Author: Pescador del Valle Title: Doppelganger Part: Chapter 4 of 31 Summary: Justin was born with a little extra - a set of female sex organs - but that was just the beginning. Keywords: mf, oral, inc, rom Language: English Copyright: 2005 ********************************************* * WARNING! * * This text file contains sexually explicit * * material. If you do not wish to read this * * type of literature, or you are under age, * * PLEASE DELETE THIS FILE NOW!!!! * ********************************************* Comments appreciated : see Pescador del Valle on www.asstr.org/authors.html ********************************************************* INTRODUCTION Justin Rogers was born not quite 16 years ago with something special - a complete functional set of female sex organs. Just recently he has found they don't really belong to him but to his twin sister Tina who spent much of her early life sharing his body. From time to time she was able to visit as a distinct person but some survival instinct made her merge with him again before she was discovered. Now they have met properly and, sharing memories and experiences whenever they are merged (or "together" as opposed to being "with each other" as separate people), they have a similar outlook to many matters including their sexual awakening. ********************************************************* WEDNESDAY WEEK 3 ================ It shouldn't really have been a surprise for Justin. One would think over the years he would have developed some idea of what his mother did while he was at school. Bernie (she didn't really like the contraction of Bernice but she had learned to live with it) had vacuumed the lounge and the bedroom she shared with her husband Mal (who contrarily didn't like his own "Malcolm"). Next was Justin's bedroom and the guest room - a spare room gradually used for temporary storage since there were seldom guests who stayed. She lifted up the bedspread to get the nozzle under the edge of the base and was not surprised to find Justin's shoes pushed out of the way. What did surprise her though were the pair she hadn't seen before and which she couldn't imagine her son wearing. They were quite pretty really. Justin's mother had been concerned when Justin had found out about his "special secret" but he seemed to have coped with it, and with the subsequent unfortunate commencement of his periods for which she hadn't been prepared; now she wasn't so sure. She had had to live alone with the possibility that one day her son might want to be a daughter since Mal had effectively blocked off any memory of his son being other than 100% male even before he was out of nappies and it had been, and still was, useless to try to talk to him. Thoughts of her husband brought a recent incident to mind where Justin had kissed him goodnight. Was that another sign he was having an identity crisis? She wouldn't normally have snooped in his room, his washing was simply left in a neat pile for him to put away, but this was different. He obviously wasn't talking to her about it - and then she remembered a neighbour asking if he was alright because she had seen him at the doctor's. "Oh no! He's not asking about a sex change is he?" Bernie calmed down when she realised no doctor would operate on a minor without his parents' permission. Still he might be having some problem he didn't feel he could discuss with her. It saddened her that he might feel that way; they seemed to have been talking so well. She opened the wardrobe for the first time in what seemed like years and almost missed the dresses. Tina had hung her clothes inside Justin's shirts and jackets so they would be less obvious and it almost worked; a telltale bit of colour gave the game away and Bernie easily found the other outfits. She left them only slightly disturbed. At least her son had good taste! She missed the wig box on the floor of the wardrobe and decided to check his drawers as well. The underwear drawer was filled with boxers and socks (some of which were ready to be thrown out) and also, with only a little digging, six pairs of knickers in various styles. What was more worrying was the presence of a thin square box that, when opened, revealed a circular rubber device with a spring edge. It had been a while since she had seen one and she dreaded the implication - her son, not yet 16, was sexually active and ("At least", she mentally sighed) was trying to avoid getting pregnant. But that implied he had a boyfriend and her knowledge of the intolerance often shown to gays by teen boys made her suspect any boyfriend was likely to be older. Now she was worried! And more than a little confused since Justin had also given her a conflicting indication that he was interested in some girl. She dreaded it but couldn't see any way of avoiding a confrontation, or rather an inquisition. She didn't want to accuse or abuse him - she wanted to make sure he wasn't being abused or unduly influenced by others! The rest of her day, in a marked contrast to her usual practise, was spent alone in contemplation and a rehearsal, with many script changes, of what she would say when Justin arrived home from school. ---- Justin hurried straight home after the class was released. He and Tina had gotten into the habit of saying goodbye before breakfast, seeing each other for an hour or so before dinner and then spending some time with each