TO SHAPE ONE'S LIFE
Part 4 of 4
Chapter Nine: Cavalry's Coming.

by Jeffrey M. Mahr

Heroing is one of the shortest lived professions there is.

-- Will Rogers

 
      "The first part of the plan is working. I can tell at all times exactly where he is and I can tell if he has any males around him."

      "That's nice. Stop squirming." Deanna was polishing Josef's not quite one-inch long nails bright red to match the polish she'd finished putting on her own.

      "I haven't tried to approach him because he's been with large crowds and I would much prefer to speak to him alone."

      "You know, some earrings to match the pendants would look fabulous."

      "Whatever. Here. Do whatever you want." Josef reached his free hand out to touch Deanna's forehead. Deanna jerked back from the mild shock.

      "Hey. Warn a gal." Deanna pouted. "You almost make me mess up that nail." Josef ignored the comment, instead concentrating on keeping track of Richard, and shortly Deanna went back to work on Josef's last nail with the satisfied expression of a craftsman at work.

      After finishing the last nail Deanna glanced at Josef and then at the mirror. Matching earrings of silver with azure blue stones appeared on both their ears. Deanna gently felt the posts clamped behind her own ears and was impressed that it was so easy to have pierced ears.

      Next Deanna thought about their clothes and how they really shouldn't be identical even if Josie and her were. As she thought the upper portion of her own dress separated from the skirt and changed into a blue tube top while the lower portion shrunk to half again as long and became more form fitting. At the same time, Josie's dress changed so that the silken under fabric separated to leave the midriff covered only by the sheer lacy outer fabric. The skirt also changed into a wrap around with an angled hem, just above the knee on the left and bare inches below the crotch where it crossed over on the right. Finally, wide pale blue stripes, on an angle matching the hem appeared on the lacy portion of the entire dress.

      Deanna critically examined her efforts and silently pronounced them "Bitchin'." Crossing her legs and lounging back on the couch, she sighed to herself. "All dressed up and no where to show it off. Boy I wish Josie weren't such a prude and that some handsome hunks would come by right now to wine us, dine us, and make up feel ‘reeeeeally gooood.’"

      Josef continued to concentrate, unaware of the changes taking place in both of their attire. She was equally unaware of the sounds coming from the hallway beyond the apartment door, the joyous sounds of a pair of guys returning from a win on the fields of valor, or at least a scratch game of basketball at the college gym.

      Deanna smiled as strode, as silently as she could in her heels, to the front door. Josef's concentration was broken as she found herself licking her lips and gently stroking her nipples. Glancing about she saw Deanna at the open door with two guys in sweat stained shorts and tee shirts. In a panic she sucked in air to scream "NO!" but what came out was "Oh, Deanna. Who are your friends."

**********

      Richard and the centauresses disappeared in a puff of smoke before the Pope and several thousand astounded onlookers, but instead of reappearing back at the office as Inga and Colleen expected they were in the acre square center plaza of the college.

      "What are we doing here Master?"

      "George Bernard Shaw once said, 'There is only one religion, though there are a hundred versions of it.' We are merely permitting our followers to gaze upon us in adoration and recognize that we are that one true version." With that he dismounted and strode towards a group of about twenty students lounging about the fountain and statue that graced the center of the plaza. Inga and Colleen glanced worriedly at each other and quickly trotted after him.

      "Greetings, my worshipers." Richard stood before the scattered groupings of students, hands on hips, chest puffed out, and legs spread apart; presenting for all intents and purposes a vision of a so so superman. Unsurprisingly, except for one or two indifferent glances, he was ignored.

      "I said 'GREETINGS, MY WORSHIPERS.'"

      Several more groups interrupted their conversations to look up questioningly. From off to one side someone asked loudly, "Who's the polyester pecan?" There was nervous laughter from a scattering of others.

      "POLYESTER PECAN?" Richard's voice was loud enough to reverberate off the surrounding buildings shattering several windows. "You mean psychiatric patient in a suit? Me? I think not." He was greeted by several more nervous titters, a "Get lost!" and an attempt by one couple to walk off. Inga and Colleen uncomfortably switched from hoof to hoof making loud clacking noises as their shoed feet tapped the marble pavement.

      "YOU MAY NOW WORSHIP ME AS YOUR GOD." Two more couples tried to walk off only to stop when they bumped into an invisible wall. Some of the next round of comments were markedly less polite. Those who had made comments suddenly began floating up into the air about three feet, limbs flailing as automatic responses to the fear of falling kicked in.

