Everyone remembers where they were when the great shift happened how can you not unless you were one of the lucky 7% you wound up in the body of a stranger you were younger or older or shorter or fatter or a different race or sex even those not directly affected had to deal
With a world suddenly turned on its head most were horrified but to me it was a gift from Heaven one second I’m lying in my bed at the shest retirement Center a 97-year-old wreck of a man who was just waiting for God to turn out the lights
The next second I’m rolling down a sidewalk straight into a mailbox I banged my knees and Chin on hard steel and left a layer of skin on the pavement then I blacked out I know what you’re thinking I remember what happened before I blocked out look I’m just telling you
How it went I leave the house and wise to God and science when I came to my chin and KNE knees were aching something fierce I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was a yellow Toyota wrapped around a tree not 10 ft away and for
Some reason I thought never could stand those cars anyway I heard sirens and people yelling and I smelled smoke gasoline burnt rubber and of all things strawberries it was almost like being back in the Great War except for the strawberries for a moment that’s exactly
What I thought I was in the middle of a war but I didn’t hear shots being fired or any explosions I crawled to the side of the walk and rolled over on the grass it was cool on my skin I stared up at the clouds drifting across the sky and
Tried to figure out where I was and why my artificial hip didn’t hurt anymore despite my raw knees and my tender chin I felt more vibrant More Alive than I had in well more than half a century was I dead was this Heaven I think I was in
Shock he Heaven most likely doesn’t involve sirens and auto accidents and people screaming everywhere but I felt too good for this to be hell so if I was on Earth what was going on I sat up and looked at myself my legs were long and thin and light brown now I’m of pure
Norwegian stock and I’d never managed a decent Tan in my entire life so that smooth brown skin set off alarms all throughout my head of course a part of my brain already knew that I was no longer the man I’d been but I was ignoring it my feet were encased in
Lavender and line roller skates at the time I didn’t even know what inline skates were I only knew that if I wanted to get anywhere I’d be going Barefoot I was wearing a denim skirt that seemed very strange but you have to remember that before the great shift guys never
Wore skirts it was only when half the male population were former women that men skirts Kilts if you prefer but let’s not kid ourselves men’s skirts are nothing like a Scottish great Kilt actually became popular I mean I know they’re mostly a fad but back then it
Just wasn’t done at all people would look at you funny my hand when did my hand become so small lifted the corner of the dark blue denim it was a wraparound skirt of some sort and I’m not sure why I had to lift it up but I
Did beneath the Flop I found that I was really wearing a pair of shorts I didn’t know what skirs were either but somehow I felt better knowing that they only looked like a skirt as if actually wearing a skirt would have somehow made everything worse in the back of my mind
I knew that I was now female and fairly young I don’t know how I knew but I did perhaps my subconscious was more Adept at interpreting all of the clues that my body was sending it in any case the Dominate part of my brain had not yet
Accepted the truth so with fear and apprehension and not a little wonder I slid my hand under the skirt flap and down between my legs my crotch was one smooth expans of denim curving from my belly on down there were no bumps nothing like a penis and testes to be
Found I CED my crotch with my hand and felt a jolt of fear excitement I wasn’t sure what I felt emotions surged through me and then a warm wetness was spreading beneath my cued hand I snatched my hand away suddenly I was glad that I had a
Skirt flap hanging over the front not that I’d been able to control my bladder for the last few years but it was different when you’re 97 and in a nursing home I felt embarrassed as if finding yourself transformed into a girl was an excuse enough to peer pants how
Old was I anyway what had happened I was very very confused I’m sure you’ve heard this story before over a billion people a quarter of the population and some say maybe 2 billion changed sex when the shift happened nobody quite knows why it’s as if God woke up one morning
Looked at all of the sexual hand UPS the people of the world had and said time to stir up the pot let them figure this one out of course we know that it wasn’t an act of God but some stupid scientists in New Mexico part of a top secret project
Of some sort and sure they wanted to keep a lid on it but with the collapse of the government and with everyone getting switched around the real story was bound to came out these days you can’t hardly turn on the TV without seeing another documentary about it the scientists were all vaporized instantly
There are a lot of people a lot who would rather they died slow and painful likee but that’s what you get a few brilliant boys in the desert hit the reset button for all of mankind and don’t live long enough to appreciate what they’ve done I wore a light yellow
Cotton top sleeveless sort of a tank top but with very thin straps over my shoulders to hold it up not exactly the thing to wear when skating I thought it had a v-neck with a sky blue flower the size of a quarter stitched at the center
Of my chest just below where the V met all told the top might have displayed cleavage nicely if I’d had any but my chest was flat as a flapjack I’m not sure if I was relieved or disappointed prepubescent then hopefully at least 12 if I was going to experience life again
I preferred skipping the first 10 years or so black hair hung at the edge of my vision brushing lightly against my bare shoulders and I grabbed some and held it before me it was just barely shoulder length and was very fine and very straight like you might find on an
Oriental was I Chinese then Japanese Korean Vietnamese it was all very exciting an adventure like I hadn’t had in several decades like I’d never had I should say say it’s not every day you become a 12-year-old girl without ever having been an 11-year-old girl first
But my life for many years had been very very dull and now in the blink of an eye it had become new and strange and thrilling then reality began to set in what now my shorts were uncomfortably wet but that was the least of my problems I didn’t know where I was hell
I doubt I could find the retirement center if if you’d set me more than a block away not that I had any desire to go back there but if not there then what should I try to find my son and daughter-in-law’s house they lived somewhere in this city but I didn’t
Really know where and what about this girl I’d become surely she had a family somewhere nearby but how would I find them did I even want to if I was in her body then was she in mine that seemed likely I felt like a heel but I already
Knew that I was going to do whatever it took to stay here in this body I didn’t wish her ill I really hoped she’ landed in a body other than mine and that was entirely possible because while I sat on the grass examining myself I was hearing
Everything going on around me a lot of people had switched bodies it seemed and few of them were happy about it there was screaming shouting cursing and sobbing coming from all around me and people were running up and down the street as if the world had come to an
End perhaps it had I had no idea what was going on but it certainly was interesting I still smelled strawberries after a moment I realized the scent was coming from me some sort of kids perfume I had no idea I removed my skates and socks popped my bare feet in the cool
Green grass and watched the world slowly disintegrate a man his belt unbuckled stumbled out out of the alley across from me he looked about wildly and then ran down the street screaming a minute or two later a woman appeared from the same alley her dress was torn and her
Face looked bruised she looked down at herself and began cussing a Blue Streak then she too ran off a rape in progress when the switching took place I could only guess but I thought it would be a curiously fitting Justice for a rapist to wind up on the receiving end of his
Crime not so good for the victim I suppose if she got his body I saw an old man crawling down the street on his hands and knees like a child another man yelled at me as he ran past look at me I can run I can move my legs a police car
Rolled through the neighborhood with a small boy on the passenger side and a woman dressed like an aging housewife behind the wheel another woman was walking down the street dragging a 3-year-old alarm who was kicking and screaming words that no kid that young should know a girl wandered towards me
She was young about 6 years old with very dark skin and her hair in cornrow braids she wore a bright blue dress with a huge ribbon and back and was beautiful to behold like everyone else she looked very confused but when she saw the yellow Toyota wrapped around a tree her
Eyes lit up she ran up to the car and standing on her tiptoes peered in then she turned away and began to wretch in the grass that’s why I didn’t bother to look I said it seemed pretty obvious that the driver didn’t survive oh my God she said her voice was soft and
