《Mono》 001, Morgan & Audrey In the year 2000, something happened in a small city within the dead center of Oregon. A ground zero of sorts. In hushed tones, people call it the day the world whimpered. In some places, it¡¯s illegal to talk about it publicly. In others, soothsayers still walk to the streets preaching about this being a beginning of an end. I¡¯m traveling by bus from Portland to the California Redwoods, the boondocks in the middle of nowhere. I¡¯ve got a backpack filled with everything of importance to me. I''m wearing a military watch, an olive windbreaker, gray shirt, girl¡¯s dark blue denim pants from Walmart, and pink-orange gum-soled converse. Whatever happened 60 years ago changed the world. And there¡¯s no going back. For the most part, people just want to forget about it and move on. You could call the whole day a build up. Since the 1980s, people have been born with genetic mutations¡­ Most people thought there was something coming. The bus is electric, like all vehicles nowadays. You can¡¯t even hear it running when it comes to stops, but the ride is still a bouncy one. They¡ªthe people of 2000¡¯s North America¡ªjust didn¡¯t know what form it¡¯d take, but it seems so simple now. Most combustion stopped working, namely the combustion that makes cars and guns work. I bet when the sky fell on the day the world whimpered that the military industrial complex wasn¡¯t too happy about it. I take a sip of coffee from Dutchbros, I got it the last layover. They call it a Cocomo and I call it so sweet it¡¯ll surely rot my teeth. I¡¯ve been traveling for 16 hours by now and had two stops along the way. One thing is certain, whatever happened in that fateful town, North America has never been the same. Especially after aberrations appeared to haunt us. The bus comes to a sudden stop, the driver yelling back at me, ¡°this is Duckwood Drive!¡± I get up, making sure I¡¯m not missing anything. ¡°Do you know where you¡¯re going from here, lady?¡± I¡¯m still getting used to being recognized as a girl, so it takes a few seconds to register in my head. ¡°To a certain extent, thank you.¡± ¡°Take care of yourself, this is hillbilly country.¡± I want to tell him, not on this road, I want to tell him I¡¯d like to see a hillbilly assault me, but I simply nodded once at him. He winks. I can¡¯t decipher what the wink means, and I¡¯d rather he¡¯d have left it like that. Actually, I¡¯d rather he left it at nothing. I step off the bus and look both ways while crossing the two lane road. A curvy, windy road that is easy to get lost on. Or lost in. It¡¯s about 10 degrees cooler when you''re surrounded by these huge, majestic redwoods. It is its own unique ecosystem, found only here in California. I take a deep breath. You can almost smell the ocean from here, it¡¯s only 15 minutes away. I start walking. It¡¯s a private road, all dirt, speckled with thick black oaks with moss growing on them. It¡¯s refreshing to be back, I¡¯ve spent many a family gathering on this land. It¡¯s about a mile, maybe a bit less, to the end of the road. There at the very end lies my destination. My Uncle James¡¯ property. This road is a windy one, too. It goes past the first property at the very start of the road, which looks like a barn. Then it goes up and up over a hill, taking its sweet time all the while, past another one of the properties on the right with a farm fence. Rich people from the bay area own these houses almost exclusively. They come up on the weekends to get away from the hustle. But none of the houses are what one might call impressive¡ªthey¡¯re all simple houses. I like it that way, personally. I get up over the hill on a strait, an open field on my right with a decrypted, decaying barn that badly needs something done with it. On the right is a house with a metal gated fence going around it. After that, it rises up once more. I¡¯m on top of the hill and it''s a steady walk downwards onto this fork in the road. I remember the road on the right takes me where I want to go, the middle would go to another house, and finally, the left will take me on a long walk through the redwoods that circle to the back of James¡¯ property. I take the right. I get a little nervous and excited as I get closer, I haven¡¯t seen James in a long while. The road turns to gravel around here. Goes into a gully, and there¡¯s another strait that lines a large property on the right. You can¡¯t see it through the privacy trees. Then a sudden turn downwards, like a spiral almost, that flattens outs and goes around another house on the left. I¡¯d never seen a house there before, but what can I expect? Not everything stays exactly the same, not with father time turning the clock. It¡¯s a straight shot once I get around the fence bordering this property, only a small rise and then dip in my sights. The next strait over that dip is the longest stretch, it¡¯s a five minute walk. The second to last house is on the right, they¡¯ve got six or so goats that run away at the sight of me. Finally, the end of the road is in sight. My destination. Blocked by a green gate that looks like it¡¯s had better days. I look up, all you can see are Redwoods towering up in the distance. Feels nostalgic. The gate isn¡¯t locked, so I open it up enough to let myself in and call out, ¡°James!¡± This property is the biggest one on the road, probably 40 acres in total, and he could be anywhere. There are a few campers and trailers lining the top of this road. Those are new. I decide to knock on the door of the closest one¡ªthe best looking one¡ªa big blue and white fifth wheel. I hear someone get up inside the trailer and the door swings open, revealing my Uncle, beaming bright like usual. He¡¯s gone gray, but he has the same length ponytail in a braid. ¡°Morgan!¡± He practically yells. ¡°James!¡± I smile back. ¡°Wow¡­ so you really did turn into a girl, huh? What an affliction to get!¡± He looks me up and down, saying, ¡°it suits you, somehow.¡± I blush a bit. ¡°I never was the most masculine when I was a man¡­¡± ¡°So, how do you get rid of it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I need to figure out.¡± ¡°Well, welcome to my land. It¡¯s been in the Ulrich line for generations, as you know, and one day it might be yours.¡± ¡°Thank you, James.¡± He shook his head. ¡°No need to thank me, it¡¯s good to have you here. It¡¯s been so long! What, six years since I¡¯ve last seen you?¡± ¡°Yeah, I just wish it had been under better circumstances.¡± ¡°Any circumstance is a good one to come visit!¡± James stepped off the trailer, patting my back. ¡°Let me show you around, there¡¯s a few other people living here.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see ¡®em,¡± I said, following him on a road down to my left. I saw right away where he was taking us, a rusted motorhome on a rare piece of flat ground, just 50 or so feet below his trailer. He knocked on the door of it. Nothing stirred inside. ¡°Ed lives here¡­ Ed is a gentle giant, a real local, but it looks like he isn¡¯t here right now. Let me introduce you to Audrey, she¡¯s actually your cousin from France.¡± ¡°Oh, neat,¡± I said. I knew we had family in France, but it surprised me that they would be visiting. As far as I knew, most of our roots come from Germany. Hints my last name, Ulrich. But I wasn¡¯t about to question him. He took me in, after all. We walked further down the road, deeper into the redwoods, and took a turn on the road to the right. A small camper came into view. James knocked on the door¡­ Again, no answer. ¡°I know they''re both here¡­ Well, let me show you the property, eh? Hopefully, we run into them on the way.¡± We followed the road across and down. The whole property was sloped like this, it¡¯s probably a good workout. I saw a large cactus planted on the side of the road. It was about as tall as me and wide as three barrels. We kept walking and came to a fence with potted plants inside of it. ¡°This is my garden,¡± James said. ¡°You always did have a green thumb.¡± ¡°And some things never change, yeah.¡± He laughed, James seemed to always be laughing. ¡°Oh, there she is.¡± She was sitting in a chair, facing away from me. She had dirty blonde hair in a crown of braids, wearing short green shorts and a light sweater. She looked up at us when we got close, she had been reading a book. ¡°Bonjour,¡± she said in a soft voice. ¡°You must be Morgan?¡± Her accent was enduring and enticing. She stood up and bookmarked her page, coming up and giving me a hug. She smelt like flowers. ¡°I hear you¡¯re Audrey, it¡¯s nice to meet you,¡± I said in an embrace. ¡°Oui, it¡¯s my pleasure.¡± She smiled, ¡°James told me you used to be a boy?¡± I looked at James. He shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s a long story,¡± I said. ¡°I was afflicted.¡± She cutely raised a hand to her mouth. ¡°Oh no! I¡¯ve heard about these afflictions. Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine. It wasn¡¯t a violent kind.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good!¡± I didn¡¯t particularly want to broach the subject for two reason. One, I didn¡¯t want to talk about my affliction with a perfect stranger, even if she was related. Two, Uncle James had been attacked by a violent affliction in his younger years. It was why he had a prosthetic arm in the first place¡­ although with his long sleeve shirt it was hard to tell. I had almost completely forgotten. ¡°You¡¯re going to share a room with her, by the way. At least until I can sort out a permanent place for you,¡± James said standing behind me. Audrey grabbed my hand in hers. ¡°We¡¯ll have so much fun together!¡± She seemed excited, at least. That makes one of us¡­ I smiled back at her and nodded. ¡°Audrey, why don¡¯t you show him around?¡± James says, ¡°I¡¯m kinda busy right now, there¡¯s a football game on and the generators running.¡± Audrey seems enthusiastic. ¡°Yes, I¡¯d love to.¡± She¡¯s still holding my hand, and I don¡¯t quite know what to do¡­ She grabs my hand and turns, towing me with her down a trail leading gradually down. Water tanks are placed incrementally through the forest, and I remember that these specific redwoods were hand planted a long time ago by the previous owners. You can tell because they¡¯re perfectly spaced between each other. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Audrey stops by an icebox near the garden and grabs two beers from it, handing me one and cracking hers open with one hand, then taking a drink. ¡°Sant¨¦,¡± she says, raising her can. ¡°It means, ¡®health.¡¯¡± I crack open the beer, take a drink and raise my can to hers, saying, ¡°sant¨¦.¡± I try to replicate her accent, but it fails. I could get used to this bubbly girl¡ªbut doesn¡¯t something seem off? Something I can¡¯t quite put my finger on. She giggles, in that way that only cute girls can, and starts down the trail again. She gestures for me to come with. I feel a tingle over my body, watching her shapely butt and thick thighs walk away from me. I start walking after her. ¡°Hey, Audrey, are we close cousins?¡± ¡°Not at all!¡± She said loudly in her soft, soothing voice. ¡°We¡¯re very distant, I don¡¯t even know how many times removed.¡± ¡°What¡¯s France like? Where are you from?¡± ¡°I come from Northern France, near Normandy. Very historical place, usually foggy, like here in the mornings!¡± ¡°Does that remind you of home?¡± ¡°Oh, Ed!¡± She yelled as best as she could, coming to a stop and waving her spare hand¡ªI looked to where she was looking. There was a man carrying a handful of two by fours, a towering, lumbering type of man¡­ No pun intended. He dropped what he was carrying in a pile of various woods, drywall, concrete bags, and other building materials, then turned to us. I took a big drink of beer, getting ready to be social. His rumbling voice came to me first. ¡°Hello, Audrey! Who¡¯s this with you?¡± Audrey grabbed my hand again and led me down a path to Ed through the trees, who was standing on a spot that was even and level, sort of like a knoll. A road ran through the middle of it and went even further down. ¡°Ed, this is Morgan. He¡ªI mean, she¡ªwill be staying with us for a while.¡± ¡°You any good at building, young lady?¡± Ed said to me with a gentle smile on his masculine, bearded face. ¡°I know a thing or two about building a house, actually, yeah.¡± He let out a low rumble of a chuckle, saying, ¡°you can help us then. All this is to build a small cabin for guests. That must be you?¡± I nodded. ¡°Must be me then. I¡¯d love to help.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to show him the rest of the property! Bye, Ed!¡± Audrey waved bye and turned down the road. ¡°Wait¡ªcould I actually drop off some of my things first? I¡¯ve been traveling for 16 hours¡­¡± ¡°Oh cher! I didn¡¯t realize, you must be tired!