MistyTales

Wow, so many reviews, thank you all very much for taking the time to read and write a review. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough free time to write a sequel, but now the fourth part is ready: The antique clock above the entrance displayed 5:59 PM. In a world where dreams had become a commodity that could be bought, sold, or traded, such an antique was a rarity. Nobody knew exactly why it hadn't been replaced with a modern digital chronometer. Perhaps it was an artistic concept or a nostalgic glance at the past from an unknown designer, or maybe no one simply cared about it. Alex stood at the main entrance of the "Dream" corporation building, counting the seconds until the end of the workday. 55, 54, 53... "Seems like everyone has already emerged from their dreams," he thought. 30, 29, 28... Alex recalled the standard question that sounded after each immersion: "End of simulation. Save?" 15, 14, 13... "Will she think poorly of me?" 3, 2, 1. With a slight click, the clock hands converged on mark - 6 o'clock - the workday was over. A stream of uniformly dressed corporation workers burst from the building, and the silence was replaced by hundreds of voices of his colleagues. Steps, conversations, car noises - all of it combined into one noisy and chaotic hum. Alex intently watched the stream of people, trying to discern among the countless male and female figures the face of the girl who had turned his life upside down today. Emily never showed up. Unable to wait any longer, Alex went back into the building. "John, where is Emily's office?" he asked the security guard. "Hold on," the hulk of a man always treated Alex kindly and with some affection. "12.56.B, but it looks like she's already left. About an hour and a half ago." "Thank you," Alex mumbled disappointedly. He left the building and got into the first taxi he came across. As he drove away, he cast a final glance at the clock - 9:00 PM. "It feels as though only an hour has passed," Alex thought. Never in his life had he spent so much time waiting for someone. The man found himself once again in a sterile white space, pondering what to do next. He didn't know what to call his home sessions—work nights or days. "Well, let's keep it simple and as realistic as possible." With those words, Alex took a deep breath and got to work. He found himself in a grey concrete room. A window appeared on the wall, slightly ajar. Alex approached it, fully opened it, and looked outside. The window overlooked a quiet green lane, with cozy houses lined up on both sides. A blooming rosehip bush below exuded a faint sweet scent, barely perceptible. "Excellent," he thought, and closed the window halfway. "I'll add a little more." With those words, Alex sprinkled some dust on the windowsill. A warm breeze rustled the curtains, filling the room with the scent of rosehip, and Alex with inspiration. The walls changed color to beige. "Boring," the man decided, and with a wave of his hand, he repainted the room in a tender blue. Here and there on the walls, at half a meter level, traces of pencil drawings made by an unsteady child's hand were visible. "That's better," noted the man. Then a bed, a bedside table with a night lamp, a toy shelf, a children's wardrobe with neatly hung clothes appeared in the room. One T-shirt had fallen off the hanger and was lying on the floor. Animal stickers adorned the wardrobe doors. The man's feet sunk into the soft fluffy carpet, and an eccentric chandelier in the shape of the solar system lit up on the ceiling. A small chest of drawers with a changing table appeared in the corner of the room. "Well, let it be. The parents haven't had time to get rid of it yet," Alex thought of his choice. He walked over to the toy shelf and picked out a few. The car he held in his hands was missing one wheel, and the plush teddy bear looked like the room's little owner's favorite toy. Satisfied with himself, Alex tossed his toys onto the bed and approached the mirror. It was time to work on his image. In a moment, a four-year-old toddler grinned back at him from the reflection. The boy's hair stuck out in all directions, his shirt was half-tucked into his shorts, and a streak of dirt was visible on his cheek. "I think I overdid it," he laughed brightly. Straightening his shirt and smearing the trace of some adventure on his cheek, Alex tried to fix his hair with his hands. The result was not particularly great, but he was quite pleased with it. "What should I do next?" the boy looked around. His gaze fell on a box with a wooden train set in the corner of the room. Elated, he overturned the box, spilling all its contents onto the floor. Numerous tracks and crossings appeared on the floor of the nursery. Alex built newer and newer intersections. The steam train brought new parts, and the boy diligently attached them to the existing track, trying not to accidentally break what was built a moment ago. Of course, he could have done everything with one wave of his hand, but right now the process was more important to him than the result. Having had his fill of playing with trains, Alex collected all the pieces into the box and returned it to its place in the corner of the room. He approached the mirror again. "What if I try..." he uttered aloud, blushing at his own thoughts. "No one will know anyway," with these words, he sat down in front of the mirror, focused, and closed his eyes. After a minute of intense work, he looked around. The room seemed larger to him... no, he had become smaller. The mirror reflected a toddler who looked barely a year old. "About ten months... probably," Alex estimated his reflection. He tried to stand up, but having not even lasted ten seconds, he fell to the floor. The diaper softened his sudden fall, the boy softly cursed the unexpected limitations of his body, but instead of clear words, it came out as amusing babble. "I need to try to entertain myself with something," he decided. In another corner of the room lay a tiny xylophone. Without much thought, Alex crawled towards the toy. It turned out that in his current state, he crawled much faster than he walked, and in general, it seemed more natural to him. After playing with the xylophone for a while, the boy got bored again. "Of course, being alone at this age is not that interesting," the toddler thought to himself and was already planning to return to his previous state, but before doing that, he wanted to check one more thing. He crawled to the bed and, holding onto it, cautiously got to his knees, and then to his feet. A meter away from him lay his beloved teddy bear. "Let's see what it's like - learning to walk". Alex began to carefully step from one foot to the other, moving sideways along the bed. Step by step, he got closer to the toy. All the time that he had been in this body, his diaper had become noticeably heavy. "Realism, what else can you say..." he thought, not taking his eyes off his target. Finally, level with the bear, he rose on his toes, reached out, and grabbed the bear. "Got you!" the baby squeaked joyfully, but again losing his balance, he fell to the floor. Alex lay on the floor and watched as the pendants on his chandelier gently swung from the warm summer breeze. The birds outside had quieted down, which meant it was time to prepare for sleep, or to be precise, for waking up. "End of simulation. Save?" the familiar inscription lit up. "Not this time" Alex clicked on the icon with a red cross. He would save everything in a more reliable place - in his memories. A new workday began. "You left early yesterday," Alex addressed Emily. They both were already sitting in their chairs, ready to start working. "Yes, I had things to do, I asked Edward. Did you want something?" "No, nothing special," the man waved off. "Let's get started." They clinked glasses filled with sleep cocktail and drank them in one gulp, then leaned back in their chairs. The dream recording machine hummed quietly, capturing their brain waves, and Emily, as always, took Alex's hand before they both fell asleep. "Any ideas?" Emily asked her now traditional question. "Yes, there are!" "Wow, then you start," she smiled in response. "Turn around and close your eyes!" he suggested to her. "Seems like you're in a good mood today" Emily closed her eyes and prepared. She caught a faint scent of rosehip. "Can I open them now?" she asked. "No, one more minute." "Okay." "All ready, open them!" Alex finally permitted. Emily looked around. She was in a children's room, almost the same as the one Alex had created the day before. The only difference was that there were beds on either side of the window - one obviously intended for her, and the other for her colleague. Twilight was already falling outside the window and the warm yellowish light from two nightlights filled the room with tranquility. Emily looked at Alex, he had already taken the form of a four-year-old boy. "Well, what do you think?" he cheerfully asked her. "It's great," Emily replied. "Everything is so simple and yet unusual." "Look at yourself," the boy took her by the hand and led her to a mirror, in which two children of the same age were reflected. The boy was smiling happily, and the girl was examining herself in surprise. After a brief silence, Emily said, "You learn very quickly." She adjusted the bow on her head and straightened the white dress that her colleague had specially created for her. "Well, shall we play?" she suggested. Alex was not ready for this. He had already thought out the script for this evening, but he did not want to limit his friend in her creative flight, so he agreed without hesitation. "Let's, but what shall we play?" "Silly, of course we're going to play tea party," the girl exclaimed cheerfully. "But that's a girls' game," he said, disappointed. "We'll fix that now," Emily laughed, and was already raising her hand to help Alex fit more comfortably into the "girls' game." He hastily waved his hands. "Wait, no need! Let's just do it as it is, tea party it is," the boy was not ready for this turn of events. "She's incredible!" Alex watched Emily with admiration as she set up the toy tea set on the floor and seated the plush toys. "Even in my dream, which I had thought out from start to finish, she managed to surprise me," he thought to himself. "Would you like some tea?" the girl asked in a ringing voice. The game began. The children chatted and laughed. The plush bunny was constantly trying to beg for an extra candy, and the bear was offering everyone to try the most delicious linden honey. To Alex's surprise, he got completely carried away by the game, so much so that Emily even had to stop him. "Well, the tea is over, and so is the jam," the girl cheerfully summed up. "Alright," he replied, with a tinge of sadness in his voice. Together, they put the toys back into the cupboard and each settled down on their own bed. "So what are we going to do now?" the girl looked questioningly at Alex. It was time to return to his script, he decided, and said: "Well, it's getting late, time to brush our teeth and go to bed." "Oh, I see..." Emily's voice held notes of disappointment. The children headed for the bathroom. After diligently brushing their teeth, they returned to the room where their pajamas were already waiting on their beds. Having changed, the boy and girl lay down in their beds. "Good night, Emily!" said Alex and turned off his night light. "Good night!" she responded in confusion and did the same. The room fell dark. "Is that it?" Emily wondered. "If it wasn't for the tea party, sleep would have been very short." "It's about to start..." Alex tightly shut his eyes. A gust of wind broke into the room and stirred the curtains. "Oh!" the girl shrieked in surprise and sat up on her bed, hugging her knees to her chest. Alex also raised himself slightly and looked triumphantly at Emily. "Finally, I managed to surprise you," he thought. With the gust of wind, the room filled with the freshness of the night, but there was something unusual in the air, something that smelled of adventure... Suddenly a little star flew into the room through the window. It whirled around Alex, then flew over to Emily and lit her surprised face with a soft golden light. Then it rose to the ceiling and hung between the beds. "Hello, kiddos!" the star greeted. "Hello..." Emily responded timidly, clearly unprepared for such a turn of events. "Do you want to fly with me?" "Of course, we do," answered Alex, secretly glancing at his friend. "Let's fly!" exclaimed the star and left the room. "What is that?" Emily asked Alex in amazement. "Childhood dreams! Isn't that an important part of being a child?" he joyfully replied. They climbed out the window, where they were already awaited. Alex and Emily clambered onto the moon, which turned out to be as warm and soft as a pillow. For tonight, this was their mode of transport. "Follow me quickly!" the star shouted to them as it soared upwards. The moon, along with the children, shot up into the sky, leaving their house and their cozy nursery far below. They flew through the night sky, mountains, lakes, forests, cities passing by below. The vistas took their breath away. "How beautiful..." Emily murmured. Alex only smiled in response, knowing that it was not the end yet. The little star twirled around them: "And now, even higher!" Planets, other stars, and comets flew by. "Look, these are all my friends. Here's a comet, it's not very talkative, and that meteor, although unsociable, is very kind," the little star introduced the celestial inhabitants. "Want to play tag?" it suggested. "We do!" the children replied in unison. Alex moved to a small comet, while Emily stayed on the moon. The three of them joyously flew around the night sky, trying to catch each other, laughing, and leaving a trail of stardust. But then, playtime came to an end. "It's time for you to go to your beds, and I have other children to visit!" their new star friend announced. They descended to the window of their house. Emily climbed in first, followed by Alex. "See you soon!" and the little star shot upwards. "How was it?" Alex asked as he climbed into the window, but Emily didn't answer. They were not in their room, which they had recently left. The boy and girl stood at the beginning of a long corridor with doors on either side, dimly lit by lamp light. "It's not me," Alex said, stunned by what he saw. "I know," Emily replied. "It's me." She was trembling, tears streaming down her cheeks. Alex took a hesitant step forward. "Stop, don't go," the girl halted him. Alex looked at his friend. It seemed that she was about to pass out. "We need to leave!" he said and pinched himself and the girl's hand as hard as he could. Regaining consciousness, Alex jumped up from his chair and looked at Emily. "How are you? What was that place?" he asked. "We've been there before, you said it was some kind of your experiment!" Emily couldn't answer, she just silently opened her mouth, rubbing the hand Alex had pinched. "It's the palace of dreams..." she managed to whisper.

Chapter 3 He sat in his old armchair, pondering the events of the past day. Outside the window of the small two-room apartment, it was already getting dark, and a light October rain began to patter on the windowsill. Alex tried to get more comfortable, and the armchair responded with a faint creak. "I should have thrown it out a long time ago," he noted to himself, but for some reason, he couldn't part with his old friend. Alex glanced at the clock – five minutes to eight, too early to sleep, but too late to start something new. He went to the kitchen and took a small pack of pills from a cabinet. On the backside of the blister pack were inscriptions – 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 90 minutes. Alex pressed a green pill, corresponding to 30 minutes of sleep, onto his palm. "Perhaps I should practice a little," he thought and returned to his creaky armchair. Leaning back and placing the pill under his tongue, a few moments later, Alex was standing in a white room. "Let's begin," he said to himself and waved his hand through the air. Of course, it wasn't necessary, but such gestures helped him focus and somehow separate the flow of his imagination. The space around him transformed into the room from which he had just been taken to the world of dreams. Alex sat in an identical armchair, which, this time, made no sound. Waving his hand once more, a small child's chair appeared in front of him, with a plush teddy bear sitting on it. Alex picked up the toy, its tiny black button eyes attentively looking at their creator. Another moment later, the brown plush fur turned white and then became entirely pink. Alex held it in his hands for a little while longer. "No, it's all wrong," he said with annoyance and tossed the toy aside. Before it could reach the floor, the bear dissolved into the air. The man stood up and walked over to a large mirror hanging on the opposite side of the room. He closed his eyes, concentrated, and looked at his reflection again. A 3-year-old boy, resembling himself from just a few hours ago, looked back at him from the mirror. Alex carefully examined his new appearance – chubby cheeks, a snub little nose, large gray-blue eyes, but something was missing. The face looked more like a mask, albeit an almost perfect one. Alex closed his eyes again, now he was seven years old, his facial features became sharper, he grew taller, but still resembled a doll more than a living person. Some detail eluded him, not allowing the image to become truly alive. The pill's effect wore off, and the man came to his senses. "I'm missing something," he thought, and lost in thought, he moved to his laptop. "Well, let's try again to see what's so special about this dream." Among hundreds of dream titles, Alex found "Childhood. Beach." Author: Alex Smith. "She's modest," a thought flashed through his mind. "Download," Alex clicked the button and began preparing to dive in. The screen displayed a message: "Access Denied." "What do you mean, denied?" he said out loud. Alex tried to download the dream again, but the result remained unchanged. This could only happen in one case – if someone was editing the dream. "Someone is sitting there right now, editing my dream!" A fire ignited inside the man. "What is this person doing with my dream?" For a moment, Alex imagined an inexperienced editor lying in an armchair, mercilessly cutting all his memories. They didn't like the color of the bucket, or they were already changing the weight of the wet sand so it wouldn't be as heavy for the client to carry. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Alex slammed the table with all his might. The mug standing on the edge fell and shattered, leaving a brown puddle on the floor. The sound of breaking glass interrupted the sudden fit of rage. "What's happening to me?" Alex had never experienced such feelings before. "It's just a dream, like the hundreds of others I've created. Jealousy?" Outside, it had finally grown dark. Alex took a small jar of "Dream Blocker" pills from a drawer in the table. He took a pill and headed to the bedroom; tonight, he needed a simple, ordinary dream. The day hadn't started well from the very beginning. First, Alex overslept, which had never happened to him before. Second, he couldn't figure out what was so special about that dream, in his childhood image, that he couldn't recreate it, and this mystery tormented him. The elevator slowed down, gave off a soft "ding," and the doors opened. "Finally!" Edward greeted the tardy man. "I was getting tired of waiting for you." Alex hurriedly ran through the reasons for his tardiness in his head. He was sure that the boss wouldn't miss an opportunity to give a long and boring speech about work discipline. But instead of a lecture about responsibility and how every employee must be on time, he heard: "This is fantastic, you've outdone yourself!" Edward didn't skimp on compliments. "The dream was so light and poignant." Taken aback, Alex admitted, "I was a little late, but I can assure you that…" "Forget it, it's a minor issue. I understand that after SUCH work, you need a good rest," Edward interrupted the emerging stream of excuses. "Now go to the shared simulation room, Emmy is already there waiting for you, and the client is waiting for the continuation." With these words, Edward patted Alex on the shoulder as if they were old friends. "How much did they pay for this dream that got Edward so excited?" With that thought, Alex entered the shared simulation room. Emily was already sitting in a chair, immersed in the world of dreams. "Emmy," thought Alex. "Strange, but why haven't I ever called her that before?" He downed a glass of sleep-inducing cocktail in one gulp, sat in a chair next to her, and prepared to join his colleague. Cold lamps flooded the entire space of the long corridor with an unpleasant, deathly pale light. Doors, all alike, lined the walls. At the very end, a girl stood with her back to him. Without seeing her face, it was difficult to tell her age, but Alex would have guessed she was no older than five. "Emmy," he called out to her. The girl turned around, and at that very moment, the surrounding space shattered into thousands of pieces, and they were once again in a white, sterile environment. Surprised, Alex turned away, and when he looked back at Emily, she appeared before him in her adult form. "What was that place?" "Oh, nothing special, just an experiment." Emily clearly didn't want to discuss the topic, and Alex decided not to insist, after all, everyone has their own skeletons in the closet. "Edward said that your dream was a success," he continued. "Ours," Emily corrected him. "Alright, ours," he agreed. "Shall we proceed with the continuation?" "Yes, I mean no, I have a question," from the outside, it looked like a student who hadn't quite grasped the material from the last lesson and was now too shy to ask a question. "What is it?" Emily sincerely looked at her colleague. "How did you manage to make me so... alive?" Now Alex not only looked like a student, but also felt the same. "I tried yesterday to recreate my appearance, but I ended up with a plastic doll, not a living child," he helplessly spread his hands, which only added more resemblance to the image of an inexperienced student. "Show me what you've managed to create." "Here..." Alex was already standing in front of her as a 4-year-old child, for some reason dressed in pajamas. Emily squatted down and began to examine the boy. She carefully touched his chin and turned the child's head first to the left, then to the right, examining every detail. Then, holding onto his shoulders, Emily turned the little one around to face her back. Alex obediently carried out all the actions and didn't ask any questions. "Did you try to create anything else?" she asked. "Yes," said Alex, turning around and handing her a stuffed bear. Emily took the toy from the boy's hands. She ran her hand over the soft fur of the toy and returned it to the child. "Maybe this is better?" she asked. Alex took the bear. The plush friend hadn't changed... almost. Spots appeared in some places, and in others, the fur was slightly matted, probably the result of not-so-clean hands of the little toy's owner. Overall, the bear gained the appearance of not a new, but apparently dearly loved toy, with which the child never parted for a moment. The boy silently continued to examine the bear, stroking it and smiling. "And now look at yourself," Emily brought him back to reality. Alex raised his eyes to the mirror floating in the air. In the reflection was him - cheerful, snub-nosed, and... alive. There was no trace left of the doll-like face. "What have you done?" he asked in confusion. "Still don't get it?" Emily laughed. "Perfection lies in imperfection. You try to make everything perfect, without the slightest flaws, but that doesn't happen. So you made your face absolutely symmetrical, and I simply enlarged one eye." Indeed, Alex now saw that his left eye was slightly larger than the right. If no one had told him about it, he would never have noticed the difference on his own. Emily watched as Alex grasped the truth that had been revealed to him. "Well, shall we continue our dream? Do you have any ideas?" she asked. "I don't know..." Alex was still examining himself in the mirror, not even attempting to return to work. "Any ideas?" Emily repeated, but without receiving an answer, the girl snapped her fingers, and the mirror dissolved into the air. "No ideas," the boy admitted. "What ideas can there be if I've created so many worlds but still haven't managed to create a living me?" he thought. The architect caught himself feeling a bit envious of Emily. "In that case, I have an idea, but it's a bit strange, and I'm not sure you'll like it." Alex finally looked at Emmy, having recovered from the shock. "Anything," he said. The girl beamed. "Great!" she said. "But be prepared that everything will be a little unusual." Alex didn't answer and readied himself for new adventures. "I'd like to try recreating an event that almost no one remembers," Emily began. By this time, the white, lifeless world had transformed. They found themselves on a quiet, cozy street with low houses. The trees lining the road spread their canopies, creating pleasant shade. There was a sense of peace and tranquility in the air. "Close your eyes, please," Emily addressed him. Alex obediently closed his eyes, listening to the surrounding birdsong and the lazy hum of the quiet town. He felt himself back in the stroller, but this time the sensations were different, not like on the beach. The stroller began to move, gently pressing its little passenger against the soft backrest. Without opening his eyes, Alex wanted to lean forward slightly but felt the straps restraining his movement "Interesting, I wonder why she buckled me in," he thought. "Anyway... what difference does it make now?" The stroller slowed down and eventually came to a stop. "Are you still sitting with your eyes closed?" he heard Emily's joyful and surprised voice. Alex opened his eyes and saw the face of his... he didn't even know who. At that moment, he probably wanted to call her a friend. Behind her, he saw the white door of a small two-story house. Emily turned the key in the lock, there was a quiet click, and the door creaked open. "Perfection in imperfection," Alex remembered her words. Emily wheeled Alex, like a little king, inside the house, and what he saw made his heart beat faster. The entire room was decorated with colorful balloons. Paper lanterns divided the ceiling into sections, gently swaying in the air currents. On the opposite wall from the entrance, a large balloon in the shape of the number one floated, tied to a weight. "Happy Birthday!" Emily exclaimed joyfully. She leaned over the stroller, deftly unbuckled the straps holding the boy, easily picked up the baby, and set him on his feet. Alex took his first uncertain step, wobbled backward, and plopped down on the floor. Strangely, it didn't hurt at all but was rather amusing. "Be careful, little one," Emily said tenderly. "Go check out your gifts," she pointed to a pile of boxes in the middle of the room. Alex made another attempt. He cautiously got to his feet and, shifting from one foot to the other, headed toward the indicated target. "What a nuisance, what's getting in the way?" he thought as he took another small step. "A diaper," enlightenment dawned on the child. Alex blushed for a moment, realizing the extent of detail in the dream that Emily had created for him. The toddler lost his balance again and ended up back on the floor. "Well, what did I expect?" he thought, impatiently eyeing the heap of presents. "Alright, let's try a different way," with these thoughts, the boy got on all fours and quickly crawled to the center of the room, moving his hands and legs. Emily laughed, marveling at the resourcefulness of her colleague. "You never cease to amaze!" she cheerfully said, watching the little one crawl away. Finally reaching the gifts, Alex began tearing off the wrapping paper. There was a little bit of everything: toy xylophone and drum, stacking rings, various stuffed animals, and wooden puzzles. Everything was bright, festive, and so childlike. Of course, among all the toys, the blocks received special attention. Alex ripped open the package and began to enthusiastically build all sorts of imaginable and unimaginable structures. Despite his young age, he remained an architect at heart. For a while, Emily watched her colleague playing and crawling on the floor with a tender smile. Then, she went to the kitchen and started preparing a festive dinner. When everything was ready, she returned to the boy and sat down beside him. "Little one, it's time to eat," she said. Alex, momentarily pausing from the construction of another tower, looked at her and nodded affirmatively. The girl easily picked up the boy and took him to the kitchen, where a festive meal of boiled turkey and broccoli awaited him. Seating the child in a highchair, Emily put on a bib that had appeared out of nowhere and placed a plate of delicious and healthy food in front of the little one. "Broccoli, I can't stand it. Is there anything else?" the child grimaced and looked at her questioningly. "Oh, I totally forgot," Emily caught herself and snapped her fingers. But nothing seemed to happen, and the kitchen was silent. "So, how about a steak?" Alex wanted to say, but all that came out were the incoherent words of protest that a one-year-old child would usually utter. The boy stared at Emily, offended. "Realism in everything," she encouraged him and patted his chubby cheek. "Let me help you a little," she said, taking a fork from the table. Strangely enough, every time Alex tried to dodge another bite of "delicious and healthy food," Emily managed to trick him and shove another mouthful into his mouth. Soon, an empty plate stood before him. "And now, cake!" Emily announced cheerfully. This sounded much more appetizing. In an instant, a huge cake with bears and flowers made of airy cream stood on the table in front of the boy. In the center of the cake was a single lit candle. "Oh, one more detail," Emily said, placing a festive hat with the inscription "Happy Birthday!" on Alex's head. "Blow out the candle and don't forget to make a wish!" Alex hesitated for a moment and blew with all his might. The candle went out, and a thin stream of white smoke rose into the air. "Hooray, happy birthday!" Emily clapped her hands. "I'll cut you a piece now," she said, turning away to fetch a plate for the little birthday boy. Alex mischievously smiled and plunged his entire tiny hand straight into the center of the cake, retrieving the tastiest piece from the depths. He began to eat it with enthusiasm. "Oh," Emily turned around and saw the already quite messy boy. "But then again..." she said, pushing aside the now unnecessary plate and picking up a small spoon. She sat down opposite Alex, smiled, and broke off a small piece with the spoon. "Happy birthday, little one!" When Alex was no longer able to continue the festive feast, Emily removed the bib that looked rather funny on the cake-covered child. "Let's go wash up and rest a bit," she said, lifting the child out of the high chair. In the bathroom, Emily washed Alex and removed his cake-stained clothes. "Now let's change and go to sleep," the girl announced the further plans, carrying the boy, now only in a diaper, to the bedroom. She laid him on the changing table. "No, this is too much," thought Alex about the upcoming procedure. He tried to object, but couldn't manage to say anything coherent. It wasn't that he couldn't remember the words or form sentences, but his mouth refused to speak them. Alex began to fidget, twist, and vehemently resist the procedure. Emily understood what was going on. "Don't be shy, it's just a dream," she encouraged him, and it worked. Quickly finishing with the outfit change, Emily dressed the boy in a cozy pajama onesie and put him to bed. Sitting down beside him, she gently rocked his crib, humming a long-forgotten lullaby. For a while, the boy tried to resist the encroaching drowsiness, but the vivid impressions and cake in his stomach did their job, and within a few minutes, Alex was sound asleep in his crib. "Simulation over. Save?" the screen routinely greeted Alex. He sat in the chair, afraid to move. Two silver streaks ran down the man's cheeks, disappearing somewhere in his thick beard. Emily approached her colleague with concern. "How are you?" she inquired, looking at Alex. "Did you enjoy your first birthday?" Alex shifted his gaze from the void to his friend. "That really was my first birthday. Thank you," he replied and closed his tear-reddened eyes.

