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Chapter Thirty Eight Rubbing his eyes as he woke up again, this time he was on the folded up comforter on the floor propped up against Xerxes. Still a good way to wake up. Not as great as earlier. But still two of his top three since coming here, and both in one morning. Patting Xerxes for a bit, John stretched again and rolled over to stand up. When he was able to stand up at all, he realized that was in a rough pup and not the overnight diaper he couldn’t stand up in. And somewhere along the way he had been dressed in a onesie and some shorts. Looking groggily around the house, he noticed that the door to the back porch was open, but the child gate was closed. Mom was nowhere to be found inside. So he toddled over to the child gate to peek out onto the porch. He spotted her on the chair nearest the door. “Mom?” he asked as sweetly as he could managed. He probably succeeded better because he was half awake. With the tell tale clink of a cup of coffee being put down he could watch her stand up and turn around with a smile. “There’s my little sleepy head! Would you like to join me for some coffee milk?” There it was, she was fully awake in the morning. He simply nodded, and Mom immediately reached down over the gate and got him around the ribs and hoisted him up onto her hip before opening the gate and walking over to the fridge to pull out a bottle of coffee milk that she’d already had ready. Within moments they were back outside and she was back in the chair and shuffled him around so that he was sideways on her and leaning back semi comfortably on the arm of the chair and her left upper arm. Complaining about not getting to sit in a chair on his own would have to wait, addiction to Mommy’s milk and coffee was more urgent as the bottle was turned up. Five minutes later he was sitting on her lap feeling a bit giggly. The milk was starting to hit him a bit harder lately for some reason. As he finished the milk, he noticed Mommy was looking at him a big different, which made him giggle some more. And when she tilted him over her shoulder and patted him firmly on the back he asked “Hey *pat* what *pat* are *pat* yo…” and then he involuntarily issued out a long burp that left him giggling even harder still. Smiling down at him, Mommy asked “Hey, do you want to help me pick and wipe off a few more tomatoes, or would you like to go play or read?” For the first time he didn’t just answer that he wanted to go help, he had to think about it for a moment in his current mental state. He still said “Yes please.” “John … yes to what?” He answered “Oh! To helping.” and he started worming his way off of her lap. She didn’t immediately let him down, but she after a moment she put the coffee cup and bottle down, got him under the arms and turned him right side up before depositing him on the porch. The instant his feet hit the porch he made to bolt into the yard, but he was foiled as mommy grabbed the back of his shorts and pulled him backwards. “And where do you think you’re going, young man?” He turned to look up somewhat indignantly and explained “Yard.” “Shoes.” was all she said. “Don’t need em.” “Shoes.” “… Yes Ma’am.” With a nod, she stood up and went inside, carrying the bottle and the cup with her. Left alone he scooted closer to the edge of the porch. Every fiber of him screaming to jump off the porch and run into the yard. Oh it was so tempting. It was maybe his entire height from him to the ground. He could roll as he landed. It would be like in a movie. As he started to instinctively lean toward the edge, Mommy came outside with a pair of socks and pointed below him. “Park your booty.” With a sigh at the lost opportunity to dive and roll, he sat down on the edge of the porch. He couldn’t stop from swinging his feet while he waited for her and then she had to grab one of his feet to put a sock and shoe onto it before pinning the other one. She looked at her watch and said “Okay, you’ve got about twenty minutes to pick tomatoes. The little scissors and a towel are in your wagon.” He looked a bit confused as he asked “What happens in twenty minutes” She just stood him up and gave him a couple of pats on the bottom as she dodged the question “You’ll see. Just go be happy in the meantime.” He just shrugged and set off with his wagon. Oddly, instead of joining him, she stayed by the porch. When he turned to look back she was sitting on the porch with a towel wiping off vegetables and seemed to just be preparing for something. And she was conveniently seated where she had a perfect view of where he was going to be the entire time. Whatever, Mommy was being weird. So he started looking through the vines to see if any tomatoes that weren’t ready yesterday were ready today. And much to his surprise there were a couple of dozen that felt about right. One of them was shaped super wide like a UFO. So that set him back to giggling and making sound effects as it went into the wagon. After just enough time for him to make a quick inspection of the entire row his insides went from nothing to panic, like flipping a switch. He was so alarmed as the urge hit him like a freight train that he turned to look at Mommy and she was there looking at her watch and then looked up at him. John wanted to run. To plead to make it to the potty. He wanted … anything other than… There wasn’t even enough time to want anything else, his arms went around his belly and he doubled over. There was no stopping it, and it was completely demoralizing. Within seconds of the urge hitting him he was panting as warm liquid mush filled the back of his diaper, spreading out to fill every nook and cranny available, and then somehow finding or making more space. Holding the side of the wagon, he steadied himself as a little more somehow came out of him. The sound of footsteps in the grass coming toward him was faint in what little attention he had to spare, but he looked up to see Mommy smiling down at him. She held out her hand and asked “Would you like to walk, or do you want me to carry you?” The answer was obvious “Please carry me, Mommy.” She just nodded as she reached down and lifted him up, sliding her arm under him and lowering him onto her left forearm. He grimaced as all of his weight landed on that arm butt first. His shoes were pulled off and deposited on the porch as they got to the steps, and he felt her pause to step out of her shoes at the top of the steps before carrying him in. He barely registered the child gate swinging shut in his peripheral vision as they went through the living room to his bedroom. And so for the first time that he was awake for today, he was on the changing table with his shorts being pulled off and the weird puzzle snaps on his onesie being undone. Before she laid him down she held out her arms in the silent offer of a hug. He reached out in return and was immediately wrapped up in a warm, comforting, hug. She gave him a big kiss on the forehead before laying him down and getting to work. “I don’t understand” was all he could really vocalize. “What don’t you understand, sweety?” “Why did … it was just …” He was breathing fast again, it was freaking him out a little. “Twenty four minutes after you finished the coffee milk, you went off. I timed it last time, and this time you made it the exact same, down to the minute. Although…” She looked at what she was cleaning up “This time you may have gone for a record.” “So this really was the coffee milk?” She just nodded while she scrubbed him diligently. “Yes.” “I don’t want to have to give up coffee.” She stopped wiping and rolled up the used diaper to deposit into the waste bin in the changing table. “Lift.” As he raised booty, she slid a clean diaper underneath him and patted him on the hip and said “Down.” He flopped back down and as she set back about powdering him and taping him back up she explained “You don’t have to give up coffee. And every so often most littles get constipated from time to time and need an enema or a suppository. So at least it doesn’t look like you’ll be having that problem!” He shuddered as she said two of those words and she re-snapped his onesie before standing him back up. Instead of putting him down she picked him up in a big hug and held him to her chest with her cheek pressed against his. She whispered “It’s okay. I love you.” Hearing those words gave him butterflies in his stomach. (Thankfully just butterflies this time!) Carrying him to the living room, still minus the shorts, she stood him up on the couch and ruffled his hair before asking “Okay, what would you like to do for a couple of hours?” Without hesitation this time, he answered “May I play on my tablet?” Not only did Mommy say “Absolutely!” but she handed it to him and went to fix him a sippy cup of water. A few minutes later, John found himself leaning back against Xerxes, a blanket over him and the dog keeping him nice and warm. Staring at the tablet he was having a little bit of trouble focusing, but he found a neat little puzzle game that involved spinning discs to make a ball have a path to get out from the middle of the puzzle to the outside of the puzzle. It was sort of like a round labyrinth puzzle, but every layer had to be turned. It was simple and neat. And for some reason, every time the ball rolled along he had another little giggle fit. Without realizing it, his giggle fits were starting to subside as he wound down from his milk high. And he started to focus more on the puzzles and make more progress as he went. With all of the windows open, it was easy to hear a truck coming down the driveway. As if prepared, Mom came in and turned on the coffee maker. John thought about hopping up immediately but wanted to at least finish this last puzzle first. About the same time that he finished his puzzle, there were footsteps on the porch. So getting up, Xerxes stood up behind him and did a full body shake while he put the tablet back on the coffee table where Mom kept it. John walked over to the door as Mom showed Mr Mike into the house. The man had to duck a little to step through a thirteen foot tall door frame. Mr Mike smiled as he greeted Mom and held out a large (to John) container, cleaned and ready to return. On top of the container was a little cardboard box. “What’s this?” she asked him. With a coy smile he said “Well. I guess you’ll have to open it so that we can find out!” Immediately Mom sat the container on the counter and opened the box to find what looked to John to be a large handmade mug. To everyone else around here it was just a normal sized mug. The cool thing about the mug was that there was a stream painted all the way around it, and the handle was somehow shaped like a tree limb and painted accordingly. Mom immediately stepped up to give him a big hug and a thank you. “Mike! This is gorgeous!” With a great big smile he nodded “Well, I’m glad that you like it! I know someone that teaches pottery and I called in a favor.” Practically bouncing with excitement she held it from a couple of different angles now and complimented “Usually cups half this pretty are uncomfortable to hold. This is very good work!” Mike held up a hand and said “One more thing. John, could you turn around for just a moment?” With a nonchalant shrug, John turned around to look at Xerxes, who was standing behind him with a big happy dog grin on his face as his tail whipped back and forth. John felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to see a grinning giant man with one arm behind his back. Chuckling, Mike explained "You know John, your Mom's not the only on that gets a present. I searched the entire store and this was the only thing I could find that seemed appropriate for you." And without further ado, his left arm came around and John was presented with ... a stuffie. But this wasn't any stuffie. This stuffie looked like it was meant to be some sort of a lizard, a lizard that was then over filled to make it seem more welcoming. It looked ridiculous. It looked like someone started with a poorly drawn Godzilla that they then colored like an iguana. It was the size of his entire torso, and had legs that bent awkwardly in much the same way that a Vienna Sausage doesn't. Reaching out silently, seemingly mesmerized by the unfathomably awkward appearance of this large stuffie, he grabbed it and squeezed it. It felt like a giant mutated marshmallow. And all of it was somehow eclipsed by the eyes. Those outlandish eyes. The two glassy eyes staring back at him were a small landscape of jade and caramel colored swirls that had a small black disc in them. The most elaborate googly eyes in either dimension were on this ... John was at a loss for words. He found himself so lost in his search for words that he started with a little laugh. Then the laugh started to grow more and more until he could hardly breath for the laughter. John, and his entire history of being able to react on the fly and make up anything on a whim were defeated by this stuffie. The single squishy embodiment of the word "Derp." Standing there laughing so hard he was crying for easily two solid minutes, it took a while to regain any semblance of composure. The giggles he’d had since the milk this morning were more than back. It took longer than he realized that the two bigs were kneeling down next to him and that Mommy had a hand behind him trying to hold him up while he had a full on laugh attack. Eventually catching his breath he wiped at his eyes. “Hahaha… oh my … Mister M… Hahaha Mist… Mister Mike he … hahhh I’m okay … I can breathe …” The two bigs both seemed almost as amused by his reaction as he did by the … derp…. Derpasaur … Interrupting his train of though, Mommy asked “Do you like him?” Exclaiming “Are you kidding!? Look at him! He’s glorious! And Derpy. Derp…. Us … no …” It was impossible to notice that the two bigs over him nodded at each other as he mulled over names. Mumbling to himself, John tried “Derp … derpus? M… no … Godzi… no … Derpzi… no, too eas… Argo!...Hahahaha. Oh, Oh, this is great!” Mr Mike ruffled his hair and asked “Did you name him already?” “Yup!” John exclaimed proudly. “What did you name him?” Mommy asked from behind him. “Argo McDerpus!” “…”

Epilogue Little in Love 2 – LittleFallenPrincess I sat in our conservatory, enjoying this cosy night in with Charlie, blanket wrapped around me, and a mug of hot chocolate in my hands which was keeping them nice and toasty. Charlie had fallen asleep during the movie on her own chair, snoring ever so softly like she does when she’s really content and comfortable. No longer did I have to get up stupidly early for work anymore. I had finally resigned and given up my seat now that the election was over. Landslide win again, by the way, as apparently littles weren’t put off by our previous party’s actions to vote for us again, or well… with this new party that Lorna Carter formed. So she’s no longer interim Prime Minister anymore, she’s actually the Prime Minister now. And so far… she’s not gone back on her word like her predecessor did. Speaking of him… he was thankfully jailed for his part in what happened to Charlie. And as for Chris… as punishment for his part in that crime, and to ensure safety for amazons… Chris was regressed, via hypnosis, and adopted, meaning that all plans of his device were now gone, meaning no one could recreate that evil thing and put anyone else at risk. I know I’m against regression, and the Little’s equality act now prevents non-consensual adoptions… but there was a clause for people who seriously break the law. And whilst I was discussing this clause with others, back when I was first drafting it, I was disgusted that I’d have to keep something like that in order to please the Amazons. But now… I was glad that I did. So now that my political career was over, little’s rights were enshrined in law, and everything was returning to normal… I got to enjoy this beautiful night sky through the conservatory roof with my wife. Well, she would enjoy it… if she hadn’t passed out during the movie. I’ll give her another hour or so and let her rest there, all snuggled up, as I finish the movie. We had no friends around, no commitments, not even Nessa was with us this weekend, instead it was just the two of us getting to have a romantic date night at home. Good food, good movies, the best company… What else could a girl ask for? …Except maybe a bedtime story if Charlie is feeling up to it… ----------------------- “You could have just left me in the conservatory and gone to bed, my love…” Charlie said to me as she carried me up the stairs, half asleep after I had woken her up so that we could go to bed. “Yes, but I can’t lift the side of the crib…” “You want to go in your crib tonight? How come?” She replied, yawning. “Just… feeling a bit… ickle…” “You are? So I assume you want a bedtime story?” She smiled down at me. “If you’re up for it…” “I don’t think it’s possible for me not to want to read you a bedtime story, baby girl. But it’ll have to be a short one, I’m already falling asleep again.” “Uh huh! You’ve been busy with your new book lately. You need to take some time off.” “Hun, you know how important it is. If I can get through to people in our country with my last book, I’m hoping to reach a wider audience with my next one. Maybe that could spark something in other countries… leading to something similar in those…” “Hopefully. But stop feeling like you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders…” I could hear something outside, a gentle hum of the air as Charlie walked into the nursery and laid me down in my crib, sitting by my side on the edge of the mattress. It was so quiet out, especially with no neighbours nearby, which meant no cars… no people… nothing. The only thing you could hear is the gentle humming of… “Do you hear that?” Charlie asked, as she picked up a story book for her to read to me. “That’s just the air outside, no?” “M… maybe. Yeah, you’re probably right.” Charlie shrugged, smiling down at me. “My Bonnie lies over the ocean…” “That… that doesn’t sound like the wind…” Charlie whispered, sounding concerned. “Did you leave the TV on?” I asked her, hoping it was just a silly thing like that and not something… yeah... “No, I made sure to turn it off…” “My Bonnie lies over the sea…” “That… that’s not the wind. Nor is it the TV. Is someone outside?” I asked. “I think so. Baby, stay here…” Charlie said, standing up but keeping the crib side down so that I could escape if I needed to. “My Bonnie lies over the ocean…” “They’re in the house…” Charlie whispered, looking increasingly more worried. She was right, that song was now in our house… “That song… it’s so… enchanting… I… can’t… I… something feels off…” It was as if my whole body felt… not mine… it was so weird… “I…” Charlie struggled to concentrate, probably feeling the same thing I was feeling, as she hid to the side of the doorway, waiting for whoever had broken in to come for me. She grabbed the heaviest thing she could, which in a nursery… was difficult. But she managed to grab a heavy ornament that she had gotten me for my birthday. I just hoped she didn’t have to use it, I loved that little fairy decoration. “Ready baby?” She prepared herself, trying to shake off the fog infiltrating her brain, holding the ornament up high, readying herself to swing at whoever was invading our home. “Oh, bring back my Bonnie to meeee…” The intruder stood in the doorway, wearing a dark robe and a dark hat… and wait… “Rose?” I called out. “Hey, my lovelies! Good to see you!” She replied, bursting into the nursery with excitement in her voice, but looking up at me with a smile that I could tell was masking something. She does have the same face as Charlie… and so too does she share the same coping mechanisms, and it was clear she was trying to appear positive, but something serious must have happened if she’s trying this hard to mask it. “ROSE? WHAT THE HELL?” Charlie yelled at her as she put the ornament down and rushed her for a hug. “Sorry for intruding…” Rose apologised, adjusting her glasses after my wife had squeezed the life out of her. “What was that song…? I felt so… weird… hearing it…” I asked. “Oh! Sorry! I… I was lost in my own head for a while there, lots has been happening and familiar things help me concentrate. I forgot that it’ll have an effect on you… my bad!” “Your…?” I was quickly interrupted by our Witchy variation who we hadn’t seen in what seems like… forever! “Anyway, I was just wondering… are you busy? A lot has happened and I really didn’t want to bother you, not after you have all your own stuff to deal with. Especially with the whole election thing… but umm… Noelle and I could… umm… use your help…” “Of course! Anything for…” Rose sighed awkwardly and quickly interrupted me. “...In… in this war of ours…” ======================================================= So... it's over! Did you all enjoy it? I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, especially the ending I gave because I was determined to give it this kind of ending. And yes, this is teasing the next... and final story of the LittleFallenVerse, Witch in Training II. ...For now at least. I do plan on coming back to this series eventually, but I've done 7 of the last 10 books set in this series, and I'd like to focus more on the monstrum series and other stories for a while. If I come up with a good story for the littlefallenverse in the future, I'll come back to this series, but once Witch in Training II is done, it'll be a while before I do. As for upcoming stories, just thought I'd update you all with the order I've got planned, which I've given to my subscribers. As of writing, the plan is: 1- 3rd Monstrum Story (This will start on Sunday 21st April, so this upcoming Sunday. Not giving away the title just yet, but look out for it usual time Sunday!) 2- Fantasy Story (This one is mostly planned out and isn't part of any series. Standalone fun story set in a fantasy world of elves and dwarves and stuff, but with some kink mixed in) 3- 4th Monstrum Story (Had a really good idea lately which kinda merged with an old idea I had for a while, so I'm super excited for this one) 4- Witch in Training II (Reason for this being left til here is because I still need to work on a lot of the plan for it, as its still in the early stages of planning) So I hope you continue to enjoy my stories as I keep posting them, and please keep commenting, comments and discussion really help keep me motivated to write! Seeing you all enjoy my stories so much makes me want to write more! Also wow... this is the tenth full length novel I've posted. and I'm very close to finishing the 11th and starting my 12th! -------------------------------------------- My new story just had it's fourth chapter on SubscribeStar, so expect it here next week (at least that's the current plan). Also thinking of opening up short story commissions now too finally, now that my writers block seems to have subsided. If you haven't seen, I'm now up and running on Subscribestar! (Sorry for the reminder again, trying to get my subscribers back after the Patreon rubbish!) ======================================================== I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Please leave likes and comments and all that fun stuff, I love reading them! If you want to read the next 4 chapters, thanks to two weeks early access to my main story and also soon-to-be exclusive access to short stories (or even have a chance at commissioning one when I add the tier for them!), why don't you check out my SubscribeStar! The basic tier gets early access and exclusive access to short stories (when they're written), higher tiers will be limited but get a short story each month (1-2 per month in total, also not yet running this tier yet, will announce when I'm starting!). Thank you to all my patrons for their support over the past couple of years! Seriously, your support meant the world to me, and I hope to be set up somewhere new soon. New chapters of my latest story every Wednesday/Sunday! Also just a quick note: I don't mind people saving this story for personal reading. But I'd appreciate it if people didn't post it elsewhere, even if you're just suggesting it to other people. If you want to show others, please send them a link to the first page of this post! Thanks!

Well guys today marks the 4th anniversary of me joining my new family on daily diapers! I find it hard to believe that it's been 4 years already.😅 Feels like yesterday when I just came here and signed up. Love you guys so much!♥️ Big hugs!♥️🤗😃

For the time being, I'm considering the story complete. Only because it already ended up a lot longer than originally outlined, and I don't want too many 'forever stories' out there, even if I could easily keep writing for so many of them. --------------------- Part 39 It didn’t take much for Audrey to talk Cassidy out of the car. The alternative was Audrey getting back behind the wheel and driving them straight home. Now that she had informed Cassidy that one of their parents was around, the diapered girl was quick to reject that idea when it looked like her sister was ready to close the car door and follow through on her suggestion. Cassidy wasn’t sure which was worse–wearing diapers, or being nearly naked outside the padded underwear. It was one thing walking around like that earlier, as she had the saving grace that they most likely weren’t going to run into anyone that they knew. This was different. Not only because of Elena, who was a whole problem by herself, but also the fact that this neighborhood was dangerously close to their own. What if someone that knew Cassidy drove by and recognized her? That’s what got her moving more than anything else. As much as she hated the idea of one of Audrey’s friends seeing her like this, this detour was officially happening now that Cassidy was standing in the driveway rather than in the safety of the back seat. Getting inside was suddenly a priority, rather than something she was resisting. Although Cassidy had taken the first few steps towards the stone path by herself, Audrey was quick to take her hand anyway. As if Cassidy was going to get lost or wander off despite how straightforward this was compared to the hustle and bustle of the Renaissance Faire. Or maybe Audrey was just making sure her sister wasn’t going to get cold feet and retreat to the car at the last second. Either way, she walked the girl all the way to the front door and wasted no time in ringing the bell. Each second that went by felt like an eternity. Cassidy kept waiting to wake up, or for Audrey to change her mind and take her back to the car. Maybe Elena wouldn’t be home. A stupid thought, as Audrey had likely texted ahead, although Cassidy was in a place where just about any hopeful thought was worth reaching for. Of course, none of that happened. Not that Cassidy had really expected it to. “Coming!” an adolescent voice called to them from somewhere inside. A few seconds later, a vaguely familiar short-haired girl around Audrey’s age swung the door open. “Hey, Audrey!” she smiled, giving her a quick once over, “Nice costume.” Her friend was wearing shorts and a tank top, which was a much more standard summer outfit. Coming back to the real world was always a little bit jarring, which is why Audrey and Cassidy usually drove right back to the house without making any stops along the way. “And hey, Cassie,” she turned towards the smaller sister, glancing at the diapers and her otherwise naked body, “Nice . . . bangs?” she said. Still covering her boobs with both hands, Cassidy blushed at how obviously it was that Elena was struggling to find a compliment when Cassidy looked how she did. Cassidy still hadn’t forgiven Audrey for the haircut she had given her with no warning. It was the least of Cassidy’s worries at the moment, although she was thinking about it all over again now that Elena had drawn attention to the immature style. “She’s been leaning into the whole ‘cute’ thing recently,” Audrey said, “I think she’s finally accepted that she’s done growing. So from now on, Cassie isn’t going to wear bras or panties. Only diapers, at least until she stops having accidents.” “And you said I should babysit her as if she’s twelve?” Elena asked. “Mm hmm.” Audrey let go of Cassidy’s hand and stepped behind her. Placing her hands on the diapered girl’s shoulders, she said, “She’s been acting like an immature little girl all day. Freaking out over nothing, whining about everything. We were literally in line for the bathroom, and she ended up wetting herself instead of holding it for a few more minutes. So, yeah. If she’s going to behave like a tween, she’s going to be treated like one.” “Works for me. And what about her diapers? I have pretty much every size for my babysitting gigs, unless you have something specific for her instead.” “Nothing specific, although go for something thicker if you can. She totally soaked the diapers she was wearing earlier. Not sure how, honestly. She’s so tiny!” Because Cassidy had been holding it for forever at that point. Trying to get a word in edgewise as they discussed her right in front of her face, she started to say, “It’s not like-” “Hush, Cassie. The big girls are talking,” Audrey said, “Anyway, do you have any questions for me? Hopefully she won’t be too difficult. She was just changed into fresh diapers before the drive, and she hasn’t had anything to drink recently.” “I think I’m all set,” Elena replied, “I’ll take her to the bathroom every half hour anyway, just in case.” Wait, was Audrey dropping Cassidy off?! The dots were only just starting to connect. Cassidy had been under the impression this was going to be an unwanted stop on the way home, because that’s all that Audrey had said in the car. But if Audrey and Elena were talking like that . . . “Sounds good. Thanks for doing this at the last minute, by the way!” Audrey nudged Cassidy forward by her shoulders, “And I’m totally not expecting a discount or anything. Full price is fine! Whatever you’re charging these days.” “Perfect,” Elena said, “Well, Cassie? Come on in.” Cassidy took a few steps forward. Partially because she was being pushed in that direction by her sister, and also since she hadn’t been loving the fact that they were lingering on the front porch instead of heading inside and out of sight. However, once she made it past the threshold, she turned around and looked at Audrey in total confusion. “Wait, what are you-” “I have errands to run, little Cassie! And we talked about this, remember? Do you want our parents to see you like this? Or would you rather stay with your babysitter for a little while?” But- but this was the same no-win decision as before. Only worse. Instead of simply letting Elena see her like this, Cassidy was going to stay with her? Why? And for how long? She had so many questions, and wasn’t sure how to ask Audrey any of them. Looking back and forth between the two girls, Cassidy knew that the latter option was objectively better. And yet, at the same time, she was still processing this latest twist in the humiliating day that refused to end. “You can’t- you can’t just leave me here!” Cassidy eventually blurted out. The actual delivery of the protest sounded a lot more childish than she expected. “Answer the question, sis,” Audrey said, “Parents, or babysitter. If you really want to go home, we can.” That wasn’t a realistic option, and they both knew it. And since Audrey was driving, there wasn’t a lot of wiggle room in terms of alternative destinations. It was also starting to dawn on Cassidy that there wasn’t a single other acceptable place she could think of; not while she was topless. Loathe as she was to admit it, killing time at someone else’s house wasn’t the worst idea. The problem was, Audrey was just pawning her off again. Also, Elena had been told that Cassidy’s diapers were clean. ------------------------ Check out my website: www.ladyluciastories.com And my SubscribeStar: https://subscribestar.adult/lady-lucia

My experience flying diapered went very well. TSA did flag me for a wet diaper, but was very professional during my pat down. I was a little embarrassed at first, but just told the agent I was wearing a protective under garment. He never batted an eye. Like many others have said, nobody is paying attention to you being patted down anyway. Once the pat down was complete, I just moved along to my flight. As always you have the option to change into your diaper once you pass TSA. so to conclude … yes I would wear again and yes it was a pleasant experience to wet at 35,000 feet!

Ch These are characters for a series of slice-of-life stories I’m planning; I just drew them for reference. Just look at those hands, awful! The legs and shoes, too! The noses and eyes… I stink when it comes to drawing humans and have to outsource when I need a picture done of them. The problem is these two are small kids and I’d have to move mountains to find someone willing to do illustrations involving them! But everyone’s either booked or uncomfortable with the subject matter. It’s not like I’m planning on anything sexual going on in these stories. I just need someone who isn’t afraid of drawing the subject matter of preschoolers/kindergarteners doing baby stuff.