High-pitched but the words clearly didn’t come from a six-year-old oh my God oh my God what am I going to do now what the hell’s happening what’s going on she collapsed on the ground a few feet away from me it’s it sounded like she was hyperventilating did you get switched
Too I asked oh God oh God that’s my body in there in that car that’s my car and my body’s in there and oh God nobody should ever have to see themselves like that oh God what am I going to do my body is dead I’m a little girl what’s
Going on I don’t know I said everybody’s gotten switched around that’s all I know I’ve just been sitting here kind of taking it all in I can’t be a girl I’m a guy don’t you see this is all up I can’t do this I can’t take it easy I
Said just lay down and relax there’s nothing you can do about it so don’t get worked up everything’s going to sort itself out eventually how can you say that I’m a little girl now I don’t want to be a girl it could be a lot worse you
Know you could be dead you could be so old that death would be a blessing you could be an infant instead you’re young and healthy and have a second shot at life I’m only 19 the girl said I haven’t really had my first shot at life oh man
And I was going to make first string this year I had everything figured out and now it’s up this isn’t fair I had to admit I might have been a lot more upset if I’d only been 19 instead of 97 I’d lived a long full life and
Getting a second shot at it from the other side of the gender fence yet looked like a wonderful deal to me but being only 19 and then becoming a six-year-old girl was a different proposition what’s your name I asked her I couldn’t help but think of her as a
Girl no matter what she’d been an hour ago Brendan she said Brendan Lawrence my name’s Olive I said the name sounded strange in my new girl’s voice guess I should find something more suited for a girl though I added you were a guy too the girl said sitting up as I was
Nodding two more kids skated towards us on in like skates similar to the ones in the grass beside me one of them saw me and yelled out Ki hey keomi they came to a stop in front of us they were about 12 the age I hoped I was the first a boy
Wore oversized black jeans an oversized Cowboy jersey and a skater’s helmet with pads on his knees and elbows something I wished I’d been wearing before my spill he had light brown skin and short curly black hair the other a girl had blonde hair hanging past her shoulders she wore
Yellow shorts shorts and a white T-shirt and also had a helmet knee and elbow pads they looked me up and down probably noticing the way I stared at them you’re not kill me are you the girl asked I’m afraid not I replied I’m Jason the boy
Said and this is my friend Jeremy he’s a girl now I’m in his body and he’s in Susan cresen J’s body so he’s not just a girl but a white girl Creston journa is a fine Norwegian name I said anyway Susan was really stuck up but now that
She’s Jeremy I guess she’s okay thanks a lot jerkwad the girl said shut up the boy returned anyway have you heard the news they’re saying this has happened all over the world 90% of the population just got switched around can you believe it so you’re in kiomi hasagawa’s body
Now but who are you really so I thought I’m Japanese then never liked cars anyway I smiled and glanced at the yellow Toyota remembering my first thought upon waking God had a strange sense of humor sometimes not that it really mattered given the circumstances I’d take whatever I could get but
Knowing who and what I was was comforting somehow I’m Olaf Gunderson I said or at least I was Olaf the boy wrinkled his nose that’s a weird name do you go to school at JC Longs I’m afraid not up until an hour ago I was a 97-year-old man living at shest
Retirement center Jason’s eyes went wide are you me you were in the nursing home he turned to his friend you see I told you things could have been worse how’d you like to be some old granny in a nursing home Jeremy had an appropriately horrified look on her face
But quickly recovered it still sucks being a girl she said yeah Jason agreed I’m lucky I’m Still A Guy hey keomi can I call you that I can’t imagine calling you Olaf I Shrugged sure ki’s a pretty name I said by the way do you know who
This other girl is I pointed to the six-year-old next to me I mean do you recognize her her body Jason and Jeremy shook their heads and Brendan said I woke up in another car whoever was in it had already run off so I don’t really know whose body I’m in maybe I’ll never
Know anyway Jason said do you want to come with us we’re cruising the neighborhood checking everything out you wouldn’t believe how messed up everything is my dad’s a woman now and my mom’s the guy from next door it’s really weird Jeremy’s mom is still herself but his father was at work and
Hasn’t called in and we’re still looking for his sister and some of our friends I at the skates lying on the grass dubiously thanks I said but I don’t think I’m up for skating just yet I’ll stay here with Brendan but when you’re done could you come back and show me the
Way to ki’s house you got it Jason said as the two skated off after a while the girl next to me said said so you were 97 years old yep I said well she said I guess that’s not so bad for you then people were still wandering the streets
But all of the screaming and yelling was dying down do you think someone will come by to ask who we were Brendan asked her voice was soft and sweet and I kept thinking she doesn’t look or sound anything like a guy and then I’d look at myself and remind myself yet again
Neither do I I mean she added they’re going to need to take a census or something find out who everyone is now it’s a complete mess otherwise maybe the officials are busy with their own problems right now I said man she said this is so up it’s scary I mean
What if you’re the CEO of a major company only now you’re 6 years old what if the president or the members of Congress are now children what if 10 people say they’re really the president or that they’re really Bill Gates how can you prove who you are I don’t know I
Said The more I thought about it the scarier the whole thing became it’s worse than that let’s say I’m in jail first of all some of the guards are going to be switched with the inmates guaranteed I bet there’s jailbreaks going on all over the country right now
But even if you’re still locked up how can we know you’re really a criminal and not some innocent person trapped in a criminal’s body or say Bill Gates winds up in an infant or in a comos or mentally deficient body or just dad I mean you could claim to be the richest
Man in the world and he wouldn’t even be around to deny your claim you could just take over his life I doubt that would happen I said his family would be able to tell an impostor probably she conceded but I guarantee you that’s going to happen on a lesser scale people
Are going to assume the lives of other people and nobody will be able to gainsay them if what that kid said was true 90% of the population has switched then we might be looking at the collapse of civilization I doubt that I said but
It’s going to be a big mess for the near future I’ll certainly concede that much but as for me my assets amount to a social security check and a modest savings account so if somebody else assumes my identity fine by me then again I wonder if I can still collect
Social Security that’s going to be a mess to sort out too but the first order of business for you and I is finding a place to stay the night my dorms on the other side of town at the university the girl said not that I’d want to sleep
There in this body I don’t think I could trust some of the weirder guys who live there she giggled suddenly what am I thinking they could all be little girls by now too anyway my car is trashed not that I could drive it now and I doubt
The buses are running at the moment and I’m not up to walking across town especially now she sighed yeah I think you’re right finding a place to spend the night is job one I can’t sleep outside not like this I didn’t say anything but I was worried about finding
A permanent place to live if I could stay with my son’s family or his daughters that would be best but I didn’t know what had happened to them maybe the family of the girl I’d become would help us otherwise I suppose it was a foster home or a state children’s home
Or something equally unappealing are you thirsty Brendan asked kind of I said I know I am the girl said and I’m tired of sitting here that’s getting us nowhere I’m waiting for Jason and Jeremy to come back I said well that’s fine for you but
I don’t have a family to go to my parents are divorced and they both live more than a thousand miles from here I have no idea whose family my body came from I’m not likely to ever find out and I don’t really care to know in any case
So if I’m going to sit here then I want something to drink but in order to purchase anything I’m going to need my wallet and I don’t know if I can stand to look at my dead body again you want me to get it I asked yeah if you could
Okay I said I stood up wobbly I hadn’t tried to do anything in this body yet and it had been years since I walked in any case but after a moment I felt more confident and then I smiled it was so easy the ache from my chin and my knees
Had faded and amazingly nothing else achd I felt like I could run a marathon in this body I walked around the crumpled car to the driver’s side the door was accordion a little and probably wouldn’t open glancing at my thin arms I realized I didn’t have the strength to
