Ellen awaits in terror as her older daughter Glinda visits Bikini Beach. Her younger daughter Daisy reveals that her imagined horrors could never stack up against Reality. The first half of this part was previously published as "Bikini Beach: Ellen's Daughter Visits". Thursday morning marks the restoration of the Really Real Reality -- or does it?

        The Disclaimer

Bikini Beach and its principle characters are copyright 1998 by Elrod W.

Any comments about Bikini Beach, how it works, what it does, by characters other than Anya or Grandmother are potentially non-canonical and wrong. As this story is told from a particular point of view by the protagonist, this includes comments by the narrator. The protagonist, and thus the narrative, are what the protagonist believes or interprets from what he is experiencing. Thus some of the mechanics of BB are biased by the protagonist's view and experiences. Furthermore, because of the particular viewpoint of the story, those errors often won't be corrected. When the errors are corrected, the correction will often be disbelieved and rejected.

Despite this I will admit to pushing the limits of Bikini-Beach canon, perhaps even going outside on occasion.

This post (https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/blog-entry/64659/muse-wrestli...) persuaded me that waiting to complete and revise my long stories before posting posting may have been an ungood idea. As it is, the sequel still isn't complete more than half a decade later. Consequently, there is NO WARRANTY that this won't be revised as part of the final story.

        Wednesday Night, August 6

ELLEN ISAMU WATANABE, single mother of two daughters, was hard at work at her home computer. She wanted to finish this part of her project at work as soon as possible. Also, she wanted to set aside, even if only temporarily, her fear of her older daughter's afternoon visit to Bikini Beach.

Glinda was sixteen now, earning her own money working at McDonald's. She was perfectly capable of making her own decisions on such matters. She was an ordinary paying female Bikini Beach patron, the kind of person the waterpark was created for. Nothing untoward should happen.

Such a thing would be bad for business, Ellen tried to convince herself.

Glinda would undergo nothing like Ellen's experience ten years earlier, when she joined four boys and another girl and climbed over Bikini Beach's wall at midnight as a prank.

Nevertheless, when Glinda had called during Ellen's lunch break at noon, and informed Ellen that she was going to Bikini Beach with a friend for the rest of the day, she couldn't help thinking back on her own experience with considerable fright and bitterness. She couldn't help fearing for Glinda.

Four boys and two girls had scaled the wall into Bikini Beach that night. Three boys and three girls had climbed back out -- directly into the clutches of Bikini Beach's "Grandmother" waiting just outside.

It wasn't merely that one of the boys, her friend Marcos, had somehow turned into a girl inside Bikini Beach. His change had lasted only a couple of months. It was not only Grandmother's scolding, even though her severest was aimed squarely at Ellen. It was all the talk then, and again with Grandmother later, that made her seriously question her memory. Had only Marcos changed? Or did all the boys change? Did the other girl change? Maybe nobody changed. Maybe only her memory was ripped apart, warped, gaslighted as in the old movie.

When she'd returned home from work, supper seemed a lonely, quiet affair with only Daisy and herself. Ellen had told Daisy that Glinda was with a friend at Bikini Beach. Daisy had asked, "Does Glinda have a boyfriend?"

That had given Ellen pause. "I don't know," she eventually answered, following up with, "What brought this on?" She was pretty sure that Glinda would have told her first thing about any boyfriend, but for the unpleasantness three or four years back with Andrew Anderson.

Glinda had been thirteen at the time, and Andy must have been around twenty when he moved in. He was also black, and Ellen shamefully admitted to herself that racism had influenced her bad reaction to Glinda's crush on Andy. He'd turned out a wonderful neighbor, friendly and helpful. His little sister was living with him now, to have a better education and living environment, he said.

Ellen even thought of possibly dating him herself, even though he was eight or so years younger.

"Oh, I just thought of it," answered Daisy. "Perhaps she took a boy to Bikini Beach. I don't know why I'm thinking this."

Ellen wondered how much Daisy knew, even at nine, about teen girls and boyfriends.

Daisy had gone out to play with friends and neighbors after supper, leaving Ellen with her own thoughts. She'd gotten quickly to work, to suppress her fears. She still couldn't help fearing for Glinda at Bikini Beach, and the strange things that might happen, or might even have already happened!

Might Bikini Beach have changed Glinda to a boy? To a frog, perhaps? From all that talk, Grandmother did sound like a witch. Maybe... maybe... she made Glinda forget about her family, or destroy her family. Perhaps even make Glinda hate Ellen! So many things could go wrong, when Bikini Beach was involved.

Ellen panicked for a moment, and cried out in terror, when her imagination got too active. She kept reminding herself that Bikini Beach was made for girls and Glinda was an ordinary paying girl. Nothing bad or strange should happen. It would be bad for business.

Just keep grounded in that, she kept telling herself. Just focus on that.

Ellen was in control of herself by the time Daisy returned home at 8:30, and was hard at work. Daisy promptly went to her room. Ellen knew she was preparing for bed, but suspected that she wouldn't go to bed for some time. Daisy would probably spend half an hour or so reading, possibly awaiting Glinda's return.

Finally, after minutes inched by like hours, Ellen heard the door unlock and open. Glinda was home! The moment of truth was at hand: what, if anything, did Bikini Beach do? Ellen jumped and ran to greet Glinda. "Hi, how was Bikini Beach?"

Glinda hugged her. "It was great! Fun for both of us, a new experience. Hey, Daisy!"

Daisy, in her sleepwear now, was approaching Glinda warily, very much unlike Daisy's usual boisterous self. Ellen wondered what she knew about Bikini Beach. Had she heard rumors? Was she afraid for Glinda? Afraid that something might have happened to Glinda? Afraid of Glinda?

"Dad?" asked Daisy, sounding very unsure.

Glinda knelt to Daisy's height, and looked straight in her eyes. "Do you remember me, Daisy?"

"Oh Daddy, it is you! It is you!" Daisy rushed and hugged Glinda.

"You didn't! They didn't!" Realization hit Ellen sudden and hard: Bikini Beach! Was Glinda's very existence phony? Ellen's whole life a lie? Out of all nightmarish possibilities, that one had never even occurred to her.

Her daughters flinched and looked up at her like terrified children about to be shredded by Mega-Monster Mama. Thoughts shot rapid-fire through her mind -- fast, furious, foul, and filthy. `Damn fucking Bikini Beach to Hell, transforming people, gaslighting the shit out of us all, fucking up everyone's lives, scattering them around like fucking ants in a fucking ant-hill. If I could, I'd rip that fucking Grandmother of theirs apart, and feed her to the fucking sharks and fucking crocodiles.' She thought back to an old shark- and crocodile-infested nightmare.

