The Carnival part 2

by Louder?

Janie stepped back out of the bathroom as the splashed water began to pool and spread across the tiled floor. She had put way too much of the liquid into the bathtub: only a few moments had turned her 17-year-old sister into a 6-year-old!

'Come on, Susie, you've got to get out now!' said Carla.

'Don't wanna!' said the little girl. Carla finally managed to pull the child out of the tub, but not before she had kicked more water on her.

'Oof!' said Carla. She got a towel and started drying Susan off. 'What happened to you? Why did you get so young?'

Janie smiled to herself; the six-year-old gave her mother a blank stare as though she didn't understand the question. Janie noticed that the little girl that had been her sister minutes before had already gotten a little smaller before Carla had dried her completely.

Then Janie realized that her mother was still soaking wet, even as she was wrapping a towel around Susan. Carla was too busy fussing to notice, but she was getting younger! Carla was no longer a 39-year-old woman, but now was in her earlier thirties, more like 34!

'Mom, you're all wet!' said Janie.

Carla looked down at her wet clothes, and at the water in the tub. She got up from Susan and looked at herself in the mirror. 'Yes, I am.' She didn't seem to connect the danger of the potent water to herself.

'Mommm! You're getting younger, just like Susan!' said Janie. Carla was now 30. Her wet shirt clung to her, revealing how her stomach was flattening out and her hips were narrowing slightly, making it look like she needed to tighten her belt a notch.

'What are you saying, Janie? I'm as old as I always was.'

Janie remembered how the mystic old woman had told her that the spell on the potion would keep Susan unaware of the change. 'Mom! You need to dry off, now! Susie's just fine, she stopped getting younger.'

'But...' The 28-year-old Carla was surprised to hear such insistance from her daughter about such a trivial thing. Most of the lines in her face were rapidly disappearing and her wet pants were now loose by about a notch and a half.

'Mom, take my word for it, you need to dry off now before your hair dries all messy! I'll watch Susie!' insisted Janie.

'Well, fine, I'll do it if you say so,' said Carla. 'Stay here, sweetie, okay?' She smooched the five-year-old Susan on the forehead. Janie was amazed at the transformation as she watched her youthening mother leave the bathroom getting steadily younger.

Carla wondered why Janie had told her to dry her hair; maybe company was coming over and she had forgotten about it. The 25-year-old went to her own bathroom that connected to her and Sam's bedroom.

Carla plugged in the hairdrier and ran it over her hair repeatedly. Oh, great, she thought to herself, my pants are all loose. She pulled the belt on her jeans tighter and slipped her feet out of her wet shoes.

Janie waitied in her parent's bedroom, wondering whether she should watch her mother or not. She liked the idea of being the older sister for once and not dealing with the constant annoyance of Susan's competition, but this was too much! She peeped around the corner to her parent's bedroom, dreading the worst.

Carla finished drying her hair, 'finally!' she thought to herself. She laughed and put it away, pulling at the much-oversized shirt that still clung to her.

'Oh, well, I guess this can dry out on its own,' she said out loud.

Janie's heart jumped in her chest when she heard that. She looked into the bathroom. It was an amazing shock to see her mother looking not much older than Susan had an hour earlier! Her shirt was two inches below the waistline and her pantslegs had reached her feet. Her wet socks were wrinkled slightly; Carla was much skinnier, too, but was such a knockout that 17-year-old Susan would have had a hard time competing with her!

'MOM!' said Janie.

The youthening woman looked startled at the outburst, and confused.

'Er, I mean...Carla, your clothes are all wet. You need to change them, now!'

'All right, all right,' said the 19-year-old, swiftly becoming an 18-year-old. As if they were in a high school locker room, Carla dropped her too-loose pants with no regard for Janie. She stepped into the bedroom and opened one of the drawers from her clothes dresser. 'Ugh!' she said. 'Everything's all baggy!'

'Come on, come on, just hurry up with it!' pestered Janie. She was beginning to worry that the only way to get her mother--Carla--out of her dangerously wet clothes was for her to regress to another 5-year-old!

'Jeez, alright already,' said the teenager. Her softened face was getting even softer, and her nose was beginning to get slightly upturned. She pulled off her shirt. Underneath her bra was hanging loosely from its straps, no longer supporting spongy mammaries, but enclosing pert teenage breasts. She took that off as well, and her underwear slid down her legs and around her ankles.

Janie was totally shocked; her nude 17-year-old ex-mother seemed oblivious to her presense. She noted with alarm that there was a glisening residue of the bathtub-of-youth water on Carla's body. Carla dwindled even more until she was only 16 years old! But fortunately what remained of the moisture evaporated and she finally stopped getting younger.

'Oh, jeez,' said Carla--Janie could no longer think of this girl as her mother--as she shuffled through the clothes drawers. 'Nothing here that fits me. Maybe I could borrow some of Susan's stuff? I mean, it's not like she's gonna use it now.'

