7/6/99
Spells R Us:  "Heads And Tails"
by J. John Seaver

Copyright 1999 by Jason Seaver; Spells R Us itself and it associated  
characters belong to Bill Hunt.  As always, ask before using my  characters 
and creations for your own fiendish purposes.  This story  may be freely 
archived and distributed so long as it is left intact  and this disclaimer is 
included.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Ken and Jamie left the arcade, disgusted.  Not for the usual reason- rather 
than being too crowded for them to get at a machine; the place  was all but 
abandoned.  No, this time it was because after about an  hour, all videogames 
seemed to look the same.  Ken's older brother  often spoke of the halcyon 
days of the early 1980s, when Atari was  king, graphics were crude, sound 
was mono, but games were more fun  and you could play all afternoon on a 
single quarter, if you were good  enough.  Ken had always thought that 
Bryce was putting him on; twenty- seven was too young for that kind of 
nostalgia.  But now he was  beginning to decide that Bryce might have a 
point:  He and Jamie would  have to guess to say whether the last game 
they'd played was Mortal  Kombat, Street Fighter, Tekken, or some other 
generic fighting game.

It was all the same, and they were getting sick of it.  Now they were  just 
wandering the mall, hoping that something interesting to do would  pop out at 
them, or that they might meet up with some girls from one  of the 
surrounding towns...  Anything to make up for the fact that  they weren't 
going to the Junior/Senior Prom that night.

Jamie and Ken were something of an odd couple.  While Jamie wasn't a  
straight-A student -- he tended toward high B's in social studies and  
computer courses -- he had the academic curiosity, thin frame, quiet  manner 
and nearly-perfect recall of everything he'd ever read or seen  that caused 
classmates to peg him as an introverted geek.  Those that  took the time to get 
to know him would learn that Jamie was an avid  outdoorsman who spent 
much of his free time camping, hiking, cross- country skiing and mountain 
biking.  On the other hand, Ken was on the  varsity basketball, baseball, and 
soccer teams, albeit as a  benchwarmer.  He came across as friendly but 
slow, and he would be the  first to admit that he got confused fairly easily.  
He never  complained about having to work hard for what seemed to come to 
others  naturally, though.  Jamie was nominally more assertive, so their first  
stop in the mall had been the comics shop, followed by Software Etc.,  
followed by Eastern Mountain Sports, and on until they'd reached Dream  
Machine.

They shared few classes in school, but knew each other well from  having 
lived next door to each other until they were about twelve,  Ken's parents 
having moved to a smaller house across town when his  two older siblings 
went away to college and the navy.  They were  dateless that night because it 
just happened that all the girls they  knew had boyfriends, and any girl either 
of them dated would always  knock the relationship down to "just friends" 
within two weeks.  Most  of those former not-quite-girlfriends would have 
been glad to go with  them, but they were already going with...

So, not seeing the point of going stag at the time, they'd given the  whole 
thing a pass when tickets went on sale.  Now, doubts were  beginning to 
cross the two juniors' minds about the logic of that  choice.  It was just 
quarter of six, and the movie they'd decided to  see instead didn't start for an 
hour and a half, so they had at least  that much self-doubt ahead of them.  
Joy.

"Hey, it looks like something's finally moved into where Musicland  used to 
be."  Jamie turned to follow Ken's pointing finger.  Spaces  in the mall didn't 
usually stay vacant for long, and this was  evidently no exception.

"'Spells R Us'.  Huh; I wonder what they sell."

"I don't know; I've never heard of it.  Maybe they're a magician's  supply 
shop.  Maybe it's that new sci-fi bookstore you told me about.   Or maybe 
they have a collection of innocuous-looking objects which  actually hold 
various enchantments that, without the proper  precautions, turn on their 
users in an ironic manner.  Or maybe they  sell shoes."

"I'm guessing women's clothing.  Or, on second thought, how about  quote 
adult products and services unquote.  I mean, what other kind  of store would 
have a solid front wall and door in a mall?"

"Good point.  But, since I don't see anything about having to be  eighteen to 
even touch the doorknob, we might as well take a look."

The door creaked as they opened it, and a bell rang above the counter,  even 
though it was in no way connected to the door, or at least not  connected in 
any way Ken or Jamie could detect.  Jamie thought it was  pretty clever.

An old man wearing what couldn't really be a bathrobe emerged from a  back 
room, carrying a gold coin in a plastic case, mumbling about how  it always 
turned up, just like the proverbial bad penny.  He looked up,  startled, as if 
they bell hadn't signaled him of his customers'  arrival.  "Hello, Kurt.  How 
may I help you and your friend today?"

"Good guess on the name, but it's Ken, actually.  Ken Kurtwood."

The old man's eyes slightly widened.  "Are you sure it's not Kurt  
Kenwood?  I'm seldom wrong about these things."

"Positive."

Jamie had already stepped up to the counter to look at the man's coin.   "Hey, 
what's this...  Wow!  Shouldn't this be in a museum, rather  than a shop in a 
mall?"

The old man looked at Jamie.  "Ah!  Are you an amateur numismatist?"

Jamie grinned sheepishly.  "A little; I can't afford much.  I don't  actually 
own anything much rarer than a Buffalo nickel, but this  looks like a Viking 
coin."

"It is.  It's the fabled wishing coin, although it's not terribly  fabled since its 
owner has kept it secret for the last four hundred  years or so."

"A wishing coin?"  Ken didn't share Jamie's keen interest in the coin  -- he 
wasn't quite as bright as his friend, but that wasn't it.   Collecting just didn't 
interest him; he understood that the coin was  old and rare, or at least was a 
good replica of a coin that was old  and rare, but those facts didn't give 
something any intrinsic extra  value.  Still, the old man seemed a bit eccentric, 
wearing a bathrobe  to work and stocking the place with odds and ends (the 
store looked  like a flea market); what was the harm if he placed spun 
unbelievable  stories about his wares?

"Yes.  You toss it up in the air, like any other coin.  While it's  tumbling, 
speak your wish aloud.  Your wish will begin to come true  as soon as you 
catch it."

"Uh-huh.  Any restrictions?"

"A few.  The coin cannot be used for coercion; while it can change  
circumstances, it cannot force a person to make an uncharacteristic  decision 
or otherwise override one's free will.  Also, it cannot be  used again until the 
last wish has been completely granted.  That's  why it's been out of 
circulation for so long."

Jamie decided to play along too, although he never took his eye off  the coin.  
"What do you mean?"

"Its last owner was His Majesty Ronald, Emperor of England, who used  it 
to wish the he would never die.  Since his wish would not be fully  granted 
until he had, in fact, lived forever, the coin was of no use  to anyone else."

Ken grinned, seeing the old man's game.  "So it wouldn't actually  grant 
wishes for us?"