Ellen only snapped out of it when she heard Daisy's frightened words, "Mommy, Mommy! You're scaring me! You're shouting out bad words about Bikini Beach and Grandma! You want to hurt them badly!"

Ellen almost collapsed physically, as her uncontrolled fury ran out, realizing that Daisy was reading her mind. "Oh Daisy, I didn't mean Grandma Watanabe, but the old woman who owns Bikini Beach. I'm so sorry! Can you really read my mind like that?"

"Mom, your mind's shouting. I can only read minds a little bit."

`Sure, why not?' thought Ellen to herself. `After all, if Bikini Beach can change boys to girls, or mess up our memories, why can't my little daughter read minds?' She guessed that Daisy picked her dad out of Glinda's mind.

She turned to Glinda, who was standing up now. "If you're not Glinda, where is she and what happened to her?"

"I'm Glinda," she replied.

"She's Glinda, but she's also Daddy," added Daisy.

"Oh?"

"Daddy took that boy to Bikini Beach, to fix him up." Ellen couldn't help staring blankly. "Daddy didn't like Bikini Beach. He was mad at them, and scared. He kept shouting, over and over again, things like, `Keep it professional.'" She turned back to Glinda. "Daddy, I don't think turning into a girl is very professional."

Glinda turned to Daisy. "Daisy, it's not nice to tease someone about her embarrassing predicament."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Daddy." Daisy hugged Glinda again, then stepped back and looked Glinda over. "You're very pretty, Daddy. Peter would have loved to meet you. Mommy, please don't hate Glinda. Don't hate Daddy!"

Ellen was shocked and disturbed when she realized that she'd somehow turned to hate the young lady, her beloved first daughter, the love of her life, whom she'd born at fifteen and raised with her family's help, and then with the help of other single parents at college.

"You are Daisy's father?" Ellen challenged Glinda. "If so state your name."

"Glinda Wa-- I mean Glinda -- I mean -- oh crap!"

"Daddy's trying to say Glenn Matsumoto," said Daisy. "But he can't."

"Thank you!" Glinda sighed and visibly relaxed.

"Glenn!" whispered Ellen. Glenn Matsumoto, the man she could never think about without utter loathing and hatred. The man she once dated, and had fallen hard for. He got her pregnant with Daisy around the same time as the Bikini Beach business, then broke up with her that summer. Her love had turned to hatred, so much so that she refused to accept the child-support checks he'd sent purely voluntarily, burning them instead of depositing them.

"Mom, please!" cried Daisy. "Don't hate Daddy, he never betrayed you. You and Dad are married! You even did your tenth an-ni-ver-sary last June. Please, Mommy, Please! Hate Bikini Beach instead, not Daddy, please!"

Ellen could see that Daisy was on the verge of tears. Glinda leaned down and picked her up, and she cried on Glinda's shoulder.

"Mom," said Glinda, "I can find somewhere else to crash for the night. This will--" Glinda paused. "You will never see me again." Glinda was leaking tears.

"Take me with you, Glinda! I don't want to lose you," cried Daisy.

Ellen turned away from them, bent over, covered her face, and began bawling her eyes out. Her residual hatred vanished in her wailing distress.

"Mom!" exclaimed both Daisy and Glinda from behind her. Both were trying to hug her. She let Glinda lead her to an armchair in the living room, where she collapsed and continued to cry.

"I don't want to lose you, Glinda. Neither of you. I love you both so much!" bawled Ellen.

"Please, Mom!" said Glinda. "Daisy will still be here. We'll always have Daisy!"

"And Daddy, Glenn Matsumoto, will be back tomorrow!" added Daisy. "Glinda will change back to him."

"And I'll forget Glinda ever existed. That's how Bikini Beach works. Right?" Ellen bawled anew.

"I'm sorry, sorry, so very, very sorry," Glinda said tearfully. If Ellen had any uncertainty before, Glinda confirmed her fear. "But I think Daisy will remember Glinda, to some extent. She remembered me. We've always said that with Bikini Beach, we can never know what really happened. With Daisy, we might be able to."

"Glinda, I felt that way for several months after my experience with Bikini Beach, but I'm sure I never told you about it, and I'm sure neither of us ever discussed Bikini Beach even."

"Mom, your experience with Bikini Beach -- that was the time Billy got up at three or so in the morning, and caught you coming in naked?"

Ellen got a coughing fit. Daisy giggled. "Nobody ever told me that, Mom."

"I take it Billy told you, Glinda?" Ellen asked.

"Yeah," answered Glinda.

"I'm not surprised. But that midnight visit to Bikini Beach was only the beginning. We encountered Grandmother just after climbing out. I'm only going to tell what I remember, but as I discovered at the end of the semester, my memories might well have been false. I remember one boy became a girl, but the way they all talked later at the end of the semester, they might all have become girls. Not only that, the other girl who went with us might have been a boy."

"And for all you know, you might have been a boy when you climbed over the wall into Bikini Beach," said Glinda.

Ellen glanced sharply at Glinda. "It was all that talk when we visited Bikini Beach's Grandmother. I felt as if my memories were under wholesale attack -- I was being gaslighted. Anyway, I want to tell what I remember.

"I was a naughty girl a good part of the time growing up, and sometimes in college. If I'd been a good little girl, neither of you girls would have existed. That night at Bikini Beach was one of my naughty times. I joined four boys and another girl, going down to Bikini Beach and climbing over their wall. We swam and left posters -- that's all we did, careful not to do any damage.

"Also," Ellen paused and laughed softly. "Just before climbing over the wall, we decided to skinny-dip. One of the boys became a girl while we were inside -- that was Marcos."

"Uncle Marcos?" asked Daisy.

"Yes," answered Ellen. Marcos wasn't their uncle; Glinda and Daisy simply called him that. He was a good family friend, a friendship boosted when he (at the time, "she") defended Ellen against Grandmother's severe scolding.

Ellen continued her story. "Grandmother accosted us as soon as we climbed back over the wall out of Bikini Beach.

"As I recall, she was mostly snarky with the others, but she reserved her major tongue-lashing for me personally, and it was largely about you, Glinda: about how you missed me, I spent too much time in frivolity away from you, perhaps I should send you back to Grandma and Grandpa's, etc. etc. She mentioned my life as a slut in junior high, and even mentioned your aunt's pregnancy with the twins even before your aunt ever told us."

Ellen paused in thought back at the events. "I was on the ground curled up in a fetal position, crying in humiliation, hearing only her scalding voice -- and then Marcos broke in and snapped, `That's enough!' He was a girl by that time, and that was why we've remained friends ever since. I'll always remember him gratefully and fondly."

Ellen paused momentarily in reminiscence. "I managed to look up and see Margo -- Marcos as a girl -- standing over me glaring at the old woman. Grandmother's expression looking back at him was somehow both quizzical and dangerous. `Eh? Pardon me?'

