Part 5

I told her about being woken at that time, and that the odd feeling had faded a bit before two, so I could sleep again.

She was a quiet for a while, “It didn’t seem right about the magic bit until now. Now I’m certain that my butch sister left the food court in your old body. It all adds up, how did a burglar know where everything was here?”

“You, just this week, are a better person than Sam ever was, even as a child before she got moody. I should be angry that my sister left without even saying goodbye to me but, I realise now, that this was the sort of person she had become. Instead of being angry or sad, I now feel as if I had been blessed with a new, improved, happier and more loving sister after all.”

“When Fiona spoke to me about the person she knew as Dot, I felt as if she was describing you. She, and the other girls, loved you for being who you were, and have been devastated with what happened this week. If it wasn’t for your text, someone could have been very badly hurt.”

I put my knife down and held her wrist, asking, “Dot died, didn’t he?”

There were tears in her eyes as she nodded, “You were right about the timings, there must have still been a link between you and him. Fiona said that when he arrived he was aggressive and controlling. Even after they told him to stop he kept on touching them and being sexually aggressive.”

“Sandra had a friend nearby who is in the police and texted him to come and help. When he arrived Dot pulled out a gun and hit him with it and escaped. Sandra and the girls got her friend back on his feet and he put out an alert. A patrol spotted him and cornered him.”

“He went to fire the gun but he was hit with two Tasers. It seems that although he was a big guy, his heart couldn’t take it and he went into cardiac arrest, being kept alive until around two in the morning. I’m so sorry for you.”

“Don’t be, it’s all for the best. Sam would have come back to upset us if she had stayed alive. It was only my body but with it went the spirit of your sister, God rest her soul.”

She nodded and dabbed her eyes with a tissue before saying, “Oh, there is a bit of good news, though. We, that is, both of us, have a date Sunday. Roger and a friend of his are taking us down the coast for a day out. He seems to have the crazy idea that we would like a ride on a steam train! While you’re at work I’ll get us a couple of suitable outfits.”

As we were tidying up she said, “Oh, Fiona wanted to meet the friend who texted and I said that I would speak to them and see what transpired. I don’t think it would be good for them to know that Dot lives in you so we had better come up with something plausible. Perhaps you could have known him from his work, long enough to know who he met with and also to see that he was different.”

That evening we were both in shock when the radio news announcer said that, “William Williams, who has died after being subdued by the police early Thursday morning, was found to have a commercial quantity of cocaine in his flat. The gun found when he was arrested has been linked to two drug gang killings a few years ago and his DNA has matched that taken from the body of a woman found in the park early Wednesday morning. She had been raped and strangled.”

So that’s what Sam ended up doing with my reputation. My parents would have been mortified if they’d still been alive.

I had a broken night but did get some sleep. Sarah came out to breakfast a bit red-eyed as well so I went to her and held her close.

I whispered in her ear, “This is the first day of our new world, darling sister. The only way now is onward and upward. Tomorrow you will be going steady and we’ll all have a lot of fun, believe me. No looking back at what went before or even thinking about what might have been.”

“You know, the first time I saw you in the food court I was in awe of your looks and wanted to take a picture of you to pray to every night. Now I see the mirror image every time I look in a mirror except my hair isn’t long enough yet. Then we will truly be twins.”

She smiled at that and gave me a kiss on the cheek, “You’re really the best sister I have ever had. I’m really looking forward to our future now.”

After breakfast I got ready for work and left the flat to walk there. No-one seemed to worry about me being out on my own, now. The day was tiring, a constant stream of customers that had booked, as well as a few walk-in’s who were happy to wait for a slot.

When we closed up we all were happy to have the next day off and Jacquie quietly said, “Thank you, I’ll see you Tuesday lunch-time,” as I went to leave.

Sarah had been busy during the day and our new outfits were hanging in our rooms. Seeing that we were going to ride the rails she had got us both fancy jeans with tops that looked like they had been in a dye-shop explosion.

“That’s in case there’s smuts in the air,” she told me. She had also bought calf boots in soft leather which would have to have been the most expensive footwear I would have worn.

She commented that she had bought well as the boots were in a ‘Buy 2 pairs - pay half’ sale. She wanted me to OK the receipts but I told her that I didn’t want to see them as long as we were both happy. She did tell me that she had counted the cash I had saved and that we’d hardly put a dent in it yet.

We had a light tea to make sure there was room for the expensive lunch we would insist on tomorrow and went to bed early so we could be up and ready on time.

