The Sea Change

Chapter One - a beginning, close to an end

The doctor tried to mask his feelings with an objective look, but failed. The patient, alone in his private room, looked up from the bed as the doctor entered. The man in the bed was very well built and attractive with grey streaked black hair, but didn't look a day over 40. "I'm sorry Mr. Babcock, our tests do not reveal anything wrong with you," the doctor explained. 

"But, I am still dying," the man in the bed said. 

"Yes, but…"

Babcock interrupted, "You don't know what is wrong, right?"

"That is correct," the doctor replied with a puzzled look. 

"Perhaps you should keep looking." Babcock directed the doctor out of the room, "I'm sure my nurse can see to my needs." He looked kindly at the pretty young nurse as his doctor left. The nurse returned his look with a smile.

She was in her late 20s, of Asian ancestry; however, Mr. Babcock could not tell which country was responsible for her Far Eastern beauty. Her black hair hung over her face partially disguising her pretty features. Her voluptuous body was home to a pair of large breasts, the first virtue that caught Babcock's attention. The rest of her body was flushed out in a sexy, filling way that was not readily apparent at first, but Babcock had seen a picture of her in the nude; proof that money could buy anything. As his eyes roved unashamedly over her sensual body, he felt the same longing, the urge that could not, would not be satisfied.

The nurse noticed a strange twitching under the sheet in the area of Mr.Babcock's lap. She got to her feet and pulled back the sheet with an apologetic glance to her patient, "Excuse me Mr. Babcock;" she started to say then lost her urge to speak. She stood there stunned as she looked first at Mr. Babcock's erect 19-inch penis, then at his knowing face. 

"Sit down Miss Chang, I know why I'm dying and so will you, once you hear my story."

Chapter Two - an awakening

Bruce Babcock woke up with two less than desirable feelings. One was a hangover, the other an erection. The second was not desirable at this time because he was alone and needed the erection to go away before he could piss. And he really needed to piss! 

Once he had relieved himself, he looked in the mirror. He saw a 20 something-young man with a raggedy mane of black hair on his average, unwashed head. His posture was bad, even considering the drunk he had tied on last night. His head was throbbing, although the mirror did not show it. Bruce chuckled as he pictured his hangover being exhibited visibly on his body. He then groaned and regretted laughing out loud. I better get rid of this hangover if I'm gonna be good for anything today, Bruce thought.
A glass of Alka-Seltzer was the first step; he promptly vomited then felt better. A handful of aspirin would take care of his headache.

Bruce lay on his bed waiting for the headache to reach a manageable level. His thoughts wandered to last night. He remembered being at a party. Bruce had latched onto a cute looking Southern Belle and tried to get her drunk, so he could 'escort' her home. He groaned as he remembered her tolerance for alcohol. At the end of the party, she had offered to make sure HE got home safe. Bruce was too wasted to even argue and she ended up driving him home and helping him up the stairs to his apartment. He collapsed onto his bed and she hurriedly left. 

He could hear her now, "Honey child, you've had one too many Mint Juleps, he he he. Why you can't even walk anymore. I better get you back to the plantation; you're in no state to drive. And then as she helped him up the stairs, "Well I do declare, you certainly are a handful. Where did you Yankees get the reputation as hard drinkers, anyway? he he he."

"Another perfect evening Bruce," he said to himself as he looked out the window to the street below. As he looked out on the same tired old street, at the same tired old storefronts, he brought them to mind as if reading a script from memory. The Flower shop, the bakery, the photocopy store, the Occult shoppe, the shoe repair… What, the Occult Shoppe? That was new and it sounded interesting. His headache was no longer roaring in his ears, so he got dressed and started down to the street.

Chapter Three - a new twist

Bruce Babcock neatly dodged a panel truck as he jaywalked across Elm Street. He crossed opposite the shoe repair and sauntered down the sidewalk to the Occult Shoppe. The door was no indication of anything out of the ordinary, so he opened the door slowly and entered. He saw what he had expected, almost. The wooden shelves were full of artifacts, strange shapes, candles and even a few Ouji boards. What he did not expect was the blonde perched on a short ladder facing away from him. She was behind a new looking glass counter and appeared to be dusting. She wore a red halter-top and designer jeans. Her ass wasn't perfect and she was a litter chunkier than he liked, but he could live with that. He walked closer and said, "Hello."

The blonde climbed down the ladder and turned around. She had black lipstick and fingernails, but her face looked strangely familiar. A look of recognition ran over her face and she said, "Bruce, I haven't seen you in ages." Bruce was still at a loss as to who she was, so he just smiled. "It's Brenda, remember. I was in your High School; we graduated the same year. I went on to college." Bruce faintly remembered a dumpy, sad girl who didn't quite fit in. She was certainly different now. 

"What happened to you?" Bruce asked rather rudely.

"Well, you know I went to college," answered Brenda, "it changed me."

"Well, that's the first time I've seen such a major change in a person by just going to a few years of college," Bruce went on, not accepting her simple explanation.

Brenda smiled a wicked sort of smile and said, "Well getting locked in a Fraternity house and made a sex-slave for the weekend, might have had something to do with it." She laughed at Bruce's look of unbelief. "Now don't be shocked, it was the best thing that ever happened to me, I used to be such a prude," Brenda justified her admission to him. "And so, you see the real me," Brenda said as she pirouetted in front of him.

"OK, we'll have to talk more later, but where did this shop come from and why are you here?" Bruce asked, probing for information he could tell his buddies later over a beer or two.

Brenda replied, "Well, an old man opened this store and advertised for summer help at the college. As you may know, I'm an archeology student, so I fit right in. He was apparently an explorer and collected many strange things. He has retired here and opened this shop. No mystery, Bruce."

A clock rang 4 times. Brenda looked at her watch and swore under her breath. She quickly folded up the ladder, grabbed the duster and disappeared through a bead curtain into the back of the store. Brenda reappeared a moment later and explained, "My boss is due to take over the store at 4:00, I don't want him to think that I'm a slacker."

The front door opened and a wizened, old man walked into the store. Actually, noticed Bruce, his step was so light, you could say he floated into the store. "Bruce this is Mr. Ingersole, my boss, Mr. Ingersole this is my friend, Bruce," Brenda said introducing the two.

"Are you ready to go Brenda?" her boss asked.

"It's all yours," she replied. 

Mr. Ingersole then shooed them out of the shop saying, "It's too nice of a Saturday afternoon to be here. You two go enjoy yourselves."

On the sidewalk outside the store, Brenda abruptly asked Bruce, "Wanna go to my apartment? My roomie doesn't get home for a few hours. We can get naked and have some fun."