Ritualistic Design

The table shook as the doctor pulled out two stirrups from inside the table. "One foot in each stirrup, please."

He couldn't be serious. Wes looked up at him with a curious expression. The doctor's face was quite serious. He patted one of the stirrups with his hand. Wes complied, feeling very apprehensive. What in God's name was going on around here?

"You aren't close enough to the end of the table. Scoot your bottom down, please." Wes scooted until the doctor gave his approval. It felt like his ass was going to drop off of the table. The doctor sat on a rolling stool and rolled between Wes's legs. One of the nurses draped a paper cloth over his legs so he couldn't see what the doctor was doing. Wes was silently glad he couldn't see what was going on. If he could, this might give him nightmares for a few months. He closed his eyes and wished for this to be over quickly. The doctor rubbed a cotton ball under Wes's balls. It was cold and Wes started. The nurses tightened their grip on his shoulders, keeping him pinned to the table. Wes winced.

"Okay, now," the doctor soothed, "one quick pinch."

And pinch it did.

"What are you doing??" Wes yowled. The doctor stood and tossed the siringe into a sharps container under the sink and removed his gloves.

"There now. All done for this month. We'll see you next month. Be sure to schedule your appointment with Maryam, Lori." He exited the room with the nurses in tow.

"Lori? Why does everyone keep calling me Lori? My name is Wes!"

"Do you remember what we told you yesterday about the number three?"

"Uh..." Wes stammered.

Maryam sighed and rolled her eyes. "The number three is sacred. Do you remember how many days you have been here?"

"One. Today is two."

"Yes. So by tomorrow, your name will be Lori. We just thought we would get you used to it today."

Wes sat and blinked, his mind suddenly numb. Three was a sacred number. Three days and he would no longer be Wes. He would be Lori. His attention was distracted by the tingling in his genitals.

"What did the doctor do to me?"

"Why do you ask?"

"What did he put inside of me?"

"A needle."

Wes was growing impatient as the tingle began to sting. "God damn it, why are my balls stinging??"

"Oh. That. Well, it's probably from the injection he gave you. When I told you that yesterday was going to be the last day you would have sex as a man, I meant it. It's okay, though. It's just a local anesthetic. You should go numb very soon."

"Local anesthetic for what??"

The nurses strolled back into the room with a stretcher. One of them slipped a rag over his nose and mouth and he lost consciousness.

~*~*~*~*~

Again with the floating, dreaming feeling... Wes opened his eyes and blinked them into focus. White ceiling with little black dots surfed into view with dingy plastic crossbars. He ran his hand over his face and tried to sit up. Maryam grabbed his arm.

"Good. You're awake. You'll need to take it easy for a few days, but it's okay because we are going to pamper you." She rolled a wheel chair beside the bed and gestured. Wes dropped one leg down and winced.

"What happened? Why am I sore?" Realization hit him and he yanked his hospital gown to the side, exposing his still in tact genitals. He breathed a sigh of relief and climbed carefully out of bed to the wheel chair. Maryam laughed.

"Did you think you'd lost the family jewels?" She patted the top of his head soothingly. "Don't worry. We didn't want to create permanent damage. One of these days we might allow men into our coven. Until then, you are going to be a nice little shemale." She pushed the chair out of the room and down the corridors of the hospital.

"Shemale?"

"Yep. While you can't do anything with it yet, we've given you a pussy under your balls. Granted while you are here with us, you will have to get a monthly injection to make sure your dick doesn't work, but it won't be a permanent thing. We might use you to sire children for the coven some day. Who knows what the high priestess has planned for you?" Maryam wheeled Wes through another set of double doors into a huge salon.

"Where are we?"

"The salon, silly! I told you we were going to pamper you today!" Maryam signed their names on the sign in sheet and was immediately escorted to the back and around a corner to a private suite. Inside there was a team of hair, nail and makeup artists who greeted Maryam with hugs and kisses. She gestured to Wes and pulled one of the stylists toward him.

"Who is this?" he asked, standing with one hand on his hip and accenting with a lisp. "He's cute."

"This is Lori and she is female."

