Well, she doesn’t remember where the party she left her bag at was, so going back to grab it won’t work. All she can do is keep walking, hoping to find the magic shop and that the owner will be able to fix things without the dice.
Laura hops off the bench and chooses a random direction, then walks that way. It’s beginning to grow dark as she walks, making her dread build. However, after a few minutes, she turns a corner and spots the shop. She lets out a gasp of relief. As she watches, someone leaves the shop and turns around to lock the door.
“No, wait!” Laura shouts. She runs over as quickly as she can, her speed impeded by her diaper. The person pauses and looks over. Laura arrives at the man’s side. “I need help,” she says in between pants. The man crouches down to her eye-height.
“Yes, you certainly do,” he says slowly. “You’ve got a bit of magic on you right now. What happened?” After Laura catches her breath, she spills the entire story to the man, who listens sympathetically. “I see,” he says softly once Laura has finished. Laura holds her breath. “I’ll help you.”
“Really?” Laura says eagerly. The man nods.
“Of course! I’ve had people in much worse situations than yours before, but I was able to return them to normal. However, there is a small problem. I can’t reverse what has happened to you without the dice.”
“Oh, no,” Laura whimpers.
“Don’t worry, I can freeze it so that you won’t get any younger. I’ll do that right now.” The man waves a hand. A shiver passes over Laura’s body. She feels different, but she’s not sure what it is that feels different. All she knows is that whatever the man did worked.
“Thank you,” Laura says. The man smiles.
“It’s not a problem, dear. Like I said, though, I’ll need the dice themselves to return you to your proper age. Otherwise, you’ll have to grow up again.”
“I don’t have them.”
“Yes, you told me.” The man sighs. “In the morning, we can search for them. But it’s getting dark right now, so you need to let me know what you want to do for the night.” He sticks a finger down the back of Laura’s diaper. “And you, young lady, need a change.” Laura blushes. “I’ll take you wherever you’d like to go for the night, including my own house.”
Laura has to think about that. On the one hand, she doesn’t have diapers or other toddler items at her house. On the other hand, she doesn’t really want to stay at a stranger’s place. But if she stays at the house of someone she knows and who has toddler items, she’ll either have to pretend to be a regular toddler or deal with the humiliation of someone she knows knowing what has happened to her.
It comes down to what she considers the least of evils.