Hello everyone, I started a new story Available on wattpad (and other stories) and of course here: Chapter 1 The evening sun slowly but inexorably sank towards the horizon. The coastal town, perched on the edge of a high cliff, sank into a sweet slumber, weary from the day's heat. In the distance, the roar of engines could be heard; the sound grew, sweeping away the evening tranquility like a steamroller. A red sports convertible suddenly shot out from around the corner, scattering a flock of sparrows peacefully bathing in a shallow puddle, and sped towards the precipice. Gaining speed, the car plowed through the fence that separated the peaceful town life from the abyss, and flew downwards. From a distance, one could see a small figure detach from the car, and a parachute open above it in mid-air. The figure skillfully maneuvered through the sky and soon landed on the deck of a snow-white yacht, gently rocking on the waves at the foot of the cliff. The hero swiftly detached the parachute, which was immediately carried away by the wind. He took the helm of the yacht and steered the vessel towards the horizon in the direction of the setting sun. The world held its breath. Alex threw off the blanket and sat up in bed. He rubbed the corners of his eyes, yawned, and looked at the monitor next to him. In large white letters, the screen displayed: "Simulation ended. Save?" "Alright, yes," he said to himself and touched the corresponding button on the touch screen. The message disappeared, and after a while, another appeared: "Saved. Send for review?" "Yes," Alex confirmed again. He got out of bed and, slightly staggering, headed towards the bathroom, replaying his dream in his head. Only a few decades had passed since the fourth industrial revolution when humanity had conquered the immaterial world. In that time, the entertainment industry had undergone colossal changes. Cinema, computer games, and even virtual reality had ceased to be outstanding and gave way to dreams. Now they could be saved, altered to one's liking, and revisited every night, making new changes each time. The cornerstone and main trendsetter in this industry was a corporation with the unpretentious name "Dream," where Alex had been working for the past few years. Before the invention of machines for recording and transmitting dreams, people like him were called dreamers and fantasists, and sometimes even laughed at, either for their absentmindedness or out of envy for their boundless imagination. Now everything had changed. Yesterday's daydreamers had become the architects of a new reality. They could not only create new worlds with the power of their thoughts alone but also control them. They were not passive observers of the world created by their tireless imagination; they lived in it and crafted countless stories for their clients. Lucid dreaming and the ability to control dreams were some of the main criteria for successful work in the corporation. Ever since his childhood, Alex preferred the world of his fantasies to reality. No, he wasn't unsociable or a recluse, but life in the orphanage didn't offer much variety. Wake up, morning washing, breakfast, school, games, lunch, more school and games, and finally dinner and lights out. That was the simple daily routine that repeated day after day. But when night came, he could become anyone he wanted. Over time, Alex had been a knight fighting dragons and a superhero who repeatedly saved Earth from alien invaders. By the time he graduated from the orphanage, Alex knew exactly what he wanted to be – an Architect of Dreams. He worked on his qualification project for many nights, adding more and more details. The fairy-tale world of the future, where technology, magic, and genetics intertwined in one whimsical tapestry, so impressed the Corporation's representatives that they entrusted him with the Architect's position without much thought. Usually, all newcomers spent several years editing and polishing the dreams created by their more experienced colleagues. They reviewed them hundreds of times, adding countless seemingly inconspicuous and unnecessary details. Fortunately for Alex, this part of the job, tinkering with other people's dreams, passed him by. In a few years, the man managed to accumulate an impressive base of regular clients whose preferences and tastes he knew almost by heart. Even now, after finishing another dream about the exploits of a secret agent for the elderly Mr. Lowksley, he was confident that his work would be appreciated. After taking a shower and sipping a mug of aromatic coffee, Alex finally banished the remnants of dream-weaving. He quickly got dressed and headed to the "Dream" corporation office. Approaching the main entrance, Alex, following his usual tradition, looked up at the cloud-piercing building. The mirrored walls reflected the blue sky and clouds drifting by. "Truly a dream," he thought to himself as he climbed the stairs. At the entrance, as always, he was greeted by the security guard. The good-natured burly man smiled warmly and, as always, delivered his unchanging joke: "Good morning, Mr. Alex! A working day after a working night?" "Hi, John, you're always right," Alex smiled in response and raised his hand in greeting. "How was your surfing in the Bahamas with Alicia?" "Oh, it was unforgettable, thank you so much," said John, extending a bag of homemade donuts that appeared out of nowhere. "Please take these as a small token of our gratitude." Alex smiled once again and gladly accepted the small paper bag. Legends circulated around the office about Alicia's donuts. It should be mentioned that custom-made dreams were not an affordable luxury, and not many could indulge in such entertainment. However, Alex, being an incorrigible romantic and firmly believing that dreams should be accessible to everyone, occasionally created dreams on a gratis basis. So, having gone up to his floor, he headed to his office. Walking along the long corridor with transparent walls, Alex saw dozens of his colleagues working on creating new adventures. They all sat in a semi-reclined position in comfortable, snow-white chairs, each with a dream recording device at the headrest. One of the perks of being an architect was the ability to work from home, which Alex took advantage of. However, visiting the office at least once a week was still necessary. Grabbing another cup of coffee from the vending machine on the floor, Alex finally reached his office. Sitting in the chair and opening his laptop, he unwrapped a bag of fresh, still-warm doughnuts. The sweet scent of vanilla and strawberry glaze hit his nose. Biting into a piece of doughnut, Alex began to check his work email. He quickly scanned reviews from satisfied clients, smiling and sending pre-written messages of gratitude and encouragement to continue using the services of the "Dream" corporation. Over these few years of work, he began to notice a certain pattern in his creativity. Of course, he tried his best to come up with new and unique plots, but inevitably found repeating elements in them after a while. Perhaps this fate awaits all dream creators, for a person cannot endlessly invent something new without repeating themselves. Alex also noticed that his work no longer brought him the same pleasure as it did in the first months of his service. After all, there was something mundane and vulgar about creating custom worlds. Almost all dream creation tasks included a description of the place, time, characters, and how the dream should end. His job was simply to enrich the dream with details, while the main plot was mostly predetermined. Not everyone is ready to receive the unknown for a tidy sum, and most clients preferred to clearly outline the boundaries of the final product. Finishing the last doughnut, Alex finished his coffee and was about to start planning his next work week when Edward, the senior architect, entered his office. Of medium height with a neat haircut and, as always, in a strict business suit, he was the complete opposite of tall Alex, who preferred jeans and comfortable sweaters to a formal look. Edward was one of those people who, as they say, made themselves. He started from the very bottom, spent several not-so-interesting years in the dream editing department, and only then was promoted to architect, and later, after a few more years, to senior architect. For understandable reasons, Edward was not particularly fond of Alex, whom he considered a show-off, and being his boss, he periodically assigned him the least interesting tasks. Nevertheless, despite some animosity, Edward could not deny Alex's talent. Alex, in turn, felt that Edward had some hostility towards him but still respected him, at least for his persistence. "Still eating? When will you work?" he addressed him, watching as Alex wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I'm already working," the man smiled and stretched in his chair, disarming his opponent with his good nature. "Anyway, here's a new task," Edward handed him a thin folder with the corporation's logo. "The client is new and important, so no messing up." "We'll do it," Alex replied. Without a word, Alex opened the folder, expecting to see a blank form with a dream description, but instead of the standard papers, there was only one white sheet. "Childhood" read the handwritten inscription in the middle of the sheet. The man took the sheet in his hands, bewildered, looked at the back, and checked again that there was nothing else in the folder. He looked up at his boss, not understanding. "Is this a joke?" "If you saw the amount the client already transferred as an advance, you wouldn't be asking such questions," he replied. "But what should I do, is it a man or a woman, what are they specifically interested in?" Alex continued to inquire. "I don't even know," Edward replied, this time looking genuinely baffled as well. "Start with something, maybe make a demo version for an hour or two, and then maybe some details will emerge." With these words, he headed for the exit. Standing on the threshold, he turned around: "Good luck, if you need anything - let me know, I'll try to help." Edward closed the door behind him, leaving Alex alone with his thoughts. "I'll try to help," he said aloud. It was indeed unexpected for him; Edward had never offered his help before and only laughed at his ideas. "Well, let's get started," Alex opened his notebook and wrote the word "Childhood" in the middle of a new page. "What do I know about childhood?" he began his reasoning aloud. Words started to appear on the sheet, written in a neat underline: school, toys, fairy tales, playground, swings, tears... Unknowingly, Alex found himself in the middle of a children's playground, a group of boys stubbornly refusing to let him join their game of tag, and he stood there, nearly crying, proving to them that he was already big and could play with them. Shaking his head, he banished the sad memories. "No, our client definitely doesn't want to see this. So let's start with something simple..." With these words, he began to describe the interior of a children's room, which, in his opinion, should be in every happy child's home. He dedicated his entire workday to the painstaking description of details. He described everything meticulously, every little thing and every toy that should be in the room, even how the rays of the sun penetrate through the airy curtains in the morning was subject to scrupulous detailing. Along the way, Alex studied all possible interior design options that he could find on the internet. In the evening, weary and clearly satisfied with his work, the man hurried home. Hastily taking a shower, he lay down on his bed, adjusted the dream recording device, and prepared for the most interesting part of his job. A pleasant weakness and heaviness grew throughout his body, the surrounding street sounds became more distant, and Alex finally fell asleep. Waking up earlier than usual, he pressed an icon on the touchscreen with practiced movements to save his dream and send it for review. Quickly drinking his traditional morning coffee, Alex rushed to work, hoping to hear feedback and comments on his nighttime work. This time, for some reason, he didn't care to scrutinize the corporation's building; he hastily greeted John, impatiently went up to his floor, and locked himself in his office, waiting for Edward to give him feedback. Alex sat in his office, drumming nervously with his ring finger on the table, unable to understand what was happening to him. It seemed he had only been this anxious when the corporation's admissions committee evaluated his entrance work. He poured a mug of black coffee and gulped it down in a few swallows, predictably not adding any calm to his state. Finally, Edward's silhouette appeared at the door, and it swung open without a knock. The senior architect entered the room and, without waiting for an invitation, sat down across from his subordinate. A tense silence hung in the air. "What?" Alex was the first to break. Edward sighed and began in a tone as calm as a person whose expectations had been completely unmet could speak. "Alex," he began, "I told you if you need help, just ask." "I didn't need any," Alex mumbled in response, clearly not expecting such an assessment of his work. "You see, a changing table, a game console, and superhero posters can't all be in the same children's room. These are things for different ages. Remember yourself." Alex bit his lip. "There's not much to remember," he whispered. Realizing he had pushed it a bit too far, Edward hesitated for a moment. "Anyway, you'll be working as a pair on this project. Emily, please come in," he said, turning to the door. "But I never work with..." Alex cut himself off. On the threshold stood a fragile red-haired girl, who was of short stature and shyly smiled; a mischievous spark flickered in her green eyes. "Hello," Alex said haltingly. Not only had he never worked in a pair before, but now his partner was also this red-haired female. It wasn't that he was a misogynist; rather, he lacked proper experience in communicating with the opposite sex, and all his knowledge was limited to well-known facts. "Emily, our new employee with great promise. Actually, just like you once were," he introduced the girl. With these words, Edward got up and left the room. As he passed Emily, he whispered, "Good luck." "Hi, my name is Emmy..." the girl began cheerfully. Snapping out of his shock, Alex hastily got up. "Excuse me," he muttered and dashed out of the office. Catching up with Edward, he called out to him. "Hey, just give this project to her!" "Out of the question!" "But why?" he asked, genuinely surprised. "Because the client wants you specifically to create the dream. Congratulations, you're popular! We need a prototype by tomorrow." Edward patted Alex on the shoulder in a friendly manner and walked away, leaving the latter standing in bewilderment in the middle of the corridor. "Excuse me, is something wrong?" a thin feminine voice pulled Alex out of his stupor. He turned around and approached his new co-author. The top of the girl's head barely reached his chin, and she had to tilt her head up slightly to look him straight in the eyes. "Not sure yet," the man replied. "Shall we get started, then?" Emily smiled and pulled the still dumbfounded Alex into the room for paired simulation. Upon entering the room, Alex finally snapped out of his thoughts. He approached the whiteboard and began sketching the dream's blueprint. "So, I suggest we start by defining roles and the location where everything will take place..." He turned to his companion, who had already prepared two cocktails for accelerated dream immersion and settled herself into the dream recording machine's chair. "Sit next to me!" She patted the seat of the chair next to her. "No, we have to agree on what we'll create first," Alex resisted. "Oh, come on, let's just see if we can work together," she countered. "Maybe we won't be able to build together." "Sounds logical," Alex didn't expect such assertiveness from his new partner. He sat down next to her, and Emily handed him the cocktail. Alex drank the offered beverage in one gulp, as did Emily. "Good night!" she cheerfully said. "Good night..." Alex replied, already falling asleep. Before completely blacking out, he felt Emily take his hand. Alex opened his eyes. He and Emily were standing in the middle of a dazzlingly white space, dressed in work clothes with the "Dream" corporation's logo. "Where shall we start?" Alex asked his companion. He had never started new projects like this without preparation. Moreover, he sincerely believed that the entire world depended on how the first stroke was made in a new project. "Maybe we should start with a nursery?" "Can I try it myself?" Emily asked. "Yes, please..." Alex finally gave in; after all, he had tried to create a nursery before and hadn't achieved much success. "Alright, then let's begin..." Emily closed her eyes tightly, and the world around them changed. Chapter 2 "Beach?" Alex stared in astonishment at his colleague. "Yeah!" she playfully looked back at him. "What does childhood have to do with the beach?" The man looked around, puzzled. A gentle southern breeze ruffled his dark hair, bringing with it the salty scent of the sea and freshness. In the distance, the cries of seagulls and the sound of waves rolling onto the sandy shore could be heard. They stood next to each other on a small wooden pier, separated from the water by a strip of white sand about thirty meters wide. "Don't you get it? How can I explain this to you..." Emily's voice had a sympathetic tone. "Oh!" was all Alex could say, once again noticing his companion. Unbeknownst to him, she had already changed into a beach tunic and a light straw hat. "I've got it! A trust test!" Emily even jumped a little at her idea. "What kind of test?" Alex became more and more confused by what was happening. He was already vaguely aware of what was going on, what the beach had to do with it, his childhood, and some kind of test. And the deadline for the dream prototype to be ready was relentlessly approaching. "I'll explain everything now," Emily began excitedly. "Turn your back to me, like this..." she took Alex by the shoulders and turned him, "now spread your arms out to the sides," the girl helped him raise his arms, "and now close your eyes and fall backward, and I'll catch you, but you can't open your eyes!" "Why all this?" he replied, puzzled, and was about to turn and look at his companion. "Just do it!" she stopped him. "Even with whims... Well, it's just a dream," thought Alex to himself. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, hesitated a bit more, then shifted his weight backward and began to fall. In an instant, he felt someone's gentle hands catch him and abruptly lift him upward. To say the sensations were strange would be an understatement. Firstly, the hands that grasped him had to belong to someone at least twice his size. Secondly, the feeling of his own body at the moment it was lifted up was distinctly different. He felt... lighter. Soon, he felt himself being placed on something soft and, with a slight push on his chest, made to recline so that he was in a semi-lying position. Alex lay there, not daring to open his eyes, and barely breathing. "Hey, kiddo, are you alive? Open your eyes!" he heard Emily's familiar voice. "Yes," he replied. He didn't know what shocked him more: being called a child or hearing his voice sound unusually high-pitched, like a child's. Finally, Alex opened his eyes and looked around. To his left and right, a dome of fabric surrounded him. He was in a semi-reclined position, so he could only see a small piece of the sea. Mostly, his field of view was filled with blue sky and sparse fluffy white clouds. Alex tried to sit up in a more familiar position and extended his arms forward to balance his weight. But in the next moment, he forgot what he wanted to do and began to examine his tiny hands in amazement. Emily had been standing to the side all this time, watching fondly as Alex reacted to his transformation. Finally, she leaned in and asked with undisguised delight, "Well, how do you feel?" Alex dropped his hands and stared at her. Now she seemed bigger to him… much bigger. "It's incredible," Alex muttered. "I've never done anything like this before." "We've only just begun," Emily smiled. "Let's continue our work! Do you want to see yourself?" "Yes," he said hesitantly, "I guess…" With a light wave of her hand, Emily conjured a large mirror. She raised the back of the stroller so Alex could sit more comfortably. He looked at himself and couldn't believe what he saw. Of course, during his years working at the corporation, he had created countless dreams with various and whimsical incarnations, ranging from journeys through the Amazon rainforest to alien invasions, but this was a first, especially with himself in the leading role. Staring back at him from the mirror was a dark-haired toddler with big gray-blue eyes. He appeared to be three, maybe four years old. He wore only blue swim trunks and blue toddler sandals. He sat in a stroller with large wheels and seemed quite content with his life. "Well?" Emily eagerly repeated her question. "But why did you do this?" Alex countered, seemingly not listening to his colleague. "Well, you couldn't understand the connection between the beach and childhood. So I thought it would be faster to show you than to explain. Do you like it?" "I think… Yes," the boy managed to say. "Great! Let's continue. We have a lot of work ahead of us," Emily said, lowering the back of the stroller again and heading toward the water. Unprepared for the sudden jolt, Alex lost his balance and toppled onto his back. "Oops!" he squeaked in surprise. "Hold on, little one! There are sand dunes ahead!" With that, Emily began pushing the stroller determinedly through the white sand. Alex wanted to protest, preferring to ride sitting up and at least maintaining the illusion of control, but he soon resigned himself to his situation and continued to watch the clouds, listening to his own sensations. "Why haven't I created something like this before?" he thought. "How did she manage to create this world in such a short time?" Suddenly, his leg started to itch. To his own surprise, Alex effortlessly lifted his leg and brought it within reach of his outstretched hand. In his adult body, this would have taken some effort, but now everything was so easy and natural. Alex began lifting his legs alternately. He was genuinely amazed by the capabilities of his new body. "She even thought of the physiological reactions," he marveled to himself. "Oh, you decided to do gymnastics," Emily peeked into his stroller. "I... well... no... just..." he hesitated. "Alright, you don't have to explain," the girl smiled. "Let me help you get out." With that, she picked up Alex and set him on the sand. "It's going to be warm enough today," she declared, and with those words, she took out a gentle blue baby sun hat with a little ship on it and put it on Alex. "And what am I supposed to do now?" the boy looked at her, puzzled. "What do you mean? Play, of course." "I see... And how?" Emily smiled. She knelt down, positioning herself next to Alex. "Let's start by trying to build a sandcastle," she suggested. "Alright," he agreed. The little boy waved his hand, and in an instant, a small sandcastle with whimsical towers and a moat with water stood before him. "No, that won't do," Emily smiled. She snapped her fingers, and the just-erected castle crumbled into a pile of sand. "So she can also destroy what she didn't create," Alex noted to himself. "Here you go," the girl handed the little boy a red bucket and a plastic shovel. Alex took the tools and continued to look at her, still puzzled. "This will be a bit more complicated than I thought. Run, get some wet sand!" Alex obediently turned and ran towards the water, but after only a couple of steps, his sandals got stuck in the sand, and the boy fell. The bucket and shovel flew in opposite directions. "What's happening to me?" the boy thought. He gathered his strength and got back on his feet. