Hannah was waiting for me the moment I walked out of work, and she followed me in her car as I drove home, insisting on being the one who took me shopping. Once we got to the shop, the idea was that she would pick things out that would be suitable for a young teenager to wear to a party, so there I was shopping for the other me, and trying to visualise how I would look in things. Hannah settled on a blue dress which I thought looked very short and very tight, but she insisted it would look perfect as she had been doing some research. I felt both excited about clothes, and also extremely out of place, but when I paid for the dress Hannah just said I was buying for my non-existence daughter, so I just played along. At least I didn't need to fake feeling nervous. We then went to a shoe shop, then another shoe shop, and then another before going back to the first and picking up a pair of white platform trainers, telling me to trust her. After that we went to Starbucks to get a coffee and sat outside, then Hannah dropped a big bombshell on me. She said, “So, now we’re going to get you some lingerie.” And I reminded her that it wasn’t for me so much, but other me, and she waved that away telling me it was the same thing. This time I really wasn’t sure with what she picked, but she insisted and when I paid for them I tried to make myself look like someone buying them for their girlfriend and getting help. At least they looked way too old for the other me, or I would have been arrested!

I got the bus to work on Friday as Anita was taking me to Mary’s this time as she wanted to meet the teenage me. The change was completely routine by now, and once again I found myself wondering why I didn’t just say no to this, but really, I was having fun, it was like living a second life, an immersive halloween costume. Once changed and in a denim mini skirt and vest top, I spent the evening talking to Anita about the wedding and found myself getting really excited about being a bridesmaid, the whole reason I was doing this. We looked at wedding websites and through magazines she had picked up, we even discussed the fabric of the table cloths and I even found that interesting. Anita headed home about 9pm, and Mary had gone out to see some friends so I was by myself, and decided to take a load of photos, until I felt tired and went to bed, scrolling through instagram. The morning came soon enough and I had breakfast with Mary before Hannah came over with my shopping and a couple of other bags. It turned out I was getting some lessons in makeup, and I told Hannah she must let me pay for this, but she waved my concerns away saying this was cheap stuff for now that is good for learning, so for the next few hours I was putting make up on, cleaning it all off, starting all over again. After we stopped for lunch, it was back to it and Hannah said while I wasn’t yet very good, I was good enough and understood enough to be able to make repairs as needed and then it was only how to look after my hair beyond just brushing it. Next she handed me a razor and told me to take a bath. As I was shaving my legs, she sat on the floor next to the bath chatting to me. Once I had finished my legs and had made sure my armpits were smooth as well, she then asked me if I wanted to be completely smooth.

Did I want to be that smooth? I looked down and there wasn’t exactly a lot down there, but she shrugged and I decided to do it. I had to stand up in the bath for this and while I was tidying up my work, it occurred to me I was once again completely naked in front of her. I looked up as she stood up, went over to the toilet, lifted the top and pulled down her jeans and pants as she sat down to pee. With her stream making noise, she said to me, “You know, I really like you as a girl. I know my mum always hoped you would get together with either me or Anita, at least once upon a time anyway, but I think you’re a really nice girl and while you’re very pretty right now, you will be a heartbreaker next weekend for sure!” I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about that, but then I remembered why I was shaving down here so it was very much a wait and see thought really.

After moisturising and a bite to eat wrapped in a huge fluffy bath robe (which I really loved against my naked skin, I must get one of these), Hannah and me went back upstairs to help get me ready. I slipped off the robe, and she handed me a black lacy thong, no, my black lacy thong. I had paid for this, for me to wear. These are my clothes I’m putting on. The thong felt great sliding up my legs, but felt even better once I was wearing it. The matching bra went on next and now it felt second nature to do it up behind my back, as Hannah pointed me to the dresser and my make up. She was going to supervise to make sure I made no mistakes, and I have to say I felt I looked good, and the pretty girl in the mirror I had become smiled back at me. Next I stepped into the dress and pulled it up, feeling the tightness of it hugging me as I slipped my arms into place, wondering how I was going to zip the back up. Hannah went to help me, but I wanted to struggle with it, feeling that I needed to learn how, just in case it came off later. Finally it was up and I looked in the full length mirror to see myself, and what I saw was a short dress that I had pulled up and exposed my underwear making me rapidly tug it down, blushing and giggling with Hannah. All she said was, “And let that be a warning to you later.” And I got the point; no dancing with hands waving in the air. Putting on some ankle socks before the trainers, and I was ready, so we went downstairs, with Hannah doing a ‘ta-daaaa’ showing me off to Mary. I could tell she didn’t approve of the look, but I think she got that as a teenager this is what we wear. A small matching handbag with a few things in it from Hannah such as my makeup and I headed to the party. At the door I opened it to check my lipstick, and saw that there were two tampons in there, along with a condom. I think I blushed with excitement as the door opened.

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The next day I woke up a bit later than usual, but I didn’t exactly get home late, I kept to my curfew from Mary and the party wasn't really a party, just about 15 kids having a get together with the parents permission while they were out and I was quite overdressed. I got up and went to the bathroom, pulled down my pyjama shorts and had a pee, wishing I hadn't glanced down as there was blood on them. I think I just sat there for half an hour, wondering what to do before I got a hold of myself. Ok, I thought, you’re a girl and like all girls you have periods, get over it and sort yourself out. So I jumped in the shower, dried myself carefully to try and not get any blood on the towels and with a wad of toilet paper between my legs went back to Hannah’s bedroom for my handbag. I took a tampon out and looked at it, wishing I had some kind of instruction, so I picked up my phone to google it. Five minutes later I had a string hanging out of me as I started to get dressed to go down for breakfast and tell Mary. I don’t know why I felt so embarrassed telling her, but she just nodded, told me to make a note of the day, and then reminded me this meant I couldn't change back today, I was stuck as a girl until I finished the period. This really worried me as how could I call in sick to work? I certainly couldn't go in as I was, for a start I was too young for a full time job! Mary was wonderful, she calmed me down, picked up the phone and rang both Anita and Hannah, who both arrived within thirty minutes, who both gave me a big hug, and strangely looked really happy for me, telling me I was a woman now etc, etc. I think most of it washed over my head, but Anita told me not to worry about work, her and Hannah had already come up with a plan, especially as I couldn't stay here for a few days as the other kids on the street would wonder what was going on and I would need to explain more. I was going to stay with Hannah, she has a box room with a single bed in it that would do for me, but I asked again about work.

Anita said, “Oh, that’s easy, you’ve both got Norovirus, I can tell them you’re at hers both in isolation and too sick to make any calls.” So an hour and a lot of gynaecological talk later, I packed a small bag of clothes and headed to Hannah’s as she had two weeks off work before she started her new job at the same place me and Anita work. Once at hers, she gave me a pair of leggings and a big jumper to wear, sat me down on the sofa and gave me a spoon and chocolate ice cream as she cuddled up next to me. We started talking about periods in a very different way to what I have ever done before, working out what symptoms we have, for her it was mild cramps and headaches, for me some mild cramps and extreme horniness! We realised that as although I was curious about having sex with Clive, it turns out that Friday and Saturday, her mum, Anita and herself thought I was looking at every boy I saw as if I wanted to jump them and to be honest I was. I was literally on heat and just wanted to ride everyone. At the party I literally was dripping, well, almost literally, but when Clive put his fingers in me he knew how turned on I was. I confessed to Hannah that I was a bit stupid and both times we had sex together I didn’t want him to put a condom on, I wanted to feel every moment of it, and she told me I was lucky I was starting my period as it can still happen on the first time. I was really blushing here, I think it was shame but it could also have been a trailer on the TV for football and the men running around as I found myself once again thinking lots of things that I didn’t mind thinking about so much right now. Hannah nudged me and said, “Chocolate ice cream isn’t as good as sex, but it’s almost as good. Eat up.” I went to bed feeling bloated from the half litre of Belgian chocolate ice cream, but it could have been my period, I just didn’t have enough Information about it yet.

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I woke up to a text from Anita that she had told work and they hoped I felt better soon, but not to come back and infect anyone this week. Cool, week off! I padded into the bathroom and had a shower, swapped the panty liner I’d used overnight for a tampon and looked at my limited teenager clothes, once again settling for a vest top and denim skirt. Hannah was awake and eating some toast, telling me that as I wasn’t really a teenager I could make my own. I pretended to throw a teenage hissy fit, but we were both laughing to much from it, but I had to stop as my sides were hurting. While waiting for the toast to pop, I said, “So as you’re the responsible adult today, what’s the plan?” And she rolled her eyes. It was a full spring clean of her flat, and a chat about how long this might last for me. Hopefully it will only last three days, so the day after tomorrow I could change back, but tomorrow we were going shopping with one intention; find out how I wanted to look next weekend, or at least pick a body shape for me in other words. In the evening I was shattered but strangely content, we had cleaned from top to bottom and just chatted all day. I don’t even think we stopped talking once and she kept telling me she had to remind herself I wasn't really 14 or 15, but older and every time she said it I hugged her. The next morning I had a laundry crisis as there was no point buying me a lot of underwear, so I put on the freshly laundered lingerie as that was the one set that we did clean. Even with the tampon string hanging out of me, it did make me feel nice and we headed out, both in our jeans and me in her big jumper as we got in her car for a day in London. We only drove as far as Richmond, getting the train the last part, and Hannah wanted to me find someone who’s body shape I liked as that was who I would base my final look on. It would also serve to help them start ordering the bridesmaid dress for me before the final fitting.

We did some sightseeing, went on the London Eye which was a bit boring but did also tell me I wasn’t quite as horny as I had been as Hannah pointed out I didn’t drool at guys anymore, well, not all of them anyway, but she did say I would get it under control so maybe it was that I was just getting used to it. In Oxford street we were trying on clothes in the changing area and I did enjoy pulling back the curtain and stepping out to walk up and down looking at myself in the mirror, making me feel like I was a runway model. A young woman, about 20 years old came out and we walked up and down the little corridor together, arms linked and giggling away. She looked absolutely amazing and Hannah saw me check her out. I think she knew before I did at that point, but I gushed over her, saying how beautiful she was and how the dress she was wearing looked amazing on her. She said to me, “Oh my god, you’re so nice and so pretty yourself, you look great too!” And gave me a hug. I looked across at Hannah and with her eyes she asked me and I nodded. I introduced Hannah as my aunt, but told the beautiful woman she thinks she is the cool aunt and I let her think that too. We all giggled away and talked about our day before she had to leave, dropping the clothes she had been trying on at the rack. I walked over and picked up the dress she wore on our little catwalk together, a mid thigh stretchy dress that had buttons the full length with short little sleeves, and a bikini as well. I turned to Hannah and said, “We’re buying these!” I stopped at a cashpoint to take some money out to give to Hannah to cover not just the clothes, but also to help pay for the day but she didn’t want it. I insisted and this time I felt like I was really about to have a hissy fit! She calmed me down and we sat on a bench, telling me that at this point, her mum was covering all the expenses, and that despite the modest suburban detached house, her mum had a lot more money than her and Anita had realised. On the way back that gave me quite a lot to think about, not just the medallion and magic thing, but something else had occurred to me that I might need to ask Mary about. But today I was just enjoying myself and wondering how I would finally look.

