kasarberangs non-contest Behind Closed Doors- ( Completed 9/20)

[SashaButters]

I slowly inched my way to the podium when they called my name. My legs trembled beneath me so much I feared for a split second I wouldn’t make it. I had been coached all afternoon on what to say and how to say it. I had to appear strong and unafraid.

 

“The defense can smell fear.” Mr. Montgomery, the district attorney, had said. I only half believed he was joking. I wondered how strong I would appear if I fainted from nerves before I even gave my testimony.

 

“Answer only what you’re asked; don’t volunteer information. Sit up straight and give your answers confidently. If you don’t remember a date or event say, ‘I don’t recall,’ not ‘I don’t remember.’’ “I don’t recall’ means at the moment you’re not sure, but it could come back to you at any time.”

 

There was so much I was supposed to remember I didn’t think I could. All those medication names and side effects, most of which I couldn’t pronounce even if I read them off a slip of paper. They were kidding themselves if they thought I could “recall” any of this stuff off the top of my head. In truth, I had spent the last three years trying to bury the events of the past.

 

When I somehow miraculously managed to get to the front of the courtroom on my own two feet, I placed one hand on the bible and the other in the air.

 

“Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help me God?”

 

“I do.” My dry mouth made it sound more like a croak than any intelligible words, but the bailiff seemed satisfied. He led me into what seemed like a box and I took my seat. The microphone was positioned about two feet taller than where I sat, and I struggled not to focus on how many people were waiting on me as I fiddled with it.

 

“Are you ready?” The judge asked.

 

“Yes,” I squeaked. I knew I didn’t sound very convincing. “Your honor.” I threw out at the last minute. I could see Mr. Montgomery give me a smile and a thumbs up.

 

“Please state your name for the record.”

 

“Eliza Anne Thompson, sir.”

 

“How old are you, Eliza?”

 

“Fifteen, sir.” 

 

The lawyers began to talk amongst themselves, before one of them, a tall slender man with brown peppered hair stepped forward from the defense side. 

“Are we ready to begin?” The judge asked.

 

“Yes, your honor.”

 

“Then you may proceed.”

 

“Eliza, may I ask how you came to know the defendant, Miss Debrah Marie Martnif?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“How do you know Miss Martnif?”

 

“We were next door neighbors.” I replied. Her name ringing in my ears made my stomach do flip flops in revulsion. I briefly surveyed my surroundings wondering if there was a trashcan nearby in case I got sick. I spotted one by my feet to the left of me. I must not be the only one concerned about losing their lunch. I mentally thanked myself for skipping lunch. And breakfast. And the previous night's dinner. 

 

“How long have you been next door neighbors?”

 

“Since 1999.”

 

“Since 1999? And you know that as a fact?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“What year were you born, Eliza?”

 

“2005.”

 

“So you know, for a fact, she lived there for six years before you were even born?”

 

 I bit down on the inside of my lip as I tried to calm myself. I didn’t like the condescending tone in his voice. Mr. Montgomery warned me not to take anything personally. 

 

“Yes.”

 

“Have you seen with your own eyes the deed to the property?”

 

“No.”

 

“How about a renters agreement?”

 

“No.”

 

“Then how do you know for sure when they moved in?”

 

“My parents told me.” I said, before taking a sip of water from the glass on the podium. It was hard to talk with my mouth and throat so dry. I was trying to sound confident, but my cracking voice gave me away. The defense attorney laughed.

 

“Oh, your parents told you, did they?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“And like a good little girl you believe everything your parents tell you?”

 

“N-no, I mean yes, I mean. . . “

 

The defense attorney laughed again along with a quarter of the courtroom.

 

“Oh to be a naive kid again. Well, according to the renters agreement I have here, Miss Debbrah Martnif moved into the house in the summer of ‘97 not ‘99.”

 

Wow, I was a whopping 2 years off. I struggled to keep a straight face and not let my skepticism show. 

 

“So i’m sorry to burst your bubble of innocence, but your parents aren't always right.” I looked at him in his fancy suit and tie feeling dumbfounded. I was fifteen. A teenager. Of course I didn’t think my parents were always right. “Which brings me to my point.” He went on pacing back and forth before stopping and looking me dead in the eyes. “If your parents are wrong about this, then I wonder what other preconceived notions your parents filled your head with?”

 

I sucked in a lung full of air. Mr. Montgomery nodded in my direction. It was now or never.

 

“That she was a kind and caring woman who was down on her luck.” 

 

“That’s what your parents told you?”

 

“Yes”

 

“And was she?”

 

“At first.” 

 

“What changed?”

“I found out what she really was.”

 

“And what was she, Eliza?”

 

For the first time since the trial started I gathered all my strength and looked directly at Debbie, sitting with her lawyers. We made eye contact and she smirked up at me.

 

“A monster.” 

 

 

 

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

 

It was October of 2017, and my parents decided to travel to Europe for a month leaving behind my younger sister and I. To most twelve year olds, this action was on par to high treason. I had begged, pleaded, cried, bit, spat, thrown tantrums and any other attention seeking behavior I could think of. I was never the most well behaved child to begin with, but being told my sister and I would be left in the care of our neighbor Debbie for an entire month had sent me into a destructive tail spin. 

 

I had nothing against the woman, she was an icon in our neighborhood and her fundraisers had even been featured several times on the local news. People revered her for her struggles and her strength to get through them. They held her up to almost god status. If she asked you to jump, you asked, “how high?” If she said she needed her gutters cleaned, men formed a team and emptied those gutters, along with washing her car, mowing her lawn, trimming the trees, planting flowers, and fixing a leak in the roof. There were no ulterior motives either. Yes, she was a widow, but she wasn’t Miss America or anything. People just genuinely wanted to help.

 

When the family first moved in, years before I was even born, There was Debbie, her husband Paul, and her two sons, Jackson and James. I never knew Jackson, who was a good nine years older than me, but I'm told he was really sick for a long time. I don’t know the name of the illness he had, but it left him permanently bound in a wheelchair. As he got older, the disease progressed faster until it left him practically a vegetable. When he died at the age of nineteen, I vaguely remember bringing them a casserole with my family. I don’t know why my mother felt the need to rub salt in their wounds by presenting them with her cooking, but it’s tradition I guess. 

 

James on the other hand, was only a year older than me and had been my closest friend at one time. We’d spend the summers over at each other's houses and play in his large backyard in the trees. We’d pretend to get lost in the jungle and made up our own secret and primitive language to communicate with the “locals”, Aka the neighbors cat and the occasional grasshopper. We’d click our tongues together to signal whether the path up ahead was safe, or dangerous. One click for yes, and two for no. Sometime’s the indigionous wild tribes we’d stumble across meant us harm and we’d  tap out a secret rhythm, that sounded suspiciously like the theme song to “What’s New Scooby Doo”  on the nearest object to signal to our comrades behind us to back away slowly as we did the same. 

 

When it was time for lunch, Debbie would call us back with a wild howl like a wolf and James and I would traverse the wild jungle once again in search of substance. We’d drag ourselves to the picnic table, telling tales of how we barely escaped with our lives from the invisible army of tribesmen along the back wall with their spears still clutched in their hands. We’d tell Debbie how we hadn’t eaten for days and how we thought we’d never see civilization again. I had really enjoyed my afternoons over there. It was amazing that even while caring for Jackson full time, Debbie always had time to indulge us in our little made up games and make us lunch. 

 

Bad luck seemed to curse that family though. After Jackson had died when I was around seven or eight, it had only taken two years for Paul to follow suit. He had suffered a heart attack and gone peacefully in his sleep. This is when James' behaviour towards me had started to change. He was no longer the happy kid I remembered him to be. He grew cynical and criticized all of my ideas. I’d often come home in tears and soon we grew apart. 

 

By the time I was ten I had heard the terrible news. James had begun showing symptoms of the same disease that had taken his older brother. My parents commented on how terrible it must be for Debbie. She had already lost a child and her husband, now the only surviving relative looked as if he might suffer the same slow and painful death. The neighborhood had rallied together to raise funds for her for James treatment when it looked like she might be evicted. There were bake sales, yardsales, car washes, movie nights, anything anyone could come up with to help the struggling broken family. Together they had managed to raise her $15,000. That’s when she ended up on the news. No matter what travesty happened though, she always managed to keep her head up and a smile on her face. That’s why so many people seemed to admire her and I was one of them. 

 

It wasn’t that I didn’t like Debbie, but rather I don’t know how to explain it. Something didn’t feel right. The issue had never been Debbie at all that made me dread my stay. It was seeing James. No longer the fun spirited boy I once knew, but a prisoner to a disease I couldn’t possibly understand. My heart broke for him on the occasions I’d see him in his adult stroller getting loaded into the minivan her church had given her to help transport him. No longer able to climb the trees he once loved, instead he just sat there staring off into the distance. 