Sarah woke me at first light and we had breakfast. Then we had showers, dressed in our jazzy outfits and I did both our make-ups with a colour mix to match the tops.

We stood together and looked in the mirror and Sarah had a big smile on her face, telling me that she couldn’t pay me for my services but I could have free board and lodging.

We both had large shoulder bags to carry the things we needed, such as cardies and a hat; depending on the day. We took some of the cash and split it so we could get things if we saw them.

As we left the tower, I realised that I had not asked about the friend and was pleasantly surprised when a nice Rover pulled up and Roger got out of the passenger side, greeting us both with a kiss on the cheek.

The driver got out and my heart skipped a beat. He was handsome and not that much older than us. He came around to the kerbside and Roger introduced us as Sarah and Samantha Silvestri.

He was “David Devine, the owner of the company” said Roger as this Adonis took my hand and said that he was happy to meet the two of us in the flesh, so to speak, having been captivated by us in the photos Roger had showed everyone at the office.

David ushered me into the passenger seat while Roger helped Sarah in the back. Then the guys got in their side and we drove off, leaving the concrete jungle behind for a while.

As we drove south we talked and I made the comment that David seemed too young to have founded the business. He laughed and said his grandfather had started it with a motor-cycle and sidecar with a ladder.

His father had carried it on and he had taken over the reins when his father had a fall from a ladder which put him in hospital for a long time. He said that Roger had been there when he started and was classed as the Managing Foreman, although still doing favours for pretty friends.

Sarah snorted, “Not too many of those, I hope!” and we all had a laugh.

Down by the sea we had a walk around the small alley-ways and I saw a jeweller open. I asked the others to stop for a moment and I went inside, pulling the wish disc out of my bag. It felt warm to my touch and also felt as if something inside it was buzzing.

I asked if they could put a chain on it so I could put it around my neck and they said they could do that if I came back in an hour. I also asked for them to engrave the words ‘Dot and Sam’ with last Thursdays date under it followed by ‘RIP’.

While I was doing that, the others were looking around and when I turned around they were looking at me with smiles.

Sarah said, “Samantha, the boys have seen a pair of rings which they want to buy for us. I told them they were being foolish and David said that being with us made him want to be foolish. Besides, he said he would take half out of Rogers' wages.”

So, when we left there the two of us sported identical rings and our continued stroll was with each of us being held by our guy. As we were strolling I saw an artists’ shop open and asked them to wait while I got a sketch book and a range of drawing pencils.

We had lunch in a seaside fish café. When I picked up the disc and put it in my bag it was odd as it still felt like it was buzzing to me. We went inland for the train trip, which was a lot of fun. On the return trip I pulled out the sketchbook and started drawing.

I had been rather good before but my new outlook seemed to give me more insight to what I wanted to depict and I had suddenly become pretty fast at getting the picture down. David kept quiet as I quickly sketched the outline of the train station with a waiting steam train and then I felt him tense as I drew him standing next to the engine, in the billowing steam in a boiler suit and black cap. When I had finished it he kissed me, for a long and luscious time.

As he pulled back he said, “I’m sorry about that but I’ve wanted to kiss you from the moment I saw you.”

I smiled, “Don’t be sorry, I liked it. If it takes me to draw a picture of you to get a kiss I think I may have to take up cartoons with you as the central character.”

He chuckled and said that this would not be necessary. I turned the page over and did another sketch of Roger and Sarah standing by the sea wall looking at a small boat, his arm over her shoulder and hers around his waist, as I had seen them earlier in the day.

David whispered not to show them the picture as he would get it framed next week for Roger to keep.

Then he said, “There isn’t a picture of you, I want one for myself.”

So I giggled and drew a picture of the two of us, in wedding gear and standing beside his Rover which had tin cans spread out on the road behind it with coloured ribbons.

It took me the rest of the trip and he had a look in his eyes as I closed the book and put it in my bag.

When we got off the train he held me back a bit and, once we were out of the crowd, he held me close and we kissed as lovers for the first time.

Part 6

When we pulled back he smiled. I put my head on his chest, breathing in the smell of man though the nose of woman, and realised that I wanted this man to take me as his own.

We said nothing as we turned to catch up with the others, who were standing by the car in an embrace of their own.

David remarked, “There must have been something in the fish at lunch” and we laughed.

Sarah and Roger looked a bit sheepish as we joined them. David explained that we had been caught up in the crowd and then we all burst out laughing.

