"I’ll give him a try!" A man in his mid-thirties said as he stood up to announce himself.
The man walked away from his seat as the rest of audience began to quietly talk amongst themselves, wondering if this man had the will to stand up to the Madame’s tempting offer. He came up to the stage and stepped on it to greet the witch, and former religious fanatic, now friendly Old English Sheepdog.
"Madame." The man said to her as he bowed before her. "I have seen many amazing and terrifying things while watching your show. But I am willing to take a risk and see if I can’t walk away with my humanity intact and get a pet out of the deal."
The witch raised an eyebrow and smiled as the whispering from the audience grew louder.
"Well then, come and take my little test then, my brave volunteer. If you pass my test and avoid temptation, you may have Sean as your pet. But if you fail, you will lose your humanity and become his fellow Old English Sheepdog and possibly someone else‘s pet. Agreed?"
"Agreed. I think I can hold fast against any temptation you or him can throw at me."
"Okay. So what is your name, my friend?"
"Charles." The man says to her, oddly perking up a bit at being called a friend by this old woman.
He kneels down before the cheerful-looking sheepdog and offers the dog his hand for a sniff. Sean wagging his tail, reaches over and sniffs his hand. Charles smiles and smiles some more as the sheepdog then begins to lick his hand. With his other hand, he reaches and gives his shaggy friend a playful rub behind one ear. Sean stops licking his hand and just stands there while panting contentedly. And after a minute or two, the audience lets out a collective breath- Charles was still human. They watch him as he continues rubbing the dog with both hands now. And they watch his new pet step closer to him and start giving him an enthusiastic tongue bath all over his face.
"You see?" Madame Illusia said to the audience while smiling. "It is possible to leave my presence on two legs! Though I think I shall make our friends happier by granting Charles here his unspoken wish. That wish being an end to his search for love, affection and attention from others." She gestures at Charles as he half-turns his head toward her as she was speaking.
At the moment she gestures toward him, the audience watches with surprise and shock as history literally repeats itself before them. Charles' clothing crumbles away as they watch as thick, shaggy white and dark gray fur begins to grow over a body that is quickly becoming stocky and bear-like. His chest deepens, broadens and lengthens itself out. And without thinking about, he pulls himself out of his squatting position till he is standing on all fours, his arms and hands having become a new pair of legs and small, rounded paws for him. Sean nuzzles him and receives a friendly lick from Charles whose still human head now sits on the neck of a large shaggy Old English Sheepdog. Charles looks up at the witch while panting contentedly with his tongue sticking out of his human mouth.
"O thank you, Madame for seeing within me and granting me my fondest wish to be given the same amount of love, affection and attention as only a dog could receive." Charles tells her while wagging his docked tail.
"Don’t mention it Charlie. I knew from the start that you didn’t want to pass my test." She tells him fondly.
"Woof! Woof!" Charlie woofs at her as his face pushes itself out into a muzzle.
Thick, shaggy white and dark gray covers his face until the only thing that the audience of his now canine face is shiny black nose and his lolling tongue.
Madame Illusia gives Charlie a fond rub behind the ears as Sean playfully rubs his shaggy body against Charlie’s. Charlie looks back and forth between the kind human and his fellow sheepdog while panting happily and contentedly.
"Well now as you all can see, Charlie here failed my little test intentionally as he so much wanted to be loved and treated well by others. So he is now Sean’s shaggy playmate and just like Sean, he is eager to have someone claim him as a pet. Anyone else willing to befriend now these two large, friendly Old English Sheepdogs and give them a home? Does anyone think they can resist the temptation to become a dog not from one sheepdog, but from two?