The Cabin - Chapter 18: Tea Time (Patreon)

After a few more rounds of the game, Jesse exclaimed, “Amanda's free. But she looks odd.”

They all turned to see Amanda naked and slouched in the chair unmoving. Josh laughed. “She turned herself into a mannequin at the height of an orgasm again.”

“Why is that funny?”

“She did it on purpose,” he replied. “Amanda,” he called out. “You are free!”

After a gentle nudge from Don, the mannequin turned to flesh and Amanda let out a deep sigh. “I can't wait to do that in a store window. I could stay like that forever.”

“Didn't it freak you out the first time?” Jesse asked.

“Yes, but now, because I'm also competently skilled, I know exactly how to control it. In fact...” Her voice trailed off as she turned into a mannequin.

“Wow, she just locked herself up in an orgasm,” Josh continued. “She tells me to give her a couple minutes and she'll come back.”

“Should we continue?” Shahala inquired.

“Why not?”

When Amanda returned to flesh Don started to fill her in on what she had missed that morning. While he spoke she stepped into the living room area and asked Don, “Who's the little girl? And is that Bethany?”

“It's Alexa. She's eight years old. And Bethany turned herself into a doll.”

“Oo, tell me what Alex did. I want to join her.” Once they explained what they knew. She said, “Cool, but my word is 'mannequanthropy.'” And she shrank before their eyes. She was only an inch taller than Alexa and she wore a blue dress. She skipped over to the table and said, “Alexa, can I play with you?”

“Sure, Mrs. Withers was just leaving,” Alexa replied as she took the plush dog out of its seat and offered it to Amanda. “What's your name?”

“I'm Mandy,” she said with a curtsey.

At the dining table, Jesse commented, “That is adorable. Can we keep them like that?”

They laughed as they resumed the game. A turn later, Josh looked at Don, “Hey, Don.”

It took two more repetitions of “Hey, Don” to get his attention away from the tea party. “Yes?” he finally said.

“If you want to join them you can ask Jesse to alter you or you could ask Carolina or Steve, through Shahala, for a wish.”

“Don't be silly, Josh. An eight year old boy wouldn't want to play tea party.”

“Who said you'd be a boy?” Jesse said with a grin.

Don's eyes went wide. He really want to play with his doll. And Mandy was so adorable. “Okay, one second.” He summoned another kid sized chair and placed it near the living room. “Okay, Jesse, do it before I lose my nerve.”

“You don't have to worry about your nerve,” Jesse said as he already started shrinking. In a moment, a young girl in a white, overly lacy dress was sitting where Don was. Her hair was long and put up in a pony tail and she had a matching bonnet. “Do you want to go play?” she asked the young lady.

The girl nodded and was about to get up when Steve said, “One moment, please,” as he picked up Don's camera. “Let me get a picture of you.”

“Okay,” she said. She tilted her head to the side and smile. One of her front teeth was missing.

Steve took the picture and said, “By the way, what is your name?”

“Don't be silly, Uncle Steve. I'm Donna.” Then she hopped down and joined the party, pulling up the extra chair.

“What's Donna's secret word?” Shahala asked.

“He return to normal and have his powers returned to him when she says, 'Time Stop' three times in a row.”

“Very thematic,” Josh pointed out.

“I know.”

“And nice touch on the missing tooth.”

“Thanks.”

Later, Steve was finishing up his turn when Jesse got up and went into the bedroom. A moment later she seemed to step out of the wall of the bedroom. She returned to her seat and asked, “Is it my turn yet?”

Steve handed her the Outcomes Orb.

“Well Done, +2,” she cheered. “I won.”

Four Ride the Wave  cards hit the table. “We all win.”

“How did you do that?”

“I went in the bedroom, turned invisible and walked back out. Then I flattened myself against the wall, turned visible and stepped away from the wall while unflattening myself.”

“Clever.”