“What?” was all Jennifer could manage to get out. Poisoning her? Poisoning her how? “She, she gets confused when she comes out of it.” she explained when she had found her tongue. But she couldn’t get the words out of her head for the rest of the day. The accusation hung over her head all the following week as well, and the weeks after that. Hortensia hadn’t said anything more on the subject and Carol had taken her word for it, but as they sat at the dinner table, another untouched plate in front of the preteen, Jennifer started to wonder. “Tens, we need to talk after dinner.” Jennifer said. “I didn’t do anything.” Hortensia mumbled, elbow resting on the white dining room table cloth, head propped up by her fist. “Yes you did!” Matilda said. “What did I do?” Hortensia argued. “What didn’t you do?” Matilda insisted. “We can talk about it later when Matilda’s in the bath.” Jennifer said. “Tell me now.” Hortensia said in a bored voice. “I don’t care.” Matilda looked up from her plate, hopeful to hear what trouble Hortensia had gotten herself into now, but Jennifer only shook her head. “Later.” Hortensia made a dissatisfied noise. “You can’t just drop a, ‘we need to talk’ on me.” Matilda giggled. “She thinks you’re breaking up with her.” “I do not!” Hortensia grumbled. “Can’t you tell me what it’s about?” “We have a meeting at the police station tomorrow.” Jennifer said. Hortensia’s eyes briefly flicked over to meet hers before looking away. “Matilda, if you’re done eating, please go upstairs and get ready for bed.” “Bed? It’s only six!” “I didn’t say you had to go to bed, I said please go get ready for bed. Take a bath, brush your teeth, put on your pajamas, read.” Matilda slowly slid off her chair and turned to leave. “Put your plate in the sink, please.” Without a word, the plate rose into the air and into the sink before she made her way up the stairs, visibly sulking as she did so. “She’s going to be a handful when she’s a teenager.” Jennifer said, but Hortensia didn’t react. “Why do we have to go to the police station?” Hortensia mumbled after a minute of silence. “I think we’re meeting with the detective, I’m not sure. I just want you to be prepared in case they start asking you questions.” “I don’t know anything.” Hortensia said softly. Jennifer gave her a sympathetic smile. “I know it’s difficult to talk about, trust me, I know, but it’s important they have all the information.” “I don’t know anything.” Hortensia repeated. Jennifer didn’t believe her. There were too many injuries. Too many inconsistencies in her story. Too much pain in her eyes. And the odd erratic behavior. She knew. Drugs or no drugs. She knew. “Okay.” Jennifer said. She wouldn’t push her. “Can I ask you something?” Hortensia wouldn’t meet her eyes. “Are you aware you’ve been, what’s the word, dissociating?” “I don’t know what that means.” Hortensia said into her still full plate as she moved mashed potatoes back and forth with her fork. “Spacing out… intently.. to the point you…” She could see the girl freeze in place even without actually verbalizing it. “Hey, It’s okay.” Jennifer whispered. She could see her eyes growing glossy. Jennifer had obviously struck a sore spot, but it was time it was addressed. She had tried to fish for answers on numerous occasions, but all she had ever accomplished was shutting her down even more. So Jennifer had held her tongue and passed on her symptoms to her doctors, but even she was growing more reluctant. More and more medication was being added, which left her scrambling even more trying to distinguish symptoms from side effects. Repeating words of others? Side effect. Switch medication. Fixes problem. Mood Swings intensify. Increases medication. No energy. Lowers medication and adds a secondary pill. Stomach ache. And on and on it went. But it all still hadn’t fixed the original problem of the trances. Not a side effect. Get referred to a neurologist to check for seizures. Not seizures. Told the source is psychological. Referred back to Psychiatrist. Same run around with the accidents. Everything had healed and there was nothing physically wrong. Which was a relief, in a way. She didn’t have a head injury from the attack, no swollen blood vessels ready to pop, no hemorrhages, no lesions. She had dotted her i’s and crossed her t’s, but It had caused a bit of contempt in their relationship. Doctor’s appointments, medicine, nappies and food. That’s what they always fought over. Not homework, or curfews and bedtimes. Hortensia mumbled something unintelligible before pushing her plate aside and burying her face in the crook of her arm on the table. Her shoulders began to rise and fall as her breath came in great heaving sobs. “So you are in there?” Jennifer asked gently. Hortensia nodded. “Would you tell me what’s going on when it happens?” Jennifer asked. She got up from her spot on the table and came around. “I feel funny.” “Are you upset when it happens?” Hortensia shrugged. Her psychiatrist said it was stress triggered, her way of escaping a difficult situation. “Is it because you’ve had an accident? Are you panicking?” It’s what she had always assumed was going on. Because it didn’t seem like arguing with her set it off, lord only knew how much they fought, and not once had she froze as an out. (And give Jennifer the last word in an argument? Ha!) No, she had never seen Hortensia retreat from any visible stress. She had seen her freeze during dinner while being forced to eat, and while doing lessons, and while yes, that could be seen as a stressful situation, she had also seen her freeze mid Mario Kart race, but she had been doing terribly, crashing into walls and such ( even Jennifer had managed to keep her cart on the track) so maybe losing to your headmistress was considered a stressful event. But, sometimes she just stumbled onto her like that, slouched over on the couch or lying in bed. Or sometimes, she’d smell her from the kitchen and she’d know what she’d walk out to. The soiled nappies were the only constant. Usually she was just wet, but sometimes… she wasn’t. It was… difficult, cleaning those up. Usually Jennifer would put her in the shower and stay with her until she woke up, but sometimes it wasn’t an option. And it wasn’t like she had to clean up every bowel movement. It was more like once a week. Her fecal continence had come back, well mostly. (Rest In Peace to her second favorite throw pillow) Jennifer had enacted a new rule. “No one is allowed to run around in their knickers.” “It’s just like a big pad that wraps around. It’s really not that different.” She tried to say. At first it was only when they left the house, but after a few mishaps on the rug and the couch, she had made her keep it on. “But the heat!” Hortensia had protested. So she had made the rule in solidarity. If Hortensia had to roast, so did the rest of them. At least it was cooling down now. Jennifer had gotten rather lax around the girls and had found herself downstairs…not prepared to receive company. The markings on her skin no longer even garnered a second glance from either of them. The summer had been an unbearably hot one and one horrifically miserable night had left them all downstairs in their knickers as Hortensia lamented to Matilda about how terrible getting boobs were. Matilda hadn’t responded, she had been nestled tight against Jennifer’s chest despite her hot, sticky skin and was utterly sacked out. Jennifer hadn’t minded. She had laid on her back and stroked the girl's hair from her sweat streaked face. “I’m going to be sad when she’s too old for this.” Jennifer had said softly. Hortensia glanced over for a moment and resumed her drawing. “How old is too old?” “I don’t know. Nine or ten?” Jennifer could have sworn she saw something on Hortensia’s face then, but maybe she only imagined it in the dark room with only the telly to see by. Maybe it had only been wishful thinking. She had been glued to Jennifer for the first three days she had come back, but then as things settled down she had gone back to her usual ways of keeping her arm length away. She was hesitant to touch her even now, sure Hortensia would smack her hands away or scream obscenities before locking herself away in her bedroom. “Would you tell me what’s gotten you so upset?” Jennifer asked softly. Hortensia shook her head, still hiding her face in the crook of her arm. “Is it about tomorrow?” Shake. “Tens, please talk to me. I only want to help.” “You can’t. You just make everything worse!” Jennifer bit back a frustrated sigh. “How am I making things worse?” No response. “Tens?” “You just do.” How helpful. “Would you answer my earlier question?” “Wh-what question?” She mumbled followed by a wet sounding sniffle. “When you have an accident are…” Jennifer trailed off as Hortensia’s sobs intensified. Ah. “It’s okay, Tens. Really, it is.” she whispered. “It’s not okay!” Hortensia wailed. “Tens, is this why you’re starving yourself? To try and avoid having accidents?” Hortensia shook her head, but she wasn’t sure she believed her. “You need to eat. Starving yourself is only going to make you more miserable. If you have an accident, you have an accident. It’s not the end of the world. You don’t have to be afraid.” “I’m not afraid!” Hortensia growled. “Then tell me what you feel when it happens.” “Tired.” Hortensia mumbled. “Tired?” Too tired to get up and use the bathroom? No. “What else?” “Dizzy, and sick, like I need to lie down.” Interesting. She did often find her sprawled out. “So you feel it coming on? These…episodes?” Nod. “And then what happens?” “I don’t wanna talk about it.” Came the mumbled response. No. She was shutting back down. It was so difficult to get her to open up. “It’s important.” “I don’t wanna talk about it.” “Tens, please don’t shut me out. We need to get to the bottom of this. If it’s stress, that’s fine, but I need to know there isn’t something else going on.” “Leave me alone!” Jennifer sighed. “Tens, you can tell me what’s going on. No matter what it is. I’m here for you.” She placed a hand lightly on her back. “I love yo-” Jennifer gasped in pain and held her stomach. That little… Hortensia had taken her elbow and slammed it into her stomach. Jennifer grabbed her wrist and held it up before grabbing her chin and forcing her to meet her eyes. “Look at me! I don’t care how upset you are. We do not hit people!” Jennifer said. “Don’t touch me! Let me go!” The girl began to wriggle out her grasp. “Then don’t hit me!” Jennifer shouted back before releasing her. “Don’t tell me what to do! You’re not my mom!” She was glaring daggers now, not in defiance, but rage. “One more word out of your mouth and you’re going straight to bed!” Jennifer turned away and leaned over the sink like she was going to be sick. She took a deep breath before turning back around. Hortensia was pacing back and forth in agitation like a bull ready to lunge. So it was going to be that kind of night. Jennifer opened the cupboard and grabbed a bottle of pills from the top shelf. She slowly shook one out in her palm all the while staring pointedly into her face. Night night Hortensia. “No. No. I’m sorry. I’m fine.” Hortensia held up her hands defensively. Twenty minutes and she’d be out like a light. Her medication to pull her out of a rage attack worked a little too well. Getting her to take them was another story. It was like trying to give a cat a pill. Sometimes the sight of the bottle was enough to calm her down if she wasn’t too far gone. Other times she needed Matilda’s help if she felt like Hortensia was a danger to herself or others. Psychic powers really came in handy pinning her down in an emergency. An elbow to the gut would have earned her a tablet, but Jennifer wanted to salvage the conversation. “Are you?” Jennifer asked, a note of skepticism hung in the air. “Yes!” Hortensia said, eyes rolling and voice thick with enough attitude and resentment that Jennifer debated giving it to her anyway. “Are you going to sit back down and talk to me?” “I don’t want to talk to you!” “You can drop the attitude, take a seat and answer my questions, or you can take your medicine and go to bed. Those are your options.” Hortensia made a series of whining noises and stomping gestures befitting a child half her age. Jennifer had had enough. She pointed to the back door. “Go. Outside. Twenty minutes. Go hit your bag or something, I don’t care. Just go.” Hortensia remainted where she was, glaring defiantly up at her. “GO!” Jennifer yelled. Finally the girl began to move, not towards the back door, but further into the house. “Where do you think you’re going? I said go to the backyard!” “The lou!” “No, you’re not going to the lou!” “I have to pee!” Jennifer knew her better than that. It was a stalling tactic. She often said she needed to pee before disappearing for twenty minutes. For someone clever enough to tape a Gameboy to the inside of a toilet tank ahead of time, you’d think she’d be smart enough to turn the volume down. “You can hold it for twenty minutes.” “No, I can’t! I really need to pee!” But she exhibited no outward signs of distress that Jennifer could see. No wigging, squirming, or dancing. She was calling her bluff. “Good thing you’re wearing a nappy then. Out!” “No, I’m not!” Hortensia lied despite the clear outline under her shorts. “OUT!” “FUCK YOU!” Hortensia screamed. “I HATE YOU!” She stormed out of the house, slamming the back door on the way out. Jennifer collapsed into the nearest chair at the table, passing the prescription bottle from one hand to the other. Place one tablet under tongue as needed for outbursts. Her vision began to blur. She felt like she was failing. Hortensia was slipping away more and more everyday and there was nothing she could do. Was this normal preteen behavior? She stared at the bottle and debated taking one herself. The thought of a dreamless, drug induced slumber sounded like heaven. An intrusive urge to dump the entire bottle in her mouth buzzed around in her head like a fly that kept returning no matter how many times she batted it away. Eventually, she stood up and put the bottle away, save one tablet which she slipped into her pocket just in case. For Hortensia, she told herself before setting the kettle on the stove. She had just finished pouring herself a mug of tea when the doorbell rang. She stared at the clock before deciding to ignore whoever it was. Now wasn’t a good time for company. But the doorbell rang again. And again. And again. Feeling irritated, she went to the backdoor to make sure Hortensia wasn’t playing a trick on her, but she was outback with her punching bag where she was supposed to be, not hitting it but holding it against herself in a tight embrace. Jennifer frowned. She debated going out there, but they both needed time apart to simmer down, so she wiped at her eyes and decided to see who it was that couldn’t take a hint. Jennifer opened the door to find her neighbor who lived across the street from her. He was a short, balding man with gray hair and glasses who fancied himself as a type of neighborhood enforcer. She would often see him going through the neighbors rubbish bin, making sure they recycled and calling the cops for any excessive noise. “Mr. Fern, “ she said, plastering a fake smile on her face. He made no move to return the gesture. She let her smile fall and waited for him to talk. When no words came, she began with “Is there something wrong?” “Unfortunately, yes, there’s been a number of break ins along the street in the last few weeks, myself included. I'm going door-to-door to warn the others. I know it’s just you and the girls, so I wanted to let you know the neighborhood’s not safe anymore. Please make sure you lock your doors and windows.” “Oh.” Jennifer said with a frown. Her aunt had installed a security system in the midst of one of her manic episodes, but Jennifer hardly remembered to set it before bed. “Thank you for telling me.” He nodded his head in acknowledgement. “Did the police ever find out who was responsible for vandalizing your car?” “Oh, that. Just some neighborhood kids.” Jennifer lied before letting out a nervous chuckle. “I work at the school. Easy to make enemies when you’re the one handing out punishments.” “I thought you teach little kids?” he asked skeptically. “Oh, I used to, now I’m the headmistress. But breaking in? That's terrible!” He must be having a field day. Maybe now he’d stop harassing her about her rubbish bins not being a full meter from the curb. “How did they get in? I hope they didn’t break your window.” “No, um” he looked away, seemingly embarrassed. “I left my front door unlocked.” “This isn’t a ‘lock your doors’ kind of area, I understand.” At least it used to be. She couldn’t remember the last time she had heard about an actual robbery being committed on her street. “What did they steal?” He frowned at her question. “Nothing valuable.” “What kind of burglar doesn’t steal anything valuable? He wasn’t a very good burglar then.” “It was more unsettling.” He explained. Jennifer nodded. The thought of someone coming into her home uninvited and going through her things sent a chill up her spine. “They only took…” Please don’t say knickers. Please don’t say knickers. “Food.” She gave him a confused look. “Yeah, I think my wife scared him off before he could root through the place. Came downstairs and found some guy rummaging around in the fridge. She didn’t get a good look at him, ran upstairs and locked herself in the bedroom as soon as she saw him. He was long gone before the cops arrived. Only thing missing was a bag of deli meat and a jar of pickles.” “How odd. Do you think it was a homeless man?” “No, I think he was just brazen enough to make himself a snack before turning the place. It reeks of confidence. I think he’s done this before and didn’t expect to get caught. Mrs. Prett said she’s missing 200 pounds out of her desk drawer.” “How horrid! That's a lot of money!” She exclaimed. Her couple of years living destitute had taught her to appreciate living modestly. The most expensive thing in her home she had bought was the Nintendo 64 she had gotten the girl’s to celebrate her one year anniversary with Matilda. It was a much adored purchase by both children and the heartache of coming home from school to find someone had broken in and stolen it would break them. Not to mention it was her and Brian’s main tool to slip away unnoticed. Other than that, a burglar would be rather disappointed to break into her house. She had either sold, or given away most of her aunt's possessions, except the odd pieces she knew her aunt had an attachment to, like her Precious Moments porcelain figurines she kept in a glass cabinet. Those she smashed with a hammer in the backyard while the girls cheered her on and laughed. Hortensia had the right idea, smashing things to bits was cathartic. “JENNY! I NEED TO PEE!!” she heard bellowed from the back followed by the backdoor slamming shut. Jennifer winced. “Haven’t seen her in church for a while.” He said with a sniff. “Might behave herself better if you went to her church instead of your own. I bet she misses her church family.” What she missed was her real family. “We don’t go to church.” she said automatically. He looked scandalized at the very thought. “Well that’s why she’s misbehaving! All that yelling coming out of your house. She’s crying out for Jesus!” Jennifer’s eyelid twitched. “Take her back, see if she doesn’t straighten out. She never acted this way when her momma was around. She would have smacked that attitude right out of her.” It had been a rough few weeks. The whole street must know she had some kind of behavioral issue with her hollering. Police had even been called several times anonymously to do a welfare check, thank you Mr. “Your-Bins-Aren't-Two-Meters-From-The-Curb.” “You know Eve?” She asked. She didn’t even know he had known Hortensia before. “How well?” “We’ve gone to the same church for the last ten years.” Jennifer’s lips pursed. He went to that church. The one Hortensia had gone to. The one where Hortensia had been… And he wanted her to go back? “No, it’s not safe there, haven’t you seen the news?” Her posture had gone from defensive to offensive as he spoke. “Oh, that’s a lot of bollocks. I know him, he’s a good man! He’s the pastor's son! That family has been a part of that church for generations. Someone’s trying to run his name through the mud. It’ll all blow over once the police realize it’s just some kid telling stories. It’s all a lot of bollocks.” Jennifer’s eyes began to blur. “There’s a kid in my house going through hell because of him.” She said through clenched teeth. “Her?” He rocked back and forth on his heels for a moment in thought. “That explains things.” He didn’t say it with pity, but with understanding. “She’d be the type.” Jennifer’s jaw dropped. “Look, I’m not accusing her of anything.” He held up his hands. Jennifer gritted her teeth in anger, fighting the urge to slam the door in his face. She was an adult. She could control herself better than this. “This is a good man’s life we’re talking about. He’s an absolute staple of our church community, and Hortensia, well, she clearly has her problems. We want you to be sure, you know, before you do anything hasty. Wouldn’t want you to make a big deal of this and it blows up in your face.” “So this is why you’re here? To intimidate me?” Jennifer asked. “No, not intimidate you, just to, you know, warn you. I wouldn’t want you to go through all this for nothing.” “Go through all what?” “Well you know, victims of this kind of crime usually get their reputation trashed just as much as the perpetrator. Her history with these kinds of stories and behavior are going to come out.” “Are you threatening us?” she demanded.“She’s only eleven-years-old for bloody sake! She’s just a kid!” “I’m just telling it like it is. Everyone hates lawyers for a reason. Eve’s asked us all to keep Hortensia in our prayers for her behavioral issues for years. Any damn lawyer worth his salt is going to find that out.” So much for “Eve would have smacked the attitude right out of her.” “Do yourself a favor and drop the whole thing. Even if it did happen, other people are pointing fingers as well. Let them bring the case forward and save yourself the trouble.” “You need to go.” Jennifer said. She was shaking now. “You come here with your fake story about a break in, pretending to care about us, and threaten me.” “No, no, that part was real, which reminds me, where was she two days ago? Where does she go when she goes out on her bike?” “You said it was a man.” Jennifer had her hand on the door, ready to slam it shut. “They were in a hoodie, and like I said, she didn’t get a good look at him.” “It wasn’t her; she hates pickles!” She said before swinging the door shut. She stood in her living room for a solid minute shaking with silent anger. How dare he. How dare he. To accuse her of lying. As if she could fake those injuries… To accuse her of breaking into people’s houses to rob them? An eleven-year-old-girl? She went to the backyard to see if she had come back yet, but surprise, surprise, she hadn’t. She peeked in the downstairs bathroom, but she was nowhere to be found. Someone’s earning themselves an early bedtime, she thought numbly as she climbed the stairs. She peeked in her room, but she wasn’t there either. She paused in the doorway and sighed. So messy. “Have you seen Tens?” Jennifer asked, coming into Matilda’s room. “Is she hiding in here?” “Restroom.” Matilda said. She was lying on her stomach with her feet curled behind her, an open book resting in front of her “Ran in while you were coming up the stairs.” Of course. “You’ve earned yourself a restart of your twenty minutes.” she called, knocking on the bathroom door. “G-go a-w-aw-way!” Jennifer grimaced and softened her voice. “Would you come out so we can talk?” But there was no response, only sobbing. “Can I come in?” “Go away!” They went back and forth for a few minutes before Jennifer gave up. “Okay Tens, I’ll go, you can come out when you’re ready.” She went into Hortensia’s bedroom and sat on the bed and waited. She wondered if she was still crying over their fight, but when a cold chill came through the room and she looked up to find the window open, she had a feeling she wasn’t so fortunate. She stood up and slammed it shut. He was standing across the street in his front yard, watching her. He waved. She shut the blinds. She needed something to distract herself so she bent and started tidying up. Why was there so much trash in here? All these Crisp wrappers and banana peels. At least she’s not eating only junk … She bent and picked up a half empty bag of sliced bread. Odd taste in snacks, but okay. And then she decided to move the bed away from the wall. Food wrappers of all kinds fell to the floor. “Hortensia…” Jennifer sighed and bent down to start scooping it up. She was obviously hoarding food, but…why? And not just junk, but bread, yogurt, and granola bars. There was an empty protein shake for diabetics, a half eaten tomato, and cottage cheese. And then she saw it. The pickle jar. Jennifer sat on the bed, put her face in her hands and cried.

Good whiskey ensures I wet the bed

It doesn't seem healthy to me. A subreddit built on the idea of repressing something which is pretty deeply ingrained within us. I don't see there has being an upside to it. The healthier thing would be to talk to each other and learn to accept yourself rather than trying to put part of you in a box and lock it away.

Thanks for commenting. When it's important, I do insert an advisory. For example, at the start of scene 3 in Aardvark, you are advised to read scene 37 (Deep Doo-Doo) in Homage first. You can't go wrong if you read them in the order in which they are posted here (posting date sits atop each new chapter), but as a general rule it's not critical. The two stories are designed to overlap in the same way that Quentin Tarantino set up Kill Bill 1 and 2. The great benefit of writing a scene common to two stories is that you can show different sides of a character's personality with a simple shift in point of view. The Suzie Marshall that you are now seeing in Aardvark is very different from the character to whom you have been introduced in Homage.

These were not pull down. These were built-in the wall

Going in my burial instructions, closed casket, diapered and dressed like a baby.

Chapter 11 Sarah and Kate were having a wonderful time running around the playground at the park while their parents chatted and set up a picnic nearby. The warm sun and a gentle breeze made it a perfect day to be outside playing. As Sarah climbed the ladder to the big slide, she felt a twinge in her bladder. She paused for a moment, recognizing the sensation as her body's signal that she would need to pee soon. But the bathrooms were all the way on the other side of the park, and Sarah didn't want to miss out on any fun with Kate. "I can hold it for a while," she decided, continuing her climb. Sarah and Kate played for several more minutes, chasing each other around the playground equipment. They were having so much fun that Sarah barely noticed as the pressure in her bladder gradually increased. It wasn't until they started a game of hide-and-seek that Sarah became more aware of her need to pee. As Sarah crouched behind a tree, waiting for Kate to find her, the urge intensified. She squirmed uncomfortably, realizing she couldn't hold it much longer. Glancing towards the bathroom in the distance, Sarah weighed her options. Could she make it there in time? Just then, Kate spotted her. "Found you!" she exclaimed, darting over to tag Sarah. As Sarah quickly stood up, the movement put extra pressure on her bladder. Suddenly, she knew she wasn't going to make it to the bathroom. Warmth began spreading down her legs as her bladder released. Tears sprang to Sarah's eyes as shame and embarrassment flooded through her. Kate's smile faded as she saw Sarah's distress. "Sarah? What's wrong?" she asked, concern in her voice. Sarah couldn't bring herself to say it out loud. She whispered to Kate, "I...I had an accident." Kate immediately pulled Sarah into a hug, not caring about the wetness. "Oh Sarah, it's okay. Accidents happen. Let's go tell your mom." Lisa looked up as the girls approached, taking in Sarah's red-rimmed eyes and telltale wet patches on her clothes. "Oh sweetheart..." She enfolded Sarah in a comforting embrace. "Mom... I'm sorry... I didn't make it to the bathroom in time..." Sarah said between sniffles, her face pressed against her mom's shoulder. "Shh, it's alright Sarah. Let's get you cleaned up." Lisa gently guided Sarah towards the parking lot, grabbing her purse and a small bag from the car trunk. Lisa led Sarah to their car, parked at the far end of the lot. She opened the trunk and rummaged through the bag she always kept stocked with spare clothes and supplies for Sarah, just in case. As Lisa picked up the bag, a sinking realization hit her. She had taken out Sarah's spare outfit to wash after their last outing and forgotten to replace it. The only contents remaining in the bag were several of Sarah’s youth diapers. Lisa took a deep breath, considering her options. She turned to Sarah, who was shivering slightly in her wet clothes despite the warm day. "Sweetie," Lisa began gently, "I'm so sorry, but Mommy made a mistake. I don't have any clean clothes for you in the car." Sarah's lower lip trembled as fresh tears welled up in her eyes. "But Mom, I can't go back to the picnic like this!" Lisa's heart ached seeing her daughter's distress. She knelt down and pulled Sarah into a hug, rubbing her back soothingly. "I know, baby. But listen, I do have some of your nighttime diapers here. I could put one on you, just until we get home and can get you in clean clothes. Would that be okay?" Sarah hesitated, her face flushing with embarrassment at the thought of wearing a diaper during the day, especially at the park with Kate's family around. But the cold, clammy feeling of her wet shorts against her skin was incredibly uncomfortable. Slowly, she nodded. Lisa gave her a reassuring smile. "That's my brave girl. It'll be alright, I promise." She grabbed a diaper from the bag, then glanced around the parking lot. There were a few other cars, but no people in sight. "Let's get you changed right here, nice and quick." Lisa tugged off Sarah’s wet shorts and underwear, and motioned for her to lay down in the backseat of the car, with her legs hanging down so there was room to change her diaper. Sarah laid down, biting her lip as her mom lifted her legs to slide the diaper under her hips. The diaper felt thick and oddly comforting as Lisa fastened it snugly around her waist. Lisa helped Sarah to her feet, then dug a light blanket out of the backseat of the car. She wrapped it around Sarah's waist like a skirt, concealing the diaper. "There we go. All set." As they walked back towards the picnic area, Sarah felt the bulk of the diaper between her legs with every step. She kept her eyes down, sure that everyone would take one look at her and somehow know she had an accident and was wearing a diaper now. Kate spotted them first, jumping up from the picnic blanket and hurrying over. Her steps faltered slightly as she took in Sarah's makeshift skirt and subdued demeanor. Kate met Sarah's gaze, her eyes filled with gentle concern and understanding. Kate turned to Lisa and asked quietly, "Is...is she wearing a diaper? Because of her accident?" Sarah felt her cheeks flame, but Lisa simply nodded. "Yes, sweetie. I didn't have any spare clothes in the car, so it was the only option." To Sarah's surprise, Kate just nodded thoughtfully. Then she smiled at Sarah and said, "You know what? I think I want to wear a diaper too. Then we can be diaper buddies, just like at our sleepover! Would that be okay with you, Sarah?" Sarah stared at Kate, hardly daring to believe her ears. "You...you'd really do that? Wear a diaper right now, in front of everyone?" Kate's mom Jenna, who had overheard the conversation, stepped closer and laid a hand on Kate's shoulder. "Kate, that's a very kind offer. But let's make sure Sarah is comfortable with it first, okay?" Kate nodded, looking back at Sarah expectantly. Sarah hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded. The thought of having Kate by her side, her diaper buddy, made the whole situation feel a little less daunting. Jenna smiled warmly at the girls. "Alright then. Kate, let's go get you changed. Lisa, do you have an extra diaper we could use?" Lisa nodded, handing over a spare diaper from the bag she brought from the car. Jenna directed Kate to lay on one of the picnic blankets. With gentle, practiced movements, she helped Kate out of her shorts and underwear and fastened the diaper securely around her waist. Kate stood up, giving her diaper a gentle pat, and took Sarah's hand to gave it a comforting squeeze. "See? Now we match," she said with a smile. Sarah couldn't help but smile, not letting go of her friend’s hand. “Let’s lay on the grass and see what animals we can see in the clouds,” she said, leading Kate to an open section of grass. “We can lay under the blanket together,” unwrapping her makeshift skirt. Kate nodded, eagerly following Sarah. As Sarah and Kate settled under the picnic blanket together, Sarah felt a wave of relief wash over her. Yes, she was at a park wearing a diaper for all to see, but so was Kate. And both their families were carrying on with the picnic as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Sarah cuddled up against Kate, grateful beyond words for her friend's unwavering support and loyalty. Whatever else this day might bring, she knew she wouldn't have to face it alone. — The car ride home from the park was quiet, with Sarah lost in thought as she processed the day's events. The diaper around her waist felt strange, yet oddly comforting at the same time. She couldn't stop thinking about how Kate had so readily chosen to wear a diaper too, just to make Sarah feel better. It was a testament to the depth of their friendship. As they pulled into the driveway, Lisa turned around to face Sarah in the backseat. "Alright, sweetie, let's head inside and get you changed into some clean clothes." To Lisa's surprise, Sarah hesitated. "Actually, Mom... would it be okay if I kept the diaper on for a little while longer?" Lisa exchanged a glance with Michael, who raised his eyebrows but gave a small nod. "Of course, honey," Lisa said gently. "If that's what you want, it's perfectly fine." Sarah nodded, feeling a mix of relief and uncertainty. She wasn't quite sure why she wanted to keep the diaper on, but something about it felt right after the emotional roller coaster of the day. As they entered the house, Michael put a hand on Sarah's shoulder. "You know, princess, what you did today was really brave. Dealing with an accident in front of everyone couldn't have been easy, but you handled it with so much grace and maturity." Sarah leaned into her dad's touch, blinking back sudden tears. "Thanks, Dad. I couldn't have done it without Kate, though. She's the best friend ever." Lisa smiled softly. "She certainly is. And you're a wonderful friend too, Sarah. I'm so proud of the way you girls support each other." Sarah ducked her head, feeling a warmth spread through her chest at her parents' words. "I think I'm going to go lie down for a bit, if that's okay," she said, suddenly feeling exhausted. "Of course, sweetie. Take all the time you need," Lisa said, dropping a kiss on Sarah's head. Sarah climbed the stairs to her bedroom, the diaper crinkling softly with each step. She closed the door behind her and sank down on her bed, trying to sort through the jumble of emotions swirling inside her. A part of her still burned with embarrassment at the memory of her accident, and the knowledge that everyone had seen her in a diaper. But another part of her couldn't stop thinking about how safe and loved she had felt with Kate by her side, and how her parents had been so understanding and supportive. Sarah ran her hand over the front of her diaper, marveling at how something that had always been a source of shame and secrecy suddenly felt so comfortable.

Great chapter. I was actually surprised that Susie fed him the two bottles and didn’t make any attempt to scalp him. If fact it was just the opposite for her. Learning someone’s weaknesses can have a profound effect on them. Court the next day should be an interesting day. I will be looking forward to seeing how it all works out.

Ted woke with a start. The blankets on his bed rustled and his mattress shifted. He had been so deeply asleep, it took him a moment to realize… someone was getting in bed with him. A voice whispered, “Shhh… it’s ok, it’s me.” Ted felt an arm wrap around him and settle him back to his pillow. He finally saw Lara's face faintly through the dark, smiling as she lay in bed next to him. He relaxed, but wondered what she was doing there. Lara’s rubbed Ted’s back, soothing him, then slowly slid her hand down to his hip. “How’s your diaper holding up?” she whispered, tugging on the elastic? Ted scowled and blood rushed to his face. He pouted, still in a bit of a fog wondering if he was dreaming. “Oh don’t be a sour puss!” Lara chided. She slapped him on the thigh. “I actually think they’re really cute. And maybe a little…” Ted’s face softened. He stared at Lara. “… sexy,” she finished softly. Lifting the blankets, she gave Ted a view of her bottom half. He became aroused when he saw she wasn’t wearing pants. But in the dark, he couldn’t make out just what she was wearing. Lara took Ted’s hand and pulled it toward her crotch. His mouth dropped open as he felt a familiar papery crinkle between her legs. His cock swelled within his own diaper. Lara's hand found its way there. She rubbed him through the thin padding making him harder and harder. The tight fitting pull-up constricted his member as it pressed and grew bigger. Lara stared him in the eye as she slid her hand down the waistband and gripped him. Ted gasped. “Oh my… such a big boy…” she cooed. Ted’s eyes rolled back in his head. He moaned as Lara’s cool fingers worked up and down his shaft. “Mmm… that’s it, big boy. That feels good doesn’t it?” “Uhhh huh… don’t… stop…” Lara quickened her pace. Ted’s pull-up crinkled loudly and stretched to the limit. She could tell it wouldn’t take long to get him to a climax. With the boy consumed in his pleasure, she decided to add some baby talk to encourage him to associate his orgasm with being babied. “That’s my big boy… are you gonna make a mess in your diapie? Come on baby, make a sticky mess for me. Don’t worry, I’ll clean you all up and get you in a nice fresh diaper.” Conflicted momentarily by the humiliating way she spoke to him, and the feeling of her hand massaging his cock, Ted gave in to the pleasure. His eyes rolled back in his head and he moaned with delight. “Good boy. You’re gonna make a messy aren’t you? Come on little boy. Cum for me baby. Cum in your little diaper…” Ted did just that. With a loud groan, he exploded into his Goodnite. He writhed on the bed, enjoying every drop. “Good boy…” Lara purred at him. “That’s my good boy.” The padding did its job and soaked up all of Ted’s orgasm. He lay on his bed, eyes closed, in pure bliss. Lara looked him over with a huge smile. “Ok little one,” she finally whispered, “you need a fresh diaper before you fall back asleep.” Ted felt himself blush. He couldn’t bear to open his eyes, again feeling deeply embarrassed by Lara’s tone. Lara tore open the sides of his Goodnite and slid it out from under him. She stood up and tossed the used diaper to the floor. Ted continued pretending he was asleep as Lara grabbed a fresh pull-up from the night stand, stretched it out and slid it up his legs. When she reached his hips, she implored him. “Up please,” she said, surprising herself with a distinctly maternal tone. Ted did as he was told, lifting his bottom off the bed so Lara could get the pull-up in place. He kept his eyes tightly closed, though. “There we go, all clean and dry,” Lara said as she patted his crotch. “Time to go back to sleep, little boy.” Again, she thought she sounded like a mom taking care of a small child. A warmth grew inside her. Lara tucked Ted back in and kissed him on the cheek, eliciting a smile from the boy. “Goodnight, sweetie,” she cooed in his ear. She watched as Ted melted back to sleep, then she quietly left, leaving the bedroom door slightly ajar. She tiptoed back upstairs and passed out with a wide smile spread across her face.

