Hand in hand with Julie, you crossed the street. Struggling to match her stride, you curse at your inability to do so and the way your little hand kept slipping out of her larger one. Wanting this this whole thing to be over and done with, you're tempted to let go and run across the street the moment you were across the street from Julie's place.
As if she senses this, Julie looks down at you, smiles, and explains, "Just a little bit longer," and leading you across the street, she slowed as approached the house.
Not sure why she doesn't lead you inside, you are caught off guard when she asked, "Been wondering something. The clothes you have on, did they change when you became a little girl?" and unsure what to tell her, you squirm in place for a moment before whispering, "I lost my icky boy clothes and gotta these off a line in sum one's yard," feeling as if you've been brought to your lowest point by being caught stealing girl's clothes.
With a sigh, Julie explained, "We'll have to return them," and looking down at you, she comments, "You probably don't know how to ride a bike whilst wearing a dress," before, looking at your bare feet, states, "And you'll have to do something about how filthy your feet are."
A glance down, and you're startled to see how yucky your feet have become. Missing how you have just thought about the dirt and whatnot covering your feet, you allow yourself to be led around to the back of the house, where Julie sat you down on the back stoop. Noting the way you did so wasn't the way a girl would sit, but how a boy would, and wanting to explain girls didn't sit with their legs spread when wearing a dress, the sixteen-year-old girl let it slide for the moment as she ran the garden hose and proceeded to wash off your feet. Finishing, she instructed you, "Wait here," before going inside, and returning shortly with a towel, which she used to dry off your feet.
With this out the way, Julie led you inside, where you received a start when you saw the clock over the microwave. Reading the time was about fourteen minutes after four, nearly a half an hour before you found the well in the first place, you mind flashed back to how it had seemed earlier in the afternoon when you had opened your eyes to find yourself changed. Confused, why the well not only turned you into a girl, but had also shifted you back to an earlier time in the day, you would have been further baffled had you known it had been sometime between one and two when you'd woken, and it had taken you almost two and a half hours to walk a distance which would have taken you considerably less time as a teenage boy.
Oblivious to all this, you instead allow yourself to be led upstairs and to a guest room. As she opened the bedroom door, Julie commented, "Mom always have stuff kept here for my cousins, and my aunt is always forgetting something, so I am sure we can find you something," before she started rummaging through the dresser, then the closet.
Taking out a number of things, she held each one up in front of you as she estimated, “Lynn’s things should fit you, as she’s around the same age,” and handing you a white t-shirt with some butterflies on it, each with pastel-coloured wings, and a pair of what you can only guess are bib-overalls, but are black and all one piece, you take them as Julie said, “She never really wears this jumpsuit, so I am sure she wouldn’t mind,” before telling you instructing you to get changed and then you can return the stuff you borrowed.
Left by yourself, you look down at the clothes. Not wanting to wear them, but seeing no other choice, you look about the bedroom. Seeing it has some decorations, all intended for a girl, and both beds are still made up, your attention is drawn to a mirror hanging on the back of the closet door. Wanting a look at what you look like, you balk at the idea, but figuring you need to see, you are about to walk over to it, but instead set the things you were given down, and proceed to undress. Naked once again, you edge across the room and with a hand which is shaking, you push the closet door all the way open, stopping it when you at last see your reflection.
Skinny, nondescript, you take in the girl of seven looking back at you. Her auburn hair down well past her shoulders, you note how it has a slight curl to it as you run a hand through it. Blinking, seeing your eyes are now a shade of blue-grey, you drop your gaze down and take in how flat your front was, with the one thing telling you were everything now was a cleft at the point where your legs started. Finding it upsetting to see a girl of seven staring back at you from the mirror instead of a teenage boy, you feel as if you are going to start crying again. Turning away from the closet door, you head back to wear you dropped the clothes Julie handed you. Picking up the shirt, you read the tag, which has a S printed on it, and pulling on, you find its a size too big. Figuring it couldn't be helped, you pulled on the jumpsuit next and then returned to standing in front of the mirror. Taking in the one pocket, the waist pitched by an elastic band, the diamond-shaped top, thin shoulder-straps, ties down at the ankles, you shift about in place as you look at yourself from different angles.
