Fresh Start

Chapter 22
A Special Boy

Matt was feeling the strain in his legs and back from standing pressed against the window for an hour and a half. The other kids had had nap time and story time but he’d been left alone. He just stared and stared, fearing even to blink lest he missed them emerging from the office. He just prayed that any second they’d come running out, angry or crying and make a bee-line for his cabin, taking him away from here and saving him.

There was movement by the front of the office. Matt’s senses went on heightened alert. Sure enough the door was opening and people were emerging. He couldn’t make them out standing in the shadow. He begged them to move out into the sun so he could see. “C’mon, move it,” he mumbled to himself.

The party of grown-ups stepped off the porch. It was them! Matt could see his mum and dad standing right there with Belton and Dr Howe. But his spirits fell when he saw that both parents were smiling and shaking hands with the men. They weren’t upset or hurried anymore, they were satisfied, content with what was being done to him. His last hope had been crushed. And now they were headed towards the cabin, but with Belton directing the way.

Matt finally stepped back from the window, his whole world crashing down around him. The kids had moved from story time to another round of play before dinner and he now stumbled across the floor, passing between their little games. He had no direction, no purpose anymore. He was wandering aimlessly when the little jaybird named Owen, who had traded in his cape for a witch’s hat, apparently now blind to gender roles, bumped right into him.

“Sowwy!” Owen yelled, “I’m handin’ out biscuits, see,” he explained, holding out a plastic Tupperware container filled with little chocolate chip cookies. “I’m a special helper!” he declared.

Matt had wanted to just shove the boy aside, tell him he didn’t want any stupid biscuits. But then something stopped him. It was that word he used. “Special.” It seemed to echo in his head after Owen said it. It hadn’t meant a thing to him before, but in the middle of this crisis with everything else failing him, it seemed to have taken on a new meaning. It felt like a magic word, like Open Sesame. It was opening the flood gates in his mind, finally letting all that accumulated knowledge spill out.

Matt could feel it happen. He could feel everything he’d ever learned in school leaving him and there was nothing he could do about it. In fact it was a relief to finally give in. It was like he’d been holding his breath underwater for as long as he could and he was finally giving in to the instinct to take a deep breath. Now he could be free of all this anger and fear and worry. It would be over at last.

Warm stuff spread across his loins and trickled down the insides of his legs. He felt the carpet around his feet grow warm and soggy. He wiggled his toes in it and let out a sigh of complete relaxation. It felt wonderful to let go.

**

Gerald kept his cool as he followed his wife and the two camp administrators down the path to the cabin his son was in. He knew this whole thing was a mistake and he cursed himself for letting his wife talk him into it. Now the only way out was to play along. When he’d woken from the programming he’d pretended it was perfectly effective when in fact it had failed completely. Unfortunately it appeared his wife had been much more receptive. She seemed overjoyed at the prospect of having a ‘special’ little boy to care for.

As they headed up the steps to the cabin Gerald thought about his plan to get his boy out of here. He was a strong man and the drug seemed to have worn off. He’d kick his way out if he had to. All that mattered was he escaped with Matt, even if that meant leaving Sara behind.

Dr Howe led them into the cabin, which Gerald saw looked just like a kindy, aside from the beds. It was like a sleep-away camp for preschoolers. The sounds of young children playing echoed through the place and he felt immediately uncomfortable. He held Sara’s hand as they proceeded to the play area.

“Oh Jerry I can hardly wait to see our little one again,” she gushed.

“Yeah, he’s gonna be such a cutie,” Jerry agreed with false cheer.

“Do you think we’ll recognise him?” she asked.

“Of course honey, he’ll look just like he did when he was our pea in the pod.”

Sara smiled and led him forward to where they could survey the whole play area. Gerald ran his eyes across the scattered children. His eyes then fell on a couple of little jaybirds playing on the floor just before them. Their little bare tushies were hoisted in the air before the grown-ups, one with a silly witch hat on his head and the other, a bigger boy, with a neon green beach bucket on his head. As Gerald gazed down at them with some disdain the boys twisted their head round to look at the adults and Gerald gasped. He recognised the face peeking out from under the bucket as Matt’s, just as he’d been nearly twelve years ago.

