✅ The Baby Makers

32. Someone Wake Me Up

Ana woke up to the sound of birdsong. She was in an unusual position, lying on a mattress that was a lot softer than her usual one. The blanket draped around her shoulders was soft too, and heavy. As she started to wake up, she realised that other things were different. The shifting light outside her eyelids indicated some kind of movement. There was a sweet smell on the air that she couldn't immediately place. And she didn't normally sleep with her thumb in her mouth, or what felt like a soft toy clutched between her arm and her body.

She pushed her eyes open, and confirmed her first suspicion. The early morning light was shining in through a high window, a dappled pattern created by net curtains blowing in the breeze. But there were bars in between Stacie and the window, which gave her subconscious a big kick. She needed to be awake now, and to remember–

The memories flooded into her subconscious. The hypnotic suggestions from the day before. In a half-awake state, somehow that had slipped her mind. She could remember the words that Doctor Phil had used, coaxing her deeper into trance and then asking her to imagine a long-ago youth. They were doing something... she'd recognised the technique, taking her back to childhood so that a different set of values would be instilled in her mind as she grew up. She could remember how it had felt, giddy and excited as she got younger, and then feeling so calm and protected. At every moment, the staff here had been calm and nurturing. They just wanted her to remember what a good girl she could be, and she could remember so clearly the wave of pleasure that had come from those words. Stacie loved to be a good girl, and to have Phil praise her. She was the best good girl ever. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a hidden talent pointed out that those memories were trying to change her again; once she remembered the events of the day before, the recollection of the posthypnotic suggestions started to guide her thoughts down the same paths within the labyrinth of her mind.

If she really wanted to, she could have shaken off that influence and gone straight back to trying to escape this prison. But she had enjoyed it so much, and she knew that she would be able to grow up when she was a big girl, so there was nothing to worry about. And, of course, Stacie knew how good it felt to be a good girl for the grown-ups here. Even remembering the name Stacie sent a wave of pleasure through her mind, and urged her to try even harder to impress them all.

She blinked and giggled. Stacie, that was right. Short for Anastacie, or something like that. She knew it was a big name, and it wasn't so cute. It was hard to write, too, but "Stacie" was nice and short. She could remember that one. She reached over to the bars of her crib, and pulled herself up so she could look at the window. It was all lit up like the sun was shining on the other side, and little shadows were running all over the walls of the room. She imagined them like bunnies doing a little dance, and that made her giggle.

As she tried to sit up properly, she became of the weight hanging at her waist. Her diaper was heavy and soggy, and she thought it would probably be less comfy if she sat down again. She probably needed changing soon, but there were no grown-ups in front of her. She was about to yell, to see if there was anybody to help her. But she was interrupted by a quiet hiss from somewhere off to one side and above her.

"Sssssh!" a big man in a uniform whispered. "There's little babies still asleep. Do you need your dipee changing?" When Stacie nodded, he continued: "Well, aren't you a clever little one. You knew that all by yourself. So, I'll let you out now and take you to get changed. But you have to promise to be quiet. Okay? Whispering and walking on tippy-toes until there's nobody sleeping. Okay? Do you think you can do that?"

Then the bars were slowly sliding down, as the big man slowly opened the side of the crib. Stacie was bouncing up and down in excitement, but she did her best not to make a squeak. She couldn't walk so quietly, because it was hard to stand up if she didn't put her feet down properly. But the soft carpet absorbed most of the sound, and a strong hand grasping hers kept her from falling. She got all the way across the carpet without making too much noise, and she almost cheered when she saw the door was only a few steps ahead. But that would have been naughty, so she turned the yelp into an embarrassed laugh instead.

"Good girl," the man whispered, pulling the door closed behind her.

"She really is," another voice joined in, and Stacie spun around to see Phil coming down the corridor towards her, adjusting his tie on the way. She pulled free of the other man and ran towards him, hugging him as soon as she was close enough.

"Phil!" she called out. "I missed you!"

"There's a good baby. Good girl. Why don't you show me what a clever girl you are. Do you remember your name?"

"Yes!" she beamed. Phil smiled and it seemed like he was going to laugh. It took a few seconds for Stacie to realise that he was expecting another answer, which she quickly thought of: "I'm Stacie! I'm a good girl."