The Witch’s Ichor

Some students drive, some ride the bus, and others walk. Ryker is part of the third group, and he is alone. Jamison, Theo, and Derek are headed for downtown. Ryker can see them walking the opposite direction. He turns away, and starts the long walk home.

The suburbs are a quiet place. Occasionally a car will drive by, but not often. Birdsong mixes with the sounds of a lawnmower and the barking of a dog. It's an atmosphere Ryker is comfortable in.

Ryker's home looks far less cozy without his parents' vehicles parked out front. The windows are all dark. His house resembles an empty skeleton of an animal long dead. Ryker unlocks the front door, and steps inside.

It's uncomfortably quiet inside. The din of a suburban neighborhood is nowhere to be found. Ryker takes off his shoes by the door, and walks upstairs.

His room is just as he left it this morning. Ryker tosses his backpack aside. He looks into the closet mirror. The boy staring back at him from the mirror looks dead on his feet. His shoulders are broad, yet his hoodie obscures them. He's tall too, but he's slouching to appear shorter. The boy's short dark hair is not short, but not long either. Ryker doesn't recognize this stranger in the mirror.

I should sleep.

Ryker walks over to his unmade bed, and unceremoniously flops onto it. He's face down in the pillow, and fully clothed. Neither of these things impede him as he quickly embraces unconsciousness.

~

Quiet knocking on Ryker's bedroom door wakes him from a dream he can't recall. He rubs the sleep from his eyes. His mother is giving him a concerned look from the doorway.

"You ok, honey?" She asks gently.

Ryker glances over at the closet mirror. That same unfamiliar boy is staring back at him. He looks over to his concerned mother, and smiles. This smile is a cheap imitation of happiness.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just felt like napping." Ryker lies.

"Okay... Let me know if you need to talk, honey." She says.

Ryker watches his mother leave with a blank look on his face. He stands up from his bed, and looks into the closet mirror once more. The boy looking back smiles. His smile looks wrong. It's like the boy's face is a mask, and he's covering up something inside himself.

I need to leave.

Ryker doesn't bother grabbing his phone or backpack on his way out. He's careful on his way down the stairs, so they don't creak. The living room is quiet. The clock reads 11:40. Ryker puts on his torn up sneakers, and quietly exits the house.

The chorus of crickets chirping does little to comfort Ryker. He walks down the sidewalk aimlessly. There isn't a specific place he is going, but his feet carry him regardless. The stars are so pretty, but the streetlights make it difficult to see them all. Ryker starts jogging.

The houses are getting sparser now. Empty lots and trees are growing more common as Ryker jogs away from his home. The distant sounds of cars are fading fast. The streetlights are few and far between here. Ryker slows to a stop.

Why am I here?

Ryker is standing at the gravel road leading to Esmarelda's Emporium. He can see the partial moon hanging in the sky overhead. The trees form a wall of forest before him. Ryker breaks into a run.

When Ryker and his friends first heard about Esmarelda's Emporium, they were doubtful. Rumors of witches in the woods normally turn out to be just that: rumors.

Ryker's sneakers crunch over the gravel as he runs. His lungs burn as he picks up the pace. He ignores the pain in his calves in favor of moving forward.

Jamison was the first to believe in the witch. His friend who graduated last year told him some stories about her. Stories about students getting into strange unexplainable events. Jamison convinced the rest of the crew.

The howl of a wolf doesn't phase Ryker. His legs burn and ache as he sprints down the old gravel trail, but he doesn't really feel it. Stars overhead are more visible than ever. A distant reminder of the beauty he doesn't have.

Jamison explained to the other three how the witch's shop contains all sorts of magical merchandise, but it only appears during the full moon. The location is always the same spot in the woods outside of town, so it isn't hard to find.

Ryker's heart is hammering in his chest as he runs past the end of the gravel road. There are fewer trees here. His foot catches on a hole in the soil.

Pain wracks Ryker's body as he hits the ground hard. Thankfully nothing is broken. He sits up, breathing heavily. His heart is pounding even now. The hole which tripped him is unmistakably a rut made by a wheel.

