Posted by: Admin on Saturday, August 17, 2002 - 04:44 AM 
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The Landlady
Part Two
I awoke to find Lea standing alongside my bed. "How do you feel today, my dear?"
Cotton wadding filled my mouth. Sand clogged my throat. "Urgh .... ... wh ... .. durpble.." I croaked weakly.
She patted my limp arm. "Don't worry. Remember my warning that you'd be uncomfortable for a while? Until you can manage alone I'll help you all I can."
I wondered if her sort of help could be dangerous to my health! But at the moment I was too damned miserable to care. My stomach was doing somersaults, everything was a blur beyond a few feet, and the bed kept tilting like a rowboat in the eye of a hurricane. It really did feel like terminal flu. For an instant that lovely image of "Andy's" portrait flashed across my memory synapses and I wondered if, given Lea's rather unorthodox assistance, I'd end up looking that good for The Group's Halloween Party? The thought was drowned, however, by a sickening wave of nausea that doubled me over with dry heaves.
Two hundred years seemed to pass without me much caring if I lived another hour. I was too busy retching, or sitting on the toilet (which I usually could manage to find only with Lea's unwavering aide), or resting in a mental fog between bouts. I didn't know where all that rejected volume came from since I was eating nothing solid, only drinking water or juices, and very little of those either. I wondered if Lea's 'Program' was designed to make me so sick that the pounds were simply expelled via every available orifice, but that seemed like a singularly unhealthy approach.
Anyone who has ever had the flu knows how it feels be lost in a hazy world of clammy sheets, chilling sweats, burning fever, and total mental withdrawal. Well, what I was going through was so much farther up the scale of misery that it approached death! Thankfully, the memories are too unpleasant and foggy for my poor beleaguered mind to recall in their entirety. But, two lingering images stood out, both involving Lea.
The first was of her standing before me in that basement chamber, mumbling and waving her hands in the air.
In the other, she was also doing the incantation bit, but this time she was leaning over me as I lay in bed. I'd been 'sick' for what seemed an eternity and had just returned from my umpteenth trip to the head.
I remember Lea twiddling her fingers over my face and saying, "Sleep now, my dear one, ..sslleeeepp. All will be well when you awaken." The soothing drone of her voice was like a lullaby that gently pushed me into the first peaceful sleep I'd had in ages.
Bright warm sunshine streamed through the open window and a fresh breeze rustled the curtains. Everything was crystal clear, almost like it had all been a bad dream. No blurred vision, cold sweats, twisting stomach, or cramping bowels. Even a normal flu attack would have required a day or two of recovery, so I had figured that I'd need at least a month to get over what I'd been through! Yet, I felt surprisingly good, except for a profound weakness that prevented me from even raising my arms.
Lea was sitting by the window in a rocking chair that she'd evidently brought from downstairs. "How are you feeling, my dear?"
The endearment made me feel like a small child. "Ugh, not too bad," I whispered hoarsely past a raw throat and dry mouth. My stomach growled, but for a much better reason than before. "..uh.., Lea? I'm hungry."
She beamed pleasantly and nodded. "Excellent! I'll fetch you some broth." She rose quickly and headed for my kitchenette. "You'll be up and around in no time."
While Lea was gone, I took a quick inventory of my person and found that my crazed imaginings of her witchcraft transforming me into a fairy princess were unfounded. Thank goodness! But the ravages of whatever bug she'd stuck me with were very evident. Making a rather crude estimate of the volume of noxious material which had been dispossessed, I expected to find my body resembling those cadaverous starving children in Africa that are always on the news; all bone and shriveled hide.
Not so! My skin was rather pale, and it was evident that I'd lost a lot of weight. Otherwise, the effects were minimal. There were some oddities, but I chalked them up to the drastic and sudden loss of mass. For instance, my chest and stomach had lost so much that my ribs and hipbones were easily observed beneath the pallid flesh, and my arms, legs, even my fingers and feet looked much thinner. There was no mirror at hand by which I could check my face, but I suspected that it probably looked equally emaciated, if the condition my body was any indication.
In my weakened condition the sheet and thin blanket seemed unpleasantly heavy, but I snuggled gratefully beneath their warmth as Lea returned with a bed tray containing soup, toast, coffee, and orange juice.
Her perpetual smile seemed to brighten the room as she plumped up the pillows behind my neck and back, then placed the tray over my lap. "I know this seems like an awful lot to eat after what you've been through," she explained, "but do the best you can and you'll feel much better."
The mingling aromas of toast and fresh coffee smelled wonderful and made my mouth water, so I gingerly sampled the soup. When my stomach didn't rebel, the words came out between bites. "Thanks, Lea. Looks like I've gotten rid of all the weight I wanted, and maybe some extra besides." With Swirling images of her 'witchy' behavior still in my mind, I smiled wanly and added, "Maybe there really is magic in this ugly world of ours after all. But I hope it doesn't make people as miserable as it made me." The contents of the tray were disappearing quickly.
"Hee, hee-, no, Larry, they don't. The vast majority never even knows anything is different, and if they do the cause is never suspected. Besides, I prefer to accomplish my ends anonymously whenever possible. Only rarely, as with you and Andy, do I consider more drastic measures." She glanced at the empty dishes. "Your appetite is certainly healthy enough."
