From David to Lucy

by Jennifer

 

PART 1.

 

Ten year old David Chapman was dirty. In fact, on the first day of the summer holidays in the woods and ponds near his village with his boisterous young mates, it only took a few hours before he was downright filthy, and as he made his way home he knew he really would be for it this time. His mother Mary had warned him time and again about the dire consequences of coming home like a scarecrow, and last time he’d received his final warning. She had said that if it happened again, she would give him a lesson he’d never forget. The trouble was, it looked as if that lesson was now about to take place.

As he reached his house, he crept furtively round to the back in the hope that he might be able to reach the haven of his room unscathed. No chance. He crept in through the back door, but as he edged towards the foot of the stairs a loud voice from behind him said ‘Just a minute my lad, what have you been up to this time?’ Startled, he turned to face his mother standing in the kitchen doorway. He walked slowly towards her, as her eyes ran over him. ‘Don’t you ever listen?’ she said. ‘I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve warned you about coming home like that. Well you’ve had your last chance, so this time you’re for it. It’s the only way you’re ever going to learn.’

She grabbed him by the wrist, and pushing him in front of her she said ‘Come on, up to the bathroom.’ He allowed himself to be vigorously propelled upstairs and into the bathroom, and he undressed as his mother ran the bath. She obviously meant him to be properly bathed, because she added a generous quantity of rose scented bath oil, that David could remember had been his sister’s favourite when she was little. He didn’t realise yet why his mother had a slight smile on her face as he stepped into the bath.

Once he was sitting in the bath, his mother said ‘Right, I want you coming out of that bath absolutely spotless, and that includes shampooing your hair using the conditioner as well. Got that? When you’ve finished, I’ll dry your hair and dress you. I’ll be back in a minute.’ She went out of the room, leaving David wondering why his mother had to dress him when he was ten years old. Strange. He set-to with cleaning himself as thoroughly as he could.

He spent a long time lying in the scented bath foam, thinking that he actually preferred this to mixing it with the roughest boys in the village. It just seemed more pleasant, though he couldn’t for the life of him understand why. Just as he was finishing, his mother came in with an extra large fluffy pink bath towel to dry him with. ‘Out you get then’ she said, and as he stepped out of the bath she started to dry him. Puzzled, he couldn’t understand why he was suddenly being treated like a baby as if he couldn’t dry himself. He was ten for goodness’ sake.

Taking her hair dryer, his mother brushed out his hair while she dried it gently, before brushing his long hair into a centre parting with a fringe at the front. The conditioner and blow-drying gave his hair a fuller look and feel than usual. That done, his mother led him down the landing, and he automatically went to go into his room to get dressed. But his mother grabbed him by the arm. ‘Oh no, you don’t’ she exclaimed, ‘This time you’re going to wear something that will certainly discourage you from going out with your grubby little friends.’

With that, she pulled him by the arm into his sister’s old bedroom, and while he stood there wrapped in the towel, she opened the wardrobe and took out a dress on a hanger. It was primrose yellow, high waisted and delicately embroidered with smocking across the bodice, a peter pan collar and short puffed sleeves. A sash was attached to the waist, designed to be tied in a bow at the back. It was a typical little girl’s dress.

At first David thought that his mother had made a mistake and was finding him something else suitable to wear, but no. He was even more bewildered when his mother held the dress against his body. ‘It looks a bit narrow for you,’ she said, ‘But the smocking has plenty of give, so it should fit you quite snugly.’

His mother had a slight grin on her face as she opened a trunk and took out a full petticoat which despite its size seemed very light. These clothes had all been worn by David’s older sister Susan when she was a little girl, and as he was about to find out, would now fit him perfectly. What he didn’t realise was that his mother desperately missed having a little girl around the house, and was using this ‘punishment’ as an excuse to put him into dresses.

As she lifted the petticoat out of the trunk, it billowed out. There were several layers of lace-edged net attached to a waist cord which could be tightened, and the innermost layer was made of silk to prevent the net petticoat from scratching delicate legs. David was at first been too stunned to say anything. ‘You must be joking, I’m not going to wear that!’ he exclaimed scornfully, as his mother shook out the dress. ‘You have no choice my lad,’ his mother said evenly. ‘Besides, you never know, you just might find that you actually like it,’ she said fondly. ‘Really. After all, you were quite happy squirming in satin and lace when you were a baby.’ Suddenly curious to see just what his mother had in mind, David decided to go along with this game of dressing up for the moment without protest.