Hello! I know it's been quite a few days since my last post. First, let me just say this: I'm so sorry for being gone for so long. I know it's only been about 10 days since the last chapter, but that's still far longer than I'd like to take between posting, and I figured I owed you readers an explanation. I've been trying to write this latest chapter the entire time, but I was experiencing a dreadful combination of burn out and writer's block. The burn out was not from writing, but everything else revolving around in my life. I won't get too personal, but in the span of the last week, my dog had to have surgery, I experienced an injury at work that messed with my lower back, and I was in the middle of a familial spat. Along with my work, this left me drained of almost all my energy, and when I would sit down to write, I could barely come up with a few hundred words before having to stop for the night. The longer this went on, the more I felt the pressure to deliver, and I couldn't stand the thought of posting after a week with nothing to show for it. So...I powered through. Thanks to the wonderful blessing that is caffeine, I was able to work through that lack of energy, and chapter 11 is finally here! Originally, I planned for this to just be one of those prologue "side chapter", but while I was writing it, it sort of became it's own beast. It is mostly a look at Emma's past, but starts and ends at current point of the story. I guess you could say its a "half-side chapter"? Regardless, Chapter 11 is finally here, and I can't wait to have you read it! One question before the chapter begins though. I've noticed one of the biggest struggles of the story comes not from the writing process, but rather the formatting and posting of the story. I tend to write using google docs, and then copy and paste over to the forum. This carries over the text itself, however, all of the formatting, including the bold and italic words, as well as the spacing for paragraphs, has to be redone. I don't mind doing this, but it does take longer for the chapters to come out. So I was wondering, would you readers like for me to continue with the formatting process as is, taking a bit longer for the chapters to come out, or would you rather I just post a PDF file as an attachment, cutting down the time between posts, but also requiring a download of the attachment? Please let me know which option you prefer, and I'll either keep up with what I'm doing, or start with the PDF's the next chapter. Without further ado, here is chapter 11 of Embracing Oneself. I hope you enjoy, and as always, thank you for reading. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 11: Memorias Praeteriti July 22nd, 2023. 1:01pm Just 4 more hours, and I can get home to my Little One. That’s the thought driving me crazy. Just imagining Roxie awaiting me at home makes the seconds seem like hours. It pains me to be away from her for even this briefest of periods, but the duties of reality beckon. Typing away at my keyboard, filling the spreadsheets with numerical representations of value, I try with wavering willpower to keep my mind off my wonderfully gothic girl. I wonder how far along the list she’s gotten? Maybe I should check in on her. Make sure those chores are getting done. No, Emma! There’s work to be done! I force my mind back to the task at hand, listing the budgetary restrictions for Mr. Arrelaino’s upcoming “investor meeting.” While I appreciate his business as a client, his idea of necessary expenses leaves me wishing for a stiff drink. Seriously, does he need to spend 12,000 dollars on “executive entertainment?” What kind of high-class strippers does he plan to obtain? A buzz from the table draws my attention, a chime of notification begging to be answered. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to take a momentary respite. Holding my finger against the sensor, my phone opens to my wallpaper; a familiar girl hugging my leg is presented to me. I wonder how much of a fit she’d throw if she knew I made that picture into my background. I open up my messages, seeing a simple response from my darling girl. My Roxie❤️: Hi Mommy!!! Hope your days going awesome! I’ve got the chore list all fimished up! My Roxie❤️: *finished not fimished* She already finished everything on the list? Somehow, I find that hard to believe. You: Oh really? You’ve finished everything? You better not be fibbing, baby. The bubble in the bottom pops momentarily before a pair of images appear. The first shows a spotless kitchen sink, the dishes drying off to the side. The second shows an equally tidy living room, sans her personal little spot on the floor. You: That’s a very good girl, but I believe there was another item on your to-do list… The message cue remains blank, leaving me to wonder if she was telling a little white lie. After all, this IS Roxie I’m talking to. I love my little one to death, but her memory is not one of her most advantageous traits. But I’m proven wrong, as a third photo pops up, my excitement building. It shows a selfie of her facing away from the bathroom mirror, her rear in view. Her diaper, in pristine condition just hours ago, now sags with the hefty weight of her mess. The enema clearly did its job well, as the discoloration seems to almost reach the top of the waistband. My Roxie❤️: I didn’t forget! You: So I can see! You did such a good job, sweetie. I’m proud of you for remembering. My Roxie❤️: Thank you, Mommy! Can I have some bouncy time pwease? I chuckle at her message. Of course she wants to play around in her messy diaper! Such a dirty little girl I have. I feel the moistness between my legs growing at the thought. I fight against my innermost desire, keeping my hand away from my growing lust. Think about anything else! The elderly! A can of rotten tuna! The portrait of Charles V! That did it. I felt the fog clear from my mind. You: Sure, baby. But remember not to have too much fun, and to clean yourself up before I get back. Don’t forget about our event tonight! My Roxie❤️: I didn’t forget Mommy. Trust me, I don’t to meet them for the first time smelling like a messy diaper. Love you xoxo. The thought of tonight fills me with dread and delight. There are so many things that could go wrong. For starters, Alex and Jessica could decide they don’t like Roxie, or vice versa. Or maybe they all end up getting along, but someone takes something too far. A step in the wrong direction. A misplaced joke. An act gone too far. But if the stars align, and everything works out as it should, this could end up being a rather fun experience, or perhaps more than just that. My eyes scan across my desk, locking onto the keepsake from all those years ago. The small bit of metal, fashioned into the rough approximation of a coin, seems to stare back at me. I pick it up, feeling the weighty silver in the palm of my hand. The cool sensation fades, my skin warming up the material rapidly. Has it really been almost 4 years since that day? I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. *** November 15th, 2019. 9:47pm The gentle snowflakes fall onto the windshield of my car, remaining for just a fraction of a second before melting into droplets. This early into the coming winter, the cold isn’t enough for the crystals to remain for more than a moment. Stepping out into the chilly air, I pull my jacket close against my body, trying to keep warm. Walking through the lot, it doesn’t take long for me to make my way towards the bouncer that blocks the entrance. “I.D, ma’am.” His thick accent fills the otherwise empty air. “Sonny, don’t you ever get tired of this bit?” My old friend knows my face like a band knows their song: from memory, permanently burned into his neurons. “Not a bit Emma. Welcome back to Nexus. Just so you know, your buddy got here a tad before you.” I give him a nod in thanks and make my way inside. The leather and lights used to disorient me at first, but by now it’s a familiar sight. Making my way through the club, I pass by the bar, watching the patrons down a variety of themed cocktails. “Hey Emma, long time! Could I interest you in a ‘Naked Lady’ perchance?” I approach the bar. “That depends, Ava. The drink or the person?” The bartender looks me up and down. “Well, I WAS talking about the drink, but wait until I get off and maybe we’ll talk.” “As much as I’d love for you to get off, I’ve got my hands full tonight.” We both smile at the double entendre. “You seen Alex? Supposed to meet me here.” Ava points towards the booth section. “Yeah, he’s down there. Got some blond with him. Another friend of yours?” No, but I have some idea of who it could be. “Not exactly, Ava. Thanks for the info. I might be back for that ‘Naked Lady’ later though.” I wink at her before continuing on my way. Following along the path, I turn my head to the left, watching some poor sub getting his ass reddened on the Saint Andrew’s cross. I almost stopped to watch the scene unfold, but it’s nothing new to me. Reaching the booths, a friendly face smiles up at me, a drink in hand. “Emma! Glad you could make it!” Alex steps up from his spot, giving me a peck on the lips. I can sense the faint aftertaste of vermouth on his mouth. “How was work?” We both sit down in the half-circle booth, facing out toward the rest of the dungeon. “It was a pretty good day! There’s been talk around the company, and apparently, there’s an opening for an account manager. I’m not hedging my bets or anything, but the talk around the water cooler is that my name is floating around for the position!” Alex looks genuinely happy for me. “That’s wonderful news! Should we toast in celebration?” “Not yet, my friend. Let’s not count the chickens before they hatch. Besides, I know you didn’t call me here for small talk. Ava tells me that you brought someone along with you!” I let my words tease him like a belt teases against a submissive’s skin. His look away tells me everything I need to know. “Yeah…she’s the one I’ve been telling you about. Seriously Em, there’s something special about this one. She’s got…well, let’s just say she’s an interesting character.” Well, well. Consider my interest piqued. “So…where’s she at? Is she invisible?” Oh, how I enjoy teasing him so. “She’s in the bathroom right now, which is kind of ironic. You’ll see what I mean when she gets back.” Ironic? What could possibly be ironic about using the restroom? Was she one of those subs who liked to be pissed on? Not my cup of tea, but hey everyone has their quirks. I see Alex’s gaze turn outwards, at first thinking one of the various sessions caught his eye; then I saw her. Now I get what he meant. I had seen her type occasionally at Nexus. A “Little”, I believe they’re called. Ones who parade around in childish clothing, acting cute and engaging in the softer aspects of our world. She appeared no different, wearing a white onesie with “I ❤️ Daddy” across the front. I watch the girl meet Alex’s eyes, and do an awkward sort of hastened waddle toward us. She almost jumps into the booth, landing next to Alex, who manages to scooch himself over to avoid the collision. “I’m back Daddy!” the energetic girl shouts, locking her lips with his. Damn, I guess they’re moving fast. Alex and I have an…interesting relationship. While I consider us friends, there’s more to the story. I guess you could use the word “fuckbuddies” to describe our situation, but that sounds a tad too pedestrian. It’s more like we’re best friends, who manage to have some romantic affection from time to time. I even attempted to be submissive for him once, before realizing that my tendencies lean towards the strictly dominant. So I have no qualms about his recent…exploration with this new girl. Girlfriend? Rather, I’m more caught off by his choice of submissive. I would never picture him in the “Daddy” role, but watching him look at her with such adoration, I guess he’s taken a liking to it. It probably beats the tedium of the usual pool of subs around here. It always seems like the same story. “Spank me harder Mistress. Let me worship your feet? Punish me more!” As much as I enjoy those aspects, the lack of a true emotional bond that comes from meeting people at Nexus can be rather unpleasant. I wonder if someone like her is any different. I snap out of my observation, watching the girl stare at me, a big smile on her face. “Hi, I’m Jessica, or Jessie, or just Jess if you prefer! You’re Emma, right? Da…Alex has told me so much about you! Do you come here often? Do you like the atmosphere? What kind of drinks do you like? I think you’d…” Alex places his hand on her shoulder. “Now sweetie, don’t you think you’re asking too many questions at once?” Realization seems to strike the girl. “Oh, I’m so sorry!” She looks mighty embarrassed right now. “I’m Neurodivergent, or more specifically, I have ADHD and Autism. I’ve been told I can be ‘a lot’ for people. Sorry…” The poor girl looks like she’s about to cry, and my heart can’t help but ache for her. “Don’t be sorry. Yes, I’m Emma. It’s very nice to meet you, Jessica.” I stick my hand across the table, offering a handshake. Jessica watches my hand for a moment, almost as if it’s a strange, otherworldly object, before reaching out herself. She grabs onto my hand with just her fingers, offering a simple shake. Alex looks rather shocked by the interaction. “Wow, Em. Jess must really like you! It’s not often that she lets a new person touch her.” I feel honored by that, Jessica. “Well, I certainly like her too. Not often I see such a cute little girl in here.” Cute little girl? Where did that come from? The words come out of my mouth naturally, like I’d had a deep longing to speak them. Jessica looks happy and satisfied, bouncing up and down in her seat. She IS an adorable one though. Alex clears his throat, gaining the submissive’s attention. “Sweetie, why don’t you go and get yourself a drink? The grown-ups are going to have a quick discussion.” He hands Jessica his credit card, which she snatches from his hand. Hopping out of her seat, I turn to watch her skip away to the bar. I’m not usually one to glance at another’s ass, but the odd shape catches my attention. The way it protrudes through her clothes…is she wearing…protection? Alex catches the path of my vision. “So, you see something you like?” I’m thankful for the dark lighting of the club, hiding my embarrassment well. “Sorry, I know it’s not the most polite thing to do.” Alex smiles at me from across the table. “It’s alright Em. Believe it or not, I’m kind of glad you’ve shown an interest in her,” He says, a glint in his eye. Now my curiosity has reached a new high. At first, I thought Alex had brought me here under the pretense of another night of passion. Then, after meeting Jessica, my mind went to him just wanting to show off. But now, my thought process tells me it’s somewhere in the middle. “Go on,” I implore. “What are you thinking about, Alex?” He clears his throat again, sitting upright, positioning himself for a serious talk. “Well, let’s start with what you probably already guessed. You know I’ve been seeing her for quite some time now, but I’ve kept the details of our ‘situation’ under wraps for a reason. I wanted to see your reaction towards her before continuing onwards. What are your impressions of Jessica?” That’s a good question. Just how do I feel about the girl? My mind attempts to shield me from the truth. You’re just reacting towards the unknown. The newness intrigues you, that’s all. It’s just the break from normality that has your heart racing. But the wall is cracking, and the innermost part of me begins to shine through, like rays of light through a mosaic. And Alex can tell. I can see it vividly. There’s no use hiding it, certainly not from him. He knows me too well for me to tell anything other than the truth. “She’s beautiful, Alex. Not just in appearance, but as a whole. Her carefree attitude, the joy on her face as she lights up, even her rather unusual quirks. I can see why you fell for her.” What’s that saying? The truth will set you free? I was never the religious type, but the words seemed to fit the circumstance. “I’m glad you think so,” Alex says. “I think she’s wonderful. I never thought I’d fall into the caregiver role, but it’s been incredibly fulfilling: taking care of her, that is. I think she might just be that special someone, you know?” “That…that’s great. I’m very happy for you.” While that was true, inside I was also filled with sorrow. Him finally having someone of his own, a submissive no less, most likely meant that our trists together would come to an end. “So, is that why I’m here? You’ve come to say goodbye?” Alex’s reaction was not what I expected. I assumed I’d be met with eyes of pity or words of comfort, but his chortle caught me by surprise. “Goodbye?” he says between laughs. “That’s a laugh! No, Emma. This isn’t the end of our fun together. It’s more like an evolution.” “An ‘evolution’?” I ask. “What praytell does that mean?” Alex opens his mouth to explain but is interrupted before a word escapes from his lips. Jessica returns, a pair of drinks in hand. “I’m back! This drink here is for you, Emma. The nice lady behind the bar told me you would like this drink, so I got it for you!” She places the taller glass before me, a small plastic umbrella adorning the crystalline rim. I guess I ended up with a ‘Naked Lady’ after all. Oh well, not gonna complain about the free booze. I take the drink, careful to avoid poking my eye out with the topper and take a sip. The liquid reminds me much of the mythological Ambrosia; its golden pallet and sweetness make the drink almost overpowering, but just manages to stay within the range of delectable. “Welcome back sweetie,” Alex says with such tenderness. “I was just beginning to broach what we discussed with Emma.” I take another sip of my cocktail and watch Jessica become excited at the news. “Oh, did you get to the part about cucking yet, Daddy?” I choke upon hearing her words, the once tasty drink burning my throat as I sputter it up. “Wh…what!?!” I ask between coughs. What is tonight turning into?!? “Jessica, you can’t just blurt that kind of thing out so nonchalantly. Now, apologize to Emma.” Jessica looks down, the top of her knee bouncing just above the view of the table. “I’m sorry Emma. I didn’t mean to startle you at all with my question. I was just curious how far you and Daddy had gotten in your conversation. I’m really, very sorry.” Damn. First I’m coughing up my drink, and now I’m feeling sorry for her again. What’s going on with me? “It’s okay, Jess. I was just surprised is all.” I turn to Alex, glaring at him something fierce. “Your Daddy has yet to mention any ‘cucking’ yet. Perhaps he wishes to explain himself…right now.” I can see him sweating bullets across from me. “Well, I’d hoped to ease you into the conversation, but fine. We’ll put all the cards on the table. Jessica and I have a…rather strange proposition for you.” His grin attempts to hide just how anxious he’s feeling. Just how “strange” is it? “Go on. I’m listening.” My answer is cold and to the point. With these types of scenarios, it’s best to lead with pure words, not getting hung up on emotion. I’ve learned that all too well. Alex and Jessica share a look before he continues. “As you know, Jessica is a ‘Little”, and I’ve been acting as her ‘Daddy’ for some time now. Lately, Jessica has expressed her desire to take the roleplay in a new direction. That’s where you come in!” I raise an eyebrow. “Right. And by a new direction, you mean cuckolding?” Jessica pipes up. “In technical terms, it would be ‘cuckqueaning’. It’s the gender-opposite term for cuckolding. It’s the practice of consensual adultery. Are you familiar with the practice of cucking?” The look on her face tells me that her line of questioning, while strangely presented, is earnest. “Only in theory.” I take a swig of my drink, downing the last of the liquid. The taste seems less appealing than before, perhaps due to my recent choking fit. “Let me get this straight. Alex wants to fuck me, and you want to watch?” Jessica lets out a single laugh, sounding a bit forced. “It would be more accurate to say I want you to have intercourse with Alex, and that I also want to watch.” She lets out a massive grin, astounding me that seems so innocent could hold such a devious mind. “I…I don’t understand. I mean, I get what you’re getting at, but I’m still left wondering why. What do YOU get out of this engagement? Is it the humiliation, or committing to the baby role, or what?” My heart’s rhythm begins to ramp up. I find myself hanging on the edge of my seat, awaiting her continuation. “You’re partially correct. A lot of the idea stems from the ideals of humiliation and furthering the roleplay. There’s more to it than just that though. I also think it’s incredibly hot to watch two people having sexual intercourse.” Ahh, she’s a voyeur. This makes more sense. “The idea alone of watching you and Daddy have penetrative sex, while I sit there wearing my diapers makes me aroused. Sitting there, humping my diapees whilst Daddy has his way with a real woman, watching her…Mmmpphh!!!” Jessica is silenced with a pacifier, Alex pushing it between her lips. “Too much detail, sweetheart. Why don’t you suckle on your paci for a bit while the grown-ups wrap this up?” Alex’s question was more of a statement, as Jessica slumps into her seat. A solitary suckle from her grumpy face brings a smile to mine. She’s even cute when she’s pouting! “Sorry bout that. She tends to ramble when she gets excited.” “Oh, it’s not a bother! I’ve heard Jessica’s side, now it’s your turn. Why do you want this, Alex?” I half expect him to look away, perhaps some look of embarrassment to brush aside, but he just looks straight at me. My legs begin to turn to jelly, and I’m thankful that I’m still seated. “My part is simple. I get to enjoy the company of my two favorite ladies, and make them both feel good at the same time.” His way with words always leaves me weak in the knees. He can be a real charmer at times. “Plus, we figured you’d probably enjoy the chance to stretch those dormant dominant muscles of yours. I mean, it’s been 9 months since you split with…her, right?” Of course, he had to ruin his streak. I…don’t want to think about her right now. I decided to quickly follow up on the subject, not wanting to ruminate on those thoughts any longer. “I get it. We’ve already enjoyed each other’s company, so I’d make the perfect candidate for this type of scene.” “Bingo!” Alex’s jovialness continues to shine through. “So, what do you say? Are you interested?” I hesitate for a moment. “I…I’m not sure. This is all just…so much. There’s a lot to consider…” Alex is about to speak, perhaps to convince me more, when I hear a small pop. I turn over to Jessica, who’s holding her pacifier in hand. Alex looks displeased by the act but says nothing aloud. “Emma, how would you like to make a bet?” A bet? Alright, consider me interested. I’ll play the game. “And, what would be the nature of this bet, little one?” Jessica reaches into the square pocket on the chest of her onesie, pulling out a small, metal circle. The shape is rather strange, not being the most symmetrical of items. “This is a coin that I made by hand. I’ve dabbled in a bit of metalworking. It is made of pure silver and is one of a matching pair. I keep one at home, and the other on me as a good luck charm.” She looks rather proud of herself, seeming to take pride in her craftsmanship. “It’s certainly a beautiful coin, Jessie, but you’ve still yet to set the rules of the wager. You might be putting the cart before the horse,” I state, letting my tone reach a level of seduction that I haven’t used in quite some time. “Oh yeah, you’re right!” Jessica puts the coin back in her pocket. “Here’s my wager: I bet I can make you aroused without a single word.” OK, that wasn’t quite the wager I was expecting, but let’s see where this goes. “If I manage to do so, you come back with us. Tonight. If I fail, the coin is yours.” What a clever girl. In her roundabout way, she not only managed to give me a reason to take the bet, but she also provided me with an easy out. If I did like what she was about to do, I’d have a genuine interest in continuing things, and if I didn’t, there was a reward for being honest. Still, to offer up such a cherished keepsake…she must really want this to happen. “Jessica, you can’t just bribe Emma into wanting this. She has to…” I hold my hand up, silencing Alex in his tracks. “Okay, Jessie. I accept your terms,” I say, already feeling like I’ve lost this bet. I watch Jessica’s legs swing out from the booth, looking at me with a hunger in her eyes. She approaches my side, and I begin to slide over to make room for her, but she puts her hand on my arm, keeping me in place. Lifting her leg, she carefully places herself over me, bringing our bodies face to face. Even on her knees, the girl has to look up to make eye contact with me. I feel the weight of her body press against me, the softness of her lower body making contact with my pelvis. I hear a slight crinkling noise as she does so. That answer’s my earlier question. I wonder what she plans on doing. Leaning into me can’t be the extent of her plan. “Pay attention,” Jessica whispers in my ear. She closes her eyes, seeming to focus her attention elsewhere. My curiosity only increases when I feel the heat from her body increasing. What is that? Wait…SHE’S PISSING IN THE DIAPER?!? I can just make out a hissing sound from below, leaving no doubt in my mind about the source of the heat. Oh my god, OH MY GOD! I can feel a different heat emerging from within me. Jessica had succeeded. I can feel my legs pressing together, the moistness between them evident. I was enjoying this. Jessica opened her eyes, and I could tell from her look that she’d already deduced the effects of her little showing. “Looks like I won our bet, Emma.” Damn, she’s right! How? How could that have worked so easily? Just as I’m lamenting my loss, I come to realize the girl’s fatal mistake. “Not so fast. Wasn’t the bet that you’d manage to arouse me without a single word? What was it you said? ‘Pay attention’, wasn’t it? I guess that means I won!” I can see the look of triumph leave Jessica, the girl having been made aware of her error. She tried so hard too. I guess that counts for something. “How about this,” I reach into the girl’s pocket, pulling out the odd coin. “Let’s call it a draw. After all, I am turned on by your efforts, even with your little misstep. I don’t see any reason why we both shouldn’t claim our rewards.” I lean forward, pressing my lips against hers. Jessica returns the favor, burning herself deep into the kiss. We continue for a few seconds, before breaking off for air. “I…think I…can accept a draw,” Jessica says between her gasps for air. I look at her for a moment with my lust-filled eyes, before noticing another set on us. I notice Alex staring at us with a blank expression. “S…sorry Alex. I know the plan was for the reverse to happen. My bad!” I say with a cheeky grin. “It’s alright, I’m just…I don’t think I can stand up for a while…” I guess he enjoyed the show! I slide across the booth, Jessica moving her legs out of the way, until I’m situated next to him. Judging from the bulge protruding from his jeans, he perhaps enjoyed it a bit too much. I place my hand over the protrusion, rubbing it back and forth. This produces a deep groan from Alex, enjoying the stifled sensation. “Well, well. This won’t do at all. We should probably get that taken care of, don’t you think? Let’s get out of here, and give little Jessie here a show to remember.” *** “Oh fuck! Yes, Alex! Just like that!” “I’m gonna cum in my diapee!!!” “God, Emma! You’re so good at this!” The events from that night still sit with me, even all these years later. I don’t know if it’s the work of the coin, a memento from that night, or my plans for the evening, but the memories seem to burn exceptionally bright in my mindscape. That night, those experiences…they just might begin anew! A knock at my door snaps me from my daydream. I quickly pinch myself, attempting to distance my mind from the lustrous thoughts and put on my professional mask. “C…come in!” I say, still frazzled by the interruption. Andrew walks into my office, holding a manila envelope with care. “I’ve got the previous month’s statements for the Arrelaino account you asked for…Emma, are you alright? You look pale.” “I’m fine,” I muster with all the confidence I can pull. “Just a little tired. Thank you, Andrew. You can just leave them on the desk.” He does as much before opening his mouth once more. “You know, you should finally look into getting an assistant, instead of having your PARTNER running your errands for you.” As much as I hate to admit it, Andrew has a point there. “Sorry, my friend. I know I’ve mentioned that I prefer to get stuff done on my own, but with the increased load, I might just open up that position.” He gives me a wink “I’d hate to lose my spot as your pack mule, but it’ll be for the best.” He looks down at my hand, noticing my keepsake. “A souvenir?” “Yeah, something like that,” I say, clutching the coin in hand and bringing it close to my chest. “A Memento from a wonderful night.” “Neeto,” He responds, clearly not interested in the token. “Well, I just wanted to finish my drop-off before clocking out for the day. I’ll see you Monday?” What is he talking about, leaving for the day? It’s only…fuck. My daydreaming had taken up more time than I thought, the clock reading quarter to five. “Yeah, I’ll see you on Monday.” I remain calm on the outside and save my freakout until I watch him close the door upon his exit. FUUUUUCK!!! How am I supposed to finish this up in time? I guess I’ll just do as much as I can, and deal with the rest on Monday morning. I get back to work, typing as fast as my fingers can allow, hoping to get as much done in the next 15 minutes as humanly possible. *** Mommy isn’t the only one who can plan a surprise! After sending my little tease of a photo, I place the phone down on the bathroom counter. While part of me wants to do nothing more than smush around in my mess, I have more pressing matters to attend to. Reaching into the cupboard beneath the bathroom sink, I pull out a small brown box. Peeling the tape off with my fingernails, I open it up, looking at my recent purchase with delight. “I can’t wait to see the look on Mommy’s face,” I say to myself. I take a look at my hair in the mirror, taking in the sight of my dark hair. Taking my fill, I pull the hair dye out from the box, as well as the small dyeing kit, complete with brushes, hair clamps, and a small bowl for mixing and holding the dye. Let’s do this!

Part 38 “I’m sorry for having multiple accidents in my diapers, and for acting, umm, like an immature little girl all day long.” Cassidy didn’t quite make it through the embarrassing apology without faltering a little bit. Mostly because it was quite the mouthful, and it took her a moment to think of the second half after getting past the first. Of course, Audrey had a way to make things worse. She pulled out her phone and trained it on the diapered girl buckled into the back seat. “Good. Now say it for the camera, and we’ll be done.” “But-” “Cassie. Do you want to leave, or do you want to sit in the hot car for another hour?” The car was pretty warm after sitting in the sun all day. Cassidy had been thoroughly distracted by the dirty diapers followed by Audrey’s cleavage and subsequent demand for an apology. Now that her sister pointed out the heat, however, Cassidy felt it more than before. The open door provided some ventilation, but the AC would be much better. Still, she had to try one more time. As close as they were to getting on the road, a video like that would be so incriminating than the picture Audrey had just taken. “Audrey, can’t we just go? I don’t want-” “Cassidy.” It was the first time Audrey had used her full name in hours, and it was surprisingly effective at getting her attention. “Be a big girl for once, okay? Just say it. Now, please.” Audrey was her younger sister. Although clearly age wasn’t the only factor, considering who else had bossed Cassidy around today. This situation was very much the same, where getting talked down to made her feel pressured to do as she was told in order to avoid looking worse. Even if she had just been thinking about how it was a terrible idea to offer up this kind of ammo to her sister. Blushing darker than before, Cassidy muttered the full apology. That wasn’t good enough for Audrey. “Speak clearly, Cassie,” she said, “Now, did you have something to say?” Clutching her chest more tightly than before, both because she was feeling particularly exposed and vulnerable when on camera, as well as to make sure that her boobs were completely concealed, Cassidy said more audibly, ““I’m sorry for having multiple accidents in my diapers, and for acting like an immature little girl all day long.” Audrey let the silence linger for a few seconds, to be sure that she caught the end of the apology on video. The added bonus was the way Cassidy averted her gaze afterwards, making her look a lot more shy and awkward than she normally was. With another little smirk, Audrey stopped the recording. “Good job, Cassie. Now, sit back there and think about what you could have done differently today.” With that, she gently closed the back door and got into the driver’s seat. The drive back felt a lot longer than the initial trip to the faire. It was just under thirty minutes, but each of those minutes felt like an eternity when naked save for dirty diapers. The mess itself was bad enough, and that was before dealing with the fact that Audrey’s little sedan was shorter than a lot of other vehicles. While most of those drivers and passengers would be focused on the road, that didn’t stop Cassidy from constantly worrying about her exposure. Her arms never left her breasts, and she just had to accept that anyone might see her underwear situation due to how she couldn’t cover everything. Better to aim for modesty, even if diapers were mortifying in their own way. She was briefly tempted to ask Audrey to stop somewhere. While their parents wouldn’t be home yet, that didn’t protect Cassidy from people she and her family knew from potentially seeing her as they got closer to the house. Every stop sign and red light would be a risk. The problem was, Cassidy was nearly naked. That meant Audrey would be going in alone, and she still had Cassidy’s wallet. Getting her sister to pay her back for all the renaissance faire purchases was already going to be like pulling teeth, and another shopping spree would just compile to that task on the horizon. Plus Cassidy was still quite motivated to simply get home and shower. That was the quickest way to get things back to normal; she’d have to deal with the potential blackmail and minor financial crisis later. Cassidy was so caught up in her own thoughts and overall discomfort that she wasn’t paying much attention to the drive. It wasn’t until they were getting off the highway at a less familiar exit that she glanced around in curiosity. She didn’t say anything for another few minutes, as it easily could have been a detour that Audrey was taking to avoid traffic that Cassidy hadn’t seen. They also hadn’t said a word to each other all drive, as Audrey had been content listening to her music as she chauffeused Cassidy home. When they turned into a neighborhood that definitely wasn’t a shortcut back to theirs, however, Cassidy finally piped up. “Umm, Audrey? Where are you going?” “We just have a quick stop to make,” Audrey said, “Relax, sis.” “Yeah, but-” “We’ve talked about this. You need to stop freaking out over nothing, remember? It’s not an attractive trait to have!” Cassidy fell quiet again. It’s not like she could do anything to prevent Audrey from taking the unexpected detour. Her sister was the one driving, and Cassidy was the one in the back seat and merely along for the ride. A couple minutes later, they were pulling into the driveway of someone else’s house. That was enough to make Cassidy pipe up for a second time. “Audrey!” “Cassie!” Audrey replied, in a mockingly shrill tone. She turned off the ignition and got out of the car without any hesitation. Then, to Cassidy’s surprise, Audrey came over and opened the back door. “You’re coming, too. Let’s go.” Cassidy’s eyes were already a little wide from how the car door was no longer hiding her from a portion of the neighborhood they were in. But actually getting out as she was? Absolutely not. Immediately shaking her head, Cassidy said, “No. I’m not wearing anything!” “And you don’t have anything to hide,” Audrey rolled her eyes, “Believe it or not, sis, I’m trying to help you. Our dad came home early for something. So do you still want to go there, or would you rather stop by my friend’s place first?” Was ‘neither’ an option? As helpful as Audrey was claiming that she was trying to be, Cassidy couldn’t help but notice that she hadn’t mentioned the latest complication until she absolutely had to. If Cassidy had known earlier, maybe she would have actually pushed for a stop along the way. Ignoring the jab about her smaller chest, Cassidy asked, “What friend?” “Elena,” Audrey said, without missing a beat, “And she used to babysit, by the way. Your diapers won’t be a big deal.” Cassidy somewhat recognized the name, but she hadn’t spent much time with Audrey’s friends when they had both been in high school. Also, changing diapers as a babysitter wasn’t quite the same as seeing a girl Cassidy’s age in them. As badly as she wanted to change, the thought of getting out of the car and letting someone else see her like this was paralyzing. Wasn’t there another option? ------------------------ Check out my website: www.ladyluciastories.com And my SubscribeStar: https://subscribestar.adult/lady-lucia

Few things show the demographics of DD like a topic like this. Guys, if you want to disagree with science and evidence then be my guest, there is unfortunately nothing I can do to make you see reason. But some of the posts here are crossing a line. Making disparaging comments about mental health issues and neurodivergencies does nothing but make you look bad. She's a young woman who believes in something and is out there trying to make a difference. You don't have to agree but you do have to follow the rules here (ie. "don't be a dick.")

