Project Nurture: A Diaper Dimension Story (Chapter 15 - Complete)

[SGTbaby]

Poor Ron. Feel bad for the Little Guy as realizations start to hit and they use hypnosis. I am not sure I like the TV part but I see how they are kind of playing with things overall. 

[LostBBoyBear]

46 minutes ago, SGTbaby said:

Poor Ron. Feel bad for the Little Guy as realizations start to hit and they use hypnosis. I am not sure I like the TV part but I see how they are kind of playing with things overall. 

I feel bad for Ron as well. I really wanted to portray him as ultimately a tragic character, despite some of the niceties that he may be surrounded by. 

I knew the TV hypnosis was a bit of a stretch for this project, but this is Big society and corporate or governmental power reigns supreme. When dealing with these companies, I don't think I ever remember one that was above board. As such, I knew they had to have some interference in the project, like some of the product placements I've noted or in this case, the TV hypnosis. It's nothing major, but it just acts like drunk goggles. People like Ashley may be immune, but that isn't really the case for Ron unfortunately...

[LostBBoyBear]

Hey everyone. I'm hoping to post another chapter tomorrow, but if I can't I won't be able to post another one until Sunday at the earliest (if that). 

Regardless, I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter!

Chapter 9: Session 23

“At last, I finally see the Little that I’ve always hoped for from this project… well, mostly…” I looked at the screens before me and saw a new vision of Ron taking hold. “I am now going to note that the incident at the daycare a few days ago was likely the turning point for Ron as a subject during this project, in terms of viewing himself as a Little and at least the partial acceptance of what comes along with that title.”

I spotted the Little currently playing around with his monkey on the monitors at a playdate with Olly yesterday. “Either from a broken will or, more likely, an acceptance of his newfound life, Ron has now acclimated to several aspects of being a Little.” The obviously diapered Little began to act out a few scenes with Louie in front of Olly, both Little’s shortalls straining over top their cutely designed onesies.

“After the incident at the daycare, Joy took it in stride and has begun to implement several new routines for Ron. Little-appropriate clothing has begun to replace most of his original clothing, and he has only accepted them for their sense of comfort and security alongside his diapers. The patterns so far, beyond a few noted exception, have all been accepted as just a caveat with their benefits.” I then switched to a different view of Ron now back at daycare from the previous day.

“As he confided in an obviously increasingly worried Ashley while at daycare that day, the clothing ‘ensures that my diapers stay in place or can be changed when needed.’ He even went as far to make a joke about that no Little really wants to stay in a poopy diaper all day long. Needless to say, Ashley has continued to weather through his changes as a true friend, but her apprehension over his newly changed status worries me. Further monitoring will be necessary to ensure she does not derail the project from the Littles she interacts with.”

I switched the monitor once more to yesterday after Olly and Ron had been put down for a nap during their playdate. “While Olly has demonstrated his acceptance in his own study, Ron has come to openly enjoy some aspects of his life more now that the breaking point of wearing and using diapers has been passed.” Ron lay cutely scrunched up against Louie and peacefully sucked his thumb while on his nap mat next to Olly sleeping in his crib. “While not implemented by our project, I believe that Joy’s previous efforts of placing his thumb in his mouth at night have finally come to fruition. The digit often passively enters his mouth of his own accord during most periods of rest or even growing times where he needs to concentrate on something that he is actively engaged in. This can range from simple puzzles to even reading, but further usage of his thumb as a passive state is still yet to be achieved.”

I stood up and then popped on the RealET system. “Joy of course has been guiding him through this whole process and I firmly believe that Ron has now truly accepted her into his life. As of what her role is remains unknown, but now diapered regardless, Ron has been allowed to accompany Joy on her errands if desired. Due to his increasing closeness with her, Ron readily accepted an offer to join her at the mall today.” My image then fade and the picture came to halt on Joy’s car pulling up the mall.

The mall was a large and sprawling structure where the lower two levels of the four-story structure had been embedded in the ground. Big society had taken to the notion of malls with a gleeful abandon and this mall slightly outside of town on the intersection between our large community and another, was a prime example of the recently added addition to our society from Ron’s own portal dimension. Our trade agreement allowed them to receive our patents for renewable energy programs and air purifying devices to clean up their own planet, but we had gotten things like malls… Of course, we also got a fresh batch of Littles for our society, but that wasn’t the type of thing one jotted down in a formal treaty with such a weaponized and trigger-happy people.

Anyways, Joy pulled up and parked outside one of the six main entryways into the mall and then helped Ron get out of his car seat. It was one of the newer additions to Ron’s life, but it had been easily justified when Joy had mentioned the notion of heated or massage chairs and rapidly accessible sound systems or cup holders as possible add-ons, of course all designed by our company. In truth, even I was tempted to get a version of the seat once Joy had finished convincing Ron of its usefulness and comfort.

“Come on, honey. We’ve got a few things to do today, and I want to try and see if we can do all of them by the time you’ve been taking your nap,” Joy said as she hoisted the now ever-present diaper bag on her shoulder. Ron cutely saluted back at her to confirm that he would do his best to ensure that would happen, all the while still holding Louie tightly with his non-saluting arm. Joy just giggled at his antics and began to guide her Little toward the large mall.

Nearing the entrance, Joy stopped in place after reading a large sign above the multiple glass doors, ‘All Littles Must Be Diapered and In Strollers to Enter.’ “Oh, shoot! I completely forgot about the whole stroller bit.”

Ron looked a little uneasy at the notion, but then just simply turned to Joy. “It’s okay, Joy. I don’t want to be a fuss or anything… I’ll sit in the stroller… for you.”

Once again, Joy was outwardly shocked at her Littles willingness to make her life easier, but in truth, we both knew this day was coming. Ron had been getting one of the best workouts of his life as he had walked around on his own and with Joy to the park most days, but the inclusion of the diaper had only made the walk more difficult. Plus, Ron had happily watched a cartoon about a king who was carried everywhere on his royal litter. Since then, every time Ron had spotted a stroller pass the two of them by, he almost seemed envious.

As if to confirm his motivations further from the notion of being treated as royalty of sorts, Ron proudly announced, “Besides, I’ll practically be a king with you carting me everywhere.”

Joy’s shocked expression soon vanished, and she playfully smiled back. “Oh, your majesty,” she said with a smidge of sarcasm and humor, going even as far as to bow before him. “Your royal carriage awaits.”

“Very well,” Ron said, with a perfumed air about his demeanor as he leaned into the notion that he was royalty. Repeated playdates with Olly and his inclusion with his new group at daycare had greatly eased his acceptance of playing pretend around others. It was readily obvious at the park and daycare, but it had begun to bleed into other aspects of his life as well.

Joy then led the way and stopped off at the large holding station of strollers near the front entrance just inside the doors. “One please,” she announced to the person behind the counter.

The attendant stared at Joy and, after standing a bit, then at Ron. He said nothing but simply gave her a ticket in which to scan to unlock the provided strollers, mostly meant for new caregivers. Ron only blushed as he clearly realized that the attendant was checking to see if he was first, a Little, and secondly, diapered.

Ron hadn’t picked out his clothing this morning, just letting Joy do all the work, but still mindful of his feelings, she had opted for a green onesie that tucked into a pair of simple dark blue shorts. Of course, the onesie bore a large picture of the Blur on it, an alien superhero with super strength, flight, laser vision, frost breath and a whole host of other powers, but it still seemed to be a relatively more mature outfit as compared to what other Littles were wearing in the mall.

Getting in the large blue stroller after Joy had popped it out of its holding stall, Ron adjusted himself and she leaned in to check on him. “All comfy?” Ron nodded, all the while still holding tightly onto Louie. “Good. Now, I won’t strap you in or anything, but I need you stay put unless I let you out, okay?”

Ron nodded but then timidly asked, “Can I ask why?”

“Of course, sweetie. You see, this mall is more Big-friendly in places, so Littles are just a bit more restricted around here.” She then sighed. “To be honest, they don’t want you all running around and potentially breaking things.”

“But that wouldn’t be me,” Ron defended himself with a hint of sadness.

“Oh, I know that honey, but there can’t be exceptions to these types of rules. I wish there were, but we just need to deal with the consequences now as we always do.” Ron seemed to ponder the notion for a moment but then just nodded and leaned back in the cushioned seat in resignation that he could do nothing about the rule. Satisfied that he was all settled, Joy placed Ron’s diaper bag in the pouch underneath and then took off. 

At the Melon store, Joy browsed through several of the latest model options for a new phone and Ron sat quietly looking entranced at all the technology around him. Large and sterile walls easily exaggerated all the new products such as phones, computers, and music players that Melon Inc. had to offer. Just one of these products could have made Ron a millionaire back home in his own dimension, but he seemed more preoccupied now with the expressive colors of one of the monitors that flashed before him.

Next, at the furniture store, Ron began to wiggle about and clearly wanted out of the stroller. A quick reminder from Joy though had him sit still once again as she looked over some of the possible new bedding options for her own bedroom. Ron didn’t see from the confines of his seat, but Joy was also looking at some of the more babyish themes of bedding and furniture just behind him. ‘Soon…’

At the candle and bath product store, Joy finally relented to all the squirming that Ron seemed to be doing now. It looked like positively infantile behavior from an outside perspective, but I also that Ron still wasn’t used to staying in one space for so long. “Alright, I’m going to let you out, but one slip up, and you’re back in here…” Ron silently nodded toward the crouched Joy in front of him. “Good. Now, stay in view with me and don’t make me regret this.”

Ron once again nodded at the consequences of a possible slip up, but then took his chance and quickly hopped out of the stroller. All around were bottles and containers of all sizes and each was filled with a unique candle, body wash, lotion, shampoo, and practically anything else one needed to feel comfortable and clean.

Wandering away from Joy for just a little bit, though periodically checking to ensure that she was still in view, Ron came to some fresh-scented candles. Peering over and into a few, he removed some of the lids and gave them some giant sniffs to get a sample of their luxurious and sometimes exotic odors. His eyes briefly fluttered and danced about in ecstasy over their wonderous aromas.

Satisfied, Ron stepped back but then almost tripped over himself. Obviously frustrated with his still new lack of coordination after the video the other day, he looked down for a reason and spotted that his shoes were now both untied. “Of course they are…” Ron said exaggeratedly as he rolled his eyes. He then crouched down and tried but ultimately was only able to fumble around with his laces.

Of course, as the video had also affected his hand-eye coordination, tying the laces had become more of a difficulty in recent days. Now, here in the store and out in public, he faced no exception to this new quality in his daily life. Normally, Joy would have stepped in by now, but she was already on the other side of the store and chatting with a salesperson. So, after the fifth try and a large sigh over not having any luck still, a kindly young onlooking worker at the store walked up next to him.

“Hey there, sweetie. You need help?” she asked innocently of the Little.

Ron looked at the high school-looking student and sighed over the indignity of such a question from someone who was at least younger in their years alive, maturity being an entirely different metric here. Almost everyone else would have been better, but he seemed to be all alone with her and after a quick glance, Ron could see that Joy was just starting to check out. I could see that he knew that he needed his laces tied and the younger Big did offer, so Ron just let out a tiny almost inaudible groan. “I… well, uh… I think it’s just stress, but… I don’t know, maybe?”

The girl giggled cutely. “Well, that’s okay sweetie.” The brunette pig-tailed Big then crouched down as Ron stood up to free the space around both his shoes. “I know these things can be a bit tricky. Surprised you don’t just go with some Velcro straps like all the other Littles around here that I see.”

Ron blushed at the insinuation over the lack of his abilities but wisely decided not to make a big deal out of it. “I guess I’m just new to all this… could tie my shoes the other day, but as I said… probably just stress.”

The girl then finished tying both shoes without comment and stood partially back up to meet Ron’s gaze. “I’m Daisy by the way. What’s your name cutie?”

“Ron,” he answered as he blushed a bit, “and thank you… you know… for the shoes…”

Daisy just giggled once again and then stood fully back up. “So polite, but you’re very welcome, Ron. Now, where’s your momm…”

“Caregiver…” Ron corrected still, “she’s…”

“Right here,” Joy announced as she wheeled the stroller over to the two, now finished with her purchases at the store. She then turned to Daisy. “I’m sorry, was Ron here causing trouble?”

Ron then looked very fearful, but Daisy was a good-natured Big and wouldn’t lie just to feel a surge of power over a Little like other Bigs might have. “Oh no, ma’am. Ron’s shoes were just untied. That’s all. In fact, you have a very polite Little here. Wish all my charges were so well behaved…”

“Oh wonderful but wait… Charges… are you a…” Joy seemed to be searching for just the right word, “afternoon caretaker?” she worded carefully, an obvious attempt not to upset Ron.

Daisy looked confused for a moment, but obviously being at least a little bright, looked quickly at Ron and put everything together with what Joy was trying to do. “Oh, yes! Definitely! Part time work here only pays so much, but my afternoon caretaker job is a nice bonus. Always looking to take on new Littles… especially such cuties like Ron here.

Ron could only blush and the Little actually shrank quietly back into the stroller. Both women “Awwed” over the scene, but after a little more interaction between the two, Joy then said her goodbyes to move on with their shopping excursion.

“Thanks for stopping by now, you two! See you later, Ron! Can’t wait to come over whenever you might need!” she called out as Joy exited the store while still waving goodbye.

The pair then made their way over to a large, designated zone where several Littles were playing. “Here we go,” Joy announced. “Hop out, Ron. You might want to stretch for a bit. We’re about to do some clothes shopping and I definitely can’t let you out in there unless it’s an emergency. Best to get all your wiggles out now.”

Not needing to be told twice, Ron nodded and eagerly bounded out of the stroller. The next few moments were spent with Ron eagerly bouncing around with some of the other Littles there. Due to Ron’s drop in regression, I had noticed that his previous aversion to the younger Littles no longer seemed to be present. Either from a lack of ego or just pure acceptance of the situation, Ron only wouldn’t interact with the crawlers or the truly regressed. This had first been instilled at daycare, but this was more as a form of safety for all involved rather than a prejudice of sorts at this point.

After a while, Joy checked her watch and then called Ron back over. Waddling back, Joy halted him before he entered the stroller again. “Wait one minute, sweetie. I need to do a check…” Ron groaned as he looked down and noticed the slightly bulkier bulge under his pants so then just allowed Joy to do what she needed. It was still an annoyance, but it was evident that it was becoming routine and increasingly necessary now as Ron’s control began to vanish completely.   

Joy quickly unsnapped some of the poppers in his shorts and then snaked her hand into the crotch of his onesie. Ron blushed furiously but didn’t make a move. “Hmmm… just a little wet. Not as bad as I was expecting with your puffier pants look going on, but you should still be good for a bit.” Ron only nodded his head in shame over his mounting incontinence, but with his acceptance, he just stood back and allowed himself to soon be snapped back up.

Looking around while Joy loaded up the stroller after taking a ‘Little and Me’ magazine out to read, I could see Ron quickly survey the Littles in front of him. While he no longer balked over playing with other Littles, today was the first chance that Ron had to truly see some of the other regressed Littles outside the project’s, or company’s other experiments, own scope.

Some sported vacant glares while others were clearly marked underneath their cute clothing with faint scar lines, a product of a rapidly diminishing bygone era. Still, it clearly made an impact on the Little. “Joy…”

She then looked up after putting the diaper bag back in the rear of the stroller. “Yes, Ron?”

“I… I just want to thank you.”

“For what, sweetie?” Joy asked, now walking over and crouching down to meet Ron’s gaze, one that almost seemed a thousand miles away.

“Seeing these other Littles and their Bigs… I just want to say that I feel more secure with you… you took me in when you didn’t have to, and I know some stuff has happened…” he casually brushed his hand absent mindedly against the bulge of his covered diaper, “but you were still there for me… it means a lot that you just want to help me, and not all… that…” Ron trailed off as he looked over at the other Littles nearby. ‘Oh, Ron…’

Joy saw the other Littles as well and nodded and let out a tiny sigh. “Well, thank you sweetie. That means a lot to me to hear coming from you. I know all this hasn’t been easy, but you‘ve been such a trooper. You’re a wonderful Little and I couldn’t be happier that you’re in my life.” Ron blushed a bit at the comment and Joy then patted his shoulder. “Now, come on. We’ve got a little shopping left to do. So, you just ease back and let me take it from here.” Ron only smiled and resettled himself back in the stroller, now content to just let time pass over him in silent peace and security over his knowledge that he had one of the good caregivers.

The pair then meandered through the mall and to the large clothing store at the far end. Having just run around and gotten up early today, I could see that Ron was quickly nodding off in his comfortable seat. As Joy selected her first dress to try on, Ron’s slight boredom and exhaustion caught up with him and he soon quickly dozed off.

When Ron awoke, I could tell right away that he was startled and embarrassed by what he was greeted with. First, his hand traveled down toward his now even puffier diaper and gave it an experimental poke. After an exaggerated sigh, he then realized that he was absent mindedly and peacefully sucking on his thumb.

“Aghhh!” Ron then yanked the digit out of his mouth and looked at it like an old friend who had betrayed him. Clearly, sucking his thumb in private was still far different than sucking it in public for the Little.

“Everything okay in there, sweetie?” Joy asked as she stopped the stroller and then leaned in to check on her Little.

“Uh, yeah… it was nothing…” Ron tried to pass off, still obviously too embarrassed to admit what had happened with his thumb.

Joy was less convinced and crouched down in front of him to talk to her Little more directly. “I saw you pass out when I went to try on my clothing, so I just let you sleep for a bit. You might have a shorter nap later, but that’s okay.” Her eyes then drifted down to Ron’s now very puffy crotch. A detailed outline of his diaper could now be seen across his shorts to any discerning caregiver who happened to be looking.

“Hmmm… let me check again.” Joy then repeated the process she had done earlier. “Still not absolutely terrible. Amazing… I think you should be able to last until the end of our little shopping trip today.” Ron then whimpered a little bit. “I know, I know, honey. Not the best, but… the entrance has a private changing station. I figured you would prefer that… That is, unless you want to change in one of the public ones…” Joy said slyly in jest.

“No, no, no,” Ron said defensively as Joy snapped his shorts back up. “Private is better.”

Joy smirked at his defense and then wheeled Ron closer to the food court, apparently their last stop for the day. Ron was already sniffing the delectable air, and I knew from experience that he was probably being bombarded with a litany of smells including fresh pretzels, gooey cookies, fried chicken, and so many others. It was times like these where I wished the RealET system could have transmitted smells as well. ‘Maybe the next version…’

Before entering the main area of the food court and table area, Joy soon stopped the stroller. “Are we not getting food?” Ron asked inquisitively.

“I figured we were due for another stop anyway… just one more.” Ron groaned a bit, and the stroller shook a little after he plopped back into his seat. “You don’t know where we are do you?” Joy asked, clearly understanding the frustration of her Little.

“Something before the food court? I don’t know… something entertaining?” Ron guessed.

“Very close, but that doesn’t quite cover it. Here, take a step out and see for yourself.” Ron did as he was instructed and then froze in place at the view before him. It was a toy store.

It was more than that in reality though. While a high demand for Littles often came with its own negatives for said Littles, there were some fringe benefits. Toy stores were at the tip of that benefit, as clearly evidenced by the large store that now filled Ron’s vision at the mall.

Not even being the largest store at the mall, this place still boasted more space than most of the major chain stores that drew people from all around to come here for. Gadzooks! was a chain toy store that boasted some of the most elaborate interactive displays in the western hemisphere and had all the latest and greatest technology that one could hope to entertain themselves with. When ensuring there was going to be a mall near our experimental town, we knew which store we just had to have for our Little population.

Outside were several of their products that practically leapt from their window displays and from what almost looked like holes in the brick façade. Each was more enticing than the last and easily pulled you inside the store. Inside, an aroma of sugar and chocolate could be smelled, and toys of all kinds danced overhead or were easily accessible on the ground level to test out. Our technology had advanced in many ways, but now, it had begun to creep into our entertainment and our toys could now last for decades; perfect for any permanent Little.

Ron walked into the store with his eyes nearly glazed over and mouth agape in wonderment. Joy cutely followed behind with the stroller and allowed her Little some free reign in here for being so good at the mall today. I knew she was also rewarding him with a toy to partially assuage her own guilt over everything happening, but to Ron by now, receiving a toy usually mattered more than the actual ‘why’ of the situation.

Joy soon guided Ron over to one particular section and his eyes bulged out more if it was even possible when he saw the very action figures that he had seen the other day when visiting Olly. “I saw you playing with these the other day, so as a reward for being so good today, you can pick two.”

Having the entire Equity Alliance team to choose from, Ron debated for a good ten minutes before finally selecting the Blur and the Bullet, another superhero that could run at speeds faster than lightning. Ron held them up proudly and both went nicely with his already Blur-adorned onesie. No doubt, from the look on Ron’s face, I could already see him concocting a litany of ways to brag that he had gotten two of the figures of the set that Olly did not have, but for now, he just looked extremely cute.

For her part, Joy practically squealed in excitement over the image before her. True, Olly hadn’t paid attention to some of the other more plush or cuddly toys, but he never balked once at choosing something so obviously designated as a toy. It was another step towards success for the project.

Ron soon composed himself and walked back over to Joy to present his bounty. “These two,” he said proudly holding up both for Joy to see more clearly.

“Excellent choice, sweetie,” Joy beamed. “I’m sure they’ll be the envy of all the other Littles when you show them off. Now, anything else you want to get while we’re still here?”

Ron looked perplexed over the question, as it was Joy herself that had said only two toys, but given the invitation, he wasted only seconds before looking around the rest of the store. His eyes were still filled with wonder, and he even briefly looked at the stuffy aisle ahead of him, but he also then looked backward to the stroller and at Louie. “No, I’m good,” he said eventually after a deep sigh.

“Okay. We can always come back if you change your mind though…” Joy said almost wistfully.

Joy then quickly made her purchase of the two toys and the pair set off for the food court. As it was the peak of lunchtime, several of the tables were taken, so Joy wheeled the stroller over to a single table to claim first. It was tall and Joy knew that Ron would have difficulty eating there by himself at that height. It was of course all by design to keep the Littles feeling helpless, but I could tell she was wondering just how far she could take it today. Questions like, ‘would he need a bib’ or ‘will he even be able to reach the table’ no doubt were plaguing her mind at the moment.

Ron quickly popped onto the seat however without comment and the two just pondered for a moment on what to get for lunch. Joy decided on a wrap with some chips while Ron opted for the Littles nuggets next door. “Now you just wait here, okay? Don’t move and keep your eyes fixed on me. Call for help and I’ll hear you if anyone comes to bother you.”

Ron seemed apprehensive over being left alone but then just nodded and focused on his two new toys and Louie. Just as Joy turned to get the order though, Ron called out, “Joy, wait!”

Joy halted and the Little bounced out of his seat and ran with his arms wide straight into her legs and hugged them tightly. “Woah there, buddy. Easy now.”

