Rejuvenation
By Bill Hart
Thomas Higgs hobbled slowly up the walk of the imposing
mansion. His knees ached. He'd slowed down considerably in
the last several years as advancing age took its toll. He
was going to turn eighty-four next week. He wasn't as young
or as spry as he'd once been, but then who was after making
it into their ninth decade.
Of late, there had been several times he wished he could be
young and full of vigor again. If only he could be young
again, there were many things - weren't there always - he
would do quite differently in his life. However, he knew
regaining his spent youth was simply an impossible dream.
He'd already lived his life - in all likelihood nearly to
its undeniable and inescapable end. A life once lived was
lived just once and for all time. There could be no
rewinding of a lifetime.
And yet, even if he somehow could begin his life anew, he
wasn't sure he would.
Thomas sighed. It was a longer walk than he'd expected. And
the walk only served as a reminder of his advancing age.
But there were things even worse than getting older as each
day passed day. And the worst of those was continually
losing those good friends he'd known his entire life.
There weren't too many of his friends left anymore. Some of
their passings had been particularly hard on Thomas. But
none of them had been as difficult as the one he'd endured
last week. Arnold Wheeler had been his best friend in the
whole world ever since they were kids way back in grade
school. He'd passed away so suddenly - old age can sneak up
on a body sometimes - that Thomas hadn't even had the time
to say goodbye. Even at his funeral, he hadn't been able to
say goodbye. The casket had already been sealed. Arnie had
never been comfortable with the idea of people staring at
his dead body.
But all this thinking only made Thomas wonder again what he
was doing here. He didn't know anyone in this posh and
expensive neighborhood; nobody he knew even had enough
money to rent the gardeners' shacks in these places.
But that name - Alan Wheeler - on the letter he'd received
had intrigued him. Thomas wondered if this Alan were
related to Arnie somehow. He couldn't be his son. Thomas
knew that Arnie, just as he himself was, had been a
bachelor his whole life. That didn't preclude his having
kids, of course, but Arnie had never mentioned having any.
And Thomas was certain he would have known if there had
been any. He and Arnie had few secrets between them.
Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Thomas reached the
front door. On the front step, Thomas took a couple of long
deep breaths, exhaling each of them in similar manner. He
slowly reached for the large brass knocker - oddly he could
find no bell - in order to rap on the heavy front door.
It wasn't long before a man - somewhat overdressed to
Thomas' mind - answered the door. "Might I be of
assistance, suh?" asked the man in a resonant, but still
somewhat reserved, monotone voice.
"I'm here to see Alan Wheeler."
The overdressed man looked Thomas over carefully for
several seconds. "Have you an appointment with the mastah,
suh?"
"Was I supposed to make an appointment?" Thomas was certain
this man was getting annoyed with him, but he had been
asked to come here at this time. "The letter from Mr.
Wheeler said nothing about making an appointment. It just
said to come over today." Thomas handed the man the letter
- he was glad he'd brought it along.
The man at the door read the letter, before handing it back
again. "Why didn't you just say you were Mistah Higgs,
suh?" He backed away from the door slowly, allowing Thomas
to enter. "Please follow me, suh. The mastah is expecting
you."
"Pompous windbag," muttered Thomas under his breath. But if
the man leading him toward his meeting with Alan Wheeler
had heard him, he showed no discernible reaction.
Thomas was led down a long hall to the only closed door
along its length. The peculiar butler opened the door.
"Please wait inside the library, Mistah Higgs. You may look
around at your leisure, if you so wish. But please, touch
nothing. I shall inform the mastah that you have finally
arrived."
"Thank you," replied Thomas, as he entered the room.
And once again the odd butler said nothing as he turned and
headed away. Thomas wondered where someone would have to go
to find anyone so peculiar.
Thomas was surprised to see so many books in the room. He
generally never saw this many books in one place unless he
was in the public library. But then, the strange man had
called this room a library. And it certainly lived up to
that name.
As he wandered among the numerous shelves of books, Thomas
was surprised to find some very familiar books. They were
books he had neither seen nor even thought about in several
years. On the shelf sat four old leather bound volumes, as
well as four additional albums of a decidedly more recent
origin, of 'El Oroso' - the Golden Bear - his old High
School yearbook. Even more strangely, the four older
volumes were for those same four years he and his best
friend Arnie had been in attendance there. What were the
odds that someone he didn't know and had never heard of
before had those four particular albums in his library?
Who the hell could this Alan Wheeler possibly be?
He couldn't be Arnie's son. Arnie had had no children, at
least none that Thomas knew about. He'd never even married.
And now that Thomas had had a little more time to think a
few other things through, he remembered that Arnie had also
been an only child.
Feeling increasingly confused by everything he'd seen and
no longer knowing what he might expect in this strange
unknown place, Thomas slid down into the plush chair that
faced the large mahogany desk, where he expected Alan
Wheeler would sit when he finally arrived. Thomas had
scores of questions he wanted to ask; he only hoped this
Alan Wheeler had all the answers to his questions.
When the door finally opened again, a young man, clearly of
college age and not that long out of high school, entered
the room. Thomas' mouth dropped open, as he stared at the
youngster who might have easily been mistaken for a ghost
from his past.
"Barton!" exclaimed the young man in an imperious tone.
"Get my good friend Tommy here a drink." He looked over at
Thomas. "You were always a Scotch man as I remember,
Tommy," he said with an oddly familiar smile. He turned
back to his strange manservant whose name was Barton.
"Chivas Regal for my friend, Barton. Three fingers, neat."
With a swagger as imperious as the tone of his voice, the
young man entered the room and, just as Thomas had
expected, sat down in the chair behind the mahogany desk.
"How did you know that?" Thomas asked nervously.
"I know a great many things about you, Tommy Higgs."
"Do I know you?" Thomas suddenly felt extremely
uncomfortable in this young man's presence.
Alan smiled at Thomas. "Of course you do. We've known each
other a very long time. It's just been quite a long while
since you've seen me this way."
"I don't understand."
"That's to be expected, Tommy. I didn't really understand
at first."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Just look at me Tommy," smiled Alan. "Look real close.
Once you do I'm convinced you'll be able to tell exactly
who I am."
Thomas continued staring at the young man's familiar face.
"I know who you appear to be," he replied with nervous
caution. "But I know that's impossible. You can't possibly
be who you appear to be."
At this point, Barton entered the room. "Here is your
drink, suh. Chivas Regal, three fingers, neat, as the
Mastah Alan has requested."
Thomas took the glass. "Thank you, Mr. Barton." But the
manservant said nothing, even as Thomas emptied the glass
in one swift gulp.
"I haven't seen you do that in quite a while, Tommy. At
your age, I'm certain the tummy tends to do flip-flops
after the chugging of a glass of scotch." Alan turned to
his butler. "Fetch another Chivas for my good friend,
Barton."
"At once, suh."
"Oh and Barton."
"Yes, Mastah."
