From: DanielSan59@aol.com
Date: Thu, 11 Nov 1999 11:58:58 EST
SRU Possibilities 

SRU - Possibilities 
by DanielSan59 
(With lots of help from Brandy DeWinter)


Part 1:  An Unexpected Encounter

    Dan turned the corner in the mall, muttering to himself. "That bookstore 
should be over here unless I read that map wrong."  Then he stopped dead in 
his tracks, a look of dumbfounded surprise on his face.  "Holy shit," he 
muttered under his breath.  It couldn't be real.  Inside that gleaming glass 
and steel monstrosity known as a "mall" there was a twenty foot wall of 
fieldstone sealed with mortar.  Glass display cases were indented into the 
edges of the wall and in the center of it was an arched ironbound wooden door 
with an enameled metal plaque above it.  The bold, black, Gothic lettering 
read simply, "SPELLS R' US."  

    It looked like the real thing.  He'd read the stories and knew the place 
changed locations and appearances, but he thought it was ONLY in the stories. 
 Was the place there for him, or was he just (un)lucky enough to stumble on 
it while it was there?  He knew he should just turn around and walk away, but 
he knew he wouldn't.  He had to find out for sure, and the possibilities 
inherent in the shop were just too good to pass up.  
    
    Dan reminded himself to watch his step as he entered the store, the sweet 
tinkling of a small bell heralding his arrival.  A sensation that was almost 
deja-vu swept over him as he scanned the racks of costumes and dust covered 
shelves of jewelry and odd items.  The shop was much larger than it appeared 
from the outside -- impossibly large.  Suddenly there was the snorting sound 
of a canine sneeze and Dan's attention was drawn to a huge wolf reclining on 
the floor near the counter girding the back wall.  That cinched it.  This was 
THE PLACE.  

    A man swept through a curtained doorway behind the counter and Dan 
couldn't help but stare.  Neatly combed white hair framed a tanned face that 
was seamed with wrinkles around piercing blue eyes.  His mouth was surrounded 
by a neatly trimmed beard and was upturned in one corner in a knowing smirk.  
He wore a simple dark blue bathrobe and sandals.  It looked very comfortable. 
 "Hello, Dan, I've been expecting you.  I was starting to wonder if you were 
going to come in or not."

    Dan's heart was in his throat as he bowed deeply.  Equal measures of 
respect and caution seemed the best alternative as he answered.  "I'm very 
pleased to meet you, Sir.  I'm sorry it took me a moment to make up my mind, 
but I was a little scared to come in.  I still am."

    The old man's eyebrows rose marginally.  Well, well, well, he mused, 
honesty and respect.  This one might actually be a little different.  "Heard 
about me, have you boy?  Well, don't believe everything you hear...just most 
of it."  His sparkling eyes and conspiratorial grin made Dan feel as if he 
was sharing some amusing secret.  "Well, what can we find for you today?  I 
just got these rings in today...guaranteed to improve your love life."

    "Uh, I don't think so ... I'm really not sure why I came in here ... 
Mainly curiosity, I guess.  I couldn't pass by without making sure I wasn't 
seeing things."  Dan forced out hesitantly.  He was pretty sure he couldn't 
trust the wizard - too many tricks in his treats.

    Damn, this fish is really eager to slip off the hook, the old man mused, 
having heard Dan's last thought.  This one's warier than most.  Maybe I can 
use him around the shop if he passes my little exam.  The last 'assistant' 
didn't last very long.  "Surely there is something in here that will interest 
you.  Everyone has dreams, my boy.  What are some of yours?"

    Dan was on the spot.  He didn't want to tell the wizard too much, but he 
really didn't want to offend him either.  Still, he had never sucked up to 
anyone, and he was not about to start now.  "I'm sure you know what they are, 
Sir.  I also know that they are completely unrealistic.  I also don't 
entirely trust you. I respect you, but I don't trust you."  

    That last little statement rocked the wizard back on his heels in 
surprise.  "Just like that you insult my integrity?  You know what I could do 
to you, and still you say you doubt me?" The old man's face reddened and 
sparks shot from fingertip to fingertip as he held out a clawed hand over his 
head.  There was a mighty scowl on his face and he tapped his foot 
impatiently waiting for an answer.
    
    Dan's breath caught in his throat.  He expected to be sucking down flies 
for a living at any moment.  He could almost taste them.  "Yes," was all that 
managed to squeak out of his constricted airway.  That simple statement in 
the face of overwhelming odds decided the matter for the wizard. 

