During the recess, the judge received some news from her investment counselors about a significant financial loss. She dealt with the unfortunate counselors of Fisher and Hudson summarily, displaying a finesse for transformation that left the unfortunate partners as snowmen in a heatwave.
When that did little to alleviate her foul mood, she returned to Wepwawet's makeshift courtroom and greeted the assembly with a brittle smile.
"I'd like to get this over with," she said.
"Would that the wheels of justice could turn quickly," Wepwawet said.
"Your honor," Jared barked. "I really do appreciate that..."
"Did anyone give you permission to speak?" The judge glared so darkly that Jared cringed and whimpered.
"That's it!" The judge snapped. "Court postponed."
Jared whimpered again.
"Your honor," Wepwawet said, "The defendant is a flight risk and, as I believe I have established, a thoroughly detestable individual."
"I've thought of that," she said. She snapped her bony fingers and one shaggy sheepdog disappeared from the courtroom.
"Where's my brother?" Kevin demanded.
She told Wepwawet to send everyone home. "I'll notify you when it's time for court to resume."
With the lone exception of Kevin, Wepwawet sent everyone in the courtroom back to their lives.
"What did you do to Jared?" Kevin asked.
"I?" The deity answered. "It was the judge's decision, but I'll take you to him."
In an instant, the deity and Kevin appeared in the locker room of the local high school.
"What are we doing here?" Kevin asked.
Jared's existence had changed radically. His physical form was now a thin layer of black and green slime growing behind one of the ill-kept toilets in the locker room at his former high school. He could sense dampness, heat, the movement of air, and also realized that, even without eyes, his location was poorly lit.
He had been alone until his brother showed up with that hated Egyptian wolf-headed god.
"Kevin!" Jared shouted. "Help me!"
Of course, he also lacked a mouth, so he produced no words. Nevertheless, Kevin heard him.
"Jared, I am here," Kevin spoke aloud. "Where are you?"
Wepwawet directed the attention of Jared's younger brother to the space behind one of the toilets blocked off in a row of individual stalls.
Although he lacked, technically speaking, any sort of ears, Jared "heard" his brother and Wepwawet.
"I'm sure the judge will reconvene court soon," Wepwawet said. "Although I have known her to postpone certain cases for months."
"Months?" Jared wanted to scream.
"But what about Jared?" Kevin asked.
"He should be fine," Wepwawet said with a distasteful frown as he surveyed the locker room. "It doesn't look like much attention is given to sanitation and cleaning in this place."
"She turned my brother into slime mold!"
Jared realized for the first time what had happened to him.
"You'll just have to go home and wait for the judge to call us back into court," Wepwawet said.
"Kevin! No!" Jared panicked. "You can't leave me here!"
Kevin tried to reassure him. "It's not like I can take you with me. You're growing on the wall."
"It's not like he has anything to fear," Wepwawet said. "Perhaps with the exception of disinfectants or someone with a sponge."
"I'll try to visit every day after school," Kevin promised.
Jared sulked. There wasn't much else he could do.
After Wepwawet poofed, Kevin looked up slime mold on his phone.
"A simple organism that consists of an acellular mass of creeping jellylike protoplasm containing nuclei, or a mass of amoeboid cells," Kevin read aloud, not really making his brother feel better about himself.