"Are you okay, Ronnie?" Jodi asked as she came closer to me. "Is that still you in there?"
I wanted to reassure her that I was still me inside this dog body. Unfortunately, I couldn't talk anymore; all I could do was whine.
She petted me. "I'm sure you'll be okay," she said. "Mom and Dad will figure this out."
Maybe they could; but, if they had the answer to me suddenly changing species, you could color me surprised.
"Let's take a picture," Jodi said, "just in case you turn back." She grabbed my phone. "Sit pretty."
I plopped my butt down, and let my mouth hang open. Jodi took my picture.
Just then, I became aware of an urgent biological need. I had to go to the bathroom. Of course, even if I could have put my sheepdog ass onto a toilet seat, my anatomy wouldn't let me do my business without making a mess.
With that in mind, I ran downstairs, and went straight for the back door. There, I was reminded of another problem caused by my transformation: I couldn't open the door and let myself out.
Jodi finally caught up. "What is it, Ronnie?" she asked. Then, she realized where I was. "You want to go out?"
I nodded, grateful that I could at least move my head.
Jodi opened the door, and I ran out to the backyard like a shot. I ran around out there, taking in all the sounds and smells as if I had never been out there before. Finally, my nose led me to a good spot; and, checking to make sure Jodi was keeping an eye on the situation, I squatted down and did what I needed to. With that situation taken care of, I went back inside. Jodi locked the door.
It was getting close to Jodi's bedtime, so she went upstairs. I followed her, making sure that she did everything she was supposed to: take a bath, brush her teeth, and get into her pajamas.
Since I couldn't speak, I couldn't read her a story, so she read it herself. Then, she shooed me out of her room, closed the door, and turned off the light. I wasn't upset by this: if I didn't change back, Mom and Dad would want to know where this dog came from; if I did, they'd want to know why I was sleeping naked in Jodi's room.
I made my way to my room, where I pushed the door at least mostly closed with my nose. Then, I jumped up on my bed, turned around three times, and curled up on top of the sheets.
I heard Mom and Dad come home. They said that the house was as it should be; and they said that Jodi was asleep. Since I didn't come out of my room, they figured I was asleep, too.
They weren't far off. Now that everyone was home, I fell asleep.