The next morning, Wednesday, Mary came round and we told her about the beautiful woman, the dress and the bikini and she asked if I was ‘still bleeding’? I said I didn’t think so, and quickly went to check the tampon I put in when I woke up and it was clean. So I changed into a robe, the medallion was laid around my next and the dress was brushed against it and we waited. The really strange thing here is I never said I needed to change back to the male me, I think I wanted this next step. Mary said it was a good thing that this was for a younger woman as this would mean I get a bit longer for the next stage of my acclimatisation. Once the change was complete Mary then started to make ‘adjustments’ as she called it. First with the bikini bottoms and top against the medallion and those two changes I felt instantly rather than a slow change. I felt my butt lift up and my waist come in a bit further, then the bikini top and I felt my breasts lift and become perkier, literally perkier, and maybe a bit smaller. As Mary said the default change is me as a woman, everything else now is minor adjustments. I looked at my feet and Hannah pulled out a pair of heels, then one of them was brushed against the medallion and I watched my feet shrink a little, with Hannah saying I was now a UK size 5 like her, so at least I can borrow her shoes. I picked up the dress and went to her bedroom, dropping the robe as I closed the door. I needed to look at myself before I went back out to them in the dress and in the full length mirror I saw an older version of the teenage girl me looking back, maybe about 20 years old now giving me small steps as I literally grow up as a woman, still with long hair but looking a bit fuller now, still smooth all over and with a body that was as much killer as the beautiful woman I modelled it on and still smooth all over so no need to shave anything again just yet. I turned this way and that, trying to see as much of me as I could before I picked up the dress and put it on, buttoning it up from my waist to my cleavage. I took another look at myself, then went out to see Mary and Hannah.

The first thing Mary said was that I should wear something underneath it, and the first thing Hannah did was undo the top and bottom button of the dress, telling me it looks better that way. Mary had to leave but told me to remember the order this was done in, and Hannah said to me, “OK, this time you can pay for the clothes you buy. Let me get you a pair of shoes and we’ll be off.” She stopped and looked at me, “Wait, first we need to measure you so we know what to buy. So I stood there as she got a tape measure and took my measurements, asking me how tall I thought I was now. I still wasn’t anywhere near my original 6 foot 2, but also not as tall as her 5’10”, so I guessed I was five foot seven inches tall, and she nodded saying that seems about right, and is a good height as I can wear three inch heels and still be shorter than my date. She finished measuring me and handed me a piece of paper, telling me to memorise it, I was 32B, 23, 33, or as Hannah called me a skinny bitch, but both her and Anita liked this skinny bitch so not to worry. She headed off to get me a pair of shoes to match the dress and I pointed out I wasn’t wearing any underwear. She handed me a pair of ankle boots with a one inch heel, saying, “You’re not borrowing mine, suck it up until you can pop to the loo to put some knickers on!” I sat down to put the boots on, and she reminded me to keep my knees together, and I thought in this dress with nothing on under that won’t be a problem as I asked her what name I should be called. She said, “Mum said to call you Sofia. Hang on.” And she rummaged in her bag handing me a note from her mum, saying I should use the name Sofia Lucas, a birthdate of 26th August 2002 and that I was a virgo. The last bit seemed strange, but then I suppose everyone knows it, even if they don’t believe it.

Shopping this time was about actually shopping and as I would need a lot we went to the mid range stores to keep the cost down. I only had what I had taken out of the bank and I didn’t want to raise any alarms and have them check cameras footage and see a woman using a man’s card and blocking it, so I just just used the contactless and pin. It’s not like anyone actually holds your bank card anymore to look at the name. The key things for me to buy were a few outfits and some shoes, make up, hair products, hair styling products and everything else a woman needs. You could say it was a woman starter kit. I wasn’t worried about money, my parents had died twenty years ago so I had plenty in the bank and owned my house outright, no living relatives apart from my sister but she had made it clear she had no interest in being own contact anymore as she had her own life. Considering how little social life the other me has, I don’t spend a lot and could easily take 20 years off work if I wanted to. The problem was it wasn’t in my name, Sofia’s or whatever name I end up using, it’s the other me so I needed to think about how to deal with that. Anyway, I hung my clothes up when we got back and we watched some Netflix, Sex/Life as she insisted it was good, but I think she wanted to see my reaction to that scene in the shower, you know the one. It’s a really nice scene, but didn’t scare me as much as Hannah said it did her. How about that, it seems I’m a size queen.

The following day Hannah was taking Mary out in the morning to a doctors appointment (it was nothing to worry about, just a check up and she needed a ride), and then we were meeting Anita for lunch. We stood outside the office and it was funny seeing people I knew walk out not recognising me, felt a little weird being checked out so much by men, and also women looking me up and down. At least they weren’t undressing me with their eyes, but I’ve worked closely with enough women to know that some can be catty, especially to a skinny bitch like me! I was wearing a pair of slightly over the knee flat boots with cute little tassels at the back, a short denim skirt, even if the pockets were useless for putting things in, at least I had somewhere to put my hands when standing about, and a light pink jumper that really wouldn't be any good in the cold as it was so thin, but I liked the long sleeves and how if I reached up it showed my flat stomach. Anita wasn’t too long and we headed off for a salad at the food court in the shopping mall, chatting away and Anita saying how good I looked, that I was surprisingly attractive and that Hannah had warned her I was a skinny bitch! We had a really nice time, just chatting and before long I truly felt like one of the girls with them. I was chatting away to Hannah about being a bridesmaid and what we had to do on the day as I’ve never been one before and Anita was looking at us both smiling when she suddenly looked up. She said, “Oh, hi Jack, how are you.” And I froze, salad fork almost in my mouth as I looked round slowly.

And there he was, my work wife, or is he now technically my work husband? No, he’s the other me’s work wife, Sofia is a stranger to him, I am a stranger to him. And yet he was looking at me, and I think I knew why. Anita said, “This is my sister Hannah and our friend Sofia.” Hannah said hello to him, and I felt nervous at seeing him, I don’t know why, he won’t recognise me, I mean I know I look a bit like the other me, but I’m a very different person to him in so many ways. I didn't really know what to say to him, so I said, “Hi, we’re both going to be bridesmaids to Anita.” And I smiled and he smiled back. Ok, this feels very different and I saw his eyes flick down and stay there for a bit making me blush. All I needed to do was bring my knees together but I didn’t, I kept them as they were, slightly apart as he said, “Cool, I’ve only got an invite to the evening rather than the full thing but I guess that means I will see you there.” I smiled back at him, feeling myself blush. He then turned back to Anita and asked how I was, or I mean the male me Andy. This could be so confusing, but I didn’t really feel like him right now, I was Sofia and I like being Sofia. In fact, I know I really need to think about that as Mary had warned me that first weekend, but right now I feel happy so I put it to the back of my mind. I looked back to Anita and she was still talking to Jack but he kept looking at me (and flicking his eyes down there), and Hannah to keep us in the conversation while Anita said Andy was still ill, but not as bad as before. As I looked at him I was playing with my hair and thinking he was actually quite good looking, not a bad body really and I laughed at his little jokes. With one last look at each of us, and again a look between my knees he said goodbye to us, heading back to work. I watched him walk off and looked back at my friends, who both staring at me with knowing smiles. “What?” I said. Anita spoke first, “You were so flirting with him!” Hannah said, “My god girl, being a skinny bitch is fine, but do you have to flash your knickers at every good looking guy?” I said I wasn’t, it was just a surprise seeing him through these eyes made me think how good looking he was. Then Anita said something that really shook me to the core, “You do realise he will expect to see you at the wedding now, meaning you will be Sofia, a 20 year old young woman?” I stopped to think about that, and I was ok with this. I liked how I looked, I liked how I felt and this felt right. Was it because I was a different person, I mean, I now seem to like guys which really doesn’t bother me at all, but this just felt right, it felt nice.

I said to her, “Are you ok with Sofia being your bridesmaid?” She looked at me seriously and I genuinely thought I had made her angry, but with a smile she took my hand telling she would be happy to have me as her bridesmaid, and Hannah took my other hand and smiled. Then Hannah said, “But seriously, you need to stop flashing your knickers at men.” I blushed to my core and said, “Remember what you said to me yesterday when we went shopping?” And Hannah nodded but Anita looked at us waiting for an explanation as Hannah nodded again. I looked at Anita, telling her, “I need to learn something quickly, and I probably would have sat very differently if it wasn’t for something she said. I’m trying to learn to keep my legs together so I’m not wearing any underwear.” Anita’s head rolled back and she burst out laughing, finally saying, “Girl, we need to get you under control or every party you go to you’ll be under another Clive.” I was mortified, but then, girls talk and I’m just another girl today. They both looked at each other, then at me, saying together, “Skinny bitch!” And we all giggled. This really does feel right.

Anita headed back to work and Hannah suggested I go shopping by myself to see what I liked without anyone else trying to get me to wear certain things, and that sounded like a good plan. Looking around the shops the choice of clothes was so much more than I had ever had to deal with, but before long I started to understand why us girls spend so much time shopping; we need to! After an hour or so I still hadn't actually brought anything, but must have tried on a hundred different outfits and taken even more photos. I picked out a white figure hugging jumper dress, yet another LBD, a light summer dress and a dress with lots of cutouts that I thought would be great for clubbing, even though I don't have an ID yet. The changing rooms in this shop were actually unisex which when I was the old me I was always worried about as I didn't want women to think I was perving on them, and today I decided to head for the one of the cubicles at the end. Plus it was close to the big mirror. I chose the second to last walking past a few that were occupied but most were empty. After taking off my clothes I looked at myself in the mirror in there, admiring my body once again, and then I picked up my phone, adding a few more photos that would never be shared with anyone! Still, I looked good. I slipped on the jumper dress and it came to mid thigh and seemed to work well with my knee high boots. I went out to look in the other mirror with different lighting, admiring myself and deciding to buy this, my first purchase of the day. A woman stepped into the corridor between the cubicles and pointed towards them as I stepped back into mine, looking at myself in the mirror again. As I reached out to close the curtain a very handsome man walked past and went to the last cubicle on the opposite side to me and I found myself watching him. He hung some trousers and shirts up then turned around and saw me looking at him. Ok, I was in a bit of a trance I think as he was really handsome, but he smiled at me, and I smiled back. Then to my eternal embarrassment I gave him a little wave and he made a silent laugh and waved back. I motioned at what I was wearing and gave a small twirl and then looked at him asking with my eyes how I looked. He smiled, nodded and gave a thumbs up, so with a smile I gave him a curtsy, then I think the devil on my shoulder must have whispered something to me, as I started to take the dress off while looking at him. I gave a little bounce, turned around and picked up the hanger to hang it up, bending at the waist with my bum towards him. I hung it up and looked back at him and he was still looking at me, but standing still this time and I thought maybe I’ve gone too far. But he shook his head a little, mouthed ‘wow’ at me and I smiled and curtsied again. He was still looking at me so I picked up the LBD and the summer dress holding each up against myself and he pointed to the summer dress, making that the next thing to try on.