"Yeah, it sure is." I hadn't noticed how good everything tasted until it was gone and I wanted more. Then my thoughts turned elsewhere. "Where is she now?"
"Who?"
"Andy! "
"Oh, didn't I tell you. H..She moved away after the wedding." Lea's voice and expression reflected a bitter-sweet memory. "I never had a family of my own, you know, so, for a while, Andy became the child I never had. I find a somewhat cruel irony in the fact that all my efforts to improve her contributed to my losing her." She dabbed a tissue at wet eyes as a tear streaked her cheek. "Oh (cough), I do so hate to make a scene."
"Well, after that witchery stuff you pulled on me, at least it's reassuring to know that you suffer from real human emotions. Andrea must have been very special to you."
"Yes, she was, so much so that she's my legal heir. Remember the 'niece' I told you about that first day, the one who knew Janice?"
"Hmmm.., vaguely. Was that her? The pretty bride in the portrait?"
Lea nodded. "They were friends all through school, but Andy married and left with her new husband. They must have lost touch along the way. I get a card or short letter from her occasionally, but lost contact with Janice. I heard she'd gotten married too, but didn't know much about you."
She switched suddenly to a more delicate matter, at least it was for me. "Larry? Janice was raised very conservatively, and I know she's very active in her church. I know this is a touchy subject for you, but how did she react to your 'Lora'?"
Since Lea knew even more now than Janice had ever discovered, and had already proved quite thoroughly that she understood far better than my ex- wife, I saw no reason to withhold anything.
"That was probably the main reason for our divorce, although there were certainly others." MY throat felt much better after eating, but my voice cracked oddly at times.
I told her everything: my reasons for marrying in the first place; Janice's nonexistent sex drive; my frustration and hers; my eventual slide into Lora's world; and Janice coming home early from Bible study to discover me asleep in the study wearing her old clothes.
"I was feeling real sorry for myself after getting that bomb dumped on me at the office about the move to 'degrees', so I guess Lora was my escape mechanism. Anyway, Janice caught me, threw me out, and filed for divorce. You know the rest since that's about when we met."
"Hmm, yes, having known Janice, I can see that's how she would have reacted. What a shame! You could have really used her support, and it certainly would have saved you both a good deal of grief. But then, we never would have met, would we?"
"No, and I never would have known what a 'White Witch' is, nor would you have been able to help me. By the way, thanks, even if it was damned unpleasant and unorthodox. You've been far more successful at stripping away my excess baggage than any conventional means could have been, I'm sure. Uh.., how long did that nightmare last anyway? It already seems like just a bad dream, except that my body is ample evidence to the contrary." I looked down at my thin arm and rib-lined chest. "You may have even overdone it a bit."
"You've been in my care for almost three weeks," she announced calmly.
"Three weeks!!"
"...and I did not overdo it at all. In fact, one last treatment is required."
"Another treatment and I'll blow away on the next stiff breeze'"
"Oh, this is nothing like that at all, my dear. But first you have to gain some strength. Tomorrow will be soon enough, I think. For now, if You're up to it, you should be strong enough to fend for yourself for a few hours." She indicated the computer and piles of books and notes on the nearby table. "You might want to occupy yourself while I catch up on all my other work. Besides, I need to prepare for your last treatment." She left without another word.
I wondered at the need for yet another brush with Lea's witchcraft, but since I'd already come so far it seemed unlikely that she'd do me any damage. Except for the ugly discomfort and disorientation, which I had to admit she'd warned me about, I seemed none the worse for wear. Even the weakness had disappeared enough that I could move, although somewhat tentatively at first. Lea was right. I felt able to manage fairly well on my own.
At first, there was an occasional muscle spasm, some weakness from a general lack of energy, and mild vertigo that caused me to take things very slowly, but after a shuffling stroll to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash up, I felt pretty good. Of course, I pressed at my endurance level a few times and ended up groping for a chair when the world canted to the south. But generally, so long as any physical effort was handled with measured deliberation, I managed fine.
Mentally, however, I was having a fit. Three of the four weeks I'd planned on using to turn out my magnificent final work project were gone! Now I was being forced to cram all that work into one-quarter of the time. I had all the materials organized, but there was still a huge pile of work left, a month's worth, in fact! I certainly needn't worry about being bored for the coming week, and now was as good a time as any to begin.
The rest of that day was spent at work, punctuated by irregular breaks to rest, eat, and visit the bathroom. When Lea returned the next morning, I was plinking away at my keyboard, having spent a restless night and risen very early.
It was easy to conclude that her visit was not social since she appeared in the door wearing a long shapeless gray robe with cabalistic symbols sewn along the hem and sleeves.
"Morning Lo ... Larry," she smiled pleasantly (of course). "I see you have recovered well enough to handle the final phase of your treatment. Shall we proceed?"
"Yeah, if you say so," I responded rather hesitantly, "but I don't understand why it's needed. You've accomplished what I asked of you, and then some. What's left?"
"Don't you recall why I agreed to help you?"
"Y..Yea.., you wanted to help me diet.." I flushed, purposely dodging the central issue.
"And...?" she prompted.
I couldn't bring myself to answer as she coaxed me away from the computer and back toward the bed.
"As I recall," Lea pointedly stated, "the reason for offering my assistance involved more than simply helping you lose weight. Since you persist in avoiding the subject of Lora, I'll not be the one to press you about her. But, you must understand that she is the only reason I'm using my talents to help you. Now lie down quietly and we'll get this over with."
