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Chapter 3: Tinkerbell By Stanman63 Edited By Nora Adrienne with Special Thanks To Terry Naut and JennaFL for Proofing and to Heather Rose Brown for the Illustration! As Kelly and her family and friends get on with living, Kelly seems unable get past the funeral as she continues to sing that song. Yet Kelly has a plan unknown to everybody. It is after a fateful costume party that Kelly discovers the girl within. |
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We had been back for a week, when things began to change. I was so despondent over losing Daddy, that I was constantly singing 'Daddy's Hands'. I didn't mean to upset the twins, but when they started to get miffed, my sense of humor took over, and allowed me to start healing. After a week of my singing, they were ready to pounce on me. That's when I knew that I was ready.
Waking up from my slumber, I knew an away to pull a prank on the twins. I had continued to sing 'Daddy's Hands' and even 'Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast on the way home from Church. I purposefully kept it up, seeing that the Woods and Momma saw that I was pranking the twins. They'd asked me to stop several times, and I did, but the Woods and Momma saw that I was deliberately goading the twins and let me sing.
Mister Woods: ['I can see that that scamp Kelly is singing to get the twins worked up but good! I won't stop him because it's his way of dealing with his daddy's death. My children miss Stu too, but they won't let themselves grieve because they love Kelly, and want to help him. No doubt after this blows over, my children will grieve in their fashion.']
Mrs. Woods: ['That little scoundrel Kelly is going to do something to get the twins to stop moping about. They loved Stu and miss him, but are letting Kelly have his time.']
Momma: ['I can see that Kelly is setting his best friends for a prank, THAT IMP!! I'm glad that I'm not his victim. He's a real Entertainer no doubt about it.']
Johnny stood in front of me, "Kelly, if you keep on singing that song, I'm gonna smack you!!"
I sighed, "Why, Johnny?" ['Can't wait to pull my prank on them.']
My sister placed her hand on my shoulder, "Because, Kelly. We want to play, not listen to that song again!!"
"You're right, Julie. It's time to play, besides, I have it on tape," I deadpanned. ['Will they take the bait?']
"DON'T YOU DARE!!!!!" they both exclaimed.
"Got'cha," I laughed. ['Yep, they did.']
Needless to say, we got into a pillow fight. The poor pillows never had a chance as we turned them into goose feathers and cloth in our romping good time. All of our yelling and whomping each other had the unwanted effect of BOTH of our mothers catching us in mid whomp.
"KELLY LEE MOORE!!! FRONT AND CENTER!!" yelled Momma.
"JULIE AND JOHNNY!! ATTENTION ON THE DOUBLE!!!" yelled Mrs. Woods.
There we were, still in our underwear. Johnny and I in a t-shirt and briefs while Julie wore "Batgirl" underoos with matching pantyhose. She wore pantyhose all the time, just like her mother. Most of the time it was leotard and tights as she went to dance class. I dropped my pillow and sheepishly stood in front of my Mother. I was expecting to get a spanking from both adults for ruining those pillows, but that wasn't the case, as we were soon to find out.
Momma was tapping her foot, with her arms crossed, "What do you have to say for yourself, young man?"
"[sniff, sniff] I'm sorry, Momma and Mrs. Woods, it's all my fault," I sobbed. ['Don't wanna get them spanked.']
Julie hugged me, "No, Kelly. Johnny and I are guilty too," she wept silently. ['We need spanking for what we did, too.']
Johnny stood proud, "Yeah! We helped out too, Mrs. Moore." ['I might get spanked, but I won't let Kelly get spanked for me.']
Then they both grinned like Cheshire Cats, "We're not mad about you kids finally having fun. Instead of Kelly singing and you two getting madder at him, you three had fun after three weeks of Kelly singing. No, we are glad to see that you're finally playing." ['He actually did the song in a Blues style.']
Mrs. Moore sadly picked up a pillow, "Yes, but I DO hate it that my pillows got killed. [sigh] Oh well, at least they died for a good cause."
I snorted, "Sorry about that, Mrs. Woods, but when they complained about my singing, I told them that I had it on tape, THAT'S why we had the pillow fight."