 

I begged my mom one more time to let me stay anywhere else as we pulled our belongings out the front door.

 

“I don’t want to hear it.” my mom said. “We’re paying her twice the amount of anyone else to watch you.” 

 

“Why? I don’t even want to go there!” 

 

“Because she could really use the money, and we need a babysitter. It’s a win win.”

 

“Why not just give her money and let me stay somewhere else?”

 

“Because sometimes adults don’t want things just handed to them.” she explained. “Sometimes it feels better to earn an income than it does getting it for free.” I scrunched up my face in confusion.

 

“I love getting things for free.” 

 

“You’re a kid. It’s different as an adult.” 

 

“Free stuff!” my little sister Lily chimed in. She was only four. 

 

“Ugh, why is Lily’s bag so heavy?” I groaned as I hoisted it up the curb. “Are you sure you’re not just leaving us there and running away forever?”

 

“Oops, you caught me.” 

 

“Don’t joke like that!” I had never been one to show affection, hugs and kisses from mom and dad were for little kids, and I prided myself on my tough exterior. Now the sudden fear of being abandoned made me want to hug my mom and even put up with her kisses if it meant not being left here.  I had always been a rowdy tom boy, my sister on the other hand was a princess. We were complete opposites. The only conclusion I could come up with was that Lily was adopted and my mother faked her pregnancy. 

 

“It’s the bag of pull ups and diapers that are so heavy.” My mom said while a plastic princess potty was tucked under one arm. 

 

“She’s going to be in diapers until highschool.” I said. There was one thing my sister and I did have in common though. We were stubborn. If there was something we didn’t want to do, we put our foot down and wouldn’t budge. Potty training hadn’t been on Lily’s priority list it seemed, despite already being four. 

 

We had just finally managed to get her into pull ups instead of diapers, but when my mom had commented the other night about how leaving might make her backslide, I was pissed. They already treated me like Lily’s live-in babysitter. This was the fifth time we had managed to get her into pull-ups but it felt like something as simple as a cold, a change in schedule, or a shift in the wind made her regress. Guess who got stuck with 75% of the work when I got home from school. Me. If my mom and dad were leaving knowing full well it was going to make Lily go back to diapers again, they could deal with the consequences. I was done. 

 

“Please behave yourself.” my mom said before she set everything down to ring the doorbell. I rolled my eyes. “I’m serious, I don’t want you giving this poor woman any attitude. She has enough to deal with without your snark.” 

 

Was my mom trying to pick a fight because it sounded to me like she was trying to pick a fight. I was already in a foul mood at being forced to come here and here she was trying to twist the knife. 

 

She quickly plastered on a fake smile as Debbie answered the door, who beckoned us in with an equally cheesy grin. We set all our stuff by the door, three full suitcases, and followed her around the house. It was a little different than I remembered, but not by much. Some of the appliances had been upgraded, there was no longer a bathtub but a walk in shower, and the porch and backyard had ramps. I took a moment to admire the large flat screen television in the living room, that definitely hadn’t been there the last time I had been over. 

 

I remembered sitting with James on the carpet watching cartoons after school on their old bulky Sony television from the 90’s that sat in the hutch. I used to give him a hard time because it still had a VCR connected to it instead of a Dvd player. I didn’t really understand how strapped for cash they were with Jackson’s medical bills. I had only seen his brother a handful of times, despite this place once having been a second home to me. He had been bedridden, and his room had been strictly off limits. 

 

I sat on the leather couch, another new addition, and surveyed my new prison while my mom and Lily stood in the hall talking. 

 

“If she gives you any trouble feel free to smack her.” I heard my mom say. I thought they were talking about Lily, until I heard Debbie’s response.

 

“I can’t imagine her being any trouble. She was always so well behaved and such a delight to have around.”

 

My mom let out a bark of laughter.

 

“That was pre-hormones.” That seemed to be all she needed to explain for Debbie to understand because that’s all my mom had to say about me before rattling off Lily’s schedule. I had almost completely zoned out before I heard my mom say, “Don’t worry about changing diapers, Eliza can take care of all that.” Before I could stop myself, I was on my feet and storming over to set the record straight.

 

“I am not changing Lily’s diapers!” My mother glared at me, but I held my ground. “What’s the point of hiring a babysitter if you still expect me to do all the work?” 

 

“Eliza!” my mother hissed. “I’m so sorry, Debbie, like I said, if she mouths off, you have my permission to punish her however you think is best. I’m sure it won’t come to that though because her attitude is going to stop. This. Instant. Isn’t it?” She finished her last sentence glaring daggers at me.

 

“It’s not a problem.” Debbie replied, raising and lowering her hands to try and calm us down. “Of course I don’t expect you to change diapers, sweetie.” She told me. I relaxed almost at once. “She won’t even need pull-ups by the time you pick her up.” 

 

I doubted that, but I appreciated her optimistic demeanor. My mom also looked skeptical. 

 

“We’ve been trying all year,  but…” My mom trailed off. There had been talk of getting Lily tested for autism. My mom had said Lily was a little slower than other kids her age, but I had nothing to compare her to. Lily was just Lily to me. 

 

Debbie still insisted she could handle it. 

 

When I watched my mom leave, my insides were a convoluted mess of emotions which fought each other for dominance. I didn’t know whether to celebrate or break down and cry. I was angry, hurt, happy and depressed all at once. I realized I must have been staring at the front door longer than necessary when I felt a hand on my shoulder. 

 

“A month will pass in no time, sweetie. You’re going to have so much fun you won’t even notice they’re gone.” She leaned down to whisper in my ear, and my face scrunched in pain and confusion as I felt fingernails digging into my shoulder blades. “Now I know you won’t be giving me any trouble this month, will you?” Her voice was no longer sweet and syrupy. I swallowed and sucked in my breath.

 

“No.”

 

“No, what?”

 

“No, ma’am.” 

 

“That’s what I like to hear.” All at once the pain and pressure in my shoulders dissipated, and her voice returned to its normal upbeat and chipper tone. “Now why don’t you be the sweet girl I remember and take your sister outback and play.”

[CynthiaCM]

Riveting. Absolutely riveting. I need this in my life.

[WBDaddy]

39 minutes ago, CynthiaCM said:

Riveting. Absolutely riveting. I need this in my life.

I was thinking the same.

Of course, when SashaButters is the name on the tin, I'm reasonably assured that I'll enjoy what's inside. 

[SashaButters]

3 hours ago, WBDaddy said:

I was thinking the same.

Of course, when SashaButters is the name on the tin, I'm reasonably assured that I'll enjoy what's inside. 

Squee!!

[SashaButters]

“Eliza! Eliza! Wake up!” A hand gripped my wrist and I jolted awake. I sat up with a start, my chest heaving up and down as I struggled to control my breathing. I wrenched my arm back and flailed my limbs as I desperately tried to escape my invisible bonds. “Honey, calm down. You were having a bad dream.” 

 

I took a swing at the voice, before my arms were forcefully held in place. It took me a terrifying minute to stop fighting against the intruder and let the world ever so slowly come back into focus. I was back in my bed at home, and the person restraining me was my mother. I began to weep before I felt arms close around me and gently rock me back and forth. I hated affection, but now I flung myself around my mother as if she was the only thing keeping me anchored to reality. I didn’t care if I was fifteen, or twenty, or thirty. 

 

“Shh Shh it’s okay it’s okay. You’re safe, you’re safe!” 

 

I didn’t feel safe. My body shook with involuntary sobs from the lingering terror of my nightmare. All at once I was beginning to feel trapped. I pushed my mother away and sprang out of bed. I danced in place in my room with arms spread out. I needed space and air. Then I would need my mother's embrace once again before the cycle repeated itself. 

 

“Sweetie…”

 

“Don’t call me sweetie!” I loathed being called sweetie. 

 

“I’m sorry. I know, I’m sorry.” Her eyes were filled with sadness as she looked me up and down. Her stare drifted from my soaked Nightmare before Christmas pajamas over to my bed. I watched as she pulled the covers back to reveal the large wet stain on my sheets. “Oh, Eliza.” She whispered. Her voice was a mix of sympathy and concern. “You don’t have to go through with this.”

 

“I do.” my voice cracked with emotion. I had been putting on a brave face, but in reality, the stress of the trial, the stress of testifying, the stress of facing her was knocking down my carefully constructed tough girl facade faster than I could put it up. I felt like everything was collapsing around me. What I wanted more than anything was to go in the backyard and light up, but now that I’d woken up half the house I doubted I could sneak it without getting caught. 

 

“She’s going to jail whether you testify or not.” 

 

“You don’t know that!” 

