SATURDAY (AM)
Peter and Lauren realized as soon as they woke up that they would have changed again. Peter immediately noticed his muzzle and spent his first few waking minutes running his hands all over it, taking some extra time to finger his big flat teeth and his wide nostrils on either side. It was strange to feel his normal ears on the side of this donkey head, but Peter knew he'd soon have long pointy ears like Lauren if they didn't find a way to stop this.
Lauren had to look over herself a little bit to find her white donkey underbelly, but she screamed pretty quickly upon noticing this new layer of fur. After a few deep breaths, they both calmed down and started checking their phones for any updates.
"Miguel says he's on checking up on a location and will update us if he finds what he thinks we're looking for," announced Lauren. "But he didn't share any specifics."
"It's hopeless," Peter commented pessimistically. Actually, his new mouth would barely form words at all, but with some effort he was able to express to Lauren what he was thinking. "I can't believe we're wasting our money on yet another scammer. ... But if we're gonna be donkeys anyway then I guess it doesn't matter."
"... And if we manage to change back, then it'll be worth it," said Lauren, still trying to look on the bright side. "Let's get ready and we'll do some more work on our own."
Letting the hot water rush over his body took Peter's mind off some of his troubles. He hadn't taken a shower since all this started, and it actually felt good to try to attempt his normal routine a little bit. Of course, he knew he was cleaning up to get to work on the donkey problem since he and Lauren had both taken the day off. They were both part-time workers on the weekends and this really wasn't a good time to miss what few shifts they had, especially now that they were hiring this private investigator. It had to be done, though. Peter and Lauren were going to have to devote all their energies to changing back before they became full donkeys.
Soap and water washed away much of his sweat and some of his tension. Washing his face was weird with that giant snout sticking out in front of him. He managed, though, and most of his body was relatively normal. Peter still didn't want to think about his tail, but he knew he was going to have to wash that, too. He wasn't sure whether to use soap or shampoo on it, so he used both. When it was well lathered, he let go of it and flailed it around under the steamy downpour. As much as he didn't want to think about it, he was already getting used to having this thing over his butt that he could wave around whenever he felt like it. He supposed that he would eventually get used to his snout, too. With enough time and enough changes, being a donkey would become his new normal. Peter was really hoping that it wasn't actually going to happen. He wanted to beg that gypsy woman for forgiveness and put all this behind him.
Lauren was still having trouble putting her top on over her long ears. She barely noticed them swiveling toward sounds anymore. It was just how she listened to things now. She hoped the witch was going to listen to them. She was still mostly the same, except for the ears and some new hair. If she could just get her old ears back and lose the mane and fur, everything would be okay, right? They'd have to make back the money they lost, but surely there would be some way of doing that as a human. She was holding out hope that the witch would listen to reason if they could find her.
They barely spoke over breakfast, partly because for Peter it would be so much effort, and partly because there wasn't much to say that they hadn't repeated to each other many times over the last few days. They both wanted to find out something, anything, but they only knew a tad more than they did on Wednesday evening. It was exhausting.
Peter's tastes had changed, and he found he was happiest with the whole grain items, and even got himself some raw oats after he had finished off his oatmeal. Those felt the best in his new donkey mouth. While he was swishing his tail and licking the last few grains in contentment, Lauren was getting up to check the mail drop. There on the pile of letters was an unaddressed note with no envelope and an enigmatic message:
PETER + LAUREN: I KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING TO YOU. MEET ME AT THE 4TH STREET WAREHOUSE AT 2:30
"Hey, Peter, I wonder who this could be from?"