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it. It happens to everyone..." Emily encouraged him. "Everyone?" he asked again. "So I'm not the first one you..." "Less talking, the castle won't build itself!" his cheerful companion interrupted. "Alright, I'll find out later," he thought and began to gather the scattered tools. Upon reaching the edge of the water, Alex squatted down and began diligently scooping wet sand into the bucket. The little boy was so engrossed in this seemingly simple task that he didn't notice the incoming wave licking his legs. "Oh!" he jumped in surprise and nearly fell again but managed to maintain his balance. Emily's ringing laughter could be heard from the side. "You're so funny right now, not like you were in the office." Alex blushed. Indeed, just a few hours ago, he was trying to refuse this incomprehensible project, and now he was sitting there, scooping sand into a child's bucket. The work went slowly but surely, and within a few minutes, the bucket was filled. Getting on his feet, the boy confidently grabbed the handle, but as it turned out, his physical strength had diminished along with the change in his body. "Heavy," he thought, but said aloud, "Can you help me?" "No, do it yourself. Otherwise, how will you grow up big and strong?" "Grow up..." Alex smirked. "Well, if you say so." The little boy lifted the bucket, leaned slightly to the opposite side, and hesitantly moved towards Emily. "Good job! I'm proud of you!" she encouraged the boy when the bucket was delivered. Slightly out of breath, Alex looked at his partner and asked: "Is this necessary?" "What's necessary?" she asked, surprised and raising her eyebrows. "Well, the baby talk with me. I'm not a child after all." Emily stared intently at Alex. "You make it sound like you don't enjoy it?" The boy ignored the counter-question and decided to change the subject. "Alright, here's the sand, what do we do next?" "Of course, we build!" Emily handed him a set of molds. "Fill the sand in here like this..." she showed him. "Now quickly turn it over and tap with the little shovel." "Do I have to tap?" With his characteristic scrupulousness, Alex memorized the sequence of actions. If he had a notebook at hand at that moment, he would have certainly written everything down and made several drawings. "Of course you do! Three times! And you have to say 'tap-tap-tap'," Emily explained with utmost seriousness. "Then carefully lift the mold." "Alright, let me try," said Alex as he hastily filled the star-shaped mold with sand, quickly flipped it over, and tapped the shovel once. Then, with a swift motion, he lifted the mold, and a wet lump of sand fell out, resembling anything but a star. "Well..." the boy was disappointed. "That's because you had to tap three times. You can count to three, right?" "I can..." Alex was embarrassed. "And don't forget to say 'tap-tap-tap'," Emily added. Alex filled the mold with sand again, carefully packed it, then quickly turned it over. "Tap-tap-tap," a ringing child's voice accompanied the three taps with the little shovel. Then he carefully lifted the mold and beamed. An ideal star lay in the sand. "I want more..." With these words, Alex began filling molds, flipping them, and uttering the magical "tap-tap-tap." Soon the bucket was empty, and the boy grabbed his simple tool and ran for a new batch of wet sand. Emily, sitting on a beach blanket, watched with affection as the architect of dreams played with the sand wholeheartedly. Having emptied the fifth bucket, the exhausted boy collapsed on the blanket next to his partner. "I'm thirsty," he said to her. "Here," Emily handed him a blue children's sippy cup. "Is there just a regular cup?" Alex decided to clarify, although he already knew the answer. Emily smiled and shook her head. Alex grabbed the drinking cup and greedily sucked on the spout. After quenching his thirst, the boy stretched out contentedly on the blanket. The sun warmed his delicate skin, and a breeze rustled the hair sticking out from under his sunhat. Alex felt only peace and drowsiness washing over him. "I think it's time to go swimming, or else you'll fall asleep!" Emily suggested. "You know you can't fall asleep in a dream," Alex lazily replied. He didn't want to move or go anywhere. "Well, we'll test that later," Emily said cheerfully. She removed her tunic, leaving her in just a swimsuit. "Let's go, little one," she urged her companion. Alex sat up on the blanket and looked towards the sea. "You know, there's something I should tell you…" he began uncertainly. "I can't swim, and…" he hesitated. "I'm kind of afraid of the water." "No problem!" With that, Emily took off Alex's sunhat. "Now let's get rid of those sandals. Walking barefoot will be good for you! Come on!" She stood up and held out her hand. Alex hesitantly took it and stepped barefoot onto the hot sand. He felt thousands of grains scatter from under his tiny foot, and those that didn't make it formed a dense base for further movement. Step by step, hand in hand, and watching their feet, Alex and Emily reached the water's edge. Wading in up to his knees, the boy hesitated and looked up at his companion. "You know, I don't think now is the best time to…" "Nonsense!" With that, the girl effortlessly scooped Alex up into her arms and confidently strode into the water. Alex clung to Emily's neck with all his might. When the water reached her waist, Emily stopped. "Ready?" she asked Alex cheerfully. "For what?" he squeaked, not loosening his grip. Emily gently squatted and submerged the boy in the water. "Relax, I'm here. Nothing will happen to you," she said softly. Alex clung to her for a while, but then relaxed his grip and turned around. "See, it's nice and fun here!" With that, she took the boy's hand and lightly slapped the water with his palm. Splashes flew in all directions, and Alex smiled. He hesitantly raised his hand and hit the water a little harder. The splashes soared, sparkling and shimmering in the sunlight. Alex laughed. "You see, it's not so scary after all. Now hold your breath." Alex barely had time to fill his lungs with air when Emily squatted even lower, submerging them both into the warm sea water. Then she quickly stood up, and streams of salty water poured down the boy's hair, making him snort and spit. "Well?" she asked him, waiting for the little one to recover from the sudden immersion. "Awesome!" Alex's eyes were filled with excitement. "Let's learn to swim, then. Lie on your tummy," with these words Emily flipped the boy onto his stomach, paying little attention to his protests. "Alright, now quickly move your arms and legs," she said, supporting the child under his chest and hips. Alex, realizing that he wouldn't be able to escape easily, began to diligently follow his teacher's instructions. He moved his arms and legs with all his might and diligently stretched his chin towards the sky. Emily walked alongside him. First, she discreetly removed her hand from under his hips, and then the second hand that supported his chest. "Alex, you're swimming! All by yourself!" she exclaimed joyfully. "What?!" the boy got scared and momentarily went underwater. Emily quickly pulled the child out and held him in her arms. "Good job!" she said. Not yet fully understanding what had happened, Alex smiled back at her. "I think that's enough for the first time. Let me give you a swing. Lie on your back." She supported the boy under his back and gently walked with him towards the shore. Alex lay on the water and swayed gently on the waves. He looked at the endlessly blue sky and smiled. Soon, the boy's feet felt the sandy bottom. He flipped over and stood up. Emily easily picked him up in her arms and headed towards the blanket. There, she wrapped Alex in a huge, fluffy white towel. "Shall we have a snack?" suggested Emily, taking a bag of fruit out of her bag. "Yes, thank you!" replied Alex, smiling and reaching for a piece of fruit. They enjoyed their snack, watching the sea and the seagulls flying just above the water's surface. To his surprise, Alex found himself wanting to take a nap. Emily noticed this as well. She picked him up in her arms and laid him in the stroller, covering him with a light blanket. "But you don't have to sleep in a dream," mumbled Alex, sinking into a pleasant slumber. Alex opened his eyes. The screen displayed the message: "Simulation ended. Save?" He shifted his gaze to Emily. She silently looked at him and smiled. Without saying a word, Alex got up and left the shared simulation room. Without entering his office, the man headed home.

Hello everyone. I've decided to try my hand at writing short stories, as I need a little break. The first story from the collection "My World" is now available. Enjoy! "Little one, time to get out," a gentle voice of mom broke through the boisterous children's laughter, splashes of water, and foam. "Mommy, just five more minutes, please!" the boy opened his big brown eyes wide and looked imploringly at the slender and beautiful woman with a white fluffy towel in her hands. She sat down next to the bathtub, tenderly stroked the child's cheek with her palm, and pressed his tiny button-like nose. "How can I say no to you? But only five minutes, no more." "Hooray!" the boy exclaimed ecstatically. He gathered a large handful of snow-white foam and tossed it up into the air. Mom smiled; she always knew that no matter how long Nicolas stayed in the bath, he needed those extra five minutes like air to breathe. "Five minutes, remember?" she asked the boy once more, who was already engrossed in playing with his toy boat. "Yes, mommy, just five minutes!" he smiled back. Young Nicolas, a four-year-old boy, stood in the bathroom on a small children's stool. The additional five minutes passed, as always, quickly and unexpectedly. The boy watched, fascinated, as the flow of water rushing into the drain formed a huge whirlpool, pulling the foam flakes along with it. While he observed the elemental chaos, mom had already dried him off and even managed to comb his unruly thick hair a bit. "Alright, now it's time to get dressed and go to bed," she said, wrapping Nick in a fluffy towel and effortlessly picking him up. As they left the bathroom, the boy reached out and waved goodbye to the rubber boat left alone to face the whirlpool. In the child's room, his pajamas were already waiting, and... "You have one missed message," announced an electronic female voice. Nicolas opened his eyes. "Forgot to turn off the sound again," the man thought, annoyed. He turned his head towards the bedside table. The phone screen glowed with a pale blue light. Reaching out, the man pressed the phone's off button without picking it up. A few seconds later, a farewell tune played, and the screen went dark. Nick turned from side to side, closed his eyes, and prepared to return to his dreamy fairy-tale world. He tried to picture his childhood bed with its weightless warm blanket, toys neatly arranged on the shelves. Each time he thought he was about to be there and almost felt himself as that little boy, a voice would say the same phrase: "Little one, time to get out." The world he had created stubbornly refused to take its owner back. First, his nose itched, then his back, and soon the man felt an insatiable thirst. The clock on the bedside table suddenly began to tick deafeningly loud. There was nothing to do; apparently, the session was over for today. Nicolas got out of bed and headed towards the kitchen. He approached the refrigerator and opened the door. The cold light hit his eyes, and the man squinted. Finding a bottle of water, he unscrewed the cap and began to drink greedily. The water refreshed him from the inside, and it seemed that each gulp helped wash away the heaviness of sleepy thoughts. Having emptied the bottle, the man sighed. The thought of checking the missed message on the phone crossed his mind, but he decided not to succumb to temptation. Nick couldn't recall the exact date or reason when it all started, perhaps when he was around 10 or 11 years old. However, he remembered clearly what had appeared in his world first. It was a bed, not quite a child's bed but with a small border to prevent falling off during sleep, a simple headboard, and a light blanket. The bed stood in a black void, and Nick would climb into it whenever he felt particularly sad. Over time, the world began to grow: the bed no longer hung in the air but stood in a cozy children's room with light blue wallpaper. The room acquired a toy shelf, a small wardrobe with clothes, and even a corner with a model railway. One of Nicholas's major achievements, as he considered it, was populating his world with inhabitants. Each time he immersed himself in his fantasies, the world came to life. People appeared on the streets, rushing about their business; kindergartens and schools filled with children who were dropped off and picked up by their parents. Sometimes, Nick himself would visit one of those kindergartens... for 13 years already. After taking a shower and fully waking up, the man poured himself a large mug of coffee with milk and headed to his office, stopping by the bedroom to grab his phone. "Who can't sleep?" he muttered, opening the latest notification. "Good day! We're happy to introduce your new colleague!" followed by a brief questionnaire. It's worth noting that by the age of 24, Nicholas had already achieved certain success in his professional life. He had several successful projects under his belt as a lead game designer, and recently he was entrusted with managing a small team. To a large extent, he owed his success to his little world, created long before Nicholas had chosen his profession. One could say that he had been honing his professional skills since childhood, but over time, it became increasingly difficult. The first issue he faced was that the world stopped developing. Over the past few years, the level of detail had become almost perfect, but he craved more variety. Essentially, each day was similar to the others, although holidays and other important events occurred in the world, such as family vacations or trips to amusement parks, but the list of events was strictly limited. The second and more serious problem was the degradation of the world. Over the last few months, the detail of what he had created for many years had been steadily declining, and unfortunately, Nicholas had no idea how to fight it. This manifested in various ways: the grass on the lawn near the school turned into a homogeneous green carpet, looking like plastic; the faces or clothing of the inhabitants of his world became identical; sometimes his favorite toys would vanish without a trace. The most shocking incident for Nicholas was when his mother lost her face – and she lost it in the literal sense of the word. A smooth sphere gazed at the boy instead of the familiar face, devoid of eyes, nose, eyebrows, and everything else. It took considerable effort for Nick to bring back the exact person he had created and grown attached to. And so, before Nicolas was the profile of his new employee, or rather, a female employee. "Alice, 24 years old... professional skills... hobbies: world-building," he leafed through the profile of the person he was to work with. "Well, why not," he said aloud, and scheduled an introductory meeting on the team calendar. II "Everyone, wake up!" Nicolas traditionally started the morning video meeting. "Mark, either mute your microphone or stop chewing," he asked his colleague. "Oops, sorry." Mark hastily set aside his sandwich and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Colleagues, we have a new addition to our team; please welcome Alice. Alice will be helping all of us in the challenging task of creating games!" Nicolas continued his speech. "Hi, Alice!" all the team members responded in unison. "Good morning," replied the newcomer. It was evident that she was a little embarrassed by the attention directed at her. Alice was an attractive young woman with light hair, neat, even slightly childlike facial features. Her voice was not loud, but even behind her shyness, determination could be heard. "Alright, let's continue where we left off," Nicolas switched from introducing the newcomer to work tasks. "Our team was tasked with coming up with something new and fresh that could engage a modern audience," he reiterated the main point not so much for the team as for its new member. "I still suggest we settle on an alternate universe of superheroes," Mark insisted, being a die-hard fan of everything related to Spider-Man, Superman, and other extraordinary personalities. "An alternate world where everyone is a superhero, and..." "That's already been done; we can't exploit the same idea indefinitely," Nicolas interrupted his colleague, realizing the futility of his idea and not wanting to waste work time on it. "Alright..." Mark turned off his sound and resumed eating his sandwich. "What if it's a simulator, say, in the ancient world, and this world evolves, and you survive in the ancient era?" Erin began. "Like, you build a shelter, hunt, and all that stuff." "More interesting," Nicolas perked up, as his team had been clearly struggling with creativity for the past month. "Any more ideas?" "What if we just make a simulator?" Alice said softly. "A simulator of what?" Nicolas didn't understand. "Of everything," she replied. Still not understanding, Nicolas asked, "Can you explain in more detail?" "Yes," Alice answered and continued, "A simulator of the ordinary world we all live in, but with the option to choose the place and time." "But there's a ton of those on the market already," Mark interrupted the conversation. "No, there's nothing like that," Alice wasn't fazed at all and continued her explanation, "Most simulators offer the player a God mode, where they watch their characters and give them instructions on what to do and when to do it. Or there are small projects that let you live one little piece of life, like fishing or being a cashier," she clarified. "Well, what are you proposing?" Erin asked, clearly more interested in the ancient world and survival. Alice, finally overcoming her embarrassment, continued. "I suggest giving players the opportunity to live the life they want, in their own environment, at the age they want, in their own world, experiencing the moments they desire multiple times!" she said confidently, "And then we can analyze their created worlds and combine them into larger ones based on common interests. And get a multitude of worlds where players will be together, something like that." There was silence in the chat. "Ok, colleagues. Ideas require further development; we'll work in the office tomorrow," Nicolas concluded the meeting. He spent the rest of the day in deep thought, Alice's idea haunting him. The next morning, Nicolas hurried to the office as if it were his first day at a new job. He was eager to get to know Alice better and learn more about her idea. As he approached the office, the man pulled the door handle and found it locked. Glancing at his watch, Nick was surprised to find that there was still a full hour before the workday began. "I'm a bit early," he thought. At that moment, a timid voice came from behind: "Good morning!" Nicolas turned around and saw a young, medium-height woman with light hair and a cute face. "Alice?" he smiled. "Yes, hello!" she greeted him again. "You're kind of early," Nick looked at Alice and didn't understand why he kept smiling. "You don't like to sleep in either," she replied, not embarrassed at all. "There's still an hour until we open, how about a coffee?" Nicolas unexpectedly suggested. He was not inclined to invite his employees to cafes, especially those he was seeing for the first time, and especially women. It's worth mentioning that he was still quite shy, but with Alice, everything happened naturally. "Yes, that would be great!" she agreed. They settled in a cafe not far from the office. The city outside had already woken up, people and cars filling it with voices and sounds. Inside, however, it was quiet and homely; two steaming cups of fragrant coffee sat on the table, inviting the two young people to engage in casual conversation. "Alice, I was thinking a lot about your idea yesterday," Nicholas began, "can you..." "Tell you more?" the girl finished for him. "Yes!" the man smiled. "Of course!" she enthusiastically agreed, taking a large sip of her coffee. "I believe that the biggest problem in society is the lack of time. We're constantly rushing somewhere, doing something, and almost never stopping. We forget the moments that really matter. For example, who can remember the feeling of entering first grade or giving a speech at graduation? Some do, but not all," she spoke very quickly, as if her thoughts were far ahead of what she was explaining now. "But memories are easier - there are photos, videos, and they can be refreshed. But what about those moments that need not only to be remembered but corrected?" "What do you mean?" Nicholas raised his eyebrows. "Well, for instance, at the age of 4, a child had a toy that was suddenly taken away. Just without your permission because someone thought it was necessary. What if you could fix that and relive that moment when your toy stays with you?" she explained. "But isn't that self-deception?" Nicholas couldn't believe what he heard. It was his beloved stuffed giraffe that had been given away to a neighbor's baby, thinking he was too old for such toys. "Isn't it self-deception to be angry at your parents for the rest of your life because of that?" she countered. "Yeah, I guess you're right..." Nick hesitated. "But why exactly 4 years?" he asked. "It's not about the age," Alice smiled. "It's about the possibility of correcting the past." They talked for a very long time. Nicholas sat and looked at the girl opposite him, feeling as if he had known her his entire life. By midday, they finally returned to the office. By that point, Nicholas had firmly decided that this game was exactly what they needed. Work on the concept went on around the clock. Inspired by Alice, the team spent days and nights describing all possible scenarios. How to organize worlds, how to connect them into one enormous world so that the players, whom they called inhabitants, would not interfere but help and complement each other. Even Mark eventually admitted that his superhero idea could wait. By the end of the sixth month of work, the concept was finalized, and the most challenging task lay ahead – presenting it to management. "Alice, here are your tickets," Nick handed a small envelope to his colleague. "Me?" the girl's eyes widened in surprise as she beamed. "Well, who else? It was your idea, so you're responsible," Nick smiled. In just a couple of hours, Nick and Alice were sitting in a train compartment. Alice was noticeably nervous; she wasn't used to so much attention, and now she had the daunting task of defending her dream. Nicholas, on the other hand, was calm. He smiled at his companion and said, "Don't worry, we'll get through this together. You should get some sleep now, though. We've got a five-hour trip ahead." "Yes, you're right," the girl nodded. Over the months of working on the project, the entire team had grown close, but these two had grown closer than the rest. It seemed like they started to understand each other without even speaking, and people behind their backs began whispering about an upcoming wedding. The train began to move smoothly, gently rocking its passengers to sleep. Nicholas leaned his head against the window and watched the landscapes drift by. He glanced at Alice - she was already fast asleep in the comfortable chair. "Well, I might as well take a nap, too," he thought to himself, closing his eyes and drifting off. "Good morning, sleepyhead!" a loving mother's voice rang out. "Time to get up; you've got an unusual day ahead." Young Nicholas opened his eyes and smiled at the sunbeam dancing on the tip of his nose. The boy sat up in bed, rubbing his sleepy eyes. Strangely, he didn't want and wasn't ready to dive into his world just yet, but apparently, his brain had decided otherwise, and the boy chose not to argue with his own mind. He looked around: his nursery was the same as before... almost. It had become perfect. All the toys not only returned to their places but were joined by new ones. The sounds of the outside world were particularly diverse: birds chirping, leaves rustling, and children's laughter ringing out. The boy sat on the bed, listening to his sensations - they were the same as before, only more intense. He took a deep breath and caught the scent of fresh pancakes wafting in from the kitchen. It was strange: in his world, he preferred to eat porridge for breakfast. His mother sat down next to him. "Dear, is everything alright?" she asked with concern. "Yes, almost too much so," Nick replied. "That's wonderful!" his mother smiled. "Now let's get dressed, wash up, and have breakfast. Do you need help, or are you a big boy now?" "Help," Nicholas looked at her, bewildered. Usually, during his immersion in his world, his mother simply dressed him without asking questions, but now she seemed... more alive. After getting dressed, washing up, and brushing his teeth, the boy hurried to the kitchen. A steaming pile of fragrant pancakes with a dollop of melting chocolate-hazelnut spread was already on the table. This was impossible, unreal! He had always had a severe allergy to nuts and simply couldn't create this dessert in his world. The boy cautiously sat down at the table, broke off a piece of pancake, and carefully dipped it into the melted spread. He touched the unknown dessert with the tip of his tongue. The world turned upside down: he could taste it, the chocolate and hazelnut enveloping his entire consciousness. Nicholas didn't want to think about how he could know the taste of the spread, having never tried it in the real world. In just a few minutes, the plate was empty, and a content Nick licked the remnants of the spread from his messy fingers. "What an appetite!" his mother praised him. "Son, let's wash our hands, not lick them. You're not two years old anymore." "Yes, mom," he said and ran to wash his hands. Returning to the kitchen, Nicolas asked, "Mom, what's so special about today?" "Someone is coming over to play with you all day," she replied with a smile. "To me? To play?" Nick thought nervously, as he had never let anyone into his house in this world before. "Who?" the boy asked, his eyes widening. "You'll find out soon," his mother replied, adding, "Now go draw something for me." "Alright," the boy replied, puzzled, and headed to his playroom. He sat down at a small table, picked up some markers, and began to draw. "Nicolas, your guest has arrived!" His mother's voice made the boy look up from his favorite activity. He raised his eyes, and two smiling women were standing in the doorway, one of whom was his mother. In front of them was a girl in a lovely white summer dress. Her sweet childish face was framed by light, slightly curly hair. She smiled at him: "Hi! My name is Alice! Let's be friends!" she greeted him cheerfully. "Nicolas," the boy said hesitantly. "Okay." "I have a present for you!" With these words, Alice approached the boy and handed him a plush giraffe. The train slowed down. Nicolas opened his eyes, astonished by what he saw in his world. The man turned his head to look at his companion sitting next to him. Alice was no longer asleep, but cheerfully looking at him and smiling. "Did you like the pancakes?" she asked. "Yes," he replied hesitantly, "but how did you..." "I don't know!" she replied cheerfully. "You're not the only one with a little world." With that, she rested her head on Nicolas' shoulder. The man sat for a few more minutes, deep in thought, then smiled at his thoughts, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes, returning to their shared, no longer so small world.