 

“Eliza, look at yourself. You’re shaking, you’re sweaty, and you're covered in...  If I had known this was going to affect you so much, I never would have allowed you to testify in the first place.”

 

“I’ll be fine.” I let out a snort of air as I paced the room.

“Lizzy, stop. Stop pretending you’re fine, you’re not fooling anyone, especially not looking like...like that. ” 

 

I looked down at myself and cringed in disgust, noticing for the first time how bad it was. I had only been vaguely aware of a heavy dampness on one of my pajama pant legs, but now that I was beginning to calm down, the full extent of the damage became apparent. I let out a moan and hung my head. It was down my legs and up my back. I sighed in defeat and let my mom push me into the bathroom. 

 

“It’s going to be okay.” She said before closing the door and leaving me to shower. As the warm water ran over me I leaned my head against the tiled wall and pounded my fist in the air as the memories once again filled my head.

 

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

 

I should have known something wasn’t right the moment I felt those fingernails dig into my skin. Never before had I felt such a terrifying aura, but she had turned it on and off so fast I chalked it up to a mix between my imagination and a warning to behave myself. My mom had said she could do as she saw fit but, I don’t remember her ever doing something like that before. 

 

I thought back to when I was younger, but she had always been so sweet and kind. I saw her as a second maternal figure. Maybe I had just never acted out in front of her before? 

 

I scooped up Lily into my arms and headed to the backyard as she wiggled and squirmed in protest. She hated physical contact about as much as I did, but I felt a great urgency to leave the house and the backyard didn’t sound like such a bad idea after all. My jaw nearly hit the floor when I stepped outside. I remembered their backyard being big, but they certainly didn’t have all this. There was a large above ground pool, a giant trampoline, trees, fountains, and adult sized swingset. Both Lily and I stood in stunned silence as we took it all in. 

 

“I’m trying to make the best of what little time he has left.” a voice said beside me. Debbie must have sensed our awe. I had no idea this was all back here. 

 

“Can he...can he use any of this?” I asked. I honestly had no idea what kind of condition James was in. 

 

“He used to.” Debbie said. “It’s all second hand stuff. Donations mostly. It took a few days to get the rust out of the trampoline, and I was able to patch up the holes in the pool. We used that mostly for physical therapy. This though!” she said patting the swing set. “On his good days he still loves getting pushed in the swing.” Her smile fell into a frown. “The bad days though I don’t know where he is. I don’t know if he’s aware of his surroundings or not.” She let out a long sigh.

 

“Jump! Jump!” Lilly said pointing to the trampoline. Her eyes were filled with so much excitement I could hardly reign her in. 

 

“Lily, shh” I whispered. She wasn’t having it. Patience was an unknown virtue to toddlers. 

 

“JUUUMMMPPPP!” Lily screamed. I cringed. 

 

Debbie smiled and squatted down to Lilly’s eye level. “You want to go jump on the trampoline, sweetie?” Lily nodded her head with enthusiasm with a huge grin plastered across her face. “Well, I don’t know… It’s awfully big, and you’re awfully small.” Lily was horror struck. She looked as if someone had just ripped her favorite stuffed animal into pieces right before her eyes. “I think… I think you’re going to have to prove to me that you’re a big girl. How can Lily prove herself…?” Debbie tapped her chin and pretended to think long and hard. “Well, maybe if we had her… no no, that’s much too hard. I’m sure there’s other things we can do besides jump on the trampoline.”

 

“No!” Lily whined. “I can do it!” 

 

“Hmm… it’s an awfully tough challenge, but I suppose it would prove Lily is a big girl.”

 

“Lily is a big girl!’

 

“Alright, if you think you can handle it. Eliza!” Debbie said in a deep booming voice. “Go forth and bring out the Chalice of Champions!” I cocked my head to the side and mouthed, the what? “You know the…” she connected her hands to create a cylinder shape.

 

“Oh oh, right! The Chall-” my face fell. “Isn’t a chalice something you drink out of?” 

 

Debbie cringed. “Maybe not the best name, afterall.” I laughed and she gave me a wink. I had forgotten how good she was with kids. I ran back inside and retrieved the “Not Chalice of Champions.”

 

“I have returned from my quest, M’lady.” I said bowing and placing the potty on the patio. 

 

“Princess Lily of Cardinal Court, your throne awaits.” Debbie said, motioning to the hunk of plastic. “In order to prove yourself a big girl you must sit upon your throne and produce the Water of Midas!” 

 

“The Water of Midas?” I asked with a snort of laughter.

 

“Hey, I’m making it up as I go along.” Debbie said. 

 

Debbie was good, I’d give her that, but she had never come face to face with the likes of Lily, who wouldn’t hesitate to look you in the eye and proceed to poop on the floor if it meant doing the opposite of what she was told. There was also no way she’d warm up to a stranger this fast, she was a creature of habit and she hated breaking rou- 

 

I stared in shock unable to finish my own thought as I watched my little sister, the most defiant little pain in my ass, not walk but run to the potty, drop her pull up and and sit. I was trying to make sense of what I was seeing. Okay, okay, so she got her to sit. Big deal. That was only half the battle. She would hold it though. She always held it until you gave up. It was a battle of wills to see who would relent first. 

 

“I’m done.” Lily announced. 

 

No. No. No. No. There is no way she went! No way! There is no way in hell it could be that easy. 

 

“Well it looks like we have a winner!” Debbie announced when Lily stood up. 

 

Debbie had to be pranking me, she just had to be. I peered into the bowl expecting to find it empty, but there it was. “Water of Midas”

 

I stared at Debbie dumbfounded. She just smiled smugly in return. I shook my head and laughed.

 

“Can we borrow your trampoline?” 

 

I watched as Debbie picked out the bowl and examined it. I scrunched up my face in disgust. What was she doing?

 

“I don’t like this color; it’s too yellow.” she said. She was staring at it so intently I was tempted to ask if she could read my fortune in it. 

 

“Umm, well, it’s pee...so?” 

 

“Look at it.” I tried to understand what she was seeing that I wasn’t. 

 

“Yeah, still pee.”

 

“It’s supposed to be clear. I think she’s dehydrated.”

 

“Oh,” Was all I could think of to say. I scratched my head in confusion as I watched her walk inside to dump it. “That was weird.” I mumbled to myself. 

 

“Jump!” Lily said. “I’m a big girl.” 

“Yes you are!” I said. “You did a really good job! But let’s wait for Debbie to come back and tell us it’s ok first.” 

 

We waited for ten minutes, and I wondered if Debbie was even coming back out, but soon enough she appeared pushing James out in his stroller. My insides churned as I saw him, his head back against the headrest and his sunken eyes looking out into nothing. He looked even worse up close. He looked so thin and frail.

 

“I thought he could join us. It’s such a nice day out.”

 

“Yeah.” I mumbled looking away in an attempt not to stare. I watched instead as Debbie replaced the bowl back inside the Elsa decorated plastic seat. 

 

“Jump!’ Lily begged. “Jump! Jump! Jump!”  

 

“Yes, yes! You’ve proven yourself a big girl!” Debbie said. “Now I need you to continue to be a big girl! Think you can do that?”

 

“Yes!” Lily cheered. 

 

“You can jump on the trampoline as long as you can keep dry. Wet pull ups and no more jumping until you can prove you're a big girl again.” Lily agreed, but seeing how excited she was, she most likely would have agreed to sell her soul if it meant she got to bounce. “And I want you to drink plenty of water! I don’t want you getting sick!” She bent down and retrieved two metal canteen bottles with our names written on the side with black Sharpie. She handed one to each of us before telling Lily to go have fun. She didn’t need to be told twice.

 

I hoisted her up and she crawled through the protective netting on all fours and let out a loud shriek of pleasure as she began jumping up and down. I was about to climb up myself but Debbie stopped me. 

 

“Eliza, I said only big girls get to jump on the trampoline.” I waited for the joke, but we just stood there awkwardly facing each other. I tried to play along.

 

“Uhh, How might thou prove one’s worth?” I winced half expecting a scolding for my attitude earlier, but none came. Instead my mouth gaped open as she pointed once again to the potty.

 

“You must sit upon the throne and produce the Water of Midas.” All was silent for a good five seconds before I burst out laughing. Her deadpan delivery really nailed the punchline for me. I was beginning to remember why I had liked her so much when I was little. Her ability to get into character was like nothing else I'd seen. 

 

When we made eye contact though, the laughter ceased. She continued to show no sign of humor and it was making me uncomfortable.

 

“You’re not serious. I’m twelve! I can use the bathroom just fine.”

 

“I’m concerned about your inability to notice the problem with your sisters urine.” 

 

“W-what? I- I don’t understand..” 

 

“I’m worried about you. I need to know what yours looks like.”

 

“It looks like...pee?” I took a step back from her. This conversation had taken a bizarre left turn I wasn’t prepared for. 

