To The Mana Born: The Commodity free porn video

TO THE MANA BORN: The Commodity A Tale from the Mana Universe By Christopher Leeson Author's note: This story takes place in the same universe as my earlier tale, _The Dark of the Moon_. The mystic forces at work behind the scenes in that story were kept veiled from the reader. In this entry, much more is revealed, and what happened to Darrell and Loren can better understood. The wizards, while not using the same tactics, aim at achieving the same end. But this is not a new Darrell and Loren story; it explores the universe from the perspective of other characters. Many TG stories have featured wicked stepmothers, but few of them have focused upon the stepmother character in order to explore her dilemma and try to explain why she does what she does. But though Elisa Ardens is not necessarily typical of every wicked stepmother, we hope that her story will be found to be a good one, and that it shall both interest and entertain. This story is structured to be the first of an episodic tale. The more attention this first entry attracts from readers, the more incentive the author will have to revisit the world of Elisa and Langdon. As usual, we invite writers who enjoy our story to adopt our Mana Universe as a background for works of their own. Chapter One Mrs. George Ardens was leaning over the intercom: "Okay, good, Polly. Try to get the email out to Rostler before you go home." She glanced at her computer screen. The next appointment up would be with Jethra Courtindale, from Wizards Law Office. "Send in my two o'clock now." 'What a strange name for a firm,' Elisa thought. 'Some ex-_Dungeons and Dragons_ kids must have gone to law school." She shook her head. It took all kinds. The realtor hoped that the subject of the visit wasn't about Langdon. There had been threats from some angry parents that they'd go after her assets for alleged parental neglect -- which meant that they thought her stepson was a lousy kid and it had to be her fault. Why did parenting have to hurt so much? Elisa hadn't been willfully neglectful, but somewhere, along the road, she truly had lost control. Damage to public property, damage to private property, petty theft, rumbles -- Elisa didn't even know if gang fights were still called "rumbles" -- assault and battery, misbehavior with girls, shaking down kids, and, worse, Langdon had been charged with trafficking hashish oil. Enough had been found to allow a sentence of up to twenty years and a fine of $250,000. And it had happened over the river in Iowa, where Langdon was a legal adult. The summer just ended had been the worst of her life. And the prospects for winter were dismal. The rattle of the door made Elisa turn. The woman from Wizards Law Office came in wearing a dress suit that looked both expensive and eccentric. Most women lawyers were not pretty, but this one had a mouth and big, blue-gray eyes that made the businesswoman think of Angelina Jolie. Elisa straightened and offered her hand across the desk. The other stepped closer and took it. "Please, sit down -- Ms Courtindale." The attorney seated herself. "Call me 'miss,'" she suggested. "I'm old-fashioned." Her diction sounded slightly foreign. Not Latin, not British. East European, maybe. Elisa got down to business. "I read your email. It was very brief. May I assume that your visit concerns real estate?" The lawyer smiled. "It involves a far more valuable commodity than real estate." Elisa sat down. "I don't follow you, Miss Courtindale. We don't deal in commodities." "No doubt. But, according to our information, you have legal control over a commodity for which our clients would like to make an offer. I think we shall be able to come to mutually agreeable terms." "I still don't grasp what you mean. Are you hinting at something -- unethical?" "Neither unethical nor illegal. Our clients are scrupulously respectful of the law -- both their own and the community's." Their own law? Elisa regarded the stranger closely. "Do they also respect the spirit of the law?" Jethra nodded without taking her eyes off Elisa's. "As much as possible. Unfortunately, their business interests sometimes make forays into realms where the laws of man do not extend." This one certainly did sound like a _Dungeon and Dragons_ player, Elisa thought. "Please come to the point, Miss Courtindale. I have much else to attend to." The attorney's expression grew serious. "This is the point. Your stepson is failing in school and, after years of minor offenses, he appears to be on the fast track to prison. Much worse, we foresee that he will die of a knife wound while incarcerated." "A knife wound? Who's threatening his life?" "No one; not at the moment." Elisa bridled. "Of what concern of yours is my stepson?" "Of mine, none. He is of concern to the people whom Wizards represent." "Is this another lawsuit? And what do you mean by 'foresee'?" "It is not a lawsuit; it is a prognostication. Our clients are necessarily mindful of the portents." "Your clients consult -- astrology?" Courtindale took the question with apparent amusement. "That is an inaccurate term for what is actually an intricate science." "If you say so. Who are these clients of yours?" "They are the local chapter of a concern called the Starry Order." Elisa frowned. "And this order is -- what? It sounds like a mystical lodge, or a New Age publishing house." "It's neither. They deal in commodities that serve a specialty customer base. Theirs is a very lucrative business." "What _is_ their business?" Mrs. Ardens asked pointedly. "Sorcery." Elisa looked askance. "This has to be a practical joke, Miss Courtindale. Is there a candid camera hidden in your attach? case? Or is this interview leading to something even more absurd?" "I will be frank, Madame. As I have stated, my clients deal in magic. Wizards Law works solely with clients whose interests lay in supernatural practices. We manage their negotiations and see to it that they keep within the strict laws of magic. We also see to it that local jurisdictions are not offended." "The laws of magic?" "My firm represents wizards belonging to -- let us call it an 'ethnic group' -- that refers to itself as the People. Magic has its own code of ethics, set down many centuries ago by our ancestors. Supernatural practices are complex and they generate a great deal of work for legal consultants." Elisa rolled her eyes. "There is no such thing as sorcery, so please..." "It is natural that you should think so," Courtindale interrupted. "Formerly, as everyone knows, sorcery was against the law in most countries. Since then, wizards have learned how to conceal its practice from people without magic -- _muggles_ they would be called in the current parlance. In time, without objective proof of its existence, ordinary people stopped believing in the unearthly arts. The earlier prohibitions still preserved in law books gradually became dead letters." Muggles? Elisa had seen the early Harry Potter movies with Langdon and remembered that the name referred to ordinary, non-magical humans. "You're a -- a witch, too?" "A very minor practitioner. The issues of magical law are rather more congenial to my talents." Elisa shook her head. "Please. Whether you are playing a role for a reality TV show, or are not in your right mind, I would appreciate it if you would state your business plainly, so we can end this conversation." Courtindale did not seem at all perturbed. "I would be glad to, Mrs. Ardens. Case in point. Did you see that film with James Stewart -- _Bell, Book, and Candle_?" As a matter of fact, Elisa had seen it. She had been deeply affected by the ending, when Kim Novak hugs Stewart tearfully and says, "I don't think I can. I'm only human." "I've seen it. You don't believe that all that stuff about witches is true, do you?" The lawyer shrugged