Then she gathered me up in her arms, "Oh, Kelly, you Imp!! What will we ever do with you?"
"Hug me."
Then I was subjected to a group hug, "My son, since you accepted responsibility for the pillows, we will go and get some new ones."
We piled into Mrs. Moore's minivan and went to go get new pillows. As for the wrecked ones, they were turned into stuffed animals. We each got a teddy bear whose clothing was made of the pillow cases. Right now, I am holding mine as I tell you about this.
After the funeral, my momma and I grew very close as we comforted each other. For a while, all that I did was cry and sing that song, but in time, my two best friends broke through my shell and brought me back to reality. I was finishing my bowl of Honeycombs when the twins came in, Julie was wearing her green She-Hulk swim dress, Johnny his Thing swim trunks, and I was wearing my Flash Gordon swim trunks.
Johnny came over to me, "Kelly, are you through singing that song, yet?" ['He loves Daddy Moore so much, that I can't blame him for singing.']
I got up from the kitchen table, putting my cereal bowl in the sink, "I really don't know, Johnny yesterday was fun, but I still wanna sing. But I also wanna play too," I sighed. ['Daddy, I Love you, but I also wanna play.']
Julie hugged me, "Did you really record yourself singing?"
"Yeah, why, Julie?"
"Then why not let the recording play, silently while we play?"
"Johnny began laughing, "Your dad would love that, Kelly."
I felt a weight lift, and tackled them both, "You're right, Johnny."
After we tussled on the floor, giggling and play-fighting, we went swimming and got back to being kids. Oh, I still miss Daddy, but knowing that he is up in Heaven, looking down on me helps me to not miss him so much.
A few months later, it was time for Halloween. We kids would decide what costume we wanted, and go get them from the Costume Shop. We would choose a common theme each time. Now, admittedly, we were a bit young, but we had just had our fifth birthday, and were quite precocious.
We were out, playing tag when our mom's came out of my home. We stopped, and ran over to them. Mrs. Woods placed a tray of juice and cookies on a nearby table, "Have you kids decided what you want to be for Halloween?"
"I wanna be Peter Pan, Momma."
"And I wanna be Wendy."
"I wanna be Captain Hook, that way me and Johnny can have fun with those toy swords."
"You know better than that, Kelly."
"Mrs. Woods, they're plastic, how can we get hurt?"
"Andrea, our kids are responsible, besides, it's for Halloween."
"O.K. then, you can have the swords."
"Yippee!!" we both yelled out.
"You kids get dressed and we'll go."
Then we piled into Mrs. Woods' Aerostar minivan after finishing our snack, and headed for the mall.
It was there that Momma and I were to encounter people that mistook me for a girl for the first time. A beautician on lunch break saw me walking with Mom, and said out loud, "Miss, you and your daughter should enter the Mall's Annual "Mother/Daughter's Twin Contest, she looks adorable in her sailor suit."
"Ma'am, I will have you know that that is MY SON, NOT MY DAUGHTER!! "
"Terri, want to file a complaint?"
"Momma, why does she think I'm a girl?"
"Yes, Andrea, she has confused my son."
"Please, Miss, I apologize!! Your son looks so cute and that long, wavy hair makes him look like a girl."
Then I went and hugged her, "That's alright, Ma'am. I know you meant no harm."
"Well, thank you, Little Man. You are so sweet."
"I agree, Kelly is my boyfriend," announced Julie.
"And my bestest friend!" declared Johnny.
I turned to Momma, "Momma, please don't hurt her, she meant no harm."
"Alright Kelly, I won't complain. How can I refuse my sweet boy's request?"
Then we went into the Mall. Many people have thought that Momma and I were twins, and we have had fun since then when I grew older at Halloween dressing up in costumes, but other than that, we each dress in our own styles. The 'Mall' is the Tri-County version of the 'Super-Mall.'
The 'Mall' has all of the national department and the specialty stores surrounding the interior where the restaurants are located along with a 10,000 seat theater for plays and concerts. In the basement is the sports complex with the basketball court, bowling alley, figure skating rink, roller skating rink, and tennis court.
