Gabe’s POV
I feel a sense of deep sadness when I hear that Carly had been so unhappy with being a girl and growing to womanhood.
“I’m sorry I was not more of a comfort to you when we first met at school in Starfields,” I tell her. “I did not realise you were deeply unhappy with being a young lady.”
Carly is still wrapped around my torso in her approximation of a hug. She wiggles and inches up to envelope my chest with her soft, boneless body. “It’s OK…” she says softly. “I didn’t really talk about it much back then. I tried to act like everything was fine, but deep down I was really struggling with being a girl.”
I reach into my shirt and stroke the edge of her flat green body. She quivers and gives a little moan. “Mmm… that feels so good…”
I think hard. There must be some way I can persuade her that she should become human again…
“Carly, are you sure you never wish to be hugged as a flesh and blood girl ever again?”
“Yes, I’m sure,” comes her muffled voice. “When I was a girl, giving and receiving hugs was nice, but I really love this body. It’s comfortable, fun to move around in, and best of all, no creepy guys can grab me anymore.”
I’m going to have to think of something better.
We enter the café which at this time of the afternoon is nearly empty. There is a low background murmur of conversation and the scraping of chairs. I sit and order an ice cream and a soft drink. Carly is peeping out through a button hole in my shirt. I’m about to ask her if she wants anything, when Jandar comes in. Carly gives a little squeal of delight and oozes rapidly up my arm and out of my sleeve and onto the floor, landing face side up. She looks like a round, flattened green face with no body, beaming at the sight of Jandar. She wriggles along the floor to my brother with wiggling wormy movements.
An old man at a table points. “A giant green worm.”
A waiter comes over with a broom. “Should I sweep that thing away.”
“No!” says Carly. “I don’t want to be swept away! I want kisses, lots of them!”
Jandar scoops her up in his hands and kisses her shiny green nose. Carly giggles, her flat green form quivering.
“You are a weird and wonderful creature,” says Jandar.
Carly kisses him on the lips and wiggles out of his hands to wrap her flat green body around him in the best kind of hug she can give without any limbs. “Hehe! … Yeah, I guess I am a bit weird. But I’m your weird, wonderful creature!”
Jandar sits down, placing Carly in his lap.
Maybe Jandar has ideas?
“Jandar, Carly is saying that she wishes to remain in her current form forever.”
He knows that I’m looking for advice from my big brother.
Jandar scratches his freckled nose thoughtfully. “Well if Carly stays in her current form, she will never know the joy of motherhood.”
Carly quivers slightly. “Yeah… I hadn’t really thought about that. I guess staying like this means I’ll never be able to have children.”
“It’s always possible for you to regain your human form,” says Jandar.
“Really? You think so?” says Carly.
“Look at all the weird and wonderful things that happen around us,” says Jandar. “Of course there exists magic that could change you back. But tell me, Carly… do you want to regain your human form so you can have children?”
“Didn’t you once tell me you would like to have six handsome sons?” I add.
Carly gazes up from my brother’s lap, quivering slightly as she responds. “Well my loves… I mean, on one hand it would be nice to be able to have kids someday, but on the other hand I really like being in this form…”
“Why do you prefer it to being a human, Carly?” he asks, gazing down at her.
Carly’s gazing into his eyes as if in rapture… She wiggles on his lap and then responds. “Well… it’s comfortable for one thing. I can move around easily and no one can grab me. And I don’t have to deal with all the societal pressures and expectations that come with being a woman.”
“Are these reasons more important to you than having your own children?”
Carly wriggles on his lap, her flat green form undulating. “I don’t know… I mean having my own kids would be nice, but I’m also really happy and comfortable like this. It’s hard to give up something that feels so good.”
The ice cream arrives and I pick up a spoon. “Look, Carly. Are you sure you don’t want to get your arms back?” With great deliberation, I scoop up a spoonful of ice cream and put it in my mouth.
