Transformation Treasure Hunt
By Jerrie526
The letter I received in the mail seemed very curious. I tried re-
reading it again to decipher its true meaning. I still could not figure
out what it meant.
"To regain control of your life, you have to locate the answers to the
following questions:
1) Discovery?
2) Exploration?
3) Settle in for the long haul?
4) Intimacy?
5) Personal pain?
6) Living?
7) Dying?
8) Choices?
In order to accomplish these tasks, you will have to make the right
decisions. The wrong ones will lead to things that you will not be able
to recover from. But time is not a problem. You will be given all the
time in the world to 'Discover' the hidden meaning to these journeys.
You will be given a clue to the next question upon the completion of the
previous. You must keep all clues together once found or you will not be
able to complete the task. It is up to you to figure out how to keep
them together. Your first clue is enclosed. The ultimate answer is in
your heart at the end of the road you must inevitably travel. Good
luck."
There was no signature at the end of the letter and the enclosed clue
did nothing to ease my mind as to what might be going on. I didn't
normally like puzzles but this one had some sort of attraction to me. A
clue shaped like a tiny pair of binoculars, did it mean that I had to
look for the answer through a pair of binoculars? I couldn't figure out
why.
As I looked closer at the tiny item in my hand, I couldn't help but
notice the tiny loop attached to the top of the thing. It looked like
something that could go on a necklace or some such thing like that. But
it wasn't hard to figure out the best way was to go find a chain to
thread the clue on to. I had a few gold chains that could be used for
this purpose. Former girlfriends who all said they were trying to
brighten up my otherwise gloomy disposition had given them to me. I had
never liked any kind of jewelry so they sat in my underwear drawer out
of sight. I went into my bedroom to get one out.
I had to go through five of the six chains before I found one that would
fit through the hoop of the binoculars. It was almost like it had been
made to fit only that particular chain. I placed the others back in the
drawer. At least now, I had something to keep the, for lack of better
words, charm on. I felt rather ridiculous wearing jewelry so I placed it
into the pocket of my jeans. Whenever asked why I didn't wear any sort
of decorations, my answer was always that to wear anything like that was
vanity and vanity had no place in my life. I wore only a watch for the
functionality only. You can't work without knowing what time it is, so
it was a necessary evil to me.
I felt that it was time to go out and see what I could find out about my
'clue'. Since it was in the shape of binoculars, I grabbed my pair that
was sitting on a shelf in my closet. I had never used them since they
were given to me by one of my co-workers who was so into hunting. He
felt that I needed to get more of a life and get out into the field and
hunt for big game or something. I refuse to do that since to hunt is to
kill and I am not a killer. The animals were too beautiful to end their
lives so that you could eat them and mount their heads on your wall. I
had made a decision that I would go out to my front porch to do some
looking. Maybe even later I would go for a drive. Something had to turn
up.
As I walked out the front door of my house. The first thing I noticed
was there was no sounds anywhere. I lived on a fairly busy street and
there was always noise outside. The highway was always humming with
traffic, the kids in the neighborhood were always playing and making all
kinds of sounds, dogs barking, birds singing. But now, there was nothing
at all making a sound. It was almost as if the world had muted itself.
But it was not my concern. I sat down in my porch chair and surveyed the
world around me and contemplated the meaning of the letter. It was still
a closed item to me. As I looked around the neighborhood, I noticed
things really were not the way they should be.
There was a car coming around the corner three houses up from me. It did
not seem to be moving. One of my neighbors was mowing his grass. He was
not moving. A neighbor kid was out front playing with his dog and
throwing a Frisbee for it to chase and the dog had jumped to catch it.
The dog was in mid air with its jaws open to close on the Frisbee. But
the dog was frozen in mid air and not moving. This was like something
out of the Twilight Zone TV show from years ago. It reminded me of an
episode where there was a Nuclear War being launched and one person went
crazy with the thought of the world ending. Because of this, time froze
and the only person that was able to move around was the crazy person.
It showed one nuclear missile hanging in the air frozen in time. That
was how this whole scene looked. Frozen in time. Weird. I had to repress
a shiver down my spine with the thought of the world being frozen in
time.
On impulse, I raised the binoculars to my eyes and looked through them
at the dog catching the Frisbee. But something was in the way of the
view. All I could see was a necklace and charm in the viewfield.
Thinking something was wrong, I took them away and the still world
returned. Looking back through the lenses again, I saw the necklace
again. This time, there were more details. It showed the necklace with
the binocular charm hanging from it and the whole thing hanging from a
neck. The neck looked like mine without any clothes. Why was I seeing
this? It made no sense. Then in a way it did. Was I meant to be wearing
the necklace and the charm? It was ridiculous that I was supposed to
wear it. I hated jewelry and flatly refused to wear it. I put the
binoculars down on the table next to the chair I was sitting in.
I stood up and started walking to my car. I had to see if more than my
immediate area was frozen as it was. When I got into the car and
inserted the key, nothing happened. No lights came on when I turned the
key and the engine did not start. It seemed that I was going nowhere
until I solved this small puzzle. Whoever was doing this was powerful
and it was up to my intellect to figure this out. I was starting to get
hungry and went back into the house to get a bite to eat. I opened the
refrigerator to dig out the makings for a sandwich and spread them on
the counter to fix my lunch. I knew my stomach was telling me it was as
close to noon as it could be but the clock on the wall said it was only
10:00. Why was I so hungry if it was only mid morning and I had a huge
breakfast at 8:00? I didn't really care but I still had to eat
something. I made my sandwich and sat down to the table to eat it.
It was like biting into a piece of cardboard. It was hard to bite and
was tasteless but left a feeling in my mouth that was nauseating.
Nothing like ruining a meal. I went to the refrigerator again and pulled
out a milk jug to see if I could wash the horrible tastelessness out of
my mouth. As I tried to pour the milk into a glass, it felt like I was
trying to pour a jug of molasses. I practically turned it upside-down
trying to get the milk out and it would not even run. In disgust, I
capped the jug again and placed it back where I got it. I was starting
to get very worried that things were going to stay this way. I tried the
water tap; nothing came out when I tried to turn the handle. It looked
like I was going to have to go hungry or figure out how I could get
things to go back to normal. I started wandering through the house
aimlessly. I was highly confused as to what to do. I passed a mirror in
the hallway and had to stop when I noticed something strange about my
reflection. The face was distorted back at me but the one thing that was
noticeable was the necklace and charm again hanging around my neck. Was
someone trying to tell me that I had to put the necklace on? I had no
idea but it was almost unsettling to see such a distorted image in front
of me.
