Our House

Chapter 3
Our House - Changes

Her room...NO....THE room. It was changed. What had been plain and sparse furniture had metamorphosed over night into something out of a three year olds fantasy come true. The walls bright with farm animals and bugs, the wardrobe and chest of drawers all had bright primary colours splashed over them, even the duvet which had been plain and woollen before she had slept, now had bright cheerful cartoon characters giggling up at her. Star kicked the offending items away from her, worried that touching them would contaminate her somehow that’s when she saw her pyjamas. She hadn’t gone to bed wearing pyjamas. But now here she was in a Disney princess nightie and as it rode up she caught a glimpse of something that almost made her heart stop. With a shaky paw she pulled her nightie up further to show, much to her alarm, a pair of princess pull-ups..the stars...gone. She had woken in soggy pull-ups Star tugged at them shredding them at the sides and allowing them to flop onto the mattress as she threw herself off the bed screaming part in fear part in confusion and part because she didn’t know what else to do.

She stood there heart pounding realising the drawers she had pulled across the door were back where they had started. What the fuck was going on? That’s when she caught her reflection in the mirror and her heart almost stopped for a second time. Staring back at her, brunette coloured curly haired wide eyed three year old kitten she had been soo many years ago. She took a shaky step towards the mirror, groping at her now flat chest, her mouth gaped open. This wasn’t possible. This was a dream right. She wasn’t a child. Her eyes brimmed with tears and she let out an uncontrolled sob as her paw touched her reflection. This wasn’t real. This COULDN’T be real.

It was then that Mother came into the room. She stopped dead and looked around surveying the décor.

“Okay, not quite what I was expecting, you’re clearly stronger than you look kiddo” Mother chuckled walking over to the tot.

Star backed away, the woman towered over her now and the child’s bottom lip trembled, tears poured down her face. “W..What’s goin on?” She felt so confused.

“Well, what’s going on is you’re not ready for breakfast are you little one, Your oatmeal is going cold so come on lets get down there” Mother bent down and scooped Star effortlessly into her arms settled the kitten into the crook of her arm and then the adults brows furrowed for a second, lifted Stars nightie and saw a lack of underwear. Star was immediately placed back down on the floor.

“Young lady!” Mothers voice had taken a stern tone. “What have I told you?”

Stars ears flattened, she knew she had done something wrong but she didn’t know what. Why was mother suddenly cross at her. Mothers eyes roamed the room and found Stars soggy pull-up discarded on the bed, Grabbing the little lynx by the paw Mother tugged her over to the bed

“We don’t do this remember?” Mother said pointing to the damp crumpled pull-up “If you have an accident you tell me and we fix it. You’re almost a big girl but it’s okay to have accidents sometimes but hiding them makes Mummy cross and now Mummy has to punish you doesn’t she”

Star shook her head. Punished? She didn’t need punishing. She was a good girl wasn’t she? “I’m sorry Mummy. I’m sorry”

Mother sighed pulling Star up onto her lap as she sat on the bed. “Yes, Sweetie, you will be sorry.”

Suddenly Star found herself face down across this giant red pandas lap and without any time to assess the situation she was being spanked. It wasn’t hard, if anything her bare butt was barely being touched. It was over in four swats but four swats was all it needed for the humiliation of the situation to overload her and the kitten was a bawling mess. She felt herself being righted again and then tightly hugged.

“Shh it’s okay, Mummy doesn’t like doing that but you need to learn little one. Mummy still loves you very much, but she doesn’t want to keep cleaning up your messes, so you have to promise to keep your pull-ups on okay?”

Star sniffled and nodded miserably, she wouldn’t take them off again. She’d be good.

Mummy beamed a happy smile and put Star back on her feet.

“Good girl. Such a good girl.” She continued to praise Star as Mummy pulled open the top drawer of the dresser and produced a fresh pair of pull-ups, holding them open Star shyly stepped into them and let her Mummy pull them up to fit snug against her waist. Star twisted experimentally feeling happier that she had made her Mummy happier but confused too as to why this felt wrong and why she instantly wanted to shred them again. They felt thicker than her normal underwear...,,why would that....Suddenly adult thoughts bombarded her. No. She wasn’t a kitten at all. She was twenty five. She’d been potty trained a LONG LONG time ago. She staggered back as if she had been punched, clutching at her head.

Mummy straightened watching the little scene unfold.

