Spells R Us - A Bottle of Dreams
by Tal Greywolf

-----

Wednesday evening

The small wooden sign over the door said it all.  Spells R Us, Magickal Supply
Shoppe.  Swinging gently as a breeze drifted down St. Phillip's street, it
caught the attention of Andrew Davis on his way home in the French Quarter.

Small stores like this one were not uncommon in the Quarter. Several of his
favorite places were hidden away like this one, on side streets or down alleys
into the courtyards that were part of the heritage of the area.  Along with it's
occult appearance, it was a perfect fit with the atmosphere that was strictly
New Orleans.

His curiosity was piqued.  The store didn't look that recent, but considering
how often he walked this way, he was surprised to find it at all.  Deciding to
take a look, he opened the door and walked into the shop.  A silver bell jingled
as he entered, a curtain parting as an old gentleman walked out from the back.

"Welcome to my shop," he said simply.  "If you see anything you like, let me
know."

"Thank you, I will."  Andrew proceeded to gaze about the shop, peering at the
various pieces of jewelry in cases and at the books on shelves while the
proprietor watched quietly. Andrew picked up an old bound book, a touch dusty
and read the Latin inscription on the binding.  Chuckling to himself, he placed
it back on the shelf while the proprietor raised an eyebrow in surprise.  Few
would have recognized the text, fewer still to be able to resist the spell
associated with them.  He cleared his throat, catching Andrew's attention.

"I take it you found something to your liking?"

Andrew chuckled gently.  "A few items are interesting, but nothing's really
standing up and saying, 'take me home', no.  Then again, it's been a while since
I've been in a really interesting store like this one."

That caught the old man's attention.  "Oh?  You've visited other places like
this before?"

"Well, I used to live in Milwaukee and visited Sanctum Regnum regularly," Andrew
admitted.  "And there was this little place in Santa Cruz I used to know while I
was living in Monterey.  And there's the places here in town like Mystic Visions
over on Royal St."

The old man's eyebrows rose slightly.  "So you know about magic, then?"

"In a sense."  Andrew picked up another book, this one a non-spelled one by
Starhawk.  "I do believe in magic, if that's what you're referring to."

Nodding, the old man gazed closely at his customer.  "I suppose then selling you
a love potion or spell to be wealthy wouldn't work, would it?"

Andrew laughed and shook his head.  "No, it wouldn't.  I'm quite happy with the
work I do and the money I make and while I'm sure my love life could do with
some improvements, I wouldn't want to make any radical changes there, either.
Even if it's been a little lacking lately."

Again, the old man's eyebrows rose.  "Why, if you don't mind me asking?  I would
have guessed you would have females following you all around."

Shaking his head, Andrew sighed.  "No, I wouldn't want that, either. Fact is,
being the way I am tends to make most females treat me more as a brother than as
anything else.  Not that I'm complaining," he said quickly, holding up a hand to
forestall any comments.  "It's just that what I'd prefer would be someone more
willing to share the interests I have."

A glint came into the old man's eyes.  "Interests such as what?"

Andrew grinned.  "Magic, for one.  Shapeshifting for another. I've always had a
fascination for shapeshifters and transformations, collect stories and artwork
in that vein.  Adventurous as well, enjoying being out in the wilderness and
exploring."  He smiled at the old man, giving a wink.  "I doubt you'd know of
someone like that."

The old man remained silent for a minute, staring intently at Andrew.  "You're
serious," he said finally.  "You are truly serious about this."

Andrew nodded, the mood in the store feeling quite different to him. Something
felt odd, something that jangled his senses.  As if he had just crossed a line
and was about to get himself in trouble.

The shopkeeper shook his head.  "Relax, I'm not going to do anything," he said
as if reading Andrew's thoughts.  "It's just rare for someone like you to come
here.  This wasn't chance at all."  The last he muttered to himself, making
Andrew blink.

"What wasn't chance?"

"Wait here," the shopkeeper said.  He went back behind the counter and into the
back room, disappearing from sight.  There was sounds of rattling, then he came
back into the room holding a bottle.

