The next morning, Landon woke up on the couch in Ruth's house. For a second, he wondered what on Earth he was doing there, but then he remembered the previous day's events. "Ugh," he groaned. He got up and went into the kitchen for a glass of water. To his surprise, Ruth was already in the kitchen.

"Well good morning, Landon!" said Ruth.

"Hey Ruth," said Landon. "Did you talk to your boss?"

Ruth hesitated. "We'll get to that in a minute," she said. "First, there's something I need to tell you about myself."

"What is it?"

"I'm a witch."

For a few seconds, Landon just stood there, wondering if this was some kind of joke. But then he realized Ruth was being serious. "What do you mean, you're a witch?" he asked.

"I mean, I have magical powers," said Ruth. To prove it, she waved her hand and caused a spoon to levitate off the counter.

"What the..."

"Yes, that's right." Ruth held out her hand and willed a bright blue flame to light itself in her palm. "I'm one of the few witches left in this world. There used to be a lot more of us, but we were hunted to near-extinction by the normal folk. So the witches that survived had to hide their powers and keep their identities secret."

"That's cool," said Landon. "But why are you telling me this?"

"Because I talked to my boss last night," Ruth answered. "She told me to admit you to my foster home. But there might be some...procedures we'll have to perform."

"What kind of procedures?"

"Well, the foster home I manage is an all-girls foster home, so-"

"All girls? Then why did you offer to put me there?"

"Landon, it's complicated," said Ruth. "You see, when we first started, our foster home was intended as an all-girls foster home. I've been trying to convince my boss for years to make it coed to allow ourselves to take in more kids, but she wouldn't go for it. That's why I took you in last night-because I thought I could convince my boss to change things. But I should've known better."

Landon sighed. "Then...I guess I'm not going to your foster home after all," he said.

"Actually," said Ruth, "I think you're going to have to." She snapped her fingers, and the TV in the family room behind Landon turned itself on and tuned into the news channel.

"Breaking news!" the news anchor declared. "The dead body of a local civilian named Richard Evans has been discovered on the floor of his own apartment complex. The authorities have witnesses who claim Richard's son Landon was the one who pushed him off the balcony. Landon Evans has not been found yet, but the police are mounting a search to find him and bring him in for questioning."

Landon's face went pale. "They're looking for me," he said.

"Yes, they are," said Ruth. "But I have a way for you to avoid the authorities."

"How?"

"I will enlist you into my foster home," Ruth explained. "And to do that, I'll have to turn you into a girl."

Landon's jaw dropped. Did he really just hear what he thought he'd heard? Was this witch going to morph him into the opposite gender? No. He couldn't do that. He'd been a boy all his life, and he saw no reason to change that. "No way," he said.

"There's no other choice," Ruth insisted. "If you lose your old identity and take on a new one, the police won't be able to link you to your father's murder. And in any case, my foster home is a very nice one. The rooms are neat and well-kept, and the girls there are very nice. You might even make some new friends there!"

"But...I can't be a girl! I can't braid my hair, or gossip, or spend every day clothes shopping, or..."

"You can learn all that," Ruth assured him. "Just so long as you open your mind."

Landon sighed. "I mean...I guess," he said. "If it's the only way to evade the police, then...sure."

"Excellent," said Ruth. "Now, for the procedure..."

"What kind of procedure?" Landon asked. "Can you not just wave your hand and turn me into a girl?"

"No, it's a little more complicated than that," Ruth answered. "I can either mix a gender-swapping potion, or I can put you through a magical trance that will change your body without you even knowing it."

"Which one do you recommend?"

"The potion transformation would take a lot shorter, but it will also be a lot more painful. But if you go through the trance, then you won't feel anything."

"Then...I guess I'll take the trance."

"Alright then," said Ruth. "Let us get ready."

***

For the gender-changing enchanted trance, Ruth had Landon lie down on a blanket on the living room floor. She also told Landon to clear his mind as best as he could, since that would make it easier for him to fall into the trance.

"Now, let your mind go blank," Ruth said soothingly. "Imagine nothing else in this world exists except you and I. Listen to my words and nothing else."

Landon fought down his anxiety. He took deep breaths, closed his eyes, and started to slip into a calmer state of mind.

"Picture yourself floating...free...flying through the clouds, free to do whatever you want. You can reshape yourself into whatever form you want...and you choose to take upon a feminine form." As she spoke, Ruth waved her hands. Magic sparkles started to envelop Landon as he entered a hypnosis-like state.

"Think of your new face...it's so beautiful, and soft. No pimples, no whiskers, no anything. Just a smooth, angelic face. Imagine big, kissable lips and cute, wide eyes. And imagine long, wavy hair flowing around it. You are the most beautiful girl anyone has ever known, with a stunning face, a perfect smile, and a musical voice."

