----------=BigCloset Retro Classic!=----------   Oh Girl, It's Halloween Again!

By Tiffany B. Quinn
October 2013

Every Halloween is special for this youngster. This Halloween is just more special than all the others.

---

   

Admin Note: Originally published on BigCloset TopShelf on Friday 10-04-2013 at 04:14:05 pm, this retro classic was pulled out of the closet, and re-presented for our newer readers. ~Sephrena

   

The evening of Thursday, 30 October

I’m so excited that I can hardly think of sleeping.

Tomorrow is Halloween–my favorite holiday! Tonight, at 12:01 AM, I will be going through a transformation which I have experienced every year of my life. And this will be more special than ever since I am sixteen. Sweet sixteen.

By 12:15 AM, I will be a sixteen year old girl named Gloria. What’s strange about that you ask? Well, right now I am a sixteen year old boy named George–a name which I detest, by the way.

Every year of my life I have morphed into the girl I would have been–had I been born a girl–on the morning of Halloween. And I have stayed a girl for one day for each year of my life. That means that I’ll be Gloria for sixteen days this year. What’s really cool about this year, however, is that I’m old enough to date and my best friend, Jessica, has talked one of our male classmates into taking me to the Halloween party being held at our school.

I can hardly wait.

As I mentioned, I turn into a girl every Halloween. Nobody really knows why this is. There is some unsubstantiated suspicion that my parent’s ticked off an old woman down the street just before I was born–something about my father accidentally running the car over her cat. The old lady still lives at the end of the street in a dark old house. She scowls at my father whenever she sees him.

Anyway, the first time the change happened was just after my first birthday (my birthday is in late October). My parents flew into a panic and rushed me to the hospital where everyone puzzled over me all day. The next morning, when she came in to check on me, the nurse found that I’d morphed back in to a baby boy. This had everyone totally confused.

The next year, it happened again–right on schedule. This time the ‘condition’ lasted for forty-eight hours. It didn’t take too many years for the pattern to become apparent. Every October 30^th at 10:00 PM I fall into a deep sleep and every October thirty first at 12:01 AM I spend fifteen minutes morphing into a genetically complete female.  The doctors used to have me stay at the hospital so they could observe and video the event, but after I turned twelve my parents said enough was enough so now I transition at home without a peanut gallery watching on.  The duration of the condition increases by twenty-four hours each year.

Mom has a photograph album with pictures from Halloween each year. When I was two years old, she dressed me up in a cute little dragon costume that a neighbor girl had once used. Like all small children, I look adorable. Dressing up for Halloween has become my favorite thing to do. In the early years, I was several different animals and faeries. As I got older I graduated into witches, Disney princesses, cowgirls, etc. My favorite was a Roman princess costume that I wore when I was twelve. It consisted of a white gown with a silver sash draped over my shoulder and Mom put my hair up in a very fancy fashion with a tiara. In the pictures, I look like a very happy girl. And I was. For some reason I reveal in the experience each year–it just feels so right. I really look forward to dressing up every Halloween. In fact, I love my girl time so much that I treat every day of it as a dress-up day. In addition to the Halloween pictures I think there’s a picture in the album for every girl day of my life, however I love the Halloween pictures the best.

I have an older sister, Helen, and two younger brothers–Jeff and Bill. My parents were worried about my brothers having the same issue as me, but the change has never happened for them. I’m the only “lucky one”. Dad still freaks out a little about the change, but seems accepting of it most of the time. Mom seems to love it and so does Helen. My brothers are almost ambivalent about my annual blossoming but you can tell that they like me better in boy mode.

Once the pattern became apparent, my mother started saving my sister’s old clothes for me to use during my girl time. She doesn’t see any point in buying me a new wardrobe each year just for a couple of days or weeks. The only concession is in underwear. She buys me new panties each year.

When I was younger, I didn’t think anything of the change. As I became old enough to realize some of the differences between boys and girls it still didn’t bother me. I was happy to look like my older sister for a few days each year. On those days Helen and I would spend more time together than we usually do and she’d show me a thing or two about being a girl. She often comment how she wished I could be her younger sister permanently.

