...a toddler. Jim doubted he was even 3 years old now. He might not even have been 2. His T-shirt hung down on him to his ankles, and its sleeves hung down to his elbows. He held up his pudgy little hands for examination. They seemed so babyish and weak. He toddled over to the mirror and stood next to his now too large clothes piled on the floor.
Seeing his reflection, he gasped. The boy standing before him was little more than a baby now. Everything about him seemed soft and rounded out. He was a far cry form the mature teenager he had been only a minute ago.
“This is bad,” he squeaked in a babyish little voice.
Jim looked back up at the balloon hanging off the top of the bookcase. There was no way he could climb up to it with his weak little body. He wasn’t even 3 feet tall. Even if he pulled a chair over and stood on it, the balloon would still be out of his reach. He started to panic. What was he going to do?
If he couldn’t change back before his family came home, they would find a toddler in his room wearing his T-shirt. Would they believe him when he told them that he was their son? What if they didn’t? What if he couldn’t convince them? What would happen to him then? Foster care? Adoption? Would he have to grow up all over again? And, even if they believed him, what then? He’d have to admit that he’d accidentally turned himself into a baby. It was too embarrassing to even think of. God, what would his little sister say?
Jim felt ready to cry. Being so young, it seemed his emotions had become harder to control. He tried his best to hold it back and keep some semblance of maturity despite how young looked now, but in seconds he started tearing up. Then, feeling totally overcome by emotion, he let loose wailing like the baby he had become. “Waaaaaaah haaaaaaa haaaa!” He sobbed and cried feeling utterly helpless and alone. Somewhere in his mind, he felt an urging to be held by someone. He wanted his Mommy.
Then, as he stood there crying, he was startled to hear a noise downstairs. The door had just opened and closed. Someone was home. He managed to quiet himself enough to hear the voice of...