Page 10 of Soothing Little Sylmen

I laced my fingers with hers, then motioned the letter D on my chest.

She watched it, then said, “Daddy it is.”

In the next second, we were shuffling through the hall at lightning speed—not quite running, but dang near close. We reached a room that appeared to be a nursery. I could see cribs and highchairs big enough they’d make anybody feel Little.

Lori leaned closer to me and whispered, “This is the Caterpillar Room. It’s a nursery. It’s where all of the super Littles come. Nanny J makes sure everyone is taken care of.”

I looked around and felt a pang of jealousy. How amazing would something like this be, where I could just let loose? But the worry about my comfort and my inability to make noise was still there. When I didn’t immediately try to ask questions about it, my new friend tugged me to the next place.

This went on and on until she had shown me everywhere. As much as I wanted to admit to her that I was probably somewhere in the baby-toddler age zone, I settled on the space where it melded from toddler to preschooler. We sat down in what Lori called the Butterfly Room which had tables and chairs spread out. My friend grabbed some Play-Doh from a shelf and came back over.

“We could play here for a while until class starts.”

I lost myself in the rhythmic motions of the Play-Doh. My friend talked nonstop, regaling me with memories of the Ranch and how much she loved it there. I got to hear about different people I would hopefully meet, along with their favorite meals and outfits. I knew everything there was to know about Lori before long. As much as I wanted to return the favor of opening up about myself, I didn’t feel up to it. Not with my mind still on whether or not I would be able to let loose enough to be a full-on baby during this trip.

The sound of a bell chiming broke my concentration on the flower I’d been forming. Lori squealed, then rushed to put away her Play-Doh.

“We’re going to be late for class if we don’t hurry!”

I matched her motions, putting away what I had been working on despite wishing I could stay. When we got it all tucked away, she led me across the hall to a classroom space. We sat near the back, and I appreciated her not putting me in the spotlight.

Class turned out to be different than I imagined. There were things discussed about age regression, and though we were spoken to like we were Big, there were also times where our Little sides were catered to as well. I found myself enraptured by it. Every new fact I learned, every perspective shared was new. These were my people. People who understood what I needed, what I wanted in this life. I was so happy I had found them.

When class finished and we entered the hallway, the change was immediately evident. Instead of an empty corridor, there were now dozens of people milling about. As if able to understand my amazement, Lori giggled.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let you get swept away,” she promised, grabbing my hand again while waving her other wildly as she returned greetings that rang out around us.

“There she is.” A voice rose above the chatter and caused Lori to come to a rather quick stop. A woman and a Little in a blue t-shirt and shorts appeared in front of us.

“Hi!” Lori turned to me with a huge smile. “Sylmen, this is Miss Samantha! She and Miss Price are teachers in the Butterfly Room.”

“Hello, Sylmen,” Miss Samantha said. “Is this your first visit to the Ranch?”

Before I could do so much as nod, Lori spoke up. “It is and I got to be his tour guide!”

“Is that why you weren’t in class?” the Little boy asked, his gaze tracking between me and Lori.

“I was in class, just a different one,” Lori said.

Afraid that I was somehow responsible for what appeared to be an issue, I tried to pull my hand free only to feel Lori’s fingers tighten around mine.

“Don’t mind him, he always thinks he’s the boss,” Lori said, tossing her hair over her shoulder in a little bit of a huff.

The Little shook his head in a way that spoke of familiarity with Lori’s antics even as he extended his hand to me. “I apologize for my sister’s manners, or rather lack of them. Hi, my name is Blake. Welcome to Rawhide.”

“He can’t speak,” Lori informed her brother. “That’s why he needed me to help. Right, Sylmen?”

I just nodded, a bit amused and a whole lot confused until Miss Samantha smiled.

“It was nice of you to help, Lori, but next time how about you let your brother know? He was worried when he didn’t find you in the Caterpillar or Butterfly Room. We were just about to send for your Daddy or Mommy to see if perhaps you’d become ill when we spotted you,” Miss Samantha said.

It might have been my imagination, but I was pretty sure that bit of information had Lori’s enthusiasm lessening for a moment. Before I could fully decide, she gave another of her huge smiles.

“Nope, not sick, just being a helper,” she said brightly.

“I’m glad you’re not sick,” Blake said with a grin that let me know he was far more bark than bite when it came to his sister. “So, Sylmen, did you pick a class you’d like to join? Lori is usually in the Caterpillar Room, but I can show you around the Butterfly Room if you’d like.”

The offer was welcome, yet I realized I needed to get something else to eat. The early morning had made for a big gap between breakfast and lunch. I pulled out my phone and quickly typed a message before turning the phone so Blake and the others could see. It thanked him for his offer and explained that I was going to be in the library after lunch, since that was where Miss Amelia had told me to go. Miss Samantha smiled as if she knew some type of secret about the library, but I pushed away the thought. Maybe she was just happy to know someone else who enjoyed reading. Either way, it wasn’t for me to worry about.