Sophie Dixon was excited. It was her first day of ballet lessons and she couldn’t wait to get there.

“Settle down Sophie” her Mom said as she bounced around the house. She had been wearing her tights and leotard for over an hour already and it was just now time to get into the car.

“I can’t Mom…I can’t wait!” the 6 year old exclaimed. Her Mother had pulled her light blonde hair back into a tight bun and she still hopped around just waiting to go.

Finally it was time and Sophie bounced all the way there in her booster seat, bopping to the music as she sat in the back seat unable to believe that it would take that long to drive to the studio.

“Are you ready for your new group Lisa?” Denise Thomas, the owner of the studio asked her young teacher.

“As ready as I’ll ever be” Lisa Lewis responded. Lisa was now 22 and had just graduated from college. She was teaching at a preschool during the day and teaching dance at night. She had been studying Dance at Denise’s studio for what felt like her entire life.  She had started before she turned four and Lisa had never remembered a time when she hadn’t been dancing.

She loved ballet but it had also taken its toll on her. Her knees and feet ached often as did her hip and back. She had been on the fast track to a spot with a national dance company before surgery on her knee had derailed her.

Two more knee surgeries had followed and now teaching three classes a week with the youngest of the students was enough for her.

Lisa was also in her tights and leotard and she was lacing up her pointe shoes when the first of the girls began to filter in. Wide smiles graced all their faces and all were eager to get going yet apprehensive to start.

Lisa greeted them as they came in and started working on learning all their names.

“Hello! Are you my teacher?” a particularly anxious girl said as she bounded up to Lisa.

“Why yes I am…and who are you?” Lisa bent down and asked the petite blonde.

“I’m Sophie and I have dreamed about dancing my whole life!” Sophie said as she came up and wrapped her arms tightly around Lisa’s waist in a hug.

Lisa laughed “Okay…I know how you feel Sophie. I’ve been dancing since I was 4”

“REALLY? You got to start out that little? No Way!”

“Yes way, but how old are you?” Lisa asked her.

“I just turned six” Sophie answered.

“Well I think six is the perfect age to start personally” Lisa responded as more girls came in.

After it looked like everyone had arrived, Lisa clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. “Hello everybody…My name is Lisa and I will be your teacher here for the next several months as you start to learn ballet. Has anyone here ever had a ballet lesson before…raise your hands if you have?”

No hands went up. “Good; I like starting out fresh with everybody all at once. Now I don’t want you to get discouraged or anything else; learning ballet takes a lot of time and practice. No one will learn this overnight. It will take several weeks just to learn your basic poses and then working on where to place your feet then how to hold your arms…just know that no one will be an expert by tomorrow”

The girls all giggled and squirmed and did their own poses as Lisa talked.

After lining them up, Lisa began to pose each one of them individually up and down the line. She got each of them in the first position and had them repeat it a few times before she let them try the second.

Forty-five minutes flashed by much too fast for all the girls but Lisa clapped her hands as she saw the clock on the wall. “Okay girls time to wrap things up for tonight” she called out to a chorus of “Awes and Boos”

“Miss Lisa?” a voice called out from the group.

“Yes?”

“Can you show us some fancy moves?”

Lisa gave a half smile and dropped her shoulders.

“Come on Miss Lisa…we know you know how to do some fancy moves; please show us”

Lisa smiled and squared up her shoulders before rising up en pointe and beginning to spin rapidly in tight circles, pirouetting around and around. She leapt across and did several running jumps in a row, showing off advanced moves before stopping suddenly and flickering her feet out rapidly before coming to rest, panting and sweating a bit.

The girls all cheered and clapped before they ran off exiting the room.

Only one girl remained; Sophie.

Sophie ran over to Lisa and said “Thank You Miss Lisa. I loved it”

“Aw…thank you Sophie; I’m glad you enjoyed your first lesson. Practice at home and we’ll add some more steps in next time okay”

“I wish I could dance like you right now” Sophie said.

“And I wish that I had your enthusiasm and energy, that’s for sure” Lisa replied. Her knee was aching from her display.

Lisa thought to herself as she looked at her enthusiastic student “I can’t even remember the last time I was genuinely excited to dance…all it does is hurt my body and pay some bills for me these days; I really do wish I could get some of that wonder back…”

Sophie shut her eyes tight and thought “Oh, I wish I could dance like Miss Lisa so much…”

Sophie opened her eyes and set herself in a flawless first position. “Hey Miss Lisa…look!” she said suddenly.

Lisa had drifted off in her mind but upon hearing her name, she looked at the girl in front of her. “Wow” she said somewhat surprised “That’s perfect Sophie!”

Sophie smiled and shifted her feet and arms into the second position.

“Sophie: Have you been holding out on me? That is awesome” Lisa said.

“I don’t know Miss Lisa…I just know” she said as she moved into third position, holding her arms and positioning her feet perfectly.

“Uh…can you show me fourth position?” Lisa asked puzzled.

“Sure” Sophie said cheerfully and she giggled as she changed to fourth position.

