Mary Elise looked over the selection of clothes strewn throughout Katie's room. Between Katie's old clothes and the things they had purchased earlier in the day she couldn't decide. Finally she caught something that caught her interest.
A peach colored summer dress hung neatly in Katie's closet, Mary Elise grasped the dress and hugged it close to her chest. "It's perfect," she exclaimed. "No peaking while I get changed" she said. "Just cuz I'm a kid doesn't mean I don't have some modesty."
Katie smiled and turned around as Mary Elise slipped out of her shirt and put the dress on. After a few minutes Mary Elise called out. "Okay," she said. "Give me your opinion,"
Katie turned around and looked at Mary Elise. The little red haired girl was adorable in the peach dress, unfortunately it was a couple of sizes to small. Mary Elise was attempting to adjust the dress that rested mid theigh on her.
"Looks a little small," Katie stated. Sadly Mary Elise looked at Katie.
"Yeah I know," she said sullenly. "But it's so cute. I never wore anything like this when I was a kid before. I was such a tomboy growing up always wearing boyish clothes and not really doing anything girly."
"I could make you a little younger," Katie said. Mary Elise shook her head vigorously at this suggestion.
"Tempting but no," Mary Elise said. "Ten is a good age. Getting this young was weird enough I'm still getting used to it. Besides I like being a little taller than you don't think I want to be looking up at you just yet."
Katie and Mary Elise thought about what to do, suddenly Mary Elise's face lit up.
"I've got it," Mary Elise exclaimed. "That ring your wearing do you think it can change clothes."
Katie stared dumbfounded at the ring on her finger. She hadn't thought about trying it on clothes before. If it worked it could make things more interesting. "I'm not sure."
"Well nows as good a time as any," Mary Elise stated. "Hit me with your best shot."
Shakily Katie made a wish for the dress to fit 10 year old Mary Elise. Slowly but surely the peach dress began to expand to fit her young frame. The hem of the dress slowly lowered until it rested just below her knees. The top morphed so that it looked more appropriate on a girl of 10 as opposed to 7. It lost the young childish of Disney characters and replaced it with patterns and floral designs. When the changes were complete Mary Elise quickly ran to the mirror in the room to look herself over.
"It's perfect," she said twirling around. "Thank you."
Smiling Mary Elise ran over and jumped on the bed. She now sat there swaying her barefoot , which rested a foot off the floor, glancing around the room.
Katie smiled at her new friend and marveled at her ingenuity. She would never have thought of ageing someone's clothes, Mary Elise was truely an exceptional person. Now Katie wanted to know even more about this girl.
"How you feeling Mary?" Katie asked.
Mary Elise looked Katie and crinkled her nose. "Short," she said with a smile. "But loving every minute of it."
Mary Elise now looked kindly at Katie.
"Thanks so much for this," she said. "When I was a kid the first time I was a bit of an oddball. Most girls my age were into dolls and girly things. I was more of an individual and loved the outdoors. My only friend growing up was Claudia. She was my polar opposite and my mom wanted me to be more like her."
Katie nodded in response. "What was Claudia like as a kid?" She asked.
Mary Lise smiled. "She was always the most popular girl in school." She said. "The boys loved her and the girls envied her. We lived next door to each other so we grew up together. Even though she has a bit of a gruff exterior she was a true friend with a kind heart. She just didn't show it to anyone but me. That's why we're so close, we could be ourselves around eachother."
"What about the others," Katie asked.
"Mika moved to our neighborhood in 4th grade." Mary Elise stated. "Her and Claudia are the same side of the same coin. Needless to say they bumped heads but as they grew up they grew closer. Mika and I always got along and I found myself more often than not breaking up there fights when we were kids. Samantha and Tricia we didn't meet until high school. They were always nice but I wasn't as close to them as I was to Claudia."
Katie smiled and looked at Mary Elise.
"Mary you okay with me not telling you about the ring originally and making you so young?"
Mary Elise smiled and looked at Katie with eyes that showed more wisdom than you would expect from a 10 year old.
"Katie," she said. "You gave me something that every adult wants. A second chance at life. I may not remember everything from the first time you used the ring on me but I know that this is something I will truely cherish."
Katie blushed and looked down at the floor. "Okay," she said. "Now what should we do now. Claudia, Samantha and Tricia are still adults before the nights done we're going to have to make them kids. Who should we change first!"
The girls now thought about who should be changed next.