 

“I don’t think it’s normal. I’m now responsible for your health and safety and if I feel you’re not drinking enough water…”

 

“Then I’ll just drink more water, you don’t need to see-”

 

“You do not tell me what to do young lady.” The venom was back in her voice. She was coming closer to me now and I could feel myself shrinking in her presence. “While you are staying here you will do as I say, do I make myself clear? You will not question me and you will not back talk to me; your mother may put up with it, but I will not!” She was nose to nose with me now and as she looked into my eyes I felt a wave of absolute terror I had never felt before. I hadn’t the slightest idea what I had done to make her angry and the sudden shift in personality was alarming. I could feel tears welling in my eyes.

 

“The-the bathroom, then, you can see after.” 

 

“No, the toilet water will dilute it.” she pointed again at the plastic potty.

 

“I- I can’t do it. I’m too big!”

 

“Then squat over it.” 

 

“No!” I stood my ground. This was nuts! She was nuts! Did she really expect me, a twelve year old, to squat over a plastic potty in her backyard in front of everyone so she could see the color of my pee? 

 

“Then you will stay out here until you do.” She whispered to me. “Now drink.” She thrusted the bottle with my name on it into my hands. I pulled the stopper and sucked down large mouthfuls of water. She seemed satisfied until I made a face.

 

“It tastes funny.” 

 

“It’s called tap water. I’m sorry we don’t live up to your high class expectations.” I felt like she had just slapped me in the face. I was so stunned and confused by everything going on, I stuck the bottle back in my mouth and pulled a few more mouthfuls. 

 

“Lizzy! Play with me!” Lily called from the trampoline. I looked at Debbie, who plastered on another grin. 

 

“What are you waiting for? Go play.”

 

I hurried away from her as fast as I could as Debbie took a seat on the old picnic bench next to James and watched us. I jumped around with Lily for a bit but my heart wasn’t really in it. I kept looking over my shoulder at them. Debbie never seemed to look away from me. Everytime we made eye contact, she motioned for me to drink and I obeyed. 

 

“Does your water taste funny?” I whispered to Lily. “Let me try a sip.”

 

“No, mine!” She chugged it down. This concerned me. My sister was picky about just about everything. She would have noticed right away if something was off about it. Maybe Debbie was right and I was the picky one. Maybe it was just tap water? 

 

After another two hours I was absolutely exhausted. My sister's boundless energy knew no limits. Despite my bizarre run in with Debbie that left me on edge, the trampoline had won over my full attention in the end. I jumped high in the air performing front flips and backflips to my sisters awe as she demanded I teach her how. I’d jump next to her and send her flying in the air, but the closest she ever came to doing a flip was landing on her back. This didn’t seem to bother her in the slightest. I could tell she was having the time of her life. With a little assistance getting up and down from the trampoline, she had even gone potty on her own without being asked. 

 

It was the first time she had ever shown any kind of initiative in that regard. By the time the four hour mark came and went, her still being in the same pull-up was a monumental feat. After her third successful trip, I was getting jealous. I wanted to go inside and use the restroom so bad. I had drunk two entire canisters of water at Debbie’s command and she just kept refilling it. She had never mentioned what she had demanded of me earlier, but I was still afraid to attempt going inside. I kept hoping Debbie would grow bored watching us and either call us in or go inside herself. 

 

I didn’t have a solid plan if she did leave me alone, but I was quickly growing more and more desperate. I kept imagining terribly inappropriate scenarios,like asking if we could go swimming and peeing in the pool, or squatting in the trees like I used to when James and I would play, “jungle explorer.” 

 

“Jump.” Lily demanded of me as I sat resting at the opening trampoline. One leg was outstretched, the other directly under me in an attempt to hold it better. I was really beginning to worry now. She couldn’t really expect me to do something so degrading and humiliating, did she? At this point I was even considering it a viable option. 

 

“Not now, I’m tired.” I said. My legs were shaking from a mixture of over exertion and desperation. I was only minutes away from having to jam my hands against my crotch. That’s when Lily began bouncing over towards me. I gasped as the jostling made me leak. I was down to my last resort after all. I curled in a ball and held myself. The clock was ticking down. I was in penalty over time. 

 

Lily, gathering all her four year old wisdom and discretion, saw what I was doing, and from the top of her lungs, shouted. “LIZZY HAS TO GO POTTY!” I wanted to curl in a hole and die. Under normal circumstances, I would have praised her for stringing together a complete sentence. 

 

I could hear footsteps approaching now. I closed my eyes and buried my head in the rubber of the trampoline. I felt the presence of a larger figure looming over me and taking in my state. 

 

“Eliza, is this true? Do you need to go potty this badly?”

 

I let out a moan, equal parts from embarrassment and desperation. I nodded my head. There was no point in lying. My situation was obvious. 

 

“Eliza,” Debbie began sounding disappointed. “I expected this kind of behavior from Lily, not you. You’re almost a teenager. You know where the bathroom is, you’ve been here before. Do I have to remind you as well to stop playing and use the toilet as well as your sister?”

 

I wanted to cry. All this time I could have used the bathroom after all? That’s not what she told me! 

 

“Bathroom.” I moaned as I attempted to sit up. I could feel myself leak again. 

 

Debbie sighed in disgust and disapproval. “You’re not going to make it to the bathroom in time.” She said it not as a question, but as a fact. 

 

I wanted to protest, but I knew she was right. I doubted I could make it off the trampoline. I was about to give up the fight, roll out and pee my pants in the grass (better there than make a mess on Debbie’s trampoline) but she said something that made my blood run cold.

 

 “Lily, what happens to little girls who wet themselves?”

 

“No more jumps!” 

 

“That’s right, but that’s what happens to little girls who wet their pull ups. What do you think happens to little girls who should know better and wet their panties?” 

 

“Umm, diapers.” 

 

“That’s right, Lily, you’re very smart.” 

 

Lilly giggled and crawled over me. I whimpered as Debbie helped her down. 

 

Wetting my pants in the grass was clearly no longer an option, but there was no way I could make it inside. What if I managed to get off, tug my pants down, and pee in the grass? Did that count as an accident? 

 

“What about the grass?” I asked through clenched teeth. The precious seconds were ticking away while Debbie stood there mocking me. I no longer cared who saw me do it, as long as she didn’t make good on her threat to put me in a diaper. Not like she could though. All she had were Lily’s and they would never fit me.

 

“Are you an animal, Eliza?” I didn’t answer, the grass still seemed like my best bet. I ever so slowly managed to swing one leg over followed by the other until my legs were dangling over the rim of the trampoline. All I had to do was jump down, but I knew as soon as I did it would spell disaster. I doubled over, both hands firmly squashed against myself in the most unlady like posture imaginable. My mom would have an aneurysm if she saw me like this.

 

“Lily, are you allowed to pee in the grass at home?” Lily giggled and shook her head. “Where do you pee at home?”

 

“The potty!” Lily answered. That little liar I thought through gritted teeth. She’d sooner pee in her toy box than in her potty before today. 

 

“Go get it.” 

 

My eyes widened as realization dawned on me. Debbie had tricked me. I couldn’t believe it. I was completely without another option. Either I wet myself, or I do what she wanted in the first place. Only now, she had framed the narrative in such a way that it was my fault. To the onlooker, I was the one who didn’t want to stop playing and use the bathroom until it was too late. 

 

Lily set the potty down in front of me. I was still on the trampoline and stuck. There was no way I could land, get my pants down and squat over it. 

 

“I can’t.” I sobbed. “I can’t move.”

 

Debbie’s tone of voice changed once again. She no longer sounded mocking or angry, but back to the sympathetic mother figure. I was finding her ability to slip into different roles unnerving.
 

“It’s okay, sweetie, I’ll help you.” She began to gently tug down my pants and underwear, until they were around my knees. I longed to just pee through the metal rings under me and into the grass. I was in the perfect position to do so, and I didn’t think it would hurt anything. I had already leaked several times and it wasn’t going in my pants. Unfortunately for me, she seemed obsessed with setting a good example for Lily. It was the only reasonable explanation I could come up with. 

 

I watched as Debbie scooped the bowl out of the potty. At least she seemed to understand I couldn’t get down and sit on it. I knew what she planned, but she still felt the need to say it out loud. I felt my cheeks grow warm, I was surprised I could even focus on a feeling such as embarrassment in my current state. “Jump down and i’ll hold this under you.” 

 

Mortified and absolutely out of my mind with the need to relieve myself, I fell once again into her trap. I jumped down with my legs spread open and relaxed, only she never moved the bowl until I was nearly half way done. I stood for what felt like an eternity watching in horror as I peed directly into my lowered pants. 

