Date: Sun, 20 Oct 2002 17:11:54 -0700 (PDT)
From: Terry Volkirch <terrynaut@yahoo.com>
Subject: Mystical Retribution

This story is copyright 2002 to me, Terry Volkirch.
Permission is granted to copy and post this story
as long as it isn't altered in any way and as long
as this disclaimer is included.

This story is adult fiction. The main two characters,
Terry and Rhona, represent myself and my friend Rhona.
Any resemblance of any other characters to a real
person is coincidental.

Please send any feedback to terrynaut@yahoo.com. Thx.

*****************************************************

Mystical Retribution

Terry was very excited. He was going to visit
his good friend, Rhona, over in England. He
had met her through an on-line computer group
a little over a year ago and they hit it off
immediately. She had visited him in the
States last Summer and now it was his turn
to visit her. The airport shuttle picked him
up and he was on his way.

During the drive, he watched the trees and
cars pass by and his mind wandered. It had
been nearly two years since the twin towers
in New York had been destroyed by terrorists.
Airport security had been beefed up
considerably since then and Terry was a
little apprehensive about flying.

The shuttle arrived at Sea-Tac airport and
the waiting began. The new security
procedures normally would've annoyed the
tall, slender 30ish-looking man. But thinking
of Rhona's smiling face made him forget all
about the rest of the world, even when he was
singled out for extra searching.

He was sure it was his bright orange tee
shirt, blue jeans and long brown hair - tied
back into a pony tail - that earned him the
special treatment. He just kept smiling.

A large sweaty woman with a dour face
couldn't stand it. She asked him if he was
on drugs. Terry laughed at her and told her
there was nothing she could do to him that
would stop him from smiling because he was
going to visit his best friend in the
universe. Then he added, "but you're welcome
to try," and waggled his eyebrows.

The woman changed her expression. She got a
sad, hungry look for a brief moment and then
scowled. Security people are famous for being
humorless and she was no exception. Terry
felt sorry for her.

*****

Flying excited Terry. He still got a window
seat so he could take in all the views. He
hadn't flown very many times. Everyone said
that he'd eventually start getting an aisle
seat for easy access to the restroom but it
hadn't happened so far.

He was also excited about a couple special
outfits he was bringing along - excited
and a little nervous. You see, Terry is
transgendered. He longed to be a woman but
the closest he would come was dressing up as
one. He was pleased because Rhona was so
accepting. She wanted to see him crossdressed.
He was nervous because he wasn't sure how
she'd take it when she finally saw him in
women's clothing. He didn't dress up when
she had visited him. Just meeting her for
the first time made him nervous enough.

One of the two outfits wasn't a problem. It
was just a loose fitting top and jeans. It
was the second outfit that caused him to be
nervous. He had more conservative dresses and
skirts but he couldn't resist the short black
skirt and black tights to show off his long,
lean legs. And the tight blue top would
emphasize the silicone breast inserts. The
falsies were very realistic. He loved the way
they felt when he went down stairs. They
bounced delightfully.

No one sat next to him on the plane. He
stretched out his legs diagonally in front
of the seat next to him and tried to sleep.
It was no use. He was too excited about the
trip. He just kept fantasizing about being
a woman - his favorite pastime.

*****

Terry caught his connecting flight in Denmark
and made it to Manchester, England, where
Rhona was waiting. She still looked exactly
the same with her cheery face and short dark
hair. It was nice to hug her once again.
Typing hug in e-mail messages just wasn't the
same. He didn't have to check any baggage -
he liked to travel light - so they climbed
into Rhona's little red car and they were
off.

He didn't get any sleep on either flight so
he was ready for a nap. He was still excited
but it was a long drive back to Rhona's
house. She pointed out landmarks until she
heard light snoring about 30 minutes from
home.

She pulled into her driveway and somehow
managed to roust Terry and get him inside.
He dragged his bag into the house, mumbling
the whole way. Rhona showed him to his room
and he fell over on the bed and was fast
asleep. She threw a blanket over him and then
did some reading while she waited for him to
adjust to the new time zone.

*****

Two hours later, Rhona's guest woke himself
up and shuffled out of his room. He wandered
the house until he found the bathroom. He
splashed cold water on his face and then
looked for his friend.

He found her downstairs on the sofa, typing
away on her laptop. After a quick greeting
and a long hug, she gave him a tour of the
house. It was a nice, large house for two
people - Rhona and her teenage daughter,
Jenny. But there were also a lot of pets to
help fill it up.

Along the way, Rhona introduced him to her
many pets. She had five cats, a border collie
named Bess and two budgies. Terry loved them
all. He loved most animals.

Bess needed to go out so the two friends took
her for a walk along a wooded path. The
countryside was beautiful - so peaceful and
green - and the walk helped wake Terry up.

