Charlie held up one hand with fingers spread. “Five.” The he grinned nervously at Jacob. “We have it all worked out.”
The Doctor nodded and pointed to the table. “That is quite young. I see you have selected the one-month duration. The mental risk notation is checked, but did you read it?”
Charlie nodded. “I understand that I may lose some advanced knowledge and skills.”
“May? More likely will.” The Doctor looked at Jacob. “Your friend here has chosen an age little more than a toddler. You should expect problems with bed wetting, potty training, speech, and muscle coordination. Once he has adjusted, behavior and knowledge will decrease, possibly not badly, but possibly back to match the physical age.”
With a grin of his own, Jacob nodded. “Yeah, we are planning for the maximum – a normal five year-old who remembers being a grownup.”
“A month as a little kid.” agreed Charlie. “Then we will swap places, and he gets to be the little kid.”
“Very well.” The Doctor pressed a button, and folded sides of the table came up to make the surface a large square with Charlie in the middle. Pressing another button caused an LED circle to glow I the surface. “Magic works best within a circle. Ready?”
At Charlie’s nod, the Doctor opened a notebook and started chanting from a script. As he spoke, a glittering cloud formed around Charlie, getting thicker each moment. In a minute, the circle contained a roiling cloud of shimmering light that completely obscured Charlie. Jacob stared, amazed at the show, only to jump what the Doctor spoke the final word and the cloud vanishes with a small clap of thunder.
He had to stare – even knowing what to expect had not prepared him for seeing a five year-old sitting on the table. The little boy stared at himself, felt his face, and then gave Jacob a gap-toothed grin. “It worked!”