I wasn't in the mood to write my usual stuff, and I couldn't seem to think of anything, so I wrote a blog post asking for people to give me weird ideas and combinations. I took a bunch of them and turned them into a usable story. I had planned on having done in one shot, but it's taking a bit longer than planned. So here is the first part. The rest will be done tomorrow. At the end of this chapter I'll post the elements I used.

Matthew stood in his spare room which used to belong to his daughter, before his wife had decided that being a plumbers wife wasn't good enough anymore, when she could live with her fancy ass lawyer boss, who had already been getting all of her physical benefits for over two years. Now it was only used every second weekend. Still it had its uses.

Placing the video camera on the stand which gave a good view of the generic pink wall and bed, he made sure everything was in order before going back to his cold and lonely room. Closing his eyes, he gave a little push and the closet changed, instead of being full of jeans, t-shirts, a couple of warm shirts, and two suits, all he really needed for Brooklyn, it was full of clothes for a fifteen or sixteen year old girl.

In the center of it all was what looked like a plastic body suit that was far too small for him. Taking it off the rack, he pulled open the back and stepped inside. There was a bit of tingling, and he was a naked fifteen year old girl with the head and face of a fifty year old man who had too many lines on his face to ever be called handsome again.

“What does Jenny want to wear tonight?” he asked himself, his voice becoming higher pitched and a little airy. He'd always been a master at changing his voice, entertaining his daughter and his friends for hours by impersonating stars and making himself sound like everything from a crotchety old Russian, to a drunk, female opera singer, to a six year old little girl.

“I think I'll go with the sailor suit. I feel like J-pop tonight.” Having decided, he threw on a pink and white sailor suit that he wouldn't let his daughter even think of wearing, grabbed a cotton candy pink wig, and a full face mask covered in gaudy jewels, colourful feathers and sparkles. Spinning in front of the full length mirror, Jenny blew herself a kiss. “You look fabulous girlfriend!”

Skipping back to the other room, she loaded up the song she wanted on her laptop and got it ready to play, then turned on the camera and began recording. Jumping onto the bed, landing more gracefully than Matthew had ever could have, she waved at the camera. “Hi everyone, it's Jenny Jones again! I just want to say thank you for all the lovely comments you've posted on my channel, it makes me feel so good. But MarcAntony13, your comment was way too naughty. I'm not that type of girl! Since I now have 100,000 followers, I'm going to be posting videos twice a week. I'm not sure what they'll all be about, but you'll get something.”

Jumping to her feet, she spun for the camera. “My daddy just got me this costume last week, isn't it to die for! Since this is the first time I get to wear it for all of you, I think this calls for some J-Pop. YAY!!”

Jenny started the music and began dancing in front of the camera, then she started singing and all her worries, concerns and loneliness disappeared.

**

Matthew was enjoying his lunch break. After spending all morning fixing a pipe that had about a dozen holes in it from the owner pouring hydrochloric acid down it to remove a clog and not using nearly enough water, he deserved the break. Trying to squeeze his hands and pipe wrench into the tiny gap between the pipe and the wall had been the hardest part of the job, and he had one heck of a bruise on his little finger when the rusty, weakened pipe had actually broken smacking into the wall, just catching him.

To take his mind off that, he was checking Jenny's emails. They were nice to listen to, but not exactly relaxing. Jenny had been getting emails from local stations to do interviews and perform, ever since he'd become a bit of a viral sensation 3 months ago. Now she was getting messages from agents, producers and big time radio, internet and even tv shows to appear on them. He loved the attention, but Jenny didn't exist, and what would people say if they saw a teenage girl with his ugly mug?

People were already trying to track her down, using the little she'd talked about to figure out she was in Brooklyn. He didn't know much about computers, but he knew you could be tracked down on the net, what if they went came to his home? His daughter didn't look like Jenny, would they think he was letting some teen dance around in his apartment? He could loose what little time he had with his daughter if that rumour appeared.

There had to be something he could do.

He could just drop Jenny, she wasn't real after all. But that wasn't much of an option. For a year after his wife and daughter left, he'd hit the bottle hard, barely sober enough to work, and only cleaning up when his daughter was coming to visit. Then he'd discovered his talent to travel sideways, and the secret side of the world, the Jenny suit had been his first purchase, and he hadn't looked back. Now he couldn't even fathom not becoming the happy go lucky girl a few times a week.

