"Mom...are you...ok?" Chris asked nervously, concerned for his mother.
Katherine looked at Chris, then averted her eye's looking a little self conscience. She stared down at her strange new body.
"Chris," she said after some time, her voice sounding almost the same. "What just happened?"
She looked down at him, and this time, Chris saw a twinge of fear in his mother's eye's.
Instantly, he felt a pain of guilt. He lowered his gaze.
Katherine, not getting an answer, continued to stare at her new form.
"My god..." she whispered as she saw her razor sharp talons and smoothly scaled skin.
"It's my fault..." Chris answered her. Might as well just tell the truth, he realized.
"What?" Katherine lifted her head slightly and saw a look of guilt in her son's eye's.
"What...do you mean...?" She asked quietly.
"I...you may want to maybe...sit down." he said in a melancholy tone.
Katherine nodded slowly as she made her way to the couch. She begin to sit, then winced and adjusted her tail feather's.
Chris watched, and despite his current state of mind, was a little surprised that despite her growth in size, she didn't leave much more of a dent in the cushion than normal.
"Well, it all started when a package arrived this mourning..." Chris relayed what had happened earlier in the mourning. Katherine listened patiently. "I never intended for you to drink it, that part was an accident, I just thought I would... you know try it out on myself. You know, just a sip to see what would happen. I didn't that you would..." his voice began to crack. "I...I'm...so sorry, for what happened. I never meant to hurt you, and I didn't mean for things to...turn out this way."
Katherine watched him lower his head in shame.
"Chris, why did you test this on yourself? It could have been poison, for god's sake!" Her voice increased in volume slightly.
"I think there are easier ways of poisoning someone then sending a package full of elaborate capsules to their home, and banking on the fact that they might drink one." he said solemnly
"Chris, this is serious..." Katherine started.
"But," her son continued " I guess that plan would have worked on me." he gave a tiny chuckle under his lowered gaze.
Katherine sighed, but she couldn't help but smile a bit internally. He always had that wry sense of humor.
"Is there an antidote?" she asked automatically
"I'm pretty sure there is a human vial around here." Chris replied
"Mom..." he looked up, his face looked somewhat red "Did I...hurt you?" a single tear fell down his left cheek
Katherine looked at her son, and she saw how this was weighing on him emotionally.
"You know what?" She said in a more casual tone. "I haven't felt this good in years."
She saw the relief in his eye's, and he even gave a half smile.
"Chris," Katherine said, in a more commanding tone. "Thank you for telling me the truth, I know it would have been much easier to lie, and...now that I know this isn't permanent..." She gave a wink "Do you wanna have a little fun while I'm like this?"
His half smile broadened into a full one. "Sure, mom."
"First, can you help take off this ridiculous bath robe?" She had an annoyed undertone in her voice.
"Um, ok." he siad, as he she stooped over to let him go through her tawny feathers.
He peeled off what remained of her mourning clothing, careful not to pluck any feather's along the way.
"There." he stepped back, admiring his handiwork. "You should be good."
"Oh, thank you sweetie." she happily replied as she stood up to her huge stature, and begin to stretch.
Whoa, is all Chris could think as she spread her huge wings. An idea formed in his head.
"Mom, can you fly?" he wondered aloud
"Huh? Well...I've certainly never tried." they shared a laugh as she turned to face him
"You want me to try?" she seemed to be grinning
"Hey your the one who wanted to have fun..." he raised his hands in a surrendering gesture.
"Oh, come here you." Katherine picked up her son in a great big bear-(uh) bird-hug, wings and all.
"Mom!" Chris said, but he couldn't help but feel content in her embrace.
Katherine, for her part, began to reminisce a little bit, when she realized that it had been a long time since she could hold onto her son like this.
After a little while, she set him down, a huge grin on her face. She couldn't resist the urge to ruffle his hair a bit.
"Jeez, mom! I'm not four." he was trying to sound annoyed, but his smile gave him away.
"Come on then hon, you wanna see me fly?" she was already halfway to the door.
Chris shook his head, still smiling broadly. "What a weird mourning..." he siad