“Sophie…this is amazing…it’s astounding…” Lisa said clutching her chest, her mouth open in surprise.

Sophie twisted a bit and transitioned to fifth position.

“I mean…the way you’re holding your arms is perfect…you’re foot placement is too. It’s like you…” she stopped as Sophie plied first before she rose up en pointe and executed a flawless pirouette.  She rose in an Arabesque then a quick fouette.

“How did you do that Sophie?” Lisa asked.

Sophie blushed and looked up into Lisa’s eyes and shrugged her shoulders. “I wished that I could dance like you and then it was all there and I just knew I could dance like you”

Lisa’s mouth gaped open and she swallowed hard. “Um…that’s great” she replied.

Lisa pursed her lips tightly together and looked down at her feet. She lifted her toes up in the ends of the very beat up ballet shoes that she wore on her feet. As she stared down, she couldn’t seem to keep a straight thought in her mind. Images and thoughts swirled around and came and went rapidly. Everything became cloudy for a moment and she put her hands up to her temples and rubbed vigorously.

Lisa shook her head to clear the cobwebs and she had an urge to get into position but for the life of her, she couldn’t remember how to hold her arms in first position all of a sudden.

Hesitantly, she began to shift her feet but she felt uncomfortable and not sure of herself now. “Do I put my arms all the way out?”

Seeing her hesitating and seeing the worried look on her face, Sophie said “Hold both arms low in front of your body with your hands almost touching”

Lisa’s hands went out.

“No that’s too straight…round your arms slightly; bend your elbows…” Sophie said confidently.

Lisa’s mouth hung open; she didn’t understand why she didn’t know even the most basic steps all of a sudden. With determination, she raised her left arm up and shifted her left foot outward.

“No Lisa; that’s wrong…in the third position your arms and legs work opposite of each other. If your left arm is up, you need to move your right foot forward and you need to hold your right arm out at belly button height with your palm slightly forward”

Lisa stared down and even Sophie seemed shocked at what had just come out of her mouth. She clamped a hand over it and with wide eyes, began to giggle. “I’m sorry Lisa” she said.

“No…it’s…it’s okay Sophie” Lisa struggled to get the words out. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me; it’s like I don’t know even the basics”

Sophie’s restless energy caused her to rise up again and she demi-plied back down with no extra effort.

Lisa cocked her head and looked at the girl lowering and raising herself up and down. “What did you say earlier about wishing you could dance like me?” Lisa asked slowly.

Sophie kept going up and down as she said “I just said to myself that I wished that I could dance like you”

“And now you can do all these moves effortlessly” Lisa said with dawning horror.

“Yeah, I can…oh my gosh Miss Lisa!” Sophie said standing up straight. “You mean my wish came true!”

“Uh…yeah. It looks like it did because now you can dance and I can’t. You literally took my ability to dance” Lisa said. “I don’t know anything about ballet anymore and you do”

“My wish came true” Sophie repeated in awe.

“You have to undo your wish Sophie. You have to wish that I know how to dance again” Lisa pleaded with her, genuinely frightened that the fate of her ability rested in the hands of a six year old.

“But if I wished that I could dance like you and it happened…what if I…” Sophie began.

“No Sophie; what are you thinking?” Lisa asked wearily.

“What if I wished that I was the teacher and…and you were the student” Sophie said.

“No! Don’t! You can’t…” Lisa yelled and took a step towards Sophie as she heard the words come out of the little girls’ mouth.

“I wish I was the big ballet teacher and Lisa was the little student” Sophie said as she shut her eyes.

Lisa’s foot came down hard as she tried to get to Sophie, but as the words came out and hung in the air, she stopped dead in her tracks. She dragged her left foot up next to her right and stood straight with a shocked look on her face. Lisa put her hands on her stomach and said “I feel funny”

Sophie looked up at her teacher; her former teacher and smiled “This is going to be so awesome”

Lisa was in a daze; she was afraid to even move but her eyes trained downward to the brand new ballet shoes on her feet. They were shiny and fresh without a single scrape or crease; they weren’t her shoes.

With a slight shudder, the shoes began to get smaller, taking the feet encased in them along with them.

Lisa noticed that the floor seemed to be getting closer, rising up to meet her, but it was her that was instead shrinking down to meet it.

Lisa felt a tightness grip her legs as her tights shrunk but her legs also began to shrink in accordance.

Her chest constricted and her black leotard dropped size after size and her chest began to deflate and shrink down too.

“Help Me Sophie!” she called out, her voice rising in pitch with each word “Make it stop!”

Sophie was so in shock at watching Lisa shrinking down to her size that she couldn’t even speak. She just stared open mouthed as Lisa continued to get smaller and smaller before her. Sophie had started out at about the middle of her chest, but Lisa was quickly becoming tinier and tinier and she was up to her chin now.

Lisa felt her whole body get smaller. She held her hands out and watched them shrink down, her nails becoming very narrow and thin. She turned to the wall that was entirely a mirror and saw her diminished body reflected back. “AH!” she screamed in a high pitched girlish voice.

