Time & Space (Short Fiction Collection Vol. 2) by Gord Rollo, Gene O'Neill, Everette Bell Read Free Book Online Page B

always that possibility. Then again, when she’d checked her silver pendant that morning, it hadn’t seemed as round and unblemished as she remembered. It wasn’t flattened out, like in the dream, but something about it sure looked–and felt–different. Deep down, she wanted to believe that everything that had happened had been real.
    One thing Marcela couldn’t deny; she was beginning to change, inside and out. Just as Mambo Ranice had said she would. The coming change she’d called it.
    That weekend, returning from the corner 7-Eleven store with a bag of essentials–she went out only at night now–her body definitely felt different, not clumsy and sore as one might expect, still recovering from all the recent injuries, but actually strong and powerful. After putting the groceries away, she stripped down and stood naked in front of her dressing mirror, carefully examining herself. Her skin was kind of mottled. She had always been dark, tanning very easily, but now, her body was splotchy. But that wasn’t the strangest thing. No indeed. She smoothed both hands along the sides of her breasts.
    They were shrinking!
    At first, she’d thought it was her imagination. But now she was sure. Her breasts were growing smaller. She turned and looked over her shoulder, her entire figure seemed to be growing boyish–her hips for sure were losing the feminine roundness.
    Strange.
    Staring at herself in the mirror, Marcela thought, I’m losing my old identity, but growing stronger, feeling more powerful even.
    “Jesus, maybe I’m becoming a male,” she said aloud and laughed. Dismissing the ridiculous speculation, she whispered, “but what’s really happening to me? Is it all in my mind? Actually, the body changes aren’t really that pronounced. Maybe–”
    There was a rap at the door.
    “Hey, Marcela, it’s me, Sandy,” the familiar voice called through the door. “You know, that weird lady across the hall, the one you seem to be avoiding like a STD. Saw you coming back with groceries. Open up.”
    Pulling on a kimono-like bathrobe to cover the suspected body changes, Marcela went to the door, paused a moment, then opened it. “Hi, Sandy,” she said, forcing a smile.
    “Hello, stranger,” the thin brunette said, smiling back. “You okay?” There was a puzzled, almost hurt, expression on Sandy’s face.
    Marcela nodded, then explained, “My trip took a lot out of me. And actually, been having a lot of cramps since I got back, you know, that time.” She shrugged. Of course it was a lie. She hadn’t had a period since a month before the attack. And even though she got no more exercise than the occasional nightly walk to the corner store and prowling the apartment, Marcela felt in top health. Oh, she hadn’t been eating much, her normally vegetarian diet seeming kind of bland and unfulfilling.
    “I understand,” Sandy said. “You probably aren’t interested in a movie after dinner, are you?”
    Marcela smiled and shook her head. The mention of dinner made her aware of a smell, a wonderful smell. She poked her head out in the corridor, noticing that her friend had left her door ajar. The smell was coming from inside Sandy’s apartment. “ Mmmm , what are you cooking for dinner? Smells great.”
    Her friend eyed Marcela curiously before answering. “Nothing yet. I’ve got some ground chuck out thawing.” Sandy turned toward her opened door and sniffed. “I can’t smell anything.” She turned back to her friend. “You sure you smell something from my apartment?”
    Marcela nodded. Shrugged.
    “Thought you didn’t care for meat?”
    “I don’t,” Marcela replied, feeling slightly confused, because something did indeed smell very good, even activating her salivary glands.
    They chatted a few more minutes, Marcela not mentioning anything about her trip or the peculiar body changes, instead convincing her neighbor that she was fine except for a little PMS. They agreed to a movie early in the coming