other in the evening (after he had cleaned up for both of them) before they curled up in each other's arms to sleep. Sometimes Tina would daringly pop up unexpectedly for a quick kiss and cuddle during a break but they had soon realised that school had too many rules for them to avoid getting caught sooner rather than later. Eager to see the young girl, he came through the door with a cheerful "Hi Mum" and definitely was unprepared for her solemn response. "Hi Dear. Can you put your things away and come and have a talk with me please?" It wasn't really a question. As in the past he thought "What have I done now?" but he couldn't recall any recent indiscretions. He believed his relationship with Tina to be adequately hidden - the sanctity of his room was such that he didn't even consider his mother would have gone in there - and, not being able to think of anything at home, he began to review issues at school. Bernie was seated at the kitchen table with an untouched cup of coffee rapidly cooling. She had made it but couldn't drink; she had needed something to do as she had waited for him and now it kept her hands occupied. Justin returned and sat down with a cautious, "What's up?" "I was wondering how you were coping, with growing up I mean. You've had a lot of changes lately; I know I've apologised for not being ready for your periods but I am sorry I was only looking at you as a boy. I hope you can talk to me about any doubts or problems you have." "Everything's okay at the moment, I think. Is there any reason why you think I might have problems?" "I heard you had been to the Doctor's but you hadn't said anything." "Oh! Sorry. We're helping each other with ..., well I suppose a research project is the best way of describing it. My 'little bit extra' means there are a few differences in how my body works that we would both like to get straight." That was more reassuring to Bernie than her earlier fears. She hoped Justin wasn't just being considered a guinea pig but realised that Dr Bryant hadn't ever seemed to look at him that way. "When you were born the doctor told us she could perform surgery to make your body all male or all female but said it was better to let you decide for yourself when you got older. Well I guess you are older now. Have you been having any thoughts along those lines at all?" Justin was a little stunned. Dr Sue had mentioned it once as one of a range of options but she and he (and Tina) had all decided it was not going to happen. "I knew of it but haven't considered it. I am happy with my body as it is." "It's just, ... Oh I don't want you to be angry with me. I really didn't mean to pry but I was worried and had to find out ..." "What?" Justin was now concerned for his mother. Bernie wasn't normally one to get flustered but she wasn't properly saying all the things she had worked out. "I was cleaning your room and found your new shoes." She paused to see his reaction; depending on what he now said she may not have to reveal her other discoveries. "They're not mine Mum." "Then whose are they?" Justin had always been a truthful boy; well as truthful as most boys were to their parents. He swallowed, not relishing the response he would get to his eventual reply. "They're a girl's." "Which girl? Does she know you have them?" Her son wasn't a snow-dropper was he? Pinching underwear from clotheslines in people's backyards? "Yes, she knows. She left them there. It was Tina." Bernie took a few seconds trying to recall any girl of her son's acquaintance called Tina. "Oh, no!" Bernie suddenly recalled who Tina had been for oh, so many years and who had absent for about the same time (or had Justin just stopped talking about her?) Was she mistaken; did he mean someone else? Or was her son suffering from a multiple personality disorder or something? Hoping for the best she asked, "Do I know her?" Justin smiled. "I don't think you've ever been introduced but I've certainly told you about her often enough." He watched her face drop. "There's nothing for it", he thought. He silently addressed his other half as he stood, "Hope you feel the same way, Love." "I'll see if she's around." His mother could only stare despondently at the full but cold cup in front of her. She took it to the sink and poured out the contents before returning to her seat, dreading his return. Justin closed the bedroom door behind him and spoke to the empty room. "I think she has to meet you." He was getting used to noticing the subtle difference. "Hi." "Hi. I think you're right." "You'd better get dressed though. Nice as you look like that, I think the reaction would be worse." "True and I think I had better appear as feminine as possible." Justin helped her get her things together as she started to dress and left her to finish while he "prepared" their mother. He found her staring at her hands. "Tina will be along shortly? Perhaps we should go into the lounge - it would be more comfortable there." Bernie rose, almost in tears, and made her way into the other room. Justin settled her for a little while then excused himself while he got a drink. He was set to quench his thirst when he realised Tina would probably be just as thirsty. He poured out a large glass and drank half. Then he heard the voices. Bernie saw a shape move into the lounge room and sit opposite her though her eyes remained downcast. She could see the shoes she had found