After a nice, leisurely walk, they returned
home. Then they went out for dinner at a
local pub to discuss travel plans.

"How does this sound?" Rhona said between
mouthfuls of Yorkshire pudding. "Tomorrow we
head up to Whitby and stay at a lovely little
hotel. I've made reservations for two nights.
We'll do some fossil hunting and see a small
stone circle. There's also the Dracula museum
to see and the Whitby Abbey ruin."

"That sounds great!" Terry said. "It all
sounds wonderful. I can't wait."

The two left the pub and returned home. After
a scone and some television viewing, it was
time for bed. Rhona's very tired guest slept
for 12 hours.

*****

Terry drifted out to find Rhona waiting for
him. After the morning hug, she showed him
around the kitchen and he got a bowl of
frosted wheat cereal and a toasted English
muffin for breakfast.

Rhona had a few more morning chores to do
so Terry sat on the sofa and busied himself
with the newspaper while he ate. He didn't
like newspapers but once in awhile he read
the headlines to keep up on current events.
There wasn't much going on except for a
problem with a serial rapist. The latest
victim was raped and killed almost a month
ago.

This was serious business. Sometimes - not
very often but sometimes - Terry was glad he
wasn't a woman. He shuddered at the thought
of being raped. He read a little of the
article and found out that the seriously
twisted man raped his victims and then
stabbed them. There had been a new victim
about once a month for the past six months.

Now anger burned in the back of his mind.
Male hormones took control and he vowed that
if he ever caught a rapist in the act, he
would kill him.

Rhona finished everything and came back to
get Terry. He shook off the effects of the
article and smiled up at her. Then he got up
to rinse his dishes and the two of them packed
up the car and headed off to the little
coastal town of Whitby.

It was a beautiful warm sunny day - perfect
for a road trip. Rhona played tour guide once
again as she drove. She didn't think Terry
would ever sleep again. He was so full of
energy, laughing and pointing at everything.
At one point, he rolled the window down and
yelled, "Moo!" at a cow. He never failed to
make Rhona laugh.

*****

They arrived at the hotel, checked in and
dropped off their bags in the room. They
were both anxious to start seeing the sights.
It had been awhile since Rhona had been up
to Whitby.

Just before they left the hotel, a man yelled
out.

"Eck! Flippin' computers!"

"What's his problem?" Terry said.

"I don't know really," replied Rhona.

They walked over to get a closer look. It
was the owner of the hotel. He was having
trouble with his computer. The two travelers
couldn't help smiling. They had both had
more than their share of problems with
computers at work.

Terry had an impulse. He was a very impulsive
person.

"Hey Rhona. Let's see if we can help him."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. It's probably something simple. I
helped a bed and breakfast owner with his
computer before. His keyboard wouldn't work
so I had a look at it. It turned out that he
had it plugged into his printer port instead
of the USB port. It's nice to help people.
C'mon."

So they went over to help. The owner was very
grateful. After 5 or 10 minutes, it looked
like a hardware problem. Terry wasn't very
good with hardware. He was a software
Engineer. Rhona was the hardware specialist.
She was a computer technician.

"I know what's wrong," Rhona said. "It's easy
to fix but it will take a good half hour or
more. Do you have a screwdriver handy?"

The owner fell over backwards to get Rhona
all the tools she needed. He ran to a closet
and returned with a toolbox.

Rhona couldn't help notice Terry looking
uncomfortable. He wanted to help too but
there was nothing he could do. She had an
idea.

"Hey Terry, why don't you scout around
outside while I fix this. It shouldn't take
too long."

Terry mouthed the word, sorry, and then
thanked her out loud and went outside. He
looked around the front but there was nothing
but a parking lot and hills covered with
heather. He went around back and found a path
to follow. After a good half mile, the path
led to a large standing stone.

Very often a standing stone marked an
interesting site like a tomb or stone circle.
He looked around but found nothing. On the
back of the stone there were some interesting
runes and artwork. That was better than
nothing so he brushed off a bit of moss to
have a better look.

As he scanned the stone, he felt his eyelids
growing heavy. He was getting very sleepy all
of a sudden. He slowly slumped to the ground
and fell into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile, Rhona had finished fixing the
owner's computer. He thanked her profusely
but she just wanted to leave and find Terry.
She went out the front - nothing. She found
the path around the back and saw a fresh
footprint in the dirt. After following the
path, she came upon the standing stone but
she still didn't see Terry. She circled
around the stone and saw a young blond woman
sleeping on the ground.

How strange, she thought. That woman's
clothes look familiar. Hang on a minute. That
green and gray striped shirt is exactly what
Terry was wearing, and that's his travel
wallet she's got.

