The Crystal Ball (Patreon)

I'd like to apologize for my lower output this month. Thank you all for being patient and bearing with me. I am committed to putting out at least three more chapters this month, including my Thanksgiving special, which will an exclusive just for you fine folks. Thanks again!

----

The Crystal Ball

Surrounded by the sights and sounds of a busy carnival on a warm Friday night, two best friends meandered through the wide paths between the numerous stalls. Cheerful-but-creepy calliope music played in the distance, and the stars were out overhead. One woman was short and had strawberry blonde hair spilling over her shoulders. She was busily eating a funnel cake with a plastic fork as she walked. The other was a taller and fuller-figured woman with black hair and glasses. She was carrying a yellow teddy bear in one hand. The teddy bear had been won at one of the stalls, but her friend couldn't carry it and eat at the same time.

The carnival was small, but Vanessa was having a good time. She and her friend Lupita had decided to give the place a try after seeing one of the dozens of posters that the company had put up around town. It was a delightfully old-fashioned kind of place. The 'freaks' in the freakshow were obviously just people in weird costumes with elaborate make-up, although Lupita had commented that this made the show a lot more creative and over-the-top instead of just uncomfortable and depressing. There were basic but perfectly respectable Ferris wheels and roller-coasters. There were the ubiquitous scents of popcorn, cotton candy, and deep fried what-have-yous on a stick. There were the sounds of children laughing, sometimes from excitement, more often at the tacky costumes and cheesy antics of the clowns and costumed performers who wandered between the stalls.

Vanessa had been skeptical at first, but found as the evening progressed that the whole of the place was greater than the sum of its parts. The idea of taking a ride on a tiny roller coaster that was dwarfed by the ones at the various amusement parks she had visited, or of trying to throw a baseball to knock over a stack of bottles and win a teddy bear had seemed silly at first, especially considering the PS4 and Netflix subscription waiting for her in her dorm room. But now that she was actually out and doing it, she only had one complaint.

“If this place served beer, I think I'd be here every week.” said Vanessa.

“This place won't even be here next week. That's what's cool about it! You can watch a show or play a videogame any time, but this is something you can only experience in the moment.”

“That really doesn't seem like much of a selling point.” said Vanessa, taking a bite from a funnel cake. “It just means you have to schedule around them instead of coming when it's convenient.”

Lupita was on a roll, and launched into lecture mode. “Okay, like, imagine that you could only watch Star Wars once every five years, and only at one theater. Then, everyone who goes there is experiencing it at the same time, and nobody is bored with it. Everyone gets to share that moment, and no one is being all 'ironic' and 'above it all'. It would be waayy better!”

Vanessa didn't feel like debating the point. She shrugged. “Maybe. Anyway, what do you wanna do next? I think we've been through most of the attractions already.” She had had a fun night, certainly better than she had expected, but she was about ready to head home.

Gretchen pointed. “We haven't gone in there yet.”

Vanessa looked, and saw a large plum-colored tent set up between a snow-cone stand and a air-gun shooting gallery. Above the door was the symbol of an eye inside a hand. A wooden sign beside the door read “Madame Margot: Psychic Readings, $5 per customer”

“Psychic? C'mon, that stuff is bullshit.” remarked Vanessa, finishing off her funnel cake.

Lupita rolled her eyes. “Oh really, you figured that out, did ya? Of course it isn't real. It's for fun! Come on, it's five lousy bucks!”

“Getting cheated isn't my idea of fun.” grumbled Vanessa.

“Its called suspending disbelief. You should try it sometime.” said Lupita.

Vanessa saw that her friend was immovable, so she discarded her paper plate and plastic fork into a nearby trash can and followed her into the tent.

The interior of the tent was dark at first as the tent flaps closed behind them. The air inside was heavy with the scent of incense.

“Uh...hello?” said Lupita, passing the teddy bear back to Vanessa. Vanessa pushed it back for a second, then relented and settled for carrying the stuffed animal by the leg. She didn't really want to be seen with it.

Candles flared to life. One by one. They encircled the cramped room, illuminating the dozens of masks, skulls, dolls, and talismans of all kinds that lined the tent's inner wall. In the center of the small, dimly-lit room sat a round table. The tablecloth was blue satin, decorated with a pentagram pattern. The centerpiece of the whole affair was a crystal ball, a little bigger than grapefruit. It caught and refracted the light from the candles, making it look like it contained a little swarm of fireflies. Behind the table they say a smiling woman in a flowing green robe. Her left eye was a striking green, matching her robe, but her left was a solid milky white. Vanessa guessed that she was wearing colored contacts, but the effect was pretty creepy all the same.

“Good evening, ladies. I am Madame Margot, messenger of the unseen realm. Sit down, please.” Margot spoke with just a hint of a French accent. If it was a fake, it was a well-rehearsed one.

