As Jeff finished inputting his changes, he glanced at the clock—he still had a couple of minutes before his mom came back. His fingers hovered over the keyboard, and a mischievous grin tugged at his lips. He had the power to make anyone anything he wanted, and now that he was going to be a little kid again, what if he gave his mom the same experience? She'd told him countless times that her best memories were from when she was a 3-year-old, carefree and happy.
He hesitated for only a moment before he decided. It would be a funny surprise, something she would never expect.
He clicked on the option for his mom’s age and, with a quick tap of the keyboard, changed her from her usual middle-aged self to 3 years old. He also made a modification so that only he can make changes to this program. A feeling of excitement washed over him as he confirmed the changes. The screen flashed and confirmed the adjustments were set. With the time set for a short duration of just 2 minutes, Jeff leaned back in his chair, excitement bubbling in his chest as he waited.
The door creaked open, and Jeff’s mom entered, calling out from the doorway, “Dinner’s almost ready, Jeff. How’re you doing in here?”
Jeff couldn’t help but giggle at the thought of the surprise he was about to spring on her. He had to hide his grin as his fingers hovered over the keyboard, ready to make the final adjustment.
“Well, mom,” Jeff said, trying to keep his voice steady, “I think I’m ready for my surprise, but you might want to sit down for this one.”
His mom raised an eyebrow, walking towards him with a slight smirk. “A surprise, huh? You’re full of tricks today.” She perched herself on the edge of the bed, watching him closely.
“Just wait,” Jeff teased. “I think you’ll like it.”
With a deep breath, Jeff clicked the “Save” button, and the machine hummed to life.
Almost immediately, a strange sound filled the air, and his mom’s figure started to shrink rapidly. Her posture became more youthful, her features softening, and her body becoming smaller and rounder. Her once mature face took on an innocent, cherubic look, and within seconds, she was a tiny, 3-year-old girl, sitting wide-eyed on the bed where she'd just been.