¡± = = = I dropped my backpack down in the little camper. It has enough room for two small beds on either end, there¡¯s a cooler that runs on kerosene, cabinets, a mirror, and a sink¡­ it¡¯s a nice little camper, for sure. And I¡¯ll be sharing it with Audrey, who¡¯s sitting on the other bed. I finish my beer off with back to back glugs and lay down in the bed. ¡°You still drink like a man,¡± Audrey laughed. ¡°What do you have to do to¡­ become a man again?¡± ¡°No idea, this all happened yesterday. I¡¯m still scared to even look at my own boobs,¡± I laughed, looking down at my now modest chest. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be! I think you¡¯re quite¡­¡± Audrey trailed off. ¡°Belle.¡± Even I knew that meant beautiful. I blushed and covered my face with my hands, looking at Audrey. She seemed sincere. ¡°Really?¡± In response, she grabbed her breasts and squeezed them together, saying, ¡°Great assets, eh?¡± I pointed my thumb at myself. ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Oui! You¡¯ve got a great body,¡± Audrey giggled. ¡°You¡¯ve gotta take care of yourself, as a dame now. I can help!¡± She clapped her hands together in resolve. ¡°You can use my skincare products, I¡¯ll show you how to use them!¡± So cute¡­ I thought to myself. Well, there was something I needed help with¡­ ¡°I do actually need some help, on a girl matter¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Her eyes were gleaming with anticipation. ¡°I need¡ªuh, a bra. My damn nipples keep chafing¡­¡± ¡°Oh! I can help!¡± She reached the end of her bed and shuffled through a suitcase, then threw something at me. ¡°Try that on! I¡¯ll help you put it on.¡± It was a lacy black bra. I blushed and lowered my head, inspecting it. The tag said it was for cup size c¡­ I had no idea what my breasts even looked like yet! ¡°Go on,¡± Audrey encouraged me. ¡°We¡¯re both girls.¡± Furiously blushing, I took off my windbreaker and shirt at once, trying to cover my chest at the same time, and failing. ¡°Ohh¡ª¡± Audrey said in the corner. ¡°Maybe it won¡¯t fit?¡± She stood up and walked over to me. ¡°Bend over like this.¡± She demonstrated, doing a bow. ¡°And bring the bra up. Do you want help?¡± I nodded, feeling a little dizzy after seeing my new assets and not my normal flat chest, and turned around, putting my arms up for her. She grabbed the bra, reached over, lifted the bra over my breasts and up, then pulled the strap back around my back and clasped it. ¡°There, now turn around and let me see.¡± I did. She tilted her head, ¡°How does it feel?¡± ¡°Tight¡­¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s supposed to be tight. Hm¡ª¡± She grabbed my breasts and wiggled them around. I thought I was going to faint, and I felt something strange at the touch. ¡°I think it fits! We¡¯re the same size, Morgan!¡± She smiled, a beaming smile. ¡°I was hoping I could get away without a bra, but I guess not¡­¡± ¡°Your nipples will show then, and it feels weird when people look.¡± ¡°I guess you''re right¡­ Could you show me where the bathroom is? I gotta pi¡ªpee.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve got to go, too. I¡¯ll show you the outhouse.¡± I put on my shirt and felt my breasts¡­ they were definitely snug now, and looked way bigger than before. More pronounced. Bras are weird¡­ Audrey opened the door to the camper and got out, I followed close behind as we went down a trail into a small clearing on the slope with a shack in the middle of it. ¡°This is it?¡± ¡°Oui,¡± she walked right in and kept the door open. I guess that means she¡¯s waiting for me? ¡°Come in, come in,¡± she said. Why do girls go to the bathroom together¡­ Is this peer pressure I¡¯m feeling right now? I go in and close the door. She pulls down her shorts right in front of me and I see her lacy pink thong. I advert my eyes¡­ Oh jeez, I can hear her peeing. With the door closed, only an opaque window is letting a small amount of light in. ¡°How do you think you¡¯ll get rid of the affliction, Morgan?¡± ¡°Well, it turned me into a girl, so it must be something only a girl could do¡­ But that¡¯s about as far as I¡¯ve gotten, and I have no idea what it could be.¡± ¡°How do you figure it out?¡± I could hear her grab the toilet paper. I really had to pee now, all at once. It felt like my bladder might explode! ¡°Libraries, the internet, or a specialist. We¡¯ll see¡ª¡± I was holding my legs together, trying not to pee myself. I¡¯m a grown man, for fucks sake! Don¡¯t pee your pants! ¡°Audrey, I¡¯m gonna pee my pants! Do girls have smaller bladders or something?!¡± ¡°Hold on¡ª¡± I ran out to the back of the building and pulled down my pants and boxers all at once, squatting down and doing my business. I let out a huge sigh¡ªrelief. Finally, I looked down, hearing a dripping sound¡ª ¡°Oh my god!¡± I yelled. The stream had been too intense, and got all over my denim anyways! ¡°Fuck!¡± Audrey came around the corner and handed me some toilet paper¡ªbut there was no hiding my mistake. My pants were soaked, and would definitely smell now. I felt like I could cry. ¡°Do you have something I can change into, Audrey? This was the only pair of pants I bought, all my men''s clothes don¡¯t fit me¡­¡± Audreys'' arms were akimbo, standing over me. ¡°I do. You should know women do have smaller bladders. You need to be more aware of your needs so this doesn¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°Duly noted,¡± I said, wiping myself. I pulled up my pants, they were wet and uncomfortable. ¡°Just go into the bathroom, that way nobody sees your mistake,¡± she laughed. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± ¡°Wait¡ªyou don¡¯t think I¡¯m some sort of dumbass for peeing myself, right?¡± She shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s perfectly understandable, you¡¯re getting used to your new body. And¡­ I think I like you, anyway¡­¡± She left on that note, sprinting up to the camper. I waddled over to the front of the bathroom and left the door cracked open, taking off my pants and boxers. ¡°What a body I found myself with¡ªwait, did she say she liked me?¡± Maybe it was just a translation error? I heard Audrey running back, she opened the door and stepped in, handing me some fabric¡­ It was a purple skirt and a thong. ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t wear this,¡± I objected, shaking my head. ¡°It¡¯s all I¡¯ve got that''s clean right now,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re a woman now, embrace it. You¡¯ll look so cute in that!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t wanna be cute¡­¡± I grunted, frustrated. ¡°Fine, and thank you¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± I put on the thong, it was lacy and black, it just barely fit on me, pretty tight as well. I got up and seamed the lines, but I felt Audrey¡¯s gaze on me. I looked up at her face, and she nodded with approval. ¡°You look good in my underwear,¡± she giggled. ¡°We¡¯ll have to go clothes shopping!¡± I put on the skirt next, but was struggling¡­ Audrey came up and helped me zip it up, and put it where it was supposed to be, tucking in my baggy gray shirt into the hem. ¡°You look good!¡± ¡°I feel like some sort of despicable fool¡­¡± ¡°No, really.¡± Then she leaned in and kissed my cheek. I thought in that low light that I could see her blush, but I couldn¡¯t be sure. I was certainly blushing, her lips were so soft on my cheek¡­ It felt like I was feeling something for her, more than I would for a complete stranger. But never mind that. ¡°Let¡¯s get a beer,¡± I said. ¡°The campfire should be going on right now! Come sit with me!¡± She grabbed my hand and led me out of the outhouse, up the hill, near the rusted motorhome to a blazing campfire where we took a seat. The skirt was certainly breezy... I looked down, it was a mid length skirt, thankfully. Not one of those short skirts, thank god. I¡¯d have been too embarrassed to show my face otherwise. James, with his long white hair and wizard''s beard, was there already. He was whittling on a piece of wood with a knife. ¡°Nice change of clothes, haha!¡± James laughed. ¡°What happened to your jeans?¡± ¡°Oh, I insisted she tries on my clothes,¡± Audrey said, saving me from coming up with a lame excuse. ¡°Doesn¡¯t she look cute!¡± ¡°He¡ªer, she?¡ªWell, you definitely have the body of a woman now. But it should be temporary, right, Morgan?¡± I was flustered but nodded. ¡°Yeah, it better be temporary¡­¡± We took our seats at the campfire. Audrey leaned in and whispered in my ear. ¡°He can see your panties.¡± I shut my legs right up, getting red in the face and fiddling with the hem of the skirt¡­ Girls sure had a lot to think about¡­ I looked up to the west, where the sun was setting right now. It was a beautiful orange sunset coming through the trees, with rays of sunlight beaming between the branches. It would be dark in about an hour. Audrey got up and left, saying, ¡°I¡¯m getting beers, do you want one too, James?¡± ¡°Yes, please,¡± he said. She walked off and I looked at her leaving. She really did have a nice bottom half. ¡°So, Morgan. How¡¯s Portland treating you, besides the whole affliction?¡± ¡°Good. I have a few good friends there now, after three years of being there. I¡¯ve got a job as an assistant at a supernatural specialist place. Everything¡¯s peachy, until this happened.¡± ¡°They couldn¡¯t help you there with your affliction?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t specialize in dream afflictions because usually they go away by themselves. I hope mine has a resolution.¡± ¡°I know a thing or two about afflictions, try me. What attacked you?¡± Audrey came back and handed James a beer, then handed me mine. I cracked it open. ¡°It was a frog. A normal ¡®ol frog.¡± James stopped whittling and looked up at me. ¡°Are you certain?¡± I crossed my legs and leaned in. ¡°Yes, do you know anything about them?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard about it¡­ Frogs are symbols of fertility, and you became a woman from it¡­ can you connect the dots?¡± My mind raced, as it did exactly that¡­ ¡°Are you saying¡­ What I think you¡¯re saying?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just guessing here. You should look it up, I can take you to the library the day after tomorrow.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Audrey asked. ¡°We¡¯re just speculating here, about Morgan¡¯s condition¡ª¡± ¡°What he¡¯s saying, Audrey,¡± I said, putting it bluntly. ¡°Is that I might have to give birth¡­¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± James said. ¡°Let¡¯s not think about it, for now it¡¯ll only cause you stress.¡± There was a pause of silence from us, only interrupted by the crackling of the campfire. ¡°I do have some other news, Morgan. Your father bought property on this road, he comes every weekend from San Fran. You should go see him, as much as you probably don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°He did, really? Which place?¡± ¡°The one on the corner of this road, just across the hill.¡± That was the formerly abandoned place I saw¡­ It was Tuesday today, so that gave me time to mentally prepare myself for a visit with him, and I had no excuse to not see him now that I knew¡­ ¡°I know he¡¯s a difficult person, but you really should pay him a visit.¡± ¡°I know, I was just thinking that¡­¡± I took a drink of beer, ice cold lager. Not my favorite. but I wasn¡¯t picky about free beer. ¡°Who knows, it might be good. You haven¡¯t seen him in how long?¡± ¡°Four years. The last time I saw him he said I was like a zombie,¡± I laughed. ¡°That¡¯s always good to hear from your Dad.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with you, Morgan. Power in numbers, right?¡± Audrey said. Audrey sure was quick to pick up. I actually didn¡¯t mind if she came, and my Dad would be a relative to her as well, however distant. ¡°That actually sounds really good,¡± I could hear my own reedyl now somewhat feminine voice when I said that, and it felt so strange to hear. ¡°Thank you.¡± I bite my nails. What was he going to say about me being a woman¡­ Would he even recognize me? ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I told him about your affliction. I mean, I already talked to him about why you were staying with me. So he¡¯ll be expecting it.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ good.¡± Very good, actually. I took a chug of beer and felt drowsiness sink in. ¡°Well, guys. It¡¯s been a long day for me, so I¡¯m going to hit the hay.¡± ¡°Hit the hay¡­¡± Audrey repeated. ¡°What¡¯s that mean?¡± ¡°He¡¯s going to sleep,¡± James explained. ¡°Goodnight, Morgan.¡± ¡°Bonsoir, Morgan!