      The old man howled with laughter and slapped the counter with a 
resounding thump.  The wolf startled up and started to lunge forward, but the 
wizard waved it back.  The wolf stared at the wizard for a moment, snorted 
once in disgust and flopped back down.  The wizard motioned to a couple of 
chairs and they slid obediently over to the counter.  

    "Have a seat, my boy."  The wizard said as he wiped tears of laughter 
from the corners of his eyes.  "Let's talk.  You're the first interesting 
person that has come in here in months.  You have courage boy, and I like 
that."

    Dan slowly slid into the proffered chair, wiping sweat from his forehead 
with the back of one hand.  His heart was pounding and he was breathing 
heavily.  "For a second there, I thought I was a frog!" he sighed in relief.

    The old man chuckled quietly.  "Don't do frogs.  They just sit there 
looking green.  Now a warthog, that would have had a little style.  Must make 
a note of that for the next time someone tries to audit me, or maybe for the 
next Amway salesman.  Now, tell me a little about yourself, Dan."

    Dan thought a second.  "Well, sir, there's really not that much to tell.  
I'm a student at the local college, I'm 23, and I live alone.  I have no 
family and very few friends.  It's not for lack of trying, but most people 
seem so shallow that I really don't have much in common with them.  Anyhow, 
why am I telling you all this, you can read my mind, can't you?"

    The wizard winked.  "Let you in on a little secret, boy.  What I hear is 
what you are thinking at that exact moment.  I could go deeper, but it's 
usually a wasted effort.  Names are a little different.  Everyone has a sense 
of self that just shouts out 'I am Dan or Cassandra or Whoever!!!' to the 
aether around them.  If you don't shut it out it can give you quite a 
headache.  So I don't really know everything, boy.  It gets too boring.  A 
small surprise is nice every once in a while."  
    
    It was a lie of course.  The wizard leaned back and studied Dan for a 
minute.  The reason the old man couldn't read Dan's mind was obvious to the 
Initiated.  The boy was practically humming with potential power.  I'd better 
keep a very close eye on this one.  He's shielded himself somehow and doesn't 
even know it, but it won't be long before someone else stumbles onto him.
  
    "I think I like you boy.  You are definitely not the usual kind of 
customer this shop attracts. At first I thought you were, but I was wrong.  
Tell you what I will do, Dan.  You may have any item in this shop free of 
charge.  There will be no strings attached or any hidden traps."

    Dan's jaw dropped in surprise.  This was something he had never expected. 
 Maybe the guy was O.K. after all.  He thought hard for a minute, rejecting 
one idea after another.  It finally came down to something he had often 
thought about but never in a million years thought he would have.  "Thank 
you, Magus.  I've thought it over and I've decided that what I really need is 
what everybody always wants.  Three wishes. "   

    The wizard stepped behind the counter and pulled something from a drawer. 
 He walked over to Dan and handed him a dark red crystal attached to a thin 
gold chain.  "Here boy, this stone will provide what you need.  I got it in 
trade a few weeks back.  It contains the power to grant wishes.  How many, I 
don't know.  It's based on the magnitude of the wishes you make.  All I was 
told was that once the stone becomes colorless, it has no more power.  If you 
keep them small and simple, it should last a very long time.  A small word of 
advice: wishes are like water running downhill.  They take the path of least 
resistance to achieve what you ask.  Any wish you make could have unintended 
consequences.  Think very hard before you make one."

    "Thank you, Sir.  I think I was wrong about you.  Next time I won't 
believe everything I hear."  Dan shook the old man's hand and walked towards 
the door.  Just as he was starting to leave he heard the old man call out.

    "Here, catch!"  Dan turned just in time to catch a small silver ring.  
"What's this?" he asked in surprise.  

    The old man smiled.  "I'd like it if you would drop by from time to time 
for a bit of conversation," he said.  "Maybe even part-time work helping me 
out.  That ring will allow you to find my shop anytime you enter a mall.  
Just follow the tugging sensation when you wear it.  Good luck and come again 
soon.  I don't have a lot of friends, and I think you might just qualify."

    Dan was touched.  "I think I'd like that.  I'll be back as soon as I 
can."  He smiled back and left the store.

    The old man sighed and looked over to the wolf.  "I just hope he's 
careful with that stone.  If he makes it back here in one piece it looks like 
I might just have a genuine new apprentice.  I haven't had one of those in 
aeons."

___________________________________________________________________

Part 2:  ...If Wishes Were Fishes...

    Dan barely was conscious of his surroundings on his way home.  It was a 
wonder he made it without killing anyone.  Twice the sound of a car horn 
jerked him back to reality just before he would have run off the road or hit 
someone.  The only thing he could think of was the weight of the red stone 
clasped against his chest by one hand.  Finally he made it and rushed into 
his small apartment.  Sitting down at the kitchen table he removed the 
necklace and placed it on the tabletop.

