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No, she wasn't married, no, she wasn't a lesbian, no, she wasn't even twice his age. In every normal way she was very eligable but she had a dark secret, Simon shouldn't even have known.

The best and lifelong friend of his sister's, he knew everything about her. She had been coming to their house regularly for 15 years and he'd always liked her, but of course, as she got a little older she'd developed from being a kid who he teased because it was the only way he knew how to express his juvenile feelings for her, to being a woman he worshipped. He had finally made the decision to ask her out only to discover it would be a waste of time. One afternoon he had found his sister's diary on the hammock in the garden. It was too irresistible to leave alone, but it wasn't his sister's secrets he found when he flicked through, it was Alana's. What he read confused him, but then broke his heart.

"Alana has a strange obsession. She'll never find the man to fulfil her needs in these parts, so she'll be moving away to seek one. I wish her luck."

A strange obsession? Moving AWAY? Initially he couldn't decide which was worse, but then he decided he could live with anything that would make her stay. He further promised himself that he would fulfil her needs, whatever they were.

But when he opened up to his sister about this, she laughed at him.

"Well, it'll serve you right for reading someone's diary!" she told him, "There's nothing you can do".

"Look, I confessed didn't I, I didn't have to, and I've apologized over and over....but I know I can do whatever she needs me to do. You have no idea how crazy I am about her."

"I told you, you can't. So get over it."

"I can't get over it...her...I can't, I can't imagine life without her. I'll do anything, ANYTHING!"

"Well, OK.........you better start wearing glasses then. She wants a man who is nearsighted. She won't accept anyone else."

Stunned into silence, Simon realized just how strange an obsession it really was. He also saw the problem immediately. He had perfect eyesight. But he'd promised himself, and he'd thrown down the challenge to his sister like a glove. This was to win the woman he loved, so, without any thought of how he was going to, he said.......

"I can do that."

Simon's sister had dismissed him with one of her looks, and he had no idea whether she'd shared this conversation with Alana. He wasn't sure whether he wanted her to or not. On the one hand, if Alana knew just how much he cared for her, and how determined he was to get her, she might stay. On the other hand, suddenly discovering he was in love with her but had never had the courage to tell her might upset her enough that she left sooner..... but it was too late to worry about that now. He concentrated on the task in hand.

"I'm sorry Simon, you have 20/20 vision," the optometrist told him, smiling sympathetically, "It's not often I apologize for that!"

"Is there anything you can do? If you saw this girl you'd understand. I have to wear glasses."

"Well, I can sell you some with plain lenses, if it's just the look she wants"

"I don't think that's it. She's quite specific. She wants a nearsighted boyfriend. I think she'd notice plain lenses."

"If she's fascinated by glasses, yes, she'd notice straight away."

"Well, thanks......anyway...you tried."

Sadly Simon began to walk out of the office and turned back to say goodbye. At that moment a poster about colored contact lenses gave him a flash of inspiration.

"WAIT!" he said to the doctor, "What if...what if I was to wear contact lenses that made me nearsighted?"

"Hmm, well, they do it in the movies. It's doable in theory. I don't think I'd be breaking any laws if..."

Simon was already sitting back down.

"Fix me up doc."

Simon arrived home feeling very pleased with himself. His eyes still felt strange but he was slowly getting used to the sensation. He'd had to pay almost twice as much to get the glasses made same day, but he'd have paid anything. His sister appeared in the doorway.

"Oh...my...God. You really are a hopeless case. How on earth did you manage that?"

"That's between me and my doctor. Is Alana coming over tonight?"

"Yes, actually she should be here soon. It won't work you know, she knows you don't really need glasses."

"But that doesn't matter? Does it? They're real glasses...like nearsighted people wear."

His sister sighed.

"Don't ask me to explain it, but from what I know of Alana, there's a bit more to it than that. But go on, give it a try."

She waved him away, shook her head and rolled her eyes.

Alana arrived about ten minutes later and Simon stood and waited for her in the kitchen. He was absolutely terrified, but the adrenalin was holding him upright. He heard laughter outside, and steeled himself. She walked in. Her mouth fell open. Her eyes were like saucers. She started to walk towards him, and slowly walked around him, examining the glasses from every angle. Alana smiled, and looked round at Simon's sister who was laughing. Simon suddenly felt the most frightening feeling he'd ever known. Could this have been an elaborate joke? Was she laughing at him?

"You did this for me?"

"Yes."

"You are doing it to try to attract me?"

"Um....yes."

"You went out and bought glasses you don't need just to make me interested in you?"

"Yeah, believe it or not...I did."

"Well...it's working."

His sister's face dropped. Clearly she thought Simon would never reach Alana's exacting standards, and she protested.

"You realize he's faking it. He has contact lenses on underneath, look."