¡± = = = 002, Lust & Morning I closed the door of the camper and laid down in bed. Understanding these new feelings I was having, like when I almost cried from peeing my pants, was tough work. I still didn¡¯t fully understand what my body was telling me, and there was a particular sensation to touching others, like holding hands¡­ It felt like electricity was coursing through me. I felt¡­ sensitive? Certainly more than when I was male¡­ I shuddered at the words. When I was male. I was already thinking, separating in my head, that I was now a woman. I had been trying not to think of it¡ªwhen it happened in that strange dream yesterday. But now I was face to face with wants and needs I¡¯d never even considered before. This new sensation was like an old one I¡¯d had in the past¡ªbut certainly different in its own way. It was like a yearning for touch, but instead of a specific place, it was all over my body in an ache. In other words, I think I¡¯m horny¡ªor whatever a girl would call it. I could tell I was wet between my legs, and it wasn¡¯t from pee. It was a strange feeling. I just instinctively knew that, even though it was my first time feeling such a thing. I reached up, behind my back, and tried to unclasp my bra, having a hard time with it, until I realized I had to stretch it apart first, and then it came undone. I threw the lacy thing to the end of the bed. I guess this had to happen sometime¡ªespecially if I needed to have a baby to get rid of this affliction¡ª I had to look at my new body. I raised my shirt over my breasts to get a good view of them. The first thing I noticed was that they were quite shapely, perky even. I cupped my left breast with my right hand¡ªthere was no sag to them, and it felt good to the touch. The areola was pretty normal, a little on the bigger side. I remember I had big areolas as a man, so it wasn¡¯t too surprising. I traced a circle around them¡ªand felt that electricity again. They felt way better to touch than when I was a man¡­ My nipples seemed to be pretty normal for a woman. As I traced a circle around them they got stiff and pointed straight out, very pronounced. I cupped my other right breast and felt it, I even gently flicked the nipple and savored the feeling it gave, satisfying the ache I had to an extent. I touched the very tip of my nipple, it was almost too sensitive! Without meaning to, a small moan escaped my mouth as I played with my breasts. My heart was racing already¡ªbut I felt it jump up to my throat as I thought about looking at my own vagina¡­ For now, let¡¯s just touch it. No need to be hasty, right? Right? I lifted up my butt and went under my skirt, pulling down my panties to my knees. I flipped up the dark purple skirt and gingerly placed a hand on it¡­ it felt naughty, like I was doing something I shouldn¡¯t. I traced a finger around it. It was definitely swollen a bit, not flat, and then spread my legs open. I felt the outer labia. I traced to the inside and felt the inner labia. Right above¡­ that would be the urethra, and above that¡­ I gulped, spreading my lips open and feeling another shot of electricity course through my body as I traced higher from that. That was certainly the clit, a swollen lil¡¯ bean in a boat. I rubbed it for a few minutes, small gasps escaping my mouth as I felt myself ache even more. This was way more intense than when I was a male, that¡¯s for sure¡­ I made the mistake of getting lost in it¡ªthe door opened, and I shot up, snapping my legs shut and trying to pull down my shirt. Audrey was in the doorway, mouth agape. She stepped in and closed the door quickly behind her. I just looked at her, red in the face, and head hung low. She walked over to her bed and grabbed a sweatshirt, then she walked over to me¡­ and stood there. It felt like minutes, but it couldn¡¯t have been more than a second. She grabbed me under my chin and led me to her lips, I closed my eyes. Stealing a kiss from me. It felt amazing, it felt right and good, to feel her soft lips on mine¡ªshe slipped her tongue in, for just the briefest of moments¡ª Then she turned and left out the door, closing it behind her as if nothing happened. Without a single word. Talk about too much stimulation¡­ I pulled up my underwear and turned onto my side, feeling frustrated. ¡°So she meant it like that, huh¡­¡± I said in a whisper to myself. She did say she liked me. I closed my eyes. I really was tired, I hadn¡¯t made that up, and I hoped I would just drift to sleep. This didn¡¯t happen, instead, with my eyes closed, I replayed the feeling of being kissed over and over again. Her soft lips¡ªlike a bolt of lightning to my brain. Her tongue¡ªjust enough to want to feel more. I could feel myself getting more and more turned on, hot, and bothered. My fingers found their way downwards, I started rubbing my clit with my eyes closed, replaying that feeling of being kissed. = = = I found myself in a black and white room with a black and white desk¡ªlike it was an old movie. On top of the desk was a girl, a young girl, her skin pale and hair a bluish black. She was the only color in sight. I¡¯d seen her once before, last night when I was asleep. When I was afflicted by the frog.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Why¡¯d you let me get attacked last night?¡± I could hear my own feminine voice again and tried to ignore it. ¡°It¡¯s all for the greater good¡ªyou see, I¡¯m your future daughter,¡± she smiled, an enduring, innocent smile of a young girl. ¡°I¡¯m Jabell, and you¡¯ll be my mother¡ªif you give birth to me. That, or always be a woman.¡± More than a few questions ran through my mind, but they were slow in my sleep. All I managed to say was: ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my resurrection!¡± she yelled with glee, laughing. ¡°Aren¡¯t you happy to see me, Morgan? You¡¯ll give birth to me, the miracle of life, in four months'' time. Or¡­ should I call you Mom?¡± ¡°Please, don¡¯t call me mom! Morgan is fine¡­ but who are you? Why do you talk like it¡¯s already happened?¡± ¡°Because I just know you¡¯ll do it for me. Aren¡¯t I worth it? And you want to become a man again, right? It¡¯ll be easy, you just gotta find someone to inseminate me!¡± ¡°Please, for the love of god, don¡¯t say that!¡± I felt woozy just hearing it. ¡°All the eggs you have in your ovaries, they''re all versions of me! It doesn¡¯t matter too much who the father is, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m a very special child.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re special all right¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m a Moonchild, I suggest you remember that.¡± She puffed her cheeks out, pouting. ¡°Why me?¡± I asked. ¡°Because you¡¯re a good person?¡± ¡°What a lame characteristic, and why do you sound so unsure?!¡± ¡°Because you were destined for this? I kid, of course. I didn¡¯t pick. Ask the vision that afflicted you, why do they attack anyone?¡± That was a wonder of the new world, why afflictions target specific people¡­ and where they came from, for that matter. ¡°Well, looks like times up¡ª¡± I woke up, startled. Audrey had just opened the door, I could see that it was pitch black outside. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to wake you, sorry.¡± ¡°No, thank you¡­ I was having a bad dream,¡± I let out a huge yawn and laid back down, pulling the covers up. ¡°Audrey?¡± I said in a low voice. ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Could I¡­ share your bed, tonight?¡± ¡°Hmm¡ªyou can share my bed every night if you want.¡± I heard her sit down on her bed in the darkness. ¡°Come,¡± she said, patting the bed as she laid down. I got up and felt my way to her bed in the dark¡ªshe was pushed up against the wall, making room for me in the tiny bed. ¡°Thanks for lending me your clothes,¡± I said, laying down next to her in the cramped space. I snuggled up next to her breasts and wrapped my arm around her. I could feel her heartbeat, it was steady, while mine was racing. She wrapped an arm around me, and slipped it up to my shirt, trailing lines across my back with cool hands. I raised my head up and kissed her chest, trailing upwards to her neck. She let out a low moan as I stayed there, kissing her smooth skin, and moved her hand to my breasts, playing with the nipples, slightly twisting them, tracing circles around them. Audrey pushed me down on my back and straddled on top of me, kissing me lightly, several times, then opening her mouth. I accepted her tongue and stuck out mine as they intertwined each other. My whole body was on fire¡ªas both her hands found my breasts and groped them in her hands. I moaned incessantly¡ªI couldn¡¯t help it. She pulled my shirt off of me, and trailed kisses down my neck, chest, and breasts, slowly and tenderly¡ªuntil she got to my nipples, and put her mouth around them, sucking. I had to cover my mouth so I wasn¡¯t too loud, gasping, twisting my body at the pleasure. She moved to the next nipple and gave that attention, then twisted the wet nipple she¡¯d just had in her mouth. I was in ecstasy¡ªit felt too good if anything. ¡°Audrey, stop¡­ stop,¡± I said, breathing heavily. I grabbed her head in my hands and tried to catch my breath. ¡°It feels too good¡­ I can¡¯t stand it¡­¡± To that, she grabbed my panties on either side and slid them off my legs. Trailing her hand up my leg, to the inside of my thigh, and tracing circles around my clit. She positioned herself lower down, and put a thumb on my clit¡ªit felt so much better than when I did it. Then Audrey used her other hand and inserted a finger into me, slowly, slowly, making a come hither movement with her finger. It was the strangest feeling. I had no words to describe it. I practically screamed, covering my mouth with labored breath, wiggling my butt around at the sensation. Her thumb rubbed my clit in circles, driving me crazy, and after what felt like an hour of it, I felt something build up¡­ ¡°I think I¡¯m gonna pee!¡± I said through my hand. Audrey kept at it though, not increasing her speed or lowering it. Then it happened, I felt her hot breath on my mound, and she gave it a kiss. Something released from me, and she kept going, I had to push her away in a panic as another wave washed over me. I clenched my whole body, my breathing going wild. ¡°You came¡­ good girl.¡± She said, in her soft spoken French accent. She rose up next to me and put a finger in my open mouth, and I knew I was tasting my own wetness. I sucked on the finger as she pushed them in and out of my mouth, I was moaning still as she did so. Audrey pulled out her finger and pulled the blanket over us, laying her head on my chest and a hand on my breast. I fell asleep within minutes. = = = Morning, sunlight came in through the small curtains of the camper. I looked next to me, Audrey was sound asleep next to me in the little bed. Carefully, I got up, trying not to wake her. I found my clothes, and as I grabbed my shirt from above Audreys'' head, she stirred from her sleep. ¡°Bonjour,¡± she said in a sleepy voice, rising up and stretching like a cat. She grabbed me by my shirt and puckered her lips, so I leaned in and gave her a kiss, feeling blood rush to my face as I remembered last night. It was Wednesday, and I had nothing on the schedule, nor did I even know what anyone would be up to today¡­ Only one way to find out. I put on the bra, just like how Audrey showed me yesterday by bringing the bra up over my breasts. I couldn¡¯t quite reach far enough up to clasp it behind my back, however. I was struggling, when Audrey came up behind me and did it for me. I looked over to thank her, when I saw what she was wearing¡ªor the lack of what she was wearing. She was naked and I took in her bare, sculpture-like figure. She slapped my ass, and I turned back around, clearing my throat. Ahem. I put on my shirt, but it smelled like sweat. I threw it into my corner of the room and found a nice black shirt I had with a floral pattern on the pocket from my backpack. Lastly, I put on a new pair of boxers. Audrey laughed at seeing me put them on, as she dressed on the other side of the camper. I took a look at her new outfit. It was stylish. A light blue dress that went down just below her knees and matched her eyes. I liked it, a little too frilly for my taste, but it looked great on her. She let her long hair down from the crown of braids, making it wavy. ¡°Let¡¯s have breakfast, yeah?¡± Audrey said. ¡°Yeah¡­ sounds good, I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you didn¡¯t eat me last night, haha!¡± She seemed jovial, smiling. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll return the favor¡­¡± I opened the cabin door and stepped out, Audrey was close behind. ¡°Wait¡ªwhere do they have breakfast?¡± Audrey laughed, and led the way up to the top of the property to James¡¯ trailer, behind it was a couple of picnic tables. Audrey took a seat, and I took one next to her, smelling bacon cooking somewhere nearby. James poked his head out of a patio on the right of us, saying, ¡°Goodmorning, ladies, hahaha!¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Ed?¡± Audrey asked. ¡°He¡¯s working on the guest cabin right about now, he should be up here later. How¡¯d you sleep, Morgan?¡± ¡°Uh¡ªI had a strange dream, but otherwise I slept really well¡­¡± Audrey snickered, kicking my feet with hers. Hey, no footsie! ¡°Good to hear. I slept in that camper before, it¡¯s surprisingly comfortable.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ definitely.¡± ¡°How do you like your eggs?¡± ¡°Over easy,¡± I said. ¡°Well, that¡¯s perfect. Everyone else likes them that way, too.¡± = = = 003, Rust & William Breakfast was good, normal, and great for just eggs and bacon. I decided I¡¯d go for a walk by myself afterward¡ªand I was in the middle of that right now with a big cup full of coffee in my hand. I took a sip of it, perfect temperature for drinking, but they only had sweetened creamer¡ªsome sort of fufu flavor that ruins the taste of the actual coffee. I looked around. Huge towering redwoods surrounded me on all sides, the sun''s low rays beaming over the hill through them. This was one of a few roads that went around the properties here¡­ when I spotted someone way up ahead, walking his dog. I¡¯ll just mind my own business, I guess. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s unusual for someone to be here or anything, this road makes a loop on public property after all. When I saw the breed of dog, a brown lab. Now, I just had to pet it¡­ ¡°Hi,¡± I said as we crossed paths and stopped. It was a man, looking to be about 24 years old if I had to guess. So around my own age. He had red hair and blue eyes, total ginger complete with freckles. ¡°Is your dog friendly?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m Blake,¡± he said with a smile, showing his straight white teeth. I got on a knee and petted the dog. I have a soft spot in my heart for brown labs. I had one as a kid. ¡°I¡¯m Morgan!¡± I said. ¡°Nice to meet you, Blake. I¡¯m visiting my Uncle, his name is James.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m visiting for the summer, myself. Which house is his?¡± ¡°No house, the property at the very end.¡± ¡°Oh, gotcha. Hey, Morgan, would you like to have some coffee with me?¡± I blushed again today, and it wouldn¡¯t be the last time either, I knew. Was he asking me on a date? At his house? He scratched the back of his head¡ª ¡°Actually, I¡¯d love to,¡± I said, surprising myself. ¡°Do you want to go right now? Or I could get your phone number¡ª¡± ¡°No service out here for me, unfortunately. Now sounds good, even though I already got coffee, haha.¡± I raise my cup. He breathed a sigh of relief. It was kind of cute. ¡°Follow me,¡± he said and turned around in the opposite direction, where I was facing. I stood up. ¡°Which house is yours, Blake?¡± ¡°The fancy one on the flat stretch, with the run down barn. It¡¯s my parents, I¡¯m just visiting from Oakland.¡± ¡°You¡¯re from Oakland?¡± ¡°Yeah, from a good part of Oakland, specifically.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Born and raised there, can you tell?¡± ¡°I had no idea there was a good part of Oakland!¡± ¡°Hahaha! Yeah, throws you for a trip. The rest of the city is like slums, nowadays.¡± ¡°I¡¯m from Portland, born and raised in Oregon.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got family there in Portland, actually. Haven¡¯t been there in years, but I like it.¡± ¡°I can barely stand it, what with all the rain¡­ I get depressed by it.¡± ¡°I can imagine, it¡¯s probably good to visit but not to live there.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± I took a sip of coffee, praying he had half and half at his house so I wouldn¡¯t have to drink anymore of this trash. He turned to me, saying, ¡°what are you doing here, by chance?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a secret,¡± I winked. ¡°Ah¡ªthat¡¯s no fun!¡± ¡°I got afflicted, so I wanted to lay low for a while.¡± ¡°Attacked by a vision, eh? What was it?¡± ¡°It happened in a dream¡ªby a frog.¡± He raised his eyebrow at me. Did he know? Oh shit! I felt my body tense up. ¡°Never heard of it,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s probably for the best¡­¡± I sighed this time. ¡°What¡¯s the deal with it?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t had the time to figure it out quite yet. It just happened a couple of days ago, and yesterday was my first day here.¡± ¡°You really didn¡¯t waste any time coming here.¡± ¡°Well¡­ truth is, it turned me into a woman.¡± He whipped his head at me, making a small but audible gasp. ¡°Really? I would¡¯ve never guessed!¡± ¡°Yeah, until three days ago I was a man¡­¡± ¡°Well, you''re certainly a beautiful woman.¡± I felt the blood rush to my face. ¡°You don¡¯t mind, really?¡± ¡°No, why would I? It¡¯s out of your control, anyway.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it kinda weird?¡± ¡°Sure, but afflictions are weird, aren¡¯t they? Why do they do anything? I just didn¡¯t know one could turn you into a woman!¡± ¡°It¡¯s certainly a strange one to get, yeah. There¡¯s a few others that can change your body like that, all of them in dreams.¡± We came up to an electronic gate and he pressed a code into the gate. It swung open, and we walked into his driveway. ¡°Are your parents here, by chance?¡± I asked. ¡°No, they won¡¯t be here all summer because they¡¯re on vacation in Panama.¡± ¡°Cool. It really is a nice house to have all by yourself, huh?¡± ¡°It gets a bit lonely, to be sure, but it¡¯s also nice to be so far away from society, while not really being all that far away at all,¡± Blake said. ¡°I know what you mean, yeah.¡± I was starting to see this ginger¡¯s appeal, he was handsome with a slick haircut and well spoken. Wait¡ªdid I just look at a man that sort of way? I pinched my arm, metaphorically. I wasn¡¯t dreaming, I really did. We walked into his house and kicked off our shoes. He unleashes his dog who runs off somewhere, and we step into the kitchen with an antique look to its tiles and cabinets. I sit down at the table in the dining room past the kitchen. I think it¡¯s even made of redwood¡­ a very nice finish to it. Blake comes over with a cup and coffee pot, filling up my cup and then his with steaming hot mud. ¡°Got any half and half?¡± I ask. ¡°Actually, I do. It¡¯s what I put in my coffee.¡± He goes to the fridge and pulls it out, pouring some in our cups, and finally he sits down with a grunt across from me. I take a sip of the good stuff¡ªit¡¯s perfect. I exhale a sweet victory. ¡°What do you do, Blake?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a pilot. Currently unemployed, however. That¡¯s why I¡¯m taking some time off in these hills.¡± ¡°Amazing¡­ what do you pilot normally?¡± ¡°Just small planes, currently. I want to work at a big airline, and fly big planes. I¡¯ve got my own airplane, just a two seater. It¡¯s how I travel back and forth here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s awesome! I mean, I love flying, that must be awesome, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s definitely a good job, I¡¯m lucky to do what I love for a living.¡± Blake and I talked for well over an hour like that until I decided I should probably get leaving and see what everyone was doing back at camp. ¡°Come by sometime and pay me a visit, you hear?¡± I said to him as I left. He agreed, he would, and offered me a ride back home that I declined. Another walk won¡¯t kill me, I said. ¡°Just so you know, I have internet here by satellite. You can come over whenever,¡± he offered me. ¡°I¡¯ll actually take you up on that.¡± So I walked back, unabated this time. = = = I opened the green beat up gate to James¡¯ property. I had taken the short way back and not the road that goes to the back of the property. Yeah, another walk wouldn¡¯t kill me, but I was feeling lazy today, and I had to use the bathroom. I had learned my lesson, don¡¯t overestimate the strength of my new, smaller bladder. I walked down the trail leading exactly there, but the door was closed. I knocked on it lightly, and Audrey''s muffled voice came from behind. ¡°Occupied!¡± ¡°It¡¯s me, Morgan!¡± This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. There was a moment of pause. I could tell she was unlocking the door by looking at the handle wiggle slightly. ¡°Come in!¡± I opened the door. The light coming in through the door shining brightly down on her smooth, shaved vagina with a landing strip of short hair. Even her vagina is beautiful¡­ I wonder if mine is that pretty, like a flower¡­ ¡°That was a long walk,¡± she said softly, grabbing a bunch of toilet paper. ¡°I met someone named Blake and had coffee at his house. I didn¡¯t realize anyone had power lines out here, but he does.¡± ¡°A few people do, yes. At first, I didn¡¯t like running generators, but now I prefer being off the grid.¡± ¡°How long have you been here, Audrey?¡± ¡°Oh, just a month or so now¡­ I lose track of the days here.¡± She sat up and pulled up her thong, lifting up her dress to do so. It was slightly erotic, and I could feel myself tingle as the image burned into my mind. I sat down on the toilet in her place and started doing my business. ¡°Hey, Audrey, do I have a belle vagina, like you?¡± She blushed and looked down as I spread my legs for her to look. ¡°Oui, tu as un beau vagin,¡± she said in French with a smile, laughing. ¡°Good, thank you. I¡¯m still scared to look. Why did you come here, Audrey? Seems like a strange vacation spot for you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story¡­¡± She hung her head. ¡°I¡¯ve got all day to listen.¡± ¡°Maybe another time.¡± There was a sadness in her voice, just a hint. ¡°Whenever you¡¯re ready to tell me, or you don¡¯t have to at all.¡± I pulled my boxers up and tidied up the skirt I was wearing.. Peeing as a girl was a lot of extra effort if you¡¯re wondering. It also took way longer, of course. ¡°You said you were scared?¡± Audrey asked. ¡°Yeah, this new body gives me a lot of dread. To be fair, it got a lot better after last night. You gave me a confidence boost, a big one!¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad I could help¡­ but why does it scare you?¡± ¡°I feel¡ªa lot different. I surprise myself with the emotions I feel now. It¡¯s all foreign to me, being in this body. So that scares me, I want to pretend I¡¯m not any different, but I keep finding that I¡¯m very different.¡± ¡°You should embrace it, think of it as a once in a lifetime chance to experience something new. While it lasts.¡± I remembered my conversation with my supposed daughter last night¡­ and her bluish hair. We walked out of the outhouse and, with Audrey leading, we went further down into perfectly aligned redwoods. ¡°That is a nice mindset, and I wish it were that easy¡­ But I¡¯ll do anything to become a man again,¡± I said, knowing it to be true. Even if I have to give birth. Audrey read my mind. ¡°Even if you have to have a b¨¦b¨¦?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how uncomfortable it is for me in this new body¡­ Even if I have to have a baby, I¡¯ll find some way to do it. Even if it¡¯s by myself.¡± Audrey grabbed my hand in hers and gently squeezed. It was comforting, I felt comfortable around her, I realized. She was becoming a lighthouse to me¡­ if I were a ship lost at sea. ¡°Where are we going, Audrey?¡± ¡°I¡¯m taking you to see something amazing, just don¡¯t tell anyone I took you.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± I said. We walked hand in hand with the warm spring sun filter through the trees. Walking through black oaks with no established path, we were making our own. Eventually, when you get down far enough, it becomes flat land, and this part of the property looked no different than when I last saw it. It was essentially a junkyard of old vehicles, rusting away down here. In the wintertime, the sunlight never hits this far down, and with the morning mist from the pacific ocean only a stone''s throw away, it just eats up these old cars and trucks. I was told once that a previous generation of my family line used this place for exactly what it looked like now, a junkyard. How anyone could see this magnificent forest and think of littering on it¡­ it was beyond me. Leave no trace, that¡¯s how I operate, and I¡¯m even a city boy. I mean, look how I¡¯m dressed! You wouldn¡¯t catch any country girl dead in what I was wearing, not that I currently had much choice about the purple skirt. Speaking of the skirt, it wasn¡¯t actually so bad. It felt like you weren¡¯t wearing anything on your bottom half, which is nice. I wasn¡¯t just getting used to it, I was starting to like it. No wonder the Celts wore skirts, they had the right idea! We walked on an old, unused road through the labyrinth of rusted cars, both of us looking at the ground so we didn¡¯t get tetanus stepping on something sharp. Passing in between the graves of old, old motor vehicles, we finally came to a small river. The river was technically on our property. We stepped over a log that crossed the stream, and Audrey pointed to our right. ¡°See that swimming hole? We can go there when it gets hot, and in the spring it¡¯s great for fishing. You can catch steelhead there, passing by to their spawning grounds way up the river. Do you want to go fishing with me after I show you this place?