table," she said. I did. Angela gave the rock a tap with the middle finger of her left hand. The rock began to glow. Then a small, strange cloud surrounded the rock, as if swallowing it up. A moment later the cloud faded, revealing a real, live turtle. The turtle began walking across the table. "You see, Mikey, I have a power that allows me to change something into anything, the way I changed the rock into a turtle. But, I've found that this power has some limitations. I cannot create something out of nothing ? I can only transform something into something else. Also, once I transform an object, I can never transform that new object again. So, this rock is now going to remain a turtle forever. I cannot change it back into a rock, or into anything else, for that matter. "Also, I cannot change non-humans into humans. Meaning, I can change a rock into a turtle, or a dog, or a cat, or a table, or anything I want. But I cannot change a rock into a person. I can't change a dog into a person, or even a monkey into a person. The only thing I can change into a person is another person. Meaning, I can give a person a new body. And like I said before, my changes are permanent, and I get only one try. If I change a person into someone else, I can never change them back, and I can never change them into something else. I can also not change a person into something other than a person. "This is the only power I have. Now, I'm offering to use my power on you, if you'd like. I know this sounds strange, and would be very difficult for you. But it might, just might, improve your life considerably, given the circumstances. If you want, I could change you into your cousin Laurie. I don't want you to give me an answer now ? go home and think it over for a week or two, if you want. But think about it. I know it must be weird, just thinking about changing into a girl. But if you really consider it, you'd see that it might solve some of your problems. "If you were Laurie, you'd have a normal life again, more or less. You'd have your 'real' parents, be living in your 'real' house, etc. Of course, you'd only be Laurie on the outside ? your mind and all your knowledge would still remain the same. Things that Laurie knew, you wouldn't know. You'd only know things that Mikey knew. But your body would be Laurie's. Exactly. Think it over for a while, okay? By the way, Laurie herself suggested I do this for you, if you want me to. So think it over, and let me know what you decide, either way. I'll be here. Okay?" I walked back to Laurie's house in shock. I really didn't know what to make of this suggestion. I mean, you can understand that most little boys, if it were ever suggested to them that they become a girl, would be disgusted and insulted and probably want to physically harm the one who suggested it to them. I, too, was disgusted by the suggestion. I mean, as much as I loved my cousin Laurie with all my heart, there was no way I would want to be her ? to be a girl!!! On the other hand, it seemed that, emotionally, my life had by now ended, anyway. I could never go back to being the happy person I once was ? my castle had crumbled into little grains of dust. I would never have parents again, never have a home I could call my own again, and never have my best friend ?my cousin ? back. Laurie, my beloved cousin, was gone for good. She was such an angel; it was so sad that nothing of her would live on. And her parents ? life would never be the same for them either. They'd never have their own child, ever again. If I were to somehow transform into Laurie, at least one puzzle would put itself back together. 'Laurie' would be alive, she ? I ? would be living in a normal home with real parents. Laurie's parents would have their child, again. The home would be a real home. And my parents, who were dead, would have their own child, 'dead', with them as well. I knew that if anybody were to take over Laurie's life and live in her place, I'd be able to pull it off better than anybody. I mean, the girl stuff would be very difficult ? I had no idea how to be a girl. But aside from that, I was so close to Laurie, I knew about every aspect of her life. It wouldn't be so hard to be her, from that point of view. I thought about what being a girl really meant. I mean, I thought about growing up and having to like boys and? etc. That thought pretty much disgusted me. I mean, I was just an eleven-year-old boy and hadn't really gone through puberty yet, but I was slowly starting to take interest in girls, and the thought of being romantically involved with other boys was purely revolting to me. But on the other hand, I was so miserable at the moment that I didn't think I could ever form a normal loving romantic relationship with ANYONE anymore, boy OR girl. So I wasn't sure that should be taken into consideration so much. Then there was the question of how Laurie's parents would react to it. They knew that Laurie had died. How would it be for them if I came back in her body? Could they believe that I met someone who was able to magically transform me into Laurie? Maybe they'd