Toet

Thanks for the story. I think I read it once. Have you published the story elsewhere? I remember the story because it was a beautifull one.

thanks for the update. I love to read this story

Hi, it's a nice start and I look forward to reading more. I like it because it's more than just diapers, I feel like this is going to be a good story where diapers are a part of it, but not the main part. For the feedback part: I'm not a native English speaker, so I can't talk about grammar or spelling. The only thing that wasn't fluent in your story was the sudden information that Ike and Misha were also enrolled at the Academy. At first, the Academy seemed to be something special and unusual, but if the two friends were also enrolled, I have the feeling that it's more of an ordinary school, despite everything you tell us about it. I suggest you write a bit about the requirements for enrolment and the selection process, maybe you can add some side characters who tried to get in but didn't make it. friendly greetings, Toet

Great, I'm looking forward to read it.

I saw that one coming. Thanks for the update, I like the story.

No problem. I'm happy you did enjoy it. Friendly greetings, Toet

Hello, Thanks for letting me know about the problem. I'm not sure where it came from. In the original word document I have of the story, I didn't find as much of Helen in the story as I did on the website. Anyway, the Helen isue should be solved now. I haven't had yet time to reread the story to look for the other typo's. When I first started posting the story on the Internet, I used a site that had some sort of built-in word processor. I think now that it didn't always work well and changed some words automatically (like changing Heleen to Helen). If you PM me your email address, I can send you the word document if you're interested. I hope you can also enjoy the other chapters.

@Elfy Can you move this story to finished storys? Thanks!

Chapter thirty-nine It was eight in the morning and the alarm was ringing through the room. Both Heleen, Dries and Jasper began to growl that it was way too early and they didn't feel like getting up. Koen sighed that he needed coffee and Kathy mumbled that she knew all about it, but that she still hoped to be back at a reasonable hour this evening. The garage opened at ten o'clock and hadn't they agreed the night before that they would be ready to go when the garage opened? Koen sighed. "That's right, but I really need that coffee quickly." Koen, Kathy, Dries and Heleen struggled to get out of bed. Jasper couldn't get out at all because of the sleeping bag he was in. He sat up straight in bed and held out his hands to Heleen, who passed him first. "Can't get out of bed, Jasper?" she asked him. Jasper shook his head no. "I'll help you." Heleen said, unzipping the sleeping bag and helping Jasper out. Kathy looked at her watch. "We have to hurry, we don't have much time. We have booked to eat our breakfast within twenty minutes." Koen went into the bathroom first to change, then Kathy followed. In the meantime, everything possible was packed and ready for the return journey. Due to the lack of time, Jasper and Dries were quickly changed into new nappies in bed with the help of a few damp wipes. They did not want to give Dries any underwear until he had been thoroughly washed, while Heleen changed in the bathroom. Jasper and Dries were going to have breakfast in their onesies. Jasper's and Dries' wet nappies were thrown in the bathroom waste bin. When Jasper's nappy came off, he vaguely remembered that he had been awake and had urinated briefly last night, but he had only been awake for a short time, so the memory was vague. Koen made another tour of the room, looking under all the beds and in all the cupboards to see if they had forgotten anything. He found Jasper's dummy in his bed and tied it to Jasper's onesie to prevent it from getting lost again. On the way to the restaurant, several other guests and staff took another look at Jasper and Dries. It looked cute, the two of them together in their identical onesies A buffet breakfast was served in the restaurant. The family was escorted to their table first, where a high chair was already provided for Jasper. Kathy put down her purse and then they went to the breakfast buffet together. Koen served himself a large cup of coffee and put it on the table before looking at the rest of the food. Kathy walked around the buffet with Dries and two plates, and helped herself and Dries. Koen waved Jasper over after putting his own coffee on the table, took two plates and went around the buffet with Jasper to serve food for Jasper and himself; Heleen chose her food without help. The family enjoyed the meal and Koen and Kathy took a moment to relax before the hectic pace of the day's travel continued. When everyone had finally finished, and Jasper was fidgeting in his chair in boredom, the family went back upstairs. Kathy took the two boys into the bathroom to wash their bodies. If she did the washing, they would be clean more quickly and they would be on their way sooner. While Kathy helped the boys undress, Koen came into the bathroom to take the clothes. He put Dries' onesie and bodysuit in a bag to take with him, and put Jasper's on the bed, ready to be put back on; after all, Jasper had no normal clothes left. He placed a pair of underpants on top of Dries' pile; a nappy was laid out for Jasper. Kathy took good care of both boys under the shower. She gave Jasper a little extra attention: she wanted to be sure she was handing him over to his mums clean that evening. Dries was the first to be taken out of the shower and, wrapped in a towel, he entered the room where he was greeted by Koen. Koen continued to dry him off and helped him put on his clothes. Shortly after Dries appeared, Jasper also came out of the bathroom. "Heleen, will you help Jasper?" asked Koen, who was still busy with Dries. From the bathroom Kathy could be heard tidying things away. At the front desk, Koen looked at his watch as they checked out. The garage would open in five minutes and it was a ten minute walk. So they were five minutes later than planned, but that was more than acceptable. Kathy, Dries, Jasper and Heleen were waiting behind him with the suitcases and travel bags. Even though they were only five minutes late, after checking out he took Jasper by the hand and walked briskly while Kathy, Heleen and Dries followed. Arriving at the garage, they were the first customers and immediately greeted by the clerk. "It's almost done, it won't take much more time to finish the work," the employee at the counter assured Koen, who was furious. "It should have been ready by now, as promised; we want to leave for home because we still have a lot of driving to do!" "We're really doing our best, sir," the man said apologetically, unconsciously taking a step back. "Well, I can see that you're working on." Koen snorted. He looked sideways at a window between the reception and the garage and saw that the car was in the same place as yesterday, untouched somewhere at the back of the garage. "Relax honey, it'll be fine." Kathy said, trying to calm her husband. Meanwhile, the receptionist had disappeared into the garage. They could see through the window that he was approaching two mechanics who were working on a car. When he had finished, the two mechanics immediately stopped working on that car and went over to Koen and Kathy's car to work on it. The man at the reception walked over to Koen and Kathy and spoke to them. "I'm going to have to ask you to wait a little longer, can I offer you something to drink in the meantime?" "Two coffees and fruit juice for the kids, please." Koen said as he looked sideways at everyone to see if they agreed with his choice. The coffees were made quickly, but the fruit juice was a little harder to find. Finally, the man disappeared from the counter for a moment and returned a little later with a bottle of fruit juice and some cups. "Here you go," he said, "and once again we apologise for the inconvenience." Jasper and Dries had got permission from Kathy to play the Nintendo; Heleen, Kathy and Koen had brought books. Koen's attempt at reading wasn't working, though. He walked back and forth while sipping his coffee, glancing at their car and the mechanics every time he passed the window. He was glad that they were obviously working on it now, but he was worried about how long it would take. Two hours after they had hoped to leave, they were beckoned by the receptionist, who waved Koen and Kathy's car keys at them. "It's ready," he said. Koen grunted something that sounded like "finally" and some other words that weren't appropriate to write down. He grabbed the key out of his hands. "Come on kids, let's go," he said next, holding the door open for everyone. "Dad, I need to go to the bathroom." Heleen said, cautious of his reaction. It was clear to her that he wanted to leave as soon as possible. "She's right Koen, it's best if we all go now before we leave." Kathy intervened before Koen could make a snappy reply. Koen had to let what Kathy had said sink in and think about the reasons behind it. It would have been impossible to go to the toilet beforehand, because nobody knew when the car would be ready. And now everyone going to the toilet was actually not a bad plan. Koen sighed. "Come on Dries and Jasper, you too, you heard Kathy." Dries followed to the toilet while Jasper turned off his Nintendo and tidied up. Kathy came out of the bathroom as Jasper zipped up his rucksack with the Nintendo in it. "Jasper, don't you have to go to the bathroom?" "I just put my Nintendo away. I just need to pee a bit." "Is your nappy still dry, do you need to have it changed?" Kathy asked. "It's fine, it's still dry." Jasper said. "Good for you Jasper. You have to know that we are going to drive for a long time now and we are not going to make a quick stop. Koen will want to make up for lost time. Even if you only have to pee a little, it's better to go now, otherwise..." Koen also entered the room and interrupted Kathy. "Come on, Dries, Jasper and Heleen, get in the car, then we can go." "That's okay." Jasper whispered into Kathy's ear. "This is what the nappy can be used for. Koen wants to go; now going to the toilet is a lot of work with getting dressed and undressed." "Thanks, you are thoughtful." Kathy whispered back and stroked Jasper's head before taking his hand and walking with the others to the car. As soon as everyone was buckled in, Koen drove off with the car. Groaning, he looked at the GPS that showed the time of arrival. "It will be even later if we add the breaks. Are you going to inform Celine and Helga?" "I will." Kathy replied and typed a message saying they were going to be late. Koen had indeed done his best to keep driving, and it was only two and a half hours later that they stopped for the first time at a large petrol station along the highway. It was time to refuel and a good time to eat. Koen refuelled first and then drove to a car park where he stopped the car. While Koen was refuelling, Kathy had already gone into the shop to buy something to eat for everyone. Happily, Heleen and Dries opened the door and quickly got out of the car to stretch their legs. Sitting for two and a half hours was a long time, even if there was a movie on to keep them distracted. "Heleen!" Jasper called from the car. "Can you help me? I can't get out!" "Oh, sure, I'll come." Heleen replied as she turned around to help Jasper. Everyone was so eager to get out of the car that they forgot that Jasper could not unbuckle his seatbelt himself. Once he had gotten out of the car as well, he walked around the car for three short laps before taking a look around at his surroundings. Meanwhile, Kathy arrived with a pile of salads from the shop and walked over to a nearby table. While Kathy set everything down, Koen arrived with cutlery, cups and drinks. Everyone sat around the table and Kathy handed out an identical salad to everyone while Koen passed around the cutlery. Jasper was given the toddler's cutlery he had been given at the amusement park. "Sorry kid, we don't have anything else." Koen said as he pointed it out. "Doesn't matter." Jasper said as he took it and opened the box of salad to eat. Dries struggled to open his box. Heleen helped him so that he could eat. The children ate a lot, knowing that Kathy and Koen would want to get back on the road quickly. After fifteen minutes everyone had eaten enough and the cutlery was rinsed with a bottle of water, dried with a paper tissue and finally put away by Dries. Jasper threw the empty salad boxes in the bin and Heleen helped pour drinks for everyone. Meanwhile, Kathy was busy in the car looking for a clean nappy for Jasper, and Koen was enjoying some peace and quiet after two and a half hours of driving. After everyone had had a drink, he tidied up and the rest went to the toilet in preparation for the next long drive. Koen had already gone to the toilet while he was paying for the petrol. The toilets were busy and there was a small queue for women to enter. Dries was able to get in and out of the men's toilets easily, there was no queue. After going to the toilet he walked back to the car on his own. It was a different story for Jasper. He waited hand in hand with Kathy and Heleen. Kathy also had a nappy and wipes in her other hand and it was obvious to everyone in the queue who they were for. There were a number of small children waiting with their mothers, but when Jasper took a quick look down the queue he saw that he was the biggest child not going to the toilet independently. Feeling a little embarrassed, he looked down to avoid looking up at the others as he sucked hard on his pacifier. "Don't worry Jasper, there's no one here who knows you." Kathy said softly to Jasper. "You go first, Heleen, I will stay here with Jasper for a while, we can hardly leave him waiting here alone. He can wait with you when you're done." "Okay Mum." Heleen said as she slipped into the next cubicle. Jasper continued to stare at his feet as he obediently held Kathy's hand. He looked up in surprise when he felt Kathy let go of his hand. "Here, will you hold this for me?" she asked Heleen, handing her the nappy and the pack of wet wipes before going into the cubicle where Heleen had come out. After Kathy had finished, they went into the changing room where Jasper was put on the changing table by Kathy. Heleen helped and quickly removed Jasper's onesie and opened his bodysuit wide enough to freshen him up with the wet wipes and put on a clean nappy. Just as quickly as everything had gone out, everything came back on and in record time Jasper was back on his feet and walking back to the car with Heleen holding his hand. Once they were all in the car and had their seat belts on, Kathy put the car in motion and they continued their journey home. The heat in the car, the long hours of sitting still and the monotonous humming caused Dries to gently fall asleep. The film that was playing was not interesting for a moment and Jasper giggled as he looked at Dries, who was leaning against the window with his mouth wide open. He nudged Heleen gently and pointed to Dries, who was asleep. "Look, Heleen, how strange he looks with his mouth open." Heleen smiled and nodded, then turned her attention back to the film. She just found it very interesting. Jasper looked at Dries again and was shocked when he suddenly saw a dark spot appear near Dries' crotch. "Dries!" he exclaimed in surprise and Dries woke up. "What?" he muttered. Followed by an "Oh no!" Koen looked back at what was there. "Oh no, Dries, not in the car," he growled. "Kathy, will you stop at the first possible place? Dries has wet his pants." "I'll do it, it's another fifteen kilometres to the next stop." Kathy said as she checked the GPS. "Please sit on this, Dries," Koen said, handing Dries a plastic bag. "That way the seat won't get wet." With embarrassment on his cheeks, Dries took the bag and sat on it. The sound of the crunching plastic filled the car. Jasper saw that there were tears on Dries' cheeks and then did his best to look at the film and not at Dries. He used his hand to search for Dries' hand and whispered when he found it: "It's okay, I know you can't do anything about it and I'm not laughing at you." "Thank you," Dries replied in a sobbing voice. As he looked outside, tears continued to stream down his cheeks. It was an almost empty highway rest area where they stopped. Besides a few benches, there was a small building with toilets that were not cleaned enough and that everyone preferred to stay away from. Koen parked the car a little further away from the building where no one was parked. Dries got out of the car as quickly as he could to get off the dirty bag. Koen rummaged through the luggage looking for dry clothes. He soon found the clothes that were always in the car for vomiting incidents; there were also clean trousers in there. Kathy checked the seat first. Fortunately, it was only superficially wet and would probably dry without too much trouble. She took a towel and put it over it instead of the plastic bag. "It's OK, Dries, we're not angry or upset, we know there's nothing you can do about it." Kathy hugged Dries and tried to comfort him, then took off his shoes, unzipped his trousers and pulled them down with his underpants. She took some wet wipes and cleaned Dries' crotch. Koen picked up the wet trousers and underpants and put them in the plastic bag. Koen had laid out clean trousers, underpants and nappy next to Kathy. "A nappy?" Dries sobbed when he saw what was waiting for him. "Just for the road, if that's OK with you, Dries. I've also got some underpants if you really don't want them, but if you put on a nappy you won't have to worry about falling asleep again. It's just for today," said Koen, who understood Dries' reluctance. Dries nodded that it was okay, he felt the understanding and security that his parents radiated. Koen and Kathy worked together to put the nappy on Dries, who was standing upright, and then he was allowed to put on his trousers. Koen put away the clean underpants and the bag of dirty clothes, and shortly afterwards the car was back on the road with Koen behind the steering wheel. Until eight o'clock in the evening, long stretches were driven with only short breaks, and Koen and Kathy took turns behind the wheel to give the other a bit of a rest. Around eight o'clock in the evening, another longer stop was made. It was time for dinner and soon it would be time for Jasper and Dries to go to sleep. The lunch routine was repeated; this time Kathy had bought sandwiches. And in addition to what they had done in the afternoon, the children had to brush their teeth after their meal. It was quiet in the car park and first Jasper and then Dries were changed on a nearby table. During the change, Dries' clothes were also exchanged for his bodysuit and onesie. While Jasper waited by the table for Dries to finish, Koen came over and held Jasper's sleeping bag. "Jasper, are you going to put it on in the car? I hope you can sleep better and don't wake up when we get home." "Yes, that's good." Jasper said. Koen removed Jasper's pacifier from his onesie and placed it on the table. He then laid the sleeping bag open on the table, lifted Jasper up and placed him on his stomach on top of the sleeping bag, then closed the sleeping bag over Jasper and tightened the zip. Finally, he picked Jasper up and put him in his seat, then fastened the seat belts. Koen checked that the straps were in place and tightened them again, just to be sure. Jasper felt himself being pushed all the way up against the backrest. Heleen followed with Jasper's pacifier. She fastened it to the sleeping bag and then put the dummy in his mouth before sitting down herself and fastening her seatbelt. Kathy tilted Jasper's car seat a little so that it was in 'sleep mode' and gave Jasper his cuddly toy. Then Dries got into his seat and strapped himself in, and they were off. After another hour of driving, the televisions had to be turned off and first Jasper, then Dries and finally Heleen fell asleep. Celine and Helga were fast asleep on the sofa when the doorbell rang. They knew Jasper was on his way, but they couldn't stay awake until he arrived. When Celine opened the door, Koen was standing in the doorway with a sleeping Jasper in his arms. Carefully, without waking him, he handed him over and Celine quietly went upstairs to tuck Jasper into his own bed. Helga took Jasper's luggage from Kathy's hands and whispered, "Thank you. "The holiday was great, but now we have to go home. We will come by tomorrow or the day after with the photos, but for now we would like to go to bed ourselves." "Thank you. Just send us a message when you're on your way, and have a good night's sleep; enjoy the peace and quiet." Koen and Kathy turned to the car to drive home. They just wanted to put Dries and Heleen to bed and then crawl into bed themselves; it was too late to unload the whole car. Celine wanted to do as little as possible so as not to wake Jasper, so she decided to just leave him in the sleeping bag. She looked curiously at the model, which she had never seen before. She gave Jasper his cuddly toy and he held it tightly in his sleep. She closed the door behind her, smiling. It was a sweet picture she had left behind. Jasper in his sleeping bag, his pacifier in his mouth and the cuddly toy he was clutching in his sleep. "They're always so cute when they're sleeping," she whispered to Helga as she crawled into bed next to her. "Hmmm." Helga said with her eyes closed. "I'll have a look at it tomorrow," she mumbled. "Sleep well," the two mothers said to each other, giving each other a quick kiss before going back to sleep. The next morning Jasper was woken by Helga. "Good morning my boy." "Mum!" Jasper exclaimed happily. He sat up and reached out for a hug. Helga picked Jasper up and carried him to her bedroom, where she put him back between her and Celine. Lying between them, still wearing his sleeping bag, Jasper enjoyed a big hug and the attention of both his mothers; it was a happy reunion, they had missed each other. Jasper was asked by his mums about the holiday and Jasper tried to tell them as much as he could. It had been a busy holiday, full of impressions, and Jasper had forgotten some things. After more than half an hour of cuddling, Celine said it was time to get up. She picked Jasper up again and led him back to his own bedroom, where she sat him down in front of the bed and unzipped the sleeping bag on Jasper's back and helped him out. She took a closer look at the sleeping bag and marvelled at its design. "I can see that some adjustments have been made afterwards," she said to Jasper, "Look at the openings here, they have been made afterwards," she continued as she examined the sleeping bag. "But these adjustments were only possible because the sleeping bag itself is of such good quality." She looked at the label on the sleeping bag and saw snugglezzz.nl. "Did you sleep well in this sleeping bag?" Celine asked Jasper. "Definitely, I've slept much better since I slept with it on holiday, I wasn't exposed once." Jasper beamed. Celine later decided to have a look at the website; if Jasper slept so well in it, it certainly sounded worth buying more for him. After helping Jasper out of the sleeping bag, the onesie, body and nappy were removed and she sent Jasper into the shower. Jasper had wet his nappy in the car yesterday before he went to sleep. She laid out a normal change of clothes and took his sleepwear to wash. "Jasper, no more nappies, it's normal underpants again. Make sure you go to the toilet on time." Celine said to Jasper. After breakfast, Jasper was quietly playing with his toys in his room, recovering from the holiday. Helga had already sorted out Jasper's dirty clothes and started to wash them. She took the sleeping bag first and hung it out to dry, hoping it would be dry by the evening. Jasper's request had been that he could have the use of it tonight for his sleep. "Where's Gert anyway?" Jasper asked, enjoying the peace and quiet but still curious about his big brother's whereabouts. "He's at camp this week, he'll be back the day after tomorrow." Celine said. After lunch Helga and Kathy's mobile phones went off at the same time. Koen had sent a message that they had found some of Jasper's things while unpacking and would bring them later. "Maybe we should invite them for dinner tonight?" Celine suggested to Helga. "After all they have given Jasper a fantastic holiday and they will still be busy tidying things away." "That's fine, you can send them an invitation. I'll can cook for four more tonight." Helga replied. Celine typed the message and a moment later the reply came. <<Thank you, we are happy to come. We are tired from driving yesterday and last night and from unpacking today. We'll be there around six.>>. Jasper heard this when Celine read the message. "Yay, then I can play with Dries again, it's been so long!" exclaimed Jasper. Celine and Helga laughed at this reaction. Helga looked at her watch. "Yes, sixteen hours. That must be a new record, Jasper." Jasper also had to laugh at Helga's reply. It was a beautiful evening. Jasper and Dries started playing immediately, as if they had not seen each other in weeks, and Heleen enjoyed the conversation between the adults around her. The first thing to be done was to return the things Jasper had forgotten. His identity card and the rest of his pocket money were given back. Celine then reimbursed the cost of the clothes and nappies. Although this was not necessary for Koen and Kathy, Celine insisted. She finally put the money in the hands of Heleen, who could not stand up to Celine, and passed it on to her mother, who had no choice but to accept it. Curious, Helga looked at some of the things they had received. A new pacifier, toddler cutlery, nappies and a bottle. "You have to explain how Jasper got all this stuff." "It looks cute, but I'm also curious." Celine said. Kathy got out the camera that she had brought with her on purpose. They hooked it up to the TV and from day one they started to go through the holiday based on all the photos they had taken. Heleen also contributed, filling in when her mother or father left gaps in the story. She enjoyed the fact that the adults all listened to her while she talked. Jasper and Dries also stayed to watch the photos being shown, but it took too long for them and not much later they were playing together outside in the garden. Jasper was tucked in by Helga that evening. The sleeping bag did not dry in time, so it was without a sleeping bag. Jasper wore one of his own pyjamas in two pieces. Even though his own room was familiar, with the right smells, colours and sounds, it still felt a little uncomfortable. He had become so used to the nappy between his legs, the bodysuit and the sleeping bag that he found it difficult to fall asleep; he could not find peace because of the absence of it all. It didn't feel right. With the sad thought that he missed his nappies, but would get used to his normal underwear again, he finally fell asleep. Chapter 40, Epilogue The trip had been over for two weeks, Jasper had played with Dries a lot in the last few weeks, but there had been no more sleepovers. The bodysuits were washed and folded up somewhere in the back of the closet in case they were needed again, but for the time being nothing had happened to them. Helga and Celine sat side by side on the sofa in the living room, the TV on and the film paused. Jasper sat sideways on one mother's lap and with his legs on the other mother's lap. He was wearing his favourite onesie again, the one with the stars and planets that he had chosen, with a nappy underneath. He hadn't worn a nappy since the morning after the trip, but before Celine helped him into his onesie for the night ahead, Jasper couldn't contain himself and sobbed, asking for a nappy. Celine was surprised, but gave in without arguing, grabbed one from the cupboard and put it on Jasper immediately, then grabbed another bodysuit and zipped up the onesie. She was worried because Jasper was so upset. He continued to cry throughout the process of putting the nappy on. It took a while, but she found the pacifier, attached it to the onesie and put it in Jasper's mouth. When Jasper finally calmed down, Helga and Celine asked him why he wanted to wear a nappy so much, he didn't need one, did he? Jasper looked down as he took his pacifier out of his mouth. He played with it for a moment before speaking. "It just feels nice. It's like being little again and not having to worry about anything when I wear it. I also like it when you or others take care of me. And I missed that so much, but I didn't dare ask, I was afraid of your reaction." Helga and Celine looked at Jasper for a moment at this answer. Celine put an arm around Jasper and said softly, "You can be whoever you want to be and if you're happy with the occasional nappy, that's totally fine." Helga nodded in agreement and added, "We understand, Jasper. We love you and we want you to be happy, OK?" Jasper nodded vigorously and smiled widely. "Of course." And so they sat together on the sofa for a while, enjoying the silence and each other. Jasper felt safe and loved between his two mothers, knowing he could be himself without being judged. And that was the best feeling of all. _________________________________________________ Hello, I've finally finished translating the story, I actually have no idea how many hours of thinking, writing, proofreading and translation work I've put into this, but it's still considerable. I want to thank Acorn (English) and Carg (Dutch) for the time and improvement work they put into it Thank you for reading the story to this point, thank you to everyone who gave a thumbs up, or some tips and ideas, I hope you enjoyed it. Here are a few more stats for the fans: English version: words: 135819 characters: 739787 pages: 274 Dutch version: words: 141903 characters: 786409 pages: 238 (but with far fewer blank lines in between

Actually, On the moment I made the comment, I hadn't saw the typo and read 'Empty Nest' but was to late when I saw it was a typo to delete my comment. 🫣 But both 'Empty Next' and 'Empty Nest' are good titles for me.