¡± ¡°Yes, but you¡¯ll have to teach me how to fish.¡± ¡°There¡¯s not much to it, and there¡¯s plenty of fish.¡± ¡°How do you know so much about fishing?¡± ¡°James taught me. He loves to fish, it¡¯s his thing.¡± We walked in silence, no longer holding hands, making our way up a steep grade. It was killing my legs. We reached the top, climbing over some short rocks where the top came into a dip in the ground, and I saw it. There was no missing it since there were few trees around up here. It was a Mech, an old one with poison ivy growing on it and all around it. It stood about 12 feet tall, 7 feet wide. Its arms are in a defensive pose crossed together in an X. I walked around it, stunned. ¡°How¡¯d it get left here? It¡¯s even an ARMS model, used for big wars¡­ Why¡¯d the military leave it?¡± ¡°I stumbled on it myself when I was exploring the property. James said that when California split from the U.S. that they had a battle out here, a minor one. This must be leftover from that, but nobody knows why it was left, even if it was no longer functioning¡­ it makes no sense.¡± No sense is right¡­ These things cost millions to build, they¡¯re cutting edge tech. They lost a fortune leaving it here¡­ I found the ladder leading up to the cockpit and started climbing. ¡°Morgan, there¡¯s poison ivy!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not allergic, don¡¯t worry¡­¡± I climbed up and grabbed the hatch into it, ripping off poison ivy and throwing it to the ground until it was clear. It surreptitiously opened with a creak from the hinges and hydraulics keeping it closed¡­ I could smell a horrible smell coming from inside. ¡°Woah!¡± I jumped back without meaning to, falling several feet down to land hard on my ass on the ground. ¡°Ouch¡­¡± I got up and wiped the dirt off my skirt. ¡°What¡¯d you see?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a skeleton in there¡­ And it smelt like shit.¡± I climbed up enough to close the hatch and stepped back down. ¡°You¡¯re right, Audrey. This really is amazing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an oddity of this place, out of space and time,¡± she said. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t tell anyone about this. How about we go fishing?¡± = = = There were some fishing poles leaning against a nearby tree next to the swimming hole and sure as hell you could see fish in the clear, blue water. They already had a sinker and lure on, so all she had to do was tell me how to cast and reel in. There really wasn¡¯t all that much to fishing, I quickly realized. We sat in a grassy spot above the swimming hole, where we could still see our sinker in case either of us got a bite. The swimming hole itself was pretty big, considering how small the actual river leading into it was, and had a steady current going through it. Perfect conditions for fishing, I thought. I cast out my line for the first time, hitting the sweet spot near Audrey¡¯s own lure and I watched as they bobbed down the stream. When the thought hits me: is this all there is to it? I didn¡¯t have the patience to do this for even half an hour! This is like watching paint dry, or grass grow, for fucks sake! Not unless I get a bite every five minutes, this was not gonna work as a relaxing event, not for me. ¡°It''s boring, huh?¡± Audrey said. ¡°You have a strange way of reading my mind, that makes twice today.¡± ¡°Great minds think alike, as they say.¡± ¡°How about we get some beer instead?¡± ¡°I can do you one better,¡± she said as she reeled in her line. ¡°How about we drink some booze? It has less calories than those beers.¡± Ever conscientious of what she puts in her body, even when it comes to boozing at noon. ¡°We have liquor here? Hell yeah, that sounds good.¡± ¡°Not here, a friend I made on this road does. He¡¯s a bit of a drunk, but a nice man. Come on, let¡¯s go!¡± I reeled in my line and put the pole back where I found it, next to the one Audrey had been using, against a tree. We started walking at a brisk pace up the slope, to the top of the property, and out the green gate. ¡°His house is the one next to us, the one with the goats!¡± ¡°You¡¯re certainly excited¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m excited to actually get drunk!¡± She spun around in the road, her dress rising in the spin, and laughed with joy. ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited¡­ or too drunk, for that matter. I¡¯m not sure if I have the strength to carry you back.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me,¡± she pointed dramatically to herself, ¡°I¡¯m a heavyweight!¡± ¡°Now I¡¯m really worried¡­¡± I sighed. We came up to their double gate, a shiny silver affair, and walked right in. I closed the gate behind me so the goats couldn¡¯t escape. The goats were busy running away from us, and eating grass, as we walked up to the front door of a normal beige house, so normal looking that it seemed out of place¡­ maybe because all the other houses didn¡¯t look so new? It surprised me when Audrey walked right into the house¡ªexactly how well did she know this guy? ¡°William! It¡¯s me, Audrey!¡± She yelled into the house, and I walked in behind her. ¡°I brought a cute friend! Ouch!¡± I pinched her upper arm. Only a dirty old man would come running for that¡­ ¡°I¡¯m in the kitchen!¡± Came an old man¡¯s voice from further in the house. Audrey turned a corner and stopped, I nearly ran into her. ¡°Hey, old man! Wanna drink with me and my friend, Morgan?¡± Audrey grabbed me around the waist and pulled me into view of him¡­ He was an older man, clean shaven and gray moppy hair, but he looked fit as a fiddle. I couldn¡¯t quite pin his age, he was definitely over 50, but was he as old as 60? ¡°I¡¯d love to,¡± he said, cooking something on the stove with an apron on. He had a clean smile, and looked youthful enough. He came up to me and held out his hand, ¡°I¡¯m William.¡± I shook his hand, I could feel his strong grip and callused hand. ¡°And I¡¯m Morgan, it¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± ¡°What¡¯re you making?¡± Audrey asked. ¡°Just some top ramen, you want some? I can still make some more, I¡¯ve got beef and chicken flavor.¡± ¡°It is about time for lunch¡ªOui, I¡¯ll take you up on that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pass,¡± I said. I didn¡¯t feel very comfortable with it, for some reason. Probably just my anxiety, having only met him a minute ago. ¡°I¡¯ve got brandy today, does that sound good?¡± Audrey laughed. ¡°You always only have brandy!¡± ¡°Brandy is good, though¡­ On the rocks, both of you?¡± ¡°Yes, please,¡± said Audrey, going into the front room. I looked around, and there was no dinner table. I¡¯m guessing she¡¯s been over more than a few times. I sat down next to her on the bisectional couch. I felt awkward for some reason. Normally meeting new people doesn¡¯t do this to me, not that it¡¯s never happened before¡­ I must want to make a good impression. William came over and placed two glasses of orange colored brandy with ice onto the coffee table in front of us, then went back to the kitchen without a word. I took a sip¡ªit was definitely apple brandy, pretty strong stuff too. I looked over at Audrey, she had drunk almost all of her¡¯s, wiping her mouth. ¡°That¡¯s not how you''re supposed to drink that¡­¡± ¡°Oh? This is how I always do it,¡± she gave me a sweet smile. She¡¯s so fucking sexy¡­ it¡¯s downright criminal. I took another sip, not that I was going to keep pace at this rate. ¡°He makes this himself, ya know?¡± Audrey said. ¡°Really, now? That¡¯s impressive, this is good stuff.¡± ¡°There¡¯s not all that much to it,¡± William said, holding two bowls in his hands. He placed one near Audrey and took his to the recliner across from us, sitting down. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re being humble¡­ I wouldn¡¯t have known this was moonshine if you didn¡¯t tell me!¡± I said. ¡°You just mash some apples in a barrel, add water and yeast. I get the apples from my neighbor''s orchard,¡± he pointed out his front door window. ¡°The water from my well, and the yeast and barrels from a store. It¡¯s dead simple, if I can do it anybody can.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your profession?¡± I asked. ¡°I worked on enhancements, in a laboratory. The kind you weld on. I¡¯m retired now, however.¡± ¡°Really¡­ So you could work on, say, a Mech? Or do some custom work on a computer?¡± Audrey elbowed me. He laughed. It was a joyous, loud laugh. ¡°It¡¯s funny you mention that, I¡¯ve worked on Mechs a lot in my time. Computers are too small for me to work on, though.¡± ¡°You must¡¯ve retired early, then.¡± ¡°I did¡­ at 45 years old. I figured, I contributed enough to the war economy enough already by that age. I threw in the towel. I¡¯m 65 now, getting old.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lot of weight to carry, to be sure,¡± I said. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to dreg anything up¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m an open book, don¡¯t worry about it!¡± He laughed. = = = 004, Whispers & Intruder ¡°I need a refill, please!¡± Audrey yelled with a glint in her eyes. I¡¯d seen that glint in my own eyes before and on others. She was gonna get wasted. ¡°Refill!¡± ¡°Please, refill me!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have another¡­¡± ¡°Oh god, I¡¯m drunk.¡± Four and a half highballs in, Audrey said that. That¡¯s pretty impressive in its own right, especially for a woman. ¡°I think we better leave,¡± I said. ¡°Just one more glass¡­¡± ¡°No, we¡¯re leaving,¡± I looked at William. He¡¯d been keeping pace with her outlandish speed, but he looked just the same as two and a half hours ago¡ªwith a glass in his hand and legs crossed in that recliner. ¡°Thank you for the brandy,¡± I said to him. ¡°But we¡¯ve gotta get back.¡± ¡°Want a drive back?¡± I looked at Audrey. ¡°Can you walk?¡± ¡°Walk? Hell, I could run! Woohoo!¡± She raised her arms in a victory pose. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hot tub!¡± ¡°Alright,¡± I said, we both stood up, and Audrey wobbled. I grabbed her hand, and we let ourselves out. As we closed the door shut William called to us, ¡°Be safe out there!¡± ¡°He¡¯s a fascinating old man, that¡¯s for sure¡­¡± I said to nobody in particular. ¡°Was it just me, or was he looking at me funny?¡± ¡°Remember how I whispered something to him¡­¡± Audrey said. ¡°Yeah, what the hell did you whisper?¡± ¡°I asked him if he¡¯d get you pregnant, because of your situation and all!¡± And he had nodded vigorously, yes? My face turned to beat red in the afternoon sun, I felt like I could pass out. ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t have done that¡­¡± ¡°Well, he said he would! That¡¯s good news, right?¡± She hiccuped. ¡°And now that I¡¯m drunk, I can tell you how I got here¡­ but only once we¡¯re in the hot tub.¡± ¡°We really have a hot tub?¡± ¡°We have a whole bathhouse! Carved out of redwood! Do you want to take a bath with me¡­ or maybe a shower?¡± She was stumbling all over the place. I was certain if I wasn¡¯t holding her hand she¡¯d have tripped by now. ¡°It¡¯s a little hot for a hot tub right now¡­ A warm bath sounds nice, but won¡¯t they think something¡¯s up if we take a bath together?¡± I was referring of course to James and Ed. I was a man who preferred privacy. ¡°They¡¯re probably still gone¡­ don¡¯t worry about it!¡± She hiccuped. ¡°Did you know, the moment I saw you, I said to myself: I¡¯m gonna have sex with her. It was love at first sight! I love yooou, Morgan!¡± Another hiccup. ¡°I think you call that lust at first sight, and you¡¯re drunk. Probably only getting drunker still, for that matter.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It takes a while for alcohol to process through your body, so¡ª¡± ¡°No, I mean,¡± hic, ¡°don¡¯t you love me back¡­¡± I could hear an undertone of pouting in her voice. ¡°Yes, Audrey¡­ I love you, too.¡± I said it because I know she doesn¡¯t mean it, either. She¡¯s probably just drunk. ¡°You better not be just saying that¡­ I¡¯ll remember this.