“Yes, quite a bit of fight in you isn’t there. Don’t worry everyone has a breaking point, minutes, hours, days...It always happens eventually.” Star looked up in horror as the adult smiled serenely down on her and then plucked her from her feet once more, settling the regressed lynx on her hip.

“Put me down or I’ll fuck you up” Star hissed, her thoughts reeling from being happy that Mummy was carrying her down to breakfast to being indignant that she needed carrying at all, she was an adult....a kitten....a she...didn’t know what she knew.

Mummy ignored the threat and carried Star out into the hallway heading down the stairs Stars face drained of colour. The photographs that Star had studied the previous evening in the hallway, The photos of the happy family all posed together....now had an additional member. Sometimes she was sat on Mummy’s lap, in one photo she was propped up on Daddy’s shoulders but it was unmistakable. Star was in all the family photos grinning and looking just as happy as everyone else. She began to tremble. Shock setting in as Mummy carried her into the dining room that Star had enjoyed the stew in the night before.

Whereas before there hadn’t been a chair for Star to sit in, now an extra chair had appeared complete with booster seat strapped to it which Star was placed in and strapped into for her own safety. Star stared at the red plastic bowl and matching plastic spoon filled with oatmeal just for her. Star stared up at the bowl and across the table at her three siblings. Gree smiled shyly at her, waving quietly. Zach stared at her coolly “I told you. Didn’t I. I did. This is YOUR fault and now you’re stuck.”

“ZACH that’s enough!” The order barked from Mother was enough to shut the teenage wolf up.

Ursie had stood up on her own seat looking at Star a giant beaming smile on her face. “Yoor YOUNGER than me!!” She said with great delight “Yoo hafta do wat I say Cause I’m yoor bigger sista!” Ursie practically vibrated with excitement. Stars eyes started filling with tears again. She grabbed up her spoon and stuck it in the oatmeal stirring it feeling miserable. Her head felt all confused, she knew that she would get to help Gree and Ursie fetch eggs from the hen coops soon and she loved helping with that, and she was sure she’d get to help Mummy bake scones later today which meant she’d get to share the mixing bowl spoon with Ursie she was sure Mummy had said that yesterday to her...and something about Daddy taking her for a car ride somewhere. Car rides were always exciting when she could see out of the window. So why did she just want to cry.

Daddy walked into the room and Gree and Ursie jumped down and threw themselves at him “Daddy DADDY” They squealed happily as he scooped them up and planted huge sloppy kisses on them. Star waved her arms up and down, she wanted picked up too she wanted morning hugs she tugged at the booster seat strap and whined at her inability to join in. She looked up seeing daddy towering over her beaming a large toothy grin. “And hows my pipsqueak this morning” In one fluid motion he had unlatched the booster seat strap and hauled the newest addition to the family up in the air much to Stars giggling delight she too got a large sloppy kiss on the cheek her giggling infectious as she was placed back into her booster seat and strapped back in where she eagerly got stuck into her oatmeal. Daddybear took his place in his colossal chair and the room quickly descended into spoons clattering on bowls and munching of cereals and toast.

Mother surveyed the room as her family ate “So what are your plans today dear” She said as she knocked the top off her boiled egg. Daddy sat up straight. “Well Gonna take the pick-up over to that abandoned jeep after this and bring it back here. I promised pipsqueak I’d take her out there with me didn’t I squeaker” Star looked up, her face covered in mush and nodded enthusiastically. She knew she was going on a road trip with daddy, to see something about a car, wait it was a jeep. “JEEEEEP” Star giggled. That was a funny word..it sounded more like a sound. “JEEPJEEEPJEEEP!” She said through the final grinning mouthfuls of oatmeal. Mother moved over and ran a wet cloth over Stars face unbuckling the lynx from the seat as the little lynx protested and spluttered at the unexpected cleaning.

“You cant go anywhere in your pyjamas, come on girls time to get dressed, you too Zach there’s lots to do today” Ursie ran round to Stars side of the table as Star was lowered to the ground. Gathering her little sisters paw Ursie tugged Star towards the stairs. “Mummy? Can me an Star dress the same? Like twins?” Ursies eyes shone with excitement causing mother to chuckle. “I’m sure we can find something, come on, up the stairs”

Ursie tugged Star up the stairs, Star only being three now found the stairs quite high but she managed with Ursie encouraging her all the way and together they ran into Ursies room which had lots of monsters and fantasy creatures on the wall, a mound of plushies in the corner and a brightly coloured wardrobe which Ursie ran to and flung open as she dug through outfits looking for what she wanted to wear. Star just stood there watching the carnage. Mother came into the room as Ursie pulled a yellow sundress out of wardrobe.