Thank you so much for your feedback. I think in the future I'll try to return to the story of Alex and Ellie, the main challenge is to not turn the story into a soap opera where Alex cries every morning because of wet diapers, but I'm already considering a couple of ideas that will make Alex return to the hotel. Right now, I'm trying to write a story that touches on the issues of growing up, the relationship between children and parents, and other serious stuff I won't be posting it on this forum, as there's no ABDL theme planned in it, but for those who are interested, here's a link to Wattpad (I hope I won't get banned ) https://www.wattpad.com/1329041614 Thanks x9999

Thanks, I know what you mean Maybe even too sweet.

I am genuinely scared to publish the finale of this story because you have suggested so many different possible developments that I fear disappointing you. Well, the ending has already been written. so, the final part: Alex confidently went to recover. The next evening, the little boy tried to sneak out for a walk, which caused Eva's indignation. "Alex, have you gone mad?" she exclaimed. "Just yesterday you couldn't get out of bed, and today you're already running off to play in the park," the nanny scolded her charge, caught red-handed in the hotel lobby. "But I'm already well," the boy insisted. He was determined to spend this warm summer evening in the park, riding his scooter. "In that case, young man, I'll have to ask Arthur to send you back to an even earlier childhood!" Eva threatened. "One-year-olds are much more obedient!" The threat of becoming even younger and returning to infancy worked its magic on the boy. The last thing he wanted was to become a one-year-old, confined to a stroller and sucking on a pacifier. Alex already thought his current age of four was too tender and unsuitable for him. In his opinion, the ideal age would be nine or even ten years old. When you're not so small that you're constantly being told what to do and monitored, but not so grown-up that you have to shoulder all the responsibility. A happy medium! But he didn't have much choice, and Alex decided to continue enjoying his current four-year-old state, trying not to annoy the nanny. Ellie tried to keep caring for her friend. Over the past few days of Alex's illness, she had grown so attached to him that she even sometimes called him her little brother. From the outside, it indeed looked sweet and familial, as if an older sister were looking after a baby. But as soon as the boy regained his strength, he firmly declined to be fed with a spoon, help with morning and evening washes, and other procedures that every grown-up four-year-old child should do independently. At first, Elizabeth was somewhat upset, but later she concluded that Alex was better for her as a reliable and cheerful friend rather than a clueless younger brother. Several more days passed until Alex fully recovered from his illness. On a warm summer evening, as the sun set beyond the horizon and twilight approached the hotel, Alex and Elizabeth had already brushed their teeth and lay in their separate beds, waiting for sleep to envelop their consciousness. They had spent the whole day in the park, where the boy, still a grown man then, first remembered and tasted the carelessness of childhood. Now, Alex lay in his blue pajamas with an embroidered teddy bear on the chest, staring at the ceiling. "Ellie, are you asleep?" the boy called to his friend. "No," she replied. After hesitating a bit longer, Alex continued, "Ellie, what's it like to be little?" "You tell me, out of the two of us, only you sleep in diapers!" the girl giggled. Despite her love for Alex, Ellie couldn't resist teasing him on such a personal matter. Alex would periodically get upset, but not this time. "Yeah, I didn't mean that," he went on. "Do you remember what happened to you when you turned two?" The girl understood that her jokes were inappropriate and that Alex was aiming for a rather serious conversation. "Yes, I remember absolutely everything down to the smallest detail," she began. "I remember how we played in the sandbox and how you admired my sand swan!" "Yeah, that was fun," Alex agreed. "And how you asked me to try to fall asleep in the stroller." "You were surprisingly obedient back then, not like now," the boy quipped. Ellie sat up in bed, tucking her legs under her, and looked at the boy, who was still examining the white ceiling. "I also remember how worried you were about me and said that I was your best friend," added Elizabeth with a smile. Alex didn't respond, but simply looked at Ellie and smiled. "And I remember how you tricked me with that disgusting porridge!" Ellie exclaimed indignantly. "I'll never forgive you for that!" The girl dramatically pouted her lips, folded her arms across her chest, and turned her nose up. "Yeah, that wasn't hard," Alex laughed. The boy sat up in bed, scooped up an imaginary spoonful of non-existent porridge, and, moving his hand towards Ellie, said, "The train goes into the tunnel..." Ellie opened her mouth, pretending to eat the porridge, and the children laughed. Having calmed down a bit, Alex continued: "So, who's your mom? You said she works here." "Alex, you're really like a little kid," the girl replied cheerfully. "I don't have any relatives. Brother, mom, dad who's always on business trips – it's all just a made-up story, a legend so that guests perceive me accordingly," she explained. "You don't think I should introduce myself as Elizabeth – the girl who's 130 years old, do you?" she finished. "One hundred and twenty-nine," the boy corrected her. "Well, one hundred and twenty-nine," she agreed and continued: "Today it's one hundred and twenty-nine, tomorrow it's one hundred and thirty, in another year it's one hundred and thirty-one. When you spend most of your life as a seven-year-old child, it doesn't really matter," she said. "You live like a seven-year-old, play with toys for seven-year-olds, eat children's food, and people see you as a seven-year-old girl." "Must be hard, huh?" asked Alex. Ellie smiled. "Not at all, you just put your adulthood away in a closet at some point and only open it when you need certain skills or knowledge." "Have you ever wanted to go back?" asked the boy. "Where?" Ellie didn't understand the question. "Well, to the normal world, where people grow up, have children and grandchildren." "I wanted to, but it's not that simple," Ellie replied and sighed before continuing. "You see, now I only know two people whose age would be suitable for me, and I don't really want to go back to a normal life as a four-year-old," she explained her choice to stay at the hotel and added with a slight tremble in her voice: "Besides, there's no one to go back to, everyone I knew and who knew me is long gone." "Two? Who's the second one?" Alex perked up. At that moment, the door to the nursery cracked open, and the nanny whispered: "Children, stop chatting and go to sleep." "Okay, Nanny!" Ellie and Alex promised in unison. They lay back down in their beds and covered themselves with fluffy blankets. The nanny quietly approached them, kissed each on the forehead, and turned off the nightlights. "So, who's the second one?" Alex repeated the question. "What does it matter," Ellie shrugged. Alex fell silent. From Ellie's rapid breathing, it was clear that the girl was still awake. "Ellie, when's your birthday?" the boy whispered. "Your attention span is really like a little kid's," Elizabeth whispered back. "I told you, it's tomorrow." "You mean, tomorrow?!" the boy exclaimed loudly at the unexpected news. The nursery door swung open, and Eva stood on the threshold. The nanny was clearly unhappy with the behavior of her charges. "Oops!" the children squeaked and dove under the covers headfirst. — In the morning, Alex woke up earlier than usual. The boy quietly sat up in his bed and looked around. Ellie was still sound asleep, sucking her thumb in her sleep. Alex giggled, "I'm not the only one, after all, you can't fool nature; I'll have something to say when she teases me about diapers." He carefully got out of bed, took his stuffed bear with him, and tiptoed out of the nursery, quietly closing the door behind him. Alex left the room and headed to the first floor. Walking down the hallway and timidly glancing at the portraits that still scared him a little, the child reached the staircase. Descending it with more confident steps than before, Alex entered the hotel lobby. Arthur was nowhere to be seen. "Good, no unnecessary questions," and the little boy headed to the hotel's inner courtyard. Upon arriving, the boy approached a flowerbed with colorful daisies. "Well, I hope Arthur won't notice the loss," the boy thought. "Let's not do this, sunshine," a gentle voice sounded from behind. "Oh," the boy caught in the act turned towards the source of the sound. "Nanny, I just wanted to pick a small bouquet for Ellie," the boy began to justify himself. "It's her birthday today! Can you believe it?" Alex was waving his hands with excitement. "In that case, this would be better," the nanny took the boy by the hand and led him deeper into the courtyard. They approached a small flowerbed with a mix of purple, blue, yellow, and white irises. Eva gently crouched down and cut a few flowers. "In the language of flowers," she explained her choice, "purple symbolizes wisdom and intuition. White represents purity and innocence. Blue irises mean courage, fearlessness, and bravery, while yellow ones signify admiration." Alex watched in fascination as Eva assembled the bouquet. After a couple of minutes, when the bouquet was ready, the nanny handed it to the boy. "Here," she said. Alex took the flowers with awe. "Thank you, Nanny," he barely whispered in response. "You're welcome, little one," she smiled back. "Ellie will be happy; it's been a long time since she celebrated her birthday." "You mean, how long has she not celebrated?" the boy asked in astonishment. Eva shrugged. "It's very simple; for her, it's just another day like any other." "We must fix this! How can you not celebrate a birthday!?" Alex exclaimed in surprise, his brown eyes wide open. "It's settled; there will be a party in Ellie's honor today," he concluded. "Run to the room! Ellie has probably woken up by now," Eva reminded him. "Ah, yes, of course! Bear, let's run!" the little boy said, running off with the bouquet of flowers. "Thanks again!" he yelled, disappearing into the hotel lobby. "And irises also symbolize sorrow, consolation, and hope," Eva thought to herself. Ellie woke up and opened her eyes. She turned towards the bed where Alex slept, expecting to see the snoring boy. But the bed was empty, with no sign of the boy or his stuffed bear. "Strange, where could he have gone already?" the girl wondered. "Usually, he sleeps much longer than me, and I have to wake him up." At that moment, rustling and muffled footsteps could be heard outside the door. Ellie sat up in bed, waiting. The door to the children's room creaked slightly ajar, and from behind it appeared the boy's hair, ear, and one eye. Assured that Ellie was awake, the boy fully opened the door and confidently entered the room. The embroidered bear on his pajamas smiled in greeting to the girl, and a bouquet of flowers could be seen behind the boy's back. Tossing the stuffed bear onto his bed, Alex approached Ellie and pulled the bouquet from behind his back. "Happy birthday!" he said joyfully and handed the bouquet to Ellie. The girl smiled at him and accepted the flowers. She lifted the bouquet to her face, tilted her head slightly, and inhaled the sweet scent of the flowers, mixed with the smell of morning dew. "These are irises," the boy announced cheerfully. "The nanny said they symbolize purity, wisdom, fearlessness...", he rushed to share his newfound knowledge. "And they are also given to those who are admired," Alex finished, blushing. "Thank you!" Ellie set the bouquet aside, kissed the boy on the cheek, and hugged him. "Johnny and Jenny, sitting in a park, K-I-S-S-I-N-G in the dark!," a voice echoed from Alex's bed. The nanny stood in the doorway of the children's room, observing this touching and tender moment, seeing a single teardrop roll down the girl's cheek. After Alex had changed and eaten breakfast, he hurried away, citing urgent matters that Ellie didn't understand. Although Ellie could barely imagine what kind of business a four-year-old boy could have, she didn't question him. Alex spent the entire day running around the hotel, preparing for the upcoming evening. He arranged with the chef to prepare a more grown-up dinner, rather than the traditional mac and cheese and nuggets. The boy persuaded the pastry chef to make a small cake, decorated with the inscription "Happy Birthday!". He even tried to bargain with Arthur for balloons, to which the porter wisely remarked: "Sir, if you want to impress, balloons and clowns are not the best choice for a romantic evening." "Yes, you're right, I've been acting like a child," the boy agreed. "Can you prepare a tuxedo in my size for tonight and leave it in my old room?" "Of course, sir, everything will be in the best order," the porter replied. "Allow me one more question, sir!" "Yes, Arthur, what is it?" the boy raised his eyebrows. "Do the pants need to accommodate a diaper?" the porter asked, barely holding back laughter. "I'll manage," the blushing boy gritted his teeth. He grabbed his stuffed bear and ran to the restaurant to arrange the music and check on the cake's progress. Ellie hadn't seen Alex all day: he kept appearing in the room and then disappearing again. The nanny went about her business as if she didn't notice her young charge's unusual behavior. Ellie, of course, suspected what the boy was up to, but she didn't ask him directly so as not to spoil the surprise. When it was time for their afternoon nap, Ellie lay in her bed and looked at Alex's empty bed. Apparently, the nanny had allowed him to skip his rest today. Eva, the nanny, entered the room. "Elizabeth, may I have a word with you?" Eva addressed the girl. Her tone wasn't like that of an adult speaking to a child; she spoke to Ellie as an equal. "Of course, Eva," Ellie gestured for the nanny to sit down on the bed. "You do realize that the day after tomorrow, Alex will have to leave us - and he most likely won't return," Eva got straight to the point. "Yes, I understand that," the girl replied, looking her in the eye. "And what do you intend to do?" Eva asked. "Nothing, I'll just say goodbye to him," Ellie answered just as coldly and calmly. "Elizabeth, we've known each other for almost a century. Do you really think you can deceive me that easily?" the nanny smiled. "What can I do, Eva? Leave with him and a four-year-old girl? You know as well as I do that it's not the best option for Alex. Asking him to stay with me at the hotel would be extremely selfish," she replied calmly, then continued: "The best thing is to just let him go... and forget," the girl concluded. "I understand," Eva said, getting up from the bed and leaving the room, closing the door behind her. The woman stood outside the door for a while, listening to little Ellie sobbing into her pillow. Dinner time came. Eva went to the room, holding an evening dress for the girl. She gently cracked open the door to the nursery. Ellie sat on the floor in her pajamas, playing with dolls. "Daddy, daddy! When will we go on vacation?" the little doll-baby in a blue dress asked the plush teddy bear. "Very soon!" the bear replied. "We're just waiting for our mommy," Ellie continued, imitating the bear's voice and voicing the characters. She put down the doll-baby and picked up a fairy doll. "Yes, dear, I'll just pack everything our daughter needs," Ellie answered as the fairy in her usual voice. Eva couldn't bring herself to interrupt Elizabeth and carefully left the room, quietly closing the door behind her. A few minutes later, she knocked on the door. Elizabeth opened it. "You usually come in without knocking," the girl noticed. "Usually, yes," the nanny replied, and added: "This dress is for you, it's time for dinner." Alex stood alone in the bathroom of his room, struggling with his unruly boyish hair. He either applied too much gel, making it seem as if the boy had been caught in the rain, or not enough, leaving his hair sticking out in all directions. In Alex's opinion, he had already washed and dried his head about 500 times, but he just couldn't manage to style his hair. The little boy was ready to burst into tears, even the cheerful smiling elephant couldn't cheer him up. At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Sniffling, Alex opened it. On the doorstep stood Arthur, holding a black tuxedo in his hands. "Good evening, sir. Your tuxedo, just as you requested...", seeing the upset boy, the porter stopped himself from delivering his favorite joke about pants and instead said: "Sir, if I can help you with anything, please don't hesitate to ask." Wiping away the tears that had already begun to fall, Alex told him about the problem with his hairstyle. "No worries, sir. Allow me to help you," with these words, he gestured for the boy to step back into the bathroom. Arthur picked up a tube of hair gel and frowned. "Sir, gel is not suitable for you, you're not going to a punk concert," with that, the porter rummaged in a drawer hanging above the sink and pulled out a small black jar. “Hair paste,” he announced to the boy, showing him the jar, “matte texture and impeccable hairstyle.” With these words, he applied a small amount of paste to his palm, sprayed it with some water, rubbed the resulting mixture between his hands, and set to work. In just a couple of minutes, Alex saw himself with perfectly styled hair. “Arthur, you saved me! Thank you!” The boy hugged the porter around the leg. “You're welcome, sir!” Arthur replied, gently detaching the boy from himself. “Please hurry, Miss Ellie should not be kept waiting.” Arthur and Alex arrived in the hall first. The boy critically examined the table prepared for them and was quite satisfied. But Ellie never came. The little boy sat at the table, then walked around the hall, returned to the table, and stood shifting from toe to heel. With a habitual gesture, Alex raised his hand and looked to where a watch should have been, but there was no watch, and no Ellie either. "What if she doesn't come?" the boy thought to himself. But at that moment, the heavy doors of the restaurant hall creaked, and she entered. She fluttered in, rather, like a fresh morning breeze, the boy thought. She looked like a little princess in her delicate pale blue dress with white lace. The dress wasn't puffy like dolls', but just the kind that suited Ellie. Her light hair was styled into soft curls, and a silver headband glittered on her head. Her blue eyes shone with joy, and her cheeks flushed with excitement. A little to the side, Eva walked in her usual uniform. Alex straightened up, standing at attention, unable to say or do anything. Ellie approached the boy and cheerfully said: "Hello!" Snapping out of it, Alex replied: "You look very beautiful. Happy birthday again. Hello." Ellie smiled. "Clumsy, got all the words mixed up," the boy thought to himself. Ellie and Alex sat down at the table. A smiling waiter brought them a white mushroom risotto. The children eagerly began their dinner. "This is delightful," said Ellie. "You can't imagine how much I've missed evenings like this." Alex smiled shyly in response. Despite the fact that there were no secrets left between him and Ellie, the boy was still timid. The waiter approached and offered the children a glass of something straw-colored and bubbly, which strongly resembled champagne. Alex looked at it in surprise and thought, "Isn't it a bit early to drink alcohol at the age of four?". The boy glanced at Eva and Arthur, who were standing some distance away from the children and smiling as they watched them. The porter gave a barely noticeable nod. Alex and Ellie each took a glass. A festive clink rang out. Alex took a small sip and realized it was "apple soda" and smiled, the porter winked at the boy. Ellie was simply thrilled. She seemed to be on cloud nine and kept talking nonstop to Alex, smiling and laughing. The boy just watched Ellie, trying to remember her this happy. Music began to play, something slow and romantic from the 1920s. Ellie stood up from her chair, took Alex by the hand, and led him to the center of the room. "I haven't danced in so long," she said. The girl placed Alex's hands on her waist and settled her own palms on his shoulders. The children began to sway gently in time with the tender music. "Aren't they a wonder?" Eva cooed at the scene. "A wonder," Arthur confirmed. "But wonders end sooner or later," he added. "Have you already told the boy that tomorrow is the last day?" "Not today, Arthur, not today," replied Eva. She decisively took the porter by the hand. "Will you ask a girl to dance?" she asked, laughing. "Eva, what are you doing?" Arthur protested. "This is unprofessional." Nevertheless, there were now two couples dancing in the center of the room. The music ended, and amidst the applause from Alex, Arthur, and Eva, a cake was brought out. It was covered in chocolate cream and adorned with colorful candies and sugar stars. In the center of the cake stood a single lit candle. Eva clapped her hands and, after a moment's thought, blew out the candle. Alex cut the cake and served a piece to both himself and Ellie. "Come on, I have something to show you," Ellie told Alex. The children grabbed their plates with cake and left the room. The porter wanted to follow them, but Eva stopped him. "Leave them be, Arthur, it's their last night." Ellie led Alex to the elevator. "It won't work, we don't have enough weight," the boy remarked, recalling his unsuccessful attempt. "We're together - we can do it," Ellie cheerfully winked at him. Entering the elevator, the girl pressed the button for the top floor, the elevator hummed, closed its doors, and started moving up. On the top floor, the girl took Alex by the hand and led him to the emergency exit. Opening the door and climbing the stairs a little, the children found themselves on the roof. It was already getting dark outside, and the starry sky enveloped the entire area. It seemed that a blanket of stars covered the whole area, and if desired, one could reach it in an hour or two. "This is my favorite place in this hotel. I come here when I'm happy or sad, when I'm rejoicing or grieving," Ellie confided in Alex. "It's magical," the boy stood with his head tilted back, gazing up at the starry dome. "I've never seen so many stars, and they're all so close." The children sat down on the floor and started eating the cake, joking and laughing merrily, feeling simply content. "I think it's time to start looking for them," the porter broke the silence in the hall. "Arthur, can't you just be less of a bore for one evening?" Eva replied. "No need to search for anyone, they're on the roof, Ellie always goes there." "On the roof?" Arthur exclaimed indignantly. "They could fall!" "Calm down, no one is going to fall," Eva cut a piece of cake for herself and Arthur. "And as I can see, you've grown attached to Alex." Arthur remained silent. "If he asks to stay? And he will ask, I assure you, what will you say?" Eva continued. "You know it's impossible!" the porter replied. "We were barely allowed to keep Elizabeth, it won't happen a second time." "I thought so," the nanny replied, eating her first piece. "Oh my god, this is delicious. Why haven't we made this before?" Eva exclaimed. "There were no occasions," Arthur replied sullenly, and then asked, "What if Ellie leaves with Alex?" "She's against it," Eva answered. "And how do you imagine it? Our Ellie, 4 years old, leaving with a 35-year-old man. They won't have a future." Arthur nodded in agreement. "But there is one option," Eva smiled, "we'll talk about it tomorrow. For now, enjoy your cake, young man." In half an hour, Arthur and Eva went up to the hotel roof and found the children sleeping in each other's arms. Next to them were two plates with unfinished pieces of the festive cake. — Alex opened his eyes and found himself in his childhood bedroom. He stretched lazily, glanced over at the neighboring bed where Ellie was sleeping. The boy tried to recall how he ended up in bed but couldn't. He looked at the clock: it was already 11 in the morning, and the sun was shining outside. Briskly jumping out of bed, Alex shouted cheerfully, "Ellie, wake up, or you'll sleep the whole day away!" and ran to the bathroom to wash up and change clothes. Returning to the bedroom, he found that his friend was still nestled in bed. Alex approached, sat on the edge of the bed, and said, "Get up, sleepyhead, it's morning already, let's go play!" Ellie smiled. "Yes, Alex, I'm coming." "Great," the little boy replied happily, "I'll be waiting for you at the table. I saw that the nanny made pancakes herself, let's hurry!" With those words, Alex rushed out of the nursery. Ellie got up from the bed, walked over to the mirror, and looked at herself. A round-faced girl in unicorn pajamas stared back at her, with light hair and sad blue eyes. "Pull yourself together," she told herself. "You have to get through this." With those words, Ellie confidently left the nursery. Stepping out of the room, she saw Alex. The boy was already sitting at the table, devouring pancakes. "And then we looked at the stars," the boy recounted details of the previous evening with his mouth full. "Chew first, then talk," the nanny smiled in response. "And