Introduction: This is another story in the Cynthia Chronicles series. Other stories in the series are An Incremental Journey, Cynthia and the Reluctant Girlfriend, Cynthia and the Dumpster Diver, Cynthia and the Moment of Truth, Cynthia and the High School Years - Part I, Cynthia and the High School Years - Part II, Charli and the Girl Cave, Bobbie and the Glass Ceiling, Randi and the College Professor, Adam and the Three Wishes, Lisa and the Culinary Quest (aka Howard and the Completed pass), Cynthia and the Solicitous Sisters-in-Law, Cynthia and the Queen of the Knight, and Cynthia and the Dropped Ball. The time frame of this story follows about three to four years after Charli and the Girl Cave. This story takes place a little more than a year after Bobbie Anderson wins the (British) Open and about ten years after Simoné and the Second Time Around.

Martha (Marti) Lewis is going to a summer camp in the mountains of Southern California. She is attracted to the camp due to the scenery and secular approach. After a mostly uneventful trip, she meets two rather unpleasant girls who are going to the same camp. She performs a bit of subtle retaliation. Then she meets Lanu.

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This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

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Marti and the Doppelganger
 

Chapter 1

“Mom, why can’t we just have The Wizard take me there? I mean he does it all the time. I wish I could transport like Cindy and Randi do. It’s just not fair.”

“Marti,” Marissa Lewis said while looking at her beautiful, redheaded teenage daughter, “first of all your transporting skills are just beginning to show up, and even when fully developed, you’ll only be able to transport a few hundred miles. You’re traveling all the way to California.”

“His Wisdom could do it in a nanosecond. Then I wouldn’t have to go through all this crap, er stuff.” Marti was starting to pout.

“I think His Wisdom has already done quite a bit for you, as it is. If there is space available, your ticket will automatically upgrade to business class. You are also traveling as an eighteen year-old. The only reason we’re letting you do this is that you’ve traveled quite a bit and have been through JFK before. Since you’re traveling as an adult, we expect you to act like one.

“We’re very proud of you, you know. You’ve been a great help for Randi, Cindy and Bobbie. Babysitting all those little munchkins hasn’t been very easy. Your grades are very good, and you’ve managed to stay out of trouble. Unlike your sister, Randi.”

“I like doing that, and besides, Betty is a big help even if she is only six. She’s so sweet.” Betty was Frank and Randi Deere’s adopted daughter. She’d had a troubled youth when growing up the first time. She’d also created some serious problem with affecting reality. Well, that had all been fixed, and Betty had been given a second chance to grow up in the right environment. That had been three years ago. Betty now had a toddler sister, Linda, with another sister on the way. Marti’s other frequent charges were her oldest sister’s son Donald, and her sister’s best friend’s daughter, Cynthia. The fact they were all magic added greatly to her responsibilities.

“Okay, the van will be here in about an hour. Let’s make sure you have everything.”

“Mom, we just did that.”

“I know, but you’re my baby girl and you’re traveling all the way across the country for the first time by yourself.

“Okay, no shenanigans going through TSA. There are usually witches close by if not actually working the lines. That has really helped security. Since we’ve started working those areas, there hasn’t been a breach of security when a witch was on duty.

“Now, be on the lookout for more of our own kind. They are still showing up when we least expect it.”

Marti rolled her eyes, “We’ve already gone over this, Mom.”

The trip to JFK was uneventful; taking about an hour and a half. They had to pick up two more passengers on the way. One was a salesman who was flying to St. Louis ostensibly for a big sales meeting. He reeked of cigarette smoke. He was also meeting his mistress of many years. Marti considered making it impossible for him to perform, but thought better of it. His wife was a real bitch, so she gave him a little push to start divorce proceedings and quit smoking. His mistress had been a high school friend and she really loved him. She hoped it would work out. The other passenger was a young man who was going to flight attendant school with American Airlines. She’d send a message to His Wisdom. The young man was definitely a candidate for The Wizard’s magic.

Her mother wasn’t kidding about TSA. She knew it wasn’t an accident that she was directed through the scanner operated by a witch. The woman winked at her as she passed through. Marti realized she’d met her at the New England conference two years before. As she made her way down the concourse her cell phone gave a little chirp. She quickly confirmed that she had indeed been upgraded to business class. Her flight was scheduled to board in an hour, so she ducked into a Chili’s for a hamburger.

Marti had wanted to spread her wings a bit. She was 15 going on 25 as her mother would say. She’d seen an online advertisement for a Girl’s camp in the mountains of Southern California. The pictures showed an attractive scene with nice cabins and amenities. The mountain scenery was spectacular. Marti told her mother that she would like to go to the camp. Neither her father nor mother could see any reason she shouldn’t go; however, just to be on the safe side, they asked The Wizard to check the place out. He replied giving the operation a clean bill of health.

Marti really just wanted to have some fun without her parents and older siblings being within earshot. She would be a sophomore in high school the next fall, and she knew maintaining good grades would be very important. There were always those questions of what do you want to be when you grow up. She was pretty sure she wanted to be a doctor, a medical doctor. Her sister was a psychiatrist and had gone to medical school, but Marti wanted to be a medical doctor. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to be a surgeon or some sort of specialist. Just being a general practitioner might be the best thing. She loved music, especially classical; however, she lacked the desire to play any instrument without affecting it magically.

Like her sisters, Marti physically matured early, and no one gave her a second glance as she entered the 787 Dreamliner with the early boarders and business class passengers. Depending on her makeup, she could have easily passed for 20. That being said, there was more than one male in the boarding area who looked appreciatively at her. There were more than a few fantasies generated. Marti directed their thoughts elsewhere. She was fascinated with her spacious area and reclining seat, and quickly figured out the entertainment system’s operation. The flight attendant offered a drink while the main cabin was boarding, and Marti opted for a Coke. By this time, the business section was as full as it would be and there were several empty seats. Marti had noticed a young Marine and his very pregnant wife in the boarding lounge area. She ‘suggested’ to the flight captain that he personally offer the couple two of the empty business class seats. She could hear cheering from the economy class cabin as the Flight Captain escorted the young couple forward.

Remembering the three hour time difference, she magically set her watch back. Effectively, the five hour flight became a two hour flight. Unfortunately, those three hours gained would be lost on the return trip. Although she knew how to operate the entertainment system, she would have to wait for the crew to take care of all their required briefings before the system was turned on. She’d been warned not to do anything that would call attention to her, so she left the system alone.

Picking up the in-flight magazine, she quickly solved the three Sudoku puzzles. Math and logic were two of her strong points. The crossword puzzles didn’t prove to be much of a challenge, either. By this time they were taxiing to the northeast corner of the airport. There were probably a half dozen planes in front of them; which meant another ten minutes before it would be their turn to take off. Eventually, they did. As the plane climbed it gradually turned more westwardly. She plugged in the headphone set and was surprised at how effective the noise attenuation was. There was nothing on the movie menu that excited her; so she turned on the music and sat back to enjoy some games. Although her tablet was set on airplane mode, she wasn’t surprised to see a note from her mother asking how things were going. No one paid any attention as she answered. Then a message from The Wizard asked her to “Be alert.” She replied in the positive to both.

She was not into geology like her two brothers were; however, she found the terrain over the Rockies and the desert southwest to be quite interesting. They’d started their descent as they crossed the Colorado River and began a turn in a more westerly direction as they could see a large body of water to the south. Soon they were passing between two large peaks and entering the Los Angeles Basin. They weren’t going to Los Angeles, though. They were landing much closer to the camp location at the Ontario International Airport just west of San Bernardino. That would save more than an hour’s drive if she had gone to Los Angeles International (LAX). The camp provided transportation; however, there would be an additional charge from LAX as well as Long Beach, John Wayne and Bob Hope Airports.

Two other girls were waiting for the transportation when Marti rolled her bag out of the terminal. “Hello, are you going to Camp Bear Paw?”

“Like, what country are you from? Is English a second language for you?”

“I don’t understand,” Marti said. The bleached blonde’s name was Lily and her friend was Wanda who had blue and green streaks in her dark hair. They were from Fresno, California and their parents owned a major winery.

“Like, you can hardly speak English. My God what an accent, LOL,” Lily came back.

“What would you like me to speak? I can speak German, Italian, Spanish and French.”

“Just like a foreigner. You’re in America. We speak English here.” Wanda was quick to dip her oar in.

“Well, I guess I will just have to speak English, then.

“Oh dear, would you like to have some of my tampons. It looks like you’re both coming on. I’m not due for three weeks, but you never know and I always carry some for emergencies.”

“Shit, I’m not due for another week. All my stuff’s packed in the bottom of my bag,” Lily wailed.

“I’m on the same schedule as you are,” Wanda moaned.

“Look, take these,” Marti said while handing the tampons to the two girls. “You don’t have time to change. I think I see our bus coming. There’s a rest room just inside if I remember correctly. I’ll watch your bags.”

Marti decided her little bit of magic was a suitable bit of retaliation. Maybe by being nice she could avoid having to deal with two bigots for the next two weeks. She might be able to initiate some changes in attitude that would make them a bit nicer as they became adults. She did a quick little clean up spell that would make their ‘accidents’ a bit less noticeable.

The camp bus arrived seconds after the two girls disappeared into the terminal. The driver loaded the luggage into the compartment as Marti explained the two other passengers had a minor emergency and would be back in a few minutes. The ten passengers already on board made it obvious that the bus had made other stops. The passengers had landed at LAX, and were from all over the country and varied backgrounds. Two were of African American descent. This could be interesting Marti thought as Lily and Wanda entered the bus.

“Thanks,” Lily said, “that could have been a lot worse. We’ll never make that mistake again. It must have been the excitement and stress of going to camp.

The Southern California heat was quite unlike the heat in New England. The temperature was in the 90’s when she arrived and would probably top out at over 100 in the Ontario-San Bernardino area. Fortunately, Camp Bear Paw was at 6,000 feet where it would probably be 30 degrees cooler, and after an hour’s drive, that proved to be the case. The road made a gradual climb out of the valley before switch backing up the side of the giant peak she’d flown by a couple of hours before. Coming around a bend, they were suddenly in a thick pine forest. They finally turned right off the highway where a sign indicated that there was a major trailhead that led to some lakes and San Gorgonio Peak. A sign also indicated that Camp Bear Paw and Jenks Lake were not far away.

Some of the attendees had been brought by their parents, while most had arrived from the several airports in the area. The camp had their own bus and had hired several other vehicles to gather the campers and bring them to the camp. Marti hadn’t paid much attention to the minivan that had followed them up the hill until it turned off the highway right behind them. Obviously, it was heading in the same general direction the bus was. That thought quickly changed as the minivan followed them to the Camp Bear Claw Parking area. Marti watched as their driver got their luggage out of the rear of the van. She watched one girl in particular. She was a bit taller than Marti, but not much. She was exotically beautiful; she might have been Hawaiian. Her rich brown hair was streaked with natural gold highlights. Gradually their eyes met and the girl visibly paled. She almost looked as if she were terrified. She wobbled a bit and sat heavily on her suitcase.

Marti rushed to her side saying, “She’ll be alright. It’s just the altitude. Give her some air.”

“Are you okay? I must have surprised you. I didn’t mean to. We’re always trying to find more of us. Obviously, you didn’t expect to find one of us here.”

“Wow, Great Gramma always told us to be on the lookout, but I never expected to find one so soon. Are there any others?”

“You mean here? I don’t think so. As far as others are concerned, there are several thousand in the US and several thousand elsewhere. We’re finding more all the time.

“I’m Marti Lewis. What’s your name?

“I’m Lanu’ese’ese Vaeaolesau. Lanu will probably have to do for now. I am from American Samoa. This is a bit of a shock. Great Gramma Margaret was always telling us to look for you. She was born in America, but she’s lived most of her life in Samoa. She’s like Mom and my sister. She’s our teacher. Mom was born in America and was adopted by my grandparents. They’re missionaries. She’s quite beautiful.”

“We need to catch up with the rest. I’m going to make sure we’re in the same cabin.

“I wonder if His Wisdom knows about you.”

“Who?”

***

So Marti has met a previously unknown witch whose mother, sister, and great-grandmother are also witches. This might get interesting. There is no question that Lanu will be a friend; however, there is something else about her that neither expected.

Marti and the Doppelganger
Chapter 2

 
Introduction: This is another story in the Cynthia Chronicles series. Other stories in the series are An Incremental Journey, Cynthia and the Reluctant Girlfriend, Cynthia and the Dumpster Diver, Cynthia and the Moment of Truth, Cynthia and the High School Years - Part I, Cynthia and the High School Years - Part II, Charli and the Girl Cave, Bobbie and the Glass Ceiling, Randi and the College Professor, Adam and the Three Wishes, Lisa and the Culinary Quest (aka Howard and the Completed pass), Cynthia and the Solicitous Sisters-in-Law, Cynthia and the Queen of the Knight, and Cynthia and the Dropped Ball. The time frame of this story follows about three to four years after Charli and the Girl Cave. This story takes place a little more than a year after Bobbie Anderson wins the (British) Open and about ten years after Simoné and the Second Time Around.

It turns out that Lanu is a rather special witch, and she demonstrates her powers to the two unpleasant girls. She may have done quite a bit to win the two over. Then, Marti begins to realize who Lanu is. This is big!

 

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This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

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Chapter 2
 
Making sure they were assigned together was not a problem, nor was it a problem to get Lily and Wanda in the same cabin with them. The two African American girls were also assigned to their cabin. It was all part of a plan that Marti was cooking up. The only problem was Marti wasn’t exactly sure what she was going to do. She just knew she had to do something that brought out some positive results. Humiliating the two girls probably wouldn’t end with positive results. Of course, the two girls were not happy about being in the same cabin with two black girls and another foreigner from the South Pacific.

Part of Lily and Wanda’s problem was in their upbringing. No, that was not correct. The whole of their problem was their upbringing. They had been raised in an ultra-right wing environment and had never attended public schools. As far as their parents were concerned, Armenians, Latinos, Philipinos, Vietnamese and the rest were fit only to work in the fields and run restaurants.

Marti overheard Wanda talking to Lily about their roommates who at the moment were outside. “I’m going to the director. My parents didn’t send me to this camp to sleep in the same room with a couple of niggers. If we can’t get moved to another cabin I’m going to call my parents and have them come and get us out of here. I don’t like that other foreigner, either.”

“I agree,” Lilly replied. “Those niggers really creep me out.”

Marti approached the two. She knew she had to do something before things really got out of control. “Okay ladies, there are going to be a few rules around here. First of all, you will never use the “N” word again. Do you understand?”

“What the hell are you talking about? I’ll call them African Americans any time I want to. I mean I’ll call them black any time I feel like it,” Lily said rather angrily.

“What the fuck did you do to me?” she said when she suddenly realized she couldn’t say the “N” word.

“I just cleaned up your vocabulary a bit. We’re going to be here for two weeks, and I don’t want to have to break up a minor race riot. I want you to be nice to Tamesha and Tanya. You might learn quite a bit over the next few days.

“If you’re wondering how I can do this, I’ll tell you. We’re not going to have many secrets among us, anyway. Lanu and I are witches. You won’t be able to tell anyone that little bit of information. We’re young and really just learning what we can do, but I can assure you we can already do quite a bit. I caused your little accidents earlier today. You pissed me off just a bit. I’ll let both of you finish in the next couple of days so you don’t have to be bothered for the rest of our time here.”

“What a bunch of crap,” Wanda almost shouted.

“Keep it down,” Marti said rather strongly. “I’ve erected a wall of silence around the cabin, but I don’t think shouting like that is very ladylike.”

Lanu had been sitting quietly while watching what had been going on. “I have an idea, Marti. Let me do something that might convince them.”

Turning to Wanda she said, “You have a bit of acne there. What if I cured it for you?”

“Right, my folks have paid a fortune to the dermatologist, and he hasn’t been able to do a thing. Fat chance you could do anything for me. Besides, we’re going to be here for only two weeks.”

“Would you let me try?”

“Sure, go ahead. What do I have to lose?”

Lanu sat next to Wanda and gently ran her hand over her face.

“That feels good. What are you doing?

“Shhhh.”

After about a minute, Lanu stopped. “There, I think that’s much better. What do you think?” she said handing her a small mirror.

Wanda looked at her image, turning her head from left to right. “What did you do? This can’t be real,” she said as the tears began to flow. The cystic acne scars that had been there before were gone. Her complexion was flawless.

“Take off your shirt. I have a little bit more work to do. Your bra, too. We’re just girls here.” Wanda hesitated only briefly before she did what Lanu asked. Lanu ran her hands over Wanda’s shoulders, back and breasts. The results were the same. Her skin was as clear as it had been on the day she was born.

“You had a little hormonal imbalance: too much testosterone. I fixed that.

“Okay, let’s see what we can do for Lily.”

Lanu took her hands and looked her in the eyes. “You’ve been a bit careless, Lily. Unprotected sex at any age is not a good idea. I’ll clear this up, but you need to tell your boyfriend that he has chlamydia. That can really mess you up over time.”

“I don’t believe you,” Lily said defensively. “Ricky was a virgin just like I was. We gave ourselves to each other. We’re in love.”

“I doubt that on two counts. He doesn’t love you and he wasn’t a virgin. You don’t get Chlamydia from dirty toilet seats. Your, I hope soon to be ex-boyfriend has been around. There’s an old saying: a stiff prick has no conscience. You’re only fifteen for goodness sakes. Wait a while. The right guy is out there and he won’t press you for sex right off the bat. Please wait until you’re at least eighteen. You’ll be better prepared.” Lanu turned to Marti.

“Marti, let’s go for a walk. We have a while before it’s time for dinner.”

Their walk took them past the archery range and miniature golf course.

“That was very impressive,” Marti said as they sat on a log bench. “There aren’t many of us besides His Wisdom who can do things like that. My mother can and my oldest sister can. I imagine my nephew will be able to one of these days. He’s the next wizard.”

“Your nephew’s magic? I thought only women could be magic.”

“It almost reached that point; however, Mom carries the wizard gene and has passed it on to some of us on one of our “X” chromosomes.
My oldest sister Cindy’s husband as far as we know might be the last male to carry the wizard gene on the “Y” chromosome. The Wizard has it of course, but he has Kleinfelter’s Syndrome and is sterile. He can’t have any heirs. Cindy has a fifty-fifty chance of her sons being a wizard, and their first boy, Don, is one. Of course, he’s not in preschool, yet. He has a ways to go.

“How did you learn your healing powers? You really impressed me.”

“Great Gramma is a healer. She’s very good at it. When she first got to Samoa she fixed Great Grampa’s face. He had a horrid cleft pallet and hare lip. Great Gramma’s first husband died in a ship wreck. They were going to New Zealand. Great Gramma figured she’d just stay there. They were going to start over in New Zealand.”

“When did that happen?”

“1877”

“Your Great Gramma is how old?”

“She had her 206th birthday last year.”

“And she’s been there since 1877?”

“Yes, she stays pretty much alone. She makes people forget what she looks like after they come to her.”

“That can be fixed. I’ll have to show you how to do it. Do you have her picture?”

“Sure, here she is at her birthday party.”

Lanu handed her phone to Marti. “Oh my God, I know who she is. What was her name when she came ashore in 1877?”

“Margaret Simard.”

“We thought she was dead. No one has heard anything about her since she disappeared. Her daughters are good friends of all of us. One lives not far from us and the other lives in Romania with her husband/wife and children. We’re very close. Do you have any other pictures?”

“Sure. You can scroll through. We call her Great Gramma; however, there are several more ‘greats’ in front of that. Until Mom arrived, there hadn’t been any magic in our family. Obviously, Mother is magic, and since my sister and I are magic, we know daddy carries the magic gene inherited through Great Gramma’s children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and so on. Based on what I’ve learned in biology, if I marry a carrier, my daughters will be magic.

Marti searched in her purse finally pulling out a cotton swab. “I want to get a DNA sample. If it shows what I think it will, this will be very exciting.” Lanu allowed Marti to swab her inner cheek.

“Don’t let this spook you. I need to talk to someone.”

“Okay.”

Marti quickly accessed her phone. “Your Wisdom, do you have a moment. I’m on to something really big. Would you let me work on it and not interfere unless I asked for help?”

“Certainly.”

“I have a cotton swab. Would you send it to Myrna and ask her to do a full workup on it. Please don’t tell anyone, and ask Myrna to send the results only to me.”

“That I will, Marti. Let me know if you need any help.”

“You know I will.”

Suddenly the swab that Marti was holding between the thumb and forefinger of her right hand disappeared.

“Let me show you some pictures. I think you’ll understand where I’m going with this in just a minute.” Marti accessed her picture file.

“Who does this look like?”

“She looks a lot like Great Gramma.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“Now, who is this?”

“No way! How did you get that picture? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before.”

“Of course you haven’t. That’s not your mother.”

Wow! I have a feeling that most of you who are familiar with this series have a pretty good idea what’s going on. Marti knows, and it won’t take a second or two for Lanu to figure it out.

Marti and the Doppelganger
Chapter 3

 
Introduction: This is another story in the Cynthia Chronicles series. Other stories in the series are An Incremental Journey, Cynthia and the Reluctant Girlfriend, Cynthia and the Dumpster Diver, Cynthia and the Moment of Truth, Cynthia and the High School Years - Part I, Cynthia and the High School Years - Part II, Charli and the Girl Cave, Bobbie and the Glass Ceiling, Randi and the College Professor, Adam and the Three Wishes, Lisa and the Culinary Quest (aka Howard and the Completed pass), Cynthia and the Solicitous Sisters-in-Law, Cynthia and the Queen of the Knight, and Cynthia and the Dropped Ball. The time frame of this story follows about three to four years after Charli and the Girl Cave. This story takes place a little more than a year after Bobbie Anderson wins the (British) Open and about ten years after Simoné and the Second Time Around.

Marti and Lanu find out quite a bit about their respective families. They also find out Rhonda, their counselor is more than they expected. They bring The Wizard in on what Marti has found out. He is as surprised as they are. Apparently, his group had never considered Samoa as a harborer of magic.

 

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This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

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Chapter 3
 

Marti let it sink in for a while. Lanu was obviously surprised by what had been revealed. For that matter, so was Marti. It was just that she was beginning to have an inkling of what she would see when Lanu showed her the pictures on her phone.

“Wow! You know what this means,” Lanu said when she finally got her emotions under control.”

“Yeah, cousin, long time no see.” There was a very emotional hug that lasted not a little while.

“Tell me about your brothers and sisters,” Marti asked.

“They’re all older than I am. My brothers are married with families. My sister is 22. She has a boyfriend and they are very fond of each other. I imagine they’ll get married after they graduate college.

“I just thought of something. Falaniko is a direct descendant of Great Gramma’s. He is descended through my aunts. That means if they have children, the girls might be witches. The odds are a bit against it, like one in sixteen.”

“How many girls did your Great Gramma have?”

“Three, and they all had at least one girl. I have a bunch of aunts.”

“I’ll bet the odds are more like three out of sixteen; however, I’ll let Aunt Myrna figure that out. She’s the geneticist of the group. For that matter, your great, great whatever uncles would have carried the magic gene and passed it on to their daughters. There might be all sorts of carriers out there. I’m definitely going to have to get Aunt Myrna involved.”

“She’s a witch, too?”

“Unfortunately, no; however, she and her husband are very close to us. I imagine The Wizard will work something out for them one of these days. He’s very good about that.

“Like your mother, my mother was adopted. Mom had thought about trying to find to find out her origin, but she never got around to it. I have four brothers and sisters. Who knows, Mom might have more, but I doubt it. Cindy, my oldest sister, is very powerful. She’s a psychiatrist she runs a clinic along with her best friend Bobbie Anderson. You might know who Bobbie is. She’s just the greatest female golfer of all time, and for that matter one of the greatest golfers of all time.”

“I know who she is. I remember when she won those last two tournaments. I remember the news showed an old Sports Illustrated cover of her and another girl in swim suits.”

“That was Cindy.”

“Wow, she certainly is pretty.”

“I don’t know if you are aware of it, Lanu, but you are drop dead gorgeous.”

“Thank you. You are too, you know.”

“Okay, my oldest brother is Tom,” Marti said getting the conversation back on track. “He’s a naturalist and still a bachelor. Then there’s Randi. She’s probably the most powerful of any witch I’ve ever known. That’s her standing next to Mom. Randi has a PhD in chemistry. She used to get into a lot of trouble for doing some real wild things. They still haven’t figured out how she does some things. She just does them. The tall fellow next to her is her husband, Frank. They have two children. Betty’s the oldest. She’s adopted, then there’s Linda who’s just about out of diapers, and they have another on the way, but they haven’t picked out a name for her, yet. Stan, Jr. is 19 and going to college. He’s interning with the Fish & Wildlife Service. I think he likes Charli, Don’s sister.

“Look, we’ve two weeks to plan everything out, but we’re going to have one heck of a family reunion later this year. His Wisdom promised not to interfere, but we’re going to need his help eventually. I find it hard to believe that he didn’t know about you; however, we know he’s not infallible. He and the group he works for have made mistakes in the past, big mistakes.

“What are we going to do about our four roommates?” Marti said changing the subject.

“I don’t think we should force anything. We need to talk to Tamesha and Tonya. They’re not going to be a problem; however we’re going to need their cooperation.

“If I remember our introduction meeting we’re supposed to go to the meals as a group. Our counsellor is supposed to lead us to all our formations. This is a bit like the military according to Randi. They have to keep everyone under control.”

“Your sister was in the military? You said she had a PhD. She doesn’t look old enough for that.”

“She 23. Look, this is very complicated. When she arrived in this universe a little more than 24 years ago she was a badly damaged and fatally ill ex-airman. He died in hospice in our home. We don’t really know how ‘they’ do it but they put her spirit in the embryo mom was carrying. Cindy and Bobby talk about how wonderful it was when they found out that the person they had thought so much of was back.”

“You mean they can transfer spirits!”

“Oh yes, and much more. I’m going to have so much fun bringing you up to date. I just can’t believe that The Wizard never contacted all of you.

“We’d better get going. I see our counselor looking this way.

Rhonda McKenzie wasn’t much older than her charges. She was a high school graduate, certified life guard, and getting ready to enter college on a soccer scholarship. She had explained a bit of the routine earlier in the afternoon, and was now leading the girls to the first meal with everyone present. They passed through the cafeteria style serving line where Marti was surprised at the number of options and the quality of the food.

After dinner it was back to their cabin to go over more of the rules before they went to the evening comp fire. The first campfire was primarily and introduction of the staff and an overview of what the main events of the two weeks would be. The camp nurse reminded everyone of the importance to keep hydrated, use sun screen and take it easy until they became acclimated to the altitude. There were also the admonitions about rattle snakes, ticks, and scorpions. They were above the poison oak region. The weather was another thing to worry about. It would depend on the flow of the monsoon air. If it moved to the west, there was a definite possibility of thunderstorms. If that were the case many of the outdoor activities might have to be curtailed; especially the hike to San Gorgonio Peak.

Rhonda approached Lanu and Marti before they headed for the showers. They were the last group that first night to have the shower. “I need to talk to you. Wait in the dressing area. We’ll talk after the rest leave for the cabin.”

“I wonder what that’s about?” Lanu said as she washed her hair.

“I have a feeling I know,” Marti responded. “I wonder how she found out.”

Rhonda returned to the shower after the other four girls had left for the cabin. “Do you know what I need to talk to you about?” she asked.

“I have a good idea,” Marti responded. “What I’d like to know is how you found out. I know you’re not a witch, but there is something about you that is a bit different.”

“You are right about not being a witch. My mother is, though. My father isn’t a carrier, but I am. My boyfriend is a carrier and I know he’s the one. We won’t be married for a while. My mother cast a little spell that makes me immune to a lot of spells; not the big ones, but the little ones like spells of silence and covering spells. I also know who is magic. I’m very lucky in that regard.