Carly climbs onto the table with a squirmy motion and extends herself, stretching her form so that her face is right next to mine. She licks the ice cream off my face. There was some around my mouth. Her eyes crinkle as she smiles at me. “Hehe… I guess not. Who needs arms when you can just lick ice cream off a cute guy’s face like that? Your freckles are like the pretty sprinkles on an ice cream.”
“Very impressive,” I say. “Jandar, can you think of another reason why Carly should consider a return to her human form?”
Jandar nods. “A wonderful girl like Carly deserves the chance to experience life as a woman. She had a certain charm when she was a young lady.”
Carly flattens herself out on the table and gazes up at him. “Yeah… I guess I did have some good qualities when I was human. But there are also lots of bad things about being a woman too…”
“I’m sure, I’m sure,” says Jandar. “But I think it would be worth your while to regain your female form.”
Carly quivers slightly as she responds. “I don’t know… I mean, being a woman comes with a lot of societal pressures and expectations, you know? I don’t know if I’m ready to deal with all that…”
“I would help you navigate those challenges if you decide to change back.”
Carly wiggles on the table top and grins up at him. “Really? You’d do that for me?”
We both assure Carly that we would be very happy to help her navigate those challenges. Are we getting through to her?
Carly’s eyes flicker from Jandar and then to me. “Well… if you’re both willing to help me out, then maybe it’s worth considering…”
I gaze down at her. “So if we can find a way to turn you human again, you will change back?”
Carly responds. “Yes, if you can find a way to turn me human again, then I will change back. But turning me back does have to wait for now… As long as those evil Dread Disciples are out there, I need to stay in this form so I can use my magic to stop them.”
Well at least she wants to turn back eventually now.
My other brothers enter the café at that moment. They all clamour about going to the Orbulus Complex – a sport centre just for men that prohibits women from entering.
Carly chimes in. “Hey, I want to come too!”
Lorsan scratches his freckled nose and glances at her. “They have a rule that specifically prohibits girls and women from entering.”
Carly quivers slightly. “I’m not even a girl right now. I’m a flat green disc. So the rule doesn’t apply to me.”
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We arrive at the Orbulus complex and Carly looks around from her perch on my shoulder. “Wow… this place is huge!”
We file into the changing room where there are men in various states of undress, the smells of their sweat, aftershave and soap mingling in the air. Carly slides off my shoulder and then slithers up the wall and onto the ceiling so that she’s looking down at all the men getting undressed. She calls out to one middle aged man with a protruding stomach. “Hey there! I like your dad bod. Perfect for hugging!”
The fellow looks up at her frowning. “What are you? Are you male or female?”
Carly quivers as she hangs upside down from the ceiling and smiles at him. “I’m neither male nor female. I’m something entirely different.”
A few of the men are glaring up at her and muttering. Carly calls down to everyone: “Hey, you guys are all looking great! I love watching you get changed!”
Another fellow stands on a wooden bench and attempts to grab Carly, but she slips right through his fingers. “Haha, nice try! But no one can grab me unless I let them. My body is just too slippery! Listen to me guys, I would love to watch you all working out and sweating. It’s so hot!”
A few of the guys glare, but a young dark skinned guy calls out to her: “Do you like weightlifting, strange creature?”
“Yeah I do!” Carly replies. “I like watching you guys lift all those heavy weights. It’s so impressive! I want to see you all lifting weights and getting all sweaty.”
I pluck Carly from the ceiling and we go to the weight lifting hall where I try out some of the intermediate weights. Carly sits on the floor, looking like a flattened green disembodied face. She stares around at the men who are pumping iron. “Wow, you guys are so strong! Lifting those heavy weights like it’s nothing. So impressive!”
She moves across the floor with a wiggling motion and stares at a chap who looks particularly muscular. “Wow, your muscles are huge! How do you get such a robust physique?”
He glances down at her. “I work out every day, strange creature.”
Carly quivers slightly. “Wow, you must be really dedicated to spend so much time working out. Your hard work has really paid off!”
Carly moves around the floor with her wriggling, squirming motion, stopping to observe and chat to guys who are working out.
When I suggest swimming to her, she wriggles across the floor after ne as I make for the pool. She slides into the water and dives as I climb down the steps.
