satyr 1,314 Posted February 11, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted February 11, 2014 Spin two wheels of fortune, each divided into three-hundred and sixty-five numbered segments. What are the chances they will land on the same segment? Based on her advanced mathematical education (six years), Millie had calculated the odds: astronomicunbelivably magical. That was how she got to share her twelfth birthday, as every other birthday before it, with her older sister, who would be turning eighteen. Every year, their parents would wake both girls with a cake and candles to blow out in bed. One year while the sisters were both still rather young, their parents decided to make one cake and simply add their ages up, so they put Millie in her sister Alexandra's bed for the night. The next year, Millie had demanded they repeat the ritual. Ever since, she had shared the bed one night of the year with her older sister. To Millie, it was the one night when she felt perfectly at peace with the world, and with her sister especially. As Alex entered her teens, she came to find the whole thing a bit embarrassing, but in the end, she always relented at the sight of her baby sister's puppy-dog eyes. The first light of the day fell on the threshold of Alex's bedroom door, an angled shape from a hallway window. Rita, the girls' mother, cracked the door open and stopped on the threshold, squinting to see her daughters in the unlit room. She could hardly believe how fast everything was moving. A momentary heaviness hit her, and suddenly it felt like any day now, both her girls would be out of her house, and shortly thereafter the house would be crawling with grandkids. There were still so many things she felt like she needed to teach them about life before she let them out on their own. Finances. How to do their own laundry, properly. And as she squinted from one daughter over to the other, an old worry reappeared. Despite her perfect track record, Rita worried that her daughter's tendency to put off bathroom breaks would one day catch up to her in humiliating fashion. The older she got, the less appropriate it became to dispense motherly advice on the matter. Just as the thought occurred to her, the heaviness passed, giving way to a lightness that tingled in her heart: she was so lucky to have them, nothing else mattered. Enthusiastically, she greeted both her girls: 'Happy birthday!' Millie woke up to her mother's call and, still disoriented, felt her head moving slowly up and down. During the course of the night, she had apparently cuddled up so close to her sister, her head was resting on Alex's chest. Her sister was always such a deep sleeper: or was that just a teenage thing? Millie opened her eyes to see her mother in front of the bed, carrying a chocolate cake with thirty burning candles, twelve of them pink and the others darker red. 'Alex, wake up, it's our birthday!' She shook her sister, who sat up and squinted. 'We have to blow out the candles!' 'Ugh,' her sister said. This must be way too early for her, Millie thought. If it wasn't for their day trip, they'd both be sleeping in. 'Can't you just blow them out? I'm too tired to do anything right now.' 'No, it's bad luck! We have to do it together!' Her mother held the cake forward, and together they blew out every candle in one try. Then there was little time to wait; they had to get out of bed and going if they wanted to get where they were going in good time. The destination was a cultural fair or festival of sorts: a large area that, every summer, turned into a carnival, an art gallery, an outdoors concert and theatre venue with several stages, a fair for craftsmen to sell their goods and much more besides. Millie had never been, but her friends who had all told her how much fun it was, and how much there was to see and do. Later, the sisters would celebrate separate birthday parties with their respective friends; today was a family event. She knew Alex had initially grumbled at the idea, but their father had bribed her by promising the house at her disposition for an unsupervised party the next weekend, if only she came along today and put on a smiley face. Since then, apparently, her sister had been looking at the internet and found something to excite her about the trip after all. The downside was that it was a four-hour drive each way, so if they wanted to do it in a day with time to enjoy the scenery, they needed to be out the driveway five minutes ago. Even birthday gift unwrapping would happen in the car. As Millie stepped out of the bathroom dressed in a blue summer dress and white pantyhose, her mother cornered her. Here comes the inquisition. Her mom, and her dad too, weren't strict, but lately she felt they were being a little overprotective. She was twelve, after all. Not to mention they sometimes treated her sister the same way, and she was eighteen! 'Did you remember everything?' Her mother asked. 'Brush your teeth? Got your wallet and cell in your purse?' Millie nodded dutifully. Of course she had. 'Did you go to the bathroom?' 'No, I didn't have to.' Her mother seemed to suppress a sigh. 'Did you go to the bathroom in bed?' 'What? No!' Millie blushed. Why would she even suggest something like that? 'Then how many hours has it been since you went? And how many hours will it be until we're there?' She didn't even argue, she simply trudged back into the bathroom and produced a tinkle, and then they were off. Once they were on the road, her mother offered Millie her present. She was so excited about the trip that, figuring she was old enough by now to delay the unwrapping until later, she put it aside. Instead, she sipped ice tea and ate a piece of the cake her mother had brought with them, as the morning became day and the scenery passed. Several times, she grew bored and picked up her present, each time setting it aside again with an act of willpower. Alex was patiently reading a magazine in the seat beside her. It was still too early for extended conversation. About an hour, hour and a half into the trip, Millie started noticing her bladder. Still sipping, now out of ice tea and started on some juice, she tried to start a conversation with her mother about the festival they were going to. Rita enthusiastically explained about everything that would be there, and her dad chimed in with the occasional comment himself. Half an hour later, Millie picked up her present and began fiddling with it. It wasn't urgent, but her need was definitely present, and she couldn't help but do something to release some nervous tension. She attempted to converse with her sister, but Alex was too preoccupied with her magazine (second one, so she'd obviously prepared better than Millie for a boring drive). After a while, Millie felt herself subtly shifting her weight from one side of her to the other, but caught herself and sat up straight. She was now aware that she couldn't coast, but needed to clench deliberately. Still, it was nothing she couldn't deal with. It didn't occur to her to ask for a break, because she didn't think she needed one. The drive was bound to be almost over. The minutes were definitely going by more slowly, though, and she had to pick up her present to keep her hands from straying towards her lap. Then her father announced a stop: 'I know we're only an hour away, but your mother and I are short on sleep too and could use some coffee. Would you girls mind a quick break?' 'Not really,' Millie said, feigning complete indifference. Her sister seemed to actually be completely indifferent, and didn't even bother responding properly. They pulled in at a gas station, and Millie jumped out. As she got to her feet and was able to move freely, her need to go went from serious to low priority. A little more wiggle room, and she could hold it all day long! But remembering her mother's lecture this morning, she set off towards the bathroom anyway. 'Honey, would you like to get out and stretch your legs? Maybe do something else?' Their mom asked Alex. 'It's like, whatever, I'm fine sitting here reading,' she said. Inside, there was no line at the bathroom. Millie sat down on the toilet and lowered her pink panties. When she started to go, it seemed like there was a lot more inside her than she had thought: those drinks must have gone straight through her! Once so relieved, there was a skip in her step. An hour later, they pulled up at their destination. As the sun had reached noon, they exited the air-conditioned vehicle into blistering heat. Her sister jumped out and finally stretched her legs, showing off her figure to a few passersby: her auburn hair in a ponytail, her tight, light blue and very short denim shorts and a glimpse at what hid behind the tank top that covered her chest. At the gate, her father paid for their tickets. The man in the booth handed him a large map of the whole fairground. As soon as they were inside, they were approached by a man wearing an official festival t-shirt and bermuda shorts. He offered them a free bottle of water each. 