A Stuffy's Tale: How An Elephant Saved Their Little, A Story in the Diaper Dimension (Chapter 17 - Complete)

[LostBBoyBear]

Chapter 10: A Gentle Face Amongst the Gruff

Willy and I sat for a moment and our combined efforts eventually got the sealed lid off the food that had been packed for Willy to go to daycare tomorrow. I never thought I would say it, but I really wished that we had actually gone to that unknown daycare like we were supposed to with Gina and Harry. Sure, our previous one was great, but I also knew that they had spiked bottles and played hypnotic tunes for any new and unregressed Littles. Willy was fine, but a boy called Frederick had come in one day, sure of himself and far more mature than anyone else there. Two weeks later, he had a near permanent glazed look on his face, walking was a challenge, his favorite show was Jasper and Jinx, and his diaper always seemed to need to be changed.

Satisfied and filled up, Willy saddled his backpack, picked me up, and headed back out of the sewer. A quick listen and then cautious look around the outside of the manhole cover revealed that the gunmen had long since left the area. Willy and I then slunk quietly from corner to corner until we found the main police station of this area, having visited when Daddy had given them a hefty check to improve their drug enforcement sector. ‘Oh, the irony now…’

The building was imposing to any who walked by, and any casual observer couldn’t help but overlook the columns and other decorative bits or architecture and spot the barred windows and the criminals being hauled in around back. With a deep sigh, I squeezed Willy’s hand and we both walked up the stairs and into the precinct office. It was a desperate move, but it felt like the only one we had.

Inside was a commotion of traffic I had rarely seen in my life up until now. A line had formed in front of the desk, and Willy and I took our place behind several other Middles and Bigs, which gave me time to look around. Nearby were Bigs, Middles, and Littles, all easily spotted with various maladies and talking to an officer, or in handcuffs themselves and being questioned or hauled away towards the rear of the building. I was so distracted by what I was seeing that I didn’t notice a few looks toward Willy with ravenous eyes or even when a kindly older lady in front of us turned around and looked right at him directly.

“Oh… oh my.” I immediately shifted my attention back to the now crouching woman before us. “Are you lost, little one?”

“Uh… no? I’m in da powice stay…shun…” Willy said, almost tripping over the word, ‘station.’

“Ah. I see. Needing to talk to someone then?” Willy nodded his head. “Well, in that case, I think someone deserves a VIP pass to the front of the line, does that sound good?” Willy nodded his head, a little more enthusiastically this time. I didn’t relish the idea of talking to the cops sooner, but I knew it had to happen eventually.

The older lady then gently guided Willy up to the front of the line. Many in front of us were upset over the initial intrusion, but once they saw the cute but slightly dirty Little with her, they let us on by without question. It was one of the few perks of being a Little in this society. Once we were at the front, the kind lady resumed her place at the back of the line, and we waited for the front desk officer to see us once he had finished the paperwork on the person right in front of us.

“Nex… hello?” the officer questioned, slightly confused over what he was, or in this case, not seeing.

“Down hewe!” Willy yelped from below the heavy wooden desk in front of us.

The mustached officer then peered over the desk and looked at us in a funny way for a moment, but I guess once the shock wore off seeing a Little alone and waiting in line so patiently, he spoke back up. “Hello there. Is there something I can do for you? I’m afraid our tour of the building for Littles is closed today, but…”

“I wan’ to repor’ an assaul’!” Willy said loudly. It was probably too loud as everyone within earshot of us suddenly stopped what they were doing and looked right at us. ‘No turning back now…’

“I’m sorry… did you say assault?” the officer asked, blinking as he tried to comprehend what he had just heard.

“Yeah… buh’… buh’… I’m nah suwe dat’s wah iss cawed…”

“Oh, okay… let’s see… wait… it’s you.” The front desk officer’s eyes grew wide, and I braced for the ensuing chaos that was sure to follow. Having come from a prominent family whose home had been shot up and there had been no sign of their Little, I imagined that many had been desperately searching for Willy. “Officer Mendez! Front desk… now!”

A tall and dark-haired man then came jogging quickly to the front as if he had just been called up to bat next. “What’s up, Derek?” he asked, oblivious to Willy’s presence nearby.

“Ahem… this,” Officer Derek said, pointing to us, “is Willy… Willy Galpin.”

“Oh… oh!” the realization of who we were suddenly struck Officer Mendez as Willy only nodded to further confirm his identity. “Oh, thank you. Thank you so much! Gosh!” He then turned his attention toward us. “We were so worried about you. When we didn’t see you at the scene…” Officer Mendez then coughed and straightened himself back up. It was typical Big behavior when dealing with a Little. Their instincts would just take over and almost everyone would be a breath away from hugging a Little right on the spot. As an officer of the law and likely trying to maintain his macho reputation, this instinct had to be stamped down quickly. “Uhh... right. Just follow me.”

Officer Mendez then held out his hand and Willy took it right away with the arm not still holding onto me. After a walk through the station where every cop was looking at us, I could feel the weight of their stares. Some seemed sympathetic, some groaned, and some looked like they wanted to snatch us away with good or bad intentions, I honestly couldn’t tell.

In addition to the officers, several of the suspects or confirmed criminals also looked at us. Their faces bored into us with all their fury, and I honestly couldn’t tell if they were missing their own Little or if they were on the search for a new one. At this point though, their intentions didn’t matter. All that mattered now was that Willy whimpered a little, obviously feeling the stares as much as I was. I discretely stroked his arm when I was more or less out of sight, just to give him some degree of comfort.

Finally, we made it to an interrogation room where the familiar and smiling Detective Wright was waiting for us. “Officer Mendez. I see you’ve brought our little guest of honor with you.” Detective Wright then bent down and looked at us squarely with his big blue eyes. “A lot of people thought you were kidnapped or… worse. I’m so glad my little deputy is all okay.”

“I… I… don’ have youw badge de… detec…”

“Oh, that’s totally okay,” Detective Wright interjected, recognizing the difficulty that Willy was having with saying his full title. He got back up and then went over to what was presumably his desk and retrieved another shiny gold star. “Here, take this one.” Willy smiled widely at the new star and allowed Detective Wright to crouch down and then pin it to his shortalls.

“Dank you…” Willy said, blushing again over his new prized possession.

“Absolutely, Deputy Willy.” He then stood up once more and opened a nearby door. “Now then, just please, step inside and we can sit and have a little chat.”

Officer Mendez then gently guided us into the barren room and took off Willy’s still present backpack and set it on the ground. He then hoisted us up and set us down in front of a cold metal table on the awaiting chair already in the room, now conveniently prepped with a booster seat. Now sitting, I could tell that Willy found the hard plastic uncomfortable, but after a moment of adjusting and crinkling loudly, he relented and just sat still with an exasperated sigh while hugging me closely.

Officer Mendez and Detective Wright then sat down across from us, a large mirror behind their backs. “Now then,” Detective Wright began, “we have a pretty good idea of what’s been going on, but just tell us in your own words. Just breathe easy and take your time.”

Willy sighed and then took a deep breath. For the next few minutes, Willy detailed several of the parts of what had happened. Detective Wright and Officer Mendez began to lean in closer when Willy talked about having seen at least three of the assailants at our house the other day, and then even further when he talked about what had just happened tonight with the addition of the names he had heard and didn’t reveal the other day.

“I see… Stand and Joe? And a safehouse, huh?” Detective Wright clarified. Willy just nodded his head.

“That lines up, Detective,” Officer Mendez said, turning to Detective Wright. “We got reports of a shooting in that neighborhood with the facility that Miss Glifford has running there. 81, I think? They were all questioned in the past hour after we found the… mess that was there, but none of them could remember a thing. From the residue on the walls, we’re thinking memory gas. Plus, Miss G is a bit of a mess… definitely questioned and well… other things,” Officer Mendez tried to imply, subtly indicating he didn’t want to say more in front of the Little before them now. My mind raced with the possibilities of what happened to Miss G, but I was just glad that she and the others were still alive.

“Well, I guess we know who’s responsible now…” Detective Wright mused. Both then looked toward Willy with the same scheming look. For a moment, I thought they would have the gault to blame him for the mistakes of Mommy and Daddy, but I was put at ease when their expressions only turned into smiles. “Willy, we need to go outside for a moment and talk some things over for a minute. Will you be okay in here by yourself for just a bit?”

Willy nodded and the two still smiling officers left the room. Knowing the room was likely being monitored from behind the two-way mirror, I didn’t move, but I knew I could at least speak quietly. If Willy spoke back, everyone would just assume that it was one of his regressed tendencies to just be cutely talking to his stuffy.

“Willy, they could be watching, so I won’t move, but we can still talk. Are you okay?”

“I’m scawed Tus’. Why dey go ou’ wike dat? Did I say sumfin’ won’?”

“No, no, buddy. It’s all okay. They probably just need to talk about the next steps. I’ve got you no matter what, but both of them seem like good people. Detective Wright even gave you another badge.”

“Yeah!” Willy exclaimed, but then immediately looked worried again. “Bu wah abou’ da bad men? Dey hewe? Awe we in danguh?”

“Here?” I thought for a moment about the officers we had seen so far. I didn’t know Officer Mendez very well, but it seemed like he had a rapport with Detective Wright, and I definitely didn’t get a bad vibe of the aging detective. No, it had to be someone else. Probably one of the officers who had been eyeing us so intently outside. “I don’t think so. Those two at least seem like good people to me.”

“I gwess so… I jus’…”

The door to the room then slowly opened. I thought it was going to be Detective Wright and Officer Mendez re-entering, but instead, it was another familiar face. “Knock, knock,” Molly said as she smiled and playfully knocked on the already open door.

“Mowwy! Iss you!” Willy said, never sounding so relieved in his life. Apparently, the brief interaction between the two last week had left a lasting impression on him. Based on her wide and infectious grin, I’d imagine that Willy had left an impression on her as well.

“Well, hello there to just the cutest widdle deputy here! How are you doing, Willy? Are you okay? Are you hurt? Hungry?” the kindly officer started to pour out with her questions as she walked over to Willy, the door shutting behind her. For his part, Willy just smiled at her tenderness and thoughtfulness. After the events of the past few days, he didn’t seem like he wanted to waste another sign of affection toward him.

“I’m okay… goh’ some owies an’ I was weally scawed, Mowwy, but Tus’ hewe kep’ me safe!” I was then held up and presented to Molly like a precious gift being bestowed to another.

“Oh, I see. What a wonderful protector you have there.” Molly then reached out and playfully ruffled the top of my head. If I was a cat, I don’t think I could have stopped myself from purring with the wonderful feelings I felt just from her single dose of affection toward me. Mommy had never done that before herself…

Molly’s smile vanished though, and she then slowly crouched down in front of us and placed her hand tenderly on Willy’s leg. “I’m really sorry all this happened. There should have been men to protect you but…” Molly then stopped herself. It looked like she wanted to say more, but her quick glance toward the mirror made me think that in her position as one of the officers on this case, she couldn’t reveal more.

“I…” Molly looked like she wanted to burst and tell us everything right then and there, but after a single calming breath, she continued. “I’m just glad you’re okay.” She then grinned at my now cuddled form. “I’m just glad you had Tusk with you…”

She looked distant once more, but after another breath continued. “Willy, I wanted to talk to you about a few things. First, I just want you to know that your mommy and daddy went into surgery and the doctors said they were at least stable for now…”

“Mommy an’ Daddy awe okay?” Willy burst out before Molly could continue.

“Well… maybe for now… but they’re going to need time to heal at least, so I need to know something else from you.” Willy nodded. “Did your mommy or daddy ever mention who they wanted to take care of you if something should ever happen to them? Like if they went out of town or something like that?”

Willy then started to stroke his chin and think back to all the conversations they had from earlier. From my previous recollections in the woods the other night and trying to figure out where to go next, I had realized that there was no one that I had ever heard about. I didn’t like where this was heading…

Willy shook his head. “I don’ dink so…? Dey nevuh weally talk’d abou’ dat stuff… I jus’ don’ know… sowwy…”

“Oh… I see… well, that’s okay, but I can promise you that you’ll safe here and everything is going to be alright. You have my word on that, okay?” Willy nodded and Molly seemed to think hard about something for a moment, but then looked like she had a sudden epiphany. Now, the bright-eyed detective turned to Willy and began to speak in the sweetest voice I think I had ever heard. “Willy, would you…”

The door then flung open, revealing a severely annoyed and impatient Officer Mendez and Detective Wright. “Officer Donovan, that’s enough. Thank you for your service, but I think we can take it from here,” Officer Mendez commanded, trying to shoo her away.

Molly shakily stood up but we both spotted Detective Wright hovering around behind the foreboding Officer Mendez. Seeming like she had a goal in mind, she quickly brushed past the stern officer and directly confronted the detective outside. Officer Mendez rolled his eyes but just stood there and kept the door open. Willy seemed to just cutely enjoy looking at his reflection in the now unobstructed mirror, but I wanted to listen in.

The chaotic nature of the precinct outside with the nightly traffic of cops and criminals allowed me to hear only part of the conversation, but it was enough to get a general idea.

“Detective… needs… to stay…” Molly pleaded.

“Forget… can use… he’s seen their…” Detective Wright shot back.

“But he’s… Little! …too dangerous!” Molly shouted.

“I… bad idea… what… if they… after you?” the detective countered.

“But wouldn’t he… safer… me?” Molly questioned.

I could then see Detective Wright groan and shake in frustration, but ultimately nod in approval. In an instant, Molly simultaneously looked like someone had just dumped a load of ants in her pants and knocked her up with laughing gas. The previously stoic, but kindly officer then practically pranced back in the room. For a second, she almost looked like she had sneered at Officer Mendez, but her focus was solely on Willy now once fully entering the room.

She gingerly waltzed over to Willy and crouched down once more, barely able to do so with all her building apparent excitement over something. “Willy, I just spoke with the detective. They think you can help them out lots with what you’ve seen, but that won’t be for a few more days. Usually, when a min… someone like you doesn’t have someone to take care of them, we send them to one of our systems in place…”

I could feel Willy tremble in fear over such a prospect and I could see the immediate panic overtake Molly’s face. “But it doesn’t have to be that way!” she quickly added. “There’s another…” Molly then paused and took a giant breath to try and steady herself a bit. “Willy, would you like to come stay with my husband and I back at our home?” she asked, once again using the sweet voice I had heard earlier.

Without asking or needing any prompt, Willy burst out of his chair, nearly falling on his face after the fall from being in the booster seat but landed directly into Molly’s arms. The officer seemed shocked for a moment, but from my position now behind her, I could see her tension release in a second and she quickly returned the hug. “I’ll take that as a yes then?”

“Yes, yes, oh yes, Mowwy!” Willy cried out, renewing the strength of his already tight hug. From my position behind, I could see that Officer Mendez seemed to roll his eyes again, but I also saw every other officer just cooing or smiling widely at the scene now unraveling before them in the interrogation room. I imagined that something like this didn’t happen too often in here…

The next minutes seemed to go by in a blur as Willy and Molly soon broke their hug and walked triumphantly out of the interrogation room and past a seemingly frustrated Officer Mendez. If I had to take a guess, he was likely more of a ‘by the books’ type of guy and wanted Willy to go into the system where there would be fewer possible complications. He seemed like a good officer, but in this case, I was glad that he hadn’t gotten his way.

Back in the main area of the precinct, Molly then signed a bunch of paperwork, talked with Detective Wright once more, and then turned in for the end of her shift. Moments later after talking to her superior, Sgt. Manis, we all paraded out the precinct door and to Molly’s baby blue car parked in the gated rear of the building.

Getting towards the side door of what I could only guess was an SUV after perusing through a few of Daddy’s magazines one night when I was bored, Molly then opened the door. Inside, almost looking new besides a few tiny crumbs and some minor scuff marks, lay a perfectly sized car seat. “Alright, Willy. This car seat is used by my sister’s Littles, but I think it should work for you. Do you need a hand getting in?”

Willy looked from his position on the asphalt at the bottom of the side door to the car and just stared up at the car seat, an object at least two or three of his heads high above him. He reached his arms up simply, hoisting me high above his head as he did so. “Hewp, pwease.”

Molly nearly melted right there. “Oh, goodness! I’ve got such a polite little gentleman with me, huh? Kent better watch himself. I guess he’s got some competition now,” she joked. Willy only blushed at the compliment as Molly then playfully bent down and picked Willy up to place in the car seat.

Fortunately, not being on the younger side of being a Little, Willy was still able to face forward in his new seat. After a moment of a few fumbling’s with the buckles, Molly had him securely fastened. “Just sit tight, honey. We’ll be at my place soon.” Willy only grinned, drummed his feet on the edge of the seat, and hugged me tightly.

After closing the side door and getting in the front seat, Molly started the car and soon, we were speeding out of the gated rear lot and down the street to where she presumably lived. A short time later, we pulled up to a moderately-sized townhouse, the front windows adorned with window boxes full of colorful plants that I could even still see clearly in the mostly night atmosphere.

“We’re here!” Molly announced happily to Willy as she parked on the street out front her townhouse. A short fumbling with the car seat buckles once again and Willy and I were free. Starting to feel the weight from the past few days and nearing his bedtime, when Molly offered to carry him upstairs, he put up no resistance.

Entering into the townhouse, we were immediately greeted by a lanky Big with nicely styled hair and a pair of thick framed but fashionable glasses. “Hello you two! Welcome home!” he greeted.

Willy squirmed nervously, but Molly just rubbed his back a bit and walked over to the figure before us. “Good to see you, honey, but like we talked about, Kent, this is Willy.”

“Ah, the famous Willy.” He inched closer to us. “How you doin’, buddy?” Kent asked playfully to Willy.

Willy shifted around uncomfortably but eventually relented and held out his hand. “Hewwo Ken’. I…” Yawn. “pwetty good…” Willy said sleepily.

“Oh, I think I know someone whos’ all tuckered out. I think he’s need of a good sleep, honey, but were you able to set up what I asked for?” Molly asked, rubbing Willy’s back as he began to nod off a bit on her chest, not even really hearing the conversation anymore around him. I was briefly worried I was going to slip from his loosening grip, but Willy just reeled me in with his outstretched hand and curled me in close to his chest before yawning once more. Kent and Molly just smiled warmly and looked on at their new guest.

“Of course, dear. All set up and ready for this little guy,” Kent said after a moment.

“Perfect, as usual.” Molly smiled and gave Kent a large peck on the cheek. Sensing Willy’s tired state, she motioned at her husband and then brought the two of us up the stairs and to one of the doors on the second floor.

Inside was a nicely decorated nursery that looked like it had seen some use but also that it hadn’t necessarily been designed for one Little in mind. Books lined one wall, but sports equipment lined another. One costume looked to be the remnants of a knight, but another corner sported what looked like part of a princess dress.

Now, I know full-well that Littles can reach across the spectrum for genders, either selected themselves or usually a preferred one for certain Bigs, regardless of their original identity, but this felt different.

As if to answer my question, Molly then spoke up to a nodding off Willy. “My two nieces sometimes stay the night. The car seat you just rode in is usually Nathan’s. Tiffany comes over as well, but her mommy, my sister, doesn’t live too far away, so she mostly just stays in here to have some fun or take a nap. Unless you want to wear a princess dress, we can just move that stuff out tomorrow someplace else.”

Willy mumbled something, but his head had started to drift further downward on Molly’s shoulder and a small string of drool even threatened to fall from his lips. “Well, that’s okay. We can always talk more tomorrow. For now, I think someone needs a change, and…” Molly then sniffed Willy’s hair, “a bath probably wouldn’t be out of the question. What do you think?”

Again, the barely conscious Willy mumbled something, but this time only limply nodded his head as well. Taking her cue, Molly worked quickly to lay Willy and I down on the changing table and quickly strip him of all his garments. In his tired state, Willy just lay on the table limply and allowed Molly to do her work for the night. In a second, both were then off to the hallway where I then heard the water running.

Not long after, Molly and a freshly scrubbed Willy came back in. After a quick diapering, Willy was then dressed in a bird-themed footed sleeper and placed in the nearby awaiting crib. I was set in Willy’s arms and was soon cuddled in tightly. Molly just smiled at the two of us and finished up our preparation for the night with a sippy cup full of milk that Kent had laid out along with the footed sleeper earlier.

“You don’t need to drink this, but I think it may help a bit. All good dreams and whatnot.” She then started to count on her fingers. “Now, let’s see, diaper, bath, jammies, milk… I think that’s everything. I would normally read you a story or something of the sort, but I think you’re about to pass out any second now. If you wake back up though, we can always do something else then.”

Molly then walked to the door and flicked off the light. “Goodnight, Willy. Sweet dreams and just know that you’re safe and that tomorrow will be a better day.” Molly then closed the door almost all the way, and like all the other closed doors when we fell asleep, only a crack of light remained from the outside hallway.