There's nothing wrong with debating whether her form of activism is helpful to her cause, but comments like this are simply disgusting and unnecessary. --- As a side note, attacking climate activists for supposed hypocrisy is ridiculous. People do what they have to do to get by. Even if she needed to wear disposable diapers that isn't the mark against her that people think it is. Global Warming is a systematic, global problem, almost 100 percent driven by corporations. One person wearing a disposable diaper isn't the problem. The issue is the lack of laws and regulations that allow corporations to run wild in polluting the planet without having to face any consequences. One of the biggest lies driven about climate issues is the way in which corporations try to shift the blame from themselves to individuals, who often have little say in the products that they need to use to get through their lives.

You people are all horrible. She has something she believes in and stands up for it. You question her motives, and you are suggesting murder. The media made her the icon she is. There are hundreds and thousands of climate activists but none of them will get any press if she shows up.

She's quite open about being autistic but that's no reason to doubt her intellectual abilties, as for her "special school" she simply comes from a country that actually gives a damn about helping people, probably part of the reason she's working so hard to stop us from destroying ourselves.

Hey I prefer mine with dragons and lizard prints on them. They gotta have style!

I'm 100% dl but love babyish printed diapers as well

I know the ISO ratings are not overly useful for real world capacity, but they can be useful for comparison. Is there a list anyone knows of that has various adult diapers, pullups, etc?

I wear what my Daddy puts me in and He loves prints so that's what I wear 😁

Congrats !!!!

I'm sorry that you've had a bad day! If it helps at all, knowing that I was able to bring you a smile has also turned my rough day around. As a bonus, I wasn't bitten! And don't worry, dinner will be mentioned. (If a wolf gets bitten by a human, does it turn into a were human? ... would it just stress about bills and eat cheetoes during the full moon?)

Helps answer my question. That plus rewriting the first lines.

This is a wonderful story that I am enjoying quite a lot! There is one feature that makes following the progress somewhat difficult, however. His/her, she/he are used interchangeably throughout the story and without respect to the character's gender. I offer this simply as constructive criticism, and hope you continue this delightful tome.

Wild story indeed. Is Training Daniel like a sequel or what? Since he is also named Daniel.

I must agree. Crinklz and Betterdry tend to hold a lot more plus there isn’t a print that Crinklz has, that I don’t like. (Though I did think the Buccaneers were blue.)

Now being in a relationship with someone who knows I’m gender fluid and is processing that I will never tell her about my ABDL side. Ive not been in diapers or bought any for a month now. Am I over them I’m hoping so but I do feel I have a connection here.

Thanks again. I'm glad that you were surprised, because you were supposed to be! The Suzie in Homage is the scalp hunter, and you see her in competition with Vickie. But the Suzie here in Aardvark does not have a rival, and so we see a softer side of her personality-- the compassionate side. Such is human nature.

@SWetI really enjoyed your writing style! This post is super fun! I have been through many purges in my 33 years of life, but have always come back to my diapers. I just wish I hadn't thrown everything away each purge! I can only imagine the ABDL closet that I would have right now! @FretaBWetI am lucky to have a wife whom also enjoys diapers. Some of the happiest times of our marriage have been us being diapered together, pacifiers in, and onsies snapped tight. Me: "Um...excuse me funeral director, can you please put this on my wife." Hands the stack of clothes over Funeral director, looking at me horrified: "This is a pink diaper, onsie with snap crotch and a giraffe pacifier!" Me: Smiling politely, "Yes, and please make sure her hair is in pigtails, it's the way she would have wanted it." Funeral Director: silence.

This was a fantastic chapter. It was a very emotional chapter. I was a little surprised at the information in the beginning of the chapter. Sarah telling us that she is planning on letting Vickie and Ian have several babies. I thought all along the plan was for all three to give birth. Then Priscilla is also planning on getting pregnant with Ian. In some respects I am really enjoying the bouncing between stories to tell the story. Both stories are independent tales yet are pretty tightly intertwined. I am just not sure what story I should be reading first to keep a better flow. I would actually appreciate it if you could drop a hint as to which one should be read first. I am looking forward to seeing both continue.

By the way, I'm starting to read some of your stories, thanks for writing and sharing them!

I've figured out there really is an end of diapers for me, the day I pass on to whatever comes after. Of course that's dependent on my wife deciding on not giving the funeral director a Rears Princess Pink diaper for under my burial outfit. Hugs, Freta

I wouldn't call us a cult of positivity exactly. We call people out when their fantasies go too far or the dreaded "in the news" appearances. Obviously you wouldn't want to hang out here if you were avoiding ABDL.

Rather than the question: "Is pooping your diaper (nappy for you Brits)in public acceptable" the more operant and accurate question is: "Is subjecting the nonconsenting public to your poopy diaper acceptable? My answer to the first question is YES and to the second question, NO. A person can mess their diaper in public without detection or subjecting someone to your poopy diaper by maintaining social distancing, just like in COVID. So, there should be an ABDL sign: "Maintain 6 feet distance from others when your diaper is messy."

Hey everyone! Whoops and so sorry for not getting this chapter out sooner. My weekend was much busier than I thought it was going to be and I didn’t sit down and edit nearly as much as I wanted to. I do have a nice backlog of chapters I’ve already written, so everyone can likely expect a whole bunch more to be dropping this week at some point. Next, as a reminder, I’m now polling between two stories to figure out what I should write next. The two choices are listed out in chapter 2, so be sure to check them out and let me know. As I will announce my winner in my last chapter, that would be the deadline for you to make your opinion known. As usual, I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter! Chapter 6: No More Strained Peas, Please! Ick! I hated being sick, but as I awoke before the morning light had even drifted into my bedroom window, that’s exactly what I was. So, nauseous, feverish, wet, and just crummy feeling all over, I cried out for Nancy from my bedroom. “Nancy! Nancy!” Now, today was likely the worst day to get sick in the history of ever as a Little, not that there was really ever a good time, but Nancy had a very early meeting today. She had made arrangements with Miss Mindy, the staff member who was staying overnight with some of the long-term stay Littles, to look after me early in the day as well. At one point, Nancy had suggested that I just spend the night instead but being a little scared of being practically all alone there and likely sleeping in the Burrows room, I shook my head about as hard as I could seconds after she suggested it. Back to this morning, seconds after I had called out, I heard the thumping of steps pounding outside and then saw my semi-cracked door burst open. “Emma! What is it, honey? Are you okay? Is someone trying to hurt you?” I shook my head and I wanted to explain what was going on at the unearthly hour, but I guess my body thought it could explain it better than I could. So, in seconds, what I thought was just a little burp maybe, turned into a scene from a horror movie as I helplessly puked right there on the bed. “Sick, Nancy…” I feebly said. Nancy’s eyes bugged out and she immediately rushed to me, her pajamas flapping loosely around her as she did. Then, using the near precise movements of some type of trained acrobat, she twisted around the muck I had just spewed and went to hug me. “Oh, you poor thing! This is just no good at all. You must feel awful, sweetie.” In that awful feeling state, I could only nod and take comfort in her embrace. It was kind of a weird thing happening lately honestly. Nancy and I had become closer, like friends would naturally do, but there had been a few times where I had almost scared myself with just how much I was relying on her for a few daily tasks now. For instance, ever since that first night of diapers, I had worn one each night afterward. I wanted to protest, but every next morning as well, I woke up wet. This morning was no exception. Nancy began fishing around my covers and started to unpeel the soiled sheets in front of me. After a moment though, her hand snaked between my legs. I almost asked what she was doing, but when she just prodded around the front of my diaper, from the past few days of this, I knew she was just checking me. “Wet again. I guess I’ve got a few messes to take care of this morning, huh?” I only nodded and just let Nancy go about her now almost routine morning business. My pajamas and sheets covered in my puke were different, but the rest seemed very much the same, including her helping me with my morning bath. Now, before I wore a diaper to bed each night, Nancy had given me some privacy, but she had been more insistent lately that to prevent infections and the like, she would help me with some of my harder to reach areas at first, but it didn’t take long until she just did the whole thing. Not wanting an infection or to smell like pee going to daycare, I had just accepted the help and now almost saw bathtime like a personal spa day. Today, feeling sick, I only luxuriated in her tender touches even more. So, after a warm bath where she left me to just soak for a moment, I felt a little better, but I was still nauseous, feverish, and just achy all around. Nancy saw and plucked me out before helping me back to my room. “Okay, sweetie. Now, normally, if you were sick, I would just let you stay in your pajamas, but we don’t have long even before I have to drop you off at daycare.” I nodded and saw the very beginnings of the early morning light begin to creep in through my bedroom window. Nancy seemed to hesitate and if I had been more conscious at that moment, I probably would have asked more questions. Instead, she then sighed and looked back at me. “Emma… it’s just for today, and I would keep you here at home if I could, but going to the daycare while you’re sick… they have a certain policy…” Even in my sickened state, my mind whirled with the possibilities of what that could mean, but my eyes only looked on in horror as Nancy produced an object that I had become distressingly all too familiar with at night. “No, Nancy! No diapuh. Please!” “Shhh, shhh,” she said, trying to calm me as she stroked my back. It helped a little, but the diaper today just felt like too much with everything else going on. ‘What would my friends at daycare even think? Would I even still be allowed to stay in the Canopy room after?’ As my head felt like it was about to burst, Nancy just calmly went about her tasks and in my weakened state, I just let it happen. In minutes, like before bed, I was thickly diapered once more. As she then began to dress me in a cutesy weather-themed shirt, skirtalls, and some white tights, she kept trying to soothe my jangled nerves. “It’s okay, honey. The staff has promised that sick Littles who are potty trained can still use the toilet if they feel the need. The diaper is there just as a precaution… nothing more. I promise. It will all be okay.” I sniffled and while a part of me definitely wanted to believe her, being a Little here and seeing all the consequences of being one in this society, I wasn’t sure if I could trust the daycare to keep that type of promise. Still, I didn’t have much else to go off or even a choice really in the matter, so I just let my hair be braided into two side pigtails and then be led out of the house as soon as my shoes were strapped on. Moments later, I was buckled into my newly acquired and more secure car seat, and Nancy drove me to daycare. I protested for a moment, but a quick video shown by Nancy over the potential fatality to me if we were ever in an accident without one, quickly persuaded me otherwise. As soon as we parked, Miss Mindy was already waiting for us at the front door with a blanket no less. Nancy then quickly handed off my bag and gave me a reassuring but quick hug. “I promise, Emma. Everything will be okay. Just go with Miss Mindy here and she’ll help you out, okay?” I felt like I was going to puke again and the roller coaster that was my emotions this morning and even lately prevented me from doing anything more than just nodding back to acknowledge what she said. As Nancy stood back up, Miss Mindy offered her own hand to me. “Come with me, honey. Let’s get you all settled…” I took her hand without incident as Nancy waved goodbye herself and then peeled out of the parking lot. Once her car had disappeared, Miss Mindy looked down at me and I think for the first time, I think I saw her flash sympathy my way instead of annoyance. “I heard you weren’t feeling well today, so I’m going to just be helping you out a little extra, okay?” Again, in my current state, I really could only nod. Then, out of nowhere, Miss Mindy scooped me up in the blanket and carried me back inside. I was so shocked, and her arms felt so comfortable and safe, I didn’t protest in the slightest. To my despair, we then entered the Meadows room where I saw a single cot on the floor. “This is just temporary sweetie. Nothing permanent, but it’s closer to the Burrows room where I need to keep a pretty regular watch. I want you to go back to sleep for a little bit, but don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything… including a change.” I blushed heavily over her knowledge of my current padded state, but just allowed myself to be placed down on the cot. It was a little firm, but the bedding was very soft, and my eyes soon drifted closed. “Sleep tight, Emma…” With that, the door soon closed, and everything faded to black. Sometime later, I was reawakened by Miss Mindy rubbing me gently. “Morning, Emma. Come on honey. We’ve got things to do.” I began to stir awake, and Miss Mindy smiled back at me. “Sleep well?” In my still tired and sick state, I nodded. “Yeah… but I still feel weally bad.” Miss Mindy simply stroked my hair and then helped me get up. “Hmmm… I was afraid you might say that. Everyone else is just about to join us for the day, so let’s get you some breakfast. And if you had a little accident, I’ll just check you after, okay?” I blushed over the insinuation, but just allowed myself to be carried off and even be placed in a highchair. Not feeling the best, I just allowed yet another babyish event to happen to me. Feeling how I was, I wasn’t exactly sure if I could protest or not… at least until Miss Mindy returned with the nastiest green paste that I think I had ever seen in my life. “Wha is dat?” I asked, tired but now alert as to what had just been placed in front of me. “It’s a special mixture. A bunch of stuff really, but lots of peas and some ingredients that will make you feel just right as rain.” She then spooned a giant glob of the paste into a spoon and held it near my mouth. “Now, just open wide.” Seeing as it had the potential to make me feel better and knowing the far exceeding medical advancements of this society beyond Earth, I didn’t see it as a trick and opened my mouth. The goop entered and landed on my tongue. I nearly vomited right there. Now, before I’m written off as just some picky Little who wouldn’t eat their greens, I was very much the opposite back home. While a few foods could trigger my gag reflex, I was at least adventurous and tried most things at least once. With the increase of global trade in the past few decades, this meant that I had consumed most of the edible items that had ever crawled, slithered, or oozed at one time or another. This greenish blackish paste though, was something else entirely. Besides the revolting, almost pestilential smell wafting up toward me, the flavor was near indescribable. While I could detect a hint of peas in the gunk, it tasted like the smells one would get from dirty socks, pond water, three-day old trash, and maybe just plain mud that surrounded an outhouse. It was horrible, so I felt pretty justified in holding up my hand to stop Miss Mindy’s next spoonful. “Please… I’ll eat anythin’ else… just not that… please…” Miss Mindy stared back at me, unblinking for a moment, but then shoveled another spoonful right toward my mouth as if I hadn’t said a single word of protest. Unfortunately, she didn’t seem to take ‘no’ for an answer afterward either and the lower half of my face ended up smeared all over from the accidental spillage from my refusal. She tried yet again, but the results were only about the same. Miss Mindy sighed in annoyance; her previous cheery morning smile now vanished. Sadly, for me, she was notorious for her short temper with uncooperating Littles. “I’ll give you one more chance. Three strikes and that’s it… kind of like in your baseball games I believe? I think that’s more than fair in this case as well.” Normally, I would agree with her, but this watery paste was a different matter. So, for the third time, she scooped up the goop and held it to my lips. Not wanting to puke, I kept them sealed. She retreated and I waited for my ensuing punishment for my ‘bad’ behavior. Instead, beyond just smearing it on my lips again, I could see that Miss Mindy’s patience had run out, but she only placed the spoon back down on the tray in front of me. Further and to my surprise, she then just started tickling me. In seconds, I almost even felt better from the giggles that poured out of my mouth, but my it turned out my initial instincts were correct. I was totally vulnerable right then and I soon found out that it was all just a trap. “Got you!” Miss Mindy yelled out as she grabbed my right wrist and shoved it in a hidden cuff attached to the underside of the highchair tray. Before I could even let out a shriek of surprise, she already had my other hand attached as well. “Wha’ was dat fo’?” I asked, now trying to get myself out of the cuffs. “I just want you to eat your breakfast and feel all better, Emma.” She then offered the spoonful of gunk to me once more. “Now, please open up. For me? Please?” Despite being trapped, it had not affected my stance of the muck or my tastebuds, so despite knowing what would likely follow, I still shook my head. “No. I won’ eat it. You can’t make me!” A sly, cold yet playful smirk appeared on Miss Mindy’s face. “Wanna bet?” Her words and face froze my blood in an instant. Betting with Bigs always meant a trap, and I should have known better than to tempt fate. I had no idea what she planned, but I watched in horror as she then reached into her pocket and took out a small black device. “Wha’s dat?” I asked, my eyes growing wide at the sight of the unknown object cradled so delicately in her fingers now. She paused at her near marvel at the object and turned her attention back to me. “Do you still refuse to eat your breakfast?” Still fearful of the remote and her plans with it, but also still not wanting to eat the gunk, I shook my head. “Shame…” Without another word, she clicked the device. At first nothing happened, but then like a train out of nowhere, it hit me with its full force. Electric shots rippled throughout my body that I soon realized were coming from the cuffs. It wasn’t enough to be painful per say, but it almost felt like one of those prank balm electric buzzers… but running throughout all my body. Partially in shock and partially in just sheer discomfort, I let out a little squeal. Miss Mindy got closer to my face and held the remote up as she stopped it and let me rest for a moment. “How about now, Emma? Still feel like telling me ‘no’ over such a simple thing this morning?” I was afraid of the device she still held and that she would use it again, but I had just enough fight left in me to shake my head. I couldn’t give in and eat more. “I won’ eat anothuh bite! You can’t make me!” Miss Mindy sighed. “I guess we need to do this the other way then…” In moments, with me still helplessly trapped, she produced a pink and purple bib and attached it around my neck. “If you’re going to behave like a Little, sick or not, I’ll just have to treat you like one.” And so, she did. She tried spoonful after spoonful, but each just smeared along my face and dropped right into the pocket of the bib. At one point, she even tried the airplane method and tickling the soles of my feet, but I still wouldn’t give in. “Emma… please just cooperate,” Miss Mindy finally said again, this time almost seeming desperate in her pleas to me, as if she was almost trying to save me. By now, I felt it was a matter of principle and for my own safety to keep telling her ‘no.’ That mush felt like a trap if I had ever seen one, so my defiance remained just as strong as ever. “I won’t eat anothuh bite! You can’t make me!” I repeated, even scowling my face back at her this time. “Oh?” Miss Mindy asked a little sarcastically, her demeanor changing once again after hearing my continued defiance. She gave out chances and felt guilty about what she was doing, but once I kept refusing her, it essentially gave her permission, nearly guilt-free, to take all this to the next level. “Does the big girl think I can’t get her to eat her yummy num-nums? I guess a certain little miss is a bit too under the weather and doesn’t remember this little device, huh?” She then quickly popped up the small remote control again from where she had briefly store it before. “No…” I think my eyes must have bugged out of my skull right then. The previous shock wasn’t painful or anything, but it also felt highly motivating. I was so confused at why she was forcing me to eat all this to the point of shocking me, but in the end, I supposed that I was still just a Little around here. A Little just did not say ‘no’ lightly to a Big. I could see the determination in Miss Mindy’s eyes to push that horrible button again, but I wanted to try one more time to get out of this whole mess. “Please, Miss Mindy. Please. I… I didn’t mean it… I… I’ll be g…good for you…” Miss Mindy only stared back at me and sighed as she moved the remote up closer to my face to ensure I knew what was about to happen. “I’m sorry, honey, but rules are rules. You’ve been very naughty refusing to eat and making a mess this whole morning, and there are consequences for not eating your breakfast when you’re told to, little girl.” Almost with a resigned contempt for her job, she then clicked the button in the center of the device she was holding. This time, another huge jolt shot into my body. I went rigid for a moment, and I gritted my teeth to keep from crying out. I was diapered, covered in mush, wearing a bib in a highchair, but I wanted to at least control one part of my being right then. Not being able to control much else, I chose to control what came out of my mouth, obscenity or other. My body on the other hand… it had no such feelings, and if wasn’t for my two arms being strapped firmly to the tray, I’m pretty sure I would have shot right out of the chair from my response to being shocked. I could feel my muscles strain under the sheer load that was being amped into them. I just hoped for release… I couldn’t take another moment, and from Miss Mindy’s resigned expression, she could see it as well in my face. She knew that she had made her point to me and was the winner this morning. And like that, Miss Mindy clicked the button once more and my form slackened. I was in a pained daze as she even went so far as to release me, so I finally let out a little whimper. My mind was all a jumble and I swear I even saw that tattered old stuffed dog walking outside for a moment, but I just waved the thought out of my head. I had enough problems without thinking that I was losing it in here, despite the fact that I oddly wanted nothing more right then than to just give him a big hug. Still, I knew I had to refocus, so I looked up at Miss Mindy after a moment, utterly defeated by her use of force on me. No spanking this round, but the harmless but painful shocks had done their work just as well. “Please… please, no mo’. I’ll be a good giwl… I’ll be a good Liddle. Jus’ please… no mo’…” Miss Mindy sighed and placed her tiny remote back in her pocket. “I’m sorry, Emma. I really didn’t want to do that, but you have to eat this stuff and learn your place here.” She spooned another helping of the green muck and held it near my lips. “Please. Just eat it. I don’t want to have to punish you again. Just be the good girl I know you already are…” I meekly nodded and slowly opened my mouth. Miss Mindy took no time shoveling the hunk of goop right onto my tongue. I nearly puked right there yet again, but I didn’t want to take my chances and kept swallowing about as much and as fast as I could. Not long and 19 spoonful’s later, I was done, and Miss Mindy just wiped my face off and carried me over into the Canopy room to my relief. Miss Valerie was already there, and she immediately got me settled underneath the treehouse to the rear of the room. I used to go there to be alone when I read, but for today, it was just my sanctuary as I recuperated from being sick and my ordeal this morning. Feeling defeated, bloated, and still sick, I just laid there in resignation. Soon though, the rest of the Littles entered and both Mrs. Carter and Miss Valerie shooed everybody away from me ‘until the proper time.’ I wasn’t sure what that meant, but about an hour in, Miss Valerie came up to me and guided me once more into the backroom. Thinking I was going to get a spanking from my naughty behavior, I began to shake and even whimper a tiny bit. Miss Valerie stopped and crouched down to my level. “What’s wrong honey? Are you going to puke again? Are you hurting still?” I shook my head tearfully. “I jus’ don’ wanna get spanked, Miss Valewee! I know I didn’t eat like a I was s’posed to dis mownin’, but Imma good girl. Weally! I pwomise now!” Miss Valerie seemed perplexed for a moment, but as if a light bulb suddenly went off in her head, she smiled and shook her head. “No, sweetie. You are a very good girl and I know this morning was just a difficult moment. We all have those, but no. Now, I’m just taking you to see the nurse. You’ve got an icky nasty bug in you. She’s going to help you get it out. Don’t you want to feel better?” It felt like the most stupid question in the world, but wanting to respond before Miss Valerie thought I was being rude to her, I quickly nodded my head. It only got a smile from her and an outstretched hand once she stood back up. “Come on, Emma. Just follow me.” I nodded again and took her hand. I just hoped the nurse here would be nice to me. Strangest thing though, as soon as we entered the clinic in the backroom, I could’ve sworn I had been there before. The walls, the posters, and even the doctor in her thick glasses all looked familiar, but I had never been in here before… right? Regardless of my own odd semi recollections, Miss Valerie then led me to a very soft reclining chair and propped me on top. “Now, Emma. This is Nurse Bee. She’s going to give you a shot, and it might sting a bit, but I’ll be right here for you. You can even hold my hand if you want.” Needing no other prompting, my hand immediately shot to hers. The two chuckled at the sight and Nurse Bee then walked over with a tray and a very large and scary looking needle on top of it. “Miss Valewee!” I cried out, clutching her hand tighter. “It’s okay, honey,” Miss Valerie tried to calm me. “It’s just a little shot. A tiny booboo and then it’s all over with, okay? You’ll feel much better after. Promise…” I did not believe that type of lie that it was just a ‘tiny booboo,’ coming from a Big or not, but I just nodded and stared back at Nurse Bee and the gigantic shot she was approached with. It glistened under the stark lighting in the room, and posters of ‘hang in there’ and ‘feel better soon,’ did little to comfort me. I squirmed a bit, but I could quickly feel the enrapturing arms of Miss Valerie keep me still. Nurse Bee grinned down at me and set the tray down before picking up the shot. “Now, no wiggles, you hear Emma?” I did, but that shot scared me more than just her words. Regardless, Nurse Bee approached and then held my arm in an even tighter vice grip and plunged the needle down into my soft upper arm. I screamed in pain as the needle entered. Tears soon followed. Oddly though, right as I thought I couldn’t take it anymore and hated the whole world right then, I just felt like hot chocolate had been pumped into my arm and an odd calming type feeling flowed throughout my body. Miss Valerie and Nurse Bee smiled at each other afterward. “Perfect. It’s already taking effect.” Miss Valerie let go of me and pulled me in tight. “It’s okay, sweetie. Soon, you’ll feel just as right as rain. I bet…” But that was the last I heard. Darkness quickly overtook me. When I groggily opened my eyes again, I felt different. Still a little foggy, but my fever and my nausea had vanished like some cool magic trick. I rubbed my arm and spotted an Adventure Sam band-aid where the needle had gone in. It was still sore, but the lack of achiness in the rest of my body almost made up for it. “She’s up! She’s up!” Anna soon cried out as she bounded over to me, now just realizing I had been asleep underneath the treehouse after getting my shot. “Anna… how long was I out?” I asked, still rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. “Uh…” Anna then stared over at the clock, but I realized to her, a borderline case for the Meadows room by now, reading the clock might as well have been me asking her to quote poetry in the strange Agnustralete language. “A secon’ maybe?” she clearly guessed. Miss Valerie was nearby and chuckled a little before ruffling Anna’s hair a bit. “Good try, Anna, but it’s more like just under two hours, Emma.” I stared at both in shock, and I worried if anything had been done to me. I still managed to avoid getting tricked around here ‘Right?’, and other than some fogginess in my brain and some of my abilities, I was still relatively unscathed. I didn’t want to break that record now. I think Anna saw my distress though and leaned in and rubbed my shoulder. “Iss okay, Emma… I looked ou’ fo’ you mos’ of da time, but comm’on! It’s weecess alweady now!” In a second, my dour demeanor lit up like a Christmas tree, and needing no other prompting, I ran outside with Anna to join the others already filing out. It was another beautiful day here and the clouds and birds all seemed to be out just for us Littles. Feeling the effects of near post-sickness happiness, my energy levels beckoned to be tested. With Anna by my side, we ran around and made full use of the nice day. Half the time we were just telling each other stories about something funny on TV or that we saw outside of daycare, but the other times were just filled with make-believe. It was a little childish, but I didn’t care. I just wanted more of this wonderful feeling that was now surging through my body at breakneck speeds. In fact, I was so preoccupied by our fun together that I kinda ignored two things. The first was another girl Little who kept staring at us from the corner of the playground. She seemed lonely and as if she wanted to join in with us. It was almost a little unsettling for a moment as she stared at me in particular, but the way she would avert her stares every time I looked back over directly, told me she was probably just shy. Secondly and more unfortunately, I ignored the full feeling I had in my lower gut. According to Anna, I had essentially skipped lunchtime, so I just chalked up the feeling to having maybe skipped a meal. I was wrong. Anna and I were climbing up to the top of the playground, or at least the second tallest tower, with the first being just a little too scary today for whatever reason. My diaper had been bunching up for a while now and the hot day and the sweat I could feel accumulating there was making it even more awkward. Still, I wanted to have fun, so I just ignored it as I stepped onto the rope ladder up to the top. I then looked up to Anna, who I was grateful hadn’t noticed or at least still hadn’t teased me about my diapers. “Hey Anna! You gonna watch Pwincess Poppy tonight?” She stopped for a moment on the rope ladder and looked back down at me. “Oh yeah! Fwankie said ih migh be a wepeat fwom a wong time ago, buh I never saw when dey wen’ to da bubbauhgum caves. Have you?” I shook my head. “No. I don’t think I…” Anna then looked at me curiously. “Emma. You ‘kay?” I nodded my head and strained a bit. “Yeah. Just a widdle… hawd getting’ to the top!” I grunted a little more as I lifted my leg to the next wrung up. “You sure ‘bout dat?” she questioned skeptically. “You almos’ wook wike… wike…” She then lowered her voice. “Wike you goin’ poopy.” I was about to shake my head my head about as fast as I could over such a ridiculous suggestion, but to my horror, a loud fart sounded from my backside. “I… no!” I farted again, and now that I was noticing, I could feel a lump start to push out of me. I tried to clench, to hold off, to will it back in, but it was all no use. “Look!” another one of the newer Littles shouted. “Emma’s pooping everybody!” I froze in horror and just wanted to bury myself in the ground as quickly as I could, but for now, like a bug caught in a web, I could only just freeze there in horror. “Pottypants! Pottypants!” “Stinky girl!” “What a baby!” and so many other insults being lobbed toward me began to ring out over the playground. In my defense, I wouldn’t have been the only one going potty in my diaper, but all of them were taking naps. As if my day couldn’t get any worse, that sudden realization hit me like a ton of lead. ‘There are other diaper wearers, but they’re all taking naps now because they’re in the younger classrooms… Does that mean I’m…?’ I didn’t have the willpower today to finish that thought. Fortunately, Miss Valerie was outside today, and I guess was on the watch for these sorts of things. As she came to collect me and then guided me back inside shamefully by the hand, I just ducked my head away from all the jeering going on. “It’s okay, Emma,” Miss Valerie soothed me once back inside and headed outside of the classroom, much to my confusion. “These things happen…” “But not to me!” I wailed, feeling the paste-like bulge in the backside of my diaper… one that I felt confident that I was too mature to wear this morning. My confidence over that notion now felt like it was eroding faster than a beach at high tide. Miss Valerie sighed and stooped down to my level while taking both of my hands in hers. “Sweetie… Miss Mindy told everyone on the staff here what she fed you this morning. That stuff… there’s a reason why we ask all sick Littles who get it are put into diapers. It hurts your ability to know when you have to potty, sweetie.” Finally, I felt like I heard some good news, and even through my tears and sniffles, I looked up at Miss Valerie with hope. “So, I’m notta baby?” Miss Valerie chuckled for half a second and waved her hand about a little. “Well… you’re a big girl compared to most here, but for the Canopy room…” she then shook her head and rubbed my shoulder. “I wouldn’t think about any of that, Emma. For now, let’s just get you changed, okay?” Not wanting to sit in my full diaper for long, I eagerly nodded, and smiling, Miss Valerie knocked on the door I had just noticed that we were nearby. It soon opened and Miss Tully stuck her head outside. “Hey Val. Hey Emma. Are you here…?” Her nostrils then flared, and her eyes darted right towards me and my bulging midsection. “Uh oh. Did… the thing happen to our guest here, Val?” I could see Miss Valerie nodding from the corner of my eyes. “It did. Emma here is feeling right as rain now but had a bit of an accident. She’s a little sad about it though, so treat her gentle, okay?” I hated being talked around like that, but I also remembered my seemingly unstable emotions lately. I felt like I would cry at the drop of the hat, so a little part of me appreciated the potential for a little bit of ‘gentleness.’ Miss Tully then looked down at me and smiled as she held out her hand. “Come on, Emma. I bet that doesn’t feel too good, huh?” I sorrowfully shook my head. “Then let’s get you changed proto, sweetie.” I only nodded my head at her wonderful notion and waved goodbye to Miss Valerie. Inside, I then marveled at the forested side of the Meadows room split evenly with the more traditional meadowed area and farm. Many of the Littles were all napping and my nose was immediately assaulted with a mix of baby powder, used diapers, and disinfectant. It was odd, yet also strangely homey in here, but Miss Tully just weaved me around all the laid-out cots and right over to the changing table. I remembered seeing it the time I had been in here before I got my last spanking, but today, it was taking on a whole new meaning. Then and now, it represented a horrible milestone in my new life, but I couldn’t help but feel a little relief now as well. My diaper swayed heavily, and I definitely did not want to sit down at all, so getting a change, despite the implications in here, felt like a welcome relief. “Up you go, Emma,” Miss Tully said as she reached down and picked me up. I knew what was coming next and I shut my eyes as tight as they would go as she then deposited me onto the surface of the changing table, smooshing the mess I had accidentally left back there. It was horrible. “Shhh, shhh. Easy there, Emma,” Miss Tully then tried to soothe me herself. “Just lie back and I’ll have you clean in a jiffy. Just behave for me, okay?” I nodded. “Jus’ pwease huwwy…” I shakily said up to her. “Dis is awful…” Miss Tully sympathetically nodded and eased me back onto the changing pad before even buckling and tightening a strap over my stomach. “Okay, Emma. Deep breaths and all this will be over before you know it.” I nodded again and Miss Tully proceeded to quickly remove my shoes and then pull down my tights. The smell just kept getting worse the more she removed from my lower half, and when I heard the scritches from undoing the tapes of my soiled diaper, I wasn’t prepared for the stench that then assaulted my nose. It wasn’t as bad as I had imagined, and I even got used to it after a moment surprisingly, but it was still terrible, both in it’s smell and in the knowledge that it had come from me. Several wipes later though, Miss Tully smiled back at me. “There. All clean. Let’s just get you wrapped up again and you’ll be off playing before you know it.” I yawned and nodded back at her. She looked at me a little oddly after that, but she just continued to go about her duty in the daycare. Minutes later, wiped and powdered, I was securely wrapped back up in my fresh diaper. The experience was horrible, but oddly comforting by the end. Despite the muck that had accumulated in my diaper, from Miss Tully’s excellent job, I now smelled and felt ten times better than before. My smile soon disappeared though as I saw Miss Tully wrap up my diaper and throw it in a pail nearby. The padding was mostly definitely used, and a small smell seemed to waft from the toxic waste dump that was once wrapped around me. The concerning part though, was that the center line on the diaper had turned blue and there was a distinct yellowish color to the padding. I had messed myself and that was horrible, but what was worse, I really couldn’t remember wetting it either. With that terrible thought in my mind and a goodbye hug from Miss Tully, she helped me back to the Canopy room. Though I was relieved to join my fellow Littles back in here. The wet diaper and the stares were hurting my already fragile ego, so by the time I sat back under the treehouse and wrapped myself in a comforting blanket, I was about ready to cry. That’s when Anna found me. “Oh no, You ‘kay Emma?” she asked, peering in and then joining me. I shook my head. “I jus’ got changed in the other room after messin’ myself in front of evewyone hewe! I feel wike such a baby!” “Please don’ say dat, Miss Emily…” I heard a familiar voice say to me. I looked up, and there was Lilly, the Little that had held me back from Kathy back at Mrs. Tatum’s foster home. “Lilly? Is dat you?” I asked, fully knowing the answer already, but just not believing my eyes. Despite all that experience being less than two months ago, it almost seemed fuzzy now… ‘Must still just be that gunk I ate this morning…’ She nodded. “Yes, Miss Emi… Emma. It’s okay, though. You were sick today. Anna an’ I have been havin’ potty problems already today… right Anna?” We both looked back at Anna, and she sorrowfully nodded her head. “Anna?” I could tell something was bothering my friend. Lilly was right and my problems suddenly felt so much less. It was a bad day, but all this would pass. For Anna though, something was happening right then to her. “Wha’s wong? Tell us… Pwease?” Anna sighed and looked around for a moment before unbuttoning her pants and showing us the front of her pull-up… her very wet pull-up… “Oh Anna…” “When’d that happen?” Lilly questioned. “We met while Emma was asleep earlier an’ we both had an acciden’… You already had anothuh?” Anna nodded. “Ih jus’ happen’d… I don’ know. Should I tell Miss Vee?” Lilly and I both looked at each other, not really sure what to tell her. Being a Little was a tricky business in this society, and so many things could just be triggered so easily. See, if Nancy said she was wet here, she could be deemed too immature to stay in the Canopy room and be demoted down to the Meadows room and then back diapers. If she waited until her caregiver got here and announced it then however, she could potentially leak or just end up in diapers at home and wind up back in them here. Same outcome, but just two different ways to potentially get there at this point. “I’d tell…” Lilly pronounced finally. “But I could see it either way…” I nodded. “Same, but I think you should wait. If you wait, your caregiver could be nice to you about it. Here…” I thought back to Nurse Bee and some of the odd things I had noticed since I had come here, “maybe not so much…” Lilly nodded. “Good point. I agree wiff Emma now. You should probably just wait, Anna… I mean, if you have to potty, I’d tell, but I’d jus’ wait otherwise…” We all agreed and were soon cracking jokes about the state of our lives. It was nice to catch up with Lilly again and she was just happy that I was safe and still mentally intact. Apparently, a few of the other Littles back from Mrs. Tatum’s weren’t so lucky. Still, it was a nice end to a trying day. I knew that Nancy would soon pick me up and I could go back to pull-ups during the day… or at least that’s what I thought at first. Unfortunately, right as we were all laughing, I felt a tiny, but still present warmth in the bottom of my diaper. I tried to tell myself it was just nerves or something like that as a brief problem in holding it in, but after I rocked forward and felt a small squish, I knew the truth. So, like Anna, my fate at the daycare now also seemed to be in question. I just hoped it was the gunk that I had been fed this morning, but seeing everything in my life lately and Miss Valerie’s hesitation over when I asked her if I was a baby, I just wasn’t sure anymore. It was the sadly typical uncertain life of a Little here, but like everything else, it was just something one had to accept here or else. After all, every Little knew here that it could always be worse.