"`You know damn well. Look at her!' Yes, she actually cursed to Grandmother's face.

"Grandmother and Margo glared at each other in silence for at least a minute, then Grandmother said, `I shall be lenient this once, and only extend your girlhood to sixty days. HOWever, you won't benefit from the reality shift. You will have to figure out how to deal with your professors and fellow students. You think they'll believe that a boy could be transformed into a girl?'

"I understood that part about no one believing, but I couldn't make heads or tails of `reality-shift' -- not until much later, just after finals week."

"Mom," said Glinda. "I think I know why you remember Uncle Marcos as a girl for the next -- sixty days, right?"

"Yes," answered Ellen. "I didn't do the actual numbers, but it was around sixty days later that Margo changed back to Marcos: shortly after finals and that visit to Grandmother at Bikini Beach."

"Anyway, you remembered Margo and knew that Marcos became Margo, even before the confrontation with Grandmother. Meanwhile, all the others remained boys throughout, at least as you remember, right?"

"Well, the other girl, Janet, stayed a girl -- at least as I remember. But from all that talk during that later visit to Grandmother, Janet might have been a boy, but got stuck as a girl because she got pregnant. And the other boys might have been girls."

"Okay, why you remember only Uncle Marcos's change and none of the others. Reality-shift means that supposedly, the changes didn't happen, but instead, reality shifted. And thanks to Uncle Marcos defending you, the realities all had him changing to Margo. The others, for thirty days, they always had been girls. Then after the thirty days finished, they had always been boys again -- except for Janet because she got pregnant. That's a Bikini Beach trap."

"That sounds very strange," said Daisy.

"Yes, Daisy. It's utterly bizarre," said Glinda. "I don't understand it, Mom doesn't understand it. Nobody does, at least none of us ordinary mortals. Mom, you got pregnant with Daisy around the same time."

"How did--" began Ellen, but then she realized. "Oh off course, you can count the months. But I don't recall telling you the year."

"Mom, she's Daddy," said Daisy. "She remembers."

Glinda turned and smiled at Daisy. "We might have to tell Daisy about the Birds and the Bees pretty soon, since she can read our minds."

Daisy blushed. "Glinda, Daddy, that's embarrassing!"

"ANYways, as for the pregnancy trap," said Glinda, "Aborting the pregnancy doesn't cure it. The girl is still stuck forever."

"That's right," said Ellen. "Janet got her abortion, then we all went to see Grandmother. Glenn, um, you, um, were with us. Grandmother was reduced to tears, telling us that aborting the pregnancy didn't undo the permanency of the transformation. I was secretly gloating over Grandmother's tears, remembering how she'd made me cry. But I was still hopelessly confused, since I'd known Janet since we were freshmen."

"That's reality-shifts for you," said Glinda. She turned toward Daisy, and it seemed to Ellen that she was staring her right in the eyes.

Daisy said, "Daddy says that you were a boy, a man, Alan, before you entered Bikini Beach that night. All of you were boys. Daddy says you were his best friend, and he told you not to do the prank, not to climb into Bikini Beach. You did it, anyway. You turned into a very pretty lady. It was supposed to be thirty days, but your pregnancy with me made it forever."

"What?!" exclaimed Ellen. `Okay,' she thought to herself. `Gaslighted again. Those damned reality-shifts.'

"Normally, you would have remembered the old realities," said Glinda. "From what you say, the others did. So why didn't you? Um, Daisy..."

"Daddy tells me that you really did remember. It's because of today that you don't, he thinks. It's because he went to Bikini Beach, today."

"Figures." Ellen snorted. "One wonders why the witch didn't just reality-shift away the whole darn episode. Or just have two girls and four boys go in, three girls and three boys come out, and Margo changing back two months later. Was that so hard now? None of all this scolding; none of this gaslighting talk about becoming girls when they didn't."

"I wouldn't know," said Glinda. "Grandmother isn't the only magic user, and isn't the only one who messes with reality. There's the unknown mage who -- Daisy?"

Daisy said, "A mage made a lady into that bad boy, and made him bad. The mage made a new reality out of him."

Glinda continued, "There have to be many mages, and many who deal with reality-shifts. It's not all Bikini Beach's Grandmother. Also, while I don't think one can have a reality-shift inside a single reality, maybe people can remember other realities, and can talk about them -- even if they aren't really real. Like now."

Daisy giggled, and escalated into uncontrolled laughter. Ellen just stared perplexed at her, and Daisy said, "Unreal realities -- really real realities -- that's so funny!" She kept laughing, and Ellen saw the humor and joined in, along with Glinda.

When they settled down, Ellen had an epiphany. "Oh my Goodness! I think I see why I somehow got obsessed with Glenn Matsumoto after visiting Bikini Beach, even though I only casually knew him as an acquaintance -- almost a stranger, really. It was one of those things that horribly confused and disturbed me, that I didn't understand in the least! I think I understand now. Daisy had to be born in this reality."

"That makes sense," said Glinda. "Another thing. Did you notice the similar names?"

"Oh, oh, oh!" exclaimed Ellen. "No, I never noticed! I was obsessed with Oz during my early teens, and I named you Glinda when when you were born. Daisy, people will say that there are no coincidences. They're just wrong. But I now understand, this was not a coincidence. Like Marcos and Margo, Glenn became Glinda!"

"Could you play with me, Glinda?" said Daisy. "I want to have fun and remember you before you become Daddy again."

"I think I could, for a while. But I do need to work some on the computer. I need to find out how things have changed, before they change back. You see, my trip to Bikini Beach was pleasure-oriented, to swim, relax, exercise, have fun, and introduce a boy to the joys of being a girl and tone down his boorishness. ARRRRRRRGH!"

Bikini Beach had just mangled Glinda's words, Ellen realized. She looked questioningly at Daisy, who said, "Daddy meant the visit was work-related. He wanted to remove a spell from the boy that made him a bad boy and unable to say what he wanted to say. The boy was a potential client, and Daddy needed to hear what the boy had to say. Daddy went even though he was afraid and angry at Bikini Beach for what they did to you, Mom.

"So Glinda, could you play with me?" she repeated.

It was summer, Daisy didn't have school the next day. So Ellen figured, why not? "Sure, go ahead. By all means, have quality time together while you can, before all this goes away." Ellen couldn't help another sniff, reminded that Glinda would forever go and Ellen would forever forget.

Glinda and Daisy went to their shared bedroom, and Ellen returned to the computer. She wanted to push aside her distress at losing Glinda, and busying herself in work would do that, she hoped.

After submitting a batch job to run on the mainframe at work, Ellen let her curiosity get the better of her. What had Glenn Matsumoto been doing in the intervening ten years since she knew him?

