Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2003 15:32:09 EDT
From: DEANECHRIS@aol.com
Subject: Magician's Assistant - Friends & Lovers 10

Magician's Assistant - Friends & Lovers 10:

By Deane Christopher
Edited by Steve Zink
Copyrighted 2002


Preface


	Magician's Assistant - Friends & Lovers takes place in the Magatrix
the Magnificent Universe, which was first introduced in my serialized
seven-part story, Magician's Assistant.  The premise upon which both that
story and this story are based revolves around the fact that Magatrix the
Magnificent has been reprimanded by the ethics review board of the
Magician's Guild, and thereby constrained from continuing to use handsome
young males as her stage assistants.  Due to a little known codicil buried
deep within the guild's arcane bylaws, should a performing member elect to
avail themselves of a stage assistant or assistants, said stage
assistant(s) must be: one, young; two, beautiful; and three, female.
Outraged by the ruling of her guild's review board, Magatrix elects to
adhere to the letter of the Magician Guild's bylaws, while sidestepping its
spirit.  Magatrix the Magnificent, via the use of real magic, has elected
to sidestep the spirit of the outdated codicil by asking for male
volunteers from the audience to come up and join her on stage, whereupon
she magically transforms the unsuspecting gentlemen into her lovely female
stage assistants.

	Normally, Magatrix restores these magically feminized volunteer
assistants of hers to their former manly physiques at the completion of her
act.  However, for reasons known only to herself, upon occasion, Magatrix
sometimes elects to maintain her assistants in their feminine personas for
the remainder of the evening, and at times, well into the fullness of the
night.  Generally, when Magatrix selects this expanded stint as a female
option of hers, she modifies her sexual transmogrification spell in such a
way as to cause the transsexualized young gentleman to automatically regain
his manhood at the dawning of the following day.

	Generally, when Magatrix chooses to expand one of her volunteer
assistant's tenure as a bona fide member of the opposite sex, she further
modifies her transsexualization spell to include some very powerful
subliminal inducements that tend to function much the way posthypnotic
suggestions might.  Magatrix does this in order to make it easier for the
sexually transmogrified male to continue to function as the woman he has
been turned into by drastically downplaying, or completely eliminating the
ignominy factor involved in operating for a time as a woman.  For instance,
Magatrix usually continues to negate the residual and telltale awkwardness
that would normally beset most men ensconced in a well-endowed woman's
body.  She achieves this by incorporating several magical subroutines
within her expanded spell in order to compensate for the marked shift in
weight distribution.  That, in turn, directly impacts on the sexually
transmogrified individual's new center of gravity, thereby making it easy
for her sexually transmogrified assistants to maneuver about in a pair of
stiletto heels.

	Since Magatrix the Magnificent's magic act has not substantially
altered from that which was described in my previous story, Magician's
Assistant 1: The Performance, I have elected to begin Magician's Assistant
- Friends & Lovers shortly after Magatrix has brought her evening's
performance to its conclusion.  In other words, the foremost male
protagonist of this story, one Michael Gerlach, begins this story as the
woman Magatrix has turned him into earlier in the evening.  However, for
those who might be interested in reading (or possibly rereading) a
description of Magatrix's magical act, in which the initial
transsexualization of birthday boy Jeff Gibson takes place, I encourage
them to read Magician's Assistant 1: The Performance, which can be accessed
elsewhere on this site.


Synopsis of Preceding Chapters


	Chapter 1 began with a conversation that occurred while the ultra
feminized Michael Gerlach was dancing with his best friend, John Larsen.
Having first discussed Mike's impressions of what it was like to be a
woman, Mike continues on to tell John about of some of the more unusual
aspects of transsexualization spell that she is operating under.  Then,
having admitted that she finds herself sexual attracted to John, Mike
encourages John to kiss her.  One kiss leads to another, whereupon a very
turned-on Mike beseeches John to make love to her.  At that point Magatrix
joins the conversation and offers the two of them the use of one of her
hotel suite's bedrooms.

	In Chapter 2, we joined the couple just prior to Mike's first
multi-orgasmic experience as a woman, via John's selfless act of oral sex.
Following that, the two then go on to share their impressions.  Then, to
John's amazement, Mike informs her friend that what she wants is to
experience what it feels like to have his manhood nestled snugly up insider
her.  John, after a little coaxing on Mike's part, is more than happy to
oblige her.

