Marie comes to sad realization, she has little choice but to leave Josh to this fate. She's unable to speak and thus cannot tell this other donkey where Josh is.
The donkey leads her through the area until they come to a closed door.
"I'm gonna kick it," the donkey says.
Marie tries her best to understand him. She knows that these are words she knows. It's as though she's forgotten them and needs something to help her remember.
Turning, the donkey kicks the doors with his hind legs, they begin to budge but it's clear that he's lacking the strength to get them all of the way open.
"Help me," he says.
Even if Marie doesn't understand the words, she knows what she needs to do. SHe turns around and kicks the door as hard as her legs will let her. The power she has scares her as the doors swing open under their assault. Two surprised guards yell something Marie doesn't understand. Survival instinct kicks in, Marie knows they must escape. She rushes the first guard and knocks him over as the other donkey does the same to the second guard. Marie and her companion run out into the warm sunlight.
People around shout surprises yells but Marie knows she must ignore them, escape is paramount!
"Come on, let's get out of here," the donkey says.
He runs with Marie following, their destination irrelevant. Marie finds that distance seems to clear her mind. Knowledge beings to return to her. She feels foolish for forgetting these things and cannot understand how she couldn't remember.
As they run together, Marie cannot help but realize how lucky she was and how stupid she was to throw that luck away. Her options as a donkey will be limited. Any male donkey could have his way with her and she'd have little recourse. The thought frightened Marie. Before, sex without protection as a foolish idea. Now, she'd have no real choice in the matter.
Marie also realized the rights she had in this day and age that generations before her had in decreasing levels as one went further into the past. All of those rights meant nothing if she was going to live her life out as a donkey. She feels like an idiot for wasting what now seems like a golden opportunity and gift.
"Good, we're on the mainland," the donkey says.
Marie looks around and sees that he is leading her away from the town and toward a wooded area. To her relief, she seems to understand more of what he's saying.
"We'll be able to hide better here."
Marie feels like a fugitive. In a sense, she is. To everyone else, Marie is property of the island, an escaped animal. The thought terrifies her.
After what feels like an eternity of running, the duo reach a wooded area that's close to some farms. They stop running, Marie feeling the sweat forming all over her body and smelling it on her companions. It's a nice scent to her. She does her best to push those feelings aside with the knowledge that if she gives into her urges she'll be a true donkey rather then a human in the body of one.
"By the name, my name is Sean. Can you speak yet?"
Marie is afraid to try. She can understand Sean, but worries that being unable to speak will mean she truly is a donkey.
"M..Marie."
Sean nods. "Marie right? Your name is Marie."
"Yes," Marie said. "I can speak! Why couldn't I before? How come I couldn't remember things?"
Marie notices that her voice is deeper but anyone that knew her as a human would recognize it.
"When I fakes being unable to speak, I heard them talking," Sean says. "There is magic or something in that room we were in. It makes us dumb and makes us forget stuff we learned. If we stayed I'd have only been able to bray soon. After another hour, there'd be no way I could remember unless other magic helped."
"Josh," Marie said. "It's not fair that we left him behind. I wanted to say something but I couldn't remember."
"We can't go back," Sean says. "They'll be expecting us."
Tears fall from Marie's eyes. "It's like some dumb movie. We escaped and get to be okay -- I guess. They don't but this isn't a movie, they have to live with that until they die! It's not fair, it's not..."
Marie blinks and several brays escape her lips. She manages to calm down and takes several deep breaths.
"What do we do now?"
"I don't know," Sean says. "I don't want to be a donkey any more then you do."
Marie sniffs the air and blinks.
"What, what's wrong?" Sean asks.
"You stink!" Marie says.
She keeps her tone playful.
"So do you!" Sean says.
"Guess I'm not a so much of a lady anymore huh?" Marie says. "Humph, like I was ever a lady."
"I guess we could try getting home," Sean says. "I don't know if my parents would accept a donkey as a son."
"Well, we have to do something," Marie says. "Oh God, what have I done? What if we can't change back! What if some horny donkey or horse impregnates me?"
Panic begins forming within Marie as she bucks and brays several times.
"Calm down," Sean says.
"Calm down? How can I calm down?" Marie says. "I'm filthy! I'm naked, I smell bad and I'm a fucking animal! I don't even have hands any more! How can I go in the house when I'm this big? I can't even type or draw or anything like that! We can't get human jobs as donkeys! What was the fucking point in going to school if this was just going to happen to me!"
Sean shakes his head.
"I don't know! But we have to do something! I don't want to live on a farm forever!" Sean says.
"Like we have a choice in the matter!" Marie says. "Let's face it, we're screwed! So what if we can talk? What's the point if we can't do anything? We'll be freaks! Nothing more then a sideshow act!"
"No! I am not a freak!" Sean says. "Look, people have suffered injuries and come back! What about all that triumph against adversity stuff we read about in school! You did read stuff like that didn't you?"
"I may be a donkey now but I wasn't before!" Marie says. "Of course I read that stuff."
"Well, we can make a come back," Sean says. "I'm not settling for this!"
"Yeah but how?" Marie says. "What do we do, go to a farm and asks to see the farmer and tell him the truth?"
Sean blinks, Marie noticing the first time that he has human like eyes rather then those of a donkey as she waits for his answer.