His mother opened a draw in the dresser, and took out a pair of pale yellow satin panties which matched the dress. At the front of the waist was a tiny satin bow, while the rear was covered with layers of lace-trimmed ruffles. Knowing that she now had his cooperation at least temporarily, she was glad to see that she didn’t have to make him put them on. Smiling as he put his feet into them, she slid the panties all the way up his legs. She made sure that they were snugly tucked in at the front and fluffed up the ruffles at the back so that they stuck out over each other.

Then it was time to put on his petticoat. Holding it down low she said ‘Come along, in you get.’ David reluctantly stepped into it, and his mother quickly pulled it up over his hips. Then, standing behind him, she tightened the waist cord and tied it in a non slip double bow behind him. ‘Good’ she smiled, ‘Now for your feet.’ She sat him down on the bed, and after opening another draw, pulled on to his feet a pair of white ankle socks that she turned down neatly. Over his ankle socks she slid a pair of white leather sandals with buckles at the side onto his feet, and strapped them on firmly.

She told him to stand up, and while he put his head and arms into it, she placed the dress over his head before she pulled it down over him. One by one she fastened the small pearl buttons at the back of the dress, closing the bodice firmly around him, and then tied the wide sash into a large neat bow behind his back. She was right, with the give on the smocking it fitted him perfectly. David caught sight of himself in a full-length mirror. The dress had been short to start with, but the layers of petticoat raised the edge by several more inches. The slightest movement resulted in the petticoats swaying and rustling as the layers moved against each other. With his bobbed hair, David could easily have been taken for a girl. But wait a minute, he was a boy! Suddenly he panicked. ‘Oh no Mum, please, no!’ he cried in a confused mixture of emotions, and he ran from the room back to his bedroom.

He flung himself down front first on his bed, and as his panties rubbed against the silk layer of the petticoats which floated down around his thighs, he felt a strange sequence of sensations. Almost without thinking, he lifted his body and dropped down again to repeat the effect. Suddenly, it didn’t feel so bad after all, and he began to feel confused. His mother reached the open doorway of David’s room in time to see him lifting his body to let his dress and petticoats cascade down for a second time. She knew he was upset, but sensed that he just might be willing to explore this new sensation if she made it seem the simplest and most natural thing to do - and if she gave him something else to think about. She really wanted him to enjoy wearing a dress, but he would never have a real choice unless he had experienced wearing it for a while longer.

She went over to where he was still lying face down on his bed and sat down beside him. She stroked his shoulders through the puffed sleeves of the dress, and could feel that he was holding his body tense despite her efforts to make him feel relaxed. Sadly she sensed his resistance to the situation, and gave up stroking his shoulders. She was about to get up and abandon the whole idea, but she couldn’t resist giving him a couple of pats on his petticoat and lace covered bottom. This time she sensed a subtle change in how he was holding his body. She continued with a motion which moved silk dress against petticoat, and petticoat layers against lace-ruffled pants. Then at last she heard a barely audible sigh and felt his body relax completely as he began to realise that he was beginning to enjoy the sensation of his silky clothing.

She realised that this was the time for her to speak. ‘David’ she said gently, ‘I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to, but without the chance to try something, there’s no way you can find out if you like it. Why not just try wearing a dress this evening, when there are only the two of us. Then in the morning, you can choose to wear whatever you want.’

David didn’t reply, but at least he was no longer shouting in protest. His mother decided to press on, and continued. ‘I know, let’s make this a special evening just for the two of us, and I’ll make us a lamb roast and strawberries and ice cream for dinner.’ He turned round to look at his mother. He could see how much it meant to her, and decided to go along with her wishes. What the heck, he thought, there was nobody else around to see him dressed like this anyway. ‘Would I have to stay like this for the whole evening?’ he asked plaintively.

His mother couldn’t decide if he really wanted her to make him wear it, so she said ‘Yes dear, just to please me. After all, you are supposed to be being punished for getting dirty again, aren’t you? And in the morning you can decide what you want to wear.’ She smiled at him, and to her relief he smiled back. ‘All right,’ he said, as he rolled over and stood up.

‘Wait a minute,’ she said, ‘Just let me tidy your dress and petticoats at the front, they got rumpled when you threw yourself on the bed.’ David blushed at the reminder of his earlier reaction, and began to realise that being a special girl was more than just wearing a pretty dress, it was a wholly different way of doing even the simplest thing. His mother fussed around the front of his dress, fluffed out the petticoats, and smoothed the silk dress over them. ‘Now we can go downstairs,’ she smiled. She took his hand in hers as if he really was a little girl, and walked downstairs with him, something she had not done for more years than she could remember. She let go of his hand as she headed for the kitchen, and he went into the lounge to watch a video.

