I spun for a very long time, then I came to an abrupt halt. An intense pain hit my back and face, and that was all.
It was as if I had landed, but that was silly. I believed I was placed into some sort of chamber until a pulsing light hit against my eyes. I felt the heat of the surrounding air, yet I wasn’t uncomfortable. I was on a semi-soft surface and could feel it under my back.
I knew what had happened. I had reached the end of my banishment. I was probably in a stasis, out of consciousness, and returned eons later.
I felt rested and sore, which was odd.
When I opened my eyes, everything was blurry and it took a few moments for things to come into focus. The voice arrived long before the vision did. A male voice, with a twang and drawl to it.
“Well, I’ll be damned. You’re finally awake.”
I blinked. Was he speaking to me?
“Hello?”
I opened my eyes to see a male being above me. His mussed hair was mixed gray and yellow, his face would have been pleasant enough if it wasn’t for the lines, and when he smiled I saw he was missing a front tooth. I shrieked in fear.
“Shocked ya, didn’t I?”
My hands felt the surface beneath me. It was soft and I sat up.
“You looked lost,” he said. “Betcha were. Hey.” He snapped his finger in front of my face. “You with me?”
I was aghast. How foul this being was. Had we evolved into repulsive beings? How long had I been gone?
“Guess not,” he said. “You probably were a bit confused. Everyone said you would be. Didn’t I just hit the jackpot? Of course, I was the one who found you buck ass naked in the middle of the desert.” He raised his eyebrows a few times. “Not a bad find. ‘Course your hind end is a little more tanned than your front. You were found face down.”
When I got a look at his eyes, when he drew completely in focus, I realized that he was not a mutated Ancient, he was a human.
A human looking at my nude body.
Finally I glanced down at myself. I was wearing a printed, loose fitting garment. “What am I wearing?”
“It was my mother’s favorite housedress. I got voted to dress you.” He raised his eyebrows again. “No worries. I didn’t take advantage of you.”
“I should hope not. Not without my permission or summonsing.”
He groaned and stood straight. “Damn it, I lost. They were right. You are one of them Straits people.”
“I am not.” I took in my surroundings. I was in a bed, placed near a window. “Do you know who I am?”
“Nope. Do you?”
“It is mad—” I heard this gurgling sound. It happened at the same time as an odd plopping sensation hit my abdomen. It was in the middle of me saying it was ‘maddening’ but that noise cut me off.
The man laughed. “Boy, you must be hungry, I’ll get you some food. Be right back.” He stood up and that was when I noticed what he was wearing. A checkered shirt and blue denim. He paused by the door before leaving. “Madge, right? You said you were Madge.”
“I said mad—” There it was again, that plopping bubble feel and gurgle sound.
“Okay, Madge. I’m Burt. Be right back with that chow.”
He left the room and closed the doors.
Gods be with me, where was I? When was I? I swung my legs over and the hideous garment swooped to my knees, barely covering my legs. When I stood, my legs held me up fine, but my breasts jiggled.
They moved slightly side to side and I placed my hands on them. Why were they not bound? I spotted a mirror across the room and walked to it.
As soon as I saw my reflection, I wanted to scream. My perfect dark and shiny hair was dull and strands of gray poked up like wires all around the mess of disheveled locks. My face was plain and not painted. It looked older with lines. I had lines?
No longer was my skin olive toned, it was pale and the sleeveless ‘housedress’ exposed my arms. I lifted them and they weren’t firm. Not only was the definition gone, but they jiggled like my breasts. They weren’t big, so why did they jiggle?
I heard that odd noise again and realized it came from me. Was there some sort of monster in me? Immediately I hiked that garment upward to my chin to see if something was attached to me and I screamed.
My perfectly toned and trim body had curves and small bulges that protruded. My breasts were not perky and full, and I had hair in regions that no Ancient should have hair. I couldn’t move, I just stared.
The door opened. “I brought you—Damn.” Burt whistled. “Madge, you have to stop exposing yourself to me, I might get the wrong idea. Brought you breakfast.” I lowered the garment and stared. My face looked similar, but I was transformed. I realized at that moment what happened. My father had taken from me all that I gave the child.
I was still in banishment, but I was back in a different way. I didn’t know where I was, but I did know what I was. I no longer was an Ancient, I was human.
Instead of it working against me as my father and the counsel believed, I was going to use it to my full advantage.