He wasn't sure how he got through his bible class, as all he could seem to think about was the Amulet of Zulo. Scared it would disappear again, he'd hurried from the car as fast as he could the instant they got home. Ignoring his mother as she called, "Don't tear around like that before you change your clothes," Dion kicked off the nice, slip-on shoes he'd worn to church and raced upstairs.
In his room, he practically tore the top drawer from his dresser and searching through the socks and undies, he almost screamed in fear that the necklace had disappeared, but then breathed in relief when he found that it slid under some of his socks. Relieved, he didn't take it from the bag and instead set it with shaking hands on top of the dresser. Tempted to use it right away, he instead shucked off his tights, removed his dress and down to only his undies, he opened the drawer with his shirts then the one with his pants.
Dressed in a white, short sleeve shirt and a pair of bib-overalls, Dion retreated to his bed with the baggy containing the amulet. Shaking it out, careful not to touch the bag, his hand and the necklace at the same time, he peered at the jewellery. Wondering how something so perverted, yet so innocent looking, could do what it did, could cause so many problems, Dion studied the word on it, the person in the throes of transforming into something he couldn't figure out if it was human, animal, or what, hefted the thing, marvelled at its weight, then slipped it back into the baggy. Hating to do so, he carefully hid it back in his top dresser.
"Tonight," he decided as he took a pair of sock, slipped them on and headed downstairs.
He knew that before he used the Amulet of Zulo to restore Holly back to being human that first he needed to figure out which of the two goats had been his sister. Anxious to get on with it, he was disappointed when, before he could do so, his mom called him into the kitchen to help with lunch. And after that he had chores to do and his mom wanted his help outside with various tasks around the yard.
The tasks keeping him busy, Dion was glad for when he was able to slip away from his mom for brief moments, as he used the time to study the goats from a distance. Watching as they trotted about the smaller pens, then went about their business in the larger enclosure, knowing that they were only kept separate for the moment, as he'd heard his mom talking to his dad about removing the fencing that divided the large pasture so that they could be bred together, Dion tried to find some hint that one of them had been his sister Holly. But neither of the goats appeared to be anything more than what they were, a billy and a doe.
Disappointed by this, he was tempted to admit he might have been wrong, that he had never had a sister named Holly, he had never used the necklace to turn her into a goat, and that he was as he remembered, an only child. Yet, he couldn't quite bring himself to accept this, even if he was sometimes confused and thought his father was actually his younger sister and she was the Holly he was trying to help. Shaking these thoughts from his mind, as his mom told him for the umpteenth time, "Stop dawdling about, Taylor, and come help me," Dion sighed and as he went to help his mom with something or other, he told himself, "Tonight. Just get through today. And tonight you can at least make one thing right," whilst his mom pointed at some plants, made sure he recognised them, then explained, "Pull any that look like these. And only those that look like these."
When Davis showed up around three-ish, Dion almost told his friend he couldn't hang out. But then his mom said, "Go play. I'll let you know when dinner is ready. Davis you'll be staying," to which the ten year old boy said he would, then added, "And I was asked to tell you Taylor's dad would get something to eat with my family and be home later this evening," before the two took off, Dion feeling like the choice of hanging around with Davis already made for him as they did.
Goofing off for the rest of the afternoon, Dion almost found having Davis around to be a welcome distraction. After his mom had chased them out of the barn, they roamed the several acres, horsing around and not really doing anything important until they got to the tree they had been trying to build a fort in using scrap and castoff boards they had found in and around the barn. After checking it, and finding it had been used, "Mostly likely by shiners," Davis sagely explained, they tried to decide what to do next with it, but eventually found there wasn't much they could do without raiding the stuff Dion's dad owned for his business, which Dion was repeatedly told was off limits. Heading back to the house instead, the two spent the time before dinner inside playing in Dion's room, down in the basement and up in the attic when Dion's mom told them, "I don't want to find you two up to something behind a closed door," which left both Dion and Davis wondering what she was talking about.
Some time after dinner Davis biked backed home, which left Dion feeling both relieved his friend had gone home, but also sad that he'd have to wait till tomorrow to hang out with again. Alone with his thoughts, Dion wandered outside to watch the goats in an attempt to try to determine which had been his sister. Trying to talk with them, get them to do something to help him, he was disappointed when all they did was stare at him blankly and the male tried to headbutt the pen wall. Figuring he'd have to guess, he found himself worrying about making a wrong choice as his mom called out, "Taylor. Come inside now and get ready for bed."
Displeased that he would have to resort to guessing, tempted to argue and to ask if he could stay up a little longer, Dion instead trudged inside and headed upstairs. Changing into a nightgown, brushing his teeth, he climbed into bed afterward and snuggled up to one of the plush on his bed when his mom came in to tuck him in. After she'd left, he lay listening to the sounds of the house as his mom continued to putter about downstairs, his dad came home. Finding he wasn't sure how he'd gotten through the day, he was glad it was almost over and that he was so close to at least helping undo what had befallen Holly. Staring out into the darkness, anxious, he eventually reached over and flipped the up the clock that was lying face down on the small bedside table. Fumbling for a moment, he found the button to light up the display and reading that it was only just past ten, he groaned and rolled over.