The woman did in fact have a large black
leather travel wallet slung by a strap over
her shoulder - exactly like Terry's. It
looked more like a purse but Terry was too
nervous to call it a purse in public.

Rhona now wondered if she was dealing with a
thief and she went over to wake the young
woman. It took a couple of rough nudges but
the blond finally opened her eyes, sat up and
stretched. The sleepy woman had all of the
same mannerisms and made the same type of
noises as Terry when he first woke up.

Rhona's face went pale. She had to try very
hard to force herself to speak. She could
only manage one word and it came out as a
squeak.

"Terry?"

"Are you Okay, Rhona?" the young woman asked
with a perfect Yorkshire accent.

Then she got a funny look on her face.

"What's wrong with my voice? I sound like
a woman... a British woman."

The blond suddenly jumped up and let out a
series of short piercing screams, startling
Rhona. They started out sounding fearful and
eventually changed to happiness. Then the
young woman broke down and cried. She just
stood and cried.

Rhona was perplexed. She still wasn't
convinced it was Terry. People don't change
sex in an hour. It just can't happen. Finally
Rhona spoke again.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm so happy!" The blond cried.

Rhona gave her a wary look.

"It's me, Rhona! Terry! It really is me!
Come on, give me a hug."

Rhona's mouth fell open as the reality sunk
in. She just stood there and the blond woman
went over to her and gave her a big hug. Then
they both had a good cry.

After much hugging and crying, the two
separated and Rhona had a good look at her
friend. Terry had shrunk a few inches and
now had deep green eyes and full, wavy blond
hair that reached well below her shoulders.

"Oh my goodness, you're beautiful! And you
look so young. I don't believe it. What
happened?"

Terry related what she had done. She didn't
know how it happened, just that it had
something to do with the symbols on the
standing stone.

Rhona looked up at the stone and crinkled up
her nose.

"I don't see anything. Where did you say
they were?"

"What?" Terry yelped.

Sure enough, the runes and artwork were gone.
The stone was smooth except for a little bit
of moss.

Terry quickly pulled a pen and some paper out
of her travel wallet. She meant to copy down
as much as she could remember for later
research but her mind went blank.

"I can't remember any of it! They must have
somehow erased themselves from my memory."

She gave up and stuffed the pen and paper
back. That's when her emotional state swung
back to her initial fear. She happened to
see her passport in the wallet.

"Oh no!"

"What's wrong now?" Rhona asked.

"How will I get home? No one will believe who
I am!"

Terry started crying again. She was emotional
when she was a man. Now she was even more
emotional. Rhona hugged her friend to help
her get through it.

The hugging was just what was needed. Now it
was time for yet another emotion. Terry got
ahold of herself and anger surfaced.

"It's all that stupid stone's doing! It's
cursed or something. I ought to give it a
kick."

She launched herself at the standing stone
and stepped right out of her shoes. She
stumbled a little on the cuffs of her now
too long pants and stopped. Her feet were
a lot smaller now. In fact, she noticed that
none of her clothes fit except for her
panties. She always wore panties as a man and
they fit her even better now.

The waist on her jeans was far too large
and they kept slipping low on her hips. She
yanked them up sharply with a hiss. She
was so angry now she could barely speak.
Only one word managed to escape her lips.

"Eck!"

Rhona calmed her friend down as best she
could. Terry was reminded that she had
brought all of her clothes with her,
including the two women's outfits. That
diffused the situation.

Rhona left her shoeless friend glaring at the
mystical standing stone while she hurried
back to their hotel room to get the clothes.

Rhona found a pair of sandy-colored women's
jeans, a feminine polo top and a leisure
bra. She didn't know what to do about shoes
though. She ended up bringing a pair of her
own sandals. They should adjust enough and
fit better than anything else. It would do
until they could go shopping.

Ugh, she thought. Clothes shopping wasn't
one of Rhona's favorite things but she knew
Terry loved to shop. That should put the
feisty blond in a better mood.

She got back to the stone to find Terry still
glaring at it. She smiled but made sure she
wasn't seen doing so.

Her blond friend took the clothes and quickly
started changing, while Rhona watched. Terry
felt the dark-haired woman's eyes on her and
stopped.

"Well? Do you mind?"

"I'm quite curious actually," replied Rhona.

"Hmph! Fine then. You're heterosexual. I
guess it's Okay."

Terry slipped out of her men's jeans and
slowly reached for the waistband of her
panties with a trembling hand. Even though
there was no bulge between her legs, she had
to know if her transformation was complete.
She pulled on the waistband and her mouth
fell open as she gave a peek. She let the
waistband snap back and nearly fainted. Her
reaction answered Rhona's first question. The
transformation was complete.

