Welcome to the Machine

Chapter 9
Chapter 9

How’s come my stuff’s so big?’ Glo asked Annie whose clothes were also larger.

’It just isn’t made to fit a little girl is all’ Annie replied, hoping to satisfy Glo’s curiosity.

’Oh. Are ya done with me now?’ Glo asked.

’Yip, Sorta. Just like stay here though!’ Annie told her as she turned off the alarm clock.

Annie continued watching Glo. She was getting really bored with everything. She could tell Glo was having lots of fun playing with the stuffed animal and some things she’d gathered from the table. It was only when Annie felt her shoes dropping off that she remembered what she was doing. She didn’t think that she’d gotten any younger , but the fact that her shoes had simply became too large and fallen off were obvious signs that she had. She read over her instructions.

’Cool! You still look 5 years old!’ 10 year old Annie said as she examined Glo for any signs of youthening. ’Boy, I better hurry and fix myself now!’

Glo wondered what she was talking about ’Hows come you’re gettin’ wittler Aunt Annie?’

’Ummmm It’s just tem...temp.. Ummmm I’ll be big in a little bit!’

’Oh Boy!.... Can I be big too????’ Glo asked with enthusiasm.

’Nuh...uh...It’s only for grownups like me’ said the 9 year old as she got in the machine. She grasped the instructions tightly. She’d already forgotten exactly how to operate the machine. She wished that she had used smaller words in the instructions. She was only glad that she had drew a few pictures because that made it easier.

She stared at the Lap Top that was in the machine and finally started it. The computer screens came to life and reported that they were scanning DNA....then that they found a match. Then it began the process of returning Annie to adulthood.

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Meanwhile:

Mark, who had sneaked into the house with Suzi and was waiting for the machine to fire up, burst into the basement.

’Don’t worry, mam.... we have a plan!’ he told a confused Glo as tears started to form on the small child.

’Suzi...Suzi....What do I do?’ he yelled waiting on the old woman to hobble down the steps.

’I’m at the machine.... what am I looking for?’ he pleaded

’Eh? Speak up..... Mike....errrr Mark?’ Suzi answered in a feeble voice.

’Quick, what do I need to do to the computer....It looks like it is finishing up!’ he yelled as he saw Annie had regained her height and feminie curves. Annie had set the machine to return her to 25. She was almost there!

’Do? That’s a ~powerful~ machine.... I remember back when I first saw that thang....’

’Suzi! There’s no time for that now!’

’Time?....’ Suzi answered as she was only growing progressively more confused and senile by the second.

The machine suddenly stopped!

’HEY!’ Annie yelled as she saw someone at the computer. She started to run toward the intruder.

Mark panickly clicked on the first thing he saw. Annie froze as the machine read and stored her mental patterns.

’What’s going on, Suzi? Is it working?’ he asked the now senile and weak old woman.

She didn’t seem to hear him but rather stared blankly around the room.

Finally, the machine again stopped . Nothing appeared to have happened. Annie shook her head trying to collect herself. Mark looked at the screen and once again blindly started it before Annie could make her move.

The machine was still left with the settings that Annie had used on Glo. It was going to reprogram her with only the first 5 years of her memories intact.

After a while the machine finished its task. Again, it appeared to Mark as if nothing had happened.

’D, D, D...Don’t move... or else I’ll use this on...you ...you right now!!!’ Mark stuttered as he tried to figure out how to properly use the machine.

Annie’s face suddenly changed. ’Did...I...do....somethin’ wrong????’ she said as tears began flowing.

’What?’ Mark replied as her reaction took him by surprise ’Of course you did something wrong!’

’I...I...I’m ....sooooooorrrry! I won’t do it anymore...I promise!!!!’ Annie said not even knowing what she was apologizing for!

’Are you OK?’ he asked.

’Uh huh...’ she replied as she wiped her nose with her sleeve.

Mark read the computer screen. ’Target reprogrammed with 0-5 years....Success’

It then dawned on him why Annie was acting so strange. She thought she was a 5 year old!

’What’s your name and how old are you? he asked as he confidence started growing in his control of the situation.