"This is for you.  I received it two days ago, and wasn't certain why at the
time.  But I think it was meant for you to have."

He handed Andrew the bottle.  It was heavier than he would have guessed, the
shape that of a middle-eastern vase with a broad base, tapered neck and glass
stopper.  Dark blue in color, there was silver and gold tracery all around the
bottle making it look quite decorative.

Andrew looked up at the old man.  "What is this?"

"Yours."  He said it simply.  "Take it.  This is what you wished for.  Just
remove the stopper and pour out the contents, and you'll discover the rest."
The old man smiled warmly at Andrew.  "Go ahead, take it."

Andrew looked uncertain.  "I don't know..." he said haltingly.  "I mean it's
lovely, but..."

"Andrew," the old man said, surprising him with his name.  "You're a special
young man with a special gift.  You are the most qualified for what's inside the
bottle.  If it doesn't work out, just return here in a week."

Still uncertain, Andrew nodded.  "Ok, a week."  With that, he opened the door
and walked back out onto St. Phillips St.  The old man watched him leave, then
shook his head slowly.

"I hope this does work out," he said to himself.

---

Andrew walked down Chartres St, heading toward his home.  The sounds of a
Dixieland jazz band drifted on the winds, and tourists walked past him heading
towards the Quarter.  His place was on the edge of the Quarter, just a few
blocks away from the French Market.  Unlocking the door, he walked into his
apartment and closed the door behind him. Placing the bottle on the living room
table, he walked away to check messages on the answering machine.  Two wrong
numbers, AT&T asking for his business, and one customer wanting to design a new
web page for their business.  Sighing, Andrew made a note of the latter call and
headed into the back rooms to fix dinner.

An hour later after some manicotti and cheese and a small glass of wine he went
back into the living room to examine the bottle.  There was no writings or
inscriptions anywhere, even underneath.  The glass was too dark to see what was
inside, yet when he moved it he could feel something sloshing about within.
Finally, he shrugged and unstoppered the bottle.  Remembering what the old man
said, he started pouring out whatever was inside.

A thick golden liquid started to flow out from the bottle.  It pooled onto the
floor, then slowly it started to shimmer and ripple. Andrew blinked in surprise,
a tingling felt on his skin as the liquid rose up into the air, much like the
character from the movie Terminator 2.  The liquid took shape, becoming that of
a young woman with a middle- eastern appearance.  Long black hair cascaded
across her shoulders and down her back, while deep green eyes opened to the
light.  Her body was sleek and shapely... and completely unclothed.

Andrew stared at her in shock.  She didn't notice it at first, her arms raising
up as she stretched and took a deep breath.  Then her gaze met his and she
smiled warmly, falling to her knees as she bowed down before him.

"Kind master, I thank you for your generosity in allowing me my freedom.  What
is it that you wish or desire of me, your humble slave?"

Andrew shook off his shock, blinking at her, then at the bottle.  "I think," he
said softly, "I think that we need to do is talk."

---

Her name was Aluria.  She was in her own words a djinna.  Andrew listened to her
explaining who and what she was with a mixture of disbelief and rapt
fascination.

"So you see, I am yours now."  She said it as a matter of fact. "You are my
master, and I shall obey whatever commands you give me, within my ability."

Andrew leaned back against his seat and hummmed softly.  He had already put
aside the fact that she was still naked, and was instead paying attention to her
words.

"What do you mean 'within your ability?'"

"Some thing I cannot do.  Such as kill another person, bring back a person from
death, affect others directly.  My powers are limited only to myself and my
master.  Making his or her life easier, more convenient, giving him whatever he
would desire."

Andrew hummed softly again.  "Like asking for wealth or riches."

Aluria nodded.  "I can't provided unlimited wealth, no.  But if that is what you
wised for, I could grant it.  At least enough wealth to live comfortably for the
rest of your life."

"No, no," Andrew quickly interjected, waving his hands.  "I'm quite satisfied
with what I have."

Aluria nodded again, bowing her head.  "I have other abilities.  You could shape
me into whatever you desire me to be."