Which reminded me that it was at the Halloween Party during my fifth year that everything changed for me? When we got home from the Mall, we decided to watch Peter Pan. After watching the movie we went to don our costumes when I saw that it was a Tinkerbell, the wrong costume.
"Johnny? Where is my Captain Hook costume?" I saw Tinkerbell on the package, not Capt. Hook. I’d had my heart set upon the mock sword fight we had planned. I even had a fake hand, and hook ready.
"This should be it," he held up the green package, looking looked at it, and then blushed when he realized the mistake. He was could be so dense at times and still is, at times.
"No, Johnny, it is a Tinkerbell costume, silly. You think that Julie might have mine?" ['Did she switch costumes?']
Then, Julie came into the foyer wearing her Wendy costume. She was real cute in that pink dress and white tights. She is a sweet girl with expressive eyes who loves to play dress up, especially as Barbie
"How do I look as Wendy, guys?"
"You look great, Julie, and Johnny is a dapper Peter Pan, but they gave me the wrong costume. If it's not here, then where is it?" I sighed with a pout. Johnny and I loved to play together and Julie was tomboy enough to get into our make believe fights.
"What happened, Kelly?" Julie asked, as she came over and hugged me to her. She was always looking out for others. She grew up to be a wonderful Family Doctor.
"They gave Kelly a Tinkerbell costume, not a Captain Hook," said Johnny. ['Duh! Like I said before, DENSE!!']
"Oh my, it's too late to swap it. Does it fit?" Asked Julie as she began to study the package.
['Me wear a dress? HARDLY'] "I don't know, besides I am a boy, not a girl."
I'd never worn a skirt or a dress, although, I had worn Julie's shorts and tops before, [but not her undies] when mine were messed up, because Johnny's were too big for me.
"Why don't you wear it so we can see? If you don't like it, I will switch with you. After all, I AM a girl," Julie giggled. She always saw the bright side. She had often called me her sister Kelly, whenever I wore her shorts or tops. And I kinda liked it, too.
"You two promise not to make fun of me?" ['Would I make a pretty girl or be a boy in a dress?'] I wondered.
"We promise," they chorused.
Then I grabbed my costume, and started to put it on, because I trusted them.
"You need to wear pantyhose with that," Julie informed me.
"Why? I have never worn pantyhose before." ['What does hose feel like?']
"Because, it is cold outside, and pantyhose will keep you warmer. Besides, this is the type of pantyhose that I wear when I skate." And she always looked so darn CUTE in her skate dresses, and still does.
"O.K." ['I like the way your legs look in hose, so WHY NOT??']
Then after I had disrobed, I donned the pantyhose that Julie got for me. She told me how to put the pantyhose on each foot, and then gently pull them up so as to avoid any snags or runs. I liked the way the hose felt and the way they gave me a girl's groin. Looking at myself in the mirror, all that I saw was a girl, and I liked what I saw. Would they like the new me, too?
"Hey, now I look like you, Julie." I said with a grin. I danced around slowly to display my new look. ['I wonder if I should sing something?']
"WOW!! You sure don't look like a boy now, Kelly." Johnny was aghast with wonder. ['Kelly looks cute as a girl.']
I felt so different wearing this stuff, now that I looked like a girl. Then I went over and kissed Johnny, "Thanks, Johnny." It felt right to do it, too. I was a girl kissing a boy, right then.
"Just like a girl," Julie giggled as she wiped her eyes.
[‘Like a girl? Well, why not? I was wearing hose'] "Well, in these pantyhose, I feel like a girl," I blushed.
Then I donned the costume. As I slid my legs into the costume’s brief, I knew that I wanted to be Tinkerbell. When I looked in the mirror and all that I could see was a cute ginger headed girl in a green dress. There is was no hint of boy about me, and I could see that my friends thought so too.
"Kelly, you make a fantastic Tinkerbell!” Johnny said, as he was looking me up and down. I began to wonder why. I was his friend, not a girl; did he see me as a girl?
"Thanks, Johnny."
Then he reached over and gently kissed me on the cheek, "Why did you do that?" ['Was he crazy? Was I for liking it?']
"I wanted to kiss the prettiest girl at the party," he blushed. Johnny, being shy around girls, tended to blush whenever a girl paid any attention to him, and he still is.
