The Trickster's Way
"I wish I could get Teri Collins to notice me," sighed Billy Burton for the hundredth time in about an hour.
But what would the most popular girl in the senior class want to have to do with a four-eyed, fifteen-year old like Billy? That didn't stop him from wanting her with all might his scrawny body possessed, however. He looked at his neighbor from the attic of his parents house every afternoon, especially on the days that Teri laid out to tan in her backyard.
One afternoon, she was talking to one of her friends on the phone. "Yeah, I'm going to baby-sit for tonight, but they told me it'd be okay if Joe came over later and watched TV with me."
Picking up her towel, Teri went into her house and Billy gave up the vigil for the afternoon. He poked around the attic, at last settling in front of the sea chest that belonged to his Grandfather Martin. It was fun to look at all the neat stuff that Grandpop had accumulated over his years at sea. Billy could remember the old sailor talking about the strange places and even stranger sights he had seen during his years at sea.
One item that fascinated Billy to no end was a small figurine about six inches long that came from a remote south sea island his grandfather visited over 50 years ago. The figure faintly resembled an Easter Island statue, except it held its arms akimbo and had a wide devilish grin on its face. His grandfather had called it "Peshmy'ou" the trickster, a mischievous spirit that the island natives feared as much as worshipped because of his reputation of taking away as much as he gave for any who called on him for help.
Billy didn t know this, nor did he care. He just knew what he wanted, and what he wanted was Teri.
"I wish .... I wish I could spend this evening with Teri," Billy said, holding the figure in his hand. With one last look, he dropped the idol back into the chest, closed it and went to his room. He was feeling tired, and as he and his parents were going out to dinner that evening, Billy thought he'd take a quick nap before they left.
He stripped down to his underwear and tee shirt, climbed into bed and was soon fast asleep. In his dreams he could hear the sounds of waves breaking against a shoreline -- and of a rhythmic beating of native drums. He seemed to be in a large clearing, dominated by a large stone statue of Peshmy'ou. The idol seemed to be asking him a question, but Billy couldn't understand him. In his dream, the idol's grin seem to get bigger and bigger, until he felt it towered over him like a giant.
Billy woke with a start, gave a lazy yawn, and stretched contentedly. He realized he was lying on something hard. He tried to reach around to get it, but his coordination was off. Finally his hand grasped the object and he looked at it -- it was a large stuffed bear.
Bear?!?
Billy, wide awake now, looked about. He was in a cage ... no not a cage ... a ..."Oh my God, I m in a crib!"
Billy tried to stand and couldn't. He tried to sit up, but found he was far too weak. He stared at his hands. They were very short and pudgy. His face and head were soft and hairless. And his stomach was covered in baby fat. He looked at his middle, and to his horror, his loins were covered in a soft, white cotton diaper.
He tugged and tugged at the diaper, as if he could take it off and the nightmare would end. The diaper felt cold and clammy, Billy thought, until he put two and two together and realized WHY it felt that way.
"For crying out loud, I've wet myself!"
But just as the fact that Billy was a baby had just started to sink in, the door to his room opened and in walked his mother. At least she didn't look any different. Billy tried to speak, but nothing but the gurgling sounds of an infant emerged.
"How's my sweetie?" said his mother. "Did my baby have a good nap?"
His mother reached into the crib and picked Billy up. Checking him for "accidents" she carried him over to a table and laid him down. Quickly and expertly, she removed his soiled diaper, washed him thoroughly, powdered him, and put him in a fresh diaper. He turned his head to look in the mirror on the door and, sure enough, there was no denying that he was an infant. Billy didn't know much about babies, but he figured he had to be about a year old since he couldn't even seem to stand up on his own.
His mother dressed him in a small shirt and coveralls and carried him to a rocker. "My little man hungry?" she asked, as she began to undo her blouse.