    Light streaming through a westerly window angled downward to bathe the 
crystal, lending it a spectacular radiance.  It was an odd color of red, not 
ruby, not crimson, but some unearthly shade in between.  The only name he 
could give the color was out of one of his favorite books: incarnadine.  Dan 
looked more closely and noticed some sort of hair-fine metallic threads 
running the length of the hexagonal crystal.  They seemed almost to writhe as 
he watched, forming curlicues and patterns that shifted constantly.  Whoever 
had made the stone was a true artist.

    Dan was mesmerized by the twirling display, being drawn deeper into the 
depths of the stone until it seemed to pulse with the beat of his own heart.  
A whispering sound skirted the edges of his consciousness, wheedling and 
caressing his senses like the brush of a feather.  Use me it seemed to say, An
ything...anything can be yours.  Power beyond your wildest dreams lies within 
me.  Let me show you the way.  Visions began pouring through his mind: 
Himself seated upon a throne, presidents and kings kneeling at his feet; 
women he'd lusted after stroking his body, begging to be used; riding in a 
limousine, wearing an Armani suit, golden rings lading his hands.  All you 
have to do is say the words.  Say them.  Say them.

    Dan's mouth began to move and the words began to come, "I wish..."  
Suddenly he realized what he was about to do and with a massive effort of 
will he clamped one hand over his mouth and wrenched his eyes from the stone. 
 At the back of his mind he heard an outraged buzzing like the sound of a 
really pissed off bumblebee.  He sat shaking like a leaf, his heart in his 
throat over the near disaster.  The damn thing was ALIVE!  It had almost had 
him.  He had the sickening feeling that if he had given in, if he had wished 
for that kind of power, he would have been well and truly damned.  If there 
had been anything left of "Dan" at all.

    The experience was a bucket of ice cold water in his face.  If that old 
man had any inkling of the capabilities of this stone, he was gonna get his 
ears singed. "No strings or hidden traps" my ass!  Dan ranted to himself, 
fury crowding out the fear.  Dan grabbed a dish towel and threw it over the 
stone, pacing and gesticulating angrily while cursing fluently in three 
languages.
.........................

    Half an existence away, in a space not truly real, the old man sat back 
from his crystal ball and smiled broadly as the boy's outraged voice rang 
throughout the wizard's study.  The wolf at his feet cringed from time to 
time at a few particularly vile utterances.  He looked up at the wizard.  Was 
that really necessary? he thought to the old man. 

    The wizard absently patted the wolf's flank and his face became solemn.  
"Unfortunately, yes.  That boy has more potential power than any short-timer 
I've encountered since I opened this place.  Sooner or later it will burst 
free and that could have disastrous consequences.  I had to know if he had 
the willpower to control his baser urges.  If he hadn't freed himself, I 
would have wiped his mind completely.  I would have been obligated to.  One 
of my oaths to the Wizard's Council is to protect whatever dimension I'm in 
from the threat of wild mages.  That boy without any moral restraints and 
with that level of power would be a monster that would make Hitler look like 
a boy scout."

    So what happens now? inquired the wolf.

    "Now we wait.  And watch.  The most obvious tests have been passed.  The 
boy has the potential and the willpower to master it.  Now we see if he has 
the wit and wisdom that I hope he does.  Magic has a way of going awry when 
used in the haphazard way common to mortals.  Especially wishes.  There are 
really only four wishes in that crystal.  If he doesn't really screw up the 
first three, I implanted an imperative for the fourth.  He will find himself 
wishing to know what others think of him.  The simplest way for this to occur 
will be the unlocking of his mind.  If the resulting cacophony doesn't drive 
him mad, he will make his way here and I'll offer him terms.  The boy needs a 
leash, and I intend to be the one holding it."

    The wolf whined and silently wished the boy well.

..........................................

    When Dan finally calmed enough for rational thought, he popped open a 
beer and slumped into the couch in the main room.  He had been truly shaken 
by the gem's attempt at his mind.  He had come within a heartbeat of 
disaster.  So much for being prepared, he mused. If the jocks back in high 
school knew about this they'd be laughing their asses off.  I can just hear 
it now: "Hey egghead, did you almost get scrambled?" Just thinking about it 
brought back all the angry feelings of inferiority and frustration.  He'd 
gotten along well enough with everyone else, but the damn jocks had taken one 
look at his slender 5' 6" frame and mentally painted the word "TARGET" on him 
in bright red letters.