She surfaces. “Wow, there’s so much to see here! This is incredible!”
What is she looking at?
One man tries to grab her, but she slips through his fingers.
“Haha, nice try! But you can’t grab me unless I let you.”
“There is a female face floating in the water!” says the man.
“I’m not female or male,” says Carly. “I don’t have any flesh, blood or bones.”
“I object to you being in the pool, whatever you are. Your presence is most off putting. You look like a ghostly female face floating in the water.”
The man tries to grab her, but Carly slips through his fingers again.
“Oh come on!” says Carly. “You can try to grab me all you want, but it’s never going to work!”
To my dismay, the strange man actually chases her around the pool, while she swims out of his reach. “Hahaha! You’ve never catch me! I’m too slippery for you!”
Carly really does have fewer inhibitions now – when she was a girl, she never wanted to be the centre of a scene.
She’s calmed down again by the time we leave and my brothers and I set off home through the crisp evening air. She’s nestled in my shirt again, chattering about our visit to the Orbulus Complex, her voice slightly muffled under my clothes. “There were so many different types of men there! Some were really muscular, some were thin and wiry, and some had dad bods. You know, I think we should all appreciate the beauty in every type of male body. It doesn’t matter if they’re muscular, think or have a dad bod – they all have their unique charm and appeal. It was wonderful to see so much diversity in one place.”
“Quite right,” says Jandar. “Our differences make us truly special.”
Carly quivers with joy at the sound of his voice. “You know what, Jandar? You’re absolutely right.”
I have noticed that she is always eager to please him.
The crickets are chirping as we arrive back home. We can hear mother and little Maya talking and crowd into the parlour to meet her.
I had best prepare them for the news of poor Carly’s transmogrification.
“Mother, little sister,” I announce gravely. “My beloved Carly has suffered a terrible mishap.”
“You sound so pompous, Gabe,” says Eldrin with a smirk.
“Will you not interrupt,” I say irritably.
My mother’s brow creases in concern. “Of what do you speak? I hope to the gods that the poor sweet girl is not really harmed.”
Maya looks up at me quizzically, wrinkling her freckled little nose. “What’re you on about, Gabe?”
In answer to her question, Carly squeezes herself out of my sleeve and flops onto the floor, landing green face side up.
Mother stifles a little cry by putting her hand over her mouth.
Maya gives a little squeak of fear and jumps behind mother’s leg.
Carly looks up with sorrowful brown eyes, her gaze beseeching as she looks at my sister. “Don’t be afraid, sweetie. I may look different now, but I’m still the same Carly who loves taking care of you.”
“Why’d you look like a big flat green face plate?” demands Maya, her baby blue eyes wide.
Carly quivers and crinkles her shiny green nose as she smiles a small smile. “Well, sweetie, I had an accident and this is what I look like now. But don’t worry, I’m still the same Carly who loves playing games and reading stores with you.”
Concern marks Maya’s little baby face. She wrinkles her delicate little nose again. “You’re not Carly, you’re not.”
“Yes I am, my sweet widdle fairy.” Carly chuckles. “Tell you what, I don’t have limbs, but I can still give you a hug.” She starts to slither across the tiles towards Maya with a rippling, undulating motion and Maya gives a little whimper of fear. Carly stops where she is, her flattened green face now has a stricken look.
“It’s OK, sweetie. I understand that this is a big change for both of us. But please don’t be afraid. I’m still the same Carly who loves you.”
“It is time for us to retire,” I declare, stepping forward and picking Carly up. She does not wiggle, she just droops, her flat green boneless body hanging limply as I hold her.
“I second that,” says Jandar.
We bid mother and sister good night and then go to our communal bath. Carly sits on the bench by the bath as I undress, looking like a green slime blob with a flattened face.
“I just can’t understand why Maya is so scared of me now,” she says, her brown eyes sorrowful. “I mean, sure, I look very different, but on the inside I’m still the same Carly who loves taking care of her.”
