Tale #102: Slow and Tell

Tale #102: Slow and Tell (A re-imagining of an older picture that had no story!) (Content tags: Humiliation, baby clothes, messy diapers, braindrain, rich kid wins, supernatural elements) Show and tell is a quintessential part of early elementary; it is the perfect opportunity to show your fellow classmates something really cool, to show that you yourself are really cool! Some kids want the validation, some want to watch as their classmates covet whatever they brought. Regardless of the exact reason, most kids loved the event. Over the past showings, students had brought all manner of different things to show off: new toys, pet frogs, rocks from the playground, family heirlooms... One show and tell would trump every other one though, and it'd be truly unforgettable. Ashton was a third grade boy that had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth; he wasn't modest about that fact either. The boy was well aware of his family's wealth, and he'd grown to enjoy flaunting it in his less fortunate peers' faces. For a rich kid like him, there was no better opportunity to do that then during show and tell. He brought in expensive toys and trinkets that nobody else in the class could imagine owning, and he always made sure to mention the exorbitant price tag, just to further dash any hopes that anyone else could afford them. The other kids were jealous at all the amazing trinkets that their affluent classmate brought, but they were also fed up with it. What could be done though? It was never as if Ashton was breaking any of the rules, and he acted innocent about it in front of the teacher. Besides that, the other kids were also a little afraid of messing with Ashton, just because it seemed dangerous to antagonize a rich kid. That fear would later become totally justified, when one of the kids in the class made the mistake of being more 'interesting' than Ashton. Nate had transferred in midway through the school year from out of state, and he drew attention to himself without even having to try. He had a natural charisma, a certain coolness to him, that made people curious. It helped that he had thus lived an interesting life, so he always had a lot to talk about. His family had been nomadic throughout most of his childhood, with his parents' unique line of work taking him all over the world. Nate wasn't boastful, but he also had no trouble with telling people stories if they expressed an interest to hear them; what other kid had sailed the Amazon or seen the pyramids of Egypt? His parents were archaeologists, but since Nate's baby brother had come around, they'd had to make decisions about stability. So they'd dropped the kids off with their grandmother to live, at least while they were out on expeditions. Nate missed the excitement and adventure, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't also happy to have a real home; somewhere he could stay and form friendships that would last longer than a couple of months. Getting to go to a real school had been everything that he'd hoped for, especially since he'd quickly become so popular. He'd been giddy when he heard about 'Show and Tell', because he thought of the insight it would give him on what being a 'normal' kid was like. Nate himself had brought in a small artifact that his parents had gifted to him on their last big trip together. That day had been decisive for both him and for Ashton. That would be the day that Nate made an enemy and learned that being a normal kid wasn't all that amazing. For Ashton, it would also be the one time that he felt embarrassed, and would be the day that he crossed a moral line. Ashton always went last; he *insisted upon going last. For him, the idea was that everyone else was a pitiful opening act, and that his presentation was the main attraction. It also meant that what he showed would be the last thing on everyone's mind, and so it'd be the most memorable! Today would be no different in terms of order, but it would be different in terms of what was memorable. One by one, kids went and showed off their little treasures. Toys, baby teeth, pictures, family heirlooms, stuffed animals... It was all wholesome and sincere, but also decidedly dull and unimpressive. The last two would be Nate and then Ashton. Ashton knew vaguely about Nate's whole deal, but he thought that what he'd heard was exaggerated nonsense. Besides, his family had vacationed all over the world, and probably in much more lavish style! What was so impressive for digging in the dirt for broken pots? "Last Summer, I went with my mom and dad to Peru to see this huge underground temple!" Ashton looked around at his peers and rolled his eyes as they focused on Nate's words. What rubbish! "...We'd found the way in through a giant hole in the ground! The people there called it the hole into heck!" Whatever, they'd forget all about this when Ashton showed off his new