Trisha, her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, claps her hands to gather the children. Nearby, Maddie kneels to straighten a wobbly stack of blocks. Ashley, with her wild curls and piercing green eyes, sits quietly, watching the teachers with an unnerving calm.
"Okay, everybody! Time for Ring-Around-The-Rosey," calls Trisha, her voice bright and inviting.
"Let’s make a big circle, everyone!" Maddie encourages, guiding tiny hands into place.
Trisha and Maddie begin the familiar song, their voices blending with the babies’ high-pitched laughter. Ashley shuffles closer, her gaze fixed on the grown-ups with a hint of mischief. As the group twirls, Ashley leans in, her lips moving in a silent chant almost lost beneath the singing.
"Truth revealed, forms concealed, let the grown become the small—" whispers Ashley, her eyes glinting.
Trisha blinks, feeling a strange tingling in her fingertips. Maddie stumbles, clutching at her skirt as the world tilts. The babies watch, wide-eyed, as the two teachers shrink, their clothes ballooning around them, until they are the same size as their charges—diapered, giggling, and confused.
"What just happened? Why am I...tiny?" Maddie squeaks, her voice unexpectedly high.
Trisha looks around, panic rising as she realizes she’s wearing a diaper and unable to reach the snack cupboard. Maddie sits, tears pricking her eyes as she tries to remember the alphabet. Ashley grins, her expression far too mature for her size, surveying the results of her spell.
"Looks like someone else will have to take care of you now," Ashley says, her tone playful but edged with satisfaction.
Ashley[/@ch_3] stands at the center, the only one with any clarity or control.]
Ashley contemplates her next move, considering whether to reverse the spell or let the chaos continue. The nursery, once a place of order and routine, has become a realm ruled by whimsy and magic.
"Ashley, please, undo this," pleads Trisha, her small hands gripping the edge of a toy box.
"Maybe after naptime," Ashley replies, already plotting her next act of mischief.
Ashley[/@ch_3] watches over them, her mind full of magical possibilities.]
Ashley finally feels a sense of satisfaction, her vengeance complete for now. As she tucks a blanket over the sleeping teachers, she considers the lessons she might teach them next—if she ever decides to return them to normal. The nursery rests, a place forever changed by one little girl’s secret power.
