Mary decided to visits the woods. It was such a nice day, and she always enjoyed exploring the trails. She wasn't completely sure if it was an effect of the potion or just her imagination, but it seemed like she could sense things a little differently. Everything she saw seemed a little more yellow, and she thought that the smells around her were much stronger. Mary walked down the path to the woods, traveling by the dog park.
Lost in thought, she was startled when a dog ran up to the fence separating the dog park from the sidewalk. It was a handsome dog, a large coal-black Doberman pinscher. Although the size of the animal was intimidating, it did not appear aggressive. It did not bark or jump against the fence, but rather simply stood in front of her and stared. Mary looked around the park, and did not see any people around, just the dog. It was early in the morning, so she was not surprised to find it deserted. But who did the dog belong to and what did it want? Mary was a little uncomfortable as the dog continued staring at her, and was about to leave, when the dog began to whine softly.
"What's the matter, boy?" she asked. "Do you need some help?" The dog continued to stare, and began to whine more insistently. Mary looked around for help again, but could not see anyone. She couldn't just leave this dog without trying to help. She began walking toward the gate of the dog park. The dog jumped up and eagerly followed her. As soon as she entered the enclosure, the dog jumped up on her excitedly, and began to lick her hands and face.
"Whoa, boy, whoa, " she said as she eased the dog off of her chest. The dog began to run away through the enclosure, then suddenly turned and ran back up to Mary. He repeated the process a few times, before Mary understood what he wanted. "Oh, so you want to play, huh?" she said, and began to chase him around the park. He outpaced her easily, but seemed happy now that he had someone to play with. Mary was having difficulty keeping up; her shoes constricted and hurt her oddly shaped feet terribly, and seemed to be slowing her down. Mary stopped to rub her feet. The dog stopped a short distance away, turned to face Mary, barked, and sat down. He's mocking me, she thought. He doesn't think I'm much of a challenge. She took off her shoes and stretched her feet. "Okay, boy, let's try that again, " said Mary. She ran much quicker without her shoes, but was still no match for the dog. However, she found when she ran on the tips of her toes she could almost keep pace. It didn't take long for Mary's hat to fall off, but she was having so much fun herself, that she didn't bother picking it up.