Chapter 38 Dazed, Jasper woke up. He had to get his bearings because he hadn't woken up in the bed where he'd fallen asleep. He was sitting in the car between Heleen and Dries. Jasper looked left and right and saw that they were both awake and watching a movie. The clock on the dashboard showed that it was just after seven. Kathy saw that Jasper was awake and smiled at him through the mirror. "Have we been driving long?" Jasper asked as he saw Kathy looking at him. Jasper winced as the dummy fell onto his chest. He hadn't realised it was still in his mouth. "About an hour." Kathy replied. When she had gotten up that morning and taken Jasper to the car, she had briefly feared that Jasper would wake up, but in the end he had closed his eyes as soon as she had put him in the car seat. They had managed to get him into the car seat with his sleeping bag on. The opening in the sleeping bag for the straps also worked for the car seat. Jasper grabbed a pair of headphones so that he could follow the film. "Koen, Jasper is awake now. Shall we stop for breakfast at the next petrol station?" Kathy asked her husband. "Ok. According to the GPS that will be in about twenty minutes," he replied. Kathy turned to the three children. "Twenty more minutes and then we'll have breakfast," she said after asking and getting everyone's attention. "Okay." Jasper, Dries and Heleen said in unison. Koen stopped at the petrol station and everyone got out to stretch their legs. Koen helped Jasper out of the chair and helped him take off his sleeping bag, Kathy immediately went to the trunk and took out the backpacks with the care and breakfast items. She laid out all the food and drink on a nearby table, and of course everyone came to her and sat down around the table to eat. Dries and Heleen finished their meal quickly and both were given a cup of water. Jasper was a little slower to eat. His attention was distracted all the time by the cars that drove by and the birds that flew around the trees and chirped. Despite frequent reminders, he was still working on his first sandwich when everyone else had finished eating and drinking. While Koen stayed with Jasper, Kathy took Dries into the building to freshen up. Heleen had dressed quickly in the morning before leaving. Kathy took Dries to the disabled toilet because there was more space. Despite the space, it was a bit uncomfortable because the floor was dirty and there was no changing table. Everything had to be done standing up. Kathy took off Dries' nappy, freshened everything up with a couple of damp wipes and then dived into the nappy bag to find Dries' underwear. Kathy went through the main compartment and all the smaller ones several times, but could not find them, or the socks. She thought for a moment, then remembered that she had put Dries' clothes in another bag first, then moved them into this backpack at the last minute. She must not have transferred the underpants and the socks to the backpack with her. She quickly put a T-shirt on him, so he wouldn't be naked all the time, and then spoke to him. "Dries, I'm sorry, but I must have left your underpants and socks in the car. Do you mind if for today, as an exception, you just wear a nappy like Jasper?" Kathy asked cautiously, a little afraid of the reaction. "I don't want to leave you here alone while I run to the car to get your underpants." Dries was not happy with this news. The old ghost of fear of being laughed at immediately resurfaced. "People are going to see that mum," he said with a hint of panic in his voice. "But no, we'll put your trousers on right away. You have a rather large T-shirt that we can hang loosely over your trousers. I can assure you it won't be noticed. Jasper dares to do that on holidays, doesn't he?" Kathy spoke to him. Reluctantly, Dries agreed and a short time later they both emerged from the toilet together. Anxious, Dries walked back to the car with his mother, his hands covering his bum. He tried to hide the fact that he was wearing a nappy with his hands. It was so obvious that he was trying to hide something that the rest of the group knew immediately that something was wrong, and Kathy briefly explained to everyone what was going on. Koen nodded in agreement. "It's great that you dare to do that, just like Jasper." Dries felt uncomfortable with all the attention and gave a quick shrug as he crawled into his seat in the car to hide his embarrassment and his nappy. Now that Dries and Kathy were back, Koen started to tidy up the breakfast. The rubbish went in the bin, the surplus went back into the car and Dries' pyjamas were put away. In the end, there was only one last sandwich, a cup of water and a change of clothes for Jasper on the table, while Koen, Kathy and Heleen sat around Jasper to see how he was eating. Koen couldn't stand it any longer; he quickly looked around to see if there were any other people around and then spoke to Jasper. "Jasper, we'd like to move on and you're holding everyone up. Go on eating your sandwich, but in the meantime we'll give you a quick change." Koen took a towel and laid it open on the table to create a clean surface. "Heleen, would you like to put Jasper's water in a bottle? Then he can continue drinking in the car without spilling." "Okay; I'll do it." Heleen said and went to find the bottle. Meanwhile, Jasper stuffed the rest of the last sandwich into his mouth, so much that he couldn't close his mouth properly to chew it. "I'm glad you're hurrying now, but this is a bit much and not very polite," Koen said as he picked up Jasper and put him on the towel. Meanwhile, Kathy was busy setting out all the care products for Koen. Jasper took a quick look around and sighed with relief when he saw that the nearest people, who were preoccupied with themselves, were far enough away not to see anything.Dries had curiously gotten out of the car to see what was going on and tensed when he saw Jasper lying exposed on the table. "Dries, are you ready to get in the car?" Kathy asked. She saw that he couldn't control himself. Aware of the bulk between his legs under his trousers, he meekly carried out the order. Koen took care of everything quickly: undressing, removing the nappy, washing, putting the nappy back on and finally closing the body and onesie. Soon after, Kathy drove the car out of the car park and onto the motorway, taking turns with Koen so that he could rest a little. The rest of the first day's drive went smoothly, with an occasional break and a slightly longer stop in the afternoon for both Jasper and Dries to change nappies, walk a bit and have a picnic. They had prepared the picnic beforehand. Koen had made a pasta salad the night before to eat cold. Kathy took out a four-person picnic set for the family, and for Jasper she took the set he had got at the theme park. There was a short stop in the afternoon for both of them to get a clean nappy. When it was five o'clock and they were still ten kilometres from the hotel they had booked for the night, Kathy suddenly looked up. "What's the matter with your speed, Koen, why are you slowing down all of a sudden?" "I don't know, I'm pushing the gas," he said worriedly. Koen looked at the dashboard and saw that there was an orange light on, indicating an engine problem. "Oops," he muttered. "That's not good." Kathy also saw the light on and took the car's manual from the glove compartment and hurriedly looked up what the sign meant. "Get to the garage as soon as possible," she read out loud after looking at the fault codes. Heleen had noticed the commotion in the front and asked what was going on. "Problems with the car, but we don't know what exactly," Kathy told Heleen. "Please be quiet and let us concentrate on the road for a moment." Kathy and Koen conferred for a while. The light was orange, not red, the car was still moving, albeit slower, and it wasn't far to the hotel. But after they left the motorway and before they reached the hotel, they saw a garage of the same brand as their car. "Perfect," said Koen, who immediately turned the wheel and drove into the garage's parking lot. "Almost six o'clock, I hope they can still help us," he muttered. Kathy had already looked up the contact details for the travel insurance company and made a quick call to say they were in trouble. The person on the other end said to keep them informed and that they would try to find a solution. The family was allowed to take a seat in the waiting room while one of the garage owners hooked up the computer to the car to see what the problem was. Not long after, he returned to the family. "The filter is clogged," he was able to explain using a translation app. "We have one in stock, but we won't have time to install it for another three days," he continued after some difficulty with the app. Hearing this, Koen turned red and Kathy turned pale. Wait three days before they can install it and go home? Kathy called the insurance broker again to explain everything. She was now able to explain more about the problem and the solution. The insurance agent listened and told her she would make some phone calls and talk to her manager about possible solutions. She would try to give them more information within the hour, but they shouldn't worry too much. Kathy and Koen breathed a sigh of relief. It was difficult, this extra stopover, but they were glad to be helped. Koen took the suitcase with all their things that they had put aside for the hotel night, and they all walked to the hotel where they checked in at the reception. For the return trip, they had switched from a four-bed room to a five-bed room, with a cot in addition to the five beds. There were two beds next to each other, where Koen and Kathy would sleep. When Kathy went to put the harness set for Jasper on one of the beds, she noticed that none of the three single beds had a waterproof mattress protector. "Better ask reception to put another mattress cover here first," she said to Koen, interrupting the assembly of the harness sets. She put the complete set of belts, all the sleeping equipment, the pack of nappies and the care items for the three children together on the table; she had already laid out Koen's and her own sleeping clothes on the big bed. "That's good," Koen said, "we're going to have dinner in the restaurant here, and when we pass the reception we'll ask to do that." Without protest, Jasper accepted the high chair offered to him in the restaurant. He had gotten so used to it that he was considered younger and actually enjoyed the extra attention. Even now the waiter patted him on the head and gave him a small cheap toy car to play with, which Dries looked at with envy. Jasper saw this and shared his car: it was soon driving across the table between them. While the family was enjoying a nice hot meal in the hotel restaurant, Kathy received a phone call from the insurance agent. "I've been able to arrange a few things," she began. "With some extra financial encouragement, we were able to make it an emergency repair. They will start tomorrow and you can be on your way the day after. I also phoned the hotel and you can stay an extra night in the room you are in now. The second night is at our expense, the first at yours, as it was already provided for anyway". "Oh, that's nice." Kathy said. "I'm quite surprised that it can suddenly be done more quickly. Thank you for arranging this for us, what a great service." "You don't really need to worry about that," the employee replied casually. "The price for the emergency repair was cheaper than booking the hotel for so many extra nights or repatriating you and the car. The bill for the repair will be sent to us. Please note that you will then have to pay the first hundred euros back to us for the cost of the repair at the garage, as stated in the contract. Anything over the first hundred euros will be paid by us. However, the second night in the hotel is entirely at our expense. Satisfied that the delay would not be too long, the family went back to their room. On the way, Kathy told Celine and Helga that the trip had been extended by a day and why. They were sorry; they missed Jasper, but they were understanding. "Oh?" Heleen said in surprise as she entered the room. The hotel maintenance staff had obviously been there. Where all the children's things had been on the table before, the beds were now nicely made. The belt set was attached to the bed, the sleeping bag was open and a onesie, bodysuit, nappy, dummy and Dries' cuddly toy were neatly folded and placed on the pillow. Dries' pyjamas, bodysuit and nappy were on another bed, along with Jasper's cuddly toy. Heleen's pyjamas, cuddly toy and a nappy were also ready on her bed. Mummy, no,' Heleen stuttered. Jasper looked at her and saw her blush when she saw the nappy on top of her nightdress. Koen burst out laughing when he saw that. "They were just trying to do their best, Heleen, they wanted to be helpful. You can just put the nappy back in the box." Heleen sighed with relief and did so as quickly as she could. When she put her hand on the mattress, she felt that a protective sheet had been placed on it as well. "Mummy, they put a plastic sheet here too." "Leave it Heleen, we're not going back to reception for that." Kathy said. Heleen nodded. "Oke mum," she said quietly and disappointed. Jasper and Dries felt at their own beds; there was also a mattress protector on them. Dries quickly took his own teddy from Jasper's bed and handed Jasper's to him. Kathy took a quick look at Jasper's belt set. She adjusted some of the belts to make them fit properly and then checked her watch. "Another hour and then it's time for bed. How are your nappies, boys?" she asked Jasper and Dries. "Do they need to be changed now or do we wait until just before bedtime?" Jasper and Dries couldn't make up their minds. They were both wet, but they didn't know if they could hold out for another hour. Koen was closest to Dries; he got down on his knees beside him and grabbed his trousers. "I'll have a look," he said before pulling down his trousers and inspecting the nappy. "Wet, but we can wait to change it." Koen pulled the trousers up and then turned to Jasper, where he also did a quick visual inspection. "This is about to leak. Have you urinated recently or has it been a while?" asked Koen. "Just as we were going up in the elevator," Jasper said shyly. "No problem, that's what the nappy is for," Koen said. "But if you've just peed, there won't be much more in the next hour. So we can wait a bit longer with you." "Can we play on the Nintendo for an hour?" Dries asked Kathy. "No, you've been sitting almost all day watching the car's TV screen. You've had enough screen time for today. Let's have a look around the hotel and see if there's anything else we can do. To be on the safe side, Kathy took the backpack with a change of nappies and clothes for the boys and put a book in it for herself and Koen. Together they went downstairs, and at the reception they turned into a corridor they hadn't been in before. At the end of the corridor they came to a bar with a small playground attached to it. There were a number of large windows looking out onto a terrace outside, and next to it was another set of playground equipment in a small garden. The outdoor equipment seemed much more fun and interesting than the indoor equipment. As soon as Jasper and Dries spotted the playground equipment, they darted out, Heleen walking quietly behind them. Koen and Kathy followed her and sat down at a table on the terrace. Kathy opened her backpack, put it on a chair beside her and took her book and Koen's. When the waiter came over they both ordered a drink. As they sipped from their glasses, they enjoyed their book and the cheering of the children, clearly happy to let off some of their energy. After playing for half an hour, they came over to Kathy and Koen and asked if they could have a drink. Heleen opted for fruit juice, Dries for hot chocolate and Jasper for a milkshake. The waiter, who was walking around taking and delivering orders, was called in and the order was passed on. Before Kathy could react, the waiter took the bottle that was clearly visible in the backpack and said he would bring the order right away. A little later he returned with a glass for Heleen, a cup of chocolate milk for Dries and the milkshake in Jasper's bottle. The children drank their drinks quickly and then resumed playing. Koen and Kathy only noticed that the waiter had also cleared away Jasper's bottle when he put it back on their table, clean and washed. "You have three beautiful and adorable children. Especially the youngest is super cute," he said, before walking over to the next table. The scheduled hour had already been exceeded, but the children were playing so nicely that Kathy and Koen decided to let them play a little longer before they were called. They went back to the hotel room where first Jasper and then Dries were given a clean nappy. Jasper was given a clean bodysuit and onesie and Dries, after changing, was given his pyjamas and bodysuit from the night before. While the two boys were getting ready, Heleen took her book and sat down on the balcony of the hotel room to read some more; there was also a light she could turn on without disturbing the boys. Jasper was strapped to the bed in his sleeping bag and Dries crawled himself into his own bed. "Kathy?" Jasper asked after she had fastened the closures. "What's going to happen to the sleeping bag when we get home?" "They were bought for you, you can take them home and enjoy them at home. And if you come and stay with us again, you can take it with you." "That's nice," Jasper said, putting his dummy in his mouth and closing his eyes to sleep. Jasper and Dries slept through the night and were woken in the morning by Heleen tiptoeing around the room. The first was dry, the second was not. Jasper and Dries saw that they were awake. Dries crawled out of bed and lay down next to Jasper in his bed and the boys started whispering to each other. Koen and Kathy were still asleep, but it was clear from Koen's twisting and turning that this wouldn't last long. A moment later they were all awake, and Kathy was sitting, thinking, with Jasper's clothes in her hand. There was a T-shirt, trousers and underpants left for Jasper. The intention was for him to wear these when he went home, but then she could only let Jasper wear his onesie and bodysuit today. "Koen, what do you think?" Kathy asked him as she presented the dilemma. Koen also had to think about it for a while. It seemed most logical to him to put on some clothes today and to change into the onesie tomorrow, when they were sitting in the car. But they had intended to take Jasper home in ordinary clothes. "Maybe we should give up our original plan," Koen said. "Helga and Celine will understand when we explain how it happened." So a normal t-shirt, trousers and underpants were laid out for Jasper for the day. The last clean clothes he had. Heleen was the first to wash, then Jasper and Dries were bathed together by Kathy, and finally she and Koen took a quick shower together. "Totally dry," Kathy said as she helped Jasper out of his clothes. Jasper was relieved to wake up completely dry this time. The bed-wetting from earlier had indeed been a temporary thing, as Heleen had assured him. As Jasper dressed, he secretly tucked one of his dummies into his pocket; it felt good to have it with him. After breakfast, the family stopped by the garage; Koen wanted to put the dirty clothes in the car and get some clean clothes for the next day. After a quick search and a chat with a mechanic, they found the car somewhere in the back. It was clear that they had not done anything about it, even though it was almost noon. Worried, but with the right clothes they returned to the hotel. The pacifier that Jasper had put in his pocket had now moved to his mouth, while the ribbon was tied to his T-shirt. Back in the room, they saw that the maintenance staff had stopped by. The beds were made and the sleeping clothes were neatly folded on the pillows. Once again, the three children had a nappy ready for them on top. With a flushed face, Heleen took the nappy from the top of her nightdress and put it back in the pack of nappies. Jasper and Dries didn't care. Before lunch, they were all quietly busy in the room; Jasper and Dries playing on the Nintendo, Heleen, Koen and Kathy reading a book. After lunch they looked for something to do within walking distance of the hotel. The only thing nearby, apart from the hotel's own playground, was a bowling alley about 15 minutes' walk away. To break up the day and still have something to do, they decided to visit the bowling alley. With his mobile phone in hand to find the way, Koen went first. After fifteen minutes of walking, they arrived at a large bowling alley. When they arrived, all the lanes were occupied and they had to wait half an hour before they could start. It was the first time for Jasper and Dries, although Heleen had done it once at a birthday party. They looked in amazement at the strange shoes they had to put on, and while they waited with a drink on the side until it was their turn, Kathy, with the help of Heleen, gave a detailed explanation of the rules and what techniques worked well. Jasper and Dries were particularly interested to see how another child their age was playing. He regularly used a ramp to roll the balls instead of having to throw them, and rails went up along the sides when it was his turn, so the bowling ball didn't end up in the gutter at the side. Soon Jasper and Dries were asking if they could do it too. For Koen and Kathy, it was all about having fun - it was not their intention to start a competition within the family - so they allowed it. Soon they were busy and the children enjoyed the game, cheering each other on every time someone managed to knock down all the pins. After the first hour, they played a second hour and then returned to the hotel. They took the time to have a quiet and long dinner. Jasper wasn't sure why, or if it was written down somewhere, or because he had his pacifier hanging from his T-shirt, but in the hotel before every meal a high chair was pulled out for him. At dinner, Jasper was given another little car, which he handed to Dries. "This is for you, then we each have one." "Thank you," said Dries, beaming at this unexpected gift. After dinner, the family went straight to the bar with the attached playground, where Jasper, Dries and Heleen enjoyed themselves for a while until it was time to go to bed. Upstairs in the hotel room, Heleen withdrew to the terrace with a book to read some more while Koen and Kathy prepared the two boys for the night. Kathy had put Dries' favourite onesie aside especially for Dries' last night in the hotel. Because it had been Dries' favourite for so long, she had it in two sizes. She'd bought the first one at the regular price and bought the exact same one, but two sizes bigger, at a sale later that year. Dries was now too big for the first onesie, but it was perfect for Jasper. It was a onesie with a zip at the back but no feet. Kathy took another picture of the two boys posing together just before bedtime. "Can I go to bed without being tied up?" asked Jasper as Kathy was busy tying the straps around Jasper. "I don't think it's a good idea to start experimenting now, Jasper. What if you fall out of bed again?" Kathy asked. Jasper shrugged. "I'm not in the mood for it right now," he said quietly. Koen came over. "I might have a compromise," he began, pointing to the unused baby bed in the room. "If you use this bed tonight, we won't have to worry about you falling out because of the edges, and you can turn and lie down as you like." Jasper didn't really feel like it - it was a baby bed after all - but as Koen said, he could indeed sleep in it without any worries. "All right then," he said quietly, pointing to the cot. Kathy put all the straps aside and picked Jasper up to put him in the cot. "Sleep well my sweet boy," she wished him before planting a kiss on his cheek. Dries was tucked in too. Finally, Kathy and Koen went out on the terrace to read a book with Heleen, to give the two boys a chance to sleep peacefully. Jasper had a little trouble getting to sleep. He hoped the car would be fixed and they could go home tomorrow; he was starting to miss his mums, despite the nice holiday. After a lot of tossing and turning, and stimulated by Dries' calm breathing, he finally drifted off to sleep. Do you can't wait to read the next chapter? you're welcome to read it on the scriptorium webpage. (Under writing => completed stories)

It's a good title you made for your story

Chapter thirty-seven, "Good morning, sweet sleeper." Dazed, Jasper opened his eyes as he heard Heleen's voice. "Good morning," he murmured, his face still on the pillow. He reached for the dummy beside him and put it in his mouth. "Everyone's been up for a while, so Mummy allowed me to wake you up. Otherwise breakfast now and lunch later would be too close together." "What time is it then?" asked Jasper, taking his dummy out of his mouth for a moment as he looked up at Heleen who was standing next to his bed. "A little after ten. You must have been really exhausted from yesterday." Jasper sat up on the bed. He did indeed feel much more rested now than he had the previous morning. Heleen opened the doors to the bed and then unzipped the sleeping bag. As Jasper stood up he noticed that his nappy was wet, as he had gone to sleep with a dry nappy the night before. Heleen felt the front of Jasper's nappy for a moment. "Wet," she also noticed. "Come to my room and we'll put on a clean nappy quickly." Jasper grabbed his new cuddly toy and toddled off to Heleen's room, still slightly groggy, but also worried about his nappy, which had gotten wet somewhere last night without him having consciously peed in it. Heleen unzipped the onesie and let Jasper out, then lifted him onto the changing table and looked at his dejected face. "Is something wrong, Jasper?" "Yes, I peed in my nappy overnight. It was dry before I went to bed last night, but now it's wet and I didn't wake up last night." As Jasper confessed this, he hid his face behind his cuddly toy so as not to look at Heleen while he confessed. "It doesn't matter anyway," she reassured him. "That's what they're for." Jasper looked doubtful. "Normally I never do this." "But it's not normal now, Jasper. You are on holiday, you have done a lot, been through a lot and yesterday you were super tired. Tomorrow will be better, I think." "Do you really think so?" "Yes, I really think so. And if it's not tomorrow, it'll be the day after." Meanwhile, Heleen had opened the bodysuit, pulled it up and removed the wet nappy. She quickly freshened up the area with a few wet wipes before changing Jasper into a new nappy. "Bottom up." Heleen ordered, holding the clean nappy open. Jasper made a bridge so that Heleen could put the nappy under Jasper. "Okay, that's good," Heleen said. Jasper relaxed, sank down and Heleen first closed the nappy, then pulled the bodysuit tight and also closed the buttons at Jasper's crotch. Heleen lifted Jasper off the table and let him step back into the nappy before closing it at the back. Koen, Kathy and Dries were waiting at the breakfast table. Delicious pastries were ready. "Finally out of bed?" asked Koen. "Everything fresh?" Kathy asked. "Yes and yes," answered Heleen in Jasper's place. Jasper and Heleen went to the table; Jasper put his cuddly toy on the table beside him, but Kathy immediately took it away. "He can get dirty over there, we'll let him watch from here," she said as she put the cuddly toy on the window sill. Jasper watched where the toy was placed and nodded that it was all right. Very deliberately, he picked out a first piece of food and began to eat it. "It's nice that they're pastries," he said after finishing the first one. "Yes, because it's our last day here; tomorrow we have to go home." Dries said. "Oh, that's too bad, I like it here," Jasper said, half disappointed. He wanted to stay longer, but the pastries were tasty too. "What are we going to do today?" asked Dries when he had finished eating. "No more going out," said Koen. "We'll pack everything up today so that we can leave early tomorrow morning; we've got a long ride ahead of us." "We can go to the pool together this afternoon if the packing goes well." Kathy said after putting down her cup of tea. "Oh yes, that's nice." Dries' eyes began to shine at the thought of all the fun slides. After breakfast was cleared away, the three children began to play around the house. Dries and Heleen were also still running around in their nightclothes; it was holiday time and no attention was paid to neat clothes. Meanwhile, Koen and Kathy were busy moving around the house, packing up everything and leaving it by the front door. In the end, even the bed and changing table were moved back to the original room, so that it was back to the way it had been, and this did not have to be done early the next morning. At lunchtime, all the food left over from the past holiday was laid out on the table, including sandwiches, a few eggs, yoghurt, semolina porridge, lettuce and tomatoes, cheese and various kinds of meat and fish. It seemed like a small feast. "We've made good progress with the packing." Koen said as he put an extra piece of fish on his plate. "We can go swimming later." The three children greeted this announcement with great joy. After dinner, the kitchen was quickly tidied up and then everyone went to the pool. Everyone had changed into their swimsuits in the house, which was a little easier than at the pool, where the few changing rooms were often occupied or sometimes dirty. Kathy brought a large bag with towels for everyone and Jasper's life jacket. Together they walked down to the pool and settled down in about the same place as last time, and soon they were enjoying the water and the slides. After Koen had been in the water for a while, he returned to the house to resume packing. Kathy stayed with the children until it was time for dinner. Most of the luggage was already in the car. Only what was needed for the rest of the evening, the night and the next day was still in the house. Koen took Jasper to the changing table, took off his swimming trunks, took one of the new thick nappies and put it on Jasper. "Are you ready to go home tomorrow?" Jasper shrugged: he wasn't quite sure what to say. He had mixed feelings about the impending departure. The holiday had been nice and intense, but he missed home a little and looked forward to seeing his mums again. "Anyway, I was glad you were there." Koen said, breaking the silence and not wanting to continue with his question. Jasper was dressed in pyjamas; another one piece, but now the zip was only in the front. That way Jasper was ready for the night. Heleen and Dries also changed out of their swimsuits and into their pyjamas, as they wanted to spend another cosy evening in the cottage. As Jasper looked around the table, the house looked much more bare. Almost all their belongings had disappeared into the car. "I'm going to miss it here. It was a great holiday," he said sadly. Dries nodded that he agreed. "It was a great holiday. I want you to come back next year." "It's way too early for an invitation and a decision, Dries." Koen interjected before making promises that might not be kept. "It's much too early to agree on something like that now." Koen had deliberately not packed a last board game, and after dinner the whole family started playing. With a long day's travel ahead the next day, the children were allowed to stay up a little longer; there would be more than enough time in the car to catch up on some sleep. Dries was the last to sleep in the cot, Jasper had to sleep in Heleen's room, where the bed had already been moved. Koen took Jasper to put on a clean nappy and then put him in his sleeping bag on the bed. Koen took a thick nappy from the new pack. He kept the last, thinner one from home for Dries, because Dries was more disturbed by the thickness of the nappies to be able to sleep. Jasper's pacifier was put on last, before Koen wished him good night and closed the door. Despite the late hour, Jasper did not immediately fall asleep. He was thinking a lot about the past holiday, but also about his mothers, whom he missed. Tossing and turning in bed, he emptied his bladder. Heleen, who had entered the room to go to sleep herself, noticed that Jasper was still awake. "Can't you get to sleep?" she whispered to him, and Jasper nodded. Heleen got down on her knees next to Jasper's bed so that she could whisper in his ear. Slowly she began to tell a story she had made up on the spot. Because Jasper now had something to focus on, his thoughts no longer jumped everywhere and together with Heleen's soft voice, sleep came. Heleen finished the story a little later and crawled into bed herself. Not long after, Jasper fell asleep and Heleen followed him soon after into dreamland. Do you can't wait to read the next chapter? you're welcome to read it after a (free) registration on the scriptorium webpage. (Under writing => work in progress)

Chapter thirty-six A glimmer of daylight had already appeared through the windows. It was not enough to wake the boys, but after a couple had walked past the cottage, talking loudly in an unfamiliar language, Jasper woke. He turned on his side to look into the room, exchanged his dummy for the bottle to drink the last of the water, and felt the straps that held him in place. Together with the sun, which was slowly sending more light into the room, he felt his energy rising. Although he was still tired, falling back asleep didn’t seem possible. The bottle was empty and he put it on the bedside table and put his pacifier back in his mouth. He felt a certain pressure in his bladder and, without thinking, let it all flow into his nappy. "Strange," he thought as he felt that it was already quite full. "I don't remember peeing in it last night." Jasper lay in bed for a while, worrying about it, but couldn't quite figure out why. Could he have peed in it last night before falling asleep and forgotten about it? Or had he woken up last night and forgotten? He didn't want to consider the possibility that he might have peed in it while he was asleep. While Jasper was thinking about this, the door opened softly and Heleen looked around the corner. Quietly and with a broad smile, she returned Jasper's wave. She put her finger to her lips, pointed to the bed where Dries was lying and gestured briefly with her hands and closed eyes as if she were asleep. Jasper understood: be quiet, Dries is still asleep. Heleen then took the key from the fixation set, helped Jasper out of bed and led him by the hand to her own room. He walked with his legs open because of the heavy nappy between his legs. Jasper tried to stifle another yawn as he walked, but he couldn't. Heleen looked down at him with a smile; she remembered from last night how tired Jasper was. The holiday had obviously taken a lot out of him, both physically and emotionally. "I see your nappy is wet, I'll change it." Heleen whispered to Jasper after closing the door to her room. Apparently they were the only two awake and she wanted the others to continue sleeping. Jasper raised his arms in response and with some effort Heleen lifted Jasper onto the changing table and began the procedure. Remove the onesie, put it down, remove the wet nappy, freshen up and put the clean nappy back on. "It felt like you'd emptied a bucket into him." Heleen joked to Jasper. Jasper bit his lip, unable to smile. He was still wondering when he had peed so much. "Wow, wasn't that funny?" Heleen asked worriedly. "My nappy was wet when I woke up this morning and I can't remember when I used it." Jasper's concern that it might have been in his sleep manifested itself in a single tear trickling down his cheek. "Do you think you peed in your sleep?" Heleen asked, expressing Jasper's great fear. Jasper couldn't get a 'yes' out of his mouth but admitted it by nodding his head. "Accidents can happen, Jasper. I also saw that you were super tired last night, that must be the reason. You don't sleep in your own bed here and you've been through a lot in the last week. I think if it happened while you were sleeping, it's a one-off accident. It will all be cleared up by the time you get home. "Do you really think so?" Jasper asked hopefully. "Definitely," Heleen said. Her whole attitude showed that she believed that. Heleen finished everything by putting Jasper's onesie back on and closing it. She helped Jasper off the changing table and together they stepped into the living room. "How about a game on the Nintendo?" she suggested to Jasper. Jasper didn't have to think about it and sat down on the sofa with Heleen. The sound was turned down as low as possible, just audible so as not to wake anyone, and soon Heleen and Jasper were lost in the game. Later in the morning, the others trickled into the living room, and when everyone was there, Koen called everyone to the table for breakfast, while the coffee machine in the background sent the last of the water into the filter. "What are we going to do today, dad?" Dries asked between bites. "We're having some doubts. Either there's a nice fifty-two kilometer (32 miles) hike nearby that we could do, or..." Koen started. "The other!" Dries cried in between, pieces of sandwich and chocolate flying out of his mouth. Kathy laughed inwardly; in fact they had never intended to do this walk. She knew the children didn't like it very much, but they didn't always feel like going to the zoo. But even if she thought it was funny, Dries wasn't allowed to talk with his mouth full, and it wasn't very polite to interrupt someone. She reprimanded him sternly and firmly. After the fuss, Koen continued. "The other thing we had in mind was a zoo near here. They have Amur leopards, including a mom who recently had cubs. It is a unique opportunity to see them, because they are threatened with extinction.” Jasper's curiosity was piqued; "That sounds really special," he said. And it certainly sounded better than a fifty-two kilometer walk. The holidays were drawing to a close and the family had found the ideal rhythm and structure: a long, quiet breakfast, then preparing a picnic, going out for an activity and eating a hot meal before going to bed in the evening. The bag of clean nappies and wipes was replenished by Kathy, while Koen loaded the picnic into the backpack. Heleen helped Jasper into a clean nappy while Dries dressed himself. Dries had already taken his nappy off and was getting ready for breakfast. There was a bodysuit and a jumpsuit ready for Jasper. It was the second overall they had bought at the market earlier this week: the one with the army print, short sleeves, long legs and a row of buttons at the front to open and close it. Jasper's eyes lit up at the sight of it. "Nice and cool," he thought to himself. He actively cooperated and in no time at all Heleen had him in a clean nappy, a bodysuit and the jumpsuit over it. While the others packed their belongings, coats, drinks and snacks, Jasper crept through the house like a seasoned soldier with an imaginary weapon to shoot any monsters and aliens he saw. After checking the weather forecast (no rain!), the family climbed into the car and set off. In spite of the fact that Jasper was tired, he tried to recharge his batteries with a power nap during the drive, but it didn't work. He closed his eyes, but there were too many stimuli coming at him to relax and get enough sleep. The zoo consisted of two loops, both starting from the entrance building. As it wasn't long before lunchtime, they decided to start with the small loop first, eat lunch at the entrance, and then do the big loop in the afternoon. As they walked from enclosure to enclosure, Jasper felt the fatigue of the previous day, the loss of sleep and the pain in his legs returning. He was not used to having to cover so much distance on foot. The animals they encountered were interesting. But despite the fact that Jasper was having a good time and was curious about the animals, after he had had a quick look, he was sitting down more quickly and more often on a nearby bench as he waited for the others to continue. It was obvious to everyone that he was tired. Tiredness made Jasper grumble about everything; the sun that was shining, the clouds that were in front of the sun, that it was hard to get up, that it was hard to get down, that there was rubbish on the ground, that there were too many rubbish bins around, that the animals were too far away, that you could get dangerously close to the animals,... It was so much and so long that Kathy and Koen got iritated and urged Jasper to think before he spoke. Grumbling to himself, Jasper complied, but always walked several metres behind the rest of the family. His behaviour was threatening to put a damper on what had been a pleasant trip. By midday they were back at the entrance to the park, having completed the small loop. It had taken a little longer than expected because of Jasper, but there was still time to eat and then walk the big loop. Kathy hoped that a lunch break would give Jasper enough rest to deal with his fatigue, and the lunch would also give him some extra energy. The family sat down at a picnic table and while Koen went to buy everyone a drink, Kathy handed out sandwiches. Dries and Heleen began to eat with relish, but Jasper looked sadly at the contents of his sandwich. He had been given his favourite toppings throughout the holiday, and that was still on his sandwich today, but despite the fact that he had said this morning that he wanted them again, he now wanted something slightly different. Jasper opened his mouth to grumble again, but when he saw the look on Koen and Kathy's faces, he stopped himself. Slowly and reluctantly, he began to eat his sandwiches. "I don't know if and how Jasper will behave this afternoon." Kathy whispered to Koen. Koen looked at Jasper doubtfully. "I'm not sure either. We can't take an hour off for lunch and he really needs it." "Yes, he's just too tired and in too much pain to walk any further. We can carry him for a few more parts of the tour like we did before, but the whole tour will be too hard for us at some point". "If only he didn't have to walk all the time." Koen said, "his day would be much better". At the same time, Koen and Kathy saw a stroller hire across the square. They looked at each other and seemed to read each other's minds. "Would he fit into that?" Kathy asked. "We'll have a look and then we'll know," Koen said. He took action, got up and went to explore the rental place, where he first checked the information boards. Soon he came back and reported quietly to Kathy. “It's only up to six years old and twenty kilograms, 44 pounds.” Koen said disappointed. Kathy took another look at Jasper as he sat there, the dummy hanging from a ribbon on his clothes. "Jasper, how much do you weigh now?" Kathy asked. "About twenty kilograms," he mumbled. "Why?" "Just to know," Kathy said, then turned back to her husband. "Then I think we can get on with it." "Come on Jasper, let's go and see something on the other side of the square together." Kathy said as she stood up. "Dries and Heleen, you can stay here with Daddy." "I don't want to go," Jasper whined. He crossed his arms and then looked down at the ground in a furious manner. "Dries and Heleen, I'll help mum with Jasper." Koen sighed as he got up. He picked up Jasper and went with Kathy to the pushchair hire office. The lady at the desk saw them coming, took all the necessary papers and prepared a stroller. When Koen arrived, he put Jasper straight into the seat of the stroller and fastened the buckles between his legs, around his waist and over his shoulders, tightening them so that he fit snugly. Kathy had turned to the woman and pulled out her ID and bank card to complete the transaction and pay the deposit. "No, I don't want this," Jasper cried in tears. He was too tired to think clearly and didn't understand why he was being treated like this. "And yet you will for a moment." Koen said firmly. "But I want..." Jasper sobbed again. Koen crouched down in front of the stroller and looked into Jasper's eyes. "Stop." he interrupted Jasper sternly and firmly. "Now you just shut up and do what we say. Now you stay in here for as long as we say." Jasper was stunned. Koen had never spoken to him like that. He did his best to be quiet, but every now and then a sob escaped, which Koen ignored. He could see that Jasper was doing his best to be quiet and so he turned a blind eye to it. Koen took the pacifier that was attached to Jasper's jumpsuit by the ribbon and put it in Jasper's mouth. Kathy had done the formalities and they walked back to Dries and Heleen, who had finished eating. The last things were put into their backpacks, while Jasper stayed in the stroller with a long face. Dries looked at Jasper strangely and opened his mouth to say something. Before he could even get out what he wanted to say, he was cut off by Kathy, who whispered softly: "He's not happy about it, but we made him, he's too tired to walk the rest of the zoo. It was either this or go home, and we haven't seen the Amur leopards yet." Dries nodded that he understood. Heleen hadn't needed the explanation; she had also noticed how difficult it had been for Jasper so far, and hoped that the rest of the day would be a little more pleasant and that Jasper wouldn't put a damper on it any longer. Once the backpacks were on their backs, they set off together to start the big tour. Jasper continued to sulk, but the monotonous, incomprehensible chatter of the other visitors around him in the background had a soothing effect, and Jasper's eyes closed gently. For a moment, Koen and Kathy wondered if they should wake him when they arrived at the next shelter, but decided not to; they thought Jasper desperately needed the extra sleep. Dries and Heleen enjoyed the animals and were secretly glad that Jasper was asleep, as his behaviour had made the morning less pleasant than it was now. There was a lot to see and do, and Koen and Kathy adjusted their pace to what Heleen and Dries were doing. Halfway through the lap there was a stall selling food and beverages. The family stopped there for a break. Unconsciously, Jasper noticed that the surroundings had changed a little, and slowly he was woken by the chatter of Dries, Heleen, Kathy and Koen. It was Kathy who saw Jasper open his eyes. "Here Jasper, something to drink." She handed Jasper a bottle of water with a straw. Thoughtfully, Jasper finished his water when he suddenly remembered that his mum had given him money to buy a treat. "Kathy?" Jasper asked carefully, "Mummy gave me money to buy a treat for everyone. Would that be allowed now? An ice cream for everyone?" "Yes, I want an ice cream too!" cried Dries, who had been listening to Jasper. "OK, that's fine then." Kathy said. She unfastend the harness of Jasper’s pushchair and looked in her purse for the money Helga and Celine had given her. After everyone had finished their drinks, they queued up again at the stall, this time to buy an ice cream. Kathy had given Jasper the money so he could pay for it himself. Proud that he could and was allowed to, he paid after the vendor had served everyone. Enjoying his ice cream, Jasper looked around. "Where are we now?" he asked. "Halfway through the big loop, you slept for about an hour and a half." After the ice cream was finished, Koen changed Jasper's nappy in the toilet and the family walked to the next enclosure. Eventually they arrived at the Amur leopards. The mother was sunbathing quietly on a large rock, but the cubs were playing with each other. It was a lovely sight to see, and the family stayed there for quite a while. Souvenirs were sold next to the enclosure and Jasper bought a large cuddly toy of an Amur leopard with his own money. Proud of his purchase, Jasper carried the toy with him as they walked around the zoo. Jasper was completely recovered and no longer sat in the stroller, which was now being used to carry all the backpacks, so the family continued to walk from animal enclosure to animal enclosure. They were almost at the end of the second round when the sky suddenly became very cloudy. Despite the predictions, the rain did come. There was thunder in the distance and it got visibly darker as the first clouds moved in front of the sun. Koen and Kathy decided to call it a day. Jasper had to return to his stroller and was fastened by Koen. Then they all set off at a brisk pace in the hope that they would be back at the car before the rain shower. The first drops began to fall as the family stood at the exit of the park. There was a long queue at the counter where the stroller had to be returned; clearly no one really felt like staying at the zoo in the rain. "You can all go on and get in the car." Koen said to Kathy as he handed her the car key. "Hopefully you'll be inside before the rain starts." Kathy, Dries and Heleen grabbed all their backpacks and made a run for the car while Jasper was watching them go. He kept his fingers crossed that they would make it. Slowly the line moved forward as the raindrops got bigger and more frequent. Jasper put his dummy back in his mouth and tried to seek comfort. He sat still in the stroller, getting more and more wet by the minute and beginning to feel cold as a result. When it was finally their turn, the rain trickled down Jasper's head and neck and into his clothes. The receptionist was doing her best, but there were a few things that needed to be checked. The fact that the stroller had been picked up by a certain "Kathy" and returned by a "Koen" didn't make things any easier and meant that Jasper had to stay out in the rain for a bit longer. Once everything was sorted and Koen had received the deposit for the stroller, he took Jasper by the hand and set off at a brisk pace to get back to the car as quickly as possible. The storm had come down in full force and there was no way they could escape it. By the time they reached the car, Koen and Jasper were both soaking wet. Kathy had already laid out a towel for Koen on the passenger seat and was hiding under the open back door of the car to help Jasper. Heleen and Dries, both luckily dry, were sitting in their seats. "Thank you dear," Koen said when he saw what Kathy had prepared, and he sat down in the car to take off his wet shoes and socks. The rest of his clothes would have to wait until he got home. Kathy immediately put Jasper in the car and began to strip a shivering Jasper of his wet clothes. He was even a little blue around the lips from the cold. Everything was drenched and had to be taken off. A clean nappy was put on and a dry spare bodysuit, which was still in the car, was quickly pulled over his head and fastened between Jasper's legs. The pacifier was transferred from his jumpsuit to the bodysuit and then he was placed in the car seat. Heleen helped Jasper put his arms through the straps and then pulled them tight. Kathy tilted the car seat to the sleeping position and told Heleen to put a fleece blanket over Jasper to keep him warm. All the energy Jasper had gained from his afternoon nap was now gone. He sobbed softly, tears running down his cheeks as he shivered from the cold. Despite the car heater being on, Jasper was still cold when they got back to the cottage; he still felt miserable. By now it was only drizzling a little, the big downpour had passed and everyone rushed inside as quickly as they could. Koen disappeared into the bathroom on arrival to freshen up and change into something dry; Kathy first carried Jasper into the cottage and then returned to fetch the backpacks and wet clothes from the car. "Heleen, can you help Jasper? Put something warm on him so he feels better?" "OK, mum, I will." Heleen said as she took Jasper by the hand and led him into her room. She took a towel and started to dry Jasper's hair, which was still a little wet. Then she took a onesie from the cupboard. She chose a thicker onesie with feet and a zip at the back. It was the warmest one she could find. Happy to be helped, Jasper cooperated well. Meanwhile, Dries had poured himself some water and was sitting on the sofa starting a film when Heleen carried Jasper into the living room and placed him next to Dries. "Are you feeling better, Jasper?" "It's getting better, but I'm still cold," Jasper said shakily. "Thanks for your help." Heleen thought about what else could help. Then she took the sleeping bag from Jasper's bed and put it on him while he sat on the sofa. Finally, she went into the kitchen to warm a bottle. When it was warm enough, she added some chocolate milk powder and sat down next to Jasper. "Just lie down." Heleen whispered to Jasper, guiding him so that his head landed on her lap. She put the bottle to Jasper's lips and he drank the hot chocolate happily. As he drank, Heleen stroked Jasper's hair. Halfway through the bottle, Jasper stopped drinking for a moment. "Thank you Heleen, I feel much better already," he whispered to her. "You're welcome," she whispered back. Jasper, Heleen and Dries enjoyed the movie until it was time for dinner. Since Jasper was in his sleeping bag, Kathy carried him to the table and sat him down in a chair. The attention and warmth made Jasper feel much better than he had in the car. Kathy had seen how well Heleen had looked after Jasper and complimented her on her care during dinner. Heleen beamed. Kathy wasn't always generous with compliments, so when they came, she was very pleased and felt she really deserved them. After dinner, they continued the film, and then it was time for them to go to bed. Motivated by the compliments she had just received, Heleen spontaneously helped her mother put the two boys to bed. "Tomorrow is our last day here, the day after we go home." Kathy tucked Jasper into his cot and gave him a few planning thoughts for Jasper's peace of mind. She then went over to Dries and tucked him in as well before turning off the light, leaving the room and closing the door. Jasper took his new cuddly toy tightly into his arms, put his pacifier in his mouth and rolled over onto his side, quickly falling asleep from exhaustion. Do you can't wait to read the next chapter? you're welcome to read it after a (free) registration on the scriptorium webpage. (Under writing => work in progress) Comments on the story are always welcome.

