The photography studio hadn't been there yesterday but that hadn't bothered the twin's Mom, as stores often changed at the mall. So she had walked right in pushing the girls in their stroller and told the young woman at the counter that she wanted a portrait done of her babies. That was a week ago and nothing had seemed out of the ordinary, but extraordinary things had a way of happening when one least expected them.
On the day the photographs were to be taken, the twins were dressed in frilly pink dresses and bows were placed in their hair. The slightly older (by five minutes) girl's hair was blonde, mirroring her Mom's, the younger's was an almost black brown color, like her Dad's.
At the studio, the girl's were placed on top of a couple of rocking horses and a pink and blue Teddy bear was waved back and forth to get them to smile. This usually worked pretty well with most babies, but the girls were feeling collectively a little stubborn and more than a little cranky today, so they decided not to cooperate. Their Mom was called in to help and after trying reason and other worthless gestures, pushed a binky between the lips of one and a baba into the hands of another out of sheer desperation and backed off. Hopeful that a reasonably nice picture could know be taken of her offspring. The breast substitutions worked to a degree, as calm was restored, but no smiles. A whole gaggle of two-toned Teddy bears could not have produced a smile from these two today for some reason.
The photographer readied to snap the picture.
He did. Flash!
The girls blinked. Mom crossed her fingers.
Then, something happened. The girls began to grow. Their limbs became longer, as did every part of their very youthful bodies. It happened very fast. So fast that by the time the camera flash was gone the transformation was complete. In a second or less they aged from fifteen months to about fifteen years plus ten. Their clothes had grown with them, so that they were still wearing the same frilly pinks dresses, bows, socks and shoes and of course diapers as they had been the instant before the flash.
Mom fainted. The photographer had been expecting this and so
was not surprised. He made a few preparations and then motioned
the apparently young woman behind the counter with an unnatural
sign. In a moment of smoke and mirrors the studio had disappeared,
leaving only the twin's Mom behind, crumpled where she had fallen.