Part 11 Louder
Jennifer knew her dad would never pass for the photo on his license. He was barely old enough to drive... if even that old! She also had heard her mother speak of his passion for fast driving when he was younger. Right now she wasn't sure what to do. The shopkeeper had managed to regress both her parents and didn't seem inclined to reverse the process. She hated leaving the shop so soon but wasn't sure what would happen next now that her dad had been regressed too. She decided it was best to get her father home before he made matters worse than they already were. She also didn't like the way he was looking at her and not even acknowledging Marci.
Billy sat down and buckled his saftey-belt. Only then did it dawn on him that the 14 year old must be Marci! Marci was busy staring at this older boy with fascination. She wished he would look her way and quickly brushed her hair with her hand. He was just soooooo cute she thought!
Billy turned to look at Marci for confirmation that it really was her. As soon as he did, she turned away hoping he didn't catch her staring. He did. She looked so immature now. Not at all like 16 year old Jennifer. He shook his head and cleared his thoughts. He knew Jennifer was off-limits and he knew he'd only ventured down this path so he could relate more with Marci. But now that he'd actually made himself younger things were different.
His body felt different. His thought patterns were different. He realized he was more impulsive. He had to control that somehow. This was his family after-all and he couldn't lose sight of that just because he was younger. But now Marci was even younger.... he didn't want date a 14 year old.... let alone be married to one!
"Marci, what happened to you?" he asked.
Marci just shrugged. She was weak in her knees! The boy had spoken to her!
"We don't know exactly, Dad!" Jennifer told him "She was like that this morning. Don't even bother asking her about it because she seems to have, like, totally fallen into the role. Tell him, Kayla. .....Kayla?"
"Where IS Kayla?" Billy asked "I don't think she followed us to the car. I'll go back in and get her!"
"NO!" Jennifer countered "YOU stay here with your -girlfriend-"
Marci's face turned red. Billy's did as well. Jennifer hurried inside to get Kayla before anything could happen. Kayla was only 11 so Jennifer didn't want to be changing diapers! She was relieved to see Kayla unchanged talking to the man.
"Kayla! What're you doing!?" Jennifer asked "We need to get dad and mom home"
"I'm just talkin' to the nice man" Kayla said and smiled.
"This isn't over" Jennifer told the man "My parents didn't want this! They're too young!"
"My business is about dreams, young lady. I'm sure you have dreams. Maybe I can help?' the man offered.
"What? No way! This isn't about dreams!" Jennifer argued.
"Not about dreams of being a model....or an actress... dreams of fame?" the man asked.
Jennifer paused if only for a second. It was a trick. It had to be. It couldn't be that easy.... could it? No.... she had to resist. Nothing is that easy without a catch. Her parents couldn't have really wanted to be so young. Jennifer thought about the stories of twisted wishes where you get something resembling your wish but always at a cost. This must be the same she thought.
"No strings attached" the man said as if reading her mind "Why don't you enter the room with your dreams and let me fulfill them? Maybe you'd like to put your performances in front of a real audience instead of a mirror?"
He knew she pretended to sing in front of the mirror? How could he? Jennifer wondered if maybe she should let the man fulfill her wishes. Obviously he had some kind of powers. "No strings?" she asked as her resolve was wilting.
"Of course not... They are your dreams. I'm an only here to help you realize them. Right this way" he said as he motioned to her.
Jennifer slowly stepped forward. An actress? A singer? A dancer? A model? Rich? Famous? Was she really on the verge of achieving any of that? She placed a foot slowly across the threshold of the door and took a deep breath. "NO!" she said and stepped back "This isn't right! C'mon Kayla"
Jennifer took Kayla's hand and led her to the door. "Thank you, Mister!" Kayla said to the man as Jennifer tugged her along.
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"Well, are you two, like, getting aquainted... or reaquainted... or whatever?" Jennifer asked her youthened parents when she got back to the car.
"Gosh, Jennifer.... She's, like, 14.... and I'm almost 19!" Billy answered "I like older women!". Marci seemed to deflate upon hearing that. Didn't he like her at all???
"19?? I'm wondering if you are even 16!" Jennifer said.
"16????!! What the crap?" Billy exclaimed "I gotta go back in there!"
"No, you don't! That man uses tricks and nobody can seem to control themselves around him. I'm gonna, like, get on the internet and figure this out! Now, let's go!" Jennifer said as she raced off in the car.