Now, left alone with Willy in this new nursery at Molly’s and Kent’s home, I could finally just take a breath and relax for the moment. Willy was soon peacefully snoring, and I couldn’t help but feel content in that single moment and just breathe for a moment.

Despite all the negatives against us outside of this home, we were now surrounded by two seemingly good people, one of whom was a cop and who had even seemed to have fought for us to be brought here. Plus, she had mentioned that she was doing this for our benefit. I had been around enough Bigs at that point to know that hearing one talk like that was a big deal.

Staring up at the multi-colored ceiling that spawned from the nearby colorful night light, I had to be happy where we were. It could have been a fool’s hope, but it was still something that Willy and I could both cling onto right now, and further, we both knew that this stability was something not to be taken lightly. Tomorrow was another day, but for whatever reason, I couldn’t help but drift off myself and smile a little that just maybe we had at last turned a corner.

[Guilend]

I bet Miss G was given a suppository after a spanking for lying and her panties put back and she couldn't use the potty till she told them where the Little was. She eventually told them, but didn't make it to the potty before making a big mess in her big girl panties in front of her staff. 😏 

 

I really hope this officer is a good one. I really hope she doesn't betray them later. 

[LostBBoyBear]

1 hour ago, Guilend said:

I bet Miss G was given a suppository after a spanking for lying and her panties put back and she couldn't use the potty till she told them where the Little was. She eventually told them, but didn't make it to the potty before making a big mess in her big girl panties in front of her staff. 😏 

 

I really hope this officer is a good one. I really hope she doesn't betray them later. 

Maybe... I'm not telling either way.

Have a little faith in this society. Not all caretakers are bad...

[Guilend]

1 minute ago, LostBBoyBear said:

Maybe... I'm not telling either way.

Good, because I like my idea lol. 

 

1 minute ago, LostBBoyBear said:

Have a little faith in this society. Not all caretakers are bad...

It's not just that society or caretakers, I simply have trust issues in general lol. I was a corrections officer for 2 years in my early 20s, many, many years ago and I spent a little over 2 years homeless not to many years ago, so I have my reasons to see the boogie man around every corner lol. 

[dirtydingus84]

Something about all the officers. Even Molly has an agenda maybe not as sinister but yeah still messed up. Another great chapter

[LostBBoyBear]

So, this is a bit of a longer chapter. I was originally going to break it up into two, but I realized I didn't like the split in the story that Tusk was telling. Plus, I knew this section was really only going to be about the background of the two main characters and not drive the story completely forward as other chapters have. I knew I needed to address the curiosity that a concerned Molly and Kent would have, but simply stating it as a one-off line felt like a missed opportunity to me. 

Also, I'm considering spacing out when I post any future chapters with my stories. I'm not entirely sure, but I almost feel that I'm overwhelming any of the readers with too much too soon, especially considering the rate at which other writers post their own stories. I'm not sure how anyone feels about this one way or another, but I just wanted to put it out there at this point.

Anyway, hope everyone enjoys this next chapter!

Chapter 11: A Long Road

The next morning came bright and early. Molly was as chipper as ever and for once, I found myself waking up and not dreading the day. To be fair though, I may have been a little biased as my powerful trunk sniffed the delectable air and smelled such heavenly scents that could only come from freshly made blueberry pancakes.

Sure enough, after a quick change, Willy was brought downstairs in his pajamas, and we were both greeted by a heavenly sight of an at least two-foot-tall stack of steaming and blue-stained blueberry pancakes.

The mess that Willy made was intolerable but his peals of laughter as Kent and Molly joked around with him made it all worth it. The whole ordeal may have lasted only for ten minutes at most, but those ten minutes were some of the happiest that I had seen Willy ever react to. ‘Was it too much to ask if this became more… permanent? At least with how happy he is?’

Such thoughts were wondrous, but also seemed too lofty. For all anyone knew at this point, Mommy and Daddy were still recovering, while elements from Boss Cardigan and his men were still out there with Willy being one of the few who could still remember their faces and possibly connect them back to their leader.

Regardless though, for now, I only wanted to focus on Willy’s laughter, and for once, I almost didn’t even seem to be needed. The echoing laughter was followed by gigantic smiles, which were all then followed by some infectious giggling. Of course, despite my efforts not being needed to cheer Willy up for once, Molly and Kent both made sure to include me in several activities. It was all pretend as far as they were concerned, but their care to include me in everything was still extraordinarily refreshing.

Molly and Kent even took us to a local park to play on the slides and swings there with the most beautiful day all around us. Birds chirped, butterflies danced about the meadows beyond, and the sun seemed to shine just perfectly for us. After a quick snack there consisting of one of the nutritious cookies and some juice, we were all back at it. The day wasn’t even half over, but I could still call everything amazing in every sense of the word and a better day than either of us had in some time.

Willy began to slow down however and as wise, at least for now, temporary caregivers, both Molly and Kent recognized the need to go home and get some much-needed lunch. A scrumptious feast was followed by a well-timed nap once back inside. Willy was out in seconds, but he bore a perpetual grin even in his deep slumbers.

Molly, ever the caring figure then took the opportunity and slowly slid me out of Willy’s arms. ‘Was I being thrown away?’ My panic mode began to fully set in as Molly took me out of the nursery and brought me down the hallway to a room I hadn’t been to before.

It was the bathroom. “Here we go, Tusk. I know you’re just a stuffed animal, but I figured you could really use a bath about now. Can’t have one sweet smelling Little and a stinky stuffy now, can we?” My inner tension relaxed in a second. Mommy never bathed me herself before. It was always Nanny Sarah. ‘Geez. I hope she’s okay in all this mess.’

Molly then slowly turned on the water and filled it up with a bunch of bubbles. My trunk was practically electrified at the cacophony of pleasant floral scents that were now drifting into it. “I looked you up and all this should be good with what you got going on the inside. Here we go!” Molly then proceeded to dunk and scrub me as much as I possibly could. The funk of the past few days soon evaporated off and my gray exterior was soon smelling and looking as pristine as possible. Satsified after drying me fully off, Molly stealthily returned me to Willy’s crib.

When Willy awoke, all four of us went back and outside for a walk. A goofy Kent even suggested putting Willy up on his shoulders, something that Daddy had never done before. It was a sentiment I was growing accustomed to thinking around them by now.

Willy hesitated for a moment but just gave a small nod at the gesture. Kent, seeing Willy’s nervousness, started slowly but after a second of rapturous giggles, he leaned into the experience fully. Periods of intense horseplay and simulated rollercoasters were all followed by the non-stop laughter and amusement of Willy. Being situated and gripped continuously by him, I saw everything and even cracked a smile that all could see if they bothered to be paying attention to me at that point. Fortunately, the cutie clutching me was the center of attention for everyone passing by.

Back home, Willy and I played for a bit while Molly and Kent prepared dinner. To say that Willy was shocked that we all ate together afterward was an understatement. Molly and Kent only looked at him chowing down on his chicken and vegetables with a longing I hadn’t seen since waiting to be adopted at the regression center. ‘Was it still too early to hope?’

Regardless, we all settled back into their living room after dinner, all exhausted from the long day, but happy and seemingly at peace. Finally, Molly spoke up first as she rustled the blanket that now draped over her and Willy. “Willy, honey. I was just wondering… do you remember… before?”

“Molly!” Kent scolded. “We really shouldn’t pre…”

“No, Kent.” Molly said quickly to defend her personal question to the Little seated nearby. “If Willy wants to or is okay with it, I want to know about before…” Molly then trailed off for a moment as if she wanted to say more. She may have been digging around a bit now, but she knew she had to maintain at least a few boundaries.

Sensing the break and wanting to know more, Willy spoke up first. “Befo’…?” Willy asked, a curious expression now plastered across his face.

Kent sighed and relented to the line of questioning his wife had opened. “Before, you were regressed buddy. Molly and I were just wondering earlier… but don’t feel you have to tell us!” he quickly added, trying to defuse any potential meltdowns from such an inquiry.

“Oh… Jus’ bih’s an’ pieces weally. Iss wike a ba’ pi’tuwe. You see ih’, buh’ iss noh’ weally weal.” Willy sighed and snuggled into Molly under the blanket more. “Ih’ all stawted…”

Okay, so Willy can explain about his regression all he wants, and he sure is going to with Molly and Kent, but I think my perspective of this whole thing would be better… or at least clearer… or at least from someone who can pronounce ‘picture.’ Now, I can’t tell you what went on in his head for that whole time, but I was basically there from the beginning. Well… at least the most beginning that really matters in a regressed Littles life anyway…

*              *              *

‘So, this is it… Steady… crud! I don’t even have a name yet. Doesn’t matter man. Pull yourself together! You’re on your way to your Little right now. Just think of all the fun and all the…’

“Get that crap away from me, you stupid nurse!” a voice shouted from nearby.

‘Obviously an angry Little… maybe just some calm words and some…’

“That’s it, you insolent bratty Little!” a feminine voice shouted, one that I guessed belonged to the nurse that had just been yelled at presumably by my new Little. I heard some shuffling and then someone moaning behind some kind of obstruction. “There! That ought to keep you quiet,” she continued haughtily. “Naughty boys get punished in this place. It’s only your first day and we have to resort to this… tsk, tsk. Doesn’t bold very well for you… Now just lay still and this will be over in a moment.” The Little moaned a little more in frustration but was quickly silenced.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

“Are you going to be a good Little for us?” the nurse asked sternly but also with an oddly sweet tone mixed in. Another round of moaning and garbled yelling could be heard. “I guess that’s a no then… pity.”

Smack! Smack! Smack…

I lost track after 50 spanks were administered to the Little. The Wabash River Regression Center was known for its still traditional practices of regressing Littles, but its incorporation of new technology as well. As a result of these combined efforts, they had one of the highest rates of success for Little regression without turnover in the northern states of Libertalia. Only the southern states had better success, but Littles were often broken shells after those types of places…

“Has a certain Little learned their lesson today?” the nurse asked again after another round of ten hard spanks. This time, I only heard two short moans. “I’ll take that as a ‘yes, ma’am.’ Now, I’m going to remove your pacifier gag, but you’re just going to stay standing right there at the edge of the bed once I let you up. You have one more thing before I leave you alone with your thoughts for the night. Don’t make me regret not finishing your 80 spanks.”

I heard more shuffling and a little whimpering after but then the box I was in was suddenly lifted and brought closer to where I thought I heard the still sniveling Little. “Open it,” the nurse instructed. I heard more shuffling and then my box was opened, and light quickly poured in all around me.

In front of me, was a man. A Little to be sure compared to the Big nurse with chestnut brown hair dressed in kiddy scrubs near him, but a man, nonetheless. I’m not sure what I was expecting but a stubbled man with styled hair, a roundish nose, and reddened eyes, wasn’t it. Still, this Little was to be my charge. I knew he wasn’t going to get any love here at this stage, so I had to do that for him. It would just take time for him to love me back.

“This is your stuffy, Billy… sorry, William,” the nurse said mockingly as she corrected herself. “He’s to remain in this room with you at all times. He shouldn’t break, but any fault should be reported immediately. I expect a name by tomorrow morning… goodnight, William.” The nurse then exited the room without pomp, circumstance, or love of any kind. Purely clinical.

William was left alone with me and then looked at my displayed form with curious squinting eyes. I couldn’t read him at all, but his feelings were soon known to me. His face bunched up into a snarl of sorts and he threw me as hard as he could across the room. “Stupid nurse! Stupid place! Stupid me! Damn it! Why did I have to come to this dimension?”

From my discarded position on the floor, I could see William start to pace around the bare room. “Go on a vacation they said. See the wonder… I swear, if I ever get out, I’m suing that blasted tour company. One of my old buddies at the precinct back home should be able to point me in the right direction. Maybe Officer Bertrand? Yeah… Bertrand. Owes me after I saved his butt on that one shootout.” The Little began to stroke his rounded but firm chin in his thoughts to escape this place.

From my pre-loaded training for this center, I knew that this was highly common amongst male portal Littles. Doubly so for those who held a former position of power, law enforcement, or military background. William seemed like a former cop… ‘Maybe a detective even?’ I wasn’t sure, but I knew that my position on the floor wouldn’t last long. The maturity of the former law enforcement Little before me wouldn’t last either in this place… they never did.

*              *              *

So, time passed slowly but each night I would play my subliminal messages. By the third day, I wasn’t getting thrown anymore against the wall anymore, much to my back’s delight. I had even started to become William’s confidant in all his troubles. I knew he didn’t believe that I was real like a regressed Little would do, but his coping strategy for stress and loneliness was enough that I could learn more about my current Little.

He had been visiting a Little’s-only Island in fact, but unfortunately trying to see how the other half lived, he got caught up in a pirate raid. Not looking for doubloons or jewels mind you, but Littles themselves. Something just as valuable in this society, and William just happened to be one of the unfortunate captured souls and was sold to this place for a handsome fee.

The staff had called him Bill or Billy to mess with his preference for William, but I saw that it had little effect. I discovered from these verbal touts that the previous nurse confronting William was known as Nurse Tippy. I doubted that was her name and honestly, I believe it was only used to humiliate a Little further. ‘I can’t imagine the humiliation a former adult must feel having just been spanked by someone with the name of ‘Tippy’…’

In truth, things like that didn’t matter to me. I just cared about his overall progress and while he had more resistance to me and other typically Little things, he was still making strides towards our ultimate goal. For instance, now before bed and about after a week since we first met, William was just making a determination that I knew would be his first big step in that direction.

“Shit! Shit and double shit! I can’t wear these!” William cursed as he surveyed the blue package now on his bed. To his dismay, based on the stories he had heard in the day room he gathered at when he wasn’t in here, the package only meant one thing: pull-ups.

Nothing major of course in the grand scheme mind you, but William had wet the bed last night. The nurses went right to work in cleaning everything up but instead of admonishing him, they only praised his progress. William had the right instinct to not make a fuss or punch them squarely in the jaw like some Littles had done, but now alone at night, he knew he was expected to wear the new garments to bed. He knew he was being monitored and tracked. If he didn’t wear them, they would know. They always knew…

William paced back and forth for another solid hour, touching the package and then tossing them away over and over again before retrieving them and placing them back on the bed. I knew my nightly messages conveyed several things, but one was allowing my Little to make a choice. Other stuffy’s were hardwired to force the issue of diapers eventually. I found this destructive and detrimental to further the progress of the Little, however, especially after seeing the rest of the Littles in this place. Giving a Little a choice though, that stuck more somewhere in their head. It was a key to unlock something inside of them that allowed them a sense of maturity but also an acceptance of needing protection. For all they knew, it was padding to protect against something medical, but everyone outside of my Little would see and know differently. The padding was a sign of something so much more.

Finally, and to my relief, William relented and quickly dressed himself in their childish designs and relatively thick embrace. William’s eyes could only bug out in self-hatred and disbelief as he surveyed them closely. They rustled softly as he tried to get used to the new bulk between his thighs.

“I can’t believe this…” William then tearfully looked over at my slumped form on the bed. “Bet you’re just loving this, aren’t you, Doody?”

Darn it all did I hate that name. William had given it to me the first night as a joke for what he thought of me, but the nurses just accepted it and even called his efforts ‘cute.’ As my nightly messages continued though, I saw William begin to cringe each time he said my name, as he was doing now.

“Ugh! You know… you’re not so bad. Weird but… I don’t know. Heck, I might even call you a friend by now. Only one I got in here for sure. At the same time though, I just don’t trust you, Doody.” He cringed again, but this time was more acute and lasting. ‘Was his joke of my name finally getting to him more intensely? Was my Little beginning to crack in his acceptance of me?’ I didn’t have to wait long to find out.

“Doody… doody… I can’t believe I’m feeling bad over a name over a stupid toy, but you need another name, trust or not. Something fierce… relevant… nothing goofy though. I’m not that type of Little.” His eyes darted over my form, and I couldn’t help but smile internally as he just referred to himself as a Little for the first time. “Hmmm… maybe?” He deftly stroked my two small and protruding tusks on my face. “No… yes. I’ll call you Tusk. Yeah…”

‘Tusk… I like it. Almost proud and noble in an odd way. Good. Maybe there’s hope for this Little yet for leaving here as more than an empty and regressed shell…’

William then got up and though he winced at the slight rustling of his fresh pull-up, he then bent down and shook the end of my arm. “Good to meet you, Tusk.” William smiled but then burst out laughing over his little interaction with a toy. It was just a second, but I swore that I almost heard something more… childish perhaps, in his laugh.

*              *              *

Oh, how a little change can have a big impact in a place like this. The pull-ups were just the first step and William had tripped on several other milestones going down the ladder of regression. Though my messaging was sublime and effective, William was now experiencing problems outside this room as well now. If I didn’t know they would help the end goal, I would have felt terrible for him as relayed his daily problems to me.

The news traveled fast that William was now a bedwetter. It was a distinction several shared and a trait all would leave with, even the least regressed, but in a place of progress marked by the further decline of maturity, tumbling further on that tiered system meant that William was no longer at the top. Due to the variety of reactions in this place, some Littles dragged around their stuffy’s before they even began to wet the bed. William just wasn’t one of those lucky ones and he had been bullied ever since then. Potty training was the highest mark of maturity, and any degradation to that status was a dark mark when a Little interacted with their peers.

It pained me to see him come back each day to the room with pulled clothing or scratches from the more mature bullies of this place, so I at least used my messages to ensure he would get a restful sleep. It was the least I could do for him, but things were only escalating now. I just hoped he would make it until we were at the next stage and away from all the bullies.

Yesterday, William had unfortunately been blamed for writing some bad words on the wall with some stolen art supplies. Knowing William more now, I knew without a doubt that he would never do this. He could be prickly and stubborn, but not willfully malicious. The nurses in their wizened and even bitter states, however, didn’t seem to care. It was just another excuse for punishment in their eyes at this level. So, after 50 more spanks, William had been regressed further with something called the ‘chair.’

I didn’t know what it was, but I saw the effect immediately. William had wet his pants when he came back to the room within five minutes. That was still at least five days away according to my internal schedule, but the nurses had only acted knowingly and quickly to ensure that William would now wear pull-ups even during the day. Just like the ones he wore now as he dragged himself over to the bed, tears filling his eyes.

“It was awful Tusk! Everyone made fun of me! But… but… I can’t be that type of Little. I’m a big… I’m an adult!” William yelled in anguish, almost slipping up with his words, something I had noticed as well since he came back yesterday.

“I don’t pee myself in front of others but look at this thing!” William then dropped his pants to the floor without hesitation and showed me his drenched pull-up. ‘Would it have mattered if someone else was in the room? Is he at that point yet?’ William looked at my form on the bed with the saddest eyes I had ever seen. “I couldn’t help it! It was just an accident but… I’m just so wet and miserable, Tusk. What should I do?”

‘Oh wow. Now, he’s asking me for advice? That’s a whole new step. Not just talking to an inanimate object anymore.’ A small part of me was happy with this development, but seeing William’s deeply engrained pain, I just wanted to hug my Little to bits. My Little was in distress, but I could only just sit back and watch everything unfold. ‘Wouldn’t that be something to actually hug him?’ I quickly shook off my preposterous thoughts. I knew a nurse would be in to help, but for now, William would just have to tearfully suffer in the meantime.

“I just… I need a friend here. Someone I can talk to. Someone I can laugh with. Someone I can…” William stopped and pulled his drooped head out of his hands and looked over at me with oddly hopeful eyes. ‘What are you thinking there, buddy? Do you need something to throw again? I can be that for you if you need it.’

“You… but do I dare?” William asked himself. He then got up and chucked his fallen pants to the side of the room with a few awkward kicks. “I need a friend, but if I give in to you now… does that make all this worse? Does that make me a baby? No!” He practically hit himself for even suggesting that. “Not a baby! Just lonely, right, Tusk?” he looked over at me as if I would actually respond.

William hesitated for a moment and bit his bottom lip. Finally, he threw his hands up in the air in submission towards his feelings. “Oh, who cares?” William then lunged over the bed and grabbed me and held me tight. I could hear his erratic heartbeat and feel his calming warmth against me. It was just a hug, like so many given out in the world, but this one was for me. Just me. Something I had craved since I first eyed William but had almost given up hope on ever receiving.