Vanessa glanced dubiously at Lupita, who returned a look of annoyance. Vanessa shrugged and pulled a wicker chair from the table and sat down, depositing the teddy bear on the floor nearby. Lupita sat down beside her. Vanessa reflected that she hadn't noticed the two chairs when she had entered the tent, but she decided that she must have missed them with all the distracting decor. She wondered briefly what the woman did when parties of three or more strolled in.

“I see that you have many questions. What aspect of your fates do you most wish to comprehend tonight? Perhaps your Wealth? Perhaps your Health? Or is it matters of Love that most concern you?”

“Shouldn't you already know? Being psychic and all, I mean?” said Vanessa.

“Be nice.” admonished Lupita.

For her part, Madame Margot didn't seem surprised. “Of course, but choices must be made, even when they are foreseen. Fate and Free Will make a complex dance together.”

“Convenient.” said Vanessa. She felt Lupita's shoe lightly knock against hers under the table.

Madame Margot held out her hand. “If you would kindly make a token sacrifice of worldly lucre, we can begin our session.”

“Do the spirits accept Mastercard?” asked Vanessa.

Lupita huffed and fished out a ten dollar bill from her purse.

“Here, I'll spot for Little Miss Skeptic. Let's start with wealth. I wanna know if I'm gonna be rich!” said Lupita excitedly.

Vanessa winced. No cold reader on earth would let an opportunity like that slip by. “Judging by your spending habits, I would guess no.” she said with a smirk.

“Excellent.” said Margot, ignoring Vanessa's comment. “Let us join hands. Let your eyes rest on the gazing crystal, and clear your minds of all fear and doubt. The world beneath the world is ready to speak to us.”

The three woman joined hands as instructed. Margot inhaled deeply. Her hands were very smooth and gentle. There was a long silence. Vanessa began glancing around the room and shifting in her seat impatiently. Lupita stared at the crystal ball, letting her eyes and face relax as though in a trance. She kicked Vanessa under the table again.

“The ones behind the veil are listening. Ask your questions, and open your thoughts to their voices.” purred Madame Margot, her eyes never leaving the crystal ball.

“Will I be rich?” asked Lupita again.

There was a pause. Vanessa clicked her tongue.

“I am sorry, they say you will not. You shall never know either great riches nor poverty. You shall live only in relative comfort all your days.” said Margot.

“Huh. Not much of a prediction, but at least she didn't take the bait.” muttered Vanessa.

“Good enough for me!” said Lupita. “It sounds like I'll be fine, even if I'm never rich.”

“Or something like that.” said Vanessa. “How about me? Any millions in my future?”

Another pause. “No. Your finances are about to change for the worse. You will soon abandon the path you have set out on.” intoned Madame Margot.

Vanessa blew a raspberry. “As if. Fate can do what it likes. I prefer to plan the future, not just hope it works out.”

Lupita cleared her throat.

“I mean...woah, how ominous!” corrected Vanessa unconvincingly.

A slight crease appeared briefly above Madame Margot's nose, but she otherwise let the exchange pass without comment.

“Okay, let's do Health next. Are there any illnesses in our futures?” asked Lupita, trying to move things along.

Another pause followed before Margot answered. “You are not destined to suffer any serious illness, although reducing your salt intake would be advisable.”

“I wonder if my health insurance covers this.” said Vanessa.

“Your companion, on the other hand, will soon be experiencing an unexpected medical issue. She will require much care and support from those around her.”

“Oh, come on! You're just being an ass now!” said Vanessa, letting go of Lupita and Margot's hands.”

“Goddammit, I can't take you anywhere!” complained Lupita.

“She's just pulling this crap because I'm calling out her bullshit!” said Vanessa, rising from her chair. “What's with all the vagueness, anyway? Why can't you just say 'oh, you're gonna get leukemia and your cat will die and you'll be so depressed you'll quit your job'. Why don't these spirits give real information instead of little hints?”

Lupita rested her face in her hand. She liked Vanessa, but she felt that her friend could benefit from just letting things go now and then. Not everything in life had to be a struggle.

“You're right.” said Madame Margot.

“Huh?” said Vanessa, genuinely taken off guard. Lupita narrowed her eyes. This wasn't what she had expected at all.

“I usually offer only vague hints of my client's real futures.” explained Madame Margot, her dramatic persona seeming to drop in favor of a frank, conversational tone. “People rarely respond well to being told their actual fates. It's a delicate balance, you see. It's human nature to want to know the future, but it is also your nature to desire control over your lives. Sit down, and I will show you what the future really holds for the two of you.”

Vanessa arched a skeptical eyebrow. “Oh? You're going to be specific?”

Margot nodded solemnly.

“Like, really specific? I'm talking actual, falsifiable predictions, that we can actually call you on.”

“Quit being a jerk! You know she can't act...” began Lupita, but Madame Margot cut her off with another solemn nod.

