The AR Story Archive
Stories of Age/Time Transformation
by: skywavesage | Complete Story | Last updated Oct 15, 2017
Kyle ambled up the sun-drenched driveway towards Gary"s house. The previous twelve months had zoomed past like giddy greyhounds, as Kyle had quit his corporate job to launch a startup, a virtual reality app that fused his passion for meditation with his genius for technology.
His secret sauce was the age regression app, which he had disemboweled and repurposed, enabling his customers to mentally revisit their childhood in full immersive technicolor " whether that meant sandy toes and salty kisses by the seaside, building living room forts with sofa pillows & sheets, or just scampering around in diapers without a care in the world.
The app had been wildly successful, gaining millions of paying subscribers and netting Kyle a considerable fortune. Like other successful entrepreneurs, he was looking for ways to give back, just when Gary had chosen to reconnect with him.
He hadn"t had much contact with his former colleague since they last parted ways. The day after he reverted to adulthood, Kyle had received a cryptic email from Gary, saying he was resigning from his position because he wanted to "reboot his life". And after that, radio silence.
Kyle had a hunch for what Gary had chosen to do, and his premonition was strengthened when he noticed the pair of boys" bikes sprawled on the fresh-cut lawn, the sun-bleached basketball hoop leaning by the garage door, and the manicured flower bed bursting with geraniums and dahlias.
He knocked, and the front door flew open.
"Mr. Miller!" exclaimed a middle-aged, heavyset woman in a long skirt and stout-heeled shoes. "I thought Gary was kidding when he said you"ll be visiting in person. I"m Angela, and you know, I"m a huge fan of your app"¦"
She gave him a knowing wink, seized him by his arm and dragged him into the living room, settling him down on a canary yellow couch while she bustled off to brew a pot of tea.
"Hello!"
Kyle turned around as a six-year-old boy strolled in and sat down beside him. The little tyke had a broad grin on his face, and was wearing a Minecraft graphic tee with a pair of bright orange striped shorts.
"Hey bro." he said as wrapped his arm about the boy"s slender shoulders. "You look even more adorable than I remember."
Gary gave him the stink-eye, before bursting into laughter.
"You know what my favorite part of being a kid is? People coming up to me, ruffling my hair, oozing affection, and then insisting on buying me candy and ice-cream."
"That explains that." Kyle poked playfully at the boy"s round belly.
"That is just baby fat! I"ll outgrow it." Gary made a face. "By the way, I"m not suggesting any of this was easy. It took monumental effort to find the confidence to ask Angela for a second chance. And then to try to become more positive, and also get used to"¦ urm"¦ giving hugs and stuff like that. But it was totally worth it!"
"I"m very happy for you." Kyle replied with a genuine smile. "So why did you invite me over today?"
"I watched that interview where you said you were looking for something meaningful to do with the money you made from your app?"
"Uh-huh?"
"Well, since I don"t have to go to school, and I want to be able to help Angela support our family, I"ve been taking on some remote freelancing gigs. But there are so many new frameworks and tools that I"m struggling to stay up to date. The online resources are patchy, and when I tried applying to attend a proper class, I kept getting rejected because of my age. Now, you"ve told me before that you started coding when you were just a small boy. That got me thinking"¦ they"ve got to be lots of others like you and me out there. So why don"t you start a coding academy for kids?"
"Dude, that"s a frickin" great idea!" Kyle said, slapping his palms on his thighs. "I know a business incubator with some extra space, and I"m gonna ask my coding buddies to volunteer their time to teach. But"¦ I"ll still need someone to develop a kid-friendly curriculum. Gary my man, you wanna partner with me on this? After all, you bring a unique perspective"¦"
"Partner with you?" A shrill voice came from above. "Ya gotta be nuts! That kiddo there still needs to wear diapers to sleep at night!"
A fourth grader bounded down the stairs. He was essentially Gary, with coffee-colored hair, and stretched about a foot vertically.
"Th...That"s not true"¦" the embarrassed six-year-old said as he leapt to his feet to confront the smirking newcomer.
"And ya won"t believe what he chooses to wear during the day!" With a triumphant flourish, the older boy jacked down Gary"s shorts, revealing a pair of briefs with tomato red trim and emblazoned with a mosaic of cuddly Pokémon.
"Aieeeeee!!!" Gary blushed furiously. "I didn"t choose these! I mean, they were yours! I just"¦"
The ten-year-old whooped with laughter as the hapless boy wrenched his shorts back up.
"Dylan." Gary said as he struggled to regain his composure. "If I remember correctly, you were still wetting your bed at eight."
The laughter stopped.
"Yer lying!"
"I don"t think so. You would run crying to my room and"¦"
"Yer a BIG LIAR!" The irate boy caught Gary in a headlock. "Admit it now, or else!" He proceeded to dance his fingers all over the smaller boy"s body, sending Gary into a fit of uncontrollable squeals and giggles.
"Boys! BOYS! Stop your rough horsing right now!" Angela slammed the tray of tea and cookies on the coffee table before separating the two. "We have a guest with us today. Now behave!"
"He started it!" Dylan whined.
"Would you like a cookie? It"s your favorite chocolate chip." Gary passed the plate over to the scowling boy.
"I hafta admit, yer way more fun as my little bro" than you ever were as a dad." Dylan said grudgingly as he grabbed a handful.
"And you are far cuter and infinitely more loveable now than you ever were as a husband."
A pair of sailor arms descended on the six-year-old, crushing him against her mighty bosom, squeezing him like a human plushie, and then unleashing upon him a volley of indulgent smooches.
"And once we get our academy off the ground," Gary said to Kyle even as he blushed and struggled to wriggle free, "I"ll make sure that I become a far better coder than you ever were."
Promotion or Pacifier
by: skywavesage | Complete Story | Last updated Oct 15, 2017
Stories of Age/Time Transformation