"Oh, no!" Billy thought, as his mother -- HIS MOTHER!!! -- bared her breast and pushed her nipple into his tiny mouth. Billy spit it out, but she persisted in replacing it. Billy felt his mouth fill with warm milk and instinctively swallowed. He found his little body was operating on automatic, because once he started, he couldn't seem to stop.
There was a gentle tap on the door and his mother, humming a lullaby, stopped long enough to say come in. Billy couldn't see who it was, his mother had covered her breast and Billy s head with a towel, but she carried on a conversation for several minutes. After alternating Billy from breast to breast for about 15 minutes, she pulled him away and held him up against her shoulder and patted his back until he gave a satisfied belch. His mother than handed him over to the stranger.
Billy looked up and, in horror, realized he was tucked in the soft arms of Teri Collins!
The next six hours were an unmitigated hell for Billy. Somehow, his reality had shifted. He was a baby, being baby-sat by the girl he loved. How could this have happened? Finally, it dawned on him, "That damned statue did this to me! I asked for a night with Teri, and this is what I get!"
His parents left for dinner about 6 p.m., telling Teri that they d be home by midnight. Teri carried Billy into the living room, and plopped him into a playpen. She went to the couch and turned on the TV. Picking up the phone, she called a friend and started talking and gossiping.
Poor Billy! Just when he thought that things couldn t get worse, he found they could. After all, being a baby is pretty boring. He was too young to move much on his own beyond crawling about the padded floor of his playpen on his hands and knees.
He knew his was not control of his life, but not being in control of his body was even worse. At the first hint of pressure from his bladder a warm trickle began to flow from him and he could neither stop it, nor control it. But it got worse as his body decided it was time to eliminate dinner as well. Billy sat therein his pen wondering how could hide his "problem" but it was too late, Teri sniffed the air, wrinkled her nose and came over to him.
"Phew," she said, "You need a change!"
About 9:30 Teri s boyfriend Joe showed up, and while Billy sat watching jealously but helpless in his playpen, Teri and Joe kissed and petted. About ten, Teri picked up Billy, fed him some juice from a bottle and carried him to his room. She undressed him and put on a sleeper suit. Lying him back in his crib, she turned on the baby monitor and left him. Billy was so frustrated and tired he began to whimper, and then cry. "I m a baby, I'm allowed to cry," he thought. Slowly he found himself drifting into a deep sleep.
He awoke.
Jumping up with a start, he looked at himself. He was fifteen again. Was it a dream, he wondered? "It seemed so real, but people don t just turn into babies for a night?!?" But he didn't want to take a chance. So, still in his underwear, he went back to the attic and retrieved the little idol. Staring at it, he remembered his wish to spend an evening with Teri. He reasoned that it had been granted in a way. He knew Teri was going to baby-sit last night, ergo, for Billy to spend an evening with her, he'd have to be a baby.
"I didn't make my wish clear," he thought. "What I got to do is think out what I'm asking for and I'll get it."
He looked out the attic window and there was Teri talking to some friends on her porch. They were talking about going shopping, and later to the pool. Carrying the idol downstairs, he went back to his room.
Thinking slowly and carefully, Billy grasped the statue firmly and said aloud, "I wish Teri and I would go out together." He dropped it on his dresser and took off his undershirt. But as he began to turn, Billy was struck by a tremendous attack of vertigo. He steadied his hands on the dresser, but noticed they looked different -- smaller, slimmer. "Oh, God, don t tell me I'm going to be a kid again!" he thought, but then he noticed his nails were longer -- and they had polish on them.
He turned to the full length mirror on his door in time to see his body undergo significant changes. He was growing small and petite, his hips and thighs grew rounder, while his waist shrank. A small but unmistakable pair of female breasts emerged from his chest. His facial features softened, his cheekbones rose and his eyes widened. His brown hair grew longer, weaving itself into two braids on either side of his head. His hips popped open giving his buttocks a girl s unmistakeable teardrop shape. And as he glanced down he saw and felt his gential bulge wither and retract within his body. Then slowly as he watched, his jockey shorts slowly reform themselves into a plain pair of girl's bikini panties.
