15 A Special Mission Thursday, 24 December 2019 (2/2)

The five white candles glowed, and their wicks were ablaze with green flames. Leslie paused, inhaled, exhaled, then opened her eyes to place Apollo's bandana at the center of the pentacle. She continued to recite:

~Deities from the North, from the South, from the East, from the West,

In our quest to follow the banshee's scent,

Transform thy human flesh;

Grant him the greatest sense

To smell the banshee's blood and flesh,

To smell the air the banshee breathes,

Transform thy human flesh.

Bestow upon him paws and claws,

Bestow upon him fur,

Bestow upon him the gift of smell to track the banshee's scent.~

Leslie recited the spell thrice and once done; she opened her eyes. ”We're done. You can open your eyes.”

Gab opened his eyes, only to see Apollo who was nothing like the dog they desired him to be; he was still the same. He sighed. ”It didn't work.”

Apollo looked at both of them with a sad face.

”Look at your hands,” said Leslie.

Apollo did as he was told and was surprised to see his hands transforming. Gab looked astounded to see him change right before his eyes. ”Holy shit. It's really happening!”

Leslie smiled triumphantly as Apollo completed his transformation in the form of a dachshund. ”Well? Shall we start with our special mission before Christmas?”

They petted Apollo. Leslie put the bandana in a loose knot around his neck. Gab was giggling to himself. ”He's so cute. He's never been this cute. Out of all the awesome police dogs I've seen, you turned him into a wiener dog.” He laughed.

”He was transformed into what's suited for his mission. A dachshund has excellent sense of smell. Don't underestimate him. And don't call him a wiener dog, he's a hero today.” Leslie responded with enthusiasm.

Apollo felt strange, like he wasn't himself. And he wasn't. He was a dachshund. He could've been a German shepherd, a bloodhound, or a rottweiler, but he turned into a short-legged hunter from Germany. Although there was a teeny-weeny bit of disappointment in him, he was grateful to transform into Betha's hero. And it was time to save his banshee.

”Remember to make sure you find Betha before 12 midnight. It's seven sharp right now. We won't go with you because we won't be able to keep up and we have limited time. This is very critical for you, Apollo. I know you can understand me behind your identity as a dachshund, so I am saying this again. If you won't be able to find Betha before midnight, you're going to stay a dog forever. And we don't want that to happen. So, hurry now and go. We'll wait for you here.” Leslie explained as she stroke his head.

Apollo's short legs started running up the stairs though he struggled climbing, so Gab gave him a hand. Once he reached the living room, Leslie opened the door for him, and he galloped out of the house. ”I'm coming, Betha.” He thought and gave out an excited smile.

A man with muscular built in sporty outfit was jogging under the evening moonlight when he saw a smiling dachshund went pass him. His eyes followed the cute little wiener dog with a confused look on his face. ”I swear I've never seen a dog smile like that.”