LostBBoyBear Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 Warning As with my previous stories, this one contains several elements inherent to the pre-established 'Diaper Dimension.' These include, but are not limited to: Diapers and their usage for their intended purpose Breastfeeding Non-consensual mental regression through various means (Including possible drugs, hypnosis, and/or surgery) References to surgery to achieve various nefarious goals Humiliation Giants, aka, Amazons or Bigs Predominantly female domination (some male) Babying of adults (perceived or otherwise) Experimentation on humans Kidnapping Coerced or manipulated actions through possible means of white lies, gas lighting, or incentives Mild language or use of explitives Depictions of death, illness, or handicaps Graphic imagery associated with any of these warnings This story has not been labeled as mature, due to a lack of specific references to anything overtly sexual, but this warning serves as a 'turn back' point for any readers who do not wish to read about the previous warnings. Lastly, this list is subject to change during the course of writing this story. While most of the plot is ironed out, more warnings may be added if needed. Hey everyone! To those who are new reading my stories, welcome, but for those of you returning, thank you and welcome back. I thought of this story a long time ago, and while it might have been and will be modified a bit from right now, it will likely still be one of my longest stories yet. There’s a lot that happens, so I hope everyone is ready for it. That being said, I want to take my time on this story, but I also don’t want to take months on it either. As such, I will likely be posting whenever I can, but that also means it could be sometime between every day and every three days. This story is more of a marathon, so I definitely don’t want to burn myself out with it. Next, I was hoping for a bit more of a landslide victory between my stories in the last poll I did, but I think there might just not have been enough time to really get everyone’s opinion on it. So, as this story (from personal messages to me and those publicly posted) edged over by one vote from the Boys Maturity School story, I have elected to go with this one instead. Additionally, I introduce a few concepts in here that will be necessary for a few of my future stories. Regardless, though, I will include the maturity story in the poll next chapter, so it might be next up, but again, I will leave that up to you all. For now, I hope everyone enjoys this first chapter of my next story! Chapter 1: A Calling of Mercy I am a proud Big Woman in the great country of Libertalia. I am a citizen of this government and I care about the Littles under my watchful eye in my current job. I am proud of the accomplishments of my society and that portal travel, long thought to be the subject of science fiction and the long-held dreams of madmen and scientists alike, was now a reality. It had been nearly a decade since they had opened them to Earth safely and our two societies were never better… or at least that’s how everything appeared for those not deeply involved in the system. I was one of those select group members that saw our shimmering society for the marvel that it was, but I was also one of the unfortunate souls who saw the underbelly of it as well. Five years in the Little Protection Services (LPS) with four of them being undercover with an anti-Littles group, gave me a boots-on-the-ground perspective that many of my friends and family lacked about our so-called ‘perfect’ society. So, disillusioned and fed-up with that type of approach, I quit and found a job more suited to my contributions to the world where I’ve been for the past five years. Still working with LPS and the Department of Littles Services (DLS), I was able to position myself as a hands-on advisor with Littles in the system. Not just any Littles though… no. These Littles were the lost, abused, damaged, or even just scarred scrapings of the seedy underside to Big society. My mother questioned my loyalty to Libertalia when I first joined in my consultation position that helped in the prosecution of other Bigs… I simply questioned her soul in private later that night. Harsh? Yes… but today was a prime example of the types of Littles I usually worked with and a reminder of why I had to still do my job. With rising levels of the Littles from Earth coming over here, often hoping to find a better life, instead, they were met with bigotry, infantilizing, scams, greed, or just straight-up abuse. Even after almost a decade total of seeing all this first-person since I first joined LPS initially and the Littles had first started arriving from Earth, it still broke my heart when I saw the quivering form of the curly blonde Little in the room in front of me now through the safety glass window in the door. “You found him where?” I questioned. The overall agent in charge of the raid that had found this Little was still mopping up their own original sting operation after busting a clinic-front for Littles. “Taysha…” Agent Shelly, one of my usual liaisons, answered briskly. “More than that… I can’t say… what I can though is in his file already. As usual…” “Right… one of those…” It was typical LPS and Libertalia bureaucracy by now, and Agent Shelly and I hated it, but knew we couldn’t do anything about it. There were a lot of good seeds in this still-fledgling organization, but due to the needs of the country and the maintenance of the treaty with Earth still, many operations were highly classified. Levels and severities varied, but there was always at least one hidden fact these days for perceived outsiders like me. I knew more because I used to be an LPS agent and maintained my clearance level, but still, so much was hidden away from me. “The clinic was posing as a safe haven for Littles in need of care down there… but it was just a front.” Agent Shelly sighed and rubbed the bridge of her bent nose, still present from a raid gone bad about three months ago now. “Good bust but still… it’s gonna take months just to sort out all the info that we found in that wretched place. You know how it is...” I nodded. For some reason, Agent Shelly seemed more affected by the relaying of the information than was usual from our previous interactions, and I could only imagine what they truly found that she wasn’t allowed to talk about. The advancement of our society’s leaps in technology were great, but it translated into a heavy toll on the amount of work that could be done to a Little just to make them ‘perfect’ in some shape or form to the right type of screwed-up Big. What little I could, I took solace in the fact that those odorous types of Big weren’t all of us. “So,” Agent Shelly said, returning more back to their original stiff upper lip posture I had come to expect with tough cases like these, “what I need from you is…” I quickly held up my hand to stop the agent. “First, remember, I need to see the Little before anything else. I need to see what I’m dealing with. You know that.” I saw that Agent Shelly seemed to want to assert their authority over me and order me around more than usual in this case, but like usual, I stuck firm. “Look… you’ve seen my results before. It’s a terrible situation with the Little, but I know what you need or at least what you need from the state of the Little in there. I’ll dig him or the answers out, or at least get you to the point where you all can eventually do that yourselves. Might take longer than just today, but let me see what we’re dealing with first…” Agent Shelly never liked waiting but as had almost become our little dance, she eventually just forcefully gestured to the door to the room and said nothing else. Seeing as I was getting my moment with the Little, I opened the door, grabbed his file again, and walked inside. In situations like these, it was hard not to remember back to my first case in the field shortly before I accepted the offer to join the undercover taskforce that would consume my life for the next four years while I was in LPS. * * * “Up ahead… on your right, Sophie,” Agent Aetos said as he crouched behind a corner wall leading to another hallway in this mostly abandoned, rusted, and stinking building in one of the swamps down in the state of Flosus. “Roger that, but I told you before… it’s Agent Beaufort,” I said plainly, slightly rolling my eyes over still being considered the rookie of the team, even though the agency only being a year old, everyone in LPS was still a rookie themselves. “Fair enough, rookie,” Agents Aetos responded half-heartedly. He had a knack for treating everyone else like a rookie that hadn’t been here since the beginning. It was stupid, but we all knew of the job we had to do, and that was our main priority… so I let it go. “Just keep your eyes open, Agent Beaufort,” Agent Deacon instructed from behind me. Agent Deacon, Astrid, was one of my better friends in the group. She had only been here a month more than me, but with the recent arrivals of thousands of new Littles from Earth, she had plenty of experience under her belt already. “On three,” Agent Aetos emphasized, a little annoyance in his voice coming through now. Astrid and I both nodded. “Okay… one… two… three!” His foot soon slammed into the nearby door, and it burst open. I wasn’t really sure what to expect in a run-down clinic operation like this, but what I saw next would haunt my dreams for years to come. “Oh, geez!” Agent Deacon quickly remarked. “The smell! It’s even worse than out here! How is that even possible?” I could even see Agent Aetos’ nose twitching as the smell soon hit me as well. It was rank and emanating from the room in front of us. I nearly dropped my gun, but after sputtering and nearly vomiting for a moment, I shook my head and followed Agent Aetos and Deacon inside. I didn’t have time to react to the combined smell of rot, feces, and vomit. I had to ensure my team would get out of here alive and that meant focusing on clearing the room ahead first. Inside, ten of the thirty cribs were filled with emotionless and filthy Littles. Stains littered the walls and the bedding for most of cribs, and five of them would have likely collapsed from their sheer neglect and already-rough shape. Looking above, I saw half-scribbled words in feces and vomit coated above the cribs. They spouted mostly nonsense, but a few read as, “Help!” “I’m Still Here” “Is God Even Here?” “Why” and many others. Some of the ones at the higher heights were discernable and bold, but going further down, spelling errors became more common. Likely, as the Little regressed, their frail limbs could reach as high to scrawl out the last thoughts of their dwindling minds. I didn’t want to but feeling an almost attraction to one of the cribs after seeing such filth and despair all around, I looked inside to the slightly squirming figure still there. I would never forget what I saw that some Bigs were capable of. Scars mixed in with fresh surgical wounds lined the tiny woman’s body near almost every joint. Multiple puncture marks dotted her arms, and from where her head was shaved, I could already see crescent-shaped scars as well. It was nothing good, but the look of blank glassy eyes staring mindless up at the ceiling informed me that I was looking at little more than a shell of a Little. I didn’t know anything about them, but they were so small… weak… helpless. My hatred of the true monsters of my own kind grew rapidly, and I despised the select Bigs that actually wanted to do these types of things to portal Littles. The Earthers… humans… were supposed to be our friends. Finding their world was a miracle on their planet as well as ours, but this… my head could scarcely begin to fathom it. This had never happened with our own Littles before, but it was a sobering reality check as to just why LPS had to exist in the first place. * * * I began to search out for more wounded Littles after that day, and to my utter shame, in the subsequent years, I had only found more Littles like that and the Bigs who had perpetrated the system in that way. I had vowed from that day on to find these Littles and show them what mercy looked like in this society. From my own experience, I knew that they just needed to find the right Big to hug them tight and love them to pieces. Not all of us were such monsters, but that’s where I came in. Littles needed to be classified in order to be placed right. No one would want a preschool Little being subjected to the same routine as a newborn level Little. I determined that distinction after pushing past their trauma and as a result, I knew that the Littles would go on to happier lives. So, knowing my task and looking at the Little before me, it was hard not to draw my own conclusions as to what had happened to him and what he would need now. Despite being cleaned up and dressed in a childish cutely dinosaur-themed hospital gown, his body still bore the brunt of the damage he had endured. Fresh bruises were evident on his body still, but I was at least grateful they were healing compared to the photos I was looking at in his file. Evident diapers and his passive rolling of a ball in front of him told me one story, but other aspects told me a deeper story. His head still showed signs of being shaved on one side, but a lack of scars there told me that his mentality might be intact from a physical point of view at the very least. Considering the little he had said since he was rescued, after reading that from his file, I wasn’t sure if he was otherwise mentally okay though. Scanning his file again, I saw where he had been picked up. Being found near the Gulf of Metzlum down in Taysha, I knew from my own experience that it was a hotspot for smuggling abducted Littles out of the country from. Bigs elsewhere in this country and the world could sometimes be the worst of the worst, and for them, smart Littles were never a high priority, buying or selling. Sadly, sellers often ‘prepped’ Littles to ensure higher profits and surgeries were the easiest way to go about that. It was despicable, but it was those types of messed up cases that I often found myself attending to, and if I had to take a guess, his rescue came only shortly before they actually went through with anything. Still, he had likely endured a lot, so, I slowly sat down on a little stool and smiled down to the despondent Little in front of me. “Hi there,” I said as joyfully but as straightforward as I could. Not knowing his mentality specifically, I knew I had to go slow and not assume anything. Coming off as too mature-sounding, and he might not understand me, but too much Little-talk and he could be insulted if he wasn’t mentally affected. Similarly, the room was decorated to also not be too mature or too babyish. Still, despite my caution, the Little continued to just roll the ball back and forth between his splayed-out and previously abused legs. Sighing, I looked at his file again to find his name, but he was just listed as a ‘John Doe.’ He had only been returned to back up here to Colorubrum due to the little information they could gleam from his mostly destroyed file during the raid. I knew it was going to be harder to communicate with him without a specific name, but I knew I had to try. Being often over-worked, if LPS deemed him a lost cause, this Little could be lost to the system forever. Deciding on a more personal approach, I went for my typical plan B. I quickly sat on the floor and smiled warmly at the Little in front of me. “My name is Sophia, but everyone just calls me Sophie. Do you have a name? I’m sure it’s a really good one.” The Little stopped passing the ball mindlessly around for a moment and looked at me briefly with sad and lost eyes. It was a look I had seen dozens of times before. They might not have performed any surgery on him, but if I was a betting woman, I would hazard a guess that he sadly couldn’t remember what his name was… probably couldn’t even remember much beyond a few weeks ago when his regression process had started. ‘Monsters…’ I hated Bigs that did that type of stuff to Littles, but I knew I had to set my own feelings aside for a moment. “Well, maybe we can pick out a new name later. For now, though… I might not know your name, but I bet you’re hungry. There’s even a cafeteria not that far from here.” The Little stirred for a moment, but quickly refocused on his ball. I wondered about the ball’s significance, but his tiny reaction to food told me that I was on the right path if nothing else. Some could have viewed the consumption of food as bribery to a Little, but I just felt it was more of the key that could unlock the myriad of locks holding them back from whatever initial trauma they had faced. In other words, it was more of a tool than a trick. “Do you want to go there?” I plainly asked. Again, the Little stirred, but seemed deathly afraid when he spotted the security camera inside. It took me a second to realize what he had seen specifically, but it also made sense knowing where he had come from. Distressingly, almost every Little holding facility now had security cameras and any escape attempt was severely punished if they were caught. Likely too caught up in his own regression, I knew it was possible that this Little thought he was still in a facility like the one he had just come from. “It’s okay buddy…” I sighed as he refused to budge still. “If you leave, I promise that you won’t be punished.” The Little stirred a bit more and to my delight after a moment, he finally looked me in the face and nodded. It was small, but it was something. “Wonderful!” I stood slowly and waited for the Little to stand as well. He took about a minute to get up fully, and I was even worried that that might have been beyond his capabilities, but he eventually made it all the way up. “Perfect. Just follow me and we’ll get something in your tummy before you know it.” The Little smiled, but just as they were taking their first step, I saw them wobble about and then quickly return to their starting position. ‘So, standing, yes. Walking… maybe not so much.’ I quickly offered my hand to them. “It’s okay. It’s not that far. You can even take my hand if you want…” I lowered it a little further to emphasize my gesture to them, and while he seemed hesitant at first, he soon took it with a smile on his face. Smiling back, I led him slowly out of the room. Making it to the nearby cafeteria after a few security doors, I could already begin to see the Little I was working with now. His confidence was likely shattered, possessed several physical limitations, was emotionally unstable, and was fearful of several loud noises, sudden movements, and new people. They were all classic signs that were all too familiar to me now. Still, I had helped others, so I felt confident I could help him as well. At last, after numerous choices after entering the cafeteria, the Little had finally chosen a small bowl of mac n’ cheese. I wasn’t sure if he genuinely wanted it, or if he had been conditioned to want to like it as a Little, but he still seemed content with it after his first bite. Seeing his contentment, I knew I needed to start probing a bit further. “You know… actually wait… you need a name. We can always change it later, but how about John? Can I call you John for now at least?” The Little seemed confused, but still blissful on his mac n’ cheese, he only nodded in my direction before spooning another heaping of the steaming and creamy concoction into his mouth. “Perfect. Now, John, I want you to know that you are safe here.” John looked relieved to at least hear those simple words, but at the same time, still seemingly concerned about the several new faces in the cafeteria that he was seeing now. “John… it’s okay. They won’t hurt you. Here, your food isn’t drugged. There are no tricks, and no one is waiting around to punish you for every little infraction of some inane rules, okay?” John hesitated for a while and nearly put his spoon down, still steaming from his last scoop, but slowly, he nodded. “Okay…” His voice was small, raspy, and I could practically hear the trauma and regression drugs oozing off that one word, but still for the first time, he spoke to me. “Very good, John,” I said pleased with the effect of the mac n’ cheese. It didn’t always work, but seeing that John wasn’t immune to a little kindness here and there, I knew I had my way in. “Now, I just want to have a little chat with you. Is that okay?” I could see his right in particular being to water, but he swallowed and quickly nodded. “Dass okay…” “Wonderful… now, I want you to think back as far as you can remember…” I could see his brain already begin to work, something I never took for granted when first interviewing Littles anymore, having seen my share of those who were so regressed that thinking came with the same degree of impossibility of someone spontaneously sprouting wings from their back. “Now, do you have that thought… that memory?” John nodded. “Good. Can you tell me about it? Whatever it is, just remember that you are safe here.” John almost seemed to shut down for a second but took a deep breath in and began. “Ih wassa dar’ woom. I wasn’ afwaid of da dar’ yet, buh’ I was still scawed…” We continued like that for the next hour at least. We had to take a few breaks when the memories became too much for him, but for the first day, I knew it was a start. I would have normally continued, but looking at my watch, I knew I had to leave now or risk being late. So, after escorting him back to his room, I waved goodbye and left. “Do you have an idea about his condition?” Agent Shelly asked as I closed the door to John’s room. “Is he going to be okay?” I nodded and I could instantly see the relief on her face. “I think so. He’s going to need some help, but I should have an age range for you soon and some specific recommendations for his new caregiver on how to better help him. For now, though, go with my standard practices for the next few days until I get back.” “Back? You’re leaving so soon today? That’s unlike you…” Agent Shelly paused for a moment. “Hmmm… are you going to… wait… is it finally happening for you, Sophie?” she asked with a hopeful look on her face. I smiled and nodded. “That’s right. I’m headed over there now. Years of waiting and it all comes down to this. Hard to believe.” Agent Shelly, in rare form, quickly became giddy over my confirmation. “Oh my! Go! Go! Go now, Sophie!” She was practically shoving me out from the hallway, and it was basically all I could do to hand her back ‘John’s’ file. We even blew right past the normally fascinating section of the building dedicated to R&D. Even today, the flash of the room as we passed by couldn’t slow Agent Shelly down though. “Alright, alright!” I finally relented nearing the main entrance to the front lobby of the building. “I’m going, okay? Just be sure to follow my usual plan with ‘John.’ While he was eating and we were talking, I noted a few triggers to avoid at all costs with him. Could set him way back and we don’t want that. Just nice and easy until I return, okay?” Agent Shelly seemed to only be about half listening to me, clearly still overjoyed with my information. “Yes, yes. Just go, will you? Don’t want to leave them waiting, right?” I shook my head, smiled, and exited the building to my car. I really didn’t want to leave ‘John’ like I did, but despite her near over exuberance over my news and seemingly ignorance of my instructions for ‘John,’ Agent Shelly was right to be excited. After all, it wasn’t every day that one was about to become a new caregiver to a Little of their own. As I drove off, I was quickly filled with feelings of hope and yet nervousness as well. The city began to grow around me, and I smiled as more of the Aprisium skyline came into my view. It had a rough side like all cities, but I felt that any Little would be more than happy here. A billboard spouting an image of a ‘Better Tomorrow,’ flush lawns, and clean streets and skies, even passed by on my right. It was still hard to believe over the transformation of the city in the past decade. What was once a small mostly touristy spot for hikers in the summer and skiers in the winter, had now grown considerably. While the more liberal attitudes and still small-town feeling were draws for many for decades, a portal had opened up only about an hour away… less if one took the train, about five years ago now. While some feared the whole area would be sucked into oblivion when it was first built, it had brought hundreds of Littles and opened the city like never before. The previous positives of gorgeous scenery, the vast wilderness, and mountain slopes only skyrocketed, and the liberal attitude seemed like a haven for most portal Littles. Little-owned businesses, more licensed Little-Sized-Access, commonly known as LSA, equipment and facilities, and a support system for those Littles unable to care for themselves anymore had made Aprisium one of the more desirable areas in the whole country lately. After the article published last year declaring Aprisium and the state of Colorubrum as the ‘last safe stop’ in Libertalia, the Little community here, regressed or not, had exploded even more. One might question the legitimacy of that type of praise, but even as I was driving, I had to stop at an intersection downtown. It was normally peaceful around this time of year near the main plaza by city hall, but today… a pro-Big protest was starting to unfold and get nasty. “We don’t want no babies; we’d rather have rabies!” “More Bigs! More power!” “No Littles allowed in office!” “Littles should take their business elsewhere!” I could hear those and numerous other shouts, and I could only sigh as I waited for the light to turn green. Being that ‘last safe stop’ was great in theory, but it also came about because we bordered several sections of the country that were most decidedly pro-Big. It was why the LPS had a larger presence here in the first place, but the radical Bigs and the radical Littles were getting primed for conflict and were bleeding into each other’s sections of towns every day. I wanted to stop and help deescalate the situation using my finely honed skills, but my watch beeped again, and I knew I had to go or risk being late. It was one of the biggest negative aspects with Aprisium lately, but I vowed that with whatever Little I got today, I would try and protect them from all that. I was about to become a caregiver, and as I pulled up to the large brick building housing the Department of Little Services, or DLS as they were usually known, it was a vow I repeated over and over to myself. Still, as I walked inside, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen today. All I had been told was that my application to become a caregiver had been approved and there was already a Little I was deemed ‘perfect’ for. “Hello?” I said calmly to the receptionist at the main desk in the building’s lobby. They quickly looked back at me but were obviously waiting for me to ask a question or announce myself. “Uh, Sophie… Sophia Beaufort to see Maxine today… She’s expecting me.” “Excellent, Miss Beaufort. Sign in here first …” They pointed to the clipboard in front of me. “Then, go to the elevators and up to the fifth floor. Maxine is at the end of the building on your right. You can’t miss her office.” “Perfect,” I noted graciously before signing in and then going to the elevators and up to the fifth floor as directed. As I happily stood in the elevator and the doors closed though, I couldn’t help but contemplate why I was even there in the first place. I had worked with Littles for years, but I had never been directly responsible for one yet. Entering my mid-thirties, it was a question I was always asked in any social situation. My older sister had gotten her own years ago, and even my younger brother was considering adopting himself lately. My mom had been badgering me since I had left college, but my family still wasn’t the reason I was in this elevator today. That had come after I had actually visited a foster home a few months back during one of my cases. The home was unfortunately overcrowded, and it didn’t take long before I was surrounded by dozens of Little asking me to take them home. Being in my position where I often saw most Littles run away from being taken care of by a Big, it threw me off a bit, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of longing to help one of them when I left. Aprisium law being the way it was, ensured I couldn’t directly adopt, but being a caregiver was the next best thing and I had started my application within a week to become one. It was all a heavy decision on how it would affect my life, and honestly, only the ding of the elevator stopping snapped me out of my thoughts. Regardless of my feelings now though, the doors then opened, and greeting me up there were numerous cubicles. It was practically a maze and a swirl of loud conversations buzzed around me, but at last, I found an office labeled ‘Maxine’ at the very end of the large open room. Seeing the door already open, I peeked my head inside with some caution. “Hello? Maxine?” A middle-aged graying haired woman with glasses looked up from her computer and glared at me. “Sophia Beaufort, right?” I quickly nodded and popped the rest of the way inside her office. She quickly scoffed. “You’re late.” It was not the type of response I was hoping for from a first meeting, but still hopeful of walking away today with a Little, I still wanted to stay positive and amicable to her. “Yes… I’m sorry about that. I was with another Little at my job and they needed me. I just couldn’t walk away…” Maxine seemed less then convinced, but I soon heard a voice from behind me that I could recognize anywhere. “I guess as much as some things change, some things never do, huh Sophie?” a woman inquired. I spun around and was quickly greeted by Agent Deacon, Astrid, my friend from when I had first joined LPS all those years ago. “Astrid? It’s great to see you, but… what are you doing here?” She was now high up in the agency, but from what I knew about her, she had little to no connection with DPS. She half-smiled back at me and sighed. “It’s great to see you as well, but I think we need to talk first about why you’re here today.” She then gestured inside and to one of the chairs in front of Maxine’s desk. I nervously complied and just waited for the proverbial other shoe to drop by then. Something was up… “Is something wrong with my application for a Little as a caregiver?” I finally asked after Astrid took her seat beside me and both her and Maxine still hadn’t said a word. Maxine’s eyes narrowed on me. “There’s been a hiccup with your application and your Little…” My heart sank. “But,” Astrid quickly jumped back in, clearly trying to still give me hope, “you are still approved.” I felt a huge sense of relief, but I could tell there was still a problem. I straightened up in my chair and leaned in. “So… if I’m still approved… what’s the problem then?” Maxine clearly seemed like she wanted to say something, but when I looked over at my friend, I could see she was giving a look to her that I was all too familiar with. There was something about all of this that I needed to hear but likely, that information was also classified. Originally, LPS had dedicated itself to helping Littles get out of tense situations on a more personal level. While the Little Protection Agency side would deal more with the government side of things, the LPS would deal with more domestic and everyday matters… but the problems in this society just got bigger as time passed and more portals were open. From Astrid’s serious look, something was telling me that I was going to quickly learn today just how much bigger LPS’ reach had gotten. “So, what do you need me to swear to? And don’t tell me nothing… I know that look, Astrid.” At first, Maxine and Astrid looked confused, but Astrid quickly smiled and looked at Maxine. “Told you she would figure it out.” She then turned back to me. “Just sign this form and we can go forward. Don’t, and we’ll find you another Little and you can bury your head in the sand… and watch several Littles be persecuted who are likely innocent.” I could see the faintest glimpse of a smile in my friend. She was caring and sincere, but the job almost always came first. She knew me and my ‘weakness’ of caring about Littles, so she knew just how to corner me to sign the document now before I could ask too many questions first. Sighing and knowing I was likely walking into her little scheme; I signed the form. Looking over it, Astrid smiled and handed it over to Maxine, who then quickly filed it away grumpily. Satisfied, Astrid looked back at me. “So, Sophie, have you ever heard of the Little Police Task Force?” It was an odd question, but I still went along with it all and played her little game… for now. “Yes… and you know I do. It’s the new, strong arm of the LPS. It was fully designed and implemented after I left… and recommended it after so many agents were lost on the last raid I did after being undercover. I mean, Astrid… you were there in the room with me…” I paused and tried to see if I could gleam anything from my friend. To my dismay her face remained as stoic as ever. “Why are you asking me something you already know the answer to? What’s going on?” Astrid sighed. “Well… since you asked, I just wanted to be sure that your memory hasn’t gone soft on me. See, that task force has grown… a lot, since you first recommended it. Originally, the director thought you were paranoid but recently… some Bigs have gotten more radicalized.” For once, I knew she was speaking the direct truth. “Right. I’ve seen it… in fact, I just saw a pro-Big protest going on downtown while I was on my way over here today.” “Right… and that’s their right in Libertalia as citizens, but that type of protest is radicalizing Littles as well,” Maxine finally noted. “I see it every day here…” “Yes,” Astrid pulled out a file and handed it over to me, “and that’s where your new Little comes into the picture.” I briefly looked over the file, but tired of playing games by now, I closed it and looked back at my old friend. “How about you just tell me the highlights here instead of me having to guess?” I could tell that Maxine seemed just about done with this whole thing, but Astrid knew me, and I could tell she was already concocting one of her schemes. “Very well, Sophie. See, there are two issues we are dealing with.” I nodded and let her continue. “The first is that the Little Police Task Force intercepted a warning message and some backchannel chatter that one of the pro-Little groups is threatening to take serious action against the government. Lethal action…” Astrid let the words hang about in the air for a moment to allow me to fully take them in. I knew all this was serious business right away and I was starting to get nervous as to where my role came into play. “So, a very serious situation, but where you come in, has to deal with the second issue.” She paused and took a deep breath. “Due to some of the stories leaking back there, Earth has cut off returning visas for any returning portal Littles that have been here for more than three weeks.” It was another bombshell moment. I hadn’t heard anything about it on the news yet, but I knew it was serious and probably even more complicated than the previously mentioned direct threat against the government. If Littles knew about the denial in going back home, the safety of every portal device, essentially three times more powerful than a hydrogen bomb going off if sabotaged, would be in jeopardy. “That’s… complicated…” “Very, but unfortunately,” Astrid continued, “one of the pro-Little groups discovered this already and rioted in the streets last week in front of the portal facility just west of here. Fearing their reprisal and subsequent detonation of the portal facility, LPS was sent in. Most we captured were uncooperative or too low in the hierarchy to know anything. Several were sent back to Earth if they still met the three-week requirement. One Little though… might be useful.” Before Astrid even said anything further, I already could take a guess as to what my part in all this was going to be. “Sophie, we want you to become the caregiver of this Little. He’s been here for weeks so he isn’t allowed to return to Earth with their new ban.” Suddenly, everything was starting to become much clearer. “He needs a place to stay but we also suspect him of being involved with one of the pro-Little groups who might be targeting the government.” She paused, and at that moment, I debated quickly with myself about the whole situation. I was disappointed I wasn’t getting a toddler in need of a home, but still… a Little was a Little in my book. He clearly needed help and was likely in distress. If I could help him out, even in some small way, I felt it all would still have been worth it. “Okay… I’m in.” For the first time, I think I actually saw Maxine begin to smile. Of course, Agent Astrid was all smiles as well. “Oh, Sophie! I’m so glad…” I quickly put my hand up to stop her. “Wait. I have a question though I need answered before I fully commit and go see this new Little of mine.” The smile vanished from both of their faces, but Astrid gestured for me to continue. “Thank you, but… why do they need a caregiver? I want to help, I really do, and I understand the need for someone like me for a regressed Little, but a higher echelon pro-Little revolutionary seems more like the job for someone… other than me?” Astrid sighed. “That could be true, but we need you for your tact with Littles and your propensity for digging out the truth. Your time undercover proved your qualifications for both of those qualities in spades.” She paused and seemed to be recalling a specific memory; I wondered what. “See, we know a lot of these Littles know of our usual methods of regression. Littles, like him, come here to help their fellow ‘repressed’ Littles, but they all mostly went too far. If he is involved, with the ban in place, he probably knows the score and that he’s got a one-way ticket to Dark Cliff prison.” At the mere mention of that place’s name, I swore the lights nearly flickered. It had only opened seven years ago officially but was already becoming notorious as a black site where most Littles went to be ‘disappeared.’ Knowing this could be this Little’s fate, I felt I had no other choice but to help him out now. “Very well… I’ll do it. Just let me see him today.” Maxine almost seemed like she was about to protest, but I could see Astrid quickly give her a look that instantly made her sit back in her chair in silence. I felt I was still missing something with the two of them and all this, but my desires to see and help my new Little were already becoming my top priority. Maxine stayed behind, but one elevator ride down and Astrid guided me to a one-way mirror showcasing the inside of a typical interrogation room. I was surprised DLS even had something like this room here, but when I looked inside, there was no denying that right in the middle of the whole room and sitting at a table, was a Little. Well… physically a Little, yes, but I was used to dealing with Littles more like I had with ‘John’ earlier today. Mentally younger, physically deficient in some way, and maybe even a touch broken. As I looked in, however, Paul didn’t seem like any of those qualities at all. First, he was cuffed securely down to the metal table in the room. His feet cutely swung idly from the chair he was in, but that’s about all the innocence one usually found in most other Littles. His face bore a look of anger and determination, as well as a single black eye. Closely cropped dark hair and facial hair did nothing to offset his already hardened look with the prison jumpsuit he was wearing. To be blunt, if I wasn’t invested in his well-being already, knowing his likely fate if I didn’t help, I might have just walked away right then. I felt ashamed to even think that way, but admittedly, Paul was very different than most of the Littles I worked with. Still, I knew I needed to help him out, so I turned over to Astrid. “Let me see him. I need to eventually anyways but let me get a feel for who you’re tasking me with.” I could sense the oddly suited hesitancy on my old friend’s face, but her good judgment eventually gave out and she unlocked the door. Paul quickly perked up as I walked to open the door to go inside. Just before I did though, Astrid spoke up once more. “I’m really sorry, Sophie… I know you’ve wanted a Little of your own for a while now. I’m sorry this probably isn’t what you initially imagined.” She was right of course, but despite her being my friend, I didn’t want to tell her that. I was hoping for a different outcome in all this but coupled with something still looming around her general demeanor, I knew this was all now more of a professional setting than a strictly personal one now. For my safety, professional meant keeping secrets and not showing emotion to the LPS… so I didn’t. “It’s okay. Paul is a Little. I help Littles, so let me help him.” Without another word from either of us, I opened the door and entered the interrogation room. “And who the hell are you? Another Big come to take away my rights in this god-forsaken land?” Paul spat at me as I entered. I was used to all kinds of things, and while it hurt a little that this was to be my Little as a caregiver, I just shuffled it off. “Well, my name is Sophie.” I then tossed the file I had been given in front of him. “You’re Paul and you’re in a bit of a pickle.” He squirmed a bit as I made sure to emphasize my height over him. He was a Little, but I could instantly tell that he was going to be one of the tough cases. From experience, I knew I had to go easy in some ways, but I also knew that I had to show my strength and confidence right now as well. If he thought I was weak initially, I knew there was no way that any of this would work at all. “So?” he responded, still seeming a little uncomfortable as opposed to when I had first entered. “I’ve been in jams before. Always got out of them… this is no different.” Seeing his continued discomfort, I took the moment to sit down. He needed to know his situation and that I was a friend, but more importantly for his own mentality and maturity probably, his one way out. “Look, Paul. You need help. I’m here to help. If you’re going to be difficult, I can leave and I promise you this… you won’t like what’s coming through that door next after me.” I could see Paul’s mind begin to whirl about with that new information. He probably thought it was just a simple threat to get him to comply… the typical arsenal in every interrogator bag of tricks, but I could see a fear begin to seep through somewhere on his face as well. Instead of breaking though, he simply crossed his arms and scoffed. “Just go away…” I sighed and brought his file closer to me. He probably knew what was inside, but I wanted to see if there was anything I could use to get him to bend how I wanted him to. Dark Cliff prison was likely a death sentence for someone like him within five years. It was a terrible place and I wanted to prevent that at all costs. Additionally, from what Astrid had told me, there was too much at stake, but still, being who I was, I couldn’t help but still view Paul as a helpless Little. Being his caregiver would be a challenge for sure, but I knew I couldn’t leave him like this. So, no matter what, I promised that I would be here to help him through it all, and that was a promise I didn’t take lightly. 13 1 Link to comment
Kat5 Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 Woo! New story! You inspire me to spend that little bit more time writing every day as my work schedule allows. Link to comment
Baby Billy Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 Nice start for a new story, looking forward to how this goes. I kind of hoped you would have told more of what happened at the end of the last one though. Link to comment
sklawlor Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 as usual, great beginning. I recall you mentioning something about writing a story referring to dark cliff prison, is that still in the cards at some point? Link to comment
Guilend Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 Yay I might've said some prayers and made sacrifices to the gods of old hoping you'll write this story. I can't wait to see what happens next. Of course the Amazons are having a rough time dealing with Littles that have decided to actually fight them. Especially since Littles are small, they can't go toe to toe with them so have to resort to guerilla tactics and attacking from the shadows. I'm sure Amazon's aren't mentally prepared for that. Specially if part of their brain still sees the Littles as helpless babies. Link to comment
LostBBoyBear Posted June 1 Author Share Posted June 1 7 hours ago, Baby Billy said: Nice start for a new story, looking forward to how this goes. I kind of hoped you would have told more of what happened at the end of the last one though. Thank you! If you are referring to the lack of answers at the end of Tell Me More II, there will be a Tell Me More III that will wrap up a lot of threads that I left loose on purpose. Also, I'm very much considering writing a separate story entirely to complete some of the threads even further that I'm pretty sure most people will like on here. 5 hours ago, sklawlor said: as usual, great beginning. I recall you mentioning something about writing a story referring to dark cliff prison, is that still in the cards at some point? Thank you! It very much is, but it's really the last story on my overall timeline, and because of it being what it is, a lot of other stories feed into it. If I've planned everything out right, there's at least three other stories that need to be written before I do that one. At minimum, I'm afraid to say for anyone hoping for that story, it will not be posted at least this year. 2 Link to comment
Guilend Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 29 minutes ago, LostBBoyBear said: Also, I'm very much considering writing a separate story entirely to complete some of the threads even further that I'm pretty sure most people will like on here. I wouldn't say no to more of this story 😂 30 minutes ago, LostBBoyBear said: At minimum, I'm afraid to say for anyone hoping for that story, it will not be posted at least this year. I'm definitely excited about reading this one, but I also think it would definitely be better to wait till the other stories are finished. It's kind of like a build up to the grand finale. It'll be worth the wait, I'm sure. Link to comment
Baby Billy Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 16 hours ago, LostBBoyBear said: Thank you! If you are referring to the lack of answers at the end of Tell Me More II, there will be a Tell Me More III that will wrap up a lot of threads that I left loose on purpose. Also, I'm very much considering writing a separate story entirely to complete some of the threads even further that I'm pretty sure most people will like on here. Thank you! It very much is, but it's really the last story on my overall timeline, and because of it being what it is, a lot of other stories feed into it. If I've planned everything out right, there's at least three other stories that need to be written before I do that one. At minimum, I'm afraid to say for anyone hoping for that story, it will not be posted at least this year. No I was talking about Dimension of Destiny and what happened to Brixen after he was rescued. Link to comment
Guilend Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 10 minutes ago, Baby Billy said: No I was talking about Dimension of Destiny and what happened to Brixen after he was rescued. That was a story from another author. Link to comment
LostBBoyBear Posted June 3 Author Share Posted June 3 Hey everyone! First, I just want to thank you for all the comments and likes this story has received so far. I think a lot of you will enjoy everything as it unfolds and I promise that I’ll try and stay steady and pop these chapters out as soon as I am able. Next, as I mentioned before, the following are the three chapters proposed for my next story after this one: Bethany Set as a semi-sequel to The Opening, follow former drug runner, Bethany, as she strives to find herself a better life that has been promised in the newly discovered dimension, tentatively called, ‘The Amazon Dimension,’ though some have begun calling it another name due to the ever-increasing rumors of something awaiting all portal Littles on the other side. Join Bethany as she looks to turn her life around there and maybe even find a redemption of sorts and something else in the most unexpected of ways. Watch out though, in this new world, new and even greater dangers than the ones she left lurk around every corner. Boys Maturity Reform Set in a not-to-distant future, join John as he navigates through a world where all males must be required to pass a maturity test of sorts. While women are allowed to go to college or pursue their life at will without any such test, all boys over the age of 18 must attend a special school for three years to prove they are indeed ‘mature.’ Tests are laced throughout the time at this special school, but danger lurks around seemingly every corner for John and the friends he makes at the school. Success through these tests and obstacles ensures an eventual graduation and normal life afterward, but any failure is met with practices and punishments to demonstrate to others just how immature they are. Punitive measures, conspiracies, breakdowns, dwindling amounts of potty control, tests, and learning to cope with this unfair world all ensue in this longer story. Sequel to How An Elephant Saved Their Little Following the events of the raid on the supposed safehouse, delve into the path that the kindly Miss G must take in order to recover from the trauma she faced. Getting doused with a toxic and illegal chemical, Miss G soon begins to experience some unintended side effects. Working with Littles, she knows just how to combat her symptoms, but after the symptoms begin affecting her work and even safety, she is forced to rely on others to help her out. Entering territory not often found with most Bigs in the Diaper Dimension, discover just how Miss G learns to cope with her new struggles, or if it is in fact too late for the selfless carer to regain her life before the raid. Like most of the time I’ve done this lately, I will post my final decision during the last chapter I post. Before then, feel free to let me know which story you want to read next. I like each of them equally, so this comes down to you all now. Lastly, I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter! Chapter 2: Safety and Comfort Aren’t Easy Littles could just be so difficult sometimes. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my job with working with them, but I was basically offering Paul a get out of jail card and he was just telling me to ‘go away.’ I might have thought he was too immature to make the choice himself or simply too upset with Bigs in general, but I could see a sliver of maybe something else in the Little still brooding in front of me: fear. It was small, but it was still there. After my brief review of Paul’s file, I knew he had been educated back on Earth and none of his initial testing here when he had been processed initially had proven otherwise. He was completely unregressed and being a Little here in our society for almost a year now, based on his portal passport entry, that said something about him too. Even in Aprisium, it was once estimated that 40% of Littles didn’t even make it a full day in our society before experiencing some form of kidnapping, regression, or Big trickery of some kind to eventually force one of those first two outcomes. To last almost a year here without falling down one of those pitfalls was a testament to Paul’s character. What that testament meant for the future, I wasn’t sure, but I was still at least a little impressed in my own way if nothing else. At the same time though, I knew that Astrid was still biting at the bit just outside the door for me to do my job, take him home with me, find out about his pro-Little group activities, and then crush any threats against the government as soon as possible. It was logical and would likely save lives, Bigs, Middles, and Littles alike, but I knew that my extraction of time with Paul was going to be measured in days… not hours. Still, I had to start somewhere. I set his file back down and sighed. “Paul… you need help here. Please, let me help you. I can offer you…” “I said go away!” he barked angrily at me. Sure, anger was at the forefront of his emotions, but again, I could see the fear laced in there as well. To be blunt, at that moment, I basically was just ignoring his anger and focusing on his fear. I could use his anger later on maybe, but his fear was sparking feelings inside of me that I had always tried to repress. I was a professional, but I was still a Big… and that came with some instincts that were hard to shake. Seeing his fear wrap all around him like a shield of sorts, my instincts caught on and all I really wanted to do was hug the little guy. Regardless of if he was diapered, sucked on a bottle, or held his favorite stuffy… or was just a plain smaller adult back in his world, my feelings just told me that he was a Little regardless. Perhaps biased, but I felt that all Littles could use a hug to some degree of a basic need here. Maybe it was the reality of harsher Bigs pressing down on them, but I had only seen three Littles in my entire life that didn’t feel better after a good old-fashioned hug. Still, knowing I was being watched and had to remain professional, I held my feelings in check. After all, if he was still this way later, I could always hug him back home if I felt the need and the timing was right. For now, I needed to appeal to his more adult side instead. “I can respect your boundaries Paul…” His face popped up from its previous sullen and downcast state and looked at me in near bewilderment. “I know that while in our society, you may just be a Little, but I can tell from your file, you aren’t like other Littles that I’ve dealt with.” I made sure to poke his file on the table in front of us, and I could see his eyes calculatingly shift to it. I knew I needed to get behind his shields if I ever wanted this dynamic between us to work, but that would take time, and time wasn’t something I could afford for the moment. Until I got Paul back to my house, he would still be considered a risk here and liable to be sent immediately to Dark Cliff prison if he messed up in any way. So, I knew I had to be logical and firm for the time being. Triggering an outburst was the last thing I wanted to do. “So, because I know that and I actually care about that sort of thing, I’m going to be up front with you and lay out your two options going forward.” Paul’s eyes shifted about, clearly seeing if he should protest or not, but when he only readjusted himself in his chair, I knew he was still open to hearing what I had to say. “I’m not sure what you’ve been told, but because you have been here in our dimension for almost a year now, you no longer meet the newly instated requirements by your government to even be deported back home.” I could see he wanted to protest the notion that he had done anything wrong, but I quickly continued to ensure I said everything I needed to first. “Whatever the truth in the matter, this is what was determined. You can protest it all you want, but not even someone like me can change that now. So, because you are subject to our laws here, until that ban lifts at least, you have two options as I said before.” I could see that most of what I was telling Paul was new information. I wasn’t entirely sure if it was just hearing about the ban of him going back to Earth or if he was just unused to a Big speaking to him like an adult, but I knew I could use it to my advantage to get him to open up to me later in our new relationship as Little and caregiver. “The first option is that you go to prison.” Paul’s eyes widened, and his fear bubbled much more prominently to the surface now. Having come here to help other Littles and being informed of our society, he likely knew what that meant. After all, in our society now, most jails and prisons had been shut down, particularly in Libertalia where Littles were concerned. In all likelihood, he knew full-well about Dark Cliff prison and the rumors that always floated about that terrible place. “Exactly, but that leaves your second option.” I took a breath and braced for any emotional outpouring that I was about to see. “You can come with me back to my house and I become your caregiver… at least until the ban lifts or you choose otherwise, like going back with the first option.” To my utter surprise, there was no outburst of emotions, no anger, no hatred, no crying, shuddering, or even attempts to bargain with me for anything else to be option two. Paul just remained seated calmly and stayed fixated on the left side of the room. If I didn’t know any better, he almost looked as if he was viewing some great scenery and contemplating the meaning of life. I felt the protests would come later, especially when faced with the inescapable trappings of being a Little in our society and obeying our laws, but for now, I was pleasantly surprised. I decided to give him all the time he needed to say something back to me. His relaxed posture was unusual, and I didn’t want him to think that I didn’t want him to think at all. Some Bigs did that to make their Littles seem more babyish eventually, but considering it almost always backfired or left the Little reduced to little more than a newborn state, I let him be. Finally, though, he spoke just a single word. “Okay.” It was simple and yet so resounding. With that one word of acceptance, whether he realized it or not, he had just set himself on a very particular path. From today onward, he was going to be my Little. “I understand,” I said with some relief. “I’m glad to hear you chose that option.” I then got up from the table and headed over to the door. “Let me just get some things sorted and we can be out of this dismal place.” Paul didn’t say anything further but instead just nodded his head. Exiting the room with a bit of a joyous tic in my step now, Astrid confronted me outside. “That’s it? Where’s the tough agent I used to know who stopped at nothing to get the truth? Where’s all the fire and brimstone you could have rained down on him? Do you even want this assignment, Sophie?” I smiled and sighed. “Oh Astrid… same as ever. You want the truth and will stop at nothing to get at it. You’re a great friend and an excellent