After pulling down the blanket and sheet, she pushed me back against the pillows and swung my legs up. I'd pulled on some shorts to wear around the warm apartment, but she didn't seem to care that I was not bare-ass naked as had been the case during my 'illness'.
"More mumbo jumbo?" I queried. "As it is I'll need to replace most of my own and Lora's clothes. What more is there?"
For the first time, I noted irritation in Lea's expression. "Lora is there, you dolt! Now be still while I get this done," she snapped.
Her answer was too obscure for my liking, but she'd apparently ceased being receptive, so further inquiry seemed fruitless, at least for the present. Besides, her last words gave the distinct impression that if I made another sound it'd be like jumping on the kitchen floor with an angel food cake in the oven - the cake being ME! The analogy caused such extremely unpleasant mental images that I very carefully followed her instructions.
Lea's actions, while lacking the more dramatic setting of the basement chamber, did not seem all that different. She stood at the foot of the bed with arms and fingers extended toward me. Again, she began mumbling a gibberish that didn't sound like the sort of thing the human throat was designed to handle very well. Only this time, I retained my powers of speech and movement, though I was too intimidated to dare twitching a single muscle or making the smallest sound as she prattled unintelligibly.
After a few minutes of nonsense syllables and finger twiddling, Lea closed her eyes tightly and raised her arms toward the ceiling (sky?) in supplication.
"CRANFES TOELIC MIMR LEZTVIC NOCT TRELIVBMO" she exclaimed (or something similar), then in perfectly clear English, "Oh, Sublime Susar. Oh, Magnanimous Mardak. Attend thy daughter, oh.. Greatest of the Greats. Give me thy boon, oh, Master's of ALL. PLIMTIC RATIF OBVINTES DLNKFIS!"
Whatever doubts I'd had about Lea's witchiness had been well quashed simply by observation. What occurred next gained my FULL attention and forever guaranteed my unqualified testimonial as to her talent
A double pulse of dazzling blue-white light flanked Lea, like two powerful flash bulbs. When the spots before my eyes cleared, there were two grizzled old men standing with her, each clad in fancier royal-blue versions of Lea's gray robe.
The dramatic arrival of those two old geezers scared the bloody Hell out of me! And didn't do my worn-out entrails much good either! Having read enough fantasy and sci-fi to stock a library, I recognized them for what they were, WIZARDS! Where and when they came from, only Lea knew, but their presence in my apartment was obviously her doing. Both were short and thickly built with dirty gray-white hair, and moustaches and beards so long they'd have to move whiskers aside to eat or even piss.
I stared at those two apparitions like a frightened mouse bristling in terror as it watches the cat's paw swing toward it; unable to avoid the fate it represented.
"You require something, My Dear?" the Wizard rasped on Lea's left. His voice sounded like gravel being crushed.
"Yes, My Lord Mardak," Lea intoned respectfully with a slight bow.
The other Fellow gave me a questioning sideways stare with eyes like cold blue steel. "T'would appear you're at it again, My Flower." His grin exposed jagged blackened teeth, and his tone was even more guttural than the other's was.
"Indeed I am, Master Susar. Why else would I summon you who have had so much success in such matters." Lea's lopsided smirk reflected a conspiratorial undertone.
'Mardak' asked, "You wish the same triggers as before, I presume, My Lovely?"
Lea nodded.
"Very well then, we shall proceed." He seemed resigned to a task for which he had little enthusiasm.
The two sorcerers flanked my bed and began passing their gnarled hands through the air above my prone form while chanting what sounded like that same crazy lingo Lea had used. To my surprise and fascination pink lines formed in the wake of their fingertips, like pale rose jet streams, until the space a foot above me was filled with an intricate geometric pattern of interlocking contrails. After several verses, the four wrinkled old hands fell away and so did the pattern, only it descended slowly onto ME before fading. I flinched, but felt nothing.
The two locked gazes, nodded in unison, and returned to Lea who had been quietly observing their activities with obvious adoration.
"Thank You, Masters," she genuflected toward each in turn.
"You are most welcome, My Pet," 'Mardak' replied.
'Susar' seemed less amiable. "Next time, provided there is one, I want more notice, if you please, Mistress Lea. I was about to deal with a young highwayman who's been prowling my environs when you interrupted my concentration."
"My apologies, Your Augustness. Your request is duly noted, and shall be obeyed henceforth." Lea bowed even lower.
With that, 'Susar' slapped his hands together, producing a horrendous BOOM, like a lightning bolt hitting underfoot, and vanished instantly!
His fellow necromancer scowled at the spot which 'Susar' vacated so abruptly. "Great Zarcon! Why does he always have to be so melodramatic? Ah well," he sighed deeply and embraced Lea with obvious affection. She hugged him back. "It's so good to see you again, My Dear. When will you be leaving this insane place and returning to Wyth? The Keep just isn't the same without your masterful management, and there's a new Ostrogoth problem brewing that could use your attention."
Lea kissed his wrinkled cheek. "I'll be returning soon enough, My Sweet Mardak. But there's more here I'd like to accomplish first. If you want me back so badly, why not teach me to do this myself." She casually gestured in my direction. "Then I could finish my work here more quickly and needn't bother you and grumpy old Susar every time the situation warrants." Mardak scowled but didn't respond. "No? Well then, snap back to your beloved old dusty scrollery and be about your business while I attend to mine."
