Retrofocus

Chapter 2
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Chapter Description: Chaos quickly ensues when the camera falls in and out of different hands.

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”Who’s in the picture?” Sydney asked frantically. “Can you see?”

Laura’s blunder had sent her pulse racing again. This time, in the madness of the moment, she forgot about the picture, which had long fallen to the floor. Horrified she may be next, Cassenia crawled off of Sydney and lunged for the undeveloped print. Everyone else stayed still, waiting to see whether or not the camera had affected them. Cassenia pulled the picture from the ground, where it had landed face down, and studied the materializing image. All the while, an odd sensation overtook her, but it was not one of shrinking.

As the picture began to improve, Cassenia could feel her body changing - her clothes felt tighter, her limbs seemed to reach farther, and she noticed a pair of bumps abruptly emerging from her chest.

Back in the living room, a hopeful grin grew on Taylor’s face when he realized he was getting older. His hands slowly slid back down his sleeves as the coffee table next to him appeared to grow shorter.

”Hey, I’m growing back up!” Taylor said, elated. At least he now knew the camera had a reverse capability.

Sydney and Laura, however, remained woefully unchanged.

Returning her attention to the picture, Cassenia saw the camera had caught her head in the lower right corner and, though the image was blurred somewhat, she made out her brother in the backdrop. The clearer the figures became, the more excited Cassenia got. She was not only in the picture - she had to be twenty years old in the picture! That revelation was fast becoming reality, as Cassenia’s clothes started to constrict around her. Feverishly, she unbuttoned her shirt and slid her ever-smaller pants down her waist.

”Oh my God!” Laura screamed, pointing at her little sister. “Look what’s happening to her!”

Cassenia already wore a healthy set of breasts and a body that looked at least sixteen. And the process was not slowing. As the years sped up, the former fourth-grader found herself peeling her undersized panties down her legs as well. Still stationed on the dining room floor, Sydney was treated to an up-close glimpse of Cassenia’s widening ass - again, something she could have done without.

”Oh no,” Taylor uttered, seeing his kid sister’s fast track puberty take over. Common sense told him what had happened. After tumbling to the ground, the camera had no doubt been reset, only this time it doubled the age of the subject. That meant his little growth spurt would only make him ten, a far cry from his real age.

Disoriented, Cassenia tried to stand up, a feat that took several tries as her appendages continued to expand. Eventually, the shaken twenty-year-old regained her balance, and her modesty quickly followed. When she reached to cover herself, she discovered, much to her delight and mortification, that she now had much more to cover. Eight-year-old Laura looked on in astonishment and disbelief as her younger sister, whose eyes were now as big as snowballs, tried to conceal her new C-cup boobs and a patch of curly brown pubic hair down below.

”Whoa!” Cassenia said. “Look how big I got!”

Almost without thinking, Laura flipped the camera around and aimed it at herself.

”Enough of this!” she said.

”Don’t do that! You don’t know how it works!” Taylor yelled from across the room. But as Laura fumbled around for the right button, Cassenia grabbed a hold of the strap and yanked it from the unsuspecting youngster before she could snap the picture.

”Hey!” Laura exclaimed. “Give it!”

Before anyone could react, Cassenia bolted, leaving her childish attire littered around the floor.

”Ha!” she snorted. “Bet you can’t catch me now, little baby!”

Moments later, the beleaguered kids heard a door slam.

Laura peeked down the hallway. ”She’s locked herself in Mom and Dad’s bedroom.”

”Well, now what do we do?” Sydney asked, still reeling from Cassenia’s speedy transformation into young adult.

”I was so close!” Laura pouted.

”On the bright side, I won’t have to learn my ABC’s again,” Taylor interjected. “I think the camera works by multiplying or dividing ages by two. That would explain why the last picture made Cassenia so much older and me only... this.”

Embarrassed, he hoisted his pants up to his waist one more time, only to see them plummet to a crumpled heap on the floor again.

In the hallway, Laura spotted the picture. She must have dropped it, Laura thought, picking up the strange artifact. Sure enough, the image showed a college-age Cassenia and a dazed, ten-year-old Taylor, looking like someone just shot him. Of course, in a way, someone just did. Clearly, this camera was more than a curiosity; it was a weapon of sorts. And right now, their baby sister had complete control of the situation.

”Where are Mom and Dad?” Taylor asked.