Chapter thirty-five Dries woke in the night. He lay there listening to Jasper's regular breathing and tried to go back to sleep, but he couldn't. Bored, he got up and walked to the kitchen to get a glass of water. As he walked he felt the new thicker nappy, it was very noticeable. After he drank and put down his used glass, he looked at the oven timer. As he watched, he saw the numbers jump from '01:26' to '01:27'. With a big sigh, he crawled back into bed, still wide awake. His nappy was still dry, but he had no urge to pee either. The thicker nappy felt uncomfortable, and that didn't help him get back to sleep. The straps that prevented Jasper from rolling out of bed were partly on the bed. It was a job to get them on and off the bed, so Kathy and Koen left them there. Out of curiosity and boredom, Dries started to put the straps over his stomach, between his legs and over his shoulders to see how it felt. Dries held everything together as it should be and rolled from one side to the other. It was not possible to hold everything properly and Dries took the pins from the bedside table and put them through the correct holes. Again he rolled back and forth to feel the straps. After two more turns, Dries' curiosity was still not satisfied, but the straps had come off the pins. Dries then took the caps, replaced the straps over the pins and closed the straps with the caps. Dries tried to move around a bit, going from his left side to his right and trying to slide up and down. When he realised how secure everything was, and his curiosity was satisfied, he grabbed the cap to lift it off the pin again. He was tired and felt he could go back to sleep now. Failing to lift the cap, he began to twist it frantically, but found that this had no effect either. He tried to calm himself by taking a few deep breaths and trying to remember the steps Jasper had taken when he had got out of bed. Then it occurred to him that for Jasper there was always some sort of key that was used to release him. He looked back at the bedside table and saw nothing on it. He felt his hand everywhere and felt it nowhere. Dries closed his eyes and tried to picture the key and what had always been done with it. It suddenly occurred to him that the last time he had seen it, it had been hanging on the hook by the door. Dries opened his eyes again and looked at the door. In the dim twilight, he thought he recognised the key. Dries could kick himself. He realised now that he had skilfully trapped himself and there was no way he could get out without the help of someone else. Almost desperately, he tried again to see if he couldn't free himself. He tried again to pull and twist the cap, he looked to see if he couldn't get his fingers between it, he fumbled and felt around to see if he couldn't find some other means of freeing himself. The straps were also too tight to pull off his shoulders or slip out anywhere else. When none of this worked, he turned on his back and racked his brain for a solution. As he searched, his thoughts drifted to Jasper, Kathy, Heleen and Koen. Would they make fun of him, tease him? He tried to concentrate on the solution, on getting out of it, rather than on the problem and its possible consequences. But time and time again, his mind drifted back to the reactions he was going to get tomorrow if he didn't pull himself out of this. Tears formed in his eyes as he became frightened and imagined the worst possible outcomes of laughter, bullying and humiliation, as well as frustration at not being able to get out of it. Slowly he was able to form and direct his thoughts. It was the middle of the night, he was tired, and finally his thoughts fell silent with the sleep that came, and his tears dried up. The light was switched on. "Good morning Jasper, good morning Dries. Will you get up and come to Heleen's room? I'll get the clothes ready." Kathy left the room as quickly as she had entered, unzipping Jasper's sleeping bag and opening the doors of the cot. Dries tried to get out of bed but was stopped abruptly by the restraints. With a shock, Dries remembered what had happened the night before. Knowing that there was no way he could sneak out, he gathered his courage and spoke to Jasper. "Jasper, can you help me?" he whispered hurriedly after Kathy had gone out the door. Jasper rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked at Dries. "Yes, how can I help you?" he asked. "Can you give me the key? I can't get myself loose." Jasper glanced over, astonished. At first he didn't understand. Why was Dries suddenly tied to the bed and why had Kathy not untied him herself? Jasper approached Dries to assess the situation. "I couldn't sleep last night and I wanted to feel what it was like for you to be stuck in the bed like that.” Dries whispered to Jasper, worried about his reaction. "I did it myself, but I didn't know that I needed a key to undo everything." Jasper gave a wide, friendly smile. "I understand." He stepped to the door, quickly placed a chair beside it and climbed up to take the key from the hook. Jasper pressed the key into the magnetic locks and removed the caps from the pins. "There you are," he said, putting the key back in its place. "And what was your impression of it?" Jasper's question was. "Not so nice." Dries replied. "I wanted to untie myself last night, but I couldn't." "That's the point," Jasper said. "It just means the straps did their job well." "But I was so scared." Dries said, tears streaming down his face. Jasper saw that Dries was having a hard time and grabbed him to give him a big hug. "There's nothing to worry about. We're here for you anyway. What should you be afraid of?" "Because I tied myself up so you'd think I was crazy or stupid or that you'd laugh at me." Dries' face was contorted and his eyes were red. "It would be silly of me to laugh at you when you're stuck in it, when I've been doing it for half the holiday. We're blood brothers, remember? We're there for each other, no matter what?" "Thanks," Dries replied, rubbing his face with his sleeve. "Come on, your mum's waiting," Jasper said, leading the way to Heleen's room where Kathy was already standing. "I almost came to get you." Kathy said, putting down two piles of clothes she'd picked out for the day. "How did you sleep with the new nappy?" Kathy asked Dries as she lifted him onto the changing table. "Not as well. it's a bit different because they're a bit thicker." "I understand Dries, it is probably a matter of getting used to it. How was it for you, Jasper?" "It didn't bother me, I slept well," he replied, waiting next to Kathy for a nappy change. Dries was freshened up with a couple of damp wipes and then he was lifted off the changing table where he was able to put on his own clothes. Jasper was then helped out of his pyjamas and given a clean nappy. She took the thinner nappy they had at home for the day. "Look what I've prepared for today?" Kathy lifted a short-sleeved, short-legged onesie with stars and a rocket on it. "Yes! That's lovely. I forgot I had it with me." Jasper beamed when he saw the onesie he and his mum had bought at the clothes shop a few weeks earlier. Kathy helped him put it on and closed the zip at the back with the two snaps at the back of his neck. Heleen sat down at the table and yawned. "Why do we have to get up so early? Dad?" "We're going to an amusement park near here today. It's an hour's drive and we want to try to be there for the opening so we can have a long, nice day." Heleen nodded and began to spoon out her bowl of cereal on autopilot. She glanced sideways at Jasper as he sat down beside her. "Nice onesie." she said, getting some energy from seeing Jasper walking around happily in his clothes. "Thanks." Jasper said brightly as he filled his bowl with cereal. "Here, let me help you," Heleen said as she poured the milk for Jasper. "Thank you, Heleen." After breakfast, Heleen quickly picked up Jasper's dummy, which was lying on the changing table. "Here Jasper, don't forget this," she said as she pinned the Star Wars ribbon to Jasper's onesie. "It goes well with the stars and planets on your onesie." Jasper put the dummy in his mouth and nodded, beaming. It was hard to talk with a soother in his mouth, but he completely agreed with Heleen. The family got ready and soon after breakfast they were on their way to the amusement park. As soon as the car started moving, Dries fell asleep, needing to catch up on some sleep from the night before. Meanwhile, Jasper and Heleen were watching a film together on the televisions in the back of the car. It promised to be a beautiful day, the sun was already shining and chasing away the night's chill. As they drove past the signs to the theme park, saw the tallest rides towering above the trees, and finally pulled into the car park, the children's excitement grew. Discovering a new theme park is always fun. After paying the entrance fee, the family stood in the central square, not sure where to start their day. Although the ticket offices were already open, there was still half an hour to wait before the park officially opened and the attractions opened. Access to the rest of the park was still closed. Jasper had put his binky, which was attached to his onesie, in his mouth to suck away the tension. As the family hesitated about how to start their day in the square, much to their surprise, loud music suddenly blared from the loudspeakers and an opening parade was announced. The security personnel cleared the area to make way for the parade. Jasper and Dries wanted to see the parade and walked up and down the crowd to find a place along the route. Eventually they found another gap in the crowd, where Jasper and Dries were standing, with Heleen and Kathy in the second row behind them, and finally Koen at the back; he could easily see over the rest. Cheerful music played as the staff made their way to their attractions. Jasper and Dries waved cheerfully to everyone as they passed. In front of each group was someone carrying a large banner indicating which part of the park they belonged to. Then the staff, all dressed in their uniforms, walked through the crowd. They waved cheerfully to the children on the left and right, and occasionally a waving child would get a hug or a pat from one of the staff. Other staff members danced to the music as they passed. In between, some of the park's mascots walked back and forth greeting the children. Although only a small part of the parade had gone by, there was one thing that was already noticeable. Everyone, from the staff to the mascots, who gave pats and hugs to the children, acknowledged Jasper. His appearance in his onesie with a dummy in his mouth was already eye-catching, but the fact that he also waved enthusiastically and happily made all the adults who saw him utterly endearing. "You're getting all the attention again." Dries muttered jealously to Jasper out of the corner of his mouth. "I think next time I'll ask to go out in my pyjamas like you." "You really want to?" Jasper asked. Dries was silent for a moment and looked at the next employee who hugged Jasper. "No, actually not really." The procession split into several branches. The gates leading from the main square to the park were opened and each part of the parade went to its own world, the visitors could follow and also go to an attraction. The family still didn't know where to start in the park. After a moment's hesitation, they decided to take the road to the left of the main square and walk around the entire park, checking out the rides as they went. Jasper and Dries first had to walk hand in hand with Koen and Kathy: the square and the first part was quite busy and they did not want to lose each other. Later, when it was a bit quieter on the walkways, they were allowed to let their hands go and Jasper and Dries sat with their noses in the map of the park, trying to get the best possible picture of everything that could and should be done, while Heleen used the park's app to keep track of which attractions were open and where, and how long the queues were everywhere. On the first wild ride, Jasper's pacifier was tucked away in his rucksack to make sure it didn't get lost. Jasper noticed that they were much less strict at this amusement park than they had been at Fort Fun. This time Heleen took on the role of chaperone, as Jasper officially needed one, and here it was allowed for Jasper and Dries to sit next to each other in a single carriage if there were only two seats available. The family enjoyed the rides; they had already ridden a haunted house, tree trunks, quiet boats with many things depicted around the course, a merry-go-round, a chair mill, a wild train and an attraction where they went up and down vertically. In between, they had taken a break and everyone except Jasper had gone to the toilet. But now that it was midday, it was time for Jasper to change too. There was no separate changing room nearby. Eventually, Jasper had to go with Kathy to the women's toilets, where two changing tables were set up in a corner at the back. Jasper was embarrassed. As a boy, he didn't like having to go into the ladies' toilets, and he hated the fact that the changing tables were so open. But he understood that there was no realistic alternative. Resigned, he endured the procedure and the pitying looks of other mothers with their babies in the changing room. Kathy had done her best by choosing the most distant changing table and positioning Jasper and herself so that there was as little to be seen as possible, but in spite of everything, Jasper still felt as if he was being watched. When Kathy had finished, and Jasper was completely refreshed, he left the bathroom relieved. Kathy had stayed behind for a while to tidy up and go to the toilet herself. Seeking comfort, he went outside to Koen and raised his arms to be picked up. When Koen had him, Jasper laid his head on Koen's shoulder. Heleen saw that Jasper was having a bit more of a struggle and worriedly stroked his back, trying to think of what else she could do. She took Jasper's dummy out again, put it in his mouth and tied the ribbon to Jasper's onesie. Dries had also joined in and gave him a standing hug. Gratefully, Jasper began to suck on the dummy for extra comfort. It was in this position, all together in a hug, that Kathy found the family when she came out of the toilets. "Jasper, think back to the beginning of the day, at the procession," Kathy said as she took Jasper out of Koen's arms and put him on his feet. Jasper thought back to that moment. How he had received extra positive attention because of his clothes. That happy memory cheered him up, and soon he was hopping on to the next ride. After the ride, they could enjoy a show featuring unique artistic performances. At first, the family just mingled with the rest of the crowd, but when one of the seat allocators spotted Jasper playing with his dummy, they were taken to the front where they could have a better view together. After the show, they ended up on a rollercoaster that Jasper was too small for, but the staff turned a blind eye because they could see that safety was not being compromised. There were not many people there and after everyone had been on the ride together, just the three children went for an extra round. They had enjoyed it and it was a first for Jasper. It was the first time that he had ever done a loop! Jasper and Dries made sure they could sit together in the front row, and Heleen sat behind them in the next car. The attendant came by, checked the shoulder braces and pushed them down a bit on everyone. When he had passed the whole train, he gave a thumbs up and the other employee pressed the start button. The train left the station and as it was pulled up the chain, the tension increased with the altitude of the train. As the first car with Jasper and Dries had just passed the highest point, there was suddenly a loud metallic bang and the train shot back half a metre with loud screams, followed by a dull thud. The train stopped, and just as suddenly as it had stopped, there was complete silence on and around the attraction. As panicked voices grew louder, the intercom told everyone to sit quietly and wait; the problem would be looked into and they would do their best to fix it as soon as possible. As best they could, Jasper and Dries tried to look around at what was happening, but the rails and sides of the train limited their view; they had to rely on what they heard from the others. Worried, they tried to listen as best they could, touching the bars of the roller coaster, but it wouldn't budge. Soon some of the park's mechanics arrived and tried to fix the problem. There was the occasional rattling and humming from various engines, but the train wouldn't move an inch. After spending some time troubleshooting the problem and hoping to solve it, it was announced that the attraction was stuck and that everyone would be escorted out of the attraction. Heleen, sitting behind Jasper and Dries, tried to calm the boys down. She didn't understand much of what was being said, but she realised that, despite the uncomfortable situation, there was thankfully no danger. Of course, it was no fun being stuck in an attraction. The park's own fire brigade was quickly on the scene, but they did not have large and heavy equipment. There was a long flight of stairs next to the first ramp to allow mechanics to service the chain and engine. The fire brigade used these stairs to walk along the entire train to check that everyone was OK. It was just that they couldn't get to Jasper and Dries: the stairs ended just before they could get to their car. Using a translation app and with the help of Heleen, the fireman spoke briefly to Jasper and Dries, reassuring them that help was on the way. Frightened, Jasper and Dries asked how long it would take to get out, but the fireman could not give a satisfactory answer. One by one, the passengers were removed from the cars and led down. Each time a mechanic worked on the cart to unlock the mechanism of the shoulder brace, the firefighter opened the brace to help the person out of the ride and lead them to the station. It wasn't difficult, but it was time consuming. The longer it took, the more nervous Jasper and Dries became, and more often they started sliding back and forth as far as the brackets would allow. The park director had also arrived on the scene. He hated to see people trapped on one of his rides. He was quickly given all the information he needed by the staff present. When Kathy and Koen realised that the park director was present, they joined the growing group of people around him. When he heard that there were two small children in the front car, which was not accessible from the stairs, he felt very bad. As soon as it became clear that the children belonged to Koen and Kathy, they were brought to the director. With the help of a bystander who could translate well, he quickly explained that a ladder truck from a nearby fire station was on its way to rescue the two children. Concerned, Koen and Kathy listened. It sounded kind of scary that a fire engine would have to be involved in this. A fire engine with an ambulance behind it drove through the crowd at a walking pace. There were a lot of spectators and the security guards accompanying the fire engine had to ask a lot of people to stop filming for a while and move aside for the cars. Seeing the fire engine followed by an ambulance made Kathy feel sick. The fire brigade themselves had to reassure her that it was normal for an ambulance to follow. They would do a small medical check, as they had to, but they themselves assumed they were there unnecessarily. But the insurance policy imposed procedures that had to be followed. Slowly all the people were taken off the train and finally it was Heleen's turn. "I'll see you downstairs later, Jasper and Dries," she added as she started down the stairs. "No, don't leave us alone." Jasper and Dries called after her, but the staff on the stairs were persistent. Heleen had to get down as quickly as possible and was not allowed to wait. Jasper and Dries began to call for help, afraid that they would be left behind with no help. They couldn't see the commotion below as the fire engine arrived. Heleen was led down and jumped into Koen's arms. "Tell me what's happening, I don't dare look," she whispered to him. Koen comforted Heleen and whispered to her what was to be seen. It was less important what Koen said, but his calm breathing and his quiet voice calmed Heleen down so that she became less afraid and nervous. When only Jasper and Dries were left on the train, a technician came out with a mobile phone and a selfie stick and held it up to Jasper and Dries: a video call had been started with the director and as soon as he saw that the technician had a good picture of Jasper and Dries with his mobile phone, he handed his mobile phone to Koen and Kathy. They all waved at each other; unfortunately the sound quality was so poor due to the wind above that they could not understand each other, but it was reassuring to see each other. Especially for Jasper and Dries, who were now reassured that they had not been left behind after all. Now that everyone else had been freed from the train, it was Jasper and Dries' turn. The mechanic showed the fireman how to loosen the brackets and shortly afterwards the fireman headed up to the boys in the basket of the fire engine. Surprised and relieved to see the fire fighters, they waved and beckoned to the fireman, shouting that they were still trapped in the train. When he reached the top, he first released Jasper, who was closest to him. First, the shoulder brace was opened a little so that Jasper had some room to move, but couldn't fall out. Jasper then had to sit down and put on a safety harness that was attached to the basket. Only then were the shoulder braces raised all the way up and the firefighter ready to lift Jasper off the train and into the basket. Jasper looked anxiously at the depth that suddenly appeared. Fear gripped his heart and in panic he did his best to stay on the train. It took a while for the firefighter to calm Jasper down enough. With his eyes closed, he finally let him get off the train and into the fire truck. Jasper was the first to be brought all the way down, and only then was Dries helped in the same way. To loud applause from the crowd, Jasper was lifted out of the basket and released from the harness. While the fire brigade went back up for Dries, Jasper, sobbing from all the emotion and stress, was escorted into the ambulance by one of the paramedics. Kathy was also called in and after a quick check everyone was reassured that everything was fine. While Dries, fortunately with fewer problems, was being helped downstairs, Kathy noticed a casualty: Jasper's nappy was soaked. In the ambulance itself, Jasper was quickly and expertly changed into a new nappy by Kathy. She was allowed to leave the wet nappy in the bin. While she was doing this, Dries was also brought in, and after a quick check, he was found to be fine. Kathy stayed in the ambulance with the two boys on her lap for a while, cuddling them and giving them the comfort they needed after all the commotion. While the firefighters cleaned up their equipment and the two cars left, the family was escorted by security to a nearby office. The children were a little moved and impressed by the whole event. The time they had been stuck, the arrival of the fire engine and the crowd of spectators had left a deep impression on them. The park manager was waiting for them, along with someone who spoke a bit of their language. "Good afternoon," he began. "I am a PR officer and have been asked by the director to apologise on behalf of the park and all the staff for what has just happened. We hope the children are all well." He turned and took an envelope and three plastic bags from behind him. "We have collected some small gifts for you and we hope that we can still ensure that you have a good day. This envelope contains five tickets that will allow you to enter the attractions through the exit today, so you do not have to queue. There is also a voucher for food in the park and another voucher to spend in the souvenir shops". The staff member handed the envelope to Kathy, who took it in surprise. He then looked inside the three bags and handed them to Dries, Heleen and Jasper. Curious, the children opened their bags to look inside, then looked at each other to compare what they had been given. Heleen had a T-shirt and a jumper, a photo frame, a flashlight, a cap, a glass, a bag, a pen, a notebook and a key ring. All with the logo of the park, the mascot or a reference to an attraction. Dries had pyjamas, a teddy bear, a water bottle and lunch box, a pen, a notebook and a key ring. Jasper also had pyjamas, a teddy bear, a plastic plate, a cup, a toddler's cutlery set and the same pen, notebook and key ring as the others. "I tried to estimate the sizes of the clothes as best I could. If they are the wrong size, you can always exchange them at the souvenir shop at the entrance. Koen and Kathy felt uneasy. It had been stressful before, seeing the children trapped on the ride, and they had been happy with how they and the children had been looked after. But now getting priority passes, restaurant vouchers and gift cards was too much. Kathy looked at the amount on the vouchers. "We really can't accept this, it's way too much." The value of the coupons alone was more than the amount they had paid for the entrance to the theme park. She tried to return the envelope, but the park employee refused. "No, we feel terrible about what just happened; you would be doing us a favour if you took this and used it." Kathy didn't know what to say. The attendant then led them through a series of service corridors back into the park and to an attraction that Dries had chosen. They could actually go straight in and onto the attraction from the exit of the attraction. The attendant handed them another ticket. "If you have any problems today, you can call me or ask one of our park staff to contact me and I'll be right there." The rest of the day was one attraction after another. They would have avoided the roller coaster they were stuck on if it was still working, but it was closed for the rest of the day due to "technical problems". It was clear that the children had been under a lot of stress, as they kept asking to see how the brackets opened and closed, and everywhere they went they asked if the attraction had ever been stuck during a ride before. Despite the staff member's kind words earlier in the day, Kathy and Koen didn't feel too comfortable walking past the queues at all the attractions and being served dinner in the restaurant as if they were the King, Queen, Princes and Princesses themselves. But the kids loved being able to jump on a ride every time and getting first class service. Koen and Kathy loved seeing the children having such a good time and seeing the tension of being stuck melt away. The greatest feeling left with the children at the end of the day was that they had experienced a great adventure. As the park closed, the family walked through the souvenir shop. They took time to try on the clothes they had been given. It turned out that Jasper had been given a onesie that fit like a glove. Dries' pyjamas were a set of two, but one size too small. Heleen's T-shirt and jumper were fine. When Koen tried to exchange Dries' pyjamas for a onesie in the right size, the shop assistant wouldn't cooperate; Koen had no proof of purchase and the security guards suspected that the family had stolen the items. It was only when Kathy called the PR officer and he came to the store that everything was sorted out. The shop assistant then apologised profusely and insisted on helping them for the rest of their visit. Heleen, Dries and Jasper were each given a third of the vouchers to spend as they wished. Looking for anything they could find, they wandered between the shelves until their hands were filled with a variety of gadgets, toys and trinkets. For Jasper there was a moment when he had to make a difficult choice. Kathy was standing by a clothes rack, pointing out the underpants on sale. Jasper had to choose. Either the things he was holding in his hand, or a pack of underpants. He didn't have enough for both. "I'm really not sure," he muttered to himself. "What do you mean?" Kathy asked. "They are such nice and beautiful things that I found." "Is it hard for you to leave them behind?" "Yes, and out of the package I really only like one pair of underpants, but..." "But?" "But underpants are practical, of course." Kathy remained silent to give Jasper a chance to make up his own mind. The temptation was too great for Jasper and he put the pants back. "I wear nappies all the time anyway," he said quietly to Kathy. "And these things look really nice and pretty," he justified his choice. "No problem," Kathy said. "You've got to choose, it's up to you to decide." At the cash registers, a closed checkout was quickly opened by the shop assistant so that the family did not have to join one of the long queues. The children's choices were paid for with the vouchers, and the day ended with a car ride back to the holiday resort. It was late when they got there and Jasper and Dries went straight to bed. Jasper just had to brush his teeth, and then Heleen changed him and strapped him into his sleeping bag on the normal bed. Heleen filled a bottle with water for Jasper. A bottle of milk was not allowed as it was much too late. "Did you enjoy your day?" Heleen asked Jasper as she tied him up and handed him the bottle of water. "Well actually yes." Jasper replied between yawns. I was scared in the afternoon on that ride and I was glad when it was all over, but after that with those passes that let us go everywhere, it was still fun in the end." "It's time to go to sleep, you're yawning so much." "Yes, I am tired, I sleep less here than at home and my legs hurt a lot from all the walking today." "You're happy to be in bed?" Jasper shrugged, as far as he could with the fixation kit slung over his shoulders. He was actually glad to be able to sleep, but it wasn't easy to admit. Heleen gave Jasper another kiss and wished him a good night. Meanwhile, Dries still had to change completely. Kathy gave him a nappy and a little later she tucked him into his cot. The lights were switched off and soon the children were off to dreamland. Heleen gave her mother a little note about Jasper's sore legs. "We'll see tomorrow," she said. "Perhaps a good night's rest will bring a little relief." Do you can't wait to read the next chapter? you're welcome to read it after a (free) registration on the scriptorium webpage. (Under writing => work in progress) Comments on the story are always welcome.

