Chapter Six

Sunday June 8th: 8:06

“Teddy…” Charlie’s gentle voice coaxed, shaking him awake by the shoulders. “Teddy! It’s time to get up!”

Theodore blearily opened his eyes, his little brother’s smiling face slowly coming into focus. He frowned, vaguely remembering the events of the previous night. A wave of regret came over him like a tsunami as he remembered each embarrassing emotional outburst, his contrition only compounded by the genuine brotherly look of adoration on Charlie’s face. It certainly didn’t seem like he was holding a grudge. The bitter hormone-fueled envy that had fuelled Theodore before now seemed entirely alien to the boy, as if all the angst and rancor had been drained out of him overnight. Why had he been so angry? And why had he pulled that awful prank? And why had he said all those terrible things?

He let out a moan, a little surprised by the childish treble tone of his voice. Blinking, he sat up in his bed, looking around in confusion at the guest room. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but something was definitely off. Suddenly struck with a strange unbidden sense of fear, he brought his small spindly arms up around to hug his own chest, surprised to find the fox stuffie nestled snugly in his lap.

“Are you alright?” Charlie asked in concern, going right ahead and putting a hand up against his forehead as if to check his temperature. “You’re acting kinda weird.”

“I’m not weird…” Theodore objected, cringing again at the sickly sweet syrupy pitch with which he’d spoken. Feeling like he’d got something stuck in his throat, he coughed, holding up a small pudgy hand to his smooth girlish throat. He shifted where he sat, a cacophony of strange sensations overwhelming his senses. Why was Charlie looking at him like that? And what was that strange feeling between his legs? And why was everything so…big?

As he stared towards the large full length mirror on the door, the inescapable conclusion hit him like a freight train. There were his bright watery blue eyes, framed between a round apple red cheeks and a pudgy pug nose - staring gormlessly at his brother. There was his curly mop of hair, now entirely blond, styled adorably into messy caramel tufts. There was his stripey blue and white button-up pajama top, wrinkled and disheveled from his restless tossing and turning throughout the night. There was no denying it. He’d gotten younger again. Much younger - his new body no more than five or six years old.

“You’re not sick are you?” Charlie continued. “Mom’ll be pretty disappointed if we can’t go to the ceremony.”

Theodore was taken aback, the mention of a ceremony throwing him for a loop. “Wh-what day is it?” he squeaked.

“Sunday.” Charlie answered. “But we’ve got to go to your school, remember? For the graduation?”

Graduation? Theodore snapped his head around to look at the alarm clock, the digital display in the corner confirming that it was indeed Sunday the 8th of June - just like it had been yesterday. But surely that was impossible? Then again, he’d thought getting younger was impossible too.

“I have to talk to Mom!” the boy demanded, scrambling out of bed.

He felt a cold air brush against his little legs as he crawled out from under his covers, letting out an embarrassed squeak at the sight of the thick crinkly pair of Goodnites strapped around his waist. Even worse, they seemed to be wet, a vague yellow stain and a slight sag clearly communicating his nocturnal accident to his now big brother. Whatever strange technology was causing Theodore’s regressions, it had got the details perfect - right down to the smallest humiliation. Theo really had wet the bed up to the age of seven. Of course, the first time around, he’d gotten over it before his little brother had arrived on the scene. Completely humiliated by the exposure, Theodore froze still under Charlie’s gaze, certain he would make fun of him.

“Oh, is that why you were acting so weird?” Charlie commented nonchalantly, nodding at the soiled protection.

“It’s not my fault!” Theodore instantly blurted out defensively.

Charlie just shrugged. “I know.” he said, seemingly confused why Theo was just standing there staring at him. “What, you need help or something?”

Theodore felt his cheeks burn bright hot chili red, so embarrassed he thought he might pass out. “NO!” he exclaimed, and with that he sprinted from the room, making for the safety of the bathroom.

***

To say Theodore's morning had been a whirlwind would be the understatement of the century. The most jarring thing this time around had been how all over him his Mother had been. He had only just gotten the sodden Goodnite off before she had burst through the bathroom door with his outfit already in hand.

“How's my big kindergarten graduate,” she cooed, grabbing him and delivering a flurry of kisses to his cheeks.

“Mom stoooop,” Theodore mewled as he peeled himself away from her, flustered and red faced from the sudden onslaught of affection, before remembering he was naked from the waist down! The sudden realization caused him to let out of yip of embarrassment as he covered himself.

“Now let's get you looking all spiffy for your ceremony today,” Mom said, not giving an ounce of thought for Theodore's desire for some modesty.