Again on impulse, I took the necklace out of my pocket and slipped it
over my head. Once it was in place, the image in the mirror cleared up.
It was my face looking back at me. At once, dizziness hit me and I had
to reach out a hand to the wall to steady myself. I missed the wall. I
collapsed to the floor because I could no longer stand up. The spinning
of my head increased as if the world's axis was speeding up. After
several minutes, things started slowing down enough to be able to hold
up my head again. It finally stopped and things returned to normal. Did
I say normal? Too many things were not the way they were before the
spinning took hold of me.
I heard a voice coming from the kitchen, "Where is that girl? Jennifer!
You get back in here and finish your lunch, young lady!"
Jennifer? Who was Jennifer? I lived alone in this house and there had
never been a Jennifer that was a girlfriend of mine. Besides, who was
the lady in the kitchen yelling for Jennifer? Things didn't matter much
at the moment. I had a sudden urge to use the bathroom. As I stood back
up off the floor, I noticed things were not right with me either. My
legs felt bare but yet there felt to be some sort of cloth covering them
or at least partly. As I looked down, I saw a tank style top covering my
chest that was covered with little flowers. Lower still was a pair of
pink shorts covering me below the waist. Below them were the skinniest,
hairless legs that I had ever seen. Down below them were a pair of lacy
ankle socks and pink tennis shoes. My hands started roaming over myself
when I caught a glimpse of movement from the corner of my eye.
I turned my head and saw a young girl in the mirror on the wall. She
looked to be about 10-years-old and had a scared look on her face. I
quickly turned my head to see if this girl was standing behind me. No
one there! I looked back at the mirror and the girl followed my
movements. She had very beautiful eyes that stood out from her face. I
had never seen violet irises before and these were the most fantastic
colors for eyes that I had ever seen. A tiny upturned nose that could
only be described as cutely pert was centered on her face. Below that
was a pair of lips that could only be termed as generous for someone so
young. She was crowned with the most luxurious sable brown hair that
cascaded down to the middle of her back. Looking closely at her chest
was the tiniest little bumps of future womanhood.
My inspection of this girl was cut short but the treading of a woman's
heels coming down a wooden floor. "There you are Jennifer! Didn't you
hear me calling you to come back and finish your lunch?" she said.
Still surprised, I looked behind me to see if this Jennifer was standing
behind me. Again, there was no one there. Was I Jennifer? How could this
be possible? Was I going crazy like that person on Twilight Zone? Forty-
year-old men do not become 10-year-old girls in an instant like this.
"Well, what is wrong with you? Why are you just standing there and not
getting back in the kitchen and tend to your lunch? Growing girls like
you need their nutrition and I would be a poor mother if I let you skip
lunch. Get going and finish eating." She had a stern look in her face as
if she was going to brook no argument from me.
"I'm sorry, I needed to go to the bathroom." It was the only thing I
could think of to say to her.
"Well, why are you standing in the hallway then? Go and get done and go
back in the kitchen. Remember to wash your hands after you get done."
With that, she turned and left me to myself. I was totally scared out of
my wits now. Why was this happening to me? I knew nothing about this
girl that I seemed to be. But I still had to go to the bathroom. Since
this was my house as before, I knew where it was. I went there and
closed the door. Knowing that I had to use the toilet before I burst, I
had to undo the shorts that I was wearing. Once I lowered them, I could
see that I was wearing a pair of pink cotton big girl's panties. I
lowered them and at once I knew I would not be able to stand to go to
the bathroom. All that was visible was a hairless little girl's crotch.
I could not call it the derogatory terms that many men love to use
because I always felt that it was too crude to use them. As I sat, I
realized that to use the toilet in this fashion was strange but not
nearly as strange as this whole day had been so far.
Once I had finished I wiped myself, flushed and stood back up as I
pulled my panties and shorts back into place. Remembering what
Jennifer's mother had said, I washed my hands and dried them. I left the
bathroom much relieved and went back into the kitchen. When I walked
through the house to get back to the kitchen, I noticed that the house
was decorated differently than it had been earlier. It had a simple but
very feminine style to it. There were pictures on the wall that I had
not owned before. They consisted of renditions of famous artists'
portraits of flowers, animals and fields. A couple pictures were of the
family I was now a part of. It showed the woman, the girl who I was now,
and a man. Another picture just showed the woman and myself. No man was
evident in it. Why was he out of the picture? Were they divorced? I
didn't think there was an easy answer to that question. Before I could
ponder too much more, my stomach growled in hunger. Back to lunch I
guess.
Upon entering the kitchen, I found the sandwich Jennifer had started to
eat earlier. Bite taken out of it already. A glass of milk along side
the plate with the sandwich. I quickly finished the sandwich and drank
the milk. My new mother was at the sink doing some of the dishes that
were dirty. She looked over at me and smiled her pleasure. "Would you
like to have a couple of chocolate chip cookies for your dessert? I made
some fresh this morning for you. I know how much you like them," she
asked.
How did she know I love chocolate chip cookies? Before she came down the
hallway, I had never seen this woman before in my life. The kitchen I
had never seen in this shape before. It was too bare to be my kitchen.
Hardly any cabinet space, the stove was an old fashioned gas burner
instead of the fancy smooth top electric one that I bought last year. I
had always taken pride in the modernity of my kitchen. I had even spent
$15,000 last year remodeling it and upgrading the appliances. Now, has
all that work been to naught? Those questions were nagging at my head
but the ones that should have been bothering me the most were not.
"Yes, Mom, I would love to have some cookies. Thank you," I finally
replied to her. She dried her hands and went to the old baking counter
and put two cookies on a small plate and brought them over to me.
"Here you are, dear. Enjoy them as you always do."
"Thank you. Mom, may I have another glass of milk, please?"
"Yes, you may. My, aren't you a polite one today? Are you feeling ok? I
don't think I have ever seen you as polite before. But I love it." She
gave me another loving smile before turning to resume her tasks at the
kitchen sink.
She seemed to be a caring mother and one that I might grow to love if I
had to be this girl for the rest of my life. But I had to have an answer
to the Discovery question in my letter. What was I trying to discover? I
chewed the cookies and drank the milk in contemplation of my task. I had
barely finished them when the doorbell rang. My mother said, "Could you
get that, dear? My hands are not dry at the moment."
"Sure, Mom."
I ran to the door and opened it. Standing outside were two girls that
looked to be my age as I was now. One was a redhead and the other was a
blonde.
The redhead on the right asked me, "Jennifer, can you come out and play?
Tiffany and I are very bored and we need you to come out and join us."