"Oh my! This is going to take more work than I thought! So we are making her a blonde. I see highlights... lots of darks and lights..." The stylist pranced around, his high heeled boots clacking incessantly at the floor, reminding Wes of a Chihuahua. "Okay, yes. I can do this!" He breathed in a dramatic breath and wheeled Wes to the stylist's chair, patting the seat. Wes stood, wincing, and sat delicately in the chair. It would have been much more comfortable to lie down as opposed to sitting.

"You'll have to go easy on her, Michael. She just had surgery."

"Oh my GOD, no! Oh you poor thing! Well it was nice of your sister to bring you out for a pamper day!" This guy was so flamingly gay he made Liberace look like a matchstick. Wes smiled up at him and nodded along. Maryam was NOT his sister. She was the girl who raped him. She was the girl who was ushering him through this terrible metamorphasis. But she was not his sister. He contemplated telling Boy George this but then thought it a loss cause.

Two of the girls pulled stools up beside the chair and each took one of Wes's hands. They filed and buffed his nails, then applied acrylic nails followed with a thick coat of red polish. Boy George babbled on about his brother and his sister and their pets and kids and everything else. Wes tuned him out after awhile. His hair was bleached and he was given long blonde extensions. His nails were lengthened and painted. He got a pedicure. His makeup was done. At the end, he hardly recognized himself. His face, although in makeup, was still slightly masculine. More hugs and kisses were exchanged as Wes climbed back into his wheel chair and Maryam wheeled him out the door.

"How do you guys have all of these people here who work with you and no one knows about what goes on down here?"

"Oh, everyone knows. They just don't care."

"How can they not care?"

"Because we pay them large sums of money in business. Other than that, we don't bother anyone. It's a win/win situation for everyone involved."

"I see."

"Besides. Not everyone hates us liberal lesbians, you know? Just the conservative right wing and their fascist hatred of anything different."

"Uh huh." Wes was answering so she would stop before she got started. Maryam apparently got the idea and was quiet as she wheeled him down the halls that twisted and turned down around and down. "So how do you know how to get around here?"

"We just know after awhile. Call it 'divine intervention'." She laughed at her own joke. Wes wasn't amused.

"So how do you expect me to get around in this place?"

"Lori, my dear, you worry too much."

"My name is Wes."

"No it isn't. You're Lori. You had better get used to it. You can't really go around telling everyone your name is Wes when you look like a drag queen." She smirked and knelt in front of his chair. "Your name is Lori. Tomorrow you will be dedicated as Lori. At next Beltane, you will undergo the Great Rite. You are going to be a Priestess of the Temple." She stood up and looked down at him, her hands on her hips. "So what is your name?"

Wes sighed heavily. "My name is Lori."

"Good! See! You're catching on already!" They stopped in front of his little room cell and Maryam opened the door. "You should get some rest, Lori. It's your big day tomorrow!"

Wes stood and walked inside. Lying on his cot was a large, flat box. He looked at Maryam questioningly. She smiled at him and guided him over to the bed.

"This is a gift to you from the High Priestess. She said you would like it."

Wes opened the box. Lying inside was a blue and black women's blazer, a pair of women's dress slacks, a blue blouse and black pumps. He raised one eyebrow skeptically.

"And I bought you a little something." Maryam pulled a small box from behind her back and handed it to Wes. "Open it."

He took the box and opened it. Inside was a set of silk pajamas with a robe. Wes looked up at her. "Blue is my favorite colour."

"I know." Maryam headed toward the door. "Goodnight, Lori. See you tomorrow."

The door closed behind her with a soft click.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Good morning!" Maryam called as she entered the room. Wes looked up to her from his cot and nearly swallowed his tongue. She was clad in nothing except her radiant blonde beauty. Wes propped himself on one elbow as she approached. She ran a hand along his silk-clad arm. "I see you wore my present!" She was positively chipper this morning. Wes smiled in spite of himself.

"Yea, I wore them. They were really comfortable."

Maryam took his hand and pulled gently. "Time to get up. It's your big day!"

"Big day?"

"Oh, don't balk! Just do it! Come on, I'll walk you there."

Wes stood and stretched, gently fingering his bandages covering his new pussy. "When do I get the bandages off?"

"After it's healed. I would give it around six weeks or so. Then we can make good use of it." Maryam grinned impishly. "Now get up, lose the pajamas and come with me."

