Edits - Ch 4.1.3.1

Chapter 4.1.3.1 - He keeps them all at 2 years old.

<<Previous (4.1.3) / Outline

Tim was still trying to wrap his mind around the idea that they were all toddlers and yet high school students at the same time. He was too curious about what would be waiting for him out there to even consider going back to normal now. At last, the bell rang, and the tiny students climbed down from their seats, picking up little backpacks and then filing out into the hallway with Tim bringing up the rear.

Tim braced himself to run into some teenager’s legs, but he was surprised to find that the hallway was full of toddlers just like himself. He was surrounded by the chirping of baby voices. As he started walking to his next class, he tried to eavesdrop on conversations.

“You weawing Huggers?” one girl asked another. “Do dey chafe wess dan Pampies?”

“Much mo comftable,” the other girl replied. “Dey got new designs on em too.”

Tim kept walking.

“Dude!” said some boy to a few others. “We gonna hang out wayter?”

“Can’t,” said one boy. “My big sistah is babysittin, and she won’t dwive me anyweah.”

“Dat sucks,” said another boy.

“I could wawk, but it woud be pass my bedtime befo I made it.”

Tim turned a corner and kept going. He nearly tripped over a boy who was sitting on the floor, his hands balled up, tears running down his cheeks. The boy on the floor began a moaning cry.

“I’m tirwed,” he cried and sniffled. “I’m tirwed of bein’ a baby. I doan wanna poopy my pants anymo.”

Tim could smell that the boy needed a diaper change. Was that what had started him crying?

A seemingly giant woman carefully stepped through he crowd of toddlers to the crying boy. “Oh, sweetie,” she said, lifting him up into her arms. “Let’s get you cleaned up and dry. Everything’s gonna be okay. Don’t you worry your little head.”

The boy kept crying and hugged her around the neck as she carried him away.

Tim was confused by everything he was witnessing. What had happened to the world? he wondered.

As much as he wanted to take it all in for a little longer, he was running out of time to get to his gym class, and the walk would be much longer than usual with his little legs. He started hiking over to the locker rooms. When he arrived, he was surprised to find the door to the boys’ room locked. The girls’ room was locked up as well. Trying to figure out where everyone was, he noticed the door to the classroom adjacent to the gym was open. Normally, that room only got used during health classes and other anatomy-related lectures. Hearing toddlers talking inside, he entered the room and found his gym class in there, sitting on the floor, cross-legged, on comfortable cushions.

Tim sat down as well and waited for class to begin, whatever it was.

The bell rang, and the teacher welcomed them all to class and informed them that they would be starting off with a video today. They turned their attention to a TV in the corner of the room and watched as relaxing music played and a title screen appeared that said, “Recognizing Your Feelings.”

Next a woman appeared on screen. “Welcome,” she said as the camera zoomed out, revealing a pair of toddlers sitting beside her. “Today we want to have a discussion about feelings. Everyone experiences difficult feelings sometimes, and that is even more of a challenge for many of you since the Great Regression.”

The toddlers sitting beside the presenter exchanged a worried look.

“Let’s start with a review of what we have been dealing with over the past few years.”

A simple animation began, with a soothing music track.

“Just over 3 years ago now, everything changed,” said the woman in voice over narration. “A pandemic disease spread over the world, primarily infecting young children.” The animation showed a globe with a red splotch on North America that gradually bled over into all the other continents. “Fortunately, the disease, which we now refer to as The Regressor, did not kill infected children but altered their bodies to make them appear to have regressed in age into babies.” A video of endless cribs full of babies played now. “While doctors work to discover a cure for this regression, children affected by The Regressor have needed to cope with a return to infancy. This has been a great challenge to the regressed and their families alike.”

Tim glanced around the room at the toddlers intently watching the screen, amazed to realize this had happened to all of them.

“What do we know about the regressed?” said a title card on screen. The voiceover continued, reading bullet points as they appeared and adding extra commentary. “We know that the regressed have retained most of their memories and intelligence despite living in regressed bodies. We know that the regressed need to redevelop their motor skills, which means most need special assistance, such as wearing diapers again. We know that the regressed are growing older again but at a slower rate than normal. Most appear to be aging at half or a third of their normal developmental rate. We know that all of these challenges have been a source of great frustration and depression to many of the regressed, who are already more susceptible to mood swings now in their younger bodies.”

The scene changed again to the woman sitting beside the two toddlers. “These feelings of frustration and depression are what we want to discuss today. First, understand that there is nothing to be ashamed about if you feel frustrated or depressed by what has happened to you. These are normal reactions to such a dramatic change to your lives and bodies. It is important, though, that we recognize these emotions and work to accept them and find ways to cope with the challenges we face.”

Tim sat there, stunned, trying to comprehend the world-changing transformation he had caused by making a simple change to the students in his history class. Meanwhile, the woman on the video began chatting with the toddlers sitting with her, getting them to admit to their struggles and even drawing out some tears from them.

Tim heard students sniffle beside him, and he looked to see that several toddler classmates were fighting back tears.

When the video finished, the teacher began to lead the class through what could best be described as either a group therapy session or a support group meeting. They shared sad stories of feeling helpless and missing being bigger. They described how annoyed they were at their loss of independence and at being incapable of doing simple things, like using a toilet. Many tears were shed, and a few diapers needed changing as the class went on.

Tim listened in silent amazement, wondering what he should do next. Did he want to keep experiencing this new world of regressed kids? Did he want to make some additional changes? Did he want to undo everything and start over?

What will he choose?

He chooses to "undo all." (2)

He keeps living in a world of 2-year-old kids. (4.1.3.1.1)

He makes the toddlers more mentally regressed as well. (4.1.3.1.2)

He grows the toddlers up a little more.