"Please....no!" James grunted more than spoke, his words ever more difficult to form as the witches' spell continued to regress him. With no help forthcoming he rushed towards Elspeth's study in the desperate hope of finding something in there that might give him a chance of reversing the curse on him while he was still at least vaguely human. Elspeth clapped her hands in delight at her hapless victims fruitless attempts to escape from her magic, it seeming to add to her enjoyment of his torment.
James tried to ignore the obvious change in his movement which had been reduced to a clumsy kind of a scamper, his body hunched over awkwardly, his hands increasingly and instinctively being used as if they were a second pair of feet to propel him forward more efficiently. Hairs, thicker and darker than before were sprouting all over his body now and beginning to cover every inch of skin. He could also feel his face moving aggressively and uncomfortably, pushing out and squeezing in at the same time.
But there was no time to worry about that , he had to concentrate on finding an antidote to Elspeth's spell before he devolved any further. He managed to prize open a drawer or two with his now disturbingly paw like hands but there was nothing there that couldn't be found in a regular study and, after searching in vain a while longer, it became painfully apparent he had chosen the wrong room. Why hadn't he headed outside for help instead?
Perhaps it still wasn't too late. James turned around and scampered back into the hallway when suddenly he was brought to a standstill. Moving back past the full length mirror where he had examined his neanderthal but still human self not long ago he caught a glimpse of his new reflection and jolted in horror.
It looked even worse than it had felt. Any physical sign of humanity had been lost. The creature staring back at James was a pretty ordinary looking ape. Nothing more and nothing less.
"Ook, ook ah!" James cried in horror, confirming his ability to speak or communicate with humans had also gone. Any remote chance he may have had of halting this terrifying process had probably dissapeared. His fate seemed to be completely in Elspeth's hands now. Just how far was she willing to take this?