"Why don't you just bring the bottle back with you?"
Barton raised an eyebrow in apparent surprise, but, as it
wasn't his place to contradict Alan, he replied simply, "As
you wish, Mastah."
Alan then turned his full attention back to Thomas. "Have
you finally decided who I am, Tommy?"
"I've already told you it's not possible for you to be who
you appear to be," snapped Thomas. "Arnie's dead and
buried. You can't possibly be Arnie."
"Tommy, Tommy, Tommy," sighed Alan. "You were always a
remarkably stubborn cuss, even when we were little kids."
Thomas stared at the young man. How had Alan known
something about him that he thought only Arnie had known?
"You're wondering how I know what I know," replied Alan.
"Maybe you'll believe what is obvious if we talk about Mary
Ellen."
"Mary Ellen?" replied Thomas. "What the hell could you
possibly know about Mary Ellen?"
"I know everything there is to know about Mary Ellen,
Tommy," replied Alan. "You should have asked her to marry
you all those years ago. We both know you wanted to ask
her. How many times have I told you she would have said
yes?"
"More times than I can possibly count, I'd imagine,"
replied Thomas absently. Once he realized what he'd said,
Thomas stared at Alan. "How can you know something like
that?" he finally asked. "I never discussed Mary Ellen with
anyone except..."
"...Your best friend Arnie Wheeler," finished Alan with a
widening grin. "Yes, I know everything," he added, eerily
anticipating Thomas' next question. "I know what I know
because I was there with you. I listened to every word you
had to say to her and watched nearly everything the two of
you did when you were together."
Thomas, finding the young man's story disturbing, continued
staring at Alan. "How can you possibly claim to be Arnie
Wheeler? He was three months older than me and I'm going to
turn eighty-four next week. You are nowhere near Arnie's
age. Hell, I doubt you're any older than twenty-five, if
even that."
"You really think I look that old?" replied Alan with that
odd smile that made Thomas distrust him. "Actually I'm only
twenty-three - at least, that's the age that appears on my
drivers' license - and just recently out of the State
University."
"You haven't answered my question." Thomas' growing
impatience with the young man's evasions was beginning to
show. "How can you possibly claim to be Arnie Wheeler?
Arnie's dead; I went to his funeral."
"It's not a claim, Tommy. It's the full and absolute truth.
Why do you think the casket was sealed? It was so people
wouldn't start asking questions when I wasn't in it, of
course."
"But how is this possible?" asked Thomas. Even though he
wanted to believe his best friend was still alive, the idea
that he could have somehow found a way to lose better than
sixty years just seemed too ludicrous.
"It was magic," replied Alan. "Just plain and simple
magic."
"Magic?" Thomas wasn't sure he believed that story.
"I was dying, Tommy. Slowly to be sure, but I was dying all
the same. I made a wish to be young again and a demon
overheard me and appeared in my room. After a little
negotiation, I cut myself a deal with the demon - or
perhaps it was Old Scratch himself who'd come calling - to
restore my youth and make me a young man again."
"But why would you do that?"
"Why wouldn't I do that?" replied Alan. "It makes perfect
sense. Wouldn't you agree that being young again is better
than being dead?"
Before Thomas could think of an answer, Barton re-entered
the room. Without saying one word, he handed Thomas another
three fingers of Scotch, neat, and left the bottle on the
desk, just as Alan had asked, and left again.
Flustered and confused, Thomas chugged this drink just as
he had the first one. And then, with little effort, he
leaned towards the desk, picked up the bottle of Scotch,
and poured himself another round. Only this time, the
Scotch rose nearly to the rim of the glass instead of
merely three fingers.
"That's irrelevant," replied Thomas. "Regaining your youth
is neither right nor natural. That's why you wouldn't do
that."
"You always were somewhat of a prude, Tommy." Alan began
grinning. "Should I assume from what you've just said that
you're not in the least bit interested in regaining your
own long lost youth?"
"What are you talking about, Alan?" Thomas still couldn't
bring himself to call this youngster Arnie.
"Why do you think I asked you here, Tommy? Even with my
regained youth I'm still lonely. And I really miss having
my best friend around to share in my good fortune." Alan's
sorrowful face suddenly seemed far older than it actually
was. "Just think about this for a few seconds, Tommy. It
would be the two of us young and together again. Can't you
just imagine us doing all those things we only dreamed of
doing when we were young the first time?"
An interesting notion, thought Thomas, if it's true. He
took a long sip of the Scotch, then began thinking he'd had
too much to drink. More often than not strange things
started happening whenever he mixed too much alcohol with
his medications. He was no longer the young and daring man
he'd once been, a thought he suddenly found repugnant and
more distressing than ever before.
"What would I have to do?" Thomas asked calmly.
Despite knowing deep down it was all wrong, Thomas also
knew he was still facing that upcoming eighty-fourth
birthday. And this chance of becoming young again - if it
were as true as Alan claimed - was just too good an
opportunity to pass up.
"I was certain you'd be interested, Tommy. "You're a
stubborn old cuss, but practical when push comes to shove."
As soon as he saw Barton reenter the room, Alan beamed,
"He's agreed to the deal, Barton."
Barton looked Thomas over carefully. "I can't really say
that I'm surprised by his acceptance, Mastah Alan."
Casually, the butler reached inside his coat and pulled out
a pen and a sheaf of papers. "If you will sign these few
papers, suh, then we shall be able to continue."
Thomas looked surprised. He'd though the man strange, but
his being a demon was nothing he'd ever considered. "Are
you trying to tell me that you're the Devil, Mr. Barton?"
"Certainly not, suh. I am merely Barton. There is no mister
honorific prefacing my name. I am just Barton - the humble
servant of Mastah Alan. There is nothing more, nothing
less."
"Then why should I sign these papers?"
"It's a simple formality, suh. The protocols demand it,"
replied Barton. "You are simply being made a party to the
deal that Mastah Alan previously struck with me. The papers
are merely the codicil to his contract."
"Are you saying I don't have to forfeit my soul to become
young again?"
"Forfeit your soul, suh?" queried Barton. "I'm not aware of
any such forfeiture of assets on your part being involved.
I'd certainly know if Mastah Alan here had surrendered his
soul for the return of his youth; I would have never
allowed that to happen."
"In that case, give me those papers." Thomas hurriedly
signed and initialed the papers in every indicated place
before returning the papers to Barton.
"I'll file these papers with yours, Mastah Alan." With a
sly grin that neither Alan nor Thomas saw, Barton turned,
papers in hand, and hurriedly headed for whatever place
Alan's contract was stored.
"What do we first, Arnie?" asked Thomas, after he took
another long swig of his Scotch.
"You must remember to call Alan. You'll also have to get
used to answering to a new name once your rejuvenation is
complete." Alan paused for several seconds, not knowing how
his friend would respond to what he was about to tell him.
"The initial phase has already been completed. You've
already partaken sufficiently of the requisite youth
restoring potion."