what stars did you see?" "Different ones, even shooting stars," he replied, trying to stuff another pancake into himself. "Good morning, Eva," Ellie walked over to the table. "Good morning," the nanny and Alex responded. Ellie took a seat and pulled a plate of pancakes towards her. "Have you told him?" the girl asked the nanny. Eva remained silent, looking at Alex, trying to find the right words. The conversation was not going to be an easy one. "Told me what?" the little boy looked puzzled, glancing from Ellie to Eva. "Do you think it's time?" Eva asked the girl seriously. "Yes," Ellie replied tersely, her gaze cold. By this time, the boy had already chewed everything he'd so eagerly crammed into his mouth. "Hey, I'm here too," Alex protested. "Can you explain what's going on?" The nanny sighed, and with all the tenderness she could muster, began: "Alex, today is your..." "Last day," Elizabeth finished for her. Eva definitely wanted to deliver the news more gently and delicately, but Ellie chose otherwise. Alex put down his fork. "What last day?" the boy stared at his friend, not understanding. "Your program's last day. Tomorrow, you'll become an adult again," Eva said, looking at him and smiling. "Isn't that wonderful? You'll be able to return to your adult life," the nanny continued, trying to somehow comfort the boy and soften the shocking news. "No, it's not wonderful," Alex replied, put down his fork, got up from the table, and walked to the window. "Can I extend the program?" he asked Eva. "I'm afraid not, sweetheart," she answered and gave him a sad smile. "I need some time alone," the boy announced and disappeared into the nursery, closing the door behind him. He sat on the bed, took his teddy bear in his hands, and stared into its small black eyes. Then he forcefully threw it against the wall and ran out of the room. "Ellie, will you stay with me?" he asked the girl. "I'm afraid that's impossible," she replied, her voice filled with bitterness. Gone was the icy gaze. "What about me? Can I stay here in the hotel? Forever?" The boy looked at the nanny with tear-filled eyes, but she just barely shook her head. Swallowing hard, Alex dashed out of the room. Ellie wanted to follow him, but Eva stopped her. "Wait, he needs to go through this on his own." Stumbling and falling, Alex ran down the corridor. Tears streamed from his eyes; he couldn't, he didn't want to, and he wouldn't leave this place. The boy hurriedly went down the stairs and found the porter standing behind the counter. He approached him and blurted out, "Arthur, I want to stay. What do I need to do?" Arthur set aside the pen and journal, came out from behind the counter, and crouched down so that his eyes were level with Alex's. "I'm afraid that's impossible." "But why? Ellie stayed, didn't she? Why can't I?" Alex bombarded him with questions, smearing his tears across his cheeks. Arthur remained silent, looking at him. Alex fell to his knees and began pounding the floor with his fists. Scratches appeared on his tiny childlike hands. Unable to bear it any longer, Alex collapsed on the floor and curled up into a ball. Sobs and wails shook his body. Arthur crouched beside the boy and began. "You see, Alex, there are many things in life that we cannot change, and this is one of them," he took out his flask again and took a sip. "Ah, it's not my habit to start the workday with whiskey, but that's what you've driven me to," he patted the boy on the back and continued. "Anyway, you always have a choice." Alex lifted his head and looked at Arthur with tear-reddened eyes. "What choice?" he sniffled, not understanding. "You can turn today into a wonderful fairy tale or your worst nightmare," the porter smiled and tousled Alex's hair. "Choose," he finished and took another sip from his flask. "Good Lord, what a swill," Arthur grimaced. They sat like that for a few more minutes. Then Alex got to his feet, still shaken by periodic sobs. There was a light in his eyes. He smiled, "Thank you, Arthur," and ran back to his room. "You're always welcome, sir!" the porter called after him. "You're always welcome," he repeated softly and took a deep breath. Alex raced up the stairs. Now, there was no more sadness or anger within him, only a desire to spend all the remaining time with Ellie, enjoying every minute of their time together. The boy burst into the room and cheerfully shouted, "One minute!" Then, he dashed into the nursery, where he picked up a teddy bear from the floor. "Forgive me, bear!" he addressed the toy, hugging it. "No worries, worse things have happened," the bear replied. The boy ran out of the nursery and quickly approached Ellie, who was confused, and hugged her. "Ellie, you're still in your pajamas!" he said to her. "Get dressed quickly!" "Nanny!" Alex turned his beaming gaze to Eva. "Where can we go today to make it memorable?!" "There's a lake with a small beach near the hotel!" she smiled. "I think that would be the best choice for today." "We're definitely going swimming!" the child exclaimed cheerfully and ran to gather his things. "What's gotten into him?" Ellie asked Eva, puzzled. "He'll be just fine," the nanny replied and began preparing for the walk to the lake. Alex and Ellie spent the whole day at the lake, swimming and splashing in the water, spraying each other and laughing. Chilled, they climbed onto the sand and basked under the hot sun, then returned to the water again. For lunch, they had sandwiches that Eva had thoughtfully brought with her. She even allowed the children not to return to the hotel for an afternoon nap, as this was a special day – their last day together. With each hour spent on the beach, the sun crept closer to the horizon. The children had already returned to the hotel, and Alex, taking Ellie's hand, hurried with her to their shared nursery. "Let's go, Ellie! We still have to play cars with you!" the boy exclaimed joyfully. However, as they approached the door to their room, Ellie slowed her pace and soon came to a complete stop. "Alex, it's time," she said gently and sadly. "No, we still have the whole night ahead of us, we can still watch the stars!" Alex replied, not wanting to believe that this day had come to an end. Ellie smiled, hugged Alex tenderly, kissed him on the cheek, and whispered softly: "I will always remember you," then disappeared into the room. The child wanted to follow her, but the nanny stopped him. "Sweetheart, you have to sleep in your own room tonight," she said, hugging the boy's shoulders, and they went to the room he had lived in before. Upon entering the room, the boy saw no scattered toys or cheerful pictures on the walls - it was just a hotel room: beautiful, cozy, ordinary, and lonely. Alex sat in the center of the sofa and silently swung his legs as the nanny prepared his evening bath. He looked so small and lonely in the midst of that vast room. "Let's go," Eva said softly, leading the boy to the bathroom. There, she undressed him and seated him in a thick cap of rainbow foam with a calming and nighttime lavender scent. Eva tenderly washed Alex, and they remained silent throughout the process. The nanny rinsed the boy with warm water, washing away all the foam and soap, effortlessly lifted the child into her arms, wrapped him in a white, fluffy towel, and carried him to the bedroom. Alex sat in Eva's arms and saw that the bedroom now had a typical adult appearance: a huge bed stood in the center, and curtains swayed gently in the warm evening breeze. She placed the boy in the center of the bed, dried him off, and helped him put on his pajamas - warm, cozy, and ordinary, not betraying the age of their wearer. The pajamas were of a classic red and white checkered design. The boy got off the bed and walked over to the open window, where the evening mist was gathering. He looked at the forests and hills surrounding the hotel and turned to Eva: "Why can't I stay?" he asked her sadly. "We would be your children and help you. We'd go to the lake on weekends and to the park on Mondays and Wednesdays. I could help you with chores, and Ellie would take care of the guests. In the evenings, you would tuck us in and tell us bedtime stories." Eva smiled, walked over to the boy, and caressed his cheek. She didn't answer, but the answer was clear. The nanny helped the boy get into bed, gave him a glass of milk and a plate of cookies. The boy sipped the milk in small gulps and nibbled on tiny pieces of cookies. He tried to stretch out these last hours of his childhood as long as possible. Eva understood and didn't rush her charge. When the boy finished his snack, Eva helped him lie down, gave him a teddy bear, covered him with a light blanket, kissed him on the forehead, and quietly left the room. "Good night, sunshine. Sweet dreams," she said. "Good night, nanny," Alex replied. Alex woke up in the middle of the night. He felt himself, looked at his hands, and realized he was still a child. The boy got out of bed, put on his slippers, and left the room. Alex walked softly along the nighttime corridor, listening to the hotel's nocturnal sounds. He looked at the portraits hanging on its walls, no longer afraid of them. As he descended the stairs, he ran his childish hand along the railing, feeling and memorizing the texture of the varnished wood. Alex wanted to remember absolutely everything that surrounded him, what he felt and saw. Down in the hotel lobby, a dim light flickered. Alex heard familiar voices: Arthur and Eva were arguing about something. Ellie was not among them. The boy crouched down on the steps and listened. The conversation revolved around some machinations with the years they had lived. The nanny clearly knew something, accusing the porter of something, but the little boy could not understand exactly what. After sitting there for some time, Alex got up and returned to his room. He hoped to meet Ellie, to see her at least one more time, but his wishes were not meant to be fulfilled. The boy climbed into bed and pulled the warm, fluffy blanket over his head. For a moment, he thought that if he stayed up all night and didn't fall asleep, everything would remain unchanged, and tomorrow he would wake up again to Ellie's cheerful laughter. Alex hugged his teddy bear tightly, lay on his side, curled up his legs, and fell asleep. A ray of morning sunlight fell on the guest's face. The man winced; he wanted to sleep a little longer. But the sunbeam was persistent, insistent on waking him up. Opening his eyes, Alex sat on the edge of the bed. His legs now easily reached the floor, the objects around him seemed smaller, and his body felt heavier. Alex looked at his hand; it was an ordinary hand of an adult. There was a knock on the door. "Who's there?" asked the man in a deep, thick voice. "Your breakfast, sir," came the muffled voice of a waiter from behind the door. Alex slowly got out of bed and opened the door. A smiling waiter carried a silver tray into the room and placed it on the table. The room filled with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and fried bacon. "Thank you," said Alex indifferently. The waiter left the room, silently closing the door behind him. The man sat at the table. Before him was a classic English breakfast with coffee, eggs, and fried bacon. Without much appetite, Alex poked at the food. He would have preferred porridge and cocoa at the moment. Alex rose decisively, as there was no reason or anyone for him to stay in this hotel any longer. Picking up the internal phone, he informed the reception that he wanted to check out earlier and asked them to arrange a transfer to the airport. Hurriedly gathering his few belongings, Alex strode confidently out of the room. A plush teddy bear lay alone on the couch. The man took the elevator down to the hotel lobby and approached the counter where Arthur was always on duty. "Sir, are you leaving us already?" the porter asked respectfully. Alex silently nodded. "Well, I hope you enjoyed your stay. We look forward to having you again," Arthur said the standard phrase. "Can I see Ellie?" Alex asked with a last hope. The porter silently shook his head. "Just as I thought," the man concluded. At that moment, a mischievous child's face appeared from behind the counter. "Ellie?" Alex exclaimed, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was not her. "Well, Arthur, it's time to say goodbye," he sighed. "Safe travels, sir," the porter smiled. Alex turned, grabbed the handle of his suitcase, and left the hotel. A car was already waiting for him outside. The attentive driver helped Alex load his luggage into the trunk. The man sat in the back seat. "If only I could see her one more time," he thought to himself. Alex took out his phone and began to review the news that had accumulated during his vacation. "To the airport?" the driver inquired, looking at his passenger in the rearview mirror. At that moment, the back door opened, and Alex heard a pleasant female voice. "Sir, may I ask you for a ride? I'm running very late and can't wait for my taxi." "Get in," the man shrugged, not looking up. He was completely absorbed in his thoughts. The woman got in and closed the door behind her. The car started moving. Alex glanced away from his phone for a moment and looked at the bag his sudden fellow traveler had placed between them. A plush teddy bear smiled at him from it. "I'm here with you, and we'll get through this together. Don't worry, okay?" he heard the familiar words. Large tears streamed down Alex's cheeks. Epilogue The car slowly moved along the winding forest road. Behind the wheel sat a man dressed in a t-shirt and blue jeans, who appeared to be around 35-37 years old. Next to him in the passenger seat sat a cheerful, fair-haired woman with playfully mischievous blue eyes. In the back seat, a seven-year-old girl sat holding a plush bear in her arms. The woman read a book aloud: "And I also like this part," she read a passage to her family: "He had already moved a meter and a half away from the sandbox, but the girl raised her curious eyes to him and asked..." She finished the quote from the book. "Do you remember that conversation, dear?" she asked the driver. "Who would have thought that this stern, bearded man had the soul of a romantic and a writer," Elizabeth smiled and patted Alex on his unshaven cheek. The man also smiled. "Yeah, who would have thought that this book would become a bestseller," he remarked, glancing at the cover, which depicted a boy in pajamas standing opposite an open window. The inscription on the book read: "Fairy Tale Hotel, author - Alex Smith." Alex glanced at the rearview mirror. "Eva, don't torture the bear, it's already had enough," The girl smiled and put the bear aside. "Ellie, we need to figure something out about Eva's education, after all, she's already turned 7!" the head of the family began. "Oh, don't be a bore," Ellie smiled. "Remember the last kindergarten she attended. The teachers didn't know what to do with her. A couple more months, and the entire staff would have started taking naps themselves." Alex smiled, recalling the unyielding character of his former nanny. "Still, you never told me how you managed to get Eva out of the hotel," Ellie perked up. "Alright, Dad, tell us!" the girl in the back seat said excitedly. It seemed that Misha, too, was ready to listen. "Well, there's not much to tell," Alex said, slightly embarrassed, and continued: "On the last night, I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk around the hotel. As it happened, I accidentally overheard a conversation between Eva," Alex nodded towards the girl, "and Arthur. I didn't understand the details, but I got the gist: Arthur had a couple of skeletons in his closet that he didn't want anyone to find out about." "You're quite the spy!" Ellie smiled. "Did you blackmail him?" "No, not at all! Of course not!" the man objected. "Arthur may be a pain, but he's done a lot for us. After you told me that Eva gave you her age and became a little girl herself, I went back to the hotel and vividly told Arthur how little girls can keep secrets." "I can keep secrets!" Eva pouted in the back seat, hugging teddy tightly. "Of course you can, sunshine," Alex smiled. "Anyway, by the end of my speech, Arthur was already helping pack Eva's suitcase. That's it!" "That's brilliant!" Elizabeth exclaimed, and Alex smiled. Silence hung in the car, only the soft rustle of tires on asphalt could be heard. Trees flickered past the window. "So, where are we going now?" the girl in the back seat asked. "Maybe we could stay home for a while," Alex pleaded. "Ever since we all left the hotel, all we've done is travel. I just want to lie on the couch and watch TV." "No way!" Ellie and Eva both objected in unison. "Listen, if you really want adventure, why don't we visit Arthur?" he suggested. "I'm sure Arthur would be happy to see us! We'll walk around the hotel, visit the lake," the Smith family patriarch described the possible vacation. "Relive our youth, so to speak." Ellie smiled and ruffled Alex's hair. "Oh, it seems someone misses wearing diapers!" she laughed brightly, recalling the boy's complicated relationship with that childish item. Alex just remained silent, blushing all the way to the tips of his ears. The END. Thank you to everyone who made it through the story to the end. I'm not a professional writer, and my current job has nothing to do with creativity, let alone literature. My last experience was limited to writing a school essay on "How I Spent My Summer." Now that the story of Alex's adventures is over, I realize that it doesn't quite fit the theme of this forum, but what's done is done. I hope you enjoyed reading the story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Hi to all, next part right now: It was noon on outside. The sun stood high above the horizon, warming the surroundings and hiding the traces of the past storm. Only a few puddles remained as reminders of the night's tempest. Children happily ran around the hotel's inner courtyard, their laughter echoing off the walls, and they were simply joyful. From deep within the hotel lobby, the nanny's voice rang out: "Alex! Ellie! Please, come to me!" The children stopped playing and raced towards Eve, who was already standing at the exit of the inner courtyard. "It's time for a little rest," she announced to her charges, smiling. "But Nanny, we've only just started playing," the boy and girl whined in unison, their eyes full of incomprehension and reluctance to break for what they deemed an unnecessary nap. "And you can continue after you've had a nap," Eve dashed all hopes of continued fun with her decisive tone. "Despite the fact that you're both grown-ups now, today is your first day at this new age. And I don't want you to be sleepy and start fussing by 6 pm," Eve concluded, stroking their heads. Knowing they couldn't escape nap time, the children trudged towards the elevator, exchanging sad glances. Eve followed, gently guiding her charges and giving them no chance to sneak away. Upon reaching their floor, Alex headed to his room. He didn't want to admit it, but he wouldn't have minded dozing off for an hour or two. Ellie kept pace with him, her cheerful curls swaying gently in step. As they approached the door, the boy habitually wanted to enter his room, but the nanny stopped him. "Alex, we're not going here today," Eve gestured for them to continue. Walking a few more meters, the nanny opened a massive wooden door, just like the other doors on this floor, and let the boy in first. Alex entered the room and looked around. At first glance, it was a standard room, just like all the others in the hotel: clean, tidy, with its own kitchenette and, judging by the number of doors, two bedrooms. The boy noticed that Ellie had been acting strangely throughout their journey, often looking at Eve and giving her various eye signals. So, the little one expected to see a surprise, but not just another ordinary room, albeit a very bright and cozy one. Therefore, already beginning to get annoyed, the boy was not particularly tactful and asked, "So, what's the catch?" He looked at Ellie, who was standing to the side, nervously fiddling with the hem of her light white dress. "This isn't like her," Alex noted to himself, paying attention to her rosy cheeks. Eva carefully closed the massive front door behind her and said, "Just a little more patience, kiddo." She walked across the room, opened one of the doors leading to another space, and gestured for Alex to enter. Alex stepped inside and was at a loss for words. He still remembered the impression he had when he first entered his room after it had been transformed into a nursery, but this was something else. Before him was a spacious room designed for two little ones. The assortment of cars, dolls, robots, and a toy baby stroller hinted that a boy and a girl were meant to be the masters of this place. Alex noticed two children's beds, standing in adjacent corners on either side of the window. Each bed had its own bedside table with a cozy night light. One night light was in the shape of a dinosaur, apparently meant for the boy, and the other in the shape of a unicorn, clearly more suited for a girl. Also in the room was a wardrobe for clothes, a chest of drawers, and a shelf filled with various toys, each item carefully selected and arranged. After inspecting the room, Alex turned to the nanny, expecting explanations, and they didn't take long to arrive. "Alex, I now have to take care of both of you, and it would be much more convenient to do that if you were in one place," Eva provided a comprehensive explanation. Well, it sounded quite logical. "Of course, I cannot insist, and you can return to your room at any moment when you want to," she clarified. "And by the way, it was her idea." The nanny shifted her gaze to Ellie, who by that time was already blushing down to the tips of her ears. "Yes... I thought... we have fun playing... and why not... you don't mind?" the girl began her faltering explanations, barely containing her excitement. "Oh my God, Ellie is embarrassed! You could fry an egg on her face right now!" Alex assessed his friend and, not wanting to continue tormenting the girl, said: "Well, I'll go gather my things." With those words, he left the room with a sense of dignity. As soon as the door to the room closed behind Alex, the boy dropped his affected importance and ran down the hotel corridor, bouncing with excitement. Bursting into his nursery, he grabbed his teddy bear and said, "Teddy, we're moving!" before hurrying back to his new room, where Eva was already preparing for nap time. The nanny sent the children to the bathroom to wash their hands and faces after their morning walk, telling them she would wait for them in the bedroom. The boy and girl quickly washed up, laughing merrily, and rushed back to their nursery, where neatly folded pajamas were already waiting for them on the beds. Ellie was the first to burst into the room, laughing as she grabbed her rainbow unicorn pajamas and started to put them on. Alex entered the room next, also cheerful until he noticed his bed. Lying on his pajamas, in plain sight, was a diaper... again. "What is this?!" Alex thought to himself, "It's as if Eva enjoys embarrassing me. She could've quietly handed it to me so Ellie wouldn't notice." Wanting to show that he wasn't going to put up with this, the boy resolutely declared, "I am NOT wearing this," emphasizing the refusal. Eva was ready to launch into a lecture about facing problems and not running away from them, but Ellie intervened. "Drop it, Alex, don't be so stubborn!" the girl cheerfully said, "I promise I won't laugh!" Strangely enough, it worked. The boy picked up the diaper and retreated to the bathroom. A couple of minutes later, he returned to the bedroom. "Oh, you look so adorable and little right now!" Ellie giggled gleefully, clapping her hands. "Ellie, you promised!" Alex's cheeks flushed. "Yeah, sorry, I just couldn't help myself when I saw you," the girl replied, "you really do look so cute." She walked over to him and hugged him tightly. Breaking free from Ellie's embrace, still blushing, Alex pulled on his pajamas and darted into bed. "Sweet dreams, children," Eva wished her charges. She had been standing in the corner of the room the whole time, watching and trying not to interfere. The nanny drew the curtains and left the room, closing the door behind her. Semi-darkness settled in. The sun blazed above the hotel, scorching everything alive. A warm breeze blew in through the slightly open window, fluttering the curtains like banners. Light and shadow danced on the walls, creating fantastical shapes. Alex couldn't sleep. He was tormented by thoughts of the new room, the move, and what Ellie had said. He would get up from bed, then lie back down and hug his soft teddy bear. He would drink cool water from the glass on the nightstand, then throw off the blanket, then cover himself with it again. Ellie watched him from her side of the room. She could see his restlessness and anguish. "Alex, just sleep," she whispered. "I can't, it's too hot!" Alex replied, staring at the white ceiling. He would have been glad to fall asleep already. "Then take off your clothes, you're acting like a little kid," Ellie suggested. "I'm not little!" Alex retorted, offended, and turned his back to her. But Ellie didn't let it go. "You're acting like you're four years old!" she continued. Without turning to face his friend, Alex pointed out fairly: "I am really four years old, just like you." Ellie rolled onto her back. "Can't argue with that," she agreed, smiling. And