I didn't have any idea who these girls were but the pleading look in
their eyes made me say, "I don't know. I am going to have to ask my mom
if I can." I ran back to the kitchen. "Mom, Tiffany wants to know if I
can go outside and play with her. May I?"
"I know your room is clean and I don't have anything else that needs for
you to do it, so yes, you can go play. Is Heather with her? You know how
inseparable those two are." So that was the redhead's name.
"Yes, mom, Heather is with her."
"Then I think it is ok to go. Please try to stay out of trouble. You
know how the three of you get when you don't think. There is some money
on the table next to the door if you would like to take it with you. You
can buy an ice cream bar when the truck comes around again. They should
be here in about an hour if their schedule runs as it should."
"Thank you, mom. I would like that."
"You go and enjoy yourself. Please try to be back home by 4:00 so that
you can get ready for dinner. Make sure you remember your watch this
time. I don't want to have to come looking for you again," she
admonished me.
I looked at my wrist, the watch was there. A girl's Minnie Mouse watch.
"I have it mom. See you later." With that, I went back to the door. I
tried to figure out why I was so excited to go out and play with two
little girls that I did not know. But I did not have any time to wonder.
I spotted the money on the table by the door and picked it up and put it
in my pocket. I opened the screen door and closed the big door behind
me. The two girls were bubbling over with energy that I seemed to have
an abundance of myself.
"So what do you two want to do? I have some money mom gave me for ice
cream bars later when the truck comes."
The two girls squealed with delight at the thought of ice cream.
Suddenly, they both stopped and looked at me strangely. Or more
precisely, at what was around my neck.
"Jennifer, where did you get the necklace? You have never worn it
before," Tiffany stated.
"I have always had it but didn't want to wear it. I just got the charm
today in the mail." I wasn't lying but they had a hold of the necklace
and were looking at the charm hanging from it.
"Why is it the shape of binoculars?" Heather asked. "It looks like
something a boy would wear." She had a distasteful look on her face.
"I don't know. Mom thought it would be good to put it on this chain and
thought I could wear it around the house. I forgot to take it off before
I left the house. I will have to be careful that I don't lose it."
"Then take it off and put it in your pocket. It is an ugly thing to
wear."
"I might lose it out of the pocket. At least around my neck, it won't
come off," I responded.
"Well, it's your neck it is uglifying. Tuck it under your top so we
won't have to look at it."
I was a little bit offended by her tone but I shook it off. By the time
I had it hidden under my top, they were both back to their bubbly
selves. We went down to the park that was on the next block and
proceeded to have a great time playing on the equipment. We even had
several boys showing off for us that had all three of us giggling our
heads off. I wasn't attracted to them in any sort but I could remember
how I acted when I was their age. They had all the moves I used to do
down pat and to my great amusement they looked so silly to be doing
them. Now I was beginning to realize just why the girl's 30 years ago
had been giggling at me. And for that reason, I was joining in with
Heather and Tiffany in giggling at them all.
We heard the ice cream truck's music playing and ran to the street to
meet it and get our treat. I paid for the three of us and we ran back to
the park and went into the shade of one of the bigger trees to eat them.
I had long ago forgotten how wonderful these things tasted. An
industrial accident with chemicals ruined my sense of taste and smell
fifteen years ago and I had a poor ability for either. I could taste
some things as well as smell some things, but for the most part, I was
able to only get a sense of the worst things around. The ice cream was
pure heaven to me and I enjoyed it as if I had never had any in my life.
The afternoon progressed slowly and I began to relax around the two
girls and enjoy their companionship. I had never realized that girls had
so much fun and was pleased to discover that they were not the alien
race that I had always thought them to be. As the old saying goes, you
have to walk a mile in another person's shoes to understand them. I had
walked, ran and everything else in these shoes today. This was an
enlightening discovery I had made.
Suddenly, I had another realization. My letter came back to me from
earlier. The question of discovery. The answer was that girls were not
alien and they were able to have fun without the pressures of peers
looming about them. They could be themselves without sacrificing
anything.
I took a glance at my watch and realized that it was getting close to
4:00 and I had to be home soon or mom would get mad at me if I were
late. I made my apologies to Tiffany and Heather and left to go home.
As I got to the front gate of the yard, I noticed an envelope hanging on
the gate. It stated simply 'Jennifer'. I pulled it loose and looked it
over. It was sealed but I could feel a small bulge as well as what felt
like a piece of paper inside. I folded it up and put it in my pocket and
went into the house. I made my way to my room but realized as soon as I
walked into it, that it was my mom's room and not mine. I went into the
second bedroom, which was Jennifer's room.
I sat down on the bed and opened the envelope. I pulled out the paper
and unfolded it. It had the list of questions that was on the original
letter. But the first question had the answer next to it as I had
thought it a short time ago. The message underneath the questions was
simple. It read:
"The first question was the easy part. Each answer will get harder to
find but again, you will have plenty of time to find it. Good luck."
Again, it was not signed. I overturned the envelope and dumped the item
inside into my hand. The world swirled around me again and I found
myself sitting on my bed in my bedroom. I was back to where I started
from and I was myself again. Forty-years-old, male and tired. I felt
like I had been out running a marathon. It was still early morning
according to the light entering the room and the clock next to my bed
told the truth. It was 10:05 AM. My whole day was spent already and
hardly any time had passed in reality. Was this what was meant by having
all the time in the world? I am sure I was going to find out further.
I pondered the next question further and looked at the charm that had
been in the envelope. The two combined said it all. Explorations. The
charm was shaped like the steering wheel of an ancient sailing ship. One
that went on explorations of the world. Knowing it was inevitable, I
took the necklace with the original charm off and opened the clasp. I
put the new charm on it and closed it again. I slipped the necklace back
over my head. The world started spinning again.
Part 2 - Mall Rats
By the time the spinning stopped, I was back in the bedroom that had
been Jennifer's. This time though, the room had a definite teenager
look. More precisely, a girl teenager. One that was interested in boy
bands, fashion, girl singers, and hunky actors. I thought I wasn't going
to have any fun with this one.
I stood up from the bed and walked over to the mirror on the closet
door. It showed the same face that I had seen a short time ago but
several years older. This time, I was about fifteen-years-old and had a
fairly well developed bosom but only a medium sized b-cup. I'm sure that
as she/I grew older, it would be larger. I had a decent figure and my
face had developed into what I would have called a looker.
I noticed a clock on the nightstand next to the bed and turned to face
it. It said that the time was 10:10 AM. Still early yet. But not early
enough for Jennifer to still be lounging round in her pajamas. She'd
gotten dressed for what looked like a day with the girls. I wondered if
Tiffany and Heather were going to come over today. I realized a far away
sound was the ringing of a phone.