Once the roast was in the oven, she put her head round the door of the lounge, and was surprised to see what David was watching. She had assumed that he would have been watching one of his new video films, but how wrong she was. At first, she couldn’t work out what he was watching, but then she saw a young boy and two girls in pinafores appear on the screen, and realised that he was watching ‘Anne of Green Gables’ which she had recorded a few weeks ago. Strange, two days ago he had been indignantly reluctant to watch it.

He looked relaxed, lounging back on the sofa, with the dress and petticoats fanned out over his thighs. Unconsciously, he was moving his legs from side to side, feeling the sensation of the material brushing against his skin. While David was concentrating on the TV, at the back of his mind was the thought that such sensations were different from his usual clothes, but at the same time strangely familiar. His mother left the room without saying anything or letting David knew she had been observing him.

When Mary had almost finished cooking, she told David that dinner was nearly ready and that he could watch the rest of the video after dinner. He jumped up, ready to rush through to the kitchen in his usual way. ‘Just a moment dear’ his mother said, halting his headlong rush with her hand against the smocked front of his silk dress. ‘I don’t want that pretty dress spoiled with food dropping on it, so let’s put this on over your dress first.’

‘This’ turned out to be a frilly white apron pinafore in the finest cotton. David stared at the pinafore, and he had a hazy memory of his sister Susan wearing it when she was little. It reminded him of Alice in Wonderland. The centre of the bodice consisted of horizontal rows of intricate embroidery between plain white vertical bands at the sides. Attached to each side was a ruffle starting from nothing at the waist to a wide frill at the shoulder. The hem of the pinafore was wide enough to generously cover his front, and the corners would almost meet behind him.

Towards the bottom edge of the pinafore there was more embroidery sandwiched between two rows of pin tucking. His mother reversed the pinafore and held the shoulder loops towards him. Without thinking, he moved forwards into them. Mary then crossed the shoulder straps at the back, put them through the loops in the wide waist sash, and tied them into a large neat bow behind him.

David could see how the wide shoulder ruffles of the pinafore nestled over the puffed sleeves of his silk dress. ‘Mummy’ he said, ‘It’s just as pretty as the dress, but it might get spoiled too.’ She was delighted to detect this change in his attitude, and realised that he was concerned about getting it spoiled because it was so pretty. ‘You’re right dear’ she smiled with relief, ‘It is very pretty, but it does add something - and anyway, it’s easier to clean than your silk dress.’ She gave a slight emphasis to the word ‘your’ when referring to the silk dress. She waited for a reaction, but there was none, so at least he seemed to have unconsciously accepted that it was now his silk dress. ‘Now come through and sit down and I’ll serve dinner,’ she said, smiling to herself.

David was about to plonk himself down on his chair at the table in his usual way when his mother said, ‘Just a moment dear. When you are wearing a dress and petticoat like that, you must sit like this.’ She demonstrated with her hands how David should spread out his dress and petticoats at the back to prevent them getting creased when he sat down. When he had done so, she helped him to move his chair up to the table. With his dress and petticoats spread out from underneath, he had to press down on the pinafore so that the layers of clothing would fit under the table.

Mary now served the dinner, and as she put the plates on the table she said ‘Well your sitting like your sister now, but I think I’ll also show you how a little girl should walk, after dinner.’

He enjoyed both the roast lamb and his strawberries and ice cream as he always did, but his mother noticed with quiet amusement that instead of his usual method of attacking the food, he seemed to be taking special care not to let a crumb or drop fall on his pinafore. David’s usual chore after dinner was to dry the dishes, but this evening his mother said, ‘You can watch the rest of that video now. I’ll do the washing and drying up.’

She was surprised when he frowned slightly and said ‘Mummy, if I dry the dishes, will you come and watch the rest of the video with me?’ Standing there as he was, framed in the doorway in his dress and pinafore and with a hopeful look on his face, she was delighted. ‘All right’ she laughed, ‘But first, let’s give you a basic lesson in deportment.’ For the next hour she taught David how to stand up, sit down, and walk like a girl. She took him out into the garden and made him walk up and down until she was satisfied that she would be able to pass him off convincingly as a girl in public. At last she said ‘Very good David, I think you’ll do very nicely indeed. Let’s go in now.’ Pleased with her comments, he followed his mother indoors, and they were soon busying themselves with the washing up. He chattered away as he dried the dishes, telling his mother what had happened in the film so far. She couldn’t help noticing that he was taking care not to let any splashes of water fall on his pinafore, compared to his normal slapdash approach to the dishes, where more water usually ended up on his clothes and on the floor than on the tea towel.