be angry with me for trying to 'replace' their daughter, 'stealing' her identity! Could I try to convince them that there had been a mistake all along and that Laurie didn't really die ? that it was someone else who died and Laurie just got lost for a few weeks? They wouldn't believe that, I thought. I mean, it wasn't very believable. For one, they saw the note that Laurie wrote in her own handwriting saying she was dying. And if Laurie somehow came back, what would my disappearance mean to them? Where would they think I had run off to? This didn't seem like a logical solution either. I ended up pondering the matter for a few days. I continued to remain miserable. Life in Laurie's house remained the same ? her parents were very sad but treated me very well. But it was absolutely depressing living there ? like living inside a dark storm cloud that just doesn't seem to want to subside. I went back to school for two more days and it remained as torturous as it was before. By now, although I still hadn't decided for sure that I wanted to become Laurie, I was beginning to believe that maybe that was the best solution. My biggest dilemma was how Laurie's parents would react. I decided to go back and visit Angela. Angela asked me to tell her all my debates ? both sides of the issue. I told her that at the moment, my main concern would be how Laurie's parents would react. Angela agreed that trying to trick them into believing that Laurie never really died wouldn't work. But she thought their reaction wouldn't be so bad. For one, they would see Laurie in front of their eyes, so they would have to believe my story. And she was sure that they would be so delighted to have part of their little girl back that they wouldn't be in the least bit mad at me for it. On the contrary, they'd probably be grateful to me for trying to reassemble their life somewhat. Then I asked Angela something that had been bothering me for some time. "Laurie's death was an accident. She had no idea she was going to die. And yet, it seems that you and her had this planned out for some time. I don't mean to accuse you in causing her death. But did she know she was going to die? Why did she plan this whole thing?" "I was waiting for you to ask me that," Angela said. "The truth is, I met Laurie in the library one day, about a year ago. She was looking at books on magic. She seemed like such a nice, pleasant girl, that I began talking to her. We talked and talked for a long time. Finally I decided to reveal my secret to her. Before that I hadn't told a soul. Laurie promised to keep it secret. She began visiting me every once in a while. "One day I had a big dilemma facing me. There had been a bad accident that I read about in the paper. Two young couples, each with a baby, had been traveling together in a car. The car was totaled, and one couple killed, along with the baby of the other couple. The baby of the first couple survived, miraculously, with only a few scratches. The second couple had been hospitalized and was in difficult conditions but expected to make a complete recovery. I was thinking about transforming the surviving baby to look like the baby of the surviving couple. I figured that would save both the couple and the baby lots of anguish ? the couple would be saved the anguish of losing their baby, and the baby would be saved the anguish of growing up as an adopted orphan. The couple had been unconscious since the accident, and although they were now in a state where they could become conscious again, the doctors chose to keep them artificially unconscious until their bodies recovered because they were worried that the shock of their loss would hinder their recovery. They were going to be brought out of their unconscious state soon, so if I were to act, I would have to do it soon. "I asked Laurie what she thought about it. I had nobody else to discuss it with. Laurie and I both decided that it was the right choice. She came with me as I drove to the next town (her parents thought she was at the library the whole time). We had to sneak into the hospital to get access to the baby, but managed to do so. It was a success ? the transformation was perfect. Two days later the couple came to, and they identified their baby as their own. It worked perfectly. "A few nights later, Laurie had a nightmare about a car accident where a similar thing happened ? where she was killed along with your parents. The dream really frightened her, and she came and told me about it." At that point I interrupted. "I remember that dream ? she told me about it too! She was really scared for a week afterwards. I tried to console her and tell her it was only a dream. After a week, she seemed to just forget about it and didn't mention it again." "Good," Angela continued. "So you remember that dream. Anyway, Laurie came and told me the dream, and she asked me, if heaven- forbid that ever happened to her, if I would help you out the same way that we helped the baby. I talked with her about the idea for a long time. I asked her if she really would want somebody else living in her body. She