"Hi, is this Clair Oswald?" Jeff asked, his voice still tinged with anxiety.
There was a momentary pause on the other end, and then Clair replied cautiously, "Yes, speaking. Who is this?"
"This is Jeff Davis," he replied. "I received a package with your name and phone number on the receipt. It seems there was a mix-up, and I received your deer costume instead of the bear costume I ordered."
Clair's voice held a hint of surprise as she responded, "Oh, no! I got my package a few hours ago, but haven't opened it yet. Can you hold on a minute? I'll go get it and look."
Jeff agreed and waited for Clair to retrieve the package. He could hear her walking and then recognized the sound of a cardboard shipping box being opened.
"Oh, huh," Clair reacted. "I see dark fur. Yeah, this could definitely be a bear costume. It doesn't look like the deer costume I ordered."
"So I guess that confirms they swapped our orders," Jeff concluded. "So... I was wondering if you might know anything about these costumes. Mine seems to be... well, magical. It transformed me into a deer, and I can't get it off."
There was a brief silence on the other end, and then Clair spoke, her voice filled with reluctant understanding. "Oh, you didn't know? Wow, I can imagine that must have been quite a surprise for you. I'm actually quite familiar with these costumes. I've ordered from Second Skin before, and they have this reputation for being special. They're not like ordinary costumes; they actually transform you into the character you're wearing."
Jeff let out a sigh of both relief and frustration. "So, this is normal for these costumes? I can't believe I didn't know that when I ordered."
"You're not the only one," Clair reassured him. "A lot of people overlook that fact. The transformations are temporary, though. You can ultimately remove the costume and return to your normal self."
Jeff's hope was rekindled as he listened intently. "Can you help me with that? I can't seem to find any instructions or buttons or anything to get out of this costume."
Clair hesitated for a moment before responding, her voice tinged with caution. "I suppose I can help. Removing the costume is actually fairly easy once you know how to do it."
Jeff was willing to do whatever it took to revert to his human form. "That's a relief. Please, guide me through it."
"Alright," Clair replied, her voice filled with reluctant determination. "First, did the company enclose any costume release instructions or a release assistant device in the box?"
Jeff looked into the empty box. "No. They only sent the costume and the receipt."
Clair sighed in frustration. "That's unfortunate. It's actually one of the complaints I've heard about them. They put the order in, but assume everyone knows how these things work or that they already have a release assistance device. That's okay, we should still be able to do this without that. Since you've put the costume on, I'm assuming you've got deer hooves."
Jeff sighed. "Yeah, I do. It was quite a challenge to work my phone to call you. That's why I've got you on speaker. I don't have fingers to hold the phone."
"Is there anyone else where you are who can help you?" asked Clair.
"No, I live alone." Jeff considered his predicament for a moment. "I suppose that's good in this situation that I don't have to explain this embarrassing situation to anyone, but it also means I don't have anyone here to help."
"Oh, that's too bad," Clair replied. "There's are release buttons that are usually located behind the ears. They might be too difficult for you to press in your current form. That's why it's handy to have a release assistant device. You can hold that up by the release buttons and it will activate them for you. Without the device, you've got to pinch the release buttons at the same time with your fingers."
Jeff took a moment to process what he had been told. "Oh, uh..."
"Yeah, you don't have fingers right now, so it's literally impossible for you to pinch both buttons at the same time." Clair was sorry to break the news to Jeff, "I'm afraid you'll be stuck like that unless you can get some help."
"Oh, shit." Jeff remained silent as he contemplated his situation.
"Is there a neighbor or friend you can contact to have them drop by to help you out?" Clair asked. "Maybe a family member?"
Jeff sighed. "I don't know my neighbors very well. My closest family members live hundreds of miles away. I'm dreading calling any friends because I'll never hear the last of this." He thought silently for a few seconds. "I don't know what to do."
Clair paused for a moment before speaking again. "Listen, if you're up for it, I can swing by your place and help you out. I see on your receipt that your address is maybe an hour or so away. I might as well come by anyway since I have your bear costume and would like to get my deer costume."
Jeff's gratitude for Clair's help deepened as he considered her offer. "I would really appreciate that, Clair. You're literally a life saver! I will owe you big time!"
Clair chuckled warmly. "No need, Jess. I'll be there in about an hour."
"Actually, it's Jeff," he corrected her.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you had said your name was 'Jess' and you sounded like a 'Jess'," Clair apologized. "I'm sorry for assuming. Anyway, just hang tight and I'll be right over."
With a renewed sense of hope, they ended the call and Jeff sat on his bed, his heart filled with relief and anticipation. If Clair was able to get this off of him, he knew he wanted to thank her somehow. She sounded nice. He wondered if inviting him to dinner would seem too forward.
Jeff shook his head. "No, I'm getting ahead of myself," he thought. "I haven't even met her yet. Let me get out of this costume first and then we can see where things go."
With about an hour to kill, Jeff decided to try and make the best of his unique situation. He lowered his front legs onto the floor and attempted to walk while glancing at himself in the mirror. After a few stumbles at first, he quickly got the hang of it and discovered it was quite comfortable. He walked out of his bedroom and headed downstairs with his hooves clicking on the hardwood floor along the way. He reached the sliding door in his kitchen and pushed it open with his head and walked out onto his back deck.
Looking up at the sky, the sun felt nice on his fur. He bounded off the deck onto the grass of his backyard. He liked the feel of the ground on his feet and how his hooves sank in a little and discovered it gave him great footing for running. He ran in circles for a bit until bounding up into the woods. "I'll just go for a quick run," he thought. "I'll come back in plenty of time before Clair arrives."