“The orb called it Well Done,” she mocked. As she started shrinking, she added, “My escape phrase is 'Three Steves'.” She turned herself into her eight-year old self. She had long blond hair with a pair of butterfly barrettes. She wore a pink frilly dress with a white sash. She had pink stockings and white shoes. She rushed over to the tea table. “Can I play? I'm Jessica.”

The little girls welcomed her graciously.

Carolina joked, “Ah guess today will be far more G-rated than the prior days were this weekend.” She looked at the table longingly.

Josh touched hand, “You've never been a little girl, have you? You can choose not to grant this. I wish Carolina was aged regressed to eight years old. While so regressed, she does not have access to her magic powers. She will remain regressed until she says the phrase, 'bodice ripper.' She is dressed for tea time in a style of her choosing.”

“Granted,” Carolina said with a smile. She shrank down in size. Her dress was salmon colored taffeta. She chose nude tights with salmon shoes.

Steve said, “Shahala, I wish there were a couple more kids' chairs around the tea table without the kids noticing the magic happened.”

“As you wish, Master.”

“Hi, I'm Lynn, can I join you for tea?”

Steve asked Josh, “So tea or how about we go for a walk?”

“Walk. I'm not turning into anything else today. But who will watch the kids?”

Steve split into himself and a copy of Jesse. “Jesse can keep Shahala company and watch the kids.”

“No problem,” Steve-as-Jesse said.

“Works for me,” Josh said getting up. “I need to put on outdoors clothes.”

“You've been sitting there in a bathrobe in front of all these little girls?” Jesse mocked.

“It's been a long day.”

“Shahala, I wish I had a harmonica.”

“As you wish, Master.”

Fwweeee. “So I should be able to make that musical soon.”

* * *

Josh was pointing into the water at the waterfall grotto. “I was up against that tree and she was in the water like a mermaid with gills. She took me deep and never had to come up for air.”

“I'll never get Jesse to try that.”

A few moments later a voice called out, “Hello, there.”

They looked up and saw two men with backpacks hiking toward them.

“Good morning,” Steve called back.

As they approached, they took off their packs and set them down. “Are you camping nearby?”

“No, we have a cabin a quarter mile that way. I'm Steve. This is Josh.” He held out his hand.

“Hank,” replied Hank with a firm handshake. “This is Rick. We're camping on the other side of the waterfall.”

“Yesterday we saw something odd in the pool so today we've come around to this side to check it out.”

“Oh, really?” Josh asked. “What did you see?”

The two newcomers looked at one another. “We have a friendly bet whether it was mermaid we both saw yesterday sunning herself on that large rock over there in the pool.”

“I've heard that rumor before,” Steve said. “Says a mermaid lives in this here grotto. Can't say I've ever seen her. Have you Josh?”

“Have I seen a mermaid in this pool?” Josh asked. “Only if you mean my girlfriend skinny dipping with me.” He laughed.

“No, we saw someone with a woman upper torso and fish shaped lower half covered in golden scales.”

“My girlfriend doesn't look like that. Sorry.”

“We didn't think she did. Right, Rick? Mermaids aren't real.”

“You can't prove a negative.”

* * *

Steve-as-Jesse and Shahala were chatting at the table when the four girls approached. “We're hungry, Aunt Jesse,” Donna said.

“Okay, go wash your hands and I'll get lunch ready,” Steve-as-Jesse said. He got up and went into the kitchen. “Shahala, I wish I had stronger feminine and motherly instincts when I'm in a female body.”

“As you wish,” Shahala stated, “Mistress.”

Steve-as-Jesse immediately changed her mind about firing up the grill. She took the cold cuts and jars of peanut butter and jelly and started making sandwiches that she cut into four triangular small sandwiches which she knew the girls would prefer. “Could you set out paper plates and cups for the girls, Shahala?”

“Yes, Mistress,” Shahala said with a smile. When she returned, Steve-as-Jesse was slicing sticks of celery and pouring a ranch dip into smaller cups.

