Little .... Buddy ?
“Skipper, can we talk?”
“We are talking.”
“I have a question but I dont want you to be mad. Can you try not being mad for me?”
“I ... I will try. What’s your question.”
“Well, you remember when I was hypnotized into thinking I was Mary Anne? “
“Yes...so what about it?”
“Its just ... how could that happen? I mean how could I really believe I was her?”
“The professor said you were the kind of person who falls for hypnotism easily. Its not a big deal, little buddy.”
“But ... what if it was more than that? What the reason it worked so well is that part of me wanted it to? I mean, that I wanted to be her?”
“But why would you want to be her?”
“Well, she’s smart, and kind, and she isnt a clutz like me.”
“She’s also a girl, in case you hadnt noticed.”
“A pretty girl. But what if that’s part of what I wanted? What if I wanted to be a girl?”
“Well, what if you did? What could you do about it?”
“The professor and you told everyone to treat Mary Anne like Ginger when she lost her own memory. You could ask the others to treat me like a girl. They’d listen to you.”
“You sound like you've been thinking about this. Is that what you would want?”
“Would you be mad at me if it was?”
“Listen. You are my little buddy, my first mate. If being a girl makes you happy, then I will be happy for you, and do all I can to help you.”
“Thanks, Skipper. I ... I hoped I could count on you.”
“Always.”
*******
And so it came to pass that a new girl “arrived” on the island, and things were a little different after that, for all of them.
End