As far as he could tell, he was still himself -- er, herself -- er, a female version of himself -- whatever. "This isn't what I wanted! I ve got to get that idol and change back," Billy thought, when suddenly his door burst open and in rushed Teri.
"C'mon, girl, I can't wait forever. The mall opens in 20 minutes and we've got major shopping to do, so get your skinny little ass in gear and let's go," Teri said.
Stunned, Billy tried vainly to cover his nakedness, mumbled, he didn't know what to wear. Teri went over to the closet pulled out a blouse and jeans and told her to move it. As she dressed, her mother came to the door, "Billie, dear -- here's your swimsuit for later. Don't forget to put on sunscreen."
As Billie struggled with the unfamiliar clothing, she overheard his mother say, "You're the best thing that ever happened to my daughter, Teri. She used to be so shy, but since you and she became such good friends, she's really starting to blossom into a young lady."
"Aw, that's okay, Mrs. Burton, Billie is just like a little sister to me," Teri said.
The rest of the morning was a blur for Billie, as Teri drug her from one clothes store to another. They were constantly trying on one set of clothes or another. Billie had always wanted to see Teri undressed, but she found that as a girl, Teri s body didn t interest her in the least. But she got the shock of her life when Paul Costanza, the center for the varsity basketball team, joined them at the food mall for lunch. He slipped his arm around Billie's waist and asked if they were still on for their date Friday. When she didn t answer, he surreptitiously dropped his hand lower and nonchalantly fondled her fanny. Billie found herself not only flushed, but aroused, with a warm, wet feeling growing between her legs.
"Jesus," she thought, "I've got to get home to that idol. There's no way that I should be liking this. I'm a guy, I like girls, not boys."
But in his present state, Billie s body constantly betrayed him as he found himself more and more drawn into this new female reality.
After the two girls had finished at the mall, they piled back into the car and headed to the community pool. The women's locker room was a young man's wet dream, Billie had never been so surrounded by naked women. But in his present state, it did nothing for him sexually. Seeing naked girls as a heterosexual girl was the same to Billie as Billy seeing naked guys in the locker room after gym -- boring and uninteresting. The only real problem Billie had encountered as a girl so far was trying to figure out how to pee, but even that she figured out with a little trial and error.
In a way, Billie had gotten her exact wish. She and Teri were good friends, and they certainly hung out together. "It's not fair," she thought as she sat by the pool. "I get exactly what I wish for, but it's not what I wished for. I'll try it again when I get home."
"Billie ...??? Billie! You haven't heard a word I've said."
"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry, Teri."
"Anyway, Daddy said that I'm ready for a more challenging horse now that I've been jumping for four years. We're going out to Stein's stable tomorrow and look at the Arabians. If I see one that I like, Daddy said he'd buy it for me."
"That's great, Teri," she mumbled.
"Why don t you take up riding, Billie? It s a lot of fun. And let me tell you, controlling a horse between you legs is pretty erotic, better than sex, if you ask me," Teri said, laughing.
By early evening the girls were home. Teri called goodnight as she started toward her house. "I'll call you later, Billie," Teri yelled as she disappeared through her front door. Billie went up to her room. Almost unconsciously, she undressed and sat naked on her bed.
Finally, after a few moments, she picked up Peshmy'ou from her dresser and said aloud, "Okay Buster, one more try, if you don't get it right this time, I'm going to take a hammer to you!"
Drawing a deep breath, she said, "I wish I was male -- that I was strong and good looking -- that Teri Collins loved me -- and that she would love me for the rest of my life."