William curled up on the bed and just continued to hug me tight. After a moment of just us together in silence, with a tiny and emotionally charged whimpering voice, William spoke up. “I don’t know what to do, Tusk. I’m sitting here having a breakdown with a stuffed animal of all things, but I feel that you’re my only friend. I think I’m forgetting things, but I just don’t know anymore… like I put away bad guys, but what was I exactly? I jus’ don’t know anymore…” His previous question floated in the air, but honestly, even if I could help, that’s about as much as I knew anyway. Based on the question alone though, something told me that the ‘chair’ had erased bits of his old life. Nothing major, but enough to leave gaps. ‘What utter barbarians and degenerates they have here…’

My own feelings aside, I just allowed William to let out all his woes for as long as he wanted. A nurse came in to change his soaked pull-up a little bit later, but the two of us were right back at it once she left. I then resolved to not use my traditional messages tonight on William, but instead use some of the more soothing ones instead. They would let him calm down and at least for now, forget his worries. He deserved that much…

I knew this place would still be here tomorrow, but he needed a break. Besides, I felt a growing sense of something inside of me. Before, this was just an ugly job for me. It was my purpose, but now, I was feeling different. William wasn’t just a Little… he was someone to watch out after, but more importantly, he was my friend and more importantly, I was his.

*              *              *

I wish I could say that was the only time I saw the effects of the ‘chair,’ but the bullies persisted, and William shrank further into the muck of regression beyond even what I was doing according to my fixed schedule. I knew things were changing, but the most evident was that today, I would be leaving this single room with William and seeing the outside of it for the first time. Together.

Our walk outside wasn’t much, but it gave me time to think about a few changes that had occurred. William started to suck his thumb at night, and we’ve been talking more, but now on a level where I’ve begun to question if he’s starting to believe that I’m real or not. I would ask him if I could, but I worried that he would trip over some of his words, especially considering that it’s now happening when he’s more flustered, not to even mention the code of toy secrecy. Finally, though, I was sure that everyone, and not just those with big ears, could hear the crinkling of the diapers that William now wore.

He thrashed and cried about for a solid day when they were given to him, but after another accident right in the middle of the room without a single warning, William stopped and moaned over his loss of control. We were transferred to a new room with more childish features, including a changing table, within ten minutes. That night, I ensured that William would accept them more rapidly than was natural just to keep my friend from suffering too much. Littles had to bend, but not break in here to accept the enforced treatments.

As we turned the corner, from William’s descriptions of them, I recognized the three Littles who had been bullying him. Just as I spotted them, one of the taller and less regressed of the bunch then threw a colorful ball of something right over our heads. I shifted my gaze subtly to track the flying blob overhead, only to see it devastatingly smack right behind us all over one of the nurses. I recognized it instantly as a paint grenade that showered the nurse in an array of beautiful colors all along one side of her previously spotless scrubs. It would have been a modern art masterpiece, if her immediate and obvious anger hadn’t flared up right after.

“Which one of you did that? I want answers now!” she fumed.

William was in such a state of shock over the suddenness of the incident that the other boys spoke first. “He did it! William! Billy! That Little right there!” I heard the bullies shout out.

William was showing signs of regression, but he was still able to keep his adult sensibilities about him for most of the time. The same could not be said when the paint-covered nurse stormed over and cowed William into submission. Something told me it was one of the protocols with the ‘chair,’ but I couldn’t be certain. “William! I thought you had learned your lesson. Guess that was too generous of me for letting you off easy last time!”

“Buh’ Nurse Carmen! It was dem… them!” William pointed over to the subtly snickering bullies, his state of panic only worsening his speech abilities. As the nurse looked at each of them, however, they all just pointed back and looked as innocent as possible.

Nurse Carmen immediately shot her glance back at William. “A likely story. Should have known the former detective would try to create an elaborate lie to look all innocent. It’s to the chair with you!”

“No! Pwease, Nurse Carmem. Pwease!” William cried out as she began to drag him through the hallways, my stuffed form being whipped about as he tried to prevent what was about to happen. It was no use.

The fellow inmates of the center looked on helplessly as Nurse Carmen dragged him away. They knew who had done it and knew the fate of William now, but the bullies were still known problems around here. From what I could piece together, William had become a target himself of their aggression when he tried to help another fellow Little a few weeks ago.

It mattered little now as Nurse Carmen soon dragged William into an all-white room. It was bare and smooth except for a single large chair with different implements coming from it in the center of the room and a faint line against one wall beyond the door we had just come through. I assumed the device in the center was the dreaded but aptly named ‘chair.’

Having been weakened slightly by some of my messages and prior sessions in the ‘chair,’ William stood no chance as Nurse Carmen quickly strapped him in across his legs, chest, and head. She left his arms loose but placed a pair of mittens on each of them just in case. “Now, William… you’ve been through this before… so you know the routine. This time, you’ve got a friend with you, so I won’t strap your arms down this time. Besides, you can’t do anything but watch and be a good boy, right?”

The instant Nurse Carmen had said ‘good boy,’ William relaxed instantly. I could still see the same look of fear and distress in his eyes, but the rest of his body showed no sign of emotion or attempts to escape anymore. Nurse Carmen smiled at her success. “Very good. I’ll see you after, William.”

“I’m sorry, Nurse Ca’men…” William weakly apologized to Nurse Carmen as she left, despite being innocent.

Almost at the door, Nurse Carmen turned back and almost looked like she was regretful of all this, even as paint still smattered her entire left side. “I know, William. I know. The chair will just make sure you really are and ensure you stay a good Little for us.”

William whimpered in utter defeat as Nurse Carmen exited and the device above us began to hum. William could do nothing but hold me and stare ahead as soft music began to fill the chamber and the screen in front of us that conformed to the wall flipped on. Using my big ears, I could hear something being said over the noises floating around the room, but William only became slack-jawed as he continued to watch the screen.

I closed my eyes and just buried myself further into my Little. I didn’t want to watch him go through this after I saw a single tear run down his cheek. As the video played, William made no further noises, but I only felt his grip on me tighten.

*              *              *

Being out of our room, Willy, as he was called now, just played with me and some of the other more regressed Littles. After the last session in the ‘chair,’ Willy was guided back to his room without any resistance. At first, I thought that his brain had been fried, but we just snuggled together and the last I heard that night was, ‘I wuv you Tus’.’ It was the first time I had been called that name in that way and it broke my heart.

After that, we had been transferred into a new group that was more ‘age appropriate’ the following day. I couldn’t deny the effects of the ‘chair’ now as I watched Nurse Tippy replace Willy’s thumb with a bright new blue pacifier without any resistance whatsoever. Between the pacifier and Willy’s new speech impediment, all the newly regressed Little could make out was, “’an ou…”

It was enough of a thank you, so the previous disciplinarian and evil Nurse Tippy only smiled. From her years of experience here, she knew what he had said to her. “You’re very welcome, Willy. I’m so glad you’re with us now and that you’re such a good boy here.”

Willy only blushed and went back to playing with me. I had overheard from the nurses the other day that the phrase ‘good boy’ that had previously slackened Willy’s movements was now rendered useless due to his higher tier of regression now. They all marveled at the technology. I just wanted to punch them for their delight in his regressed suffering…

Despite even wearing a colorful kitten onesie today, I could tell Willy was in need of a change, but the Little no longer minded or probably even noticed anymore. This place had taken that as well and it all just made me sick now.

I had been compliant in Willy’s regression, sure, but I just wanted him to be free and happy though. Not… this. This was too much for one Little to handle and it didn’t take me long to realize that Willy now only remembered a few facts about his old life. One of the few holdouts though seemed to be his propensity to play cops and robbers with his fellow Littles now. One nurse seemed to object the first time she saw it, but surprisingly, Nurse Tippy just shook her head and mouthed the word, ‘no.’ I didn’t want to think what another round of the ‘chair’ would do to my Little.

At this point, I would free Willy if I could, but I was only one stuffy. ‘What could I ever do against these Bigs? A stuffy could never help out a Little, right?’ I was plagued with my own doubts about my abilities, but either from a sense of justice or my own guilt, I vowed in that playroom right then that if I ever could help my Little out, I would. If that required a sacrifice on my part, then so be it.

*              *              *

Meeting other Little’s stuffy’s for the first time once we moved into the final phase of this facility, I realized that our bond was stronger than most. For most of my fellow toys, a Little was just their charge and their job. Nothing more. ‘Why was I so different in this regard?’

Regardless, Willy and I were now in the staging room of the facility. We had been moved in here the other day for prospective new caregivers to come and view the new ‘stock,’ at least according to one nurse, who like all the others, was now extremely pleasant towards the regressed Littles. It was odd, but we had to take relief where we could now.

The room required our Littles to be on their best behavior and exhibit their biggest smiles. Naturally at this point, most complied happily. Some could only gurgle as they lay helpless on their backs. The bullies included, having been regressed fully after they had finally been caught with one of their more insidious pranks against the nurses. Now, their only offense towards others was what was emanating out of their padded posteriors.

Still though, I thought this day would never come. The Littles, however, had been getting tested at various stages whether they knew it or not. It helped the nurses and facilitators sort the Littles accordingly, and the other day, Willy took an actual test to check his progress. Instead of writing down a single answer, he colored the page to make it more ‘pwetty,’ used his diaper without knowing it, and proceeded to get everything sticky when he fumbled with even eating a piece of candy cleanly. We were moved here later that day.

Seeing all the Bigs on the other side of the window looking into the showroom, I felt guilty for all that I had done. Willy was now as helpless and defenseless as they wanted him. He might as well have been a completely different person from when I first met him, and I hated that I was a part of that transformation. Now, he would be fought over like a prized turkey before a feast. I wanted to throw up if I could.

I knew it could be worse as I eyed the infants and newborns to one side of the room, but as the Bigs blasted in through the doors when it was time, it did little to assuage my guilt. Now, it was just a matter of time before we were taken away to a new and unknown life.

“Tweedy twee twee,” Willy said as he mimicked the yellow bird he was now playing with alongside me. “Widdle biwdy wan’ ta infowm Officew Tus’ dat da bah’ men awe gathewin’ awoun’. Dey gonna wob da ban’ tomowwow.”

I was so encapsulated in the playing before us, that I didn’t spot a particular tall distinguished Big come up beside us. “Em! Em! Look here,” I heard a man’s voice speak up from behind Willy’s and I’s position on the ground. “This the one you want?”

I heard some clacking of some heels get closer while Willy remained transfixed on a picture book that he was holding alongside me. “Oh, Rob! He’s perfect! Bethany and Calliope are going to be so jealous when they see what a perfect Little that we nabbed here.”

“Whatever you say, dear. You want a Little, so we came to get the best.” There was a pause and a slight shuffle. “Nurse? Nurse?”

“Yes, Mr. Galpin. How can I help you today?” a voice I recognized as Nurse Tippy’s, responded.

“My wife and I want this one…” Well, this was it. For better or worse, these… Galpin’s would have a new Little by the end of the day. Once they met my Little, I knew it was just a matter of time. No debate or question from Willy. Just a pure transaction to seal my friend into this fate as just another regressed Little. Regardless of fights, punishments, acceptance, or how many diapers Willy had gone through, this was to be his fate with these Bigs. Like most stuffy’s, I could only hope they would love him like I did and would make sure that no harm would happen to him.

*              *              *

“…and dat’s when dey adop’ed me,” Willy finished. During the story, we had migrated to one arm of the couch while Molly was on the other and Kent was seated in his chair. Both Willy and Molly were under the oversized blanket, and Willy had even started to fidget with one of the corners in times where the story got too tough for him to recall.

I looked over at Kent and Molly who both now wore horrified and saddened expressions on their faces. I knew full well that many Bigs were aware of the regression centers, but most just passed them off as dark stains on this society that wanted to provide a specific resource to the Bigs just wanting to love a Little… or at least that’s what most propaganda would have one believe. The reality and hearing it firsthand from a Little who was obviously harshly regressed, was obviously something else entirely to the two shocked Bigs before us.

Though I relayed most of the details, and some that even Willy hadn’t mentioned, I didn’t even touch on the first accidents, the day he realized he couldn’t read well anymore, or the sinking feeling that he was now missing large chunks of time in his life before all this, including his family or where he even came from in his own dimension. Even still, knowing what I did about those centers, if someone was ever looking for Willy from wherever he came from before, they would never be able to find him now. So, at this point, his past would likely always be sadly shrouded in mystery.

After a moment of silence, Willy spoke up. “Awe you okay?” Willy asked the two Bigs before him with concern. I noticed a little shakiness in Willy’s voice. His story had brought out a few bad memories I knew he wished he could just forget about as well.

“Uh… yeah, buddy. That’s just… a lot,” Kent managed to stammer out.

Molly on the other hand seemed to be awash with a variety of emotions. She seemed sad, but then angry, then frustrated, then morose, then stunned, and then back to being sad. Kent noticed and gave her a slight nudge to move her out of whatever stupor that Willy’s story had put her in. “Oh… I’m so sorry, Willy. I just… that’s all so… so much. You’re one strong Little to go through all that… and then all the stuff going on now…”

“Yeah…” Willy said, his resolve starting to crack further under the bad memories that were being brought up. “I… we made ih’… Tus’ an’ I… buh’ ih nah easy… I woss so much…” Willy’s eyes began to fill with tears.

“Oh, baby. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get you so upset.” Molly then hesitated for a moment but then pushed forward and rubbed Willy’s leg. “Honey, do you need a hug?”

Willy’s resolve finally broke. “Yes pwease!” he said, bursting out into a fresh wave of sobs. Molly then held her arms open wide, and Willy practically flung our two bodies directly at her. In a second, Molly had wrapped us up tight and began to gently rock us and then tenderly rub Willy’s back. It was exactly what the exasperated Little needed.

It was at that point that I resolved myself to try to push for things to stay this way. If somehow Mommy and Daddy were okay and ever got us back, I knew I needed to make some changes. Willy was a regressed Little and he needed moments and reassurances like these. Right now, I knew full well that Mommy and Daddy would never hug Willy like this. It just wasn’t who they were, but they had to be. For Willy. They owed him that much at least.

I knew it was too presumptuous of me, but as I thought about Mommy and Daddy, I also silently wished that we would never leave here. I knew Molly and Kent were probably just being nice, but in that tight embrace, a stuffy could only dream of such wonderful things after all that had happened on our long road to get here.

[CCApril]

I'm with Tusk! This seems a much better family.  I do hope they keep their guns handy though. I doubt the bad guys will give up without a fight. The past detective history might allow Tusk to help a little more. Maybe any information Tusk gives Willy can be passed off has past skills bubbling up in a crisis.

 

April

[LostBBoyBear]

Chapter 12: A Darkness on the Tree Line

Over the next few days, Molly continued to stay with Willy at the townhouse while Kent went back to work in the city. During that time, we found out that both Mommy and Daddy had been placed in a medically induced coma instead of the usual nanotechnology used in hospitals these days. Apparently, the gunmen had used specialized bullets that interfered with the nanites, so their recovery was slower and more complicated than was originally anticipated.

Molly and Kent even patiently explained with great care that both were now in critical condition to Willy one afternoon. Neither of them said it, but reading between the lines, I knew that Mommy’s and Daddy’s lives were in jeopardy, either from the gunmen or their wounds. Having seen where they had been hit, I had prepared for this news or worse since we had fled the house.

Still though, a well-protected Willy had stayed home with Molly, and she had tried to make things as fun for him as possible. As Willy was to be used as a witness in a few days, Molly had become his unofficial bodyguard and was able to apply for special compensation to look over the Little that she had come to adore. The terms of the protection were very vague, so something told me that playing games and coloring with the specific Little under said protection was not standard practice. In truth, no one seemed to mind though, especially given Willy’s continual laughter when Detective Wright had visited the other day.

That being said, Willy was still a regressed Little, so three days after Willy had revealed how he had got here, the limited coloring books and stories at the townhouse had run out. Kent had promised to bring back a whole load of new ones this afternoon when he got home from work, but to a regressed Little, that might as well have been a lifetime away.

“Mowwy… I’m bowed…” Willy finally said after the fifth game in a row that Molly had just come up with on the spot. She was very good, but a regressed Little just gets restless sometimes being cooped up indoors all the time.

“I know, baby. I know, and I’m really sorry about that.” She then tried to think for a moment. “We can make up some… different, special games in the meantime, okay?” Willy pouted. “Until Kent gets back, we don’t really have much left. My nieces only stay a few hours at a time, so we usually can restock after each visit if need be. I’m really sorry.”

Willy nodded but seemed to ponder the issue at hand from his side. “Well, dat’s okay, Mowwy. We can go ou’si’ den.”

Molly seemed to panic a bit at the mere mention of going outside. She wasn’t agoraphobic or anything by a long shot, but I knew that going outside presented several opportunities for one in trouble to run into danger. Leaving this townhouse was a risk in at least ten different ways and as a cop, Molly knew about each of them all too well. Plus, she seemed to have received a phone call the other day that stopped the family’s nightly walks that Willy had experienced on his first full day that he had enjoyed so much.

“Ummm… maybe not, Willy,” Molly started. “You see…”

“Buh’ ou’side!” Willy interjected before Molly could finish, pointing to the large bay window where sunlight was now streaming inside. “Pwease, Mowwy! Pwetty pwease? I be sooo goo’ fo’ you.” Willy began to beg Molly and even began to use his special Little eyes to try and convince her. Back at the Galpin’s, Willy had perfected the practice into an artform, and had become a sadly necessary skill with caretakers so stingy in their affection toward him.

Molly was not stingy in her affection. She didn’t stand a chance and soon was quivering in her crouched form on the ground in front of the begging Willy. Her strength and resolve cracked with each passing minute, until finally, she relented. “Fine! Fine, fine, fine.” She rolled her eyes. “Oh man… I don’t like this but who can say no to that widdle face?” She smiled and brushed Willy’s cheek gently to emphasize their cuteness.

“Yay! We goin’ to da par’!” Willy cheered after recovering from his intense blush after Molly’s affection.

Molly sighed but was still smiling as she gathered up the supplies needed for their day outside the house. I swore I saw her pack something discreetly in the side of Willy’s diaper bag that she obviously didn’t want him to see, but I also trusted her enough to know what she was doing by now.

Molly and Willy exited the house and then set up the collapsible stroller that had been stored in the shed under the stairs to the second floor outside. Molly scanned the neighborhood thoroughly from her position first, but once seemingly satisfied, calmly hoisted an excited Willy into the awaiting seat. A few buckles later and we were off to the park for a glorious afternoon in the sun.

I could tell that Molly was still wary of the decision to leave the relative safety of the townhouse, but Willy’s giggle over half the things he was now seeing just couldn’t be ignored. Finally, we arrived at the park around the block and Molly came to the front of the stroller. “Now, honey. I know I agreed to let you out of the house today, but I need you to stay within sight of me the whole day. No exceptions, okay?”

Willy just nodded loosely, so I knew I was going to have to remind him of the promise he just made. Regardless though, after Molly had expectedly unstrapped us, Willy and I soon set off to the nearby playground and began galivanting all about the equipment there. It wasn’t long before I had to remind Willy of his promise to Molly to stay within sight though. He pouted but to my relief, only relented and made sure to stay on the eastern side of the structure to stay within her view from a nearby bench.

The playground was a massive system of interconnected tunnels, bridges, climbing walls, turrets, slides, and a host of buttons and other items to play with located on half of the structure’s walls. Oddly enough, Willy and I were the only ones here today, but I also assumed that most other Littles were in daycare, like he had been before all this mess started. It felt weird to be so alone in this neighborhood where I had seen at least a dozen or so Littles the other day, but it was also nice to just have some normal fun with my friend in my ‘alive’ form.

As the sun began to crest upward in the sky, however, Willy began to slow down, and it wasn’t long before his stomach began to gurgle in need of food. “Willy, buddy. We should go to Molly. Probably could use a snack, right?” I coaxed, knowing that he would never want to stop playing if he could help it.

“Maybe…” he mused, his stomach growling to answer for definitively for him.

“Yeah, just what I thought. Come on, Willy. Let’s go get her,” I insisted. Willy grumbled for a moment but another gurgle from his stomach convinced him of my wise words.

Willy then waddled back over to Molly; his stance widened from an obviously used and unheeded diaper. “Mowwy! I’m hungwy!”

Molly looked up from her passive reading of a book that I didn’t recognize. She quickly stashed it away in the diaper bag and I only caught ‘…ption and You’ before it was out of sight. “Ah. Well good thing I came prepared, huh?” She then dug around in Willy’s diaper bag and pulled out two items. “How about some crackers and some applesauce today?”

Willy enthusiastically nodded and plopped down on the bench next to Molly. As she handed the small container of crackers she had prepacked and the applesauce to Willy though, she slowed down. Sitting next to Willy, I thought she was changing her mind about her selection, but then I looked up at her face. Her eyes were squinted and fixed on the tree line.

I wasn’t sure what I saw, but right behind the trees was something. Something tall and fast. ‘Was it a bigfoot? Nah… they’re only more northwest of here…’

From her expression Molly obviously had spotted whatever it was first and had seen more of it enough to worry her. “Mowwy! Food!” Willy demanded, oblivious to what Molly and I had been looking at.

