Possession Is Nine-Tenths Of Magic free porn video

Possession is Nine-Tenths of Magic By Sue Kidder I enjoyed magic class. Nobody was more surprised than I when I was evaluated as possessing magical potential. Not much, mind you. But with the proper training I would be able to do many of the easier spells. Our teacher, Mage Carson, was just a step below sorcerer level himself. He explained that using magic was like turning a valve to release an energy that could do almost anything you wanted. The amount of energy you could release determined your ranking in the magical hierarchy. Unfortunately, my talents allowed me to release only a tiny trickle of energy. But it was magic, and with the proper training, it would be very useful. At least it would give me an advantage over the magically inert. Some people -- most, in fact -- could not even draw a hint of magical energy. Curiously, this ability seemed to be physical. Something in the genes that never manifested in the population until recently. There was speculation that someday in the future everybody would have the ability to draw upon and manipulate the magical energy. We are going through one of those infrequent quantum leaps of evolution, it seems. On this day a few weeks ago, I was very excited. We were going to learn how to swap bodies. Fortunately, this did not take much magical energy, so it would become one of my abilities. "Remember," our teacher reminded us, "do not use this ability carelessly. For example, if you swap with someone whose magical potential is less than yours, he might not want to swap back. And you would not have the magical muscle to force him to return your body. And never try to force a body swap. Nobody in this class has enough magic to mentally control someone or modify their memories. Therefore, if you force a body swap and that person reports an illegal body theft, the Council of Wizards will come down hard on you." The Council of Wizards was, in a very real sense, the governing authority over magic. They set the rules for the use of magic and enforced the penalties for its misuse. You don't want to get on their bad side. They are almost gods, and their punishments can be extreme and very unpleasant. I only half listened to Mage Carson's admonitions. After all, only an idiot would swap bodies with someone if that swap put him at a disadvantage. Sure, you could swap with an eighty-year-old man, or somebody with a weak heart, or somebody who possessed no magical ability -- but why? Mage Carson said, "I've matched your magical strengths as closely as I can and made a list of pairs for this body swap exercise. You will swap with your partner, live in his or her body for one day, and return here tomorrow evening to swap back. Your teams are Mike Henkal and Fred Greene, Susan Demarsh and Lucy Larson, Jake Freon and Lisa Moon..." That was me! And beyond my wildest wish, I was paired up with Lisa Moon. Lisa was by far the prettiest girl in the class. I was not only going to get to see what it was like to be a girl, but I would be Lisa Moon for a day! "Before we begin, let me remind you of the contract you signed when you enrolled in this class. These body swaps are temporary and you are obliged to return your partner's body at the end of the exercise tomorrow evening. Anybody who does not return here tomorrow evening and swap back into their original body will be hunted down by the Council of Wizards and punished. Also, you are not taking over your partner's life. You are only borrowing his or her body for a day. Anybody caught pretending to be his partner for the next twenty-four hours will be held to account for any commitments made or injuries inflicted to others. And you are to treat your partner's body with the utmost respect. It must be returned in the same condition you received it. Understood?" Everybody nodded their heads, said, "Understood," or signified in some way that they agreed. Mage Carson said, "Okay. The first step is to exchange your personal properties. You were asked to bring a change of clothes, and any keys or other items you may need for the next day. Give your packet to your partner now." I had packed a change of clothes in a small valise. I fished my wallet and my house and car keys out of my pocket and gave them to Lisa. She put them into a small overnight bag she brought. In turn, she gave me her wallet and keys and I put them into my valise with my clothes. Lisa seemed almost reluctant, as if she was not nearly as excited about this swap as I was. Surely I'm not all that ugly? After we made the exchange, Mage Carson said, "Now we come to the fun part. Body swapping is easy and requires very little magic. I've already touched on some of the hazards of swapping bodies, so take heed and don't get careless just because it is easy. The first thing we need is a part of each body being swapped. Get something from your partner that is a part of him or her. A few hairs or a fingernail paring will do nicely. Put these items from the two of you into the mortar on the table in front of you." I set the pestle aside and pulled a few strands of hair out of my bangs and dropped them into the mortar. Lisa also elected to toss a few strands of her beautiful blond hair into the mortar. Mike asked, "Mage Carson, how long will it be before we can do transformations? Body swapping is dangerous, from what you said, so if we wanted to be somebody else, wouldn't it be better to transform?" "It will be a long time before anybody in this class can do transformations. That requires a level of magic none of you can command. I will eventually teach you how to save up and store magic so you can perform spells that are currently beyond your ability. So be patient." "Now," he continued, "you have placed a particle of your bodies into the mortars. This gives the magic a focus and helps insure that your souls are not simply cast into the aether at random. Next, we will create the spell. Only one person in each team will do this today; your partner will perform the reverse swap tomorrow evening. Decide which of you will do it today." "Mage Carson," Mike asked, "won't that mean the same person will be doing the spell both times? When it is my turn to do the spell, I will be in my partner's body -- so it won't really be me doing it, right?" "Good question," Mage Carson said. "This is why I matched your magical strengths when I assigned the teams. You will indeed be in your partner's body when