Ric was talking with Elise when he noticed that she seemed to be growing even lovelier. No, scratch that—she was just growing, period. She was growing,
developing before his very eyes.
Ric averted his eyes before they locked onto her inflating chest—and caught sight of his own hand.
He was shrinking into a kid!
“Uh, excuse me, Elise,” he said desperately, his voice cracking, and he rushed out of the room.
He met Josh—he looked like a 7 year-old!—who looked similarly panicked.
“You too?” Josh asked.
“What did you do?” Ric accused.
“Nothing! Mr. Mendes swiped the book!”
“Oh, man …”
Mr. Mendes climbed out from under the bed, a grown man—but now only 26. He had taken the opportunity to shave a few years off. He retrieved his clothes and
dressed.
“Francisco? Is that you? You look—” Marco’s voice trailed off.
“I know, I know,” Mr. Mendes laughed it off. “I found a new anti-aging program—and boy, is it working! Just let me take care of a few things, and we can go on
our date.”
Marco was amenable. Francisco left him at the table.
Without searching very hard, he found Ric and Josh. After restoring himself, he couldn’t resist zapping them with a spell in revenge for their teasing. He had left
them two year-old toddlers, just as he had been; there was a vengeful symmetry in that. He took them out to meet their “crush,” Elise.
He was shocked when he entered the room. Somehow, he had accidentally aged Elise into a young woman of 19 with his spell. Good thing it hadn’t affected his
boyfriend, and that Elise apparently didn’t realize anything was wrong with her.
“Mr. Mendes, hi!” Elise said politely. Her brow furrowed as she looked at the boys. “Your nephew looks different. And who is his little friend?”
Mr. Mendes made up a glib lie about how Ric and Josh couldn’t be here, and he had gotten stuck with a neighbor’s kid. He asked if Elise wouldn’t mind watching
them, apologized that there weren’t any baby supplies (fortunately, Elise had brought some of her own, realizing upon first meeting Mr. Mendes’ “nephew” how
much trouble two thirteen year-old boys watching a baby would be in.) He asked if she wouldn’t mind watching both boys. Not at all, she demurred.
“I know they’re two years old,” he said, smiling nastily, “but I don’t think they’re potty-trained. I hope you brought some diapers.”
Baby Ric and Josh looked horrified.
“Well … I did, just in case,” Elise demurred.
Mr. Mendes went out with Marco, smiling inwardly. He didn’t intend to leave the boys this way permanently; just long enough to get back at them for leaving him a
toddler.
He was so elated with being freed from his toddler shape …
That he didn’t consider the implications of his leaving the book behind.
Josh was not sure if he would ever get over the horror of knowing that Elise had not just seen him as a two year-old, naked, but was now currently powdering him
and diapering him. Her mother had taught her how, so she could take care of her baby brother. It was worse, knowing that, if Mr. Mendes hadn’t said anything,
she probably would have just put him in training pants (which would have been bad enough.)
Ric, whom she had already similarly taken care of, decided to just go with it.
“Pretty lady,” he gurgled.
Elise thought it was adorable (anything from a two year-old is adorable.) “Thank you very much,” she said, picking him up and tickling his belly. Ric giggled. “Silky
hair,” he said, grabbing a few strands with his baby fist.
Elise smiled, laid him on the couch, and let her hair fall down onto his tummy, swishing her head back and forth so it tickled, causing him to giggle more.
“Hug?” he asked her, holding out his arms to her.
“Of course, sweetie,” she said, picking him up and hugging him next to her newly developed breasts.
Ric decided that this was compensation for his inconvenient new body.
Josh glared jealously.
“What’s this?” she asked, noticing the book for the first time, picking it up, and opening it.
Josh and Ric shared a look of horror.
They tried to distract her, but, now intent on the book, she shushed them, and plunked them down in a playpen she had set up. They watched, helpless, as Elise
started to read a spell aloud from the book.