Fresh Start

Chapter 10
Breakfast, Play and a Personality Change

With the activities for the day sorted Jessica announced that it was time for breakfast. The campers gathered together and filed out the door. The special helpers ran ahead, racing each other and breaking into impromptu games of tag. Matt found it annoying when a stupid boy in a SpongeBob t-shirt raced up and slapped him hard on the shoulder, yelling “You’re it!”

“I’m not playing!” Matt yelled back.

“Yah-huh you are! And you’re it!” the boy retorted.

“No I’m not. Now go away,” he ordered, getting more annoyed.

The boy, who physically looked thirteen or fourteen, stuck out his tongue at him and slapped him on the arm again, even harder this time. “Freeze tag! No touch backs!” he yelled, spraying Matt with his spit.

“Leave me alone or I’m gonna punch you in the face kid!” Matt snapped.

The boy just shook his head. “Nuh-uh! I’m gonna tell on you to Miss Jessica,” he declared, running off.

Matt was just glad to be free of the oversized brat.

They arrived at the mess hall before the boy could find the counsellor, so thankfully he didn’t have to deal with her too. As they formed a line up to the door the kids from the other cabins began to arrive as well. Beaver Cabin’s kids were already in line in front of them, but Penguin Cabin was just arriving. The soon to be pre-schoolers were walking along the dirt path from their cabin, all holding hands to form a line.

Physically they seemed to have regressed a bit faster than the kids in Kea cabin. Most of them still looked like teens, but younger ones. Probably a third were in their tween years and one girl could have been eight or nine. The boys were mostly a bit smaller than the girls, dropping below puberty faster of course.

It was blatantly evident to Matt that the ten or so kids at the front of the hand-holding line were already mentally gone. The first three boys in the line were all buck naked, save for the fact that each wore a plastic costume hat on their heads. There was the policeman, the fire man and the cowboy naturally. Matt knew that an important part of the process for the younger kids was eliminating their sense of teen privacy and modesty. They seemed to be doing a good job. The little nudists were smiling and hopping along, unconcerned that they were being paraded past a whole line of other kids.

Behind the lead nudists were a couple boys in shortalls having a slap fest and clearly enjoying their game. Then came a girl in a princess costume, waving plastic tiara about and behind her a boy in colourful corduroy overalls who gave a big hug to the next boy in line every time it stopped or slowed down. The boy receiving the cuddles from his friend didn’t seem to mind either, he even hugged right back, so Matt figured his mind was gone too. The rest of the kids looked more sullen or bored so he figured they weren’t in la-la land yet.

As Matt made his way closer to entering the mess hall the kids from Buzzy Bee Cabin arrived. There were only a dozen of them and they walked holding the plastic rings tied onto a rope. The lead boy was practically a man and stood taller than any of the rest. Nevertheless it was obvious to anyone who saw him that his mind was mush. He wore only a very droopy and likely stinky diaper and toddled along with big uneven steps like he was walking on a rocking ship. Right behind him the next boy appeared even further gone. He looked maybe fourteen and was toddling along naked but for the pull-up he wore on top of his head, his hair sticking out this way and that from the leg holes. He had an ear to ear grin and clearly didn’t mind his freely dangling weenie being seen. Matt had no way of knowing the kid was named Chris. All he knew was that the rest of the kids wore shirts and pull-ups and most seemed perfectly aware. He wondered if the drooping diaper man and the smiling nakie boy had secretly wanted this. Why else would they have succumbed so quickly and seemed so perfectly happy that way?

**

After breakfast the kids were all sent to their respective playgrounds or sand-pits to burn off some energy. It was while they did this that Belton liked to walk around observing them and pulling out the ones who needed some special treatment. As he walked past the adventure playground he spotted just such a pair of boys.

Tejay was hanging off the side of the highest parapet on the castle-like playground feeling very proud of his bravery and hoping all the other boys were watching.

“Don’t fall!” Jason yelled from the other side of the railing, smiling mischievously and making as though he would pry Tejay’s fingers off.

