The Girl Within

By Trashy Trisha

Peter was the other half of fraternal twins. His sister, Loreen, was only several minutes older. When people saw them together, they knew from a strong physical resemblance that they were indeed brother and sister, but not necessarily twins.

They did share many physical characteristics as well as mannerisms. Indeed they often dressed in a similar mode of fashion. They also had many common likes and dislikes. But most of all, they were as close as brother and sister could possible be.

Each knew exactly, as if by mind reading, what the other wanted as a gift come holiday or birthday. Very often these expressions of sibling love took the form of clothing or accessories. It was not unusual for Peter to model a jacket and trouser set that Loreen desired to give her an idea of what it might like on her. Loreen often did the same for her beloved brother.

Peter seemed to be born with the same shopping chromosome as his sister and the two of them could spend a day at the mall going from shop to shop trying on different things. People, especially the other kids at school, didn’t quite know what to make of the two. They often thought of them as being ‘interchangeable’ and even though they had different facial features, those who didn’t know them well would often confuse their names.

Sometimes Loren would dress up as Peter, comb her long auburn hair straight back, and forsake her make up. Peter would then dress in her clothes and, with Loreen’s help, make up his face and style his long auburn hair in a manner befitting his outfit. They would then often walk the short distance into town and, after stopping in town to gather a picnic lunch, they would proceed onward to the Dark Forest.

The Dark Forest was a very forbidding place. Thickets had overgrown most to the ground near the tall steal and wire fence that separated it from the rest of the area. The trees were quite tall and little light reached the forest floor. There were stories, more like legends really, about children who had wandered into the forest and were never seen again.

But to Peter and Loreen, the forest represented a refuge from the people of the town. Deep in the woods they could find the real children within themselves and not have to come under the scrutiny, or verbal abuse, of their peers. Peter could become Petra and Loreen was suddenly Larry.

The children had long ago found a breech in the fence they could slip through. Immediately they became friendly with the small creatures they encountered. Brings fruit and nuts to their little friends, Petra and Larry were often met near the breech by the squirrels, chipmunks, birds and assorted rodents. Petra would give the more brazen little feeders pet names.

Petra was the princess of the forest. Once she had befriended the small creature, the larger ones soon followed. Larry, in his boyish ways, was somewhat bored with feeding and petting the deer and wild pigs. He would rather explore new parts of the forest and climb another new tree that called out to be conquered.

But Petra was a special girl and she could speak to the animals. She would tell them of her life in the world beyond the fence and they, in turn, would tell her of theirs. A big old owl, who Petra named Wily because of his vast wisdom of the forest, told her of one creature she had yet to meet; the ogre.

“You must take heed and be very careful with him. The ogre has a nasty temper and doesn’t really seem to like any of us. He considers this whole forest to be his very own.”

“But Wily, if we all are so much smaller than him, why does he fear us?”

Wily looked at her with his huge golden eyes. He rotated his head, as was his habit, before he spoke.

“I didn’t say he was afraid of us. I said he doesn’t like us and when he can catch one of us, he feeds!”

Petra smiled calmly and rolled her eyes as she thought of the proper response to her very critical friend.

“Oh Wily…” She bent at the waist a bit and wagged her pink nailed finger at the old owl. “I bet that if I met this mean ogre, and had a chance to speak even for a moment or two, I would change his mind about his neighbors.”

The wise old owl hooted twice. Petra replied twice.

“Me…me!!!” She giggled and went on her way trailing after her brother.

One day, while exploring a part of the forest Petra and Larry had never seen, they discovered a steep hill with a huge wood planked door in its side. Along side the door were two windowed openings. Petra had informed Larry of the existence of the ogre and it suddenly occurred to her that this might be his home.

“WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING HERE!!!”

“Eeeeeeeekkkkkkkk!!!”

The loud and sudden shout scared Petra who promptly ran behind her brother and peered over his shoulder. Larry, with his boyish instincts, picked up a bare fallen tree limb and held it in a threatening manner.

“You leave us alone or I’ll smack you over the head!”

The ogre appeared from behind a tree and stood with his hands on his hips. He was huge, to say the least. His skin was green and he had a huge ugly face. His teeth were crooked and Petra could smell his awful odor from where she stood.

“Wait a minute Larry.”

Petra stepped out from behind her brother and faced the ogre. She was so very nervous, especially after what Wily told her. But she felt that a little kindness would go much further than trying to fight someone that big. She blinked her eyes several times and then spoke.

“We only came here to visit with our friends who live here. We come to this forest because we can be the people we really are. We mean you no harm.”

“What do you mean by ‘the people you really are’?”

“Well, when I leave this forest, I turn back into a boy and my brother, Larry, becomes a girl again.”

She walked a few steps closer to the ogre and continued speaking calmly.

“You see…there is a girl inside me that wants to come out and we come here so she can be free. You know, away from the town’s people. Loreen, my sister, has a boy deep within her and becomes Larry when we come here.”

“I hate the people on the other side of the fence. They once use to chase me and harass me because I was different then them. Why should I let you two stay here. I am a bit hungry and should really think about eating the two of you!”

“They also think we are different. That’s why we come here.”

Petra took several more steps toward the ogre. She smiled up at his huge face and was close enough to reach out her hand and touch his arm with her slender fingers. He flinched at first but as she continued to hold onto his arm gently, he eased his stance and felt the softness of her skin against his.

The ogre bent his huge head down and sniffed at Petra.

“You smell good; better than the spring flowers.”

