Preface

“Johnny, help me with Gracie.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“I'll hold her. I want you to wrap this ribbon around her waist and tie it into a big bow as I showed you.”

Johnny knew what his mother wanted. She wanted him to loop the three-inch wide pink ribbon around his three-year-old sister's waist and then tie it into a floral bow. Johnny found that it was easier to tie the bow than to control Gracie allowing mom to do it. But even with mom's help, keeping Gracie still long enough to get her ready was a struggle.

Gracie is a vivacious little girl who is in constant motion. Since she is a little small for her age at two feet eleven inches, she could easily pass for a two-year-old. Still, she is within the normal range for her age. Easily distracted, and getting her to sit still for anything, is difficult. Despite that, mom decided it would be a great idea to get some professional pictures of her. Johnny would also get some pictures done, but he was mostly here to help mom control Gracie.

“OK, now tie another one in her hair making a ponytail,” mom commanded.

“Sure.”

"Honey, don't move around,” mom scolded Gracie, trying to look down at the bow that had already been tied around her dress.

“I wanna see!”

'You will, you will. But you have to wait until everything is ready.”

“No, now!”

“Honey, please hold still.”

Since these were going to be professional photos, mom wanted everything perfect. She wanted a bit of lipstick on Gracie's lips and some powder on the cheeks to reduce the shine. Johnny had to apply these cosmetics also.

“There you are, all nice and pretty. Let's take the photos.”

Gracie ran out of mom's arms and to the studio where the pictures would be taken. The scene was already set up. She jumped into the chair where she would be posed. Then she hopped off. Then she ran around.

“Gracie, come sit on mommy's lap.”

They had booked two hours of studio time. That should have been enough. But it was a constant struggle to get and keep Gracie focused. She would not sit still. She would wipe the makeup off her face and get it on the sleeves of her dress, necessitating they try again. She would reach behind her head and pull the apart ribbon off or sometimes out of her hair. They had planned for three different settings, but in the end, there was only time for one.

Mom hoped the pictures would come out well. Or at least a few would be passable. There were over a hundred taken.

“Thanks for all your help. I couldn't have done it without you,” mom praised Johnny.

“No problem mom.”

Chapter 1

A week later, the photos were returned.

“Look at these,” mom commanded Johnny. He could tell by the tone of her voice that the pictures to put it mildly weren't to her liking. Johnny looked them over,

“Umm, this one isn't too bad.”

“Her ponytail is on the wrong side of her shoulder.”

“At least, she is smiling. What about that one?”

“She looks OK, but look at me, I'm struggling to keep her in control, there is a grimace on my face. You can see the tension in my arms as I'm holding her.”

“I see.”

“There is something wrong with all of these. I wanted a full set of photos, not just a couple that wasn't too bad. I think we'll have to do it again.”

“Again?”

“Yeah.”

“When do you want me there?”

“We can't do it like we did before. We'll end up with the same problems.”

“So, you aren't going to redo them.”

“I have to.”

“Then what?”

“I want you to take the pictures for her.”

Johnny knew what mom meant. He had swapped bodies before. Not with Gracie, but he was well aware of the procedure.

“No, way.”

“I can't go through this again for the same result. Also, I'm running out of time. I need the pictures.”

“I won't do it. I don't want to be a little girl.”

“It'll only be for a few hours. In and out. It won't take long. You can control yourself, Gracie can't.”

“I've never been a girl before.”

“It's no big deal. You don't have to do anything but sit there and look pretty.”

“I'm not going to it?”

“Not even for that mountain bike you wanted?”

Johnny wanted the Marin Bobcat Trail 3 bike. He had been saving money to get it, but at $640 plus another hundred dollars for the accessories he wanted, it was taking a long time for him to raise the money. That added to the fact that he needed his savings for other expenses, which meant he wasn't going to get the bike any time soon. Summer was approaching fact, a time when he would need his saving for many outdoor activities.