the children fell silent. Ellie realized that she had hurt Alex with her remark about being "little." She lay there for a few minutes, thinking about what she had said. Then the girl got up from the bed and approached Alex, who was still lying with his face to the wall. She whispered quietly: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you." But the boy didn't respond. "He must have fallen asleep," Ellie thought. She gently ran her hand along Alex's arm and suddenly pulled it back, having touched the boy's wrist. Alex's hand was scorching hot, like a burning coal. "I need to call Eva urgently," the thought flashed through Ellie's mind. She ran out of the children's room. Eva was unpacking things in the next room. A nanny's job required her to constantly follow her charges, leaving little time for herself. But when the children napped during the day, she could take care of her own affairs. Eva leisurely sorted clothes onto the shelves of the wardrobe in her new bedroom, thinking about something and occasionally smiling at her thoughts. The bedroom door swung open. An agitated Ellie stood in the doorway. "Eva, Alex is feeling unwell," she said. Eva dropped the clothes and rushed into the nursery. There she saw Alex, who lay under the blanket with his knees pressed to his chest. His eyes were half-closed, and he was shivering. Eva approached the bed and sat down. The child's forehead was dry and hot, while the fingers on his feet were cold as ice. Assessing Alex's condition, the nanny turned to the girl: "Ellie, bring me the first aid kit from my room. It's in the nightstand next to the bed." Ellie nodded and ran off. In just a moment, the girl returned with a white bag with a red cross on the side. Eva took a thermometer from the first aid kit and unbuttoned Alex's pajamas. Carefully, trying not to disturb the child more than necessary, she placed the thermometer under his armpit. Silence filled the room. Ellie stood quietly, looking at Alex. She was worried and scared. She didn't know what had happened to him. The nanny carefully watched the numbers on the small electronic thermometer screen. The thermometer beeped, breaking the silence in the room. Eva looked at the flashing numbers again. The temperature was high. Silently, the nanny took a bottle and a measuring spoon from the first aid kit. After measuring the necessary amount of pink medicine, she turned to Ellie: "Sweetie, please hold this," the nanny asked the girl. Then, with gentle and confident movements, the nanny helped to Alex sit. "Dear, you need to drink it," she said to the boy. "Open your mouth, sunshine, it's a sweet syrup." Alex opened his mouth slightly, his eyes still closed. Ellie brought the spoon to his lips. "That's it, baby, drink," Eva encouraged him. "Now, some water." Eva took a glass of water from the nightstand. The water had already warmed up from the summer heat. Eva lowered Alex onto the pillow. "Rest, baby, the medicine will work soon," she said and kissed his hot forehead. The room was once again filled with tense silence. The nanny and Ellie sat on the girl's bed, looking at Alex. The little boy lay under the blanket, shivering, his legs still icy cold. Fifteen minutes later, Eva put a thermometer in the boy's mouth again. The nanny tensely watched the numbers, which showed no signs of stopping. After the device's traditional signal, she left the room. A couple of minutes later, Eva returned. In her hands was a small basin of warm water in which several towels floated. "We need to help Alex deal with the fever until the medicine starts working," she said. Setting the basin aside, the nanny removed the blanket from the boy. "But the water is warm, almost hot," said Ellie. "Yes, that's how it should be. If we were to rub him with cold water, he could start having convulsions," Eva explained. She undressed Alex, leaving him lying in bed wearing only a diaper, wrung out the excess water from towel, and began to rub the child's body. Her movements were careful and confident; it was clear that this was not her first time doing this. Alex moaned, "I'm cold, don't touch me... ow, it's wet." "Just bear with it a little, sweetheart," Eva continued. Alex weakly resisted the damp towel. He was too sick and tired. After 5 minutes of rubbing, the nanny measured his temperature again. The thermometer showed the same numbers. "Good," said Eva. "Is Alex feeling better?" asked Ellie. She stood at the head of Alex's bed, stroking his head. "Yes, the temperature isn't rising," replied Eva. She touched the child's legs. They were hot. "Soon the medicine will take effect, and the temperature will drop." Eva took a sheet from the closet and covered Alex with it. The girl and the nanny sat on the bed, and Ellie watched Alex. Fifteen minutes later, the boy relaxed and stretched out along the bed. Sweat appeared on his forehead. The temperature dropped, and the child fell asleep. The next four days were tense for Eva and Elizabeth. Eva wanted to isolate Alex, but Ellie was adamantly against it. She insisted on helping and would not accept any objections from the nanny, even resorting to the last argument about the girl's true age. Every five hours, they gave the boy medicine and rubbed him down. Ellie took it upon herself to constantly monitor his temperature and carried out this duty with dignity. Alex slept almost around the clock; during the rare hours when he was awake, he sat in his bed, leaning on a soft white pillow, and Ellie entertained him by reading fairy tales and telling stories from her past adult life. She fed Alex with a spoon and cared for him in every way. At first, Alex tried to protest, but he soon realized that he had no strength left for a rebellion and that there was no need. He gratefully accepted his friend's care. The entire hotel staff was terribly worried about the boy and constantly inquired about his health. Even Arthur, with whom Alex had a rather strained relationship, came to the room every three hours to check on the child's well-being. On the fifth day of Alex's illness, Ellie, Arthur, and Eva were sitting in the hotel lobby, discussing their next steps. "We need to take the boy to the hospital," insisted Eva. Ellie supported the nanny, as she was very worried about her friend's health. "I agree that he needs a doctor's help, but how do you imagine this?" Arthur resisted. "We'll bring him in and say, 'This is Alex. Generally, he's 35 years old, but right now he's four. Take a look at what's wrong with him.'" "We won't say anything!" Ellie glared angrily at Arthur. "What if he dies?" the girl sobbed. "I'm already feeling better," a faint, barely audible child's voice came from the direction of the stairs. All three turned around. Alex was cautiously descending the staircase. He was twisting halfway around, holding onto the railing with both hands. The boy was wearing only the top part of his pajama set, unbuttoned halfway, and a diaper. His bare little legs carefully stepped from one stair to another. The child was unsteady but didn't give up. A plush teddy bear – his loyal friend – protruded from under his armpit. The nanny rushed over to the boy and easily scooped him up into her arms. "Sweetheart, why did you get up?" she asked tenderly. With the child in her arms, Eva returned to Elizabeth and Arthur. Alex settled comfortably on the nanny's lap, resting his head on her chest. Eva lovingly stroked his head and gently rocked him. The child looked pale and weak; his facial features had sharpened over the few days of illness. Alex had lost several pounds, which was evident and quite significant for his age. "How are you feeling, sir?" Arthur broke the silence. "Already better," the boy replied softly. His lips had cracked from the prolonged fever, and his speech had become somewhat unclear. "Shall I call a doctor?" the porter continued the conversation. "No, a pediatrician wasn't part of my plans," Alex smiled for the first time in several days.

And continuing right now: A fresh morning breeze blew into the nursery through the slightly open window. It carried with it the scent of a receding storm - electricity and damp earth. It played with the clothes on the back of the chair, gently caressed the toys on the floor, and tried to crawl under the blanket to the sleeping Alex, but couldn't. Finally, it rose higher, tickled the boy's nose with its cool breath, and dissolved into the air. The boy woke up because his finger had slipped out of his mouth. He felt strange and awkward. "What's happening to me?" he thought as he sat up in bed. Ellie wasn't there. "The nanny must have taken her while I was asleep," he decided and jumped onto the floor. But instead of standing firmly on his feet, he staggered and nearly fell. The bed was too high for him. "No way! Did it really work?" Alex rushed to the mirror. There, a chubby-cheeked four-year-old boy in blue pajamas with a bear on his chest smiled at him. The boy looked at himself from all sides, there was no doubt, the deal had been made! He managed to transfer Ellie's age to himself. Alex examined his face: his cheeks had become plump, his eyes larger, and his features even more delicate and childlike. He had shrunk in height by a good fifteen centimeters, if not more. The little one touched his chin and hair, still trying to comprehend what had happened. Joy and anxiety battled in his heart. He was happy for Ellie, but he himself had become even more vulnerable and dependent. Alex couldn't wait to see Elizabeth. He hurriedly opened the wardrobe to change, but found that all his clothes were now too big for him. The little one tried to pull jeans and a T-shirt over his pajamas, but they fell off him like a doll's clothes. "Well, I'll go as I am," the boy decided and tucked his stuffed bear under his arm. With a determined look, he left the room. Alex walked down the hallway soundlessly. The plush carpet hid the sound of his little footsteps. The boy involuntarily examined the surroundings: the doors to the rooms now seemed enormous, the portraits of unfamiliar people on the walls suddenly began to frighten him. Under their gaze, he felt extremely uneasy. Alex reached the stairs and looked down. "So high!" the boy pursed his lips, but immediately brightened: "There's an elevator!" Alex ran towards the elevator. He was lucky: the elevator was on his floor, and its doors opened invitingly, revealing a rich inner world. Alex rushed inside and pressed the button for the first floor... Nothing happened. "Is it broken?" the child wondered. He started pressing different buttons, but the elevator didn't budge. Alex stared at his reflection in the mirrored elevator wall, perplexed. "You don't weigh enough," a voice came from under his armpit. Alex pulled out the teddy bear and stared at it: "So you're alive?" he asked. "Of course! But only in your imagination," the plush animal replied, adding: "And that suits me just fine." "What should I do then?" Alex asked, hoping for some useful advice. "Gain some weight," the bear giggled. "Very funny," the boy frowned, "Guess I'll have to take the stairs and you'll help me." Alex put his friend back under his armpit and hurried back to the staircase. Now it took much more time and effort to move. Alex approached the stairs, holding the bear with one hand and grabbing the railing with the other. Stepping carefully from one stair to the next, the boy hesitantly descended. It seemed that the stairs recognized him: they remembered how just yesterday, as a seven-year-old, he had raced down them headlong. Now, he treaded respectfully and cautiously. Stairs aren't the kind of things that hold grudges for long. If they could talk, they would surely encourage the boy on his challenging journey: "Careful, little one! One step, now the next. Don't rush!" Alex reached the bottom of the stairs and found himself in a spacious lobby, which now seemed simply gigantic! Arthur, as usual, was dutifully working in the lobby, looking as unruffled and impeccable as ever. Upon seeing Alex in pajamas and with a teddy bear, the porter smiled and greeted him: "Hello, Sir Alex!" he said with a smile. "I'm glad to see that everything worked out. Allow me to compliment you: your new pajamas suit you very well!" "What a joker!" a voice came from under the boy's armpit. The bear clearly disliked Arthur. Alex didn't know how to react to these words. He felt foolish and awkward in his childish attire in front of this man, but Arthur seemed sincere. "Thank you! Where's Ellie?" Alex decided not to focus on his appearance. "Miss Elizabeth? Unfortunately, I haven't had the pleasure of seeing her today. But I think she went for a morning walk with her nanny, and I'm sure they'll be back soon," the porter was, as always, polite and impeccably courteous. At that moment, the nanny entered the lobby. She held the hand of the enchanting Ellie, a four-year-old girl. Elizabeth looked at Alex, abruptly pulled her hand from the nanny's grip, and without a word, dashed towards the boy. She hugged him tightly just above the elbows, so he couldn't lift his arms. Her cheek pressed against the embroidered bear on his pajamas. Alex stood as if rooted to the ground. "Hey, buddy, she's going to suffocate us," the stuffed bear exclaimed. But the boy didn't care: tears streamed down his cheeks. Meanwhile, Eva carefully walked along the wall, past the pots of palms adorning the hotel lobby, and approached the counter where Arthur was jotting something down in his work journal. His face showed no emotion except concentration. "Aren't they just adorable?" the nanny gazed at the embracing children. "Yes, quite possibly," the porter replied without enthusiasm, continuing to make his entries. Eva turned her gaze to him. "You've always been a stick in the mud," she said with a smile. "But look at them: they're simply happy to be here and now. What do you think?" she continued, beaming. The porter put down his pen, closed the journal, carefully looked at the nanny, and sighed deeply: "I think I made the biggest mistake of my life yesterday." Eva's smile faded. "Please explain," she asked cautiously. "You see," Arthur began, "Alex has already experienced the bitterness of loss. Do you think he can endure another one?" With those words, the porter took out another journal and continued making entries. The nanny stood, watching the happy children, thinking, "He's right, guests eventually leave, sooner or later." Finally releasing Alex, Elizabeth examined her friend: "You've become so little," the girl smiled, "and cute." Alex imagined how silly he must look now: tear-streaked in his child's pajamas with a stuffed bear, standing in the middle of the vast hotel lobby. But the boy couldn't think of anything better to say than simply, "Yeah," and smile in response. — "Let's go for a walk," suggested Ellie, taking Alex by the hand. "The weather is simply wonderful after the night storm." "Let's go," agreed Alex. "Not so fast, my dears. We still have a lot to do," came the voice of the nanny, who had finished contemplating and returned to her immediate duties. "Ellie, you haven't had breakfast yet, and I'm sure Alex hasn't either." She said with a gentle but confident voice. "Besides, it's high time for Alex to get dressed. Wearing pajamas at this time of day is simply unacceptable!" Eva concluded, crushing the hope of a walk. "Get dressed? Me?" Alex mentally repeated the words spoken by the nanny. "Oh!" the boy cried out in surprise when the nanny picked him up and carried him towards his room. "Elizabeth, wait for me in the hall!" she addressed the girl. "No, I'll go with you." The girl's tone didn't allow for refusal. Eva shrugged, "As you wish." With Alex in her arms, she approached the elevator and pressed the button. Something rumbled behind the closed doors, then a welcoming "ding" sounded, and the elevator opened its doors. All three entered the cabin, and the nanny pressed the button for the top floor, where Alex's room was located. "I'm being carried to my room... to get dressed," the realization of what was happening finally began to dawn on the boy, and he protested, "Eva, let me go! I can walk on my own and I can get dressed by myself too!" Alex defended his freedom and independence. The nanny didn't insist. She gently put the boy on his feet. Alex, filled with a sense of self-worth, straightened his pajamas. Upon entering the room, Elizabeth sat on the couch and began examining a children's book, of which there were plenty in Alex's room. Alex hurried to the bathroom, followed by Eva. "Eva, please! I can do it myself!" the boy pleaded, raising his eyebrows as he stood in front of the bathroom door. "Yes, of course," the nanny agreed. "I should have shown a bit more tact," she added, an apology in her voice. "I was too emotional about your reunion with Elizabeth. Besides," the nanny continued, "as far as I remember, you didn't mind some help, so I thought you wouldn't mind help on the first day of your new age." "Should have," Alex muttered under his breath so that no one could hear and closed himself in the bathroom. Having made sure that no one would disturb him, Alex took off his pajamas and assessed the diaper. This time there was nothing to be proud of: it was wet. "Oh, these transitions from one age to another," the boy grumbled to himself. Approaching the bathtub, the little one realized that the nanny's offer to help was not superfluous. As a seven-year-old, he was still tall enough to figure out how to climb into the huge bathtub, but a four-year-old had no chance. Eva and Elizabeth were sitting on the couch, looking at books when suddenly the click of the bathroom door lock sounded. They looked up from the book and saw Alex's face behind the door: "Eva! I need help!" said the boy, who looked very embarrassed. "Of course, just a minute," the nanny got up from the couch and headed for the door behind which Alex was waiting. Ellie also hurried to help her friend. "ONLY EVA!" Alex quickly stopped his friend, trying to maintain some remnants of privacy. Elizabeth giggled, "You're so funny," and returned to the couch. The nanny went into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. "What happened, sunshine?" she asked. "I'm too small to get into the bathtub," Alex admitted sheepishly. "Oh, that's all? No problem," Eva easily picked up the boy and gently placed him in the center of the huge bathtub with yellow edges. "When you're done, call me. I'll help you get out," the nanny said, closing the door behind her. Alex turned on the shower and began to wash himself. He caught himself thinking that now many things that used to be easy and understandable for him would have to be learned again. The bathtub incident was just another example of that. When he finished, Alex turned off the water and called the nanny: "I'm done." A couple of minutes later, the door opened, and the nanny entered with a huge, fluffy white towel in her hands. Without hesitating, she pulled Alex out of the bathtub and began to dry him off. Before the little one could figure out what was going on, the nanny picked him up and carried him into the living room where Elizabeth was sitting. Leaving Alex wrapped in a towel, Eva announced: "I need to go get your new clothes" and left the room. "You look like a real baby now!" Elizabeth said cheerfully and laughed, making Alex blush. A minute later, Eva returned with fresh clothes for Alex: it was the same T-shirt and shorts, just smaller in size and with more childish drawings. "Underpants or diaper?" Eva held out her hands, giving the boy a choice. Elizabeth giggled. "Underpants," Alex replied curtly. Taking the clothes, he disappeared under the towel. "We'll still need to have that talk about personal boundaries," the boy thought to himself. — Having finished dressing and eating breakfast, the children were finally left to their own devices and happily ran outside to get some fresh air. Ellie quickly grabbed Alex's hand and led him to the inner courtyard of the hotel where they had first met. The boy followed her, allowing Ellie to enjoy all the benefits of returning from the age of two. When they stepped into the courtyard, Alex froze. The hotel's inner courtyard had been cozy before, but now it had become simply magical. The air was filled with freshness and the scent of flowers. After the rain, a shiny mirror had appeared on the ground, which had not yet dried and reflected the bright blue sky. Butterflies and beetles flew everywhere, rejoicing in the temporary respite from the summer heat. Alex was drawn to a large blue butterfly, which gracefully moved from flower to flower, feasting on nectar. Alex cautiously approached it and began to observe: "She landed on another flower, unfurled her proboscis, and is diligently drinking nectar," the boy mentally narrated the events and smiled. Ellie carefully approached Alex and quietly asked, "It's magical, isn't it?" "Yes," the boy replied, mesmerized, but then quickly snapped out of it: "Since when did I start admiring butterflies?" a thought flashed through his mind. Alex stood perplexed, wondering what was happening to him: "Could this new age really be affecting me so much?" Suddenly he remembered the morning's misunderstanding with the bathtub, and now it no longer seemed harmless to him, but rather significant and painful. Alex continued to feel sorry for himself, and the more he pitied himself, the more he wanted to cry. "All I do is cry," the boy thought to himself. These thoughts made him feel even worse. Ellie, noticing that something strange was happening to her friend, decided to interrupt the flow of his sad thoughts. She tugged on his hand and suggested, "Let's go to the bench!" The boy, who was so abruptly pulled out of his distress, replied, "Yes, let's go." They approached the bench and climbed onto it. The bench was clearly meant for older guests. "I never did say thank you," Elizabeth began the conversation. "Oh, don't mention it, it's nothing," the boy said. The conversation clearly wasn't going smoothly, and Alex was retreating into his thoughts. Noticing this, Ellie made another attempt: "How did you manage to convince Arthur?" "He missed you himself," the boy replied distantly. He was once again preoccupied with butterflies. Ellie understood what was happening to Alex. She had experienced it three times herself: first when she agreed to participate in the program, then when she found herself at the age of two, and finally, today, in her new four-year-old body. "Feeling overwhelmed?" she asked the boy. "What do you mean?" the boy didn't understand the question. "Emotions! They engulf you like a wave and carry you out to sea. You try to get out, but the more you resist, the further and faster it sweeps you away. Then you give in and just swim and wait for the wave to return you to shore," Ellie explained. Alex stared at his friend in surprise. She had described everything that was happening to him with great accuracy. Ellie could see that she hit the mark and asked, "Do you want to learn how to deal with it?" "Yes," Alex agreed. "Look, it's all pretty simple, you just need to practice," the girl began to explain. "The first thing you need to understand is that you can control your emotions, that you are their master, not the other way around." Alex nodded. "Second, when you feel something, identify what it is, just tell yourself, I'm angry or I'm happy," the girl continued. "Then ask yourself why you felt it, and finally, say what you want to do to either have or avoid this situation in the future." Finishing her explanation, Ellie laughed and added, "Yeah, it's hard at first, but then you get used to it." The children sat on the bench, swinging their legs in the air. Ellie enjoyed the birdsong and gazed at the sky, watching the clouds drift by. Meanwhile, Alex diligently repeated to himself the instructions he had received from the girl. "Alright, I'm ready to give it a try," said Alex, hopping off the bench. "Sure, no problem!" Elizabeth cheerfully replied. She leisurely got off the bench and, at the same moment, strongly stepped on her friend's foot, causing him pain. "Ouch!" the boy yelped, both from pain and surprise. His eyes watered from the hurt. "I feel hurt," Alex began saying to himself. "I'm hurt because I didn't expect my friend to cause me pain." Alex felt the surging wave of emotion begin to slow down. "I'll ask her not to do that again. She's my friend, she'll listen to my request," Alex finished. He repeated the resulting mantra to himself a few more times and calmed down. "You did it on the first try!" Ellie excitedly grabbed the boy's hands. "Please don't do that again," Alex replied, looking into his friend's eyes. "Alright," she nodded, understanding that maybe it had been a bit too much. At that moment, Eva entered the courtyard. The nanny brought an afternoon snack of sweet yogurt and juicy fruits. The hungry children quickly devoured their plates and resumed their practice. The sun shone brighter and brighter. Puddles began to dry up, and the air filled with the sweet scent of flowers. Ellie deliberately created situations that could provoke uncontrollable emotions in a four-year-old child. She showed him various insects: "Look, Alex, what a beautiful butterfly!" she said, pointing to the brightly colored winged beauty. "And look at this huge beetle," she continued, showing an insect actively crawling over pebbles. "Oh, Alex, there's a spider on your head!" Ellie said with a smile. The boy proved to be a capable student, and by the end of the training session, he calmly reacted to all kinds of butterflies. However, ladybugs still elicited Alex's unstoppable childish delight.