Try and force it anyway but the window was rolled down so I pulled myself up and leaned in it was a gruesome sight the body was impaled on the shaft of the steering wheel there was no airbag apparently and the poor guy whoever had been in the body at the time of impact
Hadn’t stood a chance I wondered for a moment if it had been kiomi the girl whose body I now wore I quick L dismissed the thought it was too plausible and too horrible to contemplate averting my eyes and touching as little as possible I leaned down and warmed my arm between the seat
And the body I found the wallet thankfully in the left back pocket and pulled it free Brendan and I wandered down the street past an Italian restaurant and a bookstore at the corner was a bank with a cash machine I had to lift Brendan up so that she could use it
Which wasn’t easy given the strength of my new body I should draw out all of the cash I guess Brendan said I don’t think I’m going to be using it anymore is there a lot not really she said I’m just a college student was anyway we found a
Deserted convenience store and went in we grabbed two cokes two corn dogs and some bubblegum I don’t know why but bubble gum sounded really good all of a sudden I’d never touch the stuff before in my life but when I suggested it Brendan nodded and snatched up three
Different flavors what should we do Brendan asked just take this stuff leave some money on the counter I said the little girl nodded she counted out several dollars and then standing on her tiptoes placed them next to the cash register that’s probably more than enough she said we could probably get
Some ice cream too if you want that sounds good I said and I pulled two ice cream bars from the freezer by the door again I’d never eaten much ice cream but I had a sudden craving for it learning to be a kid again might not be so
Difficult as we walked back Brendan frowned being a girl’s one thing she said but being so short really sucks and I could do without this stupid dress it’s very pretty I said I don’t want to be pretty she shot back get you used to it I said but hey at least you’ve got
Shoes she looked at my bare feet and giggled and it was the most natural sound a six-year-old might make I bit into my ice cream bar trying to keep the shards of Chocolate shell from escaping and wondered if we would continue to acclimate until being young and female
Was as natural to us as breathing Brendan and I sat on the grass for several hours at one point she leaned into me and fell asleep and I put my arm around her imagining that she was my little sister later I felt the urge to
Pee again and so I woke her up and we went looking for a restroom the Italian restaurant let us use theirs it was I must say an enlightening experience Jason and Jeremy returned a great deal later as the sun was setting in the meantime we talked to more people who
Were out wandering the streets and heard many stories as strange and confusing as ours Jason and Jeremy led us to the the hasagawa household quite a few blocks away it was a two-story house old but recently refurbished I live just up the street Jeremy said and Jason lives two
Blocks down school’s only five blocks away are you going to live here now I don’t know I replied I was feeling pretty nervous on that score and I could see real fear in brendon’s eyes the house had a wide porch with Ivy clinging to it and a high-backed wooden bench on
The left side there was a large Maple in the middle of the front lawn and the DUS Breeze rustled through its leaves somewhere down the street a dog was barking this would be a nice place to call home I decided allowing my imagination to roam
For a moment we knocked on the door A young dark-skinned boy answered hey Jason suddenly exclaimed you’ve got my body the boy looked at Jason then at the four of us he looked most most intensely at me you have my daughter’s body he said he opened the door wider and added
Perhaps you should come in Jeremy and Jason removed their skates a beautiful young woman in her early 20s with red hair and a pale freckled face stepped into the entryway who is it she asked and then she saw me and her eyes went wide oh Ki what happened to you she
Exclaimed then on the heels of that she added but you’re not K me are you how silly of me still seeing my daughter’s body like that I glanced down at myself my knees were bloodied and scabbing over my feet were filthy from having walked Barefoot for several hours I had grass
Stains on my arms and legs and clothing and there was sticky chocolate and mustard stains down my front I probably had a visible bruise where I’d hit my chin so much for First Impressions this way please please the man in Jason’s body said we were just discussing things
Family Matters our family is well it’s better just to show you we followed them into a large living room in one corner burbled a small rock sculpture with a waterfall and a pool there were two large futon couches set opposite each other with a coffee table between them
On one side sat a young Asian girl of about 9 or 10 a Japanese boy of 13 or 14 and an older Japanese man slightly balding and with round lenen style glasses he was probably in his late 30s the darkskinned boy and the red-haired woman sat with them while the four of us
Sat on the opposite couch spotting me the young boy and girl gave slight gasps kill me the girl asked it’s just my body stupid the boy said it’s probably some other girl inside allow me to introduce myself and my family the dark skinned boy said my name is heroki hasua and I
Am or was a 40-year-old businessman I am fortunate enough to run my own business and am doubly fortunate to have landed in a body that is still male albe it a juvenile one this is my wife natmi he gestured to the young red-haired woman she is also fortunate in that she is
Still female and only 8 years older than me this will obviously put a strain on our marriage but it is far from insurmountable I expect it will get better the more my new body matures he gestured to the young Asian girl this he said is my son Hikaru who is now my
Daughter he has the body of a young Han Chinese girl from down the street the boy next to her is kiomi whose body you are in she is now in her older brother’s body and has decided to change her name to makato this older gentleman is my
Grandmother Naro who who is now in my old body her new name is no boyi as you can see strange things have happened to us today but our family remains intact for which I am grateful now it is your turn if you would please let us know who
You all are Jason and Jeremy Ed each other I’m Jason the boy said I’ve got Jeremy’s body now really makato said lucky for you what happened to Jeremy um Jeremy said I’m Jeremy this eliciting Giggles from the hasagawa children Jeremy Hikaru exclaimed you wound up in Susan cresten J’s body hey Jeremy said
Look Who’s Talking you’re a dorky girl too this is so weird makato said I can’t believe I’m seeing someone in my body who are you then my name’s Olaf Gunderson I said up until this morning I was living in a nearby nursing home I’m really 97 years old I’m Brendan Lawrence
Brendan said I’m really 19 years old you were both guys Hikaru asked you were a 97-year-old man Mado asked how weird so what’s it like being in my body kind of exciting actually I said it sure beats being stuck in a nursing home I’m glad by the way that you didn’t just switch
With me boy no kidding she said that sure would have sucked I still want to know what happened to you Mrs hasagawa said looking directly at me oh I guess I was roller skating down the sidewalk I mean kiomi was roller skating down the sidewalk when we switched oh that’s
Right kiomi said one minute I’m flying down the sidewalk the next minute I’m I’m waking up on a baseball field somehow I managed to land in my brother’s body despite not really being near him weird huh do you have any family that you would like to call Mrs
Hasagawa asked standing up there’s a phone in the dining room both Brendan and I nodded Jason and Jeremy jumped up look we better go Jason said we told our parents that we’d be back before it got too late they made be all switched around but they’re still my parents you
Know I don’t even know about my dad or sister yet Jeremy added as they headed towards the door I sure hope he’s not a little girl or nothing man this has been one up day a half hour later I hung up the phone Brendan was sitting opposite me looking very depressed he
Hadn’t been able to contact his mother but his father was now an 80-year-old woman who had lived next door and was really in no position to offer Brendan any support meanwhile the news from my family had been a great deal worse that was my grandaughter faith I said my
Voice barely a whisper her mother my daughter-in-law is an infant she switched with the neighbor’s daughter only 4 months old they think the baby was switched into my granddaughter’s body which is 7 months pregnant they took her body to the hospital and with any luck the baby Will Survive to be
Delivered but her body may have to be institutionalized my son wounded up with the body of the woman next door when he realized what had happened to him his wife and his daughter he got out a pistol and shot himself Mrs hasagawa wrapped her arms around me I’m so sorry
She said this day has been a nightmare I nodded my Euphoria of earlier when I’d embraced the notion of starting life over young healthy and female had vanished my chest felt tight and I knew that if I could I would rewind everything back to the way it was even
