Little Tales

Chapter 13
24 Doors

Chapter Description: 24 Doors, how old are you?

Twenty four doors

How old are you?

It is a generally well noted thing that siblings don't always get along, you might get some who do but a lot of the time you can expect arguments and general loathing for one another fairly often and that's just the mild stuff.

For this little tale we'll be having a look at just what happens when you annoy a younger sibling that they get the chance to bring their older sibling down a peg or two, or twenty four times. You better hope your younger sibling, if you have one, doesn't want to do this to you.

~~

Another day, another mini chocolate. Seventeen days into December and she's bored already, school closed for the holidays yesterday which at first would have you thinking 'Whoo! School's out!' but the reality of it was that she preferred if there was still school since it would mean having something to do other than being bored while her few friends are going to see relatives with their parents.

All of her remaining relatives had made it quite clear that they weren't interested in seeing her nor her mum for Christmas this year as they were heading to a sunny climate and her mum was busy with work. Her dad was largely away at work a lot of the time, it took him overseas a lot so he wasn't home as often as he would like to be. So joy, a fairly lonely Christmas as her mum mostly worked before she was given a few days to enjoy Christmas while her dad was hoping to be home in time for Christmas if able, he was currently in Germany attending some works conference there.

And to add to the joy her big sister has been asked, well coaxed, to babysit her. The fun. She has never really gotten along with her sister due to the rather large age gap, her sister is twenty five years old and she's fifteen. A ten year age gap made it hard for a bond to develop as her sister had been ten when her younger sister had been born.

Her mum had been trying for a baby for a while after her first but nothing ever came of it, the reason was soon found out that her body just wasn't able after her first so when her second child had come along she was told that she shouldn't try again for a child as she almost didn't survive the birth of her second child.

“Bored diddly, diddly so bored” Hannah Daisy, don't ask about the last name but she suspects that her dad's family might have enjoyed the 60s and early 70s a tad too much when they changed their last name from Darson to Daisy, sighs in boredom as she flicks through the channels on the TV. Rubbish, yawn, ugh, please no, ho hum, giant meteor hit the planet now if they start dancing for votes. Bugger all on as usual.

She wanted to be with friends, not sitting here bored and feeling lonely. Well almost lonely as she can hear her sister upstairs getting ready to head out and she has to go with her, her sister had a place of her own but it's currently been quarantined due to a rather nasty bug problem added with some very nasty mould which meant it wasn't suitable for living in.
Or to put it in other terms she has had to seek a new place to live as the building is going to be torn down after being found completely unfit for inhabitation and she has to live with her parents while that's being sorted out. Oh the surprises of life.

Hannah really doesn't like the idea of going anywhere with her sister but seeing as how she doesn't have a choice then she'll have to endure her sister's barbs and sniping at her for being the very baby sister, as she has a habit of referring to her as. She has tried to have any love for her sister as she is her sister after all but so far the most she feels for her sister is utter contempt mixed with pure hatred with just a hint of 'Total bitch' thrown in for good measure yet she's sure there's love for her somewhere within.

Part of her wished she could bring her sister down a peg or two, humble her while not treating her like she's been treated. Well trying not to anyway. She reads age regression stories and looks at age regression art and imagines what it would be like if her sister became the baby sister so that she would learn humility with any luck. Not that such a thing can happen in real life.

Maybe she could be younger as well, have the chance to develop a stronger bond with her sister instead of the one she currently has. While the thought of enduring puberty again wasn't appealing she did want to have a better bond with her sister instead of being the target for her sister's disdain.

She found she liked that thought, still being the older sister but young enough so that a better and more loving bond can be made even if there would still be the usual sibling hiccups they had to be better than what she and her sister currently had.

Maybe even in the process help her mum's health as well as she's never been in the greatest of health, oh she'll insist she's fine and that there's no problems but it isn't hard to see that she's struggling. She didn't know what was wrong but it must be serious if having another child is potentially lethal for her along with almost dying while giving birth to her second child.

“Fanciful wish, like such a thing will ever come true” Another sigh of boredom as she waits for her sister to be ready, what was taking her so long? It isn't like she's going out for some rowdy girl's night with friends, they were just going to a few shops for an hour or two. Hardly a night out on the town or attending some fancy social event.

Of course it would to be window shopping in her case, she didn't have any money on her and her sister wasn't likely to give her any not that there was really anything in particular she wanted to buy other than maybe a burger. That is if her sister lets her and doesn't expect her to do without again like she did last time her sister reluctantly took her out somewhere at their mum's insistence.

The bond between herself and her sister wasn't great, the age gap between them with her older sister having been an only child for so long and being used to it just made it hard for them to really see eye to eye all that well.

Finally her sister is ready and she comes downstairs smelling like she's been bathing in perfume, all dolled up for nothing more than going to some shops. What a waste of time and effort but she wasn't going to say that no matter how much she felt it needed saying.

“You ready then?” Her sister asks a little stiffly.

“Been ready for the past couple of hours, it's only the shops” Hannah replies as she gets up from the recliner she's been sitting in waiting.

“You wouldn't understand, you're just a kid”

“So? I don't see the point to going out looking like I'm going to some fancy event when it's just the shop, are you expecting to get the attention of some rich guy at the shops? If you are then you've really wasted your time, the most you'll probably find is some chancer looking for a quickie in the sheets with no intention on anything more than that” A frown from her sister is her reply, she does tend to hope that some rich guy will notice her and sweep her off her feet despite the reality that she's more likely to be seen as nothing more than some sex toy by some horny loser instead of as an actual person.
Commitment isn't exactly the byword of this area, the amount of divorces in the area were always due to partners cheating on one another, her parents were the only couple to actually love one another around here. The general byword, or sentence, is usually “I'm horny, you? Let's shag” and that tends to be all that's needed.

