AR Short Stories

Chapter 23
The Bright Gift

Chapter Description: Two cousins relieve a childhood memory in a family meeting.

Roy and Liv were two eighteen year old cousins who were friends and inseparable since birth. One day, they were reminiscing about their childhood while in a family meeting on their grandparents’ farm. “Wow, I remember you always annoyed our older cousins to skateboard and be cool like them.” Roy says to Liv. “Hey, I was always a very brave girl.” She replies. “But they always confused you with your brother because of your short hair.” He jokes. “You know how long hair makes me crazy! But I miss those days, I’d love to do anything to relive those days, like jump on that old trampoline.” She says. “Yeah, but since it was hit by that lightning, they never bought a new one.” Both sighed.

While Roy was going back from the kitchen, he passed by the storage closet that started to glow in a very weird blue light. He jumped back. “What?” He ran to the living room. “Liv, come here!” Roy explained all that and Liv laughed in his face. “What? Are you sure you saw something like that? The only thing that could possibly make that was some toy, but most here must be completely lightless.” They opened the door and a big box fell on the floor. Roy laughed back to Liv’s horrified face. “Look at you, dude! Oh, there’s something.” He noticed a small paper note and both read it out loud. “Here’s something to the most special boys in this world. Kisses, Mist.” Liv was shocked and Roy was smiling. “Even this Mist thought you were a boy.” He teased. “Shut up! But this looks like a trampoline, let’s set it up!” Roy agreed and they went to work.

Some hours later, the trampoline was ready and they entered. But something was off, they could feel it. But they didn’t realize they were changing, both shrinking back to two year olds, with their shirts getting a more adequate size and designs, and their pants disappearing and their underwear being replaced by diapers and while Roy’s shoes disappeared, Liv’s were now common socks. And to add more salt on the wond, Liv was becoming a boy. Now, being paralyzed in fear on that enormous trampoline, Roy approached Liv, now Levi. “I scawed.” “Weww, someone needs to get dah fiwst step. So dis wiww be me.” Lewis gave the first steps. So, the heat hit him, so he tried to take his shirt off, but he slipped and started crying. Roy saw that and before any adult could arrive, he ran to try to help him. “It otay, I'm hewe.” He hugged and petted his back, and Levi stopped crying. Sometime later, a group of adults came to see them and only found two sleeping tots cuddling in the middle of the trampoline.