Billy wondered what he'd done. 16? He looked again at Marci. It didn't seem quite so odd to think about Marci as his girlfriend... wife.... if he is only a couple of years older. She is pretty he thought... although not as hot as Jennifer. He knew Marci would soon be growing up and filling out. Maybe they could make this all work? He then looked out the car window and saw all the girls walking on the street... driving cars... shopping... He couldn't believe how hot they were! Maybe if Marci was 15 he would feel differently about her? She did seem interested he thought. But she was only 14! Maybe he could see other girls until Marci grew up a little more? But he wanted Marci to be older than him. He remembered dating her in college and wishing she was older than him. Now look what she had done! It was all her fault! Just like always! He just couldn't muster up any interest in the 14 year old.
Jennifer spent the rest of the day trying to play matchmaker with Billy and Marci. Marci was very willing but Billy wasn't. He seemed to be growing frustrated with Jennifer's efforts. Jennifer realized Billy was also reverting more and more to his teenage persona. He was becoming more and more fascinated looking at girls. Girls on tv. Girls in magazines. Girls in catalogs. Every girl except the one that Jennifer wanted him to pay attention to! Marci was feeling more depressed. She wanted this boy to like her. She didn't understand everything that was going on but just being part of Billy's world would make her life she thought.
This had been a very trying day. Jennifer convinced everyone it was time for bed. She hadn't made much headway at all in her matchmaker attempts. Billy would get lost in daydreaming as she'd catch him staring at photos. She knew he sneaked a catalog with him to bed.
Kayla had already went to bed. In fact, she was anxious to get to bed early for some reason. That was fine with Jennifer.
"Aren't you gonna come to bed too?" Marci asked Jennifer.
"Soon" Jennifer replied "I need to surf a couple sites"
"Surf?" Marci asked. Obviously the 14 year old Marci hadn't experienced computers and the internet yet.
"Uhhhhh Just going to type something up" Jennifer explained hoping that would suffice.
"Oh?" Marci replied and went on to bed.
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Billy drifted off to sleep with the catalog opened to the swimsuit section. Soon, he was dreaming of himself being on the beach with the models. They were so HOT! "Why don't you join us?" some of the girls shouted out. Billy smiled... "OK!" he yelled back. Then he realized he didn't have any swim trunks. Oh no, he thought! "C'mon.... join us!" others yelled. They were SO hot!
Billy looked around. There was a shop. Maybe they'd have some swim trunks! "Are you going to join us?" the girls asked.
"Just a minute!" he yelled back and then ran into the shop.
"Well... helllooooooo" the shopkeeper said "I'm glad to see you again!"
Billy recognized the man. This was in the store from downtown. But how is it here? This is the beach! The questions floated away and seemed mysteriously answered in his dream state.... How is it here?....It just is!
"Are you joining us?" Billy could hear the girls still yelling to him.
"I've been expecting you" the man said "I have what you are looking for just inside this door"
"But I haven't told you what I am looking for???" Billy replied.
"No need" the man said.
"C'mon and join us, Billy!" the voices yelled.
Billy ran in the room, taking the man at his word. He looked around the room. The only swimsuit in the room was a girl's two piece! "Join us, Billy!" he could hear the girls yelling.
"Uhhhh where are the trunks?" he asked.
"I knew when you left the room that you'd be back. You only took your dream part way! You made yourself 16... not 19... or 18... And that was for a reason. You know the dream that fascinated you!" the man said through the door.
Billy's eyes widened. He picked up the swimsuit and examined the skimpy material. "Hurry, Billy, join us!" the voices begged.
"Try them on. See if they fit" the man's voice bellowed through the door.
"But I'll look silly!?" Billy complained although not forcefully.
"You know you want to try the swimsuit on, Billy. You are alone" the man said.
"Join us, Billy....!" the voices said.
Billy looked around. There was no one there. Feeling both ashamed and excited he took off his clothing and stood there naked. He looked at the hair on his legs. He felt the peach fuzz on his chin. This was silly.....
"Join us, Billy..."
He stepped into the bottoms and felt a tingle. He put the other foot in and noticed his feet looked different... smaller. He unsteadily pulled them further up his legs and noticed his leg changing. As the material would pass over his leg the hair was disappearing. He stopped in shock.
"Join us, Billy...."