If it meant going back to my old body and the nursing home and slowly dying what right did I have to live my son was only 60 years old and now his life was over it wasn’t fair of course none of it was fair I got the body of a 12-year-old
And even if keomi was only a couple of years older someone had been left in my old broken body where was the just in that what about your granddaughter Mr hasagawa asked I still had trouble thinking of the young black boy as Mr hasagawa but as calm Serene and No
Nonsense nature helped she’s a young girl again I said about 10 years old her husband is a woman too of about 30 or so he she says that she’ll take care of faith and the child when it’s born but it won’t be easy he was a machinist and
It remains to be seen if she can handle the same job while raising two others as for my daughter-in-law the neighbors are going to keep her and raise her as if she were their newborn daughter nobody knows if she will remember who she is or not I sigh and leaned into Mrs
Hasagawa’s Embrace tears were running down my cheeks moments later I felt myself being lifted up as easily as someone might have a back of groceries how strange I thought how much did I wait anyway 60 lb 70 Mrs hasagawa carried me into the living room and sat
Me down on the empty futon couch then sat next to me I leaned into her and for the first time since I could remember I cried after several minutes my SOB subsided I managed to get myself under control and wipe the tears from my eyes I’m sorry Mrs hasagawa I said it’s just
I no need to apologize she said it’s been a hard day for everyone look at me I’m a 38-year-old Japanese housewife in the body of a 22-year-old Irish girl I’m 5 in taller than I was this morning and only 8 years older than my own son who’s
Really my daughter kiomi my own husband is 2 years younger than his son as I said it’s been very strange I looked around across from me the man who was really the grandmother of the family was comforting the six-year-old Brendan the father looked on his face a mask of
Seriousness while his two children s ways off it seems to me Mr hasagawa said after a moment that neither of you have families left to return to perhaps it would be best if you spent the night here thank you I managed my voice barely a whisper I don’t mean to impose
Nonsense Mrs hasagawa said You are my my daughter if only physically as for Brendan where else can she turn to you both need a stable home for the moment at least and our home is currently more stable than most she glanced at her husband you know dear she said we’ve
Always wanted a larger family he nodded this may seem a little forward or sudden he said but if you truly have nowhere else to live you may want to consider having us formally adopt the two of you adoption I repeated you’re talking about I mean nobody adopts an adult we’d have
To be kids again Mrs hassaan nodded listen she said I know there are a lot of adults in the bodies of children and many of them are going to act as if nothing’s really changed just as my husband is doing but you don’t have a family and it’s probably been a long
Time since you went to school how much education have you had anyway um I said I guess if we’re speaking formally then not much I dropped out of high school when I was 16 well you see and A lot’s changed in the last 60 years or so
Computers for example do you know how to use one not the faintest I said I think going back to school as an actual 12-year-old girl would be of enormous Aid to you both knowledge-wise and socially it will help you adjust to your new life as for your friend I think we
Can all agree that a six-year-old girl shouldn’t be living on her own no matter how mature she is mentally of course I wouldn’t want to send her through first grade again you’re a college student aren’t you Brendan but if she wanted to attend seventh grade with you and makado
And Hikaru then I think that would work out just fine there’s bound to be other children who aren’t the right age otherwise she’ll just wind up staying home with me and I don’t know how much she’ll like that why can’t I just go back to college Brendan asked honey
You’re only 6 years old now Mrs hasagawa replied we have to be realistic even if you could handle it mentally you want to give yourself a chance to develop socially as well how come I got to go through seventh grade again Hikaru complained because you’re only 9 years
Old now his mother said anyway your GR were not what they could have been so going back a grade won’t hurt you any so that’s our proposal she continued if you want to live with us in this house then we will adopt you to as our daughters
What do you think I don’t know I said can I have time to think about it likewise Brendan said this is all moving way too fast for me of course Mr hasagawa said I’ll tell you what Mrs hasagawa added how about we have a one-week trial you can be our daughters
For a week to see if you like it I glanced at Brendan that sounds okay I said cautiously she nodded in agreement oh that’s wonderful Mrs hasagawa exclaimed but you must both promise to call me mother okay Mrs hasagawa squeezed me tight I lean into her larger
Body and a warm feeling spread through me a 22-year-old Irish girl as a mother in a Japanese household it was a strange idea but when I thought of calling her mother and of her calling me daughter it seemed wonderful almost magical now what about names she asked certainly I can’t
Call you Olaf and Brendan just call her kiomi makato said after all she’s got my body so she should have my name as well can I call you kiomi Mrs hasagawa asked I nodded feeling the warm spot in my belly growing as for you Mrs hasagawa
Looked up at Brendan should I call you Brenda now the young black girl frowned that makes sense she said but everyone else has Japanese names call her nuro the Grandfather said that was my name but I can’t use it anymore that’s perfect Mrs hasagawa said she wrapped
The both of us in a tight hug well then welcome home Naro and kiomi I know how strange this day has been but keep your chins up and things will get better I felt her hand on my rear and then she pulled away and looked at me Ki have you
Wet yourself she asked I glanced down I um when I first awoke shame although I can hardly blame you but you should have said something something we need to get you out of those clothes and into the bath right away you too nuro and for that matter Hikaru as well ah mom Hikaru
Began I felt myself lifted up by grandfather nooyi meanwhile Mrs hasawa scooped up nuro and the two of us were carried down the hallway the bathroom was different there was no toilet for one thing that was in a separate room there was an outer room for and dressing
And an inner room which consisted of a large tiled area with a handheld shower head set into the wall and a very large and deep bath in the back as they stripped off our clothing Mrs hasagawa and grandfather noboyuki explained to us that the traditional method of Japanese
Bathing was to thoroughly clean yourself before getting into the tub the bath itself was just a relaxing soak in hot water and since you were clean before you got in you could leave the water for the next family member hikara and Naro were embarrassed but having someone to
Help me undress or bathe was normal for me it seemed silly to worry about being naked in front of girls or women when you were a girl yourself besides I was interested in this new body of mine there was a floorlength mirror in the outer room and I spent several minutes
Staring into it looking at my new body it did feel a bit like child pornography I guess I didn’t see myself but a naked Japanese girl I had to admit she was pretty cute kiomi has clothing to wear of course Mrs hasagawa said and we have
Two boxes of clothing that belong to the girl that Hikaru has become as for little Naro I might be able to find some of ki’s old clothes but we’ll need to do some shopping tomorrow I for one suddenly have nothing that will fit me and I’m sure my husband is in the same
Predicament grandfather nobuki filled the tub before leaving Mrs hasagawa helped us wash up and then left us to soak in the tub for a while I think they understood that we needed time to explore our new bodies and to get used to them we were extra careful washing
Narco’s hair I didn’t think mother hasagawa knew how to do cornrow braids but she might have to learn quick steam filled the room obscuring everything in a cloudy white water dripped from the faucet creating Hollow Echoes that bounced off the tiled walls the the smell of coconut oil from the shampoo
Was everywhere I sat on the edge of the bath and dangled my feet into the water gasping at the intense heat the tile felt cool and smooth on my rear then I stepped into the bath walked to the back corner and sat down the near scalding water rising over my strange new crotch
My skinny waist and my non-existent breasts what will it be like I wondered when my hips grow wide and my breasts fill out hiar had to lift Naro into the tub the girl gasped at the Heat and then settled into a corner Hikaru stepped in last sitting down near the front and
Drawing her knees up against her body the bath was large enough that the three of us could share it without getting our feet Tangled together there was even room for another small girl this is so weird Naro said she looked at Hikaru and I and then down at herself I’ve always
Wanted to get naked in a hot tub with a bunch of girls but not quite like this even with everything that had happened today I had trouble hearing a six-year-old girl talk like this I kept expecting her to talk in simple words and half sentences like a child that she
