The Dilemma - Conclusion
Introduction
David’s car meandered through the ancient, forgotten looking road. There were no street lamps, and towering redwoods obscured all except the twisting path ahead. If it were not for the light of the full moon, his headlights would have been the only illumination.
The minutes dragged on uneventfully, as David pushed further and further into the woods. Just as he was starting to lose his nerve and suspect that he must have misread the directions, the road finally and mercifully came to an end, and David had arrived.
The road ended at a gaudy, old mansion. Hand carved, opulent wood designs adorned the large home, which almost seemed to be sagging towards the center of its roof. The shine of the wood had long since gone, and time had eaten away at its former grandeur. Chips, cracks, discoloration and wood rot were everywhere. Two majestic porch lights sat atop stone pillars and covered in ornate wrought iron casings. They gave the old mansion a look of bespectacled eyes. The lights were still functional, but the light they issued was quite dim.
Some of the windows were cracked. Others were shattered, and a few were missing the panes altogether. The front porch boasted a few cobwebs, descending from the rafters of an upper balcony like a ninety year old Rapunzel letting down her hair.
Each wooden plank on the steps towards the front door seemed bent, bowed, or sagging in some slightly unique way. Each step David took upon them produced a differing crack or groan, as if his feet were playing the world’s most ancient organ.
The fancy etchings on the front door showed the home to be one that must have been the loveliest in the county, in its day. Now, the home seemed so frail that David almost feared a fierce knock on the door would collapse the entire estate like a house of cards.
David knocked gently, and was only a little surprised when the door simply swung open. Dusty marble greeted him, along with a darkly lit spiral staircase. David noticed a yellow sticky note attached to the staircase banister in Michelle’s handwriting.
“Meet me in the attic,” was the message in its entirety. David was only starting to feel more and more confused. Why had Michelle asked him to have dinner with him at Ethel’s home? And why would Ethel live in such a place? She might be as old as this house, but it barely seemed safe, let alone livable, David thought to himself as he ascended the creaky old spiral staircase.
When he reached the top, he found that another flight of stairs greeted him. More of what must have been once beautiful carpet covered the floors, and large doors down the hall promised massive, bedrooms. As David turned towards the staircase, he took a good look at the dust ensconced chandelier, which he guessed was crystal underneath. When he finished that flight, he found himself standing at the entrance of a narrow hallway. Thin, plain doors likely promised to be supply rooms, or perhaps the quarters of some long since gone maid.
At the end of the hallway was a long, wooden ladder leading up to an open compartment near the ceiling, accompanied by some pale light. David placed his foot on the bottom rung of the latter, and it bent and creaked just slightly. For a brief moment, fear overtook him, and he quickly removed his foot off of the rung.
His thoughts then turned to Michelle, who had climbed this ladder herself and was now up in the attic, awaiting his arrival. With a sense of purpose, he placed his foot firmly back on the ladder, and climbed.
The Disguise Unveiled
David was at the top rung of the ladder when he felt Michelle’s arm upon his, pulling him into the attic. The room was dingy and small, but with the table and chairs someone had stored, it was cozy enough.
Michelle was wearing a white tube top and a mini skirt that accentuated her very lithe, youthful figure. Her blonde tresses neatly framed her diamond shaped face, and two large hoop earrings nicely complimented her figure.
“So, what’s really going on here, Michelle?” David asked. “Why did you ask me to come out to…” David hesitated, not knowing quite how to describe the dilapidated mansion in which he now found himself. “…this place?”
“This is Ethel’s home,” Michelle explained.
“Ethel?” David said, recalling the elderly woman whom he had met on a few occasions. “What does she have to do with this?”
“She has quite a lot to do with a great many things, David. I think it’s time for you and me to have a little talk,” Michelle replied serenely.
“About what?” David asked innocently.
“Well, David, you and I have grown very close, and I just want to know if I can completely trust you,” Michelle began.
“You know you can, Michelle. Whatever it is, I’ll support you,” David said, although he felt a little nervous.
Michelle reached into her purse and produced an antique looking brooch. The edges contained what looked like petals of a rose, ensconced in brass. Michelle handed the artifact over to David, and he opened it. A faint, greenish glow emanated from the innards, which contained numerous swirling etches and a large hourglass. Most of sand sat at the top half of the glass, but was trickling down almost imperceptibly slowly.
“What is it?” David asked curiously. “What does it do?”
“This brooch has been in my family for countless generations,” Michelle said, giving him information while avoiding a direct answer to his questions for the moment. “I’m not sure how it works, but I know that its power only affects women in my bloodline.”
“But, how does it affect you?” David asked again. “Why the big lead up to showing me this jewelry? Why tell me about it here, in Ethel’s house?”
Michelle hesitated and sighed before answering. “I don’t know how to explain it to you, David. I feel like if I told you, you wouldn’t believe me. You are just going to have to see it for yourself.” She moved her hand towards a bag near her purse and started pulling out articles of clothing. She produced an old fashioned looking dress, some frumpy old lady shoes, a gaudy pearl bracelet, and a grey cardigan. Without any explanation, she quickly stripped off her own clothing.
David only got a few moments of eyeing Michelle’s body when she started to put on the unusual garb from her mysterious bag.
“But, I thought…” David said out loud. “Michelle, why are you wearing Ethel’s clothes?”
