Santa’s Helper (Sexy!) With Boots : 6 / 6
An Altered Fates Story
By Iolanthe Portmanteaux
Grady was seriously concerned. Jackie was upset and in a hurry, and she didn’t exactly know what she was doing. This is when things go badly wrong, he thought. This is how Zadie got killed: when someone doesn’t know what they’re doing and they aren’t paying attention.
Grady kept his hands up, chest height, palms out. The pose was apparent surrender, but what he was really doing was staying ready in case he had to grab Jackie’s hands. He had to make sure she didn’t grab the medallion. He tried to warn her, but she wouldn’t listen. She was animated, angry, moving too fast, and talking the whole time.
“You want to make some BIG MYSTERY out of this,” she said. “You pretended that you needed to tie me up yesterday so I wouldn’t screw things up. Fuck that! You just wanted to have me naked, tied to a chair, so you could get off on it. Maybe we’ll do that to you after we’re done with this, huh? I can tie you up, naked, to a chair. How would you like that?”
Grady to humor her. It seemed the safest tactic at the moment. “I guess I owe you,” he told her.
“Yes, you do!” she exclaimed as she pressed Zadie’s dress against the medallion. Grady felt the strange tingle go through him, lifting his penis in a final salute. Jackie watched with greedy eyes as Grady’s body and arms became more delicate, as his head and shoulders narrowed and his hair grew longer. But she crowed with vengeful satisfaction as Grady’s balls got smaller and smaller until they disappeared beneath his cock. Then his cock shrank away, turning thinner as the two watched it shrivel away. As it lost thickness, it lost inches as well, until it seemed like a tiny worm, two inches long, then one inch, until it finally receded inside his labia minora. “Look at you!” she cried, mocking him. “Isn’t that cute! Not so extra-large now, are you! No, not any more you’re not!”
Grady gasped at the sight of his crotch. His eyes went up to his reflection in the mirror on the back of the door. Zadie’s face, of course, was perfect in his eyes, but seeing her square body, her small breasts, and her big feet, he felt an awkward, empathetic distress for the real Zadie, who -- as lovely as she was -- had never liked her body.
“Let’s tweak a few things, now, huh? Let’s take that fixer-up and fix her up!” Jackie continued. “You need some pretty little feet, don’t you, girl?” She pressed the sneakers against the medallion, and as Grady’s feet became more petite, Jackie picked up the bathing suit. “And now for the pièce de résistance! You can’t go out whoring with your sister Lucy with a body like that, can you? You won’t have the boys prodding and pawing and pissing on your if you look like that! You need a little more bimbo in that body, don’t you? Time to pump up those breasts and put some oomph into that behind!” Jackie laughed loudly and unkindly, holding the swimsuit a few inches from the medallion, prolonging the tease and the mockery. Then she went in for the kill, holding the swimsuit against the medallion, pressing hard, as though more pressure would squeeze out more humiliation and shame.
Grady flushed red from head to foot. When he bought the swimsuit, he honestly believed he was doing Jackie a favor: that she’d appreciate having her a hot, hourglass shape, with those generous breasts, and that spectacular ass. But now that it was happening to him, now that he was taking on that shape, he felt humiliated and stupid. Above all, he was ashamed that he’d done it to Jackie. He dropped his arms and stared at himself in the mirror. Zadie, back from the dead. It was sobering. More than sobering, it was shocking, and it made him realize how dangerous the medallion was. He wondered what Buddy would think if he could see this new Zadie. Would it throw him over the edge?
Jackie read the shame and regret on Grady’s face. At first, Jackie felt a strong sense of justification and satisfaction. Those feelings were quickly followed by pity and compassion. She took a step back and dropped the swimsuit on the bed. “Look,” she said. “I know that I was angry when I did this to you, but I think you deserved it, at least a little.”
“I understand,” Grady replied. “I didn’t take into consideration how you would feel when I did this to you.”
“Yeah,” Jackie agreed. “I know you didn’t. Well, how about this: you live like this for a day like I did, and see if you can figure out someone else you’d rather be. If you do, and you want to change, we can make that happen tomorrow morning. Okay? Does that sound fair?”
“Yes,” Grady replied, heaving a sigh of relief. “It sounds more than fair.” He was pretty sure he’d already considered all his options, but maybe there was something he hadn’t thought of. Maybe in the space of a day, he’d come up with something better, someone else he’d rather be.