miniature robot from Japan! "...The spikes almost got us, but my dad found the way out at the last moment! There were these scary mask things on the wall that blew fire too!" The rich kid frowned, starting to realize that Nate had gripped the attention of every student in the room. "...And with the snakes gone, we were able to find *this*! It's a talisman from a really long time ago, and some people even say it could have magic powers!" Nate held up the small relic and his audience cheered with uproarious fervor. Usually, kids were allowed to ask questions about what was being presented, but it was rare for anyone to actually get these questions, since most of the stuff being shown wasn't very fascinating. For Nate though, every hand shot up into the air! The questions came on so long that the teacher had to cut them off, since they only had a few minutes left for Ashton's turn. Ashton was infuriated by this point, but he was still arrogant in his assumption that he could best what Nate had done. As he started to show off his expensive toy, which probably costed more than what the households of the other students made in an entire year, he noticed that people looked distracted. Kids were still trying to whisper to Nate, and even the teacher had started to get things ready for the next part of class. Ashton's presentation was being treated like an afterthought, like he was only getting a turn because it'd otherwise be rude. By the time he finished his showcase, nobody cared enough to ask anything about it. Ashton was a bubbling volcano of indignant ire. Slinking back to his seat, feeling humiliated by how he'd been shown up, he grew an intense hatred for the miserable whelp that'd dared to steal his thunder. After the initial fury, Ashton had tried to consider what had gone wrong. His assumption ended up being that the talisman was the focus of what'd made Nate so beloved up there, so he made an offer to buy it. No matter how much of his allowance he offered, Nate was resolute to keep the artifact, as it meant much more to him than mere money could match. It was a new feeling for Ashton, to not be able to buy what he desired. He'd never been in a position where money couldn't fix things and it only made his hatred grow. Thinking he could just buy one from somewhere else, he demanded to at least be allowed a picture of it, to which Nate shrugged and granted. Ashton would find out that the one Nate had was one-of-a-kind. That really rubbed the salt in the wound, as it meant that Ashton would never be able to own what he so deeply now coveted. In his search, which was primarily handled by one of his trusted servants, he would come to learn that the magic that Nate spoke of was allegedly very much real. The artifact was actually a piece of a set, and each piece could supposedly do something unique. Ashton blew three months of his allowance to buy one, and he had to sell some of his expensive toys to pay an expert in the esoteric to show him how to use it. When he learned what his was capable of, and how it reacted to the one that Nate owned, he'd become ecstatic. When the next 'show and tell' was to come, he told Nate that he should bring his talisman again, since not everyone had been at school last time and it'd been such a popular spectacle. Nate had mentioned that it sounded repetitive to bring it again, but he agreed after further prodding. It was perfect. The morning before class would start, Ashton would find Nate on the way to school. Ashton had rolled up to the walking boy in his family's limousine and offered him a ride to school, which Nate luckily hadn't found suspicious; he accepted the offer with a smile and got in the back with Ashton. "Thanks for the ride! I've never actually been in a limo before; it's so big!" "How deprived the poor are." Ashton tutted with a shake of his head. "So, did you bring it?" It took a moment for Nate to realize what Ashton was talking about, but then he understood and fished a brown paper bag out of his backpack. "Yup! I hope everyone's okay with me tellin' the same story again..." A cringe crossed the other boy's face as he saw the priceless relic was being held in a cheap lunch bag, like it was a ziploc full of baby carrots. It was disgraceful, especially when considering how much Ashton had paid for his own. "Trust me, they'll love it. Can I see it again?" "Uh, I guess." He grabbed it out of the bag and cautiously handed it over, looking like he had reservations. The talisman was complex in its construction, for how old it was supposed to be. It was small enough to fit in the palm of his hands, but it had multiple interlocking dials, like a cypher key. In the center was an etching of a monkey, which Ashton had identified as representing 'mischief'. Without proper knowledge, the talisman was little more than a paperweight. In Ashton's informed hands, it was capable of truly extraordinary feats. The rich