Introduction: This story is the third, the penultimate, in a series within a series. The overall series is the “Cynthia Chronicles”. This story is directly connected to “Simoné and the Second Time Around” and “Marti and the Doppelganger”. The latter left many unanswered questions. Some of those will be answered, some probably not. There are many references to previous stories in the series. If you are confused by some of them, just put it off to my senility. The Cynthia Chronicles takes place in a universe very similar to ours. Unfortunately, it might be too similar.
For any who read “Myrna and the Genetic Disaster”, this is the same story, only with the political rantings and scientific explanations removed. There may also have been a few edits and additions.
This is the seventh part of ten or maybe eleven.
Rhonda and her mother talk about the Raccoons. Penny takes the next step to womanhood. Things go very well. This chapter is considerably longer than those previous.
This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.
“How’s Henrietta doing?” Sara asked. She’d been watching her daughter talking to their raccoon guests out on the patio. It was dusk, and the family was getting ready to go to the park and Chico Creek to hunt crawdads and other delicacies. The food provided by their human friends was quite good; however, raccoons needed to do raccoon things. Rhonda had been showing them some pictures of pet raccoons that had gone too far to the domestic side of things. They’d become obese throughout the year; not just winter. Rhonda didn’t tell them that many had been spayed and neutered.
“Mom, she’s fine. She’s looking forward to the new arrival. There are some interesting things going on, though. I’ve been doing a little studying. Raccoons may have up to six or seven kits. In four pregnancies, Henrietta has had only one baby each time. As near as I can tell, her pregnancies have lasted about four months; twice the normal length. This is just like all the other familiars we know. The number of babies per litter decreases, and the length of the pregnancies increase.
“Obviously, our little group is designated for greater things. They are smart, very adept, very sociable, and they are no longer living like other raccoons. I would put their abilities well above the higher apes. Their language abilities are quite high. I mean, who would use the word “prosaic” to describe my calling him “Ricky”. I read “The Cat in the Hat” to Misty last night, and she laughed and laughed. She thought it was so silly. She’d never seen a cat wearing a hat. She saw my collection of Oz books and wants me to read them to her. She saw my collection of DVDs and wants to see The Wizard of Oz. I think she can read. This is crazy!
“And, another thing, male raccoons never participate in rearing children. That’s strictly the female’s thing. There are associations among females, but never among males. I have no question this is The Wizard’s doing, and I think I know why.”
“And why would that be?”
“Remember when we visited his shop the last time, and Wolf begged for a snack?”
“Yes, he is so cute when he begs. What does that have to do with it?”
“Remember when Ri…, dang it, Arnold told us about getting into that cabin? He had Arnold, Jr. stand on his back and turn the door knob. Raccoons are very dexterous. They are known for being able to get into all sorts of places. They are persistent. And in this case, their abilities are advancing. Harriet asked me about the can opener. She wanted me to show her how it worked. She can’t do it yet, but she was pretty close.”
“Their hands are so small. Surely, she’s not strong enough.”
“Pound for pound, they are probably four times stronger than we are. Now, why did Wolf ask us to give him a snack?”
“Because he couldn’t open the jar.”
“Because?”
“He doesn’t have opposable thumbs,” they said together.
“Mom, they can rotate their thumbs into an opposable position. They can use tools.
“Another thing, this is just the tip of the iceberg.”
“How do you mean?”
“Mom, regardless of how handsome he was, would you have married a man with an IQ of 85?”
“Of course not, we wouldn’t be compatible for any number of reasons.”
“Do you think Arnold, Jr. would mate with a female raccoon with whom he couldn’t converse on the level he and the rest of his family can?”
“I don’t think so,” Sara replied. “I get it. There have to be other intelligent raccoon families out there. The Wizard has to be doing this. I wonder why?”
“Diversity,” Rhonda replied. “Betty has Marvin. They work together so well. I imagine he will be looking for a spouse one of these days. Marsha Angiotti has Elliot, a border collie. He and Melody have a wonderful family. There are many of us who have associates other than cats. Interestingly, the monkeys and apes don’t seem to fit into that role at all. Cheetahs, and their smaller cousins in Africa seem to fit in very well. So do the smaller cats in North and South America. Amelia Chavez and Bethany, her Puma, are so solid together. Neither one is interested in marrying or having children. They certainly make a formidable pair.
“Obviously, the mongooses are associates in Asia. I am sure there are many like the Rikkis over there. I’m wondering if there are plans for an inter-continental meeting.”
“Well,” her mother answered, “Simoné and Ivana will be here representing the Ukraine and Romania covens. Their covens decided they should be joint presidents of the two. It was just a lot easier. That may change in the future. Of course Simoné is an American, and the fact she speaks all those languages certainly helps.”