As they watched the video, his mother noticed that when the girls came on screen wearing a different pinafore, David would look down at his own as though comparing the two. When the video finished, she couldn’t resist asking him which of the pinafores the girls wore he thought was the prettiest. ‘Well, I liked the one that Sarah wore the best, the one with the embroidery – but none of them were as nice as this one,’ he said, holding out the embroidered hem of his own pinafore.

‘You know, when you were little you used to wear some that were even prettier than that,’ his mother said. She got up and fetched down a photo album from a shelf. Then she sat down next to David and opened the album. The first few pages showed him as a baby in his romper suit, sometimes on his own, and sometimes with his mother or the divorced father he could not really remember.

The following pages showed photographs of David in a mixture of clothing as he grew from a baby to a child of about three. Sometimes in little dungarees, but also in short high-yoked dresses, and a couple with pinafores. ‘When you were very little’ smiled his mother, ‘Susan used to love dressing you as a little girl, and often used to tie ribbons in your hair. She always wanted a younger sister. Your father didn’t approve, but we used to do it anyway, especially if he wasn’t around. When we took you out in your pram or pushchair everybody thought you were a girl.’ One dress in particular stirred something in his memory – a little satin party dress in pale peach with an organza overlay on the skirt.

‘Ah yes, that was the very last time we dressed you up’ said his mother sadly, ‘You were about to start Nursery School, so that was the last time you wore a dress until today. But now you are old enough to choose for yourself, aren’t you poppet?’ For a moment David wondered if she meant that he had to choose right there and then whether to take off the pinafore and dress, probably forever. But then he remembered with relief what his mother had said earlier. ‘Yes’ he said, ‘In the morning’.

His mother stood up and reached out her hand for him. ‘Come on now, it’s time for bed. I’d better come with you, because you won’t be able to get out of that dress by yourself. Not yet, anyway.’ David blushed at this reminder that he needed help to be dressed and undressed. In his bedroom, his mother removed his pinafore and dress, and sent him off to clean his teeth wearing his petticoat. When he returned, he found his mother carefully hanging up the yellow silk dress in his wardrobe. ‘That was Susan’s favourite dress when she was little’ she said with a hint of a sigh in her voice, ‘She even had a doll wearing exactly the same dress.’

‘What, exactly the same?’ said David, raising the hems of the layers of his petticoats to reveal the silk panties which matched the dress. His mother smiled. ‘Yes, exactly the same. I’ll see if I can find it, and while I’m looking, slip these pyjamas of Susan’s on and get into bed.’

The items she pointed to bore little resemblance to his normal pyjamas. The bottom was a loose fitting pair of bloomers, gathered just below the knee before flaring out in a frill. The top had a circular yoke edged with a frill, with the gathered material flaring out to hip length. The short puffed sleeves had a frill to match the legs of the bloomers. The material was the softest cotton David had ever felt, with a pretty design of pink rosebuds on a cream background. He hesitated before putting them on, but then he remembered that he had agreed that he would wear what his mother wanted him to until the morning.

He had just slipped under the bedclothes when his mother returned, carrying a large doll wearing a smocked dress in the same primrose yellow silk as the one David had been wearing. ‘And is she wearing exactly the same?’ David asked, with a slight blush on his face.’ His mother smiled and handed him the doll. ‘Why don’t you find out?’ she said. As David reached for the doll his hand slid under the dress and petticoat, and he could feel that the doll really was wearing silk panties with frills on the back, just like the ones he had been wearing.

It was at this point that his mother decided to take the plunge. ‘David’ she said gently, ‘You do prefer to wear these nice pretty dresses instead of those coarse jeans, rough shirts, and heavy shoes, don’t you?’ He decided to admit the truth. ‘Oh yes Mummy’ he whispered, ‘I do so wish now that I was a girl instead of a boy.’

‘Do you really want to be a girl?’ his mother said, ‘Not just for a day, but all the time?’ He didn’t hesitate. ‘Yes’ he said, ‘All the time, I’d love that.’ His mother could hardly contain her joy. ‘Very well my darling’ she beamed, ‘Then so you shall. You go to sleep now my pretty one, and when you wake up in the morning, all your boy’s clothes will be gone, and your wardrobe will be filled with proper little girl’s dresses. And then later, I’ll take you into town and buy you all the clothes that you are going to need. You’ll love it.’

‘There’s just one other thing’ she said, ‘If you’re going to be a girl, you’ll need a new name, won’t you? I’ve thought about this for a long time, and I’ll give you the name I was going to give you if you really had been born a girl. How would you like to be called Lucy Jane from now on?’ A flush of happiness suffused his smiling face. ‘Oh Mummy those are lovely names. Will you really call me Lucy from now on?’