you perform the reverse swap, but since his ability matches yours, the lesson will be valid. Has everybody decided who is going to do the spell tonight?" Lisa nodded to me to indicate that I should go ahead. Since I had no objection to going first, I followed Mage Carson's instructions and concentrated on the items in the mortar while directing my magic toward them. I had to want the transfer of souls to take place between the people represented by the hairs in the mortar, and the magic would follow the life-linkage of the hairs to each source, open a conduit, and transfer each soul to the opposite body. It almost sounded more complicated than it is. Shortly after my magic flow reached the mortar I started to feel funny, almost detached from my body. That, in fact, was exactly what was happening. For a brief moment I felt isolated from the world as my soul traveled between my body and Lisa's, then my senses returned and I recognized that I was now sitting on the opposite side of the table. Across from me was my body, now occupied by Lisa. I sat for a few minutes, absorbing the sensations and cataloging the differences between Lisa's body and mine. The major differences were obvious, and it took enormous conscious effort to resist the urge to start feeling myself up. There were lesser differences also, which you rarely hear enumerated, but which you notice immediately -- such as the weight of her (my) hair and the feel of it cascading down my back, the shape of my mouth and the alignment of my teeth, the feel of the earrings hanging from my earlobes, the mild but noticeable constriction of the brassiere harnessing my (my!) breasts, and the angle of my ankles even as I sat wearing her slightly heeled pumps. There were other sensations as well, because with my magical ability and the sensory enhancement spells we learned previously in class, I could see that Lisa had several maintenance spells on her body that kept her hair neatly styled and arranged, her makeup flawless, and her skin perfect. She was definitely pretty enough that she did not need magical help, but I suppose it would be a natural use of a woman's magical talent. Lisa was apparently also surveying the differences between my body and hers. Many of the students who swapped with same-sex partners had already left or were saying goodnight to Mage Carson. We finally got up, gathered our things, and made our way to the front of the classroom. "Goodnight, Mage Carson," I said, marveling at my high pitched but perfectly modulated tones. I bet Lisa could be a great singer if she wanted to be. "Goodnight, Mage Carson," Lisa said. I thought her (his?) voice sounded strange, but then a person's voice never sounds like his own when heard from a recorder or other source. Mage Carson told us goodnight, and I walked Lisa to his car. Or did he walk me to mine? Already I was developing gender confusion. Lisa took his keys out of my valise. He turned to me and said, "I'm doing this because it is a class requirement. I want my body back in the same condition it is now, or there will be serious trouble!" "Don't worry," I assured him. "I'll take good care of it." He drove away, and I walked to my car, extracted my keys from Lisa's little overnight case, and got in. I had to adjust the seat and the mirrors. It felt strange to be even a few inches shorter and many pounds lighter. It was a short drive to my apartment. Home, finally, and I eagerly sought a mirror. There she was! Lisa's body, but responding to my control just as my own body. For the next twenty-four hours, it IS my body! I fumbled only a little bit on some of the garments, but stood naked at last. Lisa took excellent care of her body; it was perfect. I posed, pirouetted, and caressed my body until I was intimately familiar with it. I even found a hand mirror and inspected my crotch and the feminine mysteries it concealed. Somehow I had never considered the irony of the fact that women cannot easily see their own sexual organs. Maybe that explained some of the differences between men's and women's views of sex. Men are constantly aware of their sexual organs. They are right up front, easily visible, and require care and protection at all times. But women's sexual organs are tucked safely away, invisible even to their owners. Out of sight, out of mind? This was very interesting, but I quickly concluded that I preferred to be a man. I would be very happy to return this body to Lisa the next evening at class. With this common experience between us, maybe I can encourage a relationship with Lisa. I'd much rather be her boyfriend than be her. Now, how do I broach the subject? I donned a bathrobe that was much too big and pondered the problem. The doorbell rang and I cursed the interruption. Then I remembered that I had invited my best friend Allen Kendall over this evening for pizza and chess. I reached up to turn the porch light on, but misjudged the distance to the light switch and jammed my fingernail into the cover plate, breaking it off. Damn! That's not going to sit well with Lisa. I looked through the peephole to be sure, and saw that it was indeed Allen. I opened the door. Allen looked at me in Jake's bathrobe and grinned. "I can see that Jake is busy. Would you tell him that Allen came by? We can continue our chess games later." "Allen, it's me, Jake. Come on in," I said. "Really? You look different, somehow." Sarcasm is not one of Allen's stronger talents. "Yeah, really. You know I've been taking magic lessons. Tonight was our body swap lesson. I am inhabiting this body until tomorrow evening." "Wow! Looks like you got a good one. Have you explored it yet?" "Of course. Oddly enough, it feels comfortable ? almost like my own skin, but with a few obvious differences. Still, I will be very happy to return to my body tomorrow." "Are you going to try the ultimate feminine experience?" "Have sex? I admit I'm curious, but we have to return our borrowed bodies in the same condition we received them. I can't risk returning Lisa's body pregnant." "Seems a shame to let this opportunity slip by without taking advantage of it. I know you have some condoms; we could give you a very memorable sexual experience without risking pregnancy. And the owner of that body need never know." Allen moved closer to me, slid his hand beneath the lapel of my bathrobe, and caressed my breast. That felt good, and I had to admit the idea was not as repugnant as I would have expected. And