Ron just smiled and blushed a bit. “Sorry… I just wanted to say thank you for the toys. I realized I didn’t say it before and well, uh… I just wanted you to know…”

Joy smiled over the growing affection that Ron obviously had for her. They were still less than a month into the project and Ron was already showing tremendous strides to happily being her Little. A few more pushes and she would have the perfect Little and her phase of the trial would be considered a success. “Awww, you’re very welcome sweetie. But you were also really good for me here at the mall today.” Joy briefly spotted a Little who was currently sniffling and rubbing his butt nearby a still-furious Big. “You have no idea just how much, but the toys are just an immediate way that I can say thank you to you as well.”

“Well… I really do try…”

Joy pulled him out of his hug and crouched down to meet his gaze. “I know you do, honey. You mean so much to me… I don’t think you’ll ever really know just how much…” Joy averted her gaze and looked like she was trying to compose herself. After a moment, she just grinned back at the slightly perplexed Little in front of her. “Now, how about some food?”

“Yes, please,” Ron said eagerly.

“Right,” Joy said, standing back up. “One order of lunch coming right up!” Ron then got back in his seat as Joy walked triumphantly to get their food. After a moment, Ron looked away from Joy briefly and spotted a few other Littles around him. In only a second, Ron then quickly looked away and blushed. Nearby, one Little was making a mess while being spoon fed and another was breastfeeding all out in the open.

Based on his look, I really couldn’t tell what was going on through his head as I usually could. ‘Was it disgust? Horror? Shock? Maybe even… envy?’ Regardless, knowing Joy and her dedication to the project by now, I knew I wouldn’t have long to wait to know for sure.

[SGTbaby]

I look forward to a breastfeeding chapter or even doctor visit chapter if he gets sick or something as part of the daycare visits. I am loving your story!

[LostBBoyBear]

Sorry for not posting yesterday as I had originally planned. I got back in pretty late from a trip that I took over the weekend and I just knew that my editing skills would have definitely left something to be desired. Now, going forward, I hope that as I have mapped out the majority of the rest of the story by now, I should be able to post most if not the rest of this story by Saturday. There are five chapters left, so, if I can't post every day, I should be able to finish this up sometime next week. When we get closer to the end, I can make another announcement over a more concrete end date.

Regardless, I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter! Which shoe would you chose? 

Chapter 10: Session 26

“A loss of self can mean the finding of another…” I mused, quoting from an old book on how to deal with Littles. “It might as well be the slogan of our project here as I continue to view these subjects more and more.” I switched the view to a scene from the Little Haven Daycare Center yesterday, where Ron was once again dressed in a onesie and pair of elastic shorts. “Ron the adult is seeming to exist less every day in his new environment with his current level of abilities.”

I zoomed in on Ron contentedly sucking down the sweet contents of his sippy cup as he read a book on one of the playmats. “I believe this likely started as a coping mechanism to deal with his current situation, but I’ve also noted some hints that Ron now almost seems proud when he was called a Little. Almost like it was a badge of courage around here to be called that and still have one’s mental faculties still intact…”

I then switched to another view of Ron playing at the park the other day with some of his new Little friends. “While dressed similarly to this group of Littles, I could still tell though that he was uneasy when they referred to themselves as ‘babies’ without the slightest hint of hesitation. Now, while Ron may exhibit several of these characteristics in the long run, we want a Little… not a true drooling baby like they almost appeared to be. Ron would likely be relieved at this notion that he wouldn’t end up like some of the more severely regressed Littles, but I couldn’t blame him if he still balked at the idea of the changes yet to come.”

I got up and switched the RealET system on and it hummed to life as a scene from the mall once again started to take shape. “Lastly, Joy expressed interest in taking Ron out in public more and possibly going out herself at night with some the friends she has made here and without Ron. Our original testers in the project who have been coordinating with her have agreed that this would be fruitful and have implemented more suggestions to help her achieve this goal. Going to the mall more allows Ron to fully be immersed and viewed as a Little around strangers. It is my belief that once this barrier is passed, most, if not all, our goals of the project will have been reached.”

Ron quietly sat in his stroller as Joy pushed him through the mall. Today, he was sporting a pair of denim shortalls and an Olympic-themed sports jersey underneath. The events were just around the corner and several merchandise stores had popped up for local Bigs to support their country’s team. Joy was no exception and now owned a nice variety of the Libertalia team’s gear.

Regardless, today, I could quickly tell that Ron was both nervous and excited about one of their main reasons for coming here. Ron’s coordination had baselined to where it would be for the remainder of the project, barring unforeseen circumstances beyond our control, which meant that while he could still walk and do many of the activities he once enjoyed, a few were certainly more challenging to accomplish without some degree of struggling. Tying his shoes was proving to be one of those said challenges, and even this morning, Joy had to step in to tie the laces of the shoes he was currently sporting.

Joy then wheeled the stroller into a family-owned store on the edge of the mall that sold all the latest trends in shoes for both Bigs and Littles. She currently wore a pair of flats that she had selected from here herself only two weeks ago, but today was all about what Ron needed.

Parking the stroller by the Littles section, Joy leaned in to talk to Ron, still seated and clutching Louie, now a staple of comfort for the Little whenever they left the house now. “Alright, Ron. We’re here. Hop on out and let’s see what you like.”

Ron needed no further prompting and soon bounced out in front of several racks of Little’s shoes. He hesitated slightly but then placed Louie back in the seat of the stroller. Their visual separation and a moment of distress afterward from Ron was quickly becoming normal. Then, after a moment of the pair looking around and acquainting themselves with the Little’s selection, a mid-20s saleswoman soon approached. “Well, hello there you two! Joy, was it?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m impressed you remember me from back then,” Joy said, turning around to face the bright-eyed woman before her.

“Ah, well, I just have a good memory for these types of things.” Seeing where the two were located and then looking down at Ron, I could see the gears clicking in her head on how best to proceed with the duo today. “Well, hello there, I don’t think I remember you though.”

Ron hesitated for a moment, but Joy just patted him on the shoulder and nodded that it was okay to speak to this woman. A new story had broken over a Little being kidnapped from talking to a seemingly nice stranger the other day and Ron had watched intently as it unfolded. Clearly, it had an effect on him, and Joy had quickly become his shield when confronting strangers now.

“Ron…” he said nervously, his apprehension still immediately apparent.

Sensing his unease with perfect and practiced clarity, the saleswoman then crouched down and extended her hand forward to shake. “It’s good to meet you, Ron. I’m Ella. There’s no reason to be nervous around me. I just want to help get you a new pair of shoes.” Ron hesitated for a moment, but then shook her hand and said nothing further, only eliciting a small giggle from Ella.

She then stood back up and turned towards Joy, obviously sensing that she would get more of a response from the clearly more mature one of the pair. “So, was I correct in assuming that Ron here needs a new pair of shoes?”

“Oh yes. It seems his laced shoes might just be a bit too difficult for him to handle right now. I can tie them for him like I’ve been doing lately,” she then leaned in to whisper to Ella, “but I think he still wants some independence. You know how it goes…”

Ella looked down at the expertly tied laces of Ron’s current blue and white shoes and then back up to Joy. She nodded and smiled over what Joy was trying to imply with all this. “I see… well, we have a wonderful selection as I’m sure you can see. Here,” she then led the pair over to a wall with three model shoes, “these are the three options we offer here. You need to pick out which model before we look at any of specialties or designs, okay?”

“Perfect, though honestly, I’m not as familiar with Little’s shoes. Can you maybe give us some pointers?” Joy asked tentatively. Next to her, Ron just kept staring at the three model pairs right in front of him as if still disbelieving what they were actually doing here.

“Certainly! While all these shoes can come with laces or Velcro, you need to first determine what you want in a shoe. This one,” Ella then pointed to the first shoe, “is known as the ‘show’ model. These are usually worn by non-walking Littles for a host of reasons, but they also contain more patterns and even a few hidden features that any discerning Big may find useful.”

Ron squirmed a bit over the notion of the non-walking Little in general and I could see that Joy readily saw this as well. “Intriguing but perhaps not for my Ron. What about the second one here?”

“I completely understand that.” Ella said as she nodded and then pointed to the second model. “So, this second model is known as the ‘light-up’ or ‘future’ model,” she said with a bit of gravitas in her voice. “It comes with less design options, but it compensates for this by having several bells and whistles if you will. For instance,” Ella then picked up the shoe and banged it on the stand. The entire bottom of the shoes then sparkled to life and filled the immediate area with a flood of bright colors.

“Ooh… very pretty,” Joy said, watching each of the color dance across the room. Ron seemed less impressed with the light-up features, and Ella seemed to notice this lack of engagement from him.

“Moving on… lastly, we have the other popular option for Littles…” she then pointed to the third model, “this one is known as the ‘traditional’ version.”

Joy blinked slowly at the plain-looking object in front of her, almost as if she was expecting something else from it like a secret only few could perceive. “Is that it?” she asked skeptically after a moment of it still doing nothing.

“Yes, but you see, the traditional model is more for those looking for the aesthetic quality of a shoe. There are less design features involved, but there are probably the widest variety of designs that you can get with them. Pretty much everything from Naomi and Company to Jasper and Jinx.”

“Ah,” Joy said, now realizing why Littles may have ended up liking it more. Often, extra features with Littles could mean less freedom and more restrictions in some form. She then turned to the near-unblinking Ron who seemed to be studying each of the three models up close. “So, honey, what do you think? Any that stand to you?”

Ron surveyed the three models but quickly averted his gaze away from the first. “Definitely not the show model…” They were a bit fancy looking, but a quick glance at some of the features underneath would deter most Littles if they could still read. Features like containment protocols, GPS tracking, and even punishment options were available to ensure a safe and undoubtedly non-walking Little, even if they could walk at the moment...

Ron then stared at the last two models with seemingly more curiosity. “Hmmm, I kind of like the light-up stuff, but they look… uh, a little boring… sorry…” Ron almost seemed to flinch as if he was insulting Ella directly.

Instead, Ella giggled. “That’s perfectly okay, Ron. Not everyone likes some of their designs and that’s perfectly okay. That’s why we have the three models after all. So, maybe the traditional model for you then?”

Ron stared at the last two models again as if to confirm the choice within his own mind. He then stared back at Ella and pointed to the last model. “Yeah… traditional… I’ll try that…”

“Perfect!” Ella said with a glee in her eye, clapping both hands at the same time. “Now, do you have a design you want me to try and find in the back?”

“I…” Ron started but then stopped and blushed.

“It’s okay, Ron,” Joy coaxed upon seeing her bashful Little. “You can tell Ella. I’m sure she won’t judge.”

“Oh, absolutely not! I just want you Littles to be happy and all,” she said sympathetically, obviously knowing full-well the dichotomy with regressing Littles in their provide versus their newfound desires. “So, tell me, what are you looking for? What types of things do you like?”

Ron squirmed a bit at being put on the spot, but then finally sputtered out, “Do you have any Adventure Sam designs?”

Ella smiled widely. “Oh, that’s a great show. My sister’s Little loves that show and I can tell why. Good animation and who wouldn’t want to watch a safari guide taking you on adventures in the jungle wilds and plains of Alkebulan? Plus, with it being so popular lately, I think I saw we just got a shipment the other day. Just give me one moment while I go get it!”

Ron blushed immediately at his admittance of wanting something from a cartoon show made for Littles. It was one of the few that didn’t contain any hypnosis and therefore had become extremely popular amongst the more progressive Big households with a Little. At first Ron was curious over what Alkebulan was, but by the time he realized that it was just his own so-called continent of Africa, he was hooked on the many adventures that Sam would take his viewers on. Yesterday they explored the deep jungles and waterfalls hidden in the heart of the continent.

Minutes later, a widely grinning Ella practically bounced back with two boxes in her arms. “I guessed at your size, but one of these should absolutely work. Hmmm… let’s start with this one.”

Ron seemed skeptical and a bit hesitant, but Joy was truly more in charge in reality and just let Ella proceed with unboxing the new pair of shoes. The shoe inside was white and had large Velcro straps adorned with tiny animals near the stitching. The laces had more little printed animals on them, and the sides of the shoes both contained small images of Adventure Sam and his animal friends. Anyone not identifying as a Little wouldn’t be caught dead in them, but fortunately for the project, Ron only gazed in wonderment over them.

“Here,” Ella said after removing one of the shoes and preparing it for Ron and then placing it on the ground. “Step right in and let’s give it a go.”

While the two had been waiting, Joy had helped Ron discard both of his shoes to save time in trying to undo the laces. With nothing left stopping him or delaying the inevitable, Ron could only stand up from the bench he had been waiting on and stepped right into the waiting shoe.

“Now, I know you can do your own straps up, but just for now, let me adjust them for you.” Ron merely nodded and let Ella go about her work. In seconds, both shoes were securely fastened around his feet.

Ron gave both a tiny wiggle at first and then walked around in them experimentally. They didn’t light up like the others, but with each step, one couldn’t help but notice a growing smile begin to develop on Ron’s face. Clearly, Ron was enjoying his new shoes immensely.  

“So, how do they feel, honey?” Joy asked inquisitively as Ron strutted back toward her and Ella.

“Really good. Lots of cushioning but definitely some support in the spots where I need it,” Ron said, as he stood on his toes to test the new shoes out further.

“And, pretty cute if I do say so myself,” Ella chimed in.

Ron blushed, but Joy nodded in agreement. “Oh, absolutely. Adventure Sam was a wonderful choice, don’t you think, sweetie?” Ron remained silent but nodded as he reflexively looked at the sides of both his shoes.

“Perfect! Sounds like we have winner,” Ella said while getting up and boxing away Ron’s old shoes.

“Absolutely. You just wear those for the rest of the day, Ron. I’m sure they must feel wonderful.” Ron only nodded again as Joy was handed the box with his old shoes for safekeeping. In truth, they would be sent off to a Littles orphanage by sunset tonight. Ron was permanently destined to wear Velcro sneakers now for as long as he remained a Little in this dimension whether he knew it or not.

Joy began to make her purchase and Ron casually played with the two action figures he was given as his reward for being good the other day in Gadzooks! Since then, nearly every Little had been envious of them and more often than not, Ron practically had to fight off several other Littles to keep them within his possession. Now, he was free to do as he wanted and so, the two superheroes held mock battles all around the store as Joy proceeded to pay for the new shoes he now sported. Halfway through his playing though, Ron stopped and began to squat.

Waiting for Joy to finish signing the touch pad in front of her to confirm the purchase of the shoes, Ella had been watching Ron play with his toys. As such, she quickly noticed what Ron was doing when he began to squat down. “Uh, Joy, sorry to interrupt, but Ron… well, I’m not sure if he’s potty trained or not, but…” She then gestured over to the now-slightly straining Ron.

Joy perked up over what Ella was referring to and immediately turned around. “Wha…? Oh, Ron…” she said sadly. In truth, she knew that his potty training had continued to dwindle but there was still a possibility that he could have regained the skill with some time, effort, and a great deal of patience. Now, however, with Ron so openly not even trying to make it to the potty anymore, he was all but doomed to spend the remainder of his days confined to his diapers. That was just fine for us at Diamond Technologies, but I could still see a slight hint of sadness across Joy’s face.

She then turned back toward Ella and finished signing the touchpad. “Thank you for letting me know Ella, but it’s okay. I’m afraid that while Ron is still all there in the head, he’s practically lost all his potty-training skills at this point. It was a long road, but I think he’s come to accept them as just part of his new world now.”

Ella nodded gracefully as she finished the transaction. “I understand. It’s good to see a Little who’s actually still potty trained, but diapers are just so much more helpful for most of them. I think if they can just accept them, it’s less tears in the end…”

“True,” Joy agreed, “takes some time, but I tend to agree these days.” She then finished the process on the touch pad before her and grabbed the bag with Ron’s old shoes in them. “Thank you so much Ella. You were a big help today. I’m sure Ron will be showing his new shoes off to everyone in daycare the next time he goes.”

The two then parted and Joy rejoined Ron, who had only gone back to playing with his action figures as if nothing had just happened. His acceptance of his current reality was becoming more apparent all the time. “Ron, honey. Is there something you need to tell me?” Joy asked, now crouching down to face her Little directly.

“Uh… I had an accident…” he said, still with a little shame and embarrassment carrying through in his voice.

Joy seemed less convinced about the notion of just a pure ‘accident.’ “Hmmm… are you sure about that, Ron? I saw you squatting. Didn’t really seem like you tried to go to the potty at all, or am I wrong?” Ron then looked at the floor in shame. “I’m not mad,” Joy continued, “but I just wanted to know what was going on. I am your caregiver after all.”

Ron looked back up, and surprisingly while no tears fell, his face still exuded a cloud of immense sadness and passive but resigned acceptance. “I… I felt it coming and I knew there was no way I was going to make it… I don’t like it, but… why fight a losing battle at this point?”

The words were true in more ways than Ron could ever know, but still, it was a marked sign that he was starting to give in to his baser impulses as a Little in this world. He still held a palpable regret over the incident, but like most other Littles in his position, some things were just going to be inevitable. Fighting only made it worse and more noticeably embarrassing. Giving in was a blow to the ego I’m sure, but it also allowed a Little to push forward in life and perhaps just enjoy the other aspects of it.

“I see… well, that’s okay,” Joy consoled. “I know you can’t help it, but as I said, that’s what I’m here for, right?” Her tone tried to remain upbeat for Ron, but her words were carefully crafted to reinforce his growing dependence on her. It worked.

“True…” Ron said without any hesitation, “I’m just sorry I can’t do more for you…I feel like such a burden…”

Joy looked at her Little as if he had just plunged a tiny needle into her heart. “Oh, honey. You’ll never be a burden to me. Never… now, nod if you understand that.” Ron solemnly nodded but it was enough for Joy. Trying to lighten the mood, she cracked a small smile. “You know, if there’s something you want to do for me…” Ron immediately perked up. “Staying still while you get changed would be a nice start,” she joked.

Ron immediately blushed and then just turned away to get back into the stroller. His diaper squelched slightly as he sat, and I could tell that it wasn’t a pleasant sensation from his face, but Ron just remained resigned to this avenue that his life was now taking him. Seeing her Little now, she decided to just move on and not crack any more jokes with this obviously still sensitive subject. Ron was making progress, but the wound of losing something so basic was obviously still fresh.

A short while later after they had exited the store, Joy turned the corner and stopped in from of the women’s restroom. Here at this mall, there was no Little’s restroom like others. There were many differences here and once inside, it was immediately obvious over the preparedness that Big society had for Littles to be cared for at this mall. At least six changing stations were housed along one wall and nearly dwarfed the actual stalls themselves nearby. To Ron’s obvious chagrin, today’s change would be very public to any passerby. Joy had determined that public outings were a requirement in her life, and thus, public diaper changes had to be performed and accepted with Ron as a Little.

Despite her desires for Ron to be taken out in public settings like these more, to her credit, Joy remained as stoic as possible as the pair walked in and over to the changing area. This continued as Ron was removed from the stroller and then gently placed on one of the changing tables. It further continued as he was then laid back and had his pants removed and then onesie unbuttoned. Most notably though, her stoicism even persisted as Ron’s diaper was eventually undone and lowered to reveal the horrible muck that had gathered in its confines. Ron could only blush furiously before casually slipping his thumb in his mouth as he looked away. Joy merely smiled and continued her work to wipe away the filth that Ron had so helplessly deposited.

Minutes later, Joy had Ron sealed in a fresh new diaper now adorned with dolphins and bubbles. The thinner and less babyish diapers were now a thing of the past, but Ron now only really cared about how well they held up his accidents rather than their appearance. Like everything else that was being added to his life, it was just another thing to accept that was largely beyond his control. Bigger and more uncontrollable accidents just meant more babyish diapers. That was just life for a Little here.

Buttoned back up, Joy repositioned the Little to just sit atop the changing table. “Now, don’t move a muscle and I’ll be right back. I’m trusting you a lot right now. Please don’t disappoint me…” Ron nodded passively, and Joy then entered the stall and almost seemed to be proving in real time the true and growing differences between their Big and Little dynamic.

Ron remained on the changing table as instructed and after removing his thumb from his mouth, just smiled pleasantly over his new Velcro shoes. Along with his adorable onesie and shorts, Ron was becoming every bit a cute Little as he could be to the world around him. He was now entering the final stage of the project: true acceptance of being a Little and the aspects that went along with it. It was the most satisfying of the conclusions, but it could also present the most challenges in dealing with. So far though, it seemed that Ron would just merely accept this next stage as well.

Joy then exited her stall and saw the still-seated Ron where she had left him. “Very good, Ron. Thank you for waiting.” She then washed her hands and after thoroughly drying them, picked up Ron, walked out of the restroom, and deposited him back into his stroller.

Once again, the pair then headed over to the play area for Ron to get some of his energy out for the day. As Littles began to transition to a more pampered, literal or otherwise, existence, many tended to lose their physicality. While this could be taken care of with modern medicine if desired, most Bigs like Joy optioned for their Littles to simply be a bit more active when and where they could if appropriate. Besides, we even had another study about to begin that posited that active Littles were usually the happiest versus the more sedentary ones.

Freshly diapered and now feeling the confidence from his new Velcro shoes, Ron just ran around with the other Littles for a good long while. The area had been designed with some simple shapes to climb on and slides to go down, and each Little laughed constantly as they played and enjoyed themselves thoroughly. Despite his lack of scars or persistently glazed look, Ron seemed to be nicely blending in with the other Littles around him. Joy only looked on with happiness and satisfaction as she occasionally looked up from her titled and ever popular, ‘Mommy’ magazine.

Soon, however, despite all the fun, it was lunch time. After a quick wave of her hand, Ron soon trotted back over to Joy and sat back down in his stroller. Before they went home, however, Joy decided to stop by the food court once again. She had one more idea in mind to help Ron settle into his new life more.

The other day when they were here, as predicted by both Joy and I, Ron had struggled fiercely while eating and several Bigs had looked on at the pair in disapproving judgement. Of course, Joy could care less about their stares, but it also presented her with a good opportunity to introduce a new aspect into Ron’s ever-changing life.

Once at a table, Ron quickly noticed an issue with the layout that had not been present the other day when they had stopped here. “Joy… there’s only one seat… what about that table over there?” Ron said gesturing to another like the one they had sat at previously.

Joy shook her head. “No, I don’t think that will do.” Ron looked at her in confusion and stared blankly at her and the only single seat. ‘What I wouldn’t give to listen into his thoughts right now…’ “You see,” Joy continued, “the other day… well, I could see you struggling with the table we sat it. I don’t like seeing you struggle so much, so, today we’re going to try one of those…”

Rons nervous eyes then followed the length of her pointed figure and found the objects that I knew he had been dreading for some time. “But, but… those are highchairs!” he protested rather loudly.

“Keep your voice down, but yes, Ron. Those are highchairs and you’re going to be sitting in one today,” Joy said calmly and without the slightest bit of hesitation.

“No,” Ron said defiantly, going as far to even cross his arms while standing beside his stroller, “I will not. I refuse to sit in something… like that.”

Now, a defiant Little is like saying it will storm one day, as everyone knows that it’s just bound to happen eventually whether you like it or not. Most Bigs have little to no patience with a defiant Little, however, and if it was anyone else but Joy, Ron would likely now be receiving the spanking of his life. For herself and the project though, Joy remained as calm as ever. “Yes, Ron. You will.”