said that she wouldn't want anyone, unless it was you. She was so close to you that she knew you'd carry on 'her' life the way she would want it. She wanted to plan for the worst, in case her dream came true, so that she could try to give you a better life. That's why she wrote that file on her computer, and the note she had in her hand when she died. "Now, as far as her parents' reaction, we talked about that and worked out a solution. If you decide to go through with it ? by the way, she didn't want in any way for you to be pressured into making this decision, just if you did want to, if it would help you out, then she wanted me to help you out this way. If you do decide to go through with it, there's a sealed envelope that I'll stick in the mail a few days before we go through with it. Inside there's a letter that was written by her, and it will sort-of warn her parents for what's about to be. Then, when you are transformed, you'll explain to them what happened the best you can, and deliver to them another note in Laurie's handwriting, and we ? Laurie and I ? are both sure they'll react positively. In the worst-case scenario it might take them a bit of time to adjust, but in the end, we're sure, they'll be happy about it." I thanked Angela, told her I'd think about it some more and let her know. Then I went back to Laurie's house. The next day I came back to Angela. I had just had an even more miserable day and decided it was time to take the plunge. That morning I had looked through Laurie's clothes, trying to imagine what it would be like to wear them. It was hard for me to consider. On one hand, the thought was somewhat comforting because it meant being 'close' to Laurie again ? I missed her so much! But on the other hand, the thought of wearing girls' clothes made my 'boyness' sick. I tried to force myself to try on a simple dress but couldn't bear to do it. Even so, I had decided that the change was the best solution, so I decided to dive in, and worry about the clothes afterwards. I talked it over with Angela again ? she wanted to make positively sure that I really wanted to do this that I really knew what it involved. "You know, like I told you already, that once you are transformed, there will be no possibility of changing back, ever. In order to help you realize the finality, I'm going to be moving immediately after the switch. I'm selling my house and moving, and you will have no way of contacting me. That doesn't mean that I won't be concerned as to how you are. Your well being, and especially poor little Laurie's, are very important to me. I'm going to continue checking up on you, only you won't be aware of it. Maybe one day I will come back and you will see me again; if I do, though, it won't be for a very long time. I'm sorry that I have to do this, but it's for your own good. "Go home now. I hope that the letter arrives quickly. Come back to me when it arrives ? if time passes and you haven't noticed if it arrived, come back anyway. Then we'll do the next step. You may still back out even though I'm sending the letter, but once Laurie's parents read the letter, they'll get their hopes up, and they'll be hurt if it doesn't materialize. By the way, the letter will not reveal to them what's actually going to happen ? it's purposely written ambiguously. After you're transformed they'll understand what it was hinting to all along." I said goodbye and thank-you, and left. The next few nights I purposely wore only my underwear to bed ? Laurie's parents still had neglected to buy me boy's pajamas. They still didn't know I was sleeping in Laurie's, and I didn't want them to know. But I didn't ask them for pajamas so I suppose they forgot. Anyway, the next few nights I really wanted to feel like a real 100% boy so I didn't wear the pajamas as I had been doing until then. Three days later ? it was a Monday morning ? the letter arrived. Every day I had been checking the mailbox before they had a chance to, so that I'd know when the letter arrived. I saw the letter addressed to her parents, with the sender written as "Laurie Keeler, Heaven." I left the mail in the mailbox, and waited for Laurie's parents to get home. When they saw the letter, they were shocked out of their wits. They didn't understand what it could be, and opened it with trembling hands. Dear Mom and Dad, I wrote this, obviously, before I died. A friend of mine who prefers to remain anonymous kept the letter and promised to mail it to you if, Heaven forbid, a tragedy occurs. If you are receiving it that means that it has happened. So I wish you my most heartfelt condolences, from the bottom of my heart. I always loved you, and you've been the best parents I could ever wish for. There are lots of things in this world that we don't understand. We cannot understand the way things are done. We have no alternative but to live with what happens. Carpe Dium. And trust in powers that are beyond us. I feel real bad that you are suffering. And I feel bad that my beloved cousin Mikey is suffering too. I want to do something to help you all. I want to make your lives