Didn’t was kind of surreal Hikaru laughed nervously you were both boys before right she asked NCO and I both nodded I was a football player at the University Naro added really Hikaru asked were you really big what position did you play I wasn’t very big Naro admitted but I was pretty fast
I was a cornerback I just made second string but the coaches were really impressed they said if I worked hard I could make first string this year now her voice trailed off kind of sucks doesn’t it Hikaru asked I was going to play on the baseball team this year I
Was going to be a pitcher why can’t you still do that I asked I’m too young now Hikaru said besides girls play softball he said the word as if it were something repugnant it’s weird you being my sister now she said to me it’s really weird
That I’m here with you and we’re both naked and I’m a girl too I can imagine I said although I didn’t really have to Hikaru ran her fingers over her new sex it sure feels strange she said I have to sit down to pee now I know I can have
Babies now I guess not for a few years yet I said Hikaru stared down at her crotch deep in contemplation how does that work exactly she asked you were an adult right you must no I stared at her she’d been a 13-year-old boy I thought surely they’d explained sex and
Reproduction in school I I said feeling uncomfortable with the subject I I said again I glanced over at the six-year-old next to me I think nuro could explain it better I said wimp Naro said before launching into an explanation 10 times more graphic than anything I’d ever
Heard when I was young even in the Great War guys didn’t talk like that oh Hikaru said when Naro was done she stared down at her crotch again and then back up at us but wouldn’t that hurt warm flannel was pulled over my head and fell in
Ruffles to my ankles swirling about my legs my hips and my entire torso a dry pair of cotton panties hugged my lower half with printed yellow bunnies dancing across them the nighty had ruffles at my wrists and at my neck and was gathered below my armpits and across my flat
Chest I slipped my feet into warm fuzzy bunny slippers and followed mother hasagawa down the hallway Naro walked beside her a large towel wrapped about her small body it refused to stay put and Drug on the floor noticing this mother hasagawa laughed and gathered her up towel and all and carried her into
The bedroom grandfather nooki was there with a box of clothing that they’d found in the Attic mother hasagawa dumped nuro unceremoniously onto the bed the girl rolled over exposing naked brown skin then covered herself with the towel I ditched the slippers so I could feel the soft thick carpet under my feet the
Walls were papered in a power blue Japanese print pattern the room smelled of lilac and lavender which confused me until I spotted the bowl of papuri on the dresser the scent clung to everything in the room on a rocker in the corner a sleepy kitten yawned and studied us with mild
Interest I liked the music that was playing softly in the background later I learned it was Kitaro a new age artist and one of Father hasagawa’s favorites I grudgingly had to admit that some new music was actually worth listening to but would I have to like rock and roll
Now or was that even popular anymore I had no idea what kids were into these days mother hasagawa held up a baby baby doll top and panties they were white with light green and yellow flowers oh this was always my favorite she exclaimed this will do perfectly here
Naro let me dress you must I mother hasagawa frowned and I thought normal six-year-olds were difficult yes you must for one thing I have nothing else for you to wear to bed and you’re not going to sleep naked jeez you s sound just like my mother I might very well be
Your mother young lady so I’ll take that as a compliment despite being younger Hikaru was not that much smaller than I so she was also given one of ki’s 9es Mado showed up as Hikaru pulled the nighty over her head hey Hikaru exclaimed don’t look at me when I’m
Naked you jerk please makato said it’s not like I wasn’t a girl this morning but you’re a guy now Hikaru said you can’t go around staring at naked girls anymore I wasn’t staring was too was not hush you too their mother said does the new kiomi get the
Old ki’s room Hikaru asked well she certainly could use the clothes and the jewelry and the makeup and whatnot besides it’s decorated for a girl and mado’s a boy now Mom that’s my jewelry Yes dear but boys don’t wear jewelry at least not this kind but since you’re in
Hikaru’s old body we’ll put you in hikaru’s room why does she he get my room because it’s a boy’s room with clothing that will fit him and that you no longer need Hikaru frowned well okay he can have my room and my clothes but he doesn’t get any of my other stuff
Who’d want it Anyway makato said junkie boy toys so where do I go mom the guest room yes but we’ll have to fix it up first what about Naro Mrs hasagawa frowned well you two are the youngest a mom I don’t want to share my room with
Some dumb little girl I’m no more a little girl than you Naro exclaimed and I’m a hell of a lot smarter Naro if you’re going to live in this house then you’ll have to watch your language little girls are not supposed to talk like that but I’m not a you are now
Whether you like it or not you’re going to have to learn to adjust the girl frowned then said yes ma’am Ki would you mind sharing your room with Naro I know she’s half your age but it might be easiest on everyone I don’t mind I said
I mean it’s not like I’m really TW 12 and she’s really six mentally we’re mature adults we’ll get along fine half an hour later Naro and I curled up beneath the covers in ki’s old bed Moonlight drifted through the window falling on unfamiliar objects in an unfamiliar room I thought back on the
Events of the day and wondered where our lives were heading now Naro giggled you still smell like strawberries she said I know I don’t want to be a girl she said I know I replied I wrapped my arms about her tightly and we both drifted off to
Sleep I awoke to the lingering scent of strawberries and the warmth of a small body against mine my arm draped around it for a moment I thought I was back in Minnesota curled up with my new wife on a frosty winter mourn I’d been 19 then fresh from the war and freshly married
Ready to take over my ailing uncle’s Farm I got an early start on life I enlisted when I was 15 just another snot-nosed kid looking for adventure and a way out of the Midwest what I got was 3 years in Europe in the belly of the
Beast that became known as the Great War the war to end all wars not that it was of course but that’s beside the point when it was over I was more than ready to come back settle down and milk cows day in and day out those were happy
Times the best years of my life anytime I would was angry or depressed at the world I thought of those years with Julia and I knew that God owed me nothing he’d given me 15 years of true Bliss after that he’d taken Julia from me leaving only old photos and our young
Son to remember her by I opened my eyes and saw brown skin and black braids I blinked for a moment recalling the strange events of the day before I was kiomi now a 12-year-old Japanese girl I had two new sisters and all three of us had been female less than 24 hours the
Previous Ki was my new Elder brother and I had a mismatched pair of parents and a mixed up grandfather I climbed out of bed trying to not wakeen Oro she murmured softly rolled over and continued to sleep carefully I inspected the closet and then the dresser the
Light from The Morning Sun was just enough to see by I didn’t want to turn on the overhead lights just yet for fear of waking my new sister there were dresses and skirts in the closet and panties tights tops shorts jeans socks and some training bras in the dresser
Makeup and jewelry sat on the top along with several stuffed animals somehow the personal touches in the room made me feel like an Invader as if I’d snuck into someone’s room and was going through their things but these were my things now weren’t they the clothing and
The jewelry were at least although I’d be happy to lend jewelry to nurco or Hikaru if they wanted any I’d always wondered why it was called a training bra were you training your breast somehow but as I struggled to put one on I realized that the maneuver required a
Lot of practice the day before I’d been grateful that I hadn’t been wearing a skirt now I stared at the dresses and that sense of adventure and excitement came back to me I selected a yellow cotton sleeveless sundress one that buttoned up the front and got dressed I
Added a necklace and some plastic bracelets and then stared at myself in the vanity mirror after running a brush through my hair a few times I wandered out looking for the restroom breakfast was eggs over rice which I guess showed the Japanese roots of this mostly Americanized family I watched my new
Mother freckles and all serving her brown-skinned husband all of 12 years old the first thing on Mrs hasagawa’s agenda was shopping she had a house full of people and only half of them owned any clothing to speak of the entire family piled into a minivan and we drove
Down town only to find that most of the stores were closed people were still dealing with their own problems it seemed but as we drove back home we heard an announcement on the radio they were asking people to bring any clothing they no longer needed down to the
