Kiss Your Elbow and Become a Girl

by Jennifer Sue

There is an old saying that periodically makes the rounds of schools. It’s really silly and quite impossible but at the same time holds a strange fascination for those who hear it. It’s mostly used by girls to tease boys. “If you kiss your elbow you change into a girl”. The near physical impossibility of kissing your own elbow is one of the more unusual parts of this childhood mythology. According to the legends, a peck to the elbow would bring about an instantaneous sex change. For most boys, it was a threat of a terrible fate, something never to do. After all, most kids would never want to be a member of the opposite sex; they're icky, and may even have cooties! The most common version of the myth was that kissing your elbow at any time would cause a sex change. It doesn't matter if it's by accident or intent, if your lips touch your elbow, you're going to have to start using the other restroom. Some variations of the myth had a certain ritual you had to perform to become the other sex, such as spinning around in a circle ten times under a full moon before giving the kiss that will turn a boy into a girl. Obviously, no matter how much ritual is involved, it doesn't work... or does it?

William Benjamin Hartigan was a normal rough and tumble twelve year old. Climbing trees and wrestling with his buddies were things he had liked and done on a near daily basis when he’d been in elementary school. But since he’d moved on to junior high, his favorite activity was learning tricks on his BMX bike and showing off his skills. With his best buddies Mack Arroni and Frank N Beans, they spent hours practicing their tricks and learning new ones. All three were quite good and so far none of them had suffered more than a few bruises and brush burns. Although the older bikers and skate boarders would never admit it, they admired the skills of the three boys. Each day after school they headed to the local S&B (skate and bike) Park to show off and work on new tricks.

In mid May, the seventh grade trio butted heads with some of the girls on school quad during lunch. Annie Bellum, Ho Lee Fock, and Heidi Clare were girly girls who enjoyed flustering the swaggering trio.

The girls waited just outside the doors opening to the quad. As usual, the three guys barged through the swinging doors as they ran to get outside. The cute girls squealed and Annie Bellum faked being hit by a door. The boys stopped to see what happened as the girlish screams immediately brought the Misty Meener, the quad watchdog, over to investigate.

“Annie,” Misty Meener spoke. “Are you okay? Do you need to go to the nurse?”

“I’ll be alright, Miss Meener,” Annie declared in a quivering voice. “They scared me more than they hurt me.”

“Boys,” Misty Meener scolded. “How many times have I warned you about running through the doors? Now you’ve hurt someone just like I said you would.”

“But Annie said we didn’t hurt her,” Willie B. Hartigan moaned.

“You hit her with the door,” Misty Meener tersely replied. “You should consider yourself lucky you didn’t hurt her! Now, I want the three of you to apologize to the girls.”

Apologizing is one of the toughest things a twelve year old boy does. The three boys frowned and looked at the ground.

“We’re waiting,” Misty Meener warned.

Knowing they had no other choice, Willie B Hartigan went first. “I’m sorry we hit you with the door.”

The other boys quickly followed suit. Everyone knew the apologies were not meant.

“You boys will stay here for the entire recess,” Misty Meener ordered. “I suggest you use the time to think about what could have happened.” With that she headed back into the throng of students who had gathered to watch the boys being dressed down.

“Oh dear, it looks like you nasty boys got into trouble,” Annie smiled wickedly.

“You... you set us up!” Willie exclaimed. “We never hit you with the door! You faked it!”

“Well, well, well, there may be a brain inside that thick skull of yours,” Annie chuckled.

“We’ll get you for this,” Willie snarled.

“I highly doubt it,” Heidi Clare scoffed. “Boys like you will never outsmart girls like us. You might as well admit it, girls are smarter than boys!”

That really got the boys cranked up but they noted Misty Meener kept looking their way so they couldn’t lash out at the taunting girls. “Boys are way smarter then girls,” Mack Arroni spat back.

“That’ll be the day,” Ho Lee Fock smiled making her oriental features even cuter. “Think about this. Do any of the girls’ sports teams need cheerleaders?”

“No,” Willie cautiously replied feeling he was being set up again.

“Of course not,” Ho Lee smiled sweetly. “We girls know what to do when we play sports. It’s you dumb guys that need girls on the sidelines telling what to do!”

The boys fumed because while they knew it was not true, they couldn’t deny the cheerleaders did tell the guys what to do.

“Don’t feel bad, fellows,” Annie Bellum mock sympathized. “If you want to switch to the smarter and cuter side, all you have to do is kiss your elbow. You’ll have to do it on a night with a full moon. First you turn in a circle ten times, then kiss your elbow. Then you’ll turn into a girl!”

“Yeah, right,” Frank N Beans sniffed. “Like we’d even want to become girls!”

“Girls are better than boys,” Heidi Clare giggled. “We can do everything a boy can do but boys can’t do everything girls can do!”

“I wouldn’t want to do the dumb things girls do,” Willie B Hartigan declared disdainfully. “You’ll never catch us playing with dolls!”

“You don’t know what you’re missing,” Annie Bellum wistfully sighed. “Besides, you’ll never be able to switch sides since none of you can kiss your elbow!”

