As quickly as it began it ended. The book slammed itself shut and the breeze picked up again. The three kids looked each other over and knew that things had indeed just gotten worse. Brian was staring particularly hard at Rachel, specifically at the hem of her dress.
“What? All this stupid stuff happening and you gotta look up my dress?”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just your dress is really short….”
“I know it is! I didn’t choose it you dumb-dumb!”
“No, I mean, I can see your underwear. And, well, it looks kind of thick.”
Rachel’s eyes widened and she pulled up her dress, revealing white pull-ups with little pink star designs. “Oh my gosh! I don’t need those!” she yelled in horror.
Brian felt around his own crotch. Sure enough it felt a bit too padded down there on him as well. He pulled back the bib of his new Oshkosh overalls and slipped a hand down his pants. He felt the waist of the pull-ups between his fingers. There was no more doubt he wasn’t in big boy pants anymore. As he withdrew his arm he found something else. His skin was smooth, too smooth. In fact all the hair on his arms and legs was gone. He felt his chin and cheeks, no stubble, smooth as could be. He feared that he’d even lost his hair in a more intimate area, but was too afraid to check.
Brian looked up at the pained expressions Rachel and Megan wore. “I’m in pull-ups too,” he admitted sullenly.
“What happened?” Megan whispered, her voice shaky.
“I think we just got younger,” Brian replied.
They all turned their heads towards the house as they heard the back door slide open.
“Kids, you know not to play out there by the fence!” Brian’s mom yelled to them as she strode across the lawn towards them.
She didn’t look any different from before, but the way she was looking at them had changed. It wasn’t something that could really be measured, but they all shared the sense that she didn’t see them as kindergarteners anymore. When she reached them she bent over without another word and slipped her hands under Brian’s armpits. He was so shocked by the sudden invasion of his personal space that he didn’t have time to react. With incredible strength she lifted him to his feet, even though he was fully four inches taller than her.
“Okay little boy, you get your butt over to your play area right now,” she scolded, giving him a gentle pat on his bottom to send him on his way.