Upon hearing someone come in, Laura immediately dives into a nearby pile of clothes to hide. Once more people have come inside, she’ll be able to come out of her hiding spot and blend in. She waits. After about half an hour, Laura emerges from the clothes. Customers are scattered around the store, ranging from elderly to younger than Laura’s apparent age.
Sucking on the pacifier in an attempt to play up her toddler appearance, Laura heads for the front door. She doesn’t need to try to mimic the gait of a young child; the diaper she is wearing causes her to toddle as is. Laura waits for someone to open the door, then slips out. She looks around for a place to stay while she thinks of her next step. Next to the store is a small playground. Laura toddles over and sits in the sandbox.
A few parents look over at her curiously. Laura quickly sucks on the pacifier and hugs the security blanket. The parents, convinced that she is a regular toddler boy, look away. As Laura sits in the sandbox, she sees some police officers come over to ask the parents watching their children if they saw her.
Laura closes her eyes, convinced that she’ll be found out. But the police leave without even glancing her way. She lets out a sigh of relief. Her disguise was successful. She gets to her feet and begins to leave the playground.
“Oh, no, mister, you can’t just leave,” chides a nearby mother. The woman gets up and guides Laura back to the sandbox. “Keep playing until your mommy or daddy says it’s okay to go home.”
“But-” Laura tries. The woman pats her on the head and goes back over to her seat, now watching Laura like a hawk. Laura sits in the sandbox, pouting. Her disguise was too good. Now she seems to be a toddler, and toddlers won’t be allowed to wander around without supervision.