Janie could only nod in silence. She watched the beautiful nude girl exit what had once been her mother's bedroom and walk into Susan's room. Janie followed.

Inside Susan's room, the little 5-year-old sat sleeping in a corner, still covered only in a towel. Carla quickly riffled through the drawers and got dressed.

'Uhh, Carla,' said Janie. 'I...um...what are we going to do now?'

'I don't know,' said Carla, putting on one of Susan's jackets. 'I guess we can tell Sam when he gets home; he'll think of something. Susie's just fine and safe sleeping here.'

'I guess so,' said Janie.

'In that case, let's go to the mall like we planned. Come on, I'll drive!'

The Carnival Part 3

by

The two girls drove to the mall. Carla seemed very excited. The spell that the mystic had placed on the potion had worked well. Other than what Janie had told her about what had happened, Carla didn't seem to remember or be bothered by it at all.

Upon arriving at the mall, Carla headed straight for her favorite clothing store. Once inside she went to the 'Junior's' section. 'You should find yourself something to. Here, Janie, this skirt would look nice on you!'

Janie looked at the extremely short skirt Carla was holding. It was much shorter than anything the 'old' Carla would ever had approved of! Carla quickly found a similiarly short skirt for herself. She then moved on to the tops. In short time she had picked out a very sexy and revealing summer outfit. The two girls went into the dressing rooms to try on the outfits.

Both girls walked out of the rooms so that the other could see how the clothes looked and fit.

Janie was shocked to see that Carla looked beautiful! Even more so than Susan she thought! Carla's long toned legs and full chest made Janie feel even more immature. Janie's felt scrawny compared to Carla.

'What are you staring at? Doesn't this outfit look OK?' Carla asked.

'Oh, sorry! Yeah it looks great.... It's you.... I mean your waist is so tiny! And...everything! Wow!' Janie stammered still stunned by Carla's looks.

'Thank you! I try to work-out whenever possible'

Janie hadn't known Carla to ever really work-out except for maybe taking walks around their neighborhood.

They purchased the clothing on one of Carla's credit cards and stuffed their old clothing into a couple of sacks.

Carla bounced out of the store and headed toward the arcade, spinning as she walked. Janie followed.

'Where are you going?' she asked Carla.

'I saw some really cute guys head in there. I thought I'd see if I could get them to notice me....ummmm us!'

Janie didn't know what to say. Had she forgot that she was married? Janie followed and they entered the arcade. Janie saw the boys that Carla was following. They 'are' cute she thought to herself.

'C'mon, I'll show you how it's done, sis!' Carla said.

'Sis? Maybe it's just an expression' Janie wondered.

Carla walked by the boys gathered around one of the machines and managed to brush up against one of them. 'Oooh Sorry' she purred as her breasts lightly rubbed the teens arm.

He turned around to face her and his eyes immediately fell to her chest. 'Ummmm No prob...anytime!' he answered.

Soon, the other boys were all gawking at the new beauty in town. Janie watched as they all gathered around Carla and never even paid any attention to her!

'She's a bigger flirt than Susan ever was!' Worse still was the fact that she was more than a little attracted to one of the boys. She had seen him around and knew him from his exploits on the local high school baseball team. The more Carla kept talking the less anyone seemed to notice that Janie was even there! She continued fuming! Finally, she excused herself and left the group. Carla barely acknowledged her as she walked away.

'This is no good' thought Janie 'she's even worse!' Janie decided she needed to 'even' things a bit more. She ordered a couple of Cokes from the refreshment stand. Making sure no one was looking, she put a drop of the potion into one of the cokes. 'I don't want to make her too little...just straighten her curves a bit'. She looked around again and put another drop in the cola and then stirred it with the straw. She then went back to the group.

'Here, Carla, I got you a soda pop' she said handing the special cola to Carla

'Thanks, kiddo' Carla said as she took the beverage.

She immediately began sucking on the straw. Janie wasn't sure how young such a small amount of the potion would make her.

'We better go Carla...' Janie told her.

Carla kept talking the boys. She even gave one of the boys her phone number!

'C'mon Carla!' Janie implored of her as she watched for any changes that might start ocurring. The first thing that she saw was the way Carla was chewing her gum. At first she had been discrete but now she was chewing it and popping it as she talked.

'We gotta go! C'mon!' Janie said as she grabbed her hand and started pulling.

'I guess I gotta go...' Carla told the group of boys 'Don't forget to call me....'

'Like, what is your problem Janie?' Carla asked once they were out of ear shot of the boys.

'We just need to get home. Susan is there by herself! We shouldn't leave her alone like that for very long!'