I definitely WAS curious. The thought also occurred to me that if I learned what made Lisa's body feel good I would have an advantage when our relationship got off the ground. If I was going to experience sex as a woman, Allen would be a good choice. As a gynecologist, he already knew a lot about women's bodies, and I might learn some interesting techniques from him. I allowed Allen to talk me into it, on the strict condition that condoms were used at all times. We spent most of the evening trying almost every variation of sex that either of us knew or could imagine. I gained a tremendous respect for Allen's stamina and endurance, and was quite impressed with his sexual equipment, as well. These were things I never knew about him, and was never interested in anyway. After I returned to my body I expected to lose interest in his sexual prowess, but would always remember this experience. I hoped it would not affect our friendship. Whatever woman managed to land Allen would be one fortunate woman indeed. "Well, what do you think?" Allen asked. "It's fantastic!" I admitted. "I wouldn't have believed I could enjoy sex as a woman so much. I even had an orgasm a couple of times." "Do you think you would like to be a woman full-time?" "No. As great as it was, I am still a man at heart. The orgasms were very nice, and lasted longer than I've ever experienced, but were not nearly as intense as a man's orgasm. No thank you. I'll be ready to get my own body back as soon as possible." "Is being a woman so bad?" he asked. "No, but I was raised as a male. Girls grow up expecting to have sex as a woman, get pregnant, have babies, marry a man -- not necessarily in that order. Since pregnancy is inevitable, they psych themselves into believing that is what they want. Maybe they really do embrace and enjoy motherhood, but it isn't for me. Women can have womanhood, and welcome to it!" "Well, I have to say that for someone who doesn't want to be a woman, you make a great one. That was the best sex I ever had!" I felt strangely pleased with his compliment. I did not know why, and it did not change my opinion, but I thought it was very nice of him to say it. Allen stayed the night, at my invitation. The next morning I made breakfast for us, playing the part of the domestic housewife to the hilt. It was entertaining in a weird kind of way, and made me wonder if I would make a good actor. Allen left before noon, and I spent the rest of the day in the house, reluctant to go out. I'm sure it would be interesting to see how the world would react to me as a female, but I did not want to overdo it and risk damaging Lisa's body. That reminded me -- I would have to apologize to Lisa for the broken fingernail. I should offer to make it up to her by taking her out to dinner. We could get to know each other better, and begin to develop the relationship I desired. I felt very clever to think of using the accidentally broken fingernail as my opening gambit. Much better than "What's your sign." I took a shower, dried my hair, and looked into Lisa's little overnight bag. She had provided panties, bra, shorts, T-shirt, socks, and sneakers. I appreciated that she did not pack a skirt or dress. I would have worn them, I suppose, but I already felt like I had been immersed in femininity as far as I cared to go. I washed yesterday's clothes and put them into the bag, along with my wallet. Then to class. This class was very nearly a duplicate of the previous night's class. To an outside observer, the same people were performing the magic of swapping bodies. In our case, it looked like Jake and Lisa were swapping bodies, with Jake doing the magic -- but since we were already swapped, the reality was exactly the opposite. A brief feeling of detachment, the return of my senses and the realization that I was back in my male body, and I sat there basking in my masculinity. Before I could say anything to Lisa, I heard her say, "YOU BASTARD!" "Miss Moon, is there a problem?" Mage Carson asked. "Yes, there is a problem," Lisa said. "You told us our bodies would be returned in the same condition they were before the swap." "Lisa, I apologize for the broken fingernail," I said. "How about I make it up to you by taking you to dinner?" "I'm not talking about that, you ass! When you got this body, it was virgin! You've ruined it!" "Is this true? Did you have sex while in possession of Lisa's body?" Mage Carson asked. This was very embarrassing. I could see the amusement in my classmate's faces. But what could I do? "Yes, but how was I to know she was a virgin?" "You could have made use of the sensory enhancement spells I taught you. Obviously, that's how she knows you spent her cherry." "What are you going to do about this?" demanded Lisa. "I'll call an arbiter from the Council of Wizards," Mage Carson said. "He will have to rule on this matter." He mumbled something and I perceived a burst of magical energy emanating from him. "Okay, what's the problem here?" asked a short little man who wasn't there a moment before. He wore a traditional wizard's robe, but instead of a pointy hat he was wearing a baseball cap with a picture of a pointy hat on the brow and the words "Council of Wizards" embroidered across the bill. He wore a nametag that said, "Arbiter Thomas, CoW." "These two participated in the body swap exercise, and he returned her body with the hymen broken," Mage Carson explained. "Easy to fix." He handed a card to Lisa and said, "Mademoiselle, take this card to any licensed wizard and he will restore your virginity. If you want the memory of this unfortunate experience expunged, tell him and he will take care of you." He turned to me. "You have violated the most important rule of the body swapping exercise. The cost of restoring virginity is ten thousand dollars, and that debt is yours. You are also prohibited from taking any more lessons on magic for a period of at least five years. So ruled." The little man vanished. "Hey! Wait a minute! That's not fair!" I protested. Mage Carson said, "If you think you were unfairly or too harshly judged, you can go to the Council of Wizards and file an appeal. I strongly advise against doing that. If they uphold this ruling, you will be subjected to more penalties for wasting their time. Now, you had better leave." I knew when I was beaten. I left the class and went home. Even though it was a Saturday evening I found a letter in my mailbox. It was from the Council of