”Kroger. They said they would be back in an hour,” Laura answered. “But I am not going out in public like this!”

”Well, obviously, we have to get the camera back before Cassenia takes any more pictures.”

”Maybe we should send Laura in first,” Sydney suggested.

”Why me?”

”Well, I don’t want to remind anyone who took the first picture and let Cassenia get a hold of the...“

”It’s not my fault! I didn’t know it was some funky age-changing camera!” Laura whined.

”Come on, there’s plenty of blame to go around,” Taylor tried to console. “Let’s not turn into kids for real here.”

With arms crossed, Laura and Sydney exchanged cold glances, which couldn’t help but turn comical considering their ages. Taylor was again the oldest of the bunch, though not by much. And he could see the circumstances were rapidly spiraling out of control. The last thing he needed was a catfight between his newly-immature sister and third-grader girlfriend. But tensions already brewed.

”Everybody, just calm down,” Taylor entreated the feuding pair. “We can fix this. We just need to work together.”

As the two girls hushed, a familiar creaking sounded. Someone was coming down the stairs.

”Oh no, Kevin!” Sydney exclaimed, remembering her parents’ instructions. “Mom and Dad left Kevin upstairs watching Spongebob while they went to the store.”

When the chubby kindergartner finally hopped down from the bottom step, his face turned quizzical. The tubby little boy didn’t know what to make of the room full of kids.

”Who are you?” he said bluntly, holding the half-melted remnants of a cherry popsicle.

”Kevin, it’s us,” Taylor said, quickly realizing that explained nothing. “Taylor and Laura, your cousins.”

”No, my cousins are big,” Kevin explained with that admirable child-like simplicity.

”I know. We used to be big,” Taylor spun the oversimplified tale. “But a machine made us little again, OK? So we’re trying to grow back up.”

”Why?” Kevin asked.

”Because, like you said, we’re supposed to be older.”

”Doncha wanna play?” the hyper six-year-old insisted. “Let’s play! You guys can try to catch me. I’ll be it.” The request was made all the more humorous by Kevin’s pudgy appearance, which did not suggest he’d make for much of a chase.

”No, we don’t want to play, Kevin. I’m sorry. Hey, I’ll tell you what. You just go back upstairs and watch cartoons, all right? And when Mommy... errr, Julia gets home, she’ll make you something to eat.”

”Are you guys going to stay little?”

”No, no, we’re trying to get big again.”

”You look silly,” Kevin laughed.

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In her parents’ bedroom, Cassenia wasted no time trying on her mother’s dresses and admiring her new physique. Standing in front of the full-length mirror she had so many times before, Cassenia could barely contain her exhilaration. Now, she finally knew what it felt like to be really old - just like her sister!

Massaging her firm breasts, she giggled at the thought of Laura and Sydney now reduced to children. Squeezing the two mounds together for maximum cleavage effect, she nearly laughed out loud at the sight. Her boobs were even bigger than her mom’s!

It’s fun being grown-up, she mused.

Raising her arms to strike a pose, Cassenia was distressed to find that her armpits had also grown some hair, as had her legs. Ewww, grody, she thought to herself. But she quickly calmed down, remembering how her mom sometimes shaved her legs in the bathtub. It was normal, after all. Nothing that would ruin her newfound adulthood.

With that insight, she returned to her amateur modeling.

”Hi Mom, how do you like my new boobies?” she practiced, chuckling. She could hardly take her eyes off the mirror. Everything seemed so unreal. She continued imagining different scenarios...

”Um, this bra is too small for me. I think I need one size up.”

”Yeah, this is my little sister Laura. Isn’t she cute?”

”No, Laura, I don’t think you can go to that movie. It’s rated R. That’s for big girls.”

”Sorry, I can’t go to the party tonight because I gotta babysit my brother and sister.”

”Hehe,” Cassenia snickered, thinking how much fun she could have with her new status.

I wonder how that camera works, she thought, picking up the extraordinary device. Peeking through the viewfinder, Cassenia saw a small digital screen with weird words on it. In the top right hand corner the screen read zweimal in bright green letters. At the bottom was the word halbieren in red. Outside, she found Swapgeschaeft printed along the side in fancy silver letters. Not surprisingly, the German escaped her.

”This is stupid,” she said. “Those aren’t even words.”

Just then, she heard a knock on the door and a high-pitched voice.