Stadium they were having the largest clothing swap meet ever bring in your old clothes and find some that fit your new body a straight across trade well Mrs hasagawa said that sounds reasonable we’ve got my old clothing and grandmother’s that we no longer need but we have very little for Naro or Hikaru
To wear not to mention Mr hasagawa we stopped at McDonald’s for lunch it tasted far better than I could remember from my past then we headed home to gather up old clothing I sat on the porch swing with Naro enjoying the summer day when I glanced down the
Street I saw a blonde girl in roller skates coming our way hey Jeremy I called out the girl rolled up to me and grimaced you’re not allowed to call me Jeremy anymore she said my new name is Jennifer well that’s a pretty name she flopped down on the lawn I hate it she
Said but without a lot of feeling she was wearing black knit shorts and a dark blue blouse which had an elastic Gathering across the chest with a square cut neckline puff sleeves and white lace trim the body hung loose and billowed about her waist like a dress mom made me
Wear this she said with a Grimace girls stuff yuck so where’s Jason nuro asked I don’t know doing stuff with his parents I guess we’re going down to the clothing swap at the stadium I said did you hear about it yeah she said I don’t really need the clothes though
Susan brought me all of her old stuff this morning she’s 16 now and none of it fits her but it’s all frilly dresses and skirts and stuff I wanted to take the skirts and stuff to the swap but mom won’t let me I smiled a little at that
Your mom didn’t change at all did she what about your dad and sister did you find them yeah they’re both at home now dad’s turned into his secretary who was just back from maternity leave he’s still black but he’s only 23 years old and the really weird part is that he can
Breastfeed a baby he’s already promised to keep breastfeeding his secretary’s baby she’s a man now so she and her baby are going to live with us his baby whatever and then my sister is only a year old now so dad’s breastfeeding her it’s to too weird my family’s all messed
Up but both mom and dad say they’re going to stay together and see it through so I guess I got two moms now weird huh but one good thing is since dad’s home watching those two kids mom can’t get any funny ideas about having me babysit them and change their diapers
Or anything stupid that would really suck mother hasagawa appeared on the porch with a box of clothing in her hand oh Jeremy she said said how are you doing today okay she said but my name’s Jennifer now what a lovely name we’re going down to the stadium clothing swap
Do you want to come the blonde girl shrubbed her shoulders sure I guess she said I don’t got anything better to do clouds rolled in and a light rain started fall as we piled into the van the sudden change in weather seemed to affect my mood I leaned my face against
The window feeling suddenly overwhelmed and just stared out the water streak glass as we drove I wondered if this strange dream was ever going to end the swap meat was amazing there was a massive crash of people all talking about who they’d been and what it had
Been like to wake up in someone else’s body there were piles of clothing heaped onto tables sorted roughly by sex and size and type there were a whole lot of change in booths nothing more than sheets draped over laundry rope all haste arranged but serviceable there
Were popcorn and hot dog vendors not to mention soft drinks ice cream cotton candy and espresso stands the crowd noise was deafening I saw a reporter with a cameraman doing interviews Nothing Stops the news I guess loudspeakers blared rock and roll frequently interrupted for important announcements I walked past an old man
In the corner playing a hery Gertie of all things I suppose he was one one of the lucky ones who didn’t switch then again maybe he would have been as happy as I was to be 12 again 2 hours later we were still selecting clothing for Naro
Hikaru and mother hasagawa I don’t want any dresses Naro said staring at her reflection in obvious distaste she picked at the Hem of the frilled yellow penor like one might pick a dead rat AR of the road I don’t like dresses she said especially ones with Frills and
Ruffles and lace and stuff mother hasagawa frowned what kind of girl wears pants all the time she asked the kind that was a grown man only one day ago Naro retorted Naro such strong language is not suitable for such a little girl Mrs hasagawa said what did I
Tell you about curbing your tongue I need you to be proper and respectful you’re not a grown man anymore the truth was we’d already selected several pairs of girls pants and shorts for Naro Mrs hasagawa had been very understanding and consilio under the circumstances but it was simply Unthinkable to her that a
Girl would have more pants than dresses or more shorts than skirts if we were her daughters then we would be prim and proper young girls and that was all there was to it Hikaru was equally annoyed examining the pink jumper she wore mom I look like a dork she
Complained you watch your language too Missy her mother snapped you look perfectly fine for a young girl Jennifer giggled and I couldn’t help by smile myself what are you two laughing at she snapped looking at Jennifer and I your turn is coming next you know but we
Don’t need new clothes I replied I’ve got all of ki’s outfits and Jan has all of Susan’s clothing that maybe Mrs hasagawa said but as long as we’re here we might as well look it won’t hurt either of you to take something else home I’m sure Jen’s mother won’t mind
One bit after selecting at least two dozen outfits for Hikaru and Naro mother hasagawa began sorting through clothing several sizes larger she handed a blue dress to me and a yellow one to Jennifer she hustled us into one of the changing booths and said put those on and then
Show me how you look you want us to change in the same booth Jennifer asked you’re both girls and you’re the same age she said what’s the problem Jennifer looked into my eyes and I returned the look I’ve never undressed in front of a girl before she
Said before last night I would have said the same thing but it’s no big deal really Jennifer blushed well she said I guess since we’re both girls now it’s okay I unbuttoned my dress and let it slide to the floor while Jennifer dropped her shorts and pulled her top
Over her head we both stood there for a moment two flatchested girls wearing nothing but socks shoes and underwear nice panties she said with a smirk same to you I retorted nice training bra too she giggled and began to wriggle her way into the yellow dress this is too weird
She said she settled the dress around herself pulled her long blonde hair free and turned around button me up she asked sure I said what are girlfriends for anyway never thought I’d be anyone’s girlfriend she muttered can’t believe I’m wearing this thing either I slid my
Own dress on and let her zip me up and we stepped out of the booth for inspection well Mrs hasagawa said you both look very nice I think those will do now she held up another dress I found this dress as well isn’t it darling
Almost like a penor I stared at it and Shrugged I guess I don’t really know a penor from a four pin I said Mrs hasagawa laughed and handed it to me it’s really amazing to think that you’ve lived 97 years but you don’t really know about women’s clothing I was never a
Woman before that’s no longer an excuse she said can you tell me what an Ender round is a screen pass a safety Mrs hasagawa laughed touche if I’d been switched into a baseball player’s body football I interrupted yes a football player’s body then I guess I’d have to
Know those things but I wasn’t and I don’t you however are a girl now so you’ll need to learn about being a woman remember K me you’re the oldest of the girls you need to set an example for your two younger sisters now great I the former Olaf Gunderson was to
Become a shining example of girlhood are you going to our school Jennifer asked on the way home school I hadn’t thought about it a lot truth to tell but I remembered my conversation with Mrs hasagawa last night I hadn’t been in school since well I dropped out of high
School to join the Army and I’d never gone back I guess that made it about 80 years all told yeah I said suddenly I think I will school sounds like a really good idea all of a sudden cool Jennifer said we can be friends then you’re pretty cool kiomi cooler than the old
Kiomi was even you really think so you bet the only thing is they’ve got uniforms at our school you know so girls got to wear plaid skirts bet you’re looking forward to that huh she made a face I won’t mind if you won’t she said I laughed no problem then in any case
School was cancelled for the week to give people time to sort their lives out I had time to think things through before I made my final decision on both school and living as the hasagawa’s daughter in the meantime I spent the next two days with Jason Jennifer and
Makado learning how to skate Hikaru thought skating was stupid but Naro wanted to skate with us mother hasagawa bought her some child’s skates but she had a hard time of it despite her college student mind she still had the coordination of a first grader and couldn’t keep up with the rest of us
This frustrated her and she would cry I guess the hormones of a six-year-old can overwhelm you at times and I felt sorry for her getting stuck as a little kid was more of a raw deal than I’d been given I guess wound Ed up feeling very protective of of her father hasagawa had