“The Wizard asked for a list of subjects to talk about. We should probably add that one to the list.”
“I agree.”
“Penny, are you as excited as I am about spending the weekend with Rhonda and our other friends,” Wanda asked. She knew she didn’t really have to ask. She had been there from the beginning, that is the emergence of Penny, the effervescent, happy young woman, and the disappearance of Peter Goretsky, the morose, suicidal boy. What a great two weeks that had been. Lanu and Marti had worked their magic on her and the others. She had been a total bitch and hypocrite. She had been attracted to Tamesha immediately. There had just been something about her.
Then there was that other thing. Tamesha was black. Wanda and her friend, Lily, had been brought up in a white privileged community. One whose ‘gates’ were figuratively closed to all but the wealthy Caucasian elite. The hired help could not be Caucasian. They had to be from one of the ‘lesser’ races. Blacks were only good for picking up the trash and other menial labors. They weren’t really people. Hispanics were no better, but they did make good cooks and house maids. Philipinos were good only for stoop labor, as were the Orientals. Neither of the races was to be trusted. The Jews weren’t too bad. They did have a lot of money; however, they were the ‘Christ Killers.’ At least some of them were. Besides, they didn’t think Jesus was the Messiah. That was so stupid; it was right there in the Bible. Muslims were a different matter, completely. They’d better not even come close to the area. It went on and on.
When Wanda realized she was gay, the problems began. She realized she hadn’t ‘chosen’ to be gay. She just was. Her parents had nothing good to say about anyone in the LGBTQI community. Every one of them was an abomination. She couldn’t keep it bottled up. She had to tell Lilly. She was reluctant at first, because Lily’s parents were as bad hers. In her heart, she knew Lily would be okay, and she was. She had decided to come out to her parents when she got back from camp, knowing full well what would happen.
Even though The Wizard could fix it so that Penny’s parents always thought she was a girl, there were just too many problems to overcome. Wanda and Penny needed a loving home.
Basically, they were emancipated from their parents, all quite legal, and put under the guardianship of Ginny and Richard Chronister. They couldn’t be happier. Ginny was a big help for Penny during the first few months of her womanhood. Although The Wizard had given her the programmed learning that Charli and Randi had developed, having a ‘mother’ there to help her through those first few times was very important. As much as Penny loved her athletic and rather well-endowed body, it took some getting used to. It was a very interesting process, and she certainly had a bit of catching up to do.
Some of the boys were a bit intimidated when the very pretty but quite athletic girl showed up at the beginning of the school year. Some thought she might be gay. Keith Garrett took a chance he would never regret. He introduced himself to her after their first class together, and asked if she would have lunch with him. Keith’s family had several thousand acres of almonds and pistachios, plus lesser acreages in citrus in the foothills of the Sierras. Penny told him early on that she was being fostered by the Chronisters because of her abusive parents. She also told him about her transformation.
It was just before their third date that Penny decided to tell Keith a bit more about her origin. For some reason she thought it was important. After all, if somehow, and she wasn’t sure exactly how, he found out she used to be a boy, he’d probably dump her in a heartbeat. She told Ginny, Mom, what she intended to do.
“I don’t really see why that’s necessary,” Ginny questioned her motives.
“If he ever found out and ran, I would be crushed. He is so wonderful, and I don’t want to hurt him.”
“You are just 16 and have only tested womanhood for a few months. He might not be the one for you. There’s so much ahead for you, and you have so much to learn.”
“Mom, did you have any boyfriends before you met Richard?”
“No one who meant anything to me. I seldom dated anyone more than once; especially if they seemed interested in only getting into my pants. I was kinda cute in those days, and Randi, Charli, and I had a lot of fun. I was a bit of a daredevil, but I never went all the way until I met Richard. With Richard something was just different.”
“Mom, you’re still cute. I’ve seen you in a Bikini, and no one would ever know you’ve had three children.
“So, when did you tell Richard? I know you did.”
“It was just before our third date. I told him, and had The Wizard talk to him on the computer. Richard didn’t bat an eye. I never did tell my parents or my brother. I never saw any need to. After all, I really was their biological daughter and my brother’s sister. It wouldn’t accomplish anything by telling them something they would never understand.”
“So, when did you seduce Richard?”
“That would have been after our fifth date. Just a minute young lady, that’s none of your business.”