What he needed was a way to make her go from being a half formed person to a real girl. He could still be Matthew to visit his daughter, but if the rest of his time he could be Jenny Jones, singing, acting, and having fun, while using all of Matthew's experience to avoid scumbags and bad situations, now that would be the life.

All that Jenny needed was a face. The ID would be easy to fake if he could just become full on Jenny.

Dialing his boss, he tried to remember how many sick days he could call in. This would take some time.

**

Jenny was wearing a pair of waterproof hiking boots, top of the line coveralls, with a plumbers belt holding a heavy pipe wrench, flashlight, and a hunting knife. In her pack was a lunch, with a big chunk of cheese, jerky and jerky, along with quite a bit of water, and five thousands dollars worth of silver coins. She didn't know how long it could take, so she was packing for a bit of a journey, there was also a second set of clothes for Matthew just in case. Topping it all was a short black wig, and a goalie mask that completely concealed her ugly male face.

She made her way through the basement of Matthew's apartment, using his keys the manager had given him when Matthew agreed to help look after the pipes for a big discount on the rent. She found the darkest corner, and gave reality a shove, thinking about what she needed. The old cement wall opened up revealing ancient bricks, and a tunnel that looked like it hadn't been used in centuries.

Turning on the flashlight, she stepped into the tunnel, and tried not to jump as the wall closed up behind her. She noticed the walls were lined with skulls, she wasn't worried, in fact the sight of them made her feel better. She was in the Paris Catacombs, which were pretty safe. As long as she didn't meet any reality whorls.

As she moved through the tunnel she looked for the markings from other people like her who could step sideways, showing where the markets were, dangers, safe points, and more. She still didn't know half of the symbols she saw, people had been leaving them along the hidden ways for centuries, and time wasn't exactly linear here.

Point of fact, the tunnel suddenly turned into a large cave, moonlight filtered in through holes in the top, and small ferns thrust out of the rocky ground. Looking back the comforting bone filled catacombs, weren't there anymore. Sighing she realized she was in a time whorl. Only thing to do was keep walking until she reached the edge. Speeding up she kept her ears open, once Matthew had been attacked by some Indians who had been startled seeing him appear out of nowhere. That had actually been better than seeing a robot casually tearing apart a human in some desert wasteland.

Jenny had been walking for five minutes when she heard a growl behind her. It was loud, and made the hair on her neck rise up, as every instinct screamed. Looking back, she saw a massive reptilian like head, with huge teeth. The scrawny arms on it's enormous body were slightly ridiculous, but everything else about it from the powerful back legs, the red downy feathers covering its body and the really really sharp teeth and claws screamed predator. Screaming Jenny fled from the t-Rex who roared and lumbered after her.

The only thing keeping her alive was that the cave was littered with pillars and rocks, she ducked and dodged keeping low, using her her small size to make hair pin turns, while the T-Rex stumbled and bashed into the rocks. She could still feel the dinosaurs warm breath on her back, smell the rotting meat caught in its teeth. And knew that this couldn't go on for much longer. Then reality recoiled and she was on her knees, vomiting onto prairie grass, an old, half collapsed house behind her.

She spent the next five minutes laughing, barely able to believe she was still alive.

**

Matthew had taken over for Jenny. She needed a break after her scare, so her suit was in the bag, and he was wearing his own coveralls and boots. He kept his hand on his pipe wrench, needing to feel the heavy steel to keep his hands from shaking.

Being from Brooklyn, the Kansas prairie was scary, it was so flat. There were no power line, cell towers, there weren't even any trees for mile around. One of his buddies was from Kansas, and had said there weren't even natural lakes, just man-made reservoirs and ponds called cattle tanks. As he walked to the top of a small rise, wishing for something he could use to push his way back to somewhere better, the land dropped away and he stopped dead in his tracks unable to believe what he was seeing.

There was a massive steel ark like spaceship. But it was so old it was scorched from lightning strikes, parts of the hull had rusted away, and the buildings around it were little more than useless shells. It had even sunk into the pavement.

Around the abandoned space shuttle launch pad, there were hundreds of people on a nearby hillside sketching the bleak scene. Black Sedan cars with opaque windows are parked in a strange formation that drew the eye. From his position, the cars and the people looked almost like the alphabet. Rubbing his eyes, Matthew began to spell out the words, “M-A-R-K-E-T! S-A-L-E-S! M-A-K-E-A-T-R-A-D-E!”