¡± Gah! What should I say? ¡°Well, my feelings are a little more complex than ¡®love,¡¯ all I know on this second day I met you is that I like you, a lot¡­ I think we have good chemistry.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that¡­¡± ¡°Because¡­ it¡¯s like you see right through me, and most people struggle to understand me. Isn¡¯t that enough?¡± ¡°Good chemistry, huh?¡± ¡°If I were lightning, wild and uncontrollable, you¡¯d be the ground that brings me back to earth¡­¡± ¡°Sounds poetic,¡± hic. ¡°I wrote it¡ªa long time ago, now.¡± ¡°It was about a different girl, right?¡± She¡¯s nothing if not sharp¡­ ¡°Yes, but now it¡¯s about you. That¡¯s how I feel about you.¡± We walked in through the green gate and made our way down to the bathhouse. I''d seen it earlier when I went on a walk, it¡¯s pretty close to the outhouse¡ªit was just a bit further down the hill. We made our way through the redwoods, and I thought I should take back up writing poetry. I should write something about these trees, majestic as they are. The bathhouse wasn¡¯t very private, now that I was looking at it. It had a sort of fencing around the bottom half, and no walls. The shower had a curtain around it, but if anyone walked by they could totally see you in the round tub of a bath. We walked in and Audrey began stripping immediately. I shrugged and turned on the faucet to the tub first. ¡°This probably uses a generator?¡± I said. ¡°Nope, a bunch of solar panels on the roof power the water heater. You just have to flip the switch when you''re about to use it for a bath.¡± I went over to the water heater, it was pretty small, everything considered, and found the big red switch on its panel. It started humming. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. I felt the water coming out of the faucet. It was too hot, so I turned it down until it was comfortable, then I looked at Audrey. She was already in her birthday suit, dipping a toe in the bath. I marveled at her hourglass figure. I was like a board compared to her, even if I did fit in her bra. She had so many curves, in all the right places. A true woman, I only wish someone could make me a statue of her nude form to permanent her beauty. Not that I could ever forget her now, even if I tried, even if I lived 300 years. I stripped down to nothing and sat across from Audrey on the edge of the round tub with my feet in the rapidly rising water. It would be just big enough for both of us, the water was the perfect temperature, and I sighed in relief. Audrey took a few deep breaths and slid from the edge of the tub into it, perched on a board for sitting inside of it. ¡°I was disowned¡ªby my stepfather,¡± Audrey said. ¡°He was just waiting for an excuse if you ask me. The heartbreak in it was when my mother agreed to it, and will no longer talk to me¡­ It¡¯s like, that side of the family died tragically to me, even though they''re perfectly alive and well in reality.¡± ¡°That must make it worse¡­¡± ¡°It does. At least if they were dead I could have a funeral and say goodbye. But one day they figured out I was having a relationship with a woman¡ªthey¡¯re Catholics, you see?¡ªThey kicked me out on the streets. Threw everything I owned into the road and locked the doors. My stepfather yelled at me as I slammed the door and begged forgiveness, begging to talk to my mother. I haven¡¯t heard from them since.¡± I slid into the bath and turned off the facet, with water spilling over the sides I moved to her and hugged her. ¡°There are five stages of grief, I was told by a therapist. But I skipped over all of them. It felt like I was in somebody else''s body¡­ like I wasn¡¯t even human. In despair and dissociation, I lost my job, and my housing and I became homeless and suicidal. I walked the streets in a daze, wanting to die.¡± I rubbed her back. ¡°So you came here?¡± ¡°Oui, I contacted my cousins asking to go someplace far away from my home. One of them knew James and gave me his number. He told me to come over, he even paid for the flight. He said ¡®I don¡¯t know a better place to heal than the redwoods.¡¯ I think he¡¯s right, I¡¯m doing much better here¡­¡± I pulled away and sat on my end. She wasn¡¯t weeping, not a single tear to her eyes, but she had this solemn look on her face so unlike the bubbly personality I¡¯ve seen from her. It was a stark contrast. It goes to show how we¡¯ve all got more than one side. More than one persona¡ªher devil may care attitude, happy-go-lucky personality¡ªit was a front. A front for some deep darkness inside her. I could see that darkness right now. I could tell there was more, perhaps much more, that she was leaving out. She simply gave me the sparknotes version, a footnote in a thick novel, the synopsis of a story¡­ I¡¯m sure for as many curves she has on her body, there¡¯s something there to her. Something unsaid. ¡°I think I need a beer,¡± she said. ¡°I think you¡¯re good for tonight¡­ Enjoy the bath.¡± She moved over to me in the water, making a small wake, and kissed me lightly on the lips, the neck, and licked. In a small voice, she whispered in my ear, ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to get drunk on you¡­¡± She nibbled on my earlobe and a small moan escaped my lips. Her hand found its way to my right breast and pinched my nipple, I could feel it stiffen at the attention, getting sensitive to her touch. I kissed her back with my tongue and grabbed her breasts, feeling their full weight in my hands. I trailed a line down her body to her vagina and found a stiff clit waiting to be touched. She moaned in my ear as I rubbed her with my hand. Audrey moved so she was sitting on my lap with her legs around my back, and she kissed me for minutes as I focused on her clit. She grabbed my hand underneath the water and lowered it. I extended my middle finger and inserted it inside her warm body, and she gasped, resting her head on my shoulder, she gasped over and over again. Her legs began to squeeze me after a while, and I realized she had a hand behind her back, with a finger up her butt. Audrey quivered, and I slowed down to a stop. She stood up, turned around, and presented me with her perfectly round butt with her hands on the sides of the tub. ¡°Eat me,¡± she said, waving her butt in the air. I grabbed ahold of her butt and blew hot air on her smooth skin, before licking up and down, tasting her wetness. I was mesmerized by the taste of it, by the lewd sound of her moans, I put my thumb on her clit and began licking with abandon. Her legs quivered, her body convulsed, and I kept at it until she sank back into the water, holding her hand between her legs, saying, ¡°Holy shit¡­¡± Her mouth was wide open, gasping for breath. It took her a few minutes to calm back down and say something. ¡°Can I just relax in here¡­ I¡¯ll take care of you later¡­¡± Her eyes were closed, head sunk back in the water. I thought she was radiating a glow in the after moments. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m gonna get us beers, actually. One won¡¯t hurt.¡± She really hadn¡¯t been kidding when she said she was a heavyweight. I stood up from the warm bath into the warm sun¡¯s rays, my whole body tingling. ¡°I dare you to go get them naked! Haha!¡± ¡°Fine,¡± I shrugged. ¡°Nobodies here anyways.¡± ¡°You can wear my sandals,¡± Audrey said, looking at me as I stepped out of the bath. I could definitely feel her gaze on my butt¡­ That¡¯s something you¡¯d never say as a man. I put on her sandals and headed to the ice cooler, it would be near the garden, which was directly north of here, in the center of the planted redwoods. As I got further away from the bathhouse, I got more and more excited down there¡­ and a bit scared in my complete nudity. If someone was here¡­ What if they saw me? I was defenseless, and out in the open! I covered my breasts, as if that would do anything, and started running through the trees to the garden, looking all around me once I got there like a paranoid dictator looking out for assassins. To my great dismay, I saw someone! I ducked behind a tree and almost screeched, covering my mouth with my hand¡­ when I realized what was happening. He was masked¡ªthat might give the wrong impression¡­ He was wearing a mask¡ªof a crude representation¡ªof Ronald Regan. The rest of him was dressed in a blue robe, like he was a wizard from Final Fantasy, with a knapsack over his shoulder, clanking as he moved. In other words¡ªit was a burglar. Oddly dressed, sure, but a thief nonetheless. I decided at that moment exactly what I¡¯d do, as I hid behind the tree. I was going to follow the motherfucker. I peaked my head out. Ronald Reagan¡ªthe man or woman, there was no way to tell¡ªwas moving at a brisk speed, half running, on a road down the slope of the property. I waited until he was out of sight then moved from tree to tree until I spotted him again. It looked like he was going to take the road out of here, never straying from that path. He stopped and I hid behind the tree I was near. I would know he was moving again when I hear the clanking sound from his knapsack of stolen goods. I waited, hyper aware of my nudeness, trying to control my breathing. A minute passed, but there was no sound. I peeked around the tree, as slowly as I could. He was gone. I looked around and spotted his bright blue robe in the trees, going west. I climbed down a small embankment to the road and across the other side, climbing up the opposite side''s embankment. He was making a mad dash through the trees now, carrying the goods in his hands like you would a baby. I¡¯d lose him if I didn¡¯t run, so I did. I was getting scrapes on my arms and legs from bushes and branches, but I ignored them, streaking through the forest like a demon! Like I was a demon chasing after someone¡­ if you define a demon as a naked woman wearing only sandals. If he continued this way, It would take him on the west road around the houses. So he scooped out the lay of the land beforehand. He was using a trail¡ªbasically a shortcut¡ªwhile I was running from tree to tree. I ran after him for a few minutes, losing sight of him sometimes, but knowing where the trail would take him since I took it this morning for a walk. Reagan stopped once he got to the road leading out of here. I peeked from behind a tree, thinking it might give me a clue. I was right, it did. Ronald Reagan pulled up his robe and revealed¡ªthat it was a she, she was pulling up her tight, black stockings. This is where I had to stop. On the left of the road, from where I was facing, was a bank so steep you couldn¡¯t walk on it. To the right was a gully with water at the bottom from recent heavy rain. I wasn¡¯t going to take my chances with either, not naked. But this was more than enough information. I followed the road back to the bathhouse, my exhibitionist trip for beer ruined. = = = 005, Scratches & Changes I looked down at myself. I had at least three cuts that were bleeding, and a dozen other scratches all over my naked body, mostly on my legs. Mud covered my hands and knees and I just knew my hair was a mess. I was probably a half mile away from the bathhouse, where I could take a shower and actually clean myself with shampoo and a bar of soap, or whatever it was they had on hand. I was thinking of a relaxing shower, by myself, when I heard a car¡¯s tires on the road''s gravel. Again, I hid behind a tree off the trail. My hands were against the tree, and I looked both ways, trying to discern where the car was. Electric cars are hard to hear. However, I made a huge mistake. Where I hid didn¡¯t hide me, it only made me more visible when they went further down the road. ¡°Audrey! Not again!¡± I heard James say from the road. My head shot in his direction. He was in a golf cart putting down the road. From where I was ¡°hiding,¡± he could now see me fully. I froze, stock still. Did he say ¡°not again?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Morgan¡­ What the hell happened to you?¡± I covered my red face, but I realized I should be covering other things. I put an arm around my breasts, an arm covering my junk¡ªI forgot I didn¡¯t have junk anymore, so in a panic, I closed my legs and squatted down. Embarrassed, my face must¡¯ve looked like hot lava. That¡¯s what it felt like. ¡°I was taking a bath when I saw a burglar!¡± I said. ¡°He looked like Ronald Reagan!¡± ¡°No, not again!¡± He practically howled, slamming the steering wheel, ¡°My fishing trophies! Which way did he go?!¡± ¡°The south road around the properties! Wait, did you say ¡®fishing trophies¡¯?!¡± Did I just chase down someone for fucking fishing trophies?! James, looking absolutely furious, put the pedal to the metal as fast as a golf cart can go. The cart swerved wildly down the gravel road and out of sight. ¡°What the fuck¡­ is happening around here?