The Change of the Seasons: The Long Sweat

Chapter 4
Man goes in, Boy goes out. You can't explain that

Chapter Description: The first day of summer, the heralding of a new season. Those who are unfit for their roles shall be remade forever anew. James confronts the biggest regret of his life and is forever changed by the will of New Springs.

[size=2]Old Lake was different from most other lakes. Despite it being only a fraction the size of the Great Lakes, it had tides. This phenomenon puzzled every scientist that visited but the locals did not at all mind. After all it created a healthy tourist season, which the county encouraged by spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to create an artificial beach that matched any authentic beach one would find along America’s coastlines.

The plan had been designed and implemented decades ago; James’ paternal grandfather had been in charge of the initial construction and thus his own father, Jacob, was born and raised in the newly minted town of Old Lake Beach. Not too many years later, his maternal grandparents had taken little Jenny and her siblings to Old Lake Beach from out of state for a month long retreat and they had enjoyed it so much that it became a family tradition, one that had been more or less successfully continued well into little Jenny’s adulthood.

While it was not spoken of anymore, James remembered the stories sung by his living maternal grandparents of the childhood friendship between his parents that blossomed into a teenage romance. It was a nice tale but one that felt hollow today. Nonetheless, in the bitter months after Jonny’s birth and the random destruction of the perfect marriage, young James had occupied his thoughts by delving himself into the various family photo albums collected by the extended family over the years. He’d often imagined traveling back into the past and meeting his parents when they were kids around his age. What would it be like helping them build their annual sandcastle or racing against them in the cool water? It helped James to remind himself that while his mom was crying alone downstairs, his parents had been nigh inseparable growing up. It made the process easier.

James jumped out of his reminiscing and took a moment to remind himself why he was even here. At his mother’s request, he had dropped Jonny off at the boardwalk to meetup for a playdate with a family friend of some sort that had started while he was awhile at college. James’ destination however was Surfer’s Mecca. It was the unofficial name for the north end of Old Lake Beach, the surf here was beyond belief for a lake, no matter the size. Most people thought that the cause was New Spring’s delta which poured into Old Lake not too far from this location. This was supported by the fact that the opposite side of the lake also had similar conditions near New Spring’s delta, where massive waves slammed into the rocky shoreline. Also like Surfer’s Mecca, it had been nicknamed Surfer’s Medina, coined retrospectively by the surfers who made the dangerous place their hangout during the short years the county attempted to crackdown on surfing.

Enough of this shit. James thought. I’m delaying the inevitable as it is.

Storing his glasses and keys in the cup holder and exiting his car, he walked towards the Old Lake County Lifeguard HQ. He could already see that Samantha Longview was waiting for him. Her feet were stretched well across the sand with her dark hair cascading down the back of the lounge chair, James could she was occupying herself with music by the way she was strumming her fingers across the armrest. By the looks of it, Sammy had really come into her own in the late years of her adolescence. James wasn’t low enough to call his old tagalong friend ugly, but her face deeply favored her father’s, to the point that James always guessed that her second X chromosome had been a Y until the last possible moment during her conception. She had been a tomboy unsurprisingly, though her mother had always kept her hair past shoulder length.

James came to a stop awkwardly next to her chair, wearing both earbuds and sunglasses; she was as unaware as could be. Something within James suggested playing a silly prank on her, but he pushed it away like the rest of the childish thoughts that had haunted him lately. Instead, after calling out to her several times he simply clapped for her attention.

The way she jumped out of her chair he might as well had pulled her hair, “Jesus!” she screamed, “You came!”

Sammy pulled up her sunglasses, revealing her bright green eyes to James’ soul. The two hadn’t been this close face to face since that all too awkward night far too few years ago. Confirming what he suspected from afar, Sammy was really quite beautiful at 18 years old. Her face had filled in just the right spots to bring out her sexiness. Along with her well maintained body, everything about her was absolutely perfect. He hated himself even more now for how he acted that night.

Breaking the uncomfortable silence James said, “That I did, as always.”

Something clicked with Sammy from a deep well of long buried emotion, “Oh come here James!” she sang lunging towards the large man before her and hugging him dearly. “How the hell are you?!!!”