“You’re my Mom in every sense but biological. If I ever see my biological parents again, it will be far too soon. I am looking for guidance. I don’t think talking about things like this is out of line. We ladies have to look out for each other. I’ve already seen enough about how some boys act, both in my past life and my current life. Keith is not like that. He didn’t try to impress me with his accomplishments. He never bragged about being the quarterback for our team. He just wanted to learn about me.”
“If you really want to do this, I think you should do it here. That way, if things go south you won’t have to worry about having to get a ride home. Somehow, I don’t think you will have to worry.”
Penny greeted Keith at the door, and gave him a kiss. Ginny raised her eyebrows at the display of affection, but neither of the two noticed.
“Good evening, Mrs. Chronister, it’s nice to see you again.”
“It’s nice to see you, too, Keith. I’ll leave you two alone for a while. I think Penny wants to discuss something with you.”
Penny led him into the small sitting room, and pulled him next to her on the love seat.
“I need to tell you something. Please hear me out. When I’m through, we can discuss things if you want to.”
“Okay.”
“A bit more than three months ago, I was a scared, unhappy, suicidal boy. Then, something miraculous happened. I went to a summer camp in southern California. I met some wonderful young women, including my sister, Wanda. They literally saved my life. I met a wonderful man, a wizard, who somehow changed me into the person you see before you.”
By this time, Keith was gently holding her hands. There was no sign of his wanting to pull away.
“I always knew I was a girl, but my natural parents are terrible people. They are horrible people who don’t believe in the way nature really works. My father bullied me. My mother encouraged him to do it. I let my hair grow out. My father shaved it off. He just threw it out. They were going to send me to an aversion therapist, and try to get me brainwashed. I was going to kill myself. I almost did.
“I know you won’t believe this, but my friends did call a wizard, and he fixed me. The Wizard fixed things so I could live here with Ginny Chronister, my real mother in almost everything but biologically.”
She looked at Keith, expecting the worst. Instead, he was smiling at her. He gently wiped a tear from her eye before he kissed her. The kiss was rather passionate.
“I’ve known for a while, and would have told you if you hadn’t told me tonight. Remember that day when my mother let me off at the front of school. My car was in the shop, and she brought me to school. She saw you when you greeted me. I had told her about you when I met you that first day. I knew you were special.
“She told me later she knew who you were, and that I was a very lucky fellow. See, my mother is a witch. She knows The Wizard. He told her you were here, and if there were any problems, to let him know. She also knows your mother, but not closely. She knows Marti’s mother, too.”
“You know Marti?”
“I’ve never met her. I have met her oldest sister, though.
“Look, that first day we met, I had no idea who you were. I just knew you were special. It wasn’t just that you were beautiful.”
“I’m not beautiful.”
“Of course you are; inside and out.”
“You just like my boobs.”
“Don’t be silly.”
“You don’t like my boobs?”
“Well, I must admit that I am quite attracted to your athletic body. What boy or man wouldn’t be? Yeah, you did get my attention fairly quickly, but there was something else about you. Maybe being in a magic family with two sisters and a mother who happen to be witches has something to do with it. Anyway, Mom and Dad would like to meet you. They are planning on a barbecue, and would like you, Wanda, and the Chronisters to come out to the farm this Saturday.”
Meanwhile back in the family room, Richard and Ginny were listening for any signs of something bad happening at the front of the house.
“I think I’d better check on things up front. It’s awful quiet up there.” Ginny walked rather quietly and quickly to the front of the house. She could hear some rather loud breathing and some quiet moans. She peered around the edge of the doorway to see the two lovers in a rather passionate embrace. Hopefully, neither of them had a cold or the flu. Keith’s hand was on her blouse covered breast. Penny’s hand was holding his hand to her.
“Ahem!”
Two rather embarrassed teenagers separated rather quickly.
“I take it things are okay between you two.”
“Mom, Keith knew about me. His mom told him after she saw me at school. She’s a witch. The Wizard told her.”
“I’m not surprised. The Wizard can’t be everywhere. He knows you and Wanda are special people. He would never do what he did and abandon either of you. I have known him for quite a while.
“I have met your mother, Keith. We met at the Garden Club when I asked her to make a presentation at our school about home gardening. I think she knew about me then.”
“Knew what, Mrs. Chronister?”
“Penny and I have similar backgrounds. I’m sure you will find everything out eventually.
“Now, you take care of my daughter. I don’t want any surprises; correction, any unwanted surprises.”
When she met his parents, his mother welcomed her with open arms. It seems there was something about Penny that no one had previously recognized, or had told her about had they. There was one thing, and only one thing that Penny would ever thank her mother for, besides giving her life. Although she did not carry the magic gene when she had been Peter, she was a descendant of witches. She carried the mitochondria of her witch ancestors. The Wizard had recognized that immediately, thanks to Myrna showing him how to recognize it. When he changed her Y chromosome to an X chromosome, he slipped in the magic component. Penny’s daughters could be, and would be witches.
