The wizard slowly shook his head.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that,” he said solemnly. Kaitlin and Laura’s mouths fell open. “If she was still bonded to the die, I could reverse the effects, but that isn’t the case.”
“You’re a wizard! You have magic! Surely you can do something,” Kaitlin pleaded. The wizard sighed.
“The spirit of the die is very difficult to work with. It has a unique magic that cannot be reversed unless the magic is still acting upon that person. There is no way to return Laura to her appropriate age.” Laura began to cry.
“No wan’ widdle,” she sobbed. The wizard patted her head reassuringly.
“I know, and I’m sorry.” A pacifier magically appeared in Laura’s mouth. She began to suck on it instinctively.
“What are we going to do?” Kaitlin whispered. “I mean, I’m not supposed to be twenty-five, Laura’s not supposed to be two.” The wizard frowned thoughtfully.
“I can make that the case,” he said. Kaitlin and Laura looked at him, confused. “If you’d like, I can alter reality to make it so that the two of you are supposed to be your current ages. Your lives will then be adjusted to fit the new reality. That way, Laura would have someone to take care of her and you, Kaitlin, would not raise any eyebrows the next day you arrive at work.”
“If you do that, though, will our current selves disappear?” Kaitlin asked. “I don’t want either of us to stop being ourselves. Especially Laura. Would she be a regular toddler?”
“It’ll be more difficult, but I can make it so that you recall how things used to be, in addition to how things will be,” the wizard said after a moment. “However, since it’s more difficult, I won’t be able to make you aware for free. I’ll have to charge a fee for that.” Kaitlin patted down her pockets and to her delight, realized she had her wallet. She took out her credit card and put it on the desk.
“I’ll pay whatever fee it takes.” The wizard nodded. He took Kaitlin’s credit card and then went into a back room. After a few minutes, a faint shimmer filled the air. The shimmer grew brighter and brighter, turning into a light that blinded Kaitlin and Laura.
When the light faded, Kaitlin and Laura were still in the magic shop. Laura still sat on the counter sucking on a pacifier, but now, she was fully clothed in a cute frilly dress that showed off her diaper. Feeling something to be slightly off about her body, Kaitlin looked down. Her stomach was flabbier than it had been a moment ago, and her breasts were distinctly larger. She pulled up her shirt and gaped at the stretch marks on her stomach. The wizard came back.
“Are you satisfied?” he asked. Kaitlin put her shirt down.
“I might be, if I knew what had happened.”
“The new memories will take a few hours to settle into your mind,” the wizard said. “But for now, I can tell you the most important thing: the reality adjusted to make Laura your daughter.” Kaitlin and Laura’s mouths dropped open. Laura’s pacifier fell out. The wizard popped it back into her mouth.
“That explains the stretch marks, at least,” Kaitlin muttered. She adjusted her bra, uncomfortable. “But that doesn’t explain…”
“Oh, you’re breastfeeding,” the wizard said, matter-of-fact.
“I’m- but Laura is two!” Kaitlin managed.
“Before the reality adjusted, you had always wanted to breastfeed any potential children for as long as possible, up until the age of three. The new reality took that information and applied it to your current situation.” Laura took her pacifier out.
“Who daddy?” she asked.
“Your father is an anonymous sperm donor,” the wizard cooed, ruffling Laura’s hair. “Right after getting her college degree and landing her first real job, Kaitlin decided to go to a sperm bank, and chose the best possible donor she could.” The wizard poked Laura’s stomach. “Your daddy is an astronaut.” Laura giggled. “Any other questions?”
“Um, I don’t think so,” Kaitlin said. “Oh, except, do I live somewhere else now?”
“Your address and place of work are the same.” The bell over the door jingled as someone stepped into the shop. “If you’ll excuse me, I have another customer to attend to. Like I said, things should settle in within a couple hours.” The wizard handed Laura over to Kaitlin, who held her former coworker and current daughter instinctively, like she’d been doing this for years.
Kaitlin walked out of the magic shop, still reeling from what had just happened. She spotted her car in the parking lot. However, before she could head towards it, Laura began to squirm and fuss in her arms. Kaitlin looked down at her.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.