      "NOW, NOW, CHILDREN. PLAY NICE. NO CURSING." Richard chided which only served to double the vulgarities from the crowd. Additional bodies floated upward with each insult. Richard's face began to flush with anger, the blush growing to mottled purple as the insolence continued.

      "SO, YOU WOULD MOCK YOUR LORD AND MASTER WITH CHILDISH TAUNTS. SO BE IT. EACH ACT OF CONTEMPT SHALL BRING YOU CLOSER TO YOUR CHILD LIKE NATURE LOSE A YEAR FOR EACH TAUNT THAT LEAVES YOUR LIPS. EARN A YEAR FOR EACH ACT OF CONTRITION." With that Richard and the two centauresses disappeared. The floating students dropped to the ground crying and running to their Mommies and baby sitters. One lay crying in the swaddling that had been his clothes until a young woman went over and picked him up to cuddle and coo at him.

**********

      "Ummm."

      "Waa?"

      "Ummm." Josef stretched languorously. One hand moved to shield her eyes from the sun's cheerful morning glow as her hand brushed across the covers of the bed it felt a lump. Suddenly her eyes snapped open as she rapidly sucked in a breath ready to scream. She poked the lump, this time harder.

      "Waa?" The voice trailed off into a mumble as it continued. "Lemme sleep. Five more minutes, Mommy." Josef slowly let the air out in a slow sigh as she heard the familiar female voice, then she remembered the preceding night. Sitting up she grabbed the covers and yanked them off the bed.

      "Deanna? How could you?"

      "How could I what?" Deanna rolled onto her back and rubbed her eyes.

      "How could you let those...those guys in?"

      "What's the problem? They were cute, they were available, they were clean, and they were verrry verrry good." Deanna purred contentedly as she finished rubbing her eyes and smoothed her shorty nightgown before sitting up, sliding her feet to the floor, and padding off to the bathroom while Josef watched her, mouth agape. The nightgown was so short it kept bouncing up to show her pantiless crotch.

      "No panties? That means..." The thought died stillborn as she reached down and felt a sticky dampness.

      Wiping toothpaste from her mouth with the back of her hand Deanna came running back into the bedroom when Josef screamed. Rushing to her sobbing friend, Deanna held her and hugged her and comforted her, eventually even crying with her as they shared the pain. Much later, still holding each other and still blubbering, Josef calmed enough to speak.

      "I...you...those men...we had."

      "Yes, Josie. I understand. It's okay."

      "No! No, it's not okay." Josef pulled away from Deanna and gasped out the words between sobs. "I had sex...as a girl...but I'm not a girl...I'm a guy...a guy."

      "Yes, I do understand. I was a guy too." Deanna gently pulled Josef back into her embrace. "You had sex. It was with a guy. It felt good and you can't bear to admit it." Josef tentatively nodded.
 
      "So what's wrong? You're still human, not a dog like I was for a while. You participated in a normal, natural, and very enjoyable activity. You aren't pregnant, you may not be able to change your own shape but you control everything around you including the presence or absence of 'little Willie's wigglers.'" Josef pulled back just enough to look Deanna in the eye as a smile slowly crept back onto Josef's face. Then she hugged Deanna hard enough to draw a surprised "oof" from her.

      "You're right, I may be female, but I can't be raped, I can’t get an STD, and I can't get pregnant–unless I want it. I may be female, but I have the same sexual benefits as a male–more if you consider the freedom from STDs.” She held Deanna away from her beaming before jumping up from the bed.

      "Race you to the shower." She giggled and ran to the bathroom leaving a bemused Deanna staring after her.

**********

      Ablutions completed, Deanna and Josef were dressed and discussing the fine points of clothes and make up. "You know, I wish I could do this stuff myself. Don't take this wrong, I love having you around, but I really prefer being able to be independent in anything I do."

      "It's okay, Josie. I understand." Deanna smiled. "Why don't you try doing your makeup yourself?"

      "O.K." Josie plodded down at the makeup table. Unerringly she began applying blush, eye shadow, and mascara while Deanna silently watched in growing amazement.

      "Hey, you've been holding out on me. You knew this stuff all along, didn't you?"

      "What do you mean?" Josef looked back over her shoulder and then back at the mirror Deanna was pointing towards. The face in the mirror was beautifully made up. "But I don't..." Josef looked back into the reflection. "No, I guess I do know how to do this. I wonder how I could have learned. I didn't know how a few minutes ago." Turning back to Deanna with a confused look Josef continued.

      "That must be it. I can change the way I think." Jumping up she hugged Deanna before dancing her around the room. "I can change the way I think. I can change the way I think." She stopped dancing for a moment, but still held Deanna. "I need a guy."

