Ken was shopping with his wife along the oldest Mall in town. His wife Mary liked this one the best since she had fond memories of going there with her mother. As Mary browsed the Yard and Stitchery store Ken wandered down the Mall looking for something interesting.
Truning to look back up the Mall in hope of seeing his wife exit her store Ken felt a personal urge. Seeing the sign for public restrooms he ventured down a side hallway with a building need for relief.
A short stop at the Men's room brought Ken face to face with a small shop stuck in that lonely hall. Looking through the window Ken saw a shop right out of old European history. Even as he entered a small silver bell tinkled announcing his entry.
Looking about the shop was littered with stuff. Actually there were piles of things in every corner. Round tables, square tables, long narrow shelves, and wide hefty shelves all filled to capacity with things.
"Can I show you something?" aske a rugged old voice from behind a main counter.
"No, no I'm just looking!" Ken replied as his fingers fumbled with a old crankup victorla.
As Ken looked about he saw all manner of charms, salves, jewelry, clothes, costumes, and bottles of wierd potions.
"Do you sell much of this stuff?" asked Ken shaking his head at another old relic.
"One man's poisen in another man's pudding!" came the reply.
"Don't suppose you have Alladin's lamp, you know complete with Genie?" asked Ken with a chuckle.
"Yes actually I do have an old oil lamp and it may contain a Genie!" said the old man as he toddled over to a glass case.
Ken watched and saw the price of $5,000. written on a tag hung over the spout of the lamp.
"Oh no thanks, that's a little too pricey, how about a book of spells?" asked Ken thinking the man a little strange.
Ker thud, went a thick leather bound book on the top of a glass case. Again the price warded Ken away at $100,000. or three virgin's souls.
"You do have something for everybody, don't you!" said Ken as the heavy book was placed back into the locked case.
"Tell me Sir what is your most deep and inner wish to be, or own? Tell and I will offer it to you at a very low price." said the old man as he was getting tired of Ken's silly questions.
Feeling silly Ken continued to pick up things and mumble about what he saw.
"Sir I'm a busy man if your not interested in something then I suggest you walk back and check how Mary is doing." suggested the old shop owner.
Ken was astounded, the man knew his wifes name and what he was waiting for, suddenly he made a suggestion. "You have a cheap and easy way to change a man from human to animal? The change need not be permanant, but he should remember all his lifelong memories. An animal, a male, well?" asked Ken as his face turned red.
"Transformation! All people can think of is silly changes to their bodies! The grass is always greener somewhere else! Species?" asked the man.
"AHH....Equine or Bovine, doesn't matter!" replied Ken looking over the little man's shoulder.
"OK, you have choice of four, 2 bovine, 2 equine! Either Dairy bull or Beef bull? Equine, Arabian or Suffolk? Duration? Week, month, year, decade, lifetime, what is your choice?" offered the man.
Ken thought and looked at the box filled with old Mason jars full of liquids. "How Much?"
"Money what is money if you stand as an animal? The cost is by elapsed time, a week is $50., a month $100., a year $250., a decade is a $1000., and lifetime $20. bucks!" said the man with a grin.
Ken laughed, "Cost goes up till you hit lifetime and that is very, very cheap, why?" asked Ken.
"Easy, a lifetime change makes it possible for me to sell the customer to whatever habitat might be correct for the species. I get the money which most of the time is greater than a $1,000. The customer having chosen their lifeform must adjust whether I sell them or they become captured, it doesn't really matter to an animal, does it?" asked the man.