”Cassenia, this is Taylor. Come out right now or we’re calling Mom and Dad.”

”Oh yeah, and what are Mom and Dad gonna do?” Cassenia replied snidely.

”Don’t forget, you’re still the baby!” Laura added.

”Am not!” Cassenia yelled.

”I’m still older and smarter than you!”

”Are not!” she hollered again.

Furious, Cassenia stomped over to the door, unlocked it, and readied the camera.

”Open this door or I’m telling!” Laura said.

With that, the door swung open. Taylor and Sydney moved to charge Cassenia, but stopped short. “Shit,” Taylor muttered, slowly backing away.

Cassenia may have been ten, but she wasn’t dumb. Pointing the camera at the trio of kids like a loaded squirt gun, she slowly stepped into the hallway.

”Get her!” Laura cried.

”We can’t! Taylor explained. “We don’t know what she’s got it set on.”

Cassenia found their dilemma a source of amusement. “Want this back?” she asked. “I think I kinda like it myself. It’s cool. This is way better than the camera I got for my birthday.”

”Please,” Taylor begged.

”All I have to do is take one little picture and you guys will be even littler!”

Laura shivered at the thought.

”Hey, and then I could take another picture, and you guys would be like babies or something!” Cassenia hadn’t considered the full implications. “That would be funny.”

”No, no, it wouldn’t be funny,” Taylor said. “This isn’t a game, OK? This is serious.”

”Taylor and Laura in diapers! That would be sooo funny. Me and Mommy could put you in a crib at night and read you stories.”

”Cass, please...“

”And Sydney could be little too. That way you’d have somebody else to play with.”

The towering twenty-year-old advanced on the group of cowering kiddies. “Hey, you all look so short from up here. What’s it feel like to be down there, huh? Must feel all weird to be babies again. I think I’ll stay big cuz being an adult is awesome.”

But Cassenia’s bid to join the ranks of the mature backfired. The pair of heels she’d picked from her mother’s closet suddenly threw her off balance. She wobbled in mid-air for a moment and then took a tumble onto the hardwood floor. For the second time, the camera took a licking as it plunged to the ground along with Cassenia.

”Now!” Sydney ordered, pointing at the camera.

Laura scrambled to beat her sister to the prize and, after a short scuffle, succeeded in prying the cord away from a flustered Cassenia. Thankfully, the flash didn’t fire this time, though Laura was in a race against time to get away from her much taller sibling. Shooting a glance into the viewfinder, she groaned. She knew she should have taken German instead of French.

”Taylor! What does... uhhh, zuuhweemal mean?”

The ten-year-old searched his mental glossary for the German word his sister was trying so desperately to pronounce. He had never envisioned undergoing such a high-pressure test of his German. “Ummm...”

”Hurry!” Laura yelled, as Cassenia tangled with Sydney in the hallway.

”I think... I think it means ?twice’... yeah,” Taylor said.

Twice, Laura thought. That sounds good. Without a second thought, she held the camera lens up to her face and snapped a picture.

”What are you doing??” Taylor screamed. “You don’t know...“

”Getting us out of this,” Laura said, jerking the picture from the slot.

Breaking free of Sydney’s nine-year-old hold, Cassenia plodded down the hallway toward Laura and the machine. “Gimme that back!”

”Ah, ah, ah,” Laura said, wagging her finger. Soon, Cassenia met with the camera shutter. “I have this thing set on reverse, so don’t you take another step or I’ll press this button.”

”But...“

”Now, get back. Sit down at the table there and be quiet. You need to start acting your age,” Laura chided. “Move it!”

Cassenia reluctantly complied with her sister’s demands. Meanwhile, Laura inspected the photograph for any traces of what was to come. Much to her relief, she could feel her body starting to enlarge, her years returning. This time, she kept a hawk’s eye on everyone and held the camera close. No screw ups this time. Bit by bit, puberty took its hold. 12... 13... Miniature bumps formed and soon ripened into the breasts of a young woman. A wave of liberation swept over Laura as she watched her more womanly features re-blossom. Once again, her clothing fit snugly and she felt like herself. Not five minutes had passed and she was back to her rightful age of sixteen. Hello again boys, cars, and high school.

”Whew,” Laura sighed.

”Um, hello... remember us?” Sydney chimed.

”I should make sure the brat over here doesn’t try anything first,” Laura said. “Now, how do I change the mode?” The teenager began fiddling with the controls.