"Oh, of course it will.  Ronald used his long life to conquer the  world, 
outliving all his rivals, surviving any assassination attempts,  and using his 
many lifetimes of experience to stay one step ahead of  any threat.  Until, that 
is, ten minutes ago, when someone used  another magical device to travel 
back in time and prevent Ronald, and,  ironically, himself, from ever being 
born.  Ronald's reign would have  begun in 1547; instead Edward III became 
king, then Mary, then  Elizabeth...  But you have probably heard all that."  
The old man  snapped his fingers.  "That must be why I muffed your name; 
it's Kurt  in that other timeline.  They can be so hard to keep straight when  
you reach my age."

Jamie looked up.  "I imagine it must be.  I'm almost afraid to ask,  but how 
much are you selling this for?  Just curious."

"For you?  Thirty-five dollars ought to do it."

"No, seriously..."

"I'm totally serious.  Most collectors would just place it on a shelf,  or in a 
museum, being the stodgy old farts that they are.  You, on  the other hand, 
are young enough to still want to take things out of  their case and hold them, 
and use them, rather than merely preserving  them for history.  I'll bet you 
only buy comics-"  He tapped the bag  of wares Jamie had purchased at the 
comic shop, "that you intend to  read and re-read, and don't worry about 
variant covers and resale  value."

Maybe the guy was senile enough to let something like this go, and  maybe it 
was just a very nice replica.  Either way, it was worth the  miniscule amount 
he was asking, and Jamie happily paid it.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Jamie was happily examining at his new coin as he and Ken walked  through 
the parking lot on their way to the Papa Gino's across the  street from the 
mall.  Ken waited until Jamie had looked up for a  second to swipe it.

"Hey!  That's valuable!"

"Yeah, right.  If it really were an actual Viking coin, the guy  wouldn't have 
let it go for thirty-five bucks."

"Even if it's not a thousand years old, that's still real gold; you  can tell by the 
weight."

"Sure you can."  Ken took the coin out of its protective case and  hefted it.  It 
was heavier than he expected.  "Okay, so it's actual  gold.  Let's see if that 
wishing thing really works."

"And you thought I was silly for thinking it might be a Viking coin."

"Hey, what's the harm?"  Ken placed the coin on top of his clenched  fist, as 
though he were going to flip it to make a decision, and  grinned.  "Call it in 
the air."  He took a deep breath, and then let  the coin fly.  "I wish that Jamie 
and I had tickets for the prom and  sexy dates that go to it with u--"

"You've got heads, I've got tai--"

The coin seemed to explode as it landed back in Ken's hand.  There was  a 
flash of light and a concussion that knocked them both off their  feet; it was 
almost as if a flash-bang grenade had gone off between  them.

Ken stood up, somewhat woozy, and started dusting himself off. While  he 
was doing that, he noticed he was wearing a jacket, when he hadn't  been 
before.  A tuxedo jacket, in fact...  "Hey!  Jamie, it worked!   That magic 
wishing coin actually worked!"  He ran over to where his  friend had fallen 
and skidded to a stop.

"What do you mean it worked?"  Eyes skyward, Jamie sat up and ran his  
fingers back through his hair, and more hair, and still more hair  until...  He 
kept his voice calm and spoke slowly.  "Ken, I must have  bumped my head 
pretty hard.  Why am I wearing a bra?"

There was a nauseated look to Ken's face and a withering tone to his  voice, 
and though his head was turning as if to look away, his eyes  just couldn't.  
"Because your breasts would be bouncing all over the  place if you didn't?"

Jamie's grip on the bra strap tightened until it was pinching his new  breasts 
painfully.  He yelped and let go, then turned his attention  to the rest of his 
body.  As he feared, it matched the breasts,  feminine in every detail, almost 
to the point of exaggeration.  From  long, perfect legs through tight butt and 
wide hips, past a quite  narrow waist to two heavy, but firm, breasts and 
beyond which his  hands found strong shoulders, slender arms, a smooth 
neck, pouty,  kissable lips and a button nose.  Those delicate hands had 
fingers  which terminated in extended (but thankfully not claw-like) red nails,  
and the whole thing was topped off with ash blond hair that dropped  two or 
three inches below the shoulders and wrapped in a blue prom  dress that 
showed more than a hint of cleavage and plenty of blue- stockinged leg, with 
a matching blue purse slung over the shoulder.   If Jamie could have seen 
himself, he might not agreed that he was a  babe, but it would have been 
strictly on principle, not based on the  facts.

Ken had changed, too, though not as drastically.  He'd gained a few  inches 
in height, about twenty pounds of well-distributed muscle, a  squarer jaw and 
a slightly deeper voice.  "Here, let me help you  up..."  Ken took another step 
toward Jamie, who stared him back.

"I can get up myself, thankyouverymuch."  Jamie hadn't realized he  was 
wearing three-inch heels until he tried to stand.  He was very  wobbly, and 
his attempts to gain his balance only made him more so,  until he finally fell 
forward.  Ken quickly stepped forward to catch  him.

Jamie was having no part of that.  "Hands off!"  He shoved Ken in the  chest 
while he was yelling, but the force of Jamie's weaker arms  against Ken's 
broader chest simply caused Jamie to fall over backwards  again.

He laid there in silent fury, fists clenched as hard as was possible  without the 
fingernails drawing blood.  After a couple minutes had  passed, he stiffly 
raised one arm, bending only at the shoulder.  "Help me up."

Ken obliged, his arms supporting Jamie's weight like it was nothing.   "Are 
you okay?"

"YOU did this."  Jamie crossed his arms and stared daggers at Ken,  then 
uncrossed them when he realized how the position highlighted the  breasts.  
He dropped his arms to his sides, looking every bit a  petulant teenage girl.

"I didn't mean too!  I just tossed the coin in the air and wished we  had tickets 
and dates who would go with us to the prom and--"

"AND what?"

Ken had to be very nervous to stammer.  "And-and-and-and then we  
changed!"  He quickly looked around, found the coin on the ground,  and 
picked it up.  "Look, we can use it to change back!"  He tossed  it up in the 
air.  "I wish Jamie was a guy again!"

Absolutely nothing happened when he caught it.  "I don't  understand..."

Jamie snatched the coin from Ken's hand.  "Remember what the old man  
said?  We can't use it again until this wish is finished.  We've got  to actually 
go to the prom."  It just got worse and worse.

"But where are our dates?"

Jamie just glared.

"You mean we've got to go with (gulp) each other?"  Ken received a  curt, 
affirmative nod.  "Well, okay then.  We go to the prom."

"Are you out of your MIND?  I can't let anybody see me like THIS!"

Ken was getting exasperated.  "Who'll know?  All anybody will see  when 
they look at you is a blond-over-blue knockout; no-one will be  able to 
connect her with you.  Look, I'm sorry that you've got to be  a girl for the 
evening, but it's just one night, and it could have  been a lot worse.  
Remember, the old guy said that there's stuff that  can erase you from 
existence!  After we go to the dance, things can  go back to normal.  We can 
do that!"

"'You've got to be a girl for the evening...'  Do you have any idea  how 
preposterous that sounds?"  Jamie sighed, and cleared her throat.   "Yeah, I 
think I can handle it for a night."

"Okay.  Let's just go to the car and drive to the Holiday Inn."

