“Who are you and what have you done with the real Keisha Grant?”

This story is set, with Morpheus' permission, in his Travel Agency universe.

“Being a woman is nothing,” Natalie said. “I’ve been men and women, male and female dwarves and camel-centaurs and even merfolk. But having to stay in the same shape for six days! I don’t know if I can do it.”

This story is set, with Morpheus' permission, in his Travel Agency universe.

“Dear body-borrower,

“I hope you have fun in my body and my world, but not too much fun, if you know what I mean.”

This story is set, with Morpheus' permission, in his Travel Agency universe.

Midrun suggested that we all swim away, and let the wizard relax his guard and restore his hearing. Then we could surprise him tomorrow evening and lure him overboard. But the rest of us objected strongly: how many innocent men might jump overboard along with the wizard?

For a little while I was surprised that I hadn’t drowned yet; then I decided I must have already drowned, but my soul hadn’t left my body yet. But I found that I could still move, once I had recovered from the kick in the stomach. I could move my arms and legs, I could feel myself and my clothes with my hands. I felt little ticklings as fish approached and took a nibble at me, and I swatted them away.

“Sir,” I said, trying to stay calm and respectful, “could you please ask Ms. Turner not to refer to me with female pronouns?”

“Well,” he said, “we have to use some pronoun or other. Perhaps one of the English teachers can recommend a good gender-neutral pronoun.”

“I can’t,” Arnie said. “Keith and Tara Saunders invited me to a party at their house. I asked if you could come, but they said it’s centaurs only,” he went on, looking vaguely embarrassed.

“Have fun,” I said. I felt weird about that, and wondered if things like that were going to happen often, and if so, if this was the beginning of the end of our friendship.

“I don’t like this,” Mom said. “I don’t see how you can keep it up, and the longer you manage to pretend, the more people are going to be hurt and offended when they find out you lied to them.”

I was starting to worry that she might be right, but I wasn’t going to back out unless she and Dad forced my hand by telling people.

Some of us were glad to have a few dozen more male bodies in the mix, so we could be of our preferred sex more often; but by then I think most of us were starting to get used to femininity — if we did not enjoy it, at least we had stopped complaining about it.

“Spar! Come on in,” I said. We had all thought my cousin Spartacus was immune to the changing, since he hadn’t caught it when other children did on several occasions when it was going around the village. But it was obvious now that she wasn’t.

Then they were on a vast field, with scattered bodies and parts of bodies lying everywhere, and ravens and vultures fluttering from one choice morsel to another. Only one human figure was moving on that field; Kazmina ran towards him.

“I do need you,” she said, beginning to tremble. “I said — I said I didn't want to change back, and I don't, but I want even more to be with you, to make you happy. If the only way I can do that is to change —”

“Shh,” he said. “No, you don't have to change for me.”

“Come,” she said playfully, “I have no romantic illusions about my own brother — I know perfectly well she loves you a hundred times better than you deserve. If it were any other woman, I would try to discourage her by telling her embarrassing stories about you, but Launuru already knows them all, so I'll just have to accept your good fortune.”

“You said you were not betrothed to any man back home; do you hope that Verentsu will ask you to be his bride?”

“Yes,” Launuru said shyly. “But I am afraid...” The geas wouldn't let her complete the sentence.

“Oh, I wish I knew if you meant that, or if the geas is making you say it...”

“You're probably not related to her, either.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I don't know who my mother was. She was a wizard, and probably not from Setuaznu or Niluri or anywhere in between, but my father never talks about her.”

“Maybe he did as the servant said, maybe not. Either way, I fear he did meet with some misfortune, for the last I heard his family had not heard from him either. But wine can't be pressed into grapes. I met Itsulanu when I was angry and sad, and he comforted me. Now in less than three days he is to be my husband, and that makes me happier than I can say. I wish my sometime lover may be happy wherever he is; I forgive him.”