“And if you're wrong, I get a refund?” asked Vanessa with a devilish grin.

“Your friend will get a refund, if I am wrong. Which I shall not be.” explained Madame Margot.

“And no wriggling out of it.” said Vanessa firmly.

“Oh, for heaven's sake!” spat Margot, finally allowing her irritation to show. She tossed Lupita's ten-dollar bill back across the table. “There. Now you can refund me, when I am proven right. Sound fair enough?”

Lupita looked back and forth between her friend and the fortune teller. She was confused by both of them, but at least she was getting a show out of it. Vanessa seated herself forcefully and grabbed Margot's extended hand.

“You're on! Let's do this thing!” said Vanessa, her shoulders square with determination..

Lupita sighed and sat down, completing the circle of arms. At least Vanessa looked engaged now.

“Look into the crystal, and this time, actually clear your mind of doubts.” instructed Margot.

Vanessa was still expecting a trick of some kind, but she decided that if she was doing this, she may as well do it right. She settled her eyes on the crystal ball, took a deep breath, and allowed her mind to clear.

“Very good. Let the crystal absorb all your conscious thought. Let it's smooth surface become the boundary of all that is. See how the lights are captured and refracted. Your eyes are being captured. Your thoughts are being refracted. You are no longer in the mundane realm. We have left behind the universe and all its laws. Here, there is no law. Only endless possibility.”

Lupita felt her heart beat faster as the fortune teller spoke. She wasn't sure what this was supposed to be, but she had come in here to enjoy a performance, and this had been worth her money even before it had been refunded.  She found that as she stared at the crystal ball, the reflected candlelights inside it seemed to waver, as though a ripple were passing through the surface of the glass. Even if it was just her imagination, the fact that Margot had managed to induce that thought spoke of her skills with suggestion.

“As you gaze, you can feel the pressures of the mundane realm release their hold on you. Here, reality is only what we decide it is. Rationality is a myth. Logic is a dream. Certainty is an impossibility. Nothing exists except the crystal. Nothing matters except the sound of my voice.”

Vanessa felt her righteous indignation dissipate as Margot's patter drifted across the surface of her mind. She felt herself relax. Her shoulders slumped. Her eyes narrowed. The room felt both dream-like and incredibly real. She felt her thoughts drift across the glassy surface of the crystal ball, just like the light of the candled around her. She felt utterly weightless. It was as though total freedom and complete helplessness were being rolled into one.

“Your minds are now clear. You are open to everything around you. In the crystal, your future awaits you. The doors of time have been thrown open. The veil between worlds has parted. Now, nothing shall be denied to us. All secrets can be told. All knowledge can be possessed. We need only look, and listen.”

Vanessa stared at the glistening surface of the crystal ball with half-lidded eyes. Lupita stared beside her. Their thoughts felt hazy and adrift. Memories of where they were, who they were, and why they had come here felt distant and irrelevant. The past was gone, and they could feel the future waiting for them.

“Vanessa...” intoned Madame Margot slowly. Vanessa's eyes widened. She hadn't said her name, had she? She couldn't recall. She continued to gaze into the crystal. Her eyes never budged from the glistening ball.

“You are about to undergo a great transition that will redefine your entire existence. All that you have done in the past is about to be swept away. You are going to leave behind your job and your education. School and work are just too tough and too stressful for you. It's time for a change of pace. Look deep into the crystal, and see the wonderful new direction your life will now take.”

Vanessa knew that something was amiss about this situation, but her eyes never strayed from the dancing lights. The crystal seemed to shift and swim under her gaze. Images began to appear in the glass. The curve of the glass made details hard to make out, especially at the edges, but the images gradually became more distinct. She saw her own face, beaming back at her with a radiant smile. Before the image faded, she noticed that the image had its hair in pigtails. Then, she saw herself lying in bed, with the morning sun streaming through the window. She saw herself pull her thumb out of her mouth and pull off the covers to greet the day. Under the covers, she saw that she was wearing a set of pink fleece pajamas with images of various Disney princesses scattered across them. Her new yellow teddy bear was tucked into the crook of her arm.

“First will come the bedwetting. You have woken up dry for the last time. No matter what you do, or how hard you try, every time you fall asleep, your bladder will give out. Soaked sheets will become part of your life again. But only for a little while. Don't worry. Soon you will accept the inevitable. To save your sheets, your pajamas, and your mattress, some extra bedtime precautions will become necessary.”

Vanessa watched as the image of herself rose from bed. She was smiling. She jumped up onto the carpeted floor, her feet encased in warm, pink fleece. She saw clearly the bulge in her pajamas, the tell-tale shape around her butt.

“You will wear diapers. Every night, you will be changed into your thick, comfy, bedtime protection. Every morning, the first thing you will think of will be your drenched, soggy, bulging pampers. You will think of how much you need them. You will think of how comfortable, secure, and cute they make you feel. You will think about how your nighty-night bedwetter pants prove what a helpless little baby you are.”

