As Laura and Kaitlin re-entered the mall, their oversized clothes slipping awkwardly on their newly youthful frames, they decided they needed a quiet spot to regroup. Ducking into a clothing store, they found a small changing area tucked away in the back, hoping to figure out their next move.
“This is ridiculous,” Kaitlin whispered, fumbling with the straps of her dress. “I feel like I’m playing dress-up in my mom’s clothes!”
Laura tugged at the waistband of her skirt, which was now barely staying up. “We just need something that fits so we don’t look like we raided a lost-and-found bin.”
As they sorted through racks, Kaitlin noticed Laura’s die peeking out of her loosely hanging purse. “You know,” she said with a mischievous grin, “if we’re already this far in, why not just roll again? We could see how far this goes.”
Laura glared at her. “Are you serious? We’re already barely high schoolers! What if we end up in diapers?”
“Oh, come on. What’s the worst that could—oops!” Kaitlin’s hand “accidentally” bumped Laura’s purse, sending the die tumbling to the floor.
“Fourteen years you have walked this earth. Now this number is but twelve. Each roll of the die shall return more of what has been lost.”
Laura groaned as the golden light enveloped her once again, shrinking her frame even further. Her once-loose blouse now completely engulfed her, and her shoes clattered to the ground as they slipped off her much smaller feet.
“Kaitlin!” Laura hissed, her voice even higher and more childlike now. “What did you do?”
Kaitlin tried to stifle a giggle but couldn’t help it. “Sorry, it slipped!” she said, clearly not sorry at all.
“Oh yeah?” Laura retorted, snatching Kaitlin’s die and tossing it onto the changing bench.
“Fifteen years you have walked this earth. Now this number is but ten. Each roll of the die shall return more of what has been lost.”
Kaitlin gasped as the transformation hit her. Her dress fell around her like a collapsed tent, and her shoes flopped uselessly around her tiny feet. “Laura!” she squeaked, her voice now unmistakably that of a child.
Before they could bicker further, a sales associate poked her head into the changing area, her face a mixture of confusion and concern. “Excuse me, girls,” she said slowly. “Are you lost? Does your mom know you’re here?”
Laura’s face turned bright red. “Um, no! We’re fine!” she stammered, pulling her blouse tighter around her tiny frame.
Kaitlin tried to stand confidently, but the oversized dress caused her to trip, landing in a heap of fabric on the floor. “We’re just, uh...shopping!”
The sales associate raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “Right. Well, maybe I should call security to help you find your parents.”
“No!” the girls exclaimed in unison, their voices high-pitched and panicked.
The associate frowned. “Alright, then. But if I see you messing around, you’re out.”
As she left, Laura and Kaitlin collapsed into nervous giggles, their embarrassment outweighing their annoyance at each other.
“We need to fix this,” Laura muttered, glaring at Kaitlin.
“Yeah, but first,” Kaitlin said, tugging at the mountain of fabric around her, “we really need some new clothes.”