Thankfully, the first thing she pulled out of the pile of clothes was a pair of underwear, which Theodore snatched up immediately - only realizing they were decorated with cutesy little race cars that had big stupid smiles on their faces upon pulling them up to his waist. Theodore could only shake his head a little. In the end, he vastly preferred them to nothing - or the crinkly underwear he had woken up in. She then got him dressed in a similar pair of navy blue chinos like he had worn the previous day - despite Theodore's protest that he was capable of dressing himself. He may be a little kid now, but he wasn't so little that he needed her help with such a task.

“Oh I know you're a big boy, but I need to make sure you look absolutely perfect for today,” Mom had said as she threaded his arms through the sleeves of a light blue button up shirt.

Once she had the buttons done up, she turned towards the sink, giving Theodore a moment to breathe. He looked down to see an embroidered Cookie Monster positioned on his right breast waving back at him. Theodore scrunched up his face a little, yet didn’t have time to dwell on his positively kiddy attire as his Mom then turned back around with a spray bottle in hand, giving his hair a spritz before attacking it with a brush. Theodore let out little moans and yips every time the brush got caught on a snag.

“Oh I just don't think we are going to be doing anything with those curls of yours,” Mom finally said, before ushering Theodore out of the bathroom.

Down at breakfast, the embarrassment did not let up as Mom had tied a washcloth around Theodore's neck as a makeshift bib. Theodore had protested loudly that he didn't need a bib only to be met with a quick shush from his Mom - explaining that she didn't want him accidentally dribbling any milk onto his nice shirt.

Ewan had wasted no time in making some snide remarks about it before being shut down by some threats from Jessica. It was apparent to Theodore that his status as Ewan's cool older cousin had been completely flipped now. Ewan's remarks had cut Theodore, leaving him red faced as he hid his face into his arms onto the table.

“Don't listen to him,” Charlie had whispered, patting Theodore on the back. “You're going to be in first grade. Nobody can say you're a baby now.” Theodore however had found little solace in the reassuring words of his former little brother. The indignity of it all was too much to bear, especially coming from Charlie of all people.

Theodore now found himself sat in the auditorium at his old Elementary school, sitting next to the rest of the soon to be kindergarten graduates. All of them were dressed to the nines with mini graduation caps on their heads as parents darted about trying to get the best angle for their photos as the ceremony proceeded. Theodore could see Uncle Rob standing near the back, using his impressive height to record a video capturing every mortifying moment.

“Okay parents,” one of the kindergarten teachers said, taking the microphone. “Now comes the part of the ceremony where our wonderful scholars will get to show off their talents for you. Some of them have formed groups while others will be performing on their own, such as our first performer. Lets all give a big round of applause to Theodore Parks”

Theodore's eyes went wide upon hearing his name as he sat glued to his chair.

“Go on Teddy, it's your turn,” another teacher said, kneeling next to him.

“I don't know what to do,” Theodore whispered in a panic.

“Just do what you've been practicing silly!” the teacher replied before scooting him off the chair. Theodore walked with shaky knees to where the other teacher was standing. He looked out into the expectant crowd, his sides aching with anxiety as he still had no idea of what he was supposed to do.

“Here you go champ,” a man's voice said as Theodore looked to see the face of his old elementary school music teacher, Mr. Kerns holding out a violin towards him. Theodore was shocked at first to see the man looking somewhat older than he remembered - the man's brown bushy beard speckled with bits of gray. Theodore accepted the violin with shaky hands.

“What do I play?” Theodore asked.

“Don't be nervous,” Mr. Kerns said with a chuckle, noting Theodore's shaky demeanor. “Just play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star just like we've been practicing,” Mr. Kerns said, handing Theodore the bow. “You're going to knock em’ dead kid.”

Mr. Kerns then moved back, leaving Theodore to face the deafening silence that had settled upon the auditorium. Theodore pursed his lips before bringing the bow to the strings. He felt a wave of confidence hit him as he pulled it across the strings. The song should be no problem for him. A couple of days ago he had been playing selections that had been worlds away, after all. Theodore however found that, unlike before, the well practiced techniques that he had spent years honing were now a little harder for him to access. The bow felt clumsy in his hands, and his fingers felt awkward on the neck, which all came to a head when he pulled the bow across the strings - letting out a screechy note.

Theodore came to a halt, grimacing before trying to recover as best he could. When the song had thankfully came to an end Theodore stood listening to the crowd applause. He looked out to see Charlie and Luke clapping excitedly letting out a few cheers. Jessica was grinning as she gave him two big thumbs up. He then saw his Mom, who was dabbing some tears out of the corner of her eyes.