earlier but resisted looking up. If she didn't see her son in drag she could still deny it to herself. She was confused, "How much time has it been? How had he changed so quickly?" The tension grew. "Hello Mum." His voice had a feminine timbre that hadn't been noticeable before. "Are you okay?" Bernie looked up, her eyes travelling over the slim legs, the nice dress and young figure and the long black hair. Justin sat before her. "Hello. I'm Tina." She started to cry. If Justin wanted to be female she would support him but if he was just disturbed she didn't know what she would do. It was hard to know what to think when one minute he said he was happy as he was and then he got dressed up like this and denied his identity. "Are you okay?" he repeated leaning forward. "Would you like a drink Tina?" he also said from the doorway. Bernie's head span around to watch him enter bearing a class. She turned back to see him sitting there and back to the doorway and ... "Mum!" Both teens called out and Tina caught her as she slumped forward. Justin hastily put the glass down and helped sit her back on the lounge. "I'll get a face cloth." Tina dashed to the bathroom and soaked cloth. She was heading back when she heard her mother talking to Justin. "Oh Jus. I feel so funny. I think I've been seeing things." "Sorry Mum. It's my fault. I should have realised you might not take it too well." Before she could respond a slender arm reached past her face to pass Justin a damp cloth. "Thanks. Here Mum." He rested it against her forehead. Bernie, in mild shock, shivered uncontrollably; her first concerns about Justin's mental stability had become concerns for her own. "Mum! Listen! Every thing is all right. Please calm down." Having got her attention Justin kept talking in a soothing voice. "Would you like another cup of coffee?" Recovering slowly she nodded at the normalcy of the question but Justin remained with her while she could hear the preparatory noises from the kitchen behind her. Things didn't seem to be getting much better after all. When Tina set the mug on the small table beside her Bernie forced herself to look at the girl. Justin watched her reaction. "Mum, this IS Tina. She wasn't a figment of my imagination and she isn't a figment of yours." Tina smiled at her. "Sorry Mum. I didn't mean to cause you any problems. We WERE trying to work out how to tell you but you sort of jumped the gun before we were ready." "Why do you call me Mum?" Tina knelt beside Justin at her feet and carefully took Bernie's hand between hers. "Because you are my mother. I'm your daughter - you just didn't really know about me before." With a sudden clarity of thought Justin added, "if you like, think of her as my twin who was mixed up at the hospital when we were born and who has only just found her way back to us." "They told me I was having twins, but I didn't." She was quiet for a while and the teenagers encouraged her to drink up while they let her reach a new equilibrium. The unpleasantly strong and sweet coffee focussed her senses on the differences to her normal brew which allowed her body to ease away from its previous stressful tenseness. There was much she didn't understand but there was also a great relief that her dear son wasn't being abused by some older man nor was he mentally disturbed - "Though", and she at least could smile internally, " I still don't know about me." She felt she had turned back from hysteria and was now able to look at the pair with some confused affection. "You look very much alike." "Uhm. Please don't get upset again but we're even closer." Tina removed the wig and put it down beside her to reveal the same neat short haircut that Justin now bore as well. "You were actually talking to me in the kitchen one morning." Bernie suddenly recollected "Justin was in the laundry!" She WASN'T going mad! It was more of a relief than the pair on the floor could imagine. "Yes." "But where did you go?" Justin and Tina exchanged glances. "Mum I think we need to take this a bit slower now. You need to get used to me being real and we have to find the right words to tell you. That's really part of what we have been talking to Dr Sue about." "Dr Sue?" "The research Justin mentioned." "But you weren't here then." "She was Mum. Just trust us on that for now. Please?" Bernie had always been disappointed that she hadn't managed to have another child after Justin had been born. She would have liked a daughter and it was easy for her to accept Tina in that role. Looking at the two of them sitting before her she remembered how she had become focussed on having twins during the last few months of her only successful pregnancy. She had felt both let down AND relieved when that changed on Justin's birth. Now her other baby had turned up and if it required a little bit of trust she could manage that. She held out her arms to both of them and felt wet teary kisses on each cheek. "But what do we tell your father?" ----- Bernie had to agree that telling her husband about Tina was probably not a good idea yet. Though he was a good provider and a reasonable father to Justin, he was rather conservative in his outlook. Neither xenophobic nor homophobic he followed a "live and let live" philosophy to one and a "don't ask, don't tell" approach to the other while never warming to either group. His politics were based on ancestral history rather than