Author's Note: Link to Part One

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“Thomas Ryder! How long has it been?”

Thomas shook hands with the lawyer and said, “Eighteen years, I think, Dan. You look good.”

“I still run. Not as fast as we were in high school: Rathmore and Ryder, top two high school middle distance runners three years in a row. But I can still do a five k run, take a shower, and go to work.”

“That’s more exercise than I get, certainly. But, you didn’t call me out of the blue to talk about running.”

“No, of course not. An old client of my firm died last week and the file indicated that part of the estate contains transformed individuals. I requested you personally when I called the Guild office. You’re the best wizard I’ve ever met.”

“I don’t know about that. What’s special about an estate with transformed individuals? Anyone in my office could handle that.”

“This estate was for someone who lived into their nineties. I suspect some of the magic involved is pre-Covenant.”

“Oh. I see. What does the will say?”

“Technically I can’t tell you that. But, I haven’t actually read the will. According to some rumors I heard, some of the objects packed in boxes in the attic are mentioned in the will as beneficiaries of part of the estate.”

Dan was skirting the laws of magic and the laws of estate planning rather deftly, Thomas thought. “Say no more before I have to arrest you. Can I get access to the estate?”

“Yes. I was hoping you’d have time today.”

“I’ll drive.”

* * *

“Mr. Rathmore? Why is there a spell lock on my grandmother’s home?” Said the middle-aged woman who immediately ran up to meet Dan before he even got out of Thomas’ car.

“Because there are magic spells within the house and they must be dealt with to ensure your grandmother’s wishes are followed in accordance with her will.”

“Are you the spell inspector?” the woman in her early fifties said to Thomas. “I’m Vickie Umbread. I was Nana’s oldest grandchild. My mother, Nana’s daughter, is waiting over there in the car.”

“Pleasant to meet you, Ms Umbread. But I’m afraid you and your mother will have to wait outside.”

Thomas looked at the spell encircling the house and reached for his phone. He entered the address into a form and received the code word that would allow him to bypass the spell without disrupting it. He approached the front door and said, “Follow me in, Dan.” Thomas closed the door behind them and cast another spell. “Attic is this way.”

The spell led them to a narrow set of stairs behind a narrow door on the second floor. Stairs behind the door led up to the attic. It was dusty but not musty. There were boxes stacked in neat piles on the floor. Thomas stepped up to one of the piles and removed the top box so he could open the next box. Light flashed as he opened the lid.

Dan started walking toward the stairs.

Thomas sensed a memory spell had just gone off. He had managed to resist it. “Dan, Dan!”

“Thomas Ryder! How long as it been? Why are we in an attic?”

Thomas cast another spell out of annoyance and Dan shook his head. “What happened?”

“Forget spell. You know why we’re here?”

“Mrs. Difilipo’s will?”

“Good. Yes. Hopefully, there aren’t any other traps. There are four living dolls in this box.”

“Living dolls in a dusty old attic? How long have they been here?”

“The spell appears to be very strong and unfaded. Rather unusual for a pre-Covenant spell. I’d guess at least 50 years.”

“And they’re still alive?”

“Unfortunately for them, yes. Although I suppose their fortunes have just changed.” He removed the dolls from the box. Beneath them was a small manila envelope. “Hang on.”

He set his phone down and cast a spell. He hit record on the phone’s video camera function. “Thomas Ryder, Transformation Inspector, First Class. Badge number 23A.” He announced the date, the location, who else was in the room. “File number 883274. Envelope was found in a box with four pre-Covenant transformed living beings. Breaking the seal.”

He held the papers in front of the camera one by one. “These appear to be hand written contracts or invoices, paying four individuals to serve as part of the spell that transformed them. Although the payments seem to be two pennies each.”

“Rather low,” Dan said, looking at them in turn. “Let’s see. 64 years. That’s 11 cents in today’s dollars. I doubt they invested that money, though. The will implied they were properly paid. I suppose Mrs. Difilipo didn’t really know the terms of the spell.”

“Given the booby trap on the box. I don’t want to restore these dolls here. I’m going to take them back to the office.”

“Whatever you think is best.”

Thomas cast a spell, creating a special containment box and put the dolls within it. As he closed the lid, he immediately grabbed Dan’s arm and threw both of them to the ground. The cardboard box the dolls had been in exploded.

“What the fuck?” Dan said. Then grabbed his leg. “I’m bleeding.”

“Someone really didn’t want those dolls to leave this attic,” Thomas said.

