Ayane was sitting on the couch when her mother came home.
She had come out with the whole story. She was a japanese
orphan who snuck on to a plane, and pretended to be an
exchange student. She was still terrified of her fate.
"I don't want to be fat. I don't want to eat grass. I don't want
to be ugly." Her "Mother" had accepted taking care of Ayane
as a responsibility, and tried to comfort her about her change.
"Don't worry. Cows aren't that ugly. You'll be able to sit around
all day, not working at all. I'll even let you sleep in the house."
This did make her feel better but just a little.
Her mother walked in. "Has your udder begun swelling?"
"No. it is fine."
They both sat there on the couch and watched TV. Ayane had
never had a mother, so she trusted this woman completely.
Ayane shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She took her hand off
of her belly. "Oh no."
"Is it filling?" She nodded.
Mother ran to get the bucket. Ayane stood up and got on all
fours, ready to be milked. The udder was even bigger than last
time. At this point, they had realized that a new feature came in
everytime she was milked. So Ayane grew to dread the time
when she would have to be milked.
Mother came back in. "Are you ready?" Ayane nodded
"Okay." She grabbed her teat and pulled. A white stream of
milk shot out. "Oh!" Ayane was filled with feelings. A mixture of
pleasure, relief, and shame. But it felt to good for her not to do
it.
She yelped as she became aware of a pain in her feet. The toes
were disappearing, turning her foot into a toeless lump. The
skin blackened and hardened, becoming a hoof. Ayane groaned
as she stood up. "I won't have hands much longer." Mother
patted her on the back. "It's okay, Ayane. No matter what
happens to you, you can always stay here.
They watched Raiders of the lost ark that night. Ayane seemed
to enjoy it. When she went to bed, she asked for a story.
Mother knew it was wrong, but she told her the story of
sleeping beauty. When she had finished, Ayane had fallen
asleep. She smiled. Ayane was her daughter now.