”Maybe I should...“

”There it is,” Laura said, smiling. “If I press this button, it looks like it shifts from zuhhwemal to halbeeaaron. What does halbeeaaron mean?”

”I’m pretty sure you’re thinking of the word for ?halve’... which makes sense, I guess, but...“ Taylor said.

”So that’s the shrinking mode,” Laura said, sounding a little too self-assured for Taylor’s liking. “Time for you to grow back down, Cassenia.” She pointed the camera at her sister and clicked the button. The dining room walls turned bright white for a split second and Cassenia started crying.

”But, but... I wanna be big like you guys,” the soon-to-be pre-teen sniveled.

Just as before, the camera commenced with its magic - sucking half the years from its subject. Cassenia soon cascaded down through adolescence in reverse, first losing her deepened voice, then her hips, followed closely by her tits and pubic hair. All the while she raved of how “unfair” it was that she be stripped of the years. By twelve, she had all but lost any hint of the goodies puberty had to offer. Her mother’s dress now hung like a tarp on her youthened shoulders. Tears streamed down her fattened cheeks as she said goodbye to eleven and arrived safely at her original age of ten. A clunk could be heard as her mom’s red heels hit the floor beneath the table.

”I think that just about takes care of that,” Laura informed the room.

Sydney cleared her throat. “Over here maybe?”

”Oh, I’m sorry... of course,” Laura said. “Let me reset it here.”

Taylor and Sydney waited anxiously for their ticket back to college.

”OK, that word that starts with a ?z’ is the one that makes people older, right?”

”Yes, I think that’s the one,” Taylor said, a little unnerved by Laura’s relaxed, casual attitude about the whole affair.

“Make sure you set it right,” he cautioned.

”I’ve got it,” Laura assured him, pressing the button. “Say cheese.” There was that phrase again.

In no time, out came the print, which Laura caught skillfully. She had become quite deft at confiscating the thing in the last half hour. Apprehension filled the air as the diminished duo waited for the effects to kick in. Both looked forward to putting this chaotic, nightmare episode behind them. A relieved quiet fell over the room - with only the sound of the grandfather clock in the living room and Cassenia’s soft sobbing.

Tick tock... tick tock... tick tock...

Laura analyzed the latest picture. A smile crossed over her face.

”Hey Sydney, could I borrow that outfit sometime?”

”Um, sure. I guess,” she answered curiously. “Why?”

”Well, since you won’t be using it anytime soon.”

”What?” Sydney asked.

Laura let out an uncharacteristically loud laugh. “You know I heard what you said last Christmas.”

"What are you talking about?” Sydney said, noticing her perspective seemed to be shifting... downward!

”I heard you talking about me behind my back. Does ?stuck-up brat’ ring any bells?” Laura questioned the shocked eight-year-old.

”Laura, what did you do??” Taylor demanded. “Why?”

”Because she was being a little bitch, that’s why,” Laura said, nonchalantly spinning the camera strap on her finger. “I just thought it would be fun to see if Syd might like being four again.”

Sydney’s blood boiled as her shirt slunk further and further down her sides. The changes in both of them were already evident. Taylor’s puffy cheeks and dimples had returned with his complimentary cowlick in the back. At the same time, Sydney’s tan features turned more and more innocent. As she approached seven, her nose became the upturned picture of girlhood. Arms growing shorter but chubbier and shoulders narrowing, Sydney was fast becoming a little girl. 7... 6... The neckhole of her shirt now encompassed her neck and right shoulder.

”Awww, you look so adorable,” Laura said, as she walked over and patted little Sydney on the head. The regressing girl nevertheless made a grab for the camera, but Laura effortlessly hoisted the device high enough that she could no longer reach it.

”Turn us back!” the five-year-old shrieked, stomping her foot on the ground.

”Not just yet, kiddies. I might want to play around with this a little longer,” Laura taunted. “I can think of a few people who might like to have their pictures taken.”

By now, Taylor had also arrived at kindergarten age, something he was not looking forward to revisiting so soon.

”I said turn us back!” Sydney repeated in her chipmunk voice.

”Oh, isn’t that precious!”

”This is not funny,” Taylor stated as deep as any five-year-old could speak. “This is not funny.”

Before Laura could reply, another disturbing sight rounded the corner into the living room.

”Oh, no! Kevin?”

 

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