That was what he was looking for. Heading down the hill, he saw a small trail of white paving stones leading to the ark. As the ground sloped down, under the weight of the spaceship that was larger than some skyscrapers, water had filled in the dip, a small, rickety bridge went from the path to an open hatch, a cacophony of noise rushed out to meet him.

Not caring Matthew went inside.

The place was like a massive chaotic flea market. Some markets he'd visited were quiet, with dealers who wore silk suits and talked in whispers. Others were more like a local Walmart. But most were like this, everyone trying to sell something that couldn't be found in the real world. Car tires that would let you drive to Hell, Buddhist, Christian, Norse, Hindu, Greek, it didn't matter, they'd take you there, getting out was another matter. Emotions, from the greatest love in history to despair that would kill a person within minutes from a broken heart. Unicorn horn pills guaranteed to heal any poison or disease, and a basilisk eye that would paralyze your foe with horror for a full day. All you needed to find anything was something to trade, and the perseverance to find it.

“What are you looking for?” a man who looked so perfectly ordinary he was unnatural asked.

“I need a wearable girls face mask. Fifteen years old. Caucasian. Pretty. Able to remove it and put it back on safely. Not from a living girl and no personality in the mask itself,” he said. Having learned from some unfortunate incidents he was pretty specific.

“I'm afraid we don't have those here. We have heads if you're interested, but they talk back,” the seller said regretfully.

“Do you know where I can get one?”

“Try Toronto, the hundredth floor of the Eaton Center,” he offered.

“Thanks,” Matthew said, tossing him a silver coin.

He started walking towards a large sign that said exit when he heard a woman crying. Stopping to look out of curiosity, he saw a man selling odd animals, in a large aquarium was a woman wearing a Victorian corset, black panties, and high heels, she was silvery like a fish and covered in scales. Her face was something to behold and not in a good way. It looked a little human, with big blue eyes, but her mouth was enormous and full of teeth, she didn't have any ears just holes in her skull, and her neck flared out like she had gills.

She saw him looking at her, and put her hand up against the glass, revealing long webbed fingers. “Please!” she shouted. “I was human. I was kidnapped. Help me!”

The woman sounded so young, so desperate it pulled at his heartstrings. Catching the merchants attention Matthew pointed at the woman. “What is she?”

“A transformed human. I caught her just off the coast of Florida. Quite the specimen isn't she?” the saleswoman said. “Perfectly harmless, she can entertain your guests, provide an interesting night, or with proper training and equipment she'd be great for underwater jobs.”

“She can breathe air?”

“Oh yeah, just keep her skin moist. I'll let you have her for the last happy memory of your time with your wife,” the woman said.

He thought about it for a few seconds. The night of love making after a fancy meal and a movie, was pretty good, even if it was tinged with the knowledge it was out of pity as she left him a week later. He wouldn't miss it too much.

“Take it,” he said.

She gripped his skull, and he felt her fingers rooting through his brain. He shivered and fought the urge to run screaming. A few seconds later, it was done and he had a gap in his memory that he wanted to poke and prod like a missing tooth. He resisted, it was easier just to let it go.

The fish woman was standing beside him, clinging to his arm. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” she cried.

“Don't mention it. Let's get you somewhere wet. You ever been to Toronto?” he asked, gently guiding her to the exit.

**

Elements Used or will be used. There's more but I'll post them with the second half.

-A pipe wrench, a Victorian corset and a merry-go-round.

-An abandoned Space Shuttle launch pad. Hundreds of people on a nearby hillside sketching it. Black Sedan cars with opaque windows are parked in a strange formation; from the air it almost looks like a message...

-Being from Brooklyn, the Kansas prairie was scary as shit; it was so flat. There were no power line, cell tower, hell even trees for mile all around. It foretold of his social isolation. He was told their are no natural lakes; only man-made reservoirs and pond called cattle tanks. As he walked to the top of a small rise, the land dropped away to revival an Ark!

- Jenny Jones is an up and coming teenage singer who has found fame via Youtube and she is now in great demand for TV and appearances despite never showing her face. The reason is that she is really a fifty year old plumber called Matthew who happens to be good at impressions, and he doesn't know what to do.

