Ken was flapping frantically around the cage, he couldn't believe that the spell had worked, and he was furious to learn that the shopkeeper had lied and that he would be a female bird for the rest of his life. He couldn't believe he'd been so stupid.
The shopkeeper just laughed at the angry bird's predicament. The giant head floated like a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Balloon just a hand's breadth from the cage. Unfortunately, Ken not only no longer had hands, and was small enough to fit in his former hand. The evil shopkeeper tapped at the cage teasing Ken, and he pecked at the fleshy finger tips.
"You shouldn't taunt animals, Mister!" a familiar voice sounded from behind the merchant. He turned revealing a package laden woman, that Ken recognized as his wife. He chirped frantically trying to make himself known to her.
Suddenly, Ken felt a sudden heaviness in his belly. He dropped to the bottom of his cage, and sat down. He felt so bloated.
"What have you done to that poor bird?"
"Nothing, nothing I assure you. He, I mean, she is just upset about her new enviroment. She just arrived a few minutes ago, and isn't quite used to her new surroundings," the shopkeeper spoke earnestly, the last thing he wanted was an animal rights group or animal control agents investigating his operation. The few animals he dealt in were generally endangered, or their sale was prohibitted. Hence, his need to create product from looky loos.
Ken sat quietly unable to discern what was happening to him now. It felt like he'd swallowed a stone. Suddenly, the weight shifted, and he felt an enormous pain followed by a lightening sensation and relief. He weakly stood up and turned to discover that he'd just laid a yellow speckled egg. He was a mother.
"How much for the bird?" said Ken's wife pulling out her wallet. The shopkeeper was unprepared for this proposal, but the Gucci™ wallet caused dollar signs to appear before his eyes. Besides he had a bucket of the transformation powder, thanks to the clumsy customers who'd fed Clitus. The powder changed the inhaler into whatever, the nearest mind wanted. Unfortunately for the clumsy customers, the nearest mind had belonged to Clitis. The shopkeeper had actually been looking at the Audabon rendering of the rare bird that now occupied his cage when Ken had inhaled. Ken had been the only one of three non-buying customers that the shopkeeper had offered the free samples to accept the sample.