“It was easy for me to get a copy of each session’s attendees. I send them to Mom and she runs it against the data base. Of course Marti’s name came out immediately. You’re quite famous you know. Your family has done a great deal to help our cause. It’s really a pleasure to get to meet you. Bobbie’s grandmother is the past president of our coven. She has told us so much about what you’ve done and she holds your sister in the highest regard. Marti is the only witch that was listed. So, it was quite a surprise when Lanu turned up. I haven’t told anyone, yet, but we need to know. Marti, you did very well with getting everyone to ignore what happened.”

“Thank you, I was as surprised as you were. I knew I had to keep Lanu calm. I knew she didn’t expect to see me or any other witch.

“I have a feeling that you have something else you want to talk about.”

“Yes, what you did for Wanda was very nice, and I suspect you did something for Lily. I’m not sure what, though.”

“I cured her chlamydia. She was already experiencing some damage, and I fixed it. You saw what I did for Wanda. Obviously, you saw through the covering spell.

“We suspect there’d be a problem with them. Marti limited their vocabulary a bit. We’re going to do some more encouraging over the next week or so.”

“What are you going to do about Wanda’s family and friends? Your dermatology miracle will surely be noticed.”

“I realized that when you asked us to meet you. I told His Wisdom I’d call him if I needed help, and I think the time is now.

“Lanu, do you want me to tell him about you?”

“You probably should.”

It took only seconds for Marti to reach The Wizard and tell him what was going on. “Your Wisdom, this is Lanu’ese’ese Vaeaolesau. She goes by Lanu.”

“Oh my,” The Wizard said, “we didn’t know about her.”

“Here is another surprise. Take a look at this picture. This is Lanu’s mother.”

“Impossible. Where is this? Where is she?”

“American Samoa.

“Now, who is this?”

“Oh my goodness. You haven’t told them, have you?”

“No, but that’s what I meant when I asked you to let me work this out. I want to make this a big event, but I’m going to have to ask you to watch over us a bit. This is really big.

“By the way, how’s Myrna doing with the DNA analysis?”

“She said she will have it done tomorrow.”

“Since we’ve made this revelation, it’s moot about the results. Have Myrna give you the details,” Marti said. “You do realize the other implication in this?” Marti added.

“I certainly do. This is tremendous news for everyone concerned. I’ll have our people on it immediately.” The excitement in The Wizard’s voice was obvious.

“What is your mother’s name Dear One?” The Wizard asked Lanu.

“Elizabeth, but she goes by Beth most of the time.

“Rhonda, thank you for your help. I’ll clean up those little oversights. No big problems there. I’ll let the three of you figure out what to do with Lily and Wanda. Just let me know if you need any help. Don’t forget to tell the girls about the other thing.”

“That I will. It was the last thing on my list. Nice to talk to you again.” The image on their phones of The Wizard disappeared. He’d signed off; leaving the girls to figure out what to do.

“What’s that ‘other thing’?” Marti asked.

“Your wall of silence. I can’t imagine a cabin with four girls in it not making a sound. I recognized the spell right away, thanks to Mom’s help. You probably should have created some ambient ‘girl noise’. The silence cued me to the fact something was going on. I had no idea, though, of what was going on. You are going to have your hands full.”

Well, now to get down to some of the more mundane aspects of summer camp. It won’t be that dull, though. Marti, Lanu and Rhonda work on how to help Wanda and Lily.

Marti and the Doppelganger
Chapter 4

 
Introduction: This is another story in the Cynthia Chronicles series. Other stories in the series are An Incremental Journey, Cynthia and the Reluctant Girlfriend, Cynthia and the Dumpster Diver, Cynthia and the Moment of Truth, Cynthia and the High School Years - Part I, Cynthia and the High School Years - Part II, Charli and the Girl Cave, Bobbie and the Glass Ceiling, Randi and the College Professor, Adam and the Three Wishes, Lisa and the Culinary Quest (aka Howard and the Completed pass), Cynthia and the Solicitous Sisters-in-Law, Cynthia and the Queen of the Knight, and Cynthia and the Dropped Ball. The time frame of this story follows about three to four years after Charli and the Girl Cave. This story takes place a little more than a year after Bobbie Anderson wins the (British) Open and about ten years after Simoné and the Second Time Around.

Some of the girls go on a moderate nature walk. Edna learns a bit about alligator lizards. They make the short trek to Jenks Lake to go swimming. Marti, Lanu and Rhonda realize they have to do something about Lilly and Wanda.

 

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This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

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Chapter4
 

Their first full day was pretty much what Marti expected. There were craft projects, archery lessons, miniature golf, and nature walks pretty much restricted to the camp area. Marti and Lanu opted for the nature walks. After all, what fun would there be in having all the arrows be dead center, all the strokes being holes in one. They wouldn’t have done that; however, there just wasn’t any challenge in doing it. If it ever came down to having to use a bow and arrow for self-protection, there wouldn’t be any doubt where the arrows would go. But in a case like that, it would probably never get to the point of having to use a bow and arrow.

“Oh look, there’s a chipmunk,” Marti exclaimed. Lanu had never seen anything like the little beast before.

“Close, but no cigar,” Rhonda said. “That’s what is affectionately known as a GMGS: a golden mantled ground squirrel. Chipmunks are about a quarter their size. We might see some chipmunks later on.

“Okay, I’m going to turn over some rocks. We’re going to look for a little critter that’s pretty common around here.”

It took three rocks before they found what she was looking for. The little gray creature was trying to hide in its little burrow that wasn’t as secure as it thought it was.

“Ewwww, what is that?” Wanda exclaimed.

“That is a scorpion,” Rhonda explained. “It can give you a pretty nasty sting, but it’s relatively harmless. There’s one that lives in the Sonoran Desert that can be deadly.

“Always check your shoes before you put them on. These little fellows like to hide in places like that.”

“Why don’t you kill it?” Lily asked.

“There’s no reason to. They have their purpose in the overall ecology of the area. They have their own struggles; their own predators. We’ll just leave them alone. I’ll put the rock right back where we found it.

“Anyone know what this tree is?” Rhonda asked.

“It’s a pine tree. Anyone can see that,” Lily said.

“Right, you get five points out of ten. Anyone, want to pin it down a bit closer than that? There’s an old television show that you can still see on some of the cable channels.”

“I think I know,” Lanu said. “We get a lot of the old shows on television. There is a show called Bonanza, and the name of the ranch was The Ponderosa. This tree looks just like the trees at the beginning of the show. I think it’s a ponderosa pine. That yellow bark is beautiful.”

“You nailed it. Yes, this is a ponderosa pine. Anyone want to guess what that pine with the long branches is?”

“I know,” Wanda jumped in. “We used to go up in the mountains to get pine cones for Christmas decorations. That’s a sugar pine, and those cones are huge.”

“Right, there’s only one pine that has cones that are bigger. We will see some of them when we take a field trip over to Big Bear and Baldwin lakes. You will have no problem identifying the tree when we see it. We will see several other pines if we are able to do the San Gorgonio hike. We’ll see some other interesting trees on that trip as well.”

The rest of their little nature walk went quite well. Among the animals they saw was a blue tailed skink; a small smooth scaled lizard with a bright blue tail befitting its name. The alligator lizard was a different matter. It was probably about fifteen inches long. Susan Wong from another cabin had spotted it first where it was lying under the edge of a Mountain Mahogany bush. Susan had already been the subject of some not so quiet discussion between Wanda and Lily. They obviously had a ways to go in their ‘training’.

“That thing is huge,” Edna Millet remarked. “Is it poisonous?”

“Not at all,” Rhonda answered, “however, it can be pretty aggressive.”

“I’m going to catch it.”

“I don’t think I’d do that if I were you,” Rhonda said. The comment fell on deaf ears and was far too late.

Those who had been watching could see that the large lizard was fully aware of its observers. It had cocked its head and was closely watching as Edna’s hand approached. Edna was quick, but not that quick. She gave a shriek and jumped back. The lizard was firmly attached to the little finger of her right hand.

Marti gave a quick command, and the lizard released its grip, fell to the ground and raced to the shelter of some thicker bushes.

“Are you okay?” Rhonda asked

“I think so. That surprised me more than anything.”

The marks of the lizard’s firm grip were easily seen. Lanu grasped her hand and quickly cleaned and closed several small lacerations. Unnoticed by the others, the lizard’s fine teeth had penetrated in several places. They would have started bleeding fairly soon had they been left alone.

“A word to the wise folks, most of these animals are wild. Whether you can approach them or not, they are not pets. Many of the deer have had fawns, and the doe leave their fawns alone while they are browsing. Do not touch the fawns. Do not pick them up. They have not been abandoned. Mother deer can be very protective and they won’t hesitate to kick the daylights out of you if they feel you are threatening their little ones.

“There may be one exception to my warning. Ricky wasn’t around last night. I’ll call him tonight.”

“Who’s Ricky?” Marti asked.

“Just wait until tonight after dinner and camp fire. I think you’ll like him.

“Okay, we need to get back for lunch. We have an hour rest period after lunch, and those that want to may go swimming.”

Jenks Lake was a natural lake basin that had to be supplemented with water from the Santa Ana River that ran to the north. In times of drought, the lake had nearly dried up; however, since the drought had let up a bit over the last few years, the lake was at its maximum level.

“Here are the rules. Unless you can pass the swimming test or show a Red Cross Certification you may not go outside the roped area.” That was not a problem for Lanu nor Marti. They had submitted their certificates with their applications. Lanu easily swam to the raft that was a few hundred feet beyond the border of the designated swimming area. Marti was close behind her.

“I’d guess coming from a South Pacific island like you do that swimming comes pretty naturally.”

“Not really, I was taught at an early age. I was ‘drown proofed’ before I could walk, but I was taught how to swim well. Dad runs a tuna fleet, and before I could go out to sea I had to prove I could handle being washed overboard. I got my sea legs pretty early. Dad insisted that all of us learned the business from the ground up. So as soon as we were old enough we’d go out with the fisherman to help. I’m not old enough to be allowed to do any of the dangerous work. You have to be eighteen before you can do that legally. My brothers work full time with the company. They graduated college a while ago. My sister’s not sure what she’s going to do. She’s a healer like I am.”

“Who’s your associate?” Marti asked.

“Associate? Oh, you mean my familiar. She’s Anita. Her sister is with my sister. They were feral. Great Gramma didn’t have one until Anita’s mother moved in with her. They’re very fond of each other. Mom has Felicia. According to her Felicia just appeared one day when she was about twelve. It wasn’t long before she realized they could communicate. Of course it wasn’t too long before Felicia was talking. Not all of Great Gramma’s descendants can understand them. My dad and brothers can. So can Samaria’s boyfriend.

“Of course no one really understood the magic thing because Great Gramma was the only witch around. Everyone protected her, but she became quite a legend because of her healing powers. She had to keep a pretty low profile in some ways. She’s a Christian. Well, at least philosophically she is. In a place like Samoa where there are very strong Evangelical feelings, witchcraft is looked upon as the devils work rather than being a blessing. Then Mom showed up as the adopted daughter of much loved missionaries. Her powers showed up when she was about eight or nine.

“Great Gramma showed up one day. Grandma and Grampa had heard legend of her, but they had trouble believing this ‘young’ woman was more than 150 years old. All Great Gramma asked was that they protect her and allow her to instruct Beth. She convinced them that what she could do was not evil but a God given power. Gramma and Grampa were great. They still are. Of course, when my sister and I showed up things began to get complicated. Fortunately by this time, Great Gramma understood the genetic thing.”

“This is really fascinating,” Marti said after taking all this information in. “I do have a question, though. Remember when I showed you the picture of a young woman and you said she looked like your Great Gramma.”

“Well, yes.”

“I think you missed something else I said. Where did Great Grandma leave the US from?”

“She was pretty sure it was Atlanta, Georgia. She’d taken a pretty good blow to the head apparently, but she remembered leaving Atlanta with her first husband. She knew he’d been killed in the shipwreck. They were going to New Zealand to start a new life. That’s the way she put it; however, considering the circumstances, she decided to remain in Samoa. Then she fell in love with Great Grandpa and had all those kids.”

“I thought so. You missed something that I said yesterday. When you showed me the picture of Great Gramma I mentioned she had two daughters.”

“I guess I did miss that.”

“That woman who looks like your Great Gramma is your Great Aunt. She is Simoné Enescu. She is married for the second time to her greatest love and lives in Romania. It’s a wonderful story. The resemblance between her sister and Great Gramma isn’t as strong, but it’s there. You have cousins all over the place. Obviously, that blow to the head knocked out about 40 years of memory. The Wizard will fix that.

“Great Gramma left Atlanta alright, but she moved to New Haven, Connecticut in the early 1860’s. Your aunts were shipped to Europe to avoid the Civil War. Bev came back and married after the war. Simoné stayed in Europe. Great Gramma left New Haven in 1877. Until now, that’s the last anyone heard of her. Now it all makes sense. I’ll get Myrna to send a family tree to you. When this all comes out Myrna will be able to sort out who has the magic trait and who doesn’t. She’ll also find out who’s carrying the wizard trait.

“This is so cool.”

“I’ll certainly agree with that. It really amazes me how organized you are.”

“That didn’t really start to happen until around the time your Great Gramma disappeared.

“Okay, we have more to catch up on than we’ll ever be able to do over the next two weeks. I’ll show you how to access our web site. I’m sure The Wizard has already enabled your access. I think right now we need to figure out how to salvage two human beings,” Marti nodded at the figures of Lily and Wanda who’d separated themselves from the other camp members on the beach.

“I have an idea. Rhonda’s coming and I want to get her approval. I think it’s time for some drastic measures.”

The girls get together for a little intervention meeting. The results are far better than expected.

Marti and the Doppelganger
Chapter 5

 
Introduction: This is another story in the Cynthia Chronicles series. Other stories in the series are An Incremental Journey, Cynthia and the Reluctant Girlfriend, Cynthia and the Dumpster Diver, Cynthia and the Moment of Truth, Cynthia and the High School Years - Part I, Cynthia and the High School Years - Part II, Charli and the Girl Cave, Bobbie and the Glass Ceiling, Randi and the College Professor, Adam and the Three Wishes, Lisa and the Culinary Quest (aka Howard and the Completed pass), Cynthia and the Solicitous Sisters-in-Law, Cynthia and the Queen of the Knight, and Cynthia and the Dropped Ball. The time frame of this story follows about three to four years after Charli and the Girl Cave. This story takes place a little more than a year after Bobbie Anderson wins the (British) Open and about ten years after Simoné and the Second Time Around.

Their intervention goes far better than they could have hoped. They gain two more cabin mates. Lanu learns that her mother wasn’t always a busty platinum blonde.

 

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This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

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Chapter 5
 

“What do you think?” Lanu asked. “We need to do something.”

“It never ceases to amaze me what you can do. I think it might work. Do you think you can get Susan and Edna to go along?” Rhonda said after contemplating the plan Lanu laid out for her.

“I don’t think we’ll have any problem with them at all. Edna’s pretty adventuresome as it is, and Susan is quite the intellectual. I know Tamesha and Tonya won’t be a problem. We just have to get Wanda to come out of her shell.

“I think tomorrow afternoon after lunch would be an ideal time. That will give me time to get things set up with Edna and Susan. There aren’t any rules as far as I know about being in cabins other than your own during quiet hours. We’re just supposed to be quiet.”

“That’s correct, Marti. In fact it’s encouraged. We want everyone to know everyone else in the camp. You can’t do that staying only with your five roommates.”

“Now, these are the rules. You will be blindfolded. No peeking allowed. Each of you will be given a number; however, you will know only your number. The point of this exercise is to see how much you really know about your campmates. No talking is allowed. You may touch the other person’s face and hands only; no touching hair. Please remove any rings and earrings.”

Rhonda gave each girl a blindfold. They were rather special blindfolds. Marti had put a nice little spell on them that made them light impenetrable. Of course the blindfolds Lanu and Marti had were illusions. Most of the exercise was pretty straight forward and nothing happened that wasn’t expected, except the results were far better than they hoped; especially the results for numbers one and seven.

Tamesha was number one. Rhonda removed her blindfold and led her to each of the blindfolded girls in no specific order. They first grasped hands before each gently examined the other’s face. Then the unexpected happened.

The routine was the same until Tamesha reached Wanda, number seven. Actually it was the same up to a point. She started to turn, but then turned back to Wanda. She gently put her hands on her face and leaned in putting her lips on Wanda’s. Wanda might have been startled, but she didn’t pull away. In fact the kiss lingered quite a while, and there may have been more than a little tongue exchanged.

Finally, it was Wanda’s turn. Once again, it was pretty routine until she stood before Tamesha. It wasn’t quite like what had happened twenty minutes before. It wasn’t missed by the three observers that there was a tear in Wanda’s eye. She didn’t wait but put the most passionate kiss one could imagine on Tamesha’s lips. It was immediately and enthusiastically reciprocated. There was no question in the observers’ minds that Tamesha knew exactly who was bestowing the kiss of the century on her. There was also no question now that Wanda knew it had been Tamesha who’d kissed her. Wanda was quietly crying when Rhonda led her back to her chair.

Rhonda had everyone take off their masks. Some were wondering why Wanda seemed to be in tears and Tamesha had such a broad smile. Marti and Lanu knew exactly why and they had known since the day before. As they expected, few got more than one or two correct. Marti and Lanu didn’t reveal their results and said they would explain why in a few minutes. There was only one case where two people guessed correctly each way. Of course they were Tamesha and Wanda.

“Alright, what did we learn here?” Rhonda asked.

“That our visual impressions prejudice reality,” Susan answered. “There were only two people here that got it right. We all made some right guesses; however, they weren’t far off the probability odds. Some of us have some rather distinctive features. I’m short and my face is a bit rounder than some, but I did stand on a stool. Lanu and Marti are tall, but for their difference in skin pigmentation, it would be very hard to tell them apart. Tamesha and Tonya are relatively tall also, and I was only correct in guessing one of the four.

“Anyone else want to say something?” Rhonda asked.

“Yes,” Wanda replied. “I am a total ass. I’ve been hiding behind an image created by someone else. I’ve been trying to be someone to please someone else. I know Lily has been a victim of the same influences. We’ve known each other all our lives. We’ve gone to the same church and the same schools. Lily’s known I was gay since we were twelve, and she’s stuck by me. She’s never wavered, and I love her for it.

“I know we are only fifteen but I think it’s time we stopped being someone we’re not. We have to grow up. I’m tired of living a lie. It’s not just that I’m gay. It’s this whole thing we’ve grown up with. I’m coming out when I go home, and if they try to send me to that aversion therapy I’ll kill myself.

“No you won’t,” Tamesha said. Edna had ceded her seat to Tamesha and she had taken Wanda’s hands in hers. “I wouldn’t let that happen. I knew who you were when I first arrived. Behind that façade you and Lily put up was a beautiful person trying to escape a horrible fate. I will do everything in my power to help you. You let me know the real you this afternoon and you will never be able to go back.”

“Okay everyone,” Marti jumped in, “Before this goes any further there are some things you need to know. What happened this afternoon has been something that Lanu and I have put together with Rhonda’s okay. As Lily and Wanda already know and Rhonda has known since we, or at least I arrived is that Luna and I are witches. You may find that hard to believe; however, we’ll be glad to demonstrate for you later on.

“Right now we have more important things to deal with. A couple of you have mentioned how much this South Pacific beauty and I resemble each other. We are first cousins and our mothers are twin sisters. We just found that out. Our mothers aren’t aware of that, yet. We have quite a project to put together regarding that.

“You will not be able to discuss what has gone on this afternoon with anyone but the nine of us. That’s just one of the rules. Most importantly, we wanted to eliminate any strife among us. We’re here to have fun and grow.

“Edna, how’s your finger?”

“Pretty good, why?”

“That lizard lacerated your skin in a couple of places, it wasn’t serious. Lanu healed it. You would have bled a bit if she hadn’t and you might have gotten an infection.

“Wanda, do you want to tell them what happened. You don’t have to.”

“Gladly, Lanu cured my acne. I had terrible scars and zits everywhere. Now my skin’s perfect. She fixed it in five minutes.”

“I want to add a couple of things,” Lily said. “I’ve been really stupid in many ways. I too have been a real asshole, and I’m not sure how I’m going to face my parents when I go home. I’ve learned quite a bit today.

“Now I need to talk about what I learned yesterday. I’ve been stupid and careless. I let a smooth talking asshole take something from me that I won’t be able to give to anyone else. He also gave me an STD. Thankfully, Lanu fixed that problem. I will be forever grateful to her for that. Wanda and I had a big talk at the lake yesterday. There hasn’t been one other person at this camp who acts like we have been acting. That’s over with here and now. It won’t be easy for us as we have a lot to unlearn. Please forgive us if we fall back on old habits every once in a while.”

The cabins were designed to hold up to ten. Later that afternoon there was a redistribution of campers. No one but the nine girls were aware of what had happened. There were a few whispers and knowing glances as the other campers noticed Wanda and Tamesha were holding hands as they arrived for the evening meals. There was an interesting result. Two other couples came out the next day.

“Lanu, were you aware your mother used to be a brunette?”

“What? Mom’s a natural blonde. That’s why my hair has all these wonderful reddish and golden highlights. I love it.”

“Well, she didn’t used to be a natural blonde. About 24 years ago my family and Bobbie’s family visited The Wizard in his shop for the first time. Cindy had very emphatically warned everyone about not touching anything and not to eat any free samples. By this time Cindy and The Wizard had become very close. Randy, the first Randy was dying and they hoped The Wizard might find a way to cure him. That was not to be. There was too much of the other universe still in him and if The Wizard had tried to do anything there would have been a horrible mess.

“Okay, much more happened that day, and I’m sure you’ll meet many of the participants someday. The thing was, Mom saw a wig. It was a platinum blonde wig. She’d always wanted to be a blonde, so she decided to try it on in spite of Cindy’s warning. Unfortunately, it was a “Bimbo Blonde Wig”; something The Wizard used to specialize in. He doesn’t do much of that today. The wig did three things. Mom became a permanent, natural platinum blonde, her IQ dropped by 50 points, and her breasts went from a B+ to a DD. The Wizard had an antidote ready, and Mom got her mind back rather quickly; however, the other changes were permanent.

“There was a huge cascading event. Due to the DNA changes Cindy went from light brunette to the golden blonde you saw on the Sports Illustrated Cover. Tom went from light brown to blonde. That’s why I’m a redhead and your hair is the way it is. That’s why you and I are going to have to keep buying new bras until we end up at least a D.

“We think The Wizard set Mom and Dad up. Mom was always very pretty. We’ve been allowed to see what she looked like before the change. Dad being the sex maniac he is couldn’t keep his hands off her. Little Randi was created shortly after and when Randy died his spirit was transferred to the new Randi. Mom knew all about it, but didn’t tell anyone until Randi discovered for herself who she was.

“Thinking about the time difference between the east coast and Samoa, I’ll bet your mother went to bed a brunette and woke up the next morning as the enhanced blonde you know. Your older brothers might be aware of what happened. I’m sure your father is and your Great Gramma is. I’m sure they were quite surprised and mystified by the changes. I wouldn’t bring it up to them, though, until we decide to break this entire thing wide open.

“One other thing, The Wizard can change boys into girls and girls into boys. He may or may not change their genders. These days he’s more of a therapist. He makes sex match gender.”

“Oh my, he needs to come to Samoa. We have so many fa'afafine. Some go to Thailand for surgery, but it is so expensive. They just live as women. They are accepted as they are.”

“What about the women who want to be men?”

“There are not so many.”

“And the gays?”

“Homosexuality is illegal, but largely ignored. That law will change.”

The girls meet Arnold, aka Ricky. He’s not too happy about the appellation. Says it’s prosaic. They take their first big hike and climb to almost 10,000 feet. They also discover there is a very unhappy attendee at the boys’ camp not far from them. Marti and Lanu have a project to look forward to.

Marti and the Doppelganger
Chapter 6

 
Introduction: This is another story in the Cynthia Chronicles series. Other stories in the series are An Incremental Journey, Cynthia and the Reluctant Girlfriend, Cynthia and the Dumpster Diver, Cynthia and the Moment of Truth, Cynthia and the High School Years - Part I, Cynthia and the High School Years - Part II, Charli and the Girl Cave, Bobbie and the Glass Ceiling, Randi and the College Professor, Adam and the Three Wishes, Lisa and the Culinary Quest (aka Howard and the Completed pass), Cynthia and the Solicitous Sisters-in-Law, Cynthia and the Queen of the Knight, and Cynthia and the Dropped Ball. The time frame of this story follows about three to four years after Charli and the Girl Cave. This story takes place a little more than a year after Bobbie Anderson wins the (British) Open and about ten years after Simoné and the Second Time Around.

The girls meet ‘Ricky’, whose actual name is Arnold, and his wife and children. Arnold is a bit of a mystery as he and his family are quite intellectually advanced; especially for raccoons. The girls take a rather long hike to fairly high altitudes and get some more lessons on ecology and geology. They also determine that a member of the group of boys who passed them is transgender. They just don’t know who it is.

 

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This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

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Chapter 6
 

“Okay, everyone needs to be quiet. He usually comes when I call, but I don’t know how he’ll react with so many people around. He lets me scratch his ears and rub his belly, and he’s never come close to biting me. Of course he likes the treats I bring him. Let’s see if he’ll come out.” They were sitting on some logs at the rear of the kitchen. Rhonda had bag full of dog biscuits and a dish of water.

“He’s over by the dumpster and he’s checking us out. See him? He’s in the shadows on the left side.”

“Come on Ricky. It’s okay. These are my friends.”

The large raccoon stood on his hind legs taking everyone in before he dropped to all fours and lumbered over to the group. He stood in front of Rhonda in an obvious begging pose, and Rhonda gave him a dog biscuit which he immediately swished around in the dish of water before devouring what was an appreciated delicacy.

“Well aren’t you the cutest thing,” Lanu exclaimed. She’d never seen a raccoon before, except in pictures.

“Thank you for the compliment; although I’d prefer ‘ruggedly handsome’.”

“You can understand me?”

“Obviously, but I don’t think Rhonda can. I hear you in my head, but I don’t understand much of that noise you make.”

Marti had picked up on this conversation immediately. “Do you understand me?” she asked.

“Perfectly. Just a second, I want to get another of these treats. They certainly beat dumpster diving. I brought the wife and kids. They’re behind the dumpster. They’re not very sure about this, but I told them not to worry.

“Harriet, come on out and bring the kids. It’s perfectly safe.”

“Are you sure, Arnold?”

“Absolutely. These nice humans understand us.”

“Arnold? I thought your name was Ricky,” Marti interjected.

"Goodness sakes, no. That is so prosaic. I just don’t seem to be able to get that across to her. Although of late she seems to be a bit more cognizant of what we’re thinking. We’ll have to work on that.

“Okay, this is Harriet. We’ve been together for a few years. From left to right we have Danny, Arnold, Jr. and Misty.

“Say hello to …. Say, I don’t know your names.”

“I’m Marti. That’s short for Martha. And this is Lanu. We’re cousins. She’ll have to tell you her whole name. I’m still having trouble saying it correctly.”

“Is there anyone else around here that we might converse with?” Arnold asked.

“Not as far as we know. There are many more in California. They’re just not up here at the moment.”

By this time Harriet and the little ones were sitting up and getting treats from the other girls. It wasn’t long after that that the three little ones were curled up in three of the girls laps.

“Would you tell me what’s going on here,” Rhonda whispered in Marti’s ear.

“How about back in the shower in a little while.”

“Okay.”

“What’s going on? I’m pretty sure you were conversing with Ricky and the other raccoons.”

“His name is Arnold. He’s not really happy about being called Ricky. He says it’s prosaic. His wife is Harriet and the kids are Arnold, Jr, Danny and Misty from top to bottom.