The young blond was a still a little unsteady
on her feet but she managed to pull on her
women's jeans. They fit fairly well. They
were a little large in the hips for her taste
but with her black leather belt, at least
they wouldn't fall down.

Next she took off her black socks and tried
on the sandals. They didn't fit quite right
but they were better than her huge black
walking shoes. She paced back and forth a
couple times to try them out. They'd do until
she could go shopping and get some better
fitting shoes.

Then her eyes went wide as she realized what
she had just thought. She had said the magic
word in her mind and now she felt compelled
to shout it. It was the perfect word to cheer
her up.

"Shopping!"

Her face lit up with a broad grin. Then she
had to laugh at Rhona's exaggerated expression
of dread. Terry was soon to be unleashed for a
shopping frenzy. But first there were a couple
more articles of clothing to put on.

Terry saved the best for last. She carefully
pulled her baggy striped Henley over her
head to reveal full, round C cup breasts.
That answered Rhona's second question. Terry
couldn't help herself. She started crying
with joy.

The stretchy cream-colored leisure bra was
put on with reverence. It didn't give much
support but it filled out nicely and fit
well. She gave her boobs one more fond look
and a farewell message.

"See you later girls," Terry whispered.

She reluctantly put on the periwinkle colored
polo shirt and tucked it in to her jeans. She
was dying to see herself in a full-length
mirror.

"How do I look?" Said a very excited young
woman.

"Quite nice I think," replied Rhona. "But I
suppose you still want to go shopping..."

Terry smiled and nodded vigorously.

The two of them hiked back up to the hotel
but Terry insisted on finding a mirror at
the last minute. She ran to their room and
straight to the nearest mirror.

Rhona was lagging behind a bit. She was in
the hallway and heard a loud gasp. When she
got to the bathroom, she found her blond
friend with eyes and mouth wide open.

"I'm beautiful," Terry murmured.

After ten minutes of admiring herself, Rhona
had enough.

"C'mon then. You want to go shopping, don't
you?"

Trying to decide between her reflection and
shopping was too much. Rhona grabbed Terry's
hand and pulled her out of the room and
through the hotel lobby.

As they were leaving, they ran into the hotel
owner again. He immediately started thanking
Rhona but stopped short when he noticed her
blond companion. The young woman had a big
smile and far away look on her face.

The owner was a tall middle-aged man with a
full-blown mid-life crisis, and this woman was
right out of his wildist fantasies. He was
totally captivated and totally speechless.
Terry said hello to him and his heart melted.
Rhona took advantage of the silence and
dragged the lovely blond out into the parking
lot, leaving the man tripping over his tongue.

They climbed into the car and headed for the
nearest shops in Whitby. Terry passed the
time by checking out her hands and arms. Her
fingers were so slender and delicate. The
peach fuzz on her forearms fascinated her
and she loved how soft her skin felt. She
was in heaven.

*****

Rhona pulled into the parking lot of a small
clothing shop and announced their arrival.
Terry had moved on from her arms and was
inspecting her feet. She was too busy to
notice where they were.

After the announcement, the blond looked up
and bounced out of the car and into the shop
before Rhona opened her car door. Rhona just
shook her head and smiled.

The native Brit followed her friend inside.
There was Terry near the front, with two
pairs of slacks slung over one arm.

"Two already?" Rhona asked.

"Same style, different sizes and colors. I
don't know my size yet. I'm wearing size 8
jeans right now and they are definitely too
large."

Rhona smiled indulgently and Terry got back
to work. The blond shopper picked out a pair
of blue jeans and then proceeded over to the
tops. She had to have a low-cut knit top and
vertical ribbed sweater.

After scoring direct hits she carried her
five prizes to the fitting room. The size
4 slacks fit rather tightly. They showed off
her beautiful round derriere but she wouldn't
be able to sit comfortably in them. The size
6 slacks weren't nearly as flattering but
they were definitely more comfortable. The
pair of jeans were also a size 6 but they
were a bit smaller than the slacks. They
flattered well yet were still comfortable.
Terry had to suppress a squeal of delight.

Next it was time to try on the tops. The
low-cut top fit well but it was hard to tell
how well it would show off her cleavage. The
leisure bra didn't have enough support to
create any cleavage. The sweater was perfect.
Vertical ribbing was so flattering for the
bustline.

Whitby was too small a town to have any
large department stores. After seeing all
that the current shop had to offer, Terry
bought everything she had tried on. Then she
was off to hunt for a shoe store with Rhona
in tow.

It was such a beautiful day, they decided to
walk. There were several shops scattered
along the street and the young blond visited
them all. She wasn't as strong as she was as
a man but she was still in great condition.
She was running Rhona ragged.

