Coming of Age by greinskyn (i think)

[annonnibler]

Mandi couldn’t believe how the old fart was creeping along.

“Can you go any slower!” she addressed the sole occupant of her car, herself. “There are other gears than first you know!”

Finally a break in the oncoming traffic allowed her to blow on by. Mandi made a very unladylike gesture as she passed. The tiny man hunched behind the wheel looked shocked that such a beautiful young woman could look so angry let alone perform such an offensive action.

Now Mandi usually wasn’t this bad. She wasn’t a saint either. In fact many would (and did) label her a “bitch.” She considered herself “confident and aggressive.” ‘If some people call that bitchy, then that’s their problem.’ She figured.

Mandi had reason to be confident. She was young, beautiful, and smart. The honor roll in High School was a snap. The Dean’s list in College, barely an effort. Mandi’s keen intellect allowed her to achieve these levels despite an active social life, hearty partying, and almost a complete lack of studying. At 23 she had the whole world at her feet.

The slow driver fading fast behind her, Mandi let out a cheer. Now she could enjoy the warm summer wind whipping through her hair. The joyous feeling enticed her to crank up the already blaring music even more. The beach was only a few more minutes away now. Just a quick stop at DrugWorld for some sunscreen and she was set.

Mandi snatched up one of the off-brand sunscreens. She could afford the better ones thanks to her tips at Hot Topic, the supreme nightclub in town. The young woman considered money better spent on clothes, clubbing and other essentials.

Purchase in hand, she made her way to the check-out. Mandi could almost taste the salty sea air already. The counter was but a few steps away when her path was blocked.

“Shit!” she cursed, loud enough to draw a few stares.

Even the decrepit old woman in front of her heard the exclamation. Slowly she turned to look at the frustrated Mandi. The wrinkled face was kindly and gentle, the stereotypical grandmother. Mandi looked expectantly at the woman’s pale face, noting the excessive rouge. Internally she laughed at the aged woman’s futile attempt to look youthful. Internally that is, externally she tried to paste on a friendly smile in hopes the old bag would let her by. No dice. After returning Mandi’s smile, she slowly went about unloading her cart.

The young woman took in the frail hands, shaking slightly, as they feebly sought out each item. Veins and oversized knuckles stood out against parchment thin skin. What a contrast to her own silky smooth hands. ‘How old is she?’ Mandi thought with a shudder.

Her attention shifted to the old woman’s face. Here the ravages of time were just as evident. The deep wrinkles and leathery skin made it nearly impossible to imagine how she must have looked decades before. Had she been a ravishing beauty or just average looking? Whatever the case, it had been long long ago and no longer mattered. Mandi felt herself shudder again. She couldn’t imagine a worse fate. In an unconscious gesture of reassurance her slim hand reached up to caress the firm flesh at her own chin. She tried to look away but the quivering of loose skin and hanging jowls kept her transfixed.

After about three years the shaky hands of the woman finally emptied the contents of her cart. An efficient clerk had them rung up and bagged before the old woman even had her purse open. Though by the speed at which she moved Mandi doubted the slowest clerk on earth would have a problem beating her draw.

“Finally!” She half-shouted. Again Mandi didn’t try to limit the volume of her voice.

As if on cue, the old bag remembered her prescription was still back at the pharmacist’s counter.

“You gotta be kidding me!” Mandi exclaimed with all the subtlety of a drunken sailor.

The old woman made to head to the back counter. One look at her slow halting steps was all Mandi needed.

“Don’t bother, I’ll get it for you.” This time Mandi didn’t bother hiding her disdain. “I’d be as old as you by the time you got back.”

At that she stormed off to the Pharmacist’s counter. In her hurry she missed the flash of anger passing over the old woman’s face. Apparently she had sharper hearing than was to be expected. Mandi made quick work of the trip and was back to the check-out in no time flat.

“Here ya go,” she said holding out the small white paper bag. “HEY!”

The final exclamation was added when one of the old woman’s leathery hands shot out. Her grasp was surprisingly firm. Mandi tried to break free but only succeeded in twisting her hand uselessly in the coarse vise-like grip. A sudden increase in pressure brought a whimper to the young woman’s throat. Mandi looked at her captor pleadingly. Eye contact was apparently the goal of the final gesture.