'We've had a few cases of dehydration, so make sure not to go around thirsty. Don't forget there's a ton of delicious drinks you can pay for throughout the grounds as well!' Alex picked up a bottle and downed half of it immediately. Millie took one as well, but the water was lukewarm. Still, she kept the bottle and heeded the advice of the man at the gate. After studying the map, her father decided they'd move through the festival as a group, keeping to the same general area, but split up in pairs whenever the two girls' interests conflicted—which would be all the time. She went with her father, and as long as she stayed within earshot, promised not to be gone longer than fifteen minutes, and kept her cellphone in her purse, Millie was allowed to wander on her own. Hours passed that way, as they took in the sights, the colors, the smells, looked at stands, tried a carousel (Millie, dragging her father along and then feeling silly and too old for it), and kept hydrated. She was temporarily separated from her father when she saw someone interesting. The magician was a tall, black man dressed in stylish street clothes, a fedora and a wide smile on him. 'Hey, girl,' he said. He had a small stand which consisted mostly of a table covered with cloth that appeared to be just a cover he could store his props behind. 'Would you like to see a magic trick?' Millie was intrigued. The man seemed friendly enough, and ever since she saw a television special with an illusionist pulling white doves out of empty hats and the famous sawing a lady in half trick, she'd been fascinated by magic. But she had never seen it up close. A little shiver reminded her of all she had been drinking, but she made it go away by fidgeting subtly and moved closer. Perhaps she could catch how the trick worked? Then perhaps she, too, could be a magician. The man smiled. 'What's your name?' She told him. 'Millie, perfect. Why don't you take this deck of cards. I'll turn around so I can't see, no, look, I'll even blindfold myself.' He quickly wrapped a black cloth over his eyes and tied it behind his head. 'Now pick a card, any card, at random from the deck. Take it out of the deck and don't show it to me.' She picked a Jack of Spades. 'Do you have somewhere to put it so nobody can see it?' She had her purse. 'Excellent.' The magician took off his blindfold and turned around. 'Now, you probably thought I was going to guess which card you picked. I'm sorry. I'm not a mind reader. Mind reading isn't real. Why don't you give me back the card.' She was disappointed. Did she do something wrong? Shouldn't he be embarrassed that his trick failed? Or was he just some dumb guy who liked posing as a magician to make fun of people? She took the card out of her purse and was about to hand it over to him, but paused—it was an Ace of Spades. The magician smiled his broad, white smile. She couldn't believe it—how—what? 'How did you do that?' 'Now, girl. That'd be a trick o' the trade. Would put me out of a job to go around telling all the girls how I did it, now wouldn't it?' He winked at her. 'But I'll let you in on a little secret: there is no mind reading. Since I couldn't be sure you wouldn't pick the Ace of Spades, I removed it from the deck. Count 'em, there's only 51 cards.' Millie noticed she was tripping up and down on her toes. She certainly could use a bathroom, but she wanted to see more magic. 'Do you have a coin? I'll make you a bet, and if you win, I'll double whatever you give me. Don't go around giving me all your allowance, though. I'm sure your ma wouldn't like it if she knew her daughter was gambling, eh?' Millie was intrigued, fascinated enough by the man to dig up a little money from her purse before—and she realized this as she handed the money over—before she even knew what she was betting on. The magician set three cups on the table. In his hand was a small white ball. 'Now this one's an old trick, but I promise you it's fair. No cheating a girl out of her allowance. I'm going to put this ball under one of these cups and shuffle them around. If you can keep track and tell me where the ball is in the end, you win. You in?' She nodded. Then she felt a pang and bent her knees a bit, almost curtsying involuntarily. The magician shot her a confused look, but said nothing. He simply put the ball under one of the cups so she could clearly see it, and then he started shuffling. At first, she had her eyes on it, but then it was going so fast, and then she had to sway her hips a little like a leaf in the wind to avoid clutching herself, and then she had lost it, there was no way she could follow the cup with the ball. 'Now, if this one's number one,' and he pointed to the leftmost cup, 'and these are two and three, where's the ball?' Millie had no idea. She resolved to pick a number at random. * * * At this point, our storylines start to diverge. Remember the butterfly effect? Chaos theory? The world is so big, we couldn't possibly account for every possible effect caused by our actions, or of the little happenings beyond our control. Something as lithe as a butterfly flapping its wings could set in motion a series of events that culminates in a tornado. Or at least we can't be sure it won't. Although Millie doesn't know it, the choice she is about to make will have ripple effects. Ripples that will pass through liquids that concern us. In quantum mechanics, the theory of physics that describes the smallest things in the universe, and by extension, must explain somehow the largest things, the state of the world is described by a construct called a wave function. This function can exist in a superposition of multiple states, pending a random event: Schrödinger's famous cat both alive and dead until the outcome is resolved. But once the outcome is chosen, the function collapses into one of the possibilities. There are three possible endings to this story. According to one interpretation of the theory, Millie will only ever see one outcome, the one that happens. According to another, after the choice is made, there will be three universes, with three Millies, and each one of them will only see one, their own outcome. Like Millie, this version of you, if you are one or there are many of you, will only ever see one end. Pick a number, and the other possibilities disappear. Of course, this narrator is a writer working with words, not a physicist able to bend the fabric of reality. Accordingly, all three endings have already been written and will exist below in spoiler tags. There is nothing I can do to stop you from reading all of them. But if you want to honor the spirit of the story, I suggest you pick the first ending to read at random. Then you can decide for yourself if you want to read the other ones. Sometimes, it's more fun not to know. Other times, knowing the whole superposition illuminates each possibility within it, arouses in us stronger feelings, or helps us make connections that change the meaning of each part. It's up to you. The ripple effects won't became apparent quite yet—small variations in the storylines will be glossed over or omitted, until we come to the point where they can no longer be ignored. Remember your number, you will need it later. * * * 'I'm sorry,' said the magician. He lifted the cup Millie had chosen, and there was nothing under it. A little disappointed, Millie thanked the magician for showing her the card trick and began walking in a different direction. Again, at random: this festival was so big, there was something to see everywhere. She had only just disappeared from the magician's sight when she had to double over and cross her legs. She had to pee, and she could no longer ignore it. She didn't see any bathrooms anywhere, though. There were a few bathroom buildings scattered around the enormous grounds, but mostly there were port-a-potties, and she could see neither. She'd lost track of her father, too. She knew she could just call him and he'd find her in no time, but she figured she'd just retrace her steps and find him herself. Each step felt heavier. She stopped, took a quick peek to see that no one was looking—everyone in the area seemed to be congregating around a food vendor—and squeezed her crotch through her dress. She held the grip for five seconds, then released, looked around again, and resumed her walk. Pretty soon, she knew she was lost, and she knew she had to find a bathroom soon, so she gave in and called her father. Five tense minutes later, after she had carefully described her surroundings, including the food stand's bright colors and the line in front of it, her father showed up. He almost caught her holding herself, but she saw him in time and released the grip, which she had to resort to with increasing frequency. 