‘Of course dear’ smiled his mother, ‘From this moment you are Lucy Jane Chapman. Now its time you got some rest young lady.’

His mother could see that he was so tired out after his unusual day that he was having difficulty keeping his eyes open. She tucked him in, and tucked the doll in next to him. As he finally closed his eyes, his mother stood over him for a moment. This had been the most perfect day, the best day since she had taken a picture of David wearing the peach dress when he was three. If only there could be more days like this, but it was not something she could make happen. David would have to choose for himself whether he wanted to be a boy or a girl.

 

 

 

PART 2.

 

David opened his eyes in the morning light to see three hangers on the wardrobe doors with the silk dress, the petticoats, and the pinafore. He thought he was still having the strange dream in which he had spent last evening as a girl. He finally woke completely with an embarrassed start when he realised that he had been lying with the doll cuddled closely to his chest with one arm, while his other hand was under the doll’s silk dress and petticoat, stroking and ruffling the lace on the back of the doll’s panties. He got out of bed, went to his wardrobe, and opened the door. All his boy’s clothes were gone, and in their place were several hangers of dresses.

David swivelled round, and the frill of his pyjama top brushed against the frill of his bloomers. He turned to put the doll which he was still clutching back on the bed. ‘We must make sure you sit down properly,’ he said, echoing his mother’s tone of the night before. He carefully smoothed out the doll’s dress and petticoat before sitting her carefully on the pillow. Then, he took off his pyjama top, and stepped out of his bloomers in preparation to getting dressed. As he laid them on the bed, he realised that it was now that he would need some help. ‘Mummy’ he called out, ‘Could you please come and help me get dressed?’

It was the moment his mother had been hoping for. She came quickly up the stairs and said ‘Of course Lucy, but first you must go to the bathroom and make sure you’re nice and clean before I dress you. Off you go, while I find something really pretty for you.’ He ran off to the bathroom while his mother smilingly went about preparing his clothes. By the time he returned to his room, all was ready.

‘All nice and clean?’ smiled his mother, ‘Good, then let’s get you ready. First, your vest and knickers.’ She took a white vest and a pair of pale pink knickers, and dressed him in them, making sure that the vest was neatly tucked into the knickers. With a smile on her face, his mother now picked up his dress from where it had been laid out on the bed, and held it up for him to see. ‘This used to be one of your sister’s favourites’ she smiled, ‘And now, it’s yours.’

The dress was pastel pink with little flowers printed on it and smocking across the front. It had a peter pan collar, short puffed sleeves, and buttoned up the back with a row of small white buttons. To heighten the effect, it had a sash belt that tied in a bow at the back. It was a perfect dress for a little girl. ‘Well, let’s try it on Lucy’ said his mother, ‘Put your arms up dear.’ He raised his arms, and she quickly pulled them through the sleeves. Then she put his head in and pulled the dress down over him. With long practice acquired with dressing his older sister when she was little, she fastened the buttons up the back, secured a hook and eye behind his neck, and finished off the effect by tying the belt behind him in a large, neat bow. The hem hung down to just below his knees. ‘Oh yes’ she said with an approving smile, ‘That’s a lovely fit. Now sit down and I’ll put your shoes and socks on.’ David did as he was told, and sat down on a chair. His mother now took a pair of white cotton ankle socks, pulled them onto his feet, and turned them down neatly around the ankle. ‘Shoes next’ she said. Taking a pair of white leather T bar strap shoes, she slid them onto his feet and did up the buckles firmly. He stood up and found that they fitted him perfectly.

‘Good’ said Aunt Mary, smiling, ‘A perfect fit. You’re going to look just lovely, aren’t you dear?’ David smiled with pleasure.

Sitting him down in the chair again, she picked up a long mid-brown wig and started brushing it. ‘Now Lucy’ she said, ‘You’ll need to wear this wig for a little while, but don’t fret, eventually we’ll be able to do this with your own hair. Now sit up and keep your head straight.’ David did as he was told, and she pulled the wig onto his head and brushed it neatly into position. The long tresses hung over his shoulders and down his back Standing back, she was obviously pleased with his appearance. ‘Very nice’ she said, ‘But you are a little girl, so I’m going to arrange your hair as a proper little girl’s hair should be. My goodness, this takes me back to when your sister was little. Now keep still.’