“You really should respect your elders more.” The old hag’s voice no longer seemed weak or grandmotherly. Neither did her expression.

She looked deep into Mandi’s eyes. “I see that reasoning with you is useless.” An evil glint formed in her eyes. “You will have to learn for yourself.” She sighed a deep sigh. “Ecara Esque Du Li Tumbara!”

Mandi felt the hold on her hand release. She stood there stunned for a moment until her faculties kicked back into gear. ‘What a weirdo! I can’t believe they let a senile old bag like that run around loose! She should be in a home somewhere’ she thought. Mandi kept quiet though and kept her distance while the old woman paid for her purchases.

Her wrist still tingled like it was asleep when she slid her own purchase up to the cashier. “What a weirdo! Did you see what she did?” Mandi asked the young clerk.

He didn’t answer her right away. The decidedly nervous boy watched the slowly receding form of the old woman. Her unwavering pace seemed to relax him a little.

“You should watch your tongue around Madame Taefu. She’s a powerful Bruja.” As he mentioned the word, he looked again towards the exit. The look of fear was evident on his face.

Mandi screwed up her face in confusion. “Bruja? What is that, some sort of lawyer?”

The young man’s expression turned from fear to incredulity. “She’s a witch! And trust me you don’t want to mess with her!”

“Mandi laughed out loud. “A witch! Here I thought she was the crazy one!”

When Mandi uttered the word “crazy”, he looked one more time at the front of the store. The clerk’s eyes somehow got even larger. He even whimpered! Mandi followed his gaze. Madame Taefu was looking in the window smiling.

“He...he…here! Ta…take it!” Mandi felt the cool bottle of sunscreen thrust into her hands. “Take it and leave!”

Mandi looked uncertain. ‘Surely he must be…’

“Go on take it! Just get out of here!” The terrified young clerk nearly screamed the command. As he did so, his hands fumbled with bills from his pocket to pay for the sunscreen himself. Mandi didn’t hang around. Free was free. She left before he changed his mind, though by the sight of him that didn’t seem likely.

The old woman was still outside DrugWorld. Her slow halting steps had barely carried her 30 feet from the door. Mandi made a show of outpacing the elderly woman, actually bumping into her as she went past. The impact instigated a rush of harsh language. She understood none of it, however as it was in a foreign tongue. Mandi didn’t care or even look back. With a carefree smile she headed to the beach…


“Get a load of all the people!” Mandi’s exclamation to no one in particular was loud enough to draw a few stares.

A few more stares would better describe the situation. There had already been quite a few sets of eyes checking her out before. Mandi was used to this; hungry stares from the men, jealous glares from the women. She loved it. For fun she added a snap to her step causing her pert breasts to bounce. Strange, there seemed to be an extra bounce there. It wasn’t much…hardly noticeable. Mandi quickly put it out of her mind.

Even though the beach was crowded, she found a good spot dominated by college age youths such as herself. A quick scan showed the number to be mainly men…always a plus! Of the women present most didn’t seem to be much of a threat; not that that was a surprise.

Mandi decided to disrobe before setting up. Confident in her beauty, she didn’t retreat to the beach house. Besides, she already had her bikini on underneath. Mandi slowly removed her tank, drawing out the motions to add suspense. Her arms straightened causing the cotton to edge upwards bringing more and more of her taut toned tummy into view. Midway through, Mandi threw in a little shimmy to her hips to further entice any males. The action didn’t go unnoticed…

“Gotcha.” She whispered, noticing the powerful effect she was having on the males nearby. One awestruck fellow playing beach football even got blindsided after one look at Mandi caused him to forget the game. Others had to position towels over the front of their shorts or change their posture…

Ever upward the tank traveled. As the fabric met the swell of her breasts it pulled tight, before loosening once more after sliding past. Eventually Mandi’s breasts themselves came into view. Her skimpy top left little to the imagination. Actually it left less to the imagination than she’d intended. A glance down showed part of her aureole showing. Mandi tried to discretely rearrange her breasts in the cups. The task proved more difficult than she’d expected. For some reason her breasts seemed larger than usual and the top was reluctant to stretch anymore.