We live in a rather small town up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire where everyone knows everyone else. Few people move into town–more move out. We live a long commute from where most people work. The population has been slowly declining and aging but my core group of friends has remained essentially the same my whole life. They all know about the change. While it really freaks out some of my male friends, the girls seem to be good with it though they don’t completely accept me as one of them while I’m in girl mode. One of my best friends, Jessica, seems to be almost more excited about the annual change than I am. She has my girl days all planned out this year.

Unfortunately, I have to continue going to school while I’m a girl. This has caused some issues for the school authorities. Not all the girls and their families are comfortable with me going into the girls locker room or bathrooms as they know that I’ll be turning back into a boy again shortly. This seems a little hypocritical to me as most of the girls pester me when I’m in girl mode with questions about what it’s like in the boys’ locker room. I don’t tell them–much. When in girl mode I usually use the more private staff bathroom for changing clothes and necessary body functions.

I am typically a little late for school on Halloween as there is a mad scramble to sort through my sister’s old clothes to find something appropriate and which fits. The good news is that I am essentially the same size that Helen was at the same age. The issues arise in questions of style. Gloria wants to be her own girl, not just a reincarnation of Helen.

Anyway, after school tomorrow I am going to Jessica’s house to put the finishing touches on my costume for the big party tomorrow night. We’ve been planning it for some time now. It took a long time to decide what to go as. I wanted to go as southern belles, but Jessica shot that down as the hooped skirts would be a real pain at the crowded party–not to mention in the car when traveling to and from the party. Jessica wanted to go as pirates but I insisted on something with a skirt–I want to declare my girlhood while I can. We ended up with me going as Hermione from Harry Potter (I know, that’s so old these days, but I just love the story!) and she is going as Katniss from the Hunger Games. Mom insists that any skirt I wear is at least knee length and no cleavage–spoil sport! We order me a wig which looks like Hermione’s hair, Hogwarts robes, school tie, school scarf, and a wand. The skirt and top I’ve taken from the store of Helen’s old clothes. We added some grey knee socks to complete the look. With some good make up I should be a very believable Hermione Granger. Jason, my date, agreed to dress like a Hogwarts boy so we can match.

I’ll stay over for dinner at Jessica’s and our dates will pick us up there. Mom insists that we come by our house on the way to the party so that she can get some pictures for the album.

In the following days, Jessica has planned for me to going shopping with her for the two Saturdays that I’ll be in girl mode. Occasionally we’ll meet up with other girls from school to do girly things. She is even planning two sleep overs with girls who are cool with my change. It should be fun.

Don’t get me wrong, I have enjoyed being a boy. I have been developing into a tall skinny boy. I’ve shot up in height but I am still pretty skinny, in part because I am a distance runner for the cross country and track teams. I’m pretty good at it too. I started to shave this year and my voice has deepened considerably which has been very satisfying. I actually have taken an interest in one girl at school, but she doesn’t pay me any attention–I’ve been too nervous to make the move to ask her out. Maybe now that I’m sixteen, I’ll find the courage to ask her out after my annual condition passes. I shouldn’t be so nervous–after all I know more about girls than the average guy!

It seems strange, but as you’ve notice by now, I really like being a girl too. Maybe it’s because the season is so short but I just want to be all girl when I can. I tried cross dressing once while in boy mode to see if the magic feelings were there, but it was a bust. I don’t present well as a girl when in boy mode and it doesn’t feel right. When I become a girl, I typically loose about four inches in height and thirty to forty pounds in weight, so my Gloria clothes just don’t work for a cross dressing George. I don’t keep Gloria clothes around after I change back to George–there is no point in it as I grow some each year. Mom just gives them to charity after I’m done with them.

Well, now that you have the back ground I need to get to sleep. In spite my excitement I won’t be able to keep my eyes open much longer. It’s almost 10:00 PM now.

