Little - Part 1 (Patreon)

The first part of a short story commission from an anonymous Patron.

"What is that?" Lyla turned around to see her friend, Naomi, staring at something along the wall at the mall, a large machine she'd somehow walked right by without paying any attention to. "I don't think I've noticed it before."

Lyla didn't recall anything being there, either, although they didn't often spend much time in this wing. Still, once she saw what the other girl was talking about, she felt like she would have noticed it. "Oh," she chuckled. "Haven't you seen Big?"

"Big what?" Naomi frowned. "Big Little Lies, Big Sick, Big Bang Theory, Big Fish, Big Mouth, Big...?"

"Just Big," Lyla stopped her. "You know, that old movie with Tom Hanks, where a kid wishes to be big, and he dances on a giant keyboard?"

"Right," Naomi nodded. "I think I've seen a clip of that. What does it have to do with...?"

"I think this is the thing he wishes on," Lyla told her. "It's been a while since I've seen it, but I think it looked like this. And I'm pretty sure the name started with a Z..." 'And I know it looked kind of creepy...' she almost added, before stopping herself.

This one ticked those boxes as well, a glass box with a mechanical man with a goatee sitting inside, wearing a turban, waiting to tell their fortunes with his crystal ball. She'd never seen any in real life, always doubted her dad when he'd told her the one in the movie was based on something real. Yet, here one was, staring at her with its dead, painted eyes, making her skin crawl.

She never would have admitted it, though. It was silly to be afraid of some machine that couldn't do anything to her, unless she gave it some money, in which case, it would just give her a card. And silly was one thing she was not... Neither of them were. They were serious college students, pretty, popular, well-liked, so close to graduating and going on to being proper adults in the real world... She would never embarrass herself in public, even with something as innocuous as admitting she was unnerved by a harmless automaton.

Somehow, staring at that fortune teller, thinking of the movie, which she hadn't seen since she was a kid herself, she couldn't help pondering how the kid in it had it wrong. Being big wasn't all it was cracked up to be... Sometimes, she just wanted a break from it all, but she'd spent so long building up that persona, she didn't dare break away from it now.

"Weird," Naomi shrugged. "Sorry, it just caught my eye." She walked away, heading for the new makeup store that had just opened a bit further along the corridor. Lyla started to follow her, then paused, eyes drawn back to the machine.

It was a strange coincidence, she thought. She normally never carried cash on her, but she'd found some change on campus in the parking lot before they left for the mall, and it was exactly the right amount to use the fortune teller... She didn't really believe in fate, although it was definitely weird...

It wasn't really her money anyway, and she didn't know what she was going to do with it, or even, really, why she'd taken it, other than the fact that it would be handy for doing laundry next week. She could just use her card, though, like always... She glanced back towards Naomi, making sure she wasn't watching, then stepped closer to the machine, pushing the quarters in, and, very quietly, feeling even more ridiculous, whispered, "I wish I could be happy and carefree, the way I used to be."

She didn't wait for the card to pop out, because the fortune teller's hands were already moving, and she knew he was about to start talking and blow her cover, so she scurried forward to catch up with Naomi, pausing briefly as she felt... something... happen.

She stumbled, her head spinning a bit, and caught herself, glancing back up at Naomi, waiting in the doorway to the makeup store. "Are you okay?" she called back.

Lyla opened her mouth to say yes, furrowing her brow when she saw what her friend was wearing. She was certain she'd been wearing a plain, black skirt, along with her blouse and cardigan, yet, now, she was in a pink dress, covered in lace and ruffles, certainly more childish than Naomi's usual style.

Looking down at herself, she was shocked to see that was different, too. She knew she'd worn some shorts - though they were nowhere near as short as those a lot of her classmates wore, that might as well have been panties - a shirt and a jacket... Unlike with Naomi's outfit, she was positive about that, certain she wasn't misremembering... But she wasn't wearing that anymore. Now, she was in a pair of shortalls, a heart embroidered on the front pocket.

She shook her head, staring back at Naomi. What was going on?! How had their clothes changed?! Why were they dressed like little girls all of the sudden?!

"Didn't I ask you girls to wait for me?" Lyla spun around, eyes widening further at the sight of her mother. What was she doing in town?! She hadn't said anything to Lyla about visiting... This was all so strange... She was dressed about the same as Lyla would have expected, although her purse was bigger and bulkier than the one she usually carried.

"Sorry!" Naomi chirped, stepping away from the makeup store. "We just got excited, didn't we, Lyla?"

"Umm... Yeah," Lyla shrugged. If she'd known her mom was there, she would have waited for her, but it didn't seem fair for her to be upset now, when it was a surprise.

"It's all right," her mom smiled down at the two of them. "Just stay where I can see you, okay? I don't want you getting kidnapped." 