* * *

Paramedics were waiting outside by the time Thomas carried Dan out of the house into their arms. Vickie and an older woman rushed toward Thomas, talking over one another and asking what happened. The older woman was not the woman who had been waiting in Vickie’s car. She was Vickie’s aunt.

“Someone put a magic trap on some boxes in Mrs. Difilipo’s attic. Either of you know who?”

“No one I know,” the Aunt said.

“It was Grandpa, most likely,” Vickie said.

“You hush. Daddy would never harm a fly.”

“I’m the granddaughter. Shouldn’t I be the one who never knew Grandpa was a lunatic, Aunt B?”

The other older woman hobbled from the car to calm her sister down. “Barbara, you know Dad was a terrible person. If not for Mom, he probably would have been a serial transformer.”

“You don’t talk about him in public like that.”

“He’s been dead for twenty years, Barbara. Let it go.”

“And you are?” Thomas said to the level headed septuagenarian.

“Eustace Goodwin. My mother was Edna Difilipo. Vickie, here, is my daughter. And Barbara is my naive sister.”

“Well, the damage from the explosion didn’t break anything except Mr. Rathmore’s skin and pride. The energy of the explosion only targeted people, not things. If your father made that spell, he was a rare wizard indeed. There was also an expertly crafted memory spell up there.”

“That would be for the dolls.”

“You mean my dolls,” Barbara said.

“I’m hoping the inspector here is going to be restoring the dolls,” Eustace said.

“That’s my intent.”

“You can’t do that. Daddy didn’t want anyone playing with those dolls after we outgrew them.”

“No one is going to play with them, Ma’am. They are going to be restored to life. Do you know who they are?”

“I don’t believe you when you say they’re alive.”

“Always in denial, Barbara?” Eustace said. “I have a guess. But I’d rather be wrong than guess correctly.”

* * *

Thomas was setting the dinner table for four, telling Sonia about the estate fiasco he was involved with at work.

“She filed a request for an injunction against dispelling the transformations. The judge granted it because she felt if the people were unfairly transformed for over sixty years. A couple more weeks weren’t going to cause them additional harm or duress.”

“And you don’t know why these four people spent half a century in a box in an attic?”

“Not a clue. Why am I setting a fourth setting?”

“Becky is eating dinner with us.”

“Becky?”

“Also known as Bryce, Grace’s boyfriend.”

“Didn’t the spell I cast on him end a couple weeks ago?”

“Grace?” Sonia called up the stairs.

“What?”

“Bring the paperwork. Your father just noticed who Becky is.”

He thought he heard a laugh and then two teenage women bounded down the stairs and into the kitchen. Grace thrust a magic form at him as the two of them took their seats at the table.

“You’ve been casting a sex change spell on Bryce so often you got a FT7/A approved?”

“Wouldn’t want you having to arrest me, Dad.”

“Is that the form I signed?” Becky said.

“An FT7/A is a form that informs the Guild that a frequent transformation, the seven means a gender transformation, is being cast on a known, willing subject often.” He sat down and Sonia put food on the table. “Since you signed the form I assume you’re okay with this?”

“You said I wasn’t allowed to spend time with Grace as a guy in your house.”

“You could restrict seeing one another to other places.”

“I prefer spending time with Grace to spending time as a guy. Frankly, I think I like hanging out with the cheerleaders a lot more than the football team. I’m second position on the squad. I was a bench warmer with the guys.”

Thomas adopted his official voice as he handed the form back to Grace. “Well, this appears to be in order. Becky, you are aware that according to the form, there is a mental adjustment to your feelings about fashion, hair, and makeup.”

“I requested that. Can’t hang out with cheerleaders and be completely in the dark about makeup, hair, and fashion. When I’m Bryce, those thoughts disappear.”

“I suppose I can’t complain about Becky spending time in your room.”

“You could just let him be himself in my room.”

Thomas laughed. “Given what Becky just said, perhaps she is more her true self now than before this arrangement was made.”

* * *

Given the many precautions taken, the removal of the decades old transformation spell was anti-climactic. One second there was an old doll on the floor. The next there was a young man standing in its place. He was dressed in a shirt and trousers straight out of an old black and white television show.

“Oh, praise be, I’m alive. Where’s Edna?” Were his first words, accented with a hint of Irish brogue. “And Ma and Pa. Are they okay?”

“Slow down, son. What’s your name?” Thomas said.

“Oscar O’Day. I need to tell Edna I love her if there’s still time.”

“I’m afraid there isn’t. Do you know how much time has passed?”