Petra blushed, smiled, and lowered her eyes. She reached into her shoulder bag and retrieved a small bottle of cologne. Pulling off the cap, Petra raised the bottle to the ogre’s nose. The ogre inhaled the scent and for the first time smiled.

“It smells nice.”

“Would you like to try some of it on you?”
The ogre nodded his head. Petra took the opportunity to not only spray once on the ogre’s neck, but also once near each of his arm pits and once on his stomach. She hoped it would be enough to cover up- the horrid smell of someone who probably never bathed in his life.

“Thanks. This really smells nice.”

“You know…it’s most effective after you’ve had a nice warm bath.”

“A what???”

“A bath…” Petra giggled. “You take water and wash yourself clean with it. Haven’t you ever done that?”

The ogre looked down at the ground. He shuffled his feet and looked thoughtful.

“Not for some time. I don’t get many visitors you know.”

The ogre looked up at Petra again. He noticed the beautiful scarf she wore around her neck and shoulders. He reached out and touched the fabric.

“That’s very nice…and so soft.”

Petra removed the scarf and handed it to the ogre. He felt it with both hands and brought it up to his nose and sniffed it.

“This is really beautiful. And it smells like you!”

The ogre laughed and rubbed his face with the scarf.

“It’s called silk. The pattern you see is a ‘Paisley’ design. It’s yours to keep if you would like it.”

The ogre looked at the scarf and then at Petra. Petra could see that this was a bit difficult for him. She gently took the scarf and placed it around the ogre’s neck and shoulders as she had worn it.

“There! It looks even more beautiful on you than on me anyway. You keep it as a token of our friendship, okay?”

The ogre smiled and nodded his head. He sat down on the ground and inspected the ends of the scarf as he continued to raise it to his nose. Petra and Larry sat down with the ogre and they all started to speak to one another. The afternoon pasted too quickly as they learned about the life of the ogre, and he about theirs.

All too soon, the sun began to set and it was time for them to leave the forest. The ogre led them back to the place where the fence’s hole was. Petra looked at the ogre as she bid him a goodbye.
“May Larry and I come to visit you again?”

The ogre smiled and told them that nothing would make him happier. He held the hole open wider as they slipped back through the fence and into their world. Both children waved at the ogre as they began their walk home.

And so the children began to visit with their new friend twice a week. The ogre expressed his desire to appear more like Petra. He loved her colorful clothes and her cologne. He wanted to be as beautiful as she was. So for each visit Petra and Larry would bring the ogre a piece of women’s clothing.

They would have to haunt the second hand stores in town to find something large enough for the ogre to wear. Petra bought whatever she could find in a size twenty four. She also bought the ogre some cologne and a cosmetic kit that was on sale. The ogre was so enthralled with the twins that he took their suggestion and finally bathed!

Each and every time the children visited the ogre, he became a little more refined; more feminine; more like Petra. And, oddly enough, the children were becoming more and more like their true inner selves. These changes remained with them longer and longer after they went back through the fence.

Petra could barely find the boy within him any more and had to begin wearing bras because she had begun to develop breasts. Larry wound up giving Petra all of his old bras because he found he no longer needed them but he did need the support of jockey shorts!

There was one person in their school who observed this entire adventure occurring. Her name was Heather and she was the school beauty queen. Heather was so popular and in such demand that she carried around her social calendar on her iphone.

However, Heather was not popular with the twins. She was constantly calling Peter awful names and suggesting that he was much less than a normal boy. And with Loreen, she had even less mercy. Heather physically pushed her around and knocked her books out of her arms. There was nothing too mean for Heather to do to embarrass and harass the twins.

Heather took notice of the twins entering the forest one day and she decided to follow them. After climbing through the fence, she walked in the general direction she had observed them taking in the hope of surprising them.

Unfortunately for Heather, she didn’t know exactly where they were headed and she stumbled upon the home of the ogre.

‘Oh my Gawd! Who could possibly live in this pile of dirt?’ Heather had nothing but contempt for anyone who would live in the side of a hill.

“WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU WANT!!!???”

The voice boomed out from behind Heather. She quickly turned and saw the ogre dressed in a blouse and a skirt. His face was made up in the fashion that Petra had shown him. The colors were earthy to try and compliment his green skin. Heather burst out laughing.

“Oh my Gawd! You are a mess. I have never seen anything as ridiculous as you in my life!”

The ogre was shocked that anyone would dare speak to him in such a foul manner. His eyes narrowed and his jaw was firmly set as anger and rage built up within him. ‘This one is nothing like my friend Petra’ he thought.

“Gawd! Where did you get those clothes from? They are so barfy! And who does your make-up, the undertaker?”

Heather went on and on with her insults until the ogre could take no more. He suddenly leaped through the air as he shouted; “YOU SNARKY PSCHO HOSE BITCH!” Before Heather even knew what was happening, the ogre bit her head completely off! He chewed twice and swallowed it. Then he began to rip up the rest of her body and swallowed the pieces; clothing and all.

Shortly after he had finished one of the best meals he had recently, the twins came walking into his clearing. The ogre sat smiling with the glazed look of someone who was totally satisfied with life. Petra smiled at him and waved.

“Oh Ms. O…” Petra had decided some time before to start calling him that when he was dressed. “You look so…gorgeous today. Your hair is so perfectly styled and your outfit is adorable.”

The ogre looked at her and smiled. He knew that from the sound of her voice and the look on her face that she was sincere. Ms. O began to giggle.

“It must be the girl within me.”

The End