The Hope Chest
By Libra
"You're welcome to spend the night if you're not sure," said Rachel Robins of Ace Real Estate Center.
Rachel had started the tour over an hour ago. Tired of talking, she decided that action was the best way to make this sale.
"I'd like a place closer to home. I guess there's no harm in trying it out first," replied twenty-year-old Claire Park.
"You'll find everything you need in the top drawers upstairs. My company keeps this place lightly stocked just in case a client ever wishes to try it out for a night or two. Just sign this statement that says we're not responsible for any accidents that you might have," said Rachel as she pulled out a single piece of legal paper.
After looking over it carefully Claire signed the statement. "Feel free to look around all you want. I hope you have a good night," Rachel said as she left the house, deciding that first thing tomorrow morning she would came back to close the deal.
Claire spent a few more minutes walking around. It was a nice old house, in very good condition. She walked around until she came upon the basement door. Rachel had said they were still cleaning out the basement and so hadn't included it on the tour.
Wondering if there were any treasures to be found, Claire opened the door and slowly walked down the steps. The basement was dusty and smelled of damp. There were boxes everywhere; Claire decided that the previous owners had used it for storage. Claire sat down with some of the boxes but there was nothing inside them other than was only out of date clothes and books. Then she noticed, right in the corner of the basement, light shining on an old cedar chest. Written on the front was one word: "Hope".
Claire grinned and leaped to her feet to get a closer look.
On the top part of the cedar chest was carved, "Heart's Desire is Within". The boards were separate just enough for air to pass through freely. The cedar smelled wonderful as Claire lifted the lid.
She slowly opened the chest and gasped. Instead of useless books or out of date clothes was her old prom dress.
"It can't be," Claire said as she picked it up. She had torn it just a few weeks after the prom, and her mother hadn't been able to repair it.
"Oh my God," Claire said as she held it to her body. Then she thought,
This can't really be my dress. But what luck to find one exactly like my old one!
Claire stripped down to her underwear and put on the dress. She thought it wouldn't fit at first, but it fit her just fine.
In the corner she found a full-length mirror covered by an old sheet. After throwing the sheet aside Claire admired herself in the mirror as she twirled and did some of her dance moves. Claire thought she looked younger; like she did a year ago when she first put on her prom dress.
Wanting to get a better view of herself Claire took a few steps back and bumped the Hope Chest with her feet. The lid was held up by a flimsy wooden stick and it shut on the first bump. Claire turned around to look down at the chest. She couldn't remember if there was anything else inside.
Claire sat down on her knees and reopened the chest. This time she gasped at what she saw. An old toy dog was in the chest. His right eye was a button
"Sniffles!" Claire cried out. There was no doubt in her mind that this was her old toy. She had given him away to Goodwill store years ago. But somehow he had ended up here to be found by his original owner.
As she took the stuffed dog in her arms she felt like if the floor gave way a little as the chest-lid shut with a snap. She was shocked to see her dog and her dress grow bigger. She turned her head toward the mirror and saw what was happening.
Claire was getting younger. She watched her face become a young girl's face again. She felt her body change as her breasts got smaller and hips narrowed. Standing up to see how tall she was, her prom dress slipped down to her shoulders and the skirt pooled around her feet. She could feel that her underwear had fallen down as well.
She looked like a girl playing dress up. Claire took a step toward the mirror and fell flat on her face. Crying out in pain and panic Claire kicked the dress off and slip out of her bra.
Claire was now standing in front of mirror in the nude with total disbelief. She touched the mirror to make sure it was real.
"How?" she whispered and was surprised to hear her voice so child-like. It was higher then she had ever remembered.
She looked at her right hand in the mirror and noticed she was still holding her old stuffed doggie. Looking back at the chest she saw she had forgotten to put the stick back up to keep it open.
Maybe this time it will have something to make me older, Claire thought as she walked toward the chest. This time she was small enough now to open it with bending down too much.
In Claire's heart, right at that moment, she wanted something to comfort her, and then to become an adult again. In the bottom of chest was the doll she had owned as a little girl. Her mother had given to her when she had been sick one time.
"No!" she cried. She reached over to close the lid, then discovered that she wanted to stare at the doll. A moment later she wanted to hold the doll again. Keeping her left hand on the lid she dropped her doggie and reached in to grab her old dolly. She closed her eyes and smiled, clutching the doll to her chest, and she didn't noticed the lid the lid bang shut or her breasts shrank to nothing more than a flat little girl's chest.
It wasn't till she open her eyes that she knew she had made a mistake grabbing the doll. Claire's body had lost all of its mature features; at best she looked like a six-year-old, sitting naked on the floor hugging her favorite doll. She looked down to see she had no breasts and to discover she was hairless between the legs.
I gotta phone for help, Claire thought, but just as she got to her feet, she heard a musical box playing its tune just behind her.
Unable to resist, six-year-old Claire turned around and saw it was coming from the cedar chest. Forgetting what she was about to do, Claire walked back to the chest and opened it. A pink music box with a toddler Ballerina girl was dancing in a circle on top of the music box. Claire reached in and grabbed the music box with one hand and slowly closed the lid with the other hand after she got her prize.
Claire quickly regressed from a skinny little girl to a chubby toddler. Her arms and legs became short and her fingers and toes grew fat. She lost her balance and fell on her butt as she landed on her prom dress. Little three-year-old Claire sat there happily playing with her music box and her toys. But after a while, she started to get lonely now and wondered where her mommy was.
Curious toddler Claire got up and looked around. She got a feeling she wound find something really good in the cedar chest if she opened it. Using all her strength, she managed to open it enough for the wooden latch to catch the side and hold the chest lid up.
Claire squealed with delight as she pulled herself into the chest to grab her current greatest desire sitting on some soft blankets. The latch was knocked lose as she lifted her foot over the edge and into the chest.
* * *
Morning came and the first sunlight shone through the windows. When Rachel arrived she found the front door unlocked and the basement door left open.
"Claire Park! It's me, Rachel!" She called out, and she then spotted the open door. Rachel walked down the steps into the basement to find an old prom dress, two stuffed toys, an old music box, and Claire's discarded clothing scattered around the floor.
"Claire," Rachel said softly, walking straight to the cedar chest.
In response to her voice a baby's gurgles and coos could be heard coming from the chest. Rachel slowly bent down and opened the chest. Inside and now fully awake was a six-month-old baby girl with a pink pacifier (a.k.a. Binky) in her month and without a stitch of clothing on. Baby Claire kicked her feet in joy as Rachel reached and picked her up in her arms. She also picked up some papers from the corner of the chest after she shifted Claire to her left arm.
"Sorry I had to do that to you Claire," Said Rachel as gently rocked the baby girl in her arms. "My greatest heart's desire was to have a daughter of my very own. First time I opened that chest it had your name and phone number on it. The chest couldn't give me my wish right away. Someone would have to become my daughter and that was you," said Rachel as she tickled Claire's belly.
"Now with your new birth certificate and your SSN card here in my hand, you are now Claire Robins who is her mommy's joy in all the world and your will grow up in this house with all your favorite toys. "Rachel spoke gently to Claire as her baby drifted off to sleep in her new mother's arms.
The End