Theodore took his seat feeling terrible about his performance. Unlike yesterday, when he was confident that if he had just a little bit of prep time he would have performed flawlessly, today he could muster no excuse. He had performed exactly as one would expect from an unpracticed amateur. He should have been able to play such a song with no issue.

The last four years of his life seemed to evaporate in an instant. All the long rehearsals and time spent endlessly practicing scales and fingering, and for what? Theodore didn't even know why he seemed to care so much. He wasn't even sure if he even liked the violin anymore. Sure, when he had first started he had loved it. His interest had been sparked by seeing a performance on TV right around the time he had actually been six. Listening to the notes play out in rhythmic succession had stirred something in him. After some begging, his Mom had finally gotten him one and signed him up for lessons and Theodore had taken to it with enthusiasm. Each year he had gotten better all in pursuit of being able to play like that performance he had experienced. Yet upon getting to Holyoke, he found his fondness for the instrument drying up - and suddenly the passion he had so vigorously held became a dying ember. Holyoke had seen to that.

The ceremony eventually came to an end. Theodore was greeted by his family with congratulations all around. His Mom wrapped him up into a big hug with some more kisses to his face. Shortly thereafter, Theodore then found himself standing in front of Mr. Kerns as his Mom held his hand. Theodore was looking at the ground as the adults talked. Some phrases such as “real potential” and “rigorous study” floated through Theodore's ears.

Suddenly Theodore felt an odd sensation. Out of nowhere it seemed a pressure had built up in his bladder. He needed to go to the bathroom, and fast!

“Mom,” Theodore whispered, trying to get her attention, yet she seemed too wrapped up in her conversation to notice. “Moom,” Theodore said this time a little louder - still his Mother seemed too preoccupied. Theodore was starting to worry that he wasn't going to be able to hold it. He took a deep breath. “Mommy” he yelped, his panic seeming to take over as he let out the childish phrase.

“Hmmm.” Mom said looking down at him finally shaken from her conversation. “What is it sweetie?”

“I uh have to go to the bathroom,” Theodore muttered.

“Oh well let me see if Charlie can take you,” she said looking around for her other son. Theodore felt his cheeks flush red at the thought of his little brother having to accompany him to the bathroom.

“I can do it myself,” Theodore huffed, as he broke his mother's hold on his hand turning on his heels towards the bathroom - not taking a second to wait for his Mom's approval.

Theodore slinked out into the hall, his need becoming increasingly dire. He was in such a hurry that he didn't even notice the kid standing near the corner until Theodore had run face first into him. Theodore staggered backwards, rubbing his face a little, before looking up to see two boys standing against the wall. One of them had a rat tail hanging down onto his shoulder while the other boy had a patchy shaved head. Neither one of them could have been older than eight.

“Watch where you're going, dingus.” the rat tailed boy barked.

“S-sorry,” Theodore stammered as he tried to move past the boys. The two boys gave a cold stare to Theodore before the boy with the shaved head smirked.

“Nice shirt,” the boy with the shaved head laughed as he prodded his finger into Theodore's chest.

Theodore looked down, only for the other boy to bring his finger up, flicking Theodore's nose and causing both the boys to laugh.

“St-op it,” Theodore mewled, rubbing his nose a little.

“You're that violin kid ain't ya?” the rat tailed boy asked.

“So what?” Theodore asked, furrowing his brow a little.

“You know you suck at playing,” the boy responded. Theodore shook his head. It's not that he entirely disagreed with the review, yet Theodore was also confident that these two kids wouldn't know a good performance if it smacked them in the side of the face - so what did he care what they thought of him? Theodore went to move past them again, but was stopped by the boy with the shaved head.

“Where you going?” The boy said as he gripped down onto Theodore's shoulder.

“The bathroom,” Theodore grumbled, once more trying to sidestep out of the boys’ way.

“Oh really,” the shaved head boy said as she shoved Theo against the wall, trapping him in between two garbage cans. “What, about to pee your pants or something?”

“Betcha he is,” the other boy crowed. “Maybe he'll do it right here.”

Both boys laughed as they began stabbing their fingers into Theodore, chiding him not to have an accident.

Theodore was getting to the point that he might actually wet his pants as he tried to shield himself from the painful pokes of the other boy's fingers. He wanted to fight back, to try to barrel into them with all his strength just so he could run away. But after yesterday Theodore knew that whatever tactic he could come up with was pointless if he didn't actually have the strength to pull it off. Theodore looked around, before spotting Charlie a little farther down the hall. His face was buried in a book and he didn't seem to notice the ruckus happening. Theodore couldn't.There was simply no way he was going to reduce himself to actually having to call out for his little brother to rescue him. But then, Theodore felt a tiny spurt of pee slip out into his underwear.

Cry for help
Make one final escape attempt