"Shape?  As in shapeshift your form?"

"It is what my master can do with me, yes.  If you find me unpleasing, you can
turn me into whatever form you wished me to be."

A slight cough came from Andrew.  "You mean I have control of your body?"  The
conversation had taken a turn into the Twilight Zone, he thought to himself.

"Oh, yes.  My previous masters would turn me into whatever they desired for me
to be."  Aluria was serious as she spoke, causing Andrew to shake his head in
amazement.

"If I hadn't seen you form out of that liquid," he said slowly, "I would swear
someone's pulling a hoax on me.  But I did see you form, and you're here."  He
shook his head again and sat back in his chair, relaxing.  "Let's get a few
things straight right now, though."

Aluria smiled.  Andrew cleared his throat, then looked at her.

"First off, don't call me Master."  That caught her off guard, and the look on
her face showed it.  He continued on talking, however.

"It's not that I don't understand what you're offering me here. It's just that,
well, I'm not the sort who'll order a person around. I'll ask you what you would
like, but I will not force you to do anything against your will."

Aluria was profoundly puzzled.  "But... I was meant to serve others. It's part
of who and what I am."

Andrew reached out and patted one of her hands.  "I understand that. I can't
deny you're here, and can't just simply take you back.  The old man said for me
to wait a week.  But I can ask you to understand where I'm coming from here.

"Secondly, I've been living as a loner for a while now.  I'm going to still be
that way while you're here, although I know I do have to give you attention.  So
I will try to take time for you.  You're likely not used to the way this world
is now, so for the time being I want you to learn about the way things are for
now."

Aluria nodded.  "I've already learned much just from when you opened my bottle.
It's part of my magick to learn about my ma... you when you first take control."

Andrew nodded slowly.  "Ok.  Then you probably know some things about me
already.  I'll answer any questions you have, and expect you to do the same when
I ask you about yourself.  Or about your abilities."

Aluria smiled slightly at that.  "I'd think you'd rather see me simply
demonstrate what I'm able to do," she said simply.

Andrew hummmed softly, then nodded.  "Yeah," he replied.  "I would probably want
that.  Finally, a simple thing.  The middle room is my office.  During the day
when I'm there, try not to bother me too much. Any other time is fair enough.
And the books are always there for you to read.  That might help make the time
go by easier when I am working."

She nodded in understanding, then smiled again.  "May I ask a question then?"

Andrew nodded.  "Ask away."

"Do you wish me to look different now?"

Andrew peered at her, humming softly once more.  "You want to show me this is
real, don't you?"

"Yes.  Perhaps you'll believe that I'm speaking the truth when I say you can
change my form with just a thought."

Andrew nodded, then looked at her closely.  She really wasn't all that
unattractive at all, rather fetching in appearance.  Perhaps with longer hair,
and black instead of brown...

There was an odd rustle, then Aluria's hair lengthened rapidly down her back,
reaching just above her ass.  As it grew the coloration darkened, until it was
as black as night by the time it stopped growing. Aluria smiled, turning slowly
to show off what had happened.

He let out a very low whistle.  "Dear goddess," he said softly, admiring her
again with a critical eye.  "Just remind me not to go crazy around you with
this."

Aluria looked a little disappointed.  "I would think you'd turn me into your
dream lover," she said bluntly.  "Or someone very sexy looking."

Andrew laughed, then quickly stifled it at her expression.  "My dear, I'm not
quite that sort of male," he explained.  "I mean, sure.  I could make you into a
Pam Anderson, or a Playboy bunny if I wanted to. But I don't want to.  Not right
now, at least.  Perhaps later on.  For now, we, and I mean WE need to get used
to each other.  It's not that I don't want to shift you about right now."  He
smiled warmly, trying to reassure her.  "I just need to get used to this."

Aluria looked a little more hopeful.  "But you will indulge yourself with me?"

A soft chuckle came from Andrew.  "We'll see what happens."

---

Thursday

Andrew woke to the smell of pancakes and bacon.  He blinked his eyes to clear
the sleep out of them, then winced slightly, remembering where he had been
sleeping.

