There was a new bartender on for the day shift and I told him my room number and gave him four gold pieces. He gave me back my bags and coat which I p...ut on and followed Carlos outside. Like most roadhouses it was designed to see to the needs of travelers like me. Ramshackle buildings grouped together looking like a mining town from centuries ago. This one had stood a bit longer than others and children romanced about in the early light before going to whatever makeshift school hid amongst the. Although she had never even thought of a collar -- and she did think of it as her collar -- it was absolutely perfect. She loved the idea of publicly flaunting her submission, yes that was the word, flaunt. She reveled in it, couldn't wait to show it off. So what if nobody else knew what the little black band meant? She did and that was enough.By the time they reached the restaurant she was ready to prance and preen for her master, the perfect trophy attesting to his manliness. He gave the keys. ”All the way back home, Dad talked to me about driving and girls. Specifically, he made two very definite points. “Grim, you get caught driving drunk, don’t even bother calling home. You’ll be safer in jail.” That was the first thing he told me, along with a few frills and extras. The second point was, “Whatever you have going on with Kelly, you behave yourself. She’s a nice girl. Don’t you ever - ever! - do something with her that you would be ashamed to tell your mother. Is that understood?”I. .. a unicorn. He turned into a huge white unicorn with a sharp looking horn growing right out of his forehead. And though he resembled a horse slightly when he was like that, there was no mistaking that he wasn't... even ignoring the horn. Letting out a sigh, I knew that it would be extremely unlikely that I'd turn into something cool like either of my folks. I'd probably turn into a Weremouse or something instead, though my Mom always told me that it was safer that way. She and Dad always.