Page 25 of His Little Sapphire

I find out moments later when Papi extends a hand to another man. “Rochein. Thank you so much for picking us up.” We’re standing next to the oddest vehicle I’ve ever seen. It’s like a single-file golf cart.

“Of course. It’s no problem at all.” He smiles at me. “Welcome to Eleadia, Little one.”

Papi climbs into the back seat of the duocruiser behind Rochein, and moments later, we’re moving. The vehicle must be electric because it makes almost no sound.

I’m nervous as we move, my eyes darting around wide. It’s beautiful here. There are no words to describe it. The sky is so clear and blue. A deeper blue than I’ve ever seen. The sun does seem brighter. Maybe it’s larger or closer or something scientific.

I wish the vehicle wasn’t moving so fast. I’d love to stroll along and see everything, but it doesn’t take long before we pull into a driveway and come to a stop.

I’m staring at green trees and amazing flowers in the yards while Papi thanks Rochein and watches him drive off.

Papi is so careful with me. He cradles my head as we enter the house. The door is huge. I guess I should have expected larger doorways. After all, Papi is well over seven feet tall. But the inside… Wow. Everything is big.

We’re standing in a great room. The furniture is much larger than any I’ve ever seen. It’s so high off the ground. I guess it’s no different from what Papi had in his apartment on Earth. I was so tired and flustered at the time I didn’t have the energy to think much about it.

The kitchen has a lot of similarities to those on Earth. A refrigerator, some kind of cooktop sort of like a stove, an oven, a sink, and to one side a larger sink I realize is the basin where Papi will bathe me.

I shudder inwardly at the thought of him running his hands all over my body like he did earlier today. Or I guess that was six months ago. Sleeping for half a year is very weird. This must be what it feels like to wake up from a coma.

Papi points things out as he gives me a tour, most of which is obvious. The highchair in the kitchen makes my breath hitch. It’s impossible to imagine he really intends to feed me there.

The other item in the great room that makes me hesitate is the large playpen. It’s filled with toys and books and dolls. If I were stepping into this house without knowing any better, I would assume the owner has a baby, but I know I’m the baby.

Does he really expect me to live my life as an infant? I can’t wrap my head around that idea. How could I possibly regress and be happy? Sure, it would be fun to have a few days off work and responsibilities to relax and enjoy life—something I’ve never done in twenty-five years—but after a day or two, I suspect I would get antsy and bored.

“Let’s go see your nursery, shall we?” Papi asks, smiling at me.

My tummy flips around at the idea. Nursery?

First Papi enters a large masculine bedroom I assume is his. The bed is bigger than a California king. The woodwork is beautiful, ornate and intricate. I want to stop and explore it closer, but Papi keeps moving.

He steps into an attached room off the master, and I can’t believe my eyes. It’s definitely a nursery. Everything in here is for a baby. Crib, changing table, rocking chair, shelves of dolls and toys. It’s done in a soft pink. White furniture makes it very feminine. Even the rug on the floor is pink.

The furniture is as ornate as the pieces in Papi’s bedroom. The carpentry is amazing.

“I hope you like it,” Papi says as he looks at me. “If you want to change anything, we can do that. I did all of this before I left to find you. I heard that lots of human females enjoy the color pink, so I used it, but if you have another color you prefer, we can trade it out.”

My heart is racing as I process his words. I don’t even know what colors I prefer. I’ve never thought about it. As a child I wasn’t encouraged to enjoy luxuries. I had everything I needed, but it would have been pretentious and sinful to covet anything specific like pretty things. I didn’t have dolls or bright toys. I had rocks and marbles and jacks. I had educational items like wooden abacuses. We kids learned to play hopscotch. Sidewalk chalk was one of our only colorful luxuries.

This pink is so feminine and girly. I like it. I try to smile so he will know, but it’s too hard to make the corners of my mouth lift.

Papi carries me to the changing table first, gently lays me on my back, sets the blanket I’ve been wrapped in aside, and stretches a strap over my torso to restrain me.

I wiggle my arms and legs, but every movement is involuntary. I can’t control them. I can’t even pull my legs back to center when Papi spreads them wide to open my diaper.

A sound comes out of my throat. I feel so naked and exposed. I can’t lift my head or even force it to roll either direction, but I swear I can see the tips of my nipples. If that’s the case, they are larger than they were when we left Earth. Surgient had mentioned that would happen. It’s odd and unnerving.

Papi doesn’t say a word while he cleans me up and puts a fresh diaper on me. After removing the strap over my tummy, he kisses me on the belly button.

Inside, I giggle. I hope I’m at least smiling. I appreciate the distraction.

He kisses both my nipples next before lifting me into his arms and carrying me back through the house. The next thing I know, he’s opening the back door and stepping outside.

My eyes widen at all the pretty colors. He has an amazing garden. There’s also a large oval padded seat in the middle of the beautiful flowers and Papi lowers me into it.

It feels weird for him not to be touching me. I panic a bit, my arms and legs flailing of their own accord. I must look like an actual giant baby.

Papi pulls a normal wooden outdoor chair up across from me and sits so he’s facing me. He sets his elbows on his knees, smiling. “I can’t believe you’re here.” He glances around. “My garden has grown some since I left a year ago. It looks amazing. Do you like it?”

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