Tails

by Lhynn Cooper
Chapter 20

.......... Back at Linda's house, we unloaded the van, and while Sam helped Linda start getting dinner ready, I told them I had to use the bathroom. I found the package of panties in one of the bags, and went to make sure nothing showed on my dress.

.......... Looking over my shoulder at the back of my dress in the mirror, I was relieved to find no evidence of moisture on my skirt, so I sat and used the toilet, taking extra care to dry myself down there after I finished urinating. I tore open the pack of panties and took one pair out. I stepped into them and pulled the white cotton fabric up my legs and over my butt. The panties did fit, more snugly than I was used to with underwear, but I was sure Sam must know her own size. I held my skirt up, looking at the way the panties fit so smoothly over my crotch and then at my white, fabric covered backside. I ran my hand over my tummy and, and shaking my head, touched my empty groin. I let my skirt fall and smoothed it out, Back in the kitchen, I joined Sam sitting at the table while Linda was making a pot of coffee. Apparently, everything was just about ready and we were just waiting for Bob to get home.

.......... Linda asked if we wanted coffee. Sam said yes, and so did I, which was unusual because I wasn't much of a coffee drinker. Samantha noticed this and commented on my unusual request.

.......... "You never drink coffee, Terri, why the change?" Sam asked.

.......... "I'm not sure." I replied. "It just smells good for some reason."

.......... Linda started pouring the coffee, then stopped and looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'll bet I know what it is." She said. "Kathy made you into a duplicate Sam, and Sam likes coffee, so now, having Sam's body, you like coffee."

.......... "Hmmm, maybe your right." I said. I took a sip from the cup that Linda had filled for me, and said, "This stuff does taste a lot better than it used to. God, I wonder what else I'll start liking now, that I didn't before?"

.......... "Well," Said Samantha, smiling at me. "That'll make buying you a birthday present a lot easier, I'll just pick out something I like, and you'll probably like it too."

.......... "That's right." Linda commented. "And, if you buy Terri something to wear, not only will you know she'll like it, but you'll be sure it fits."

.......... "Don't get carried away, you two." I grumbled. "My birthday's a long way off and I'm hoping that Kathy gets her daughter up to speed on proper spell casting before then."

.......... "But, my birthday isn't too far off." Said Sam. "And, Terri, remember we're twins now, and if I recall my biology correctly, twins usually have the same birthday." Sam and Linda found this quite humorous for some reason.

.......... I was about to make some reply when we heard the front door open and could hear Bob calling out to Linda that he was home.

.......... "We're in the kitchen." Replied Linda, loud enough for him to hear. "Wait till Bob sees you two." She loudly whispered to Sam and I. "Be prepared to help me pick his jaw up off the floor."

.......... Bob came into kitchen, still carrying his briefcase. "Hi, honey." He greeted Linda, then he looked at me and said, "Hi, Sam.......," And turning to Sam, he stopped in mid sentence with his mouth open and did a double take back to me, and then stood there with his head swiveling back and forth between us, stuttering, "Sam........., uh, I mean, Sam?? Uh......, uh......, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE????"

.......... By this time, even I had joined Sam and Linda in laughter. The look on Bob's face was beyond description.

.......... Linda got up and pushed Bob into her chair. "Sit down, Bob." She said, bending over to kiss him on the cheek. "You've got to be sitting down for this story."

.......... She proceeded to explain the events of the afternoon to a confused looking Bob.

.......... "So this is Sam?" He asked, looking at me after Linda had finished. "And this is now Terry?" He pointed at Sam.

.......... "Maybe this'll help." I said. I stood up and pushed my chair back from the table. I sat back down, pulling the skirt of my dress up above my knees to give Bob a good view, slipped off my shoes, and looking down at my legs, imagined my mermaid tail in their place. I felt a sudden pain in my crotch as I heard a ripping sound and my mermaid body returned. "Oh shit!" I exclaimed. "I forgot I was wearing underwear. Damn, that hurt!"

.......... I sat there swinging my tail back and forth above the kitchen floor. Bob's face looked like he was about to pass out.

