This chapter is dedicated to Anon, with thanks for supporting me on Patreon. I'm amazed by how many people want to see more of this story now!
I woke up slowly, sucking on my pacifier. A smile spread across my face as I woke. I felt so rested, so calm, that it was hard to think of anything else. I noticed the gentle purr of the engine, and the softness of a pillow placed between my head and the headrest. I noticed that my diaper was wet as well; a bulk and weight between my legs even if it was no longer warm. That would explain why I had slept so well.
It took a couple of minutes for the realisation to drift through to my brain. I was in the car, with a wet diaper and a pacifier in my mouth. It felt so natural that I didn't see right away how unusual this situation was. I'd wet myself, and Lindy was sure to tease me; but she must already know. I remembered sitting at a table, Mum had said she wanted privacy to talk to Lindy, and she'd pressed the button on that Mister Tunes thing. I hadn't even been able to think about it.
"Oh, looks like baby Sally is awake." I turned my head to see Mum beside me. She was smiling, and didn't turn away from the road ahead. "I wasn't sure how long it would take you. How are you feeling now?"
"You made me..." I still couldn't believe it. This wasn't Lindy feeding her need for revenge, or just toying with me because she could. It was Mum who'd decided to make me wet myself. I'd trusted her so much that I hadn't thought twice about letting her have that thing, and she'd used it at practically the first opportunity. In front of my sister, as well. Neither of them would be in any doubt that it worked.
"I wanted to know that you were being completely honest with us, baby. And now I know that you were, you don't need to worry about any of those things for the rest of the day. Let Mummy take care of everything."
You could have fried eggs on my face now. I'd never blushed so much in my life. I was completely helpless; a baby now, and I couldn't stop this. This was my punishment, and somehow it was something I could enjoy at the same time. Maybe it was that I didn't have to worry about my duties to the team, to my friends, or my family. Maybe it was not having to take responsibility for everything, and knowing that nobody needed my help right now. But this was kind of relaxing. Sure, I felt like everyone would be staring at me as soon as we got out of the car, and I knew that Lindy was laughing. But in some esoteric way none of that was my problem. I couldn't stop it, so it was just a thing that happened.
I was starting to realise that almost my whole life, I'd been building this cage of what everyone expected of me, and what I could do to make life better for everyone I knew. And suddenly, having no choice meant that all those rules didn't apply. I was free to do what Mummy told me. Perhaps that was what I had felt in a dream months before; that was the real reason I had wanted to be a baby. I understood it now, and it was a huge relief.
I could probably get out of this, I thought. Like before, Mum had told me that I could say it was too much. I wasn't sure if that still applied to punishments for things that I had actually done, but I didn't care. I'd first thought that I could make Lindy wet the bed once; that once I had diapers available I could find out how it felt to wear one, and it would soon become clear that she didn't actually need them. But I'd gotten carried away, and put her through a drawn-out wave of embarrassment that got even more intense when she started trying to get revenge. Every time I'd thought about it recently, I hadn't been able to put that guilt out of my mind. Now I was getting the punishment I deserved, and maybe I could stiop feeling bad about it then.
I realised a moment later that the car wasn't surrounded by the engines of an army of motorists. I had no idea what time it was, but we were in a rural area, with tree branches occasionally tapping against the windows where they hadn't been properly cut back. I looked out of the windows, looking for any hint that could tell me how much of the day I had missed. Somehow, that bothered me more than having control of my bladder taken away. I needed to know whatI was missing.
When I saw the ruined building on the hilltop, I recognised it in an instant. Fort Boondoggle had always been a stop on this particular road trip. The fort served no military purpose; it overlooked nothing useful and was easily attacked from behind. A local legend said that the whole thing had been set up so some rich guy on the local council could steal building materials from the project for his own mansion. We'd taken the tour three or four times, despite being "late" according to the schedule we'd set off with. And I suspected that we would be going around the fort again in future, any year in which we arrived closer than usual to our intended time.
"Can we go around the fort?" Lindy asked, trying to stifle a laugh. "Sally can pick up the wooden shapes on the information board, and count the ducks. Won't that be fun?"
I buried my face in my hands this time; but Mum had my back: "I don't think so. We're a lot later than we expected. At this rate we might not arrive in time to get dinner at Stanleigh's. Besides, the walk around that place is like a couple of miles, and I'm not carrying the baby that far. She can do touristy things once we've got her a stroller."
"Noooo!" I squeaked. But then I remembered that this punishment was only for one day. I didn't think there was much chance that they would be able to find a stroller big enough to fit me in a day; and there wouldn't be many opportunities for humiliating sightseeing before I was allowed to return to normal.