“Weird” she whispered to herself.

Mandi was forced to retie her top in order to accomplish a better fit. At least there was some reward for the hassle. Even more attention had been drawn as hopeful spectators looked on in case her top should suddenly be removed. No such luck.

She gave one last check before moving on. Again Mandi was struck by how big her breasts looked; a plus. However, they also seemed to be sitting differently on her chest as if they sagged slightly; a definite minus! Mandi pouted. ‘It must be my imagination’ she thought dismissively.

Her shorts were next. Grasping at the tight faded denim Mandi moved to unhook the clasp. ‘Damn these are tight!’ she cursed. Of course they’d always been tight; the better to show off her similarly tight ass. This was different though. Mandi found it hard to even get her fingers between the material and her tummy. Looking down past her breasts she examined the problem.

“It can’t be” Mandi’s shocked voice was but a whisper.

There at her waist was a small pouf of soft flesh pushed out over the waist of her shorts. It wasn’t much, but, it shouldn’t have been there at all. Abandoning the task of unbuttoning she moved her hands to the offending area. The feel of softness under probing fingers proved what her vision had told her. ‘Where in the hell did this come from?’ she wondered. Mandi had never had to worry about her weight before. Not like she had to, not only did she have a rapid metabolism, she had an active lifestyle to boot. The combination had flawlessly kept pounds from accumulating.

Until now…

Mandi vowed to exercise even harder and eat less. ‘I’ll be in shape in no time!’ she vowed.

With renewed effort her button finally let loose. The feel of release at the loss of pressure was heavenly. In the back of her mind Mandi wondered why she didn’t notice the ill fit when she dressed just an hour or so ago…

Even with the clasp undone, her shorts still proved uncooperative. They clung tightly to her hips and considerable effort was required to dislodge them. Mandi felt flushed and slightly winded by the time she’d extricated herself. Another vow was made to not rest until those very shorts fit properly again.

“Better protect you skin, you don’t want the sun to age such a fantastic body” a mysterious voice came from behind.

Mandi turned to behold a truly handsome face. ‘”No…we wouldn’t want that would we.” She replied, flashing a brilliant smile.

“If you want, I could rub some sunscreen on,” he smiled back. “I have very good hands.”

Mandi didn’t doubt that. The mysterious stranger sure looked like he didn’t have any trouble finding willing partners. He was a bit older than she’d usually consider…perhaps early to mid thirties. Still something about his rugged visage sent her heart fluttering. ‘Easy girl, make him do the work.’ She admonished herself, hoping to seem less eager.

“I’m sure you do…” Mandi’s voice was laced heavily with suggestion. “Tell you what, I’m going to take a dip and cool off. If you’re still here when I get back I may just let you have a feel…er, chance.”

Mandi followed up the suggestion with a wink then turned and made way for the cool water. She could feel his eyes on her as she walked away and knew he’d still be there…eager.


Brad watched the beauty retreat. ‘Damn she’s hot!’ he marveled. The sensuous sway of her sexy behind left his heart pumping. As he watched, his hungry expression slowly changed and a slight frown began to form in its place. Perhaps her ass wasn’t as firm as he’d first thought. It seemed to jiggle slightly as she walked…so too did her thighs. ‘Still she was the hottest woman in sight.’ He consoled himself.


Mandi waded into the water. A chill passed though her as she realized it was far too cold to swim in. She contented herself by wading along the shoreline taking in the sights. There were plenty of sights running around. Mandi flashed a smile at more than a few of them.

None she came across rivaled the man back at her towel, still the search had been worth it, she always appreciated a good view. Mandi decided to work her way back to him; looking forward to the feel of his hands on her body. The smile she wore at the prospect quickly faded as she became aware of a strange sensation.

For some reason her bikini bottoms had begun to ride upward. She could feel the fabric slowly creeping and shifting. A quick glance around showed there was too much attention centered on her to yank her bottoms back down. ‘Damn! I’m going to have to go in the water after all.’ She thought disgustedly.