“Now, it’s my turn!” Jackie exclaimed. She reached out and abruptly seized the medallion with her hand.
“Nooooo!” Grady cried, lifting his hands uselessly in what seemed like slow motion. He was too late to stop her, too late to grab her wrists or swat her hands away.
Jackie gasped as the tingle ran through her body. “What the hell?” she asked. “What’s happening to me? WHAT’S HAPPENING TO ME NOW?”
“You shouldn’t have touched the medallion,” Grady explained. “That’s what I was trying to tell you. This is why I tied you to the chair last night.”
“Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!” Jackie repeated, verging on hysteria. “So who am I now?”
“If you touch the medallion when someone else is wearing it, the two of you exchange forms.”
“Oh, fuck!” Jackie shouted. “You’re just making this shit up now!”
“No, seriously,” Grady told her. “You’re going to be Grady, at least for the next twelve hours.”
“No, no, no! This doesn’t make any sense at all!” Jackie exclaimed, and as she shouted, her voice grew deeper. Her body filled out, muscles growing as her arms and legs lengthened. Her hair shortened and her eye color changed. Her pussy parted, and a small penis emerged. As they watched, it slowly grew, and a pair of balls dropped beneath and behind the brand new cock. Jackie fell silent as she watched it grow to a decent size, silently comparing what she could see to what she remembered having as Jack.
The two of them glanced at the condom on the bed. Jackie shook her head. “I’m not going to bother. I’m not staying this way.”
Then Jackie gave a suspicious, sideward look at Zadie. “And how come you’re not turning into Jack again, if we’re ‘exchanging forms,’ as you put it.”
“It’s because I just changed,” Zadie replied. “I can’t change again for at least twelve hours.”
“Oh, FUCK THE TWELVE HOURS!” Jackie shouted, and gave way to a fit of angry cursing.
The new Zadie looked at the new Grady. She suddenly realized how small she was, and how physically weak in comparison. She could almost feel the rage radiating out of him, and saw bewilderment mixed with angry frustration written on his face. She didn’t feel safe. She didn’t feel safe at all.
“Listen,” she told him. “Now that you’re Grady, you should probably keep out of sight. I’ll get dressed and pick up some food, and then at--” she glanced at the clock “--at, like, say, eight o’clock tonight, you can finally change back to being Jack.”
Jack shot Zadie an intense look, flaming with anger and -- could there even be murderous intent in those eyes? Could he be so violently upset that he’d want to do her harm?
“Fuck you! Fuck you and all your stupid words and plans!” Jack growled in a low animal tone, “Fuck your twelve hours and your secret, idiot rules! You’re nothing but trouble! All you do is use me and trick me and mislead me, and I’ve had enough! Do you understand me? I have had enough!” With that, he grabbed the bag from the sports store. Zadie quickly perceived what was coming, so she snatched the Silverado’s keys and the bag with Zadie’s documents. Jack tossed the sports clothes out the motel door. Then he scooped up the other items of women’s clothes off the bed, and tossed them out the door as well: the sneakers, the old cotton dress, and the bathing suit.
Jack took Zadie’s arm, squeezing so hard that it hurt. She bit her lip to keep from crying out. Jack pulled her to the door and shoved her outside, naked as she was.
“You kept me naked, you bastard. Now let’s see if you enjoy it, you goddamn motherfucker!” Jack slammed the door loudly and locked it, leaving her alone, naked, standing on the motel balcony, overlooking the parking lot and the street. She looked down at the street and the stores, but no one appeared to have noticed her yet. Then she jumped at the sound of a soft cough behind her. “Sorry,” a man’s voice softly said. “I didn’t mean to startle you.” The man was standing in front of the room next door. He looked to be in his forties. He was smoking a cigarette and trying to not be too obvious about enjoying her nakedness.
“Sorry,” she told him. “Obviously we’ve had a little fight.”
“No need to apologize,” he replied with a smile. “I’m sorry for your troubles, but if you don’t mind my saying so, you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. You’re really making my day.”
“I can imagine,” she muttered. She reached into the sporting goods bag and pulled out a set of black nylon panties and a bra. Before she had time to break off the price tags off and put them on, she heard Jack unlocking the door. Oh, thank God! He’s relented! He’s changed his mind! Zadie thought. But no, he only opened the door a crack, only to shove through a few more items: the Sharknado shirt and the flip-flops, and the top, skirt, and shoes that they took from the house in the hills, and -- the item that started it all -- the Santa’s Helper costume, complete with shiny red panties. Then he slammed the door again and locked it once more.