With the experience of having done Susan’s hair when she was little, she brushed the wig back off his face. Then she separated some of the top part of his hair like a long, narrow pony tail and secured it with an elastic band. ‘Now for your hair ribbon’ she said. Picking up a length of white hair ribbon, she carefully wound it several times around the base of the pony tail, and tied it in a neat non-slip bow. Finally, she fastened two pink plastic hair slides securely in place, one on either side of his head. They were in the form of small bows, and were obviously designed to look particularly dainty.

‘Now’ said his mother, ‘Stand up and let’s have a look at you.’ She took his hand and stood with him in front of the full length wardrobe mirror. ‘Well’ she smiled, ‘How do you like your new appearance Lucy? Pretty enough for you?’

David looked at himself in amazement. He couldn’t recognise himself. There in front of him stood a sweet little girl wearing an adorable pale pink dress which made him look almost babyish. It was set off by his long hair hanging down his back secured with the large bow of hair ribbon in true little girl fashion. He was enraptured, and with tears in his eyes he gasped ‘Oh Mummy, I look beautiful!’ ‘You certainly do my darling’ beamed his mother, scarcely able to contain her own pleasure. ‘You look even prettier than you sister used to. You look exquisite. Yes, you’re going to be a lovely little girl. Now let’s go down for breakfast, and then we’ll see about taking you into town for some shopping.’

David’s mother took him gently by the hand and led him downstairs to breakfast. It wasn’t long before they had eaten, and once the breakfast things had been put away they were ready for their shopping trip into town. Now that his true feelings were out in the open, David grew more and more excited as the time for them to leave grew closer. At last he heard the magic words. ‘All right Lucy, time to be off. Let’s go and find you some clothes.’ The time had come at last.

 

 

 

PART 3.

 

David and his mother went into the hall, and she put on her red tartan mackintosh and picked up her umbrella. Mary smiled as she looked down at her son, now the perfect image of a sweet little girl of 10. ‘You won’t need to take a coat Lucy’ she said, ‘I’ll buy you one when we get into town. And some lovely dresses too. Come along.’ She opened the front door, and David hesitated for a moment, frightened to show himself to the world in his new role of Lucy. But he didn’t hesitate for long. Mary gave him an encouraging smile, and adjusted the bow of white hair ribbon adorning the long hair which hung down his back.

She stood him in front of the hall mirror, and standing behind him, put her hands on his shoulders said ‘Now now my darling, don’t be nervous. You look perfectly lovely. See for yourself.’ David looked at himself and saw that it was true. He did look lovely. There before him he saw a girl who looked prettier and more demure than most of the girls at school. Fingering his dress, he suddenly felt so natural, and knew that this was the way he wanted to be. Suddenly he smiled, and looking at his mother in the mirror he said ‘Oh yes Mummy, your right, and I feel lovely too. Let’s be off.’

Now he felt completely confident in his appearance, and stepped straight out of the door and into the outside world. His mother locked the front door behind them, and as he turned to get into the car she said ‘No Lucy, we won’t go into town in the car, we’ll go on the bus.’ A quick frown of concern crossed David’s face, but his mother, sensing his anxiety said ‘Now don’t worry, I know you’re worried about being seen by some of your friends, but believe me, they certainly won’t recognise you unless you’re standing face to face, and I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen. Remember, people only see what they think they see. It wouldn’t possibly occur to their dim brains that you are anything else but my 10 year old niece Lucy, whose come here to stay for the holidays. That’s what I’ll tell their mothers, anyway. And as for David? Well let’s just say that he’s gone to stay with his aunt for the holidays. A sort of swap. You see? Nothing to worry about, and nothing to stop you being Lucy for at least the next couple of months. And after that, we’ll see what we can do about making your transformation permanent.’

As the confident logic of his mother sank in, Davis began to relax, and he grinned. ‘Will we really fool them Mum? Can I really be Lucy all the time?’

‘Of course you can’ she smiled. ‘But to start with, you’ll need a few tips on how to behave like a proper little girl. To begin with, I want you to watch how girls walk differently to boys, like I showed you last night. That’s why I want to take you on the bus, to give you a chance to look and learn. Don’t worry, you’ll soon pick it up. Now remember, short sharp steps, and don’t swing your arms.’ Not forgetting what he had been told, David developed a natural girlish gait as if he’d done it all his life. His mother was delighted.

They made their way down to the bus stop, and stood waiting for the bus to town to arrive. In his new role as Lucy, David stood with his feet neatly together, his hands clasped in front of him. In his sister Susan’s pretty dress, his feet encased in their white ankle socks and white sandals, and his long hair crowned with a bow of white hair ribbon, the two tails hanging down his hair, no one would have given him a second glance, except perhaps to notice how pretty he looked. Mary looked et him and gave him a confident smile, and he grinned back with pleasure. It was their little secret.