      One hulking Neanderthal everybody called Ox had even beaten the shit 
out of him once.  It had almost been worth it.  The look on his face when Dan 
had revealed his real name to the entire gym class had been priceless.  Ox 
hated being called Percival Chauncey.  About a year after that incident, Ox 
went for him again with a much different result.  "The Rat-Bastard," Dan's 
stepfather, had forced him to take judo lessons.  No 'son' living in his 
house was gonna be beat up like some pansy geek.  It was the only thing the 
dead s.o.b. did for which Dan felt any gratitude.  After he had knocked 
"Percy" unconscious by flipping him into a concrete wall (and spending six 
weeks in detention because of it), a small, private war developed between Dan 
and the jocks, but it was confined solely to taunts and insults.  College had 
been entirely different, but the memories continued to haunt him whenever he 
screwed something up.  

    Dan shook the old cobwebs aside and thought hard about the stone.  He 
couldn't risk another long exposure.  There was no way on earth he could 
resist it again.  He would have to figure a way to use it quickly.  It would 
be risky, but the rewards would be worth it.  Dan grabbed a small notepad and 
pen from the coffee table and scribbled and crossed out ideas for the next 
half hour.  Finally he came up with three things he really wanted.  Wealth, 
health, and love.  He was pretty sure he had left no loopholes in the 
wording, but there was no way to be absolutely positive.  There was only one 
way to find out, and he wasn't going to have any time to stop and contemplate 
the results of any one wish.  He had to say them all at once, or be trapped 
by the stone.  

    Dan scanned his list one more time and went back into the kitchen.  He 
took a deep breath then snatched the stone from under the ratty green towel 
and started talking.  "I wish that the insurance settlement from my parents 
death in the car wreck had been for ten million dollars instead of ten 
thousand dollars and that all fees and taxes had been paid.  I wish that my 
human body had the following three characteristics: total immunity to any 
disease, mental or physical, the rapid regeneration of tissue from any 
damage, including burns, cuts, scrapes, punctures, and bruising, and that it 
ages at only one-twentieth the rate of normal humans while maintaining an 
appearance of youth.  I wish that I would find my one true love in the next 
month and that she would find me irresistible."  As Dan finished uttering the 
last of his wishes, he felt an undeniable urge to add one more thing.  "Oh 
yeah, I also wish I knew what women really think of me."

    The crystal in Dan's hand suddenly grew too hot to hold and he dropped it 
with a startled oath.  It lay on the floor and began to pulse radiantly, a 
low rhythmic hum accompanying each pulse.  The pulses formed rings of light 
that flashed from the core to the ends of the stone and back again, each ring 
becoming brighter and moving faster and faster, the humming sound increasing 
in pitch until a wide beam of scarlet light burst from the gem and bathed 
Dan's entire body.  His last conscious thought was "Oh shit, what have I done 
now?" as his body collapsed to the floor with a resounding thud.


----


Part Three:  The Endless Mile

    The wizard turned as the shop bell tinkled and a bedraggled form flopped 
bonelessly to the floor with a strained groan.  A weak whisper sounded forth 
from somewhere within the heap of tattered clothing and tangled chestnut 
tresses:  "P..please make them s..stop.  Please...the voices...help me..." 

    Thank all the Gods! She made it here.  the wizard thought as he hurried 
over to the prone figure.  "Just a moment lass, this will help," he said with 
deep compassion in his voice.  He quickly placed one palm against Dan's head 
and erected a temporary shield around the harrowed mind.  The old man gently 
raised the girl up and placed her head on a pillow he summoned from his room. 
He pulled a small vial from his robe and got her to drink it.  "Just rest 
easy now, lass, the pain will pass quickly."

    Silence, blessed silence.  A profound sigh of relief welled outward from 
the depths of Dan's tortured soul.  The past two hours had been Hell on 
Earth, unmitigated by any compassion or surcease and she reveled in the 
release as her consciousness drifted away.  She was safe now...  

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

    Dan had been rudely summoned from unconsciousness by the maddening pain 
of a smashed thumb accompanied by someone screaming in his ear "YOUCH!  
Sonuva Bitch!  Goddamn hammer..."  He jerked upright as the voice faded into 
a mumble.  He regretted it instantly when someone started using his head as 
an anvil.  And the noise from all the damn people talking around him wasn't 
helping either.  He brushed something out of his face and rubbed at his 
throbbing forehead.  He cracked open his sleep-crusted eyes and was assaulted 
by a bright stream of shifting, multihued light.  Bad idea...Bad, bad idea, 
he thought as he rapidly shut them again and cupped his palms over his face.

