Michael kicked his heels as the assistant neatly placed each item into a large carrier bag. She made small talk with his mother about how good a school Ashford is and how well her son has settled in. Karen paid for the items before passing Michael the carrier’s bags which held his new uniform. “Thank […]

My sister had got a job working in the school office and found it very useful when my classes were getting set up. Sis put most of all my classes in rooms close to hers or some of the other girls that knew me. She also got me out of gym class by telling everyone I had breathing problems […]

  “Now there’s a nappy and a nightie under your pillows.” Mum said. “What?” I yelped. “Even girls don’t wear nappies!” “No, but petticoated boys do.” mum replied. “Now I bought you both pull on ones because you’re not babies… but if you act like babies, we’ll just have to put you in a proper […]

It wasn’t always dresses. Sometimes they’d make the boys wear a pair of little girlie shorts, sometimes with tights or leggings too. They were both put in I love Justin Beiber T shirts on one occasion, but worst of all was the day they were dressed in playsuits. Both had buttons up the back and […]

He was so nervous he trembled a little as he sank into the foamy sudsy water. He could hear voices so he turned off the water and listened. “No, I haven’t seen anyone tonight.” “Who is in the bathroom?” Asked a deep-voiced man, undoubtedly a state trooper, Tarquin sank into the suds wanting to disappear. […]

He glanced around the shop as the assistant continued totting up the bill. The two mannequins in the window were silhouetted against the daylight. He stepped closer as he tried to remember which was the boy and which was the girl as he realized how similar their outlines were. Both women glanced over at Michael […]

He gulped at the thought of staying in his sister’s bedroom, and he knew he’d never be able to have his friends around unless it was completely redecorated. He felt he’d come up with some leverage. “Mum?” he asked. His mother stopped what she was doing, faced him and said. “If you got something to […]

  Mum did the same to Peter. We weren’t strangers to sharing a bath, but being scrubbed like little kids was less than desirable. After shampooing and rinsing our hair, we were ejected from the tub and mercilessly towel dried. “What’s this for?!” I said as we coughed and spluttered a fine white talcum powder […]

Summer school was on the west coast and the school was an old baronial style ‘castle’. It was very near the beach and most days, weather permitting, we were taken there in the afternoon for field trips. I was starting to really look forward to these trips as the teachers, ladies who looked quite elderly […]

Their sisters would take a combination of photographs and short videos on their smart phones. “Don’t forget boys, you’re only one click away from going public on YourTube or FaceBank…” they’d remind them. “…so you’ve got to be on your best girlie behaviour… we want to see smiles, not sulks.” It’s a tricky path to […]