After a couple of minutes, two ladies came and stood next to them. They knew Mary, and one of them said ‘Oh hello Mary, off to town?’

‘Yes’ said Mary, and took the opportunity to introduce David to the world. It was time for his first test. ‘Oh by the way’ she added, putting one hand on David’s shoulder, ‘This is my niece Lucy. She’s come to stay with me while David stays with her mother. We thought they’d both enjoy the change of scenery, and it’s so nice having a little girl around the house again.’ It worked perfectly. The lady looked at David for a moment and said ‘My goodness they’re alike aren’t they? Lucy could be his twin sister!’

‘Yes, that’s what everyone says’ said Mary casually, ‘But you can see the differences when you see them together. Lucy’s slightly taller than her cousin. And definitely prettier’ she laughed. The two women joined in her laughter, and David smiled at how easily the two women had been deceived.

The bus arrived, and Mary sat David next to the window behind the two women to discourage them from talking to him too much, while she engaged them in conversation. The first hurdle was over. When the bus reached town, they got off at the shopping precinct and as they separated, one called out ‘Oh Mary, perhaps you’d like to bring Lucy round for tea next week. I’m sure she’d like to meet Emily and Jennifer.’ As David and Mary walked up the precinct he gasped ‘Oh no Mum, I can’t meet Emily and Lucy like this. They’ll recognise me!’

‘Now don’t worry’ said Mary confidently, ‘We’ll make sure it’s not for at least three weeks, and by then you’ll have no problem at all. Their mother was fooled, and they will be too. Trust me. Now let’s find you some dresses.’ His confidence restored, David grinned at the idea, and stopped with his mother outside a children’s dress shop. The window was filled with the most exquisite dresses for all ages of little girl from babyhood up to early teens. As he gazed into the window, Mary noted the look of pleasure on his face, and smiled as she realised how happy he was. ‘Well’ she said ‘Let’s go in and see what we can find, shall we?’ She took his hand and led him into the shop.

The inside of the shop was a veritable paradise of clothes for little girls of all shapes, sizes and ages. Rack after rack of dresses and frocks for every occasion hung around them, and Mary smiled as David let go of her hand and walked straight across to a delightful little dress on its display stand. He reached out and his eyes shone as he said ‘Oh Mummy, this is just perfect. What d’you think?’ The expression on his face told Mary everything she needed to know. As he spoke, a shop assistant came over to her, looked at David and smiled as she said ‘Well she certainly knows what she wants, doesn’t she?’

‘Yes’ agreed Mary, ‘Can she try one on?’

‘Yes of course’ said the assistant, ‘I’ll get one off the rack. What size is she?’

‘Size 12’ said Mary with confidence. The girl went over to one of the dress racks and drew one out on its hanger identical to the one on the stand. ‘Here we are’ she said, ‘Would you like to take her into a cubicle to try it on?’ She handed it to Mary, who shepherded David into the changing cubicle and drew the curtain. She unfastened his dress, and being careful not to disturb his wig, took the new one and held it out for him to step into, so that she would not have to draw it on over his head. She quickly fastened the buttons up the back and the hook and eye behind the neck, and then tied the sash in a neat bow behind his back. Then, making a last minute check to ensure that his hair was tidy, she drew back the curtain and they stepped out into the shop.

The shop assistant looked at David and smiled. ‘Oh yes’ she said, ‘You look delightful. What’s your name.’ Without hesitation David said ‘Lucy.’

‘Well Lucy’ she said, ‘It looks perfect on you. Do you like it?’

‘Oh yes!’ said a delighted David, ‘It’s lovely!’

‘Well I don’t think the first choice was any problem’ smiled Mary, pleased at David’s acceptance of his new role. ‘We’ll definitely take it. But I’d like to pick a couple more for her, as well as some socks and underwear.’

For the next hour, an ecstatic David was for the first time in his life able to enjoy the delights of trying on a range of dresses. They were of varying colours and patterns, but were all of a satisfyingly juvenile design. He was making up for all the lost years of being a proper little girl that up till now had been denied him. His mother was delighted.

Eventually, all the items he would need had been purchased, and after thanking the girl, they stepped out into the precinct again. As they did so, Mary looked up at a darkening sky and said ‘Lucy, I think it’s time we bought you a mackintosh. Come along, there’s a raincoat shop just down here.’

By now, David’s confidence in his appearance was growing rapidly as he found that no one was giving him a second glance, and he was especially pleased with himself for convincing the shop assistant that he really was a 10 year old girl. But then, why should she think otherwise? His naturally girlish face, together with his wig and clothes would have given no cause for her to think otherwise. He began to revel in his new persona of Lucy, especially with the support of his mother.