Sammy’s breasts squeezed tightly against him, he hadn’t even seen them at first, but he could tell they were a great size because his cock was hardening. They were really something else. He finally replied, “Drinking myself into the depths of despair. What about you? How was your graduation?”

“I’ve got it much worse,” she said, “I’m going to university with the biggest nerd in the universe. That’s how bad I got it.” smirking a mocking grin.

Despite her childish smirk he could see sadness in her eyes. “Jeez Sammy, are you already homesick? You should be enjoying your last carefree summer not agonizing over it.”

She sighed, “Yeah that’s what my parents keep telling me but I really love this place you know? I don’t even know if I can function without my family. Sarah has been my lifelong roommate since as long as I can remember. I know for fact that no one can replace her.” she proclaimed with a sickening sentimentality to it.

“Trust me Sammy,” he said, “a semester or two of ramen and alcohol in your life can really make you feel independent. You probably want it more than you think. Families are nothing but taxing to the individual, why do you even think I’m here anyway? My mother conscripted me into this.”

Sammy was about to respond but then she immediately remembered the obvious. Of course he wouldn’t understand, she lamented.

“Speaking of conscription, we need you to sign a variety of papers before we can begin your training. So let’s go in and do that as quickly as possible. I heard there’s going to be a rainstorm later this afternoon so we don’t have much time for training.” she said.

Once it was over. James and Samantha stood at the edge of the lake, each covered in suntan lotion. Sammy was in a yellow two-piece swimsuit and James had on a pair of black swim shorts. Both their bellies were exposed to the world, though Sammy had nothing to be ashamed of.

“That’s not that bad, a few weeks on the job and a good diet and that’ll be gone.” she said trying to encourage her old friend.

“That’s what my mom said! Why are all the women in my life exactly the same?”

Sammy playfully bumped her hip into his thigh, “You should listen to your mommy more often James. She knows what’s good for you. I still listen to mine, and she hasn’t done me wrong.”

“That’s also why you’re too scared to leave home.” he said, “Your parents cuddled away all your problems through middle school and high school. They are the worst helicopter parents I have ever met, seriously.”

The statement left Samantha enraged, not because he was right about her but because he had denounced her parents so easily. James had spent many days playing over at her house when they were growing up. They even had sleepovers together; at least, that’s what her parents had called looking after James and baby Jonny during the aftermath of the messy divorce. It infuriated her that the gentle and sweet James that was adored by her parents like the son they never had could so easily dismiss them now.

“Alright asshole,” she said, “I was going easy on you but now we’ll be out there from high tide to low tide. Let’s see if all that blubber slows you down.”

Running off into the lake, James found himself following after her. Despite the intensity of the water, the training exercises, and the venomousness of his instructor James found himself getting back into the swing of things. He had always been a natural swimmer, just like his mom. He was capable of floating for hours on end just by relaxing his legs and back and letting the water dictate his course. Circumstances kept him from ever taking official lessons which left him unrefined in any particular style. However, his mother’s personal lessons to him made him a jack of all trades. He had even saved Sammy’s and Sarah’s life back when he was 13 when a random riptide had abnormally formed in the family friendly spot of Old Lake Beach. Mr. and Mrs. Longview had treated him like a king that night and even bought him the new Xbox that Christmas. James began to feel bad about what he had said about them, they were exceptionally nice people and while he believed blind benevolence wasn’t always the best parenting style; he had no right to say that to Sammy, not after avoiding their friendship for so long. As James and Sammy went into a relaxed position on the lake, he had resolved himself to apologize in full and do his best to get closer with to the Longview family again.

That was when the tide started to go out.

“Wow that was fast. We should rest a bit and head back to shore. You did a good job out here for a fatass.” Sammy said.

Before James could respond the two abruptly found themselves cooing to the pull of the low tide. It felt so good. A tingling sensation engulfed both of them, spreading from the tip of their heads to their littlest toes. It was extremely calming, to point where James had no desire to do anything but just let at all it go.

“This feels so good…..” Sammy cooed. She turned to see James nodding in agreement.

It felt likes her pores were sucking up life itself out of the water. The feeling was incredible, on the level of orgasm. Part of her felt like fingering herself right there next to her childhood friend while the other part, a much louder part, felt increasingly worried about being out here by herself with James. She felt really scared, like she needed to be with her mommy.

