Mary tentatively peered through the peephole in her front door. She saw a woman in a purple business suit and her hair in a tight bun wound with two decorative sticks standing outside. She didn't recognize the woman, so she asked through the door "Who is it?"
A muffled reply came through the door. "My name is Rebecca Hornstein. I'd like to ask you a few questions. It's very important."
Mary was afraid of this stranger discovering her bizarre transformation. She thought hard to come up with an excuse. "I'm afraid this is a bad time," she said. "I'm very sick right now. Very contagious." She knew it was a pathetic story, but it was all she had.
"This is about a box that may have been delivered to you. With vials inside."
Mary's eyes widened. She told the woman to hang on, then threw on a bathrobe and stumbled back to the door on her new hooves. She paused for a second before opening the door, hoping this woman knew the true effects of the vials and wouldn't run screaming at the sight of bovine legs.
The door opened and Rebecca looked Mary up and down, concentrating on her hooves. "I see you've already tried them."
"Yes..." Mary squeamishly answered. "What are they, exactly? What is their purpose?" She backed up a bit and raised an arm to the side.
The woman entered at Mary's inviting gesture. "I'm afraid to tell you that there has been a mix-up. You weren't supposed to get the Vials. The number on the street address was incorrect. We only discovered the mistake when the person who ordered the Vials called us to say he never received them." She had spotted the box on the table and walked toward it.
"But what are they for?" Mary repeated.
"Exactly what you think they're for," Rebecca replied coldly. "I'm sorry, but I'll get in trouble if I say anything else about it. I have to take them immediately and deliver them as promised." She looked through the vials and confirmed that the Cow vial was back in its place and refilled to the top. "But since you've been so kind as to test the product...are there any side effects?"
"Um..." Mary thought, still wondering about the Vials' origins. "I drank half of the Cow vial and it knocked me right out. I woke up just before you started knocking."
Rebecca made a pouting face, looking sideways as if trying to recall a memory. "I thought they said that was fixed. Oh well. Thank you, and I'm sorry we had to trouble you like this."
"Wait!" Mary said as Rebecca closed the lid and picked up the box. "Can't you let me change back? I don't want to be stuck like this forever."