slightly. "The movie decently presents the general idea of the existence of the People, but the details are all wrong. Magic users are not the ne'er-do-wells depicted in the screenplay. You would be surprised at how many societal leaders in this day and age are actually witches." Elisa stood up. "Please, Miss, this has so far been a pointless interview. I only want to know why you seem so interested in my stepson." Jethra Courtindale sighed. "You must first concede that magic is real, otherwise nothing I say can possibly lead to a productive discussion. A free demonstration of sorcery is usually the dealmaker. If you are willing, I shall provide you with ample evidence that magic does indeed exist." The hair on the back of Elisa's neck prickled with unease. "I'd rather..." The lawyer raised her hand. A tingle ran through the realtor's body. "I must request that you sit quietly and do not speak until bidden." Elisa wanted to exclaim, "How dare you!" but to her shock, she wasn't able to utter a word, nor keep herself from sitting down. Though the businesswoman struggled against the compulsion, she could barely wriggle. "Don't be concerned with your paralysis, Mrs. Ardens. This is only a demonstration." Elisa's expression had already changed from bafflement to fear. Courtindale spoke concernedly. "Please be calm -- if you wish to, of course. It will make you a better listener." Elisa's feeling of being trapped at once disappeared and she could regard the lawyer attentively. "Your boy is the major problem of your life," Jethra continued. "It's bad enough that he's facing juvenile justice in Nebraska, but we're aware that he's up for drug charges in Iowa, too. You may not yet know that yet more trouble lies ahead. A charge of date rape will soon be filed, also." Elisa wanted to demand how she knew that, but couldn't make reply. "People have different paths," said Courtindale. "The trend of an individual's destiny can be read beforehand, but the route that a soul walks is actually an aisle with many doors. Prognostication is the appreciation of probabilities. Wisdom or religion can save many a person from making the last, fatal choice that might destroy him, but Langdon is not a likely candidate either for wisdom or religion. "Sometimes magical intervention can deliver a person from his own folly. In this case, your best hope seems to rest in magic, unless you don't care that he will soon die violently." Elisa already knew that Langdon was a kid on the wrong road, but she couldn't believe that he was so far gone. He wasn't a dreg, he wasn't a hopeless case. He hadn't killed anyone, at least not yet. Miss Courtindale continued. "Your own destiny, if you do not depart from your current pattern, is to suffer ruinous civil lawsuits filed by the parents of his drug customers." Elisa again tried to reply, but couldn't. "Excuse me. You may now converse normally," said Courtindale. "W-What do you want?" Elisa stammered. The sudden return of her own voice startled her. If there was such a thing as a witch, this woman was one of them. "Your name has come up as a promising potential negotiating partner," Courtindale said. "We almost never deal with happy families. We are looking for families in breakup, distressed parents, and especially stepparents and guardians who have reached patience's end." "What do you want with me?" Elisa asked. "My clients are offering to buy Langdon's mana." Elisa looked confused. "What's that? Like that food they mention in the Bible?" "The substance you're thinking of is spelled M-A-N-N-A. Mana, M-A-N-A, is a type of supernatural energy." Elisa could only stare in consternation. The lawyer now comfortably took on the aspect of a teacher. "Mana is a term that comes from the Pacific islanders, but the concept goes back beyond the beginning of preserved history. It has commonly been defined as "the stuff of which magic is formed." There are different types of mana, but the one we are interested in constitutes the essence that makes a male out of the generic human clay. The basic human is female, of course; a male is only a female who has been born with a connection to the free flow of mana. The Powers have established this mystical process to allow for sexual reproduction. The word is unintentionally ironic in English." "It sounds like a foreign religious idea. You say it's Hawaiian?" "The idea spans many cultures. In the world of the muggles, the concept of mana cannot be adequately pigeonholed into either science or religion." Courtindale folded her arms and rested back. "Scientists usually don't believe in deities, but they fail to realize that the quantum physics that they are so found of is the ancient science of godlike creation." Chapter Two "My clients are among the leading brokers of mana," continued Courtindale. "They seek the sexual-type mana, the easiest to acquire and store without loss of life. Unfortunately, most of the other types are more basic to the maintenance of the broader reality and therefore cannot be taken. That would lead to death or even non-existence. "These ideas always sound strange to an outsider, but they form the basis of a commerce. Just as a wool merchant buys wool from a sheep farmer, my clients buy mana. Mana is abundant in a young male, but ebbs naturally with maturation, and beyond the age of thirty a man has so little surplus remaining that it is not worth harvesting at all. We can, and often do, buy mana through a straight-out offer to its possessor. Unfortunately, the best sources, youths in the flush of their manhood, are the least willing to sell it. "Our law does not allow us to acquire mana from anyone under eighteen. Usually, by that age, a boy is a legal adult and so we must deal with him directly. Unethical mana-gatherers will often use deceit to get what they want, but the laws of magic will punish its own severely. Fortunately, in Nebraska a boy of eighteen is still a minor. That allows his legal guardian to contract for the sale of his mana. If you consent, this is an opportunity to take Langdon off his path of self- destruction and to protect the security of your own finances." The attorney paused and looked deeply into Elisa's amazed eyes. "But I suppose that you are still refusing to believe anything that I'm saying." Elisa blinked. Was this strange woman actually telling her that she could sell Langdon for profit? "You said that taking mana kills. That's murder." Courtindale shook her head. "The loss of sexual mana does not kill, nor does it even endanger the health. The logger is not in business to kill trees, but to harvest a crop; the lumberman replants forests scrupulously. When we take mana, we commit ourselves do looking after the welfare of the young person who yields it. No doubt, that's where those stories about fairy godparents first began." "You mean, like in Cinderella?" "Yes, exactly. If she was a historical character, as many of the People suspect, Cinderella must have been a mana donor." "Magic is real? Fairytales are real? Is that what you're saying?" Courtindale smiled charmingly. "If you enter into agreement with the Starry Order, Mrs. Ardens, your guardianship endures. The after-sale department of the Order will be ever on call to help you look out for the welfare of the boy. If necessary, they will even protect him from _you_. Supernatural protection from a bad stepmother is really what the story of Cinderella is all about." Elisa's doubt became incredulity. Were these people calling her a bad stepmother? Were they trying to usurp the guardianship of her stepson? "Now, Mrs. Ardens, do you have any questions?" "This all sounds insane," Elisa said. "Do you still disbelieve? The universe couldn't operate without what we call magic. Magic is simply the intelligent use of the ancient creation energy that makes life and physical reality possible." "You can do things, but you