I think the boy was expecting to see someone like a hotel owner. Besides, this is the first mention of the porter's name. And in general, children sometimes react strangely Thank you all for your feedback. Let's go on : Alex rushed into his nursery and collapsed onto the bed. After lying face down in the pillow for a couple of minutes, he rolled over and saw his stuffed friend lying next to him. The bear looked the boy straight in the eye. "Teddy, you won't believe what happened to me today!" Alex exclaimed and picked up the bear. He began to recount all the adventures that had happened to him in the first half of the day. The boy told about the sandbox and the ant, how beautiful Ellie was, even though she was small, about the terrible secret of Elizabeth, and that if it weren't for the hotel, she would already be 129 years old! He also mentioned that Arthur was actually the hotel's porter. Alex spoke so quickly and emotionally that he could barely breathe. The boy confided in the bear all his thoughts and feelings without holding back. The grateful stuffed listener didn't take his eyes off the story and didn't interrupt him once. It seemed impolite to do so. "And today I'll go to Arthur and ask him how to bring Elizabeth back," Alex finished his story. The boy breathed heavily: emotions overwhelmed him. "I have to help her," concluded the young knight - yes, it was precisely as a knight from his dreams that Alex felt himself now. The boy spent the rest of the day wandering around the hotel. He visited Ellie a couple of times to play, but his thoughts were occupied with the upcoming conversation. It was getting dark. Alex returned to his room and approached the window. Outside, clouds were gathering, and the first drops of the long-awaited storm were ready to reveal themselves to the world. "Symbolic," crossed the boy's mind. He felt the tension rising in his veins. "Well, it's time to get ready," Alex went into the nursery. A teddy, always ready to give silent advice, awaited him on the bed. "Changing the body entails changing the mind," Alex recalled the porter's words and, looking at the bear, quietly said, "Sorry, buddy, not today." Today he had to find out how to bring Elizabeth back, and for that, he needed to remain as grown-up as possible - and a stuffed bear was clearly not helpful. He opened the closet and surveyed his boyish wardrobe: a bunch of colorful T-shirts stared at him from hangers, shorts and funny socks vied to offer their services. "No, it's all wrong," Alex sorted through the clothes. He would have given a lot right now for his dark gray business suit. "Look the way you want to be treated," Alex recalled his adult life. In the end, he chose blue jeans and a dark long-sleeve shirt. Dressed, the boy critically examined himself in the mirror: he tried to look serious and confident. "You can do it!" he commanded himself and headed for the elevator with a determined, measured stride. "Be careful with him," the nanny's warning echoed in his head. "Don't worry, Eva, I definitely will," Alex mentally replied to her. Descending in the elevator to the hotel lobby, he found Arthur, who stood as always behind the reception desk. Arthur was a tall and sturdy middle-aged man. His black hair was neatly combed back. He wore an elegant jacket and tie, which emphasized his status as a porter. It was evident from his face that Arthur had mentally finished his workday and was waiting for when he could devote the evening to himself. "Tired, wants to finish his workday quickly, doesn't want to deal with other people's problems," Alex assessed his opponent. The first drops of rain fell outside the window. "Arthur, good evening," Alex began his conversation courteously. "Oh, sir, good evening. I'm surprised to see you at such a late hour, can't you sleep?" Arthur replied, emphasizing his politeness by raising his eyebrows. "Shall I call the nanny to help you?" "Trying to put me in the position of a child and himself in the position of an adult... clever," the boy assessed his opponent's words and said aloud, "No, not at all! She has her hands full with Ellie right now. I don't think it's worth bothering her over trivial matters." "As you say, sir. Allow me to express my admiration for your outfit today. It's so grown-up! Honestly, I'm more used to seeing you in clothes more suitable for your age," the porter continued his onslaught, trying to unsettle his opponent. "Arthur! I'm 35! What could be more suitable than jeans and a sweater?" Alex parried the attack with a wide smile on his face and immediately seized the initiative: "Let's sit down. I think we have a couple of topics to discuss." With these words, the boy headed to a chair in the lobby and gestured for the porter to join him. Arthur approached and sat in the chair. The chair creaked discontentedly, apparently, it was also ready to finish its shift. There was a polite smile on the porter's face, but his eyes betrayed fatigue and unwillingness to listen or explain. And Alex, looking into his opponent's eyes, began: "Arthur! I'm sure you know what happened to Elizabeth!" The boy decided not to beat around the bush and asked the main question. "Oh yes, sir! Miss Elizabeth decided to transform a bit," the porter replied with irony in his voice. "Well, that's her right." Alex continued to press on: «Come on, Arthur. We all saw the consequences. I'm less interested in them than the process... and how to reverse it." "Sir, I'm afraid it's impossible," the porter feigned sorrow on his face. "Well, who said it would be easy?" thought the boy and continued: "If someone had told me a week ago that I would turn into a seven-year-old kid and my best friend would become a 129-year-old girl, I would have laughed at them..." Alex decided to show his awareness: "...and I would have said that I've never heard such nonsense in my life and it's impossible. But now I understand that the word 'impossible' is highly overrated." The porter's expression changed, and he crossed his arms over his chest: "What else do you know?" - there was no trace of his former politeness and courtesy left. "Only that I need to return my friend to her normal age. So she doesn't wet her diaper with excitement every time she sees a butterfly," - leaning forward, Alex said in a calm voice. The porter leaned back in his chair and silently began studying his opponent. The boy sat there, feeling his entire nature being dissected atom by atom. After a few minutes, Arthur sighed. There was no trace of his former aggression left. His gaze had become tired. "Let's go, Alex," - he said and approached the window behind which the rain was already pouring down with all its fury. Still not trusting his opponent, Alex stood beside Arthur. They stood by the window in the spacious hotel lobby. Beyond the glass, somewhere far away, the lights of the big city were visible. "I miss our Elizabeth very much, too," - the porter began: "But unfortunately, you can't just jump from age to age. I think you know about physics, and the law of conservation of energy hasn't been canceled." "What physics?" - said Alex, raising his eyebrows in amazement: "A unicorn might appear any minute and carry us all away to a magical land." "Don't be sarcastic," - the porter continued his explanations. "Imagine that age is a kind of money that can be transferred from person to person. Of course, there is a commission to limit the number of transactions." Alex couldn't believe what he was hearing. It seemed to him that he had found himself inside some fantastic movie, the plot of which was approaching its climax. «So, not every age might suit another person, in this property age is very much like blood, you know... group, rhesus.... Anyway, it's all so complicated that I don't really understand how it happens," Arthur pulled a flask from the inner pocket of his jacket and took a sip. "Sorry I didn't offer any. You're not allowed yet," he said with a sadly smile. Alex stood silently. A drink wouldn't hurt right now. "So to get Elizabeth back, we need a suitable age that will take hold?" he asked Arthur. "Yes, that's correct," the porter confirmed and took another sip. "Alright, let's give it a try. What age can we count on?" Alex was ready to make a deal. Arthur turned and looked at him. There was genuine curiosity in his eyes. He put away the flask, took out a notepad and pen, and began making some calculations. "Age transfer... plus commission... urgency of the deal... the total is," he mumbled under his breath. In the end, the porter circled a number and handed the paper to Alex. Alex looked at the sheet and said, "Agreed. Let's close the deal." The porter nodded silently. Alex turned and walked to the elevator. The elevator made a sound when the doors opened, and the boy took a step forward into the open door but suddenly stopped and turned around: "Arthur, tell me, do many people want to add years to themselves?" The man smiled and replied, "Sir, you wouldn't believe it." And after a little thought, he added: "Thank you." Alex slowly opened the door to his room and cautiously entered. It was quiet and calm inside, and a real storm was raging outside the window. Taking his time, Alex headed to the bathroom, undressed, and turned on the warm shower. The water touched his skin, running down his chest and back. The boy closed his eyes and immersed himself in his thoughts, recalling the conversation with Arthur. "I just hope it works," he thought, feeling the tension clench his teeth. "Just get Ellie back." Gradually, the water streams washed away all his worries and concerns, carrying them off with tiny droplets. Alex sighed, feeling free and light. He opened his eyes and looked at the elephant painted on the wall. The little elephant seemed happy, with a smile on its face, and Alex smiled back at it. The nursery was quiet and cozy. The nightlight on the nightstand cast a warm glow on everything within reach of its rays. Alex sat on the edge of the bed and picked up his favorite teddy bear. Glancing at the nightstand, the boy noticed that the usual glass of milk and cookies were missing. "Teddy, I think I miss it," Alex whispered, holding the plush toy close to him. He then walked over to the dresser where his pajamas and diaper were stored. Picking them up, he remembered the nanny's words: "Don't run away from problems, solve them." Alex smiled. "I'm solving them," he said confidently. He put on the diaper, climbed into his cozy onesie pajamas, and lay down in bed, hugging the stuffed toy tightly. "Good night, teddy," he whispered before falling asleep. Outside, the storm continued to rage, but the nursery was filled with soft light. Alex woke up in the middle of the night, lying on his back and staring at the ceiling. The storm was still raging, and the room was periodically lit up by lightning. Alex looked at his hands; they hadn't changed at all since the previous evening. "Did it not work?" the boy wondered. He tried to turn onto his side but bumped into something soft. Carefully lifting the blanket, he saw Ellie. "Got scared of the storm and sneaked into my room," the boy smiled, looking at the two-year-old toddler. Alex gently adjusted the blanket, closed his eyes, and returned to the land of his dreams.

Next part already here: "She's in there, asking for help," these words wouldn't leave the boy's mind. He wanted to tell his nanny about it as soon as possible, but he didn't know how. Trying to maintain a calm tone, Alex addressed the little girl: "Sis, I'm going to go to the nanny and ask her about something important, alright? I'll be back soon," he hoped that Ellie would be occupied with her ant and not pay attention to his departure. He had already managed to walk a meter and a half away from the sandbox, but the girl raised her curious eyes and asked: "What?" her gaze indicated that she wasn't going to let him go that easily. "Well... it's hard to explain," replied Alex, trying to avoid further questions. But he was mistaken. The girl understood that something much more interesting than an ant was about to happen. She jumped to her feet, ran up to the boy, and tilted her head up to see his eyes. "What's hard to explain?" insisted Ellie. Alex realized that he couldn't get away from Ellie. He sighed and decided to try to explain everything. "Sis, I want to tell the nanny that you're asking for help," he said seriously. "Why?" asked Ellie. "Because you shouldn't be so small. You should be the same as me," explained Alex. "Why?" repeated Ellie. "Because... because it's better that way," said Alex, not knowing how else to explain. "Why?" insisted Ellie, folding her arms across her chest. She was waiting for a convincing answer from her brother. "Because... because I miss you," admitted Alex, lowering his head. "Why?" asked Ellie. "Because... because you're my very best friend," said Alex, hugging the girl. It was the longest explanation of his life. The girl smiled and tugged at his sleeve. "Bend down," she said, kissed him on the cheek, and ran back to the sandbox to look for her ant. Alex seized the moment and ran to the nanny, who was sitting nearby on a bench reading a book, occasionally glancing at the children. "She's in there, asking for help," Alex, blushing, pointed towards the sandbox. "I mean, no... not in there, but inside her... she's not feeling well," the boy continued with his disjointed explanations. The nanny put aside her book and gently took Alex by the shoulders. "Sweetie, let's have you close your eyes right now, take two deep breaths, calm down, and explain what you're talking about," she said, her voice tense. Alex followed the nanny's advice, but it didn't help much. His heart was pounding with excitement and ready to jump out of his chest. Gathering his thoughts, the boy tried to explain everything again. "Ellie... our grown-up Ellie... she just spoke to me!" tears began to well up in the boy's eyes. "She said she can't cope... she said she made a mistake!" tears streamed down Alex's cheeks. "She's not feeling well, nanny! I have to help her... it's all my fault." The boy couldn't continue. He hugged his nanny, buried his nose in her shoulder, and sobbed bitterly. Eva felt his trembling and heard his sobs. She stroked Alex's head, calmed him down, and said that they would figure something out. But she herself had only one thought swirling in her head: "Elizabeth isn't coping?" Meanwhile, Ellie noticed that Alex had gone to the nanny. She saw the nanny stroking his head and comforting him. She abandoned her ant and ran to Alex. "Brother... don't cry... everything is fine," she said and hugged his leg. Gradually, Alex calmed down. "Well, it's time for us to get changed," said Eva, picking up Ellie in her arms. The nanny took a clean diaper out of her bag and addressed Alex: "Let the girls have some privacy," she requested in a quiet voice. Alex quickly turned away. He remembered Ellie as an independent and smart girl who was always ready to help him. And now she was so vulnerable. Alex didn't want to be present at what seemed to him like a personal moment. The boy moved away and squatted on the grass. A warm summer breeze played with his hair. Alex looked up at the sky and thought. He wanted to help her but didn't know how. How could he bring her back to her normal state? After a few minutes, Eva called him back. "All done," she said with a smile. Alex approached Elizabeth and saw her in a new dress with butterflies. His eyes widened in admiration. Ellie looked so cute and charming! The dress was white, with red stripes on the edges. There was a large white butterfly sewn onto the chest, and small butterflies of different colors adorned the skirt. White socks and shoes graced her legs. "You look so beautiful," he blurted out. Elizabeth giggled happily. "It's time for Ellie to rest," announced the nanny. It was nap time, and time for Alex to feel older than his friend. "Nooo!" protested Ellie. "I don't want to sleep! I want to play!" "Please...", Alex gently requested. "For me..." Surprisingly, Elizabeth agreed. Eva put her in the stroller, slightly reclined the backrest for Ellie's comfort, and gave her a bottle of milk. Alex looked at Elizabeth in amazement. He thought that by two years old, children were already done with bottles. Eva noticed his astonishment and said, "Everyone is different, dear, and at seven years old, you can sometimes use a bottle if you really want to." This statement made the boy blush. He looked at Ellie, who was already starting to doze off. "Sleep tight," he whispered. Eva smiled and headed towards the park. Alex walked beside her, holding onto the stroller handle. They slowly entered the park. Tree canopies lazily swayed under the breath of a light summer breeze, the sounds of nature subsided in anticipation of the midday summer heat. Alex and Eva leisurely walked along the main alley and turned onto a small winding path. From the side, everything looked like a family idyll: a mother and her older son strolling with their little one. In a way, that's how it was. They went deeper into the park and stopped by a bench. Eva looked into the stroller and saw that Ellie was already asleep, a sweet smile playing on the girl's lips. The nanny carefully took the bottle from the girl's relaxed hand and put it away in her bag. Eva sat down on the bench and invited the boy to join her. Alex, trying not to make any noise, settled down next to the nanny. "Alex, what do you know about Ellie?" the nanny looked attentively at the boy. The boy didn't expect such a conversation starter and was a bit confused, but then he collected himself and began to list the few facts he knew about his friend: "Well, she's... kind, beautiful, and fun to be with," Alex earnestly described his friend. The nanny, smiling, gently interrupted the boy, who again blushed for some reason when thinking about Ellie. "No, sweetheart, I didn't mean that." - pausing for a moment, Eva continued, "I'm talking about who she is. You're a smart boy, and you must have guessed that Elizabeth is not an ordinary girl." - pausing again, the nanny added, "In this place, there's hardly anything that can be called 'ordinary'" - and smiled. Alex nodded in agreement. "Yes, Ellie is an amazing girl. She knows so much and asks questions that are not typical for children. And she's very..." The boy hesitated, searching for the right word. "Very generous," he finally said. Eva smiled, and Alex continued, "And she told me she's been to so many different countries, more than any child in the world could ever visit. And I realized she's an extraordinary girl." Alex looked down at his feet, clad in bright children's sneakers with Velcro straps. Just a few days ago, he couldn't have imagined wearing such shoes instead of his formal business shoes. He laughed, "And I'm not exactly an ordinary boy either," he added cheerfully. "Quiet," Eva gently requested. "You'll wake Ellie." The boy nodded silently. "So, as you've already figured out, Ellie wasn't always like this," the nanny began her story. To Alex, it seemed as if the foliage above their heads had grown thicker, protecting their conversation from prying ears and the girl's sleep from the summer heat. "Elizabeth was one of the first guests to use our extended program," Eva continued. "She came to us back in 1930." The boy's eyes widened. He had assumed that Ellie was older than seven but had no idea by how much. The nanny's next sentence completely stunned him: "She was not much older than you as an adult: she was 36 or 38 years old - I don't remember exactly." Alex lowered his head and started counting on his fingers: "One hundred minus thirty plus twenty-three and another 36 equals...". The boy paused and said aloud, "129 years?". Eva smirked, "It's impolite to ask a girl about her age. You should already know that, young man." "Oh, I'm sorry," Alex became flustered. "So," the nanny continued, "most of our guests just want to immerse themselves in childhood. For them, it's an adventure, nothing more. But for Ellie...". At the mention of her name, the girl stirred in her stroller. The nanny began to gently and slowly rock her so the little one wouldn't wake up. After a few moments, Ellie settled down. "So, for Ellie, this was a necessity, a form of psychotherapy. At the beginning of the Great Depression - and I think you've heard about that event…" Alex nodded affirmatively. After all, for most of his life, he had been an adult man, and only for the past few days, a seven-year-old boy. "At the beginning of the Great Depression, Ellie lost everything: her job, her parents, her family. She never went into detail about how it happened. And nobody ever asked," said the nanny, rocking the stroller. Alex expressed his interest with his whole appearance and sat silently. The boy tried to breathe as quietly as possible, and the nanny continued, "And by a lucky coincidence, she ended up with us. We offered Ellie to start her journey at the age of 20: at this age, all problems are perceived more lightly, after all, you're young and your whole life is ahead of you. But Ellie insisted on a younger age: as you probably already understood - it was seven years old." Alex interrupted Eva's story: "But why exactly seven?" "Elizabeth said that she wanted to overlay her adult experiences with her new childlike perception, but at the same time, she didn't want to turn into a complete baby. I suppose it was logical, but extremely dangerous," the nanny explained. "Why?" Alex wondered. "Remember yourself and your first sensations when you saw yourself in the mirror," the nanny replied seriously. "And then multiply that by a thousand adult experiences of Ellie's life and put it into the mind of a seven-year-old child. The psyche might simply not withstand it." Alex was embarrassed; he realized he had said something foolish. Eva continued: "Elizabeth was very persistent and stubborn, and in the end, she got her way." "What happened next?" Alex couldn't wait. The nanny smiled: "Surprisingly quickly, she adapted to her new appearance. Of course, it didn't happen without consequences, but Ellie was a trooper. In the end, she managed to combine adult experience and childlike spontaneity in her new body. It was amazing. You saw the result yourself." And she continued: "The program for Elizabeth was coming to an end, but she didn't want to return to her adult life: she simply had nowhere and no reason to go back." "And they let her stay!" the boy guessed. Eva nodded: "Yes, they let her stay, but on the condition that she would help our guests." "Guests?" Alex was surprised. "During my entire stay at the hotel, I haven't met anyone except the staff." "Of course," the nanny smiled. "I'm sure you wouldn't want anyone to see you as a seven-year-old or, goodness forbid, a two-year-old baby." Alex thoughtfully nodded: "Yes, you're right," he said. "But how does it work?" "It just works, let's leave it at that," the nanny smiled and continued the story about Elizabeth. "In any case, Ellie was magnificent: she helped so many guests accept themselves, she was unstoppable. But then everything changed." "I appeared," the boy said sadly. "Chin up!" the nanny encouraged him. "Your arrival shook Ellie up; I haven't seen her so invigorated in a long time." Alex smiled shyly. "Well, you know the rest: what happened, happened. And that's why your words about Ellie not coping really upset me," Eva finished her story. "What should I do now?" Alex looked at the nanny, not understanding. The boy was clearly waiting for advice. "Try talking to Arthur, maybe he can suggest something, but be careful with him: he's..." The nanny searched for the right word. "...he's not as simple as he seems. I'll discuss the situation with him too." At that moment, the stroller trembled and an offended child's cry came from it. Ellie was terribly upset that she had missed everything and began to protest against her nap. The nanny and Alex hurried back to the hotel, distracting and calming the inconsolable baby on the way. "Who's Arthur?" Alex asked loudly, addressing the nanny when they returned to the hotel lobby. "Allow me to introduce myself, Sir Alex: Arthur," the porter bowed respectfully. "Hello," was all Alex could manage before he ran to his room. The boy clearly didn't expect such a turn of events.