Molly snapped out of her concerned state, but now seemed flustered. “Oh… right… sorry, honey.” She handed the food to Willy who immediately began to dig into the crackers first. Once he had a good grip on the container though, she immediately snapped her attention back to the trees that we had both just been watching.

Only a moment later from this, however, she turned back to Willy, her face awash with a fresh layer of panic. “Actually, baby, we need to get this to go.”

“Buh’… food…” Willy held up his still unopened applesauce and the halfway finished crackers.

“Right… well, you can finish the applesauce back home, but just hold tight onto those crackers and eat them on the way.” Molly’s panic was beginning to show more, and Willy shifted uncomfortably as a result. Even as regressed as he was, he could still sense that something was off, so while Molly had her back turned, I cuddled closer to Willy to ease his worried self.

Willy took me and hugged me closely in the hand not holding the crackers. We remained that way even when Molly picked us up and plopped us back into the stroller. The park idea had been exhilarating and fun, but something was now amiss. It was a cold reminder of the circumstances surrounding how we even got to be under Molly’s care in the first place. Something was telling me that our fun days with Molly and Kent were soon going to be interrupted…  

After a quick buckling of the straps, Molly sped away from the park and back towards the townhouse. From my limited view in Willy’s arms, I could hear the panicked panting of her breathing and could see a faint outline through the overhead canopy of Molly continuing to look behind her. ‘That can’t be good…’

With greater speed than I thought was possible while still not running, the three of us soon arrived back at the relative safety of the townhouse. Molly tried to remain as calm as she could in gathering Willy and I up, but her quick movements and continued backward glancing left little to the imagination that there was some sort of problem happening beyond my view. Molly seemed to be a good cop from what I had seen so far, so she was almost definitely seeing something more than I was seeing myself.

Back inside, Molly quickly activated her security systems and locked every door and window in the house, after having put Willy and I in the main living room. She even let Willy finish off his crackers and gave him the applesauce that he hadn’t started in the park. Willy thought it was a treat as Molly had never let us eat in here without her direct supervision before, but I knew it was just to give her more time to ensure the safety of the townhouse. 

Molly soon returned to check in on us and despite a few errant crumbs, Willy hadn’t left much of a mess. Still, the Little was half nodding off by the time she came back, so it wasn’t long before Willy had been changed and then we had both been put down for a nap.

Once I knew Willy was sound asleep though, I managed to escape the crib and lurk at the top of the stairs. It was close enough to hear Molly over the phone but not enough to be seen directly.

“… I saw him lurking by the woods today while we were at the park. I know…” she paused and listened for a moment. “Yes, I know that taking him outside wasn’t part of the plan after the other day, but he was bored and needed some fresh air. He may be a witness, but he’s still a regressed Little, Mendez!”

Molly listened intently again. Her eyes soon grew wide and her whole face began to scrunch up in anger. “That’s… that’s a terrible idea! Do you have any idea of how many rules that we would be breaking?” Another pause. “Oh right,” she said sarcastically before resuming her normal angry tone, “being close by can’t guarantee his safety, Mendez! Or mine! It’s too much of a risk!”

I didn’t like where this conversation seemed to be heading. Willy was a witness, and I now knew that Molly had definitely seen someone at the park. ‘Was it Joe? Mr. Mercer? Stan? The guy with the snake tattoo?’ I had too many questions still, but whatever plan that Officer Mendez had come up with, Molly obviously didn’t like the risk involved along with it.

“… I still don’t like it, but I’m his guardian right now, so I get the final say. I…” Another pause. “Yes, I know that you’re my superior and this is an order, but you know I’m right! If we do this though, we do this right…” Another pause. “Like what? Well, for starters, I have some conditions that need to be met first…”

Molly and Officer Mendez went back and forth for a while after that. It was difficult to hear what they were discussing fully, having only heard half the conversation, but I knew by the end that there was a plan now in place. Something told me though that I wouldn’t like it by the end.

Before I could think further though, the front door began to wiggle about. Molly braced against the wall for a moment, obviously expecting the danger she had seen earlier to have found us here. I held my breath and waited for a third assault.

It didn’t come though. It was only a panic-stricken Kent walking back through the door, nearly ducking for cover as Molly had almost thrown a large stone bust from a nearby bookshelf at the front door in defense. Seeing who it was really, Molly quickly hung up the phone and then threw herself into his arms. “I’m so glad you’re home, babe.”

“Good to see you too, but… well, as soon as you called me, I dropped what I was doing. What’s one pointless business meeting compared to all this?”

“You have no idea how happy I am to see you… I was so scared,” Molly admitted.

“My tough wife? Scared? Nah,” Kent joked, trying to relieve the tension in the room.

“I’m serious. I’ve been in shootouts, robberies, drug busts, but all that… it was nothing to the fear I felt today… I don’t know what was different.”

Kent and I smiled at the same time. We both knew. “Honey… I think you do know. Something is different now. Someone else perhaps?”

“Someone el… oh.” Molly’s face showed her stunned realization of what her husband was implying, and I was thinking as well. It was cute really. “I guess I just never thought of him that way… I’m not even his mo…” Moly shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. He’s not mine or ours, Kent.”

“Maybe, but you can’t deny your feelings, sweetie. I’ve seen it. Heck, you had this glow on you ever since you first met Willy after that break in. It’s okay to feel what you are right now. Nothing to be ashamed about, but don’t try to repress those feelings. It’s not healthy.”

After her day of realizations and vulnerabilities, I could see that Kent was her pillar of strength and stability here at home. Out in the world, she was a smart and determined cop who had a protective streak that seemed to be as strong and as durable as I had ever seen before. Here though, she took her armor off in front of the one guy she could rely on. It wasn’t the first time I had seen a moment like this between the two, but I still loved seeing it in person still.

Soon, though, the two were kissing passionately in their mutual affection and comfort of each other after all this, and I decided to give them some privacy. I was a keen observer of this society, but they still deserved some peace and alone time away from my prying eyes. Soon, I had clambered up everything once again and was back in Willy’s crib, before drifting off to sleep alongside him.

*              *              *

Sometime later, after Willy had woken up from his nap and had been changed, we were both brought downstairs by Molly. Kent was loading something up on the TV that I soon recognized as a dancing game. “Hey buddy. Good sleep?”

“Yeah… ih’ was okay… iss all okay? Wih’ da pawk?” he asked, trembling slightly at the thought of earlier today.

Molly and Kent looked worriedly at each other, but Molly then bent down and looked directly at the nervous Little. “I saw something today, baby, but you don’t need to worry about it. Kent and I will protect you no matter what. In fact, we’ve decided that tomorrow we’re going to take you to Queens Island to just forget all about it. Have you ever heard of that place?”

Willy’s eyes could only grow so big in excitement. Of course, he had heard of the place… every local Little had within a 1000-mile radius of that theme park every time they watched one of their cartoons. Quality rides, decent food, and enough fun for the whole family that every Little dreamed of going their one day. The Galpin’s had the money but never the time. Now, Kent and Molly were fulfilling a dream of Willy’s that I knew he had for at least over a year by now.

“Oh, yes, yes, yes! Awe we weally goin’?” Willy asked excitedly, barely being able to still hold me he was jittering so much with anticipation.

“You bet, you little rascal! We’re leaving’ bright and early tomorrow, but I’m sure we’re all going to have some fun,” Kent cheered. “Meanwhile, Molly’s going to finish setting the table for tonight for us while we wait for pizza. You and I are going to have a dance battle.” Kent then switched the TV on, and a loud and colorfully dressed announcer came on the TV.

After a few selections from the options listed in the main menu, the game began. What followed was a hilarious show of giddiness and uncoordinated attempts to keep up with the game’s monitor as both Kent and Willy attempted to mimic the onscreen instructions. Both were near failures, but it didn’t seem to matter in the least bit. Halfway through their chaotic playthrough though, I realized that Kent was using the game to blow off some steam from the stressful day, especially once the pizza came and Molly joined in for a bit.

Molly and Kent had both looked nervous when the doorbell had rung, but both went back to their happy selves once it was revealed to be the pizza man. Distracted by the colorful motions onscreen, Willy only noticed something amiss when the game announced that Kent was losing badly. “Ken’! You nah pwayin’!”

“Oh… oh! Sorry, buddy! Mols was distracting me,” he joked. It was a good coverup, but I had still seen both of their fearful faces. Another five minutes of the game though, and all were smiling once again.

With the pizza now here, Molly and Kent decided on a good stopping point in the game, and then everyone joined on the couch with their own servings of the pizza. On the screen before us, we watched a new movie about some Bigs and Littles working together to save a village from some burglars while we ate. It was pretty standard, but Willy was instantly enthralled, so much so that Molly had to remind him pay attention to eating or she would “need to feed him like a little baby.”

“No! No! I’m eatin’. See?” a panicked Willy defended.

“Just joking with you, honey,” she giggled, “but just pay attention to what you’re doing. I know the movie is exciting, but I don’t want to see you choke on your food.” Willy just smiled back with his mouth full of food and nodded before going back to focusing on his cut-up pizza more cautiously.

The movie soon finished, and Molly and Kent noticed a sleeping Willy lying up against me on one side of the couch. He had passed out right at the end after fighting against his drowsiness for the better part of the second half of the film. All ended up happy in the movie, but it didn’t seem to matter to Willy what the ending was. The tuckered out Little just snored softly as he cuddled me tightly, content in his day with Molly and Kent.

“Aww… look at that, Kent. He’s so precious,” Molly cooed.

“Absolutely, Mol’. Damn shame what’s happening with him and all. You know, I was really worried about you two today,” Kent admitted.

“We were fine, Kent. Besides, my knight in shining plaid came to the rescue from his big ol’ corporate job,” she joked. Kent deftly smiled but I could tell both knew the weight of what had been seen at the park. “But seriously, we’re glad to have you, babe.”

“You better remember that, but I’ve seen you with him. You really got that mama bear vibe down pat. Something tells me that if something had happened, I likely would have needed to come just to get you off from tearing them to pieces.”

Molly chuckled for a moment. “Yeah… but geez… I just can’t shake this feeling. Something about him… Willy… and the way he is with his stuffy. Goodness! Just makes my heart want to explode from the sheer cuteness. I think I would defend those two to whatever end.”

“I’m sure he would be happy to hear that. It’s just too bad with everything going on. I just hope tomorrow goes well…”

“Yeah… I hate it, but it’s a good plan from Mendez in the long run… just hope it works. For all our sakes.”

‘Crud.’ I was hoping tomorrow would just be pure fun. No agenda or any worry, but something was telling me that instead they were actually counting on something to happen at Queens Island tomorrow. ‘What hadn’t Molly liked about the plan? What even was the plan?’ I didn’t like being this much in the dark, but as I saw the two before me start to hug tenderly in their comfort of each other, I was reassured that if something was to happen, Willy and I would be in perfect company.

[dirtydingus84]

Like any great writer we get left with a cliff hanger. We still don't know who the bad cops are or where the gun men are but Tusk will get Willy through this and a happy ending. 

[LostBBoyBear]

So, one of the many things I love about the Diaper Dimension universe that's been built up over the years is the ability to do some world building. Our own world is so complex that there are numerous ways that one can write about all the differences between our dimension and theirs. I've always thought of the DD being an alternative place to our own with more influences coming from the Greek and Roman world (based on the notion of the original Amazon tribe- think Wonder Woman, if you want). So, as such, some things are the same, but others are different in name or in their entirety. 

For instance, this story technically takes place in their version of Indiana. This chapter goes to a nearby theme park known as Queens Island. If you are not aware, this is based on Kings Island where there is a smaller version of the Eiffel Tower and an area called 'Planet Snoopy.' I try to give a few hints with the connections to our own world, but I know these things can sometimes get lost in the mix. For example, Koechlin Tower in Lutetia, Gaule is based on an alternative design of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. Or, that Woodstock from the Peanuts, was named after the music festival, but in this story, he's known as Wallkill, because that was an alternative location for the music festival at one point. I'm sure you'll find lots of other examples here (sorry, no alternative to blue ice cream), but I just want you all to be aware going in. Needless to say, my DD guide will soon be updated with some of the world building that I've done with this story. 

Regardless, hope everyone enjoys this next chapter!

Chapter 13: Dat Was So Fun!

The next day, after a chaotic and sleepy morning, which was then followed by a long and boring car ride, we finally could see the top of the Koechlin Tower in the distance above some of the trees lining the road. Everyone knew that the one in Lutetia in Gaule was three times the size, but in an area that was mostly flat and surrounded by trees barely 50 feet tall, it was still an impressive monument.

Once parked, Willy was unbuckled from his car seat and his diaper bag and Kent’s camera bag were slung over Kent’s broad shoulders. Willy then took both Kent’s and Molly’s hands and walked up to the main gate of security, practically skipping with excitement as he did so. For my part, I had been fitted with a canvas strap type of harness for the day, which could then be slung over one’s shoulder or used with two straps that could be placed on one’s back or front. Currently, waiting in line for security and to scan our tickets, I was positioned on the front of Willy’s chest.

It was a marvelous view of everything and everyone around us, and after a quick check by the security full-body scanner and a beep of the machine registering our tickets, we made it into the park. One long pool of water with an array of fountains stretched before us and was only interrupted by the short fence and beautiful flowers with a large sign proclaiming “Queens Island.” The Koechlin Tower lay beyond and stretched toward the sky as an impressive display of beauty. Willy made an effort to crane his head to see the top, but only kept squinting.

“Maybe later, buddy,” Kent said, noticing Willy’s fixed gaze. “I think first you need these.” He then handed Willy a large pair of red sunglasses which matched nicely with his red striped T-shirt. “Perfect! Now, I think we should head on over to a certain… Planet Sniffy.” Willy then started giggling and bouncing around excitedly as he placed the sunglasses on. “I think that’s one definite yes. What do you think Mols?”

Molly had been intently looking at the map that she had found as we entered. Her nose had been pressed in its folds and she almost seemed to be preparing for battle with the level of scrutiny she was giving it. “Huh? Oh, sorry dear. Uh, yes, absolutely. Planet Sniffy.” She then noticed Willy’s extreme bouncing. “I think someone’s going to like it there, huh Willy?”

“Oh yeah!” He then hesitated for a moment and timidly asked, “Nothin’ too scawy, wigh?”

“Right, champ. One step at a time and we’ll see how you’re feeling after,” Kent noted as Molly retrieved one of the park strollers from nearby. Willy only nodded for a moment and entered the stroller before all of us suddenly turned to our left when we heard a distant scream.

It turned out to just be one of the riders from one of the massive rollercoasters in the distance, but I could still tell that everyone was on edge from yesterday. It still bothered me about what the plan was exactly that Officer Mendez and Molly had discussed, but my fears were soon pushed aside when we entered Planet Sniffy.

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but what appeared to be about over a quarter of the park was solely dedicated to the young, be it a child Big or Little. Seeing the vast array of amusements and theming dedicated to the Li’l Folks comic strip and franchise was truly inspiring. It had started years ago simply with a boy, Calvin Brown, and his dog, Sniffy in the weekly comic strip. It had a certain innocent appeal to it, and many had loved it now for decades.

Sensing Willy’s apprehension over some of the more imposing rides as he fidgeted about in the stroller, Molly selected the first ride for him, a simple looped train ride, called ‘Sniffy’s Junction.’ “Alright, come on buddy,” Kent said. “I’m not the biggest ride junkie like Molly here, so I’m going to take advantage where I can. We’ll sit together while Mols waits for us.” Willy only nodded slowly.

Molly then unbuckled Willy from the stroller and Kent took his hand, while I was still strapped onto his front. “Bye, you two! Have fun!” Molly called as we entered the relatively short line. Being a weekday still, the crowds in the park weren’t too bad at this hour.

Finally, entering the small red and yellow locomotive, Kent sat in the rear seat while Willy and I sat in the front seat under the small covering near the smokestack. “All aboard!” the main speaker blared. The train then lurched forward, and our little car took off.

“We’re moving, buddy! You’re a natural-born conductor,” Kent praised.

“Danks, Ken’,” Willy beamed back. “We pickin’ up speed. Hold on!” Willy was soon completely enthralled in the ride and even began making chugging noises to simulate the moving train from what he had seen on TV.

As we turned another corner, Kent crouched forward eagerly. “Look, Willy. There’s Molly!” He pointed to a distant Molly near the railing of part of the track. She seemed distracted for a moment by something in the distance as if she was watching out for something, but quickly turned around and took a few photos of us as we passed with Kent’s borrowed camera.

Molly called out to us and waved, and naturally, we waved back as we turned another corner. Two more corners, and sadly, the ride was over. That being said, Willy was ecstatic.

“Ooh, ooh! Can we go ‘gain, Ken’! Pwease?” Willy pleaded as we met Molly back at the entrance.

“Hmmm… maybe later, but there’s lots of other rides here as well. Probably like them even more,” Kent observed.

“Yeah, Willy… you think you may be up for something a little more intense?” Molly prodded.

“Intense?” Kent asked, suddenly seeming more nervous.

“Relax, Kent. Just a water ride.” Molly looked at her husband with an innocent and yet devious stare.

Kent’s eyes grew wide with fear. “You don’t mean…?”

“Yes.” Molly then turned back to Willy. “What do you think, sweetie? You up for a log ride?”

Not really having much context for what was in store, Willy only nodded slowly. Molly grinned widely and dragged both him and Kent to the next attraction. I could only internally groan over the prospect of a water ride. Not that I couldn’t get wet, but being wet wasn’t the most appealing for someone made of fluff.

Passing under the sign, marked as “Paddle for Your Life, Calvin Brown,” I gulped in fear at the sight before us and seeing Kent, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he had gulped in fear as well. Before us and beyond the still small line, was a log flume ride, boasting a hill over 70 feet tall. For his part though, Willy just grinned at the splashing water all around us and tried to reach out and catch some of the dripping water nearby while we waited in line.

Soon, however, it was our turn to get on. Kent went first and was propped up against the back. Molly followed and Willy was last, my body re-strapped to his front for safe keeping. I knew I could get wet, but being the first one on a log flume ride was never usually the wisest of decisions. With another lurch though, we pushed forward into the waterway, around a corner, and then up a steep inclined moving belt. There was no turning back now.

The monotonous clicks of the old wet ride thudded in my ears. I wanted to shut my eyes until it was over, but being a stuffy, I knew that it wasn’t a possibility I could entertain with so many cameras and observers around us. So, passing through a rickety old shack at the top, complete with skull and crossbones sign on the side, I braced for what could have been our drop.

It turned out to just be a tiny one and some water splashed onto my ears and Willy’s face and arms. “Ah! Molly. I goh’ wet,” Willy said, shaking one arm off of some small droplets that had collected.

“That’s the point, honey,” Molly heartily confessed. “It’s super fun. You’ll see.” I could then feel her shift behind us. “How you doin’ back there, baby? Still with us?”

“I’m… fine. Just be glad when we’re on solid ground again,” Kent’s voice wavered from the back. ‘Same, Kent. Same.’

We turned one corner and then another. Our speed was increasing. I could feel my anxiety build and Willy’s heartbeat rise. Four more turns jostled us about and I just prayed my straps holding me to Willy would hold tight. One small hill and a turned corner later, we were back on the ground.

I felt safe, but the ride kept strangely going at a high speed. ‘That’s odd… maybe just a long…’ Then I saw it. One more belted ramp to the to the final dreaded 70-foot drop. ‘Crud.’

“Wait! I thought we were done!” Kent yelled out from the rear; panicking like me.

“Just one more!” Molly yelled out, a small chuckle seeming to echo out as well. “You’ll be fine. I swear!” She and Willy both laughed at the prospect of one more hill. For only his second ride, Willy seemed to be turning into a thrill junkie far more than I ever would.

The clicking then resumed. The speakers blared with something I thought could only be safety instructions. If they mattered to me though, I couldn’t do a thing about them. Finally, we neared the top, and I could just see Koechlin Tower in the distance. It was so peaceful, but the log we were in began to tip forward.

“Here we go!” Molly excitedly yelled.

“Oh… shi…!” I heard from the back of the boat. Kent wasn’t able to finish.

Our log plummeted steeply down the long incline and splashed at the bottom. A fountain of seemingly dyed water sprayed up immediately and covered each of us quite thoroughly.

“I’m aw wet, Mowwy!” Willy said somewhat happily as we passed under the Finish Line sign above. He even let out a few surprising giggles.

“Me too, baby, but wasn’t that fun?” Molly asked.

Willy paused only for a moment to think. “Yeah! Dat was so fun!” Willy exclaimed. Kent just sighed in his position at the back of the log over Willy’s slow conversion to being more of a daredevil like Molly obviously was.

