Magic Shoppe - Autocurious 4

As the door opened, a bell bracketed to the wall rang. “Welcome to the Magic Shoppe,” the tall, thin man behind the counter announced. “What can I do for you today?”

“Can we just talk?” She said, setting down several bags of clothing and shoes.

“There’s no rule against it. And it’s not like I’m slammed at the moment.” No one else was in the shoppe.

“You said I might have a proclivity for being female.”

“I was trying to be gentle. You’ve been a woman longer than you’ve had all the bits and bobs. Or perhaps bits and boobs.”

“I have?” This had floored Dana and she stopped paying attention.

“It sounds to me like you need relationship advice. Given how long it’s been since I’ve dated, I don’t think I’m the right person to help you.”

“A woman? Certainly not always,” she continued. She was having a private conversation with herself.

“I sense you’re figuring it out right now.”

“Am I? I’m a guy. I’ve always been a guy.”

The proprietor sighed. “Remember Gloria?”

“How do you know about…? Oh. Magic. Duh. What about Gloria?”

“Did you desire her?”

“Of course. She was hot.”

“You never asked her out. You were her BFF all through high school. You helped her hook up with some other man. Did you desire her or did you just think you were supposed to desire her?”

“I…”

“Anita. Same question.”

“She…”

“Bianca? Caitlyn? Hmm. You didn’t do this with someone who’s name started with a D. Is that why you named yourself Dana?”

“No. Dana sounds like my given name.”

“I guess it does. Eva? Felicia? You even hooked Third Leg Curious up with a guy at the bar.”

“Nancy and Oliver. I’d be jealous if I hadn’t met Charles. I probably should have asked her about relationships.”

“Maybe after this talk about who you are she could help with how you move forward.

“This is a lot to think about.”

“I’m sure it is.”

“What would I tell people?”

“What people? I shouldn’t say this but your father already knows. Your sister will probably be thrilled. Your so-called poker buddies all have small children and you haven’t all been in the same room in four years. If you had any close friends, Marie doesn’t really count, you wouldn’t be here. And I’m sure you can find a way to deal with your job.”

“Gregory would hit on me. Mark from accounting would stop trying to set me up.”

“Both true.” The proprietor took a box out from under the counter a little larger than a ring box. “It’s funny. I’m going to give you this one for free. I should really consider making the fourth magic item free like you suggested the last time you were here.”

“What is it?”

“That would ruin the surprise. There are instructions and a description of what this does inside. You are not to open it until you’re sure you believe me when I say you were always a woman. Perhaps after you’ve told your family about the new you.”

“I’m not there, yet.”

“No, you aren’t. Take your time. Continue seeing Charles or someone else you might fancy. But, not Gregory.”

“No. You didn’t need to tell me that. Gregory would be a mistake no matter how big his dick is.”

*****

After her first real date with Charles, she had gone directly to meet with the proprietor. When she left the Magic Shoppe, she messaged Charles that she’d love to see him again the next Saturday. Charles said that was perfect since his job kept him busy most weeknights.

For the rest of Sunday, she packed away most of her ‘guy’ stuff into a spare closet. She was surprised how much room was left over in the closet when she was done.

After spending all weekend as a woman, when she woke up on Monday she forgot she had to unlock her choker in order to remove the wig. She was so happy afterward because she hadn’t panicked. She would have called out sick. Her world wouldn’t end if he had been stuck as a woman.

At work, Mark from accounting happened to chat him up in the bathroom.

“Weekend weather was great. We got to use the grill both days.” Mark said.

“Sounds like fun. Hannah didn’t have to cook, I bet.”

“No, no. The grill is my domain.”

“Man is in charge of the fire, I suppose.”

“Of course. You do anything fun this weekend?”

“Didn’t play with fire. I went to the museum with someone new I’m seeing.”

“Cool. Gonna see ‘em again?”

“This Saturday.”

“Good for you.”

When she got home she immediately put on her wig and her boobs. She changed into comfortable clothes. After dinner she wasn’t sure what to do with herself. She had been indulging in self-gratification far too much and had decided to cut back. She had gotten use to spending a couple hours each night in an incoherent, post-orgasmic haze and wasn’t sure what to do instead. She turned on the computer and played a video game. It occurred to her that if she started streaming it, she might get more than the three followers she currently had who never watched her former self live.