      "You little slut," Deanna laughed. "After last night you want more already?"

      "No. I need to confirm that I no longer need to be a 'little slut' around a guy." Suddenly the two guys from last night were standing in the room by the bed. Laughing, Josef sashayed over and rubbed and hugged first one, then the other. Then, without a word, turned back to Deanna and began dancing again. When Josef had completed spinning Deanna enough that she could see the bed area again they guys were gone.

      "I'm not a slut any more."

      "Congratulations, Josie. Now what?" Deanna asked as they continued to spin, but she raised her hand to stop Josef before she could answer. "I know. You're going to Disney World?"

      "No silly,” Josef giggled, "I'm going to try to change my body." Deanna stood back to watch but nothing happened.

      "What's wrong? Won't it work?"

      "No." Josef sighed. "I guess I still stuck as a girl."
"Is that so bad? I like having a twin." Deanna hesitantly reached up to touch Josef, but stopped and returned her hand to her lap, satisfying herself with a sigh of her own as she watched her twin’s face contort in concentration. She quietly waited the long seconds for Josef's response.

      "No." Josef seemed almost surprised. "No. It's not bad." She continued as her words bubbled out in a rush. "It's not bad being a girl. It's not bad being a twin. It's actually pretty good. In fact, I think I like it. No. I know I like it. I actually LIKE being a girl."

      Once again they hugged, crying in their joy. Josef pulled away just enough to see Deanna's face and worriedly bit her lip. "Deanna, I need to ask you a favor. Would...would you call me Josie from now on?" Tears still streaming down her cheeks she warily waited for the response.

      "Josie, Josie, Josie. Of course I'll call you Josie. Josie, my dear, Josie." They hugged again.

**********

      Fifteen minutes later it was finally time to face the rest of the world again. "We better fix our makeup again Josie." Josie smiled and it was instantly redone. Plopping back onto the bed and placing her hand behind her head to prop it up a bit more that what even the doubled up pillow provided, Deanna continued. "So what's next? Now do we go to Disney World?" Josie pulled Deanna gently to her feet, a determined look on her face. "No. Now we deal with Richard."

**********

 
Chapter Ten: Crime and Punishment

 

I shall light a candle of understanding in thine heart,
which shall not be put out.
         -- The Apocrypha, 14:25

 
      "I guess it's time." Regretfully Josie pulled away from Deanna who was still trying to hug her. "He's in his ‘office’ so we'll have relative privacy."

      "Are you sure I can't go with you?"

      "Deanna I love you too much to let you be put in the line of fire, especially when absolutely anything could happen. I couldn't live if anything happened to you and I couldn't feel free to do whatever I had to if I thought you might be at risk." Deanna's chin quivered, but she fought back the tears.

      "There's no other way?"

      "No." Jose sighed resignedly. "It's got to be face-to-face and every minute I wait just adds to the human carnage left in his wake." Josie stood up and smoothed out her flowing white gown, specially selected for her by Deanna to allow her to present a regal and pure demeanor for the meeting.

      "Wait!" Deanna jumped up, hand stretched out to stop Josie.

      "Please, Deanna. I’m nervous enough. If I delay I might not go." Josie's hand went up to wave Deanna back.

      "Heinlein's Hinny!" Josie's gesture stopped in mid wave. Deanna continued speaking to the now immobile Josie.

      "I love you too much to force you to take me, but I will not let you go without doing everything I can to help." Deanna paced around Josie as she thought furiously.

      "Josie Rimsky you have amazing strength of will. Anything you believe must be. It is not possible for anyone to overcome your will even though they may try." Josie returned to her original position.

      "Heinlein's Hinny." Josie finished her gesture and a grieving Deanna whispered, "Goodbye, my love. I'll wait for you forever, if need be."

      Josef, also known as Josie, also known as Josette, Rimsky disappeared and Deanna gratefully released the flood of pent up tears.

**********

      "What is your will, my Lord?" Colleen and Inga were back in human form again. All three were unclothed and lazing about in the hot tub.

      "I think we've given the Pope enough time to proclaim my godhood. I guess it's time to force the issue."

      "How shall this be done, Master?" Richard jerked his leg backward before he could answer Colleen and glared at Inga who had been tickling the bottom of his foot.

      "My apologies, Lord. I meant but to serve you by rubbing your toes." Inga was chagrined.

      "Never mind," he gestured dismissively at Inga and turned to Colleen. "Back to your question." Colleen beamed with pride at Richard's attention taking only a moment to turn to Inga and stick out her tongue before returning her full attention to Richard.