“Will not,” Ron now said with a slight waver in his words. The image of a calm and yet imposing Joy was a sight to behold, and I could only guess that it was slightly unnerving to witness such a steady force.

“Yes, you will. Now, we can do this whole thing one of two ways.” She took a breath. “Either you sit in a highchair like I asked, or I’ll revoke your playtime later today. So, what will it be?”

Ron had remained defiant during their brief standoff, but Joy had thrown her own version of the proverbial gauntlet down and Ron had begun to visibly crack. The possibility of no playtime may have once meant something positive in his life, but now, it was a luxury that he didn’t take for granted. Playtime could mean TV, action figures, Louie, time with friends, reading… it was a catch-all term now. So, the possibility of it being revoked as an entire general concept was a very serious thing to threaten now. As such, the once defiant Ron broke and dejectedly replied, “The highchair…”

Joy immediately let herself smile and patted Ron on the shoulder tenderly. “No need to be so sad, Ron. I don’t like threatening something like that, but it’s just a chair. Don’t think of it as anything more right now. Besides, you might even like it.”

Still slightly perturbed over her previous threat but knowing the possibility of it still being enacted, Ron just grunted a bit in acknowledgement over what she had said and his defeat. Joy accepted the response without comment and quickly went to grab one of the main highchairs that could be used at the food court. Sighing, Ron just held up his arms and allowed Joy to place him in the tall and sturdy piece of equipment. A quick buckle later and Ron was securely fastened in.

“There,” Joy said triumphantly though without a hint of her gloating. “Now, I’m going to get our food and I’ll be right back. Just stay there and feel the chair out.”

Ron gave a small dismissive wave and Joy soon left him to ponder alone about this new development. Secretly though, when she wasn’t watching, however, I could almost see a look of satisfaction on Ron’s face over his new throne. While his booster seat at home and the Little’s mini tables at daycare worked fine to a degree, he seemed like he was always reaching out to eat his food when not at the daycare with his custom-built tables specifically meant for Littles to use. With his new coordination, the closer tray now seemed like a practical godsend. He only had to think back to a few days ago when he almost dumped an entire loaded fork of spaghetti right into his lap.

So, when Joy returned, Ron was still musing over his new seat. That all ended however, as soon as he got a whiff of the incoming food, his attention diverted immediately to the steaming tray that Joy now held. “Here you go, sweetie. Careful, your nuggets are really hot. Make sure you blow on them a bit.”

Ron just nodded and quickly smiled over the tray that set neatly into the undertray of the highchair itself. It was very convenient and specialized magnets kept it in place in case a misbehaving Little threw a tantrum or wanted to use it as a weapon. Bigs could be cruel, but they were also practical about most things as well. The well-behaved Little wouldn’t care about the tray lock and a misbehaved Little couldn’t use it in their attempts to cause trouble.

Joy had only finished about half of her burger when she looked back over at Ron, who was still busily chewing down on his own food. She had chosen the nuggets specifically for their ease of being finger food, knowing full-well that even a Little-sized version of what she had could have spelled disaster in Ron’s currently uncoordinated hands. Still, Ron had managed quite well to make a mess of things.

After a moment of Joy staring, Ron finally noticed. “What?” he asked, seemingly oblivious of the mess he had been making.

The secret sauce used specifically for dipping was well-known and a closely guarded secret for the company who had produced it. Based on how most Littles reacted to it, it was likely a gold mine by itself for their own shareholders. Mr. Cannon had even spent years trying to perfect a duplicate recipe of the sauce, but to no avail. Now, it was surrounding practically every corner of Ron’s mouth and tiny bits of the nuggets and the sauce lay strewn about the tray. “Oh, Ron, looks like you got yourself a bit of a mess there.”

Ron didn’t seem like he knew what she was talking about, but after a gesture to her own mouth, he immediately caught on and swiped a finger over one of the spots. He then cutely giggled at the mess he had just made. “Yeah, I sure do, don’t I? Darn sauce is just too good to slow down!” he joked. I knew his words were partially true, but I also knew that his appetite and lack of coordination combined were the true masterminds behind the Littles current messy face and tray. Joy just shook her head, sighed, and then let him finish the rest of his meal in peace. If she were to clean him up now, she would likely just have to do it again after the last nugget had been consumed.

By the time that Joy had finished with the other half of her burger, Ron was finishing the last of his milo slices. Noticing his near-completion, Joy reached into his nearby diaper bag and grabbed the package of Little wipes that were stored in there. “Here, I need to wash your face off.” Ron finished his last milo slice and just held still. After a second wipe was used, Joy was finished, and his face now practically sparkled from its cleanliness. “Geez, Ron. It’s a wonder you got any of that meal in your tummy. Could have almost used a bib today,” she light-heartedly joked.

“Hehe…” Ron managed to choke out of his own laughter. It was readily apparent from his face that he couldn’t tell if Joy had been joking or not, as a quick glance around at the other Littles immediately showed how close to reality that joke could be.

While peering around at the other Littles, Ron once again spotted a variety of Littles and their own eating habits. While he now joined the ranks of those in highchairs, who were the clear majority here, a few others sported further regressed practices. Many were being spoon fed and at least a third were currently or had been breastfed recently. Ron quickly looked away, but today, Joy was also with him and quickly noticed where he had just been looking.

“See something interesting, honey?” Joy asked as casually as she could while still maintaining a slightly mischievous tone.

For Ron’s own luck, he had just started drinking some juice from his sippy cup and didn’t respond. Joy smiled over his attempts to distract her.

Shortly after though, he finished and didn’t respond, obviously hoping that Joy had forgotten her question. She didn’t, so she pressed again. “See something interesting out there, Ron?”

Quickly seeing that he had no food or drink to delay his response again, he just sighed and drooped his head. “A bunch of them seem… I don’t know… happy?”

“And?” Joy pressed further.

“And…” Ron sighed. “Being happy and at peace over something… I just don’t know. Maybe I want to be that way?” Joy raised her eyebrows and Ron immediately got the gist of what had just come out of his mouth. “I didn’t mean it like that!”

Joy giggled at his defensiveness over the whole thing. “I figured, honey, but still…” Joy’s demeanor became a little more stone-faced. “Being all serious though for a second here, tell me the truth. Are you envious of them?”

Ron froze in panic and only managed to stutter out a few incoherent guttural noises that I couldn’t quite make out myself. Joy didn’t seem to have either. “I didn’t quite catch that, sweetie. Can you say that again for me?”

Ron hesitated as if his previous answer hadn’t been a real one and he now had to actually think of an answer. Finally, though, he said, “No…”

Now, normally a ‘no’ is a ‘no.’ Hopefully most know that and adhere to it, but this… it felt different. His ‘no’ had so much pause with it and seeming hesitation. There was something more to it, but Joy had just apparently taken the answer at face value for now at least and had gone back to her last few veggie fries.

In this moment though, Ron saw her look away and then began to once again look back out at the crowd around them. His eyes twitched as something I could only describe as a cross between curiosity and horror, but the horror seemed to be fading with each second that he continued to look. Today, he didn’t seem repulsed by what he was seeing anymore. ‘Is this the beginning of acceptance or just more signs of his adaptability in a new environment?’ I couldn’t decide.

Regardless, with Ron now turned to view the other Littles, Joy looked back up. It could have been a coincidence, but coming to know Joy over these past weeks, nothing felt truly like just pure coincidence around her anymore unless it came to her feelings and happy moments with Ron. No, this felt like a plan.

So, as Ron was looking away, as suspected, Joy looked right back at him and over to the other Littles and their caregivers feeding them. Ron had evidently accepted the highchair with grace today, but now he seemed to have a curiosity for something more, despite his initial words when asked directly about it.

Seeing this with her Little, Joy only smiled for a second before wincing just slightly. With Ron still turned away, Joy massaged her chest ever so lightly. As she did so, I couldn’t help but notice her longing and wistful face as she saw both Ron and the other Littles being fed. These types of events were optional in our project and could never be forced as part of her initial guidelines for caregivers. Seeing the two together like this now though, I doubted that it would be ‘forced’ for either of them.

[SGTbaby]

Love the update as Ron and Joy both progress on this journey. I do enjoy more of the actual interaction more than the description part but I understand why you spell out where we are observing things in the beginning l I will be sad to see this end but also excited to see how it concludes.

[LostBBoyBear]

24 minutes ago, SGTbaby said:

Love the update as Ron and Joy both progress on this journey. I do enjoy more of the actual interaction more than the description part but I understand why you spell out where we are observing things in the beginning l I will be sad to see this end but also excited to see how it concludes.

Thank you!

I get that a lot, but I realized after my initial draft of the second chapter that while this story is technically from a first person point of view, as Dr. Thompson is a silent character for most of the story, I knew I needed to add more description than dialogue in several scenes to better explain some elements. With the story I wanted to write, it became a caveat that I just had to accept. 

I hope you stay tuned. There are only five chapters left and I'm rapidly going through them at this point!

[CCApril]

This has been a really fun read.  I like Joy but the lies she tells to both her self and Ron are so Amazonian. I do it all for my little!!

It would be great for Ron to go up to Joy and say "Are you happy now? You made me this way. Were all the lies worth it?"

She needs to feel even more guilty about what She's done.  She can come clean, lots of tears all the way around.

Will Ron call her Mommy before or after the nursing?

 

April

 

 

 

[Moon3ye]

Does anyone else get the feeling that the littles in DD live on chicken nuggets and mac and cheeses 95% of the time?

[LostBBoyBear]

This isn't the longest of chapters and I could have extended several of the scenes, but when I did originally, it all just felt like fluff. It's getting close to the end now, so expect a few possible 'fireworks' to go off still in the next few chapters. 

On a side note, I've always believed that the technology in their society would have allowed them to modify foods to accommodate whatever needs they may have. In my previous story, the cookie given to Willy was laced with a bunch of nutritional value, so I feel the same would be the case for the rest of the food as well if needed. If you're already dealing with a fussy Little and want to entice them into eating 'younger' foods, chicken nuggets and mac n' cheese always just feels like a good way to go. Just my two cents on that...

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter!

Chapter 11: Session 29

“Ah, the wonders of having a new Little.” I reviewed the highlights from the past few days to get me refreshed for what was coming today. “Ron continues to accept several aspects of Little life into his daily habits. Most are done without a fuss, and the few that are debated, only ever end in a slight delay or eventual acceptance in their addition to his days.”

“For example,” the screen stopped suddenly on the view of yesterday morning and the bulging and used diaper around the Little, “Ron’s potty training has essentially reached a point of no return. I can see that he still notices or feels it, but his control is absent, and he now has a passive acceptance on waiting to be changed. In the mornings now, he waits for Joy to come and collect him from the crib to be changed. Additionally, seeing her only seems to bring him pure happiness and could almost be seen as a highlight in his day.”

I paused for a moment. “But yes, you did hear me correctly. Ron is now sleeping in a crib.” The screen zoomed in on the peaceful Little passed out in his new naturally stained wooden crib. “After tossing and turning in the night and then almost falling out completely the other day, Joy insisted on more protection to prevent this from happening further. Though Ron protested at first, this soon ended when he gave in and slept in there for the first time as part of a compromise between him and Joy. The next morning, I believe his exact words were, ‘I never felt such security and peace in all my life,’ which of course elicited a loving hug from Joy right after. It was a tender moment that was just added to the growing pile of the ones I had already witnessed with the two.”

“Speaking of Joy,” I said reflecting on some of the events from yesterday, “it seems like Ron has started to doubt his own judgement on certain matters. This could be for multiple reasons, ranging from a form of unintended mental regression to just trusting Joy more now, but the result is the same. Often, when Joy is in the same vicinity as Ron, he will often refer to her to decide for him about most tasks. At first, this was just a matter of his clothing to better conceal his diapers, but now, this has migrated to food selection, entertainment, and even daily activities. So far, Ron has just seemed content with whatever Joy selects. I believe that if this remains in place any further though, Joy will have a massive power over him that I previously didn’t think would happen until the project had reached its conclusion.”

I then stood up and flicked on the RealET system, once again focusing on the Little Haven Daycare Center once more. “Finally, I fully believe that Ron has begun to enter a stage where he may be more vulnerable to the actions of other Littles. Like his deferment with Joy, when she is not around, I have seen Ron act more as a follower of stronger Littles rather than be a leader himself. While not inherently dangerous with the more regressed, I hope that the staff will have taken notice of the others as well and have enacted a more vigilant watch over who he interacts with. A single negative influence now could set us back by days or even weeks.”

Ron sat back and finished watching the secretly disguised propaganda video that had been playing after the morning group time. Our scientists realized that too much hypnosis could be bad for the future health of a Little’s mentality, so videos like this one were highly used for most of the week at this stage in the project for most of the regressed groups.

It had been another comedy that had most of the Littles enraptured in its contents as it discussed the various cartoon characters and their carers which were found in nature. Ron could only silently muse to himself on what he had just seen. “Penny for your thoughts?” Kyle asked as he watched his buddy with curiosity once the video had ended.

Kyle had become a much closer friend to Ron over the past week or so when he had attended daycare. Marilyn, Simon, and the twins had practically seemed like lost causes now to a less regressed Little like the two of them, so Ron and Kyle had quickly become attached in such an environment. Plus, Kyle’s teddy bear, Billy, had made good playmates for him as he now almost constantly had Louie by his side. Kyle seemed to dress more maturely, but he also drank from a bottle. It was just how the project went sometimes so no one made a big deal out of it. From my perspective, it almost seemed as if it was some unwritten form of code.

“Just thinking…” Kyle nodded his head for his friend to press on and elaborate more. “You know… just Joy, she seemed awfully close to some of those carers in the video. Like in a lot of ways… Is that weird?”

Kyle looked at his friend and then partially nodded and shrugged at the same time. “Honestly, I was thinking the exact same thing about my own caregiver. Tiffany is great and I couldn’t live without her… literally. Still though, it feels…”

“Like she’s more than just a friend or caregiver now?” Ron said as he finished his friend’s thought.

“Yeah…” Kyle trailed off, seemingly lost in his own thoughts over what that sentiment truly meant. Ron seemed to do the same.

After a prompting by Miss Fiona however, her group then exited the room and rejoined the rest of the daycare back in the main playroom. Ashley was already waiting there, and as had become custom in recent days, looked mightily concerned over her Little friend now walking towards her. Today, Ron was wearing his cute Velcro sneakers with Adventure Sam on them, a safari-themed onesie tucked nicely into his denim shortalls, and all of which could only barely cover his still discernable and ever-present diapers. The fact that he clung so tightly to Louie now at all times as well just seemed to reinforce her look of concern. “Hey Ash!” Ron said excitedly upon seeing his still more mature friend.

“Hey Ron… Kyle…” Kyle nodded his head toward Ashley. The two had been here for a while together but had never really seemed to get along, particularly after Kyle had insisted on carrying Billy everywhere after only a week into the project. Ron was a different case, but Ashley still eyed Louie with suspicion.  

The three had played outside earlier today and Ron had seemingly taken more of an interest in Kyle. Before, Kyle had seemed like the third wheel of the group, but today, Ashley was quickly taking over that role from him. Obviously determined to hold onto one of the few friends she had made here, Ashley looked desperate to hold onto her friend still. “How about we work on a puzzle?” she suggested.

“I don’t know…” Kyle said hesitantly.

“Oh, come on, man! It will be fun. You’ll see!” Ron encouraged much to Ashley’s obvious amusement and gratitude.  

Not long after they began though, signs of Ron’s and Kyle’s further regression became immediately apparent. A slight hiss could be heard as Kyle just tried to fit two pieces together, and Ron’s thumb quietly sneaked its way into his mouth as he concentrated on a corner of the puzzle himself. Today, I could see that Ashley made notice of it, but no longer made a comment as she had done when she first noticed the habit pop up a few days ago.

Kyle then sighed as his fifth attempt to fit a piece together failed. “You okay, Kyle?” Ashley asked, trying to warm up to him once more for Ron’s sake and to still feel included in their newly reformed group.

“Yeah, but… no… This puzzle is kinda hard. Pieces just won’t fit.” He tried a sixth attempt, in reality just a repeat of his second attempt, and so failed once again. Kyle hadn’t been mentally regressed necessarily, but Tiffany had begun to breastfeed him ahead of schedule of some of the others in the project. It didn’t quite affect a Little permanently in the mental sense at least, but multiplication tables seemed almost impossible to complete as one then tried to climb out of the so-called ‘fog’ the feeding would produce.

“And you, Ron? How’s the puzzle going for you? Having fun?” Ashley asked, seemingly hopeful that her closer friend would at least be having more luck.

“Yeah… I got a piece together, but… couldn’t you have picked something…” Ron seemed to know but not want to acknowledge the word he was looking for.

“Easier?” Ashley said with a bit of reluctance.

“No… just… I don’t know… Kyle?” Ron said, looking at his other friend for help in trying to describe his feelings.

“Bigger pictures,” Kyle said, now attempting his seventh try and then sighing more prominently when he failed once again.

“Yeah,” Ron agreed. “Maybe even bigger pieces.” It was readily apparent, as he held up one of the pieces, that his fingers shook slightly after only a few seconds.

Ashley looked over the puzzle of a few kittens playing with yarn. The puzzle already had bigger pieces than the ones that she and Ron had originally worked on, but she just sighed in her own acceptance that Ron was no longer the person she had first met. Still, I could see the determination in her eyes still to be a part of the group. “Well, maybe then… you all should decide,” she conceded.

Ron and Kyle looked at each other with pure joy and nodded in unison. “Stuffys,” they both said with confidence and at the same time.

Ashley looked back at the puzzle and sighed in a dejected acceptance again. “Stuffys it is…”

Ron and Kyle quickly went over to the playmat and began to play with Louie and Bill respectively. Ashley looked at both with a resignation of her closing reality. While today wouldn’t be her fall from her maturity, she likely knew that she would soon have to choose her role amongst them. As I had seen before, if she maintained her coveted maturity, she would just be a ‘big kid’ in their eyes and could end up all alone at the daycare without a ‘real’ friend by her side. If she started to join them though on moments of playtime like these, maintaining that same maturity could come into jeopardy.

With yet another sigh, she put away the puzzle and grabbed a stuffed cat from nearby and sat with the two to join in on their make-believe world. I had been wary of outside influences on Ron and his progress, but this felt different. ‘Could the possibility of not ending up alone be the catalyst to ensure success with Ashley?’ This notion was just one of many that could hold new possibilities for further enhancing this project down the line.

After a good play session, groups were then split up once more and Ashley went back over to her own group of the less regressed Littles. Unlike the first time though, Ashley looked at Kyle and Ron with an almost longing look. Her group was certainly the more interesting one of the two, but as she observed Ron’s group, it was hard to miss the immense fun they seemed to be having.

Today, the group began to sing some songs once more. They did a few times a week and the simplicity of most of the tunes meant that most Littles could quickly pick them up. Ron was no exception and now freely sang out with the rest of his fellow Littles. They were by no means professional singers, but their enthusiasm and joy soon echoed in their voices. I saw many try to mimic Mildred’s movements that went along with some of the songs that Miss Fiona played, and while most only seemed to wiggle about like uncoordinated bunches of noodles, not a single Little appeared to be having a bad time.  

After a quick bite to eat for lunch, the group was then put down for their nap while Ashley’s group took their spots and began to eat themselves. Ron had been despondent at first over their continual separation, but the piles of delicious and themed food easily made up for this fact and he hadn’t complained since.

Now curled up in his crib, Ron slept soundly with Louie under his blanket. A soft twinkling music could be heard but another video playing could just be made out with the less regressed Littles in the daycare. Once again, I swore I could almost see a look of desire from Ashley as she seemingly sat alone in front of the screen. Other less regressed Littles surrounded her, but not even one was even acknowledging her presence amongst them.

After naptime, Ron and the other Littles were soon changed and placed on the ground to play for a little bit until snack time. Due to the possibility of some Littles being too weak, uncoordinated, or still tired from their nap, they were still separated from the rest of the less regressed daycare, a portion I noted which was getting smaller every day.

Kyle and Ron played together happily with Louie and Billy before Miss Pearl came around and handed each their own drink container. As Kyle greedily sucked on his bottle, Ron frowned at his own sippy cup and began to mess with his lid. Curious, Kyle stopped drinking and asked, “What are you doing?”

“It’s this… lid. It feels loose…” Ron said, still struggling with the cap of his cup, grunting occasionally as he attempted to tighten it down with his own strength.

“I wouldn’t do that… those things can be finicky…” Kyle warned, but it was too late. “You might just…”

The lid, previously wiggling yet still tightly bound to the cup, suddenly came open and dumped all the contents all over Ron. Once more, he had been soaked by his own failings with a cup full of juice. Unlike the other day though, Ron just shook his head. “Shoot.”

Despite Ron’s slightly more emotional state these days, his daily naps and acceptance over parts of his life were becoming routine. As such, like all Littles, he knew that if he made a mess, someone would come along quickly and help him out. So, as predicted, Miss Fiona was nearby and quickly rushed over once she spotted what had happened. “Oh goodness, Ron. Again?”

Ron blushed and then nodded. “It was loose…”

Miss Fiona stared at him with disbelief, but then just nodded to accept his answer and then quickly cleaned up the wet Little before her. “Right… well, regardless, we still need to clean you up, huh?” Ron nodded eagerly and let himself be picked up by her. Mildred soon rushed in and cleaned the plastic mat where he had been sitting once the two of them had started to walk off. Kyle only scooched over and shook his head over the mess.

Miss Fiona held Ron in front of her and walked the soaked Little over to the changing tables. She sat him on one of the empty tables and almost left, before she turned around and pointed to him. “Now, I know you’re a big boy and all, but I need you to prove it to me and not try and run off, okay? Big trust here…” Ron nodded and just dangled his feet of the table. Seemingly satisfied, Miss Fiona walked off to get his bag and a change of clothes that should have been in there.

Nearby, Ron could only briefly stare in sadness at his fellow group member, Marilyn. Once again, she had a tantrum and hit the dreaded ‘strike three.’ The once bratty and obnoxious Littles had hit ‘strike three’ for the fifth time, and while the effects were supposed to only be mild, they could still add up. As before, Marilyn just lay on the table and batted about a pair of plastic keys that she held out in front of her loosely while she was being changed. Mrs. Jenkins could only sigh as she wrapped her in a new and thicker diaper, knowing full-well that Marilyn was quickly headed for a new regression category if she wasn’t careful.

Miss Fiona then returned with a sad look on her face, and I could see Ron’s face immediately drop in response. “Ron… I’m not sure how… but you don’t have a change of clothes.”

Any color in his face quickly drained away. “So… what does that mean?” he asked quietly, probably knowing full-well what it truly meant but also likely just wanting to hear it out loud to confirm his suspicions.

“Well, you’ve seen it before. You can’t wear your dirty clothing, so, I’ll see the damage and we can go from there. Okay?”