    As Dan struggled to wring some kind of coherent thought out of the 
pounding cacophony in his skull, several sensations started to tickle the 
edges of his consciousness:  He was sitting on some hard, cold surface and 
his feet were starting to fall asleep; his mouth tasted like fungus encrusted 
cow shit; he really had to pee; and for some reason his chest was cold and 
his nipples were as hard as rocks.  I must have really tied one on last night,
 he ventured, but memory refused to come to his aid.  

    He sat there in abject misery until the urge to urinate became 
overwhelming. It wasn't until he lurched to his feet that he really knew that 
anything was wrong: his chest fell out of his shirt.  His eyes flew open and 
he gasped in shock as he looked down to see two rather large, firm breasts 
tipped with thick hardened nipples.  "I'm a GIRL!" Adrenaline rushed through 
her system clearing out the cobwebs from her mind.  She remembered 
everything: the gem, the wishes, the beam of light.  "Oh God, what did I do 
wrong?" she moaned.  She cupped her new breasts with fingers tipped with 
neatly manicured half-inch nails.

    Dan suddenly cried out in pain as she felt the blow of a sudden slap 
across the face.  "You cheating bitch!" someone shouted right in front of 
her.  For an instant she saw the furious face of a huge man with one palm 
raised over his head for another blow.  Dan threw herself to the floor, her 
trained reflexes rolling her to her knees ready to block it, but the room was 
empty.  Her heart was pounding in her chest as she slowly rose to her feet.  
"I must be going fucking crazy.  It's the shock.  Yeah, that's what it is, " 
she muttered to herself.  Who wouldn't go a little nuts finding themselves in 
someone else's body.  ---Anger flooded him.  The damn whore would never cheat 
on him again, he'd make sure of it.  She crouched before him whimpering, one 
eye already beginning to swell shut.  He raised his hand again---

    Dan shuddered as the vision passed.  "What the FUCK?"  First she's a 
woman, getting hit by some goon, then she's the goon getting ready to hit her 
again.  ---"But MOMMY!  I want to go to the PARK!" the little girl whined in 
a high pitched voice.  It grated on her already stressed nerves.  Her period 
had just started, and she was not in the mood.  "Not now dear," she found 
herself saying.  "If you ask me again, you'll have to go to your room for the 
rest of the day."---

    "Mommy?"  Dan muttered when it was over.  Something was really, really 
wrong.  She had to get to the wizard.  Maybe he could tell her just what the 
hell was going on.  Dan fumbled around in her pocket and was relieved to find 
the ring the old man had given her.  She shoved it onto her finger and 
stumbled into the hall, grabbing her keys off the kitchen table as she went. 
Her chest shook as she walked.  She looked down.  Oh.  Better change, she 
realized.  (She was still flashing her tits to the world and she was starting 
to stink.)  After a quick rinse in the shower, and a new set of loose 
clothing, she was out the door.  She was almost to the car when it happened 
again.  ---A huge female face loomed over him and he found himself chortling 
in glee as she leaned down and her vibrating lips tickled his tummy.  It 
sounded funny too.  The face lifted away grinning.  "And how's Momma's little 
boy, hmm?" ---

    Dan panted in relief as it ended.  At least they weren't all bad.  It 
made her realize though, that there was no way she could drive to the mall.  
She'd be dead in minutes when her car left the road.  There was no help for 
it, she'd have to walk...no, better make that RUN to the mall.  It wasn't far 
away.  She took a few deep breaths and started running....

    Time after time she stumbled and fell as one vision after another trapped 
her mind.  Shouts and whispers; anger and joy; male, female, and infant; 
petty and important.  All were different, all equally overwhelming.  It took 
her two hours to travel two miles.  

    The figure that finally stepped into the front entrance of the mall might 
have been beautiful.  It was hard to tell.  Matted brown hair framed a 
bruised and bloody face.  The knees of her jeans were tattered and blood 
soaked.  Her huge flannel shirt was covered in dust and one of the tails 
flapped loosely over one leg.  There was a crazed look in her eye as she 
staggered from one support to another.  People gave her a wide berth, 
wondering where mall security had gone.

    Dan was beyond noticing the stares.  As she'd gotten closer to the mall, 
the population density had increased and the visions and voices had come 
faster and faster.  She was barely lucid one minute in ten.  She concentrated 
on placing one foot in front of the other, letting the tugging of the ring 
guide her.  She knew she should have been mad by now.  God only knew why she 
wasn't.  

    There, at last!  The door!  With one final burst of effort, Dan threw 
herself at it and pressed the latch...