That seemed to satisfy Carla and they headed toward the car. Carla hopped in the driver's seat but this time she was much more careful. She adjusted the mirrors and double checked that nothing was coming. Janie wasn't sure but she thought Carla's top didn't look as full as it did earlier. Carla backed out and they slowly rolled out of the parking lot.

After driving a few blocks Carla made an announcement 'I don't know if I should be doing this....'

'What? We're just driving home?'

'Yeah, but I only have a learner's permit. I supposed to have an adult with me when I drive!'

Janie looked at her more closely. Carla's top was definitely not as full. She also had a few freckles covering the bridge of her nose and she looked a little skinnier!

'Just hurry...It'll be OK' Janie answered starting to wonder if Carla would regress past the point of knowing how to drive before they got home!

'Ummmmm this is scary.... I've never driven on a real road with other cars and stuff before! I'm not sure if I know how....I'm really scared' The car started slowing.

Janie could see that Carla was no more than 15 now. She didn't appear to be much more developed than Janie. Her clothes were loose and the freckles were spreading!

'I'm going to pull over....' She said as she swerved into a parking lot 'We'll get in a bunch of trouble!'

Janie knew that they were only a few blocks from home but she could see that Carla wasn't going to get them there! After only a few moments Carla looked to be only about 12. The freckles were now darker and her body was getting straight and flat. Janie grabbed the keys and opened the trunk to retrieve their old clothes that were still in the sacks from the store. When Janie shut the trunk she could see only the top of Carla's head through the back glass. She ran around to the driver's door and opened it. Carla was now about 8 or 9 and only her toes were touching the floor. Her clothes just hung on her. Janie wiped the makeup off of Carla's face. Janie put the jacket on Carla. It was now too large but served it's purpose.

'OK, We gotta get you back to the house' Janie told her as she pulled her out of the car.

Carla had to hop down out of the seat. Her shoes stayed behind. The skirt that she had picked out earlier now fell to the ground as she straightened up. The jacket was big enought to cover her properly though.

'Let's go...' Janie said as she started running. Little Carla tried to keep up but her shorter legs wouldn't allow her to stay with the older girl. Janie slowed and took her hand. By the time that they reached their house Carla was only about 5 years old. Once inside they saw Susan sitting on the floor playing a videogame. She had found a T-shirt and was wearing only that.

Janie wondered what she would say! Would she wonder what was going on? Much to her surprise, Carla ran toward Susan 'I wanna pway too!'

'OK, but we have to take turns, Carl-wa' Susan answered.

Apparently the spell had taken care of it! The two children seemed to already know each other and neither thought anything was strange. Janie found another T-shirt for Carla and then left them to play. They looked like twins! After tiring of the video games they went out back to play in the sand and swing on the swing set. They looked to be enjoying themselves and seemed to have boundless energies.

Janie heard the phone and answered it. It was one of the boys from the mall calling for Carla. 'Ummm Carla can't talk...she is with a friend.... a real good friend... A boyfriend? Yes, she has a boyfirend!.... The carnival, tonight? Ummmmm I don't think her boyfriend would like her dating anyone. He's kinda jealous. She's kinda a flirt....... I was with her today.....yes, that was me.......No, I'm not dating anyone...... sure, I'd love to go..... 6:30 would be fine!..... Ok, I'll see you then!' She hung up the phone 'YES!!!!!! A DATE!!!!! I have a DATE!!!'

She peered out the back window at the two little girls playing in the yard. 'Not the way I had it planned, but it is working out perfectly anyway!' she thought to herself.

Just then a car pulled into the driveway. It was Sam, her father!

.........

To be continued.....

The Carnival Part 4

by J.P.

'Maybe it's not as good as I planned!' thought Janie. Her father was supposed to be working today, and it was only lunchtime. Why was he home so early? Janie panicked for a moment, wondering whether she should tell him the truth or make something up. She went out into the junk-filled garage where he was entering.

'Hi, Dad!' said Janie, trying not to look nervous. 'Why are you home so early?'

The balding man had a dejected look on his face. 'Pumpkin, I ... oh, what's the point of euphemism? I got laid off!' He tossed his briefcase onto a pile of magazines carelessly. 'If only I had ...' He muttered to himself for a moment. Janie had heard him complaining before about his rapid loss of hair. 'I need to talk to Mom, Janie, where is she?'

Janie realized that her mother's car was still two blocks down the street. 'Um, she and Susan went to the carnival, Dad. I don't know when they said they'd be back.' She walked with him into the kitchen.

'So why'd you stay behind?' said her father. He loosened his tie slightly. One of the little girls in the backyard, Carla, ran shrieking into the house, pursued by little Susie who had armed herself with a water pistol.

'I gotcha! I gotcha!' she said as they chased each other around the table, then back outside.

'I see,' said Sam. 'They left you to babysit while they took off.'