"Jennifer, Heather's on the phone," my mom called out. Speak of the
devil.
* * *
I went into the kitchen to pick up the phone. "Hello?"
"Hey girlfriend!" the perky voice of Heather squealed at me. "Want to go
to the mall and do some window shopping? Tiffany and the rest of the
gang are bouncing off the wall to go do something and told me to call
you. How about it?"
I looked over at mom, "Mom, Heather and the gang are wondering if I can
go to the mall with them in a bit. Would that be ok?"
"How long do they plan on being over there?" Mom asked. "You know you
have to baby-sit for Mr. and Mrs. Johnson tonight while they go to
dinner and a movie. They want you there by 5:30. That would mean that
you would have to be home by 4:30. Can you be done by that time?"
"Um, Heather? I have to baby-sit for the Johnsons tonight and I have to
be home by 4:30 so that I can get ready to go. Will we be able to get
done by then?"
"No problem. That still gives us almost six hours to scout to clothes
and the boys. I hear that Rick's going to be there today. You know how
badly you have the hots for him. I think he wants to ask you out to the
Summer Fest dance in two weeks. Do you want to come over to my house or
do you want us to come and pick you up?"
"Why don't you come over here. I'm ready to go now. All I have to do is
slip some sandals on and I'll be all the way ready."
"Ok, we'll see you in ten minutes," she said and hung up.
Mom looked at me funny. "I really hope that you can make it home on
time. You and those five are a royal terror to the mall people when you
go there. I've heard some complaints about how wild you all are when
you're cruising the mall. If it gets any worse, I'm going to have to
ground you for a while. You know how much I hate disciplining you. Ever
since your father died, you have become a hand full and I don't know
what to do with you anymore. Please, for my sake, can you at least use
some discretion today?"
"Mom, I know you try hard and I do know I am a hand full. I'll be good
today and be home on time. You won't hear any bad comments about me
today. I promise you that from the bottom of my heart."
I still had no idea why I was taking all this so calmly. I should be a
blithering fool by now because of all the insanity that this should
actually be. But I was acting like everything was normal and things like
this happened every day. That was going to be the hardest to figure out.
I still had the question to answer before I can try to make it back to
what I called normal.
Just then, the doorbell rang. I knew who it was. I ran over to mom and
gave her a hug and quick peck on the cheek. "Bye mom. I'll see you
later. I love you." I turned around and made my way to the door.
I heard a sniffle behind me. I turned to see mom crying. Noting the look
of concern on my face, she said, "It's nothing. What you just said was
the nicest thing you have ever said to me. You go and enjoy your day and
I'll see you this afternoon." Her comment had me wondering what sort of
little bitch Jennifer was to her. She was a nice woman, from what I have
been able to see of her.
When I got to the door, I grabbed what could only be Jennifer's purse.
It felt strange holding something like this but anything that had a
little tag on it that said 'Daddy's Princess' could only be for a young
girl/woman. I slung it over my shoulder and opened the door. The screams
of "Jennifer!" assailed me as I came face to face with the terror pack
of the mall. No wonder the mall people ran and hid when they were
around. I felt like doing the same thing at that moment. Oh, well. 'Grin
and bear it girlie,' I told myself. I put on a huge smile and went to
join them in the assault on the mall. I had to check myself over since
all of the girls were wearing what could only be called skimpy outfits.
I really hadn't been prepared for the trip but I must have passed muster
with them all but then Heather and Tiffany both spotted something about
me that didn't pass.
Heather wrinkled her nose, "You still have that tacky old necklace? Why
on earth are you even wearing it? It's even more hideous than before
with that wheel thingie on it. Girl, we need to get you some decent
jewelry."
I tucked the necklace under my shirt and things went back to normal. All
six of us went giggling to the bus stop so that we could wait for the
bus. The other five were chattering up a storm that I was hard pressed
to keep up with. Never in my wildest dreams had I ever thought I would
be in the middle of a group of teenage girls when they were in full-
blown shopping mode. When the bus finally picked us up, we climbed
aboard and took it over. The ride to the mall was relatively short but I
finally was able to get into the conversation somewhat but still had a
problem following the inane chatter.
At one point, the girls asked me if I was ok since I wasn't acting like
my normal self. I just made an excuse that I was thinking about my
babysitting job tonight. But my thoughts were about what I was supposed
to be exploring for. The purpose of this whole thing was too far above
my head and I wasn't really up for this game. I would love to find out
whom it was that was doing this to me. But this outing had the makings
of an interesting day. I had to think about what I had found out on my
previous visit to the life of Jennifer. The time I spent as her had been
fun but that was the carefree time of a child. Now, I'm a teenager in
her body and what sort of explorations am I supposed to be doing?
* * *
It seemed to me that I was starting to alienate Jennifer from her
friends and that's just by being the antisocial person that I had been
as a man. What was different about men and women that I was having such
a difficult time dealing with? I do know men are so stodgy in their ways
and they all act so bland in comparison to women. Everything's so
emotionless in men and that was one thing that I was going to have to
overcome being around these girls.
Before I knew it, we were at the mall. This was the moment that I had
been dreading ever since I was asked to go there. From what Heather had
said, someone by the name of Rick was going to be here and was probably
going to ask me to some sort of a dance. Like I could really dance. I
had always avoided dancing like the plague. I couldn't move my body
other than like a lumbering hulk foundering in a pit of tar. I had no
rhythm or musical talent of any sort. Everyone in my family was gifted
musically. I was the one that was not gifted in those respects. But
then, I had no idea what Jennifer could do. I wasn't sure I wanted to
find out. But I may have to find out. I still had my exploration to do.
The doors opened for us and we charged right in as if we owned the
place. From the look of terror on some faces, maybe we did. Maybe the
terror pack is the right name for us. We started sweeping from one store
to another browsing around and not even buying anything. About 1:00, we
made our way to the food court and swept through it looking for
something to munch on and restore our energy. We would need it for the
next three hours before I had to go home.
I was really dying to have a pizza but I knew with this slight body, I
wouldn't be able to eat my whole pizza as I normally do. I went to the
Sbarro's stand and ordered a slice of cheese/veggie, which turned out to
be nearly a quarter of a whole pizza. I knew I wouldn't be able to eat
it all. I was also thirsty so I went to the Orange Julius to get me a
Raspberry Julius. I decided to go lightly and ordered a medium sized
one. The other girls had found a couple of empty tables and coerced a
couple of boys to join the tables together and then gave each of them a
kiss and sent them away with their heads spinning in bliss.