Wizards telling me they had magically garnisheed half my wages until the debt was paid off. Half of any income, no matter the source, would go to the Council of Wizards until the judgment was satisfied. They wasted no time. And it would do no good to change jobs or try to disappear. The magical geas would follow me no matter what I tried to do. I resigned myself to the fact that my not-so-lavish lifestyle was going to be severely diminished for the next several months. As I walked toward my apartment I heard, "Hi, Jake. You're home early tonight. Did class let out early?" "Hi, Mildred. Yeah, I guess the teacher wasn't feeling too well, or something," I improvised. I didn't want to explain my problems. Mildred Taylor was a nice girl, but not spectacularly pretty. If Lisa made you think of a blond Daphne in the Scooby Doo movies, then Mildred would be Velma without the glasses. And Mildred was magically inert. In J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books she would be a muggle. "Your teacher was sick? I thought those high-powered magicians and sorcerers didn't get sick. Gee, I wish I had some magic, even a little bit. You're so lucky!" I wasn't feeling lucky, and it annoyed me that she caught me in my lie. I just wanted to get inside my apartment and lick my wounds. "Hey, Jake, since you're home early, why don't you come eat supper with me? It's ready, and I always cook more than I can eat. I'd love to share it with you," she said. I started to reject the invitation out of hand, but realized that in my current situation I shouldn't turn down free food. Mildred had been coming on to me for months, and I was afraid that if I got inside her apartment I might have to fight her off. Not that she was all that bad looking, but she just wasn't my type. I guessed I would just have to endure her advances and call it payment for my supper. "Okay, Mildred. Thank you for inviting me." I followed her to her apartment, only a few doors away from mine. I have to admit that Mildred was a fantastic cook. The meal was very well prepared, and delicious. The conversation was entertaining also; Mildred was definitely no airhead. She could hold her own in a variety of subjects. The thought occurred to me more than once that if Lisa had Mildred's personality, she would be the perfect woman. Beauty and brains. I offered to help her clean up, but she told me to relax. I started for the couch, but asked if I could use her bathroom and headed that way when she gave me directions. My business done, I washed my hands. I noticed Mildred's hairbrush sitting on the counter by the basin, a few strands of her hair tangled within the bristles. An evil idea began to form in my mind. I extracted a few strands of hair from the brush and put them in my pocket. Mildred was finished in the kitchen and waiting for me in the living room. "Would you like to watch a movie with me? Not all my DVDs are chick-flicks," she said. "Thank you, Mildred, but I really have to get going. I've got a busy day at work on Monday, and I will be spending much of tomorrow preparing for it. Thank you for a wonderful meal and the fine company, and I'll see you later." I made my escape as quickly and politely as I could and returned to my apartment. I was eager to set my nefarious scheme into motion. The idea of course, was that combining Mildred's personality and Lisa's body was within my power. All I had to do was swap their bodies. This would put that bitch Lisa (I was still steamed about her betrayal -- as I saw it -- and the judgment against me as a result of her complaint) in Mildred's body, where she could experience a less than beautiful physique and a complete lack of magical ability. At the same time, Mildred would gain Lisa's beautiful body. Mildred obviously had the hots for me, so I would be in a perfect position to console her, or celebrate her promotion -- however she perceived the swap. Lisa, lacking magic in Mildred's body, would be unable to reverse the swap, so they would have to seek help from the Council of Wizards. The Council of Wizards would likely conclude that Lisa invoked the swap, either deliberately or accidentally. Since she would then be at a disadvantage, possessing a non-magical body, they might decide to let the punishment fit the crime and force her to keep Mildred's body. Even if the Council of Wizards decided Lisa was not culpable and re- swapped them, they would have no way of knowing that I caused the swap. Either way I would have some revenge against Lisa. It just sounded too good to pass up. I combed through the carpet under the light switch and found the most important ingredient for my plan: Lisa's fingernail. I set my alarm clock to wake me at three o'clock in the morning. If I swap their bodies when they are both asleep, then they might not even notice it until they awaken. And I could claim to have been in bed the whole time if any question of my involvement ever came up Three o'clock arrived much too quickly. Since I did not have a mortar and pestle, I used a clean saucer. I dropped the few strands of Mildred's mousy brown hair onto the saucer, followed by the broken fragment of Lisa's fingernail. I inspected the saucer very carefully, making sure that only Mildred's hair and Lisa's fingernail were on it. Satisfied, I released my magic, directing it to the contents of the saucer and mentally commanding it to swap the souls of the people represented by the objects therein into the opposite bodies. Suddenly I felt that funny, detached sensation again, followed by the isolation. What was happening? I was not supposed to be participating in the swap; why would I be experiencing these effects? Before I could even begin to formulate an answer, blackness befell me. A doorbell ringing somewhere alternating with a loud pounding woke me up. Groggily, I rolled out of bed, realizing instantly that something was not right. I was a woman again. Obviously, I did something wrong with my magic and swapped bodies with a woman. But which one? I found the light switch and saw a short plain woman with mousy brown hair reflected back from a mirror over a dresser. Mildred! I had become Mildred! Crap! I was in serious trouble now. I left the bedroom and found the front door. As I expected, Mildred was there in my body. "Jake? You are Jake, aren't you? What's happened? I woke up in your apartment. I'm you!" "Yeah, come in, Mildred. I have some confessing to do." I figured I may as well come