"Thanks, Johnny, but, I am still a boy under all of this." [‘But I feel so wonderful, is this what Julie feels when she wears a dress?']
"I know, and you are my best friend. It's hard to believe that you make such a pretty girl. When I see you dressed as Tinkerbell, I see a girl, not a boy," he blushed.
[‘So, he DID see me as a girl] "I am?" ['I just had to be sure.']
"Yes, who else would I let be around my sister?" he huffed. ['I only trust you, my brother, although you look like my sister, now.']
"Even if I am in a dress?" ['And certain.']
"Yes."
['WOW!! I never would have guessed that.']
"Kelly, you are so pretty that I’m jealous," Julie giggled. “You look as cute as a girl, Kelly. But something is missing from the costume.”
I blushed. "AWW, don't be.” But I felt great as Tinkerbell, was I now a girl? I was beginning to like it too.
Julie left the room for a moment. When she came back, "Not to me you ain't," she giggled as she placed a blond wig upon my head. ”There now, NOW, you look the part." ['Can't have Kelly's auburn hair mess up the costume.']
"What are you doing that for?" asked Johnny before I could; I was too shocked to react.
"Tinkerbell is a blond, not a redhead, like Kelly here is. Johnny, you can be oh, so dense at times.” ['But I still love my brother.']
Looking at my reflection, I saw Tinkerbell, not me, "Thanks, Julie, now I actually do look like Tinkerbell."
I was all so caught up in how I looked, that I totally ignored Julie and Johnny looking at me. When I did finally look at them, he was smiling at me, while she looked at me for a moment, then she went over to her jewelry box. Julie finally came over with some jewelry, Here; try this on."
"You want me to wear that jewelry too?"
"Yes."
['I've never worn jewelry before, but why not? It was only Halloween.'] "Why not?"
Then she grinned at me, “I want to see if you will make as good a Princess as I think you will, now."
Soon I was wearing clip on plastic ruby earrings and matching necklace and bracelet. I looked like a Princess of the Fairies, and I felt like it, too.
"I do look like a Princess," I said in awe. ['Was this really me that I see in the mirror?']
“Daddy calls me that all the time, Kelly. It makes me feel special knowing that I am my daddy's Princess and now, you are a Princess, too," she whispered in awe in my ear as if conferring a special honor.
Johnny told me much later, he’d been thinking, ['Kelly is very pretty as Tinkerbell. I simply can't believe that I'm seeing my best friend as a girl now. Could Kelly ever really be a girl like my sister Julie? But he's my best friend, NOT a girl. I know one thing though, even if Kelly was a girl, we'd still be best friends.']
'Here I am wearing a dress and my two best friends see me as a girl, all because of a mix up in my Halloween costume. Was I a boy now or a girl? Did a dress make me a girl? If so, did I want to be one? Would my momma want for me to be her daughter instead of her son? Did I want to be a daughter for my momma?'
Julie later told me that she wondered, 'Kelly really does make a pretty Princess as I thought he would. Me, I love being able to sit upon Daddy's lap and snuggling with him whenever we watch the movies. I feel so safe and secure with Daddy, but now that Kelly is dressing as a girl, will he want to snuggle with Daddy too?
Then Mrs. Woods came into the room. Now the mystery was solved. It turned out that she had made a mistake in picking up my costume. There was another customer there had been there that day getting their order at the same time. Mrs. Woods had simply grabbed the wrong one without noticing. She hadn’t even noticed it yet, "Are you kids ready?"
Oh yeah!! Meet Andrea Lynn Woods, my best friends' Mother. She is a tiny Oriental woman whose parents owned and operated a restaurant. When her parents, died, her husband took it over and added it to his collection of restaurants. She loves to paint and do jigsaw puzzles. She has given away many framed and completed puzzles as gifts.
And her husband is Charles Tyler Woods. He is a tall and rugged blue-eyed blond who looks as if he could easily be a lumberjack with his long hair and beard, or the next Fabio for Doctor Ruth.