	Chapter 3 picks up where Chapter 2 left off, with Mike quickly
losing her virginity as the two friends engage in their first act of carnal
sex.  Then, after they have somewhat recuperated from their love making
session, another intimate conversation ensues in which John and Mike begin
to tentatively explore how their feelings toward one another may have
changed, in light of Mike's temporary and magical transsexualization.
Another love making sessions follows, in which John, in the heat of his
passion, utters those three little words that not only have a marked
tendency to scare the bejesus out of people, but can prove absolutely
disastrous to a relationship, terminating it with but their mere utterance.

	In Chapter 4, having acknowledged the fact that they are indeed in
love with one another, John and Mike begin to seriously examine the pros
and cons of a life together as man and wife.  Finally, after a good deal of
discussion, Mike informs John that she wants nothing more than to remain a
woman and become not only his wife, but the mother of his children as well.
The chapter ended with Mike asking John to go get Magatrix so that she
could prevail upon the magician to make her sexual reassignment a permanent
one.

	Chapter 5 began with John regrettably informing Mike that Magatrix
has not returned to her hotel suite as yet.  Then, having reconfirmed the
fact that she dearly would like to remain the woman that the magician has
turned her into, Mike, in an effort to make the most of her remaining time
as a girl, enticed John into making love to her again.  Afterward, aware
that dawn was quickly approaching, and with Magatrix still a no-show, the
two adopted a plan to wait the magician out.

	Chapter 6 began with dawn quickly approaching, and Magatrix still
not having put in an appearance at her hotel suite.  Aware that Mike would
shortly revert back to being a man again, the two friends decided that it
would be best for them to shower and dress separately.  While in the
shower, Mike played a fast and furious game of grabass with herself.  Then,
having dressed herself, Mike changed back into his former manly self.  He
then linked up with John in the suite's sitting room, whereupon the two
proceeded to head down to the hotel's restaurant.

	In Chapter 7, we find that Magatrix the Magnificent has joined John
and Mike, soon after their arrival in the hotel's restaurant.  Shortly
thereafter, having made several easily met demands of the friends, Magatrix
changes Mike back into the vivacious young woman he spent the night as.
Then, urged by the magician to select a new, feminine name for herself,
Mike chooses the name Nicole.  Whereupon, Magatrix takes it upon herself to
explain how easy it will be for Nicole to assume her new identity.

	Chapter 8 began with Magatrix asking if Nicole could see her way
clear to assisting her with a couple of benefit shows.  Then, spurred on by
John's insightful comment about how Nicole is not the only one who seems to
take an inordinate amount of pleasure out of being a girl, the magician
complies by graciously admitting that she did not start off life as a
female.  She then continues on to tell her story of how she ended up
turning herself into a woman in order to become a first class magic user.

	Chapter 9 started with Magatrix filling John and Nikki in on a
third and rather unique variation of the creation story that she had the
singular opportunity to peruse at the Vatican.  From there, the magician
continued on to explain about soulmates, and just why she selected Michael
out of the audience to serve as her lovely stage assistant.


Chapter 10


	Having just taken a swig from his can of Diet Coke, John piped up,
"Hey!  I've got a question for you, Magatrix.  Last night, just before you
went and turned my pal, Mikey, into your lovely assistant, Nikki, you made
a spiel to the audience about how the Magicians Guild had, shall we say,
more or less persuaded you to go that route, right?"

	"Yes.  You're correct.  I did say something to that effect," the
magician casually replied.  "And, you're wondering if it was just something
I made up, or if it's really true?"

	"Yeah... I guess I was, at that."

	"Well, just so you know, even single word of it is true.  You see,
prior to my taking the plunge into womanhood, I made a fairly decent living
as a stage magician.  Now, I'll grant you that I wasn't at the top of the
food chain when it comes to the magic business, but, all things considered,
I'd have to say that I did pretty good for myself.  In other words, I guess
you could say that I was in the second tier, or, if you will, second
echelon of performing magicians.