“Honestly, David,” Michelle said as she hiked up a pair of granny panties, “I expected this to come as a bit of a shock, but…surely you must be close to figuring this out by now.”
David wasn’t. He stared at Michelle with confusion and disbelief as the finished putting on the ill-fitting, baggy cardigan.
“Are you ready?” Michelle asked at last.
“Ready for what?” David asked in reply.
“Ready for me to show you my secret. Ready to see firsthand who and what I am. Ready for our relationship to move to the next level, in more ways than one,” Michelle responded cryptically.
“I see,” said David, though he clearly did not. “Alright, well…I love you, Michelle. Nothing you can show me will change that.”
Michelle considered the answer for a moment, and then nodded. She reopened the brooch and turned the hourglass upside down, causing a brief flash of green light to envelope it.
David didn’t notice anything, at first. But then something caught his eye: Michelle’s body appeared to be changing. The skin around her cheeks first grew puffier, as if a thin layer of baby fat was being smoothed back onto then. After that, the skin started to gain a few more wrinkles, and became slightly rougher in its appearance.
The rest of Michelle’s face seemed to follow suit. Her chin became bloated, creating a double chin effect, which then began to sag slightly. The skin of her neck became sagging and wrinkled, with small veins becoming noticeable. Michelle’s stunning, youthful lips seemed to fade away and pull back. As they became thinner and thinner, they exposed teeth that appeared more aged and yellowed inside her mouth. Her nose grew larger and changed shape, becoming far more bulbous and pronounced.
The skin near Michelle’s eyes became lined and set with heavy bags and crow’s feet. The eyebrows thinned somewhat, while the hairs that remained became longer and somehow slightly menacing. Her eyelashes lost both their length and their numbers, decreasing the youthful, feminine look that was Michelle’s signature. The eyes themselves became a bit more sunken into the sockets. The eyes also became more bloodshot, and the color changed from a warm and inviting blue to a more forbidding grey. It was as if the old Michelle, the one David knew so well, was simply fading away in front of him, and someone new was taking a seat behind those eyes. They now stared back at him with an unfamiliar and slightly uncomfortable glare.
Lines erupted from Michelle’s forehead, rendering the top of her face a sea of wrinkles. Age spots littered the top of her skin and her hair lost its luster, becoming a mix of grey and white. Michelle fastened her hair into an old fashioned bun style with an ornate, antique looking butterfly clip from her bag.
As she raised her hands to fasten the clip, David noticed her arms had changed as well. They now were flabby and shook with the “old lady arms” effect. David got another chance to see it as Michelle shook her bag, finding at last a gaudy ring which she placed upon her ring finger. David noticed that her hands were withered, wrinkled, and discolored. Her skin tone was now so pale that it was nearly translucent.
Michelle’s shoulders widened some and shifted position, giving her the appearance of a slight dowager’s hump. Her breasts started to both expand and sag with their new weight, pressing against the grey cardigan and deforming it. Michelle tried to tug the garment back into place and re button it, but the cardigan continued to stretch and shift as her bosom continued to grow. Eventually, it settled into the shape of a very large, fallen, matronly bust, stretching the fabric of the cardigan so much that one could practically see through the threads.
Underneath her bosom, Michelle’s stomach had also changed its shape. At first, her young looking flat tummy had developed a slight curve, barely noticeable under her dress. Then, the soft curve had developed into a round looking pot belly. Now, that had grown into a large gut, sitting low on her waist and supporting her fallen breasts. It was flanked with muffin top love handles and looked very soft and jiggly.
Michelle’s hips had expanded as well, losing their young, almost boyishly thin appearance and becoming a thick pack of birthing hips that would help define her gait as she walked. Along with large, sagging butt, she’d now lurch along with a jiggling, uneven waddle. Those hips led to thick thighs that likely rubbed together a little near the top. Near her feet, her ankles had swelled into “cankles” which then melted from her brown stockings into her old lady shoes.
David wasn’t sure how to respond to what he had seen. Michelle had disguised herself into Ethel! Michelle, in some sense, was Ethel. Every time he had seen Ethel, it had really been Michelle all along. And every time he had seen Michelle…she always had the possibility, the potential, to become Ethel. Perhaps, he though, she had just finished changing back into Michelle when the first met. Or perhaps she had disguised herself into Ethel shortly thereafter. Perhaps both?
Michelle, or rather now Ethel, was putting the finishing touches on her disguise. She gave herself a light dusting of perfume from an old looking bottle; the smell that issued forth was a mixture of musty carpet and dried rose petals.
“You must have suspected something, young man,” Ethel croaked out. Her voice startled David. It sounded so much harsher, so much lower and more gravelly than Michelle’s.
“No, not really…” David replied at last.
“But, now that you know, you aren’t running for the hills?” Ethel asked, her voice creaking like an old floorboard.
“Of course not,” David said quickly. “I’m honored that you wanted to share this with me. But…how is this even possible? Please, tell me everything.”
“All in good time, young man, all in good time. But first…I believe we have a dinner date. Shall we get going?” Ethel said, her voice warbling.
“Of course,” David said quickly. A few moments later, he considered how others might react upon seeing him and Ethel together. Would they assume that this elderly looking woman was his date? Or would they think that she must be his mother, his aunt, or his grandmother?