may only have me hypnotized or something." "I can hypnotize you, and do it very well. But I haven't." "How does it hurt a person to lose this...mana stuff?" "What happens is remarkable. Without the energy that keeps a male in his reproductively-viable form, he will revert to the low-energy state of a human being." "What's that?" "The default energy state for a human being is female." "Female? In what sense?" "In every sense. A gynecologist would find nothing amiss in a boy's female physiology after the loss of his mana. As it is said, all reality is merely a thought in the minds of the Powers." Elisa let that soak in, and then scowled. "You have to be crazy. Nobody can change a person that way!" "We do not actually seek any such genetic alteration. Sex change is simply an unavoidable byproduct of the process. It's the necessary reality, so we must deal with it." "I must be dreaming...." Elisa murmured. "You will not be forced to contract with us, Mrs. Ardens, but we can make it well worth your while should you choose to do so." "I have to ask you to leave, Miss Courtindale." "I have convinced many skeptics before you, Mrs. Ardens. Let me demonstrate a magical transformation. Suggest something. For example, would you like to have a functioning third eye in the middle of your forehead?" "N-No!" Elisa declared. The lawyer regarded an object upon the desk. "I might turn this paperweight into gold, but without expert opinion, could you tell true gold from an imitation?" "I suppose not." "Would you like to experience being an animal of some kind? I do a very nice golden retriever." "No, thank you!" She felt like she had fallen down the rabbit hole into Wonderland. "Or would you like to be -- a woman who is younger and much more beautiful than you are?" Elisa looked fixedly at Jethra. "Is -- Is that why you have movie-star good looks yourself?" Courtindale nodded. "This is not the shape I was born with. I am over three hundred years old. I have benefited from a simple physical- change spell, and it takes but little mana to bring it about. In fact, I have worn several shapes over time. Tastes in beauty change with the epoch. Instead of merely changing our clothes, we change appearances. In Rubens day, a decidedly plump woman was considered to be the epitome of beauty. Now women will go bulimic in order to achieve a shape like my present one." Elisa regarded the lawyer warily. "All right, then, prove what you say by making me a beautiful and youthful woman. That would certainly convince any reasonable person." Jethra raised a finger. "There are many kinds of beauty, Elisa. Always take care when seeking for advantage through magic." "What is the risk?" "Minor, if sorcery is left to the experts. And always remember the old warning: 'Do not try this at home.' Unfortunately, magic is power and power corrupts. The will to abuse power ultimately depends on the sort of person one is. The children of the People are trained in the ethical use of sorcery from a very early age -- just as they are in the Harry Potter movies." "I tend to be very cautious about unfamiliar things," Elisa said. "Caution has its value, but we take risks every time we step into a car or bus. If you prefer to risk nothing, I will walk out of this room and you will never need to hear of the Starry Order again." Elisa thought about that. "You've gotten me very curious. Can you really do magic?" "Of course." "Then I would want lustrous blonde hair, and to be only twenty years old. A face like a magazine model. Slim, with perfect skin." The attorney nodded and said, "You can now move, Elisa. Go look into the mirror." Suddenly the businesswoman found that she could rise to her feet. She held up her hands before her eyes; they had become smaller and smoother. Had the change already occurred? She had felt nothing. There was a decorative mirror on the wall and she stepped unsteadily toward it. Her reflected face looked like a college girl's. Her gray- green irises had turned azure. Her graying, unruly hair had become a flow of pale, golden silk. "You _must_ be using hypnotism," the realtor muttered. Jethra was on her feet and arranging her attach? case. "You decide. I could tap into the People's stock of spells and actually change reality. In that case, everyone in the world would remember you only as you are now. All the documentation in existence would support those memories. But we don't need to go so far in what is merely a temporary demonstration. "Your secretary and any other person who truly knows you, such as Langdon, will see you in the illusion of your natural shape. But your present youth and beauty is, in fact, the reality. Strangers will see that reality immediately and admire you for it. Go out on the town, have a good time. I shall come back to you again in -- how long would you wish to carry on this experiment?" Elisa's mind was in a whirl. "I-I don't know." The other woman smiled. "How about this? I shall return at this time on Friday. Then, with your permission, we shall continue our discussion." Elisa felt dazed. "What exactly are you offering me, if I let Langdon become a girl?" "Whatever is reasonable. Nothing that will directly harm anyone else, of course. Money in almost any amount is no object. Might you enjoy having a prestigious linage that would put you at the head of any social set? You would need to live in a new identity, of course." "You're saying I could stay this way?" "You could, if we come to terms. But perhaps you can think of an appearance that you would enjoy even better." "If I dealt with you, would -- would Langdon look a real girl?" "Yes, but because he is not an attractive boy, he would not make an attractive girl. Fortunately, as you know, magic can make a plain person beautiful. In fact, attractiveness in Langdon's case is something that we would strongly recommend. What person could hate his body if it invokes his vanity? Beauty leads to popularity. Most people see popularity as something to relish." Courtindale had placed a hand on the doorknob. "Think about what would make your life happy, Mrs. Ardens, as well as what you want for Langdon." Elisa didn't know what to say. Jethra Courtindale never opened the door. She simply faded away like a movie witch. * * * * The sorceress was gone, truly, but the mirror told Elisa that she still remained young and stunning. But a thought flickered through her mind, the thought that she had become a stranger to herself. She was frightened by the prospect of being seen by acquaintances and going unrecognized. Elisa needed some sort of proof that she wasn't mesmerized or dreaming. 'People can fly in their dreams,' she thought. 'I'll try to fly.' She could not fly. 'Well, that's something...' she whispered to herself. What would happen if Polly saw her? Trying to seem casual, she walked stiffly into the front room. Polly was at her desk and her next appointment waiting in one of the chairs. The receptionist glanced up, but did not change her expression. No reaction? Elisa wondered if her appearance was only imaginary. Still, Courtindale had warned that those who already knew her wouldn't be able to see the change. Then Elisa shifted toward the client, a man whom she had never met before. He was already staring at her. "M-Mr. Dunware?" she asked nervously. "Ah, yes! Miss Ardens..." he began. "Mrs. Ardens," she corrected him, her smile tense. "I'm a widow. You are representing the Saunders firm in regard to that industrial lot in Hayrack?" "Yes," he affirmed absently. "But call me Harold. No one told me that our realtor would be so young and attractive." Elisa heard Polly grunt, "Hmmm." The transformed woman was taken aback. The idea of looking totally different to two different people in the same room was very disorienting. She wanted to be alone with her client. At the moment, she thought, he would make much better company than Polly. "I think we should discuss our business over lunch. I'm famished," remarked Elisa. Dunware smiled broadly. "There's a fine little Scandinavian restaurant not far from here." "I know of it. I'd be delighted." Elisa looked back at Polly. "I'll be back before my four o'clock appointment." Dunware was holding the door open. 