Penny and Keith waited a while before making love. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to do it; it was because the sense of urgency went away for Penny once she knew Keith really accepted her for who she was. Like many hormone driven teenagers, they had gone pretty far; however, Penny insisted that Keith not penetrate her. She wanted to be intact the first time they made love. She knew the ‘when’ wasn’t too far out there, but she wasn’t very sure about the ‘where’. When Keith told her about the gift his parents had given them for his 18th birthday, she knew what she had to do.
“Mom, I think the gift Keith’s parents gave us is wonderful. A week in that wonderful valley will be special. The thing is, I don’t want it to be ruined by making love for the first time.”
“What do you mean?” her mother asked.
“Our gynecologist said my hymen is fairly substantial. He offered to remove it, but I told him not to. That will be Keith’s honor. What I would like to do is have a special weekend with him somewhere close by. I’ve saved some money and I would like us to spend a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night together for the first time at the Hilton, maybe in one of their nicer suites.”
“Your dad and I will take care of it. You won’t have to spend a cent. I’ll talk to Keith’s mom about helping out with a spell or two. Would you like to discuss some details?”
“Yes, here’s what I thought. We ….”
“Well, this is certainly a first. At least it is for me. I never imagined that my girlfriend would pick me up for a date rather than the other time around.”
“I thought it might be fun, for a change. Tonight is on me.” That’s an interesting play on words, she said to herself. “Just enjoy.”
Penny had asked that he dress nicely, and he did just that. He had nice slacks, sports shirt and sports coat. Penny was wearing a nice skirt and blouse, plus sweater draped over shoulder. She was also showing more than a bit of cleavage, and it was all natural.
“Tell the maître d’ the reservation is under your name. This is all being taken care of. You don’t have to worry about a thing,” Penny said as they parked in the lot of Dewz, one of finest restaurants in the Central Valley of California.
As they were seated, the waiter asked if they would like something from the bar. They declined. They wouldn’t have been served anyway, had they tried. They were sitting in a very comfortable booth, side by side. It felt very good. Fortunately, Keith was left handed. They dined on a marvelously prepared rack of lamb. The vegetables were cooked to perfection. For desert they had crème brulée. Keith hadn’t had it before, but he was hooked.
Penny signed the tab and left a nice tip. Keith was having some trouble with this. “What’s going on Penny?”
“Are you having a good time?”
“Well yes, that dinner was great. You didn’t say anything else about what we were going to do after dinner. This isn’t all is it?”
“Not hardly.”
“Why are we going here?” Keith asked has Penny pulled into the parking lot of the Hilton.
“Keith, I love you very much, but sometimes you are a bit slow.” Penny pulled out a coded door card and opened the side entrance to the hotel. “Just follow me and don’t say a thing.”
She led him to the elevator, and pressed the button for the top floor. By this time, Keith had a pretty good idea that he was about to get ‘lucky’. Penny stopped at a door and pressed the card against the reader. The green light flashed, and they were inside. “This is our home for the next three nights.”
Keith surveyed the nice room. There were a number of candles flickering there and in the bedroom. The lights were off. On the table was an ice bucket with a bottle of Champagne in it. “I promised we wouldn’t drive. The purpose is just to help us relax a bit and have some fun. I’m sure you figured it out by now we are going to take our relationship to the next level.
“There are some rules. The television is off limits. The radio is for quiet, preferably classical music.
“There are two small suitcases in the bedroom. One is yours and one is mine. I think you’ll be able to figure out which one is yours. We are the last two people on earth. No one will bother us until it is necessary to look for food.
“Right now, I’d like a glass of that Champagne, if you don’t mind. Do you know how to open it?”
“Sure, you shake up the bottle, pull the cork out, and try to catch what’s left in one of those glasses. Just kidding. I take off the foil, untwist the wire using six half turns, then firmly grasp the cork, easing it out until the bottle’s open.”
“Shit, you had me scared for a minute.”
“I’ve helped out at a couple of weddings.”
“Pour two glasses. Let’s just relax and enjoy the moment.’
They snuggled up on the comfortable sofa, just listening to the music. Penny held up her glass and Keith filled it again.
“How’re you feeling, Keith?”
“Quite good. The fact you are here makes it just that much better. I take it you have something in mind.”
“You are getting quicker. I think I’m going to take a shower. Would you like to join me?”
“I think I would like to do that very much.”
Penny led Keith to bedroom where she started to undress. Keith stopped her.