“Did you see anything unusual about that family?” Marti asked.

“I sure did. Raccoons normally have two to five kits. There are three kits in that family and each one is about a year apart. That is unlike anything I’ve seen before.”

“How long have you known Ricky, er Arnold?”

“I first saw him when I attended the camp four years ago. I saw him the next year when I was attending again, then last year and this year as a counsellor. For some reason we seemed to hit it off. He’s always been friendly, always under control. I felt I could trust him not to act like some raccoons who try to take advantage of things. He’s never caused any problems.

“That is rather strange behavior, isn’t it?”

“From oh so many points of view. I know they are fairly social and have family groups, but not this way. Have you ever heard of raccoons being monogamous? I haven’t,” Marti said.

“I have a feeling His Wisdom is involved in this; however, I don’t have a clue as to why. I guess we’ll just have to wait to find out.”

“We have a big day tomorrow. Let’s get some rest and see what happens."

***

The area around the upper Santa Ana River is filled with cabins and Camps. The little river runs between steep hillsides that in several areas turn into relatively flat benches. Barton flats is one of these areas on the south side of the river. Camp Bear Paw was only one of more than a dozen camps in the area. The Boy and Girl Scouts had their camps. The Pasadena Boys’ Club was another. Several of the Major church groups in Southern California had their special retreats. Some camps were year round and others were for the summer season only. Camp Bear Paw was primarily the latter; though it could be rented out just about any time.

One of the things that attracted Marti to the camp was its secular base. If anyone wanted to attend the church of their choice, at least some of them, they could. The camp van would take them there. There was no synagogue or mosque close to the camp area. Sunday was basically a quiet day with no major activities. They had arrived on a Sunday and it was now Wednesday; the time for their first big hiking adventure.

Not everyone was into hiking; however, there were some who couldn’t be kept down. Those who’d never spent any time much above sea level would soon find out exactly what high altitude meant. Their first venture to higher altitude would be to Dry Lake and the pass beyond. Dry Lake and Dollar Lake had been formed by a terminal moraines; that is soil and rock left at the bottom end of retreating glaciers.

About 10,000 years ago there had been seven small glaciers on the north side of Mt. San Gorgonio. Each one left the telltale signs of glaciation. Unlike the hundreds of glaciers that roamed the Sierra Nevada to the north, none of these glaciers was able to carve a basin in the bedrock that would hold enough water to form a tarn or small lake. Small lakes did form at the end of two of the glaciers; however, the bottoms were permeable. As the climate became drier, Dry Lake seldom held water year round. Dollar Lake did hold water until the recent droughts dried it up. That did not bode well for the trout that had been stocked there. As the drought had eased, it did hold water once again, but it was no longer stocked.

Rhonda and two other counselors herded the group of twenty up the trail towards their objectives. This was to be an educational hike with frequent stops along the way.

They made their first stop at a little alpine meadow that was rather marshy. A small stream flowed across the trail. On the nice side of things were the very attractive plants and flowers. The columbine and lilies were in full bloom and the false hellebore made a nice border plant. At the drier edge a gooseberry plant was in full bloom. On the downside, the marshy area was a breeding ground for mosquitos. No one seemed to notice that neither Marti, Lanu nor Rhonda seemed to be bothered by the little blood suckers.

While Rhonda was explaining the differences between the ponderosa pine and Jeffery pine a group of teenage boys and their counselors passed. A couple of subdued whistles emanated from the group. Marti picked it up immediately. She didn’t have to do any mind reading. There was someone in that group who was very unhappy. Her sisters had helped with identifying transgender, and she was getting very good at it. It wasn’t like mind reading. It was a different aura; almost like a dark cloud emanating from the person.

“When that group passed did you read or feel anything out of kilter?”

“Yes,” Lanu was also nodding the affirmative. “Someone is very unhappy. For a moment, I thought it was a girl, but those are all boys.”

“Yes and no, one of those boys is a girl on the inside, and she’s very depressed.

“Did you see where it was coming from?”

“It was from near the end of the group. I can’t be sure, but I thought it might be the one with the striped T-shirt.”

“Yes, I think you’re right. It’s strongest from that area. I can’t be too sure, though. I have a feeling we’ll see them again when they return. They’re not staying out overnight, and if the map is correct, they’ll have to come back this way. We should be able to pinpoint the source then.”

“Right, we’ll keep an ear out for them.”

By this time they were close to 9,000 feet, one of the other counsellors was discussing the Canadian Life Zone and the obviously quite different pine trees in the area.

“So, what are you two up to now?” Rhonda asked.

“Up to no good as usual, I can assure you,” Lanu said with a smirk.

“All kidding aside, something happened back there when that group from Camp Coyote passed us,”

Marti saw no reason to keep their discovery secret. “We’re pretty sure that someone in that group is transgender and is in a very bad frame of mind. When they returned, we were going to try to pinpoint who it was and see if there was anything we could do.”

“Like get His Wisdom involved,” Rhonda asked with raised eyebrows.

“Did you have anyone else in mind?” Marti laughed.

“Like I said the other day, your family is legend. You were unknown 20 years ago, and now you are discussed everywhere. Quite favorably, I might add. Mom can’t wait to meet your mom at the national meeting this fall. I hope Cindy and Bobbie will be there.”

“They’re planning on it. Randi is too.”

“About this current problem, we won’t see that group again today. They’re bushwhacking across to Dollar Lake before dropping back to our trail. They’ll be doing an orientation exercise. Their camp is several miles from ours; however, there is a get together on Saturday when we have a dance. That might give you a chance to see what can be done.”

“His Wisdom promised not to meddle unless we asked him to, and I think he’ll stick to his promise. I do know for sure that he will be very easy to reach if we have to.”

The three of them quickly caught up to the rest of the group. They had stopped at cleared area a couple of hundred feet wide. It ran up the hill to the timber line and down the hill for a considerable distance. “Does anyone want to venture a guess what happened here?” one of the counselors asked.

A camper from Arkansas offered, “A tornado? However, the edges are too clean.”

A couple of the girls laughed at that suggestion.

“This was definitely not a tornado; however Southern California is good for a couple of tornados a year. The central US does not have a monopoly on them.

“Any other guesses?”

“Could it have been an avalanche?” someone else offered.

“Correctomundo. This happened a number of years ago. Note the small conifers sticking up through the chaotic wood pile. In another couple hundred years it will be difficult to see where this happened. We’ll see where two more happened that same year. That had been a particularly heavy snow year. The avalanches started way up near the top of that ridge. Fortunately, no one was around.

They had lunch at Dry Lake and were very glad that they’d been carrying a lot of water. They hadn’t seen running water since they’d left the mosquito infested marshy area. After a nice lunch they climbed to a gap that was right at 10,000 feet. The Coachella Valley and Palm Springs lay 10,000 feet below them as they looked down the White Water River canyon. That hike was definitely not on their agenda.

Saturday night is dance night with the boys from Camp Coyote. Unfortunately, the person who might be transgender does not show up. Lanu deals appropriately with a Lothario.

Marti and the Doppelganger
Chapter 7

 
Introduction: This is another story in the Cynthia Chronicles series. Other stories in the series are An Incremental Journey, Cynthia and the Reluctant Girlfriend, Cynthia and the Dumpster Diver, Cynthia and the Moment of Truth, Cynthia and the High School Years - Part I, Cynthia and the High School Years - Part II, Charli and the Girl Cave, Bobbie and the Glass Ceiling, Randi and the College Professor, Adam and the Three Wishes, Lisa and the Culinary Quest (aka Howard and the Completed pass), Cynthia and the Solicitous Sisters-in-Law, Cynthia and the Queen of the Knight, and Cynthia and the Dropped Ball. The time frame of this story follows about three to four years after Charli and the Girl Cave. This story takes place a little more than a year after Bobbie Anderson wins the (British) Open and about ten years after Simoné and the Second Time Around.

Marti and Lanu hope that the dance will give them an opportunity to find out who the transgender youth is. Unfortunately. That person doesn’t show up. Lanu steps in to prevent unwanted advances toward Edna.

 

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This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

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Chapter 7
 

Fortunately, there were no blisters to be treated by the medical staff. Tamesha had developed a small one on the way up. Marti adjusted her shoes to fit better and Lanu fixed the blister. They did the same for two other members of their party. Those two were never aware of what happened.

Some of the camp members had gone on a fishing expedition along the Santa Ana River and they’d even managed to catch a few trout. One of stipulations was that if you caught a trout and intended to keep it you had to clean it. That immediately meant there was quite a bit of ‘catch and release. Some of the ‘fishermen’ were quite experienced and knew how clean them. One girl hooked and expertly played a very large brown trout estimated to be between three and four pounds. There was a quick picture and the trout was safely released back to the river. That fish was the talk of the camp that evening, and the picture hit the internet very quickly. There was a very proud father back in Indiana.

Marti and Lanu were considering bringing The Wizard in on their discovery; however, as Rhonda reminded them, they weren’t really sure who the missexed person was. They’d have to do further investigation before they stuck their neck out too far. There just might be an opportunity to find out who it was that Saturday.

As dances go, it was a pretty tame affair. If some of the teenage boys thought they were going to take advantage of the girls, they had another thought coming. The rules were that the party was limited to the dining hall and the patio. Leaving that area was not allowed.

The weather was pleasant enough; however, it wasn’t long before the outside air chilled and brought most of the group inside. There was the usual assortment of fast and slow dances including the latest craze. There was no one in particular who appealed to either Marti or Lanu, and they essentially played the field while trying to locate the source of the problem they had noticed a couple of days before.

“Is this everyone from your camp,” Lanu asked her partner from the previous dance. They were having a cup of punch, and he’d politely poured a cup for her first. He was a nice kid. That was evident right away; however, he didn’t interest Lanu that much. None of them did.

“No, there are several who didn’t want to come. They’re missing out on a lot of fun.

“Do you want to dance the next one?”

“Thank you for asking, but I think I will sit this one out.”

The reason for her wanting to sit it out was across the floor. She got the distress call from Edna who was looking at her with pleading eyes. The dance was slow and her dance partner was trying to take advantage of it. The lights weren’t that bright and his hand had slid down to her nice buttock. She had slapped his hand away but it was creeping downward again. Lanu decided it was time for action. She cast a little obscuring spell around the couple and then proceeded to cut in. Edna gave her a thank you smile as the lothario looked at Lanu in rather leering stare.

“Well hello baby, I’ve been checking you out all night. I’m glad you finally decided to dance with a real man rather than with that wimp you were dancing with earlier. That bodacious bod of yours is going to get what it’s been begging for all night.”

“First of all, Jimmy, I am not your baby, and when I’m with a real man I will know it, and it is certainly not you.”

“Why, you bitch, how dare ….”

Lanu silenced him by placing her right index finger over his lips. “Second of all you will never be able to use the “B” word again when describing a female in a derogatory manner.

“Now, when a girl says no she means no whether she says it orally or silently by her actions.

“By the way, you won’t be able to say anything unless I let you, and you won’t be able to discuss this little meeting with anyone. There’s no one here besides that girl you tried to molest and two other people whom I won’t identify that know what’s going on between us.

“Let’s see, you are eighteen and a counselor. You should probably resign immediately. Even if you did get a fifteen year-old girl to go to bed with you willingly you would be guilty of statutory rape. That’s the law. It might be a bit different in Europe; however, they’re a bit better with sex education over there.

“I see you were going to use the ploy that a girl never gets pregnant the first time. If you believed that, which you don’t, at least I’ll give you credit for that, I have an atoll in the South Pacific that I would be glad to sell to you. It’s only dry at low tide thanks to global warming. I see you don’t believe in that. You need to get an education rather than trying to get young girls pregnant.

“You wanted to get off? Well, you just did as I can see by the expression on your face. You’d better go clean up before too much shows through. Then go sit in that corner until your group leaves. I’ll expect your resignation tomorrow. Be careful driving home.”

The humbled Jimmy headed for the restroom.

“Boy, you guys show no mercy, do you,” Rhonda said after watching and listening to what had transpired.

“Cindy told me what she did to a guy in high school that was very similar to what Lanu just did.” Marti said. “The good side to that little episode was that he straightened up and became a decent guy. He married one of her best friend’s sister. They have a bunch of kids. He loves her with his heart and soul. Cindy made it impossible for him to say he loved a woman unless he really did.”

“What about this other thing?” Rhonda asked. “He’s not here, is he?”

“Apparently not,” Lanu said. “One of the fellows I was dancing with said that several had stayed at the camp. He’s probably there moping in some corner.”

“What other thing?” Edna asked.

“There’s a fellow who should have been born a girl. He’s been abused by his parents; we could read that much. We’re not sure who he is. He was in that group that passed us the other day on the way to Dry Lake. He might be in the group that will be climbing San Gorgonio with us next week. If not, we may have to take more drastic measures. If nothing else, we need to talk to him and ease his mind about things. If he’s from the east coast we can steer him to my sister’s clinic. They can work their magic there.”

“I take it you’re talking real magic.”

“Absolutely.”

“I have a girlfriend who is in the process of transitioning. She told her parents when she was quite young, long before she realized that there was still a stigma attached to such things. They’ve been very supportive. There are only a couple of us who know her story. She’s been very lucky and she’s as cute as a bug.

“She told me that she’d read about a wizard who turned boys into girls. He was known for turning men and boys into bimbos. She said that if she had to be an airhead, she’d accept that just as long as she could marry and have children. She’s going to have surgery next year. Is that magic you’re talking about like that?”

“Yes, he’s real, but he only does the bimbo thing in extreme cases, and even then he will usually take that mind control away when the lesson is learned. He never reverses the physical transformation, though. There is one unique exception that involves Lanu’s great-great many times aunt and her wife/husband. They have three children with another on the way. They trade off being father and mother; however, once the baby raising is through, they like to stay as women. The children don’t have any problem with that.

“You’re from Los Gatos, Right?”

“Yes.”

“Is your friend from there?”

“Yes, we’re in school together.”

“Okay, I’m going to ask The Wizard if he can do anything. We’ll take care of things when we get back to the cabin.”

As more and more had become the routine, Marti and Lanu were the last ones to shower. It was easy to manipulate things so that no one thought anything about the fact they were the last ones to leave. It just gave them some privacy to talk about things without having to have anyone else around.

“I think you need to tell me a bit more about my aunt. You just said that she and her husband had remarried.”

“I said she and her husband/wife lived in Romania with their children. Simoné and Nicolae were very much in love and married in 1880. They never had children as much as they wanted them. Nicolae was sterile due to the mumps. He died in 1907. Simoné lived a very rich life in Europe, some might say rather wild. She never went back to the US until 10 years ago. That was just after she met Ivana. They fell in love almost immediately. It wasn’t until about five months later that they discovered that Ivana was actually Nicolae reincarnated. The Wizard and his associates had Nicolae’s spirit transferred to Ivana’s embryo. She had seen Simoné’s image on some websites featuring attractive nudes of young women. The pictures had been posted unknown to Simoné. Ivana was compelled to find her. She couldn’t figure out why, but they finally found each other in Istanbul, and the rest is history.

“The pictures are pretty good. Simoné is quite attractive, as is her wife. The pictures are a bit more revealing than would be safe for work or school. She’d never thought they would be published; a bit naïve of her if you ask me. She got a bit nervous about the pictures and removed them from her lover’s computer and sent him on his way while not knowing he’d already sold them. She wasn’t aware that they’d been published until Ivana told her. I’m sure The Wizard and his group made sure they got together. The Wizard finally was able to get the pictures off the internet; however, it was more than he wanted to attempt to get them off private computers. I can show them to you if you want to see them. They are still accessible.”

“I think I’ll wait.

“You said they trade off being father and mother.”

“Yes, it’s a bit complicated. When they appear in public as the Count and Countess Enescu, they trade off. No one is any the wiser. In private, unless they decide to make a baby, they’re always Simoné and Ivana. You’re going to love them and their children.

“Just a minute, I want to ask His Wisdom a question.”

It took only seconds to access The Wizard on her phone. “Your Wisdom, I know you’ve following things and I appreciate your not interfering.”

“Thank you, you two have been doing a pretty good job so far. I like how Lanu handled that situation earlier this evening. I’d been attending to some vandals and it was on my computer when Wolf, Padrona and I returned. Well done.

“Now, what do you need?”

“We don’t need anything. It’s a friend of Edna’s. She’s been transitioning since she was a small girl. Her parents are very helpful. She knows about you, or at least she is aware of the myth. Edna didn’t tell us but I caught that her parents are not very well off, and it’s been a bit of a financial strain. Essentially, they are going to sacrifice what little they’ve saved for her college education for her surgery. They’ve agreed on that priority.”

“Do you know the girls name?”

“It’s Sydney Morrison. They live in Los Gatos.”

“Ah, yes, here it is. Mmmmmm, I’ll see what I can do. I have an opening tomorrow afternoon.”

Lanu and Marti could tell after dinner the next day something had happened. Edna was suddenly very happy about something. So happy it brought tears to her eyes. She confronted her friends as soon as they returned to the cabin. “I love you two so much,” she said while fiercely embracing them.

“Sydney texted me a while ago. She and her parents had gone to the mall, and they found a very quaint little shop.

“You told him didn’t you; you told The Wizard about Sydney.”

“Yes, I told him last night. Is Sydney okay?”

“More than okay, she’s ecstatic. The Wizard greeted them when they came in and asked them to come to the back for some refreshments. Her parents were a bit wary, especially when they saw The Wizard, but he eased their minds. Sydney said they had a very open and nice discussion about things. Suddenly she realized something was different. She couldn’t feel the pressure from her gaff, and her bra felt different. That was when she realized he’d changed her. Her mother realized what had happened almost immediately. He explained the rules, not that they would have been able to do anything, anyway.

“She was allowed to tell our friend that knew about her, and me what happened. I’m sure the same rules apply here. She wanted me to thank you for what you did and hopes that she will be able to meet you someday.

“One other thing, The Wizard gave them a Power Ball ticket that someone had thrown away. It didn’t have the Power Ball but it had all the other numbers. Her college education is taken care of.

The troops climb Mt. San Gorgonio, at 11,500 feet the highest peak in Southern California. The unhappy hiker is in the group that passes them on the trail. He is not very communicative, and the girls realize something serious is probably going to happen.

Marti and the Doppelganger
Chapter 8

 
Introduction: This is another story in the Cynthia Chronicles series. Other stories in the series are An Incremental Journey, Cynthia and the Reluctant Girlfriend, Cynthia and the Dumpster Diver, Cynthia and the Moment of Truth, Cynthia and the High School Years - Part I, Cynthia and the High School Years - Part II, Charli and the Girl Cave, Bobbie and the Glass Ceiling, Randi and the College Professor, Adam and the Three Wishes, Lisa and the Culinary Quest (aka Howard and the Completed pass), Cynthia and the Solicitous Sisters-in-Law, Cynthia and the Queen of the Knight, and Cynthia and the Dropped Ball. The time frame of this story follows about three to four years after Charli and the Girl Cave. This story takes place a little more than a year after Bobbie Anderson wins the (British) Open and about ten years after Simoné and the Second Time Around.

It’s time for the big hike to the top of ‘Old Gray Back’, Mount San Gorgonio on most maps. This is a long hike; let there be no doubt about it. Fortunately, the person they hoped would be on the hike is there. Now to save her.

 

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This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

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Chapter 8
 

“Are there any questions?” the camp director asked.

“Yes,” a voice from nearly in the shadows away from the camp fire asked, “how much water are we going to have to carry?”

“Your canteens hold a gallon, and that should be enough. There is a spring in South Fork Meadows where you may get water. We will be carrying the micro filters if you feel it necessary to resupply there.

“Anything else?”

“What about bathrooms? If I have to go, where do I go?”

“Maybe I should go over this again. This hike is not a walk in Central Park. This is a tough walk. You are going to climb a vertical mile from here to the top. There will not be any convenience stores, food vendors or restrooms. We are only one of two groups permitted to make the climb today. In case you’ve forgotten, this is The San Gorgonio Wilderness. If you have to urinate, find a tree or fallen log. Take care of your business and put your toilet paper in the plastic bag you should have with you. Although the toilet paper is biodegradable, it will take a long time to return to nature in the conditions up there. If you have to defecate, take the shovel, dig a hole and do your thing and bury it. The same rules apply concerning the toilet paper.”

“But what if someone sees me?”

“Your hiking mates can stand around you if you can’t find a place to hide in. Above timberline you might have a problem. I would advise you to take care of things before you leave, and if you feel the urge while on the trail, take care of it before you reach timberline.

“Anything else?

“Good. Remember, if it looks like thunderstorms are developing you will turn around immediately. We can always reschedule the hike for later in the week. We don’t need to flirt with lightning.

“One other thing, if you don’t think you can make it to the top, one of the counselors will stay with you until the rest catch up to you on your way back.”

“Boy, he sure made it sound tough,” Lanu said as they walked back to their cabin.

“I think that was for the benefit of those who didn’t make the first hike. Other than those few blisters, we didn’t really have any problems among our group. We’ll have to watch those that didn’t make the first trip. I think there’re only five new ones. I am worried about that one who is a bit overweight. She didn’t make the first trip. I don’t think she was feeling well.”

“I know it’s only 1500 feet higher than it was where we turned around the other day, but that can make quite a difference. At 10,000 feet we’ve left a third of the atmosphere behind us. That next little bit of altitude change can be pretty rough on some people.

“Speaking of that. You’ve basically lived at sea level all your life. You certainly don’t seem to be having any problems with altitude,” Marti remarked.

“I don’t live any lower than you do in New England. I’ve climbed Mt. Fuji and that’s over 12,000 ft. We did it a week before it blew its top. We were in Tokyo when it erupted. As far as the altitude is concerned, I think we both have a physical advantage being what we are. I think we have quite a few physical advantages. I’ve never had a sick day in my life. I don’t suspect you have either. Great Gramma’s teeth are perfect. She says they get replaced about every fifty years.”

“Do you know how to stop ovulation?”

“No, is that possible?”

“It’s an easy spell. It’ll take just a minute to teach you. We’ve done some studying and have come to the conclusion that it’s best physiologically to have one period a year. I carry tampons for emergencies that others might have. It wasn’t nice what I did to Lily and Wanda, but I had to get their attention. Actually, I was just being mean. I wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t been prepared to help.

“Let’s get some sleep.”

They were on the trail at 7:00 AM. The first few miles were taken at a pretty slow pace. Digesting a big breakfast diverts some of the blood flow to the stomach area, and the legs may tire rather easily. Soon they were heading up “Poop-Out Hill” which was appropriately named. There had been a few complaints from the group previously about how strenuous this portion of the trail was. This time most seemed to find their trail legs pretty quickly. The plan was to take the longer Dollar Lake Trail to Dollar lake Saddle and then follow the ridge line to the top of the 11,500 ft. peak. On the return they would take the steeper but shorter trail back to Dry Lake and back on the South Fork Trail.

The bench mark at the top had the elevation at 11,502 feet; however, depending on the source, the elevation was given as anywhere from about 11,495 feet to 11,502 feet. It was hardly worth quibbling about. It was the sixth greatest vertical height from base to top of any mountain in the lower 48. Several of the volcanos in the Cascade Range had it beat. It did have them beat in one way. On a clear day, and that was problematic in Southern California, one could see Mt. Whitney over 165 miles away. No other place in the lower 48 could claim that sort of view.

They had just turned up the Dollar Lake trail when the group from Camp Coyote overtook them. There were quite a few appreciative glances from each side.

“Marti, that’s him next to last; that good looking guy with the buzz cut.”

“You’re right. There’s no doubt about it. His name is Peter Goretsky, and he’s been horribly abused at home. His father is a real jerk and his mother’s not much better. My goodness, they’d give Wanda’s parents a run for their money. We’ll have to do something about that situation; however, I think this situation is a bit more severe.

“Oops, I just caught something. I’m not sure what it is, but we’re going to have to watch him or her closely.

“Did you get her name?”

“Yes, it’s Penny.”

“So, who is it?” Rhonda asked. “I know you picked up on something.”

“Peter Goretsky, second from the end. He’s in a very bad way. His parents are going to send him to an aversion therapist if he doesn’t turn around.”

“I thought that sort of thing was illegal.”

“It is just about everywhere; however, that doesn’t stop the ‘flat earthers’ from inventing their own ‘science’. Wanda’s parents are the same way, as you know. We’ll have to do something about that situation as well.

“Okay, we know who it is. We’re going to have to watch him carefully. I can set up a link since he’s in sight. We’ll be able to keep track of him, but we won’t be able to get much information. There’s not much need to read his mind at this point unless things start to go south. We will be able to get general feelings. Cindy has taught me quite a bit about mind reading and mental control. I hope I’m as good as she is.

“Everyone is aware there is a problem with someone from that group. We’re going to tell them what’s going on and that we might need everyone’s help. Fortunately, no one has had any problem with our ‘special’ abilities so far.”

Their trail made a drastic turn back to the west as they left the Dry Lake Trail. Then it was a steady climb up past the once again filled Dollar Lake. They took a break near there before making the assault up to Dollar Lake Saddle. By this time they’d caught up to the stragglers in the Camp Coyote Group. Peter Goretsky was among them.

“Hi guys, how’s the climb going?” Marti asked.

“Not bad, we’re just taking it easy. Some of the guys think they’re going to set a time to climb record. We’ll probably catch them in a few miles.” This was said by one of the counselors who’d stayed with the slower group.

“Do you want to tag along? We were just making a sock check. We don’t need any blisters.”

“Sure,” Rhonda said, “but you might have to pick it up a bit.”

After quick introductions, the two groups, now one group, started up the steep trail to Dollar Lake Saddle. The view down Falls Creek Canyon towards Mill Creek was spectacular, and the girl who’d caught the large trout the previous week immediately wondered out loud if there were any trout down there. There was a little time for pictures before they headed east towards the massive peak. Marti and Lanu hung back just a bit and tried to strike up a conversation with Peter without much success. If they could get any response out of him at all, it was mostly “yes”, “no” or “grunt.”

Cindy had told Marti many times about the mixed blessing of being able to read minds. Lanu had similar instructions from her mother and grandmother. It’s a two edged sword. One may find out things that they had no right to know. There were the exceptions, of course. For instance, criminal activity or where someone’s life was on the line. Marti was pretty sure that was the case here; however, she did not want to come on too strong. They would just have to play it by ear and try to gain Peter’s confidence.

As they neared the summit, Marti sensed that something was going to happen. The last mile or so had been a very gentle climb to the top with spectacular views in almost all directions. By the time they reached the top, they knew it had been worth the effort. If one were to ask how many pictures were take, the guess would have probably in the hundreds. However, Peter seemed to be distancing himself from the rest of his group.

“Rhonda, tell Mr. Spencer that we’re going to lag a bit behind because one of us is having menstrual cramps. We’ll catch up in a little while.” Marti was getting the feeling that the situation was going to escalate.

“Everyone, we know something is going to happen. We’re just not certain what or when. For however long it takes, we’re going to disappear in a visual sense. We’re going to be invisible. I’ve ‘suggested’ to the others that we are just behind them. They won’t notice if we’re lagging behind. We’ll also be ‘running silent’. No one will be able to hear us. We’ve briefed you on Peter’s situation, and we’re going to do our best to prevent any disaster from happening.

“As far as our group is concerned, no one will notice we’re missing.”

As suspected, Peter started lagging behind as they switchbacked down the mountain. As they reached a long straight stretch that would eventually lead them to Dry Lake, Peter suddenly cut off a trail to a large outcropping of rock. It became very apparent to everyone that Peter intended to jump. It was not a good decision for many reasons. One of the more obvious ones was that the drop was probably not far enough to be fatal. However, in his mental state he obviously was not thinking clearly.