No.

Ryker spins around, and then stands up. Four identical indents in the soil here in this clearing. The marks produced by a vehicle sitting in the same place repeatedly.

Please.

The moon's glow isn't as bright as it was last night. Ryker slowly stares up at the waning moon. Tears trickle down his cheeks. The moon is not full.

Ryker plops back down onto his knees in the dirt. He knew the witch's shop wouldn't be here. How could he forget the way it vanished last night? He didn't want to believe that his chance was gone, but he knew better.

"Change me back!" Ryker shouts.

His hoarse plea is drowned out by the forest. Ryker's cry for help goes unheard, and he sobs. Another plea for help bubbles up, and this time the words warp as he speaks them. The sound of his voice is amplified as it passes his lips. The air trembles.

"Make me a girl!"

Ryker has no time to be surprised by the distinctly magical sound of his own voice. There's a familiar popping sensation deep inside himself. Intangible gears turn, and a tugging sensation pulls Ryker's body from all directions.

It all ends just as suddenly as it started. Ryker is sitting in the dirt. Tears still stain his face. He raises his hands up to inspect them.

It worked?

Zoe stares in fascination at her small effeminate hands. She quickly scans her slender arms, and her widened hips. Everything is different. She cries tears of relief. Her happy sobs fill the empty clearing where Esmarelda's Emporium once stood.

~

A girl quietly hums to herself as she walks down the sidewalk. The dirty clothing she wears is much too big for her small frame, but she doesn't mind.

"Hehe." Zoe giggles to herself.

Zoe enjoys the feminine lilt of her own voice. The way her hips move differently when she walks. The way her hair swishes this way and that. The pleasant comfort she feels in her body.

Being a girl is the best!

She shivers when a cold gust of wind blows past. The warmth of her own bed sounds perfect right about now, so she starts jogging home.

It doesn't take long to get there. Zoe is careful when she opens the door. The interior is dark and quiet. She takes off her now oversized sneakers by the door, and carefully tiptoes upstairs.

The rather messy state of her bedroom puts a little frown on Zoe's face. She quietly gathers up the dirty clothing into a basket, and carries it into the laundry room. She makes a mental note to turn on the washer before school tomorrow, and returns to her room.

I should probably get some sleep.
Tomorrow is a school day!

Zoe strips off her nasty smelling boy clothes, and clambers into bed. The smell of her bedding isn't the best, but that can wait until tomorrow. For now Zoe enjoys the feeling of the blanket on her smooth bare skin. She drifts off to sleep with a smile on her face.

~

The beeping of Ryker's alarm rouses him from his slumber. He blinks away the vestiges of sleep, yawning softly. He looks down at himself curiously.

It wasn't a dream!

Zoe grins immediately upon realizing she's still a girl. She slips out of bed and stands in front of her closet mirror with a proud smirk. The attractive young lady in the mirror is her, and she is definitely a girl.

Knock knock knock.

The color drains from Zoe's face as she realizes her mother is about to enter the room. Zoe's thoughts churn as her own biases threaten to overwhelm her.

Mom was cool with it before, but that wasn't my choice.
Only a freak would choose to turn into a girl!

Quick thinking puts an idea in Zoe's head. She quickly whispers to herself, and the thrum of magic reverberates throughout the room.

"Make me a boy." Zoe whispers.

The pop and sudden tugging pulls Ryker back into his original body. He frowns at what's reflected in the mirror. His mother opens the door.

"Ah!" She exclaims.

Ryker's mother immediately shuts the door upon seeing her son isn't decent. She speaks through the closed door in an apologetic tone.

"Sorry, honey. Breakfast is ready downstairs!" She says.

Ryker blushes at the embarrassing situation, but mention of breakfast catches his attention. He worked up an appetite running around last night.

Oh, I should start the laundry.

Ryker gets himself dressed in the only outfit he left for himself last night, and grabs his backpack. A quick detour to the laundry room to start the washer, and then he's making his way downstairs.