She waited a moment, and nothing seemed to happen. Then slowly she felt a powerful force building within her. She stood, and gasped as her body seemed to expand and grow. Her features were coarsening her arms and legs grew longer and more muscular. With a bursting pop, Billy rejoined manhood in a big way -- at least way bigger than before. Hair was starting to grow on his body again. But then his hips started to hurt, he bent forward to relieve the pain. He felt an increasing amount of pressure at the base of his spine. He looked at his behind in the mirror and was stunned to see the start of a vestigial tail sprouting. His face and head felt strange -- his teeth began to protrude, his ears were growing and suddenly his body was wracked with wave after wave of pain. Dropping the idol, he fell to the floor screaming. His mother ran into his room.
"Billy, Billy!! What's the matter? Billy! Answer me!!"
But Billy just screamed and lashed out at her mother with his ever lengthening arms and legs. The room grew vague and indistinct. His mother's form and voice faded, replaced slowly by the sound of men yelling.
"Hold him, Craig, for Chrissake, don t let him go or we ll never get him back."
Billy's sense of self was slowly returning, he struggled to get up but his orientation and balance was off. He was having trouble getting his eyes to focus. Everything seemed in black and white and it was as if he could see in two different directions at the same time. Billy tried to yell, but the sound that issued from his throat was not human. He sensed that he was down on all fours and tried to rise, but couldn't. He looked down and saw hooves where his hands should have been.
"No, no, it's not fair -- not fair!!! This isn't what I asked for!! That Goddamned idol made me a male -- a male horse!!!"
Billy bucked and screamed in panic and rage, insignificantly brushing aside the men. He cast his head from side to side until he saw a familiar form looking at him -- it was Teri Collins standing at the corral fence with her father. He broke from his tormentors and ran to her.
"Careful, honey, don't get too close, he might be dangerous," her father cautioned.
"No, I'm not," Billy tried to say, but it only came out as gentle nickers. Teri reached out her hand and Billy placed his nuzzle gently in her hand. He followed her every move. Wherever she went, he followed. As a strong, young Arabian stallion, he pushed aside any horse that got between him and Teri.
He could sense her growing attraction to him, after all, it was part of his wish. Teri and her father talked together in earnest for a few moments. Billy could tell that her father didn't want such a big strong horse for his girl, but then again, he'd never been able to refuse her.
As Bob the stable owner and her father discussed terms, Teri came over to the horse and stroked him. "Ooooh, I love you!" she said. "You're all I've ever wanted in a horse. You and I are going to make a great team. Right, fella?"
The horse nodded. "It's like you understand me," she squealed.
Craig, the stablehand, entered the paddock and put a bridle on Billy. "His name is "Another by Sir William Squibbs."
"I think I'll just call him Billy," Teri said. "We'll be back to pick him up next Saturday. If you think, he'll be ready."
"Should be," said Craig. " Nothing to it, we do it all the time."
"Do what?" Billy wondered as they led him into a stall. Several hours later, they took him into a section of the barn with a concrete floor. A vet looked him over and examined him. Billy found his human sense of self was not as strong as it had been, but it didn't matter to him now because he knew that despite the final backfiring of his last wish, he would, at least, be together with Teri.
Billy was aware that his legs had been hobbled, but he didn't know why. He felt a sharp stab to his rump. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw the doctor removing a large needle. His legs grew wobbly and he felt himself swaying. Instinctively he knelt and then fell to his side.
"What have they done to me?" he thought. "Are they trying to kill me?"
As his vision grew dimmer, he heard the Bob say, "The Collins' will be back next Saturday to pick him up, will he be ready, Dr. Coe?"
"I don't see why not," Dr. Coe replied, "He's young and healthy. He may still be a little sore, but that will pass. Well, he's about under, let's get started -- I'm ready to geld him."
With that Billy fell asleep. And in his dreams he saw the statue of Peshmy'ou -- and the trickster was grinning.
One week later, a small six-inch statue was placed on prominent display in the front window of his story.
Peshmy'ou was a patient deity. He'd waited over 60 years to play with Billy. He could afford to wait until someone else bought him. In the meantime, he contented himself with making the proprietor drop or damage expensive items.
The End