“Yeah, right,” Mack Arroni sniffed dismissively. “Why would any of us even think about becoming a dumb girl?”

“That’s easy,” Annie Bellum chuckled. “If you become a girl you can find out what we girls wear under out skirts without getting into trouble.”

The boys blushed deeply. Only last month they’d earned a week of in-school detention for flipping Ho Lee Fock’s sassy pleated skirt in an unsuccessful attempt to get a glimpse of her panties.

Just then the bell rang. As the kids out on the quad began to head for the door, Heidi Clare smiled evilly. “Don’t even try to deny that each of you is going to try to kiss your elbow!”

With smirks on their faces, the girls were the first through the doors. The stunned guys didn’t have a chance to deny the put down.

The boys were in a foul mood the rest of the day. The shadow of the girls floated above them even as they worked on perfecting their BMX tricks at the S&B Park. That evening once they settled into bed, each rehashed the confrontation with the girls. In the end each boy did try to kiss his elbow. Quite naturally they failed.

Neither the three guys nor the three girls realized they were engaging in seventh grade flirting. Both sides felt their interest in the opposite sex blooming. Since the six had first met in kindergarten, they felt comfortable teasing each other. They knew each other so felt safe in their unconscious flirtation.

The next day the girls cornered the guys on the quad. Annie Bellum smiled as she spoke. “So, were any of you able to kiss your elbow?”

“Get lost,” Frank N Beans sniffed.

“Only after each of you look us in the eye and tell us you didn’t try to kiss your elbow,” Ho Lee Fock giggled.

The girls waited as the boys exchanged guilty looks but were unable to look at the girls’ eyes.

“You were right, Annie,” Heidi Clare chuckled. “They DID try to kiss their elbows! Come on, girls, we need to tell the other girls!”

As the girls ran off giggling, the boys blushed and were unable to look at each other. Filled with remorse and shame, the three forlornly wondered the quad until lunch ended. As they entered their classroom, all the girls looked at them and giggled. Their shame only deepened.

To take out their aggression, the boys went at their BMX tricks with a vengeance. For the next week, the girls continued to giggle at the trio which only aggravated their shame. Kiss your elbow and turn into a girl... yeah... right! Yet almost each night, much to their chagrin and confusion, they found themselves again trying to do the deed. Their shame and confusion drove them to become more daring with their BMX tricks. The older guys at the S&B Park were amazed by the drive, stamina, and skill the three younger guys exhibited. Of course, they’d never admit they were in awe of the younger dudes.

Ten days after the whole mess started, it was a warm spring Friday evening. The lights were on illuminating the S&B Park and the moon was full. Annie Bellum, Ho Lee Fock, and Heidi Clare showed up to watch the boys. They were amazed at what the boys could do. Mack Arroni saw the girls watching and clued the other two in on their audience. This only spurred the guys to push even harder.

After half an hour of all out action, they had to take a break. They rode out of the course to take a well deserved rest. They rode to where the girls waited.

“So you came to check us out,” Willie B Hartigan bragged. “Did you like what you saw?”

“Yes, we did,” Annie Bellum smiled. “We had no idea you were so talented!”

“We’re the best,” Frank N Beans smugly claimed. “And we don’t need no cheerleaders!”

“And we don’t want any cheerleaders,” Mack Arroni sniffed.

“We’re certainly not going to volunteer,” Ho Lee Fock giggled.

“Willie, you really amazed us with your rear wheel jumping,” Annie Bellum smiled. “We never imagined someone could stand up on just a bike’s rear wheel and bounce like you did. Then when you started going in circles while doing it we were impressed, but then you went up on that narrow piece and did it up there... well... it really blew us away!”

The other girls readily agreed as Willie B Hartigan swelled with pride and puffed out his chest.

“The trick is called rear wheel hops,” Willie explained as he swelled with pride. “It’s a fairly basic trick that you learn on a flat surface, but to keep doing it and keep your balance is harder. To keep your balance and hop in a circle is even tougher. I’m the only one here that can do it up on the ledge! The older guys can only do straight hops up there.”

“Wow, that’s something,” Annie smiled. “How wide is the ledge and how high is it?”

“The ledge is sixteen inches wide, eight feet long and the quarter pipe is nine feet high,” Willie smirked. “It’s tough to even land up there with a bike after shooting up the curve.”

“”You’ll never get me to even try that on a bike,” Annie shook her head. “How many times do you think you could hop in a circle up there?”

“I don’t know,” Willie frowned as he thought about it.

The girls and his buddies looked expectantly at Willie B Hartigan.

