The Experiment

Chapter 2
Chapter 2

Sue continued as the others read along on printed copies:

’Annie, day 21: Boy, the milkshakes didn’t do much good. I still got skinnier. My boobies will disappear at this rate! I think maybe something else is happening. The maintenance man adjusted everything in my room he could so they’d be the right height. He said things had gotten mixed up. I thinks that’s kinda strange but that’s what he said. At least I don’t have to stand on my tip toes to see in the mirror in the bathroom no more. All my clothes are too big. My shoes slip bad. I hope Sue brings my new stuff soon. She said she forgot yesterday. I asked her to bring some of my old stuff too. I kinda wanna see how it fits. Something is funny. She said she would. She should be here any minute. I have to stop writing now cause she’s here with some things. New and old. Cool, I’ll take my pill and then try these one. I’m back. Sue had two pills this morning. One was the regular one but the other was different. I don’t know what it was but it made me feel all funny and stuff. I still feel kinda woozy like even now. I tried some of my old clothes on and looked really silly in them and laughed. Sue laughed too. I’ve sure been here a long time. I don’t know why I looked so silly in my old clothes. They made me feel like I was playing dress-up when I was littler. The stuff Sue brought is lots cooler anyway.

Annie, day 22: Something is funny about the room. The bed seems taller. Mirrors look higher again. The light switches are funny. Sue’s here real early today. I just I woke up and started writing this and she is here. She had two pills for me again. I feel really funny. I had something I wanted to see about but I don’t remember no more. I think I thought yesterday that maybe this exsperimint was sorta working but I don’t know what I was going to see about on me to check. I look about the same as I remember though so it can’t be working.

---

’What the hell is the second pill?’ Lou snapped to Linda.

’Probably just a dosage variance’ she replied only half assuredly.

----

Sue looked up from the journal ’As you can see the change in the experiment did change things considerably. By the 27th day I think we clearly can see how we got here.

---

Day 27. I want to go home soon. Me and Staci can have fun. I miss Staci. I miss Lou too. I took 2 pills from aunt sue. I like aunt sue shes nice to me.

’Now day 28 entries appear to be a picture of a cat....’ Sue began but Annie quickly stopped her ’Nuh uh! That’s Max! He’s a dog!’

Everyone in the room laughed and then the dark suited man spoke ’Annie do you know how old you are?’

Annie sat in her seat and fidgeted with a pencil. She looked confused. ’I forget’ she finally said as she looked at her fingers for an answer.

’Well I believe we can about draw this experiment to a close.’ he said

’Yes I believe we should’ replied the oldest looking of the two scientists as he excused himself from the room.

Lou shook his head ’I just want to see my adult wife back!’

’I think they’re ready to reverse it now......’ Linda began but her voice trailed off.

’What is it? What’s wrong?’ Lou asked sensing her hesitation.

’They’ve got what looks like another dosage of the drug!’ she replied.

Lou started pounding on the glass but it was multipaned and soundproofed below.

Annie innocnetly took the pill and then another. Lou could see her shrink in her seat. Her shoes fell off as her legs only barely dangled over the edge of the chair. Her hair seemed to get shorter and finer. She was now merely a toddler.

’What the hell is going on?’ he screamed at Linda who looked as confused as him.

’I, I, I don’t know? They said they’d reverse it. They promised..... Maybe there was a mistake?’ she said as she frantically pushed the button on the intercom. Someone had patched it into ’recieve only’ mode.

Sue picked the toddler up out of her seat. ’My but you sure are a big girl...... But I bet nobody would mistake you for a teenager now!’ she said as she tickled the little girls belly.

Annie just giggled. Her last connections with adulthood were almost surely soon gone unless someone reversed the process immediately. The look behind her eyes became even more distant as seconds ticked away.

’There’s a mistake! A mistake! Wait!’ Linda futively screamed into the intercom.

Suddenly a voice from behind answered. ’There’s no mistake. This ~weapon~ is to vital to be allowed outside of our government’s control!’

Lou and Linda spun around to see the scientist who had excused himself from below now standing behind their seats. Before either could think, the scientist, with a syringe in each hand, plunged the needle into their flesh. ’Ahhhhhhhhhhhh this guarantees that no one outside ’The System’ will know about our little secret! Anne was a very good subject. If we could reduce an educated vital woman into an innocent child think of what we can do with some of these idiot leaders out there!’

’You son-of-a-bitch!’ Lou exclaimed ’What was that?’

The old scientist smiled the smile of a winner. He took a long breath and then only said ’A guarantee’

’That was the drug....’replied a teenage sounding girl ’In a very concentrated dosage! If it hasn’t started working yet it will like really soon!’

Lou looked to his side to see that Linda had already regressed into a teenager. ’They lied to me! They told me they only wanted to see it developed for the good of mankind!’ she said in an ever youthening voice.

Lou’s voice cracked ’Bastards!’

The old scientist scoffed ’What’s good for ’The System’ IS good for mankind!’

Linda was now a young girl. Lou only a boy. Both were fast losing their battle with regression.

Before either lost all grasp of what was happening they saw Sue hurriedly enter the room. She was being chased by young boy in a baggy dark suit and a teenage scientist.

’Sorry, Doc’ she said as she injected the old scientist with a syringe full of the drug.

’HEY! What the fuck!?’ he shouted.

’Mankind? The System? For centuries women have paid out fortunes for what they hoped would be the Fountain of Youth in a bottle.....and I’m just the woman who can give.... or should I say SELL it to them!’ Sue shot back.

The Dr had been betrayed by one of their own.

Sue stood among the room of still youthening victims. What simpletons she thought! I’ll be rich!

And then she felt a sting! ’OWWWW!’ she yelped. She turned to see little Linda holding a syringe that she’d stolen earlier for her own purposes!

’You bad!’ Linda said and then dropped the syringe in order to suck her thumb.

Sue calmy began to undress. She used her smock to make a padded spot on the floor. She covered herself with her blouse like a blanket. She laid down and curled up on the smock. She put her thumb in her mouth. She knew her fate.

The End