He looked back down and saw he now had painted toenails. He almost took the bottoms off but he felt compelled to continue. He pulled the material higher up his legs... over his knees.... More hair disappeared. The skin on his legs seemed to change. Smoother. Softer. More tan. Maybe slimmer. Maybe his legs were even shorter. The experience was getting him excited... and scared. He slowly pulled them up the rest of the way and felt a feeling like he'd never experienced before. They fit! The he noticed more. The bulge that he expected to see was gone! His hips were different. His rear was different. His stomach looked less muscular. His upper half looked the same but his lower half looked decidely female... and smaller. He stopped again. His mind was alternating between fear and excitement.
"Join us, Billy...."
"It's your dream, Billy... Now you can live it..." the man said.
"Join us, Billy...."
Billy nervousy grabbed the bikini top. He put it over his head and let the empty material rest against his male chest. The strings of the bikini hang loose at the sides. "I, I, dunno.... I feel silly..." he said even though he was very curious..
"Join us, Billy...."
He grabbed the strings and pulled them tightly. Suddenly a wave of energy washed over him. He felt something silky and soft cascade over his shoulders and down his back. It was long, curly, blond hair. He felt weight growing on his chest. Breasts were filling out the bikini cups. His frame was slightly shrinking. The peach fuzz on his face was disappearing. The hair on his arms disappeared. His hands became dainty. His fingernails changed... longer... and painted....
"Join us, Billy...."
"What... uhhhh what.... what now?" he asked in a feminine voice that surprised him. He sounded like a teenage girl!
"The girls are asking you a question. Answer them, Billy"
"Are you joining us, Billy?" the voices asked.
"Uhhh I'll be there..." Billy said slowly. Nothing happened. "I don't understand...?" he told the man.
"Don't just tell them... show them... join them" the man replied.
"Are you joining us, Billy?" the voices asked.
"Yes..." Billy answered again and carefully opened the door. He stepped slowly out of the room as if testing the waters of a pool with his toe. His body felt oddly proportioned... and light... and weaker than before. It seemed odd to be dressed so skimpily. Everything was so different. His whole body seemed to move differently. The room looked slightly bigger. Even the colors looked different. "I feel... stupid!" he said.
The man pointed to a mirror. Billy looked at his reflection. Staring back at him was a 16 year old girl in a bikini! He could barely recognize himself from before. This person was shorter and smaller. She had long blond hair and blue eyes. She was tanned and had a great body although not tall... probably only 5' 2" or so. She was beautiful. He had transformed into his dream girl! "Wow...." she said in amazement.... "But.... I'm still... 'me' ..... 'a guy'.... in my head....?"
"Maybe that will change when you join the girls" the man told the now teenage girl.
"Are you joining us, Billy?" the voices asked again.
Billy looked back at the reflection. "Yes..." she said and walked nervously toward the door outside. Billy stepped outside and saw the girls waiting.
"You ARE you joining us aren't you, Billy?" one of the bikini clad beauties said.
"Yes... " Billy replied.
The girl took Billy's hand and the apprehension melted. "I'm glad you joined us!" she said to Billy
"I am too!" Billy replied as she followed the girls across the beach. The warm sand felt great under her bare feet. The bright spring sunshine washed over her body and she grew more confident... and feminine... with each step. Billy was glad that she had picked this bikini because it made her feel sexy. It was totally hot and she knew the guys had to be paying attention to her when she wore it. She really looked forward to this summer. Summer is for bare feet, short shorts, tank tops and not much else. It was going to be the best summer yet she thought!
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Kayla began to toss and turn in her bed, dreaming of riding her bike. In the dream Marci was chasing her on her own bike.
Marci also began to toss and turn. She began to dream. She was chasing after Kayla. First running and then on her bike.
Kayla did everything she could stay in front. Just as Marci caught up Kayla hopped off the bike and ran inside an old shop.
"Howdy Howdy!" the shopkeeper said
"Sorry I'm late" Kayla told the man as she caught her breath.
"I'm glad you're running a little late. My last customer took a little extra time to decide on what he.... she .... was really looking for!" the shopkeeper said with a laugh.
The door opened again. It was Marci. She was also out of breath. "Kayla, you're gonna get me in trouble! You know you weren't, like, supposed to leave the house!" Marci huffed.
The man looked at Marci "Now, now! Go easy on her. This is her dream afterall! You don't want to disappoint her do you?"