___________________________

Part 4:  Another Fractured Fairy Tale


    The wizard looked down at the exhausted face of the sleeping youth.  The 
bruising and scratches were fading to nothing even as he observed.  Good 
potion.  He turned away and walked through the hanging curtain to the shop's 
counter.  A simple gesture over a glowing gem and the shop was closed to the 
public, separated totally from any other plane of existence.  He stood there 
a moment, his clenched hands resting on the counter.

    "Damn the necessity of it anyway!" he cursed quietly.  He deeply 
regretted what he'd put the boy through.  Not that he was averse to spreading 
a little well deserved mayhem, but the boy hadn't asked for his Talent.  The 
situation reminded him too much of his own Awakening, so long ago.  But there 
was a war going on right now, between himself and the Council, or perhaps 
only Jedina.  It was a quiet war in the shadows, but already Elmer and two 
native boys (one of whom had Talent enough to scare the Council) had 
disappeared.  He needed options.  He would use whatever it took to restore 
his friend, even that damnable Medallion or this child.  The new girl would 
have some degree of protection in the events to come by being his apprentice. 
 Even Jedina was not far enough gone to flout the Laws of Apprenticeship.  
Even if he did not survive the coming confrontation, Dan would.

    He'd do his best to make Dan comfortable in her new life and to prepare 
her for what was to come.  He had time yet, a little anyway, before he must 
make his move.  There were sounds of stirring behind him, and he slowly 
turned around, wiping a small tear from the corner of one eye.  Let the dance 
begin, he thought to himself.  It would be a dance of lies, half-truths, and 
perhaps even honest affection.  He hoped it would be the latter.

...........................................
    
    Dan slowly awoke to a feeling of utter relaxation and comfort.  She was 
in a bed, one more comfortable than any she could remember.  The blankets 
were warm and lightly scented with a cinnamon-like fragrance.  The sound of a 
soft tread and a light coughing sound finally got her to open her eyes.  THE 
WIZARD!  All feelings of comfort abruptly vanished.  She shot one hand to her 
chest and groaned.  There encased in the thin protection of a cotton 
nightgown were her breasts.  "It wasn't a dream was it?" she asked the old 
man.

    "I'm afraid not, lass.  You dragged yourself in here yesterday morning, 
as sorry a sight as I ever hope to see," the old man replied.  "I've done my 
best to patch you up, but you still spent a whole day and night unconscious.  
Mind telling me what brought you here in such a state?"  He took a seat at 
the foot of the bed.

    Dan shifted in the bedding to an upright position, the newest additions 
to her anatomy swaying on her chest.  Long brown hair fell across her face 
and she had to sweep it away.  It was almost too much to handle.  Dan felt 
tears welling in her eyes and roughly brushed them away.
"I used the gem, but something went wrong.  I made my wishes and a red beam 
of light shot out of it and hit me and the next thing I know I'm a girl, 
lying on the kitchen floor with people screaming at me out of nowhere.  I 
don't know what the hell's going on," she uttered in disgust.  

    Dan paused for a moment as she tried to separate order out of the chaos 
of the past two days.  Suddenly she stiffened in remembrance and focused on 
the wizard, her beautiful emerald eyes shooting out sparks.  "Oh by the way, 
why didn't you tell me the damn thing was possessed?" her voice starting out 
as a charming lilt, but growing harder with each word.

    The wizard's eyebrows shot up in simulated surprise.  "Possessed?  What 
on earth are you talking about?  I gave you a straight item that was supposed 
to grant wishes, nothing more."

    Dan's reply was more than a little heated.  "I'm talking about the fact 
that the thing was alive and tried to take over my mind!  The first time I 
really looked at it, I got sort of hypnotized and it tried to make me make a 
wish.  I don't know what would have happened if I had, but it wouldn't have 
been pretty."

    The wizard scowled.  "That's the last time I do business with Abdul.  I'm 
sorry boy, er lass, but I never tried to use it myself.  I just lightly 
scanned it for any obvious magical traps, but that's it.  Damn!  I traded two 
good cheerleader outfits and a body suit of Marilyn Monroe for it too.  No 
wonder he was willing to let it go so cheap."  The wizard made a frustrated 
wave of his hand like brushing a persistent fly away from his face.  "Never 
mind that Dan, let's get to the bottom of this situation: Exactly what did 
you wish for?"

    Dan was hardly mollified by the wizard's explanation, but she let the 
matter pass for now.  "I wished for three...no, four things.  I wished that 
the insurance settlement from my mother and stepfather's deaths had been 10 
million dollars instead of 10 thousand.  I wished for perfect mental and 
physical health with immunity to all physical and mental diseases, rapid 
healing, and an extended life span.  I also wished to meet my female true 
love in the next month and that she would find me irresistible.  I really 
wanted only those three wishes, but for some reason, I found myself wishing 
to know what women think about me.  That's it.  That's when everything went 
kablooie."