“How would you know? You're fifteen”

“Aye and you're a dressed up hussy with fancy delusions with no basis in reality” Maybe she shouldn't said that as her sister marches right up to her and stares her down with a cold hard stare that threatened violence.

“Fuck you”

“No thanks, incest isn't my thing. My fingers are more geared for me anyway” Oh she was starting to push it now.

“Get. in. the. Car” A rapid turn and her sister leaves the house with her fists clenched, Hannah had no choice but to go after her and try to not say anything else, her sister closing and locking the door after her.

“Sure you don't want to take a dildo or a vibrator with you, scratch that itch you clearly have? Have an orgasm when rounding a corner?”

“GET IN THE FUCKING CAR BEFORE I THROW ON THE ROOF AND TIE YOU DOWN!”

“Oooo, didn't know you were into that but then I don't know what you're into”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU ANNOYING BRAT!” She could see a couple of the elderly neighbours all listening.

“Maybe I should suggest a safe word, how about Bitch? Or, hmm, how about-” She doesn't get to finish her sentence as her sister charges right up to her and slaps her hard, this is the first time her sister has slapped her in a while, the last time being a full on beating a few years ago.

She looks stunned at what she's done, lowers her head and returns to the car where she opens the driver side door.

“Just get in the car and shut up” Feeling that was for the best Hannah quietly gets into the back seat, closes the door and buckles up. Her face stung from the slap, it had been a good slap. Around ten minutes later she speaks up again, this time quietly.

“Why do you hate me so much?” She asks, no reply. “I can't help that I was born ten years after you, it wasn't like I meant to be born so I don't get why you're so disdainful of me” Still no reply.

“We're sisters yet you treat me like a stranger, worse even. All I did was be born” Again no reply.

“You would be happier if I never existed I guess” The car pulls over and stops, the engine ticking quickly as her sister just looks out at the street before she takes a breath.

“I was the baby of the family, the only child. I revelled in the attention and in being mum and dad's precious one, then you came along and took that away from me, I wasn't their precious one any more, I was their eldest and you were the baby who needed so much care and attention.

I was used to being an only child and never having to share anything let alone the love of my parents, you took something from me that I can't get back and every time I see you I'm reminded of how alone I felt every time they tended to you.

My baby sister, the love hog. Oh and let's not forget that mum almost died giving birth to you and suffers with long term health issues because of you so my disdain and hatred for you is justified”

“I was a baby! They need a lot of attention, they need a lot of care! Do you think I wanted to take that away from you? I didn't even know what or who I was then! I didn't even know I had a sister until I was old enough to understand and know who you were, you can't blame me for being born! It isn't my fault that mum's so unwell!” The car starts up again and pulls back out onto the road.

“I can, I do and I will. I wish you never existed” That remark stings her in her heart and she says nothing more for the rest of the drive.

~~

With the car parked and it's space paid for, her sister feeling that two hours might be a good idea just in case it takes her longer than expected to get whatever she's here to do, they head into one of the larger shopping centres of the local city, face masks on of course and sanitiser applied to hands before leaving the car, where they are greeted with a mass of people out doing their Christmas shopping, the noise is immense.

Hannah would have preferred any of the smaller local shops but many of them were either still closed or closed down due to the ongoing pandemic so they had no choice but to go to a shopping centre.

“Here” Her sister hands her two gift cards, one that could be used in a few shops in the shopping centre and one for just one shop. “Just accept them, okay? It isn't me being nice to you, mum asked me to pick a few up after you complained about my not feeding you when we were first out at the shops after I moved back home. I'll meet you outside by the car afterwards and we'll go get something to eat somewhere. Did you have anything to eat before we headed?” Hannah nods, she doesn't say anything as she still feels pained from her sister's remark in the car earlier.
“Good, I'll meet you at the car if you're there first or you'll meet me, I'll be waiting if you're not there. Don't steal anything and don't go with any strangers, just be safe and careful and I'll see you again in a bit” She accepts the gift cards reluctantly, pocketing them in her purse in her handbag. Her sister just looks at her for a moment then turns and walks away, Hannah does the same only to hear her sister calling her name, she turns back around expecting to hear anything more but her sister just seems to sigh and shakes her head before walking away.
Feeling the pain in her heart from her sister's earlier remark Hannah turns back around and heads for one of the shops on the multi use gift card, she wasn't looking for anything but she thought why not just do something even if the heart isn't there for it.

Half an hour passes and while she's seen a few things of interest she's not felt like buying them, she doesn't feel any need to. Sure she likes her gaming and her reading, she has a fondness for classic movies with a particular fondness for movies from the 1920s up to the early 2000s, black and white movies in particular are a strong favourite and loves to look for any age regression stories in movies or books but today she just doesn't feel like getting anything regardless of the few things she's seen that look good.

She just wanted to go back home and curl up in her bed, maybe with any luck regressing to the point of conception and beyond that so that she was never born. Her sister's remark had really hurt her and she felt herself wishing for exactly that to happen, she didn't want to exist where she wasn't welcome nor wanted.

“Mum would be better off if I hadn't been born, Lisa would be happier and no one would care at all that I wasn't around. Maybe I should let myself be kidnapped and murdered, what a gift that would be for my sister. Merry Christmas, your sister's dead, enjoy your present.

