Allie's adventure in the land of wonder.

Chapter 5
Betty comes to play

Chapter Description: The girls have cabin fever. Can Grandma help them out of their doldrums?

 The day was stormy. Outside was a dull leaden gray with heavy rain clouds that blocked out the sun and deposited a steady drizzle of rain on the ground.

Two very bored little girls stared out into the gloom and dreamt of exploring the forest instead of being inside.

“Why don’t you two do some board games or color in your coloring books?” asked grandma.

“Aw, that’s boring! We’ve played Candy Land so many times, that we’ve met the Candy King and he’s boring!” Said Edie. She had used her imagination to meet up with the king.

“We’ve colored at least a zillion pages in our coloring books, too!” said Allie. She didn’t know how much a zillion was, but she knew it was a lot!

“How about card games like ‘Old Maid’?” asked grandma.

“Granny, we don’t wanna play inside! I wanna go outside and play in the rain!” whined Allie.

“That’s just not possible,” said grandma as a lightning bolt illuminated the room, it was followed by the loud crash of thunder just a few scant seconds later.

The two girls sat on the couch and watched TV. A soap opera named “As The Stomach Turns” was playing.

Little girls might have a concept of love, but the dynamics of the characters as they went through their day-to-day drama were beyond them.

They turned to the Nick channel and watched for a little while. They already knew their numbers and what color was what.

The narrator of the show then demanded that they clap their hands to a sickening, monotonous tune over and over.

There was nothing on the TV.

“Bored! Bored! Bored!” Said Edie in exasperation. She looked outside, hoping that the clouds had parted, and found more gloom. The clouds were here to stay forever!

(Well, at least for a few more hours, which was forever for a child, anyway.)

Grandma made them some lunch. She set out some PB&J sandwiches with chicken soup in hopes that their favorite foods would distract them from their “woes”.

“Oh, Sha-lette! What evah shall we do? Where evah shall we go?” Said Edie as she mimicked Charlotte from the movie “Gone with the wind”.

“Frankly, mah deah, I don’t give a …” said Allie. She cut her last remark short after she realized that she was about to swear.

It earned a stern look from grandma.

“You girls are spoiled!” she said, “In my day, we always had something to do. If we didn’t, we’d end up with extra chores!”

“Well, what did you do on rainy days like this one, grammy?”

“Hmm,” pondered grandma. She had a small flash of inspiration.

“Allie, Edie, would you mind if I borrowed some of your clothes? I can show you!”

“Okay! That sounds cool!” said Edie.

Allie excitedly shook her head up and down in the affirmative. She was on board as well.

Grandma put on a heavy rain slicker and walked outside to the mushroom.

The caterpillar had erected a small, portable canopy over the mushroom. It covered the area around the mushroom with room to spare and the caterpillar sat happily atop it, blowing technicolor bubbles from his vape.

“Hey, baby! Nice weather, eh?”

“Yes, Mr. Caterpillar, it’s wonderful weather if you’re a duck,” joked grandma as she immediately went to the point of her visit, “I have a request for you!”

The caterpillar immediately came to attention. “What can I do for you?” He asked.

Grandma explained that she needed a variation on the “Drink Me!” vial that Edie had consumed the other day.

“I wish to be age 10 with my adult mind, but only for a few hours. Can you do that?”

“Whatever you desire, baby!” said the caterpillar as he handed over a small vial.

“Thank you, Mr. Caterpillar! Keep it dry, now!” said grandma as she walked back towards the house.

“Oh, I will!” answered the caterpillar jovially. “I only wish I could see what happens later,” he muttered afterward with a mischievous grin.

Grandma walked into the living room where the two girls had resumed their zombie trance in front of the television.

“Okay, girls! I’ll be out in a moment, and then I’ll show you how to play!” said grandma confidently as she walked into their room and closed the door.

“Okay,” said the girls in lifeless agreement. They were very bored!

Grandma drank down the contents of the vial and shrank down to age 10. The potion was very sweet and left a strong aftertaste in her mouth. She stepped out of her clothing and looked for something suitable for a play date among the girls’ things.

She ended up wearing a pair of stiff denim overalls, vertically striped black and orange socks, and a yellow play shirt.

Marveling at how well the children’s clothing now fit her, she admired herself in the mirror.

Grandma gave in to a whim of childish vanity, made a model-like pose, and pursed her lips in a mock kiss at the little girl in the mirror before stepping out into the living room.

“Ahem!” she said loudly to get the two zombie girls' attention. It worked.

“Wow, granny! You really did become a child! How old are you?” asked Edie. She was hoping that grandma had chosen an age less than hers. That would allow her to be the boss.

Allie hugged the young girl. She had met her prior, but then she remembered that grandma wouldn't remember that.