For fun, she created a new Glitch channel and streamed herself playing a popular game she was halfway decent at. The first time she saw a message in the chat she almost got sniped in the shooting game she was playing. She even had to wait till the end of the match to say something because she hadn’t remembered to turn on her microphone.

“Oh, hey, chat. Sorry. Microphone problem,” she said. She felt stupid, like she was talking to herself. After a moment another chat message arrived and a second viewer joined.

“Yes, this is a new channel so I’m sorry if I’m not good at chatting while I play. But, you should enjoy my game play. Be nice.”

She played another match and managed to talk about what she was doing a little bit. By the time she had to log off, there were almost twenty people in her channel. Kind of cool, she thought.

She gave herself permission to engage in self-gratification by wearing the penis gag to bed before jilling herself to sleep.

Tuesday morning as he headed to the elevator, Charlie was also leaving his apartment. “Hey, haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Um, yeah, hi.”

“You know. I know so little about you. You’re apartment is like mine, isn’t it? How do you and Dana share a single bedroom?”

“She only recently moved in with me. I’ve been on the couch while she’s using the bedroom.”

“That’s amazingly chivalrous of you.”

“Thanks. I heard you and Dana had a good time Saturday.”

“We did. I hope she didn’t go into too many details.”

“You could say we’re pretty close. I believe she told me far more than I needed to know.”

“She seems so shy around me.”

“She hasn’t known you forever.”

“True. I’m guessing you don’t have any problems with me dating her, do you?”

“No, of course not. She’s her own woman. Just treat her right and you and I won’t have any problems.”

“I can assure you I would never do anything to her she told me not to do.” As they walked out of the building they turned in opposite directions. “Hey, we should get a beer sometime.”

“I’d like th-- Sure. Busy tonight?”

“Yeah. How about tomorrow?”

“Text me a location.”

“I don’t have your number.”

“Send it to Dana. She’ll forward it to me.”

“Okay.”

*****

That night, she sent Nancy a text. «How bad an idea is it to send my other self to have a beer with Charles?»

Nancy replied after a moment, «When Charles finds out, will he be mad?»

«I’m already worried about that.» Dana replied immediately.

Time passed. «Maybe you should tell him first.»

«I was hoping you’d have advice for what kinds of things I could find out about him without him knowing it was me asking.»

Her answers were arriving after longer and longer delays. «And this is why it’s a bad idea.»

«I know. I know. It just seemed like it could be fun.»

«It could be. Will Charles think it was fun?»

«I think he might.»

It was at least ten minutes before this arrived from Nancy: «Well, then it might be okay to do it.»

«Am I interrupting something?»

«Gregory is trying to get into my pants.»

«He would look good in your panties.»

«Gregory laughed and said, “That’s your shtick.”»

Dana sent back a rolling smile emoji.

The next evening, he entered the bar Charlie had sent the name of. He found Charlie at the bar with a freshly poured draft beer. “Hey, Charlie,” he called as he sat the stool next to him.

“You made it.”

“Map apps make giving directions a thing of the past.”

“They do. There’s a booth over there. I’ll grab it while you get a drink.”

“Okay.”

In the booth after talking about current events, Charlie asked, “I have no idea what you do for a living.”

“I’m in marketing.”

“Like Dana?”

“Yeah, she’s…” he cleared his throat and took a drink. “She’s a copycat. Don’t tell her I said that.”

Charlie looked at his phone. “I’m sure there’s a good story behind that.”

“I don’t think I can tell it.”

“She would get mad?”

“Absolutely.”

A few moments later they both checked their phones when a ringtone sounded. “It’s you,” Charlie said.

“Unknown number. Hello? Hello? Silence. I hate that.”

“Probably a telemarketer.”

“Probably.”

After a couple drinks they walked back to the apartment building together. “This is weird,” Charlie said. “I usually don’t bring men home from the bar.”

“Yeah, me too.”

As they stepped off the elevator, Charlie said, “Do you think Dana would like it if I popped in to say hello?”

“I guess.” He said, unsure how to play it. He unlocked the door and called out, “Dana?” When there was no response he said, “I’ll check the bedroom.” He disappeared into the bedroom and returned. “She’s not here.”