Lisa clapped her hands to her cheeks to the sight of the girl in the mirror. She looked about 12 at the moment but it also was apparent that she wasn’t done yet.

Her hands fluttered as she watched all of her womanly curves disappear. Her legs became stick like and thin and her breasts reduced down to nothing, her clothes continuing to come inward in a pace matching her body.

Her tights brightened up and her leotard became darker as they seemed fresher and less worn.

Lisa took in the reflection of her face. Any and all signs of maturity were gone. Her brown hair had been done up in a bun, but it had come loose and she had heard the bobby pins fall out and hit the wood floor. Her hair was lighter in color and thinner in texture; lights wisps of hair came down around her ears and across her forehead and she brushed them aside with the back of her hands.

“No!” she yelled out again with a slight lisp as her teeth shrank down and reverted back to her baby teeth and her cheeks puffed out into round slightly chubby childish cheeks. Her chin came way back and her nose shrank down very small as her eyes widened.

Staring back from the mirror were now two six year old girls, but not for long.

“No WAY! But if you’re my size than…” Sophie finally said to the six year old Lisa.

Lisa turned to Sophie, who was already slightly taller than her and pleaded “Please Sophie; change me back into an adult. I don’t wanna be a kid again”

“Mmmm…I think it’s too late for that” Sophie said as she tapped her chin.

Sophie put her hands on top of Lisa’s shoulders and looked her in the eye. Sophie was filled with a sense of empowerment knowing and sensing what was about to occur to her. “I can’t wait to be big like you were Lisa” she said “But don’t worry; I’ll make sure you’re happy…just wait and see”

“How am I ever going to be happy?! I’m 22 and I look like a six year old!” Lisa protested in vain. “I…Whoa!” she added as Sophie began to grow in front of her.

Sophie smiled slightly and said “Here I go” as she felt her back begin to spread and her legs begin to grow longer.

She clenched her mouth shut as her baby teeth morphed into adult teeth and began to grow in her expanding mouth and her lips parted to take in a deep breath.

Hair burst forth from her blonde bun and soon it began to cascade down as it grew longer and thicker. Her face was maturing rapidly with her nose growing longer and her lips filling out.

Her leotard, tights and shoes all began to increase in size as did her body. Inches increased and curves grew out as Sophie became Sophia. Her black leotard faded with age and use and her tights became worn and thin around her inner thighs. Her shoes broke down with creases and nicks as her feet grew longer and wider and stronger in them.

Sophia zoomed through her tween years and into her teens as her height and weight continued to increase. Her face continued to mature and she lost all of her freckles as her leotard tightened across her expanding chest.

Her thighs filled in and her hips flared outward along with her rear. She was gaining the body of a woman as she increased in age closer and closer to full adulthood.

Lisa stared in wonder at the growing and aging woman in front of her. She now only came up to the middle of Sophia’s chest as Sophia reached a full height of 5’8”. Her slender build ensured her continued ability to dance but there was little doubt that as Lisa looked up into her face that Sophia was now an adult.

Her face showed the maturity and fullness of a 22 year old woman. Her long blonde hair framed her confident and strong womanly features and bright blue eyes.

“This feels so great; I feel so big and strong now” Sophia said in a much deeper voice and she laughed at the sound of it.

Her hand flew to her mouth but she pulled it back quickly and examined how long it had become and how pretty her nails were now.

She had gotten Lisa’s age and ability but not her aches and pains. No scars lined her knees from surgeries and her back and hips felt strong and firm.

“Wow” she said flexing her long arms. She rose up en pointe again on her bigger feet before she pirouetted flawlessly around “Wow” she repeated.

“Um…Hello” Lisa said as she crossed her arms and impatiently tapped her tiny foot below her “What are you going to do about me?” she said.

“Oh yeah” Sophia said with a smile.

“You’ve had your fun…we need to switch back! I can’t be left like this” she said with a flourish of her arms up and down.

“Hmmm…I don’t know about that just yet” Sophia said as she knelt down on her right knee before Lisa.

“You’re awfully cute like that and I really want to have a chance to explore all this” she added tapping her chest. “But I’ll tell you what I will do”

Lisa’s eyes widened “What?” she said afraid of the power that Sophia had over her. “What more can you do to me?”

Sophia smiled “Why I can grant you your original wish” she closed her eyes and said “I wish Lisa would regain her enthusiasm for dance and really be happy to be taking lessons again”

“Uh…” Lisa let out in a sigh of surprise. She took a step back; her whole world reeling. “How can I…I can’t…”

But as she stopped walking backwards, an innocence began to creep into her mind. Thoughts of no responsibility and a chance to do everything over again flooded into her mind. She realized that she was getting a second chance at childhood and a second chance to learn how to dance.

Lisa’s little face brightened and a smile came across her mouth. “I don’t get to be big again do I?” she asked.

Sophia shook her head “No…not right away but you will grow up again in your own good time”

“And do I get to take dance lessons from you Miss Sophia?” Lisa asked.

