My thanks to Constance Grant for her invaluable help in editing, and her constant support in my efforts.

 

The Icon                                 by Janet L. Stickney                                JanetLynn17@Hotmail.com

 

Caldi the woodworker sanded the piece with the rough stone, making the icon smooth, almost as smooth as glass. The icon represented his devotion to his Queen. She had been good to him when others had made fun of his badly malformed leg, taking him in, feeding him, teaching him to read and write, and this icon was from him to her alone, for her kindness towards him. Taking a break he went out in the unrelenting heat of the day and stood by the river, watching as men cast nets into the water to gather up the fish. The water flowed below him in a gentle rhythm that created gold crested waves driven by the warm winds. Later he went in and finished sanding the icon, then with great care he painted it with a likeness of his Queen. Carefully he moved the icon to a shelf to dry and went to his house for a bit of dinner.

The icon stands ten inches high, shaped in the manner of a voluptuous woman in her bath. The hard teak it was made of had held the test of time and now, as Matthew held it in his hand he wondered what sort of man could fashion such a figurine. He studied it closely, because it was one of only a few relics they had found at this site.

Caldi presented the icon to his Queen on the event of her birthday. As the woman held the icon she felt the love that Caldi had instilled in his work, and could see that the face on the icon was her own. His careworn face held a small smile as he watched her holding the icon, studying it. "Thank you Caldi, I shall treasure this above all others, for you have given me your heart." Then, right at that moment the mountains shook, heaving the ground upwards, then falling back down. The building started to show cracks in the wall, then, before anyone could run, the ground heaved again and the building collapsed. Dust and smoke surrounded them as the people struggled to find a way out of the carnage. Sadly, Caldi and his Queen lay deep inside the broken pile of rubble, dead. Those that could fled the area, moving far south to the plains. Piles of smoking ruins that hid the bodies of the dead were the only thing left of the small town.

The workmanship of the icon was outstanding, and Matthew, who admired the ability of the long dead Caldi sat under the tent trying to divine the reason for the icon. Clearly it was a woman, tall and beautiful, well proportioned with long black hair. The colors so long ago applied to the icon still brightly defining the woman. Blue eyes, slightly tanned skin, a short wrap skirt and tunic combination covered her, yet the artist had allowed some of her charms to be revealed.

"Matt!"

He heard the voice of his friend Carl and set the icon on the table, then went to see what he wanted. In his hand was a skirt and tunic combination that matched the one on the icon exactly! Even the color was the same! The two of them kept digging and soon they found a tabletop, part of a chair, and then a small chest. All of them bore the mark of the man that made the icon, something that Matt commented on.

"This is simply wonderful work Carl, and all by the same man."

He agreed, then as night fell they retired to the tent and a closer examination of the items they found. They stayed there for another month, digging in the hard dirt, then had to come home. Deep in his luggage was the icon. Carl, as always, slept on the plane, but Matthew was edgy and tense, unable to dismiss the icon from his mind. The flight was long, and he was exhausted when they landed.

I fell into bed, the time change had corrupted my sleeping, yet Carl felt wonderful, showing no sign of being tired. He lay in the bed next to me naked. Carl is not the least bit concerned about his nakedness, and continued to chatter on about our finds. Tired or not, I had never failed to respond to his chatter or excitement, and yet this time there was nothing. Eventually he gave up and we dozed off. The icon, so sharp in its detail, so lifelike, held my mind's eye and I was unable to let it go.

The next day Carl went to the University, leaving me alone in the house. I placed the icon on the dresser, used the bath, and then it hit me. Overcome by a powerful sensation, I fell to the bed, not in pain, but ecstasy. As the feeling washed over me, I had an uncontrollable urge, quickly dressed and left the house. Unseen forces directed me as I stepped into the women's wear department, then, with no shame, I bought everything I needed. I returned home, then started to dress in the clothes I had just bought. I wore a short tan skirt with a blue top pushed out by the twin mounds I had created using socks and a bra. My dark hair fell to my shoulders, a cascade of black parted in the middle. My lips were bright red, my cheeks pink, my eyes made up dark. I wore black sandals and pantyhose, making my legs tan. I looked in the mirror and saw…the icon. Over my shoulder, the image was of a woman in a tan skirt with a blue tunic, tan legs and dark hair, her lips red with eyes dark.