clean, and I told him the whole story. "So you're the one who swapped us, even though you intended to swap me and Lisa? Why?" "Well, Lisa is a bitch and did me dirty, and I wanted to take her down a notch. At the same time I wanted to give you beauty and magic. You said you wanted magic, and this seemed a good way to get even with her and reward you at the same time. Obviously, I did something wrong." I gestured weakly at my body, which had been his until shortly before. "Well, I'm flattered, I think. It was very sweet of you, but isn't it illegal? What are we going to do now?" he said. "I don't know. I don't have the magic to swap us back, and you don't know how to use your magic. We'll just have to call the Council of Wizards and request help correcting a magical accident," I suggested. Mildred flexed his muscles and said, "There's no hurry. I think I would like to stay this way for a little while. This body is so big and strong. I could get used to this!" That was a scary thought. I found the number of the Council of Wizard's local office and quickly dialed it. "Council of Wizards, how may I help you?" a voice answered. "Hello," I said. "Listen, we had a magical accident and a neighbor lady and I were swapped into each other's bodies. We need help to swap back." "Office hours are nine to five on weekdays. Please call back then," the voice said. "But we need to swap back now," I protested. "I can't go to work like this!" "Is the situation life-threatening?" "Well, no," I admitted. "Call back during office hours and someone will be happy to help you." "What did they say?" Mildred asked after I rang off. "Looks like you are going to get your wish. We have to stay like this until tomorrow. Unless it is an emergency, they won't do anything on a weekend." "All right!" Mildred hugged me, lifted me off the floor, and twirled around with me in his arms. "Hey! Put me down! And don't get too used to that body. Tomorrow morning we are going to swap back," I insisted. "Okay, but I can enjoy it while I have it, can't I? You might enjoy being a woman, too. Say... wouldn't you like to see what sex is like from the other side?" I was afraid that would occur to him. "No thank you. I've already seen what sex is like as a woman. I much prefer being a man. Let's just get through this day as best we can." He seemed disappointed, but he was a gentleman and did not press the matter. I realized that I was wearing only Mildred's nightgown, so I excused myself and returned to the bedroom. Dressing without cleaning myself up seemed wrong, so I took a shower. When finished, I surveyed Mildred's closet and selected some jeans and a shirt, the most masculine outfit I could find. Out of necessity I wore Mildred's panties and bra, but lamented my femaleness all the while. Why did this have to happen to me? A delightful smell drew me to the kitchen where I found that Mildred had prepared a good breakfast. While eating breakfast, Mildred said, "I know you said you didn't want to have sex while you are in my body, but do you mind if I have sex while I am occupying your body? I'd really like to explore the possibilities of this male body while I have the chance." "Oh, go ahead, if you can find somebody. If you have sex with a man, I don't want to know about it. And if you have sex with a woman, don't make me liable to a paternity suit. Be here first thing tomorrow morning so we can swap back," I grumped. "Thanks," he said. He went into the living room and I heard him dial the telephone. "Hello, Linda? It's me, Mildred Taylor. No, really -- you'll never believe what happened!" I tuned her out. After several minutes of a strange conversation that sounded like 'girl talk' conducted in a male voice, Mildred came back to the kitchen and said, "Since you're me, why don't you use this apartment as yours, and I'll borrow your apartment. That should keep the nosy neighbors from getting too curious, and we can return to normal tomorrow. I've got a date; see you in the morning!" He left, presumably to go to my apartment and prepare for his date. I spent the whole day in Mildred's apartment, moping around and mentally kicking myself. Not only was I a woman, but a magically inert woman. The loss of my magic felt strange. Even untrained in its use, I had never really been without magic in my whole life. Many people manage to function without magic, but to me it felt like a vital part of me was missing. Imagine that you lost an eye. You're not blind, although you now lack a three-dimensional view of the world. You can adapt and cope very well with only one eye, and may not even notice the handicap until you encounter something that requires depth perception or two simultaneous views, such as a magic-eye picture. No matter how hard a one-eyed person tries, a magic-eye picture will remain simply a pattern of squiggly lines or something similar. Only a person with two eyes can perceive the three-dimensional image hidden within the squiggly lines. Likewise, a person with magic can perceive things non-magical people cannot. And using magic -- releasing the flow of energy that fuels the spells -- might be analogous to a kind of mental double-jointedness. Whatever it is, I no longer had that ability. I missed my magic, I missed my body, and I missed my maleness. I regretted agreeing to let Mildred explore the potentials of masculinity, since that put him out of my sight. What if he had an accident? What if he managed to get himself injured or killed? Maybe I should have allowed him to have sex with me just so I could keep an eye on him. Worrying myself sick obviously was not helping anything, so I tried to while away the day by watching television. I even tried to read some of Mildred's collection of paperback novels, but found it very difficult to relate to the Harlequin romances -- even though I was inhabiting a female body. Mildred had not returned by bedtime. I tried to convince myself I was worrying for nothing, and I went to bed in Mildred's bedroom. There was still no sign of Mildred when I woke up. I put on Mildred's jeans and shirt and walked to my apartment, but could get no answer. Maybe I did have cause to worry? I called my office and told them Jake couldn't make it to work today for personal reasons. It was not unheard of for people to show up for work wearing a different body, but they had to go to HR and change a lot of paperwork. I'd have even more paperwork to change because of the gender