 

“I wasn’t ready!” She complained,“You were supposed to wait for my signal” before finally moving the plastic bowl into position. Lily cackled at the sight of me, soaked pants around my knees as if it was the funniest thing she had ever seen. Debbie had never said anything about a signal. Had I not given her enough time to explain?

 

I buried my face into my hands. The collected pee echoed deafeningly in the bowl and just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, the bowl filled up, or so I assumed. I never saw it. Debbie, without a word of warning, pulled it back. Then she stood and walked back toward the house with her prize, leaving me standing there dumbfounded to finish in my pants. 

 

“What the fuck.” I muttered under my breath. 

 

Three things became transparent to me at that moment.

 

One: Debbie was not who she pretended to be.

 

Two: She had wanted my pee and had gone to elaborate methods to get it. 

 

Three: James was no longer lost in his own little world. He was staring directly at me.

[WBDaddy]

Wow... I have a thousand thoughts as to where you're going here, but I have no confidence in any of them. 

[SashaButters]

When I stepped out of the shower at Debbie’s, I was relieved to find a pile of clothes waiting for me on top of the toilet seat. I slid my pajamas on, despite it only being 6 pm, while thanking the powers that be I had been given a pair of my panties. It had only been one day and I felt I was already at my emotional breaking point. It had taken me awhile to stop crying, but as I stood underneath the soothing spray of warm water, my hiccups and sobs eventually ceased. 

 

I still felt miserable and sorry for myself, but underneath the surface was a feeling of tranquility that could only come after a good, heartfelt cry. The stress of knowing I was being dumped here, along with the many arguments with my parents, had been accumulating for days. It had been a matter of time. I could feel a heavy wave of exhaustion begin to wash over me. Between the hours spent jumping, and the emotional turmoil, I was ready to wave a white flag in surrender. 

 

I wasn’t 100% sure where I would be sleeping, but I had a feeling it would be on the couch. I made a beeline for it and sprawled out. I closed my eyes for what felt like a mere minute, but before I knew it I was being tackled. I groaned in pain and clutched my stomach as Lily continued to shake me awake. 

 

“Pizza!” she squealed. I groaned again and tried to push her off of me. This child had no off switch, and doctors had the nerve to diagnose me with A.D.H.D? 

 

“I’m tired. Leave me alone.” I covered my face with one of the couch cushions.

 

“I let you nap for an hour, any longer and you won’t be able to sleep tonight.” Debbie said. I doubted I had been on the couch that long, but when I lifted my head to stare at the clock display on the television screen I noticed it was already 7:30. I let my head plop back down on the arm rest. I didn’t care if I had been asleep one hour or five hours. I was drained. I felt like I could sleep til Halloween. 

 

“C’mon, time to get up and have dinner, if you’re still tired later you can go to bed. I’ve got the back bedroom ready.” 

 

It wasn’t until I could hear the two of them conspiring to tickle the bottoms of my feet did I make an attempt to get up. As soon as I took three steps to the kitchen I knew I didn’t feel quite right. The world around me was swaying and I crashed into Debbie. With reflexes like a cat she flung her arms out to steady me.

 

“Woah, careful. Did you get up too fast?” 

 

“Uh, maybe? I-I don’t know. I feel a little funny.” I admitted . “I think I’m okay now.” I took a seat at the kitchen table where a pizza box sat. 

 

“Are you sure? You look a little pale. Let me get you some water.” I watched her dump the contents of the half empty bottle I had been drinking out of earlier and fill it with fresh water from the tap. She screwed the lid back on and handed it to me. I took a sip. It still had a sort of weird, almost sweet after taste. Since I had just watched her fill it right in front of my eyes I knew the problem was with me. I felt a small pang of guilt. Either I was being picky or something was up with my sense of taste. 

 

Her words replayed in my head. “I’m sorry we don’t live up to your high class expectations.” I cringed. I didn’t want to believe I was that picky. I didn’t want to think about anything that had happened today. I wanted to be angry, but at the same time I had this sick, sinking feeling in my stomach I deserved everything that happened to me. I was the one who never made an attempt to go inside and use the bathroom. I was the one who had been complaining. 

 

“Thank you,” I said as I accepted a slice of pepperoni pizza she handed me on a white paper plate. I wasn’t hungry, but I forced myself to take a few bites. I didn’t want to give her any reason to be mad at me. Lily on the other hand chowed down like she had never tasted anything so delicious in her entire life. I listened to her unintelligible toddler chatter and gave her a weak smile everytime she addressed me, but I was having a hard time focusing on what she was trying to say. I had forced down a slice, but now it felt like it was wreaking havoc on my insides. 

 

“Eliza, are you okay? You haven’t said a word all evening.” I flashed her an unconvincing smile. She leaned closer to me and asked, “Are you still upset about earlier? I thought you understood it was all for show for Lily. I wasn’t really upset at you, I just-” 

 

At that moment I could feel my mouth begin to fill with saliva and a painful cramp formed in my stomach. I knew I was in trouble. I jumped out of my seat and ran to the bathroom. I stuck my head in the toilet right before I began heaving up my dinner with a force I didn’t think possible. 

 

I heard my name being called from the kitchen, but when I didn’t respond Debbie’s figure appeared in the doorway. 

 

“Oh, Eliza, sweetie.” She said. I clung to the toilet bowl as the room began to sway again. I could feel sweat dripping down my chest and an unpleasant warm, sticky feeling in my pajama bottoms. When I  managed to glance behind me I was horrified to discover my pants had done next to nothing to contain the mess. Myself and the bathroom floor were now coated in the foul brown liquid. I had but a moment to take in the damage as I could feel my stomach preparing to play another round of “Projectile Pizza”.

 

When I heard the bathroom door close in between heaves I had assumed Debbie had left me alone to deal with my situation in private. Instead I was surprised to feel a comforting hand begin to rub up and down my back. She knelt far off to my side away from the blast radius, but still close enough to reach me. 

 

“Poor sweetie, no wonder your mom said you’ve been so ornery these last few days. You must have been coming down with the flu or something.” I moaned in agreement and rested my head against the rim of the porcelain bowl. After fifteen minutes of non-stop heaving, I felt my stomach cramps begin to subside. With eyes still closed, I groped around until I found the lever and flushed. “I’m so sorry, if I knew you were sick I never would have said those things to you.” 

 

This afternoon now felt like spilled milk in comparison. In my current state I wouldn’t have cared even if she had slapped me in the face. We stayed like that a few more minutes. I didn’t dare check behind me to view the collateral damage for fear of re-triggering the nausea.

 

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled. “I’ll clean it up in a bit.” I still felt too dizzy to attempt moving. Ever since I turned double digits, in my family if you made a mess you had to clean it up. 

 

“Nonsense. I’m rinsing you off with the shower head, giving you some medicine and then putting you straight to bed.” She left for a moment and came back carrying a little medicine cup filled with Pepto Bismol and not the thermos I had been drinking from, but a cold Arrowhead bottle of water. I threw back the pink cup before wincing at the mixture of stomach acid and medication before washing it down with water. Compared to the water I was drinking before, it tasted amazing. 

 

“Strip.” I heard. She held out a plastic grocery store bag, and I pulled off my soiled clothing and put them inside. “I hope you’re not too attached to these because I’m throwing them away.” She tossed the bag aside and stepped over the mess. “The nice thing about the modifications to the bathroom is it will make cleaning up simple.” There was nothing separating the shower from the rest of the bathroom since the bathtub had been removed. Debbie filled a bucket of water before stepping over the messy puddle once again and sloshed the water over it from the side. Just like that, there was no sign I had a moment ago attempted to repaint the walls using only a single slice of pizza and my butthole. 

 

“I’ll disinfect later. Let’s get you cleaned up and into bed.” 

 

"Shouldn't I stay by the toilet?"

 

"Just let whatever needs to come out come out where you are. You won't hurt anything in here. I don't want you falling and hitting your head lunging for the toilet. At this point it doesn't matter."

 

I was still too weak to stand up for another shower, but it didn’t matter. I scooted myself over and Debbie detached the shower head, stood over me, and rinsed me off while ordering me to turn this way and that. I felt myself lose control of my bowels a couple more times but with a flick of her wrist, the mess was washed away. I was too miserable to feel any kind of shame. My head pounded, my throat burned, and it felt like I had attempted to eat Flaming Hot Cheeto’s with my ass.

 

 

 

 

“I have stuff that will help. Do you want it?” I nodded. I tried to stand, but the world around me started to fade out. I sat back down and leaned my head against the wall. She left again and returned with James’s wheelchair. She threw a towel over the seat and helped me into it before pushing me into the one room that had always been off limits. Jackson’s. 

 

In the middle of the room was a bed that looked like it belonged in a hospital instead of someone’s house and surrounding it were piles and piles of various medical supplies. 

 

“Wow.” I croaked.