Chapter 21: Beyond My Imagination I wasn't in a hurry as I biked back home from Emma's place after saying my goodbyes and setting up a tentative plan for me to come over tomorrow afternoon. My feet pedaled slowly as my bike meandered down the side of the road, but my mind was racing. I simply couldn't get the image of Hannah's pull-ups out of my mind. It was one thing to see pictures of the pull-ups on all the advertisements I had spotted in magazines and newspapers. It was something entirely else to see what they looked like in person. And the pictures had not done them justice. I had been unable to take my eyes off Hannah every time her skirt had lifted up to reveal what she had euphemistically referred to as her absorbent underwear. I simply had to have them. Yes, I had managed to wait about three years so far, but even waiting another three days now felt nearly impossible. When I'd followed Emma up the driveway to her house, passing the spot where Hannah had seemed to have stopped and peed herself, the black pavement had been completely dry. I'd seen Hannah drink enough water that she must have had a sizeable accident, but the pull-up seemed to have been more than absorbent enough to handle it. While the size ranges listed in the ads for the pull-ups had suggested that I wouldn't have any issue fitting into them, there was now zero doubt that the pull-ups would work for me. I estimated that Hannah's pant sizes were one or two larger than mine. Any fears about having grown too big to wear the pull-ups were now fully assuaged. I was going to see Hannah one more time tomorrow, and then, who knew if our paths would ever cross again? If I had met her in any other way, if Hannah hadn't been my best friend's cousin, perhaps I could have discussed bedwetting with her, even in spite of the discomfort I felt around her weird behaviors. But that topic had to be off-limits with her. I didn't have any faith that Hannah would be able to keep that secret from Emma. Perhaps, like that time with my cousins all those years ago, I could corner Hannah for a bit while she was alone and see if I couldn't manage to dredge out some more details about her bedwetting, daytime accidents, and pull-ups. For the briefest of moments, I actually toyed again with the idea of wetting my pants during the day in front of my parents. There was no way that couldn't result in being required to wear pull-ups during the day like her. But I realized now that hiding that I was wearing pull-ups in the day would be incredibly difficult. Even if I avoided shorts, skirts, or other things that might make the pull-up become visible, the crinkling sound alone could be a dead giveaway to someone familiar with that sound. Time was running out quickly. I would need to get the pull-ups soon enough before my birthday so that I could prove to my parents that they worked. I needed them to allow me to have the sleepover, and I couldn't quit bedwetting now, not after all the progress that I had made. But with Mom's comments the other night about how she wasn't ever going to force me to wear diapers, I had no choice but to take the initiative if I was to ever get those pull-ups. As the bike ride home continued, I silently mouthed my way through a half-dozen different scenarios before I turned to pull into the driveway, desperately searching for the magic phrase that, if used on my parents, would convince them to purchase pull-ups for me without any hesitation. But none of my arguments felt quite right. I had to find good excuses for the questions I was asking. It couldn't be that I was asking for pull-ups out of the blue. I had to have an explanation for what inspired the request. The only thing I'd settled on so far was that the movie we had watched the other night would be the ideal way to open up the discussion; I could act as though that had given me the idea that this was even something that could be done to handle bedwetting. But how to get from that to the specific bedwetting pull-ups that I wanted to wear? I suddenly had an idea. Once I was back in the driveway, I tapped in the five-digit code to open the garage door so I could put my bike away. When I entered the couch from the garage, which led right into the kitchen, I ran across Mom prepping something for dinner. She was hunched over a cutting board in the corner of the room. "Mom," I asked, "I didn't have a chance to finish that newest Reader's Digest? Where did you put it?" She answered without looking up from her work, though she did stop chopping with her knife. "It's in the basket next to the couch." I retrieved my prize and retreated to my bedroom. With the door closed behind me, I flipped rapidly through the tiny magazine until, at last, I came across the advertisement I had seen earlier in the week. My parents knew that these pull-ups were an option. But they were so adamantly against them that they had even gone to the length of reassuring me that they wouldn't make me wear them. Was it simply that they thought I didn't want to wear them? Had my sister perhaps reacted negatively to the suggestion of wearing pull-ups a long time ago? If that was the explanation, perhaps all I had to do was indicate to my parents that I would be OK with trying out the pull-ups. But even then, I had to go about it in the right way. I couldn't have my parents thinking that I wanted to wear those pull-ups, but perhaps I could frame it as wanting to go on a sleepover so badly that I'd be willing to try anything to make it happen, even something I wasn't keen on, such as pull-ups. That could do. That could be a successful angle of attack. I would use the movie we had watched the other night as an opening to bring up the topic of diapers, then I would conveniently mention the ad I had seen in the magazine. I'd have to make sure I didn't sound thrilled about the idea, but if I could come across as desperately willing to try anything so that I could have the sleepover, that surely had to be enough to win my parents over. But first, I needed to wait until the pills had run their course. Two more nights of wetting the bed should do the trick for that. Then, once the doctor's appointment was over, I would make my move. Perhaps, if I was lucky enough, the doctor would bring up the idea of pull-ups unprompted. I breathed a sigh of relief and flopped backward onto the bed, stretching out on my back. I didn't mind the crinkling sound that the new mattress made. It reminded me in a way of how the pull-ups had sounded when I had been wearing them three years ago and of the sounds I had heard all yesterday afternoon when Hannah had been walking or running next to me. Everything would be simple once my parents were buying pull-ups for me. Continuing the ruse of bedwetting would be as easy as peeing in a pull-up most nights, rather than the charade of going down to the basement after midnight to toss in my bedding. And there would be no need to fake that I was having headaches from the anti-bedwetting pills in the morning. For times when I was away from home – whether for sleepovers or for the soccer camp I'd have later in the summer — I could leave whatever pull-ups were packed with me safe in the bottom of my suitcase, letting my parents think that the bedwetting issue was resolved without actually needing to risk having anyone discover my secret. And I wouldn't have to wet the bed every night. I could allow for a few nights a week when I would remain dry, but then I could save those unused pull-ups to be used during the day to continue the experiments I wanted to conduct with wetting my pants while I was awake. And I'd have the house all to myself to do that. <><><> My nighttime routine followed the same pattern as the past couple of days. My water intake was heavily monitored. I wasn't given quite as much to drink after dinner and only was allowed a small amount to sip on afterward. I made up for it by drinking from my tap-water filled bottle in my bedroom. And I was again given the anti-bedwetting pills. Mom stayed in the room, watching as I placed them in my mouth and washed them down with a small glass of water. I had considered the idea of faking that I had taken the pills and just flushing them down the toilet, but that wasn't possible with how she had stuck around to make sure I had actually taken my medication. If I could have avoided taking the pills, that would have allowed me to wet the bed normally. Mom again reminded me that I was to not drink anything more than the tiniest sip of water now that I had taken the pills. The sternness of the warning was such that there wasn't any scenario where I was going to disobey her. And then there was the reminder to use the toilet before bed. With Mom and Grace around when that reminder was given, there was no way to fake using the toilet, either. All of that meant that there wasn't any way I was going to be able to actually pee in the bed tonight. That was a supreme disappointment. It felt like forever since the last time I had actually peed myself, though in reality, only a little more than a day had passed since I had intentionally wet my pants while in the laundry room on Friday afternoon. I weighed my options: toss everything in the washing machine tonight or wet the bed when I woke up in the morning. As much as I didn't want to deal with having to take my wet bedding down to the basement in the morning, the urge to sleep was irresistible. <><><> The prediction of Sunday being a rainy day turned out to be correct. As Grace was out with her friends, Mom drove me over to Emma's place. I had woken up to an actual headache this morning, and for once I didn't have to fake how miserable I was feeling until the Tylenol kicked in. I didn't have any issues with getting myself to pee when I woke up, and I found myself once again lying in a puddle of urine in my bed for about twenty minutes until I decided that it was time to head downstairs. I nearly managed to take my bedding to the laundry room without running into anyone, only to have Grace unexpectedly pop out around the corner after I had gone down the stairs to the basement. I had attempted to at least wrap up my sheets so that the wet spots weren't visible on the outside, but in my surprise at coming across my older sister in the basement, I dropped everything I was holding, and the sheets unraveled to reveal the spots where they had gotten soaked with urine. That had led to an awkward moment as I scrambled to pick up the evidence of my wet bed while Grace awkwardly excused herself to head past me and go upstairs. "How are you holding up?" Mom asked, once I had gotten into the car. She was all buckled with the key in the ignition, but she hadn't taken the car out of park yet. "Fine." "How's your head doing?" "Better." Mom sighed. "We've got your doctor's appointment setup first thing Monday morning. I'm sure they will be able to figure out what might be causing the bedwetting you've been dealing with." "It better be something that doesn't give me headaches in the morning." "Just one more night of the pills, and I won't make you take any more if they don't work, OK?" I nodded in response, and Mom finally shifted the minivan into reverse and backed out of the driveway. The drive over to Emma's place was quick, and nothing further was said about the bedwetting or the doctor's appointment. Mom pulled up as far as she could in my friend's driveway, so that I would have to be out in the rain for long. <><><> Hannah was wearing another Harry Potter-themed shirt this afternoon. It made me begin to wonder if she had anything else in her wardrobe. She was already holding open the front door for me as soon as I was getting out of the passenger side of the minivan. I managed to not get completely soaked during my short sprint up the front steps and into the house. I had wondered if it would be difficult for me to tell if Hannah was wearing a pull-up today since, from Emma's tale about how Hannah had peed on the couch, it seemed as though she didn't necessarily wear them all the time. But it became obvious right away that Hannah was wearing a pull-up. Her Harry Potter T-shirt barely made it down to her waist. She was fine if she was just standing still, but as soon as she reached up to hold the door open, the shirt lifted up to reveal about an inch of the pull-up sticking out above her loose-fitting shorts. "We're all set. Emma helped me get the movie set up on the TV," Hannah said as soon as the door shut behind me. "This is all your fault," Emma muttered to me after Hannah had raced off toward the family room where the TV was located without waiting for a response from me. "What is all my fault?" I asked as I slipped out of my shoes. "I'd finally managed to convince her that I wasn't interested in Harry Potter, and then you had to encourage her yesterday and she hasn't shut up about it since. She's already gotten through the first two movies this morning. All she's done today is sit in front of the TV." I followed Emma toward the family room. I said hello to Emma's mom on the way over. She was talking with two people who I assumed were Hannah's Mom and Dad. "Does Hannah have any siblings?" I asked Emma. "No. Thank goodness," Emma said. "I couldn't handle more than one of her." Hannah was sitting in the middle of the room in front of the couch when Emma and I walked in. Her eyes were already glued to the TV, where the movie adaptation of the third Harry Potter book was queued up to start. I figured this wouldn't be so bad. I didn't enjoy the movies as much as the books, but they were still a fun way to pass the time. And it would certainly beat the interrogation I had gotten from Hannah yesterday afternoon. But I wasn't even able to enjoy the movie. Hannah didn't seem to have the ability to stay quiet for long. She was constantly talking over the movie, either sharing trivia about it or commenting on how she didn't like some parts that weren't similar to the book. Emma was instead focused intently on her phone. I could see her scrolling through TikTok from the corner of my eye. She didn't even have her headphones in, either. Even though the volume was set low, I could also hear the annoying music from whatever she was watching. I found myself picking absentmindedly at my nails again. I was getting really annoyed. All I wanted to do was watch the movie in peace and quiet. I found my eyes drifting downward to where Hannah was sitting in front of me. Her shirt wasn't doing a good job of hiding the pull-up. Even though I had previously foresworn the idea of looking for her pull-ups at Emma's house, and even though I was on track to potentially have pull-ups of my own in a few days, I couldn't help but want to get my hands on some as soon as possible. Every warning I had given myself about it being too much of a risk was washed away by an intense, uncontrollable urge to find and put on one of Hannah's pull-ups. I wanted nothing more than to put one on, and I simply couldn't wait any longer. All I needed was to find the right excuse to have a chance to explore Emma's bedroom upstairs. If that is where Hannah was sleeping every night, there had to be pull-ups in her luggage there. We were forty-five minutes into the movie when it was interrupted by the now-familiar sound of Hannah's watch going off. "Pause it," Hannah yelled to her cousin as she went off toward the bathroom. I realized right then that this was my chance to do a little exploring. With the bathroom on the main floor occupied, I had an excuse to head upstairs to the other bathroom there. "I really need to go, too," I said as I stood up from the couch. "I'm going to run upstairs." Emma nodded silently, but didn't look away from her phone. The layout of Emma's house was exactly the same as mine, as if the company that had developed our neighborhood had simply hit copy and paste hundreds of times as the homes were built. But that also meant that I knew where everything was. I hadn't completely lied to Emma. I did need to pee slightly, but not nearly so badly as to need to rush all the way upstairs to do so. What I wanted to do was take a look in Hannah's suitcase, which I assumed would be in Emma's bedroom, where Hannah had been sleeping on the floor. But first, there was something I wanted to check in the upstairs bathroom. After arriving upstairs, I discreetly peeked into each of the bedrooms, confirming that I was completely alone. I set a timer on my phone to make sure I remembered to head back downstairs in a reasonable amount of time. I stepped into the bathroom and sat down on the toilet without lifting up the cover and cautiously opened up the lid to the trash can set next to it. At the top of the pile of garbage were a half-dozen wet wipes and one of the bedwetting pull-ups Hannah had been wearing the other day. The pull-up hadn't been rolled up particularly well. I could see inside it easily. The previously white padding had expanded and turned yellow. I wondered how frequently she was having accidents. But what caught my eye was what was beneath the pull-up. I shook the trashcan a little so that the pull-up moved away to the side. No way was I actually going to be reaching in to touch anything. Underneath the pull-up was a diaper, one different from anything I had seen before. One thing was immediately clear. This was not a baby diaper. That was obvious because it didn't have any of the colorful designs that had been on the diapers my younger brother had worn. There were no pictures of smiling animals or cartoon characters wearing their own diapers. Instead, the diaper was mostly white. The one similarity it shared with the baby diapers Jackson had worn was that there was a wetness indicator running down the middle, and if I was reading it correctly, the diaper had most certainly been wet before it had been discarded. But there were other signs as well. Unlike every diaper and pull-up I had seen before, the material of the diaper didn't appear soft. There was a silky-smooth plastic look to it. I wondered what it would feel like, but couldn't bring myself to touch it. The most obvious sign that this wasn't a baby diaper was how large it was. There was no way this would have fit on a baby – and there weren't any in this house. This had to be a diaper for someone my own age. For Hannah. In a single moment, all the questions I still had from yesterday had been answers, and another million ones had been created. I hadn't known what to make of Emma's statement that Hannah's mom had to help her daughter put on a diaper for bed. It didn't seem as though putting on a pull-up would be too challenging, even considering Hannah's disabilities, but I could see how a tape-on diaper would require assistance. Emma's comment about thinking Hannah should have been put back into diapers during the day after the accident on the couch was also brought into a new light. Had she been insinuating that her cousin should have been wearing these diapers during the day as well, rather than her pull-ups? I listened closely as I continued to stare down into the garbage bin. The stairs in Emma's house were as noisy as the ones at my place, so I would have ample alert if anyone was to come upstairs after me, but I hadn't heard the telltale signs of footsteps. I slipped out of the bathroom, trying to walk softly down the hallway so that everyone below me wouldn't realize how much I was wandering around. The door to Emma's bedroom had been left open. Unlike me or my sister, she didn't do much to protect her privacy. A whiff of a strange scent hit me as I stepped into the bedroom. I paused while I tried to consider what it was. Emma had complained about how her bedroom smelled like pee because of her cousin's bedwetting. Was that what I was smelling? That brought an immediate rush of embarrassment and concern. Despite the efforts I had taken to freshen up my room with fabric sprays, is this what my bedroom smelled like? Had I simply not noticed it before? And would Emma be able to tell the next time she came to my house? I was sick with worry for a moment, but those concerns dropped away as soon as I laid eyes on what was obviously Hannah's suitcase up against the wall, next to a balled-up sleeping bag and pillow. The suitcase was already unzipped, and there was a pile of dirty laundry sitting next to it. To no surprise, a lot of the clothing was Harry Potter themed. I pushed aside the guilt of prying into Hannah's personal belongings and lifted up the lid to the suitcase. I found what I was looking for right away. There were more than a dozen pull-ups tucked along the side of the suitcase. But that isn't what drew my interest. Instead, there were nearly a dozen diapers matching the ones I had come across in the bathroom. I pulled one of the two diapers out of the suitcase. It crinkly loudly in my hands, much more so than a pull-up. I gently unfolded it, taking a peek at the interior padding that was far more extensive. All I could think about was how it must be able to absorb an incredible amount of pee without leaking. It was simply beyond anything I could have thought to imagine. I'd never once seen the remotest hint that a product like this could exist in all the advertisements I'd perused over the past three years. I checked the timer on my phone. Only seven minutes left. There simply wasn't enough time. I had to set aside all my thoughts about the diapers for now and do what I had come upstairs to do. I reluctantly set the diaper back into the suitcase, which was exactly where I had found it. Taking a diaper simply wasn't an option. I didn't have enough time to figure out how to get it on. But I would have no issues with putting on a pull-up myself. Besides, I as attempted to remember, that was what I had come up here for in the first place. I was torn momentarily between the two designs – one with pastel stripes and one with floral pattern – before finally deciding to grab the one with the stripes. I tip-toed back to the bathroom, pull-up in hand. I looked at my phone again as I entered the bathroom. I had initially given myself thirteen minutes. Being in upstairs much longer than that would only risk making Emma and her family get suspicious. I still had six minutes left. After double-checking that the bathroom door was indeed locked, I hastily stripped off my pants and underwear, my hands shaking as I did so. My disappointment at not being able to try on the diaper melted away as soon as I began to stretch out the sides of the pull-up as I prepared to put it on. Three years. How had so much time gone by so quickly? I was once again holding a pull-up in my hands, and it felt as though no time had passed at all since I had last done so. Only this time, the pull-up was perfect for me. This was one meant for teen girls. The pull-up slid up my legs just like a regular pair of underwear, except that it felt entirely different once I had it on. It was as if I was reliving the best dream of my life. Each moment replayed itself like those scenes from years ago that I had worked so hard to re-capture. I examined myself in the mirror. The fit was perfect. All my worries about the pull-up not working for me had been for nothing. But time was slipping by way too fast. I couldn't hide away in the bathroom forever, but I couldn't stand the thought of having to remove the pull-up after only having had it on for a few minutes. Could I get away with wearing the pull-up back to my place? I put my underwear and leggings back on over the pull-up. My leggings at least rose up enough on my waist to easily cover the waistband so I wouldn't be exposing myself like Hannah had. I turned around, examining the outline of my bottom in the mirror. If only I had thought things through and worn an outfit that could actually have covered up my bottom, perhaps I could have risked wearing it. But there wasn't any way to hide the outline of the padding beneath my leggings, even if this outfit seemed to have somewhat reduced the crinkling sound. Defeated, I removed my leggings and underwear a second time. The timer on my phone now said that there were four minutes remaining. I ran my hands all over the outside of the pull-up, mesmerized by the crinkling sound, the way it hugged my waist, and the feel of the padding between my legs. It was exactly as I had remembered. It was so completely perfect. I wanted nothing more than to see what it would feel like to wet the pull-up, but there was no way to get away with doing so. An extra pull-up in the trashcan would risk raising some awkward questions, and I couldn't think of any way to discard the pull-up discreetly after peeing in it. I let another couple of minutes pass as I stood in the bathroom, anxiously watching the timer on my phone continue to count down. It was over all too soon. I removed the pull-up carefully, making sure not to rip any of the sides, and checked that the inside padding had remained clean. I folded the pull-up back up the way it had come out of the suitcase and tucked it back into place. I managed to hit the pause button on my timer three seconds before it went off. I hurried back downstairs, hoping that my absence hadn't been so long as to raise any questions. --- Links to all my stories can be found at https://abdlwriter.wordpress.com/

Almost missed the ending. That would’ve been terrible. Daniel sure doesn’t have much of a future to look forward to. At this point, knowing there’s no chance of escape, the best he could hope for is to loose his mind. He might even come to enjoy being a baby. Great job! I will be watching for your next story.

Thanks everyone for your comments. I have hit a point a couple of times where I could try and wrap this up quickly, but I like the characters and the potential in Zack's predicament, so I am compelled to keep telling the story. So thank you for your patience!

