Unforseen consequences

The last few days have been exceptionally boring. Nothing noteworthy happened, and Margaux still has to return your ring.

As of now, you are lying on your bed, while Amy is having a shower before going to her only class today, Geography. You and Margaux have already attended yours, and she should meet with you shortly.

Ten minutes after Amy entered the shower, you heard someone knocking on the door.

You hear Margaux's voice from the other side. "Jason"? I'm here." she calls.

You open the door, and you see she has your ring with her. Your mood immediately improves.

"Good, finally." you say, taking it and pocketing it. "What did you find out?"

Margaux enters your room and sits on your bed.

"Two things. The first is that it isn't actually made of bronze, but of copper. I think that Amy's isn't made of silver either. It might be tin or something like that."

"Ok, so they aren't valuable." you say, not really caring. "We weren't going to sell them anyway."

"The second part is more interesting." Margaux says. "Apparently, they were made in the fifteenth century. So they are old, but not ancient."

"What about it?"

"I have a theory." Margaux explains. "What if they are copies? That would explain the side-effects. Maybe there was an original ring, or more than one, and that one allowed the user to seamlessly transform into a woman, then someone tried to make a new one, but did a poor job."

"I don't know, it seems a bit of a stretch to me." you say, doubtful.

"Maybe." She admits. "It's just that I can't think of why someone would want to purposefully give the ring so many drawbacks."

Before you can respond, you hear Amy shrieking from the bathroom.

The scream startles Margaux. "Merde!" she curses under her breath. "What's going on?"

You and Margaux rush into the bathroom.

Amy is standing in front of the mirror, wearing only a towel. She is holding the edges of the sink, hyperventilating. The rythmic rising and falling of her chest makes for a suggestive view, but you do your best to ignore it.

"What am I going to do, Jason?" she says, without turning towards you.

"Amy, what's the problem?" asks Margaux.

Silently, Amy turns around and raises her left hand, where she usually wears the ring. You immediately understand what the problem is.

She is not wearing the ring at all.

"I'm... I'm stuck, Jason" she says, trembling. "I... I don't think I can change back anymore." You see her eyes welling with tears. "I knew this would happen, but I couldn't stop myself. I told myself I would use the ring just one more time, but I couldn't resist using it again, and again, and again, and now..." she says between sobs. "Now I'm stuck as Amy forever."