Introduction: This story is the third, the penultimate, in a series within a series. The overall series is the “Cynthia Chronicles”. This story is directly connected to “Simoné and the Second Time Around” and “Marti and the Doppelganger”. The latter left many unanswered questions. Some of those will be answered, some probably not. There are many references to previous stories in the series. If you are confused by some of them, just put it off to my senility. The Cynthia Chronicles takes place in a universe very similar to ours. Unfortunately, it might be too similar.

For any who read “Myrna and the Genetic Disaster”, this is the same story, only with the political rantings and scientific explanations removed. There may also have been a few edits and additions.

This is the fifth part of ten.

The girls from summer camp are going to get together at Rhonda’s home in Chico, California. The subject comes up about Wanda and Tamesha perhaps wanting some private time. It is not a problem.

“Mom, Wanda, Tamesha, Penny, Tanya and Lily have some time off before their schools start. I’ve been on line with them, and they wondered if they could visit. They wanted to see Arnold and his family. We have plenty of room. They haven’t had a chance to be together since camp last year. I know you know everything about them. They volunteered to contribute. Would it be a problem?”

“I don’t think so, as long as you work independently, and don’t involve me in too much. We still have quite a bit to get ready for the meeting this fall.”

“We’ll take care of everything. Tamesha and Wanda want to be cooks and own a restaurant. I’ve been telling them about Lisa and Rosemary’s restaurant. They want to meet them, if it is at all possible. Penny wants to meet Mike. She’s learned to play golf, and from what I’ve heard she’s pretty good. She tried out and made the boys’ team. I’ll bet Bobbie will love to meet her and give her some pointers.”

“I’m sure she would, but that’s weeks from now, and she will be in school in Modesto,” Rhonda’s mother replied. “There might be time on the weekend for them to come up here. I’ll have to ask His Wisdom to see if he can work something out. I think he’d like to see Penny. He talked about her the other day when he brought Arnold and his family up here. I think he feels very good about how that whole mess has been straightened out. What Penny and Wanda went through before had to have been Hell.

“I talked to Ginny Chronister a few days ago, and she said she hasn’t seen two happier and well-adjusted young women. I know they told you how happy they are, but Ginny says their happiness is quite contagious. The neighbors love them, and they have been doing a lot of babysitting.”

“Mom,” Wanda had been calling Ginny Mom since shortly after she had moved in. Ginny and Richard Chronister were Wanda and Penny’s legal guardians since the courts and dissolved their birth parents’ right of parentship. “Mom, would you mind if Tamesha visited again over the weekend? It’s been a while since we’ve had a chance to get together, and we kinda miss each other.”

“You know I don’t mind. Tamesha’s a wonderful girl, and I know how much you love each other. I don’t mind if you get together, and I know Richard doesn’t either.

“How does Penny feel about you and Tamesha?”

“She’s fine. I think she and her boyfriend are pretty serious; however, this being a real woman still over powers her a bit.”

“Is she taking The Wizard’s pills when the euphoria hits? I know they help.”

“Yes, she does. I have never seen someone as happy as she is. Although I probably come in a close second after Tamesha broke through my barriers. My god, I love that woman, and I know she loves me. The shock of that first revelation was something else. Then I realized just how smart she was and how stupid I was.”

“Dear Wanda, you’re not stupid. You just had some bad influences. You are getting straight A’s, and both of you will be going to the University of the Pacific next year on a full ride scholarship. You deserve it. I am so happy The Wizard made it possible for you to be here.”

“Mom, Penny is going to kill me. You need to get her on birth control pills. She promised to wait until she was seventeen, but that is just around the corner. Her boyfriend isn’t pressuring her. If anything, she is pressuring him; albeit, she doesn’t realize she’s doing it. She just doesn’t need to make any mistakes.”

“Just a minute,” Ginny said as she pulled out her phone.

“Your Wisdom, do you have a moment?”

“Certainly.”

“Would you have one of the girls, with Penny’s agreement, turn off her ovulation. We don’t need any mistakes at this point in her life. She seems to be very happy with her situation, and she’s found a very nice and sincere boyfriend. From what I’ve found out, she’s on the verge of seducing him.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem. I don’t see them together intimately for another few months. That would be after her seventeenth birthday. I’ll have Sara, Rhonda’s mother, invoke the spell. Penny won’t disappoint you. From what I can see, she and her boyfriend are committed for life. They will have a lovely family, and be very successful. They are going to be in the fruit and agriculture business after she retires from professional golf. Don’t tell her any of that.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t. She’s a delightful young woman. It’s amazing how quickly she’s caught up. She told her boyfriend about what happened to her. He didn’t bat an eye. His mother is in the Northern California Coven. Penny wants to take him up that mountain where her transformation took place. She said she wants to put a small monument on top of that rock she almost jumped off. I don’t think she’s serious, though; at least not about the monument.”

