Edits - Ch 4.1.2.2.2.2.1

Chapter 4.1.2.2.2.2.1 - His mother (39) becomes the youngest kid in the family.

<<Previous (4.1.2.2.2.2) / Outline

Before Tim had a chance to fully consider his options, the decision of who to target next was made for him simply through availability. He heard a car in the driveway and checked out a window to see his mother pulling up to the house.

He wondered why she was home from her law firm so early. Being such a workaholic usually kept her from coming home before sundown. He figured that either something bad had happened to keep her from working or something good had happened to free her from her obligations.

Not wanting to seem suspicious, he turned the TV on and took a seat on the couch to watch some random show as he waited for her to enter the house. Even before she reached him, he had an indication of a problem when he heard her sneeze loudly and blow her nose.

“Hello?” he said. “Is that you, Mom?”

“Yes,” she replied after blowing her nose again. She walked into the hallway where he could see her, and for a moment, he worried that she might freak out when she saw how young he now appeared. However, there was no indication of surprise in her expression. She just continued with an explanation. “My partners sent me home when they noticed me sneezing. I told them it was just allergies or a 24-hour bug or something.” She shrugged. “They said I ought to get some rest. Can you believe that?” She sneezed and blew her nose into a tissue again. “We’ve got a trial date in less than a week, and I’m being told to stop preparing?”

“Well,” Tim replied. “You won’t be much help if you’re too sick to get out of bed. Besides, they probably don’t want you getting them sick, too.”

She sighed. “I guess,” she said. “I’m going to try to get some work done in bed. I need to make some coffee.”

“Can’t you just actually rest for once?” Tim suggested.

His mother shook her head. “I’ve got way too much to do.”

Tim picked up his phone, and pretended to check it as he snapped a picture of her for the app just before she walked out of sight into the kitchen. As she opened cabinets and turned on a faucet, he checked her caption:

Sarah Smith is a 39-year-old woman. She is a dedicated but somewhat overworked lawyer. She lives with her husband and three children, who she sees less often than she would prefer. (Show more.)

He felt no reservations about regressing her into a child at that moment. It would be an act of mercy to relieve her of all of her adult responsibilities for a while.

“It’s time she took a proper sick day,” Tim said, as he began editing her caption. A minute later, he reviewed the changes:

Sarah Smith is a 6-year-old girl. She is a dedicated but somewhat overworked kindergartner. She lives with her father and three siblings and dreams of becoming a lawyer when she grows up. (Show more.)

Satisfied with the wording, Tim saved the changes, and seeing the progress bar begin to fill up, he walked to the kitchen to witness his mother’s regression.

He found her standing by the coffee maker, leaning against the counter with her eyes shut as if she were dozing off on her feet. He did not notice any major immediate changes, but he thought that she looked a little more refreshed despite her reddened nose. For the moment, he appreciated her relative size to him as it had been a while since he had seen her from the perspective of an 8-year-old. It would not last much longer.

She opened her eyes and noticed him observing her.

“Tim,” she said, sounding tired. “How are you doing, dear? Just realized I hadn’t asked about your day at all when I came in.”

“I’m fine,” he replied. “Been having a… really interesting day.”

Tim watched as she returned to peak physical condition, looking like she belonged in college now. Her suit top and skirt fit more loosely on her, particularly around her chest and her hips, giving her the appearance of a young woman inexpertly dressing up for her first job interview.

“You sure you don’t want to lie down?” he asked.

“I’m fine. I just need a pick-me-up,” she said, and cleared her throat, her voice having risen in pitch as she lost inches in height, descending into her middle teen years. For a moment, she looked as if she could be one of Tim’s classmates, dressing up in a teacher’s clothes. However, a sudden drop, reversing a puberty growth spurt, left her looking like a grade-school girl playing dress up in her mother’s clothes. “Whoa!” she said, realizing that something was very wrong, just as her skirt dropped to her wobbly high heels. She let out a squeak and leaned against the cabinet behind her for support. “What’s happening to me?” she asked, seeing that her hands had become lost up the length of her jacket sleeves.

Tim reacted fast. “Careful,” he said, rushing up to support her and calm her. “You look like you’re ready to faint.”

She looked him eye-to-eye for a moment in wonder and replied, “I think you might be right. I feel really strange.”

“Come lie down on the couch,” he said, wrapping an arm behind her to help her walk into the living room.

She stumbled out of her heels and let him lead her along with her eyes shut. He was amazed by how light she had become, and she only became lighter as they walked. By the time they reached the couch, he was nearly carrying her, and she had finished her regression, leaving her a full head shorter than him, the only article of clothing still on her was her oversized jacket, which hung down past her knees. She had to hop up to sit on the couch before Tim guided her legs to stretch out on the length of the couch.

Her eyes opened again, and she stared at him, saying in a squeaky voice, “You’ve gotten to be such a big boy.”

Before he could respond, he saw her jacket morph into a pink sleep shirt that fit her perfectly. His phone began to emit a whine that grew louder and louder until it was punctuated by a bright flash, followed by a moment of blindness and silence.

“Timmy?” his mother said, her voice having taken on a much more childish inflection. “I’m thirsty. Can I get a little water?”

“Sure thing, Sarah,” he replied, smiling at his little sister as she got comfortable on the couch. “You just lie there and get some rest.”

“Thank you,” she said and pulled a throw blanket up to cover her and shut her eyes.

Tim went back to the kitchen to get her a drink. The coffee pot was empty now, but he would not have given that to a girl her age, anyway. He went to grab a glass from the cabinet but found that it was now out of his reach. He had to pull a chair over from the kitchen table to use as a stool in order to get a glass from the cabinet. Then, he filled the glass with water from the refrigerator tap before finally pushing the chair back to the table.

He returned to the living room to find his former mother searching for cartoons to watch and set the glass down on the coffee table beside her.

“You need anything else?” he asked.

“Nah,” she said, setting down the remote and picking up the glass to take a sip. “Thank you!”

“I’ll be upstairs,” he said. “Call for me if you need anything.”

“Okay,” she said and lay her head down to rest.

Tim smiled, knowing that he had enjoyed the experience of regressing his mother while at the same time feeling satisfied that he had actually helped her. As he headed upstairs to his bedroom, he considered turning his mother back to normal again when she had recovered. Maybe he would give her some extra time off as a vacation into childhood. For now, though, he had to consider what to try next with his remote.

What will he do now? 

He chooses to "undo all." (2)

He considers replacing his mother by transforming another family member.

He makes himself into a 6-year-old twin for his regressed mother.

He improves his bedroom.