	"Basically, I had worked myself up to a point where I was spending
about six months out of every year performing in Vegas.  Then, when I
wasn't there, I was on the road, performing in places like Tahoe, the
Poconos, Atlantic City, Miami, Los Angeles, Frisco, Palm Springs, Hawaii
and a whole bunch of resorts clubs dotted about the Caribbean.  Oh, and
lest I forget, I had this yearly gig with a cruise line that I really
enjoyed doing, you know, because it was almost like a paid vacation for me.

	"But anyhow, all that went right out the window when I became a
card carrying member of the opposite sex.  That's to say that upon becoming
a girl, I basically had to start my career over from scratch.  But, given
that I knew the ropes, not to mention the fact I had the use of real magic,
you could say that I had not only one leg up in the game, but two rather
shapely ones, if I do have to say so myself.

	"So anyhow, to make a long story short, knowing what worked and
what didn't, I managed to put together a first class magic act that was a
sure cinch to garner attention, thereby putting me on the fast track to
stardom.  I mean to tell you!  I pulled out all the stops.  I put together
a real snazzy production that couldn't help but dazzle and delight the
audiences I played to.

	"And, it worked.  By the end of my first year of touring, my
booking agent had me lined up to play damn near all the choice venues the
following year.  Okay!  So, I'll grant you that I wasn't being billed as
the headliner.  But, nonetheless, I was working at places that I rarely, if
ever, worked before, even if I was only performing as one of several
opening acts on the bill.  But, that was perfectly okay with me.  As with
anything, there's a pecking order, and I had dues to pay.  And, just so you
know, I didn't mind paying them.

	"Fact is, I enjoyed paying them, you know, because it allowed me
the time to hone my act, and get all the kinks out of it.

	"Okay.  So, anyhow... be that as it may... the one thing any
performer worth his or her salt has to understand right from the get-go is
that sex appeal sells.  Okay.  So, given the fact that as a girl, I was
fully aware of the fact that I had a body that reeks of sex appeal.  So
anyhow, knowing that, I was also aware of the fact that as long as I'm
wearing something sexy and revealing during a performance, I've got most,
if not all of the men in the audience in my back pocket, so to speak.  Now,
when it comes to the subject of eye-candy, I was also keenly aware of the
fact that I was only half the equation.  The women in the audience required
something that would hold their interest as well.  So, since I was aiming
to please, I elected to go with a handsome and virile young man to serve as
my stage assistant.

	"And, I must say, that combination worked out fairly well until I
was asked if I might be agreeable to participate in a nationally televised
special that was to feature some of the top magicians that were at the time
touring about the country.

	"Well, as you can imagine, as a group, we entertainers tend to have
some very inflated, if not extremely fragile egos.  In other words, there
are a hell of a lot of prima donnas with extremely short fuses within our
ranks.  So anyhow, while the producers of this two hour magic special
started out with a list of twelve magicians to choose from, schedule
conflicts quickly reduced the number of likely candidates to seven.  One of
the remaining seven, a first rate magician whose specialty was, and still
is innovative card tricks, was to be used as filler, to help segue into and
out of commercial breaks.  That left five of us.  Trouble was, due to the
length of some of the illusions, the show's producers could only use four
of us.  That meant one magician had to go.

	"As it worked out, the producers really wanted to showcase two of
what they deemed to be my rather ingeniously staged illusions.  In fact, I
was told right up front that I hadn't a thing to worry about.  I was a
shoo-in, in that I had the job, as did another magician who was slated to
do the illusion for the show's grand finally.

	"In other words, the producers had already made the decision that
they wished to showcase both me and this other magician. In fact, as I was
to learn during the week of rather hectic rehearsals leading up to the
final taping, right from the inception of the show, the producers planned
to use my rather unusual take on the saw-a-woman in half illusion to
conclude the first hour of the show.

	"However, in an effort to assuage the rather rumpled feelings of
the magician who didn't make the cut, one of the lower level associates of
the show told the schmuck that the only reason I was picked over him was
because I was a woman.  Needless to say, that pissed the egotistical,
self-centered, son of a bitch off royally.  In other words, the bastard
really got his nose out of joint, to the point where I was told that he
actually threw a no holds barred hissy-fit in which he vehemently vowed to
get even with me if it was the last thing he ever did.  And, let me just
say, that mealy mouthed son of a bitch proved true to his words, in that he
gave it his best shot.