“It’s amazing how things work out, sometimes,” The Wizard said as he terminated the call.

“Mom, when we were on that mountain our little group had already learned about real magic. It was quite a shock. Then The Wizard showed up. That trip meant so much to so many of us.

“You told us about what happened to you. At one time, I might have had trouble believing that, but I certainly don’t anymore. That must have been quite a shock being a dying elderly man one second, and being a young girl the next.”

“I didn’t know what happened for about seven years. It all came to when I was with some friends. They were Marti’s older sister, Randi, and Charli Brewer. It hit me while we were having dinner. My entire past life was suddenly right there. I asked The Wizard to sort of hide those memories where I could get to them if I needed to. I was enjoying life too much. I didn’t need to be burdened with the past. I knew then if they ever needed me for something, I would do everything I could to help. I have many times.

“Things did happen rather quickly, though. Richard and I married when we were in college. Maybe it was a bit foolish of me, but we started a family between my junior and senior years. I had done quite well. It doesn’t hurt to have all those memories stored away. I was teaching before I was 22. I didn’t have to work. Richard was doing very well at the winery. He knows everything about me, and has helped several times when our friends needed us.

“Well, you can see what we’ve produced. Who knows, with the extra rooms The Wizard added, after you graduate college, we might have to have some more children to love.

“Ronnie, how’s Lily doing? I know her situation was nearly as bad as Wanda’s.”

“She and her parents have come to a bit of an understanding. She told them that she was standing with Wanda. If they kept after her about their Evangelic beliefs, she would leave and move in with Wanda and Penny. Ginny had already said she was welcome any time.

“Lily, has been going to a Presbyterian Church with some friends. She is quite a bit happier there. It’s a big step for her.

“There have been some other developments. That fellow who seduced her and gave her chlamydia was arrested for statutory rape, and knowingly infecting several girls with a STD. He is doing at least ten years. Lily thought he was 17. He was 22 and is now a registered sex offender.

“There is an interesting side story. The father of his last victim caught him with his daughter. He hadn’t known she was seeing him. He knew who he was. He’d heard from others about him. Anyway, he caught them together when he came home unexpectedly. It wasn’t very pleasant. He, the rapist, will never father a child. Lily testified against him. She didn’t have to. The Wizard did a little manipulating so that it appeared the family doctor had treated her.

“The girl’s father was arrested for assault, and pled guilty. He was fined a dollar.”

“The Wizard contacted Lily on her computer, and asked her if she would like him to restore her virginity. She thanked him, but didn’t think there was any reason to do that. It wouldn’t accomplish anything. Besides, her testimony in court made it very clear that she was no longer a virgin. If he’d done that, a whole lot of history would have to have been changed.

“Lanu made a tremendous impression on Lily, as did Marti. It was quite a wakeup call. Had Lanu not cured her, she probably would have ended up sterile. She would have been heartbroken. Starting a family was very important to her. It still is, and now, that is still a probability.

“Mom, do you have any problems with Wanda and Tamesha? You know they will want to make love.”

“I imagine everyone in that little group understands the situation.”

“They do.”

“What would you do if you were in my situation?”

“I think I would give them my bedroom. The rest of us will use the game room. There’s plenty of room, and there are two bathrooms available. I don’t see any reason for them to be sneaking around. You don’t seem to have any problems with Mike and me making love. Quite frankly, I don’t see any difference. Ginny has been fine with them when they met in Modesto.”

“I agree. You have it all figured out. I would have recommended exactly what you have. I am very proud of you, by the way.”

“Mom, I am so proud of you, too. We are making the best of a wonderful situation. Thanks to several, especially Myrna, we are making sure of the best outcomes. I am going to do everything I can do to make sure things work out for the best. If our existence ever becomes general knowledge, there are going to be problems. It is not going to be easy. It certainly wasn’t in colonial America.

“I do have a question about why is Myrna doing what she’s doing? She has little to gain. Neither she nor her husband carry the witch trait. Obviously, her children don’t either.”

“That will be a major part of her presentation at our conference. Myrna wants the best for mankind, but she is concerned about genetic manipulation. The Wizard has done some very beneficial things for the magic community without really understanding all the implications. Myrna has been educating him on how genetics and evolution work. She says he has been a very good student.”

The Morrisons have moved to Bridgeport, CT; the home of the Lewises. You might remember Edna Millet told Marti that she had a friend who was transitioning. Marti told The Wizard, and the following day the Morrisons happened upon The Wizard's shop in a mall in Los Altos. Sydney knew immediately what the shop was. The spent a pleasant afternoon with The Wizard. Sydney and her mother realized The Wizard was working his magic on her. She was complete. Now, her family is going to get to meet Marti, her family, and of course, The Wizard once again.