"Imagine a perfect, delicate, hourglass figure. You gladly accept your new slimmer shoulders, smaller torso, and thinner arms. Most of all, you accept your new pair of breasts forming. These are what you've wanted your whole life...soft, squishy boobs you can squeeze. You have the best rack a girl like you could ever want."

"Now anticipate the biggest change of all. You gladly welcome your smaller waist, your wider hips, and your fatter thighs and ass. You love how much nicer your booty is now. But most of all, you relish the feeling of your penis shrinking away. You feel free down there as an extra hole opens up between your legs. This hole is your new vagina."

"Finally, feel your legs and your feet getting smaller and daintier. You feel so much lighter as you jump, skip, and dance your way through the clouds. You love your new female form. It's so smooth, and graceful, and beautiful. You cannot wait to wake up and feel it all for yourself..."

***

Landon didn't know how long he was out for. It could've been a minute, or an hour, or even longer. All he knew was that when he woke up, he felt a lot lighter than before. He sat up and looked up at Ruth.

"Well done, miss!" Ruth exclaimed. "You came out looking so beautiful!"

"I...did?" Landon realized that his voice was much higher now. He started to look down, but then his hair fell into his face and blocked his view. He swept the hair out of the way and saw two large lumps of fat inside his shirt. The sight of them made him start to hyperventilate.

"Oh my gosh," Landon gasped. "Did...did you..."

"The process was a success!" said Ruth. "You're a girl now!"

"I don't believe it," said Landon. But he felt an urge to reach down and find out if he was really female. He ran his hand over his crotch, hoping to feel his familiar penis and balls. But all he felt was a smooth area between his legs. It was...it was...

"Believe it," said Ruth. "You're a girl."

Landon looked back up at Ruth. "Can I go to the bathroom?" he asked. "To see myself in the mirror?"

"Of course."

Landon got up and went into Ruth's bathroom. He looked in the mirror and saw the reflection of his new self staring back at him. He was a couple inches shorter and about twenty pounds lighter. His brown hair was a lot longer now, reaching down to his mid-back. His face was smoother and more delicate, and his body was a lot curvier. His butt and hips stuck out, and his waist was a lot smaller. His new breasts weren't the biggest, but they were still very noticeable inside his shirt. And, of course, the bulge in his crotch was nonexistent now. There was no questioning it. Landon was now a girl.

"You like?" Ruth asked.

"Yes!" Landon answered. "I look pretty!"

"I agree, you're beautiful," said Ruth. "But you look a little ridiculous in boy clothes."

"Oh yeah..."

"Perhaps we should take you shopping for some new clothes before we take you to my foster home?"

"That would be a good idea," said Landon. The idea of clothes shopping didn't seem that much more exciting to her now, but she knew Ruth was right. She couldn't wear boy clothes anymore now that she was a girl.

"I thought you'd agree," said Ruth. "Oh, and we need a new name for you. Landon isn't a very feminine-sounding name now, is it?"

"No," Landon agreed, "But I don't know if there's a girl-name version of 'Landon.'"

Ruth thought for a moment. "How about Lanie? How does that sound?"

"That sounds...kind of good, actually?"

"You like it?"

"Sure I do."

"Then Lanie it is."

***

Landon, or now Lanie, went with Ruth in her car to the local shopping mall. The first thing they did was get some measurements for Lanie to figure out her clothing sizes. Once they'd gotten those, they started picking out some girl clothes for Lanie. Since Lanie didn't quite feel ready for skirts or tank tops yet, Ruth let her pick out basic pairs of jeans and T-shirts. But the one thing Lanie couldn't skip out on was the bras.

Looking through the racks of bras was overwhelming. There were so many different types of bras to choose from, and they all looked so similar and yet so different. Since Lanie wasn't sure what to choose, Ruth decided to take one of every kind of bra and let Lanie try them on in the fitting room.

The first time Lanie put on a bra, it was a rather...interesting experience. She'd known for years what purpose bras served, but to actually have one wrapped around her boobs...yeesh. It was so uncomfortable. But she found that once she'd fitted on the bra properly, her breasts stopped jiggling everywhere. That, she thought, was a pretty major draw.

After they'd gotten some bras and underwear, along with a swimsuit, Ruth took Lanie to get a purse. "A purse?" Lanie asked.

"Yes, a purse," said Ruth. "A lot of girls use purses to carry their stuff in."

Once again, Lanie didn't get anything too fancy-just a regular white purse with a strap. But putting it over her shoulder felt...different. It was like Lanie was a certified woman now.

"Well, I think that's everything we need," said Ruth. "Is there anything else you want?"

"Uh...no, I don't think so," Lanie answered.

"Then let's get you to our foster home."

To be continued...