------< Two Days Later >------

The morning of Saturday, 1 November

What a night we had last night! The Halloween party was fantastic. We didn’t win any prizes for our costumes but we had a great time anyway. We went to the local pizza joint to eat afterwards. Our dates were pretty nice guys–all of us were a bit nervous as this was actually the first date for all four of us. Jason made an abortive attempt to nonchalantly put his arm around me at the pizza place–I kind of wish he had succeeded. We’ve all known each other all our lives but had never done anything like dating. Jason is cool with my change and was just being a friend–though he did give me a quick kiss on the lips when he dropped me off at home last night. I was hoping for my first real kiss, but I guess that will have to wait. There are no ‘sparks’ but we did have a good time. I agreed to go with him to a movie tonight on another double date with Jessica and Andy. Maybe he’ll be brave enough to put his arm around me in the theatre. I’d like to know what it is like to snuggle up to a guy.

What I can’t understand right now is why I’m wide awake at 5:30 AM after getting home at 11:30 PM last night. Jessica stayed the night and we talked until after 1:00 AM before we both fell asleep in my double bed. She’s still sleeping and I’m feeling a compulsion to go for a run. It’s still dark and chilly outside.

Sighing, I roll quietly out of bed and use a small headlamp to locate some running clothes. My running habit carries over into both of my bodies, so there are some running clothes here for Gloria to use. I couldn’t stand to give up running for over two weeks. I have running shorts, a sports bra, and hand-me-down sweats which actually fit. My hair is down to just below my shoulder blades this year, so I find a scrunchie to hold my hair up in a high ponytail.  I really like the way it swings when I walk or run. I wear my hair on the longish side of short when I’m George so this is a big change.

While stretching out my muscles on the front lawn I notice that the old woman’s house down at the end of the street is still lit up as if expecting more trick-or-treaters. That seems odd. I wonder if the old woman is ill or something. I’ve never really talked with her over the years, but she does smile at me when she sees me–unlike when she sees my parents.

She always has great Halloween decorations and the kids love going to see the ‘haunted’ house down the street. She gives out lots of candy. If we gave out awards for best decorated house, her house would be at the top of the list.

I walk over to her house to see what’s going on. The lit pumpkin on the porch looks unusually fresh for having been out in the frosty air all night. As I get closer I notice that the candle is a fresh one. It couldn’t have been lit for more than ten minutes or so. The carving of the pumpkin is also very unique. It has two faces–one male and one female. Also as I get closer, Halloween type noises start to emit from speakers hidden on the porch–you know, moaning wind in the trees, the occasional cackle, squeaky door hinges, bubbling goo, etc.

I stand before the porch wondering what to do, when the front door slowly opens of its own accord and the old woman’s voice emanates from the dark recesses of the house.

“Please come in, Gloria,” she says. “I’m pleased that you could come.”

Stepping cautiously up onto the porch, I cautiously enter the house.

The entryway is lit with candles and there are Halloween decorations here as well. Commercially made cobwebs, spiders hanging from the ceiling and a cutout of a ghost on the wall.

The old woman, Mrs. Jackson, is standing in the middle of the adjacent parlor wearing a very elaborate witch’s costume. She even has a broom. I particularly like the stereotypical pointed hat. It has quite a wide brim and is strangely sexy looking. I want one like that next time I dress as a witch for Halloween.

Smiling at me, she looks much younger than she normally does.

“Um, hello?” I nervously give her a little finger wave.

“Come in,” she cheerfully encourages me, “Come in dear. We have something to discuss.”

She crosses over to a couch and sits. Patting the seat beside her, she invites me to sit with her.

“My you’ve turned out to be such a pretty young lady,” she continues. “I’m sure you’re wondering why I invited you over this morning.”

“Invited me?” I query.

“Yes, Yes, dear.” She bubbles at me. “I sent you the prompting to get up early and then to come see me. You didn’t need to follow the compulsion, of course. Lord knows how teenagers like to sleep in on a Saturday morning. I appreciate you making the effort.”

I’m totally at a loss here.

“Um,” is my less than intelligent response.

“How do you like being a girl?” she asks.

“Fine,” I reply in confusion.

“Not much of one for conversation in the morning,” she observes, “are you dear? Well, let me mention a few things to get the conversation going.”