    The wizard sat back in his chair and rubbed his whiskers with one hand.  
"Well, I don't see any big problems in the first two wishes, but you 
definitely left a lot of loopholes in the third.  Did you ever consider that 
your "true love" might be a lesbian?  That phrase about being 'irresistible 
to her' is probably why you're sporting tits at the moment."

    Dan's jaw nearly dropped to her lap.  For all her thinking and planning, 
she had never even considered that.  It was just not something she normally 
thought about.  All of her closer associates were straight.  She had just 
assumed that her true love would be as well.  There was no way around it.  
She'd screwed up big time, although there might just be a silver lining to 
this dark cloud.  She'd been lonely for years.  She would take any kind of 
real love she could get, even if it was a little weird.  "Is there any way to 
change me back?" she asked the old man.

    "I'm afraid not, Dan.  It's the wording of your wish, you see.  Until you 
meet this true love of yours, you're stuck in that form.  If you weren't that 
woman, your true love couldn't be irresistibly drawn to you and a paradox 
would ensue.  So you are a woman until she shows up at the least.  I'll take 
another look at the problem when that occurs," the old man replied.

    Dan's thoughts turned towards the other problem, the BIG one, the one she 
really didn't want to remember.  "But what about all those voices, and 
visions?  I mean, I was literally seeing things through other people's eyes, 
feeling what they were feeling.  I couldn't keep them out of my head!  The 
whole way here I kept being constantly invaded by other people's minds.  I 
felt violated, when I could think at all.  Why did it start and why did it 
stop once I got here?"

    The wizard had the grace to manage a little embarrassment.  "Ahem, I uh, 
I have a little confession to make lass.  I know why that happened, although 
I didn't really expect it to come to fruition so soon.  You know I'm a wizard 
lass, well you are too.  At least a potential one."

    "WHAT?  Me a wizard?  Yeah, right!  And if I am, what does that have to 
do with anything?"  Dan interjected.

    "Now listen here, girl," the wizard replied a little angrily, "I've been 
practicing magic for more centuries than England has had people living on it, 
and if I say you're a wizard, you're a wizard!  The utter nerve!  For your 
information, I noticed the potential in you the first time I set eyes on you. 
 I didn't say anything then, and I wouldn't say anything now except for the 
fact that you unlocked your talent with that idiotic fourth wish of yours.  
If it wasn't for me, you'd be mewling on the floor in agony as the entire 
world babbled your sanity into a little corner of your infantile mind!  So 
show a little respect, if not for my powers, then for the fact that I saved 
your precious hide!"  With that, the wizard crossed his arms and sulked back 
into the chair, glowering at Dan through hooded eyes, his cheeks flushed and 
eyes blazing.

    Dan turned her eyes away in shame, although she could still hear the 
wizard muttering about ungrateful wretches and the state of today's youth.  
She felt like a total heel.  The man saves her life, and all she can do is 
insult him yet again.  "I..I'm sorry.  I'm scared and I'm tired.  I shouldn't 
have said it that way, but I did.  I should have thanked you before, but I 
didn't.  Thank you for saving my sanity and maybe my life."  Dan looked back 
up at the wizard, hoping she hadn't offended the old man too badly to repair.

    The old man continued grumbling for a minute, but finally relented.  
"Apology accepted, and the thanks.  Now listen up.  You have what is known as 
the Talent.  There are several different aspects to the Talent, but you only 
need to be concerned with two of them right now.  The first allows you to 
hear the thoughts of others, in some cases to see and feel what they do.  
That's what happened to you lass.  

    Anyway, I told you that wishes take the easiest route to obtain the 
specified goal.  In your case, the potential to hear another's mind was 
already there.  When you wished to know what women thought about you, the 
wish simply burst through the natural barrier between your Talent and your 
conscious mind.  Most people with the Talent never know they have it.  They 
go through life blind and ignorant unless an active wizard stumbles onto 
them.  

    The wizard breaks the barrier, but he or she also buffers the mind of the 
subject until they can learn to make a controllable shield to replace it.  
Sometimes, someone's Talent is so strong, the barrier breaks by itself.  The 
unlucky bastard it happens to usually goes insane.  It happened to me, but 
somehow I managed to form a shield before it was too late.  It's what 
happened to you.  The only reasons you're not a vegetable right now are your 
third wish and the fact that you got to me in time."

    Dan swallowed hard.  So close to disaster.  Thank God she'd included 
mental health in her wish.  "I think I understand.  What's the second part of 
the Talent I need to know about?"