Ron nodded and then allowed Miss Fiona to start the now-familiar changing process. Unfortunately, having been seated during the ordeal, the juice had spilled all over his clothing. As such, Miss Fiona soon disrobed Ron and placed him back on the ground after noticing that, despite just being changed, he was a little wet now.

Obviously embarrassed, Ron quickly migrated to the corner of the room and just sat there after Miss Fiona went back to the changing table to collect his soiled clothing. Trying to block out everyone else, Ron just sat there in silence as Miss Fiona then took his wet clothes and placed them in the washer in the back of the daycare.

Noticing his distress, both Simon and Kyle waddled over to the now nearly naked Little. “Hey man. Sorry about your clothes…” Kyle said with some sympathy, having experienced the same thing only last week himself.

“Yeah, but bein’ nakie is so fun!” Simon unhelpfully added with a smile.

“Am not!” Ron defended back.

“Fine…” Simon conceded. “Nearly nakie and in a diapie… still, iss fun.”

Ron looked like he wanted to hit Simon squarely in the jaw, but Kyle noticed the mounting tension in his friend and spoke up first. “You know, he has a point…”

Ron looked betrayed toward his friend. “A point? I’m practically naked!”

“Practically is the important part, man. Focus on that,” Kyle continued. “I mean, look around.” Ron did. “See anyone who actually cares what’s going on with you?”

Ron scanned the room and from my own vantage point, I didn’t see a single staff member or Little that was even remotely looking at him. Ashley might have but she was still cordoned off on her own side and the video they had started was only just finishing up as well. “No…” Ron admitted.

“Exactly,” Kyle said near triumphantly at Ron’s own realization over Little behavior. “They care more about Marilyn and how much longer she’ll last than you and only your diaper.” Kyle then sighed and saw the distressed look still present on his friend’s face. “Still though, we’ll leave you alone to take it all in today, but I wouldn’t worry about it… even with your girlfriend, Ashley.”

“Giwfwend?” Simon asked, almost seeming confused by the whole notion.

Ron ignored him but still looked shocked. “But… but…” he tried to defend.

“Relax,” Kyle said, giving Ron a friendly pat on the shoulder. “If she was willing to play with a kitty to be close to you today, I doubt she cares over what you’re wearing…”

Still in a state of shock over the notion of a girlfriend or even that he could have been so blind ass to miss Ashley in that dynamic, Ron remained motionless. He didn’t even move when Kyle slowly coaxed Simon away with the prospect of playing with some blocks nearby. Kyle wasn’t at the level where they would be fun, but he was a good Little and I could see that he knew his friend needed some space to process all this and Simon needed to be pulled away somehow.

After a moment, Ron came out of his stupor, and after noticing that Simon and Kyle were away, he saw and then hugged the nearby Louie that Kyle had brought over to him for some measure of comfort. Lost in thought, Ron’s thumb absent-mindedly made its way back into his mouth.

Content with his thumb where it was when he finally realized he was sucking it, Ron ambled his way over to the reading corner, a spot conspicuously devoid of most Littles. Smiling in his contentment and seemingly almost not bothered by his now slightly drooping diaper, Ron looked at the books before him. He began to crouch to get one at last, but then realized he had a problem. One hand was occupied with the sucking of his thumb and the other tightly held onto Louie.

Not wanting to stop the comfort of either, Ron sat down in a huff. Another more regressed Little however, soon tottered nearby. Obviously not to read though, and it was quickly apparent that the Little just wanted a place to sit in peace and cuddle with his own parrot stuffy. Ron might have paid no attention to the thickly diapered and romper-clad Little, but in between his lips, a bright baby blue pacifier rhythmically pulsed, leaving the Little’s hands free to stretch out his parrot’s wings in all their glory. ‘Was this another step in his progress with the project? Would he soon be willing ask for a pacifier on his own?’

It was a lot to contemplate, but a returning Miss Fiona soon interrupted my own thoughts and caused Ron to quickly stop sucking his thumb. “I just put your clothes in the wash, so they should be dry by the time that Joy comes to pick you up. In the meantime, though,” she then reached behind her and pulled out a baby bottle, “I want you to drink all this up.”

Ron hesitated but clearly not wanting to cause more trouble than he already had with his previous drink, just took the bottle and mumbled out a meek, “Thank you…”

“You’re welcome, sweetie. Just be sure to finish it before you leave here.” Miss Fiona then walked away and once again left the Little to stew in his own thoughts.

Ron stared at the foreign object that he now held in his hands. He had seen Kyle drink from it, but the item almost appeared as if it was going to be too much for the Little to handle today. To my surprise though, Ron just simply shrugged and started to tip it back in his mouth.

He seemed to struggle with the concept of nursing from it for a second, but his eyes closed in near bliss when his efforts were clearly finally rewarded. After a moment, he just leaned back on a nearby bean bag chair and chugged the bottle without a fuss.

Shortly after, Kyle rejoined his friend and leaned back onto the bean bag chair as well. “So, what do you think?” he asked, gesturing toward the now half-empty bottle that his friend was still holding onto by his side.

Ron hesitated for a moment, but then shrugged his shoulders slightly. “I don’t know. Not too bad… I can even drink it while in a few different positions and the thing doesn’t leak… so, bonus?”

Kyle let out a kind-hearted laugh. “Yeah, I suppose you could look at it that way, but seriously, man. Welcome to the club.”

Ron grinned and dipped his bottle toward the one that Kyle was still carrying around with him. “Cheers.”

Kyle smiled and knocked his bottle back against his friends and then leaned back against the bean bag once more. The two Littles seemed lost in the moment for their own reasons. Kyle was no doubt reveling in the feeling of a new friend and practical equal in this place and Ron was likely just taking in the sensations of all that his life was now about. Both barely noticed the growing wetness spread in their diapers.

Nearby, Ashley and the rest of the unregressed Littles finished up their video and were now allowed to mingle back with the more regressed Littles after their nap. Having previously dedicated herself to maintaining her friendship and group integrity, she walked over to the more regressed side of the daycare and found both Kyle and Ron laying back against a bean bag chair as they calmly both nursed on baby bottles. Ron now sported only a slightly wet diaper, but this was to be expected by now with where he was from her own experience with other previously regressing Littles. Ashley sighed and visibly decided to venture towards both and her own possible fate. In this project by now, only time would tell.

[SGTbaby]

I feel like Ashley might get regresssed soon as she is becoming depressed over watching her friends each time. To keep losing friends that way would stink. I am glad Ron is finding friends in the new group who seem to speed things up realistically. I look forward to seeing more!

[LostBBoyBear]

So, at this point, unless I am able to rapid complete a few other tasks outside of writing, I will not likely be able to post the final chapter of this story until next week. There might be some flexibility with this, but I have a few things coming up and I don't know how much time I will have to edit the final bits. Most of the chapters are written by now, but the editing process might take longer than the time I could have available. I should know more by the time I post the second to last chapter and I will keep everyone up to date.

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter! Anyone have any guess what I modeled Fun Zone after?

Chapter 12: Session 34

I tidied my observation post once again after an even stronger storm had hit and made its way into the bowels of this facility where I worked for most of the work week. “Welcome back everyone! Today is session 34! It’s now been over a month since Ron has started the project, and I am pleased to say that we are making progress on nearly every front in some capacity.”

I then switched the view to yesterday’s event at daycare. Ron and Kyle had both been content to play in the sandbox outside while Ashley was trying to get them to play with her on the playground. “Now there is nothing wrong with a Little on a playground, but it is of the opinion of this project, that such influences of taking Ron away from purely regressed Little-only activities could negatively impact his progress.” I zoomed in on the still resistant Ashley. “While Ashley has shown some inclinations at wanting to change from views of her own progress in the project, she has still yet to make the leap into such territory. As such, we have encouraged Joy to coax Ron along by spending more time with Littles like Kyle and Olly. For instance, today, Olly and his mommy have invited Joy and Ron along to join them at Fun Zone, after a quick suggestion of getting together from Joy, so I am very excited to see how that unfolds.”

I then switched the screen to two days prior when Ron went to the park with Joy as had become their routine. He aimlessly played with the other Littles, and each carried their own individual stuffy and occasionally sucked their thumbs or pacifiers. “As you can see, Ron now clearly has become attached to comfort items even when not in distress. Louie has been a continual presence in his life for some time now, but thumb sucking and attachment to Joy or even nearby blankets have become staples of his life. I believe Ron may soon publicly desire, or at least not fight, the addition of a pacifier.”

I switched the RealET system on and the scene began to unfold as Ron and Joy walked toward the entrance of Fun Zone. Cutely, Ron practically clung to her leg as several strangers whizzed by them. Being a chain all around the world and being used as a place where ‘fun’ seemed to be the only priority, it appealed to all ages, both Bigs and Littles. “Lastly, I have noted that Ron has evidently become more attached to Joy. Moments without her in sight in strange new locations have given the Little a fair amount of palpable discomfort. Today, should be an interesting sight to witness firsthand as the two will separate from one another while he is playing with Olly.”

“It’s okay, honey,” Joy soothed Ron as the Big children quickly ran past them and into Fun Zone.

“I thought you said this was a place for Littles?” Ron asked, obviously nervous over having to possibly interact with the notoriously bully-like Big children.

“I said it was for all types of littles. They’re just little children for sure… just not a Little like you.” Ron looked up at her with an expression that practically begged her to leave right now. Joy noticed. “I promise you’ll be okay. Just have some fun with Olly and maybe just avoid the others.”

Ron nodded somberly and the two entered the large building that was a part of the nearby strip mall. Inside, loud music and lights practically blinded and deafened the two as they entered the chaotic atmosphere. With a little more pushing through the front entrance, the two finally made it into the main area of the establishment after receiving a glow-in-the-dark handstamp. Olly and his mommy, Cynthia, were both waiting and waved them over. After a short while and a brief round of hellos, Olly pulled a slightly reluctant Ron into the mix of everything going on in the main play area.

After a few of the retro arcade games, Olly, ever still the bright and discerning Little, stopped and snapped his fingers in front of a near frozen and clearly distracted Ron after he caught him trying to find Joy for the fourth time in as many minutes. “Hey, Ron. Look, I know that it can be scary at first without her but try to feel the freedom of this place.”

“I’m trying but…” Ron gestured hesitantly toward a group of Big children who were furiously smacking a game of whack-a-mole nearby. It was evident that their presence was unnerving the now slightly quivering Little.

“Yeah… keep away from them, but this place is safe. Besides, all she wants for you is to have some fun, right?” Ron nodded. “Then there you go. Just let go and let yourself do that. It’s simple.” Ron hesitated but nodded once again. “Good. Now, come on!”

Having been from two different experiments, there were many differences between the two. Ron was forming into a fully regressed Little in his own way, but Olly had only been more or less slipping more into a role of sorts, rather than a true state of physical regression symptoms. While Olly could master any of the games if he really tried, the same couldn’t be said for Ron. Determined to let his friend have some fun, they mainly stayed away from the games that required an intense amount of concentration or coordination.

After a moment and satisfied with the enjoyment that Ron was having himself with one game about shooting aliens, Olly broke off from his side of the game. Seeing that Ron would be left surrounded by other Littles who could offer a buffer of sorts to the cruel Big children, Olly then began to leave the area. “I need to see my mommy about a thing,” he said quickly before departing. Ron was hesitant but let his friend go.

Not long after, a relieved Olly returned, and the pair then went off to enjoy the immense array of slides and tubes next. As they were climbing, Ron finally asked a question that I had seen tick in the back of his mind ever since Olly had left. “Olly, why do you call your caregiver… well, uh…” Ron seemed unable to say the word.

“Mommy?” Olly deduced at which Ron nodded his head. “Yeah… a bit different from most Littles. What of it?”

“Well, I mean, why do it? Why call her that? Are you being forced? Is she secretly evil? Were you kidnapped?” Ron quickly spouted out a dozen or more questions in rapid succession as they neared the top.

“Woah, woah,” Olly said, holding up his hands to ease his friend up a bit once they got to the top and had a minute to breathe. “She didn’t force me at all.” Ron looked at him almost as if he had suddenly lost his mind. Normally, a Little who called their caregiver ‘mommy’ was either highly regressed, could have been experiencing some form of Stockholm syndrome, had given up, or was being forced to call her that. Olly seemed to be none of the above.

Seeing his expression, Olly let out a little chuckle. “It’s odd at first, I grant you, but don’t think of it like a bad word as most Littles around here do. In fact, it’s about the polar opposite.”

“I don’t understand,’” Ron admitted after a moment of soaking the information in.

“That’s fair and I really wouldn’t expect you would at first, but think of, at least in your case, Joy, as a matron or a leader of sorts.” Ron nodded slowly as he still followed along for the most part. “Right, well, we say madame president, or mayor, or judge so and so all the time. They’re signs of respect for a certain position that we put value in. Think of the word ‘mommy’ as being the exact same.”

“Isn’t it a little different though?” Ron asked hesitantly.

“If you want to look at it that way, then sure, but I’ll tell you what…” Ron leaned in to listen better to what almost seemed like the set up for an immense secret. “Mommy’s love the term… and to be frank, you call them that, and they practically melt at your whims.”

“Really?” Ron said with such hope. Despite Joy never punishing him in any real capacity, except for a few threats or cooling off periods, I knew Ron was still fully aware of what happened to other Littles who misbehaved. Not ten minutes ago, another Little had been bratty and had been hauled off by his own caretaker, and then only to return a little later with tears streaming down his face and a hand delicately rubbing his backside.

“You bet!” Oily joyfully continued. “Now, admittedly you can’t break every rule in the book, but I guarantee that the term almost drops certain things down a few punishment tiers.” Ron gestured to him to continue. “Well, like I got a spanking for tossing my fork across the kitchen one day. After I called her ‘mommy’ though, it happened again a week later, and it was just corner time for like two minutes. Max.”

“Wow…” Ron was so shocked and in his own head still by the revelation that when he went first going down a slide a little later, he didn’t see who was at the bottom and accidentally ran into a child Big. Ron’s bladder let loose in panic, and his diaper quickly caught the sign of his readily apparent fear.

“Hey! Watch where you’re… oh damn!” the Big child said upon noticing the relatively tiny figure of Ron below him. “Lookie here fellows,” he called out over to his group of friends, “we got a widdle baby here.” His mockery was palpable.

“Wha…?” Ron said, still in shock. I think his adrenaline then took over and he began to try and inch away and plead for forgiveness. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry! It was an accident… really!” Ron pleaded in desperation, but he was soon surrounded by the four imposing figures. In truth, they were kids still, but their admission here was borderline at best. Likely, by next year, they will have been deemed too old for further admission into the play area.

“Watch out below!” Olly cried as he zoomed down the slide, oblivious of what was happening below. Getting to the padded surface at the bottom, he quickly popped up with pure excitement and faced the nearby and cowering Ron. “You see that, buddy? I was so… Ron?” Olly then realized his friend wasn’t paying attention to him at all, and seemed confused, but turning around, he quickly realized what was happening. “Oh, you all…”

“Oh wow! Another baby,” one of them jeered. “He looks even tinier.”

“Geez. Both diapers and onesies under their widdle shorts!” the pimply faced one then gave a whiff. “Hmmm… can’t smell anything, but they’re probably messy.”

“Best be sure to check!”

“Yeah! It’s a health hazard.”

“Goo-goo gaa-gaa to you too!”

Ron was too stunned and emotionally drained from everything that his life had become, so he just stood there as the four descended down onto him with their infantile jeers. Olly was much clearer though and comfortable with his current life, so he immediately stood in front as quickly as he could. “I don’t think so, you stupid bullies. Get lost or you won’t like what happens next!” It was practically an empty threat currently, but it was just enough for the bullies to stop in their movements and recoil a bit. “Yeah… that’s what I thought. Come on, Ron.” Olly then helped his nearly shell-shocked friend and got out of sight of the halted Big children. “Whew… that was a close one, right? Can’t believe those dummies fell for that. At least we didn’t have to fight, right…? Ron?”

Olly looked back at his friend and the shocked but constant state he had previously exhibited wasn’t holding up very well. Visible cracks were quickly giving way and Ron’s emotions seemed ready to burst. “I… I…” He couldn’t even finish his words.

“Oh… hey, it’s okay…” Olly tried to comfort his more emotionally unstable friend, but it was no use at this point and Ron began to freely cry as his damn burst.

“I’m not a baby! I… I’m… not! Right? Please tell me! I just don’ know… Be my friend… Tell me! Please!” Ron begged his friend in anguish. It was an odd sight for one Little to be asking the advice of another that was at least as regressed as he was, but in this one instance at least, Olly probably only represented the more stable of the two Littles after their last encounter.

“Uh…” Olly struggled to find the right words to comfort his friend. Until he could figure out something to say, he just started to rub his back in sympathy.

Now, Olly was a good Little, but I could see the turmoil swirl about his face. From my own point of view, I could at least sympathize with the predicament that Olly now found himself in. Ron wasn’t a baby in the literal sense, but a Little, like the one he was turning into, was only steps above that in this world. Knowing that information full-well, telling him that he wasn’t a baby at this point would have basically been a lie. So, Olly now had to lie and comfort his friend, tell the truth and possibly break his friend’s spirit, or find some secret third option.

It was a mighty dilemma, but fortunately for Olly, another caregiver in the project had been watching the scene unfold and had been passing by with their own even more regressed Little. “Hey there, do you two need help?” she asked sweetly as she pushed the stroller toward the exit.

Olly looked at the Big woman before him and nodded. “Maybe? You see my friend here…”

“Oh, I saw the whole thing. You were very brave by helping him out and standing in those bullies’ way. Your mommy must be very proud to have such a nice Little.”

Olly beamed over the compliment. “I hope so too, but you see my friend…” Olly then looked over at his emotion mess of a friend. “I’ve tried but I just can’t seem to help him. He asked me something… I just don’t know…” Olly then looked away from his friend and back toward the woman with a sense of hope. “Can you do anything?”

The sniveling Little next to Olly heaved in and out but made very few sounds apart from his sniffling and mumbling of something that seemed to come across as ‘I’m not a baby…’

“Hmmm,” the woman mused. She thought for a moment, but then quickly snapped her fingers. “I think I have just the thing!” She then bent down and reached into her own Littles diaper bag in the stroller in front of her and produced a single object. “Here,” she said, pushing the pacifier into Ron’s mouth without asking first. “Just keep it. My Little has plenty and I think you could use it today. Lots of Big children around here. Maybe ask a manager next time to help? Even if it means leaving your friend… it could mean the difference between this and the bullies never being a problem again…”

Olly nodded. “Thank you, ma’am. Will do. We’ll try to avoid them first of course but that’s a good suggestion.”

For his own part, Ron’s cries had died down as ne nursed on the alien object in his mouth. His eyes screamed that he wanted to remove it, but his whole body seemed to have other desires as his entire demeanor immediately began to calm down.

Olly looked away and back toward the woman. “I’m sure my friend is thankful too, but… well, I think he’s still a bit overwhelmed by everything.”

“Perfectly understandable. Maybe go and find his mommy…” Her Little then began to fuss in the stroller. “Oops. Looks like my own is just waking up now. Gotta go, but it was lovely talking to you.”

Olly reciprocated his own thanks and waved goodbye as she walked out toward the front entrance. Looking back toward his friend, Ron was still eying the pacifier with a sense of distrust, but his acceptance of it now only seemed to be assured. It wasn’t locking or anything, so it could have been removed at any time. The fact that it still pulsated and calmed the Little was a sign of things to come for sure. “Come on, buddy. I’m sure Joy will want to look you over or whatnot.”

The two made their way over to the now-seated Joy and Cynthia, but after a quick check to make sure everything was okay, the two were quickly sent back out while they waited for their food to be brought over. In truth, Joy and Cynthia had wanted to, and I quote, ‘spank the daylights out of those hoodlums who made fun of my Little,’ but our testing agents had intervened first. Olly and Ron seeking comfort and retribution from their caregivers was positive but finding comfort in each other was something we desired as well. Additionally, sensing the Big woman was going to help them as well, it might have gone a ways to help them begin to trust Bigs more in general.

After making their way back to the play area, likely sensing his friend needed some downtime, Olly elected to sit in the ball pit. After a moment, Ron plucked out the pacifier and just held it in front of himself for a moment and eyed it with a look I couldn’t quite place. ‘Was this the beginning of a new friendship? A new comfort item? Or was it to be discarded quickly like Ron had done with the prune flavored Pioneos juice that he had the other day?’

“Better?” Olly asked after a second.

“Yeah…” Ron said, clearly feeling a little embarrassed over the whole series of events that had just occurred in front of his friend.

“Those guys were jerks. Avoid them but think nothing of it, buddy,” Olly tried to comfort him after seeing his friend skirt away in embarrassment.

“I will…” Ron looked away and briefly blushed, “but I need to admit something…” Olly nodded for him to continue. “I… I can’t tell you how much I just wanted Joy or Louie to be there at that moment. When I realized I didn’t have either, I just… I kinda lost it.”

Olly smiled at his friend’s revelation. “I completely get that. Super normal to feel that way, and besides, those are all good feelings in this sort of world. I mean, if they make you feel better, then so much the better, right? Why fight the comforting stuff. Aren’t things hard enough for us Littles?”

Ron hesitated at the whole notion that Olly had just logically spouted out but then nodded his head in agreement. “Right…” Ron then stared back at the pacifier in his hand and pocketed it out of sight. It wasn’t in use, but he also hadn’t discarded it.

The two then just chilled in the ball pit for a while longer until Olly spotted that their food had yet to arrive still but that the Big children were now also more or less distracted by the arcade games and away from the slides and tubes. “Come on, Ron. The coast is clear. Let’s have some fun while those bullies are distracted by the shiny lights.” Ron grinned at Olly’s attempt to make them seem like easily distractable animals and followed as he exited the pit.

They then had a wonderful time and even went as far as to make up their own world that all the tubes were part of some giant spaceship. “Commander Olly, sir. Do we have a shot of the Gorzollas?”

“Negative, Gunner Ron. The Gorzollas are still out of range. Wait until their scales shine in the sun and then fire everything.”

“Yes, sir!” Gunner Ron saluted his commander. Things went on like that and soon, both had completely forgotten about the earlier incident with the bullies. Unfortunately, they weren’t the only Littles and another pair of Littles in yet another experiment that had just begun also joined in the tubes. It didn’t take long for them to meet up with our intrepid space bound heroes.

Now, Ron and Olly were exceptionally fast moving in the tubes for the regression tier they were both at, but diapers were still a bit bulky to truly be considered anywhere close to being ‘easily maneuverable.’ As such, when Olly went first down one of the slides, Ron came in behind him, but his diaper had swelled a bit, so he took some time getting into the proper position. Apparently, it was too long for the waiting pair of still unregressed Littles right behind him.

“Too long!” one shouted at Ron.

“Move it!” the other shouted.

“Sorry, sorry!” Ron tried to apologize, but it was already too late for the impatient pair to his rear.

“Get moving!” the first shouted, but now he used a nearby ledge to steady himself and then shove Ron down the slide faster with his foot.

