"Sara, put your dolly in your playpen. You can have her back for naptime after your bath," Kelly's mom said.
Kelly finally saw light as Sara lifted her up over the mesh playpen walls and let her go. Kelly watched as the toddler's hand and the mesh walls of the playpen rose higher and higher until she landed on Sara's pink blanket. She rolled into it, away from view.
Kelly tried to crawl out from the blanket in time to call for her mother. But by the time she made it out, her mother had already left with Sara. It would be about 10 minutes until Sara came back.
Kelly looked at the clock. It was only 10:21 AM. This would be a long day.
Suddenly Kelly's heart sank. She remembered that Sara usually left with Kelly's aunt before Megan returned home from school. If she didn't get away from Sara before then, Kelly realized she might be spending some more quality time with her baby cousin.
Kelly stood up and looked around the playpen in awe. She hadn't been in a playpen since she was a toddler. She never imagined she'd be too small to get out of one at age 17. She walked over to some of Sara's stuffed toys. She remembered playing with Sara and seeing these toys much smaller than they were now!
Kelly sat down and noticed Sara's pacifier. She picked up the giant pacifier and set in on her lap. Kelly couldn't help but smile, thinking of how cute she must look doing this. A doll-size teen with a baby's pacifier on her lap.
I'll have to bring a shrunken friend along the next time I baby-sit, thought Kelly. After I get big again, that is ...
Kelly flipped the pacifier off of her lap and stood up again. Kelly was getting a little restless. She looked over at the blanket and decided to check out what was under there. Kelly crawled under the pink blanket. She giggled. The soft fabric tickled her skin. Outside, Kelly heard muffled noises.
Kelly froze.
Suddenly, the playpen shook. Then she felt footsteps fade away. Kelly crawled out backwards, which probably wasn't the best thing. She turned around and froze.
There was Sara sitting in front of her in a diaper and pink t-shirt. Her hair was still damp and she was sucking contently on the pacifier Kelly had on her lap just moments ago.
"Kelwy!" Sara cooed sloppily through her pacifier.
The toddler reached for her tiny cousin and wrapped her hand around the girl's waist. Kelly let out a small squeal as Sara lifted her up to her face. The toddler sucked on her pacifier as she examined her toy-size cousin.
Kelly gulped.