Wes unbuttoned the silk covered buttons and dropped the shirt onto the bed. The pants were slipped from his waist and soon followed. He reached for the suit, but Maryam slapped his hands. "No need for that, pet. It will only get in the way. Hell, I'm naked. Just come on." She took his hands and led him out the door.

The hallway was positively bustling with people today. Normally Wes and Maryam were the only people who appeared to live in the complex. Wes stared in wonder at each passerby, each and every one of them naked.

He followed Maryam down the twisty-turny hallways and through a set of double doors. As his foot met the interior of the room, it sunk slightly like he was walking on a giant mattress. Throw pillows were scattered around the floor in different colours and textures. Otherwise the room was completely bare. Sitting toward the back of the room was the cloaked figure. Maryam sat beside her and gestured for Wes to sit as well. Since it was still painful to sit, he opted for lying on his belly. It was the hooded figure who spoke first.

"Have you enjoyed your time here so far?"

"Well, that depends on what you mean by 'enjoyed', really. I don't know where I am or if my friends and family are looking for me. I don't know what my mother is going to think of all of this, or even if I can see my family again. I have a pussy and hair and nails. I am being made to wear women's clothing and take injections so my penis doesn't work anymore. What in the hell do you have planned for me?"

"You will see in just a short while. Did you like the dress I sent to you?"

"It's fine."

"I'm glad." She rose from her seated position and turned to Maryam. "Why don't you run along and get yourself ready for the ritual? I will go down and send in the tailors."

Maryam nodded and left through a second door in the corner of the room with the High Priestess following. Wes was left alone in the room.

His mind warred with itself over the things that had happened to him over the last few days. He was now a transgendered, tattooed, and rather naked- man? Woman? Thing? There was no way he could go back to work now. He could cover the tattoo and his now healing pussy, but the transformation was becoming more and more complete in his head. He was different now; a freak.

Here, though, he was seen as normal. Maryam was even treating him differently now that he looked more feminine. He looked down over his naked frame, noticing how limp his penis was. He wrapped his hand around it and stroked it gently. No response. His brow furrowed. He was horny. Why wasn't his dick responding? Had they given him the shot already? He gave up his futile efforts at stimulation and rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling.

If they had wanted him to be a woman, why hadn't they given him tits? Wes ran a hand over his chest absently. At least then he would have had something to look at. He pinched his nipples, imagining they were full and supple. He imagined putting on a bra and panties, his full breasts spilling out over the cup. Wes shuddered. God that was hot.

He suddenly wished he had breasts and a functional pussy.

The doors opened behind him and a young woman walked through the door, a garment bag slung over her arm. Wes startled as he realized he was still pinching his nipples and sat up a bit too quickly, sending a jolt of pain up his spine from his healing pussy. The girl chuckled with a voice a bit too deep. "Don't worry, I do that to myself sometimes, too. I think everyone has done things like that every once in awhile." She looked down at Wes's crotch and smiled. "I see they've given you the equipment already. Wait until it heals. You'll love it. So when do you get your breasts?"

Wes stammered a bit before answering. "I get breasts?"

She laughed again. "I suppose not every woman gets breasts. You might ask for them."

Wes turned red from his head to his toes. Had she known what he was thinking? He shook his head and looked over at the garment bag, asking shakily, "What is that?"

The girl grinned from ear to ear. "We have your dress ready. Want to see it?"

Wes nodded nervously and the girl unzipped the bag. The dress was EXQUSITE! It was completely nude in color and covered with garlands of pearls and rhinestones. The dress had a full collared neckline with a scoop and ruffles like the Civil War dresses. The skirt flowed full and long from the empire waistline. Ruffles were along each seam and the entire dress was covered in the delicate pearls and gems. Wes gasped. "Is that MINE?"

The girl nodded excitedly. "We've been working on it non-stop for three days in a couple of shifts. Isn't it beautiful?"

Wes nodded and touched the tightly woven tulle with his fingers. "Can I put it on?"

The girl wasted no time in helping Wes slip it over his head. It reminded him of a wedding dress with the long row of tiny buttons along the back that the girl was now fastening for him. He glanced down, noticing how transparent the costume was.

It excited him.

"Will I be going out in this?"

