Maggie, who was known to her closest friends as Maggie the Kitten, now a tall beautiful young woman, woke with a smile on her face. As she opened her eyes the feeling didn’t go away, but it was joined by another feeling. The redheaded Miss O’Malley sometimes had the sight, from her Irish ancestors. Usually, though, she knew what was about to happen, unless it was going to happen to her. In that case, as now, all she had was a premonition, but if she was happy, she knew that whatever was happening would be good.

After she’d fixed and eaten breakfast, she got on her bike for the ride to work, but rather than taking the shortest route, something seemed to be drawing her in a different direction. Remembering her premonition, she followed her feeling, until it led her to the train station. After carefully locking her bike in a rack, she entered the station just in time for the arrival of one of the few passenger trains that still came to the city, for like all cities, train travel was way down, if not non-existent. “I wonder who I know would be coming in by train?’

She kept a sharp eye out, which wasn’t difficult, as only a dozen or so people got off the train. She looked carefully at all of them, but didn’t recognize any of them. Just before the train started to pull out, a tall man jumped down to the platform, dragging a wheeled suitcase behind him. As the train pulled out, he just stood there, looking puzzled. Seeing her looking at him, he called to her, “Oh, Miss? What city is this?”

Puzzled at the strange question, Maggie moved a bit closer, and told him. His next words puzzled her even more, “I was sound asleep when I woke up and something told me to get off the train right away. You don’t suppose something awful is going to happen to the train, do you?”

Maggie thought back to her feeling when she woke up. “No, I don’t believe anyhthing bad is going to happen today.”

“Say, you don’t happen to know where I could get a good breakfast around here, do you?”

That, Maggie had an answer for. Quickly she gave him directions to Ameilia’s Meals. “Be sure to try the muffins. They’re the best in the world.”

After the man left, Maggie hung around a bit longer, but the feeling was growing weaker, and she didn’t see anyone she knew. A bit puzzled, she got back on her bike and went to work.

After work, she decided to go see her mother, because if anyone could help her figure it out, it would be the woman she still thought of as Mommy, or her sisterAunt Jenna, whose store was just down the street.
When she reached the store, her mother’s face lit up. “There you are. I’ve been waiting for you.”

“But Mom, you know I never get off work any earlier than this! And why were you waiting for me?”

“I have some special delivery magic for someone, and I want you to help me deliver it.” Shelly picked up pair of white boxes, which she handed to Maggie as they went out the door. Once the door had been locked, she took one back. “Follow me, Dear.”

Their first stop was none other than Aunt Jenna’s ‘Jumping Jacks Toy Store’. Mystified, Maggie followed her mother towards the back. “You wait right there, Darling, while I talk to Sis.”

Maggie felt a bit foolish standing there holding the white box, especially when from around the far side of a rack, came the stranger she’d spoken to at the train station. But at least she didn’t have to stumble around thinking of something to say. “How did you like your breakfast? Wasn’t it as good as I said it was?”

“No. It wasn’t.” The man’s words surprised Maggie so much she dropped the box she was holding.

“It was much better than that,” he added with a laugh as he dove for the two toned green tennis ball that bounced out of the box when it hit the floor.

Maggie also dove after it, recognizing it, sort of. When they both reached it, they sort of slid together until their noses were just inches apart, on opposite sides of the ball. “Mmmmm! Smells good,” the man said, and almost instantly began to shrink. Maggie also got a good whiff of the ball, and found the shop growing around her. Both of them lost their grip on the ball, for furry paws aren’t built to hold onto things like that.

Maggie and the stranger played keep-away, giving each other gentle, claws in slaps whenever it looked as if the other was going to gain full possession of the two toned green ball. It wasn’t long before they both tired, and seeing a fuzzy yellow pillow, the two kittens curled up and went to sleep.

It was dark outside when they woke. Maggie woke first. She had been through this before, so it was just a game to her, but she wondered what the stranger had thought when he found he was a kitten.

After they’d both had a good stretch, Cathleen picked them up and carried them into the back room, where Jenna and Shelly were waiting. “Put them on the floor, Cathleen,” Mommy Shelly told her.

When they were on their feet, looking up at Shelly towering over them, she tossed a new ball to them. This one was bright pink. The other kitten got to it first, took a deep sniff, then sneezed.

As if the sneeze had been a signal, the kitten began to grow, and in seconds, was a young girl, appearing to be just about the same age as Maggie was whenever Shelly let her use magic to return to being a five year old. In fact, when the ball rolled over to her, and Maggie sniffed, she also grew into her five year old self.

Shelly handed Cathleen another ball, and in no time there were three preschoolers looking at each other. Of course, Cathleen and Maggie had been through this many times before, so it was no big thing to them. But, “What is ...” the other little girl stopped speaking for a minute, and looked down at herself.

“What’s going on? Have you drugged me? A bit ago I thought I was a kitten, and now, a little girl?” She looked as if she wanted to break into tears, her lower lip quivering as she tried to hold them back.

