Introduction: This story is the fourth and final story 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”, “Marti and the Doppelganger”, and Marti and the Doppelganger – a Follow Up”. Several of the stories in the Cynthia Chronicles left some unanswered questions. In “Bobbie and the Glass Ceiling” two of the antagonists are regressed to childhood. Now we will learn what happened to them. In “Randi and the College Professor” Randi and Frank Deere adopt Betty, a bit of a rogue witch. Betty was regressed to early childhood, but she kept her powers. As it turns out, Betty was a real blessing. We also learn a bit more about Cindy’s first born who is the first new wizard in probably close to a thousand years. Then there is a question that has been floated about. What about death?
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Wanda’s parents learn a bit more about the magic their daughter and daughter-in-law are involved. Everything points to a wonderful outcome. Wanda’s father gets to meet the currently best female golfer in the world. We also meet Aaron, Alice who should be Aaron. His parents will never know what happened. -->
 

Sometimes a powerful demonstration is all that’s needed to erase any existing doubts about something; sort of like testing the first atomic bomb. Any doubts as to its feasibility were erased near Alamogordo, New Mexico at 5:29 a.m. on July 16, 1945. In this case it was magic that was about to be proven. The Wizard and his entourage appeared with a puff of displaced air. The Wolf and Padrona were a given; however, his two other attendants were a bit of a surprise. They were Keith and Penny Garrett.

“Holy shit!” Jim Cunningham exclaimed.

“Yay, The Wizard’s here,” Rhonda and Lanu exclaimed simultaneously.

“Mom, Dad, this is The Wizard. The proper form of address is “His Wisdom”, but he’ll probably discourage that. That dog that looks like a big wolf is “Wolf”. Padrona is his wife. Their children are not here, so I assume they are off saving the world somewhere.”

“Actually,” The Wizard broke in, “they are getting some training for the Iditarod next year. They thought they would like to give it a try. I’m not sure how that’s going to work out.”

“Thank you, Your Wisdom. That should be very interesting. Now, to get on with the introductions.

“Dad, I’m sure you recognize Penny Garrett, and this is her husband Keith. Penny and the rest of us became very close friends when Tamesha and I went to that wonderful camp. I think Penny will tell some her story to you. I imagine that’s why Keith and Penny are here.”

Penny nodded in agreement. Wanda’s mother gave a gasp as the two little kittens charged Wolf and Padrona. The two very large beasts quietly let the kittens attack. Obviously, there was some form of communications going on among the four.

Tamesha spoke up after some of the excitement had returned to a more manageable level. “We have refreshments for everyone.” Then she turned to Penny.

“Penny, I know you were playing today. How’d it go?”

“We’re doing fine. I think we have a good chance to finish in the top five, but my putting really sucks. Bobbie said she’d work with me; no magic, though. That was our understanding from day one. She never used magic, and I don’t expect anyone to use magic to help me. I had to explain that to our daughter. One does not use magic to create an advantage in sports.

“Mr. Cunningham, I know a lot about you, and it’s so nice to see you here. Many years ago, your daughter helped save my life. I was going to end it all by jumping off a bit of a promontory. It probably wouldn’t have done the deed, and I would have been really messed up at the minimum. You wouldn’t believe how much help your daughter and daughter-in-law were for me. I was about at the end of my rope.”

“Why on earth would you want to kill yourself?” Jim Cunningham replied. “You are such a talented woman.”

“Well first of all, at that time I was a very unhappy Peter Goretsky. My parents would never become the understanding parents you have become. At Marti Lewis’s request, His Wisdom,” she said nodding to The Wizard, “came and made a few genetic corrections. From that point on, I was Penny Goretsky. Well I was until I married Keith. My parents could never accept that I would not join their bigoted church. We parted permanently a few years ago. They could not accept Wanda and Tamesha, and I wanted nothing to do with them.”

“Oh my God,” Diane Cunningham exclaimed, “you’re the Goretsky’s daughter. I remember when you disappeared. There was some talk that they’d lost parental rights, just as we did.

“I don’t think I understand, though. I don’t recall them having a son.”

“Think about it for a moment. I said I was Peter Goretsky.”

“You mean you are one of those … uh …?”

“Mom,” Wanda interjected, “just listen. It will all be explained.”

“That’s okay, Wanda. Remember, you and Tammie were there,” Penny said while turning to Wanda’s mother.