Rhona never said a word about it. She rarely
complained. Terry noticed her friend's fatigue
after the third shop and chastised herself.
She walked back and stayed with her the rest
of the time.

They found a shoe store and picked up two
pairs of walking shoes, one white and one
black. Then the alert blond saw a cute pair
of black, lace-up booties and fell in love.
She got the booties too.

Rhona enjoyed watching her friend shop at
first. But now she was bleary-eyed and
hungry. She begged her energetic friend for
a rest. Terry realized she was getting hungry
too and agreed that the dresses and makeup
could wait for another day. There was only
one thing left to get - a good bra - and that
could wait until after lunch.

Rhona wanted to sit down and rest before
finding a place to eat. They found a bench,
sat down and enjoyed the sea breeze blowing
on their faces. After the hours of shopping
and walking, it wasn't long before the hunger
pangs hit hard. They hadn't eaten anything
since breakfast and it was mid afternoon.

They scanned the street for restaurants and
found a small diner. They had scones, soup
and salad for lunch. Even with all of her
exercise, Terry couldn't eat very much. That
surprised her for as hungry as she felt.

The lunch made for a nice rest. Rhona got her
second wind and the shopping resumed. They
were lucky and found a lingerie shop almost
right away.

Of course Terry ended up with more than one
bra. First she found a royal blue jog bra.
With all of her running around, she needed
more support. She also got a light blue
seamless underwire to create some cleavage
for her low-cut top. Luckily for Rhona, the
shopping-crazed blond had brought plenty of
panties with her on the trip. The shopping
was over - for now.

They drove back to the hotel and snuck past
the lovesick owner. Rhona took a nap while
Terry had her own little fashion show.

After the nap, the two of them walked down
to the standing stone. It still had no runes
on it. Terry sighed.

"It's Okay, Rhona. I'm not ready to change
back now anyway."

"Right then. How about we go see the Whitby
Abbey ruin?"

Terry perked up and smiled.

"That sounds great!"

*****

The Whitby Abbey was magnificent, even as a
ruin. The tall walls echoed with history.
The location was great too. It stood atop
cliffs overlooking the sea and Whitby Harbor.
The view was striking. An interesting jumble
of buildings with orange-tiled roofs lined
the small harbor.

After much walking, the two friends found
themselves back down in Whitby, looking for
a place to eat dinner. A quaint little
Italian restaurant caught their eye and they
ducked inside. It didn't take Terry long to
steer the conversation back to her favorite
indoor sport.

"Can I shop again tomorrow? Just for a bit?"

"I thought you got quite enough really,"
Rhona said.

"I just want to get a nice dress. Please.
Oh, and I absolutely must get my hair styled
and have a makeover. I have always dreamed
of having a makeover in a large department
store."

Rhona looked around to make sure no one
would hear.

"Okay. But we don't know how long you'll
stay a woman. I think you should take it
easy on the spending."

"Oh poo," Terry frowned. "You spoilsport...
but you're right of course. I'll be good."

"Right. Well, we'll have to drive over to
Middlesbrough for all that. It's a bit out
of our way. Are you sure?"

"Yes! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" The blond
jumped up out of her chair and went over to
hug her tolerant friend.

*****

The two women had a nice, long leisurely
dinner. Terry drank quite a lot of water and
soon had her first trip to the ladies room.
It seemed odd to her that she hadn't had to
pee until now. She had been a woman for
several hours.

It must have something to do with the
transformation, she thought.

She was nervous at first but thankfully
there was no one inside. She went into the
stall, pulled out a toilet seat cover and
went to business. Her hands trembled as
she pulled down her pants.

This is ridiculous, she thought. I'm only
peeing.

The nervous blond distracted herself with
images of hairstyles. It allowed her to
relax enough to finish. After a very quick
wipe. She pulled up her pants, washed and
rushed back to the dinner table in record
time. After telling Rhona about her
experience and giving her a good laugh, the
two of them went back to the hotel for bed.

*****

Terry wanted nothing more than to shower and
go to bed but the idea of taking a shower
was extremely erotic to her. She was still
attracted to women and she found herself
incredibly attractive.

The cute blond stepped slowly into the
bathroom and stripped down while facing away
from the mirror. Once again she tried busying
her mind with hairstyles and this time she
also added makeup. It didn't matter.

Her hands slowly rubbed soap everywhere on
her body. She couldn't help getting aroused.
Her slippery skin, rubbing hands and the hot
heavy spray of the shower were too much. Soft
moans escaped her lips and she was soon lost
in ecstasy.

Several orgasms later, she rinsed and then
dried herself. She threw on a clean pair of
panties and a large tee shirt from her men's
collection. After fussing about not having
any feminine sleep wear, the lights were
turned out and she was left alone with
herself in her bed. Before her hands could
roam again, the long day caught up with her
and she quickly fell asleep.