They made it almost all the way to Ken's car when Jamie stopped.  "I  want 
dinner."

Ken turned around and stared.  "What?"

"I haven't eaten since lunch and I'm starving.  AND the wish  specified 
taking dates to the prom; I know neither of us has had a  date in a while, but 
buying her dinner is part of the ritual.  AND  it's the least you can do after 
turning me into...this!"

Ken had to agree that Jamie had a point.  "All right.  We get dinner."

"And a corsage."

Ken chuckled.  "You're really getting into this, aren't you?"

Jamie swallowed hard, trying to remain calm.  "Look, if we have to do  this 
to change back, then we do it right.  I am hating every minute  of this, and I 
will not be stuck like this for the rest of my life  because you wouldn't spring 
at the goddamned florist!"  She'd tried  to remain calm, but she'd ended up 
yelling anyway.

Ken raised his hands in surrender.  "Okay, okay, you're right.   Should I rent 
a limo, too?"

Jamie couldn't believe what she was hearing; was Ken not taking this  
seriously?  "You probably should, but there's no time for that."  She  
stomped past Ken and leaned against the car.  "Let's just go and get  it over 
with."

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Jamie looked in the mirror, totally lost.  Ken had gotten the corsage,  
although the woman at the counter had chastised him, saying that she  was 
just about to close and he shouldn't have waited until the last  minute.  After 
driving around for a half hour, they'd finally found a  restaurant with only a 
twenty minute wait for seating.  Ken had looked  upset when Jamie had 
ordered the grilled shark, but she had shot him  a "You Owe Me" glare which 
kept him silent.  She'd then retired to the  ladies' room, quite proud that she 
hadn't entered the wrong one by  accident.  Small victories.

Her plan had been to just touch up her makeup so that she wouldn't be  as 
conspicuous - the fall and the tears she'd mostly choked back in  the car were 
sure to have damaged it - but she hadn't counted on the  fact that she knew 
sod-all about applying the stuff.  Though there  was a compact in the purse, 
she didn't know what to do with its  contents.

Jamie almost jumped out of her skin when she heard a toilet flush  behind 
her, then a snapping noise and a muttered "shit!"  She stood  absolutely still 
until a voice came from the stall.  "Um...  Could  someone help me?"

Jamie didn't say a word.

"Look, I know there's someone out there.  I just need a little favor."

Well, why not?  "What kind of a favor?"

"Come here."

Jamie poked the door open and gasped.  There was Jennifer Lindstrom  from 
Chemistry, practically naked.  Sure, she had her panties on, but  her yellow 
tube dress was down around her ankles, leaving her topless.   Part of Jamie 
just wanted to reach out and touch the redhead's bare  breasts, but he 
remembered that there was a pair just as nice much  closer to hand, and 
Jennifer would probably think Jamie fondling her  now would be, well, 
weird.

Thankfully, Jenny misinterpreted Jamie's stare.  "Yeah, I know, I  should 
have gone before I left, but it completely slipped my mind.   Could you help 
me do up the back?  I can't reach them all."

"Um, um, um...sure.  No problem."  The snap at the neck was the only  one 
that really held the dress together; the others just allowed her  to step in.  
When all the snaps were done up, the back had a series  of oval spaces which 
showed Jennifer's back off to great effect.

Jenny walked with Jamie back to the mirror.  "Thanks so much; I'd  hate to 
spend my junior prom hiding in the bathroom."  She extended  her hand.  
"I'm Jenny."

"Jamie."  It just slipped out before she could think of a substitute.

"Well, thanks a lot, Jamie.  I don't remember meeting you before; are  you 
going to the Hillcrest prom?"

"Ah, well, yeah..."

"Who with?"

Jamie considered, and then figured she'd probably run into Jenny  there 
anyway.  "Ken Kurtwood."

"Really?  That's so weird; his best friend is named Jamie, too.   Isn't that 
funny?"

"Yeah, it's a riot."

"Well, I suppose you get that a lot.  But Ken's cool.  As my dad  would say - 
dad's a cop, you understand - Ken's a stand-up guy."   Jenny giggled at her 
own impression of her father; Jamie had to admit  that it was kind of funny.

"Yeah, he's all right, but it's just one date.  Um, Jenny?"  Jamie  was 
blushing.

"Yeah?"  It was a friendly "yeah" as Jenny turned from fixing her  lipstick in 
the mirror to look at Jamie.

"I feel kind of silly asking, but could you help me with my makeup?   I don't 
have much practice and I think I just made it worse."

"Oh, no problem; I love a challenge.  Wow, look at you.  You really  don't 
have much practice, huh?"

"First time."

Jenny fiddled with Jamie's face, and by the time she returned to Ken,  one 
would have been hard pressed to tell that Jamie was wearing any  cosmetics.  
Ken certainly didn't fail to notice.  "Looks like you've  got some hidden 
talents you never told me about."

"What?  Oh, this?  Jenny Lindstrom helped me with the clown paint."

"Oh, she did?  That was nice of her."

"Well, I did help her get back into her dress."  Jamie sipped her ice  water 
innocently as Ken's eyes bugged.  At least she would have one  fond 
memory of this night.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The prom itself wasn't so bad; it could have been worse.  Lots of  eyes 
turned to Jamie and Ken, although most were people wondering if  Ken had 
been working out.  A few tried to make passes at Jamie, but  she wouldn't 
leave Ken's side.  After about an hour and a half, they  ran into Jenny and her 
boyfriend Roger.

"Ken, Jamie, hi!  Wow, Ken, have you been working out?"

"A little."  Ken had been sort of sheepish about it all night.

"I mean since, like, yesterday.  I've never seen someone fill out so  well so 
fast..."

Jamie pointedly cleared her throat.  She wasn't feeling territorial,  really, but 
there were conventions to be upheld.

"Anyway, you look great; Roger'd be in real danger of going home  alone if 
not for Jamie."  Roger just smiled; Jenny had always been a  flirt, and he just 
made the best of it.  "Hey, here's a thought:  Is  Jamie - the other Jamie; the 
guy one - is he going to be here tonight?"

"I don't think so; why do you ask?"  Jamie probably would have said  
"maybe later", but Ken answered first.

"Becky Sullivan's boyfriend dumped her like last night because  evidently it's 
okay for HIM to notice how attractive other people  are, but not HER.  
Anyway, she said she tried to call Jamie last  night, but you know how his 
parents have an unlisted number."

"Really?"  Jenny just HAD to be pulling his chain---Jenny just HAD to  be 
messing with their minds.

"Really.  Evidently she thinks he's 'intriguing.'"

"Wow.  Imagine that, Ken.  That intelligent, funny, stunningly  attractive 
track star and first-chair violinist Becky Sullivan would  have gone to the 
prom with your friend Jamie, who for some stupid  reason or another 
couldn't be here tonight."

"Ummm..."

"Why don't you just call him up; there's still a couple hours left."

"Good point, Roger.  Come on, Kenny dear, you would know that poor  
fellow's unlisted phone number.  I mean, it's hardly fair that you  get to come 
and he doesn't, isn't it?"