    "Hmm, how to put this?  Magic is not just some kind of fantasy thing, 
lass.  It is a physical force.  It follows rules and laws just like gravity 
and magnetism.  I know, I know, everybody says there's no such thing as 
magic.  If you can't measure it, it doesn't exist.  Idiots!  The fact that 
they can't see it means that there is something wrong with their perceptual 
equipment, not that it doesn't exist.  If you don't have the Talent, you 
can't see it.  That's the second aspect of Talent.  Being able to see what 
others cannot.  Look around the room lass.  Concentrate and tell me what you 
see."

    Dan let her gaze wander through the old man's bedroom.  There was the 
bed, a dresser with a mirror, a night-stand with a worn leather-bound book on 
it, a table with a vase full of irises and several knickknacks covering its 
surface, and a sun filled window framed in lacy yellow curtains.  In fact, 
the flowers and the colors in the room reflected a more feminine touch than 
she would have expected.  Nothing appeared out of the ordinary until her eyes 
lit upon a small pewter statuette.  It was of a man holding a lantern high, 
and she thought she saw a shimmering aura of blue and gold hovering around 
it.  She almost shook it off until she looked back at the wizard and had to 
squint.  The aura coming off the old man was a blinding display of brilliant 
white, scarlet and golden yellow.  Then as suddenly as it had appeared it was 
gone.

    Dan's eyes were full of awe as she studied the old man.  The power 
concealed in that old frame was truly incredible.  The old man chuckled.  
"Saw me did you?  I normally keep it damped down.  It's considered terribly 
impolite in certain circles to let your aura show like that.  Like bragging, 
you know.  What else did you see?"

    "I was looking around and I didn't really notice anything until I looked 
at that little statue.  There's a shimmering band of blue and gold 
surrounding it.  Then I looked at you."  Dan said with considerably more 
respect than ever before.

    "That little statue is a remembrance of my past, lass.  It's a 
night-light.  You rub its head before you go to bed, and the little lantern 
starts to glow.  The colors of the aura reflect the magic used to power it: 
blue for binding, and gold for light. There can be no further doubts, Dan.  
You have the Talent."

    "Where do I go from here?" Dan asked the old man.

    "From this point on, you have two choices," the wizard replied.  "On one 
hand, I can set a permanent ward on your mind, blank your memory of the whole 
series of events, and implant a set of false memories that support your new 
role in life.  On the other hand I can make you my apprentice and teach you 
what I know.  It's entirely up to you, but I wouldn't mind a student right 
about now.  I'm starting to get bored."

    "Can I think about it a few minutes?  It's a little too much to handle 
all at once," Dan replied.  

    "Surely, lass, surely.  I'll be out in the shop.  Give me a call when you 
decide, Dan."  The old man rose and went out the door.

    After thinking hard for several minutes, Dan got out of the bed and went 
to the mirror.  She had never seen herself before and she had to know before 
she decided.  Chestnut tresses highlighted with glints of gold and copper 
framed an oval face with high cheekbones, a fine nose and full sensuous lips. 
 Her emerald eyes sparkled between the long thick lashes.  Her full breasts 
tapered into a narrow waist set upon generous hips.  She was beautiful.  She 
was even taller than she had been as a male.  She sighed.  She was stuck, but 
at least she had beauty and the possibility of a loving relationship with a 
woman.  She could live with it.  After all, she was still really a guy 
inside.  The question was "Do I want the power and all the headaches that 
come with it, or not?"  She sighed again.  Time to make the best of things.

..........................

    "That went much better than I expected" the old man said to the wolf, who 
had been patiently guarding the shop.  He puttered around pretending to dust 
and generally wasting time.  After about a half an hour he muttered, "I don't 
think it will be long now."  Almost on cue a tousled head stuck through the 
curtain.

    "Hey, old man," she chirped.  "You've got yourself a new flunky!  And by 
the way, call me Dannie."  It wasn't too different a name, after all. The 
head immediately ducked back inside the curtain, a pert grin lingering in the 
air.  A slightly muffled voice called out from behind the curtain.  "How 
about some new clothes?  This nightgown's a little drafty!  And what the hell 
do I call you anyhow?  'Old Man' is starting to get a little worn out."

    A grin of pure roguish mischief crossed the wizard's face.  "Why, Master, 
of course!" he called back.  "I've always wanted a young, beautiful woman 
around to call me Master," he said in an aside to the wolf.  The wolf just 
lolled his lower jaw in a canine grin and snorted.  He raised his voice again 
as he walked through the curtain.  "Now about those clothes, I have this 
lovely little maid's outfit..."


The End (for now)

----