He went into the restaurant business with his Dad and expanded "Woods' Family Restaurant into a local chain catering to the different tastes after his Dad retired. When the local grocer closed shop, Mister Woods added it to his stores as well as a catering outlet. Since then he has opened up a Cooking School where he creates new dishes for his customers and we get to sample his creations too.
"Yes, Mom, but there’s been a mistake in Kelly’s costume also." Julie answered with a pout. She could be a real Drama Queen when she wanted too.
"Oh?" Then Mrs. Woods came running into the room turned around. When she saw me, she gasped in surprise, "Kelly, is that you wearing that Tinkerbell costume?"
"Yes, Ma'am." I blushed. ['This was so embarrassing. I never wanted all of this fuss that was being made over me.']
"I can't believe what a beautiful girl you make," she said in astonishment. "It's too late to get an exchange, since the store is closed for the night. Sorry about the mix up, but I must have grabbed the wrong package by mistake."
I could tell that she was concerned about me and wanted to help as much as she could.
"It's alright, Mrs. Woods, it's only Halloween," I smiled. ['I'm beginning to actually like the feel of pantyhose. Do girls like the feel too?']
"No, dear. I made a mistake at the costume shop, and you are paying for my mistake," then she sat down and begin to weep.
"That's alright, I forgive you," I kissed her on the cheek. ['How could I ever be mad at you?']
"Kelly, you are such a sweet boy to feel this way," she said as she hugged me to her. I hated to see her cry.
"Thanks, I kinda like the way that pantyhose feels too," I blushed as I admitted my secret out loud to my friends.
"Me too, Mom," agreed Johnny, in Peter Pan’s green tights. He had a big grin on his face, too. ['Johnny looks a bit girly in those tights.']
"Well, you two boys now know one of the joys of being a girl, right, Julie?" she giggled.
"Right, Momma,” she agreed as she giggled back.
Then, after wiping her eyes to clear away the tears of laughter, she replaced her glasses and asked, "Are you kids ready for dinner?"
"What's for dinner, Mrs. Woods?" I was getting hungry now.
"Something to fit Halloween, of course," she snickered evilly as we followed her to the dining room.
Dinner was sure different tonight, she had used food dye to turn the mashed potatoes and gravy into purple and green glop and the hamburger steaks each had an eye in the center. She really loves cooking theme dinners. After eating our dinner, we helped her to pack up the refreshments in the car. She'd volunteered to make them this year.
After we ate our dinner and cleaned up, we packed up the party supplies and headed for the school where volunteers helped us to set up tables and get ready. Mrs. Woods came dressed as The Bride Of Frankenstein, and was really having fun. She'd made cookies in Halloween shapes and some nifty looking dips. She loves to cook, and events like this gave her a chance to experiment and we were her more than willing guinea pigs.
I did not know it, but the Woods were talking about me that night. It seems that they had been worried about me for awhile with me wearing Julie's shorts and tops and looking so natural in them. Down in the school’s kitchen, Mrs. Woods was taking a break and talking to her husband.
"Honey, have you seen Kelly tonight?"
"Yes, I have, Sweetie. He is adorable. Why is he Tinkerbell?" he asked. He had come dressed as the Frankenstein monster from work.
"I got the wrong package at the shop,” she began to cry.
Mister Woods held his wife as she wept, "Why are you crying, Sweetie?"
[Sniff]"I can not believe what a pretty girl Kelly makes." [Sniff]" He has a natural grace and beauty about him as if he should have been born a girl, not a boy." [Sniff] "Will he grow out of his feminine manner or will he stay as he is? [Sniff] He looks like a girl whenever he borrows Julie's shorts and tops and he has been mistaken for a girl more than once."
"We promised his Father to help raise Kelly. If he chooses to be a girl, I will support him in his choice, will you? As for Julie's stuff, we can get him some boys stuff to keep over here."
"Of course I will, but this is my fault. Will I be forgiven? And has my mistake hurt Kelly? Will he become a girl because of me?"
"Knowing Kelly, he has forgiven you already and his mother will too. You need to forgive yourself. If he becomes a girl, you will have simply given Kelly the means of discovering who he really is inside."
"I know, my Beloved, but we started it by letting him wear her clothes, will GOD forgive us?"