"Very well, My Love. I know you too well to argue. Ta ta..!" He actually did leave with a SNAP.., a snap of his fingers that exploded like a gunshot as he disappeared, leaving a strong scent of ozone in his wake.
For a moment Lea stared at where he'd stood, then stepped forward with a bouncing girlish lilt in her gait. Her face was radiant. "Well, my dear Larry, what do you think of my friends?"
My voice caught, but was serviceable. "Uh ... impressive!"
"Yes, aren't they! And now that they've done their work and gone, let's come to an understanding, shall we?"
"Whatcha got in mind?" I slurred absently, preoccupied with trying to figure out why she'd summoned two wizards straight out of "Dungeons and Dragons" to draw pretty pink smoke designs in the air. Nothing else seemed to have been accomplished by their presence, at least nothing I could see or feel, although I was obviously the object of their ministrations. Then my mind wandered back to what Lea was saying.
"... here with me for a while."
"...huh? What?" It was hard to form the words since my lips and tongue felt suddenly numb!
Lea reached out and felt my forehead then checked the pulse at my throat and nodded. "I said, since you'll need help adjusting, it would probably be best if you lived here with me for a while. Okay, Lora?"
"Wha .... wattchoo meenn, hhooo ... Looorrraaa?" My face felt like a mad dentist had shot my whole mouth full of novocaine!
There was a gentle pat on my shoulder. "You better relax for a while, dear. We'll discuss it later when you've had a chance to rest a bit." The sheet was pulled over me and securely tucked about my shoulders before she quietly drew the curtains against the sunlight and left the room.
It was easy to determine that whatever was now happening to me had been initiated by Lea's accomplices, just as she had brought about my spectacular weight loss. ...But I still didn't have the faintest clue as to why it was necessary? Or why she needed their help at all? And why had she suggested that I stay with her? Wasn't I doing that, already?
My mind swirled with questions. Hopefully I'd get to ask some of them eventually, and maybe even get some straight answers too. Right now, though, I wanted nothing more than to rest.
Convoluted dreams churned through my sleep. Sorcerers chanted spells that turned princes into frogs. Witches with warty noses and stringy black hair stirred the noxious boiling contents of black cauldrons over Hell's sulfurous flames. Then a bright pink fog obliterated the nightmares and from it was formed a scene of idyllic grandeur and enchanting beauty.
It was a splendid version of my favorite 'Lora' fantasy. I was standing at the far end of a long wide aisle, facing the distant pulpit behind which a minister waited. To his left stood a rank of handsome men in tuxedos. To his right was a line of bridesmaids in gorgeous white satin gowns.
A hand touched my arm and I recognized 'Mardak' despite the cropped beard and formal black velvet tuxedo. Mardak tucked my hand into the bend of his elbow and we began a measured stroll down the aisle as an organ droned the first notes of Wagner's Pagan Wedding March.
I was the bride! All eyes in the chapel were upon me! But my fantasies had never been so vivid so detailed!
I stared down at myself. The brilliant white satin bridal gown that I wore was magnificent. It brushed the floor as I walked, with several yards of satin trailing behind, and the gossamer veil hindered my sight not at all.. Although I could see little of myself, I was incredibly sensitive to the feel of my body. Hidden under the gown's floor length skirt, my feet moved gracefully in spite of high-heel pumps. I felt the silken panties engulfing my hips, the garter belt at my tiny waist, the garters attached to sheer hose that caressed my long smooth legs. Flared hips and full rounded buttocks swayed at each step. Earrings that felt like small hoops tugged at my lobes and bobbed against my neck with each step.
What I could see was delectable! A wide white satin sash emphasized my tiny waist. Full-length lace sleeves extended to a v-shape over the back of my small hands. Slender dainty fingers ended in long crimson nails. Thick reddish brown tresses tumbled profusely over my shoulders. The gown's lace-trimmed bodice scooped low, exposing two mounds of flawless creamy flesh. I could feel sensitive nipples pressing firmly against the ample bodice.
Suddenly, the delicious scene was washed away by the strident clatter of curtains being pulled open, and the sudden blinding glare of an exceedingly clear bright sunlit day.
"Hey, sleepy head!" Lea prodded pleasantly. "You were so anxious to get working on that computer of yours and here you've lounged away half the day already." She fluffed a sofa cushion that didn't need it and headed for my kitchenette where she stuffed something in the microwave. "Hungry?"
Savory aromas teased my olfactory system and my stomach rumbled. I remembered skipping breakfast. "Famished," I replied, ignoring her mother- hen attitude. My voice sounded funny, too squeaky and high-pitched.
"Good. It'll be hot in a jiffy, and I'll be back when you've eaten."
Apparently I was strong enough to eat her cooking, but not enough to de my own? Well, I determined, that's what she thought! Feeling completely rested, alert, and strong enough to do anything, I threw back the sheet and swung my legs over the edge of the bed.
Before, as soon as I'd been able after Lea's earlier 'treatment', I'd checked the results meticulously. The scale had confirmed that I'd lost a lot weight, over fifty pounds, in fact! My stomach, chest, shoulders, thighs, ...my body had shed mass everywhere. I was a much trimmer version of myself. But since I exercised irregularly, and wasn't in very good shape to begin with, my muscles lacked tone and definition. So, the treatment had made me look like a skinny knock-kneed weakling.
