"Here," Maria says smiling "drink this." she gives you a bottle of milk.
"Thanks." you say, and suck on it "This is just what I needed. I can't believe how messy we all got from the fudge. It was good, though." you
continue sucking on it "Just wondering Maria, how long have you been coming here?"
"I lived here when I was ten." she replied, adjusting her diaper "I'll admit I was scared the first time I became a baby, but Beth, Sue and Rin all
made me feel more comfortable with it. I was embarrassed when I had to have my diaper changed, but none of them made me feel bad about
it. They understood me, and as time went by, I lost all embarrassment. We've even taken bubble baths together, and we feel no shame - we've
even ran around the treehouse before putting anything back on. Sometimes we wear only diapers. We're not afraid to share secrets with
eachother. Even though we're not related, we feel like sisters. Sometimes we talk about serious things like jobs, family or boyfriends, but
usually in very babyish ways. I moved away recently, and the town I live in now is far from here, but I know that if I ever want to come back, all I
have to do is suck on my pacifier, and I'm here. Since time never passes in here, no one even knows we're gone, and we always arrive back the
exact second we left."
"So you were the last person who lived here before me?" you ask, setting down your finished bottle.
"Yes." she replies with a smile "How do you like the house?"
"It's nice," you reply "but I like this treehouse a lot more! Hee-hee!"
"Hee-hee, yeah." Maria giggles "Me too."
"How does this place even exist?" you ask, before sucking your thumb.
"It was built by Beth's father." she replies "She was the first one who lived here. Beth was only a year old back then. Her father wanted to build it
for her to play in when she got big enough."
"So then were'd the magic come from?" you ask, rocking back and forth.
"Well," she replies as you start sucking on your thumb again "according to Beth, her mother was a witch."
"Was?" you ask, a sad look on your face "You mean she ..."
"Yes," Maria replied sadly "and Beth doesn't like to talk about it. She lived until beth was five - a witch hunter got her, and the sad part is, she
never used her magic for evil at all. She loved Beth very much, and always wanted to be there for 'her baby', so right after the treehouse was
built, she cast a spell on it, infusing part of her essence into the treehouse itself. Once in a while, this essence manifests itself, or rather
HERSELF, in a physical form. Sometimes it's from the wood of the floor, the fabric of the carpet, or even the bark of the tree itself. I remember
she formed out of one of the beanbags once - she was very soft, and she's always so nice to us, and she treats all of us like her own. She's the
one who makes sure there are always fresh diapers and other things here that we need."
"So the tree house is haunted by the ghost of Beth's mother?" you ask, sucking your thumb again.
"First, I wouldn't say she 'haunts' it," Maria replies "and second, she never appears in pure spirit form, but always appears as part of the inside
of the treehouse to interact with us. She doesn't want to scare us, that's why she chooses to appear as she does. If you're lucky, you might get
to meet her some day."
"I'm not sure how I feel about meeting a witch," you say "let alone the ghost of one. Wait. If that's the case, does that mean that Beth's a witch
too?"
"Yes," Maria replied "but she mostly uses her magic to get rid of used diapers and do other things of that nature."
"Does she ever use her magic for fun?" you ask.
"Yes." Maria replies "She puts on magic shows for us up here sometimes."
"That sounds cool." you say "I'd like to see one sometime."
"You'll get a chance," she says, patting you on the shoulder "so don't worry about it, Monica"
She then gives you a big hug, which you quickly return.
"Let's get back to the others." Maria says happily.
"Okay." you reply, and the two of you walk back to Beth, Sue and Rin, sucking your thumbs all the way.