“My baby!” Sara gushed, having spotted her little one’s face as well.

Matty beamed up at his mummy and stood up with his arms extended for a hug. “Mummy!” he squealed.

Gerald stood frozen, forgetting his act for the moment, as his wife dropped to her knees and cuddled the boy, knocking the bucket off his head in the process. “Who’s mummy’s special little boy? Who’s her widdle cuddler?” she cooed as Matty giggled his little head off.

Regaining his composure Gerald knelt beside the six-year old boy as well, watching his wife peck kisses all over him. “May I?” he finally interrupted.

“Oh of course dear,” Sara agreed, pulling back.

It was very strange for Gerald, scooping his former teen son into his arms. He lifted the boy up, cradling his bare bum and looking into his eyes for any trace of his former teenager. “Hey buddy, are you having fun?”

Matty grinned and nodded. “Uh-huh! Me n’ Owen were just pwayin’ cars,” he explained.

“That sounds like fun buddy. Hey, what happened to all your clothes?”

Matty pointed over at a dark stain on the carpet. “I made a tinkle accident daddy,” he stated without an ounce of shame.

“You wet your pants?” Gerald asked gently.

Matty shook his head. “Nuh-uh. Jutht my big boy undies. I wasn’t wearin’ any pants.”

“So you took them off because they were wet,” Gerald summed up.

Matty nodded and smiled. “I get nakie wike Owen. He’s my new best fwiend!”

“Good to see him adjusting,” Gwen announced, walking up.

“Adjusting?” Gerald asked.

“Oh yes, just a couple hours ago he had it in his mind that he was still a big boy. But now look at him, a happy little guy if I ever saw one.”

Gerald’s stomach dropped as he realised how close he’d been.

“Well in any case I have a nice new pair of undies for him,” Gwen explained, holding up a pair of pull-ups.

“Are those really necessary?” Gerald asked. “I mean, he’s six.”

“He’s a ‘special’ six remember. Take a look at that carpet. You know this is what he needs.”

Gerald nodded and looked back at his boy, at the silly grin on his face. “You know I love you, right buddy?” he asked.

“I wove you too daddy!” Matty chirped.

Gerald blinked. Something in his head had changed when he heard those words, when he heard Matty say he loved him. His boy seemed to almost glow with cuteness. Gerald pulled Matty close and pecked a kiss on his cheek. “Thank’s buddy,” he cooed “You’re my special guy!”

Gerald was wrong about being unaffected by his programming, it had just taken a little push to make it kick in. Now all he could see was how happy Matty was. He was so glad they’d made him like this, made him an incontinent four-year old in a six-year old body. He set Matty down and took the pull-up from Gwen. “I’ll do that,” he assured her.

Matty frowned at the pull-up. “I don’ wanna wear that. I wanna be wike Owen,” he insisted.

“Well you’re bigger than Owen buddy. You’re a big six-year old aren’t you?”

Matty nodded.

“So you need to wear these big boy pants,” he explained, holding out the cartoon covered pull-ups.

“Don’ wanna!” Matty huffed, arms crossed.

“If you wear it like a good boy I promise you can have some ice cream when we get home tomorrow. And this way if you tinkle Mummy and Daddy don’t need to clean up a mess.”

Matty looked over at Owen, still hopping around with his pee-pee jiggling about. “I am bigger n’ him,” Matty agreed. “Okay, I’m a big boy,” he stated, letting Gerald feet his legs into the fluffy garment and guide it up to his waist.

Now properly clad in his pull-up Matty was released to play with his friends, the carpet safe from his pee-pee accidents. Gerald watched the boy throw his arms around the smaller Owen and twirl around in a silly half hug, half wrestle. “Yep, I think we’re going to be just fine this way,” he said to Sara.