Chapter thirty-four Fifteen minutes after Jasper had been put to bed, Kathy checked again. Jasper turned to see who it was. When he saw it was Kathy, he grabbed the bottle and held it up. "It's finished," Jasper whispered. Kathy crept into the room so as not to wake Dries. "Shall I fill it up again?" whispered Kathy. Jasper nodded enthusiastically. Kathy took the bottle. "Do you want some water now?" Kathy asked. "No, I want some more milk, that was yummy." Kathy hesitated for a moment. He'd just finished a whole bottle of milk, but it wasn't really a big bottle. And, with his nappy, fluid restriction before bed wouldn't be necessary. "Yes, that's fine. I'll be back," Kathy said and crept out, closing the door gently. Heleen saw her mother go into the kitchen with the bottle and start rinsing it out. "Wow, that went down fast." "Yes, he liked it and would like another bottle." "Can I prepare it? How do you do that when it's milk?" asked Heleen. "Come here and I'll show you." Kathy waited until Heleen was standing next to her. "It's very simple, just like making a normal cup of warm milk with honey, but instead of the cup we put it straight into the bottle and then into the microwave." "Is it the same for babies?" asked Heleen. "No, not that, it is a powder that you dissolve in water in the bottle. And depending on how big the baby is, and the bottle, and what the baby needs, it's a different kind of powder and a different amount you make. Ordinary cow's milk is unhealthy for a baby. It doesn't have the right nutrients in it". "Can you buy this and show it to me, mum?" asked Heleen. "No, these cans of powder are far too expensive and big to buy just to use once and then throw away." Kathy said. Heleen was disappointed, she would have really liked to see that and try to make it herself. It seemed like an important skill to her. Kathy put the bottle in the microwave and switched it on. "Always heat without the cap, it's better." Heleen nodded, her eyes wide as she watched her mother. When the milk had warmed up, Kathy screwed the cap on the bottle and handed it to Heleen. "First you have to shake it well, because sometimes it is heated unevenly in the microwave to mix everything." Heleen listened carefully and shook the bottle vigorously. "Now it is time for you to test the heat of the milk. Shake it well first and then test it by dropping a few drops on your wrist. If it feels hot on your wrist, it's too hot. You have to feel it on your wrist, not with your finger, because fingers are not as sensitive. You don't want to burn the inside of your baby's mouth". Heleen did as her mother said. "It's lukewarm, not hot, mum." "Then it's fine, will you take it to Jasper?" Heleen went straight to Jasper and Dries' room; she almost danced, she loved it so much. "Be careful not to wake Dries." Koen said to Heleen as she passed. "Okay," she said, quietly opening the door and creeping in. Jasper saw who entered and smiled immediately. "Hello, Heleen." he said. "I brought your bottle, I helped to make it." she whispered back to him. Jasper reached for the bottle. Teasingly, Heleen waved the bottle around, making sure Jasper kept reaching for it. After mistaking it a few times, Jasper sighed and dropped his hands beside him. At that moment, Heleen shot forward with the bottle and pressed the nipple against Jasper's mouth. Jasper's eyes widened in amazement and surprise as he licked up the drop of milk hanging from the top of the bottle. When he had finished that drop, another one appeared and he licked it up too. When a third drop appeared, he snapped at the bottle and took it in his mouth to drink directly from the bottle. Heleen had watched Jasper's reaction with growing amazement; she had expected him to take over the bottle, but he didn't. Carefully she took the bottle out of Jasper's mouth, sat down next to him on the bed and put the nipple back in Jasper's mouth so that he could continue to drink. Jasper took his stuffed toy with one hand and put his other hand on Heleen's legs as he looked at her and continued to drink. Heleen's heart melted at this intimate moment. Smiling broadly, she looked down at Jasper and stroked his hair and cheeks with her free hand. When the bottle was empty, she removed it from his mouth. "Thank you," Jasper and Heleen whispered almost simultaneously. Jasper looked surprised at Heleen's thanks. "Thanks for letting me practise for later." Heleen clarified. "You're welcome," Jasper said, closing his eyes and turning over to sleep. Heleen picked up Jasper's dummy that was lying loose on the bed next to him. She put it in his mouth, gave him another kiss on the head and with the words "Good night Jasper," she patted him a few more times before getting up and quietly leaving the room. With a happy smile, Heleen put the dirty bottle back in the kitchen, rinsed it as her mother had instructed, and then tried to read a book. It was hard for her to concentrate on the story, she kept thinking back to Jasper with a smile. He had looked so cute. Jasper slept soundly that night. He had only woken twice to pee, or so he vaguely remembered. Each time he had awakened just enough to realize that he had to go to the toilet, let everything go and then turned over in his bed to go back to sleep. It was Koen who got him out of bed in the morning; after removing the locks and restraining harnesses, he lifted Jasper up, sleeping bag and all. With the hand that supported Jasper's bottom, he felt that the nappy was about to leak. "Let's fix that first, Jasper," Koen said. "Yes, that's good." Jasper whispered shyly in his ear. Koen took off the sleeping bag and onesie and opened the bodysuit at the bottom to change Jasper's nappy. When he had finished changing Jasper, he closed the bodysuit and put the onesie back on. Jasper had to stand up to close the onesie on his back, which was much easier for Koen. Dries had climbed out of bed himself and was quickly helped out of his nappy. After he had freshened up, the two boys went to the table for breakfast, where Heleen was already waiting. Kathy was still busy putting the bread and spreads on the table, and then the family started to eat. Not much was planned for the day. The only thing they had to do was go to the supermarket for some general shopping, but otherwise it was going to be a quiet day. Not much was done in the morning; the children played a few board games, Kathy read a book and Koen went through his work emails. In between, Dries and Heleen were urged to put on normal clothes, and Jasper's nappy was changed just before lunch. After lunch, the children played some more of their last board game, and when it was cleaned up, Kathy announced that it was time to go shopping. Before she left, she took Jasper aside to change his nappy. She didn't know how long she was going to be away and she didn't want a nappy that leaked like it did in the museum. . "Jasper, we're going to the shop in a minute. We can continue to look for clothes and underwear there, or we can continue with nappies and nightwear as we are now," she said, removing Jasper's wet nappy and freshening him up. Jasper shrugged. "We've been doing this with nappies and stuff so far, we can continue like this now." "Okay, this is good. You can still change your mind if you want to." Kathy said. Jasper used the moment to go to the toilet for his number two. He hadn't done it in his nappy once in the last week and as far as Jasper was concerned, he wanted to keep it that way. Once Jasper had gone to the toilet, Kathy helped him back into a clean nappy and then put his bodysuit and onesie back on. She took Jasper's dummy, which was dangling from the strap, and put it in his mouth. "Celine and Helga should talk to Jasper about using the pacifier after the holidays, it's not urgent now to talk to him about using it." she thought to herself. "Come on Jasper, the others will be ready soon. Get in to the car and then we can go to the shop." Kathy said. Kathy strapped Jasper into the car seat, they all got in and off they went. In the car park Jasper became aware of his clothes. "I'm still in my pyjamas," he said worriedly to Heleen who was standing next to him. As he spoke, his dummy fell out of his mouth. "No problem, you look really cute." she said. Dries had overheard the comment too. "Don't worry, there's no one here who knows you, and it's a beautiful onesie." Jasper nodded as he put the dummy back in his mouth. In spite of the reassuring words, he was still nervous about going into the shop, and he didn't come along easily, he trailed a little behind. "Come here, Jasper," said Koen, who had already urged him to speed up a few times. Koen opened the seat of the shopping cart and lifted Jasper into it. Surprised, Jasper looked where he had landed. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been in a shopping trolley in a child's seat. With a frown he looked at Koen. The child seat had a strap with a buckle, which Koen fastened over Jasper's belly. Then Koen set the pace and pushed it up to Kathy, Heleen and Dries. "Jasper didn't really feel like it, but it'll work", he said to no one in particular. Jasper looked questioningly at Dries for support. "I'm sure I heard my dad ask you many times to stay with us and not to fall behind." Dries said to Jasper. It was a hypermarket where they had everything from food to electronics, kitchen utensils, clothes, toys, care products and so on. Not being sure where to find everything, Koen and Kathy decided to start at the back of the store and go row by row, looking at everything and picking out what they needed. In between, they came across a counter where meat was freshly cut and packed. When they stopped to buy some meat, the seller gave Jasper a piece of salami to eat. He accepted it with a smile, Dries looked at it with envy, he would have liked a piece too. In the cheese section, Jasper was offered a piece of cheese again, and before Kathy or Koen could stop Dries, he raised his hand to get a piece of cheese too. "Aren't you a bit big for that?" the saleswoman commented to Dries as she gave him a piece as well. In the fish section, Jasper got a small piece of smoked salmon, but Dries no longer held his hand. He was actually a little jealous that Jasper was getting so much attention. Jasper realised that he didn't dare raise his hand after the previous comment. He happily took the piece of fish, tore it in half and gave the other piece to Dries. Jasper had to admit that it was actually nice, all this positive attention. Koen and Kathy regularly received the comment that Jasper was behaving so well, exemplary for such a young child. The family slowly made their way between the shelves until they reached the baby section. "We need another pack of nappies, I'm not sure we'll make it to the end of the trip." Koen said to Kathy. He stopped and together they studied the different brands and sizes of nappies. "Look, these are the nappies Jasper got during the disaster drill yesterday." Heleen said, pointing to a brand unknown to Koen and Kathy. Koen took a pack of the right size and had a closer look. "Were they good?" "Yes, they are a bit thicker, but they can hold a bit more." Kathy replied. Koen took a quick look at the shelf, but nothing else looked familiar. He gave the package to Jasper to hold; the shopping trolley was already full of meat, fruit and vegetables, and Koen didn't want to add a big pack of nappies on top of that. The next aisle was full of jars of baby food and instant milk. They walked through quickly, as they didn't need anything here, until they were approached by a girl from a promotional stand. She was almost finished tidying up; her job for the day was almost done. On the trolley she was taking away was an open box of free samples. She had to promote a new powdered milk with different flavours in powder form to be dissolved in water. She still had a dozen or so of the samples ready to hand in the open cardboard box. She quickly handed them over, along with some discount coupons, put the empty box back with the old paper, gave another friendly wave and drove off with her trolley before any of the family could say anything to her. "We really don't need this." Koen said, looking at the bags. Luckily there was a Dutch explanation on the bags. Kathy also took a sample and looked at it. "No, it's normal milk powder, but with a taste that's probably less healthy for small children," she replied. "But Heleen asked yesterday to practise making such milk. She can use it to try it out, if she wants to, and then we'll just throw the rest of it away." "Sounds great," Koen said and put the bags in the trolley. At the clothes department they stopped again for Jasper. "Jasper, is it ok if you keep walking around in your onesie or should we look at the clothes here?" Jasper thought back to how the shopping trip had gone so far. No one had actually laughed with him or at him, everyone had seemed rather lovable. Jasper couldn't remember getting so much positive attention during a shop visit before. And besides, he liked the nappy, the bodysuit and the onesie. He had to admit that the resistance he sometimes felt about his clothes and nappy was only because he was worried about people's reactions, not because he didn't like them. "No, you don't really have to, I don't think it's necessary." Jasper replied cautiously. The shopping trip was over after they had passed the last row of the shop and then they went to the checkouts. When they got back to the holiday resort, Heleen remembered the fancy dress party. "Dad, the animation team's dress-up activity has just started, can Dries, Jasper and I go and see what they're doing?" Koen looked at his watch. "And at half past five it was a fashion show, wasn't it? Yes, you can go, Kathy and I will come and watch." Heleen, Dries and Jasper went to the animation building where they were greeted by one of the animation staff. To their surprise, this time they were greeted in their own language. "Welcome here," said the member of the entertainment team in the correct language, having first tried three others. "How many languages do you speak?" said Dries admiringly; "Five," she sighed. "My father is from Belgium and speaks Dutch, my mother is from France, my grandparents on my mother's side are from Spain and I've been educated in English and for the last few years I've had German as a second language at school." "Wow," Dries stammered at this detailed answer. The employee smiled. "Sometimes it is tiring, but often, like now, it is really useful." There were suitcases full of costumes in the hall, where other children were already standing around. "We've only just started, and most of the characters for the fashion show have already been assigned, but I've got the perfect trio for you here together," she said, looking at a list she took from her pocket. "The elderly gentleman," she said, pointing at Jasper. "Elderly?" Jasper asked, not understanding the word. "Super old, even older than your grandparents," she said. Jasper burst out laughing at the idea of playing such an old gentleman. "The baby," she said, pointing at Heleen, and finally she pointed at Dries, "and the teenage daughter. All three children were laughing hysterically. Just then another girl, about ten years old, entered the room. She was waved over and, because she also spoke the same language as Jasper, Dries and Heleen, she was placed in Heleen's group. She was shown who had what role and then she was given her part. "And you're the daddy." Once again the children were in tears, but instead of three laughing voices, four could be heard. They were led to a suitcase which no one else had opened and searched for appropriate clothes. Jasper found an old raincoat, a walking stick and a pipe, which he prepared for himself. Heleen found a teddy bear, a bib, a dummy and a hat to wear. Dries had a bit more trouble - there was a top and a skirt in the suitcase, but he didn't feel comfortable putting them on until he saw that the others were changing as well. The unknown girl had found a hat and a vest. One of the animators also painted a moustache and beard on her face. After all the children in the room had dressed up and had their faces painted, if necessary, they practised walking for a fashion show. There was one group of children who had all been given leather outfits and necklaces as 'bad boys'. Another group were dressed as animals, with fur and big masks. A third group was a mix of characters - there was a policeman, a teacher and a nurse, there was another duo where one was dressed as Elvis Presley and the other as Dolly Parton, and finally there was Heleen's group. The groups took turns on the catwalk and all the children briefly practised doing something related to the theme in which they were dressed. Dries, Jasper and Heleen enjoyed practising first and did later their best to put on a great show for everyone to see. Kathy enjoyed taking pictures during the show and sent some to Jasper's mums. "The roles were reversed for once," she commented. Soon after, they both responded by sending back smiley faces and hearts. After the show, the family walked together to the car. "David just called to invite us for dinner. He enjoyed our time together and wanted to finish it; he is going home tomorrow. He also promised to give us a copy of the photos from yesterday's disaster drill". "Oh, that's fun," Heleen said. Kathy had made a bag with some essentials for the evening and had put it in the back of the car. Heleen secured Jasper in the car seat and then they drove fifteen minutes to a nearby restaurant. David was waiting for them in the car park. After greeting each other, he picked up Jasper and put him on his arm. "Pyjamas already, Jasper? Aren't you feeling well today?" Koen interrupted. "No, Jasper's fine, but it's a long story and we'll tell it later at the table." "I specifically chose a restaurant whose website said that children were welcome." "That's nice." Dries said. He had already seen a small playground in front of the restaurant. "Is that also part of the restaurant?" he asked, pointing to it. "Yes, that's part of it, but first we have to go inside, then they can assign our table." Together they went inside where they were immediately met by a waiter. David said they had a reservation and then they were shown to a table that was ready. There were four regular chairs for David, Koen, Kathy and Heleen. For Dries there was a normal chair with a booster seat on it, and for Jasper there was a large high chair. Jasper started to protest, but when he realised that he would be the first to be helped into the chair by the waiter, and that everyone else would have to help themselves, he stopped. He cooperated when the waiter lifted him up and didn't say anything when the buckles were put in place. He appreciated the effort being made for him, even though it wasn't really necessary. Once everyone was seated, the drink menus were handed out and a large pitcher of tap water and four glasses were placed on the table. Dries was given a cup with the name of the restaurant on it, and finally the waiter turned to Kathy and Koen. David helped with the translation. "Do you want a regular cup, a cup with a lid and a straw, or a bottle for the youngest?" David translated, "Dries and Jasper can take it home afterwards. Koen and Kathy looked at each other. "Actually, a second bottle might be useful. If the other one is dirty and hasn't been washed yet, we'll have a spare." Kathy nodded that it was a good idea. "You can give him the bottle." David translated to the waiter that the bottle was fine. Jasper got a bottle in front of him and then everyone chose something to drink. While the waiter went to get the drink, Kathy spoke to the confused Jasper. "I understand that you would prefer to drink from a cup, but it is useful to have an extra bottle. It's just for this one evening." "I get it, but I don't like it very much." The waiter returned with the drinks and served everyone. Then he handed out the menu cards. Jasper and Dries quickly chose what they wanted and then asked if they could go and play. Kathy said it was fine, they would come and find them when the food arrived. After Jasper was unbuckled and helped out of his chair, the two boys ran outside to the playground. Meanwhile, Kathy began to tell the story of Jasper: she started at the beginning, how Jasper had once put on a nappy for Dries at night to help him, how he had fallen down the stairs and the nappy had been discovered. She told the whole story, up to and including the holiday, when he had packed his suitcase and left almost all his clothes at home. David laughed heartily at all the antics Jasper and Dries had played. He understood some things much better now. "And I thought he was very mature for someone of his size and age." David chuckled again. "But now I understand a lot more." Telling David the story had taken a long time, and in the meantime the food had been prepared. As the first plate appeared on the table, Heleen went to fetch her brother and Jasper. Rattling with hunger, Dries and Jasper approached; they felt like it. Dries sat on the booster seat and Jasper climbed into the chair with Heleen's help, then Heleen clicked Jasper into place. "You're doing very well taking care of Jasper like that." David said as he watched Heleen do everything. Heleen didn't answer, but blushed. "Taking care of little children is something that is clearly in your blood. Do you want to make a career out of it?" David asked. "Yes, I'm thinking about becoming a teacher or a nursery nurse or a children's nurse or something like that." "I think you'd be a natural." David said. "Thank you," Heleen replied, her cheeks flushing. Meanwhile, she was cutting Jasper's meat and potatoes, because he had been given a toddler's knife again that could not be used for cutting. After dinner, David took out his laptop for the disaster drill photos. Koen brought a memory stick to copy the photos, while David opened the photos on his laptop to show them. They waited a while before showing everything so that Kathy could quickly help Jasper into a clean nappy. When they returned, everyone crowded around the screen as David commented on some of the photos. Why this photo was special, or what good or bad things it showed. He also showed the photos with Jasper or someone else in the family for a little longer. A waiter came over to clear the plates and looked at the screen. "Hey, that's my sister?" he said in surprise, pointing at one of the helpers. "Where did these pictures come from?" David gave the waiter a brief explanation, telling him how everyone at the table had played a part. "My sister told me about it last night. She was very enthusiastic and learned a lot from the exercise. Thank you for that," the waiter said with a smile. He left with the plates - he had to work - and spoke briefly to the chef of the restaurant. The chef then approached the family. "Good afternoon, my assistant told me about what you all did yesterday. I want to thank you for helping to improve health care here. So I would like to offer you a free dessert and a drink for everyone." David accepted with a smile. "Thank you," he said, translating everything that was said to the others. The waiter returned later with the cake and drink and took a selfie with the family to send to his sister. "Thank you!" came a cheerful comment from the waiter. When he came back to clear the dessert, he said his sister thought it was a nice picture. When the bill came, Jasper and Dries were each given a lollipop to suck on, and Kathy and Koen were complimented on how Jasper had behaved in an exemplary manner for someone so small and young. David only partially translated so as not to embarrass Jasper, but he chuckled at the secret he now shared with the rest of the family as to why Jasper was so well-behaved "for his age". In the car park the family said goodbye to David. As David gave Jasper an extra long hug, he whispered in his ears. "Thanks for helping us with the disaster drill, you made it extra interesting for everyone," Back at the house it was late enough for Jasper and Dries to go straight to bed. Dries was given a nappy and pyjamas and Jasper was changed into a clean nappy to get him through the night. As it was for the night, the new nappies for Dries and Jasper were taken right away. The extra thickness did not bother them when they slept. Koen sat down on the sofa with the children and read to them. Dries sat on his lap and Jasper cuddled up next to him. Fascinated, they began to listen to the story. "Mummy, can you show me how the powders work?" Heleen asked, remembering how they had been given milk powder that afternoon. "Sure, come here, Heleen," she said. She took the packet and started to read the instructions together with Heleen. "Mix the entire contents of the pouch with 240ml of warm water." "First measure the water and heat it up, Heleen." Kathy said. "If you add the powder first and then the water, the milk will be too thick. Look here," she showed. "The total volume should be 265ml. So you are 25ml short if you do it in the wrong order." Heleen listened carefully and followed the instructions. "Just try it, Heleen." Kathy said. "I'll jump in if necessary." Heleen measured out the correct amount of water, heated it up and carefully poured the entire sachet into the bottle. She screwed the cap on, shook it and tested the temperature by dropping a drop of milk on her wrist, as she had learnt yesterday. "It's okay now, I think," Heleen said. "Yes, well done indeed." Kathy said. "You can pour it out and then wash the bottle, but rinse the sink a bit more with water so the powdered milk doesn't clog the drain." "Oh, right," said Heleen, standing with the bottle in her hand. She hadn't expected to throw the milk away, she hadn't thought about what to do with it, but her parents were always against throwing away good food. "I'll listen to the story first." Heleen said to her mother. She had recognised what her father was reading, and he had just come to a part that had been her favourite part of the book. Undecided what to do with the bottle, she walked over to the sofa and sat down next to Jasper. Jasper had not heard the conversation between Heleen and Kathy and reached for the bottle when Heleen sat down next to him. "What flavour?" whispered Jasper. "Banana," Heleen replied quietly to Jasper. Meanwhile Koen continued to read. Jasper put the bottle in his mouth and took a small sip. "Mmm, nice." he said. Dries looked up at that comment and held out his hands. "Can I have a taste too?" He hadn't heard it was banana. Heleen took the bottle back from Jasper and handed it to Dries. Meanwhile, Jasper snuggled up against Heleen and continued to listen. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine as much as he could. Dries tasted it and made a face of horror. "Ugh, I don't like bananas." Koen stopped reading for a moment because of all the commotion. "Then don't drink it. Give the bottle back to Jasper. Heleen, will you pass the bottle to Jasper?" he instructed, then opened the book again and resumed reading. Dries handed the bottle to Heleen, who held it ready for Jasper. However, he still had his eyes closed and made no move to take the bottle. Heleen said nothing so as not to disturb Koen’s reading. Finally, tired of waiting, she held the teat of the bottle to Jasper's mouth for a moment. Jasper, thinking it was his dummy, opened his mouth without looking and sucked at the bottle. Surprised, he tasted the growth milk back and began to drink steadily while Heleen still held the bottle. Enjoying the affection he received from Heleen, Jasper enjoyed the rest of the story. Kathy thought it was a cute picture and took a photo of Heleen and Jasper. After the story, Jasper and Dries were immediately sent to the bathroom to brush their teeth, after which Dries crawled into the normal bed and Jasper was put to sleep in the cot. Do you can't wait to read the next chapter? you're welcome to read it after a (free) registration on the scriptorium webpage. (Under writing => work in progress) Comments on the story are always welcome.

