The Hermaphrodite's Curse

PART ONE - LONDON

- 2 -

That night, Gabe dreamt a dream that he had not had in about a decade, only things had changed in the dream in the intervening years even as they had changed in Gabe. He had spent all afternoon hanging around waiting in the police station before being briefly questioned about the morning's incident in a routine fashion and sent on his way. The events of the morning, however, continued to play on Gabe's mind.

It wasn't the image of the dead woman with panic in her eyes coughing up blood that had stuck in his mind so much as the painting she had died in front of. Gabe was no art expert but he knew what he liked and this was one painting that seemed to draw him right in. There was something in the composition that seemed to arouse his interest. The way that the woman's body had her back turned towards the viewer seemed far more tantalising and mysterious than other reclining nude images. Gabe was also fascinated by the figure's shapely body the way her soft white thighs curved towards her narrow hip. Seeing the enigmatic expression on the indistinct reflection on her face in the mirror brought Gabe's mind back to his childhood fantasies about Venus, the Queen and Mistress of Love.

When looking back on his dream on awaking the following morning, Gabe realised that it was no doubt informed by these preoccupations but, just for a moment in that deep and magical slumber, he felt like the world of ancient gods and goddesses could return to him like it had in his childhood.

With the image of the Velazquez painting playing through his mind as he dropped off, Gabe soon found himself transported to a land of bright blue cloudless skies and forests of trees and vines and white flowers. He was walking on grass as soft as velvet as a tinkling of running water could be heard from somewhere just out of sight. Gabe walked towards where the sound was coming from and arrived at a brook of crystal clear water. He walked towards the water's edge to discover he was not alone.

Lying on the bank of the stream was a woman, tall, slender and elegant. Gabe's heart skipped a beat the moment he saw her. Even with her back to him, he instantly knew her from the cascades of golden hair. She was admiring her reflection in the clear waters of the pool and Gabe could just about make out the shape of her face from the waters.

It was Venus herself, just like in his childhood dreams and, just like in his childhood dreams, he felt like he had lost all control of his own body on seeing her naked beauty. Something stirred within him, an overwhelming sensation of desire. The feelings of those childhood dreams began to make sense to him now. When he was so young, he could not properly understand how the sensuous Queen of Love would make people feel but now he did. All his body was alive with yearning and all of his blood seemed to rush faster than it ever had before, with his heart beating harder and harder to catch up. He felt himself become aroused and his penis stiffen, growing proud and hard against his will.

It was at this point that Gabe realised that he too was naked, like the paragon of beauty herself and he felt a flush of shame all run all over him just as fast as his arousal. He felt suddenly especially awkward in his skinny body and full of embarrassment about how he could have so little control over how it behaves. He felt himself suddenly very unattractive and sought for some way to hide his nakedness and his arousal but there was nothing to hide behind amongst the soft grass.

Just as Gabe began to panic, the reclining Venus appeared to notice his presence reflected in the water. She inclined her head a little towards him and spoke in that rich musical voice that Gabe had all but forgotten but that now brought back so many childhood memories and set his flesh tingling.

"Why do you feel ashamed?" she asked, "You are becoming beautiful."

Gabe blinked and then realised that he wasn't standing there watching, he was the one reclining by the river looking at the reflection in the water. The long necked goddess knelt beside him. She cupped her hands into the water and poured the cold, clear liquid from her hands onto Gabe's head. Gabe gasped as the cold water ran across his warm, lively skin.

"These waters will baptise you afresh," the lyrical voice seemed to come from right inside his head, "And you will be new born in beauty."

Her wet hands ran down his body and each tiny touch that her fingertips made against his naked skin felt incredible. He no longer felt any shame at all in his nakedness or the hardness of his arousal. All he wanted was to give his body up to pleasure. As he turned his attention back to the pool, he could see his reflection in the glass clear water. Only, it wasn't him at all. The figure that looked back at him was a beautiful woman with soft round breasts and a narrow waist.

Looking down at his own body, Gabe was disappointed to find the reflection was not accurate, he still had the same old pale and thin male body he had always had, only now with his manhood more erect and proud than it had been in a long time. The unimaginably gentle and tender touch of the golden haired goddess moved across Gabe's chest. He shivered and awoke.

He was no longer in the paradise of his dreams. The soft green grass and crystal clear water disappeared along with the sensual love goddess. It was just Gabe alone in bed in his dark, empty flat, with a rather embarrassing hard erection and morning beginning to stream through the window. He had to get up and think about work.