boy began to turn each dial, pretending as if he was just playing with it, though in actuality he was setting it to something very specific. Each dial had symbols and letters, and each tick on the dial had an additional 'switch' of sorts with multiple positions; there were thousands of combinations that the relic could be placed in, with each ring representing a concept to combine. Ashton may have been refined and rich beyond belief, but he was still an eight yead old boy, and that meant that his lack of maturity still allowed for a very juvenile sense of humor. His sadism was painted by his childishness, and that would become evident by the fate that he had decided for his classmate. With a grin, he would hand it back and he wouldn't mention that he had an accompanying counterpart to it; it was through Ashton's talisman that Nate's could be activated fully. Very soon, he'd teach the lower class to never upstage him, which ironically would require that Nate be made the center of attention. He would even switch positions with Nate to allow him to go last, but there was nothing generous about that decision. Once again, most of the entries would be boring and inconsequential: just kids bringing things that they thought were cool. Being patient was difficult and Ashton kept his own talisman nearby, just itching for the chance to finally use it. When it came time for his turn, Ashton clutched his relic and murmured a soft incantation, which would react with Nate's one and make the little boy need to ask to be excused to the bathroom to pee. It wasn't completely necessary, but Ashton wanted Nate to make an 'entrance', and so he didn't want the upcoming transformation to happen in the classroom. With him gone, Ashton went up to the front and revealed his own talisman to everyone. Of course, his peers weren't as impressed as they had been with Nate. Ashton hadn't gone on a cool adventure to acquire it, so it was just some dusty old bauble that he'd bought from a real adventurer. Ashton had expected he might get a tepid response, and he'd prepared his ego for it this time. "...Then, when I won the auction, I was told it had magic powers! Amazing, right? Maybe I can figure out how to use them for next time. Maybe the magic words are something like... Yurga Vot Finth." The rich boy smiled coyly, in actuality using another spell. "Thank you, Ashton. That was lovely." His teacher would say when his turn came to an end, and she'd realize that Nate was still gone. "I suppose we'll have to wait for our last presentation..." "I'll go find him. He's still new, so he might have gotten lost." Ashton offered, though not out of any generosity. Nate had made it to the nearby restroom, but he'd been frozen to stay there by the last incantation that Ashton had used. He would find the boy there, awkwardly standing in front of the urinal with his shorts around his ankles, and his cartoon briefs on display; they were soaked with pee, which made sense since he'd been frozen. "That must have been some timing." Ashton chuckled, taking out his talisman and unfreezing his prey, who quickly realized that he'd whizzed himself. "Don't worry about your pee-pants, adventure boy. You have a show and tell to get back to! I'm going to help you make sure that everyone remembers it too." Ashton sneered, holding up the talisman again. Before Nate could ask what he meant, the rich kid was chanting another spell. This time, he was activating the combination that he'd given the one Nate had in his pocket. Each ring was a concept that would further transform the holder of the relic: baby, slave, dumb, dung. The yellow-stained underoos were the first to shift. The fabric morphed and expanded, going from cloth to something with a little more complexity (though symbolically a lot more simplistic). Nate looked confused and let out a gasp, reaching down to squeeze the padding, because he couldn't believe his briefs had turned into a bulky diaper. His shorts completely disappeared and his shirt receded into just a cloth draped from his neck, until it was just a large bib that said 'Baking Brownies' on it. His baseball cap became a bonnet, and a large rattle appeared in his hand. His shoes turned to baby booties too! He wasn't getting any smaller, but he *was* being babified! "W-what is happening?!" He squeaked, looking down at himself, as the first ring concluded its effects. "You should have just sold your talisman to me like I wanted. Now you're getting what you deserve, you little worm." Ashton cackled, giving his diapered butt a condescending slap. "I bought one of my own, and I actually know how to use it." Nate's talisman had been in his pocket, but now it was in his diaper, since his shorts had been wiped from existence. He quickly stuck his hand down the back and fumbled his fingers around in an attempt to grab it and maybe make some sort of deal. "Eww! I haven't even used the third ring