The log soon docked, and we all stepped out and looked around for the next activity. Getting more soaked than I felt they were anticipating and wanting Willy to choose the next ride, Molly and Kent let him wander around for a bit while they pushed the empty stroller. His face soon lit up as he saw one ride called ‘Li’l Folks 500.’ Molly and Kent could only smile happily at Willy’s enthusiasm. Today’s distraction over everything else seemed to be working perfectly. ‘Was that the plan Officer Mendez had suggested?’ It didn’t seem likely.

After standing in line with us, Molly and Kent went out of the exit as we got situated into one of the bright yellow cars. A single lap belt spanned across our waists and the attendant couldn’t help but ‘aww’ over the sight of us together.

Then, with a sudden jerk forward, the sputtering sports car zoomed forward and followed a single curvy path. “Right! Right, Willy!” I yelled, confident that the noisy motor would cover up my shouting.

“Whoopsy! Sowwy, Tus’,” Willy apologized as he course-corrected to align more perfectly as we went up and over a bridge.

As we neared one of the fences at the exit of the ride, I saw both Molly and Kent waving giddily at us. “Smile, champ!” Kent called out, snapping a few shots with the camera draped around his neck that he obviously pulled back out from the bag he had stored alongside Willy’s diaper bag in the stroller earlier. Willy smiled with extreme vigor and for a moment from his distraction, I thought we would nearly bounce off the track as we hit the guiding line in the middle of the track.

“Careful, baby. Eyes back on the road, Willy!” I heard Molly direct from nearby, suddenly turning her attention away from something else and then back to Willy and her husband. Kent looked a bit mortified as he believed that his instruction had almost caused the defenseless Little into an accident. Little did he know but the ride’s track was all self-guided, and while the driver could make some minor adjustments, they could not get into any type of real accident. Still, for those not in the know, it was a good illusion and source of fun.

At last, we passed under the bridge we had driven over previously and then parked at the exit of the ride. As we got out, Willy briefly passed his hand over the vehicle as if he was petting an old familiar pet. I briefly wondered if this was the type of car he had driven back on his own world, but the attendant only pushed us forward and out of the way of other riders. Molly and Kent eagerly greeted us at the exit and Willy popped back into the stroller, situating me comfortably on his lap as we began to wander around once more.

Molly and Kent then stopped to one side of the path and got in front of the stroller. “Okay,” Molly started, “I think one last ride before we get some food. Sound good everyone?” Kent and Willy both nodded. “Okay… I’m thinking we should do one more thrill ride at least before food. Best not take a chance with all that, right?”

“Agreed. You two should choose something fun. Maybe Wallkill Express?” Kent suggested.

“Ooh! That’s a good idea, babe.” Molly then turned back to Willy in the stroller. “What do you say? Wanna do an actual honest to goodness rollercoaster?” Willy’s eyes widened considerably, but after a moment, only nodded his head up and down as fast as he could.

Molly giggled and we all walked over to the blue-painted coaster, themed after Sniffy’s bird friend, Wallkill. Sadly, I couldn’t ride such an extreme coaster, but Kent decided to keep me company instead, holding me casually against his stomach. “Don’t worry, buddy. Tusk and I will be okay. We’ll be waiting right here for you all once the ride is over.”

I could see Willy’s hesitation over leaving me, but after some gentle coaxing by Molly, Willy soon relented and disappeared into the queue for the massive wooden rollercoaster before us.

To be honest, upon seeing the twisted timbers of the ride, I was almost glad I wasn’t riding it. The blue monstrosity lumbered and creaked about as each chain of cars rolled past at frightening speeds. It had been tested dozens of times for sure, but each moan the wood gave out was another call of uncertainty in those of us with timid minds. In truth though, the whole ride lasted only a few minutes, the hills were a little under the height of the one we all had just dropped while in an unstrapped log flume, and the speed was less than what we took to drive here this morning. Still, the sheer sight of the wood coaster made me weak in the knees.

“Amazing, those two, Tusk. Simply amazing.” I knew that Kent didn’t believe I was alive, but I was still shocked when he began to talk to me as he gazed up at the whizzing chains of cars going by. “I can’t even imagine what you two have been through… just heartbreaking really. And then there’s Mols… you know, like today, she’s usually fearless.” He then looked distant for a second. ‘Probably just needed to get this off his chest. After all, I’ve been told that I’m a pretty good listener…’

“I think that changed with you all though. I can be tough, but she’s resistant to everything bad coming her way. I wish she would do something safer, but I can’t stop the hero buried within her. I love her dearly for that protective streak. Now, though, she seems more vulnerable. I think that’s because of Willy. She really cares for him, you know. Just with this plan and all happening today. I can’t help but…”

“Hey, babe!” Molly called out, exiting the ride’s exit while holding onto Willy’s hand. ‘Rats! So close to hearing about that blasted plan!’

Kent shook off his pondering thoughts and stared at a wind-blown and widely grinning Molly and Willy, now returning from their feat of bravery. “Hey you two! Have fun?”

“Oh, wots an’ wots! You shoulda been dere, Ken’! Dat was so fun!” Willy said excitedly.

Kent immediately looked green. “Ermm… that’s okay. I’ll leave those types of rides to you all. Besides, someone needed to keep Tusk safe and sound.” Kent then handed me back to Willy, who then proceeded to hug me tightly.

“Dank you, Ken’!”

“You’re welcome, buddy,” Kent said, ruffling Willy’s already tousled up hair a bit.

“Awesome,” Molly interjected. “Now, let’s go grab some grub. I don’t know about you all, but I’m starving.” Willy and Kent only rapidly nodded their heads in agreement. “Perfect! How about Planet Sniffy Grill?”

“Sounds perfect,” Kent agreed.

Molly smiled but then suddenly got very close to Willy to guide him in a different direction as we started walking toward the grill. ‘Must be those cop instincts with guiding an innocent or something…’

We all continued walking along the steadily growing crowded streets until we came to a large window-side service. It was all very typical fast-food options, and after a little wobbling back and forth, each of them was soon left with a nice greasy and steaming-hot meal. Kent got a burger, Molly chowed down her hot dog, and Willy began to much greedily on his chicken tenders. Normally, the smell would have been overwhelming to my trunk, but it all actually smelled pretty good about now.

After the last crumb and speck of honey mustard was wiped away and thrown in the garbage, everyone agreed that rides would have to wait until later. There was a ‘if at all’ vibe I got from the end of the conversation, but Willy was so taken in by everything that he didn’t seem to notice it.

“Ooh. What about this one, Mols?” Kent said, pointing to an odd squirting game to our left, called ‘Smelly Feet.’ “I know someone who could probably use a bath about now, huh, Mr. Stinky?” Molly and Kent giggled but Willy just kept looking at the funny feet and people in bathtubs on the other side of the squirters, oblivious to the fact they were talking about him.

“Alright, Mr. Stinky. Let’s do this together,” Molly said, hoisting the still-mesmerized Willy up on the single stool while crouching behind him. My harness had been reattached to his front after lunch and I could see the ridiculous layout and the two targets we had to aim for to win. Kent sat down next to us and readied his gun, while another family sat a few seats over.

Willy looked over and glared at the freckle-faced redheaded Little to our left. I could see the pure determination out of the corner of my eyes on both of their faces. ‘This should be interesting…’

“Alright,” the announcer spoke into the microphone, “on your marks, get set, go!”

Beep!

A single beep went off overhead while the announcer brought his raised hand down and Molly and Willy pressed the button as fast as they could. “Lowuh, Mowwy! Lowuh!” Willy cried. Their spurt was missing the target by a good inch or so.

“Go! Go! Go, Mommy! We winnin’!” the other Little cried out, triumphant for now over our own two teams.

“Sorry, baby. Here!” She then jolted upward and her years on the police force allowed her to adjust her aim perfectly and hit the target square on. Soon, the head of our guy in the bathtub began to rise faster than the others. The previously cocky Little to our left soon began to panic and in doing so, began to miss the target entirely.

“No!” he cried, as our head neared the top.

“Almost… almost…” Kent said, concentrating on his own squirter. Due to the panicking of the Little to our left, it was now a dead heat between Kent and our team.

Bzzz!

“Winner!” the announcer cried out, pointing to our team. “To the mommy and her Little with the elephant!”

“Uh… n… no… j… just caretaker,” Molly said hesitantly in a hushed tone. If I could have seen her face, from her voice alone, I imagined she was beat red for having been mistaken as Willy’s mommy.

“Oh, sorry about that ma’am,” the announcer said, blushing himself, and then setting the microphone down to his side. “Hope no harm done, but there’s a prize to be awarded. What’ll you have?”

Willy, Molly, and I gazed above, too distracted to notice the angry Little to our left storm off in a huff. “What do you think, baby?” Molly then asked.

“Hmmm… oh!” Willy then whispered quietly to Molly, and I couldn’t help but smile at the cute interaction between the two.

Molly smiled warmly. “That’s a wonderful idea.” She then looked back at the waiting announcer in front of us. “We’ll take the fuzzy blue hat. There!” Molly pointed to a top hat of sorts that looked like it had been made from the fur of a neon blue polka dotted beast of some kind. “Here,” she said, taking the odd hat from the announcer, “you do it, honey.”

Willy grinned and spun around on his stool to face Kent. Molly quickly positioned herself out of the way and back behind Willy. “Ken’, I wan’ you ta haff dis.” He extended his tiny arm out and handed Kent the strange looking hat.

“For me?” Kent asked, taking the hat gently.

“Yes. Mowwy an’ I dink you da bess evuh. We wan’ you ta have dis as a dank you.”

Kent blushed and suddenly became a little flustered. “Awe, well… wow. That’s so nice of you two.” He looked at the hat like it was his most prized trophy now, despite its unique exterior. He then grinned widely and after putting the hat on, posed elegantly for us. “How do I look?” he asked, lowering his voice to get a hint of machismo model energy about him.

“Wonderful, dear. Simply breathtaking…” Molly said, trying to stifle her laugh after turning her attention back to us after a moment of oddly looking at something to the right. ‘Is she seeing something again?’

“I wike it wots. You shoul’ weaw ih’ mo’, Ken’!” Willy said unironically before I could think further on what Molly had been looking at. Molly and Kent both just smiled, and Willy took off to his hopeful next destination, which just happened to be next to ‘Smelly Feet.’ After a slight beg and whimper from Willy, he got his wish… face painting.

First though, Willy made sure to keep in line with his previously noted nickname, Mr. Stinky, as his face suddenly scrunched up. “Oops. I know that face anywhere,” Molly said, now seeing the Little squat a little after hopping off the stool.

“I’ll get the diaper bag,” Kent said, shuffling around the bottom of the stroller to fetch the required items.

After a moment, Willy began to walk over to the face painting station as if nothing had happened. From his perspective, it was just another odd moment followed by an odd feeling in his diaper and nothing more. “Wets… hey!”

Molly was too quick for the now stinky Little and we all waded inside a nearby restroom while Kent waited patiently outside. Practicing her craft with great speed and efficiency, Willy barely cared or noticed the change taking place on one of the folded down changing tables inside. Soon, she was done and after being handed back to Kent outside, fresh smelling and all, Molly went back inside to use the restroom herself.

As the time passed on later after a quick face paint and checking out one of the stores, Molly decided she wanted to go to the top of the Koechlin Tower. Kent hesitated greatly but agreed after a threatening growl that came from Willy at its base when we were by the single elevator to the top. “Growl!”

“Oh my!” Kent cried, faltering a bit, as he overdramatized his fear of the now-painted Little. “What a frightening tiger you make there, buddy.”

“Das wigh’, Ken’ I’m fe… fewocious. My cwaws will geh’ you if you don’ do wah Mowwy says…”

“Alright, alright. I surrender,” Kent said, holding up his arms and getting in the elevator. Everyone already inside the steel box just smiled at the antics between the two.

The door closed and the elevator then shuddered upward. I could feel and see the ground quickly leave us. Now, only curved steel would hold so high in the sky. Despite his jokes, I could still see Kent cross one set of fingers and continuously watch as the numbers at the top flashed and then stopped, before an announcement came on overhead. “Top floor!” the computer-generated voice said.

We all then clambered out and the stiff breeze that had come in during the afternoon could be felt as the tower swayed slightly back and forth. I was just glad that I was still firmly attached to Willy.

“Isn’t this exciting, Willy? We’re so high up!” Molly exclaimed, peering over the edge after a minute, Willy right by her side, mesmerized at what he was seeing.

“So high… you can see youw townhouse, wigh?” Willy asked innocently.

Molly laughed. “I don’t think we’re that high, baby. Still pretty high though, right Kent?” Molly asked, turning around to see a trembling Kent practically hugging the core of the tower behind us.

“That’s… right… very high!” he shouted back, suddenly gripping one of the inner handrails as a breeze shook the tower slightly once more.

Molly and Willy both giggled at the sight before them.

After a moment of going around the whole tower, however, Willy let out a yawn. Despite his trepidation over heights, Kent still looked knowingly at an equally knowing Molly. Both knew the time was getting later and that someone could use a nap about now.

On the way down back to our stroller, I was still so proud of Willy for lasting this long with such an exciting and yet exhaustive day, even as he began to nod off into Kent’s legs. Kent just smiled, doubly so when the elevator finally reached the bottom. Further, by the time Willy was placed back in the stroller, the Little lost the battle and immediately passed out. He was oblivious to everything going on around the stroller and only just cuddled me closer to his chest.

Giving each other a knowing look, Kent and Molly then headed toward the exit. In a matter of minutes, the stroller had been deposited back, final pictures of our adventures on the rides today were paid for and collected, and finally, we all exited the park. A still sleeping Willy was wrapped up tightly around Molly as Kent carried his camera bag and the diaper bag out toward the car.

After the park was no longer in our rearview mirror, I heard the two begin to speak up about Willy. Nothing major at first, but my ears soon perked up from my vantage on Willy’s lap in the car seat, still cradled tightly in one of his arms. “Did it work?” Kent asked.

“Yes… almost too well,” Molly said solemnly. “Saw a few lurking around today.”

“Close by?” a nervous Kent asked, still trying hard to keep his voice down. ‘What were they talking about? Who was lurking around?’ I hated not being in the know.

“Yes,” Molly answered glumly. “The plan worked by drawing them out and confirming our suspicions… but they were definitely there today…”

“Wow… good thing I’ve got you. Barely noticed my shoelace being untied half the day,” Kent joked, obviously trying to diffuse the tension. “Still… darn shame all this had to happen to Willy, huh?”

“Yeah… he’s so wonderful, babe. I just get so caught up in all his little ways when he’s around. In fact, I…” Molly said wistfully but then suddenly stopped. She looked away after as if she was embarrassed by her previous feelings of longing for Willy.

“You’re thinking about that announcer, aren’t you?” Kent asked seriously. Molly nodded sadly. “Well, tell you what… how about adoption? When we get home, I mean?”  

‘What? Adoption? Could it be? Was it too soon? What about Emil… errr… Mommy and Daddy?’ My head buzzed with a thousand questions.

“Woah… slow down there, partner. One step at a time,” Molly cautioned. “I would love it. Truly, but… the court case has to come first. Besides, there’s still Emily and Robert in the picture.”

“You really think those two degenera…” Kent yelled, before stopping after a stern look from Molly. “Right, right. You’re right. We have to think of Willy and those two first… even if…” Molly flashed another look. “Fine, fine. Doesn’t hurt to dream though, right?”

I smiled, but the day was catching up with me as well. My longer nights awake on watch duty and today’s excitement was a bit too much for my systems to take. I needed my own rest, and I could feel my eyes begin to shut as I snuggled into a still contented Little.

I knew the next few days would be challenging, but Molly and Kent were proving to be the good people I had long hoped for with Willy to have in his life. Mommy and Daddy were still in the picture and the trial was yet to come, but as sleep soon overtook me, I knew that I couldn’t do anything about it. For now, I could just sleep peacefully with my happy and sound Little on our way back home. For the moment, life was still good.

[dirtydingus84]

I don't know what you're building up to but the way Molly and Kent off handedly talk to Tusk make me think they know or at least think he might be implanted with a listening device OR I am crazy and making stuff up. Is this story longer then the others? Congratulations if so 

[Guilend]

I'm going to be honest, I'm way too exhausted from work to make a decent comment lol. I'm just going to say good job and I can't wait for more. 

[LostBBoyBear]

So, we're getting to the end of this story. I just finished writing everything and there should only be three more chapters after this one. In all likelihood, skipping the fourth of July, the final chapter should be posted by next Thursday. If this changes, I'll give a heads up on here.

Further, as we're getting near the end, things are starting to enter into their final phases. As such, I'm going to warn you all that things are going to get a little dark. So, just hold tight and keep your fingers crossed. 

Chapter 14: Here and Gone

Two days after our excitement at Queens Island, our growing typical morning routine was overturned as Molly got Willy ready for the day that we had waited for now for almost a week. Today at last, Willy was coming into the police station to give his official testimony against Boss Cardigan’s crew and against those who had broken into our house and then the safehouse afterward.

Trying to get him to look his best, Molly buttoned the last of Willy’s outfit up. She had dressed him smartly in a pair of khaki pants, little brown shoes, and a button-up blue shirt. To top it off, Kent had even styled his hair with a side part, of course joking around for a moment first with a spiked hairdo to Molly’s chagrin when she saw the temporary punk Little. Only Willy’s infectious giggles had saved Kent from an angry glare and firm reprimand at that moment.

Willy then waited downstairs in the kitchen, eager for breakfast now. While we waited, I saw a few numbers for the police precinct headquarters where Molly was stationed posted on the nearby refrigerator. They were written in pen as emergency numbers for whom I could only assume was Kent. ‘Smart.’

Molly then hurried down the stairs and spotted us standing in front of the pantry. “Not today, sweetie. Today’s special. We’re going out for food, okay?” Willy just grinned at the adventurous prospect, despite his gurgling tummy, and ran over to take Molly’s outstretched and waiting hand.

Gathering his well-stocked diaper bag, Molly quickly exited the house, now dressed back in her officer’s uniform. This morning, she was all business on one end, while still conveying a warmth and ease around Willy. It was astonishing to see how much the two had bonded and become at ease with each other over the past few days. Knowing what today could mean, however, days like these could be sadly numbered.

Parking around the back of the police station after a quick drive, Molly exited the vehicle and quickly stopped by at a coffee shop first, Willy following closely behind. As Molly ordered their food from the counter, Willy couldn’t stop playing with the badge that Detective Wright had given him the other day. Against his blue button-up shirt, it stood out proudly from its perch on his front pocket.

Finished paying, Molly then sat us in a nearby booth while we waited for our food. Willy was busy propping me up against the back of the booth when Molly spoke up. “Willy… today… I just want you to do your best, okay?”

“Okay, Mowwy. I can do dat!” Willy wiggled in his seat, seemingly not fully comprehending what was happening today.

Molly sighed. “I’m glad to hear that, baby, but I need you to know that you are safe.” Willy stopped his wiggling and I think he began to catch onto what today was about in a more direct and visceral way. “I need you to be brave for me. What you say is very important though, so don’t make anything up. Just the truth…”

“The twooff… yeah… bah men come an’…”

“Not right now, sweetie. Just you talking to me later at the precinct alongside Officer Mendez, and Detective Wright.”

“Oh!” Willy popped his gold badge forward. “Detetive Wigh!”

“That’s right,” Molly said smiling. “I’m sure you’ll do wonderfully today.” Our food soon came, and Willy quickly chowed down on a bagel with thick cream cheese. It smeared all over his face, but a well-placed bib and some after-action care with some wet wipes by Molly fixed him all up.

Molly briefly looked saddened and hesitant but soon, then spoke up. “You know… I know there’s a lot of unknowns, but I just want you to know… Kent and I would love for you to come over. It’s okay if you don’t but…”

“I woul’ wuv to!” Kent yelled out before Molly could finish.

Molly, however, only gratefully and immediately smiled and looked relieved. “I’m really glad to hear that. We’ve gotten to know each other a bit I think, and I can say for certain that we really like you. I think your mommy and daddy need time to recov… oh, what’s wrong, Willy?”

“Mommy an’ Daddy… I haf ta go wih’ dem aftuh, wigh?” Willy asked mournfully.

“Well… they’re still your official caretakers… so yes.” I could tell that admitting that had hurt Molly a little bit, but she knew the reality of everything, no matter how much she and Kent made the better caregivers of the two pair in my own opinion. “But you can still come over anytime you want,” she quickly added after seeing a further saddened Willy.

“Weally?” Willy asked hopefully.

“Really, really.” The two just smiled at each other and finished their breakfast at the coffee shop. A quick beep from Molly’s watch and the three of us then left and headed back over to the police station per her notification alert. Inside, was another chaotic mess like the other night, but Molly only just guided us gently through everything going on. Still, something felt different.