“You sure do” Sophia said as she put her hands on her hips “Every Monday and Thursday Night you do”

“And you get to try out for the companies that I wanted to get into but couldn’t because of my knee?” Lisa asked.

“I’m going to make you proud Lisa” Sophia said. “I have all of your ability to go along with this perfect body and an endless drive to be the best”

“Lisa Honey…are you coming out yet? Your lesson was over 10 minutes ago”

Lisa spun and saw her Mom standing there; “Mom?” she asked confused.

“Yes honey…how did you like your first lesson?” she asked as if nothing was wrong or different.

Lisa realized that her Mom looked younger too…she was back in her early thirties instead of nearing fifty, “It was great Mommy” she cried out and dashed across the studio to hug her like she hadn’t done in 16 years. “Thank you so much for signing me up for ballet. Miss Sophia is an awesome teacher”

Marla Lewis mouthed “Thank You” towards Sophia as Sophia rose back up and stood up nice and straight.

“Your daughter is very enthusiastic Mrs. Lewis” Sophia said as she walked towards them. “I’m positive that she’s going to be one of my best students this year because she wants to learn so much”

Marla tapped Lisa on her shoulder “Tell your teacher Good Night…we need to get you home young lady”

Lisa spun towards Sophia “Thank You Miss Sophia…I’ll see you on Thursday” she said and gave her a wink before she turned and ran off towards the door.

“To be that young and have that much energy” Marla said to Sophia.

“Don’t I know it” Sophia said as she dropped her head in mock exhaustion as the two women laughed.

Lisa ran outside and waited next to her Mother’s car in the parking lot. After having been 5’6”, it was quite a shock to now have the car door be bigger than her. As she heard the beep of the unlock button go off, she had to strain with all her weight to pull the door open. She also had to make a concerted effort to climb up and into her booster seat in the back.

As she buckled herself in, still getting used to her very tiny hands, thoughts ran through her mind rapidly. “I still know who I am and what age I’m supposed to be” she realized. “So why am I not freaking out right now?”

Her Mom got in the car and started it up asking her “So did you have a good time tonight?”

“Yes I did Mommy” she replied instantly as the thought ran through her mind “Why am I calling her Mommy again so easily? Why is she so much younger too? Doesn’t she realize that she’s regressed back?”

“Mommy?” she asked from the backseat, internally cringing at her high pitched voice and continued usage of Mommy.

“Yes Honey?” Marla replied.

“Is everything okay?” Lisa asked.

“Of course it is honey…why would you ask something like that?”

“I don’t know” she said as she kicked her feet up and down. “I was just wondering if you felt different or if something weird had happened while I was in my lesson”

“Honestly…I will never understand where some of your questions come from” Marla said as she drove them home.

“So if I said I’m supposed to be 22 years old, what would you say?” Lisa asked.

“I’d say you have one heck of an imagination seeing that I’m only 32” Marla replied with a laugh “You’re so silly sometimes”

Lisa smiled in the back seat as she caught her Mom’s eye in the rear view mirror.

She stayed quiet for the rest of the drive pondering her new situation. “What’s the house going to look like when I get there?” she thought before she looked down at herself.

“I’m so freakin small” she thought as she ran her hands over her small legs, feeling them through the white tights.

She thought about her education; high school and college were still in there. She remembered attending classes and graduating and thought “I have to try and keep as much of that knowledge close. I have to think about it every day so I don’t lose it”

“Are you tired Hun?” Marla asked since it had been several minutes since she had heard Lisa speak.

Lisa blinked and recognized that she indeed was tired. “Yes Mommy…I’m pretty worn out” she admitted.

“Well, we’ll get you home so you can take your bath and get to bed” Marla said with a nod from the front.

They pulled into the drive and Lisa’s instincts went on high alert. She climbed out of her seat and dropped down to the ground. She ran up to the front door and waited for her Mom to have to come and unlock the door for her.

Having to look up to her Mom again and have her help her do so many things would just be the beginning of the strangeness that was Lisa’s first night as a six year old again.

The house was so much bigger than she remembered it from earlier in the day. Even though she was 22, she was still living at home with her Mom when she had left in her own car to drive herself to teach that lesson earlier tonight.

Now that she had been driven home, she looked around in wonder. Marla scooted past her to get herself organized as Lisa took in the house.

“Oh my gosh…everything is so big!” she thought as she walked into the living room. The furniture was taller than her and everything on the walls seemed so high up.

She headed for the kitchen to get a snack only to hear “You’ve already had your dinner young lady; you don’t need any more food tonight”

Lisa’s mouth hung open, acknowledging the fact that she didn’t set her own rules anymore and wouldn’t again for quite a long time. She closed the refrigerator door and saw the child’s artwork that now adorned the door. She smiled at the simplicity of it, before it hit her that it was her artwork and it was the best she could do.

“I don’t have the coordination that I used to have” she realized. There was a pen and paper sitting on the kitchen table; she picked up the pen and marveled at its size in her hand. She tried her best to grip it, but it kept slipping and even though she remembered how to write and spell, it still came out scratchy and scrawled on the paper when she wrote out her name. “No way” she mumbled.

