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penpusherThe Antiquated Sundries Shoppe should have been easy to see, situated right in the middle of a block on Spring Street, but neither Eve, nor Adam noticed it until the glint of a streetlamp caught their eyes at the storefront.
In the main window was a pair of matched gold bands, both very plain yet with an intriguing but almost imperceptible pattern woven into each. They both realized simultaneously these would be their perfect wedding bands. As they were making a note to return to the store during regular business hours, the door swung open. Glancing at each other, smiling, they stepped inside the shop.
Brightly colored (even in the dim light of the store) Tiffany lamps, Mad Magazine issues from the 1970s, 1943 Steel pennies in a display case, dictionaries for languages that no longer exist, just a few of the artifacts on display through the dusky walls and burnished shelving in that labyrinth of a selling floor. A husky, yet lilting voice rang out.
“Come this way!” said the female voice to the couple. A familiar figure stepped out of the shadowy back room and into the light behind the main floor display case. She put down a first edition copy of Martha Stewart Wedding and smiled. It was Martha Stewart.
Eve asked, “What are you…”
“There’s a lot of magic in love. And this would be one of those magical things.” Martha smiled. "I look like this because that’s how you choose to see me. It’s also how I know your names are Eve and Adam, and how I simply knew to retrieve this box from the display window.” Martha placed the black velvet box with the two rings in front of the couple.
Looking at the twin rings up close, it was easy to see the solidness and intricacy of the bands.
“The design of the rings reflects the challenges of being married,” Martha stated, smiling and giving a little squint. “It’s both the simplest element of life and yet the most complex.”
Martha nodded and continued, “Sharing a life with someone is just the same. How much do you know about each other, really? We’re going to find out. Please follow me.”
Ms. Stewart took Eve by the hand and escorted her through the portico to the rear of the shop. Climbing a winding staircase, she led them to a space that appeared to be a beautifully appointed loft style apartment. Martha turned back to the couple.
“I am going to give you a very special present, but I want you to choose. You may spend the first year of your marriage in this loft, rent free.”
As the location wasn’t very convenient to either of their jobs, and they already had a down payment on a place they liked, they politely refused.
“You may have the rings as my gift,” Martha then offered. Thinking that wouldn’t be fair, the couple again turned down the offer.
“In that case,” Martha said, “You are about to get something very special, indeed.” She handed them the rings. “Try these on for size.
The couple slipped the golden jewelry onto each other’s left ring fingers. A perfect fit in each case.
Martha smiled, “Now, hold each other's hands and let the rings gently touch.”
When they did, suddenly the room started to spin like an out-of-control carousel, which forced them to hold each other’s hands that much more tightly and then reached out to hold each other before they blacked out.
Adam woke up first. He was staring at the ceiling and could still feel their palms pressed with Eve, who was also waking up. They both sat up and looked at each other and they each saw themselves.
“Whoa!” said Adam, who appeared to be Eve.
“Is this a mirror trick?” asked Eve who looked like Adam.
“Martha!” They both called out. There was no Martha to be found. They studied each other’s faces closely and that’s when they fully realized, they had swapped bodies. They each jumped up.
“What are you doing in my body!” Eve shouted at Adam. Adam looked down.
“I think I’m playing with your boobs! How do you deal with walking around with these all the time?”
“Same way you deal with having to walk around with a penis and scrotum hanging down there. And they kinda get in the way when they swing!”
“Don’t rub against it too much or…”
“Too late. With you playing with my boobs and the friction of your pants, I got an erection. How often does this happen, because this was completely spontaneous.”
“They happen. They happen. The real question is: why are we in each other’s bodies?!”
“And what happened to Not Martha Stewart?”
“And why can’t I get your ring off of your finger?”
“The whole pronoun thing is freaky enough.”
“Maybe we’re supposed to learn something here. This is like some cosmic life lesson.”
“What’s the largest thing you’ve had up your butt?” Adam asked, seductively.
“You know, you’re the one who’s going to feel it if you try.” Eve scowled.
“Right,” Adam gulped.
“So what do we do?” she asked.
“Well, do you want to have something to eat? We have this apartment.”
“Great. Take care of that and I’ll go see if the game is on.” Female Adam said.
“Wait. You’re the one that’s a good cook. And you don’t even like sports on TV,” Male Eve responded.
Adam looked at her phone: no service, then looked for the spiral staircase. Gone.
The TV was static. No video console. “This place is a dump.”
“Maybe this all means we’re supposed to talk to each other?” She asked in her masculine voice.
“Talk? I don’t think… ow! This ring! It’s like biting your finger!” Adam inside Eve said.
“Don’t harm my finger,” she almost yelped, in very male, imagined pain.
“Maybe you’re right. What are we talking about?”
“Us? And how we’re looking at each other from this forced perspective?”
“There’s a part of me that really doesn’t want to see me, but now that’s all I see.”
“It’s difficult to see me as you do. And that makes this hurt,” she said, inside his body.
“I think I understand about the challenges of wearing high heels and bras a little better.”
“You’re lucky this wasn’t a ‘period week!’”
She bent him over into a deep soul kiss and their fingers intertwined.
