At the end of the day, you've played a lot, whether with other children or with toys. You loved it but now you, as well as the other children, are fairly tired. The afternoon is moving on and the sun slowly starting to go down. You wonder what is going to happen now, though, and with the stopping of games you come to realize how dire your situation is. You are one-year-old, you can't walk, barely talk at all, not comprehensible words, at least and with no means to go home. Or to explain who you are exactly. What will happen now? The only consolation is that you are clearly not the only one and that it must have occurred before. But what are the other children thinking about. A few older children are talking among themselves in worried tones so you're not the only one getting anxious and wondering what will happen next. Then, some members of the zoo staff - adults!- come. You feel a flood of relief. Help is on the way! They'll know what to do. It's not the first time it's happened and they're in charge, so that means a solution is on the way. And indeed, they all calm you down and tell you that this happens all the time. There's a procedure and that you must all be patient. The way to get your age back will look weird because the zoo will have to be toured to ensure no one has been left behind, but that you shall be given an injection to age you back to your normal age. The children that can walk are taken by the hand and the others carried. Naturally, you are taken in the arms of a male employee, as you can only crawl. Some employees carry toddlers, others two younger babies, while others still have one or two children by the hand. You leave the park and go around the zoo, as explained.
The tour of the zoo is made rather slowly, considering each enclosure and path is inspected. You wonder if the simplest way would not have been to age you back in their lab and have others search for any missing child instead. It all sounds like a waste of time. To make you all wait, they ask you to look at the animals. Animals that also look at you and sometimes stare or point at some of you. The animals in those exhibits don't just look unusual or incredible, their behavior is as well. A chief of staff notes down things in a notebook. Probably to write down which places have been thoroughly inspected. You pass the time looking at the yetis, marine monsters, dragons, unicorns and other creatures, telling yourself that you'll enjoy the exhibits a lot more once you are back in your normal body.
At long last, you all troop in the infirmary building and are placed in different rooms depending on your ages. You're with the toddlers and you are told to wait until the head doctor comes with the precise injection for you. So you all obey, impatient to have your bodies back with all the ad advantages they bring. Being a toddler means being way too dependent and helpless, you decide. The other toddlers wait with you, some falling asleep. You're getting very tired as well and soon you get impatient. Well... Maybe you could stave off the boredom you are inflicted with in spite of your tiredness by exploring around? Not too much. Just a bit. Also... You're curious. How is the antidote made? You haven't told anyone what age you were before you reached the Fountain Of Youth. How will they know the precise number of years to give you? They didn't ask that to anyone, in fact. Sop you slip discreetly out of the room and peer into the other rooms. You're lucky, the corridor is empty. The doors are closed or ajar, like yours was, but you can hear voices from one. Adult voices. You approach, curious, but what you hear makes you freeze in horror.
"...that female yeti wants a baby girl and a little boy."
"The baby she pointed at is free but the boy was wanted by a minotaur for his spouse."
"Then give her the little boy who was naughty. A yeti's life will suit him better. He'll act like a mischievous ape and make visitors laugh."
"Good idea. As for the mermaids and nymphs, even though they want girls exclusively, there are here exceptions that..."
"What are you doing here?"
You jump at the adult voice right behind you. You were so taken by the revelations heard that you didn't notice the employee walking up behind you. You're caught! She grabs you and hoists you in her arms but you start crying and screaming. You know the truth. They are changing you into animals for the exhibits! You'll be put in the enclosures with your new family! The animals and creatures were selecting you! The tour was just to show you to the creatures! The notebook to indicate who wanted who! No one here had the intention to age you back! You were all to become new attractions. And the injections were certainly to transform you into these creatures!
As you bawl, the adults come out of the room and the staff member tells them you have slipped away but that she'll put you back there immediately. They nod and go back, while you are taken back to the room with the rest of the toddlers. They wake up or stare at your crying. You attempt explaining to them the awfulness of the situation you are all in but it is not use. Alas for you but good news to the employees, your baby talk cannot express your knowledge of the events so launching an escape is impossible. Too soon, someone arrives with a tray of syringes, saying in a syrupy-sweet voice that everyone would get their shot and be on their way. All the others smile widely at that news but you aren't fooled. You crawl under a table, determined to evade the dreaded shot. All the other children are given their injection and all fall asleep. They are carried away by other employees to finish their transformation in cradles and playpens. The employee then reaches out her hand to seize you.
"You're the last one, sweetie, even the babies have gone through their injections by now."
You twist and yell at the top of your lungs but the woman is infinitely stronger than you. The needle gets into your arm and you are injected. You slump in sleep right after and the last thing you know is cursing at your young age. You cannot even ask what creature wanted you in their family. And the very last thing you wonder is what you shall awake as, and with what parents. Or even if you'll have your memories still.