A set of business suits tailor made to fit his young frame apparently tailoring business suits to Children’s sizes was suddenly a very big business by the fourth day I was starting to adjust to feel comfortable not only in this body but with my new life I wanted the
Hasagawa to adopt me I’d be happy to be their daughter it was true that being a child meant having no power and having to obey others but I hadn’t been in control of my life for years and the trade-off was that I had few worries and
A great deal of Freedom how many adults get to roll or skate around the neighborhood all day with nothing to do except to do nothing in the evening I sat on the porch with grandfather hasagawa I’d found him to be an amazingly resourceful and dignified man especially considering who he’d been
He’d done a great deal to help his son and daughter around the house no job was beneath him and he always seemed to be in a good mood what’s it like to be your own son now I asked he looked somewhat embarrassed and looked off into the
Distance he was silent for a long time and I thought he would never answer but then her said it’s different I’m bigger and stronger I’m 25 years younger and I’m a man he looked at me and his eyes seemed to smile this is the most exciting thing to happen to me in 30
Years he said I smiled back I know what you mean I was 97 you know so I heard very strange isn’t it but you know I think my ancestors are looking over me and my family I think they arranged it so that I could help hold the family together despite everything that’s
Happened I’m just glad that my son didn’t wind up in my old body I feel sorry for the poor man who’s trapped in there now on the fifth day I got to meet my family what was left of them at any rate it wasn’t really a time for
Celebration it was in fact my son’s funeral my new family attended with me much to the Chagrin of Hikaru who like me wore a formal black dress I could feel the Slick fabric of the slip between the dress and my skin and the black tights stretched over my legs
Hikaru hated it but I got a little thrill from the feel of the feminine clothing I didn’t recognize anyone and not just because I hadn’t seen them in years everyone was different now when I met my granddaughter’s husband now a beautiful Auburn haired woman we both
Stared at each other beside her was my granddaughter a young girl shorter than I with Mediterranean features and dark curly hair grandfather is that really you she asked I’m afraid so faith I said she wrapped me in a fierce hug and began sobbing into my shoulder oh grandfather
Mom and dad are gone and Robbie’s a woman now and my baby my baby I know I said holding her tight I know oh Gods this has all been so horrid she pulled back and smiled slightly oh grandfather you and Robbie are the only family I
Have left and oh this is so weird how can I call you grandfather when you’re a girl who’s only a few years older than me look at us I’m a little girl again and you’re one too but I’m glad you’re alive you know that I introduced my new
Family and explained that I would be living with them faith and Robbie agreed that it was for the best Robbie would have her hands full raising faith and the child that Faith soul body still carried then I sat and listened to the funeral service and talked with faith to
Be honest I knew very little about my granddaughter she was nearly 60 years younger than me or had been and I’d become an old old man confined to a nursing home before I’d ever had the chance to get to know her looking back I realized that I had missed a lot of
Opportunities in the years that she’d grown up I’d spent a lot of time traveling and only my first stroke had stopped me after that well she and Robbie hadn’t visited the nursing home very often now I had a second chance to get closer to my granddaughter and
Grandson well I suppose Robbie was my other granddaughter now although she was a good 20 years older than me best not to think about it too hard what it boiled down to was that Robbie and Faith were family the only original family I had left I was determined to spend some
Of my time with them this time around later that week I was at the playground swinging kicking my legs just relaxing and having fun as I had 90 years ago I swung higher and higher staring straight up into the Clear Blue Sky on the upswing and down at the ground when I
Swung back the ground rushed past my feet the Deep Groove in the earth dug by the feet of a thousand kids before me then I leaned way back to see the world turned upside down it was exhilarating as good as any carnival ride I’d ever
Been on I felt carefree and wild and I knew that being a kid was a good thing Jason Jennifer and makato spotted me and came over to join me I see England I see France I see kiomi under pants Jason called out yeah makato said yellow stripes even my
Feet plowed into the dirt and I skitted to a halt my legs snapped together and my hands clamped down on my skirt Jason makato I yelled don’t be such jerks the two boys laughed Jennifer looked annoyed I’m the big brother now makato said I’ll say whatever I want you can’t stop me
It’s not that funny Jennifer said oh yeah Jason replied what color are your panties anyway he grabbed her dress and flipped it up oh blue flowers Jennifer screamed and danced away Jason you jerk knock it off makado let out a low whistle Jennifer’s face was turning bright red she grabbed my hand and
Dragged me away come on Ki she said letun go somewhere where we won’t be bothered by any stupid jerkwad boys it seemed a little surreal to me but I guess boys will be boys and girls will be girls no matter what their pasts in any case Jennifer and I had been
Spending more and more time together while makato and Jason fell in with each other even Hikaru spent more time playing with nuro than with her old friends the way things were working out just seemed natural I followed Jennifer over the hill and into a vacant lot there was a gentle sloping Hill covered
With fresh green grass we sat down and the tall grass HIIT us from view I never realized boys were such jerks she said I guess girls really are more mature huh at this stage yeah I said after a moment’s reflection I added or at any other stage boys never really grow up
Not usually I’m almost glad I’m not one of them anymore she said I laughed at that ah who wants to be a boy anyway I asked Jennifer gave me a funny look and lapsed into silence we lay back in the grass and stared up at the clouds after
A while she said hey Ki can I tell you something sure what is it it’s something secret you have to promise to never ever tell another Soul okay I said promise promise yeah I promise cross my heart and hope to die stick a needle in my eye
All that Malarkey what is it Jennifer burst into a fit of Giggles you sure talk strange sometimes Ki she said anyway this is really secret so don’t tell anybody but I’ve been thinking about it for 3 days and you know what I like being a girl it’s not too bad is it
I said no it’s more than that she replied I mean when it first happened I was really grossed out you know but then it wasn’t so bad after I got over it I realized that I like being a girl I mean I like having frilly underwear with flowers on
It and wearing tights and having dresses with big bows and lots of Ruffles does that mean I’m weird or what it’s pretty normal for a girl I’d think well duh of course of course but I mean if my sister said that sure yeah whatever but I’m not
My sister I wasn’t born a girl you know I wasn’t a girl at all until 6 days ago it’s okay I said you’re a girl now you’re adapting Right girls are supposed to look pretty I always liked the way Susan looked Jennifer said she was
Really cute you know so I know I look good because I’m her now when it comes right down to it and I’m glad I like being a girl and feeling pretty and knowing that everyone thinks I’m cute you won’t tell anyone will you promise I
Said I could tell this was a big deal for her you know she said Jason’s been hanging around with makado all week it’s so weird because makado used to be the real kiomi anyway and she was a nice person and all but she was a girl you
Know so we weren’t really friends or anything but now it’s like they’re best friends and Jason doesn’t want to do anything with me except tease me and stuff I thought back to the scene in the park actually I said if I didn’t know any better I’d say he does that because
He likes you Jennifer looked into my eyes and her eyes got really big no you really think so yeah I do you mean he wants to kiss me and stuff she got a horrified look on her face gross I don’t want him slobbering all over me or
Anything that’s sick we sat for a while in silence then she said anyway what I was going to say is I think I need a new best friend someone who’s a girl you know cuz I’m a girl now but not some dumb girl who just wants to do girl
Stuff like playh house with dolls and junk I’m not into that got anyone in mind I asked asked she looked at me and giggled don’t tease me when I’m being serious she said sorry so do you want to be my best friend I eyed her lovely okay
I said as long as it doesn’t involves sealing it in blood or anything don’t be stupid she said giggling that’s boy’s stuff then she leaned back in the grass and watched the clouds roll by overhead after a while she asked do you really think Jason likes me yeah I said
Definitely she squirmed in the grass gross she said later as I snuggled beneath the covers with nuro I said well this has been the most interesting week of my entire life you were right Naro said was I about what when you first met me you told me to take it easy and