It was ultimately this anxiety that brought her out of her enthrallment. Finding herself upright in the water again, Sammy’s mind raced to process what had just happened. She felt terrified but at the same time she was excited. She felt the alluring sensation swept past her as if some force was denying her escape. In this fight or flight situation, Sammy chose the one that always solved her problems: running away. Making up some bullshit excuse about filling out paperwork involving the training session, Sammy made a mad swim for the shoreline. They were not excessively far from the shore and low tide was setting in so when Sammy felt her feet hit sand, she got up and ran the rest of the way back. Once she was back at HQ, she decided it was best to calm down among the sterile overhead lights of the break room. This is just a random panic attack Sammy, she told herself; James is probably fine out there.

James was definitely more than just fine out there. He was lightheaded and giddy as could be. The tingling sensation went slowly up and down his body like how a scanner would, leaving a euphoric presence in its wake. The sensation concentrated itself in his head and in his crotch. The latter left him with perhaps the biggest hard on he had ever experienced. James thought he had experienced something similar to this, when he had one too many beers during his annual beach vacation with his mom’s extended family last year. That had been a pretty cool trip but that was nothing compared to this, he thought. Doubt suddenly seized him, or will be nothing compared to this….that doesn’t seem right to me, I already went on the trip, he concluded.

It didn’t matter. He wanted to rub one out, something like that seemed really messed up normally, but he had to do this. Sliding a hand all too easily into his swim shorts, he found his erect penis and clamped down. Suddenly a shock hit his hand, as if to ward him off from masturbating. It wasn’t painful but the force of it brought him out of his trance, but it was far too late for James. He exited from his relaxed posture and open up his swim shorts to examine what had just happened around his dick, instead he got the shock of his earthly life. His erection was rapidly losing its form. He quickly realized that his whole manhood was shrinking. Centimeter by centimeter it retracted in length and his crotch hair receded into his body until James was all but sure he was in some sort of TG short story, but just as he was sure of that his manhood stopped shrinking. It was a nub of its past self. Like a little boy’s, he grimaced.

With his manhood regressed back into boyhood, the presence now went for his limbs. James had more than enough, like Sammy before him; he made a desperate attempt to get to shore. Eyeing the tiny HQ building as his end goal, he started his gallant swim towards it with all his remaining strength. Even as he swam though he realized it was useless, he knew…he knew somehow that he wasn’t shrinking into nothingness but that he was getting younger. He felt the years being stretched, ever so gently but firmly, out of him with the final snap of each individual age causing a spurt in his regression. One by one he could feel his years being stolen from him. It tripped up his swimming and he could tell he was losing against both the tide and the current and that he was being carried southwards, away from Sammy and his car into the touristy section of Old Lake Beach. He fought and he fought to get ashore, but he could feel his limbs, his chest, and his head getting smaller and smaller.

By the fourth snap, James was counting:

Four, he thought in some insane bid to motivate him to swimmer faster.

Five, he began to regret all his fuckups in his short time spent as an adult in college.

Six, he began to regret all his screw-ups as a teenager in high school.

Seven, he regretted never asking Sammy out; she was always cute to him.

Eight, he was scared of middle school, he hated going but, but mom said…

Nine, he hated Jonny, it was all his fault that daddy was gone now.

Ten, he needed his mommy, she would fix everything.

James had hit wet sand at ten. Gasping for air, little James was just happy he made it out of the water, but he couldn’t help but feel that he was let go. Like the force behind a rubber band when it is released, he was seemingly far away from shore and now he was suddenly ashore. It was only after he caught his breath that he realized he was crying, hard. Wiping away the tears ushering from his eyes and the snot gushing out of his nose, he caught a brief glimpse of himself in the reflection of the little wave dispersing just under him. In the crystal clear water of Old Lake, James saw a little boy staring back at him. His hair was bright blonde, just as his hair had been. Past the redness under his eyes caused by his crying, he saw the same bright and innocent blue eyes he had as a child. Baby fat rounded the boy’s face, just like he was used to seeing in all of his old photos. Little James was in astonishment. This was him now; he was a little crybaby all over again; which only made his crying worse.

Worst of all, as little James had yet suspected, was that he had come ashore without his swim shorts.

The Long Sweat continues in Chapter 5: Jonny Levels Up into Manhood[/size]