Back in 1969, hippie Desmond and his girlfriend Nancy were looking for the ultimate high by taking drugs, when they heard of a new form of LSD developed by a professor at the nearby college. The acid had to be wonderful, they thought, when they heard of the prof's behavior, suddenly stopping lectures to play with toy trucks, or break into a childish laugh before bolting from the classroom. Some of his students followed him after one such outburst, but only found his trousers strewn in the hallway. "The stuff is so liberating. We got to get some," Desmond told Nancy.
And get some they did, after breaking into the professor's home. Their first hit of this acid was in their opinion miraculous. As things went blurry, Desmond and Nancy saw each other regress into young children. They thrilled as their clothing appeared to fall off their shrinking bodies. And they began to act and play as children, such as drawing stick figures on paper, making hats and airplanes from newspaper, playing with Nancy's teddy bear (after removing its peace symbol-embroidered shirt). And then they fell asleep. "What a great hallucination," Desmond giggled the next morning, when both awoke apparently back to normal.
Finding this acid induced youth trip fun, Desmond and Nancy took many more hits of the chemical, and more often, until one day, Desmond took a second hit in the middle of a trip. The next morning, Nancy awoke her old self, but Desmond was still a child, a boy about 3-years-old. Surveying the situation, Desmond said, "No like!"
Nancy eventually took the child Desmond to an underground doctor she was sure wouldn't talk to the police. After examining Desmond, the doctor said he had seen only one other case like this (Nancy suspected it might have been the professor, whom was soon after reported missing). He advised Nancy not to take any more of the chemical. But as for Desmond? "If he doesn't come out of this soon, you may have to re-raise him as your own child. If you feel for him, you'll be patient. But be aware as with LSD, even if you stop taking it, you can still have a flashback, with the same effects," the doctor said.
After several weeks, when Desmond remained age 3, Nancy opted to become his mother and re-raise him. To help him overcome what she saw as a youthful indiscretion on his part -- and hers. She distanced herself from the hippie movement, going back to her hometown in Texas, and carried on like an unwed mother. When no flashback as the doctor predicted occurred after a few years, Nancy forgot about the warning.
Nancy did a good job re-raising Desmond, who lost all memories
and knowledge before his reverting to age 3. An almost clean slate,
Desmond was raised by Nancy in a more conservative environment.
He grew to be a smart, hard-working and not a rebel. And now,
22 years later, Nancy was proud that Desmond was an officer of
the local bank, and was planning to marry the mayor's daughter.
In fact, he was dressing for dinner at which he'd propose. Nancy
smiled broadly at how her work was now almost complete. Until
she heard a child-like shriek from the bedroom. And out toddled
a 3-year-old boy in Desmond's dress shirt and shoes. "No
like this!" the boy whined. The flashback had finally come,
and Nancy had to begin anew, most likely in a new town, as grandson
and grandmother. Still paying for Desmond's youthful indiscretion.
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