Published: October 31st 2023, 12:00:01 pm
One last Halloween story, commissioned by an anonymous Patron.
"But why?" Ileana asked.
Dahlia narrowed her eyes, starting to lose her temper, but doing her best not to show it in front of the rest of the coven. She was the leader, after all... She ought to be a good example, be patient with their newest member. She was practically a baby, after all, hardly even old enough to have woken up to her powers.
It had been a long time since they'd had a new member, and perhaps Dahlia had simply forgotten how frustrating they could be. She'd known the other members for decades, even longer in some cases, and they recognized her authority, showed her the proper respect, unlike Ileana, who seemed to believe, coming in, barely twenty years old, brimming with suggestions, as if they hadn't all considered the useful ones long before she'd even been born.
Perhaps the problem, Dahlia thought, was that they looked close to the same age as her. One of the first spells you learned, as a witch, was how to stop the process of aging on your body, though, not long after, you typically learned an illusion to make it appear otherwise. It could be handy to let the outside world believe you were growing old naturally; they almost never made the connection between the elderly woman who had lived in town for as long as anyone could remember and the gorgeous young woman that was her true form, out prowling the bars at night. If they did, she could pretend to be her own granddaughter, and had done so, more than once, when her previous identity was starting to seem too old.
"Because that is the way things are," Dahlia informed her coldly.
"But..." Ileana began again.
With a snap of her fingers, Dahlia made a large pacifier appear in the girl's mouth, enjoying the sound of the other witches' giggling, seeing Ileana reaching up, trying to pry it free.
"Sorry, dear," Dahlia smirked. "We have business to attend to... Samhain is fast approaching. We can't be constantly sidetracked by your infantile prattling."
There was a part of her that worried she had been too harsh, or at the very least, that the other members of the coven would see it that way. She had been criticized for that in the past, and, while she was the leader, and doubted any one of them had the power to overthrow her, if they all thought she was starting to become unfit for the role, they could band together, strip away her powers.
"Ah, the follies of youth," Astra, one of the next oldest members of the coven, behind Dahlia, her second in command, said. "You'll learn in time, little one, that there's no need to ask why constantly... That's what children do. Be patient, and the reason will, in time, make itself obvious to you."
Ileana scowled, finally thinking to raise her wand to loosen the pacifier, so new that she not only hadn't considered using magic right away, and that she needed a wand in the first place. That made Dahlia feel a bit guilty, like she was bullying an actual child... That didn't stop her from summoning the wand to her hand, setting it down beside her on the ancient, gnarled wooden table they were all sitting around.
"You can have it back when we're done," she lectured Ileana, who huffed, settling back into her chair, arms crossed, just making herself appear more of the immature little girl she was acting like. As one final indignity, Dahlia magically spun her chair around, sending it sliding back into a corner, enchanting it so that she couldn't get up from it, putting her in time-out until the adults were done talking.
Her time in silence did nothing to dampen her spirit, unfortunately, and once they were finished, and Dahlia snapped her fingers to make the pacifier vanish, the chair spin back to the table, the girl started right back up. "Just because it's the way you've always done things doesn't mean it's the only way," she whined. "I think you need to be more open to letting in a newer perspective, or..."
"Yes," Dahlia patted her on the head condescendingly. "I'll keep that in mind."
While she hadn't resorted to the pacifier until now, it was hardly the first disruption Ileana had caused, and Dahlia was certain it wouldn't be the last... Unless she did something about it.
It was too easy, really, like shooting fish in a barrel, but, so long as she didn't do it in front of anyone, it could be mistaken as the girl having an accident, experimenting with magic beyond her ability to control. It was rare, yet it did happen... Even if Dahlia came up with a particularly nasty hook to the curse to discourage the girl from experimenting too much, from trying to re-establish her place in the coven until Dahlia grew bored of her, or thought she had learned her lesson, in a few years... Or a few dozen.