As we passed by each desk, each officer looked at us with a look I couldn’t quite place. ‘Was this sympathy? Sadness? Guilt?’ I couldn’t be sure. I just knew that Willy could feel the off vibe as well as he hugged me close to his chest. With each new officer and variation of the same expression, his grip only grew tighter.

Molly then stopped and saw Officer Mendez, Detective Wright, and a few others whispering to each other on the far end of the office. Upon seeing us, they immediately stopped. A deflated Officer Mendez left the huddle and approached us very slowly.

Standing in front of us, he only sighed and rubbed his temples. “Molly… there’s been a… development. I can get set up here with Willy, but Detective Wright…” he sighed heavily again. “He needs to see you… now.”

Molly suddenly looked like she had just seen a ghost. ‘Was I missing something? Was this code for something else or did this type of thing just happen so often around here that only generalities needed to be used anymore?’ I only saw Molly nod her head slowly and then leave us with Officer Mendez after she solemnly said, “I’ll be here for you no matter what.” ‘Not good.’

Officer Mendez then led us to a nearby interrogation room. His previously prickly demeanor seemed to have softened since we last met, but I could only guess that maybe it had something to do with the still odd looks of all the police officers. He even tried to joke with us a few times, but Willy could only watch the door for Molly to return. Not long after we settled in, the door reopened.

Molly’s graven looks only looked more intense now than when she had left us only moments ago. Willy’s own more neutral look likewise turned very serious upon seeing her expression. Even a regressed Little could tell that something was very wrong, and for a moment, I almost thought I saw a speck of the serious person I had originally met.

“Willy…” Molly sighed. “There’s no easy way to say this, but you and I have become close… so I feel like this should come from me.” She took a deep breath in. “Willy… your mommy… she died.”

The heart-wrenching wail and collapse of Willy on the floor was enough to gather the attention of every officer nearby if they weren’t already paying attention. I then realized that they had all known and it was why they had been watching us so intently. Willy squeezed me with all his might, and I could feel tears splash on my head. ‘I’m so sorry, Willy…’

In her own small but impactful ways, Molly just dropped to the floor as well and tightly hugged the heart-broken Little now before her. Her words were simple, but direct and somehow comforting. Mommy had passed away last night from complications stemming from the wounds she had received during the gunmen’s shooting of our house the other night. Daddy was still in critical care but was alive at least for now.

It took time, but the continual soothing by a trusted figure eventually let Willy calm down enough to let something in besides grief. To be honest, I was devastated over Mommy’s passing, but I also couldn’t help but notice Willy’s reaction.

Heartbreaking, yes. Emotional to the point of making every nearby officer tear up, including Officer Mendez, absolutely. All that being seen though, Willy didn’t seem as broken after the initial shock as I initially thought he would have been. Maybe it was the ongoing comfort of Molly, but a small part of me deep down in places that I never talk about with others, I couldn’t help but wonder if the old William still had some influence on the present emotional state of Willy. After all, it was hard to reconcile her death with what she had been in life.

Still though, she deserved our respect and her passing needed to be avenged. Our reason for being here today took on a whole new meaning. Now, a person had died in the commission of a crime. If the charges could stick with enough solid evidence, gunmen like Joe and everyone connected to him, like Boss Cardigan, would going away for a long time. Knowing this society though, that may have been a best-case scenario for them. ‘How ironic would it be if FOY, the drug that started this whole mess, was the same that would be used to carry out their punishment?’

Once Willy had calmed down enough, Molly gave him one final tight hug and then sat him in the booster seat where they had first reunited the other day. Getting down to the matter at hand, Detective Wright entered in and gave his condolences to the still emotionally charged Willy.

“I’m sorry to hear about your Mommy. I really am…” He then saw Willy playing with the badge on his shirt. “I see I still have my deputy with me, huh?” Willy nodded slowly, still obviously in shock from the news. “Well, I… we need Deputy Willy to help us out today. Can you do that, buddy?” Willy hesitated but nodded again and Molly rubbed his back in her seated position beside him with a tender smile.

Detective Wright smiled as well and plopped a folder onto the table in front of him, obviously trying to solely avoid electronic versions and to avoid their corruption by a hack from Boss Cardigan and his associates. “You see, we’ve built a solid case around Boss Cardigan and his gang of enforcers, particularly the ones that assaulted your house and later, the safehouse. Thing is, they’re the slippery type… and well, you’ve seen them face to face.”

Detective Wright paused to let Willy soak in the information. He knew about it, but they were obviously ensuring that the regressed Little was comprehending everything first. “So, today, if you’re up for it, we’re going to take your statement officially for the record, or at least besides what you’ve told us from the other day, as well as just to confirm everything. With any luck, it will be the final nail on the head, if you will, and then we’re going to get these guys. Sound good?”

“Yes… Dete’tive Wigh,” Willy said in agreement.

“Perfect. Molly, Officer Mendez, and I are just going to step outside for a moment to prep a few things for your interview and all. Then, we’ll come back in and get this done.” Willy nodded.

Molly then crouched down next to Willy as the others stood to leave. “I’m really sorry about all this Willy. I wish there was something more I could do, but you’re safe now. We’re going to just be outside, so call out if you need anything or even just get scared, okay?”

“Okay, Mowwy.” Molly smiled and then left the room with the others.

We were now alone, but it didn’t take long for Willy to speak up after turning me around to face him directly. “I’m scawed Tus’.”

“I know, Willy, but it’s going to be all over very soon. I promise.” I paused and looked over at the door, thinking that I had just heard a strange noise from outside. “They probably just need to do like three or four more things by now, and soon, we’ll get all this over with. Those criminals are going to pay for what they did,” I growled.

“An’ ‘bou’ Mommy…” Willy sniffed.

“Yeah… and Mommy…” I patted his leg in sympathy. “I’m really sorry about her, Willy, but I’m sure she’s just happy that you’re safe now and with good people like Molly.”

“Yeah… Mowwy is one of da goo’ ones. You dink…”

Thud!

“Wah was dat?” Willy asked nervously after both our heads shot to the door and the noise that had just come from the other side of it.

“I don’t know, buddy. Stay here.” I shuffled off his lap and started to make my way to the door.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Each thud outside the room unnerved me even more. Something was happening and I had to know what, so I gingerly made my way over to the door with extreme caution. Halfway there, I then turned back to Willy. “Remember, Willy. If someone comes in, just say you were playing around with me and you accidentally flung me across the room, okay?” Willy just nodded, still remembering our preplanned cover story in case someone ever caught me in the act away from Willy.

Taking a few more steps to the door, I heard a few more thuds outside. It was far too many to just be a coincidence, so I knew I needed to look outside myself. Seeing the tall, reinforced door before me, I knew I needed some help.  

Looking around the room, my options were limited with Willy essentially being stuck in the booster seat. Fortunately, I spotted and then climbed on one of the nearby chairs on the other side of the interrogation table from Willy. I didn’t like having to jump, but at least six more thudding noises outside pushed me forward. With a single breath, I gathered my strength and leaped as hard as I could for the door handle.

I assumed they had left the door unlocked, and to my relief, I was correct. The handle only shifted slightly down with my weight, but it was enough, and the door opened with a click.

“You dih ih’!” Willy yelled out with joy.

“Shhh!” I yelled back, once I was on the ground with the door slightly ajar now.

“Oh,” Willy said sheepishly, realizing his mistake. “Sowwy…” he whispered.

I waved at him to acknowledge his apology, but to also keep quiet as I peered out into the bullpen of officers and detectives. What I saw, however, shook me to my core. Almost every single one of them was now slumped over their desks or passed out on the floor.

“Shit,” I mumbled quietly to myself, still not entirely sure if anyone was still awake. I didn’t need a whole mess of cops finding out that toys were alive today. ‘That would just be bad on so many levels…’

Hiss!

I heard a strange noise and looked upward to where the sound had come from. Above me and emanating from the air vent was a fine pink mist that continued to shower everything in the room. It didn’t take a genius to put the strange pink mist together with a room of passed out law enforcement personnel. “Double shit!” I yelled a little louder, my emotions starting to cloud my own judgement of staying silent.

“Move out! Double formation!” someone called out from the front. ‘Yay! We’re okay! Maybe just a burst pipe or some accident from the lab upst… wait.’ From my still concealed position behind the door, I saw a whole host of men in black uniforms, all armed with large guns. Good so far, but to my horror, one sported a horrifying familiar snake tattoo. “Find him! I know he’s here somewhere!” ‘Triple shit!’

I closed the door as quietly as I could, but then immediately spun around to Willy. “Willy… they’re here… the bad men,” I tried to explain. Willy’s horrified and shocked expression told me all I needed to know about how he felt about everything going on at the moment.

“I can’t think of a way out of this, but maybe… yes!” I saw a small monitoring device that Officer Mendez had accidentally left unlocked upon the table. The devices had been explained to Daddy while we were on a tour with the officers in the room last year after his large donation to the precinct.

They were simple touch devices, but they could control several aspects of the room that could… ‘What was the phrase they used?’ ‘Enhance interrogation techniques or provide a more welcoming atmosphere if needed.’ They had to be unlocked first, but I guess Molly, Officer Mendez, or Detective Wright thought that a Little who was secure in a booster seat wouldn’t be a threat to it. They were right, but they also gratefully weren’t counting on me.

I got up on the chair again to climb onto the table and began looking at the small black device. I began to shuffle through several of the settings. “This won’t stop them, Willy, but we can slow them dow… aha!” I found the first feature I wanted to access. “And… door locked!”

The interrogation room door sealed from the outside and created a panic room of sorts for us to stay in. Knowing the intruders, it likely wouldn’t last long, but it gave me enough time to activate another feature. “Okay, Willy. I’m going to activate the silent alarm here. The closest precinct will get the alert and will immediately respond as fast as they can. This precinct can deactivate the alarm from here, but it requires the chief’s personal code to do so.” I took a breath. “So, here goes nothing.” Willy nodded and waited.

I found the button and quickly pressed it. It informed me of the action, and I smiled at my success.

Clunk! Clunk!

Hearing the men outside likely deduce where we were and now try to break inside, I knew that the other precinct likely wouldn’t get here in time, but I also knew that the locked door I had activated was buying us more time. More time for the other officers to get here. More time for the law enforcement personnel here to wake up. More time for everyone to figure out where we had been taken. More time for us to stay safe.

Clunk! Clunk! Clunk!

Willy began biting his lower lip and I clambered over to him and popped out his hidden pacifier in its protective casing from his pocket. “Here, Willy. Take this instead.” Willy gratefully took the offered pacifier and immediately began to furiously suck on it.

“I know you’re probably scared, buddy. That’s okay. I am too a bit,” I admitted, “but we need to just hold on.”

Clunk!

“Now, those men are probably going to break in very soon,” I said dejectedly, noticing a faint crack on the door already. I remembered they almost definitely had an inside man here, so they probably knew about the possibility of this room becoming a panic area, so more importantly, they had been prepared for such contingencies if needed.

“I’ll have to go back to being just a toy, but I’ll still be there for you.” Willy nodded, tears forming in his eyes. “Now, I need you to be brave for me. Just breathe and try to stay as calm as possible. Molly will come for us, I can promise you that at this point, but they’re coming in.” Willy looked over at the quickly failing door, trembling at each pounding of it from the other side.

“I’ll do what I can, but hopefully, we’ll be found soon. So, jus…”

Clun… crack!

The doors locking points then fully broke with one last pounding from the other side. As I saw the busted door slowly open, I whispered to Willy. “Just stay brave. I’ll be with you here until the end…”

Willy nodded but then immediately grabbed me and hugged me close as three men with gas masks on then walked in. The now fully open door soon let the pink mist, that I had seen lingering outside and caused everyone there to pass out, begin to float in. In seconds, I could feel Willy’s own susceptibility to it as he began to waver back and forth.

“Found you… can’t tell you how happy I am that the boss is going to get some good news for a change this week,” the presumable leader said, seemingly grinning behind his gas mask. “Hard to believe we’ve gone through so much trouble for just a Little like you…” I then recognized his voice as Joe’s.

Joe then turned to one of the men in the room. “Pack all this crud up and inform the boss. The package is secure and we’re on our way.” The other man nodded and exited the room. Joe then turned to the other man in the room. “Take the Little. Bag the toy! We’re out in three minutes!”

The other man only nodded and came over to us with one large and one small black bag. In front of me, Willy was already passed out and offered no resistance to the brooding man approaching us. Soon, blackness surrounded me. Alone in the nothingness that had become my world, I could only hope that my plan would work. Still though, something told me that I should be very worried about whatever came next.

[LostBBoyBear]

So, this is a bit of a shorter chapter, but I wanted to end it in a specific spot to allow for better plots in the last two chapters. Speaking of which, I won't be posting tomorrow due to the all-day plans I have for the Fourth of July holiday, but I should be able to post again on Wednesday and Thursday. Unless something unforeseen happens, this should mark the end of this story. 

Hope everyone enjoys this chapter and is eager about the final one coming soon!

Chapter 15: Just the Pinky

Hours of bumps and fumbling about in what I could only assume was in the trunk of a beaten-up old car, I was only to be greeted by rougher handling once the vehicle had come to a stop. Soon, I heard a familiar voice cry out. “Where’s my Tus’?” Willy asked loudly but shakily.

“Give him the stupid toy,” a voice I recognized as Joe’s growled.

My world then upended itself and I was promptly dumped onto Willy’s lap. “Tus’!” I looked around. Willy had obviously been crying for a good chunk of time by now based on the wet patches on his now dirty shirt and I could also see that both his hands were tied to the sides of the chair he was sitting in. Both of us were encircled by a motley crew of some of the foulest Bigs I had ever seen, and we were all in some dingy and rusty warehouse. In the dim lighting, I could only faintly see a catwalk above and some storage shelves with guns and a few crates and cases of both metal and wood.

“There! You have your stupid stuffy. Now talk!” Joe yelled.

“I weally don’ know wah’ you talkin’ ‘bout!” Willy protested.

Joe groaned. “Don’t start that crap up again, kid. We know your Daddy talked about his business with us around his family. Your mommy is dead and was already in on it finding rich clients at her fundraisers for our product, but your daddy knew more. More… problematic information. So, what did he tell you?”

“Mommy…” Willy shook his head from his still fresh grief and began to panic further. “I sweaw! I don’ know nothin’. Pwease…” Tears began to freely flow down his already red and puffy cheeks.

“What about the files, Willy?” a voice said from the darkness.

“Files?” Willy asked innocently.

“Yes, files,” Mr. Mercer said stepping out of the dark like some demented boogeyman living in the shadows. “Your daddy, my friend, was a man of habit. He kept all his stuff over the years since we were in middle school on a flash drive of some kind. Chances are, knowing Rob…. your daddy” he said, his grinning yellow teeth glinting in the dim light “…he did the same with our business. I know that for a fact. So, just tell us where he stored them.”

“I don’…”

“Fine.” Mr. Mercer stood back and sighed disappointedly. “You don’t know. We’ve heard that before. Well, in fact, we’ve heard that a lot lately. Like, I don’t where your shipment is, or, I don’t know where your money is, or even, I don’t know how a Little can outmatch an entire team of mercenaries that we’ve hired to do a job.” He sighed again now in frustration.

“But boss…”

“Not another word out of you Mitchell!” Mr. Mercer snapped, pointing his long bony finger toward the one with the snake tattoo I had seen so many times. “Your blasted tattoo has cost us enough. Boss nearly sanded it off himself. Do you have any idea how much we’re going to have to do… to bribe to get that thrown out as evidence?”

Mitchell only backed up to show his underling status to Mr. Mercer. Joe and the others did the same, acknowledging their failure until tonight over getting one Little.

Mr. Mercer then cleared his throat and readjusted his cheap suit. “Now, do you still not know, Willy? Because I think you do know something… and I would hate to get… nasty with you today.” Mr. Mercer then glided his fingers over a metallic tray nearby. I couldn’t tell what they were, but they shined and rattled subtly with his touch. ‘Not good.’

Willy only shook his head in a desperate attempt to convince them of the truth that he really didn’t know anything. Other families may have shared secrets, but Daddy was never the open type, though I doubted these criminals would know something like that. Further, I also doubted that Willy even fully knew what business Daddy was involved in to start all this mess. I did, of course, but I still had no idea what they were asking about. ‘So, with all that, how could a regressed Little?’

“Alright… one more chance.” Mr. Mercer sat down on a foldable chair nearby and looked deeply at Willy. “This time, I’m going to relay all that’s happened just to ensure you aren’t lost. I know you empty-headed Littles can get a bit confused sometimes. Wouldn’t want that now, would we?” Willy nodded hesitantly.

“Good.” Mr. Mercer cleared his throat. “Now, a few weeks ago, your daddy was responsible for a shipment of modified FOY. It’s a new regression drug that we… borrowed from Diamond Technologies. They’re releasing it as a new wonder drug for this society and their obsession with regressed Littles. Like you, understand?” Whether he really did or not, Willy only nodded his head.

“Excellent. Well, you see, this new drug will hit the market one week from today, but our modified version, the one your daddy lost, can provide the same form of a more stable regression formula like the original formula while also producing a cheap temporary mental regression fix for our clients. For this screwed up society of our, it’s perfect!” he cheered sinisterly. “A few hours of carefree living and maybe a few long-term side effects, but who really cares about those. Not our profit margins for sure…”

Willy sat there bound in the chair for a moment and took in all that Mr. Mercer had just told him. It was a lot, but Willy just responded in the only way he knew how. “You awl awe bah’ men an’ I still don’ know nothin’.”

I couldn’t help but smile internally a bit at Willy’s sudden steadfast nature. The mind was a curious thing, and I couldn’t help but wonder if the old former detective I had first met was still in there. ‘Had Willy really been told and was just defying them? Or was Willy just super regressed and defying them because they were ‘bad men?’’ I couldn’t tell, but the result from Mr. Mercer was the same.

“Fine… we can play it your way.” Mr. Mercer sunk into a forward slump for a moment. I thought he was giving up. Instead, though, his brow furrowed deeply, and he suddenly lunged out at Willy, knocking his own chair backward from the force. In seconds, he was pulling Willy’s hair back. “You want to do this the hard way? We can do this the hard way!”

“Pwease! Pweasse. I don’ know! You awe a bah’ man buh’ I still don’ know!”

“I don’t believe you! Even the most brain dead of you lot can remember some things. That’s just science! Now, think! Where is that file? It could make us sink or swim in all this! Don’t think we won’t push as hard as we can to get those files from you!”

“Boss…” Joe started to speak up.

“Shut it, Joe!” Mr. Mercer menacingly snapped back. “If it wasn’t for you and your dimwit team being outsmarted by this Little, I would have gotten a bonus last week. Instead, I had to wade knee deep in the sewers to produce a body for Cardigan! You morons couldn’t even think to check if there was a platform a few feet beyond you? What were you afraid of? Getting your shirt wet?”

Joe relented and slipped back into the background shadows of the warehouse once more. Satisfied that his touts at him and the other hired guns had worked, he turned back to Willy. “In the past few days, we’ve tortured and killed dozens just to find you. You stupid sniveling Little! All you lot should just be regressed to drooling idiots like the old days!” Mr. Mercer was practically salivating over a terrified Willy underneath him. I would have given anything to just get back at him in that one moment…

“What makes you think we won’t do the same to you? We’re in charge here! We make the rules! What’s one more body? You don’t matter…”

“Mr. Mercer!” a deep-set voice boomed in the warehouse. It was Boss Cardigan, now walking down a nearby set of stairs.

A suddenly panicked-looking Mr. Mercer backed off a terrified Willy. “Sir, I…” Mr. Mercer tried to defend.

“We do not kill people we are trying to question, Mr. Mercer. Particularly Littles. There are just some lines…” Boss Cardigan then undid his white jacket and handed it over to one of his own personal bodyguards. Upon closer examination, they definitely were sporting a few types of firearms concealed under their own jackets. “Now, I don’t care if this Little made you all look like the genuine imbeciles you are, but we do not question them like this.”

Boss Cardigan then rolled his black button-up shirt to his elbows and looked down menacingly at me. “One has to employ… other measures to get a point across.” Boss Cardigan then looked at Willy with a sinister fire bubbling behind his eyes and crouched to get more on his level. “Now, Willy. It doesn’t have to be this way. Just tell us where the flash drive is, and we can avoid any unnecessary… problems.”

“Pwease… I weally don’ know…” Willy meekly replied.

Boss Cardigan then got up from his crouched position. “Such a shame.” Boss Cardigan then suddenly glared right at me and then to his men. “Boys… get rid of the elephant.”

“No! No!” Willy cried out. He tried to thrash about the chair, but a single firm hand pinning him down and the ties he was already bound with meant that Willy could do little as I was snatched up and then taken away.