“It may be a long drive to a restaurant,” David began, feeling a little nervous. “We are out in the middle of nowhere…”
Ethel answered by throwing her head back slightly and letting out a dry cackle. The effect was vaguely reminiscent of a Disney villainess’s evil laugh. Ethel’s breast and belly giggled a little bit from the effort. “I don’t think dinner is as far away as all that, David. Besides, I figured a restaurant might not be the most swell place for our first dinner together.”
“I don’t understand,” David replied.
“Oh, hush up.” Ethel said, sounding gruff and playful at the same time. “Just follow me.”
Ethel began to head for the ladder, and David did as he was told. He mentally noted the unusual differences between Ethel and Michelle’s way of suggesting things: Ethel seemed to be much more direct, much more confident and in control of the situation.
His mental train of thought was derailed as he finished descending the ladder – and collided with a butler wearing a fancy black jacket. The man quickly excused himself in an Irish brogue and then headed for what looked like an elevator down the hall that David hadn’t noticed earlier. In fact, now that David was looking, the entire hall seemed to be different. The carpet was fresh, the walls were cleaner and the shine on the wood seemed to almost sparkle.
In pausing to admire the hall, he had let Ethel get a good ways ahead of him. She now shouted at him from the stairway. “David, don’t dawdle,” she said, and David compliantly hurried in her direction. He had to stop again, momentarily, to admire the chandelier, which was now new and sparkling with a radiant glow.
David followed Ethel down the stairs and a slow pace, his eyes mesmerized by her wobbling bottom. When the two finally arrived at the first floor, David was once again surprised by the home. All signs of decay had vanished from it, and the place looked like an immaculate estate. The cracked windows were repaired, the floors were sparkled, and every room seemed to shine with a bright, luxurious glow.
They stopped for a moment, and Ethel glared at David expectantly. David wasn’t sure what she wanted until she gave him a little jab in the arm, after which he offered it out to her in a gentlemanly way. His hands touched her bony fingers, which were a little colder than Michelle’s were and were covered in age spots and somewhat visible little veins. As Ethel extended and bent her arm, it slightly distorted the fit of her tight cardigan, as it pulled even closer against her massive, matronly bosom. David stole a couple of quick glances and then tried to keep his eyes staring straight ahead.
They walked towards a formal living room, which contained a classic, long table and an ornately hand painted ceiling. More staff appeared to pull out their chairs, and then others still began to serve food from shining silver platters.
“How has this all come to be? How did the house get like this?” David asked in utter bewilderment.
“The house has always been like this, David. You just have to know how to look at it,” Ethel replied knowingly.
“I think I understand,” David replied. “But what about yourself? Have you always had your powers?”
“My abilities, my disguise, the timepiece…all have been passed down from the women in my family for many generations,” Ethel explained. “As I said before, I don’t exactly know how it works, or why. But now that you know about it, I hope I use it to your benefit in more ways than one.”
“What do you mean?” David asked.
“Well, I thought I might be able to help you in your work. I could pose as an old teacher, go down to the school, and lend a hand,” Ethel proposed.
David imagined Ethel gruffly and sternly keeping order in a classroom, telling the kids to mind their manners and respect their elders. The thought was quite intriguing.
“That sounds great,” David said. “I’m sure you could teach them a thing or two.”
“I’m quite sure you’re right,” Ethel responded.
“What about that ring, why do you wear it?” David asked hesitantly. The dinner was winding down now, with only dessert yet to be served. The food had been a veritable paradise for the taste buds, and yet David found himself distracted from the meal. He was eager to learn more about Ethel, to find some way to bring them closer together.
“Well, I’ve got a good story I could tell you about that,” Ethel said with a wry grin, which looked a bit like a frown given her impressive set of facial wrinkles. “I’ve been a widow for several decades now. I wear this wring to remember what it is like to be loved.”
“I’m sorry it has been so long…” David began.
“Oh yes, quite long indeed. You see, when you are someone like me, you don’t get out as much as you’d like, and most people…well, let’s just say they probably don’t see things like you do, David,” Ethel said knowingly.
“But…how do you know how I see things/” David asked.
“Oh, young boy, I know. It’s in your eyes,” Ethel responded with a wink.
A flaming crème bru le was served as dessert. While David waited for it to cool, he pondered his situation. Michelle was young and beautiful, and could have her pick of any man she wanted – that knowledge had always made him a little nervous. But with her ability to disguise herself as Ethel, she now had a different set up attributes: instead of conventional beauty and universal desirability, she had the wisdom of ages, the maturity of a matron and the fierce will of a determined mind. Michelle had trusted him enough to reveal her Ethel disguise to him – and that trust had been repaid. Ethel had just told him that she could tell he was the right type of guy, the type that could understand and appreciate the disguise in all its glory. That special kind of uniqueness and trust made David feel safe, secure, valued, and loved.
On the other hand, Ethel’s personality, along with her looks, was different than Michelle’s. He had obviously done well so far, but there was no way to tell exactly how the rest of the evening was going to go. And increasingly, his thoughts were drifting towards the rest of the evening. He felt entranced by Ethel and hoped she could feel comfortable enough with him to allow them to become even closer.
“Well, that was a lovely meal,” Ethel said as she finished up her dessert and quickly rose from the table. David could see the form of her breasts shake a little though the cardigan as she did so. She walked towards him with a sense of purpose, her cold eyes fixed upon his as she waddled past the table towards him. “Shall we…retire for the evening?” she said suggestively.