'Yeah, that's right,' said Janie, thanking God that her father had made up a story for her. 'I, uhh, think these are some neighbor's kids or something. Mom didn't say when she'd pick them back up, maybe later this evening. She was looking forward to spending some time at the carnival.'

'Without me?'

'Well, she thought that you'd be working today and tonight on that deal--' Janie stopped herself before she made the situation worse. Her father walked into the living room and slouched on the couch, rubbing his forehead.

'Dad,' she ventured, 'I have a sort of meeting-up with some friends of mine at the carnival tonight, too, and I was kind of wondering...'

'Great,' he said. His hand blundered over to the remote and turned on the television. 'You want some money for the carnival, right?' He took out his wallet and gave her a twenty. 'Don't spend it all in one place.'

Janie wanted to ask him if he would drive, but she decided to leave him alone. This day was turning out to be a roller coaster of highs and lows. Hopefully her date--a DATE! she thought to herself--would change everything. And when she went to the carnival she would ask the Gypsy-looking woman if she had something to make Carla grow up into her mother again, but not Susan!

She decided to call her next-door neighbor Roxy Norton and see if she wanted to go to the carnival. Roxy had an older brother, Martin, who took her places when Susan couldn't. She dialed her up and asked her mother to speak to Roxy.

'mmmm. Hi?' came the sleepy voice of Roxy. She liked to sleep in during summer vacation. Her record was sleeping in past one-o'clock! Janie told her what she had told her father. Roxy thought it was a good idea, and after a few moments of silence on the phone, said that Martin agreed to take them both later, at three o'clock, because he had to go home temporarily. Then he'd find them later and take them home whenever they wanted.

'Great! see you at three!' said Janie, then hung up the phone. She giggled to herself for finally getting a date and not worrying about Susan (or Carla) getting in the way!

The five-year-olds came into the house and complained about being hungry. Janie didn't have much time, so she made them and herself some peanut butter sandwiches. She offered one to her father, but he declined, still flipping channels on the television.

Janie spent nearly an hour deciding what to wear. She finally settled on something casual, shorts and a bright tank top, because she didn't want to dirty up her nicer dresses at the carnival. She went into the bathroom to wash her face. Drying it off, she noticed the bathtub, still full of the water that had turned Susie into a little girl and ended her problems.

'Well, bathtub-of-youth, I'm glad you helped me out, but I guess I'd better drain you.' She reached into the murky water to pull out the plug. After only a few seconds of being unable to find it, she exclaimed 'What am I doing?!?' She jerked her arm out of the water and began furiously scrubbing her arm dry with a towel. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. 'Am I getting younger?' she worried. She looked the same to herself in the mirror. Of course she did, the Gypsie's spell would keep her from thinking she was a different age! She inspected her clothing. It was hard to tell with the casual shorts, but they weren't loose at all. She breathed an audible sigh of relief. 'Must have only taken a few weeks off me.'

By the time she was done, it was almost time for her to go to Roxy's and take a trip to the carnival. She came back into the living room, where her father was watching a commercial for Rogaine with a pained expression on his face. She felt incredibly sorry for him. Then she had an idea.

'Dad? You want a beer or something?' she offered.

'Oh, a beer would be nice,' he said. Janie went into the kitchen and retrieved a beer bottle. Removing the cap, she put a single drop of the potion into the beer. 'Just a little younger,' she thought to herself. Two drops had made Carla eleven years younger, 'so one drop will make him five and a half years younger,' she guessed, back when he had hair. That will make him happy.

She gave her father his beer, and he began to sip from it. Janie wanted to watch him get younger, but it was time to go. 'Bye, Dad, I'll be seeing you!' she said, (hopfully happier!) Sam waved back to her non-commitedly. The last thing she saw before she left was Susan chasing Carla with the squirt gun again.

Waiting at Martin's car was Martin and Roxy. Roxy's white shirt and skirt stood out against her chocolate-brown skin, but Martin hardly looked like he was in a position to walk, let alone drive. He was the only person who slept in even later than Roxy! Janie greeted her friends and got into the back seat, but to her surprise, Roxy took the wheel!

'Roxy?' asked Janie. 'I thought Martin was going to drive.'

'Hey, I'm almost sixteen, give me a break!' said Roxy. 'I've got to learn how to do this some time.' She started the car and checked everywhere for oncoming cars. She backed the car out very, very slowly.

'That's good, Roxy,' said Martin, suppressing a yawn, 'but you might want to try it a little faster next time.'

'Hey, I'm being careful!' retorted Roxy. 'It's all these other jerks on the road who drive fast!'

Oh, man, thought Janie. This is going to be a looong ride...

---

to be continued! I'm going to write the next part, too.

The Carnival, Part 5

by Mysterio

Sam sipped his beer after Janie left to go the carnival. He was beginning to enjoy wallowing in his own misery. The five-year-olds clad only in oversize t-shirts came running through the room again. He was suddenly interested in who they were. As he got up he tugged at his belt, for his pants had gotten a little loose.