“And grab the lemonade from the fridge and pour it out for the girls.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

When Shahala returned, Steve-as-Jesse asked, “How's my makeup? Could you touch me up?”

“Yes, Mistress.”

Steve-as-Jesse walked into the dining room carrying the tray of food. “Girls, we have sandwiches and celery sticks. There's plenty for everyone but don't take more than you plan to eat.”

While they ate, Steve-as-Jesse thought she heard a beep beep sound. She walked into the living room and tracked the noise to the doll sitting at the tea table. She picked it up and pulled the string.

“You look beautiful, Jesse.” Bethany's modulated voice said. “Can you bring me in...” Pull. “Into the dining room so I can listen to the girls' conv-...” Pull. “Girls' conversation. Today has been so cool.”

The girls were happily talking about clothes and makeup they wished they owned.

Steve-as-Jesse brought the doll into the dining room and set her down on the table. She looked around the table with a bit of jealousy. She caught Shahala's attention and pointed at the kitchen door. They got up and went to the kitchen.

She shifted back to Steve. “I think I've succumbed to the total cuteness in there. You'll keep an eye us kids, right? I wish I were an age regressed version of myself as if born female, named Stephanie, with none of my powers. She is not part of the mind link the rest of me shares. The adult versions of me can reabsorb her at any time but she does not have that ability herself.”

“As you wish, Master,” Shahala said warily.

Stephanie was dressed in denim overalls with a yellow blouse underneath. She wore brown stockings and sneakers. She exited the kitchen and said, “Hi girls. Do you want to play the game?”

She was greet by a chorus of yeses.

“I don't think that's a good idea,” Shahala stated firmly.

“You can return to your bottle,” Stephanie said.

Shahala looked surprised as she faded away.

Stephanie opened the box and pulled out a pair of lollipop shaped tokens. “Oo, I'll use these.” Mandy found a pair of keys the looked like they went to a diary. Donna found a pair of cat tokens. Alexa chose two small dolls. Lynn found two spool tokens. Jessica chose two ballet shoe tokens.

Stephanie and Mandy's turns were uneventful.

Donna drew the first wish card: “Changing Wish: Is there something that you want to change?” She pointed at her tokens and said, “I want to be able to take on the form of a house cat but I would still be able to talk.”

“Cool,” Jessica cooed.

Alexa and Lynn took their turns. Alexa gained some money and Lynn received a card she did not play.

Jessica drew a wish card: “Artistic Wish: If you have already made a wish, discard this card and draw again. Have you wished you had an artistic skill? Choose an artistic skill to become expert at. That is your wish.” She announced dramatically, “I want to be a fabulous ballet dancer.”

On Mandy's turn, she drew a Wish card: “Mechanical Wish: If you have already made a wish, discard this card and draw again. Is there something about machines you like? Make a wish about machinery.” She looked over at the Bethany doll on the table and exclaimed. “Oo, I wish my ring was magic. Wearing it turns the me into a wind-up doll. The wind-up key would appear in my back and I could talk and walk about when I'm wound up. Taking off the ring turns me back to normal.”

“Eeeww. That's weird,” Alexa said.

“I think it would be fun,” Donna said.

Jessica drew the first practice card. So she danced around while the game continued.

Stephanie drew a Wish card: “Convenience Wish: If you have already made a wish, discard this card and draw again. What, besides money, would make your life more convenient. How you would make your life more convenient is your wish.” She got up and grabbed a few candies from candy dish and stuck them in her pockets and said, “I wish I can always find some candy or gum in my pocket or purse whenever I want some.”

“That would be awesome,” agreed Donna.

Mandy drew a Practice card. She turned away from Donna, “Donna, can you wind me up?”

Donna pantomimed turning a key. “Sure, Mandy.” As she did so, Mandy shook her body and made whirring noises.