Aluria had said something about not needing sleep, but he had insisted she sleep
in his bed.  He had slept on the futon in the living room, keeping his office
between himself and her.  More for her own protection than anything else.
Grumbling softly to himself, he looked at the clock, and was amazed to see it
was 8:10 am.

Managing to get himself upright, he walked down the hall into the kitchen.
There he saw Aluria cooking away, dressed in what could only be called harem
domestic.

She smiled when she saw him leaning in the doorway.  "Good morning," she said,
making him wince slightly.  "Breakfast will be ready in about 10 minutes."

"Good," he rumbled softly, turning to head into the bathroom. "Maybe I'll be
awake by then."  Staggering his way in, he managed to get himself looking and
feeling more alive, wandering back into the kitchen once he had finished his
morning ritual.

At the table sat Aluria, along with a short stack of pancakes, several bacon
strips and a glass of milk.  "I took the liberty," she said as he sat down, "of
reading your thoughts last night.  Since we're bound together now, I should know
much more about you and what you enjoy."

Andrew paused for a moment, then sat down in his chair.  "You're one up on me,"
he managed to say.  "I'm still not sure about all of this."

"I know," she replied.  "But you said to give it time."

He grunted, then chuckled softly.  "Touche', mon pussy cat," he said back.  "I
deserve that one."

"You deserve more than that," she cryptically replied.  "Eat up, it's getting
cold."

"Yes, mother."  Any further comments were stifled by his eating, which was quite
good this morning.  The pancakes were just shy of perfect, and the bacon crisp.
Looking up, he saw her watching him intently eating.

"What are you looking at?" he asked.

"Just watching," she replied.  "I guess I'm just fascinated at how you can enjoy
something so simple."

"Simple tastes for simple minds," he shot back at her.  She grinned and threw a
grape at him, hitting him on the nose.

"You are hardly simple," she said.  "I haven't had a master with such a vivid
imagination before."

He looked up at her again.  "What did I say last night?" he commented.

"I'm not calling you master, I'm making a statement.  You do have a very vivid
imagination.  No one else I've been with would even think of some of the things
you've thought up in your mind."

"Mmmmph."  Andrew licked off a bit of syrup, then looked at her, resting his
chin on his hands.  "You mean the thoughts I've had about various forms?"

Aluria nodded.  "None of my other owners were as creative in their thoughts.
Most kept me in human form, although a few did have me take animal shape from
time to time."

Andrew nodded, looking thoughtful.  "How so?"

"One was a rahaj.  He would have me turn into a tigress to prowl the grounds at
night, shifting back into human form in the morning.  Another wished to have a
horse that would win races, so he shifted me into a swift mare and had me mate
with a stallion.  I became pregnant, and months later had a colt that was what
he wished for."

Andrew hummed softly, listening to her.  "I wouldn't wish that on anyone," he
said mostly to himself.

"Oh, it wasn't so bad."  She sighed softly, remembering that time. "Mostly I was
cared for, fed and groomed.  I didn't have to do anything other than carry the
foal, so I let myself be a mare.  No real conscious thoughts at all, other than
being what I was then."

Andrew looked at Aluria and asked slowly, "Would you want to be a horse again?"

She smiled warmly.  "If it was what you wished, and it was enjoyable, then I
would.  I'll admit there were some very interesting images you had that caught
my attention."

Andrew would have responded to that, but a phone ringing made him stand up from
his chair.  "Work calls collect," he said.  "Remember what I said, try not to
bother me too much while I'm working.  We'll talk more about this later on."

--- Work, it turned out, was actually something that Andrew explained as web
page design work.  Between talking with clients online and on the phone, he had
managed to secure three new contracts as well as work out two new scripts for
maintaining other pages.  By the time 3pm rolled around, he was tired of staring
at the screen, and turned it off.

Walking into the living room, Andrew found Aluria sitting on the floor, a number
of his books and fanzines surrounding her.  She looked up from what she was
reading, her eyes filled with amazement.  "So many ideas," she simply said.