'Hey, you there!' said Sam to one of the lingering kids. She came up to him. 'What's your name, little girl?'

She giggled. 'Silly, I'm Susie! Susie!' She gave a little scream of laughter as Carla squirted her with the water pistol again. 'Ooo, I'm gonna getcha for that, Carl-wa!' She ran after her sniper who escaped squealing.

'Carla? Susie?' wondered Sam. He scratched his full head of hair. The 28-year-old man started to walk after them when he noticed his pants were loose again. Cinching up his belt, he took his half-empty beer bottle with him into the backyard.

---

Due to her inexperience, Roxy had gotten them late to the carnival. She had taken the wrong roads again and again, and eventually Martin took over and they got to the carnival by 4:30. Martin was so late for whatever it was he needed to do back home that he dropped them off and sped away with few words.

Roxy was embarassed beyond belief. She couldn't stop apologizing to Janie.

'That's okay, Roxy, it's just your first time on the road...'

'No it's not! I've been on the road like five times!'

'Whatever,' said Janie. She really hadn't planned on coming to the carnival this early before her date anyway, but she still had time to see the gypsy woman. She suggested to Roxy that they split up and meet again at the Merry-go-round at six.

Once separated from Roxy, Janie rushed to the gypsy, so she could get her problems fixed right away. The matronly woman was still in her booth, handing a fortune cookie to a customer.

'I guarantee you'll like what's in there,' she said to the man. With a doubtful expression on his face, the customer left and Janie stepped up.

'Oh, hello again deary! How are you doing? Is your sister no longer a problem?'

'No, she's not a problem,' said Janie. 'In fact, I have a DATE, thanks to you!'

'That's wonderful!' crooned the other. 'So you just came by to thank me?'

'Actually, no,' said Janie, her face flushing red. 'You see, I put some of the potion into the bath, and when Susie, my sister, went in, she got younger, much younger, really quickly. I called my mom, Carla, and she pulled Susie out, but Susie was just a little kid, like five, and she splashed water all over my mom.'

'So your mother's feeling her oats, is she?' laughed the mystic. 'How young is she now? Thirties? Twenties?'

Janie shook her head. 'She was getting young too fast. I had to keep yelling at her to take off her clothes and dry off. She turned into a 16-year-old!'

'16? That's odd,' mused the woman. 'How much of the potion did you put into the bathtub?'

'About half, plus a couple of drops.'

'Strange,' said the woman. 'That's an unusually potent mixture for only half a vial. Ordinarily it works slowly enough in a full bathtub for the person to just wear their wet clothes and only get 10 years younger! Do you still have the vial? Let me see it.'

She took the vial from Janie and examined it. 'Why, this is far more potent than it should be! More than twice! I wonder who's responsible for that. I'm glad you came to me to talk about this. Did you use the potion for anything else?' She handed the vial back.

'Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you,' said Janie. 'Carla and I went to the mall to see some boys, and she...welllll, she was even *worse* than Susan was! I couldn't stand it! I put some potion in her drink and now she's five years old, too!'

'Oh, good grief!' said the mystic. 'That just won't do.' She got out of her booth and hung up an 'EXHIBIT CLOSED' sign. 'I'm going to have to fix this one myself. Come on, you're coming with me!' She grabbed Janie by the arm and pulled her along.

'But--what about--'

'Your date can wait. I'm going to drive. Oh, I'm Zelda, by the way. Now, are you *sure* that's all you used the potion on?'

Janie started to feel her ears burn with embarrassment again.

Roxy wandered around the carnival, taking in sights from the various rustic attractions. She saw one that looked like fun, a funhouse. She hadn't been in one of those in a long time. A strange man walked up to her.

'So, you were interested in the Funhouse?' he said. 'Bored?'

'Well, not here!' said Roxy. 'But, yeah, summer vacation is kinda boring. I wish more interesting stuff happened all the time.'

'Oh, making life interesting and funny is what we carnies do best!' laughed the man. 'In fact, I specialize in playing tricks on people.'

'Oh, really?' said Roxy. 'I like to play pranks on people, too! It gets so boring around the neighborhood that I like to shake things up a bit. Last week I tricked my brother into thinking his girlfriend dumped him. Then she showed up the next day, wondering why he hadn't prepared for their date! It was hilarious!'

'Oh, you are a feisty one! I like that,' said the man. 'Why don't you enter the Funhouse? It will teach you all you want to know about mischief.'

'Sure!' said Roxy, not quite sure what that meant but liking the sound of it. She paid the ticket and entered the spooky-looking door shaped like a clown's mouth.

