Chapter 4
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As Evelyn moved closer to Tom, she stretched out her arms and reached down towards him as though she was about to grab him.
Tom recoiled in disgust and fear, "what are you doing?" he screeched.
"You're so cute, I just wanna pick you up," she replied.
"No," Tom protested, crossing his arms.
"I guess I'll just use my third wish on something else then," she said, placing one finger on her chin, "I know, I could use it to get more followers on TikTok,".
Tom groaned and uncrossed his arms, allowing them to fall limply at his side. Then Evelyn reached down and placed her hands underneath his armpits, before lifting him into the air and pulling him closer to her. She used her right arm to support his bottom and wrapped her left arm around his torso, then held him close to her body.
"You're so cute," she reiterated.
They were now face to face and he was too embarrassed to look her in the eye, so he turned his head so that he was looking over her shoulder instead. He could see Levi looking up at them, so he decided to close his eyes and pretend that he was somewhere else. But strands of her hair still tickled his cheeks, reminding him that his personal space had been violated. Even worse, he could still feel the diaper rubbing between his thighs, which was a continuing source of embarrassment.
"Come on, lets get something to eat," she said, then she started to carry him out of the bedroom.
When he opened his eyes he realized that she was carrying him through the hallway. He was surprised at how easily Evelyn had lifted him into the air and he was even more shocked at how effortlessly she was carrying him through the house.
It was a peculiar sensation, he had vague memories of being carried when he was a child, but he had never expected to experience it again and the feeling took him by surprise. She carried him into the living room and then stopped in front of the television.
"Be a good boy and play with Levi whilst I make breakfast," she instructed, "you can watch TV if you want," she added.
Evelyn lowered him down onto the floor and when his feet touched the carpet, he felt a strange mix of relief and dread. He was glad that Evelyn was no longer manhandling him and that he had regained some sense of bodily autonomy, but he was apprehensive about interacting with his 'little' brother.
Levi had followed them into the room and he was now standing a few feet away from Tom, gazing at him in confusion. The young boy's hair was ruffled and he was still wearing his green Hulk pajamas. He looked as though he was doubting what his own senses were telling him, as though he suspected that he might still be dreaming.
Evelyn made her way towards the kitchen and before passing through the open door she looked over her shoulder and said "Levi, keep an eye on your little brother until I get back".
Tom detected a subtle shift in Levi's demeanor, he had appeared bewildered, but there was now a glint of excitement in the boy's eyes. Levi walked gingerly towards Tom, still appearing unsure of himself and Tom felt the sudden urge to back away. But Tom understood that if he wanted to reassert his authority then he would need to project confidence, so he resisted the temptation to recoil.
Levi continued to move closer to him until he was within touching distance and Tom realized that his eyes were level with the boy's shoulders.
"I'm taller than you," observed Levi.
Tom instinctively felt the need to protest, but it was undeniable, he guessed that Levi was at least twenty centimeters taller than him.
"But I'm still older than you, it's still me, your big brother," asserted Tom.
Levi hesitated for a few moments and looked unsure of himself, then he placed his open hand on top of his head before moving it horizontally through the air until it was above Tom's head.
"Look, I'm taller than you," he declared proudly.
Levi grinned and Tom noticed a gap in the boy's teeth where one of his central incisors had fallen out, it was the first baby tooth that he had lost. Then it occurred to Tom that he himself had a mouth full of baby teeth that would start dropping out in a few years if Evelyn didn't reverse her second wish and return him to his adult body. He felt uneasy and took a step back.
"It doesn't matter, I'm still older than you," insisted Tom.
He had wanted to sound assertive, but he occurred to him that his high pitched voice made him sound like a whining toddler.
"Levi, you're the older brother," Evelyn called out from the kitchen.
"Evelyn says I'm older," he reiterated.
"She's lying, don't listen to her," Tom whispered.
Levi fell silent and for a few moments he looked like he didn't know who to believe. Then Evelyn poked her head around the doorway to the kitchen.
"Levi, do big kids wear diapers?" she asked.
Levi turned to look at Evelyn and shook his head.
"Who wears diapers?" Evelyn quizzed.
"Babies," he replied.
Tom blushed and balled his hands into fists, then looked down at the floor sheepishly, he knew what was coming next.
"Tommy is wearing a diaper, so what does that make him?" she queried.
Levi turned to look at Tom, who was still staring at the floor.
"Are you wearing a diaper?" Levi exclaimed.
He seemed genuinely surprised, but Tom thought that he could also detect scorn in the boy's voice and perhaps even a hint of disappointment, as though it had been inconceivable to Levi that his once older brother now wore diapers.
"I diapered him this morning," she announced, "little Tommy hasn't learned how to use the potty yet," she added.
Tom bristled at the suggestion that Evelyn had diapered him and he had the absurd urge to correct her, before realizing how ridiculous it would sound to insist that he had diapered himself.
Levi chuckled and smiled smugly, now reassured that he really was older than Tom. He was taller than Tom and it had been a long time since he had worn diapers, so he reasoned that he really had become the older brother.
"See, I'm older than you," he said, sticking out his tongue.
Tom glanced through an open door into the hallway and briefly contemplated running away. He thought that he would be able to make it to the front door, but he didn't think that he would be able to unlock it before Evelyn caught up to him. He realized even if he did escape the house he had no where to go and that she was the only one with the power to turn him back into an adult.
Levi wandered towards the corner of the room, where some his toys had been discarded, he knelt down at the side of them and picked up an action figure.