If I don't show up at the car and just keep walking till someone kills me or I die then my sister won't mind, my family will be better off without me around” A faint sound like sleigh bells, she's heard them before in real life and in movies so recognises the sound instantly, can be heard near her at that moment and she looks up to see a shop that she's not seen before and she's been to this shopping centre many times.
The name, which is glittering with a warm sparkle in the artificial lighting of the shopping centre, says 'When Needed' and the entrance seems very inviting. Curiosity pushes her to enter the shop where she's greeted with the scents of Christmas with thankfully no Christmas music, if she had to hear another Christmas song on loop again she was going to scream.

“Welcome” A woman who looks to be maybe around her mum's age greets her from behind a beautiful wood counter, she isn't sure of the make of wood as she only knew of the basics from woodwork class at school. “How may I help you?”

“Hi, I'm not sure, what do you sell here?” Looking around she sees so many unusual items from something called a Birthday Stone, some video games like one called Who You Are Inside, a mirror and so many other items, some looked like they were not quite there with a small notice saying 'On loan'.

“Well that depends on the need of the person who enters, although I do have rules in place like nothing that can kill a person, nothing for bloody revenge, nothing that can abuse nor inflict serious harm. The needs must be harmless in intent with a good reason for the need, it must not be with malicious intent” Spotting something interesting Hannah goes over to it and examines it without touching it.

“Is this an advent calender?” She asks the woman.

“Yes, but not like your usual kind. There's no chocolate or toys in it, inside each door is an object that indicates the person's age. Once all of the doors are opened the need is met and it returns to me on it's own” It was eye catching to say the least, it was made of some kind of near black material with hints of brown and red, it seemed to have a certain shine in the light which was odd for the colour of the material.

“A person's age? What do you mean?”

“Well it can make a person younger or older by twenty four years, if there's an additional need it can have a wider affect beyond just one person. It can hold up to four needs but they must all be met by the time the last door opens or they will be left unfulfilled. Do you have a particular needs or needs in mind?” Hannah thinks about it and finds that she does, four needs in fact.

“Yes, but it's fanciful”

“The fanciful ones can be the most needed, go ahead and touch it and if it gives a little sound like a small bell then it's willing to meet those needs” Reaching out a cautious hand, for fear of damaging it in some way, Hannah lightly touches the advent calender and a small bell like sound can be heard.

“It's willing to meet your needs, you may take the calender. It will return itself to me once your needs are met”

“How much?” Hannah asks as the woman hands her a bag to pop the calender in.

“Hmm, nothing really but it's up to you if you want to pay something forward to the loan. You don't need to though” Hannah takes out the gift cards and presents them, the woman shakes her head.
“I have no use for those, I have all I need. The payment, if you choose to, has to be connected to the needs you have in regards to the loan. What are you willing to pay?” Hannah thinks for a moment as she ponders what she could pay forward. Then she knows.

“My age, I'll pay forward my age. As long as I'm still older than my sister when my needs are met, I'm willing to risk being returned to nappies if need be but I want to be able to have a chance of making a stronger bond with my sister” The woman thinks about this before nodding.

“Payment accepted, it will be paid with each door opened but only after you reach the twelfth door will you began to notice the effects of your payment in regards of yourself. I hope your intended needs will be exactly what you are hoping for”

“So do I” Thanking the woman she leaves the shop and hears the sleigh bells again, turning back to the shop she finds that it's gone, there is no indication at all that there was ever a shop there. She looks down at the bag with the calender and notices a small slip sticking out of it, she picks if from the bag and reads the words on it:

'Be what you need give you peace
May that peace be good for those affected
May the changes you make give fulfilment.
As needed, as given. Payment accepted'

As unusual as this has been Hannah feels that maybe things are going to improve. Checking her mobile she notes that she still has over an hour to do some shopping so decides to see if there's something she can get, she had seen a box set of classic movies ranging from the 1930s to the 1950s that had tempted her and it was on offer plus there was a game of interest, both gift cards would cover those in full perfectly.
It seemed redundant somehow but she may as well make the most of it.

~

After finishing her shopping she returns to the car just as her sister is arriving at the same time.

“Find something?” Lisa asks as she unlocks the car, Hannah nods holding up two bags. “Good, let's go home” Lisa doesn't say anything else to her during the ride home, Hannah doesn't say anything either. Once they get home however Hannah decides to give the calender a try once they're inside.

“What's what you've got? Not that I care” Lisa asks as Hannah takes the calender out. “An advent calender? Bit late to start a new one, aren't you? Seems like a waste” Time to open the first door. She pops it open and she notices that her sister seems a little disorientated for a second, she looks a little different as well. Not much but a little.
“Probably just tired from the drive, I'm going to my room for a breather, you do whatever” Lisa heads upstairs to her room, Hannah watching her head up before looking down at the advent calender.

“This is going to be good” She thinks to herself before deciding to watch one of her new classics movies from the box set she bought, the advent calender kept close.

~~

As Hannah watches her chosen movie she opens one door every half hour, she notes the time as well as she doesn't want to risk opening too many too soon. As the first movie ends she's opened three more doors which, if accurate, means that her sister is now twenty two years old. Maybe not fully noticeable yet but it could be soon.
Noting the time she decides to watch another movie from the box set and opens another two doors to knock her down to twenty years old, around half way through the movie her sister comes back downstairs and she is looking different, younger though still an adult.

“Going to make supper, I'm thinking lemon chicken with some sweet chilli, sound good?” She was fine with that, her sister was a pretty good cook.