"You will be attending ritual. Would you like to see yourself?"

Wes nodded eagerly. This was the single sexiest outfit he had ever worn in his entire life and he was dying to see what he looked like in it. The girl gestured outside of the room and two girls came in with a floor length mirror. He nearly danced across the pliant floor. The dress was beautiful and fit him like a glove. Wes turned this way and that to get a good look. The waistline ended at his ribs and tapered toward his waist. The skirt was full and flowing and shone in the light as it caught on the tiny stones set here and there throughout the fabric. His pulse quickened.

The girl with the garment bag handed him a matched bra and panty set in the same nude color as his dress. He donned them quickly and eagerly with a bit of help by loosening the buttons on the back so he could wriggle into the bra.

This had to be the single most erotic thing he had ever done in his life.

Maryam's head appeared in the doorway she had used to exit the room. "We're ready for you." She held out her hand.

Wes stepped forward and took it as she led him through the door.

There was a huge room looking very much like a basement. Roughly 20 people were in a circle around a central table. The cloaked figure was standing in front of it with a dagger in her hand. Three other women were at equal spaces around the table, each in a different colored cloak. Maryam urged him onto the table and leaned him back gently. She pressed her fingers to his lips, looking deeply into his eyes. Her gaze seemed to implore him not to speak. Wes took the subtle cue and nodded slightly. His eyes followed Maryam as she took the empty position around the table. The High Priestess began to speak.

"And now that our circle has been assembled, let us begin." She stepped to Wes's feet as a chant began.

"Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna." The High Priestess whispered. Her whisper was joined by another of the Priestesses.

"Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna." They chanted, each voice joining in the chant, then began singing in harmony. Wes could feel the surge of energy around him as the singing and chanting became more intense. Gooseflesh raised on his body at the point the song reached its apex and stopped. Wes shivered.

The priestess to Wes's right began the ritual. She spoke loud and clear, her head and arms raised upward. "I ask of thee, Guardian of East, sovereign of Air: Please guard this circle and bless this rite. Bring joy and intelligence this night." She dropped her robe to the floor.

It was Maryam who spoke next. "I ask of thee, Guardian of South, sovereign of Fire: Please guard this circle and bless this rite. Bring courage and willpower this night." She followed the same pattern with her head and arms raised above her body, then shed the cloak at the end of her invocation.

The calling passed to the next girl. "I ask of thee, Guardian of West, sovereign of Water: Please guard this circle and bless this rite. Bring compassion and forgiveness this night." As her cloak hit the floor, Wes recognized the girl as Maryam's girlfriend. He was strangely comforted that she was there.

"I ask of thee, Guardian of North, sovereign of Earth: Please guard this circle and bless this rite. Bring endurance and stability this night." The girl's cloak pooled around her feet.

Each of the girls stood bare and exposed, their hands raised to the sky and their heads raised to the ceiling. The High Priestess raised her head skyward and assumed the pose the other girls had when calling the corners. Her voice rang out over the assembled. "We call to the Goddess who has many faces and many names. Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna. We ask you shower us with your presence in welcoming our new sister. Blessed be!" The High Priestess dropped her cloak. Wes gasped and jumped. He knew this woman!

The rest of those congregated echoed, "Blessed Be!"

The High Priestess dropped her arms. As she did, so did the girls calling the corners. They returned to the outer circle as the High Priestess turned her back toward Wes and continued her speech. "We come into this circle as women who are the ultimate power of the Goddess! So many Christians worship the God that we women had to strike an uprising! The Goddess is the mother, the maiden, the crone. She embodies each and every one of us. We all are born and become a maiden. We give birth to children and become the mother. We grow old and become the crone. Each of us is a cycle of life and each of us is the divine in flesh! Today we come together to welcome our newly embraced sister to our Coven! She will be living, working, and training with us." The Priestess turned and pulled Wes from the table by his hands. She brandished the dagger before him, pointing it into the center of his chest. "Do you enter this circle with perfect love and perfect trust?"

Wes stared down into his mother's eyes. "Yes. With perfect love and perfect trust."

She turned and drew a circle, pointing to each of the assembled gathered before her. "And would you rather fall upon this blade than to betray the perfect love and perfect trust of your sisters?"