“First of all, Gloria, I know all about your condition.” She continues. “I’m responsible for it.”

That clears up that mystery, but that could only happen by magic. Who believes in magic these days?

“How?” I ask. “Why?”

“The how is easy,” she grins. “I’m a witch.”

Looking a little sheepish, she continues, “The why, I’m a little ashamed of.”

“Oh?” I prompt her.

“You see,” she looks down, “I lost control of my temper when your father accidently killed my familiar with his car. He didn’t seem to understand the gravity of what he’d done. Your mother wasn’t much better.”

“I sort of put a spell on you,” she mumbles, “Just before you were born. It was childish and irresponsible of me to be spiteful, but I couldn’t undo it once it was done. Even after I realized that your father was not at fault. It was an accident. He could have been a bit more sorry about it, though.”

“So,” I cautiously summarize, “You threw a temper tantrum and now I’m paying the price?”

“Is it really all that bad?” she asks me with remorse in her voice.

“Well,” I admit, “Not really. I actually look forward to my girl days. I just feel wonderful when I’m a girl. I can’t explain it. Was that part of the spell?”

“No, no, no,” she quickly responds, “I can’t change the way you look at things, just the physical. I’d get in more trouble than I did if I messed with your mind and heart. Your character, thoughts, and feelings are all your own doing. That’s why I asked how you like being a girl.”

“Well,” I reply thoughtfully, “I like it just fine, but then again, I’m only a girl for a few days a year. I haven’t had to do it full time or anything.”

“How do you like being a boy?” she asks.

I shrug. “I like that too. I think that I do pretty well with being a boy, after all that is what I was born as.”

“If you could choose between the two,” she looks intensely into my eyes, “which would you choose?”

There’s a giant question. How to respond? I’ve been mostly boy and that’s what I know best. I like it, but being a boy misses the zing I get from being a girl. Would that zing of being a girl be there if the situation were reversed? I don’t know.

“I don’t know,” I reply surprised.

“Well,” she says matter-of-factly, “you need to figure it out.”

“Why?” I ask in surprise. “Do I have a choice?”

“Yes,” she informs me. “This is the last year of the change. When I cast the spell, I figured that it’d give your parents heartache while you still live at home, but there’d be little point in continuing as you approach adulthood. This is to be the last year of the change. Originally, I was going to have you change back into a boy and leave it at that, but after watching you all these years, I think I’ll make it up to you by giving you the choice to stay as you are now or return to being George forever.”

Wow, I think to myself. I never saw this coming. I think that I’ll miss the switching back and forth. The easy way out of this choice is to stay as George. After all, I’ve got a whole life built up around being him. I’ve got the toys, clothes, experiences, etc… that go with being George. I only have a minimal hand-me-down wardrobe and a few days experience with being Gloria. The problem is that I just love being Gloria to the point that I yearn for it occasionally throughout the year. These yearnings come on unexpectedly and for no apparent reason. I never yearn for George with I’m Gloria. Would that change if I’m Gloria for more than a couple of weeks? I don’t know.

Seeing my intense contemplation, she continues, “You don’t have to decide right now, Gloria. You have two more weeks until your next change to decide. Don’t stress about it now.”

That’s easy for her to say. This is a huge decision. I’ll be stressing for two weeks!

“Just come back to see me two weeks from now.” She instructs me. “Same time, same place.”

“Just like that?” I ask.

“Yep,” she grins, “Just like that. I can go either way with you. It’s your life and your choice. Just let me know what you’d like to do. In the meantime, you might want to go for your run. It is starting to get light out.”

With that, she ushers a very confused girl out the door with a smile.

“We’ll see you in two weeks, Gloria.” She cheerfully waves to me before closing the door leaving me standing bewildered on her porch. The porch light goes out and the Halloween noises stop. All is still.

I definitely need my run now.

------< Later That Morning >------

The run didn’t help much.

Returning home after five miles of easy running, I wander into the kitchen to rehydrate and eat a little breakfast. Mom and Dad are both in the kitchen reading the paper and drinking coffee.

“How was your run, honey,” Mom asks looking surprised to see me up so early.

