“I’m pwaying,” Leah said firmly. The woman chuckled.
“I guess you are. Are your parents nearby?” she asked. Leah pointed to a random couple not far away. “Okay, that’s good. Sorry to bug you, sweetie. Have a nice day!” The woman then went into the bathroom with her child. Leah let out a sigh of relief, then quickly ducked behind a nearby bush. She needed to look herself over and see what the damage was.
Her pink swimsuit was now patterned with purple butterflies. There was a slight bulge around her waist, which, upon inspection, turned out to be a pair of training pants designed for swimming. Leah groaned softly. Great. At least she wasn’t in a swim diaper. But now she would be accosted constantly if she wasn’t standing near an adult. Not to mention, she didn’t have swim floaties or anything, so swimming wouldn’t be safe at her age.
As she thought about swim floaties, they suddenly appeared on her arms, in a bright purple to match the butterflies on her swimsuit. That was convenient. Now, if only the swimsuit could whip up an adult to accompany her on the beach, she’d be set.
When no adult appeared, Leah thought hard about her options. She could try to find an adult to stick near, play despite being an unaccompanied toddler, or attempt to get back to an older age.