Appropriately, they reached the raincoat shop just as it began to rain, and they went in. The shop smelt of gaberdine and rubberised mackintoshes, and a large selection of coats hung on racks around the walls. As they entered, a lady came from behind the counter and said ‘Good afternoon madam. Can I help you?’

‘Yes please’ replied Mary, ‘I’m looking for a mackintosh for my little girl. Something rather like mine, but in a more suitable style, and in a size 12.’

‘Very good’ said the lady, looking at David. She thought for a moment, and then, going over to a rack of children’s raincoats she drew one out and held it up on its hanger. It was a red rubberised double breasted mackintosh, but fitted with buttonholes that could only be fastened on the girl’s side. It had a buckle belt threaded through keepers at the sides of the waist, and had an attached hood with a button fastening to secure it on under the chin. As with many girl’s school mackintosh hoods, it was square cut across the top of the head.

‘Oh yes’ said Mary, ‘That’s exactly what I was looking for. Here you are Lucy, try it on.’

The lady held the mackintosh out for him, and David slid his arms into the smooth rubberised sleeves. Taking care to tuck David’s long hair inside, she pulled the mackintosh up over his shoulders, and then standing in front of him she began to fasten the buttons up the front. That done, she threaded the belt through its buckle, and drew it tight around his waist. ‘There we are’ she said, stepping back, ‘How’s that?’ Being one size too large for him, David found that the mackintosh was a generous fit. The hem hung down well past his knees, and the sleeves reached down to his knuckles.

‘Yes, that’s fine’ said Mary approvingly, ‘I wanted it to be one size too large so that she’ll be covered properly, and she’ll grow into it. Let’s just see how it looks with the hood up, shall we?’ She pulled the hood up over David’s head, and buttoned it on under his chin. Then she turned the front of the hood back to show his face peeping out demurely from under it. ‘There we are’ she smiled, ‘One little girl, ready for the rain.’

David looked at himself in the full length mirror. As usual, his mother was right. There in front of him he saw an utterly convincing little girl, whose small stature was emphasised by the enveloping size of his mackintosh.‘Well that will certainly keep her dry’ added the lady, looking out of the window, ‘And especially in that downpour.’ By now it was pouring with rain, and Mary paid for the mackintosh before the lady opened the door and let them both out into the downpour. Fortunately, the new dresses were double wrapped in plastic bags to avoid getting them wet, and David and his mother carried one bag each.

David felt the pleasure of staying dry in his new rubberised mackintosh, and not a drop of rain penetrated it. But on the outside, the rain drummed down on his hood, ran down the sleeves and hem, and dripped down on his bare legs and onto ankle socks and shoes. The wet rubberised cotton slapped against his bare calves with a shlock shlock sound, and as the mackintosh became wetter, it began to smell strongly of rubber.

They soon reached the bus terminal, where their bus was already waiting, and climbed aboard. Mary untied the tie strings of her mackintosh hood, but seeing that David looked a little cold, she told him to keep his hood up until they got home. David was happy to do so, because somehow he felt even more like a girl by the way in which it sweetly framed his face when he wore it up. Mary paid their fares, and after the short journey home, they were soon inside, removing their soaking wet mackintoshes and hanging them up on hangers in the kitchen to dry.

‘Right Lucy’ said Mary, ‘Let’s get your new dresses up to your room and change your shoes and socks.’ They went upstairs and Mary removed his wet shoes and socks, dried his feet with a towel, and soon had another pair of white ankle socks and a pair of brown T bar mary jane shoes strapped on his feet. Then they went down to get tea ready. While Mary prepared everything she said ‘Well Lucy. How was that? Did you enjoy it?’

‘Oh yes Mum’ said David emphatically, ‘It wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it would be. It all felt so, so normal somehow. As if I was the real me.’ Mary smiled at him, realising that her dream of having another little girl around the house had been fulfilled.

They had their tea, and afterwards they settled down on the sofa to watch TV for the evening. Her new little girl snuggled up to Mary, and they squeezed each other’s hands with affection.

By mid evening the day’s excitement was catching up with the new Lucy, and as she started to become sleepy, Mary took her upstairs and undressed her. The little girl was soon tucked up in bed, and as she turned off the light Mary looked down at her small form and smiled. All was well now, and she knew that David was unlikely to return for a long time to come.

END

 

 

 

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© 2002 by Jennifer. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, compilation design) may printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without express written consent of the copyright holder.