Unlike several of the other slides here, this one was a straight shot and landed into matted area below that awkwardly ended with a wall fright in front of it due to limited space and budgetary reasons. Several signs warned of only going feet first to better direct oneself at the bottom, but Ron wasn’t so lucky. After being popped in the back by the other Littles foot, his deteriorated coordination caught up with him and he immediately tripped and plummeted headfirst down the slide. All attempts he made at stopping were in vain.

“Watch out!” Olly cried as he saw his friend sputter down the slide at near-full speed and headfirst. It was too late though.

Ron skidded down the slide the rest of the way and went headfirst right into the wall in front of him at the base of the slide.

It wasn’t a large impact necessarily due to the partial stopping power that Ron had exerted, but for a Little with some unstable emotions lately, a forming bump might as well have been a mallet smashing into his skull. Ron immediately lost it and began to wail in earnest.

“Oh, crap,” Olly said, not censoring his words as he rushed to his friend to help once again. Of the pair, Ron clearly had the worse luck.  

Now, crying your lungs out isn’t very dignified, but it is also immediately noticeable and more so than the few tears that Ron had shed earlier. So, this time, several Bigs and staff members came rushing to the Little’s aid to find out what was wrong.

In between his pitiful wails, the gather crowd could only make out words like, “pushed,” “other Littles,” “top of slide,” and “was too slow.” It wasn’t much but it painted a pretty clear picture of what had happened and why the distressed Little now sported a decent and rapidly forming bump just below his hairline.

“Can somebody get this Little’s mommy?” one of the staff members asked. Either too distraught or just not caring at the moment, Ron made no effort to correct the term being applied to Joy. Somehow though, the insinuation of it all or maybe the comfort of her mere presence, now almost seemed to temporarily soothe his jangled nerves. ‘Curious…’

Olly immediately volunteered to find her and a short time later, both Cynthia and Joy came barreling through the crowd after being hurried back by the Little. “Where is he? Where is my Ron?” Joy asked in a panic.

“Right here, ma’am,” the staff member noted calmly. Joy rushed over and bent down to console her Little while Olly, Cynthia, and the rest of the crowd just stood by and watched. “He’s going to be okay, ma’am. Just a bump on the head, but I just need to know if he’s allergic to any medication.”

Joy thought for a moment as she soothed her distressed Little as best that she could. “I don’t think so. His file didn’t state anything, but you know how they can be sometimes from the other portal worlds. They don’t know half the compounds we use and most of the time they don’t know you’re allergic to something until your face is about to pop.”

The staff member nodded. “I understand. In that case,” he then began to rummage around in his bag, “I’m just going to give him some of the Wound Bond gel I’ve got in my kit. It will take longer to heal, but he should be good by tomorrow or the day after at the latest. Plus, it’s got some great numbing properties as well. I’m sure the little fella might appreciate that about now.” Ron just tearfully nodded and Joy just gave him a little hug while still cuddling with him to calm him down further than her presence had already done.

The staff member then applied the gel while another member soon came out of the tubes while ushering the other two Littles away from the premises. Unbeknownst to most of the Littles, all the tubes had cameras inside, so the entire event was caught in black and white. “Don’t worry about those two ever again. They’ve been banned here unless other… alterations have been secured.”

Joy nodded in approval and understanding of his insinuation. “Sounds fair. Can’t imagine they’ll be like that for very long after today.”

“Exactly…” The staff member then finished applying the gel and presented an assortment of band-aids to Ron. “Alright then. The gel should be kicking in, so can you be big boy for me and choose which pattern you want?”

The fast-acting gel was already working its wonders and Ron had thus even further calmed down, now only a few tears and a sniffling nose left as evidence that he had once been so upset. By now, satisfied with the outcome of the spectacle, the crowd had dissipated and only Cynthia and Olly remained nearby.

Ron looked at the presented bandages and he quickly pulled a few down in absolute rejection. Considering they were princesses or unicorn themed, most everyone nearby just chuckled. Finally, Ron pointed to the band-aid with the members of the Equity Alliance on it. “This one.”

“Excellent choice.” The staff member then applied the band-aid and handed a few tokens over to both Ron and Olly. He also gave Cynthia and Joy a few discounted coupons that would heavily slash the price of their time here today, waved goodbye, and then headed off.

“You know, Joy, I think these two might just need a break for the day,” Cynthia mused afterward.

“I think you might be right,” Joy agreed as she still cuddled with Ron in her chair back at the table. “In fact, I think I spy some mighty special food coming…”

Ron cutely immediately perked up and saw the freshly arriving pizza, salad, and breadsticks. Joy took notice and smiled at her steadily growing happy Little as she put him in his highchair while Cynthia plopped Olly in his own.

“Did someone order some pizza?” the young staff member asked.

“Oooh! Me! Me! I mean… us! Us!” Ron gleefully called out, his bump evidently not bothering him anymore, likely as a result from both the oncoming food, Joy’s tender ministrations, and the gel that had been applied to his forehead that now sat underneath the bright blue superhero-themed band-aid.

The young staff member then set the pizza down and Joy quickly served both Olly and Ron their slices from the Littles-sized pizza. It was almost only half the size of the one for Joy and Cynthia, but it was still a massive amount for anyone to consume in one seating. Still, Ron eagerly dove into the melted cheese wonder before him and his friend.

Unfortunately, Ron’s stunted coordination once again reared its ugly head and eating the pizza as he used to, was proving to be a major challenge. Seeing her Little struggle once more, Joy calmly offered to help. “Do you need me to cut it up, honey?” Ron was about to protest, but Joy then quickly spoke up again. “Look, sweetie, even Olly is getting his cut up for him.”

Ron looked over at his friend with his own cut-up pizza and reluctantly agreed to the destruction of the beauty laid out before him. It proved to be a wise move and Ron got about halfway through the pizza when the show began to start. Large animatronics hummed to life and began to sing and play their instruments. It was certainly a highlight of the chain, and most Littles couldn’t get enough of the spectacle. Olly and Ron were no exceptions.

What this meant however, was that Ron was barely paying attention to where his fork was ending up. Once again, Joy noticed and just started to feed Ron herself. “But…” Ron said, before swallowing another bite. He looked like he wanted to protest further, but another bite of the delectable pizza and the apparent realization that he could just enjoy the show now, silenced any further protest. Joy just smiled as she continued to instruct her Little to close when the fork had entered his mouth.

The vibrant and cutesy show soon ended and both Littles seemed to be waning in their energy levels. Still, Cynthia and Joy both looked at each other and while the day hadn’t been a bust necessarily, it was far from the ideal scenario that either had originally envisioned. “Okay, you two. You can go back out and play, but maybe just stick to the games for the rest of the day.”

Ron and Olly almost seemed geared to automatically protest the apparent ban of something that was so fun but a small tap by Joy on her own forehead stopped them cold as a reminder that the last time they had gone up, one of them had come back with a mighty bump.

“Okay…” both sighed and then toddled off. Watching them as they left, both caregivers looked on at their departing Littles and the increasing bulk of both of their diapers. As two experienced caregivers by now, they knew that before they left for the day, they would need to stop off at the restroom and give them a change.

Nearing the games, Olly and Ron decided to work together with their free tokens to win the prizes easier. Some games still seemed to prove to be too difficult to master, but they eventually found a few more manageable ones and were soon successful at a number of them. One allowed them to play a memory game, which with their combined efforts, paid out in almost a hundred tickets.

“Ooh! Ooh! That one, Olly,” Ron cried out, eagerly pointing to one of the cards that he remembered had a matching bunny on the other side.

Olly then selected it and another bunny appeared. “Yeah! You go, Ron! We are the masters of this! These animal cards shall submit to us! Ha ha ha!” Olly laughed exaggeratedly with his best impression of an evil voice.

“Yes! We shall rule all!” Ron said, mimicking the deeper tone that Olly had adopted. Both Littles then laughed and cheered each other over their combined successes.

Before too long, they had racked up an immense number of tickets and held them tightly to their chests as if they were guarding their loot with their lives. Many looked on in astonishment, but both Littles just made a beeline for the prize counter and dumped all their tickets in front of the staff member that was waiting there.

“How much is all this?” Ron asked innocently.

The staff member just looked on at the pile in front of him. “Uh… just one second…” They then began to feed the long lines of tickets into a machine just behind the counter. A loud crunching noise soon echoed all around the three of them.

Olly and Ron then stared at the prizes in front of them. While both could count, they had lost track of the amount after about 250, so they knew what they could afford at minimum. Before them, were prizes ranging from a stick of chewing gum all the way up to a new computer from Melon Corp. That one was 10,000 tickets, so both Littles just looked at each other and shook their heads in agreement over its impossibility. Instead, they focused on the more attainable prizes that they could split amongst them.

“That will be 954 tickets. So, something big, or a few small stuff…” the staff member eventually explained after the last ticket had gone through the feed counter.

Looking up once more and now armed with that information, both Littles saw what they wanted. “The stuffed fish for me,” Ron said.

“And the stuffed gator for me,” Olly continued.

The staff member nodded and retrieved both. It left them with about 54 tickets left, so they just split up the remaining tickets and got small little prizes like buttons or tiny elastic toys. The candy was awfully tempting, and Ron and Olly looked on with almost drooling desire, but both knew their caregivers well. After the amount of pizza they had just consumed, eating the candy as well was not likely an option for today.

Both Littles then collected their prizes and left the counter. Olly’s gator was long and bumpy, but he still held onto him tightly and with pride. Ron’s new fish was smaller, but far more colorful, and like Olly, Ron held onto his new prize with pure contentment.

Both danced around in glee, and I could see that Cynthia and Joy both looked on at their two approaching Littles with amusement. The two Littles began to shake their butts all around and both briefly stopped for a moment with an intense look of concentration on their faces, before then immediately resuming their dancing without a clue over what had just happened.

Cynthia and Joy knew though, and both collected their respective diaper bags for the change they now knew had to take place. Leaving a regressing Little in a messy diaper had its uses, but both knew a Little with a severe case of diaper rash would only lead to a fussier and less cooperative Little down the road.

Olly and Ron continued to dance with happiness, and many looked on with amusement. A few plugged their noses, but if either Little noticed the smell or the gestures from others, they made little to no effort to show it. The day could have gone terribly with the Big children and two mean-spirited Littles, but now, everything was back to how it should be. Getting close to the end of the recording, I could only smile as I stopped the RealET system and leaned back in my chair, full of pride and contentment over the work that we were accomplishing here with Project Nurture. “Not much further now…”

[SGTbaby]

That Fun Zone establishment reminded me of a few birthday parties I attended as a child or even game places as an adult. Hehehe. It is always fun to play arcade games and see what you can win. Selecting the prizes is certainly the hardest part. Great new chapter and I like how Ron is making more friends. The nurture method seems to have some excellent advantages but I imagine it takes the correct carer as well. Again sad to this winding down but you are doing a great job of wrapping it up! 

[LostBBoyBear]

Only two more chapters to go! I've stayed away from fully going into depth on one part of the DD for a while now, but I figured I just needed to take the plunge. I hope it works out in this chapter, but I also think I placed it as well as I could within the larger context of the story. 

Another chapter should be posted tomorrow at some point, but I hope everyone enjoys this latest addition!

Chapter 13: Session 36

Two sessions later, I began to look at a checklist that had been created for Project Nurture in the beginning of it all to judge a Little’s progress. “As everyone I’m sure can see, many of the boxes have now been checked off for Ron. While he has not been regressed fully, per Joy’s desires and our project goals, I feel that Ron will have completed most, if not all, tasks in the next week or so.”

I put the checklist down and mused over the events that had taken place recently as I viewed yesterday’s dinner scene on the monitors in front of me. “Ron now wears a bib, one even with babyish cartoon animal imprinted all around it. I was originally thinking he would put up a fuss, but his coordination the other day combined with a thick tomato soup that ended up spilling all over one of his more favorite onesies had been a powerful motivator. Devastated over the potential loss, Ron immediately agreed to the usage of a bib, or ‘food cape’ as Olly calls it, that very day.”

I then switched the view to a few scenes of Ron in the park, shopping, getting his haircut, and at daycare. “As you can tell, Louie is now brought everywhere without shame. He seems to be the perfect protector against all the evil of the world and when confronted with a few other unruly Big children the other day, Ron even held him out against them as if brandishing a shield of sorts. This only elicited a round of laughter from them but a nearby adult Big chased them off after witnessing such a cute and innocent scene unfold.”

I then flicked the RealET system on and a thickly diapered Ron could be discerned rolling around in his crib. Louie lay nearby and the blanket had partially fallen to cover only his feet now, which in turn exposed his onesie-only clad body, today sporting a cute woodland theme.

The door then opened, and Joy confidently strutted into the room. “Afternoon there, sleepyhead.”

“Afternoon…” Ron replied sleepily.

“Oh dear… looks like I’ve got a tired Little on my hands today, huh?” Ron only nodded and unsteadily got to his feet to better allow Joy to pick him up and then go about their now-usual routine of a post-nap diaper change. It had become a matter of fact rather than a question of if anymore.

Seeing that Ron was still in a daze, Joy elected to strap her Little down. She had done it a few times after Ron had nearly absent-mindedly fallen off the changing table after one of his naps. Her previous tests of his coordination or compliance with not moving on top of the table if left alone were now almost too hazardous at certain times of the day. Still, it didn’t matter as Joy had been satisfied weeks ago when Ron hadn’t moved an inch when instructed to stay while she used the bathroom. Now, if they ever went out anymore, she would either get Ron to come into the stall with her and face the door or sit outside and play with a toy of his while she made sure he didn’t move or was taken.

With his diaper now changed and the sleep dissipating from his eyes, Ron laid still as Joy worked another pair of shorts onto his small frame. Waking up further, I could see that he then noticed that Joy was now dressed in a long and elegant black silky dress. “Are we going somewhere?” he asked with some trepidation.

Joy smiled. “I’m going somewhere but you’re staying here tonight. I have a gala I need to attend for my job, but they have a pointless ‘no Littles’ policy in place.” Ron frowned a bit but then sat up and immediately began to look far off and sad upon the news that he wouldn’t be coming along. “Oh, don’t look like that sweetie. I wish I could take you with me. Maybe the next one…”

Ron huffed in disbelief over the potential, but his face then scrunched up in confusion. “Wait, so, if I’m staying here, won’t you be abandoning me? Didn’t you say that was against the law?” he asked, clearly remembering their earlier conversation when they had first left the house almost an entire month ago now.

“I did say that, but Ron, you won’t be alone.” Ron looked at her questioningly, but Joy only smiled once again and picked him up to take him back downstairs. After sitting him down on the floor by a few books she had picked out for him the other day while he was at daycare, she then left to go into the other room. Not long after, the doorbell rang.

Joy’s heels clacked across the surface of the floor as she walked to the front door, before then quickly answering whoever had run the doorbell. After a small chat with the mysterious stranger, Joy backed up to let them in, much to Ron’s apparent fear. “Come in, come in. I’m sure you two will get along just fine.”

Stepping inside, Ron could immediately see who it was. There, standing in the doorway was Daisy, the cute and bubbly girl from the candle and bath store in the mall. Today, her hair was grouped into a single rear ponytail, and she wore just a simple pair of jeans and a multi-colored striped t-shirt. “Hey there, you little cutie.”

Ron stood frozen in shock over this turn of events. There had been an unspoken bond between Ron and Joy over the experiment that even went as far to imply that they had been exclusive with each other. It wasn’t romantic by any means, but the pact was still there. One Little to be cared for by one Big. Daycare, of course, was an exception because life got in the way, but Daisy… she was something else entirely, and from Ron’s face, he knew this fact very well.

Obviously sensing his discomfort, Daisy closed the gap between them and immediately crouched to his level. “I understand this is your first time away from Joy with… someone like me…” I could tell that Daisy was trying to avoid the word, ‘babysitter’ at all costs. “Think of me as just a friend if that helps at all. I mean, I hope we can be friends.” She paused. “Do you want to be friends?” she asked with a bit of a twinkle in her eye and hope about her voice.

Ron remained frozen, but behind Daisy, he could also see Joy gently gesture her hand to get him to play along with his new temporary caretaker. In truth, I wasn’t sure if he had much choice, but the illusion of such a thing was still very powerful. “I think I can be okay with that…” he finally said thankfully.

“Perfect!” Daisy exclaimed, now standing back up. “Just wait right here while Joy and I discuss a few particulars, but I’ll be right back, and then we can start having some fun.” Ron just nodded and went back to his book.

In the other room, Joy went over the typical emergency numbers and the like, but then got to the real reason why they had separated away from Ron. “Now, from what D.T. told me, I know you are clued into the project, right?”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m technically not part of it, but my contract at the mall and as part of my babysitting service dictates that I need to abide by all Diamond’s experimental protocols. It gets challenging at times, but Project Nurture is pretty straight forward compared to some of the other ones I’ve worked with in the past. Project Red Moon was a nightmare to get right and most of the Littles seemed ready to rebel at the drop of a hat.”

“I heard about that one… something with spanking…” Joy then shook her head as if to clear the thought of that disastrous project. In truth, I’m pretty sure the Board wished they could have done the same. “Anyway, I’m glad to hear you’re good with all of it. Just in case though, remember to treat him like you would a normal Big toddler under your care, rather than you might as with a normal Little. That means no extreme punishments and no hypnosis. If it couldn’t hold up in courts for occurring to a Big child, it shouldn’t be even considered here. Understand?”

“Absolutely,” Daisy acknowledged, while also nodding her head. “I’m actually one of the few babysitters that wouldn’t do stuff like that normally, unless it’s specifically requested. Again, one of the reasons Project Red Moon was so… challenging. Here though, you won’t have to worry about a thing with me!”

“Perfect.” The two then finished up with the last bits of their conversation and after noting the time she would be back, Joy grabbed her purse and motioned for Daisy to follow her back out to see Ron. “Ron?” he stopped reading and looked up. “It’s time for me to go.”

Ron immediately got up and quickly hugged her legs with all his might. At first, Joy had been shocked over the actions of her Little, but now it seemed that whenever they would depart from each other, this scene would play out yet again.

“Easy there, sweetie.” Joy then managed to pull him off with her practices tact and then bent down to meet his saddened gaze as she always did. “Daisy here is going to look after you. The law and all you understand… but, I want you to be as good for her as you are for me. Okay?”

Ron looked up at the nearby smiling Big that was to be his babysitter for the night and then back at Joy before nodding. “I understand.”

“Good. Now, hug?” Ron quickly nodded and both hugged tightly once again. After a moment, Joy broke the hug first and stood back up. “I’ll be back before you know it but I’m sure you’ll have a good time with Daisy.”

“Absolutely, ma’am!” Daisy chimed in.

Joy nodded and then headed out the door. “Bye! Kisses!” She blew a few kisses towards Ron, again, one of their new quick goodbye routines, and then closed the door behind her.

Now alone, Daisy turned to the partially trembling Little and crouched down once again. “You don’t need to be scared of me, Ron. I know we Bigs have a bit of a nasty reputation, but I promise that I’m not one of them. In fact,” Joy then reached out for the nearby remote on the coffee table, “I hear you like Adventure Sam. Isn’t that on right now?”

“It is… but aren’t you going to… lobotomize me?” Ron asked with the most serious and horribly depressed face I think I had ever seen.

Daisy almost looked like she wanted to laugh but then saw Ron’s somber face. “What? Oh my god, no. I would never! I can pinky promise or swear on whatever you want, but absolutely not. I told you, I’m one off the good ones…” Daisy almost seemed hurt, and I could see a sliver of Ron notice this as well.

His guilt was understandable but highly palpable at that moment. “I’m sorry… I just… this place doesn’t seem to like people… you know, like me…”

“Oh!” Daisy exclaimed as if that was news to her. ‘Oh, Ron. We’re not all the same. I’m sure you’ve seen that with Joy, right?”

Ron hesitated for a moment, and I leaned in out of curiosity. ‘Does he suspect something?’ My mind was then quickly put at ease though. “Yeah… just hard to trust is all…”

“Understandable but let me start now.” Daisy then clicked through a few channels, a few even blacked out that were known to be severely laced with hypnotics. At this point in fact, it was almost a source of pride that Ron knew very little of shows like Naomi and Oliver and Jasper and Jinx when he had first been introduced to them.

Finally, the TV popped onto Adventure Sam as the beginning credits began to roll. “There. You can watch your show while I cook us some food for after. Sound good?”

Ron nodded and laid back onto his bean bag chair while Daisy went into the kitchen. Joy had bought the bag for him the other day when the couch had become too tedious and difficult for the Little to climb without complete assistance from Joy. Rather than let the stubborn Little, who still didn’t always ask for help, simply sit on the ground, she had opted for something the daycare had noted that he liked.

“Afternoon, boys and girls! You all ready to have some fun?” Adventure Sam asked enthusiastically from the TV. Today, he was wearing his usual khaki outfit, but his hat had now been replaced by a turban.

Ron didn’t respond but still nodded his head and leaned in, clearly curious of why the change in headwear today. I wasn’t sure if he would ever be regressed enough to respond out loud when not in a group, but it was still nice to see the gesture at this point at least and his fascination with the show in general.

“Perfect! I’m so very glad that you’re joining me today. Today, we’re going on an adventure… an adventure to the cliffs of Libya,” Adventure Sam announced as the scene soon unfolded to show their beauty. From the kitchen, Daisy peaked in and saw the enraptured Little thoroughly enjoying his program of choice.

By the time the second episode for the day had ended that had been dedicated to the Atorian Falls, a wondrous aroma had begun to permeate the room. Ron had occasionally looked back toward the kitchen, but only truly stopped watching when Daisy came back in. “Alright! Second episode’s over and dinner is just about ready.” Ron nodded and didn’t protest when she turned off the TV. “Now, go wash your hands.”

Ron nodded dutifully and went away to get on his stepstool and wash his hands as instructed. Joy had begun to adamantly implement the protocol after she had noticed Ron’s growing habit of thumb sucking. She had a pacifier at the ready now to satisfy his urge, but she often wasn’t quick enough to prevent his thumb from going in his mouth. Littles ingested germs all the time and one couldn’t prevent them all, but hand washing was just a nice extra step by now.

The water then turned off and Ron joined Daisy in the kitchen. “Hands out!” she instructed. Ron shot his hands out and flipped them over after a second. “Perfect!” Now, up we go!”

Ron held up his arms and Daisy quickly and efficiently deposited him in his highchair, now a permanent fixture in the breakfast nook of the kitchen. After securing the buckle through his legs and around his waist, Daisy walked away to collect her own dinner and Ron’s.

She returned with two plates and deposited the larger one on the table and the smaller one on Ron’s tray. “Hmmm… let me see… Am I missing anything?” she mused while putting her finger to her chin to exaggerate her thought process.

“Bib!” Ron said without hesitation.

“Oh yes. Silly me. Couldn’t forget that now, could we?” Ron shook his head and readily accepted the protective garment. By now, he had just readily accepted it as part of his routine. As he had told Joy, he didn’t mind the changing part of messy clothes now, but it could ‘interrupt further playing time.’

