you ever walk into a general store in the dead of night

it's not a ungodly time of the night, but it's enough to make the single employee glare at you because they have to close up and just want you to hurry up

they peer at you as your eyes trail along the aisles, searching for whatever you need tonight

but the employee bristles as your form unravels, still just barely in their field of sight; your hands, upon grabbing something they can't note, shrink down into paws; your pupils dilate into very narrow slits; and your ears visibly twitch, crawling up your head and turning sharper and sharper.

the last thing they see before you disappear behind the back of the store is your shoe, which is left behind as your furry foot steps out of it, too small to be contained now

at this point they just can't ignore you, and run towards you, only to find a cat next to a pile of clothes and a recently ripped apart cereal box, nibbling on its contents. you meow at the baffled employee.

"meow," you say.

"did you just turn into a cat."

you lick your paw nonchalantly.

"c-can i be a cat, too?" they ask nervously, perfectly aware how this must look on the security cameras. but they're done. they're just absolutely done.

their eyes light up when you nod at them and curl up around their leg, giving them a lick. you know all too well that their wish will be granted. and what a nice wish it was.