agent for LPS, but Paul is different. If you want answers, this is the only way forward.” I knew it wasn’t her way, but I could see the acceptance settle over Astrid’s face now as well. “Good. Now, let me sign the paperwork and get me home. The real work begins later. For now, he just needs to trust me. Fire and brimstone would just lead to punishments, breaking him down to nothing, and the likely loss of any valuable information for you. Let me do this my way, and I’ll be sure to update you on my progress throughout.” Sighing in annoyance, but ultimately leading me away, I knew Astrid was taking a risk. Having just seen Paul and his prickly demeanor though, I wasn’t lying when I said that this was the only way. As I then signed all his paperwork, it made me his legal caregiver in our society. It was perfect because I could see that Paul didn’t need a taskmaster or a torturer. He needed a friend, a confidant… someone to soothe his blues and his fears of our society. He needed someone like me now: a caregiver. About thirty minutes later, I drove my car up to the back entrance of the DLS building. Stains from who knows what littered the ground and unfavorable Little smells wafted all around my nose. It was a stark reminder as to how these things usually occurred unfortunately, and seeing Paul exit in the custody of Astrid and even Maxine now as well, I knew just how close Paul had been to witnessing those types of handlings firsthand today. Still, I was here now and all that would change. “I’ll take him from here. Thank you, Astrid… Maxine.” Astrid smiled, but Maxine grunted. “Yeah… you do what you want. Bet you’ll be bringing him back here for someone new. But otherwise, I’ll see you at the inspection.” I could quickly tell that I wasn’t going to like her, but I knew the inspection was a make or break for my custody of Paul, regardless of the LPS case or not. Astrid then raised her eyebrows in exasperation at it all, sighed, waved goodbye and then disappeared back into the building herself. Paul and I were now alone. I could see that Paul was still in a bit of a state of shock over how everything was unfolding in his life now, so I knew I still had to be cautious, but the first unavoidable hurdle also came when I opened the door. “Okay. Hop in and we’ll be out of here in a second.” Paul aimlessly walked over to the backseat, but upon seeing the object inside, his passivity quickly vanished. “A car seat? Were you just putting me on to get me to agree to your second option?” He paused and stomped his foot. “Damn it! I’m going back inside for option one. Anything is better…” “Now just wait one minute,” I said firmly but calmly as I grabbed Paul’s shoulder just as he was about to head back inside. “I’m sorry if you think I lied to you back inside, but I did say I would be your caregiver. A few things go along with that title, and I’m afraid… from your point of view at least, that obeying the law here is something I have to abide. You… are a Little.” Paul squirmed a bit at that label, and I truly wondered just how much time he had spent in our world. A year, yes, but if Astrid was correct and he was part of the pro-Little movement, he might have largely just been spending time with other Littles. It could make some bits of this rougher than I had wanted, but I knew I needed to stay firm now. Paul’s acceptance would come later… it always did for something as simple as a car seat. “You might not have the appearance of most Littles here, but you are a Little because of your height.” I quickly gestured to his diminutive height as compared to me. I wasn’t the tallest in any group, but only the tufts on the top of Paul’s hair came up to my waist. “So, even in your world if you don’t make the height requirement, special seating is required. That’s all this is, okay? Don’t go to prison just because of some stupid safety requirement.” I could have pushed harder, but I could already see my words were getting to him without any more issue. They were direct and logical, something I was quickly learning appealed to Paul. So, a few seconds later, still grumbling, Paul hoisted himself inside and climbed into the seat before buckling himself in. It would have been easier if I just did it, and I was almost hoping he would ask for help, but at the same time, his acceptance of the seat was more important than my own inner desires. Still, even as we drove off and passed billboard after billboard on our way to my house, I was reminded of the usual bond between Littles and Bigs. While Aprisium was a haven for Littles, many Littles were damaged who came here and they had needs that had to be addressed. I mean, there were only so many ways one could deal with incontinence. Still, each sign reminded me of the simple fact that the Little in my backseat right now was not regressed. It was just an advertisement, but there was such joy and satisfaction on the faces of those billboards. Paul and I were far from that and there was a tiny part of me that wondered if we would ever get there. If, and it was a big if, we ever did, I wondered if Paul could ever be more than an assignment to me now. As we pulled up in my driveway though, I knew I had to set such thoughts aside. “Is this it?” Paul asked, staring at my more modest cookie cutter house on the block. “It is,” I admitted. I didn’t spend as much as I could on things like that. On the opposite end though, and in comparison, my mom lived in a six-bedroom house still, despite my siblings and I having moved out years ago. “It’s not much, but…” “It’s huge!” Paul exclaimed. It took everything I had to stifle the giggle that threatened to escape my lips. Despite having worked with Littles for years now, I always forgot about the sizing standards that most of the portal Littles were used to. Having lived through some dark times in their history, anything larger than rowed government housing in crowded shelters was practically a wonder to them now. They were recovering, but it would take another generation to get over memories like that. “Thank you, Paul. It’s really not much, but it does what it needs to for me.” As Paul scrambled out of his seat, fiddling with the still Little-friendly buckle on his seat, I gestured to my front door. “Shall we?” Paul jumped out and nodded his head. Despite his gruffness before, I could already see that façade draining away in the open air outside of the interrogation room and DLS. We quickly shuffled inside, and I began to show Paul around to each of the areas he would be living in for the foreseeable future. Having been an impromptu babysitter for some of my friends and my sister’s Littles, I still had a wide assortment of Little items. While some were more on the babyish side, several were merely smaller versions of what a Middle or Big would use. Seeing him eye the highchair in the kitchen though, I knew I had to speak up. “That’s just for other Littles who come over here who need it. I have a booster you can use instead.” I could hear a stifled groan escape Paul’s mouth. “Just so you reach the table is all…” He didn’t make a fuss after my quick justification, so satisfied, I soon led him upstairs. Being the standard model of most Big homes, there were just two bedrooms there. My office downstairs could be made into a third, but since I still lived alone… until today that is, the two suited me just fine. “Right, so, this is my bedroom,” I gestured to the larger room at the top of the stairs. “And this… this is your room.” I pushed open the white door and revealed a mostly plain and boring neutral-colored room. I had deeply wished to decorate it lavishly from one of the catalogues I was subscribed to, but I didn’t for two very good reasons. The first was that I had only just heard that I was approved to be a caregiver last night. No details on if my Little was going to be a boy or a girl, so I knew that neutral tones would avoid any bad first impressions that way. Second, though, I knew I could always add to his room later if I deemed it necessary. Neutral could be spiced up with a quick trip to the store and forgiven later, but an unregressed Little seeing a crib or changing table could mean the end of our pleasant time together in seconds. It was still a tough decision, but considering the matching neutral look on Paul, as opposed to biting, spitting, yelling, or punching me, I knew I had made the right call. “Thank you…” I could see the strain in Paul’s eyes over the likely realization that this was going to be his new reality, but in a moment, they switched to confusion. Seeing him quickly eye the computer in the corner of the room, I knew he needed some explanation. “You’re welcome, Paul, but I see you eyeing your new computer.” He quickly nodded. “Fresh from Mellon Corp, you have a few programs on here already and some security software to keep you safe from accidentally running into an accidentally triggered hypnosis program, but the main reason for this, is the journal program on here. I promise I won’t read it, but you can use it to vent freely about this situation. From what I’ve read, some of the psychologists and therapists from Earth even recommend the practice as a coping technique of sorts.” His distrust of the machine was evident, but I could see a little relief as well. “Thank you… I normally don’t write, but I might just do that.” “Perfect, but you can also do video logs as well. As I said, though, up to you, but I really do encourage it.” Paul nodded and then put his small bag of items he was allowed to keep with him on the bed. Seeing that he might want a break, I spoke back up. “Okay. You get settled in up here, but let’s say in… ten minutes? Yeah, in ten minutes, meet me downstairs. There are a few things we need to discuss going forward.” “Okay…” Paul responded distantly. I could still feel the tension between us and as I left his room, I just hoped that eventually, that would pass. Ten minutes later, Paul walked into the kitchen where I was waiting for him at the round wooden table where I usually ate my breakfast at. “Have a seat…” Paul saw his chair and the booster already attached to it. It didn’t get much use these days, but I knew that even despite it’s more juvenile nature, Paul would accept it over the baby-block and numbered themed highchair still in the corner of the room. Once he was finally settled, I desperately wanted to buckle him in for safety, but I kept my hands to myself. “Okay, so, being your caregiver in this situation, there’s a few rules and stipulations we need to follow. If you have any questions, just let me know, but let me finish first, okay?” I could see the fear begin to wrap around Paul’s body once more, but he nodded meekly and adjusted himself in his booster seat. “Okay…” “Good.” I took a breath and began. “Let’s see… ah! As you might have noticed already, being a Little in a society larger than you, I need to insist that you are using a few items and obeying certain rules. First, furniture and the like. See, you are small, so to stay safe or even reach certain bits, these items will be in your future. Like the car seat, they will either just help or ensure we don’t break the law.” Paul made no movement as each word escaped my lips, so I just moved on. “Next, is what you wear. I have no issue with you wearing what you want if it’s appropriate, and we can do some shopping tomorrow for more specific items, but I have to insist on training pants regardless.” I could see Paul’s blood boil instantly. I knew I had to act quickly. “Before you object though, they are basically like underwear. The only difference is that if you have an accident, they will help.” “But I won’t have an accident!” Paul rebuked. I sighed, knowing this was going to be a sticking point. It always was for unregressed Littles, but I knew just how to make the notion more acceptable at least. “I know that, Paul. I believe you. I really do, but this is a matter of trust. Not for you, but for other Bigs.” Paul scrunched his brow in confusion. “Other Bigs aren’t like me. They want to see you regressed. They’re tricky and even downright nasty with how they do it. Any second outside of this house, you could be doused with some street-level or new designer regression powder. If you wet yourself in public because of that, through no fault of your own, you will have proved your immaturity and you will be forcibly diapered or penalized otherwise.” I let my words sit with Paul for a moment. “That’s stupid…” he finally said, groaning a bit after. I smirked and nodded. “A lot of us are. The trick though, is finding the good ones.” I could already see that Paul was trying to determine if I was a good Big or not, but personally relieved, I knew that Paul would accept the training pants first thing tomorrow. “Okay, really important here…” I rubbed my head, feeling the early formations of a headache, but still pushed on. “I will try to treat you as adult as I can, but there will be times where I can’t make that promise. If I tell you to do something in public, I need you to do it right away. I can pinky promise you if that would make you feel better, but I promise that in situations like that, I’m just trying to keep you safe.” For a second, I swore I saw Paul’s arm twitch as if he was really about to pinky promise me, but his arms remained folded. “Fine… I don’t like it, but I can agree to that at least.” He sighed audibly. “So, anything else?” I nodded. “Two actually… for right now at least.” I cleared my throat. “First, don’t leave me or this house. If you do, prison will likely be your only option if you are caught again.” Paul’s eyes widened in clear terror, but I could see a spark of defiance in there as well. I really hoped he wouldn’t escape, but I also knew that he was a valuable enough asset that he would be given some leeway. For now, though, besides the sensors and locks on the windows and doors here, I needed him to fear leaving me. I wasn’t proud of the notion, but I knew it would keep him safe in the future. Still, despite my threat, I wanted to end on a good note. “But lastly, I have been authorized to take you to the call center downtown. I have other time commitments and you will have to attend a special daycare, but other days… like tomorrow, I can take you there instead in the mornings.” Paul’s mouth nearly dropped when he heard the word daycare, but I could also see his curiosity about a call center as well. “What’s a… call center?” I smiled and was relieved he still didn’t know about them. They were new still but if he didn’t know about them already, it would be an excellent piece of bargaining I could use to get him to be more comfortable with all this. “A call center,” I began to explain, “is simply that. Like any other communication device, it simply calls another, but in this case, it can call Earth.” Paul’s eyes widened at the realization of what that meant. “Yes… we’ve set it up so that you can call your family.” Emotion immediately sprang to Paul’s face. Having been a Little here for almost a year now, and likely not having access to any other communication device, I knew with almost absolute certainty that he hadn’t talked to his family in all that time directly. A mail service existed for almost nine years now, so Paul could have used that, but this was a facetime call in real time. Something like that for anyone missing it was a priceless thing to have back. “Our government is sympathetic to your situation, so we have a priority access tomorrow.” Paul sniffled and nodded. I really, really wanted to hug him, but I just pushed forward instead. Discussion of training pants and daycare seemed like it was already pushing his boundaries today. “So, tomorrow, I’ll get you up, dressed, and fed, and then we can go to the call center.” Paul’s emotions oddly turned tense momentarily, but I just pushed forward, hoping to finish as soon as possible now. “You need to stick close with me, and I’ll have a private chat myself with your family, but it should be a pretty good time.” My kitchen clocked briefly chirped and I saw that it was already getting late. “Oh! Look at the time. We can talk more later if you want, but now, it’s time for dinner.” Paul seemed too stunned to move at everything I had just revealed to him, so still respecting his boundaries, and remembering his previously odd frowny face, I went about preparing his dinner. Bigs and Littles palates were wildly different. While most Bigs tended to go more on the savory side, Littles mostly liked the sweeter things. It was cute in a way, but as a result, meals often had to be prepared separately. I had a few recipes that could be spiced up for me that we could share later, but for today, his meal had to come first. “So, you just sit there and let me make you something. I guarantee you will like this.” I then unshuffled the prepackaged meal I had lying in the pantry for just instances like these. With my new rehydrator, in seconds, Paul would be chowing down on the most delicious meal ever. “It’s some chicken, vegies, and some bowtie pasta. And look!” I held up the case for the meal. “The chicken was even cut out to look like smiley faces!” Again, Paul’s face darkened. I should have been more cautious about his emotions like that, but I was too engrossed in thinking about our new lives together and if he would even like his first meal here for that kind of thinking. So, as soon as I popped his meal in, I turned around and asked the one question I never should have. “Uh, do you need a bib, or…?” “What? What did you just ask me?” Paul’s face suddenly became red, and, with a little struggle, he hopped down from his booster seat. “A bib? A bib! You think I’m just some stupid toddler? Is that what you think?” I knew I had slipped and messed up big time. It was just a tiny accident that I was so used to asking the other Littles who were over here. It was just one mistake, but I could see that it had struck a deep nerve in Paul. Unfortunately, I was so regretful and trying to come up with some easy solution to fix all this, I could only stutter about. “I… uh… no… I…” “Damn it! I was just thinking that this would be okay!” He slammed his foot on the floor. “I can’t believe I was so stupid. Shit! I… I…” I could see his anger was getting the best of his wording, so instead, less than a minute later, he stormed off and back upstairs. Right then, as if fate was mocking me, my rehydrator beeped that his food was done. It was such a small slip-up on my part, but it felt that everything that had gone well today, was suddenly trashed by this one event. This was even further punctuated by the sound of a slamming door upstairs. In the back of my mind, though, I knew this single event wouldn’t break us. It was a comforting thought to hold onto, but I also knew that I should have been more receptive and aware that as a Little who had essentially just lost their perceived independence on some level, Paul was more likely to snap over even the most minor of offenses to his adult sensibilities. Other Bigs could have lost it right then, returned Paul outright to DLS or LPS, or ensured that he would be regressed by morning. For me, though, none of those thoughts even entered my mind once. I knew that Paul’s ego was likely too fragile at this point to apologize to me, so I had to be the one to take the first step. Taking his food out of my rehydrator, plating it, and writing a tiny note of ‘I’m Sorry’ that I put next to the steaming food, I walked upstairs. Paul’s door was firmly closed, and it might have dissuaded other caregivers as well, but I remained firm. I vowed right then that regardless of how things were between us, I wouldn’t falter in my level of care for him. Knowing this society as I did, I knew that today likely wouldn’t be our only spat. Paul still deserved to be fed though. So, sighing and leaving the plated food and note on the floor, I got back up and gently rapped on his door. “Paul? It’s me, Sophie, Paul. I know you’re probably still upset, and that’s okay. I said something stupid, and I’m sorry for that. I’ll go away in a second, but I’ve left you some food outside your door. Eat it when you want, but please, don’t starve yourself over what happened tonight. I’ll be downstairs if you want to talk, but otherwise, I’ll see you in the morning…” With that, I then went downstairs, making sure to thud a little louder than usual to ensure that Paul knew I had left. Settling downstairs after my own dinner, the phone rang loudly, and I picked it up. “Hello?” “Sophie? It’s mom. I know you got yourself a Little today.” Her tone told me she was annoyed, and I just sighed. I didn’t want to tell her in the first place, knowing her stance on Littles in the first place, but I guessed that she had been informed by one of her gossiping friends who worked in the DLS pool of workers. “Yes, that’s right,” I confirmed. “I was…” “Oh, never mind with that. When can I see my new grandson?” I could sense her impatience right away and I groaned a little over her old word usage of a Little being her ‘grandson.’ None of it boded well for me or Paul going forward. “Mom… I’m not sure.” It really was the truth. As much as I wanted to lie to my mom and delay her meeting Paul, I didn’t want her to come over until Paul was at least somewhat settled. Any time before then could be disastrous. “Maybe…” “Oh, pish posh, darling. Is he cute? Is he well-behaved? Is he from one of the lesser pools of Littles?” Her questions felt like a machine gun firing down on me from above. It was her preferred method of questioning when she was excited or angry with any of my siblings or me. “I know you dear. Always wanting to help out the charity cases, but just please tell me you got one of the good ones like your sister did.” “He’s…” I really wasn’t sure what to say, but my pause was all the impetus my mom needed to continue. “Well, I’m sure I’ll find out soon. Talk to you later, dear. Kisses!” To emphasize her last note, she even made a large wet-sounding kiss noise into the phone. “Wait, mom. I…” The other end of the phone clicked, and I knew my mom had hung up. “I love you too, mom…” I then hung up my own phone and sighed as I leaned back into my cushioned armchair. I loved my mom… I really did, but we butted heads for years now. Family was never easy, and to be honest, there was a part of me that was dreading meeting Paul’s own family tomorrow. I knew I needed to talk to them and ensure they felt comfortable with me being Paul’s caregiver and all. Call centers were rare for that very reason. Too many emotions and strains across dimensions most of the time only led to trouble, but I hoped that hopefully Paul’s family would prove to be the exception. Regardless, I plopped my feet up and began to read one of my long-awaited books that my sister had gotten me for my birthday last month. Hours ticked by, and soon, it was time for even me to go to bed. Before I did though, I was curious about the fate of Paul’s plate. To my relief, when I came back to his door, the plate was empty, and the food had clearly been devoured while the plate had practically been licked clean. I should have anticipated that he might not have been fed much today, and I cursed myself for a moment. I made a mental note to keep an eye on that more tomorrow, but for now, I was at least satisfied that he had something in his stomach now. Keeping my hallway tidy, I collected the plate, threw away the tray, and popped the plate into the dishwasher. I then retreated upstairs again and soon tucked myself in after my nightly routine. It had been a long day, and I knew that regardless of how everything turned out with Paul’s family, it was going to be a very long day indeed. Before, Paul was a Little, but his own self. Now, he was my Little, and while that came with a safety and comfort of sorts, it meant that we were both heading into uncertain waters ahead. Only time would tell if that made us closer and drove us further apart. 10 Link to comment
Guilend Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 First off, great chapter. Paul has a long road to go. Sadly, knowing that this is the diaper dimension, he's probably not getting out of this situation without some regression, probably a lot of regression and needing to be rehabilitated. His new caregiver has a lot going against her, ever her own Amazons. Maybe, hopefully, she gets to spend time in diapers, ya know, because it's me 😆 Secondly, I first thought it was going to be a hard choice between the next story vote. Till I read the last one and now I don't think I really even have to say what my vote is 😂. I vote for the Sequel how an elephant saved their Little. I had many scenarios of how Miss G ended up wearing diapers, mostly it was like either a mental break of sorts from having an accident in her big girl panties as an Amazon or a self punishment for going back on her promise. Not once did I imagine that it could be because they had dosed her. It probably would take a lot to effect an Amazon the same way as it does a Little, but I'm sure even a half dose of that, which is still a lot more then given to a Little and it could effect an Amazon enough. Link to comment
LGGrace Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 I'm really liking where this is going. It has shrinking as a tag, so I'm curious which big is going to end up as a little or if Paul is going to end up even smaller. I'm going to vote for option 2. There are plenty of stories where young women are treated like young children by society in the near future, but not young men. I'm always blown away by how you can crank out one well written story after another. They may not all be my cup of tea, but they are all good quality stories. Link to comment
Kat5 Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 Poor Paul has to either learn to accept her help and learn to live within his new setting, or go to a prison where he'd be in a metaphorical hell until he died in a few short years. Good luck, Paul. And good luck, Sophia! Link to comment
Operational Systems Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 Boys maturity... I'm surprised she didn't go off on the other lps agent for questioning her parenting. Sure she's not his mommy yet... Hopefully Paul opens up to Sophie. She seems legitimately caring and supportive and probably the best he can hope for. Link to comment
Baby Billy Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 I really like what you are doing with this story, personally I like seeing good Amazon caretakers that want what is best for the little in their care. Sophie's mom reminds me of the mothers in two of BabySofia's stories, old school Amazon's with their idea how to treat a little. Look forward to the next chapter. Link to comment
Kat5 Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 2 hours ago, Baby Billy said: I really like what you are doing with this story, personally I like seeing good Amazon caretakers that want what is best for the little in their care. Sophie's mom reminds me of the mothers in two of BabySofia's stories, old school Amazon's with their idea how to treat a little. Look forward to the next chapter. I am also a big fan of Amazon's that are "Well meaning and want what's best for you" regardless of whether or not you agree with them. Some Amazon are mean for the sake of having things exactly like they want and don't you dare say otherwise. And that feels uncomfortably close to reality. And even the 'Good' Amazon is still going to win out in the end when it's just you and them. But it's not in the spirit of meanness or oppression. They just want what they perceive to be the best for you. One of them warms your heart, even though you know you would hate being in that position in RL. Link to comment
Operational Systems Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 One interesting tension is that Paul might suspect he's being given "kids glove" treatment in order to get him to snitch, when really Sophie is just a good person. That the reason he hasn't been regressed yet is that he has info they need first. Convincing him she has other goals here than just getting the info will be difficult. I have high hopes for this story. Link to comment
SGTbaby Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 I really enjoyed the chapter and like how he has a family call coming soon. I do look forward to what happens when Paul learns about why she specifically got him. story idea- I would honestly be happy with option 1 or 2. Link to comment
LostBBoyBear Posted June 4 Author Share Posted June 4 Hey everyone! Glad to put out another chapter today, though I’m not sure if I’ll have the time tomorrow to post another. This has definitely been a fun story to write so far, and I can’t wait for you all to read the little twists and issues I’ve got planned for Paul and Sophia. As a reminder, the poll for my next story is still going on. As a reminder, as usual, I will post my decision of my next story during my final chapter of this story. Until then, feel free to comment here or personally message me what you want to read next. I like all the choices I am presenting, so choose what you want. For those not sure of the choices, just refer to the beginning of chapter 2. Lastly, I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter! Chapter 3: Phoning the Other Side The morning after a fight was never my favorite. I had hundreds of those moments with my mom when I was still living with her and the rest of my siblings before I left for college. I loved her, but we just never could see eye to eye on most things, but this morning’s post-fight feeling seemed different. Paul and I had a misunderstanding last night, and while he had eaten the food that I put in front of his door afterward, I was still nervous as I finished getting dressed myself this morning. Opening my door, I could see that Paul’s was still closed. It only made sense that he might still be asleep. I mean, after all, Littles usually required double the amount of sleep that we Bigs did. It was a big reason why we had them nap at least once a day. I knew I was going to have to hold off on that one aspect of Little life with Paul for the time being, but checking my watch I could see that time was already ticking by today and more sleep was a luxury we just couldn’t afford. So, I slowly knocked on Paul’s door. “Paul? It’s me, Sophie. Are you up?” There was no reply. I really didn’t want to barge into his space at this point in our relationship dynamic, but I knew he wouldn’t want to miss the call time that had been set up with his family today. So, I knocked again. “Paul? Paul? You awake?” Still no answer, and I sighed, knowing what I had to do. “Paul? I’m coming in. We don’t want to be late today to talk to your family…” With bated breath, I slowly opened his door and peeked in. Paul immediately bolted from under the covers. “Fine! Fine! I’m up, okay?” He shuffled out of bed, and I saw that he was still wearing his clothes from yesterday. It was a low moment for me already, as I quickly realized that I had forgotten to lay out his pajamas from his dresser earlier in the day. Last night hadn’t gone how I wanted, but that was still no excuse for a caregiver to lack in their duties. “I’m sorry Paul to barge in like this. It’s just… we get one slot today,” I explained carefully. “If we miss our time window with your family, it becomes really difficult to contact them again so soon today without bumping someone else off their time.” Paul sighed and nodded his head. “Fine. I get it. Just… give a guy a second more in the future to wake up, okay?” I only nodded as Paul toddled out of the room and to the bathroom. I knew I likely couldn’t keep that promise, but keeping the peace between us was more important right now than the hard truths about our living situation going forward. Before Paul closed the bathroom door, I quickly ran over. “Uh, the settings can be a bit tricky on the faucet, but ‘H’ is hot, and ‘C’ is cold…” Paul looked at me in frustration and I realized I had slipped up once more. He wasn’t regressed, so he likely already knew what the red ‘H’ and blue ‘C’ meant. “Right… uh, towels…” I looked back and grabbed one of the fluffier and light blue designs from the linen closet next to the bathroom. “Here…” Paul slowly took the towel. “Thanks…” He then looked down at his wrinkled clothing from yesterday. “Uh clothing? I think you mentioned yesterday…?” I nodded my head. “Yes, clothing. I’ll be downstairs getting breakfast together but before then; I’ll lay out three outfits on your bed. Just choose one of them and put it on.” Paul only nodded slightly and taking my cue to leave, I soon shut the bathroom door behind me as I exited. Hering the water turn on, I retreated to his room. In this house, I knew for Paul, choice was key to gaining his trust. He didn’t need to know about the hidden locks in several locations, the safety monitors that used AI software to monitor for falls or potential accidents or medical emergencies, or even the security cameras I had posted outside. For him to grow his trust in me, the house needed to be open, even if I still ensured his safety through a little control here and there. Picking his clothing was no exception. Each outfit was pretty standard Littlewear that noted a younger age bracket than strictly ‘adult,’ but each piece was also designed specifically not to look babyish. The style was certainly rarer than the traditional baby or toddler Little clothing, but I knew that Paul was likely to reject those designs if they showed even a hint of being for a regressed Little… especially when matched with a pair of training pants. Still, satisfied with the three selections, I sauntered downstairs and readied both our breakfast and my day bag. It was the start of a diaper bag, but it’s appearance and contents weren’t quite to that standard yet. If Paul did ask to see inside, I would just look like a prepared person with a bag, rather than a caregiver trying to anticipate the myriads of potential issues my Little could run into. Despite that look and my mostly open nature with him, he still didn’t need to know about the hidden compartment inside the lining holding spare training pants and some convenient wipes. Smiling at the grinning cloud designs on the pair of training pants, I sealed the pocket back up, finished packing the rest of the bag, and went back into the kitchen just in time for the toaster to pop up with our toast. Cutting fruit, making two bowls of an egg-bacon mash, I then laid it all on the table. My timing couldn’t have been more perfect as I heard the thudding of footsteps down the stairs, each one firm but discernably cautious as Paul navigated the Big-sized steps. It was another thing I told my future self to monitor closely for any signs of problems. “All fresh and ready to go?” I quickly greeted as Paul walked into the kitchen and just headed straight for his seat, still occupied by the booster he used yesterday. “Yeah… just fine…” I could see Paul waddling a little bit more than usual, and his tan pants did little to hide the bulge in them that any eagle-eyed Big could instantly recognize. To be honest, seeing that and that he had chosen the solid blue shirt and tan pants combo, filled me with joy. Underneath, and without any protest, I knew that he was wearing the sailing-themed training pants. It was a small step, but his acceptance without fuss was a big deal to me. Feeling very much the opposite of last night, it was good to see the day already getting off to a good start. Still, in seconds, it was also readily apparent to me that Paul was still uncomfortable with everything currently going on around him. While his face betrayed his previous mostly dour expression; smaller utensils, the booster seat, a capped drink of juice, and his evidently unfamiliar wearing of training pants, I could tell were all wearing a bit on his psyche and nerves. Until he said something though, I knew it was best for me to just keep quiet, even later during our drive over to the call center. Parking in the nearby garage, I guided Paul out and to the main city plaza. It was a Wednesday, so crowds were still relatively light and allowed us to see the comforting and impressive space that city planners had added in a few years ago. Tall trees, well-manicured lawns and bushes, and colorful benches and sidewalks covered most of the area. Food trucks were parked nearby and in a few hours at lunchtime, I knew the plaza would be filled with local businesses eating all around here. “Come on, Paul. We can enjoy the scenery later, but we have about thirty minutes until the call.” Paul slowly nodded and continued to follow right next to me. I could see Paul enjoyed the view and peacefulness of it all, but instead, our destination was just beyond the plaza today. The call center was only a few years old, but architects had ensured that it wouldn’t stand out too much from the rest of the city skyline, so it was an almost oddly plain-looking building. Modern for sure with its exposed steel and large glass windows, but more of an office building look than what it really was… a trans-dimensional miniature portal satellite that was responsible for thousands of calls to and from Earth and back over here every day. As we waited for the crosswalk to light up and be safe to cross, another Big woman strolled up next to us. Her hair was done up ever so precisely and I could see she was most likely one of the more elite Bigs in the city. They often kept to themselves, and if rumors were to be believed, were the main backers of the pro-Big movement in the city. Frankly, if my mom was part of their crowd, I wouldn’t have been surprised. Besides assuming that about her though, I felt we were very similar, except in one major and glaring aspect: her Little was buckled tightly into the stroller in front of her. I could see Paul’s eyes drift over to the Little, but then quickly snap back and glue themselves forward and unmoving after. Seeing the Little as well after, for someone like Paul, I couldn’t blame him. The Little was typical amongst the more regressed of our society, but faint and aged scar lines dotted much of their body. They wore little else except for a thick diaper underneath their onesie sporting the typical and highly popular ‘Cutie Pie’ slogan, complete with a slice of pie underneath it. It wasn’t horrifying necessarily, but for someone like Paul, it must have been the equivalent of the death knell of his potential future if he stayed here for very long. For most Littles, they knew the odds were never in their favor and that scenario was more of a question of when, rather than if. So, I couldn’t really blame him, even when I was likely the Big that he was now questioning in his mind about. Despite the fact that most other Bigs thought I was a bit of a softie sometimes when it came to Littles, I never believed in something like surgery at the very least. Diapers or a life of no responsibilities and pure affection from a caring Big, yes, but mutilation for decreased strength or having a Little be forced to crawl… definitely not. Still, Paul didn’t know that about me yet, and I just hoped the walk light would turn soon to move on from the likely shock and angry feelings likely bubbling up in Paul’s mind right now. He didn’t need that type of stress before talking with his family. The light eventually