	"About a year after the special has aired, both my agent and I
received certified letters from the ethics review board of the Magicians
Guild, informing me that I had been accused by a fellow magician of
violating the Guild's bylaws.  The letter then went on to say that if I
failed to respond to the charges within thirty days, the ethics review
board had the power to either suspend or revoke my membership.

	"Okay.  That pretty much takes care of page one of the letter.

	"Page two proceeded on to address the violation itself.

	"Oh!  And, let me tell the two of you something!  That
thin-skinned, egotistical son of a bitch, you know, as in the bastard who
mistakenly believed that I was the one responsible for him being excluded
from the show, must have really had it in for me.  I mean, he had to have
burned the midnight oil to come up with something to gig me on.

	"But, I must say, he got me dead to rights.  You see, though I was
totally unaware of it, buried deep within the Guild's rather arcane bylaws
is a little known codicil that specifically states that all stage
assistants must be: one, young; two, attractive; and three, female.

	"In other words, the bastard was right.  Technically, going by the
letter of the law, I was in violation of the Magician Guild's bylaws.  As
much as it galled me to do so, I had to let my male stage assistant go, if,
that is, I wished to continue on with my career as a professional magician,
which, it pretty much goes without saying I did.

	"So, to make a long story short, though it thoroughly ticked me off
being forced into doing something that I really didn't want to have to do,
I ended up giving my assistant half a year's severance pay, and the two of
us more of less went our separate ways.

	"But, let me tell you something.  I got my comeuppance.  You see,
it's like I told the audience last night before I caused you to undergo a
sexual one-eighty.  While the bylaws clearly state that I must use a young
and attractive female stage assistant, if I use an assistant at all, there
is nothing in them that says that the female assistant I use has to be a
female to begin with.

	"So anyhow, about three months after I've started enlisting my
stage assistants via the rather unique guyo-girlo method, I'm performing
out in Vegas and guess who's in the audience?"

	"You're kidding?" Nikki briskly interjected.

	"Oh, no I'm not!  He was there all right, seated at one of the
rearmost tables.  My guess was, he was there to check me out.  The way I
figured it, he was there in the hopes of catching me in some other
infraction of our guild's bylaws.

	"But, let me tell you!  I got him good!  Right after I did my
hallmark hula-hoop materialization thingamabob, you know, that I do to kick
off my show, I made this big production out of introducing the slimy
so-'n-so to the audience.  I mean, I told them that this guy was not only
one of the finest magicians who have ever lived, but that he was also one
of the people who inspired me to become a magician in the first place.
Then, after heaping praise upon praise on the back-stabbing son of bitch, I
asked the audience if they would please put their hands together as a means
to encourage the gentleman to come up and join me on stage.

	"Well, thinking they're in for a real treat, the audience indulges
me with a vigorous round of applause.  The bastard's stuck between a rock
and a hard place.  He knows that I know that he's the mealy mouthed SOB
that put me in hot water with our Guild's ethics review board.  And, though
he hides it well, I can tell he's anything but comfortable with the idea of
joining me on stage.

	"But, what could he do?  After all the laudatory remarks I had just
made about him, he'd have looked like a real arrogant asshole if he didn't
comply with my request to join me on stage.

	"Okay!  So, it suffices to say that though he was a little
reluctant at first, in the end, he did join me on stage.  I then proceeded
to ask the audience if they might enjoy seeing the distinguished gentleman
lend me a hand with my act.  Well, as you can imagine, they did, and they
signified that they did with yet another resounding round of applause.

	"Then, just to make the bastard squirm a bit, I go into my spiel
about how I can no longer use a male stage assistant, and that before I
proceed, certain adjustments would have to made."

	Chuckling all the while, John somehow managed, "That's rich!  You
mean to tell us that you actually turned that poor slob into a girl?"

	"Oh, yeah!  I sure as hell did!  I mean, the way I figure it, I
just let the punishment fit the crime."

	"And, you weren't afraid that he might file another complaint, you
know, about you and your using real magic?" John felt compelled to inquire.

	"No!  Not in the least little bit!  I mean, there's not a damn
thing in the Guild's bylaws that precludes a magician from using real
magic.  And, if he had tried to file a complaint, who in their right minds
would have believed him, anyway?