"What?" questioned Thomas. As he shook his head, it dawned
on him what must have happened. "It was in the Scotch,"
snarled Thomas. "You weren't really going to give me any
choice. Were you, Alan?"
"But you have already chosen, just as I knew you would, old
friend," replied Alan. "Where is the harm in simply
speeding things along their destined track, Tommy?"
"You might be right about that," agreed Thomas. "And yet,
what would you have done if I'd refused your offer."
Alan smiled. "That my old friend is a moot point. It's
certainly not worth wasting any time over."
"I suppose you're probably right." replied Thomas. "So what
do we do next?"
"Go over and get one of our old 'El Oroso' annuals from the
bookshelf. Any of the four will work, but the one from our
senior year has the largest picture, as I'm sure you
remember," replied Alan. "And while you're over there, grab
the newer one sitting near it that corresponds to the same
school year."
"Okay." Thomas went over to shelf and picked up the two
yearbooks - the one from his and Arnie's senior year and
the fourth book of the later series. "It all sounds so
simple, but I don't understand what any of this means."
Alan simply continued with his instructions. "In our annual
find the page where my picture should be."
Thomas flipped through the pages of the old 'El Oroso'
until he finally found the page he'd been seeking. But for
several seconds, he could little more than stare at the
page in disbelief.
"What happened to your picture, Arnie? It should be right
here between Mary Wheldon and Cynthia Wells; that's where I
remember it always being. But it's not here now. Where did
it go? And why are Mary and Cynthia's senior pictures now
right next to each other? It's almost as if your picture
had never been there in the first place."
"Very good, Tommy." Alan smiled. "Now check for the same
thing in the newer 'El Oroso'."
Thomas set the older book down on the desk. And once again,
Thomas found himself rapidly flipping through its pages
until he found the exact page for which he was looking.
There on that page was the senior picture of Alan Wheeler -
only slightly different than the one of Arnie he remembered
- sandwiched between Marli Webber and Jeannie Whipple.
"I don't believe this."
"Belief isn't a necessity, Tommy. Now open our book again
and find your picture, Tommy."
Once again, Thomas did what he'd been told. He found his
senior picture between Jeffery Hibble and Martha Hill right
where it had always been. "Okay, my picture's here right
where it ought to be. What comes next?"
"Set the book down on the desk, leaving it open to the page
with your picture," replied Alan. "Once that's done, open
the newer yearbook and find the page where your picture
would be if you were a member of the class."
Thomas opened the newer 'El Oroso' and readily flipped
through its pages. He stopped and looked over a page,
before finally turning to the next one. "I suppose if I
were in this book, I'd be right about here." He pointed at
the small white space between Julie Hendricks and Marlena
Hinton and smiled. "I certainly wouldn't mind getting to
know either of these girls better once I've become their
age again and am no longer older than their great-
grandfathers."
"They're real babes, Tommy," replied Alan. "Maybe I can
introduce you to them."
"That would be most kind of you."
"Now set the yearbook down on the desk next to the other
one. Touch your left index finger to your picture in the
old book and your right index finger to the space where
your picture would be in the new one."
Thomas looked puzzled, but he did what he'd been told. Who
was he to question how magic worked? Once he'd completed
the connection between himself and the two books, an
unexpected jolt of electricity threw him to the floor.
"What the hell was that?" he exclaimed. "I'm still an old
man; I can't take much of that shit."
"Don't worry about it, Tommy. The process has already
begun."
"What's begun?"
He didn't feel any different, but his nerves had been
frayed by the apparent shock. His fingers still tingled.
But even as Thomas asked the question, he could see his
picture in the older 'El Oroso' begin fading. At the same
time, in the more recent edition, the pictures of Julie
Hendricks and Marlena Hinton were beginning to separate.
They appeared to be making room for another picture to be
inserted between them.
As the last of his old picture faded away, the pictures of
Jeffery Hibble and Martha Hill slowly began moving towards
each other. They were clearly filling in the gap caused by
the removal of Thomas' picture.
Once sufficient space was available, another picture began
appearing in the newly opened gap between Julie and
Marlena. At that moment, Thomas began feeling peculiar. If
asked, he doubted he could adequately describe the strange
feelings. But he was convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt
that his body was becoming younger. He could sense the
vigor of youth flowing back into his body. He hadn't felt
this great in several years.
Thomas realized that after his new picture fully
materialized within the newer yearbook, he'd be about the
same age, give or take a few months, as Alan. He was
suddenly looking forward to being young again. He also
began hoping he could find someone in this new life like
Mary Ellen again. He wouldn't make the mistake of letting
her get away from him this time.
And yet something - he didn't know what exactly - didn't
seem quite right.
Suddenly, Thomas began wondering why he was still shorter
than Alan. Of course, the young Alan had been the taller of
the two when he'd entered the library, but that was easily
explained. Thomas had once read people the age he'd been
often shrank somewhat as they grew older. It was something
about the compaction of bones or something like that.
However, from the time they'd been boys, Thomas had always
been taller. There was no reason he could think of to
explain why that shouldn't continue being true. But it
definitely was no longer the truth it once was. In fact,
Thomas thought he was getting still shorter.
"What the hell's going on, Alan?" Thomas' voice cracked
with every syllable he spoke.
"It's nothing to worry about, Tommy," smiled Alan. "You're
simply changing to fit into our world. Just as we agreed
on, you'll soon be young like me again. You'll be a child
born of the generation of this new 'El Oroso'." Alan began
smiling, even as Thomas frowned. "Why don't you take a look
at your new senior picture?"
Without thinking about what he was doing, Thomas casually
brushed his dark hair away from in front of his face. He
didn't know exactly when his hair had grown so long - he'd
never allowed his hair to grow so long - or regained the
dark color of his youth.
In the old yearbook, there was now no more space between
the pictures of Jeffery Hibble and Martha Hill than there
was any other pair on the same page. Thomas swallowed
nervously as he realized that who he had once been was now
no more.
As he turned his attention to the newer 'El Oroso', Thomas
wondered what he looked like now. He was also a little
worried he might not like his new appearance. But even if
he hated what he'd now become, Thomas was uncertain what,
if anything, he'd be able to do about it.
When his eyes finally focused on that picture between those
of Julie Hendricks and Marlena Hinton, Thomas was
dumbfounded. He couldn't believe his eyes. This was nothing
like he'd been expecting.
"What the hell have you done to me, Alan?" he asked in a
steady light soprano totally unlike his former voice.
"According to the caption that identifies this picture, my
name is now Theresa Higgs." Thomas felt at his chest,
quickly finding the two small breasts now pushing his shirt
away from his chest. One of his hands shot down to his
crotch, where he just as quickly discovered another part of
his anatomy could now be considered AWOL. "I'm a girl!" he
exclaimed in stunned amazement.
"You certainly are," grinned Alan.