did turn, and fortunately the Big made a left as we made a right, soon walking up the few steps to the front entrance of the call center. Entering in, I ushered Paul to the front desk and checked in. “Sophia Beaufort and Paul Desmond checking in today.” The receptionist paused for a moment, and then had to stand up briefly to see the shorter form of Paul, who had been nearly completely hidden behind the large wooden front desk she had sat at. “I see. Appointment card or number?” I briefly panicked, but then remembered the confirmation email I had received last night and seen this morning. Taking out my phone, I showed her the number and entire email just in case. “Right here. Registered by Maxine… I think?” The receptionist nodded. “Yes, yes. All good. Let me just type, and… there. All done.” A loud printing noise could be heard, and she then handed me a long blue ticket. “Take this and go to the end of the hallway on the third floor. You will be instructed further once you are there.” I nodded, thanked her, took the ticket, and pressed Paul away from her. The elevator ride was short and the walk to the end of the hallway on the third floor was a little long, but we still got there on time. A tall brooding man was standing at the door, the subtle outline of a firearm gently tucked in at his side. “Ticket, please.” I nodded and handed him the blue ticket, which he promptly punched and then knocked on the door. “One minute!” a voice shouted back from inside. While we waited, I saw dozens of other doors and guards exactly like the one we were staring at with our own guard as well. Despite the lack of lines today, I knew this place was normally very crowded and bustling with callers needing to contact Earth for whatever reason. The door then opened, and a scrawny pale man lumbered out. “Yes? New caller today?” The guard nodded and gestured me to hand the pale man my blue ticket. I did so quickly. “Here. We’re Sophia Beaufort and Paul Desmond.” The man adjusted his glasses carefully, wiped them off, and then refocused on the upper hand corner. “Looks like you’re a few minutes early today, but let’s get you two all set up and connected anyways.” I nodded and pushed Paul inside first after the man. “Okay… let’s see. Gamma sector of Earth…” The pale man began to twist all sorts of various knobs and push an array of lit buttons. The screen in front of him came to life and I could see it focus on a state I knew from my own studies as California. “San Fernando valley, huh? Seems nice, but let’s see… ah! There they are!” I wasn’t really sure about what half his shouts and mutterings in between were about, but the screen then switched to black. It felt like a power outage for a moment, until four figures began to appear at once. The pale man then sniffed, rubbed his nose, and got up. “Reception to them will take a moment, but just wait. They’ll be on, I promise. I’ll be just outside though or getting a drink of water. Just holler if you need help.” With that, the pale man exited and left us waiting alone. Seeing as we still had a moment as the figures began to colorize and sharpen up, I turned to Paul. “Uh, just as a reminder, I’ll be talking to your family alone at some point. Just wait with the guard when that happens, but I will give you the same opportunity if you want to speak to them alone as well. Just tell me at any point when we’re speaking together and I’ll leave… no questions asked, okay?” Paul’s eyes finally unstuck themselves from the screen and nodded. “Okay. I appreciate that. It’s been…” Paul drifted off for a moment, and I could see the regret swim about his face. “It’s been a while…” I nodded and smiled warmly back. “I understand, but just remember, oh!” The picture was almost completely discernable now and I could clearly make out an older man, an older woman, a younger boy, and a girl halfway between the younger kid’s age and Paul’s age. It didn’t take a genius to realize I was looking back at his father, mother, younger brother, and younger sister, respectively. “Hello?” his father began to question to the screen. “Son? Paul? Can you hear us?” “It’s Mom and Dad, Paul,” his mother chimed in. “We’re here and we can see you. Can you see us?” “We’re here too! Me and Ronny!” his sister said cheerfully. I quickly noticed his younger brother, Ronny, was much younger and seemed to be in a foul mood. Something told me that he could be an issue today… “I can hear you all…” Paul said, his voice nearly going as far as cracking under the emotions he was likely feeling now. I decided to jump in, at least to give him a second to recuperate and recompose himself. “Hello. I’m Sophie!” I tried to stay as cheerful as I could. The only consistency with phone calls like these it seemed was their unpredictability. Some families back home swore eternal revenge against the Big helping their Little out, while others thought it could be the best thing for them. “Oh! Sophie! You’re Sophie!” his mother exclaimed. “I’m Paul’s mom! It’s so good to meet you. We found out yesterday that a caregiver had been selected for our Paul. I was thinking… but you seem…” She seemed to briefly struggle with just the right words to describe me. “Uh, more… pleasant than I was thinking.” I smirked and nodded. “Well, thank you. I know you all must have heard some nasty rumors about us Bigs, but I promise you, I’m definitely not one of the bad ones over here. I just want to keep Paul safe while he’s on this side.” “I’m very glad to hear that, Miss Sophie,” his father noted with visible signs of relief. “When we heard that Paul had been arrested… we thought the worst.” I nodded and sighed. “Very understandable, sir. There are some Bigs over here that even I wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley at night.” “Were you scared, Paulie?” his sister asked after a moment of silence between everyone. I was trying to give Paul a second to speak, but I could see that his onslaught of emotions was difficult to carry on with in that moment. Again, I wanted to hug him so badly, but again, I thought better of it. Paul shook his head. “Not at all.” I knew he was lying from what I had seen yesterday, but I didn’t want to point that out. “In fact, this place has been a breeze, well, until…” “Until you got caught,” his father interrupted him. “After your first note, we knew…” “Dad!” It was right then that I began to truly suspect that Astrid had been right about Paul, and something was definitely going on with him and the pro-Little movements around here. Going from silent and emotional to highly defensive didn’t just happen… Paul was likely trying to cover up the truth about himself. “We don’t talk about that. Remember?” “Oh, Paul… We just want to make sure you’re all right,” Paul’s father noted with worry in his eyes. “You wouldn’t believe the types of things they’re saying about that place…” He quickly looked at me in embarrassment. “Uh… sorry, Miss Sophia.” I waved my hand to show it didn’t really bother me. “No worries. I hear and see the same things all the time over here. It’s a bit of a danger zone in certain places sometimes. That’s why I’m here though. I’m keeping Paul away from all that as much as I can.” “Is it true that you all have robots and giant fruit there?” his sister then randomly questioned with genuine curiosity. “I read that in my high school science paper last week!” I smiled and nodded. “That’s actually mostly true. Our robots are still a few years away, but we definitely have some big food over here. Our watermelons are bigger than Paul in some cases even!” Her eyes widened like saucers and the rest of the family continued soon after with more questions like that. After a while of silence from Ronny though, Paul’s mother then nudged his younger, and still distant and seemingly annoyed, brother. “Don’t you have anything you want to say to your brother, Ronny? It’s been a while since we last saw him. Maybe you have a question for him?” Ronny looked up, seemingly more annoyed, but having younger siblings myself, his face soon transformed into one I knew would only spell mischief. “Are you wearin’ a diaper, Paulie?” “Ronny!” Paul’s entire family admonished the youngest sibling. “You don’t ask that sort of thing. Apologize to your brother this instance!” His mother fumed, but I could tell from each of his family’s faces, it was a question they all wanted to know. Looking back at Paul, he remained silent and clearly embarrassed. So, trying to help in my own little way, but not really thinking, I answered for him. “Nope, not at all. In fact, he’s just wearing training pants today.” As soon as the words escaped my mouth, I knew I had truly overstepped my presence. Paul and his whole family were steeped in silence and shock… until Ronny broke the tension and began laughing and pointing at Paul. I had never felt so ashamed in a single moment in all my life. “Shut up, Ronny!” Paul then snapped at his younger brother. I could see the anger in his mother’s eyes over snapping Paul snapping at Ronny like that, but before she could yell at him herself, Paul turned to me. “And you! I…” Venom and fury surged through his body, and I swore one of the veins on the side of his forehead was about to explode. “Out! I want my alone time. Now!” Ashamed over my tiny admission, despite it being true, I got up and exited the room. The guard looked at me knowingly, but thankfully didn’t say a word. Inside, I could hear a few tense words being exchanged once the door closed, but they gratefully finally leveled out after a minute or two. Standing outside like that, I felt of two minds right then. The first was that I had done right and had cut the tension of the question that Paul was in fact not wearing diapers. Second though, I knew that for humans from Earth and the unregressed Littles over here, training pants might have just as well been on the same spectrum as diapers. It was the burden of my lenience and kindness with Littles, but I knew it was the right thing to feel this guilt. After all, if I didn’t feel guilty for something minor like this, it could mean I wouldn’t feel guilty about the larger things later. Sure, I felt Paul was still headed for some regression eventually, but not to the point of the Little we had seen earlier today being pushed in a stroller. I would have bet anything that beyond even what we just saw, I doubted his language, analytical skills, coordination, or even his basic reasoning skills would have been intact either. I didn’t want that for Paul to that extent, but as a result, I was also consigned to feeling this bad about the little mistakes I made here and there as well. Some time later, the door slowly opened, and Paul looked at me straight. I could see a conflict brewing in him, but finally, he said two words. “I’m sorry…” I couldn’t tell if he truly meant them fully or not but hearing them out loud from his mouth was still music to my ears and a wash on my guilty conscience. I would still feel bad, but it was nice feeling bundled in there as well now. “Thank you, Paul. I’m sorry too.” I then peeked inside and saw the video call was still going. “Is it okay if I talk to them by myself now?” Paul didn’t say anything more, but just slowly nodded his head. Relieved and eager, I entered inside after ensuring the guard outside would keep an eye on Paul. From his casual demeanor about my request, I took it that it wasn’t the first time someone had asked him to do that. Turning back to the Desmond’s, I knew I had to make things right quickly. “I’m so sorry about what I said earlier,” I began as I took a seat in front of them again. “I really didn’t mean…” “You don’t have to apologize to us, Miss Sophie,” Paul’s mother quickly stated as I took a breath. “We should be the ones apologizing.” “No, no,” I countered. “I admitted something I shouldn’t have. It embarrassed Paul and I don’t want that to happen more than what is required by the law around here.” Paul’s father sighed. “We understand your point of view, Miss, but Paul shouldn’t have lashed out like that. I surely do hope he apologized to you.” I quickly nodded to confirm as such. “We’ve also gotten onto Ronny about his question as well.” I turned to the youngest sibling, and I could see he was worried about what was to come after this. I wondered how they punished their children on Earth these days, but my heart still reached out to the young fella. “I’m sorry you got in trouble Ronny. I didn’t mean for that to happen today.” I then turned back to the rest of the family. “But that’s also why I wanted to speak to you all without Paul here.” His family leaned in closer to the camera on their side. “See, I don’t want to keep things from Paul, but given the state of Littles over here, there are some things that he’s going to have to endure. I was hoping embarrassing questions like diapers would have waited until later, but it is what it is.” “Please, Miss Sophia… call us Mr. or Mrs. Desmond, or Dee-Dee first off, but second, are you asking us not to ask questions about our son?” Mr. Desmond fearfully asked. I rapidly shook my head. “Not at all Mr. Desmond, but instead, I want these calls to be a haven for Paul in a sense. He’s already keeping a journal to vent in that way, but I don’t want him to feel abandoned in this dimension.” His family all seemed to nod in agreement, and I felt a big burden suddenly lift off my shoulders. Some families back on Earth disowned their members over here in these types of situations, but if they wanted to continue these calls, I knew that wasn’t going to be the case. “So, what I propose is that I’m going to send you all updates on Paul at least a few times a week. It won’t be vivid details or anything like that, but I want to explain to you all what is going on upfront.” Mrs. Desmond still looked worried, but everyone seemed to agree with this strategy. “I can’t avoid some pitfalls, like the training pants, but if you all read my reports, I’m hoping you all can keep up your end and only fill these meetings with pleasant questions or recollections. Paul losing his temper like today isn’t good for anyone.” “And what if you do something we don’t like?” Mr. Desmond’s question was loaded with concern over his son’s well-being. “Well… I’ll try to steer him away from any of the big stuff that you might object to, but I don’t do things just because I get off on it.” I was blunt and I knew it could backfire, but I knew I had to be straight with them on this question. “If I see something that needs to be done, I’m going to do it.” “Like diapers?” Ronny asked. I wondered what his seeming obsession with them was, but it was a fair question at least. I nodded. “That’s right. There are dangers over here that Paul might accidentally get exposed to. I’ll try to avoid them with all my might, but if that happens, I’m sure no one wants Paul to be uncomfortable or embarrassed about something he can’t control.” Mrs. Desmond smiled broadly, and I could tell I was growing on her quickly. “Thank you, Miss Sophia. Paul means a lot to me, and it warms my heart to know that he has someone to take care of him like you are. We were so worried when he went over there to help other Littles out, and the stories he wrote to us about what he was doing…” Mr. Desmond then cleared his throat and Ms. Desmond quickly stopped talking. Again, I felt I was just on the cusp of one of them just fully admitting to the notion that Paul was indeed part of the pro-Little movement. It made sense, but I also needed proof to take back to Astrid before taking any further actions. “So, are you like his mommy now?” Dee-Dee then asked timidly after a moment of silence after I thanked Ms. Desmond for her kind words about my care of her son. Still, I nearly sighed in frustration over another heavy-hitting question, and with the kindly and clearly still-worried Mrs. Desmond in the room, I also wasn’t entirely sure how to answer it. “Well… that’s not my place to say… I’m his caregiver here at least…” I could see Mrs. Desmond’s eyes glistening in their room’s lighting. I could see she wanted to know the question just as much as her daughter did, but I could also see that she might not have been ready to hear the truth either. Then, right as I was about to say something more, a tiny red flashing light began to go off in the upper corner of the monitor. It was an instant relief to me. “Oops. Looks like we’re about out of time for today. Let me go get Paul but watch out for the email from me. It will have further instructions about future calls here and his progress as well.” I opened the door and ushered Paul back inside. “We love you, son,” Mr. Desmond said, his voice almost catching in his throat. “Please stay safe…” Mrs. Desmond tearfully added. I could tell that today was already a lot on her, but I just hoped my reports would help ease their worries a bit going forward. “Bye big bro…” Dee-Dee added. As silent as ever, Ronny only waved goodbye. I could see the emotion swelling in Paul as well and he touched the screen with his hand. “Goodbye. I don’t know when we’ll do this next, but please… try not to worry about me. I’ll be okay…” It was his last words to them as the monitor soon popped off. Our time was over, whether we wanted it to be or not. It was an hour session, but today’s mistake on my part and the frustrations and embarrassment of Paul afterward had caused more delays than I was hoping for. My hope of my reports cutting down some of those type of obstacles prevailed in my mind though. For now, though, I knew we had to just get on with our day. “Alright, Paul. Let’s get out of here. They don’t like people lingering.” Paul’s eyes glistened back at me. “Okay…” I really wanted to give him a hug, but after my stumble with mentioning his training pants, I didn’t want to strain our relationship any further. I just didn’t think he was mentally ready for that type of contact yet. Exiting the building, I could see that Paul was still a little occupied over what had just transpired. After not seeing his family for over a year, and then now only seeing them through a screen and even beyond their current dimension, I could only imagine how difficult it must have been for him. Still, despite his sullen appearance now, I retained a little hope from the meeting with his family. Even with Ronny’s slight kink in the smoothness of the meeting today, the rest of the Desmond’s seemed nice and caring people. For someone like Paul, and all the potential struggles he might have to face in the coming times with me in just society in general here, I knew it was only to be viewed as a positive step forward. The call complete, I knew it was another obstacle cleared but looking ahead at all the Bigs and regressed Littles before us lounging at the plaza today, I knew our troubles together were far from over. 11 Link to comment
Baby Billy Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 Nice chapter, I think that his family should have been a little more supportive if only for the fact that Sophie went out of her way to let him call his family. I would worry about LPS visiting more than she seems to be, I would think they would be looking for things like a crib to keep him safe at night or playpen and baby gates to keep him out of trouble. She needs to make it clear to him she is his only chance right now for his survival in this world. Link to comment
dmhinds2 Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 i will like to see you write more about strapping he into harnesses and car seats Link to comment
SGTbaby Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 There are so,e interesting tales to come for sure! Link to comment