Knowing he was on the spot, Willie tried to guesstimate. “I’m sure I can do five. It takes a lot of stamina and concentration, especially up there. I might be able to do ten or more. I guess I’ll just have to try it.” With that he tore off into the S&B Park

Willie did two laps to loosen up before barreling into the quarter pipe, shooting five feet above the lip. With a slight twist he landed on the narrow ledge. Pausing, he looked to see if his buds and the girls were watching. Seeing their eyes were glued to him, he waved and theatrically nodded his head. Then he used a pedal kick to get upright on the rear wheel. With great skill he lifted the front wheel until the frame of the bike was about at a forty five degree angle then began to bounce. Within three hops, he found his sweet spot and began to turn three hundred sixty degrees. It took about sixteen hops to make a rotation. By the second rotation, nearly everyone in the park was watching his amazing skill.
( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xr3kVKkDYCU at 1.30 into the video)
By the time he reached five rotations, Willie B Hartigan was beginning to sweat and breath harder. Momentarily he though of quitting but quickly discarded the idea when he heard everyone chanting out his rotations.

“Go for it, Willie,” Mack Arroni shouted. “We know you can do ten!”

The rest of the onlookers cheered him on.

Determined not to wimp out, Willie persevered. By the time he finished the eighth rotation, he was forcefully breathing through his mouth and his hands were beginning to spasm. By the end of the ninth turn he’d lost count and sweat was trickling from his forehead into his eyes. The burning made him blink his eyes and shake his head in an attempt to clear his vision. By the time he’d completed ten rotations, he was gasping for breath and was experiencing tunnel vision in his still stinging eyes. It was only the tumultuous cheers that erupted when he’d completed the tenth circle that let him know he’d done it. Totally exhausted, he dropped the front wheel to the ledge.

While Willie began his rear wheel hopping rotations near the center of the length of ledge, by the time he finished he was at the edge. As he went to put the front wheel down on the ledge he was crouched over the handlebars. Exhausted to the point of disorientation and nearly blinded by the sweat, he didn’t realize what he’d done until he was pitching head first off the end off the ledge. As he went past the center point where the front wheel should have contacted the ledge he lost all control of the bike. Being tired, as the front of the bike dipped down, his sweaty and cramping hands lost their grip on the handlebars. The bike went straight down crashing noisily into the hard concrete. Doing a somersault on his way down gave him just enough air time to allow the bike to impact before he slammed down atop it. The bike had slammed sideways onto the concrete. Willie B Hartigan landed on his left elbow. Unable to absorb the blow the humerus fractured with bone shards piercing the skin. Milli-seconds later his groin impacted the upright end of a pedal. His body lay across the pedals and seat as if to make an ‘X’ to mark the spot of impact. Fortunately, he was wearing a helmet so when his head bounced off the concrete, it was protected... or as protected as it could be. His helmeted head bounced and landed on the undamaged lower portion of his left arm.

The cheers the onlookers had been giving Willie for his feat quickly morphed into gasps of horror even before he impacted. While many of the onlookers watched in frozen horror/enthrallment, some reacted positively. Someone called 911 while others rushed to the stricken boy, among them were the three girls. Horrified by his devastating injuries and the blood, they stood by looking at him. The S&B Park first responder arrived with the first aid kit and hurriedly applied a tourniquet above the break in the arm to staunch the flow of blood then with compresses in his gloved hand applied pressure to stop the bleeding from his groin.

Five minutes later he was being attended to by the paramedics who worked ten minutes until they had stabilized him. Then he was put into an ambulance for the siren blaring ride to the hospital. The emergency room doctors had been forewarned of the serious injuries and so were waiting for Willie to arrive. They quickly cut off his clothes and set to work.

Beatrice Hartigan and Izzy Hartigan were not overly surprised when the caller phoned to tell them Willie had been hurt at the S&B Park. They were well aware of his penchant for daredevil antics. Of course they were quite worried about his condition. They jump to their car and rushed to the hospital. Upon arrival they were rushed into conference with the head physician in the emergency room who explained the need for immediate surgery. The worried parents sign the permission forms then moved to the waiting room.

Three hours later they were summoned from the waiting room to a conference room. Once seated the physician began to explain the injuries that Willie had suffered.

“Your son has a brain concussion,” the physician began. “The MRI didn’t show any major issues and we expect there to be a little or no lasting effects. The helmet he was wearing absorb the worst of the impact. Without a helmet the head injury could very well have been fatal.”

Bea and Izzy sadly acknowledged the doctors words.

“The left humerus was shattered but we were able to reassemble it,’ the physician went on. “Once we had the shards all back in place we screwed everything in place with reinforcing plates. The tears to the muscle tissue were stitched together then we did the same with the ripped the flesh. The prognosis is that he should regain full use of the arm but there is a possibility the strength in that arm will not be up to the same level as his good arm.”

Bea and Izzy nodded their understanding.

Then came the difficult portion of the talk. The physician side before speaking. “Willie landed with most of his body weight upon an upright pedal. The imprint of the pedal was quite evident in the wound. The initial impact occurred right in the center of the pubic bone. Basically the pedal crushed all the soft tissue that rammed into it. Since the pubic bone is slightly curved at the initial point of impact, it directed the crushing force down the underside of the structure. In other words, it went right through the base of his penis and testicles, destroying virtually all the tissues.”

Bea Hartigan gasped in horror, covering her mouth with her hands.

Izzy Hartigan shivered then spoke. “Can anything be salvaged... you know... repaired?”