“Please let me do that. I have loved you from almost the first time I talked to you. The fact you are quite beautiful didn’t hinder my feelings.”
“I’m not beautiful. You just like my boobs.”
“Yes, they are quite nice,” Keith said as he released her bra using one hand. “But they wouldn’t mean much without the rest of you being here.”
He gave her a passionate kiss before he dropped down to her rather beautiful breasts. Their response was pretty quick to his loving kisses. Her knees buckled slightly as she pulled his head to her. He proceeded downward to her navel, stopping briefly to pull down her panties before arriving at her mons. They had never gotten this far before; however, he knew it wasn’t going to end here. That had been clear to him for a couple of hours.
Now that she was nude, she returned the favor by gently undressing him. She caressed his rather prominent erection before leading him to the shower. The slippery soap was rather nice as it helped each explore the other. After drying each other, she led him to the king-sized bed. She was more than ready, but there was that ‘little’ problem.
He sensed her readiness as he grazed her entrance. Unconsciously, she had been trying to pull him into her, and he held off as long as long as he could.
“Please do it now. It will only be once, and I want you now!” she said as she quickly raised her hips and pulled him into her. It was done. She encouraged him to continue, and it didn’t take very long before he exploded in her.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I think so. That hurt, and it still hurts, but it’s fine. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love you very much.”
“What do you want to do?”
“I think we need to take a moment and clean things up. I think I’m bleeding a bit.” She had spread some towels under where they would be to keep the sheets clean. She took the towels to the bathroom and rinsed them out under some cold water. Then she took a couple of acetaminophen. They returned to the shower, and cleaned up. She put a heavy panty liner in her panties, and led him back to bed.
“I don’t think you got much pleasure out of what we just did.”
“That can wait.”
“I don’t think so.” He gently pulled down the front of her panties until he found his desired target. They hadn’t done this before, but it was pretty easy. It didn’t take long before she was eagerly responding to his ministrations. She came harder than she’d ever come before.
They spent the next day sightseeing in the Gold Rush Country. That night after another wonderful meal, they returned to their room to find another iced bottle. This time it was Prosecco. “The hotel does know we are under 21?” Keith asked.
“Not really, but we didn’t want them to have a reason to ask. Your mother is sending these by ‘special delivery’ if you know what I mean.”
“Oh.”
“Our mom’s fixed this place up for us, including bringing the extra clothes. This is a special time for them, as well as us.
“Now, let’s get cleaned up and have some fun.”
They restricted their activities to a lot of foreplay and oral sex. Penny didn’t think was quite ready to go further, but Sunday night proved to be a different story. It was the way it should be.
The next day she sent a private message to her friends from the summer camp: “With our parents’ blessing, Keith and I spent a wonderful weekend together. I love all you guys so much.” There were many happy emojis sprinkled throughout the message.
Like The Wizard, this storyteller wanders a bit at times. Now, where were we? Oh yes, Wanda and Penny were getting ready to go to Chico to spend the weekend with Rhonda McKenzie, her family, their friends from summer camp, and the raccoons. Tamesha would be driving from Modesto to Chico. She had her parents’ SUV.
It wasn’t that easy for Lily. Her parents were not happy at all about her declaring her religious independence. Things had obviously happened to their daughter that they were not happy about. They were thankful that she had not completely abandoned Christianity; however, she had started going to that ‘Liberal’ Presbyterian Church. There were all sorts of abominations associated with that church. They’d even heard that there was transgender woman in the Presbyterian ministry in the southern US. Lily told them that she was going to visit her friends whether they wanted her to or not. If they physically prevented her going, she would call the judge who emancipated Tamesha and Penny. She already knew that Ginny would be glad to take her in. She also knew she would get help from The Wizard if she needed it.
The Johnsons were also unhappy about their daughter’s best friend being gay. They told Lily she should try to convince her friend not to be gay. It was all Lily could do to not laugh in their faces. Still, her father, had stood by her when she testified against her statutory rapist. It had been tough to admit she’d had sex, and had caught an STD. But her parents did support her, at least to a degree. Her mother had cut a sentence short where Lily was sure she was going to call her a slut, or much worse, a whore. As Lanu had told her, she had used very poor judgment. Lily knew Lanu was right. She hadn’t said no when she should have. It was her bit of rebellion that proved how naïve she’d been. She had learned quite a bit in those two weeks in the southern California San Bernardino Mountains. She had discovered a world that very few knew existed. She knew she couldn’t talk about it unless it was critical for someone’s survival; someone like Penny had been. But the big thing was, she had grown up.
People continue to grow and mature. High school career decisions tend to change as one gets older.