"Come on, let's play," he chirped.
Tom shook his head and slumped down onto the floor, with his back against the wall. As he did so the diaper underneath his pajamas rustled faintly, it was hard to forget that he was wearing it. Whilst Levi played with his toys, Tom sulked and stared off into space. After five minutes had passed the boy made another attempt to convince Tom to play with him, but the offer was rebuffed.
Evelyn returned from the kitchen carrying two small plates, she placed one on the floor in front of Tom and the other in front of Levi.
"It's your favorite Levi, peanut butter and jelly," she said.
Tom stared at his plate, he hadn't had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich since he was a child. He didn't want to eat it, he didn't want to give her the satisfaction, but he was hungry. Whilst Tom attempted to resist the temptation to eat, Levi devoured his sandwich eagerly.
After a few more minutes of sulking, Tom concluded that starving himself wouldn't help his situation, so he reluctantly picked up the sandwich and took a bite. It tasted good, better than he had remembered. No wonder kids eat these all the time, he thought. He took another bite, then another and soon the sandwich was gone.
Evelyn switched on the television and suggested that the boys watch Nickelodeon together, but Tom ignored her. Levi on the other hand, scrambled towards the television and was soon engrossed by an animated kids show. Good, thought Tom, keep him busy and keep him away from me.
When Evelyn sat down on the couch and started to play with her phone, Tom hoped that it was a sign that she was getting bored of tormenting him. He continued to ruminate and tried desperately to think of a way out of the situation, but it was to no avail. He still entertained the occasional thought that he might in fact be experiencing a nightmare, but those hopes had faded.
Half an hour later Evelyn looked up from her phone and made an announcement, "Camila is coming over later," she said, "I bet you're excited to meet her," she added.
Tom ignored her, but Levi turned away from the TV and asked "Who's Camila?".
"She's my best friend, you've met her before" Evelyn replied, rolling her eyes
"You said you're best friend was Zoe," countered Levi.
"No, I was friends with Zoe like a million years ago," she snorted.
Tom had a more pressing concern. He had become aware of a familiar sensation in his body, but it had had appeared more quickly than usual and it felt more urgent than it usually did. He was sure that he needed to urinate. He waited for a few moments until Levi was distracted by the TV again, then he glanced at Evelyn and saw that she was staring at her phone.
He rose to his feet and then made his way towards the door which led to the hallway, but as he passed by the couch Evelyn looked up from her phone again.
"Where do you think you're going?" she questioned.
"I need the toilet," he replied.
She shook her head and smirked, "you're too little to use the toilet, it's for big boys and girls," she teased.
He ignored her and continued walking towards the hallway, but Evelyn leapt to her feet and jumped in front of him before he could reach the door.
"Just lemme go, please," he whined.
She stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind her. He reached upwards and wrapped his hands around the door handle, then tried to pull it downwards, but it wouldn't budge.
"I've got an idea," she announced, "I found something earlier, just wait here," she added.
Tom tried to pull the handle down again but it wouldn't move and he realized that Evelyn was holding the handle on the other side of the door. After letting go of the handle he looked over his shoulder and saw that Levi was watching on in bemused disbelief.
Then he heard movement in the hallway and guessed that Evelyn had moved away from the door, but he realized that even if he did make it to the bathroom she could simply stop him entering the room. He stood there, frozen for a few moments, unsure whether he should press forwards or attempt to come up with another plan. But he couldn't think of another plan, there was one toilet and she was guarding it. But he had to try.
Tom reached up and pulled down the door handle, this time the door opened. As he made his way through the hallway towards the bathroom he passed by a spare bedroom that was used for storage, the door to the room was open and he could see Evelyn rummaging through the contents of a closet. When she turned around she was holding a light blue plastic potty.
"What the f..." he almost swore and then stopped himself, "it's like friggin' Pandora's box in there," he sputtered.
Evelyn frowned, then asked "who's Pandora?".
Tom sighed and continued marching towards the bathroom, but his legs were short and he wasn't moving as quickly as he had anticipated. He could hear the sound of heavy footsteps behind him and Evelyn was closing the gap with huge strides. He saw that the bathroom door was closed, if he could open it and get it inside he thought that he might be able to lock it behind him.
When he reached up to grab the door handle he caught a glimpse of a large hand sweeping past his head, it was Evelyn. She grabbed the handle when his own hands were mere inches away from reaching it. He was too late.
“I’m not using that thing,” he protested.
"It's your choice, your diaper or the potty," she snickered.
He reached out with both of his hands and grabbed onto her hand, then attempted to wrench it away from the door handle, but it wouldn't budge. Feeling dejected, he turned around and traipsed back towards the living room, he decided that he would have to bide his time and wait for another opportunity to use the toilet.
Evelyn followed Tom into the living room, carrying the blue plastic potty in one hand, then she placed it on the floor in the corner of the room. Tom stared at the potty indignantly.
"Levi, your little brother wants to learn how to use the potty, shall we help him?" she asked.
Tom glared at her and gritted his teeth as he struggled to contain his rage.
"Just let me in the damn bathroom," squeaked Tom.
Levi was up on his feet now, he glanced at Tom, then at Evelyn and then back at Tom again. He seemed reluctant to participate, as though he was once again questioning who was really supposed to be in charge.
"Huh," she snorted, "I guess you're not ready yet,".
Tom felt a sudden surge of anger which he could no longer suppress, "fuck you," he yelled.
