Her birthday came and went without much fanfare. After all, it was only a few days before Christmas, so I didn't expect it to be a big deal. I bought ...er a small brooch and a card. I wanted to take her to dinner, but she claimed she was too busy to take the time. She thanked me for the gift and the card and I got a quick kiss along with it. But something seemed to be missing and I started to think I needed to get to the bottom of this soon.I began to dwell on the changes in my fiancée, and it. Andrew listened and occasionally pointed out the different buildings including the bank, the school house, the City Hotel, the firehouse, and much more. Everywhere new buildings were in different phases of construction thanks to the success of the gold mines that surrounded Columbia. Soon they approached a large, two-story brick building."Here we are," said Andrew.Winnie sighed. She knew this was what this whole trip was about, her new profession as a prostitute. "Well, thank you Andrew." I'm. .. you know how some folks, archeologists and such, extrapolate that girls mature sooner than boys?”“Go on.”“Trish was the one that taught Froggy and me how to ... um, you know.” Oops.Ms. Sloane tilted her head. Looking at me much like my mother and a certain aunt do from time to time. It’s a look that says ‘don’t dick around, tell me all.’ Or else.“Masturbate.” I sort of gushed it out, not a subject about which I now wished had never burbled to the surface, topic-wise... “Oh?”“She found out,. Hidden in plain sight, it was the most secure place for sorcerers in the entire city. Soon, the restless chatter in the room died down as Ben stepped up to the podium.“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming out today.”*****“Cindy, thanks for agreeing to look after Tammy for a bit,” Maddie said as she arrived back home. “This day has just been a whirlwind, it’s all I can do to keep up.”“Of course!” Cindy replied over the phone. “I know you said you couldn’t tell me what was going on, but.