“Get undressed honey…I’m going to get your stuff ready for your bath and then it’s bed time” Lisa heard her Mom call out as she also heard water running in the bathroom.

Lisa sighed in doubt as she headed for her bedroom. She flipped on the light and could only shake her head.

A Frozen theme had taken over the room and it looked like any six year old girls room, be it still very big to Lisa’s eyes.

She took off her ballet slippers and then undressed as she heard her Mom coming down the hall. When she stood in the doorway, Lisa said “Mommy please…can I have some privacy”

“Sorry” Marla said to her and backed out of the door.

Lisa went through her night time routine, admitting that it was at least nice that someone got her bath and toothbrush ready for her.

She got dressed in a small nightgown with puppies on it and had to use a step stool to see herself in the mirror to brush out her hair and brush her teeth.

Elsa was on her hairbrush and Olaf on her toothbrush and she stared into the mirror still not quite comprehending what all this really meant.

She bared her tiny teeth and crinkled up her forehead. She ran her tongue over the small teeth thinking “I’m going to have to loose teeth again and have the tooth fairy visit me” but she brushed them up and ran the hairbrush and comb through her wet hair.

“You didn’t do a very good job drying your hair tonight” Marla said as she picked up the towel from behind her.

“Sorry Mommy” Lisa blurted out.

“I just don’t like you going to bed with wet hair”

“I know…I thought I got it” Lisa said somewhat ashamed.

“It’s okay”

Lisa hopped down off the stool and headed back to her room. She climbed up into bed and pulled the covers up. She stretched her legs out as far as she could with her head on the pillow, but still didn’t get her toes to pop up more than halfway down the bed.

She surprised herself with a yawn and she found a well-worn teddy bear under the sheets.
She grasped it immediately and hugged it close to her chest as she curled onto her side. “Such a weird day” she thought as she yawned again, “I wonder what tomorrow will be like”

Sophia Dixon watched Marla Lewis lead Lisa out of the door. As it closed behind them, she realized that she was by herself for the first time.

She looked down her long legs and said “Oh My God. My wish came true…it actually came true. I’M AN ADULT!” she yelled and did a quick jump up and down and drummed her feet. “Oh My God!” she repeated as she headed closer to the mirror.

“Wow” she said as she took in her mature and pretty face. She ran her hands over her cheeks and chin and she ran her tongue over her large, straight teeth.

“I’m huge!” she said taking in her tall frame and long, lithe legs. Sophia twisted to the side and took in her profile and her slender, athletic build. “Years of dancing…” she said as she ran her hand over her tight stomach and toned rear. “I can’t believe this…this is so awesome!”

Sophia’s eyes darted around the room and ensuring that she was alone, she pulled out the front of her shirt and snuck a peek at her breasts “Yea” she said as she snuck her hand inside the top and gave the right one a quick squeeze.

Looking around she spotted a purse and a gym bag across the floor by the door. She walked over and picked it up. Inside the gym bag were a pair of sweat pants, a baggy t-shirt and some sneakers. She unlaced her worn down ballet shoes by only bending at the waist. She kicked them off and took in her much larger feet inside the worn white tights. A small hole was open at the side of her right big toe and she wiggled it up and down.

She stepped into the sweats and pulled the tie tight at her waist. She threw on the t-shirt over her leotard and stepped into the sneakers without untying them.

Inside the purse were car keys and a wallet amongst other items including a few tampons that made her pull her chin in and blush in surprise “guess I need those now” Her mind had expanded to match her reality. While she knew who she actually was and what age she was supposed to be, she had also recognized that as she was changing and growing physically, she was also growing mentally.

New knowledge had flooded into her mind. Years of school and experience had just been there all of a sudden. Acting like a six year old in an adult body might be funny in a YouTube video, but not in real life.  Her wish had seen to it that she could function as an adult while not stripping Lisa of her entire identity.

As Lisa flashed through her mind, Sophia paused. She did feel somewhat bad that she had to go back to being a little kid again so Sophia could be an adult, but she also knew that she would be just fine with the change. She had a deep seated assurance that Lisa was accepting her new reality too and would enjoy it. She would function as a child but still retain enough of her old intelligence that childhood would be fun and easy for her the second time around.

Sophia shook her head and said to herself “Although it will still be awkward come Thursday night when we see each other again; but she’ll get used to it cause I’m not going back”

She opened up the wallet and took out her drivers’ license. “Awesome…” escaped her lips once again as she saw her picture on the card. Sophia Elizabeth Dixon…Date of Birth 07/07/93…Height 5’8”…weight 125…eyes blue…hair blonde…

She took out the car keys and went to the old Honda Civic that sat by the door. Lisa’s old car was now hers and she got behind the wheel and knew where to go.

She drove to her house; the house she had left earlier as a six year old strapped into a booster seat and driven by her Mom. Now she was returning as a 22 year old in her own car and she was quite curious about what she would find on the other side of the door.

She opened the door and stepped in “Mom…I’m home” she called out tentatively.