I joined them there and amid strange looks from all five of them, I
began to chow down on the pizza. I was nearly halfway through before I
noticed that I was being stared at. Sheepishly, I sat the pizza slice
down and looked up. "What? Do I have sauce all over my face?" I asked.
Heather had a particular look of disgust on her face. "No, but since
when do you eat *PIZZA*?" She said it with such vehemence that I was
hard pressed to catch her meaning.
"I've always loved pizza. Just because I don't eat it around you,
doesn't mean that I don't eat it at all."
"Jen, you worry me sometimes. It's like you're two different people. One
day you're the rabble rouser that has a 'world-be-damned' attitude that
eats a salad, then the next day you're the quiet demure wallflower that
scarffs a pizza down as if there's no tomorrow. What has gotten into you
lately?"
It kind of scared me when she mentioned being two different people. I
guess I was being the same type of person that I was as a man. And it
was certainly sending the wrong messages off to all the girls since they
were looking at me the same way Heather was. I knew who I was but that
wasn't who I was being at the moment. I didn't have the ability to act
like a teenage girl since I had never been one before. I was getting so
flustered that I started to cry. All of a sudden, the dam burst and I
was in full tears. I turned away from the table, got up and fled the
scene of my outburst. I ran as hard as I could to find a place of
sanctuary. Whenever I wanted to be alone, I usually ran for the restroom
and hid in a stall until I was ready to face the world again. That was
where I was now heading. And also into one of the greatest disasters of
my short life as Jennifer.
I spotted the familiar sign the said 'Men' and entered it, only to run
into a group of boys that were just leaving it. Hands grabbed my arms
and stopped me in my tracks. "Leave me alone!" I shouted.
"Whoa, there. I don't think you should be coming in here," one of them
said. "I think you should be going to the one just down the hallway."
I had to do a double take and look closer at where I was going. And I
had to remember who I was at the moment. Before I could think too hard
about where I had been heading, the girls surrounded me and hauled me
away from the men's room. That was too close.
"Jen, what's wrong? You have been acting so weird today. I know it can't
be your period because you just had that last week. Have you been taking
something that you shouldn't take?" The last spoken with a hint of
dread.
"No, I'm not taking anything illegal and you wouldn't understand what's
wrong even if I told you. You would just think I was crazy and probably
get me into some very serious trouble."
"Jen, there's no way that I or any of us would get you into any sort of
trouble."
"Heather, you're wrong about that. Just by the six of us being here
right now, we're on the verge of being in trouble. I was thoroughly
scolded by my mother before you got to the house because of everything
we have been doing here at the mall. Mom told me that she'd been getting
all sort of complaints about me and the rest of you from people that she
knows that work here. I have to be on my best behavior or I won't be
able to come here or even be with you anymore. I don't like being in
trouble and it hurts mom to see me running wild like I have been."
"I don't see what that has to do with how you're acting right now. You
almost go into the men's room while running away blindly crying. You
have hardly said a word to any of us all day but yet normally, you're
chatting up a storm with us all. If I didn't know better, the Jen that I
know isn't the one that's talking to me right now. But that's
impossible. Who else can you be if you're not Jen?" She was really
worried about me. Her face was showing all sorts of concern.
"I really can't tell you who I am because I'm confused enough as it is.
But I don't want to talk here. This isn't the place for it. Before I
even tell any of you what's going on, I have to extract some severe
promises of silence."
"I'll make any promises that you would need. We have to help you out.
You're our friend and I can tell you're in pain of a sort I've never
seen before," Heather replied.
All the rest of the girls chimed in their promises of silence. I sighed
since I knew it was going to happen anyway. "We have to leave here now
before anything is said to you. I'm shopped out anyway. Where can we go
that will be private enough to talk?"
"We can head back home and go to the park down the street. We can be
away from anyone out there," was the reply I was given.
"If that's the best that can be done, then so be it. We have to make
sure that no one comes around us or things will go badly for us," I
said.
We left the mall and made our way to the bus stop. The ride to our home
area was one in total silence with none of the girls saying a thing. The
other people on the bus thought we were a bit strange by not saying a
single word during the ride. It seemed like forever before we got near
the area even though it was only 15 minutes. We all exited the bus and
made our way to the park.
Upon arriving to the park, we looked to find the most secluded area we
could find and by sheer luck, there was a grove of trees in the north-
eastern part that wasn't even used by the innumerable amount of children
playing there. It seemed most of the kids would rather have been out
playing than sitting on the benches that were shaded by the trees. We
all silently went into the shade and sat down.
"Ok, now spit it out. What's your problem?" Heather questioned/ordered
me.
As a visual aid, I brought out the necklace that I was wearing.
"Heather, Tiffany, you both remember this necklace from when we were 10
don't you?" Upon receiving their affirmative nods, I continued. "This
thing is at the heart of my problems. I had the actual chain given to me
some time ago but to me, the charm that's the shape of the binoculars
was sent to me in the mail this morning with a letter."
"Wait a minute, you wore the necklace and that charm five years ago. How
could you have received it this morning?" Heather exclaimed.
"You see, to me it was this morning but to you it was five years ago
that I wore this the first time. Or I should say Jennifer wore it the
first time. I'm not Jennifer. For some reason that I've not been able to
fathom as yet, I'm wearing Jennifer's body but it isn't mine. You might
say I'm a visitor out of time even though the time is now. I received a
letter with the first charm that told me that if I wanted control of my
life back, I had to answer eight questions but the questions were so
cryptic that I didn't understand them.
"I'll recount the questions so that you can think about them also. The
first question was simply listed as 'Discovery'. Nothing more and
nothing less. But before I continue this story I must tell you all
something that must be kept confidential. You may not talk about it with
anyone other than you five. I'll know it if you do.
"First and foremost, I'm 40 years old, I'm single without having ever
been married, no children out of wedlock either. The biggest thing is
that...I am or was a man. My name is Michael."
Gasps of absolute shock flew from all five girls. Then a flurry of
questions bombarded me. "How can that be?" "Why are you here" "What
happened to Jennifer?" So many more that I lost track of them.
"Girls, I've no more of a clue as to why this happened than you do. I'm
trying to work my way through what seems to be some sort of mystical
treasure hunt. I don't know where it came from and I'm finding it rather
hard to continue figuring this out. That's why I'm talking to you about
this. As to what happened to Jennifer, I don't know. I don't know if I'm
somehow Jennifer and I am having a split personality moment and the mind
running the body is schizophrenic, I just don't know. Before I can
become myself, I have to answer the question that placed me here. As I
said, the first question was discovery. And I discovered that my life
long feeling that women and girls were alien creatures wasn't true.