current issues or political policies and newspapers were generally only read for a few pages starting from the back sports section. He was comfortable in the world as he saw it and just wanted to be left there, undisturbed. You could get him to change his views but the force required to overcome the inertia was rarely worth it. With reassurances her new daughter would be back to visit the next day Bernie let Tina leave without really understanding where she was going or how she was getting there. Tina kissed her goodbye and then whispered a quiet "see you later" to Justin as she hugged him as well. She went into Justin's room and removed her clothing. It was less work for her to simply disappear but then Justin would have to put them away when they were together so she wouldn't really benefit. Besides her mother might see them on the floor and wonder what she was wearing. Justin, seated next to his mother, felt the change and wondered how they would manage under their new circumstances. ----- Malcolm sensed some underlying tension during the evening meal but couldn't put his finger on it. It was almost as though there was an increased level of politeness rather than some difficulty. The fact that it was a happy politeness rather than a strained one only made it seem odder. He didn't know what to think but the house didn't appear to be about to fall down or explode so he put it into his (overflowing) "too hard" basket and promptly forgot about it. Justin offered to clean up and Bernie went to join her husband in front of the TV, bemusedly thinking she should stress out more often. She also cuddled against Mal which hadn't occurred for a while; he didn't know it but her elation about having a daughter was going to benefit him as well. He was quite happy to put his arm around her as they sat there but it was short-lived. Bernie had been quietly reviewing the afternoon's revelations as the television flickered unseen by her. Circumstances had been so different from that which she had imagined that some of the issues she had wanted to raise had been forgotten. She recalled the cliche that battle plans rarely survive the first engagement and thought it appropriate. Some of them didn't matter too much, although she was curious why Tina left her clothes in Justin's drawers and wardrobe, but the killer was the diaphragm. It looked like it was Tina's and SHE was still under 16! Concerns she had felt for her son now transferred to her new daughter. "Excuse me. I have to ask Justin something." Mal released his wife without query and she went to her son's bedroom. Justin had put the dishes away and then gone to the toilet before starting his homework. He hadn't got settled as he was expecting Tina back but instead there was a knock at his door. "Yes?" Bernie opened it and poked her head in, "Can I ask you something?" Justin was sure that she had dozens of questions, some easier to answer than others. Her first one surprised him however. "Does Tina have a boyfriend?" "No. Why?" "This might sound silly - Do you?" "Mum! No! Why would you think that?" "I'm sorry that I invaded your privacy but when I found the shoes I also saw the dresses and had to check further. I found the diaphragm. Sorry." Justin gave his mother a hug. He was mildly disturbed his room had been searched but he had never been overly paranoid about "his space" and certainly wasn't going to start ranting over her investigations. (He would just have to see that some other items of a sort typically collected by a teenage boy were better hidden.) He could see why the contraceptive would cause her some distress and it had been obvious earlier that she had been worried about him and his possible dissatisfaction with his unusual body. "I should have spoken to you earlier about it. It's a bit hard to talk to your own parents about some things though. It's mine - to make sure I don't make myself pregnant, though we don't even know if that IS possible." Bernie hadn't even thought of self-impregnation! One thought of sex as an insertion and that wasn't physically possible but now she could see how semen could find its way into her son's vagina. "I talked to Dr Bryant after I started my periods. She didn't want to put me on the pill because my hormones were a bit touchy anyway. Other contraceptives didn't seem practical so a diaphragm seemed the best way to stop any accidents." "I was worried you were ... then I thought maybe Tina was ..." "Tina hasn't been out much and then only with me, and I don't have a girlfriend yet, let alone a boyfriend." Justin hadn't considered THAT possibility before and he certainly wasn't about to let on just what he had been getting up to with Tina. It was an interesting side issue, though he was quite happy at the moment if the only penis lodged in his vagina was his own. Bernie, thankful to have her worries - if not all her questions - dealt with, returned to her husband and an eventual amorous night. Justin closed the door behind her and turned into Tina's arms. She wrapped them around his neck, gave him a kiss and said, "No girlfriend huh! What am I?" Justin kissed her back. "You're certainly all girl but can you see me telling Mum just how friendly we really are?" She released him with a shake of her head and turned to his books. "What subject do you want me to do?" "I wouldn't mind Sex-Ed." "You know you haven't got any homework for that but