Marissa, a woman in her early thirties with kind eyes and an instinct to help, paused mid-walk, noticing the forlorn little boy. The stroller, padded with luxurious fabric, seemed almost too elegant for the playground. She approached cautiously, her brow creased with concern.
"Are you all right?"
Jeffy, the baby boy, sighed dramatically, voice high and whiny yet oddly articulate.
"Sort of..."
Marissa blinked in confusion, glancing around to see if anyone else noticed the talking infant. But it was just the two of them, the world shrinking to this odd conversation.
"My name is Jeffy and until a few days ago, I was the executive manager of an e-commerce startup. But then I made the mistake of driving through a small town named Aphid after a lunch with investors. I ended up before the justice of the peace there, who is famed for using metaphysical powers to punish lawbreakers,"
"I've heard of him," she murmured, still unable to reconcile the babyish features with the executive’s tale.
"The judge accuses me of driving drunk over the speed limit on a suspended license. I denied all charges. But the judge replied that if the other courts wouldn't keep me off the road, he would. I snickered at his threat, so the judge waved his hands and made me too young to operate a car for a long time," Jeffy explained, his tiny hands gripping the stroller’s edge.
"How horrible. A grown man turned into a baby! No wonder you're unhappy," Marissa said, her voice soft with compassion.
"I'm not unhappy over that. I actually kind of like being a very young boy again," Jeffy admitted, a strange smile tugging at his chubby cheeks.
"I'm unhappy because the judge also did this to my Jaguar XKR Convertible," Jeffy added, his tone mournful as he stroked the stroller’s side.
"Wait, you mean... this stroller—"
"Used to be my car. Now it’s a luxury stroller. The judge’s idea of poetic justice,"
"Well, Jeffy, maybe you’ll find some new adventures here. And if you ever need a push around the park, I’d be happy to help," Marissa said, smiling.
"Thanks. As long as you don’t mind a little business talk between juice boxes," Jeffy replied, a glimmer of his old self shining through as they both burst into laughter, the strangest friendship in the city just beginning.
