chapter 13

Rachel O'Donnell walked around the Hippodrome several times. If you asked, she'd admit to being nervous, but, truth be told, she was just plain scared. She knew she would be dealing with an unknown force with tremendous power. What earthly power could have been responsible for all the changes happening to women all over the city? More to the point, what could she DO about it when she encountered this "creature"? And last but certainly not least, what changes would it have in store for HER?

With a great deal of trepidation, Rachel walked into the store. She was warmly greeted by some old crone sitting in front of an ancient cash register. "Miss O'Donnell, I'm so pleased to have the pleasure of meeting you at last!". Rachel was shaken. They had never met and yet this complete stranger greeted her like some long lost friend. It was right then that Rachel realized she was face-to-face with whatever was responsible for the strange events that gripped the city.

Rachel was a fighter, no doubt about it and her every instinct told her to lash out at whatever this was. But she was also a smart undercover cop and she realized how foolish it would be to take on an opponent that you knew nothing about. So she she just interjected, "You have the advantage of me ma'am, you know MY name but I don't know YOURS!". The woman's faced creased into a smile, almost a smirk. "My name id Jyestha. I am the Hindu goddess of misfortune and obesity!".

It all became clear. She was dealing with a supernatural power over which she could NEVER exert ANY control. Resistance would be futile. Rachel's next spewed out a cascade of words, "I KNOW your in the changing business, what do you have in store for ME? Are you going to change me into some grotesque exaggerated version of myself?". Jyestha merely smiled. "No, Rachel I have something SPECIAL in store for YOU!", Jyestha responded menacingly.

"Are you familiar with the term soul transference?" Rachel could only shake her head quizzically, "Nope, that's a new one on me!". Jyestha went on, it's simple really. "When a soul has gone as far as it can down the river of life, it searches out for a new vehicle through which it can complete its journey. YOU are that vehicle!!".

Rachel was dumbstruck. What the hell had she gotten herself into? "Do I have a choice in the matter?", Rachel asked pensively. Jyestha nodded most vigorously. "Of course, my dear! Let me explain what this involves. In essence, YOU will become Jyestha and I will become YOU. You will have all my powers and abilities and I shall live out my days in your body. When it wears out and is no longer capable of sustaining my soul, I shall have fulfilled my karma and that will be that for ME. I am offering a form of immortality. You shall live for a thousand generations or more, doing what the goddess of misfortune and obesity does. More to the point, my dear, you MUST accept your new form of existence for this transference to work. But think about it. All your life you've sought after power. You spent endless hours in the gym, lifting weights and working out so that you could maximize the power your frail body possessed. If you accept, you will be one of the most powerful forces on earth!"

Rachel thought things over. Jyestha was offering her the chance to exert a powerful influence over the live of possibly millions of women around the world. She could see the cult of Jyestha spreading over the globe, and as she created more acolytes, her power would increase exponentially! She'd look like a hag, of course, but isn't that a small price to pay for such an opportunity?

After a few minutes going over all the options, Rachel agreed to the transference. "Will it hurt?", asked Rachel. "My dear, the second you agreed the transfer began to take place. Slowly your consciousness of being the mortal Rachel O'Donnell will drift away and bit by bit you will assume more and more of the Jyestha personna. Momentarily, you will awaken from a deep sleep and you will BE Jyestha!"

Rachel could feel her sense of identity slowly ebbing out of her consciousness. Childhood memories disappeared, then adolescence, and finally there was nothing but a void. When next she opened her eyes, she was Jyestha in all her magnificence.

At that point Rachel had drifted out of the store, never to be seen again. Oh, the police department searched for her. Rewards were offered. Clues tracked down. Rumor had it that someone vaguely resembling Rachel had taken a bus out of town. Stories drifted in hinting at a marriage and children. In time, her memory faded and she went on to become yet another in a vast storehouse of urban legends.

Strangely enough, the Hippodrome closed its doors, never to be heard from again. Occupying that same space was a new martial arts academy. The owner and chief instructor was a former Marine Corps drill instructor, Lauren Mitchell. She was a big, bruiser of a woman, six feet three and two hundred pounds of solid muscle. The name of the academy was The Body Shop and it promised that once you signed up, you'd NEVER be the same again. Truer words were never said!!