Samantha sat with Chelsea for a long while. They spoke about school as Samantha was a year behind and Chelsea had similar teachers to what Samantha’s been going through, or at least that’s how it is now. The sensation of familiarity in this moment was quite the feat to comprehend for Samantha. It was as though she’d open her mouth and suddenly the facts just became true. It felt like she was making it up as she went along but in truth it was all real. What’s stranger was that she started to feel a distance from herself that wasn’t present before in her conversations with Diana. She felt like she was acting, playing a role that she most certainly wasn’t and she’d felt like this particular role was consuming her. She had little control on her words, on her actions and feelings. What was even stranger was how this disconnect felt in and of itself. It felt… good. The loss of control felt right at home. With each word, each childish inflection of speech she felt more alive than before. There were words she used to say that had a modest sophistication to them, though now she felt like even saying that would be troublesome. It was apparent more and more that she was a kid, and it really felt good in the moment.
“Sammy, are you tired?” Chelsea said, her tone changing drastically. Samantha was caught off guard by the sudden shift. “What?” She said, her voice cracking as she felt her perspective shift and the vertigo set in. As she gripped her temples, she saw her, Dorthy was here. Dorthy, or Dot to those familiar with her, was Diana and Chelsea’s niece of 5 years of age.
“Oh… Dot’s here.” Samantha said allowed, watching in slight disorientation as her body shifted dramatically. She felt used to the motion of her already small frame shrinking down even more. Any hints of teenage life left as her face gained a small amount of baby fat, her clothes shifting to a more colorful display. She found herself wearing a lovely black corduroy dress with a small heart on the front with some white leggings and small black dress shoes. She looked around for a mirror in the briefest of moments and saw the little girl sitting in her place.
“Sammy, are you sure you’re doing okay? You’ve been up for a long while.” Chelsea continued, speaking in a warm tone as she gently placed her hand on Samantha’s arm. Samantha, now reeling herself back in from the change focuses her gaze at Dot. “Dot!”
As though a new form of energy made its way through her little form, Samantha leap from her chair, almost falling flat on her face, as she ran over to her little cousin once removed.
The two embraced, and began their usual antics to the delight of all party goers.
After some time, when Samantha and Dot found themselves playing with coloring books, Samantha hears the voice of her mother, someone she’d not seen at the party until now but she’d known she was here all along.
“Sammy….”