When we sat in the car David asked if we had anywhere special we wanted to see and Sarah wondered if we could go to Sissinghurst and look at the gardens, seeing that it was such a lovely day.

So this is what we did, arriving with an hour or so left of opening time to have a look around. When we were standing in the fabled White Garden David made the comment that it would be a great place for a wedding and no-one laughed, I just squeezed his hand.

On the way out he discovered that you could, indeed, book it for weddings and they also could do a marquee in the gardens if we wanted the reception there as well. Talk about a quick mover!

He didn’t pencil in any dates, which was good considering neither of us sisters had been asked yet; but we did get a price sheet and calendar with free dates marked on it for the rest of the year.

As we drove away I could feel the disc, now hanging against my chest, getting warm and it felt as if it was vibrating for a while.

I felt in my bag and pulled out the sketchbook, turning to the picture of us by the car, I quickly added the tower where Vita worked appearing behind us and put the sketchbook away before the couple behind us could see what I was doing. They were too busy gazing into the others’ eyes to notice anyway.

Back towards the city David took us to a country pub on the banks of the river, near Windsor, where he said the owner and chef was a friend of his.

When we walked in the guy behind the bar came out and gave David a big hug and then exclaimed, “David, you sly old dog, you. Not only do you bring in the most beautiful woman around, you’ve got a spare as well for Roger to keep warm!”

We had a wonderful meal and shared a bottle of wine, although David only had half a glass and I didn’t have much either. The chef had been to University with David and, like him, had inherited his family business at an early age. He told us that he loved to cook, but, even more, he loved to cook for people who loved to eat, like us.

After the meal, Sarah and I went to the ladies and spoke while we repaired our lipstick. She was over the moon with Roger and said that I looked like I had got myself a man of my own as well.

We hugged before we went back to the boys. David took me outside and we sat in a swinging seat and he proceeded to destroy the efforts I had put into my lipstick but I didn’t mind.

We were just swinging there, my head on his shoulder and he said, “Samantha, I was captivated by you from the photo but am now entrapped by you as a person. I know that we only met today but I feel as if I have known you all my life. Would you be upset if I said that I will ask you to marry me one day?”

I smiled, “As long as you don’t wait too long. I may get impatient.”

We then removed what little was left of my lipstick. Before we went back into the pub he asked about the disc.

I pulled it up so he could read the inscription and said, “Both Dot and Sam were very close to Sarah and I. They were even more as one than we are. Unfortunately they died on Thursday morning, very early in the day and far too early in their shared existence. They had both held this disc and that, my darling, is all that I will say about it except to tell you that it is called a Wish Disc and they both had their wish granted.”

As we went back into the bar we saw that Sarah and Roger were making out in a similar swing seat further along and that they were oblivious to us as we passed. In the bar I got to know the chef more and we spoke about places we had both been to.

I had a bit of an advantage as I could pull memories of two people. David was constantly smiling.

His friend noticed this, “David, this lady is more than a date, isn’t she? I think that I may be catering for a happy event in the future.”

I laughed, “You had better believe it! He picked out the site for the wedding this afternoon and we had only met for the first time this morning. Is he always this fast?”

We had a chuckle and David said, “Show him the pictures, darling.”

I pulled out the sketchbook and the first one brought a comment on just how I had captured David in a job that he had wanted all his boyhood. The second had the stamp of approval as well.

Before I turned the page over I said, “Darling, I added a detail in the car on the way here, I hope you like it.”

He was staggered at the addition of the tower and his friend let out a hoot, “She’s got you bang to rights there, boyo. You, sir, are hooked!”

I put my hand on his arm and said, in a low voice, “And this was before he even asked me!”

When Roger and Sarah came back in, she and I went off to the ladies to look presentable to go home. The sketchbook was back in my bag with orders to leave the pictures under the front seat before I got out.

It was a very happy pair of couples that went back to the tower that night. We had left as individuals but the day had pulled us together as a team. Roger and Sarah were steaming in the back seat and I held Davids’ hand all the way home.

At the tower we had a little smooch and I got out, leaving the pictures well tucked away. I had told David that I didn’t have a phone but may be buying one on Monday. He gave me his business card so that I could ring him when I did and we made a date for the following Sunday, either as a foursome or just us two, depending on what Roger and Sarah wanted to do.

The boys got back into the car after yet another set of goodnight kisses and Sarah and I waved them off before heading up to the flat. She was very quiet and I didn’t mind as I had a lot on my mind as well.