'Being treated like a beautiful girl isn't thumbscrews,' Elisa was thinking. 'Even Langdon could learn to like it.' Chapter Three Elisa had greatly enjoyed having lunch with an admiring and attentive man and found herself wanting many more such experiences. She had rarely been asked out since the sad commencement of her widowhood. Elisa realized that she had less than three days to enjoy the body that a strange destiny had granted her. Then she would stop being Cinderella and turn back into a peasant -- unless she cut a deal with Miss Courtindale, that is. But that amounted to human sacrifice. She had once loved Langdon. When his father was still alive, the boy had brought home glowing teachers' reports. He seemed to enjoy the interest that his stepmother showed in him. That had changed suddenly when his father died. He'd gotten touchy and seemed to hate almost everybody. Since the age of thirteen he had learned little at school, except about misbehavior. The businesswoman had long wanted to put her stepson on a better course, but she could hardly believe that dealing with the shadowy People could end well for anyone involved. Elisa had returned to the office at a quarter to four and told Polly to reschedule all her appointments for Wednesday and Thursday. She would be busy until Friday afternoon, she said, but would be able to catch things up with the paperwork on Saturday. Elisa offered to give Polly either Wednesday or Thursday off, providing that she'd come in to work on Saturday and the young woman had agreed. The next thing that the realtor did was to call around for a salon appointment, needing to locate a place where she wasn't known. She found an open slot in a shop she'd heard about, one that stayed open to seven and catered to downtown businesswomen. But before her appointment, Elisa hurried to a boutique and there bought something youthful and trendy. Arriving at the salon afterwards, she told the cosmologist that she was going to a party for wealthy investors and wanted an appropriate look. The businesswoman actually did have a party to attend, the one Mr. Dunware had invited her to. Mrs. Elisa Ardens, a widow who had felt unglamorous and past her prime, hadn't tried to have a real social life. Nonetheless, the sprite blonde who arrived on Mr. Dunware's arm didn't have any problem attracting gracious attention. She couldn't believe how easy it was to trade away Mr. Dunware for even more handsome and agreeable men. Elisa was wined, dined, and able to dance with more than one spontaneous admirer. Stylish males complimented her looks and her favorite new acquaintance was the brash gallant who had nibbled at her ear lobes. If the realtor managed to keep these incredible looks, she supposed, she was sure to achieve an excellent new marriage. 'All that and millions of dollars, too,' she was thinking. But the lowering cloud on the horizon was the certain knowledge her gain would have to come at Langdon's expense. Still, looking at herself in the mirror behind the bar, she heard the wicked stepmother within her whisper, 'It isn't so bad being an attractive girl." But every time Elisa started thinking that way, doubt came back to accuse her. Could someone so unethical be worthy of a new and better life? If she could accept the idea of magic, didn't she also have to accept Courtindale's idea of deities? Did such superhuman intelligences care about human misbehavior, or were they too much into the bigger issues to worry about the lives of the mites so far beneath them? All through the next day Elisa's depression alternated with elation. Impulsively, calling herself "Daphne," the businesswoman went to a "glamour" photography studio for people who wanted to give "special" pictures to their lovers and husbands. She paid $200 for a shoot featuring herself wearing her new club dress. Then, falling more into the spirit of the thing, she put on a variety of alluring lingerie items that the photographer had on his rack. Some of the shots were out-and-out cheesecake. 'I could have been a Playboy Bunny if I'd been born looking like this,' she realized. For a half hour, Elisa was able to play at being a sort of "bad" girl, one of the minxes who always seemed to attract male notice and have the fun, the type whom she had always envied as a dumpy teenager. This set of photos would be the proof that she would have to treasure afterwards, the proof as to whether or not these incredible three days had actually happened. But Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday morning were an emotional roller coaster. Elation always gave way to trepidation. Elisa was being asked to sign a contract. What if these people had not only inspired the stories of fairy godparents, but also of a tempting Satan? What if they were demonic beings pretending to be something less sinister? Were they not after mana, but souls instead? At home on Wednesday evening, Elisa checked her answering machine. There was a call from her lawyer. It shocked her to learn that the family of the girl that Langdon had got mixed up with was trying to get him arrested for date rape if she didn't pay them off. Courtindale had predicted that this would happen. That she really did have a talent for prediction was the most appalling thing. If that prophecy had been true, what about the more sinister one? Fortunately, when she called her attorney, Mr. Owlsley, the next morning, he told her that the litigants had waited too long to throw this new stink bomb into the legal process. He didn't think that they'd get very far with it. The more Elisa thought about this current difficulty, the more depressed and incensed she became. She could have been enjoying these last two days to the fullest as Daphne, but her mood had been ruined. Would it ever stop until Langdon was in lockup? Would Courtindale's fatal prophecy come true? He was foolish and reckless, but in her heart she didn't think that he deserved prison -- not yet, not in this world of drug cartels and serial killers. But he surely didn't deserve to get off scot-free, either. He had made feeling sorry for himself his excuse for getting away with destructive behavior. And, in her sympathy, in her shared grief at the loss of George Ardens, she had allowed him to get away with it. What Langdon needed was something that would smarten him up, particularly regarding his relationships with other people. * * * * Friday afternoon, Miss Courtindale sat quietly while Elisa paced and talked. The latter was in no good mood. Every glance into the mirror told her how awful was her present reality, compared to the dream that Daphne had represented. Somehow, with little mental preparation, she had suggested to the attorney that she was willing to discuss their business further. "Have you come around to agreement," asked the lawyer. "It would be for the boy's own good." "Don't patronize me!" Elisa snapped. "The fact is, I've been bought and Langdon is sold. We both know it." Courtindale shrugged. The realtor clenched her hands into fists. How could the woman be so nonchalant while she was a mass of emotion? "If all we have left to do is haggle over the terms," she suddenly said, "I want to know the top limit of the money you can pay me." Courtindale looked thoughtful. "We could afford billions, but could you afford it? One loses the value of money if he has too much of it. But I've never met anyone whose life had been ruined by, say, ten million dollars." "That doesn't seem like so much, not in this day of the Warren