Chapter #4Mia's Twin Incantation - Josh babysits by: Morphology   Josh was sitting in the living room with little Mia sitting next to him as they watched one of her favorite shows, Magical Girl Rescue Squad, when he heard Kelly and his mom talking in the kitchen. He didn't mean to overhear, but it was kind of heard to miss. "Kim, I don't know what to do?" Kelly started. "I just need a break from the girls. I mean, I love them to death, but I just need time to myself. A nice spa day and getting pampered. You know?" Looking down, Josh could see Mia engrossed into the show and started to lean against him and used him as a pillow.
"I know sweetie, but Courtney has to go to this camp. She's actually one of the counselors this year and Courtney is really happy." Kim replied back as she put her hand on Kelly's. "I've been too busy at the office to watch them."
Getting up slowly, to let Mia continue watch the show, Josh made his way into the kitchen. "I can watch them." He told Kelly and his mom. Kelly looked a little apprehensive at first, but Josh continued. "I mean, I used to watch my cousins when they were little and some dirty diapers don't faze me too much. Besides you need a break and I'm offering." He started to lean against the wall as she thought about what to do. This seemed to attract Mia's attention too, since she hopped off of the sofa and joined him in the doorway. She lifted up her arms to him to have him pick her up. She rested her head on his shoulder and looked at her mom. Kelly looked at the both of them and started to tear up.
Kim tried her best to console her, but the dam seemed to have ruptured. She got up and made her way over to him and embraced him. "Thank you so much." She started. "I just need time to myself." Mia put her hand on Kelly head and gently patted it.
"Kelly, you know I think the world of the girls right?" Josh told her as he moved Mia higher on his hip. "So what time do you need me over?" He asked with a grin.
She thought for a moment but when Mia lay her head on his shoulder, that changed everything. Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, Kelly smiled. "Tomorrow at 10?" She asked hoping that it wasn't too early for him and he didn't have anything to do.
"I'll be there at 9:45." He replied with a wink as he handed Mia over to Kelly.
** The next day **
The day started off decently enough, Megan was busy watching Magical Girl Rescue Squad. Mia was running around the house like a demon out of hell. After about 30 minutes, Josh was in the kitchen getting a drink and explaining to Megan how baking soda wasn't edible when he heard and unmistakable pop. To him, it sounded like a balloon popping in another room. Not seeing Mia anywhere, Josh quickly started to look around for her.
He didn't have to look far because standing on the ottoman was Mia. Her pink pacifier in her mouth and holding an old book. She had it open and Josh could see what looked like fireflies coming off of the pages. The pages looked to have a soft violet hue as they fluttered as if they were caught by a breeze. However, there wasn't a breeze in the house. Mia looked up at him and smiled. "Mia, no!" He cried out, but it was too late. She giggled and smacked both hands onto the book's pages. As she did, a pink glow seemed to envelop her and she pointed over to Josh. When she pointed over to him, the soft pink glow that enveloped her shot towards Josh and landed into his chest. The glow packed a small punch when it hit him, causing Josh to stumble backwards and landing on the ground. "What the..." He grumbled but felt himself shrinking. it started slow at first, but started to speed up. His limbs pulled in, joints started to compress, his whole body started to tingle like pins and needles under a weighted blanket.
In a matter of seconds, he collapsed onto the floor in a heap of hoodie and jeans. His arms flailed inside his now-massive clothes. "What the hell..." Josh started, but stopped after hearing his voice crack and what came out was high-pitched, almost babylike. "What the heck?"
Josh heard something behind him and Megan's voice called out. "Josh?!?" He started to scramble out from his hoodie, like a turtle emerging from its shell. Looking around, he found everything to be so much larger than it used to be just moments earlier. He felt tiny. Correction... he was tiny.
Looking down, Josh saw little legs, plump fingers, and his hair was now tickling his ears and his neck. "What is going on?" He asked in a voice that was now a near-perfect mimic of Mia's babble-tinged speech. "Oh no. Oh no no no. I'm... I'm her." He freed himself from his clothes and ran to the nearby mirror that the family used to get ready in the mornings. Staring into the mirror, he saw Mia. Same hair. Same curls. Same round cheeks. Even her big brown eyes.
Behind him, Megan was trying very hard not to laugh. "You look exactly like Mia. Like, exactly." She told him leaning down to get a better look. That's when Kelly showed up.
The front door opened and Kelly's voice floated in. Calmer and more relaxed from her recent trip to the spa. "Hey girls. Josh, is everything okay?" She called out until she looked down the hallway and saw her babysitter standing barely knee-high in an oversized shirt and looking shell shocked. She blinked, almost as if to try and process what she's seeing. "Mia? Wait... where's? Her eyes narrowed and glanced over at Megan standing next to him. "Megan?"
Almost as if knowing what her Mom was wanting, Megan pointed at the new Mia standing in front of the mirror. "That's Josh." Josh could see the hour glass turning like a computer trying to process the information. She didn't speak for a solid ten seconds.
Josh tried to explain but every sentence came out with a toddler's syntax. "I'm Josh, I still think like big me, but my mouth is weird." He pointed back towards the living room. "Book zapped me and now I sound like a baby."
Kelly pinched the bridge of her nose, almost already done with the day. Letting out a long drawn out sigh, she continued. "Alright. Okay. Okay. Uh... Josh, sweetie, we can't have you running around naked in your own clothes."
Josh, knowing where this was going, crossed his arms and pouted. "I no wanna wear Mia's stuff."
Not really caring, she picked him up and started to go to Mia's room. "Well, you really don't have a choice right now." In a matter of minutes, Josh was in a clean pull-up, a pink polka-dot shirt with glittery letters that read 'Little Star, written on the front, and a pair of Mia's stretch leggings. He felt like a walking daycare commercial. To top it all off, Kelly plopped a pacifier into his mouth without thinking. After realizing what she did, she blinked and smiled. "Sorry. Habit." She apologized as Josh scowled. Kelly sighed and scooped him up effortlessly and propped him on her hip.
"No one can ever know about this." Josh muttered as he buried his face into her shoulder.
From behind him, Josh heard Megan snort. "Too late."
Sensing what he was going through, Kelly rested her head on his. "We'll call Darren. It was something from his box and might know how to reverse it." Kelly replied as they made their way back to the living room and put him down.
As Kelly started to dial her husband who was on a business trip to meet with past and future clients, Mia toddled over, giggling. "Twin." She babbled as she brought over one of her favorite toys.
Josh stared at her, deadpan. “You and I are gonna have words. Just as soon as I’m taller than a footstool.”  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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