On one of the shelves, there was a circular jade amulet. The amulet was divided into 12 sections. Each of the sections had one animal carving on it.
"I got this amulet from one of my friends. He resides in Shanghai right now, and works as an archaeologist. About the animals you see on them, they were all part of a myth about The Great Race.", said the shorter man in years, who you assumed was shopkeeper.
"The Great Race?", you said.
"Mhm," responded the older man, "Myth has it that the Jade Emperor, ruler of the Heavens, picked out thirteen animals, believing that each one had a certain quality. The animals were supposed to race to the Heavens' Gate, but the hardest part was crossing the river."
"Both rat and cat knew they couldn't swim, so rat called ox to help them cross the river. While ox was carrying both of them, rat picked the right time and betrayed cat, by pushing her into the river. That's why the cat doesn't appear on the amulet. When the two finally got to the other side, rat outrunned ox, and thus rat came first, and ox second."
"Tiger, despite the fact that he was fast in the water, had to fight the river currents, and thus came third."
"Rabbit came up with the idea to jump over rocks, but he slipped and fell into the water. Despite that, he found a piece of driftwood, and used it to get to the other side, thus coming fourth."
"The dragon came fifth, which baffled Jade Emperor, who knew that the beast was airborne creature, capable of getting first place in the seconds. The dragon explained that he had to help villagers with crops, as well as help rabbit cross the river, thus two animals becoming friends in process. These acts of kindness amazed the Ruler of Heavens, thus giving the dragon a reputation as one of the most respected animals."
"Horse was intended to come sixth, but snake, who hid in the bushes until then, jumped out and startled horse. The snake got to the Gae sixth, and horse seventh."
"Goat, Monkey and Rooster found a raft, and decided to use it as a way to cross the river. On the raft, a fight broke out between simian and the bird, which goat managed to easily break up. When they got to the other side, monkey and rooster let the goat come eighth, monkey came ninth and rooster came tenth."
"Dog knew how to swim, but he was more interested in playing than race, and that's what got him eleventh place. And pig, who ate a lot of food and fell asleep, almost missed the end of race, and came twelfth."
You listened carefully to the story shopkeeper told you about. It was pretty interesting, but at same time very odd. You then decide to ask about the price of the amulet.
"How much is it?"
"This job is more of an hobby than actual job, so the price shouldn't be that big of a problem. It's 1$."
When the man said that, you gave him the 1$ bill, took the amulet, and came home. Your dad was a busy man, so you didn't see him that much at your home. However, your mom didn't care as much about job as dad did, so she stayed home more oftenly. You talked with your mom about your friend coming over tomorrow, as the tomorrow was saturday. You also told your mom about the amulet you bought, but she didn't seem to care about it too much, since it was really cheap.
When you finished your homework and spent your free time after that, you decided it's best time to shower and go to sleep. You set your amulet on the night table next to your bed, and fell asleep.
What you didn't notice, was that the amulet started glowing faintly. Guess this was not just a cheap item being capable of only catching your attention. What you didn't know was that the amulet would change your life, for better and for worse.
(As which animal do you wake up next morning?)
(Also, a few notes:
1. I would prefer story without TG, unless it's neccessary (if you pick Ox or Rooster for female reader.
2. Dragon option for both readers is supposed to be eastern dragon.
3. The amulet is supposed to let the reader switch between human and animal forms
These shouldn't stop you from making scenarios however you want, as long as you follow them. Happy writing!)