“Oh, well,” Charlie said. “I’ll see her Saturday.”

“Date on Saturday?”

“She didn’t mention it?”

“She probably did when I was busy with something.”

“Sure. See you around.”

“Take care.”

*****

On Thursday, she went to lunch early to visit her lawyer. She no longer felt comfortable as her old self and starting the legal name change process felt like the next step. Her lawyer had known her since college and was a little shocked but didn’t question her resolve. When she returned home and logged into the office. She’d told her boss she had an errand that morning and would work from home. She set up an appointment with human resources and her boss for first thing the next day. Her boss arranged for them to meet at 8:30, before the workday normally began.

Dana strode into the office Friday morning with an extra bit of spring in her step. Although she was wearing her old face and her former men’s clothing. She was about to change her life for the better.

She went directly to the office of the human resources director, Rita Miller. She was admitted immediately. Sam, her boss, was already there. The director said, “Ah, good. You’re here. Have a seat. What was so urgent?”

“Rita, I have had a recent epiphany about who I am. I would like to be referred to as Dana going forward. I have a legal name change in the works.”

“That’s not a problem. Once the court issues its order, just bring it to HR. Is there more to this?”

“Yes.” She opened a backpack she was carrying and pulled out a box. Inside was her wig and mask. “I also will no longer look like I am now.” She put the wig on and transformed back into her proper feminine form. “I will look like this from now on.”

“Woah,” Sam said.

“That is a shock,” Rita said.

“I had heard rumors about magic but it’s hard to believe when no one uses it in public. Or, maybe they do and we just aren’t aware of it,” Sam said.

“There’s a little place on seventh called The Magic Shoppe. It is the real deal.”

“Apparently.”

“Do you also have a change of clothes?”

She removed the wig. “Yes, I plan to go into the bathroom after this meeting and change from these clothes to the kind I intend to wear from now on.”

“If that’s all, let me be the first to welcome you, Dana, to our office.”

“This isn’t any problem?”

“Can you still do your job?” Sam said.

“Yes.”

“Then there’s no problem.”

“If you’d like, there’s a private bathroom two doors down from here,” Rita said. “Instead of walking all the way back to reception, you could change in there. It’s unisex so you don’t have sneak in to or out of the so-called wrong bathroom.”

“Thanks.”

“After you’ve changed, if you don’t mind, I’d like to see what you’ll be wearing today.”

Dana laughed. “I’ll stop by to show you, Rita.”

“I need to get to my desk,” Sam said. “Good day, ladies.”

*****

Dana went to the washroom a few doors down. It was a private bathroom with a lock on the main door like a bathroom found in a home. With a sigh of relief, she removed the clothes she had worn to be her old self. She also removed the sports bra she had worn so it wouldn’t be obvious she had breasts. She took the wig and mask out and put it on.

Immediately she felt relieved. She was herself again. She put on the collar the proprietor of the Magic Shoppe had given her. She thought, “Lock,” and felt it now lying snug against her neck. She thought about the wig coming off but it didn’t.

She rolled a new pair of dark, sheer stockings up her legs. She stepped into a pair of low heels. She pulled on a pair of lacy panties and matching bra. The dress flowed easily over her head and into place. She zippered it closed. It occurred to her that if normal clothing could lock closed like her magic items all sorts of cool outfits could exist. She hoped to talk to the proprietor about this idea.

With her old clothes in the backpack, she retrieved her purse. She did her makeup with the products within it.

She held the door handle for a moment before stepping out into the hallway. A young woman passed by and gave her that perfunctory, “I guess we work together, stranger,” nod. Otherwise, there was nothing special about her stepping out of the washroom. She poked her head into Rita’s office.

“Thanks for your help, Rita.”

“Wow. That’s what I like to see.”

“What?”

“Employees with grins as wide as their faces. You look so happy, Dana.”

“I am happy.”

“I hope you remain happy for many days to come.”

“Thanks.”

*****

Dana was at her old desk. A few coworkers asked who she was. She was honest with them and they seemed fine with what wasn’t really their business. The one person she wasn’t looking forward to seeing was Gregory.

He stopped by her desk in the afternoon. When he saw her, he chuckled and said, “I’m sorry. I wasn’t sure if I was being pranked or not, Dana.”