Mandi grimaced at the feel of the cold water riding ever upward on her body. Goosebumps popped up all over. Finally, when she figured it to be deep enough she risked a discrete readjustment. ‘Ah, that’s better!’ she thought as the offending fabric was removed from the crack of her ass. It took a bit of tugging but the nylon eventually covered much of what it was supposed too. It must’ve been her imagination but her behind seemed bigger…softer too. She quickly dismissed the idea blaming the sensation on the cold water. ‘Time to get my ass out of here!’ Mandi did just that, quickly wading back to shore.

Her correction proved to be short lived as her bikini bottoms once more began to creep upward. There was no way she was going to go back into that ice water again, so she reached back once more to adjust the fit. No luck. No sooner would she get the fabric down, than it would spring back up again. ‘Damn cheap assed fabric!’ she cursed. It had to be the suit…certainly the fault couldn’t lay with her!

“Oh well, let my suit become a thong then…it’s not like I have anything to hide.’ She reinforced her thought by taking in all the older and out of shape bodies about. A shudder ran through her body at the sight. ‘No way am I going to end up like those fat old hags!’ she vowed.

Meanwhile Mandi’s bikini bottoms crept up a little higher…


Brad saw the beauty returning from her dip. She was still a ways off, but he knew it to be her. He shifted his position slightly on the towel to look a tad more sexy, then waved at her. The woman smiled back, gave her hair a toss, and returned his wave. There was just something so intriguing about him not knowing her name…it added a wonderful air of mystique.


Mandi saw her prey wave. She knew she had him. After flashing him a smile she gave her raven mane a toss and waved back. Even as she did so, Mandi became aware that her hair didn’t feel right. Her hand again traveled back up and slid through the strands. Her hair felt coarser…drier. Concern flashed across her face. Mandi had always prided herself on her hair. Just to be sure she pulled a handful into view. Indeed it looked coarser and lacked its usual sheen. ‘Must be the salt air’ she figured. Mandi chose not to consider that she’d never had the problem before…even after countless trips to the beach. The only effect had been a lightening from the sun…not this.


As his woman for the day approached Brad watched her play with her hair. ‘Typical woman!’ he thought wryly, not considering how much attention he himself paid to his own locks.

Now that she grew closer he had a better chance to examine her body. Brad was a skilled and well practiced judge of the female form… He was surprised to find he’d been mistaken about her age. On his first encounter with her, he had estimated her age to be early twenties. Now under closer examination she had to be in her early thirties…perhaps late twenties, but he doubted that. Still, she was a looker, even with the faint laugh lines and the beginnings of wrinkles at her eyes when she smiled.

“Ready for that sunscreen?” Brad asked.

“That sounds divine” replied Mandi, her voice a tad huskier than she’d intended.

Brad motioned for her to lie down on her towel. Mandi complied. She tried to do so slowly and gracefully to add to the moment. An unexpected jab of pain in her knee ruined that effect, however. Mandi let out a gasp and stumbled onto the awaiting towel. The moment was truly awkward and a blush came to her cheeks.

“Oops! Clumsy me.” She tried to sound lighthearted.

Brad smiled and said it was alright, but, Mandi could sense something had been lost in the mood. She tried once more to make her movements slow and sensual. This time she had greater success, though her now sore knee made it difficult.

Mandi looked up at the handsome stranger. She watched transfixed by his rippling muscles as he worked some lotion into his palms. The previous tensions evaporated next to the pleasure that again began to build within her. Pleasure that soared under Brad’s gentle ministrations.

He started at her right calf and worked his way up an action repeated on her other leg. The feeling was heavenly. His strong fingers worked and probed into the yielding flesh of her legs. A moan escaped her lips despite herself. ‘This man is good!’ she purred. Her firm toned legs had never felt so relaxed…so soft. Mandi could feel each strong finger sink in as if there were hardly any muscle there at all! What a treat!


Brad worked in the lotion with a motion developed from working on countless young bodies over the years. His technique was flawless. When he sensed how un-toned the woman’s thighs were he instinctively relaxed the pressure. Women with better physical training than hers preferred a more aggressive approach. Brad unconsciously wondered how she’d appeared so firm earlier.