"I'm a girl," whispered Thomas again. In spite of all the
supporting evidence - a pair of small breasts and the
decidedly feminine mound at his crotch being the most
notable - he still didn't want to believe what had
happened. "I don't want to be a girl."
"Just what's wrong with you being a girl, Theresa?" asked
Alan. "I'm sure you know that we'll be able to do things
together now we never even dreamed of doing together
before."
Thomas stared at Alan in angry disbelief. "What the hell
did you do to me? How the hell did you do it?" Thomas ran
his now smaller hand slowly through his mass of soft and
silky shoulder-length dark brown hair. It was a far cry
from his formerly sparse, mostly white, short hair. "Why am
I a girl, Alan? Nothing was ever said about turning me into
a girl."
"If you'll think about for a few minutes," smiled Alan
smugly, "there was nothing ever said about leaving you male
either."
"I don't understand."
"You of all people should know how foolish it is to assume
anything. Don't you remember what I told you earlier?"
Thomas shook his head in reply. "I told you I was lonely
and missed having my best friend around all the time.
Although, to be perfectly honest, you're not quite the girl
I had envisioned you becoming in my mind. But I'm sure
we'll have plenty of things to talk about now that you've
moved in here with me. And when those times come when we
tire of talking, I'm sure we'll be able to think up a
little something that will keep us both satisfactorily
amused." Alan smiled at Thomas, leaving no doubts in his
mind just what 'little somethings' Alan was already
referring. "I'm planning on never being lonely ever again,
Theresa dear. There are also a great many things that I'm
not going to miss out on while I'm young this time. The two
of us are going to have more fun together than you could
have ever imagined possible."
Thomas' face visibly paled. "You can't possibly mean what I
think you mean."
"Of course I can. Why wouldn't I?" replied Alan with the
cunning smile of a thief. "I mean let's face facts, Theresa
- 'Me Tarzan, you Jane,' if you know what I mean."
"You can't possibly mean that," snapped Thomas, his mind
spinning with both anger and confusion. "I'll never do
something like that with you, Alan Wheeler."
"Maybe not this instant, but sooner or later you will,"
replied Alan. "It's inevitable - a part of the program.
"When you're finally ready for a little action I'm
convinced you'll enjoy yourself. I'm already certain I will
enjoy your company."
"I'll never be ready for that."
"I really wouldn't want to bet on that. Trust me, it'll
happen." Alan looked Theresa over carefully. "It's too bad
you're not more well-developed. As I've already told you,
Theresa, it's completely unavoidable. As your body has been
changed, so too will your likes and dislikes follow suit."
"Before that can happen, change me back to the way I was
before."
"Are you actually trying to tell me you want to be an old
man again?"
"I don't want to be a girl, Alan."
"Why not?" asked Alan. "From where I'm sitting there's
absolutely nothing wrong with you being a girl, Theresa."
"Damn it, Alan! Quit calling me Theresa. You know it's not
my name." Thomas glared angrily at Alan, then crossed his
slender arms below his small breasts. "From where you're
sitting, you've been staring at my small breasts, probably
wishing they were bigger. If you really don't see anything
wrong with turning me into a girl, then why don't we switch
places? You can be the girl and I'll stare at your tits for
a while."
"Will you just relax, Ther... er, Thomas," replied Alan
sheepishly. "Nothing's been permanently cast into
concrete... just yet."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"What the hell do you think it means?" Alan slowly shook
his head. "I'd almost forgotten how totally dense you could
be sometimes."
"Me? Dense? What the hell do you mean dense calling me
dense?" roared Thomas back, although truthfully his new
voice wasn't nearly as intimidating in his current
situation as his own one would have been. "You're not the
one who underwent an abrupt and totally unexpected sex
change."
"Why don't you just give it a rest for a few minutes? Look
at your picture in the 'El Oroso' for a moment or two? I
really can't believe that you'd give up being young again
just because you didn't like the idea of being a girl."
"You just don't understand. Do you?" sighed Thomas. "I
don't really like your ideas behind me being a girl."
Without thinking he looked down at the picture of his young
girl self. "She's certainly a very pretty girl."
"But still a little-underdeveloped. Wouldn't you say,
Thomas?"
"You and that one-track mind of yours." Without really
wanting to, Thomas smiled at his friend. "I wouldn't
consider her as that underdeveloped... exactly."
Subconsciously, he lifted a hand to his chest. His hand
poked cautiously at his small new breasts.
"You're an A-cup at best." Thomas' face tinted scarlet at
Alan's comment. Then unexpectedly Alan added, "Why don't
you tell me what you remember about the day that picture
was taken?"
"Sure. Why not? I remember that day as if it were
yesterday," replied Thomas absently as he looked at the
girl's picture once more. "It was still summer vacation
between my junior and senior years. School hadn't started
yet; we still had about a month to go before we'd have to
return to our classes. However, the people at the school
had made and sent out appointments at the local
photographer's for all of us would be graduating seniors."
Feeling suddenly confused and disoriented, Thomas stopped
his reminiscences of the day and slowly shook his head.
"Just what the hell have I been saying?" he asked Alan,
sounding angrier than he'd been just a few moments earlier.
"You were just telling me about the day they took your
senior picture," replied Alan. "But then suddenly you
stopped."
"Oh, that's right." Alan's tone of voice mellowed
dramatically. "You really must forgive me, Alan. I really
don't know what could have possibly distracted me." A
moment later, Thomas continued his story. "I don't know how
they managed it, but my appointment was set for what turned
out to be a beautiful summer day. I wanted to be outside in
the sun, not in some old photographer's room. I was still
somewhat of a tomboy back then, as I'm sure you must
remember."
After a small pause, Thomas began smiling. "I didn't really
want to get all cleaned up and sit around waiting to get my
picture taken on such a beautiful summer day. However, my
parents had bought me this new dress to wear that special
day." Thomas sighed. "But I never really wanted to wear
some stupid dress if I could avoid it. Can you even imagine
me back then wearing a dress? However, I didn't want to be
a disappointment to my parents either. As the time of my
appointment approached, I put on the dress, brushed the
tangles out of my hair, and then went to the studio and had
my picture taken. It wasn't as bad as I'd expected." Thomas
stared at Alan for a moment. "I remember you. You were one
of those silly boys who whistled at me as I was walking to
the photographer's studio. Weren't you?" he asked with a
huge grin.
"Mom always said that picture was the best picture ever
taken of me. I'm not sure I ever believed it." Thomas
sighed again. "However, I still think it would have looked
even better if only my boobs had been a little larger."
Once again Thomas shook his head. "What the hell just
happened to me?" he asked in a harsher tone.
"A little adjustment, I would suspect."
"What the hell do you mean by a little adjustment?" asked
Thomas. His stance had altered subtly in the time he'd been
discussing the day his picture was taken.
"Just that. It's nothing really sinister," replied Alan.
"Your mind and your body are a little out of sync and need
to be realigned. You don't really to worry about it,
Thomas. It's all perfectly normal and natural."