“How was your class” was what she heard back from the living room.

“Fine; the little girls are all so cute at that age” she replied taking off her sneakers by the door.

“There’s some chicken left over in the fridge if you want it”

Sophia padded through the kitchen to the doorway of the living room. She blinked hard twice at the sight but kept calm. “It’s what Lisa saw with her Mom but in reverse” she thought.

Her Mother sat in her chair watching TV with her Kindle in her hands but her mother was now much older. As she thought about it, her Mom was no longer 28 but was now 44. The furniture looked nicer and the room was much neater without her toys and clutter lying around.

She walked through the room with a smile but not another word as her Mother acted as if nothing was wrong or off at all. Sophia just headed for the stairs with her purse on her shoulder and headed upstairs.

“Oh Man” she said as she went into her bedroom and flipped on the light. A double bed sat off to the right with black sheets kicked off to the side and the comforter laying half on and half off the bed. A desk dominated the left half of the room with books and a laptop on top of it along with empty water bottles around a lamp.

Dirty clothes sat outside the hamper on the floor and Sophia didn’t think twice about tossing the t-shirt and sweats onto the pile.

She worked the leotard off her shoulders and down her chest exposing her breasts and allowing them to hang free. She pulled it off her legs and started the tights down now as well. Her strong thighs and calves worked back and forth as she took the tights off.

Now naked, she looked at the reflection in the mirror on the back of her door. Shaking her head so that her long blonde haired waved across her shoulders, she took in the sight of her adult body. She looked out over her downcast eyes and liked what she saw.

She went to her dresser and took out a pair of simple white cotton panties and stepped into them along with a pair of baggy blue basketball shorts and a white tank top. She headed back downstairs to fix herself dinner.

Sophia enjoyed being able to just move freely about the house without her Mom watching or caring what she was doing. She warmed up the chicken and rice in the microwave and sat down at the table with a bottle of water to eat. She flipped through her Facebook account on her phone as she ate.

Sophia looked down at the empty plate “Bigger appetite too” and pushing back from the table with her feet, she took in the sight of her long smooth bare legs. “Still can’t get over this”

“Good Night Mom” Sophia said as she walked through the living room again.

“Night” was the only response as she headed back upstairs.

Sophia was exhausted from the day: A day that started by being woke up to go to first grade was now ending as a college graduate who had to get up early in the morning for her job as a preschool teacher.

“Amazing” she said stepping out of the shorts and crawling into bed.

“Lisa honey…time to get up and get ready for school” Lisa heard her Mom’s soft voice coming from the door.

Her eyes popped open and she saw that she was clutching a teddy bear to her chest and a single thought ran through her brain “It wasn’t a dream! I’m six”

Lisa turned towards her Mom and smiled “I’m awake Mommy”

“Good…now get up a start getting ready while I go make your breakfast”

Lisa watched her leave and she slid her legs up and sat up. She swung her legs off the side and watched her tiny feet dangle several inches above the carpet. She banged her heels and ankles together and shook her head “Why am I not freaking out again?” she asked herself as she jumped down.

She started getting dressed in tiny jeans and a size 6 shirt that had ballet slippers on it and the word dance in sequined and glittery letters. She put her feet in the small white socks she found and made her way into the kitchen where a bowl of Fruity Pebbles awaited her.

After eating, she brushed her hair and teeth and put on the youth size one shoes and grabbed her backpack and hot pink lunch box and headed for her Mom’s car.

She rode to school in surprising calm and got out of the car and headed right in. The teacher at the door greeted her by name and Lisa headed right to her classroom like it was natural. She put her bag and lunch in her locker and waved to her friend Izzy across the room.

“This is so weird” she thought as she went through the motions. “I’ve never been here and yet I’m supposed to be here and I know everyone here”

She went to her desk and sat in her chair and took out her supplies to start her morning work. Her teacher Mrs. Johnson passed out a picture to color along with a few math problems and smiled. “How was your dance class last night Lisa?” she asked as she passed by.

“It was great Mrs. Johnson” she replied right away.

“Well I knew you were looking forward to it, so I’m glad you liked it”

Lisa just smiled and started to work on the math problems. It was color by numbers so she had to do the problems first. It came to her easily but she still had to concentrate on writing neatly and coloring inside the lines. “First grade…” she thought as she colored in a purple bird.

Sophia’s iPhone alarm went off at 6:15, waking her up from her slumber. She slapped at the phone on the nightstand next to her bed before she opened her eyes and smiled. “I’m going to school today but I’m the teacher and not the student now” she realized as she turned over and felt her body shift and move. She swung her legs off and over and felt her feet hit the ground before she sat up straight.

Her hair was a rat’s nest and she yawned and ran her fingers through it as she stretched out her arms and back. “I’ve never woke up this tired before” she mumbled as she got up and straightened out her tank top.

She padded her way down the hall and started the shower water. She stripped down and stepped in and under the hot water. “I’ve never gotten to take a shower by myself before” ran through her mind briefly and she laughed at the thought. “Gotta stop acting like a six year old…gotta watch yourself Sophie” she said as she lathered up.