Chapter 10: Movies In the movie theater lobby, Lisa and Sarah navigated through the bustling crowd of moviegoers, the scent of buttered popcorn wafting through the air. Lisa couldn't help but feel a little self-concerned about wearing sweats out in public. She normally would wear something a touch more "professional." But at least she wasn't in a pull-up or urine-soaked underwear. This was way better than what she had been dealing with these last few days. "Two tickets for the 6:30 showing, please," Sarah told the cashier at the ticket booth. "IDs please," the clerk replied. "Really?" Sarah shot back, a little confused, while pulling open her purse for her wallet. "Yeah, the movie is rated R, and after too many underage teens sneaking in, we had to start checking all IDs. If you think this is ridiculous, you should see the look on the faces of the 50-year-olds." "I bet. It's fine. We are both over 20, anyway. Here you go." Sarah handed the man both her and Lisa's IDs. "I mean, I guess it makes sense. It is a horror movie, after all, and if the movie lives up to reviews online, I'll be a shit-your-pants experience." Lisa's eyes got wide at Sarah's words. Normally, she loved watching horror movies. It was one of her and Sarah's favorite activities to do together. They've seen hundreds of movies together, some of the cult classics at home and big box motion pictures in theaters on new release. Only, with everything going on, would this actually be a good idea? There were several times when Sarah had peed herself from the jump scares. It got to the point where she normally would wear a pad to the theater just in case. "Thanks! Will do." Sarah told the clerk as she took the tickets from him, snapping Lisa back to reality. "You okay there Lis? You look like you already saw a ghost." "Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. I just can't wait for the movie to start. What do you think? Should we get snacks?" Lisa tried to act like everything was fine, picking up her pace as they walked towards the center of the lobby. "Uh, always! Since when don't we get snacks?" Sarah gave Lisa a slight nudge with her elbow, playfully. Lisa and Sarah made their way to the concession stand, the enticing display of snacks and drinks beckoning them. As they got up to the counter to place their order, Lisa hesitated, her stomach churning with nerves as she debated whether to risk getting a large drink like she usually does. "The usual ladies?" The concession clerk, John, asked them. He was used to seeing Lisa and Sarah at the theater. They've become such regulars, that he had their normal order memorized. "You know it, Jonny!" Sarah replied, not thinking twice about it. Lisa opened her mouth to protest but noticed he had already gotten a start on their drinks. Not wanting to be a bother, she just let it be. She could manage a simple movie, right? After all, it was always Sarah who peed herself at these things. Lisa hadn't had an issue once. "You two here for the new flick?" "As if we'd be here for anything else." Sarah rolled her eyes lightly playfully as she leaned up against the concessions counter. "Fair enough. Alright, here you two are; two large drinks, a large popcorn, a salted pretzel, and nachos. Is there anything else for today?" "Nope, you nailed it yet again." "Great, and it looks like you two have enough points to cover it today." "Consider it done! Thanks, Jonny! We'll see later," Sarah said, giving the counter a light smack in a lightly dramatic way before grabbing all of their goodies and handing Lisa hers. "Sounds good, enjoy the movie!" John waved as they walked off to the theater room. "Are you okay?" Sarah asked, concern evident in her voice as she noticed Lisa's almost shy demeanor. "Oh my gosh, I totally took over there, didn't I? I just thought we'd get the normal, you know to just chill. Did you want something else we can get something else." "No. No. It's okay. The snacks are perfect. I'm gonna need a bite of that pretzel, though." Lisa didn't want to make a fuss about the soda. It was her favorite flavor, she just didn't want anything to happen. "Girl, since when don't you?" they both giggled at Sarah's reply. The previews for upcoming movie releases were still playing as they climbed up the stairs and shimmied their way to their seats. As they settled into their seats, Lisa decided she should use the bathroom before the movie started to give her the best chance at avoiding another accident today. "Give me a second; I'm going to use the bathroom real quick," Lisa told Sarah as she set down her drink and snacks in her seat beside her. The lights dimmed, and the movie began to play on the big screen just as Lisa turned around to head out of the room. "Better hurry up. It looks like it's getting ready to start." "Ugh!" Lisa rushed down the stairs as quickly as she could, frustrated by their timing. Normally, she would just choose to hold it until after the movie, but with how her bladder had been acting, not giving her any warnings until the last second was the last thing she needed today. Lisa ran around the corner to the bathroom right next to their theater room and found an open stall. She quickly pulled down her narrowed sweat pants and underwear and sat on the toilet. "This is fucking annoying!" Lisa mumbled under her breath. She stared at the bracelet around her wrist. "You have been the worst! I wish you'd just go away. I just want things to go back to normal." Lisa knew it likely wasn't going to work, but that didn't change her frustrations with it. She finally felt her bladder release the small amount of urine that had built up on the car ride over. Finished, Lisa put herself back together and headed back to her seat before too much of the movie had played. Walking into the room, it was practically pitch black in comparison to the main lobby area outside of their theater. Luckily, she had the light path she could follow to get back to her seat. "There you are," Sarah said softly as Lisa took her seat next to her friend. "Did I miss anything?" "Nah, just scenic shots." "Perfect." Lisa settled into her seat and began to get engrossed in the movie. Snacking on their snacks and sipping away at her drink without a second thought. *** The movie was about halfway over. They had already seen the monster in the movie several times, with several jump scares sending popcorn flying in the air with loud shrieks. At each one, Lisa looked over at Sarah to see if she kept her composure as they'd done many times before. She was totally engrossed in her normal friend time, forgetting everything that had happened recently. Suddenly, another jump scare! Lisa flinched at the sight. She recovered from the moment briefly afterward. Only she noticed that her groin felt warm. Shocked, she realized she was peeing herself. She didn't even feel the warning signs this time. What the heck! She sat there frozen in her seat as she felt the warmness spread towards her butt. "Oh my gosh! That one actually got me a little." Sarah leaned over to Lisa, whispering, knowing her friend usually got a kick out of it, and they'd laugh about it after the movie. Only this time, Lisa seemed distracted. "Are you good?" "Uhh yeah, I'm fine." Lisa lied to her friend. She didn't want to admit that she actually wet herself again. Not when this never happens; that would only cause Sarah to worry like her mom and push her to visit a doctor. Actually, after this accident, maybe she should. There was no warning sign. Normally, she would get that last-second warning and need to rush off, but it didn't happen this time. Why!? Was there something wrong with her? Sarah didn't want to push the subject, especially after what had happened earlier. She knew Lisa likely had an accident, but bringing it up would only make things worse. Instead, she figured she could give Lisa her jacket to tie around her waist once the movie was over. Sarah wondered if Lisa was okay, it's not normal for her to have so many close calls. Lisa didn't want to talk about her accident or get up and leave, showing off her soaked pants. She tried her best to focus on the rest of the film, hoping her pants weren't as soaked as she thought they were. She tried to focus on the film, to lose herself in the story unfolding before her, but her mind kept wandering back to the cursed bracelet and the havoc it had brought into her life. *** Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the movie ended. The credits rolling. Lisa and Sarah watched as everyone slowly started to shuffle out of the room. They both always stuck around until the end of the credits in case there were any last-minute scenes. They both just sat there awkwardly. Lisa tried to steal a glance at her sweatpants to see if there were any wet spots noticeable, but it was too dim to see anything. She felt her heart race with anxiety, worried to see what the damage was once she finally had to stand up. As the credits finished rolling, Lisa was surprised to see the theater room empty, with just a few workers down at the bottom waiting for everyone to exit so they could begin cleaning. Out of time and out of options, Lisa readied herself for the most embarrassing moment of her life. Sarah got up first and removed her jacket, claiming it "was too warm" for her. Lisa pulled out her phone and noticed there was a text from Craig. Craig: "Hey, beautiful! I can't wait for our date tomorrow night. I got a fabulous restaurant, I'm going to take you to. So wear a nice dress. 😉" Lisa felt her heart flutter, slightly distracted by Craig's text. She temporarily forgot the ordeal she was about to undergo when she left the theater. Lisa: "Hey, good looking. Sorry, I just finished up at the movies with Sarah. I'm looking forward to it. Who knows, if this place is as good as you're making it sound, I might have to pack an overnight bag. 😉" Snapping back to reality. She noticed what Sarah was trying to do, feeling suspicious. She knew Sarah wasn't actually hot. She was just trying to be a good friend. Lisa appreciated her friend's attempt to make her accident less noticeable... or at least the best they could. Lisa finally stood up. She ran her hand on her butt in a wiping motion as if to wipe something off from the seat of her pants. She was trying to see if she could feel any wet patches. Lisa's face became puzzled, as she finished standing up, wiping her butt a second time, confused. She was completely dry. She knew she had peed; she felt the stream running into her underwear. Her eyes widened suddenly. "Are you shitting me!?" she thought. She realized that her underwear had become a pull-up again. This time, it worked; what the hell? "You good, Lisa?" Sarah asked, seeing her friend asking very confused. "Um, yeah, it's nothing," Lisa didn't want to tell Sarah. Not like this, not after it failed last time. There was no way Sarah would believe her. Not with their history at the movies. "Do you want to use my jacket?" Sarah outstretched her hand with her jacket, looking down towards Lisa's waist, signifying that she knew about Lisa's accident. Lisa's face blushed at her friend's suggestion. "Thanks. But I'm good." Sarah looked confused. How could she be good? She clearly peed herself at that jump scare. Her face said it all. "Um, okay? No problem. Let me know if you change your mind, I guess." Lisa grabbed her things and started to exit the aisle. Sarah was able to get a clear view of Lisa's butt and was a little shocked to see it was completely dry. She quickly followed suit. Running up to catch up with Lisa in the lobby hallway outside of the theater room, Sarah whispered, "I'm going to hit the bathroom real quick to change my undies. I had a slight leak. Wanna join?" Lisa looked at Sarah for a moment, unsure if she should take her up or not. She didn't want to stay in a wet pull-up until she got home, but changing out of it with her friend didn't sound like a good idea either. Contemplating momentarily, Lisa decided to take Sarah up on her offer. She has already told Sarah about the bracelet and the annoying pull-ups showing up. Whether or not Sarah believed her was a completely different story. Alternatively, Lisa's mom has no idea. Cleaning up here will be a thousand times easier than at home. "Yeah, that would be great. Do you have an extra one?" Lisa blushed, saying she was getting a third pair of underwear today. "Sadly, no. But you can just go commando. Or I can give you the extra I brought for myself if that makes you uncomfortable." Lisa's heart sank. What was she going to do now? She admitted to wanting to get changed, so Sarah knew she had an accident, but she didn't have anything else to wear. Lisa hated the thought of going without underwear or, worse, taking Sarah's last pair. At least going without underwear beat the pull-up. Besides, the sweatpants were really comfortable. "No, it's okay. I can't do that." They both entered the lady's room; luckily, no one else was in there, which made sense; it was already nine at night. They each went into a stall. Lisa wasted no time in getting her pants off to remove the pull-up. As she slid it down her legs, she felt how heavy it was already. The thing was soaked! If she had gone any more, it likely would have leaked. She heard Sarah flush the toilet in the stall next to her. Lisa began to panic as she slid back up her sweatpants. She had to leave the stall before Sarah. Otherwise, Sarah would see the pull-up. Yeah, Lisa wanted Sarah to see it earlier, but that was to prove the magic. Now if Sarah saw it, she might think Lisa just put it on before they left for the movie. Lisa rushed out of the stall and started to speed walk to the trash bin. Just as she got there, Sarah exited her stall. Lisa threw the pull-up into the trash as fast as she could. But it was too late. Sarah saw the childish garment in her hand as she went to put it in the bin. Lisa quickly hid the pull-up under some of the paper towels and then went over to the sink to wash up. Sarah considered asking Lisa about it but opted to wait. She could tell Lisa wasn't ready for some playful teasing. Instead, she walked up to her and washed her hands. As they left the movie theater, Sarah led the way to her car, chatting about the movie and other random topics. Lisa tried to engage in the conversation, but her mind was elsewhere. She couldn't shake the embarrassment of wetting herself in the theater and having to deal with the pull-up. The thought of going home without underwear made her feel vulnerable. When they reached Sarah's car, Lisa hesitated before getting in. She glanced around, hoping her mom wouldn't be awake when she got home. The idea of facing her after another embarrassing incident was too much to bear. As Sarah started the car and pulled out of the parking lot, Lisa stared out the window, lost in thought. She couldn't believe how much her life had changed since that bracelet had appeared. What had started as a cute accessory and a joke quickly turned into a nightmare, with even the simplest of daily activities turning into opportunities for chaos and humiliation. Despite everything, Lisa felt a sense of gratitude towards Sarah. Her friend had been there for her through it all today, offering support when she needed it most. As they drove through the quiet streets towards Lisa's apartment, she knew she was lucky to have someone like Sarah in her life. When they arrived at Lisa's apartment building, Sarah parked the car and turned to Lisa. "Are you going to be okay?" she asked, her voice filled with concern. Lisa forced a smile and nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks for everything, Sarah. You're the best." Sarah smiled back and embraced Lisa. "Anytime, Lis. Just remember, I'm always here for you." ***Back at Sarah's apartment*** It was a long day. Sarah was happy she got to spend so much time with Lisa, but this had to be one of the weirdest days she ever spent with her friend. Exhausted, Sarah went into the bathroom to take a shower. She got undressed, and as she went to place her clothes in the laundry basket, she spotted Lisa's clothes from earlier. Sarah recalled how she gave Lisa a new pair of underwear after her shower. But for some reason, she can't see them here. Where did Lisa put them when she changed into that pull-up? After searching for a few minutes and coming up completely empty-handed, Sarah had given up and figured Lisa likely had enough time to calm down after her accident that she could ask. Sarah pulled out her phone and texted Lisa. Sarah: "Hey, no rush, but where did you put those undies I gave you? I can't find them anywhere?"

My wife knows about and tolerates, even encourages sometimes when she knows that I’m battling with the whole diaper thing. But, she only engages at times when I’m unable to do it myself which is a rarity.

Cult of the climate,. Cult of the woke,.. Cult of vegan,.. Cult of the vaccine,.. Meanwhile the top 0.0001 percent have amassed power and wealth beyond imagining. While we are fighting amongst ourselves. And when their agenda is successful and plan complete. Do you think there will be a place there for all you brave cult warriors ?

Hey everyone! Sorry about the later posting than I was expecting originally. I was all set to edit this chapter last night, but then an emergency came up and I had to push it after my busy day today. Should be able to pop several more of these chapters out this week, so stay tuned. As promised, located next are the two ideas for the story after this one. I usually will give three options, but these were too close to call last time, so just let me know which of them you all would prefer for what I write next. If they are nearly tied again though, I will take the runner-up and add it to my next poll with already some backing behind it. Bethany Set as a semi-sequel to The Opening, follow former drug runner, Bethany, as she strives to find herself a better life that has been promised in the newly discovered dimension, tentatively called, ‘The Amazon Dimension,’ though some have begun calling it another name due to the ever-increasing rumors of something awaiting all portal Littles on the other side. Join Bethany as she looks to turn her life around there and maybe even find a redemption of sorts and something else in the most unexpected of ways. Watch out though, in this new world, new and even greater dangers than the ones she left lurk around every corner. Tell Me More Sequel With this shorter story, continue with Dr. Trisha Mengell from Tell Me More as she dives further into the lives of her patients following the FOY incident over a year ago now. All seems as well as can be with her various Little patients until she notices a frightening pattern begins to develop over time during each session. While it could be nothing and just a fluke in the city or her patient’s mind’s turning softer and more imaginative, follow the good doctor as she explores the truth behind what she might suspect within the very system that she herself is a part of. Moving forward, I will be trying to post as much as I can, barring any emergencies that happen to crop up. My goal is to try and finish this story before the end of the month and try to go quickly with my next one as well so that I don’t have another break coming up next month right in the middle of my story. It’s not the worst, but it’s a big pause that I would like to avoid if all possible. Fingers crossed, but I will let you all know here if anything changes with this plan. Anyways, I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter! Chapter 2: Being a Little Can Be So Complicated Sometimes William Shakespeare once wrote that ‘Hell is empty and all the devils are here.’ Well, I highly doubt that old Billy ever came to this dimension or spent time in a Little’s foster home facility before, but I have to imagine that he experienced at least the next worst thing. See, Nancy and I talked for a long while, but being a shivering Little who’s been bruised and had their clothing ripped into who is also seated between two major players in dealing with Littles, I had no chance of escape it turned out. So, the police had taken me in, but Nancy had essentially assigned herself to me to be my proverbial guardian angel. I don’t even think they believe in that type of stuff here, but she made sure that I was treated well and at least sent to a nice foster home until further plans could be made for me. I wanted to be grateful that I hadn’t ended up worse, like I had heard happened to so many others, but my times at the foster home were trying to say the least. Despite the fact that it was determined and pushed by Nancy that I would be treated ‘older’ amongst the other Littles, I later realized that age is pretty much all relative here when it came to the treatment of my kind in this society. My current multi-colored and star-adorned white training panties, green tights, black Velcro shoes, and cotton dress with the words ‘super awesome’ did little to assuage me that I was really the ‘big girl’ others claimed I was. I suppose, now looking around the room once again to ground myself in my new reality, that things could always be worse. After all, I was wearing leg coverings of some kind, I could walk around, and above all, I wasn’t wearing diapers. Training panties were no picnic, but I knew the same qualities I took pride in that I still had, could not be said for some of my fellow foster Littles. So, since I had gotten here late that night and was given my intro bag for ‘big girls,’ I had been assigned to the older of the three levels assigned to us Littles. Currently, I was the only one up here in the oldest of the rooms, but I was assured by Mrs. Tatum, the supervisor foster mom here, that it wouldn’t stay that way forever. That was two weeks ago, and I quickly realized that being untouched or at least considered a ‘big girl’ around here was pretty rare. Most who came were assigned to one of the lower rooms. It was lonely existence most days, but fortunately, I just busied myself in reading. Mrs. Tatum had a wonderful library, and though most seemed to cater toward the belittlement of Littles in some form or fashion, they still provided me with a way of passing the time. I had already breezed through about six of them, and it would have been more if not for a certain task I was asked to provide, even right now by a few of the other Littles here. See, Mrs. Tatum was only one woman. While her daughter helped during some afternoons, nights, and at least part of the weekend, the other times she had to rely on government-provided volunteers. Seeing I was a teacher and avid reader though, I was gingerly asked if I could provide story time to the other Littles here to give the Bigs at least some free time. Feeling an underlying tension and authority just swell around the kindly but intimidating Big, I accepted my new role. “Miss Emily! Miss Emily!” Taylor, one of the mildly regressed Littles shouted as he pulled on the hem of my dress to get my attention as I had previously buried my head in a book. I gently flopped the book to my chest and peered over at the early 20-something Little now before me. His midsection bulged in a way that could only mean one thing and he was constantly sucking on his fingers when not yelling, laughing, or getting my attention, but he was still okay by me. “Yes, Taylor?” I asked, almost having to distance myself with the other Littles and treat them like the toddlers or babies they often acted like. “Wead to us?” he begged, his eyes bulging practically with tears. He had gotten good at trying to convince me to play with him and his friends, or like now, read to them. Very good. I rolled my eyes and groaned a little bit, having just stopped in the middle of the climax of my own story, but I knew the concept of waiting wasn’t big on most of the Littles here, so I sighed and set my book down. “Okay, but just one for now though, okay? I know it’s nearly naptime and Mrs. Tatum wants you all to get at least one nap in this afternoon.” “Awww!” he said in frustration, going as far as to even smack his foot on the ground. I then stood up and while we almost stood eye to eye, something about the loss of height for some Littles coming through the portal still and his mentality, I could feel him shrink under my watch. It was disheartening to see the former marketing major college student behave in such a way, but after one Big commented on how cute it was that I was playing with the babies one day, I felt the more separation between us, the better off I would be at least. “You know the rules, Taylor. I don’t make them, but just try and be good for me. Can you be a big boy and do that for me?” I then played along with his little game of conspiracies of Bigs everywhere and looked around to see if anyone was listening in before I then leaned over to him and whispered. “I even heard there might be a treat for some of you all if you were behaved today…” His facial features immediately became shocked, and his body went rigid like he was some soldier on parade. I half expected him to salute me right then. “Oh! I’ll be good! I’ll be good! I pwomise!” With that, he then speedily took off back to his level’s playroom, where I knew the rest would be waiting as well. I of course was stretching the truth a tad, just to keep him and the others in line, but given Mrs. Tatum and the way she cared about those under her watch, I highly doubted that there wouldn’t be a treat of some kind tonight. Taylor and the others didn’t need to know that it really wasn’t contingent on their behavior for me during story time. It could’ve been bad if they ever caught on, but for a few moments each time I reminded them, I knew each of the Littles I was about to confront during story time would be on their best behavior, just like always. So, I sighed and went downstairs to the toddler level room. Mrs. Tatum had converted it and the other floors for us Littles into three parts. They were comprised of a single large room and bathroom beyond the hallway outside of them that contained the staircase between levels. This way, the door could be closed to each room easily to allow for naptimes but still have a wide-open space inside for playtime or sleeping when the time was right. Now, when I walked in, each of the Littles were messing around with their own toys, playing make believe, or coloring. As soon as I stepped beyond the threshold though, the six Littles in the room immediately swarmed me. “Woah! Easy there, you all!” I panicked slightly as each tried to climb up on me as if they were really children and I was the adult in this society they thought I was, rather than just everyone here being an adult. Still, despite my outfit and the bruises I was sure to get by tonight, it was nice that I was able to feel mature for one single moment around here. When a Little nearly headbutted me though, I had to put my foot down. “Floor now, or no desert tonight!” A series of gasps flooded the room and every Little hit the floor as if someone had just announced there was an incoming mortar strike. One of the Littles, Justin, quickly looked up at me with wide eyes. “Pwease, Miss Em. We be good. Wight?” he asked as he turned around and asked his fellow Littles. Most nodded right away. Satisfied, he turned back to me and gave me the biggest pleading face I had seen yet here. “Pwease still wead to us?” I chuckled a little at the sight before me. “Oh, alright. I can’t say no to that face, but I need everyone to be on their best behavior, okay?” Each of the Littles before me nodded once again and I took my seat over on the rocking chair in the corner of the room by the shelf of books. Of course, the wood and blue chair showed me just how I small I really was in this world, but only people like me or the Bigs here could sit in it. So, to most everyone else here, it was practically my throne and I smiled as my subjects gathered before me. “Okay… which book did you all want to listen to today?” Each Little started sputtering several titles all at once to me, but I looked over the room and when I saw that Izzy was raising her hand, I raised my hand to quiet the room and then chose her. “Me?” she asked nervously. I nodded. “Yes, Izzy. I chose you today. What do you want me to read aloud today, huh?” The Little scanned the books still not picked off up the floor and then to the ones on the bookshelf. I could see she was struggling to see, or maybe even to read them, and I almost offered to help her out, knowing full well that many Littles sadly lost their ability to read, but she then piped back up. “Uh, can you read If You Give an Alces a Koulouri?” I smiled and nodded. It was quickly becoming one of my favorites to read aloud, as not only was it silly and therefore entertaining to the Littles before me, but because it largely dealt with animals, it was one of the few that didn’t put us Littles down or just outright praise the Bigs. So, smiling, I picked up the book from nearby and opened it to the first page. “Can everyone see?” I saw every Little enthusiastically nod their heads. “Okay…” I then looked to the first page and began. “If you give an alces a koulouri…” I lingered on the page for a moment so everyone could see the moose-like creature on the first page, but using my experience in reading to kids, which is practically most of them were mentally, I then flipped to the next page. “Then he’ll want some cream cheese to go along with it.” A few of the Littles giggled at the humorous imagery and I continued on, knowing that I had them hooked now. Several pages later, filled with the alces ending up with a bunch of koulouris on their wide antlers, and then one more book after that by popular demand, I could see that many of the Littles were already starting to nod off. I still finished the last book, but as soon as I closed the page, I saw a smiling Mrs. Tatum standing nearby. “Thank you, Emily. I think you might just have the magic touch.” I blushed a little at the praise, but I was just glad it was something positive said about me. “Maybe, but I think everyone was tired from the outing in the park earlier today. That really seems to do the trick.” Mrs. Tatum smiled and entered the room fully while two of her volunteers came in behind her. One was a Middle and the other was a Big. I got the distinct opinion that both minded my presence here, but both also took advantage of their time off when I read any of the stories aloud and distracted my fellow Littles. Sensing that it was now naptime, I soon exited the room. Before I did though, Mrs. Tatum gently and briefly paused me. “Are you sure I can’t interest you in a nap as well? Might feel nice.” I hated her persistent question, despite the fact that I was a little tired. The problem was though, I knew it was a loaded question. While I waited for a new passport or for the local government to determine what should be done with me, I had to wait here under the watchful eye of Mrs. Tatum. She was a lovely woman, but she was still a Big and given what I had already experienced, I felt that my maturity was already on the line in this house. My training panties were evidence enough of that. So, I quickly shook my head. “No, thank you though. I might rest a bit upstairs or just get a little more reading in.” Mrs. Tatum nodded but one of the other volunteers briefly scoffed. I ignored it and Mrs. Tatum probably just chalked it up to her now having to deal with a dirty diaper. It was just life around here and I quickly retreated to my room upstairs before any further incident could occur. A few hours later, I found out that Mrs. Tatum had to leave for some errands in town. It wasn’t far, and I could even see it sparkling in the sun from my large bedroom window, but I knew her errand fell right in the middle of dinner time. Now, I’m not picky necessarily and spice is pretty alright with me for most dishes, but mealtimes had become a bit of a bane of my existence here. Beyond the food even, Mrs. Tatum allowed me to eat with the adults at a later time, but when she was gone, her persistent and strict volunteer, Kathy, did not. “I don’t care what Mrs. Tatum allows you to do, Emma. I’m in charge when she’s gone. Not you,” she commanded down to me while in the kitchen. “You will eat with the other Littles and those of us who are actually adults.” “It’s Emily…” I reminded her for at least the third time today. “Come on… just let me please show you that I can at least…” “I said no!” Kathy practically spat back at me. “Do I need to remind you of your official place here? Despite what you do at reading time and what Mrs. Tatum lets you get away with, you’re still a Little. And don’t you go off and forget that. I promise you don’t want me to remind you.” Her words were cold and the only feeling I even remotely felt with her was dominance and ego. I knew my added presence here was a rub on her position as she used to read stories to the Littles herself before I came along. Mrs. Tatum couldn’t decide between us unfortunately, so we left it up to the Littles instead. It was a blind vote and only Mrs. Tatum and the Littles knew the exact final tally, but in the end, Kathy was no longer in charge of story time. Sulking a little, I cherished the fact that I at least was allowed to eat in a relatively normal booster seat at the table rather than the highchairs the other Littles had to endure themselves. Still, my demotion under her watch was a blow to my ego that was hard to swallow. Further, that evil wretch also ensured she gave me Big food to eat after I first asked for something more mature than the smiley potatoes or dino nuggets I had first been served here. It wasn’t always a problem, but for whatever reason, I guess most Bigs had a different palate than ours and most of their food was horribly spicy. I had learned how to cool it down or mellow out the flavor, but I’ll just leave it that the first time I experienced the new food, fire had practically erupted in my bathroom later that night. Regardless though, I got through another meal and was only able to get through another chapter before Mrs. Tatum popped her head in my cracked door, one of the rules being that I was never allowed to shut it. “Time for bed, Emily. Start getting ready and I’ll check on you in a bit. No dilly dallying,” I nodded and sighed as I started getting ready for bed as she had noted. I had fought with her at first with my bedtime being so early, but without a nap during the day and the fact that I had to expel twice the energy the Bigs did just to keep up with them, meant that I soon didn’t mind it and was even grateful for the fact that it was later than all the other Littles here. What I did mind though, was all the checking Mrs. Tatum would do before she let me go to bed. I know she was just doing her job, but as I was the only one in the big room up here, I think she lavished more attention on me than some of the other Littles. So, even as I finished everything, she would still come in and start going through her list. “Wash your face? Jammies? Brush your teeth? Go potty?” I would nod in the affirmative to each of her questions, and I knew I wasn’t upsetting her at least, but the routine was starting to get a little tedious, particularly the annoyingly persistent potty question. Once she was satisfied with all my answers though, she wished me a goodnight and began to leave the room, but something had been bugging me though and I quickly spoke up. “Is it always going to be like this?” Mrs. Tatum froze in the doorway before sighing and returning over to me. I could see she wanted to give me hope, but I could also see the hard reality of this world was jutting in as well. “I don’t think so, honey… I wish I really could give you a better answer than that, Emily, but it’s just so hard to say these days. You never know what’s going to happen next with all you Littles.” She sighed again. “I will say this though… if I can, I’ll try to keep you safe as best I can until you leave this place.” It wasn’t much, but it was that tiny sliver of hope I had been searching for to hear from her tonight. Kathy was getting to be a big problem and I worried about her doing something rash with me every day that she volunteered here and was solely in charge. “Thank you,” was about all I could say, and Mrs. Tatum just nodded and left my room before flicking off the lights. The next two days proved very much the same, but come Tuesday, Mrs. Tatum announced that she had to leave up north to new Columbia to visit her sick sister. She promised she would be back by Saturday night at the latest, but unfortunately, her absence only meant one thing to me: Kathy was now in charge. I quickly felt nauseous. At first, I think the two of us just honestly avoided each other as much as possible, but later that night, I could see the power in her head had been building and selected dinnertime to unleash her wrath on me. I didn’t even question my eating with the rest of the toddler level Littles as I had before, and I was expecting my usual meal of spicy Big food. With how I prepared it now, it was almost bordering on pleasant, but Kathy had other ideas. “Alright everyone, dig in!” she cheerfully chimed from the kitchen as she and the other volunteers then walked in and placed our plates of food in front of us. It didn’t take a genius to see what was wrong with my plate tonight. “Wook at that! Miss Em’s eatin’ the same thing we are!” Taylor noted to the rest of the table. I could feel the hot blush envelop my cheeks as I looked down and saw the vegetables, fruit, and of course, dino shaped nuggets. “Uh, what’s this?” “It’s Littles food, silly. You eat it,” Kathy almost seemed to joke. The other volunteers snickered in the corner as they left to finish preparing their own meal for later. I grimaced and looked down at my plate again. Admittedly, the fruit, vegetables, and even the small pond of ketchup-like substance in the corner of the plate were all fine. The nuggets though… having helped in meal prep for the Littles before, I knew the dirty secret that they were actually the cauliflower kind, but I also concernedly knew that they contained a mild laxative and some potent fiber. For unpotty-trained Littles, it just meant they didn’t get backed up. For me though… “Please, Kathy…” “Uh oh,” she mocked in her sing-song voice she mainly used on the other Littles. To them, it was almost playful, but to me, it was just meant as an insult. “Looks like someone doesn’t want to eat their veggies.” Several of the Littles gasped and I knew I had to handle this carefully. I couldn’t just outright say the reason I didn’t want to eat the nuggets but eating them was a whole other problem as well. “Kathy… I…” “Oh no. We have a picky eater. Let’s start the countdown everyone!” Most of the Littles nodded and I could feel my position weaken amongst them. Before, I was their superior, but now, I was being treated just like any other fussy Little. “One!” they began. I tried to utter out an excuse, but everyone followed Kathy’s lead and they jumped to “two!” before I could. “Kathy… please!” I tried begging again. “I can eat the veggies, but…” “Three!” everyone shouted. There were no halves, quarters, or even eights or thirds getting to three. It was just plain old successive ‘three.’ The word resounded in the dining room and every Little immediately looked at me and then up at Kathy. “Tsk, tsk…” Kathy chided as she shook her head in disappointment. “I guess someone needs a little trip over to the timeout stool…” Every Little here knew about the stool and had experienced it for themselves in the living room at one point or another. It was in the front of the house and prominently situated underneath the naughty chart there to show any visitor or the family when watching TV that the Little seated there had messed up. I had sat there only twice by now, both when I first got here, and my negative behavior was marked by the corresponding two stars. Now, I would be getting a third. And so, it went. Kathy marched me over from the table to the stool and made me sit there for thirty minutes to think about my naughty behavior. In retrospect, I suppose the lesson was for me to learn that I was just like any other Little under Big rules, but I only sat there that night and fumed. In the end, as usual, I still had to eat my dinner, and before I went to bed that night, I could already feel the effects when I went potty as part of my still-present night routine. The next day, once again, I just tried to avoid Kathy, but I was just interminably grateful that I was alone and practically had the bathroom on my floor to myself. Some Littles from downstairs would use it if they could, or one of the volunteers would use it if the one made for them up or downstairs was full, but today, I occupied it the most often. I didn’t have any accidents, but my bowels were wrecked from just the six nuggets I had eaten forcibly last night. For her part, Kathy just despicably grinned at me the whole day. Unfortunately, her toying with me didn’t end there. By Thursday though, I think my resignation and focus on only my bowel issues on Wednesday had left her wanting something more from me. So, my day began with my shower, but when I returned, another volunteer was there. “Look,” Tawnya began, her face looking like she wanted to be anywhere else but there right then. “Kathy scares me as well, and so when she asks me to do something, I do it.” Her eyes then darted over to an outfit on my bed. “I’m sorry…” My eyes widened as I more closely examined the outfit she was pointing to. At first, I thought the checkered seafoam green dress was just like any of the others I had worn here. It had a bow and was shorter than most of the others, but it wasn’t too terrible. Then I saw that I was only going to be able to wear the dress… without any tights on underneath it. “I can’t wear that!” Tawnya sighed. “Please, Emily? Please can you just wear it today? I have a job to do, and Kathy selected that outfit for you specifically. Training panties as well…” My eyes raced back over and saw the thick panties colored in a similar seafoam green with a large whale printed across the butt. My heart raced and I felt that I was eternally doomed if Kathy was to stay here and rule over me, but I resolved it within myself that Mrs. Tatum was really the one in charge. I only had a few days to go, so to keep the peace and for the sake of Tawnya, I just nodded my head. She smiled back at me and helped me get dressed in the new outfit, yet another requirement that Kathy had insisted on lately. I would have protested as well, but I just had to put it out of my mind that I was standing in front of this Big in the nude. I wanted to punch Kathy so hard right then, but I knew grumbling wouldn’t do me any good, so I just braced against Tawnya’s shoulder as she ruffled the panties up my legs when I stepped into them. Finally, the process was done, and I subjected myself to another breakfast with the other Littles, which was followed by another trip to the park. The place was wide, free, and Little friendly, so Mrs. Tatum often took us here to expel our energies. I resigned myself to just reading today, trying to keep my dress as low as I could so I wouldn’t accidentally show off my training panties to just any stranger walking by. It didn’t help that there was also a breeze, and once again, I could see Kathy’s wicked grin every once in a while, when I would glance over at her. Still, we all got back to the foster home in one piece and just in time for lunch. My crust was cut off, my plate was in the shape of a rhino, and my utensils were all plastic, but it was still a good meal. Unfortunately, I also felt a need to pee right then. So, without thinking, I just got up from the table, remembering rule three of the guide for Littles I had read before coming here: if you feel the need to go and there is a bathroom nearby, use it immediately. “And where do you think you’re going?” Kathy sternly asked, looking in from the kitchen. I froze and answered back as politely as I could. “Just to the bathroom…” “You have to ask before you can go potty, Emma…” she shot back with a glare right in my direction. I practically had to stick my fingers in my eyes to keep them from rolling over that statement, but I nodded instead and kept calm. “I’m sorry. May I use the restroom?” I asked, making sure I used the proper question. ‘Can I use the restroom’ was almost universally known as the death knell for any Little as it always raised a legitimate concern with Bigs about Littles; could the Little in question actually go potty? The English teach in me would have been mortified if I tripped up on that sort of trap around here. Regardless, though, Kathy smiled. “Of course you can, honey.” I nodded and ran upstairs. Unfortunately, someone had left their toys on the second floor by the younger Littles room. The Littles in there rarely left their room and were attended to by two separate near-constantly watching volunteers. The house only had two Littles that mental age now and both were practically newborns, having been found in some kind of back alley testing facility. Even then though, it just made Bigs seem to desire them more and there was already a couple willing to take both home by next Tuesday. Regardless, the plastic train stubbed my toe, and I willed everything in my being not to curse out loud right then. I was successful though, and I continued up to my floor. Just my luck though, I had caused a commotion, and it didn’t take long for Kathy to quickly follow behind me up the stairs. “Everything okay?” I nodded and just hoped she would go away. She didn’t. “You have to be more careful on the stairs, Emma. Maybe you just need a little extra help today. Let me go with you.” Before I had a chance to respond, Kathy took my hand and led me up the stairs, her grip near vice-like. Panicking, as we rounded the corner, I took the opportunity of our weaker connection, and I wrenched my arms from hers. “Get off me! I don’t need your help!” Kathy frowned immediately. “Don’t you take that tone with me, missy!” I just walked away, trying to avoid conflict, and still having to pee. I had miscalculated though, and it had the opposite effect. “And where do you think you’re going?” Kathy asked, her hands now situated on both hips and her breathing turning almost into a snarl of sorts. “You apologize to me right now!” At the single moment, I realized I had two options. First, I could apologize, humiliate myself and possibly even show Kathy that I needed her help… at least in her mind. Second, though, I could refuse, and she could get angry and likely punish me further. Seeing as she was already angry though, and the first could just lead to more problems in my future, I shook my head. “No!” As if the hallways had suddenly turned into an echo chamber, my voice seemingly bounced off the walls and appeared to almost shake Kathy right where she stood. For a moment, I thought she might even back down, but sticking to character, she didn’t. “No? What do you mean ‘no?’” Her tone quickly became darker, and her hulking presence inched closer to me as she looked down on me in fury. “You don’t say no to me! You got that? I am a Big here and you are a Little! I don’t care who you used to be or that you’re trying to go back home. You’re in our world now and you’re nothing but a Little. You’re either going to learn your place or you’ll be sorry.” With that finally spat, she yanked my hand and dragged me up the final leg of stairs to my floor. I quickly wondered if I had made the right call in defying her, but something was telling me that I hadn’t. Kathy then quickly stopped in front of the bathroom and my heart dropped. “Decision time. Either be the Little you are or face the consequences. There is no third option.” I looked in the bathroom and saw there was now a child’s potty sitting on the ground next to the smaller toilet, horrifyingly now locked with a heavy-duty mechanism arcing over the top. Even if I said no, I would still need help to get it off or instead just use the little purple potty now in there. At that moment though, I also realized that Kathy was insisting she go in with me while I did my business. Since I was given the training panties on day one here, it was a thought that had utterly terrified me of being watched like a little kid fresh off potty training. It seemed according to Kathy, today was going to be the day that I would cross that line in my potty habits, and I wasn’t sure if it was a line that could ever be recrossed or undone. Now, admittedly, I know a lot of people probably would have just given in, just like I knew before as well that they wouldn’t have turned right at the statue down the alleyway. I know those things and that I’m not perfect either. I was a fully independent and successful teacher back on Earth… no executive I will admit, but one just doesn’t turn off being an adult in these types of situations. I challenge anyone else not to put up a little fight or struggle to maintain their independence at least a little bit in situations like these. So, despite hating myself as soon as I did it, I shook my head. Sadly, it turned out it was the last straw for Kathy. Anger flashed across her face. Her movements were swift and deliberate as she grabbed my wrist once more and dragged me into my room. The basic décor stood in stark contrast to the other more fun and cutesy rooms of the house, but I had always appreciated that. Now, the starkness just gave me less to focus on as Kathy glared down at me. “Don’t you move one muscle.” Her voice was calculating, and I could almost feel myself wince as she then left and went over to a door on one end of the room. It had been locked the whole time I had been there and had just assumed it was another closet in here next to mine. It wasn’t. “Hmmm…” Kathy mused as the door finally opened, “which one today?” I tried to get a better look, but her large Big-sized body just blocked nearly every inch of the narrow opening. “Aha! Perfect!” She retrieved something and quickly closed the door back up before walking back over to me. I tried to make out what was now in her hand, but when I did, I wished I hadn’t. There, all bright red and shiny even, was a long spanking paddle. Holes filled the end that was a little over the length of her hand, making the whole thing just a shade under three feet in total. I gulped as she strutted back over to me with it swaying ominously from her hand. She sat down, smiled sadistically at me, and then patted her lap. “Come, Emily. It’s time you get acquainted with another punishment that most Littles experience at least once. Something’s telling me you’ll be fast friends with it quite soon though.” I eyed the spanking implement balanced gracefully in her hand and my knees seemed to turn into jelly. I wanted to move, but I was finding it hard to take a step further. “I meant now! Don’t make me come over there!” she thundered at my slow movements. Despite nearly collapsing at each step, my fear of her only making things worse for me was a powerful motivating factor. “Turn around,” she then commanded me. I nodded and turned, and to my horror, I could feel her giant hand snatch the back of my training panties and drop them to my ankles. My face flushed with embarrassment, but I didn’t have long to feel it. “Over my lap… now!” I hopped right to it and eased myself over her lap. Her things provided ample room for me to lay down on, but I could still feel the heat rise in my cheeks and my whole body become very uncomfortable as she lifted my short skirt up towards my back. I couldn’t see it, but I knew she now had a perfect target across my vulnerable behind in order for her to ‘teach me a lesson.’ “It didn’t need to be this way, Emma…” Kathy started, almost seeming disappointed in me. “Now, as this is your first spanking here, I will go easy on you. I think just 15 smacks in a row should do.” I could almost feel myself shaking in fear as she began to rub my butt all around. I think it was to prepare my skin or something like that, but it just gave me more time to contemplate my ultimate doom. Under this roof, I felt I was already losing so much of who I was. I had only been here now for a little over two weeks, and there were some rumors that a new passport lately could take three months to be renewed. It didn’t bode well for me at all. “Okay, ready?” she asked in a surprisingly mellow voice. I wasn’t sure why the change was present, but my best guess was that now was business more than her pleasure. Before, intimidation was critical, but now, a lesson being learned seemed more important to her. Regardless, I just nodded my head and braced for impact. “One!” she called out. The first spank hit me like a linebacker and sounded like a thunderclap. I bit my lips to keep from yelling out, but by the sixth, I just couldn’t help it anymore. Fire began to scorch every inch of my posterior and I tried to keep my squirming down, but after each of the thousands of needle-like blows hit me, my who body would go rigid, and I would involuntarily struggle to be free. Still, Kathy was relentless in her punishment of me. AS if she was painting a canvas, soon, there was not a single spot that didn’t ache or scream in pain. I was quickly reduced to a puddle of tears, and my only relief came when Kathy finally reached the magic number, 15. She rubbed my butt for a little longer and even applied some lotion to it. It stung something awful at first, but after a few moments, I felt eh sweet relief of pain, even if it was just for a single moment. Seeming satisfied now, she then carefully helped me stand up again. “Now, are you going to be a good girl for me and listen?” I wanted so badly to tell her no or to screw herself, but my butt just throbbed and ached for me to say otherwise. Not being able to form the words though, I just nodded. It seemed like it was enough and Kathy just smiled and led me to the bathroom, where, under her supervision, I finally relieved myself. “Good girl!” she praised. My cheeks flushed again, but once more, my butt just screamed out to me more than anything else. Still, Kathy seemed happy for once and led me back to my room and turned out the lights so I could have ‘a little alone time.’ I cried myself to sleep and just hoped something would change. Nothing did, but I was about the most compliant Little ever, so even into Friday, all seemed okay between Kathy and I now. By the end of the day though, I could tell she was itching to reassert her authority over me, whether I warranted it or not. So, after dinner, I retreated upstairs with the other Littles. “Oh, Emma?” I turned around and faced my tormentor and many of the other Littles did as well. “I think you’ve had a long week and with tomorrow being Saturday and all, I think you should have an earlier bedtime tonight. How about you have the same as the rest of the toddler Littles, huh?” Despite my bruised posterior, I could feel the anger swelling up inside of me. I wanted to be compliant to at least avoid being punished, but this time, I hadn’t done anything wrong and yet I was still being degraded like all the others. It was too much right in that moment, and I stepped forward… but I felt a hand quickly stop me going further from behind me. I looked back and another Little, Lilly, gravely shook her head. I could tell she was scared for me right away and not wanting to upset her while also seeing the wisdom of her restraint, I nodded. So, I then looked back up at Kathy and summoned just about all the will I could muster to smile politely back at her. “That sounds like a… good idea. Best to be awake tomorrow…” Kathy sickeningly smiled back at me, and I just took it in and retreated back upstairs with the rest of my kind. Lilly soon confronted me as we ascended the stairs. “You getting’ in trouble is jus’ bad, Miss Em.” I nodded in resignation. “I know Lilly. I just… it’s hard, you know?” I could tell she wasn’t completely sure if she did know, but from what I had gathered since, everyone knew about my punishment yesterday and everyone here had received it at one point in their stay here. Despite my lack of information, I knew that if nothing else, though, she was trying to help me out and prevent what had already happened to me from getting worse. “Yeah,” she said a little hesitant. “Just be careful. Dis area’s dangerous for dose who don’ follow da rules, in here or out dere…” I acknowledged what she told me, but it was just a concept that didn’t seem to want to stick in my head. I of course would try and avoid being punished, but there was just a sense of being an adult that I couldn’t shake. Regardless though, I just settled down for the night an hour early and hoped that tomorrow would bring me just that. Now, Saturday is family day around here. Of course, we Littles don’t have family here in this dimension most likely, but it was a day set aside during the week that we all looked forward to for one reason or another. See, it was where prospective caregivers would come and meet with, or even rent out, one of us for the day. The hope was to build a bond between us and them that could ensure a proper fit and later smooth transition if they decided to begin the adoption process. Unfortunately, being the mental age I was, my prospects were usually fairly slim, so my potential escape plan from Kathy later would always come up short. Further, once any Big beyond that hurdle found out I was applying for another passport as well, Mrs. Tatum had informed me that it was practically the final nail in my coffin against me for most. So, as a result, I had spent the past two Saturdays with Nancy, and I didn’t mind one bit. Of course, Nancy would still come around during the week when she could, but her job as a high-level executive at one of the local bigwig companies this week meant that today was the first time I had seen her in a week. From the other times she had come here, she knew about my various struggles, but after this last week with Kathy, I now had a whole new set of problems. “So, she even spanked me on Thursday and sent me to bed early yesterday,” I explained to Nancy once we exchanged our usual pleasantries and she apologized for not making it here sooner. “I’m so sorry to hear that, Emily,” she said was a sad face. Her eyes then scanned over me and I could see her eyebrows raise just a bit. “I see she’s also selecting some… different outfits for you lately?” I looked own at my outfit, this one only composed of tight dark pants and a shirt that spouted the phrase, ‘#1 Princess.’ It was a bit mortifying, especially considering my training panties puffed out against the dark fabric. “You could say that…” We talked for a little while longer, even going so far as to walk around outside as we did so. Kathy almost denied us leaving the foster home, but Nancy got her way in the end after some selective and strong words. Oddly, that type of force against my latest foe had made me see her differently after that. Nancy was a Big, so I wasn’t naive and a little nervous about that, but I would have been blind to say that she wasn’t at least a bit protective of me. It wasn’t much, but at the same time, something was telling me that this week with Kathy, now that it had happened, wouldn’t be the last. If I stayed here, I wasn’t confident that I would be making it back home as the same woman I had left Earth as. So, a new thought popped into my head. It was so simple, and a huge risk on my part, but faced with my current options, it at least seemed the safest path away from Kathy. Mulling it over a bit more, once we passed the swing set that I had come to know so well over the past weeks, I told Nancy my proposal. For her part, Nancy just listened and to my relief, actually seemed to give it some legitimate thought. Still, I could see her hesitancy as well. “I don’t know, Emily… me taking you in from this place? It’s a lot to ask…” I nodded my head. “I know Nancy, but I don’t think I’m going to make it here. Mrs. Tatum and the other Littles are great, but Kathy… I’m just not sure how long I can stay as who I am if she’s treating me like the helpless Little I think she wants me to be. I just feel that something is going to happen and it’s going to cause me a lot of issues down the road. Does that make sense?” Nancy nodded and we then walked another block as our conversation switched around a little. Finally, as we came to a large tree just off the path, she looked back at me. “Okay… I’ll do it, but you need to know, because of your situation and all and my job… there’s going to be some stipulations…” My mind raced with the possibilities, but at least she had said yes. I was so desperate to get away from Kathy and her schemes, that if Nancy asked me to do her laundry every day as that stipulation, I think I would have agreed to it in a heartbeat without much thought. Still, a little voice in the back of my head wanted to know more. “What sort of stipulations exactly?” Nancy smiled. “Nothing hugely impactful, but because of LPS and all, we need to keep up a front for them. At home, you could be free and go to bed at midnight for all I care, but if they ever came over, I would need you to act like the best Little in the world. The slightest hesitation or bad behavior, in their minds at least, and the jig would be up.” She paused for a moment and scratched the back of her head. I braced for what was coming next. “Also… I have a job and I can’t leave you at home by yourself… that would only lead to many things only being worse… for both of us actually.” I didn’t like where this was headed, but I was weighing any options she told to me against what Kathy wanted now and likely in the future. As long as it wasn’t diapers, I felt confident that I would say yes to almost anything. “Go on…” Nancy sighed. “Well, for Littles, there aren’t too many options for during the day, but I think I saw an ad the other day for… to be honest, a daycare.” I think she was waiting for me to bolt, but I just stood my ground. “Yeah… I know it’s probably not ideal, but this place specializes in curated times to occupy your day based on your mentality. It’s got multiple levels for dealing with Littles and is some of the most top tier care in the city. We can always find something else, but what do you think?” Her stipulations weren’t diapers and before, I knew that was about my only caveat in whatever they turned out to be. I had so many other questions, but for now, on the surface level at least, Nancy had presented a way forward to me that just might work. Daycare admittedly, but it was something that seemed better than what fate awaited me with Kathy if I stayed in Mrs. Tatum’s foster home. So, with a sigh, I nodded. “I’m in.” Nancy smiled and we both began walking back to the house to start filling out the paperwork. I would still have another few days at the bare minimum for the paperwork to go through and for Nancy’s house to be inspected by LPS first, but I knew I was taking a big leap into my future. Nancy seemed much better than Kathy though, so I just crossed my fingers and hoped everything would be fine for a few months until I could get my passport back.

