Mary finally caved in. She had already gone and become a cow woman. What harm could a few silly accessories do? She felt like she needed to play her part as best she could and have some fun with it.
"Do you have any package deals?" she asked. "Suitable for cows, that is?"
The old woman perked up. "I sure do. Let's see, here's a set of collars and bracelets, one for each hoof. They have hooks for anything from leashes to cowbells, and one bell is included at no extra charge. Some ribbons for your tail, and an earring, not to mention the nose ring, which is also free. That comes to thirty-three dollars."
"That's it?" Mary asked. The items she was giving away looked much more valuable. The rings were 24 karat gold. The collar, wrist and ankle bracelets were black leather with silver studs, each with a large silver rectangular piece for hooking something to. The ribbons were also black leather. The cowbell that the woman matched to the collar had a clasp for attaching it. It also looked like it was made out of gold. It was rectangular in shape, wider at the bottom, and six inches long.
"I can afford the discount, honey. I've been getting a lot of business today."
Mary eagerly paid the woman and took her goodies.
"Thank you, dear. I hope you enjoy them."
"Well, why don't we see right now? If you're such a good judge on what transformed women should wear..." Mary began to assemble her new accessories, but realized that because her fingers were so thick and her large nails got in the way, she lacked the precision needed to work the clasps. "Oh...maybe I was too ambitious after all." She giggled, holding up her three-digit hands.
"Nonsense," the woman said. "You want to wear them, so you'll wear them! Here, let me help."
Mary stood in front of the woman, presenting her left hoof. The woman used her thin fingers to clamp one studded anklet on. Its silver metal bracket dangled from it on one side. Once the other anklet was on, Mary held out her wrists. The other two bracelets were attached, and she turned around so the woman could tie the leather ribbons on her tail. When she turned back around, there was a large black bow just below her tail's cuff. Part of the ribbons were wrapped around the thin part of her tail, six inches leading up to the bow and cuff. Next came the earring. "Do you want it on the right or the left?" she was asked.
"Um...let's do the right."
"Good, good. It will balance out that cute black patch on your left cheek." As she attached the nearly two-inch-wide ring to the very tip of her right ear, the woman remarked "Maybe there's a bit of fashion sense in you after all."
Mary laughed as the woman let go of the earring. As her ear flopped down she felt the cold metal rub against her cheek. The old woman prepared to insert the nose ring.
"This isn't going to hurt, is it?" Mary asked.
"We'll find out, won't we?" the woman grinned. Mary gulped, preparing for the worst. As the sharp point pierced the wall between her nostrils, she felt only the slightest pinch. The ring was clamped on, and Mary took a gentle pull on it.
"Wow. I've had booster shots that hurt worse than this." The ring was rather large for a human nose, but on a cow woman's nose it seemed to fit perfectly. It reached down to her upper lip.
"Good girl," the woman said gleefully. "You've got a pretty tough body now, you see." She worked the tiny clasp that would attach the cowbell to the collar. Once it was snapped on, Mary stuck out her neck. The woman pulled the leather around it, and Mary felt the cold metal studs pressing against her skin. Despite its tight, restricting nature, something about it felt very comfortable.
The bell made dull clangs as Mary stood up. She took a few steps back, turning around a couple times. The bell sounded, her tail ribbon rustled and even the metal brackets on her bracelets made tiny "ping" sounds as they brushed the silver studs. "How do I look?"
"You'd put all the other farm cows to shame," the old woman encouraged.
Mary thanked the woman several times before leaving. "Thank you, pretty child," the woman said. "For choosing such a beautiful form to begin with! Just remember to refer me to your friends." When Mary got her cart back to her car, she looked at her reflection in one of the windows. She seemed a lot different now, with the shiny rings and bell and her assorted wear. A very unusual look for humans, but it seemed rather natural to her new body. Now she had accessories that were unique to her, not just a form. Even though she thought she looked a bit ridiculous, she couldn't help but feel excitement at taking such bold and unusual steps.
As she piled her goods into the trunk, she realized that she was stuck with this look, like it or not. After all, her hands weren't able to undo the tiny clasps that attached these things to her body. She wasn't very concerned by that much, though. All she needed was a quick phone call to Jack or some other friend and they'd be happy to help her out. At worst, she could change herself back to human--just for a minute, though. As the day was going along, the idea of turning back into Boring Old Human Mary was becoming to her as much a punishment as death itself.