"...and the shocking aftermath of the most bizarre day in recent history is coming to light," Mary faintly heard the newscaster report. "Early this morning, several transformed bandits raided several stores downtown, using their strong bodies to breach security countermeasures and their changed faces to hide their identity. If anyone has seen these men and/or women, please contact the number at the bottom of the screen immediately. The suspects are humanoid versions of a bear, woolly mammoth and...am I reading this right? Thirty-foot bull?"
Mary snapped awake. Apparently people weren't just content with transforming themselves, they had to use their abilities to take advantage of others. "Mooooorooons," she muttered. She looked at the clock, seeing that she had only forty-five minutes to get to work.
She picked herself up off the couch, having a more difficult time than usual. She no longer felt stuffed, but as she patted her stomach it still seemed a bit larger than it usually was.
She tried to take a quick shower, but drying her fur off was a tedious chore. With her hair still damp and the puffy cuff of her tail dripping water, she finished her business in the bathroom and went to the kitchen to see if there was anything she could eat.
She tried milking herself again, but her udder was still spent. She grabbed a loaf of whole grain bread and quickly devoured it. Then she put on a fresh bra and shirt, which felt a bit tighter than usual. 'It's probably just the breasts,' she thought, remembering how they had grown yesterday. She should have gotten new shirts along with the new bras.
On the way to work, she noticed a goat man and elephant man arguing over a car accident. A little while after that, her car was passed by a running cheetah. When she got to work, it seemed only half of her co-workers were there.
"We could have used you yesterday," her boss greeted her. "But I see you decided to have some fun."
"I hooope yoooou doooon't mind," Mary apologized. "Aaand I can't mooeet the dress cooooode...seeee?" she held her udder in both hands to indicate the impossibility of a skirt or pants.
"Whatever," her boss said. "Clothing-optional" seems to be the new unspoken rule. Billy down the hall is so shaggy he might as well be wearing a parka.
Mary wondered why her boss was still a human. Perhaps he changed back for work, or was too afraid of the vials? At any rate, she still needed to earn her pay.
Mary was an analyst for an insurance firm. She made calls and examined paperwork to make sure people didn't try to fraud the company. Today's sampling of claims ranged from the ordinary to the bizarre.
"Giant eagle did his business on my car. Crashed into a telephone pole because I couldn't see." "Unexpectedly grew fifteen feet and put a hole in my roof." "Stubbed a toe on my brick fireplace." "My car window won't roll down." "A pride of giant man-lions slaughtered half the animals on my farm."
"Thooose pooooor things," Mary pitied. She was glad she didn't take it upon herself to find a decent pasture to graze in yesterday. She began to work up a summary of what new incidents the insurance firm would do well to cover, including losing a family member to a giant snake and accidental growth-related property destruction.
* * *
The day continued, and Mary managed to find someone who knew of a good all-you-can-eat place for lunch. She stopped at the store again on her way home, getting as much salad and fruits as she could put in a cart. She looked for the old woman on her way out, but she wasn't anywhere to be found. She ran a hand over her bell, which felt very normal to her now. The vials themselves remained completely forgotten throughout the rest of the day, and the next, as Mary continued scarfing down plants and lazily hanging about the house.
Normally she had a small routine of exercises, such as jogging around the park and lifting weights, but none of that mattered to her anymore. Besides, it was becoming increasingly hard to even move around like she used to. Her body seemed slower and walking became a more deliberate chore as she had to be careful of keeping her balance.
At work on Thursday, she kept tugging at her collar. It was starting to feel tight around her neck. She was having the same problem with her bracelets and anklets. The tight leather felt rather good, but she was beginning to worry about circulation. Not to mention breathing.
"How's it going?" her friend Nancy asked. "Still wearing that silly stuff?"
"Yoooo're ooone toooo talk," Mary mooed with a playful smile. Nancy, who had been changing forms every day, was currently a cross between a human, giraffe and cat. Her two-foot neck was adorned with all sorts of collars and necklaces, and her furry tail had a giant red bow and large bell at its tip.
"Yeah, I guess I can't blame you," she said. But you should try some other animal forms, they're really interesting."
"I loooike being a coooow, thank yoooou," Mary politely dismissed.
"Well you'd better do something about that voice at least," Nancy suggested. "The boss is starting to get annoyed."
As she tugged on her bell collar again, Mary thought of something. "Say, cooooould yooooou dooo a favooor? Looooosen this uuup, pllllease."
"Sure," Nancy said. Her hands, though furred and clawed, were still relatively human and small enough to unhook the clasps on Mary's items. She loosened her collar one notch, then loosened her four bracelets on her wrists and ankles.
Mary mooed in relief. "Thanks soooooo muuuch."
"No problem. But you really should think about cutting back just a bit. The boss doesn't like how long it takes you to type things up using pencils to push the keys. Besides, if you weren't eating so much lately you wouldn't have a problem with your collar in the first place. Oh, the boss is giving me that angry look again. Better get back to work."
As Nancy trotted away, Mary considered the changes that had happened. Her fingers really weren't much use for normal human tasks, and her weight gain had started to become significant. She already needed to buy a set of larger shirts...the one she was in was straining to stay intact.
She shook her head. No, this is what she wanted. This is what she was. She'd stay as a cow forever if she could help it. She was finally completely content with herself.