Thank you very much for your kind words. It's really important for me to get feedback. I'm not entirely sure about the beginning of the whole universe, though why not? In fact, I already know how the story will end; all that remains is to figure out how to guide the characters to this conclusion Well, boys and girls, it's time for Alex's story to continue. Please leave your reviews and impressions, it doesn't matter if they are good or bad, as long as they are there. DON'T BE LAZY Alex burst into his room and headed straight for the bathroom. His eyes settled on the bright drawings of monkeys and parrots that adorned the walls of his bathroom. They had appeared there after he agreed to participate in the hotel's extended leisure program and transformed from a 35-year-old man into a 7-year-old boy. "Well, they're quite cute," thought Alex and smiled. "Although I would have preferred something more serious. Like dinosaurs or astronauts." Remembering the purpose of his visit, Alex didn't dwell on his thoughts and quickly removed his shorts and unfastened the diaper's Velcro tapes. He carefully rolled it up and threw it in the trash. "Dry," he proudly said to himself. "I hope I can sleep without it soon." He put on new underwear with cartoon characters, which Alex considered quite grown-up, and left the bathroom. In the nursery, on the bed, his plush friend was waiting for him. Alex approached it and hugged it. Then he looked it straight in the eyes and whispered, "Teddy, Ellie doesn't seem unhappy to me. Maybe she really likes being so small." The bear silently listened to his words, as if waiting for a continuation. Or maybe it was just asleep? Alex went on, "But how long can this last? A day? A week? A month? A year? Or even longer? And every morning you'll have a spoonful of porridge shoved into your mouth, and all you'll be able to do is shake your head?" These thoughts sent shivers down Alex's spine. He remembered that brief moment when he saw the eyes of the real Elizabeth - a 7-year-old girl - through the face of a two-year-old toddler. "No, this cannot go on," he decided. "I don't know how much time Elizabeth will have to spend at this age. I don't know how often she'll be able to return her consciousness and how long she'll be able to think like a big girl, and how much time it will take for Elizabeth to learn to cope with her new self." He continued to ponder, "And what if, when I leave here, she remains like this forever?" The thought made Alex's heart race, "No, I must find out how to help Elizabeth." He put the bear on the pillow and ran to the hotel hall, where Ellie and the nanny were already supposed to be waiting. The teddy bear watched approvingly as the boy ran off. Alex raced up the stairs like a tornado. His feet barely touched the steps; it was as if he were soaring through the air. The hotel staircase buzzed and shook under the weight of his footsteps. It was accustomed to peace and quiet, and if it could speak, it would certainly have protested: "Hey, kid! If you're in such a hurry, why don't you use the elevator?" The boy was running late because of his lengthy conversation with teddy bear and was very afraid that Eva and Elizabeth would leave without him. When there were only a few steps left, Alex leaped and in an instant covered the remaining distance. Terribly pleased with himself, he quickly looked around and saw the nanny and Ellie, who was sitting in a stroller. The girl was dressed in a white romper with pink lace on short sleeves. Her light hair was neatly gathered into two cute ponytails on the sides of her head, adorned with white hairpins. Alex ran up to them and cheerfully said: "Hi, Ellie!" Ellie turned and looked at him with her big blue eyes. Recognizing Alex, she smiled happily and waved her hands: "Hi, Alex!" "Are you ready for our adventure?" Alex asked. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" Elizabeth shouted. "Then let's go!" Alex said, and helped the nanny with the stroller to leave the hotel lobby. The sun shone brightly and joyfully, and the sky was blue and cloudless. The air was filled with the scents of midsummer. The trio headed to the playground near the hotel. Alex walked to the left of the stroller and watched Ellie. He couldn't believe that this was the same girl he had ridden on carousels with and strolled through gardens just a few days ago, discussing the countries they had both visited. Ellie was excitedly examining the world around her: "Look, Alex, what a beautiful flower bed! There are roses, tulips, daffodils, and daisies! I love flowers! They're so colorful and fragrant!" The girl chattered and continued, "And over there, do you see the big fountain? How it splashes water! Can we climb in?" "No, no, no!" Alex hastily objected. "We can't go in there! It's dangerous! And the nanny will be angry!" "Why is it dangerous?" Elizabeth asked. "Because... because..." Alex stumbled. He didn't know the exact answer himself. "Because there might be dirty water or sharp objects in there," the nanny explained. "And if you fall or cut yourself, it will hurt." "Oh!" Elizabeth exclaimed, frightened. "Then I don't want to climb in there!" "Good girl!" the nanny praised her. Alex let out a relieved sigh. They turned a corner and saw a children's playground. Colorful slides, swings, and monkey bars shone in the sun. In the center of the playground was a huge sandbox. The nanny helped Elizabeth out of the stroller and set her on her feet. Without hesitation, Ellie ran to the sand. It was already 11 o'clock in the morning, and nature around them had awakened. The sun was shining brightly and warmly. Birds were chirping and flying through the air, rejoicing in the new day. Alex watched Ellie and felt anxious: "She's so happy and carefree. It seems like she doesn't care that she's not the same anymore. What if I was wrong and Ellie doesn't want to return to her real life? What if she likes being little and playing in the sand? And I interfere and ruin everything again?” He stood and watched as Ellie skillfully shaped little cakes. He heard her laughter and saw her smile. He smelled the scent of sand and flowers. He felt the warmth of the sun on his skin. He thought about how quickly everything had changed. "Brother, let's play together!" the girl called out to him. "Brother..." Alex tried the word and involuntarily smiled. He approached the sandbox and joined the game. Elizabeth showed Alex how to make different sand figures: castles, animals, flowers. She laughed and boasted about her creations. "Look, big bro, what a beautiful rose I have!" she exclaimed, pointing at the flower she'd just made using a mold. "I want to give it to you!" "Very beautiful!" Alex replied and smiled at her. "Thank you, little sister!" "Now let's make a swan!" Elizabeth suggested. "Alright, let's do it. But how?" Alex asked. "Well, first you have to shape it like this," Elizabeth explained, showing him with her small hands. "Then attach the neck," the girl said as she inserted a twig into a pile of sand. "And draw feathers and legs. Like this!" She drew with her finger in the sand. Alex helped her. He listened to her chatter and answered all her questions. He affectionately called her "little sister" and "princess." They were happy. Doubts arose again in Alex's mind: "Should I have refused the chance to become a baby?" he wondered to himself. "Maybe the porter was right, and it would have been the best choice for me for the rest of my time? To sit in the sandbox, build castles, and sincerely rejoice in every blade of grass and butterfly? To play with Ellie and not worry about anything?" "Alex, help, I can't do it." Alex looked up at Ellie, and he could no longer see the carefree ease on her childlike face. In Ellie's eyes was concentration. "It's hard for me to focus; two years old is too young. I thought I could... adapt... but I was wrong." Alex stared at the girl, his mouth agape, unable to believe his ears. These were the words of the Elizabeth he had known before. The words of a smart and cheerful girl who had comforted and supported him. The words that came from the mouth of a two-year-old toddler. "Big bro, look, an ant," Ellie happily lay on her stomach and began watching as the ant carried a tiny straw.

Hello again! Thank you for continuing to follow Alex and Ellie's adventures. Please leave feedback and comments, it's very important! And so, here we go: On the walls hung ancient paintings depicting landscapes and portraits. The carpet on the floor was so plush that it absorbed the sound of the children's footsteps, creating no echo. Alex led Ellie down the hotel corridor, immersed in his thoughts about the situation. The more he pondered what was happening, the more he realized that he was the cause of Ellie's current state. The boy blamed himself for not noticing the moment when Elizabeth ceased to be just a girl—the daughter of one of the hotel staff members with whom he played tea parties—and became a real friend. Ellie had been his support throughout his stay at the hotel, whether in his adult or child body. She had been with him when Alex first saw himself as a seven-year-old boy in the mirror, gave him strength after fighting with bullies with her kiss, supported him during the incident in the lobby, and ultimately, it was she who instilled in him hope for change. Alex walked beside Ellie and involuntarily looked at her with a tender and worried gaze. Before, he could see her face at the same level as his own; now, he could only see her adorable curly top of head. "Her, her, her," the word pulsed in the boy's head, filling him with warmth and guilt at the same time. "And me...what am I? I threw a tantrum because of a diaper," Alex chided himself. "God, seriously? They tried to help me, and I, like a spoiled child, rejected their help," a solitary tear trickled from the corner of the boy's eye. "And even then, when I could have simply given up, transformed into a two-year-old and spent the rest of the time enjoying the simplicity of life, Ellie didn't want to let me go and followed me? What was she thinking… followed?" Meanwhile, the three companions were approaching the hotel restaurant. The morning aroma of freshly baked bread and coffee suggested that they were getting close. Alex could no longer think about everything that had happened and was happening. He stopped and knelt down so that his eyes were level with Ellie's. The girl turned to him, her face shining with simple childlike joy. "Ellie, can you hear me? Forgive me! I'll fix everything," Alex uttered hoarsely, staring straight into her eyes. For a moment, Ellie's gaze changed. Now she looked at Alex not as a younger sister looks at her older brother, but as before, when they were peers. The girl hugged Alex and whispered the same words she had said back in the hotel lobby: "I'm here, with you, and together we'll overcome everything. Don't worry, okay?" Alex remained silent, trying not to move. It seemed to him that if he stood like this with her for just a little longer, the old Ellie would return to him. "Alex, enough hugging, I'm hungry," the girl said, scrunching her nose in dissatisfaction. "Yes, yes, of course, let's go quickly," Alex replied, furtively wiping the tear that had run down his cheek. So, hand in hand, the boy and girl entered the hotel restaurant. Entering the dining room, they found their table. It was easily recognizable by the high chair, which stood out among the other furniture. Eva gracefully bent down, scooped Ellie up under her arms as if she were no heavier than a feather, and carefully seated the little girl in the high chair. The nanny and Alex sat down at the table, and a waiter approached them, ready to take their order. "What can I get for you?" he asked, smiling warmly. "A croissant and coffee for me, pancakes and cocoa for Alex, and porridge and milk for little Ellie," replied the nanny, holding a pink bib in her hand. The waiter smiled, noted down the order, and promised to bring the food as quickly as possible. The nanny tied the bib around Ellie's neck, then took a small toy dinosaur out of her bag to make the wait for breakfast less boring. Only now did Alex realize that this was the first time the nanny had joined him for breakfast. He had never thought about it before, but now he understood that it was unusual. "Eva, you usually don't have breakfast with your charges," remarked Alex, looking at the nanny. Not at all flustered by the unexpected question, Eva replied: "Yes, it's not part of my duties. But today is a special occasion," the nanny smiled. At that moment, the waiter brought the food, and the aroma of coffee and fresh pastries filled the space around their table. Alex became lost in thought, meditatively slicing his pancakes and drizzling them with maple syrup and jam. "What does breakfast and duties have to do with anything?" the boy thought to himself. "How can breakfast even be a duty?" As he pondered this, Alex watched Eva gently wiping Ellie's cheeks, clearing them of oatmeal drops. Then a single word flashed through Alex's mind. Family. "Of course, family breakfasts, she doesn't want to create the appearance of a family where there isn't one," the boy reasoned, munching on another piece of pancake. "That's precisely why Eva doesn't eat breakfast with her charges, so they don't get attached to her. Or so she doesn't get attached to them..." The boy's thoughts were interrupted when Ellie noticed the pancakes on Alex's plate and categorically refused to continue eating her oatmeal. "Ellie, come on, eat your oatmeal, it's so delicious!" Eva coaxed, bringing a spoonful to the little girl's mouth. "I don't want oatmeal! Mine doesn't taste good!" Ellie protested, turning away. "I want what Alex has." Neither persuasion nor a story about a little dinosaur named Dino who loved to eat oatmeal in the mornings and grew strong could help. The girl was unyielding and stubbornly closed her mouth. Alex silently and curiously watched the scene unfold. Finally, he made a decision. "Can I give it a try?" Alex asked, standing up from his chair. "Yes, please!" Eva agreed, having already lost all hope of feeding the girl and passing him the spoon. Alex carefully scooped a little porridge onto his spoon and looked at Ellie. Then he brought the spoon to his lips and tasted it. "Mediocre," thought Alex, but he said out loud: "Wow, I've never tasted anything this delicious in my life!" exclaimed the boy, opening his eyes as wide as he could. "No way!" Ellie retorted. "It's just hot and boring!" "No, no, you're wrong! Look at me!" Alex scooped up a full spoonful, ate it, and rolled his eyes in delight. "Mmm... So fragrant! So sweet! So tender!" he marveled. "Come on!" Ellie didn't believe him. "Really, really! I've never tried porridge like this in my life! Look how it shines! Look how it melts on your tongue! Look..." Alex continued to praise the porridge and pretended to eat it with great appetite. "Then why are you eating pancakes?" asked the little girl. "Ah, the pancakes... They're so ordinary... So tasteless... They just didn't have another serving of porridge," Alex grimaced in disgust. "You know what? Let's trade: I'll give you all my pancakes, and you give me all your porridge!" This proposal intrigued Ellie. But she wasn't foolish and suspected a catch. "Are you trying to trick me?" she asked cautiously. "No, no! I'm an honest boy! I always tell the truth!" Alex assured her. "Look, I'm offering you a fair deal. For each spoonful of porridge you eat, I'll give you a piece of pancake. And then you can eat them yourself!" Alex explained his plan. "Really?" Ellie was surprised. "Yes!" Alex confirmed. "Alright, let's do it!" Ellie agreed and opened her mouth. "Great! The train is entering the tunnel," Alex accompanied each new spoonful with commentary and a piece of pancake. "Now the plane is requesting landing." The girl happily ate and didn't notice that the porridge wasn't as tasty as Alex said. She rejoiced with each new piece of pancake and soon had a whole pile of them on her plate. "Hooray! We ate it all!" exclaimed Alex, patting the girl on the shoulder. "Now you can eat your pancakes!" Ellie was delighted and started on her dessert. "Where did you learn to handle children so well?" asked Eva, smiling. "I don't know, nanny," replied Alex, embarrassed, remembering that he had never had children in his adult life. "You have a talent, Alex. You're a natural-born babysitter!" said the nanny, patting the boy on the head. All three laughed and continued their breakfast. When they were finished eating, Eva wiped Ellie with a napkin and helped her out of her high chair. The happy girl ran toward the restaurant exit, and the nanny and Alex hurried after her. "Thanks for the help, Alex," Eva thanked him, "you would be a great big brother for Ellie. And I also wanted to tell you that now I won't be able to give you as much time as before, I still need to take care of the baby," said the nanny, regret in her voice. Alex blushed at the compliment and cheerfully replied: "No worries, I'm already a big boy, you don't need to babysit me." "Do you want to join us for a walk now?" suggested the nanny. Alex, thinking that it would be a great opportunity to talk to Eva and try to find out more about how to return Elizabeth to her normal age, immediately agreed. "We just need to go back to the room first and change the baby's diaper," the nanny continued, outlining the plans. "And by the way…" the nanny lowered her voice, "It's time for you to get rid of your night-time diaper! It seems you even forgot about it!" She pointed to the boy's shorts, under which a white band could be seen, difficult to confuse with anything else. "Oops!" was all Alex could say, pulling his shirt down. He still felt very uncomfortable because of this childish item. "Alright, alright," Eva praised him with a smile: "You were still a good boy." And she added: "Meet us in the lobby in 20 minutes."

So, I think it’s time for next part: Up the hotel staircase climbed a little one. At first glance, they couldn't have been more than 2.5-3 years old. The child was dressed in a light gray T-shirt with dancing hippopotamuses on it and bright yellow shorts with colorful stripes on the sides. On their little feet were socks with tiny wings and sandals, and on their head, a sun hat. The youngster held onto the railing and diligently lifted their foot, overcoming one step at a time. A nanny followed a short distance behind. Upon reaching their floor, the little tot darted down the corridor. The child's gait was not quite confident yet, either because the climb up the stairs had been tiring, or because of the bulky diaper, the edge of which peeked out from behind the waistband of the shorts. Arriving at the desired door, the tiny creature squatted, hopped, and dangled from the handle. The door quietly opened, and the little one ran into the room. After quickly surveying their surroundings, the toddler opened another door, ran into the room, and whirled onto the bed. Someone was sleeping on the bed, their entire body hidden under the blanket. The youngster began jumping on the bed and yelling: "Get up, sleepyhead, the sun's up, let's go play!" A sleepy face of a boy around 7 years old emerged from beneath the blanket. The little one stopped jumping and stared at the boy: "Alex, so you decided not to..." Alex rubbed his eyes, hearing the familiar voice's intonation, and when his gaze finally focused on the disturber of his peace, he exclaimed in surprise: "Elizabeth?" Alex sat on the bed, gathering his thoughts and trying to accept the new reality. Elizabeth, the girl who had comforted and embraced him just yesterday, had now become a little girl with chubby cheeks and curly hair. Eva appeared in the doorway, looking at Alex and Elizabeth in surprise. Little Ellie ran up to the nanny, hugged her leg, and complained in a sad voice, "Nanny, why didn't Alex become a baby? I wanted to play with him!" The nanny affectionately picked her up and kissed her forehead. "I don't know, sweetheart," the nanny continued to study Alex, trying to find an answer in his eyes. Alex began his explanations, feeling at a loss. "I just thought I didn't want to run away from problems and myself anymore, so I refused. And being little... maybe it's not as fun as being big. What am I supposed to do as a two-year-old, stacking children's pyramids or something?" said Alex, trying to sound as confident as possible. Eva nodded, understanding his choice. Ellie, comfortably settled in the nanny's arms, drew a conclusion from Alex's explanations: "Ew, you're no fun" Alex blushed and asked the nanny, "So will she always be like this... I mean, talk and behave this way?" The nanny smiled and replied, "Not always. Right now, Ellie is having a hard time dealing with the emotions of a small child that have awakened within her. As you already know, a change in the body entails a change in consciousness to some extent. She's still our Elizabeth, but she needs time to learn to control her new feelings and desires. And, of course, she will learn self-control and return to normal over time." "Is her new age going to last long?" the boy inquired. Eva thoughtfully looked at Ellie and then answered, "Yes, it's going to last a long time. Ellie, like me, is part of this hotel. We live and work here, and special rules apply to us, different from those for guests." Alex was saddened by the nanny's words, not understanding how this could have happened and why Ellie had become little. "Eva, why did this happen, I mean, why did Ellie turn into a baby? I refused to change," Alex asked. "Well..." the nanny began her explanation, "in short, she has become very attached to you." The nanny decided not to go into details. Silence fell upon the room. Alex sat, watching Ellie happily playing in the nanny's arms. He knew it wasn't his fault, as Ellie had made the choice herself, but it didn't make him feel any better. He looked at his teddy bear, which had comfortably settled next to him on the bed, and mentally asked, "It's not because of me, is it?" The bear seemed to look at him reproachfully, as if to say, "What a mess you've made, buddy." The silence was broken by Eva's voice, "Well, Alex, get dressed and let's go have breakfast." Alex, still dazed and upset by the morning's events, replied, "Fine." The boy threw off the blanket, got out of bed, and shuffled over to the wardrobe. Opening the door, Alex took out a gray T-shirt and black shorts. His choice of clothes perfectly reflected his mood. The boy gave an expressive look to the nanny holding the Elly. Eva caught the hint: "Ah yes, sorry." She quickly left the room and closed the door behind her. Finally finding the privacy he desired, Alex unzipped his pajamas. He slowly removed the cozy onesie, neatly folded it, and put it away in the wardrobe, leaving himself standing in just a diaper. "Dry," the boy noted to himself. On any other day, he would have been happy about this fact, but not today. Alex approached the dresser, took out some underwear, and was about to change when suddenly the door to the nursery flew open, and little Ellie appeared in the doorway. "Alex wears a diaper!" the girl cheerfully shouted. Alex was dumbfounded by such an unceremonious intrusion and, not finding anything better to say, replied, "It's dry!" Then, after a little thought, he added, "and it's just for nighttime." However, it was impossible to stop Ellie now. The girl whirled out of the room and ran down the hotel corridor, excitedly shouting and telling the world what seemed to be Alex's most intimate secret: "Alex wears a diaper! Alex wears a diaper!" The boy's face turned all shades of red, and quickly pulling on his shorts and grabbing his T-shirt, he ran after Ellie, trying to protect his darkest secret. Alex ran as fast as he could, but Ellie was surprisingly agile for her new age. The girl's cries about the diaper echoed through the hotel corridors. The boy's hopes were fading with each new mention of him and this childish item. Suddenly, at one of the corridor intersections, Eva appeared. She quickly grabbed the cheerfully shouting Ellie, covering her mouth with her palm, and whispered something in her ear. Ellie suddenly fell silent, and tears appeared in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Alex," Eva said, hugging Ellie and looking at the boy at the same time. "She's just too little and doesn't understand some things." Alex, breathing heavily, knew it wasn't the time to be mad at Ellie. He nodded and said, "Okay, just... it's embarrassing." Eva smiled and promised it wouldn't happen again. Alex and Ellie, hand in hand, headed to the dining room, where a delicious breakfast should have been waiting for them.

So what do you think Alex will choose? Will he turn into a 2-year-old toddler, or will he decide to become a baby so he can forget about adult problems and focus on getting to know the world all over again? P.S. I already know what he will choose