The drive to the Magic Shop was unnerving for the two girls. Laura's palms were sweating as the 13 year old slowly made her way down the road. The drive itself would normally be nothing of consequence, however in their current state both girls were worried. Laura nervously glanced around as she traveled the five miles. Kaitlin now held the dice tightly as the two finally pulled into the parking lot. putting the car in park Laura breathed a sigh of relief wiping her brow.
"You doing okay Laura," Kaitlin asked. Laura turned to her young friend smiling. "Yeah," she sighed. "I haven't been that nervous driving since I first got my license though." Kaitlin smirked as she slowly opened the door. "Well hopefully we can fix this or its's going to be a few years before you drive again."
"Join the club," Laura joked, sticking her tongue out. "Your not doing much better than me shorty." Kaitlin frowned before nodding, currently both girls were stuck looking like they were in junior high. If they couldn't fix this what would become of them. What concerned her even more was how childish they both seemed to be becoming, with every passing moment they seemed to be adjusting to their newly regained youth. Kaitlin worried now that they were not just becoming children in body but in mind as well.
Slowly the two teens began to approach the shop making sure to not jostle the box containing the dice. It was proving to be a strenuous endeavor as they wobbled in their overly large heels. "Laura," Kaitlin groaned. "This is hopeless I'm almost falling over in these shoes. They're way to big for my feet." Laura looked down noticing Kaitlin's wobbling ankles looking down herself she noticed she wasn't doing much better. Laura's heels were also oversized causing the girl to almost trip with each step. "If we fall the dice will probably roll," she thought. Laura shivered as she thought of this, another roll would rob both girls of even more years firmly placing them in childhood. Quickly Laura looked over the strip mall. "I have an idea," she said. " Just stay here and don't move." Kaitlin nodded as Laura made her way into a drugstore nearby.
While Laura was only gone for a few minutes it seemed to last an eternity for Kaitlin. As Laura finally emerged carrying a bag Kaitlin let out a sigh of relief. Laura smiled as she produced a couple sets of flip flops. "Here," she said handing them to Kaitlin. "I wasn't exactly sure what size you were so I got you a couple of pairs. They're not exactly stylish but they should fit." Both girls now removed their oversized heels and socks slipping their small feet inside of the flip flops. Looking themselves over the girls frowned at their clownish appearance. The girls were dressed in baggy t-shirts with billowy sweatpants and brightly colored flip flops. While the clothing was functional it didn't exactly make the girls fashionable. Laura and Kaitlin now tried to fight the childish instinct of embarrassment, they need to conform and not be ridiculed by their peers was almost overwhelming for the two girls.
"I feel ridiculous," Laura groaned causing Kaitlin to nod in agreement. "Same here," Kaitlin mumbled. Shaking her head she looked up at her taller friend. "Laura this is so weird why are we acting like self conscious kids?"
"I don't know," Laura whispered. "I'm guessing these dice are affecting us in more ways than one. We're becoming more and more childish as we become younger. Hopefully whoever is inside can help us before its too late."
As the two entered the shop they slowly began to look around. The magic shop was dimly lit with a musty smell that seemed to add to the eerie ambiance of the store. Laura and Kaitlin tried to shake off childish fears as they slowly made their way towards the counter. As they approached they could see a lone figure sitting behind the counter. The man appeared ancient and dirty in dark robes with an old worn out hat perched upon his wrinkled head. The two girls approached nervously, placing the box down carefully on the counter top. The old man looked up with milky eyes trying to determine what the two girls wanted.
"Hello girls," he said, causing Laura and Kaitlin to wince. "What can I do for you two young ladies today?"
"I...I need to return this," Laura stammered. "I received this package yesterday and I...uh..really need to return it. Me and my friend..um..don't want it anymore."
"And why is that girls," the old man asked as he began to carefully open the box. "Did the item not work? I'm guessing you two wanted to be more popular at school or wanted to get a certain boy to notice you. Maybe you wanted to grow up a little."
"No it works," Kaitlin sighed as she began to reach for license. "It worked a little too well. Laura, lets show him." Laura nodded as she reached for her license as well. The two girls now placed them on the counter for the old man to view. The old man now gazed down at the license before turning to face the young teens in front of him. "Ah I see," he mused. "So..you got the Regressing Lots. looks like you two rolled these dice a bit too often."
"We weren't trying to," Laura whined, feeling like a child who had been caught doing something she wasn't supposed to. "Those dice kept rolling themselves. Yesterday afternoon we tried to drive here to give them back. Now look at us we're barely teenagers now, we don't want them anymore. We don't want to be this young."
The old man nodded solemnly as he picked the dice up in his hand. Laura and Kaitlin both had looks of fear as the old man gazed at the silver and gold dice. "Careful with those," Kaitlin said nervously. "If they accidentally roll..."
"Yes I know," he said. "I made them afterall. Judging by the expression on your face you two are a bit surprised by that." Laura and Kaitlin gaped at the old man. The two teens went through a gambit of emotions as they looked him over. Fear, anger, hope, all of these emotions raged in the young girls as they tried to contemplate what they had just heard. Before either girl could say anything the old man held up his hand.
"Before you say anything," he said. "I will tel you what you need to do to be rid of this magic. You two are going to have to gift these dice to someone else. Only by sending these dice as a gift can you be rid of them. That is how you came to possess the dice, the previous owner must have randomly picked you. Once you do that you will be rid of them."
"Okay," Laura stated. "So that's what we'll do but how do we change back?"
"That," the old man said sadly. "Is a bit harder. There are some items here in the store that can make you older. However the power of the dice is already changing you. I'm sure you both have felt it, childish fears and emotions beginning to overpower you. The power of the dice gives you back your youth body and soul. If your going to change back then you will have to do it soon."
Laura and Kaitlin shivered as they looked eachother over, if they were going to grow back up it would have to be done quickly or they would be stuck as children. "Okay so first we have to gift them and then use another item to grow back up," Laura said. "I think we can do that."
"Good," the old man said. "Now thankfully you two are the same age so once you do that you should be able to do this without a problem."
Kaitlin went pale as she looked at the old man. "Um we're not the same age right now," she whispered. "Laura is 13 right now and I'm 14."
The old man rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he looked at the two girls. "Well that's not good," he said. "You see right now you can only gift the dice to someone but as far as regaining your adulthood you won't be able to do that. You would both have to be the same age to regain your lost years, otherwise your going to have to grow up the old fashioned way. I should warn you though if you roll the dice again and you can't end up being the same age, well...I'm sure you can guess what happens."
Laura and Kaitlin nodded solemnly as they looked at eachother. If they were going to regain their adulthood then Kaitlin would need to roll the dice at least one more time. If she didn't end up 13 then Laura would need to go again. The possibility of the two rolling themselves into infancy was high but the other option was worse. To not roll the dice would doom them to reliving their teenage years once more. The two girls now looked at eachother as they tried to make this decision.