When we had cleaned our faces and put on our nighties I put the kettle on and we had a cup of hot chocolate each, only then starting to talk about the day. She was a bit shell-shocked at the force of her emotions and I must say I was as shocked at the fact that I had those emotions myself.

I took off the disc and asked her if she could feel the warmth and she said she could. I was wondering if it was building up to another wish. Pity the S.R.U. shop had disappeared as it hadn’t been there when I passed the spot after we had been to Ed’s.

I was up, showered and dressed very early on Monday morning. I made my breakfast thinking about the amazing week I had lived.

When Sarah came into the kitchen she was smiling, “I had a wonderful sleep and a wonderful dream that we were walking along the path to the White Garden where our two grooms were waiting. I never thought that I would be so happy.”

When she had dressed we just had to take a snap again as she had picked short denim skirts with opaque blouses that showed off our lace bras. She wore her usual jewellery and I had the disc around my neck. We both had our new rings on. It wasn’t too cold but we both had panty-hose and pixie boots. I had my big bag in case I saw things I liked.

At nine there was a knock on the door and when Sarah opened it we saw a guy with a big box on a trolley. It was my new vanity, or, should I say, the first part of the new vanity.

Four trips later we had the rest of the vanity, the new coffee table and sideboard stacked against various walls. We had taken fifty more from the cash and given it to him as a tip, as long as he took away the old, kicked in, TV; something he was happy to do.

As we were about to leave I was suddenly aware that I needed a pee so Sarah went down in the lift while I went to the loo. When I got down to the front door I could see her talking to my old dealer.

He nodded at her and walked away around the corner and I went to join her.

She said, “I think that you knew that guy as he asked me where ‘Studs’ Sam was as he needed to get in touch. I told him that ‘Studs’ had left last Monday after dumping the bracelet and that I haven’t seen him since then. He seemed happy enough.”

I told her that he had probably been getting calls from his customers about the lack of supply over the weekend and that he will have to go back to looking after them himself.

We linked arms and strolled towards the station. There was a row of old, closed up, shops to pass as we got near and suddenly a voice said, “Ladies, I would like to speak with you, please come in.”

We looked and right there was the shop with S.R.U. over the door, although the windows were still shuttered. The old guy stood by the door and beckoned us in. I could feel Sarah tense and I assured her that we would come to no harm here.

We followed the guy in and the door closed behind us quietly.

He looked at us and said, “Sarah, you can see me because you have come to believe that magic exists. I normally only appear to people who are searching for an answer to their problems but today I just had to talk to you both. Samantha, you can guess what I want to talk about.” I nodded.

“I have to apologise to you, Samantha. I normally help those who want to live in another body and often sell my customers the way forward but often with little jokes of my own thrown in. I was fobbing you off with an item that had been in stock for centuries but had no idea how powerful it really was.”

He went on, “When you, as William, made your wish you thought that it was your wish that triggered the transformation. I have to tell you that it wasn’t you but Sam who initiated the wish. I could feel the force of her emotion from where I was and it was, I am sorry to say, pure evil. You, by engraving the disc, have shown your forgiveness and the disc has started to recharge, am I right?”

We agreed and he then said, “Because it wasn’t the owner of the disc to initiate the wish, the laws of ancient magic decrees that a wish must still be made available. The disc I gave you was very old and the true nature of it was hidden from even my wise self. It is now drawing on ancient magical fields and I’m not sure what it will be able to do when it’s fully charged. What it’s doing already is creating an aura of happiness and light about the two of you because you helped in removing an evil from the world.”

“It’s almost too hard for me to be so close to it but I must ask if I can touch it.” I took it off my neck and passed it to him. He held it and then gave it back, saying, “This has become a beacon of good in our magic universe. With it you both are protected from evil but must be very careful about what you say.”

“Don’t say things like, ‘I wish you were dead,’ because the disc may just make it happen. You are in for some interesting times but you can be assured that I, or someone like me, will be around to help if you need it. No matter where you are the disc will show us where we need to be. If it vibrates it is taking in the emotions around it so you should be able to know when to stay silent.”

With that he took Sarahs’ hand and told her that it was unusual for him to touch an angel and then took mine and told me that in an earlier life I had been a saint who had sacrificed his mortal body to inhabit another angel.

It all would sound over the top if we had not been standing there talking to a wizard in a shop that didn’t even exist in our own world.

Marianne Gregory (C) 2022