Days became weeks, and weeks stretched into months. Ben had resented the change at first, but gradually started enjoying his new status. The silly games and odd fascinations of an infant went from annoying and pointless to entertaining, and the struggle to walk and talk became a challenge instead of an ordeal. He and Ken acted like twins now, though he couldn't tell if he had become more like the baby or the baby was picking up cues from him. After a while, it didn't matter. 'Ben' fell into the development pattern of his brother, and they struggled to stand, to make sounds, and finally utter first words and take first steps in perfect unison. 'Mommy' was delighted, and as much as he had been upset by her trick at first, 'Ben' accepted her totally.
The twins were approaching their fourth birthday when Ken first told Ben about the strange dream where he had been older and made a baby by Mommy. At first, even Ben did not remember, but after he did the only thought was that he had talked in his sleep. But that was followed by sensations and thoughts that seemed to come from Ken. By the time they were five, the two were linked mentally to the point they knew what each other thought, and even felt what the other felt. The magic of the socks had duplicated Ken's minds so exactly that Ben was the same boy, only different because of vague memories of being someone else. And even Ken had those now.
The boys shared everything now, and it was normal to them. Almost, but not quite, one mind in two bodies. They were able to function independently, and had individual awarenesses, though at times neither was sure which boy they were. Sometimes Ken woke up and thought he was Ben and Ben often felt like he was his twin. They were so identical it didn't matter, but out of curiosity, they marked their feet with different color ink. Three days later they woke up and found they had switched bodies. They started practicing, working hard, and taught themselves to exchange forms at will. Ben could be outside and Ken sitting on the toilet, and they would switch places. This allowed to play tricks on grownups.
By now, the dreams and memories had faded into a blur. One day, while Mommy was out and a neighbor girl named Abby was babysitting, The boys went exploring in the hall closet and found a box of old pictures. They started looking through the funny prints of Mommy when she was younger and they were babies. But then they found some of one newborne baby, not two. And there
was a boy there, a boy who was with her in other pictures. Memories suddenly came back to the surface, and both Ken and Ben looked at each other and said 'That's me!"