“If I do, you’re goin’ with me!” Tejay yelled back.

Jason made a mock scared face and then laughed. Tejay swung himself up and vaulted the metal railing, landing on his feet back within the parapet.

“You’re crazy!” Jason told him, awed.

“Nah, I wouldn’t fall. I could hang on for hours like that,” Tejay bragged.

“Excuse me boys!” a deep voice bellowed up from below.

Tejay looked down to see the camp director staring up at him. “Could you come down here and talk to me please, Tejay and Jason?” he yelled.

Tejay nodded, wondering what on earth he could want with him. He hoped he wasn’t in trouble for his little stunt. He was only having fun.

Belton watched as the two boys climbed down out of the playground and headed towards him. Tejay’s physical regression was clearly progressing more quickly than normal. His red Spiderman t-shirt was particularly baggy and his blue and white board shorts fell mid-way down his calves, the drawstring probably tightened all the way up. He looked like a ten year old, when he should have been twelve. That happened sometimes though, and it wasn’t necessarily a sign of a problem at this early stage.

The other boy, Jason, was still much larger, gangly and pimple-faced, he was right in the throws of reverse puberty. He had chosen to wear a Lakers basketball jersey over a white t-shirt and some knee-length athletic shorts. They both looked like tough, sporty boys, just as their mums described them.

Tejay’s mum was worried by his rugby obsession. He was playing for the top team at his high school and he was only in Year 11. He thought he could even make it into a career, but she was desperately afraid he’d break his neck, get brain injured or even die playing the violent sport. When her sports-mad hubby left her the year before she decided it was time to fix her boy. She didn’t want him so sporty or well, masculine. She didn’t want a sissy or anything, but less of a dirty rambunctious boy this time. And when she divulged her plans to Jason’s mum, she decided she felt exactly the same way.

The two boys stood before Belton looking quite nervous. He was used to that, kids always thought they were in trouble if the director wanted to see them. He smiled and tried to put them at ease. “Hi there boys, I suspect you know who I am.”

They nodded, still looking wary.

“Well you’re not in any trouble, don’t worry. I’m just here to take you to see Dr Howe for a special little talk.”

Tejay squinted his eyes and asked, “What kind of talk?”

“Oh, just to make sure you’re adjusting well to being boys again,” he assured them.

Tejay smiled at this and Belton could see in his eyes that though Tejay recalled being a teen he had the mind of a ten year old. “Bein’ a kid again is great,” Tejay told him. “This time I’m gonna start playin’ rugby when I’m eight and by the time I’m at high school again I’ll be twice as good!”

“That’s wonderful Tejay,” Belton told him. “And you’re enjoying the camp? You like being able to play again?”

Tejay nodded again and Jason mimicked him. “Oh yeah, I’m havin’ lots of fun. I always hated having to wear school shoes, this is so much better,” he announced, pointing out his lack of shoes.

Belton nodded and chuckled. The boy hadn’t completely given in to the suggestions, but they were obviously having some effect on him. That was good, it would make today’s session go more smoothly.

“Well boys, come with me and we’ll get this over with quickly,” he directed, leading them to the infirmary.

**

Tejay liked Dr Howe. He was a nice guy with a friendly smile and he knew heaps about sports. It was great having his own time to talk with the nice grown-up. But of course he was there for a reason and the doctor pulled out a little needle. Tejay didn’t flinch, he was a tough boy not a baby and he wasn’t going to let the doctor see him afraid of a little needle. He let the doctor stick him without a word. Almost immediately afterwards he felt light-headed and weak.

“I feel funny,” he managed to say before going limp in his seat.

“It’s okay Tejay,” Howe assured the dazed, limp boy. “We’re just going to have a nice talk now about your future in sports. You’ll want to listen very closely,” he suggested.

Tejay couldn’t even nod as he felt headphones slipping over his ears and goggles over his eyes. The voice went on and on and Tejay listened closely as instructed. He didn’t even notice two hours passing, didn’t notice the doctor leaving to deal with Jason. To him, the whole thing seemed to last a minute, but the changes made were significant.