Andrew chuckled gently and offered her a hand up.  "I think you've had a bit of
information overload, like me.  Come on, let's go out and get something in the
way of a late lunch."

"I'll need something more for outdoors."  Aluria turned around, still dressed in
her flimsy outfit.  Andrew sighed and nodded, and instead of the sheer gauze,
she found herself wearing a very colorful blouse and dress.  Andrew chuckled
softly, shaking his head at her.

"Got to admit one thing, shapeshifting does save on the clothes. Are they a part
of you?"

"As much as anything else would be.  I can take it off if I wanted to, but
usually it just becomes a part of me if it's not needed."

Andrew nodded softly.  "Ok.  Let's go eat, and we can talk some more."

---

Port Of Call was on Esplanade, just a few blocks from Andrew's home. As they
walked, he took the time to give Aluria a little history of the area, at least
what he remembered about the Quarter.

The restaurant was busy, but not as busy as it might have been earlier.  They
managed to get a quiet spot to settle down in, Andrew ordering the house
specialty for them both.  Once the waiter left, Andrew looked at her and smiled
a bit.

"So what's on your mind now?"

Aluria smiled back, shaking her head.  "Just so many ideas.  I can't believe
some of the things I saw or read in those books you had."

"Well," he said as an explanation, "seems folks have learned to let their
imagination run wild sometimes.  Thinking about fantasy and what if's, they
decided to actually write or draw those ideas and share them with others."

"It's just so... strange.  So many ideas and concepts.  Not many djinni would
even consider half of them."

Andrew chuckled gently and sipped on a glass of tea.  "Different strokes for
different folks, dear.  Me, I've always had a love for transformations and such,
just never thought I'd get to find someone who could do them.  Much less be able
to make her do them at whim."

Aluria smiled at that.  "I hope you'll do more than that with me. I've always
been interested in seeing what someone would do with me, but some of those ideas
are truly odd.  I'm not sure if I'd enjoy them."

"Oh, I don't know," Andrew replied.  "You might find out they are quite
enjoyable.  Whoops, here's our food."

The waiter arrived with a large tray, bearing the Port of Call's famous burgers
and baked potatoes.  Conversation ceased while they both enjoyed the meal,
Aluria fascinated at how much there was.  Both enjoyed the meal, and Andrew told
her that this was one of five places he enjoyed having a meal in the Quarter.

"The other four are Napoleon House, Cafe Maspero's, Molly's at the Market and a
place called Hooters."  He grinned at the last.  "An excuse to let scantily clad
females serve good food and make males drool." Leaving a tip, he offered his
hand to her and they headed back out into the street.  For a little while, they
wandered about the Quarter, stopping in the little A&P for some groceries, then
headed back to Andrew's place.

Both settled back down in the living room once Aluria cleaned up her mess on the
floor.  Andrew watched as all the books literally flew back in place, chuckling
softly as he shook his head in amazement.  "Feel like I'm Major Nelson dealing
with Barbara Eden again."

Aluria giggled at his words.  "That's not far from the truth," she said,
surprising him.  "Only you can do more with me than he could with her."

"So, you've already learned about television and bad shows?"  He grinned
merrily, unable to keep from snickering.

For her part, she winked and suddenly her outfit changed into an identical dress
of Jeanie.  Andrew laughed, and the colors changed into a deep blue instead of
the pink and off-red.  "There, that's better.  If you have to look like her."

Aluria giggled and twirled about, then sat down near Andrew.  "So what else did
you want to do with me?"

Andrew laughed and ruffled her hair.  "Ok, ok.  You want to show off for me."
He settled back in his chair, looking at Aluria.  "One thing I do want to see is
you go back into that liquid state again."

Aluria smiled warmly.  "All you have to do is wish it."

Andrew nodded, then suddenly Aluria's form seemed to ripple.  She let out a soft
moan as her body turned golden, flowing down to the floor.  The puddle rippled a
bit, then moved on it's own towards Andrew, pooling around his feet.  He giggled
at the tickling, then shook his head.

"Strange.  Really strange.  Wonder what you're thinking or feeling."