Daisy then started cutting into her own food, but Ron was left to try and cut up his own. Daisy knew that the challenge was unusual and almost impossible, but she was a smart babysitter and a great asset to all our experiments. While not a direct tester herself, discovering the limitations or desires of a Little was one of her specialties. Pride could hamper her efforts, but Ron was beyond that now as he only stared at the utensils before him. “Something wrong?” she then asked innocently after a moment.

“Uh… no… just, uh… thinking…” Daisy smiled and nodded before going back to her own food. From past interactions, I knew she wasn’t being deliberately cruel or anything, but she also didn’t want to force something onto Ron. Asking her for help was a good sign for the project, but she knew very well that her efforts would be appreciated and more readily accepted if he initiated them in the first place. In effect, it would only strengthen their bond and trust going forward. An effective babysitter needed that, especially when it came to more… personal tasks, even if it meant a little struggle right now.

So, after a moment of trying to use the cutlery, Ron sighed and gave in. “Daisy…? I… can you help me out?”

Daisy paused in eating her own meal and looked over at the Little. “Do you need help cutting, or something more perhaps?”

“Maybe both?” Ron answered, clearly unsure of himself in this department anymore. He probably could do it, but Ron’s pride was probably also getting in the way. Being fed was one thing, but making a mess of oneself so helplessly was likely even worse for the fragile temperament of the Little.

“That’s no problem,” she said, reading in between the lines of what he was asking from her. She then set her own utensils down and began to first cut up his food for him. “Now, I promise I won’t make airplane noises or anything,” she half-joked.

Ron let out a chuckle, but unbeknownst to him, it was just what Daisy had wanted, and quickly popped the first forkful of the seasoned chicken into his mouth.

“Wha…?” Ron tried to ask, but then just accepted the bite and began to chew. His eyes immediately lit up. After swallowing, he seemed positively thrilled. “That… that was amazing!”

Daisy giggled. “I’m glad you like it. One of the Littles I looked after a while ago made me an entire recipe book from your world. It took forever for me to copy down everything he told me, but the results I think you can agree are well worth it for the rest of you Littles.”

“I’ll have to thank him at some point,” Ron said after practically smacking his lips in satisfaction.

“Oh… he’s not here anymore,” Daisy said with a bit of sadness before immediately perking back up. “Another bite?” Ron didn’t question what she had meant by ‘not here anymore’ with that Little, so only nodded. The two then continued the process all the way through the rice, pomegranate, cheese, and herb mix, and then through the vegetable medley that she had also prepared for their meal. Hers had used more spice of course, but they both had wonderfully blessed looks on their faces afterward.  

“Wow… I’m stuffed…” Ron said, slouching a bit after the last scrumptious bite had been passed to him and then consumed wholeheartedly.

“I’ll make sure Joy gets the recipes, but…” she then hoisted the Little out of the highchair after unbuckling him, “I need you to finish your bottle first for tonight.”

Ron nodded and accepted the bottle before walking back out into the living room. After his spill at daycare and his newfound sense of security with the bottle he had been given afterward, he had little trouble accepting the new item in his life. Meanwhile, Daisy finished up her meal and quickly cleaned the dishes.

With the kitchen now cleaned, Joy joined Ron once again and then checked her watch. “Hmmm… I think we just have some time left over before bedtime. So, game or stuffys?”

Ron scratched his head in thought for a moment at the real dilemma before him. “Uh… maybe stuffys? Head’s a little tired today after spending the whole day at the park…”

Daisy nodded and grabbed her nearby bag that she had brought in with her and pulled out a decently sized brown horse stuffy. “This is Nettles. Do you mind if she joins…?” Daisy then nodded over to the monkey and fish near to where Ron was seated.

“Oh, sorry. This is Louie and Blue,” Ron noted of his favorite stuffy and the newly christened addition of the fish from Fun Zone. It wasn’t exactly creative, but no one seemed to mind one bit.

The two then played for a good long while and the sun began to set outside. “I shall defend you your majesty!” Daisy cried out as she held Nettles up toward the makeshift throne that Ron had fashioned on the couch.

“Defend me with your honor, Sir and Lady Nettles. Bring peace to the land once more!” Ron commanded from King Louie in a forced and deeper more kingly voice.

The entire scene was practically a dream come true for me as an observer in charge of this project. Ron was now so freely giving into just letting go and having fun. His laugh was now so innocent and free that I practically wanted to join in as well just to capture a little of that special magic that Littles seemed to come by so easily at this near final stage. I knew it wouldn’t be long now before Ron’s part in this project had concluded. It was a little sad but I couldn’t help but feel a speck of pride in the accomplishments of the project so far.

Additionally, however, between the giggles and charges of various plots to overthrow King Louie by the dastardly Blue, I saw that both Daisy and I had noticed something peculiar about Ron’s make-believe world. While not a bad thing by any means, the previously growing number of action figures of the Equity Alliance had once been a staple of every playtime that Ron engaged in. They were his pride and joy, but also the envy of almost every other Little that knew about them. Now, while they were still a part of their play, Ron now only referred to them as ‘peasants’ or the ‘court’ when asked by Daisy. It was a subtle but telling difference from the Ron of even a few weeks ago.

During the battle of the aptly named, ‘Couch-Carpet,’ however, Daisy had noticed the occasional nod of Ron’s head when he wasn’t doing the talking or playing directly when it was her turn. It wasn’t much at first, but Louie briefly dipped as the sleepiness became more apparent in his owner. “Ron… Ron… you awake?” Daisy gingerly asked, shaking the Little slightly on his outstretched arm.

“Huh…? Oh… sorry…” Ron blushed a bit over his tiredness.

“That’s perfectly okay, sweetie, but… I think someone could use some sleep,” Daisy said, now laying Nettles back in her bag. Daisy could clearly see the struggle in the Little before as to whether he should stop playing, but like most Littles, biology could only be held back for so long. Seconds later, Ron just held out his hands as his eyes began to flutter close once more. “Alright. Come here, you little munchkin.”

Daisy then picked Ron up and took him upstairs. Having received permission earlier, Daisy quickly stripped Ron of his diaper and gave him a quick bath. The combination of almost a month in some form of padded protection, being changed by several of the daycare staff and in public, and his immense sleepiness had all eroded his current sense of modesty. He might care about all this tomorrow, but he just leaned back and let Daisy do her work tonight.

Soon, she finished bathing him and then wrapped her charge back up in a thick and stars and moons themed diaper, before sealing him into an extremely soft and comfortable footed sleeper. The weather outside had begun to grow colder as the Fall season soon began to take root. Change was in the air everywhere.

Despite Ron almost falling asleep right then and there, Daisy sat in the rocking chair that Joy had recently added to his room, now blatantly called a nursery, and cracked open a book to read aloud. It was hard to deny the true name of this room any longer and Ron never seemed to question it. As he had told Olly one day, ‘why call a duck anything else if that’s what it looks like?’ Perhaps a Little’s logic, but it was a sentiment that I had to agree with.

“Once upon a time, there lived a king and a queen. The king was known for his bravery and fairness and the queen for her beauty and caring and kind ways towards her subjects…” Daisy continued the story for another few minutes, but then stopped when Ron began to audibly snore all nestled inside his crib. She then shut the book and stood up. “Good night, Ron. Pleasant dreams…”

Now, normally, when Ron went to sleep, the recording of the day would just end and so would my session, but I noticed there was still a bit more of the recording to go. Intrigued, I fast-forwarded everything until I saw Joy arriving back from her event and receive a wonderful report from Daisy.

After Daisy left, Joy then went upstairs and quickly changed into something more comfortable. Satisfied, she slowly crept into the nursery where Ron was tossing around a bit. Joy immediately went to his side and stroked his back to calm him down. While her efforts worked, Ron also woke up shortly after. “Wha…?”

“Shhh… go back to sleep.” Ron seemed to try but couldn’t fully fall back to sleep like he had been. Joy then sighed. “Were you having some bad dreams, honey?” Ron nodded. “Then maybe do you want to cuddle for a bit before going back to bed?” Ron sleepily nodded again.  

Joy smiled and then hoisted her Little out of the crib. His diaper drooped a bit underneath his cuddly sleeper, but he would still be good for now at least. Getting into a comfortable position, Ron soon curled up tightly into Joy’s body as she sat back in the rocking chair.

Being half-awake or half-asleep has always been an oddity to me. You’re there, but you’re not. It’s some odd middle ground and it can, pardon the phrase, bugger you more than several rounds of some strong alcohol. So, I suppose when Ron began tossing around slightly while still half-asleep, one couldn’t exactly take him seriously when one of his hands aimlessly caught on Joy’s shirt.

Being a simple cardigan and slightly unbuttoned though, the garment quickly pulled down and even revealed Joy’s now readily apparent maternity bra. “Woah. Easy there, sweetie.”

Ron just moaned slightly but kept his outstretched hand firmly in place where it had been. Of course, with her sweater now pulled down still, that meant that it came to rest gently right over the right cup of her bra. Joy’s eyebrows raised in curiosity, and I leaned forward. ‘Was this the moment so coveted by millions of Big women around the world?’

Joy was smart and she knew the protocols of the project by heart. Her purchase of the maternity bra might have been a slight unconscious wish for this to happen, but it had been notably purchased after some advice given by Kyle’s now-proclaimed own mommy. Joy had been more satisfied with it since she had begun to lactate almost as soon as Ron had entered diapers. It was purely biological, and the bra was meant more for comfort than anything else, but it had been a long wait since then, so Joy took a breath and calmly asked, “Are you asking me for something?”

Ron let out a few odd noises that could have been words, but they were still unclear. Then, one came through quite clearly. “Hungry…” he mumbled.

Joy nearly let out a gasp but remained calm. “For food, or…?”

“Hungry…” Ron repeated.

Now, I will admit that the scene was unfolding in a manner that I wasn’t the biggest fan of entirely. I would have preferred Ron to be entirely conscious, but I couldn’t help but empathize with Joy as well. She had been waiting for this probably ever since she wanted a Little in the first place. Currently, that very Little that she clearly loved more than anything else was here, hungry, and even touching the very clasp that had held her breast back from achieving one of her utmost desires.

With a deep breath, Joy took the plunge and undid the clasp to her bra and revealed her large and engorged breast right in front of Ron. She had been pumping every night and even occasionally when Ron had taken a nap, but all of it had been donated to Littles without such nourishment at a local food bank. It was a worthy cause for sure, but now, she was here with her own clearly desiring Little.

“Baby… d… do you want…” she took a breath to calm her apparent nerves, “do you want to feed?”

Call it finally waking up, the sight of the large breast before him, the smell, or a combination of all three, but Ron’s eyes quickly opened. “Wha…? I…”

Joy then got the gist that all of what had happened had been a purely happy accident and nothing more. Still, I could see that now that they were here and so close, she knew that pushing a little further could still be played off as just a misunderstanding. “Baby… it’s okay if you say no, but your hand… you reached for my top and pulled down my shirt. You then said you were hungry. I’m sorry if I misread the signs, but…” she paused. “Did I actually misread the signs?” There was so much hope in her last question.

From my point of view, it almost seemed that Ron could hear it as well and seemed to give the question some serious thought. “I…” Ron then looked away, but it was immediately apparent to both Joy and I that it wasn’t from revulsion. Shame perhaps, but also maybe a sense of curiosity buried in there as well.

Joy looked at her Little cuddled all up in her arms and in her lap in the rocking chair. I could see her desire, but it seemed to mix well with the gears turning in her head. Finally, she spoke. “You know… I remember when we were at the mall… there have been other times, but I first remember it there. The other Littles were feeding. Some from the spoon… others from the source, and for a moment, I thought you seemed more curious than disgusted. I know some things might be embarrassing to want, but that doesn’t always mean they’re bad. Do you understand?”

Ron looked up at her and then nodded before staring back at the fleshy and near goddess-like breast before him. In his previous life, it might have been viewed as almost sexy, but that was about the opposite of what I suspected he felt now. Ron the Little was now fully in charge.

After a moment of silence, I could see that Joy was nearly bursting at the seams and that she could tell that she would need to take the first step to ease his mind. “If you don’t want to, you don’t have to speak. Just nod or shake your head. I won’t be mad, boastful, or judgmental whatever your decision, but I need to know…” Joy trailed off and let the notion hang in the air. It felt like the whole room had been spinning and then suddenly stopped as if everything was now waiting on Ron to respond. I even felt my own breath shallow and tighten in my eagerness for his reply.

And just like that, as soon as it all began, it ended. Ron, still with a little hesitation though, just closed his eyes for a moment and nodded his head.

Joy’s smile grew wide over his acceptance and the near completion of her long-awaited dream come true. With gentle and guiding hands, Joy readjusted Ron to a better position and then moved him in for his first feed ‘from the source’ as they say.

Ron eyed the giant orb of flesh before him and then closed his eyes. He was completely at the whims and desires of Joy now and both knew it. In a matter of seconds, Ron pursed his lips and Joy nestled him in place around her nipple.

Having grown accustomed to the sucking of certain objects in recent weeks, the response came more easily to Ron than to other newly acquainted Littles. Like all Littles though, once he began and the sweet, creamy nectar of Big breastmilk hit his tongue, a force of nature merely powered him through. If the Little could have willed another way to go faster, no matter the cost, I knew he would have paid it.

“Easy, easy, baby,” Joy coached as Ron engorged himself on her outpouring breastmilk. In truth, Joy was overjoyed and was luxuriating in the surge of adrenaline and hormones racing through her body. I looked at my scanner nearby of instant bio feedback that we had recently installed to better monitor our test subjects, and I was astonished at what I was seeing.

Hormone levels and neurotransmitters were all elevated to the point of near mimicry of those of mother’s who had given birth naturally and were bonding with their children. Native Littles seemed to spike around 50 or 60% of those levels and portal Littles could top around 75% on an average good day. Here though, I was noticing spikes upwards of 95% or greater across the board. It was… astonishing… miraculous… a true breakthrough.

I was honestly so distracted by the numbers that my focus didn’t break off them until some of them had begun to dip. Almost panicking, I looked back and noticed that Ron had finished the first breast and Joy was now gently burping the nearly passed out Little on her shoulder with a conveniently placed burp cloth.

After a few raps on his back and some gentle bouncing, Ron half-consciously burped up a few strings of creamy liquid onto the awaiting cloth, but as with most Littles, the breastmilk also went to work on his other end as well. I didn’t need the monitors to see Ron grunt slightly in his half-awake state and then immediately see the rear end of his footed sleeper suddenly droop under the mess he had just deposited there.

“Ooh, good baby. Good Little… I’m so proud of you, baby. Let it all out. There you go…” Joy cooed to her enraptured Little. Then, satisfied with her ministrations to let out all he needed, she then resettled in the rocking chair and latched him onto her other breast to finish his feed.

Ron probably wouldn’t be conscious enough to finish that side, but the deed had been completed. Without much fanfare or forethought, he had taken one of his final steps into truly becoming a Little of our society. Now, I knew of few who would doubt his status any longer.

From previous experiments, I knew breastmilk would eventually ensure a compliant and luxuriating Little who had no control over their bladder or bowels. Now, I highly doubt that Ron would even notice, if he even still could by now, that there was a change in his voiding at all, but it was just something else to further cement his new status. Additionally, I knew his cravings would only increase now until he was firmly attached to drinking the substance whenever and wherever he could. Yes, Ron had truly turned one of the last corners on his journey in this project.

Sitting back and enjoying the fruits of my labor, I continued to watch the recording and could only luxuriate in my view over the two test subjects. For her own part, Joy just smiled as Ron continued his nightly feed. A warm maternal smile bathed over her, and I could only envy the bliss that she was now visibly feeling. Soon, both would be finished with the project and continue their happy lives in relative peace. Now more than ever, I knew that was just a matter of time…

[LostBBoyBear]

Here's the second to last chapter! The final chapter is almost completely written, but I will be busy over the next few days. Keeping that in mind, while I will try to post it earlier, the final chapter may not be posted until Monday. This would be the latest, but I just wanted to let everyone know here at this point.

Additionally, I just wanted to note for this chapter that while most songs or books that I add are merely to flesh out the world that everyone has created with the Diaper Dimension, the last story in here is actually an excerpt from something that I'm currently writing. I thought that it would be an interesting concept to write and illustrate a book for Littles for everyone to enjoy. I have everything written out with it, but the artwork is taking the most amount of time to complete. While I would have loved for it to be completed in December, I feel that I would have to essentially stop writing my stories for that to be the case. As such, I might occasionally pop an update here every once in a while to let you all know.

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this next and second to last chapter!

Chapter 14: Session 42

I unwrapped my delicate and moist cupcake that a coworker had given me. A singular candle with the number, ’42,’ had been stuck in the top and had been lit. “Cheers everyone to session 42.” I held the vanilla and white frosting cupcake up and cheered the video recording before blowing the flame out. “Today, I have been informed by the original testers monitoring both Joy and Ron that this will be the last recording. I will still need to discuss future matters with members of the Board at the conclusion of all this, but I believe the results of the project will have been verified as an absolute success in this instance at the very least by then.”

I then flipped on one of the nearby monitors to a scene yesterday from just after Ron had awoken and Joy had been feeding and cuddling him in the rocking chair once again. “As you can see, the original instance of breastfeeding continues to be no fluke. While Ron expressed shame and a deep embarrassment the next day, as predicted, the milk provided just enough of an initial impetus that he agreed to try it again. Based on the notes from this morning before the highlighted section of the recording I am about to watch, Ron’s protests have dwindled to perhaps only a second of hesitation now.”

I then stood up as I smacked my lips after consuming the last bit of my scrumptious cupcake. “As previously stated, today will be the last session of observation for Project Nurture with subjects 90876A and 90876B.” The RealET system then hummed to life and began to follow Ron as he ambled about the main play area with Ashley. “While all avenues of success have practically been reached at this juncture, for the sake of science and posterity, I should note that Ron seemed highly upset after daycare a few days ago. By now, this could have meant that someone tried to take Louie, he was just too tired, wasn’t able to go outside for the day, or something of the sort, but it still piqued my curiosity. As such, I will monitor the situation at daycare more closely today and note all interactions and events to check and see if something was amiss just in case he became upset afterward once again. While I doubt such a situation would, I would hate for something to derail the project at this final juncture.”

Ron once again toddled over to their group at daycare of the more regressed Littles. The daycare had shifted yet again, and new candidates had come in as part of another experiment testing various products of different formulations of something called ‘Tabers Milk.’ ‘Definitely need to do more research into that whole product line… feels fishy…’

In Ron’s group, Simon, Kyle, and the twins were about the same as usual, but Marilyn had become much more docile in recent weeks. Unfortunately, she was one of the few elements of the project which I had to deem as a partial failure. While she had been regressed per the project’s standards, her willfully bratty attitude had caught up with her and multiple hypnosis sessions after her ‘strike threes’ had changed her personality drastically. While still verbal and mostly coherent, she now spent most of her days quietly combing her now constantly held doll’s hair or listening to songs, videos, or stories with only a wide smile on her face. Further tests were needed to see what was happening, but her mommy seemed to be okay with the fact that her Little had been slightly ‘overcooked’ as the lab techs termed it. That, however, wasn’t the biggest news. Now, Ashley had joined their group as well.

As predicted, Ashley had spent more time with both Kyle and Ron in and out of daycare. While no other direct methods by the project were used to force her to regress, gentle encouragements and the sheer joy exhibited by her two friends had been too much to resist for very long. It is my belief that this, along with her abandonment issues from the Littles she had previously interacted with and subsequently lost, finally pushed through some of the training we had initially instilled in her. As such, she now wore a fall-themed long sleeve shirt underneath an adorable brown corduroy dress, complete with a small pumpkin applique over the front pocket. The addition of her pigtails and discernable wet diaper just added to her new appearance.

“What’s wrong, Ash?” Ron asked, popping his pacifier out after noticing his friend had been uncomfortably squirming for a bit.

“I… I… had an accident…” she sorrowfully admitted.

“Oh,” Ron said casually but understandingly. “That’s okay. That’s why you’re wearing diapies like the rest of us now. That’s supposed to happen. Besides, it won’t be long before you won’t even notice you’ve gone pee-pee.” Ron had begun to pick up a few of the local terms for various objects, emotions, or states of being. It wasn’t part of his regression, but when asked by Joy about it, he compared it more to using a form of ‘street lingo and a type of slang.’ I don’t know if she fully believed that, but it had been satisfactory enough for her to not ask about it any further.

“And that’s a good thing?” Ashley asked with a hint of disbelief.

“Absolutely!” Kyle said enthusiastically as he added his two cents from behind the two of them. He had a bad habit of popping up behind them and randomly adding his own opinions. Ron didn’t care but I could see start to grate on Ashley a bit.

“Right.” Ron then patted her shoulder in sympathy, likely remembering when he experienced the same sensations not too long ago. “Remember, embarrassment only hurts. We’re all Littles. No one cares about that stuff except for you. In the end, you’re just hurting yourself. I mean, it’s okay to not feel comfortable, but just know, we’ve all been there and we’re all in a much happier place with where we are now.”

Ashley slowly nodded in acceptance of her friend’s wisdom. It was just one more instance that added to the growing pile of things that Ron had been helping her out with on her own newly refreshed regression journey. Through his guidance, Ashely had finally bent to the project, and I was extremely pleased that she might yet still be considered a success in due time.

After the whole group went down for their afternoon nap, Ashley now included, diapers were swiftly changed, and the Littles were ushered outside. Per Ashley’s and a few other Little’s clothing designs, Fall had had come swiftly into the area and many of the trees had begun to change. It was a wonderful time of year for Littles, and I was slightly saddened to know that my sessions wouldn’t be covering this time of year with most of them. Still, it was a beautiful day, and the Littles were enjoying themselves quite thoroughly.

“Leave him inside!” Kyle insisted to Ron as he began to take Louie outside.

Ron tried to protest, “But…”

“No buts here! Keep him inside. Tell him Miss Fiona!”

Miss Fiona stopped ushering the Littles outside and looked at the scene before her with the two Littles and the stuffy in question. “Kyle’s right, Ron. Louie should stay inside. I can put him right in the window for you to see, but if you take him outside now, he’ll probably get all dirty and you won’t be able to play with him when you get back inside, or cuddle with him later. So, can I put him in the window for you?”

Ron looked at Louie with his usual large, sad eyes, quickly gave him a hug, and then handed him off to Miss Fiona with a fair amount of regret already forming in his words and actions. “Here… take him…”

Miss Fiona smiled and patted the Little on the head before placing Louie in front of one of the windows facing the back area. Ron’s lower lip quivered a bit, but Kyle quickly pulled him outside to join an awaiting Ashley.

Hoping to distract their friend, Ashley and Kyle then brought him over to the currently free sandbox to begin working on their creations once again. As a further distraction, Ron then popped his clipped-on and nearly ever-present pacifier into his mouth. It seemed to work and soon, formations began to take shape in the sand before the three small Littles.

