"Now Duncan," said Esmeralda. "You can probably run off, but if you do I can curse you to die, you know, be shot by some hunter. No matter what you'll have to live as a wolf in the wild, as a pure wolf. Now if you come with me, I can give you beer in a dog dish, some fries, burgers, keep your clothes and you get to be with an attractive human girl who you once fucked. And I can take you out in my . . . I mean your car. Otherwise, you'll loose your clothes, I can't have other people wander about a wolf in Duncan Smith's clothes, and probably end up screwing a wolf bitch because of your instincts."
Duncan thought she had a point as he lay sprawled on the ground. She could curse him, and what's worse than being a live wolf is a dead wolf. He'd also hate losing what human stuff he still had. And she was right about his instincts . . . there was no way he wanted to mate with any dogs or wolves, but something told him the wolf instincts he had would probably egg him on at the first opportunity. "But theres no way I'm going to let that bitch get what she wants, after what she did to me." He started to run for it, but with a spell from the gypsy was stopped in midair as he was going to jump over a rock.
Esmeralda came up to him, "Don't run away," she said, scratching him by the ear. "Look, let's make a deal. I take you home, in two or three years, if you become a gypsy, I'll change you back - as a werewolf if your good. Then your condition will bind you to me - because werewolfs get out of control if their not taking gypsy remedies - you know, you'll probably go crazy every full moon instead of the way you are now. Or else you'll easily be found out or changed into a pernament wolf if you try to leave. Plus I'll make sure you have plenty of beer and goulash all the time? Is it a deal, Dunc? Nod yes or no."
Duncan thought about it. He was reluctant to humour Esmeralda, but the deal was pretty good. Being a wolf until he was nineteen or twenty beat being a wolf for the rest of his life. Being a wolf once a month also beat being a wolf pernamently. He would be stupid to refuse. Reluctantly, he nodded.
They left in Duncan's car, Esmeralda taking Duncan's keys as he couldn't drive. Esmeralda looked amused as he got in the car, instead of sitting like a dog, tried his best to sit like a human. She gave another scratch underneath the chin, and they drove to her family's wagon at the Gypsy camp.
Her mother came out of the wagon. She saw the situation immediatly. "You turned that boy into a wolf," she said accusingly.
"He promised to marry me, took advantage of me, and then broke his word," said Esmeralda. "But I still love him, and I'll going to have him as my pet.
Duncan waved his paws around, and tried to shake his head no as best he could.
"The wolves and toads are always like that," said Esmeralda's mother, shaking her head at Duncan. "Be happy that Esmeralda is having you as her pet. Even if I believed you, only she and our far off queen can change you back. You'll soon get used to being a wolf, and acting like a real one."
Duncan frowned at this, wondering if he had been tricked again. But his ears suddenly perked up to hear the noise of horse hoofs, a noise he felt was promising.
The gypsy's suddenly got out of their wagons and began to cheer. Another gypsy wagon was joining them. "It is I," said the old woman driving the wagon, "Olga, Queen of the Slotvian Gypsies."
Duncan noticed Esmeralda curtesy before her, and Olga stare in return. Then Olga came to his car. "This is the unfortunate Duncan Smith," she said. "Esmerelda, how dare you turn him into a wolf when he took no liberties you did not allow."
"But," said Esmeralda.
"SILENCE," said Olga. "Rifca, mother of Esmeralda, you must not trust your daughter. She has lied, and Duncan was not deserving of his transformation. She let him have his way with her, and then on the pretence of a rejected offer of marriage, something none of the outsiders would accept in this day, turned him into what he is."
"I am sorry, O' Queen," said Rifca.
"ESMERALDA," said Olga.
"I am sorry, O' Queen," she seconded.
"It is enough. But be forwarned, if you misuse your powers again, they will be lost to you. I you mislead me again, young flower of my tribe, you may be cast out, or a fate as bad as that you planned for Duncan may befall you."
"Yes, Olga, Queen of the Gypsies," said Esmeralda.
"Now before the feast to great me, I will change you Duncan back into the boy you were, as best as I am able."
Two gypsies opened the doors of the car.
"Walk as the wolf you are Duncan," commanded Olga. "We know you are undeserving of your fate, having been led on and not been forewarned."
Duncan nervously walked as a wolf to Olga, who commanded him into her wagon.
Olga spent her time mixing bottles of potions, while warning Duncan of his future. "Avoid us gypsies," she told Duncan, "Stick to the path of non-surprises, for you had enough in one life time. What you outsiders refer to as a normal suburban life is the one for you." Olga finished by giving him stock tips, so he'd live a comfortable suburban life.
She also insisted on patching his clothes. Finally she was ready, and fed Duncan the potion down his muzzle. The effects were slow and steady. In degrees, his ears, muzzle, and paws shrank back into their human forms. As soon as he was able, he put his clothes back on, "No way," thought Duncan, "I want to be nude in front of an old lady, especially Olga Queen of the Gypsies." Olga had warned him she wanted him dressed as soon as possible. His tail fall out. His fur shed onto an old blanket Olga had put out for that purpose. Finally he was back to normal, or almost.
"Look at yourself," commanded Olga, handing him an ancient mirror.
Duncan still had noticably pointed ears, and the five o' clock shadow he had noticed back at the motel. Most of the rest of the hair had vanished, but he still seemed slightly like a wolf. You couldn't tell if you didn't know. He thought he looked sort of good but . . . . "Uh, your majesty . . ." started Duncan hesitantly, he wanted things the way they were before that night.
"O' Queen young man," Olga corrected.
"O' Queen," started Duncan.
"This is the best I can do," explained Olga. "I can't turn you back all the way, the way you were is gone forever. You will always bear of trace of our powerful magic, a trace you have and nothing more. Unless you want to be a werewolf, then I can change you back all the way in you human form?
"No, O' Queen," said Duncan quickly.
"Good," said Olga, "Now join me for my feast."
Duncan attended Olga's gypsy feast, enjoying the gypsy girls dance, they were, he thought, "Almost as hot as Esmeralda," but he was careful not to offend Olga or any of 'em. At Olga's suggestion, when the feast was nearly over, Duncan left in his car, speeding on the road through the woods, past the clearing where he had finished turning into a wolf.
"No way am I gonna date a gypsy girl again," thought Duncan. He decided to try his luck Sarah Brown, a girl he dated a few times, no where like Esmeralda in looks, but . . . then she was no where like Esmeralda in being able to curse him.
Duncan lived a pretty normal life. He was stuck with his sort of pointed ears, and his friends wondered where he got him. His five o' clock shadow usually turned before two, but that wasn't that much of a pain considering.
He met Esmeralda once more. When he was in his thirties, at some expensive resteraunt with Sarah Brown, he had eventually married.
Duncan was talking to Sarah about some typical normal stuff, (money,the kids, etc) when Esmeralda showed up, as young and hot as ever. "Hello, Dunc, darling," she said, "Long time no see." To Sarah she said, "I used to date your husband. He was sort of a pet of mine." She reached to scratch Duncan's ears.
Duncan jumped a mile high. He quickly sprang back, avoiding Esmeralda's touch. "Yeah, uh, nice to see you again," he said. We, uh, were just leaving." He threw out a handful of money to pay the bill, dragged Sarah from the table, and to the surprise of everyone in the resteraunt, ran out the door with Sarah, bewildered, coming up behind. It was weeks before Duncan Smith got over his shock.
Esmeralda laughed, then sighed. She hadn't tried anything, but she thought sadly, "Dunc's never gonna let me talk to him again. Just because I once turned him into a wolf."
THE END