She invited the girl over to her house a few evenings later. "I've been thinking," she claimed, "and I'd love to hear some of your ideas for the coven." She'd worried Ileana's ego would be too bruised for her to accept, but, fortunately, she said yes, seemed excited to finally be listened to.
There was no need to rush into it; as soon as Ileana came into Dahlia's house, she was as good as trapped. Dahlia let her chatter on as they ate, pretending to pay attention, quietly gritting her teeth, grateful she hadn't allowed her to say any of this in front of the rest of the coven. She didn't want to change a few things... She wanted the coven to be run completely differently, with no regard for tradition, or all of Dahlia's experience in doing it the way she had for a very long time now.
If anything, it cemented Dahlia's resolve that something had to be done about the girl. Once she'd gotten her belly full, she took her into the living room, set her down on the sofa, as risky as that would be, considering what was about to happen, and, after a long moment, acting like everything was fine, she let the curse fly.
Ileana moved more quickly than Dahlia had anticipated, pulling her wand from her purse, but even then, Dahlia wasn't bothered, didn't think it was possible the girl would have an anti-curse charm powerful enough to deflect it, not when she still had to use a wand.
Which left her very little time, herself, when she heard Ileana mutter out the correct words, flicking her wand just right. Dahlia's eyes widened, her mind racing, her mouth opening... But it was too late. Her own reflected curse slammed into her like a ton of bricks, knocking the air out of her, along with something much more important.
"No!" she gasped, feeling something slam shut in her mind, a heavy, wooden door closing, sealing away everything she'd learned for decades about magic, all her experience... "No, you brat!"
"Me?" Ileana snickered. "This is your doing... I knew you were up to something, so I studied up, found the best protection spells I could. Whatever happens to you is your fault."
Dahlia remembered that she could use magic, could remember everything she'd done with it, what she ought to be able to do still, and all of that time she'd lived with those powers made it second nature to try to lash out, despite herself, despite knowing the consequences.
The spell, of course, fizzled out instantly, but that didn't stop the curse from activating. She gasped, feeling a trickling, then a flood, in her underwear, quickly soaking through them and forming a wet spot on her pants that began to cascade down her legs as she stood there, face red, tears beginning to well in her eyes.
She pouted, rubbing her arm against her face, attempting to hide that reaction, knowing there was no hope of keeping Ileana from noticing the accident she'd had. "Oh, my," Ileana stared down at her. "Did you try to do that to me?"
"N-No," Dahlia shook her head, nibbling anxiously on her lip.
Ileana knew better, obviously. "Serves you right," she sniffed. "I know just how to deal with this sort of thing."
Dahlia groaned in horror as she saw the younger witch flick her wand, conjuring a huge, fluffy, white diapered, printed with black spiderwebs. "Don't you dare!" she squealed.
"Go on," Ileana taunted, picking up the diaper, then grabbing Dahlia by the ear, giving it a twist that, to the witch's embarrassment, brought tears to her eyes as she was dragged out of the living room by it. "Stop me."
Dahlia couldn't, of course, no matter how badly she wanted to. All she could do was stand by, furious, as she was taken to her bedroom, as Ileana transformed it into a nursery, then shoved her up onto the changing table, stripping her out of her dripping panties, and then the rest of her outfit, casting them all into the diaper pail before sliding the diaper underneath her. "I'm going to lock this up nice and tight," Ileana teased, "so that it can't be removed without magic. What will you do then, Dahlia?"
"Ileana, no!" Dahlia pleaded, stomach twisting at the sight of the girl raising her wand, pointing it towards the diaper. She kicked at it, Ileana easily avoiding her foot.
The only magic she could do now, she knew, was the most basic, the kind that was little more than parlor tricks... But that might be enough. If she could dislodge the wand from Ileana's grip, send it flying, it might buy her the time she needed to get away. When she pointed her finger, however, tried to cast even that, it fizzled out, her bladder releasing itself again, this time into the open diaper, like a little girl with no potty training whatsoever.
"It's not fair!" she whined, kicking her feet again, this time in a tantrum, rather than in any attempt to accomplish anything. "Stop it! You're being a meanie!"