“Thanks, Donna. It's your turn.”

Donna also drew a Practice card. She drew one of her legs up so her knee was near her face and pretended to lick her forearm. “Mrreow,” she said to Alexa, pushing the die toward her with the back of her hand.

After Alexa's turn, Lynn drew a Wish card: “Fix-it Wish: If you have already made a wish, discard this card and draw again. Is there anything you wish you could fix or modify?” She thought for a moment and said, “I wish I could, with a thought and a snap of the fingers, make myself and the clothes I'm wearing totally clean and neat, make up my hair and makeup, too.”

Alexa grumped, “When do I get my wish?”

“Uh, oh,” Mandy announced. As she continued, she lowered the pitch of her voice, “I'm windinngg dowwwnnnn.” Then she stopped moving.

“It'll come,” Jessica said mid-Plie.

“Dance on over here,” Alexa commanded. “It's your turn.”

Jessica performed a weak Tour Jete back to the table and picked up the Outcomes Orb. “Magnifique, +2. Oo, it was in French.”

Donna reached over fumbled at Mandy's back. “Cats doan harve thumms ssso onllee a feww turrns.”

“Thanks,” Mandy said.

Stephanie drew a Practice card on her turn. She reached into her pocket, unwrapped a candy and popped it into her mouth.

Mandy shook the Outcomes Orb. “+2 or Double Down. What does that mean?”

Lynn picked up the rules. “Double Down. You can take the +2 now. Or you can continue practicing and get double the amount of the next outcome.”

“Okay, I've just been wound up, so I'm going to go for it,” Mandy said with a wink toward Donna. “Do I still take my turn?”

“Um, no, you treat it as if you drew a Practice card,” Lynn said. “Donna's turn.”

Donna made a cat like stretch of her body and picked up the Orb. “Fair, +1. I guess I could do better.” She rolled the die and drew a Random card. “Sit upside down. Pay $200 or spend the next turn sitting upside down. I don't have the money.” She put her back against the seat and her legs in the air, She stuffed her skirt in between her thighs and put her legs together. Her head hung off the chair front. “Okay, hurry up, the blood is rushing to my head.”

The girls giggled at Donna.

Alexa finally drew a wish card: “Fairy-Tale Wish. If you have already made a wish, discard this card and draw again. Ever wanted to be part of a Fairy Tale? Choose something about a fairy tale that you want to be true about you.” She considered for but a moment, “I wish that at the sound of a bell I could transform from myself into a fairy or back to normal. As a fairy I'd have pretty wings and could fly and do magic.”

“Can't wait to see you practice that,” Donna called from under the table.

“Oh, no, winding dowwnnn, aaagaaaain,” Mandy slowed and stopped.

“Sorry, I can't reach,” Donna said.

Stephanie smiled, “Let's see how long she can not move.”

The other girls giggled.

“That's mean,” Donna said. “But I can't possibly help her.”

Mandy maintained a serene face. She was hoping for a big payoff if she stayed stuck.

Lynn took her turn gaining a card in hand.

Stephanie took another candy out and eat it before consulting the Orb. “So-so, +1. What else could I have done?”

“Share, perhaps?” Lynn said.

Stephanie turned red and nodded. She rolled the die and drew a Random card. “Share The Fate. Perform  someone else's active practice until your next turn.” Everyone looked around the table and focused on Mandy as the only Practice going on.

“I could sit upside down, like Donna.”

“I'm not practicing. I'm just doing a Random card.”

Jessica could not stifle her giggles, “Looks like you're a wind up doll, Steph.”

Stephanie reach behind her back and wound herself for a whole minute. “Mandy wound herself the first time. I just doing extra windings. Your turn Mandy.”

Mandy remained unmoving.

Donna called out from under the table, “Put the Orb in her hand, shake it, and read it.”

“She should do it herself,” Stephanie stated.

“Wind her up then,” Donna advised.