With Jenny and Roger watching, Ken had no choice but to try and call  
Jamie.  He knew what the answer would be, though.  "He's not there;  his 
parents say he went to a movie."

"That's too bad; Becky was hoping to see him.  Oh well.  Anyway,  we're 
going to get back on the dance floor; see you guys later."

"Why did you do that?" Ken was sort of confused.  "You aren't planning  to 
leave with someone else, are you?"

"Even if I was, I'm hardly in any position to leave with Becky right  now, am 
I?"

"Well, I've heard rumors--"  Ken yipped in pain as Jamie  "accidentally" 
drove her heel into his toes.  "But that's all they  are, rumors.  Stupid, hateful 
rumors started by those jealous and  covetous of an absolutely wonderful 
girl.  Obviously, you were just  trying to make sure that when you arrive 
home in your regular body,  you would have a legitimate reason to call Becky 
up and try and get  together.  I don't know why I didn't see it before."

Jamie shook her head, wondering how these flashes of clear  understanding 
penetrated Ken's usual slow-wittedness.

They danced a little; Jamie wasn't very nimble on her feet with so  little 
practice.  Besides, she barely knew how to dance the guy's  part, much less 
the girl's.  The school had also hired a swing-rock  band, and dancing to 
them took a little more skill than either Ken or  Jamie could muster.  There 
were only three or four couples that were  really good, though.

Finally, it was over.  Stairway to Heaven had been played, the  punchbowl 
was empty, and Jamie had kicked her shoes off and sat on  the hood of Ken's 
car, massaging her aching feet.  She flipped open  the purse, and pulled out 
the coin.  Turning it over in her knuckles,  she was more inclined to be 
philosophical about the situation.

"It wasn't so bad, I guess.  It was kind of fun to know everybody in  the 
room but not have them recognize me.  But, I'm glad it's over."   She tossed 
the coin up in the air.  "I wish to be a guy again."

Jamie caught the coin and absolutely nothing happened.

"Oooo-kay.  Maybe since you made the wish you have to be the one to  
reverse it."  She tossed the coin to Ken.

"Ummmmm...  I've got a slight confession to make."

"A confession?"  There was a hint of danger in Jamie's otherwise  sweet 
voice.

"Uh, yeah.  Remember how you called the coin when it was in the air  that 
first time?"

"Ye-e-e-es, you got to keep both your heads while I became a piece of  tail.  
What's your point?"

"Well, I was still talking while you were, and..."

"And what did you say, exactly?"

"Um, exactly.  Exactly."  Ken tugged at his collar.  "Well, I think  the exact 
words were, and I may be wrong, 'I wish Jamie and I had  tickets to the 
prom and sexy dates who go with us and then...'"  He  cleared his throat and 
looked around.

"'And then...'"

"'...and then go all the way with us afterward.'"

Jamie nodded.  "Ah."  There was a pregnant pause that stretched into  
minutes, and then Jamie leaped from the hood onto Ken, not knocking  him 
over but making him stumble back a few steps.  She squeezed his  torso with 
her legs and ineffectually pummeled at him with her fists.   "What the hell is 
the matter with you?  Have you not humiliated me  enough tonight?  Did you 
have to make the leap from embarrassment to  living hell?  Why did you do 
this to me?"

Ken lifted Jamie off of him and set her down gently.  "Look, I was  just 
joking!  I didn't think any of it would actually come true, and  certainly not 
like this!  I'm really, really, sorry!"

The parking lot was empty by then, so there was no apparent commotion  
when Jamie let loose a primal scream of rage.  She tried her hardest  to kick 
the hell out of Ken's car, but she wasn't strong enough to  dent it. Finally, 
she walked up to the cement wall of the hotel and  pounded on it for a while.  
A small portion of her anger spent, she  walked back to where Ken was 
standing.

"Okay.  I have accepted that this was an accident and that you meant  no 
harm.  I have also accepted that this will easily go down as the  most 
miserable day of my life, and that I will likely no longer count  you among 
my friends as of tomorrow."

Jamie opened one of the car's back doors and climbed into the seat.   She 
pulled her panties and pantyhose partway down, and pulled at her  dress so 
that her butt didn't stick to the knaugahide seats.  "Here's  the deal.  You 
wear two condoms.  We get this over with as quickly as  possible.  You 
don't touch ANYTHING you don't have to and get  permission for 
everything else.  Understood?"

"Understood."

"Great.  Now that we're clear on the rules, get in here and rock my  world."

Ken climbed into the back seat, closing the door behind him.  Jamie  closed 
her eyes when he started to unzip his pants and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

"Ah, Ken...  What seems to be the delay here?"

"I...  Um, I can't seem to get it up."

"You WHAT!?"  Jamie bolted upright, bumped her head on the roof of  the 
car, and dropped back down to the seat.  "I'm sorry.  I thought I  heard you 
say that you couldn't get it up."

"Ah, yeah, that's what I said."

"Ken, that's not acceptable!  Now, I'm going to count to ten, and if  you're 
not standing at attention by the time I get there..."

"Look, Jamie, you're not being a whole lot of help here."

Jamie choked back a laugh.  "I'M not being a whole lot of help?  The  ball is 
in your court, buster."

"I know, I know, I know.  But the situation isn't exactly romantic,  and your 
attitude--"

"Okay.  Fine."  Jamie took a deep breath, muttering that she was  going to 
hate herself for this, sat up, and kissed Ken.  An open- mouthed kiss with 
plenty of tongue that seemed to last for ten  minutes.

"Nothing."

"NOTHING?  Good god, Ken, _I_ felt something from that!"

"Really?"

"NO!  It's just a figure of speech!"  Well, Jamie hadn't felt much,  but 
enough to scare the hell out of her.  Seven hours plus as a girl  and already 
she was getting used to it to the point where a man could  get her a little 
excited.  But she sure as hell wasn't going to let  Ken know that; she'd never 
live it down.

"I, I, I, I just don't think I can do it."  Ken was actually crying.

Jamie pulled her panties back up; this wasn't getting anywhere.   Maybe it 
was time to try a different approach.  She pulled the dress  off over her head, 
and moved closer to Ken.  Trying to make her voice  sound breathy and 
erotic, she put her mouth by his ear.  "Do you want  to touch them?"

Ken turned around and twitched in shock at seeing Jamie in only her  
underwear.  "What?"

Jamie folded her arms and leaned forward, pushing her breasts together  and 
out.  "You know you want to.  They feel sooooo gooooooood."

Ken slowly reached out and touched one of the orbs, quickly jerking  his 
hand back.  Jamie smiled nervously, hoping it looked like  pleasure.  "Don't 
be afraid."

Tentatively, Ken started to examine his friend's breasts, but still  didn't seem 
too sure about it, even as Jamie started to lay back in  the seat.  "You're sure 
about this?"

