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Andy slipped into a dark corner behind the bleachers, waiting for the last of the noisy crowd to exit the tent. He pressed against the worn canvas as a group of kids from school passed by, but none of them even glanced towards the shadows where he was hiding. He remained still long after the last of the audience has exited, tensing when one of the clowns came back in and gave a quick look around before leaving again. A few minutes later the bare light bulbs that illuminated 'Sandersons' Big Top' went out.

He breathed a sigh of relief, and moved as quietly as he could towards the back flap of the tent. This was the place the performers entered and exited, and just beyond it was the 'Hall of Wonders' tent - referred to by less politically correct patrons as 'The Freak Show.' He risked a peek between the flaps. The area behind the big top was dark, and as he watched, the lights for the Hall of Wonders went out as well, plunging him into near total darkness.

Man, his parents would read him the riot act when he got home for staying out so late. The momentary guilt was replaced by a surge of annoyance. Dammit, he was 14 years old and not some baby who had to come in when it got dark. The problem was made worse by the fact he was what grownups called a 'late bloomer.' Where most of his friends had shot up as much as a foot the past couple of years, Andy remained as small and skinny as he had been when he was 12. He could sit down in a damned 5th-grade class and fit right in.

Maybe not after tonight, though. He stuck his head out and made sure no one was around, then made his way to the Hall of Wonders tent. The flaps here were also closed, but there was light coming from inside. He heard movement, snorts and bellows, but no voices. Taking a deep breath, he slid through the opening sideways.

The booth for the bearded lady was empty, as was the fake cage for the dog-faced boy. Probably gone back to their trailers or tents or wherever they slept. No matter - Andy was only interested in the big wooden stall that took up the back half of the tent. The banner over it was faded, but still proclaimed 'The Mighty Minotaur - Terror of Thebes.'

Several large shapes moved within the enclosure. One was a cow, solid lack, but otherwise no different from dairy cows he'd seen in pictures. However, the other occupant was much more than a black bull. It stood 8 feet tall, a perfect blend of human and bovine, muscled like a weightlifter under the glossy dark hide, and standing on huge cloven hooves. Just as the sign proclaimed - the Mighty Minotaur.

He stared from his hiding spot on the side, watching through the openings in the pen. How could anyone think this was a costume, some kind of special effects? There was no doubt the horns, hooves, hide, and especially the huge liquid brown eyes were absolutely real. And the odors were real as well - the heavy stink of cattle, but underneath that a strong male musk. Since the minotaur wore no clothing, its maleness was on spectacular display. Again, obviously real, yet everyone else chuckled about the anatomically correct costume.

It was ironic in a way. Andy had been reluctant to go to the run-down looking carnival and circus, even though little else happened in his dreary small town. He knew it would all be fake, tricks and smoke to steal away his cash. But it was also a chance to do something on his own. So he'd come planning to be tricked, and been amazed instead. Oh, there were still plenty of smoke and mirrors, but when he saw the minotaur, it was suddenly all worth it.

As other spectators pointed and laughed and made crude comments, Andy had simply stared in awe. Even when the massive beast had mounted the cow and sent all but a few leering men scurrying from the tent, he had remained unnoticed in the back, eyes wide and heart pounding. When the rough, bestial sex was done, the men left, but Andy remained. And that was when the minotaur had locked eyes with him.

There were no words to describe what had happened then. Andy simply knew the beast was real, incredibly old and powerful, a massive force of nature. He felt its strength, the mass and sense of weight, and a sense of dull contentment that was appealing. It was the biggest and strongest, and it knew it. Total satisfaction.

Curiously, Andy also was aware that the minotaur knew all about him - his school grades, interest in astronomy, fears, frustrations, and most of all, his dreams. Those eyes promised him power, strength, mass, the absolute contentment it radiated. And then the next group had come in and shattered the connection. Andy had remained in the back, palms sweating and cheeks flushed as more spectators laughed and pointed. And in the short breaks between the following crowds, he had once again shared that direct connection, that bonding, that... promise?