“There is very little to salvage,” the physician replied compassionately. “The testicles were both crushed and most of the erectile tissues in the penis were destroyed. The only thing we were able salvage was about two thirds of the flesh. Everything inside was mashed.”

Izzy Hartigan slumped back in his chair, stunned about what this revelation meant for his son.

Bea drew in a deep breath before speaking. “Can anything be done to salvage his manhood?”

“Very little can be done in that regard,” the physician responded. “We might be able to use the remaining flesh to reconstruct a pseudo-penis, but that would be quite difficult. The result would simply be a useless tube of flesh. There is no way it would function as a real penis. Since the urethra was destroyed a reconstructed penis could not even be used for urination. The best we can do would be to route the remnants of the urethra to open where the scrotum should be.”

“Doing that would be worse than having nothing there,” Izzy replied. “It would only serve as a reminder for what he’s lost.”

Bea shivered. “Is there any way he could be reconstructed down there to function normally and appear like a regular person?”

“There is one way but it’s quite drastic,” the physician hesitantly stated.”

“There’s hope?” Izzy gasped as he sat up snapping out of his funk. “What is it? What would you have to do?”

“There is only one way that we can reconstruct the damage so that it not only looks normal but functions normally,” the physician sighed. “There’s enough flesh and urethra left that we can do sexual reassignment surgery. We can create a functional and normal appearing vagina.”

Bea and Izzy’s eyes both popped wide open. The couple was left speechless for several moments.
“That’s a hard decision for anyone to make,” Bea shivered. “How soon would we have to make a decision?”

“As soon as possible,” the physician answered. “The longer we wait, the more difficult it will be to salvage the flesh. What flesh is left is quite shredded and has a poor blood supply. If we don’t move quickly we may lose the flesh. If that happens there is little we can do ever make your child normal”

“That will just have to do it,” Bea replied firmly.

“We can’t just force him to become a girl,” Izzy looked at his wife in shock.

“There really is no other option,” the physician interjected. “It is the only way to make him appear and function normally. However, just because we do sexual reassignment surgery does not mean he has to live as a female. If we do nothing, he’ll look like a doll down there. If we try to refashion penis, it will look strange and be totally nonfunctional. Either of those options will lead to him avoiding revealing his situation to anyone. He’ll be too ashamed. With sexual reassignment, he has the option of hiding his groin just like he would with a fake reconstructed penis or having nothing at all down there. If he decides to go all the way with the sexual reassignment, he’d be ready for it. If we take either of the two other options, there won’t be enough flesh left to construct a functional vagina if he should ever change his mind.”

“Well, then the best option is to go ahead with the sexual reassignment,” Bea declared.

“If it was my child that’s what I would do,” the physician agreed.

“But to become a girl... that would destroy him,” Izzy protested.

“The choice will be Willies,” Bea stated patiently as she looked at her husband. “Just because he has the equipment doesn’t mean he has to use it. Like the doctor said, with any of the three options we choose, he’ll be afraid and ashamed to show his groin to anyone unless he embraces girlhood. We really don’t have any other choice. Besides, we both repeatedly warned him that his luck would run out and that he would severely injure himself and have to bear the consequences of his actions. That’s what this is. This is the consequences of his actions.”

Izzy could not argue that point. All too often they had told Willie there would be consequences, possibly dire consequences, for his daredevil stunts. Still, Izzy could not bring himself to say the words. He merely nodded his head to give his approval.

“I’ll lineup our best surgeons for first thing tomorrow morning,” the physician replied. “I’ll have a nurse bring in the appropriate papers for you to sign. I think you’re making the best decision possible under the circumstances.”

“Doctor,” Bea spoke up. “Can we see him?”

“Just for a few moments,” the physician replied. “We have him sedated because of the concussion and the groin injuries. We’ll keep him that way until after tomorrow’s surgery. I’ll have the nurse that brings in the forms for you to sign take you to his room.”

“Thank you doctor,” Bea weakly smiled while Izzy sat stunned into silence.

Willie lay in the hospital bed, machines hooked to him. An IV slowly dripped saline solution, pain medication, sedatives and antibiotics into his good right arm. The left arm was carefully wrapped with the repaired upper arm strapped in place at the side of his chest, he’ll was bent and fore securely arm strapped across his chest. In his sedated state he seemed peaceful and at ease with the world. They knew that when he woke after the upcoming surgery his entire life would be turned upside down.

After 10 minutes a nurse came in and told them they’d have to leave. She said it would be best if they went home and rested so that they could sit by his side tomorrow and be with him when he awakens after the surgery. While they didn’t want to leave they understood what the nurse said the best thing they could do. With weary hearts they headed home.

The surgery went smoothly. They began at seven in the morning and finished up about one in the afternoon. Willie slowly returned to consciousness about three. Disoriented and confused he tried to figure out where he was. The nurses in the recovery room soothed his nerves and told them that he was going to be okay and that he had just come out of surgery.