*****

The good weather held but there weren't too
many interesting sights along the way to
Middlesbrough. Terry decided to try singing.
During Rhona's visit to the States, the two
of them had traded songs on the way back from
a visit to Mt. Rainier. It made for some very
fond memories.

The blond had a lovely soprano singing voice.
She loved listening to herself. After several
folk songs, commercial jingles, and sitcom
theme songs, they arrived in the city.

Terry's first stop was a hair salon. She
dreamed last night of having her hair done
up in a bun with a single, long wispy curl
hanging down just in front of each ear. With
yet another dream come true, it was time for
the finishing touches.

Rhona spied a large department store called
Debenhams. It was wonderful. There were
rows and rows of women's clothes, makeup,
jewelry and perfume. The dark-haired woman
saw an impulsive look in her blond friend's
eye and reminded her of the spending limit.
Then it was time to complete the outfit.

Several hours and a lot of money later, Terry
had her outfit. Luckily for her, it was so
warm outside. She selected a white sleeveless
v-neck dress that hung down to mid thigh, a
white seamless underwire demi-bra to show off
cleavage, and plain black boots with a wide
2 inch heel that reached just below the knee.
She felt so very feminine.

Last but not least was the mandatory
makeover. She had dreamed of this since she
was a teenage boy. So many dreams coming true
in two days was almost too much. If she
wasn't so concerned about her mascara
running, she would've cried.

After a good look in the mirror, she bought
all of the makeup that was applied. She was
absolutely stunning. Men were staring at her
with obvious intent. It didn't matter that
she preferred women. She found the stares
flattering. It just made her feel more and
more beautiful.

"Now you've done it," said Rhona.

"Done what?"

"You're going to have young men after you,"
the Brit replied.

Terry stuck out her tongue at her friend and
they both had a good laugh, at least until
the first tall, good-looking young man
approached her.

He was about 3 inches taller than the blond -
even with her boot heels - with dark hair and
bright blue eyes. He wore a tight-fitting
light blue tee shirt that flattered his
muscular chest. Terry found herself strangely
attracted to him. She stared, unknowingly
encouraging him.

"Hi, my name's Mark. You look a little lost.
Would you like a tour of the store?"

Rhona rolled her eyes and Terry suppressed a
giggle. Then the cute blond broke the news to
him.

"I'm sorry. You seem very nice but you should
know that I prefer women."

Mark's jaw dropped and then closed again. He
recovered quickly and was starting to smirk
but Terry made a preemptive strike.

"And no, you can't watch. Why don't you run
along now."

With that, she took her friend's arm in hers
and walked off with a gentle sway in her
hips.

*****

Michael was a lonely, troubled young man.
He was well over six feet tall and somewhat
overweight, and was one of those people who
seemed to be invisible. No one ever noticed
him, that is, until six months ago, when he
saw the movie that changed his life.

He couldn't remember the name of the movie.
It was some strange word that he didn't know.
But names didn't matter. All that mattered
was that it was absolutely brilliant. It
showed him that nothing is more important
than true love. It also helped that he
identified with the ogre. He sort of looked
like the ogre, he thought. Except he had long
straight black hair and his skin wasn't green.

Now he patterned his life after the movie.
It was all so easy. All he had to do was
roam the land and watch for his true love.
He might not know her at first. But he would
be bold and fearless, just like the ogre.
Eventually he would find her.

Michael sat on a bench in Debenhams and
closely watched women as they passed by.
The store was a perfect place to look for
women, he thought. There were so many here.

He continued to watch and they continued to
ignore him. He just couldn't seem to find
the right one. He had several relationships
since seeing the movie but they all ended
badly. His girlfriends seemed so wonderful
at first. They would have great sex and then
cuddle and have wonderful pillow talk. He
fancied himself a romantic. He would share
his hopes and dreams and pour his heart out.
That's when things would always start to
turn ugly.

He always ended up leaving the city to get
away from them. He had been moving often in
the past several months. He was beginning
to lose hope of ever finding the perfect
woman. Then he saw the most beautiful sight
and he was instantly in love.

A tall young blond in a white dress was
walking towards him. She was laughing and
talking as much with her hands as with her
mouth. Michael always found that to be very
annoying. But he would fix it. Love conquered
all.

He stood up and waited for his true love. As
she got to within a few steps, he moved in
front of her. She stopped without bumping
into him like he wanted but she was still
within easy reach. He grabbed her wrist and
introduced himself.

"Hi, I'm Michael."

"Ow! You're hurting me," Terry protested.

Luckily, Terry had spent several years
learning karate. Her training automatically
kicked in. She jerked her arm towards his
palm and then quickly reversed direction and
twisted in the direction of his thumb. She
easily broke his grip and then pushed the
surprised man backwards several steps.