During that time, a formation of its own kind had quickly deposited itself in the seat of Ron’s diapers. It didn’t take long for the still new Ashley to start sniffing the air. As both Kyle and Ron were now wearing rompers today, it didn’t take long to notice the significant bulge that had appeared on Ron’s rear end. “Uh, Ron… I think you had an… accident…”

Ron then looked up and wiggled his butt around. Ashley looked like she wanted to gag at the sight before her, but it was just another day for the now more regressed Little. As predicted once again, the breastmilk had gone to work fast and drinking it in some form at least three times a day had given Ron’s poop an unpredictability that essentially rendered any of his remaining muscle control as practically numb. “Huh. I guess I am kinda poopy. Oh well,” he said nonchalantly.

Ashley sat with a shocked look on her face and Ron quickly noticed. “What? I told you that caring doesn’t do you any good. I can cry all I want but an adult will eventually change me. I couldn’t control it at all, so why make a fuss at this point?” Ron then shifted slightly once more but then stared at Ashley’s crotch.

She immediately noticed the intrusion. “Hey! Eyes up here, mister!”

Ron blushed heavily. “Sorry, sorry. Just wanted to confirm my suspicions. Ash… you know you’re wet yourself, right?”

“I’m…?” Ashley then quickly yanked up her dress and fully revealed her now clearly wet diaper. She hadn’t been placed into the thicker versions that Kyle and Ron now wore, so her usage was much more readily apparent. Likely, another wetting would have resulted in a disastrous leak.

“Very wet, I’d say,” Kyle said, now noticing the state of her diaper as well. Ashley blushed as she slowly covered her diaper up once more with her dress.

“Don’t worry about it,” Ron coaxed. “Instead, worry about what you do in the sand. Much more interesting in the long run.” The three then finished their sand creations and stood back and looked at each of them in judgment.

Ashley’s was by far the most detailed and accurate, being a portrait of a woman that she had seen on the bus with her Daddy the other day. In most competitions, she would win, but amongst Littles, the stories were just as equally important. Both Kyle’s and Ron’s could possibly be guessed at as to what they were, but their stories were also intricate tales of love and loss and conquerors.

“How about a tie?” Kyle finally suggested after no one could reach a conclusion as to who had won.

“Agreed,” Ashley followed.

“Agreed…” Ron accepted hesitantly. Then, his face lit up with an idea. “Monsters and city wreckers?” The two other Littles then nodded eagerly and all three went to one side of the large sandbox where their portraits and cityscapes now lay.

“Alright. Three, two, one! Rage!” Kyle cried out. The three, giving their best monster impressions then began to stomp through the works or arts and cities in front of them. In a matter of seconds, ‘Portrait of a Waiting Woman,’ the city of Gadzorp, and the capitol building in downtown Yuckmuck were all destroyed.

Afterward, all three then forgot about their worries of anything else in life and began to roll around in the grass while laughing hysterically. It was the sound of freedom and happiness that could only be achieved when the small victories mattered the most and the burdens of your life didn’t seem as big anymore. Somehow, I doubted that any of the three could have achieved the same feeling without our project. ‘But maybe I’m just biased at this point?’

After a moment, the three stopped rolling around and just laid on the grass, not caring one way or another about their used diapers or the fact that anyone could clearly see them as such. “You know,” Ashley began, “I’m just glad I have two friends here that won’t make fun of me regressing…”

“We would never, Ash!” Ron said, hoping to assuage his friend of his sincerity.

“Yeah. Besides, look at us. We can’t really judge you ourselves,” Kyle said gesturing towards himself and Ron. Today, the pacifiers attached to their patterned onesies certainly didn’t seem like something a non-regressed Little would ever be proud of.

“Maybe… but still. I thought I started to make some friends in the other group, but when I began to regress… they called me a… baby,” she whispered as if it was a dirty word.

Ron then immediately hugged his friend and Kyle quickly joined in. “Hey… they suck dirty diapers. Forget them. You’re truly with us now. Besides, being Little isn’t so bad.”

“Yep!” Kyle added. “Being a Little is just the best!”

“So true, buddy,” Ron agreed. “Anyways, Ash, we’re all just a bunch of silly Littles. Who are we going to make fun of by now?” As Ashley pondered the notion, I could see Ron sense that he had an open opportunity. “Besides… they can’t do a… tickle attack! Now!” Ron and Kyle then lunged at Ashley and began to tickle her until every ounce of sadness had left her face. Her diaper visibly grew a bit wetter as well and she blushed deeply, but Ron and Kyle just laughed. It wasn’t long before Ashley went back to laughing as well.

Not long after the three were changed, with the day being so nice out, outside time had been extended right up until it was at that point for everyone to be picked up. After a quick buckling in his car seat, Joy once again took off for their home and began to ask about his day.

Taking advantage of the still nice weather back home, Joy then allowed Ron to continue to play in their backyard. As a test, she had yet to clean up the accidental water spillage that had occurred back there and the subsequent mud pile it had created. Hesitating, Ron halted before stepping foot into the highly muddied backyard.

Joy noticed. “If you’re worried about getting your clothes all dirty, you don’t need to wear them if you don’t want. It’s not too cold yet…”

It was another test for her own clarity of where her Little was at and while Ron paused for a moment, he quickly turned around and held his arms wide. “Off, please!”

Joy smiled and then helped remove his socks and shoes first as he balanced against her, before then removing his romper altogether. Standing there for a moment before making the final plunge, Joy hadn’t seen any embarrassment or hesitation over the whole matter, even as her Little now stood there in just his thick and clearly partially wet diaper.

“Yipppee!” Ron shouted moments later when he then began to dance about the mud pile. The fudge-like mess oozed and splattered all around him and in between every exposed crack and crevice. Ron was a mess of the highest order and even his once nearly pearly white diaper had become completely camouflaged behind all the filth. Satisfied, Joy went back inside to start preparing dinner for that night, still watching him on the monitors she had recently installed all around the house and in his nursery.

Once the timer had been set and the fish for tonight’s dinner had been placed in the oven, Joy went back outside. “Ron! Bath time!” she called out. Ron looked a little disappointed but then quickly marched back over to go inside. “Woah there, mister! Where do you think you’re going?”

“But… inside… you said…”

“I said bath time, but not to go inside. Look at yourself, baby. You’re a mess!” Joy chuckled. Ron then looked down and giggled at the mess that he saw. “Now, just stand still and this should just be a moment.” Ron did as he was instructed and stood still, even as Joy found and then swiftly removed his diaper.

Their backyard had been fenced in, but as public changes had become more frequent, Ron’s nudity had become a thing of being regarded as a ‘whatever’ in his life. Satisfied with the progress of her Little in all ways, Joy then got him to back up a bit and then turn around as she sprayed him down with a hose.

Still smelling like mud and a few of the crannies being all shades of brown, Joy then wrapped him in an easily cleaned towel and dumped him in the bath she had waiting upstairs. Soon, fresh smelling and truly clean, Joy plucked him out of the water and quickly rediapered him and placed him in a footed pair of pajamas with a single patch of Jasper and Jinx sewn on. Ron had begged Joy to watch the show, but she had made sure that he only viewed the non-hypnotic version. Still, he had become quickly hooked, liking it almost as much as his beloved Adventure Sam.

Back downstairs, Joy then served their fish dinner with an assortment of vegetables and potatoes. As usual, Ron sat in his highchair and was quickly fed his portion of the food. He waited quietly while Joy finished her own and after a quick wash of the dishes, both made their way back upstairs. As had become routine, Joy cradled her Little in the rocking chair and unlatched her bra. Without any hesitation now, Ron quickly began to nurse.

As after the first, Joy then began to pat him on his back after he had finished up his second round of filling of breastmilk. He burped a bit and then was cradled in her arms as he slowly returned from his quick milk coma. Joy only smiled as she felt his diaper warm beneath her. “There he is,” she cooed as Ron’s eyes began to focus a bit more. “There’s my little baby boy!” Her babytalk had caused Ron to squirm in embarrassment at first, but now, he just smiled in contentment.

After a few more moments, Ron shifted in her arms and began to sit up with an oddly serious look on his face. “You know… I wanted to say something to you… for a little bit now.”

“Oh?” Joy asked with curiosity.

“Yeah… I just wanted to thank you for all this…” Joy opened her mouth to reciprocate the thanks, but Ron just held his hand up. I leaned forward at this strange turn of events. ‘Why am I getting a pit in my stomach?’

Ron then took a breath and started to speak once more. “I… I don’t know how to say this, but I guess, like a band-aid…” Ron then sighed and took another large breath. I could feel my heart pounding from the suspense. “I just want to thank you for choosing and staying with me for this experiment…”

‘What!’    

My mind swirled with all the implications. Surely, we would be doomed now. My true pride and joy and the jewel of this project was now ruined. ‘Crap and double crap! How long had he known? Who told him? Is the Board going to make me just disappear. Crap! They were talking again!’

“…w… what are you t… talking about? Ex… experiment?” Joy tried to deny as her voice began to shake.

“Joy… please…. I know, okay?” Ron pleaded resolutely. “The truth… please.”

Joy blinked in pure shock for a moment. “How long have you known?” she then finally asked gravely, looking just as concerned as I was, if not even more. Her hands shook and I could almost see a faint hint of sweat form on her brow. I couldn’t blame her.

“Please, Joy. Take a breath.” She now did as she was instructed. ‘Why wasn’t he pissed? Oh, crap again! Is this the thing where people are all accepting and then end up snapping and killing their tormentor? Oh no! What if I was sent these two subjects because it shows just what NOT to do?’

“Well, to answer your question… Ashley told me about some of the files she found in her Daddy’s office one day. She was really curious and then told me to kind of talk it out I guess.” Ron sighed. “To be honest, by then, I was already suspicious of some of the things going on around here.” Ron paused and looked at himself, having now shifted to face Joy while still perched on her knee in the rocking chair. “I mean, even a Little doesn’t just start wetting themselves and everything else. Reading even a few books that aren’t pure propaganda will tell you that, so I was already on edge. Ash just gave me the final piece of the puzzle that I didn’t even think to look for.”

“Wha…” Ahem. “What are you going to do… now… or to me?” Joy asked fearfully. One Little had killed their whole adoptive family last year. It was a grizzly scene and maybe even in some ways justified, but Ron’s revelation today was likely Joy’s worst nightmare. I could see one set of her fingernails digging into her own hand.

Ron let out a small laugh, but not in cruelty. It almost felt like the same laugh that Daisy had used when Ron had asked if she was going to give him a lobotomy. ‘Did he know then?’

“Ha! You know, when I first found out… I wanted to burn everything to the ground,” he said, suddenly all seriously once more. “And I mean everything…” Ron and I both noticed Joy immediately tense up. “But… I didn’t.”

It was now Joy’s turn to break down. “Oh my god! Please forgive me, Ron! I’m so sorry! I… I…” Joy then started to heave in and out as Ron had done himself a hundred times by now at least. It likely didn’t help that Joy knew that he knew that she was to blame for all that in the first place.

“Easy, easy,” Ron said gently, now stroking her thigh and arm where his reach would let him. He was far less effective than Joy had been, but his touch was more than a thousand times more impactful. For him to even still be here was a minor miracle. For him to show her affection was something else entirely that I could scarcely believe with my own eyes.

Joy looked up at him with tears. “I’m so sorry… I… I just wanted what’s best for you, but…” Joy then looked ashamed. “Maybe for me as well…”

Ron then got the weirdest smile plastered all over his face. “I see… I appreciate your honesty.” He then sighed. “Well though, if it’s honesty time, then I suppose I better confess myself as well.” He took a large breath in and then continued. “You see… what you did to me was terrible. Vicious! Insane and criminal in most civilized places.” Joy winced at each accusation, clearly knowing full-well of their validity in each case. “However, what you did… probably also saved me…”

Joy’s wincing and clenched eyes immediately vanished, and she stared unblinking at Ron for more of an explanation.

Ron took the hint and then sighed. “My life was going down the drain anyway… I know you have my file, but from what I could see from what Ash told me, it doesn’t talk about a lot of my life… Just the basic stuff really.” Ron then scratched his head and sighed again. “I was a borderline alcoholic and I had just split from my wife after she had been cheating on me with one of my coworkers.”

‘That stuff was definitely not in his file!’

Joy looked horrified and I couldn’t blame her. “That’s terrible. I’m so sorry bab… Ron.”

“Yeah… thank you… it wasn’t great, but I thought I could get through it by coming here, so I guess in some kind of weird way, I did…” Joy immediately looked hopeful, but Ron noticed quickly. “But you should still feel guilty! My bad life or someone else’s isn’t an excuse for you all to just run all over them and do what you please. For a civilization that touts its civilized culture, that’s just downright barbaric.”

Joy dropped her head in shame and just nodded in acceptance over what he was saying. Seeing Ron and all the other Littles through this process had honestly changed me and it was hard to disagree with his sentiment over our society.

“That being said… the ways in which you all went about it…” he continued warily, “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I almost feel that I’m better off in most ways like this.” Joy raised her eyebrows in shock and curiosity. “Yeah… as I said, hard to believe, but stop and think for a minute about it all through my eyes.”

Joy clearly thought for the requested moment. “Go on…” she encouraged, though still sounding as if a stiff breeze could fell her in one puff.

“Well, my old life was going nowhere fast. Here at least, I have more friends, I’m healthier,” he paused. “I have someone who cares about me…”

Joy’s eyes brightened in seconds after that last one. Ron had just given her hope and I prayed for everyone’s sake that it was just enough of a spark to catch. My hopes dimmed a bit though when her eyes then wordlessly pointed out his diaper and her own still-visible maternity bra.

“Yeah… some elements would be great to not have gone through, but maybe… maybe those are just the caveats one has to accept to be part of this world… this project…”

The two sat in silence for a moment and I could barely hear my own thoughts over the sound of my anxious and pounding heart. It seemed that the entire program now stood on the edge of a knife. With at least two knowledgeable Littles… part of everything felt like it could be ruined in one second.

Finally, a near expressionless Joy then looked up from her own thoughts. “So, what do you want to do now? Do you have a plan?”

Ron seemed to ponder the gravity of what this Big was now asking him. The entire balance of the project and much of my life’s work now seemed to hinge on his very next words. I never believed that a Little could have so much power over so much, but Ron seemed to be proving the exception. Finally though, he took a breath in and spoke. “I’m staying.”

The instantaneous relief was evident all over Joy’s face. Her body seemed to twitch to reach out and hug her Little, but she wisely used restraint at this juncture in this new phase of their relationship. Her outward reserve was admirable, and I doubted that I could have done the same under the same or even similar circumstances. “I promise that I will try and make this up to you for the rest of our lives together…” she said sincerely.

Ron smiled and took her hand gently. “You already do so much for me… I’m sorry it had to go this way to begin with, but I can’t argue with how happy I’ve become here in the most unexpected ways.” Ron looked away for a second and then got a sinister grin on his face. “However, if you’re offering for ways to make all this up to me…”

Joy leaned forward anxiously. “Yes?”

“A story tonight and ice cream for desert tomorrow night would be a good start,” he said with a chuckle and gleam of giddy power in his eyes.

Joy smiled and let out a tiny laugh of her own. “I can definitely do that…” Joy then suddenly looked panicked, more so than she even had when Ron first revealed that he knew about the project. “Wait… read to you…? Can you not? I told those criminals at the project to let you keep that skill. Did they not? Oh my god! I’m going to march right over there and…”

“Easy, easy,” Ron said trying to calm down the seething Big before him. “I can still read. Relax. I just…” Ron blushed a little. “I want you to do it tonight…”

Joy’s tension immediately dissipated. “Me? Uh, can I ask why the change?”

Ron nodded. “Well, yesterday… when we were playing downstairs… you used voices… I liked that, and I figured… maybe you could do the same tonight for one of the books? Start a tradition maybe?” Ron asked cutely.

Joy smiled tenderly at the notion. “I’d like that very much…” Ron smiled back and then settled back into the comfort of Joy’s body sitting in the rocking chair. She seemed tense at first as if all this was a trick, but her knowing Little just laid there as if nothing had happened. Clearly, whatever feelings of anger or resentment that Ron had, were already beginning to be resolved. Now it seemed, he just needed time.

Resolute in the fact that Ron was true in his contentment, Joy then pulled out a large colorful picture book that Olly had recommended last week on one of Ron’s and his playdates, called ‘The Little and His Friends Find Some Treasure.’

Joy however, then looked down at another book that she had picked up herself as well before opening the pages to start reading. She seemed apprehensive and even I didn’t know what book she was looking at. “Ron… I know with you finding out about the project and all… this might not seem like the best time to ask… but…” She then looked away, seemingly unable to continue with her question.

“What? Please tell me,” Ron eagerly coaxed. “I know all that was a lot to unpack in one go, but I’m still here and I’m not going anywhere. I know things are different in some ways, but my feelings for you are the same… maybe even greater now that I actually know everything and all you’ve done for me.” He paused. “At this point… I know I could have ended far worse than to be with someone who legitimately just wants what’s best for me. It might not be enough for everyone, but it is for me…”

The words seemed to be just what Joy needed to hear and a tiny snuggle afterward from Ron only seemed to give her the confidence to continue. “Okay… well, you’re a Little and I’m a Big… I don’t think that’s in question at all by now.”

“Right…”

“And I take care of you… Hence, caretaker…”

“Yes… just ask. Please,” Ron begged in anticipation.

Joy sighed. “What if I was more than your… caretaker. Would you… do you want me to be your… mommy?”

The words had kind of tumbled out of Joy more than she had clearly wanted them to and they just hung in the air for a moment. I suspected that Ron could almost hear the tympanic pounding of Joy’s nervous heart with each second that passed.

After a moment of this tense near standoff, Ron spoke. “I honestly thought you were…” Joy instantly looked relieved but then apologetic for seemingly even had asked the question in the first place. It was in her right to ask for that type of clarity, but now, Ron looked so empty and almost as if he had just been rejected outright by the insinuation of the question at all.

“I’m so sorry, Ron… I just… I didn’t want to assume. Especially after… well, all that you found out…” Joy quibbled, her guilt coming through in waves now.

Now, I could see Ron knew he needed to take the first step in their new phase of their relationship. Joy had been on too much of an emotional rollercoaster and her still unanswered question was clearly proving too much for her to handle to continue to initiate the conversation further. In a second though, Ron took the plunge. “It’s okay… mommy…”

Joy’s heart looked like it had just then exploded, and her instincts took over and she quickly hugged her Little, permission now or not. “Oh, baby. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You have no idea how good that sounds… how much I’ve wanted to hear you say that!”

Ron smiled as he was all nicely wrapped up in her embrace and quickly reciprocated, clearly not minding anymore over the contact between the two. “Yeah… just feels… good.”

The hug lasted for a few more moments and then Joy backed out of it first. “You know… to make it official… I think we should go down to the courthouse in the morning tomorrow. Would that be, okay?”

Ron thought for a moment, but then nodded his head at the suddenness of the entire situation. “That sounds wonderful… mommy.”

Joy beamed in utter contentment, but then set the book down. Ron immediately looked at his new mommy in confusion. “Now, I know Olly recommended that book, and I’ll still read it to you tonight, but I figured you might like another one instead first.” Ron leaned over and saw the book that his mommy was now picking up, titled, ‘Mommy Does.’ “I figured this one might be a bit more appropriate considering everything between us, if that’s okay of course...” Ron just eagerly nodded, and Joy calmly opened the book.

The first page was an obviously unregressed Little standing in a city all alone with several scary looking Bigs all around them. “In a far-off land or maybe one close to you, a whole world exists just like yours too. People come and go as they all please, but some aren’t willing to pay the fees. You’re there now in some far away town, but sadly, all can see your tears and frown. This world is hard and people snide, so let these few words be your guide.”

Joy then turned the page to a Little in prison clothes and Ron squirmed uncomfortably at what might have been his fate if Joy and the project hadn’t come into his life. “Some want to get you and take you away, lock the key and regress you anyway.”

The next page was just as bad as it showed a judge reciting several rules to the same scared Little. “People will force you to obey all the laws, but do you know who wants to help with your cause?” Ron gripped his hands in nervousness over what awaited on the next page.

Joy flipped the page one more time and fortunately, there, kissing her Little all over, was a beautiful woman who was obviously the Little’s mommy. “Never fret because… Mommy does! Mommy will capture you as she never misses, but only to give you some hugs and some kisses.” Mimicking the page, Joy then started to playfully hug and kiss Ron all over.

No longer showing the same dread he had only moments before, Ron burst into a fit of giggles. “Mommy! Stop! Keep reading. I love you too!”

Joy immediately stopped and then smiled the widest I think I had ever seen her at the sound of those few and cherished words. “I love you too, baby…” Ron quickly nodded and cuddled tightly into his new mommy. Joy only smiled warmly and held her Little closer as she flipped the next page on both the book and their lives together.

I then reached forward and turned off the recording. I felt a single tear brush down my cheek. What could have ended in total disaster ended up working out perfectly. All goals were now accomplished and the bond between the two was so strong that even the revelation of the truth had not seemed to matter by the end. It was a true success story of Project Nurture, and I knew I just had to show it to the Board. Ultimately, they were my own true final obstacle to a perfect success of everything that had come before.

*              *              *

The RealET system then stopped, and the Board Members all backed out and leaned back in their seats. “So, what did everyone think of what they just saw?”

[Guilend]

First I want to say is, I love the babysitter. She's awesome. 

 

Secondly 

WOW I did not see that coming at all. There was times I wondered if Ashley knew, but I never once realized Ron might have. It definitely explains how Ashley has resisted for so long. It's easier to play mind games if you know you're playing a mind game and some of the possible bit falls.

It does tie up lose ends though. I mean, if all of a sudden an adult starts wetting the bed, then having accidents during the day, they'd definitely get worried. Either about their health or mental health.  Then add the fact they're in the diaper dimension and anyone can add those numbers together. 

But starting that bond, or friendship at the beginning as Joy did and her reactions to everything, including the confession in this chapter really helped a lot.

Good job on the story telling. It's great as always. 

P.s I have a feeling that Ashley's Daddy will be in trouble for Ashley's get ahold of that information and potentially ruining everything. He'll definitely get a good chewing out over it.

[CCApril]

On 8/14/2023 at 9:30 PM, CCApril said:

It would be great for Ron to go up to Joy and say "Are you happy now? You made me this way. Were all the lies worth it?"

She needs to feel even more guilty about what She's done.  She can come clean, lots of tears all the way around.

I know that you had written this chapter before I posted this but wow! That was exactly what I was hoping for.  Thanks!

April

[SGTbaby]

I am curious who Ashley’s Dad really is? However I love how Ron knew all along and was able to surprise joy with that bees. Great twist. 

[LostBBoyBear]

On 8/18/2023 at 10:53 PM, CCApril said:

I know that you had written this chapter before I posted this but wow! That was exactly what I was hoping for.  Thanks!

April

I had thought about it for a while, but I wasn't sure what others would think of it. I knew it could potentially hurt some of the plot for some, but after your comment, it gave me the confidence to put it in there, so thank you very much!

On 8/19/2023 at 12:58 AM, SGTbaby said:

I am curious who Ashley’s Dad really is? However I love how Ron knew all along and was able to surprise joy with that bees. Great twist. 