'I think it's time to join up with your mother and sister, don't you?' He said. She merely nodded. 'Hey, look, I think I see them over there!' He called up Rita, and a minute later—an agonizing minute, as she had to hold almost entirely without dancing or clutching, so as not to reveal her desperate state—her sister and mother had found them. 'Hey guys, are you having fun?' Her mother said, so forcefully cheerful it almost seemed like she was trying to cover up something sinister. Her sister was following behind, and although she had a smile on her face, she said nothing. It was an empty smile, and she noticed her sister fidgeting a little too. Her mother continued: 'So, I think it's time for a restroom break. I could certainly use one. I saw a building right around here. Anyone else want to come? Millie?' She nodded and sighed inwardly. Although she wasn't shy, it was less embarrassing to tag along when an adult needed a restroom than to beg for a visit for herself. 'Alex, you coming too?' Her sister stopped fidgeting immediately. 'No, I'm good for a while longer.' Her mother arced her brow. 'You sure, Alex?' 'Yes, mom. I'm sure. Actually, could you guys wait two minutes, then we can all go together? Me and dad can wait outside.' Without waiting for a response, she got in line for the food stand. Goddamn it. Millie had been raised not to swear, but it didn't count if she only thought it, right? She was so close to getting a break, and now she had to wait longer. It was too embarrassing to tell her mom that actually, she couldn't wait two minutes or she'd have an accident. An accident. A word never heard in her house unless there were bruises or blood or possibly a broken dinner plate involved. She knew she could last two minutes—hell, and there was another swear word—she could last twenty, if only she were allowed to hold herself. But she couldn't do that in public. As Millie positioned herself behind her parents so she could pee dance unseen, at least by her own kin—she was giving quite a show to various passersby, but she didn't care as long as it kept her panties dry—Alex neared the front of the line. 'I'd like a big Coke, please,' she said. 'Are you sure that's such a good idea, honey?' Her mother interjected. 'You're right, mom. I need to watch my figure. Make it a Diet Coke.' 'You know that's not what I meant. You've been gulping down drinks all day, and you haven't been to the restroom once.' 'It's a hot day. I'm sweating a ton. Everyone is. This place kind of smells.' She got her Coke and then they were off to the toilets. Millie started speedwalking in one direction, and when her mother called that she was going the wrong way—fucking hell—she almost lost it right there, but quickly changed direction and allowed her mother's calls behind her to guide her to a small brick building. It had two doors, one marked for women and one for men. She rushed to the women's and pushed—it was locked. She was doomed. She pushed again—it budged. The door had simply been stuck. Once inside, she rushed an open stall. The sight of the toilet almost did her in, but she managed to slam the door shut, whip down her pantyhose and panties and seat herself just in time. As her butt hit the seat, the pee loudly hit the porcelain, and she almost hit heaven. The subsiding pain and the relief from avoiding total humiliation was an absolute pleasure. She exited her stall as the same time as her mom—clearly, she hadn't been needing it as much as Millie, who had been way ahead of her. Outside, they joined up with her dad and sister, and continued their trek through the festival. Alex was sipping her Coke, but behind their parents' back, she was fidgeting, and occasionally she stopped to look at an exhibit or vendor and took the opportunity to hold her thighs close together. From behind, Millie could see the tone of her sister's muscles through the tight, form-fitting denim. As could any guy walking past, and she caught a lanky teenager clearly checking out her sister's ass. She was arching her back, pushing her thighs together and clenching. Did she have to pee? They must have been strolling along and stopping to look at things or try their hand at throwing darts to win teddy bears or—one time—her mother nearly buying a necklace from an arts and crafts vendor until she heard the outrageous price—for nearly three quarters of an hour when Alex threw away her half-finished Coke. At this point, it must be obvious to everyone that Millie's big sister was in serious need of a restroom. Only her parents seemed oblivious. Still, she refused to say anything. Instead, she suffered silently, crossing her legs, stopping whenever there was something she could more or less hide behind so she could clutch her crotch. Millie had never seen her sister like this before. Weren't grown-ups supposed to go before it ever got to this point? She blushed at the thought. She was embarrassed for her sister, but also for herself; she had been in the same state less than an hour ago. If her sister looked this silly, what had she looked like? Right then, she saw a particularly interesting little tent that had all sorts of colorful posters and old vinyl records—although she hardly even knew what the machine to play them looked like—and clothes that looked like they came from decades past. She dragged her parents along, and started asking the guy who ran the stand questions. She learned that these were things from the sixties, which the guy—he wore his long, dark hair in braids on his head—called 'the decade of freedom.' The odd, colorful posters were art that was supposed to represent something called 'the psychedelic experience.' When they'd had enough of the sixties guy, both she and her parents turned around to find Alex twisted into a human knot. Her legs could not be twisted any tighter together if they were fused, and her hands were burried in her crotch. When she caught them looking, she immediately removed her hands, but her legs stayed crossed. 'Oh, Alex,' said their mother. 'Do you need to pee? Why didn't you say something?' Alex unknotted her legs and straightened up, heaving her chest upwards so quickly her breasts bounced, then flushed as a shiver appeared to go through her entire body. 'Uh,' she said. 'Kinda. It's the caffeine they put in these Cokes. I knew I should have stuck to water. It fools you into thinking it's more urgent than it is.' 'Well, it looks pretty urgent to me,' said their father. 'Let's see if we can't find a restroom.' They couldn't. It took them almost twenty minutes to spot a lone port-a-potty in the distance. By this time, Alex was frantic. The beads of sweat on her forehead weren't from the heat, and she wasn't walking, she was dancing in the most obvious way possible. As if there could have been any doubt as to why she walked so funny, she could hardly take ten steps without stopping to cross her legs tightly, lean forward and bury her hands in her crotch. Millie was amazed that her sister could still hold on in such a state. She snuck a peek at her sister's crotch: the light denim would show evidence of even the slightest trickle, but there was nothing. Adults don't have accidents. She just turned eighteen, she was an adult. There was a line of six people at the port-a-potty. Their mother strode past Alex and straight towards the person at the head of the line, an older granny type. 'Excuse me,' she said. 'But I was wondering if my daughter could go in your place, it's a bit urgent, you see.' The granny took a look at Millie. 'What a sweet daughter you have. She can go in front of me. I'm sure the rest of the line won't mind. They're all grown men and women.' 'Mom!' Her sister had caught up to them, face red from embarrasment or anger, looking almost at the verge of tears. She was still clutching herself as she assured the old lady it was fine, she would head to the end of the line. 'Oh my,' said the granny, and took her turn. Their mom just shook her head. 