- A double decker bus, the Paris catacombs, and a Tyrannosaurs Rex.

- The water felt so inviting as she dropped into the ocean, her clothes melting off of her. Her human features dissolved into the stuff of nightmares, rows and rows of teeth inside a large mouth.

-A protagonist, sometimes male and sometimes female, travels seamlessly between subtly different versions of reality. These could be metaphors for the protagonist's real-life transition.

-Alphabet, cheese, LaTeX.

Completed

The fish woman was practically jumping out of her skin as she and Matthew made their way through the increasingly busy market, pressing herself against his side ignoring the fact that she was only in underwear, very revealing underwear at that, and her rapidly rising and falling bust was rubbing his arm, giving him very naughty thoughts.

“Don't worry, they don't care about you,” Matthew told her.

“What?” she yelped, in surprise.

“They don't care what you look like or where you came from. You've been sold so you're either a customer, or with me, and I'm a customer. The market is busy enough that they don't care if we walk past or not, they've got as much business as they can handle.” He felt her warm flesh push against him again. “Actually we do need them to bother us. Look for a clothes shop.”

“I haven't had clothes for over a year. They don't last very long in the ocean,” she said, looking away from him.

“I don't care, people ignore those who can go sideways, but if you make too much of a spectacle they start to pay attention and notice things. I'm not making a side trip to the ocean until I get my business done, and you don't seem to know how to get around in this place, so you're with me for a while,” he explained. “That means you have look like you fit in. So clothes, and lots of water.”

She didn't seem to know what to say, just stared at the ground, avoiding his eyes.

“What's you're name?” Matthew asked.

“Marilyn,” she whispered.

“I'm Matthew.”

They took some more confusing turns, until they found a stall selling latex clothing. “Perfect!” he shouted, dragging Marilyn over.

“I need one catsuit for the lady,” he said, ignoring the elf like man who had a barbed cat o'nine tails on his waist.

Five outfits shot up into the air. Two of them were mostly straps, leaving the crotch, ass and nipples open, one had a hole in the chest, and the other two covered everything from the neck down, including the hands, one was red the other black.

“You like red or black?” Matthew asked.

“Red,” she answered, staring in wide eyed wonder.

“How much for the red?”

He and the merchant haggled over the price, until Matthew paid one silver coin for it. It was that or the tip of his little finger.

Marilyn went behind a curtain and after some grunting and cursing came out wearing the cat suit. She was pulling at it, and twitching oddly, but didn't complain. With her clothed, it was a lot less distracting walking through the market. They traded the corset for a floppy hat that didn't go with the latex, but helped hide her face before finally reaching the exit. Concentrating as hard as he could on Toronto, he stepped through the revolving door hugging the fish woman to him so she didn't end up somewhere else.

They came out in a city alley, it was early in the evening and the city was alive with the sound of partying and fighting filling the air. “Come on, let's get out of here,” he said, pushing Marilyn in front of him.

“What's the hurry?” she asked, crossing her arms protectively over her chest and eyeing the lights with a mix of longing and fear.

“Sometimes things pop up for a few minutes after going sideways. Not often bu-” his explanation was cut off as tentacles reached out of the dark and grabbed him around the chest.

Marilyn didn't do what he expected, like screaming or running away. She grabbed a garbage can lid and began bashing the tentacle as hard as she could, actually cutting into the hard rubbery flesh. Matthew joined in, managing to snag his knife and slamming it into the tentacle and sawing away. Black ichor shot out, coating his coveralls.

Whatever the thing was gave a shriek, dropping him and fleeing back into the darkness.

“Goddammit!” he shouted, trying to shake off the gore. It was no use, whatever it was, was starting to smoke and eat away at the fabric. Stripping to his underwear, he pulled Jenny out of the bag and stepped into the suit.

Jenny grimaced as her feet touched the filthy pavement, getting dressed as quickly as possible. As soon as she was decently covered, with her mask and hair in place, she kicked the ruined clothes off to the side and turned to face her companion.

“Wh-? How? You changed? How?” Marilyn stammered.

“It's a body suit. I got it a year ago and it's fun to do. I'm Jenny Jones by the way.” Not waiting to see how the woman might react to the sudden age and gender change, she hurried out of the alley, only to stumble over a naked mannequin.

