A girl I knew had a bull. A boy asked her to let it out of its pen, which she did. Nothing happened.

Later the same boy asked me to let the bull out. The other girl had, so I figured it would be all right if I let it out, too. The bull ran out and chased the boy up several sets of steps to a platform. Second guessing myself and feeling guilty, I wondered if the platform could support the bull’s weight.

I heard a cry.

The girl found out what I’d done and became angry. I was frightened. I’d seen crows and vultures collecting around the sides of the structure but not at the top.

I went up, dreading what I’d find. The bull was gone. The boy was there, but now he was a girl (and had always been a girl). She was pale and walked down the steps painfully as though horribly injured where I couldn’t see, but said she was fine. Again I agonized over what I’d done and why it was wrong when the bull’s owner had done the same thing with no harm.