      "Well I suppose he's just trying to be foxy and hedge his bets and he could be very useful so I don't really want to destroy him. I was thinking that he just needed a present and perpetual reminder."

      "Yes, Lord?"

      "I was thinking of giving His Eminence the gift of Ermine, then he could be ‘His Erminence.’" This was greeted by giggled from the two women.

      "Shall we?" They nodded.

      "Wait." Josie was standing at the foot of the tub. Inga and Colleen instinctively covered their breasts while Richard continued his languid kicks to keep himself floating.

      "Ah, mon petit, Josette…or would you still prefer Josef?"

      "Josette is fine, Richard."
 
      "And I see you've become a believer...and you've removed my little piece of conditioning regarding men. How wonderful." Richard clapped his hands and grinned joyfully, startling Inga and Colleen.

      "It's nice to see you, Josette, I've missed our debates." Richard floated himself out of the water. As his feet touched the ground beside Josette, a matching white gown surrounded him.

      "Shall we take a walk in the garden?" Richard gestured toward the office's glass wall and the greenery beyond. Josette nodded and they were by the beach.

      "Very nice, Richard. Isn't this about where the Administration Building used to be?"

      "Why yes, it seemed a much more functional use of the space. Don't you agree?"

      "Well I admit I often wished it had been bulldozed thinking that management of a parking lot might be more within the grasp of the managerial skills of the people working there, but this is an oh so much more beautiful suggestion." Josie beamed.

      "So let me look at you." Josie stepped back and did a brief moue as she pirouetted for Richard.

      "I'm impressed. When I originally transformed you I expected you to learn so you could get you're old body back, but you seem to have grown quite accustomed to your face.” Richard smiled and added a slight sing song to his voice as he spoke the last few words. Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, “And it’s a quite beautiful face.”

      "I am comfortable with both my inner and outer self,Richard. Can you say the same?"

      "How wonderful." Richard beamed with pleasure. "Than I shall take you as my wife and we shall rule together." He paced back and forth thinking aloud unmindful of the black cloud forming on Josie's face and the tapping of her foot.

      "We should have His Erminence perform the ceremony. Who would you like to have give you away?" He stopped seeing Josie's expression. "What?"

      "I didn't come here to get married."

      "And I didn't ask." Richard returned to his pacing. "Let's see, Tahiti is wonderful this time of year, we can honeymoon there."

      "Richard!"

      "You're interrupting me,” he noted irritably and stopped pacing again.

      "I'm here to stop you, Richard." The words were so spoken calmly and quietly, like one was asking about the weather, that at first they weren't processed. Josie stood, feet spread and arms crossed, as Richard gaped. Finally, he began to chuckle and then laugh. The laugh grew into a roar and he doubled over and collapsed in slow motion to the sandy beach while Josie stood unmoving and frowned.

      "Are you done yet?"

      "A...almost." He had settled down to a sporadic giggling as he rose to his feet. "You want to challenge me to a duel or something?"

      "If necessary."

      "Why?"

      "To stop you from destroying the world."

      "Destroy it? I'm improving it. Haven't I ended hunger, sickness, and indigence?"

      "And how many people's minds, bodies, and lives have you changed without their permission. How many more people will be subjugated because you feel like it."

      "As many as I wish," Richard was getting angry now. "After all, I am a god."

      "A petty one, if at all."

      "Fine. I accept your challenge. Anything goes. Last one standing is the winner."

      "I'm sorry, Richard. I'll miss you." The world blinked for a moment and when it returned to focus she was wearing a bikini and there were these new thoughts trying to settle themselves into her conscious and they were such wonderful, comforting thoughts. "I love Richard. Richard is my Lord and Master. I will do anything for Richard, anything he asks me to do."

      "Hello, Josette. Welcome to our happy family." Inga and Colleen stood by her hugging her with tears of joy in their eyes.

      "I hope you don't mind, but I chose to eschew the usual cartoon pratfalls one would usually expect in such a situation. Richard smiled beneficently down on Josette.

      Josette shook her head to clear the cobwebs that suddenly seemed to be there before smiling brightly at the two women and hugging them back. Turning back to Richard they all prostrated themselves to show their respect. Josette felt joyously happy except she couldn't shake the feeling she was forgetting something. As Richard and the women headed back to the hot tub to relax Josette was trying so hard to remember whatever she had forgotten that she tripped and fell in.

      Sopping wet, Josette cursed, but before one of the others could reach her to make sure she was alright Josette remembered. She remembered Deanna. She remembered all the people who had been injured by Richard's selfish rampage. She remembered the battle. She concentrated. There was a bright flash and she was in another place. Everything was a light grey and glowed dully except Richard and Josette who were still wearing their royal blue bathing suits. As Richard gazed about in confusion, Josette took two quick steps on the spongy grey ground to stand in front of him as he began to concentrate. Sweat began to bead on his forehead from the strain while Josette watched apparently unconcerned. In frustration he grabbed at Josette only to have his hands pass harmlessly through her body.