“Probably not. Although, I don’t know what you were expecting.”

“True. So, about the other day. I have one question.”

“I was alone.”

“That answers my question. Would it be awkward if I asked you out?”

“Extremely. But, I can save you from embarrassment. I have a date tomorrow.”

“An actual date, this time.”

“Yes. His name is Charles. He lives in the building I live in.”

“Are you sure you want to date someone you live so close to?”

“I should be concerned, I suppose. But, for now, that horse has escaped the barn. I’m surprised you didn’t say something about it being a guy.”

“Truth to tell, I’m relieved. I thought I was getting weird signals from you the end of last week. I suppose they weren’t as weird as I thought.”

“I have seen you naked, Gregory.”

“And that turns you on now?”

“Like I would admit to that at work.”

He smiled. “If it doesn’t work out with Charles, you know where to find me.”

“Are you sure you’d want to date someone you work closely with?”

He laughed. “Touché.”

*****

That evening, she was able to change out of her work dress directly into a nightgown. Taking off her bra at the end of work felt good, as did kicking off her low heels. She made dinner. After eating, she tucked herself onto her sofa to make a call she finally felt ready to make. She knew she had put it off for too long.

“Hey, Bro,” her sister said.

Dana had forgotten about caller id. “Hi, Rachel. This is Dana. You’re going to find this hard to believe, but I’m your brother.”

“Really? You must be using his phone. I suppose he’s sitting right there.”

“No, no. I’m him. I’ve discovered my true self as a woman.”

“You don’t sound like him so I believe you when you say you’re a woman. But, I don’t believe you’re my brother.”

“Well, I guess I’m actually your sister.”

“I’ll play. Tell me something only he knows that he wouldn’t dare tell his girlfriend.”

“When you were twenty-two, you got drunk and decided to get a word that starts with a W tattooed on your lower back.”

“I’ll kill him for telling anyone that story,” Rachel said through clenched teeth.

“The tattoo parlor was called Fine Inks and the only reason you only have that W on your back is because he didn’t get there in time to stop you from doing something so stupid.”

“That proves nothing except that my brother is fucking asshole for telling you the story.”

“When you sobered up, you said, ‘I owe you one, Bro. You get one free pass to tell me or ask me anything and I will move mountains to do it.’ I’m using that free pass. Believe I’m your sister.”

The phone was silent for a moment.

“You’re serious.”

“I only had the one free pass. You’re still allowed to kill me.”

She laughed. “Well, start talking, Br-- Sis. When? Why? How? What do you look like?”

“I’ll send a selfie.”

“And the other questions.”

“How is the easiest?”

“It is? You couldn’t have transitioned since I saw you a few months ago.”

“Magic.”

“You might need another pass.”

“There is a place on seventh called The Magic Shoppe. And the trinkets and doodads there are actually magical. The ‘when did this happen’ started about a month and a half ago. As for why…”

Dana talked for over an hour giving Rachel a run down of everything that had happened, though she left out the three foot long cock story. The next half hour was spent talking about liking guys and Charles in particular.

“I feel better about myself,” Rachel said.

“What?”

“I thought I was just a freak. Nymphomania must run in the family.”

“Details.”

“Do you think I wanted that literal tramp stamp because it was funny? In my twenties I was juggling like three guys and still having side sex with anyone who looked decent. I’m not surprised you’re addicted to cock.”

“Are you saying it’s hereditary that I can’t be on an elevator with another guy without wanted to do him right there.”

“Same as me, Sis. Mom would have been proud.”

“No.”

“Sorry to burst your bubble, Dana. I went on a few double dates with Mom after the divorce.”

“You didn’t.”

“No, not exactly. She kept meeting these men with young sons and the four of us would have dinner together and then they’d go off to continue their date and I would be left with the son. If he didn’t seem like a total fuck up, I’d usually sleep with him. You didn’t know this?”

“Not a clue.”

“How do you think I met Troy?”

“Mom dated your father-in-law – what’s his name? – Frank?”

“That’s his name. Yes. They dated a few times until she moved on to someone else.”

“How have you managed to stay with Troy?”

“You and I share another sexual trait that shoppe keeper told you about yourself apparently.”