LostBBoyBear Posted June 6 Author Share Posted June 6 (edited) Hey everyone! First, I want to thank everyone for all your likes, comments, and reading of this story. We haven’t even gotten to some of the more fun aspects of this story yet, so I’m definitely curious what you all think about those when they pop up. Next, I think I’m going to try to mostly stick to two days of posting and one day off type of routine. I think this will prevent me from getting burned out as much as has happened in the past. Don’t get me wrong, I like writing these stories, but writing and editing in the same day for weeks straight can be a little tiring. As a reminder, the poll for my next story is still going on. As a reminder, as usual, I will post my decision of my next story during my final chapter of this story. Until then, feel free to comment here or personally message me what you want to read next. I like all the choices I am presenting, so choose what you want. For those not sure of the choices, just refer to the beginning of chapter 2. Lastly, I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter! Chapter 4: Smiles But Interruptions by One Major Complication So, one accomplishment down for today, but like seemingly everything else between us, Paul and I had encountered another setback while on the call with his family. I thought I was just helping him out, denying that he wore diapers and all, but I guess for Paul, training pants weren’t much better. Any Big or regressed Little would state otherwise, but he just wasn’t there mentally yet. Still, while I thought I would be getting the cold shoulder for the rest of the day from Paul from that little slip-up on my part, I saw that he still carried the sadness of leaving his family once again. After not having seen them in almost a year, I couldn’t blame him. Honestly, I was a little relieved that his focus was diverted elsewhere, and while I also suspected that his parents had gotten on to him over yelling at me, still, I wanted Paul to be happy. So, we first stopped at the plaza, and I got us a few hot skylos and a bench to sit on while we ate them. Paul dejectedly asked for just ketchup and mustard on his, while I preferred the addition of relish as well. The hot meat between the buns was a little contrary to the already growing heat of the day, even under the shade of the many trees in the plaza, but it was nice to just sit and enjoy this part of nature for a moment. I deliberately ate slower than the still despondent Paul, but even he finished up not long after. “Taste pretty good, huh?” Paul still only nodded. While I knew I needed to get him out of his funk, I decided to rearrange our day a little. Something I hoped he might enjoy could wait. If he was going to be in his saddened state regardless, I felt that I might as well go shopping first with him to get that out of the way first. “Alright. Let’s go. You need some extra clothes if you’re going to be staying with me… unless you want to wear the onesies I have stashed away for when other Littles come to stay with me?” I playfully smiled wickedly at Paul. My tiny jest paid off as Paul’s eyes looked at me wide and with horror. “No, no. Clothes shopping instead… please.” I just smiled and nodded and guided Paul in the direction of a store I felt that he might actually find something to wear in. Carver’s Clothing catered more towards and Middles and Bigs, but I knew they had also started selling a selection of Little’s clothing as well. It still wasn’t much and was almost regarded as a secret to most of the Little community, but for most Littles looking in to blend in better with most of Aprisium society without having snaps in their pants or a cartoon character on their shirt, it was the best place to go within the city limits so far. “Okay, let’s find you something to wear,” I said to Paul as we walked in. From his continually pausing steps and shifty eyes, I could tell he was very nervous with the other Bigs browsing about in the store, but a gentle guiding hand behind his back from me eventually got us over to the Little’s selection. “Money isn’t really a problem with the government stipend I’m getting as well as my own salary, so choose what you want.” Paul then started to look at the clothing. As he did so, I saw that his face was a mix of relief and discontent as well. I knew the clothing wouldn’t be the envy of every fashion guru out there, but as my eyes drifted out of the store and to Littles R Us just across the way, Paul also likely knew that this was about as good as it was going to get for him. Passing Little R Us as we came to this store, I couldn’t help but feel the pull of that place to enter and just get one or two things. Besides the stigma of catering to regressed Littles though, the store was actually pretty decent, and as advertised, met all Little needs. After all, a Little didn’t need to be a newborn mentally to benefit from diapers or something like the booster seat that Paul was even now using himself. Still, with Paul in tow today, I knew I couldn’t risk him freaking out if I even so much as mentioned we were going there instead of here. “Uh… Sophie?” Paul asked tentatively. I realized I had been drifting a smidge and looked back down at my Little. His arms were full of clothing, but I saw a look of panic cross his face. “Is everything okay? Are you done?” While his arms were still full, there were still only about three full outfits there. He needed more and I likely knew that he knew that as well. I was confused… until I saw his face flush with embarrassment and his body squirm a little bit on the spot. Any caregiver worth their salt knew that type of movement. “Oh… that’s okay. Just give the clothing to me first.” Paul seemed mortified that his bathroom needs were so evident to me, but he still quickly handed me the clothing. I then set what he had chosen high on one of the hooks, knowing we would be back soon to collect it and continue our shopping. Then after, I quickly guided him to the back of the store where the bathroom was. I had been here before and had purchased my brother a nice sweater for his birthday last year. While I was checking out up front, another Little was in here, though was clearly here more because of their Daddy’s needs than their own. Before I finished, however, the Little was rushed to the bathroom by their Daddy, but apparently didn’t make it in time. Despite my surging feelings to help Paul more as a Little in that way, I was also determined that he wasn’t going to have an accident in public today. Fortunately, Paul was still unregressed, and after I guided him to the men’s room, I stood outside and listened in as closely as I could without being too nosy. I really hated leaving him alone in that way, but if the men’s room was anything like the women’s, there was no way he could escape me from inside, and I was also standing vigilant on this side of the door to protect him at a moment’s notice. I knew it wouldn’t be like this forever, but it was still only our first full day together. Paul could accept some aspects of Little life but considering his reaction to my admittance of his training pants earlier, I knew his bathroom habits were still a long way off as far as my involvement with them went. Regardless, I soon heard a flush and the sink running. No crying and curses meant that Paul had successfully avoided an accident, and I could even see a look of satisfaction across his face when he exited, and we walked back to finish browsing for his new clothing. I could have mentioned how cute he was to be so proud of using the potty, but I decided better against it. About 30 minutes later, Paul was finished with his selection of clothing, and while I could have pushed for a few younger-looking designs, Carver’s Clothing also knew just how to balance childish with adult patterns. Back on Earth, Paul might have even received a few odd looks in certain places, but I knew here, he would look nearly ancient compared to some of his fellow Littles. Still, despite our success in the clothing store without any fuss, I could see that Paul could still use some cheering up. Thinking about what I knew about him, I felt that I could play off his apparent smarts as maybe an olive branch in our relationship dynamic. “We probably need to head out soon to get back so I can make dinner, but how about we stop someplace first? I was thinking… maybe a bookstore?” Pau’s eyes instantly lit up and I could tell I had made the right decision. Knowing downtown Aprisium like I did, I knew that old man and self-titled store, Oliver’s Bookshop, was perfect for our purposes today. Leading Paul down a few streets and even almost back to our car, we arrived in front of the shop. While the outside, save for the window of the most popular recent books on the market, looked very much like every other building downtown, the inside was very different. Filled with old scents of parchment and book bindings, it was a haven for any such like-minded bookworm. The likely thousands of books crammed into every corner in here covered any topic ranging from Littlecare to mathematics to recipes to especially the more fanciful titles meant for Littles. “Good morning… Sophie was it, right?” old man Mr. Oliver asked, squinting at me behind his glasses as he did so. He was notorious for keeping more in line with the old ways as much as he could, and despite the fact that everyone knew he could have corrected his vision years ago, his need for glasses almost added to the atmosphere of his store as well. I smiled and nodded. “Yes, sir, Mr. Oliver. It’s me. Back again, but this time, I’ve got a special guest with me.” Paul, too starstruck with his obviously discovered happy place, remained stuck firm to the ground, so I gently guided the gawking Little in front of me. “Mr. Oliver… this is Paul.” Mr. Oliver then peered over his large wooden desk and looked down at Paul, past his rimmed glasses balanced on his nose, his wiry gray hair bouncing as he did so. “Good evening, sir. Are you a scholar? A man of books, perhaps?” Paul nodded. “I love books!” His face soon clouded over though. “But I’m not sure if you all would have anything for a Little… uh, for someone like me…” I could see the despairing reality that Paul was coming to that even in a supposed place of safety and haven for him, he was still in a society heavily biased against him. “Hmmm…” I could instantly tell however that Mr. Oliver saw Paul as a challenge to his skills perhaps. He never wanted to turn anyone away, but even after all my years of coming here, I wasn’t even sure that he was up to this task today. Like always though, he soon surprised me. “Let’s see… How about… Oh God! That one might read the book of fate, and see the revolution of the times…” Paul’s mouth nearly fell on the floor. “That’s… that’s…” he couldn’t finish his thought. It seemed like a nice quote, but I had no idea where it came from. “Shakespeare, Henry IV,” Mr. Oliver confirmed. Even with my lack of knowledge on every earth detail knew who Shakespeare was. “Indeed, young sir. I know his works well. One of the betters coming from your dimension I would say…” His bony finger then pointed to the back stacks in his shop. “Through there and a left at the atlases. I have a whole section on Earth books now.” Paul didn’t need any other motivation, and after a quick nod from me, he sped off. “Thank you!” His giddy voice echoed off the stacks and I turned around with a grateful smile to Mr. Oliver. “I can’t thank you enough for that, Mr. Oliver. You really do always know what people want.” My mom had brought us in here when I was 8 years old, and I couldn’t stop coming here at least once a year since even when I briefly went away for college. Admittedly though, when I had the time, I had come in here at least every two weeks. Mr. Oliver’s near-mystic smile soon vanished though. “Sophie… I remember you better now… especially since I can see you better. Always trying to help the local Littles with one book or another from my store. So, just what do you think you’re doing with young master Paul, might I ask, huh?” I could hear the disapproval echoing off his voice, so I shook my head in denial. “Honest, sir. I’m just trying to help him until he can get back home… nothing more…” Mr. Oliver still didn’t seem satisfied. “I hear your words, but I’m not sure about your heart…” I looked at him questioningly for a moment. “It’s very simple, Sophie. You are a woman Big. I’m not biased. It’s simply a matter of biology with Littles… portal Littles even more so in fact. Just see Dr. Lydia Summerset’s research study from five years ago.” He paused and looked at me even closer with his now-squinted eyes. “Can you honestly tell me that you haven’t felt something for Paul by now?” My silence told him all he needed to know. “That’s what I thought…” He sighed and then turned on his at least ten-year-old computer. “Let’s see what I have in stock today… I think you could use some help here.” I wanted to protest, but Mr. Oliver looked back directly at me through his shimmering but partly dusty glasses. “You are strong and smart, Sophie, but the instincts of all turn the world often enough… and not always for the best.” He was always quoting his favorite authors, and I used to be able to name each and every one of them, but that was years ago now. Instead, today, Mr. Oliver just smirked and went back to his computer. “Ah, yes. I have two recommendations. Be sure to look at both… They each have their own purpose.” He then scribbled some things down on a spare piece of paper, which I promptly took and began my search for them. Over the years, I always just took whatever he recommended. I hadn’t been disappointed since. The first of his recommendations was a book called Jason and the Grapevine. It seemed simple enough and advertised that it contained dozens of pictures, and while at first that I thought that Paul would never accept me reading the book to him, I then started to look inside. There, however, I found pages and pages filled with colorful illustrations but long lists of text as well. It was wonderful and seemingly both mature and immature to satisfy both our needs. I then found the next book, but Paul suddenly came up from behind me. “Can I get these two?” he asked rather cutely with his wide eyes staring back up at me. I looked down and while one of them seemed to be about some Earth revolutionary, the other seemed more in line with what he later called ‘science fiction.’ Seeing both as rather harmless in their own small ways, I hid my own second book in my arms behind the others and went to check us out. Mr. Oliver was pleased with our selections, and his smile never faded. Exchanging pleasantries as we left, he left us with a few parting words of wisdom. “Books are the keys to entirely different worlds or mindsets. Have your hearts open and don’t be afraid. The words will guide you the rest of the way.” Thanking him, Paul and I both left and went back to our car, books firmly in tow, along with the clothing that Paul had selected. Overall, it was a good day, and even as Paul drifted off a little in the car, I felt that nothing could go wrong tonight at this point. As we later turned up in our driveway, though, I realized just how wrong I was. “Mom?” I questioned the validity of what my eyes were seeing once I turned off the engine and stepped out of my car. It was true that it was her car, her clothing, and her body standing before me, but it still couldn’t be her. She had always announced her arrival previously and she was a creature, yes, creature, of habit. “Wh… what are you doing here?” She smiled and came over to give me a giant hug. “Oh! Is that anyway to speak to a new grandma, huh? You got a new Little, honey. You can’t just expect me to stay at home and not celebrate with you all!” I was right then that I remembered my mom’s final words from last night, ‘Well, I’m sure I’ll find out soon.’ I guess that was her way of announcing her impending trip over to my house. I didn’t like it, but knowing her like I did, I guess I should have expected it. She had been waiting for today for years now and thoughtful communication and discussion was likely not the first thing on her mind. Still, even knowing that, I had to say something to her. “Mom…” I could feel my stomach falling right to the ground. “Celebration? I don’t know… I’m not ready and you really should have cal…” “Nonsense! You’re a new mommy. Must be tons of stress and sleepless nights, so take it from an old pro; rely on those around you.” I almost questioned her sanity, as if she was imagining that there were other people here, but her gesture to my front porch showed that both my brother and sister were here as well. “Hey sis…” my sister said with some hesitancy, something squirming and hiding behind her legs though. We didn’t always see eye to eye, but we usually formed a pretty good pair against my mom. Might have won outright against her too, if it wasn’t for… “Hey, you big goober!” my brother then exclaimed. He almost seemed weird now without wearing his usual suit since he had joined the Amazon Bureau of Investigation, or ABI as most of us called it. “Heard you got yourself a Little finally. Guess you just couldn’t stand me beating you out again, huh?” I rolled my eyes. “No. Just helping a Little out…” My mom and brother scoffed, and after letting them in to set up, I went back to retrieve Paul. Inside, I could see he was clearly panicking and hadn’t yet let himself out. “Okay, look… I have no idea how tonight is going to go, but we can’t just stay out here. I’ll make an excuse and we can go upstairs next to take a breath, okay?” Paul nodded, but likely still too mortified about everything, I actually had to unfasten him and help him out of the car. It would have been cute… if I didn’t know my family’s sudden arrival was to blame. Inside, my family was already busily running about and unloading their brought dishes all over my kitchen. Seeing my chance, I shouted out to them. “I think Paul could use a change of shirt. We’ll be right back!” “No worries,” my mom called back. “You take care of the little one… we’ll take care of the rest down here!” I didn’t like it, but as we walked upstairs, I was entirely thankful that I had cleaned up around here after I had gotten the initial caregiving approval call the other night. The last thing I wanted was for my mom to start nitpicking all the dirtiness about where I lived. I previously had to remind her that not everyone had a maid. Regardless, upstairs, I guided Paul into his room and pulled out a more juvenile shirt with blue and white stripes. It was still mature from Paul’s perspective, but I knew my mom would have less objections over that one than the solidly colored shirt right he was sporting now. “Put this on. Quick! I don’t know how long we have to talk before they get suspicious.” Paul nodded and ducked in his closet and out of my view. “What the heck are they doing here? Did you invite them?” I could hear the rage and panic welling up inside of his voice. “No, definitely not! I think it’s just my mom,” I admitted. “She’s very pushy about these things, and because of that, I need you to just go with whatever happens tonight. I’ll help you out as much as I can, but don’t fight back. If you do…” I didn’t want to finish the thought and make my Little even more nervous than he clearly already was. “Just take some deep breaths and try to hold out for me, okay?” Paul seemed too stunned for words as he left the closet wearing his new shirt. “I promise this… first, I’ll protect if something should happen, but second, if you do well, my mom will be happy and leave us alone after today. If that happens, I will be very