“I would like nothing more,” David replied.
The Consummation of Love
“We can take the elevator this time,” Ethel suggested as they left the formal dining room. As they entered it, Ethel pushed the “2” button. David knew this meant that they were not returning to the attic – but going somewhere else entirely, some part of this majestic mansion he had yet to explore. He felt butterflies in his stomach as he titillated himself imaging what might occur there.
“Why don’t you give Ethel a kiss,” she said as the doors shut. She leaned over and pressed her thin, cold lips against David’s, and they kissed. As they did, Ethel brought her hand around David’s neck, and stroked his skin and hair with her bony knuckles. She tightened her arm a bit, causing his body to lean into her own more. David could feel his torso mashed up against Ethel’s soft breasts and belly. He leaned into the kiss even more, grinding his body against hers and surrendering himself to passion.
“Now now,” she mildly scolded when the kiss broke. “Let’s save something for the bedroom.” With that remark, the elevator dinged and the door swung open. David and Michelle walked down the hallway and made their way towards the bedroom.
When they arrived, Ethel reached into her purse and produced an old looking skeleton key, which she used to unlock the massive doors to the master bedroom.
“I’ve got to powder my nose, make yourself comfortable for a minute,” Ethel said as she crossed the room and entered the bathroom.
Inside was an enormous four poster bed, with old fashioned shams and pillows adorning strewn on top. A vanity sat on the far corner, containing an old looking brush and dozens of odd looking bottles containing vintage perfume fragrances. Also on the vanity was a jewelry box, which was partially spilling over with strings of pearls and diamond necklaces.
David noticed another door and found it to be the entrance to a large walk in closet. There was a section for dresses, for shoes, but the largest section by far was for cardigans. Row upon row of cardigan sweaters hung, in every conceivable shape, size, color, and fabric material. David noticed upon further inspection that many of the cardigans did share one thing in common: a slight wearing out of the fabric in the bust area. David imagined the wear and tear of the snugly fitting garments on Ethel’s large breasts. He thought about how each different cardigan would fit slightly differently on her matronly frame, how each would one would reveal the contours of her figure in a uniquely suggestive way. He knew that no matter which one she chose, her large, sagging breasts would protrude from it in an obvious way, and no amount of tugging or re-adjustment would make it fit the way it would fit on any other woman. David reached out his hand and touched the bust area of one particularly frayed (and faded) orange cardigan, cupping and caressing the fabric that he knew must have valiantly tried to hold in those big, bouncing breasts many a time.
“David?” Ethel called to him, and he quickly returned to the bedroom.
“Sorry, I was just…admiring your wardrobe,” David said.
“I’m glad you find it impressive,” Ethel said. She and David gazed at each other for a few moments without speaking. David’s heart was pounding a mile and minute and his mouth was dry. Finally, Ethel began walking a little closer towards him. She stopped a few feet from him, reaching his hand towards his face and stroking it in a warm way, which stood in stark contrast to the cold expression permanently etched into her exterior.
“It’s been so long since I’ve been with a man,” Ethel bemoaned. “I’ve been a widow for decades now…I’m in need of a man like you, David. A young, virile man…the need has been burning away at me for far too long.” They kissed again, and as they parted, Ethel instructed, “Take off your clothes.”
David quickly complied, and was a little surprised when Ethel did not follow suit. “I think it is a bit more interesting if they are left on, for the most part,” Ethel said. David thought it over for a moment and found himself delighted with the idea. Ethel’s old lady garb was fascinating. Having a chance to grind his naked body up against it was not to be passed up.
Ethel grabbed David’s bare shoulders and pushed him onto the bed, then climbed aboard herself. She leaned her body on top of his, her much heavier form pinning his down. Ethel moved down and kissed him again, slightly chewing on David’s lip. As she did so, she moved a hand down towards his groin and gently pinched the tip of his manhood. David gasped through the kiss as she did so.
She straddled David and slowly began to hike her dress partially down, exposing her granny panties and girdle. She pulled them down as well and lowered herself on top of David. As she started to move back and forth, her chest found its way right in front of David’s face. The cardigan ground against him, and he felt the soft form of her breasts on his face through it. He reached his hands up and groped them, feeling their softness and how far they went down.
Ethel undid the clip of her hair and thin wisps of white fell upon his face as well. As their lovemaking began to move at a faster pace, the thin white wisps moved about, as if dancing to music. Her cardigan ensconced form moved too, as the bouncing of her breasts and jiggling of her belly intensified. With each up and down motion, they created new shapes and new forms within the clothing. David’s hands greedily moved up and down, trying to take it all in.
The end happened during their mutual satisfaction. Ethel rolled off of him and the two lay side by side, staring into each others eyes. David saw the crow’s feet, the faded color, and the harsh glare, but he also saw the woman he loved in there as well. In fact he could honestly say he had never loved her more than at this moment.
He thought for a moment on the rest of his life. He pondered how much more he’d understand Michelle now that he knew about Ethel, and how much emotional intimacy and security he’d have in his relationship with her. He thought about the mansion as well – how he had underestimated it at first, but it had proven itself to be a more marvelous than any he had ever stepped foot in. This would be he and Ethel’s special, magical place.
“I’m a very lucky lady,” Ethel finally croaked out.
“No, I’m the lucky one,” David replied.