While I was writing this I actually came up with a semi sequel of sorts to this but from the point of view of Ashley. I hinted at a bunch of things with her, so when I thought about it for a moment, half the plot came really easily. I'll add more to it eventually, but I definitely will include who Ashley's caregivers are (she's actually one of the few with a potential mommy and daddy).

[Sephy]

This is one of my favorite types of stories. I do love the Diaper Dimension but I'm much more of a tender and easy kinda regression guy. Thank you for this story is was wonderfully written.

[dirtydingus84]

With Ron opening up like that what are the repercussions if any could it be used as a positive testimony? This has been a great story and addition to this universe's lore.

[LostBBoyBear]

Hey everyone!

So... if you read the beginning stuff for my previous chapter, you'll know that the last chapter should have been posted on Monday. Well... it's now Sunday of the following weekend. Firstly, I apologize for this and I hope it wasn't too frustrating or anything. I promise I won't leave you all hanging with this story and it will be completed. Secondly, what ended up happening was that I was out of town at the beach, but unfortunately, the internet was terrible. It became mostly resolved by Tuesday, but to make a long story short, the speed was still early 2000's level. That all coupled with a loud family, long hours, and pure exhaustion from fun and exciting days, I wasn't able to finish up the final touches on chapter 15 in the way that I wanted to. As such, I will continue to work on it tonight and tomorrow. Unless something goes disastrously wrong, I should be able to post at some point tomorrow. Sorry for the week delay and thank you for your patience. 

[Guilend]

26 minutes ago, LostBBoyBear said:

Hey everyone!

So... if you read the beginning stuff for my previous chapter, you'll know that the last chapter should have been posted on Monday. Well... it's now Sunday of the following weekend. Firstly, I apologize for this and I hope it wasn't too frustrating or anything. I promise I won't leave you all hanging with this story and it will be completed. Secondly, what ended up happening was that I was out of town at the beach, but unfortunately, the internet was terrible. It became mostly resolved by Tuesday, but to make a long story short, the speed was still early 2000's level. That all coupled with a loud family, long hours, and pure exhaustion from fun and exciting days, I wasn't able to finish up the final touches on chapter 15 in the way that I wanted to. As such, I will continue to work on it tonight and tomorrow. Unless something goes disastrously wrong, I should be able to post at some point tomorrow. Sorry for the week delay and thank you for your patience. 

I actually thought you was out having fun with your family, at least I was hoping that's what it was and not being overworked or sick or something. I hope you had a great time and didn't let it get to you that you didn't post it yet. I can't speak for anyone else, but for me, it is very important for you to take care of you and I can wait however long I have to, before seeing a new chapter. I'd wait a year or more as long as I knew you was okay or getting that way instead of you putting yourself at risk by pumping out so much even if it is for our entertainment. I am all about self care, it's the most important thing in one's life. 

[LostBBoyBear]

Thank you all for your patience in me posting this last chapter. I don't go on those types of vacations too often, but I think all this was just a perfect storm. 

Moving forward, I'm not sure when I'll start posting my next story, but if I do it how I want, I should start posting again at some point in September with another DD story about a paralyzed person coming through the portal. After, I'm thinking of doing more of a regression fantasy story with fairies and the like around Halloween, but the ones after that would either be a continuation of the Tell Me More Series or The CONvention series. At minimum, I know I want to continue the CONvention series before February, but not much more than that at this point.

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this last chapter! I loved playing around with this concept and I hope had fun on this ride and another story from the DD!

Chapter 15: And In Conclusion...

“This is an outrage!” Mr. Galpin cried out, going as far to pound the long conference room table with his fist after standing up.

“Sit down, you stupid fool!” Ms. Beaker chastised. Mr. Galpin immediately sat down at his boss’ command, obviously knowing her position of power as CEO, and Ms. Beaker turned quickly back to me. “Please continue, Dr. Thompson.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” I popped my projector back on and continued as a large list of bullet points then appeared with checkmarks before each. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Mr. Galpin still fuming, but he was quiet at least for the moment. “As you all just witnessed, Ron and Joy made a potent combination for this project. Through our methods and her dedication to them, Ron was nearly fully regressed into a toddler Little state and is fully accepting of his future with Joy as his self-proclaimed mommy. Further, even when the subject had been revealed the truth of the project itself, he still maintained his dependent status on Joy and, in our follow-up observations, their bond has only strengthened.”

“But isn’t the fact that he even discovered the project’s nature, a breach of protocols and therefore nullified the entire experiment? Shouldn’t it be a blind method approach to truly be accurate?” Mr. Cannon asked, quickly thumbing though a pile of notations in front of him.

“Yes, Mr. Cannon. It has been considered a breach of our protocols and the employee that allowed it to happen has been dealt with…” I tried to let my open-ended comment be filled in by the imagination of everyone in the room. One person though still wasn’t satisfied.

“Severely?” Mr. Galpin asked, a tiny bit of joy in his voice coming through.

I internally sighed. “I’m not at liberty to discuss the specifics at this point…” I dodged. I hated Mr. Galpin being on the Board, but recent rumors over his and his wife’s more unusual methods with their Littles could prove their undoing. He grunted in acknowledgement over my short response but leaned back in his chair and let me continue. ‘Just a few more weeks of dealing with you and your medieval methods…’

I steadied myself and continued. “As I was saying, based on reports from Joy, Ron, and others involved in the project, we have been able to determine that it has been a complete success. We have achieved an over 95% complete success rate and met all the goals we set out with by now in that percentage.”

“And what about subjects like Ashley or Marilyn that we saw?” Ms. Beakerman questioned with some sense of sympathy that I couldn’t place. Her graying hair likely didn’t help, but I couldn’t help but imagine her as a caring grandmother with two of her grandchildren from the tone of her voice.

“Yes, ma’am. We have made several attempts to follow up with all our test subjects and I can report that both are fitting in nicely with their new roles.” I paused and clicked forward a few slides in my presentation. Clearly, the Board wanted to see the actual results of the test subjects rather than just the bullet points. It was odd for such a fast-paced and big picture group, but I rationalized that it might have even just been possible that they had grown close to the subjects. Or were at least being thorough…

“Marilyn could have been considered a failure, but after some discussion, we testers and observers personally consider her a success. She accepts her lifestyle fully and that was the true end goal of the project. While her faculties remain more subdued, we detected no signs of permanent brain damage when tested initially. Based on her record, we believe the repeated attempts with hypnosis may have only unlocked a portion of her buried self.” I paused and sighed. “Her caregiver, Karen, though has refused any further tests to determine the root cause of her new behavior, be it psychological or more neurological. Due to the complications surrounding her regression, we have elected not to press further currently. Her continued presence in the testing town of Peirama could facilitate further observations however.”

I clicked the slide forward to reveal a recent picture of Ashley. “Next, as you can see, Ashley has continued to regress in her faculties. Here, she is shown playing at the pool with Ron and Kyle on one of their playdates about a month after session 42 with Ron.” Her pink and purple bathing suit stretched tightly over her swim diaper, which edges slightly peaked out of the suit near the top of her thighs. “From all accounts, she even has acquired a stuffy kangaroo, which she has dubbed as ‘Bunty.’”

“Adorable…” Ms. Beakerman said wistfully. Something told me that she was going to acquire another new Little soon…

“Agreed, ma’am.” Seeing a satisfied Board, I then moved the screen forward once more. “So, based on our results, we believe this method will be able to be mass produced over the entire world. Cultural divides seemed to make very little difference in our subjects’ outcomes.”

I clicked forward once again to a slide that listed all the products that were used throughout the project. “As you can see, beyond the methods and caregivers involved, we can control the production and distribution of these products. According to accounting, the first month alone with even the most modest projections should pay for this project in its entirety.”

The Board and other observers let out a round of thunderous applause. It was the resounding noise of success that signaled the concluding victory of the project that I had sought for so long. All the hard work and long hours would have been worth it and the bonuses that were sure to come would ensure a healthy dose of congratulations and frivolity tonight when the success was announced to my team and a broader audience.

“Yes, thank you, thank you. Before moving on though, I should note one more critical point that we discovered…” I clicked forward once more. “From observation, we believe that the only major variable that we cannot control is the length of time. We have already made notations for how to combat this, but the process could take anywhere from two weeks to four months.”

A string of gasps went out amongst the crowd. “Four months? Might as well be four years!” Mrs. Gordon complained. Patience was not one of her strong suits…

“I understand that, but our methods have had an average time of only about a month. Upon further study, the one subject that took four months from the study was almost considered a lost cause beforehand. Likely, they would have been subjected to surgery, hypnosis, or both. Instead of crawling around and drooling on themselves, the latest report has them happily enrolled in a full-time daycare and from all reports, have made hints at the notion of never wanting to return to their old lives.”

“So, this is why we should use this method instead of our tried-and-true ones?” Mr. Cannon skeptically asked. “In essence, you know, you’re basically telling us that we should just ignore the principles that our society has been using for the past century… maybe even more in some parts of the world.”

“That’s a very good point, Mr. Cannon.” I conceded. “While I would never presume to tell a Big about their business with their own Littles within the confines of law, we have formed this method as an alternative, rather than a pure replacement.” I paused and studied the room. No one seemed fully outraged or ready to lunge at me… something that certainly was an improvement over what had happened before they had seen the results from the RealET system.

“Included in the files that you will go home with today are two additional subjects from other experiments that we had conducted to be used as control subjects. Today, I will compare one of them with one that was actually entered into this project. The control subject that I will demonstrate today is Little 394.” I clicked the slide to show a near-newborn level of a Little. “394 may look pacified and content, but keep in mind, they are also barely aware of their surroundings and mostly can only kick, gurgle, coo, drool, and use their diaper without flinching in the slightest.” I paused and pointed to a few areas in the photo being exhibited. “Please note the use of surgery with still noticeable signs of scarring and the blank look in their eyes.”

The Board just stared at the Little with mixtures of satisfaction, horror, and maybe even nausea. ‘Three guesses who gave the look of satisfaction…’

I clicked forward to reveal another test subject, this one much more aware of their surroundings. “Subject Little 626 here was one of the early testers of Project Nurture, and despite the lack of massive and deadening hypnosis or barbaric surgery practices, they are still happy by all reports. Here is one such scene as they are happily playing and interacting with their mommy at the local playground. Due to the early nature of their test, this photo was actually taken almost two years after they first entered.”

“But isn’t it a bit of an unfair comparison between the two?” Mrs. Gordon questioned. “They’re obviously at two different age ranges.”

“But that’s the point,” I quickly countered. The Board just stared at me like they had been struck dumb over my simplistic comment. I knew I needed to elaborate further, but success now, would only solidify the project’s ultimate viability. “Traditional regression methods almost only cater to infant or newborn levels by the end when other methods are selected. Now, I can fully countenance the adorability of a Little fully immersed within those ages, but this act often goes about in a horrible and somehow accidental manner, or alternatively, a near-barbaric one.” The Board began to murmur about that notion. Most, thankfully for me at this point, seemed to be nodding affirmatively over what I was saying.

“This new method, in essence, is tailor-made. As I noted previously with Ron and Joy, once he was in diapers, the rest of the progress was made hugely dependent on the desires of what she wanted by the end. This caused some variations with end results, like Joy specifically requesting that Ron hold onto his ability to read, but the overall picture was very much the same: a happy and compliant Little. How many of the other experiments have ended so graciously from the acceptance of a fully mentally aware Little?”

Again, most of the Board murmured in agreement. As predicted though, Mr. Galpin seemed to be the holdout, but even then, I could still see a few cracks in his overall demeanor.

“But what about the bottom line, doc?” Mr. Cannon predictably asked. I could see him counting the dollars spent out on this project. ‘Progress be damned if his margins didn’t align right…’

“I’m glad you asked that question, Mr. Cannon.” I clicked forward a few slides until I came to a new idea that seemed to come naturally to the experiment once we had analyzed and correlated all the test results. “You see, with such a wonderful near-bespoke ending process, the Little age range could be modified if needed. Younger results under one year of abilities have produced less satisfactory results though, but these have also been noted as having an at least 70% success rate with this method. Compare that to the usual 45% success rate of still mentally aware Littles, and I’m sure you can agree of the potential here.”

“But why do we care of a flexible age?” Mr. Galpin asked with almost a sneer.

“Bottom line… yes, sir. Just getting to that.” I flipped to another slide with a little frustration over his continued annoying presence. “As you can see, these lists of items a Little could need have some similarities,” I clicked forward one slide, “but also some key differences. These differences equate to sales… plain and simple.”

“So, more ability to change an age…?” Ms. Beakerman asked, letting the question float in the air.

“Yes, ma’am. It could mean a whole new wardrobe, or toys, food, entertainment options… the list goes on. Each having been designed and manufactured by Diamond Technologies. More products… more need to buy something further to accommodate the change if desired.”

I could see the dollar signs once again flash on the faces before me. It had been a long-held problem for Bigs and the regression of their Littles. Regress too far or permanently and they were closer to lifeless dolls than actual Littles. More compliant… but not necessarily the type to show their love in a rapidly apparent manner. Additionally, the rise in artificial intelligence and robotics meant that the gap between them and a more expensive and potentially problematic Little were lessening more every year.

“Now, if dollar signs don’t slake your thirst immediately, think of this. Beyond the purely increased feelings between Bigs and their Littles with our method, we have often found that these Littles may even crave this new lifestyle over their own… Some, if passively given the hypothetical scenario of leaving, have even flat out refused to return to their old lives…”

I let my comment hang in the air for a while. All seemed shocked, but I was most pleased by the quiet and more reserved nature of Mr. Galpin. After all, Littles choosing to stay here was practically unheard of. More research would be needed of course, but even the notion of it alone was titillating enough to any Big.

After a moment, I continued. “As a final note on the findings from our project… we believe our method may even perpetuate itself to some degree.”

“Meaning?” Mrs. Gordon asked with one graying eyebrow raised.

“Meaning that we noticed that some Littles who have already been regressed push those who haven’t. Case in point… Ashley. I’m sure you all remember the partially regressed but still defiant Little when she first met Ron. She seemed much more at ease in her role… but take it forward a few weeks, she almost seemed like an adult in comparison with the progress that Ron had made within the project…”

Some members of the Board gasped. ‘Adult’ was practically a dirty word around here. I ignored the reaction and pushed forward. “Many cases have shown this, but according to some follow-up reports, Ashley may have even started to help other Littles regress more rapidly in other projects as well, much to the chagrin of our fellow testers.”

“Yes… we heard about the Yeltsky case. Darn shame that he had to be removed from that particular project,” Mr. Cannon grumbled, likely still remembering all the forms and compensation checks that he had to write over to the Little’s new family when they could no longer be involved in that experiment.

“Yes, Mr. Cannon. There were some other factors at play with that decision, but Gavin Yeltsky regressed rapidly partially based on the influence of Ashley on him at daycare.” I paused and decided to cover myself. “At this time… that is all that I am allowed to say… but I should also point out that in any other situation in our society, the Yeltsky case would have been considered a triumph.”

The Board murmured in their usual low reluctant agreement. I knew going into this that the Yeltsky case would be a sticking point due to the fallout it had generated from the nearly trashed experiment, but I also knew that the compensation for one wrong case was almost nothing compared to the benefits the company could receive from this program and its other potential areas of monetary growth.

“So, Dr. Thompson… what’s next?” Ms. Beakerman asked after a moment. The entire Board stopped their murmuring and looked at me with eager anticipation, seemingly almost having forgotten about the Yeltsky case. Project Nurture had been a near triumph and my name and my ideas now practically signaled dollar signs for the company machine.

“Well, there are a few avenues open to us.” I clicked the presentation and the next slide read as ‘Phase 2.’ “Phase 2 of Project Nurture will only further cement some of the notions from Phase 1 but will also include bits that we learned as well. In fact, as I noted during the RealET recordings, Joy inspired several new protocols that my team and I believe will only increase the potency and effectiveness of many of our protocols. In fact, in viewing potential new subjects, we believe, with your permission of course, that we may receive two inmates from Dark Cliff Prison.”

The Board gasped. “Surely you can’t be serious, Doctor? What about our liability? Those animals are there for a reason you know…” Mr. Galpin practically sneered.

“Could be a new market though, George,” Mrs. Gordon expertly deduced.

“Right you are, ma’am. We believe our project could rehabilitate even the hardest of cases at the facility that all others have given up on.” I clicked the slide again. “For example, Peter Broadship. Portal Little that came over here with a fake passport to flee six counts of suspected murder and arson from the country they knew as the United Kingdom.”

“Does it have to be him? For this Phase 2, I mean...” Ms. Beakerman asked wearily.

I knew he would be a potential problem, which is why I decided to bring him up today. If I could convince the Board now, he would be a definite success story by the end, and no one could refute Project Nurture going forward. “He would be a difficult case for sure, but we believe that some of these subjects could be ‘prepped,’ in essence, to make them more susceptible to the treatment. I won’t go into specifics, but Mr. Broadship would likely not be thinking about fires anymore by the time that he got to the test facility at Peirama with the others.”

“Very well…” Ms. Beakerman reluctantly said as she nodded in approval. It was more hesitant than I had pictured, but a ‘yes’ was a ‘yes,’ no matter how forced. Therefore, even her meager response was a pure triumph and true testament over the success of the project for her to accept the include of Mr. Broadship in Phase 2. “Anything further for us to look forward to with Project Nurture?”

“Yes.” I clicked the slide once more. “Finally, this past week, as I’m sure you all are aware, our government signed a new treaty, and a spa town has opened not far from here to take advantage of this. It will largely serve as a tourist destination with two newly designed portal facilities within driving distance of it. Even with our current reputation, hundreds, if not thousands of tourists are expected to arrive within the next three months. Not only will they serve as possible new test subjects for Phase 2, but due to our influence in the contracts and local government, I believe this will be an excellent time to implement the project there as well.”

“You mean beyond just a testing town like Peirama?” Mr. Cannon questioned.

“Yes sir. I believe this new town would be an excellent platform where this method could be used even more effectively and continually for a whole new host of Littles. Further,” I took a breath, “with the help of these newly regressed Littles, the staying power of the effectiveness and potency of the project’s methods and our other products, could only create a better PR for our society. Potentially, we may even see an increase of Littles coming to our dimension as a result.”

I let the notion hum about like some dreamy proposition cloud above the Board’s heads like from those old cartoons. They looked practically starstruck with even the idea of such a plan. If everything went well, Project Nurture could only help our dimensional reputation and, one day at least, even lead to a Little’s numbers resurgence and renaissance of sorts in our society. The possibilities seemed endless on all fronts.

Then suddenly, to my utter surprise, Mr. Cannon stood up and began to clap. It was an awkward slow clap at first and I thought he was almost mocking me, but soon, Ms. Beakerman and Mrs. Gordon soon joined him. Of course, Mr. Galpin was the last of everyone in the room to join in, but once he stood, I couldn’t help but notice his somewhat mischievous smile. Perhaps not something one would want to see if they were his enemy, but I would take a smile from that man over any of the other looks he had given me so far.  

“Well done, Dr. Thompson,” Ms. Beakerman finally declared as the Board sat back down. “I believe you can finally count your ‘Project Nurture’ as a true success here at Diamond Technologies.” Soon, she had ordered a round of champagne for the Board and I to toast the likely endless flow of bonus’ that we would all soon be receiving from the windfalls of this project.

It wasn’t all about the money, but it was still a nice acknowledgement of all the time that everyone had put in and would also certainly fuel Phase 2 and some of the ambitions I had for it. I sat back in my chair for a moment and smiled after the Board began to eagerly chat amongst themselves and the other departments to fully implement my project. Even Harry from marketing had shown up and was eagerly lapping up the possibilities for a new commercial that he claimed could even be broadcast in the portal Littles own world. ‘First, the Diamond Technologies testing facility at Peirama. Next, the rest of our world and all the other dimensions…’

*              *              *

Barkley, an awkward but brilliant engineer and part-time coder sat in his one-bedroom apartment alone. He chewed slowly on the casserole dish he had made on Monday and would continue to eat for the next two nights. The TV blared in front of him, and he rested his feet on the stool and footrest in front of his couch. He wouldn’t see his few friends until Saturday, and he didn’t have an upcoming date in sight.

“What I wouldn’t give for a change…” he sighed, flipping his TV to another program, trying to find some entertainment for tonight before he went to sleep for another boring workday tomorrow.

“No, no… no…” Barkley clicked through a dozen or shows, but oddly enough, the travel channel soon caught his attention. The beautiful waters practically sparkled in front of his eyes and compared to the biting cold outside today, it practically seemed heavenly. “Too bad it’s probably more than I pay for rent in three months combined…”

Barkley went to change the channel, but the program soon switched to a commercial. Seemingly entranced, Barkley lowered the remote for a minute.

“Fun, relaxing, and affordable.” The screen flashed with a large overview of a quaint village perched within a picturesque range of beautiful mountains. Soon, a powerful and stunning woman appeared on the screen in front of a large almost log cabin sort of resort. “Here at Oasis Opportunities, we know that life can be difficult sometimes. With a new treaty in place, portal travel is cheaper than ever!”

“Right…” Barkley went to change the channel once again.

“Before you go switching that channel, I get it. Portal travel seems too new, expensive, or maybe even painful, right?” Barkley nodded. “I understand that, but isn’t your life already expensive and maybe even painful in some way already?” Barkley didn’t nod this time but looked around his small living space. He wasn’t unsuccessful but wages hadn’t caught up to the standard rise in living. Even with all the new technology fixing pollution problems and energy consumption, some things were still lagging far behind after all these years.

“You don’t need to answer. That’s okay and I understand what you’re going through. Fortunately, here at Oasis Opportunities, our new spa town is likely just what you’re looking for in your life. We have several packages to choose from and for nearly every budget imaginable. Just bring yourself and a willingness for something new.” The screen flipped to a variety of images of several relaxed people and a continuously smiling staff pampering each of them. “We’ll provide the rest and I guarantee an experience of a lifetime that by the end, you may not even have to lift a finger for anything after our nurturing staff and personnel get done with you. In essence, you could almost just turn your brain off and relax under our care. Doesn’t that sound good? Doesn’t that sound like just the thing a little one like you could want.”

It was a longer commercial than Barkley was used to and there almost seemed to a be a glimmer of… something in her eyes and oddity to what she was saying, but her words seemed so enticing and caringly truthful. “Spa town, huh?” Barkley looked outside his window and noticed a flurry of snow had picked up. “Could use one of those by now…”

“Just call or visit our website and book today. I promise you that we’ll look after you and that you may never want to leave…” The commercial ended with the website and number the spokeswoman had mentioned and after only a second of thought, Barkley leaned over and grabbed his laptop and wallet from nearby as another commercial popped on.

“All seems too good, but after all, what’s the worst that could happen?” Barkley flipped on his laptop and quickly went to the website. “Huh… This place must be super fancy. There’s even diamonds on their home screen…”

[dirtydingus84]

Barkley is going to get pampered at the spa for sure! Sorry bad joke I'll see myself out now. Another great story you're a master at this craft for sure, not to long that it gets boring and a chore to read but also not to short that there are no real "people" to care about in your stories. I've loved all the stories you wrote I think I may have missed one but anyway great job.