“We can keep walking,” Kaitlin says firmly. Laura takes a step forward, but stumbles. “Take off your thirt.” Kaitlin grimaces as she realizes that Laura isn’t the only one struggling to speak. Laura looks at her. “What?”
“Help,” Laura says. Kaitlin frowns.
“You can’t take off your thirt?” she asks. Laura shakes her head. “Fine. I’ll help you.” Kaitlin pulls Laura’s shirt off, leaving her fully nude. “Now, we’ll go.” Kaitlin takes Laura’s hand and begins to walk again, following the instructions on the phone. As they walk, however, the screen becomes more and more difficult to read, and eventually, Kaitlin can’t understand any of it. She stops.
“What?” Laura asks. Kaitlin turns to face her and sees Laura is sucking on her thumb.
“I can’t read thith,” Kaitlin huffs impatiently, waving the phone. Laura cocks her head curiously at her, still sucking her thumb. “Do you have any ideath?” Laura frowns thoughtfully. Then, in front of Kaitlin’s horrified eyes, she squats and grunts. Kaitlin quickly turns around so as to not watch her friend poop on the ground. When Laura stops grunting, Kaitlin turns back to her. Laura grins.
“Poopoo!” she giggles. Kaitlin grins, too. Laura’s right, it is pretty funny!
“You pooped!” Kaitlin laughs. Laura giggles again.
“No diapoo!” Laura says triumphantly. Kaitlin laughs even louder. Then, she gets a fantastic idea. She strips off her oversized shirt. Now, they’re both naked. Laura falls back on her butt from laughing so hard. The fact that Laura has lost her potty training and ability to speak more than two words, that neither of them can read, all these are forgotten as Kaitlin and Laura roll around on the ground with laughter.
“What the-” says a voice. Kaitlin and Laura look up. A woman stands before them, confused. Kaitlin gets to her feet. Then, she squats. “Carly, bring some diapers over here, fast!” the woman calls. Kaitlin begins to push and grunt, emptying her bowels onto the ground. By the time she finishes, Laura has been diapered by the teenaged girl the woman summoned.
“C’mere!” the teenager says, swooping in and diapering Kaitlin as well. Kaitlin sits heavily on the ground and looks up at the woman and teenager. “Mom, who are these little girls?”
“I don’t know. But they’re clearly abandoned.” The woman picks Kaitlin up. “Take the other one. They’ll come home with us for the night.” Kaitlin and Laura are carried over to a nearby house and brought inside. The woman deposits Kaitlin in a playpen next to a toddler about Laura’s current age, and then takes Laura from her daughter. As Kaitlin watches, the woman removes her blouse, revealing a nursing bra, and brings Laura up to one breast.
“Mom, should you really be breastfeeding some random toddler?” the teenager, Carly, asks.
“I’m offering her the chance, since her diet might be supplemented with breastmilk. If she doesn’t want it, she won’t- never mind. Wow, she’s hungry.” The woman adjusts her hold on Laura, who is busily suckling. “See if you can get any information out of the older one.” Carly picks Kaitlin up out of the playpen and sets her on the ground, then sits in front of her.
“Hi. Can you tell me your name?”
“Kaitlin.”
“Is the girl you were with your sister?” Carly asks. Kaitlin frowns thoughtfully. She’s not completely sure, but it makes sense, so she nods. “What’s her name?”
“Lowa,” Kaitlin says, proud to have remembered her sister’s name. Carly continues to ask her questions, most of which Kaitlin can’t answer. When Carly finishes, Kaitlin feels warmth flood her diaper. She beams. “I peed!”
“So did your sister,” sighs Carly’s mom. “Carly, can you change them? I’ll get dinner ready.”
Kaitlin sucks on her thumb idly as she watches Carly change Laura’s diaper, then has her own diaper changed. Carly places Laura in the playpen with Kaitlin and the other toddler. She then leaves. Kaitlin looks at Laura, dressed in only a thick diaper like her.