.......... "I think I need a drink." He said.

.......... "No you don't." Said Linda. "At least not on an empty stomach. And besides, dinners almost ready."

.......... "Terri," Said Bob, looking at my tail and shaking his head. "You sure are having an interesting life lately, and what was that comment about underwear?"

.......... I was too embarrassed to answer that, so I changed back to human form and let my skirt fall as I got up. I felt pretty sore between my legs. Bob looked at me with a somewhat disappointed expression and said, "You didn't have to do that on my account, you could have stayed the other way. I don't mind, really."

.......... "Believe me, Bob, it's much easier to get around this way." I said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to visit the little girl's room." I bent over, picked up the shoes and headed out the kitchen door.

.......... In the bathroom, I lifted up my skirt and removed the ripped panties. After rubbing some of the soreness away down there, and changing underwear, I returned to the kitchen where they were all sitting around the table waiting for me. Bob's eyes never left me as I came to the table and sat. During dinner, he kept asking how I felt, now that I was, as he put it, a 'Real Woman'. I could tell he was so curious that he couldn't help himself, but I just didn't know what to say. So far, aside from being able to walk, being Sam's twin sister didn't feel a whole lot different than being 'Mermaid Barbie'. To be sure, below the waist some of the physical sensations were different, but I was still female, and now, especially with Sam and Linda sitting here, I just didn't feel comfortable telling Bob what my female private parts felt like.

.......... After dinner, Bob and I sat at the table while Linda and Sam cleared the dishes. I again realized how our relationship had changed. Bob tried to act as if I were still the same old me, but I could tell from the way he kept glancing at my changed body and my dress, and the little hint of nervousness in his voice, that he too, realized that for at least as long as I remained female, things were not going to be the same between us. I didn't say it, but I was thinking that even when I regained my male body, I was certain I would never completely be the same person I had been before.

.......... Neither Linda nor Bob seemed to want us to leave, but Sam wanted to get home and, actually, so did I. I wanted to talk to Sam in privacy. We gathered up our things and Bob helped fold and load my wheelchair into our car. It wasn't all that heavy, I could have done it myself, but Bob insisted on helping and it seemed easier to let him help. Sam and Linda were still talking in the house and I was out with Bob while he put the chair into the car trunk. He looked to make sure we were alone in the driveway, and I could tell from his nervous actions, that something was on his mind. I asked him what it was.

.......... "I haven't seen all that much of you since the, uh, accident." He gestured towards my skirt and he was obviously referring to the spell that had changed me into Mermaid Barbie. "I was kind of hoping that we could get together and talk, just like old times, but, I suppose that won't happen now, at least for a while?"

.......... "Oh hell, Bob." I said. "We can talk any time you want. You want us to stay for a while? You and I can talk now, if you want?"

.......... "No, not now." He replied. "I'd prefer that Sam and Linda weren't around, I really need to talk to you about something and I want it to be just the two of us."

.......... "Oh, man to man talk, huh?" I was kidding him, but I was curious about what was bothering him. I smiled and asked him, "You're still pretty curious about what it feels like, aren't you?"

.......... He looked me up and down and I could see his eyes pause at my chest. He turned a little red in the face when he saw that I had noticed his actions and replied, "Well....., yeah, sure. Wouldn't you be?"

.......... He was right about that. If our positions had been reversed, I know that I would have curious as hell. We had been friends a long time, and I figured I owed him at least some attempt at explaining how I now felt, even if I wasn't quite sure about it myself. Besides, I missed the camaraderie and easy conversation we used to have. Even when he and Linda had moved away, Bob and I had talked often on the phone, and I had looked forward to the few visits we had made out here. Since college, we had always been able to talk about almost anything, even things that I might have been reluctant to discuss with Samantha. He paused and looked down. "There's more to it than that, though." Another pause. "There's some things I'd really like to ask you about. Just you and me, that is, if it won't make you feel uncomfortable or anything."