“Oh, come on,” Jessica said getting up. She put the Orb in Mandy's hand, shook it and turn it over. “Exceptionally Done, +3. So she moves up 6 on the fulfillment chart. Well done, Mandy.”

“Thanks, Jess. I owe it all to Steph.”

Mandy and Donna took their turns and Alexa drew a Practice card. Alexa got up and pretended to fly about the room.

Lynn also drew a Practice card. She snapped her fingers and ran off to the bathroom.

Alexa flew behind Steph and pulled a candy from her pocket. “I'm mischievous,” she said in a higher pitch than usual.

“Can I swat you like a fly?”

Jessica interrupted, “Shouldn't you be winding down or something?”

“I've still got some juice.”

“You're not playing right.”

“Says who?”

“Well, me but that doesn't matter. Only what the Outcomes Orb says will matter.” Jessica rolled the die and drew another Practice card. She danced away from the table.

Stephanie picked up the orb and announced “Finally,” but her mouth fell open as she read the Orb.

“What's it say?”

“-1, Penalty, Random.” She hesitantly drew a card and her fears were founded. As she turned it over, she turned to stone.

“The Medusa card!” a couple girls exclaimed at once.

There was silence as the girls looked around at one another. Mandy broke the silence. “I guess it's my turn since Steph has to lose her next two turns.”

The game continued awkwardly.

* * *

The four men sat on a couple rocks near the grotto. Steve seemed to be really buddy-buddy with them and they talked about themselves and about sports for a couple hours. Josh had just wished Don were around to summon some beers.

At some point, Steve took out the harmonica and played a few tunes. He was good and the other men enjoyed it. Rich even hoped it would attract the mermaid to them. But no such luck.

Eventually the parties said their goodbyes and parted ways.

“I guess we should head back,” Josh said. “Aren't you pulling your hair out corralling five young girls by now.”

“No, Shahala's doing the heavy lifting,” Steve lied.

Josh did not want to know why Steve lied. He figured he would find out Steve had been roped into having his hair done or something.

As they approached the house, Steve managed to split off a copy of himself as Jesse behind Josh's back and have her circle around the back of the cabin and enter through the kitchen. He was less prepared for what they saw when they walked in the front door.

The girls all looked up like they had been caught. Even if they had wanted to hide the game, the statue of Stephanie dominated the dining room.

“You let them play the game?”

A voice from the kitchen interrupted and Steve-as-Jesse said, “Did I hear the front do--?” She did not finish as the sight of a statue in the dining room shocked her.

“There's a long explanation behind letting them play the game,” Steve began. “I made an errant wish.”

“One minute,” Josh interrupted. He turned to the girls and pointed at the statue, “How long has she been like that?”

“It's my turn,” Donna said. “And she should return to normal on her next turn.”

“Keep playing,” Josh said. “I'd like to have a private conversation with Steve and Jesse outside.”

As soon as the door closed, the girls ran toward the front windows to see if they could hear Uncle Josh yelling at Uncle Steve. But they could not.

* * *

Steve absorbed the recent copy of Jesse and sat down on a rock nearby. “Just hear me out,” he requested holding up his hands.

“Fine,” Josh said.

“The girls asked for lunch and I was unsure of myself so I asked Shahala to make me feel more feminine and motherly. Well, watching the girls being carefree seemed like it would be fun so I had Shahala turn the copy of me left behind into Stephanie and I lost track of what was happening in the cabin.

“When that happened, I felt better. You see, the feeling more feminine and motherly wasn't limited to that copy of me as Jesse. It affected all of my mind. When I remerge, I need to have Shahala undo that wish and fix it.” He finished with his head hung low.

“All right,” Josh said. “Let's get in there. After they finish the game, I have an idea for another activity.”

When they returned, they were just in time. Jessica was finishing up her turn and Stephanie was still a statue.

As with earlier in the day, Josh needed to influence the statue so she would know it was her turn. Stephanie returned to flesh. She quietly sat down, obviously upset.