Buffets. But...." She threw up her hands. "I would insist that none of my payment should be wasted on taxes. I want ten million, free and clear." "No problem. We can give you a complete paper trail to explain your immunity to taxation. Would you like to be part of the Old Money class? A trust-fund baby? That would make everything easier. It's really only working people that are taxed." "Sure, why not? But you can make sure that there won't be anything suspicious that governments can pick up on?" "Even if we couldn't alter reality, the electronic data systems of today make even the most outrageous financial absurdities very easy to prove as fact. A few keystrokes by a non-magical hacker in his mother's basement and someone becomes a billionaire." Elisa's mouth felt dry. She went to the coffee pot and took what was left. Then, cup in hand, she said, "Now, let's talk about Langdon. He's going to go out of his mind when he sees how he's changed." "True, almost all the new girls undergo a period of shock," Courtindale said. "Do you have any suggestions that might help him cope?" Elisa wasn't really listening. "I want the punishment to fit the crime." Courtindale shook her head. "The Starry Order is not in the business of punishment, Mrs. Ardens. The consequences of mana loss bring a little inevitable suffering, but suffering does build character. Tell me what you have in mind, and I will let you know whether our code prohibits it." Elisa took a deep breath. "Langdon has been a bully. That has to stop. It has gotten him into a lot of trouble and made most of the kids hate him. As a girl, I wouldn't want to see him pushing around smaller girls and little children." Her mind raced. "He should be short, light of build, and without much upper body musculature. But he shouldn't be frail or sickly. I want him to enjoy robust health, freedom from all genetic defects, and to be extremely resistant to disease. Think of a cheerleader, strong but attractive." Her own mother had been anemic from childhood, and it had taken away much joy from her family. Courtindale didn't change her expression. "When I was Langdon's age, I wasn't pretty and I hated it. I want Langdon to be just as good looking and shapely as a girl can be." The lawyer lifted her chin. "Any specifics?" "I don't know. I just think that he'd be happiest if he looked just like the sorts of girls he admires most." "What sort is that?" "He collects Playboy centerfolds. I think that's the kind of girl he'd most want to look like." Jethra Courtindale seemed to consider that. "But I don't what him to be classically perfect, not a goddess. The most beautiful women say that they frighten away the decent men and only the egotistical rats have enough guts to hit on them. He should be cute and curvaceous in a nice, girl-next-door way -- very alluring but not intimidating. In short, I want him to be the sort that lots of boys will ask out." 'Like I wasn't asked out,' she almost added. "Would five-six be too tall?" the lawyer asked. Elisa frowned. "She shouldn't be above average. I think five-feet- four would be enough, if she weights about a hundred and fifteen pounds." "Attractive girls often have problems with sexually aggressive boys," Miss Courtindale warned. "More girls should have that problem. The worst problem a girl can have being ignored by boys." Lawyer nodded. "What do you want for Langdon in the long term?" "I want him to gain in character and become wiser." "And what, in your opinion, would serve to make him wise? "I want him to learn that he should treat people the same way he'd like to be treated." "I see. And what would you like his sexual preference to be?" Elisa thought about that. "I'd like him to fit in with the majority of young women. That means having him attracted to boys. Could you do that?" Courtindale's pursed her lips. "We have rules against mind control. But, fortunately, sexual preference is usually a factor of brain structure. The magic can alter normal boy's brain to the organic norm of a robustly heterosexual girl. His new preference might not show up at once, but it usually will come out within a few weeks or months. Females are turned on by male pheromones. A girl who is physiologically sensitive to pheromones will naturally experience a strong attraction to men, like children are attracted to hot apple pies." "A pheromone is a kind of a scent, isn't it?" asked the realtor. "Yes. Between brain structure and pheromone susceptibility, we would have to be careful that Langdon doesn't blunder into motherhood long before he is ready for it." Up to now, Elisa hadn't thought about Langdon getting pregnant. What did she really want for him? "I wouldn't care for Langdon to start a family before getting married," she said aloud. The lawyer was gathering her gloves from the desktop. "That's hard to guarantee, especially in this modern world. It comes down to free will. Langdon is by nature oversexed and that is dangerous if it is carried over into a girl's outlook. But there are ways to tone such a tendency down. I'll give you some specifics later. For now, I believe that we've carried this discussion far enough. It's time for reflection. Our clients will be happy to know that we can do business." "I've been wondering, where does the mana go when it's taken?" "It feeds into a receiver for storage, a sort of battery that we call a 'mana bank'. Almost every member of the People has an account. We are not paid in money. We are paid in mana." "When you do magic, you're tapping into your bank account?" "I'm my own credit card. The mana I've expended in convincing you to believe in magic can be chocked off as a business expense." "Fascinating, I suppose. This isn't the last talk we're going to have, is it?" "By no means. But you're emotions are running high just now. One can't always think clearly while angry or excited." "Have I suggested anything that the people will object to?" "Nothing so far, I'm sure. By the way, I understand that Langdon is still only a junior, despite being eighteen." "Yes. Most schools won't place a child into the first grade unless he is at least six. Because Langdon was born in mid-September, he's almost a year older than some of the other juniors. Is that an issue?" "No. I was just thinking that it would be easier for him to adjust to school as a girl if he were physically similar to his female classmates." Elisa nodded. "Langdon did get big and strong early. He's always hated looking older than the other kids. He thinks it makes people suppose that he's stupid and has been set back in school. His size and strength has helped him be a bully, though." "I suggest we keep his physical development about a year behind what's average for an eighteen year old girl. That means his body will be timed to bloom fully about a year from now." "It sounds like a plan," agreed Elisa. "Do you have more questions before I leave, Mrs. Ardens?" the lawyer asked. "I just want him to be a good learner and a smart student." Courtindale rubbed her chin. "A healthy and efficient brain would give him the needed intellectual potential, but exactly how a young person does in school comes down to a matter of attitude and motivation." "Langdon used to bring home good report cards. Deep inside, I'm sure he's still that high-achieving child." "Maybe this experience will serve to bring back the person that he was meant to be," suggested the lawyer. "May we get together at two o'clock on Monday?" "I'll keep that hour open," Elisa assured her. Chapter Four For the next week, Elisa Ardens and Jethra Courtindale met frequently, going over drafts of agreements, editing, deleting, and fleshing out salient points. What they were doing was similar to any standard contract negotiation, lawyerly in the extreme. For the most part, they were establishing the formal language suitable for the general ideas that had been