"Sorry about earlier, I'll respect your privacy from now on, honey." Ryker's mother apologizes.

"It's fine, Mom. Thanks." Ryker replies.

The delicious omelets his mother prepared distract Ryker from the unpleasant sensation of his own body. He smiles at the thought of returning to his girl body later.

"You look happier than yesterday. Something good happen?" Ryker's mother asks.

"You could say that, yeah." Ryker replies with a smile.

"Is it a girl?" She asks with a smirk.

Ryker chokes on his omelet before shaking his head. He washes his food down with some orange juice before answering her.

"N-No, Mom." Ryker denies.

"Alright, alright. I'll see you after school, honey." She says.

"Bye, love you Mom." Ryker bids farewell.

"Love you too." Ryker's mother says on her way out the door.

Ryker's omelet breakfast is over, so he puts his dirty dishes in the sink. The image of his hardworking mother scrubbing the dishes every night gives Ryker pause. He frowns, and starts scrubbing his dirty dishes clean himself.

It's the least I can do for her.

It only takes a couple minutes for Ryker to finish that chore. He makes his way back into the living room while pulling out his phone. There's some group chat messages from last night.

Jamison: Where are you Derek?

Derek: I'm destroying some tacos

Jamison: Wait so you aren't even in the arcade

Derek: Next door, tacos

Ryker can't help but smile at his friends antics. He almost wishes he had gone with them, but magic powers beats downtown any day. Ryker keeps reading the messages.

Derek: Theo ur lame for dipping so early

Theo: My mom picked me up

Theo: I had no choice

Derek: Whatever, mommy's boy

Jamison: Derek and I are going home anyways

Theo: lol

Ryker slips into his old sneakers before a thought crosses his mind. He glances at small sneakers he wore as a girl and then at his backpack. An ominous smirk plays upon his lips as he dashes back upstairs. After rooting around for a while he finds what he's looking for: the extra girl clothes.

Thank god Mom didn't toss them out yet!

Stuffing the girl clothing into his backpack's darkest recesses, Ryker hurries back downstairs. He stops, grabbing his smaller sneakers and putting them into his bag as well. Ryker opens the door and heads off to school with a spring in his step.

~

Jamison yawns softly as he walks to school. Other students walking the same route around him, but none are his friends. Jamison's phone buzzes. He pulls it out to see a notification from his messaging app. Ryker's texting him.

Ryker: I c u

Jamison: What? Isn't your house like in the opposite direction?

Ryker: Hehe :)

Jamison looks up from his phone with a perplexed frown. He spins in a circle slowly in an effort to spot Ryker. He spots a vaguely familiar pair of jeans and shirt. Jamison takes a few big strides to reach Ryker's hiding place.

"Why'd you come way out here?" Jamison asks.

"Just felt like seeing you!" Ryker replies with a smile.

Something is different today.

Ryker is walking alongside Jamison now, but the atmosphere is completely different from yesterday. Jamison thinks back to last night. Family time could have helped Ryker feel better. It might explain why Ryker is smiling so much.

"You seem better today. Something happen?" Jamison asks.

"Oh something did, but it's a secret." Ryker replies cheekily.

This surprises Jamison. It's not that Ryker would never be happy, but he wouldn't playfully mention having a secret. Ryker normally wouldn't go out of his way to walk to school with Jamison. Ryker wouldn't normally smile so much.

"Weird." Jamison mumbles.

"What is?" Ryker asks.

"Oh, nothing. Do you think you'll be too busy to hang out tonight?" Jamison asks.

Ryker purses his lips as if in deep thought. Jamison watches Ryker's face go through a range of emotions briefly. The school is in view now.

"Yeah I'll be busy tonight, but I promise I'll hang out after that!" Ryker rambles.

Jamison lets the disappointment show on his face, but he doesn't blame Ryker. He smiles down at Ryker before giving him a noogie. Ryker yelps at the way his friends ruffles his hair.

"It's cool, dude." Jamison assures.

Jamison's expression shifts to one of concern. He could see Ryker flinch just slightly.

What was that about?