I stopped and looked up at him he still standing there watching me, and I pointed to one of the pair of trousers, he nodded a ‘that’s fair’ type of nod then started to take off his shirt as I took my time with the dress. It was my turn to watch him. The shirt was off and he had a good body, not sculpted, but good, as he kicked his shoes off and undid his trousers dropping them. Not a bad bulge going on there either I thought as he hung them up, turning back to look at me. I looked him up and down and made a ‘I don’t know’ sign as I pointed at the socks still on his feet, making him smile and take them off. Ok, not a bad body at all, but again I made the ‘I don’t know’ sign with my hand and he looked confused and maybe a little hurt, so motioned to my naked body with my hands pointed at his calvins. He looked back at me, clearly nervous so I put a hand on my hip, clearly insisting on fair play here. Slowly he hooked a thumb in the waistband each side and slid them down his legs, very embarrassed as he kicked them to the side and stood there as naked as I was. I gave him an appreciative nod as I admired his semi erect penis, then put my hand to my chin as if I was being thoughtful, then with my other hand made a ‘lift up’ motion. He smiled at that and with his eyes asked me if I wanted to see that, so I once again turned around, bending over at the waist before I looked back at him. I’d given him a show, now it was his turn.

He turned to face me and just looked at me and I saw some movement in it, some swelling and I got to watch it grow until it was rock hard and pointing up, so I gave him a thumbs up this time, making him laugh. Throughout this, we could hear people come and go from the changing area, but as we were at the far end no one could see us or came down. I leant my head out to check no one was there, took hold of the curtain and stepped out, pulling it shut behind me as I walked across the aisle to him, closing his curtain behind us as I kissed him hard and he kissed me back, my boobs squashed by him body and his erection pressing into my stomach. He was at least four inches taller than me I thought as we separated, my hand going straight for his cock and wrapping around it and he sighed, My god, it was so hard and soft at the same time and I had no idea how long we had but now I was a woman I wanted a man and here one was in my hand. I dropped to my knees, tasting him, licking him and thinking how great this was, so much better than the two wet fumbles with Clive, this was a man who knew what he wanted and I knew I wanted him so I stood up, lifting a leg and guiding him to me as he moved forward and slide in. Now it was my turn to sigh and I tried to keep the noise down as I kissed him again and we made love slowly, not a word passing between us.

A woman called out “Darling?” He froze inside me and stopped kissing me. I looked at his hand and for the first time saw he was wearing a wedding ring, but screw I thought, I’m not the one cheating here and wrapped my leg around him to stop him from pulling out of me. He replied to the woman, “I’ll be out in a minute.” And I stifled a giggle and gave him a squeeze with my vagina making him close his eyes and stifle a sigh. The woman replied, “That’s ok, I’m heading over to look at the make up, meet me there.” He started moving mack and forwards inside me and he said ok to the woman and I guess it must have been the erotic nature of what were doing but he came shortly after, pumping into me over and over again. Wow! This is amazing and I hope that now I really am a woman every man is as good as he is, plus I was so close to having an orgasm myself, I was almost satisfied, but definitely feeling very good. Now we had come down from the high of sex, we kissed much more gently, still with passion but now passion satisfied. He was about to say something but I shook my head and put a finger to my lips, I didn’t want to spoil this and he slowly pulled out of me, but I pulled him back in for one last time feeling all of him in me and we kissed again. This time I let him pull out. We stood there naked looking at each other, him with a penis covered in our juices and me with a slickness between my legs. I looked out into the aisle, turned back giving him a kiss on the cheek and ran back to my cubicle pulling the curtain shut, leaning against the wall as I got my breath back.

After I had brought the jumper and summer dress I decided to pop down to the make up area, just to see if I could see his wife out of some weird curiosity I guess. I managed to pick up some foundation and eye shadow that one of the people who worked there recommended for my skin tone and decided to get a cab back to Hannah’s, not seeing either him or his wife. As I walked to the cab rank I passed a pharmacy and the slickness between my legs made me think of something so I popped in for the morning after pill, just to be on the safe side, finding out at the same time that Sofia Lucas also has a medical record, so that’s another thing I need to ask Mary about. I never told Hannah or Anita about that hook up, out at least not straight away I mean, it was a really slutty thing to do and I’m still learning how women interact with each over of these kinds of things. The rest of the week was kinda quiet really, and I just hung out with Hannah and sometimes Anita when she had time, till Sunday afternoon I got a cab round to Mary’s so I could change back and sort out everything the male me needed for work next week. There were a couple of questions I needed to ask her so once the change had started I said, “Mary, there’s a couple of things you said I wanted to ask about?” She told me I could ask her anything so I began….

Two hours later I headed home with a lot to think about and wondering if my jaw had ever dropped as low as it had. It’s not my story to tell, but I will say I left with a whole new perspective on this, as well as a collection of official and more importantly, legal documents for the 20 year old Sofia Lucas including GCSE certificates, a national insurance number and a just about to go out of date passport. But also one other thing. In a small leather pouch I was now the owner of the Medallion of Zulo to use as I wish, all because my questions to Mary had proved to her I fully understood that while it is a blessing to many, it can also be a curse to the owner if they don’t use it intelligently and also wisely.

The next week at work was a bit of a come down really, everything just felt so drab and I think Anita knew I was feeling a bit down when he had our lunch time coffee. Finally she asked me to open up. I told her, “Everything just feels so different and strange now. The last week was great, but these clothes just feel so rough on me now, I miss having longer hair, everything just feels plain.” She put her hand on mine and told me that two days ago I would have found it much easier to speak to her and that while she can never really know what it feels like, she did appreciate everything I was doing for her. But to be honest with myself, while it started that way I was now doing it for me now not her. As we headed back to work I finally told her the one thing I wanted to say but wasn’t sure how to, that her mum had given the medallion to me. She looked at me and went very quiet, nodded but said nothing else about it. That afternoon while pretending to work I did a lot of thinking and a bit of searching online, basically I was looking for a furnished flat that Sofia could live in. Mary suggested I start to think of her as someone I’m trying to help and I picked one I liked, sending them an email to arrange a viewing later in the week. I also arrange to take a week off from work in a couple of weeks as I had loads of leave to use up, I needed to be Sofia more, not like it was a drug, but because she was becoming a very Important part of me. Plus I needed to scratch an itch to really get it out of my system, so that evening Sofia went shopping and along with make up and buying myself a pair of heels to learn how to walk in them, I also brought two boxes of 12 condoms and looked for a hotel somewhere I can, well, have some fun in! In the morning I changed back into him to go to work, but each evening that week I was back as Sofia who was very rapidly becoming who I was thinking of myself as now, and he was just a cover.

Having all of the official and legal documents for myself now, I did a little searching and managed to find an old bank account and started the process of reclaiming it, which of course included a visit to the bank to sign some papers and prove who I was. I was concerned about the photo in the passport, but as Mary said a 14 year old looks very different to a 20 year old, and there was enough similarities for me to not worry, so long as I made sure I was wearing make up. It worked and as for my official address, at the moment I was still using Mary’s address so everything was going to be sent there and I was able to pay a cheque to Sofia that I wrote for myself which helped to move things along. I would start to transfer more money later, but for now at least it was a good start. On the Tuesday though I decided to go to the gym, so I slipped on my leggings and sports bra top, a pair of trainers I had picked up and as I walked through the door typing in the number I found myself thinking I wonder what they would think if they looked at the account and wondered why a 38 year old man added a 20 year old woman to his account. Anyway, my focus was on trying to find out just how strong I was now, rather than a proper work out, so I tried out the machines to see what I could do. I was acutely aware of being checked out by men as I walked around, and looking at myself in the wall mirror I knew why, hoping I was never as blatant as some of the men here when I checked out women. When I finished my kind of work out, I did some stretching to warm down and found out I was very flexible. I was able to lay my boobs flat on my legs when bending over, wrapping my arms around my legs to hold myself there. I really wish I had done that sitting on the floor as when I looked it the wall mirror I could see my bum plus camel toe and also quite a few men looking at me! Standing up and blushing furiously, I was a lot more attentive of what I was doing as I stretched, while also finding out I can do the box splits, making a mental note to never do any stretching in the gym again. I practically ran out to get away from the looks the men in there were giving me who not so much mentally undressing me but mentally ravishing me!

As I got to the door, a man turned back to look at me and it was Jack from work! I was so surprised I almost called out his name but he did a double take and said mine, “Sofia! How are you?” I pretended to be confused, so he reminded me we met the other day and so and I said hello back, asking how he was as we both walked out to the carpark. Of course, I didn’t have a car here and needed to call a cab so did that quickly to stop him offering me a lift, which he of course tried to do anyway. He offered to stay with me till the cab got here, and I explained how thankful I was for that seeing the way the men in there were staring at me. He said, “Well, to be fair you do look great.” And I looked down at myself thinking more clearly about how I was dressed. He asked me about myself and I gave an abridged version of the cover story, but now with a bit more truth about how I lived for ten years in Santiago and going to school there before moving back and living in a few different places before moving back to where I was born. He told me a little about himself and it was funny, I had never really paid much attention to his life before but now I felt interested. As my cab arrived he offered to show me around the place and I found myself agreeing to it, in fact it turned out I was agreeing to a date with him the next evening, making me wonder what I should wear.

Of course, the following day at lunch I did tell Anita and she laughed asking if I wanted a double wedding with her, but I wanted to talk about how I’ve been sitting next to him all morning and felt nothing special about it, but I could feel that Sofia was excited about having a date. I made a decision that no matter what happens I would not have sex with him, that would just be too complicated, but as I got ready to go and meet him and started sorting out my handbag, I did look at the boxes of condoms thinking about it, but didn’t add one. I didn’t want Jack to come to mine, so I got a cab into town and saw him standing by the restaurant we were meeting at. I wore jeans and vest top, a cute little cardigan and ankle boots with a two inch block heel and it was a really nice evening. We chatted, by which I mean he was chatting me up, my research on some of the recent bands and also about Santiago was really useful but I didn’t feel bad about lying to him. He was literally just a practice date as far as I was concerned, I mean he is good looking and I expect I will have sex with him, but I didn’t feel the lust I first felt when I saw him, or the lust I felt for Clive and the fumbles we had. There was no electricity like there was a with my changing room man although with him of course that was a bit different, but this was just nice and enjoyable. Once again he waited with me for my cab, giving me a kiss on the cheek and home I went, although as I’m still waiting for some official ID I still couldn't have any alcohol.