reversal. It seemed simpler and easier to just skip a day and return to work in my own body. This, of course, assumed I had a body to return to. Where the hell was Mildred? Somebody rang the doorbell, and I found Mildred at the door. Finally! "Mildred, you scared me to death! I thought something might have happened to you. Where have you been?" "I spent the night with a friend of mine. Wow! The things I learned about manhood! Guys have it made. I could be talked into changing sides very easily. You wouldn't consider making this swap permanent, would you?" I was aghast. "Not a chance! Let's get this fixed as soon as possible." It was already past nine o'clock, so I called the Council of Wizards office again. "Council of Wizards, how may I help you?" a voice answered. I told the voice the same story I gave the previous morning. "We'll get an arbiter to you as soon as possible. What is your address?" I gave that information. "What did they say?" Mildred asked. "They'll get somebody here as soon as possible," I told her. Personally I hoped the arbiter would arrive very quickly, but I feared I would still have to spend most of the day as a female. When plumbers or cable installers say "as soon as possible," you know you're in for a long wait. Maybe magicians are more prompt. "Okay, what's the problem?" I turned and saw -- of all people -- Arbiter Thomas standing just inside the door. He looked at me, then he looked at Mildred and said, "Oh, no! Not you again! Wait..." He squinted at Mildred, turned and looked at me again. "You! What's going on?" "Well, we had a little magical accident and ended up in each other's bodies. Can you help us swap back?" I asked. "Something suspicious about this," he said. He mumbled something and said, "Tell me again what's going on here." I spilled my guts. He obviously put a truth spell on me because I told him everything. No matter how much I wanted to put a favorable spin on my scheme, it all came out and I could hold nothing back. When I finished, Arbiter Thomas had a big grin on his face. "So you were trying to steal Lisa Moon's body by swapping it with Mildred Taylor, but instead you swapped with Mildred? Sounds like poetic justice," he said. "I don't understand what went wrong," I said. "I did everything just like Mage Carson taught us." Arbiter Thomas explained, "It's simple. Surely you've heard the expression 'possession is nine-tenths of magic'?" "Yeah, but what does that have to do with it?" "When you broke Lisa's fingernail, you were in possession of her body. It was, at that time, YOUR body. So it was YOUR fingernail you broke. The broken fingernail's life linkage was to your soul, not Lisa's -- and that didn't change when you swapped back because the fingernail was no longer part of that body. Later, when you used it for your body-swapping spell, you were telling the magic to swap YOU and Mildred. In other words, your magic spell worked perfectly!" Crap. So that was my mistake. Now for the big question: "Will you please swap us back?" "Not yet, if ever. You have to answer for your attempted body theft. Ordinarily I would rule that the punishment fit the crime, and I would leave you like this. But Mildred was an innocent bystander, and as much a victim as you intended Lisa to be. My first question is to Mildred: would you be content to keep Jake's body, or do you want to return to your original body?" "If I agree to swap back, what will you do to Jake?" Mildred asked. "The Council of Wizards is always exploring the boundaries of magic and needs guinea pigs for their experiments. Jake will have to serve at least a year being subjected to any kind of magic spells the wizards and sorcerers want to test. He may survive. It's even possible he could retain his sanity. But it is highly unlikely that he will look anything like you do now when he is released from his sentence." "Then for Jake's sake, I wish to keep this body," Mildred said. "So ruled," Arbiter Thomas said. "You and Miss Freon can decide how you want to share your properties, names, and lives. Miss Freon, I hope never to see you again." Arbiter Thomas vanished. "Nooo!" I cried, but it was too late. I did not miss the irony of getting caught in the same trap I had intended for Lisa, but it didn't make me feel any better. Nor did it matter that I did not want to be a woman; I was now and would forever be a woman. Mildred held me in his strong manly arms while I bawled. It was comforting in a strange sense, even though it emphasized my femininity. Finally I could cry no more. I wiped my eyes and blew my nose. Mildred said, "Do you want to swap apartments and names? Or do you want me to help you move my old wardrobe to your apartment in exchange for your wardrobe?" "I like my name, although my given name isn't a very female name. I imagine I will change it to something like Jane Freon or Julia Freon. Maybe even Brenda Freon. I'll make up my mind before I go to work tomorrow; they will require that information on all the paperwork." "I agree about the names. I'll probably go with Mike Taylor or something like that. Wow! The world is a different place already." We decided to swap wardrobes rather than whole apartments. It would be easier to move a pile of clothing than everything else, such as our respective libraries, computers, entertainment centers, favorite furniture, etc. Mildred had a well-stocked and well-equipped kitchen that put mine to shame, and it would be a major hassle to carry everything to my apartment. My body was different, my name would change, but at least my address would remain the same. Mildred also gave me an astonishing array of feminine products, such as makeup, hair styling lotions and shampoos, curling irons, blow dryers, ribbons and bows, perfumes, body lotions, and a bunch of other stuff I haven't managed to identify yet. She also gave me a number of items for my 'feminine hygiene problems.' "You may as well have these too. I doubt I'll need them," she said, as she gave me a little box of costume jewelry. Amazing, the amount of stuff a woman needs to support a feminine lifestyle! Resigned to my fate, I took my leave of Mildred after we finished moving the clothes. I said, "Thank you Mildred. I did not want to be a woman, but you saved me from a potentially horrible fate when you chose to keep my body. I appreciate what you did for me." "Jake, I would have swapped back if the punishment had been less severe. But the fact is that I don't see this as