Marci shrugged. Why did this place look so familiar? It was odd! This had to be a dream. That's why everything looked so familiar yet odd.
"Kayla thinks it would be something if you were younger so she wouldn't have to be the youngest!" the man said "How much younger is up to you"
"Why would I, like, want to be YOUNGER!?" Marci asked.
"Would it really be so bad? You know Billy isn't interested in you. That has to depress you! Maybe a simpler time would be better? I should think it would fascinate you. Imagine not having those worries. If you were younger you'd be more interested in playing rather than dating. That would show him! And that would certainly be better than crying yourself to sleep hugging your pillow!" he told her.
"How'd you know I cried ....and hugged my pillow? And how do you know Billy isn't interested in me?" Marci wanted to know.
"I think I can safely say that... right now... Billy isn't interested in you as anything but a casual friend!" the man said hiding a laugh.
"But maybe when we're older...???" Marci asked sobbing.
"Again, right now I can certainly tell you that just getting older is not going to change that fact. Maybe when you are older you could be better friends... but that is about it" he told her "That's why I thought maybe you'd like to clean the slate a little bit. Humor your sister. Simplify your life. You don't see Kayla depressed do you? Childhood can be a happy time." the man explained.
"Yeah, Marci! It would be fun! I've been the little sister all my life!" she said as if 11 years had been an eternity. "You could be as little as you want. How much ever it takes for you to feel better. A baby sister would be cool!" Kayla said.
"A baby????" Marci was going to complain but right now the idea was intriguing. Anything to forget about Billy! But a baby again? This was a weird dream she thought... and it seems so real!
"Are you sure Billy isn't thinking about me...at all?" Marci asked the man who seemed so smart.
The man looked at his watch "Thinking about you now? No, most certainly not. In fact Billy is with a group of girls right now. And I can tell you, Billy is not thinking about you at all! I'm sorry. But as I said, I am willing to help you out."
"But maybe you could make him love me?" Marci asked hopefully.
"I'm afraid I can't do that. I can only bring dreams and desires to life for the individuals themselves. Billy is not interested in you and therefore Billy would never agree to anything that would change that. Just as I can't grant Kayla's desire to for you to be her younger sister without your agreement. In effect, you almost are granting Kayla's desire yourself. I am only the vehicle to make that happen" the shopkeeper explained.
Marci began sobbing. The man was right. She had heard what Billy said about her being too young for him. And she saw how he had avoided her. This wasn't a dream... this was a nighmare!
"It'll be OK, Marci" Kayla said and put her arm around her 'sister'.
"I know it hurts now " the man said "but you haven't always hurt like this. Allow Kayla her dream and help yourself as well. I can turn your nightmare back into a dream!". The shopkeeper seemed to be able to manipulate Marci at will. She was becoming like putty in his hands.
Marci wiped her eyes. Was the man able to read her mind? How did he know she thought this a nightmare? He was so right about everything he'd said about her. How could he not be right about Billy's thoughts as well?
Kayla hugged Marci and held her tight "I'll be a good big sister, I promise! You can get as little as you want and I'll take care of you!"
It felt good being held so tight. Marci did feel protected in her 'sister's' arms. Life had been so much simpler before.... childhood was looking better and better.... but how far?.... She so much wanted to forget about Billy! She wanted the hurt to go away.
Kayla squeezed her again and kissed her on the cheek "Do this for both of us, OK? The nice man has already told me how good it will be for us. He's really smart! I promise to be the best big sister ever!"
"Would it really make the hurt go away?" Marci asked.
The shopkeeper smiled "Without a doubt. The younger you are the more insulated you'll be from the hurt.... with Kayla to hug, and protect, and to hold you of course. You'll be loved. I'm confident of that"
Marci squeezed her sister's hand "You better be good to me... OK?"
"I promise!" Kayla answered.
Marci sniffed and held her head up. "I just want the hurt to go away. What do I have to do?" she asked bravely.
"Enter the room. Let the room know your desires. Concentrate on going back until you are where you want to go. You'll feel the weight lift." the man told her "You'll be in control. It will stop when you want it to. ...However long it takes". The man's words were soothing.
"How old are you going to be, Marci?" Kayla asked.
"I don't know....." Marci said as she entered the room and the man closed the door behind her. Marci felt a sense of dejavu. Why did it look so familiar?
"You did it, mister!" Kayla said excitedly.
The man nodded in agreement showing a sly smile.