Ellen went to one of the free search engines that had developed recently. It didn't take very long to learn that Glenn had set up his own law practice, primarily in intellectual property law and general litigation, and was murdered two years earlier in a robbery gone bad.

Ellen couldn't suppress another gasp of grief, learning that Glenn had never betrayed her, only to learn that he'd been murdered -- before realizing that this had to be another Bikini Beach trick. Glenn changed into Glinda, so of course Glenn no longer existed. Since Glenn had existed earlier in this reality, Bikini Beach had to provide some means for Glenn's non-existence now.

Glinda returned to the living room. "Daisy's asleep now."

Ellen got up. "I think I've done enough work for the evening, especially if it's destined for the bit-bucket."

"Grandmother promised that any work I do today on the subject should stay with me," Glinda replied. "I think that the only really necessary thing is seeing what changed when I did." Glinda looked pensive and nervous. "You know, I'm tempted to search for ... me. But I'm scared I might find that I still exist."

"Too late," replied Ellen. "I've already done that. Glenn Matsumoto was murdered in a robbery two years ago."

Glinda's jaw dropped, and she covered her mouth. She lowered her hand and asked, "Did it happen in June?"

Startled, Ellen answered, "Yes. Why?"

"With Daisy asleep, I don't know if I can answer. There's this problem with Bikini Beach: we never really know what happened, not without Daisy. But I'll try to answer.

"Two years ago in June, I graduated from eighth grade -- no, let me try again." Glinda took several deep breaths, clearly showing restraint in her frustration.

"Once upon a time, an idea factory and one of their scientists hired an attorney to enforce a patent. A company had invented and was marketing a product that just happened to infringe said patent."

Glinda wasn't sounding anything like Ellen's daughter or any teenage girl, now. Ellen's ears perked up with the talk of patents, since she was occasionally involved with patents in her work. She listened with baited interest, thinking back to various encounters with `idea factories'.

"The attorney was personally sympathetic with the company he was acting against. Idea factories are the scum of the earth." Ellen agreed with Glinda's assessment, for most idea factories. "But he had a job to do. His clients had, with this patent at least, worked hard enough and come up with novel ideas and ways to apply them, that the opposing company was seriously infringing. He hoped he and the opposing attorney could reach a licensing solution satisfactory to both sides. Nevertheless, his obligation was to get the best possible result for his clients consistent with legal ethics."

`Legal ethics,' thought Ellen. `A contradiction of terms.'

"Unfortunately, the opposing company, perhaps in desperation for its survival and its best engineers' employment, joined up with an organized crime syndicate, perhaps not realizing how bad and dangerous they really were.

"One night, the attorney and his wife were on their way home from a ... social function." Ellen caught Glinda's hesitation and faint blush there. "They were attacked by several young adults. The wife was trained in dark and shadowy forms of fighting and martial arts, and fought them off, with a little help from the attorney."

The attorney in Glinda's story was clearly Glenn. But Ellen wondered, could that wife possibly have been herself? She had taken some martial arts, but had never focused on them, and never attained a very high level.

"If the attorney had been by himself, or with someone else, he probably would have been murdered -- along with his companion." Glinda paused. "Three or four weeks later, the scientist client was murdered." Glinda never sounded so sober. "The client's murder was never solved. Someone was arrested when when he used the client's credit card, but he was released when it was realized that the card was planted on him and he had used it by mistake.

"Was Glinda's murder solved?" Glinda winced, and Ellen understood she meant Glenn.

"No," answered Ellen.

Glinda retrieved a notebook and pen from her purse, and wrote something. "May I? I want to look up the client."

"Go ahead." Ellen was curious, and looked over her shoulder. She recognized the company Glinda entered into the search engine. Her own firm had dealt with them off and on for several years. They were newcomers to the `idea factory' field, and hadn't yet learned the standard mode of behavior or conduct. They came up with good ideas and good applications. Ellen's employers had licensed their inventions a few times in the past years. Their relationship was friendly and mutually beneficial. They were the one exception, that Ellen was aware of, to Glinda's characterization as `the scum of the earth'.

Looking over Glinda's shoulders, Ellen saw that the firm had agreed to be taken over by a much larger firm. It was a few weeks after Glenn's murder, in fact. "Looks like they caved in and joined up with the syndicate," said Glinda. "I can't tell if their decision was motivated by..." She paused. "In the story I was telling you, the client firm disbanded shortly after the scientist's memorial, and the other scientists went their ways. The police thought it was a robbery gone bad, but the scientists knew better."

Ellen watched as Glinda typed more into the computer. At one point, she saw Glinda going to the University web site. Where Glinda went on the site was unfamiliar to Ellen. Glinda mumbled, "No sign of her ever being there." She noted something in her notebook, and typed more into the computer.

A few minutes later, Glinda said, "Ahah! That name, I knew I'd seen that name before!" and jotted down some more. Any remaining notions Ellen had about Glinda being her teenage daughter were wiped out that evening.

"I can't think of anything more to search out," said Glinda finally, as she yawned. Ellen was quite sleepy herself, and echoed Glinda's yawn. She thought sleepily that she still had to get up the next day for her job.

"Tomorrow morning," continued Glinda sleepily, yawning again, "we and everything should be back to normal, and today's unpleasantness should be forgotten."

It hit Ellen, when she realized that Glinda would be gone forever, and that she, Ellen, would completely forget her. She grabbed and pulled Glinda into her arms, bawling over Glinda's shoulders. "I've always loved you. You and Daisy were always the loves of my life! And now I'm going to lose you forever!"

Glinda was crying herself. Ellen let herself be led into her bedroom. They both lay in each other's arms. The last thing Ellen heard as she fell asleep was Glinda saying, "At least whatever happens, we'll always have Daisy."

Thursday Morning, August 7

I STILL HAD THE old nun on my mind as I prepared to depart for Bikini Beach -- the old nun and the talk of freedom to be as clothed or skimpy as one wanted. In fact, a testimony last night at church reminded me of the nun, and reinforced my resentment against controlled and enforced modesty. I couldn't remember much of the testimony itself, beyond someone coming to realize the importance of modesty and chastity, even if it did seem old fashioned or prudish.

I stayed in my bathrobe throughout breakfast and the morning routine. After Pa left, I told Ma, "I'm returning to Bikini Beach," and went upstairs to prepare. I put on my one-piece swimsuit, slipped a pair of short-shorts over it, and slipped on a pair of flip-flops. After working myself through the tightness in the crotch, I packed a plain white bra and panty set, and a tank-top shirt, to possibly wear on the way home.