I stood there, wondering why I had done such a thing, ready to remove the clothes and shower when Carl walked in. We stared at each other, one in shock one in awe. He did not say a word as his gaze drifted to the icon then back to me. He stared at me, then the realization of what I had on hit him, and he sat on the bed, still looking at me.

"I don't know why Carl, I…"

"You look like the icon Matthew."

"I know, and I don't know why! I mean, you know I'm not into this sort of thing. I just felt this overpowering urge to dress this way."

"Are you sure you're telling me the truth?"

"You know me better than that!"

"Maybe the icon has a curse on it."

"Neither of us believe that Carl."

"Maybe this man Caldi has something to do with it."

"Maybe, but he is long dead Carl, and he's not here to tell us."

"Let's look at the facts Matthew. We know that Caldi made the chair and table as well as the icon, which tells us what?"

"That he is a skilled wood worker."

"The icon is like no other found at the site, which tells me that it is special. Maybe he made it for the woman as a gift, and now she is trying to come back and tell Caldi how much she likes it."

"But why me? Why not you?"

"You were the first one to touch it Matthew." Carl paused, then asked me if I wanted to find out.

"How?"

"Why don't you do this right?"

"Right?"

"Sure. Try your best to actually look like the lady of the Icon." Why don't you undress, and we'll start all over, only this time do it right. I gave my assent, and went in the bath to shave off all of my body hair, wash my hair and shave close. "I'll be go get you a few things Matthew."

I did as he told me, confused by the sensation that washed over me when I undressed. An hour later Carl watched as I dressed, but this time I wore the right clothes. Panties and a bra stuffed with foam, the tan pantyhose and a waist nipper, then makeup, done a bit better than before, my hair brushed out in the same part, but smoother, rolled under at the ends. The tan skirt, blue top and sandals were added, then he said I was done. I stood there, the image of the icon, waiting, and as the minutes clicked away I began to think this was all a farce. An over active imagination gone wild I thought. Then I felt the sensation again. As it washed over me I understood. I knew it all. The reason for the icon and about the man Caldi.

"He loved her with all of his heart. He made the icon for her birthday, a gift of the heart. He was misshapen, and she took him in, taught him to read and write, gave him a trade and cared for him. He had no other love except her, and the icon is meant to show that. He died with her in an earthquake, together for all time, until we found the icon that is."

Carl listened, eyes wide as I related things that could not be proven, yet I could see that he believed me. I stood there dressed like the icon, no shame, just awe. The love this man held for his Queen had carried across the centuries, unworn, still fresh as the day he gave her the icon. Carl went to the dresser and picked up the icon, then pressed it into my hand. The smooth surface was like glass in my hand, yet it grew warm as I held it. I realized that the Queen also loved Caldi, the bent old man, a love not of lust, but warmth.

"The old man was her father, yet he did not know it! Taken as a child in a great war, she grew up in a royal house, eventually becoming the queen. She found her father and took care of him, but kept silent about herself."

I put the icon on the vanity, losing my connection to the woman, but I knew that she and her father could rest now. I slowly undressed, watching the icon as each piece hit the floor. No sensation struck me, and when I was naked I knew that Caldi had told her he loved her, and she told him she was his daughter. Carl shook my hand, then, after I dressed in my own clothes, we went out on the balcony to have a beer.

"You looked cute all dressed up like that Matthew." His words struck me as odd, but since I had never worn women's clothes before, I accepted his statement, with a laugh.

"You want me to dress up again?"

"Maybe. Not now though. Later." What a strange answer.

We sat there quietly, drinking our beer, then I looked at the Icon. That love I had felt when I held it made me warm all over, and I wondered about dressing as the woman again, and why Carl suggested it. We ate a light dinner, then started our review of the artifacts we had recovered. Exquisite in the construction, the small chest lay between us, unopened as yet, the mark of Caldi on the bottom our only clue. I pushed on the clasp, watching as it popped open, then I raised the lid slowly.