“Mrs. Cunningham, this is one of the reasons I’m here. Yes, I was a boy; a very unhappy boy. You are very fortunate. Your daughter loves both of you very much. She always has. My parents destroyed any love I might have had for them. I gave them a chance a few years ago, but they blew it. Yes, I was a boy, but inside where it counts I was a girl. His Wisdom fixed it that day 10 years ago. I am mentally and physically a woman. My little boy and girl are Keith’s and mine. Thanks to his Wisdom and Keith, I have everything I could have ever hoped for, and more.

“Yes, there is magic, but this magic is not evil or ungodly. Sometimes, there are little hiccups in the process of biology. Those are intended. Evolution cannot continue without them; however, some of those hiccups are dead ends, destructive. His Wisdom fixes those if he can; if he knows about them. I am so fortunate that he found out about me, and corrected nature’s mistake.

“Lanu fixed Wanda’s complexion problem. Lanu and Marti helped Wanda and Tammie find each other. They didn’t change a thing other than help Wanda find her true love, and realize she needed help. Lanu cured Lilly’s STD and helped her family stay together, and eventually bring you and Wanda back together. Some magic is the physical kind, and some magic is the magic of the heart. You are so fortunate to have Wanda and Tammie’s love, and the love of your grandchildren. I am so fortunate to have the love of my husband, his family, the Chronisters, and this group, many of whom you’ve met. I am not privileged to tell you everything at this time, but you will find out quite a bit more about this little community as time goes by. You are blessed in so many ways.

“Now Keith and I have to go. Bobbie is waiting to give me some putting pointers. Putting always has been my weakness.

“Mr. Cunningham, here is a little gift for you. This is a five-day pass to the Hartford Open next year. It’s good for however many you want to bring; however, please use constraint. And here’s an autographed glove. I promise not to hit you in the gallery with my drive.

With that, Penny and Keith disappeared accompanied with the sound of a minor implosion.

“If I hadn’t seen it, I wouldn’t have believed it,” Jim said. “I guess I have a lot to learn about the world. This is so much against everything we were taught.”

“You have to remember, Jim,” The Wizard said, “many of the things we are taught come from misunderstandings of what God intended us to do. Man is only beginning to understand how this universe works.”

“Bobbie, how are things going with the Zumwalt case?”

“About as you expected,” Bobbie responded. “We could take the easy way and just change Aaron along with changing history a bit so he was always a genetic male. However, that doesn’t change the basic problem. His parents are having serious problems with accepting his true gender.”

“I wish it were as easy as some of those poorly written stories are. This is a person’s life at stake.”

Their conversation was interrupted by Cindy’s cell phone playing The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. That was The Wizard’s identifying ring.

“You and Bobbie need to get to the hospital. Aaron Zumwalt attempted suicide. He’ll be fine. Regardless of what his parents want, I’ve already fixed the problem. I’m not going to “mess with their minds” as several of you say, unless I have to. I want you to talk to them and try to make them understand. I know you’ve tried before, but they’re going to have to face reality. It’s not about them. It’s their child’s life.”

They arrived to find Mr. and Mrs. Zumwalt, and Aaron’s older sister in the waiting room. All had obviously been crying; however, Aaron’s sister was berating her parents.

“Why won’t you listen to us? We’ve both been trying to tell you for years that Aaron was a boy.”

“I wish you would stop calling her that,” her mother exclaimed. “She’s Alice and always has been and always will be.”

“Mom, you and dad just don’t get. Why would Aaron try to kill himself?”

“It’s those goddamn games she plays on her computer,” her father responded. “They’ve twisted her brain with all that imaginary crap.”

“Those games are the one time he can be himself. He’s made a lot of friends there. They really are a good bunch, and there’s not one atheist or agnostic among them. Only one player knows the truth about Aaron. She’s a wonderful girl and she loves him.”

“That’s all we need; another lesbian.”

“Dad, that’s uncalled for. Besides, I am not a lesbian. I’m just waiting for the right person.

“Dr. Lewis, Dr. Anderson, I didn’t realize you were here.”

“We just got here,” Bobbie replied. “Dr. Betancourt called us a few minutes ago saying that your brother tried to kill himself.”

“She is not her brother,” Adam Zumwalt shouted.

“Oh, but he is,” The Wizard said. He was wearing the usual green scrubs he wore in situations like this.