"Perfectly normal and natural?" mused Thomas. "What can be
perfectly natural or in any way normal about being changed
into a young girl. There must be a way to reverse this,
Alan. I don't want to be Theresa Higgs; I want to me."
"Is that all you're worried about?"
"Isn't that more than enough to be worried about? Why
shouldn't I be worried about being someone I'm not?" asked
Thomas. "Don't you get it yet, Alan. If I'm supposed to be
Theresa Higgs, then I simply won't remain the real me. And
if I won't be Thomas Higgs, then I might just as well be
dead."
"Who told you that you won't be you? It's a lie - a
complete and total fabrication," replied Alan. You'll
always remember your entire life as Thomas Higgs - none of
that will change simply because you've become a girl sixty
years younger than you were before. Why would I want your
memories stolen away from you when I wanted my best friend
to share in my regained youth with me?"
"I don't know," pouted Thomas. "But I still don't know why
I have to be a girl?" he sniffled.
"I don't make the rules; I don't really know who does,"
replied Alan. "But whoever it is who does clearly decided
you were supposed to be a girl in this world, not me." Alan
casually slid his arm around Thomas' soft shoulder. "You
know, it could have just as easily been me they decided on
turning into a girl."
"That doesn't really make me feel much better, Alan,"
pouted Thomas. "I'm still a girl. And you're not."
"You know, I've got a little something here that might make
you feel a little better," smiled Alan, as he held out a
photograph to Thomas that he'd just picked up from the
desk. "Although to be perfectly honest, I'm not too sure it
will make you feel as good now as it would have before your
recent transformation."
Thomas reached out and took the picture. "You're right;
this would have made me better before."
Thomas stared at the picture. It was of an oddly familiar
looking girl with an overabundance of curves in all the
right places. She had dark blonde hair. And tight-fitting
cheerleader sweater she was wearing clearly revealed the
wearer's possession of a very full and firm pair of C-cup
sized breasts.
"Where did you get this picture?" he asked suddenly without
having the vaguest idea why he'd asked the question.
With an odd smile spreading across his face, Thomas set the
photograph of the busty cheerleader down on the same page
of the yearbook on which the senior picture of Theresa
Higgs could now be found.
"It was just sitting here on my desk." Alan looked puzzled.
"I don't where it came from originally, but you must have
seen me pick it up."
"That's not what I meant, Alan. And I think you know it,"
said Thomas indignantly. "How is it that you have this
picture of me at the cheerleader camp held prior to the
start of our senior year." He glared at Alan. "There
weren't supposed to be any cameras there?"
"That's you in the picture?" asked Alan with obvious
surprise in his voice. "I would have never guessed that was
you."
"Oh really. And why would that be?" asked Thomas as he
casually flicked his dark hair out from in front of his
face. "I know it has been a few years and it isn't really a
very flattering picture, but I really think I'd know me
when I saw me." With total indifference, Thomas stretched
out his arms. Once that was finished, he let loose with a
rather long sigh. "Cameras were supposedly banned from that
cheerleader camp," he began. "But I'll bet you already knew
that, Alan," smiled Thomas. "Someone obviously smuggled one
in to take pictures of us." But even as Thomas continued
his railing, his form began altering, slowly at first, but
rapidly picking up speed. "Just who was it, Alan? Who
violated our trust that day?"
"I have no idea who it could have been." Alan couldn't keep
from staring at Thomas as his small A-cup sized breasts
swiftly swelled into a more impressive C-cup size. Although
his shirt was clearly strained by the effort, it still
somehow managed to keep his newly enlarged impressive bust
in check.
While Thomas had retained his current height, his waist had
contracted slightly. His pants now clung to his hips and
seemed to hug tightly his waist. His hair had also
lightened from dark to dark blonde, while growing out
roughly another four inches.
"Just what are you staring at, Alan?" asked Thomas in a
more sultry tone of voice than he'd used before. He was
clearly totally unaware his form had been altered again.
With the most casual of motions, he flicked his now blonde
hair away from in front of his now blue eyes. As Alan
continued staring at him, Thomas' playful smile widened.
"You're really going to have to learn to control that
wondrous lust of yours, Alan," he smiled. Thomas seemed
quite pleased with himself that he had this effect on his
friend, even though he wasn't exactly sure why he should
find messing with Alan's head so pleasurable.
Alan looked down at the 'El Oroso' on his desk just in time
to see the last of the cheerleader's photograph Thomas had
placed on it fade from sight. An odd glow that was swiftly
vanishing was all that apparently remained of it.
However, the senior picture of Theresa Higgs had also
undergone substantial changes. Instead of the dark hair and
small breasts she'd previously had, she now had the longer
dark blonde hair as well as the clearly more impressively
developed bust of the cheerleader. Alan wondered if Thomas
- or Theresa as he'd been listed in the yearbook - still
remembered being a tomboy on the day that picture was
taken.
Somehow he doubted that it could be true. And once Alan saw
the name that captioned the girl's picture, he was
thoroughly convinced she would neither recall nor ever
admit to having been a tomboy. Alan had never yet met - and
truly doubted he ever would meet - a busty tomboy with the
highly unlikely name of Taffy.
And if that weren't enough to be totally convincing, Taffy
Higgs very definitely looked like no other tomboy he'd ever
encountered before.
"I was a real babe in high school," smirked Thomas as he
gazed at his picture. "Don't you think that's true, Alan?"
Thomas stretched his arms out languidly again, before
slowly running his hands along the delectable curves of his
female body. As he cupped one of his newly enlarged
breasts, he began smiling. "Of course you think that's
true, Alan. Why wouldn't you?" he smiled sexily. "Those
guys you were with that day my senior picture was taken
dared you to kiss me. Don't you remember, Alan." Thomas
grinned widely. "But before you could even try kissing me,
you ran away like a scared little boy." Thomas turned to
face Alan. "You were such a cute little boy. I really don't
know why I was having so many problems with this being a
girl shit, Alan." Thomas carefully scrutinized his best
friend. "I'm sure you must know by now that being a young
girl is a helluva lot better than being a really old man...
or even dead."
"Is that really you, Thomas?"
"Of course it's me. Who else would I be, silly boy?" With
an unmistakably mischievous gleam in his sexy blue eyes,
Thomas batted his eyelashes at Alan. "Just what are you
doing later tonight, big boy?"
"What are you saying, Thomas?"
"If you're too busy for me, I suppose I'll understand,"
replied Thomas coyly. "It's just that I'm new in this town;
I really want to test out my new equipment. But if you
can't find the time for me, then I guess you just can't."
Thomas, feeling incredibly friskier than he had in more
years than he could remember, smiled sexily at his best
friend. "By the way, Alan, please don't call me Thomas any
more. I still know that Thomas is really my name and all
that, but I simply just don't feel very much like a Thomas
anymore." His smiled grew wider. "You can call me Taffy
now. I really like the sound of that name. Don't you,
Alan?"
