"No." Adomm replied, "This is your decision. Your happiness... or his. Choose carefully..."
Tiffany couldn't. She clutched her head.
"... I will give you ten minutes." Adomm sighed, "It is something one really should think about, after all. "Is true happiness really at the end of a desired path? Or does one have to deviate a little to find a better ending?"
Adomm floated up into the rafters once more. Mitch could only look at Tiffany. SURELY it was obvious that he was adamant about becoming human again and returning to his parents.
They must be so worried about him. He had been gone nearly a week, having left behind barely a note with an insult. If that was the last thing he was to them... a spoiled son...
Tears formed in his eyes. "Please, Tiffany" he begged. "Make the right choice for me!"
"9 minutes left." said Adomm, "You may at least discuss this with him."
The vine removed itself from Mitch's mouth and he glared at me.
"Mitch...I'm sorry...I was selfish I just..." She sighed. "I don't have an excuse."
"I don't want to be a donkey, Tiffany." he said stubbornly, "I don't know why you'd think that. I thought you knew me better than that."
He sighed, "And I thought I knew you..."
"I've...changed Mitch. I've realized just how little there is back at my home. Stuck up parents that expect me to be perfect and be a high society girl."
"And I get it. That's why I left home too, Tiffany!" He sighed, "But... I thought about it, and... well, does it really matter if I'm what everyone expects or not? Does it really matter if we're different or not? My work makes people happy, Tiffany." he said, "I want to make people happy!"
Tiffany thought for a moment. "It sounds to me like all you did was work. You are near 10!!! If your father really cared about YOU specifically...wouldn't he show it in other ways than just assigning more work? I mean look what the farmer did for us as a reward."
"8 minutes..." said Adomm, picking at the threads.
"That he'd probably have demanded a cut of the money for. Everything I've heard about your father makes me think he was taking advantage of how hard a worker you were. While the farmer cared for us. Think about that. Did your dad ever show you the care that the farmer did? We can live in this farm and work for him."
"Tiffany, think!" Mitch pleaded, "We've only known these folks for some hours. You heard what they said about their past mules! What if that's us in a month? What if they treat animals like garbage? I mean, look around!" he said, "There's nothing here! No cows, no horses, not even chickens!"
"It looks like a fairly new farm though...and what if those donkeys were other kids, ones that couldn't realize just how much better their life had become. Besides, what does it say that in a couple of ours they have made a better impression than our parents have in their whole lives!"
"It still doesn't feel right." Mitch said, "... what if... what if it's a terrible life? Tiffany, there's no going back of we do this!"
"Six minutes..." Adomm sighed.
"It will be a life of what we did yesterday. Work in the field and then laze in the barn or a pasture. It will be fun" Tiffany said.
"What fun?" Mitch asked, "What kind of fun would we have as animals? It's gotta be the most.boring life ever! Just working and sleeping and maybe running around, but how long is that fun for?"
"Just think about it. It would be like the fun part of Pleasure Island butevery day of our life. Just doing whatever we think is good for us." She pointed.
"Again... not many options." Mitch frowned, "It would probably just be grass and hay every day. And Pleasure Island at least had a whole carnival there! What do we even do on a farm for fun?"
"Mitch...the plow was fun. Remember? Maybe not the fun we know as kids, but I could see you enjoyed it. And what is more relaxing that lazing out in the sun all day. Or running around. Not having to go to school or do any sort of job".
"The plow was hard!" he said, "I was out for hours after that! And I actually like school. Running... that would be kinda cool, I admit, but... really, I can't make that kind of choice on just that..."
"So the plow was hard work...but you could sleep as long as you liked after that. When you worked at school and came home tired...could you do the same?"
"But... dad said that I would be more productive if I abided to a schedule."
"So...you had a few hours of hard work as a donkey...and then could sleep to your hearts content." She smiled. "Or you can come home, do homework, work, then sleep. Then do it all over again."
"... doesn't sound like much of a difference..." he mumbled, "... except I'm learning stuff at work."
"Do you have any free time." She said bluntly. "Any time to be a boy?"
"I'll have no time whatsoever to be a boy as a donkey!" he argued.
"4 minutes." Adomm said. ".. actually, I am only speculating minutes. I don't actually keep track of time." she admitted.
"But you will have time to do what you want!" Tiffany was starting to get a pleading tone to her voice. "And you will have me..there's no way my parents will let us be together...I just remembered." She started to tear up. "They have a boy at school they have their eyes on. A boy from another rich family."
"... wait, is THAT what this is?" Mitch asked, his jaw dropped in shock, "You trying to get out of a responsibility."
"Not A responsibility. They expect me to marry him, and I don't like him. I didn't even think about it until just now because I've been so happy being around you. Last night sleeping with you in the stall I felt like nothing could ever go wrong again as long as I was around you. What kind of 12 year old girl thinks that!?"
"Two." Adomm said, deciding not to bother with improvised articles of time.
"And...my ears? And tail? When I had them?" Tiffany said hopefully.
"That... honestly didn't matter." he admitted, "Made you look weird, I'll admit. Of course, I couldn't say anything when my entire lower half is of an entirely different species."
"Mitch please...Think about it. I know my parents wont care about me, they have their money. Your dad has his work." She picked up his tail and kissed the tassel. "Please...let's enjoy life together."
He groaned. "Does it really have to be as donkeys?" he asked, "I mean... you don't wanna just be a halfie?, I can stay like this. Won't even hide my tail anymore." he bargained.
"What if it takes a while to finish? Think about it." She petted his tail a little harder. "The two of us, side by side, pulling the farmer's cart to market..."
Adomm spoke up, "I still have a lot of places to go until I am ready for that sort of thing."
Tiffany nodded. "Regardless. Just think. We sleep late, we eat all we want, we work a few hours a day, we do what we want, we sleep...and do it all over again!"
Mitch didn't have any more arguments. His father, his work, his value as a human being... He never considered it. That's what this was all building up to. The next stage of his life. And now, it was to pay off.
She was going to sacrifice everything for him. Even her humanity.
Daughter of a rich family. Such a beautiful girl. Even that. All gone. Just to be with him. What girl even did that?
He sighed. Tears flowed through his eyes. This all happened so fast, so soon...
"... do it." he said.
Adomm turned her head.
"You want to give up everything for me." he said, "What kind of man would be if I couldn't honor it myself? All those excuses... my dad, my work ethic, my ability... those were all to prepare me for a day like this. I was fighting back because I didn't think I was ready."
He clenched his teeth. If he could move any part of his body, it would've fallen. He was finally relaxing. "I didn't want to be ready." he admitted, "I am afraid. Scared."
"And this is the best day of my life. I couldn't be happier." She started rubbing his hooves. "We have such a happy life ahead of us...a life of relaxation and always being together. I wish all the kids on Pleasure Island could have found what I did."
"I don't know about them..." he tried shrugging, "But... well, if it makes you happy, and... really, what else matters... then yes."
"Time is up." said Adomm, descending.
"DIdn't you hear! He just said he would be my donkey mate. We want to be donkeys." Tiffany said
"You are absolutely sure?" Adomm asked. Mitch's eyes were no longer covered in fear, but more a sombre look. He was mentally accepting it and willing himself to take the plunge.
"We are. We want to live the rest of our lives as asses." Tiffany said confidently.
Adomm shook her head, unamused, "So be it. No regrets, I hope."
Her hand slid into the ground and the barn tethers binding Mitch in the air pulled away. He was lowered to the ground, where he stumbled forward on his hooves, grabbing his sore arms. He had been up there for a long time.
Tiffany caught him and helped him up.