I’m not really proud to admit this, but what happened to me ruined my entire life, I don’t function at a normal level. I had so much I wanted to do and be, and the people closest to me took it all away. Now here I am 40 on SSI suffering the consequences of the emotional and mental damage the people closest to me caused. Beyond that, I don’t care if people write stories, I just hate when the suffering is perm and the character has no way out. Remember an 18yo can say no, a child cannot, and keep in mind you never rly get over abuse. Regardless if story bothers me I just don’t read it 🙂

I had an ex that would toy around with the idea of peeing in her diaper but we never experimented with it. She was not so much an ABDL but very into being humiliated and made a slave so the idea of her wearing a diaper that I would then pee down the front/back did excite her. Nowadays I would like to adapt it, as I'm not much for degradation anymore but would still humor my partner by peeing in their diaper. As for messing, I'm too greedy to share a nice poop, so I would not mess a diaper just for someone else to wear. However, under certain circumstances I would 100% put on a diaper my partner has messed, provided it's a mess that would be nice to wear (squishy, warm, and a tolerable kind of stink). It would have to be one with the mess in the seat, though. I would want to sit in it, not have it just spread against the front. Messes are best for warming up bottoms imo! My version of this kink however would probably be having my partner sit on my lap, just wearing normal clothes, and peeing or pooping her pants. Basically using my lap as a chair to sit and squish to their little heart's delight.