“Sure, you look different, feeling okay?” Hannah asks when she looks away from the movie to reply.

“I feel fine, like you care”

“I care, need some help?” Lisa scoffs at the notion, Hannah is an okay cook but can be a tad clumsy due to the way her left hand will sometimes spasm or lock up painfully, nerve damage from when Lisa had stabbed her sister in the hand when she was four for trying to steal a piece of her sister's chocolate. She hadn't meant to cause damage, just scare her away, the knife had gone right through Hannah's hand though causing damage to the nerves.

“I'll manage, don't want you breaking anything. Why do you even watch those movies? They're so old” Lisa has always been rather dismissive of her sister's interests much like she's dismissive of Hannah as a whole.

“I like them, it's a little glimpse at another era. And I like to see cinematography from before the massive shift to CGI, I find it fascinating” Lisa wasn't interested to hear that though as she goes through to the kitchen leaving Hannah to watch the movie in peace.

Ten minutes later Hannah opens another door, knocking Lisa down to 19 years old. At the same time Lisa was getting started on making the lemon sauce while the oven if warming up, she feels disorientated again for a second as her clothes loosen a little bit.

Near half an hour later the sounds of keys in the front door can be heard before opening and their mum entering the house fresh from work.

“Hi mum” Hannah greets her as her movie finishes, she'll watch the rest of them later. She had enjoyed the two she had already watched.

“Hi dear, by the smells I an guess your sister is cooking”

“Yep, lemon chicken”

“Ooo, yum, sounds good after a long day. Good news is that I'm on my Christmas holidays from today until just after Christmas, I'm glad to be on them. Have you two been behaving yourselves?” Hannah thinks about her reply, she was tempted to tell her mum what had happened earlier but decided to hold back.

“I guess, just the usual. She gave me a couple of gift cards while we were out so I got this classic movie box set and a new game I've been curious about, it was on offer so I thought why not. How was your day?” Her mum stretches after removing her coat, handbag and kicking off her work shoes before slipping a pair of slippers on.

“Busy, as expected, but not too bad all in all. Even feeling pretty good today which is very welcome” Going over to her mum she hugs her gently, it was great to hear that she was feeling better. The calender was doing it's thing.

“That's great! I think Lisa's almost finished making supper so I'll hold off on trying the new game and go get washed up for supper” Her mum returns the hug before the hug is broken.

“You go do that, I'll go check in on her” As her mum goes through to the kitchen to check on Lisa, Hannah opens another door on the calender when knocks her sister down to eighteen years old, causing her to shrink a little in height while causing the usual disorientation.

As her mum enters the kitchen Lisa is shaking her head to shake the disorientation away, then notices that her clothes feel looser and she's certain that she's shrunk a little.

“Just checking in, needing any help with the cooking?” Her mum asks as Lisa turns to her.

“No, I'm fine, almost done. The lemon sauce is ready, the chicken is almost cooked, I applied the sweet chilli glaze to it while flipping it, all three chicken breasts in even measure, another fifteen minutes and it will be ready. I'll make sure to check that all three are cooked through at that time so there's not much else to do. Table is all set and I've got the dessert all ready to go, mini apple pies with a dollop of strawberry ice cream” Lisa replies, her mum seems a little taller to her some how.

“Fairly been busy then, that's good to see. I'm glad all those cooking lessons from me over the years and from school haven't gone to waste, everyone who can should always know how to cook for themselves and others if that's required. I'll go get out of my work clothes then and be right down afterwards” Her mum leaves the kitchen, heading upstairs, while Lisa decides to check in on Lisa who's still in the living room.

“Hope you've not up to anything” She remarks. “Supper will be ready in another fourteen or more minutes, you should wash up” Hannah resists opening another door for now, maybe during or after supper she might open another. Best after.

“Just about to, you feeling alright?”

“I'm fine” Lisa replies as Hannah scrutinises her.

“You sure? You look different, younger. Could just be the light” Hannah heads upstairs with the calender as Lisa shakes her head before returning to the kitchen.

“Younger, yeah right, why don't you get younger to the point of never existing” Lisa mutters under her breath.

~

Supper is soon served and eaten, Hannah waits until the dishes are washed and dried before opening the next door which knocks her sister down to 17 years old. She notes the slight change in her sister's height as well as in her body's shape, she really is getting younger.

While their mum is having a shower Hannah remarks on this while the sisters are in the living room together, Lisa checking her messages on her phone while Hannah is browsing the internet for any new age regression work, she avoided anything that was clearly not to her liking. She didn't care for anything like hyper messing, hyper wetting, sexual and species transformation. She was content with just human age regression mental or physical as long as it wasn't any of the things she didn't care about.

She noticed a new story from a writer she's been following for a while, the writer is much older than her but regarded as one of the best AR writers around by those who have read her work over the years. She knew the writer was a trans woman but hadn't really spoken to her, she was a tad shy about talking to someone so much older than herself but she loved her work. She was looking forward to reading this new story very shortly as it sounded interesting, a younger sister making her older sister younger. Sounds quite close to home.

“Lisa, have you looked in a mirror recently?” Hannah asks as she browses, she would read the story once she was done with her browsing.

“No, why?” Is the reply from the sofa.

“Maybe you should, I think your clothes need some adjusting too. They seem loose” Her sister sighs before getting up from the sofa.

“So?” She asks. “What's it to you? Maybe it's a fashion thing, something you know nothing about” Still she does look in the mirror, her eyes widening in shock. “What the fuck? I'm practically a teenager!”