In the morning I decided to change after I had showered rather than before as the water on my body felt so much nicer than on his, but I did arrive at work before Jack did. He came in with a huge smile on his face which actually creeped me (him) out, although I suspect Sofia would have liked to see it. Jack did finally tell me a bit about his date the night before and that was really strange, hearing him describe me to myself, but I could also see quite clearly what he thought about me. I really did feel like two people at this point. That evening after returning to being Sofia, I went to see Hannah and we went out for something to eat and I told her about my date with him and how we’re going out again on Saturday during the day, and I opened up to her about my plans for week off from work. She was a bit surprised, but her mum had told her that I would probably need to do something like this and it made sense to get it out of my system before the wedding. The following day I needed to stay as him after work as I needed to go and see Sofia’s flat and it was nice, a one bedroom with a balcony overlooking the water with an allocated parking space that will be useful as a safe space to leave my car. I started all the paperwork, arranging to pay the rent by direct debit and it took about two weeks before I could move Sofia in. Finally though it was Friday and I was looking forward to being able to be Sofia uninterrupted for a couple of days, but for Friday evening I didn’t want to do anything other than be me, by myself as I streamed something I didn’t really pay a lot of attention to. I think really I was more excited about finally getting a bank card in my name, and setting it up on my phone to be able to pay for Uber and things, and wondering what I will wear on my date.

In the end I went with the summer dress I picked up last week, a pair of white trainers and just plain cotton underwear. I really liked the dress as it felt so light on me, and really nice to wear. I just wore light make up with a nude lipstick as I didn’t want to send the wrong signals to Jack, but I ordered an Uber and making sure it would get me there a little late as I wanted him to wait. Jack really surprised me on the date, I expected him to want to drink in a pub, but instead he took me to a museum which the other me wouldn’t have been interested in, but I found it fun. I was probably more surprised that he had a car and went into the New Forest to a pub for lunch, followed by a walk looking at the ponies. I asked him to drop me off in town as I needed to pick up some ‘girl things’ and I think he knew enough not to ask. In the Uber going home I was wondering to myself why I agreed to another date with him tomorrow evening to go to the cinema. But tonight I was going to see Mary, where I would also meet Anita and her soon to be husband where I would officially be asked to be a bridesmaid. It was a really fun evening, and he just accepted that both Anita and Hannah babysat me in the past, how Mary had been keeping an eye on me, the cover story and everything when Anita ‘asked’ me in front of him. Before I even had a chance to try and pretend to be excited about it, Alexander said it was great idea and I realised I really was excited about me being a bridesmaid for her. I pretended to exchange numbers with Anita so we could make plans for it, but more importantly it meant Sofia was becoming more and more official, although considering I have documentation and a bank account it’s hard to see how much more official I could be.

Sunday I slept late and enjoyed laying in bed, although I must admit I also had a bit of fun exploring my body to find out what I like, with my mind constantly going back to the kiss Jack gave me as we said goodbye which was as close to pornographic as could be on a Saturday afternoon in public. Anyway, what I definitely liked was my new rabbit and wondering how many batteries I will need to get to keep it going. I had a very relaxing day after that before I started to get ready for my date. Getting in the Uber with some VS on under my white jumper dress and some heels I caught the driver looking at me, making me wonder if he could see my pink lingerie through the dress, but I had checked that very carefully before leaving. I guess I look like a girl about to go on a third date with a guy. Jack was waiting outside the cinema and kissed me hello, which I gladly accepted from him. Ok, I thought, I’m in trouble now, he’s smelling so nice and I can feel it in my thong that I want him. In the cinema when the lights went down we did kiss a bit, but I reminded him there were infra red cameras in here and his hand was up my dress, which calmed us down a bit. We held hands, we touched legs, we kissed a little more and as soon as the film was over he asked me if I wanted a drink? I looked him in the eye and said, “Do you have coffee at home?” He smiled, nodded and we walked to his car holding hands, saying nothing to each other. I don’t know what he was thinking, but I knew why I was being quiet, I was afraid of jumping him right then, and it almost happened once we got in his car, and I only stroked him a little so as not to end up dying in a crash with his cock in my hand! His place was small and ok, clean and kinda tidy, but the bed sheets were clean so he was expecting this and I guess based on my lingerie I was as well.

The next day was Monday and I got to work a few minutes late. I had stayed at Jack’s overnight and we made love again in the morning, giving me a walk of shame, or cab ride of shame in the Uber. My hair was a mess as he didn’t even have a comb, my dress was creased from being thrown on the floor and I didn’t find my lingerie. At least he had condoms so that was a plus. I showered at home as I changed back so probably smelt of nothing but sex in the uber, but finally I was ready to go to work. Jack was already there and smiling like a man who got laid. Of course, it was me who remembered everything we did, but he also told me about it in a hushed voice, telling me how hot Sofia is, how great she is in bed, how great she was this morning and that he even kept a trophy of her lingerie and hoped to get more next time he ‘fucked’ her. I was truly appalled about his behaviour, it was me, but also not me he was bragging about screwing, and I could remember every moment like when he fumbled with the condom in excitement and dropped it on the floor and was still going to put it on till I told him to get a new one. How the first time he barely lasted a minute and all the other little things that happen between couples, and while the male me felt nothing for him, I was angry for Sofia but had to pretend to be impressed by his ‘manliness’. I couldn't wait for lunchtime as I was meeting Hannah after her first day at work. She could tell I was upset, but as I was the male me she had to coax it out of me. She suggested I ask to move to a different team, but how would I explain that? Everything was so messed up and even with the warnings from Mary, I knew this part of the change was the curse of the medallion. I would just have to suck it all up. Ten minutes after being back at my desk and seeing Jack’s smug face and the dick pic he sent to Sofia at lunchtime I had enough. I didn’t need this job and neither does Sofia so I printed out a letter, put the few things from my desk I wanted to keep in my back pack, dropped the letter of with my manager and walked out. The letter said, ‘I quit, effective immediately’. I was going to change the moment I got in, but had to wait till the evening because I changed back this morning and that made me furious so I blocked Jack on both of my phones and opened some wine. Men are such pigs!

One good thing because of jack was I decided I waned to move on as Sofia, I felt more and more that’s who I was now and Mary was right about it happening. So the next day I started the process for selling my house and working out what I would keep and what I didn’t want, sorted out storage in Sofia’s name for what I would keep but not keep with me, and packed up some of my things. Not being part of a chain was a bonus and they expected things to move quickly, but I didn’t tell them I would take the first offer and moved Sofia’s clothes to the new flat with a small locked suitcase of some male clothes so I could change back in an emergency. I think I knew as soon as I became Sofia for the first time that this was going to happen, I would be her from now on, but how Jack behaved yesterday was really the final moment that confirmed it. If there were two sides to this coin I didn't want to be on his side anymore. I think Anita and Hannah knew as well as they only reached out to me on the Sofia phone, and I reassured them I was ok and would meet them after work. The estate agent came round to look at the house and we did the paperwork for that, with me insisting on contact by email, just in case I was Sofia and not able to speak, and drove to the new place with a couple of bags of my Sofia stuff, a couple of boxes of what I was keeping and then went to my soon to be old house to transfer more money to Sofia and I changed, finally feeling free.

As I walked to the coffee place to meet Anita and Hannah, I once again brought some earrings and hoping that the house will sell quickly so I can get my ears pierced without worrying about closing when I change back into to him. I talked them both through what happened with Jack and how frustrating it was sitting there listening to him brag about it, how glad I am that I quit as I didn’t really need it and that once I’ve sorted all of my old self’s stuff out, that was it, I was going to be Sofia from now on. I didn’t feel angry about him, I think I had just had enough of being the old me, I didn’t really have much of a life and what I did have I didn’t feel sad about giving it up. I had my two friends here and won’t feel like I’m trying to live two lives, now the old one’s only purpose was to make sure Sofia was going to be ok. Anita was quiet and not saying much, but I could see Hannah was excited, I think the time we had spent together I had been like a living doll for her to play with and now she was seeing that doll really come to life. Anita just said three words to me, “Are you sure?” I took a deep breath and nodded. She said, “Ok, I’m pleased for you. And to be honest you’re nicer like this, it’s like having a favourite little sister.” It took a second to realise what she had said, but Hannah beat me to it, saying, “Hey, I’m your little sister!” And I found myself covering my mouth as I laughed.

Anita drove the three of us to my new flat and I showed them around, pointing out this is just a stepping stone till I get something rented in my own name as I cut away from the old me, and explained to them what I was doing, and Anita phoned Alexander to say she would be having a takeaway at my place and would be back later. So we sat around, drinking wine and eating food as they made plans for the flat that didn’t really matter, but also telling me I needed to do a lot more shopping to get a wardrobe with more than about six complete outfits. And that was plan for the next couple of days, although I was getting the broadband connected tomorrow but decided to book that in my old name as well so it matched up with the flat. That evening was the thing that confirmed to me more than anything that I was making the right choice. With Anita in the past, while we had always been close there was always this underlying thing about our past where we liked each other at different times, but now I was seeing her in a new way. I could still see all the best parts of her that I saw before, but now I could see our friendship in a new light, that sometimes attraction had got in the way of us being real friends, now I felt closer to her and Hannah than I ever had in the past and I felt like I finally understood the real bonds of womanhood. I had hints off that with Chrissy, but this time I felt like they had my back 100% and I had theirs. Later I found out that Jack had his invite to the wedding rescinded, but by then I didn't care if I saw him or not. To be honest I would have loved to had the chance to blank him, but I didn’t care enough; he served his purpose and that was enough for me.

The next day I completely forget about the broadband so woke up to someone knocking on the door and answered it in my fluffy bathrobe to see a man standing there. He asked for the other me and I realised what he wanted so said he was out but to come in and fit everything. Sorry if you’re expecting some kind of penthouse forum thing here, I offered him a cup of tea but he declined saying this won’t take long and half an hour later he was on his way and I was back online. I rang Mary to check if she was free and popped round as I need her help with something, stopping on the way to get my photo taken in a booth and explained my problem. I needed photo ID, but had no idea what to do. She was on it and half an hour later I had all the forms signed by everyone I needed to prove who I was. I had no idea how she managed to convince two people to countersign my forms, but she touched her nose to tell me not to ask so I didn’t. After the things she told me the other day I shouldn't have been surprised really. Mary dropped me in town so I could go shopping and the first thing I needed was a coffee so headed to Starbucks. I felt like the day had already been crazy and rushing around everywhere that I needed to sit down and relax with a coffee and waited at the other end of the counter. When they called my name they also called a man for his order and we both walked forward to collect it. As I reached out for it I glanced at the man and it was my changing room man! We locked eyes and I think we were both surprised to see each other. He nodded a hello at me and picked up his cup and I picked up mine, turning to see where I could sit. We had both ordered in so were both looking for somewhere to sit, but it was busy. Two people got up from a small table and me and changing room man looked at each other. I said, “Hi, I’m Sofia, we don’t have to to talk if we both sit there.” He smiled and still said nothing, just nodding and we walked over. I took my phone out and started reading the news on my phone and he did the same.