	"Besides, after the show, when the two of us were back in my
dressing room, prior to my changing him back into his old manly self, and
after I, shall we say, compelled him to play a little game of tit for tat
with that girlish anatomy of his, you'd best believe that I read him the
riot act.  Without any equivocation whatsoever, I told him in no uncertain
terms that if he ever told anyone the truth about what I had done to him,
that I had actually changed him into a girl, I would hunt him down.  I then
went on to add that after I did locate him, I would turn his sorry ass into
not just a girl, but that I would turn him into a girl who was not only a
nymphed-out slut, but also a first class cocksucker to boot.

	"Let me tell you!  I must have really put the fear of God into that
son of a bitch, because, to this day, whenever our paths cross, he gives me
the widest berth possible.  I mean, just a couple of weeks ago, when I was
attending the Magician Guild's annual awards banquet out in Vegas, when
that so-'n-so saw me headed in his direction, he turned tail and beat feet
to put as much distance between the two of us as possible."

	"Question!"  John felt compelled to assuage his curiosity.  "Had
that bastard been a rat-fink and tried to make an issue out of you and your
using real magic, would you really have gone through with what you had
threatened him?  Would you really have turned him into a cocksucking slut?"

	"Probably...

	"I mean, while I know that saying something like that makes me
sound like a vengeful bitch, had he talked, it would have served him right
for me to have done something like that to him..."


*****


	"Okay!" Magatrix, in an effort to make sure that the three of them
were in total agreement, began.  "So, let's see if I've got everything
straight in my head.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but the plan is for the two
of you to follow one another back to Nicole's, so that she can take care of
those cats of hers.  Then, after the two of you attend to whatever else
needs attending to, you're going to meet me back at the club about a half
an hour before show time.  Right?"

	"Yes," Nikki responded as she got up from the couch.  "That's the
plan."

	"Oh!" Magatrix said as she got up in order to walk John and Nicole
to the door.  "Before I forget, you need to know that I took it upon myself
to magically tinker around with that clunker you've been driving."

	Somewhat skeptical, Nikki asked, "Okay... I'll bite.  What,
exactly, do you mean when you say 'tinker around'?"

	"Well, I guess you could call it more of an upgrade than anything
else," Magatrix gleefully taunted.

	"Do you think you could be just a tad bit more explicit?"

	"Sure I could, Nicole.  If fact, it would be my pleasure to do so.
Look, I know that you've been contemplating getting rid of that old Saturn
of yours.  Well, let's just say that I've fixed it so now you won't have
to."

	"What do you mean?  What in the world did you do to my car?"

	"Again, correct me if I'm wrong, but you've had your eye on one of
those little BMW roadsters, haven't you?"

	With excitement infesting her voice, Nikki sought clarification.
"Do you mean the Z3s?"

	"If the Z3 is one of those ragtop two-seats, I guess that's what
I'm talking about."

	"Are you trying to tell me that you turned that old Saturn of mine
into a Z3?"

	"Yes.  I guess I am, at that."

	"You're shittin' me, right?"

	"No, Nikki.  I'm not shittin' you in the least little bit.  I just
hope that a silver body with a black leather interior is okay with you?  I
mean, if it's not, you just let me know and I'll change it to whatever
color fits with that new girlish fancy of yours."

	"Magatrix!" Nikki gleefully exclaimed as she rushed over and
enfolded the magician in a grateful and emotion laden hug.  "You're
wonderful!  Absolutely wonderful!  How can I ever thank you for everything
you've done for me?"

	"Well, for starters, you can make damn sure you get your ass back
here for this afternoon's performance.  Otherwise, I may have to resort to
playing the part of Cinderella's Fairy Godmother, and undo everything I've
done for you."

	"You wouldn't?"

	"No... you're right, Nicole.  I wouldn't do something like that to
you.  I was just teasing you, that's all..."


*****


	Several minutes after their abortive attempt to take their leave of
the magician, John and Nikki began to once again make their way toward the
door.

	"Wait a minute!" Magatrix called after them.  "Aren't you
forgetting something, Nicole?"

	Having taken a second or so to take stock of herself, the former
Mike Gerlach bewilderedly replied, "No... I don't think so..."