“What's the matter?” Josh asked.

“She wasn't playing right and the game punished her,” Jessica volunteered.

“That's not what happened,” Stephanie sobbed.

The other girls were nodding. Donna said, “Yes, it is.”

“Okay,” Josh said. “You're fine now. Take your turn so the game can finish. A couple of you are close to the end of the fulfillment track.”

Donna won the game with one more practice round. All the other girls, even Stephanie, had Ride the Wave cards.

Josh clapped his hands together. “Okay,” he suggested. “Let's play a game together. Hide and Seek. The girls will all hide while the adults will seek. We'll see who can stay hidden the longest. Steve and I will leave the cabin for two minutes while you hide. You must stay in the cabin. Leaving the cabin means being grounded and not playing any more at all. Sound good?”

The girls cheered.

“We need three minutes to hide,” dissented Donna.

“Fine, three minutes.”

“I need to go potty.”

“Me, too.”

“Okay, five minute break before we start. Be back here in the dining room in five minutes,” Josh said.

The girls ran off to the various rooms, some of them to do some scouting.

“Oo, fun,” Steve said. He started putting the game away.

Josh helped. “To make it interesting for us we can enter from separate entrances and whoever finds the least girls buys the other a beer next Friday night.”

“Okay.”

Josh looked down at the table. He picked up the Bethany doll and said, “Staying out of trouble?” He pulled the string.

“Thank you, thank you, Josh,” she gushed. “Make myself a living being again.”

The pull string disappeared and she turned back into a person, though only a foot tall, in Josh's hands. “Could you put me down, Josh?”

“You're short,” he joked as he set her down on the floor.

She commanded herself. “Make myself into a eight-year old version of myself physically.” She grew to just under four feet tall. “Alter my automaton button so that switches me between my automaton self, currently control by me and an age regressed eight-year old version of myself mentally, no longer an automaton, but with no access to my powers except one. The new button can switch me between these mental and powered states but as a young girl, I cannot touch the button until someone tells me it is there. No one else can trigger the button.”

She looked up at Josh, “Did I miss anything?”

“I don't think so.”

“Great, I want to play hide and seek too,” she announced. “Reach my right arm behind my neck and press the button there.” Her arm moved to the specified place and there was an audible click. “Oh, I missed the game.”

The other girls returned one or two at a time and were introduced to Beth. When they were all there, Josh and Steve went to the front door. “Okay, three minutes starts as soon as we close the cabin door. Ready?” As they all nodded, Josh counted down from three as he closed the door.

He glanced at his watch then looked up to find Steve talking to Shahala.

“That was very irresponsible of you, Master,” she chided.

“I've already taken him to task,” Josh interjected.

“He needs more,” she replied. She turned back to Steve, “You left me alone with a group of eight year old girls, one of whom is my mistress. She had as much control over me as you do. You took away her powers, not her ownership of me. I'm not even sure you can take away just her ownership. Thankfully, her only command was to dismiss me to my bottle. But at any time she could summon me to do something.”

“You're free,” Steve said.

“What?” Shahala and Josh blurted out.

“You are free. Your service is over. And thanks to the game, you should be able to choose your own next Master.”

“I, I thank you deeply, M- Steven,” Shahala said with tears in her eyes. “Few genies have ever heard those sweet words you said.”

“So, you have no more magic?” Josh said.

“None,” Shahala admitted. “Well, other than knowing where my bottle is at all times and a few innocuous things related to finding a new master.” She paused as feeling of joy bubbled up inside her. “I'm free,” she mouthed the words soundlessly.

“Easy, dear. It's been well over three minutes so Steve and I need to get back inside,” Josh said. “Collect yourself. Breath in some fresh air. Come inside before dark. I'm guessing you'll want a ride into the city with us.”

“I haven't thought about it.”

“You have some time now. Think about it.”