I was sneaking looks at him and I think he must have been doing the same to me but I never caught him looking so can’t know for sure. After a coupe of minutes I looked up at him and waited till he looked at me, saying when did, “I can’t believe you’re not saying anything!” He smiled and said, “You told me to be quiet.” And once again I was covering my mouth laughing. We started chatting and I found out his name, Ed, short for Edward, what he did for a living and so on, really just a lot of small talk for long enough for us to finish our coffees and decide to get another one. There was no flirting, no chatting each other up, just chatting. It was funny really as if we hadn’t had sex together I doubt I would have talked to him, but despite him being very good looking, this was just like it is when you start a new job and get to know your new workmates. It really did feel like that. When we had almost finished the second coffee, I decided to be the grown up in the room and say, “I’m really sorry about what happened, I’m not like that normally.” And he said I didn’t need to worry but that he did need to thank me. I just gave him a look that said ‘oh really?’ And he smiled saying, “No, not for that, although yes, thank you for that. What I mean is it helped me realise something. My wife and I had been going through a rough time for a while and I confessed everything to her and that it was over. I wouldn't have, shall we say, been a willing participant with you if the marriage was still good, so I knew it was over with her for sure. She took it even better than I expected as she had been feeling the same and has been wanting to start dating someone she works with but didn’t as we’re married. So we’re getting a no blame divorce and the paperwork is already in and were officially separated.” I was speechless, I really didn’t know what to say and just said I’m sorry, but he again said I had nothing to be sorry about, that I had done nothing wrong and it turned out the wrong thing he did led to him doing the right thing. I was genuinely touched but I did say there was one thing I was worried about and that was needing to get the morning after pill and he told me I didn't need to worry about that either as he had a vasectomy a long time ago as neither he nor his wife wanted kids. Once again I was speechless.

After we had both left I felt a lot better about the experience with Ed, it turned out it was an even more positive moment for him than it was me and I felt even more content while shopping. In fact the day was really good as in the evening I had an email from the estate agent with an offer on the house that I accepted immediately. I then said ‘shit!’ As it meant tomorrow I had to change back to deal with all that stuff. Thankfully It was an easy enough thing to deal with, get some movers to move all my stuff and find a solicitor to handle everyone and giving them the power to do it and to pay the money direct to my Sofia account as at least then if I’m asked I can just say it’s an inheritance and the problem is solved. I was back to being Sofia within 24 hours and happy again, but also wondering what to do with myself during the day, so I needed a longer term plan as well, besides signing up to a couple of dating sites. I did finally make an instagram account using the many photos and selfies I had taken over the last couple of weeks, including some of me as a 10 year old and a teenager as throwback photos. Hannah and Anita were my first followers though and it was nice to be able to connect again, and also a great way to get outfit ideas for while I was shopping, and I have to admit I did copy quite a few other women from there.

One thing that was funny over the next few weeks is I kept having coffee with Ed, not arranging to have one with him, but us both being there at the same time and we slowly started to become friends, kinda like the friends you make at work. I mean, we weren’t planning on meeting up or arranging anything beyond bumping into each other for a coffee, but I was always happy to see him there. Until one day about four weeks later when I saw him sitting with a woman as I ordered my coffee. I was going to sit elsewhere but he waved me over and introduced me to his soon to be ex wife. I was gobsmacked and didn't know what to say, but she invited me to sit down. I smoothed my skirt out as I sat, pleased that today I had dressed conservatively and his almost ex wife said, “So this is your new friend you were telling me about?” Ed said yes and looked at me and then she thanked me. I asked what for, confused about this and she said, “You know, what happened in the changing room.” I blushed to my root, wanted to leave but she reassured me it was ok, that I did them a favour and now I’ve become a friend to Ed, ‘although only a coffee friend it seems’. Ed missed the subtext, but as women we both knew she was saying to me I didn’t need to worry, and I thanked her with my eyes. We all chatted together for a bit, telling her my cover story and so on, what my plans were and what they going to do. I almost blurted out that I was also selling a house, but that’s not part of my cover, just a life I’m slowly shedding. I did notice she was checking me out, but I was doing the same to her as well and she kept touching her ears, obviously noticing my ears weren’t pierced yet, and I was very aware I wasn’t wearing as much jewellery as she was so I added that my mental shopping list for the day.

But there was one thing that came out of meeting the ex wife that was important, Ed and me finally planned to do something that didn’t involve coffee; I was going to help him when he went shopping for his new place. And I was excited about it, I really was excited about spending time with him. Oh my god, I like him! I can’t date him, he’s like 18 years older than me!

Anyway, before I went shopping with Ed, I had my first bridesmaid dress fitting and now that I have actual opinions on women’s fashion I was worried it was going to be the meringue dress Anita kept hinting at. If you’re wondering what it’s like trying on wedding and bridesmaids dresses, watch Muriel’s Wedding as it really is just like that. We had champagne (although I suspect it was just white wine put through a Sodastream), tried on lots of dresses and it was so much fun! I kept squealing in excitement along with Anita and Hannah with Mary often cooing at us, but it was just lovely being a woman with other women. If you’re wondering what the dress looked like, well it was silk, floor length and very classy. Hannah did wind me up when Anita couldn't hear her that everyone will be too busy looking at my bum in the dress than at her, but I pointed out that will be the men only that look and that ‘It’s ok, I have a nice bum’, but I suppose that depends on what I wear under it, but I get to choose that for myself.

The day after that, Ed and me were trying the ‘let’s be friends that do more than drink coffee’ thing, so I helped him with some furniture shopping for his new place. He had some of his old stuff, but in the split they shared things out and he needed to get new things and decided that as I’m a woman I must therefore have opinions on things. I was still developing that side of me, but I was surprised that I no longer felt that things ‘will be good enough’, but now needed to be ‘right’. He was wearing jeans and a hoody, but I was trying out one of the outfits I had seen someone wearing on insta and that was becoming my fashion guide. So he looked very casual and I was a bit more dressy in my ankle boots, over the knee socks, black A-line short skirt and a shirt tied around my waist that showed just a little of my flat stomach. I’d been playing about a bit with my hair and while I still desperately needed to go to the hairdressers, I kept putting it off knowing that while my house sale was being sorted I might need to change back at any moment to sign papers. Anyway, I’d been using the curling tongs to give my hair a bit of a wavy curl and I quite liked it. Anyway, like I said I was a bit over dressed and attracting more attention from men than I wanted right now, and once again Ed needed to get an over enthusiastic salesman away while we looked at stuff, as although they only wanted to talk to him they never stopped looking at me. Sometimes I liked it but today wasn’t one of them.

I asked him about it, not that they were all constantly perving on me, more that he didn’t look at me like that, explaining that I really appreciated it from him as he makes me feel safe. He told me that apart from people probably thinking he was my father as I’m younger than him, he thinks people would judge him he if did, saying, “I mean, it’s not like I can’t see you’re very attractive, I just decided when we had that first coffee together to look past it. To be fair, it was probably easier for me as it’s not like I have to try and imagine what you look like naked!” I asked about the age thing as although I knew I was now younger and I felt it as well in my physical presence, I also had my old memories so when we chat I tend to forget about the age gap as we like a lot of the same things, explaining it away as picking them up from parents. Anyway, I digress here as him saying he didn’t see me that way got my attention more than anything else, so I asked him, “You never think of me that way because of my age or you never think of me that way? Or do you try not to think of me that way or try not to look at me that way?” He knew enough not to be pulled into that conversation but I wouldn't let it go. I walked over to chair and as I sat down told him to stand right in front of me. As I crossed my legs I said to him, “Stay right there and prove to me you can think of me that way.” He looked a bit confused so I flicked my eyes down to his groin and then raised my eyebrows at him. He said, “Oh come on, I’m not doing that here!” So I said he didn’t need him to do anything other than prove it to me, and I looked back at his groin, saying, “Come one, we don’t have all day and you did say you didn’t need to imagine me naked? Prove it to me you can look at me that way.”

I waited and watched him and he looked at me and looked me over as I got to watch it grow in his jeans and the bulge extend down the leg. Interesting, he normally dresses to the left but that’s definitely to the right and I bet that feels uncomfortable for him. Wait, how did I know he dressed to the right, have I been checking it out? Anyway, I waited till he was fully hard, stood up and grabbed his hand and started talking about the merits of a table and chairs while doing my best to tease him a little to keep him as uncomfortable as possible as well. Finally I whispered in his ear that’s what it feels like with men looking at me all the time, but if he’s a good boy I will let it go down. He was a good boy but I was enjoying flirting with him to keep it up, like I said he made me feel safe and this was fun. Besides, I had a week of fun planned for next week, and I was really looking forward to it now, and I get to really put a new app to use.

I checked into the hotel in town for a week, I felt it made sense to keep anyone I meet with away from home. When I signed up to the hook up app I got a lot of attention, even though I blurred me face and it turns out those naked photos in the changing room were useful, which all made it easier to pick guys based purely on their looks and then availability. I only had a small bag with me and the first guy was turning up on his way home from work and only had two hours. Well, it turns out he had something else with him, something to help keep himself going and for two hours we had a lot of sex! After a shower I went home to sleep in my own bed, but was back the next day for a lunchtime meeting with a very nice man about the same age as me who I think was really a virgin as he was really nervous but we still had fun before he left, giving me an hour to get ready for the next hook up. I had arranged a special extra treat for myself, three men at once, and they arrived on time. Well, lets just say I was tag teamed, spit roasted and DP’d over three hours, and kissing them goodbye was tough, but I was tired and needed a shower. I must have spent about an hour in there when I could hear my phone vibrating so I quickly went to check it, seeing a text from Ed, asking me if I had finished yet and if so did I want to go for a drink. Of course I wanted to go for a drink with him, I think I was hiding my crush from him, plus I had told him about what I was doing this week in an attempt to hide my growing feelings for him, after all he said he didn't think of me that way, even if he did admit to an occasional attraction to me.