if you're a good boy you might be permitted some self- directed study later." "Sounds good. Well then, I'll have Chemistry for 10 and you can have Maths - you did ask." "Maths it is then but I'll remember this later. Maybe next time you'll remember good little boys pick the harder subject." "There's not much Chem. How about you read out the questions and I note the answers then we can do the Maths together." "Sounds better. You get a reprieve if I get a kiss." Proving that two minds are better than one (especially if both have a horny bent and the desire to get their work out the way before they start to play) they soon had the work finished. Tina put the books away while Justin undressed and then disappeared while he washed for both. Though they enjoyed an occasional shower or soak with each other it had turned out safer to stay together until they were back in Justin's room; now their mother was aware of Tina's existence they had to be even more careful. Tina appeared shortly after Justin got between the sheets but, in one of their unusual turnarounds he found himself lying beside the bed while she was in his place. Getting in for the second time he commented, "I wonder why that happens." Any possible response was smothered by her lips. In just over a week their osculatory skills had improved from a teeth-clashing incompetence to a level where they could drive each other wild with their tongues. They had yet to learn the pleasures generated by subtle variations in pressure or suction but were learning. When they were together they could review their combined memories and were more readily able to hone their ability. It didn't stop there though. Justin had learned what to do to pleasure Tina and, more importantly, what NOT to do to destroy that mood; as a result she frequently experienced a psyche-wrenching orgasm. Much later Dr Bryant was able to tell Tina about "le petit mort" or the little death that, in rare cases, would accompany a strong orgasm. For now however, the cause was unknown to either of them, and almost as though her senses were overloaded, Tina blacked out briefly as the tsunami thundered over her body. For Justin, however, it was a little scary. "Tina! Tina, are you okay? Can you hear me?" With some gentle, though frantic shaking, the young girl did come around before he had become desperate enough to call his parents. "Oh that was GOOD!" Tina didn't seem aware that she had caused any concern and was amazed at the intensity of Justin's hug. She was further surprised when he explained. Justin had started by kissing her while still climbing back into the bed. She felt his weight ease onto her body as he slowly covered her without releasing their lip lock. She held his head as his chest gently crushed her breasts against her rib cage and his stiffening member rubbed her pubic bone until he was forced to shift it slightly sideways so it rested on the fold where her leg met her torso. Justin slipped his hands under her armpits and then around her shoulders, supporting himself on his forearms as their tongues fought. Tina barely needed any stimulation other than Justin's kisses to be aroused and her legs parted unconsciously as her pussy moistened. Justin dipped his member inside her wet hole, then had to quickly remove it before the sensations proved too much; he wriggled down the bed, spreading a trail of kisses over Tina's sensitive neck and across her chest to one nipple then the other. He now knew exactly how much pressure hands, tongue and sucking mouth had to apply for Tina's satisfaction. He knew which touches she liked; the light feathery contact between finger tip and nipple, the firmer stretching grip of thumb and finger against that same nipple, the wet flat surface of his tongue sliding with glacial slowness over the firm nubbin. And he knew what signs to look for as Tina's need for him to move further down grew in urgency. Justin enjoyed the flavour of his sister's juicy pussy. It didn't hurt to know he would share her pleasure, or at least the memories, when they were again together. It added an almost voyeuristic thrill to the whole experience. He knew just where to touch with his probing fingers wedged against his chin. He knew how she liked his tongue to press into that same wet hole to slurp up the tasty liquid and how he should play with lips and furrow before teasing her clit. Tina hated the suspenseful interrupted contact while at the same time her body soared in anticipation of the next touch of the tongue. He knew how she loved to hate it, and how hating didn't mean she didn't want more. And then, when he had "given in" and was sucking and licking and pushing his tongue firmly against the thin hooded mound below her bush, she felt the storm hit her and she soared, arching her slim teenage body while her brother maintained a tight hold. No rodeo rider could have stayed in place on such a bucking bronco and at least they didn't have to worry about getting their heads crushed while they were still in the saddle. Once Justin looked up over the suddenly limp limbs, had briefly panicked, had freed himself and had then seen her recover and been reassured, Tina took him in hand to restore his former rigidity and then coaxed him once again to position himself atop her prone body. After washing Justin had applied spermicide cream to his vagina and inserted the rubber disk; when Tina took that