I could still hear Willy yelling to try and bring me back, but it was no use. The hired thug who had grabbed me then tossed me aside once we were sufficiently clear of any possible viewing from Willy. To my horror, the depraved mercenary then took out a knife that he had hidden away at his ankle. The large shining weapon practically sparkled off the overhead lighting and with one slash, he removed my tail.

‘Motherf…!’ A white-hot searing pain came from my butt, and it took everything in me not to lash out and destroy the person in front of me any way I could. ‘No… no. Keep it together, Tusk. This is the big one. Willy needs you and giving yourself away like that would do no one any good in the end, but damn does it hurt!’

The hired gun, satisfied with my disposal and removal of my tail, turned away and walked back to where the rest of them were.

Once out of sight, I immediately bolted up off the dusty ground and surveyed the nub that remained of my attached tail. Vengeance would be served, and I would get it or something else back to replace it, but for now, Willy was all that mattered.

Looking around, I saw a nearby and abandoned room that seemed to buzz and hum. Cautiously, I silently crept over toward the open door and immediately saw a whole room of computers. Dated and in dire need of a software update and thorough cleaning, but computers, nonetheless.

Satisfied I was alone and that few people ever really came in here, I began to scan each of the documents buried within the hard drive that took only a minute to find with the lacking security they had here. While I read each and every one myself, my one true advantage soon came into play.

So, to be honest, Molly had despised the plan that Officer Mendez had come up with. I truly didn’t know much about it at all. What I did know though, was one of her stipulations. Knowing that Willy and I were nigh inseparable, she had an expert come to the house and give me a bit of an upgrade.

Nothing major mind you compared to the flamethrowers, assault tactics, or even poison gas that I could have been outfitted with, but upgrades, nonetheless. One was a camera installed into my left eye. I suppose from whatever power made me tick, I gratefully could still see out of it, but now, whatever I saw, was recorded on my internal hard drive as well.

In addition, I also had a recording device and a tracking chip that could narrow down the search to within a mile of our location. It wasn’t as much as Molly had wanted due to budget restraints within the department apparently, but it was still something. I felt like such a spy right now, but a scream nearby caused me to shuffle away my own ego.

I quickly scrambled to a nearby ledge and peered over where I could then get a nice and discrete view of Willy and the rest of them. Low and behold, Boss Cardigan showed Willy the chunk of missing tail the hired gun had chopped off just moments ago.

“No! No! Wah dih you do? Whew’s Tus’?” Willy cried out, still thrashing about, tears flailing all about the place.

Boss Cardigan and the others only let out a chuckle. “Well… we did warn you. Tusk is… how could I put it Mr. Mercer?”

Mr. Mercer stepped up and grinned manically at the bound Little, showing off his crooked horrible teeth. “He’s in the stuffy afterlife, Boss.” Willy’s eyes instantly widened in terror of what he was implying.

“Ah yes… Stuffy afterlife or whatever. You shan’t be seeing your precious stuffy again,” Boss Cardigan said coolly and smugly to the devastated Little.

“No… Tus’…” Willy moaned in despair. I worried that Willy would be broken by all this, but I had to keep faith that he could hold on for just a little longer until the cops arrived.

While Willy sunk into his own melancholy, another figure appeared from the blackness. “Hey, Boss. You got my money?”

Boss Cardigan then turned around and smiled at the approaching figure. “Ah, Sgt. Manis. Good of you to come. I take it the police are looking for their lost Little as we speak?”

“Yes, they are, but they seem utterly lost. No idea whatsoever,” the traitorous and dirty cop said happily. I panicked for a moment that my tracker was somehow not working, but I also realized that only four people and myself knew about the tracker’s existence in the first place. Sgt. Manis certainly wasn’t amongst them.

“Excellent… excellent. Now, payment.” Boss Cardigan then snapped his fingers and brought out a single metallic suitcase from the others on the nearby storage rack. “Here’s the down payment for the past few days. Wouldn’t have made it past the mailbox both nights if it wasn’t for you.”

“My pleasure…” Sgt. Manis said, taking the briefcase. “And the rest?”

“Patience… patience, Sergeant.” Boss Cardigan then stood up. “This Little has the ledgers for some of our money that we were moving around with his daddy’s help.”

“So, that’s why all this… mess?” the Sergeant bravely questioned.

“That’s right. All for one lousy guy who wanted a little extra money on the side…” Boss Cardigan rolled his eyes. “Pffft… stupid trust fund millionaires.”

Sergeant Manis nodded but then spoke back up when Boss Cardigan turned his attention back to Willy. “Have you tried… pain, perhaps?” he asked.

Boss Cardigan turned back around with a scowl towards Sgt. Manis. “We don’t kill Littles here, Sergeant.”

“Who said anything about killing?” Sgt. Manis grinned, now walking closer to Boss Cardigan and Willy. “Pain is such a simple and complex thing… this Little seems to be stubborn though. Gotta skip the basics…” His hand tracked over the tray of metal objects I had seen earlier, and I could see a longing and glint of some kind in his eye. “What about just the pinky?”

‘Shit.’ My brain immediately panicked as I thought of the agony of my Little right now. I had to do something and soon. My new technology had allowed me to capture video of multiple confessions and images of several critical documents towards their organization. Plus, now even Boss Cardigan was involved in all this and could be tied directly to threatening a Little if nothing else by now with even the most corrupt judge in the city. It was a lock for sure, but that left one problem.

The problem was that my tracker only helped within a mile radius. Looking around at the mostly non-descript warehouse, I wasn’t sure how much help I was actually going to be. ‘What to do? What to do?’ I couldn’t just stand around and do nothing. ‘But what could I, a lowly stuffy, actually do?’

“Ahhh!” Willy screamed from down below. ‘Shit.’ I had to do something to help. It was now or never to save my Little from these maniacs. I might perish in the process, but I had to try.

[dirtydingus84]

I hope that Willy gets stand on a pile of the former empire that Cardigan built and laugh while it all burns MUHAHAHAHAHA!!! Can nanites reattach an appendage? 

[LostBBoyBear]

So, this is the second to last chapter of this story. The final chapter should be posted tomorrow if nothing goes wrong and I'm pretty satisfied at least with how it turned out. 

Hope everyone enjoys this second to last chapter!

Chapter 16: An Altered Plan

“Ooh. I like where your head is, Sergeant,” Boss Cardigan gleefully said, twiddling his fingers together in rapt eagerness. “Perhaps though, the thumb might be better for one so… young?”

‘Shit. These guys mean business now… I need to hurry, but what?’ I thought for a moment but then realized that the police needed a way to find this place faster. I would need to break a few rules, but it could work and would be fast… something especially needed after the criminals laughed maniacally after the suggestion of removing Willy’s thumb. ‘Bunch of power trip sadists the lot of them…’

I then clambered back into the computer office where I had found the files to see if I could find a way to communicate with the police on the outside. ‘Surely there has to be a phone in here... somewhere.’ My eyes darted everywhere, but everything seemed just to be layered with dust and at least 20 years old. It resembled more of an antique store in my mind than an actual computer room, but I knew something had to be in here that I could use.

Finally, after much searching and seemingly finding everything, else technology related other than my goal, my eyes came to rest on a dirty old phone, one mostly hidden behind a pile of junk in the corner of the room. I hadn’t seen it at first as well because I almost didn’t recognize it as such a device. Nothing wireless, no shiny colors, and definitely no touchscreen. To my chagrin, even when I was able to steady myself nearby, I realized that not only did I have to punch in the numbers for the police, but the phone had a long spiral cord even connecting it to the main box on the desk. “Geez… did explorers first install this old thing here?”

I shook my head in acceptance of the face that it was at least a phone. Picking it up, my heart soared as I even heard a tone to indicate that it was still in fact connected to the outside. I quickly punched in the numbers that I had memorized back at the townhouse posted on the refrigerator and waited for the phone call to connect to our would-be saviors.

Ring! Ring! Click!

“Hello. Emergency line at precinct headquarters. How may I help you today?” a kindly but authoritative voice answered.

This was it. I would be breaking a cardinal rule, but I had to… for Willy.

“Uh, yes,” I started, “I was walking, um… my dog just now and I saw a Little I had seen on the news the other day… didn’t look like he was with friendly people either…”

“I see… and which Little did you see exactly? Any details could help.”

“Uh… the Geppin one?” I lied, trying to make it seem like I was just a random person reporting a sighting, rather than someone intimately familiar with the case.

“Do you mean Galpin?” the cop asked quickly with a raised and desperate and curious tone. ‘Yep, that did the trick…’

“Yep. That’s the one!” I answered enthusiastically, trying to play my part of a concerned citizen to perfection.

“Where are you? What’s your location?” the officer quickly shot back, now more enthusiastic than when we had first started talking.

“Uh…” ‘Shit!’ I really don’t know where I was. I looked around for any types of clues about where this one warehouse could be or what it was. Sadly though, I had no such luck. “I kinda got turned around in the dark and all,” I lied. “Just a bunch of warehouses… I can leave the phone off the hook… can’t you all track the location that way?”

“Oh… one moment.” I knew it wasn’t as common anymore to track people with their hardline phones from the news reports Mommy and Daddy used to watch, however, I also knew about the tracking process from the TV shows they watched as well. I just hoped it would be enough. “Uh... hello?”

“Yes, I’m here.”

“Good. I just spoke with the detective in charge of the case. We’re tracking your phone now… looks like and old one but just leave it on and we should be there soon. Get to a safe location if you can…”

I didn’t like the sound of her warning, but I also knew to heed her words. “Will do. Hurry! I’m hearing someone cry out like they’re in pain…” The cop on the other end was startled by my last comment but only thanked me. I then put the phone down so I could get back to at least watching, or if I could, helping Willy.

“Pwease no more!” Willy cried out, continuing to struggle in the chair. From what I saw, they hadn’t cut off his pinky, or thumb for that matter, but Willy’s face wasn’t looking good either right now.

Smack!

Mr. Mercer smacked Willy across the face, rattling his chair a bit. “I’ll ask again. I’ve seen the PSAs and all. Even you brain fried Littles have some part of you still in there. Doesn’t he want to come out to play?” Boss Cardigan asked with almost a song-like quality. If he was trying to come off as innocent or playful, it failed spectacularly.

Despite Willy still keeping all digits though, I knew I had to do something to delay until the cops could get here. ‘Direct confrontation? No. That would just end in a whole mess for everyone…’ I thought for a moment and knew I had to use other items at my disposal. Seeing the warehouse around me, I knew I had to use whatever I could from it to buy us a little more time. ‘Just hold on a little longer, Willy.’

Using my learned stealthy skills from years now of trying to sneak around the Bigs in Willy’s life, I crept around the different areas I could see and then get to. It was difficult, but I soon found the devices that would be the most useful in my plan.

Bring! Shshshsh. Errr! Errr!

Once I turned on one machine in one part of the warehouse, I would make my way over to the other side as fast as I could without making a noise and turn on a machine over there or throw something outside that would force the gunmen to search there. I found I had just enough time between the machines, that soon, I hadn’t been caught and more importantly, the hired guns were spread out all over the warehouse. Being the paranoid type, Boss Cardigan stopped hitting Willy for a moment and pulled his gun out to focus on what was happening all around him.

I thought he would never leave, but I finally got Boss Cardigan to step away when I turned on the fan in the office upstairs where I had copied the files from the computers. I knew the disturbance there would likely cause him to freak out the most from what I had seen in his paranoia over even just one shipment. From what my device had recorded, I knew that room contained a lot more. I also knew, however, that there was a risk that he would see the phone, but I had hidden the main receiver of the phone behind a desk. Hopefully it would be enough.

As I peered out over the railing from my new hiding spot, I saw Boss Cardigan lumber up the shaky metal stairs to the computer room. My gamble to get the monster and his crew away from Willy had worked.

Seeing my opportunity in their frantic search around the warehouse with my little distractions, I took my chance and dashed over to the beaten Little still secure in the chair. With all the treatments of this society, I knew he could be healed by tomorrow afternoon at the latest, but my heart still panged when I saw his beaten but thankfully still intact form. “Willy,” I called out while still trying to keep my voice low. “I’m comin’, Willy.”

His pair of eyes gazed up from the floor, almost seemingly without life. Both had tears dripping from them and one was swollen from the abuse that had been heaped upon him to get him to spill what I knew that he didn’t know. “Tus’…” He looked at me closely like I had returned from the dead, but then looked over at the metal tray and my lost appendage. “Buh’ youw tail… I saw…”

I clambered up onto him, still keeping my senses fully open if anyone was approaching us. “Shhh, buddy. I’m here now. My tail doesn’t matter. They were just trying to trick you. Sew it back on after all this and I’ll be fine.” Willy smiled at my presence and small reassurance, so I continued. “Now, I don’t know when they’ll be back, but let me see if I can get you out of these at least.” I then looked over both of his wrists that had been bound to the chair. The knots were firm, and my hands were at least partially useless, but I also remembered having spied a piece of broken metal on the floor when I ran over here a few moments ago. “One sec, Willy. I’ll be back.”

Willy nodded and I scampered off to retrieve the piece of metal. It was difficult to maneuver and carry about, but after carefully placing it in my mouth, I was able to get back on Willy and start to undo the knots. I looked at his right hand and with a sigh, I began gently cutting.

“I don’ know wah dey wan’, Tus’. I ‘ink I woul’ tell ‘em if I knew, buh’ I don’,” Willy moaned in frustration and despair.

“I know, buddy. I know.” One rope started to give way. “They’re just stupid and desperate thugs who want something they lost. I’ll get you out of here soon and they can all go away for a long, long time.” The rope I had been hacking at finally broke loose and Willy immediately smiled and then twisted his wrist about freely.

“Danks, Tus’. Jus’ one mo’…” Willy said, eyeing the final rope around his left wrist.

“Yeah. Just hold tight. This should only be a momen…”

“I don’t know what all that was about. Stupid broken-down warehouse!” Mr. Mercer cursed as he began to descend the stairs from where I had previously turned on one of the steam pumps.

“Crud! Sorry Willy,” I said quietly. “I wasn’t fast enough for these guys. I’ll see if I can create another distraction or two, but I’ve got to go!” Willy only tearfully nodded, and I quickly jumped off his lap and back into the shadows. I was already up against one wall by the time Mr. Mercer had returned.

“Now, where were we…? Oh yes… I think the good sergeant suggested a removal of sorts earlier. Seeing that you still won’t talk, I’m sure the boss will… will…” Mr. Mercer stopped, and I could see his glance shifted downward towards Willy’s hands.

“Weren’t your wrists tied up earlier? How’d you get free?” Mr. Mercer then crouched down and picked up the shredded rope underneath his seat. “How…? Oh, screw it. What’s the point in more torture?” Mr. Mercer then pointed his unholstered side arm directly at Willy. “You’re obviously just a big stupid baby who doesn’t know anything. Time to end thi…”

“Cops! Cops!” Boss Cardigan shouted as he descended the rickety stairs from the computer room upstairs.

Mr. Mercer rolled his eyes over his obvious frustration in not killing Willy and then put down his pointed gun. ‘Had they really come? Were Willy and I going to be saved now?’ Mr. Mercer stormed over to the panting crime boss. “I don’t see any…”

“Shut up, Mercer! I saw them. They’re coming for him!” He pointed a stubby finger directly at Willy. “Just burned all the records upstairs. We’re going to have to get out the back!”

Whir! Whir!

A siren went off and then there was some shouting coming from the rear of the building.

Pap-pap! Ding!

The back door suddenly opened, and Joe sprinted back in and closed the door. “Cops! Back here!” he panted, a slight trickle of blood coming from his upper shoulder where a red line marked across it, showing that he had just been nicked by a bullet.

Whir! Whir! Eeek!

“Shit! They’re here!” Boss Cardigan cried, now seeing the red and blue flashing lights through the upper windows of the warehouse and hearing more sirens and cars pull up. “Barricade the doors and windows. Grab the guns! Go! Now!” His crew only nodded and then ran off to each of the entrances of the crumbling warehouse. Most went towards the front, including Joe, Mr. Mercer, and Boss Cardigan.

Moments later, presumably one of the officers spoke into a megaphone. “Come out of the warehouse now! We have the building surrounded. Give us the Little unharmed and we can all get out of this unscathed.”

“Never!” Boss Cardigan yelled.

“Kill them all!” Mr. Mercer shouted.

Pap. Brrrt! Brrrt! Snap! Rat-tat-tat! Smash!

A hail of gunfire soon exploded from all sides. Screams of pain and fury echoed throughout the old warehouse and little bits of stray bullets went flying everywhere. I knew I had to get Willy out of this mess before either one of us was a victim of any of the ensuring chaos.

So, using the criminal’s distraction, I crawled under the various pings and whistles of bullets and made my way to a shut-eyed and flinching Willy. “Willy! Willy!” I climbed up onto his lap. “It’s me buddy. Open your eyes.”

Willy opened his tear-streaked eyes slowly, but a small smile flashed on his face when he saw me. “Oh, Tus’! I’m so scawed buh’ I’m gwad youw hewe now…”

“Same, buddy, but I need to get you out of here.” I retrieved the piece of glass I had used previously and quickly cut through the remaining rope to Willy’s wrist. “Come on! We have to go before…”

“Shit! Joe’s dead! Come on boss!” Mr. Mercer yelled out, a rivulet of blood coming from one of his temples as he rushed back toward us from the front. His gun was smoking, and his clothes were in tatters and smattered with what I could guess was someone else’s blood.

Right behind him, was an equally disheveled Boss Cardigan and a few other badly wounded gunmen. The heavyset crime boss had blood trickling from at least three places and seemed to be limping badly. “Sewer entrance. It’s the only way! Quick!”

“Yeah, but first…” Mr. Mercer then turned to us, now standing apart from the chair. Willy gripped me tighter as he saw Mr. Mercer’s frenzied look at our escape. Once again, he pointed his gun at us. Willy and I froze.

Bang! Brrrtt!

A loud flashbang then went off. Bullets riddled the inside of the warehouse all around us. It was pure chaos as the air thickened with smoke, yelling, and the fleeing of the remaining gang members still alive. All ran about in a pure show of frenzied chaos toward the back entrance.

Bang!

The backdoor however, then burst open and a horde of police officers stormed in. The criminals were boxed in and couldn’t even make it to the previously mentioned sewer escape hatch. Many were soon hit with stray bullets, but as Mr. Mercer was hit directly in the shoulder, I noticed no blood to this particular hit. Just an odd bluish burst around his shoulder and instead of screaming in pain, or at least wincing, Mr. Mercer clinched and then fell over in that same position. A statue frozen in time.

“The rest of you! Guns down! Now!” I heard one heavily armored officer yell out. The surrounding officers narrowed in; their guns drawn. The criminals around us didn’t stand a chance and they knew it. Soon, the clacking of several guns being placed on the floor could be heard. Of those remaining, all immediately surrendered and put their hands up in the air.

“Take ‘em,” the armored officer said once more, now taking off his helmet. It was immediately obvious that it was Detective Wright. A shorter officer, who had previously been aiming their gun directly at Mr. Mercer, then took off their helmet next to him. It was Molly. Willy took notice straightaway.

“Mowwy!” he cried.

The officers then took up their duties and took each member of the criminal outfit into custody. Each now sported a shiny pair of handcuffs, including a meekly surrendering and bloodied Boss Cardigan. Seeing him in the cuffs now, I could only breathe a sigh of relief that all this was almost over.

Unlike the rest of her orderly fellow officers, Molly broke ranks and immediately lunged into Willy once the scene had been secured. Molly quickly wrapped her arms around Willy and I and we all shared a tender and lasting hug. It was wonderous and I wished that it would never end.

Like all good things though, the hug ended. After a solid and blissfully peaceful moment, Molly slowly backed out to get a good look at the abused Little before her. Her face clouded with a mixture of relief and sadness. “Oh, baby. I was so worried about you. Gosh, what did they do to you? Are you okay?” She began gently moving him about to inspect him further as she asked her questions.

Willy grimaced in pain, but steadily spoke. “I’m… I huwt. Wots of owies awe ovuh…”

“Awww… I’m sure I can get you fixed right up. My special kisses and some magical cream should fix you all right up.” She smiled and tenderly touched his bruised and swelling face, which Willy immediately leaned into for more comfort. “Medic!” she called out.

From my still position in Willy’s wrapped arms, I looked toward the hurrying officer carrying a large bag with a giant caduceus on it. Nearby, I saw a thrashing Sgt. Manis get handcuffed as well. A blue patch on his shirt told me that he had been hit by one of the stun rounds in the initial shootout and I couldn’t help but smile a little. Many of the officers, however, only glared at him and muttered harshly under their breaths as he walked by. Dirty cops were hated on principle, but with the addition of helping them kidnap a Little, he was likely the most hated cop in the western hemisphere right now. ‘He’s not going to last long wherever he’s going now…’

“Does someone need some help?” the rushing medic then asked Molly when they were close enough by.

