It was about 1:00 in the morning. Sally's husband was asleep beside her, and once his snoring had become regular, Sally climbed out of bed, put on her robe, and made her way back down to the kitchen, where she retrieved the Medallion of Zulo from the tin she had stored it in. She carefully re-read the directions.
Sally went to the laundry room and picked up a pair of Jake's jeans and one of Emily's skirts. Smiling and suppressing the urge to hum, Sally went up to Emily's room first.
For a moment Sally watched her daughter sleeping.
"She looks so angelic," Sally whispered to herself. "How has she gotten to be such a prima donna lately?"
Sally couldn't wait any longer to see if it would work. She took the medallion and placed it against Sally's exposed right arm, and then she carefully touched Jake's jeans to the same spot.
At first Sally didn't think anything was happening. But then she noticed Emily's arm getting thicker and hairier. Sally watched in disbelief as her daughter's whole body grew larger. Her feminine form straightened, flattened, and hardened. Her light brown hair got darker, and her soft face began to show traces of a teenage boy's fuzz. Within minutes, Emily looked exactly like her older brother -- but was still fast asleep in her own nightgown.
"It works!" Sally thought to herself. "This is going to be so exciting!"
Sally scooped up the Medallion and jeans and quickly exited the room. She couldn't wait to turn her son into her daughter now.
Sally let herself into Jake's room. As usual, he was sprawled out on the bed in only his boxers, sheets and covers scattered everywhere, face down, arm dangling off the side of the bed. Sally didn't hesitate. She placed the medallion against Jake's side and touched Emily's skirt to him.
Watching this transformation was just as fascinating to Sally as the reverse. Her strong, athletic son quickly became thin. His skin got pale and soft, and she couldn't help but grin as he acquired the wide hips and large chest that made the female body so delightful to look at but awkward to occupy. Soon, Jake was Emily, down to every last freckle.
"Well," Sally whispered to herself. "Kids, tomorrow your new lives begin."
Sally went back to her own room and stashed the Medallion in an old shoe on the highest shelf of her closet. And then she went to sleep, unable to wait for morning.