Now, however, the legs attached to my hips looked... well, different! My feet appeared smaller, ankles narrower, calves suddenly lean and straight, kneecaps rounded and smooth, and my thighs were downright thick! It almost looked like I was putting on weight again! Yet, oddest of all: the dark black hairs that had covered my legs since puberty were noticeably lighter and much thinner. My skin was even paler, though only my legs looked different.
"What the ... !" I shook away the grogginess and looked again, confirming the peculiar changes to my lower extremities. Then, Lea's words from long ago echoed in my head. "I'll help you with Lora" had been the essence of what she'd promised. Now, staring down at my limbs dangling off the bed, I concluded that this last 'treatment' via Lea's wizardly associates appeared to be adjusting my slimmed body so I could 'dress' more passably. At least that's what these apparent changes in my legs seemed to indicate.
Checking more closely, I decided that the sleeker straighter lines of my limbs would look pretty good in pantyhose, and my feet would appear quite dainty in heels! I was a mite concerned about how I'd look in a man's swimsuit, but then I wasn't much of a swimmer anyway. Besides, having lost all that weight via Lea's witchy spells, and with help from her two wizardly cohorts, I just might have a really big surprise for the next Group session. With a bit of additional help, by Halloween it was altogether possible I'd be the Belle of the Ball' Heehee, what a trip that'd be!
My belly gurgled again in anticipation of nourishment as I hopped from bed, still wearing only shorts, and set about arranging myself a healthy repast from Lea's chicken casserole. I was famished, but only a dozen bites satisfied me completely. The remains went in the fridge, and I was soon at .the computer, busily attacking my project with renewed vigor. I'd wasted a good portion of the day in bed and could ill afford the lost time. The deadline was rapidly approaching and that last nap had caused me to fall even farther behind schedule.
Much later, I barely acknowledged Lea with a cursory nod when she returned. "That must be an extremely complicated...thingie.. you're working on," she remarked over my shoulder after pulling the curtains against the darkened sky. "You've been at it again for hours."
"Uh huh." I balked at the unwelcome interruption and tried to concentrate, brushing hair from my eyes.
What the...? Having lost a good portion of my hair to 'male pattern baldness', I kept it cropped short. Now the damned stuff was falling in my eyes!!??
Instantly my concentration was on me! With considerable disbelief, I ran my fingers through the thick hair sprouting from my head that had somehow grown dramatically while I was engrossed elsewhere. It was at least four inches long all over, even where there had been none for years! Strands brushed the nap of my neck and ears.
Groping wildly at my scalp, I turned. "Hey, look Lea! I never said anything before when I saw what those warlocks did to my legs. I just figured that was a little bonus to help me be a better 'Lora'. But this?" I held out a handful of thick hair. "How do I explain how I suddenly grew so much hair?"
She shrugged. "Just say it's a special wig."
"Not bloody likely," I retorted angrily and dropped my hands.
My hands! I'd been using them at the computer, of course, but had paid little attention to anything but making headway. Now, my wrists were narrow, my hands small and dainty with long fingers. Then I gawked in amazement as, before my very eyes, my digits grew long manicured nails!
I held up my new feminine hands. "What's happening, Lea? What are you doing to me?" My voice quavered and hopped up the scale between bass and soprano, getting higher with every syllable.
"Oh, my dear," she soothed, "please calm down. There's no need to get so excited, is there? Don't you want to be 'Best Dressed' at the Group's Halloween party'
"H..H ... How'd you k-know about that?" I gasped.
"I make it my business to know everything about my friends, Larry. Haven't you learned that yet? And in your case, I know that you have often wished to see a woman in your mirror, right Lora?" She pointedly emphasized my 'femme-de-plume'.
Staring inanely at a slender tapering finger, I ran it through the waves of hair that were already brushing my shoulders. "Dear God, what have I gotten into!??" I muttered.
Lea seemed quite pleased with herself. "What you've gotten into, my dear, is my small circle of very special close friends, and for them I'll do anything. You were so troubled, so confused, and I read in you a frantic desire to escape. In your case, that escape mechanism, as you yourself admitted, was your 'Lora fantasy'. As a woman you could let someone else do the worrying, make the decisions, do the fighting that you'd rather avoid. Just look at what you've been doing these past two days. You've been scraping and clawing your way through a report you hate, that will earn you nothing more than a college degree that you were forced get, by a company that tried to dump on you after you'd given them the best years of your adult life. Wouldn't you be better off starting over fresh and clean? Wouldn't you rather trash this whole scene and begin again?"
Damn, why did she always have to be so right? Lea saw into my very soul and read its contents better than I could myself. And when she put it into words, I knew it was all too true. I really DID hate all this!
My vision blurred, this time with genuine tears, and for the first time in many years, I cried salty droplets that flowed freely down my cheeks.
"There, there," cooed Lea with a motherly pat on my newly shaggy skull. "I know it's hard, but I am offering you a way out. All you have to do is be my friend, always."