Brad applied more lotion before moving upward. Again he was struck at how soft and toneless her body seemed. There was a definite accumulation of fat at her midriff. He scolded himself for not realizing she had been sucking in her tummy. As his right hand circled and caressed her belly he noticed how deep her bellybutton resided in the adipose.

Further up he worked…

Soon Brad reached his favorite part, her breasts. Her soft burgeoning mounds were barely contained in the miniscule cups. Certainly this woman had purchased the suit several pounds…if not several years ago. It was not really up to the task as the yielding breastflesh bulged out over and around the too tight material. Here Brad did not mind the extra weight. He loved breasts, especially natural ones as these obviously were. It was easy to tell by the way they laid flat and sagged down her sides. He wondered how they must have looked when she had been younger and firmer.

Still further upward…

Brad now reached her neck. Here he became even more gentle. On each rotation his fingers just managed to brush the lobes of her ears. Women loved that. As proof she moaned once more. ‘Still got the touch!’ he rejoiced. While caressing the sides of her neck Brad allowed his thumbs to lightly trace down her slight double chin. ‘Double chin?’ He did a double take. Sure enough there was the definite fold of fat under her jaw. ‘God I hope I don’t need glasses!’ he worried, trying to find some reason for all the discrepancies he’d encountered.

Brad looked down at the mystery woman’s face, her plump, slightly weathered features in a mask of ecstasy. He’d done his job too well, especially on someone he was beginning to regret approaching. She wasn’t ugly…he wasn’t that blind. Quite the contrary, for woman in her mid to late thirties she was holding up fairly well. ‘Better watch that sun though’ he warned silently, noticing just how deep the wrinkles at her eyes really were; a few deep enough to be considered true Crow’s feet.

Brad decided to cut the ritual short…or at least not be so sensual. He didn’t want to lead her on, at least not anymore. Still, he felt compelled to cup her face in his hands. In her pleasure the woman had her lips parted slightly. Even given his misgivings, Brad had to fight to keep from kissing her. The moment passed.

“Time for your back.” He whispered.


Mandi nodded slightly through the have of pleasure. She moved to roll over, but her body didn’t respond like she expected. With a grunt and some extra effort Mandi managed to accomplish the task. ‘Why do I feel so stiff and sore?’ she wondered. ‘Must be from that damn cold water!’ As she turned, an extra pull and sway from her breasts briefly caught her attention. There seemed to be way too much motion there. Just as she started to get worried, however, Brads expert fingers teased their way down her back. The powerful burst of sensation made her instantly forget the odd occurrence.


Brad massaged her shoulders trying to find a polite way to part ways. He knew it would be tricky, she was already under his spell. Older women were harder to dissuade too! While working in the lotion Brad took in the large freckles adorning her back. A sure sign of many years in the sun. ‘Too bad they didn’t have sunscreen years ago’ he pondered, thinking how much better her skin might have held up if she’d used some back in the late 60’s.

Remembering his dilemma Brad hurried his pace…and becoming a little less gentle. He didn’t want to be rough or obvious, just slightly bring her back down to earth. Surely someone of her years will see he has decided to move on. He hoped.

Further down…

Brad now reached her waist. He marveled at the way his fingers sank into her love handles. The deep pockets of flab at her waist were accentuated by the tight strings of her bikini bottom. Vaguely he wondered how and why she’d tie them so tight! Obviously she must have been in denial. Why else would she be wearing such an undersized garment. Brad shook his head at the sight of her bottoms having been sucked in between her large dimpled buttocks. Not a flattering choice! Most women try to hide their excess pounds, especially when gravity begins to take its toll.

Brad hurried past her flabby rear and moved to her thighs. Here the picture wasn’t any rosier. Cellulite had begun to form there in earnest. Again his massaging fingers pressed in deeply. The woman’s full thighs touched even with her feet a good foot apart. Brad began to suspect possible cataracts in addition to needing prescription lenses. Certainly anyone short of being blind should be able to notice thunder thighs like those! Not only was there cellulite, several varicose veins made themselves evident as well. Brad began to pray for a miracle to get out of there.

He got one.

Brad’s cell phone began to ring.

“I better get that.” He told the woman. “I’m expecting an important phone call.”

Brad wiped the excess lotion off on himself then answered the phone. “Hello?”