“Mr. and Mrs. Zumwalt, your son is doing fine. The attack of appendicitis was quite painful, and he passed out. Fortunately, he was close by, and we were able to take care of things immediately. He’s come out of the anesthesia, we removed the appendix laparoscoply, and he’s fine. Aaron is a fine lad. He should be able to go home in a few hours.

“You should go in and see him. He’s expecting you.”

“Leslie, give your parents some time alone with him. We need to talk.”

Leslie was getting very confused. Who was this old doctor?

“Your brother is going to be fine. I removed the pills and the narcotics from his system. I did scold him, but he was pretty desperate. He is truly your brother. I fixed that, but I haven’t done anything to his mind, nor yours, for that matter.

“I’m sorry to say your parents are a different matter. Their mindset would never allow them to accept Aaron as he truly is. They, your family and friends will only remember Aaron as a fine young man who will be an adult in not too many years.”

“This is crazy,” Leslie almost shouted. “What the hell is going on?”

“Leslie,” Cindy interjected, “calm down. We will explain everything.

“You’ll be able to spend some time alone with Aaron in a little while. We had hoped your parents would accept the magic; however, that was not the case. We tried. We really did, but your parents could not accept Aaron’s condition. You have to understand that any transperson who comes to our clinic will get what they wish, or more appropriately, what they need. Aaron would never leave our care without being Aaron.

“Dr. Anderson and I are witches. We have experienced what it is like to be in a wrongly sexed body. We know exactly what Aaron has been going through. Believe us, it is not pleasant, and I think you know that from witnessing what your brother has been going through. Dr. Betancourt is a wizard, and he does most of the transformations when they are needed. Dr. Anderson and I could perform a transition if necessary, but we leave that to him and a couple of other individuals. Dr. Betancourt retains the authority. My son is also a Wizard; however he is far too young to be practicing any serious magic.

Bobbie thought she needed to spell Cindy: so she broke in. “Over the years you, your brother, his wife, yes she will know what happened, will be able to detect people with similar problems. All we ask is that you refer them to us. All three of you are highly qualified to help anyone in a similar situation. We want and need your help to find those who need our help.

“Your parents will come out of your brother’s room in a few minutes and go home. They will never know what happened other than he had an attack of appendicitis. You need to spend time with Aaron. In spite of His Wisdom’s assurances, Aaron should spend the night. He should be able to go home tomorrow afternoon.”

Aaron’s parents returned from his room and said their goodbyes. They knew Cindy and Bobbie, but were not sure why. They would gradually lose that part of their memory. Most of the world would never know what Aaron had gone through.

“Aaron, are you okay?” Leslie asked has she approached his bed.

“Leslie, I am a very lucky guy. I did something very stupid. Fortunately, we knew the right people; people who care very much. Am I okay? I am more than okay. I am me.”

Leslie looked at her brother. The remnants of femininity were gone. He was a young man well onto his way through puberty.

“Does Sherri know?”

He never had a chance to reply.

A cute and just a little plump redhead crashed through the door. “You fool, you damn fool. What do you mean trying to kill yourself? I should beat you to within an inch of your life. I’ve told you time and again it doesn’t matter what your sex is. I know you’re a man and that’s all that matters. We can take care of things later on.

“How dare you try to destroy my best friend?”

“Take it easy, Sherri,” Leslie said while giving the little redhead a gentle hug. “Take a deep breath. Everything has been taken care of.”

Sherri looked at the boy/man she loved with all her heart. They may have been only fourteen; however, they were destined to be together for the rest of their lives, and their lives would be long. “Oh my God! I see it and I have to believe it. He does exist. That was him in the other room, wasn’t it?”

“I’m sure he’ll be there when you go back. The three of us, The Wizard, and his friends, who happen to be witches are the only ones who know what happened. There will be others, but they are all magic.

“His mom and dad would never be able to accept the change. So they’re just going to believe that Aaron always has been a physical male.”

Aaron and Sherri married shortly after graduating college. They had been living together since they were freshmen. To say they were happy was an understatement. Sherri had always carried the magic gene; as had Aaron. Their three daughters would be magic, and their son would pass the trait on. Aaron’s parents would never be aware of their granddaughters’ special talents. Their granddaughters knew why.

This now brings us back to the beginning. What happened to Martin and Joann? What happened to Betty and Marvin? Cindy is a witch and a powerful witch, but she isn’t perfect. Her husband might argue about that; however, The Wizard always seems to have something up his sleeve.