Tricia pulled the remote out of her purse. She spoke in a lofty voice much like a magician explaining the premise of a trick. "I'm going to turn myself into a human, using this remote." She ran an upturned hand along the edge of the remote to showcase it.
Sam tried to stifle a laugh. She snickered for a moment with a fist over her mouth. When she was finished she said. "Okay, you're crazy."
"Can I do it, or can't I?"
"I'd say you might actually be able to do it...because why else would you make a bet with $500 on the line? But you might be trying to trick me, getting me to believe you and then proving me wrong, thus winning the bet."
Typical Samantha, always overanalyzing things. "So your answer is 'no,' then," Tricia said.
"No," confirmed Samantha. "Final answer."
"If I do become a human, then I win the bet."
Samantha leaned back in the booth with her arms crossed. "And if you're still a cowgirl when we leave, then our next stop is the shoe store."
Tricia smiled. Sam had played right into her hands. Or hooves. Or hand-hoof things. She carefully punched in the retrieval command to reset her body to its original state, and made sure to only keep herself and Samantha aware of the change that was about to occur.
"Here we go," Tricia said. She turned the remote on herself and activated it. Samantha watched as a flash of light hit Tricia. In the well-lit room, the flash went unnoticed to any but the two girls.
The next thing Samantha witnessed was the incredible metamorphosis of her friend from the black-furred cowgirl she had always known to the naturally-born human she didn't recognize. Tricia's tail, ears, and fur retreated into her body. Her hair changed back to its brown color and shortened considerably. Her clothes changed to a black long-sleeved shirt with a red cartoony cow on the front and a faded gray pair of jeans.
Sam stared at her silently with her mouth open. She worded the phrase "Oh my God," but seemed to be keeping herself well under control. Tricia was relieved that she didn't jump up and run out the door.
When she finally got her voice back, Samantha sputtered out the obvious questions. "How? Why? Is that real? How did you do that?" She reached across the table and touched Tricia's human hand. "It's REAL!"
"Yup," Tricia winked.
Mel swooped over to their table. "Can I get you girls anything else?"
"No, we're set Mel," Tricia smiled.
Mel bid them a good afternoon and left a check on their table. Sam continued her dumbfounded stare.
"'How come Mel didn't notice?'" Tricia said, asking the question she knew Sam wanted to say.
Sam slowly nodded.
"The remote can alter reality, and it can alter memories as well. If I want to, I can change myself into anything and keep the world oblivious. That's how I was able to meet you here as a cowgirl and have everyone think it was normal."
"But...you ARE a cowgirl."
"I WAS a cowgirl for about three hours," Tricia said. She punched some more buttons on the remote, glad to have her old skinny fingers back so she could work faster. "Here, I'll restore your memories of me as a human."
Another zap from the remote had Sam blinking, then gasping. "Wow."
"Pretty mind-blowing, isn't it?"
"But wait...how do I know you didn't just plant those memories of you as a HUMAN in my head? How do I know you're not tricking me?"
Tricia had to think about that one. "I...don't think I can actually prove it. You'll just have to believe me."
"Well, to be honest, I'm finding it a lot easier to accept you being human like the rest of us instead of being a one-of-a-kind cowgirl. The idea is so strange I can't believe I fell for it in the first place."
"That's the remote. It forced you and everyone else to accept me as having always been a cowgirl. And I do believe you owe me a favor."
Realization dawned on Sam. "Oh, you got me good. You got me real good. But there's NO WAY I'm going to let you use that on me anymore."
"Sorry," Tricia said, "A deal's a deal. But I promise you'll thank me when it's over."
Sam fidgeted in her seat. "Okay," she sighed after a minute. "Have it your way. What's the favor?"