Chapter thirty-three Jasper found it hard to fall asleep. He was thinking a lot about the disaster drill tomorrow. An alarm clock rang from Kathy and Koen's room, followed by the soft sounds of people getting out of bed. This woke Jasper immediately. He was full of excitement for the day ahead. He had butterflies in his stomach at the thought of taking part in the disaster drill, and he was proud that David had given him a key role. He thought it was fantastic that with his help they could test how well they were prepared for children in a disaster scenario. He felt important and indispensable. When Koen entered the room to wake the children, he saw that Jasper no longer needed to be woken. "Good morning, Jasper and Dries," he said cheerfully. "Good morning!" Jasper replied happily. He was standing up straight in his bed, sleeping bag still on, soother in his mouth and both hands holding the edge of the bed for support. His eyes were sparkling. "...morning..." it sounded from Dries' bed; he wasn't quite awake yet. Dries had been curious about the disaster drill and how it was going to turn out, but he had not been as enthusiastic about it as Jasper had been. Koen opened the curtains first, then went to Jasper, opened the sleeping bag and opened the doors of the cot. Finally he went over to Dries to make sure he was out of bed too. "It's way too early," he complained when he finally got both feet on the floor. "I know it's early, Dries, but we have to be there on time." Kathy had woken Heleen by now and she had changed in the bathroom. Koen took the two boys into Heleen's room to take off their nappies and quickly freshen up with some wipes. "I can't see any rash anymore," Koen said to Jasper, "the ointment has done its job." Kathy had laid out the clothes the night before and Koen handed the bundles to the boys so they could dress themselves. "Underpants for me?" Jasper asked, pulling them up over his bottom. "Yes. There's the chance that other people might see you in your underwear, so underpants and no nappies." "OK, I understand," Jasper said. "Thanks." Jasper put on his T-shirt and trousers as he said this. He thought about it himself; he wouldn't have minded wearing a nappy. There was only a small chance that anyone would notice, he thought to himself. After they were dressed, they all sat down at the table. Before Heleen joined them, she moved around nervously. She had a backpack in which she collected all the things she thought she would need during the day. She had a notepad on which to write everything down, a pen, a spare pen and a spare for the spare pen. In addition, she had put her mobile phone and a power bank in her backpack; after all, she needed to take photos as well as notes. Jasper and Dries sat more quietly at the table with a bowl of cereal in front of them. During the meal, the boys tried to relieve the tension they both felt by making jokes and playing with each other. Jasper had almost finished eating; there was only some milk left in his cereal bowl, and he put the bowl to his lips to drink the excess milk, when Dries made a funny face at Jasper. Jasper spat it out in a fit of laughter, which resulted in a dirty milk stain on his T-shirt. "Oh no, Jasper," Kathy said. "Come and get a fresh T-shirt," she said, putting down her knife and preparing to stand up. "I will." said Koen, putting a loving hand on Kathy's arm to stop her. "I've already eaten and we're about to leave." Koen followed Jasper with a smile; they had been busy, Jasper and Dries. When they reached Heleen's room, he picked Jasper up and put him on the changing table. Jasper was still giggling because of the funny faces Dries had made. "Jasper, we're going to change your T-shirt, look at me," Koen said. The moment Jasper looked up and looked at Koen, Koen made such an ugly face that Jasper started to laugh. Koen quickly changed to a few other funny faces and some associated noises. Jasper, meanwhile, was doubled up with laughter until he suddenly sat still in horror and looked down at his trousers where a dark, wet spot was growing. "Oh no," it sounded pitiful from his mouth. "Oh Jasper, it's OK. I'm sorry, this wasn't meant to happen. I just wanted to have some more fun." Kathy entered the room, alarmed by the sudden cessation of laughter and the silence that followed. "Oh, don't worry Jasper, this could happen to anyone," she said, correctly assessing the situation. "I'll get you something clean." She paused outside the wardrobe to look at Jasper's clothes. He only had one pair of clean underpants left. "Jasper, we only have one pair of underpants left for you, do you want to wear them now or do we save them for when we might need them some other time?" Kathy asked. Jasper hesitated a little. The nappy was just under his clothes anyway and hardly anyone had noticed it so far, so it would probably be the same now. On the other hand... Jasper thought hard about where his doubts were coming from, but he couldn't immediately think of an argument why he shouldn't wear a nappy. The argument that he was already big and didn't need one was no longer a reason not to wear one. "A nappy is good." Jasper said after giving it some more thought. Kathy was getting a little impatient and sprang into action. She took a nappy out of the box and handed it to Koen. "Heleen," Kathy called, "are you coming with your backpack?" While Heleen agreed and was on her way, Kathy took a couple of extra fresh nappies from the pack, grabbed a pack of wet wipes and handed them to Heleen. "Will you keep this for Jasper? If he needs a nappy change today, you may be closer than I am, but I'll make sure to have some as well. “Jasper, I'll give you a bodysuit today so that none of your nappies stick out above your waistband," she said to Jasper after she had given Koen a bodysuit and clean trousers. Koen continued to work while Kathy went back to the kitchen to put the changing supplies in her own backpack. "If they see your nappy, you can always say you did it on purpose to look as young as possible," Heleen said. "A good idea," Koen said. "Well thought out." Without Kathy or Koen noticing, Jasper quickly put his dummy in his trousers; he felt that it sometimes helped to relieve tension and wanted to take it with him. The children all went to the car. On the way, Jasper had to pull up his trousers a couple of times because they were a bit too big around the waist. In the car, Heleen secured Jasper and made sure the harnass was tight, and Koen started the car. At the reception the family stopped for a moment, Kathy wanted to ask about the launderette again. She thought it would be nicer for Jasper if he could wear normal underwear again. With a sigh, Kathy got back into the car. "They haven't fixed it yet. The plumber's already been over and ordered the parts. He'll be back in three days and the launderette could be up and running that evening." "We go home the next day, so that's too late," Koen replied doubtfully. "Does Jasper have enough clothes to make it that long?" "I'll check again tonight." Kathy said. "I don't know off the top of my head." Kathy checked the address and turned on the GPS as Koen started the car. "We'll be there just in time," he murmured, looking at the estimated time of arrival. "It shouldn't be a problem, just drive carefully." Kathy said as she calmly put her hand on Koen's leg. As they drove, however, the estimated time of arrival increased: there was a traffic jam on the way. In the end, they arrived at the area where they needed to be twenty minutes late. It was a small, unused airfield that had been turned into a disaster site for the occasion. As soon as they got out of the car, David approached them. "Come on, we're waiting for Jasper to do his make-up and get him ready." "Face painting? I don't want that," Jasper said indignantly. "I don't want to get lipstick and stuff." David took Jasper on his arm, took a firm step towards some of the tents and replied calmly. "I don't mean that kind of make-up. They'll use stage make up to give you a big wound so the doctors know what you have and how to help you." "They're not really going to do anything, are they?" Jasper asked, stiffening in David's hands. He remembered from a while ago, when his arm was broken, that they had put in an IV, and that was a less pleasant memory. "Some things are, some things aren't," Koen said. "The agreement with the doctors and the others is that they can do anything as long as it doesn't hurt. They might put a bandage on, put some stickers on, but they won't prick you or anything like that. They might have a needle in their hand, but they will only pretend to put it in, never actually do it. Is that good for you?" Jasper calmed down and the tension eased a little. "Yes, then I think it's good." "And if you really want them to stop, you can always shout 'stop' or 'pause' and then no one will do anything more." Koen had taken Dries on his arm and together with Kathy he followed David, Jasper and Heleen; they had to work hard to keep up with David. They walked towards two large tents that were crowded with people. David turned to Koen and set Jasper down. "Jasper and Heleen, wait here for a moment, I'll show the others where to go." Koen, Kathy and Dries looked at David expectantly. "You can go to the second tent and say that you..." David took a sheet from his pocket and looked at the list, "that your car is seven." They looked astonished, but asked no questions; they could see that David was actually quite nervous. "That's fine, car seven." Kathy replied. "Sorry we were late, there was a traffic jam." "Yes, I know. Several other people were in it, and not everyone has arrived yet, but we have to be ready for the exercise on time, so we all have to work hard to make up some time." David entered the first tent with Heleen and Jasper. Jasper had to pull his trousers up a couple of times as he walked in; they were really too big. Inside the tent there were a couple of tables around which people were sitting in pairs with suitcases full of material. When they approached an empty chair, a man there looked at them expectantly. "Sit in that chair, Jasper." David took another sheet of paper from his pocket and handed it to the man, who began to read it. Meanwhile, Heleen looked around the tables to see who else was sitting there. She saw that the material on the various tables was all stage makeup. The people were all painted with various injuries. She saw someone with large cuts on his face, another with a broken leg, a third with a broken arm, and someone else was even painting a piece of metal on his chest. "Cool," said Heleen, who glanced around with wide eyes. Jasper also had a look around at Heleen's reaction. "Are those real wounds?" Jasper asked in a small voice from behind his thumb, just to be sure. He had put his thumb in his mouth because of the tension. "No," David said, "but they can simulate them really well, can't they?" he said proudly of the makeup team. Jasper leaned over to the person sitting next to him and held a finger to the wound on the lady's face. He stopped a few centimetres/ an inch away from it. The lady and the make-up man looked at him calmly and said something he didn't understand. "You can feel, they say, Jasper," David translated. Jasper immediately took up the invitation and felt carefully over the wound. He inspected it with surprise: it looked really cool. Heleen couldn't resist it either and had to feel it as well. "That looks great for a Halloween party," she said. David had to laugh at that comment. "Indeed," he sniffed. David sensed that Jasper was a little tense, so he took his time to put Jasper at ease. To rush things now would only backfire. David dropped to his knees so that he was at Jasper's eye level. David pointed to Jasper's stomach. "We'd like to draw a big bruise there, is that OK?" "But I don't want an ordinary bruise, I want a real wound," Jasper said. "The other ones look a lot cooler than an ordinary bruise." David smiled to himself. Jasper didn't understand that a large internal bleed could be much more life threatening than a minor cut, but he really needed Jasper's cooperation. "What if we do both? A big bruise on your stomach and a cut on your arm. Is that good?" Jasper thought for a moment. "OK, that's good," he said. David spoke briefly in French to the man who was ready to do the make-up. He nodded briefly, exchanged the items in his hand for something else and began to make a cut on Jasper's arm. Jasper and Heleen watched in fascination as the cut was built up layer by layer and colour by colour. David, meanwhile, walked around the tent talking to different people, taking notes and looking at papers. When the man finished the cut, David sat down again. He held a box of clothes in his hand. "Jasper, I have some old clothes for you to wear. I know they already have holes in them and they're worn out, but that's OK. The doctors will be cutting up the clothes you wear during the exercise so that it is more realistic and so that they can better examine you, so it is more convenient if you put on these old worn out clothes instead of your own. At the end of the exercise you can put your own clothes back on. I've brought you a few different sets, I don't know which ones will fit you. Heleen took the clothes and spread them out for a closer look. There were several t-shirts and trousers, onesies, bodysuits, overalls, but also some skirts and dresses. David saw Heleen looking at them in surprise. "It's just a mixture of all kinds of children's clothes. We really don't expect Jasper to put on a skirt or a dress right now." Jasper blushed at the thought of wearing such a thing. "No underwear?" Heleen asked in surprise after going through the whole box. She had set aside a pullover, a bodysuit and dungarees for Jasper; the rest she put back. "No, that's right." Jasper can just keep his own underwear on, it adds no value to the exercise to cut off his underwear and have him completely naked, he can keep that on. Jasper, will you take off your t-shirt so we can do the painting on your belly also? David finally asked. Jasper immediately grabbed his bodysuit and started to pull it up. Only then did he realise that he wasn't wearing normal underwear. He immediately turned red and stopped pulling. The man with the make-up was getting impatient. The moment Jasper stopped pulling, he took over. Looking for the bottom of the T-shirt, he pulled down the trousers and looked surprised when he spotted the buttons of the romper. He immediately started chatting to David, who also looked up. "Jasper, do you need a nappy during the day too? I didn't know that." David asked. "No, he doesn't. But he had put it on especially for today because you said Jasper should look as young as possible." Heleen expressed the idea she had had earlier. David was impressed. "It is cool that you dare to do this. Thank you for thinking of that." David quickly explained to the make-up artist and he seemed impressed too. He gave Jasper a thumbs up, then took off all his clothes and started working on the big bruise over Jasper's liver while he was sitting in the chair in just a nappy. David handed Jasper's clothes to Heleen. "Would you like to keep them in your backpack for Jasper?" Heleen took them and folded the bodysuit and trousers neatly. As she was folding and smoothing the trousers, she felt something in Jasper's pocket. She reached in with her hand and took out the dummy. Without thinking, she took Jasper's thumb out of his mouth and replaced it with the pacifier. The makeup artist looked at him endearingly and gave Jasper an extra pat on the head before continuing. Meanwhile, David approached Heleen with some other things. "Here is my camera, with which you can take pictures today, and also a clipboard with paper and a pen for notes." "So I was getting all nervous this morning for nothing." Heleen thought to herself. Heleen looked at the sheet; there was a small column on the left that said "Time" at the top, the rest of the box had space to write "Comments". David demonstrated how the camera worked by taking a first shot of Jasper. The make-up artist had just made Jasper paler and given him a sweaty face to make him look like he was in shock. When the make-up artist was finished, Heleen helped Jasper into the clothes she had laid out. The bodysuit was actually a size too small, but with a little tugging she managed to close the buttons at the bottom. The dungarees were just like the ones they had bought at the market. Heleen had also seen that there were fasteners on the buckles and closed them with a small plate. "Let's make it really hard for the doctors," she said to Jasper with a mischievous smile. Jasper smiled back, thinking it was a good idea too. She pulled another jumper over the overalls and bodysuit. The face painter finished the whole thing by cutting the jumper at the height of the cut and dripping some fake blood on the jumper to make it look real. Heleen also attached the ribbon from the dummy to the jumper. "Here is a fluorescent band, you can put it on your arm; this will make it clear to everyone that you are one of the exercise supervisors and not a patient or care provider," David said to Heleen. Heleen looked at David and saw that he also had a band around his arm. Meanwhile, Koen, Kathy and Dries went to the second tent. When they got there, a lady sat at a table and looked at them expectantly. She asked a question in an incomprehensible sentence. Kathy shrugged her shoulders and gestured to her ear. She had heard her say something in French, but the woman had been speaking much too fast for her to understand. "Sorry, I didn't understand." Now the woman at the table looked as if she hadn't understood. "I can't understand you." Kathy replied again. Suddenly the woman laughed kindly, raised a finger and started rummaging through her papers. She took out an envelope from the pile with 'Car 7, Koen, Kathy and Dries' written in large letters and handed it to Kathy. She then motioned for the people behind Kathy to come closer and asked them a question. The family moved aside to make room at the table. Kathy took a sheet of paper from the envelope and read out what was written on it. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. In this exercise, there has been a pile-up on the motorway. You're in car number seven. You managed to stop in time, but another car hit you from behind. The driver of your car has chest pains from contact with the steering wheel, the front passenger has neck pains and the back passenger has difficulty standing due to foot pain. He should limp throughout the exercise whenever he needs to move. You are not allowed to answer in any language other than Dutch. "That's not difficult." Kathy interjected. "We don't understand it anyway." But you cooperate when they work with pictograms, translation programmes, sign language and the like. You will be co-operative, but every time you get the chance, you should make your complaints known as much as you can. The exercise will be over for you when they have checked you into the hospital or when the exercise has been completed in its entirety. If something happens during the exercise that you do not like, you can always ask for a "break" or "pause", or if you want to stop the exercise for any reason, you can indicate this by saying "endex". In addition to the sheet explaining what they had to do, there was also the same explanation, but in French, to show to the emergency services if necessary, and a bundle of all sorts of permission forms, such as whether photos could be taken and other things. Koen filled them out for all five of them (there was a separate sheet for each) and then handed them to the lady who had given them the envelope. The simulated patients were then taken to the disaster site in small groups. On one part of the runway there were several old broken down cars stacked up against each other. Around these cars were all sorts of people walking around with fluorescent bands around their arms, directing people to the correct cars. Jasper walked hand in hand between David and Heleen towards the cars where the exercise was about to begin. "Jasper," David began, "what you have to do later is close your eyes as much as possible and pretend to be asleep. And if you really are asleep it's not even a big deal." Jasper smiled at that comment, he didn't think that could happen. On the way they met Kathy, Koen and Dries standing next to a car. "We'll have to get in that car later." Dries said to Jasper, pointing to the car they were standing next to. "I don't know which one to sit in yet. Look at the make-up on this one," he said, pulling up the sleeve of his jumper to show off the cut. Dries and his parents looked admiringly at the wound. "That looks really well done. If you hadn't told me, I'd be taking you to the doctor right now." Kathy said. Jasper liked that remark. He, too, was full of excitement and was looking forward to the disaster drill. Jasper was led forward to a car wedged between a small lorry and another car. A lifelike doll was placed on the driver's seat and Jasper climbed into a car seat behind it. Heleen helped him into the chair. It was a slightly different buckle than she was used to, but she soon found the five parts of the belt, buckled them all together and tightened the straps. David opened the window next to the doll all the way down, half of the window next to Jasper, and taped all the car doors shut. "Heleen, can you go around and take some pictures? I would like to get a couple of shots of Jasper, but also a couple of overview shots of the whole pile-up. Be back here in ten minutes." "Yes, that's fine, I'll start right away," Heleen said, taking the camera out of her rucksack and hanging it around her neck. "Should I pretend to be asleep already?" Jasper asked. "No, not yet, not until the drill has started and the first responders are with you. I'll make a cough every time you have to close your eyes, is that OK Jasper?" "Yes, OK." "And when they touch your tummy you can moan in pain. Shall we practise that?" Jasper did his best, and after a few tries David said it was good. Ten minutes later Heleen returned and was back with David. "Heleen, we're about to start, will you have the notebook ready?" David asked. Heleen nodded, rummaged in her rucksack and then had the papers and a pen ready. There was some chatter on the walkie-talkies, and now and then David said something too, until he suddenly turned to Heleen. "Heleen, it's now seven minutes past nine, write that down on the sheet along with 'start exercise'. The next thing to note is when you hear the sirens of the first responders, then when you see the first car, and finally when the first responder deliberately looks at Jasper." Heleen nodded briefly and wrote down as much as she could so that she would only have to write down the times later. "And try to take as many pictures as you can. If you have to choose between notes and photos because you don't have enough time, then choose the photos. Good?" David said. The tension was palpable on the training ground. A few people were still pacing and chatting nervously, until everyone stood still and fell silent as they waited for the rescuers. At first it was barely audible, but in the distance the faint sound of a siren could be heard. After this first siren, more sirens were added and shortly after that, the first cars began to arrive. It was a mixture of different cars. There were police cars, fire engines and ambulances. Heleen didn't know where to look first, so much was happening around her, everyone was driving and running in all directions. It seemed to Heleen to be pure chaos. Not long after, the first responders began moving between the vehicles, looking in and under everything. The first victims began to crawl out of the vehicles and those who could walk were sent to an assembly point. A woman in a fluorescent jacket approached and David coughed slightly. Jasper looked up in surprise for a moment and a second cough helped Jasper to remember his role. He glanced briefly at David and then closed his eyes. The woman was carrying a belt bag with some stuff in it. When she got to Jasper's car, she first looked at the doll sitting in the front seat behind the steering wheel; the window was fully open so she could easily reach it. She held the doll's head nice and straight and looked for signs of breathing and a heartbeat. David confirmed to the woman that these were indeed absent in this victim. The woman attached a black ticket to the doll and then continued on to Jasper. When she reached Jasper, she went to open the door, saw the tape over the door and understood that she was not supposed to open it. She saw that the other doors were also taped and examined Jasper as best she could through the half-open window. She spoke to him, shook his shoulders and checked his pulse and breathing. After each of her actions, David would tell her what her findings were, then the woman rummaged through her bag and stuck a red card with a 1 on it to Jasper. She then spoke loudly into her radio and moved on to the next vehicle to check for occupants. "Heleen, the time." David whispered to Heleen. Heleen stopped taking pictures and quickly wrote down the time when the woman arrived at Jasper's car and when she left. Not long after the woman left, several people approached Jasper's car. Heleen took pictures and quickly wrote down what happened next. A doctor put a saturation meter on Jasper's finger and David told him what it should read for the scenario. Meanwhile, on the other side of the vehicle, firefighters had started to remove the back door. David gave Jasper a quick reassurance, explaining what was happening and that he was fine. Jasper felt warm with pride and continued to pretend to be asleep. This was not easy as he wanted to see everything that was happening. At one point, Heleen counted up to nine rescuers gathered around Jasper's car; five firefighters who were busy dismantling the car while protecting Jasper, and four paramedics, one of whom was with Jasper to keep an eye on him and the others preparing to help Jasper as soon as possible once he was out of the car. The fire brigade continued to work smoothly and a short time later Jasper was removed from the vehicle and placed on a stretcher. Once Jasper was on the stretcher, a quick check was carried out, the stretcher was lifted and the medical team left with him to a tent they were setting up. Heleen had to do her best to keep up with the team - they were running so fast with the stretcher with Jasper on it. Jasper was bouncing up and down on the stretcher from all the movement as they ran. They ran on until they came to a newly set-up tent with a "TRIAGE" sign over the entrance. "Heleen, schrijf het volgende neer: patient veiligheid, slechte fixatie tijdens het transport. * " David said, panting, when everyone was in the tent. Heleen quickly scribbled it down. One of the rescuers, who was still holding the stretcher, didn't quite understand what David was saying, but he recognised the words "fixation and transport" and immediately understood what it was about. They lowered the stretcher onto a special base and before the paramedics left to fetch the next patient, he whispered to his colleagues to pay close attention to patient safety and restraint. ( * Heleen, write this down: Patient safety, poor restraint during transport) Koen, Kathy and Dries were taken to triage together. When they were seen by a paramedic, they noticed that Jasper was also being carried in. Heleen was so focused on what was happening with and around Jasper that she didn't realise she was passing two metres from her parents. David had seen them and gave them a quick wink. Their injuries were not considered life-threatening and Koen, Kathy and Dries were kindly but firmly ushered into a waiting area. Koen, Kathy and Dries all had a green card, but when the nurse saw that Dries could barely stand on his ankle, she took a wheelchair and put Dries in it, then changed the green card for a yellow one. The family sat next to all the other people who also had a green card, and from there they watched the others. A nurse walked around the group, trying to get an overview of all the patients waiting. She was examining the patients' complaints and busily taking notes. The doctor who had been assigned to Jasper turned pale. He had no idea that such young children would be among the victims. In fact, he was still in training and this was bordering on the limits of his abilities. Frozen, he stood and watched until the nurse who was standing next to him temporarily took over. She quickly gave the doctor some instructions and asked a few questions. That was enough to get the doctor moving. The nurse called in another colleague, who quickly grabbed a bag from a little further away, and then all three of them stood around the stretcher. Heleen tried her best to take some pictures, but it didn't work out very well because it was crowded. The doctor listened to Jasper's breathing and looked into his mouth as the first nurse tried to open the bib overalls. After trying for a while and failing to open the latches, she asked David if the clothes could be cut. He confirmed that they could, so the nurse took a large pair of scissors and cut Jasper's overalls and bodysuit open with a few short slashes. Very quickly all the clothes were off. She removed the dummy from the bib trousers and placed it next to Jasper's head, throwing the rest of the clothes into a bin under the stretcher. Jasper's sandals were also removed and placed aside on the floor. The second nurse had joined them. The large bag he had with him was filled with a lot of small bags, most of them containing medical supplies for children, each bag sorted according to the size of the child. She took a tape measure that came with the pack, laid it open next to Jasper and read it off, then quickly dug out the right bag of material from the big bag. The first nurse pointed out the painted bruise near the liver to the doctor. The doctor, who had just regained his color, turned pale again and ran to another doctor for help. Not long after, another doctor arrived with an ultrasound machine to look at Jasper's abdomen. Meanwhile, the nurses had continued their work: Jasper had been hooked up to a full monitoring system; a cable with a light was attached to Jasper's finger to measure the oxygen in his blood, four cables with stickers were attached to his chest to track Jasper's heartbeat, a blood pressure monitor was attached to Jasper's arm and a temperature sensor was placed under his armpit. They pretended to insert an intravenous drip, then the tube was taped to Jasper's arm to make it look like it was in there, and finally an oxygen mask was put on. It wasn't long before Jasper was full of wires and tubes. A gold-coloured aluminium blanket with an ordinary blanket on top was placed over him to keep him from cooling down too much. David was busy giving input to the team. He gave Jasper his temperature, heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen saturation. When the doctor started the ultrasound, David told the doctor that there was 'fluid' around the liver. The fact that Jasper was lying under the blanket in nothing more than a damp piece of padding was ignored. Those who had time to see it assumed it was part of Jasper's part and loved how well he was playing it, but most were too busy to really pay attention. While the medical staff were busy with Jasper and a number of other seriously injured simulated patients, other helpers were organising transport. An overview was made of the patients they had, how urgent they were, and what problems they were having. At the same time, information was gathered about the hospitals in the area, how much space they had and what specialities they all had. About 45 minutes into the scenario, the first ambulance with a seriously injured patient left for a nearby hospital. From that point on, the ambulances kept coming and going, taking more and more patients. One of the people organising the transport quickly visited the doctor who had treated Jasper. "There will be a special paediatric ambulance, but it will come from a little further away. It will be here within twenty minutes.” Heleen and Jasper didn't understand what the man was saying, but David was visibly shocked. He quickly started talking into his walkie-talkie, asking questions. Heleen looked at him, alarmed by the concern in David's voice. "The ambulance and hospital they've called for Jasper are not actually taking part in the exercise. We are contacting them to make it clear that this is an exercise and not a real patient". Heleen understood David's concern. Jasper let it all pass. He found it exciting what was happening and found it difficult to keep his eyes closed all the time. He had noticed that his clothes were being cut off and he found it a bit difficult to lie on the stretcher in just his nappy, especially when they tried to put on a pelvic belt. But it turned out to be too big and was taken off again. Now the temperature was much better and he was comfortably warm under the isothermal blanket. He was happy that no one had reacted badly to his nappy. Strangely enough, the regular, monotonous beeping of his heartbeat on the monitor was also quite calming. Koen, Kathy and Dries were split between two ambulances. Dries was put on a stretcher because of his 'painful' foot, and Kathy was allowed to sit on a chair next to him. Koen was put on a chair in the next ambulance, together with another simulated patient who took his place on the stretcher. After a short ride, the family arrived at the hospital. Koen was happy to see that Kathy and Dries were waiting for him. The family was registered one by one and then met by one of the leaders of the exercise. She checked the registration and wrote down the times. Finally, she took them to a bus that would take all the simulants and supervisors back to the starting point of the exercise, so that everyone could collect their own belongings. Evaluation forms were distributed on the bus and Koen and Kathy tried to fill them in as best they could. Jasper was with the last of the patients at the crash site. He had received all the care he was supposed to receive and was waiting on the stretcher at a distance, under supervision. As a precaution, because there wasn't always someone around, the straps of the stretcher had been fastened around him. When the ambulance called specifically for him finally arrived, the whole team gathered around him once more. As well as the usual yellow and green markings, there was a nice drawing painted on the side; it was clear that this ambulance was designed to transport children. David had already been in contact with the children's hospital. They were well aware that this was an exercise and were happy to take part. They had a number of trainees who, under the supervision of some teachers, took on this case as an exercise. A stretcher was taken out of the ambulance. It was a standard stretcher, but on top of it there was an extra fixation set for children, the pedimate plus. Heleen didn't understand what was being said, but she thought it was fantastic to see how things were done. After everyone had helped Jasper onto the stretcher, he was taken into the care of a young paramedic who was accompanied by an older person. The older paramedic exuded a certain calmness that kept everyone working quickly and correctly, but relaxed. Jasper could sense the calmness of the team and it reassured him that he was in good hands and being well taken care of. Once Jasper was properly secured on the stretcher, all the straps were correctly attached to the five-point harness and properly tightened, with an extra strap over Jasper's legs and one over his arms. All the medical equipment attached to Jasper was transferred to the ambulance and after a thorough briefing, the stretcher was wheeled to the ambulance and pushed in from the rear. Heleen quickly snapped a few more photos before being taken aside by David. "Heleen, there's not enough room for you in the ambulance. See this gentleman next to me? He will be driving his car to the hospital to pick me and Jasper up at the end of the exercise; you can go with him." "Okay, that's fine," Heleen said. She handed the camera to David and hurried with the unknown gentleman to his car. In the ambulance, everything was quickly checked again. Was everything tightened properly? Was the IV drip still working well (pretending, of course)? Were Jasper's heart rate, blood pressure and other parameters still good (in real life they were, according to the scenario they were a little less good)? Once everything was confirmed to be within the acceptable parameters, the driver got in and drove off. The paramedic in the back took out his mobile phone and contacted the hospital to report his latest findings. As the ambulance drove away, the car Heleen was in closed behind it. The man had tried to start a conversation with Heleen, but due to the language barrier they hadn't got beyond a hello, a friendly smile and saying each other's names. The ambulance was driving with its lights and siren on. At first the road was quiet and the man and Heleen were able to follow, but eventually they came to a red light. As the ambulance drove smoothly through the red light with its siren on, the man joined the queue of waiting cars at the back. "No safe," the man said, pointing to the traffic jam. "No tuutaa," the man tried to imitate the sound of the siren, pointing to his own roof. Heleen understood. Without the siren, it was not safe to follow the ambulance and they would arrive a little later. David had seen from the ambulance that Heleen was no longer following. When they got onto the motorway and began to weave their way through the traffic jam, he realised that it would be a while before Heleen arrived at the hospital. He was glad that Heleen had handed over the camera so that he could continue taking pictures. On the motorway, the siren had been turned down and was no longer audible in the ambulance. Jasper was still lying on the stretcher with his eyes closed. It had been an exciting day so far, but not much was happening inside the ambulance. He couldn't have looked outside from his position on the stretcher anyway. The engine sounded monotonous, the stretcher rocked gently from side to side, and the beeping of his heartbeat on the monitor continued quietly. He felt he was in safe hands with the calm handling of the paramedics, and the restraining straps that prevented most movement only added to that sense of security. It didn't take long for Jasper to fall asleep. The older paramedic noticed immediately and pointed out the changing readings on the monitor to the younger one. David smiled at the scene and quickly made a few more pictures. Jasper woke up fifteen minutes later when the doors of the ambulance opened and the stretcher was taken out. David had to cough a few times before Jasper remembered to close his eyes. The elderly paramedic realised what was happening and smiled. The stretcher was wheeled into a room where Jasper was lifted into a small hospital bed with bars and everything started again. He was examined from head to toe, including another ultrasound and even a fake CT scan. The difference from the treatment at the disaster site was that this was more extensive, with more material and many more people. David had to work hard to tell Jasper everything that was happening, and the absence of Heleen made him a little more worried. Despite everything, Jasper kept his eyes closed the whole time. The fact that they needed a little more time here was not only because they examined Jasper more closely and in depth, but also because the staff often paused to do something again after instruction and correction. In the end, Heleen and the man arrived at the emergency room much later than Jasper. Not only had they been stuck in traffic for a long time, but they had not immediately found the hospital car park or from there the way to the emergency department. When they checked in, they were taken to a small waiting room where they could wait for Jasper and David; apparently they weren't allowed to be in the emergency room. Finally, Jasper was fully assessed, further stabilised and prepared for surgery. Just as they had raised the bed's gates and were about to drive off with the hospital bed, David intervened. The exercise should have ended on arrival at the hospital, but David understood that they liked to have a learning moment with the trainees here in the emergency rooms. However, it had gone on long enough and David asked for the exercise to end here. Disappointed, everyone took a step back and the hospital team leader spoke to David briefly, asking for some general feedback. Jasper had opened his eyes and looked at David. "Is the exercise over?" he asked, aware of the sudden change of mood in the room. "Yes, the people here would like to hear from me first about what went well and what I see as areas for improvement. Then we will look for Heleen to take us back to where we started." "I'm glad it's over. It was fun, but it took long enough, especially as I had to keep my eyes closed the whole time. "I understand, Jasper." David said before turning and talking to the team that had treated Jasper. Jasper sat up cross-legged in the cot and pulled the blanket around him. He was still connected to all the wires, but he didn't dare pull anything off for fear of breaking something. He saw his dummy lying beside him and immediately put it in his mouth. While David was explaining, a nurse who had been observing the trainees approached Jasper. She smiled kindly and lowered one of the side gates by pressing two hidden buttons. She grabbed Jasper and guided him back into a lying position. She then turned off all the equipment and began unplugging all the cables, removing all the bandages and peeling off all the adhesives. When she was done, she put the gate back up, pointed to her watch and held two fingers in the air. She paced the room as she gathered a few things. Back with Jasper, she lowered the barrier again, then placed a bowl of warm water, soap, washcloths and towels on the bed next to Jasper. Completely overwhelmed, Jasper allowed the nurse to begin to freshen him up. Jasper's sweat was washed away, as was the false cut and the painted bruise. The nurse interrupted David to ask a question. "His clothes are still with Heleen, I don't know where she is, she'll be here soon I think." David replied in her language. "Can you lend him something from here?" The nurse nodded and turned back to Jasper. Before he knew it, his nappy had been opened and with a few quick strokes, his crotch and bottom were quickly cleaned. The nurse took a clean nappy, put it under Jasper and closed the fastenings. Jasper felt and saw that this one was a bit different to the ones he was used to, much thicker than the ones at home and with a different print. The nurse then helped Jasper in a surgical gown since they had nothing else. Finally, she attached the dummy ribbon to Jasper's gown. When she was finished, the nurse closed the bed doors out of habit. Not much later, David had finished discussing the exercise and it was time to leave. The nurse took Jasper, bed and all, to a small room in the ER, then went to fetch Heleen and the driver. Heleen was glad to see Jasper again. "All better?" she asked jokingly. Jasper nodded from behind his dummy. Heleen took the rucksack off her shoulders and took out Jasper's clothes. She tried to pull the gate down, but couldn't. David knew the system well and showed Heleen where the unlocking buttons were. It took Heleen a while, but then she was able to open the gate. She helped Jasper out of the gown and then helped him back into the bodysuit and trousers he'd been wearing before this morning's exercise. She had noticed that Jasper was wearing a different nappy to the one he usually wore and examined it carefully. "I got these because my other one was wet," Jasper said when he saw what Heleen was looking at. "They look good too." was all Heleen could say. "David, Jasper has lost his shoes." Heleen said worriedly after searching her backpack twice more. David also had to think for a moment. "I think they've been removed and left in the triage station; I'll check with the others," he said. David took out his mobile phone and sent a message to the others. A short time later a reply came back that the shoes had been found and were in the tent where the make-up or moulage was being done. David picked Jasper up so he wouldn't have to walk barefoot through the hospital and over the stones. So they all followed the other man back to his car. David got in the front, Heleen and Jasper got in the back. There was only a booster seat in the back, which Jasper used. After sitting in a car seat all week, this felt unsafe and less comfortable; the belt was much looser and he missed the cushions all around. The return drive took less time; the traffic jam was only on the way there, not on the way back. Because of the distance and the time they had spent at the children's hospital, Jasper was the last to return. In the meantime, there had been a major clean-up operation and most of the aid workers' equipment had been put away. Only the organisation's tents were still there. A new van had arrived next to the tents, and a caterer was busy setting up a barbecue. A meal was offered to all present, including the organisation, simulated patients and helpers, as a thank you for their efforts. From the car park, Jasper himself ran over to Dries to tell him what he had experienced. There was grass to walk on, so it wasn't a problem with his bare feet. As he walked, he always had one hand on his trousers to keep them from falling down. Koen and Kathy made themselves useful by helping to set up tables and chairs for everyone, and when that was done they sat down on a bench to wait for the food to be ready. Kathy noticed that Jasper had to keep his trousers up all the time. "Come here Jasper!" she called to him as he passed. Panting from the heat and busy playing, he stopped in front of Kathy. "Are your trousers too big? You keep holding them up." She asked. "Yes, it bothers me. Every time I let go, the trousers almost fall off." Kathy turned Jasper over and looked at the label on the back of the trousers. "Of course this one is coming off, I thought this one looked familiar to me. There was a pair of Dries trousers between your clothes." David was nearby and offered to look. Moments later he returned with a roll of bandages that could temporarily serve as an improvised belt. Jasper and Dries seemed to like the people when they passed by during their game. They looked sweet. Whenever possible, they, especially Jasper, were asked to give them a hug, a big thumbs up or a pat on the back. Everyone thought it was an added value to have both children present during the exercise. Jasper and Dries enjoyed the positive attention they received. All the photos taken that day were collected and projected onto a screen in the tent. It would be sorted another time, but they wanted to give everyone a chance to see the photos. Many people only stopped to look, but Heleen had taken a lot of pictures, so Jasper was in a lot of them. The team who had been treating Jasper were also there, and Jasper was almost passed from lap to lap as they all looked at the pictures. Every time he left a lap to move on, he was almost immediately picked up by someone else. When the barbecue was over and everyone was heading home, there were many people who looked out for Jasper to thank him for being there. "Everyone thinks it's fantastic and cool that you dared to put on a nappy today, Jasper," said David, standing by. "They thought you played it really well and you're really mature for your age. Everyone also thinks you look super pretty and cute." Jasper beamed with pride at the compliments and Dries was happy for Jasper at the attention he was receiving. The family got into the car and as they drove away they were waved goodbye by the lovely people they had met today. Jasper almost fell asleep again on the drive back to the holiday home. He didn't quite understand how he could be so tired, he'd spent so much time lying on a stretcher today. Back at the cottage, Kathy first took Jasper to the changing table to change his wet nappy. Surprised, she looked at the nappy brand, which she didn't recognise. "Where did this come from?" she asked, opening the nappy she was about to change. "They gave it to me at the hospital because the previous one was wet." "I gave Heleen some for you too, wasn't she with you?" Kathy asked? "No, not at the time," Jasper said. "But she couldn't help it, she wasn't allowed." Jasper added immediately in her defence. "Is it a good one, the nappy? It looks different." Kathy changed the subject. "It's just different, it's a bit thicker and I have the feeling it's a bit more snug, it's a bit more bulkier. But I'm not sure yet if it's good or bad." "It weighs more, I think it's thicker because the capacity is greater," Kathy said, trying to judge the wet nappy in her hand. Jasper got dressed again and the trousers that were too big were exchanged for Jasper's. The children then went to the pool with Koen to have some fun before it was time for dinner. While everyone was at the pool, Kathy inspected Jasper's wardrobe again. She looked at what was left in the wardrobe: a whole bunch of bodysuits and onesies, but only one pair of trousers, one T-shirt, one overalls and one pair of underpants. And that was for the next six days, two of which were travel days. If Jasper was able to make the return journey in his sleeping clothes, as he had on the outward journey, then he was actually two sets short for the daytime during the holiday. She decided to talk to Koen and Jasper about this later. Just before dinner it was time for Jasper to call his mums; it had been a while and he still missed them a little. Jasper talked at length about the adventures he had had so far. Even Gert got on the phone to talk to Jasper. He had to admit that he missed Jasper a little too, it was much emptier and quieter in the house now. Later that night, Jasper was feeling unsettled. He had just heard that he was two sets of clothes short for the rest of the holiday. On the one hand, Jasper had noticed over the past few days that the adults didn't really care if he walked around visibly in a onesie and nappy, and he liked it, but on the other hand, there was still something in him that said it wasn't normal. Jasper was hugged and comforted and reassured and there was a lot of talking. In the end, it was decided that Jasper would try the next day in a onesie. If that didn't work, or if it was difficult for any reason, Kathy and Koen promised Jasper that he could put on normal clothes right away. The last pair of trousers and the overalls were kept as a back-up and they would go to the shop as soon as required. Later that evening, after a movie, Jasper and Dries were tucked in. Jasper was tucked in together by Kathy and Heleen, while Koen put Dries to sleep in the cot. Heleen closed the zip on the sleeping bag and Kathy fastened the straps with the locks. After the emotions of the day, and to help Jasper sleep better, the bottle was filled with warm milk with honey instead of water. Jasper drank it as soon as he got it, and it certainly helped to calm him down. With one last loving look at Jasper, Kathy and Koen left the room, followed by Heleen. As she left, Kathy put Jasper's fixation key back on the wardrobe so it wouldn't get lost again. Do you can't wait to read the next chapter? you're welcome to read it after a (free) registration on the scriptorium webpage. (Under writing => work in progress) Comments on the story are always welcome.

Chapter thirty-two The door closed and soon Dries was asleep. Jasper's thoughts were of the day before, when he had spent a long time walking around in his onesie. On the one hand, he felt much too big to be in a onesie all the time, but on the other hand, he had received a lot of positive attention: many loving looks from passers-by, the waiter who had been extra nice to him, and the new pacifier he had been given. He also liked the way it fit. The nappy was sometimes very convenient to use and it was also comfortable. Also, the bodysuit completely enveloped him and it felt like he was being hugged all the time. The extra care and attention from Koen, Kathy and Heleen made him feel safer and more carefree. All in all, the positive experiences outweighed the negative ones. Jasper decided to just enjoy it for the next few days when the opportunity presented itself. It had been a quiet night with no interruptions. Jasper could hardly remember waking up to pee, he had slept so well. Kathy came into the room to wake Jasper and Dries. First she opened the curtains, then she gently shook Jasper's shoulder to wake him up and then she went to Dries to open the door to the bed to wake him up as well. By now Jasper was awake and ready for the day. "Good morning," he said as he stretched and looked at Kathy. "Good morning Jasper and Dries," she replied. Kathy took the key from the fixation set, walked over to Jasper and released him. "Come to Heleen's room first, then we'll take the nappies off." Jasper and Dries had their wet nappies removed and they all ate, still in their nightclothes. Jasper squirmed in his chair. It was the first time in a few days that he hadn't had a nappy on. After he ate and got dressed, he would get a nappy again, Koen had told him, but for now his bottom could have some rest. There were no big activities planned for today, and the children decided to explore the holiday resort first. Dries went to get himself dressed, Jasper was helped by Heleen with a clean nappy, a normal t-shirt and normal trousers. Heleen promised her mother that she would stay with Jasper and Dries, so Kathy could call Heleen when it was time for lunch. The children first went to a large field where the entertainment team seemed to be starting a game. There was just a large group of children gathered around a few adults. Curious, Heleen, Jasper and Dries went closer to see what was going on. It looked like they were playing a life-size game of Stratego. The resort staff showed all the cards and explained the rules of the game. But it was impossible to understand what they were saying because of the language. "I think you get a card, tap someone from another team and then compare the cards," Heleen said. Jasper and Dries nodded, they had already played a living stratego elsewhere. Apparently the resort staff had finished their explanation, because suddenly three quarters of the children raised their hands and went to a supervisor who was waving. The remaining children looked back and forth in surprise. "English?" shouted one of the remaining staff. Immediately, many of the remaining children turned and moved towards him. "German?" asked a third, to which almost all the remaining children nodded in agreement. Besides Heleen, Dries and Jasper, there were four other children in the middle. Finally, an supervisor approached them, mentally preparing to explain the game using only gestures. She motioned for the children to sit around her. She then took some Playmobil dolls out of a bag and divided them into four different teams, after which she explained the game, using the little dolls to show it step by step as best she could, using gestures and examples. All the children were divided into four different groups; Jasper, Dries and Heleen made sure they stayed together. The children were each given a small dot of paint on their nose to indicate which team they were in. Together with the other children in their group, they went into the woods to look for a camp where the supervisor could hide during the game with the flags and cards. Cards were handed out, each with a different role, and when a whistle was heard in the distance, the children ran in all directions, looking for opponents to catch and the flags of the opponents' team to capture. The children enjoyed the game and although the language made it difficult for them to communicate with the other children, it was still nice to interact with them. Jasper, Dries and Heleen ran back and forth trying to get as many cards as possible, doing their best to capture the other team's flags and defend their own. Just like yesterday, Jasper didn't really think about when he needed to pee. As soon as he felt the urge, he just relaxed and let his pee flow. He did notice towards the end of the game that his crotch was starting to feel uncomfortable, a mixture of itching and burning. But every time his mind turned to the uncomfortable sensation, someone from another team would come running towards him and he would have to run away from them, diverting his full attention. When the final whistle blew, they returned to their home, sweaty, tired but satisfied. They hadn't won with their team, but it had been fun. As they walked, Jasper's nappy area started to bother him more and more. His groin hurt and itched more and more. After Dries had told his parents about the Stratego game, that was the first thing he said to Dries' parents. "Let's have a quick look, Jasper," Kathy said as she took him into Heleen's room to change. She lifted him onto the table, pulled his trousers down to his ankles and opened the nappy. "'Well, it looks a bit irritated down here. All that walking back and forth in a wet nappy will not have done you any good." She removed the wet nappy completely and used some wipes to clean Jasper's private area. Jasper winced as the wipes touched his bottom, it stung and burned badly for a moment. When she was finished, Kathy took a fresh nappy and put it on Jasper. "We should put some ointment on it now, but we don't have any. I'll send Koen to the campsite shop to see if they have any. As soon as he comes back, we will put the ointment on right away. Kathy quickly explained to Koen what was going on and he went off to find some ointment. Jasper unconsciously spread his legs a little to prevent the nappy from rubbing too much. Heleen and Dries had to set the table for lunch, and as soon as Koen was back and Jasper had been helped, they went to eat. Koen returned with a tube of ointment. He was pleased that he had found the right one easily, they had the same one they sometimes bought at home. Jasper was quickly called to the changing table and the ointment was quickly applied. The ointment brought immediate relief and Jasper relaxed under the care he was receiving. "Thank you, that feels much better," he said after Koen had closed the nappy and pulled up his trousers. Jasper put his bottom down again, Koen closed the trouser button and took Jasper under his armpits to standhim on the floor. "Don't mention it. Are you coming to the table to eat?" Jasper joined him and enjoyed the meal with the others. After lunch, the swimming gear was collected and the family and Jasper headed for the resort's outdoor pool. The family went into a family changing room together, except for Heleen, who went into a separate cubicle to change. Kathy started dressing first, while Koen helped Jasper and Dries. He untied shoelaces, after which Jasper and Dries took their shoes off themselves, he opened zips and buttons, took clothes and folded them neatly. In fact, as he was busy getting the kids ready for the pool. Kathy had changed completely by now and took over from Koen. While he was changing, Kathy helped Jasper out of his wet nappy and handed him and Dries their swimming trunks. At the bottom of Jasper's bag she saw a life jacket, which she took out and put on the bench. "Jasper, can you swim?" Kathy asked. Jasper shrugged. "A little," he mumbled. "What exactly do you mean by 'a little'?" asked Koen. "Just that I can swim, but I can't manage to stay above water all the time." Jasper knew where this was going, but he didn't feel like putting on a life jacket. At home he sometimes got a nasty remark from other children when he wore it. Koen looked at Jasper in silence, frowning. "I know all the movements and that's what I do," Jasper muttered. Kathy saw Jasper struggling. She decided to try a different approach. "Jasper, I noticed this life jacket at the bottom of your bag. Do you wear it when you go swimming with your mothers?" "Not all the time," Jasper said. "Not when I have swimming lessons, but always when I play in the water before or after," he answered honestly. He knew that if he lied it would come out anyway. "Then we'll put these on now, you won't have any swimming lessons today, but you can play all the time.” Kathy said. Jasper shrugged with a sigh. He had learned long ago that there was no compromise when it came to safety. Koen picked up the life jacket and held it up so that Jasper could put his arms inside. Koen then closed the zip at the front, fastened the buckles at the front and took the Y-shaped strap that hung down his back. He passed it between Jasper's legs and fastened the two ends at the front with the buckles in the designated places. Koen then tightened all the straps so that the lifejacket was securely fastened. Heleen was waiting in the corridor leading to the pool. In one hand she held her shoes, in the other a bag with her clothes and a towel, and she was wearing a swimsuit. They put all their things together in two lockers. Kathy had another bag with a large towel for everyone and a book for Koen and herself. First they looked for a place to sit, which meant walking halfway across the pool. Dries had a hard time because he saw so many fun things - different slides, a wild river and a playground with a waterfall and different nozzles where water came out. Jasper looked around too, but he was more aware of the life jacket he was wearing. He tried to see if anyone els had noticed the life jacket, but no one really looked at him. Jasper himself saw many other children with various aids such as floaties, buoyancy aids and a number of others wearing some form of lifejacket. In the end, only one adult had signalled to Jasper that they saw he was wearing a lifejacket: a life guard had given Jasper the thumbs up as they passed him. When they finally found a few empty seats, Dries' mum and dad turned to the children. "We will settle down here. Come back from time to time and tell me where you are and what you're doing so we know where to look for you later. Have fun." Even before they had finished talking, Dries and Jasper were sprinting towards the biggest slide there was. "And don't run!" Koen called after them. Jasper and Dries slowed down until they were barely running, but they were still going super fast. Heleen giggled for a moment and then followed them to go down the slide. She joined Jasper and Dries on the stairs where they were standing in the queue. The children were busy all afternoon. They enjoyed the many slides, water fountains, playground equipment and normal swimming pools. They explored everything and then did many things over and over again. After hours of playing, they finally had enough. Not because it wasn't fun any more, but because they were getting cold, hungry and exhausted from the effort. Koen and Kathy called the children together and when they were all there, the family went to the changing rooms. Jasper was first rubbed with ointment while standing, then given a nappy by Kathy. It was not easy to put the nappy on standing up, Jasper had to help hold it on, because there was nowhere for Jasper to lie down. The floor was too dirty and the bench to narrow to lay down. Dries dressed himself without help. As Jasper held the front of the nappy, Kathy reached around Jasper to grab the tapes and fasten them to the front. Outside by the pool, the children had to wait a while. Heleen had some tangles in her hair and Kathy helped her brush them out. While Jasper and Dries waited, they looked at an information sign. Koen had joined in and tried to translate it as best he could using the Deepl.com site. "The day after tomorrow, the entertainment team is having a costume contest. A kind of competition where you have to dress up and act in character," said Koen, his eyes darting between the poster and the screen of his mobile phone. "Costumes and roles will be provided by the animation team," he continued. "Can we join in, Dad?" Dries asked. "It’s the day after tomorrow, I can't promise anything yet. But if we’re free you can do it." Dries was satisfied with the answer. It wasn't a guarantee, but his dad was never one to make promises. With this answer Dries knew that they would do it if they could. "I'm in," said Heleen, who had heard what had been said. The family returned to their cottage where they ate sandwiches together. After dinner, Koen and Kathy met David at the bar. But Jasper and Dries preferred not to go; they could play whatever they wanted in the cottage, which was not possible in the bar. Kathy had a quick chat with Heleen, after which Heleen proudly spoke to Jasper and Dries and announced that she could be their babysitter for the evening. She regretted not being allowed to go to David's, but was proud of the responsibility of looking after Jasper and Dries. Jasper and Dries were glad they didn't have to go. Heleen beamed with pride. She thought it was fantastic that her mother had given her this responsibility. Jasper and Dries listened obediently to Kathy, who instructed them to listen carefully to Heleen, not to question her orders, and if she later heard from Heleen that they had not been good, there would be consequences. "Okay, I understand." Jasper and Dries mumbled as Kathy finished. Koen and Kathy prepared to spend the evening with David. Just before Koen closed the door, he turned to Jasper and Dries one last time. With a raised finger and a very serious face, he addressed Jasper and Dries one last time. "Make sure I don't hear any complaints from Heleen." Just as the door closed, Heleen turned to the two boys with a smile. "What would you like to do, what do you fancy?" Dries shrugged. Jasper looked back and forth between Dries and Heleen. "A board game? I brought one from home." Jasper suggested. "Yes, that sounds nice," said Heleen. "Let's make room at the table so we can play it there." Jasper went to get the board game from his travel bag, while Dries and Heleen cleared the table. As Jasper walked back and forth for the game, he saw the dummy from the museum. He fastened the clip on his clothes and put the dummy in his mouth. It was a game everyone knew, so no explanation was needed. Everyone chose a colour and soon everything was ready for the game. When it was time for the children to go to bed, the game wasn't really over. It was coming to an end; it was clear that Jasper was losing, but whether Dries or Heleen would be the winner was not yet certain. Heleen looked questioningly at the clock. On one hand, Koen and Kathy had been very clear about when the children had to go to bed, but on the other hand, in similar situations at home they said that they could still finish the game. After some hesitation, Heleen opted for a compromise, promising Jasper and Dries that they could finish the game if they cooperated and changed into their pyjamas quickly. This promise was enough to motivate the children, and not long after, they were undressed. Heleen helped Dries with a clean nappy first and then changed Jasper. Heleen did her best to do it right and concentrated on her task. Dries was happy that it was comfortable. It was different with Jasper. Heleen had never had to apply ointment during a nappy change, so it took extra time with Jasper. Heleen went over everything at least three times with the ointment and checked her work carefully to make sure that she had applied ointment where it was needed. Both Jasper and Dries enjoyed the sisterly love they received from Heleen. In the end it was Heleen who narrowly won the game. Together with Jasper and Dries she tidied up, put the boys to bed, read them a story and said good night. She let Jasper crawl into his sleeping bag and closed the zip on his back, then closed the door to the cot where Jasper lay and turned off the light. "Sleep well," she said one last time as she closed the door. Jasper found it hard to fall asleep. He was thinking a lot about the disaster drill tomorrow. When Kathy and Koen came home later that evening, Heleen was already asleep in bed. The parents quietly crept into both rooms to see how the children were sleeping. Reassured that all was well, they quickly crawled into bed themselves. Do you can't wait to read the next chapter? you're welcome to read it after a (free) registration on the scriptorium webpage. (Under writing => work in progress) Comments on the story are always welcome.