As the sidewalk rose up to meet her face, long fingers caught her under the arms. “Careful... Jenny. Where are we again?”

Taking a moment to collect herself before answering, Jenny finally said, “Toronto. I'm not sure where though. Let's get a cab. Where did you learn to fight like that?”

“Sharks. They sometimes try to eat me, and a good hit to the nose or gills usually makes them go away. Could we get some water?”

They went to a convenience store, and found out that the Eaton Center was only a few blocks away, while they bought a couple of bottles of water and some snacks. While Jenny ate a chocolate bar only moving her mask up just enough to slip it into her mouth, Marilyn poured two bottles of water into her latex suit, it made her squeak a little, but the fish woman looked a lot more comfortable.

Since it was closer than they thought, they started walking towards the market.

“So, Marilyn,” Jenny said, playing with her hands, “how did you get like this?”

“I don't know. I've tried to figure it out but it's a mystery. I went for a swim one night, and my suit dissolved, so did my skin. It didn't hurt, but I ended up like this. Only my best friend knows, and sometimes I'll go to her beach house to watch some tv, she set up a big basin like a couch for me. And we'll talk. That's how that woman caught me. I came out of the ocean and she trapped me in a net. It was so horrible,” Marilyn said, biting back a sob.

Jenny let her talk, she obviously needed to get a lot of stuff off her chest and listening didn't cost anything. When they reached the Eaton Center, there was an elevator off to the side where three neanderthal like bouncers in poorly made leather suits watched a small but steady stream of people enter. Looking carefully she saw that the elevator went up into the sky well above the actual building.

Getting into line, it was a short wait until they were in the elevator. They were ignored by the others, although Marilyn stared openly at a man dressed up in a stripperiffic superman costume, a woman who seemed to be naked under the hair which covered almost her entire body, and a person wearing a suit of childrens teeth.

They reached the hundredth floor, and stepped out into a mansions foyer.

A bald man in a tuxedo, with the word 'information' tattooed on his forehead was waiting just off to the side. They went over to him, Jenny didn't want to waste anymore time. “I need a girls face mask, living, Caucasian, not thinking or alive unless put on.”

The man opened his mouth and a beetle popped its head out. “Talk to Dave. Information section, table five,” the beetle clicked, while the man pointed the direction.

“Thank you,” Jenny said and headed off, dragging Marilyn who was staring in horror.

“He had a beetle for a tongue!” Marilyn gasped.

“Yeah, and you're a fish woman. And I'm a fifty year old man with the body of a teenage girl. Welcome to Oz,” she said.

They reached the information section which was full of stalls some of them overflowing with books, leathery tomes, parchment and old scrolls, others had a computer or even a tablet, a few used tv, radios or in one case a crystal ball. Every stall was marked with a number.

At stall number five a large grey and white dog was resting on a large pillow, apparently asleep. When they looked around for the merchant, the animal raised its head. “How can I help you?” it asked in a cultured British accent.

“We're looking for Dave,” she said.

“Speaking. What information are you looking for, I'm certain I can help,” Dave said with a big yawn.

Jenny told him her mask requirements.

“Just give me one moment please,” the dog said. It went to a notebook, and growled. Tics and fleas as large as Jenny's thumb jumped out of his fur, landing on the keys and began jumping up and down in a strange mockery of typing. Five minutes later, Dave gave a satisfied woof.

“I have the information, it will just cost you both an embarrassing memory,” Dave said.

“We can keep the memory, right?” Jenny asked.

“Of course.”

“Ok, how do we do this?” she asked.

“Just hold out your hand.”

Jenny put her hand out, Marilyn did the same, taking off her glove first, although she looked very nervous about it. Two fleas jumped on their hands and gave them a quick bite.

When the fleas jumped off, Dave said, “You need to go to Bottoms Up inside the Vatican and talk to the alchemist who made Jane Seymour and Racquel Welch's longevity potions. That should be easy enough just go to the travel section.”

With a quick thanks, they walked away looking for signs indicating a travel section. “Listen Marilyn,” Jenny said as they searched, “I think we should part ways here. Lake Ontario is just a few blocks away, you can get there and head to the ocean. I'll even give you some money so you can call your friend and let her know you're ok. I'm going to be going to Italy, and as you saw, it's not exactly safe ”

“Are you sure? I might be able to help you,” she said.