better. I'm going to come back. You'll see. I'm going to come back, giving you, and Mikey a present. A new chance, a new beginning. Please accept what happens happily. I'm doing this because I love you all. I want you to be happy and enjoy. Life's a gift ? live every day to the fullest. See you soon, Regards to my dear Mikey ? tell him I'm glad that he'll be united with me again soon, in a way closer than ever before. Love, Your loving daughter, Laurie. Laurie's parents cried and cried when they read the letter. They didn't understand what it meant. They asked me if I understood ? I lied and said no. While they were crying, I slipped out the door and ran over to Angela's house. There was no answer, but she had left a note on the door. The note said that she knows the letter arrived, and I should skip school and come see her the next morning. Laurie's parents were in a pretty bad shape all night. They didn't understand what she meant in the letter. They wanted so badly to have her back, but they just didn't know how she'd be back, the way she said. The next morning I told I was going to school. In actuality, I went and hid behind a bush to see if they'd go to work. I was kind of worried they might both take the day off because of their emotional situation. Luckily, though, they managed to pull themselves together and both left the house, even if it was at least an hour late. I knocked on Angela's door. Again, it opened by itself. I walked into the living room where I found Angela. "Here, you're going to need this," she said, pointing to a baseball cap that was sitting on the coffee table. "Not for now ? for after." "Are you ready?" she asked. "Yes," I said, nervously. "Okay, here we go. On the count of three? ONE," she extended the middle finger of her left hand. "TWO," she raised the finger above my forehead, holding it in position. "THREE!" and she tapped my forehead with her finger. Instantly I began feeling a slight burning sensation all over my body. I looked at myself, and saw that I was glowing all over. Then everything turned black as a strange black cloud consumed me. I couldn't see, hear, feel, anything. All I was aware of was a very strange sensation in my body, but I couldn't even describe it to you. A few moments later the cloud subsided and I was back. "It's done. It worked," said Angela. She held up a mirror for me to look. I could see Laurie looking back at me. That is, the face, hair, body looked just like Laurie, but she was wearing my clothes. My new body felt very different than my old one. Not bad, just different, a little strange. "I just transformed your body," said Angela, "not your clothes. The clothes you'll have to change yourself. Put up your hair and tuck it all under the baseball cap. Then go home, and change into something more appropriate. I really wish you the best of luck. I really think you did the right thing. I think you're very, very brave." I thanked her, trembling slightly. "Here," she said, handing me an envelope. "That's to give to your parents. And this," she said, producing a small note, written in Laurie's and my code, "is for you. I'm sure you'll be great. Good luck and have a good life." Then she gave me a big hug. I cried and thanked her again. It felt good to be Laurie. I loved Laurie so much, maybe even more than myself, and I thought it would be better for the world to have Laurie than to have Mikey. At least this would be partial compensation for the world's loss. I ran home. I was so nervous that someone would spot me and not know what to make of it. I entered the empty house and ran up the stairs to Laurie's room. I read the note from Laurie. (DECODED:) Dear Mikey, Thanks SO much for doing this. It means SO much to me. The second letter I wrote to my parents should explain mostly everything. Leave on the kitchen table for when they come in. Dress in my prettiest clothes, if you can, to be as convincing as possible and to please them as much as possible. Just tell them that it's you, Mikey, in my body. That Laurie gave you her body so that everyone could have as normal a life as possible, once more. Laurie wanted this from the bottom of her heart. Tell them you're still not sure exactly how this happened, but what's done is done, and you hope that they'll be able to accept this new reality, joyously. I'm sure you'll make a great Laurie, and that you'll make me proud. You don't know how much this means to me. If there is a Heaven, I'll be there watching over you and doing my best to protect you and help you, always. I love you, Mikey. Exactly one month from today, I want you to look for a file on my computer called "dogs". The password is [xxxxx]. Please don't open it until a month from today has passed. Good luck, and best of luck, Love, Laurie. I ran downstairs and left the sealed envelope, meant for Laurie's parents, on the kitchen counter. Laurie had written on the outside, "Mom and Dad ? please read TOGETHER, and then come up TOGETHER, to my room. I'll be waiting. Thanks, Love, Laurie." Then I ran back up to her (my) room. I took off the baseball cap and let her long