a sacrifice. I like this body, and I know I am going to enjoy being a man. So I should be the one to thank you for doing the swap, and for giving me such a strong and healthy masculine body. This is a change of lifestyle that I could only dream about!" "Mildred, I wish I had known you better. You are -- were -- a heck of a woman! Things might have turned out differently for us if I had not been so picky about the kind of women I considered to be 'my type'." I returned to my apartment and put away my 'new' clothes. I was tempted to go shopping for fresh underwear. I knew Mildred's panties and bras had been worn by the body I inhabited, but it still felt like I was wearing somebody else's underwear. Somehow I stifled the urge, remembering that my budget was severely limited. Even though I had a different body, the debt imposed by the Council of Wizards was still in force. I wondered if my desire to go shopping was inspired by a sense of personal hygiene or because it was a natural instinct of the female I now was? Women and their shopping sprees -- I was going to have to monitor and control my impulses, lest I become too feminine for my own sanity. What next? Would I lose interest in women and begin fancying men? Good grief! I spent a large part of the next morning in HR filling out paperwork. I kept it simple and chose the name Jane Freon. Everywhere any reference to my maleness appeared, it had to be changed to female. My birth date, height, weight, and other information came from Mildred's driver's license. HR reminded me to get that corrected also; I would be subjected to a hefty fine if I were caught driving with somebody else's license, and might even be suspected of identity theft. The rest of the day and until the end of the week I spent explaining my sudden body and gender change to my co-workers. Some were sympathetic, some were amused, and many of them took the opportunity to tease me unmercifully. A couple of times I was tempted to file sexual harassment complaints, but knew that doing so would only cause more trouble. I had to hope the novelty would wear off and the fanny pats and suggestive comments would diminish to a tolerable level. My supervisor told me to start dressing more feminine. Not because of a company dress code, but because the other women in the company were uncomfortable seeing a person dressed like a man coming into the lady's restrooms -- even knowing I was as female as they were. Friday evening I went straight home, thankful that the week was over. Maybe sanity would return to the world next week. Since I had no magic class, I tried to unwind by watching television. The doorbell rang, and I suddenly remembered our weekly chess and pizza visit. Sure enough, it was Allen at the door. Since it was his turn, he brought the pizzas with him. "Hello, is Jake home?" Allen asked. "Hi, Allen. It's me, Jake, although I'm using the name Jane now. Come on in." "You're a woman again? I thought you didn't like being a woman," Allen said. "Yeah, it's a long story. Have a seat while I get our Cokes, and I will explain it to you." I fetched our drinks and joined Allen on the couch. We started on the pizzas while they were still hot. "It looks like I'm going to be a woman for the rest of my life," I told Allen. "That means I am probably going to need a gynecologist. Can you accept another patient?" When Allen became a gynecologist I would never have imagined becoming one of his patients. The Fates must be laughing their collective tails off at my predicament. "Sure, no problem," Allen said. "But what happened? When I left here last Saturday you were going to get your body back at class that evening. Did something happen to your body?" "Well..." I told him the whole story. I've known Allen since we were in grade school and considered him my best friend, bar none. Even knowing my evil intentions had backfired on me, I expected some sympathy. So I was surprised and perplexed when Allen started laughing. "Boy, you got taken!" he said. "What do you mean?" "It wasn't true. She rooked you good," he said. "What wasn't true?" "Lisa was not a virgin," Allen said. "WHAT?" "Hey, I'm a gynecologist. I know a virgin when I see one. When I had sex with you in Lisa's body last week, you definitely were not a virgin. If you had been, I would not have had sex with you. Remember, you told me you had to return that body in the same condition you received it." "I wish I had known that last Saturday evening. None of this would have happened if I could have disputed Lisa's claim that I took her virginity," I lamented. "You should do something about it. What was that arbiter's name? Thomas, didn't you say?" Allen picked up the telephone and started dialing. "Wait! You don't know what will happen if you get the Council of Wizards into the act again. I know Arbiter Thomas doesn't like me, and I hate to think what he might do if he sees me again." "Don't worry," Allen said. "Hello? I'd like to talk to Arbiter Thomas, please. I don't care if he is off duty, he will want to hear what I have to tell him. What? I have information that the Council of Wizards was conned into aiding an extortionist." Allen gave my address to the person on the phone, then rang off. "He said Arbiter Thomas would be here soon. He also said we had better be convincing, or we might regret ever being born." Just what I needed -- more trouble with the Council of Wizards. "Okay, what's so important?" I turned to see Arbiter Thomas standing just inside the door. Doesn't that guy ever knock? "Miss Freon! I told you I never wanted to see you again," he said. "I'm the one who called you," Allen told him. "So you were. What did you have to say that needed my personal attention?" "Last Saturday evening you issued a judgment against Jake Freon for breaking Lisa Moon's hymen. You levied a debt of ten thousand dollars against him and forbid him taking magic lessons for five years," Allen reminded him. "All proper and legal, and well within Council of Wizards guidelines. That is the standard punishment for anyone who damages a body on loan during a body swap exercise." "But he did not damage Lisa's body. She was not a virgin," Allen said. "Of course she was. Why would she claim otherwise? And how would you know anyway?" Allen said, "I am a gynecologist, and I am the person who had sex with Jake while he possessed Lisa's body. I know for a fact that she was not a virgin. As for why she claimed to be a virgin, you'll