Chapter thirty-one, Another museum Heleen had woken up during the night to go to the toilet. She took her mobile phone, turned on the torch and went to the bathroom. When she had finished and was passing by Jasper and Dries' room, she heard some strange noises that she couldn't place. Quietly, so as not to wake anyone, she opened the door and scanned the room. Dries was asleep, but there were noises coming from the cot. Heleen crept over to the bed, covering her phone's flashlight with her fingers so that the light was dim. Looking into the bed, she saw the source of the noise. Jasper was mumbling worriedly, rubbing one hand along the wooden side of the bed. "Hey Jasper, what's wrong?" Heleen asked Jasper quietly. Jasper didn't answer and continued. Heleen saw that his eyes were closed and she suspected that Jasper was having a nightmare. "Jasper, calm down, everything is fine." Heleen whispered to Jasper as she gently rubbed his cheek. Jasper woke from the touch and looked around anxiously for a moment. When he recognised Heleen, he relaxed a little. Jasper felt his heart race as he looked up at Heleen. He couldn't remember what he was dreaming, the image of monsters chasing him faded from his mind, but the fear of his nightmare still raged through his body. He had a tight feeling in his chest and a tear ran down from the corner of his eye as he held out his hands to Heleen. Heleen could see that Jasper was in desperate need of a hug and she responded to the outstretched hands by opening the door of the cot and taking Jasper in a firm hug. Heleen could feel Jasper shivering, along with the tears that were coming. "Was it that bad, Jasper? What was the nightmare about?" asked Heleen. "I don't remember," he whispered back, holding Heleen as tightly as he could. Heleen carried Jasper out of the room and into her own room. Away from where he'd had the nightmare. Heleen sat down on her own bed, still holding Jasper. She took Jasper's dummy, which was hanging from the ribbon, and put it in his mouth. Reassuringly, she stroked his head and back and held Jasper until he calmed down. "Time to go back to sleep, Jasper." Heleen yawned as she felt Jasper start to relax a little, eager to get back to bed herself. Heleen wanted to get up and put a hand under Jasper's bottom to lift him up. But she noticed that the nappy was well filled. "Shall I change your nappy first?" asked Heleen. Jasper didn't reply, but nodded. It was dim and colours were hard to see, but Heleen suspected that Jasper was there with red cheeks. Heleen lifted Jasper up and carried him over to the changing table, where she laid him down and took out the sleeping bag, then opened the bodysuit and pulled it down over his legs until it was out too. Jasper shivered a little as the cold hit him. Heleen did her best to change the nappy for a clean one as quickly as possible so that Jasper wouldn't cool down too much. She put the bodysuit back on, zipped it up Jasper's back and moved the dummy strap from the sleeping bag to the pyjamas. "Come into bed with me to warm up," Heleen said as she placed Jasper on her own bed and crawled against him. She put Jasper down safely between her and the wall so that Jasper could not fall out of bed. Heleen pulled the blanket over her and Jasper and hugged him. "In five minutes, when you're a bit warmer, I'll put your sleeping bag back on and take you to your own bed." Heleen whispered into Jasper's ear as she closed her own eyes for a brief moment. The next morning Heleen was awakened by a thump in the living room. She smiled down at Jasper, who was still in bed with her. Jasper was lying on his stomach next to her, his legs intertwined with hers. "It must have been a long five minutes," she thought. She didn't want to wake Jasper, so she lay very still. She soon got tired of that though; she was bored and wanted to get out of bed, so she started to gently stroke his head to wake Jasper up. She heard Jasper's breathing change a little, becoming less deep. After she had continued stroking him, Jasper turned his head and looked at Heleen. "Good morning Heleen," he murmured softly from behind the shield of the dummy. Heleen took Jasper in her arms and hugged him. Jasper returned the hug with a big smile and hugged Heleen as well. "Slept well?" Heleen whispered into Jasper's ear. Jasper shrugged. "Not at first with the nightmare, but after that I slept well here in bed with you," he clarified to Heleen. While they cuddled, Heleen stroked Jasper's bottom as well. "Let's put on a clean nappy, this one's been used." Jasper was a little embarrassed to be spoken to so directly. He nodded, his cheeks flushed, and pulled away from Heleen's embrace. Once Jasper was standing next to the changing table, Heleen first unzipped the zip at the back of Jasper's bodysuit. Once that was out, she lifted Jasper onto the changing table and put a clean nappy on him. It had hardly been used, but Heleen enjoyed taking care of Jasper. Heleen rolled the wet nappy into a ball and closed it, as she had learned from her mother. She put it in the bin bag, then helped Jasper off the changing table and closed the bodysuit again. She took the rubbish bag with the dirty nappies in one hand and Jasper's hand in the other, and together they went into the living room. "Good morning," Koen said quietly as he saw the children enter. "Be quiet for a little while, Kathy's still sleeping." Koen took Heleen's rubbish bag to throw it out. Heleen and Jasper sat down with Dries to read until Kathy was awake too. The morning passed quietly. Kathy woke up, they had breakfast together and spent the morning playing and reading quietly. After breakfast, Koen changed the children's nappies. Jasper's nappy didn't need to be changed yet, because it was still clean from the change that Heleen had done for him earlier. Jasper got yellow trousers and a blue t-shirt over his nappy, and Dries got normal Spiderman underpants with blue dungarees and a red t-shirt over them. To keep the nappy out of sight, Kathy tucked Jasper's t-shirt down as far as possible into his trousers. When it was almost noon, Koen and Dries prepared a picnic for everyone, and shortly afterwards they got ready to leave. Everyone quickly went to the toilet except Jasper, but no one thought to check how his nappy was holding up in the meantime. "Where are we going?" Jasper asked, holding his hands up so that Heleen could easily reach the car seat fasteners. "First we're going to have a picnic and then to a museum," Koen said. "A museum about the history of the region around here. The Romans lived here for a long time and besides that there were a few important factories and industries during the Industrial Revolution." Heleen clicked everything into place. She strapped Jasper into the car seat, making sure he was safe and secure. Dries' face fell. He had no interest in such a museum. "Couldn't we go back to the previous museum? It was more fun," he said. Heleen said nothing, but her face also fell. She didn't like it as much as Dries, but she knew there was no point in protesting anyway. "Now it's time for Kathy and me, Dries." Koen replied. "We have done the previous trips for you, and after this we will also do trips that are especially fun for you. But sometimes mum and dad get to choose." Dries frowned and didn't answer. He understood what his dad had said, and it was fairer if they did something for them too, but that didn't mean he had to like it. Koen started the car and in the meantime Kathy had put on a CD for them. The music had a calming effect and by the time they arrived at the museum, Dries was in a better mood. It helped Heleen's mood to remember that they had arranged to have dinner with David after the museum. Before they entered, they all sat down on a bench and ate their picnic. "Here Jasper and Dries." Kathy said. "Drink your bottle completely empty now, eating and drinking isn't allowed in the Museum." Jasper took the big bottle and drank it down. Dries followed his example but stopped halfway through. Kathy had seen it but said nothing, she didn't want to argue about it and at least he had had a drink. After all the trash was thrown away and the other stuff was put back in the car, the family went inside. Without really thinking about it, every time Jasper felt the urge, he let out a little stream that filled his nappy more and more. Soon Kathy and Koen were engrossed in everything there was to see and read in the museum. The three children trotted along, looking at the objects and panels, but more to relieve their boredom than out of interest in the subjects. It was Heleen who was the first to see that Jasper was in trouble, before either Kathy or Koen saw it. On the back of Jasper's trousers, to the left and right of his bottom, there were two large dark spots: his nappy had leaked badly. "Come on, Jasper, let's go to my mum," Heleen said, taking Jasper by the hand. Together they crossed the room to where Kathy and Koen were looking at the shard of a bowl or vase. "Mum?" Heleen asked quietly. "Quiet, wait a minute, I'm reading the explanation here." "But Mum," said Heleen. "No butts, I'll let you know when I've finished." Heleen turned to Jasper and apologised to him without a word. Jasper shrugged his shoulders as an answer. He understood that Heleen had done the best she could. Holding hands with Jasper, Heleen waited a short distance away from Kathy. Jasper released a few more little drops into the nappy and felt how they found their way to the outside of the nappy and began to trickle down his leg in a small trickle. When Kathy finally turned her attention to the children and asked why they were disturbing her, she was startled. "Heleen, Jasper, I didn't know it was that important," she muttered from behind her hands covering her mouth. She took one more good look at Jasper. "Sorry Jasper, we have to do something about this right away." In the meantime, the moisture had spread to such an extent that more than half of the trousers were now soaking wet. "Heleen, can you give us a hand with this?" Kathy hurriedly whispered to Koen to inform him of her problem and her plans. Koen quickly looked at Jasper, assessed the situation and said he understood. Kathy led Jasper and Heleen to the entrance of the museum. Several of the visitors they passed had either a look of disgust or pity on their faces. At this point, Jasper would have preferred to be invisible. Kathy was busy on her mobile trying to figure out how to explain in French what had happened and what they needed on Google Translate, but when she got to the desk she didn't need to. The lady at the desk saw the situation and understood the problem. She took a key from behind the desk and beckoned the family to the toilets, they walked down a couple of corridors and even past ordinary toilets which the lady ignored. "Suivez moi," she said, waving them on. They continued through the building, down two flights of stairs and into the basement. Heleen and Jasper wrapped their hands around their bodies because of the chill that hung in the air there. A little further on, next to the normal toilets for men and women, they found a door with the symbols for disabled people and changing rooms hanging together. The attendant opened the door and let the three of them in together. On one side of the room was a large table for someone to lie on, on the other side of the room was a sink with hot and cold water, and behind a partition was a walk-in shower. "Wow," Heleen said, "they've got good facilities here." "Yes, but it's cold in here." Kathy replied. "They probably don't use this room very often, so they don't turn on the climate control." The fact that there were two maintenance trolleys with lots of cleaning supplies in the corner of the room next to the door seemed to confirm Kathy's idea. The receptionist left the family alone and returned to work. "I'm going to go to the car and get the spare clothes that we always keep in there." Kathy said. "Can you help Jasper out of his wet clothes?" she asked Heleen. Without waiting for an answer, Kathy went outside with the car keys in her hand. Heleen turned to Jasper and knelt down in the middle of the room to help him. First she pulled Jasper's T-shirt out of his trousers and to her disappointment saw that it also had some wet spots on the bottom. This one couldn't be worn any longer. She took it off and tried her best to keep the wet fabric away, but it wasn't working very well. Jasper now felt extra cold, wet and dirty in several places on his chest, back and head. She put the T-shirt down on the floor next to her and took off his shoes. One of his shoes turned out to be wet inside as well. Then she unzipped his trousers and let Jasper out. Heleen folded the trousers and put them on top of Jasper's dirty T-shirt; both were ready to go to the laundry. Finally, she took off the wet nappy as well and immediately threw it into the waste bin that had been provided and was right there. Jasper, meanwhile, was completely naked. He was shivering with cold. He had wrapped his arms around himself and was staring down at the ground; he seemed to have disappeared into his own icy world. Heleen turned on the electric heater and led him towards the shower. Heleen opened the tap and put her own hand under it first, adjusting it until the water was at a pleasant temperature. As soon as she felt it was right, she called Jasper in. "Come on, get under the water, it's nice and warm now," she said to Jasper. Jasper was cold and numb and didn't really understand what Heleen was talking about. Heleen saw that Jasper was motionless and walked over to him. She stood in front of him and held his head so that it was looking up at her own face. "Come on Jasper, the water will warm you up. Get in the shower." At first Jasper didn't seem to understand what Heleen had said, thinking seemed to slow down a bit at the moment. Heleen grabbed hold of Jasper and led him to the stream of warm water that was waiting for him. When Heleen put Jasper under it, he seemed to thaw out. A smile appeared on his face and he gently turned around so that the warm water could flow all over his body. Just then the door opened. Jasper and Heleen looked up in horror. "We don't have any clean clothes for you in the car, Jasper, just pyjamas. We didn't have enough clothes for a spare set of normal clothes." Kathy said. Jasper and Heleen breathed a sigh of relief that it was Kathy and not a stranger. Kathy took a tin of soap from the bag of spare clothes and handed it to Heleen. "You can carry on, you have done a good job so far." Heleen turned off the tap for a while, took the soap and started to soap Jasper completely. She gently took hold of Jasper and turned him, pushing his arms out of the way and bending him when necessary. It was nice to have a little attention and pampering after being so cold. Meanwhile, Kathy searched through Heleen and Dries' spare clothes for Jasper's nappy, onesie and pyjamas. When she had found the towel, she picked up another empty plastic bag to put the dirty clothes in, and then put it away. Heleen was proud that her mum trusted her to take care of Jasper. Heleen worked hard to make sure that it didn't take any longer than it had to be. After Heleen had finished drying him off, Kathy took over and provided him with a nappy, bodysuit and a onesie with feet and a zip at the back that had previously belonged to Dries. It was actually just big enough for Jasper, stretching a little between his legs and around his bottom. Jasper didn't like the idea of spending the rest of the day in public in his pyjamas, but he understood that it was the best option, so he didn't say anything. "Heleen, will you take the bag with the stuff to the car? Koen and Dries are waiting for us. Jasper, are you coming? We still have to return the key." Kathy carried Jasper up on her arm and over to the desk, where she helped him to his feet again. He looked a bit shaken by everything that had happened, he wasn't wearing his shoes because they were wet and now in his onesie he looked extra fragile. Jasper happily took Kathy's outstretched hand, it gave him some extra security. Unwittingly, he put his other thumb in his mouth. The staff member looked down at Jasper in awe. She started a whole story, but stopped when she saw that neither Jasper nor Kathy understood it. She looked around the shop for a moment and then reached for the basket on the counter next to her. This basket was full of heavily discounted items. She rummaged around the bottom of the basket until she pulled out something she had obviously been looking for. Inside the package was a pacifier with a ribbon. With a friendly smile and twinkling eyes, she pointed to the dummy and to Jasper. Jasper guessed that she meant that he was to have the pacifier, and he gave her a bare nod. The clerk took a pair of scissors and cut open the package, holding up a finger and pointing at her watch. Then she made a stepping motion with two fingers down and Jasper understood that they should wait a minute and she would be back. Kathy looked at the open pacifier box in dismay. She was supposed to be reducing his soother use and now she just had an extra one. Not today,' she thought. I'll try and talk to him about it tomorrow. The lady came back and Jasper saw that the soother was wet; apparently she had quickly gone somewhere to wash and rinse it. The lady walked around the counter, pulled Jasper's thumb out of his mouth and replaced it with the dummy. She then tied the ribbon to his pyjamas and patted him on the head. Kathy placed the key on the counter and took her bank card from her purse. "Non, non," the lady said, shaking her head. "Gift, gift," she said as she pushed Kathy's bank card away from the terminal. "Jasper, it's a gift, will you thank the lady?" Kathy asked. "Thank you," Jasper mumbled, his pacifyer in his mouth. He nodded, too, trying to be a little clearer. The lady began to clatter in French again, then tossed the wrapping away and put the key for the shower room away. Kathy picked up Jasper, smiled at the lady and said "thank you" before turning away to join the rest of the family. Jasper looked over Kathy's shoulder at the lady as he wrapped his two hands around her neck. The lady waved her fingers and then blew Jasper a kiss. Jasper gestured for him to catch the kiss in the air and place it on his cheek. Then he waved back gratefully until the door closed. Koen and Heleen had already loaded all their belongings into the car, Dries was already in his seat, Koen was also waiting behind the wheel, but Heleen was waiting outside the car. In order to let Jasper in, she would have to get out. Kathy carried Jasper until he could get into the car. She left it to Heleen to buckle Jasper into his seat harness. Once the family was settled, Koen started the car and they drove off to the restaurant where they had arranged to meet David later that day. Having left the museum early, they arrived at the restaurant much too early. The restaurant was very understanding; the kitchen was not yet open, but while they waited, Koen and Kathy could have a drink at the bar. Heleen, Dries and Jasper also chose something to drink. Everyone looked surprised when a glass was set down for Heleen and Dries, but nothing for Jasper. His drink was put into a plastic cup. This cup was placed in front of Kathy, who was sitting next to Jasper. Another lid with a spout was placed next to the cup and then the waiter left. Kathy completely ignored the lid and handed the cup to Jasper. Have a drink,' she said. Dries was curious about the lid and reached over to study it better. He was curious and tried to put it on his own glass to study how it worked. The waiter at the bar saw Dries fiddling with the lid. He immediately grabbed another plastic cup. He poured Dries' drink into it and put the lid on correctly. With a polite smile, he helpfully handed the cup back. Dries was stunned for a moment and didn't know how to react. Koen and Kathy had a good laugh about it. "Well, you'll have to make do with that cup for the time being." Koen chuckled. Dries looked at it a bit confused. "It wasn't mended, I just wanted to have a look." "And now you can really see it, test it and experience it for yourself." Kathy said. “But the cup is not important, it's more about what's in it. Isn't it?" Kathy asked. Dries nodded yes and carefully took a sip from the cup. It took some getting used to, as it was harder to estimate how much liquid he was pouring into his mouth, but it worked. Heleen installed herself next to her parents at the bar with her mobile phone, while Jasper and Dries went to a play corner to amuse themselves until they could sit down at the table. Half an hour later David had arrived and they could sit at the table. David, Kathy, Koen and Heleen went to the table with a waiter, while Dries and Jasper continued to play in the play corner. The waiter had noticed Jasper's height before. When they all sat down, the waiter took one of the remaining chairs away and replaced it with a trip trap. "Heleen, would you like to fetch Jasper and Dries? Then they can have their choice of food and they have an idea of where we are," Koen asked. "I will." Heleen replied and got up to get the boys, leaving her mobile phone on the table where she was sitting. Heleen took both children with her. When Dries saw where his parents were, he walked towards them; Jasper walked calmly, holding Heleen's hand. Arriving at the table, Dries scanned the empty seats. He saw Heleen's mobile phone and knew that seat was occupied, so he crawled onto the other normal chair. When Jasper and Heleen arrived at the table, Heleen pulled back the trip-trap and invited Jasper to sit on it. Jasper climbed on independently, but before Heleen pushed the chair forward, she clicked a harness around Jasper. He watched in amazement at what was happening. "Why are you tying me up now?" he asked in surprise. "I saw this hanging and I wanted to know how it worked," Heleen said. She pushed Jasper's seat nicely forward towards the table and sat down herself. Jasper was a little unhappy about being tied down. He took the new pacifier hanging on the string and put it in his mouth, where he began to suck furiously. It never occurred to him that he could just loosen the straps and open it himself. The waiter handed out the menus and everyone dug into them to choose the best for themselves. When everyone had chosen, the waiter was called back and the order was taken. Heleen took out her mobile phone once more and, after a moment's thought, started to play a game. Jasper and Dries leaned as close as they could to Heleen to follow along. When Heleen noticed that it was not easy for Jasper with the harness attached to the chair, she moved as close as possible to Jasper, and Dries followed, sitting next to Heleen on her chair with one buttock. Fascinated, both children followed until the food arrived. Heleen had to put her phone away from Koen when the food arrived. Disappointed, Jasper and Dries sat back in their seats; they had loved watching the game so much. Jasper was given smaller cutlery than the rest of the family. As he took a closer look at the knife, he also noticed that it did not have a cutting edge. It wasn't sharp at all. The plate before him was also plastic, not porcelain like the others. Jasper sat looking at the whole thing with a furrowed brow. He didn't like being treated differently and like a little child when he was the same age as Dries. He knew there was no point in complaining about it, but it felt very bad. Because he couldn't cut with his knife, he even had to ask Heleen for help, who was happy to do it for him. Sulking, he began to eat; at least it tasted good. However, his attention was soon drawn to David, who explained more about the disaster drill they were about to take part in. "And I managed to get Heleen to be my assistant the whole time. She is going to have to write down everything that I say, and her notes are going to help me write the report after the exercise. Besides that, she will also have to take pictures of some of the things that happen. Dries, Kathy and Koen are going to have to play the roles of a family with minor injuries,' David continues. Dries thought it was a bit exciting, he was happy to be able to take part in this exercise together with his parents. "Jasper," David said as he turned to him. "You fancy doing something special?" "What exactly do you mean?" asked Jasper curiously. "We want you to pretend that you are as small as you can be and that you are a child who has been seriously injured. We want to check that the people who are taking part in the exercise are capable of looking after children and, more importantly, that they have the right equipment and procedures in place." "But I don't know how to do that," Jasper said worriedly. "It won't be difficult, Jasper. All you have to do is keep your eyes closed all the time and when they come to your stomach, groan in pain. The hard work is for those who have to take care of you." "Is that really the only thing I have to do?" "Yes, probably I or someone else will stay with you and tell the exercise participants what they need to know. But your role is very important, we want to know how well they can adapt to dealing with seriously injured children. You'll be the only child we use for this task. Jasper swelled with pride, he had a crucial role in the exercise, that was nice to hear. He wanted to participate even more than before and do his best. After dinner they went back to the cottage. The meal had taken so long that it was time for Jasper and Dries to go to bed. Jasper did not have to change his clothes any more. He simply was provided with a clean nappy. Kathy got a new pair of pyjamas and a bodysuit to put in the spare clothes bag in the car. Dries was also given a clean nappy and onesie with a front zip, and then the children had to brush their teeth. First Dries was tucked into the cot, then Jasper was put in the sleeping bag on the big bed. "Is it still really necessary for me to be tied up?" Jasper asked as Kathy put the locks in place. . "I think so, we don't want you to fall out of bed. You sleep well like this, don't you?" "Yes, but I'm afraid one day we're going to lose the key entirely, and then I'm going to be completely stuck in here," Jasper said. "I'll hang the key on the hook on the wardrobe next to the door for you tonight. There's nothing else hanging there and then the key can't roll away. Is that good?" Jasper's main concern was that he didn't want to lose the key, not realising that if the key was out of reach he'd be locked in for the whole night. "Yeah, that's fine." Kathy gave Jasper another good night kiss, got another kiss in return and finally put the new pacifier in Jasper's mouth. She put the other pacifier down with the dishes so it could be cleaned thoroughly. "Sleep well, Jasper and Dries," she said after turning off the light and before closing the door. "Sleep well," Dries and Jasper said. Do you can't wait to read the next chapter? you're welcome to read it after a (free) registration on the scriptorium webpage. (Under writing => work in progress) Comments on the story are always welcome.

I love the story so far, I'm curious to see where this is going.

