Waves of dizziness washed across Mike, causing him to stumble as he walked away from the magic spring. He fell to the ground, unable to keep his balance, and passed out.
When he awoke, he felt strangely constricted. "Oh no! I've been captured and tied up!" he thought.
But as his mind cleared, he looked around, and saw that he was not tied up at all. Rather, his body had grown, and his clothes were now much, much too tight.
After a few minutes wiggling and thrashing, Mike was able to remove the pants and shirt that seemed to be trying to strangle him. Wearing only his loincloth, he stretched his new body, admiring the lean, muscular physique he now possessed. "Wow," he muttered, "not bad."
"Happy Birthday," came Ty's voice.
"What?" Mike spun around. Ty sat on a rock, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.
"The mystic spring aged you, Mike. So Happy Birthday!"
"Well, at least I'm not scrawny any more," Mike muttered, still angry about the last transformation Ty put him through.
"Ah, but what next?" asked Ty, still grinning.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't you remember? The next transformation is random, once you reach the right age. Happy birthday!"
"Crap!" Mike grunted.