"Back off, jerk!" Terry yelled.

The big man looked around and saw people
looking at him now. He didn't like their
expressions. He felt himself blush and he
quickly turned and fled back to his old,
beatup van.

There's too many, he thought. I can't
defeat them all. But I'll be back.

Terry rubbed her wrist and glared at the
departing would-be Romeo.

"I hope he didn't bruise me. What an ape,"
the blond complained.

Rhona gently took her friend's arm to have a
look and ended up having to steady the young
woman. Terry started feeling dizzy. Everything
was spinning slowly so she shut her eyes.
That's when the vision began.

*****

Michael looks angry. He's holding a knife and
shouting. Now he's crying. He lunges at me
and...

*****

The vision ended, leaving Terry very upset.

"Rhona, you won't believe what just happened."

"What, you mean besides getting grabbed?"

"I just had a vision!"

The trembling blond related the newspaper
headline from yesterday. She was sure that
Michael was the rapist. She explained
everything to her friend and then they were
both trembling.

"I think it was vision of the future," Terry
continued. "I'm sure he'll be stalking me.
It all makes sense now. The transformation,
the vision... meeting him."

"What do you mean?" Rhona asked.

"I think I'm supposed to be bait to catch
the rapist. I know it sounds daft but why
else would it happen?"

The cute young woman was correct. But knowing
why she turned into a woman didn't help her
handle the situation. She was very scared.

Rhona was the missing piece of the puzzle.
She was the necessary calming influence to
help Terry through it all. After she pointed
out how easily Michael was fended off in the
store, Terry did calm down.

"Right," Terry said. "I'm a black belt. I
can defend myself, even against knives. I'm
still scared - who wouldn't be - but I know
I can do this. I know it!"

Karate was the key to catching Michael but
there was one problem. The blond needed
practice in her new body. She still wasn't
used to it. But practice would come later.
For now, there was still a lot of the city
to see.

As the two women left the store, a old
peddler dressed in rags called out. He
referred to the blond by name, surprising
her. She went over to see what he wanted and
Rhona waited from a distance.

The peddler handed her a delicate silver
chain with a beautiful green stone.

"It's fer luck, missy," He said.

Terry was in awe. She forgot all about the
fact that this strange man knew her name. The
stone looked like an emerald. She collected
gem stones so she could tell the difference.
It was way too expensive for a peddler to
give away.

"Oh my. Please let me give you some money for
it. It's beautiful!"

The old peddler scowled.

"Feh! I have no need fer money. Go on now.
Just take it. Yer thanks be good enough fer
me."

Terry turned back to Rhona and bounced over
to show her the pendant. The dark-haired
woman agreed it was beautiful and looked very
expensive. That made the blond start to feel
guilty.

"I have to give him something for this. If
he won't take money then maybe I could at
least buy him something to eat... or drink."

She turned around but the man was gone. There
was no way he could've ran off without her
seeing him but he was nowhere in sight. The
perplexed blond walked over to where he was
standing. There was no trace of him. All that
was left was the strong smell of clover.

*****

Terry and Rhona agreed to ignore any car
that followed them. This problem had to be
resolved. They had lunch and then drove back
to Whitby for their last night in the hotel.

The afternoon was spent practicing karate.
It didn't take long for the blond to get used
to the moves. She warmed up and performed a
dozen or so katas. Then she was was ready for
self-defense.

Rhona used a butter knife and tried attacking
her friend in all different ways. She started
slowly and gradually sped up her attacks.
Terry easily blocked, parried and disarmed
her friend.

Sparring with Rhona wouldn't be exactly the
same as defending against a taller, much
stronger man but it didn't matter. Karate
used the motion, size and strength of the
attacker against him. It really is true that
the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

After a good three hour workout, Terry felt
invigorated. She drank almost a quart of
water and had a quick snack. It was time for
the showdown.

The two women couldn't help notice the big
dark blue van following them back to the
hotel. They were sure it was the rapist. The
plan was to have Terry go down to the standing
stone by herself to lure the rapist. Rhona
would stay in the hotel and watch the
encounter through her binoculars. If anything
bad happened, she would phone the police. If
everything went according to plan, they would
tie up the unconscious rapist with a note.
Then they would leave an anonymous note with
the hotel owner. They would wait for the
police to arrive and then slip quietly away
to resume their vacation.

Terry wore her blue jog bra under a black
tee shirt. She tucked the shirt into her
well-fitting blue jeans and slipped on her
new black walking shoes. She took a few deep
breaths and started down the path to the
mystical standing stone.

*****

Michael sat in some heather on the side of
the hotel. From here, he could see the front
and rear of the hotel. His true love wouldn't
escape him this time.