"What do you mean?" I blubbered. "Helping me be a better looking transvestite isn't a way out. If anything, it'd be worse than before. This androgynous look might be okay for my private fantasy world, or even a Group party, but I've gotta live in the real world. This can be, and is, an extremely harsh place for that kind of person. If you leave me this way I'll have to move and start over somewhere far away!"
"That's not what I had in mind, my dear. What I'd prefer is that you remain here with me indefinitely. In return, I'll provide for both our needs. I like you very much, my dear sweet Lo... Larry." She was looking at me, but her eyes held a faraway dreamy cast. "You see, never having had my own family, nor children of my own to nurture and love, I gain a measure of fulfillment by assisting my friends through hard times and trials to whatever degree of happiness my help and their own efforts can achieve for them. That is my gift to you, Larry. All I want in return is your friendship, and maybe eventually even love and devotion. Is that too much to ask?" Her emotional outburst tore at my heartstrings and the tears were hers now, not mine.
"No, it's not too much," I replied softly. Through deepening depression, I realized Lea was as much in need of affection as I was. Looking up at her, I forced a wan smile to pull at my lips.
Eyes brightening, she asked hopefully, "Will you stay? It's been wonderful having you here, and I've been so lonely since Andrea left."
"Sure, Aunt Lea, I'll stay." She smiled at my deliberately affectionate appellation. Then, with a high-pitched trill, I hastily added, "But I'd really like to know what you had those geezers do to me?" Again, I held up long- nailed fingers for inspection.
Her familiar wide smile flashed. "Well, they have had a good deal of experience with just the sort of solution we needed to help you start a new life. And they're the best, of that I can vouch personally.
"By tomorrow night you'll be ready to make a clean break with your past. You see its Lora I want to live with me, not Larry! Isn't that a thoroughly exciting prospect?" she gushed.
"..uh ... well, I'm not so sure," I mused. No matter how much I hated the life I was living, it still seemed unimaginable that it might be possible for me to function as Lora on a full-time basis. "It wouldn't work," I stated emphatically, "unless I move to Australia, or change my name, or get radical plastic surgery and can afford to buy a new identity. Probably all those things. And even though I now know what you and your magical buddies can accomplished, the idea's too farfetched for me to comprehend, ...much less believe it can actually happen."
Lea favored me with another motherly pat and ran her finger gently through the burgeoning waves that now cascaded six inches below my shoulders. "Why don't you get a good night's sleep and we'll talk in the morning." She gestured casually.
Suddenly I found it impossible to keep my eyes open, and the bed looked extremely comfortable and inviting. I was about to crawl between the covers before Lea stopped me.
"There's a chill in the room, my dear. Do you have any night clothes?"
I shrugged, too sleepy to vocalize a negative reply.
Lea dug into a dresser drawer and produced a wad of white material. "Maybe you'd better put this on so you'll be warm and cozy."
She handed me a glossy silk lady's nightgown! It was long enough to cover me from shoulders to knees, though much too diaphanous to really conceal anything. The sheer fabric whispered against my bare skin when I dropped it over my head. There was white lace with pink ribbon woven into the hem, collar, and short sleeves. This was definitely a very sexy woman's nightdress.
I hesitated, then considered my new arms, legs, and profuse head of hair. I'd look rather feminine in that gown, and the image was reasonably appealing. Besides, it'd be a kick to wear it since I'd never had the courage to buy, much less sleep in, a lady's nightie.
Still wearing the man's shorts under the diaphanous negligee, I crawled into the warm and cozy bed. Vision dimmed almost immediately and sleep came so fast I didn't hear Lea say "good night".
My dreams were again filled with the same fantasy-wedding scene in startling clarity. I could actually feel the gown containing my diminutive waist, the crispness of stiff crinolines against my nylon-clad legs, their flaring weight augmenting my broad hips. Thick flowing brown locks tumbled over my neck, brushing my bare neck and shoulders. There was a distinct sense of fleshy weights where the bulging bodice inadequately confined my breasts. A heart-shaped silver locket on a daintily thin silver chain was nestled at the apex of the deliciously exposed cleavage.
All these sensations flooded my senses as we approached the pulpit. Yet, the groom was never more than a fuzzy blur. Oh, how I wished for a clear glimpse of that shadowy face as he stepped forward to take my arm from Mardak.
We moved forward toward the priest, who turned out to be Susar, Lea's second wizard friend, the cranky one! He began the service, with that gravely voice of his rumbling through the chapel as the ceremony passed with dreamlike speed. Suddenly, I was kissing my mysterious new husband. Then there was a lurching sensation and bright light washed away the vision.
I was awake. Sunshine flooded the room, the bed, and my senses as Lea was once again pulling back the drapes.
Hey, that's not right! My bedroom was on the west side of the house. It got direct sun only in the afternoon, not in the morning!
"Ugh!" I croaked, almost gouging my eye with long nails in an attempt to rub the sleep away. My throat was swollen and raw.
"You slept late again, my dear. Your breakfast is waiting, if you want it." Her perky tone didn't cheer me at all. "And here's something to cover yourself with." She tossed me a powder blue woman's housecoat with a quilted pattern.
That's when I remembered falling asleep in that lady's nightgown.
Sitting up abruptly to take stock of the situation, I found myself looking through a brown haze. It was hair, and it was everywhere! Swiping the feathery mass away from my face, I scratched my forehead with those long nails I'd been given only hours earlier. When I pulled myself out of bed and stood, tangled masses of brown fell halfway to my waist! Damn, was I going to do with that?