"I am, huh?" Ileana chuckled, stepping around the flailing limbs of the woman, pulling the bulky diaper up between her thighs, taping it snugly into place, the tapes binding themselves magically to the landing strip, sealing her inside. "Well, that's just too bad for you, huh?"
Dahlia was hauled into the crib, the side raised and locked. "L-Let me out!" she demanded, tears streaming down her face.
"After you get your rest," Ileana reached through the bars, patting her on the head. "I think a good night's sleep is exactly what you need."
Dahlia shook the bars with all her might, well after Ileana had left, but she'd never been the strongest, physically, had never had to be. She could see the latch, knew it would take the simplest of spells to move it, to send the side of the crib sliding down so she could escape...
She had realized by now what the problem was, however. She had intended to take away all but the most basic magic... And all of that required a wand, which wouldn't be a problem for Ileana, unless Dahlia took hers away to teach her a lesson. It was much more difficult for Dahlia, who was trapped here, in this crib and diaper, even more powerless than she'd meant to make the actual target of this curse.
She eventually fell asleep, and, thankfully, woke up to find the side of the crib already lowered. She'd slept longer than she'd anticipated, seeing the sun outside her window already starting to grow low in the sky. She pawed at the front of her diaper, hoping the same would have happened there, only to find the tapes still fused to the front. To add insult to injury, her closet door was magically locked as well, the only bit of clothing she could get to draped across the changing table, waiting for her.
It was a witch Halloween costume. In the best of times, it would have been an insult, a mockery; today, on the even of Samhain, one of the most sacred times of the year for her and her coven, it was particularly humiliating. It didn't help that it wasn't even a costume for someone the age she appeared to be, for a nubile, attractive young woman. It was one that appeared to be designed for a toddler, with a tiny, poofy, purple and black tutu skirt that certainly wouldn't hide all of her diaper, a pair of black and white striped tights with ruffles across the seat that wouldn't, either, a frilly black top, floppy witch's hat, and black Mary Janes.
She refused to touch it, much less put it on. She knew where her wand was, and if she could get to it, surely she could put a stop to this... Or at least open the door to her closet, find something more respectable to wear so she could leave her house, go visit another member of the coven, explain things, get them to help her break the curse, since she knew any attempt to do so herself was only going to make it worse.
She toddled through her house in just her soggy diaper, her bladder aching for release after the long night in her crib, her cheeks already burning, knowing that, in order to release the wand from the case she kept it displayed in, she'd have to use some magic. It was attuned to her magic, so maybe, just maybe, trying to use some would work, even if she couldn't manage a full spell. But that would mean her wetting herself again, too, and once that began, she doubted she would be able to stop until her bladder was empty.
She was right on that part, her diaper swelling between her legs as she soaked it, making it start to sag heavily; she was incorrect, however, about her wand releasing itself at the spark of her magic, the case remaining locked tight. "Not fair!" she squealed, stomping her foot. The words sounded strangely muffled, and it took her a bit too long to realize it was because she had her thumb in her mouth.
And that was how the head witch wound up dressed like a toddler, in a diaper on the verge of leaking beneath a costume that looked like it made for a very little girl, sucking her thumb, tears streaming down her face like a crybaby whenever she thought somebody gave her a second glance as she toddled desperately across town, through the crowds of children trick or treating. The curse had been designed to make Ileana act more and more like the little girl she was every time she attempted to make an effort to prove that she wasn't, that she was a full-blown witch... And it was doing its job well, despite it having hit the wrong target.
She'd decided that Astra was her best bet, one of her oldest colleagues in the coven. She would understand, if anyone would, would acknowledge that Ileana had deserved this. All she had to do was get her attention.
She knew, unfortunately, how to do that. This was the night when they found most of their prospective new members; potential witches tended to love Halloween, far past when most of their peers had outgrown it. Astra would be busy with other things, preparing for Samhain, yet she would surely have a spell, ready to detect anyone who attempted to use magic while they were near her door, and, like a good coven member, she would come investigate, invite them to the Sabbath that night if she deemed them worthy.