As she finished up and got out, she toweled off and wrapped a hair towel around her long wet hair. She padded barefoot back to her room where she put on a bra and panties and picked out her outfit for the day.  She opened up her closet and her jaw dropped open at her choices.

“Whoa…so many clothes and shoes” she said as she flipped through them. “Gotta try some of these on when I get the chance”

She went back to brush her teeth and hair and put on her make-up.

She did all of them like she had done them for years before she went back to her room and put on her clothes. She wore a long black skirt with pink flowers and a pink top along with black flats “Appropriate for a preschool teacher” she said with a nod.

She went down to an empty house as her Mom had already left for work. She grabbed an energy bar on her way to her car and was off to work.

After a day dealing with kids that weren’t that much younger than her actual self; Sophia was exhausted. Directing play time and participating in play time turned out to be two very different worlds. Even though she was only two years out of preschool herself, being on the other side was a lot harder.

She drove straight to the dance studio after work to get in her practice time.

Sophia changed her clothes and putting on her well-worn dance shoes, she began to effortlessly work through her routine.

Her mind went to a trance light state where knowledge of ballet flowed through her and out her limbs. She flawlessly performed advanced movements over and over, driving home the routine even harder as she went non-stop for over an hour.

Finally, she felt satisfied with her practice and she came to a stop, bathed in sweat and panting to catch her breath.

She toweled off and threw on another pair of baggy sweats and a t-shirt to drive home.
The house was still empty as it was her Mom’s book club and wine drinking night across town, so Sophia made her own dinner before she headed upstairs to explore her closet.

With a slightly devious grin, she opened the closet and stripped down out of her clothes. “Oh yeah” she purred as she took out a slinky, strapless short black dress. She put it on a felt the snug fit as it hugged every curve and accentuated her best features. She found a pair of 4” black open toed heels.

“Fuck me heels” she murmured to herself as she worked her feet into them. She strutted and posed before she laughed at herself in the mirror.

Sophia tried on a bikini next and just about every other dress and heel combo that she could find. “Just like playing dress up…but Mom’s outfits never looked this good” she said as she wound down.

Lisa quickly found herself enjoying her day at school more than she would have expected. The work seemed to come easily to her even though she did have to concentrate. The knowledge was all in there but she still had to work a bit to get it out.

The lack of pressure and responsibility was addictive to her as she coasted through her day doing schoolwork but also getting to play and get read to. She liked her friends and her teacher and thought “I could get used to this…I can do this all again”

When she got home, her Mom reminded her that Tuesday’s were her soccer night and she had a game to get ready for.

Lisa dashed upstairs, excited to get to play and found all of her gear and her uniform. She put on her teal soccer jersey with the number 4 on the back and her black soccer shorts. She pulled the teal socks up to her knees before taking her time to get her shin guards on. Finally she found her black soccer shoes and despite the fact that tying her shoes took longer and was harder than usual for her, she managed to get herself ready.

Well almost; her Mom got her hair up in a ponytail for her. She was having problems getting it straight when she did it herself.

Lisa was shocked at the amount of energy she had in this body. It felt like she could run for days and never have to stop. She tore up and down the field, freed from the aches and pains that she had accumulated over the years. Even though she wasn’t very good at dribbling, neither was anyone else out there in her age group and she had a great time.

By the time Thursday night rolled around, both Lisa and Sophia had gotten some time to get used to their new roles and reality.

Lisa came home from school excited but also a bit put off about the evening. She still rushed to her room and changed into her tights and leotard before it hit her that this was what she was wearing when she had changed. These clothes never left her body; they just got smaller and smaller on her, changing along with her body.

Lisa glanced into the mirror in her room and tilted her head slightly. If she squinted, she could still see the woman she had been in the reflection. She saw her longer and fuller hair, her mature face and body and taller frame.

She shook her head and saw her reality; a six year old staring back at her. Sure she was smaller and younger, but could it be that she was happier she thought to herself. “I lost my age…my experience…my body… my ability to dance that I spent so many years trying to perfect; all in the span of a few minutes based on the selfish whim and wish of a little girl” she thought. “But did she do me a favor? Am I better off as six year old Lisa than twenty two year old Lisa? Would I change back if I wished to? Would I change back if she wished to?”

“Come on Lisa…it’s time to go” she heard her Mom call.

“Coming Mommy” she called out as she put on her ballet shoes and ran down to the car.

Sophia had brought her dance clothes along with her to work that morning. She had already learned to wear flats to work every day and to just take along what she needed to change into as well. She parked her car in the same spot where she had first found that it was hers.

Her dance bag was full of several pairs of clothes but she made sure that she found the tights with the slight hole over her right big toe that she was wearing when she turned into an adult. She also put on the same leotard and beaten up shoes as well.

Sophia’s stomach fluttered at the thought of seeing little Lisa walk through the doors tonight. “I can’t believe I was just six three days ago; it all seems so long ago to me already” she thought.  “Is she going to be mad at me now that it has sunk in what she has to go through again?”