It was his buddy Bobby Ray wanting to know if he wanted to go out to the island for some brew.

“Oh my GOD no!” Brad responded, his voice full of shock and horror..

On the other end of the line Bobby Ray sounded confused and more than a little weirded out. “Uh…OK man…I mean it’s just a few of us getting together…”

“I’ll be right there! Don’t move OK?!” Brad managed to maintain the same shock and horror.

Bobby Ray was now so concerned he nearly dropped his beer. “Whatever you say man! Hey you’re not doing any of that shit from Taylor are you?”

Brad wasn’t about to waste his getaway opportunity. “Don’t move!”

At that he pushed the end button and scrambled to pick up his things. “Sorry I gotta go! It’s an emergency! I’ll call you!”

At that he turned and ran. Mandi, still trying to recover from the sudden journey from ecstasy to reality, lay there dazed. Brad was already several steps away before she called out to him…or should I say tried to call out to him. Her voice caught in her throat. Only after several times clearing it did she manage to get any sound out. What did come out was husky and coarse.

“Yuck!” she cried, trying (unsuccessfully) to clear her throat once more.

Mandi then moved to sit upright. Her aching body struggled to do so. When she finally managed a sitting position, she had the awful sensation of her belly folding over itself. Mandi looked down in horror to find a fat gut flowing over her waist. With numb hands she reached down to grab hold of the foreign mass

It was real.

Before she could even finish processing that horrible transformation, she became aware of others. First off was her breasts. Where there had been perky B-cups, soft drooping masses now resided. Futilely Mandi tried to lift the doughy udders back into position only to watch as they drooped back downward once more.

It got worse.

Mandi noticed her hands holding her ruined breasts. They had become pale and withered. Prominent blue veins stood out where once smooth tanned skin had been. Those very hands shot to her face. She could feel the coarseness of her palms. Worse, she could feel the coarseness of her face! She could only imagine what she looked like.

‘What’s happening to me?’ her mind screamed.

Suddenly her tired faded eyes went wide as a realization took hold.

“The old lady!” Mandi’s cracking voice croaked. “I gotta find the old lady!”

Mandi fought her way to her feet. The effort caused a loud and rapid burst of crackles and pops. She knew she had to find that old woman.

She decided to dress first. After stepping into her shorts Mandi tried to bend down to pull them up. Her back screamed at the effort, but, still Mandi tried. Eventually though, she had to admit defeat. One look at her huge dimpled hips and Mandi knew the shorts wouldn’t be able to cover them. With a grunt of disgust Mandi stepped clumsily out of the puddle shorts.

‘At least I should be able to wear the tank.’ She reasoned. This too failed. Mandi just couldn’t twist her arms in a proper motion to don the dress. Finally she gave up and decided to go as she was to find the old woman.

As usual Mandi’s travels drew many stares. However the reasons couldn’t be more different. Instead of hungry looks from the men or jealous looks from the women, Mandi was greeted with an almost universal look of disgust. In her distress she failed to notice a few people still looking after her hungrily…

Mandi creeped forward as fast as her weak unsteady legs would carry her. She was amazed at how tiny her steps were…only 5 or six inches at most. The sight reminded her of an old Tim Conway skit. It had been funny then. She felt quite different about it now.

She finally made it to her car. With great care Mandi slowly eased her achy frail body into the seat. Out of habit she checked her reflection in the rearview mirror, instantly regretting doing so.

The haggard old lady staring back at her looked older than her own grandmother! Pure white hair had replaced the raven black. Not only was her hair white, it was also so thin she could easily make out her skull. Beneath her hairline lay a mass of wrinkles. Mandi’s faded eyes peered out from deeply wrinkled lids. Her thin pale lips were cracked and sore. Where they parted glimpses of yellow craggy teeth could be seen.

Mandi felt the urge to cry. She was almost amazed when salty tears formed and flowed down the crevasses of her cheeks. Somehow she thought that maybe even the simple act of crying would have also left her.

Pulling herself together Mandi wiped the tears and fumbled in her purse for the car keys. She struggled for a minute or so before dumping the whole thing unceremoniously onto the seat beside her. It was ironic the keys were lost in a sea of beauty products. ‘Like they would do any good now!’ she thought dejectedly.

