Brooke walks quickly towards the exit of the store. You struggle to keep up, finding to difficult to walk. You eventually end up hopping, but still find it difficult to keep pace with Brooke. She walks too slow for your rapid hoping gait.
"Excuse me, miss. But I can't let you leave, " says the storekeeper just as Brooke was about to walk out the door.
Oh thank goodness! you think. Someone is going to save me and stop this madness. If Brooke doesn't do something to them first.....
"What?!" says Brooke with a little shock. She had been having so much fun she had almost forgotten that she was still in the magic shop.
"Those items - the ring, the bunny ears, the bathing suit. You have to pay for all of them before you can leave. We don't take kindly to shoplifters, " says the storekeeper. He is speaking softly, but you can detect a hint of menace behind his implied threat.
You are shocked! He didn't say a thing about you! Did the ring affect reality and everyone now thinks of you as Brooke's pet? Or did the old man just not care?
"Fine, whatever. How much do I owe you?" says Brooke as she opens her purse and starts digging through it.
The old man rubs his scruffy, long white beard as he thinks.
"Well, the bunny ears are just 12.50. The bathing suit will cost you 50 total, tax included. But the ring .... well, that is pretty expensive. It will cost you about....."
Brooke's eyes go wide.
"You can't be serious! That is outrageous! If I had that kind of money, I wouldn't need to buy the ring," says Brooke.
The old man chuckles.
"Sadly, that is the way of the world. The rich get richer and the poor stay poor. But in my defense it is incredibly rare and very powerful. It is a fair price for such a unique item, " says the old man.
Brooke holds up her hand, protectively shielding the ring from the old man.
"I could you wish the ring was mine. Or wish that you couldn't stop me from leaving. Or I could just wish that I was home with the ring, " says Brooke.
"You could, but it wouldn't work. And I wouldn't recommend it. As I said, we don't take kindly to thieves, " he says more harshly this time.
"Fine. I don't need it anymore anyway, " says Brooke as she takes off the ring and roughly plops it into the storekeeper's open hand. She pulls a credit card out of her wallet and hands it to the man.
The storekeeper slowly shakes his head, warding away the offensive plastic card with his waving hands.
"Sorry, cash only," says the old man.
"You can't be serious? You only take cash? In this day and age?" says Brooke.
"It's easier ..... for tax purposes," says the old man with a smile. You can't tell if he is serious. You doubt a place like this pays taxes. "If you can't afford to pay, you will have to put everything back."
Your spirit lifts with hope. If she doesn't have the money, she will have to return the bunny ears. And then maybe you will return to normal.
"Drat! All I have is 13 dollars, " she says. You feel like dancing ..... until she says, "Bunny, take off the swimsuit. We can't afford it."
"What?" you ask with shock. "I can't walk around naked!"
Brooke rolls her eyes.
"Don't be silly, bunny. You won't be naked, you are covered in fur. Clothes are for people, not for pets. I just thought it would be cute for you to wear it. But it looks like I will have to buy it some other day. So take it off ... Right ...Now! "says Brooke as she pulls tightly on your leash.
You nervously slip out of the bathing suit, trying to hide everything at once with your two small bunny hands. All of your body parts are covered with fur, but you still feel very exposed and embarrassed. Brooke hands the shopkeeper the bathing suit, along with her money. The shopkeeper rings her up, returning some coins as change.
"Thank you very much! We do appreciate your business. Please come again! We have lots of wonderful toys and accessories for your pet, " says the storekeeper with a wink.
Brooke still looks upset, tossing the change in her purse.
"Whatever, " she says angrily as she tugs hard on your leash.
The bell above the door rings as she drags you outside the store and onto the street.