'I just hope you won't regret that, young lady.' Most moms would use that term, young lady this or that, when they were being strict with their kids, but Rita used it mostly when she was concerned, when she wanted to protect them from their own choices but knew she could not. Millie knew that. Her mom actually thought Alex might have an accident right there in line! By the time there was only one person in front of her, Alex certainly regretted her decision. Millie could see her eyes watering, although she was fighting the urge to cry, and she was now incapable of standing still for a millisecond. 'Excuse me, but if it's not super urgent, do you think I could go before you?' Alex asked. Seeing her predicament, the woman in front of her was merciful and let her go. As soon as the door opened and a corpulent man exited the port-a-potty, Alex bolted in. She stayed in there for a long time. Much longer than Millie had spent in the bathroom, and she had been on the verge of an accident herself. After an eternity, she emerged. By that time, quite a line had formed, and several of the other people in line looked to be in bad shape, although none could be near the state Alex had been in. 'Oh, honey, did you make it?' Their mother asked. Her sister was back to her usual sassy self. Millie noted the crotch of her shorts was dry. 'Of course I did, mom.' She did a pirouette, to show off her dry backside or perhaps simply because she was so delighted to move freely again. Then she added sarcastically: 'Would you like to do a panty check?' This is the point where ripple effects start to become apparent. Read the ending corresponding to the number you picked earlier. Ending 1 She's all dry. And mom does all our laundry anyway. There's no way she could conceal an accident. Alex must be like a well, you can just keep pouring drinks into her and she'll hold it forever, Millie thought. 'Now, Alexandra, don't be so crass. Your mother was just concerned,' said their dad. After the almost disaster, it was like the mood of the whole group deflated. This was supposed to be her birthday! Millie almost forgot all the fun she'd had earlier in the day. It seemed like Alex had something to prove, so she kept the sarcasm up, and yet their parents said nothing about it. Millie had another drink, a small juice box from a vendor, while Alex was sipping on another bottle of water to make up for all the water she'd expelled. It was getting darker, and the end of their day there was nearing: after eight, most of the vendors closed up shop, and the whole area was supposed to be empty of minors after eight thirty. Then, apparently, it was like a whole city simply drove off into the sunset while another drove in to replace it. During the summer, Millie overheard her mom tell her dad, this place was the nightlife spot to be for the surrounding area. Portable night clubs appeared: big sound blasters, DJs, bars run out of big trucks, outdoors concerts at the two stages (they'd passed them during the day, empty). Naturally, with Millie along, they had to head home around that time. Before that, though, she spotted something she wanted to see before they all left: a funhouse. Millie dragged her parents and sister along, into a long hallway of distorted mirrors. Even Alex couldn't help but laugh at her own distorted image, and even harder at those of her mother and father. Before they were done with the tour, everyone was in good spirits again. After the funhouse, her father decided they better start the trek back, as they had moved their way slowly from one end of the grounds, where they had parked, to the other. As the sun was setting, it was getting a little colder. Really it was still a warm summer evening, but compared to the heat of midday it was freezing. She felt a shiver, and as she shivered, her bladder shivered too. She hadn't had too much to drink since she last went, so she'd be fine. It was a minor annoyance. By the time they got to the car again, it was far from her mind to even consider the bathroom. No one had been eating much, mostly keeping their bellies full with thirt-quenching drinks, but when she got in the car, Millie noticed she was starving. 'Dad, I'm really hungry,' she said. 'I could go for a bite as well,' said Alex. Their mother agreed enthusiastically as well, so they decided to find a restaurant in the nearby city before driving on home. Her dad found a place close to the highway, outside the downtown district. Less of a drive. Once inside, Millie ordered a hamburger with fries, while the others decided on variations of steak. Her mother ordered a glass of white wine, and Alex, proudly flashing her now-legal ID, ordered one as well. Millie felt a little left out, but her father, who was driving, ordered a small Coke, so she decided to have one as well. 'Happy birthday, girls! Cheers!' Said her mother, and they all clinked their glasses. Once they were back on the road, the whole weight of the day settled on Millie. She'd been up early, had a long drive, then walked around all day. Alex seemed to be even more tired. Shortly after they'd pulled onto the highway, she was fast asleep, and as Millie's eyelids became heavier, the two sisters naturally leaned into each other and fell asleep. With a jerk, Millie was awake. One second there were red houses and she was riding some kind of bike—a large bike, too large for reality—and the next, she was in her car seat, and something was wrong. Her thighs and butt felt damp, then actually wet. Between her legs she felt a small pool. Slowly it dawned on her what must have happened. She had peed her panties in her sleep, and it was now seeping into the car seat. She'd had an accident and it was the wet, terrible, icky, horrible, humiliating kind that was never talked about in their house because it had never befallen either her or her sister. Millie felt something welling up inside her, almost like she would throw up, but it was just a feeling: a bad feeling, and she tried to suppress a sob. A little yelp got out anyway, and then she was crying, staining her dress with tears. 'Millie, honey, what's wrong?' Somewhere ahead of her, the voice of her mother. There was no way she could hide this, and now she'd revealed that something was wrong, she couldn't even stall the inevitable. 'Mom, I... I had an accident.' Her mother turned around and looked at her. Most of the accident must be invisible to her, hidden by the darkness in the car or under her dress, but she must have seen something. 'Oh, sweetie...' And she commanded her father to pull over immediately. While Millie slept, they'd apparently passed the highway and turned onto the country road that would take them most of the way home. There was no other traffic, so they simply pulled to a halt with only a bit of the car on the shoulder of the road. 'All right, everybody out!' Her father said. Millie held her head down as she got out of the car, not even daring to look at the mess she'd made of the car seat. Her sister had still been asleep, and didn't stir until her father raised his voice. 'Whaa? Why are we...' 'Your sister wet herself,' her father said matter-of-factly. 'Ew, I think some got on me!' Alex grabbed her purse and quickly got out of the car. Millie stood silently by the side of the car as her father inspected the damage she'd done. She shivered a little as she realized she hadn't fully emptied. She still needed to pee. 'Wait a minute,' said her father. 'Your seat is wet all right, Millie. But Alex's is soaked.' 'What?' said their mother. Millie didn't understand. Did... Did her sister have an accident too? Surely it couldn't be possible. She was the camel who'd held it all day without a spot on her shorts. Her father sounded angry, her mother merely disappointed. 'I know another young lady who had a lot to drink all day and only went to the restroom once. And she nearly didn't make it that time. Now it's been many hours, and she's had even more to drink and didn't visit the restroom before we left the restaurant, either. She's a heavy sleeper as well.' Alex looked shocked. 'What, me?' She was holding her purse in front of her crotch, defensively. Their father was angry. 'Earlier today you arrogantly asked your mother to check your panties. You're not as confident now, are you?' As her father mentioned panties, Millie was reminded of the ickiness of her own wet dress and panties clinging to her. She liftet her dress slightly and, when she could see no one was looking her way, pulled down her wet pantyhose a bit. Although she felt terribly wet all over, there was almost nothing around her actual pee hole, and she still had to pee quite badly. Her mother was holding Alex protectively around the shoulders, and her sister had her eyes cast downwards. Their mom gently took the purse out of her hands, revealing a crotch that, even in the darkness, appeared to be glistening with pee. 