Hey everyone, I know it has been a bit. Sorry things slowed down a bit. Nevertheless, here it is. I just want to make it clear that the story is NOT discontinued. Even if I go quiet for a bit, it's NOT canceled or over. You will know if it has been because I will have made an official statement. Thank you for your concern, comments and kind words. The story is still going strong and I have no intentions to cut it short. Please enjoy! Chapter 21 - The Zoo One by one the plates made touchdown on the table as their heavenly aromas followed. Like in every scenario, Emily was the last in the rotation, but it was wonderful to finally have something to eat! Though, if she forgot, the smiley face illustrated with strawberries, bananas and blueberries topped with a whipped cream smile was more than enough as a reminder for which menu her meal came from. “Kids menu or not, I still think you made out like a bandit, Emily,” Mary commented, and Emily who was briefly caught in a fluffy, syrupy trance, reluctantly agreed. Maybe the belittlement was almost worth it, considering the tradeoff… Frank, Mary, and Joyce’s meals all looked equally as delicious in their own right. Frank tried to look away when his wife put ketchup on her sandwich though… You’d think he was watching her kick a puppy. “Oh will you stop?” She gave him a playful hit on the shoulder. “Ow! Ow!” feigning his injury, he pleaded with his eyes. “Don’t you see what she does to me?” Even Mary found his reaction funny, and everyone seemed to be enjoying Emily’s laugh. Emily was almost ready to ask for a real knife, rather than a butter one, but it was a pleasant surprise to see that it sliced through the fluffy cakes like a machete. She nearly squealed as soon as she lifted her knife out of the stack, seeing it’d struck oil, as the blade was covered in melted chocolate. “Hey,” Joyce warned. “Don’t forget to leave me a bite.” Emily simply nodded her head as she sectioned off her first bite. Everyone was equally as content with their own meal. “How is it, hon?” Frank asked in between bites. “Fine, thank you very much!” Acting all prim and proper, it was obvious Mary had a sneaking suspicion of what was to come. “That’s good. But you know, it’d be even better if you’d-” He paused as with his hands occupied with his burger, he was helpless to watch as one of his fries was stolen by his wife. “I’m married to a monster...” Both Joyce and Emily struggled not to choke on their food as they laughed, pleased to be treated both to a dinner and a show. And as much as Emily resented the food illustration, she still swabbed some of the fruit and whipped cream with a finger… “Are your mom and dad always like this?” She kept sneaking glances back to them, hoping not to miss the next humorous event. “On some level, yeah, but I think ever since my brother and I left the house, they’ve only had more time to drive each other insane.” *Ahem* In an obvious noise, Mary cleared her throat as she stared at Joyce with a strange sense of graveness. “What were you telling her about us?” “...How you two are wonderful parents?” “You may be an entrepreneur, but you’re not a liar, missy.” Maybe to her own mom, she wasn’t. It wasn’t exactly a skill Joyce took pride in, but she knew how to pull the wool over someone’s eyes. She looked at the glowing girl beside her, reasoning it as a necessary evil. “So I have a question: what does an ordinary night look like for you two?” It was Joyce and Emily’s turn to look at each other. “Umm...” Emily started first. “By the time I finish up work and get back, Joyce is usually up to something.” She paused to think of the next part. Instead Joyce picked right up after her though. “And then she strolls into my office and practically pushes everything off my desk!” “That is not true!” Emily spat to her. “She’s the one who drops everything to spend the rest of the night together.” “Fine, fine, maybe I embellished it a little...” Joyce smirked right before taking a bite of her toast. “I think Emily’s the better storyteller,” Frank admitted it like a tough, yet factual truth. “I think so, too,” Mary solemnly agreed. “Me three,” Emily contently spoke, giving herself a pat on the back. Then with a Cheshire grin she snickered. “Will you three quit bullying me?” Joyce pretended to be offended, but really nothing made her happier than something like this. If it was at the expense of her imaginary reputation, then she’d give it all away tenfold if that meant Emily could finally feel comfortable. Joyce couldn’t feel the same reluctance Emily had from this morning, and she was starting to let go of her imaginary pressures. Emily looked at her expectantly, but Joyce fired back. “Well, go on! Finish the story! Apparently I’m not so good at it...” Funnily enough, she thought of last night when Emmy was asking for her to do ‘the voices.’ “Joyce usually starts cooking something when I get back. I try to help here and there,” she put a lot of emphasis on the ‘try’ bit, because even then she was stretching it. “Then we probably relax on the couch?” She looked to the pouting Joyce for confirmation. “Now you want my input?” Disregarding her feigned annoyance, Emily simply nodded her head. Frank and Mary meanwhile gave a few chuckles as the scene unfolded. Joyce dropped the act as she picked up where her partner left off. “That’s pretty much it, really. I mean, we’ve had plenty of nights where we go out and do something; milkshakes, a movie, a restaurant, stuff like that. We’ll have to do some more stuff down the line, though!” “That’s good to hear,” Marry nodded her head. “But I don’t think you ever told me, has business ever kept you away for a whole night? I know you used to have a dinner every now and then. Maybe a party or social thing?” Much more plainly, Joyce nodded her head. “Thankfully nothing’s come up lately, but I can’t imagine that’s going to last forever. I’m pretty sure Sheila already has a few things in the calendar already.” Business dinners? Now that Emily thought about it, it sort of made sense for a CEO to be attending those. Had she been doing those at all since she came? She wasn’t getting in the way, was she? She looked at Joyce with concern, trying to decipher what she might be thinking… And that was the worst part: trying to figure out Joyce’s thoughts. Emily knew Joyce would never tell her something if she was going to feel bad about it, and she certainly would feel bad. The last thing she wanted to be was a burden and a nuisance. She knew Joyce would never think of her as that, but that didn’t mean Emily wasn’t, objectively speaking… “Well, you never know,” Mary spoke with a slight tease of suspense, as she reeled in the bigger catch. “Maybe you could use one of them to show Emily off?” Caught off guard for just a few moments, Joyce registered the idea with a small bit of apprehension. Bringing Emily to her business stuff? There were a lot of factors to consider, and Joyce was honestly a little scared to imagine the possible outcome. What? What was Joyce’s mom thinking?! Emily could already see it now. Standing in front of a large crowd, watching Emily’s each and every step, seeing what a “commoner” acted like, and be amused as she try and assimilate among the social elite. Worst of all, when she did inevitably mess up, it would of course be at the expense of Joyce’s very real reputation. Not even taking the reality into account, the thought alone was crippling enough. “Maybe...maybe we can talk about it later,” Joyce tried to laugh it off, and Emily didn’t know how to react at all. “I’d honestly never thought about it, so I think we should table that one.” She looked over to Emily, who seemed to be drowning yet again in her worrisome thoughts. What snapped her out of it though was a plump stack of cake, fruit, and chocolate laced with cream entering her mouth. Blushingly, she looked over to Joyce who’d slipped the fork into her mouth. Mumbling through the food, Emily whined, “Joyce!” “Sorry,” Joyce chuckled. “You looked like you needed it. And also,” she took the fork yet again and grabbed another section. “I think you promised me my own bite?” Without waiting for an answer, Joyce popped the food into her own mouth. She couldn’t handle as much as Emily, but every once and awhile it was always a pleasant taste. “Ooh Joyce, I think you made her a little grumpy,” Mary teased, which then had Emily wide-eyed as she retreated into a blush. As quickly as it came, so did it go… Joyce sighed through her nose. “Mary, Frank,” Or maybe it didn’t? “you guys are always so funny!” Emily didn’t know why she was saying it, and knew she had no real prompt to, but for some reason she oddly just felt like saying it anyways. Regardless of whether anyone asked her or not, she didn’t feel scared to unload her thoughts for once. “You guys remind me of a young, married couple.” “Did you hear that, hon?” Frank with enthusiasm looked to Mary. “She said we’re young!” “Wrong,” Mary said. The timing reminded Emily of a cartoon where a mischievous coyote might get an anvil dropped on his head. “She thinks we’re young. Nevertheless, she knows how to get on our good side.” “I didn’t mean to call you ol-” “Wait!” Frank stopped her. The deepness of his voice made it seem like an unyielding command. “Don’t say the ‘o’ word. It’s our kryptonite!” “Old.” Mary finished for her, and in a spastic motion Frank put a hand to his chest, right where his heart was. Frank slowly let go of his chest and looked with worry to his wife. “Are you trying to kill us?” “Quit it with your jokes! The only reason she hasn’t gone running yet is that Joyce is blocking her in the booth!” “Mom? Dad?” Joyce interrupted their silly feud, once again unnerved by the topic. Soon after normal conversation resumed, and so did the eating. At some point Emily ran out of coffee, and as much as she didn’t want to acknowledge its usefulness, Emily with extreme reluctance drank from her glass of milk. She had half a mind to order another coffee, but she could do without the likely comment from their waitress about needing to finish her milk. The milk tasted fine, but the connotations with it were bitter. It almost felt like admitting defeat. When Joyce took a bite from her egg, she looked up to say something to her mom, then after giving it a few moments she looked back down to her food for another bite. But wait. Something, something wasn’t right? Nothing seemed out of place, but, something did at the same time? Awkwardly hung up on the weirdness, she took another bite and went back to the conversation. And then it happened again. Only more so this time. Whatever it was, it felt more glaring this time, and still she was struggling to find out what it was. Then something seemingly insignificant tipped her off. Wasn’t there less bacon on her plate now? With only one logical culprit, she slowly turned her gaze to the girl running low on pancake. She could see the smallest bit of syrup on the corner of her mouth, but there was something else there too… Small, tiny bits of something. Licking her thumb, Joyce swabbed the corner of her mouth before Emily could protest and gave the sample a taste. Syrup, sure enough. And…bacon. “Something you want to own up to, buster?” “...No idea what you’re talking about.” “Oh? So the bacon disappeared on its own, then?” Damn! How did she know? Emily made extra sure to be sneaky about it! Well, as sneaky as she could be… Mary and Frank probably saw the whole thing unfold. Though, of course no good captain wouldn’t go down with their ship, so Emily sought to see it till the end. “...Yes?” “Alright then,” Joyce gave a small breath. Then, before Emily could react, an innocent blueberry was taken from its home on her pancakes, and was thrown into the merciless torture chamber of Joyce’s mouth, shredding it into pieces with her teeth. “What was that for?” “What do you mean?” Joyce laughed. “You started it!” “I did no such thing!” Even if it was a bad lie, Emily still wouldn’t let it die. “He had a home, you know?” “The blueberry?” “Who else? Their small charade paused when they could hear Frank and Mary cracking up. Emily wasn’t feeling so playful anymore with an audience, and suddenly realized that she may have been getting too caught up in the moment. That was starting to feel dangerously close to the ‘Emmy’ side… The meal did eventually come to an end, and everyone by then was more than satisfied. “Everyone have a good meal?” Abigail, their waitress, had returned. “Absolutely delicious!” Frank complimented. “You’re a great cook!” The waitress laughed over the joke as she was collecting plates. She leaned closer to Mary. “You know, I hope at least one of you keeps this guy on a leash!” “Oh trust me, I try,” Mary sighed as if it were her lifelong struggle. And maybe to a certain degree it was. “‘Course, at least you’ve got your daughter to give a hand,” she made a notion towards Joyce. “Years of practice!” Joyce laughed. The waitress continued to make small talk as she built up a stack of cleared plates. “So what’s the plan for you guys today?” “Well once we finish things up here I think we’re gonna go check out the zoo. My parents are visiting and they’ve never been.” “Ohh, that sounds like fun. I’m sure your daughter’s looking forward to it, too?” Unfortunately, it was too obvious who she was referring to. Joyce briefly looked to Emily, who partly hiding behind Joyce’s shoulder clearly looked mortified. Frank and Mary seemed a bit caught off guard too. Everyone in their own mind was realizing just how far they let this woman’s understanding spiral out of control. Though, Joyce’d be lying if she said the comment didn’t tickle her in the slightest...even if right now wasn’t an appropriate moment for such words. “...Yes, actually.” Emily had to nearly bite down on her tongue. She gripped dearly onto the past words of comfort, trying her best to understand it was in some twisted way better than calling her out on her very dumb mistake. “She’s excited to see the sea otters.” “Well, I won’t keep you guys waiting. I’ll be right back with the bill.” She walked away, and Emily did not look pleased, and Joyce could feel the frustration radiating from her. “You’re not mad at me, right?” Emily sighed, and like a deflating balloon the bulk of the tension drained from her as well. “No. I just hate being called a kid, that’s all.” “Don’t forget you promised to make it up to her?” Frank added. “Yes. Yes I did.” Even if it looked childish, Joyce patted her on the head. Joyce politely stole the rights to the bill, as she handled everything accordingly. Her parents tried to at least chip in, but for once Joyce wasn’t budging. Still, Emily admired how they tried to fight tooth and nail. It somewhat reminded her of herself. Nowadays, Joyce need only give her a look, and like a well-trained pet Emily would cease her attempts. “Alright, let’s get this show on the road,” Joyce slipped out of the booth and waited for Emily. When everyone stood, you wouldn’t think anything of it; just a simple action from a simple person with nothing special about it. Emily, however, couldn’t help but feel critical of herself once her own footwear hit the ground. Unlike everyone else, her sandals had a tough material to them, which is why they made the clashing noises they did once the wooden blocks to her heels hit the tiled floor. Even when she was out of diapers she couldn’t help but make countless, loud noises. Mary and Frank were leading the way, but Mary turned her head back to Joyce and somewhat Emily. “Were you being serious about the otter bit?” “Kind of? Emily’s never seen one in real life before.” “That should be fun then, huh?” Mary looked to Emily, who was finding it harder and harder to look forward to this outing. She didn’t know whether she was being seen as a kid or an adult. No matter how Mary acted, Emily didn’t feel like she could sense a definitive answer. The receptionist bid them farewell, and the quartet were soon back in the car and pulling out. The drive there was filled with plenty of small talk, and even though Emily tried her best, she obviously started to doze off once she exceeded her 15-minute limit. “Maybe you’re the one that’s tired, hon?” Mary chuckled as she looked over. With a natural rhythm stuck on repeat, Emily’s eyelids would slowly drift downwards, then suddenly rise with a start, but once again find themselves closing over and over again. “I’m fine, really.” Emily blinked, desperately trying to hold onto her alert and awakened consciousness. And as Mary watched her, she more and more looked like the kettle to Emily’s pot. It felt a bit rude to mentally check out on the people who might actually have a reason to fall asleep, unlike herself. Nevertheless, conversation felt exactly like what she needed right now. Anything that stimulated the senses was enough to keep her alert. Joyce knew exactly why she wouldn’t go to sleep, because, of course, the thought of how she’d look in front of her parents worried her. She wanted to speak up, but something told her Emily wouldn’t appreciate the extra attention… She glanced at the console GPS and could see they had a decent drive ahead of themselves. A single look at the rearview told her Emily was certainly putting herself through the ringer. Joyce simply sighed the smallest bit. How are you gonna have fun if you won’t cut yourself some slack? And suddenly Joyce was starting to feel a little selfish, and of course she decided to indulge herself. “Hey mom, so how’s the wedding plans for Jack and Hannah going?” Even the greatest plans required the greatest sacrifices. She may as well have just opened Pandora’s Box, all for Emily’s sake. “Oh, that’s right, I forgot!” The topic certainly seemed to excite her, and the beast had been stirred awake. “You wouldn’t believe the flower arrangements they’re using for the table centerpieces, they look beautiful! Oh! And the location! You’ve never seen it, have you? There’s going to be so many people. The band they’re looking at seems like a real good one, too. Did I mention the theme they’re going for? It’s...” And on and on she went. Of course, that was the intention. While Mary focused her attention on Joyce, it left Emily with none, and once again she was left to her own devices, which is exactly what had her fading away in the first place. Emily knew it wasn’t intentional (though it was), but she wished Joyce wasn’t hogging all the spotlight. At this rate she really was going to fall asleep! But she wouldn’t. No, of course not. Not in a million years. She needed to be active and alert. Though, being outside of the city didn’t really afford her much scenery to marvel at. Trees, trees, and trees. At least in the city the buildings knew how to change things up a little. Brick, marble, cement, stone? You’d think mother nature would take some notes. The blur of bark and leaves passing by the window played like a track on repeat. A stroke of brilliance hit her however. Maybe if she closed her eyes for a few seconds, something would change when she opened them? Making an obviously level-headed decision, her vision went black for a few moments. Or, maybe for a few minutes… Regardless, when she opened them, the outside looked no different. Damn. Her brilliant idea that she thought was certain to work had failed her, and she knew it probably wouldn’t work if she tried again. That being said, the one part she didn’t mind was the eye closing bit… But it wasn’t sleeping. No. Sleeping was the last thing she wanted to be caught doing right now. Emily proceeded to “rest her eyes,” while Joyce entertained her mom by throwing in passive comments, the kind that was just enough to indicate there was a listener. It wasn’t even really a conversation when a single person did the talking, but either neither one noticed or cared. Mary likely the former, and Joyce certainly the latter. There was finally a pause in Mary’s spiel, as she suddenly switched tracks. “You’ve got her all figured out, don’t you?” “What do you mean?” Joyce jokingly feigned innocence. She glanced in the mirror to see her sound asleep. “I hardly even noticed when she dozed off?” “You weren’t kidding when you said vehicles make her go out like a light,” Frank chimed in. “Oh yeah,” Joyce nodded with firm certainty. “I’m surprised she lasted for as long as she did,” in a hushed laugh she finally turned her full focus back to the other two and the road. “So? What do you two think?” She gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. “Think about what?” “Come on...” Joyce sounded a little less confident now too, “You know what I mean.” “Joyce, hon,” her dad decided to take this one. “You’re our daughter, but you’re your own person. The last thing you need is your parent’s approval.” “I know, but...” “I like her.” Mary said simply and absolutely. “But, are you sure it’s okay to talk like this? I know she’s asleep, but she’s not exactly in another room.” “It’ll be fine. I bet she could sleep through an earthquake if she tried hard enough, and compared to how she is now, it wouldn’t take much.“ “Well, I can envy that,” Frank turned his head back at an awkward angle to see, oddly enough seeming impressed. “And I like her too. I mean, we both have a lot to learn about each other, considering all we’ve done is have lunch together, but she seems nice.” It wasn’t intentional, but a small breath of relief escaped Joyce. “Though, I guess there’s one small thing?” “...And what’s that?” “She seems...reserved?” Mary sounded as if she weren’t even sure herself. “She definitely strikes me as the shy type.” It was unfortunately a glaring quality of hers right now. They had probably been thinking it from the start but were too polite to speak on it. It didn’t make Emily any less perfect to Joyce, rather, it only made her sorrowful to think her special girl was inhibited by something only time and exposure could solve. Everyone in the car that was conscious knew there was no ill intent behind the words, but rather saw it as an unfortunate observation. “Truthfully, I think this whole visit caught her off guard. I know it did for me, at least.” Without even needing to look, the culprit in question was obviously feeling the brunt of targeted words. She softened her voice again.“Just don’t think too badly of her? She still has some nerves...” Again, Joyce felt guilty for confiding in her parents like this, secretly behind Emily’s back, but a face to face conversation always made her resolve weak... Mary was the first to dismiss Joyce’s worries though. “Joyce, we’d never do that to her, or you. Maybe we did come a little early… I’ll take some responsibility for that.” More like all of it, which was likely passing through Joyce’s head, and maybe even her dad’s… Speak of the devil, he was the next to speak. “Why don’t we give them a breather, hon? We could meander for a little bit while they spend some time together?” “What?” Joyce slightly turned her head, then back to the road. “You’re kidding, right? You guys just got here!” “We wouldn’t mind, Joyce,” her mom agreed. “Why don’t you two take an hour together when we get there?” Already willing to part ways just when they got here, Joyce could only remain stupefied over how unusual her mom was being right now. Never in a million years could she imagine the woman actually giving someone personal space. Emily didn’t realize it, but she truly could move mountains… “I appreciate it, and I’m sure Emily would too, but really, it’s fine.” “We don’t want to impose...” As nicely as Joyce could possibly say it, her mom definitely was imposing, somewhat. “You’re fine!” Joyce reassured anyways. “You’re not imposing, and Emily wouldn’t want us split from you either. She really does want to get to know you guys better.” Even if her nerves won’t make it easy... On top of that, she’d probably feel even worse if she knew she was the reason why she and Joyce were alone together. “There’ll be plenty of time for us to do our own thing together. For now it’ll be the four of us.” “If you’re sure...” Mary reluctantly conceded, while her husband equally if not more left it at that. “But do you have any pointers?” “Pointers?” “Her likes? Dislikes? Something to help us get started on the right foot?” “Mom, she’s not a kid.” Truly it did scare her how much they managed to toe that line when Emily wasn’t around. Trying to imagine how Emily might feel secondhand was terrifying enough. “We’re all adults? Just please be patient. She really did want to make a good first impression.” “I know that, sweetheart, and that’s why I want to try and help.” Just when she was willing to keep her distance, yet again was her mother becoming emotionally involved. “Help her by not helping,” Joyce said her piece simply. “I’m already blowing this out of proportion, so forget we even talked about this, okay?” For once she hoped her mom would listen. On her watch, Joyce never could seem to jump to a clean slate. It was always unfinished business with her. “Fine.” You’d almost think she was annoyed. The ride was silent for a few minutes longer until the tension seemed to have dissipated. In a still slightly serious tone she added, “You two look very adorable together, though.” Joyce was as equally as firm. “Thank you.” Of course her cheeks wouldn’t be not warm after hearing that. “Emily? Hellooo...you in there?” A finger kept gingerly prodding her cheek. “You know, I never knew your cheeks were so squishy…” The voice sounded inquisitive and curious. “You’d never think, you know? What with you being so slim...” The poking didn’t stop, and even still half-asleep Emily knew the entire exchange was silly enough to laugh at. “...Joyce?” Rubbing her eyes, she called out to the almost certain evil-doer. “Bingo!” Emily could feel the cool skin press against her own, intermittent with the wavy strands of hair coming from both women. “Honestly, I can’t tell what had the bigger effect: your little food coma or the car ride itself.” “Car…? What are you talking about?” Emily finally blinked enough to go without needing to shut them again for a decent while. Leaning through the open doorway Joyce slightly loomed over her with patches of sunlight bleeding all around her. As the sun itself, she looked strangely symbolic. Joyce giggled as she moved her hand and Emily suddenly felt her seatbelt unstrap itself. “The zoo? Did you forget already?” “I...no, but,” she turned her head to the other side of the car, seeing it was empty, and also there wasn’t a head in front of her in the passenger seat. As bashful as she was for not making good on her personal resolve, she didn’t want to let any potential eavesdroppers in on her shame. “Where’s Frank and Mary?” “They said they needed to take a lap,” Joyce chuckled. “Sitting for too long isn’t great for the joints, in my dad’s words, at least. Think you wanna go see some animals with us? Or should I tell them you have a few more z’s to catch?” “That’s not funny,” Emily pouted, though she of course couldn’t hide her smile. The next thing on her mind she knew what was likely the answer, but Joyce somehow made it feel okay for once to act naive. “Did.they see me sleeping?” Joyce cocked a brow as she tilted her head. “I mean, I guess?” She slightly laughed over the oddity. “Why does it matter?” “...It’s nothing.” Her brows then slightly furrowed. “No, it is not,” Joyce excused herself into the seat as she slid Emily further in for space. “You wouldn’t be asking something like that if it wasn’t.” “Nevermind. I’m just worrying about stuff I shouldn’t be,” Emily plainly spoke as she was already looking to get out of the car, but Joyce wasn’t budging. “Oh no, you don’t get to drop it that easily,” Joyce guided Emily’s cheeks into her hands as they locked eyes. “Talk to me, won’t you? When has there ever been a problem that us talking couldn’t solve, or at least make better?” Emily was quiet, and Joyce had fastly come to her own conclusion. “It’s okay to be yourself around my parents, you know? You’re the only one making this hard on yourself.” Even after all the pep-talks they’d already had, still she couldn’t seem to get through to her. “You promised me we’d have fun today, right? Being gloomy is the same as breaking your promise, you know?” She hoped some lighthearted humor would put some pep back into her mood, and it looked like it did somewhat, at least. “I don’t know why I can’t let it go,” Emily sounded pained and distressed. “I’ve just, I’ve never been in a situation like this before.” The words felt harder and harder to find. “Everything just feels so...so fast.” “...Because you’re with another woman?” “N, no, that’s not...” Emily tried to dismiss the idea, but when looking directly at Joyce, her voice trembled and her eyes became glossy. Could that really be it? No! She tried to deny it, but deep down the way her body was reacting was telling enough. It only made her feel worse to look back into her sympathetic smile. She’d been vulnerable to Joyce so many times, and had never been engaged with someone so intimately, ever, and especially not with the same sex. Nothing in her life right now felt old, generic, or usual. Everything was fresh, new, raw, and sensitive. The last thing she wanted to do though was admit her hesitation; admit her fear and apprehensions associated with Joyce. She loved her with all her heart, but that didn’t change the outward fears she held despite Joyce accepting her wholeheartedly, and for that reason she felt like scum. “It’s okay, alright?” “No it isn’t; it’s being rude to you!” As hated as Emily felt, she still threw herself into Joyce. “There’s nothing wrong with you, or your parents. It’s just because I’m so bad at accepting this! But I want to! I do! So why?” Yet, Joyce’s voice never wavered. “You’ve never been in a relationship like this before, right? Didn’t you say it yourself?” She stroked the girl’s hair. “Emily, I’d never be mad at you for something like that. In fact, I’m surprised you’ve been able to handle it this well so far.” If the shoe were on the other foot, Joyce would likely be in the same boat as Emily. Regardless of being a perfect match for each other, there were more factors to a relationship than just one-on-one intimacy, and now was a clear testament to that. “You have every right in the world to be scared, and I want to do everything in my power to keep you from feeling that way, but I need you to trust me if you want things to get better.” Joyce’s acceptance and understanding was beyond relieving, but Emily knew she shouldn’t expect anything less from her. “So, so you’re not mad?” “I could never be mad! Everything that’s happening now is new and different for us both. I can only imagine all the different odds and ends going on inside of your head right now; inside your heart. But I don’t want you to worry, because I know you love me; you’ve made that clear. Anything secondary to that is something I can handle, and if it’s something you want me to, I can help you work through.” “...I don’t deserve you.” “But I guess you’re still stuck with me,” Joyce snickered as she hugged Emily for just a moment. “I’m the one that doesn’t deserve you.” Emily was still nestled against her. “Can you help me?” Joyce answered her question with another. “That depends. Can you trust me?” “You know I do,” Emily mumbled, and Joyce silently agreed. The two exchanged looks once more. “Then try letting go today. Really try. And by that I mean don’t try.” Emily looked like a gear in her head had just been popped loose. Chuckling, Joyce tried to explain. “I mean that you should just go with the flow; have fun and don’t worry about your surroundings.” That sounded a lot like her alter ego. “But isn’t that like--?” Her question was quickly silenced. “And what’s wrong with borrowing a little from a more carefree mindset?” She smiled, knowing exactly who she was alluding to. “It won’t make you look like a baby, I promise. It’ll be a cure for all those butterflies in your stomach.” And as if on cue, a hand was suddenly tickling Emily’s stomach through the fabric of her dress. Just as she tried to push away Joyce’s other free arm was wrapped around her waist. “Okay! Okay!” Somehow she managed to plea between her helpless giggles. “Just let me go! You win!” “This, is the Emily I wanted to see today. And just so you know, my parents are practically in love with you already, so you can only do yourself a favor by enjoying yourself.” She helped her out of the car. “Thank you, Joyce. I think I feel better now.” “Good,” Joyce nodded approvingly. “If you were any gloomier, I would’ve had us skip the otters.” “You’re the one that wants to see them, not me,” Emily giggled. “You’re such a bad liar,” Joyce joked, sticking to her fabricated story. “I know you’re excited, so there’s no need to pretend.” Joyce happily took Emily’s hand as they strolled through the parking lot. Emily looked from side to side, seeing the few pockets of pedestrians navigate themselves from their cars to the guiding signs. “How big is this place?” Emily kept catching glances of endless cars between the cracks of many. “Decently sized, I think. Wanna ride on my shoulders and see?” Joyce smirked. Emily feigned a ‘hmmf.’ “I think I like my feet on the ground, thank you very much. How are we gonna find your mom and dad?” “My guess is they’re already waiting at the entrance.” The pair banked a left, thanks to the helpful lemur plastered to a giant, wooden arrow. “They’re probably talking about the ticket prices right now. You know how they are when it comes to money...” Joyce nearly rolled her eyes, but of course it was in good fun. “How much are they gonna be?” At the other end of the asphalt stretch, they could see the roofed ticket booth serving as the barrier between the outside lot and all the attractions. Thankfully it was warmer here than in the city, because they left behind their jackets. “Not sure? Not that you should be worrying about it, though,” she looked judgingly to Emily, who kept her eyes looking forward. Sure enough, the elderly couple were sat on a bench a decent distance away from the booth, a place that wasn’t submerged in passing people. “All rested up?” Frank chuckled as they rose from their seat to meet the two. There was a slight pause from Emily, but with a recent reminder in the back of her head, she tried her best to laugh as well. “Sorry about that… Maybe Joyce sorta does have a point about me and cars...” “Well I was saying earlier how impressive that is!” Emily only laughed. “You think I’m kidding, but really. I’d pay anything for a power like that!” He leaned in closer with a lower voice. “Heck, not sure how you did it with this one sitting next to you...” With an obvious gesture, he pointed to his wife, who looked equally as happy to see Emily cheerful, but also annoyed that it was at the expense of being her husband’s joke. “Would you quit it, will you? She’s gonna think we fight like cats and dogs when we’re alone!” “We don’t?” Mary didn’t seem to appreciate that comment. He looked to Emily worriedly. “I don’t think she liked that one...” While Emily served as Frank’s middleman, Joyce became one for Mary. “Joyce, you better keep Emily away from this guy. He’s always been a bad influence on newcomers to the family...” “Instead of these two animals right out here, how about we go watch some inside?” Joyce cheekily added. Emily tried to stifle a giggle, whilst Joyce’s parents gave her a look but inevitably a smirk. By the time they got in line they caught a spot that gave them express access to the teller. A teenage girl behind a glass window was happy to receive them, speaking through the multiple holes in the barrier. “Hi, welcome! Are you guys having a good day today?” “It’s been going well,” Joyce pleasantly replied. “Could I get four tickets, please?” “Sure thing. Just for the four of you, you said?” In her chair she spun to her left where she interacted with something they couldn’t see from the other side. Absentmindedly she counted off to herself. “One, two, three...and...one! That’ll be $55, please.” Everyone but Joyce quietly minded their personal gripes about the tall order, meanwhile she produced a card without a thought. After the transaction was made the tickets were given to each and every person. Thus far the moment was relatively mundane and neutral, but Emily frowned once she saw her ticket. For the most part it was normal, though the bold, printed text was a little bit too cruel than Emily would have liked. ‘1 CHILD ADMISSION’ She narrowed her brows just from looking at it. Not like it would fix anything, but Emily wordlessly flashed the print to Joyce as they were walking further in. She gave it a curious glance then with a smile quietly said, “No restraints today, right?” Pondering for just a few more moments, the ticket was back by her side as the steam factory died off early. Joyce suddenly started to giggle. “Besides, good going on saving us $5!” Like five dollars meant anything, though maybe the trivialness of it all was what had the corners of her mouth being tugged at. They deposited their tickets into the machines and passed through the rotating bars, now inside the animal kingdom. Already among the noises of people Emily could hear the faint chirps, squawks and squeaks of the avian wildlife, well, wild, sort of. And speaking of people, the place seemed to be a bit crowded, leaving little real estate for the individual. “Wow, there sure are a lot of people, huh?” Mary commented as they already gravitated to the side for refuge. “Mmm...” Joyce pensively agreed. “I’ll say. Why don’t I go grab us a map?” Frank suggested. He already started weaving himself back into the crowd. Seeing him with some distance also forced the imagination to consider him a beacon, seeing how his head stood well-above most of the passerby. Her eyes panned the sight, watching countless, indistinguishable heads of hair. They all looked to be around her height... “Remember girls, if you get lost, Frank the walking lighthouse will steer you to shore.” Joyce quietly watched him walk away, though still managing to track his head that stood just enough above the many others. It had gotten to the point where he was too far for Emily to see, unfortunately. The immediate crowd was too tall for even Frank’s exceptional footage to overcome. For some reason she felt like Mary’s little tip didn’t apply so well to her… Then, it took her a second to register that a hand took hold of hers. Spinning her head, she could see it was Joyce’s. “Why’d you do that?” Just to be clear, Emily held their interlocked fingers in front of them as physical proof. “...Because I felt like it,” Joyce said with a smile. Though, what she wasn’t letting on about was the odd feeling in her chest when she watched her dad walk away. Something about the massive numbers in the park, then looking over to Emm-ily… The tides of people seemed awfully unforgiving, and with her dad struggling to look like a sore thumb, that only meant it was even worse for the other end of the spectrum. Finding the average person in itself would be a challenge, and anything less than that... Whatever the reason, it oddly put her at ease to have a hand as proof of Emily’s whereabouts. She could already feel her inklings of anxiety drying up. “Alrighty, let’s see what we have here!” Frank’s voice snapped Joyce out of her mental jargon as he came back with a pamphlet in hand. “Needless to say, there’s plenty of attractions to keep us busy. What are we thinking about for the big stuff? Lions, bears, lynx, sphynx, pterodactyl, minotaur, dragon?” With each creature that deviated one step further from reality, the female trio looked at him with more and more confusion. As if her dad never rambled off his fantasy list to begin with, Joyce said, “My vote is the giraffes.” The passion she had in her expression made it hard for Emily not to laugh. Still facilitating their little democracy, Frank took a survey. “One for the giraffes. Any objections?” “None from me.” Emily shrugged. “Nope!” “Then...” Frank started chipperly, then quickly diverted his eyes back to the map. “...Away we go!” Suddenly with a direction in mind, he led the line with Emily and Joyce at the caboose, still linked by their local chain; hand to hand. Again, to Emily it felt that there was something strange going on, but trying to keep her promise, she kept pushing her needless concerns to the back of her mind. They knew they’d found them when giant, yellow brown-spotted necks carefully and artfully angling themselves to the hanging branches and leaves came into view. Even with the people blocking the display in front of them, Emily could still see the living skyscrapers and their complacent, calm looks that made them all the more majestic as they roamed their miniature habitat. “Whoa...that’s, really tall.” Emily didn’t really have anything intelligent to say, though that didn’t stop her from unloading her stream of consciousness. She looked up to Joyce who had the slight advantage. “Can you see if there are any more in there?” “That’s a good question...” Joyce answered, but was admittedly a little captivated by the larger than life creatures. She leaned forward the slightest bit on her toes. “Dad, can you see anything?” “Ah...let’s see...Yep! Think I do. See by that rock over there? There’s a little speck of yellow moving?” “Oh, you’re right!” Mary jumped in. “It must still be a baby, it’s so tiny! Well, tiny to the parents, I suppose.” The mere sight of its adorably frail and clumsy body made Joyce’s heart flutter. It reminded her so much of any newborn of any species; young, innocent, naive, and silly. “It’s so cute!” The other spectators seemed to agree, because it was apparently doing something that had everyone giving it ‘coos’ and ‘awws.’ Meanwhile, Emily managed to slip herself by a few people and politely excuse herself between the congestion to reach the high glass wall. Now that the other side was clear as day, she could understand what had everyone so captivated. On four shaky legs, a newborn struggled to support itself as it shakily scurried about. Whether it be the mother or father, it seemed to gravitate to either one as it looked to and fro, completely and amusingly oblivious to its surroundings and watchers. She couldn’t take her eyes off of it as her heart swayed and jumped with each suspenseful moment it looked as if the baby would fall over. At some point he was trying to hone in on a bush, and also at some point Emily decided in her head he was a ‘he’ He just managed his way over and helped himself to a few leaves, and Emily let out a small breath of relief. Where Mary, Joyce, and Frank were closer together, they were all soaking in the sight for a few moments longer. “Did you know their tongues are black?” Mary said, throwing in a little fun fact. “I suppose that would make sense,” Joyce thought for a second. “They’re mostly from Africa, so it’s because of the sun, right?” “Makes sense to me. And those things are miles long!” Frank seemingly awestruck said. “We should go on a safari sometime, hon...” “Maybe we should sometime. We’ll have to get the whole family to go,” Mary said, then with an increasingly alluding tone, looked to Joyce. Then she looked a little past her with a curious look. “Speaking of which, where did Emily go off to?” “Where? She’s right...” Joyce turned her head to where she expected her to be, but was a little dumbfounded when she wasn’t. It was against her better judgement, but an uncomfortable feeling gripped her. “Dad? Can you see her?” She was already moving from her spot, hoping she knew where to find her. All she saw were people that weren’t Emily, and further obstacles to her discovery. She could call her, but… “Emily?” Joyce already started to call her name out. “Emily? You out there?” “Emily? Hon, where’d ya go?” Frank in his much deeper, unintentionally commanding voice called, causing a few heads to turn. Emily suddenly heard her name twice over, and froze up a little over the sound of being called out. Did they really think she was lost? No, it wasn’t their fault. It felt more to Emily that she was lost. Though, after a few more seconds left to her own devices she found a devious idea lurking in the shadows of her head. Keeping close to the display glass, she walked along the side, reaching the outside edge of the crowd of spectators with a neverending smirk, anticipating the big reveal. “Emily?” Joyce tried to raise her voice, and there was an unmistakable tinge of shakiness to it. Why was she getting so worried? Emily, her partner, her girlfriend, was a fully fledged adult. She could take care of herself, so why was there that awkward sense of responsibility tethered to Joyce’s fears? “Have you tried calling her phone yet?” Mary suggested. “I’m gonna try right now...” She already had her phone in hand and was calling her. She tapped her foot impatiently. Couldn’t these things ring any faster? Emily could feel her phone vibrating in the pocket of her shorts, and she likely knew who it was. She felt unusually cruel doing this, though she was hoping the humorous factor would outweigh the panic she hoped there was little of right now. It went to voicemail, and her heart sank. “She didn’t pick up...” Joyce kept looking around. Was she playing a trick? For a joke, this annoyed her to no end. Then again, how could Emily know she was feeling this way? There were two different voices inside her head, fighting for emotional control, and one seemed to be much more passionate than the other. “Dad, please? Do you see anything?” Emily was thinking back to the kitchen as she slowly crept up behind a familiar back. Clad in her diaper, somehow Joyce knew she was coming and in fact got the jump on her. Something told her now though that the tables weren’t going to be turned at the last minute. With a smirk, and a slight opening to make her pounce, she leaped forward, shouting, “Boo!” A pair of arms wrapped around her waist as the sudden force from behind made her take a step forward. She easily undid the girl’s grip, then spun around to look at her. Emily, expecting a laugh and typical Joyce-like comment, instead found a distressed look on the verge of tears. “Where were you? I tried calling you!” Taken aback, Emily awkwardly said, “I thought it would be funny if...” It seems Joyce’s idea about the trick was right on the nose, and it bothered her to no end on a personal level that she herself couldn’t see it that way. “It wasn...” Joyce paused for a moment to rub her eyes and take a breath. “Just please, don’t do it again?” She could go on as to why it shook her so much, but her personal gripes didn’t matter nearly as much as Emily’s wellbeing. Emily, now looking remorseful, didn’t feel so worthy of physical affection nor a lighthearted laugh anymore. “Joyce, I didn’t mean...” Emily’s voice was thick. She wanted to think that she was following Joyce’s instructions from the car, but now it didn’t feel so much as a carefree attitude. She never considered that the idea of actually being gone might terrify her lover. Joyce was the first to initiate the hug, who more than either one was craving the physical affection. “I’m not mad, I promise. You just scared me a little, that’s all...” Feeling all the familiar parts of her beloved was a welcomed comfort. “Oh, you found her?” Mary found the pair hugging, and Frank soon followed after. “Where did you go, Emily?” “I needed to get a little closer to see the giraffes,” she sounded a little sheepish. “Sorry if you guys thought I was lost...” “I think you may have given our daughter a scare...” Frank said, noting the now calmer-looking Joyce. Emily looked a little lower to the ground. “I think I overreacted,” Joyce laughed it off, and Emily could feel the spear run through her chest from the mere sound of her words. She knew she was pretending now that her parents were here, and now there lay a problem that was swept under the rug, to which Emily sat at the root of. “But I’ve got her now.” Joyce’s arms wrapped around her shoulders, the kind of contact Emily didn’t feel so deserving of. Mary looked over to her husband. “How about we go see another pen? We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.” “Sounds good to me. You ever see a black bear before, Emily?” “No… Well, once, I think.” Much to everyone’s dismay by varying degrees, she sounded reserved again. “Not in the wild, I hope?” “No,” Emily forced a smile. “At a sanctuary.” Frank and Mary took the lead once more, and Emily was waiting for Joyce to let go of her hand, but she didn’t. “Joyce, I’m sorry about what I did… I wasn’t thinking that you might be scared.” “No, I’m the one in the wrong. I should’ve been clear with you from the start...” “About what?” “There’s just a lot of people here, that’s all...” Joyce seemed a bit nervous. “I don’t want us to get separated.” “...But, you know I’m not Emmy right now, right?” “...I do.” “So, then, don’t you think you’re being a little overprotective right now?” “I am, but...” “But why not trust me a little? Aren’t we equals?” “We are, but that doesn’t change how you’re vulnerable!” Her reasoning was sudden and came from the wrong place. “Then what about in the city? When you took me to get a phone? You didn’t feel the need to hold my hand constantly then?” “Wouldn’t you agree that things are different now?” Joyce knew better than to ramble off like this, but she wanted to make her point clean and clear. “You’re my responsibility, Emily, just as much as I am yours.” “Well I don’t think I need to hold your hand to make sure you don’t get lost, Joyce.” “Emily, please, I don’t want to argue, that's not what I mean...” “So do I have a point, then? Joyce, I know you’re telling me to be carefree, but I’m already getting treated like a child everywhere we go by every stranger we meet! Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?” She didn’t mean it, but the implication of betrayal cut deep into her partner. “Please? Just put a little faith in me?” Emily could feel her grip go limp and soon her hand was back by her own side. It was a victory, somewhat, but it didn’t feel like one. She looked at Joyce’s back, which felt incredibly cold now. Emily was right. Joyce should know better than to belittle her like that. Looking back on it, not once has she been there for her today. It’s been countless compromise after compromise, slowly inching towards a field out of Emily’s favor. She didn’t have a right to be angry or sad with Emily. She was able to leave their secret relationship behind closed doors, so why couldn’t Joyce? Even with that all in mind, it felt like she was severing a limb to let go of Emily’s hand. All those worries and fears she talked herself into from earlier were coming back in full swing. Totally unfounded, baseless, and likely untrue, yet loud and rambunctious nonetheless. She didn’t feel this terrible since the night of Emily’s recovery dinner. “J...Joyce?” Emily weakly called. Freedom had been achieved, but at what cost? “...I’m fine. I just need some time to think.” She didn’t sound fine, and it made Emily’s chest ache with a horrible throb. “Please, can we talk? I don’t want to leave it like this,” Emily sounded a bit desperate. More than anything she didn’t want to upset the one person who could accept and reciprocate her so wholeheartedly. She couldn’t bear the thought of screwing up the paradise she’d discovered in the ashes of misery and despair. How could the scales have tipped so quickly? Emily could already hear Frank and Mary’s voices ahead. There wouldn’t be time for discussion, and thus the sour mood would linger, and that was a thought she couldn’t stand. She ruined everything with her stupid and selfish ideas. Joyce had every right to be disappointed in her. She provides so much, so why couldn’t Emily give her a simple gesture as peace of mind? How inconsiderate could she be? She was an ungrateful backstabber. “Joyce, look at the size of this thing!” Frank called to her, stealing glances back through the glass. “It’s as big as me!” “I’m sure he has better humor than yours,” Mary jabbed. “Well, I don’t think I’d be able to bear the thought of that.” Mary sighed while her husband laughed at himself. Joyce smiled as she joined the duo. “Did you lose her again?” Mary smirked. “You ought to keep her on a leash, sweetie.” She felt cold hearing the words. Turning around, there was no fourth member on their way. She was gone.