 

“Sorry, I know there’s a lot of stuff in here. I use this room mainly for storage. This is all the stuff I need to take care of James, so I apologize in advance If I’m in and out all hours of the night. I guess if you’re going to come down with something, you’re in the right place. There’s so much different medical stuff in here it’s like you’re already in the hospital.” 

 

Debbie helped me climb into bed. It was such an ordeal that by the time I was able to lay back down, I was once again sweaty and panting. I must have looked eerily pale since she thrusted a pale pink tub in my hands. 

 

“In case you get sick again.” she explained. I nodded and set it down next to me on the bed. “And if you want to sit up.” She picked up a remote, pressed a button and the upper half of the bed rose. I would have found it amusing on any other day. She lowered me back down and set the remote aside. “I’m sure you just want to go to bed, so let me finish getting you situated.” 

 

“Yeah, thank you.” I closed my burning eyes. I could hear her humming an upbeat tune as she dug through boxes and bags. 

 

“I’ve got the medicine for you. Do you want me to apply it, or would you prefer putting it on yourself?” I mumbled something unintelligible in response. I was already half asleep. “I’ll do it.” she said. She rolled me over onto my side so that my back was facing her. I heard what sounded like latex and without warning I felt a finger knocking at the back door. I yelped in surprise, but the cooling relief from whatever she had just rubbed on was immediate. “Better?” It was indeed. 

 

She rolled me onto my back once again. “Just one more thing. Think you can lift your waist?” It took a lot of effort, but I managed to lift myself up high enough so she could slide something under me. I didn’t even notice what it was until it was taped on me. I looked down at myself and back at her. “So you’ve got your tub here if you feel like you need to throw up, some water, a blanket. I’ll set Lilly up a spot on the couch so you can get some rest. My plan was for you two to bunk together, but I don’t want her catching whatever you have. I hope it’s not too late already. I’ll let you rest now. I’m sorry you’re not feeling well. Stay in bed, if you need something just call me on the baby monitor over here. I don’t want you to try to get up and hurt yourself.”

 

“Thanks, and sorry about…”

 

“It’s not your fault. What’s one more diaper to change?” 

 

“I-I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.” I protested even though I had no way of knowing if my stomach would strike again in the night. “I can make it to the bathroom.” 

 

She flashed me an indulgent smile similar to the one’s she gives Lily. “For now stay in bed if I’m not there to help you. You got yourself a nasty bug. Normal rules don’t apply, so don’t worry about it.” She flicked off the light. “Feel better soon.” 

 

It was indeed a rough night. Debbie had been right again. It seemed every other hour my stomach decided to purge itself. With the pizza long gone, I heaved up mouthfuls of bile. I was thankful for Debbie’s forward thinking. I at least now had the peace of mind I wasn’t destroying the bed below me, though it wasn’t much solace. At this point I didn’t care, I just wanted the pain to stop.

 

By two in the morning I was beginning to hallucinate. I could swear I saw a figure crawling towards me on the floor. I tried shutting my eyes, but it made the room spin, further agitating my nausea. 

 

I opted instead to focus on the smoke detector on the ceiling, it seemed to keep the dizziness, and my imagination at bay. I kept telling myself my mind was playing tricks on me, but every time I looked down, the figure was there, moaning as it pulled itself closer to me on the floor. I wanted to call for Debbie, but I was paralyzed with fear. The only thing I could think of was Jackson’s ghost was haunting this room. It was where he died after all. 

 

“You’re stupid; it’s just a fever.” I had the blanket over my head now. What was I doing cowering like a child? Someone just dropped something in the hall, like a towel or a blanket and my delirious mind can’t figure it out.

 

I tried to sleep, but I kept feeling like I was being watched. I sighed knowing what I had to do. I was never going to sleep until I figured out what it was. 

 

“On the count of three i’m going to take the blanket off my head, get up, and figure out what the hell that was. One. Two. Three.”  I lowered my shield, peered over the bed and screamed at the top of my lungs. 

 

Looking up at me from the floor was a pale disfigured and sunken face. “Help... me...” the voice rasped. It opened its mouth and blood poured out and down its chin. “E-li-za..” It gurgled out once more before It scurried out of the room on all fours.

 

 

 

 

“Eliza, are you okay?” was the last thing I heard before the mixture of fright, fever and dehydration took me. 

 

I only had time to utter a single word before I went under.

 

“Jackson.” 

 

 

[Bel George]

This is really good.  I really hope you have more chapters ready.

[parkintochter]

really really good

[WBDaddy]

Feels suddenly reminiscent of The Sixth Sense... 

[SashaButters]

1 hour ago, WBDaddy said:

Feels suddenly reminiscent of The Sixth Sense... 

The "Let me show you where my dad keeps his guns" kid had my 9 year old ass noping straight out the living room. 

[WBDaddy]

48 minutes ago, SashaButters said:

The "Let me show you where my dad keeps his guns" kid had my 9 year old ass noping straight out the living room. 

I was thinking of the girl whose mom fed her Lysol every day. 

[SashaButters]

35 minutes ago, WBDaddy said:

I was thinking of the girl whose mom fed her Lysol every day. 

Mother of the year. 

[warpiper]

This is looking good!

[SashaButters]

2 hours ago, warpiper said:

This is looking good!

Thank you!

 

Hey since you're an admin, I heard someone had a problem with the main Character being underage. Is everything okay so far? I can't make the character 18 without ruining the plot, so is there anything I need to change? There won't be any sexual scenes, or sexual descriptions.

[WBDaddy]

13 minutes ago, SashaButters said:

Thank you!

 

Hey since you're an admin, I heard someone had a problem with the main Character being underage. Is everything okay so far? I can't make the character 18 without ruining the plot, so is there anything I need to change? There won't be any sexual scenes, or sexual descriptions.

As a longtime member and contributor, I would be very disappointed if admin said you needed to make her 18, because it wouldn't make sense for her to not be just babysitting her sister instead of both being watched by the neighbor. 

[SashaButters]

13 minutes ago, WBDaddy said:

As a longtime member and contributor, I would be very disappointed if admin said you needed to make her 18, because it wouldn't make sense for her to not be just babysitting her sister instead of both being watched by the neighbor. 

I would be too. I've never had an issue before. 

[WBDaddy]

20 minutes ago, SashaButters said:

I would be too. I've never had an issue before. 

The only time, in the 12 years I've been a member here, that there has ever been a problem with underage characters was a brief period way back after a former member wrote a hyper-sexualized humiliation story centering around a 16-year-old boy, there were pitchforks and torches everywhere, to the point that even Freswith, who has graced us with his Dickensonian musings for 15 years, felt the need to skip forward a decade in one of his stories to avoid the vitriol.  

I'd really like to think that we collectively (and the admins especially) learned from that experience.  

[Scarlet]

I'm thinking that Debbie has Munchausen syndrome by Proxy or something similar....... not sure about the ghosts though.

 

17 hours ago, SashaButters said:

there was no sign I had a moment ago attempted to repaint the walls using only a single slice of pizza and my butthole

This line was pure gold.???

[warpiper]

Whoa guys, it just takes a quick check on the first page of the of the story forum to see the rules set forth by the boss himself, so you're good as long as there are no sexual situations or descriptions: 

On 3/4/2017 at 12:28 AM, DailyDi said:

Stories MAY contain underage characters so long as they are not included in sexual situations or descriptions.

I love all of you friends and the amazing stories you make!

[SashaButters]

7 hours ago, Nicole Kolibri said:

 

Is that you kerry?
These are the original words, that you used on ABDL-Forum, which you then deleted ...
Why? to come back, as Scarlet?

 

@SashaButters

What was wrong with the tap water was immediately clear to me ...
(A mixer tap like in Pup`s ... no problem )
But that you are now clearly in the direction of "six sence" makes the story a bit unbalanced for me.
you have too many violent turns and your pace is supersonic speed.

It's still good, but unfortunately you don't inspire me anymore ...
It's to bad, that you didn't stick to the roots and, above all, didn't slow down.
The start was really promising ...

I never finished reading your other story "whats happend to Ella Marsh". (stopped after chapter 5)
The reason was:
That was too realistic for me!
I am not a friend of children who are seriously ill and everyone is just waiting for them to be diapered or use the potty.
That not my kind of taste!
If you worked as a nurse, you'd know what I mean.
I see every day to much bad things. I will not reading that, not on a sex site.
It doesn't help me that it's well written and described. (that's why I stayed until chapter 5)
But too many tears came to my eyes ...

That is only my opinion !!!

so have a good time with your story, i am out again

No worries, I understand it's not to everyone's taste. Thanks for sticking around as long as you did. 

[kerry]

11 hours ago, Nicole Kolibri said:

Is that you kerry?

Nope. Someone else had the same thought.