’Ummmm Annnnnie and I’m this many’ she said hold up her hand with all 5 fingers unfurled.

’What’s that paper you have there Annie?’

’Ummmm I dunno...’ she said while handing it to Mark.

Mark quickly saw that it was the instructions on how to restore a machine users age and stabilize them at any any age.

’COOL! Suzi...Look at this’ he said as he turned to see Suzi lying on the floor.

’Damn! SUZI! What’s wrong?’

She never answered. Her breathing was weak and she had grown too old and frail to stand. Her mind was gone at this point. Mark ran to her and tried to lift her. She offered no help of her own. Fortunatley Mark was able to lift her skeleton like frame relatively easily and carry her to the machine. ’Hold on for just a few more moments...please....!!!!!’ he pleaded as he laid her down in the machine.

He then ran back to the computer and started following the directions. He saw no reason to take her to any age except her true age. He hurriedly double checked his settings with the instructions and watched the machine go to work. It scanned her DNA for a match and then began to go to work.

Suzi’s body began to grow younger. It took a while as she had progressed to a very advanced age. At first only some color seemed to appear in her skin tone. Then her muscle tone improved... and then some more. Her hair finally darkened and lost some of it’s stringyness. Finally she reagained some semblance of youth. 30-20-18-16-15-14

It took a few moments for the cobwebs in her head to clear. ’Mark?.. Am I back to normal??’

’I think so!’

Then she saw Annie. ’Mark, lookout! It’s her!’

Annie stopped and looked confusingly at Suzi.

’Uhh She’s forgot a few things... like the last 30 years or so!’ Mark told Suzy.

’What?’ Suzi asked, not sure of what she had heard.

’Little Annie here is this many!’ Mark said as he held up his open hand. ’Just ask her!’

’That’s Ok... Serves her right!’ she replied ’Ummm maybe we better restore, mom? Mom, are you ready?’

No one answered. Glo continued playing with her stuffed animal deciding that it was more interesting than anything going on around her.

’Mom?.....’

’I think Annie must’ve used the mental thing on her already.... just like I used on Annie.’ Mark said helpfully.

’Uhhhh Gloria?...Errrrr Glo?’ Suzi said.

’What? Me? Are you gonna make me big too????’ Glo asked hopefully.

’Uhh yeah.... Get in the machine’ Suzi told her.

Glo happily got into the machine. This sounded like fun!

As soon as she was ready Mark fired up the machine just as he had done for Suzi. The machine found a recent DNA match and then went to work.... for a couple of seconds ..... and then reported it was finished. Glo still looked like a 5 year old!

’Mom? uhhhhhh Glo?’ Suzi said.

The youngster didn’t look happy. ’You said I would be big!!! You lied...liar liar liar!! No fair!’

’Mark? What did you do wrong????’

’I don’t know. Like, everything was just like it said!’ Mark answered looking at the instructions.

’She must’ve like done something else to her!’ Suzi decided ’Damn!’

’Bad word.. bad word.... bad word... ’ Glo mockingly said.

’OK, let’s try and fix Sara. Maybe it’ll like work for her and she’ll know what to do!’ Suzi hoped. ’If I can just figure out which one she is....’ she added as she looked at the two almost identical looking newborns!

Finally, she remembered a birthmark on Sara and so was able to pick the proper infant. She wrapped her in a large towel and then instructed Mark to start the machine.

This time it worked! Sara began growing. Her feet poked out from under the towel and then her hands. Legs and arms soon followed. Her hair began filling in and growing. Her body grew and began filling in. Finally, Sara was again 16! ....At least her body was. She’d been a newborn for a long time and her mind wasn’t ready to grow up so fast. She curled up and placed her thumb in her mouth.

’Sara! Snap out of it!’ Suzi yelled.

Sara cooed and kicked her legs aimlessly and seemed happy to remain in her infant world.

’Sara! C’mon!!!!!’ Suzi implored with more force.

Sara simply waved her arms toward Suzi.... as if she wanted to be picked up!

’SARA!’

