"Girls' Night Out" by Vickie Tern (VickieTern@aol.com). The author describes this as mainly a consensual feminization story. What that means is that the narrator is a person named Henry who has decided to make a voluntary switch from a male to a female identity in order to please his wife. Whenever I read a feminization story, I predict that I'm going to have trouble identifying with the characters, because I have never wanted to be a man, nor do I have any interest in my husband becoming a woman. (Of course, in a previous life I did reign as king of a major part of Africa, and more recently I was the first Maytag repairman in Clyde, Ohio; but those are different stories.) However, true to form, almost as soon as I got into this story I forgot about my identity problems and just sat back and enjoyed a good story - over 17,000 words all at one sitting!

The story starts in the middle of the action, with Henry dressed as a woman, ready to go out for a night on the town with his wife Bea and her friend Pearl. The next several paragraphs backtrack to explain how Henry got into this predicament. At this point the author goes into a brief lecture on how men and women differ during their mid-life crises. This is the least interesting part of the story, because it's more like an essay than a story; but it's a pretty good essay. Anyway, the basic premise of the story is that Bea is turning 40 and has wanted to celebrate with an intimate night out on the town with just her two dearest friends: Pearl (who already qualified) and Henry (who has undergone a thorough transformation since Bea's 39th.).

The bulk of the story is what happens during the "night out." Mostly they tell their stories - focusing on events in the distant past that were turning points or of special significance in their lives. Like Henry, most readers will have viewed Pearl as a petty jerk; but by the time she gets finished telling her story, we come to love her. This story within a story technique is extremely effective.

After the storytelling, the women (including Henry, who has become Honey) pair off with men they meet in the bar. At this point it occurred to me that I really didn't know how complete Honey's transition was. He/she had been taking medication (probably hormonal) and would have distinctly feminine characteristics as well as emotions; but I assumed she still had a cock. What was she going to do with the guy she began to neck with?

You'll have to read the story to learn more. The author herself considers this to be her best work. I still like both "NICE" and "Sooo Sweet" better. But I can see her point. This was a more difficult story to write; and I can see why her pride in this accomplishment would make her feel especially good about this story.