As his foggy mind slowly cleared, Willie began to remember doing the rear wheel hops and rotations. It took a few moments for him to recall tumbling over the edge of the ledge. He couldn’t remember anything after that. Obviously the impact had knocked him right out. He immediately understood that he’d been hurt pretty bad by the hard landing and that he’d obviously needed surgery to repair the damage. With the determination he normally exhibited he began to take stock of his body. Immediately he noted that he had bandages on his left arm and the fact that his forearm was tied in place to his chest. As he tried to move his legs pain lanced through his body taking his breath away. At first he feared that he might be paralyzed, but then understood the pain he felt would not be very strong if he’d been paralyzed. Tentatively he successfully wiggled his right foot and then his left foot. When he tried to bend his knees the pain in his groin increased dramatically. With his right arm tethered by the IV that arm was out of commission too, he was unable to reach down to check the status of his privates.

The nurses brought water which he gratefully sipped. They checked his vitals and smiled as they worked. After forty five minutes they took him from recovery to a private room where his parents waited. Willie knew he was going to get a lecture after the number of times they’d warned him about his recklessness.

Bea Hartigan tearfully hugged her son once he been transferred into the bed. Izzy Hartigan just stood there looking at his son with a forlorn expression upon his face. Willie B Hartigan knew that he’d been hurt in ways his father did not appreciate.

After several minutes of awkward silence Willie decided to ask the dreaded question. ”So how bad am I hurt?”

“You shattered your left humerus,” Bea managed to say. “The bone splintered and ripped your arm apart. The doctors managed to reassemble it and had to screw it back together with steel plates. They said you should be able to make a full recovery but that there’s a chance it’ll never be as strong as your right arm.”

Willie nodded his head than looked at his father. Immediately he understood his father was not overly upset by his damaged arm. “What else happened?”

Bea looked at Izzy for some support or guidance but saw there was nothing he was capable of adding. She took a deep breath and began to speak. “You landed on the upright pedal with your pubic bone. Everything down there was crushed and destroyed.” With that tears began to roll down her face.

Willie was stunned. Everything was crushed and destroyed? Everything? Now he understood his father’s glum continence. If everything was crushed and destroyed, he was no longer a boy. Willie sank back into the pillow stunned and speechless.

No one said anything for a long time. Finally Willie worked up the nerve to ask the next question that needed asking. “So what happens now?”

Izzy looked at Willie as if the world was about end. “We told the doctors to do what they could to fix you up so that you look normal down there. Unfortunately there was no way you could be fixed up to look like a male.” Tears began to trickle down Izzy’s face and he had to turn and flee the room.

Willie was shocked. If there was no way to make him look like a male how could they fix them up to look normal down there? Then his eyes widened in horror. It was impossible to make him look like a normal guy, the only other option was to be made to look like a normal girl! Willie’s mind froze as he contemplated his future.

Bea pulled a chair over to the bed and kept a comforting hand on Willie’s right-hand. It took half an hour for Willie to recover. “So I’m a girl now, is that what you’re telling me?”

“Yes and no,” Bea softly replied. “Yes, you’re like a girl down there now. No, you don’t have to be a girl. There were two ways to repair the damage. One way would have left you looking like a doll. Completely smooth with just a little hole to pee through. The other option was the one we chose, to rebuild you like a girl. The doctor advised the last option would give you more choices. There is no way they could ever make you look or function like a male. There simply wasn’t enough left to work with. While we know you don’t want to be a girl, you have that option now. If we would’ve taken the doll option, it would have been nearly impossible to remodel your groin to be like a girl at a future date. If you decide you want to be a girl we’ll start you on a regimen of female hormones so you’ll enter puberty like any other girl. If we don’t get you the female hormones, you’ll continue on just like you are now, a prepubescent boy. We will not make that decision for you. We will not force you to live like a girl. We will support whatever you decide and you don’t have to decide in the near future. But at least you have the option.”

Willie was perplexed. “Couldn’t they give me male hormones to make the go through puberty like a guy?”

“They could but they recommend against it,” Bea told him. ”The male hormones would put your body through male puberty, but without the equipment, imagine how frustrating it would be to have the urges and not be able to do anything about it. It would drive you crazy.”

Even though he didn’t want to admit to the possibility, Willie realized that having the urges without an outlet would be disastrous. His body had already started male puberty and he had frequently enjoyed manipulating his genitals. The idea of having the urges without the equipment was terrible as he knew from fantasizing about pretty girls while watching them in school without being able to do anything about the arousal. Still, becoming a girl was not something he looked forward to. Of course life as a eunuch didn’t seem very attractive either.

“The only way you could ever have a satisfactory physical relationship with another person is as a female,” Bea stated. “With the surgery the doctors did you now have that option. Like I said, you don’t have to be a girl now. Once you recover you can go back to your friends just as you have in the past. However as they get older and their male puberty advances, you’ll stay behind as you are now. Eventually your buddies will drift away from you, especially once they start dating. At that time or at any time really you could begin taking female hormones to become a girl. If you decide to become a girl, we wouldn’t expect you to return to your present school.
We’d either enroll you in a parochial school or move so that he could and roll in another public school. We can talk about those options if and when you’re ready to become a girl. The important thing is that right now you simply recover from your injuries. Deciding whether to continue living as a boy or to become a girl can be made at a later date.”