"Yes, ma'am," Naomi said, while Lyla rolled her eyes. That was something her mother had told her when she'd been little, but she was more than capable of taking care of herself now.

"Now, be careful in here," her mother lectured as they approached the store. "I don't want you making a mess."

Lyla rolled her eyes again, hardly able to believe the way her mom was acting. It was almost like... She paused, shaking her head. No, that couldn't be it. 

"Hey, there, cuties," one of the workers said, walking over to Lyla and Naomi as they stared at the rows of lipstick, kneeling down slightly. "Do you want a makeover?"

"Oh, we don't want to disturb..." her mom told her woman.

"No, it's fine," the worker winked at her. "We'd love to! For free, of course." The girls were led over to chairs, where Lyla couldn't help thinking something was strange when she sat down, although, before she could work it out, the worker started on her makeup and distracted her. "Can you sit very still for me?" she asked. "We want you to look pretty, don't we?"

"I-I already," Lyla frowned. She'd put makeup on before she left, as always... But the worker wasn't taking any off. And the tone she was using, the bright pink colors she was choosing, and the final product, once she was done, along with the sucker she gave to Lyla for being, 'such a good girl,' were enough to make Lyla really start to wonder.

"Say thank you, girls," her mother ordered, taking the candy from them without a word, unwrapping it for them. 

"Thank you," they both parroted.

"Our pleasure," the workers smiled, their tone making Lyla all the more certain that, as impossible as it sounded, her hunch was right. Her wish had worked after all... She was getting her break from stuffy, boring adulthood, and bringing her friend with her. She was on an outing to the mall, chaperoned by her mother, just like it would have been when she was a little girl.

She grinned, slurping noisily on her sucker, waiting to see if her mother stopped her, or told her she was being rude. She didn't seem to give it a second thought; she was just a little girl, excited about her candy, after all. Lyla giggled excitedly, feeling so free, so liberated... She looked over at Naomi, curious to see if she was happy about it, too.

She was, although Lyla had to admit something felt the tiniest bit... off... about her. She was walking kind of funny, in a way she couldn't exactly put her finger on. She'd seen it somewhere else before... She thought she might hear a little something from her, too, when she moved, very faintly... And, while she did seem happy, it was maybe a tad too much, her joy a hair too pure...

She must have wanted this even more than Lyla, but not thought to make the wish. Lyla was glad she'd taken the risk, skipping along, glancing up at the signs to see where they were headed next. The fonts on them all looked weird, and she wasn't too concerned, so she didn't pay too much attention to them, or stop and make an effort to read them, so she couldn't tell what they said, though she wasn't too worried... Her mom would take them wherever they needed to go. She didn't have to fret about getting lost, or turned around...

"Girls," her mother said, pausing for a moment, "You've been doing so well, walking around... But, would you like to have a ride?" 

Lyla was confused, briefly, until she saw where they were. She blushed slightly, thinking of all the times she'd seen kids zooming around the mall on the backs of the giant, motorized stuffed animals for rent there. She'd seen some of her classmates doing it, too, and felt a pang of jealousy, even as she shook her head at them, thinking about how ridiculous it was for someone their age to be doing that in public, when they were clearly meant for children.

Now, though... Well, everyone was already seeing her as a child... And she had always wondered what it was like... "Can we?" she asked bashfully.

And, in no time, she was straddling the back of a big, plush panda, Naomi by her side on a tiger, both giggling as they took off. "The toy store is to the right," Lyla's mom told them from a few steps behind, Lyla making the turn, surprised to see Naomi trying to go the wrong way.

"It's over here," she called.

"Oh," her friend turned, smiling goofily, making Lyla think she was just being silly. It was hard to be too mad at her... Getting into character was fun, and when would they have this chance again?

The toy store was a blast, getting to play with all the displays without feeling guilty, like she was in the way of other kids who should be getting to enjoy them, or immature. Her mom even let them both choose something to buy. They waited in line behind her, Naomi squirming in anticipation... Until she froze, her expression going a bit blank, her legs spreading ever so slightly.

"Are you okay?" Lyla asked, reaching out a hand worriedly.

The other girl's expression changed to one of relief, and, a moment later, she was back to hopping around in anticipation, cheerfully saying, "Thanks, Lyla's Mommy!" when she was given her new toy.

What was that about? Lyla wasn't sure, but her friend seemed fine now, so she wasn't too worried. She didn't need to worry about much of anything... No matter what she did, even if she was clumsily tripping over her own feet, it was seen as normal, and even cute... It seemed like everyone they passed on their trusty steeds wanted to comment on how adorable they were... 

Tom Hanks really had gotten it wrong, she thought to herself as her mom guided them to the food court. Being big was all well and good, but it was so much nicer, at least as a bit of a break, to be little.