Marti immediately took off on a run trying to catch him before he reached the top of the rock outcrop. She knew she couldn’t get there in time. The only thing she could do was project as loudly and as powerfully as she could.

“Penny, stop! Stop right now! This foolishness has to stop right now. We’re here to help you. Don’t you dare try to kill yourself,” Marti shouted mentally and verbally.

Peter was taken up short. His arms flailed as he attempted to regain his balance. Too late, he disappeared from view.

Were they in time to save Penny? Of course they were; however, this is not the time to fool around. Marti summons The Wizard. He takes several major steps.

Marti and the Doppelganger
Chapter 9

 
Introduction: This is another story in the Cynthia Chronicles series. Other stories in the series are An Incremental Journey, Cynthia and the Reluctant Girlfriend, Cynthia and the Dumpster Diver, Cynthia and the Moment of Truth, Cynthia and the High School Years - Part I, Cynthia and the High School Years - Part II, Charli and the Girl Cave, Bobbie and the Glass Ceiling, Randi and the College Professor, Adam and the Three Wishes, Lisa and the Culinary Quest (aka Howard and the Completed pass), Cynthia and the Solicitous Sisters-in-Law, Cynthia and the Queen of the Knight, and Cynthia and the Dropped Ball. The time frame of this story follows about three to four years after Charli and the Girl Cave. This story takes place a little more than a year after Bobbie Anderson wins the (British) Open and about ten years after Simoné and the Second Time Around.

So much for the prosaic cliffhanger. They are in time to save Penny; however, The Wizard is needed immediately.

 

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This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

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Chapter 9
 

Lanu raced around the projecting rock towards the assumed impact zone. She was ready to apply as much physical healing that was possible for her to provide. Fortunately, his body was not on the mound of talus below the outcropping. Peter was hanging onto some projecting rocks about three feet below the top of the outcrop.

Marti, Lilly and Wanda worked their way down and took hold of his arms and shirt. Marti wasn’t a strong levitator, but she poured every ounce of strength she could into lifting Peter back to the top. From there the three girls held on as they guided Peter back to a fallen log.

“Why did you stop me,” he sobbed. “Just let me die so I can end my misery.”

“Letting you die is not in the program,” Marti explained. “We’re here to help you.”

“What do you know? You don’t have a clue about me. Just leave me alone.”

“We know a lot more than you think. Who did Marti call you a minute ago?” Lanu asked.

Peter thought for a second or two. “She called me Penny. How did she know? I’ve never told anyone.”

“From now on, you’re Penny when you’re with us. Marti and I are witches. We just happen to be cousins, too. Our friends here are not witches, but we are all here to help you, but we can’t help you if you succeed in killing yourself, and we aren’t going to allow that to happen.”

“Right, and the next thing you’re going to tell me is that you know a wizard who can fix my problem by turning me into an over endowed bimbo pole dancer.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Marti scolded. “He seldom does anything like that, and only in extreme cases. I have never known him to do that, and my sisters never saw him do anything like that, either. Well, there was one time, but he corrected that case very nicely. He’s not a cruel man; maybe a bit eccentric, but certainly not cruel.”

“This is ridiculous,” Peter said as he struggled to get up.

“Do not get up from that log,” Lanu commanded. Peter tried, but he couldn’t.

“Your Wisdom, we need you here right now,” Marti said into her phone.

“I’ll be right there. You are on the mountain, right?”

“Yes sir.”

Marti looked around, not quite knowing what to expect. Then they heard a whistling coming from up the trail. Rounding a corner was a man dressed only as The Wizard would have thought to do. As far as anyone was concerned, he could have come straight out of the Austrian Alps or Tyrol. He was dressed in lederhosen, suspenders, wool trekking hat, boots and knee socks. The hat had a very jaunty feather in the left side above the brim. He also had a very elaborately decorated walking staff. Accompanying him were two enormous St. Bernards.

In spite of the situation, Marti had to suppress a giggle. Rhonda knew The Wizard and she wasn’t too surprised; however, the other seven, and Lanu to a degree, weren’t really too sure about what they were seeing.

“What’s wrong,” he asked Marti. “Isn’t this the proper attire for trekking through the mountains?”

“It’s perfect for the Alps. I wouldn’t worry too much about it. I think you should let Wolf and Padrona return to their right forms. Those heavy coats are a bit warm for around here this time of year.”

Wolf and Padrona quickly shifted to their original forms. The girls’ cabin mates gasped in surprise at the sudden transformation.

“Penny, everything that happens here today will never go beyond those who are here, unless you want it to. I know you realize who I am and the fact that you are not imagining things. I think everyone here would like to know a bit more about you, and why you tried to do what you just tried to do. I can assure you that there will never be a reason for you to ever try to do anything like that again.”

“I’ve tried to tell my parents since I was very young that I was a girl. My father just laughed it off as my having an overactive imagination. My mother wasn’t very sympathetic, either. They wanted me to go to a religious college in Virginia and become a televangelist. I want nothing to do with their hate filled church. I want to be an astronomer. I want to be an astronaut, and I want to go to Mars. I also want to be a mother, even if that means I have to be an adoptive mother. Of course they think I’m mentally ill. They’ve sent me to counselors who are probably in need of serious psychiatric help. If I don’t disavow these blasphemous thoughts of mine, they’re going to send me to an aversion therapist where I will be locked up and probably mentally tortured until I come around. My father caught me asleep in bed before I came here. He tied me down and cut off my beautiful hair. I would have loved to see it go to making wigs for cancer patients. He just threw it out.”

As he spoke his hair started growing out until it was shoulder length. The color was a rich chestnut. He didn’t notice.

“Do you love your parents?” The Wizard asked.

“No. I wish I could say yes, but they’ve made my life hell. I have no feeling for them. I don’t hate them. I don’t really understand them. They don’t make any sense. They deny science. Anything that goes against their beliefs can’t be true. They won’t listen to reason. Anything I show them about my condition is thrown out a Satanist propaganda. I wish I could get away from them, but I have nowhere to go. It will be almost three years before I can leave on my own, and they will probably find some way to keep me from doing that then. I just don’t see things getting any better.”

During the conversation, Peter, now surely Penny, had gradually been changing. She’d lost a couple of inches in height, but was still quite athletic in appearance. Marti noticed that her figure was a bit full in the bust for a fifteen year-old girl, but she had a feeling The Wizard was giving her exactly what she desired. She was quite pretty – The Wizard would never have done anything else.

The changes had not yet registered with Penny; however, the other girls were shocked by what had been happening. The former Peter was totally gone.

The Wizard nodded at Lanu and indicated she needed to go to Penny.

“Penny, how are you feeling?”

“I feel a little strange for some reason. I don’t know how to describe it. For once in my life I feel right.”

“That is because you are right. Take a look at yourself. We don’t have a mirror, but I can assure you that you are quite attractive.”

Penny took in things as best she could. Her rather prominent bust line filled her shirt quite nicely. Her form fitting Levis showed a very feminine figure. Her previously strong, masculine hands were considerably more feminine with nicely painted short nails. She reached up and stroked her hair. “It’s back, my hair’s back.”

“I think everyone needs to have some of their favorite soft drink before we go. Have some cookies, too.” The Wizard offered a tray full of canned drinks and a plate full of chocolate chip cookies.

“I need to talk to Marti, Lanu and Rhonda for a moment,” he said indicating they needed to step away from the rest.

“Marti, remember what we did for Effie and Terri?”

“Yes, that has certainly worked out well.”

“I’m afraid that if I do anything to make drastic changes in Penny’s parent’s attitudes that I will have to do too much alteration of history. It won’t be worth it. If she goes back to them as she is now, she will still catch grief due to her attitude about things. Things won’t be any better. I think the best thing to do is to have her removed from her parents in a legal way.

“I’m thinking of having Ginny Chronister taking her as a foster parent. I’m thinking the same for Wanda. There’s just too much to try to fix in either of those families. I know Ginny would be glad to take them in. Besides, they could help with her the three little ones. I know Richard wouldn’t mind. They will be going to college in three years and be on their own. I think I can work something out satisfactorily with Tamesha’s family. After all, their daughter and Wanda will be marrying in a few years.” The Wizard looked over at the group of girls who were congratulating Penny on her transformation. Several of them including Penny were in tears

“I don’t see any reason to erase the memories of anyone in that group. Of course they won’t be able to discuss what happened with anyone else. Penny will be alright. I see she’s had a good drink of her Coke. Here’s a bottle of the special buffered magic pills. They will help her keep her feet on the ground over the next week or so. She’s going to be fine.

“Okay, get everyone together and I will transport you down to Dry Lake. Your group is about a half mile from there. I’ve moved and converted all of Penny’s possessions from Camp Coyote to your cabin. I’ll go talk to Ginny and Richard in Modesto about their new foster children. I’ll move Penny and Wanda’s personal possessions to the Chronister’s as soon as I talk to them. I’ll probably have to make an addition to their house.”

“Your Wisdom, I think you’d better tell Penny and Wanda what’s in store for them,” Rhonda said as she looked over at the happy group.

“Dang, this CRS is catching up with me. This will only take a minute.”

“What is CRS?” Lanu asked.

“Can’t remember, er, stuff,” Rhonda replied.

Marti giggled.

The Wizard took the two girls aside and quickly explained what was going to happen. Wanda and Penny spontaneously gave him a big hug, and before he could get away, Penny kissed him on the cheek.

As The Wizard had instructed, they grasped hands, and a nanosecond later were standing in the clearing at the mouth of Dry Lake.

“I’ve given Penny some of the standard memories that Cindy, Bobbie, Randi and Charli put together for cases like this. She should be fine. I’ve taken care of all the transportation changes. Now it’s off to Modesto to talk to Ginny and Richard.

“Wolf, Padrona, we have to go.” They’d been showing the girls pictures of their children. Don’t ask how they did it. They’d been getting quite a bit of attention. With the standard “pop” of imploding air, The Wizard and his companions disappeared.

The group still had a three thousand foot drop and seven-plus miles to contend with. They made record time down the hill and three hours later they met the bus at the parking area at the trail head. They weren’t going to have to walk the last mile and a half back to their camps. The bus to Camp Coyote had one less passenger, and the bus to Camp Bear Paw had one more. The girl’s cabin now had a full complement.

Penny quite easily slips into girlhood thanks to some programming developed by Charli, Bobbie, Cindy, and Randi. Camp is drawing to a close, and Marti and Lanu have to work out the plans for the future get together. They also have questions about Arnold and his family. Either there’s another witch nearby (they didn’t think about that) or The Wizard is involved. That is more likely the case.

Marti and the Doppelganger
Chapter 10

 
Introduction: This is another story in the Cynthia Chronicles series. Other stories in the series are An Incremental Journey, Cynthia and the Reluctant Girlfriend, Cynthia and the Dumpster Diver, Cynthia and the Moment of Truth, Cynthia and the High School Years - Part I, Cynthia and the High School Years - Part II, Charli and the Girl Cave, Bobbie and the Glass Ceiling, Randi and the College Professor, Adam and the Three Wishes, Lisa and the Culinary Quest (aka Howard and the Completed pass), Cynthia and the Solicitous Sisters-in-Law, Cynthia and the Queen of the Knight, and Cynthia and the Dropped Ball. The time frame of this story follows about three to four years after Charli and the Girl Cave. This story takes place a little more than a year after Bobbie Anderson wins the (British) Open and about ten years after Simoné and the Second Time Around.

Marti returns home after she and Lanu have consolidated the details of the upcoming family reunion. Marti brings her mother in on what’s happening. Needless to say, Marissa overcome with emotion. The word goes out that there will be a family reunion. The recipients don’t know where. Randi is brought into the know.

 

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This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

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Chapter 10
 

“Marti, what do you think about Arnold and his family? We’ve been ‘talking’ with them almost every night. From what I know about raccoons their behavior is definitely out of the ordinary.”

“I would say that it’s centered on Rhonda. She may not be a witch, but she does have certain talents. It reminds me a bit about Charli and Tommie. They’re cousins and both of them demonstrated the ability to communicate with animals before their transformations. Did you get the impression that The Wizard seemed to be, I don’t want to say familiar, let’s say very open to her. I have a feeling he’s going to do something. We probably don’t need to be talking with her about it. If he’s going to do something, he’ll do it in his own time and way.”

Ginny sent emails to both Wanda and Penny welcoming them to their new home and family. The Wizard had added two bedrooms with baths and a second floor to their house. Of course, no one in the neighborhood noticed the addition. Putting Penny with Ginny had been a very good decision as Ginny had undergone a similar transformation many years before. She had been a department store Santa, about ready to have a fatal heart attack when Cindy and Bobbie had discovered him and brought in The Wizard to perform an emergency transformation. She took the place of a recently deceased child and helped heal a family.

Although not magic, she frequently came to the assistance of The Wizard and his East Coast friends. She knew she owed them that and more. Her husband was more than happy to assist.

Penny had 9 young women to assist her if any questions came up. She was very pleased with the instruction program The Wizard had given her. Marti explained that in the past he had relied on many of his prejudices when providing instruction to a transformee. Cindy, Bobbie, Randi, and Charli put together an instruction program that would adapt to the age and coloring of an individual. For makeup, all one had to do was look into a mirror, think about what she needed to address, and the instructions would pop right up. The ‘girl’ things such as hygiene were there, also. Sex education was also well developed. Ovulation would not start for 90 days if the new girl was past menarche. All in all it had turned out to be an excellent program, and any MTF transformees would get a copy. The program did not overwrite the transformee’s personality, and once that person’s skills were well developed the program went to an inactive file. They had developed a similar program for FTM transformees. It was more concentrated on basic hygiene and sex education.

“Marti, have you ever seen someone as happy as Penny is. That girl is smiling from the time she gets up until she goes to bed. She’s even smiling in her sleep.”

“That happens quite frequently. I’ve never seen anyone unhappy after their transitions. That is not quite right. Four years ago, there was a group bent on killing The Wizard because of what he’d done to them. Twelve of the fifteen finally realized that he’d given them another chance at life and they were far better off than they had been before. There were three of them who went as far as trying to shoot him. Of course, it didn’t work. As he put it, he’d been too lenient the first time. He sent them all the way back to being embryos. What’s ironic is that they were born to three of the women he’d previously changed. They were fully aware of that fact, and they are determined to raise their babies the right way. So far, so good. Their little girls have been doing fine. The Wizard might let them remember their previous lives one of these days. I don’t think he will, though. All three had been hired killers. I think finding that out might be too traumatic for them. I don’t think that will come up for quite a while. I could be wrong. It’s difficult to outguess The Wizard.

“His Wisdom has been very hands off so far about the revelations we’ve uncovered. I know he will be ready to help us at a moment’s notice, but I think he wants us to put together a plan. I’ve been thinking about this quite a bit since we’ve taken care of these other problems.

“If this is going to be a surprise, I don’t think we can pull it off without help from the inside. There’s only one person whom I can think of that I want to get involved. This is going to be big: major big.

“This is what I want to do. First ….

“Well, you’re going to have to tell me all about it. I can certainly tell that you had a great time. This new friend of yours sounds very interesting.”

The airport shuttle had been waiting for Marti as she exited baggage claim. She’d had a wonderful time and couldn’t wait to tell her mother about what had happened. She’d just have to present what she knew in such a way that would get her mother totally involved. She went over the plans she and Lanu had put together. She couldn’t see anything wrong with what they’d decided to do. Still, it would all depend on how her mother reacted.

The shuttle had driven all the way to the top of their driveway. Of course it wouldn’t have stopped half way. Her mother was waiting for her as the van stopped. The driver retrieved the luggage and Marissa gave him a handsome tip. They rolled the two bags into the kitchen. The bags would stay there for a while. Marti knew her mother would be okay with what she was going to tell her. After all, a tremendous hole in her life was about to be filled up.

“Yes, she is wonderful. We hit it off immediately.”

“I have the feeling that there is a lot more about her than you told me in your emails and texts. You deliberately avoided telling me quite a bit, didn’t you.”

“Yes I did, and you will understand why in just a minute. This is so exciting. Here’s her picture. What do you think?”

“What a beautiful young woman. She’s Polynesian, isn’t she?”

“She’s half Polynesian and she’s a witch. She’s from American Samoa. Look at her ears and eyes. See anything familiar?”

“My goodness, if it wasn’t for her fuller lips, nose and complexion, you two could be sisters.”

“What do you think of this picture?”

“Where did you get this? I never wore a dress like this. Did someone photo shop this?”

“No. Lanu had a similar reaction when she saw your picture. Mom, this is your twin sister, Elizabeth. Lanu and I are first cousins.”

“Oh my God. I’ve often wondered about that. This is remarkable. I have a sister.” The tears were starting to flow.

“She’s in Samoa, and she doesn’t have a clue about you. As difficult as this may be to believe, this is only the tip of the iceberg.”

“Does His Wisdom know about this?”

“Yes, and he was as surprised as we were. He’s letting me and Lanu, her full name is Lanu’ese’ese Vaeaolesau, work this thing out.”

“All right, take a look at this picture. Who is this?”

“Oh my, that looks quite a bit like Simoné. It isn’t, is it?”

“Nope, that’s Margaret Simard Vaeaolesau. She celebrated her 206th birthday last year. She was hurt in a shipwreck and doesn’t remember anything about Simoné or Bev. She’s lost thirty years or more of memory. I’m sure The Wizard will fix that in due time. She is Lanu’s great-great-great-great grandmother.

“Mom, you have two nieces and two nephews, and they are all carrying the witch trait. Lanu’s sister is also a witch. There is something else. They are also carrying the wizard trait.”

“What does His Wisdom think about that?”

“He’s ecstatic. That means in a few generations there might be several more wizards. Myrna has already confirmed the trait is there. She’s hoping to go to Samoa soon so she can track how many are carrying the magic and wizard traits. This is a tremendous opportunity for all of us.”

“Since The Wizards seems to have put you and your cousin in charge of this, do you mind telling me what you have in mind?”

“Mom, when was the last time you and Dad took a vacation; a real vacation?”

“It’s certainly been a while. We had a nice weekend over in New Bedford when Tommie was brought into the circle. That really was a wonderful weekend. Tommie has become a beautiful young woman.

“As you know, we had a coven meeting there last week. Everyone asked about you.”

“Mom, you and Dad haven’t had a real vacation in more than four years. Bobbie’s parents haven’t either. Mr. Brewer is a workaholic. Sometimes I think he thinks he’s still in the Air Force.”

“What do you have in mind? As if I didn’t know.”

“We’re going to have a family reunion in Pago Pago, and everyone is going to be there. I mean everyone. Not everyone’s going to be able to take a slow boat to Samoa; however, I’m sure His Wisdom will be able to work out the transportation for those who can’t take the time off.

“Obviously, some of us are going to have to know what’s going on. Lanu is going to handle things on her end. I was thinking about how nice it would be if we could take a cruise over there but there’s just not enough time. I’m afraid we’ll have to ask His Wisdom to help.

“Okay, here’s the guest list.”

“My goodness that is quite a list. Where’s everyone going to stay?”

“Lanu is making all the arrangements. She has a copy of the list. We have two weeks to get ready.”

“Ivana, I just received a strange email from Marissa. We need to set a week aside to take a trip. She says we need to pack our swim suits. I hope no one cares about my baby bump.”

“Sissy,” Ivana had started calling Simoné Sissy several years before. She’d learned the name from Simoné’s sister. Simoné had no problem with it. “Sissy, I love your baby bump, and no one is going to care one bit about it.”

“Well, you get to show off your fabulous figure while I waddle around with this protrusion.”

“It was your turn. We agreed on that. Besides, you are going to get all the attention.”

“I don’t think so. Terrie’s pregnant, too. I think she’s expecting around Christmas.

“About this trip, Marissa says the destination is a surprise; however, it’s very important that we go. The Wizard will supply the transportation.”

“Tom, I just received a note from Marissa. Apparently there’s going to be a very important meeting somewhere, and she’s asked that all of us, including the kids, be ready to take a trip somewhere to be revealed at a later date.”

“I won’t have any trouble getting off. I’ll just have to let them know the dates. Are Rosemary and Lisa invited?”

“I don’t think so. Apparently, this is a family thing.”

“Family? How can this be a family thing? We’re not related to the Lewis’s.”

“I don’t know; however, we’re invited. There must be a reason.

“Oh, I just received an email from Bev. Wow! It seems that she and Debbie have been invited, too. And here’s a note from Mom. Yep, she and Dad have been invited. This is really getting weird.”

“Cindy, I just received a note from your mother saying that there is some sort of family meeting at a place to be disclosed later. She’s sent a note to you and Don’s family.”

“I just received it, too. Apparently, this is something very important. I wonder why you’re included. I know we’re as close as sisters, but we’re not related. Is Andy invited?”

“All of us are. I was checking the dates, and Andy isn’t playing that week. He’s resting up to get ready to defend his FedEx Cup Championship. Your mom says we should bring our clubs, too.”

“I see we’re supposed to meet with all our baggage and passports at a place to be revealed later. The Wizard will be there. Obviously, he’s involved.”

“What do you think is going on?”

“Bobbie, I don’t have a clue.”

“Frank, are you and Avery able to get off for about a week in two weeks? Myrna and I just received a note from Mom saying that we’ve been requested to attend some sort of meeting somewhere.”

“Yes, Avery told me all about it. Apparently Myrna has known about this for a while. She’s very excited according to Avery.”

“I think I’d better see that young lady in person. She didn’t say anything to me about anything special.

“Are you going to be able to be home for dinner? I’m fixing lamb chops. After that steak of yours the other night, I had to think of something special. If you’re real nice, I might have something special for you after dessert. Betty’s staying overnight with a friend.”

“I’ll be there my randy Randi. You can bet on it.”

“Careful, I might just change my mind.”

“Oops.”

Myrna’s office wasn’t far from Randi’s. It was only a short walk from the Chemistry Building to the Biology Building.

“Okay Myrna, just what is going on? Frank says you’ve known for quite a while that something was up.”

“Just this,” she said turning her computer screen to Randi. “I know you won’t have any trouble understanding it.”

It took Randi only 10 seconds, probably less to decipher what she was seeing.

“Holy shit! How many people know about this?”

“Marti discovered it. It seems your cousin, previously unknown even by The Wizard and his group, whoever they are, showed up at the same camp as Marti. It didn’t take long for them to figure things out. Take a look at these pictures.”

“OMG, they are identical. I don’t think I would be able to tell them apart.”

“I want you to look up this line. There are many blanks to fill in; however, take a look at this picture.”

“She certainly looks familiar.”

“She should. One of her daughters lives in Braşov, Romania.”

“But, everyone thought she was dead.”

“Nope, alive and well, she will be celebrating her 207th birthday in a few weeks.”

“So, who knows about this?”

“You, your mother, Marti, Lanu, His Wisdom, and me. Marti brought me in immediately. She even sent a DNA sample to me via His Wisdom. I haven’t been so excited about something since Avery, Jr. stopped trying to bite through my nipple. I think he learned it from his father.”

All good things must begin somewhere. Tissue alert.

Marti and the Doppelganger
Chapter 11

 
Introduction: This is another story in the Cynthia Chronicles series. Other stories in the series are An Incremental Journey, Cynthia and the Reluctant Girlfriend, Cynthia and the Dumpster Diver, Cynthia and the Moment of Truth, Cynthia and the High School Years - Part I, Cynthia and the High School Years - Part II, Charli and the Girl Cave, Bobbie and the Glass Ceiling, Randi and the College Professor, Adam and the Three Wishes, Lisa and the Culinary Quest (aka Howard and the Completed pass), Cynthia and the Solicitous Sisters-in-Law, Cynthia and the Queen of the Knight, and Cynthia and the Dropped Ball. The time frame of this story follows about three to four years after Charli and the Girl Cave. This story takes place a little more than a year after Bobbie Anderson wins the (British) Open and about ten years after Simoné and the Second Time Around.

Marti and Lanu introduce their mothers to each other. As Lanu says, “That went rather well.” Many have no idea about the last act. Simoné and Bev are to say the least, surprised. Love heals.

 

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This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

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Chapter 11
 

Beth Vaeaolesau was double checking the lists for the upcoming party. Gramma Margaret had insisted that it not be a birthday party; just a family reunion. However, she was the only one receiving presents. Most of the family still lived on the island, but more and more were going to college in the US and elsewhere. Three of her (Margaret’s) great, great whatever grandchildren were playing NFL Football, and they and their families were firmly ensconced in the US. Beth had tried to schedule things so that they could come back before training camps opened up. As things looked right now, they could expect around 70 guests.

She was a bit worried about her youngest daughter. Ever since she’d returned from that camp in the US, she seemed to have changed. She seemed to be a bit preoccupied. She had mentioned she’d made some great friends, and she seemed to be texting them all the time. She had plenty of friends at home, but there was something different going on. She’d just have to wait and see. She’d always trusted Lanu to do the right thing. It was just that something strange was going on and she couldn’t put her finger on it.

“Mom, how’re the plans coming along.”

“I think things are pretty well firmed up. Why?”

“I think we might have to make some adjustments.”

“What on earth for? Are there a bunch of cancellations?”

“No, I’m afraid it’s just the opposite. I’d like you to meet someone.

“Marti, come on in.”

Beth looked up to see a very attractive flame haired girl enter the room.

“Mom, this is Martha, Marti, Lewis. She was my cabin mate in California.

“I can tell by your expression you realize Marti’s one of us.”

“Mrs. Vaeaolesau, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard quite a bit about you and I even knew things about you that Lanu didn’t know.”

“Such as?” a very puzzled Beth asked.

“Mom, you never told me you used to be a brunette,” Lanu said with a little smirk. She was enjoying the interplay.

“What? How on earth did you find out about that? Everything changed; even the pictures. That happened so long ago.”

“Maybe this will help,” Marti said.

“Mom, I think you should come in now.”

“Aunt Beth, it’s time you met your sister, Marissa Lewis.”

“Aunt Marissa, this is your sister, Elizabeth Vaeaolesau.”

Marissa thought she’d be prepared for their meeting; however, her emotions overflowed. Beth was in shock. The sisterly bond that should have been there all their lives was finally realized.

Marti and Lanu, holding each other close and with tears streaming down their faces watched their mothers embracing each other.

“That went rather well,” Lanu whispered to Marti.

Elekana Vaeaolesau and Stan Lewis had moved into the room to see their wives during an exceptionally emotional time. Lanu had told her father about what was going on several days before. He was very good at keeping a secret. Both of their sons and families and his oldest daughter were also brought into the secret; well most of it, anyway.

By design, the secrets would not be revealed all at once, and that was what mystified Bev, Simoné, the Matthews and their families. His Wisdom brought them in the day after Marissa (Mari) and Beth’s meeting. The Wizard used his anti-jet lag and time change spell, and after an hour to get settled, the new arrivals met in the dining room with those who had arrived earlier. Of course, considerable time was taken with introductions and explaining what the situation was to this point.

“As many of you are aware, Great Gramma Vaeaolesau is the real reason for our celebration each year.” Beth was addressing a group that had boarded the tourist bus at their luxury hotel. The bus would be heading to a place unknown by most on the island. Elekana was the driver. The Matthews, Terri, Jim, Melanie, Adam and Jim Jr; Terri’s parents; Bev, her companion Debbie; Simoné, Ivana, Georg, Beverly, and Margaret were among those taking the trip. The Wizard, dressed in his tropical finery, a Hawaiian shirt and shorts (a bit outdated), with Wolf and Padrona, had the seats of honor at the front of the bus.

“She is not aware of whom is taking this little trip. Gramma moved to this location shortly after 1900 with her beloved Aleki. He is buried in a little garden not far away from where we are going. It is only a short walk from the house, and I’m sure those of you who have not been here before will want to go there. Aleki and Gramma were married for 80 years.

“Gramma arrived here in 1877, a victim of a shipwreck caused by a typhoon. She’d been injured in the wreck, but quickly recovered. As some of us know now, her recovery was not complete.”

