Madame Zelda: Trading Up....Trading Down

Chapter 5
Chapter 5

’So, won’t this rig go any faster?’ Marsha asked impatiently.

’This is a perfectly comfortable speed’ Staci told her.

’~Comfortable~ like a horse and buggy...’ Marsha replied under breath.

’What?’

’~Nothing~’ Marsha answered dryily.

’So where do ~you~ want to go, Marsha....errrr Mom?’

’It doesn’t matter. Wherever, but would please stop calling me mom? It ~feels~ so strange! It kinda, like, ruins the fantasy...Know what I mean?’

’I’m sorry.... It’s just so hard for me too! What do you think about that little cafe downtown? You want to go there?’

’Ummm that place is kinda boring...’

’You used to always want to go there???’

’Why not Pizza Hut?’

’Pizza Hut? When did you start liking Pizza?’

’That’s mine and Debbi’s favorite place! It’s worlds better than that ’Homestyle Cafe’ place.’

’If pizza sounds good to you, I guess I can deal with it.’

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Staci carefully drove to the nearest Pizza Hut and the waitress found them a table. Marsha ordered a cola while Staci opted for iced tea. As Staci looked over the menu and tried to find a low calorie item she felt a whoosh of air and a paper hit her. She looked up from the menu to see Marsha giggling. Marsha had blown the wrapper of her straw at Staci.

’Good shot, Mommmmerrrr.... Marsha’

’I’m the ~best~’ she laughed.

Staci had a hard time finding anything on the menu that wasn’t too spicy or too fattening. Marsha continued fidgeting while she waited on her to make up her mind. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the window and used the opportunity to ’fluff’ her hair. Impatiently, she started drumming her drinking straw on the table. ’C’mon....You know I don’t have, like, all day!’

Staci opted for a salad.

’Salad? I’m gonna get in on the pizza buffet!’ Marsha told her.

Once they were both back at the table were their meals, Staci started talking. ’So, is being a teenager harder the second time around?’

’Huh? Oh...... I dunno...’

’I’m kinda looking forward to being a teenager again. I know that!’ Staci said.

’It sure is easier shopping for clothes when you’re, like, 17! There’s all kinds of cute stuff.’ Marsha stated.

’So what about ’boys’?’

Marsha dropped her fork ’Whatya mean?’

’I don’t know. Do teenage boys turn you on? Do you feel too old for them even though you look 17? What’s it feel like?’

’I’m not sure that’s any of your bees wax! You sure are nosy.... Geez!’

’Marsha..... have you been with a teenage boy?’ Staci asked, sensing that her mother was hiding that fact! ’Is that where you’ve been slipping off to?’

Marsha laughed at the suggestion ’A teenage boy?... Nope! You think I should?’

’I wasn’t saying that.....’ ’Ya know, That boyfriend of yours is kinda cute....’

’Jeff? Hands off!’

’Well, it’s not like he’s getting any off of ~you~ .....~mom~’

’Cut it out....that’s not funny! Let’s change the subject.’

’So you don’t like it when the tables are, like, turned....do ya?’

’Well, you ARE my mother’ Staci told her ’It really doesn’t seem proper to talk about my love life’

The conversation turned to lighter ’girl talk’ and pretty soon Marsha was ready to leave. They left a tip at the table and exited the building.

’We need to hurry. I gotta call Debbi’

’Hurry? You want to drive?’ Staci asked sarcastically.

’Sure! I just hope no one sees me driving this stupid thing. I’d just die if one of my friends, like, saw me!..... So how do I adjust this seat?’

’Ummm Do you have to? I really have it where I like it.’

’Like you can’t change it back’ Marsha replied as she started pulling levers. The seat quickly sprung back.... ’Oooops...wrong way!’ she said as she tried again to pull the seat up.

The trip home was uneventful, and quite a bit faster.

’Thanks for going with me, Marsha’ Staci told her.

’No probs’

’I think that experience will really help our relationship when we trade back this weekend’ Staci added.

’Uhhhh about trading back this weekend..... Why don’t we wait until after the weekend?’

Staci was shocked. She had wanted to trade earlier and staying 39 for any more time than she had to was more than she could stand. ’I, I, I don’t think so. I really think ~we~ need to end this ’trade’ this weekend’

’We? Maybe YOU do, but I have life too. I wanna tell Debbi goodbye. She’s like my bestest friend. I can’t just disappear.’

’You could start telling her goodbye today....’

’NO! We’re going to the lake today. I don’t wanna spoil our day! We can talk, like, later. I gotta call Debbi and tell her I’m home’

Marsha ran upstairs and called Debbi. She picked out one of Staci’s 2 piece bathing suits for the lake while the two talked.

’So, what did you and your mom talk about?’ Debbi asked.

’She got pretty nosey. She goes ’Have you got some teen boy friend’ and I like go ’what?’ and then she goes ’you’ve been slipping off, ya know’.... Geez 101 question time....’ Marsha continued on with the conversation while Staci took a little trip.

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Staci pulled up at Madame Zelda’s house. She used the large ’knocker’ on the door. Zelda slowly opened the door.

’Ahhhhh Staci! Good to see you. I trust you are pleased with your ’trade’?’

’Madame Zelda.... Things aren’t quite as I thought. Mom....errrr Marsha is just so young. I mean she is really immature. Her mood swings...’

’That IS a teenager dear. I’m sure you were the same way.’ Zelda replied.

’Yeah, and I’m ready to trade back...But she’s talking like she wants to stay young for a few more days. I don’t know if I can handle it. Can’t you just reverse the spell?’

’Oh sorry, Dear.... But I told you, with this spell you both must want to trade back and be here at the same time.’

’But what about a different spell? Just make us our real ages. Surely you could do that?’

’That is not how it works. I told you when you came here how you would need to reverse it!’

’Are you saying you can’t....or you WON’T?’

’Don’t they both mean the same thing to you?’ Zelda snipped.

’You knew this would happen! You hid this from me!’ Staci yelled.

’You haven’t exactly been up front with me either....’ Zelda told her.

’How do you mean?’ Staci quizzed.

’The credit cards? The beer? You didn’t want the spell for your mother’s benefit...you wanted it for your own selfish reasons!’

’You bitch! You bitch! You tricked me.... You knew all along what was going on and what was going to happen, yet you did this anyway! You’re going to change us back or I’ll choke you to death...you bitch!’ Staci yelled as she ran toward Madame Zelda. She lunged out at her throat but before she could reach her, Zelda seemed to move back. Then Staci fell on her face. An overwhelming urge to cry washed over her. She raised her hand up to wipe away the forming tears and saw the empty sleeve of her shirt dangling off her smaller arm.

’You made me wittle.... Make me big girl!’ the three year old demanded.

’Do you see my power? As I told you...when your mother wants to trade back, that is when you’ll trade back. Not before! Now, if you promise to be good I’ll make you 39 again.....otherwise I could make you a sniveling baby or maybe a wrinkled old woman? It’s up to you little girl’

’I be good girl....’ she answered dejectedly. Suddenly, she found herself growing. In a matter of seconds she was her 39 year old self. ’So how do I get her here.... Can’t you help me?’ she cried.

’That would be ’your’ problem.’ Zelda angrily answered.

 

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