~
David’s car meandered through the ancient, forgotten looking road. There were no street lamps, and towering redwoods obscured all except the twisting path ahead. If it were not for the light of the full moon, his headlights would have been the only illumination.
The minutes dragged on uneventfully, as David pushed further and further into the woods. Just as he was starting to lose his nerve and suspect that he must have misread the directions, the road finally and mercifully came to an end, and David had arrived.
The road ended at a gaudy, old mansion. Hand carved, opulent wood designs adorned the large home, which almost seemed to be sagging towards the center of its roof. The shine of the wood had long since gone, and time had eaten away at its former grandeur. Chips, cracks, discoloration and wood rot were everywhere. Two majestic porch lights sat atop stone pillars and covered in ornate wrought iron casings. They gave the old mansion a look of bespectacled eyes. The lights were still functional, but the light they issued was quite dim.
Some of the windows were cracked. Others were shattered, and a few were missing the panes altogether. The front porch boasted a few cobwebs, descending from the rafters of an upper balcony like a ninety year old Rapunzel letting down her hair.
Each wooden plank on the steps towards the front door seemed bent, bowed, or sagging in some slightly unique way. Each step David took upon them produced a differing crack or groan, as if his feet were playing the world’s most ancient organ.
The fancy etchings on the front door showed the home to be one that must have been the loveliest in the county, in its day. Now, the home seemed so frail that David almost feared a fierce knock on the door would collapse the entire estate like a house of cards.
David knocked gently, and was only a little surprised when the door simply swung open. Dusty marble greeted him, along with a darkly lit spiral staircase. David noticed a yellow sticky note attached to the staircase banister in Michelle’s handwriting.
“Meet me in the attic,” was the message in its entirety. David was only starting to feel more and more confused. Why had Michelle asked him to have dinner with him at Ethel’s home? And why would Ethel live in such a place? She might be as old as this house, but it barely seemed safe, let alone livable, David thought to himself as he ascended the creaky old spiral staircase.
When he reached the top, he found that another flight of stairs greeted him. More of what must have been once beautiful carpet covered the floors, and large doors down the hall promised massive, bedrooms. As David turned towards the staircase, he took a good look at the dust ensconced chandelier, which he guessed was crystal underneath. When he finished that flight, he found himself standing at the entrance of a narrow hallway. Thin, plain doors likely promised to be supply rooms, or perhaps the quarters of some long since gone maid.
At the end of the hallway was a long, wooden ladder leading up to an open compartment near the ceiling, accompanied by some pale light. David placed his foot on the bottom rung of the latter, and it bent and creaked just slightly. For a brief moment, fear overtook him, and he quickly removed his foot off of the rung.
His thoughts then turned to Michelle, who had climbed this ladder herself and was now up in the attic, awaiting his arrival. With a sense of purpose, he placed his foot firmly back on the ladder, and climbed.
The Disguise Unveiled
David was at the top rung of the ladder when he felt Michelle’s arm upon his, pulling him into the attic. The room was dingy and small, but with the table and chairs someone had stored, it was cozy enough.
Michelle was wearing a white tube top and a mini skirt that accentuated her very lithe, youthful figure. Her blonde tresses neatly framed her diamond shaped face, and two large hoop earrings nicely complimented her figure.
“So, what’s really going on here, Michelle?” David asked. “Why did you ask me to come out to…” David hesitated, not knowing quite how to describe the dilapidated mansion in which he now found himself. “…this place?”
“This is Ethel’s home,” Michelle explained.
“Ethel?” David said, recalling the elderly woman whom he had met on a few occasions. “What does she have to do with this?”
“She has quite a lot to do with a great many things, David. I think it’s time for you and me to have a little talk,” Michelle replied serenely.
“About what?” David asked innocently.
“Well, David, you and I have grown very close, and I just want to know if I can completely trust you,” Michelle began.
“You know you can, Michelle. Whatever it is, I’ll support you,” David said, although he felt a little nervous.
Michelle reached into her purse and produced an antique looking brooch. The edges contained what looked like petals of a rose, ensconced in brass. Michelle handed the artifact over to David, and he opened it. A faint, greenish glow emanated from the innards, which contained numerous swirling etches and a large hourglass. Most of sand sat at the top half of the glass, but was trickling down almost imperceptibly slowly.
“What is it?” David asked curiously. “What does it do?”
“This brooch has been in my family for countless generations,” Michelle said, giving him information while avoiding a direct answer to his questions for the moment. “I’m not sure how it works, but I know that its power only affects women in my bloodline.”
“But, how does it affect you?” David asked again. “Why the big lead up to showing me this jewelry? Why tell me about it here, in Ethel’s house?”
Michelle hesitated and sighed before answering. “I don’t know how to explain it to you, David. I feel like if I told you, you wouldn’t believe me. You are just going to have to see it for yourself.” She moved her hand towards a bag near her purse and started pulling out articles of clothing. She produced an old fashioned looking dress, some frumpy old lady shoes, a gaudy pearl bracelet, and a grey cardigan. Without any explanation, she quickly stripped off her own clothing.
David only got a few moments of eyeing Michelle’s body when she started to put on the unusual garb from her mysterious bag.
“But, I thought…” David said out loud. “Michelle, why are you wearing Ethel’s clothes?”