grateful, and we can do something extra special tomorrow.” “Extra?” I could see Paul’s mind ticking away over what I truly meant by that. I nodded. “Right. Extra special. I was already going to do something special, with you going to daycare the day after and all. But now… it’s going to be extra special.” I could see that going to daycare was about the last thing that Paul wanted to hear right then, but I knew we had larger fish to fry tonight. My mom was certainly a menace, and even as I dreaded her presence downstairs, I knew it was just for one night. “Ready?” Paul nodded slowly, but all this was still something that he was willing to play along with for at least one night. So, with that, we both entered the fray once more back downstairs. “Hey! Look who decided to show themselves,” Julian, my younger brother shouted out as soon as he saw me. “Oh! Oh, oh, oh! Come here, you little munchkin!” My mom nearly tackled me to the ground getting to Paul. For his part, he just stood there. “Gentle, mom. Gentle. He’s still new to all this.” But I could see that my mom was only half-listening to me still. My sister, Chloe, saw my need for assistance. “Hey mom. Help me get this five-layer dip out,” she noted, giving me a little half-smile at the same time. “I think Julian might have gotten one of the layers mixed up.” “What?” my mom suddenly exclaimed, taking a second to stop prodding Paul. She was nothing if not a perfectionist when it came to the presentation of foods at parties. She was a socialite with several of her friends still coming over for weekend parties and her immaculate dishes were the talk of the city in certain circles. I always got an invitation to join with them… I always turned it down though. “Not one finger! I’m coming!” The celebration continued after and I tried to steer my family as much as I could away from Paul, but there was only so much I could do. If my mom wasn’t prodding him constantly or trying to hug him, Julian was talking to him like he was an actual baby. My mom was inexcusable by now, even though it was just something I had come to expect from her after all these years with Littles. My brother though… I wondered if it was just his own lack of experience with Littles. He loved them in his own way, but he was usually used to dealing with the more regressed ones… not those like Paul, who were very much too mature for such games as peekaboo. After Julian’s fifth attempt at playing the babyish game with Paul, I could see my Little was getting to the boiling point of his patience. He had practically been a statue the whole night, but as soon as I saw his little hand clench into a tight and angry fist ready to strike, I knew I had to do something. The problem was, I just wasn’t sure what. Fortunately, my sister knew me very well, and could see my stress levels rising steadily. My mom was distracted with creating a plate from all the food for Julian while talking about her opinions on modern Littlecare, so taking advantage, I quickly mouthed the word, ‘help’ over to her. She only nodded with a smile. “Hey! You know what mom?” My mom paused and stood up and turned to my sister. “How about your two grandchildren go outside and play for a bit?” I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of that myself. I hadn’t seen Chloe’s Little’s, Alice, diaper bag anywhere, but knowing Chloe and her views on Littles, I felt pretty confident now that she was hiding it somewhere. Alice was a portal Little as well and Chloe had made sure to treat her with as much respect as she could, so despite being diapered, the two tried more often than not to keep that as secretive as they could. “Oh! That’s a wonderful idea.” My mom was no doubt thinking of their cuteness playing outside, but Chloe and I both knew better. In truth, we were giving them a sanctuary to hide away if they chose to. So, soon after calling out to her, Alice bounded in and immediately snatched Paul’s hand away. She knew the drill, even if Paul didn’t. He looked back at me in desperation, but I just mouthed ‘it’s okay’ to him. It wasn’t much, but he seemed to give in a little more… especially as Alice began to whisper in his ear. I could only guess what she was telling him now. As my mom then gave Julian his plate of food as he was getting off the floor from where he had been poorly playing with Paul, Chloe made her way over to me. Our mom soon made her way outside and Chloe took advantage of us being alone now. “Was that okay?” I quickly nodded. “Thank you so much, sis. I could see that Paul was ready to snap at Julian. I think I might have a talk with him.” “Please do,” my sister implored. “I think Chloe is getting used to it, but another person against mom’s ways would be really nice.” She then looked outside the window with me, and we both saw Alice and Paul already laughing together. “It will be good for them. Alice too…” “She still having trouble with other Littles?” Chloe quickly nodded and I sighed. Alice had been kidnapped originally when she was here on vacation down in Louisianum after being tricked by a fellow Little. She had been rescued but had also been discarded on the streets soon after up here. That’s about when I found her last year and then had set her up with Chloe. They had been inseparable ever since. “I’m sorry to hear that but thank you again for doing that for me.” We talked a little more after that, but as my mom soon began to venture over to Paul and Alice, Chloe promised to tail her as well to keep them relatively safe. It just left me and my brother in my house. “Julian? You have a minute?” I asked my younger brother. He nodded as he forked another heaping of pasta salad into his mouth. I sighed but continued. “Look… I know you’ve been close with mom for years. Closer than Chloe or I...” “And whose fault is that?” he said, gulping another bite down. “If you two could just…” “Julian!” I used the same tone as I did when we were younger, like the time where he had drifted off when I was trying to hold his hand to cross the sidewalk. “Don’t start with mom… please, but also… don’t be like her, okay?” “You mean rich and successful?” he asked, clearly joking with the goofy smile plastered over his face. I grimaced at his look. “I’m serious, Julian. I know you haven’t had much time with Littles like Paul… and that’s not your fault, but for me at least… can you treat him different than how you have been?” Julian quickly looked hurt. “Am I doing something wrong? Is he secretly not a Little or something? Should the ABI be made aware…?” He was rapidly turning into his ABI self, and I quickly put my finger up to his lips to stop his questioning. Paul was an asset to LPS, but I needed Julian to listen to other more important things tonight as well. “He’s important, Julian, but yes, he’s a Little. However, he’s also not regressed. I mean, peekaboo, Julian?” He shrugged his shoulders and I sighed. “Fine then… how would you feel if someone played peekaboo with you?” “Not great I guess…? Oh…” His face quickly and gratefully registered the realization of what I was trying to get across to him. “Yes.” I could see a look of confusion quickly cross his face. “If you want to interact with him still… how about you just talk to him like you would any other Little?” I could see his face look at me in amazement over likely reading what he was thinking just then. He always seemed to forget that I was in an agency myself at one time and received the same training that he had. “You think that would work?” he asked with some hope. I nodded. “I do. Take it slow but get to know him… Chloe too for that matter.” Julian was more hesitant with her, but I eventually got him to come around as well. Just as we finished our talk with a nice hug though, everyone else came in. “Everything okay?” I asked openly. “Ih got dark, Aunty Sophie!” Alice exclaimed. “Mommy says we aren’ awowed to pway when iss dark out!” “Ah… I see…” I looked outside and saw just how truly dark my backyard was. “I’m sorry about that. I guess I need to fix that now, don’t I?” Alice quickly nodded. “I wouldn’t want any reason for my favorite niece not to come over here!” “Buh’ I’m your onwy niece!” Alice correctly pointed out. It was just a joke, but my mom clearly only had one thing on her mind. “For now…” she said cooly while looking at Julian. Most of just rolled our eyes, but the party continued like that for a while longer. I even tried to keep my eye on Paul, but Alice just had to share with me about her week. Not wanting to disappoint her, I turned my attention away from Paul… just for a moment. I honestly didn’t realize it at the time though until Chloe tapped me on the shoulder. “Sophie?” I turned and looked up at my younger sister from my position closer to the ground where I had been listening to Alice. “You know mom’s got Paul, right?” My eyes bulged and my heartbeat increased rapidly. “What? Where are they?” Now, it was Chloe’s turn to panic as well, seeing that it actually hadn’t been my intention to leave Paul unsupervised around my mom. I searched high and low, but ultimately, I just found them sitting together in my family room in one of the larger chairs in there. Seeing as he wasn’t in any immediate danger, I decided to give my mom a single chance with him. Maybe Paul, in his mature and calm ways, could change her mind about Littles, so I just watched. Everything seemed to be going fine with the two of them. Paul even laughed at one point, but then I saw him squirm. It was the same squirm I had seen earlier today at Carver’s Clothing. I knew he was in trouble, so I walked calmly over to them… but Alice momentarily blocked my path. It wasn’t a big deal at first, but I then saw my mom’s hand snake to Paul’s butt and thighs… clearly checking for a diaper. “Hey!” Paul shot back at her. “I’m an adult! You don’t get to touch me there. Period!” It was a single refusal, but my mom was the epitome of an old school Big from the elite classes of our society. Some old school Bigs from middle and lower classes tended to be more open-minded with Littles, but my mom was anything but that. So, a refusal from a Little to a Big was just purely unacceptable. For her, there was only one course of action. In seconds, her hands flew faster around Paul then I knew they could move anymore, and he was soon splayed over her lap. Seeing exactly what was about to happen, I dashed over to them, but I was too late. Before I could hoist Paul away from my mom’s iron grip, her hand rained down seven rapid-fire spanks to his bottom. “Mom!” I shouted, now cuddling a clearly emotional Paul in my arms. I was honestly surprised over how rapidly his emotions had gone to pieces and that he was allowing me to hold him, but my mom was the bigger concern right now. “How could you do that? To my Little no less?” “Me?” she asked incredulously. “What about you? Leaving a Little undiapered like that? Just what kind of caregiver are you? What kind of mommy let’s their Little go around without any sort of protection? I know I raised you better than that!” “Something like that is up for me to decide, Mom. Not you!” I swayed Paul a little more, and despite my hatred of my mom right then, I couldn’t help but be a little happy that he was clinging on to me for safety. Still, the way it got to this point was simply unacceptable. “As if, dear. I’m your mom! I’ve done all this before, with you and your siblings or other Littles alike.” I could feel the pride she felt for being a mother oozing off her wording. “Helpless babies need to be treated as such. You wouldn’t just leave a baby unprotected, would you? I mean, do you give a new baby coming over to your house the chance to go potty by themselves? Or would you make sure they were wearing a diaper?” I hated her old-fashioned logic. It made sense to a point, but it was missing one critical component. Paul wasn’t a baby… he was a Little. There was a difference. “He’s a Little, mom. Not a helpless baby.” My mom scoffed. “Right… like you would know more than me about something like that, huh?” I couldn’t believe she had just gone there. One had to read between the lines a bit, but she had still said it. On one hand, I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised, but on the other… she had brought up the one subject that modern Big women hated the most: a lack of children. Stemming from some old post-war issue, most modern women had difficult becoming pregnant... which was on top of that whole notion of less men in society now. I mean, my brother hadn’t left one relationship of his in the past five years apparently without at least one marriage proposal, but for my mom to bring this touchy subject up now? I felt an ache over my whole body over what was likely never to be. “Mom!” Chloe yelled at her. “Why would you even say something like that?” She knew the implications of what my mom had said as well. My brother remained uncomfortably silent, but I saw that it was just hitting my mom over what she had truly just said. “Sophie… I’m sor…” “Get out!” I shouted. My mom tried to approach me, but feeling the hot sting of tears already begin to eclipse my eyes, I didn’t want to hear her anymore tonight. “I said get out!” My mom then left my house quickly, and my brother followed her. “I’m sorry, sis,” he said apologetically at the door. “I’ll make sure she gets home okay and thanks for the advice from earlier, but I really am sorry…” I only could nod right then as the door closed behind him. Just then, Alice had wandered back in. She had fled when the spanking had first started. If I had to guess, she was likely still traumatized by whatever cruelties she had witnessed there, firsthand or otherwise. “Is evwythin’ okay?” I sniffed and nodded, before setting Paul down while Chloe answered her. “It’s okay, sweetie. Grandma just had to leave… Maybe you and Paul could go off for a few minutes before we go?” Chloe rapidly nodded happily, and Paul soon toddled after her. I was at least glad that he wasn’t traumatized over something like what had just happened to him. Once they were gone though, my sister ran over to me and gave me a big hug. “Screw her, Sophie. She didn’t mean it but screw her for what happened tonight.” I sniffed and let out a few tears before backing away from her hug. “Yeah, but I mean… shit! She just couldn’t give me one… just one good night!” Chloe nodded and sighed. “Yeah… I’ll try and work with Julian on getting her worn down a bit. She can’t stay like this… especially with all the pro-Little changes around here now. She’s going to get left behind… or into trouble…” “I just…” I was still finding it hard to form words. “What do I do, Chloe? I was hoping to get further with Paul today… to have a full actual good day with him, but then this… I don’t know anymore. I mean, she’s mom, but…” Chloe sighed and I could see her equal frustration with our mom as well. “I know. Trust me… I know.” Chloe then leaned back against the wall and sighed. “Remember when I first got Alice?” I did and it had put me off getting a Little of my own until I started applying recently and had gotten Paul. “Remember, it took mom a month just to stop badgering me about giving her surgeries to regress her even further. She was fragile enough as it was!” Even after over a year now, I could still the see the pain from our mom’s words to her back then though. With things like that, it was hard to come to terms with the notion that your own mom was the very evil you were battling against on a daily basis back at work. Chloe worked for portal services, so she knew the state of things just as well as I did. It was depressing like no other, but with her as my confidant, I at least felt a little better after talking it all out. “Thank you, Chloe. I appreciate being able to talk to you about these things.” “Hey, it’s what sisters are for, right?” I nodded and we both hugged. Seeing the time though, Chloe soon collected Alice and retrieved her hidden diaper bag from my front closet. “Thanks for stopping by you two,” I cheerfully said as they walked out the front door, Alice’s eyes already drooping as she was held in Chloe’s arms. “I’m sorry about tonight, but also, how about this? Let’s meet up tomorrow,” Chloe proposed. “I’m free, and so is Alice. How about you two?” Seeing as I hadn’t heard a single complaint from Paul about being with Alice today and that Chloe and I were on the same page in our frustrations about our mom, I felt it was a great idea. “Sounds good to me. We’re both free as well, but I can just text you tomorrow morning with the details.” Chloe nodded and quickly departed in her vehicle, both of us seemingly satisfied with how we ended things at least. Then, going back inside, I saw the mess that had been left. Chloe had helped a little in the end while we had been talking, but after the third yawn from Alice as she and Paul had waited patiently for us to finish up, I told her to go home, so now, all the rest was left to me. Paul remained ever silent as he read one of the books he had purchased today, and I worried about how he was truly doing. I could see him occasionally rubbing his clearly sore butt, but not wanting to embarrass him about it and to just give him some peace, I decided not to bring it up. Again, I felt I was about to burst from my desire to hug him, but again, I stopped myself. Soon though, even with his more mature self, I could see Paul begin to drift off. I took that as my cue to strike. “Alright, I think that’s just about enough of a day, don’t you think?” I could see the fight in Paul a little, but he eventually only nodded and yawned at the same time. Taking my cue, I went upstairs with him. Like last night, he remained sadly quiet, but I was at least happy that as he changed into his pajamas that I showed him, brushed his teeth, and washed his face, he didn’t shut me out. It was a small but happy step between the two of us, even as he slid into bed alone. “Goodnight, Paul. I hope tomorrow is better… I’m really sorry about tonight and…” Paul shook his head, but I could tell that his need for sleep soon was catching up to him rapidly. “S’ okay… you kept your… promise…” He paused for a moment. “That’s wha’… matters…” Barely able to keep his eyes open, I just smiled and closed his door for him. I decided to leave his light on and let him turn it off by himself. If he passed out though, it would automatically shut off after five minutes of no movement from inside the room. I appreciated the feature with his room, but there was also a tiny part of me that was sad that I didn’t do it myself. It would have been a nice way to end my day, but I felt that Paul just wasn’t ready for that today. My mom and the call with his family earlier had been enough turmoil for one day without me sticking my neck into the mixture. One day, things would be different, but for now, I just had to settle for his satisfaction that I had kept my promise to help him. Still with a little time before my own bedtime, I decided to head downstairs and sit in my large comfy chair I normally read in. Opening the book Mr. Oliver had suggested, I started to eagerly read Understanding Your Little: A Guide for Caregivers Regarding the Stages They Go Through. Each page was more fascinating than the last, and five chapters in, I was hooked. It wasn’t much, but as the information was pulled into my brain, I couldn’t help but smile and feel a giddy anticipation of what was to come. Paul wasn’t ready for some of the things that the book listed, but I now had a few ideas of where to start… including an idea for tomorrow. Edited June 17 by LostBBoyBear Edited on 17 June: Change to book given to Sophie 10 Link to comment
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