Nervously, cautiously, you follow the path the trees have set out for you. Even though you know it's your best chance for returning to normal, you really, really don't want to go back there. Your mind reels with thoughts of all the horrible things the witch could do to you, and at several points you almost give up and head back. But no, you're not going to resign yourself to your fate that easily. Setting your jaw and squaring your shoulders as best as a slender, lovely cat-girl in a maid's uniform can, you press on.
The path takes many more twists and turns than you remember, and by the time you finally reach the witch's cottage, it's nearly midnight. The grounds around the place are distinguishable from the forest floor only by the lack of trees; the grass grows long, and rocks and loose branches litter the lawn everywhere except on the clearly-trooden path from the well to the front door. You stick carefully to the path, keeping an eye out for any twigs that might snap and alert the witch to your presence.
You reach the front step without incident, and carefully try the door. It swings gently open, making only the slightest creak on its hinges, though even that makes you nervous. But nothing happens, and you're just about to go in when a thought occurs to you: why wasn't the door locked?
You suddenly realize that, with the powers at her disposal, the witch could most likely have the whole place booby-trapped. Searching around on the ground, you find a small rock and gently toss it through the doorway. Your suspicions are confirmed when it turns into a toad in mid-air and hits the floor, comatose; apparently turning an inanimate object into a living creature does not instill it with mental function.
Shuddering for a moment at the thought of the horrid fate you nearly walked right into, you turn your attention to the bay window in the front of the cottage. Is that booby-trapped, too? You find a larger rock, scoot a safe distance away from the building, and hurl it with all your might. It shatters the window with a mighty crash, and you catch a brief glimpse of it becoming a much larger toad before sprinting back into the safety of the forest.
You watch nervously from behind a tree as the witch hurries into view and sees the shattered glass all over her kitchen. Even from this distance, you can hear her cussing a blue streak as she magics the shards into a neat pile in one corner of the room. She yawns sleepily and leaves your view, presumably going back to bed. So, you realize, the whole house is booby-trapped. But then how did you get in safely the first time? You guess that perhaps the trap is only set when the witch is asleep or away, which means that the only times you can get safely inside are the times when you wouldn't be safe once inside.
It's a real conundrum. The cottage holds all kinds of mystical items and spellbooks that might help you return to normal, but there's no chance of safely getting at them. In that case, perhaps what you should do is try and get home; if the mental changes that made Mike the happy, feminine dryad she now is are linked to this place, maybe getting back to your own world will stall them while you search for a way to change back. You search around behind the cottage for the way you came, but that way only goes deeper into the forest. Your path home has disappeared.
Sighing, you turn the other way, making your way back towards the shore. After a little while, you come across a stream and spot several large salmon in it. Your mouth waters at the sight of them, and you stealthily wade into the water, focusing on remaining unnoticed until you suddenly ambush one, grasping it with both hands and flinging it over your shoulder, onto the bank. Grabbing a rock, you clunk the struggling fish on the head, then hungrily tear in.
As you finish, it suddenly dawns on you that you knew how to stalk and catch a fish, despite never having learned how before. Although your not one to turn up your nose at free knowledge, you hope this doesn't signal the start of the mental changes. You walk downstream, reasoning that the stream probably flows out to the sea, and from the shore you can find the place where you met Mike. You're not sure what you'll do then, but maybe she'll have an idea, you hope.
Your planning is interrupted when you come across a strange sight. A little ways ahead you see what appears to be a bird fully as large as a human, its body obscured by one raised wing, which it seems to be preening. All of a sudden a girl's head pops up from behind the wing; as you watch, she carefully uses her mouth to straighten out and smooth down the feathers. She continues for several minutes before noticing you, at which points she yelps in surprise and leaps to her feet.
As she does this, you get a good look at her. She's not a human-sized bird, as you initially suspected; rather, she's a mostly human girl with the wings and lower body of a bird, obviously matching the modern notion of a harpy the same way Mike matches the modern notion of a dryad. Her fiery red hair contrasts strikingly with her jet-black feathers, and you notice that not only is she naked, she's curvier and more full-figured compared to your somewhat slenderer and more athletic build. You're slightly disturbed by the fact that, despite her beauty, you don't find yourself attracted to her, but push these thoughts to the back of your mind to greet her.
"Let me guess," you say. "You had a run-in with the witch, too?"
She nods. "Y-yeah," she says. "I used to be human."
"And male, too, I'll bet?" By now, you're beginning to sense a pattern in the witch's crimes.
"How did you know that?" she asks.
You chuckle bitterly. "Because I have the same story. What's your name?"
"Aaron," she replies.
"Well, Aaron," you sigh, "welcome to the Former Guys club. Why don't you come with me, and we'll introduce you to Mike."