hair fall down. I looked in the mirror. I couldn't believe it ? Laurie was looking back! Even though she was dressed real tomboy right now, she still was undeniably a girl, and a very very pretty one, at that. (When I knew her, she always, ALWAYS dressed real feminine and pretty, except for the ONE time I convinced her to hit a baseball with me and she tried to dress up like a boy ? even then she looked real girlish and couldn't hide her beauty.) This part of the transformation was even more difficult for me, and I was very nervous. I realized I had about half an hour to forty-five minutes until "my" parents came home, so I'd better begin. Trembling, I picked up a brush and began to brush out my long hair. I had to admit it was really pretty. Then, taking a deep breath, I took all of my clothes off. I was shocked looking in the mirror. I had never seen a live girl naked, up close before. I mean, I had seen babies' diapers being changed, so I knew what they were supposed to look like, but I never actually saw it before. I did my best to snap out of it and quickly looked through the drawers for a pair of underwear. Finding one, I quickly pulled it on. I didn't think Laurie needed to wear a bra yet because she was flat chested still, but I found bras in the underwear drawer ? bras for flat girls! (Later I would learn that this was called a "training bra".) So I put one one ? only I could figure out how to snap it, so I snapped it before I put it on and then stretched it over my head. Then I headed into the closet to pick a dress. Yuck, I thought, I'm going to have to wear a dress. You'd better get used to it, I told myself, as I removed what I thought was the prettiest of all. It was the dress she wore a month ago to the birthday party the family made her at a very fancy restaurant. It was made of green velvet. The top part was small and stretchy, and when I pulled it on it hugged my chest and stomach tight. It was very comfortable, though. It was a bit low-cut in the front and in the back, revealing just a little chest and a little back, but not exposing the bra. The sleeves were skintight too and reached just above my elbows. I looked in the mirror, amazed at how pretty I looked; amazed at how girlish I looked! At that point I noticed my pretty legs, sticking out so smoothly below the hem of the dress. The dress reached maybe four inches above the knee. I stroked them, enjoying their hairlessness. I looked through the drawers and found a pair of white tights. I wasn't sure how girls put these things on, but I bunched up the dress, and sat down on the bed; then I somehow rolled up the tights and pulled them up my legs. It seemed to work. This was very strange to me ? as you know, I had been a boy until now. I went to look at myself in the mirror again. I began to feel self- conscious about how "on-display" I looked ? I looked so "pretty", almost like a china doll that someone would place on a shelf just to look at. But REAL people wouldn't dress like that, would they? Then I told myself to snap out of it, again. This was the way girls dressed; you're a girl now, and you'll have to get used to it. I looked through the closet and found Laurie's dress shoes, and slipped them on. Next I looked through the jewelry box and found the pearl choker necklace and matching pearl earrings that I remembered Laurie wearing with this dress. I fumbled somewhat getting the earrings through the holes in my ears but eventually succeeded. Then I put on a gold bracelet and a little gold ring that Laurie wore on special occasions. Wow, I thought, it's tough being a girl ? lots of work! Finished, finally, I went and examined my work in the mirror. I had done a relatively good job. I looked very, VERY pretty, I thought. I DEFINITELY looked like Laurie, no questions asked. Nobody could accuse me of being Mikey just dressed up in Laurie's clothes. So this is my new reality, I thought. Then, overcome by a warm feeling of finally being with Laurie again, I hugged myself. I stroked my new body all over and thanked Laurie for letting me become one with her, and pledged to do the best job I could. I heard the front door open, and what sounded like two sets of feet walk in. "Mikey, are you home yet?" Laurie's father called out, immediately. I didn't respond. They hadn't yet discovered the letter. I waited for what seemed like an eternity. I sat on the bed, my hands shaking, playing nervously with the ring. Finally I heard a knock on the door. Laurie's mother said, very softly, "Laurie, dear, are you in there, honey?" Then the door opened very slowly. I saw Laurie's parents. They looked at me with a mixture of joy and pain. They were laughing, almost shouting, but also crying. They both came over and hugged me. "Um, I can explain everything." "You don't have to, dear," 'Mom' said. "The second letter explained everything." (I never did see what that letter said.) "We're so glad you're back. Thank you, Mikey, ever so much, for what you've done for us. Welcome home, Laurie! We missed you so much!" Then they each kissed my cheeks, and we hugged some more. THE BEGINNING