Ah, and yes. I had to take my Pill. It was one of the different-colored ones, reminding me that I was going to start my period soon. I sat down hard on the bed, lowered my head between my knees. I felt better after a few deep, slow breaths.

Ma was in the kitchen, so I slipped downstairs to the front door, and shouted out, "I'm off, Ma! See you tonight!" before slipping outside. I was relieved Ma didn't see me. That would have been embarrassing or worse.

I felt quite exposed, almost exhibitionist even, as I walked to the nearest inbound bus stop, and waited. I wasn't at Bikini Beach, but rather out in public. Well, that's what I'd defended and promoted Tuesday with that woman in the nun's habit.

I was really curious about Mr. Matsumoto. Did he actually enter Bikini Beach? If so, how had he fared as a girl at Bikini Beach? What about that boy?

At the transit center, Tracy got my attention shouting, "Lucy, you're learning!" I spotted Becky with her, and greeted both with hugs. Becky was dressed just like me, shorts over one-piece -- a different one from yesterday's, one that fit her better.

Becky met my eye. "I got a couple more yesterday," she answered my unasked question.

After what seemed like forever, we got off the bus at Bikini Beach. It was a rather simple matter for me to remove my shorts, and stuff them and everything else into a locker. All three of us went to shower, where we met Carol, Nancy, and Cindy with hugs and kisses.

"Hey, are the others here yet?" Becky asked.

"Vanessa's over there with Helen and Mrs. King," answered Carol. "I haven't seen the others yet."

"Jen and Xena have their class now," Tracy reminded us. "Cantonese, right?"

"Yeah," I answered, recalling. "But different classes. We'll probably see them around noon."

We had all showered, and were on our way to find Vanessa, when a voice suddenly spoke out everywhere. "Lucy Cuttington, please report to the office for a call from your mother. Lucy Cuttington, please report to the Bikini Beach office for a telephone call from your mother."

Uh-oh, what was happening? Did I do something wrong? "We'll go with you," said Carol.

We found Vanessa and her family with Faline. She promptly said, "Faline and I both have to shower. You go ahead, and we'll catch up with you."

We all headed out of the changing room and toward the office building, me dreading the prospect. It would be particularly embarrassing getting in trouble wearing something skimpy like a swimsuit.

Vanessa and Faline caught up with us just as we rang the doorbell at the office building. The door opened promptly, revealing one of the workers. "Lucy Cuttington?"

"That's me," I answered, concealing my nervousness.

She handed me a remote phone handset. "It's your mother."

"Hi, Ma?" I asked fearfully.

"Lucy, Daisy's parents want you to babysit Daisy tonight. Ellen says that you might sleep all night."

"Oh? What's happening?" I was quite curious. I wondered if it had anything to do with that boy Jim who tried to consult with Mr. Matsumoto. How did that turn out, anyway? I guessed that Mr. Matsumoto brought Jim here to Bikini Beach, but what happened then?

"All I know," answered Ma, "is that Glenn is behind in his work because of something yesterday, and Ellen has something of her own to do." That something of Mr. Matsumoto's was no doubt his visit to Bikini Beach.

"Certainly," I answered. "I'm always willing to babysit Daisy. I'll have to go home early then, I take it."

"Yes," answered Ma. "You should be home before supper."

"I will," I said. I was excited to babysit Daisy again.

"Good, I'll see you then. Bye!"

"Bye, Ma!"

"That's something you don't see that often," said Faline. "Someone excited over a babysitting job."

"No, you don't," agreed Vanessa. We were on our way back out of the offices.

"Daisy's a wonderful, um, girl to babysit. A great friend, too, even if she's only nine. Her parents are great, too." I couldn't help giggling a little.

"Sounds like someone has a crush," said Tracy, with her own titter.

"No-no-no-no-no!" I couldn't help reacting. I wasn't going to admit that as Luke, I was already half in love with Daisy, and had almost conked out at Mrs. Matsumoto's Helen of Troy level of beauty. "Okay, I'll admit, Daisy and Mrs. Matsumoto are both very pretty."

"Okay, and Mr. Matsumoto?" Tracy giggled further.

I'd only met him once as Lucy, and I was about to say that, until I realized that I would sound strange enough to raise unwelcome questions about me as Luke. I thought back on my memories of meeting him as Lucy -- both the same nights as Luke. "Mr. Matsumoto's a nice man, but I don't have a crush on him. I've only met him a few times." And no, I wasn't going to mention my crush on my clarinet teacher, Brandon Oregon, hovering in the back of my mind, especially as this week's clarinet lesson loomed.

We spent the rest of the morning on the water rides. Xena and Jen appeared and chatted with us during lunch, although they'd already eaten before coming to Bikini Beach.

I realized during lunch how drowsy I was feeling, so I was quite receptive when Vanessa said, "Let's go find a nice shady place for a nap. I, for one, am bushed."

"I agree," said Becky.

Xena said, "Jen and I are tired from our Cantonese classes. We need some activity. You don't mind if we go off and swim and such?"

"No, not at all," Carol answered. "By all means, go have your fun. I understand about class."

"Don't worry, we'll get back to you," said Xena.

"See you," said Jen softly, and off they went.

"I'm going with them," said Becky.

"Have fun," said Vanessa as Becky chased after Jen and Xena.

Meanwhile, we found a nice shady spot under some trees. "We'd all had better apply more sunscreen, just in case," said Vanessa, even as she began covering herself. Realizing the wisdom of the advice, I put on more lotion, as did everyone else.

I asked Carol, "Want me to do your back?"

"Yes, I'd love that." She lay down on her tummy, and I poured sunscreen onto my hand and massaged it into her back. By the time I was finished, a good five minutes later, Carol was a puddle of moaning girl. She promptly conked out. I lay down next to her, and shortly fell asleep myself.

        ******************************

GLENN WAS RETURNING from lunch, not looking forward to the rest of the day. His experience as Glinda the previous day affected him profoundly: he'd cried upon awakening that morning remembering Ellen's utter distress at the prospect of losing and completely forgetting Glinda. Sure enough, exactly that had happened.

"You're awake finally," she had said flirtatiously. "You were so busy last night on the computer. You're crying! What happened? I assume you got the information you needed." Glenn had hugged her tightly, and cried all the more.

Then Daisy had gotten him alone, away from Ellen. She'd hugged him and said, "Daddy, you're fun when you're Glinda. I liked having a Big Sister."

He'd arrived at his office late that morning, thinking that he'd blown off his regular work the previous afternoon. He'd been pleasantly surprised to discover that that wasn't the case. Apparently, despite his phone call to Darline indicating otherwise, he'd returned to his office to continue his work. At least, most of it was adequately done.

Glenn continued to wonder if it would have been better had he remained stuck as Glinda -- especially realizing that his client would never have been murdered. In any case, he would have to work all afternoon, and pull a late-nighter, if not an all-nighter, to process the information he had and link it with his other work on the syndicate.

