Martin sat in the wooden chair, rubbing his arms as the chill from the pond still clung to his skin. His breath came slow and steady, but an odd tingling sensation was crawling all over him like ants marching under his skin. His toes, bare and wriggling on the wooden floor, seemed smaller somehow.
Lizzy and Timmy watched him with concern.
"Martin? You okay?" Lizzy asked again, stepping closer.
Martin opened his mouth to answer but suddenly, a shiver wracked his whole body. He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling his limbs tingle even more—no, not just tingle. It was like his whole body was… changing.
His fingers stretched and then shrank, his legs tingled, his stomach tightened, and his face began to smooth. His pot-belly melted away in seconds, and his hair, once streaked with slate grey, turned a solid, youthful brown. He could feel his clothes growing baggier around him, his sleeves drooping past his hands, his pant legs pooling over his feet.
"Lizzy… something ain't right—" Martin's voice cracked and broke, rising in pitch. He looked up at his wife, eyes wide with horror.
Lizzy gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "Oh my word! Martin! You're—You're—!"
Timmy’s eyes widened as he stared at his dad. "You look… like me!" he blurted out.
Martin scrambled up from the chair, but his oversized clothes made it difficult. His now-too-big coat slipped off his shoulders, and his sweater hung on him like a blanket. His pants slid down his legs, leaving him standing there in a heap of fabric, looking utterly bewildered.
He turned to a dusty mirror hanging on the cabin wall, and his breath caught in his throat. Staring back at him was the face of a twelve-year-old boy. His own son’s twin.
He touched his smooth cheeks, ran his fingers through his brown hair, and tugged at the oversized sweater drowning his tiny frame. "This ain't possible…" he muttered, his voice high-pitched and shaky.
Timmy stood beside him, the resemblance uncanny. If not for the fact that Timmy was still wearing his own clothes while Martin’s swallowed him whole, it would’ve been impossible to tell them apart.
Lizzy took a step forward, placing a trembling hand on Martin’s small shoulder. "Oh, honey… what happened to you?"
Martin turned to her, his blue eyes wide. "I-I don’t know! It must’ve been that pond! Somethin’ in the water… it did this to me!"
Timmy’s face lit up with a mixture of confusion and excitement. "Wait, does this mean I have a twin brother now?"
Martin groaned, burying his face in his hands. "Timmy, this ain’t funny! I can’t stay like this! I gotta—"
But before he could finish, his pants finally slipped completely off, leaving him struggling to keep his dignity intact as he clutched at the oversized waistband.
Lizzy sighed, trying to suppress a chuckle at the sight of her now child-sized husband drowning in his own clothes. "Well… first thing’s first, we need to find you somethin’ that actually fits."
Martin groaned again. "Oh lord… this is gonna be a long day."