Finally her quaking hand managed to grasp the keys. She leaned forward to insert them into the ignition and felt the weight of her sagging breasts rest on her belly. The thought sickened her, yet galvanized her will to find the old woman. After a few more attempts the key found its way into the slot.

Mandi started the car, and after several checks to see if anyone was coming or not, creeped out of the parking spot. Driving was a lot tougher than she could have imagined. Everything seemed to be moving so fast! Slowly she headed back to DrugWorld, hoping that was where Madame Whatsername would be.. Along the way several rude honks from angry hurried motorists blared startling poor old Mandi. A few cars roared on by with derogatory shouts against the elderly.

Mandi’s pale cheeks flushed at the realization that she would’ve been one of those drivers. The weight of her actions began to seep in.

Eventually the Gaudy DrugWorld sign loomed ahead. It only took several wrong turns and a full half hour for her to make the five minute trip. ‘Please be there!’ she pleaded silently. It was hard to tell…everything seemed muffled. Mandi realized she might’ve said the prayer aloud. ‘Oh great senile at 23!’ The crazy thought made her cackle, which drew a few disgusted stares.

Of course it’s not everyday you see a fat 93 year old in a sporty convertible wearing a bikini and laughing out loud! (at least I haven’t)

Mandi thought she saw a familiar shape in the distance. It was hard to tell through the haze in her vision, which seemed to be getting worse by the minute. It just had to be the old woman. She didn’t know what would happen if it wasn’t her…

With every ounce of will Mandi struggled out of her convertible. Every part of her body screamed in pain. Crackles and pops rang out as she tried to assume some semblance of a standing position. She headed to her one thread of hope, aware that one misstep; one fall would end her chances then and there.

It was her! When Mandi got within three feet she was sure. The woman’s voice confirmed it.

“Not in such a rush now are you missy?” Madame Taefu asked.

There was no more attitude, no more sass left in Mandi. In fact there wasn’t much of anything left. The effort of standing alone consumed much of her will.

“Please…” her weak raspy voice barely managed to be heard.

Madame Taefu’s visage softened a bit, becoming once more the grandmotherly image. “Have you learned your lesson?”

‘Y…y…yes.” This time Mandi’s voice was even weaker. With her own diminished hearing she wasn’t even sure she made a sound.

“We shall let the fates decide.” Madame Taefu looked sure in her statement. “What better way than to have your past deeds be the judge.”

Mandi felt a wave of heat pass over her. It was a welcome change over the increasing cold that had been taking hold. Instantly her vision began to clear. Her body’s aches began to diminish. It was as if the river of life itself began to flow into her. It was wonderful!

“Oh thank you THANK YOU!” she gushed at the Bruja.

“Don’t thank me…whatever happens now is dependent on how you lead your life.” She looked somber. “You may curse me yet!”

Mandi barely heard the words. She was too enthralled in the changes. Her hands were smoothing before her very eyes. She could even feel her breasts firm and rise. So too could she feel the fat diminish and leave her body.

She had no idea how long the process took, whether it had been minutes or hours. Either way, Mandi knew it was over.

“I figured as much!” Madame Taefu smirked.

“What do you mean?” Mandi asked, the confusion evident in her voice.

“Look for yourself! The now older of the two women pointed at the mirrored glass of DrugWorld’s windows.

Mandi followed the woman’s gesture. There in the glass was the reflection of two women. One of an old Bruja, and one of Mandi.

A middle aged Mandi.

Her hands traveled to her face. It was definitely her face…just an older version of it. Slowly Mandi traced the faint laugh lines on her cheeks. Mandi noticed those very cheeks were fuller. Her whole body was fuller...older.

From the sporadic grey hairs in her formerly black mane down to the wider, yet respectable rear, Mandi had become a mature woman. Her body now bore the marks of time and experience. She felt the weight of the wisdom that accompanied that time flow into her. Mandi was a new woman, not just an older one. Her childish ways had fled with her lost youth.

Mandi stood proud. So what if she had a few extra pounds or a few extra wrinkles. For the first time Mandi knew who she was.

She turned to say something to Madame Taefu, but she was no longer there....