Jumping the pasture's gate Jeff lit out on a flat run across the long pasture belonging to Mr. Denber. Even as Jeff ran his thoughts of Johnny changed into a bull and his lusting desires upon Mr. Denber's cows was the real problem then and even worse the problem now.
The pasture was two acres wide but more than two hundred acres long. The mansion and its barns were once the owners of the pasture but Denber have bought it for a meager amount of unpaid back taxes. Maybe it was for this reason he covited the property.
Jeff was about out of breath when he saw Denber riding his prize winning horse as he was rounding up the herd of cattle.
Trying not to be noticed Jeff hunched down but continued to move and work his was along the outside fence line. Then moving quickly from thicket to thicket and bush to bush he was almost to the old gate leading up the hill and to the Museum and Zepar.
"Hey you brat kid!" yelled Mr.Denber.
Jeff was half over the fence gate when he heard the man yell. Swinging a leg up Jeff cleared the fence and was then standing on the Mansion's grounds.
"Hey you, kid!" yelled Mr.Denber again but Jeff began to run up toward the Museum.
"Hey kid, you go in there and ole' Zepar will be sending me another cow!" yelled Denber as this catcall stopped Jeff dead in his tracks.
Jeff turned while standing back from the pasture fence and looked back at Mr. Denber. "You have cows that are changed people and yet you keep them as cows?" asked Jeff.
Denber setting high atop his Sorral coloured charger leaned forward and patted the broad strong neck of his horse. "Sure kid, even Mason here was human once but why not keep them their animals now! You don't think ole' Zepar up there would listen to my wishes, hell no! I am the lucky one to recieve a growing herd of fine formed cows and an occasional from out the Museum up there. Oh I have a heart kid, never sent not one of them to slaughter, just the common offspring gets fattened and sent or sold. Now I suggest you stay out of there cause he can be pretty testy about the new Moon time of each month!" told as he warned Jeff of problems and or what should cause anyone to stay away.
"My brother went back to see Zepar, he was for two days a hereford bull! Now and since then his only desires have been to return to being a bull. He left a note he was returning so he could be a bull again, I got'a try and save him!" said Jeff his voice cracking from worry and fear.
A loud whinnie from Mason made Mr. Denber to look up and then with a noise even Jeff turned around.
Heavy footsteps coming through the thick brush announced someone else coming down the weaving path from Museum to the pasture's gate.
"Murraawh !" came the bellar.
Then out from the brush covered tail came a young but mature Garroway bull. Brown of a shaggy haired bull it had no great horns but was healthy to the extreme. The large lumbering animal came out of the brush and seeing both Mr. Denber and Jeff standing by the gate it let loose another great and loud bellow.
"Was this your brother, maybe?" asked Denber.
Jeff bent his knees hunching down to then be face to face with the exceedingly tame acting bull.
"Johnny?" asked Jeff.
The bull took a deep breath and then sighed it out as then stepping up to Jeff. A heavy bone solid head pressed into Jeff's chest weasled slowly back and forth as if trying in a beastly way of offering him a loving hug.
"Oh no Johnny, oh what have you done!" said Jeff as he cried for his brother's lost true self.
"He's a bull now and as he was once is now for good I don't think even Zepar can change a person back more than one time!" suggested Mr. Denber.
As Denber fussed with the latch to open the gate giving Johnny the free run of the pasture, Jeff wrapped his arms about the bullish neck and hugged him tight.
"You can come and see him as often as you wish, Kid!" offered Denber his voice now soft and showing great care for Jeff's torn feelings.
"Jeff my name is Jeff not, Kid!" said Jeff as Johnny seeing the pasture gate open was alured to walk inside and join his herd.
"Why are you so relaxed about those who Zepar changes into animals?" asked a sniffling Jeff.
Denber patted Mason's neck and looked at Jeff his eyes and face now showing some form of grief. "I know all too well what your going through, my two daughters wandered into the Museum and since graze contently among the herd. They are lost from me and I suspect a simular happening was the reason for my dear wife to disappear from the face of the earth. I lost her nine years ago, and then Lanna and Rose two years later. They are now cows here but the wife, I can't tell you what she is or was, but its a good bet whatever she became went to market!" Denber poured out his soul.
Johnny pranced off into the pasture as Jeff fell backwards to sit on the ground and gaze up toward the barn, the Museum, and where Zepar stood captured.
Mr. Denber knelt down beside Jeff, "You see now why I chase every trespasser away! I don't want for them to see Zepar or by a foolish act they will join the herd of be something yet worse for life!" Denber tried to comfort Jeff for his loss.
"How many?" asked Jeff softly.
Mr. Denber looked over his shoulder as if thinking.
"Seven cows, counting Lanna and Rose ! Two bulls counting your brother now too! Mason my fine stallion and mount! Maybe a few Sheep, one black Ram, and as best I could figure eleven sows and one very willing boar, that is a bunch of people who lost all they were and became animals to increase the size of my farm." replied Denber.
Jeff felt only anger at that moment.
"Then you making quite the profit by Zepar's changing people into animals!" said Jeff.
Mr. Denber stood up and walked back to stand again petting his tall mount. "Your a real jerk of a Kid, Kid! You think if Frank Killingsworth owned this pasture he'd give a rip shit where the new or extra animals came from, Hell No! Heck kid, ah Jeff I have some feelings and do care but what would you expect me to do with those who got changed?" wondered Mr. Denber
"I don't know, I'm sorry this day has been the worst day in my whole life!" groaned out Jeff.
"I can see your grief for Johnny!" said Mr. Denber softly.
"I am the real culprit now!" mumbled Jeff.
"Huh?" asked Mr. Denber.
Jeff then explained his wild wish to have the power of transmutation of people into animals. He told of Alex the Bloodhound dog, his six Bloodhound pups, Brian the vile thinking Jackass, and Mrs. Anguster the soon or by then maybe Jenny Ass too!
Rolling over to lay on his back and look skyward Jeff had big tears running down over his cheeks.
"You got the power but with a conscience it is like a curse!" explained Mr. Denber.