“I didn’t think you’d be up early this morning.” Dad comments without looking up from the paper. “You had a late night last night.”

Grabbing a pitcher out of the refrigerator, I pour myself a large glass of orange juice. I also pop a bagel in the toaster and retrieve the raspberry jam.

“The run was great,” I reply as I sit down at the table, “But I’ve got a problem. Maybe you two can help me with it.”

“Oh?” Dad asks looking up from his paper with a raised eye brow.

“If you had the choice of me staying as a boy or as a girl,” I ask them, “what would it be?”

“That’s pretty heavy,” Dad observes while putting down his newspaper.

“What brought that on?” Mom asks slightly startled.

“You know Mrs. Jackson down the street?” I ask.

They both nod affirmatively.

“Well,” I casually say, “she is a witch. She told me this morning that my condition is the result of her casting a spell while throwing a temper tantrum when you ran over her familiar, Dad. She's sorry about it–well mostly anyway. Apparently this is to be the last year of my condition and she says I can choose to stay as Gloria or be George for the rest of my life.”

“I knew it!” Dad exclaims. “It had to be her, but I don’t believe in magic–or at least I didn’t before you started your changes. Anyway, it hasn’t been all bad–I kind of like you as Gloria once in a while. It’s like having another daughter visit occasionally and I still get to have George.”

“Dave!” my mother admonishes by Dad before returning her attention to me. “This is not about what we want, Gloria. It’s about what you want. When do you have to decide?”

“Two weeks,” I reply, “at the end of this cycle.”

My bagel pops up in the toaster so I retrieve it and spread some jam on it.

“It’s going to be a rough two weeks,” Dad observes dryly.

“Yeah,” I agree as I munch on my bagel. “Can we keep this between ourselves for now? I’d not like a lot of people trying to convince me one way or the other. I just want to observe and think. I would, however, like you to tell me which you think is best.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” My mother looks kindly at me as she pats my hand on the table. “We won’t do that. It’s up to you. We will, however, be here to talk to you whenever you like.”

“Thanks,” I tell both of them.

“So,” Dad asks with great curiosity, “Which are you going to choose?”

I shrug as I finish my bagel and orange juice. “I don’t know. I have to think about it.”

With that, I head upstairs for a shower and to get Jessica moving. We have a lot planned for today.

------< Two Weeks Later >------

The evening of Friday, 14 November

Talk about a stressful two weeks!

I tried to not let the decision get to me but as the deadline drew nearer, I started to panic.

What to do!?!?

After the first week, everyone noticed that I was not myself–regardless of which gender. I was preoccupied and asking lots of strange questions without giving any reasons why.

I asked almost every girl I know about the details of their lives and what they felt about them. What do they like about being a girl? What are the downsides? Would they rather be a boy? Why or why not?

I gathered the varied responses and sifted through the information only to come to the conclusion that girls are generally happy to be girls, though they do envy a few things about boys. My much vaster experience with being a boy tells me that boys are similarly happy with their lot. So the choice will not be one of which has the best deal–they are equal–but which would I rather be? It’s a matter of preference or inclination.

Another new experience thrown into the first week was the advent of my very first period. Of course it had to happen in school. And in the early part of the day. How embarrassing. After borrowing feminine hygiene products from Jessica I had to make a quick trip home to change. I should have known that it wasn’t indigestion that I’d had that morning. I was happy to see it end a few days later. I got LOTS of advice from Mom, Helen, Jessica, and all the other girls I know. Apparently getting a period is some sort of rite of passage. By the way, periods are one thing which almost every girl I interviewed said that they could do without.

I spent a lot of time watching social interactions too. How do guys interact among themselves? How do girls interact with each other? How does a boy interact with girls and vice versa. I’m not a sociologist but I did learn a few things. I wish that I knew more.

I didn’t come any closer to my decision through observing social interactions.

I spent a fair amount of time ‘shopping’ at the mall with my girl friends. I observed them and how I interacted with them. I thought I’d learn something about myself in the process. I watched what boys were there at the mall also. Not much to learn there. Gloria has always had an eye for the boys. George has always had an eye for the girls.

