So, I thought, unbuttoning and unzipping my jeans and shimmying them to the floor, I receive this rock from grandpa, a rock capable of granting any wish I might make Why would he get rid of it in the first place? I'd meant it when I'd told Karyn I didn't believe he was dead. At least not in the traditional sense. Without paying much attention, I slid my silky purple panties down around my ankles and stepped out of them. So for some reason, he had to get rid of the rock, and he chose me. He never said anything about this Guardian. Wouldn't he tell me about that? I pulled my shirt up over my head and set it on the bench. Why wouldn't he? So this stranger tells me it's his job to keep track of reality, pay attention to the changes but why? I reached back and unclasped my bra, letting it fall back on top of my shirt. *And he starts delivering this line about destiny . And then there's the fact that only I can see him, and *
My attention was drawn away by the image in the mirror, and I realized that I was seeing myself naked, in this body for the very first time
Wow, I thought, taking a moment to appreciate my new form. For the moment all thoughts of strange men and even strangers stories were forgotten. I was beautiful. Until now, until I stood there looking at my own reflection in the mirror, I'm not sure I truly believed what had happened. Sure, I'd seen my reflection before we'd left the house, but that had been little more than a quick peek, and with clothing on it had seemed somehow unreal. This was definitely real. My skin was smooth and flawless. My breasts were rather modest, but perfect for my lean frame. The oddest thing though, as my eyes traveled down my body, was the empty space between my legs. I had to admit, it was almost surreal looking down there and not seeing my penis hanging there. Instead there was simply a crease.
I felt more complete than I ever had in my life. I experimentally cupped my breasts. They were warm and soft, and their weight felt good in my hands. I ran my hands down the front of my stomach until they came down between my legs. I gasped as I softly touched the sensitive flesh down there. Now is not the time! my mind shouted. I pulled my hands away quickly. I struck a few different poses in front of the mirror, taking the time appreciate what the rock had done for me, before I started trying some of the underwear on.
Putting a black lacy bra on, I took a moment to admire it in the mirror. I heard the voice before I saw him standing behind me.
"Have to hand it to that rock," it said, "It definitely knows craftsmanship." An instant after I heard the masculine voice, he appeared behind me in the dressing room.
"You should really go," I whispered. I'd learned my lesson earlier, and I really didn't want to draw attention to myself. "Why the hell are you following me anyway?" I didn't bother trying to hide the annoyance in my voice. At least the irritation helped distract me from the fact that I was naked from the chest down.
"I already told you why I'm here," he said, and I found it rather frustrating that he could talk as loud as he wanted, and I was resigned to whispering quietly. "I'm here to observe."
"Well," I said with an angry smile, "I hope you're enjoying the show. Now, if you would please leave " I glanced down at my purse on the bench and thought about the rock. Except what good would it really do me? He was completely immune to the rock's effects. I shook my head.
He didn't leave. Instead, he approached me. Before long he was standing right in front of me. "I don't think you really want that," he whispered, leaning in. "I think you'd much rather I stayed " He leaned in and this time he didn't stop until his lips were pressed tightly against mine. It was a credit to the effect that he had on me that I didn't even realize what was going on until I felt his tongue in my mouth, felt his hands wrap around my body, pulling me closer. Pulling me tightly against him. I felt one of his hands slide down and grab my ass.
"No " I started, pulling my lips away, "We " kiss, "are " kiss, "not doing this!" I finally pushed him back, and tried to regain a little bit of self control.
"You okay in there?" I heard a voice shout from outside the dressing room. It was Jill.
"I'm fine!" I shouted. I was worried about what she might have heard, but grateful that her voice had helped call me back to reality. I looked back at him. "Asshole," I whispered. To my chagrin, he just smiled.
I sat down on the bench and started getting dressed again. "Okay, no more fooling around," I whispered. "Who the hell are you, and I don't want any more of that Memory Guardian shit. I also want to know everything you know about my grandfather." I pulled my panties back on and looked up at him. "I mean it."
He paused for a moment. "I suppose you can call me Malcolm. Like I said before, I'm a Memory Guardian " He must have noticed the look I was giving him, because he went right on. "I've been charged, by the creators of the rock, to record the changes in reality that result from the wishes made "
"Why?" I asked, reaching back to refasten my bra. "Why keep track? And who are these creators?"
"We keep track," he said, "because history should be recorded, and even when the rest of the world forgets something, it should still be remembered. As for whom the creators are I'm really not at liberty to talk about them."
"Well isn't that convenient?" I asked, pulling my jeans back up.
"I suppose it is," he said softly, "but it's the truth, as for your grandfather Well, he was a good man who made some bad choices."
That caught my attention. "What do you mean, bad choices?"
Malcolm shook his head, "It wasn't really his fault you know. The rock affects those who wield its power."
"Affects how?" I asked, pulling my shirt back on.
"Every time you make a wish, your inhibitions are lowered just a little. It makes it that much easier for you to rationalize another wish later on. After you've made several wishes a wish that might have once seemed ill conceived seems a little less wrong, I suppose."
I thought about the wish a short time ago, the one that had changed Jill. It really had been a terrible idea and I'd known that going in, so why hadn't I stopped. At least this explained that. "What kind of bad choices?" I asked, slipping my shoes back on. "What did he do?"
"I'm only allowed to tell you that he did something that was wrong on a fundamental level. The rock is almost like a gift, given to a select few of you mortals, and he abused that gift. He was forced to give it up." He must have noticed the look on my face, or perhaps he was a little bit of a telepath, because he responded quickly to my unspoken thought, "and before you try and use the rock to wish you knew what he had done, I'll warn you that it won't work. His wishes were wiped from the rock's memory." He looked at me, his expression turning serious as I stood up. "You really are destined to possess the stone though Jo Natalie. You may be the one we've been waiting for " he trailed off.
"Waiting for? For what exactly?"
He shook his head. "In good time. For now, just enjoy what the rock can do for you, but be careful. Even the few wishes that you've made so far have had unexpected side effects."
"What?" I asked, but he'd vanished already.
I grabbed my purse and felt for the rock as I stepped out of the dressing room. It was thankfully still there. Jill was waiting for me outside the booth.
"Getting anything?" she asked with a rather devious smile.
I shook my head, "I don't think so. Just wanted to try a few things on."
She nodded, still looking concerned, and we left the lingerie store. As we were making our way down the packed halls of the mall, she put a hand on my shoulder. "You been alright?" she asked. "You've been acting a little off today."
"I'm fine," I told her. I really didn't want her worrying about me. Reaching down into my purse, I touched the rock without really thinking about it and said, "I wish "