¡± I got up and ran at breakneck speeds back to the bathhouse. = = = Audrey was still in the bath when I got there out of breath, bleeding, and muddy. ¡°What the hell happened to you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story¡­¡± I opened the curtain to the shower and turned the knobs. I heard water splash as Audrey stood up and came over to me. ¡°Please, I can at least shower by myself¡­¡± In her low, enticing accent, she said, ¡°I wanted to show you how to use beauty products¡­¡± She hung her head in defeat. How could I refuse that? I grabbed her hand and pulled her into the shower with me. That made her smile. ¡°Do you have oily hair?¡± She reached a hand behind my head and pulled my medium length hair out of my ponytail. She looked me in the eyes as she did so, and I felt myself get wet between my legs. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like you do¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­ most of the time, it¡¯s pretty dry.¡± ¡°Then only use shampoo twice a week. I¡¯d say once, but we live off the grid, so dirt is a problem.¡± I nodded. I liked learning new things. So that¡¯s how girls wash their hair¡­ ¡°Here¡¯s my condition,¡± she handed me a purple bottle. ¡°You can use it now. It¡¯s for women, it¡¯ll make your hair feel like silk.¡± I nodded and squirted some in my hand, then slapped it onto my head. ¡°No, no, no. You don¡¯t rub conditioner into your scalp, that¡¯s how you use shampoo! You work it into your hair, and leave it in until the end of your shower.¡± She demonstrated with her own long hair. She put some conditioner into her hand, then flipped her hair to the front of her head and worked it in. ¡°See?¡± I copied her, working it through my hair. She handed me another bottle. ¡°Face cleanser,¡± she held out her hands and I emptied some into her hands. She demonstrated, rubbing in circles from the top to the bottom of her cute face. Again, I copied her and was careful to wash it off, but leave the conditioner in. ¡°Body rub,¡± she said. ¡­ ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± she concluded, standing under the showerhead. ¡°Wow, there¡¯s a lot of things for girls to do in the shower!¡± I was genuinely surprised by the end of it. We must¡¯ve been here for half an hour¡­ ¡°Taking care of yourself isn¡¯t easy, but it¡¯s worth it!¡± She said with a smile. ¡°Now that that¡¯s over, you get your reward¡­¡± She kissed me, the French way, and I wrapped my arms around her body as she felt me up and down. She grabbed my ass and I jumped a bit, then kissed my neck, sucking. A moan escaped my lips. ¡°No hickies!¡± I yelled. ¡°What if it¡¯s somewhere no one can see?¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s okay¡­¡± She lowed her kisses down, down to my breasts. She sucked my nipple, I imagined it was somewhat like how a baby breastfeeds. I couldn¡¯t help it, I gasped over and over. ¡°Audrey, too sensitive!¡± I pushed her head away. When a booming voice interrupted us¡ª ¡°Morgan! Audrey!¡± It was James yelling. My partner sighed. ¡°We¡¯re in the shower, give us a moment!¡± Audrey yelled back. She and I stepped out, turned off the shower, and got dressed in the same clothes as before. My whole body was aching, that want to be touched, but I tried my hardest to ignore it. ¡°We¡¯re dressed!¡± I yelled once we were. James came from behind a redwood, walking up looking sad, detrimentally sad. I¡¯d only ever seen the guy laughing. ¡°I can¡¯t believe they stole my fishing trophies, again! That damn Ronald Reagan!¡± He threw his dad hat to the ground. ¡°I¡¯ll get that bastard this time! Mark my words¡­ I¡¯ll get him if it kills me!¡± Ed walked up at that time from the trees. He moves silently for being so big¡­ He placed a strong hand on James¡¯ shoulder, saying, ¡°it¡¯s okay¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s not okay!¡± He shoved his shoulder away, ¡°Those are my pride and joy! Those are my sweet little babies, and they played me like a damn violin!¡± He began stomping his hat into the dirt. What the hell do you even make of this? We all kept silent for a moment as James raged on¡­ Well, there was something I could do about it. ¡°I¡¯ll get them back for you,¡± I said. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°How?¡± James asked. ¡°I¡¯m basically a detective in training, supernatural specialist, remember? It can¡¯t be too hard to catch a prankster¡ªI mean, thief.¡± ¡°Oh, Morgan! If you did, I would handsomely reward you!¡± He turned jovial just like that, coming up and hugging me. I felt¡­ uncomfortable in his embrace, and tried to gently push him away. ¡°Sorry¡­ Sometimes I forget you¡¯re a man at heart,¡± he said, regaining his composure. Yeah, you and me both¡­ I had just spent most of an hour applying beauty products when I knew I¡¯d never do it again. Probably. I wondered at how sensitive my body was to people¡¯s touch now, even just people looking. Being a woman is so strange. ¡°Which road did you look for him on?¡± I asked. The road forked, going in between properties, or to the highway, in front of the very first house on the road. ¡°I went left at the fork in the road, but I didn¡¯t find the bastard.¡± ¡°That means she must be on the first two properties¡­ Alright. Thank you, James.¡± ¡°What did you figure out?¡± James tilted his head at me. ¡°If she lives on this road, which is likely, that means the road he took leads to her house, or near it. So the road that leads to the end of the private road? That leads to the first two houses at the entrance of the road from the highway.¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°You¡¯re really talking like a detective,¡± Audrey said, giggling. ¡°James, could you show me where you keep the fishing trophies?¡± ¡°Yes, follow me.¡± We all walked up the top of the property, into that patio where James had been cooking this morning. Amongst all the cooking stuff on the counters, there was a cabinet sitting alone to the side that had a glass door and a lock on it, wide open. This must be where the trophies were. ¡°Who knew about them?¡± I asked. ¡°Everyone,¡± Ed answered in his rumbling voice. ¡°He showed them off to everyone, and it¡¯s not exactly hidden.¡± James cursed under his breath. ¡°Damn, damn my foolishness!¡± ¡°OK¡­¡± ¡°Back there you said ¡®she,¡¯ but weren¡¯t they dressed in a blue robe, like last time?¡± Ed asked. ¡°I caught them pulling up their stockings, so I¡¯m assuming it must be a she. What happened last time, now? You did say it¡¯s happened before¡­¡± ¡°It was April 1st, I was fishing down at the swimming hole, and when I came back up for a beer after a hard day¡­ Ronald Reagan was staring me in the face. He was too fast, however, and I lost him!¡± April fools¡­ Ed nodded in agreement. ¡°That person was extremely quick on their feet, we old guys stood no chance.¡± I remembered back to my chase. He was fast, that was certain, but to outrun James? He might not look it, but I¡¯m certain in a sprint James would beat me seven out of ten times. He was actually quite fit from working hard his whole life. ¡°One other thing¡­ Why were you two taking a shower together?¡± James asked. I froze up. I hated keeping secrets¡­ ¡°I was showing her how to use beauty products¡­¡± Audrey said, not very convincingly. James gave us both a look. There was more than a bit of doubt in it, while I tried desperately not to avoid his gaze. I failed. Then he shrugged. ¡°We should have a talk later, but never mind that for now. I¡¯ll leave this up to you, and if you get them back I¡¯ll give you a sizable reward.¡± In other words, he saw right through me¡ªthrough us. But it wasn¡¯t worth reprimanding¡­ I cleared my throat, ahem, and said, ¡°I can promise you, I¡¯ll get them back. Could you do me a favor, I need new clothes and I¡¯m tight on money right now¡­¡± ¡°I can front you some cash tomorrow when we go into town and get you clothes, no worries,¡± he waved a dismissive hand. ¡°I can¡¯t have you running around naked!¡± He laughed his usual loud, manly laugh. Thank god he got his sense of humor back¡­ I think I just saw him go through the five stages of grief within minutes. ¡°There¡¯s still light in the day,¡± Ed says, ¡°but how about we retire to the campfire for now?¡± I looked up at the setting sun, then my watch. It said it was 7:15, so there was a good hour left of sunlight. Man does time fly when you¡¯re having a good time¡­ ¡°How about Morgan and I make dinner tonight?¡± Audrey proposed. ¡°Sounds good, I got more beer by the way¡ªso help yourselves. What¡¯re you going to make?¡± ¡°A delicacy from France,¡± Audrey said, puffing out her chest. ¡°You¡¯ll love it, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re a fantastic cook of things I¡¯ve never even thought of before!¡± He bellowed a laugh. ¡°Go wild, Audrey.¡± ¡°You know me, James, I¡¯m a wild woman!¡± Audrey grabbed a hair tie from her wrist and put her hair up. She looks good in a ponytail. ¡°Get the fire started, we¡¯ll get to work here. And bring us a beer, won¡¯t you?¡± James nodded and headed down a trail to the garden, due west of us. Ed took off for the campfire, going around the trailer, some fifty feet below us. ¡°You really know how to defuse a situation¡­ it was starting to get tense, or was that just me?¡± I said. ¡°You get good at it, as a woman. Women need to know how to solve problems peacefully, you see? And nothing solves a problem better than cooking a decent meal.¡± My mind drifted to stereotypes. Women are like this, women are supposed to be like that, but beyond stereotypes, she was right¡­ There certainly are attributes that make someone feminine. And had she not just defused the situation in a feminine way? I felt like I needed to sit down and think, and think hard about things¡­ about my situation. I¡¯d been so busy having fun with Audrey that I still hadn¡¯t sat down and simply thought about it¡­ All I had were vague feelings. ¡°Audrey, I¡¯m going to talk to James. It might take a while,¡± I said, running down the trail after him. I found him quick enough, at the ice chest in the garden with four beers in his hands. ¡°Hey, Morgan, looks like you got something to say.¡± ¡°It¡¯s less something I need to say, and idea¡¯s I need to bounce around. Will you help me?¡± ¡°Always. Let me drop off these beers, then we¡¯ll go on a walk. How¡¯s that sound?¡± ¡°Perfect,¡± I heard my own reedy voice say. ¡°There¡¯s an elephant in the room, you know that, right?¡± He started walking back up the way we came. ¡°I know, and I¡¯ll just lay it on the table. Me and Audrey are¡­ more than close,¡± I blushed, looking at the ground as I walked behind James. ¡°I don¡¯t really care, but be careful and don¡¯t hurt her,¡± he said. ¡°Don¡¯t say anything, right now I just want you to imagine all the ways a relationship can hurt.¡± There was a lull in the conversation as I followed him up the slope. I thought about my own past relationships with women I¡¯ve known and loved at some point, just like he told me to. I thought of the breakups, I thought of the girl I almost proposed to and who broke my heart for our own self-preservation. I won¡¯t regale you with all the things I thought as we walked from Audrey to Ed, James handing them beers with a ¡°hear you go,¡± and, ¡°thank you.¡± I knew he just wanted to keep our conversation private, that¡¯s why he told me to say nothing for now and think¡­ But I was really thinking about it. Eventually, we were on the top road, walking side by side. At the fork, we went straight. I¡¯d never taken this road before. I heard a few frogs in the background, croaking. I smelt the fresh forest air, and finally, I looked around at the most perfect, flawless trees that exist; towering above us as the sun waned and stars flickered into existence in the sky. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt her. Since she¡¯s seen you the very first time, she¡¯s been in a much happier mood than I¡¯ve ever seen. But that¡¯s the thing, Morgan. Everything has two sides, everything is a double edged sword. What makes her happy today¡ªI¡¯m talking about you¡ªIt has two edge¡¯s to it, and it could bring her down again.¡± I understood what he was saying. For every high in a relationship, there¡¯s a possible, opposite low. That¡¯s what I was just thinking about, all the hurt I¡¯d felt before. And when I thought about it, all those same relationships had their high highs as well. ¡°She loves me, doesn¡¯t she? James, I¡¯m not quick to fall in love, but I do really like her. I¡¯ve been myself around her, and so naturally¡ª¡± ¡°Then just be careful. She¡¯s recovering from grave wounds to her soul and pride as a human. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard something, but I¡¯ve heard all of it¡ª¡± ¡°As a human, and not a woman?¡± ¡°That, too. Her pride as a woman, as well. I¡¯ve said what I wanted to say, what do you have?