✅ Younger Than You Think?

"Y: Country Road"

"Listen to Daddy, Kelly," Daddy called after her as she ran around in delight. After a diaper change, they had led her to the elevator. She hadn't known if they were taking her to the doctor's room, or the classroom, or any of the other places in the school, but she didn't care. She didn't need to know about all those things, because the grown-ups were there to do the thinking for her. But when they stepped out of the elevator, she couldn't believe her eyes. She could see the sky overhead, bigger even than the fake one in the courtyard. She stumbled, but she was so excited to see the outside world that she ran in one direction and then another, not willing to stand still. There were buildings all around her as well, and somewhere in the confused haze of her mind she might have recognised the farmland around them. She wanted to see everything here, and she couldn't contain her excitement.

"Listen to Daddy," the voice called after her, but she was too preoccupied with her first taste of the real world, and she couldn't put in the depth of thought necessary to know what the words meant, or that they were directed to her. "You don't need to remember how to walk just yet. You can crawl like a baby, and let Mommy and Daddy carry you home. Put those thoughts away for now."

Kelly stopped where she was standing and stared up at the sunset that was just starting to throw a shower of lurid colours across the sky. And then she dropped down to her knees, a moment's confusion in her expression. But when Mommy came into sight, the baby stretched her arms upwards, only wanting to be held.

"Come on, baby. Let's get you home. Maybe you can tell us if you recognise any of the animals on the way."

There was a child seat in the car. Kelly didn't really notice. She was just so excited; seeing so many new things today, and enjoying every minute of her first day out. She gestured energetically, but it was hard to guess what had her attention right now as Daddy attempted to get her strapped into the seat. And then he was sitting there beside her as Mommy got in the front of the car and drove them away. As they came around the outside of the parking area and passed the faux farm buildings for the last time, Daddy waved goodbye to the schoolroom. Kelly didn't really understand, but she waved her own little arms energetically when he encouraged her.

There were a lot of animals along the road. There were cows who said "mooo", pigs going "oink" or "squee" depending if you listened to Mommy or Daddy, and even a couple of sheep who went "baa" and tried to sing a little song about it. Each time they saw one in a field, Daddy would point it out to Kelly, waving until she looked in the right direction, and then repeat the words. He would tell her the animal, and what sound it made, and encourage her to try doing the sound herself. By about the tenth group of cows, once they were back on the highway, she had caught onto the game enough to try making the sounds herself, although she didn't seem to have worked out yet that different sounds went with different animals. So they alternated between moo cows and baa cows, and all the time the little baby was giggling in the back seat.

"Can you imagine," Seamus said when they stopped to refuel, an hour after leaving the school, "there are people in the world who would see an adorable little baby like her, and try to force her into school? They'd crush the magic of childhood and try to make her act like an adult, just because they can. You have to wonder when civilisation became so selfish."

"It's incredible," she said. "I mean, I think the same every time I see a child you've rescued. They should be allowed to enjoy their playtime, and not be slaves to some arbitrary numbers on a calendar. But for Kelly... she's not even got those years. By the rules of society, she should be free to be a child. But they realised she's intelligent, and they just can't stop themselves. People like that shouldn't be allowed around children."

"Well, she's happy now. Making pig noises, too. Something makes me think the house will be full of that sound for the next week or two."

"You could make her forget again?"