[SashaButters]

I sat with my mom on the psychiatrist's couch unwilling to contribute. I was pissed. I didn’t want to be here. I didn’t want to ”talk about it”. That’s what was causing all the problems to begin with. I was doing fine with the medication I got from my GP. 

 

“I can see that this has caused a great strain on your relationships with authority figures, and for good reason.” He said. I shrugged my shoulders in response. “I can see your mother is concerned about your recent behavior.”

 

If by concerned he meant her snooping through my things and confiscating the little bit of weed I could afford, then yes. She was “very concerned”. Just knowing it was there at the bottom of my sock drawer was what had kept me going, like an emergency escape button. Now that it was gone it was like I was on a runaway roller coaster with no brakes. 

 

“That defense attorney is just so, so , Argh!” said my mom. She threw up her hands in frustration. “He has the medical reports right there, but he has to go and second guess every little thing it says. ‘Maybe it was this, maybe it was that’. He even went as far as accusing Eliza of making herself sick for attention!” 

 

I clenched my fist together and jiggled my knee. I really didn’t want to talk about this. I could feel the burn in the back of my eyes. I wanted to run out the door. At least in court I had a reason to relive it. I had a goal. To see that obese cow of a woman with with her blonde hair, hideous make up and fake smile rot in prison. I needed people to see her for who she truly was. 

 

“There’s a reason people hate lawyers.” he said. “They’ll do whatever it takes to discredit witnesses and leave reasonable doubt. A good chunk of my clients have been referrals from Fred Montgomery.”

 

“He really has gone out of his way to support her in this.” 

 

“Eliza, I've been following along with the case, and I think what you’re doing is very brave.” I shrugged again. “Not many people could keep their composure under that kind of pressure like you have.” 

 

I wanted to laugh. I wasn’t keeping my composure at all! I’ve already forced three recesses because I could no longer speak a single intelligible word through my choked sobs. The moment that bastard Raymond, the defense attorney, hinted I had done this to myself I had lost it. Some people on the internet have been saying it's a sign of a guilty conscience, but I was just so fed up and frustrated. 

 

I keep Googling the case everyday. I know it’s a stupid thing to do and it’s just causing more pain, but I need to see people’s reaction. I need to know the public's thoughts, because maybe that’s what the jury believes too. It’s still fairly split. The town I had lived in wasn’t so small where everyone knew everyone, but it seemed like everyone knew Debbie. I had become infamous and so we were forced to move. 

 

When news had first spread of Debbie’s arrest, my name hadn’t been mentioned in the press and yet somehow everyone in town knew. We’d wake up to find our house egged, the cars keyed, and hate filled letters in the mailbox. Someone had even urinated on our front door and spray painted, “LYING BITCH” in big red letters across the sidewalk. We thought it was just kids, but when my dad installed security cameras and reviewed the tapes, we were shocked to discover it was members of our own church. 

 

When we moved a few towns over, away from Debbie’s influence, things had gotten a lot better. I was no longer infamous. I was a victim. We lived in peace for three years, as I tried to move on with my life and make sense of what happened. Lily had been oblivious during our stay there. I was thankful at least Debbie hadn’t done anything past making her repeat what she had been told to say. All Lily remembered was the trampoline and the big screen TV. 

 

“Eliza, are you in there?” he asked.

 

“Huh? Sorry, I was just thinking.” 

 

“How is school going? Your mom says your grades have been slipping.” 

 

“It’s hard to focus.” I admitted. “I keep losing track of what’s due and when.” I didn’t mind talking about school. It had nothing to do with the mess I was in. 

 

“Have you been taking your medicine at night?” 

 

“Yes.”

 

“Have you been sleeping at night?”

 

“Not really.”

 

“She’s been having nightmares and wetting the bed.” My mom threw in. I glared at her. 

 

“I can try you on something to help you sleep, but if the bedwetting continues I want you to go see your GP about it. Given what you’ve gone through it might just be psychological, but it could also indicate kidney damage. How many times do you think she-”

 

“Three times for sure.” I said cutting him off. “I was sick every other week for three days.” I didn’t want to hear the actual words. The betrayal still stung like a scraped knee to my heart even after all this time. I had trusted her, and opened up to her in ways I hadn’t with anyone else. She had been kind and gentle when I had been ill, never complaining if I had left a mess somewhere. When I was clear headed though, I could see the wheels in her head turning. Every action she made was calculated down to the very last spoken word. She was always ready with a story and a quick explanation. I had learned this the first time I had gotten sick. I knew the “what”, I just couldn’t wrap my head around the “why”.  

 

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

 

 I sat huddled in a sheet in the doctor's office. Debbie had driven me to urgent care first thing in the morning as soon as she could find someone to keep an eye on the rest of the kids at home. I had stopped vomiting hours ago, but I was still very weak and shaky on my feet. I ached all over and the lights did nothing to help my agonizing headache. 

 

Nurses were coming in handing me cup after cup of water to drink. They wanted a urine sample, but my first attempt 15 minutes ago resulted in me dropping the cup of urine in the toilet when I had nearly passed out. Debbie told them she’d help me this time since I didn’t seem to have the motor skills necessary at the moment. The nurses, who seemed to be growing impatient with me, thanked her. 

 

I wanted to protest, but I was too out of it. Why did everyone want my urine lately? Was I wasting some big money making opportunity here by flushing it down? Was there a market I didn’t know about? 

 

By my fourth cup of water Debbie was leading me by the arm back into the bathroom. 

 

“Lift up your gown and spread your legs.” she ordered once I sat on the toilet. I had to clench every muscle in order to fight the reflex of going right then and there. She handed me the sterile wipe and I cleaned myself before throwing it in the trash. When she squatted down in front of me holding the cup in place I had to look away. It felt like a replay of yesterday. I tried to relax but I couldn’t. The awkwardness was only made worse by Debbie trying to hold a conversation down there. 

 

“Are you having any more hallucinations?” 

 

“No.” I mumbled. I couldn’t believe I had thought I saw a dead Jackson coming for me. Now that I was awake and feeling better, it seemed more and more like a dream. Debbie explained what sleep paralysis was, and it was far more likely my illness had brought on an episode than a dead teenager crawling on his hands and knees haunting the house. I admitted I had watched The Grudge the other night on my phone and that seemed to end that conversation. 

 

“Anything yet?” I shook my head. She got up and turned on the faucet and that seemed to do the trick. After another minute I was able to go enough for the test. Debbie’s ability to play catch seemed to have improved. 

 

After another ten minutes of sitting on the wax paper covered table the doctor came in and began asking questions. Debbie spared no details in telling the tale of how I played Picaso on her bathroom floor. She even mentioned changing diapers and waking up the whole house screaming. The doctor agreed with her theory and chalked to up to a mixture of childhood imagination and illness. 

 

He poked around my stomach and sides. I winced when he began touching my lower right side. He talked with Debbie instead of me and I grew irritated. I kept hearing the words “stones” and “crystals”. I knew he didn’t mean gemstones, but I amused myself by imagining that’s why everyone wanted my urine. I peed diamonds. 

 

By the time we left I still had no idea what was wrong. He hadn’t said a word to me, just talked medical jargon that went over my head with Debbie and handed her a prescription. 

 

“What was he saying?” I asked as we sat in the drive thru at Walgreens. 

 

“He said he found evidence of kidney stones in your urine.”

 

“What’s that mean?” 

 

“It means you’re going to take it easy for a few days, drink lots of water, take your medicine and hope your body takes care of the rest.” I didn’t like the way she had ended that sentence.

 

“What’s ‘the rest’?”  She grimaced and flashed a sympathetic smile. It seemed my trouble was not done just yet. 

 

“The medicine should help things... come out easier.” I really didn’t like where this was going. “I’m sorry, sweetie, but you’re going to have to pee it out.” 

 

It didn’t sound that bad, until she answered my next question.

 

“Will it hurt?” 

 

“Maybe.”

 

That was a large red flag for “yes”

 

Debbie handed me a large bag from the drive through window, and we headed back towards the house. I peeked inside and pulled out what looked like a funnel with mesh on the bottom. What in the hell kind of torture device was this? 

 

When we got home, I had planned on going back to sleep. I still felt like a mix between human and whatever it felt like to be a squashed dead squirrel on the side of the road. I stopped when I got to the doorway though. Try as I might, I couldn’t entirely rid myself of the memory of seeing the boy with the bloody mouth. I knew it wasn’t real, but I just couldn’t get myself to go in. It gave me the creeps sleeping where someone once died. 

 

I made my way over to the couch and nudged Lily over, who watched television so intently as if it held all of the answers to life, and laid down. I winced as my lower stomach gave off a dull  ache in protest. I tried to relax, but I could smell Lily from the other end of the couch. New day new rules I guess. 