¡± ¡°As I see it, Audrey is promoting me, me embracing being a woman. In all sorts of ways. She¡¯s teaching me how to put on products like a woman, dress like one, and take care of myself like one¡­ And that¡¯s great, but I¡­¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t come to terms with it? Being a girl?¡± ¡°I had a dream with my affliction. Have you ever, with yours?¡± ¡°Yes, whenever I¡¯m seriously stressed¡­ It¡¯s very strange.¡± ¡°Yes, it is. Long story short, I¡¯ll be a woman forever¡­ or I have to give birth. That¡¯s what it said.¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°I want to be a male again, and I thought I¡¯d do anything including give birth to turn back¡­ but I¡¯m scared.¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite a conundrum, a can of worms¡­ What feels right?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve spent my whole life with a dick¡ªI miss it, I feel insecure without it, I feel insecure in this female body. But with Audrey around, I can almost forget all about it.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you do this: embrace being a woman, and if you don¡¯t like it you can¡­ find a way to turn back, you know what I mean? As I see it, you¡¯ve got all the time in the world to figure it out. You¡¯re rushing yourself to a conclusion, but there¡¯s no rush in the first place.¡± No rush¡­ just a conundrum. ¡°It¡¯s a philosophical nightmare¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re thinking too hard,¡± James laughed. ¡°No philosophy need be involved, that¡¯s just being realistic. Let Audrey teach you the ropes like she has been, make up your mind afterward.¡± I thought about his words. They seemed wise, indeed. I trusted James, no matter how long it¡¯s been since I¡¯d seen him. Maybe, just maybe, it¡¯s like he says. I¡¯m just rushing to a red light. I thought¡­ about myself. From his words, I reflected on my life. ¡°There¡¯s a hole in my heart, James. There always has been, as long as I can remember. What should be beautiful, or fun, never raises any sort of emotion in me. I feel indifferent to everything, but as a woman¡­¡± I stopped and looked at the sunset, turning to twilight. James stopped ahead of me. ¡°Now, James, when I look at the sunset, I feel things I¡¯ve never felt before. As a woman, that hole in my heart is filled, but another one has opened in its place.¡± ¡°Filled with doubt, huh?¡± ¡°Brimming with it, yeah.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s any consolation, I think it¡¯ll fill itself with time and patience. You¡¯re going through a dramatic change, but you¡¯ll begin to fill in those doubts naturally. With the help of the redwoods¡­¡± We came out of the trees into a clearing, a strip of perfectly flat land filled with wildflowers. I thought I could see way off in the distance the pacific ocean. Just the tip of it¡­ And in the middle of this clearing was a tall wooden fence surrounded by sunflowers. It was unreal. It was a place with greener grasses on the other side. It looked like God himself carved it out as a getaway spot¡­ Filled with wildflowers. ¡°This place is naturally formed, as far as I can tell. Nobody logged this area, it¡¯s just the magic of the redwoods. The same magic that¡¯ll heal you and has helped Audrey.¡± So that¡¯s what he means¡­ when he says that. ¡°My arm, my missing arm¡­ when I lost it to the affliction, I came here and healed my wounded soul. This place saved my life. It¡¯s why I don¡¯t have a powerline here, it¡¯s not that I couldn¡¯t hook up to the grid, I¡¯m afraid it would ruin the magic.¡± He walked through a trail in the wildflowers and came up to the fence, opening it. ¡°This is my secret garden.¡± I knew once looking at the flowers, what these massive bushes were inside the fencing. ¡°Weed¡­¡± ¡°Due to nerve damage, I¡¯m in constant pain. Weed solves it. It¡¯s the other thing that saved my life. These two things. These redwoods and this plant are all I need. Everything else is a luxury.¡± I walked around the isles of pot plants, marveling at their size, at the magic. I don¡¯t know how I could see this and not believe it, but I don¡¯t know how I¡¯d believe it if I hadn¡¯t seen it¡­ ¡°Thank you for showing me this place,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll always cherish this memory¡­¡± ¡°The ranch, this property, will likely be yours someday. Take a lesson from me and cherish these trees.¡± ¡°Thank you, James.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get back before it¡¯s dark, alright?¡± I looked at James'' prosthetic arm. You could barely tell it was fake. ¡°James?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Could I ask a poignant question?¡± ¡°Always,¡± James said. ¡°How¡¯d you lose your arm?¡± James sighed. It was full of regret. ¡°I was hanging out with my best friends when the vision attacked. We were all high out of our minds on acid. We ran to the car from the vision and drove away as fast as we could. It wasn¡¯t fast enough. It killed my friend on the way to me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for asking!¡± I covered my mouth. ¡°No, it¡¯s good to talk about it. Sometimes I need to talk about it. It tore my arm off and afflicted me. I was lucky that¡¯s all it did. I was lucky to get away with that. I feel blessed every day I wake up.¡± ¡°What was it, James¡­¡± ¡°An ethereal snow leopard. That¡¯s what did it.¡± James usually talks a lot, but after that, we walked in silence. I knew something more about James now. Nothing more needed to be said. And when we got back to camp he was laughing like usual, shooting the shit with everyone. I went to bed after eating with everyone and had a long chat in Audrey¡¯s arms. What¡¯d we say that night? Some things are better left to the imagination. = = = 006, daDB & More The next day, Thursday. Tomorrow I¡¯ll see my Dad, hopefully with Audrey in tow. I can¡¯t stand my Dad sometimes, he¡¯s emotionally abusive and brash. A recovering alcoholic, sober for 25 years. The man never completed recovery though. Instead, he¡¯s a jaded pessimist with a heart of iron. That¡¯s not what I¡¯m doing now, however. Right now, I¡¯m at the library. We all went into town with James this morning after a chaotic yesterday. Audrey is at the store, clothes shopping for me, and I¡¯m surrounded by rows of books with a backpack and a cup of coffee. It¡¯s a small library, it¡¯s so small to me that I wonder why they even bothered making it. It¡¯s basically three rooms. Not much to see. I¡¯m a little scared and also excited to see what she picks for me. This morning she asked, ¡°So do you like skirts?¡± Right in front of James. ¡°I don¡¯t hate skirts¡­¡± I reported, lying through my teeth. The truth is, I fucking love this skirt I¡¯ve borrowed from Audrey. Why? Well, think about it. For all the downsides to a skirt, like the potential of seeing up it, there¡¯s one huge advantage you simply can¡¯t get around. I hope somebody is taking notes here! The upside is that it¡¯s like you¡¯re wearing nothing at all. As a person who hates wearing clothes when I don¡¯t have to, there¡¯s nothing better. Breezy doesn¡¯t even begin to describe it. Sweatpants are breezy, a nice mid length skirt is nonexistent. This begs the question: why don¡¯t more girls wear skirts? I was about to be hit over the head with the answer. Eyes. Before this, I¡¯d definitely felt somebody''s gaze on my back before. Who hasn¡¯t felt that at least once? But as a woman, it was like I had a superpower sense for people looking at me. For instance, the librarian let his eyes wander down to my chest for a brief moment. It made me shiver. It felt like holes were being drilled directly at my thighs as I walked away from the counter. So, with more skin exposed wearing this skirt, my self consciousness went through the roof. I could even tell when he stopped staring at my butt¡­ No matter what anyone says, attention like that is unwelcome. There¡¯s a time and place for attention, I¡¯m sure. But maybe my anxiety is getting to me? I had no proof he¡¯d been checking me out at all. There were only two tables to sit at. One of them was occupied with a young teen girl, and another had an older man with a scruffy mustache. Not even a choice. ¡°Can I sit here?¡± I asked the girl in a hushed tone. ¡°Yeah,¡± she said with a beam, showing her white teeth. She had short auburn hair let down with a black hat on. Looked to be around 15 years old. ¡°I¡¯m Morgan,¡± I said. I put my backpack on the table and started opening it, getting my laptop. ¡°Sofia. What¡¯s your shirt say?¡± I grabbed my shirt at the hem and stepped back for her to look. ¡°If you look at it from an angle, it says ¡®Palace.¡¯¡± ¡°Like the skate brand, Palace? No way!¡± Sofia mock yelled. She crossed her arms. ¡°I¡¯d never thought I¡¯d find a skater in this town.¡± ¡°Oh¡ªI¡¯m just visiting. I don¡¯t live here or anything. Check out my shoes, these babies are limited edition,¡± I lifted up my foot. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°No way¡­ those are sick, how¡¯d you get them?¡± She nodded with approval. ¡°I¡¯m jealous, even. Damn.¡± I took a look at what she was wearing¡­ ¡°Wait, is that hat Supreme?¡± I¡¯d know that hat anywhere. I¡¯d been trying to get one for years. ¡°Stone Ocean collab, right?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s my boyfriend''s¡ªhe¡¯s rich.¡± ¡°Well then.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just in it for the money.¡± ¡°Well then! Missy, even if it¡¯s true, you shouldn¡¯t admit that!¡± Sofia covered her mouth, trying to subside a hard laugh. ¡°Oh god, you¡¯re funny Morgan.¡± I opened my laptop and pressed the power button. ¡°I don¡¯t have a boyfriend. I¡¯m a lesbian.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re a lesbian¡­ Wait, huh?¡± ¡°Maybe I should put it more gently¡­ I¡¯m sapphic.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the same thing!¡± The librarian made a loud shushing sound. Guess my mock yells were getting too loud. ¡°So, is your name even Sofia?¡± I asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t lie about that. Wanna go outside with me and smoke?¡± ¡°You smoke? You¡¯re definitely too young for that.¡± ¡°You sound like my dad, jeez. I¡¯ll see you in a bit.¡± Sofia got up and left, leaving her backpack on the table. That¡¯s too trusting¡­ We just met. What if I was a bad person? I went to the dream affliction database¡ªdaDB¡ªon my computer and searched by species. Amphibians¡ªfrogs. Only three results. You can only access this database while connected to library wifi, however that works. I checked the images of each result. They all looked just about the same to me, if hard pressed I¡¯d just say they were the same green frog from different angles. The titles were this: brown belly frog, spotted frog, fools frog. I clicked the top one, brown belly frog. Indeed, it has a brown belly. Researchers in a lab summon afflictions, even dream afflictions, and take these pictures of them as they study them. They¡¯re not technically real however, they just look real. Sometimes they¡¯ll hire an artist to sketch their best guess of what it looks like. Symptoms: Gender Change. Bingo. Cure: Revelation. What the hell does that mean? I click on the link and it opens in a new tab. Revelation is when a major mental change comes over the user of the affliction, curing it. This can¡¯t be it¡­ Well, it could. I close the tab, click back, and click on the next frog. Spotted Frog. Sure doesn¡¯t look spotted, by the drawings of it. Symptoms: Gender Change. Are all of them similar? It¡¯s not unheard of for afflictions to be like that, especially in the same species like this. The picture is just a diagram drawing. Reminds me of something Da Vinci drew. Cure: Unknown. Great. Let¡¯s take a look¡ªthe spotted frog is only theoretical. I guess that¡¯s why there¡¯s only a drawing of this one. Moving on¡ªfools frog. I don¡¯t like the name of that, now that I think about it. Symptoms: Gender Change. Yep, they''re all similar¡­ Cure: Giving Birth. This was the one James was talking about, no doubt. There was just one problem. Usually, you can self diagnose a dream affliction. You just look at the picture and see which one matches. But not this time. The mental image of the frog that attacked me is the same as all three images I¡¯ve seen. And they all have the same symptoms. There¡¯s no real telling which is mine, unfortunately. I bite my nails. That¡¯s bad. It could be either three! I¡¯ll have to make an appointment with a specialist, that¡¯s my only option at this point. Dream specialists usually have a high co-pay, too. This sucks¡­ I close my laptop lid and start putting it away. When Sofia sits back down. I can smell the cigarette smoke wafting off her. ¡°It was nice meeting you,¡± I said. ¡°Leaving already?¡± Sofia said. ¡°Yeah, I got what I wanted.¡± ¡°See ya.¡± = = =