The time slowly slipping by, he had no idea how many times he pressed the button to temporarily display the time. When it was finally past eleven thirty, Dion decided he couldn't wait any longer. Slipping out of bed, wondering how long it would take for Holly to transform back, he stopped and swore, "Shit," when he realised he didn't know what, or if, he should do anything with the other goat.
"How could I forget," he whispered as he sat back down and thinking desperately, quickly, Dion wondered if he should leave whatever goat he didn't transform back into a human as it was, wait, or find something now to try and change it into.
Unsure, mind flipping through ideas that each seemed improbable or wrong, he decided that he should do something, but had no idea what. Needing an answer, not wanting to wait any longer, fearing that if he did something bad might happen, like him losing the Amulet of Zulo again, he wondered if he could turn one of the goats into a plush, then remembered the key chain he found in the attic. Curious to know if it would work with the necklace, he almost started to talk himself out of trying it, but, at the last moment, he muttered, "Why not. What can it hurt?" and standing, he began to locate first the rubber gloves.
Gloves on, shirt and key chain collected in one hand, necklace still in the baggy in the other, Dion stole out of his room on tiptoes. Wondering how long it would take for them to change, considering the possibility it might be probably a day or so before he saw anything, he slipped his bare feet into his shoes and stole out the back door.
A shiver ran up him as his nightgown whispered across the cut short grass and by the time he reached the goat pens Dion's shoes were wet. Inside, he could hear the animals moving about, making noises, alert and clearly nervous. Thinking quickly, Dion approached one side, hung the shirt over the side of enclosure and hoping he wasn't making a mistake, let himself in through the back on the billy's side. The animal awake and starting to bleat, Dion began making calming sounds, whispering, "It's okay. I'm going to make everything all right," and when the goat began to calm down, he carefully took the amulet from the bag, extended his hand holding the amulet out and touched it to the animal's side.
Her mind so far fractured, and more goat then human, Holly didn't understand what was happening. She wanted to do something to her sister, but didn't know what. Hearing Taylor whispering comforting words, but not understanding them, Holly settled and was tempted to lay back down. Knowing this was the goat part of her, she tried to fight it, but found she couldn't. Watching as her sister reached out and touched something to her side, Holly thought, "Yeah. You better fix this. And when I'm back to myself, you better hope I don't remember. Cause if I do, you'd better hope I never get whatever it is you're using on me," as her sister reached out with her other hand and touched something to her side and whatever it was she had in her other hand. Shifting when she felt an zap go through her, Holly bleated in alarm and began to toss her head.
In front of her, unaware that billy had been his sister at one time, Dion watched the goat begin to move about. Fearing he would try to headbutt him, Dion began whispering more calming words, including, "It's going to be all right," as he slowly started to back up.
Not seeing any sign the goat was changing, thinking he might have been mistaken about the key chain or that it might be too dark, Dion gave the animal one final look before he exited. Thinking he might need to come up with a different idea, he sighed as he muttered, "It'll have to wait," as he collected the shirt, left the key chain and the bag sitting outside the door leading into the doe's shed, and stepped inside.
Again, like the encounter with the male goat, Dion watched as the animal became skittish at his presence and began to bleat. Hissing out, "It's going to be all right, Holly. I'm hear to make it better," he figured the Amulet of Zulo must have changed his sister into a female goat, forgetting that it could also change a person's sex and gender as well. Whispering words to calm the goat, he inched forward, reaching out a gloved hand until he could press the necklace to her withers.
The doe blinking at him, tossed her head and for a moment Dion was afraid she would charge or bite him or do something he would find uncomfortable. But when she calmed, he sighed. Believing it had been his words, that he was looking at Holly and that she understood him, Dion reached out with his other hand and touched the shirt for a five year old to her. Watching her grow skittish again, unaware of what she had felt, Dion was disappointed when there was no immediate change. Thinking he'd either made a mistake or that he'd have to wait, he slowly backed out of the shed and after making sure the rear doors where secure, he scooped up the key chain, dropped the Amulet of Zulo in the bag and headed back to the house. Wondering how long it would take, "If it even worked," he groused at one point, Dion slipped back inside, kicked off his shoes, and tip toed back upstairs.
After he'd tossed the shirt in one the empty bedrooms, telling himself, "Mom will find it and figure she dropped it," as he did so, Dion headed back to his room. There, he hid the Amulet of Zulo once again in his dresser, ditched the gloves and climbing back into bed, he stared at the ceiling, thinking as he drifted off to sleep that whether it worked or not on the goats, he was going to try and re-claim what had been taken from him next.