Chapter thirty Jasper sighed and lay bored in his bed. He made up stories in his head and played with imaginary toys, but fantasising wasn't as much fun as playing in real life. Jasper rolled over on his side in bed. He did this very carefully so as not to make the bed creak and wake Dries. He lay there staring at the door, waiting for it to be time to get up. Suddenly he saw the door handle go down gently and Kathy's head come squeaking around the door. Seeing Jasper with his eyes open, she spoke to him cheerfully. "Good morning Jasper, we're all waiting for you to have breakfast. Are you going to join us?" "I'd like to, but I can't. The key fell on the floor last night." "Oops, that makes it hard to come." Kathy got down on all fours and looked around and under Jasper's bed for the key, but she couldn't find it immediately. "Just a minute Jasper, I'll get a light." Kathy disappeared from the room and a short time later Kathy and Koen returned to the room. "I'll keep looking, Jasper," Koen said, while Kathy started gathering clothes for Jasper and Dries. Koen took his mobile phone, turned on the flashlight and started to search under the bed and the wardrobe for the key. Koen didn't see it right away either and Jasper started to worry. What if they didn't find it? The fixation kit had been borrowed, so there was no way they could have just cut it open. Koen asked Jasper to tell him exactly what had happened: where had the key fallen and where had it been rolled to? Jasper could easily answer the first question, but not the second. Koen got down on his knees again and continued his search. It was only after he had moved the wardrobe and then the bed that he found the key: it had rolled between the plinth and a foot of the bed. Koen immediately released the magnets with the key and then helped Jasper out of the sleeping bag. Fifteen minutes had passed between Kathy looking inside and Koen untying everything, but for Jasper it felt like an eternity. Koen felt Jasper's nappy for a moment. "Come on, let's change this one first." Koen took Jasper into Heleen's room and lifted him onto the nursing table. The bottom of the pyjamas came off, the bodysuit was opened and the nappy was changed. As soon as the body was closed, Kathy came in with the overalls they had bought with the sleeping bag. "Put these on now for today, and we can be on our way right after breakfast." "To leave?" Jasper asked curiously. "Where are we going?" "Some kind of adventure park." Kathy said. That sounded like a good idea to Jasper and he quickly co-operated to get the dungaree on. Curiosity about the adventure park won out over Jasper's bad mood about the lost key. He was dreaming about the adventure park and didn't notice how the dungaree was closed. Without paying too much attention, Koen hurriedly fastened the two plastic buckles. Underneath the dungarees, Jasper had simply kept on the body suit that he had been sleeping in. Koen carried Jasper into the kitchen and sat him down. Dries and Heleen were also at the table, dressed and nibbling on their last slice of bread. Kathy was busy making some sandwiches for Jasper's breakfast, and immediately got to work packing lunches for everyone. When everyone was ready, Heleen and Dries had a quick trip to the toilet and the family headed off in the car for the adventure park. At the Adventure Park there were different types of tickets to choose from. From cheap to expensive, the options were "little heroes", "daredevils" and "big fan". They could walk around the park all day and do the different activities as often as they wanted. However, depending on the type of ticket they had bought, there were more or less different activities to choose from. After a moment's hesitation, they chose the 'daredevils' option for everyone. Jasper and Dries were too small for most of the extra activities they could do with the 'big fan' option. Kathy didn't want to take part, so she didn't have to pay anything. Koen just joined in. At the checkout, the cashier asked for everyone's arm while waving wristbands. Heleen, Jasper and Dries raised their wrists as soon as they understood his intention. When the cashier saw that there were already wristbands from the resort, he looked closely at the name of the campsite. "But sir, you should have told us right away that you were staying at this resort. That would have given you a discount." The cashier opened up the cash register and immediately took out a small amount of money to give back to Kathy. Kathy held out her hand and accepted the money. "Thank you," she said with a smile; she could appreciate the man's honesty. "You will receive a security briefing from my colleague shortly, but he is busy with another family at the moment. If you wait there by the benches, he will come to you immediately." Koen nodded to the man as a sign that he had understood him. "Mum, I have to go to the toilet." Heleen whispered. "An excellent idea. Dries, go to the toilet too, Jasper, come with me." Kathy ordered the other children. The family walked together to the toilet block where Heleen and Dries each went into a stall and Jasper waited by Kathy's side. "Jasper, are you still dry?" Kathy asked. Jasper looked around quickly, 'phew', no one was close enough to follow the conversation. "Yes, but I have to do number two." Kathy looked around and a little further on she saw a door with the symbol of a changing room, which she took Jasper to. Jasper was placed by Kathy on a low cupboard in the room and then Kathy looked at the fastenings on the dungarees. "Strange." Kathy muttered as she studied the buckle. Jasper looked down at the buckle. "What's strange?" "There's a keyhole in this buckle." Jasper looked at it too. "Yes, that's right. Why would there be one?" "So they can be locked, I suppose? These dungarees could have belonged to the same child as the sleeping bag you have." Kathy suggested. "But we need to get on now, so the others don't have to wait for us." Kathy unbuckled the buckles, opened the bodysuit and removed the nappy, then Jasper sat on the small toilet that was the only one in the room. After he finished, Kathy quickly wiped his bottom and the process went the other way around. First the nappy was put on, then the bodysuit was closed and finally the dungarees were put back on. Kathy looked again at the buckles with the keyhole, they were the same on both sides. She fumbled around in her pockets for something to try and turn them, but there was already a knock on the door from Heleen. "Mum, come on, the assistant is waiting for Jasper to start the explanation." "We're coming!" Kathy called back through the door. She left the keyholes as they were. She lifted Jasper from the table to the floor and opened the lock on the door. Together Jasper, Heleen and Kathy went to the man for the security briefing. The employee looked at Koen, Heleen, Dries and Jasper and assessed their height and age. He then turned around and took a number of climbing harnesses out of the boxes behind him, giving the largest to Koen, a medium size to Heleen and the smallest to Dries and Jasper. He started with an explanation. Koen translated some of it, where it was important for the children. "This man will first help you put on your safety equipment, and then he'll show you how everything works," Koen said as the man approached Heleen. The man opened the harness for Heleen. It was a model where you first put your legs in the two leg loops, then pulled the harness up behind your back and put your arms in. At the front, at chest height, there were two loops for the rope, carabiners or other safety devices. The man first showed Heleen how to put the harness on, adjusting all the straps so that the harness fit properly. He then continued with Dries and finally helped Jasper put on the harness. As the man put the straps around Jasper's hips and adjusted them, he looked surprised for a moment. He felt that Jasper was wearing more protection than just the climbing harness. But he ignored it and when he had finished with Jasper, he went on to check that Koen had put on his safety belt properly. Then the man took out a whole set of ropes and carabiners. He divided them up and placed a slightly different set in front of Koen, Heleen and the two boys. For Jasper and Dries, he prepared a set for a cable car, a set for an altitude course and two combination locks with a flexible wire instead of a U-shaped piece. He prepared the same for Heleen, but without combination locks, and for Koen he also prepared two sets of belts, but different from Heleen's. For the high ropes course, he was given a set with two ropes, each with a snap hook, while the children had a single rope to slide over the wire. This set had the advantage for the children that they could not get disconnected in the middle of the course, the disadvantage was that they had to stay behind each other anyway and could not let anyone lead or lead themselves anywhere. There could be no swapping of places. Koen, however, like all adults, had the option of moving forward or backward. He could use the two carabiners to secure himself to the safety rope in front of and behind obstacles, always making sure that at least one hook was engaged. This allowed him to safely switch positions to help each of the children separately if necessary. While the man explained to Koen that last year a child had completely disengaged from his harness at a height and fallen badly, the man closed the combination locks on Jasper and Dries' harnesses. With the first lock, he went through the two loops on the left and right of the chest, and with the second lock, he made sure that the climbing set and the cable car set could not be easily removed. The man explained that the locks were only there to prevent the safety equipment from being removed, and that the two normal sets would still be there to protect you if you fell. Koen translated everything for the children so that they understood the hows and whys. The next step, before they were allowed to enter the park, was for the man to take the family to a demonstration course. It was half a metre high and the man was able to explain everything: how the safety system worked and what the rules were for the high course. Then he let everyone practice a small round under supervision and finally came the moment of redemption. "Have fun and good luck!" Throughout the adventure park there were all sorts of activities: there was archery, laser shooting, an artificial cave for speleology, a bobsleigh, a super long slip line to slide down, a climbing wall and a large playground. Everything was connected by hiking trails, small cable cars or an altitude trail. There was also a section in the adventure park where there were only high ropes courses of varying difficulty. Jasper, Dries and Heleen flew to the first obstacle course and went over it to the bobsleigh. Koen joined them on the ropes course and Kathy followed them on the hiking trail. While Koen and the kids were busy, she took the opportunity to take some nice pictures. There was an employee at the bobsleigh who unlocked the combination lock on the safety set, and then the children had to go back to him to put it back on. They all enjoyed two rounds on the bobsleigh and then moved on to another high ropes course. However, on the high ropes course they got stuck. There was a small child in front of them who did not dare to proceed, and the mother, who was with the child and had shown him how to overcome the obstacle, could not go back. Koen and the children waited in line for a while - there were other families in between - before they realised what the problem was. Once they knew why everyone was standing still, they wanted to turn around and go back, but it was impossible because there were others already waiting behind them. It took a long time and eventually Dries got tired of waiting. He started fiddling with the combination lock, trying to unlock it. It didn't take long for Heleen to see. "Dries, you are not allowed to touch it, you are not allowed to unlock it." "I'm tired of standing here, I'm climbing down." Koen's reaction was to jump into action as soon as he had a glimpse of what Dries was up to through Heleen's eyes. With a few quick steps and by moving his own karabiners, he was standing next to Dries. "You have to keep your hands off, it's about safety. Either you don't touch the lock or you can stay with mum for the rest of the day," he said strictly. Dries pulled his hands away immediately; the climbing and clambering was too much fun and he didn't feel like giving it up. Koen checked everything and was relieved to see that everything was still in place. He was glad that the locks were there, they had prevented worse. It was a beautiful day and the children enjoyed the challenges the adventure park had to offer. There was only one more difficult moment in the afternoon when they wanted to eat. Jasper needed his nappy changed and Dries wanted to go to the toilet. First they had to find a park supervisor to unlock the locks, then a supervisor to relock them and check everything. They would have liked to take their break on a quiet bench among the trees, but as they were dependent on the staff, they ended up in the crowd on the terrace next to the cafeteria. During the day they did various other activities; they still enjoyed the cave box, did some climbing and after a few more activities Koen and Heleen had had enough. The family went back to the entrance where they handed in all their materials. The staff helped them open the combination locks again and before they left, they all went to the toilet. Jasper was again helped into the changing room by Kathy with a clean nappy. As Jasper lay on the wardrobe and Kathy closed the overalls, she took another look at the buckles. They had been in a hurry in the afternoon and there had been no time. Now there was time to look at the keyhole buckles and Kathy could finally satisfy her curiosity. She took her bunch of keys and with a small flat piece of her key ring she managed to turn both locks a quarter of a turn. "I'm curious to see how this works, Jasper," she said. Jasper also checked that these were real locks. After Kathy had tightened them both, she pushed on the latches and found that they wouldn't move. Kathy turned the keyholes another quarter turn and this time the buckles opened without a problem. "Can I have a go, too?" Jasper asked. He took the key ring and turned the clasps a quarter turn. "Mummy, can Jasper and I go to the playground?" called Dries through the door of the changing room. Jasper's eyes brightened at once. "Please, is it all right?" he asked. Kathy thought a bit about the pros and cons - it would help the boys burn off some extra energy - she finally thought. "Yes, that's fine." Kathy replied through the door. Jasper immediately jumped down from the cupboard, opened the door and ran out with Dries to explore the playground. Together they rushed from one toy to the next. One of the toys was a kind of playground with a sand pit. It was equipped with everything that could be used to scoop up, transport and dump the sand. Jasper and Dries went straight to work. At the bottom of a tower, Jasper filled buckets with sand, which Dries then lifted up and poured into a dumper truck that hung on a kind of monorail. Jasper and Dries did their best to fill the lorry. As the children continued to fill it, the cart became overcrowded and there was a lot of weight over the horizontal hinges. As Jasper stood under the cart, looking up at Dries as he poured the bucket into it, the cart became too unstable and the cart turned on its hinges. Jasper tried to get out of the way, out of the danger zone, but it was too late. He took a lot of the sand with him, and some of it got between his bodysuit and overalls. Dries and Jasper had a good laugh about the incident. Jasper started to knock the sand off his clothes and Dries was happy to help, he thought it was funny that he could beat someone to help him. "There's still a lot of sand between them, Jasper," Dries said, pulling at the bib overalls. He tried to get his hand between the bib and the bodysuit to rub it off. "Undo the buckles so we can open the dungarees a bit and we'll have a better chance." Dries said. Jasper pushed the buckles but couldn't open them. He looked at them again and saw that the locks were still turned. "They're still locked," he remarked in surprise. "What do you mean, did my mum do that?" asked Dries indignantly. "No, she was just curious why the buckles looked different than usual. She had closed them and then opened them again. I asked if I could try it. When I closed it, you were there and then I forgot about it." Jasper reassured Dries. Together they went to Kathy and asked for some help to keep chipping away at the sand. Kathy had already seen what had happened and was glad that Jasper hadn't hurt himself. Jasper explained what was wrong and soon Kathy was undoing the buckles on his dungarees. "Get out of those for a while," Kathy said as she pulled the dungarees down. "Otherwise you're going to be full of sand again when we've got it all off." Jasper took his legs out of the pipes one by one and stood outside, next to the bench with Kathy, wearing only his bodysuit and nappy. Suddenly aware of himself, he looked around him but no one really noticed him. Kathy, Dries and Jasper quickly started rubbing everywhere to get rid of as much sand as possible. Dries only rubbed the back, but Kathy also rubbed the front and back of his nappy. It felt strange for Jasper to be touched in this way, but although he found it uncomfortable, he understood why it was necessary. Once all the sand had been rubbed off, Kathy turned the dungarees upside down, trying to get as much sand out as possible before putting them back on Jasper. When most of the sand had been removed, Jasper let Kathy put the dungarees back on him. Without even thinking about it, Kathy turned the locks back into place, after all, she had just unlocked them a moment ago. Now that everyone was together, it was time to go home. Jasper was secured in the car by Heleen. Because Heleen always did it for him, he had never learned to do it himself, but by now he took it for granted to be helped. Heleen liked being able to mother Jasper from time to time. When the family returned to the cottage and everyone got out, Kathy noticed that there was still a lot of sand in the car seat where Jasper had been sitting. "The sand must be creeping into everything, Jasper. I don't want you scattering the sand all over the house. Help unload the stuff first, but don't go further than the hall." "OK," Jasper said. He had heard that he had to help with the unloading. He walked to the back of the car and took one of the bags that was there and carried it inside. "Stop!" shouted Kathy. "Not another step Jasper, look down!" Jasper looked down, startled. He saw that there was sand all the way from the door to where he was standing. "I told you not to go any further than the hallway." Kathy grumbled. "Sorry, I only heard to help unload the car." "Now step back until you get to the door and wait for me there," Kathy said. "In the meantime, take off all your clothes." She looked for a brush to clean up the trail of sand that Jasper had made before the rest of the sand was spilled out of the car. Koen, Dries and Heleen walked nicely around Jasper, leaving him and Kathy alone. When Kathy was in a bad mood, it was better to stay away from her so as not to escalate the situation. Jasper soon realised that he couldn't open the buckles on his bib overalls because they were fastened. Then he tried to pull the straps off his shoulders to get them off, but the front and back were too high so there wasn't enough room for that method. Jasper could see Kathy's bunch of keys and key chain from the hallway, with the extension that allowed them to turn the lock, but then he had to move away from the door where he had to stand. Realising that he could not reach anything, he sat down on the floor. He was worried because he hadn't done what he was told, but he really couldn't get his clothes off. When Kathy came back with the brush, she saw that Jasper wasn't as ready as she expected, he hadn't taken any of his clothes off, and she shouted angrily, "Jasper, put your ears on. I told you to take your clothes off!" Tears welled up in Jasper's eyes, he hated being called out by Kathy in that way. "But I really tried, I couldn't," his voice sounded fragile. "The buckles are locked." Kathy was shocked at Jasper's reaction. She had to admit that she had indeed asked him to do an impossible thing. Kathy knelt down beside Jasper and hugged him. "I'm sorry Jasper, you're right. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that." Kathy took a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped away Jasper's tears, then held the handkerchief to his nose so he could blow. When both Kathy and Jasper had calmed down, Kathy broke the embrace. "Come on, Jasper, we'll take off all your clothes and wash you. Then we'll put you in clean clothes and you can play while I start dinner. Does that sound good?" Kathy saw Jasper nod. She stood up and got her keys to open the locks. When she had done that, she took off the dungaree, bodysuit and nappy in the hall. She took the hand brush and wiped it all over Jasper to get a lot of sand off him. "Crawl into the bath and I'll clean up here." Jasper dreamed as the warm water splashed around him. He had filled the whole tub and was able to relax in it. Little by little his mood was getting better and better. Dries opened the door and looked in. "Jasper, is everything all right with you?" he asked carefully. Jasper opened his eyes and looked at Dries, happy to see him. He was already feeling much better and was thinking of an answer to give. "No," Jasper said curtly, faking anger. Dries looked at Jasper closely. He'd heard the answer correctly, but the answer didn't seem to match the expression Jasper was wearing. Jasper's mouth pursed in anger, but his eyes seemed to be narrowed with pleasure. "Oh, Jasper, what's wrong?" Dries tried the cautious approach for safety's sake. "I'm alone in the bath without you and you promised we'd share everything," Jasper said. Dries burst out laughing and started to undress where he was standing. "Here I come!" he shouted as he jumped into the bath. Jasper managed to pull his legs in just in time before Dries landed in the water. "Dries, you're making me wet!" cried Jasper, immediately scooping up water with his hands to throw in Dries' face. "You missed!" Dries shouted as most of the water flew onto the bathroom floor next to him. "And you're in the bath, of course you're wet." By the time Koen came into the bathroom three seconds later to calm the boys down, it was too late, the whole bathroom floor was wet. "Don't start..." he sighed to himself and closed the bathroom door. "It's too late now, we might as well wait until later to clean everything up," he said to Kathy. Koen went over to Heleen who was busy on her mobile. "They are very rough." Heleen remarked. "Yes, Jasper probably needs to let off some steam after just now." Heleen nodded that she understood. Look, I'm sitting here looking at a picture and a message that Mila posted," Heleen said, handing her mobile phone to her dad. Koen took the phone and looked at the message. "Proud of my sister," he read as the title. Underneath he saw a picture of Mila and Billy holding hands, but Billy was wearing a dress. "Billy is discovering himself this holiday and I'm happy to be so close to it. I'm glad that Billy stands up for himself and lets everyone know what's important to her. Koen continued to read the message. He handed the phone back to Heleen. "It's strange to see Billy in a dress, but it's nice of Mila to be so supportive of Billy." "I've heard of transgender people before, but I thought only adults became transgender," Heleen said. "Twice wrong Heleen, we don't know if Billy is transgender or just likes to wear girl's clothes, he/she could also be something in between or something completely different, only time will tell," said Koen. "And you don't become transgender, that's something you are," Koen concluded. Heleen nodded that she understood. She put a thumbs up under the message and then went back to checking her social media. Kathy had also heard that the boys were having a lot of fun in the bathroom, so she decided to put dinner on before getting the boys out of the bath. When dinner was almost ready, she sent Koen into the bathroom with a bucket and mop. "You start with the floor, I'll be right there to help you get the boys clean and dressed," she said. Koen had half filled the bucket with the water he had mopped up from the floor when Kathy came to join him. Kathy took some shampoo and started lathering the boys. After she had done their hair, she took a washcloth and went to work washing the boys, literally from head to toe. No spot was missed and when Kathy had finished cleaning and polishing, Koen was ready with two large towels in which Jasper and Dries were wrapped. Together they went into Heleen's room where the clothes were laid out on the changing table. "We're going to eat now. After dinner you can stay up for a while before it's time to go to bed," Kathy said. "Jasper, pyjamas are waiting for you as we don't have many clean clothes. Dries, are you wearing pyjamas or normal clothes?" Dries thought for a moment. Wearing pyjamas with Jasper sounded nice, but if he put on normal clothes now, he would have to change just before going to sleep. And that was his strategy, to be allowed to linger and stay awake a little longer. "Ordinary clothes," Dries decided. Kathy took a pile and gave it to Dries, she put another pile away. Then she picked up Jasper and put him on the changing table. "This way," she instructed, getting Jasper to lie down nicely on the changing table and she began to put a nappy on him. Once it was closed, a green body with short legs was slipped over his feet. It had no closure at the crotch, just a zip at the back. "These are intended to be used as summer pyjamas," Kathy said as she covered the top of the zip with a piece of cloth that had been provided for that purpose. "Here's a pullover to put over them, the pyjamas are a thin fabric and you might be a bit cold now. We'll take them off before we go to bed. After dinner, Dries and Jasper were allowed to watch a film. Heleen, Jasper and Dries wanted to make it a cosy evening and Koen and Kathy helped. The lights were dimmed and a few candles were lit. A plate with some biscuits was put out and everyone got a big cup of hot chocolate. Heleen and Dries each took their blanket from their room to sit under, Kathy helped Jasper into his sleeping bag and put him in the seat, the dummy was also attached to the sleeping bag. After these preparations everyone was ready and the film was set up. During the film Koen's mobile phone rang a few times. Koen kept looking at his phone, whispering to Kathy and then answering the messages. When the film was about half done, there was a sudden knock on the door. Koen stopped the film and got up to open the door. "Good evening," came David's voice. He had a big smile on his face and stepped inside after an inviting gesture from Koen. "So nice to hear my own language again. I was at the conference and all the time listening and speaking in English is exhausting," he continued. "As interesting as it was." "Have a seat. Would you like something to drink?" asked Koen. "Yes, please, what have you got?" After David's reply, Heleen went to get the beer he had asked for. She still wanted to come along to the disaster drill to watch, and she hoped it would increase her chances. The TV went off because there was a visitor. David was a good talker and soon had the attention of Kathy, Koen and Heleen. Dries and Jasper continued to sip their chocolate milk, but were actually bored. "Shall we play, Jasper?" Dries whispered into his ear. I want to, but I can't get out of my sleeping bag myself." Jasper whispered back. Dries started to fiddle with the sleeping bag and opened it. While he was busy, he glanced covertly at his mother. She had seen what he was doing for a long time and nodded that it was good. Reassured, Dries continued until Jasper could crawl out of the sleeping bag. David was busy talking to Koen and Kathy and didn't really pay attention to what the boys were doing, but he did see them heading for their room to play. "What I'm here for anyway," David said, turning to the subject of the disaster drill he had to go to as an observer, "we're still looking for simulants. I have been given a whole list of different roles that they are still looking for. I was hoping to convince you to take part in the disaster drill by pretending to be injured. David looked hopefully at Koen and Kathy. "Yes, daddy, mummy, please!" whispered Heleen. She tried her best to look as sweet as possible at her parents. Koen couldn't resist that look. "We have to ask Dries and Jasper first," he said. Jasper and Dries were called in and David explained what he wanted to ask. Jasper was a little nervous about his clothes. He was aware of how young he must look. He was the only one in pyjamas and the contours of his nappy were showing through the fabric. To channel his nerves, he started sucking his thumb, which didn't help the image of his age he was giving David. David tried to explain the plan as simply as he could. The family would take part in the disaster drill. They had to act as best they could and pretend to be injured. Later, when the roles were assigned, they would be told exactly what to do. Jasper was immediately enthusiastic, he thought it would be fun. Dries was a little less enthusiastic, but was willing to join in if Jasper was. Now that David had convinced the two children, it was agreed that the whole family would participate, except for Heleen, who hopefully could go with David to watch and take notes for him. Tomorrow David would get confirmation if everything could be done as proposed. Not much later it was time for Dries and Jasper to go to bed. Both boys were dressed in clean nappies and Kathy put them to bed, reversing their places from the previous night. Dries in the normal bed and Jasper in the cot. David stayed for a while and chatted with Koen and Kathy. They agreed to have dinner together the following evening. Do you can't wait to read the next chapter? you're welcome to read it after a (free) registration on the scriptorium webpage. (Under writing => work in progress) Comments on the story are always welcome.

Chapter twenty-nine Jasper woke up in the cot in the middle of the night. After all, it had been his turn to sleep there last night. With his sleeping bag on, he wasn't cold and he'd slept through the night within a moment. Jasper had woken up once because his bladder was acting up, but he hadn't let that spoil his night's sleep. When he woke up half asleep and realised why, he rolled onto his back, let it all go and rolled back onto his side. When he awoke in the morning, he was glad he had slept so well. He vaguely remembered waking up, so he was not surprised that his nappy was already well filled, it did not bother him. He knew he was the last one awake because he heard the voices of the rest of the family from the living room. He emptied his bladder, which was full, and then tried to get up. Jasper struggled to the edge of the bed - which was more difficult with a sleeping bag on - and fumbled for the lock to open the bed door. When he found it, he pushed it open and the door slammed against the bed with a dull thud. When the voices suddenly fell silent, he knew that they had heard him. A few seconds later, Koen cautiously entered the room to have a look at the source of the noise. If Jasper was still asleep, he'd have no intention of waking him. "Good morning Jasper," he said as he saw Jasper standing up on his knees. "Good morning sir." Jasper replied, smiling broadly. Koen quickly bridged the distance between the door and the bed and carried Jasper, sleeping bag and all on his arm, into the living room. "Everyone's up now," he said as he entered the living room. Good mornings were exchanged back and forth. "How's your nappy?" asked Koen. "I can't feel it very well with the sleeping bag on." Jasper flushed. It still wasn't easy for him to talk about it so openly. "It's a bit full, I guess." He said, in an attempt to minimise the state of his nappy. "Doesn't matter anyway," Koen said and planted a kiss on Jasper's nose. He was not used to such affection from a man; the beard chafed and Koen was a bit rougher than his own two mothers. As a way of hiding his shyness, and because he had no idea how he should act during the treatment, he put his dummy in his mouth that hung on the sleeping bag. Heleen and Kathy almost melted when they saw how Jasper looked. Jasper loved all the positive attention, because in his home, where Gert left a big mark on the atmosphere, there was not always room for such cuddles and warm moments. Koen took Jasper to Heleen's room to get him out of his sleeping bag and into a clean nappy, so that everyone could have breakfast. There was nothing special on the agenda today. After breakfast the children were allowed to play on the campsite and in the afternoon the family would go to the beach. For this occasion, Kathy had chosen a jumpsuit for Jasper. She chose the Disney version with Peter Pan and Tinker Bell and helped him to put it on. It was Kathy who helped Jasper get dressed. His nappy from before breakfast was still dry and did not need to be changed. The day would be warm enough to wear nothing on or under the overalls. Dries changed and soon after breakfast the boys put on their sandals and ran off to the playground. The holiday park was small and safe enough for the boys to go out on their own. Heleen took a seat in a hammock on the veranda with a book, and it was not long before Koen and Kathy followed her example. They sat outside on the terrace, had a cup of coffee and enjoyed the peace and quiet that a holiday can provide. There were other children in the playground, but they mostly spoke a different language than Jasper and Dries Spook. There were mutual attempts to establish some contact, but the language barrier was too great and in the end the children played more next to each other than with each other. When lunchtime came, Heleen came to look for the boys. It took her quite a while because there were three different playgrounds on the estate and they had forgotten to agree which one they were going to play on. In the end, Kathy and Koen were so worried that Koen joined in the search, and Kathy almost told the management of the holiday resort about it. Kathy and Koen couldn't really be angry, they should have sorted it out beforehand, but next time they would have to think about what and how. They ate quickly in the afternoon, which meant they had enough time left to go to the beach. Kathy quickly helped Jasper change into a fresh nappy and then the family headed off in the car. It was a twenty minute drive to the beach. The drive to the beach was quite abrupt. There were a lot of sharp bends and Koen had to speed up and slow down a lot because of the heavy traffic. A few times Koen cursed the traffic so loudly that Kathy had to make him keep quiet because his curses were too explicit. Jasper listened a little confusedly to what was going on in the front of the car. He didn't know Koen like that at all. Dries was not so concerned about what was going on in the front of the car. He felt completely nauseous and uncomfortable. With every bend, every brake and every acceleration it only got worse. The feeling in Dries' stomach grew stronger and stronger. If Kathy or Koen had looked at Dries at that moment, they would have seen that his face was getting paler and paler. They had almost reached their destination when Dries really couldn't hold it any longer. He started with 'Mum, I...' and then it came out in a big wave; Dries couldn't hold it in any longer. Horrified, Jasper looked sideways at Dries when suddenly the most horrible noises could be heard. Dries tried to grab a bag or a container, but it was hopelessly too late. Dries' lunch was clattering between his hands on his lap, he had vomited a lot. Startled, Kathy and Koen stopped their earlier discussion. Kathy looked back at Dries to assess the seriousness of the situation. 'It would be best to stop as soon as possible,' Kathy said to Koen. Koen nodded and looked for a safe place to stop the car. He soon found one and parked the car calmly. Even though Kathy and Heleen had opened the window, the smell made Jasper sick. He was glad when Koen stopped and Heleen helped him out of the car. "Heleen, can you keep an eye on Jasper? Then we can help Dries." Kathy said. Koen took the bag of spare clothes out of the boot, glad they always had it with them. He took out what he needed and while Kathy tended to Dries, Koen looked after the backseat. A little later, Dries was freshened up and dressed, and the chair was cleaned as best it could be. They all got back into the car and a little later the family arrived at the beach. The rest of the way Koen had done his best to drive more slowly, the windows had stayed open to hopefully get the rest of the smell out of the car, and Dries felt noticeably better than before. The beach was very busy, and Koen and Kathy had to search a bit before they found a free spot. After walking around for a while, they found a spot between a man lying on a towel and another family talking in German. "Good day, are you on holiday?" rang out in a familiar language from next to Koen and Kathy. Koen and Kathy looked up in surprise. They had heard many languages on the beach, but their own had hardly been one of them. The man next to them had watched curiously as the family settled in. "Yes, we arrived the day before yesterday. I'm Kathy, this is Koen, Heleen, Dries and Jasper. Are you on holiday too?" Kathy asked. Meanwhile, she had pulled Dries over to her and started putting sun cream on him. Jasper waited his turn next to Dries, Heleen did it herself. "Half on holiday, half for work. Nice to meet you, I'm David. Today I have a day off to enjoy the sun, but tomorrow a conference starts that I have to go to. It will take a few days, but fortunately it is interesting and not a heavy programme. I also have some free time here and there. Are you staying far from here?" "Just a twenty minute drive," said Koen, "if there is not too much traffic," mentioning the name of the resort and where it was located. "Oh," the man said in surprise. "I'm staying near there too." "What's the convention about?" "Disaster management," said the man. "I volunteer with the Red Cross and the local branch has allowed me to come here. The congress is ending with a large-scale disaster drill, which I will be able to attend as an observer." "A disaster drill? As an observer? What do you mean?" Heleen's curiosity was piqued and she wanted to know more. "For example, an earthquake, a plane crash, a train accident or a chain collision," the man began, explaining what a medical disaster entailed. He told her what to do when a large number of people were suddenly injured in a major accident, and where things often went wrong. Heleen listened with fascination and asked lots of questions to find out more. David was happy to have someone to talk to in his own language and to have an audience fascinated by his story. It was a bit too complicated for Dries and Jasper and they soon dropped out. The boys did not want to go straight into the sea, so they started playing in the sand. They dug and built in the sand, first trying to build a medieval fortress on a mountain. When they had finished with that, they built another medieval town at the foot of the mountain, complete with ramparts and gates. This way the castle looked down on the town and the surrounding countryside. By the time the town was finished, Jasper and Dries were hot from playing in the sun. With a little help, they changed on the beach. Dries took everything off himself while Kathy held up a towel for him, Jasper needed a little more help to get undressed as he had some trouble with the jumpsuit he wasn't used to wearing. Getting the upper part over his shoulders was much more difficult than with a jacket, because it was attached to the trousers. And he was certainly not used to manipulating the nappy himself. Once they were both in their swimming trunks, they were given a fresh layer of sunscreen and made to drink some water. Soon they were off into the waves, enjoying the hot waters of the Mediterranean. When evening came and it was time to leave, Heleen had persuaded her parents to meet David again later in the week. What she secretly hoped for was to see the disaster drill herself, it sounded so interesting. Jasper and Dries were called and everything was prepared to return. Dries crawled back into his clothes on the beach the same way he had come out, but for Jasper there was no real solution. There were far too many people around to allow him to lie quietly and discreetly change back into his nappy. After a short consultation between Koen and Kathy, it was decided to go to the car and see if there was a way to get Jasper out of his swimming suit discreetly. There were still a few passers-by on the street near where the car was parked, but it was fairly well hidden on the passenger side of the car. While Koen stood at the front of the car and Dries and Heleen at the back to form a wall, Jasper was quickly helped by Kathy, who was changing him from his bathing suit into his nappy and normal clothes, standing by the side of the car. Jasper and Dries had swapped beds that evening as planned. Dries was in the cot that looked like a ship, Jasper was in the normal bed, secured in the sleeping bag and straps to keep him from kicking off the covers and rolling out of bed in his sleep. Jasper woke in the middle of the night. The house was quiet and he knew everyone was asleep. He needed to pee and was thirsty. Jasper quickly solved the first problem. He no longer had any trouble peeing in his nappy. He reached for the bottle to drink. The bottle was a bit trickier and sucking on the nipple wasn't so easy. Eventually he had a few sips of water and his thirst was quenched. He put the bottle down next to his head and accidentally hit the magnetic key that unlocked the restraint. Before he realised what he had accidentally bumped into, he heard the key fall to the floor. Jasper turned on his side and tried to feel the floor. He could just reach the ground and after groping for a while he found the key. When Jasper tried to grab the key he pushed against it and the key rolled away somewhere, Jasper didn't hear where. Slowly Jasper realised that he was stuck, completely and truly stuck. For a moment he thought about calling for Kathy or Koen, but he wasn't quite sure why. He had lost the key, but he didn't need to get out for anything. So if the key was found now, in the middle of the night, what would he do with it? Jasper was tired and decided to go back to sleep. He didn't really need the key now and didn't want to wake anyone up unnecessarily. Jasper straightened up to go back to sleep and closed his eyes. Do you can't wait to read the next chapter? you're welcome to read it after a (free) registration on the scriptorium webpage. (Under writing => work in progress)

Chapter twenty-eight The sleeping bag seemed to have done the trick, for Jasper woke up well rested the next morning. The cold hadn't woken him even once last night, and now he was comfortably warm. He listened to what Dries was saying for a moment, but he was still fast asleep. He reached for the bottle next to him and took a drink of water. Then he took the key and opened the restraints. It was a bit of a struggle, but he finally managed to pull the strap from between his legs through the sleeping bag and he was completely free. However, the next step, the opening of the sleeping bag, was not a success. After a while he gave up and wanted to go into the living room to play on the Nintendo. He got up, but the sleeping bag almost made him lose his balance and he almost fell to the floor. Jasper decided to take it easy and sat on the floor with his bottom next to the bed. As soon as he was stable, he began to slide forward, first with his feet, then with his bottom, and finally he moved his hands. When he got to the door, he had to get down on his knees to open the handle, but after a lot of effort he finally sat in the couch with his Nintendo. Dries had been sleeping through the whole thing. When Heleen got up and walked into the living room and saw Jasper playing on his Nintendo, she looked surprised. "How did you get in here with your sleeping bag?" Jasper took his dummy out of his mouth, paused the game and described to Heleen how he had propelled himself. "That's clever of you, well thought out," Heleen said. Jasper beamed at the compliment. Later, when Dries and later Kathy and Koen came out of their bedrooms, Jasper had to tell and show them again and again how he had managed to reach the living room with his sleeping bag still on. Koen thought it was inventive of him, and it made Jasper proud that everyone was amazed to hear what he had come up with on his own. Once everyone was awake, the family went to have breakfast. Kathy quickly helped Jasper out of his sleeping bag so that he could walk to the table by himself. She reattached the ribbon to Jasper's pyjamas so that his dummy would not lie around. "I'll talk to him about this later," she thought as she clicked the lock shut. Dries was quickly helped out of his wet nappy by Koen, Jasper's was still dry. They all enjoyed breakfast. It was a nice, quiet morning and there was no reason to be in a hurry. There was pleasant conversation around the table. During the meal Jasper felt his bladder acting up and without thinking he relaxed and let it all go. "Soon we will go to a museum," Koen said. The children's faces fell. Spending hours looking at old paintings with nothing to show, or gazing at so-called modern works of art that looked more like a failed toddler's craft project, were not exactly their favourite pastimes. Kathy saw the children's faces darken. "No, it's not that kind of museum. It is a hands-on museum with lots of science experiments. It'll be special and fun for you." Jasper and Dries' curiosity was stirred. They started asking questions to find out as much as possible. "I haven't been there myself, I've only read about it on the internet," Koen said. Still, he answered the questions as best he could, and eventually it was time for everyone to leave the table. Kathy took Jasper and Dries to their room to collect the clothes. "Jasper, what are we going to wear today?" asked Kathy, holding a pair of underpants in one hand and a nappy in the other. Jasper stood in silence and thought hard about what to say. Dries looked at his mother questioningly. "Jasper doesn't need nappies during the day, does he?" "Do you remember why we went to the market yesterday to buy clothes for Jasper? He also forgot his underwear at home and we haven't bought any more yet. An alternative, which costs much less money than buying new underpants for every day, is to wear nappies during the day as well". Dries nodded that he understood and looked back at Jasper. "What Jasper doubts is whether he dares to wear nappies all day," Kathy continued, "but on the other hand he doesn't want to cost his mums extra money by buying extra underpants that they have at home and don't need, and he blames himself for forgetting to pack his underpants." Jasper remained silent, but nodded his head to indicate that Kathy had summed it up correctly. Dries had to think about how Jasper had always been there for him in difficult times. Jasper had really supported him a lot. Now it was time for Dries to give something back. They were blood brothers, weren't they? "Jasper, if you put on a nappy today, I will too." Dries said. Jasper looked up at his friend in disbelief. Had he heard that right? "I'm here for you, Jasper. If you put on a nappy, I'll do the same. That makes two of us today. You're not alone. Jasper's worried look broke into a wide grin. If Jasper's face had been a weather map, it would now be full of beautiful rainbows. "I think that's a yes," Dries said, and to show he meant it, he took the nappy Kathy was holding and said: "Would you like to put a nappy on me first, please?" Kathy took the two boys into Heleen's room and put a new nappy on Dries and then changed Jasper. In between, both boys went to the toilet for their number two. They'd been told that they could use the nappies, but there was certainly no obligation to do so. "Dries, just for today and not for the whole holiday, do you understand?" Kathy asked Dries lovingly but sternly. Dries nodded that he understood. Both boys put on a T-shirt and shorts over their nappies in their own rooms and ran with their puffy bottoms into the living room, where they played for a while until everyone was ready. Koen filled a rucksack with a picnic for the afternoon and Kathy filled Jasper's rucksack with care items for the rest of the day. While she was doing this, she explained to Koen what had just happened and why Dries was also wearing a nappy. Heleen was also informed quietly, so that she knew how to react when it came up. Jasper was a bit tense about visiting the museum in a nappy. He distracted himself by putting his thumb in his mouth. Kathy sighed when she saw this and put the dummy back in his mouth instead of talking to Jasper about the disadvantages. While Heleen put on her shoes, she sat strategically behind Jasper and Dries, who sat on the floor to put on their shoes as well. She couldn't take her eyes off the boys, she thought it was cute to know how and why they looked the way they did. Jasper had a little bit of his nappy sticking out above his waistband, but she didn't mind. It was so small that you had to know what it was before you noticed it. There was also a bag in the car with a large bottle of water, soap, wipes, a towel, washcloths and clean clothes for the children. In the past there have been many vomiting parties due to car sickness. Sometimes the children were completely covered in dirt afterwards. On one occasion, after having to make a U-turn and arriving two hours later than planned, they always had a set of spare clothes for everyone in the car for longer journeys. It hadn't been necessary lately, but it had become a habit that they kept. There were clothes for both Heleen and Dries, and for Jasper there was a nappy, bodysuit and onesie, as he did not have enough normal clothes. Jasper was strapped into the car seat by Heleen, and after she and Dries had fastened their own seatbelts, Kathy started the car. After half an hour they reached their destination and Kathy parked the car under a tree. She turned and took the dummy out of Jasper's mouth. "Don't want to keep him in there while we go to the Museum," she said. "Yes, that's true," Jasper said. Heleen released Jasper from his car seat and then the family made their way inside the building. Kathy showed the tickets on her phone and soon the family were wandering from stand to stand. It was indeed a museum full of experiments and the children were expected to touch and test as much as possible. There were experiments on the human body, such as sensory tests, balance, memory,.... You could also learn about different forms of energy - water, sun, wind. An oversized computer had been recreated for the children to crawl inside and learn how everything works and what it is for. There was a large watercourse where the children could see different techniques for pumping water, different types of dikes and sluices, each with its advantages and disadvantages, ... All the running water signalled to both Dries and Jasper that it was time to go to the toilet. Jasper let go at the slightest sign, but for Dries it was a little more difficult. He turned around for a moment and then asked Jasper if he had to go to the toilet too. "I've already gone." Jasper replied after looking around to make sure no one else was within earshot. "I let everything go in my nappy. You can do the same, then you can continue playing here." Dries looked around to see if anyone was there. While he was also looking for his mum, he saw Jasper moving to another set-up. Curious as to which one it was, Dries followed. While Jasper started to try out what was going on here, Dries wanted to join in as soon as possible. The decision not to go to the toilet was quickly made. It didn't really work out that easily and in the end Dries just closed his eyes and imagined that he was standing in front of a toilet. When the first drops of urine came out, Dries squeezed his muscles out of reflex and held everything closed. He carefully looked and felt his trousers to see if they were wet. Satisfied that they were not, he closed his eyes again and continued. Eventually, a small stream began to flow, getting stronger and stronger until his bladder was completely empty. Dries carefully felt his nappy and trousers. Apart from the fact that it was now heavier and swollen, there was nothing unusual about it. Dries turned to Jasper and together they continued to explore the installation. It was a day of full exploration of medical science, physics, chemistry, electronics and mechanics. A lot of basic principles and fundamentals were taught without the children feeling like they were getting a boring lesson. In the afternoon, Jasper and Dries were changed one by one in the toilets. Kathy got some strange looks when she came out of the family room with the two rather large boys, but she didn't care. She needed the space to change the boys' nappies, so she was entitled to use it. The family went on a picnic. They all had a stamp on their hand so they could return later in the day. There were a number of benches next to the car park and everyone enjoyed tasty sandwiches and a drink. At one point in the museum, Jasper was leaning over a viewing window that allowed him to easily study what was happening below the surface of the water. His T-shirt was pulled up and his trousers were riding down. It was now clear to those behind him that the edge that had appeared above his trousers was from a nappy. Two girls, about ten years old, stood not far behind him, giggling and pointing as they whispered to each other in a different language. Jasper hadn't the faintest idea what was going on, but Heleen had. She immediately positioned herself between the girls and Jasper, assuming as indignant and angry a posture as possible, and looked at the girls accusingly. The two girls realised why Heleen was looking at them that way, and with their cheeks flushed and their heads bowed, they rushed away. When Jasper stood up, Heleen bent over him and gave him a hug, secretly pulling down his t-shirt and pulling up his trousers. Jasper eagerly returned the hug and gave Heleen a kiss on the cheek to thank her for the sudden embrace. Kathy had seen it all and whispered a compliment in Heleen's ear afterwards. "Fantastic way to resolve things with these girls. And so sweet of you not to embarrass Jasper." Now it was time for Heleen to be with her cheeks flushed and red. In the car, Jasper and Dries couldn't stop talking about the various experiments they had done. Sometimes Heleen, Kathy or Koen would add something to give an additional interpretation and explanation of the hows and whys of the test results. Dries and Jasper listened in fascination. When they arrived at the house, Koen immediately started to prepare dinner; Kathy tidied up the things from the previous day and then went to help Koen. Heleen sat down at the kitchen table to check her social media on her mobile phone. Jasper started to play, but Dries lingered around his mother in the kitchen. "Mummy, I need a clean nappy," he finally whispered in her ear. "Oh yes, of course," she said. "I'm not used to thinking about it anymore, especially when I'm busy." Kathy put down the knife she had been cutting vegetables with and ran her hands under the tap to rinse them. "I can help mum, there's nothing interesting on TikTok anyway," Heleen said, realising what was going on and standing up. "That's nice, Heleen. Dries, go with your sister, she will help you. Heleen, will you take a look at Jasper afterwards?" Kathy had remembered how much responsibility Heleen had shown at the museum and wanted to show her appreciation and trust by giving her this task. Heleen was a little surprised by the answer at first. She had thought she could help with the food, but changing Dries and Jasper's nappies was also a lovely thing to do. Inside she blossomed with pride at being entrusted with this task. Heleen took both boys into her room, where the changing table was. She gave Dries a clean nappy first, as he had asked for it, and then it was Jasper's turn. Heleen knew how to do it from the last time and did her best to be careful. For Dries it felt a little strange to be helped by his sister. She had seen him naked many times before, but now it was very close and felt intimate. Heleen did it carefully and with respect for Dries. It was a positive experience for both of them and it strengthened the brother-sister bond they had. Jasper was already used to being changed by Heleen and it didn't feel strange at all. While waiting for dinner, the children decided to play a board game together. There was an entertainment team on the campsite who ran various activities. The language barrier was too great for some of these activities, but a light show was planned for this evening. No language is necessary to enjoy this spectacle, so Jasper and Dries were exceptionally allowed to stay up late to enjoy the light show. Before the show, the evening in the cottage was filled with dinner, another game and finally, half an hour before the show, Jasper and Dries were prepared to go to sleep. The intention was that they would be able to go to bed as soon as the show was over. They both got a thicker onesie over their nappy and bodysuit. After all, with the sun going down, it was getting quite chilly. Dries and Jasper were in the front between all the other children, Heleen, Kathy and Koen were in the back between the adults. While waiting for the show to start, Jasper looked around at the other children. It was reassuring that they weren't the only ones in their pyjamas. Many children, both younger and older than them, were also there in pyjamas, onesies or nightgowns. Jasper looked closely at the other children and suddenly he noticed that another child, about the same age, had a little bit of a nappy sticking out over the edge of his pyjama bottoms. It wasn't much, and it was only noticeable because it was the exact same nappy that he and Dries were wearing. Having made this discovery, Jasper looked at the other children's bottoms. Jasper couldn't see any other nappies clearly, but there were suspicious shapes here and there. When Jasper was sure, he whispered to Dries. "Look at the boy diagonally in front of us, at his trousers. He has a nappy on too. I've always told you that you're not alone. Do you remember? Now you can really see it. Curious, Dries looked in the direction indicated. He had to search for a while, but then he saw it too. "I knew that I wasn't alone because of you, but it's nice to know that there are others as well," he whispered. Jasper went over to the other boy, trying to speak to him. When he was almost at the boy and about to touch him, he heard him talking to his neighbour in a strange language he couldn't understand. Jasper retreated quietly. "He's speaking French, I think," he said to Dries, who had been watching intently. Jasper wasn't sure about the other children with suspicious shapes around their bottoms, so he didn't dare speak to them. "There's no need to do that," Dries whispered. "The show's about to start and we've got each other." Dries put his arm around Jasper's shoulders and together they enjoyed the interplay of laser lights, fireworks and music that was now beginning. Do you can't wait to read the next chapter? you're welcome to read it after a (free) registration on the scriptorium webpage. (Under writing => work in progress)

