The scene is planet Earth, but not the world as we know it. This world's mammals are all sentient and true magic is a reality. However, since the advent of science based tools and commodities that anyone could use without Talent, the magic arts have been almost forgotten . . . . . but not gone away!


THE WISH
by Bernard Doove

The door of the office block swung open wildly and an irate white bear fem stormed out, audibly muttering to herself. "Damn all men anyway. I was more qualified for that promotion, I've been the one staying back late to finish the important projects. And what happens? A school chum waltzes into the position. If I had been a man, that job would have been mine. Instead I get treated like an attractive assistant only there to be ogled at. If I was a man, I wouldn't ignore the females who have so much to contribute."

And so she rambled on, listing all the injustices perpetrated by men and how she would not be guilty of doing the same sort of thing if the roles were reversed. She stalked off towards the markets where she liked to shop and browse to work off her bad mood. Now this particular fem was mostly justified in her accusations and being a particularly beautiful young lady didn't help. Good looks were actually an impediment to her career. She was determined to be a success despite this.

As she walked through the market district, she came across an antique shop she hadn't explored before and she decided to check it out. It was a rather ordinary shop, but the smell of old furniture gave the store the appropriate atmosphere. She let her funk drain away as she involved herself in a quest for something that would grab her attention. Nothing interested her until she came to the jewellery display case. There amongst some fine bracelets and necklaces was a ring. It was an unspectacular item having only some simple designs upon it, and yet she felt an irresistible attraction to it. She could not fathom why it appealed to her so much but she made up her mind to buy it anyway. After she had paid for it, she then decided it was time to go home.

When she got to her apartment, she made her way straight to her bedroom, dumped her jacket on the bed and went into the bathroom. She looked into the mirror above the vanity basin and said, "Girl, you really look like you need a shower." She realised that she was still holding the small package containing the ring and she put it down next to the basin. Then she undressed and took a long soothing shower. As she was drying off her fur, she noticed the package and decided to open it so that she could look at the ring while she finished drying herself. The moment she laid her eyes upon it, she could feel that strange attraction again. She puzzled over that as she completed her task. Then she picked up the ring to examine it more closely. "Now what makes you so fascinating?" she asked aloud, never expecting to be answered.

She was badly shaken when a powerful voice reverberated through her mind saying: "I AM THE ONE RING OF THE ANCIENT URSINE MAGES. I BELONG TO ALL BEARS AND THUS YOU FELT OUR KINSHIP."

She stood there stunned. Finally she collected her wits. An ancient magical relic, its purpose so long forgotten that it had been sold as little more than a trinket, and she now had it in her possession! Hesitantly she asked it, "What purpose do you serve?"

"IN THE HANDS OF MY URSINE OWNER, I SHALL GRANT THAT ONE'S DEAREST WISH."

It granted wishes!! Her mind raced back to that afternoon's events, to the injustices of being a woman in a man's world; how being a male more than doubled your chances of success. She looked into the mirror and saw her lovely face and was unsatisfied. It was time to find out what it was like to be a man. Seized by unthinking impulse, she addressed the ring. "I wish to know what it is like to be a male," she demanded.

"GRANTED," exclaimed the voice.

She felt dizzy and for a moment the world blinked out for her. Then normality reasserted itself. The change must have finished. She eagerly looked into the mirror again, only to be overcome by disappointment. There was her normal feminine face with long blond hair surrounding it. Her large well-proportioned breasts were still there, mocking her. All that weird stuff and nothing happened? She kept staring at her image in frustration and then she became aware of something unusual. She was really noticing for the first time how appealing she looked, and her breasts .... well now she could hardly take her eyes off them. The wonderful curves and the pert nipples seemed endlessly fascinating. She felt a stirring in her crotch that felt different to any previous sensation. The mirror did not show that low and so she had to tear her eyes from her image and look down. She gasped in shock. There, unfelt until now because it belonged so naturally, was a penis, and the sensation she had felt was the beginnings of an erection. She looked up again and realised that she was feeling a male's attraction to her female assets. Like most males, she could hardly resist looking at her boobs!

She suddenly turned away from the mirror and went into the bedroom to look into the longer dresser mirror there. She was not imagining things. There was a male member still there with a bulge below it. She cautiously touched the bulge and felt two lumps inside it. She must have testes too! But if she had this equipment on an otherwise very female body, what about...? She quickly felt below the bulge and realised that she still had a vagina. A full-sized scrotum would have gotten in the way and so it seems she had ended up with a compact model. She was fully equipped. She must now be what they called an hermaphrodite. But she had wanted to become a man, not half and half! She still held the ring and she asked of it, "Why have I become this when I asked to be a man?"

"YOUR WISH WAS TO KNOW WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE A MALE. THE TERMS OF THE WISH HAVE BEEN SATISFIED."

She was chagrined. The ring interpreted her wish quite literally and this was the result. Oh well, perhaps it was a good idea to take this one step at a time to get used to it. She turned her attention back to the mirror and this time let herself enjoy the view knowing what was happening. She felt a male's lust for her gorgeous figure and her erection began again in earnest. What a strange feeling! For the first time, she got up the nerve to touch her new organ. Her tentative caress sent a thrill through her and served to harden her member to its fullest. What an incredibly different sensation! She stroked it again, and then once more. Oh, she knew that she would have to take this to its natural conclusion.

She laid down on the bed and started masturbating, clumsily at first but rapidly learning how best to stimulate her new sexual instrument. The sensation was wonderful and she could no longer stop herself. The pleasure she was receiving was so new and different that it did not take long before orgasm came. With a gasp, she released her load, fully enjoying this wonderful new experience. She just laid there for a while, feeling the pleasant after effects. Then she realised, "I really did come completely, there's semen all over my fur. Am I fully potent? Could I become a father? The terms of the wish seem to indicate it. This could get interesting."

She thought it was about time to clean herself up. She went back into the bathroom and washed off her fur, then she became aware of another biological urge. She moved over to the toilet, then realised that something felt different. "Oh no," she thought, "Surely not?" But it was. She had to raise the toilet seat to relieve her bladder. "Well that may be convenient when I get used to it. What next? Maybe it's time to go all the way." She paused in front of the mirror again and spun about, admiring her newly augmented form from all angles. She was now comfortable with the idea of becoming fully male and decided it was time to take the plunge. She addressed the ring again, bearing in mind its literal interpretation, saying "I wish to become a fully male man."

She waited for the dizzy sensation that signified the wish taking effect. Nothing happened and then she realised that the ring had not said 'Granted'. "Ring! Why haven't you granted my wish?"

"I AM THE ONE RING. MY NAME MEANS THAT I GRANT YOUR DEAREST WISH, ONE WISH ALONE."

She was horrified. "You mean that I'm stuck this way?"

"YOUR WISH IS PERMANENT. THE MAGIC OF THE ONE RING IS SUPREME."

The damn thing almost sounded smug. This experience had been fun, but she didn't want it as a lifestyle. "Turn me back dammit!" she yelled at the ring; but of course it ignored her. She started laughing then, she laughed until she cried. She collapsed on the bed and the crying changed to deep sobs. She had a long time to consider the consequences of her impulsive wish. Henceforth, and for the rest of her life, she would know what it was like to be male.


© 1995 Bernard Doove.   Art © 1994 Terrie Smith and used with permission.


Read the sequel: Second Chance

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