“Yeah. I'm not really comfortable around people when I'm like this. And you need to get to your friend. Tell you what, I'll try to get you straight to Florida if it's not too expensive, when I get my trip to Italy.”

“Thanks,” Marilyn said quietly, wiping her eyes.

“No problem,” Jenny said, squirming a little at the emotional scene.

They reached a large merry go round, where people got on and didn't get off again. A man dressed like a circus ringleader in a long red coat and baggy black pants, was standing by a ticket stand, he was smiling so much the corners of his mouth almost touched his eyes.

“Where would you like to go, kid?” he boomed.

“One ticket to Bottoms Up in Vatican City, and a ticket to...” Jenny looked at Marilyn questioningly.

“Bottoms Up in Vatican City,” Marilyn said.

“I told you to go home,” Jenny said.

“I am. I'm going to Bottoms Up in Vatican City. I've lived there all my life,” Marilyn insisted. Then she realized what she'd said and her hand covered her mouth.

An idea rose like a monster from the depths of Jenny's mind. “You're free to go Marilyn, just swim down the St. Lawrence River and head back to Florida that way. Go now!”

Looking hurt, scared and confused, Marilyn walked away, heading out through the large archway and around the corner. Jenny looked around and saw Marilyn looking even more confused as she came back into the room through an arch on the other side. She turned and fled, which gave Jenny a perfect view of Marilyn running through her own body, as she came back in through the arch as she ran out.

“Marilyn!” Jenny shouted. “Come here.”

“I was trying to leave, but I couldn't. Why can't I leave?” the young woman sobbed.

“I own you. So you can't leave me,” she told the woman, her voice full of disgust. “Let's try a few things.”

For the next ten minutes Jenny declared Marilyn free every possible way she could think of, but none of it worked, the fish woman physically couldn't get more than a few hundred feet away. Even when she gave Marilyn an order to go to Florida and wait for her, the magic contract seemed to understand that they were planning and refused to let Marilyn go.

“Fine! I give up!” Jenny shouted. “Sorry Marilyn I'll figure something out but for now I have stuff to do. So I guess you're coming with me. Two tickets to Bottoms Up in Vatican City,” she told the ticket agent.

For some reason as they got onto two golden horses on the merry-go-round Marilyn didn't look all that unhappy.

**

The merry-go-round went around once, and then Jenny and Marilyn were sitting on the top of a double decker bus driving through the streets of Vatican city early in morning. Priests, nuns and formally dressed people were going about their business completely ignoring the bright red bus that slowly made its way down the street.

It came to a stop less than a minute later beside a small cafe that seemed fuzzy around the edges. A sign above the door declared the name “Bottom's Up” with a picture of two women one on her back and her legs up in the air, while the other was standing and bent at the waist. Going inside, revealed a seedy little strip club where an over the hill dancer was twirling around a pole, her saggy breasts swinging drunkenly, victims of age and too much silicone.

A few people watched, but most were more interested in their beer. A waitress came over, smoking a cigarette. “Got the cover?”

Jenny handed her a twenty. “We're looking for an alchemist, is he here?”

“Yep, follow me,” she said, taking a drag of her smoke.

They went to stage where a greasy man in a stereotypical wizards robe was staring longingly at the the stripper. “Yo! Merl, you got customers!” the waitress yelled.

He didn't look away from the stage. “Sit down, sit down, I'm always willing to help. Barbara, dear, please can I have some more fish fingers and custard?"

“Coming right up,” the waitress said walking back to the kitchen, rolling her eyes.

“Merl, I need a mask. It has to be-” Jenny started.

“Yes, yes, I know all about it. What age?” he demanded.

She had told her fans she was fifteen, but being older would solve a lot of problems. “Eighteen or nineteen.”

Merl reached into a beat up old doctor bag at his feet, and handed Jenny a mask, it looked flat and lifeless, with short mousy brown hair. Taking off her hockey mask and wig, Jenny put the mask on. It made a sucking sound, and then it felt just like her real skin. Touching her face there were no bristles, or wrinkles, the nose was smaller, the lips fuller, shaking her head had real hair tickling her ears and neck.

“I'm really Jenny!” she cried in delight.

“Not yet. I need payment,” the man said.