“Haven’t you ever wanted to be a little girl?” Shelly asked, kneeling to get down the her level.

The tyke suddenly looked fearful. “You don’t have to be afraid to tell us anything. Maggie used to be a man, and then became a woman, and with my magic, can be a little girl anytime she wants to.” She held out her arms, and the youngster tentatively took a couple of steps towards her.
“Magic?”

“Yes, I am what some would call a witch, but a good witch. I make things that help people become what they want to be, if that is something good, that is. I knew you were coming, and made a special charmed ball to help you find your dream. I made it special, so that Maggie, who has more familiarity with this sort of thing, could share it with you.”

“Maggie, is that the young lady who came into the shop, and turned into a kitten with me?”

“Why don’t you ask her?”

The new little girl turned towards the other who had been a second kitten such a short time before, “You’re Maggie!” It was a statement, not a question. “You’re the young lady who told me where to find something to eat, aren’t you? Is this really, real?”

Maggie came over to her and took her hand. “Yes’s. Me Maggie. What your name?”

“Holl .... Holl ... Holly. That’s not right, it’s Holly.” She looked startled, and stopped. “I guess it must be ... Holly. Mark isn’t a girl’s name, is it?”

“Holly!” Maggie pulled her close as Shelly let her go, so Maggie could hug her. In a second, Cathleen had joined the group hug. “Holly, this’s my cuzn, Cafleen.”

“Hi, Cafleen. Tha’s’a funny name. Cafleen.”

“Silly, it Cathleen. Cafleen is just the way Maggie say it.”

“Come girl’s, it’s time to go eat. Aunt Jenna has already gone down to Bob’s Cyber Café to get dinner. Let Holly guess first, girls. Can you guess what it is, Holly?”

The little girl looked bewildered, and shook her head.

“Can’I hint her Mommy?” Maggie asked.

Shelly nodded, knowing Maggie already knew. “What do you get in a box this big?” She held her hands further apart than her shoulders, “ ‘n this thick.”
She held her finger and thumb about an inch and a half apart.

“Pizza?” “PIZZA! The other two girls echoed her.

"I think we’d better get home. But first, maybe you should all grow older. Maggie, you have to take you bicycle home, and you’re too little to ride it that way. And Holly, you’ll need to be bigger to pull your suitcase.” She motioned at the balls, one of which was half bright red, and half a deep purple.

Cathleen was first, and was soon a fetching blonde goddess, the type any high school aged boy dreamed about. Maggie was next. Having lots of experience with this sort of magic, she sniffed the ball and returned to being the young woman she had been when she’d entered the store.

Then Holly sniffed, becoming a raven haired beauty about Maggie’s age. Shelly locked the door after them before leading them to her sister’s home.

At Aunt Jenna’s, Shelly held out the boxes she had been carrying, and soon three preschoolers were waiting impatiently for their promised treat. When Aunt Jenna came through the door carrying the large flat box from Bob’s Cyber Café, she was greeted with ‘PIZZA!” from the mouths of three pretty, freshly scrubbed little girls.

Not much later, the box was empty. Jenna and her sister were still only halfway through with their second slices, but the rest of the pizza was gone, most having gone in, but some on, three smiling faces. Before long, Maggie looked up at the adults, asking, “May we be excused to go play?”

At Jenna’s nod, the three burst from their chairs, only to be stopped, “As soon as your faces and hands are clean.” Seemingly only moments later, the three presented themselves for inspection. Jenna excused Cathleen and Holly, but held Maggie for a second while she dipped a napkin in the glass of water to remove the tiniest bit of pizza sauce from the tip of Maggie’s nose.

While the two girls who had always been girls, today, anyway, showed Holly around the house, Jenna and Shelly were deep in thought, discussing the day’s events. Eventually Shelly looked at the clock, startled to see how late it was. “Girls!” she called out.

When the three well behaved, slightly exhausted little girls were once more in the dining room, she announced, “I’m afraid it is bedtime for three pretty young ladies. And Holly, you will need to decide where you are going to spend the night, but I think you should grow up again before making that decision.”

Shelly first held out the box with the ball that had changed Maggie and Holly. And once more, Maggie was a tall, stunning looking red haired young woman.

However, when Holly sniffed the purple side, she did not turn into the black haired beauty she had been on her arrival. Nor did she turn into the older man who had arrived by train that morning. Instead, a handsome young man about Maggie’s age, still with the shiny coal black hair, stood before them.

“Holly?’ Maggie asked tentatively.

Looking down at himself, the young man replied, “I think you had better call me Mark.”

On the way home, Shelly explained to Mark about how the magic balls could let the person for whom they were intended choose whether to be a child or someone of an older age, depending on their desires. And how they could also let someone who felt that they had been born in a body of the wrong sex, choose which sex they wanted to be.

“And the other ball lets you be your animal spirit. We’re both kittens. Isn’t that nice?” Maggie added, then went on, “But Mommy, you said the other ball would be pink for a girl or blue for a boy?” Shelly nodded. Knowing that would be enough, as they were under a streetlight.