I must have watched a dozen or more chick flicks and half a dozen action/adventure films to see what rings true to me. I think I learned a lot about stereotypical behaviors and attitudes but I couldn’t really make use the information. When I’m Gloria I really relate to the girls in the films–no matter what type of film. I’m pretty sure that I viewed them differently when I was George.

It seems a bit biased to be doing this research while being Gloria. Everyone knows that I really like being a girl when I’m Gloria.

After doing all the research I had an evening alone with my parents to talk. They still refused to take a stand but asked me lots of questions about my thoughts and feelings. Mom did let slip, however, that they had been expecting a girl when I was born–no one had ever mentioned that to me before. All the prenatal ultrasounds had shown that a girl was on the way. It was a surprise to them when I came out a boy. I’m not sure what to do with that tidbit of information but it seems to be good to know.

My discussions with my parents didn’t bring me any closer to a decision either.

Am I going to have to flip a coin?

------< The Next Morning >------

The morning of Saturday, 15 November

It still dark out when I find myself standing on Mrs. Jackson’s porch, illuminated by her porch light. As I raise my hand to knock, the door quietly swings open before my knuckles connect with it. Mrs. Jackson’s voice calls me happily to join her in the parlor.

Candles, again, light the entry and the parlor. The Halloween decorations, however, are gone. Mrs. Jackson is standing in the middle of the parlor wearing quite a pretty knee length grey wool A-line skirt and a shimmery light-periwinkle silk blouse. She is waiting for me with a very pleased expression on her face.

“Gloria,” she smiles kindly, “it is so good of you to come visit with me again. We really should do this more often, you know.”

She guides me over the couch and we sit together slightly turned to face one another, she holding my hands in hers.

“My dear,” she begins, “I see that you’ve had a rough go of it this time around. Sorry about the period, but I think you needed to have that experience before making your decision. It really isn’t all that bad when you think about what it says about a woman–that she can bring life into the world.

“Anyway, dear, I take it that you haven’t made up your mind yet. Am I right?”

I stare at her thinking that she must be able to read minds. Maybe that crystal ball in the corner is the real deal and she’s been watching me through it.

“Yes, dear,” she smiles while reading my expression–or maybe my mind. “I try not to be too intrusive, but I have been watching you with great interest these past two weeks. It has been most fascinating how you have approached your dilemma. I am quite impressed. You’ve taken this choice very seriously.”

“So,” I ask warily, “do you know what decision I am to make?”

“Oh, heavens no,” she exclaims. “That’s the fun of it. I’ve been betting against myself the past two weeks and the odds have constantly shifted. It’s been great fun. I can hardly wait to hear what you are going to do. What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know,” I admit.

“Now, now,” she says giving my hands a gentle squeeze, “you have to do something. The default is to return to George, but I think that you should make a conscious choice either way. That way there’ll be no regrets.”

“It’s a momentous decision,” I point out.

“Is it really?” she asks me. “And why is that? After all, I honestly think that you can be happy either way. So why does it matter?”

“Well,” I admit, “I’m not really sure, but I think that I need to be who I was meant to be and seek happiness as him or her.”

“And who do you think you were meant to be?” she asks.

I’ve been thinking about this one. While I have been living my life primarily as a boy the past sixteen years, something that my mother said has really stuck with me. According the doctors, I was expected to be a girl at birth but I was born a boy. If Mrs. Jackson changed that, then I’ve only truly been myself when I’ve been Gloria. This might explain why it has felt so right and why I occasionally yearn for it when in George mode.

“Who was I meant to be born as?” I ask her.

She claps her hands together in delight and exclaims, “Bravo, bravo. Well done, Gloria. You really are a bright young lady. But tell me, why are you asking this question?”

“I think,” I explain, “that what you really did was change my gender just prior to birth and that I’ve only been my true self each year at Halloween.”

She positively beams as she replies. “Exactly, my dear girl. I knew you would figure it out.”

“But why?” I ask.