“I fear to guess. You’re clothing looks unusual and I’m guessing the shirt skirt that woman is wearing isn’t as scandalous as I would assume. I can’t begin to guess what you might call that glowing thing you’re holding.”

“It’s a cell phone. It communicates without wires.”

“Short wave?”

“We’ll give you a history of the time you’ve missed in the coming days, um, Mr. O’Day. We need to know who did this to you.”

“That devil of a wizard, William Difilipo. Accused me of stealing his girl. She was my girl. She said she was with child and I was the father.”

“What?” Thomas hadn’t expected that kind of bombshell. “Eustace is your daughter?”

“Yes, my beautiful baby. She and her half-sister played with me for years before she outgrew dolls. William laughed and laughed when he was able to box us up and hide us away. How did he die? How did Edna die? Car accident? Where’s Eustace and her sister?”

“So, her sister, Barbara is William’s child?”

“As far as I know.”

“Edna lived to be ninety-two years old. She only died a week or so ago. You’ve been a doll for sixty-four years and trapped in a box in her attic for over fifty of those years, based on the timeline we’ve worked out.”

“How could she leave us in her attic all this time?” He looked genuinely upset.

“She couldn’t rescue you. Her husband apparently put memory spells on the box you were in that caused people to forget about you.”

“That bastard. How does anyone hold a grudge so long?”

“I couldn’t say. Who are the other three dolls?”

“My parents and my younger brother, Sean. Can I see them?”

“We’ll be restoring them after we finish up here.”

“Curse you, William Difilipo. He was the devil himself, as I said.”

* * *

“That’s awful,” Sonia said as they sat in the living room steaming a show.

“The estate will probably be in probate forever. The O’Days were wronged by the spouse of the deceased. But William died twenty years ago. And the statute of limitations on transformations doesn’t even apply since these spells were cast before there were laws regulating magic. William is 22 years old physically, but his birth was over 90 years ago. He and his family are over 60 years behind the times technologically and magically.”

“I assume any relatives they may have had who might remember them are long dead. Do they own anything other the clothes they wore?”

“No. There was a silver lining.”

“What?”

“Eustace found out that evil man was never her father. She and William have hit it off. But even that silver lining will tarnish. She’ll probably die long before he does.”

“Doesn’t the other sister have to live with knowing he was her father?”

“Barbara? She’s already in denial about William and thinks he’s trying to steal her inheritance. She’s the other reason it will be in probate forever.”

The front door opened and Becky came in before Grace. “Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Ryder,” Becky said.

“Hey, Mom and Dad,” Grace said.

“Does Becky live here now?” Sonia said.

Grace shrugged.

They were about to head upstairs when Thomas said. “One second, Grace.” And he cast a spell. Grace transformed into a man.

“Why’d you turn her into a man?” Sonia said.

“I didn’t. I just reversed whatever spell might have been cast on her in the last hour. She was wearing her Greg spell within the last hour while she was out with Becky.”

“Grace?”

“What? I’m not allowed to cast spells on myself when I’m out of the house?”

“I told her it was a bad idea.”

“Don’t take their side, Becky.”

“I’m not. I just don’t want you getting in trouble so much that I’m banned from seeing you at all. I love you.”

“I… You…?”

“Yes, I love you, Grace Ryder. Do you think I put up with being a woman half the time because I just like you?”

“We should leave,” Sonia said to Thomas.

“No, no, stay,” Greg said. He dismissed the spell on Bryce, who seemed surprised to be himself suddenly. The dress he wore managed not to tear thanks to a spell cast surreptitiously by Thomas. “I love you, too, Bryce.” The two men embraced one another and kissed deeply.

After a moment, Thomas cleared his throat and the two lovers separated. They looked at Thomas expectantly.

“In the afternoons before dinner, Bryce is allowed in your bedroom.”

Grace snapped her fingers and both men were women again. Grace gave Thomas a hug. “Thanks, Daddy.”

Becky reached out a hand to Thomas, who shook it. “Thanks, Mr. and Mrs. Ryder.”

They went up to Grace’s room, holding hands.

“At least one of them noticed I was here,” Sonia said.

“I hope you appreciate having a good relationship with your teenage daughter,” Thomas said. “That isn’t usually the case for mothers.”

“I do appreciate you being the bad cop,” she said giving him a kiss. “I hope you aren’t starting to go soft.”

“Maybe a little. Tomorrow, I think I’ll go running. Try to get myself back up to doing five kilometers without killing myself.”