"Oh, yeah!"  Ken seemed to be getting into it, but there was no  telltale bulge 
in his boxers.  She reached behind her back to undo  the latch of her bra.  
"Awwww, is this little thing getting in the  way?"  Jamie removed the bra and 
felt an electric charge when a cool  breeze blew across her nipples.  The 
feeling only intensified when  Ken's thumb brushed a nipple.  Shaken by the 
intensity of the  sensation, she pushed him away.

"Huh?  You asked me to touch--"

Jamie took a deep breath, shuddering as she let it out.  "Yes, um,  yeah, I 
guess I did.  I'm sorry, I guess I just wasn't ready...  I  didn't know what to 
expect."  She swallowed, and then was only able  to manage a whisper.  "It 
doesn't feel like jerking off at all."

Ken began to stammer.  "L-l-l-look, I just said 'afterward'.  It  doesn't have 
to be right away..."

Jamie inhaled again, unable to ignore the way it caused her breasts  to move, 
and lied.  "No, I'm okay.  I want to get it over with."

Jamie slowly reached her left hand behind Ken's head, and pushed it  down 
between her breasts.  This was partially to try and get them  going again, but 
mostly so he couldn't see her wince as she reached  into his pants with her 
other hand.  Jamie was pretty sure she would  feel dirty for the rest of her 
life, but it appeared to be getting  the job done.  A lusty smile was forming on 
Ken's face as he licked  at Jamie's bare bosoms, and was that movement she 
felt in his  trousers...?

Of course, it was at that point that the police cruisers pulled into  the parking 
lot to respond to calls about a woman screaming as if  she'd been attacked.

No-one present would ever forget that moment:  The film crew from  "Cops" 
got it all on tape.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Ken looked up from his book.  He thought he'd heard a noise.  Evidently 
not.

There it was again.  It seemed to be coming from his window.  Oh!   There 
was Jamie, hanging from the drainage duct.  He waved to her.

Jamie banged her knees against the window as vigorously as she could  
without losing her grip on the gutter.  She had to be dreaming, with  this 
being some kind of sick metaphor for her life.  In fact, the  entire weekend 
was some kind of nightmare, and it would be ending  real soon.  Just in case, 
though, she kept banging on the window.

Finally, Ken let her in.  "Hey, where've you been?  You look like  hell."

Jamie lifted a hand in the universal "wait a minute" gesture.  She  dropped her 
backpack on the floor and flopped down onto Ken's bed,  sucking air into 
her lungs, causing her breasts to heave mightily.   "Where have I been?  
Well, first there was jail.  You remember jail?   Prostitutes are such 
WONDERFUL company; let me tell you, I am SO  never paying for sex 
when I get my own body back.  My skin is still  crawling."

"What, you mean your parents didn't come and bail you out?"

"Of course they didn't.  First, calling my parents would have  contradicted 
the girl-you-met-on-the-internet story.  You did pick up  on the girl-you-met-
on-the-internet story, right?  I mean, I did drop  enough hints about us 
meeting on the internet while we were in the  cruiser."

"Yeah, I got it.  I'm not stupid, you know."

Jamie wasn't quite so sure about that, but she let it drop.  "Second,  what 
would my parents' reaction be when the police told them that  their daughter 
was in jail?  Confused probably doesn't begin to cover  it.  And, of course, 
my fictional parents from Duluth were 'out of  town', which is why I spent 
the night in jail.  With, I might repeat,  the prostitutes.  I don't think the 
police really believed the story,  because they gave me a very informative 
pamphlet about a shelter for  runaways when they released me in the 
morning; evidently the night's  incidents are being chalked up to 'high 
spirits', and we aren't being  charged with disturbing the peace or lewd and 
lascivious conduct."

"And it's a good thing you were able to convince them you were  seventeen; a 
stat rape charge would have looked really bad on my  college applications.  
How'd you do that, by the way?"

"I didn't need to convince them I was seventeen; it's hard to bring a  charge 
when the victim is still a virgin.  And I am still a virgin,  remember?

"So, I made my way here.  I had to walk, of course.  When I knocked  on the 
door, your mother started crying and your father chased me off,  saying I 
was 'a bad influence' and giving me bus fare to get back to  Minnesota, 
swearing he'd kill me if he ever saw me again."

"Oh, so that's what the noise yesterday morning was."

Jamie sat up.  "Have you always been this oblivious?  Don't answer  that.  
Anyway, I walked over to my house and waited for my mom and  dad to 
leave for their weekly couples candlepin bowling league game  and let myself 
in.  Evidently they thought I was just out late and  sleeping in, because they 
didn't look panicked or anything.  So I  left a note on the table saying that I 
was on a weekend bike trip  and went upstairs to get some supplies..."

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Jamie was glad to have received the pup tent for Christmas the year  before.  
Since it looked like getting to Ken was going to be  trickier than she thought, 
it would at least give her some shelter.

She opened her bureau to retrieve a change of clothes.  She felt much  too 
feminine wearing her prom dress, and it was beginning to smell.   For that 
matter, so was she.  Might as well make use of the shower  while she was 
there.  Jamie ditched her shoes and padded to the  bathroom.

Getting undressed seemed to be more trouble than necessary.  There  were 
things that needed to be untied, unhooked, unbuttoned and  finally just peeled 
off.  She had just started to pull her panties  off when she caught a look at 
herself in the mirror, and paused.

She was gorgeous.  Even with her hair a mess along with the grime of  a 
night in jail and a day spent walking across town in clothes not  designed for 
travel sticking to her, Jamie couldn't help but be  impressed by the perfection 
of her form:  Slender, perfectly  proportioned limbs, a waist that was not so 
narrow as to make her  look bony but narrow enough to slightly exaggerate 
the size of her  already generous breasts and behind (both of which were firm 
yet  soft to the touch) and a pretty, dimpled, innocent face were  sculpted 
from perfectly smooth skin whose light, even tan was only  broken up 
slightly darker aureoles.  In that stunned instant, Jamie  saw the perfect image 
of a girl next door who, while no-one was  looking, had developed a fantastic 
rack.  She was sweet and virginal  and had a look of pleasantly surprised 
innocence which said that the  first characteristic would remain even after the 
boy next door had  dispensed with the second.

Staring at her seminude form in the mirror, Jamie couldn't help but  feel 
somewhat proud of what she saw.  It wasn't the pride that comes  from 
accomplishing a goal after a period of hard work; rather, it  was the pride of a 
collector in possession of something valuable and  rare, even if they had only 
acquired it by accident.  Jamie knew the  feeling, even if she didn't have the 
experience to differentiate it  from real, hard-earned pride.  It was the same 
feeling Jamie had  felt when he had received an early issue of Fantastic Four 
as a  birthday present from an uncle.  It hadn't mattered that Lee and  Kirby 
were the ones with the right to feel proud of the magazine; it  was his, and 
that was all that mattered.

Right now, though, this exquisite body was not quite in mint  condition, and 
needed some tending to.  Jamie shucked her panties  and climbed into the 
shower.