The drink with him was just a casual catch up as he had said he wanted to make sure I was ok, besides, I enjoy spending time with him. He didn’t ask for details but did ask if I was enjoying myself so I just held up three fingers to him with a smile. He said, “Huh? Do you mean three times today?” I stifled a giggle and he said he didn't want to know anymore. I explained again this was just something I needed to do, I needed to get this out of my system as ‘I might not be catholic but I did go to a catholic school’. He told me again that while he doesn't understand why I need to do this he will be supportive of me, and once again my heart did a little flutter but my panties stayed dry, thanks to what I had been doing that day. The following day my hook up failed to show and I wasn’t able to arrange anyone else I liked for that day, so decided to check out of the hotel and call it quits. While I didn’t get as much as I first wanted, I think the three at once certainly helped me shake off my curiosity about sex. In fact, for the rest of that week I didn’t even use my rabbit at home. Hannah and Anita of course got a lot of the details the following evening over some wine and we laughed at what men say during sex and to get sex, but discussed in detail the merits of different types of penis’s and the flavour of sperm. But I still felt something was there that I needed to address that was always there at the back of my head, not quite going away. Anyway, that night I changed back before I went to sleep as I had to go to the lawyers tomorrow to sign some papers to finalise the sale of my house and get rid of my car at a dealership. Maybe that’s the thing at the back of my head as this was likely to be the last time I was him. I really hope so anyway.

Changing last night meant once that was all done I was back to being Sofia, a good thing too as I did hear someone call out my male name as I was getting in the cab after getting rid of the car, and I think it was one of his friends, but I had no interest in that life anymore so I just waved in recognition and got in. That thing at the back of my mind still hadn't quite gone away, but seemed to be less insistent of my attention. I phoned Mary to chat and she seemed to bring it back into focus for me, pointing out that while I had plenty of money, it wouldn't last forever and I needed to think about what I was going to do with my life now. Mary really had become a surrogate mother to me, helped make Sofia real and allowed me to start taking driving lessons again, which was really annoying going through the whole process again. But I think that was it, I needed something to do during the day, it was great going shopping and all, but I was bored and trying to fill my time with nothing. As we chatted Ed sent me a text asking if I was free on Saturday to which of course I said yes, but when we went for meal that evening he wouldn't say anything about what we doing other than I should wear jeans.

Saturday at 10am I was in my jeans waiting for him when there was a knock on the door, and Ed stood there holding two motorbike safety helmets and a jacket. I looked at him saying nothing and he held out the jacket to me first. I walked into the flat making him follow me and he watched me as I put a pair of boots on, this time a pair of flat ankle boots and I stood up to look at him. He asked me if I was ok with going on the back of a bike and I was worried he would be a born again biker with a big sports bike that is too powerful for him. I looked at the jacket and said I will take a look and decide if we will, but I think I knew I would. I hadn’t ridden a bike in a couple of years and it would be fun to be on the back for a change. Putting the jacket on and wondering what he helmet will do to my hair, I followed him out, swapping my handbag for a little backpack hand bag instead. Once outside, there was the bike, an adventure bike with panniers and top box that looked very new. I asked him why he never said anything and he said he wanted to surprise me and was worried I wouldn't want to go out with him on it. I said nothing for a little bit, just to make him sweat and said, “Go on, start it up then!” He put the helmet on, climbed onto the bike and started it. I flipped down the rear foot pegs as he forgot and climbed onto the back, instantly understanding why any girls I had on the back of my bikes liked it; the vibrations!.

We rode for a couple of hours and he had set the helmets up with an intercom so we could chat and listen to music together before stopping for lunch in a little cafe with a stunning view. Ed explained about the bike, and how he missed riding when a close call with his ex on the back scared her and she asked him to get rid of it. I knew all about close calls, they happen all the time, which is exactly what he explained to me but I said nothing, how could I point out I had my bike license for longer than did but that now I can’t use it as it’s not in my name. Still, it was a lovely ride in the country made so much nicer by the vibration but when we were about an hour from home, it started raining. The weather had been great all day, but it started slow and then hammered down and we were soaked to the skin. I told him to go to his, it was closer and we could get out the rain, plus I was worried about his riding ability in the rain but he was extremely safe with me on the back. When we got off the bike, even though we were soaked to the skin we still ran to get inside and out of the rain, shedding our jackets as soon as we were in. Ed went to hang them up and I asked what I should with my clothes as I couldn't sit down on his furniture soaking wet. He suggested the bathroom so I went in and hung up my jeans and tee shirt, towelling myself off as I walked out. He then went in and came out shortly after but he was wearing a robe while I was in my soaked underwear. I asked if he had another robe and he didn’t, so I looked at him and thought screw it, he’s seen me naked and I unclipped my bra and asked where I could hang it up to dry. He of course looked at my boobs and mumbled the bathroom so I went back and hung it up, then did the same with my thong. When I walked in to see him, he looked and said, “Well, I can definitely say I’ve seen this one before.” And I threw a cushion at him, giving me a chance to call him out for putting dry underwear on and if I’m going to be naked then he should be as well, as I went to his kitchen to put the kettle on. Walking back to ask if he wanted tea or coffee, I watched him take his boxers off, so I said, “Yep, seen it already.” And he threw the cushion back at me.

We both sat around naked for a bit, just chatting and my awareness of my nudity was constantly changing, but I think it was worse for him, I mean, it’s easy for me to hide if I felt aroused but much harder for him. I did see it, shall we say, change size a couple of times but never get beyond a semi. He was trying to hide it from me so I said nothing. Sometimes I felt really self conscious about being naked, other times I felt really confident about it, but when our take away was due to be delivered I asked for his robe and he put on a tee shirt and shorts. A few hours later around 11pm I put my damp clothes on and ordered a cab home, thinking how great the day was, we were definitely good friends now and had nothing to hide from each other. I also had agreed to go to a work event his employer was throwing at a hotel with some kind of award ceremony as he had a plus one if he wanted it. I agreed as I had picked up a dress that I thought would be perfect for it, although I was worried it might be too much for such an event, but hey, I’m a twenty year old girl so why wouldn't I wear it? When I told Hannah and Anita about it the next evening when they came over, they both looked at each other and asked me when me and Ed were going to go from being friends to a couple? I finally admitted to them that I liked him but didn’t think he liked me that way, and before I knew it I was crying! I even think at some point I said ‘why doesn't he love me back’ and I’m really hoping that I wasn’t blowing snot bubbles with my tears. They calmed me down and convinced me this was a normal experience for a girl and I could relax and just let it happen, asking to see what I was going to wear. I showed them the dress and they told me to put it on, saying, yes it might be a bit much but I can pull it off as I was still a skinny 20 year old bitch!

On Friday, the day before the work event I decided to treat myself to a spa day, getting waxed and pampered. I finally managed to get my hair done, I had my ears pierced with little diamonds studs I had picked up and my hair was styled. I listened carefully to the instructions for keeping the style and I loved how I looked. Saturday I got up late and spent the day trying to work out how I should do my make up, then after a light lunch I started to get ready, taking my time before Ed arrived at six to pick me up. I let him in wearing my robe and made sure he didn’t see my face as I really wanted to make an impact on him as I slipped in the dress. I really loved how it looked in the store and was glad I had a chance to wear it. I walked in on him and he just stay there looking at me, not saying anything. I said, “What, do I look bad?” But he shook his head to clear his thoughts and stood up, wiping the sweat from his palms on his trousers as he did so, saying “No, you look good, great in fact.” I felt really self conscious now, and glanced at myself in the mirror. My smoky eyes looked good, my hair was loose with a gentle wave to it, and my dress, well, that’s another story. It was LBD, but more than just that. It was short but not a mini dress, and was backless and showed some, but not a lot of cleavage. Of course, as it was backless I was going without a bra, and rather than wear tights or stockings, I went with tights that were stockings. I kinda liked them as I got the convenience of both and the woman at the spa who suggested them was definitely on my Christmas card list. Of course, I was also wearing a thong as I didn't want any panty lines and my heels were about a one inch platforms with a four inch stiletto, although technically I suppose the platform made them three inches.

Anyway, Ed’s mouth was open and I think he finally came round from just looking at me and he gave me a kiss on the cheek to say hello. I kept asking if it was too much and he said no it’s fine over and over again. I asked him, “What do the people you work with know about me?” I think I was feeling nervous about the physical age gap again, but he reassured me that they knew about me, knew I was his friend and that was all there was to say about it. But this made me think again about how I was dressed as I love it, but maybe it was over the top, but again he said it would be ok and fun to be there with the most attractive women. Now that did make me think and with a smile I said, “In that case then let’s have some fun!” Then I discussed with him what we could do, putting my hands up my dress to take my thong off, after all I wasn't wearing a bra anyway.

Walking into the hotel with Ed on my arm was an experience I truly loved in so many ways. We both got a lot of looks from both men and women, we held hands and were quite touchy all evening, but to everyone there I was introduced as his friend. In my first visit to the ladies I knew it would happen and I was asked about our relationship. I told them we were friends and not dating, we enjoy each others company and that’s it. One of the girls that worked with Ed said she’s amazed we hadn't had sex seeing how we were touching each other, and this is what I expected so had a line prepared. I said, “I never said we haven't had sex, in fact that happened before we had even said a word to each other, but we’re friends now.” And I finished touching up my lipstick and went back to Ed, telling him what was said and that now he is officially the office stud as I cuddled up to him. And that was when his boss and wife came over so we stood next to each other and Ed put his arm around me to rest his hand on my hip, with his fingers going to my skin through the backless dress just like we had practiced. Ok, this was probably me trying to get him to make a move on me, but I liked how his hand felt on my skin, and as his thumb was stoking me I think he might have as well. The practice paid off as he was caressing me lightly as we chatted to his boss and wife and I wanted to be extremely naughty and also give his reputation at work a big boost. I turned back to the table to get a drink, except I turned so that Ed’s hand went further into my dress so that it reached my stomach, whispering in his ear I needed a drink meaning his hand was under my dress and everyone could see it, as I kissed him gently on the lips. That was the first time we had kissed on the lips since the day we first met. And his hand was inside my dress in front of everyone. We looked into each others eyes and he kissed me back. I stepped away to get a glass of wine, feeling he hand slid across my stomach and to my back as I stepped away for a glass of wine, my legs feeling like jelly. Could he like me as well?

He walked back across to me and slipped a hand around my waist and I was afraid to say anything, would my feelings give me away, but he just suggested we go out to gardens to get some fresh air. The hotel was an old country manor estate and had kept some of the gardens so there was loads of space and we walked out there slowly, and I had the feeling I was being shown off again, so I worked it. We walked slowly in the gardens, just chatting with a few ‘I’m sorry’s’ from me about being such a tease and a few from him as well for showing me off like a trophy. We soon sat on a bench and I said, “Seriously, it’s ok, I like spending time with you and I’m happy to be your trophy” And I kissed him on the lips again. He looked at me and said, “It’s ok, I like spending time with you.” And he kissed me back. We sat there next to each other, his arm around me and my hand on his leg and he leant forward with a head tilt and I leant forward with a head tilt and we were kissing passionately. I don’t know when it happened but I was kneeling on the bench with him between my legs and one of us must have pushed my dress up as it was around my hips. I was on display but didn’t care, I was kissing my man and he was kissing me. He was caressing my boobs and I put my hand down to feel his hardness, and thought to myself, ‘screw it, there’s no one around and this is a long time coming’ as I undid his trousers and pulled him into the air. I shuffled around so that my feet were next to his hips and I squatted down on him, both of us sighing in pleasure as he entered me. I will never not love this feeling of being penetrated, being the receptive partner in sex. I might be the one riding him tight now as we kiss and in control of depth and speed, but I was still the one being fucked rather than the one doing it. I was giving myself to him and we were both enjoying it.