The chest stands about 20" high by 36" wide and 18" deep. It has a series of drawers in the front and reminded me of a modern day jewelry box. Small blue stones acted as the pulls, each set in place with prongs. The lid went back, revealing combs, several pins, a brush and two small mirrors. Three small jars held the remains of makeup long dry. Carl pulled on the top left drawer and we saw earrings of all sorts, attached with a pin, much like the current pierced earrings. Thin gold wire held them in place, each bright in the light. One after another we opened the drawers, each holding jewelry that expressed the woman of the Icon better. Her taste in jewelry was one of color, bright and varied. Bracelets of gold and silver, yet beads threaded on twine lay next to them. Finally, when we had finished examining the contents, Carl asked me if I would get dressed again.

"Do it in the morning Matthew. You can add some of her jewelry. Maybe she will talk to you again."

I wasn't afraid to do it of course, and I wanted to learn more, and I wondered about Carl's response when I was dressed as a woman, yet I put that aside and agreed. The next morning Carl once again watched me get dressed, but this time, rather than let my hair simply lay on my shoulders, he suggested I use two of the hair clips we had found to hold my hair back on the side. Piercing my ears with an ice cube and a needle, he added earrings and bracelets, then I used a bright red lipstick. Instead of sandals, I wore heels, and under it all, panties and a pantybrief, a waist nipper and a push up bra. I looked more, not less like a woman than the last time! Carl watched as I walked back and forth in the heels, getting used to them, then we went into the room where the chest sat on the table. I touched the brush and felt an electric charge course through me, yet I held on, letting her come to me.

Carl watched me as I quivered, then it stopped. "Her name is Ano, and she is the Queen of her nation. She is 28 and not yet married, which is making the elders nervous. What I felt next was impossible, yet I knew I had felt it. Sweat broke out on my face as I digested what I felt. Then I suddenly stood up and looked out the window. "She wants to see the future. She wants to know if her sages were right, or full of it like she thinks."

Carl and I looked at each other, the ramifications clear to both of us. The Lady of the Icon wanted me to take her outside so she could see the world! Another wave washed over me, and I knew I would be okay.

"She will help me. She says it will be alright."

Carl said nothing, but left the room for a moment, returning with the purse in one hand, the Icon in the other.

"I put your wallet in the purse Matthew. Take the Icon and we can go for a drive."

I walked out to the car, letting Carl drive. I felt no fear of being outside dressed this way, and Carl went through the town, the bright lights and cars filling the street, the people out shopping and talking, store keepers and children, all out in the daylight, working, having fun or shopping. We drove into the country, the pastoral rural scene filled with sheep and dogs, horses and barns, the tractor in the field and the fences. Carl drove through a suburb, the lawns all neatly trimmed, the houses majestic and well cared for. Then, when we were home I felt a great, relaxing wave come over me.

"She is gone now Carl. I think she is satisfied." I turned to go change when

Carl asked me why. "Because I thought that…"

"Stay dressed for me Matthew, please."

"Okay, but why?"

"You are sexy as hell when you're dressed as a woman, did you know that?"

"Huh?"

"I think we should go out tonight. Someplace fancy!"

"Are you out of your mind?"

No matter what I said, it did not stop him, and later, after he insisted, we went to a shop and I bought a few new dresses. Later, still not sure why, I did my makeup again, then dressed in the sheath dress, smelling of perfume and wearing heels again. I do not know how I knew it, but my hands worked on my hair, and it was redone in something very feminine, and my nails were now red. Carl, now wearing a suit drove again, and that night we went to a nice restaurant by the river. Nervous, I let him order, then, half way through dinner I saw her. The lady of the Icon was standing there, a bent old man at her side. He wore a gray suit with a crisp pink shirt and blue tie that was the exact color of her top. Her skirt was tan, pleated and short, her hair, long and black, parted in the middle. She had a classically beautiful face over a lean but shapely body. As the waiter showed them to a table, she bent over and said one word to us. "Thanks", and went on. Words cannot describe how I felt right then, but all at once I felt warm, and knew that I was okay. Later, at home, I undressed, sensing no shame until I had the dress off. As I looked in the mirror the mounds in my bra were unmistakably real! I yanked down the pantyhose and panties in a single stroke, and saw not my familiar weapon, but that of a woman!

Carl stood behind me, the Icon in his hand, rubbing the smoothness, smiling. "She came to me in my mind tonight Matthew, over dinner. She granted me one favor."