You're human beings that aren't understood by the likes of men and me
especially. I had quite a few girlfriends over my life but I never
really had anything that could be a sustained relationship. I basically
was miserable all my life and it was made even worse trying to deal with
women. I don't know if this all is a punishment to me for some past
wrong I may have done to some unknown woman or girlfriend. I'm lost in a
strange world and I don't know how to get out of it." With that, the
tears came again with a vengeance.
None of the girls even knew how to react to my disclosure but they did
know how to react to one of their friends crying. They all came to me
and hugged me closely. All of them were murmuring soothing sounds to me
while trying to get me to relax. It took some time for me to finally cry
myself out. When I finally did, Heather as the spokesperson for the
group asked me, "You said you have eight questions to answer. From the
necklace you're wearing, you're on the second question. What did it
entail?"
Still sniffling, I told them, "The second question is still too vague to
understand. It said 'Explorations'?"
"Explorations? What kind of question is that?" Rachel wanted to know.
"That's why I'm having so much trouble with it. The charm is the shape
of a steering wheel of an old time sailing ship that was used in the
explorations of the world on the ocean. I sort of thought that I had to
do some sort of exploring while I was in this body but I don't know what
I'm supposed to be exploring."
Michelle suddenly lit up with what I just said. "Could it mean that
you're meant to explore what it means to be female? It would settle the
explorations part. Is there any sort of timeline that you have to get
this done?"
"No, there's no timeline that I'm aware of. I've been told that I'll
have all the time in the world to figure things out. The letter said
that I would have to deal with each part separately and that when I
answered the questions suitably, I would be returned back to when I came
from. The first one returned me to a point that was five minutes after I
left. But the weird thing was that the world froze on me before I put
the first charm on the necklace and put it around my head. When I put it
on, it seemed like the world was spinning around me and when it stopped,
I was Jennifer at the age of 10. That's the first time I met Heather and
Tiffany. I spent the whole day with them and we went to the park to
play. But it was during that time that I was able to work out the answer
to the first question. When I got back to the house, there was a letter
waiting for me on the front gate. I opened it in her room and then went
back to where I was from. Just a few minutes later, I put the second
charm on the necklace and put it on and wound up where I am now."
Heather looked at the others and then looked at me. "It seems that what
Michelle has said seems to be the most logical thing that could be.
Would it hurt you to try to enjoy who and what you are? At the moment,
you're not a silly old man but you're a lively young girl. I think that
all of us can help you feel comfortable in Jennifer's body. Won't we,
girls?"
All of them voiced a concerted "Yes!" vote. I, at least, had help now.
I'm sure that with their help, I would be able to accomplish the task
ahead of me. Other things were pressing though. I looked at the watch I
was wearing and noticed that the time was 4:15.
"If you will excuse me now, I have to go home so that I can go
babysitting at the Johnson's house tonight. I'm not really looking
forward to it since I know absolutely nothing about babysitting. Not to
mention knowing anything about babies."
"Do you think that the Johnsons would mind if one or two of us were to
come over and help you. We could start teaching you about children and
how to take care of them," Heather said.
"I don't know but I'm sure that I could get permission for one person. I
don't know the Johnsons but I would assume that they wouldn't mind if
there were extra hands to help with their baby. I'll call them when I
get home. I have to go to their house at 5:30 so I'll give someone a
call when I'm able to find out. Now, who is it that will come with me?"
A very short discussion lead to it being Heather that would go with me.
For that I was grateful since she was the one that I knew better than
the rest but that wasn't really saying much. But for some reason, I
think she would understand and help me more than the others. I had that
feeling in my heart. I bid my farewells and left to go home. I had two
minutes to spare when I got home. Mom looked surprised but she also
looked relieved. I think that she'd thought I wouldn't be home until too
late. I made the telephone call to the Johnsons after discussing the
issue with mom. The Johnsons were happy to let me bring one other person
with me but they wouldn't pay two babysitters. I assured them that that
wouldn't be the case and to consider that they would be getting a two-
for-one deal. I called Heather to let her know it was ok for her to go
there with me. She would be over here before 5:30 so that she could go
when Mr. Johnson picked me up.
I ran to my room and looked for some new clothes to wear for the evening
and went in to take a quick shower. I never really thought about the
term 'quick' in dealing with being a girl. Everything was so much harder
to do. The shower seemed to be quick but it was actually 20 minutes
long. I never knew that the mass of long hair would be so hard to get
clean but I finally was able to do so. I knew I was going to have to
really hurry now. I seemed to be on mostly autopilot at the moment
because I didn't take the time to explore Jennifer's body while I was in
the shower. It was almost like I had been in it all my life but I knew
that wasn't the case.
Heather arrived back at the house about 5:25. Right on time, Mr. Johnson
pulled up in front of the house and tooted his horn. Heather and I bade
mom goodbye. We expected to be out until 11:00 or 12:00. According to
Heather, the Johnsons were really good people to sit for. She'd only sat
for them once but they were well known in the neighborhood even though
they had only lived here for a year. Their only child was a daughter
that was nine months old. I was still dreading the thought of sitting
for a baby that small. But they do come in smaller packages but those
rarely came without the parents attached.
The ride to the Johnson's house was short but quiet. Mr. Johnson knew
that his wife was ultimately in charge when it came to their daughter.
She would lay down the law and rules concerning the baby. As we entered
the house, it was to the sound of a giggling baby. She sure seemed happy
go lucky but that was because she knew she was safe with mommy. Mrs.
Johnson heard us enter and stopped playing with the baby but kept her
within reach.
"Hi girls. I'm glad that you could both sit for us. It will make things
a bit easier to handle this little bundle of energy. Now, I know Heather
has sat for Treesa before so she knows how hard it is to deal with her.
But Treesa will start missing me quickly after we leave. You will have
to double-team her to keep her from missing me too much too quickly. On
a piece of paper next to the phone is our cell phone numbers as well as
the places that we will be going as well as the instructions I'm giving
you now. Her next bottle will need to be at 6:00. She will let you know
when she needs to be changed. I just changed her about fifteen minutes
ago so she should be good for a little while. About 8:00, I usually give
her a bath which she absolutely loves. She normally goes to sleep about
9:00 so her last bottle will be just before that time. She will need
another one later but I'll be home before she needs one. If you need
anything or if there are problems, please don't hesitate to call us. If
there's an emergency and Treesa needs medical treatment, call 911 first
then call us. We will drop what we're doing and come home or go to the
hospital if it is necessary."