By this time the bus had been on the road for a while following Highway 1 along the south coast before turning north on Highway 6 to follow a rather circuitous path over a pass to the village of Afano and the north shore of the island. After a mountain hugging trip, they arrived at the village of Vatia.

“Grandpa Aleki found her washed up on the beach and carried her back to the orphanage where he lived and worked. She had taken a rather severe blow to the head. Mrs. McDonald treated her wound which healed with no trace of it ever having happened in a matter of days. She remembered leaving Atlanta, Georgia with her husband. Unfortunately, her husband drowned in the wreck.”

Bev suddenly grabbed her sister’s hand. “Oh my God.”

“You’re right, Bev.”

That’s when it hit Simoné. “Mother?”

“Margaret Simard washed ashore that day thinking she and her husband had left Atlanta; however, they had actually left New Haven, Connecticut. As some of us know now, she has a hole of about 40 years in her memory.

“I know many of you have been wondering why you were invited on this little adventure. I found out I had a sister, that I had a huge family out there that I knew nothing about. Marissa’s family has found out the same thing. However, we are even more connected than we ever thought possible. I’m sure Myrna will work out all the connections.

“Okay, we are as far as the bus can take us. Many of us will recognize the barrier Gramma put up as we pass through the gate. I spent my summers here as a child while Gramma trained me. I was the first magic person she could remember contacting. She found me when I was with my parents at a grocery store.”

Beth led the group up the winding drive to a modest home. Margaret was standing on the small covered porch. She could have been a fraternal twin of Simoné. Her long dark hair fell to below her waist.

“Well, this is quite an honor. Who are all these people? I had no idea there were so many of us.”

“These are your family, Great Gramma. I found out about them when I was in the US,” Lanu proudly proclaimed.

“My family? Who are these other people?”

Simoné turned to her sister who was in her naturally young appearing form. They grasped hands and stepped forward.

“Hello Mother, it’s been a long time, hasn’t it.” Simoné couldn’t keep back the tears.

Margaret was definitely puzzled. “Mother? I don’t think I understand.”

By this time Bev and Simoné were grasping their mother’s hands in theirs. They flooded her with all the warmth they could muster. Margaret’s hands started to tremble, and then her body was wracked with sobs. Three women couldn’t have held each other any closer.

The Island of Tutuila had never seen such a party.

That’s it for now; however, this story left many things unanswered that will certainly have to be addressed. One of them is a sapient raccoon and his family. We still know nothing about Marissa and Elizabeth’s origin. Are there other unknown siblings out there? There must be a family line out there somewhere. I have often wondered about some of the other witches that showed up in previous stories whose genetic line is not known. Myrna is going to be very busy.

Marti and the Doppelganger – A Follow Up,

or What Happened to Those Raccoons, Anyway

 
Introduction: This story is a 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 submission will be in ten parts. All are completed. Any errors are mine and I will gladly accept constructive criticism; as long as you’re nice.

The story begins with The Wizard meeting with the raccoon family we met in the previous story, “Marti and the Doppelganger.” This story is also a follow up to the stories of Wanda, Tamesha, Penny, and Sidney. We only know what happened to Sidney. We haven’t actually met Sidney until now.

 

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This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

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“I’m sorry, Sir, do we know you?”

“Well, not directly. I am a good friend of Rhonda McKenzie.”

“Anyone could say that. Look, you are scaring the wife and children. That’s not very nice.”

“Do you remember Marti and Lanu?” the robed man asked.

“Well, yes. We could converse with them quite easily. I explained to Lanu that my name was not Ricky; that it was a bit silly. I think I said it was prosaic. Rhonda always called me that, I just couldn’t get it across to her that I was not a cartoon character.”

“How did you know that ‘Ricky’ was a cartoon character?”

“I think that was before Misty was born. Yes, that’s right. She was born before the people cleared the roads. We’d set up housekeeping in a cabin up the way. That was five years ago; the year of that big snow. The owners had left quite a bit of food, and for some reason they’d left the power on. We’d discovered how the remote for the TV and audio system worked, and Arnold Jr., and Danny liked to watch the television. There were those cartoon shows. We couldn’t make much sense out of them, but I remembered that Rhonda kept calling me Ricky. For some reason I connected that to that silly cartoon. I don’t really understand why.”

“You don’t seem to have much of a problem relating to that cartoon, now.”

“That’s the strangest thing. All of us started to be able to understand what people were saying. We couldn’t make the same noises they made, but we could understand them.”

“Don’t you find it strange that you can understand me, and I can understand you?”

“We do.” By this time Harriet was sitting next to her husband. The children were lingering back a bit, but listening to the conversation.

“What do your friends and associates think about you and your family?”

“Not much. They don’t talk to us anymore. They avoid us.”

“Would you like to have a larger family group?”

“I think so.

“What do you think, Harriet?”

“Our children need to have friends. No one around here wants to associate with us. I remember those nice girls we met last year. The children really liked them. Rhonda was nice, too. There were all those other groups, but Rhonda didn’t come back after that summer. The people this year weren’t nearly as nice as she was.”

“Would you like to see Rhonda again, and see Marti and Lanu?”

“That would be nice, but they’re not nearby,” Arnold said.

“I can take you to them. I’m sure you would be welcomed. The area is quite a bit warmer, but there is a nice little river there. There are many more people there, but they are generally friendly.”

“Is it very far?” Harriet asked.

“I can take you there in seconds,” the robed man said. “If you don’t like it, I’ll bring you right back.”

“Children, would you like to take a trip?” Arnold asked.

“What’s a trip?” Arnold, Jr. asked.

“It’s like going to the other side of the river to that church camp, just further,” Arnold, Jr’s father said.

“That sounds like fun,” Misty said. “I’d like to see Rhonda and her friends again.”

“How was your weekend with Mike? I haven’t much of a chance to talk with you with everything that’s been going on these last few weeks. Actually, I don’t think I have to ask seeing that grin you can’t seem to wipe off your face.” Sara McKenzie was poking a bit of fun at her daughter, Rhonda, who’d spent the weekend with her fiancé in San Francisco. They had attended a major concert the previous Saturday, but had gone over on a Friday before returning on mid Monday.

Sara thought the world of Mike Payne who’d been Rhonda’s boyfriend, now much more, since their sophomore year in high school. The fact that they would give her grandchildren was a given. The fact that they would pass on the magic gene to their daughters, and some of their boys, was also very important. The chance that their daughters might be witches was of great importance, too. However, the fact that her daughter and future son-in-law were deeply in love was the most important of all.

“We had a great time, Mom. We were lucky in that we’d made our reservations so long ago. With that concert and the Giants being in town, the hotel was full. I’m glad we splurged for the suite at the beginning. There was no way you could have ‘worked’ an upgrade for us. Thanks for the flowers and the Champagne. I put the flowers in a vase in the living room. Needless to say, the Champagne didn’t last very long.

“I love him so much, Mom.”

“I know, dear. We all love him. You’re just so lucky that you found him so soon.”

“I was Skyping with Randi last night. She had some questions about some local trips, and wanted my recommendations. I told her that Mike and I were engaged. I think she knew. The word does get around rather quickly with this bunch. She told me that she and Frank fell in love in about two minutes. I knew it almost that quickly when I met Mike. There was never any question.”

“I think we all knew it almost as soon as you did,” Sara said as she looked out the kitchen window and across their backyard overlooking the beautiful park that contained Chico Creek. The park ran for more than three miles east of downtown Chico. It was the pride of the city.

“Well, that’s something I never expected to see at this time of day.”

“What, Mom?”

“There’re two adult raccoons and three younger raccoons sitting up at the edge of the patio. They appear to be looking directly at me.”

“Ohmygod, that can’t be,” Rhonda said as came to the counter to see the five raccoons, obviously expecting something, sitting at the edge of their covered patio.

“It can’t be, but it has to be. That’s Ricky, er Arnold; his wife, Harriet; Arnold Jr, Danny and Misty. But what are they doing here? They live in southern California.”

“I think your answer is sitting in the lounge chair drinking a cup of Starbucks coffee.”

The Wizard has moved the raccoon family to Central California. The reason for this may never be known; however, The Wizard usually has a good reason for what he does. In Chapter 2 we meet Rhonda’s family, as does the Procyon family. Rhonda and her mother wonder what’s going on.

Marti and the Doppelganger – A Follow Up,

or What Happened to Those Raccoons, Anyway

 
Introduction: This story is a 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 second part of ten.

As we know, the Raccoons and The Wizard have shown up in Chico, California. As to why they are there, we may never know. But then again ….

 

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This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

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Sara greeted The Wizard as Rhonda greeted her friends from Southern California.

“What are you doing here?” she exclaimed as she hugged them to her. There was no resistance on their part.

“His Wisdom suggested we might like a change of scenery. He thought we should take a trip, and here we are, wherever that is. Those mountains don’t seem to be very big,” Arnold ‘said’ as he looked off to the east.

“You can understand me and I can understand you? What happened?”

“It was some time after you left last year. We were checking out a cabin, looking for food. The owner had left the door unlocked. We thought they were gone for the year. Junior stands on my back so he can turn the knob. If the door is locked, we look elsewhere. We don’t break in like we used to eight or nine years ago. There’s just no need. Anyway, the owner came home and surprised us eating the dog biscuits. He started shouting at us, calling us all sorts of things that weren’t very nice. Hey, we wouldn’t have gone in if he’d locked the door.

“He started to say something about getting his gun, and we decided we’d best get out of there. That’s when we realized we could understand humans. Well, we could understand Lanu and Marti just fine, but that was different.

“You know how we fatten up for winter. That helps us through the tough times. We spent most of the winter around that church camp on the other side of the river. We found a nice place under one of the cabins, and they fed us more than we needed. They were real nice, and they loved to play with the children. There was a different group there every week, but we wanted to get back to Camp Bear Paw to see you when summer started. Then we found out you weren’t there. Not only that, a strange group of raccoons had moved in. They made it very clear they didn’t want us around. We didn’t know any of them.”

“Well, you don’t have worry about a thing, if you want to stay here for a while,” Sara said. She’d obviously been listening in on the conversation.

Rhonda was tearing a bit. She’d thought she’d never see her friends from the south again. How much she’d missed them, she was just beginning to realize.

“Your Wisdom, I know you brought them here. I really did miss them. Why did you do it?"

“Well, they just needed to be where they might be protected a bit more than they were at their previous location. There was nothing there for them anymore.”

“I’m not sure I understand.”

Miranda, a very pretty Maine Coon Cat and Sara’s familiar, spoke up. She’d been checking the raccoon family out, and had been having some private time with Misty. They’d seemed to connect immediately. “Rhonda, how long do raccoons live in the wilds?”

“I don’t know; maybe 10 years or more.” Rhonda was a bit puzzled by the question.

“Arnold, how old are you?” Miranda asked.

“Let’s see, I’ve known Rhonda for seven years. Harriet and I have been together for nine years. I think we met when I was three. I guess that means I’m 12 and Harriet’s 11. Why?”

“Before you came here, how many raccoons were there left from your childhood?”

“Well, there was David, but he died right after Arnold, Jr. was born. Then there was Lois. No….”

“Harriet, when did Lois pass away?”

“That hussy, she couldn’t wait to get her claws into you. She passed away just before David. She was older than you anyway. I never did see what you saw in her.”

“Look, I never did like her. I only had eyes for you.”

“Okay, you two,” Sara interjected, “I think Miranda’s just trying to make a point.”

“Your Wisdom,” Sara said turning to The Wizard, “what’s the average life span of raccoons in the wild?”

“I just consulted Wikipedia. It’s 1.8 to 3.1 years. We have a bit of an enigma, don’t we? I’m sure all of you can work it out eventually.

“Arnold, do you think you and your family would be happy around here?”

“I guess so. What do you think Harriet?”

“It does seem nice with that river down there, but there are so many people.”

“Mom, what if we put a door in the shed for them. There’s plenty of room there, and they could use Miranda’s door to come in the house.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem at all. We have a spare pet door, and your father can install it,” Sara said.

“Would you mind?” The Wizard asked. He waved his hand, and a very nice pet door appeared in the side of the shed. “How’s that?”

“Is that acceptable?” Rhonda asked.

“If that will keep out of the rain and snow, it would be very nice,” Harriet said. “Besides, I do need a shelter for the little one.”

“What?” Arnold figuratively shouted.

“I’ve been meaning to tell you, but with all that’s been going on ….”

Finally getting his wits together, Arnold asked, “When is this going to happen?”

“I don’t know. Things don’t seem to be working like they used to. Something tells me I’m supposed to have babies in the spring. I think this is autumn. I don’t really understand.”

“Don’t worry about it,” The Wizard said. “You can have babies when you want them. I know you wanted another baby, and I have it on good authority that you’re going to have a little girl right around Halloween. That should give you enough time to get settled in.”

“Well, hello everyone. Your Wisdom, it’s so nice to see you. Are you looking forward to the convention? Naomi and Sara have been pretty busy.” The voice was coming from Rhonda’s father, who along with Mike Payne, had just come out of the family room onto the patio. They’d been playing golf at the country club that was located just a couple of miles up the river. He and Mike shook The Wizard’s hand. They had been acquainted for quite a while.

“What do we have here?” Steve McKenzie said pointing to the raccoon family.

“Daddy, this is Arnold, his wife Harriet, and top to bottom are Arnold, Jr. Danny, and Misty. Arnold was my friend at summer camp. I know I told you about him.”

“Hello there, and welcome to Chico.”

“Thank you Mr. McKenzie. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Well, that was a bit unexpected. I probably don’t need to ask what’s going on.”

Rhonda and Mike were sharing a fairly chaste kiss.

“Ew, you’re all sweaty and smelly.”

“What do you expect, Ronnie? Your father and I walked 18 holes.”

“He didn’t beat you too badly, did he, dad?”

“No more than usual. He gave me five strokes a side, and beat me by only three strokes. I had a pretty good round; shot an 81 with nothing worse than a bogey. If I could only chip.

“Do you think Bobbie could give me a couple pointers? I need to get some money back.”

“Mike, you’re not taking Daddy’s money, are you?”

“Let’s see, he lost thirty cents today at ten cents a hole; however, he bought a coke for me. So I guess we’re even.”

By this time, Mike was carrying Arnold, Jr. and somehow Misty had ended up in Rhonda’s arms.

Arnold and Harriet were checking out the shed along with Danny. It didn’t take long for them to return and give their approval. Sara promised to supply some bedding. An old doghouse inside the shed would give Arnold and Harriet some private space.

Sara, by this time had brought out a pitcher of iced tea and a basket of snacks. The Wizard had long since disposed of his cup of coffee, and was partaking of the iced tea along with everyone else.

“You know,” Rhonda said with a bit of a puzzled voice, “I wish I knew what was going on. I mean I am so glad that Arnold and his family are safe and I don’t have to worry about them. It’s just that it’s a bit unexpected.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about it,” The Wizard said. “We have a big meeting coming up. Maybe we will have some answers by then.”

“Your Wisdom, I learned long ago not to question what you are doing. What you, Lanu and Marti did for Penny, Wanda, Lily, and Tamesha was wonderful. Penny and Wanda are so happy living with the Chronisters. I talk with them almost weekly. They’re not that far away, and I’ve been down to see them twice. They just radiate happiness.

“Wanda and Tamesha are so much in love it almost makes me cry. I think they are going to apply for admission to the University of the Pacific in Stockton. Their grades are outstanding, and Wanda doesn’t have to worry about her parents interfering. Penny is captain of the soccer team, and she has a boyfriend who worships the ground she walks on. I met him. I told her to wait two more years before seducing him. I told her there would be a very nice surprise for both of them if they did. She’s still a bit overwhelmed by what happened.

“Your Wisdom, you know she loves you very much. As far as she’s concerned, you can do no wrong.”

“I wish that were true,” The Wizard said quietly.

“I need to get back to the shop. Randi’s been holding down the fort; however, there are going to be some troublemakers showing up. She’s in charge, though. I just have to be there. I need to feed Wolf and family. They can’t get into the treats because they don’t have opposable thumbs.”

There were some quick hugs before he disappeared.

“Mom, do you have any idea what’s going on?”

“Not a clue.”

We will now take a brief break from California to catch up on how things are going with Simoné, Ivana, and Margaret. Margaret has adjusted very easily to the fact she has two daughters whom she had totally forgotten about, and are witches, and are providing her with more grandchildren. Simoné had been pregnant when we last saw her. Now is time for little Raisa to make her appearance.

Marti and the Doppelganger – A Follow Up,

or What Happened to Those Raccoons, Anyway, Chapter 3

 
Introduction: This story is a 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 third part of ten.

Margaret (Simard) Vaeaolesau recovered rather quickly after having regained nearly 40 years of lost memory. To say she is happy is an understatement. She visits Simoné and Ivana for the birth of their fourth child. Margaret learns more about how they conceived their children.

 

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This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

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Margaret Vaeaolesau checked over everything in her pleasant cottage on the north side of Tutuila, the largest island in American Samoa. Her daughter Simoné, Simoné’s wife, Ivana and their children would be arriving within the hour. The Wizard had said they would show up with their four children, cats and luggage at exactly 4:00 PM local time. As far as she knew, that was when they would be arriving. She hadn’t known The Wizard that long, but she had come to respect him very quickly. He had been honest and up front with her and her family. He had explained to her how important her lineage was to the survival of magic.

The remains of her first husband, there wasn’t much, were now buried next to those of her second husband, Aleki. She felt no guilt. Douglas had been a very good husband, lover, and provider. He was very supportive, and understood the difficulties she experienced being magic. Neither of them had full comprehension of what her abilities entailed. Nor did they understand how their daughters also had the same powers as she.

They were trying to make a new life where they might be able to hide. Douglas was older than Margaret and starting to turn grey. To make things less complicated, they thought that the best thing to do was to have him take the role of her father. Of course, he drowned in the shipwreck, and she was badly injured. That had been in 1877. She had forgotten about her daughters and more than 30 years of her past. That had all changed when two beautiful young women had taken her hands and brought about the healing of her mind. The event had been overwhelming. Her daughters held her for several hours after her memory was restored.

As strange as it was, The Wizard didn’t have to do a thing. She knew now what he was capable of doing; however, for those few hours, he just stayed in the background. He’d bring in some coffee and sweets every once in a while until Margaret got her feet on the ground. It helped considerably that her daughters hadn’t changed too much. Yes, they were mature women now, and Simoné was obviously pregnant, but she knew who they were instantly when they had assaulted her with all that love. As she found out, they had been almost as surprised as she was.

She had learned so much since then. Her oldest daughter, Bev, spent hours with her, helping her catch up. Then The Wizard took Margaret and Beth to Braşov for the birth of her granddaughter. It was the first time in almost 150 years that she’d been away from Samoa. She wasn’t ignorant of the world. She’d just never seen the reason to leave Samoa. But, in another few months, she would be traveling to California for her first meeting with hundreds of other witches. It was something she had never expected only a few months before.

Getting to know Ivana was a bonus, and knowing about her history was even more so. Ivana was such a warm, loving, and beautiful daughter-in-law. Simoné and Nicolae had been so in love before, and they were so fortunate to find each other again. She knew that the unseen powers had a lot to do with it, but it wasn’t set in stone. Things could have happened that might have prevented their ever coming together again. That didn’t matter, and she just had four more grandchildren to love. Bev never had any magic children, and her line had almost died out until her great, great, grandson had become her great, great granddaughter. Thanks to her, the line was going to flourish. Simone, no Simoné, she was fine with the little name change, was also providing grandchildren. Two of whom she fathered, and two she gave birth to. She still wasn’t sure how The Wizard worked that out; however, the evidence was pretty clear.

The first witch she could recall ever meeting was Elizabeth. At the time, Beth was with her adoptive parents in a grocery store. She was six years old, and she and Beth had ‘connected’ immediately. She knew what she was instantly; their powers were almost identical. She convinced Beth’s parents to let her help Beth with her powers. Surprisingly, even though Beth’s parents were Christian missionaries, their minds were quite objective and open. They knew their adopted daughter was ‘special’. They just didn’t know how special. Beth spent much of each summer for the next 15 years with her “Aunt” Margaret.

Margaret’s reminiscences were interrupted by a gentile knocking at the front door. Ivana and Simoné were standing there with their four children and cats. The Wizard was quietly standing behind them. It was 4:00 PM.

“Gramma!” Nicolae and little Margaret shouted as they rushed their grandmother. The bonding had been almost instantaneous when they’d first met at her 207th birthday party. They and the other children had not been present at the initial meeting on that wonderful day, but it wasn’t long before they did meet her. It would be years before they knew the whole story, but the nice thing was they would know it. Little Georg was right behind his older brother and sister. It had taken about two seconds for him to overcome his initial shyness. Raisa (Rose) was primarily concerned about two things: clean diapers and food. Although the trip from Romania had been almost instantaneous, The Wizard had adjusted their biological clocks to the local time, which meant Raisa was going to be hungry very shortly.

Beth and Margaret had arrived at the hotel overlooking Braşov at about 2:00 PM, two days before the birth of Margaret’s granddaughter, Raisa. They had actually been transported by The Wizard to the train station where Ivana met them with the hotel’s shuttle. There would be other times to take leisurely trips through Europe. Right now, it was more important to be with Simoné.
Simoné, in all her pregnant glory, greeted them at the front door of the hotel. The two ladies standing next to her were introduced as Veronika Pletniev and Darja Pletniev, who had been among the first witches Simoné and Ivana had met in Odessa. They were twin sisters and had formed a close bond with Simoné and Ivana. They were also certified midwives.

“Your rooms are ready for you, and as soon as you’ve had a chance to get settled and cleaned up, everyone is going to meet at our place that’s just down the path over there,” Simoné said as she pointed down a path that passed through a bower of evergreens. “We’re going to have cocktails, wine and some goodies. Then the kitchen is preparing a fabulous dinner. You will also meet some other wonderful people. Ivana has put together a great tour for you. We have some wonderful guides. Needless to say, I am not going to go with you. Our little girl is getting ready to make her debut.

“After you’ve had time to get settled, just come on down. We have a lot to talk about.”

Forty-five minutes later, Beth and Margaret walked hand in hand toward the opulent dacha they’d yet to see.

“Do you sense something?” Beth asked as they passed a large boulder set in the beautiful garden.

“Now that you mention it, I do. There’s been an attempt to hide something. My goodness, that’s an old spell. That’s been there for more than a hundred years. It’s still pretty effective, though. Are you able to penetrate the spell? I think I can.”

“Yes, Bev has been a great help. I think she’s showed us things we’d never have thought about before. I think I recognize Simoné’s work. It’s pretty basic, and she’d had little training at that time. Let’s see. There are 1 – 2 … 500 gold coins. That’s a tidy sum; about 300 ounces of pure gold, worth about a half a million dollars.”

“What about behind that fountain?” Margaret asked.

“Oh my, I hadn’t noticed. There is the same amount there.”

Simoné and Ivana greeted them at the door of the beautiful little dacha. The sound of multiple voices let them know there were other guests.

The next few hours were very enjoyable. In addition to Veronika Pletniev and Darja Pletniev, whom they’d already met, were Dmitri and Serge Prokovief. They were brothers, but not twins. They ran an amusement park on the outskirts of Odessa, and were very intelligent and excellent businessmen. They were also musicians and played with the Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra. The Amusement park was closing down for the season, and they’d accompanied their fiancés to Braşov. The Wizard had already determined they were carriers.

“Oh Simoné, she is beautiful.”

“Mother, how could she not be? Her beauty came from you and her father.”

“I think you and your father had a bit to do with it, too. He would have been so happy to see you, but we know that never could happen.”

“Mom, there’s so much about this world we don’t understand. I wouldn’t be surprised if Father knows exactly what’s been going on.”

“Speaking of knowing what’s going on, how in the world are you and Ivana doing this? He’s not really changing you into men is he, so that you can impregnate each other?”

“No, we may look like men for the public’s sake, but we are only women. The Wizard went back in time and collected sperm from Nicolae before he became sterile. My babies are really Nicolae’s. I think you’ve seen how Ivana reacted when Raisa made her appearance. We have accomplished something that we wanted to do ever since we first fell in love.

“I love her so much, Mom. Everything I loved about Nicolae is still there, and now there is more.”

“But, what about your babies with her?”

“That did take some doing, but it was basically the same thing. Father supplied the sperm. The X-chromosome is the one I would have supplied, had I been a male. The Y-chromosome is his. Our children are your grandchildren as closely as possible. Our daughters are witches and our sons carry the magic heritage. Things really worked out quite well, don’t you think?”

“I know that so well. When you and Bev woke me up, it was such a shock; all that I had forgotten was suddenly all there. More than 30 years of memories were restored in an instant. There were my girls all grown up.

“Several little birds told me that you were quite a ‘bad’ girl.”

“Mom, I met Nicolae when I was 28. I had a college degree from the Sorbonne, and I was quite wealthy. I had known some very interesting and famous men. I had lovers, but all that went away when I met Nicolae. When he died, I was heartbroken. I made a vow to save this place. I kept it safe through two wars and the invasion of the Soviet Union. I made sure that my friends would be safe. I prevented the loss of the property Nicolae and I had given to all our tenants. It wasn’t easy, but I was able to do it. I made sure they would never run out of money. As you found out, there is quite a bit of wealth hidden around here. If anyone here needed it, they would find it.

“I was always close by. They didn’t always know it, but after WW II I made sure that at least one resident knew who I was and how to reach me if necessary. That worked very well. I modernized this wonderful little dacha and made it my home. However, I traveled more and more. I speak a dozen languages fluently, and I speak many dialects within those languages. It has been most useful. I probably used some bad judgment. One of my lovers took several hundred pictures of me; nothing pornographic, you understand.”

“I know, I’ve seen them. Bev showed them to me. I must say, you are really quite pretty, but I must say, I’m a bit shocked. I never thought a daughter of mine would expose herself that way.”

“I’m going to kill her.”

“No, I understand. If I had been in the same situation, I might have done the same. However, Aleki found me, and I had someone to keep me occupied for the next 80 years. You would have loved him. He was special, just like your Nicolae.

“It’s interesting how this works. We live so long, and our lovers seem to have a longer life because of their association with us, but relative to our lives, their lives are comparatively so short.”

“Mom, Aleki is out there. There’s a good chance that you might be together again. I am aware of a number of instances within our families where this sort of thing has happened. Randi is just one of them. So is Cindy for that matter. And of course there is Ivana.

“I think Raisa is ready for a nap. I’m sure glad she’s not having the problems nursing that Margaret had.”

“Problems? What sort of problems?”

“She didn’t want to nurse during the day. She just wanted to sleep. Then it was every two hours all night long. Ivana finally reached her after some long distance advice from Bev. Somehow, she was able to tell her that her behavior wasn’t appreciated, and she’d better adjust her clock. That seemed to work, but as you’ve already noted, Margaret is a headstrong little girl.

Rhonda and her mother talk about magic and why Rhonda can never be completely magic. The visit to American Samoa continues. This is really about a family reuniting.

Marti and the Doppelganger – A Follow Up, or What Happened to Those Raccoons, Anyway, Chapter 4

 
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 fourth part of ten.

Rhonda and her mother discuss being magic. Rhonda tells her as much as she would like to be magic, it’s not possible. We rejoin Simoné and the others in American Samoa as their vacation continues.

 

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This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

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“Ronnie, have you ever thought about what it would be like to be a witch?”

“Of course I have, Mom. I think it’s pretty impressive what you and the others can do. I think it’s important, too.”

“But what if something could be done to make you a real witch?”

“That’s not going to happen.”

“Why not?”

“First of all, as far as I know, there has never been a case where The Wizard has taken a carrier and turned her into a witch. If he could do it, he would have done it long ago. There has to be more to his genetic manipulations than just switching chromosomes. He is able to do quite a bit in the way of morphologic changes in people. He is able to change men into women, and women into men; however, the only men he can change into witches are men who are carrying the witch trait.