She - it was getting increasingly more difficult for Alan
to think of Taffy as a he - is much better than Theresa,
thought Alan. He began wondering what it would be like
discussing old times with Taffy. And those times when they
tired of talking of the past were likely to be more
interesting, as well as more frequent, then he'd originally
anticipated.
He reached for the new 'El Oroso', knowing that once he
closed the yearbook the spell affecting Taffy would
finalize. But as he did, Alan noticed that a new photograph
had appeared near the annual. Instead of closing the book,
he picked up the photograph and looked it over carefully.
It definitely wasn't a picture of Taffy Higgs. And yet...
if this new photograph did for Taffy what Taffy's
photograph had done for Theresa... What the hell, he mused
silently.
"What do you think of this picture, Taffy?" he asked, as he
handed it to his unsuspecting friend.
As Taffy took the picture from Alan, he involuntarily
shivered for a moment, perhaps even two, but certainly no
more than that. "I didn't know there were any of these
still in general circulation," replied Taffy with an
overtly naughty smile. "Where did you ever find this
picture of me from my days as a sultry adult film star,
Alan? Please don't call it porn; I hate that dumb 'P' word
with a passion," giggled Taffy girlishly.
Taffy set the photo down on the still open yearbook in the
same way he'd done with the earlier one. He never noticed
that the other picture was nowhere to be seen. Alan doubted
that Taffy remembered it had ever existed.
At the same time, Alan, not that Taffy seemed to mind,
didn't - perhaps couldn't - answer the question. He
couldn't concentrate, as he watched something he found far
more interesting than answering questions.
Just as before, Taffy apparently didn't notice he was
changing in any additional way. His already impressive
breasts swelled easily to a D-cup in size and were clearly
in the loftier neighborhood of a pair of 44's, if not even
larger. His already overstrained shirt quickly gave way
under the increased pressure.
There seemed to be no further contraction of his waist.
However, his hair had spurted out another ten to twelve
inches, while lightening to a nearly white platinum blond.
Unlike before, his clothes - perhaps prodded in part by his
now tattered shirt - had altered this time. His pants had
become a tight black leather miniskirt. The remains of his
shirt had reformed into a skimpy halter top that revealed a
nearly unbelievable amount of cleavage. And he now wore
shoes with two-inch heels that made him seem that much
taller than he really was.
Alan continued staring. Taffy had once more been altered
into the woman in a mysterious photograph that had
seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Alan was now totally
convinced that he'd long since lost any conscious control
of whatever was going on.
"You're staring at me again, Alan," chided Taffy in a
sensual voice that simply reeked of sex. "Or did you ever
stop?" he added with a knowing wink. "I know exactly what
we should do now," he smiled. "How about you, Alan? Do you
wanna go somewhere quiet and fuck for a while?"
"What?" exclaimed Alan. He hadn't been expecting to hear
something like that from her - just yet. However, given her
earlier admission of being a por... that is, adult film -
star, maybe he had on some subconscious level.
"I wanted to know if you wanted to go somewhere quiet and
fuck," Taffy repeated calmly. "Although truthfully, it
doesn't really need to be all that quiet," he smiled. "Just
because I'm really an almost eighty-four-year-old man in
this hot busty babe body doesn't mean I can't use and enjoy
a good fucking every now and again from my best friend."
Taffy brushed his hair away from his eyes. "You just have
no idea what this is like for me, Alan. I'm feeling so hot
and horny right now I just might explode any moment,"
smiled Taffy wantonly. "And if you don't want to fuck me
because you have problems with me having been born male,
then I'll understand. I'll just go out and find myself a
real man who will." Taffy ran his hand along the curves of
his upper body. "That shouldn't be too hard for me to do
looking as totally hot and awesome as I do."
Arnie looked at Taffy's yearbook picture. Not surprisingly,
the photograph she had looked at had also vanished. And her
yearbook photo had also been altered accordingly. The
girl's senior picture was now simply a younger version of
this new sensual form Taffy had taken right down to the
same stunningly wicked impish expression.
"I was such a stunning mischievous total fox when I was
younger," he smiled. "Wouldn't you fully agree with my
assessment, Alan dear?" But without waiting for his friend
to answer, Taffy suddenly pulled Alan closer and laid one
squarely on his lips. When the two of them finally
separated, Taffy was smiling. "Wanna do that again,
sailor?" he asked playfully. "That was certainly a lot of
fun for me, although I never would have dreamed I'd ever
enjoy kissing you, Alan. I hope it was as much fun for
you."
"Are you all right, Taffy?"
"Of course I'm all right. Why wouldn't I be, Alan," smiled
Taffy impishly. "I just couldn't help myself, you know.
I've wanted to kiss you like that since that day my senior
picture was taken. Don't you remember how your friends
dared you to kiss me that day? I was more than willing to
kiss you then, but you fainted dead away right on the spot.
I always thought of you as cute and cuddly, but a little
too shy for own good, after that."
"I thought you didn't want to be a girl."
"That was earlier, silly. A girl is entitled to change his
mind," smiled Taffy. "I just love being a girl now, you
know. I mean being a man was fine while I was one, but now
I'm not one. If you haven't yet noticed I'm in a hot and
sexy girl package." Taffy's smile widened. "You know, you
just might say my being a man just got a little too old to
be any fun for me any more." Taffy giggled at her small
pun, but wasn't upset when Alan failed to crack a smile.
"And don't call me Taffy any more either, Alan. I want to
be called Twyla now. I'm sure you must have seen some of my
movies. You know, when they were showing in all the
theaters, not on real late night cable TV. They always cut
out the good parts in the cable TV versions. I have an
awful lot of good parts, you know," he teasingly smiled,
"but I'm sure you've never forgotten that."
When Alan looked, he wasn't surprised to see the photograph
in the 'El Oroso' had altered once again - it was now
clearly labeled Twyla Higgs. He would have been far more
surprised if it had said something different.
"Have you got another pent up kiss waiting for your 'old'
best friend, Alan?" smiled Twyla playfully, even as he
accented the word 'old'. "Or are you simply prejudiced
against minorities?"
"Minorities?"
"Of course," replied Twyla. "I'm a totally hot busty young
babe, who used to be an octogenarian male. I don't think
there can be very many of us running around - I might even
be the only one - which definitely qualifies me for
minority status. Don't you agree?"
"But Twyla..."
"Don't 'but Twyla' me, Alan Wheeler," he snapped. "Hot
busty young babes like me have their needs, you know. It's
all in the body, you know. Nothing is really different
simply because I happened to be born male over eighty years
ago." Twyla suddenly smiled at Alan. "You know something
Alan? I think I've just figured out your whole damn
problem. You poor boy. You just haven't got a clue about
what it's like being a hot sexy babe like me. And I could
never adequately describe what its like, you know. I think
it's something you'd have to discover for yourself first
hand. If I only had a wish, I'd wish you could know exactly
how it feels being a hot sexy babe just like me."