	"Where are your keys?  Your wallet?  Not to mention, the rest of
the paraphernalia you were carrying around in your pockets last night?"

	"Oh, shit!  That's right!  Damn if I didn't forget again!  They're
in my purse!  And, my purse is over there on the desk, right were I set it
down when we came in."

	"You do know that that's the second time you almost walked off and
left it, don't you?  I mean, you almost left in the restaurant, and you
were about to walk out of here just now without it."

	Irritated at her own stupidity, Nikki dejectedly quipped, "Yes!  I
know!  You don't have to tell me!  I'm really going to have to watch myself
from here on out.  I'm just going to have to keep reminding myself that I'm
not a guy anymore.  I need to keep telling myself that I'm a girl now, and
that we girls lug pocketbooks around with us."

	"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself, Nicole.  It's just going to
take you a little time to get used to being a girl, that's all.  Believe
me, young lady, you'll start to get the hang of it in a couple of days.
And, until you do, you'll have John around to keep reminding you."


*****


	Since they had parked their respective cars in the same lot the
night before, John and no problems linking up with Nikki in order to follow
her home.  Having driven a mile or so, John pulled up next to Nikki.
Lowering the passenger side window, he motioned Nikki to lower her window
so that they could converse.  "Are you having any trouble driving in
heels?" he asked.

	"No.  Why?  Does it look like I'm having trouble?"

	"No," John admitted.  "As far as I can tell, it doesn't look like
you're having any trouble at all."

	"That's good, 'cause I'm not."

	"How's it handle?"

	"Do you mean the car or the body?" Nikki playfully taunted.

	"Smart ass!"


*****


	Pulling into her court, Nikki was beset with a twinge of
gut-wrenching dread as she spied the couple who lived next-door to her
unloading groceries from their RV.  "Shit!" she uneasily exclaimed.  "I
sure hope Magatrix was right about the identity self-adjustment business.
Well, I guess I'm about to find out if it's going to work or not."

	Taking what she believed to be a proactive approach, as Nikki
pulled past her assigned parking place in a preparatory maneuver for
backing in, she beeped the Z3's horn and gave a friendly little wave.  With
a sinking feeling beginning to develop in the pit of that taught little
tummy of hers, Nikki took note of the fact that, even though they returned
her wave, the couple who lived in the townhouse next to hers appeared to be
more than a little taken aback.

	"Hey!" her next-door neighbor, Ken exuberantly beamed.  "Neat car,
Nikki!  What did you do?  Just pick it up from the dealer the first thing
this morning?"

	Realizing that Ken had called her by her new 'female' nickname, an
inwardly jubilant Nikki managed to stammer, "Yes... yes, I did!  Do you
like it?"

	"Oh, yeah!" Ken proclaimed.  "I like it a lot.  Fact is, were it
not for the fact that Cathy and I are trying to scrape together enough
money for a down-payment on a bigger house, I wouldn't mind having one of
those myself..."


*****


	"That seemed to go well," John declared as he followed Nikki into
her townhouse.

	"Yes... yes, it did.  It went surprisingly well, and for that I am
ever so grateful.  Let me tell you.  You have no idea how much I was
worrying about having to face people, and having to go through all the
hassles involved with telling them about me and my becoming a girl.  I
mean, can you imagine the raft of questions that would be put to me?  First
off, people would want to know all the particulars.  They'd want to know
what possessed me to make the decision to become a girl on a full time
basis.  Then, they'd want to know whether or not I had always had latent
homosexual tendencies, you know, especially considering the fact that I
assume that you and I are still planning on getting married in the not too
distant future."

	"Oh, yeah!  We sure the hell are!  That is, if you still want to,
kiddo?"

	"Well, let me put to you like this, pal.  Have you ever heard the
term 'breach of promise'?"

	"Oh!  So, it's going to be like that, is it?"

	"No... I promise, I'll only resort to something as drastic as that
if you chicken out on me at the last moment and leave me waiting at the
altar."

	"Have no fear of that, Nikki.  I promise, that ain't never going to
happen.  And, do you know why that ain't never going to happen?"

	Answering his own question, John emphatically declared, "That ain't
never going to happen because I love you, and I want to spend the rest of
my life with you!"