Since Heather was the more knowledgeable one, she spoke up, "Mrs.
Johnson, don't worry about Treesa. I've a past arrangement with her and
we understand each other. Poor Jennifer has never dealt with a baby
before, which is why I volunteered to come and help her. I know you
could have asked for me to baby-sit but I had a previous engagement, as
you knew when you called me last week. But that engagement was cancelled
at the last moment, which is why I asked Jen if I could come and help
her. Your daughter's in good hands with the two us here. We will call
you if we have trouble. You two go and have a good time and don't
worry." She finished off with a very confident smile to the parents.
This girl was natural parent material. I could learn a lot from her with
this situation.
Both parents seemed satisfied that their daughter was in good hands so
they left her in out care. Now I was starting to get very nervous. But I
knew Heather was there for me to lean on if I needed it. As the door
closed behind her parents, Treesa suddenly looked concerned. Heather was
ahead of the game in those regards. Before the baby could utter a single
scream, she was down on the floor with her favorite toy and making baby
sounds to try to distract her attention from her mother leaving the
house. I got down and joined the two of them in the playing. Before too
long, we had her giggling and enjoying the play session.
Before I knew it, it was time to put Treesa to bed. Both Heather and I
were plum tuckered out. That child really was a wild one. We had been
able to give her a bath but it was with a mini shower for us two when
she went wild in the water splashing her hands and causing a cascade of
water that drenched us. Both Heather and I were laughing hard all
evening long with the antics of this darling child. Once she was in bed
and asleep, I was able to sit down and relax for the first time in
hours. It almost seemed like days but I knew that it was deceptive. I
had never been so busy in my life as I had been over the previous three
hours.
Once I had sat down I was able to think about everything that I had been
through with this baby. I had never realized just exactly what I had
missed by not having a child of my own. I knew how much poorer my life
was without someone to call me daddy and I really wanted to remedy the
situation. I was quiet for too long for Heather's liking.
"A penny for your thoughts, Jen."
"I was just thinking about how much I've missed in my life because I
didn't ever marry and have any kids. The whole evening so far has been
an extreme learning experience for me while dealing with Treesa. If
there was any way that I could correct that situation, I would do so."
"From the sounds of things, you're learning a bit about where women
actually come from. We have to start at a young age and are given dolls
that are in the likeness of babies. Everything we do is geared towards
one day having and raising babies. What you experienced tonight is only
a tiny part of what I've had to deal with my whole life. But I think
that you could be a wonderful parent in your own time. If that day ever
comes."
"I can only hope so Heather, I can only hope so."
I was starting to feel a slight depression coming on because of the lack
of a child in my life. It was hard to think about things otherwise. Then
I thought of something that should have been bothering me.
"Heather, I'm wondering something. What're you going to say to Jennifer
once I leave her body again?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I mean, are you going to tell her that a man has been inhabiting her
body against her will?"
"I don't think I was planning on telling her anything. What would I say?
Do you realize exactly how crazy this sounds? She would think I was
absolutely crazy and would probably not talk to me ever again. I'll
never let anything come between our friendship and you would be the
thing that would come between us. So you can rest assured that I won't
say anything to her."
"Thank you. That means more to me than I can say. Let me ask this of
you. The last time I was here when you, Tiffany and Jennifer were ten,
did you or Tiffany mention the necklace to her the next day?"
"Now that you mention it, I did. I told her that she looked better
without that ugly necklace that she'd been wearing the day before. Her
response was that she hadn't worn any necklace and that she didn't know
what I was talking about. I asked her about the park and the ice cream
and she didn't remember anything either one. I thought she was being
weird and I never brought the subject up again."
"Let's make a deal then. I don't know if I'll be here very long or when
I might be back. But I know that the necklace goes with me wherever I
am. It came with me that last time and left with me. Now it came back
with me and I know that it will go back again. Until you see the
necklace again, the only people that you can talk to this about are the
other four. Jennifer mustn't know about this at all. None of the others
can talk to her about this. I have to trust you in passing the word to
them. When the necklace shows up again, then you can talk to me about
things. Are we agreeable with this?"
"Yes we are. I'll tell the others about this deal and I know they will
agree also. You can trust us with your secret."
"Thank you for that."
I knew that I could trust them all with my life if it came down to that.
I knew it wouldn't but I could relax over the issue. What else could I
explore while I was here?
I know! "Heather, could you teach me how to put makeup on? Jennifer put
some on this morning but when I took my shower earlier, I washed it off.
Now, I sort of feel like the ugly duckling being around you with your
makeup on and me not having any."
Heather's eyes lit up brightly. I could tell that she was pleased to be
able to help me. "I would love to! Did you bring your kit with you?" she
asked.
"I don't know what a kit looks like. I remembered to bring Jennifer's
purse with me when I came. Do you think it is in there?"
"If I had any doubts before about you being a man, I don't have any now.
Only a man wouldn't know about a makeup kit or where it's kept. Jennifer
has her kit in her purse where it belongs. It isn't much but it's enough
to work with. Go get the purse please."
I went and grabbed the purse that to me looked like a saddlebag for a
horse. It seemed too big to be of much use but at the same time, it
seemed smaller than it should have been to hold everything that it does.
I was wondering if there was a hidden portal to another world to keep
everything in it. I had to giggle at the thought as it crossed my mind.
Heather looked up at me as I approached her and giggled.
"What's so funny now?" she asked.
"Oh, nothing major. I was thinking about how much stuff you girls keep
in your purses and how small they are in comparison to the quantity of
things in it. I thought there might have been some sort of pocket world
in it that you shoved everything into."
"Gawd, you're weird. I'll have to tell this to the other girls. They
will get a great laugh out of it. Now, sit your fanny down here and we
will set to work on making your face beautiful again. Oh, before you do,
go into the master bath and get Mrs. Johnson's makeup mirror. You will
need to see what I'm doing so that you can practice later."
* * *
I did as she said and was back in a minute. I sat on the couch with a
strange feeling inside me. I had never put makeup on in my whole life
but I've seen some of my past girlfriends put it on. To me, it looked
like they had to put so much on to look good but it was always on second
inspection that I noticed that they hardly had anything on at all. It
was so subtle that while I could see it on them, they looked natural and
highly defined in their faces. I tried to hold my head still while
Heather started putting the base on.
She stopped for a second and asked, "What do you think you're doing?
Relax will you? I'm only putting makeup on and you're looking at me like
I'm about to use a paintbrush with wall paint on you. This is for your
benefit so you will know what to do later on. Try to hold the mirror up
to where you can see what I'm doing while I explain it all to you as I
go." And she proceeded to do exactly that.
