The Wishing Well

“I’m serious, Susan!” Katie said fearfully, walking quickly down the dark street beside her older sister. “Don’t use the wishing well! It’s dangerous!”

Susan looked down at her younger sister with irritation. Katie was only a year younger than her, but she was such a child. She was always butting in! But in a week or so Susan would be back off to university, leaving her sister behind with their parents, and then she’d be free again. “It’s just a dumb tradition,” she said, like she was explaining something very simple to someone very slow. “It’s not like anything’s actually going to happen.”

“That’s not true!” Katie insisted. “Don’t you remember Rebecca? She wished she could be more popular, and she ended up dropping out of college and-”

“And now she’s a stripper,” Susan finished for her. “Yeah, I know. But I seriously hope you’re not comparing me to Becky Fun-Bags,” she said scornfully. “I know she was top of her class and everything, but anyone could tell she was massively repressed. I wasn’t surprised at all when she got that ridiculous boob-job. Besides,” Susan went on, “I’m not stupid. Even if it is just a silly tradition, I’ll be careful with my wish, okay?” Her tone might have been soothing if it wasn’t for the condescension dripping from every word.

Katie scowled, but she stopped in her tracks as they rounded the corner and the wishing well came into view. Susan just rolled her eyes and carried on.

“Please, Susan!” Katie begged, but Susan ignored her.

She walked right up to the edge of the well and looked into the water. There was something vaguely ethereal about it, she thought. It was strangely clear and bright, even in the darkness. But the idea that it was actually magic was absurd. Still, that didn’t mean doing things like this couldn’t be fun. It would be a kind of new year’s resolution.

She reached into her pocket and took out a coin, which she tossed into the sparkling water. “Starting this year,” she said quietly, “I wish I was more of a-”

“Susan, please!” Katie shouted again. “Don’t do this!”

Susan scowled and turned around. “If you can’t keep your mouth shut then go home, Katie! I don’t need some overgrown child crying about the scary magic well, okay?”

She could see the hurt on her sister’s face, but she ignored it and turned back to face the well angrily. “Stupid baby…” she muttered.

Then the water in the well began to glow.

Four Months Later

“Pwease, Mummy!” Susan begged. “All my fwiends are finishing first year and I’m supposed to be there too!”

“Oh Susie,” her mother said gently, “we’ve talked about it. You’re just not smart enough for university.”

“But I used to go!” she wailed, stomping her feet petulantly and making her bare breasts wobble about on her chest. When she was at home, all she wore were a pair of frilly ankle socks and a large, white, disposable diaper.

“Yes, darling,” her mother agreed, “but that was before we all realised how, erm… special you are. The stress of dealing with college and adulthood were clearly too much for you. I’m sure that’s what triggered your mental breakdown.”

“I didn’t haf a bweakdown, Mummy!” Susie cried, her eyes filling with tears. “It was magic! It was the wishing well!”

Her mother just tittered at her daughter’s silliness. “Trust me, sweetheart,” she said, “nursery school is a much more suitable place for you.”

“But I hate it there!” Susan whined. “They make me play wif stupid blocks and rattles and dollies! An’ when I tell them I wanna learn how to use the potty, they just laugh at me!”

Her mother chuckled. “I’m sorry sweetie,” she said, “but I think you’ve missed the boat for potty training.”

“Boat?” Susan asked dimly. She didn’t understand. “Do you hafta learn how to go potty on a boat?” she asked.

“No, honey,” her mother laughed. “It’s just a metaph... It’s just an expression.” Then, seeing her daughter was still confused, she said, “Don’t worry about it, Susie. It’s something only big, smart girls can understand.”

“But I am a big, smart girl!” she insisted angrily.

Her mother ignored her. “Speaking of going potty,” she said, “do you need a nappy change?”

Susan shook her head furiously, but her mother had already stepped forward and slipped a hand down the front of her diaper.

“You’re a little bit soggy,” she said, ignoring her adult daughter’s squeal of protest, “but not soaked just yet.” She withdrew her hand and cleaned the pee off of it with a baby wipe, wrinkling her nose.

Susan scowled and stomped away from her mother, feeling sulky. She shouldn’t be allowed to do that! But then she caught sight of herself in the mirror that hung on the opposite wall, and her lower lip began to tremble. With her hair in pigtails, her boobies out, and her nappy sagging slightly between her thighs, she looked like nothing more than a great big baby. She looked so stupid! She had to find a way to grow up again and go to college! She wasn’t sure what she’d do about her nappies, but she was certain that once she went back to university and learned how to be smart again, she’d figure something out. But how could she convince her mother she was a big girl?

Susan pouted and screwed up her face in concentration, trying as hard as she could to do thinkies. Then an idea occurred to her. That was it! Her reflection looked like such a smarty-pants when she scrunched up her face like that! Susan bent her knees a little too. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt more comfortable that way. Now she just had to get Mummy to look at her, and she could be a grown-up again!

“Mummy!” she grunted. “Look at me, Mummy!”

“Yes, baby? Oh… Silly Susie! I guess Mummy checked you a little early, huh?”

Susan cocked her head in confusion. What did Mummy mean? But then she felt a sudden pressure in her bottom. Her eyes went wide with shook, her mouth fell open, and the smart college student turned stupid baby started filling her diaper with a big yucky mess right in front of the mirror. The seat of her nappy ballooned out and drooped down heavily between her slightly splayed legs, and the front discoloured as a strong rush of wee-wee joined the mess in her pants.

Susan burst into a fit of sobbing. “Noooo!” she wailed. “I don’t wanna be a baby! I don’t wanna poop my pants!”

Her mother just shook her head in faint amusement. “I think I’ll get your sister to take care of that one,” she said with another titter. “But once she goes off to college, I’m going to have to think about who I can get to babysit you, stinky-butt.” She looked thoughtful for a moment. “Maybe I’ll see if that Rebecca girl wants to earn a bit of extra cash looking after you. It will probably be a nice break from jiggling her tits about on stage. What do you think, Susie-poo? You could even make a friend!”

Susan could only keep crying at the top of her lungs.