"Wow, a real gryphon, " said the young girl. She approached Mary without fear. Mary looked around the cave for somewhere to hide or escape, but the only way out was past the small girl. She could have easily pushed past the girl, but she did not want to hurt her. The young girl sensed her fear, and tried to placate her.
"Easy, girl. I am not going to hurt you. I just want to be friends. See, friends, " said the young girl, as she held out her hand for Mary to sniff.
Mary was impressed with the girl's courage. She didn't think she would have been brave enough to come near a strange creature when she was her age. It was also kind of cute how she was trying to make friends. Mary decided to play along, and fulfill this girl's fantasy of meeting a mythological creature. What could it hurt? In the morning she was going to return herself to human form with the vials anyway. Mary walked forward, sniffed her hand, and licked it with her tongue.
The girl giggled and pulled her hand away from Mary's ticklish tongue.
"My name is Amy. I live on the horse farm just outside the park, " said the young girl.
Mary wrote her name in the dirt, and stamped her front claw. Amy looked down, but could only read part of her name in the dark.
"Mar ..... Mara? Is that your name? " asked Amy.
Mary nodded her head. She guessed Mara was as good as anything.
"Cool! You can understand me. You really are a gryphon!" said the girl excitedly.
Mary beamed with pride. It felt good to be adored by a young child, and she liked making the girl happy.
"Mara, I know we just met, but I have a favor to ask. I have always wanted to fly. Can I ride on your back the next time you go?" asked Amy.
Mary wanted to please the child but she was a little worried. She hadn't tried flying herself, and she wasn't even sure if she could. But she decided it was worth a try. She nodded her head yes, and dipped her back so Amy could climb on.
Amy squealed with excitement, and quickly jumped on her back. With her new powerful muscles, the girl felt light and was not a burden at all. She could easily move with the girl on her back. She exited the cave and flapped her wings. She quickly learned how to hover, and with a little more practice she was able to glide effortlessly through the sky. The girl gripped her back tightly, but never showed signs of fear. She just laughed and squealed with excitement as they flew around the park.
After a few hours, Mary landed safely several feet from her cave. Amy jumped off Mary's back, and walked beside her, talking with nonstop energy about their adventure. Mary just listened and smiled. Had she been that cute when she was that young? She saw a light coming from her cave and stopped. Amy sensed her apprehension.
"What's the matter, Mara? " asked Amy with concern.
She looked around Mary, and saw the light in her cave. Shortly, a young boy just a little older than Amy emerged from the cave holding a lantern.
"Amy! Where have you been? Mom is worried sick, " said the boy angrily when he saw Amy.
"Relax, Mara. It's just my stupid brother, John, " said Amy.
John leaned his lantern forward to see who Amy was talking to. His eyes went wide when the light revealed Mary's strange body.
"Amy, come here quickly! There's a monster over there!" yelled the boy, as he shrank back in fear.
Amy giggled. "That's no monster. That's my friend, Mara. She's a gryphon, " said Amy matter-of-factly.
John relaxed a little, and began to ease forward.
"Come here, silly. She won't hurt you. She is nice. She even gave me a ride, " said Amy.
John slowly made his way towards them. Amy motioned for him to pet Mary, and he reached forward to feel her feathered mane. She bristled her feathers, and John fell back in fear. Amy laughed, and Mary cawed softly.
"Ha, ha, very funny, " said John angrily. "A gryphon, huh?"
Amy saw here brother looking at Mary carefully, deep in thought.
"Now, John. I know what you are thinking. But we can't tell anyone about her. They would capture her, and put her in a cage or something. Promise me you will keep her a secret? Please? On Papa's grave?" asked Amy sweetly.
John sighed. "You know how much we could get for something like this? And you know we need the money. The farm isn't doing so well."
Amy looked at John with sad pleading eyes. "I don't want anyone to hurt her. She should be free, " said Amy.
Mary was touched. Their family was obviously in trouble, but the girl cared more about an animal's freedom than her own security. It didn't really worry Mary, though. As soon as they left, she was going to use a vial to become human again.
John sighed. "Okay, okay. You win. I promise I won't tell anyone about her. But we need to go. Mom is already freaking out."
"Bye, Mara. I will come by tomorrow to visit you again. I promise I will bring you a nice treat, if you let me fly with you again, " said Amy, as she was dragged away by her brother. The boy struggled to pull her. He had a lantern in one hand, and a large bulky satchel under the other one.
Mary sighed. She felt a little sorry for the girl. She hoped Amy wasn't too disappointed when she came back tomorrow, and 'Mara' wasn't here. Hopefully, she wouldn't take it personally, and would just assume the gryphon had flown south for winter or something. Maybe she would use the vials again later, and visit the girl on her farm. But she right now she had enough of being a gryphon, and was eager to use the vials to become human again.
Mary went to the place where she had hidden the box, and found it empty! She frantically looked around the cave, but could not find it anywhere.
Where can it be? she thought anxiously. Then she remembered the boy, and his large satchel. The boy! He must have found it when he was looking for his sister, and taken it home with him.
She screeched loudly in anger. She thought about chasing after him, but it would be light soon, and she did not want to be seen in broad daylight. She could wait until tomorrow night. Amy had promised to return. But what if those foolish children started messing around with the vials. Who knows what kind of trouble they could cause? Worse yet, if the boy sold the box, she might never be able to locate it again, and she would be stuck as a gryphon forever. She had to make a decision, and soon.