“Honestly, David,” Michelle said as she hiked up a pair of granny panties, “I expected this to come as a bit of a shock, but…surely you must be close to figuring this out by now.”
David wasn’t. He stared at Michelle with confusion and disbelief as the finished putting on the ill-fitting, baggy cardigan.
“Are you ready?” Michelle asked at last.
“Ready for what?” David asked in reply.
“Ready for me to show you my secret. Ready to see firsthand who and what I am. Ready for our relationship to move to the next level, in more ways than one,” Michelle responded cryptically.
“I see,” said David, though he clearly did not. “Alright, well…I love you, Michelle. Nothing you can show me will change that.”
Michelle considered the answer for a moment, and then nodded. She reopened the brooch and turned the hourglass upside down, causing a brief flash of green light to envelope it.
David didn’t notice anything, at first. But then something caught his eye: Michelle’s body appeared to be changing. The skin around her cheeks first grew puffier, as if a thin layer of baby fat was being smoothed back onto then. After that, the skin started to gain a few more wrinkles, and became slightly rougher in its appearance.
The rest of Michelle’s face seemed to follow suit. Her chin became bloated, creating a double chin effect, which then began to sag slightly. The skin of her neck became sagging and wrinkled, with small veins becoming noticeable. Michelle’s stunning, youthful lips seemed to fade away and pull back. As they became thinner and thinner, they exposed teeth that appeared more aged and yellowed inside her mouth. Her nose grew larger and changed shape, becoming far more bulbous and pronounced.
The skin near Michelle’s eyes became lined and set with heavy bags and crow’s feet. The eyebrows thinned somewhat, while the hairs that remained became longer and somehow slightly menacing. Her eyelashes lost both their length and their numbers, decreasing the youthful, feminine look that was Michelle’s signature. The eyes themselves became a bit more sunken into the sockets. The eyes also became more bloodshot, and the color changed from a warm and inviting blue to a more forbidding grey. It was as if the old Michelle, the one David knew so well, was simply fading away in front of him, and someone new was taking a seat behind those eyes. They now stared back at him with an unfamiliar and slightly uncomfortable glare.
Lines erupted from Michelle’s forehead, rendering the top of her face a sea of wrinkles. Age spots littered the top of her skin and her hair lost its luster, becoming a mix of grey and white. Michelle fastened her hair into an old fashioned bun style with an ornate, antique looking butterfly clip from her bag.
As she raised her hands to fasten the clip, David noticed her arms had changed as well. They now were flabby and shook with the “old lady arms” effect. David got another chance to see it as Michelle shook her bag, finding at last a gaudy ring which she placed upon her ring finger. David noticed that her hands were withered, wrinkled, and discolored. Her skin tone was now so pale that it was nearly translucent.
Michelle’s shoulders widened some and shifted position, giving her the appearance of a slight dowager’s hump. Her breasts started to both expand and sag with their new weight, pressing against the grey cardigan and deforming it. Michelle tried to tug the garment back into place and re button it, but the cardigan continued to stretch and shift as her bosom continued to grow. Eventually, it settled into the shape of a very large, fallen, matronly bust, stretching the fabric of the cardigan so much that one could practically see through the threads.
Underneath her bosom, Michelle’s stomach had also changed its shape. At first, her young looking flat tummy had developed a slight curve, barely noticeable under her dress. Then, the soft curve had developed into a round looking pot belly. Now, that had grown into a large gut, sitting low on her waist and supporting her fallen breasts. It was flanked with muffin top love handles and looked very soft and jiggly.
Michelle’s hips had expanded as well, losing their young, almost boyishly thin appearance and becoming a thick pack of birthing hips that would help define her gait as she walked. Along with large, sagging butt, she’d now lurch along with a jiggling, uneven waddle. Those hips led to thick thighs that likely rubbed together a little near the top. Near her feet, her ankles had swelled into “cankles” which then melted from her brown stockings into her old lady shoes.
David wasn’t sure how to respond to what he had seen. Michelle had disguised herself into Ethel! Michelle, in some sense, was Ethel. Every time he had seen Ethel, it had really been Michelle all along. And every time he had seen Michelle…she always had the possibility, the potential, to become Ethel. Perhaps, he though, she had just finished changing back into Michelle when the first met. Or perhaps she had disguised herself into Ethel shortly thereafter. Perhaps both?
Michelle, or rather now Ethel, was putting the finishing touches on her disguise. She gave herself a light dusting of perfume from an old looking bottle; the smell that issued forth was a mixture of musty carpet and dried rose petals.
“You must have suspected something, young man,” Ethel croaked out. Her voice startled David. It sounded so much harsher, so much lower and more gravelly than Michelle’s.
“No, not really…” David replied at last.
“But, now that you know, you aren’t running for the hills?” Ethel asked, her voice creaking like an old floorboard.
“Of course not,” David said quickly. “I’m honored that you wanted to share this with me. But…how is this even possible? Please, tell me everything.”
“All in good time, young man, all in good time. But first…I believe we have a dinner date. Shall we get going?” Ethel said, her voice warbling.
“Of course,” David said quickly. A few moments later, he considered how others might react upon seeing him and Ethel together. Would they assume that this elderly looking woman was his date? Or would they think that she must be his mother, his aunt, or his grandmother?