'She practically slept on my lap! It must have gotten on me!' Could it really be that she hadn't had an accident at all, but that her eighteen-year-old sister had peed her pants in her sleep? Peed... on her and blamed her? Could she really be so mean? 'Fuck you,' said Millie. She couldn't remember the last time she had said a swear word out loud in front of her parents (though she'd let it slip among her friends). 'Fuck you, Alex,' she said. At that, her sister burst into tears. Their mother led her into the light from the car interior, revealing the full extent of her accident: her light denim bum had a dark spot the size of a soccer ball, and there was pee dripping down on her legs; in front, the wet spot was smaller, so she must have slept in a position so that most of it leaked out in the back, into the seat and then, at some point, even into Millie's, as they sat thigh against thigh and butt against butt. Millie couldn't believe the situation, and she couldn't believe her sister would give her the blame, leave her covered in someone else's... ickiness and paying for it by humiliation. Never in their twelve years of being sisters... She was so angry, and also she had to pee, but mostly angry, fists clenched, but then she saw the sorry state of her sister and some of the anger dissipated; she remembered her own helplessness as she woke up and thought she'd peed herself, and how icky it felt to have her clothes stuck to her body like that, dripping, and her sister must have it worse. And she was so much older, it was so much more humiliating. Twelve, when Millie thought about it, was one shy of thirteen; she wasn't even a teenager, she was a child. She could have an accident, and even knew that one of her girlfriends had wet the bed recently. But an adult could not, she just couldn't, and her sister couldn't cope. She was still angry, but she had released some of it through her cursing, which had gone uncommented by either parent for once. Rita's nightmare scenario for her daughter had come true. Although Millie was the younger one, it was Alexandra who always put it off until the last minute. Millie could do that sometimes, but usually she was reasonable. Rita had made sure to remind her when she forgot to make use of 'the last chance to go in a while,' as she said. But Alex had always been so carefree, and when she was younger, she'd hold it until her mother dragged her to the bathroom. As she got older, her desperation got less obvious: she became a master of body language disguises, always shivering because of the cold or straying with her hands because she 'didn't realize' what she was doing or dancing oddly 'because she felt like it.' When she passed into teenage years, her mother could no longer outright tell her to go to the toilet. She simply had to hope her gentle nudging and her daughter's apparently monstrous bladder capacity would save her, every time. There had been some close encounters with the wet kind of accident, she believed, but Alex's panties had always been dry. Hence the remark about the 'panty check,' something that she had threatened when Alex was younger and which neither Millie nor the sisters' father knew about. Now it was real: even the infinite bladder gets exhausted, and after her near-accident, she had simply resumed her usual negligence of the toilet. Now, for the first time, her daughter was wet. As Alexandra sat crying in the car, another small stream emerged in her crotch, this time pooling on top, soaking the front as well, and she did nothing to stop it. Apparently she had given up all control. After all, the humiliation couldn't be more complete unless... Rita didn't even want to consider the possibility. She went around to the trunk, rummaged around in a bag, and found a towel, a clean pair of panties, and clean sweatpants for her daughter. 'You're lucky you won't have to sit for two hours in wet clothes. I packed an overnight bag in case we decided to stay the night at a hotel.' She didn't have the heart to tell her daughter it was an old habit she'd picked up: every long trip, a spare set of clothes just in case. That her eighteen-year-old daughter had wet herself completely in her sleep was bad enough: she didn't need to know that her mother had prepared for it. Meanwhile, Millie was hopping from foot to foot. She was still mad, but now her own need to pee was dominating her senses. 'Uh, mom, dad? I really need to pee too!' She didn't see anywhere she thought she could go. Even on a deserted country road, she couldn't bring herself to squat right beside the road. At this point, an accident seemed a real possibility, but she was already wet and had already gone through the whole emotional process of having a wetting accident at the age of twelve, so even if she didn't make it now, she had in a way already processed the horror and stuffed it toward the back of her mind. 'You'll need to change, too, honey. You could get sick sitting in those clothes. I have spares for you as well. Do you think you can hold it until we get to a rest stop?' 'I think so.' She didn't know. 'But can I... keep these clothes on just in case?' Millie openly held herself between her legs when they got moving again, both sisters sitting on towels: Alex in dry sweatpants and panties, Millie still in her wet, clingy dress and her now red panties. Luckily, it wasn't long until they found a rest stop. It even had a lone street light illuminating the whole spot, as if it were a section of a real town transplanted by magic into this deserted stretch of country road. Millie ran up to the bathroom. She got down her clothes and started peeing just in time—she might have leaked before the panties were completely off, but they were too wet already for her to tell. She counted it as a victory. She had made it. Twelve years old, and never an accident as far back as she could remember. Millie was quickly snatched out of her reverie by the sensation of pulling wet clothes onto her skin. Even so, she took a moment to appreciate how clean and nice this bathroom was: it was handicap accessible, and so large, and it wasn't nearly as dirty as some others she had seen, the kind she sometimes resorted to on long trips but which her sister always ignored. ('Icky, dirty, unhygienic...' Well, so is sitting around in an accident of your own making.) Millie retrieved the spare clothes from the car and changed in the rest stop bathroom, and then she sat down on the damp towel and closed her eyes and they were off again. 'I'm sorry,' Alex whispered. 'I'm so sorry for blaming you for my accident. And for peeing on you in the first place. I know I shoulda 'fessed up immediately, but I panicked... Shush, you don't have to say anything if you're mad. I understand.' Millie opened her eyes and met her sister's gaze to acknowledge her. Alex continued on: 'I try so hard to be grown up. I guess I failed today. Massively. There's just no excuse for an adult to pee in a car seat, and I almost wet myself at the fair earlier as well. That's why I took so long in that port-a-potty, I sprung a leak as I pulled down and I was checking for spots, steeling myself to see you all...' Millie nodded. Alex went on: 'My age says I'm an adult now. Happy birthday to you, you've gone from child to grown up in one day. And I try, but I guess it's not something that happens over night, you know? You're still so young. Treasure it. The freedom to be a child a little longer.' And she said more things, whispered in her sister's ear, soothing things, perhaps meant to soothe herself most of all, but it also soothed Millie, until her eyelids fell, and soon both sisters were asleep, again leaning on each other, still a little wet in their rears from the damp towels. Ending 2 Was that a spot... No. Just a shadow. She's all dry. And mom does all our laundry anyway. There's no way she could conceal an accident. Alex can drink as much as she likes and wait as long as she likes. Adults don't have accidents, and especially not her, Millie thought. 'Now, Alexandra, don't be so crass. Your mother was just concerned,' said their dad. 'Fuck off!' Alex stormed off. 'What did you say?' Her father was redfaced, about to run after her, but her mother held a hand on his shoulder to keep him. 'She'll cool off. Just wait a minute, this whole thing has been very stressful for her,' said her mother, whispered so low Millie could barely hear it. Her parents continued whispering to each other, apparently forgetting all about Millie. She grew a little sad. It was her birthday after all. But she was celebrating with her friends next week and it was going to be so much fun, so who needs parents anyway? A few minutes later, Alex came back. She looked like she might have cried a bit, but she put on a brave face trying to hide it. As she approached her parents, she was biting her lip. She must not look forward to this. 