set own at the very beginning. They were meeting this afternoon in Elisa's condo. The realtor's expression was full of concern. "How can this be done without Langdon realizing the part I've played in it? If he ends up hating me, I'll lose my effectiveness as a parent." "We'll address that soon, but the most important thing to remember is that this change will be permanent. When Langdon realizes he has to be a girl for life, he will either go into a long funk, have an emotional breakdown, or..." "Commit suicide?" Elisa put in anxiously. "I was going to say, he might actually feel relieved." "Relieved -- to be a girl? Langdon?" "Many boys are surprised when they find out that it is very pleasant to be -- in the vernacular -- a babe. But, out of stubborn pride, they usually will not admit it to themselves. However, once they see that fate has made the choice for them, they can stop wrangling with their inner demons and face life anew. The very irreversibility of it all leaves them psychologically free to give up on the past and enjoy the experience, without having to despise themselves for choosing that new life themselves." "What happens then?" "Usually they go out and party. And as I warned before, some can go wild. To many start to use sex the same way that a boy uses it, and end up getting trapped into pregnancy. These days there's abortion, but Planned Parenthood never talks about the emotional scarring that abortion can bring to a young woman." "Are you saying that the People couldn't turn a girl back into a boy even if they wanted to?" Courtindale shook her head. "The great wizards are well able to make a boy out of a girl, but in practice it is almost never done. The two sexes have a mountain of differences in their makeup, and that difference is mana. A boy who turns female fills our banks with mana. A girl can be changed into a boy only if mana is drawn from the bank. The People have little motivation to spend so much treasure just to gain one more boy for the world. Mana is precious and it can't be bought for money. Remember, specie has no value to us. Sometimes a trade can be arranged, but I seriously doubt that either you or Langdon would have anything to offer in that regard." "What would the wizards want in trade?" "You wouldn't have a spare Spear of Longinus in your broom closet, would you?" Elisa looked blank. Jethra smiled. "I didn't suppose so." Elisa now sank into gloom and the lawyer perceived it. "But your contract will have an opt-out clause." The realtor looked up. "It will?" "Yes. After the signing, you can cancel at any time -- at any time prior to the mana donation, I mean." "It seems so ruthless to take unwilling boys in their prime. Why don't your wizards buy mana from boys who want to be girls? There are lots of transvestites who appear on those trashy TV shows. The world seems full of them." Jethra sighed. "If only it were so simple. Transvestitism and related tendencies most often results from a boy's being born with a mana deficiency. Such youths tend to have a hard time identifying strongly with the male sex. Remember what I said about males who are approaching middle age? Boys with strong female identification usually have the same problem -- for us. As inconvenient as it may be, a burning desire for sex with women is the best indication of abundant mana." Elisa nodded, resigned. "There's something else I'd like to know. How -- how does the -- the siphoning process work? Will he have to be taken to a...a wizard's workshop?" The other woman smiled. "Not at all. If we have some hair, blood, or nails, a mystic link can be established remotely, just like it happens in those movies about voodoo dolls." "Is it so easy?" "More or less." "Will there be any pain?" "None at all. The boy falls into a deep slumber while being tapped. When his mana has reached a critically low level, he will default into a basic female physiognomy. "Why not just take some mana, not enough to change his sex?" "Downloading mana is like downloading a computer program. It is a complete entity; if you don't get all of it, the fraction one siphons is corrupt and useless." "I see." "Before he wakes up," Courtindale continued, "the wizards on the receiving end will send magic back up the pipeline and transform him in the way that you have requested." "I feel like I'm hiring an assassin." "There will be no pressure to coerce you. Just remember that your decision, pro or con, will be the most important that you will ever make, both for Langdon or for yourself. Do not do anything that you are not fully committed to." Elisa glanced perplexedly at the tablecloth. "I respect you for having doubts," Courtindale said. "Too many guardians I've met have been so greedy or so indifferent to welfare of the young person involved that we have had to recommend to our clients that their negotiations should be broken off. How the stepmother treated Cinderella was absolutely disgraceful. Cinderella's case- worker saved the day, but the situation never should have been allowed to deteriorate to that point." "But Cinderella was always a girl. She didn't have mana." Jethra shook her head. "If there was a historical model for Cinderella, the reality-altering spell would have made everyone except Cinderella and her stepmother forget that she had ever been anything other than a girl. How could the weavers of folklore have known otherwise? If Cinderella had told the truth, people would have thought she was insane. And what good would it do her to have told even her prince the truth? He probably wouldn't have wanted to marry either a madwoman or a boy. The stepmother wouldn't have told anyone either; dealing with sorcery would have gotten her hanged or burned, depending on the local custom." Elisa raised her chin. "Is that the best that can be said about me? That I might not be as bad as Cinderella's stepmom?" "The People do not look at muggles as either saints or sinners; we do not call them names for the things they do. There is only one offense that we cannot abide, and that is a purposeful violation of our ethics." "And the victim has no role in establishing what ethics he should be subject to?" "To us, this is a legal issue, Mrs. Ardens, not a moral one. Law is always a cold-blooded creature. To be perfectly frank, the business of acquiring mana was much easier before governments started dropping the legal age of maturity. There were so many more guardians for young men in those days, and guardians are so much easier to deal with." "I never wanted things to come to this," Elisa said suddenly. "All I was looking for was a son who would love me as much as I wanted to loved him. I wanted a real family life more than anything." "A new start is still possible," Jethra Courtindale told her. "Remember that." * * * * Langdon's legal problems had made him even more sour and grumpy than before. He rarely talked about his concerns and would simply walk away when his stepmother brought up some touchy matter. He was in denial. She had wanted to hear some hint of remorse, some reason to hope that these bitter experiences would help to turn into a responsible young person. More than anything she wanted him to give her some reason to say "no" to renewed youth and wealth. Having no reason to think that Langdon would ever consider making a sensible response to the trouble ahead, Elisa continued to meet with the lawyer. By now they were using one another's first name. "We want a boy to think that his girlhood is only a temporary condition," Jethra told Elisa. "That will avoid an out-of-bounds reaction during the crucial early weeks. If that happens, he'll fight to avoid panic and hold things together, so that he'll be able to step back into his male life in a little while without anyone knowing about what's happened to him." "What do most boys do when it happens?" Mrs. Ardens asked. "Remember