There was a soft tingle, and her voice whispered in his thoughts.

>>It's very odd.  Being formless.<<

He carefully thought back at her.  >Are you ok this way?<

>>Oh, this is my natural state.<<  She flowed back into the center of the room.
>>Just very different.<<

Andrew nodded again, then let an idle thought cross his mind.  The gold liquid
rippled, flowing up into the air and taking the shape of a tall, dark skinned
female with short black hair.  Aluria shivered and stretched a moment, then
caught her image in a mirror.

"Oh my," she said softly.  "This looks very nice."

"Just a thought," Andrew said in response.  He got out of his chair and walked
over to her, admiring her form.  "I'm beginning to see what makes you so
alluring now.  Being able to take anyone's fantasy form."

"It is what I am," she said, turning to look at him.  "Isn't that what you
wished to have?"

"Partially," was his reply.  "But what about you?  What do you want?"

She giggled softly again, then went over to one of the fanzines.  "I want to try
this," she said, pointing to a picture of a centaur female. "Or maybe this,"
indicating a feline morph.  "You've always wanted to see something like this to
be real, so make me real."

Chucking, Andrew took the fanzine.  "You really want me to do this?" Seeing her
nodding in agreement, he went back to his chair.  "Well, not the centaur, not in
here at least.  But let's see..."  His voice trailed a bit, then grinned as he
remembered a picture he had on diskette.

Aluria shivered again, moaning gently as she felt herself changing again.  The
clothing vanished, leaving her standing naked in front of Andrew.  There was a
soft smile on his lips as he visualized what he wanted to see.

Her body grew larger, more muscular yet retaining a soft, feminine appearance.
Across her body fur began to appear, initially white but quickly turning orange
and black.  Her face stretched out slightly, taking on a feline cast, muzzle and
whiskers taking shape.  She groaned low as a long tail appeared from behind her,
quickly flicking in the air.

Andrew watched in rapt fascination.  If anything was making him believe this was
real, it was this.  He stared as her breasts became fur covered as well, growing
in size until they were quite impressive.  Long golden hair fell down behind her
shoulders, then with a sudden shudder Aluria staggered a bit, leaning against
the wall.

Andrew bolted out of his chair, quickly reaching out to help her. He wasn't
surprised when he touched her, finding that it was really fur on her body.  She
groaned softly, then turned to look at him with cat eyes.

"Oh my gods," she purred, looking down at her hands... paws.  She looked back up
at Andrew, who was staring intently at her as well.  "Is this... what you
intended?"

Andrew shook his head, clearing it as best he could.  "I didn't expect this, but
my lords, it's real."  He ran his hands across her arms, feeling the soft fur.
Both were startled as she started purring from the caresses.

"Don't stop," she pleaded.  "It feels so... different."  She stretched her arms,
flexing about then giggling as her tail tickled his legs by accident.  He
watched her stretching, trying not to start at her too much, then chuckled and
shook his head.

"Gods, a sexy tigress.  I know folks who'd be going insane right now from the
sight."

"Good," she purred.  "Because I hope you're wanting to go insane from me."  She
stepped closer, and before he could move away, planted a very warm kiss on his
lips.

Despite the fact that her muzzle wasn't really meant for kissing, he responded
in kind after a few seconds.  She wrapped her arms around him, pressing close
against his chest and rumbled in pleasure from the closeness.  He felt himself
responding in kind, somewhat shocked and surprised yet wanting this to happen.
He stared into her eyes, then whispered, "So what now?"

She giggled softly.  "Now we both find out what we've done."

Andrew laughed and kisses her nose, making her whiskers twitch. "Does this mean
I'm going to have a tiger in bed for once?"

"Tigress," she corrected him.

Despite the surreal feel, he couldn't help but grin.  "Hope I'm up for this."

Aluria laughed and hugged him tightly.  "Feels like it to me," she said,
nibbling on his ear.

Andrew laughed loudly, then grinned.  Without saying a word he led her into the
bedroom, and closed the door.

---

copyright 1996, 2015
by Tal Greywolf
all rights reserved