'I'm sorry,' said Alex. 'I shouldn't have yelled at you like that.' Their father still had his furrowed brow, but said nothing and listened. 'It's just... I was so embarrassed. All those people saw me acting like such a little child. And then you embarrass me further by asking me if I made it. But it was my own fault. I'm sorry I yelled.' Her father seemed satisfied. 'Good,' he said simply. 'Now let's continue with your birthday trip, or what, girls?' Rita smiled. Perhaps her daughter had finally gotten the wake-up call she needed. Although Millie was the younger one, it was Alexandra who always put it off until the last minute. Millie could do that sometimes, but usually she was reasonable. Rita had made sure to remind her when she forgot to make use of 'the last chance to go in a while,' as she said. But Alex had always been so carefree, and when she was younger, she'd hold it until her mother dragged her to the bathroom. As she got older, her desperation got less obvious: she became a master of body language disguises, always shivering because of the cold or straying with her hands because she 'didn't realize' what she was doing or dancing oddly 'because she felt like it.' When she passed into teenage years, her mother could no longer outright tell her to go to the toilet. She simply had to hope her gentle nudging and her daughter's apparently monstrous bladder capacity would save her, every time. There had been some close encounters with the wet kind of accident, she believed, but Alex's panties had always been dry. Hence the remark about the 'panty check,' something that she had threatened when Alex was younger and which neither Millie nor the sisters' father knew about. Now she'd seen how even the infinite bladder has its limits. She'd been embarrassed, but she had held on and hadn't faced the total humiliation of a wetting accident in public, something Rita had once experienced at the age of sixteen and vowed to make sure would never happen to her two girls. Hopefully she'd learned her lesson: go before emergency time. And perhaps her younger daughter would learn it as well. She'd seen her needing the toilet badly earlier and trying to hide it, and had heard Millie's long stream into the toilet as she herself produced a small one. Perhaps Millie was emulating the older sister she admired, even taking on her bad habits? After the tension diffused, spirits were high. Millie smiled. She forgot how she lost money on a bet, or how her sister had been so embarrassed and angry, or how she'd nearly had an accident herself. Instead, she drank in all the sounds and sights of the festival: its colors, its smells (even the smell of people who'd been sweating all day in the heat), its sounds, and the taste of the green slush she bought at an ice cream stand. Alex seemed to be in good spirits as well, although she'd discarded her habit of always having something liquid in her hand to sip. Millie saw a funhouse and dragged the family in. Her mother was trying to hint that it was time for them to go home, but she wanted one last experience. After the funhouse, her father decided they better start the trek back, as they had moved their way slowly from one end of the grounds, where they had parked, to the other. As the sun was setting, it was getting a little colder. Really it was still a warm summer evening, but compared to the heat of midday it was freezing. She felt a shiver, and as she shivered, her bladder shivered too. She ignored it. By the time they got to the car again, it was far from her mind to even consider the bathroom. No one had been eating much, mostly keeping their bellies full with thirt-quenching drinks, but when she got in the car, Millie noticed she was starving. 'Dad, I'm really hungry,' she said. 'I could go for a bite as well,' said Alex. Their mother agreed enthusiastically as well, so they decided to find a restaurant in the nearby city before driving on home. Her dad found a place close to the highway, outside the downtown district. Less of a drive. Once inside, Millie ordered a hamburger with fries, while the others decided on variations of steak. Her mother ordered a glass of white wine, and Alex, proudly flashing her now-legal ID, ordered one as well. Millie felt a little left out, but her father, who was driving, ordered a large Coke, so she decided to have one as well. 'Happy birthday, girls! Cheers!' Said her mother, and they all clinked their glasses. Once they were back on the road, the whole weight of the day settled on Millie. She'd been up early, had a long drive, then walked around all day. Alex seemed to be even more tired. Shortly after they'd pulled onto the highway, she was fast asleep, and as Millie's eyelids became heavier, the two sisters naturally leaned into each other and fell asleep. With a jerk, Millie was awake. One second there were red houses and she was riding some kind of bike—a large bike, too large for reality—and the next, she was in her car seat, and something was wrong. She knew immediately what, but didn't want to believe it. It couldn't be true. Between her legs, under her bum, even clinging between her butt cheeks was wet fabric. Her pantyhose, her dress, her pink panties which must now be red. It couldn't be, but she knew it was. She had peed her panties in her sleep, and it was now seeping into the car seat. She'd had an accident and it was the wet, terrible, icky, horrible, humiliating kind that was never talked about in their house because it had never befallen either her or her sister. Millie felt something welling up inside her, almost like she would throw up, but it was just a feeling: a bad feeling, and she tried to suppress a sob. A little yelp got out anyway, and then she was crying, staining her dress with tears. 'Millie, honey, what's wrong?' Somewhere ahead of her, the voice of her mother. There was no way she could hide this, and now she'd revealed that something was wrong, she couldn't even stall the inevitable. 'Mom, I... I had an accident.' Her mother turned around and looked at her. Most of the accident must be invisible to her, hidden by the darkness in the car or under her dress, but she must have seen something. 'Oh, sweetie...' And she commanded her father to pull over immediately. While Millie slept, they'd apparently passed the highway and turned onto the country road that would take them most of the way home. There was no other traffic, so they simply pulled to a halt with only a bit of the car on the shoulder of the road. 'All right, everybody out!' Her father said. Millie held her head down as she got out of the car, not even daring to look at the mess she'd made of the car seat. Her sister had still been asleep, and didn't stir until her father raised his voice. 'Whaa? Why are we...' 'Your sister wet herself,' her father said matter-of-factly. 'Ew, I think some got on me!' Alex grabbed her purse and quickly got out of the car. Millie stood silently by the side of the car as her father inspected the damage she'd done. 'Your seat is soaked all right, Millie. And there's quite a bit on Alex's seat as well.' Her mother looked inquisitively at Alex, who was holding her purse defensively in front of her. Alex immediately moved the purse, revealing that one of her thighs was wet, as was her butt, but there was nothing around the crotch area. 'I told you it got on me. Isn't it, like, two hours 'till we're home? Now I'm gonna have to sit in piss all night.' Millie had gone silent, but started to cry again. Not only had she peed herself: she'd peed on her sister, and now she must hate her too. Rita's nightmare scenario for her daughter had come true. Except it was the other daughter. Although Alexandra was six years older and now legally an adult, she was the one who always put it off. 'Luckily, you won't have to,' she said to Alex. 