.......... "I'll tell you anything you want to know, Bob." I could see his face brighten up. "Tell you what, I'll drive Sam to work tomorrow so that I can have the car, then, we can have lunch somewhere." I found that I was actually looking forward to talking to him. "You name the place." I told him. "And, just to show you what a good buddy I am, I'll even let you pay for it. How about that?"

.......... Now it seemed more like old times. "Sounds good to me." He said, looking at least a little more relaxed. "I'll call you tomorrow morning and tell you what time and where, OK?" He made a motion like he was going to punch me in the shoulder, something that we had done to each other all the time we had been friends, but he stopped in mid-motion, suddenly realizing that, that kind of horseplay between us was over for the time being. "Uh..., sorry." He said. "I didn't mean to do that."

.......... "Don't worry about it, Bob, it's still me in here." I said, tapping the side of my head with a finger. "I'm still the same old guy inside, just slightly repackaged." Bob had his hand on the car trunk, and I don't know what possessed me to do it, but, I put my hand on his, instantly noticing how much smaller mine was, stood up on my toes and gave him a little peck of a kiss on the cheek.

.......... Immediately, both of us were embarrassed. Bob pulled his hand away and said, "Jeez, Terri, don't do that. what if Linda or Sam sees us?"

.......... "Just kidding!" I quickly said. "Don't get the wrong idea." I laughed a little, trying to ease his discomfort. I really should have been disgusted with myself for what I had just done, but, I wasn't. I was only a little embarrassed, and that's what worried me.

.......... Just then, we saw Sam and Linda coming out to the car. Bob quickly moved away from me and towards Linda, saying, "I'll call you tomorrow." Just loud enough for me to hear.

.......... Sam and I made our good-byes, got into the car and left.

.......... Sam was driving and for at least half the way home, neither of us said anything. I didn't know what she was thinking, but I was mentally kicking myself for what I had just done to Bob. I was trying to figure out why the hell I had done it. It was almost like I had been trying to flirt with him and I was worried about what he was thinking about me. He was probably thinking I was turning gay or something. That got me thinking about what would now be considered homosexual behavior for me. My body was female, but my mind was still male, or was it? Would it be homosexual for me to make love to Samantha now? She was my wife, or was she now my sister? That line of thought turned my mind towards what had happened at the grocery store, while I was looking at the magazines. It was all too confusing.

.......... I turned to look at Sam and said, "Here's another fine mess I've gotten you into."

.......... She looked back and smiled. "I've been wondering what your thinking about." She said. "And don't start blaming yourself for all this. Remember, it's really my fault, I broke that doll and yelled at the little girl."

.......... "I thought you'd be a lot more upset about all this." I said. "I'm still stuck as a female, for who knows how long."

.......... "But at least we know there's an end to it sometime." Sam replied. "We know now that you're going to get changed back sooner or later, so at least the sense of uncertainty is gone. That makes it a lot easier to deal with, at least for me. Doesn't it for you?"

.......... "Yeah, I guess it does." I said, sounding a bit more convinced than I really was.

.......... "And," Sam went on, "You can get around much easier now, and you can try and get a job. We still are going to need the money, Terri."

.......... "Okay." I said. "I'll get the newspaper tomorrow and start looking. I wonder how Kathy's making out with that spell to set me up with some identification papers?"

.......... "We'll find out later." Sam replied.

.......... When we arrived at our house, for the first time in almost two weeks, I was able to get out of the car in the driveway, and walk in through the front door. I was glad to have legs again, but never in my life would I have thought I'd be wearing a dress over them.

.......... I took Sam's car keys, and went out to unload the wheelchair from the car trunk. While bending over to pull it out, I again experienced the disadvantages of a full skirt on a windy day. By the time I managed to set the chair down and get my skirt under control, I must have put on quite a show for anybody watching. I was getting used to wearing the dress by then, and it felt pretty comfortable on this body, but I also now realized why women wore pants so much of the time, they would be a lot more practical for most activities.

