Doris zoned out as she jogged along, thinking about her looming 40th birthday. Not until she tripped over her pants, falling off the treadmill, did she realize something was wrong. She stared down at herself, horrified. She was positively swimming in her clothes. After shaking off the pants to wear only her shirt like a dress, she looked at the age display on the treadmill. Her jaw dropped.
“Four?!” she squeaked. She looked down at herself again. Her body certainly looked like it belonged to a four-year-old. The age thing wasn’t a gimmick. Before Doris could properly come to terms with what had happened to her, a gym employee came up to her.
“Hi, sweetie, did you enjoy your run?” the employee asked. Doris stared at her mutely. “Aw, you must be new here. Come on, let’s get you in an exercise room that better suits you.” Still blindsided, Doris went along with the employee, following her to a room with a sign on it reading “Preschool – Reduced”. The employee opened the door. Immediately, another employee swooped in, smiling sweetly at Doris.
“Looks like someone forgot to bring a change when they went on the treadmill,” the new employee teased. “What’s your name?”
“Doris.”
“Doris. I’m Lacey. I think we have something that should fit you perfectly,” the employee chirped. Doris reluctantly entered the room. The original employee left, maybe to look for other gym members who were in her situation. “Now, everyone who reduces to preschool age has to wear pull-ups, just because we’ve had some accidents before.”
“What?!”
“Oh, don’t worry, it’s fine!” Lacey said cheerfully. Doris suddenly remembered what Sandy had told her about the necklace. She quickly took it off, hoping to revert back. Nothing happened. “Sweetie, the effects of the necklace stick while you’re in the gym, even if you take it off.” Lacey walked over to a nearby dresser and began to dig around in it. “Taking it off means the effects won’t stick after you’ve left.”
Lacey returned with a pair of princess-patterned training pants, pink leggings, and a loose-fitted white dress. Before Doris could protest, Lacey had removed the oversized shirt and dressed her in the new clothing. To complete the outfit, she put a pair of Velcro shoes on Doris’ feet.
“There!” Lacey stood up. “Now you can go ahead and exercise!” She gestured to a sliding glass door. Doris walked over. The door led to an indoor playground. A few other children roughly her current age were playing. Doris turned around, intending on asking Lacey to lead her out of the gym. However, Lacey was preoccupied dressing a new arrival, a young boy. Doris looked back at the playground. It was incredibly alluring.
“I came here to exercise,” Doris muttered. “Might as well.” She opened the door and stepped onto the playground.