“All fluffy and snuggly for beddy bye byes.” her mommy cooed content that her baby was ready for bed. She put Molly in the cot. Molly was happy that her bear was in close range as her mom switched on a cute little mobile with zoo animals attached. It played a tinkling lullaby version of ‘in the jungle’ Molly looked up at it, mesmerised for a moment as her mom leaned over the cot bars and gave Molly a kiss on the forehead.
“Sleep tight sweetie.” She said as she switched on a baby monitor close by. Then with a final look backwards to make sure her baby wasn’t about to start fussing, she left the nursery.
Molly pushed herself up into a sitting position. Looking around the room. She really didn’t like this any more. Perhaps the device would work on thoughts as well as words. She didn’t have an instruction manual so it was a possibility. She dug the reality altering device out from her teddy bear and looked at it. She pushed the button hoping on hope and thought “Everything is back the way it was”
She opened her eyes already knowing it hadn’t worked because the air hadn’t thickened like usual. Sure enough the nursery greeted her open eyes. She looked at the device. Maybe talking out loud would work with her thoughts. She thought the same question and tried to say it but baby babbled into the device. Again nothing happened. She pouted at it. Glared at it. She guessed she would just go to sleep and sort it all out in the morning.
“Is someone being a chatty little baby?” Molly’s eyes shot towards the door, her mommy was walking right up to the cot, obviously the baby monitor was on and her mommy must have heard her talking. She squeaked in surprise as her mommy leant over the bars.
“What is that you have there sweetie?” her mommy asked confused as she tried to take the device from Molly’s hands.
Molly held tight to it, as Molly’s mom tried to remove it. Molly’s mom accidentally pushed the button. Because there was only two of them in the room neither one would have noticed reality pausing.
“Sweetie, you’re just a little baby, you can’t have things like this.” Molly’s mom said sweetly. Molly still holding onto the device felt a sickening drop in her stomach. What had her mother done, what was about to happen?
The air thickened and Molly suddenly felt something strange happening to her. She didn’t recognise anything, she couldn’t understand what was happening, she looked up at her mommy, the woman who provided everything for her and she grinned happy that her mommy was here.
Was it feeding time. She burbled excitedly up at her mommy, forgetting that she had ever been about to attend college, forgetting about the device and about everything she had ever learnt. All of a sudden, this room was her life. Her eye’s glazed over and her grip loosened. Her mommy took the device.
“Wonder where she even got this?” Her mommy held it up to the light, then shrugged and dumped it in the bin.
Molly cooed and dribbled down her chin wavering her arms up in the air wanting to be picked up. Molly’s mom chuckled.
“Awww you little rascal, I should have known it was too easy putting you to bed today.” Molly’s mom lifted the baby teenager from her cot and gave her a hug rocking the teenager back and forth.
“I love you sweetie”
Molly didn’t understand the words her mommy said but enjoyed the tone as she laid her head on her mommy’s shoulder allowing herself to be rocked into blissful sleep.