the story of Pandora? All the ills of mankind escaped from her box, but because the box also held Hope, mankind retained the moral courage to struggle on. A boy will behave better if we help him keep his hope in place." "You said there was a way to keep him from blaming me?" Jethra nodded. "A transformed boy behaves best if he thinks that transformation happened because he's made a mistake. If he thinks someone else is to blame, then he'll hate that that person with a passion, feel sorry for himself, and may even get violent." "But how can he be convinced that he's to blame for what happens?" "First we have to get Langdon thinking that sex-change fantasies are extremely erotic and enjoyable. We want him to start daydreaming along those lines, looking for books, movies, and TV that treat the subject as fantasy." "He's hidden a lot of porn in his room, but I don't think he'd ever find sex-change to be the least bit erotic," observed Elisa. "Our goal will be to make him think otherwise." "Magic?" "No. Mind or attitude control by sorcery is not ethical." "Even with a guardian's permission?" "Legal guardianship doesn't apply in such matters. His mind and soul are his own. But there are non-magical ways to achieve our ends." Elisa's curiosity was piqued, but the lawyer now told her that a full discussion of such an important subject should wait until they had more time. Chapter 5 At their last meeting, Courtindale had gotten Elisa to agree to the date and hour for the contract signing. It would happen in just a couple days. Despite misgivings, Elisa consented to the appointment and here she was at her desk, with the attorney placing a sheaf of printed sheets in front of her. One Mr. Crowlers, as a representative of the Starry Order, sat in one of the visitors' chair. Unlike Jethra, he displayed no Olympian beauty and was remarkably nondescript, the type that is easy to overlook on a busy street. Elisa began to wonder where these people came from, and whether they were truly human. She wanted to ask questions about the nature of the People, but Courtindale had advised her that such curiosity would be futile. The world of the People was a very secret one. Cowlers had just read several important paragraphs of the contract out loud. "Do you fully understand all the terms and ancillaries?" the man asked. "Miss Courtindale and I have gone over each line exhaustively," Elisa replied. "I still can't understand how magic works, but I believe that it does work." "Good, very good," said Mr. Crowlers. He made a few more inquiries, making sure that she did indeed understand all that she had agreed to. He seemed satisfied with her answers. Courtindale now read the escape clause for all to hear and then fully explained it. "Refusing to give the final permission for the siphoning will terminate the agreement," she said. "If that should occur, no indemnity shall be exacted from either party." "Yes," said Elisa. "It seems very generous." "Not at all. It is a standard clause," said Crowlers with the tiniest of smiles. "How can a person possibly enjoy a new life if he has lingering doubts regarding an agreement so fundamentally important?" Elisa didn't venture any answer. "Shall we begin the signing?" suggested Courtindale. Crowley agreed; Elisa added her nod. "Sent for your witness," the lawyer advised. Elisa according summoned Polly. With the secretary looking on, one paper after another was placed in front of Mr. Crowlers, who signed and passed it on to Elisa Adrens. After Elisa, Courtindale witnessed for Crawlers, and Polly witnessed for Elisa, though the former didn't bother to read enough to know what the document represented, assuming that it concerned a routine transfer of property. When the last sheet was witnessed, Elisa sent her secretary back to the reception room. Their business now concluded, the male wizard expressed his courtesies and took his leave. Elisa put her contract pages in order and placed them into the office safe. It occurred to her, belatedly, that nothing was safe from these people; they could do any sort of skullduggery that they wanted to. She wondered whether their attitude toward her would change, now that they had the signature that they had so much wanted. When she glanced over her shoulder, Jethra Courtindale was still standing at the desk, awaiting her return. Elisa regarded the woman. They had made no specific plans about what was supposed to happen immediately after the signing. "No doubt you're feeling very tense," Courtindale observed. "What say we take some lunch?" Elisa rose and looked at the clock. "Is this the last time that we'll be meeting?" "By no means. You will need liaisons with the Starry Order, even after the siphoning. Let's get something to eat. It will be a good time for you ask any questions that may have arisen today." "Yes...I suppose," said Elisa. She couldn't help but be frightened of these sorcerers, yet she had been feeling incredibly isolated. How could she talk to any of her ordinary friends about the load of secrets that she was carrying? How could she bear to be around anyone if she was unable to talk about what was bothering her most? Why had she done what she had done, really? Was she dealing with evil people? Was this going to end badly? How could it possibly end well? * * * * As they rode in the cab, the realtor began to think that she deserved to be punished. She had never done anything so reprehensible before. Elisa wasn't sure that she would even try to run away from an executioner if one appeared in front of her. They reached the restaurant and found a table. "Now that things are settled," the lawyer said, "we will want to move swiftly at getting Langdon ready. We won't to do the siphoning until he is psychologically prepared. That will take some weeks." "I suppose," Elisa murmured absently. It was as if she were standing outside of her own body and watching a stranger -- a stranger whom she didn't like very much -- going about her affairs. The other woman smiled sympathetically. "By now ten million tax-free dollars have been deposited electronically in your new account in Zurich. Trusted agents will be drawing modest amounts from it, to be used in acquiring you a home in the scenic Alps, and to make investments in the name of Daphne Harrison. "You will receive the needed documentation just as soon as the final consent form is filed. That will be the one that allows the transfer of the commodity to proceed. You will not need to sign until a day or two before that event. In the meantime, you should always be mindful of whether the cancellation clause is something that you should invoke." "It sounds like you're almost suggesting that I opt out." "Not at all. But you have that option and we want to be up front about it. Some people we deal with seem to have no conscience. You have a conscience, Elisa, and it could eat your heart out if you are not absolutely at peace with what you are doing." "I see," the businesswoman replied. "When you wish to exit this identity of Elisa Ardens and become Miss Harrison, an imposter will fill the role of Elisa until your return. That person will be qualified to act as a guardian for Langdon -- an on-site fairy godmother, so to speak. Most clients want to return to their old haunts every now and then. For example, you may want to come back to see Langdon's high school graduation. When you have no further need for your old identity, an apparent death or disappearance will be manufactured and there will be no need to maintain the existence of the Elisa Ardens identity." Elisa murmured agreement, but her mind was on the dizzying future that this was leading to. As Daphne she intended to give vent to expensive tastes, fully confident that she had the wealth required to maintain such a lifestyle. She would possess the necessary family and educational records to support