John tried to follow the fairies, but they quickly outflew him as he ran on shorter legs. They disappeared into the forest.
John sighed, and slowly walked back to the house. He wanted to help Amy, but he didn't know how he could in a body like this. Maybe she was better off this way. At least she wasn't alone. She had a fairy friend.
Entering the kitchen John was shocked by the behavior of his new sister, Amy. She was sitting at the table with a pile of food in front of her. Amy was bigger than him now, and she obviously had a bigger appetite, but this was ridiculous. She was eating like horse! Literally.... the plate was filled with an assortment of fruits, vegetables and grains.
Hmm, maybe I could catch the fairies on horseback, thought John.
He looked out to the pasture, but couldn't find Belle, their beloved horse. The barn gate was open, and her saddle was resting on the fence, but she was nowhere to be found. The new Amy stood up and as she reached for a box of cereal on the top shelf. Her shirt lifted and revealed a burn mark in the shape of a familiar brand. Suddenly John knew where his new sister had come from. Amy had turned the family horse Belle into his older sister.
John was more determined than ever to get the real Amy back. Belle was a nice horse, but not a good replacement for the little sister he truly loved. He looked at the box on the kitchen table, and began to rifle through the vials with grim determination.
He needed to stay young if he was going to see the fairies, but he had to be faster to catch them. Maybe he could just become part horse, like a centaur.
Hmmm, a centaur, he thought.
Couldn't all magical creatures see each other? It seemed to make sense. He didn't dare try the fairy vial .... Amy had lost herself too easily after she drank it. But maybe he could try something else. The Gryphon he had seen with Amy earlier seemed pretty cool. It would be fast and could fly. And its tracking skills could probably find the fairies pretty quickly.
He was about to drink it when he started to have second thoughts. What if he lost himself like Amy did after he became a Gryphon? He didn't want to become a mindless beast. That wouldn't be good for him or for poor Amy. John looked at he new 'Amy' crunching loudly on an apple.
Hmmm, he thought. Maybe I should try it on her first. She really is just an animal, after all. And even if she loses her mind, maybe I can mount and ride her while I look for Amy in the forest. Then again, maybe there is some other magical creature that is a little more human that I could try instead.
John tapped the Gryphon vial against the table, as he watched his new older sister eat and pondered his choices.