------

It didn't take nearly as long for Zelda to drive Janie home as it had for Roxy, even with Janie giving her directions the whole way. On the trip through the neighborhood, they passed Carla's abandoned car.

'How young do you think my father will be now?' asked Janie as they pulled into the driveway.

'It depends,' said Zelda, 'if he drank a little, maybe not too bad. If he drank too much...'

They exited the car and went into the house. 'Dad?' called Janie. 'Dad, are you here?' 'Mr. Carleli?' asked Zelda. 'Sam?'

'Right here!' came a young voice. Sitting in the living room couch was one of the most gorgeous guys Janie had ever seen! He was covered in old, loose clothing, but that didn't hide his muscular body or his perfect face.

Man, thought Janie, so THAT's how Carla fell in love with him. He was a total 'babe-magnet!' She was having a hard time not staring at the 17-year-old Sam.

'I'm sorry for looking so crummy, Janie,' he said. 'There's just nothing else in the closet that fit me. I didn't think you'd be back so soon.'

'Just for a little bit, sonny,' said Zelda. 'Janie, could you get me some glasses of juice?'

'Sure,' said Janie. She went into the kitchen and fetched a couple of glasses of juice. Then she heard a cry of surprise coming from the living room.

'Arrg! You little rascal!' came Zelda's voice. 'I have you now!' Janie went back into the living room where Zelda was holding a squealing Carla by the ear. Zelda was soaking from head to toe with water. There was a fallen water bazooka nearby, but Susie snatched it up and ran away giggling.

'Ow! Lemme go!' said Carla. Zelda withdrew a small vial with an eyedropper attached and handed it to Janie.

'Put three drops of that in one of the glasses. Then give it to Carla,' she instructed. She smoothed out her hair with her free hand, which looked darker now that it was wet. 'I just had my hair done, you little stinker! But I bet you think it was worth it, don't you ?'

The 5-year-old giggled. 'Will she ever run out of energy?' wondered Janie to herself. After putting the drops in, she handed it to Carla.

Down the hall, Susie ran into the bathroom to refill the water bazooka. She dipped its nose into the water of the bathtub and pulled back on the rear handle, filling the tube with water.

'Could you drink that, Carlie?' asked Janie. Carla stubbornly shook her head. 'Come on, it tastes sweet! Here, I'll take some!' Janie took a sip of the liquid before Zelda could tell her not to. And why would she? If Zelda told Janie not to drink it, Carla would think there was something bad in it. Maybe this way I'll be able to see how good I'll look compared to Susan in a few years, thought Janie to herself.

'Mmmm, see?' said Janie. 'Yummy!' She handed the juice to Carla, who took it suspiciously. After a moment, Carla started drinking from the glass.

Susie ran down the hall with her weapon. 'Let Carl-wa go!' she yelled, then blasted Zelda with the water from the bathtub, soaking her anew. Zelda let out a shriek with surprise, which startled Carla and made her spill the rest of the juice on the carpet.

Janie looked at Zelda's black hair, and she looked at the empty water bazooka. You can't just fill those out of a sink, she realized, Susie was too short! 'Susie, where did you fill that water bazooka? Where, honey?!?'

Susie pointed down the hall to the bathroom. 'Oh, no!' said Janie. Upon closer inspection of Zelda, she was no longer the 45-year-old matron she had been at the fair, but was a fit, trim woman of 30 and getting still younger. Her belly was beginning to flatten back into the loose wet dress of a fortune teller and her face had lost all its wrinkles. 'Zelda, she sprayed you with water from the bathtub!'

'Yuck!' said Zelda. 'I hope it wasn't...*dirty* bathtub water, was it?' She was 28 now, getting thinner as the seconds went by. In a few moments, she showed no signs of the chubbiness of middle age.

'No, no, no! It was the water that turned Susan into a five-year-old!' said Janie.

'Really?' said Zelda. 'Goodness gracious! Good thing I'm not getting younger.' The 24-year-old plucked at the clinging dress she was in. Her breasts, now slightly smaller but definitely firmer and higher, were becoming less distinct behind the top.

'But you ARE getting younger!' screamed Janie. Her foot got a cramp and she slid it out of the too-tight shoe. 'You said you put a spell on it so that it would keep Susan from noticing, right? It's working on you, too!'

'You mean I'm getting younger--and don't even know it?' said Zelda as she became 23. 'Oh, crap! I have to get out of these wet clothes, right now!' She raced down the hall, tripping on her skirt as it fell down around her legs. She forsook it along with her shoes, giving Janie a glimpse of her slipping underpants just before she slammed the door to her parent's room shut.

