Everything changed when Janet bought the talking gerbil.

It was on a whim--she loved that word, 'whim'--she followed one lunch hour as she was coming back from cashing and depositing her paycheck at the bank. She thought she'd maybe buy a kitten. Or a parakeet. Something that didn't need to be walked and was unaffected by being alone all day.

She left work a half hour early to return to the pet store and pick one out. It was just the first infraction that led her down the evil path she now unconsciously set out upon.