“17 years old to be exact” Lisa remarks as she browses. “In fact watch this, you're just going to scream” She opens another door which causes Lisa to feel a little dizzy before she looks up to realise that not only has she shrunk a little more, her even looser clothing being an indicator as her trousers start to slide towards the floor with her underwear following suit, but that she looks a little younger.

“16 years old, sweet 16 as some would say. A year older than me!” Lisa turns to her sister and marches over to her while trying to keep her lower half covered.

“What the fuck is going on?” She demands.

“Ooo, language! Not very ladylike of you”

“What the fuck is going on?!” Hannah turns her head to face her, a smile on her face.

“Magic, maybe, or something else. I am going to love having a baby sister!” She opens another door which causes Lisa to feel dizzy yet again while shrinking a little bit more, her body changing as well to match her new age of fifteen years old as her clothes get even bigger on her gradually diminishing frame.

“Same age as me, well until I do this” Another door. “And now I have a baby sister!” Lisa feels the weight of her clothes, they felt so heavy now and to add insult to injury Hannah gets up from the computer chair and is now towering over her sister. Originally Lisa had been a near six feet compared to Hannah's smaller five point five feet but now she was a little shorter than her now older sister.

“How the hell are you doing this? I'm practically a kid!” She tries to tackle Hannah, her trousers and underwear falling to the ground and changing to more age fitting clothing when Lisa steps out of them.

“What's going on? Tell me, you brat!” Hannah pushes her away which causes her to lose her balance and fall to the ground as Hannah continues to tower over her.

“I'm making some changes to the family and those changes require you to be my baby sister while it makes mum feel so much better, the younger you get the healthier mum becomes. And when I open another two doors I'll start getting younger as well. Also from what I just saw with your clothes then maybe you should head to your room and undress before getting dressed again, the clothes you have on will change to fit you a lot better. Plus take a look around at the house, it's gradually changing as well.
In fact I don't think you've got a car any more nor a driver's licence, not at your age. Go ahead and check though you might want to get some more fitting clothing on as I don't think you want to give anyone who might see you a peep show” Lisa picks herself up from the floor and almost makes to go for Hannah again but the thought that her car is gone stops her.

“It better not have, I love my car!” Lisa picks up her now changed trousers and underwear, races upstairs and returns after near ten minutes now wearing clothes more fitting for her size and age.

“All my clothing is gone, it's all been replaced with clothes for a teenager!”

“A 14 year old to be exact, go on, go see if your car's still there and see if you still have your licence” A reply soon follows as Lisa roars:

“MY LICENCE IS GONE! SO'S MY DEBIT CARD! EVEN MY HANDBAG IS DIFFERENT! NO! NOT MY CAR!” The front door can be heard being opened followed by a very loud scream and the door being closed.

“WHERE'S MY FUCKING CAR, YOU BITCH!”

“What car? You're too young to take your licence now so that means you don't have a car and won't for a while until you take your licence again and buy a new one” Hannah opens another door which causes her sister to shrink a little more, her clothes adjusting to fit automatically as well as changing style a little.

“Besides at thirteen I don't think you being on the road would be a good idea, some day maybe” Lisa growls at her and tries to attack her, only to find herself being held back by a hand on her head as Hannah keeps her to an arms length.

“Now now, no need for violence. Or is there? I don't think so but I do think you should learn to calm yourself before I have you back in nappies before bedtime” To prove her point she places her fingers on another door.
“Let's make a deal, I'll slow down on regressing you for now and you'll have until Christmas Eve night to take a good hard look at why you've been so hateful to me, you're going to be a baby regardless but I'm giving you a chance to take a good hard look at the way you've treated me since I was born.
Maybe, just maybe, you'll realise what I'm doing and why. Think of this as your Christmas Carol, all the ghosts making you see just how rotten you've been and what your future holds. Those ghosts being you taking a good hard look at your past actions, the present I'm trying to bring and the future I'm trying to make and the way I'm doing it is a little bit of Marley. Do we have a deal or do I open another door and another right now until you're in thick padding?” Lisa stops with her frankly vain attempt to lash out and steps back pondering her options, she decides to try and change her tactics by pushing her way past her sister, grabs the calender and opens a door which promptly reduces her down to 12 years old and her sister down to 14.

“You have got to be kidding me, how did you get this and where from and how do I age back?” Hannah takes the calender from her before replying.

“From a shop, never seen it before but I got this on loan with the payment being my age, the younger you get from now the younger I get. I'll always be the older sister though and in the process mum's health improves while everything around us changes from what I'm noticing, well in little areas for now any way. As for ageing back well I think that's going to be done the slow way, I wasn't told if there was a way to age back. Not that I want to really as seeing you this young while I'm older than you is really cool.

You better start getting used to it as I'm going to have fun being the big sister for a change and if you don't want to be in nappies too fast then you really shouldn't go for the calender. So do we have a deal or not?” Her fingers hover above another door as she watches her sister think about it before answering.

“Fine, not like I have a choice. So what to you want to do in regards of being a big sister? Are you going to smack me? Hurt me?” Hannah shakes her head before setting the calender down and giving her sister a hug, something she's wanted to do for a while.

“No, I'm not you after all. You're my sister and I've loved you all my life even when you've hurt me so much, I still love you even though it's buried under so much anger towards you but I'm trying to push that anger away. I wish you loved me as much as I love you” Lisa squirms in the hug and tries to fight against it but Hannah holds on, especially since she's stronger than her sister now.