Janie put her ear up against the door, hearing Zelda still talking to herself. 'I don't believe it! Years of practicing, employment...' Her words were lost in the loud whine of the hair drier. When it shut off, Zelda was still talking to herself, but her voice was an octave higher. 'Mom always said, 'Make sure it doesn't happen to you! Always carry protection...'' 'Oh, and I forget it on something routine, like this! Me, Zelda the Stupefying!'... 'Of all the times, of all the places. Why was that vial so powerful? I bet it was Loki! That clown...' ... 'This totally sucks. I can't believe it. It's not happening.' The door swung open, making Janie fall right into Zelda with an 'oof!'

'Sorry,' said Janie. Zelda looked annoyed, but not at Janie. She was now sixteen years old, clad only in a towel. The dark black curls of her hair had shortened around her head, and she was quite skinny and short, now, shorter than Janie. Her olive complexion had darkened a shade or two as well. She stormed out into the hallway, then collapsed on the living room couch, piquing the interest of Sam, who had dozed off just after Zelda had arrived.

'So, break it to me, Janie,' said Zelda. 'How bad's the damage? I still have all my memories, I think, but how old was I before I got sprayed?'

'Uh, mid-forties, fifties, maybe?' ventured Janie.

'FIFTIES!' exclaimed Zelda, shocking Sam awake. 'Oh, hell! That stuff's more powerful than I thought! I mean, I'd go back to twenties or thirties, but no way in hell am I going back to fifty!' She fingered her towel thoughtfully as Sam began to lustfully gaze in silence at her perfect olive-tanned legs. 'Watch it, pal!' she snapped at him. 'I'm going to need some clothes. Looks like you will, too!' she said to Janie, who was struggling with her uncomfortably tight bra and shorts.

'What? You mean I'm a different age?' said 16-year-old Janie. 'I only took a little of Carla's drink, I didn't think it affected me.'

Zelda's head fell back on the couch. 'Oh, jeez,' she said. 'This is going to be a REALLY long day...'

To be continued! Will Carla and Sam ever become adults again? Will Zelda remain a teenager? What sinister plans does Loki have for Roxy, and what will become of her when she emerges from the Funhouse? Will Janie finally meet her mystery date, or will Zelda pick up the check? All these questions and more as someone writes, 'The Carnival Part 6!'

Susan.....Suzie was still 5. Sam had regressed to a 17 year old. Zelda had regressed to a a 16 year old. Carla, who had only taken a sip of the juice with the antidote was now 7 yrs old. Janie was now 16.

'Zelda! What are we going to do?' Janie asked.

'I'm not sure.... I sure don't wanna be FIFTY! That's OLD!'

'You can do whatever you want but I mean about my family. They're all kids! And me.... Wellll I'm not worried about myself! But we have to do something! And I have a date..... and Roxy is still at the carnival by herself. Hey???? How can I explain this to Steve? I mean if I'm older now, won't he notice?'

'Settle down, girl! You worry too much. We'll just go back to the carnival and find Loki and make him 'fix' everything. He's got more of the antidote there, anyway' Zelda told Janie 'Let's gather everybody up and get into the car. You still have some time before your date! I'll just find something to wear that belongs to your sister. Ummmmm, You probably oughta do the same Janie!'

Janie and Zelda entered Susan's room and soon each had picked out an outfit....Shorts, T-shirts and sneakers. Janie realized that even though she didn't remember the changes in her body, thanks to the spell, she did know that she could never fit into Susan's things.....atleast fill them out like she did now!

Soon, two teenaged girls exited the bedroom.

Zelda herded everyone into her car. Sam got in the back with the two little girls while Janie got in the front with Zelda. Zelda's younger self didn't have much regard for the rules of the road. She darted in and out of traffic like a race-car driver and soon was pulling into the carnival's parking area.

'C'mon, let's go find Loki' Zelda commanded.

---- AT THE FUNHOUSE ----

Roxy was stunned by all the strange happenings and sights in the funhouse. It seemed like she had been in the small building forever..... but it seemed HUGE from inside! She finally found herself in a room filled with odd looking antiques. It looked like a room from the Addam's family's house. One object in particualar caught her attention it was a lamp like a Genie would live in....atleast in a fairy tale! Roxy stared at the lamp as it began to glow!

----- OUTSIDE ----

Loki saw the group headed thru the midway. He'd recognize Zelda whether she 8, 18, or 80! Those piercing, mystical eyes were a dead give-away. He quickly ducked out of their view before Zelda spotted him. 'No use in ending my fun too soon' he thought!

All of a sudden a voice spoke stopping Zelda and the others 'Janie? Is that you? You look different than I remember...'

Janie spun around to see Steve standing there with an older woman.

'Steve? Ummmm You're early aren't you?...... You think I look 'different'?' Janie asked

'Ummm Not 'bad' different....just older.... I guess I wasn't paying attention like I should've this morning. You look great! Anyway.... This is my mother. She wanted us to spend some time together. She was going to split before our ....ummmm we get together.'