As soon as he entered his office front room, Darline said, "Glenn, a Stanley Larson called for you. He said that he was a friend of yours and that it was vitally important. He wants you to return his call ASAP." She handed him a post-it with a telephone number.

"Stan? Oh my, I haven't heard from him in years! Thanks, Darline. I'll get back to him promptly."

Back in the inner office, Glenn called the number. "Hello?" answered an older version of a familiar voice.

"Stan? Is that--" began Glenn.

"Glenn, it's critical! You must abandon your Alima al-Hamdani, Blue Elephant, James Steedman, and Kwell cases! You have no idea what you're up against. These persons are ruthless, and they have capabilities beyond your imagination! Can't ta--" The phone went dead.

Actually, with his late-night research as Glinda, plus the transformation of Wendy to Jim, Glenn had a pretty good idea what he was up against: a major criminal syndicate that employed at least one mage. His research of both his murdered client and Jim had exposed names common to both, and the Blue Elephant case as well.

But with a mage involved, maybe he was seriously in over his depth. The situation might be beyond the law's capability. Should he hand it over to Bikini Beach to deal with? What about Ellen? Maybe Ellen might be able to do what the law couldn't.

He hated the idea that vigilantism, self-help lawlessness, might actually be necessary in this case.

        ******************************

I WAS STILL half asleep, unable to move, when I heard some of the girls talking amongst themselves.

"... a few weeks ago, on the climbing wall," I heard Carol saying, when I was sufficiently alert to comprehend things.

"What happened?" I asked, curious.

"Oh, you're awake now," Carol replied. "Anyway I mentioned the background scene in `Lace' with the girl frozen at the top of the rope, and I was saying that it happens to me occasionally. I recently had a long, powerful, prolonged one a few weeks ago near the top of the climbing wall."

"Heavens, that must have been so embarrassing!" exclaimed Faline.

"You were there, Faline," said Carol.

"I was? Why don't I remember it?"

"I think we were absorbed in our own attempts at climbing, that we didn't notice Carol's predicament," said Vanessa. "I did notice Carol paused up near the top, but I didn't think anything of it."

"I was pretty much out of it," continued Carol. "My fingers and toes were clenched firmly to the wall, my tummy, legs, chest, and butt were clenched as tight as could be, and I couldn't for the life of me move or even unclench to fall back down to the water. I couldn't move a muscle, couldn't do more than gasp.

"And every time it began to recede, I twitched or shifted something, and it returned full blast. I was caught in an infinite loop, almost. It finally weakened down and ended, and I fell back to the water."

"I saw Liz climbing--" began Tracy.

"OMG, no, no, no!" Carol hid her face in her hands.

Vanessa must have noticed our questioning looks, because she said, "Liz is one of the lifeguards here."

Oh, poor Carol, getting the attention of Authority.

"Was it pleasurable or painful?" asked Xena. I looked over at Jen and her. Jen was clearly embarrassed and excited, as I'd been a moment earlier, but Xena seemed comfortable with the whole thing.

"Exquisitely pleasurable pain, or infinitely torturous pleasure," Carol answered. "Take your pick."

I felt like changing the subject. "So Tracy, about those hunks...?"

"Tracy's been obsessed with them for -- how long?" asked Faline.

"I haven't seen them in some time. I think I'm beginning to get over my obsession. I would still love to get to know them." Tracy sighed longingly.

I glanced over at Becky, who glanced at me at the same time. I think she picked up the question on my mind, because she shrugged. My choice, apparently.

I was still trying to decide, when Xena spoke out for me: "Maybe they're girls now." Most of us laughed, including me; I couldn't help going along with the laughter. "After all, this is a girls' waterpark." I noticed Vanessa watching the rest of us with a quiet smile. If I had any doubt before that she knew, that doubt vanished. She knew about Bikini Beach changing boys to girls, and she probably knew about Becky and me.

I wondered if Xena knew, though, or just made a lucky joke.

Tracy, on the other hand, was furious and possibly embarrassed. "Why are you guys all tormenting me!?"

"We like you," answered Vanessa. "It's all in fun. Heck, you've teased friends yourself on occasion."

"I suppose," Tracy answered with a sniff.

"Hey, let's go swimming!" said Becky. That was met with a round of applause and agreement.

We continued to enjoy the rest of the afternoon, but then I had to bid the girls a tearful good-bye around 4:30, when it was time to head home. "We'll see you Saturday, right?" asked Jen.

"Saturday morning, yes. Unfortunately, I have marching band practice at school that afternoon."

"I do too," said Faline, to which Vanessa followed up with, "And I have football practice."

The girls stayed with me as I returned to the locker room. They did allow me privacy to shower and change by myself. I just wore my shorts and tank-top, skipping the panties and bra. It took but a moment to get dressed and slip into my flip-flops.

The girls walked with me out to the bus stop, and waited until I was on the bus. As we departed, I kept waving at them until I couldn't see them any more.

The bus change at the transit center made a difference. Boys were ogling me as I awaited the bus home. I was just a bit disturbed at how attractive and, yes, hot I found some of them. The crotch of my shorts was getting uncomfortably, irritatingly moist. I was definitely relieved that numerous other girls were there as well. I don't think I could take the attention of all those boys.

A couple attractive boys approached me. They were about my age or a year older. The white boy was definitely looking me up and down, checking me out, making me both uncomfortable and uncomfortably hot. He was certainly well-muscled and well-built in his own tank-top and shorts, and I couldn't help giggling and checking him out either. An echo of Luke in me was screaming way in the background, squicked not only by his well-built crotch, but also by the situation as a whole. The voice kept telling me this was like what-his-face, the boy yesterday at Mr. Matsumoto's office.

I deliberately shifted my glance over to the Asian boy, who I just now realized why he seemed familiar. He was trying really hard to avoid looking me up and down -- too hard. I smiled at him and looked him over, and he went just about berserk. I couldn't help gigglng out loud. I barely knew him as Luke in Taekwondo, and certainly didn't realize just how attractive he really was -- almost as well built as his friend, although a lot shier.

"Hey, may we join you?" asked the white boy with a bit of a leer.

"Of course." I leared just a mite back at him and mentally flipped my Luke side off, as I shifted and straightened up, gesturing both sides of me.

The white boy sat to my right, and introduced himself as Fabian. "And this goody-goody nerd is--"

"Hey!" exclaimed the Asian, whose name just then came to me, as he sat to my left.

"Hey, June!" I managed to restrain myself to a soft laugh at his dropped jaw. His name was actually Junfang.

"How did--" he began, but I interrupted, screwing his mind further.