Lea seemed to be enjoying my uneasiness. "Hehehe.., maybe you better try using a brush before you eat. Otherwise you'll end up with more hair in your mouth than food. And you'll notice I've moved You down into Andy's old room."
No wonder the sun was wrong!
"I thought Andy lived upstairs?" My voice still sounded high and squeaky, like before it changed in my youth.
"She did, but after her own treatment we both thought it best and more convenient for her to move down here into the old maid's quarters. It's not quite as roomy, but we can share a single kitchen and the upstairs can be rented to someone else."
I simply stood and stared, holding the housecoat in my hands like it was a deadly snake and I'd already been bitten.
"When you're ready, join me in the kitchen and we'll chat over breakfast."
"But where's all my stuff? My clothes, computer, ...?"
"Your clothes are in there," she waved idly at a double-wide closet, then indicated a single door beside it, "and that's the bathroom. Now, please hurry before breakfast gets cold."
I was left alone to contemplate the situation. Why in the world had she moved me? And how? Her magic almost certainly helped, but I could only wonder at her reasons. This whole affair was getting stranger by the hour!
The room was about the same size as my upstairs bedroom (not Lora's), but the clutter of furnishings made it seem much smaller. the warm rays of the morning sun poured in through the single large multi-paned window. The bed and a large antique chiffonnier mostly took up one wall. There were a mirrored mahogany dresser, and a matching vanity that had its own full- length mirror. Their tops were cluttered with jars, bottles, and at least three jewelry cases. Then there was the walk-in closet, and the bathroom, which reminded me of something I hadn't done for a while.
I had to hike up the long nightdress to sit. Then, even while nature took its course, the slender new feminine lines of my extremities fascinated me. When I pointed my toes, there was a straight line from knee to toenail, like a ballerina. That was something I never could have done before. But that unruly mop of hair always getting in the way was constantly thwarting my examination. I noticed that the bath was fully stocked with all the products needed to control my scraggly tresses. Shampoo, conditioners, curlers, blow dryer, could be seen on the shelves, along with bath oils, salts, bubble bath, talc, powder, and all the other junk women use in their baths and on their bare hides.
Business complete, I smoothed the nightgown into place and retrieved the quilted housecoat from the bed. Well, why not? Of course, it buttoned the wrong way, was too tight in the shoulders and waist, and was much too wide about the hips, but it covered more effectively than the sheer nightie beneath. I knotted the belt, and then spotted a big hairbrush on the vanity that helped untangle most of the bigger clumps. I also found a couple of large hairpins and wedged them into the hair at my temples to hold the stuff out of my face. Done up right it might have looked pretty nice. For now, it was an unmanageable mess.
Lea looked up from the stove when I entered. "Hmmm, not bad for the first try," she complemented.
I sat down, but the chair seemed bigger and the table higher than I recalled from having tea there so long ago during my first visit, "First try?"
"Yes, my dear. Of course, you'll improve dramatically with practice." Sausage from the skillet joined two eggs already on my plate. With a similar serving, she sat opposite me. "Uh.... Larry, we need to talk."
"Oh? What about?" The fork seemed large and unwieldy with my delicate fingers and long nails.
"About whether or not you'll stay?"
"Well, there's little else I can do, I suppose, though it's not necessarily what I would have chosen on my own. You have, after all, made some decisions for me. So, I'm staying, apparently down here with you as it turns out. I guess I really don't mind that much either. Except for that room you've moved me into."
"You'll get accustomed to it soon enough. But I told you last night, it's not you I want here, it's Lora!"
I recalled her saying as much before, but she'd stated it so calmly I didn't grasp her meaning for a few seconds. Now she was insistent. If I hadn't already finished eating I'd have choked on it. "You're kidding, right?"
"No, I'm quite serious," she declared seriously. "Arrangements have already been made."
"What do you mean 'arrangements'?"
Lea's manner and tone held a cool resolve that was beginning to make me nervous. "I have a certain standing in the community, as you well know. How would it look if my live-in companion turned out to be a thirty-eight year old male transvestite? Besides, young ladies are much prettier company, don't you think?"
"Ha! Maybe by now I could even pass on the street with these legs and hair you've given me, something I only dreamed about just a few week's ago. But I can hardly be young again!"
Lea's lips pursed into a smirk, an eyebrow cocked upward. "Nothing is impossible in my profession," she proclaimed.
"You're really serious? You actually want me to live here with you fulltime as Lora?"
"ExactIy!"
"But that's crazy. I can't be Lora all the time!"
"Why not? You already are!"
"Not hardly," I scoffed. "You've given me some superficial physical attributes that with a little help could pass for feminine,. But if I cut this chaotic mane of mine, I'd still be just a much thinner version of my old male self. Besides, I'm a transvestite, not a transsexual."
I gathered up a handful of long waves from the mass that lay across my shoulders and chest. "This is as close as I want to come to really being female." Deep within my mind I wasn't too sure that was actually true, and Lora was really kicking up a fuss in there, but my male existence was too entrenched. Lea's proposal threatened my identity, and that was extremely unsettling.
"What about the wedding in your dream?"
"H..How'd you....?" I stammered, but the words caught in my throat.