'Oh, I see' Janie replied while extending her hand to Steven's mother. Janie quickly summed her up as looking almost too young to be Steve's mother. 'Well, I'm here with some of my family. Kinda like you I guess. We're still on for later, right?'

'Sure! You go ahead and spend some time with everyone and we'll meet up just like we had planned!' Steve told her as he and his mother took off into the mass of people.

'See, Janie... You worry too much! He liked you just fine this way!' Zelda said.

Janie watched as she saw Steven and his mother off in the distance. She really liked the way he walked! She thought he had a 'cute behind'. Her 16 year old hormones were kicking into high gear as she started fantasizing about her date later that night. As she saw them off in the distance, she saw his mother lead him onto the Merry Go Round. Janie thought it was strange that his mother would want to ride something like that with a son Steve's age. She saw the attendant motion them into one of the carriages rather than on the horses. And then she had a thought.....

'Zelda! There getting on the Merry Go Round...Steve and his mother! Nothing funny's gonna happen to 'em... is it?' she worriedly asked the now young mystic.

'No Janie, that has to happen through me. It is just a regular old Merry Go Round unless I place a quick spell on the carriage. You worry too much! Nobody but me or Loki even know....... LOKI!'

'LOKI? He can do it to the Merry Go Round TOO???' Janie cried, turning toward the ride. She could see the carrousel spinning. She saw Steve and his mother spin by as she ran toward the Merry Go Round. She didn't really notice anything on the first revolution, but on the second she thought Steve looked a little shorter! 'Maybe he slid down in the seat' she hoped. The next time around she could see that Steve looked even shorter and that his mother's hair was now streaming along behind her. It was no longer bundled up on her head, but rather flowing loosely in the wind.

'NOoooooooooo!' yelled Janie.

With each full circle of the Merry Go Round Steve was getting smaller. Before Janie couldget there the ride had stopped. She ran around the ride to find the carriage that Steve was in. She bumped into a teenage girl with baggy clothing stepping off of the ride. She was struggling with her pants and carrying her shoes.

'C'mon sweetie, Mommy's gonna get us some cotton candy' the young girl said to the seemingly empty carriage.

Janie was floored when she saw a little boy, not much more than 2yrs old, toddle out of the car and take the hand of his young mother. It was Steve! He was walking out of his large clothing as he approached them. The ride had erased 15 years from Steve and his mother. She had gotten pregnant with Steve when she was barely 15. She was 17 again now, and seemed very happy about it! As she bumped into Janie she spoke 'Ummm I don't think Stevie will be able to make your date tonight. In fact it'll be awhile before he has ANY dates I would imagine!'

Janie began crying. 'This is ALL my fault' she thought!

Meanwhile, the others had caught up with her. Sam stopped the young mother, obviously taken with her. 'So, are you here with anyone? he asked

'Well, sorta...' she said as she mussed up Stevie's hair. 'I'm here with my s... uhhh little brother! ' she lied 'I'm Amy...what's your name?'

'HEY!......' Janie yelled but was cut off by Zelda.

'SHHHHHHHHHhhhhh. Let them be, for now! I don't know what would happen if we start trying to get your dad to remember he's not really 17. ...I should know.... But it seems with my younger mind I've lost some of my uhhhh knowledge! This is all Loki's doing. We've got to find him before he causes anymore trouble!'

Loki was hiding behind one of the big tents watching the whole episode. Zelda's turning into a teenager was more than he could've hoped for. Being that young was causing her to lose the powers that she had honed over the years! 'More fun for ME' Loki thought! He was just getting ready to return to the funhouse to see how his plans for Roxy were working out when he heard a ruckus erupt behind him. It was Zelda's group.

'Whoa.... How'd you get that? Put it down Carlie!' Janie pleaded as Carlie had pulled out her Super Soaker Pistol. Apparently she had been hiding it under her over-sized T-shirt..

'Gotcha!' she said as she soaked Zelda again. Janie jumped out of the way and saw little Carlie take off thru the midway laughing. Suzie pulled out HER 'Super Soaker' pistol and ran after her.

'I'm gonna getcha, Carlwee'

'Nuh huh....I'm too fast cuz I'm bigger!' Carlie yelled back firing her pistol throught the crowd in the general direction of the other little girl.

'Damnit' Janie yelled as she watched the girl's water hit innocent bystanders. 'Zelda, we need to find that antidote and QUICK!' she said turning back around to face Zelda.

'Anty Dote?' said the little dark haired 4 year old.

......too be continued.....

Will the whole carnival turn into teenagers....or children!? Will Sam and Amy become an ITEM? Will Carlie and Suzie grow up again...or will they 'grow down' in a water fight? Will Zelda be of any help now that she is a 4 year old with no grownup powers or memory? What will happen to Roxy and the glowing lamp? How much 'fun' can Loki have?

All these answers and more as someone tackles the next installment of.... 'The Carnival'