organ from him his preparations went with it and she was safe from an unwanted pregnancy. Tina opened her thighs and let Justin nestle closer, his youthful penis rock hard and throbbing with each strong heartbeat. She felt it slide around her vulva, not quite slipping into the depression between her still moist lips that would allow Justin to enter her. He shifted slightly and tried again; his gentle push was still unsuccessful and he moved back a little the other way. Tina felt the satisfactory engagement ("Finally!") of their parts and gloried in the slow expansion of her vagina as Justin eased himself inside. He touched bottom and the glans rested against the side of her small cylindrical cervix. He had previously been able to feel it with his thumb since the structure of his hand allowed him to bury that digit deeper than the other longer fingers. It had been a hardness within the warm, wet and soft cavity that had interested them both but now the rubber barrier concealed it and the sensations from all sides of his prick overloaded his ability to tell the difference. Resting, embedded as he was in his loving partner's cunt, wasn't going to help him for long. The slow entry had been exquisite torture and the movements of Tina's vaginal muscles prevented all but the smallest recovery of his equilibrium. His body screamed out for motion and he began withdrawing. Before the head came out he had tensed his buttocks in preparation for a change in direction and now he pushed back into Tina with greater speed. She felt the length pass through the entrance to her vagina and her own body responded to his urgency with no allowance for the fact she had so recently been crushed by her own orgasm. She raised her legs as their parents' marital arts (NOT martial!) manual had suggested and Justin pinned them against his shoulders as he picked up the tempo even further. Justin's penis now scoured the ventral surface of Tina's vagina, his cockhead rubbing over the mass of nerve endings that comprised her G-spot. Tina had come from his oral stimulation of her clit, now his hard rod was taking her to a quite different completion as he pistoned into her. He came and repeatedly thrust his rigidity even harder into the sloppy mess to bring Tina a second orgasm in his wake. She bit her lip to stop a scream as Justin, cock becoming sensitive, was forced to slow; only then was he able to notice the tremors that shook her beautiful body and he helped her put her legs down once more while remaining buried inside her. They hugged and, laughing, kissed passionately. They shared the joy of a youthful ecstasy and then the warm glowing comfort of mutual love. Could things get any better? Tina felt the limp organ as it slipped out of her and she passed Justin a handkerchief to wipe both himself and her. It wasn't the first time they had fucked but it was the first time they had achieved such wonderful results and it was only spoilt by Tina's need to relieve herself and to clean out most of the cum before it oozed out to leave her cold and sticky. She was tempted to simply disappear for a few minutes to let Justin have the job of cleaning up in her place but decided instead to just give him another kiss. She could tease him in ways that were difficult for him to pay back but after such a performance it would only be mean- spirited. She opened the door a fraction and listened carefully; there was no sound and she crept out only wearing an oversized T-shirt style nightie they had picked up for such an occasion. Her appearance didn't quite match that of a Justin roaming in his boxers but she would have been far less convincing if she had worn just them; she just hoped that their father wasn't roaming around - Mum would be bad enough. She peed and then used the spray provided by the doctor to flush out Justin's seed. Repeatedly filling the bulb with warm water she inserted the plastic nozzle inside her and squeezed so that the streams of water forcefully struck the sides of her well-fucked cunt and scoured its surface before flowing out into the toilet bowl. When she judged herself thoroughly clean she tidied up and returned to Justin's room. Justin heard the release of her held breath as she closed the door. In the narrow bed he made as much space as he could for her beside him and she slipped in, leaving the nightie on; it was time for sleep rather than for further antics. As she lay with Justin's arm around her they talked quietly. "You're getting very good at eating pussy - I wonder what Katie and Tyler would think." "*I* wonder what they would taste like. You're delicious - as you very well know - but we don't have anyone else to compare you with." The pair, or rather Justin in the absence of any wider awareness of Tina's existence, had been getting on reasonably well with the other two girls since Tina had interrupted them in the change room. At first they had been silently hostile but, as time went on and he had preserved their secret, they had thawed until he was able to talk with them. From there it was only a matter of a series of short steps to his being able to refer to their activities (indirectly, politely and in private) without offence being taken. Tina made some suggestions as to how his next conversation should go and he agreed. Each silently scheming, they drifted off to sleep. *********************************************************