Marci concentrated on forgetting about Billy. How far did she really desire going back? It felt so good being held by Kayla. Did she really want to be a baby again? Things would surely be simpler. She felt a chill. Billy was cute but look what he caused her to do! She looked down at her chest and noticed it seemed to be getting smaller. It felt like the walls were growing and the floor slowly falling too. She still liked Billy tho! She felt something tickling her legs and looked down to see it was her T-shirt creeping down over her shorts. That made her laugh. It felt good to laugh. The nice man was right! She thought some more about Billy. Boy, he's cute she thought be he's kinda old. She felt her T-shirt creeping closer to her knees. She looked down and saw her sandals were way too big. She giggled seeing how funny they looked being so big on her. Almost like she was playing dressup! Her shorts were slipping too. She wondered if she was young enough? She knew she was still a big girl though! Maybe too big? The nice man said being younger was better. She liked being held by Kayla when she hugged her.
"OOPS!" she said and giggled some more in a childish voice as her shorts fell to the floor. Her T-shirt now served as a dress. It was touching her knees by this point. He sandals looked really big now. She tried to remember what Billy looked like. Boy, he was like a grownup she thought. Billy didn't seem all that important anymore anyway. She wondered why he ever had? He didn't ever want to play with her! Maybe this was a good time to stop she wondered? She started to walk toward the door but tripped, getting tangled up in her oversized shorts and sandals. She sat on her rear and wrestled them off. Marci wasn't sure if she was young enough yet, anyway. She felt another chill. The room sure looked big!
She noticed her teeth felt funny as she examined them with her tongue. Things sure were different. She was glad Kayla was her big sister. She liked Kayla. Marci wanted to give Kayla a big hug right now! Kayla's hugs felt good she thought as she remembered how protected they made her feel. She wondered how little she'd gotten? She wanted to see a -shiny thing-.... she tried to think of what it was called.. "Hmmmmmmm" she said as she tried to think of the word. And then she remembered 'A mirror!'. She wanted to see herself in a mirror. That was it! But there was no mirror was in the room.
It felt really funny now. She wiggled her fingers and toes watching them to see how big they were. She wasn't sure.... did she still have 'big girl hands' she wondered? What did they used to look like? She didn't remember. She grabbed her discarded shoe and held it up to her foot. It was really big and she laughed! Did she really used to wear those? Maybe they were Kayla's? Marci knew she was still a big girl.
She tried to think about Billy some more but could only picture spelling his name with blocks. She thought she was spelling it right. 'Cat' was sure easier to spell than Billy though! She liked spelling. This was fun. She knew she must still be a big girl though. She didn't want to be a big girl anymore. That was the problem. Being a kid was fun... and safe! There was another chill just as she had that thought. Marci wished Kayla could hold her that very minute. She missed Kayla. She felt another strange feeling. She stood up and noticed that her T-shirt was now a tent. She couldn't even see her hands or feet. After a bit of trying she poked her arms out the holes and kicked at the shirt tail and laughed childishly. "Funny shirt!" she said.
She knew that she was still a big girl though. There was that funny feeling again. She wiggled a bit. "Uh-oh" she said and waddled over to the door. She had to pull a chair over to reach the door handle well enough to turn it. It was hard to turn. She knew she was still a big girl but this was more important right now.
The door opened. "Kaaaaayla.... I gotta go pottyyyy" little Marci said as she chewed on the neck of her gigantic T-shirt.
"Ooooooooooo She's adorable!!!!!" Kayla squealed "She's like 2 or 3 years old at most!".
"Hurrrrrrrrweeeee" little Marci whined and then put her thumb in her mouth. "I still a big girl... but I gotta potty" she said as Kayla lovingly swooped her up to take her to the restroom.
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Jennifer could tell that Marci and Kayla were neither one sleeping well. She could hear them turning on their beds and sometimes even obviously talking in their sleep. She'd closed the door to the den so she could cncentrate better. The noise was distracting her research. Sometimes it even sounded like muffled baby-talk from upstairs. Jennifer even thought she heard a third girl's voice a couple of times but it was faint. She knew that was impossible. It probably was Billy's voice cracking in his sleep. She figured this experience was hard on all of them. "They'll probably be in therapy for years when this is over" she said to herself as she tried another Google search.
Her eyes grew heavy and the words all began to blur together on the monitor. The research might have to wait until morning.....
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To be continued