'I packed an overnight bag, just in case we decided to spend the night in a hotel. I have a clean set of clothes for both of you.' She didn't have the heart to tell either daughter there had never been any plans to stay at a hotel. It was simply a habit she'd gotten into with Alex: every long trip, a set of spare clothes hidden, just in case. And although she hadn't expected it from Millie, she was after all younger and smaller, so she'd packed some for her as well. She didn't want to embarrass either daughter further by telling them that not only did they wet themselves sleeping in the car (Millie) or nearly do so at the fair (Alex), but their mother had prepared for it. The girls changed quietly in the car after their mom had toweled off the worst. Even in their new, dry sweatpants, they'd soon be damp from sitting on the towels. There was nowhere else to sit. Millie was done crying: she was still embarrassed, but the emotional discharge was gone. She had no more energy left for big emotions. She was tired, but couldn't and didn't dare go to sleep again, fearing she might have another accident. After a while on the road, she noticed her sister was getting restless. As they passed a rest stop— strangely illuminated by a street light that looked like it had been snatched from a real town by aliens and teleported into the desert—Alex put her hands in her lap. Five minutes later, she was sitting on her heel. Alex definitely needed to pee, and knowing that her sister was bursting made Millie feel better about her own accident. If the need was urgent even for her sister, who was six years older and had demonstrated she could carry a camel's load of water before she needed to pee, her accident was more understandable. She leaned over and whispered: 'Alex, do you need to pee?' 'No,' she said, then buried her hands in her crotch. 'Okay, kinda. What's it to you?' 'Why don't you tell mom and dad, and they'll make a stop for you?' 'Don't you dare... I mean, please don't tell mom,' Alex whispered. 'She'd think I was such a baby for—' she stopped herself. 'I'm sorry, sis. You're not a baby for having an accident. But you are six years younger than me. There's no excuse for an adult—my age says I'm an adult—and I'm trying so hard to be one. And I almost failed today, massively. I barely made it to that port-a-potty. If that woman hadn't let me go before her... After that, my mom must already consider me immature. If I admit that, after that experience, I still put it off when I had the chance to go several times... No, when you get older, you'll understand. People expect you to be more mature than you are, sometimes, so you have to put up a brave face and pretend. I'll have to hold it.' 'But what if you have an accident too?' 'Oh, Millie, don't worry about me. I can always wait a little longer.' Millie must have fallen asleep, because when she awoke, the car was rolling into the driveway. She looked over to her sister, who was bouncing her bum up and down, making her ponytail wave like a flag, hands digging directly at her pee hole. She appeared to have made it this far, but the most perilous stage of her journey still remained, Millie knew. She hadn't quite gotten why her sister couldn't admit to needing the bathroom, but had understood that it was very important to her that she get to the bathroom as quickly as possible without letting on how desperate she was. Millie got out of the car. Their father opened the trunk and took out the two shopping bags they had filled, mostly with trinkets bought at various vendors, fun things Millie had wanted spontaneously when she saw them but had now forgotten all about. She couldn't remember a thing she'd spent money on, except the bet with the magician, and yet she knew there were many things in those bags that belonged to her. Her mother called to Millie as she walked towards the front door: 'You girls definitely need a shower before bed. Don't you agree? Would you like to go first?' She would very much like to go first, to really scrub herself clean of the icky feeling of the accident. The towels were only a band-aid. But she also wanted her sister to get a chance to go first. They only had one bathroom in the house. 'Alex, could you please do me a favor? Carry these shopping bags to the kitchen and sort out what belongs to you and what belongs to your sister.' Alex, who had just gotten out of the car and was shifting her weight subtly back and forth, the bare minimum of movement needed to contain the flood, froze up. Millie knew she couldn't say just rush to the bathroom now. Still, her sister bravely carried the bags in while their mother led Millie upstairs to shower. As they exchanged glances, her on the stairs and Alex in the hall, Alex mimed zipping her mouth shut and struggled on towards the kitchen. Millie simply followed her mother, not saying a word although she felt she should. 'Here are some clean clothes, and there are towels in the bathroom closet. Go take a good long shower and get off that icky feeling,' said her mother. Millie dutifully took the pile of clothes, locked the bathroom door, undressed and jumped in the shower. The water was cleansing: the last feelings of shame and humiliation went down the drain with the last remnants of the pee. In a few months, she may even laugh at all this. But she still worried: what about Alex? Downstairs, Alex got the sorting done in record time. It wasn't like there was any doubt what belonged to her: all the stupid little things that would end up at a garage sale next year having seen no use whatsoever were her sister's. But now she was entering the same stage of desperation as she had been in while second in line at the port-a-potty. And this time, no one would let her go first. Alex somehow got upstairs without a leak, and, finding the bathroom locked and hearing the shower running, as expected, she hobbled to her room, dumped her butt down in her computer chair and googled: 'howto hold pee when desperate.' Rita passed by her daughter's room and peeked in through the open door: Alex was frantically jumping up and down while holding herself in her computer chair, and the computer was on. She should have expected as much: after all she'd had to drink that day, going only once and skipping the restroom at the restaurant, she must be desperate again. Even Rita could use good pee after the four-hour drive, and she had made sure to use the restroom at every opportunity. I have to speed up the shower process or I'll have two wet girls in one day, she thought. But then she considered the fact that even a close call in public hadn't been enough for Alex to change her habit of putting it off. Rita had always been motivated, even to the point of being overprotective, by the feeling that whatever wrongs she had experienced in her childhood should never befall her children. She'd wet her pants in public at sixteen and been mortified, ridiculed until she moved away for college; she'd been the sort to put it off, just like Alex. But this was different: if Alex didn't make it tonight, only she and Rita would know, and although it would be humiliating, it would be nothing compared to a public accident. And perhaps it would be a lesson learned, finally. With a heavy heart, she resolved to let the matter sort itself out. Either she made it on her own or she didn't. I hate tough love, she thought. I hope I won't regret this decision. Fifteen minutes later, Millie emerged from the bathroom, wet hair in a towel and fresh pajamas on. Rita saw Alex rush into the bathroom without locking. She was shuffling with one hand in her crotch even as she opened the door. 'Oh God!' She yelled, loud enough that even the neighbors might hear it. Rita certainly picked it up, as did Millie, who had fallen asleep instantly and was awakened by the yell. But was it a yell of despair, or relief? Five minutes later, Alex calmly walked out of the bathroom. As Rita did the laundry the next day, she found only one pair of wet panties that belonged to Alex, and they were the ones that had been stained by Millie's accident. The spare ones she had given her were entirely dry, not a spot on them. I guess she passed the panty check once again. Maybe this going to the bathroom before it's an emergency thing is a lesson for another day. Ending 3 She's all dry. And mom does all our laundry anyway. There's no way she could conceal an accident. But she'd never have one anyway. Alex is like a camel. Adults don't have accidents, and especially not her, Millie thought. 'Now, Alexandra, don't be so crass. Your mother was just concerned,' said their dad. 'Fuck off!' Alex stormed off. 'What did you say?' Her father was redfaced, about to run after her, but her mother held a hand on his shoulder to keep him. 'She'll cool off. Just wait a minute, this whole thing has been very stressful for her,' said her mother, whispered so low Millie could barely hear it. Her parents continued whispering to each other, apparently forgetting all about Millie. She grew a little sad. It was her birthday after all. But she was celebrating with her friends next week and it was going to be so much fun, so who needs parents anyway? A few minutes later, Alex came back. She looked like she might have cried a bit, but she put on a brave face trying to hide it. As she approached her parents, she was biting her lip. She must not look forward to this. 