Because it was the quickest thing, Zadie tried to put on the skirt and top. They were a bit small, so she threw on the Sharknado shirt. It hung longer on her than it had on Jackie, but where it was loose on Jackie, it was a snugger fit for the new Zadie.
Her neighbor lit another cigarette.
She asked him, “You’re the guy who banged on the wall, aren’t you?”
“Guilty as charged,” he replied. “Listen, if you want to use my room to change or to organize your stuff, go right ahead. I can stay out here if it would make you feel safer.”
“Uh, that’s okay, thanks,” she replied, “but do you have a knife or small scissors I could use? I need to cut off some price tags.”
He pulled a swiss-army knife from his pocket and handed it to her. A few minutes later she was putting on her underwear beneath the Sharknado shirt. Then, after a deep breath and a quick look around, she pulled off the shirt and slipped on a bodycon dress that seemed like a good idea in the store -- when she thought that Jackie would be wearing it. It was black, sleeveless, and came down to her mid-thigh. A red stripe ran from her left shoulder and came to a point at her right hip.
“That’s some dress,” the neighbor commented. “After all that, I feel like I owe you dinner.”
Zadie chucked mirthlessly.
“What about breakfast?” he ventured, gesturing to the coffee shop across the street.
“No, thanks,” she replied, “but do you have another cigarette?”
She took the Silverado and drove it around the block, out of sight of the motel. Then she walked to the coffee shop, feeling with every step the sway of her new body parts. She realized, to her great embarrassment, that she hadn’t considered the feelings of the woman who’d have to wear these clothes. She hadn’t considered that at all, and from that realization she began to understand what an ass she’d been (as Grady) to all the women she knew. After the business with Jack was completed, she’d have to get some more normal, less revealing, clothes. Yeah, just like Jack, she realized, with a wry smile. The very first thing is clothes. She threw away most of the clothes Jack had thrown at her, but she did keep the red panties from the Santa’s Helper outfit. They were so red and shiny and soft, they nearly seemed magical.
At the coffee shop, she sat at a table a bit back from the window. From there she had a good view of Jack’s door, but wouldn’t be too visible to people outside. There was also a side door, so she could duck out unseen if Jack decided to come have breakfast himself. If Jack had any brains, though, he’d stay inside for the next twelve hours until he could change back. At that point, after an entire day in that little room, he’d probably be desperate to get out, and that could give Zadie the chance to sneak in and steal the medallion.
On the other hand, Jack had shown himself to be very impatient, and he might not have the same visceral sense of danger that the real Grady would feel about a possible arrest warrant. Jack was far less likely to sit and wait, and far more likely to pop out of that door and go somewhere.
Zadie ate her way slowly through a full breakfast, and was nursing her third cup of coffee, when Tom Schurheid walked in. His eyes lit up when he spotted Zadie. Grady remembered him from school, although he never knew Tom well. He was in Zadie’s class, three years behind Grady.
“Zadie Gammisen, as I live and breathe!”
“Hi there, Tom.”
“Wow, you’re looking good! You really… filled out… in a nice way.”
“Err… thanks. You look good, too.”
“Mind if I sit?” Tom sat and ordered breakfast. “Oh, my God, that is one hell of a dress. You must have picked it up in in one of the big cities you’ve seen! I’m really surprised to see you back here! You never came to town much anyway, but a while back I heard that you’d gone East.”
“Oh, yeah,” Zadie agreed. “Yeah, I did do that.”
“How far did you get? Did you see Chicago? Did you like all those big cities?”
“Naw, I missed being home,” Zadie lied. “I’m not a city girl. Martaglio is big enough for me.” As Grady, she’d never traveled far from home. The only “big cities” he’d ever seen were Sacramento and San Francisco.
“Well, great, great!” Tom enthused. “It’s good that you’re back! How’s Buddy doing? I bet he missed you bad.”
Zadie was caught unprepared by the question. After a moment she replied, “Yes, yes, I’m sure he did. But, listen, I haven’t seen him yet, so please don’t tell him that you saw me. He’ll feel bad if he hears that someone else saw me first, that I didn’t go straight home when I got here.”
“Yeah, sure,” Tom agreed. “Hey, is Buddy any better? Or is he still-- uh--” he wasn’t sure what words to use to describe Buddy’s condition. Challenged? Slow? Child-like?
