✅2️⃣ Testing the Babysitter

Nineteenth Test: Test of Creativity

Playing with dolls turned out to be easier than Adam had imagined as well. He'd been a little nervous at first, because he didn't have a very clear idea of how a young girl would play with her dolls. He didn't want to be laughed at for not knowing what to do. But it seemed that for this game, memories of his own childhood would be close enough.

Lorelei was making up a story, fusing bits of different episodes together. She held the dolls up and had them talk to each other in artificially squeaky voices that he could just about imagine were Lorelei's best attempts to imitate the exotic accents of the characters in the cartoon. He joined in quickly, creating a villain for the kids to go up against today. Before long he and Lorelei were bouncing ideas off each other, making up a story between them. It was just like being a child again, and Adam realised that he really didn't mind being treated like a kid if this was all it meant.

He was probably better at the voices. He got embarrassed and cringed at the idea, but after Claudia told him that he had to do the voices, he didn't have much of a choice. Lorelei was impressed, certainly not laughing. And even if she was laughing a little, her big sister seemed to be enjoying the performance. So Adam had to conclude that this was a win-win situation. He still wouldn't have done any of it by choice, but once he let himself get into the roles a little, it was quite fun. He didn't remember a few minutes later what he might have said, but it didn't seem to matter. The story they were crafting between them had so many plot holes that it would never work in Hollywood. But Lorelei enjoyed it, and she didn't stop to think about the parts that had gone before, so Adam found out it was better to say whatever felt like it would be most awesome right now.

Lorelei was just a little kid, and Adam felt like he should be running to keep up with the random things she could imagine. He certainly wouldn't admit later that it was him who threw one of the dolls into the air when they were supposed to be flying, and took the opportunity to show off with an impromptu juggling display. Both of the girls laughed at that, and gave some variation on the theme of applause, so he felt like he might be a hit. But still, it was embarrassing to think that he'd somehow got more carried away than the little kid.

"Do you need a drink?" Claudia showed up with a couple of sippy cups for them, and Adam realised that he had been perhaps a little too focused on the silly little story they'd been crafting. He hadn't even noticed her leave the room.

Lorelei snatched at her cup, and then looked up at Adam. Even on his knees, he was still taller than her. He could see the wheels spinning behind her eyes, and he braced himself as if preparedness would somehow let him disobey an order. The world seemed to freeze for a moment, and he started to dread what she might say next. Even when they were having fun, it could so easily turn into a big problem. Then she gave a little grin, and giggled before speaking.

"Fank you!" the kid enunciated carefully, and he could tell she was finding it hard not to laugh at his sudden tension. She knew the effect she was having on him, in spite of her age. It was hard to believe that she could plan something like this on her own, thinking not just about what she could make him do but what he would be expecting her to say as well. She was second-guessing him all the way, and if she was so smart now there was no doubt she'd be an intellectual match for her big sister before she was in high school.

"You gotta..." and then she paused, giggled, and looked across at Claudia. "Drinks is good. Gotta stay hide-rated." She pronounced the word carefully, as two distinct syllables, and Adam wondered if she knew what it meant. For just a second, he could see the endearing toddler that people who had never had to babysit her might expect. "I tink you should too."

It wasn't an order. He could breathe a sigh of relief. She could have told him to drink more, and hope that he would need the bathroom again before the herb wore off and he could relieve himself without asking permission. But maybe she knew that Claudia would have questioned it, or perhaps she thought it would be more fun right now to tease him and watch him squirm as he tried to guess what she would come up with next.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I'll make sure to drink plenty. It's good to stay healthy, but not drink too much."

"That's fine then," Claudia added. "You both keep sipping your drinks, and make sure you finish them before I go to get you another one."

Adam's heart sank. It was almost as bad as what Lorelei might have wanted to tell him. Of course, it was different coming from Claudia. She wasn't trying to put him down, and she wouldn't be laughing at his expense. She had probably only said it after she was sure he would be comfortable with it, which was why she'd waited for him to answer. She couldn't have known that he was planning to say that and then only pretend to drink, in order to spare his bladder. Perhaps she thought that Lorelei would be more likely to do as she was told if she thought Adam couldn't help compiling; or perhaps she thought he would enjoy the subtle reminder of how easily she could control him.

Either way, there was no backing out now. So he took the first of many sips from a cup with ponies and monkeys dancing around the sides, and turned his attention back to the giant unicorn currently threatening to eat the magic gumball machine.