>> Part 2 <<

During the summer many years ago, my family came to a lakeside scenic spot to camp and spend the holiday. But you know, I was still in a somewhat rebellious period, so I decided to leave the campsite quietly and went exploring in the woods by myself. After hiking for some minutes along the path, I found that the path ahead was gone. Still, I continued to move forward, curious about what lies ahead.

I don't remember how long it took, but the outline of a small cabin eventually appeared among the shadows of the trees. Though the appearance of that house was shabby, there were no leaves at the door, which probably implied that it was occupied. I went around the house trying to see what was inside, but without warning, I bumped into a strange man.

I swear I didn't hear any footsteps. That guy just suddenly appeared in front of me. He was wearing a black robe with a pouch on his belt. I could tell from the expression on his face that he was a bit annoyed.

“Where did this little brat come from? How rude. You have ruined my garden.” He said.

The man pointed behind me. I turned around and saw some flowers and plants blooming in the place I tramped just now, but I wasn’t aware at all.

I was so scared that I couldn't make a sound for a second.

“Umm… I can explain this…”

“It seems that you deserve a little punishment.” The man interrupted me.

He paused for a few seconds and finally seemed to have a good idea.

“Let's say, what kind of animal do you like?” He said with a smile.

I was confused, not knowing why he would ask such a question. But for some reason, as if being lured by his words, I told him my genuine thought without a doubt.

“Horses. I like the feeling of riding a horse.”

The man smiled. He began to search in the pouch on his belt and then pulled out a tiny glass bottle, which was filled with some strange powder. I watched him pouring the powder on his hand, muttering some inaudible words, and finally… reaching out to sprinkle the powder on me.

I instinctively wanted to back up, but my legs were suddenly frozen, making me fall to the ground. The sprinkled powder shined in the air and surrounded my body. No matter how hard I tried to fan it, it would not go away. I started to notice something weird happening to my body. My stomach began to churn, my pelvis felt sore, and my toes felt a bit numb.

I lifted off my top, only to see two lumps appearing on my lower abdomen, and the bones inside seemed to be growing fast. I took off the shoes and found that my toes had completely fused into a single black chunk that I recognized as the shape of a hoof. Besides my toes, my calves and thighs are also changing shape.

The lumps on the lower abdomen grew longer and soon became new limbs. I could already recognize what it was: another pair of hooves. Forced by the change in balance, I had to lie prone on the ground so that both pairs of hooves could touch the ground. And when I did so, my pelvis started to move back, my hips got thicker, and the change instantly destroyed my shorts. The newly born forelimbs began to move down from the lower abdomen, coming close to the original position of my human legs.

As the pelvis kept moving backward, my front and hind legs became farther apart, and it seemed like ribs and organs were growing inside the newly formed body cavity. As all four legs were fully developed, I gained control over my new body parts and tried to stand up.

Although some parts of my body were still undergoing drastic changes, I could already recognize what I had become: the upper body of a human and the lower body of a horse. I had become a centaur.

I watched my lower body gradually being covered by brown hair. Strangely, there was no trace of fear in my heart. The man, who had been quietly watching my body transform all this time, approached. He put his hand on my forehead and whispered,

“Hope this will teach you some manners. Now, go to sleep.”

My consciousness plunged into darkness.