"Congratulations on attaining your Green Belt." I was referring to the Taekwondo rank.

"Bu-bu-bu-bu-" He trailed off, then tried again. "Who-- what-- how--"

Okay, that was just too funny for words. I couldn't help bursting out laughing. I was facing June and leaning back, so I found myself leaning against Fabian, who was also laughing at his friend. His arms went around me, and a hand cupped one of my breasts.

My laugh switched to a shriek of startlement at the sudden pleasure of the contact, and he promptly removed his arms from me. "Sorry, sorry, sorry," Fabian kept repeating, as I kept gasping in pleasure, finally calming down.

"I gu- I gu- I guess I have- I have- I haven't intro- int- in-tro-duced my-self," I managed to finally enunciate the words, still breathing heavily, lifting myself up off of Fabian and sitting back against the bench. "I'm -- I'm Lucy Cuttington."

Yikes! I'd had `Luke' on the brain, and that would not have been good at all. Whew, Bikini Beach's correction kicked in. Then Double-Yikes! I blushed horribly, realizing how totally in public I was. Looking around, I realized that, fortunately, most of the bus travelers had ignored me, other than the glances I always seemed to get, especially in this outfit.

Actually, it seemed as if I was getting fewer lookovers than before, although guys still glanced at me. Did it help that these guys were with me? I was feeling tingly goose-bumpy warm all over. I crossed my legs, and I couldn't help tightening my thighs and squeezing them together. My ankle was trying to hook under my other ankle, and eventually made it.

My shorts were now irritatingly wet as well, with a slight musky odor by now all too familiar to me. I hadn't wet my pants.

June said, "So how do you know me? How did you know that I attained my Green Belt? Wait a minute. Cuttington? Do you know a Peter?"

"My big brother." I giggled. "A Blue Belt."

June looked up at his friend. "Fab, this could get dangerous. Peter could beat the crap out of us."

"Aww, don't go away just yet. Peter's very nice, and you seem like nice guys." I put my hands on their shoulders. "At least stay until I catch the bus." By now, excited as I was, I was really attracted to them, and really wanted them to stay.

"Peter may be nice," said June. "But I'm sure he wouldn't hesitate to beat the crap out of anyone who molests his little sister."

"Oh, you'd never hurt me. Right?" I turned to face Fab.

"Oh, of course not." The boy tried for a charming smile, but it wavered. I giggled again.

I realized I was being totally naughty, in a way I was way too shy to be as Luke. Luke might have even repulsed them and run away, had a pair of gorgeous girls, babes, joined him and flirted with him.

"My bus's here," I said, noticing its arrival. "It was very nice talking with you June and Fab."

I got up, but they got up and followed me to the bus. "We're taking that bus, too," said Fab.

I couldn't help giggling in surprise, even though I kept telling myself I should be creeped out at this blatancy. Instead, I decided to be blatant myself. I stepped in front of a single bench with a pair of empty seats, before anyone else could claim it. The bus was crowded enough that riders were going to stand. "Here, both of you sit."

"Nono, we couldn't leave you standing. You sit," replied Fab.

"I insist, both of you sit. I'll be fine." I smiled a winning smile at them, and shoved Fab down into the seat before he knew what was happening. "June, your turn." Fab shifted over as June sat next to him. "Ah perfect." I squeezed in and sat on Fab's lap, my back against the window, my legs across their laps.

I put my right arm on Fab's shoulder, and reached over to take June's hand in my left hand. Fab placed his hands on my bare thighs. It felt creepy for an instant, and I was about to remove them, but then I realized it felt good. June followed up with a hand on my lower legs.

We rode the rest of the way to my stop in that position, talking and flirting. As we drove past one stop, June said to Fab, "That was your stop there."

"Yeah," replied Fab. "And wasn't your stop a couple blocks back there? Anyways, I could use the walk."

"I need the exercise, too," rejoined June.

Everything by now seemed hilarious, and June and Fab's audacious excuses to stay on the bus with me were no exception. In fact, I stayed past my bus stop, and got off a couple stops later. The boys were obviously going to get off with me, and walk me to my door if I let them.

In fact, I could simply have walked home, and they would have walked with me. I could have spent so much more time with them.

But I did get off, and the boys joined me. I took their hands, and interleaved our fingers, feeling higher than I'd ever felt before.

We kept talking, and I kept laughing and giggling, until we reached my own block. Sanity finally got through to me, and I said, "I'd really love to have you come with me, but I don't want Ma and Pa to catch me with boys. So I'm going to have to leave you here; I'm very sorry."

"That's quite okay. We understand," said Fab.

June asked, "Would you like to watch my Taekwondo class tomorrow?"

"I'm so very sorry," I answered. "I have ballet then. But I can meet you afterwards."

"Sounds good," answered June. "Have a great evening. Good bye."

"Good bye, boys," I answered, as I turned toward my house. I couldn't help giddily smiling, and hopping and skipping. My flip-flops kept falling off, until I just picked them up and carried them the rest of the way while walking barefoot in the grass next to the sidewalk. I finally managed to control my hopping and skipping, although I was still hopping and skipping in my mind, and I still had that giddy smile.

I entered the front door, only to be accosted by Pa. "WHAT is THAT?" came his bellow as he looked me up and down. For a moment, I got the impression he was checking me out or something. But that was Pa!

I couldn't help stammering, ashamed at Pa's seeing me in my skimpy clothes. "I appreciate living in a free country, where I'm free to wear as much or as little as I want."

"Free to shamelessly exhibit yourself in public, looking to shame a common streetwalker?" `Common streetwalker' was a choice phrase of Pa's, and I'd only recently learned the real meaning. Never before had he used the term with me. "If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times: be modest in your dress!"

Tears in my eyes, I pushed out angrily. "I went swimming at Bikini Beach." I was digging myself deeper; I had vowed not to tell Pa about going there. "I'm fed up with your modesty demands. Your `Common Streetwalkers' would be ashamed to go around in ordinary swimwear."

"Okay for swimming, what you're wearing would be okay if someone drove you directly home. But you took the bus, going through downtown, and exhibiting yourself in public for all you're worth." That was true; I'd attracted two cute boys and gone all giggly over them. "But Bikini Beach? The waterpark promoting girls in bikinis? Of all the places-- you know better than that! Have you lost all shame?"

"Shame?!" I asked, digging myself deeper still. I didn't intend to provoke Pa, but I realized I was pushing him and provoking a reaction. "You hit on Carol when I brought her home! Talk about shame!"

"All-right, that does it!" barked Pa, as he grabbed my tank top, stepped back and dropped onto the sofa, and pulled me over his lap. "A skimpy top. Your shorts are way too short!" He yanked them down. "No bra! No underwear! A bikini tan! And phew, you're giving off a distinctly naughty odor!"