//
This part of the piece was written for LJ Idol using the prompt - "Shibui".
My partner for this week,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
xlovebecomesher continues the story HERE
In the main window was a pair of matched gold bands, both very plain yet with an intriguing but almost imperceptible pattern woven into each. They both realized simultaneously these would be their perfect wedding bands. As they were making a note to return to the store during regular business hours, the door swung open. Glancing at each other, smiling, they stepped inside the shop.
Brightly colored (even in the dim light of the store) Tiffany lamps, Mad Magazine issues from the 1970s, 1943 Steel pennies in a display case, dictionaries for languages that no longer exist, just a few of the artifacts on display through the dusky walls and burnished shelving in that labyrinth of a selling floor. A husky, yet lilting voice rang out.
“Come this way!” said the female voice to the couple. A familiar figure stepped out of the shadowy back room and into the light behind the main floor display case. She put down a first edition copy of Martha Stewart Wedding and smiled. It was Martha Stewart.
Eve asked, “What are you…”
“There’s a lot of magic in love. And this would be one of those magical things.” Martha smiled. "I look like this because that’s how you choose to see me. It’s also how I know your names are Eve and Adam, and how I simply knew to retrieve this box from the display window.” Martha placed the black velvet box with the two rings in front of the couple.
Looking at the twin rings up close, it was easy to see the solidness and intricacy of the bands.
“The design of the rings reflects the challenges of being married,” Martha stated, smiling and giving a little squint. “It’s both the simplest element of life and yet the most complex.”
Martha nodded and continued, “Sharing a life with someone is just the same. How much do you know about each other, really? We’re going to find out. Please follow me.”
Ms. Stewart took Eve by the hand and escorted her through the portico to the rear of the shop. Climbing a winding staircase, she led them to a space that appeared to be a beautifully appointed loft style apartment. Martha turned back to the couple.
“I am going to give you a very special present, but I want you to choose. You may spend the first year of your marriage in this loft, rent free.”
As the location wasn’t very convenient to either of their jobs, and they already had a down payment on a place they liked, they politely refused.
“You may have the rings as my gift,” Martha then offered. Thinking that wouldn’t be fair, the couple again turned down the offer.
“In that case,” Martha said, “You are about to get something very special, indeed.” She handed them the rings. “Try these on for size.
The couple slipped the golden jewelry onto each other’s left ring fingers. A perfect fit in each case.
Martha smiled, “Now, hold each other's hands and let the rings gently touch.”
When they did, suddenly the room started to spin like an out-of-control carousel, which forced them to hold each other’s hands that much more tightly and then reached out to hold each other before they blacked out.
Adam woke up first. He was staring at the ceiling and could still feel their palms pressed with Eve, who was also waking up. They both sat up and looked at each other and they each saw themselves.
“Whoa!” said Adam, who appeared to be Eve.
“Is this a mirror trick?” asked Eve who looked like Adam.
“Martha!” They both called out. There was no Martha to be found. They studied each other’s faces closely and that’s when they fully realized, they had swapped bodies. They each jumped up.
“What are you doing in my body!” Eve shouted at Adam. Adam looked down.
“I think I’m playing with your boobs! How do you deal with walking around with these all the time?”
“Same way you deal with having to walk around with a penis and scrotum hanging down there. And they kinda get in the way when they swing!”
“Don’t rub against it too much or…”
“Too late. With you playing with my boobs and the friction of your pants, I got an erection. How often does this happen, because this was completely spontaneous.”
“They happen. They happen. The real question is: why are we in each other’s bodies?!”
“And what happened to Not Martha Stewart?”
“And why can’t I get your ring off of your finger?”
“The whole pronoun thing is freaky enough.”
“Maybe we’re supposed to learn something here. This is like some cosmic life lesson.”
“What’s the largest thing you’ve had up your butt?” Adam asked, seductively.
“You know, you’re the one who’s going to feel it if you try.” Eve scowled.
“Right,” Adam gulped.
“So what do we do?” she asked.
“Well, do you want to have something to eat? We have this apartment.”
“Great. Take care of that and I’ll go see if the game is on.” Female Adam said.
“Wait. You’re the one that’s a good cook. And you don’t even like sports on TV,” Male Eve responded.
Adam looked at her phone: no service, then looked for the spiral staircase. Gone.
The TV was static. No video console. “This place is a dump.”
“Maybe this all means we’re supposed to talk to each other?” She asked in her masculine voice.
“Talk? I don’t think… ow! This ring! It’s like biting your finger!” Adam inside Eve said.
“Don’t harm my finger,” she almost yelped, in very male, imagined pain.
“Maybe you’re right. What are we talking about?”
“Us? And how we’re looking at each other from this forced perspective?”
“There’s a part of me that really doesn’t want to see me, but now that’s all I see.”
“It’s difficult to see me as you do. And that makes this hurt,” she said, inside his body.
“I think I understand about the challenges of wearing high heels and bras a little better.”
“You’re lucky this wasn’t a ‘period week!’”
She bent him over into a deep soul kiss and their fingers intertwined.
//
This part of the piece was written for LJ Idol using the prompt - "Shibui".
My partner for this week,
xlovebecomesher continues the story HERE