Numbly, Willie B Hartigan nodded his head. On a logical level everything his mother told him made perfect sense. On an emotional level it was simply a nightmare.

Just before lunch the doctors came in and examined their handiwork. Curious about what he looked like down there now, Willie checked himself out with a horrid fascination. For the most part everything was red, quite puffy and very tender. There was absolutely no evidence of his male genitals to be seen. He could tell that once the swelling went down he would look like a girl down there. While Willie was disgusted to no longer have his male equipment. Yet in a bizarre way he was fascinated by the grotesquely swollen female genitalia. So while part of him hated what he saw between his legs another part of him wanted to explore. This dichotomy rocked his existence. Fortunately the surgeons understood this would be a difficult assimilation and made arrangements for psychiatrist to visit Willie.

After the doctors left Izzy announced he had to get to work as he could not miss anymore time. Bea stayed through lunch, helping Willie open the containers.

Dr. Dolores Mento walked into Willie’s room after lunch and greeted Willie and Bea. “I’m Dr. Dolores Mento, your psychiatrist. I’ve been briefed on your condition and the circumstances that put you here.”

“It’s a nice to meet you Dr. Mento. I’m Bea Hartigan and this is Willie, “ Bea introduced themselves.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Dr. Mento responded with a smile. “I don’t mean to sound rude, but it’s best for all of us if Willie and I discussed matters on a one-to-one basis.”

“Oh... yes.... I can understand that,” Bea replied with a bit of annoyance and embarrassment. “I have several things that I must do that I’ve let slide since Willie was hurt. I’ll go take care of them now. Willie, I’ll be back in time for supper.” With that she leaned over and kissed Willie on the forehead.

Willie grimaced and typical boyish annoyance.

“I’m told you like to be called Willie,” Dr. Mento smiled once Bea left the room. “Please, call me Dee.”

Willie looked at the pretty woman and nodded, deciding to jump right in to the disaster his actions had created. “I’m really messed up,” Willie admitted. “Physically as well as mentally.

“After what’s happened to you that’s perfectly understandable,” Dee smiled. “What we’ll work on is how you can work out what is best for you. I’m told you understand that it’s impossible under any circumstances for you to be a sexually functional male.”

Willie sadly nodded his head in agreement.

“You’re also aware of the options facing you,” Dee continued. “I’m here as an impartial person to help you decide what to do. The best way to accomplish that is to make lists of the positive and negative aspects of the two options available to you.”

Willie again nodded his head seeing the logic and her words. With a lap top she created a spreadsheet. Two columns were labeled girl and two columns were labeled pseudo-boy. Under both headings one column was labeled positive the other negative. With this they started Willie’s lists.

Girl Positive
friendly, lesbian, dating, sexual relations, being pretty, able to cry, nice clothes, no need to be tough, able to be caring, able to be silly

Girl Negative
boys, being outed, losing friends, being a girl

Pseudo-Boy Positive
continue as is, Keep friends

Pseudo-Boy Negative
hide groin, never macho up, never date, sexual relations, hide the truth, being outed, frustration, fear, no beard

When Willie ran out of ideas, he forlornly looked at the results. Despite wanting to deny what he saw, the results spoke for themselves.

“Between now and when I see you tomorrow, think about additions to the lists,” Dr. Dee Mento smiled. “I’ll see you at one tomorrow afternoon.”

Left alone Willie wasn’t sure what to think. His entire world had been turned upside down and possibly in side out. Typical of most boys his age he had not really set his heart on any goals for his adulthood. This is not to say he didn’t expect to do things as he matured into a man. He had hoped to possibly make it into the X games with his bike riding but that was now dashed. Or was it? There were girls that participated in the X games. Maybe if he recovered fully and did get the strength back in his left arm he could continue with his BMX interests. Sure, he’d fully expected to grow up to be a man and he certainly did fantasize about having physical relationships with girls, but it had been no more than wishful thinking as he was nowhere to near ready to begin to actually explore those areas.

The idea of spending the rest of his life as a eunuch was not really something he could even bring himself to consider. Being a nothing was inconceivable. That only left the option of accepting the girlhood they created from the ruins of his boyhood. While not a very appetizing thought, being a girl was better than being nothing. Besides, not all girls were girly girls. There were several of his classmates who were tomboys. They engaged in many of the same activities he and the other guys did. The major downside of living has a girl was having to deal with boys in a romantic way. The mere thought of that was nauseating. There was no way he’d ever want to date a guy. That didn’t mean he’d have to be celibate. After all one of the things he listed on his positive side of being a girl list was being a lesbian. The thought of making out with a girl as a girl was not unappealing.

One thing that he understood was that if he elected to live as a girl his mother would be constantly pushing him to be a girly girl. Over the years she had made it plain to him and his father that she’d always wanted a little girl do things with, to show her the joys of femininity. Whenever they were out somewhere and saw a pretty girl especially a pretty girl in a cute dress, she’d always comment and get a dreamy look on her face. Willie did not want that to happen to him. That meant that he’d have to enlist the aid of Dr. Dee Mento to cut his mom off at the pass.