“Yes, doc… anything you got in that bag of yours for Willy here?” Molly asked with a twinge of hope.

“Hmmm… lemme see.” The medic then looked in their bag and started shuffling around.

Molly then turned to Willy and stroked his hair a bit with affection. “I don’t think I’m ever going to let you out of my sight again. I was so worried. I…”

“Iss okay, Mowwy… Tus’ was hewe hewpin’…” Molly and the medic only smiled, obviously believing that I only had the power of any type of comfort item. Only alive in an active imagination of a fragile and regressed Little. ‘If they only knew…’

“I’m very glad you had Tusk with you… I promise those mean men are going away for a long time now…” Molly then cuddled with Willy for the next few moments as the medic continued to look through their bag.

“Aha. Here it is!” the medic exclaimed and then produced a white tube that read “Bruise-B-Gone.” “This should clear those nasty widdle bruises up by tomorrow at the latest.” The medic then started applying the purple and green paste to Willy’s scrunched face. It obviously hurt, but after a moment, his face started to relax. “Ah… much better. Takes a sec to kick in, but I’m guessing some of the numbing agents just started to work their magic.” They smiled at Willy and then turned back to Molly. “Should be all good to go now, Molly.”

“Thanks, Morgan,” Molly said appreciatively.

“Anytime, Molly. And you…” Morgan then directed their attention toward Willy. “Such a brave Little. I think someone deserves one of my special suckers.”

“Oh my… Morgan never gives those out to just anyone,” Molly cooed. “You must be a very special patient to them, Willy.”

Willy blushed as much as he could under his deep bruises, but then finally managed to squeak out, “Dank you…”

Morgan smiled and patted Willy on the knee with adoration. “Awww. You’re so welcome, buddy.” They then turned their attention back to Molly. “You take care as well Molly. Don’t let this one…”

Bang!

“Ah! Get down! He’s got a gun!” one of the officers yelled out.

Several officers then ducked, and Molly immediately shielded Willy from whatever the threat was. Because of her protective actions though, I could only see a little bit, but what I did see was not what anyone would ever want to see this close.

Mr. Mercer was standing upright and wielding a large gun in his non-bloodied hand. On the ground near him was a disarmed officer bleeding from a wound in his chest. Mr. Mercer walked backward and retrieved a large metal case from the racks behind him. I remembered seeing them earlier, but I still had no clue what was in them. To everyone’s horror though, Mr. Mercer then unlocked the case and took out what could only be a decently sized bomb.

“I want out of here! Now! Don’t think I won’t use this. It goes off… the whole block does!” He clicked a few buttons and the bomb then hummed to life and activated. Without remorse, Mr. Mercer then palmed a detonation trigger in his bloodied hand and waved it about to emphasize his deadly point to everyone present.

‘Shit… Guess this thing isn’t quite over yet.’ I sighed internally. ’Freakin’ criminals…’

[Guilend]

Thank the gods that they got rescued. 

I have a few theories about the Boss man. 

1. He's actually a Little or Betweener, inside an Amazon suit. Like a story I read somewhere a long time ago about a very smart tech CEO Amazon woman that turned out to be Little genius woman inside an Amazon suit she invented. 

2. He's augmented with technology for some reason. (Maybe because he's a Betweener and used augmentation to make him look like an Amazon?)

3. He's a Little or Betweener that has used the shrink technology to make them bigger and had to use his own invented technology from mechanical/biological science like nanites and drugs to keep him from dying and/or shrinking back to size. 

I'm sure there's more theories others can think of. 

[dirtydingus84]

After all this I know a great therapist Willy could see wink wink

[LostBBoyBear]

So, this is the final chapter for this story. It's been a lot of fun putting this story together and then finally putting it out there for you all to read. I am very grateful for everyone's likes and comments and it makes me very happy and humble that many of you seemed to enjoy it. 

That being said, I'm not sure what the future holds for my writing in these realms. I was always told to write for myself, but I'm not sure how well that translates for this community. I am practically a fountain of new ideas, with at least the potential for over 30 more stories as of right now, with some of those even being as long as 40 chapters. I was originally going to continue to write another story and then start posting it next week, but I'm not sure if I should post that one or hold off for the time being. Currently, I am also debating if I should continue any of my previous stories or if I should start a new one and better expand my own corner of the DD, with stories about FOY, Dark Cliff Prison, or Project Nurture. 

Due to how some of the other writers post on here, I may also space out how often I post. Right now, I usually post one story every month and continue almost every day until the conclusion. I may change this up with the next story and post every other day or once a week starting at the end of July or the beginning of August. I need to see how other things go first, but I just wanted to let you all know. 

Regardless of all that, I hope you all have enjoyed this story and will enjoy the conclusion of it with this final chapter!

Chapter 17: A Testimony to a New Beginning

“Put down the gun! Now!” Detective Wright ordered loudly as he drew his gun. Mr. Mercer only backed up and redirected his gun menacingly at the detective. The whole room seemed to pause in the chaos. Mr. Mercer was outgunned with all the offices now pointing their weapons at him, but he still had the bomb. It clicked with frightening regularity.

Meanwhile, in all the chaos between the two, Officer Mendez then quietly hobbled over to us while still crouched and gave Molly a knowing look of some kind. Molly paused for a moment but then gravely only nodded back.

“Willy,” Molly said, leaning closer toward us in her now crouched position. “Stay with Morgan and Officer Mendez here. I need to take care of this. I’ll be back in one second. I promise.” Willy trembled with fear but only silently nodded. As soon as the two let go of each other, Willy buried himself into the nearby comforting arms of Morgan. For their part, Morgan only hugged him tight and rubbed his back. From his new position, I could see the entire scene unfold before me.

“Please. It doesn’t have to be this way, Mercer…” Detective Wright tried to negotiate, slightly easing off his direct aiming of his gun. He attempted to do the same with the rest of the present officers, but many seemed itching to pull their triggers and take a chance on the bomb not going off.

Mr. Mercer, however, wasn’t so easily coddled. “No! I leave right now. Out the back. No one follows or I set this thing off and we all go up!” he yelled frantically, still waving his gun around, a few drops of blood even flying off and splattering nearby the fallen officer still squirming on the ground in pain from his own gunshot wound.

“Very well…” Detective Wright sighed. He then turned around and spotted Molly lined up behind him. He turned back to Mr. Mercer but then whispered, “You have the shot?”

For her part, I had to adjust my view to see Molly more fully, but I then noticed she was now carefully pointing her gun precisely at Mr. Mercer. “I’ve got him…” Molly said confidently.

Mr. Mercer’s eyes twitched back and forth amongst all the officers. The blood from his head wound trickled down onto his ruined suit. The nearby bomb glinted in the overhead dim and occasionally flickering lighting. Only the scurrying of what I could only assume to be a rat and the gentle lap of the nearby docks of the warehouse district could be heard above the incessant and doomed ticking.

“Good…” Detective Wright said calmly. “Take him.”

Bang!

 *             *              *

“… and that’s when you shot the assailant, Mr. Mercer, Officer Donovan?” the lawyer asked to clarify Molly’s story in the courtroom.

“That’s right. Stun round right between the eyes,” Molly said smirking a little at her precise shot. Nearby, a handcuffed Mr. Mercer angrily scowled at her and rubbed the giant purple and green lump between his eyes. From where I had sat with Willy over the past few days, he had looked ridiculous as he tried defending himself. I think even the jury couldn’t help but snicker at his predicament. After all, defending oneself is a bit hard when you threaten a full warehouse of law enforcement and then still bear the mark of the only reason why the situation was peacefully resolved.

Willy did brilliantly and his testimony two days ago was almost a lock for all the criminals on trial who were still alive, including Boss Cardigan. The DA was even reluctant to press very hard on the innocent Little before him and where he did press, Willy had still answered directly and about the best he could.

Additionally, the footage from my camera and those at the Galpin’s house were monumental in speaking for themselves and backed up his testimony precisely. While I was put on display as evidence, sporting my freshly sewn-on tail, I felt immensely proud for my part in taking down these evil men.

Then today, to my utter shock, Molly had dropped the biggest piece of evidence beyond Willy’s testimony. “So, you’re telling me you found something inside the stuffy belonging to the Little you were placed in charge of?” the prosecuting attorney had asked.

“That is correct,” Molly affirmed. “When we installed the tracker, camera, and listening device, we accidentally discovered a remote storage device hidden in the stuffy’s chest.”

“And what did this contain?” the prosecuting attorney pressed.

“It contained evidence that had been logged into the device remotely by the Little’s fatherly custodian, Mr. Galpin. Once unlocked in cooperation with Mr. Galpin, we found the device contained several financial records and shipping manifests for the stolen drug, FOY. We were also able to discover records regarding other nefarious and illegal activities as well.”

“And why was this unique type of storage device chosen? It could seem pretty convenient for an officer like yourself to just happen upon this information in the first place,” the DA asked later, trying to debunk her testimony as evidence having been planted.

“We asked Mr. Galpin this ourselves,” Molly responded confidently. “The Little, Willy, and his stuffy have a stronger bond than most traditional relationships I’ve seen between a Little and their toy. While most find this endearing, Mr. Galpin knew that this relationship with the stuffy would ensure a few things. First, it would be the last place most would look for information of this magnitude, and second, it would also be staying with a member of his family. Being a Little, he knew he wouldn’t have to worry about the possibly of being double crossed and that if something were to happen, he also knew that most would go out of their way to protect him and thus the stuffy as well. Lastly, the stuffy’s internal mechanisms and protective coatings would keep the information safe if said issue did occur.”

The rest of the trial followed suit and the evidence just kept mounting against Boss Cardigan and his associates now that some of their information was now in the open. Despite the erasure of many files by Boss Cardigan before the police assaulted the warehouse, my camera footage was admissible in court and in the days following the trial, had led to several other cases being reopened or even started in the first place. Bodies were being pulled out of the local river on a nearly daily basis at this point.

Further, the police also discovered that Boss Cardigan’s reach surpassed what even they had originally believed, going as far as heavily influencing the Wabash River Regression Center, where Willy had been regressed in the first place. The day the place was assaulted and shut down had all been so beautiful, especially after seeing some of the nurses from the center be prosecuted for abuse and neglect. Everyone knew what their punishment would be… ‘Ah, the sweet nectar of just deserts.’

Finally, when it was all said and done, the jury came back in less than an hour, having only taken longer due to determining the degree of their guilt. Based on an all-guilty verdict of the criminals, Boss Cardigan and his associates received various punishments to be determined later pending a psychological evaluation per recent laws regarding such matters.

We didn’t have to wait long, and a week later, while the public had just been told that ‘they were dealt with accordingly,’ Molly had gotten the inside scoop. She never did say what happened to them, but after, she always got a funny look on her face whenever she would see a new Little at daycare. ‘Does she know something more specific? Could they be the new attendees in the newborn section?’ I might never know fully, but Molly had seemed satisfied with whatever had happened, and for someone who had shot one of them in the head, even with a stun round, I knew that justice had been served in this society’s own unique way.

As for Robert… well, his involvement in several illegal activities would have given him a strict sentence, likely permanent regression or Dark Cliff Prison, but he had elected to cooperate with the police fully. As such, he was sentenced to 30 years in a minimum-security prison somewhere down south, which meant that he couldn’t take care of Willy.

*              *              *

“Which brings us to today…” I finished, easing back against the couch that Mr. Duck and I were now sitting on, amidst all the tissue and wrapping paper.

“How so?” Mr. Duck asked, still wearing a look of disbelief over everything he had just heard.

“Well, Willy needed to go someplace, and of course, Molly and Kent were only so glad to take in their new Little. You know even though Molly and Kent are wonderful names, I like them much better as Mommy and Daddy now… it just sounds right, you know?”

Mr. Duck nodded in agreement. “So then, everything worked out in the end I guess?”

I hesitated for a second and thought about all the wounds, the death of our first mommy, and the destruction of so much. It was hard to call it a complete victory, but it was still something. “Well... maybe not entirely, but I think this is the best-case scenario by now. Hard to argue with the outcome in some ways though, especially on a day like today, right?”

Mr. Duck nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! I mean, a birthday for a Little seems like a such a great time! Even just seeing this room after I came out of the box I was wrapped in!”

“Absolutely,” I agreed, looking at all the ribbons and banners that Mommy and Daddy had set up last night once Willy had been put to bed. It was all fun, but we had to attend to an important matter now. I then looked seriously at my new friend and stuffy. “Now, Mr. Duck, I need to know going forward, are you going to be a part of our little secret, or do you want to just remain a toy? I need to know now while we’re alone, so I know how to interact with you in the future.”

The yellow duck pondered in relative silence for a moment. The laughter coming from the other room where Willy was enjoying his food with friends and family was hard to miss and I could tell was a little distracting to the new stuffy, but I also saw his longing whenever another round of giggles penetrated the room. So finally, and without surprise, the duck looked up and spoke. “Yes. I want him to know about me.”

I smiled at my new friend and comrade. Other toys may not like it, but Willy was permitted one extra allowance from our kind after what he had been through. It could have been a manipulation at playtime where he would win more often where we toys could intervene, but I knew a new friend would be the right call for my… our Little. “Perfect. You won’t regret it. Just keep your bill clean, and everything will work out. Now, I think they’re going to come in here in a bit, so just remain cal…”

“There you two are!” Molly, our new mommy, exclaimed, coming back into the living room with a bit of a skip. “Willy’s been calling out for his new toy and his favorite toy. Come on you two!” Mommy then picked us both up and carried us into the dining room, which had been festooned with a variety of streamers and theming of a safari. Willy was nothing if not predictable in his likes.

Nearby, an icing-smeared Willy was chowing down greedily on his own piece of the blue-frosted cake that had once been in the shape of Wallkill. Of course, all that remained now after the eager partygoers had gotten their piece, was the poor bird’s tail section. Based on the equally icing-covered faces and blue tongues, the rest of the guests at the birthday party had greedily devoured the rest of him with immense pleasure.

Mr. Duck and I took in the room and were then situated with Willy once his plate had been moved out of the way and Kent, now Daddy, had cleaned the Little up thoroughly with a myriad of wet wipes. Many of the other caregivers had followed and cleaned up their own respective Littles. “Such a messy little boy I’ve got!” Daddy exclaimed. “I think I could just eat him all up!” Kent then lunged and began to make chewing and other exaggerated eating noises with a defenseless Willy.

Willy immediately let out a high-pitched giggle. “Daddy! No! I nah’ fo’ eatin’! I’m da biwfday boy! Hewp me Mommy!”

Daddy relented over the threat of bringing Mommy into all this and pulled away, smiling wide over his little joke. “Well, of course you’re the birthday boy, Willy. And look,” Daddy then took Mr. Duck and I from a nearby beaming Mommy who presented them forward, “look who came to celebrate with you!”

“Tus’! Mistuh Duck!” Willy then immediately grabbed us both and Molly and Kent only looked on with pleased faces over the delight of their new Little on his big day. Of course, with a different calendar and year system, it was hard to approximate his real birthday, so most just used their initial adoption date.

“Okay! Places you all!” Miss G then called out. Ever the caregiver and organizer, she held up a large camera on a tripod and was trying to get us all to pose for a cute birthday photo with all the invited guests. She had become a fast friend of the family once everything had settled down and she and Mommy had coordinated together to get several of the Littles there into rehab or adopted out.

Gina and Mindy, and Harry and Eddy were now clambering into position in the arms of their new caregivers. Surprisingly, I guess Officer Mendez’s heart had grown three sizes or something because after the trial, he had soon reached out and adopted both Gina and Harry with his wife. The four of them now made a very cute family and were frequent guests for playdates and parties.

“Come on Sarah! You too!” Mommy called out to our former Nanny. She was fortunately already out of the house when the shooting had occurred, and while she had been devastated at the loss of her connection with the Galpin’s and Willy, she had soon found employment at the daycare that Willy now attended. Additionally, she had become an excellent primary babysitter for whenever Mommy and Daddy wanted a night off.

“Okay, twenty seconds!” Miss G called out when everyone was in place, Willy still seated in a highchair in the middle of the group and flanked on either side by Mommy and Daddy. Mr. Duck and I were proudly displayed in front of Willy as he hugged us dearly.  

Click!

Miss G then noisily padded back to get in her position behind Sarah, Mildred, and Penelope, who were also in attendance. I swore I heard an extra almost crinkling sound come from Miss G as she shuffled into the group, but I must have been just imagining things. ‘Right?’

I was too distracted anyway by the now smiling Willy who beamed at both Mr. Duck and I in his arms to worry about the rumors of what had happened to her after we had left. Molly had seemed extra sympathetic toward her, and Penelope and Mildred seemed to take on more of a leadership position over her now, but I was just far too happy to pay any real attention to what was going on there.  

Wrapped in Willy’s arms, I knew we had come a long way. We had been hurt and chased through woods and sewers, but if today was any indication, we were now fully out of the darkness and that’s all that mattered to me.

“Willy! Look at the camera and smile big, baby!” Mommy instructed after seeing Willy looking happily at his two toys and not the clicking camera in front of us.

“Ooopie… sowwy Mommy…” Willy said, blushing and immediately looking forward upon her instruction.

The group giggled a bit over his reaction, while I giggled a bit internally and only discreetly winked at an enraptured Mr. Duck. Willy just cuddled us further and smiled big for the camera.

Looking back, as a stuffy in this world, I know life can be difficult, more so even when your Little’s adoptive parents are involved with the criminal element of the city. It was a long road to get to today, but cuddling in close to my Little, with a new friend, and surrounded by those who only cared deeply about Willy, I knew what I had wished for so long ago had come to pass. In moments like these, I had no doubt that my Little was happy and cared for, and as a stuffy who had just gone through the proverbial muck, I knew that was no minor feat.

“Smile big everyone and say cheese after 1! 3… 2… 1!” Daddy instructed merrily.

“Cheese!” the group yelled out happily.

Yes, the darkness had definitely passed, and Willy was finally happy and surrounded by those who loved him. Finally, I knew I could smile in peace. The camera’s flash then went off to commemorate the shared wonderful moment between all of us. Life was finally good.

[Guilend]

39 minutes ago, LostBBoyBear said:

Miss G then noisily padded back to get in her position behind Sarah, Mildred, and Penelope, who were also in attendance. I swore I heard an extra almost crinkling sound come from Miss G as she shuffled into the group, but I must have been just imagining things. ‘Right?’

You're just a big tease lol. 

I wonder what the rumors are?

I wonder if Miss G is treated like an older child or a toddler when the Littles aren't around? 

God my curiosity is killing me lol. 

Love the story. 

[LostBBoyBear]

1 hour ago, Guilend said:

You're just a big tease lol. 

I wonder what the rumors are?

I wonder if Miss G is treated like an older child or a toddler when the Littles aren't around? 

God my curiosity is killing me lol. 

Love the story. 

I figured you might like that tease. Definitely considering a separate story about her and filling in the gaps.

Thank you.

[Guilend]

2 minutes ago, LostBBoyBear said:

I figured you might like that tease. Definitely considering a separate story about her and filling in the gaps.

Thank you.

It really wouldn't need to be a long story. Probably somewhere between like 5 and 10 chapters lol. You know what my vote is lol. But you don't have to. It's still a good story. 

I just have a stupid curious trait that eats me alive sometimes. But it will go away in time and with a new distraction or curiosity lol. 

But Miss G is definitely a huge curiosity lol. I know I'm odd, but Miss G and Nanny Sarah are my favorite characters lol. 

[dirtydingus84]

That ending was worth it Willy got to stand tall kind of, Tusk was badass for a stuffy without fingers lol and glad to see Miss G and Sarah make it out ok.  

[LostBBoyBear]

43 minutes ago, Guilend said:

It really wouldn't need to be a long story. Probably somewhere between like 5 and 10 chapters lol. You know what my vote is lol. But you don't have to. It's still a good story. 

I just have a stupid curious trait that eats me alive sometimes. But it will go away in time and with a new distraction or curiosity lol. 

But Miss G is definitely a huge curiosity lol. I know I'm odd, but Miss G and Nanny Sarah are my favorite characters lol. 

I completely get that and I would be the same way. I actually mapped out the story the other day and I'm thinking I could use it to flesh out some of what I only briefly mentioned in the last chapter. So far, it's around nine chapter if my plan doesn't change, but I might put other stories as a priority first. 

26 minutes ago, dirtydingus84 said:

That ending was worth it Willy got to stand tall kind of, Tusk was badass for a stuffy without fingers lol and glad to see Miss G and Sarah make it out ok.  

Thank you! I knew I left both of those characters hanging a little bit, so I wanted to give them at least some form of closure for now.

[dmavn]

This has got to be one of the most awesomest stories ever!! SOO sad to see it finished..