After a couple hours, his determination paid
off. He saw the beautiful blond leave the
back of the hotel and head off by herself
down a path. He got up to follow.

*****

Terry made it to the standing stone. She
figured that as long as she was down here,
she may as well check for runes. The stone
was still bare. No sooner had she checked
then she noticed Michael approaching.

She did some deep breathing exercises to
stay relaxed and waited.

The large man stopped about 10 feet away,
huffing and puffing. Terry figured she could
easily outrun him if she had to. She was in
much better shape.

"Ah, you waited for me," breathed Michael.

"In a way that's true," growled Terry. "But
I'm not going to be your next victim."

Michael sighed. He could see where this was
headed. It was developing into another bad
relationship. Such a shame, he thought. It
was going so well.

But his mood soon changed. The green stone in
Terry's pendant started glowing, giving her
skin a green tint. It reminded the large man
of his favorite movie. In it, the ogre's true
love had green skin. He took it to be an omen.

Now Michael was really confused and upset.
He pulled out a butcher knife and started
screaming. He wasn't making much sense.
There was something said about ogres and
dragons and true love.

Terry wasn't listening too well. She also
didn't notice that her pendant was glowing.
Instead, she just focused on every move he
made. She was trying to enter into a state
of mind where all of an attacker's movement
seemed like it was in slow motion. It was
like being in a car accident when the motion
of the car seemed to be in slow motion.

Michael could see he wasn't getting through
to her. She had to be the one - had to be his
true love. But she wasn't responding. She
just stood there. It was all to much for the
big tortured man. He started crying.

It was all wrong. Everything was falling
apart. He found his true love but she didn't
love him. Maybe he just didn't try hard
enough. If only he tried harder, she would
love him. He would show her. He would make
her love him. He had to be bold. He gathered
his courage and lunged forward, ready to take
what was clearly his.

Terry stood in the shadow of the standing
stone and prepared herself. The knife was
held in his right hand at about waist level,
with the palm facing up. She could easily
avoid it. She had focused well and he seemed
to move very slowly. Everything moved slowly.

Suddenly, mystical forces took hold of the
ground in front of Michael's feet. A large
root reached up and wrapped around the man's
right ankle. His face twisted in angry
surprise as he went down hard on the knife.
More roots grabbed his hand and held it and
the knife in place. A smooth line was carved
from his chest to his groin as his momentum
slid him forward over the blade.

Terry gasped as she watched his heart pump
blood out into a clump of pale purple heather,
which then absorbed it almost immediately.
After about a minute, the man's heart stopped.
His pale flesh stood out in stark contrast to
the now vibrant, deep purple heather.

The pendant stopped glowing and everything
was still except for the heather around the
dead body. The heather seemed to be feeding.
The body was pulled slowly down into it.
Rhona arrived just before all traces of the
body disappeared. They wouldn't have to worry
about the police now.

Terry ran to her friend with open arms. They
both hugged and cried for several minutes. The
worst of it was over.

Rhona eventually broke off the hug. She was
facing the large standing stone and looked up
at it now. The runes were back.

"Terry, have a look at the stone."

"What?"

The blond looked up with dread. She knew what
it meant but she still wasn't ready to change
back. It didn't matter. As soon as her eyes
locked on the symbols, she fell asleep.

Rhona caught Terry and eased her to the
ground. She watched the blond's hair darken
and her body grow larger. She quickly removed
her friend's black walking shoes and
unbuttoned her blue jeans before they got too
tight.

*****

An hour later, Terry awoke to see a sad smile
on Rhona's face. He was a man again. After he
realized that fact, he cried at his loss. He
was a woman for only a little over a day. It
wasn't long enough.

Once again, Rhona played a crucial role. She
helped him get through this latest tragedy
with plenty of hugs and soothing words. Then
she left him alone with the standing stone
while she went up to get some better fitting
clothes for him.

Terry looked up and saw that the stone was
smooth once again. The runes were gone. He
got up, kissed the stone and whispered a
heartfelt thank you to it. Being a woman for
a day was better than nothing.

*****

Over the next several days, the two friends
went back to sightseeing. Rhona showed Terry
some wonderful caves, ruins, castles, parks,
countryside, and his favorite thing in the
UK - stone circles. Soon he was back to his
usual happy self.

Time passed too quickly. The two of them had
a great time and now Terry had to go home. He
gave his good friend a last, fierce hug and
turned to board the jet.

On the flight home, his mind returned to his
memories of womanhood. He would cherish those
memories forever, even if he did get a little
teary eyed when he thought about them.

The emerald pendant was a nice keepsake and
he could find solace in helping rid the world
of a murdering rapist. They helped ease the
emotional pain - a little.