.......... After I put the car in the garage, (being able to drive again was a pleasure, even though this duplicate body I was in found it more comfortable to sit closer to the steering wheel than I was used to), I went back in the house and found Sam in the bathroom taking off her makeup. She had undressed and was standing at the vanity in her bra and panties, washing. I pulled up my skirt, pulled down my panties and sat on toilet. As I was emptying my bladder, I told Samantha that I wanted the car the next day, that I would drive her to work.

.......... "OK, fine with me." She said. "Just don't forget to pick me up from work." She dried her face and then said, "Go look on the coffee table in the living room. It looks like Kathy's worked her spell already."

.......... I got up, wiped myself and pulled up my underwear. I walked to the living room, still adjusting my dress, and sure enough, on the coffee table was a pile of papers. There was my new drivers license, complete with my name now spelled 'Terri', and a picture of the new me on it. My last name was now Sam's maiden name, and it was a shock to realize that, to the rest of the world, her father was now also my father. I mentioned that to Sam when she came into the room and looked over my shoulder. "I wonder what daddy would say about this?" She said with a chuckle. "The son-in-law he doesn't like, is now his daughter."

.......... "Let's just pray he never finds out about this." I said. "I don't think either of us could stand that much of a change."

.......... Looking at the documents, I suddenly realized that the signature that was on many of them, the ones I was supposed to have signed, looked nothing like my handwriting. This handwriting was much smaller, neater and more feminine than mine. I pointed out that fact to Samantha, and she took a pen and a pad of paper from her briefcase, and suggested I try and see how close I could get to matching the signature on the drivers license. I wrote out my new name, trying to be careful and make sure I got the different spelling of my first name right, both of us were amazed to see that my handwriting matched that on the license. I wrote a few more words, and then a couple of sentences. The penmanship was that of a woman, small and neat letters in an unmistakably feminine form. It wasn't exactly Samantha's handwriting, but it was a heck of a lot closer to hers than it was to mine. Apparently, Kathy had thought of everything.

.......... Samantha was pleasantly surprised at Kathy's thoroughness and said so, but I was silent. To be honest, I was more than a little troubled at this latest alteration. Perhaps it shouldn't have bothered me so much, the loss of my old, familiar, sloppy scrawl, but it was one more fragment of my old life that was now gone. I tried not to let it show, but it sure seemed that the old me was slowly slipping away, part by part. We looked over all the documents and it was obvious that Kathy had done a pretty good job. I should now be able to get a job, at least as long as I didn't try to get one where they would dig into my past too deeply. Sam glanced at her watch and said, "You know, Terri, if you want the car, you're going to have to get up pretty early to drive me. And, if I understood Kathy correctly, if you want to spend most of tomorrow with legs, you'd better grow that mermaid tail back for the next twelve hours."

.......... She was right. Damn! This was going to make life tricky, having to keep track of the hours. Before I changed back however, I wanted to take a shower, and to do that, I needed legs.

.......... In the bedroom, I kicked off the shoes, then unbuttoned and stepped out of my dress. As I turned to go to the bathroom, I saw myself in the mirror. It was still so odd to look at my reflection and see Sam staring back at me. I rubbed my nipples through the fabric of the bra and felt the pleasant tingle as they stiffened. There was also an echo of that tingling down between my legs and I slid my hand down the front of my panties, and over my crotch, feeling only the slightest bulge in the smoothness of the fabric, caused by the small female mound and my pubic hair. I remember thinking that the skin on female bodies, or at least the two I had intimate experience with, sure seemed to be a lot more sensitive than that on my old male body. I was by then, at least a little bit, getting used to the sensations of walking with nothing hanging between my legs, and I found myself having to admit that I kind of liked it. I closed my eyes for a moment and shook my head, trying to convince myself that I shouldn't have thoughts like that, it was almost like being a traitor to the male sex.

.......... I took off the bra and panties, feeling the cool air on my hardened nipples and the slightly puckered skin around them. I rubbed below my breasts, where the tight band of the bra had left a mark on the skin. Scratching at my pubic hair, I walked into the bathroom and shut the door. In the shower, I adjusted the water temperature and enjoyed my first shower since our encounter with the little girl.