“What do you need? I'll pay anything!” she said clutching his hand.

The greasy old man, finally looked at her, his eyes were ancient, dusty grey orbs. His body didn't change but how he held himself did. She saw an ancient man, who had the weight of the world on his shoulders once and dropped it. “I just want one hour of happiness,” he begged.

“It's yours,” she said without any hesitation.

After Merl took the memories, Marilyn gave her a hug, patting her back, and muttering a congratulations. As Jenny ran to the bathroom to look in a mirror, she saw Marilyn talking to the alchemist.

Five minutes later after she had looked at every part of her new face, Jenny came out and saw the fish woman sitting by the door crying into her hands. Not sure what to do, she gave the woman a hug and told her it was time to go home.

**

Since Marilyn couldn't leave her side unless she was doing a real job, when Matthew went to work the next day, after drinking a whole pot of coffee, he left her at home and gave her a list of chores to do and the times to do them. She'd have plenty of time to relax, and it should keep her from ending up at his side by magic.

He was almost too giddy to work, thinking about how he had to get some documents for Jenny Jones 19 year old internet sensation. He could go to a market and get some easily enough. Then he'd work out something with an agent and come up with a cover story about how he had helped her get off the street. He could go on tours, singing and dancing, maybe star in a movie, and as Matthew still see his daughter. Heck his daughter was a fan of Jenny Jones, she'd love knowing he had helped her become famous. That had to be worth some brownie points and make him the best Dad in the whole world.

Getting home he heard Marylin crying.

Walking quietly to his bedroom he saw Jenny standing in front of a mirror, looking exhausted, tears and snot running down her face, as she gulped for air. Kneeling down beside the girl he put his arm around her.

“What's wrong?” he asked.

“I want to look like this!” Marilyn wailed. “I want real skin. I want my hair back! I want to be able to walk down the street! I want to be human again! But Merl said these were hard to get, it could take months or years to get one.”

He'd only met Marilyn the night before, but how she was crying reminded Matthew of his daughter when she found out she was going to live with her mother. He looked at his own life, it wasn't too bad. Lonely, but he only really wanted to be Jenny because it got him attention. Here was a young woman who couldn't have a life, not a real one at least.

It was like pulling off a bandage, better to be quick. “Can you sing?” he asked.

**
1 year later

Matthew watched as Jenny Jones chewed her lip nervously as the director got everyone in place. He was on set as a close friend of the budding star, watching with interest as the tv show was being created. It turned out that Marilyn couldn't sing, but she was a pretty good actress.

The day before when they recorded the singing portion of the episode, Matthew had been onstage singing his heart out, while Marilyn stayed in the hotel room soaking in a tub. It wasn't perfect, but with Matthew being the singing Jenny, and Marilyn the acting Jenny as well as doing most of the day to day things, it worked well enough. And sometimes it was Matthew who went out shopping and partying.

The gossips wondered about their relationship, but they just said he was like a father to her. It wasn't any of their business and they kept things discrete, even though Marilyn didn't sleep in the spare room anymore.

Best of all his daughter was spending most of her spare time with him. Having a celebrity living with him had definitely made him the greatest Dad in the whole world. The biggest problem was deciding who got to hang out with his daughter as Jenny. Marilyn loved having the friends, and Matthew loved spending even more time with his daughter.

But things were working out.

He hadn't even traveled sideways in months. With his life so good, there really wasn't any need to.

**

So that's the short story. It wasn't the most interesting thing in the world, but I could definitely see taking a month or so to expand this into a novel, there's enough potential to it, just have to add in an actual enemy, and that's easy.

Here are the last bits I had to add, I couldn't add in a few things I wanted. For short story there simply wasn't the space, but if I do expand this, the line "Dad, I told you, Elvis said it was perfectly fine to use his flying Eldorado." It's too good to leave out a second time.

a merry-go-round.

The city was alive tonight; the sounds of partying and of fighting filled the air. As he walked by a alley, a tentacle reached out from the dark and grab him.

As I staggered out of the alley, I stumbled over a naked mannequin.

A seedy strip club inside the Vatican, the alchemist who made Jane Seymour & Racquel Welch's longevity potions, and a three year old talking Alaskan Malamute named Dave.

A double decker bus

"Please sir, can I have some more fish fingers and custard?"

Thanks for reading.