Thora Slade had run away from home. The 2-year-old girl was in
such a hurry to leave that she didn't even put on her shoes -
not that she knew how to tie the laces. But she did take along
her sippy cup for sustenance. And for all her effort, she was
now two blocks from home. Already tired, Thora climbed onto an
old bus bench, took a couple of sips of formula from the cup,
and stared at the traffic. "How did I come to this?"
Thora thought to herself.
Just the day before, Thora was an 18-year-old high school senior with the reputation of being the toughest girl in school. Even some of the boys feared her. She readily bullied the other girls, but her favorite target was her neighbor Karen. A cute blonde, Karen was popular with the boys, which Thora never was. And now she was running for Homecoming queen. This was more than Thora could stand.
Sneaking up behind Karen, Thora had wrapped her arm around Karen's neck. "Take my lunch money from my backpack and leave me alone," Karen pleaded. Thora took the money, but decided to screw with Karen more than usual. She threw a blanket over Karen, knocked her down, and sat on her until she tied the blanket into a bundle imprisoning Karen. Hoisting the bundle onto a tree limb, Thora watched as Karen squirmed until the whole bundle, Karen included, tumbled to the ground. Karen finally freed herself from the blanket and found that in the fall, she had broken her nose.
"Now let's see you get elected homecoming queen now, black eyes," Thora laughed. Karen nursed her sore nose and asked why Thora always bullied her. "Because I'm bigger and tougher than you are; and I'll always be bigger and tougher than you," Thora sarcastically said. "No you won't! Some day, you won't be bigger and tougher. And I'll be there to see it," Karen snuffled. But Thora only laughed wickedly.
That evening, bored with her homework, Thora lit up some new weed she had purchased from the school pusher. It made her drowsy, and she quickly fell asleep. The next morning, Thora awoke behind bars. "I'm in jail," she thought, until she discovered they were wooden. Worse, she found herself in a crib.
"Morning, Thora dear," her mother said, placing her hand on Thora's rump. "My but your soaked this morning," her mother said, and put Thora on a changing table for a quick diaper change. In shock, Thora wondered what was going on. Her mother then put Thora in a high chair. "Enough of this," Thora thought. But as she tried to protest her being treated like she really was a baby, the words came out, "Hi daa-dee. Kiss kiss." Thora's dad gave her a big kiss on her cheek. After a breakfast of baby cereal, a half slice of toast, and a cup of formula, Thora was placed in a playpen in the living room.
Looking around, Thora wondered at how big everything now looked. She was so small, she could look up her mother's skirt standing up. Plopping down on her diapered bottom, Thora gawked at the rag doll and stuffed animal toys that filled her minute prison. She eavesdropped on her parent's conversation. "Honey, I know you can't leave work early, but I have a 3 p.m. appointment at the hairdresser's. We'll need someone to watch Thora," her mother said. "So get a babysitter; some girl at the local high school," dad replied.
"At least I don't have to waste my time at school today," Thora said. But as 3 p.m. neared, Thora heard her mother on the phone. "Can you come over and sit a few hours with Thora? You can? That's wonderful, Karen. I'll see you in a few minutes," her mother said.
"Karen?" Thora thought. "Not her! Anyone but her. I can't let her see me like this!" Thora tried to scale the playpen. Her first attempt resulted in her falling on her rump. Wiping away a tear, Thora tried again and succeeded. And now, just a quarter hour later, Thora was on the bus bench, in flight from a life that had gruesomely changed, but she couldn't figure out why. All she knew is that she had to get hundreds of miles from home - and from Karen.
Then Thora heard words that banged around her head and
stomach.
They were from Karen. "There you are, you bad girl,"
Karen yelled from a distance. "Nnnnnooooo," Thora said
as she pushed herself off the bench and tried to run as best a
barefoot baby could. But Karen easily caught her, and threatened
Thora with a spanking if she continued to resist. As Karen carted
the squirming baby back home, Thora remembered the words of the
previous day. "Some day, you won't be bigger and tougher.
And I'll be there to see it," Karen had said. And that day
had come sooner than expected.