“This is your plan? To make me love you? Not going to happen”

“Not going to make you, just going to provide you the love that you never gave me. Well since it's getting late then maybe you should consider heading to bed” Lisa looks over to the time on the computer screen before replying.

“It's not even eight! I can stay up longer!”

“Maybe before you could but you're much younger now and I'm sure you must be starting to feel tired” Lisa fights a yawn as Hannah says that, she was feeling tired but she wasn't ready to go to bed yet, though it was hard to fight and she was feeling different mentally and emotionally now, like her adulthood was slowly fading away and being replaced with a child on the cusp of puberty.

“Feeling it, aren't you? It's not so bad for me as I still feel like me but you're starting to lose your adulthood, I can tell. You're fighting the urge to give in to the younger mind, maybe you shouldn't fight it. Go ahead, play, have some fun but you still have to go to bed soon” Stamping her foot Lisa tries to assert that she's still an adult but all it does it just make her look, well, young.

“I am not a kid! I'm a grown woman and you will not talk to me like I'm a child!” Hannah reaches a hand over to the calender to open another door, her eyes fixed on her sister.

“You were a grown woman and now you're not, I open this door and you'll be eleven years old again. If I recall mum said that your first period was at that age, when is your next cycle due?” Lisa thinks for a moment.

“About now, I think or tomorrow. Oh you wouldn't dare” Fingers tighten on the door. “I'll lose my breasts and they're barely developed as it is now! Don't!” Another door opens with Lisa shrinking a little more like Hannah does, her clothing changing to match her younger age.

“NO! NOT MY BREASTS!”

“Don't test me, Lisa, I've had enough of your attitude towards me and you've had this coming for a good while. Keep it up and I'll take away your potty training so are you going to behave or will I take another year off?” A rather audible gulp is her reply.

“Good. You're not an adult any more, Lisa, you're a child and my baby sister. I'm not going to treat you like you treated me, I'm not going to be mean to you. I'll be teasing, yes, but I'll do it with the love I have for you. Things need to change and I'm bringing that change” This wasn't fair, just hours ago she had been a grown woman and now she was a flat chested little girl again on the very cusp of puberty!

“Oh and one more thing before you let the younger mind have it's return, remember what you said to me earlier about how you wished I was never born. You brought this on yourself, your hatred is being repaid with a loss of what you misused. Karma clearly wanted this to happen” Chills run down Lisa's spine as she recalls what she said and how hurt her sister had looked at hearing them. Comeuppance had arrived.
“Now off to bed or play for a little bit before bed, if your period starts I'll help you out, okay? I'm here if you need me and so is mum” Finding herself with no choice Lisa decides to try and let herself be young.

~

Over an hour later Hannah has offered to tuck her sister into bed, her mum had been surprised but accepted her offer. Lisa had resisted of course, she had been having fun playing but when she yawned heavily it was clear she was in need of sleep.

“Want me to read to you?” Hannah asks when she checks in on Lisa.

“I'm eleven, I'm not that young” She replies as she gets into bed.

“You sure? I would have thought that no matter the age that you would still like a bedtime story”

“I'm fine!” Not that she was, her lower stomach was aching which meant one thing in particular.

“Uh huh, you winced. Anything in particular you're needing?”

“NO! Just leave me alone! Oh crap!” Lisa hops out of bed and into the bathroom as quickly as she can, slamming the door behind her. Hannah waits outside until she hears Lisa's voice. “Hannah, could you help me please? I need some new underwear”

“Not a problem, give me a moment” Once her sister is helped out Hannah tucks her into bed, her sister looked so small now and so young.

It was strange to see her like this now.

“Would you like me to open another door so that you can no longer have a cycle?” Hannah asks, the calender was in her room. “I won't mind being twelve again” Lisa mulls it over before giving an answer, she's always hated her periods.

“I guess so and maybe a bedtime story?”

“You're on, be right back” Returning to her room she opens another door, feeling herself shrink in height as she regresses back to twelve years old. She returns to Lisa to pick out a book for the now ten year old girl who's cuddling a plushy.

“Let's see now, hmm, oh I remember mum saying you liked this one when I read it at your age” Sitting next to her sister who cuddles against her she opens the book and starts reading, she felt like a big sister as she did this and when she's finished her sister has fallen asleep. Laying her down gently she kisses her sleeping sister's forehead before leaving the room, she feels such happiness at being the big sister and she loved it. She didn't feel any hatred towards her sister at all, just a sisterly love. Sure there were the usual sibling arguments but it felt so nice to finally feel such love without her sister lashing out at her like before for trying to display it.

“Sweet dreams, see you in the morning sis”

~~

The next morning arrives as Lisa wakes up with a small stretch and for a moment doesn't recognise her room, it was so childish to the remaining parts of her adult mind. Memories of how return to her after a moment, it was so hard to hold onto the adult that she had been, it was like they were slowly fading away as a much younger mind took over.

Rubbing her eyes tiredly she climbs out of bed and heads through to the bathroom, everything seemed so big to her now, so unfamiliar to her reduced age and stature. It was like being in a land of giants.

Tending to the usual morning routine of relieving herself of body waste and washing her hands she heads downstairs still in her nightwear, a nightie with a unicorn on the front, while in her left hand is her plushy that she hugs close to her now smaller body.

She hears Hannah and her mum in the kitchen so she wanders through, Hannah seeing her first.