"...know about your dream? I'm a White Witch, that's how! Now quit being so obstinate and let's get on with things." She handed me a pen and a folder containing several legal-sized papers. "Why waste your life fighting your inner self? I offer a rare chance to burn your bridges, to throw off the terrible burdens of your life. Sign and Larry Rossman will vanish from the face of the earth. Lora Marie Covington will be born!"
"LLLooorrraa ... MMa ... C...CO.-Covington?" The full name was typed clearly beneath the signature line near the bottom of the top page. Above it, Lea had already signed, as had a very prominent judge whose name I immediately recognized!
Her face brightened visibly. "Officially, that paper formalizes our relationship. As Lora, you are my niece."
"You're kidding, I can't be your niece!"
"My dear, You continue to misunderstand. I'll readily admit that some of my motives are selfish, and I want to fill the void left by Andy's departure. When she insisted on going her own way, I could have stopped her, but I would never have done so.
"Now, I want Lora to be the young woman who replaces her, who fills that emptiness. I know what you want, Larry, maybe more than you do yourself. Sign and we'll both be happy. Wouldn't you rather be Lora than the person you were? Isn't that what you've always wanted?"
Her questions cut uncomfortably deep and rang too true for me to deny. Throwing off the heavy yoke of my life as Larry Rossman was terribly appealing. And wedding images kept popping into my head as I held the pen tentatively. But...
"It just seems so impossible!"
"Was your drastic weight loss impossible?" she countered. "Or your beautiful hair? Or your new hands and legs? Sign and you'll be my niece, Lora, all legal and proper. Larry will vanish forever."
Knowing only that what she offered was more appealing than what I had, I let my trembling hand pick up the pen and reach toward the sheaf of papers.
It signed "Lora M. Covington" in a wide, flowing, feminine cursive that didn't resemble my masculine scrawl in any way!
"Oh, I'm so pleased, my dear!" Lea took the papers and set them aside. "Now let's go back to your room and finish what we've started."
"You mean I have to start being Lora NOW? I thought I'd have a chance to get my affairs in order.
There's my job, school, my friends at The Group. I can't just disappear..." I looked down at myself as Lea stood, took my hand, and gently but firmly pulled me toward my new quarters. "Though it might be a bit hard to prove my identity to some of them as it is!"
"My dear Lora, never underestimate the powers of Necromancy. When you signed that paper, your whole life became as though Lora Covington had always lived it. As of that moment, anyone you knew will now know you as Lora, with two rather obvious exceptions. First, your association with that 'Group' never happened. And second, Janice's husband will still have been Larry Rossman, but you are now Lora Covington. So, should you chance to meet, she won't know you. It's best that way."
By then we had arrived in the old maid's .... my room.
"Please remove your housecoat and nightgown, my dear."
"What now?" I asked while my elongated nails fumbling with the robe's backward tiny pearl buttons.
"Take a long hot bath and wash your hair, then we'll see about our Lora becoming a truly beautiful young lady."
She fluttered her fingers toward the bathroom in a shooing motion and there was a splashing sound. Although I'd always preferred showers, a long hot soak suddenly sounded very inviting. And when I went to climb in the tub it was the hottest, most fragrant bubble bath I'd ever seen. Not being particularly adept at using the shampoo and conditioners, I had to follow the bottles' instructions, which, fortunately, were fairly clear. I eventually crawled from the now tepid bath with waterlogged strands plastered down my back almost to my waist.
While drying off, I discovered that the sparse but dark body hair had vanished, and my legs were incredibly smooth and soft. Even my armpits were denuded. Only a very light downy fuzz could be seen on my arms, though hardly noticeable. My skin was soft and creamy smooth all over.
With a towel wrapped turban-like about my wet head, I shrugged on the robe that I'd left hanging on the door, and stepped out to into my new room where 'Aunt' Lea waited still.
Opening the front of the robe, I exposed my chest and rubbed the oddly smooth clear skin. "Lea? Why do different things keep happening to me? I know you and those wizard guys set this up, but it seems to be happening in installments, and at odd times. First my weight loss, then my hair, feet and hands. Now my chest and legs feel like they've been thoroughly shaved or waxed. How far is this gonna go?"
"Here, sit at the vanity and I'll work on your hair," she dodged.
"Okay," I replied grudgingly, sitting on the vanity's padded stool. "But I don't think you've told me everything yet."
Lea remained silent as she removed the towel from my head, and assaulted my abundant new mane. It seemed to take forever, and I never realized until then now torturous removing snarls from long hair can be. My scalp was painfully yanked more than a few times as she worked. But eventually, the combs and brushes slid smoothly through the now only slightly damp strands. Then, she wrapped curlers into the long thick hair, giving my head a bloated porcupine look, and began blasting it all with hot air from a hand-held blow dryer.
"WelI?" I prompted.
"My dear Lora ...."
"Why do you keep calling me Lora? I'm not her, not yet anyway!"
"Oh, but You are, my dear! Larry Rossman vanished the instant you signed that document. To me and the world you now ARE Lora Marie Covington, my niece, age nineteen, born in..."
"Nineteen!! That's impossible!"
Lea shook her head in dismay. "Why do you insist on using that word? You still don't comprehend the powers at work here, do you? Here, look." She turned me toward the vanity mirror.
I gasped.
Note: TG magic married wedding dress crossdress deals ftm long nails
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