“It may be a long drive to a restaurant,” David began, feeling a little nervous. “We are out in the middle of nowhere…”
Ethel answered by throwing her head back slightly and letting out a dry cackle. The effect was vaguely reminiscent of a Disney villainess’s evil laugh. Ethel’s breast and belly giggled a little bit from the effort. “I don’t think dinner is as far away as all that, David. Besides, I figured a restaurant might not be the most swell place for our first dinner together.”
“I don’t understand,” David replied.
“Oh, hush up.” Ethel said, sounding gruff and playful at the same time. “Just follow me.”
Ethel began to head for the ladder, and David did as he was told. He mentally noted the unusual differences between Ethel and Michelle’s way of suggesting things: Ethel seemed to be much more direct, much more confident and in control of the situation.
His mental train of thought was derailed as he finished descending the ladder – and collided with a butler wearing a fancy black jacket. The man quickly excused himself in an Irish brogue and then headed for what looked like an elevator down the hall that David hadn’t noticed earlier. In fact, now that David was looking, the entire hall seemed to be different. The carpet was fresh, the walls were cleaner and the shine on the wood seemed to almost sparkle.
In pausing to admire the hall, he had let Ethel get a good ways ahead of him. She now shouted at him from the stairway. “David, don’t dawdle,” she said, and David compliantly hurried in her direction. He had to stop again, momentarily, to admire the chandelier, which was now new and sparkling with a radiant glow.
David followed Ethel down the stairs and a slow pace, his eyes mesmerized by her wobbling bottom. When the two finally arrived at the first floor, David was once again surprised by the home. All signs of decay had vanished from it, and the place looked like an immaculate estate. The cracked windows were repaired, the floors were sparkled, and every room seemed to shine with a bright, luxurious glow.
They stopped for a moment, and Ethel glared at David expectantly. David wasn’t sure what she wanted until she gave him a little jab in the arm, after which he offered it out to her in a gentlemanly way. His hands touched her bony fingers, which were a little colder than Michelle’s were and were covered in age spots and somewhat visible little veins. As Ethel extended and bent her arm, it slightly distorted the fit of her tight cardigan, as it pulled even closer against her massive, matronly bosom. David stole a couple of quick glances and then tried to keep his eyes staring straight ahead.
They walked towards a formal living room, which contained a classic, long table and an ornately hand painted ceiling. More staff appeared to pull out their chairs, and then others still began to serve food from shining silver platters.
“How has this all come to be? How did the house get like this?” David asked in utter bewilderment.
“The house has always been like this, David. You just have to know how to look at it,” Ethel replied knowingly.
“I think I understand,” David replied. “But what about yourself? Have you always had your powers?”
“My abilities, my disguise, the timepiece…all have been passed down from the women in my family for many generations,” Ethel explained. “As I said before, I don’t exactly know how it works, or why. But now that you know about it, I hope I use it to your benefit in more ways than one.”
“What do you mean?” David asked.
“Well, I thought I might be able to help you in your work. I could pose as an old teacher, go down to the school, and lend a hand,” Ethel proposed.
David imagined Ethel gruffly and sternly keeping order in a classroom, telling the kids to mind their manners and respect their elders. The thought was quite intriguing.
“That sounds great,” David said. “I’m sure you could teach them a thing or two.”
“I’m quite sure you’re right,” Ethel responded.
“What about that ring, why do you wear it?” David asked hesitantly. The dinner was winding down now, with only dessert yet to be served. The food had been a veritable paradise for the taste buds, and yet David found himself distracted from the meal. He was eager to learn more about Ethel, to find some way to bring them closer together.
“Well, I’ve got a good story I could tell you about that,” Ethel said with a wry grin, which looked a bit like a frown given her impressive set of facial wrinkles. “I’ve been a widow for several decades now. I wear this wring to remember what it is like to be loved.”
“I’m sorry it has been so long…” David began.
“Oh yes, quite long indeed. You see, when you are someone like me, you don’t get out as much as you’d like, and most people…well, let’s just say they probably don’t see things like you do, David,” Ethel said knowingly.
“But…how do you know how I see things/” David asked.
“Oh, young boy, I know. It’s in your eyes,” Ethel responded with a wink.
A flaming crème bru le was served as dessert. While David waited for it to cool, he pondered his situation. Michelle was young and beautiful, and could have her pick of any man she wanted – that knowledge had always made him a little nervous. But with her ability to disguise herself as Ethel, she now had a different set up attributes: instead of conventional beauty and universal desirability, she had the wisdom of ages, the maturity of a matron and the fierce will of a determined mind. Michelle had trusted him enough to reveal her Ethel disguise to him – and that trust had been repaid. Ethel had just told him that she could tell he was the right type of guy, the type that could understand and appreciate the disguise in all its glory. That special kind of uniqueness and trust made David feel safe, secure, valued, and loved.
On the other hand, Ethel’s personality, along with her looks, was different than Michelle’s. He had obviously done well so far, but there was no way to tell exactly how the rest of the evening was going to go. And increasingly, his thoughts were drifting towards the rest of the evening. He felt entranced by Ethel and hoped she could feel comfortable enough with him to allow them to become even closer.
“Well, that was a lovely meal,” Ethel said as she finished up her dessert and quickly rose from the table. David could see the form of her breasts shake a little though the cardigan as she did so. She walked towards him with a sense of purpose, her cold eyes fixed upon his as she waddled past the table towards him. “Shall we…retire for the evening?” she said suggestively.