Sophia shook out her arms and legs and did small leaps to warm up. She felt warm already as her cheeks burned with anticipation.

Sophia entered the dance studio first; she found that going through the positions relaxed her. She jumped slightly when she heard the scampering of tiny feet behind her. It was a girl named Maria that she had stood next to when she was a student the last time. She wondered what the reaction would be like now.

“Hi Miss Sophie!” Maria shouted as she ran to the bar “What are we going to learn tonight?”

“Oh…uh…well we’re going to continue to work on our foot placement and our five basic positions” Sophia said as confidently as she could.

More girls filtered in and the room and the noise level went up higher and higher. Sophia kept scanning the door until, finally, there she was.

Lisa swallowed hard before she went in but she did go in. She saw her teacher, her former student, standing tall across the room. Their eyes met and Lisa could tell that Sophie was nervous by the way she licked her lips and the way her smile appeared to falter. “Is she afraid of me? Look at me…no one could possibly be afraid of this little body” she thought as she crossed the room and approached her swap mate.

“Hello Miss Sophie…good to see you again” Lisa said in her high pitched little girl voice.
“Hello Lisa; how are you doing tonight?” Sophia asked.

“Good; but you’d better get our lesson started…we can talk after class” Lisa said as she turned and headed for the line of girls at the bar.

Sophia shook her head and clapped her hands loudly to get everyone’s attention. “Girls…Line up please” she shouted over the sound of 15 little girls talking all at once.

The class listened and it went very well, despite an unnerving feeling that kept creeping into Sophia the whole time. She called out instructions though and complimented the girls when it was due and helped them when it was needed.

After 45 minutes, the girls scattered at lightening pace except for Lisa.

Sophia walked toward the small girl; she had realized while teaching that Lisa was the shortest girl in the class. She sat down cross legged in front of her and put her hands on her tight clad knees.

Lisa quickly curled down onto the floor and sat across from her.

“So…” Lisa began “How does it feel to be an adult?”

“Um…” Sophia began and blushed hard. “It’s, uh…”

“You can answer honestly” Lisa said as she put her legs out straight in front of her and drummed her heels up and down.

Sophia sheepishly smiled and nodded “Okay: I love it as an adult. I feel so good and I…"

Lisa fidgeted some more, she couldn’t help it. She was trying to assert herself like an adult would but her endless childish energy kept bursting through “Just say it Sophie” she prodded.

A tear formed in Sophia’s eye. “Look; I’m sorry that you had to get younger so I could get older. I know that you must hate me for my wish and when I think back on how I toyed with you on Monday night; I feel awful but yet at the same time…I wouldn’t wish that I was back as a six year old”

Lisa now sat still and nodded. “I don’t understand why we swapped 16 years of age between us. I don’t pretend to know and I doubt I’ll ever understand. I’ve wished countless times in my life and nothing ever happened; it was always just a harmless phrase until the other night”

Sophia nodded.

“Somehow, we linked up and your wishes came true. We are connected now in the weirdest way possible. I would have never asked to be a little kid again in my wildest dreams. I have to go through school again, go through puberty again…do everything again, but you know what?”

“What?” Sophia asked.

“I’m okay with it” Lisa said and let it hang out there.

Sophia tilted her head “What?” she repeated but now in a puzzled tone.

“I know it sounds crazy, but I wouldn’t wish to go back to twenty two either right now”

“But…but…you can’t be…” Sophia stuttered.

“Look, I know how I got there the first time: Now I get a chance to go through it a different way” Lisa said. “I know that my body didn’t hold up to that much dancing, but I dedicated so much of my life to it, that I was already to the point where I questioned all the years I put into it”

Sophia was shocked and frankly, quite relieved at how this conversation was going.

“I still want to dance, but maybe, this time I won’t get so wrapped up in it and make it the only thing I ever do”

“So…you’re okay with all this” Sophia said as she waved her arms at the small girl before her.

Lisa smiled and said “Yes silly: Why…were you afraid I was going to come in here and threaten you or something”

“I don’t know what I was thinking” Sophia admitted.

“Look at me…I’m not very scary. I wore footie pajamas to bed last night…you’re not allowed to be afraid of someone who wears footie pajamas” Lisa said as she stood up.

Standing, she was barely taller than the sitting Sophia.

“I don’t know what to say” Sophia said, amazed at how composed Lisa was.

“Say I’ll see you on Monday for our next lesson” Lisa said as she glanced over her shoulder and saw her Mom standing by the doorway.

Sophia stood up and patted Lisa on top of her head. She smiled and said “I’ll see you on Monday night…be sure to practice over the weekend”

Lisa winked an awkward little kid wink that was too much eye and way too much open mouth scrunching.

Sophia laughed and shook her head.

“Come on Lisa…leave your teacher alone” Marla Lewis called out from across the room.

“Coming Mommy” Lisa said and ran off the give her Mom a hug around the waist. She knew that she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. She would get back to 22 the long way.

Sophia watched them leave and gave them a wave as they left. She looked into the mirror and nodded.