April, sitting next to her in the passenger seat asked her friend, "What was that?"

"A blowout," answered May calmly. "I guess we'll have to fix it in the rain."

It had started out as a calm but overcast evening, but by the time the annual Halloween Party of the Gender Identity Recognition Lobby, otherwise known as G.I.R.L., had ended, Halloween night had turned into a wicked witch of a tempest. They left the party in the back room of Bison Crap lounge where they often met in the privacy and seclusion often associated with crossdressing groups and hurried across the parking lot to their car in short, mincing steps. In the shelter of May's sedan, they looked forward to a safe ride through the hills back to their motel. May and April's wives were less than accepting of their husbands' peculiar predilections, so they always had to rent a room to change clothes before and after meetings.

They chatted gaily about the details of the party. It was all about who said what, who wore what, and how nicely the meeting room had been decorated. They laughed the most about the many humorous and colorful costumes worn by the imaginative G.I.R.L. members. The actual ride had been uneventful until now. Neither of them looked forward to ruining their costumes changing the tire.

"Wait," April cried as she peered up the hill into the misty woods occasionally lit by lightning flashes. "There's a house up there! Maybe we can use their phone to call the auto club?"

"That's funny. I don't remember a house on this part of the road. Well," May considered carefully, "we are dressed as women and that is what women in this situation would do. I'm game to try it."

May pulled out an umbrella and a flashlight that she always kept in her car. She handed the light to April and they got out of the warm dry car. May used her umbrella to protect their elaborate costumes from the weather as much as possible. May's costume was that of a French maid. It was a short black dress with a ruffly skirt. The bodice was rather low cut revealing the tops of May's pectorals, taped and stuffed into a sexy uplifting bustier designed to give her the look of having real breasts. She had a frilly white apron, fishnet stockings, stiletto heels, and a feather duster as accessories to complete the look.

As exposed to the elements as May was, April's costume was even more revealing. She was dressed as Playboy bunny, also with fishnet stockings and stiletto heels. She also had a pair of white bunny ears and a white puffy cottontail attached to her skintight white suit. A special sexy lace bra and tape helped her to achieve the look of real cleavage as well.

They left the car and headed up the dark hill. They were as careful as they could be so as to avoid getting their four inch heels stuck in the soft soil. The wind buffeted them and May had to be on guard that it would not blow her umbrella inside out. Before long they were on the creaky front porch. A lightning flash revealed a rickety old house that looked abandoned.

The crossdressers, out of the rain, but still exposed to the chilly wind, rapped urgently on the front door. They waited a few seconds for an answer that never came, so April knocked again. This time the door suddenly flew open with a bang that startled them.

They both recovered quickly from the surprise, looked at each other, and headed into the shelter. May closed the umbrella as April shut the front door against the damp gusts. With the door closed behind them they started to breathe a little easier. A grandfather clock ticked loudly in the parlor. April's light revealed that the house was furnished in a quaint antique style that looked like it was from the turn of the century. Dust and cobwebs were everywhere. For such a well furnished home, it was peculiar that it didn't look more lived in.

"Hello!" May called out in a deep voice. "Is anybody home?"

"Hello!" April repeated, her voice husky, but not as deep. "Our car broke down and we'd like to use your phone!"

They moved farther into the parlor and peered into some of the other rooms. Lightning lit up the place eerily, but nobody was to be seen. Theirs were the only footprints on the dusty floor.

"Sure is spooky in here," April remarked as the thunder boomed. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck rising up underneath her honey blonde wig. Then she called out again. "Hello! Anybody home?"

They heard footsteps upstairs, but saw nobody. "Hello up there!" May shouted, remembering to try to make her voice sound a little more feminine this time. "There's no need for alarm. We're just stranded motorists who need to call the auto club." A clunking sound from up above was the only response.

"Are you okay up there?" April called in concerned alarm. "Are you hurt?" More clunking and now some banging. She turned to May. "We'd better go see if someone needs help."

May nodded and led the way up the creaking staircase to the second floor landing. Just then a dark flying object swooped right down toward their faces and veered off at the last second! "Ahhhh!" they both screamed.

"What was that?" April recovered first.

"I think it was a bat."

"Let's find the phone and get out of here."

"But what if that bat was rabid and the person upstairs needs medical attention?"

April gulped, then nodded. "Okay. Let's go check."

May and April ascended the few remaining steps to the landing. "Hello!" May bellowed. "We're coming to help you."

"Come to help have you?"

"What did you say?" May asked, turning to April.

"I didn't say anything."

"I don't need help from men."

"Who said that? Did you hear that?" May said nervously.

"Yes. It was a faint voice, like it was coming from far away, yet it was clear... like it was very close."

"Men came to help me before."

"There! There it is again." May said with a tremor in her voice.

"They murdered me!"

Then there appeared suddenly at the end of the landing the ghostly figure of an old spinster, arms up and her hands to each side of her head. May and April stood transfixed, their mouths agape in horror.

"I hate all men! They cut off my head!"

With that she grabbed her hair and lifted her head up off of her body and threw her screaming head directly at them! With horrified shrieks, the terrified transvestites leaped and stumbled down the stairs. The head hit the banister and bounced down the stairway after them, shrieking and laughing maniacally. The headless body ran to the top of the stairs and started down as well. The two crossdressers hit the floor running, leaving their size 12W's behind them. The head rolled across the floor at their heels bellowing as the clock struck midnight!

"Curse you! Curse you!" The voice called out behind them.

May slowed slightly to jerk open the door, but then was through it in a flash. April cast a quick look behind and saw the old hag's body closing in and getting ready to scoop up its dismembered head. She leapt ahead of May with renewed adrenaline and flew down the hill in a headlong rush. Howls of laughter floated through the trees as they fled. They reached the road and raced for the car. They clambered in quickly. May fumbled for the keys and started the engine while April hit the button to securely lock the doors. May roared off and drove at a surprising speed for having a car with one flat tire.

Neither of them spoke about what had happened, even after they came to the end of the hilly road and a gas station. While April waited silently in the car, May got out and spoke to the attendant. The attendant could tell May was shaken up about something. He assumed that May was upset about the flat tire and set to work on it. He soon had the flat fixed so they could be on their way again. He said nothing about their costumes.

When May and April got back to the motel where they always changed clothes, they were still shaking. Perhaps that was why they didn't notice that their clothes were now fitting rather loosely on them. They entered the room and locked the door behind them.

"I don't think I've ever been that scared in all my life," April confessed exhaustedly as she threw her purse down and collapsed on the bed.

"Let's agree never to say anything to anybody about this night," May proposed in a contralto voice.

"Why are you talking in that tone of voice?" April demanded pointedly.

"My voice? What happened to your voice?" May asked as she pulled off her wig. A full head of long auburn curls fell over her shoulders. May used to be bald.

April started to tear off her clothes in alarm. May quickly followed April's example. They both looked at each other, and then at themselves in the mirror. They used to be men underneath, but now they were both women!