Ashely

by Mastermind

   

There comes a time in every person's life that makes them dream, or at least reminous, about the past. For me, that time came when one of my most cheerished of friends passed away at the age of twenty. At first, when I heard about his passing, I couldn't shed a tear; but as I sat quietly in the funeral parlor looking at his lifeless body lying in the coffin, a single tear rolled down my flush cheek. Now as I've already said, there comes a time in everyone's life when they start to think about the past and seeing the numerous amounts of people who came to show their last respects made this particular instant my time to remember.

One of the most humorous memories I have of being with Thomas is when we came across this strange looking necklace with a medallion attached to it. The medallion was so strange that neither of us wanted to touch it, let alone be anywhere near it. However, as we stood there looking at it, the necklace seemed to call to us.

"Hey, Marcus, let's bring it with us," suggested Thomas tapping me on the back of my shoulder, startling me.

"Yea, all right, but you're the one who has to pick it up." The look on his face wasn't anything I'd say I should be proud of seeing, but it definitely passed on his message. "Fine," I sighed reluctantly.

It was late afternoon when I finally walked through the kitchen door and saw my mother preparing our supper.

"Marc, I have to work late this evening, so after dinner I need you to stay in the house and keep an eye on your sister."

"But mom, I'm fifteen and I have plans to get together with Thomas this evening and play some ball. Can't you get someone else to watch her this evening?"

"Then I make a deal with you. If you put your plans on hold to play ball with Thomas this evening to watch Kathrine, than I'll get you that new game system you've been bugging me to get you." My eyes glistened at the thought of receiving the new play station three unit out in stores and before I knew what I was doing I hurriedly agreed and called Thomas to let him know what was up. He too hastily agreed when I told him what my mother was willing to do should I watch my four-year-old little sister.

Over dinner that evening, my mother also informed me of the other things she needed me to do while watching Katherine. Of course, since it was taking all of Katherine's old dresses and clothes from her closet and put them into the basement I would have to do it while Katherine was busy watching Barney and Friends on television, so she wouldn't get in my way.

"All right, squirt," I said at six-thirty turning the television to the public access channel and standing up from the couch. "I'll be down in a few minutes. Don't move from this spot for any reason." Finally, after I got her to promise five different ways not to move, I went to work. First, I emptied my pockets on the coffee table, forgetting about the medallion I'd placed there earlier, then headed off to Katherine's room down the hall. After a ten minutes of pulling dresses from the closet and throwing them in an empty box, my throat was starting to become dry.

"What do you think you're doing?" I shouted angrily when I came back into the living room and found Katherine wearing with the medallion. "Take that off and go get ready for bed!" Instantly Katherine started to cry and ran from the living room, but not before throwing the medallion on the floor and cracking it almost in two. Damn her and her ever persistent nosiness, I thought angrily looking over the medallion for any other possibly scratches and as I looked it over, my eyes became glued to it like it was a woman's naked breast. Slowly I began to feel like everything I knew was slipping out of my mind while this undiscribable feeling started to over take my initial thoughts of concern and anger.

As the night progressed, nothing seemed any easier. Things I had once mastered long ago now seemed way too complicated for me to even try and figure out. Yet, that wasn't what frightened me. What did frighten me was this undescribable feeling like I had to wear one of Katherine's pretty little dresses, or set of clothes, and since Katherine was fast asleep I figured now would be my chance. However, as I neared my goal of sneaking into Katherine's room, my mother's car headlights sped up the driveway and reality slapped me in the face. What in the hell am I thinking wanting to wear one of my sister's dresses? I mean sure the material is soft and comfy, I thought as my mind began to slip again and a dream like state crossed my face.

*****

The next day at school, I found it just as hard as I did the previous evening to concentrate. Any time a girl would walk past me or be near me, my mind would begin to slip. It became so horrifying when I began to think things like: I wonder if I'll look that pretty when I grow up and That dress looks so gorgous, I want one just like it when I'm her age.

"Mr. Ericson, pay attention!" snapped my eigth period math teacher, Mrs. Kramtrim.

At the close of school, Thomas and I decided that we were going to head over to the local mall and start looking at different types of video games we should buy once I had my playstation three, but as we entered the gaming/toy store, I continued to walk right past the games and continue on toward the young girls' toy section.

"Hey man, what's wrong with you?" asked Thomas grabbing hold of my arm and snapping me back into reality.

"There's a baby doll. She wets her pants and acts like a real baby." I shook my head, but somehow I don't think what I said next sounded too convincing. "Katherine's been after my mother for weeks to buy it for her." Damn it, what's wrong with me? Thomas just shook his head ashamed of me.

That evening, as I sat in my room working on my homework, my mother knocked on my bedroom door and walked inside.

"So, Marcus, Katherine told me that you yelled at her last night. What to tell me what that was all about?"

I put my pen down and turned. "She was wearing something of mine and when I told her to take it off, she threw it and it cracked almost it two," I said reaching in my desk's top draw and pulling the medallion out.

"I see," she said grabbing hold of the necklace and pulling it closer to her and as her hand made contact with the medallion I felt a sharp pain shoot through me; despite the immense pain I was feeling, I was able to maintain a straight face so she wouldn't expect a thing. However as the pain subsided my mind began to slip more. Isn't it the prettiest thing you've ever seen, mommy? I think it'll go perfect with... I looked over at my closet and shook my head. "Are you feeling alright, Marcus?"

"Yea, I'm just a little tired I guess." There I go again, having this strange desire to wear one of Katherine's dresses and with each new minute that passes it seems to be growing stronger.