Chapter twenty-seven, to the market Heleen woke up early and tiptoed into the boys' room. They were still fast asleep. She quietly took a picture of the boys sleeping; she thought they were so cute and wanted to save the moment for later. When she tucked Jasper back in, he looked at her sleepily. "Thank you," he mumbled, half asleep, pulling the blanket tightly around him before closing his eyes again. "Please," Heleen whispered back, leaving Jasper and Dries to wake up on their own. Heleen sat down in the living room and continued reading her book. She enjoyed the peace that still reigned there. Half an hour later, Koen joined her in the living room. He made coffee for himself and Kathy and then sat down next to Heleen with his own book. Shortly afterwards, Jasper, Dries and Kathy came out of their room almost at the same time. Kathy saw that the boys were not yet busy and had just come out of their room. "Jasper and Dries, are you coming? We're going to take these wet nappies off first and then we're going to eat." Dries and Jasper nodded sleepily that it was okay and followed Kathy into Heleen's room to get out of their wet nappies. Koen got up and put breakfast on the table so that they could all eat when Jasper and Dries had freshened up. Not long after, Jasper and then Dries, still in their onesies but both with clean bottoms and no nappies, sat down at the table. Heleen joined them, and after Kathy had thrown the dirty nappies into a bin outside the door, she too sat down at the table. They all enjoyed breakfast and made plans for the day ahead. First on the list was a trip to the market to buy some clothes for Jasper. Then they would go shopping so they would have fresh food for the next few days. The rest of the day could be spent at the swimming pool or playground. It was not intended to be a busy holiday. When the children had finished eating, they got up from the table to play a little while Koen and Kathy enjoyed the rest of the coffee. Not long after that, the family got ready to go out, everyone washed and Jasper put on normal clothes for the first time since they had left home, Kathy had chosen and laid out everything for Dries and Jasper. One of the items Jasper had brought from home was a pair of dungarees. Jasper had dressed himself, but he still struggled with the bib overalls. He was unfamiliar with the buckle system used to fasten the dungarees and Kathy had to demonstrate how it worked. Jasper then tried it himself and after practising for a while he was able to open and close the buckles smoothly. It felt a little strange for Jasper to be in his normal clothes, without the thicker package between his legs. He kind of missed it. His dummy had also been left on the changing table. Everyone got into the car and Heleen helped Jasper into his seat. They drove for fifteen minutes until they reached the market. Kathy parked the car and they all got out. They walked from the car park to the market. Koen and Kathy decided to do a little reconnaissance and the family walked around the flea market for the first time to see which stalls were there. They found several stalls selling clothes, but only three of them had children's clothes. They chose the largest of the three, hoping that they would find enough clothes. There were several racks of children's clothes. The clothes were sorted by price. There were two racks with all the clothes for ten euros each, and other racks where the price went up. All the clothes were hanging on the racks. There was no distinction between boys' and girls' clothes, or between big and small. So each item had to be looked at individually to see if it was suitable and what size it was. Kathy and Heleen began to search the two racks diligently, while Jasper stood by and was occasionally asked for his opinion. Koen and Dries continued to search the market for new underwear for Jasper, which they had not seen anywhere. After a long search, Koen found some underwear in the right size, but he had his doubts. The underwear was new and cost thirty euros for a pack of three. It seemed rather expensive compared to the rest of the clothes Kathy and Heleen were looking for. He decided to wait a while and check with Kathy before buying the underwear. Maybe they could look somewhere else. He and Dries went back to the others. Kathy and Heleen were holding a few items. They had found two pairs of trousers, a T-shirt and two jumpsuits that met their needs. There was a good fit and they were cheap. They were both shorts, one yellow with an aeroplane print and the other blue jeans with a large application of Bliksem Mc Queen from Cars. The T-shirt had a large drawing of a bee with the words 'Bee yourself' underneath. The two jumpsuits were actually girls' clothes, but just decent enough for a boy. Both had short sleeves, long legs and buttons at the front to open and close. One had an army print all over the jumpsuit, the other had a cool drawing of Peter Pan with the Tinker Bell and the words 'believe in magic'. Jasper mainly saw the army print and was therefore distracted from looking closely at the model. "Jasper, do you like those jumpsuits?" Kathy asked. "The army print looks cool." Jasper smiled. "I think I like it." Kathy paid for everything and they went to the second children's clothes stall together, but found nothing there, and in the last stall there was just a big basket of clothes to rummage through. Kathy and Heleen went through the basket together to see what was in it. Soon Kathy was holding another pair of trousers that would fit Jasper, but were of mediocre quality. Heleen's eye fell on a plain dark blue garment, but she could not immediately tell what it was. She pulled it out of the basket and held it in front of her, it turned out to be some sort of large sleeping bag. There was a zip in the middle of the sleeping bag, closing from top to bottom, and three holes at the top, one for the head and one for each arm. Heleen immediately thought of the practical application. "With this sleeping bag, Jasper wouldn't be able to toss and turn naked in bed," she said. Jasper also took a good look at the sleeping bag. "But look, there's a hole here below the middle and on the other side too, it's damaged," he said in a disappointed voice after looking closely at everything. Kathy took the sleeping bag from Heleen to have a closer look. There were indeed two holes in it, but they were not accidental as the edges had been well reinforced and sewn over. It had been done afterwards. She held the sleeping bag in front of her and saw that the two holes were directly opposite each other in the front and back. She then held it up to Jasper to compare the size. She saw that the two holes were about the height of his crotch and that the end of the sleeping bag was about six inches past his feet. Kathy checked the label and saw that the sleeping bag was from Snuglezzz.nl, she knew the company from her work and they were in fact of good quality. "I don't think you'll notice much of these holes, Jasper. I'll ask about the price and if it's not too much, we can try it." She turned to the seller and tried to get the price of the trousers first and then the sleeping bag. "The trousers cost twenty-five euros and the sleeping bag ten euros," the salesman began. But Koen realised that the seller was counting on rich tourists and was actually overcharging. Koen pointed out the holes in the sleeping bag and that it had been lying at the bottom of the basket because no one was interested in it. Koen also pointed out the quality of the trousers. The seller soon realised that there was no extra profit to be made. He dropped the price to ten euros for the trousers and added the sleeping bag for five euros because of the holes. Satisfied, the family returned to the car and drove on to the supermarket. Besides food, they also looked for underpants for Jasper, but they were even more expensive than at the market, thirteen euros each. "Doesn't Dries have some underpants that Jasper could fit into?" asked Koen. Kathy did not shake her head. "I packed a spare pair for Dries, but it's not enough, and we've already tried it once at home, it didn't work, they were too big." "Then we'll have to buy them anyway. How many does he have already in his luggage?" "He only has two clean pairs of underpants left after today." Kathy said. "Then we will have to do a lot of buying. He did the math in his head on how many more would be needed before they were back home and was amazed at the amount. "That's really going to be quite some." Jasper stood by, feeling guilty about his luggage. Helga and Celine had agreed to pay back all the clothes they'd bought for him, so he was charging his parents for extra expenses that wouldn't have been necessary if he'd packed better. Do nappies cost that much? Otherwise I'll wear them," he said. It was out sooner than he had thought. He had suggested it himself, but had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, he liked them, but on the other, he was a bit embarrassed to walk around with a nappy on. He was afraid people would see it and what they would think of him. Koen saw Jasper cover his face when he made this suggestion. "That would make a big difference, Jasper, but are you sure? You have such a downcast look on your face." Jasper's eyes turned red and it was clear that he was having a hard time. He put his thumb in his mouth to try and find some comfort. "Is it a bit much all at once?" asked Kathy, dropping to one knee so that her face was at the same level as Jasper's. She picked Jasper up and hugged him. "Lots of pros and cons to think about?" she whispered into Jasper's ear. Jasper nodded with flushed cheeks and tears in his eyes. "Yes," he whispered into Kathy's ear. Kathy waited silently to give Jasper a chance to continue. "It feels nice to wear, but it's not right, it's not normal. And what if someone else sees me like this, how will they react? Even though I'm not a baby, others will get the impression and say I am. " A single tear ran a damp line down his cheek. "I forgot to pack the clothes and now we had to go to the market especially for me and that's why you couldn't do anything fun and now my mummies have to spend so much extra money on clothes that aren't necessary because we went shopping at the beginning of the holiday." "It's all my fault!" Kathy had to do her best to catch everything between Jasper's sobs. Comfortingly, she gave him a long hug. She understood that this was all a bit much for him. "It's all right, Jasper. You don't have to be afraid of the people around you, they won't notice. And even if they did, you'll never see them again," Kathy said calmly. "There won't be anyone at home who will know about any of this." She hoped to comfort and reassure Jasper quickly. "I want to be a big boy and take responsibility for forgetting my underpants. I can't afford to buy anything myself, but I can do my best to make it cost as little as possible by wearing nappies instead of underpants, but with nappies on I'm not a big boy anymore, am I?" "These are indeed two different sides of the same coin. I can see how you're struggling with this. But I also understand that it feels good to be wearing nappies somewhere? You shouldn't think about reactions and what's done is done. Nobody expects you to be perfect. You really don't need to feel guilty. "To take responsibility for something is an act of maturity, it is not something that babies do." Jasper fell silent and continued to seek comfort in Kathy's arms with his thumb in his mouth. "I'll make a deal with you, Jasper," Kathy finished a moment later. "We'll buy a pack of nappies, so we'll have enough for this week anyway. Tomorrow morning you can choose what you want to do. If you put a nappy on, that's fine, if you don't, that's fine too. Tomorrow we will go back to the shop to buy extra underpants if you need them, because you have chosen them. It is okay if we have too many nappies; we will just take them home and then Dries can use them for the night". "And if you want to change your mind in the middle of the holiday, that's fine too." Jasper nodded, relieved that he still had some time to think and didn't have to decide right away. The tears quickly dried up and Heleen and Dries, seeing that Jasper had had a hard time, gave him another hug. Jasper soon felt much better. Dries took Jasper's hand and together they hopped ahead of the supermarket cart towards the checkouts. Not much happened in the afternoon. The family unloaded their groceries at the holiday home, cooked and ate, and Jasper and Dries went to the playground. They could go on their own because the playground was not far from the holiday home. They enjoyed the adventures they had together. Heleen played a game of chess against her father while Kathy read a book. When it was time for dinner, Kathy went to look for the boys. On the way she saw an information board with all the activities the animation team had organised for the next few days. She took a picture of it and decided to show it to the children in case they wanted to do some of the activities. After dinner, the children played a game of Monopoly together until it was time to go to bed. Jasper ended up with the two most expensive streets, each with a hotel, and won the game of Monopoly. With a big smile on his face, he thanked everyone for the fun game. Kathy was happy that, despite his doubts in the shop, Jasper's day had gone well and could end on a positive note. Jasper was given a clean nappy, bodysuit and two-piece pyjamas. No one asked if the nappy was really necessary for the night. It was self-evident for everyone. This night it was up to Dries to sleep in the ship's dressed cot, so the straps for Jasper were attached to the normal bed. The sleeping bag was laid out on top of the straps and Jasper was invited to lie down on it. Jasper put his feet in the sleeping bag, laid his back on the open top, put his arms through the holes and the zip was pulled from top to bottom at the front by Kathy. The zip was closed with a small flap and press stud so that the zip could not interfere. Jasper moved his head from side to side, up and down. Then, with one hand, he took the fabric at his throat and pulled it down. "It's kind of annoying when it presses on my throat," he said in a nagging tone. Dries watched Jasper's treatment as he stood in the ship. Kathy sat Jasper up and took a good look at the sleeping bag. "I see Jasper," she said, following the collar of the sleeping bag down his back. "The zip should be in the back. The neckline is a little lower here." Kathy pushed Jasper back down and opened the zip again. "Turn around." Jasper struggled with the sleeping bag to free himself and turn around. When he was back in position with his feet and arms, but this time with his stomach on the mattress, Kathy zipped up again and snapped the sleeping bag shut. Jasper rolled over with Kathy's help and Kathy positioned Jasper correctly on the restraining straps. "You'll never get it closed, the straps between my legs won't work with the sleeping bag," Jasper observed. "I think it's possible, remember those two holes? I think that's exactly what they were made for". Kathy reached under Jasper's legs to the end of the strap, and with the fingers of her other hand she reached through the front and back holes at Jasper's groin. After searching for a while, she had the strap in her fingers and quickly pulled it through the sleeping bag and up between Jasper's legs towards his stomach. The rest of the fixation kit was also placed over Jasper and soon everything was closed. Kathy placed the key on the bed next to Jasper's pillow, there was no bedside table here, and also placed the bottle of water on the bed. Finally, she tied the soother to the sleeping bag with the ribbon and then put the pacifier in Jasper's mouth. "He's had a hard day today, I'll talk to him about the soother tomorrow," she thought to herself. "Good night, Jasper," Kathy said. "You're not going to get cold this time." She gave Jasper another wink and a kiss and then a kiss and a pat on the head to Dries, who was watching. "Lie down and you can sleep. Sleep well boys!" "Sleep tight," Jasper murmured from behind the dummy. "Sleep well Mum," Dries yawned. Both boys closed their eyes and quickly fell asleep. Curious to know what is next? You can already read the next chapter at the scriptorium after a (free) registration.

Chapter twenty-six Dries woke up in the morning to find his mother busy in the room. In the twilight he could easily see that she was preparing clothes and other things for the day ahead; she had already taken off her own pyjamas and was wearing normal clothes. Dries heard the sound of water from a shower in the bathroom. He saw that Heleen and Jasper were still asleep, so he guessed correctly that his father was washing himself. "Just lie back until dad finishes washing," Kathy whispered to Dries when she saw him sitting up. "Then you can take a shower afterwards." Dries nodded and lay back down. From his bed he could easily see Jasper rolling over in his sleep. The dummy was no longer in his mouth, but lying on the pillow next to him, still attached to the strap on his onesie. Dries also saw that Jasper had kicked off the blanket again and it was lying at his feet. With the air conditioning in the room, it was not too hot and Dries was glad to have the blanket over him. The bathroom door opened and a narrow band of light fell over Jasper. It seemed to be the last thing he needed to wake up, because Dries saw him open his eyes. Jasper looked around sleepily, pulled the blanket back over him and put the dummy in his mouth. Jasper looked at Koen who came out of the bathroom dressed but with wet hair. "Come on Dries, it's your turn," Kathy said quietly, not wanting to awaken Heleen. Kathy took Dries to the bathroom, helped him get out of his pyjamas and left him to do his own thing in the shower. When Dries had started to wash himself, she came carefully over to Jasper. "Are you ready to start a new day?" she asked him. Jasper nodded yes. Kathy lifted Jasper out of bed. She took him to the bathroom as well. She took the dummy off the onesie and set it aside for a moment. Then she helped him out of his pyjamas and sent him into the shower with Dries, who was busy washing himself. Kathy had laid out three piles of clothes for the children on the bed. Heleen's underwear, skirt and top, Dries' underpants, t-shirt and shorts, and Jasper's clean nappy, romper and onesie. She completed the pile for Jasper by adding his pacifier to it. 'I'll have a chat with Jasper tonight or tomorrow about how this is bad for his teeth,' she thought to herself. 'Another day or so wouldn't do any harm.' When first Dries and then Jasper came out of the bathroom, washed and dried, but with a towel wrapped around them for warmth, Koen woke Heleen too. "Good morning, sweetheart, time to get up," he said, shaking her gently by the shoulder. In response, a murmur that sounded like "Good morning" came from under the blanket where Heleen lay. In the meantime, Kathy had opened the curtains and let the light of day flood into the room. She handed Heleen the pile of clothes she had laid out for her and ushered her into the bathroom. "When you've finished washing, we'll have breakfast, then we'll collect our things and then we'll continue our journey." This message from Kathy motivated Heleen enough not to linger. She, too, got ready at a gentle but steady pace. Koen took Jasper with him. "We've prepared a clean nappy, bodysuit and onesie for you, because we can't get to your clothes in the car. Once we've unpacked everything at the resort, we'll see what you have and don't have with you, and then we can change you into normal clothes. Lie down here and I'll put the nappy on you. Jasper lay down on the bed and Koen helped him get dressed: nappy on, bodysuit and onesie on. This onesie had no feet and the zip was right at the front. There were drawings of racing cars all over the onesie. Finally, Koen attached the dummy to the onesie and left it hanging down. Kathy continued to clear up the room, put all the dirty clothes from the previous day in a bag and packed all their things together so they could leave quickly after breakfast. Jasper and Dries waited impatiently at the door, but Heleen still had a bit of work to do. When she came out of the bathroom they were happy because they thought they could leave immediately, but Heleen had to brush her hair first. Kathy took the time to put a braid in Heleen's hair and at last she was ready to go for the day as well. Together the family walked through the corridors of the hotel to the elevators and then to the restaurant. They had to wait next to the entrance to the restaurant for a while before they were allowed to take their seats. The waiter at the counter verified their name and room number, then pointed them to an available table. Jasper had noticed that he was getting a lot of attention from strangers on his way to the restaurant. He was smiled at a lot, patted on the head a few times, and Koen and Kathy were approached to tell them how cute and beautiful he was. It was all positive attention and Jasper enjoyed it. He was also the smallest at home, but Gert looked down on him there; here it was the other way round. Dries also found it all very nice. The fact that everyone looked at Jasper in such a positive way made him feel proud. It was his best friend, after all, and if he and Jasper hadn't been friends, Jasper would never have been able to experience this. Breakfast was a big buffet where they could take what they wanted and as much as they wanted. Kathy and Koen watched them closely to make sure they didn't go overboard with what they ate. After all, they were still allowed to have some more if they wanted to. They didn't want the children to waste the food by bringing back more than they could eat and having to throw it away in the end. During breakfast, Jasper released small amounts of urine. He'd be wearing a nappy all day anyway, so he didn't bother to hold it in. As soon as he felt the urge, he relaxed immediately. After everyone had eaten, they went back to their rooms. They all brushed their teeth, went to the toilet in preparation for the next long car ride and Jasper also sat on the toilet for number two. When Jasper was finished, Kathy refreshed his bottom and put a clean nappy on him. Kathy packed Jasper's rucksack with wipes and four fresh nappies so that they would be easily accessible if Jasper needed another change on the road. Heleen helped Jasper into the car seat and secured it, Jasper took his cuddly toy from his rucksack and relaxed for the next part of the drive. In the car, the children decided to play some games together before putting on a movie. It was warm and summery weather in France, the sun was shining hard and the temperature difference from home was considerable. At a big stop in the afternoon, everyone went to the bathroom first of all. Jasper also had his nappy changed; there was a separate changing room where Kathy could freshen Jasper up. Because of the heat, Dries decided to take off his T-shirt and just walk around with his shorts on and have a picnic bare-chested. Jasper didn't know what to do. The onesie and bodysuit together were two layers and still a bit warm to walk around in, but taking his onesie off and walking around in just a bodysuit and nappy felt uncomfortable. He decided to compromise at the table: he opened the onesie and pulled it down to his waist. He tied the sleeves of the onesie around his waist so that they hung at that height. Happy with this solution, he enjoyed the picnic while sitting at the table with the rest of the family. After dinner, Koen, Dries and Heleen played a game of tag around the table while Kathy tidied up. Jasper didn't want to play because it was too hot to put his onesie back on, but he also didn't want to run around with his onesie tied around his waist: it wouldn't work very well, he thought. He didn't want to play with just his romper, because he was ashamed of it. He watched the game with fascination and laughed at everything that happened. He really enjoyed the game and when Heleen hid next to Jasper and then sprinted away from Koen, Jasper also ducked out of the way. Kathy could see that Jasper was in the mood, but needed a bit of a push to play along. The legs of the onesie were wide enough to stretch over the sandals and Kathy pulled them off in no time. "Watch out, Dries is coming." Kathy whispered in his ear as she finished. That was enough for Jasper to run away screaming and join the game. Half an hour later, after everyone was physically exhausted, Kathy called out to everyone that it was time to continue the journey. Everyone sat down in their seats, with Jasper being strapped back in by Heleen. Kathy had removed the binky from the onesie and attached it to Jasper's bodysuit. "That can wait until tomorrow, talking to him about his dummy," she thought as she put the dummy in Jasper's mouth and he began to suck eagerly. Kathy was moved by the sight of Jasper. Late in the afternoon, Koen pulled off the motorway and into the driveway of the resort. "Just sit in the car for a while and I'll check in and get the key from our house," he said, stopping the engine after parking in the car lot. Koen headed to the reception to arrange everything. A short time later he came back to the car, "They have a new system since last year: we all have to register in person and we get a wristband for the whole time we are here to prove that we have a reservation. Jasper got out and looked around curiously, trying to see as much as he could. Kathy helped him quickly put on his onesie by the side of the car. While Kathy was busy, a few people passed by. Jasper felt a little embarrassed and nervous about how people would see him now that he was being treated like this. He noticed that they looked in his direction for a moment, but no longer than usual; they looked but did not really see him. When Jasper realised that he wasn't standing out, he calmed down and let Kathy help him so that they could all go to the reception together. It didn't take long at reception. The booking was checked and verified, they were given a key to the holiday cottage and a small information leaflet. The cottage and some of the facilities on the resort were marked on a map and finally everyone was provided with a cloth band around their wrist. For Koen and Kathy this was a blue belt, Heleen was considered a teenager and got a green belt, Jasper and Dries got a red belt as children, each with the name of the holiday resort on it. They all got back in the car and drove slowly through the domain looking for the cottage. They followed the arrows and looked at the map to see where they were. After passing the swimming pool and a playground, they arrived at the house. Koen parked in front of the entrance and the children happily looked up at the house. "Is this our cottage, daddy?" exclaimed Dries enthusiastically. Everyone got out. Before Koen had even opened the door to the house, Dries and Jasper had already had a go on the slide from the terrace to the street. Brilliant! Dries and Jasper ran to the door as soon as they saw that Koen had opened it. Together the family walked around the house to see everything. Beyond the front door was a small hall leading to the living room, a toilet and a bathroom. The children looked around the house with their eyes wide open. They immediately realised that this house was equipped with everything they needed for a fantastic and adventurous holiday. In the bathroom, the decoration was wonderful. The frames around the mirrors resembled a ship's porthole, there were lifelike fish and aquatic plants all around the bath, and the wall by the door looked exactly like the inside of a submarine. They could hang their towels over the pipes to dry, and there was even a periscope. Dries looked through it first, then Jasper, and finally Heleen wanted to know what there was to see. Through the periscope they saw an island in the distance with a pirate's nest, snow-white beaches, palm trees and a smoking volcano. The living room and kitchen were decorated to look like a medieval inn and pub, and a beautiful extractor hood was made over the stove. They later discovered that even the cutlery had extra decoration. The next door they opened led to Koen and Kathy's bedroom. It was not richly decorated, but it was nevertheless stylish. It didn't appeal to the children very much and they continued to explore. The next room had two single beds facing each other. Between the beds was a ladder leading up to a small platform. There was also a fireman's pole in the room, through which you could slide back down. Jasper had climbed halfway up before Koen called him back. "First we'll have a look at the last room, then we'll get everything out of the car and then you can climb up and play." With his head bowed and his shoulders slumped, Jasper went back down. Dries was already in the last room. "Wow!" he exclaimed. Here was another single bed against the wall, completely converted into a ship. There was a small mattress deep in the bottom of the ship. Heleen would no longer fit in the bed, Dries just barely and Jasper easily. The walls all around were quite high, so there was a door in the side of the hull that turned outwards and was simply locked with a bolt on the outside. "I want to sleep in that bed!" said both Jasper and Dries at about the same time. Koen and Kathy took another good look; this had to be the junior bed they had read about on the website. It looked like it was 1m40, 55 inches long. While Jasper and Dries continued to admire the bed, Koen and Kathy looked around the room. There was a large changing table against the other wall, and a climbing net had been made on a platform above it. It almost looked like the ropes led to the crow's nest of a pirate ship. Jasper and Dries argued for a while and then looked at their parents. "We both want to sleep in this room." Dries asked his parents for help in resolving this disagreement. "How about we move the changing table to the other room and put a bed here?" Koen suggested. Also with the idea that Heleen would then have a room of her own in which to sleep, so that if she needed to have a rest or a private moment, she could easily find it. "Then you and Jasper can take turns sleeping in the ship and in the regular bed." Kathy added. "Can I sleep in the ship first, Mommy-?" asked Dries immediately. Jasper looked a little dejected, he couldn't get a word in. "No Dries, Jasper is our guest, he goes first, you can go tomorrow." Jasper's smile betrayed how he felt about it. Everyone thought it was a good idea, except Dries, who had wanted to sleep in the ship first, but he understood that a compromise had to be made, so the rooms were quickly divided up. First the bed and changing table were swapped and then the car was emptied. It seemed that the bed and changing table were made to be moved easily, as there were wheels at the bottom of the bed and changing table. Heleen, Jasper and Dries unloaded everything and carried it to the cottage. Heleen did the heaviest pieces and Jasper and Dries did the smaller or lighter things. Sometimes they opened sacks or bags to carry in the heavy items one by one. Koen brought everything from the terrace into the room where the luggage belonged and Kathy sorted everything into the cupboards. Kathy let out a sigh when she saw Jasper's bag appear. She left it closed for a while, suspecting it would be disastrous, so she put it off until she was done with everything else. Once the car was completely emptied, Jasper and Dries did a more thorough search of the house. After crawling onto a platform in one room, they noticed that there was a small sliding door leading directly to the platform in the other room, and a second sliding door leading through a crawl space in the living room to the other children's room. The living room also had a platform with a dome above it. If they stuck their heads through, they could see across the park to the other houses. The children's imaginations were stimulated by the many possibilities, and soon they were involved in a game while exploring. Heleen, meanwhile, had begun to unpack her own things. The boys passed through her room, climbing up and down the platforms, but they didn't disturb Heleen. She quietly took her time to arrange everything nicely, making sure it felt like home. While Kathy put the nappies away in Heleen's room - after all, the changing table had been moved there - she called Jasper over. "It's time to get you a dry bottom." Jasper walked up, sweating, and stood curiously by the changing table. It was made of scaffolding wood. It had an open shelf in the middle and a door on each side. He had seen a changing table in other places, but not one as large as this one. It was not particularly wide or high, but it was long enough to fit two changing mats in a row. Kathy took Jasper and laid him on the table. She untied the dummy strap and put it and the pacifier to one side. "Take it off for a while. You've had it on for a long time." She unzipped the onesie and helped him out completely. "I haven't been able to check what and how many clothes you have with you yet, I'll do that next, so just to be sure, until I see what you have with you, I'll keep you in your onesie for a while. Good?" "Yes, that's fine," Jasper replied as he looked around the room. The changing ritual continued quietly and after closing the romper, she lifted Jasper off the dresser. Jasper was still sweating from playing and running around and with the onesie on he would be too hot again. "Thank you ma'am." Jasper said as he ran off. "Wait a minute," Kathy said, but Jasper hadn't heard her again. Kathy let him go and decided to start with Jasper's luggage now. She went to Jasper and Dries' room and unzipped the travel bag. Piece by piece she took the clothes out of the bag and sorted them into a cupboard. She quickly got to the other things like the towels, the bathing suit, the shoes and the games. Now she understood why Jasper had brought so few clothes; he had just brought far too much other stuff. She looked at the clothes and tried to make combinations in her mind. There was only enough clothes for five days, except for the underpants, of which there were only three. Knowing Jasper, all his clothes usually had to be washed after a full day's play-time. While Kathy tidied up and put away the last of the leftovers, Koen went to reception with two questions. Where is the launderette and where can I buy clothes in a hurry? The receptionist laughed at Koen's story. Helpfully, the receptionist took out a folder and a map to look at the different options. There were a few shops in the immediate vicinity of the resort, but almost all of them were expensive designer stores. A cheaper option was the market tomorrow morning, which sold a lot of clothes. Gratefully, Koen also inquired about the possibility of washing clothes on site. Unfortunately this was not available, the lauderette was temporarily closed due to a problem with the water drainage, but as compensation Koen was offered a voucher for a free meal with the family in the restaurant. After Koen returned from the reception, they rested for a while before it was time to eat. Kathy thought it was a pity that the launderette was closed, which made it a bit harder for Jasper to manage with his lack of clothes, but she was happy with the voucher for the restaurant. As she didn't know what kind of clothes they would find tomorrow, she let him spend the rest of the day in his onesie and nappy. Koen and Kathy enjoyed going to the restaurant and not having to cook tonight. It had been a busy day, travelling and unpacking together. Helga put Jasper back in his onesie and the family went to the restaurant together. It was an all-you-can-eat buffet style restaurant. On entering, the voucher was accepted, the wristbands checked and the family were allocated a table, then they all sat down and filled their plates with delight and ate until they were empty. The meal took its time. When the family returned to the house, the five of them played a board game, then it was time for Dries and Jasper to go to bed. Jasper was thrilled at the idea of sleeping on the boat. Dries was jealous, but he was promised it would be his turn the following night. Dries undressed on his own and then went to Heleen's room where the changing table was. Kathy was already there with Jasper to change his nappy. Kathy finished by reattaching the dummy to his onesie. After both boys had brushed their teeth, Koen put them to bed. "Dries, Jasper will sleep in the boat tonight, but tomorrow you will change beds and you can sleep in the boat too, OK?" Dries nodded, he was happy with this solution so that they could both enjoy the special bed. Koen opened the edge of the bed with the bolt and let Jasper in. After wishing Jasper good night and tucking him in, Koen closed the door, locked the bolt and handed him the bottle of water. Jasper took a quick sip and put it down next to his pillow. As soon as Koen was out of the room, Jasper got up to explore his bed again. He ran his hands around the outside of the bed, feeling for the latch until he found it. Jasper slid it open and closed it himself. Reassured that he wasn't really locked up, he flattered himself and fell asleep, hopefully dreaming of great adventures. Koen sat down in the living room next to Kathy, who was quietly reading a book. "I'm so glad the kids don't have a problem with the bed in their room. The cot was a problem in the hotel and here they almost fight over it." "The decoration does a lot," Kathy replied with a big smile, "if it had been an ordinary bar bed, easily recognisable as a children's bed, it would have been a big problem." Heleen, Kathy and Koen all went to see Dries and Jasper before going to bed themselves. They took turns looking down at Dries and Jasper, who was fast asleep with his dummy in his mouth. They tucked Jasper in separately, but there was no stopping him from waking up in the middle of the night by tossing and turning naked. It had cooled down considerably during the night and the cottage was not sufficiently isolated to keep out the cold. __________________________________ Cant't wait a copple of days for the next part? Chapter 27 can be found on the scriptorium website after a (free) registration. (Link ) Thanks for your comment. I Hope youcan also enjoy the next chapters.