 

“Lily.” I moaned. “You’re supposed to use the potty.” She ignored me in favor of Yoohoo to the Rescue. I doubted my stomach could handle changing a messy diaper right now. It made me want to gag. I hid from the smell under my blanket and wondered how Debbie managed to put up with me last night. The smell alone must have been tear inducing. If I was at home my parents would have left me in the bathtub or something and sealed the door with caution tape. 

 

I had almost fallen asleep when Debbie walked by and got a whiff.  

 

“Woah, which one of you is that?” Lily and I both pointed at each other. “Eliza, you didn’t get sick again, did you?” I shook my head but she lifted up the blanket anyway. I was back in underwear so it was easy to rule me out as the culprit. “Lily! We were making such good progress yesterday!” She just shrugged, eyes glued to the tv. She was still in her diaper from last night, so at least it wouldn’t be the blow out from a pull up. 

 

Debbie left for a few minutes before coming back and placing Lily’s changing mat on the floor. I was normally immune to Lily’s butt bombs, but I didn’t trust my body right now. I rolled over and hid my face back under the blanket to block out any unpleasant stimuli. I didn’t want to give my brain any reason to hit the eject button. 

 

“Alright, Lily, you’re all set. Let’s try and make it to the potty next time.” I uncovered my head when I felt a tap on my arm. “You’re turn.”

 

“My turn for what?” I asked. She held up a tube of cream. 

 

“Come lay down.” 

“Oh, umm, I can do it myself.” The sight of the cream made me realize how much it still burned down there. 

 

“Let me handle things for now until you’re more stable.” She patted the mat again. I looked at Lily, but she was glued again to the tv. I gingerly made my way to the floor, wincing at all the aches and pains. “How are you feeling?” She asked as she pulled my underwear off. 

 

“Sore,” I replied. I audibly moaned as I tried to roll on my side. My stomach was so tender any movement made it ache. It felt like I had been doing crunches all night. 

 

“I bet.” I heard the same elastic sound as last night and I turned my head to find her putting on a purple latex glove. “It’s going to be cold. Ready?” It wasn’t nearly as bad as last night now that I knew what was happening. “There you go.” I tried to get up, but she stopped me. “Where are you going? I’m not done with you yet.” My face fell when I saw what she was holding.

 

“I’m not sick to my stomach anymore.” I protested. 

 

“And i’m very glad to hear that, sweetie, but now we have a new problem that needs addressing. You know those pills you got? They’re meant to relax your urethra, and you’re going to be drinking lots of water for the next few days. I bet you’re also tired and miserable, and going to want to sleep. So why don’t we just have you wear it just in case and see how you do. I’m quite attached to my furniture.”

 

“I don’t want to.” I tried to sit up, but in my current state Debbie kept me down with a single hand. “It hurts.” I groaned, holding my stomach. Trying to fight against her was a bad idea. It didn’t hurt like I was going to be sick, but I was in no shape to resist. If I wanted out of this i’d have to use my words. 

 

I tried to talk her out of it, I really did, but in the end she managed to lift me up by the legs and slide it under me so fast I knew it pointless. One way or another I was staying in this diaper whether I wanted to be or not. With my spirit broken, I laid still and let her finish.

 

“I really didn’t think Lily’s diapers would fit me.” I admitted when she let me sit up. 

 

“Of course not.” She laughed. “These are James’s” 

 

“Oh.” I said. It made sense. “So you’re used to this.” 

 

“Yes. James has a foley catheter, but needs diapers for solid waste.” I stayed where I was for a moment as I tried to phrase my question. Unable to make it any less blunt, I decided to just go for it.

 

“What’s wrong with him?” She smiled a sad smile before listing off a dozen or so conditions from seizures to multiple organ failures. She went on to explain how he spends the majority of the day connected to a TPN and how he was no longer able to absorb nutrients in the traditional sense. The number of surgeries he’s had over the years was staggering. 

 

“Sometimes he’s lucid enough to somewhat communicate, but usually he just stares off into space. He even says random words at times, but they usually have no meaning. He had a stroke last year.” 

 

“Does he walk at all?”

 

“Oh no, he’s not strong enough for that. If I stood him up, he’d fall back down. Here, let’s get you up.” She offered me her hand and managed to help me back to the couch. She came back with a bottle of water, a pill and a heating pad. I took the medicine and held the heating pad to my stomach as I settled down.”

 

“Lily, sweety, how about you let your sister watch tv?” 

 

I didn’t really want to watch tv, but I wasn’t opposed to something playing in the background that didn’t have drawl of a program aimed at small children. 

 

“Anything in particular you want to watch?”

 

“I don’t really care.” I said closing my eyes. “Just not a toddler program, the voices are a little too annoying right now.” 

 

“Oh I know, you two used to love this show.” I smiled as Scooby Doo came on. James and I had definitely been nuts for it. I drifted off to sleep with the fond memories of searching the backyard jungle for monsters. 

 

I was in and out the rest of the morning and into the afternoon. I could hear Debbie’s voice coming from the kitchen and Lily chattering on about something. 

 

“Oh, no worries, it’s nothing serious! It’s my fault, really. I fed her a bunch of junk food and let her out on the trampoline. She got an upset tummy and threw up once. Ten minutes later and she was back out like nothing happened.”

 

“Lies.” A raspy voice said. I spun my head around. My mouth hung open. James was sitting in a wheelchair next to me. We stared at each other, and I saw intelligence and lucidity in his eyes. He looked awful, but he looked there. 

 

“Can you-” He put his finger to his lips. 

 

“Lies.” He whispered again. “Always.”

 

“I wouldn’t say she’s been giving me an attitude, but she does have a bit of a flair for the dramatic. When she’s with me she acts like she’s on death's door, but when she thinks I’m not looking she’s up and around like nothing’s wrong.” 

 

I knit my eyebrows together. Was she talking about me? What does she mean I threw up once? 

 

“I guess you could say she’s been acting out, but it’s more like immature behavior than anything. Some of it surprised me. No, no, nothing like that. It’s something I’d expect from someone Lily’s age. Well, take yesterday, she was having fun and didn’t want to come inside to use the restroom and- Yes… she did. Well first she asked if she could pee in the grass and when I said no. . .Well she’s not here right now. I let her walk down to the corner and get something to drink. She’s been complaining about the tap water… yes yes I’ll let her know you called. It’s really not a problem, Lily’s been an angel. We’ve been making good progress. Alright, you enjoy your trip.” 

 

Was that...my mom? Why would Debbie say that? I never… well, I did technically ask to pee in the grass. And I did have an accident. And complain about the water, but the rest were lies! I felt a pang of hurt. 

 

“Lay down.” he said. “She’s coming.”

 

I did as James said and Debbie walked to where we were carrying a syringe. I peeked out between my blanket to see an empty glaze in James’s face and a mouthful of drool gliding down his chin in a way that looked all too familiar. Debbie pulled the syringe out of a tube connected in his upper arm and I felt a chill run down my spine in realization. It wasn’t Jackson I had seen last night in my room. It was James. 

[D503]

Loving this story. Munchausen By Potty.

[kerry]

4 hours ago, D503 said:

Loving this story. Munchausen By Potty.

Nice pun! I since it's totally out there now (even to the extent of being tagged that way), I can respond more to this finely crafted story. I wrote (on another site) that it was Munchausen after Ch 2, and SashaButters seemed to feel that I had realized that too quickly and spoiled the surprise. I really didn't thing so: I only got it b/c it was so well-written, and I didn't think that the secret would last long anyway. However, I withdrew my post and let the story go on. Now that the author has clearly decided that the secret is not the story's center (and I agree), I think it's fair to discuss MbP and how it is being used here. 

I am no expert on this—my knowledge is based solely on MbP's appearances in newspapers and pop culture—but I think it is a wonderful idea on the author's part to make it part of an ABDL story. I've never seen this done before in any way, or even suggested, and for it to be done this well is a credit to SashaButters' writing skills. I love the jumping back and forth in time: it shows both cause and effect perfectly, and highlights the emotional reason why a caregiver might reduce someone to this state, providing a connection to reality that is missing from so many of these stories, where parents seem to spontaneously want to baby their teens for no apparent reason. I'm a bit surprised by the brazen lies that Debbie told the mom, but only insofar as that the end goal here must be to make Eliza so weak that she needs to care for her as she would a small child, thus fulfilling her internal need to do so. (With that in mind, wouldn't her parents find out anyway?)

I know that this kind of reality-based story is not going to be everyone's cup of tea on a fantasy/fetish site—not a "sex site," as someone claimed—but I think there is more than enough room for it alongside the Diaper Dimension and robot nurseries and other highly imaginative but not at all realistic entries. I for one am very glad that it is here, and I think it is an excellent story.