yet, and you're already acting like a dummy!" He laughed, before using the second incantation to effectively turn Nate into being totally obedient to him. "Stop scratching your butt or whatever and stand straight, hands to the side!" As much as Nate wanted to fight back, he felt his body moving without his control. His eyes trembled, looking at Ashton and wondering what would come next. He didn't understand what was happening, except for the bare minimum that Ashton was behind it and by using magic. "Good boy. Now you know what happens when you forget your place. I don't think anyone will see you as 'cool' anymore after you go show them what you brought for show and tell, hm? They certainly won't be jealous of you." "P-please, I'll let you have the stupid artifact, just stop doing this!" Ashton looked to think about it for a moment, "Hmm...No. No, I think I want to have fun with you. Maybe I'll take it from you later. For now, I still need you to hold onto it; there's still two more spells to go!" Ashton marched the boy back down the hall and stopped shy of the classroom; he turned to the infantile looking boy and told him exactly what to say when he came back in. He then told him to wait another minute out in the hall, while Ashton first went in to let the teacher know that Nate was preparing for his presentation. When Nate came inside the classroom, you could have heard a pin drop. None of the kids could have foreseen that this was what Nate had been up to, but after the initial silence, the class erupted with laughter. The teacher looked too flabbergasted to stop any of it, just staring as the little boy waddled to the front of the class, dressed like an overgrown infant. "E-Nate, why are you dressed like that?" The woman was really hoping that this was some sort of prank or performance; maybe Nate was 'showing' his acting skills today? Or his sense of humor? "For show and tell. I was lying last time, about everything. I haven't been on any adventures and that thingy was just something I got from a comic shop." As commanded, Nate was following his master's words to the letter. He was lying about lying. "So this time I'm gonna show everyone the real me." Nobody could hear it with all the laughter in the room, but Ashton recited the next incantation to make Nate's brain better match his outfit. In an instant, the boy up front got a more vacant look on his face, and some drool dribbled from his lips. "M'ackshully a bay-bee. I wear diapees an' pway with bay-bee toys." He giggled, shaking the rattle in his hand, while the other gave his padded butt a pat. Riding the energy in the room, Ashton decided to go ahead and murmur the final incantation to activate the final ring on the talisman. That final ring was set to 'dung', or to a third grader, 'poop'. It would pair nicely with everything else that'd been done to the boy. "Ngghhh...Fer' show an' tell, I brought...MMPH! HNGH!" Nate stopped and began to loudly grunt, his face starting to get bright red from what he was obviously trying to do. The teacher stood from her desk, "Nate, stop it! You better not--" "I brought POO-POO!" He exclaimed, a gurgling fart billowing out into his diaper, followed by the eruptive sound of an explosion and many, many hefty sounding plops. There was no mistaking the noise for anything other than a massive mudslide of mushy muck; the way the diaper filled out in back only confirmed that. His bib was a perfect description of what he'd done, and he looked too dumb to be embarrassed by any of it. The laughter and jeers grew more intense and the teacher again looked taken off-guard by the dimwitted display. Ashton smiled broadly, knowing that Nate's popularity would forever be shot by this event, even if Ashton reversed the spells. "T-that's quite enough young man! I don't know what's gotten into you, but you can explain it to the principal!" The teacher finally found her words and grabbed the boy by the arm, so that she could march his stinky butt down to the office. Ashton was riding the high of what he'd done, but as he watched Nate toddle away, still farting too, he suddenly remembered that he hadn't taken the talisman from the boy. That prompted the further question of where the boy was possibly keeping it, since he had no pockets, which led Ashton's eyes to the sagging seat of the poopy diaper. Uh-oh. It was looking very possible that a priceless magic artifact was about to get balled up in a dirty diaper and tossed in the trash, along with any hope of Ashton owning it. That also begged the question of whether or not the spells would stay in effect, if the talisman was separated from the boy's person. Aside from that little faux pas, Ashton thought that today's show and tell had gone fantastically! Well, 'slow and tell' in Nate's case. Ashton was back at the top, right where he belonged, and Nate was at the very bottom, where he belonged for daring to be interesting.