have to ask her. But your judgment was based on false information and should be reversed." "All right, I will ask her. You had better be right about this." Arbiter Thomas pulled a cell phone out of his pocked, dialed a number, spoke briefly, then dialed another number. "Miss Moon? This is Arbiter Thomas. The Council of Wizards judgment in your favor a week ago has been challenged and I need to ask you a couple of questions. Are you currently stationary? Please stand up. Thank you." Arbiter Thomas rang off. Almost immediately, Lisa Moon appeared in the middle of the room. She looked startled, and swallowed a couple of times to equalize the pressure in her ears. Apparently the barometric pressure where she came from was different than it was in my apartment. Arbiter Thomas had taken the precaution of ensuring that she was stationary and vertical before teleporting her. Otherwise she might have appeared with her original velocity and vector. That would be very hazardous to her health, and it wouldn?t have done my walls any good either. Even advanced magic had to take into consideration the laws of physics. "What's happening?" she asked. "We have a couple of questions to ask, then I will return you to where you were. Please be seated." Arbiter Thomas gestured toward the couch. "What's this about? Who are these people?" Lisa asked. "The gentleman is Doctor Allen Kendall. The lady is Jane Freon, whom you knew as Jake. They insist that you were not a virgin when you swapped bodies with Jake a week ago. So I have to ask: were you a virgin?" "What nonsense! Of course I was a virgin," Lisa said. Arbiter Thomas mumbled something I could not hear, and said, "Answer the question again, please." It must have been another truth spell. Lisa said, "Of course I was not a virgin! I gave up my virginity before I was fifteen. But I recently met a nanotech billionaire with a virginity fetish -- probably because he had never succeeded in getting himself laid. I told him I was a virgin and I had to become one. But I couldn't afford the ten thousand dollars, and even if I could, I dared not spend that money because his detectives running background checks would learn about it. My solution was to sucker some sap into paying the bill for me, and with your help I was able to do that." Lisa shook her head in disbelief, knowing she had just confessed everything in spite of her efforts to keep silent. "I think I've heard enough. Miss Freon, I owe you an apology. Doctor Kendall, the Council of Wizards is indebted to you for revealing this extortion scheme and helping us set things right." Arbiter Thomas turned to Lisa and said, "Miss Moon, the debt for your virginity restoration is now yours. Miss Freon's prohibition against studying magic for five years is also yours, although that may become a moot point. I am going to make one more judgment for your crime, by swapping you with Miss Freon. This will restore the magic she lost, and will separate you from your magic. So ruled." I felt that funny detached sensation again, and was suddenly looking at Allen and Mildred from the couch. No! It was Allen, but Lisa Moon was now occupying Mildred's body. I guess a magician of Arbiter Thomas's caliber did not need the hairs and fingernails to do a body swap. "Noooo!" Lisa cried. Before she could say anything else, she vanished. "Wait a minute!" I said. "This gives me some magic, but I'm still female. Isn't there any way I can get my original body back? I don't want to be a woman!" "Remember that possession is nine-tenths of magic," Arbiter Thomas reminded me. "That body now belongs to Mr. Taylor, and unless he gives us cause to relieve him of it, it will remain his. You lost possession of that body through your own criminal behavior. Be content with what you have. It could be a lot worse." Allen said, "Arbiter Thomas, you said the Council of Wizards was indebted to me. May I have a word with you in private?" Arbiter Thomas mumbled something and suddenly I was deaf. No, not deaf - - I could hear the normal sounds that surround us all the time. But I could not hear a word spoken by him or Allen. It looked like Allen was asking a favor, but Arbiter Thomas was reluctant. Evidently Allen insisted, and suddenly I could hear voices again. "Miss Freon, I really don't understand it, and don't believe you deserve it, but you have some very loyal friends. Mr. Taylor opted to keep your male body rather than allow you to be sentenced to serve the Council of Wizards. Now, your friend Dr. Kendall has offered to make the ultimate sacrifice on your behalf. But since you are now the owner of the body you currently possess, I cannot grant his request without your permission. He has asked to be swapped with you. Would you agree to that?" Wow! This I never expected. I almost instantly agreed, but then I realized that Allen had no magic. If I swapped with him I would become male, but without magic. So what did I value most? Magic or masculinity? "Allen! Why would you want to swap with me?" I had to ask him. "Jake -- Jane -- whatever! I've always been fascinated by female anatomy, appearances, lifestyles, and everything else about the fairer sex. It was the primary reason I took up gynecology. That was the closest I could get to sharing their lives and problems. Becoming a woman has been a lifelong dream, and I believe it would make me a better doctor as well. This is something I've wanted for a long time. Please agree to swap with me." * * * * I'm not the guy I used to be. But I now have the stamina and endurance - - as well as the impressive sexual equipment -- which I once admired on Allen. Perfectly understandable, since I now own the body that was once his. Yeah, I miss my magic. But that magic was the source of more trouble than I could handle. Allen is still my best friend, although she now goes by the name Alanna Kendall. She is a combination of Lisa's body and Allen's brains and personality. Now THAT's the perfect woman! And she definitely wants to experience the whole range of womanhood. She has hinted that she wants to get married, have kids -- everything. Personally, I find myself in agreement. We are going out to a nice restaurant tonight. I just hope I don't get nervous and drop the ring into the spaghetti! The End. Author's notes. I'd like to thank Ed K. for his work in editing and proofreading this story. It is people like Ed and other Fictionmania editors who help make these stories as good as they can be.