Dahlia attempted ringing the doorbell, like any other trick or treater, but Astra didn't answer, had too much to do tonight to answer the door for every child wanting candy. Finally, resignedly, Dahlia tried to use magic one more time, squirming on Astra's front porch, feeling her diaper start to leak onto her tights as she waited for her friend to find her.
"Astwa!" Dahlia exclaimed when the door finally opened, gasping as she heard the lisp in her voice, and how high it sounded, how childish. She had to press on, though, tears filling her eyes in humiliation. "You hafta hewp!"
"Dahlia?!" Astra's eyes widened. "What happened?"
"Iweana!" Dahlia burbled. "She's a big meanie, and... and she made me a big baby!" It was easier to say it that way, she decided, rather than trying to explain it all... And, even if Astra had sided with her before about Astra, she wasn't certain she'd do the same if she heard the full story, heard what Dahlia had planned to do to the girl.
"She did?" Astra looked surprised... And then, as Dahlia watched, she could see that surprise change to something else. "I didn't think she had it in her. Maybe she has some potential after all."
"No!" Dahlia squealed, stomping her foot in frustration. "Don't be impwessed wiff hew! Hewp me!"
"Oh, I don't know," Astra smirked down at her. "I have to say, I've been thinking that we might need some new leadership, and if you can be so easily defeated by a witch so new she still uses a wand..."
"N-No!" Dahlia shook her head desperately. "I-I wied! I cuwsed hew, and she we... wef... wefwe..." She began to cry harder as she struggled with the word, growing more upset, which only made it more difficult.
Dahlia was mortified to see Astra conjure a pacifier, and even more when she pushed it into her mouth, and she felt herself begin to nurse on it automatically, instinctively. She couldn't stop once she'd begun, couldn't make herself speak instead; all she wanted to do was suck her paci like a good little girl.
"That's better," Astra said. "We'll see what the others have to say, though I suspect I know how they'll react when they see this costume you picked out."
Dahlia shook her head, trying, frantically, to explain that she hadn't chosen it, that she wouldn't have, unable to get a single word out. There was no way, if the coven saw her this way, they'd agree to let her continue to be the head witch... It didn't matter if they let her speak, if they believed her or not... Whether it was with her own power or not, seeing her laid so low, humiliated so thoroughly, was bound to put her at a lower standing than even Ileana.
She couldn't even, really, be a witch in training, not without her wand, and she couldn't release that from its case unless somebody undid her curse, or she would just wet her pants again, and become more of a helpless, overgrown, silly little girl. And who was going to do that? If Astra wouldn't, she didn't have high hopes for anyone else in the coven.
Terrified, she turned, preparing to run away into the night, to try to hide from them all, from the witches that, until now, she had reigned over, but she barely got a step away before Astra grabbed her by the wrist, stopping her escape before it had even begun.
"I don't think so, little one," Astra scolded. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up and into a dry diaper, and then you can wait for the Sabbath in time-out."
Dahlia whimpered behind her paci, shaking her head, yet there was nothing she could do to stop it, to keep Astra from enchanting the wooden stool she pulled into the corner and plopped her onto once she'd had her diaper changed... And, with the pacifier, there was no way for Dahlia to get Astra's attention, once her stomach began to hurt, to rumble...
It was quite the dilemma, knowing that, if she tried to use a spell to get out of this, she'd wet herself, and have to kiss another piece of her maturity goodbye, something she wasn't sure she had much left to spare, but that, if she didn't, she was going to mess her pants, have to face the coven in a full diaper. If there was any chance that the spell would work, it obviously would be better to just be soggy... But, more likely, it would fizzle out, and she'd wind up doing both.
Could she really sit by and let it happen without making some attempt to avoid it, though? She was a witch! She groaned into her paci, squirming desperately on the naughty stool, tears in her eyes, knowing that this was all her own fault.