“THIS!” She yelled. Star shook her head...she knew....she did...she didn’t do dresses...She hadn’t worn a dress for years. But she was only three...

“No.” Star shook her head. “NO DRESSES” She shook her head harder turned to run out of the room and just ran smack into Mother. “That’s a very pretty dress Ursie. I think Star has a matching one don’t you?” Star continued to shake her head. This was all wrong. “NO I have NONE dresses!” She knew this was true she hadn’t bought any since she had left home. She was a tomboy, the other lads at the base would laugh at her if they ever saw her dolled up like a proper woman....girl... Star wobbled as she shook her head fighting soo much with her own memories merging and warping into new ideas and thoughts that she wasn’t aware that Mummy had pulled the nightie she wore up and over her head leaving her just standing in a pull-up Ursie giggled she spoke precociously her voice dripping with smugness.

“Mummy I only wear pull-ups at night time now. Baby sis hasta wear them all the time” This broke Star out of her internal struggle the adult thoughts dissapearing as she tried to regain her dignity. She wasn’t a baby. “I’m FREE!” She puffed out her chest making herself look bigger splaying out all her fingers to show how old she was. “I’m THIS many!” Ursie shook her head “Well I’M THIS MANY” and Ursie held out all of her fingers too but held them higher than Star could reach. “See so I’m biggerer, an yoo hafta wear pull-ups” Star started whining as she jumped to reach the height of Ursies outstretched paws.

“I’m going to bang both your heads together in a minute if you don’t stop bickering” Mothers voice cut through the little argument as she threaded Star into a yellow sundress matching the one Ursie was holding. Tying the bow at the back Star was then plucked off her feet and sat on Ursies bed as Mother pulled white lace socks onto the lynx’s feet. Star wrinkled her nose in disgust as she was dressed. This wasn’t right, the guys at the base were going to laugh at her for sure, guys...at playgroup? The boys? Zachy and daddy were the only boys she knew though. She watched Ursie struggle into her own version of the dress. Getting a little tangled and whining until mother helped to tug the remainder of the dress down over Ursies head. “There you go pumpkin you almost did it yourself well done.”

Black patent mary janes were pulled onto Star’s feet and she watched the magic as Mummy did the buckles. They looked tricky and Star watched full of envy as Ursie slowly and methodically with Mummy’s help managed to do her own buckles of her own shoes.

Soon both their hair were tied in bunches with matching yellow ribbons. Mummy placed them both in front of the mirror as Ursie took Stars paw beaming with pure childish glee. Mummy’s smile was soo broad that it made Star swell with happiness. “Don’t you two look like such a picture.” Star stared at the little girls in the mirror. She felt soo grown up getting to dress like her bigger sister.

Daddybear wandered into the room. “My my what beautiful ladies I have in here? Pipsqueak you ready?” Star giggled at being called pretty and she ran to daddy who scooped her up effortlessly and tickled her tummy, then turned his attention to his wife.

“We’ll be back a little later okay?”

Mother smiled “That’s fine dear, you two have fun and I’ll see you when you get back. There’s a backpack of snacks and spare pull-ups by the front door on your way out”

Daddybear walked over to Mummy and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Love you, See you soon honey.”

Star was carried out the room She waved at her sister as she watched the world travel backwards, down the stairs and outside into the garden where Daddy’s pick-up truck was sat waiting for them beyond the gate. Suddenly the dog was around Daddy’s feet yipping excitedly. Daddy chuckled.

“Okay Mutt you can come along too.”

He pulled open the truck door and the dog bounded in without needing to be invited. A child’s car seat awaited Star and she was buckled in without fuss. She wanted to be good for daddy because he was taking her some place important. Daddy was taking her to see a jeep.

“JEEPJEEEEEEP” She said giggling enjoying the word again. Daddy chuckled with her. “That’s right pipsqueak we’re off to get your jeep.” JEEP...Her jeep. HER JEEP. She tugged at the car seat restraints. They didn’t budge. She was stuck. Her blood ran cold as the engine started.