Alvaro stared curiously at the plastic bag until he finally opened it…
Rustle—
"EHHH?!"
His voice cracked in shock, his face turning red as he saw the contents of the bag—women's clothes, even bras.
"G-Grandma… you're seriously making me wear these for a whole year…?"
"Yes, that's right. And no objections. Either you wear what I bought, or I'll make your curse truly permanent," Grandma replied, her eyes locked onto Alvaro's. He found it impossible to escape her piercing gaze, making it even harder to look away.
"S-Seri…ous…" Alvaro muttered in defeat, his voice dropping as silence fell between them.
Grandma chuckled at the sight of him, looking so flustered.
"Get ready, Alvaro. Tomorrow when you wake up, you'll be a beautiful young woman."
Still staring at the clothes, Alvaro quickly tied the bag shut. He couldn't bear to look at them any longer, his cheeks burning. For now, he could only nod in surrender.
He carried the bag to his room, placed it on his bed, then glanced at his phone—its screen overflowing with message notifications from his friends.
Rey: Alvaroo! I heard you're getting kicked out of school. Is that true!?
Alvaro: Yeah… I'll be transferring for a while. I won't be able to see you for now.
Rey: Why?
Alvaro: I have my reasons. Don't ask.
Rey: Huft… fine then.
Alvaro left the chat on read, no longer replying. With a heavy sigh, he set his phone down, inhaling deeply. He still couldn't believe that tomorrow, he would wake up as a girl.
I wonder… what kind of woman will I even become?
The thought lingered as he lay flat on his bed, staring at the ceiling until his eyelids slowly grew heavy and sleep finally took him.
---
Hours passed.
Alvaro suddenly woke up to a loud noise outside his room. He rushed out in a panic.
"WHAT'S GOING ON, GRANDMA—?!"
He froze at the sight before him: his grandmother holding a freshly killed rat—larger than usual.
"It snuck in somehow, even though I locked the doors," she explained calmly, as if killing such a big rat was nothing unusual.
"Ohh… Geez, Grandma, don't scare me like that. I thought something serious happened," Alvaro sighed in relief.
His grandmother simply walked off, tossing the rat into the trash before washing her hands thoroughly.
"Oh, by the way, Grandma," Alvaro asked, "I noticed there's no food on the table tonight. Are we ordering dinner instead?"
"No, I actually cooked. I just covered the dishes so ants wouldn't get in," she replied.
"Ah, I see."
Alvaro sat down as his grandmother uncovered the meal. A mouthwatering aroma filled the room instantly.
"Let's eat," she said.
"Yeah! Thanks for the food, Grandma!" Alvaro exclaimed eagerly before digging in.
The two of them ate heartily together, and it was clear Alvaro loved every bite of her cooking.
"Grandma, your cooking is amazing! It's even better than restaurant food!"
"Really?"
"Yeah!" Alvaro replied between mouthfuls.
When they finally finished, Alvaro offered, "Let me wash the dishes, Grandma."
"Oh… alright then."
He began scrubbing the plates and drying them before putting everything neatly away.
"All done," he muttered, satisfied.
After tidying up, Alvaro returned to his room and spent the rest of the evening reading the novel he had yet to finish. Ever since childhood, reading had been one of his favorite pastimes. He rarely played games; schoolwork often ate up his free time anyway.
By 11 p.m., drowsiness began to overtake him. His eyes grew heavy as he struggled to keep them open.
No… just one more chapter…
But sleep won in the end. He drifted off on his back, breathing softly in deep slumber.
Outside, silence blanketed the neighborhood. The night air was cold, the wind rustling the leaves softly. Here, the nights were always chilly… but when morning came, the sun would blaze down in contrast, bright and scorching.