“…naps!” the teacher chirps. Laura’s new classmates all get to their feet and go over to a portion of the classroom where sleeping mats have been laid out. Laura quickly follows them. She lays on the sleeping mat next to Becky. The lights are turned off.
Laura plans to stay awake the whole time, coming up with a way to get out of the latest situation. However, exhausted by the events of the day, she falls asleep quickly. During the nap, the dice roll out of her pocket.
“Six years you have walked this Earth. Now this number is but three. Each roll of the dice returns more of what you have lost.” Laura shrinks yet again. Her clothes, designed for a large preschooler, are baggy on her small toddler body. But more troubling for Laura is the loss of her potty training, as she wasn’t fully potty trained until four. Laura’s bladder lets loose, filling her training pants with pee.
Shortly after, the teacher hears soft grunting and walks over. She sighs quietly. Of course the new preschooler isn’t fully potty trained. The teacher waits for Laura to finish messing herself, then gently shakes her awake.
“Come with me, sweetie,” the teacher says softly. Disoriented from just waking up, Laura follows, leaving the dice on the mat. The teacher takes Laura into the bathroom, strips her down, and then removes Laura’s training pants. Laura’s eyes boggle at how soiled they are.
“I pooped?” Laura whispers.
“Yes, you did. Don’t worry. There are a lot of little girls your age who have some nighttime accidents,” the teacher says soothingly. Laura looks at her hands, and realizes that they are smaller than before. The dice must have rolled while she slept! “Now, I’m sorry, but we have a rule here. And the rule is that if you mess yourself, you need to be in diapers.”
“Only when I’m sleep, right?” Laura asks. The teacher shakes her head.
“No. All the time. But just ask someone to take you to potty if you need to poop.”
“But-”
“No buts,” the teacher says firmly, but kindly. Laura reluctantly allows the teacher to wipe her down and diaper her. As the teacher is about to redress Laura, she realizes that the clothes are slightly baggy on her. “Hmm. Let me guess. These are your older sister’s clothes.” Laura nods silently, letting the lie be. “Stay right here.” The teacher leaves.
The teacher returns shortly with a diaper cover and dress for Laura. Laura doesn’t want to wear either of these items, but on the bright side, the diaper cover will hide her embarrassment. The teacher pulls the diaper cover on and slips the dress over Laura’s shoulder. Now that Laura has been dressed, the teacher brings Laura back into the classroom, over to her sleeping mat.
“Go ahead and sleep some more,” the teacher whispers to her. “I’ll wake you up when nap time is over.” Laura nods silently. The teacher walks away.
Laura spots the dice, spilled out of the case. She swears under her breath. Apparently, she’s now three. She puts the dice back in the case and drops the case into her diaper cover for safekeeping. Then, with nothing else to do, she lays down on the mat. Hopefully, she won’t fall asleep again. She’s worried about having another accident.