Vanessa struggled in her seat. She tried to pry her eyes away from the crystal ball, where the grinning image of her future self was being undressed by the hands of an unseen figure. Her pajamas were being unzipped down the back, revealing her humiliating bedtime protection. Her eyes were imprisoned by the crystal sphere. There was no escape.

“Next will come the accidents. Being awake will be no protection. Wet jeans and panties will become normal for you. You will soon see how silly it is for a big baby like you to be running around in big girl panties. You will need to wear absorbent training pants to deal with all your daytime accidents. You will feel so much better once the last of your big-girl panties have been thrown away. You'll get to play all day, and if you don't quite make it to the potty like a big girl, that will be okay. No need to worry when you have your special undies on.”

The grinning image was being wiped down by gentle, feminine hands. Her wet nighttime diaper  lay in a bulging ball nearby. In its place, a pair of thick, pink training pants were being pulled up her legs. The cottony fabric was decorated with little purple butterflies.

“You've seen what Health and Wealth have in store for you. Let's talk about Love. You will find that you Love cute things. Sweet, soft, cuddly, cutesy-wootsie things. You will want everything you wear and everything you own to be as adorable as you are. You will love stuffed animals, and want to have at least one with you all the time. All your clothing and furniture will be as cute and babyish as you can possibly make them. You will hate to wear anything mature or dignified. Maturity and dignity are boring and stupid. Everything must be as saccharine and juvenile as possible. Every time you look at something babyish and cute, you will feel a little burst of joy spring up inside yourself.”

Vanessa eyes bulged as the crystal ball began jumping wildly from one image to another. Cute, cuddly images assaulted her consciousness. She saw her own closet, filled to bursting of babyish outfits. She saw piles and piles of stuffed animals. She saw her room, but now pinkness and taken hold and spread to everything she possessed. What was worse, she felt the growing need within herself. She knew she would feel happiness and pleasure every time she saw her ever-growing collection of infantile decorations. She knew that the next time she saw her closet, she would be disgusted by how drab and mundane it all was.

“Your days of living as an independent adult are coming to an end. You will lose all interest in caring for yourself. You will stop feeding yourself, dressing yourself, or cleaning yourself in any way. You will need to be cared for and looked after at all times. You will be cute. You will be adorable. You will be utterly care-free. You will have no need to think for yourself. You will be free to play and make-believe all day long, with only feedings, changings, bathings, and naps to interrupt your fun.”

It was all true. Vanessa was powerless to deny what she was seeing and hearing. She knew that this was her future. There was no escape. Her future had already been written, and could not be changed. She was encased in her future, swaddled in it. There was no point in struggling against it. The future was the future.

“Lupita...” said Madame Margot, her eyes still fixed on the crystal ball.

Lupita gazed at the ball, seeing all that awaited her friend. She wasn't sure whether to feel angry, amused, jealous, or horrified. She was only certain that every word that came from Margot's lips was true, certain, and unalterable. The only question that remained was what the fickle hand of fate had in store for her.

“You too shall soon undergo an important transition. Your friendship with Vanessa will blossom into a much deeper and more intimate relationship. Vanessa will need a lot of help and support in the coming years. She need someone to comfort and reassure her when she is feeling sad. She will need someone to give her lots of hugs to keep her feeling loved and appreciated. She will need someone to show her over and over again how to use the potty like a big girl. She will need someone to tell her that it is okay when she wakes up in a big, soggy diaper again and again. She will need someone to feed her, and bathe her, and change her clothes. She will need someone to make sure she doesn't get diaper rash. That will be you. You will rise to this challenge, and become Vanessa's loving, doting caregiver. You will snuggle with her, and whisper calming words to her. You will gush over how adorable she is, and help her to become even cuter. She will become more and more helpless and babyish, and you will encourage her to give up more and more independence to become your little diaper girl.”

Lupita watched as the crystal ball showed her images of her future. She grinned as the wonderful images whipped past her vision. She saw Vanessa smiling as she woke up in her soggy pampers. She saw Vanessa crying as she ran to her in wet jeans. She saw herself embracing Vanessa and patting her shoulder to stop her crying. She saw all the bottles, naps, story times, and diaper changes that awaited her in her future, and all she felt was joy and gratitude.

----

A few minutes later, Vanessa and Lupita emerged from Madame Margot's tent. They were ten dollars poorer, but in all other ways they felt rich. Vanessa's pants were absolutely soaked, but her face was beaming. She hugged her teddy bear to herself, and Lupita's gentle hands were on her arm and butt, gently leading her back toward the car that until recently had been hers. The two friends looked at each other again, each smiling widely. They hugged, and walked off toward the beautiful future that they now knew awaited them.