That was why Andy had stayed back when the carnival began to close, hiding in the shadows as people left the grounds and lights dimmed. He had to be alone with the minotaur, to complete the connection, to see if what he imagined was real. Taking another deep breath, he stepped out from the shadows and stood facing the beast.

It showed no surprise - probably the minotaur had always known where he was. The huge eyes regarded him calmly, jaw working absently. Chewing cud, Andy realized. Yet it still radiated an aura of power and danger. But no threat to Andy. It was watching and waiting for Andy. To do what?

The enclosure was built of heavy timber, open enough to allow easy viewing. Being small and skinny had its advantages, and in a minute Andy was through the rails and standing inside. His heart was pounding with a combination of excitement and fear, but he moved slowly towards the massive creature, staring up into those hypnotizing eyes. When he was directly in front of the beast, almost touching, he stopped. Massive, three-fingered hands raised then and were placed on either side of his head. The minotaur could crush his skull like an egg, but instead they traced the contours of his head gently, the slid down his neck, over his shoulders, and down his arms.

Andy felt a curious tickling sensation, but could not tear his eyes away from the minotaur's. Even when he felt the hard, hoof-like digits directly against skin that should have been covered with his T-shirt and jeans, the boy simply realized his clothing was gone and accepted it. The connection was too strong to break, becoming even more intense. That compelling sense of contentment flowed from the minotaur into Andy's brain, replacing fear with a curiously detached calm.

Thick fingers returned to ruffle his hair, and then broad palms pressed against his forehead. There was pressure but no pain as he felt his skull begin to give. It wasn't breaking - the bone was becoming like clay, reshaped and thickened by his bovine sculptor. Andy was aware of things happening inside his brain, which shrank within the smaller confines. Things he had learned in school were fading, 7th grade gone, then 6th. Memories of his life remained intact, but the knowledge of numbers, reading, science was all being squeezed out. Andy did not care, for at the same time, he felt himself get bigger.

The ground pressed against his feet, and those huge brown eyes got closer to his as he got taller, heavier. His chest had been level with the beast's crotch before, now it slid slowly up the black-furred belly. Muscles pulled and twisted over bones that grew thicker and longer. The coarse finger pulled at his jaw, drawing it out into a muzzle, then slid back around to the sides. Andy's head widened, swelled, vision changing as his eyes moved further apart and his nose broadened.

Yet Andy maintained the visual connection. There was no choice involved any more. His will had been surrendered totally to the minotaur, given freely and permanently. Language was gone, all concepts of symbols lost. Thoughts were getting simpler, more concrete. Andy was no longer a boy, no longer human. Some fading awareness of self wondered at the growing numbness of hands and feet, the shift of balance that had him relying more on the minotaur for support. However, the abstract thoughts were too much for his dimming intelligence, and he simply accepted the sensations.

He was huge and heavy now, leaning heavily against the minotaur. More muscle twinges rippled up his back and down his legs and arms, and the minotaur stepped back to lower him to all fours. As he took weight on his numb hands, the visual connection with the minotaur was broken.

Andy felt a sudden confusion as the overpowering sense of contentment relented briefly. He had been a boy, a human. He had known things, known other humans, lived a life. But there were no memories left to fill in the gaps, no knowledge left, except that he had the promised mass and strength. The minotaur rubbed his head, its male musk getting stronger, and odd, pleasant sensations starting to make Andy's rump feel slick and hot.

Instincts rather than knowledge told Andy he... no, she, was in heat. The cow sniffed at him and bellowed softly, nudging his muzzle with hers. She had a comfortable scent, one that matched Andy's. A cow. A female for the minotaur. The realization was easy and caused no concern or regret. She shifted and moved a few steps forward, then lifted her tail and pissed in front of the male. The male moved behind her, snorting in anticipation as she lowered her head in submission. The cow bellowed as the minotaur thrust in, washing away any last traces of sentience with a flood of animal lust, need, and instincts. The cow was powerful, strong, massive, and content as any of her kind. The promise had been kept.

The End