What seemed like forever with her explaining every little detail of the
application of facial makeup really had only taken no more than 20
minutes. I had been in awe of Jennifer's face before. Even more so now.
That young lady was absolutely beautiful and the makeup enhanced her
beauty even more than ever. The lessons I'm learning tonight will come
in handy later on but hopefully I can get through this whole thing soon.
"Heather, you're a master at makeup. I never really thought that I would
ever have any makeup on my face but since this isn't really my face, it
looks wonderfully natural."
"You have to remember this though, what I've done to Jennifer's face is
something that she does every day without fail. That means if you spend
very much more time in her body, you will have to put it on yourself. Do
you think you can remember what I did? The style that I put on you is
meant for daytime wearing. You have to remember that for a night out,
you would have to wear it a bit heavier but not too heavy. Too much
would make you look slutty and Jennifer would never forgive you for
making her look like a tramp. But for now, you look clean and wholesome
as a girl your age should."
"Thank you Heather. I appreciate everything you're doing for me. Without
you and the others, I would be making a total farce out of Jennifer's
life. That wouldn't be right for me. I'll try to do what's the best for
her so that my actions or inactions, which ever the case may be, won't
hurt her." With that, I reached over and gave her a big hug.
The look of surprise was on her face only momentarily. "You're learning
to express yourself femininely. Without thinking too hard about it, you
gave me a hug. That's what girls do. We're always touching gently or
hugging."
Now that she mentioned it, I was starting to think more like a girl. Not
much but it was enough to notice. I wondered if it would carry over to
my real life. I'm sure that I would find out eventually.
The evening wore on and eventually the Johnsons came home from their
night out. They looked happy but had a tired look on their faces. I
could tell that they were no longer used to going out and having a night
on the town since having the baby. Mrs. Johnson thanked us and hurried
off to look in on her precious package. Mr. Johnson took us out to the
car and dropped us off at our houses after paying us for the night.
Heather was the first one dropped off and she said she would call me
tomorrow after I got home from church. Mr. Johnson waited until she
entered her house and then took me home.
He thanked me and I told him that any time they needed a baby sitter
that I would always be available for them. I got out of the car after
bidding him a good night. As I approached the gate, there was another
envelope on it. Again, it said Jennifer. I took it without making it
seem obvious and went to the door. Mom had left it unlocked and I
entered it quietly. I turned around and waved goodbye to Mr. Johnson. He
then left.
I was tired and needed to get some sleep seeing as to how my day seemed
like it was going on forever. I decided that I wasn't going to open the
letter tonight because I didn't know how long it would be before I was
able to get some sleep for real. I could feel the next charm inside the
envelope when I rubbed the surface. I wasn't able to discern what it
was. I was going to wait until morning to look at it.
I went into the bedroom and prepared myself for bed. I didn't like
taking over Jennifer's life like this but I wasn't in any control over
how things went. I took the clothes off that I had been wearing all
evening and put on a clean nightgown that was in Jennifer's dresser. I
then went into the bathroom and washed the makeup off of my face since I
knew enough to know better than to leave it on all night.
Once I was through cleaning myself up and making use of the bathroom
facilities, I went back in the bedroom and crawled into the bed. I was
tired enough that I fell quickly to sleep.
The night went well and I woke up in the morning feeling more refreshed
than I can remember being. I knew that it had been a good idea to sleep.
I must have been awake more than 24 hours by my figuring. Entirely too
long. I won't do that again. I got the robe that was hanging on a hook
next to the bed and put it on. Morning ritual calls for me to use the
bathroom and then grab a cup of coffee. After I'm done, I'll read the
letter.
Bathroom used, I went into the kitchen to find Jennifer's mom there
enjoying a cup of coffee. "Morning, Mom," I greeted her.
"Morning, sweetie. Sleep well?" was the response I got back.
"Yes, mom. I slept like the dead. It seemed to me the best night's sleep
I've had in a long time. Thank you for asking. How was your night?"
"It was fine after you got home. I couldn't help but worry about you
being out so late but I knew the Johnsons were good people and would
take good care of you in bringing you home. I hope you and Heather had a
good night together watching the baby. I just hope you two didn't talk
all evening long and ignore the sweet child."
"No, mom. We did talk but it was after the baby went to bed. We had our
hands too full before that time to do much more than talk to her. She
certainly wasn't neglected or ignored once she was in bed. We checked on
her ever 30 minutes or so to make sure that she was ok."
While I had been talking, I had been going over to the cupboard and
getting a coffee cup and I poured myself a cup out of the pot mom had
fixed. I sat down next to her and took a sip of the coffee. I nearly
choked on the taste. It was horrible and I had to spit it out quickly. I
heard laughing coming from mom. I looked up to see wild mirth on her
face. I didn't think it was so funny. "What did you put in this coffee?
It tastes like sewage!" I said.
"I hope that you realize that coffee is an acquired taste and I've been
drinking coffee since I was in college. I figured you knew what you were
doing so I didn't say a word. I think you're too young to take up
drinking coffee but I knew you had to sample the taste before I said
anything."
"I've had coffee before and it never tasted this bad."
"Oh you have, have you? Where on earth would you have drank coffee
before? It certainly hasn't been here. I only make enough so that I can
have a second cup in a little while."
Oops! I don't think Jennifer has ever had coffee before. That might
account for the fact that it tasted so horrible. I was about to say that
I had been drinking it for twenty-two years. I certainly can't say that
since I'm only 15 in this body. I had to make up something. "Lisa had
brought some to school a couple of weeks ago and she said it was made
out of coffee. But she called it something strange that I had never
heard before. She called it a coffichino or something like that."
"Don't you mean a cappuccino?" she asked.
"Yeah, that's the word she used. I had some of hers and it was
delicious. But she said it was actually coffee. But it didn't look like
this when I drank it."
"That's because it's a different process to make. I drink straight
coffee just to wake up. But I don't drink any more during the day since
it makes me too wired if I drink too much."
"Weird. I really don't think I'm going to drink any more coffee. I may
try a cappuccino sometime later if I can find some. Do I pour this back
in the pot?"
"No, I think since you spit it back into the cup, you should just dump
it down the sink."
I poured the foul tasting brew down the sink where it could join the
regular sewage. I never knew that what I had enjoyed drinking for years
would have that sort of effect on me in a new body but I learned a
mighty big lesson with this.
"Jen, if you would like to go take a shower to get ready for church,
I'll have some pancakes ready to eat by the time you get done."
"Ok, mom. I'll be out in a few minutes." I left the kitchen. I went back
int