“No Mom, I’m fine with the way things are. I’m going to have a wonderful husband who will be a wonderful father to our children. There’s a fifty percent chance our daughters will be witches, and a fifty percent chance our son’s will pass on the trait. All of our daughters will be carriers. You know the math.”

“I am interested, though, in why The Wizard brought Arnold and his family here. Little Misty seems quite attached to me. She’s as sweet as can be and spent the night snuggled up to me. I know I’m not a witch, never will be for that matter. But the strange thing is it’s like she’s my familiar. I mean we can converse. Heck, I can converse with all of them. So can the rest of us for that matter. Their family is special, and that’s pretty obvious, but why?”

“I think The Wizard wants them protected,” Sara responded. “He didn’t do this on a whim. I think he sees Arnold and his family as being associates of witches in the future. I’ll have to ask Miranda what she thinks. Perhaps the best thing to do is just study things, and not worry about it. Your father is fine with them living in the shed. He asked Arnold to make sure their latrine was down the hill. Arnold already had a spot picked out. He promised to move the location every month.”

“I agree with that. There’s something else. You do remember meeting Charli and Tommie?”

“I sure do, they were both able to communicate with animals before their transformations. Myrna said that ability was not located on the X or Y chromosomes. We don’t have a strong ability, but Arnold told me they were able to understand me before I could understand them. Myrna might be able to trace back to see if we have common ancestors with Charli and Tommie.

Back in American Samoa

“So this is the beach where Aleki found you?” Simoné asked.

“Yes, I was in pretty bad shape. I remember someone picking me up and taking me somewhere. A very special lady took care of me. The McDonalds were such wonderful people. The orphanage is still over there. His Wisdom brought up the valuables from the shipwreck along with Douglas’s remains. I’ve donated the treasure to the orphanage. They’re doing great work. Aleki and I ran it for many years, until he retired. We had a wonderful life. We helped prevent the influenza epidemic from reaching the island. Things were tight for a while, but we saved thousands of lives.

“By the way, thank you for teaching me that spell. It certainly is easier changing my appearance than making people forget what I look like.”

“What do you think of this suit?” Simoné asked. “This is the one I was wearing when Ivana found me.”

“At least you were wearing something.”

Simone started laughing, almost uncontrollably. “That’s the same thing Bev said when we met in The Wizard’s shop on Nessebar.”

“Well, you had it coming. I still can’t believe you talked me into wearing this thing. At least I won’t sunburn.

“Ivana is sure good with the children. It was a bit of a shock when I first found out you were married to her. Now I understand so much more.”

“Mom, she was desperate to have children. She tried at least four times, and lost every baby in early pregnancy. It has a lot to do with love. Then The Wizard helped us. As you can see, that hasn’t been a problem for us. Four is fine right now, but who knows, we might have more.

“Mom, have you thought about having more children?”

“When I married Aleki, I didn’t know about you and your sister. We had six. They’re long gone now, as are my grandchildren. Well of course excluding these four. All of you have been such a wonderful surprise. As for children, I think eight is enough. But who knows, according to you and others, I could have children for another four or five hundred years. If I met the right man, I might want to have more children, but right now, that doesn’t seem like a good idea. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t want to have another relationship. I’m tired of hiding. If I’m doomed to live another six or seven hundred years, I want to enjoy them. I don’t think Douglas or Aleki would mind.

“I don’t have to worry about the things Doug and I worried about in 1877. I am going to visit all of our relatives as often as they will have me. I want to go to Jim and Terri’s home and spoil their children as any aunt should. I would love to take a trip that followed the path you took to get to your wonderful home.

“Vienna was very important to you, wasn’t it? What was his name?”

“Ah, Johannes. He was such a sad man. He wrote such beautiful music, and we made some wonderful music together. I know I helped him. I’ll treasure that fan he signed for me forever. I put a preservation spell on it. When it’s time, I’ll donate it to a museum, but I will always hold it dear to my heart.

“I was wondering. Did you ever think that you and Beth would be related?”

“Not for a long time. She was just the first of my kind I could remember. She had gone off to college, but her heart was here, and she came back after graduation to help her parents. The fact she and Elekana had gone to the same school in California probably had something to do with it. When her daughters showed up with the same powers, I started putting two and two together. Then Lanu went to that camp in California. How wonderful that had to have been, discovering she had an American cousin.

“Ah, here comes Beth now. The only way I can tell them apart is Marissa’s American accent and the clothes they wear. I must say, she has certainly accepted the American swim suits.

“Did you know that she and Marissa used to be brunettes?”

“You have to be kidding,” Simoné replied. “No dye job could ever look that good. I don’t care how good their hair dresser is.”

“We were never able figure it out. She went to bed as a brunette with a better than average figure. The next morning she was a blonde with a stunning figure. Most didn’t know the change had happened. None of us who were aware of the change had an idea until Lanu came back from that summer camp. That had to have been one of the luckiest things to have happened.

“Of course, none of us knew about The Wizard, or we might have been very suspicious. We should have been. It’s really interesting that he never had a clue about Beth. He knew about me after the fact, but never seriously thought about looking for me. Lanu and Marti took charge, and now we are back together. I guess the interesting question is where do we go from here? Marissa never looked for her ancestors, nor did Beth.”

Beth and the children settled down on their towels.

“Nicolae and Margaret swim like fish, and Georg isn’t far behind. Where did they learn to swim like that?” Beth said with a rather surprised voice.

“Well, we do have a rather nice pool at the hotel. They were drown proofed early on. We also take them to the beach at Constanta. The surf, unlike here is seldom very big. They love the sea.

“We’ll tell them about all of us when they start asking questions. Fortunately, same sex marriages aren’t as unusual as they once were. All they will know is that we love each other and them very much.

“Speaking of swimming, here comes Ivana. I can’t believe she wanted to swim out all the way out to that little island.”

By this time, Ivana was drying off after having showered under the fresh water shower.

“See that young fellow coming this way? He has ice cream for everyone. He seemed rather fixated on my cleavage. I thickened up my Russian accent just a bit, and told him if he could take my order looking in my eyes the entire time, there would be a nice tip for him. He wavered a bit, but I gave him a nice tip, anyway.”

He got quite an eyeful as he passed the cups of ice cream to everyone, Raisa excluded. She was getting her own treat. The young man was probably from the mainland. His breast obsession was obvious.

“He is certainly carrying that tray in an unusual way,” Beth chuckled.

“So, how was your swim out to the island?” Margaret asked.

“Interesting,” Ivana chuckled. “I wasn’t the only one to swim out there. It seems that a couple of American teenagers swam out there, also. They were in a nice little shaded spot. The boy was trying to pressure the girl into having sex. It wasn’t the first time for them. It was just that he didn’t have any protection. I got a package of condoms for them from that pharmacy. They’ll never miss them. I gave them both a little lecture about what “no” means. Their relationship is pretty solid, but they need to be careful.

“I told them to bring the condoms back to shore and dispose of them properly. They won’t remember me.”

Wanda has a nice conversation with Ginny Chronister. Tamesha is going to visit and there is no doubt they are going to carry their relationship to the next level. Ginny opens up a bit about her previous life. Rhonda and her mother have a similar conversation.

Marti and the Doppelganger – A Follow Up, or What Happened to Those Raccoons, Anyway, Chapter 5

 
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.

 

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This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

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“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.

Marti and the Doppelganger – A Follow Up, or What Happened to Those Raccoons, Anyway, Chapter 6

 
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 sixth part of ten.

The Morrisons have moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut. Sydney wants to find the people who helped her so much. She didn't even know them. Edna Millet, her friend in California had told Marti about her trans girl friend. Marti told The Wizard, and strangely enough, the Morrisons met The Wizard the next day. The rest is history.

 

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This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

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The young girl, no, young woman looked around the mall that was totally unfamiliar to her and her parents. Edna Millet had told her that her cabin mate the summer before last lived in Bridgeport. She had also said that she thought The Wizard worked out of this area quite frequently.

When her father was transferred to Bridgeport, with a substantial raise, she had no trouble convincing her parents they should try to find Marti and her family. She thought the best place to start looking would be the city’s large mall. The mall was a bit of an alien environment. There were subtle differences from the malls she was accustomed to in the Silicon Valley. After all they had come all the way across the country to a place that was a bit alien.

Sydney Morrison certainly wouldn’t have stood out in any public gathering place. She was fairly ordinary looking: tall, a bit slender, but with a definitely feminine figure. Unlike some teenagers her age, she eschewed some of the over the top cosmetic additions. She would have been quite at place in a Norman Rockwell magazine cover from seventy or more years in the past.

“Mom, I did quite a bit of research about The Wizard back before we met him. One of the things I learned was his shop would appear just like it did in Los Altos. When it did appear, there was usually a reason. Well, we know for sure that is the case. He seems to prefer some of the chain stored like GNC or Hallmark. If that is the case, I would expect him to be down that way. There is a Hallmark store down there according to the mall directory.”

“I think your dad and I will follow your lead. You certainly know more about these sorts of things than we do. You have been right so far. We certainly don’t have any reason to doubt you.”

“Let’s just take a break here and get an Orange Julius,” Sydney said. “I haven’t had one since we left California.

“Why don’t we just sit down for a few minutes, and see what we can see.”

“Sydney,” her mother said as she looked down the walk, “those three women coming this way are looking right at us.”

“I think I know who they are. Just a minute; I’ll talk with them.”

Sidney approached the three women who obviously knew who she and her parents were. “Before you say anything, let me guess.

“You,” she said reaching out and grasping the redhead’s hands, “have to be Marti Lewis. I just know it. Edna described you perfectly.” Sydney threw a major hug on the redhead, and gave her a passionate kiss.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Marti giggled and returned the hug and kiss. “This is my mother, Marissa and my sister Randi. Randi can’t stay very long, but she wanted to meet you.”

Randi gave Sydney a similar hug and kiss to the one her sister had bestowed on her. “I know we will see you many times, but I have to get back to Boston. I have to sit in on an oral examination. The examinee is very good. She will have her PhD, but I need to be there to support her. One of the professors on her committee is a bit of a chauvinistic jerk. We’ll see you at the party.” And with that comment, Randi disappeared. There was a faint sound of an implosion, but no one in the area batted an eye.

Marissa gave Sydney a similar greeting before Sydney pulled the mother and daughter to meet her parents. All the introductions were done correctly.

“His Wisdom asked us to meet you here. He can’t be here for another 15 minutes. He’s run into a group of trouble makers in Bruges, and is reorienting them to the way of proper conduct. I don’t know exactly what he has in mind for them, but I imagine it will be transformative.

“It’s so nice to meet you. The Wizard had nothing but the best things to say about you. He was so glad he could help. I know that had to be a special time for all of you.”

“It was,” Jack Morrison, Sydney’s father said. “We knew very early that Sydney was our daughter. I think we knew it before she was a year old. When we saw his shop, Sydney’s excitement was barely containable. We just went along with her. She had talked about him in the past, but we just thought it was a lot of wishful thinking. We were certainly wrong. That had to have been among the best days of our lives. And now, Sydney’s college education is taken care of. I don’t know how we will ever be able to thank him for what he did.”

“Usually, a hug and a kiss will suffice, or in your case, a good firm handshake. There is little compensation for what he does other than making the world a bit of a better place. For someone who might be a thousand years old, he has learned quite a bit over the last few decades.”

Marissa looked over her shoulder towards the area where the SRU shop usually liked to settle in. “I think he will be here at just about the time we arrive at the Hallmark Store. Let’s head that way.”

When they were about ten feet from the Hallmark Store, the image of the store shimmered a bit, and suddenly became the SRU store where anything could happen. Sydney led the way through the door. Her parents and the others could see and feel her euphoria. It was the place of her reconciliation. The conflicts had disappeared the last time she’d entered there.

The rattling of toe nails on the floor preceded Wolf, Padrona, and their nearly grown children. The children were attending school at the time. Charli was giving them instruction in magic, and they were quick learners. Puppies, or adolescent dogs sometimes had difficulty keeping their emotions under control, and they were giving Sydney a tongue bath.

“Wolf, see if you can control the little ones for a few minutes. We can’t stay here very long,” The Wizard said.

Wolf and Padrona both gave a little snarl. There was no question what it meant. The pups quickly sat with their tails wagging.

“Give all of them a doggie treat. They’re in that jar on the counter. They can’t open it because they don’t have opposable thumbs.

“Mr. and Mrs. Morrison, it is so nice to see you again. Sydney, I must say you look positively radiant.”

“Your Wisdom,” Marissa said, “I’ve never heard you say anything like that.”

“I know, but Cindy said it would be the right thing to say.”

“I think Cindy was setting you up. But you’re right, Sydney is radiant.”

“Folks, please come on back. I have some refreshments for everyone.”

As they parted the curtain they saw two adult and four half grown weasel-like but much larger creatures. The adults were resting on the backs of two chairs, and the younger four were roughhousing back by the rear door. A disassembled skeleton was scattered across the floor.

“Pardon the mess. The pups and the young Rikki children were having a bit of fun. The Rikkis are visiting for a while. We became good friends years ago after a tsunami destroyed their home in Indonesia. If I remember correctly, that was about the time I was introduced to Myrna. She has exceeded all expectations. She has really taken charge with a little problem we’ve been working on.”

“Your Wisdom, you were talking about the Rikki family,” Marissa said trying to get the conversation back on its original track.

“Sorry, I sometimes get distracted. Yes, I happened to be visiting their home area again, and asked them if they would like to take a trip around the world with me. I’ll have them home next week. They’re having a lot of fun. Last week we were in Miami, and they went out to the Everglades to hunt Burmese Pythons. They were quite successful. Some of those snakes are huge.”

“Your Wisdom ….”

“Oh yes, have a seat. I think I have everything right.

“About your move here,” he said to the Morrisons,” I had nothing to do with it. Well, I might have, a little. I knew there was an opening here, and your resumé just happened to show up at the main office. I think there were some folks in California who were less than understanding about Sydney’s condition. That’s not like most folks in that area. They may have forgotten about it, but I didn’t. I know you are looking for a home. That apartment is barely adequate for you.”

“We’ve been looking, but everything is almost as expensive as Silicon Valley. We don’t want to touch the money we put away for Sydney’s College.”

“I don’t think you will have to worry about that. I have it on good authority that Sydney will be getting a significant scholarship for her pre-med education at Boston University. Not only that, your stock portfolio has done quite well. You made some excellent choices for your 401-K, and putting your lottery winnings in similar funds was a good idea.”

“But ….” Jack Morrison started to say. Marissa put her hand on his. He got the message.

By this time, everyone was enjoying a snack. Wolf and Padrona were having a large stick of pepperoni, each. The pups were having smaller portions of the same. The mongooses were enjoying something that Ellen Morrison wasn’t too sure she wanted to know what it was. She could see what looked like small crustacean legs being rather noisily being crunched.

The mongooses spoke English quite well, although their southern Asian accent was a little difficult to get used to.

“Now, about your new house. I understand there’s a very nice home available on Beaver Pond Road. I think you will find it quite acceptable. With that little nest egg doubling in the last two years, I think you will be able to make a substantial cash down payment up front, and keep your payments well within your budget. I’ll bet Marissa will be willing to take you right by it. I think it will be open for another two hours.

“Now, I have to be moving this decrepit shop to Moscow.”

“Your Wisdom,” Marti spoke up, “this shop has never looked better. Randi has made it look better than it has for more than 500 years.”

“I know, I was just being self-deprecating. The shop has never looked better. I just have trouble getting used to it.”

They exchanged affectionate hugs and kisses before leaving through the front door into the mall. They turned around to see the Hallmark store full of customers.

“Why is he doing this?” Ellen asked.

“Because you are good people. You never once doubted Sydney,” Marissa said as she looked down the hall to see her daughter and Sydney holding hands as they moved out in front of the adults. “You did something that, unfortunately, many parents never do. You believed in your daughter. You did get counselling, not to contradict your daughter, but to support her. You did it to help her through some tough times. Fortunately, she had some great friends who supported her through those tough years. Fortunately, she was never outed. Edna Millet and her other friends protected her. They still know what happened.

“You might ask why. The reason is they will support others they find who need help. They don’t know it, but if the situation ever arises, they will be able to contact The Wizard. They will be rewarded.

“Now, I want you to follow me to see if this home meets your needs. We have lived on Beaver Pond Road for over twenty years. It’s a wonderful area, and you will find some great friends who know what you’ve been through. We are not all magic, but we do understand each other.

“I have a question, but maybe it’s none of my business. Sydney is an only child. Was that by choice?”

“Yes it was. Because of our financial situation, we decided to not have more children. We wanted to put one hundred percent of our effort into making sure Sydney was being supported and taken care of properly.”

“How do you feel about her now?”

“Things couldn’t be better.”

“Would you like to have more children?”

“We’ve talked about it, haven’t we, Jack?” Ellen said giving her husband an affectionate nudge.

“I have the name of a good gynecologist/obstetrician. You might want to make an appointment. By the way, this house has four bedrooms.”

They spent more than two hours at the open house, an hour after the closing time. Ellen checked their funds on her phone. They made an offer. Two days later it was accepted.

The next Saturday they met their future neighbors at a nice cocktail hour held by the Lewises. A much smaller group stayed for dinner. The Morrisons knew they were home.

Next, we learn quite a bit about Penny as she adapts to being a young woman. It didn’t take long to find a boyfriend, nor for him to find her. She realizes she has to tell him about her past. He already knew.

Chapter 7. The McKenzies Notice Something Different About the Raccoon Family. Penny Becomes a Woman

 
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 seventh part of ten or maybe eleven.

Rhonda and her mother talk about the Raccoons. Penny takes the next step to womanhood. Things go very well. This chapter is considerably longer than those previous.

 

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This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

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“How’s Henrietta doing?” Sara asked. She’d been watching her daughter talking to their raccoon guests out on the patio. It was dusk, and the family was getting ready to go to the park and Chico Creek to hunt crawdads and other delicacies. The food provided by their human friends was quite good; however, raccoons needed to do raccoon things. Rhonda had been showing them some pictures of pet raccoons that had gone too far to the domestic side of things. They’d become obese throughout the year; not just winter. Rhonda didn’t tell them that many had been spayed and neutered.

“Mom, she’s fine. She’s looking forward to the new arrival. There are some interesting things going on, though. I’ve been doing a little studying. Raccoons may have up to six or seven kits. In four pregnancies, Henrietta has had only one baby each time. As near as I can tell, her pregnancies have lasted about four months; twice the normal length. This is just like all the other familiars we know. The number of babies per litter decreases, and the length of the pregnancies increase.

“Obviously, our little group is designated for greater things. They are smart, very adept, very sociable, and they are no longer living like other raccoons. I would put their abilities well above the higher apes. Their language abilities are quite high. I mean, who would use the word “prosaic” to describe my calling him “Ricky”. I read “The Cat in the Hat” to Misty last night, and she laughed and laughed. She thought it was so silly. She’d never seen a cat wearing a hat. She saw my collection of Oz books and wants me to read them to her. She saw my collection of DVDs and wants to see The Wizard of Oz. I think she can read. This is crazy!

“And, another thing, male raccoons never participate in rearing children. That’s strictly the female’s thing. There are associations among females, but never among males. I have no question this is The Wizard’s doing, and I think I know why.”

“And why would that be?”

“Remember when we visited his shop the last time, and Wolf begged for a snack?”

“Yes, he is so cute when he begs. What does that have to do with it?”

“Remember when Ri…, dang it, Arnold told us about getting into that cabin? He had Arnold, Jr. stand on his back and turn the door knob. Raccoons are very dexterous. They are known for being able to get into all sorts of places. They are persistent. And in this case, their abilities are advancing. Harriet asked me about the can opener. She wanted me to show her how it worked. She can’t do it yet, but she was pretty close.”

“Their hands are so small. Surely, she’s not strong enough.”

“Pound for pound, they are probably four times stronger than we are. Now, why did Wolf ask us to give him a snack?”

“Because he couldn’t open the jar.”

“Because?”

“He doesn’t have opposable thumbs,” they said together.

“Mom, they can rotate their thumbs into an opposable position. They can use tools.

“Another thing, this is just the tip of the iceberg.”

“How do you mean?”

“Mom, regardless of how handsome he was, would you have married a man with an IQ of 85?”

“Of course not, we wouldn’t be compatible for any number of reasons.”

“Do you think Arnold, Jr. would mate with a female raccoon with whom he couldn’t converse on the level he and the rest of his family can?”

“I don’t think so,” Sara replied. “I get it. There have to be other intelligent raccoon families out there. The Wizard has to be doing this. I wonder why?”

“Diversity,” Rhonda replied. “Betty has Marvin. They work together so well. I imagine he will be looking for a spouse one of these days. Marsha Angiotti has Elliot, a border collie. He and Melody have a wonderful family. There are many of us who have associates other than cats. Interestingly, the monkeys and apes don’t seem to fit into that role at all. Cheetahs, and their smaller cousins in Africa seem to fit in very well. So do the smaller cats in North and South America. Amelia Chavez and Bethany, her Puma, are so solid together. Neither one is interested in marrying or having children. They certainly make a formidable pair.

“Obviously, the mongooses are associates in Asia. I am sure there are many like the Rikkis over there. I’m wondering if there are plans for an inter-continental meeting.”

“Well,” her mother answered, “Simoné and Ivana will be here representing the Ukraine and Romania covens. Their covens decided they should be joint presidents of the two. It was just a lot easier. That may change in the future. Of course Simoné is an American, and the fact she speaks all those languages certainly helps.”

“The Wizard asked for a list of subjects to talk about. We should probably add that one to the list.”

“I agree.”

“Penny, are you as excited as I am about spending the weekend with Rhonda and our other friends,” Wanda asked. She knew she didn’t really have to ask. She had been there from the beginning, that is the emergence of Penny, the effervescent, happy young woman, and the disappearance of Peter Goretsky, the morose, suicidal boy. What a great two weeks that had been. Lanu and Marti had worked their magic on her and the others. She had been a total bitch and hypocrite. She had been attracted to Tamesha immediately. There had just been something about her.

Then there was that other thing. Tamesha was black. Wanda and her friend, Lily, had been brought up in a white privileged community. One whose ‘gates’ were figuratively closed to all but the wealthy Caucasian elite. The hired help could not be Caucasian. They had to be from one of the ‘lesser’ races. Blacks were only good for picking up the trash and other menial labors. They weren’t really people. Hispanics were no better, but they did make good cooks and house maids. Philipinos were good only for stoop labor, as were the Orientals. Neither of the races was to be trusted. The Jews weren’t too bad. They did have a lot of money; however, they were the ‘Christ Killers.’ At least some of them were. Besides, they didn’t think Jesus was the Messiah. That was so stupid; it was right there in the Bible. Muslims were a different matter, completely. They’d better not even come close to the area. It went on and on.

When Wanda realized she was gay, the problems began. She realized she hadn’t ‘chosen’ to be gay. She just was. Her parents had nothing good to say about anyone in the LGBTQI community. Every one of them was an abomination. She couldn’t keep it bottled up. She had to tell Lilly. She was reluctant at first, because Lily’s parents were as bad hers. In her heart, she knew Lily would be okay, and she was. She had decided to come out to her parents when she got back from camp, knowing full well what would happen.

Even though The Wizard could fix it so that Penny’s parents always thought she was a girl, there were just too many problems to overcome. Wanda and Penny needed a loving home.

Basically, they were emancipated from their parents, all quite legal, and put under the guardianship of Ginny and Richard Chronister. They couldn’t be happier. Ginny was a big help for Penny during the first few months of her womanhood. Although The Wizard had given her the programmed learning that Charli and Randi had developed, having a ‘mother’ there to help her through those first few times was very important. As much as Penny loved her athletic and rather well-endowed body, it took some getting used to. It was a very interesting process, and she certainly had a bit of catching up to do.

Some of the boys were a bit intimidated when the very pretty but quite athletic girl showed up at the beginning of the school year. Some thought she might be gay. Keith Garrett took a chance he would never regret. He introduced himself to her after their first class together, and asked if she would have lunch with him. Keith’s family had several thousand acres of almonds and pistachios, plus lesser acreages in citrus in the foothills of the Sierras. Penny told him early on that she was being fostered by the Chronisters because of her abusive parents. She also told him about her transformation.

It was just before their third date that Penny decided to tell Keith a bit more about her origin. For some reason she thought it was important. After all, if somehow, and she wasn’t sure exactly how, he found out she used to be a boy, he’d probably dump her in a heartbeat. She told Ginny, Mom, what she intended to do.

“I don’t really see why that’s necessary,” Ginny questioned her motives.

“If he ever found out and ran, I would be crushed. He is so wonderful, and I don’t want to hurt him.”

“You are just 16 and have only tested womanhood for a few months. He might not be the one for you. There’s so much ahead for you, and you have so much to learn.”

“Mom, did you have any boyfriends before you met Richard?”

“No one who meant anything to me. I seldom dated anyone more than once; especially if they seemed interested in only getting into my pants. I was kinda cute in those days, and Randi, Charli, and I had a lot of fun. I was a bit of a daredevil, but I never went all the way until I met Richard. With Richard something was just different.”

“Mom, you’re still cute. I’ve seen you in a Bikini, and no one would ever know you’ve had three children.

“So, when did you tell Richard? I know you did.”

“It was just before our third date. I told him, and had The Wizard talk to him on the computer. Richard didn’t bat an eye. I never did tell my parents or my brother. I never saw any need to. After all, I really was their biological daughter and my brother’s sister. It wouldn’t accomplish anything by telling them something they would never understand.”

“So, when did you seduce Richard?”

“That would have been after our fifth date. Just a minute young lady, that’s none of your business.”

“You’re my Mom in every sense but biological. If I ever see my biological parents again, it will be far too soon. I am looking for guidance. I don’t think talking about things like this is out of line. We ladies have to look out for each other. I’ve already seen enough about how some boys act, both in my past life and my current life. Keith is not like that. He didn’t try to impress me with his accomplishments. He never bragged about being the quarterback for our team. He just wanted to learn about me.”

“If you really want to do this, I think you should do it here. That way, if things go south you won’t have to worry about having to get a ride home. Somehow, I don’t think you will have to worry.”

Penny greeted Keith at the door, and gave him a kiss. Ginny raised her eyebrows at the display of affection, but neither of the two noticed.

“Good evening, Mrs. Chronister, it’s nice to see you again.”

“It’s nice to see you, too, Keith. I’ll leave you two alone for a while. I think Penny wants to discuss something with you.”

Penny led him into the small sitting room, and pulled him next to her on the love seat.

“I need to tell you something. Please hear me out. When I’m through, we can discuss things if you want to.”

“Okay.”

“A bit more than three months ago, I was a scared, unhappy, suicidal boy. Then, something miraculous happened. I went to a summer camp in southern California. I met some wonderful young women, including my sister, Wanda. They literally saved my life. I met a wonderful man, a wizard, who somehow changed me into the person you see before you.”

By this time, Keith was gently holding her hands. There was no sign of his wanting to pull away.

“I always knew I was a girl, but my natural parents are terrible people. They are horrible people who don’t believe in the way nature really works. My father bullied me. My mother encouraged him to do it. I let my hair grow out. My father shaved it off. He just threw it out. They were going to send me to an aversion therapist, and try to get me brainwashed. I was going to kill myself. I almost did.

“I know you won’t believe this, but my friends did call a wizard, and he fixed me. The Wizard fixed things so I could live here with Ginny Chronister, my real mother in almost everything but biologically.”

She looked at Keith, expecting the worst. Instead, he was smiling at her. He gently wiped a tear from her eye before he kissed her. The kiss was rather passionate.