The house Jamie's family lived in had its quirks, and one of them  was the 
shower.  It was functional enough, but didn't quite drain as  fast as it 
sprayed, and by the time Jamie had put what was probably  an excessive 
amount of shampoo into her long hair, the water was  about three-quarters of 
an inch deep, just enough to cover her toes.   The pipes also made enough 
noise that Jamie was barely able to hear  his parents' car return to the 
driveway.

Panicking, Jamie turned off the water, but that wasn't enough -- the  drain 
made a gurgling sound as it did its job, and for some reason,  the stopper was 
sitting on the sink across the room.  She tried  using her hands to plug the 
drain, but her fingers were too slender  and didn't do the job.  Unable to 
think of anything else, Jamie sat  on the drainhole.  There was a slight 
sensation akin to that  produced by holding an activated vacuum cleaner to 
one's skin, but  the noise stopped.

Jamie hoped she would never have to explain the hickey that was  being 
produced.

Her solution came just in time, as she heard the door to the house  open.  It 
was tough to hear any detailed conversation, but Jamie  could pick up the gist 
that her dad had forgotten his wallet and  both could have sworn that they 
locked the door behind them.

Jamie let out a sigh of relief, feeling she'd dodged a bullet.  Then  the 
footsteps started heading for the bathroom, and Jamie realized  that she hadn't 
counted on her mother's amazingly small bladder.   But that was okay; her 
mother wouldn't see her unless she opened the  shower curtain.

Or spotted the clothes on the floor.

With only seconds to work with, Jamie peeled back the shower curtain  and 
lunged for the dress, panties, pantyhose and brassiere.  She  couldn't lunge 
too hard, lest the noise give her presence away, but  still managed to grab 
everything.  Having no place else to put the  clothes, Jamie just dropped them 
on the floor of the bathtub between  her legs, closed the shower curtain, and 
prayed.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

"Wow.  And your mom didn't catch you?"

"No, that's the first thing that's gone close to right this weekend  -- she did 
her business, didn't look in that direction, and left.   The dress was ruined, 
though, and the underwear took forever to get  dry."

"Couldn't you have just borrowed some of your mom's?"

Jamie mumbled something under her breath.

"What did you say?"

Jamie was bright red.  "It was too small."

Ken laughed for about two seconds before realizing that that it  really pissed 
Jamie off.  "Sorry, dude, but it's just kind of funny,  you suddenly having 
bigger boobs than your mom, you know."

"For what it's worth, my mother is a very petite woman."

"Oh, no doubt, but still, two days ago, you didn't have any hooters  at--"  
From the look on Jamie's face, that was still evidently a  sore spot.  "So, 
why'd you stop by?"

"Well, you know, I was in the neighborhood.  I thought I'd do a spot  of 
climbing... stop by and see how you were doing...  GET MY LIFE  
BACK..."

"Hey, would you keep it down?  My parents might hear us!"

"Look at me, Ken.  Do you think I consider that a real concern?   Ken?  
KEN!"

Ken felt that the last bit of shouting was unnecessary; he'd only  done what 
Jamie asked and looked at her.  Looked at the long, tanned  legs left bare by 
well-filled shorts...  Shorts that were filled  almost as well as Jamie's T-shirt, 
which hung down from her breasts  like a tablecloth, tantalizingly exposing 
her midriff...  The nipples  which made an impression on the shirt even 
through the bra, since  Jamie had just been sweating...

"KEN!!!"

"Right, right!  Sorry, I, um, got distracted."

"You're a pig, Ken.  But let's put that to use."  Jamie started to  free up the 
T-shirt, which was at least tucked into the back of her  shorts, when Ken 
grabbed her arms, stopping her.

"Look, I'll help you out, but remember, my parents are home.  If  they hear 
something...  Well, I don't know what will happen."

Jamie thought for a second.  "One of two things.  Either I don't  change back 
in time, and your dad kills me, or I do change back and  your parents connect 
the noise with not hearing me come in..."  She  screwed her face up in 
disgust.  "Okay, we'll be discreet.  We'll  meet up at the bike trail in after 
your parents go to bed."

"Okay.  Sounds like a plan."

Jamie re-opened the window, and was halfway out before she turned  back to 
Ken and smiled for the first time in days.  "It's almost  over.  Thank god."  
And fell out of the window.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey."

"Hi."

Ken wasn't sure how to proceed.  "Um, those are nice shoes."

Jamie looked down at her feet; it was easier than meeting her  friend's eyes.  
"Yeah, I bought 'em at the mall with some of the  money your father gave me 
to get out of town.  None of mine would  fit any more and I couldn't stand 
another minute in those heels..."

"Yeah, I can see how that might be a problem."

A pause.

Ken was the one to break the silence.  "So, we're out here in the  middle of 
nowhere and both looking pretty good.  No-one to hear us.   We know what 
we've got to do."

"Right."

Ken and Jamie unbuckled their belts in unison, and had gotten their  zippers 
halfway down when Ken threw his hands up and started backing  up in a 
hurry.

"I can't!  Look, don't take this the wrong way -- I want to get you  back to 
normal, but--"

"But what?  You're afraid you might go back to normal too?"

"No!"

"Come on!  I saw the way everyone was looking at you Friday night;  you 
were enjoying it!"

"No!  I mean, yeah, I was enjoying it, but that's not it!  Look,  it's kind of 
embarrassing, but...  See, I look at you, and I start  to get a raging hard-on, 
'cause you're just incredibly hot, but then  I realize that I'm looking at YOU, 
and, well, I just can't pull the  trigger!"

"Don't give me any crap about not being able to pull the trigger; at  least 
you've still got a gun!"  Jamie got right in Ken's face to  yell at him.  "You 
think you've got the franchise on weird?  It  doesn't get stranger than this, 
but I can do what I have to!"  Jamie  grabbed Ken's forearm and roughly 
shoved his hand into her panties.

Almost immediately she staggered back and fell to her knees.  She  bent 
forward and only had to vomit a little before straightening  back up, though 
she remained sitting.

"Oh, yeah, you're in control."

"Shut up.  I've got to think."

Thinking didn't do much good.  Five minutes later, Jamie was  pounding the 
ground.  "Damn it!  I can't go to school like this  tomorrow and my parents 
must be calling the police by now, I can't  change back unless we have sex, 
but the very thought make me sick  and I make you impotent, anyway!  I am 
so fucked!"

"Actually, isn't the problem that you're not--"

"Shut up."

Another five minutes passed, and then Ken had an idea.  "I've got  it!  The 
coin can't change you back until we've had sex, but what if  we went back to 
the shop and got something else?"

"Tried it when I bought the shoes.  The old guy wouldn't sell  anything; he 
said that different magic can interact like different  drugs, only it can affect the 
entire general area, with general area  potentially measured in states.  I don't 
think he wants to be liable."

"Hey, he doesn't have to know."

"Ken.  Buddy.  Look at me.  Do you want to be caught stealing from  him?"

"You make a good point.  Okay, we can't use magic.  Is there some  kind of 
scientific solution?"

"No, I was in the library until closing last night researching it.   Surgery and 
a lot of medication might be able to make me look like  I'm back to normal, 
eventually, but it's expensive, would take  forever, and is really only an 
imitation anyway."