"Well, obviously," said Alana, "But that's lot of trouble to go to. I'm flattered. And he's cute."

Very disappointed in the pair of them, Simon's sister left the room, but Alana continued to prowl around him like a tiger in heat.

"You look good in glasses Simon. You have real promise."

He didn't know what to say. Alana had always been mysterious, but now she was actually scaring him a little. Despite that, or maybe because of that, he was enjoying her attention, and, although he was shaking, he didn't shrink away as she approached him. She ran her finger around the frames of his glasses, then playfully touched the end of his nose.

"Let me take you away from all this."

"HUH?"

"I'm leaving town next month, I have work and an apartment waiting for me in San Francisco. Come with me."

"You're dropping out of school?"

"I'm dropping out of society. Doesn't it stifle you, normality? It's crushing me."

Still not understanding, but horrified at her disappearing from his life, he gave his full attention to this idea. He had recently graduated, and had planned on going to college once he got the money together, but he had no real plans. This sounded far more exciting.

"Come with me, you'll be OK. I'll....take care of you."

Simon nodded. She smiled.

"I'll talk to you later," she said "Meet me on the west bridge at midnight."

Midnight? Simon was speechless. But he made the date.

Now they were alone Alana could speak freely.

"It's hard to find what I want. I have...special needs, yes. You don't need to worry about the rest of it now, but I'll tell you this. I've always wanted a man who was something special. He's tall, handsome, and he wears glasses. Not just any glasses, they have to be just right. I've found plenty of attractive men, I've even found some attractive men with glasses, but not one that looked just right and wore the right glasses. Not one that had promise. I had almost given up looking, that's why I arranged to move away. I've always found you attractive...yes..."

Simon's mouth fell open.

"....you have the right face, I always thought it was such a shame that you didn't wear glasses. I kept hoping one day...but then I realized that even if the fates smiled on us, it would be too little too late. But now......"

She caressed his glasses again.

"Now I know there's a way. You can be just right. Perfect even. Now I can take you with me, and we can start out just right."

"I don't really understand what you mean Alana..."

She put her hand on his crotch, and squeezed gently. Simon felt a groundswell of excitement and he sighed deeply. She pulled his hand towards her, to demonstrate that under her short skirt she was wearing nothing.

"It's OK," she whispered, "I'll take care of everything. All you need to do is go along with it."

Right now Simon was willing to go along with anything. He was very aroused but was afraid to move. Fortunately Alana was in control. With a few swift movements she unburdoned him of the agonizing constrictions of his jeans and underwear. Kissing him hard, while holding the sides of his head firmly with both hands, her thumbs looped under his glasses, she gradually brought him to the ground, and helplessly, willingly, he entered her.

She had won. There was nothing to be done. As he lay beside her in the warmth of the summer night he knew that he'd follow her to the ends of the earth. San Francisco was nothing.

The next morning he was already packing. He hadn't even broken it to his parents yet, but as he had the house to himself he thought he'd make a start. He filled three boxes with things he knew he couldn't live without and was preparing to stash them in his closet. There was a knock at the door, and he called down.

"Come in it's open! I'll be right down!"

But before he was quite finished, he heard light footsteps up the stairs, and expecting it to be his sister he quickly closed the closet doors and turned his back on them, only to see Alana walk in the room, smiling.

"Oh Hi!" he said, relieved and shocked at the same time. She terrified him, but he was drawn to her like a moth to a flame.

"Good boy, you're still wearing your glasses."

"Yeah, well, you know, may as well, I guess you will want me to wear them all the time."

"No," she said, holding open a box "Not those, these."

He looked inside the box to find the strongest pair of glasses he'd ever seen, and a box of contact lenses. Well, at least he knew what she had in mind now. He looked up at her hoping vainly it was a joke, but knowing her well, and especially from everything he experienced last that she wasn't one for half-measures or holding back. There was no explanation, no apology, and no choice. She was waiting for him to put them on.

"I'll help you." She said, and sat on his bed, patting the space beside her.

Not even bothering to argue, Simon took off his glasses and removed his contact lenses, put them away carefully, and then joined her. These contact lenses felt very different, and he did need her help. She put them in for him expertly. As soon as she did so he could see nothing but a blur of color, and he felt very helpless. He heard a purr of satisfaction from Alana.

"I love that look" she said "But we'll enjoy that some other time."

Then she placed the heavy glasses on his nose and leaned back to admire her work. Simon took a moment or two to adjust but then realized he could see, although the world looked very strange indeed. Alana looked absolutely delighted.

"This will be your San Francisco look."

Simon was afraid of that. But what could he do? He couldn't say no to her.

Three weeks later he was sitting beside her on the long drive to California, and as they left their hometown she handed him the box.

"Start as you mean to go on," she said with an odd smile, "Better get used to them."