      "It's over, Richard. Welcome to your new home." Josette shook her head sadly.

      "What the hell are you talking about? Where are we?" Why can't I leave?" Richard raged in his anger.

      "This is your new home. Make of it what you will. And to show that I'm not a heartless bitch as you might think, here is a mirror," a larger than usual, ornately engraved full length mirror appeared beside Josette, "onto the world you've just left. While you'll never be able to return there, this will allow you to see anywhere in that world, to watch it thrive or wither as it will now do on it's own, without either of us helping it along."

      Josette began to fade away. Richard gave a roar of frustrated rage and lunged at her, once again passing through her rapidly dissipating body. When he had rolled over and turned back she was gone.

**********

      At the creak of the chair beside the couch were she was sprawled out crying, Deanna looked up in amazement to see Josette sitting there with a big smile on her face.

      "It's over." Josette's voice sounded ragged.

      Deanna lunged out of the chair to hug Josette and both were surprised when the force of her lunge knocked the chair over backwards, spilling them both to the floor with Josette on the bottom. After catching her breath, Josette began laughing and was soon joined by Deanna.

      "What happened? Tell me. Tell me," Deanna pleaded.

      "Well...I'm not sure your strong enough to handle it," Josette said with a sly smile.

      "Oh, you tease." Deanna playfully slapped Josette on the arm. "Tell me."

      "Oh, alright." Josette's smile was even bigger. "May I get up first?"

      "No way. I'm not letting you move until I hear everything."

      "Even if I need to go to the bathroom?"

      "Even if," Deanna giggled.

      "Actually, it was sort of anticlimactic. I got to Richard's office, it had grown a bit, and after a bit of polite banter her turned me into one of his bimbos."

      "I thought you'd gained a bra size." Deanna gently pinched her breast through the bikini.

      “I'm jealous. How can I be your twin if we're not the same?" Deanna gently brushed at a loose strand of Josette's hair.

      Josette gave Deanna a quick hug before continuing in a more somber tone. "If it weren't for you, Richard would have won."

      "What do you mean?"

      "I mean that the thought of losing you was what helped me fight off Richard's control. Without you, he would have won." Deanna was beatific as she listened to Josette speak.

      "You gave me the will to win. So now Richard is alone in a formless void with only a mirror I gave him to let him look into this world."

      "You mean he might be looking at us right now?" Deanna shuddered.

      "Possibly."

      "But he can never come back?"

      "Nope. If my concentration wavers and he tries to contact someone who really wants to talk to him he might, I repeat might, be able to sneak a little piece of himself like a thought or an image, back to them. But that's about it."

      "And if I don't want to have anything to do with him?" Deanna shuddered again.

      "He might as well be trying to break down a stone wall with a feather." Deanna sighed in relief.

      "How much more can you do if most of your time you're concentrating on keeping Richard bottled up.?"

      "Not much."

      "So what happens now?"

      "Not much. You go back to your job as Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. I go back to my job as full professor in the Department of Psychology. I hope you don't mind, but I gave myself a small promotion. As for Richard, I guess I'll let him have any like minded people join him after they leave this world so he's not all alone for eternity."

      "And that's it, back to the grind of life as usual?"

      "Pretty much," Josette nodded.

      "No magic?"

      "Not really."

      "Not even a little?" Deanna wheedled.

      "Well, maybe a little, twin," Josette smiled slyly. The smile turned into a laugh as Deanna reached down to adjust her bra as it suddenly felt tight.

**********

      Richard lay on the ground were he had fallen, head turned so that he could watch the touching reunion between Josette and her bitch twin. Growling in disgust he sat up and examined his surroundings.

      "This will never do." He muttered, of necessity to himself. Slowly the ground became solid and jagged rock began to protrude. Off in the distance, mountains formed. There was still no sky, just the formless grey, but a reddish glow came form the molten cores of the newly created mountains and glowing red lava dripped down the mountainsides. Immediately before Richard a huge jagged pit opened up. Without counting Richard knew there were now seven distinct levels to the pit and a wide river of dirty brown water moved sluggishly through most of the pit.

      Richard smiled in satisfaction. "I think I'm ready for business. Even if I can't get back to the Earth at the moment I'm still going to have one hell of a time." The smile grew into a deep, humorless laugh as he patiently waited.

 

THE END