“I’ve known for a while, and would have told you if you hadn’t told me tonight. Remember that day when my mother let me off at the front of school. My car was in the shop, and she brought me to school. She saw you when you greeted me. I had told her about you when I met you that first day. I knew you were special.

“She told me later she knew who you were, and that I was a very lucky fellow. See, my mother is a witch. She knows The Wizard. He told her you were here, and if there were any problems, to let him know. She also knows your mother, but not closely. She knows Marti’s mother, too.”

“You know Marti?”

“I’ve never met her. I have met her oldest sister, though.

“Look, that first day we met, I had no idea who you were. I just knew you were special. It wasn’t just that you were beautiful.”

“I’m not beautiful.”

“Of course you are; inside and out.”

“You just like my boobs.”

“Don’t be silly.”

“You don’t like my boobs?”

“Well, I must admit that I am quite attracted to your athletic body. What boy or man wouldn’t be? Yeah, you did get my attention fairly quickly, but there was something else about you. Maybe being in a magic family with two sisters and a mother who happen to be witches has something to do with it. Anyway, Mom and Dad would like to meet you. They are planning on a barbecue, and would like you, Wanda, and the Chronisters to come out to the farm this Saturday.”

Meanwhile back in the family room, Richard and Ginny were listening for any signs of something bad happening at the front of the house.

“I think I’d better check on things up front. It’s awful quiet up there.” Ginny walked rather quietly and quickly to the front of the house. She could hear some rather loud breathing and some quiet moans. She peered around the edge of the doorway to see the two lovers in a rather passionate embrace. Hopefully, neither of them had a cold or the flu. Keith’s hand was on her blouse covered breast. Penny’s hand was holding his hand to her.

“Ahem!”

Two rather embarrassed teenagers separated rather quickly.

“I take it things are okay between you two.”

“Mom, Keith knew about me. His mom told him after she saw me at school. She’s a witch. The Wizard told her.”

“I’m not surprised. The Wizard can’t be everywhere. He knows you and Wanda are special people. He would never do what he did and abandon either of you. I have known him for quite a while.

“I have met your mother, Keith. We met at the Garden Club when I asked her to make a presentation at our school about home gardening. I think she knew about me then.”

“Knew what, Mrs. Chronister?”

“Penny and I have similar backgrounds. I’m sure you will find everything out eventually.

“Now, you take care of my daughter. I don’t want any surprises; correction, any unwanted surprises.”

When she met his parents, his mother welcomed her with open arms. It seems there was something about Penny that no one had previously recognized, or had told her about had they. There was one thing, and only one thing that Penny would ever thank her mother for, besides giving her life. Although she did not carry the magic gene when she had been Peter, she was a descendant of witches. She carried the mitochondria of her witch ancestors. The Wizard had recognized that immediately, thanks to Myrna showing him how to recognize it. When he changed her Y chromosome to an X chromosome, he slipped in the magic component. Penny’s daughters could be, and would be witches.

Penny and Keith waited a while before making love. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to do it; it was because the sense of urgency went away for Penny once she knew Keith really accepted her for who she was. Like many hormone driven teenagers, they had gone pretty far; however, Penny insisted that Keith not penetrate her. She wanted to be intact the first time they made love. She knew the ‘when’ wasn’t too far out there, but she wasn’t very sure about the ‘where’. When Keith told her about the gift his parents had given them for his 18th birthday, she knew what she had to do.

“Mom, I think the gift Keith’s parents gave us is wonderful. A week in that wonderful valley will be special. The thing is, I don’t want it to be ruined by making love for the first time.”

“What do you mean?” her mother asked.

“Our gynecologist said my hymen is fairly substantial. He offered to remove it, but I told him not to. That will be Keith’s honor. What I would like to do is have a special weekend with him somewhere close by. I’ve saved some money and I would like us to spend a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night together for the first time at the Hilton, maybe in one of their nicer suites.”

“Your dad and I will take care of it. You won’t have to spend a cent. I’ll talk to Keith’s mom about helping out with a spell or two. Would you like to discuss some details?”

“Yes, here’s what I thought. We ….”

“Well, this is certainly a first. At least it is for me. I never imagined that my girlfriend would pick me up for a date rather than the other time around.”

“I thought it might be fun, for a change. Tonight is on me.” That’s an interesting play on words, she said to herself. “Just enjoy.”

Penny had asked that he dress nicely, and he did just that. He had nice slacks, sports shirt and sports coat. Penny was wearing a nice skirt and blouse, plus sweater draped over shoulder. She was also showing more than a bit of cleavage, and it was all natural.

“Tell the maître d’ the reservation is under your name. This is all being taken care of. You don’t have to worry about a thing,” Penny said as they parked in the lot of Dewz, one of finest restaurants in the Central Valley of California.

As they were seated, the waiter asked if they would like something from the bar. They declined. They wouldn’t have been served anyway, had they tried. They were sitting in a very comfortable booth, side by side. It felt very good. Fortunately, Keith was left handed. They dined on a marvelously prepared rack of lamb. The vegetables were cooked to perfection. For desert they had crème brulée. Keith hadn’t had it before, but he was hooked.

Penny signed the tab and left a nice tip. Keith was having some trouble with this. “What’s going on Penny?”

“Are you having a good time?”

“Well yes, that dinner was great. You didn’t say anything else about what we were going to do after dinner. This isn’t all is it?”

“Not hardly.”

“Why are we going here?” Keith asked has Penny pulled into the parking lot of the Hilton.

“Keith, I love you very much, but sometimes you are a bit slow.” Penny pulled out a coded door card and opened the side entrance to the hotel. “Just follow me and don’t say a thing.”

She led him to the elevator, and pressed the button for the top floor. By this time, Keith had a pretty good idea that he was about to get ‘lucky’. Penny stopped at a door and pressed the card against the reader. The green light flashed, and they were inside. “This is our home for the next three nights.”

Keith surveyed the nice room. There were a number of candles flickering there and in the bedroom. The lights were off. On the table was an ice bucket with a bottle of Champagne in it. “I promised we wouldn’t drive. The purpose is just to help us relax a bit and have some fun. I’m sure you figured it out by now we are going to take our relationship to the next level.

“There are some rules. The television is off limits. The radio is for quiet, preferably classical music.

“There are two small suitcases in the bedroom. One is yours and one is mine. I think you’ll be able to figure out which one is yours. We are the last two people on earth. No one will bother us until it is necessary to look for food.

“Right now, I’d like a glass of that Champagne, if you don’t mind. Do you know how to open it?”

“Sure, you shake up the bottle, pull the cork out, and try to catch what’s left in one of those glasses. Just kidding. I take off the foil, untwist the wire using six half turns, then firmly grasp the cork, easing it out until the bottle’s open.”

“Shit, you had me scared for a minute.”

“I’ve helped out at a couple of weddings.”

“Pour two glasses. Let’s just relax and enjoy the moment.’

They snuggled up on the comfortable sofa, just listening to the music. Penny held up her glass and Keith filled it again.

“How’re you feeling, Keith?”

“Quite good. The fact you are here makes it just that much better. I take it you have something in mind.”

“You are getting quicker. I think I’m going to take a shower. Would you like to join me?”

“I think I would like to do that very much.”

Penny led Keith to bedroom where she started to undress. Keith stopped her.

“Please let me do that. I have loved you from almost the first time I talked to you. The fact you are quite beautiful didn’t hinder my feelings.”

“I’m not beautiful. You just like my boobs.”

“Yes, they are quite nice,” Keith said as he released her bra using one hand. “But they wouldn’t mean much without the rest of you being here.”

He gave her a passionate kiss before he dropped down to her rather beautiful breasts. Their response was pretty quick to his loving kisses. Her knees buckled slightly as she pulled his head to her. He proceeded downward to her navel, stopping briefly to pull down her panties before arriving at her mons. They had never gotten this far before; however, he knew it wasn’t going to end here. That had been clear to him for a couple of hours.

Now that she was nude, she returned the favor by gently undressing him. She caressed his rather prominent erection before leading him to the shower. The slippery soap was rather nice as it helped each explore the other. After drying each other, she led him to the king-sized bed. She was more than ready, but there was that ‘little’ problem.

He sensed her readiness as he grazed her entrance. Unconsciously, she had been trying to pull him into her, and he held off as long as long as he could.

“Please do it now. It will only be once, and I want you now!” she said as she quickly raised her hips and pulled him into her. It was done. She encouraged him to continue, and it didn’t take very long before he exploded in her.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I think so. That hurt, and it still hurts, but it’s fine. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love you very much.”

“What do you want to do?”

“I think we need to take a moment and clean things up. I think I’m bleeding a bit.” She had spread some towels under where they would be to keep the sheets clean. She took the towels to the bathroom and rinsed them out under some cold water. Then she took a couple of acetaminophen. They returned to the shower, and cleaned up. She put a heavy panty liner in her panties, and led him back to bed.

“I don’t think you got much pleasure out of what we just did.”

“That can wait.”

“I don’t think so.” He gently pulled down the front of her panties until he found his desired target. They hadn’t done this before, but it was pretty easy. It didn’t take long before she was eagerly responding to his ministrations. She came harder than she’d ever come before.

They spent the next day sightseeing in the Gold Rush Country. That night after another wonderful meal, they returned to their room to find another iced bottle. This time it was Prosecco. “The hotel does know we are under 21?” Keith asked.

“Not really, but we didn’t want them to have a reason to ask. Your mother is sending these by ‘special delivery’ if you know what I mean.”

“Oh.”

“Our mom’s fixed this place up for us, including bringing the extra clothes. This is a special time for them, as well as us.

“Now, let’s get cleaned up and have some fun.”

They restricted their activities to a lot of foreplay and oral sex. Penny didn’t think was quite ready to go further, but Sunday night proved to be a different story. It was the way it should be.

The next day she sent a private message to her friends from the summer camp: “With our parents’ blessing, Keith and I spent a wonderful weekend together. I love all you guys so much.” There were many happy emojis sprinkled throughout the message.

Like The Wizard, this storyteller wanders a bit at times. Now, where were we? Oh yes, Wanda and Penny were getting ready to go to Chico to spend the weekend with Rhonda McKenzie, her family, their friends from summer camp, and the raccoons. Tamesha would be driving from Modesto to Chico. She had her parents’ SUV.

It wasn’t that easy for Lily. Her parents were not happy at all about her declaring her religious independence. Things had obviously happened to their daughter that they were not happy about. They were thankful that she had not completely abandoned Christianity; however, she had started going to that ‘Liberal’ Presbyterian Church. There were all sorts of abominations associated with that church. They’d even heard that there was transgender woman in the Presbyterian ministry in the southern US. Lily told them that she was going to visit her friends whether they wanted her to or not. If they physically prevented her going, she would call the judge who emancipated Tamesha and Penny. She already knew that Ginny would be glad to take her in. She also knew she would get help from The Wizard if she needed it.

The Johnsons were also unhappy about their daughter’s best friend being gay. They told Lily she should try to convince her friend not to be gay. It was all Lily could do to not laugh in their faces. Still, her father, had stood by her when she testified against her statutory rapist. It had been tough to admit she’d had sex, and had caught an STD. But her parents did support her, at least to a degree. Her mother had cut a sentence short where Lily was sure she was going to call her a slut, or much worse, a whore. As Lanu had told her, she had used very poor judgment. Lily knew Lanu was right. She hadn’t said no when she should have. It was her bit of rebellion that proved how naïve she’d been. She had learned quite a bit in those two weeks in the southern California San Bernardino Mountains. She had discovered a world that very few knew existed. She knew she couldn’t talk about it unless it was critical for someone’s survival; someone like Penny had been. But the big thing was, she had grown up.

People continue to grow and mature. High school career decisions tend to change as one gets older.

CHAPTER 8 - The Trip to Chico

 
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 eighth part of ten or maybe eleven. I had considered reorganizing the last few chapters of the story as there is quite a bit of skipping around and going back and forth in time. I decided the heck with it and left them as they were.

The girls take a short road trip to Chico, California to visit Rhonda and her family. There is a lot of bonding.

 

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This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

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Tamesha, Tanya, and Lily arrived right on schedule. Penny and Wanda had their roller bags on the curb as Tamesha drove up. Tamesha and Wanda shared a not too chaste kiss before they went inside to say hello to Ginny. Richard was at work at the winery as the early harvest grapes were starting to come in. It was a very busy time of year in the wine industry.

“It’s very nice of Rhonda’s mother to put you up. I know she’s very busy with that big conference coming up. I think Wanda and Tamesha volunteering to do the cooking was the right thing to do. I know you are very capable.

“There is something you might consider. It is a very nice gesture for the guests to give the host a gift. You might want to stop at the mall before you leave town, and find an appropriate gift. I understand there is a very nice gift shop down by the GNC store. Get something nice. Something that would be useful, but a bit out of the ordinary.”

Penny picked up on it immediately. “We will Mom. It’s less than three hours to Chico. That won’t delay us at all.”

The mall was right off ‘99’ just east of Stockton. Tamesha found an available spot as close as possible to the side entrance without using the Handicap Parking spots. Penny was checking out the parking lot and noted it was filled to the gunnels. “I wonder,” she said mostly to herself.

“Wonder what?” Tamesha asked.

“Why was that parking spot available? The parking lot is nearly full and two drivers, obviously looking for a parking spot, drove right by it.”

“I guess we were just lucky,” Wanda said.

“Perhaps there’s more to it than that,” Penny said, thinking about all the research she had done before her transformation. That was when she thought there was no hope. That was when she decided to kill herself. “Let’s see if we can find that gift shop Mom told us about.”

Checking the directory, Wanda pointed down the rather lengthy corridor to their right. “It should be down there.”

The GNC store was right where the directory said it was. Next to it was the strangest looking place. A large plate glass window had an old style gold leaf sign. “SPELLS R US” it read in rather ornate Gothic lettering. Under that was “Spells, Potions, Talismans, and Other Items of Interest.”

“I thought so,” Penny said. “This should be a lot of fun. He’s obviously expecting us. A bit of warning, do not touch or sample anything until we get to the back room.”

“What is this place?” Tamesha asked as the tinkle of the doorbell quieted.

“I know,” Lily said. “I’ve talked to him on my computer. It looks exactly like what I saw in the background. This is The Wizard’s shop, and here come Wolf, Padrona, and the pups.” Needless to say, there were some very affectionate greetings before Wolf and Padrona introduced their children. The girls had seen their pictures that day when Penny made her appearance the previous summer.

“Refreshments are on the table.”

They looked up to see Marti, Lanu, The Wizard (He was not wearing his alpine clothing.), and a rather tall girl who had to be about their age.

After a rather large group hug, Marti announced, “Guys, this is Sydney Morrison. She has a rather strong connection with all of us. If you remember, Sydney is Edna Millet’s friend whom we managed to connect with The Wizard. Her ‘birthday’ was just a few days before Penny’s. Sydney and her family moved to Bridgeport a while ago, and they now live just down the street from me. We have some classes together. Lanu and I can’t stay, but I thought it would be nice if Sydney got to meet all of you this weekend. We’ve already cleared it with Ronnie’s mom. The Wizard will meet you here when you come back, and you can just leave her off.”

That camp the year before had been a tremendous learning experience for all. There was self-discovery, a huge amount of education, and a tremendous expansion of all their horizons. Sydney had been so fortunate that she had the support of her family. Penny suddenly had her supportive friends and a wonderful family provided by the Chronisters. Penny and Sydney had known each other for about fifteen seconds. They would be very close friends for life.

“Ladies, I think I have refreshments for everyone. Let’s step to the back room where we won’t be bothered. Don’t worry about the time. You won’t lose any while you’re here.

“Anybody for coffee?”

“I would like some,” Tamesha said. “I’m driving, and I need to be alert. I’d like half and half, no sugar.

“May I have some?” Wanda asked. “Sugar, no cream.”

“Coming right up,” The Wizard said. He proceeded to get two cups of coffee from a coffee brewer that looked very much like one of those very popular brewing machines that nearly everyone seemed to have. He processed a cup for Tamesha, then a cup for Wanda. Other than putting a cup under the spout, and pushing the brew button. The Wizard did nothing out of the ordinary. He handed the first cup to Tamesha, then brewed a second cup for Wanda. He didn’t seem to do anything unusual; however, the two cups of coffee were perfect, made to order.

“How did you do that?” Wanda asked.

“I didn’t do anything. This is the newest model. It will brew a perfect cup every time. You just tell it what you want, and it will brew it for you. It will never need any maintenance.”

“Where do you put the coffee in? You know, those little cups,” Wanda asked.

“Don’t need it. It gets whatever you want: water, coffee, whatever. You just order it. It’s the latest model. Actually, we’re just giving it a trial run. Ronnie’s mother loves coffee, and loves to provide it for her guests. I asked Ginny Chronister what would be a good gift for Sara, and she suggested a coffee maker. Consider it a gift from me for all of you. I think it would go over very well.”

“May I get one?” Tamesha asked.

“They’re $39.95. I’ll put one on hold for you until you and Wanda get to college. I’ve sent one to Ginny. I’ll tell you what, here’s a little ‘demo’ cup. It’s not fully tested, but you should be able to get the coffee you want. Just hold it under the spout of any coffee maker. At this point it will just give you the one type of coffee, plus any additives. We hope it will eventually be able to make coffee or tea to order. We will probably ask you to complete a survey after six months of testing.”

“I thought you liked Starbucks,” Marti said, trying to suppress a giggle.

“I do. However, I have agreed to pay them five cents a cup commission. I would never cheat anyone out of what was rightfully theirs. I like their blend. I don’t have time to try to copy it. Tamesha and Wanda like McCafe. Ronnie’s mother likes Gevalia. It doesn’t matter, it will brew what you want. The manufacturer is taking care of any compensation as a recognition of your testing the product. They just ask that you complete the survey after six months.”

“Sydney, from Edna’s description of you,” Lily said, “I would have thought you were quite a bit shorter. I remember her saying you were ‘as cute as a bug’. I don’t mean you are not cute, but you are as tall as Tamesha. You have to be close to six feet.”

“Yeah, real close. I’ve grown six inches over the last year; some growth spurt, huh. Clothes have been a bit of a problem, but the doctor says I should be slowing down soon. Dad is six-five, and Mom is tall, but a lot shorter than I am. I am probably a bit underweight right now, but that should be taken care of over the next few years. I hope there is going to be plenty of food, because I eat like a horse. My basketball coach wants me to put on some weight so I don’t get pushed around so much. My boobs are too small right now. I hope my proportions get a bit better as I mature.”

“You won’t have to worry about a thing,” The Wizard said.

They spent a very enjoyable hour with The Wizard and the pups. There was a special type of bonding going on. The Wizard wasn’t causing it to happen. It was due to some very compatible minds joining forces.

When the girls from the south and east arrived at the McKenzie’s home. Everything was ready for them. Wanda and Tamesha were very appreciative of the deference shown them. They had learned quite a bit about the group they were now associated with. One thing was that they were not all hung up on older teenagers having sexual relations as long as it was consensual and the proper precautions were taken. If they wanted to do adult things, they were expected to act like responsible adults.

Meeting the raccoon family was a very special surprise. The girls were surprised at how easily they had integrated with the McKenzie family. An even bigger surprise was that they understood everything they said, although they could not understand the raccoons. For some strange reason, after about an hour, they were communicating very clearly telepathically. Penny and Tammie were the first to understand them.

Only minutes after moving in, Tamesha and Wanda were familiarizing themselves with the kitchen. They had brought two large refrigerated chests that seemed to maintain their chilled interiors without any assistance from any powered source. The McKenzies had a rather nice kitchen, and the two wanted for very little.

“May I help?” Sydney asked. “My boyfriend is a very good cook. He’s also captain of the boys’ football team. Like you, he wants to operate a fine restaurant. I need to learn a few things so I can join him at the Culinary Institute of America. They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, or in this case through the presentation. I have a lot to learn.”

“Alright, we are going to prepare a Caesar Salad. There’re several heads of Romaine lettuce in the blue chest. You can start on that.

“Do you like Caesar Salad?”

“Yes”

“Anchovies?”

“Certainly.”

“Tammie, I think we have a winner here.

“Cut up the Romaine in the size no larger than you would want to eat. I am going to make the dressing. Tammie is going to prepare the salmon and pasta.

“Tammie, did you bring the capers?”

“I have them.”

The dinner was fabulous. They topped it off with Crème Brulée. Wanda had prepared it the day before. It just needed the caramelized sugar. Wanda fired up the torch and had the dessert ready at the right time. They made many points that night.

After cleaning up the dishes, the girls retreated to the upstairs game room. They had a bit of catching up to do before they headed for the showers and bed.

“I missed you, Tammie,” Wanda said as she started to make love to her partner for life. Tammie was very willing. There was not any dominant-submissiveness in their relationship; just love. They had made love the first time three weeks after Wanda had moved in with Penny and the Chronisters. It was a very special time for both of them. It was also the first time for each. There had been many more times since then.

Tamesha worshipped Wanda. Her skin was like silk. It hadn’t always been that way, not that it would have mattered that much. Lanu had cured her cystic acne, and made a few glandular adjustments so it wouldn’t return. She also removed all the scars left by the affliction. Being badly scarred had affected Wanda’s self-esteem considerably. There was no reason for that any longer.

Wanda and Tamesha had made some other cosmetic adjustments. Each had wanted their partner to have the best access. It hadn’t taken them long to learn how to please each other. Being able to do it in bed was only a part of their relationship. The bed part was good, but so was the rest of it. They fit so well in so many ways.

The weekend was so nice, and they would meet many, many times over the years. All eleven from the cabin would get together quite frequently. The group grew quite large as their spouses and children joined them.

On the return to Modesto, they met The Wizard in the mall outside Stockton. After some very pleasant farewells, The Wizard returned Sydney to Bridgeport.

Next: Rhonda and her mother have a post weekend discussion. The McKenzies’ neighbor is upset about the raccoons dumping his trash. It wasn’t Arnold and his family.

CHAPTER 9 – A Post Visit Discussion and the Procyon Family Talks about Their Future

 
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 ninth part of ten or maybe eleven. I had considered reorganizing the last few chapters of the story as there is quite a bit of skipping around and going back and forth in time. I decided the heck with it and left them as they were.

Ronnie and her mother discuss the past weekend, especially, how good it was for everyone. The raccoon family continues to learn about their new environment. Their neighbor is a bit upset with them. They’re innocent..

 

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This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

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“Mom, thank you for allowing us to get together. It was a great weekend for everyone. They have grown up so much over the last fifteen months. I sent a note to Edna a while ago to tell her how impressed I was with Sydney. Sydney had already talked to her about what a fantastic time she’d had. Edna Millet said she may have found a prospective ‘customer’ for The Wizard. She’s not certain right now. She’ll let The Wizard know when she’s more certain.

“Now, other than my school work, I need to be helping you get everything ready for the meeting.”

“All of your friends were a great help. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more compatible group.”

“I haven’t either. Of all the groups I spent summer with, they are the only one that has stayed in contact. They really are quite special for more reasons than just one.

“I was surprised at Marti’s maturity. Maybe, I shouldn’t have been. Marissa Lewis is amazing for someone who has known for less than 20 years that she was a witch, and Bobbie’s mother is the same. They are now the President and Vice President of the New England Conference. It’s just amazing what they have done. They have done more than any other group to include the non-magic in what’s going on.”

“They have been very fortunate, Ronnie, to have had as few conflicts as they have. I think Avery and Myrna are very special people. They understand what’s going on and how the magic relate to all people. Not all out there will be that understanding. I think that is going to be a major discussion during the meeting.

“Daddy, why are we here. I mean, I like these people. Ronnie treats me like a friend, not a pet. Everyone is so nice to us. Ms. Sara told the neighbors not to bother us, and they have been very nice. The neighbors with the Border collie have even let me in for a snack. Reggie is real nice. Sometimes I wish he was a raccoon. We do play a lot, but he can’t climb trees real well. He is a good swimmer, though.”

Misty and the rest of her family were exploring Chico Creek. Her father was showing the children how to catch crayfish without getting badly pinched. It took a couple of pretty severe nips before they got the technique right. The fat crayfish were quite the delicacy.

“We’re here because it’s safer for us here. His Wisdom told me we are special raccoons. There are more like us out there, and we will meet them one of these days.

“Everyone, remember when we ate the leftover trout from that camp, and then we caught that one in the Santa Ana River? That was the name of that stream we crossed to get to the church camp.”

“How did you know that, Father?” Danny asked.

“The Wizard told me that was the name of that water. Ronnie told me the name of this water. She told me that there is a larger fish that comes up here in the late fall and winter. They lay their eggs up there,” he said pointing to the east towards the Sierra foothills. He didn’t know yet what they were. “They die after they do that, but some might be a very good treat. There’s a path we can follow to go further up there without having to worry about the traffic. We’ll just see how it goes. Your baby sister will be arriving about then. I might be very busy helping out.”

“Arnold, what do you think about the fruit from this tree? It tastes pretty good,” Harriet asked.

“Yes, Rhonda told me about them. She said they grew in several areas in the park. They are called persimmons. They are not good unless they are very ripe. She said if they are green they make your mouth pucker up and do bad things to your digestion. If they taste good, they should be ripe.

“Children, remember we are not to get into anyone’s trash, no matter how tempting it is. If we need to supplement our diet, Rhonda’s family will provide it. They promised their neighbors we wouldn’t mess things up. I know how tempting it can be. Just remember, we’re guests here. We have a very comfortable situation, and we don’t need to mess it up.”

Two nights later Arnold’s family’s relations with the neighbors was put to a test. Rhonda was with Mike, and probably wouldn’t be home until mid-morning. Steve and Sara were listening to Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, when someone rang the doorbell and pounded on the door. The raccoons started for a moment at the noise before they went back to sleep in front of the fire. Steve set his glass of port on the table next to Volume 4 of “A California Saga”. Sara had passed it on to him after finishing it. They were both hooked on the series.

Steve looked through the port to see his neighbor, Fred Poe, standing there. He was obviously upset.

“Fred, is something wrong? You seem upset.”

“You’re damn right I’m upset. I just chased those damn raccoons of yours out of my carport. They’ve scattered trash all over the place. I’m pretty tolerant, but you promised they wouldn’t do anything like that. Now I’ve got to clean all that crap up. I could use some help.”

“Come on in Fred. We can take care of the mess in a few minutes. I’d like you to meet some friends of ours.”

Steve led Fred into the family room where the raccoons were still sleeping. They were going out later in the evening to explore a local vineyard that had just been picked. There always were some grapes left over. They were usually very sweet.

“When did this happen?”

“Just now. I chased them out just minutes ago.”

“Well, Arnold and his family have been sleeping here for the last two hours.”

By this time Arnold and Harriet were awake, wondering what the fuss was about.

“Fred, this is Arnold Procyon, his wife Harriet. Their children are Arnold Junior, Danny, and Misty. I was going to take them over to one of the local vineyards later this evening so they could eat the grapes the pickers missed.

“Arnold, some of your relatives dumped Mr. Poe’s trash. Let’s you, Arnold, Junior and I go over there and help pick things up.”

The Poes frequently invited Arnold and his family over for treats after that.

Time to put this series of adventures to rest, at least for now. Our friends are sailing off to young adulthood. Many wonderful things are going to happen.

CHAPTER 10 – Getting Close to Graduation at the CIA

 
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 tenth part of ten. I had considered reorganizing the last few chapters of the story as there is quite a bit of skipping around and going back and forth in time. I decided the heck with it and left them as they were.

We will see how things go with Tammie and Wanda. Their relationship is one made in heaven. At least some would find that metaphor appropriate. Sydney and Marshall Hendricks find love rather quickly. We will learn a lot more about them in the next story.

 

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This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

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“So how’d it go?”

“Piece of cake, pun intended. I aced it. How’d it go for you?”

“No problems at all. The gazpacho came out perfectly. Shall we celebrate?”