Everything would work itself out I was scared and angry and afraid of being trapped as a little girl I’m still not too thrilled about it but I think I’ll be okay some of it even sounds interesting and I figure if I can adjust that well in one week then I’ll feel
Even better as time goes on I guess I’m trying to say I’m glad I ran into you I don’t know what would have happened to me otherwise and I’m glad you’re my big sister well I’m glad you’re my little sister I said I felt a warm spot in my
Tummy that grew to Encompass my whole body it’s funny how you adapt after 6 days I was so used to my new body and status that I often didn’t give it a second thought I’d settled easily into the role of eldest sister with two younger sisters to defend from an
Increasingly Bry older brother not that Naro and Hikaru weren’t ready to defend themselves at every given opportunity it was strange to have parents again especially a father who was no older than I but he handled himself self well although on occasion I would catch him gazing wistfully out the window as the
Other kids played it must have been hard to be a kid and have to act like an adult I was glad that I didn’t have to Naro I asked yes how do you feel about adoption there was a long pause Naro that is Brendan Lawrence had finally
Gotten word about his her family but the news hadn’t been good Brendan Lawrence doesn’t have a family to return to she said I don’t want to be a six-year-old girl but I don’t really have a choice I don’t have any illusions of being able to survive on my own this body is still
A child’s and a child even one with an adult mind needs a family and I couldn’t ask for nicer parents or a more wonderful older sister I want to stay here I smiled again feeling the warmth Within Me growing even more me too Naro I whispered me too in the morning let’s
Let Mr and Mrs hassaan know okay you mean mom and pop nuro said with a giggle yeah I said we’ll tell Mom and Pop in the morning I stared into the mirror at the Japanese girl in the white blouse green jacket and green plaid skirt I could feel the smooth half slip beneath
That skirt brushing against my bare legs I studied the white socks turned down with trim and the black Mary Jane shoes and then glanced back up at my face perfect here stands kiomi hasagawa I thought a 12-year-old girl about to attend seventh grade for the first time
In nearly 90 years a Japanese girl who doesn’t know a word of Japanese but that’s okay I thought this girl has an entire lifetime to learn stop pulling on your skirt mother said pulling my hair back and please stop squirming around it doesn’t feel right I said and do I
Really need a ribbon in my hair it’s your first day of school mother said I want all of you to look nice makato don’t slouch Hikaru come over here I have a ribbon for each of you a mom that’s girl stuff yes and did you forget
That you’re a girl there now that’s not so bad is it now don’t pull it out Heal Me will tell me if you do okay narco’s turn honesty your hair is so unmanageable I can see why it was braided before I have a friend who’s
Going to teach me how to do that next week and maybe we can even do hakaru and K me at the same time what do you think about that there now don’t you look adorable Naro wore AJ see Long’s Junior High uniform designed especially for a six-year-old we’ picked it up only the
Day before and I had to admit it did look pretty cute on her the school had a new Custom Tailoring service and no wonder they now had students as young as six Naro wasn’t the only one and as old as 60 I felt sorry for any kids trapped
In adult bodies it was going to be difficult for them to fit in at a junior high school but then some of the teachers and administration were children now the school had also changed their dress code uniforms were still required but boys could wear a girl’s uniform if
They desired and girls could wear a boy’s uniform not that mother would let any of us do such a thing but we were curious to see what others wore now try to make friends with everyone mother said and don’t make fun of those who are very young or very old things are going
To be hard enough on people as it is Mado remember to look out for your sisters okay and Ki you look out for Naro and Hikaru I know Mado is older and the male but you have the most experience so I’m counting on you as well yes mother I said makato mumbled an
Ascent and made a face and then with my book bag and Naros in my hands we were out the door Jason and Jennifer linked up with us as we walked up the sidewalk then makato and Jason ran ahead apparently it wasn’t cool for the guys
To walk to school with the girls I felt apprehensive and giddy like any kid does on their first day at a new school I didn’t know what to expect but at least I had two sisters and a brother attending with me it was a little strange for children of different ages
All in the seventh grade I was the only one who really fit agewise but I wouldn’t be surprised if the others did better than I as the junior high came into view I saw a young girl with dark curly hair standing on the sidewalk as if waiting for us she wore a uniform
Like ours and as I drew closer I suddenly recognized who it was faith I asked coming to a stop before her Hello Ki she said that is your name isn’t it yeah I said suddenly she grabbed me around the waist and gave me a quick but warm hug then she pulled back and
Grinned at me like a cat with a tummy full of fish and a warm beam of sunlight to sleep in what are you doing here I asked I’m going to school she replied well certainly but I didn’t expect to see you I guess I didn’t even know you
Were going back to school well it makes it easier on Robbie she said she has to work and I don’t have anything else to do neither of us are quite sure how the child abandonment laws work now but if I’m at school she doesn’t have to worry
About me she smiled smiled and added I know I’m only 10 now but I asked to be in the same grade as you seventh grade in junior high seems like a good point for starting over I was hoping she said that we could get to know each other
Better grandpa I smiled I’d like that a lot but it’s kiomi now nice to meet you kiomi she exclaimed she stuck out her hand and said my name’s Faith want to be friends sure I said taking her hand if you remember these are my sisters Naro
And Hikaru and this is my best friend Jennifer Naro Hikaru Jennifer this is my granddaughter Faith granddaughter Faith said if you’re Hikaru then I’m just your new girlfriend got it I’m your next best friend after Jennifer weird Jen said nice to meet you but if we don’t hurt
Hurry we’re going to be late the five of us ran the rest of the way barely making it before the bell I sat down in class with my book bag on the desk and with Jennifer and faith on my left and Hikaru and Naro on my right I looked about the
Classroom noticing the other students most of them were children of about my age but there were a few older kids like Mado a few younger children like Hikaru faith and little Naro and three adults who looked very strange in their school uniforms the chairs and desks weren’t made for them although the school
Apparently had some on order three boys and five girls had come dressed in the clothing of the opposite sex I heard Jennifer whisper that at least one of each were doing it despite having not switched genders in the big switch I’m probably biased but I held the typical
View that the girls dressed in boys’s uniforms did not look bad while the boys wearing skirts and blouses looked stupid but who am I to judge I stared at the flag hanging from the wall and the blackboard at the front of the room there was a globe sitting on a file
Cabinet in one corner and an old projector next to it everywhere were the sights the sounds and the smells of school some things were unfamiliar but a lot of it sent me back to my youth chalk dust for example you never forget what it smells like and finally it all hit me
I really was a junior high student I really was a girl from now on I would be studying algebra and history and reading The Scarlet Letter and Huckleberry Fin and eating lunch in the cafeteria and using the girls public restroom and changing in the girls locker room during
Pee and playing dodgeball and volleyball and showering with the other girls and going to the library to study and playing hopscotch in the street and holding girls only slumber parties and I knew that my old life would fade into a distant memory in no time at all I’d be
Thinking about Proms and boys and I’d be growing breasts and dealing with all of the things that any normal girl dealt with and it would all fly by so fast I’d lived 97 years and I knew how time flashed by I wanted to live another 97 I
Wanted to experience it all and savor every moment what would it be like when I got my first period when my breasts and hips filled out and I had the curves that could turn a man’s heart into a pretzel what would it be like to make
Love to a man or to fall in love with him what would it be like to be a bride with a beautiful wedding dress and to walk down the aisle to my groom with my new father by my side what might it be like to become pregnant to Bear a child
And feed it from my breast to be the mother and not the father I squirmed in my seat the teacher droned on but I wasn’t listening I thought of all of the things that lay before me and wondered a new at the miracle that had given me
This second shot at life you only go around once sorry but my second trip is already booked and I could hardly wait
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