Bea returned shortly before supper was served. Once more she helped Willie opened the containers of his food. While he ate she made small talk about the concerns relatives and neighbors had voiced about his injuries. When he asked if hs buddies had asked about him the answer was no. Willie merely nodded his head and said very little after that. Shortly after the remnants of the meal were cleared away Izzy came in.

“Mom, dad, I’ve done a lot of thinking,” Willie began. “I know I really messed up this time. I now also know that what’s been done cannot be undone. Everyone’s made it quite clear that I’ll never be a man. While I’m not happy about that I don’t really have any choice in the matter. And to top it off it’s all my fault. If I hadn’t been showing off I wouldn’t have gotten hurt. So I’m going to accept responsibility for my actions. I know my two choices are to become a girl or be a fake guy. I can’t be a fake guy. I’d be looking over my shoulder all the time, worried about somebody discovering I was a eunuch. I’ll never developed like a man the way I am now so my only real option is to accept being a girl.”

Bea broke into a beautiful smile.

“Mom, please, this isn’t easy for me and I guarantee it won’t be easy for you either,” Willie declared. “Just because I have no choice but to be a girl does not mean that I’m going to be a girly girl. At best I’ll be a tomboy. And I can tell you right now that I am not going to date guys! There’s still too much boy in my head that I’d feel gay even thinking about guys. If anything, I’ll become a lesbian.”

The determination with which he spoke made Bea’s smile waver but it didn’t disappear completely. She merely nodded her head accepting Willie’s words. “If you’re going to accept girlhood, that means you’ll be taking female hormones. With female hormones you enter puberty just like any other girl. You will have to wear girls clothes because your figure will change and you will develop certain feminine assets. On occasions where you would be expected to dress up, you will dress up. At this not mean you would have to wear a dress but you would have to wear a decent pantsuit. Those things will discuss further as they occur. Can you handle that?”

Willie looked at his mom and took a deep breath before nodding his head. Izzy visibly slumped.

The next day Dr. Dee Mento was pleased that Willie had made the decision to accept being a girl. The fact that it was a reluctant decision didn’t diminish the fact that the boy had obviously put a lot of thought and self debate into his options.

“I’m proud of you,” Dee smiled. “The decision you made was not an easy one, but it does show that you’re maturing and able to handle emotional issues in a logical manner. However this brings up the next decision that needs to be made. If you make the change now, your neighbors, friends, relatives and classmates will know. Not only will you have to deal with the changes you’ll be making you’ll have to deal with the way the people around you handle your change. There most likely will be some who cannot handle it. Others will condemn you and your parents. Many will support you. But all your relationships will change.”

“Your other option is to temporarily hide your change,” Dee continued. “If your family would move to another school district, you could begin your life there as a girl and no one would know of your past. Your transition would be easier but at the same time you’d have to be afraid of someone making a connection to your past life as a boy. This is something you’ll have to discuss with your parents.”

Willie nodded his head understanding what she was saying. If nothing else this accident had knocked the wildness out of him and made him start taking responsibility for his own life and actions.

That evening he discussed these options with his parents. It was clear, as he suspected, that moving and starting over would be a extremely difficult option. Their home while small was paid off and they were financially comfortable. In the current real estate market it could take months to sell. On top of that they’d have to buy a home or rent. There was also the outside possibility that one or both of his parents could lose their job if the economy didn’t improve. In their current home they could make ends meet, if they moved that might not be possible. Bea and Izzy made it clear they would do what ever they had to do to help Willie transition into girlhood. The decision was ultimately his.

That night Willie thought about his options. He knew there were some kids in school who would give him a hard time if he showed up as a girl. It was a pretty good chance at his best buddies would be too confused and ashamed to remain close friends. Willie really didn’t know what to do.

The next day he discussed the options and possibilities with Dr. Dee Mento. Again she was impressed with his reasoning skills and could only agree with his concerns. She also made it clear that the choice was ultimately his.

That afternoon he had visitors. Annie Bellum, Ho Lee Fock, and Heidi Clare had coerced their mothers into taking them to visit Willie. The three girls felt extremely guilty because they felt he’d done the trick to impress them. Indeed Willie was showing off when he’d done the stunt that led to his injuries. Their remorse was genuine and heartfelt. Tentatively they knocked on the door to his room before entering, the three of them peeping inside to see Willie.

Willie was surprised to see them. His buddies hadn’t even called his parents to find out how he was doing much less even considering coming to see him. “Hi, come on in,” he called out with a smile glad to have visitors.

The girls were surprised that Willie seemed happy to see them. Hesitantly they entered the room almost afraid that he would suddenly lash out at them.

“Willie, we’re really sorry that you hurt yourself so badly,” Annie declared solemnly. “If we hadn’t challenged you to do that dumb trick you would’ve hurt yourself. We’re really very sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Willie chuckled glad to have visitors other than his parents. “It was my fault for trying to show off. I was just being stupid jock and I paid the price. I really didn’t feel anything when it happened because it knocked me right out. I guess I looked like a real mess huh?”

“You sure did,” Heidi agreed. “We’ve all had nightmares about it.”

