Frustration welled up inside Jeff as he struggled to find a solution. He needed to contact the costume company or reach out to Clair, but his deer form was making it nearly impossible. Desperate for assistance, he hopped onto his bed, clumsily maneuvering with his newfound hooves.
After several attempts to turn on his phone with a front hoof, he pressed the screen with his snout. The screen flickered to life, displaying the lock screen. Jeff sighed with relief, grateful that at least this small victory had been achieved. FaceID wasn't working with his elongated face, so with painstaking effort, he used his nose to enter the four-digit code for his lock screen and access his phone.
Navigating through apps and trying to type in a search with his nose proved to be an arduous task. He kept tapping the wrong buttons, and his frustration grew with each failed attempt. Eventually, he found the number for the costume company, Second Skin, and dialed it using the tip of his snout. As the phone rang, he switched it to speakerphone. Jeff's heart raced, hoping someone would answer.
"Second Skin, how can I assist you?" a cheerful voice answered on the other end of the line.
Jeff hesitated for a moment, trying to find the right words to explain his predicament. "Um, hi. This is Jeff Davis." He tried clearing his throat. Something wasn't right about his voice. It sounded higher pitched. "I, uh... Sorry." He tried clearing his throat again. "I recently received an order from your company, but there seems to have been a mix-up. I received a deer costume instead of the bear costume I ordered." He realized he had a young woman's voice.
The voice on the other end paused for a moment before responding. "I apologize for the inconvenience, ma'am. Let me check your order details and see what went wrong. Do you have your order number?"
"Uh..." Jeff looked at the box and saw the order slip. "I don't have mine at the moment, but do have the receipt from the box."
"If you have the box, the order number should be at the bottom of the address label."
Jeff flipped the box over on his bed so he could see the address label. "Oh, okay. I see it. 707-8004-AG23. And the receipt inside the box on the order I received says 707-8004-AG22."
Jeff could hear typing on the other end of the phone which was followed by a long pause and more typing. There was another long pause before the voice on the other end responded. "I apologize for the inconvenience. I do see these orders in the system. If you don't mind, I'm going to place you on hold for a moment while I check your order details and see what went wrong."
Before Jeff could respond, the phone went silent and started playing a tinny recording of smooth jazz. As Jeff waited anxiously, he glanced at himself in the mirror once again. His deer form standing on two impossibly thin legs stared back at him, its dark black eyes filled with a mixture of fear and confusion. He couldn't help but wonder how this magical costume had ended up in his possession and why it had such transformative powers.
The music on the phone stopped suddenly and the voice returned, breaking his train of thought. "Ms. Davis, I'm sorry for the error. It seems there was a mix-up in our warehouse. We inadvertently sent you the wrong costume. We'll arrange for the correct bear costume to be shipped to you immediately, and we'll arrange for the return of the deer costume."
Relief washed over Jeff as he heard those words. At least the situation was being rectified, and he would soon have his bear costume. However, there was still the issue of being stuck in the deer costume until the replacement arrived.
"Thank you," Jeff replied, grateful for their prompt action. "But there's something else. This costume... it seems to have some sort of magical power. It transformed me into a deer when I put it on, and I can't seem to take it off."
Jeff's heart sank as he listened to the voice on the phone, hoping for a solution but instead receiving an unexpected response. "Sir, I apologize if this wasn't made clear to you during your purchase, but all of our costumes at Second Skin are magical. It's one of our unique selling points."
"What?" Jeff exclaimed, his voice filled with both surprise and frustration. "I had no idea the costume would actually transform me into a deer! Why would I want that?"
The voice on the other end chuckled lightly. "Oh, dear, we assumed you were aware of the magical nature of our products. Our costumes have been enchanting customers for years, allowing them to immerse themselves fully in their chosen character. It seems you inadvertently stumbled into quite the magical adventure."
Jeff's frustration deepened as he realized he had overlooked an important detail during the purchase. He had been so captivated by the idea of a bear costume for the hockey game that he had failed to read the fine print. He felt foolish.
"But how do I get out of this?" Jeff pleaded, desperate for a solution. "I can't go out in public like this. Can you reverse the transformation?"
The voice on the other end turned serious, understanding the gravity of Jeff's situation. "I'm afraid the transformations are irreversible without the proper counter-spell. However, our company has a dedicated team of magical experts who can assist you in finding a solution. We will expedite the delivery of your bear costume and arrange for a specialist to visit you as soon as possible."
"No, I don't even care about the bear costume anymore," Jeff responded firmly, frustration lacing his voice. "I just want to change back to normal. I can't wait around all day for some specialist to show up! There must be something I can do."
The voice on the other end sighed sympathetically. "I understand your urgency, Ms. Davis, but unfortunately, without the expertise of our specialists, reversing the transformation is incredibly challenging. We have protocols in place to ensure the safe handling of these situations. I assure you, they will arrive as quickly as possible." The voice quickly wrapped up the call saying, "Thank you for calling and have a pleasant day," before hanging up abruptly.
Jeff paced back and forth in his room, feeling trapped and helpless. Waiting seemed like an eternity, and he couldn't bear the thought of not knowing how long he would be stuck as a deer or if he could ever change back to his old self. Then an idea struck him—Clair Oswald, the person whose name was on the receipt inside the box. Perhaps she had some knowledge or experience with this kind of magic. After all, she must have ordered the costume he was meant to receive. She must know how these things work. Maybe she would know how he could change back.
He pushed the box off his bed and looked at the receipt which was under it. It had Clair Osborne's address and phone number. Her address was a couple towns over. He figured that he could probably drive there in under an hour—until he noticed his hooves again and was reminded of his change. Driving might be too difficult in this form even if he wasn't worried about people seeing him. It seemed like calling her was Jeff's only option at the moment. Perhaps she would be able to come over to help. He wasn't sure a woman would be willing to drive for almost an hour to enter a stranger's house, but he had to do something.
Fortunately, Jeff's phone was still unlocked. He tapped in Clair's phone number with his nose and switched it to speakerphone when it started ringing.
A voice answered. "Hello?"