I looked down and knew what it was. As I looked up at Carl, he was stripping his clothes off while he told me how sexy I was. As Carl stroked my naked skin, he told me that I would be a woman for a week, unless I got pregnant of course.

"A week! But Carl, my studies! I can't…I mean I'm not a woman!"

He came over, took my hand and placed it in my groin and smiled at me.

"I think your wrong Matty. You are a woman in every sense of the word. Ano told me she wanted you to sense what she sensed, feel what she felt, and the best way was for you to become a woman."

Carl and I are about the same height, I'm a little taller and heavier, but now, well, I have bigger breasts too. I looked in the mirror and all doubt was removed. I have a very shapely body, firm breasts, a trim waist and wide hips. My hair is the same color and length, but looks some how right on me. Carl crawled into bed, then patted the side next to him. In a swirl of emotion Carl came to me and showed me the delights in womanhood.

The next morning I found out about how women take care of themselves, then I changed. Clean panties and a bra, then a thin top with a short skirt and sandals.

"Lets go to the mall Matty, we'll get you some clothes that fit better, like a bra that fits you, and a package of panties, and maybe some makeup."

As if I had a choice. Later, when we were at home, I was naked in our bedroom when Carl came in, stood behind me, and slowly took his clothes off. He took two steps and began to rub my back. My reaction was not what I was used to, and as Carl pulled me to the bed I let him caress my skin, then I felt his lips on mine. Later, after we had both showered, he told me we were going out. I lay there as he stepped into his thongs, then threw mine at me. It took me no time at all to get ready, no shaving of course, and my makeup was but a hint of color. I wore a sheath dress again, this one low cut, two thin straps to hold it up. Carl was dressed in a suit, then we went to a club.

We were seated, and almost at once, we were surrounded by handsome young men. One of them took my hand in his and I was soon wrapped in his arms as we floated around the dance floor. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ano and the old man, and broke free of my partner. Ano was seated and motioned to the empty chair near her.

"You are quite beautiful Matty."

"Why did you do this to me?"

"You are a woman at heart. I saw it when we talked. Tender and caring you are, loving and cautious, and you show no signs of rancor. You love life, yet, in your heart, you have always felt the tug of an unknown need, one which Carl cannot answer." Ano paused and we locked eyes. "This life is for you, but you do not understand the power you have yet."

"How did you get here?"

"You brought us together, a catalyst that reached across time to reunite my father and I. Carl does not have it in him, only you." Her smile went pensive, then, "It is a great gift I gave you Matty. To fill a need is rare, to be oneself exulting, and now you have both."

How did she know that I felt…something was missing? Only I knew that, and I never spoke of it.

"The man you were with, out there, is a good man. He is attracted to you. He will make a fine husband and father to your children, now go in peace my child."

I stood up, unsure of what she said, yet believing every word of it.

Carl was wrapped up with some lady, and was not shaken that I let Bret took me home. Tall, with a solidly masculine build, curly brown hair and twinkling blue eyes, he has set me tingling. When we parked in front of the house he first kissed me, then touched me. When Carl kissed me it was nice, but when Bret did it an electric shock ran through me. When his hand found my breast I quivered, and I wanted him. He was my destiny. I took his hand. In the spare bedroom, he took me, and I became the woman Ano said I would. Carl slept alone, not saying a word when Bret left the next morning, but his face told me he understood. I moved into the spare bedroom that day, and never went back to dressing as a man. Bret and I dated for six months, then we married. Less than a year later I gave birth to a girl child, a tiny bundle of noise we named Ano.

In the fullness of time, after my three children were grown, and my beautiful, kind, Bret was gone, I fell sick, my body wracked with pain day after day. I endured the agony until a thin mist settled over me, I saw the light, and met Ano again. Still beautiful, she took my hand and led me to a path.

"Come. Let me introduce you to my friends."

I looked at my hands, now wrinkle free, my body firm and young once again as we walked into the light. I was wearing a tan skirt and a blue blouse, my feet in sandals. Bret waited for me, just at the top of the rise.

(the end)

 

 

© 1999
The above work is copyrighted material. Anyone wishing to copy, archive, or re-post this story must contact the author for permission.

At the request of the author, this story is presented in 12 point Times New Roman.