Wendy rubbed her eyes, unsure of what exactly was going on? The formerly 55 year old woman had been home when she sudden felt light headed. Heading to her bathroom, she had opened her medicine cabinet. The next thing she knew she was standing in a room, gazing at her teenage reflection.
"What's going on," she whispered, gazing at her reflection she now touched her face. "Is, is that..me?"
"Yes Wendy it is."
Wendy jumped, startled by the voice. "Who said that," she stammered. "Where am I?"
"The Age Door," a voice echoed.
Wendy furrowed her brow, returning to her reflection. It was her, it was just a face she hadn't seen in 40 years. Wide innocent eyes, glossy hair, and a round face with only the first hints of adulthood. "My god I look 16 again."
"Actually you are 15 years, 11 months, and 5 days old," the voice echoed. Wendy now looked up at two timers on the wall. One listing her age, her current age of 15, almost 16. The second read 1 month. Reading the second timer Wendy's eyes went wide. "It cant be."
A small grunt now startled Wendy as she looked at the tiny infant girl laying on the floor. Slowly she now approached the girl, picking her up slowly. Wendy was shocked, it couldn't be Amanda. She had given the child away decades ago.
"In case your curious that is your daughter Wendy," the voice echoed.
"How is that even possible," Wendy exclaimed. "None of this should be, how can she be an infant? In fact, how am I 15 years old again!"
"Read the letter you'll understand."
Wendy now glanced down at the letter by her feet. Gingerly holding her infant daughter, Wendy now picked up the letter, slowly reading it as she thought back 40 years ago.
It had been freshman year. Wendy, like most teenagers, thought she knew it all, that she was an adult, that her parents couldnt tell her what to do anymore. One month after her 15th birthday, Wendy had lied to her parents about staying at a friends house so she could sneak off to a party. While there she began to flirt with a rather cute senior football player. They drank, they laughed, and before Wendy knew what happened she was losing her virginity. That moment was a turning point for Wendy.
Wendy rather quickly discovered she was pregnant. The boy if course denied it and considering their was alcohol involved and paternity tests weren't widely available at the time, Wendy found herself a single pregnant teenager. The girl was of course despondent, her parents furious. Wendy was taken out of public school, her parents homeschooling her before sending her to private school the following year. Wendy would get a fresh start, their was just one last decision to make.
For Wendy abortion wasnt an option. She would give birth to this child, however, she made a deciscion that was well beyond her years. Wendy realized she couldnt provide the type of life Amanda deserved. Instead she would find a couple who would take care of Amanda and give her the life she deserved. One month after Amanda was born, Wendy gave her away, never looking back but always wondering how she was doing. It was a secret she had kept to herself, never telling her husband or her two sons.
As Wendy now read Amanda's letter, she could feel her eyes growing damp. It seemed Amanda was doing great, the girl had grown up happy, marrying and having a daughter of her own. Wendy chuckled, wiping her eyes as she realized that she was now a grandmother. "I didnt think that would happen for a few more years," she said. "Greg only got married a month ago and John just graduated college."
Wendy now furrowed her brow as she read to the end, finding Amanda's writing becoming more juvenile with quite a few misspellings. "What happened at the end of the letter," she asked.
"Amanda wrote this while she was regressing," the voice echoed. "By the time she reached the end she was barely in grade school."
Wendy nodded, gazing down at the infant at her arms. "This is just amazing," she smiled. "I always wondered how she was doing. So what happens now? Can I talk with her?"
"All you have to do is say progress," the voice said. "Say that and Amanda will grow back up."
"And I'm guessing I will too," Wendy stated.
"Yes but you dont have to," the voice said. "You can ask that Amanda progresses only. Also you can ask that you regress. Just in case you want to feel what its like to be pregnant with Amanda once more."
Wendy nodded, gazing at the small girl as she now made her choice.