“As long as I don’t have to eat your gazpacho,” Sydney laughed. “Hey waiter, this gazpacho’s cold.”

“That doesn’t have anything to do with your current situation, does it?” Marshall Hendricks said as he placed his loving hand on Sydney’s slightly distended abdomen.

“None whatsoever, I just never liked the stuff.”

“Are you sorry you changed your major to the culinary arts?”

“Not one bit. The more I got to know you, the more I knew I wanted to be with you as much as possible. This isn’t much different than being a doctor. It will probably be harder work, though.

“I haven’t talked to Wanda and Tammie since yesterday. Do you know how the practicals went for them?”

“I saw them briefly, and they were all smiles. Of course, they usually are. Tammie’s really showing.”

“That’s a silly thing to say. She has less than two months to go. The baby’s due two weeks after graduation.

“It’s so nice of The Wizard to help everyone out who wants a child. He finds an embryo no one wants and finds a mother for the child. I am amazed that Lisa and Rosemary have saved so many. They are truly wonderful people.

“By the way, Rosemary called. She said there’s a restaurant on the north side of Boston that’s looking for at least two sous-chefs. She said their cuisine is a perfect fit for us. They should know, we’ve worked with them over the last three summers.”

“That sounds very interesting,” Marshall Hendricks said as he hugged his wife of two years. They hadn’t wanted to start a family as soon as they did; however, when they verified she was expecting, they were ecstatic. Their parents were equally overjoyed. Marshall’s parents weren’t aware of what had happened years before. There really wasn’t any reason for them to know. However, Sydney’s parents and Sydney knew it was the final confirmation of Sydney’s transformation. As far as they were concerned, The Wizard could do no wrong.

Marshall and Sydney had met when she was a senior in high school. She was still testing the waters, so to speak; however, the fact she was quite athletic and a starter for the women’s basketball team, and he was the starting running back on the on the football team meant they were more or less ‘thrown together’ as members of the school’s more important athletic teams. Their last period of the day was gym. Marshall noticed the rather tall basketball player early on. Maybe physical stature was important, maybe it wasn’t. He was at least two inches shorter than she; however, he was looking at her as they left the gym area at the end of the day, and she smiled at him. That was all he needed.

He was waiting for her the next day as she left the gym. He introduced himself and they walked together to the student parking lot. By the time they got to the lot, they had a date for the next Friday. They had dinner at a local chain restaurant, then took in a movie. They mostly just cuddled. A hand did find its way to her breast. She thought about removing it, but instead held him to her. She enjoyed the warmth. It was two dates later when her hand wandered down to find his erection. She freed it from its confines and just explored. He came rather quickly. She kissed him passionately while she helped clean things up.

“Marti, you know those instructions that Charli and Randi put together for me?”

“Yes, are you having any problems?” Marti asked.

“Yes and no. It seems I have a boyfriend. It may be more than that. I really like him. He’s not overly aggressive. If anyone’s aggressive, I’m probably the one. I think I want to take our relationship to the next level. I know there is a spell that will stop my ovulation. Could you or one of your friends initiate it for me?”

“I take it you want to take Marshall to bed.”

“That would be the general idea.”

“You should probably discuss it with your mother before you do anything. I can do the spell quite easily, but I don’t want you to run off into a territory you haven’t adequately been prepared for.”

“That certainly sounds adult.”

“It should, that’s what Mom said to me and my brothers and sisters over the years. Whether we heeded her advice or not was our business. There haven’t been any problems so far.”

“I didn’t know you had a boyfriend.”

“Who said anything about a boyfriend, or girlfriend, for that matter?” Marti responded. “I haven’t found the right guy. He’ll show up one of these days, and I’m in no rush.

“That being said, I could run into him tomorrow. It took Randi about 30 seconds to know she found the right guy. She says it took longer, but The Wizard said it happened very quickly for both of them. I’ll do it for you, but only if you tell your mother what you have in mind. Marshall has to tell his folks, too. You’re both close to 18. Neither of my sisters were 18 either, but my folks knew what was going on. It’s not a good idea to hide those things from your parents.”

Sydney told her mother that night what she wanted to do. Her mother cried a little, knowing it was a very big step for her ‘little girl’ who towered over her. Marshall had a similar reaction from his mother. His father gave him a friendly slap on the back and a wink after they talked. What was interesting was that a few days after their discussions with their parent Marshall received a registered letter from an advertising agency. It seemed he’d won a contest he couldn’t remember entering. It was for three days and four nights for two at a very nice lodge in the mountains north of them. Surprisingly, a period between Christmas and New Year’s was available. It wasn’t an accident.

Although technically a virgin, her hymen had been partially torn during a basketball game when struggling for a loose ball. Just to be on the safe side, her mother took her to their gynecologist just to make sure there weren’t any problems. There weren’t, and there wouldn’t be the first time she had intercourse, at least as far as discomfort was concerned. With Sydney’s permission, the doctor made sure there would be nothing in the way.

When Marshall told her about winning the contest and having three days and four nights at a very nice resort, Sydney was very suspicious. These sorts of things didn’t just happen. Of course Sydney was correct as she would find out.

Perhaps it was nervousness. Maybe they were tired from the rather difficult drive in the snow. Maybe they just didn’t really know exactly what to do; however, after a very nice dinner and a couple of glasses of complimentary wine, they returned to their room. Sydney showered first, and returned to the bed wearing a very revealing night gown. Marshall took his shower and returned to the bed finding the love of his life sound asleep. She murmured something as he got under the covers and snuggled up to him. He gave her a quick kiss and quickly fell asleep. Neither moved during the night.

Things were a bit different the next morning. Marshall awoke realizing Sydney was exploring him rather closely. She was no longer wearing her nightgown. “I was wondering when you would wake up,” Sydney said as she lowered her beautiful breast and nipple to his waiting lips. As The Wizard had promised, her body had matured considerably over the last two years. She had stopped growing at 6’ 1”, and she was very proud of her C cup breasts that Marshall had adored since they were two cups smaller. She had gained 30 pounds over those years. She was no longer a string bean as some had called her. Marshall had gained another inch in height; so at least he stayed up with her. Short or tall, he didn’t care. He was sure he loved her.

“If you don’t mind, I got really, really horny waiting for you to wake up; so,” she said as she straddled him, “I’ll just take this and put it right here, if you don’t mind.” Suddenly he was in a place he’d never been before, and it was so right and so good. Sydney’s head was thrown back and her eyes were tightly closed. She was starting to grind against him before she started moving up and down. Her swollen nipples were waiting for him, and he obliged her. She moaned and picked up her pace. He knew it was going to happen for her. He could read all the signs. In the past, their making out had gotten pretty intense, and he learned how to sense she was ready to come as his fingers caressed her vagina and clitoris. When she did come, it was usually quite physical with her abdominal muscles contracting quite strongly several times. She was not loudly vocal, but never the less, she didn’t hide her pleasure. This time was no exception, and he came right with her. The fact there was no fear of pregnancy made it just that much easier.

She kissed him a dozen times as she released his shrinking penis. They held each other closely for a while, and he realized she was quietly crying. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“Even better than okay. It wasn’t too many years ago that I thought this would never happen. You and my friends have given me a life that I’d only dreamed about. I am so damn lucky to have found you.”

“And I am so happy to have found you, my beautiful giantess. Will you marry me?”

“Well, I didn’t expect that; at least, not yet.

“Let me think about it for a while. Okay, that’s long enough. The answer is yes.

“Oh dear, you seem to have recovered already.”

After some extensive foreplay, they switched positions and did what came naturally. Sydney’s long legs held Marshall close to her. They then took a shower in the ‘honeymoon’ shower. They had never been totally unclothed together before, and it was quite a pleasant experience. It also gave them the experience of being able to explore each other’s body in total.

“You really want to get married?” Sydney asked as she adjusted her bra. Her breasts might have swollen a bit due to Marshall’s rather loving attention he’d been giving them. Her nipples were really out there.

“Of course I do, I wanted to corral you as soon as I could. Besides, I’m buying a ring. It’s almost paid for.”

Sydney planted a kiss on him that forecast an interesting evening. There had been considerable snow the night before, and there was still light snow in the air, but there were breaks in the clouds to the northwest. They made their way to the dining room which would still be serving breakfast. It was pretty crowded as it was pretty obvious that no one would be going anywhere until the roads were cleared. There had to be close to 30” of snow on the flat ground, and the only vehicles that could be seen were some snowmobiles. There were also the sounds of several snow blowers laboring through some drifts.

The greeter led them to a table near one of the bowed out window. A family was having a rather large breakfast they had obviously obtained from the sumptuous buffet. The woman waved at Sydney as they approached their table.

“Marshall, I want you to meet some very special people.

“Let’s see if I can get this right. Marshall, I would like you to meet Drs. Brewer and their family. Dr. Cynthia Brewer is a psychiatrist, and her husband, Dr. Donald Brewer, is a lawyer. If you haven’t figured it out already, Dr. Cindy, she told me that was okay, is Marti’s sister. Dr. Don holds the NCAA record for the longest field goal.

“This is my boyfriend, well I guess fiancé as of a couple of hours ago, Marshall Hendricks.”

“So nice to meet you,” Donald the elder stood and shook Marshall’s hand, “and congratulations.”

“I don’t imagine you’ve set a date yet,” Cindy asked.

“I think that will be three or four years down the line, since we will be going to different schools,” Marshall said.

Sydney looked a bit uncomfortable, but Marshall didn’t catch it; however, Cindy did.

“I think I remember their children’s name. That’s Don, but not junior. The twins are Martin and Joann, and the little one in the high chair is Sydney. I don’t think there is any connection.”

“Why don’t you two get some breakfast,” Cindy said pointing to the sumptuous buffet. “They’ll start cleaning up for lunch in a little while. By the way, it’s safe to talk here. No one will understand anything coming from these two tables.”

“What did she mean by that last comment?” Marshall asked as he filled his plate.

“I’ll tell you when we get back to the table.” Sydney’s plate was as full as Marshall’s.

As they got to their table, the Brewers were getting ready to return to their suite. “Sydney’s ready for her morning nap, and Don’s going to take the others down to the park for a while. We brought a toboggan,” Cindy said as she cleaned the food particles and clumps off her youngest daughter. “I think it’s a bout 40-60 as far as how much food she got in her mouth.

“By the way, we have a baby sitter for tonight. Would you like to have dinner with us?” Cindy asked.

“I would love to, and I think Marshall would, too. We have a lot to talk about.

“What time?”

“How about 8:00?”

“That would be great. Is the table still safe?”

“Yes.”

“What was all that about?” Marshall said again, as he passed the genuine maple syrup to Sydney.

“What that’s about is that we can talk about anything here, and no one will hear us. You go to school with Marti, and you know she’s a witch. You just can’t talk about it unless no one is within ear shot. Of course Cindy’s a witch, but her daughters are not. Their son, Don, is a wizard, all be it, a young one. The only other known wizard is His Wisdom whom you met at the mall. We can’t talk about that unless we’re with them or like right now when Cindy put up the ‘wall of silence’. As you are well aware, we can only talk about what I went through under the same conditions.

“You realize, of course, that you didn’t win any contest for our stay here. This is a gift from the Brewers. This is a special place for Cindy and some of her friends. Let’s just say we are carrying on a tradition; a rather nice one, I might add. This is where Cindy and Don first made love many years ago, as did her best friend and partner Bobbie Anderson.”

“Who’s she? The name does sound familiar.”

“Before she received her PhD in Psychology, she used to play a little golf.”

“That Bobbie Anderson?”

“Yes, that Bobbie Anderson.”

“I have another little surprise for you. As you know, I was accepted at UConn for pre-med. I’ve decided not to go. I was accepted at another school I applied to.”

“Where might that be? I don’t want to be any further away from you than we were going to be.”

“Well, it’s a bit closer. It’s in Hyde Park.”

“Syd, I love you so much.”

“I didn’t want to be away from you either. It was an easy decision. My friends from California, Wanda and Tamesha, will be there. They are great.

“Tammie, Sydney called. She wanted to know if we’d like to have dinner at the French Laundry.”

“Who’s paying?”

“She said it was on them. She said they lost the bet.”

“OMG, it’s a girl. I knew it.

“Wanda, I wish you wouldn’t call me Tammie. I told you long ago that that wasn’t the proper nickname for an Afro-American woman.” She was teasing. This was a frequent topic of discussion.

“What would you suggest?”

“I don’t know.”

“That’s what I thought. Look, my beautiful Nubian princess, I don’t care what name you go by. I don’t care if you are black, yellow, or green. I love you with all my heart and soul. That day you kissed me was the greatest day in what had been to that point a miserable life. You set my soul free. There’s not much I can say about my life before that except if it hadn’t been for Lily, I might have killed myself. We are so damn fortunate to have found each other. You saved my life.”

“And you made my life worthwhile. When I knew I had reached you, I had never felt such joy. That first kiss you gave me caught me a bit off guard. It also answered a lot of questions. I knew I wasn’t wrong. I had correctly read all the signals. Tanya is my best friend, but you are my wife and always will be. We have so much to look forward to. Oops!”

“Anything wrong?”

“No, little Rhonda is kicking up a storm, though. Just remember, you’re next.”

“Then you, then me, then you, and so on and so forth.”

“That’s fine with me. The Wizard knows what we desire, and he told us those little ones are just waiting for us to give him the word.

“On a slightly different subject, Lisa called a while ago and said there is a family oriented restaurant looking for two sous-chefs.”

“Where might this restaurant be?”

“East Hartford.”

“This is beginning to sound interesting.”

“Not only that, that little duplex where we stayed down the street from them has been converted to a single house. It’s for sale.”

“How convenient.”

When Tamesha returned home from camp, her mother knew something very important had happened. The fact her daughter was gay had never been an issue. The thing that had worried her the most was that she wanted her daughter to find the right partner. Tanya was her best friend; however, their relationship would never go beyond that. Tamesha had told her mother when she was 12 that she knew she was gay. She had boys who were friends, but things would never go past that point, either.

“What about children?” her mother had asked.

“I want to have a lot of babies. My wife and I will have to work out the details when the time comes.”

Her mother had picked her up at the Merced Airport, but waited until after they let Tanya off at her home before asking Tamesha the obvious question. “You met her, didn’t you? I can see all the signs. Tell me about her.”

“I don’t know how these things happen.”

“Few people do. Go on.”

“She was so abused by her parents. She had built up all these defensive postures, but I saw through them immediately. Tanya saw it, too. She had this horrible acne. I didn’t see it at first. She and her friend Lily were going off on all these racist rants.”

“She’s white?”

“Well yes. It was mostly put on. She and Lily had grown up in a horrible environment. Anyway, Lanu cured Wanda’s acne and Lily’s chlamydia. She’s really good at doing those sorts of things.”

“Just a minute young lady, you are on a first name basis with a doctor?”

“Of course not. Lanu’s a witch. So is her cousin, Marti. They’d never known about each other until they’d met at the camp. It’s really a neat story.

“OMG! I just realized I’m not supposed to be able to talk about these things, but here we are talking about it. I guess it’s okay.

“Lanu’s a healer. Here, let me show you some pictures.” Tamesha brought out her phone. “I think I have about a thousand good pictures on here. Here’s Lanu. She had just arrived and realized Marti was a witch. Lanu’s from Samoa. Marti’s from Connecticut. Their mothers are twins. They don’t know that. Marti and Lanu are working on a big project to get their mothers together. The Wizard’s going to help them.

“You don’t seem to be bothered by all this.”

“I’ll tell you in a minute. Go on.”

“Here’s Wanda when she arrived, and that’s Lily.”

“Her hair’s awful.”

“I know. She kinda went Goth to piss off her parents, but she doesn’t have to worry about them, anymore. The Wizard fixed that. Wanda’s a natural redhead. I convinced her to go natural. You can see the scars in this picture.”

“Oh, the poor dear.”

“It’s not a problem, anymore. Here’s a picture taken the next day.”

“That is amazing. That witch from Samoa did that?”

“Yes, and she cured Lily’s chlamydia.”

“What do you mean she doesn’t have to worry about her parents anymore?”

“The Wizard fixed it so Wanda and Penny can move in with a really nice family in Modesto. Their parents are so bad that it was easier to have Penny and Wanda fostered by the Chronisters.”

“This is getting more interesting by the minute. So, who’s this Penny? You haven’t mentioned her before.”

“Well Penny used to be Peter, but he tried to kill himself because his parents didn’t believe he was a girl inside. They were going to send him off to one of those aversion therapists to have him brainwashed. They also wanted him to be one of those televangelists. We stopped him from jumping off a cliff, and The Wizard turned him into the girl she knew she was. It was really nice, and we all cried.”

“Anyway, when Wanda’s settled in her new home, I want to visit her. You will love her. She’s a bit rough around the edges, but she’s going to be fine. She can finally be who she really is.”

“So, have you two, ah, gotten together?”

“No, that’s why I want to visit her. Marti told me there wouldn’t be any problem.

“Mom, I just told you a bunch of real weird shit, and you didn’t bat an eye. What’s going on?

“If you remember, your great grandmother was from Haiti. Supposedly, she was a witch. I suspect you and I may have inherited something from her.

“Well, I want to meet this future wife of yours as soon as possible. By the way, how do you know she’s a redhead? Never mind.”

“Mrs. Chronister, this is Anita Jackson, Tamesha’s mother,” she said over the phone. “I know Wanda said it was okay to have Tamesha spend the weekend, but I wanted to double check with you just to make sure you were fully aware of the situation.”

“Anita, please call me Ginny. As far as the situation as you call it, I’ve known since before we took them under our wing. The Wizard gave me all the details very early on. He’s very proud of Tamesha and Tanya for their tolerance and acceptance.

“Wanda was badly damaged as was Penny. They grew up in a terrible environment, but managed to hold things together. They have a great support group, and the fact that Tamesha saw through the façade Wanda was putting up made a huge impact on her. She could no longer hide her feelings. I’m sure Tamesha told you how it happened.”

“She did.”

“She said she took a huge chance when she kissed Tamesha. After all, she had made some horrible racist comments. But when Tamesha kissed her back, she knew she hadn’t made a mistake. She cried then and she cried when she told me the story. Your daughter is a very special person, and I’m sure you are aware of that. I have absolutely no problem with them getting together and having some private time. Wanda needs a rock, a foundation she can build on. She is a changed young woman. She helps me prepare meals, she baby sits, and she is looking forward to going to school with Penny. They’ve known each other for a little over a month, but it’s like they’ve been sisters forever.”

“How’s Penny doing?”

“Fine. She had her first experience with womanhood, and didn’t have a problem. She was very calm and just wanted my assurances. She really did quite well. I think it was an item on her ‘bucket list’. Hopefully, pregnancy is not something she wants in the near future. She really is a very attractive young woman. I wouldn’t put her in the model category. She’s tall at five-nine, but there is nothing frail about her. You’ll see her when you bring Tamesha up here.”

Wanda was waiting in the front yard when Tamesha arrived with her mother. They hugged before Tamesha kissed her. The next thing they knew, Wanda was in tears. “God, I missed you,” Wanda said as she blew her nose into a rather soggy tissue. “I was so worried you would change your mind.”

“What would possibly make you think that? We have talked every day since we got home. I’m not going to leave you, and you’re not going to leave me – ever.

“Now, let’s get my luggage inside. I want to see that wonderful bedroom you’ve showed me, and I want to see that kitchen.

“There’s one other thing.

“Mrs. Chronister, would you take us to the mall tomorrow?”

“Certainly, any particular reason?”

“I want to give Wanda a makeover. I don’t ever want her to be anyone but her real self.”

“What do you mean?” Wanda asked.

“If you don’t mind too much, I’d like the rest of your hair to match those roots that are showing up rather prominently.”

“For you, I’ll do it.”

No one said anything the next morning when the two showed up for breakfast a few minutes later than the rest. There were a lot of not so subtle glances and giggles.

Wanda really did look better as a redhead.

“Penny is lining up the put. If it goes in, the tournament is over. What a finishing round.

“Lance, what’s she dealing with.”

“This is one nasty putt. It’s a double breaker that should break sharply to the left as it nears the hole. No one has been close from that area today.

“Okay, she’s ready. Here it comes. Look at how that breaks to the right as it comes over that rise. No one has had enough speed to get it to the hole.

“Oh, this looks good. It’s better than good. It’s in the heart! Penny Garrett has won the LPGA Championship for the second time! As she said in the earlier interview, she had been a bit too tentative during the first two rounds when she was eight strokes behind the leaders. She didn’t say it, but coming back two months after giving birth to her second child, might have been too soon. Well obviously, it wasn’t.”

“Ed, there hasn’t been a golfer on this tour since Bobbie Anderson who can play golf like she can. They are very good friends, by the way. There is one difference, though. Penny says she has no desire to play on the men’s tour.

“Ah, there’s her husband giving her a congratulatory kiss. Her son, Al seems to be pretty excited, too. It’s a bit strange. His name is not Allen, like many have guessed. It’s Aloysius.

“Penny, Fred, George and I are going to play golf. I’ll see you tonight,” Keith Garrett said.

“Just a moment, what am I supposed to do while you’re out there playing golf?”

“I thought you and your friends were going to the mall.”

“There’s a heck of a lot more to life than going to the mall. Besides, I don’t need to go there to check out the boys. I’ve already made my choice, and I might want to learn how to play golf.”

“Penny, golf is not easy, it takes a lot of time to learn how to play it. I can take you to the driving range next week and try to show you how to hit the ball.”

“I’ll meet you out there.”

When Keith arrived at the golf course he noticed that the Chronister’s second car was already parked there. He couldn’t see Penny anywhere. He went to the pro shop to pay his greens fees and looked out to the driving range. Ken Lindsay, the assistant club pro, was giving some pointers to some woman. Keith realized it was Penny.

“How’d the lesson go, Ken?”

“Not bad, not bad at all. That young lady is a natural. I worked on her grip a bit, and she was hitting it as straight as an arrow. Not only that, she is long, scary long. If she wants to learn this game, she could be very, very good.”

Keith smiled to himself. This might be an interesting day.

“Guys, Penny talked me into letting her play with us. She’s never played before, so I’ll tell you what. We’ll play against you two.”

“Yeah, but she gets to hit off the ladies’ tees.”

“What’s that?” Penny asked.

“Guys, forgive Penny. She’s never played before, as I said.

“Penny, because ladies can’t hit the ball as far as the men do, they move their tees up a bit. That helps speed up the game.”

“That seems a bit chauvinistic,” Penny came back. “I’ll play from here, just like you guys do. If I slow you up too much, then I’ll play from the women’s tees. Where are they, by the way?”

“They’re down there,” Keith said pointing to the red markers about 75 yards down the fairway,

“That doesn’t seem fair,” Penny said with a smirk.

“Do you have any idea what this game is about?” Fred Frazier asked in a rather condescending tone.

“Sure, you hit the ball down there, then try to hit close to that little flag, and roll it into that little hole. Seems pretty simple to me. Why?”

Four and a half hours later, the four trudged into the pro shop. Penny turned in the rented set of clubs she’d been using.

“How’d it go, Penny, for your first time?” Ken Lindsay asked.

Fred and George wrote their scores in the handicap book, and left; never saying a word.

“I kinda liked it. I didn’t putt very well. Keith beat me by two strokes, but I beat Fred and George. They didn’t seem very happy about it. I don’t understand why.”

“Ken, she shot an 85. She could have been in the 70s if she’d putted better. As you said, she’s a fucking natural, excuse my French. We played from the members tees. She outdrove Fred and George on almost every hole. She even outdrove me on a couple.”

“Ken, I can’t help her. Would you take her under your wing?”

Penny joined the high school golf team as the second seed. She absolutely loved the game. That was the thing that drove her opponents crazy. She never looked at the score board; something she was criticized for. Each hole was a separate challenge. She just played them to the best of her ability.

Bobbie Anderson had long retired from golf when Penny joined the LPGA tour. They’d met many times, and had become close friends. Bobbie told her to play as long as she found it fun. If it ever became a drudge, or if she regretted being away from her family, it was time to quit. Penny took that advice to heart. She’d won 40 tournaments by the time she retired. She was only 30. She probably could have won 40 more had she wanted to, but her family and children were far more important.

Penny had just won her second LPGA title in Central California fairly early in her career. She was the darling of the professional golf world and she played in a minimum of tournaments each year so she could be with her family. She had completed the interviews after the tournament, and was talking with her friends about where they would meet for dinner. Wanda and Tamesha, and Marshall and Sydney were working on their Masters in Restaurant Management at the CIA West in St. Helena. They had their BS in Culinary Arts from the CIA in Hyde Park in New York. They had driven down to watch the last two days of the tournament. Penny had attained the lead going into the last day before she saw her parents in the gallery. It shook her up, but she held it together for a one stroke victory.

As the group of friends was talking, she again saw her parents as they approached. She hadn’t seen them or communicated with them in ten years.

Her friends backed off a bit as they neared. She had told them she had seen them earlier.

“Hello Penny,” her mother said. “It was nice to see you win. It’s been ten years, and we were hoping that it might be time for forgiveness and a return to God.”

Keith had come up to stand with his wife. She was holding their son Al. Their two month old daughter was with their sitter. Ginny had made the short trip to Petaluma to watch the children.

“If you could take the time, we would love to have you and your husband have dinner with us so we could talk about returning to the fold and doing what God meant for you to do.

For a second or two, Penny was at a loss for words. Then she made up her mind. “I will come to dinner; however, my friends have made a special effort to be here for this tournament. Marshall and Sydney Hendricks have been our friends for a long time. Their two children are very dear to all of us, and shouldn’t be excluded. Tamesha and Wanda will have to come too. They have two girls, and Wanda’s youngest, Lanu, is still nursing. Tamesha is holding their first daughter. She’s named Rhonda after a good friend. I think it would be very nice if we could get together and talk about old times.”

Her parents looked at the lesbian couple and their mixed race children. Her mother spluttered for a moment before grabbing her husband’s arm as they rapidly left. Penny never saw or heard from them again. After 10 years on the tour, Penny retired from the golf world and spent the rest of her life with her family raising almonds, pistachios, and oranges. Both her daughters were witches, which suited everyone just fine.

Wanda and Tamesha ran a very successful restaurant in East Hartford for many years before retiring to their wonderful home down the street from Rosemary and Lisa, and Jim and Terri. Their children and grandchildren seemed to take over the place. No one seemed to care.

Marshall and Sydney were also successful restaurateurs. They were frequent visitors with their friends in Hartford. The entire group from that camp many years before got together almost yearly. It was the only time that Lisa would allow more than 20 people to sit in her restaurant. Randi would come and do her little thing with space, and the entire group could be seated. All the cooks helped. The Wizard helped the long distance travelers. Two of Marshall and Sydney’s children became professional basketball players. Each had won Olympic Gold Medals for basketball.

The Wizard took things pretty easy after a couple of centuries. To his best recollection he was around 1250 years old. Donald Brewer and several nieces and nephews helped him with his wizardly chores. Don was senior to all but The Wizard. Nieces? Wait a minute, what do the nieces have to do with this? Remember, wizards carry the wizard trait on both the X and Y chromosome. They also carry the magic trait on the X chromosome. It was bound to happen; some baby girls showed up with the wizard trait on both X chromosomes. Everyone in the magic community had fully expected it and were well prepared when the first sorceress was born; however, that is a different story.

The last story in the Cynthia Chronicles will bring together several of the past stories that left several things unanswered. In “Bobbie and the Glass Ceiling” we were left with two, a golfer and his caddy, turned into infants. What happened to them and what did Bobbie do after she retired from the world of golf? At the end of “Randi and the College Professor” a misdirected witch (she wasn’t really evil) is turned into a three and one half year old girl with a chance to start over. She retained her magic powers. Then there is the question of death. It has never been fully addressed. Witches, and wizards live far longer than other mortals. I think we know what might happen. Perhaps it will.