“Oh, dear,” she looks apologetically at me as she grasps my hands again in hers. “I’ve always been curious about nature vs. nurture questions. My lack of control over my temper which resulted from your father’s carelessness prompted me to do something about it in your case. After all, if I was going to punish your parents, I should at least learn a few things in the process. You were a little experiment of mine. Sorry about that. But I learned a lot and I think that you have too.”

“What did you learn?” I ask her.

“I learned,” she replied, “that the body combined with nurture can have a strong influence. You are a girl put in a boy’s body and raised as a boy. You adjusted well, but not as completely well as a natural boy. I am surprised, actually, at how well you adjusted. I’ll admit that I’ve done similar experiments–a very long time ago–where the subject did not adapt so well. I need to spend some more time talking with you to determine why that is. Hopefully we can visit more to talk about this. It will take some time.

“I think that you’ll find that you’ve learned a lot too. Sure, you missed your girlhood, but there are not many girls who have so much insight into the world of men–the poor unfortunate souls. You should have the tools to avoid the stupid mistakes that we women often make about men–or at least I hope so.”

“So,” I conclude with relief, “I’m really a girl?”

“Yes, my dear,” she replies with a happy smile. “You are.”

This makes the decision much easier, though I have to admit that I’ve been leaning that way more times than not.

“Then that’s what I’ll be,” I say with relief.

------< The Next Morning >------

The morning of Sunday, 16 November

I can smell the aroma of cooking bacon wafting up the stairs to the bed rooms. It’s a great smell to wake up to on a Sunday morning. Of course, I was actually awakened by what sounded like a small herd of elephants running down the stairs moments before. The herd was just my brothers racing to breakfast, drawn by the same delectable smells.

Wrapping a dressing robe around me I follow the herd at a much more leisurely pace.

“Good morning,” I greet everyone as I wander into the kitchen.

Mom and Dad smile and return the greeting while the rest stare at me in stunned silence. I had told my parents my decision yesterday but I had left the others in the dark as they didn’t know that there was a choice to make.

“What?” I ask pulling a strand of my long hair in front of my face. “Did my hair turn green in the night?”

“Where’s George?” Jeff asks. “Didn’t you change back?”

“Guess not,” I reply off handedly. “Guess you’re stuck with me.”

“Ah, man,” Bill groans. “I was hoping for George. We were going hiking today.”

“I can still hike,” I huff in reply.

“Yeah,” Jeff adds, “but you’re still a girl. This was going to be a guy trip.”

“Well then,” I turn to Helen, “since the boys don’t want me, how about helping your little sister acquire her own wardrobe this afternoon?”

“Do you think that you’re going to stay a girl now?” she asks in surprise. “Don’t you think you’ll be changing back to George?”

“No,” I smile at her. “I have it on good authority that I’m now Gloria permanently. I think I’d like to spend some time today bonding with my big sister.”

“You bet,” she enthusiastically agrees as she gives me an enthusiastic hug.

The boys seem genuinely disappointed. I think that they really liked their big brother and will miss him.

Mom volunteers to come shopping too. It’s a good thing as we’ll need her credit card.

Dad will take the boys hiking.

A quick call to Jessica results in an expansion of our shopping expedition. As word gets out that I am now a permanent girl, we find that others want to join in the fun of welcoming me to the sorority.

We have a great afternoon and I have the start on my own wardrobe. It tends to be more feminine than either my mother’s or sister’s wardrobe. The majority of the clothes are skirts and dresses. I think we’ve a year’s worth of panty hose and stockings to go with them. I also get my ears pierced. The girls each get me a new pair of earrings, bracelet, hair clip, or feminine bangle to celebrate my new birth. And don’t forget shoes–I have my first pair of heels!

Mom made me a salon appointment for after school tomorrow–my Gloria hair has always needed attention but we’ve never gotten it done because of Gloria’s short life. I definitely want some style and some highlights.

I am so jazzed about the day that I’ll probably not get to sleep in like forever tonight.

I am so looking forward to next Halloween. Jessica and I are already talking about next year’s costumes. There is no doubt that mine’ll be uber girly. Halloween will always be my time to declare my femininity.

Halloween will forever be my favorite holiday.

It is when I became me.

------< The End >------