Unable to help yourself, you think you’re cute dressed the way you are. Turning away, but not before you pegged your height at three foot five inches, you head over to the door. Exiting the room, and not seeing Julie, you head back downstairs where you find her in the kitchen. Bidding you to sit down, she said, "I couldn't find the sandals," as she directed your attention to several other pairs of shoes, which she then assisted you in trying on before the two of you found a pair which fit.
After you had adjusted the Velcro straps, and wondered why none of them had shoe laces, you listened as Julie explained, "It'll be best if I do something about your hair," and squirming, you ask, "Why?"
"Because if you try and ride a bike now, it could blow all over the place, including in your face."
"Won't I hafta wear hemit," you reply, disliking even more the way you couldn't even say certain words properly.
Julie nodded and told you would have to, but added you it would still be best if something would be done about your hair. Seeing no way to argue the point, you muttered, "I guess so," and watching as she took from her pocket a hair tie, two barrettes, and set them on the table next to brush, comb, and hand mirror, you tried your best to sit still as she combed out and brushed your hair, affixed the barrettes, then braided your hair. Handing you the hand mirror afterward, you tilted your head one way, then another as you stared at the hair clips. Handing the mirror back, you couldn't help yourself as you announce, "I look pretty," to which Julie nodded and confirmed this with, "You do," then said, "Are you sure you don't want at least wait? Maybe try and understand what it's like be a girl, as you claimed you wished for."
Taken aback by she said, you furiously shake your head, and in a very defiant, little girl voice, you state, "No. I'm notta girl. Imma icky boy," flinched and corrected the last thing you said.
With a smile, Julie replied, "Okay," and holding out her hand, she said, "Then let's see if we can find your well."
Led out to the garage, you're handed a white helmet with a bunch of stickers stuck to it and shown two bikes. As Julie goes to get her twenty-one-speed bicycle, you pull on the helmet, and selecting the one without training wheels, you mount it and putting your feet on the pedals, you try and get it to move. Doing so through trial and error, you find you have to adjust your perspective, as the seat wasn't the same as what you're used to, sitting on it took some adjusting to, as well as having a smaller body meant a difference in what you could and couldn't accomplish. Ignoring things about the bicycle, like how it was a sparkle pastel purple and pink, had tassels on the handle bars, and the design of the frame was clearly for a girl, you soon got the hang of riding it as you currently were, and when Julie called out, "Ready," you pedalled to the end of the driveway where she was waiting.
For the next hour and half, the two of you bike around as you attempted to retrace your steps. In the process of doing this, you discovered your younger body couldn't handle the same amount of exertion your older body could, and you had to frequently stop to rest. Frustrated by how walking and biking great distance now took so much out of you, you gritted your teeth and tried to press on. Coming to a familiar looking spot as the two of you biked through a park, and the afternoon slowly gave way to evening, you listened as Julie commented she'd have to go home soon as you felt a budding hopefulness within you. Slowing to a stop, looking about, seeing everything which your mind insisted was where you found the well, you cried out, "I think we found it," and hopping off the bike, not waiting for Julie, you ran as fast as your short, and tired, legs would carry you. Bursting through to the area you were sure you had found the well, you stopped.
In front of you, where the well ought to have been, was a picnic table, looking out at the scene spreading out before you. Everything to much for you to handle any longer, you dropped heavily to the ground. Lip sticking out, you are unable to help yourself as you start to cry once again and sobbing out, "I dunna wanna be a girl. I wanna be a boy," you look about and through the tears, see how wrong you were and what you'd thought was where the well was, was actually an area set up so people could enjoy a nice view of the scenery as they had a meal. Feeling over tired and even more overwhelmed by everything, you could help yourself when, as Julie came and sat down next you, you crawled onto her lap. Pressing yourself close to her, liking it when she hugged you, rocked you, soothed you, you listened as she told you, "There, there. It'll be all right."
"Nuh, nuh, nuh, nuh-uh," you hiccoughed out. "Imma gonna be stuck like this for the rest of my life. I'll never be Daniel again. Imma gonna hafta be a girl. Imma gonna hafta do girl things," and wanting to tell what those were, you found you didn't know, which made you cry all the harder.