I think he needed this as much as me and our passion for each other meant this didn’t last long as once again I was close to an orgasm but he still beat me and started to cum. I pushed myself as far down his cock as I could, I wanted this to be as deep as possible and I held onto him as he twitched and came, lost in his own orgasm, feeling pretty satisfied myself. But also thinking a little bit sad that I still hadn’t achieved an orgasm myself without the rabbit. Both Anita and Hannah had said to me that sometimes we have to put up with that satisfied feeling until we get to get ourselves off later, but when it happens I will keep wanting to make it happen. Anyway, we both slowly came down from our high, still deeply connected to each, and I shuffled my feet down the back of the bench so that I was sitting on Ed’s lap while he was still in me. I did like that he seemed to stay quite hard after coming, so. I hoped to explore that more. Anyway, once I was sitting on his lap I heard a movement and now I could see better in the dark I looked to one side and there was another bench, and on it sat three men who had just watched us. The problem in this bench had a backrest and my legs were now through the gap and I was trapping both me and Ed together with his cock still in me! Ed had seen them as well and it seemed they were as embarrassed as we were. Still, there I was with my dress now round my waist, a cock inside me and trapped by wanting to be more comfortable while connected to my man in the most intimate way, and the three guys mumbled a few words and got up to leave. I looked at Ed and we both started to giggle.

After cleaning up as much as we could, we went back in and walked around chatting and mingling and it was clear that those men had told someone as when I was in the ladies, I was asked about it and admitted that yes we did, I don’t know if we are together or not so will let things happen. Ed asked the cab to drop me off first and as soon as we stopped I asked him if he wanted to come inside. Then a smile crossed my face as I looked at him and said the inside word out loud. “Again.” He laughed and followed me in. Finally I had my first orgasm with a man inside me, just from penetration and I lost all feelings my right hand, twirling it around while looking at it as if it wasn’t mine. And all that time he was inside me, still hard with my legs wrapped around him, and he gave me another orgasm that night, once in again in the morning then again in the shower holding me up to stop me falling down as I was shaking so much. While we had breakfast, we chatted and talked about us. Yes, I liked him, yes, he liked me. So it seemed we were dating and that afternoon I took him shopping with me and Hannah, then in the evening we double dated with Anita and Alexander where it was confirmed that yes, he would be my date at the wedding, and the following day we went for lunch with Hannah and her boyfriend who was in the army and back from being based in Belize. It was a great weekend, I had a boyfriend and great friends.

The next couple of months carried on as before, except now I was either sleeping at Ed’s or he was sleeping at mine with me. We very quickly became a couple and I needed to think about the future more, so while looking through my Sofia documents I looked at the GCSE certificates again and visited the local college, signing myself up for some A Levels so I could go to university. I picked things I hadn’t done at school as I wanted to do something entirely new but had plenty of time to make the university decisions later. The wedding itself was amazing, I had a wonderful time with Ed and cried with Hannah as we watched Anita leave with Alexander, hugging Ed and making love to him later that night in the hotel and once again desperately happy that Mary had misunderstood Anita and that she gave me a wonderful gift of a whole new life. I laid there in bed looking at Ed as he slept, snoring lightly and thinking how lucky I was to be horny at exactly the right moment in that dressing room when he walked past, how lucky I am to have such a wonderful friends in Anita and Hannah. And how lucky I am that I am here with a new start.

Epilogue

At college I made new friends, friends that were my age or at least my physical age anyway and spent time with them going clubbing and to bars. A few thought it strange I had an older boyfriend but I said age didn’t matter between the two of us, and a similar thing was said when I went to university. Ed hated coming clubbing with me as he said he just felt old, but I loved it and he trusted me. Besides, I always made an effort to make sure I met up with him and his friends when I went clubbing just because it felt fun to make them jealous of him. For university I went in my town of course, I couldn't even think about moving away from Ed, because apart from loving him, I also loved having sex with him and we have a lot of sex and it was always good. Sometimes we would invite another partner into our bed (and he even let me have the occasional sex partner away from him, probably because he was worried I would leave him as he was older than me), but it was always about us not them, they were there to help us remain faithful to each other as it really was good. I can’t remember who’s idea it was that we have the odd threesome and swingers party (thankfully we were both admitted into one where it was only hot people), but our life together was good and I never once felt like I was missing anything. I started a new career with my new life and never once needed to go back to being him.

I was there with both Hannah and Anita when Mary passed, telling them a little of what she had told me and why they were both more important to her than they realised.

Ed sadly died peacefully when he was 80, Anita and Hannah went a few years later and while I had new friends, there was now no one that knew the old me so I felt it was time. I made my plans, moved money around to keep it safe and took a trip to another city many, many miles from where I lived, being as careful as possible to not be picked up by any cameras or leave a record of my travels. I took a walk out into some woodland and and took my clothes off, taking out of my bag some other clothes I had picked up 40 years ago just as Mary suggested. I thought to myself that once again she was thinking of me and still helping me. I took the Medallion of Zulo out of the leather pouch, and put it around my neck to make the second change in my appearance in 40 years, not counting the occasional figure touch up so to speak. I waited there, naked in the woods as I changed into a 13 year old girl and once that was done I burnt all the clothes and put on some brand new ones I had picked up a year ago. I started to walk towards the city, posting the medallion to my lawyers who had already been given instructions on how to keep it safe until it was claimed along with the rest of my money and investments. I was now using the same company that Mary had used and they seemed completely relaxed about my vagueness about how it will be reclaimed, just a password phrase and account number. I walked into the city and headed to a shopping mall where I sat on a seat, waiting for the police or security to wonder who the 13 year old girl is, why there is no one with her. Of course, I needed to pretend for a quite a while I had no idea what my name is and wait to end up in foster care, but as Mary pointed out when she told me her story, in her day you could just turn up somewhere and give yourself a new name, now you need an official record. She couldn’t think of how to do this, but I figured this way I’m just a lost kid and when they run my DNA it won’t have been recorded anywhere. And how can this short 13 year old girl be a tall 70 year old woman?

As I watched the reflection in a shop window of a security guard walking towards me, I thought to myself this is now officially my second new start, my third life. I’m hoping they will call me Zara, seeing that I’m sitting right here. Mary never kept a count of how many new starts she had, but I will and I hope to go as long as she did, but I’m glad I’m starting this one as close as I could to where it started for her.

The End.

Hi, Sofia here. Mary gave me permission to tell her story so here it is, picking up from when I asked her a question, but here’s a refresher of where we were when she told it to me.

I got a cab round to Mary’s so I could change back and sort out everything the male me needed for work next week. There were a couple of questions I needed to ask her so once the change had started I said, “Mary, there’s a couple of things you said and I wanted to ask you about it.” She told me I could ask her anything so I began….

I asked her, “You told me that if I had stayed a ten year old I would have grown up and lived a life from then. Does that mean my age, the previous 38 years of my life are, I don’t know, reset back to ten?” Mary looked at me for a few seconds, clearly thinking about what she will say next then smiled. She said, “Perhaps I should tell you a bit about my life to answer the question you really want to ask, but yes, you would live a whole new life.” I sat back really thinking hard with so many different thoughts running through my head at once. I looked at her but she held up her hand and told me she would explain why the medallion is both a blessing and a curse.

“I don’t remember much of my early life, well, none of us do but I learnt more later from my mother after father died. I don’t know exactly when I was born, for most people it just wasn't important or recorded but I do know it must have been about 1540.” She paused to let that sink in, before carrying on. “It seemed my father did some service to some Earl or Lord at a battle somewhere, it was never really important enough to me to try to find out and there were so many in those days it could have been hundreds of different ones. But that service somehow meant he moved to court from our home and my mother and myself moved with him. With so much going on I was unaware of most but it seemed he ended up working on the royal estate in the service of Henry VIII and we lived in what was basically a hut. I do remember seeing the King at least once, but what happened next was the part I remember the most. My father came home much earlier than usual, in fact I rarely saw him as he worked so much, but he ran in, talked to my mother and I was called inside. We packed a few things, literally just a sack and it was over my father’s shoulder and we started walking quickly away from our home. From what I learned later the king had died and in the upheaval and confusion of things, everyone at court was out for theirselves and those that could ran did, lest they end up in gaol or worse dead. I believe my father managed to get some silver things, but we walked for what seemed forever until we returned to his birthplace. His father was still alive and we lived in a small home which at least had an upstairs in Shottery, Warwickshire.

“My grandfather died shortly after we got there, and my father returned to working the land, something I did a few years after. And that was my life, I inherited the building when they died, worked the land, had a wife and as was the way then our children died young, my wife died and I grew old until I was too old to work the land. I suspected I would die alone in poverty in that home, really just a small hut with an attic room, but in 1613 I got a job tending a garden. I know the year this time, I would have been in my 70’s and a gentleman took pity on me, he was rich and had returned from London to live with his wife. He was nice man, very funny and liked the few stories I knew of seeing the old king while living on the royal estate. I must have made some of the things up that I told him, but William Shakespeare did that himself and he seemed to like my company. Yes, most people forget that his wife’s home is in Shottery not Stratford, but anyway, he was a nice gentleman who took pity on me in my final years and saved me in many ways. One particular evening I was complaining about being old and wearied with no family and wondering if I had wasted my life compared to him and he asked me what I would do if I could start again. Of course I said so many things, the things an old man regrets and he took something out of a secret draw in a bureau against the wall and pressed it into my hand. He told me it was magic, of course, we all believed in magic in this days, and said that this can make me young again and told me to put it on that night.

