Roger was enjoying a little afternoon delight with Reiko in her apartment when they heard the front door open. "It's probably my husband Kenji. He's very jealous and has a violent temper. If he catches us together, he'll kill us both," Reiko urgently remarked. Roger quickly leapt from the bed and ran to the window, but it was three stories up and no fire escape. "We're trapped," Roger exclaimed.

Reiko pulled from under the bed a leather case and pulled from it a strange gun with a coned barrel. "Maybe this will save us. Quick! Jump under the covers," she ordered Roger. He complied, and she pulled the trigger, with which the gun emitted a green ray in Roger's direction.

Kenji kicked open that door. "What are you doing home at this hour?" he demanded. "Nothing," Reiko said. But Kenji noticed a wiggling lump under the sheets. But when he pulled the sheets away, but instead of Roger, he saw only a baby boy. "What's that?" Kenji demanded. "It's my sister's baby. I agreed to take care of him while she's in the hospital," Reiko alibied. "Oh? But why take in a baby when you know you have to fly to Europe this evening to demonstrate and sell for your firm that crazy sci-fi-like gun you have under the bed," he said. "I forgot," Reiko choked.

As Reiko got dressed and began to pack her luggage, the baby that had been Roger crawled over to her. "Get me out of this!" he pleaded in a whisper. "As soon as Kenji leaves, I'll use this Age-Alter Gun to return you to normal. Until then, you're stuck at your current age." But Kenji was in no hurry. He scooped up Roger. "I'll keep the kid out of your way while you pack," he said. He later added, "Where's the baby's clothes? Surely he has more than what looks like leopard-print underpants." When Reiko said her sister left in a hurry, Kenji volunteered to get stuff for the baby, and took Roger with him to the mall. When they returned, Reiko had gone to the airport, leaving behind a message that she'd be back in two weeks.

Although Roger could still talk, he dared not in front of Kenji, imagining what Kenji might do if he knew the baby in his arms was an age-regressed suitor of his wife. But the rest of Roger's abilities had descended to the level of the 1-year-old body he now had, so he stoically put up with the feedings, bottles, diaper changes, lullabies and baby talk he got from Kenji, counting the days to Reiko's return.

But two weeks quickly turned into three, then four. In the fifth week, Kenji received a message from Reiko, saying she had fallen in love with Prof. Weiden, whom she met in Europe, and that she was running away with him. Saddened, Kenji told baby Roger, "Reiko has abandoned me, and you too. I cannot find that sister of hers in any hospital. So now it's just you and me. But don't worry; I'll stick by your side until you're ready to go to college. To which Roger could only reply, "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"


Click here to go back to previous page