The calendar on the wall behind Dustin was inspirational, March depicted a leprechaun with a big pot of gold. Ty looked at his apologetic foster brother and smiled.
"You know, Dustin, I'm not sure if you're really sorry about what you did, or just sorry about what happened to you," Ty answered.
Dustin looked wide-eyed with hope about to be dashed. He bit his lip as Ty continued.
"But seeing as how you asked so nicely, I may make you a bit more mature, and since it's St. Patrick's Day..." Ty's voice trailed off as his smile became a grin.
Dustin felt something on his chin. It was hair. Next his chest and pubes, and -- Dustin blushed and reached to pick up the towel that had been around his waist. His hair had grown back twice as thick as it had been, and it was the wrong color now. He turned to look in the mirror, and was startled at the old bearded face staring back at him. He wasn't any taller, in fact, he might be shorter. He was definitely shorter. The towel he had to wrap around him like a toga now. He turned to confront his foster brother, and was startled by his new voice.
"Sure and begora, Tyler, what have ye done to me?" he asked with a thick Irish brogue.
Ty reached down and picked Dustin up under the arms like he was a toddler. The toga shifted and changed colors as it shifted. Dustin was now a tiny, hairy red-headed little man in a green suit.
"I've got you now, and you have to give me your pot of gold!"
"Pot o'gold? What are you talking about - oh, wait, I do have a pot o'gold, and you've caught me, I have no choice but to pay the ransom," Dustin said forlornly in a confused voice. He didn't have a pot of gold before, but now he knew he had one, and he was under some unnatural compulsion to give it his captor, even though he greedily didn't want to part with so much as one small coin of his treasure. He paused, and added, "Well, you've caught me, so if you'll just let me go, I'll be off to get you my pot o'gold. Won't be gone for more than a few minutes, so let go."
Tyler laughed, "You're a leprechaun alright, so I think I'll keep holding on to you until I'm sure it's not fairy gold. Let's go together."
"What?" said a startled Dustin.
Out in the hallway, Ty carried Dustin, and then a door opened, and his foster father Mark appeared. "What's going on here, Ty?" Mark demanded.