“Fear not,” says Jandar. “We will work towards finding a way to restore your human form. And in the meantime, we will see that Maya’s love for you will rekindle.”
“I second that,” I add. Jandar’s so eloquent.
Carly’s flat green form ripples as she smiles. “Thank you both for your kind words. It really means a lot to me. I just hope Elmaya will feel comfortable around me again soon.”
My brothers and I climb the steps into the warm bubbly water of our shared bath. Emily slithers across the poolside tiles, her flat green body moving with a rippling motion. She slides into the pool and gives a little squeak of glee as she floats on the surface. “It’s so great to be back in the bath with you all again! Swimming at the Orbulus pool was fun, but nothing beats swimming with just my favourite guys.”
Carly starts swimming swiftly around the pool and leaping up and down out of the water like a flat green fish. She swims up to me as I tread water in the deep end. “You know, you look really great out there treading water. You know what? You have such an amazing body! Your muscles are so toned and your skin is absolutely flawless – especially those cute little freckles.”
Carly swims closer and caresses my chest with her flat disc form. “Mmm… your chest is so firm. I could touch it all day.”
“You can touch my chest all night when we’re in bed.”
Carly lays back on the surface of the water and smiles up at me. “Mmmm… you look so handsome when you sleep. The way your eyelashes flutter, the way your freckles form constellations on your face – I could watch you all night.”
Carly swims over to Jandar. “You know what, Jandar? You’re just as handsome as ever. Your muscles are so toned and your freckles are adorable.”
Jandar thanks her for the compliment and commends her for always showing good cheer in the face of adversity.
Carly leaps out into the air and falls back into the water again with a splash. “Thank you, Jandar. It really means a lot to me that you think I’m handling this well.”
00O00
It’s bedtime and my brothers and I pile into our shared bed and dim the lights. Carly comes slithering through a crack in the door and up the wall so that she is on the ceiling gazing down at us in bed.
“Hey guys… I was wondering if I could join you all in bed tonight again? I don’t want to be alone.”
“Haven’t grown any lady parts since last night, have you?” says Eldrin.
Carly ripples where she is on the ceiling. “Since I don’t have any lady parts, we’re good to go!”
“Sleep next to me, Carly,” I tell her.
Carly slithers down the wall and slips into bed beside me, wiggling with excitement. “Yay! I’m so happy to be sleeping next to you tonight. I always sleep better when I’m close to you.”
Carly squishes herself between me and Jandar. She doesn’t seem to be tired. She chats animatedly. “Did you know that in the olden days, people used to share beds when they stayed at inns? It was totally notmal for guys to sleep together. I guess they just wanted some extra cuddles.”
We’re all drowsy, but Carly isn’t and she continues to chat to us. Her soft voice is flatter these days, but still clear. “You know, I’ve always wondered why people started sleeping alone in their own beds. I mean, isn’t it nicer to have someone to cuddle with?”
“Snuggle next to me, Carly,” I tell her.
Carly wraps her squishy body around my torso. “Guys, I loved Gabe the moment I first saw him. Every freckle on his face is another reason to love him.” She giggles and then changes the subject. “Hey guys, do you know any bedtime songs?”
“No Carly no…” we murmur.
Carly immediately starts singing. As is inevitable, her voice is rather flat.
“The full moon shines so bright,
Casting its silvery light upon the night.
The crescent moon is like a smile in the sky,
And the new moon hides its face from view.
The waning moon slowly fades away,
Only to return again another day.”
My brothers are nodding off. As I fall asleep, I hear Carly’s voice next to me: “I hope you all have sweet dreams tonight. Sleep tight!”
00O00
The next morning, I am awoken by a stentorian yell: “Hear ye, hear ye!”
It’s the messenger from the Mayor. He’s woken my brothers up as well. I sit up in bed. Carly is wrapped around me in her limbless embrace, but now her eyelids flutter and she stares in concern.
“What’s going on? Why is the messenger in our bedroom?”
“I bring urgent news,” says the messenger. “You are summoned to the Mayor’s office immediately.
“OK, let’s go,” says Carly. “This must be important if they want us there right now.”