Mommy, this was special magic ball, wasn’t it, half for me and half for Holly ... Mark?” When Shelly nodded again, Maggie went on. “Well, pink is for a little girl, like when I’m lttle girl Maggie, and red for like now. And way back, didn’t you tell me that blue was for a little boy?”

“Yes, Darling, powder blue.”

“Well, Mark part of the ball was pink when Shelly first gave it to us. But just now, shouldn’t it have been deep blue then, for an older boy?”

As they reached their own home, Shelly unlocked the front door as she replied, “Yes, it should have, But somehow, I suspect that when Holly is a little girl, it wasn’t really a deep blue, is it?”

“No, uh ... Shelly? May I call you Shelly?” Mark asked, then went on before she could answer, “It was purple, deep royal purple.”

“Uh, huh, I saw it that way, too.” Maggie sounded concerned.

“You could see Holly’s .. Mark’s half of the ball? Shelly asked her. “Oh, I see. You’re afraid that it might turn you into a boy? Don’t worry. Only his half of the ball will work on him, and your half on you. But you’re not supposed to be able to see his half, nor should he see yours, except as grayish white.”

“No, Momma" ?"No, Shelly,” Both of the young people tried to talk at once.

“What color was it, Mark?”

“Well, the first time, it was pink all over, like you said. And again, when we were both young ladies, like Maggie is now.” But whenever I was a ... a ... a little girl, half of it was red, and the other half, purple, never red or deep blue.”

“That’s sort of what I expected. Even though I’m the witch, I can’t see the magic colors. And the two of you shouldn’t be able to see each other’s half of the ball, either.”

“Mommy, I could see Mark’s half, too, and it was purple. Why did you make one ball half and half? You’ve never done that before, have you?”

“No, I haven’t But for some reason, something made me try it this morning. It is all the same, except for the spell, which split in two somehow as I cast it. And somehow, Holly’s spirit can choose whether to be a young woman or a young man when little girl Holly is growing older.” Shelly stopped for a moment, “Before, when you first saw the ball, was it half pink and half lavender?”

Both young people shook their heads. Mark nodded at Maggie, who answered for both of them, “No, Mom. It was pink, all over.”

“Interesting. .. .But then when you are both little girls, Holly’s side is purple. .... hmmmm ...”

There was a moment of silence. .... “Since Holly can decide whether to become grown up Holly, or grown up Mark, when she is little girl Holly, that could cause problems. Somehow, you must learn to control it to become whomever you consciously need to be when growing older.”

“Does this mean I can never become myself again?”

“Yourself, dear? You are yourself. Do you mean that you might want to become that rather tired man who came into town on the train? I suppose you could, but do you really want to become him?”

Mark pondered for a bit. “No, I suppose not, really .... except, there are some things I should do, maybe. I mean, if I’m going to become this me, or, those other me’s ...” Mark’s face seemed to light up as he said the latter, “There are things I should do to make it easier on the people I left behind. I was running away to think about things, but I never meant to leave people behind who will worry about me ...”

“Don’t worry, Dear. The magic works all over, not just on you. If you decide you want to be this Mark, or either of the Holly’s you were tonight, those you left behind will either not remember you at all, or remember you fondly, as someone they once knew. Even your enemies, if you had any, will only remember you as someone they once knew, someone whom they never need worry about again. And the ticket you used to come here? It will never appear on any records. So, do you really want to become that older Mark again?”

Mark looked at the two women seated in the front room with him. “No, I don’t think so. But what do I call you? I don’t think I want to call you Mommy, or Mom, like Maggie does.”

“No, I don’t suppose you would, at least, not yet. ...” Shelly chuckled, and after a moment as they caught on, Maggie and Mark both turned as pink as the ball would appear to them the next time they saw it. “I suppose you could call me Aunt Shelly, but you are old enough to just call me Shelly, if you would rather.”

Maggie turned towards this interesting new person who had come into her life. “Which would you rather be, Holly, or Mark when you are this old?”

“I think I’d rather be ...”

Finis

Holly Afterword

I wrote this story for Maggie, before the first time I met her. I was going to present her with a pair of tennis balls the same color as the ones in her 'The Kitten Tail'.

Have you ever tried to find pink and emerald tennis balls? How about old fashioned gray ones that might, just might, be dyed the right color?
I had some of the day-glo greenish yellow ones and tried to bleach the color out so I could dye them. N0 Go. The color is part of whatever the fuzz is made from.

I'd about given up, when I found a pair of two toned tennis balls in a pet shop, and suddenly, the story came alive.

As Maggie was reading the story, I presented the two tennis balls to her, each smelling of the appropriate odor, chocolate/vanilla for chocolate chip cookies, and catnip.

The story was also written carefully to fit both with 'The Kitten Tail' and with 'The Girl Who Touched the Stars', the original version.

I had a lot of fun writing it, presenting it to Maggie, and I hope you did, too.