“He’s the same,” she replied in a low voice, looking at the ground as she spoke.
Tom fell silent, kicking himself for forgetting that Buddy was a sensitive topic. Zadie had spent most of her life taking care of her brother, and consequently didn’t have much of a social life or a dating life at all. Tom couldn’t blame her if she wanted to get away from here. Hell, she probably went East to escape from Buddy. But now she’d come back...
“Are you going to stick around?” he asked her.
“At this coffee shop, you mean?”
“No,” he said with a laugh. “Here in Martaglio.”
She leaned back, considering her options once again. She could leave; actually and truly go East, driving the Silverado and ditching it somewhere along the way. If she did that, she’d be leaving Buddy to his own devices. But then again, he’d been on his own since the day she died.
As she had that thought, she pictured Buddy, wild-eyed, crying, shouting, “You got no right! You got no right!”
On the other hand, if she stayed, all her money and time would sink into taking care of Buddy. And Buddy would probably live to a ripe old age. “That little bastard’s going to outlive us all,” Buddy’s father used to say.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Zadie told Tom, “But I’m inclined to leave town tonight.”
Tom couldn’t hide his disappointment, but he tried. “I’m sorry to hear that. I, uh-- oh well…” His voice trailed off. Then, casting about for something else to talk about, asked her, “Hey, uh, speaking of old flames, did you hear about Grady?”
“About the murders and going to jail, you mean?” she asked.
“Yeah. I heard he got out.”
“Right,” Zadie ventured, uncertain whether her lie would fly, but sensing that she’d better cover her bases, “I, um, stopped in here because I’m pretty sure I saw him go into that motel over there.”
“Really?” Tom asked, with a glance over his shoulder. “And what were you doing in this part of town?”
“I was thinking about getting a room at the only motel in town,” she said, “but then I saw the place and changed my mind.”
Tom laughed. “Yeah, that’ll do it.” He glanced over his shoulder at Jack’s door and gave Zadie a funny look. “You’re on a stakeout, aren’t you? You’re waiting for him to come out.”
“Yes,” she admitted, “but it’s not what you think.”
“And what do I think?” he asked.
She didn’t answer his question. She simply told him, “He’s got something of mine. A necklace. I want it back, if I can get it without a fight.”
She saw a series of questions stack up inside his head, but he didn’t ask any of them.
They talked some more. They asked for more coffee, but didn’t drink it. At long last, the waitress very pointedly set their check on the table, telling them, “My shift’s ending, so I need to cash that out.”
Tom’s car was parked outside under a shady tree. It was pointing in the right direction, so they sat inside it, watching Jack’s door.
After a while Tom asked, “Why don’t you go on up there, knock on his door, and tell him that you want that necklace back?”
Zadie squirmed. “Because we’re not exactly on speaking terms.”
“So how do you plan on getting--- oh!” he exclaimed, the light suddenly dawning. “You’re waiting for him to leave so you can steal it! Aren’t you!”
She looked at him in silence, trying to keep a poker face. He looked right back at her with a twinkle in his eye. Then they both burst out laughing.
“Okay,” he said. “I’m in. I never liked that guy anyway.”
“Really?” she asked in surprise.
“No, just kidding. I like him just fine. But I like you better.”
However, after an hour, Tom began to feel seriously bored, and was just about to offer to go for food -- or something, anything -- when the Jack’s door opened, and Grady emerged, holding the necklace case in his left hand.
“There he goes!” Tom said. “Once he’s out of sight, we go in, right?”
“No,” Zadie said. “See that case he’s carrying? That’s it. That’s it. That’s got the necklace in it.”
Tom blanched. “Okay, Zadie. I’d like to help you, but I can’t take it out of that guy’s hands. He’s built like a quarterback and I… well, I’m not.”
“Don’t worry,” Zadie assured him. “I hate to lose it, but I don’t want a fight. Maybe I can find a peaceful way tomorrow or the day after.”
“So does that mean you’re sticking around? At least a little bit?”
Zadie sighed. She continued tracking Grady as he crossed the parking lot. She figured he was heading for the theater. “I’ll need to do some shopping and find a place to stay,” she said.
“I can help with both those things,” he told her, in a bright tone.
“I’m sure you can,” she said, in a dry tone.
“I’m not suggesting anything! No strings,” he began to say, then suddenly, “Oh, crap!”