"Whoa.  So we can't use either."

A smile leapt onto Jamie's face; she snapped her fingers and let out  a whoop.  
"I think this qualifies as a eureka!"  Ken looked confused,  so Jamie 
continued.  "Look, we can't use science or magic, so what  if we use 
something that's neither?"

"Like what?"

"Remember when I did that research paper on meditation and hypnosis  last 
year?  Science doesn't give altered states a whole lot of  credence, but there's 
nothing supernatural about them!"

"Right!  You made Roger Trent cluck like a chicken during your  
presentation!"

"Yeah, and I used autohypnosis to conquer my fear of heights!  Hell,  I was 
the guy hanging the lights for drama this year!"

"Do you think it'll work for this?"

"It's worth a shot.  I'll go first."  Jamie dug into her purse (much  as it pained 
her to admit it, the thing was kind of convenient) and  pulled out a few 
dollars.  "Look, this may take a while.  Why don't  you go down to the 7-11 
by the tracks and get us some snacks or  something?  I didn't have much for 
supper."

"Uh, sure.  You can do this yourself?"

Jamie nodded.  "It's actually easier without any distractions."

Ken shrugged, pocketed the money and walked over to his bike.  When  he 
looked back, Jamie was already sitting cross-legged, staring  blankly into 
space and whispering to herself.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Ken had returned and had been watching Jamie for almost an hour when  her 
reverie broke.  She looked around as if confused and shook her  head as if to 
clear some cobwebs out.

"So...  Are you okay?"

Jamie grinned wolfishly.  "I don't know.  Let's check."  Without  warning 
she pounced on Ken, surprising him enough to knock him on  his back.  She 
straddled her friend and gave him a passionate kiss,  ending it slowly, not 
releasing Ken's lower lip from her gentle bite  until the last second.  "What 
do you think?"

"W-w-w-well, you did do that before."

"True.  But how about this?"  She took Ken's beefy hand and pushed  it 
down the neck of her T-shirt.  "I left the bra off because it  would just get in 
the way."  She delicately maneuvered Ken's limp  fingers so that his hand 
was cupping her breast and shivered.   "You've got no idea how good that 
feels."

Ken jerked his hand out and pushed himself back, knocking Jamie onto  her 
behind.  "My god...  You've turned into some sort of sex-starved  
nimbus...number...what's the word?"

"Nymphomaniac?"  Jamie smiled, and backed off.  "No, I don't crave  sex 
any more than I did when I was a guy and I won't sleep with just  anyone.  I 
just shed some of my shame and convinced myself that sex  was a natural 
thing.  I mean, come on!"  She spread her arms, which  lifted her shirt to 
expose her midriff.  "That's what this body was  made for!"

Ken looked more terrified than ever.  "So what's the deal?  You  don't want 
to change back?"

"Of course I still want to change back!  I mean, it's nice to visit,  but I 
wouldn't want to live here.  Besides, what would I tell my  folks?  It's just a 
matter of enjoying the trip back, is all.  But  come one, we've got to get 
started on you."

If Jamie's explanation had relieved some of Ken's tension, her last  sentence 
brought it back.  "What do I have to do?"

"First, you've got to relax.  Here, sit up, spread your legs out  straight so that 
the blood can flow and drop your arms to your side.   Is that comfortable?"  
Getting a response in the affirmative, Jamie  continued her instructions.  
"Now, it's a clear night, so I want you  to look up at the stars.  Can you find 
the North Star?"

"Yeah, it's right there--"

"Don't point, just leave your arms by your side.  Now, I want you to  quietly 
count the stars, starting with the North Star and proceeding  outward in an 
ever-widening circle.  Don't worry if you lose count  or miss any; there's 
enough stars that it's okay if you're off by a  few.  You can start now.  With 
each star you count, you will become  more passive.  The world around you 
will become less important; all  that will matter is the stars above and the 
sound of my voice."

Ken felt like a fool, but he started counting.  By the time he  reached the 
sixties, his voice had become a steady monotone which  would just trail off, 
rather than coming to a full stop.  Jamie  softly walked toward him and began 
to speak.  "Ken, when you reach  seventy-five stars you will stop counting 
and concentrate on my  voice until I tell you that you may continue counting 
again.  Do you  understand?"

"Seventy-four...  Seventy-five...  Seventy-five.  Yes, I understand."

"Good.  You are starting to think that it's silly to be unable to  make love to 
me.  After all, I am a very attractive girl who wants  to make love to you."

"N-no.  Not a girl.  A guy.  You're my friend, not my girlfriend."

Jamie frowned, her first try not meeting with success.  Neither did  her 
second, or third, or twelfth.  No matter how Jamie tried to  convince Ken that 
having sex with her was okay, he still couldn't  get around that block.  It was 
getting late, or early, and Jamie was  almost ready to give up when he 
thought of a different approach.

"Ken, open your eyes.  Can you see me?"

"Yes."

"Look at me and remember how your friend Jamie looked a week ago.   
Picture us side by side."

"But you are Jamie..."

Jamie clucked maternally.  "How can that be.  Look at my hair.  What  color 
is my hair?"

"It's sort of a light blond..."

"And is it long or is it short?"

"It's long..."

"Very good.  And what about Jamie's hair?"

"It's brown, and cut short..."

"Very good..."  Jamie went on like that, comparing every aspect of  her 
current physical appearance to what it had been like a week ago.   Then she 
compared voices, with Ken agreeing they were different.

"And finally, Ken, before three days ago, did Jamie ever say he  wanted to 
make love to you?"

"No...  Jamie is a straight guy, and wouldn't want to make love to  me."

"But I do, Ken.  I do because I am a girl and think you're the  sexiest man 
I've ever met."  That much was true; the coin had  improved Ken's natural 
good looks to the point where few others were  in the same category.  
"Would Jamie say that to you?"

"Only if he were joking..."

"Of course not.  So I cannot be Jamie, can I?"

"You're not Jamie..."

"Very good."  Jamie suspected she was in way over her head, but it  seemed 
to be working.  "I'm not Jamie.  You haven't seen Jamie since  Friday.  You 
and he went your separate ways when you and I met.  My  name is Jessica 
Freeman.  I have to go home soon, but before I do,  you and I are going to 
make love so that we never forget each other.   Now what is my name?"

"Jessica..."

"When did we meet?"

"Friday..."

Jamie thought she heard a noise in the bushes, but it must have been  a 
squirrel or something.  It didn't break her concentration, and was  somewhat 
hidden by the sound of an approaching train.  "Very good.   In a few 
moments, I am going to kiss you, and you will come out of  your trance 
remembering only what I have told you.  You will remember  only that until a 
gold coin is placed in your hand and someone says  to you, 'let's make a 
wish.'  Do you understand me, Ken?"

"Yes..."

Jamie crossed her fingers, leaned down and kissed Ken on the lips.

Ken shook his head, confused, until he saw Jessica's face before  him.  He 
stood, wrapping his arms around her body and kissed her  passionately.  "Do 
you really have to go?"