Slam! I felt a hard-back book hitting my bottom. It hurt yet somehow felt good. Really, really good! I bit my lip to avoid screaming in pleasure, yet a squeal slipped through anyway. I couldn't help it; I was squirming, rubbing over a hard lump in Pa's lap at exactly the right spot down there.

I couldn't help screaming in extreme pleasure at Pa's second blow, even harder than the first. It was such a wonderful pain. Pa slammed me several more times; each time it hurt more, and each time it felt so much better. I was lost in pleasure I almost died, screaming, gasping, and buckling up and down against the hardness in Pa's lap.

When I realized that Pa wasn't spanking me any more, I just couldn't help gasping out, "Oh Pa, don't sto-- don't sto-- don't stop now, Pa!" I was in the midst of a doozy of an orgasm.

I gradually recovered, until reality hit hard, and I remembered squirting as never before. I burst into tears, and rolled off Pa's now soaked lap. I fell to the carpet and rolled over, and noticed I was showing myself fully to Pa. I rolled over again, and tried to get up, only to trip over my shorts. I stepped into them, and slid them up as I ran out of the house, still crying.

There was no way I could ever face Pa again. I just ran up the block, not thinking about where I was going. When I noticed which way I was going, I realized that I really had only one place to go. Showing up at Daisy's house and facing her parents like this couldn't be any more embarrassing than returning home, tail between my legs, to face Pa again. I still had my babysitting commitment.

I ran to Daisy's house, and rang the doorbell. Daisy opened the door. "Lucy! You're early." She hugged me hard, and I hugged her back hard. "Phew, you stink! Why are you crying? You make me feel really strange. How can a hard spanking feel so good?"

"Pa spanked me hard wearing these clothes!" I wasn't going to say anything about feeling strange or feeling good. I managed to barely keep from crying again.

"Why Lucy!" said Mrs. Matsumoto, who'd appeared out of the kitchen. "I'm so sorry to hear that! I realize, Dan has serious issues with girls dressed in skimpy clothes. Daisy, back to supper. Lucy, have you eaten yet?"

"No. Pa spanked me as soon as I got home from Bikini Beach. I'm never going home again! But no, I haven't eaten."

"You can eat here. But first, let's get you cleaned up, and into something clean." I followed Mrs. Matsumoto into her room. "This should do nicely. Glenn and I will be out until very late, so you're going to spend the night." It was a light thin shorts-top pajama set, similar to what she wore when I first saw her as Luke. "There's a shower in there, and then you can come down to eat. I'll keep the food warm for you."

"Thank you very much, Mrs. Matsumoto," I said, as I carried took the pajamas into the bathroom and shut the door.

"Toss your clothes out. We'll have them all clean by tomorrow morning," she called from behind the door. It took but an instant to slip out of my shorts and tank-top, and hand them out hidden behind the door.

In the shower, I cleaned myself all over mostly. Unfortunately, I had serious problems cleaning between my legs, the source of the odor. I was still a little aroused, and trying to clean it kept me aroused and producing more of the stuff.

Finally, I just decided to get out and see if I could find a pad or something, to soak the stuff and shield the pajama shorts. I did find a pad, so I could get dressed safely and head back down for dinner.

Mrs. Matsumoto had kept the food warm. She and Daisy had finished eating, but were both still waiting for me. "Are you feeling better?" asked Mrs. Matsumoto.

"Yes," I said, not as embarrassed, and still feeling uncomfortably aroused.

"Would you like to talk about it?"

"No-no-no-no!" I exclaimed. It was just too embarrassing. Especially shouting out at Pa not to stop. I felt about to cry again.

"Eat, then. You'll feel better," said Mrs. Matsumoto.

I ate. The food was good.

After eating, Mrs. Matsumoto said, "Glenn's at work on things he apparently discovered yesterday. He'll probably be home early tomorrow morning. I'm off to a late start to my own function, so could you help me prepare for tonight's work?"

"I sometimes help Mom prepare," said Daisy. "It's fun."

Curious, I agreed. I abstractly remembered conking out at my first sight of Mrs. Matsumoto, but it didn't seem real now. Nevertheless, she was really pretty, especially when she stripped down to dark-blue bra and bikini panties.

"Please. Call me Ellen," she said, adding to Daisy, "That's for Lucy mind you. You are to still call me Mom."

Ellen sat and had me brush, comb, and braid her hair, finally tying it in knots around her head. Meanwhile, she was covering herself with a blue-colored slop that matched the blue of her panties. Whatever she was doing, it wasn't preparation for any kind of party that I could imagine.

After I finished with her hair, she had me put a blue panty-hose-type covering over her face and hair.

"Mom's gonna be invisible tonight," Daisy said.

That was going to make her invisible? Or was she going to drink an invisibility potion or something. Hey, if I could be a girl, she could be invisible. But why all this makeup and stuff?

Eventually, Ellen declared herself ready, and said good night and departed.

"Daddy went to Bikini Beach yesterday," said Daisy. "And turned into my Big Sister. We lived in a different place, and Mom was different, and I kept forgetting and trying to remember. But I loved having a Big Sister. Her name was Glinda."

"Oh? I have a very nice Big Brother," I said lamely. I didn't know what else to say.

"Peter's very nice," Daisy agreed. "My friends think their big brothers are all meanies."

"So will your dad become your Big Sister now?" I asked, joking.

Daisy giggled and commanded, "You be my Big Sister!"

Maybe I'll stay here and never go home, I thought as memories of the massive orgasm on Pa's lap intruded, with unwanted arousal. "Why not?" I smiled.

"And then you'll be my Big Brother Luke again." I froze, as my jaw dropped and she giggled. "I remember whenever you're around, but then I mostly forget, except when I try really hard to remember. And now, your feelings are all embarrassing." She breathed deeply.

I blushed. I'd discovered the previous day that Daisy was a mind-reader, and this was one time when I really didn't want a mind-reader anywhere nearby.

"Let's go downstairs to the computers," said Daisy.

We played until quite late, and it helped me get my mind off things most of the time. When we were both yawning and sleepy, we decided it was high-time for bed. Daisy transferred my clothes to the dryer, and took a shower, and I went to her room and collapsed on the floor.

I was in the middle of a really naughty dream, when Daisy's shout yanked me awake. She was lying in bed. "What happened?"

Daisy was still breathing heavily. "Just a nightmare. I'm so sorry I woke you up."

Nothing was "just" a nightmare. I got up and sat next to Daisy. "Want to talk about it?" My concern over Daisy helped dispell my arousal from my dream.

"It was the same thing," said Daisy softly. "My best friend disappeared and no longer exists." She was crying. I embraced her and slid down under the sheet with her, trying to comfort her."