A kid on a skateboard, a kid wearing a backward baseball cap and a pair of dark glasses, shot out of nowhere. He crossed the parking lot and zoomed past Grady. As he passed, the skater bent his knees to crouch down low, and snatched the necklace case right out of Grady’s grasp. Then he executed a hard U-turn, throwing sparks, and rolled back in the same direction he’d came from, exiting the parking lot, and sailed down a hill and away.
Grady swore loudly and shouted insults and demands at the fleeing thief. He didn’t run after him; he knew he’d never catch the kid. So he pulled out his phone.
“Oh my God, what the hell is he doing?” Zadie exclaimed.
“Probably calling the cops,” Tom ventured.
Not very smart, if they’re looking for you, Zadie said to herself.
Minutes later, as Tom and Zadie watched, the police rolled up, talked to briefly to Grady as he mimed the robbery. Then the cops spun him around, cuffed him, and stuffed him into the back of their squad car.
I warned him! Zadie silently exclaimed. I warned him repeatedly!
“Well, there goes your necklace, Zadie. You know, if you want, we can go right now and report it stolen. Then you might have a chance of getting it back. A chance is better than nothing.”
“No,” she replied, “it’s gone. It’s been a world of trouble, anyhow, so let’s let it go.”
Tom looked confused. He scratched his head. “You waited all this time, staking out his room, and now you’re just going to let it go?”
“It’s complicated,” she told him. “Better to just let it go.”
Tom was silent for a few moments. Then he asked her, “What now, Zadie? Are you still leaving town?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “Right now, all I know is that I’m worn out from this crazy day. I really need to stop and think for a bit, and consider my options.”
“Okay,” he said, “Options are good. In fact, let me give you another one. You know my mother. Do you remember the house I grew up in? Well, now that we’re all up and grown, she’s been watching all these home-improvement shows, and she decided to turn her basement into a rental unit. A mother-in-law apartment. It’s pretty nice -- it’s a daylight basement, with its own entrance and everything, so you’d have privacy. And you know my mother -- she’s not nosy. She’ll leave you to yourself. It’s quiet and clean, and everything is brand new. It’s even furnished! She’s just about to advertise for a renter, but you could live there! You and Buddy!”
“Buddy,” Zadie said, looking down. “I don’t know.”
“I mean, if you want him living with you. But I have to tell you: I always thought that living up in the hills made everything harder for you. If you lived in town, you could get help taking care of Buddy. My mother works for social services, you know. And it would be easier for you to have a job.” After a pause he added, “And a life.”
Zadie heaved a heavy sigh. It was true. Zadie never did have much of a life. Neither had Buddy, honestly.
Zadie considered her options. “When can I see the place?”
“Now,” he replied. “If you want. And, uh, I can help with the rent, if you need it.”
She smiled. “Thanks, Tom. That’s very sweet of you, but I can handle it.”
Later that day, just a little before sundown, Tom gave Zadie a ride up to Buddy’s shack. He was home, alone, and she could hear him crying as she walked up to the door. She took a deep breath and braced herself. She knew Buddy was “simple” but she wasn’t sure how he’d take seeing Zadie alive again. Zadie hadn’t known until that moment how much Buddy understood about life and death and the things that went on around him. She was about to find out.
When he saw her, his mouth fell open.
“Zadie! Zadie! Are you back? I thought that you were dead! Me and Grady--”
“I know, I know,” she told him. “I was hurt, but now I’m better.”
“I knew it! I knew it! I told Grady!” Zadie knew full well that Buddy had done no such thing, but of course she let it go.
“Yes, Buddy, I’m home,” she said, and pulled him into a hug. His arms hung limp at his sides at first, but then he hugged her and squeezed her almost painfully tight. Neither bothered to fight back their tears.
“Never leave me, Zadie! I’ve been so alone!”
“I’m not going to leave you, Buddy, never.”
Then she felt Buddy’s fingers explore her tiny waist, and his tears stopped. He pulled back from her, and after looking deeply into her eyes, he took in her new figure: the abundant breasts, the generous hips. He stared at her, big-eyed, mouth open, and asked, in a voice like a child, “Have you had work done?”
She burst into laughter. “Oh, yes, baby. Lots of work done! Inside and out!”
Buddy grinned. “I thought so! I got an eye for these things! I can tell! You look good!”
“Thanks, Buddy. Listen, let’s get a few of your things together. I want to show you a nice place in town where we can live.”
“Okay,” he agreed, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