	"Good answer!" Nikki quipped in response, as she bent down in order
to lavish a little attention on those two cats of hers.


*****


	"Well, well!  Would you look at that!"

	Nikki sought clarification, "Look at what?"

	"Look at the way those two of cats of yours are acting."

	"What do you mean?  They're acting the way they always do when I
come home."

	"That's my point exactly.  They seem to know that you're you, and
not so strange woman invading their territory."

	"You know something, John?  You're right!  They do seem to know who
I am.  I mean, Sam takes to almost anyone.  But, Frodo on the other hand is
a lot more skittish around people than most cats.  I mean, he really has to
be around someone for a good while before he's comfortable enough to let
them pet him."

	"That's true," John freely admitted.  "I mean, the only reason he
lets me mess around with him is because I've been around him ever since you
brought him home as a kitten."

	"So, I take it you think Magatrix's identity conversion magic works
as well on animals as it does on people?"

	"Yeah... sure seems like it does to me..."


*****


	A few minutes later, as Nikki was attending to the task of scooping
out her cats' litter box, she called out to John, "I've got to tell you,
I'm a little relieved."

	"'Bout what?"

	"About the house."

	Uncomprehending, John replied with a bemused, "Huh?  Just what in
the hell are you talking about, kiddo?"

	"Well, after Magatrix went and turned that old Saturn of mine into
that nifty BMW sports car, I got to wondering if she may have finagled
around with some of my other things, you know, like my furniture and other
such shit."

	"Oh!  I understand.  In other words, what you're saying is that you
were kind of worried that she'd dicker around with things that you really
didn't want her dickering around with."

	"Yeah...  That's to say that I didn't want to come home to what you
might call a frilly house, you know, with dollies and ruffles and lacy
things all over the place.  Hey!  What can I say?  I happen to like rustic!
And, I'm more than a little relieved to see that everything's the way it
ought to be."

	"Not everything, kiddo."

	"What do you mean, not everything?  Pray tell!  What's different?"

	"Nothing, save these pictures."

	"What pictures?"

	"These pictures," John said as he paged through a photo album he
was holding.

	"Oh, my God!  You're right!  They are all different.  Well, that's
not exactly true, now is it?  I mean, they're not all different.  The only
ones that are different are the ones with me in them."

	"That's a true statement.  The only ones that are different are the
ones with you in them.  And, I've got to tell you, Nikki, according to
these pictures, you were one pretty little girl.  Very, very photogenic, if
I do say so myself.  Look!  Here's one of the two of us that I actually
remember your mother taking.  We were standing on the steps of
St. Matthew's after our First Holy Communion.  When she took it, we were
both wearing white suits.  However, in this picture, I'm the only one
wearing a white suit.  You're a girl and you're decked out up in one of the
frilly white dresses that all the girls had to wear."

	"Let me see that!" Nikki demanded in a huff.

	Passing the album over, John distractedly mused, "I wonder..." and
made a beeline for the bookshelf.  Removing one of Nikki's high school
yearbooks, John flipped through the pages until he found what he was
looking for.  "Well, would you look at this!"

	"Look at what?"

	"This!"  John proffered the yearbook toward Nikki.  "It's a picture
of your high school swim team."

	"Yeah!  So?"

	"So, it's like all the others, you know, as in it depicts you as
the girl you have become."

	"So, what's the big deal about that?"

	"The big deal is, you went to an all boys Catholic high school,
didn't you?"

	"Oh, shit!  I did, didn't I?"

	"Oh, yeah...  You sure as hell did, kiddo!  Trouble is, there's no
getting around the fact that you're definitely a girl in this picture.  I
mean, you're wearing a girl's tank suit and, while they aren't anywhere
near as magnificent as they are now, there's no getting around the fact
that you've got yourself the start of a nice rack there, kiddo."

	"Yeah...  You're right.  I do at that, don't I."

	"So," John asked, "do you think maybe we ought to talk to Magatrix
about this, owing to the fact that it could conceivably rear up one of
these days and bite you square on that nice new and ever so succulent fanny
of yours?"

	"Yeah... I think it might be prudent for us to do just that..."

	"Hey, kiddo!  Tell you what!  How about letting me see that album
again, will 'ya?"

