"Are you three old ugly hags nuts? Let me leave or I'll go to the cops and I'll file for sequestration!"
The three old women laughed heartily.
"I'm serious!" threatened James. "I'll push you aside by force and I'll report you!"
"But you already paid for the next six months!" exclaimed Matilda. "Stay that long!"
"No way! You're clearly old crazy loons! No way I am living with three old uglies like you!"
He was about to really force his way when something happened that startled him and froze him in terror. A puff of smoke erupted in their midst and when it cleared, a wizard had appeared. He was of African descent, had a tall and impressive stature, clearly one who was used to be listened to, a white beard covering his face almost to his knees and dressed in blue robes with stars and constellations embroidered upon it. He held a staff with a diamond on it. James stood dumbfounded. No! This couldn’t be real! It just couldn't! The three women, on the othjer hand, gushed at the man, bidding him welcome into their humble home. But the wizard did not seem impressed. He waved his staff at James angrily.
"Who is that, pray tell?" he bellowed impressively.
"Oh, a youth who just signed up to be our lodger!"
"Yes, just our lodger!"
"Just for six months!"
"Nothing at all!"
"No ill intents did we have, great one!"
All witches spoke simultaneously and evidently referred to him with great reverence. The wizard sniffed with derision.
"Why would you need a lodger? Did I not leave my dear ones with enough riches to last decades upon decades?"
"Yes, yes! But a little extra never hurt!"
"The expenses of modern day are bigger than might be expected, we assure you!"
"A mere half-year, your excellence!"
"Then why not a young woman? I would have understood as much! It would have made perfect sense! Why a male? A female to be introduced to magic would have made much more sense!"
"He was the first to call and pay, great one!"
"We didn't think..."
"We did not think it would matter!"
"You shall always be our master! Our greatest one!"
"We might have had a little fun with him at some point but..."
"Sssshh! Matilda! Shut your trap!"
"We are sorry! We won't do it again! We'll just put a spell on any male that comes to us directly from now on! And keep the mopney paid upfront! We promise!"
"Yes, we swear!"
"You must feel the temptation of allowing witches into your castle, o great one! Please understand we are even more helpless against these very same temptations!"
The wizard seemed to ponder these points. As for James, he shouted out that he wanted to leave at once. Alas, the wizard raised his staff at him and as it pointed in his direction, the poor boy levitated from the ground.
"Silence!" he commanded loudly.
James remained silent out of pure terror. What was going to happen?
"Be it as it may, you cannot live with a man. Those are the rules. Notably as young and handsome as he."
"Well, he told mean words at us," said angrily Hilda.
"He called us ugly and crazy," added Matilda.
"Is that so?" sneered the warlock. "Then let's make your punishment fun, shall we? You need to be punished for intruding upon the female lives of these respectable ladies and for insulting them as you did. As a male, you cannot stay here. Rules are rules. So let's change your appearance to make this different. You cannot stay as a human male but since this situation isn’t really fair from our point of view, I'll let you decide how to be transformed. Would you rather be a male animal or a human female? Choose wisely," he said with a smirk and an evil glint his eyes, doubtless pondering all the sorts of transformations he could inflict on the hapless mortal youth.
The three witches whopped in excitement and clapped, impatient to see how it would all turn out. James paled notably. What sort of choice was this? All outcomes were horrible! But he had to make one, lest the warlock decide himself.