Mum and Lindy kept on talking about me like I was a baby, and I couldn't believe how much I was blushing. As we parked up in the shelter of Fort Boondoggle, I hoped that Mum would realise how weird this was. She wouldn't keep it up in public, would she? But when I started to unfasten my seatbelt, she gently slapped the back of my hand and told me to wait for Mummy. She came around to the other side of the car, unbuckled me, and lifted me out. She carried me across the parking area, and put me down on a bench. Lindy kept on talking to me like I was a baby, and I quickly found that there was no way I could hide my diaper with my feet off the ground. This skirt just wasn't long enough, so anybody who walked past would know what a baby I was right now. I could only draw comfort from the fact that nobody would recognise me here; I was just an anonymous stranger. Mum sat with me while Lindy used the bathroom, and then they changed places.
I'd dreamed about a scene something like this, many months ago. I knew it wasn't quite the same; I could have stood up and walked away if I'd wanted to. I was aware of the bulk of the diaper between my legs, maybe even thick enough to make me waddle slightly because it was already wet, but it wouldn't stop me. But at the front of my mind was the knowledge that this was my punishment. It was supposed to be embarrassing; just a little beyond the threshold where enjoyment turned into real shame. And after all the time I'd spent beating myself up over making Lindy wet the bed, I knew that I deserved it. I was going to do the responsible thing; I was going to face this whether I liked it or not, until Mum decided that it was enough. Even the threat of some ultimate punishment, which I was sure I would dread if I knew what it was... Even that, I decided that I would put up with it if Mum thought it was fair. Because I should be punished for what I had done, and then it would be fair so I could stop trying to punish myself.
"How are my little girls?" Mum asked when she returned. "All ready for the road again?"
We were always late compared to our plan; that was par for the course here. Today, we were even later than usual. An hour at Wellingborough had put a big dent in our plans. But there was still time to see the shops a little. We walked around one or two streets of the traditional market which had grown up below the Fort. I was sure that none of the locals shopped here; it was just overpriced junk for the tourists. But it was still interesting to look around, and see how many market carts could be filled with stuff that no sane person would ever buy. One one cart, I noticed a series of figurines of sheep doing silly things. There was one that I was sure had a little peter sheep pooping on the ground while reading a newspaper, and I was just wondering how they could ever think such a tasteless ornament would sell when somebody bought it.
Walking around the stalls and shops was harder than usual. I did my best not to resist when Mum decided to carry me. I just let myself be a doll in her arms, and she could move me however she wanted. When she let me walk I found that I was waddling a little; and I always had Mum and L:indy holding both of my hands. It was completely humiliating, and I was constantly terrified that against all odds we were going to run into someone I knew, But it didn't happen, and it wasn't long before we were heading back to the car.
By that point, I must have been somewhat immunised to embarrassment. I'd almost forgotten that I was wearing a diaper, and that my skirt wasn't really long enough to hide it unless I stood carefully still. And then Mum asked again if we were ready to carry on.
I looked back at the fort's historic centre, tourism centre of the town, and the home of the cleanest public toilets. I suspected that a lot of travellers went in there just to use the facilities, and were tempted to take the tour once they were in the building. It hadn't been long since Wellingborough, really. But after our jaunt around the marketplace, I still needed to go.
"Need the bathroom again?" Mum asked Lindy. The question wasn't directed at me.
"Umm... can I?" I asked, as my sister shook her head. "Please?"
"You're a baby, Sally. You're not old enough to go potty by yourself. That's why you're in a diaper." I nodded, blushing brighter than I had ever blushed before. That was a record I'd surpassed several times in the last week, and I suspected it would be getting even higher soon. We got back into the car, and before we left Mum turned to me again.
"Now, Sally, you're a baby today, understand? That means you can't go potty like a big girl. I know that makes you a little uncomfortable, but this is supposed to be a punishment after all. Still, while you were willing to confess to what you did, I'll offer you a choice. You can be a good baby for us, or I can help you. Does that seem fair?"
She was holding out Mister Tunes, as if there could be any doubt what she meant. I could choose to wet myself, or she could make me. No third choice. And with that question in my mind, I couldn't even meet her eyes. I looked down at my hands as I answered, even though that meant I was effectively staring at my already-damp diaper as well. I really was just a little baby.
"I can hold it," I said, about ninety percent sure of that. "I can wait until we get there, from here. It's not that urgent."
"Good baby," Lindy cheered, and I knew I would never live this down. The car pulled away and we were back on the road again, giving me an hour and a half more to consider how much of a baby I had allowed myself to become.