"Hi, Betty!"  she said. Then excused herself. Grandma returned the hug with great affection for her grandchild.

“You're right, Allie! Granny is out! For now, call me Betty,” said grandma, “And for your information, Edie, I’m 10!”

“Aww!” moaned a disappointed Edie. Her dreams of being the boss evaporated with her groan.

“Now, then! Who wants to play dollies with me?” asked grandma as she walked over to the toy chest and pulled out a Barbie, a Ken, and a Skipper doll.

“Dolls? That’s for kids!” said Edie in a huff. She was still mad over not getting her preferred boss role.

“I’ll play!” said Allie. She wanted to play with her grandma. She couldn’t say it in words, but she felt like it might be fun to play with grandma. Especially now that she was her age.

The two girls played with Ken and Barbie. Eventually, Edie came over to play as well. She didn’t want to be Skipper, though.

Betty gave her the Barbie doll and assumed the Skipper role. They played a little girl’s level of romance until they got tired of it, (which was about 15 minutes; a very long time for children).

They played cards with Betty showing them a new, old way to play “Old Maid”.

"Wow! We should call it 'Old Old Maid'!" exclaimed Allie

They even pulled out the Candy Land board and taught Betty some new rules.

Although the play was fun, and although Betty fit in with the two girls very well, Edie still felt the urge to be the boss, and that was a cause for some strife on their happy little playdate.

“Wash your hands! Wash your hands! You sound like a grandma!” said Edie in a brat-like fashion after being admonished for not doing so.

“Well, I am your Grandma, you know!” said Betty as Edie pouted at her.

After a little back and forth, grandma decided that they’d play dress-up. Allie was eager, but Edie was still in a funk. She joined the game later after fuming for a few minutes in a directed corner by Betty.

The afternoon waned. The girls were worn out from their play and found to their surprise, that several hours had passed, and they had barely noticed.

The only problem was Edie's desire to take over the group and boss around grandma. A bickering match broke out between the two.

“Why can’t I be in charge? You’ve been in charge long enough!” Fumed Edie.

“Because that’s my job!” answered Grandma, “Show some respect for your grandma!”

Edie was having difficulty distinguishing between Grandma, who was in charge, and Betty, who was her playmate.

“Aww, it’s not fair! I wanna be the boss! Can’t I be the boss for just a few minutes? Please?” bargained Edie.

Grandma knew that would be a mistake. She figured that later on in her life, Edie could become a lawyer or a politician with her strong personality.

The last thing she needed was to get what she wanted, (for now, anyway).

“Nope! Sorry! You can’t be in charge, because…” said Grandma as the “little surprise” that the caterpillar had put in the potion took hold; she shrank down to age 6.

(The caterpillar had fulfilled his promise, she was age 10 for a few hours. It was what came after that was open to interpretation.)

“...I’m the oldest?” She squeaked as an overall strap fell over her small shoulder. She was so small for her outfit that she was swimming in the material.

Edie’s eyes and face lit up with maniacal delight! Never had grandma seen a little girl with such power-lust! Never!

Edie smiled a nasty all-knowing gap-toothed grin, “Okay, now I’m the oldest! You have to do what I say!”

The next few hours were torturous for the two girls as dictator Edie demanded they do her bidding.

Dinner wasn’t served and Edie, despite her rumbling tummy, was having such a fun time bossing the girls around, that she forgot to let them eat.

At 8 o’clock, Betty’s spell wore off and she managed to pull off her baggy overalls before her rapidly growing body destroyed them. Other “garments” didn’t fare as well.

Edie got sat down and was given a long, rambling, stern lecture. It must have lasted longer than 5 minutes!

She apologized and wrote an assigned essay on why it’s not nice to be bossy. Grandma had her read it aloud and quizzed her on pertinent points.

Grandma hoped that some of the message got through, but she knew she wasn’t finished with Edie’s power dynamic.

Allie gave hugs all around. She was just doing what she did best as a little diplomat; wanting fun and play with very little strife in it.

Later in the kitchen, she asked, “Grammy? Do you think we’ll get a visit from cousin Betty ever again?”

“I don’t see why not, dear! She had a lot of fun playing with you girls,” said a happy grandma, “at least for a little while…” she added.

Edie came in and declared that they were out of baby diapers. This got her an odd look from Allie and grandma.

Edie returned the stares quizzically and shrugged her shoulders. She didn’t understand what the looks she got meant, turned around, and left.

The distinct sound of a crinkling of plastic followed her wake.

“Is that girl using baby powder?” asked grandma as she sniffed the air. Edie had left a distinct fragrance behind before she left.

“I know I’m not!” quipped Allie, “I’m not a baby.”