On the morning of her last day, Jane gave a tearful goodbye to Jenny.
"Thank you, Jenny. This has been the most fun I have ever had. I am really going to miss you," said Jane.
"Are you sure you want to go? You don't have to, you know. You can stay here with me. I am sure I can find a good job for you. You took to my training really well. You're better than a natural born horse," said Jenny.
Jane smiled. "Sadly, as much as I don't want to, I need to go home. I have a family, friends, a job, responsibilities..... ah, it all sounds so dull I wish I could stay. But don't worry. I'll be back soon. I promise, " said Jane.
"Please hurry back. You are really the only true friend I have around here. It'll be pretty lonely without you around. Please don't forget about me," said Jenny.
"I'll always be your friend, wherever we are," said Jane.
"Friends forever?" asked Jenny.
Jane smiled. "Yes, friends forever."
"Time to go ..... Jane, " said the male employee looking on his list.
"That's me, " said Jane, as she trotted forward. The man opened the gate and led her out. As she walked to the exit stable, she looked over the rest of the Farm with regret. There were large meadows and fields, a large pond, several trees ..... she had missed it all. But she planned to come back and enjoy everything on her next visit.
Jane was led into a stall adjacent to her husband and daughter.
"Hey, Mom. We missed you. Are you all better?" asked Molly.
"Hello, dear, " said her husband Carl meekly.
"I am still not talking to you, " said Jane angrily.
"Look, all I can say is I'm sorry," said Carl.
"You can stuff your sorries in a sack for all I care. All you men are just alike. You just want one thing. Well, you're going to need to do a lot more than apologize to get back in my good graces," said Jane.
"What's the matter, Mommy? Was Dad bad?" asked Molly.
"It's nothing you need to worry about. So tell me ... how was your vacation? " asked Jane.
Molly rattled on about her adventures as the employees worked around them, preparing for their reversion back into human beings. They dropped their freshly cleaned clothes in a pile and began filling a trough with the reversion formula.
"What about you, Mommy? Did you have fun?" asked Molly.
"Oh my, yes. I met just the most wonderful mare named Jenny. She showed me the best time. I can't wait for you to meet her when we come back, " said Jane.
One of the employees stiffened at the mention of Jenny's name, and gave Jane a queer look. But none of the family noticed.
"Okay, we're ready. Just drink this solution, and you will be soon revert back to your old human bodies. Then we'll have you on your way home. We hope you enjoyed your stay, and please come again soon," said one of the employees.
The trio began to lap up the solution. It tasted strange to Jane, a little sweet with a bitter aftertaste. But it was medicine after all. What did she expect it to taste like? Her body began to slowly tingle. She closed her eyes, waiting for her body to change.
When she opened her eyes she was surprised to find herself at the same height. Out of the corner of her eye she could see her husband and daughter changing. They were slowly standing, as their feet and legs shifted back to human form and their fur slowly receded. She could still feel the tingling so she knew the formula was working, but it seemed to be taking longer with her for some reason. She closed her eyes again, willing the process to speed up. But when she opened her eyes she saw her husband and daughter fully reverted back to humans, and she looked no different. She began to feel faint. Had something gone wrong?
Her daughter ran over to look at her. "Mommy, I didn't notice what a pretty horse you were before. But why haven't you changed? Are you okay? You don't look so good?"
She looked at her nude husband, grabbing an employee, and pointing at her with an angry expression. Then she passed out.
When she opened her eyes, she found herself being gently carted back to the stables. Her husband and daughter were walking beside her, and she couldn't understand everything they were saying, but she definitely heard the words "lawsuit" and "sue". She slowly blinked her eyes awake.
"Oh look! Mommy's awake, " said Molly.
"Wha - What's going on?" asked Jane.
Carl rushed to her side. "Oh, I am so sorry, dear. It looks like those idiots fowled up you reversion formula. There was some kind of problem, and you didn't revert."
Jane jumped up, leaping off the stretcher.
"Easy, Ma'am, " said the employee. "We don't want you to break a leg and get hurt."
"I'm still a horse? I'm stuck as horse!" screamed Jane.
A man in a white lab coat rushed to her side. "No one said that! We just need a little time to analyze what went wrong. Then we will repeat the procedure and get it right. Just give us some time, " said the scientist.
"Time? How much time? How long will I be stuck like this?" asked Jane.
"Well, it shouldn't take too long to identify the problem. Maybe a few days at most. But we wouldn't want to try again for at least a week. Just to be on the safe side. Wouldn't want to do anything rash that might get you stuck that way forever, now would we, " said the scientist.
"A week? I might be stuck like this forever?" said Jane. She felt faint again.
"I know, honey. Don't worry. We are going to sue the pants off these bastards for what they did to you, " said Carl.
"What the hell do I care about money if I am stuck as a horse?" asked Jane angrily.
Carl flushed red with embarrassment and quickly shut up.
"Now Miss. We have never had someone stuck yet. At least not with one of the approved serums. Don't you worry. We'll get it licked. We already have a lead. We suspect it may have something to do with your hormones. We may have pulled you back too early, before you finished cycling. We're not sure, but we'll soon work out the problem. Trust me," said the scientist.
"What do I do till then?" asked Jane.
A woman in a business suit stepped forward. "I'll handle that. You can enjoy the finest facility here for horses. The Farm. Free of charge, of course, for as long as you stay, " said the woman.
"It better be, " said Carl grumpily.
Jane just rolled her eyes. This was like some kind of nightmare.
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Jane soon found herself in the large meadow she had seen earlier. A familiar face soon greeted her.
"Jane! You're back. I knew you would be. C'mon, I want to show you around, " said Jenny.
"Wait! How did you know would be back so soon?" asked Jane suspiciously.
Jenny giggled. "How do you think, silly? I made sure your reversion formula wouldn't work so you could stay, just like you wanted. "
"This isn't what I wanted, " said Jane softly.
"Sure it is. You told me so. You're just a little nervous. Everyone is when they first decide to stay permanently. But after a while, you won't ever want to leave. Just like all the others, " said Jenny.
"What!? No, the scientist said they were working on a cure. They are going to fix me with the next batch in just a week. And how could you mess with serum anyway? You are just a horse!" said Jane.
Jenny giggled again. "Of course I can't do it myself. I don't have any horse friends but I do have other friends. Human friends. Friends who can easily tweak any formula you receive to make sure it doesn't work. Friends who like to make me happy. And what makes me happy is keeping my new best friend here ..... with me ..... forever. Remember? Friends Forever!"
Jane paled. What was she going to do? Jenny had good intentions, but she seemed a little crazy. Maybe if she explained things to her - about her family, her husband and daughter - she would let her go. Then again, she could also call an employee for help. But who could she trust? Apparently Jenny had friends on the inside. It probably explained how she got out so often. And Jane doubted they would be happy to be exposed and get into trouble. If she told the wrong person, she could end up being the one who was punished. That did offer another solution. Jenny was still anxious to leave. Maybe she could convince Jenny to show her how to escape. They could do it together. Once she was safely out of this madhouse she was sure she could find someone to help her. But as she looked at the painful brand on Jenny's side, she thought that might be a bad idea.
"C'mon, Jane. The day is wasting away. Let's go have some fun. I know a couple of stallions you might like to meet, " said Jenny, as she smiled at Jane.
Jane put on her best fake smile, and trotted forward to join her friend.