Alan was definitely glad Twyla didn't have that wish. He
didn't want to be a girl any more than Thomas had wanted to
be one earlier. He was quite satisfied with things just the
way they currently were. He didn't think any more
improvements in his situation were possible.
However, when Alan looked over in the general location of
the annuals again, he was once more surprised to find still
another photograph had materialized next to it.
How long would this go on?
What could possibly be done to make Twyla even better than
she already was?
Despite what he considered marked improvements as Theresa
became Taffy and Taffy in turn became Twyla, Alan still
doubted there was anything that could possibly improve her.
But the lure of the new photograph was strong. Just in
unlikely case he might have overlooked some potential
improvement, he went over and picked up the new photograph
so he could take a good look at it.
But as soon as he saw it, Alan realized he'd been right.
Even though the girl in the new photograph was even more
beautiful and incredibly more buxom than Twyla, she still
possessed a couple of major flaws that Alan wasn't prepared
to overlook.
Firstly, the girl in the picture was dressed in a white
bridal gown with a long flowing train. Alan definitely
wasn't ready to be married just yet. He hadn't even had
enough time to start playing the field, which was something
he had undeniably planned not to miss.
And secondly, the girl was at least six months pregnant.
And Alan was clearly even less ready to be called 'Daddy'
than he was to get married. As far as Alan was concerned
becoming a father was simply something he could put off for
several years.
There was only one possible thing Alan could do. He
crumbled the new photograph in his hand, then tossed it
into the wastebasket. He reached over and closed the 'El
Oroso' in which Twyla's senior picture appeared. Alan
breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the spell on Twyla was
now irrevocably finalized.
Twyla shivered momentarily. "Oh my," he moaned softly.
"What just happened?" he whispered. "Whatever it was, I
really hope it happens to me again real soon."
Alan smiled contentedly. Twyla wasn't entirely perfect, but
then what girl he'd ever known really had been. However,
with all of Thomas' memories of their youth in her head
she'd be exceptionally good company whenever he needed her
to be. And with Twyla's sensual young body and heightened
sexual drives she'd also be an exceptionally entertaining
fuck whenever he needed that aspect of her.
However, at that very moment, Barton unexpectedly entered
the room unbidden. "Are you ready to conclude our business
transaction, Mr. Wheeler?" he asked much to Alan's
consternation.
"Hi there, Barton," smiled Twyla warmly as he swayed sexily
towards the desk. "How do you like the new me, Barton?"
Twyla calmly poured himself a drink, then tossed it down as
if it were nothing more than spring water before pouring
himself another. With a casual grace and minimum of excess
motion, he slid back into the plush chair where he'd been
so comfortably sitting earlier.
"It's a very marked and becoming improvement I must say,
Ms. Higgs," replied Barton in his stuffy manner.
"I should say so." Twyla took a long swig from the glass of
Scotch. "I'm young again, not old. Just look at these swell
boobies I've got now." He raised himself up from the chair
just high enough and long enough to wiggle his butt at the
butler. "What do you think of my fine tight ass? Not too
bad for pushing eighty-four," he smiled. "Don't you think
I'm one really hot blonde babe now, Barton?"
"You are most certainly that, Ms. Higgs."
"Lighten up a little, Barton. You don't need to be so
formal," said Twyla. "Now please... you really must call me
Twyla. It means 'newly created', you know. And that's just
what I am. Isn't it just the most perfect name you can
think of for me now."
Barton smiled, then nodded his agreement. "As you wish, Ms.
Twyla."
"Not Ms. Twyla, Barton. Just Twyla."
"What the hell is all this shit all about? And why the hell
are you still here, Barton?" asked Alan. "I thought our
bargain was fully concluded at the time I'd shut that
yearbook and finalized Twyla's form."
"Almost, but not quite yet, Master Alan," smiled Barton,
dropping his affectations. "There's still one last
unfulfilled item of business left on the agenda."
"What the hell can that be?" barked Alan. "My youth was
restored. Thomas came here at my invitation. He agreed to
the restoration of his youth. And finally, he was
transformed into my attractive and busty female companion
with all of Thomas' memories intact." Alan stared at
Barton. "That's all the terms I remember being in that
contract I signed." Alan didn't like that sly conniving
look he saw growing in Barton's eyes. In spite of all the
precautions he'd taken, Alan wondered if he'd still been
somehow tricked. "I hope you're not talking about that damn
soul shit of yours again. Is that what you think remains to
be done? I really thought we'd conclusively settled that
before I agreed to sign your damned infernal contract in
the first place."
"We had," replied Barton. "the possession of your soul as
well as any potential legal lien against the same has been
specifically excluded ipso facto from the terms of the
contract, just as we agreed upon. Although not for lack of
trying on my part, your immortal soul is not a part of our
bargain, Mr. Wheeler."
"You really are old Beelzebub, aren't you?" exclaimed
Twyla. "Somehow I just knew it."
"At your service, Ms. Twyla." Barton bowed gracefully. "You
have a most lovely name to be sure now. I shall never tire
of speaking it, Ms. Twyla."
"Thank you," he replied sheepishly, even as he stared at
Barton. "You lied to me!" Twyla suddenly exclaimed. "You
told me earlier that you weren't the devil."
"Really, Ms. Twyla. I'm sure you're not as naive as you're
pretending to be," smiled Barton. "Among other things, I'm
called the Prince of Lies. And trust me - if you dare - I'm
called that for very good reasons. Why should I speak the
truth and risk losing business when a small lie - something
my client simply wanted to hear regardless - is more than
eminently sufficient to guarantee me that business?"
"What about my soul, Barton?" asked Twyla anxiously. "Did
Alan save his soul by giving you mine instead?"
"You have no need to worry about that, my dear. Your soul
is as safe as Alan's is," replied Barton. "It is not now
nor will it ever be a part of his bargain with me."
Twyla's eyes narrowed as he gave Barton a good looking
over. "You lied to me before, Barton. How do I know you're
not lying to me again? You're not very trustworthy."
Barton smiled at Twyla. "You have a very suspicious mind,
my dear. You're definitely a girl after my own heart," he
sighed. "It's really rather simple really, young lady. The
exclusion of your immortal soul results from the codicil
you signed that was subsequently appended, with his prior
consent of course, to Alan's original contract. It
basically extended those same general protections to your
soul - as well as the soul of anyone else who might sign a
codicil to Alan's contract at his invitation - as it
conferred on him."
"You really agreed to give Alan all of that?"
"I didn't want to, but he didn't give me a better choices,"
said Barton calmly. "Old Arnie was an intelligent and very
shrewd bargainer. In fact, he was one of the best I've ever
dealt with."
"But Mr. Prince of Lies," began Twyla sarcastically,
"you've never been known as someone who honors his
contracts."