So I slipped it into my pocket, we drank more ale and when I got home I put it on as I went to bed. In the morning of course I was still me, we slept in our clothes and mostly only had the one set, but I kept it on and carried on going to work. About three weeks later there were some new clothes being delivered to Master Shakespeare's and I needed a new shirt, and there was one and he told me I could have it. It was much finer than anything I had worn, even had some embroidery on it, but I took it home and that night before going to bed I put it on. It was smaller than my clothes, too small for me really and clearly for a younger man, but I put it on and got into bed. Of course you know what the change feels like but I didn’t have a mirror so all I knew is that I felt great and strong for a change. In the morning I walked to master Shakespeare’s, you know it’s funny, even all these years later I still think of him as my employer. Anyway, I was being looked at I was walked along the track, and young Samantha the maid screamed as she didn’t recognise me, but Shakespeare did, he knew my clothes and told the maid to calm down and bring us ale. He showed me what I looked like now, how I had changed and we both examined the medallion, realising it makes you younger with younger clothes. It was quite a while later I learned the full capabilities of the medallion, but I felt great and he no longer wanted it. So he lent me a few coins in a purse, so in went the medallion with cions for safety and I left Shottery to start a new life. Not that long ago, well, not long to me but 20 years ago, I took the girls on a trip to Anne Hathaway’s Cottage to see where I worked and managed to find a car park where my old home was. I was never able to work out where the home on the royal estate was, our even which particular estate it was, but my memories of there were that of a child and I felt no particular attachment to them.

“Anyway, I had no skills other than working the land and I walked for a couple of days, buying what I needed in any market in the villages I passed through until I realised my money wouldn't last long at this rate, so I stopped in some woodland not far from a coppice and made some baskets that I hoped to sell, running from there as quickly as I could as the punishment for stealing the wood isn’t something I wanted to face. I did manage to sell them and I carried on doing this, sleeping rough and trying to make a few more coins on the way. I don’t know how long it took me, but I was now at the coast and managed to get some work helping fishermen bring their boats in, followed by somewhere to live and made myself a life, but I was reluctant to get married again. Although I knew I was a new person, I was just a younger version of myself really so still in love with my late wife. So I lived simply and saved my money until one day I was starting to get old again, so I made a change to a younger self again and headed for a another fishing village, somehow managing to avoid getting caught up in the civil war, well, the English one at least. But I did find the change was useful as I used it when smallpox visited our village and I was infected, having no idea if the change would cure me, but it did that for me twice.

“And so that was how I lived for quite a while moving from place to place until news reached us of the death of the king, George the First in the 1700’s and I decided to move somewhere completely new. You see, there was a ship leaving for the colonies and I asked for work to travel there. The journey on board was horrible and I suffered from sea sickness, which is no fun as there was no choice for me but to keep working while being sick. Anyway, it was a very different world there, and it was clear that there was already going to be a change before long, there was always talk somewhere of rebellion. I tried to stay out of all that as much as possible, but each side was always trying to get the other to do something, and I always had more sympathy for the Regulators, but of course I was also English so it was hard to be a traitor. Still, life was interesting in those days.

“However I once again took the change becoming a young man, now with a sizeable amount of savings, but this was now 1764 and as a young man in the colonies when independence was declared I had to pick a side this time, and found myself fighting for my new home. I liked it there and, yes life was tough but here everyone had a chance to become more than they were and I had fully taken advantage of that, now owning three fishing boats and employed there crews which I ‘inherited’ from myself so to speak. But I went to war and I fought against my countrymen for my new home, trusting the medallion to save me, keeping it close to hand at all times. There’s not much to share about it all really, there was a lot of marching and standing in line to fire a musket on command then either running forwards or running away, often changing regiments depending on how many survived the battle. Still, it happened of course, at the battle of Monmouth in 1778 I was hit in the shoulder by musket ball and taken to the hospital. It hurt a lot, and of course in those days you could expect the infection to kill you and I had an awful fever but no chance to get away from people to make the change to ‘cure’ myself.

“One of the nurses who changed my bandages tore up a brand new dress to make them and dropped it next to my cot when she was called away. I think you can work out what I next discovered as I used the discarded dress to wipe the sweat from my brow and was wearing the medallion. I didn’t expect it to work that way, Master Shakespeare certainly hadn’t warned me, but I instantly felt the change taking effect on me, slowly changing me into a young woman. I was very scared and tried to change myself back, but of course I had no idea until then that couldn't happen for 12 hours, so there I was stuck as a woman in a hospital in the dark where it was expected that many men will die of their injuries. Worse than that I was dressed as a man in bloody clothes, something that would be a serious risk to my freedom. My purse was still with me and I ran. The history books these days report what sadly happens to women following a battle and yes, a group of soldiers caught me and I was forcibly taken. I don’t know how long it lasted, but at dawn I was rescued by an officer who draped his cloak around me and took me to his tent. I was extremely shaken and I lost my purse but as the medallion is just bronze and looks worthless I still had it around my neck. The officer got his servants to look after me and I was cleaned up and given a dress, watching the women closely to try and copy them to avoid any suspicion, not that it was likely of course, they all knew what happened to me and were gentle. As I said, sadly in those days what happened to me was a common event for all women and it wasn’t the last time it happened to me. I hope it’s something you never have to face.

“The officer returned later that day and had retrieved my purse, seeing the gold coins I had and so thinking I was a women of substance he helped me, but I never had a chance to get away and change back to being a man. I think they thought I might be a spy for the English, and I had made up a story about looking for my husband, myself of course, they finally accepted it and after two weeks with the officer, yes he did expect something for rescuing me and I offered it in exchange for my safety, he finally let me go to return back to Boston. The journey there was not enjoyable, I was never alone to make the change and only had two dresses and of course wearing the godawful corsets we had to wear meant I didn’t want to risk changing while still wearing it. I was able to reclaim my money with letters I wrote to myself, but in those days I also couldn't have my fishing boats as I was a women and not able to own property so I sold them to the crew for a low price and tried to work out what to do next.

“Sadly of course the money couldn’t last and a very kind woman offered me work as a maid. She was the madam of a brothel and within three months I knew I could start to regain some money by switching professions, as it was still the most reliable way for women in those days to make money when there was no man to pay their way. Maybe you should look into something called Only Fans, just in case. Anyway, I ended up taking over that brothel when the madam retired, only occasionally working with the richer clients. I only had a couple of pregnancy scares in my career and the ladies taught me how to protect myself from them. The risk was still there of course, but I would have done anything I could not to go through the pain of losing a child again, I was very careful. Still, it was a lucrative business and I looked after my girls, handing the business over to my ‘niece’ when I needed to retire a few times. Eventually of course there was another civil war, American this time and I decided it was time to leave and return home. I hated how the south treated black people, and I still wish the US would treat black people better and as equals, but when the confederate at one point looked like winning coming so close to Washington DC, I couldn’t face it anymore and booked passage home. Plus of course having played a part in the underground railroad made me a target for those awful people, but the risk was just too great to stay. By now I had done very well for myself, running a brothel for a 100 years will do that for you, and I gave each of the girls an equal share in the business so that they had complete control and were able to make more money for themselves.

“I stepped off the ship in Bristol, I couldn’t face getting passage to Liverpool having met too many of their sailors who had fought for the south, and then tried to run home when things got tough for them, but the city was now very different to how I remembered it, more modern after the efforts of the industrial revolution. I used my money to buy property that I could rent, but of course as a woman it was still difficult for me but I saw no reason to change back to being a man. I had done ok for myself as a man, but as a woman I had done extremely well, so my fortune was used to make sure I didn’t need to work and could live a life of leisure. I made sure that my lawyers had instructions for what to do if I was missing when I changed into a younger woman so I could enjoy life and hopefully be free of any sexually transmitted diseases I might have picked up. I travelled, had a maid and steward who travelled with me and now I was free of any restrictions previously placed on me. You could say I had a lot of fun. You see, the victorians may have a very reserved and repressed reputation, but once people had retired to their room at night it was like musical chairs. Once at a country house, three gentlemen called at my room in a night and I don't think I slept a wink!

“That’s part of the curse of course, if you don’t change into a woman slowly as I did with you, well, you tend to get a bit sex obsessed. That first night when I was forced, I didn’t enjoy that part, but that’s not to say I couldn't appreciate what I felt and want a lot more of it under my terms. Anyway, I stayed young and travelled, sometimes staying at houses where the head of the house was now old and it was their grandson who visited me at night instead of them. Still, life went on, men went off to fight wars and for that I was grateful I was now a woman and didn’t need to go, but the young officers who courted me, bragging of how brave they will be always made me laugh as I saw plenty of braggarts cry and run in fear when the first shot rings out. Plus I always enjoyed beating them at archery, the bows were much lighter than I used as a young man, but no one was as good with a bow as me. That’s the advantage of being forced to train with with each week.

“Celebrating yet another new century seemed like nothing to me, but there was a growing movement I became involved with, and despite being around for so long, being a land owner and seeing so much, I still had never once cast a vote. So fighting for the right to do so seemed like the most natural thing to me, once again fighting for my rights. It was the second time I had taken up this fight but this time on a different continent and a different sex. But still, I wanted equal rights, even when I slept in a prison cell for fighting for that right, and when I cried when Emily Davidson died in effort to make people see how serious we were. Then off course there was yet another another war and the devastation of industrial warfare, making me glad I wasn’t called to fight again as no one wants to see warfare up close more than once. I’ve marched into a hail of bullets several times and no one should ever have to do that even once.

“But as sad as war is, they fought for us and soon I was able to walk into a polling station to vote for the very first time. It’s still strange to think that happened so late in my lifetime, but then, I am also the only person the planet to know what William Shakespeare actually looked like, so maybe not quite so strange. Still, I changed once again and this time I did volunteer to fight, eventually parachuting in France to be a radio operator as part of SOE, so yes, I was a secret agent for a while, but it was quiet where I was and soon after D-Day I returned home. I don’t have the medals anymore I’m afraid, they aren’t in my current name and in a museum somewhere I suspect. I never really feel much emotional connection to the previous lives I’ve led, this is always the one that matters the most. And so in the 60’s I made the change again and this is the life you see me living now. This is the life that matters the most to me. You see, for the second time in my life I feel in love. I fell in love with a man, and we got married and for the first time I wanted to be a mother. I knew at that point I would never change again, I just can’t leave my girls. I cried with them when their father, the love of my lifetimes died, and I will never leave them until death takes me. This is the end of my journey, and I knew that when I held Anita for the first time. I told them the stories about my lives, told them about how the medallion let me change again and again in the hope that maybe we could stay together forever, but once Anita found out it was real she made it clear she wants no part of that side of it, neither does Hannah and I wouldn't want to give it to them. They both said they would never want to be a man and I think that’s how they think it works. You see, the medallion has been very good to me, it’s made me rich beyond my imagination and the girls will be well looked after. So will you as well as I’m making sure that you have a few things as I think you understand that the blessing of the medallion is that you can enjoy all the best parts of life, regardless of your sex or gender. But the curse is you get to live that blessing over and over again until one day you fall in love and have children knowing you will never leave them by choice.”

Mary looked at me and put the Medallion of Zulo back into it pouch and handed it me.

“And now it’s your blessing, I hope you never have to face the curse part.”

I sat there dumbstruck, holding the medallion, now my medallion. I hope I use it wisely.

The End of the beginning