"Yes, my time is short."  Jamie couldn't believe he had actually said  "my 
time is short."  But his first drafts were less than inspired in  English class, 
too.  "I can't stay long, so we shouldn't waste any  time."

Looking down at Jessica's body -- she was still incredibly sexy  despite the 
ill-fitting clothes she was wearing -- Ken had to agree.   He was unbuckling 
his belt when a shape in the shadows moved.

Without making a sound, the man grabbed Jamie's purse and made a  swipe 
at Ken's handlebars.  Before Ken or Jamie could react, he had  gotten the 
bike upright and headed into the bike path.

Jamie shrieked.  The coin was in her purse, and without the coin,  sex with 
Ken would just be a good time.  She shoved the shocked Ken  aside and 
jumped on her own bike, letting out a long stream of  obscenities fly as she 
pursued the thief.

She made up some distance quickly; the thief wasn't a good fit for  Ken's 
bike and didn't know the trail nearly as well as Jamie.   Still, the man's 
longer legs gave him something of an edge.

Ken followed, running as fast as he could, but was slowly falling  behind.

Jamie just caught up with the other man as their bikes burst out of  the bike 
trail and onto the empty road.  She actually jumped off her  bike, knocking 
the man off of Ken's cycle, and bringing them both to  the ground.  The thief 
recovered first, and started to run.  Jamie  stayed on her heels for a quarter of 
a mile.  She set her jaw, half- smiling because she knew what the other guy 
was running toward.

Despite the obvious noise, the thief was shocked when he came upon  the 
freight train crossing the street.  He wasn't a professional  snatch-and-run 
man by any means, but looking at Jamie approach with  murder in her eyes, 
he could see the value of cutting his losses.   He angled away from the girl, 
throwing the handbag in the air and  running -- straight into Ken's fist.

Jamie didn't see that, though -- her eyes widened in terror when she  saw her 
purse land inside an empty container car with an open door.   Adrenaline 
pumping, Jamie could think of only one thing -- she had  to get that purse 
back.  She ran toward the train and then ran along  with it, grabbing one of 
the ladders mounted to a car's side as she  went by.

Lifted off the ground, she looked over her shoulder and saw a very  confused 
Ken falling back into the distance, and wondered if jumping  onto a moving 
train was really a good idea.  But now that she was on,  she certainly wasn't 
jumping off.  Like something out of a movie,  she clutched the side of the 
train and sidestepped until she reached  the car her purse had landed in.  She 
grabbed the purse and checked  inside.  There was probably just enough 
money in there to get a  ticket back home from the next stop -- Ken wasn't 
going anywhere.   Most importantly, the coin was still there.  She kissed it 
and  slipped it into her pocket.

It was already three in the morning, she hadn't slept more than an  hour at a 
time since Friday, and the endorphins from the chase were  rapidly leaving 
her bloodstream.  Curled up in a corner, she fell  asleep and slept straight 
through the next stop.

And the one after that.

--------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Seven years, three months, and twelve days later.
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------

The life of a major league baseball player definitely had its perks.

Ken knew he wasn't a real major leaguer; just a September call-up.   Still, he 
wore the uniform, the salary bump to the league minimum was  considerable, 
the hotels were better, and flying into town sure beat  taking the bus.  And if 
he did well, he might make the team out of  spring training next year.

It had taken hard work to get to this level, even after going  through the 
mother of all growth spurts in high school.  He'd been  drafted in the forty-
sixth round out of high school, but signed  anyway.  A lot of his friends 
washed out during rookie ball; others  went back to college rather than 
become a career minor leaguer.  But  he had pressed on, and after five and a 
half years in the minors, had  finally made the show.  That man in the mirror 
was a major league  outfielder, who'd just made his major league debut in 
Yankee Stadium.

He walked out of the bedroom and looked at the redhead just now  stirring in 
his bed.  Yes, even the women who threw themselves at  you in the bars after 
the game were better in the big leagues.

She smiled and motioned for him to come back over.  What the hell;  he could 
shower again.  Ken sauntered over toward the bed, dropping  his robe and 
starting to undo his towel.  The girl wagged her finger  no, not yet, and 
reached into her handbag for another condom.

Only it wasn't a condom she pulled out, but a gold coin, which she  placed in 
his hand.  Ken smiled.  "After last night, I should be  paying you."

She smiled back.  "Let's make a wish."

Ken staggered as the full memories of three important days of his  junior year 
came rushing back.  "J-Jessica?  You're the same  Jessica?  And Jamie too?"  
He sat on the bed, stunned.  "Oh, wow."

"Kind of a rush, isn't it?"

"Yeah.  Whoa.  What happened to you, anyway?  The last thing I  remember, 
you jumped on a train after your purse got snatched.  I  guess the coin must 
have been in there, but why didn't you come  back?"

"I didn't wake up until someone found me when the train hit the  docks here 
in New York. All the money had been taken out of the  purse.  I couldn't 
even afford to make a phone call, and even when  the harbormaster offered, 
who could I call?  My parents?  Wouldn't  recognize me.  You?  What could 
you do?  I got about ten miles  hitchhiking before someone tried to attack me, 
so I didn't try that  again.  No, I stayed a few nights at a runaway shelter, got 
a job  that paid me dirt under the table, crashed with a co-worker until I  could 
afford to pay rent and get a better job."

"So what are you doing now?  You must be a model!"

"Ha!  I figured I'd try it, and went to a few auditions.  I had the  look, all 
right, but at first there was just nothing feminine about  me aside from my 
body.  I didn't have 'it.'  Even after I started  acclimating, though, I just 
couldn't do it.  Trying to pose and  smile on cue and just all around being 
treated like a prop drove me  nuts.  No, I wound up being a waitress at the 
Ground Round.  If I'm  lucky, I might get promoted to assistant manager 
next month."

"Wow, that sucks.  You're so smart; why didn't you go to college?"

"Ever try to apply to college with a G.E.D. and a waitress's salary?   You 
don't get very far."

She grabbed the coin out of Ken's hand.  "Now, all that's going to  
change..."

Ken started to fidget.  "Um, Jamie?"

"I'll be able to get my own life back..."

"Are you sure about this?  It's just that..."

"Don't worry!  I know I was mad at you at first, but it's not your  fault; it 
was an accident.  I'll be very specific, so that I don't  screw up your life."

"Well, that's awful nice of you, and I'm glad you feel that way,  really, I am.  
It's just I noticed last night that you're not a  virgin.  Of course, I'm not 
either..."

Jamie froze, and smiled a little too much.  Ken had seen that smile  once 
before, and remembered that Jamie hadn't smiled for long.

"No, I've had a few boyfriends.  Nothing serious, and not always  physical.  
But why, Kenny dear, is that important?"

"Well, it's just my wish -- my exact wish, that is -- and I didn't  mention it 
before because it wasn't really important at the time,  since neither of us had 
had sex before -- was that we'd have tickets  to the prom and sexy dates who 
would go all the way after for the  first time.

"You're mad, aren't you?"  

(the end)