her new identity. Daphne would, of course, have no need for an employment history. She would be well known as the last of an old family that was dignified by its centuried connections to several houses of Central European nobility. But would the wizards do all that they had promised? Would they do _anything_ that they had promised? Elisa had no leverage to make such people keep their word. What did a mere contract mean to persons who played with reality as if it were a computer game? Scraps of paper. How they treated her in the future would depend entirely on those ethics to which they claimed to be so dedicated. Elisa squirmed. "I can't relax. I feel like ants are running under my clothes. What come next?" "Rest; try to regain your confidence. All is as it should be. Occupy your mind with the task of making this as easy as possible for Langdon. That reminds me. I want to visit your home when he's in school." "Why?" "The way into a boy's mind is through his music." * * * * Elisa didn't expect Langdon home for hours, so she accompanied Jethra to her condo right after lunch. Langdon's room was a mess, of course. He never did housework and disliked having Elisa tidying things up for him; he said he could never find his stuff once she had moved it around. That was all right with her, since she got more complaints than thanks for any of the help that she afforded him. "What a depressing place," remarked the visitor, "but I've seen worse. By the way, we have a subliminal CD that will inspire a young person to enjoy having orderly surroundings." "Is it like sleep teaching?" "Yes, very much like that. In instances where magic is unethical, science may serve. As much as your race has pretended to put ethics into its scientific pursuits, it has failed dismally." She changed the subject. "What are his favorite CD discs?" "I'm not sure. The bands all have strange names, and all their music is noisy and absolutely awful." "You sound like a parent," the lawyer commented lightly. "Another of our CDs improves the listener's taste in music." The lawyer spotted the CD player and turned it on. The tray had a five-disc capacity. Of the discs currently inside, all but one of them was by "The Gruesome Zombies." "He seems to like this band. I'll drop off duplicates of these same CDs at your office tomorrow. You'll have to switch them with these original ones," Jethra told her. "They'll be subliminal?" "Yes. Their purpose will be to get him interested in listening to a different band, the Graveyard Dead." "Why?" "When a boy is into this kind of rock, we use Graveyard Dead CDs that have been carefully prepared in advance. We could have used any similar band, but the tech people settled on the Graveyard Dead. Whenever Langdon brings home a new Graveyard Dead concert, you only need to let us know which one it is and we'll switch it with a duplicate that carries the messages that we want." "Bring one that makes him like 'oldies but goodies.'" Jethra smiled. "Just one thing more. I need to place a listening device in this bedroom. It will help us choose the exact right moment to start the extraction process." Mrs. Ardnes shrugged. What else could she do, now that she was into this thing with both feet? Every strange request made of her now seemed to be so dismayingly logical. The next day came, and so, again, did Miss Courtindale. She had brought several Gruesome Zombies discs into the real estate office, repeating her previous instructions to switch them with Langdon's originals. "If, by the end of a week, he's is showing any enthusiasm for the Graveyard Dead, it will be a sign that he has good receptivity to subliminal conditioning." "What message will they carry?" "A message about woman envy. The aim is to induce Langdon to develop a rich and imaginative fantasy life about being a girl. It is necessary to fix a boy's attention strongly upon the idea of girlhood, and we've found that the erotic always holds a powerful allure for a teenager." Elisa grimaced dubiously. Langdon seemed to be the wrong type for that kind of fantasy. "Will he start behaving differently?" she asked. "Very unlikely. A male's sexual daydreams are only a private pleasure. In their everyday life, he is really quite detached from them. It's a kind of compartmentalization." "It sounds like it will take a long time." "Not as long as you think. Anyway, the longest journey begins with the first step. I'll try to explain the psychology behind the process before I leave." * * * * It was that very weekend when Langdon came home carrying a package from the music store. His stepmother pretended not to be interested in his musical tastes, but then checked out the bag while he was in the shower. Bingo! Langdon had bought back three Graveyard Dead albums. As instructed, she called Jethra Courtindale to let her know which titles they were. The next morning, Courtindale stopped in at the office, rested her attach? case on the desk, and drew out a trio of discs. Their labels said "Graveyard Dead." "Does it begin, really begin, tonight?" "Yes, providing the young man listens to them. One message that they all carry is to replay the discs repeatedly, and to acquire even more titles by the same band." "Well, he's always playing something. The walls never stop shaking with the cacophony." "Good. Just let me know what new titles he buys and we'll exchange them as quickly as possible." "But how will we know whether the CDs are having any effect?" "They'll suggest that he can find tg material on the Internet and provide him with inspiration for search terms. That will lead him to some of the sites owned by the Starry Order, and their sites will infect his computer with tracker ware. Then the Starry Order monitors will be able to follow his Internet habits and send him pop-ups that suggest additional tg sites where we want him to go. These sites will have their own secret messages." "TG?" "Transgender. We want him to have lots of inspiration for his sex- change fantasies and woman-envy daydreams, even when he doesn't have rock music blaring into his ears." "And all this is supposed to make him want to be a girl?" "Only on the fantasy level. That's all that's necessary. An intense and pleasurable daydream is practically the same as a meditative visualization." "Like in yoga?" "Close to that. Our magic needs a form of voluntary consent, just like many computer viruses require the operator to click a software button to enable the virus to infect the system. Basically, it tells the computer to let its defenses down, and Langdon must do a willful act, or think a thought, that will drop his defenses against our magic. The truth is, the mystical energies of the body protect a person against magical infection just like his antibodies protect him from biological infections. If, in the course of a fantasy, he visualizes turning into a pretty girl, it amounts to consent to be transformed by the magic." "I thought you only needed me to give consent," said Elisa. "You have power of attorney over his mana, but you cannot give consent for us to use magic to alter his shape or the structure of his mind. That must come from the boy himself. We need to work such 'finishing' magic in order to provide him with what he needs to attain a happy girlhood." "It sounds like he's getting battered about this sex-change stuff from all sides." "The real subliminal 'battering' will start when he's become a teenaged girl. To keep his mind off moping, we'll provide him with inspiration to get him thinking about upbeat things -- such as cool boys and sexy clothes." "Won't all these sexual fantasies turn him gay?" "No. To be gay he'll need a brain with certain structures that support the female sexual orientation; he won't have that until he's physically female, and even then he technically won't be gay. He'll simply become a hetero girl. "Another thing. We'l