"Ok then," she said reluctantly. "I guess I'll leave you alone now so you can finish your school work. Just don't stay up too late."

"I won't," I promised her as she kissed my forehead goodnight and left my room.

*****

When I woke the following morning, I found I'd become thinner than what I had been when I'd gone to bed last night. At first I thought this was only me taking a late notice from all the hard work I'd been doing in the gym over the last three or four weeks after school, but as I looked more closely, not only had my waste become and hips become more slender, but my arms and legs too. I shrugged thinking nothing of it and started to get dressed in a pair of jeans with a hole in the right knee.

"It's time to get up," my mother began to say opening up my bedroom door and stopping dead in her tracks. "I'm sorry Marcus." I looked at her with the saddest eyes I could muster without being too obvious as I knew what was coming. "Some one's called into the Emergency Room ill and I need to work a double shift to cover for this person; so ..."

"... So you need me to keep an eye on the little monster, you call my sister?" I asked sacastictly slipping a t-shirt over my head from off the floor.

"Would you please?" begged my mother. Of course, whenever she begged I couldn't ever say no; I think its something to do with the power women have over the kindest men like me.

"Only if I can have a few friends over this afternoon to play some play station three with me?" Before I knew knew what to think or believe, she hastily agreed to the terms of our agreement and announced she was leaving for work and that Katherine'd already eaten breakfast.

As I rounded the corner leading into the living room from the back hall, I found Katherine sitting on the couch wearing one of her finest dresses and watching some little kids television program. "Beat it squirt," I said angrily. "I'm playing my play station three."

"But, mommy said..." I cringed at the sound of the word mommy.

"I don't care what she said. I'm in charge and I said go to your room and play with your stupid dolls. I'm going to be playing..." My breath left me and the look on her face and the sight of her dress drew my mind away from what I was saying. Instantly I started to stutter as my mind slipped and I said the first thing that was on my mind. "...Dolls." Katherine studied my reaction as the word escaped my lips uncontrollably with a fine tip comb, a grin slowly appearing across her face.

"Dolls," repeated Katherine in an eerie whisper. What the fuck is wrong with me, I thought as my head slowly nodded and reconfirmed what I'd said; despite me trying my hardest to prevent it from doing so. The grin across her face wided and her eyes glowed with an undescribable glee at what I'd said and just as easily confirmed. Watching her sit there on the couch, I could tell she was still trying to figure out exactly what that meant and the strange thing is I was trying to figure out the same exact thing. "Dolls," she whispered a second time putting her finger to her lip and tapping it gently in thought; then without so much as another word said, she stood up and ran from the living room and returning only once she'd had almost her entire baby doll collection in hand. "There you go," she said thrusting the dolls into my arms. "Mommy said I could watch TV."

Sitting there in utter silence for a moment I didn't know what to think or believe in any more. Here I was a fifteen-year-old teenage boy stating that I wanted to play dolls, when in fact what I wanted to be doing was playing my brand new play station three with my friends. However, after the embarrassement of what I'd said left me and I was left with holding onto my sister's two most eldest dolls, I began to feel somehow strange. My mind began to slip and my memories of playing with dolls all my life slowly drifted into focus and before long, I was happy cuddling and playing mother to these four perfect baby dolls.

"Katherine," I said meakly.

"Yea, Marcus?" responded Katherine not looking away from the television screen.

"I - um..." The sound of my voice cracking under the pressure of this strong desire to be dressed in one of my sister's gorgeous dresses. Katherine sensing that something was a miss, she turned as soon as the program she was watching went to a commercial break. "I don't feel right. I'm going to go lay down for a while. Come get me if you get hungry and I'll order something for us." With a brisk nod and reassuring smile, I left Katherine alone in the living room to watch her programs.

I awoke some time later and only seconds before Katherine came into my room looking for lunch, feeling only slightly better. The strong feeling like I wanted to be dressed in one the prettiest clothes sets or dresses Katherine owned still nipping at my clouded thoughts and memories.

"What happened here," she said taking a notice of how my room had changed. Before, my room was left cluttered with clothes piled up on the floor and my music cds and dvd's lying all over the room on the shelves reserved for the non-existent trophies my father had always wanted me to win. The walls turned from a light shade of gray and black trim, to a light shade of pastel pink with white trim. My old trophy shelves now used to hold my vast collection of older baby dolls which appeared to get newer by the second.

"I cleaned up," I mumbled still half a sleep and not expecting to see what Katherine was actually talking about. "What do you want?"

"I'm hungry," Katherine pouted in the most childish tone imaginable.

"All right already. What do you want to eat?" I asked unaware of my hand instinctively sweeping a lengthy strand of brown hair from the front of my face. "Well?" I asked rolling out of my bed.

That afternoon, as we ate lunch, Katherine sat mostly quiet, her pretty dress draped oh so slight over her knees, while my mind raced franticly. I want a pretty dress like that. Maybe I can sneak one of Katherine's or mother's. I shook my head. What in the hell am I thinking?

"Marcus, you want to play with me after we've finished eating?" she asked timidly.

At first, I attempted to deny her the opportunity to play with her stupid doll collection again, but for some strange reason my mouth opened and my voice said 'Yes' before I could stop myself.

Katherine grinned mischievously.

"Oh, Marcus ...."

"Wha ... What?" my voice squeaked and crackled as I pulled my belt another three holes.

"Can we play dress up?"

I froze frightened that I might have said yes a little too eagerly. But again, my mouth opened as my mind screamed at me. You want to play dress up! You need to play dress up! Need to!

  

  

  

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