That did it! Sara’s eyes widened and she took in her surroundings. ’Wha...oooh ggahh???’

’Sara.... you’re OK now... Just give it a couple of seconds.’ Suzi told her.

’Ak... I.... baby??? I ...n...no... baby???

’No, Sara. You’re 16 again. We need your help!’ Suzi answered.

’Ummmm ten.... six..... ummmmm six....ten... six...teen! ’ Sara said while shaking her head.

’Yes, you’re back to 16! And it’s stable. Now shake off the cobwebs and help us!’

After a few more minutes Sara began to regain control of her reflexes and thoughts. ’Oh my!.... That was getting a little ~too~ comfortable!’she said as she secured the towel around her body ’So what is going on now?’

Suzi gave her a rundown of what had happened. Sara looked over the instructions and a few of the notes that Annie had found and printed out.

’Let’s go ahead and try and get gramma restored and then I’ll see what is different about mom’ Sara ordered.

They put baby Jane into the machine and also wrapped her in a towel.

’So we don’t have to restore someone to their full age and a can like still be stable?’ Sara asked before she started the machine.

’That’s what Annie did. She shoulda been older.’ Suzi answered as she saw Annie and Glo gleefully playing. ’Why?’

’I dunno...just asking... ’she replied as she set the mchine to age Jane to only 25. ’I thought I’d let Gramma decide if she wanted to be old again’

The machine fired to life. Soon, baby Jane was growing. When the process ended Jane was 25. As Suzi tried to bring her back from her infant mind, Sara worked on her mother’s problem.

Jane finally rejoined the adult world.

’Girls, I....’ her hands grabbed her throat as she heard the younger sounding voice.

’MOMMY!!!’ Glo yelled upon hearing her mother’s voice. She ran to Jane and gave her a big hug.

Suzi explained things to Jane and also told her that they decided to let her decide how old she wanted to be.

Jane and Glo had some time to themselves. Before thios day Jane had never thought that she’d see her little girl again. And they were both young.... Jane actually was younger than before Glo was born but Glo didn’t notice.

’I think I found it!’ Sara finally exclaimed ’The restoration process performs a kind of celluar reset. So the most recent pattern of Glo...errrrr mom.... is as a 5 year old. That’s waht the machine tried to use. Her original pattern should still be stored from the first time she used the machine. We can use that!’

Mark was amazed at what a computer whiz Sara was. He knew this had to be the strangest day of his life, but he was glad he got to see Sara in this setting.... and in the towel!

’COOL!’ Suzi said upon hearing Sara had a solution.

’Ummm Girls... I have a proposition’ Jane said ’It’s been a rough few weeks for your mother. Why don’t we let her enjoy this for a few days. It might do her some good. Plus, I think it’ll be good for me too. Just a week or so..... maybe a couple. What do you say?’

Suzi and Sara saw how happy Glo was with Jane. That was a big change from how she had been in the days surrounding Stan’s death. Jane seemed pretty happy also. After some thought they agreed to wait.

’What about Annie?’ Mark asked.......

Annie soon found herself in diapers and left at a local church with a note: Please take good care of Annie. I can’t properly provide for her and only want her to have a good home.

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And now.....

The girls knew Jane... now Janie.... liked her newfound youth. They had saw her growing increasingly flirtatious with a 19 year old who was working his way through college while working at the local grocery store. They figured that she just liked the attention until one night she came home and asked if the girls could ’watch’ their mother because she had a date! Their jaws dropped open wide when she told them with whom she had a date!

’What about the age difference?’ Sara asked.

’That stuff doesn’t matter nowadays Older women and younger men don’t even raise an eyebrow these days!’ Janie replied. ’Besides..it’s nothing serious!’

The girls just laughed. They continued playing with Glo while Janie got ready for her ’date’.

As they played with Glo, the lights dimmed. The two teens looked at each other.

’You don’t think.....?’ Suzi asked

’Uhhhh Nooooo Surely not!’ Sara replied.

’Suzi, Sara? Ummm do I like look fat in this dress?’ A barely 20 year old Janie asked while modeling a short skimpy dress and strappy sandals.

 

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