"I'm crushed, Ms. Twyla. I'm afraid you've cut me to the
quick," replied Barton disconsolately. "My contracts are
always cast in the finest available stone. Despite the
despicably bad press I'm constantly getting, I've always
honored my contracts to the letter," he smiled. "However,
I'm sure even you must admit that it isn't really my fault
if some unexpected loophole carelessly finds it way into
the contract. Its those little loopholes that allow me to
bend - never break - a few of those letters as I see fit
remaining well within the agreed upon contractual
parameters." Barton paused to let his words sink in.
"You're supposed to read contracts fully before you sign
them, you know."
"I read every damn line of my contract, Barton," snarled
Alan. "I even went through that abominable fine print you
tried sneaking into it that I had you remove before I would
sign that contract. I found no loophole in it," boasted
Alan.
"That's simply because you left none to be found, Alan,"
replied with a smile Alan found disconcerting. "That was an
extremely impressive demonstration of your negotiating
skills. You should know that was the very first time that
I've been so cleverly outnegotiated. I believe you've
earned yourself a well-deserved place in Hell's Hall of
Fame."
"Then just what the hell - I hope you'll pardon the pun -
is left to be done in order to conclude our business?"
"There is still the matter of Twyla's wish, of course,"
stated Barton rather matter of factly.
"What wish?" demanded Alan.
"I really get a wish?" Twyla sounded surprised at this bit
of knowledge. "Just how did I manage to get a wish?"
"You didn't read the codicil in its entirety before signing
it. Did you, my dear girl?" smiled the devil. "The terms of
the codicil included granting you one wish totally free of
devilish strings and complications in exchange for your
willing and voluntary participation in the fulfillment of
Alan's contract."
"I skimmed over it," blushed Twyla. "I don't remember
seeing anything about being granted a wish. However, some
of the print in it was so teensy weensy I couldn't possibly
read it without my reading glasses. And not thinking I'd
really need them, I'd left them at home." Twyla looked
towards Alan. "You know my eyesight wasn't all that great
when I was still Thomas. Those damn cataracts took their
toll," she tried explaining. "But if it means anything, I
can see like a hawk now."
"I never authorized any wishes be given Twyla, or anyone
else for that matter."
"You didn't specifically prohibit the granting of wishes
either," smiled Barton. "But as you should well remember,
the terms of your contract authorized fair and appropriate
compensation to any and all participants willingly engaged
in its fulfillment at your behest. Said compensation was to
be agreed upon in writing and signed by said participant
prior to the codicil's attachment to your contract."
"What of it?" snapped Alan.
"Twyla was a willing participant seeking the fulfillment of
your contract. She was invited here by you, as well as
invited to become part and party to said contract,"
explained Barton. "As such, the terms of your contract
require Twyla to receive fair and appropriate compensation
for her willing services on you behalf."
"Why give her a wish?" asked Alan. "You could have given
her just about anything."
"I suppose that's true," replied the devil with that impish
smile of his. "However, I felt that granting her one wish
was still well within the contractual boundaries of what
would be considered fair and appropriate compensation as so
stated and agreed upon." His impish smile widened. "If
Twyla had felt otherwise, then she simply wouldn't have
signed the codicil. But she did. And given that it was pre-
authorized by you as codicil to your own contract, you're
bound to its conditions as well."
"Fine," snarled Alan, clearly irritated with the way Barton
had twisted the terms of his contract to suit him. "Grant
her her damn wish and then get the hell out of here."
"The granting of Twyla's wish shall conclude our bargain,
Mr. Wheeler. It's been a pleasure doing business with you."
"Yeah, sure," grumbled Alan.
"I really can't believe that I'm actually about to get a
wish," said Twyla dreamily. "I wonder what I should wish
for. There's so many good things for which I could use a
wish."
"You needn't wonder or worry about that. Ms. Twyla,"
replied Barton. His impish smile had taken a clearly
devilish turn. "You've already made your one authorized
wish, Ms. Twyla."
"I did? When did I do that, Barton?" Twyla sounded puzzled.
"I really don't remember making any wishes."
"When did she make her wish?" added Alan nervously.
"Not all that long ago," replied Barton with that same
infuriating smile. "However, just when she made the wish
doesn't actually matter here. All that really matters is
that the wish has been made after the signing of the
codicil, appended to Alan's contract, and duly recorded.
All that's left to be done is the physical granting of her
wish."
"Oh shit," moaned Alan suddenly, as peculiar feelings began
racing throughout his body.
When Twyla turned to see what was troubling Alan, he was
taken by surprise at the sight of his friend. Alan's dark
hair had already lengthened and thickened considerably.
Much as his own hair had done earlier, Twyla watched Alan's
hair flow onto and over his shoulders. When it fell across
his face, Alan casually brushed it aside with apparent
practiced ease.
As Twyla continued watching in awed amazement, Alan began
squirming, his body being remolded away from his current
masculine form. His waist very noticeably thinned. His butt
seemed positively bloated. And twin mounds of unmistakably
female flesh swiftly swelled on his chest.
Once the legs of his pants fused together, the newly formed
skirt quickly rode up to a spot just above the middle of
his thigh. Two long and slender, exquisitely sleek,
feminine legs were exposed for everyone to see.
The sleeves of his shirt separated from the rest and fell
to the floor, where they vanished. Not far behind the
fleeing sleeves were the now equally unnecessary buttons up
the front of what had become a pullover tube top. His new
top clung so tightly to his only recently developed large
pair of breasts that the material clearly outlined his
nipples. At the same time, the new top exposed his bared
slender tummy for the whole world to see.
"I'm a girl," Alan whispered in stunned amazement after one
of his hands discovered his new breasts jutting out from
his chest and the other had found the moist slitted mound
of his radically altered crotch.
Twyla stared at the transformed former man. "You changed
Alan into a girl," he said, clearly stating the obvious,
while Alan just continued standing there in stunned silent
shock. "Why did you do it, Barton? Why did you change Alan
into a girl?"
"That was your wish, Twyla."
"I don't remember anything about wishing Alan was a girl."
"Neither do I," added Alan in a soft feminine voice totally
unlike his former male voice.
"Then let me remind both of you." Barton cleared his
throat. As he started to continue, the voice coming from
his throat was Twyla's, not his own. "If I only had a wish,
I'd wish you could know exactly how it feels being a hot
sexy babe just like me." After clearing his throat again,
Barton's own voice returned. "You wished Alan could know
how it felt being a hot sexy babe like you. How else could
he ever find out what its like - since you had already
confessed your inadequacy of describing those feelings to
him - unless he actually became a hot sexy babe just like
you?"
"That kind of makes sense, Barton." Twyla swept his blonde
hair from his eyes. "But you really could have waited until
after he'd fucked me," he pouted. "Alan was really going to
fuck me, you know. But he can't now that you've changed him
into a girl. Even worse, I'll have to go out and find
another guy - some stranger most likely. And on top of
everything else, I'll have to worry about my new guy liking
Alan more than he likes me."
"Wow! Would you get a load of these boobs I've got now,"
smi