“Good morning, Lisa, breakfast will be ready shortly. Why don't go take a seat at the table and I'll serve you as soon as it's ready” Her sister seemed like a giant to her now at twelve years old, it was a strange feeling to be so small compared to her after being taller than her for years, the kitchen was huge as well. Climbing up on a chair at the kitchen table she cuddles her plushy as she waits for her breakfast, her stomach growling as she waits. She noted how her feet didn't even touch the floor now, they dangled over the edge and she felt the urge to swing them which she did, it was oddly fun.

Hannah sets a plate of food before her, bacon, sausage, eggy bread, some fried mushrooms. A glass of orange juice is set down next to it while Hannah tucks a napkin on the front of her nightie to make sure that she didn't spill anything on it.

“There we go, little miss, bon appetit” She had expected to feel demeaned being treated like that but it had actually felt nice, her sister had been so gentle with her unlike how she had been in the past. Why was her sister being so nice to her after the way she had treated her over the years? There wasn't a hint of hatred at all in her voice, just kindness.

She digs in and notes how her now younger taste buds regard the food, it was so good. As an adult she had felt indifferent to it and just ate because she had to but as a child it was so full of flavour and really satisfying.

Her sister and mum join her while she eats, she felt she should have waited but her impatience from being so hungry had won over her patience not that they said anything about it. No one talked for some time as they ate, the sound of cutlery on plates the main sound. She found that she liked this, there was no yelling, no insults, just two sisters and their mum enjoying breakfast quietly.

Once finished she burped, giggling from the sound. Her sister just smiles with a light shake of her head, her mum doing the same.

“I take that as a compliment for the food” Hannah remarks as she finishes her breakfast.

“It was really good!” Lisa replies before drinking the last of her orange juice, the glass seemed so big to her.

“It was, wasn't it? Well done, Hannah, you've got the potential to be a very good cook” Their mum picks up the dishes, taking them over the sink, while Lisa hops off her chair, Hannah standing up after her. Lisa noticed that Hannah's left hand wasn't shaking, it hasn't been shaking since she became the older sister last night. Had the regression fixed the damage or changed things in a way that had ensured that the damage hadn't been inflicted? It was such a subtle difference.

“We can do the dishes, mum, I don't mind and I don't think Lisa will either, will you?” She did fancy playing but helping her sister sounded good as well.

“Are you sure? Lisa's not even dressed and I don't mind doing them” Hannah looks over to her sister with a 'What do you say?' kind of glance.

“We can manage, mum, Lisa can dry if she's careful and I'll take a chair over to the sink so she can stand on it” Lisa had been pretty small for her age when she had originally been ten years old and being that small again she definitely needed the chair as she couldn't quite see over the counter at this age.

“Okay, if you're sure, I won't be too far if you need me” Their mum leaves the room while Hannah brings a chair over to the sink, picking her sister up afterwards and popping her on the chair, Lisa's plushy placed on the table.

“So how do you like being ten years old again?” Hannah asks as she starts on the dishes.

“It's not so bad, okay I'm really small and young now but it's not so bad. I forgot how small I was at this age” Lisa replies as she watches her sister work, it was strange being so small that she could stand on a chair and still feel so small, her growth spurt had kicked in when she was 14 and would often be teased at school for her small stature until then.

She felt shame that she would take out that teasing on her sister.

“You'll be getting younger and smaller yet, for now though enjoy being ten again. Here you go, be careful” Once the dishes are washed, dried and put away Lisa heads back to her room to get dressed, calling for Hannah to help her after a few minutes.

“What is it?” Hannah asks upon entering Lisa's room.

“I feel like something really girly and cute but I don't have anything like that at this age, could you make me younger?”

“Are you sure? You'll be in the single digits once I do, I was going to wait a little longer”

“Please?” Hannah smiles and nods, she had considered waiting until a little later but if Lisa was insistent.

“Okay, be right back” Heading through to her room she opens another door, feeling herself shrink and regress back down to eleven years old as her clothes change to match, she had been a little taller than Lisa had been at this age. Returning to her sister, now nine years old, she helps her find something as girly and cute as possible to wear. She was happy to see how much her sister was now enjoying herself at being younger.

“There we go, all adorable. So what do you want to do now?” She asks her sister once she's finished helping her sister get dressed.

“Play! If that's okay”

“Of course it is, I would expect nothing less at your age. You go ahead and play then. I'll be downstairs if you need me or mum for anything” The rest of the morning passes with Lisa enjoying her return to childhood, Hannah does some reading and some playing of her own as well as joining in with her sister's fun. Their mum takes them out to a local play park after lunch for an hour, Lisa finding so much delight in the play equipment and calling her sister over to join her. She giggles and squeals with delight often with Hannah laughing happily as she plays alongside her sister.

That night after supper Lisa asks Hannah to make her younger again, dropping down to eight years old and Hannah now ten. She enjoys a bath before her sister, who she calls in to help her wash herself as she was starting to have some trouble, and cuddles up to her after drying off and getting dressed for bed. Hannah reads to her as she holds her sister close and helps her mum takes the sleepy child to bed, giving her sister a kiss on the forehead after her mum does.

“Sweet dreams, sis, see you in the morning” Lisa mummers a sleepy 'Love you' before surrendering to sleep.

~~

On the 20^th, Lisa, now seven years old with Hannah at nine years old, is playing with some toys in her bedroom before she gets up and heads through to Hannah's room, Hannah is looking over a book that she's maybe going to read shortly.

“Hannah? Is it okay if I come in and talk to you?” Her sister beckons her inside, setting the book down on her bed.

“Of course, is something wrong?” She asks, Lisa looks down at the floor before speaking.