"Well, our God is a loving God, so yes, He has already forgiven us."
"I am worried about Kelly. He has decided to be a girl whenever he comes over. I see that Johnny treats him like he's a girl, but is there more to it than that? Will their friendship develop into love?'
While this was happening, Aunt Debbie was meeting with Constable Sebastian. She was ready to open up her "Debbie's Delights" when the Constable drove by on his morning patrol.
"Hello, Constable, do what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"
He got out of his cruiser, "Simply on patrol, Debbie. How are you doing?"
She sighed, "Bad, I had a nightmare last night."
He escorted her to the front door, "About that Halloween Night?"
She unlocked the door, and deactivated the alarm, "Yes, I guess that it was my brother, Stu's death. He helped me to transform into Debbie. If not for him, I'd have committed suicide."
He turned on the lights, "I am glad that you didn't. My son fancies you something rotten."
She blushed, "He does? I thought that he didn't like me. "
"If you're talking about him and Gwen, she's pregnant with another man's baby. Vinnie dropped her when he found out that she was unfaithful."
"Then, why me?"
"Because he is impressed with your strength. He sees you as a real woman."
"Even if I can't get pregnant?"
"Debbie, like me, he doesn't equate getting pregnant with being a woman."
"Sir, I do. As a manufactured girl, I can't have children, as I want to. To me, THAT is a dream that I will never have granted," she sighed.
"Dear Child, Vinnie was adopted. I am sterile. Did you ever wonder why I never had a wife, yet have a son?"
"I didn't know that."
"I adopted my nephew after my sister, Gail, and her husband, Fred died in an auto accident. The Courts gave me custody as I am his only blood relation."
"OK, Constable, tell your son that if he comes by after work, that I'll let him treat me to dinner,"
He kissed her on the cheek, "You won't be sorry."
That was how Aunt Debbie met her long time boyfriend Vinnie. They took it very slow as they were both shy after being hurt. But their Love stayed true.
When we went into the house, Mister Woods looked us over with a grin on his face, "Well, you kids look great in your costumes, I hope that Tink here didn't use up her pixie dust or we'll have everything floating away."
"Gee, Thanks a lot, Mister Woods," I curtsied. He loved to tease me, and I liked it too.
"Kelly, you're being silly," he chortled in good humor.
"Well, I do feel silly. I AM in a dress," I giggled. I so wanted to get in his lap like Julie does.
"So you are, did you have fun?"
"Uh huh. Well, except for sitting in the steel chairs, yeah."
"That's what we girls put up with when we wear skirts," Mrs. Woods giggled at the three kids.
"Not me this time!" said Julie as she giggled mischievously.
"And why not, Julie?"
"This time, I wore something warm, this costume, Daddy."
"No I guess not, Julie, but Peter Pan's fanny was sure chilled," Johnny chuckled as he rubbed his fanny.
"Well now, I see that you boys learned a bit about being a girl tonight,” said Mrs. Woods with a grin. ['Set'em up.']
"What's that?" Johnny and I chorused together.
"Those pantyhose don't stop you from freezing on a steel seat. Carry a blanket with you, like Julie and I do. Time for bed." she giggled, ['Hook line and sinker']
"Mom, since my costume is a nightgown, may I sleep in it?"
"Alright, Julie, want to wear the hose too? I started wearing hose to bed as a girl and still do to this day. Why shouldn't you have the same fun that I do?" ['I was about your age too.']
"Well, why don't we all sleep in our costumes?" she asked.
"The boys too? Well, why not? Its only Halloween, but it's up to them."
"Me, I don't mind. It will be fun to see what tights feel like in bed."
Johnny was sure feeling his legs. ['I wonder if this is what Momma and Julie feels when they wear hose? They both wear hose all the time.'] Johnny thought.
"Well, Johnny, you're not wearing a dress, I AM." ['If you were wearing a dress, you'd think differently Johnny.']
"Oh," he said dejectedly. "It was only an idea."
['On no, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings like that!!'] "I would like to, too, but I do need to tinkle." I just couldn't see him look so pitiful.
"Well, if you want to stay dressed, you can," offered Mrs. Woods.
To Be Continued...
