Chapter 6: Following The Wizard’s instructions, the friends, with Randi and Maddy, go to the County Animal Shelter to pick up two ‘associates’ for Bobbie and Randi. All goes well, and the two little darlings are returned to the Lewis and Schmedlap households. A few days later Maddy awakens Cindy. It seems Randi has done it again as the two new additions are seated with Maddy at the foot of Cindy’s bed.

Chapter 7: Things have settled down for a while as far as the cats are concerned. At Donna’s urging, the four friends take up jogging seriously. None of them are in Donna’s class as far as running is concerned; however, they find their weekend runs to be very enjoyable, that is until they are accosted by some hoodlums. For the first time, Cindy has to rely on magic for her survival, and does rather well. The Wizard is very pleased with how well she handled herself in a very serious situation. Once again, though, he expresses his concern for Donna.

Cindy and Bobbie are having a problem. Their special senses are being piqued, but not in a way they have been before. They can’t explain it, and are not sure what they are sensing. Andy takes Bobbie, Cindy, and Donna to the beach. It’s their last opportunity to get some sun before the fall sets in. The weather changes rather drastically, and their sunbathing is cut short. Donna tells Cindy the story of her life. It had been a wonderful life until the last few years.

Now begins one of the most important phases of Cindy’s life. She becomes friends with a new student, a beautiful Latina girl who is living with Andy’s family. Donna Brewer is an orphan and a ward of the state. We don’t know her background yet; however, it has been very tragic. She is welcomed into Cindy and Bobbie’s circle. Their lives will never be the same.

Before we seriously get into Cindy’s high school years, we have to lay some background. We’re going to meet some of Cindy and Bobbie’s friends. They won’t all be magical; however, they are very important. Just how important will take many years to resolve. Part 1 addresses the first three years of High School. We will discover there are some mysteries that will not be resolved immediately, either. Cindy and Bobbie have matured greatly over the summer, and have become real head turners. Something else very important is going to happen. They are going to find romance. Cindy is a bit surprised the direction her romance takes; however, no one is prepared, (with the exception of The Wizard), for how the romance is terminated.

Cindy is safe and back with her friends and family. What did Maddy do to save the day? Where has The Wizard been? What will become of Evan Sheisskopf?

Cindy has adjusted quite well after some initial psychological problems and doubts created by her two life experiences. She has been growing rapidly over the summer, and enjoying every second of it. There is no reason for doubt any longer. Her mother talks to her about her sexuality, and Cindy has some definite feelings; however, she doesn’t feel she is ready to venture in that direction. There is a dark cloud on the horizon; something that none of them are prepared for.

Growing up isn’t easy for anyone, and certainly Cynthia Lewis is no exception. The hormones are starting to flow in greater quantities than they ever have before. Suddenly, the doubts that had been hiding in the depths of her mind are beginning to surface. Menarche is pending, and Cindy is beginning to think that she doesn’t have what it takes to be a woman. She is suddenly very afraid.

The aftermath of Marissa’s transformation has some interesting results. The Wizard explains why he can’t do anything for Randy. He gets a bit philosophical about things. Randy accepts his fate and the inevitable happens. Cindy is left with the feeling that The Wizard didn’t try hard enough.

Cindy and Bobbie’s training in the world of magic continues and we learn some interesting things about Bobbie’s ancestry. Marissa’s two thirds bimboization rekindles her love life (which wasn’t really that bad) and she has two children over the next three years, and she might have more. Bobbie’s athletic skills are coming to the front. She learns that she will never be able to use magic to give her an advantage in sports. She won’t need it. Cindy’s little sister asks her an interesting question.

With the shoplifters taken care of, The Wizard can address the problem at hand. The Wizard seems to be somewhat surprised about Bobbie’s apparent ability, but not too surprised. I wonder why? Another thing, who is Naomi? Cindy tells The Wizard she has detected another person who is in the wrong body. The Wizard already knows about her and invites the two girls and their parents to his shop. That might prove to be an interesting visit.

The two families visit Randy in the hospital. The girls have some time alone with Randy and tell him they are aware of his inner dream. They are able to tell him about their transitions. They also learn more about his transfer between worlds. Randy has a relapse, but before the girls go, Bobbie senses one more thing about Randy’s condition.

I am posting these chapters today because I am going to be on the road tomorrow and Friday. I will post Chapter 7 on Saturday.

Randy’s wanderings have taken him to the well house near Cindy’s home and the place where she almost drowned. Randy is seriously ill and the girls get Cindy’s father to donate some clothing to Randy. The seriousness of Randy’s illness is very apparent and Stan calls for an ambulance. In the aftermath, Stan discovers that more than likely Randy really was in a war and it was a war that had never happened. Randy has a Purple Heart and the certificate is signed by George W. Bush, President, a man who never was president. The Wizard lurks.

Alfred Gontarski had the misfortune to have been born into the wrong body. That’s all been fixed now; however if you are not familiar with how things were corrected, you should go back and read “An Incremental Journey” and “Cynthia and the Reluctant Girlfriend” before you read this little adventure. Now we continue with the adventures of Cindy Lewis, her best friend Bobbie Schmedlap, and Maddy, Cindy’s precocious kitten and familiar.

Randal Mantooth, Randy, has a secret he has never shared with anyone. Don’t we all? Randy, being the good and honorable citizen that he is, joins the US Air Force and is sent to Afghanistan to help support what he feels is an honorable cause. What he experiences there affects him deeply and when he returns to the US, he is suffering from PTSD. Unknown to anyone is the fact he is also seriously ill, and this is contributing greatly to his mental problems. Randy is lost. He suddenly finds that he is in a world similar to, but not the world he grew up in. Then he sees his ‘angels’. Maybe they can help him figure out what’s wrong. Then there is Kinky Friedman. He beat whom to become a US Senator!

Al doesn’t realize it but her journey is ending and at the same time, just beginning. She and her companion return to her original world, or at least the world where she had been Maddy. They witness a near drowning and then everything suddenly becomes much clearer. If The Wizard needed a hanky, you might need one, too.

Well, it’s back to being Al, and her dream companion from the first night as Maddy has returned. Perhaps it wasn’t a dream after all. Reconciled to whatever it is that she is going through, Al joins her companion on a lengthy and convoluted journey. She returns to her early school years and learns about someone who could have been a friend that she instead rejected.