“I'm sorry” She says with a little shifting of a foot.

“What for?”

“For being such a bad sister to you when I was the big sister, when you made me younger than you I thought you were going to treat me like I treated you but you've been so kind to me, so gentle. You've not yelled at me, you haven't insulted me, you haven't been mean to me at all. I expected you to take re-re-I can't say the word, it's hard for me to say it”

“Revenge?” Lisa nods her head, her now quite curly hair bouncing as she does.

“Yes! I thought you were going to get even with me but you haven't, why?” Pulling her sister over to her and helping her up so that she can sit on the bed, Hannah sits down next to her which makes Lisa feel very small since Hannah was so much bigger than her.

“I had considered it at first but when you became younger than me I realised that I couldn't do it, that I couldn't do to you what you did to me. What good would revenge have been when it would have better for me to kinder to you than you were to me, it would have solved nothing but hurt you and I didn't want to be like that.
Hurting you like you hurt me would have solved nothing in the long run, maybe it might have given me a moment of satisfaction but in the long run I would have felt horrible for it. There's been enough hurt dished out, no need for any more” This gives Lisa something to ponder over for a minute or two, she had been so cruel and hurtful for so long. Being so young now with her now older sister treating her so kindly was surprising to her, she had really expected for the hurt she had dished out to be returned in full.

“So you're not going to hurt me at all?”

“Not at all, I'm going to make all the effort to be the better big sister, to give you all the love and support that you never gave me. I was about to read a book that I read before when I was originally this age but I don't remember it too well so I suspect it's going to be the first time all over again. Want to join me? I don't mind reading it to you, it's a small book but if you fall asleep I'll just keep reading as I cuddle you close” That sounded so good to her, she liked her sister reading to her.

“Okay!” For the rest of the afternoon Hannah does just that, reading to her sister and teaching her the harder to understand words. Afterwards they have supper before playing together for the rest of the night before it was bedtime.

~~

The next few days go the same way, Lisa takes delight in her return to childhood as more of her adult self fades away, Hannah joining her happily and making her younger whenever she asks. By the 22^nd of the month Lisa is now four years old and Hannah six years old, returning to potty training was awkward for Lisa but she was doing her best to take it in her stride. She had been having little accidents since returning to six years old which was a clear indication that she was inching ever closer back to infancy. She would usually have little accidents until she was eight originally.

What little of the adult she had been was almost completely now, she was finding ever increasing delight in the simple things like how bright the Christmas tree seemed to her now, how soothing it was to be hugged and cuddled by her sister and her mum, how fun it was to just be silly and play. Her former adult life seemed so mundane to her the younger she got, like she had lost herself somewhere along the way to being a grown up.

“Hannah?” Lisa asks while watching an animated movie with her sister, the calender is sitting close by in case it's needed.

“Hmm?” Her sister asks, she was enjoying her return to childhood as well and was such a gentle big sister.

“I think I'm ready to be younger now, back to nappies”

“You sure? There's not a lot of your adult self left now”

“I know, it's okay, I like being young and I don't mind nappies. These training pull ups are already like nappies anyway” Hannah reaches over to the calender, her fingers settling on one of the remaining doors left to be opened.

“If you're sure”

“I'm sure” The door opens and Lisa shrinks a little more, her pull ups thickening into a thick nappy while a new play dress appears on her, her age dropping down to three years old and Hannah down to five years old.
“Thank you” Lisa mummers happily, her sister patting her nappy gently as they continue cuddling.

~

Their dad returns home on the 23^rd with his daughters running to the door to greet him, the changes made by the calender had affected him as well not that he noticed.

“DADDY!” Lisa cries out with delight as she runs up to her dad, hugging his leg before being picked up and held in strong arms.

“Hi dad! How was work?” Hannah asks as he hugs her with his other free arm.

“Exhausting, I'm happy to be home after so long and to see my two beautiful girls again. Here's your mum? I've been aching to hug and kiss my beautiful queen of the manor for ages”

“Right here, welcome home, love, I was concerned you might be held up for a few more days” Setting Lisa down he hugs his wife, kissing her lovingly on her lips.

“So did I, I'm so glad to be home”

~

Later that day Lisa drops down to two years old at her insistence, Hannah down to four. They spend the day playing with their parents and one another, Lisa of course getting a good few nappy changes not that she minds. Hannah does her best with her toilet training despite a couple of small accidents.
The day is peaceful and filled with so much love and joy along the family, Hannah noting how much healthier and happier her mum is.

The next day on Christmas Eve night Lisa is cuddling with her sister as they play with a couple of soft toys, this has been the best Christmas she's had in so long. No arguments, no insults, no lashing out at her sister. She's had so much fun playing and enjoying her childhood and now toddler-hood. She was ready to be younger one final time though and she says as such, Hannah gives her a hug as she opens the final door, Lisa shrinking on her sister's lap down to a year old, Hannah now three years old.

Words were hard to form now, she knew maybe a few words but they were hard to fully say. That was okay however, she didn't need to say the words to know that she really did love her sister and that developing a loving bond with her sister wasn't such a bad idea after all.

As she's tucked in for bed in her crib, her sister on the other side of the crib bars, she reaches out and babbles out two words as best she can as Hannah takes her tiny hand.

“Wuv you sis” Lisa manages to say before her eyes close and she slips into peaceful, happy dreams.

“Love you too, sis” Hannah replies softly before being tucked into bed herself, the calender returning to it's original home seconds later.

Needs fulfilled.

24 doors
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