	"Sure..." Nikki tentatively replied, as she traded the album she
was holding for the yearbook that John had been examining.  "What 'ya
looking for?"

	Cryptically, John replied, "Something..."

	"Can't you just tell me?"

	"No.  But, when I find it, I'll show it to you."

	About thirty seconds later, having flipped through the album
several times in order to find what he had been looking for, John chuckled
as he said, "Now, this is really rich!"

	"What?  What is?" Nikki curiously inquired as she repositioned
herself alongside of her beau in order to gain a better perspective.  "Oh,
my God!  That's me, isn't it?"

	"It sure the hell is!" John laughed.  "And, if I remember
correctly, standing next to you is your date, one Miss Janet Higgins.  I
mean, you did take Janet to your senior prom, didn't you?"

	"Yes...  Yes, I did."

	"Well, let me tell you something, kiddo, as good as she looks, you
look a hell of a sight better!  I mean, that prom dress you're wearing is
to die for!"

	"John!" Nikki said sternly.  "Would you do me a big favor, and
knock it off!"

	"Sure, kiddo..." he snickered.  "I'd be happy to..."


*****


	"John!" Nikki excitedly called down the steps.  "Can you come here
a minute?  I've got something I want to show you."

	Entering the rustic décor of Nikki's bedroom, John said, "What's
up?  What 'ya got to show me?"

	"This!" Nikki curtly replied, as she directed his attention toward
her open closet.

	"Oh!  So, I take it that Magatrix has been tinkering around with
your stuff a little."

	"A little!" Nikki giddily exclaimed.  "From what I've seen, she's
given me a whole new wardrobe!  I mean, even though I only had a quick
look-see, I don't think she left me any of my guy things!  And, just for
shits and giggles, would you take a good look at all these new shoes she
saw fit to provided me with!  I mean, except for a pair of running shoes,
and some hiking boots, everything, save for one pair of flats, has
four-inch or higher stiletto heels.  And there are so many of them!"

	"Yeah..." John thoughtfully concurred.  "I guess they do at that,
don't they?"

	"You don't think that Magatrix believes that I have some kind of
foot fetish, do you?"

	"Probably not...  But, then again, you've got to admit that you did
always have a thing for women wearing high heels, kiddo."

	"True...  You're right.  I do like to see women wearing heels."

	"Well, there's your answer.  Magatrix probably just figured that
since you enjoyed seeing women wearing heels, now that you're a woman
yourself, you'd probably want to wear them yourself.  I mean, she did make
it easy for you to get around in them, didn't she?"

	"Yes...  Yes, she did."

	"Well, there you have it, then.  Just figure that Magatrix did you
a favor and just leave it at that.  In other words, don't go trying to read
a lot into it.  Just enjoy 'em.  And, let me just say, she sure gave you
enough of them to enjoy.  I mean to tell 'ya, you've got pumps coming out
the yin-yang.  Hell, Nikki, you've got damn near every color of the rainbow
in here.  And, we're not even talking about all these boots that Magatrix
has seen fit to start you out with."

	"John!" having just opened one of her dresser drawers, Nikki
gleefully intoned.  "You need to come over here and take a gander at this."

	Having done as directed, John exclaimed, "Wow!  What'ya got in
there?  The whole Victoria Secrets' catalog?"

	"It sure enough looks like it, save to say that it doesn't look
like Magatrix included any of that icky lacey stuff."

	"That's right.  I forgot.  You have an aversion to lacey things,
don't you?"

	"That's true.  I do.  And, I'm sure glad that Magatrix didn't give
me any, because it would have been a waste, owing to the fact that I
wouldn't have wore it."

	"Yeah... but she sure made up for it with what she gave you by way
of satin."

	"That's true.  She sure enough did at that."

	"So, are you going to model some of it for me?"

	"Maybe... if, that is, you're a good boy."

	"Oh, I'm a good boy all right."

	"Well... at least you were last night," Nikki teasingly taunted.
"John.  Tell me.  What time is it, anyway?"

	Checking his wristwatch, John replied, "Just a few minutes after
eleven."

	"Hmmm..." Nikki murmured coyly.  "Then, I guess we have time."

	"Time for what?"

	"Time for you to once again show me just how good a boy you can
be..."