“I would like nothing more,” David replied.
The Consummation of Love
“We can take the elevator this time,” Ethel suggested as they left the formal dining room. As they entered it, Ethel pushed the “2” button. David knew this meant that they were not returning to the attic – but going somewhere else entirely, some part of this majestic mansion he had yet to explore. He felt butterflies in his stomach as he titillated himself imaging what might occur there.
“Why don’t you give Ethel a kiss,” she said as the doors shut. She leaned over and pressed her thin, cold lips against David’s, and they kissed. As they did, Ethel brought her hand around David’s neck, and stroked his skin and hair with her bony knuckles. She tightened her arm a bit, causing his body to lean into her own more. David could feel his torso mashed up against Ethel’s soft breasts and belly. He leaned into the kiss even more, grinding his body against hers and surrendering himself to passion.
“Now now,” she mildly scolded when the kiss broke. “Let’s save something for the bedroom.” With that remark, the elevator dinged and the door swung open. David and Michelle walked down the hallway and made their way towards the bedroom.
When they arrived, Ethel reached into her purse and produced an old looking skeleton key, which she used to unlock the massive doors to the master bedroom.
“I’ve got to powder my nose, make yourself comfortable for a minute,” Ethel said as she crossed the room and entered the bathroom.
Inside was an enormous four poster bed, with old fashioned shams and pillows adorning strewn on top. A vanity sat on the far corner, containing an old looking brush and dozens of odd looking bottles containing vintage perfume fragrances. Also on the vanity was a jewelry box, which was partially spilling over with strings of pearls and diamond necklaces.
David noticed another door and found it to be the entrance to a large walk in closet. There was a section for dresses, for shoes, but the largest section by far was for cardigans. Row upon row of cardigan sweaters hung, in every conceivable shape, size, color, and fabric material. David noticed upon further inspection that many of the cardigans did share one thing in common: a slight wearing out of the fabric in the bust area. David imagined the wear and tear of the snugly fitting garments on Ethel’s large breasts. He thought about how each different cardigan would fit slightly differently on her matronly frame, how each would one would reveal the contours of her figure in a uniquely suggestive way. He knew that no matter which one she chose, her large, sagging breasts would protrude from it in an obvious way, and no amount of tugging or re-adjustment would make it fit the way it would fit on any other woman. David reached out his hand and touched the bust area of one particularly frayed (and faded) orange cardigan, cupping and caressing the fabric that he knew must have valiantly tried to hold in those big, bouncing breasts many a time.
“David?” Ethel called to him, and he quickly returned to the bedroom.
“Sorry, I was just…admiring your wardrobe,” David said.
“I’m glad you find it impressive,” Ethel said. She and David gazed at each other for a few moments without speaking. David’s heart was pounding a mile and minute and his mouth was dry. Finally, Ethel began walking a little closer towards him. She stopped a few feet from him, reaching his hand towards his face and stroking it in a warm way, which stood in stark contrast to the cold expression permanently etched into her exterior.
“It’s been so long since I’ve been with a man,” Ethel bemoaned. “I’ve been a widow for decades now…I’m in need of a man like you, David. A young, virile man…the need has been burning away at me for far too long.” They kissed again, and as they parted, Ethel instructed, “Take off your clothes.”
David quickly complied, and was a little surprised when Ethel did not follow suit. “I think it is a bit more interesting if they are left on, for the most part,” Ethel said. David thought it over for a moment and found himself delighted with the idea. Ethel’s old lady garb was fascinating. Having a chance to grind his naked body up against it was not to be passed up.
Ethel grabbed David’s bare shoulders and pushed him onto the bed, then climbed aboard herself. She leaned her body on top of his, her much heavier form pinning his down. Ethel moved down and kissed him again, slightly chewing on David’s lip. As she did so, she moved a hand down towards his groin and gently pinched the tip of his manhood. David gasped through the kiss as she did so.
She straddled David and slowly began to hike her dress partially down, exposing her granny panties and girdle. She pulled them down as well and lowered herself on top of David. As she started to move back and forth, her chest found its way right in front of David’s face. The cardigan ground against him, and he felt the soft form of her breasts on his face through it. He reached his hands up and groped them, feeling their softness and how far they went down.
Ethel undid the clip of her hair and thin wisps of white fell upon his face as well. As their lovemaking began to move at a faster pace, the thin white wisps moved about, as if dancing to music. Her cardigan ensconced form moved too, as the bouncing of her breasts and jiggling of her belly intensified. With each up and down motion, they created new shapes and new forms within the clothing. David’s hands greedily moved up and down, trying to take it all in.
The end happened during their mutual satisfaction. Ethel rolled off of him and the two lay side by side, staring into each others eyes. David saw the crow’s feet, the faded color, and the harsh glare, but he also saw the woman he loved in there as well. In fact he could honestly say he had never loved her more than at this moment.
He thought for a moment on the rest of his life. He pondered how much more he’d understand Michelle now that he knew about Ethel, and how much emotional intimacy and security he’d have in his relationship with her. He thought about the mansion as well – how he had underestimated it at first, but it had proven itself to be a more marvelous than any he had ever stepped foot in. This would be he and Ethel’s special, magical place.
“I’m a very lucky lady,” Ethel finally croaked out.
“No, I’m the lucky one,” David replied.
~