“It looks like the doctors have repaired your arm pretty good,” Ho Lee Fock declared. “It looked pretty nasty where you hit the pedals though too.”

The girls noticed Willie grimace as she mentioned that. “Yeah, it was a life changer all right.”

“If you feel up to it we’ll listen,” Annie Bellum stated. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really,” Willie sighed. “But I have to. In fact, I think you three may be the only ones who can help really help me.”

“Of course we’ll help you any way we can,” Heidi Clare stated firmly.

“Well there’s no easy way to say this so, so I’ll just say it,” Willie gulped. “The pedal crushed everything between my legs. I’m not a boy any more.”

“Oh my God,” all three girls gasped at the same time totally shocked by the revelation.

“There wasn’t enough left so they couldn’t even make me look like a boy anymore,” Willie confessed. “While I was still unconscious the doctors gave my parents two choices. One was that they could clean up the damage and make me look like a doll down there. The other was that they could take the little flesh that was left and make me a girl. Once the swelling goes down I’ll be a girl.”

The girls exchanged looks of disbelief. Their first instinct was to think that Willie was trying to pull a prank on them, but looking at his forlorn face they could tell he was speaking the truth... and to him it was a horrid truth.”

“They said I don’t have to live as a girl,” Willie continued. “But I can’t even begin to think about living as a fake guy. I don’t want to live as a girl, but I really have no choice anymore. I don’t think I could handle becoming a girly girl like you three but I think I can make it being a tomboy. I know you three are good friends and that you go out of your way to help other people. I’d really appreciate if you could help me. I don’t know anything about being a girl, and I know Mac and Frank will want nothing to do with me anymore. In fact, I don’t think any of the guys will come near me.”

“You’re probably right,” Ho Lee Fock agreed. “We’ll do everything we can to help you adapt.”

“I don’t want to rain on your plans,” Heidi Clare said. “But I think trying to become a girl who is a tomboy will only make things harder on you. Being a tomboy will be too much like being a boy. You need to make a clean break from being a boy to becoming a girl. If you only become half a girl it’ll make it harder for others to accept you.”

Even though he didn’t want to admit it Willie could see her point and sadly nodded his head.

You’ll need three friends who will stick by your side no matter what,” Ho Lee Fock declared. “We’ll have the rest of the summer to help you become a girly girl.”

“I’m sure my mom will love that,” Willie shook his head not looking forward to the ordeal. “My dad on the other hand, I don’t know if he can handle it or not. He’s been pretty shook up about what’s happened.”

“It’s all my fault,” Annie Bellum sniffed. “I’m the one who brought it up and then it happened. “Willie, I’m sorry! I promise to do all I can to help you become a girl, I’ll do all I can to see that you enjoy being a girl!” With that she began to cry.

Willie B Hartigan, Ho Lee Fock, and Heidi Clare looked at Annie Bellum in confusion. None of them had any idea why she was so distraught.

Willie spoke up. “Annie, what’s wrong?”

In reply Annie Bellum dug in her purse as she struggled to sniff back her tears and pulled out a photograph. “When you crashed we ran out to you. I... I’m not sure why but I whipped out my cell phone and snapped a quick picture. This is it.” With that she showed the photo to the other three.

The picture clearly showed Willie B Hartigan’s lips touching his left elbow in an unconscious kiss. His peaceful face belied his injuries but his lips were most definitely puckered touching his elbow. The kiss was only made possible because of the unnatural grotesque angle of his shattered left arm.

“I thought it was all just a myth, you know, like an urban legend,” Annie Sniffled. “I only said it to get you and the guys cranked up a bit.”

The three looked at her still not understanding what she was getting at.

“The night you crashed... the moon was full,” Annie pouted. “Doing your trick you turned in a circle ten times. Then when you crashed, you ended up kissing your elbow! Willie... I’m sorry... but you have turned into a girl!”

Suddenly it all became clear... The fairy tale she’d used to tease the boys. Spin around in a circle ten times under a full moon before kissing your elbow to turn a boy into a girl! It had indeed happened!

*****

With the help of Annie Bellum, Ho Lee Fock And Heidi Clare and of course his mother, Willie B Hartigan transitioned over the summer. Willow Brenda Hartigan, or as her friends still called her Willi, entered the eighth grade arm in arm with her three BFFs. They wore matching pleated skirts in a red, green, pink and blue plaid that ended three inches above their knees. Girly lace topped anklets emerged from their one inch heeled Mary Jane shoes. They wore snug slip over blouses with French cut sleeves and scooped necklines showed their perky ‘A’ breasts to their best advantage. The sleeves and neck were trimmed in white lace that matched the lace of their anklets. All three wore their hair with bangs trimmed just above their eyebrows with high bouncy ponytails tied place with plaid ribbons that matched their skirts. The only difference in their outfits was the color of the blouse each wore. Annie Bellum wore red, Ho Lee Fock wore blue, Heidi Clair wore green, and Willow B Hartigan wore pink.

*****

Don’t we ALL wish it was really more than myth?

So... how many of YOU, dear readers, are going to try to kiss YOUR elbow?