'I'm sorry,' said Alex. 'I shouldn't have yelled at you like that.' Their father still had his furrowed brow, but said nothing and listened. 'It's just... I was so embarrassed. All those people saw me acting like such a little child. And then you embarrass me further by asking me if I made it. But it was my own fault. I'm sorry I yelled.' Her father seemed satisfied. 'Good,' he said simply. Perhaps he simply didn't feel like taking a fight. Or perhaps her mom had whispered something to him that cooled him off. 'Now let's continue with your birthday trip, or what, girls?' Rita smiled. Perhaps her daughter had finally gotten the wake-up call she needed. Although Millie was the younger one, it was Alexandra who always put it off until the last minute. Millie could do that sometimes, but usually she was reasonable. Rita had made sure to remind her when she forgot to make use of 'the last chance to go in a while,' as she said. But Alex had always been so carefree, and when she was younger, she'd hold it until her mother dragged her to the bathroom. As she got older, her desperation got less obvious: she became a master of body language disguises, always shivering because of the cold or straying with her hands because she 'didn't realize' what she was doing or dancing oddly 'because she felt like it.' When she passed into teenage years, her mother could no longer outright tell her to go to the toilet. She simply had to hope her gentle nudging and her daughter's apparently monstrous bladder capacity would save her, every time. There had been some close encounters with the wet kind of accident, she believed, but Alex's panties had always been dry. Hence the remark about the 'panty check,' something that she had threatened when Alex was younger and which neither Millie nor the sisters' father knew about. Now she'd seen how even the infinite bladder has its limits. She'd been embarrassed, but she had held on and hadn't faced the total humiliation of a wetting accident in public, something Rita had once experienced at the age of sixteen and vowed to make sure would never happen to her two girls. Hopefully she'd learned her lesson: go before emergency time. And perhaps her younger daughter would learn it as well. She'd seen her needing the toilet badly earlier and trying to hide it, and had heard Millie's long stream into the toilet as she herself produced a small one. Perhaps Millie was emulating the older sister she admired, even taking on her bad habits? After the tension diffused, spirits were high. Millie smiled. She forgot how she lost money on a bet, or how her sister had been so embarrassed and angry, or how she'd nearly had an accident herself. Instead, she drank in all the sounds and sights of the festival: its colors, its smells (even the smell of people who'd been sweating all day in the heat), its sounds, and the taste of the green slush she bought at an ice cream stand. Alex seemed to be in good spirits as well, picking up where she left off where sipping water was concerned. Millie saw a funhouse and dragged the family in. Her mother was trying to hint that it was time for them to go home, but she wanted one last experience. After the funhouse, her father decided they better start the trek back, as they had moved their way slowly from one end of the grounds, where they had parked, to the other. As the sun was setting, it was getting a little colder. Really it was still a warm summer evening, but compared to the heat of midday it was freezing. She felt a shiver, and as she shivered, her bladder shivered too. She ignored it. By the time they got to the car again, it was far from her mind to even consider the bathroom. No one had been eating much, mostly keeping their bellies full with thirt-quenching drinks, but when she got in the car, Millie noticed she was starving. 'Dad, I'm really hungry,' she said. Alex was nodding off. Apparently the lack of sleep had caught up with her: always going to bed late and today, up early and out all day expending energy. Their mother agreed enthusiastically about getting food, and Alex merely grumbled, so they decided to find a restaurant in the nearby city before driving on home. Her dad found a place close to the highway, outside the downtown district. Less of a drive. Once inside, Millie ordered a hamburger with fries, while the others decided on variations of steak. Her mother ordered a glass of white wine, and Alex, still sleepy, said a small glass of water was fine. Her father, who was driving, didn't join her mother in drinking wine, but ordered a large Coke, so Millie decided to have one as well. 'Happy birthday, girls! Cheers!' Said her mother, and they all clinked their glasses. Once they were back on the road, the whole weight of the day settled on Millie. She'd been up early, had a long drive, then walked around all day. Alex was fast asleep almost as soon as they pulled out of the restaurant, and as Millie's eyelids closed as well, the two sisters naturally leaned into each other and fell asleep. With a jerk, Millie was awake. One second there were red houses and she was riding some kind of bike—a large bike, too large for reality—and the next, she was in her car seat, and something was wrong. She knew immediately what, but didn't want to believe it. It couldn't be true. Between her legs, under her bum, even clinging between her butt cheeks was wet fabric. Her pantyhose, her dress, her pink panties which must now be red. It was impossible, but she knew it was true. She had peed her panties in her sleep, and it was now seeping into the car seat. She'd had an accident and it was the wet, terrible, icky, horrible, humiliating kind that was never talked about in their house because it had never befallen either her or her sister. Millie felt something welling up inside her, almost like she would throw up, but it was just a feeling: a bad feeling, and she tried to suppress a sob. A little yelp got out anyway, and then she was crying, staining her dress with tears. 'Millie, honey, what's wrong?' Somewhere ahead of her, the voice of her mother. There was no way she could hide this, and now she'd revealed that something was wrong, she couldn't even stall the inevitable. 'Mom, I... I had an accident.' Her mother turned around and looked at her. Most of the accident must be invisible to her, hidden by the darkness in the car or under her dress, but she must have seen something. 'Oh, sweetie...' And she commanded her father to pull over immediately. While Millie slept, they'd apparently passed the highway and turned onto the country road that would take them most of the way home. There was no other traffic, so they simply pulled to a halt with only a bit of the car on the shoulder of the road. 'All right, everybody out!' Her father said. Millie held her head down as she got out of the car, not even daring to look at the mess she'd made of the car seat. Her sister had still been asleep, and didn't stir until her father raised his voice. 'Whaa? Why are we...' 'Your sister wet herself,' her father said matter-of-factly. Alex opened her eyes, but stayed in the car. It appeared to take her a moment to register, then she said simply: 'Some must have gotten on me as well.' Then she slowly climbed out. Millie stood silently by the side of the car as her father inspected the damage she'd done. 'Your seat is soaked all right, Millie. And there's quite a bit on Alex's seat as well.' One of Alex's thighs was wet, as was her butt, but there was nothing around the crotch area. 'I... Uh...' Apparently, her brain wasn't working as fast as usual. Clearly she was still in sleep mode. 'I don't want to sit in wet clothes the rest of the way.' Millie had gone silent, but started to cry again. Not only had she peed herself: she'd peed on her sister, and now her sister must hate her too. Rita's nightmare scenario for her daughter had come true. Except it was the other daughter. Although Alexandra was six years older and now legally an adult, she was the one who always put it off. 'Luckily, you won't have to,' Rita said to Alex. 'I packed an overnight bag, just in case we decided to spend the night in a hotel. I have a clean set of clothes for both of you.' She didn't have the heart to tell either daughter there had never been any plans to stay at a hotel. It was simply a habit she'd gotten into with Alex: every long trip, a set of spare clothes hidden, just in case. And although she hadn't expected it from Millie, she was after all younger and smaller, so she'd packed some for her as well. She didn't want to embarrass either daughter further by telling them that not only did they wet themselves sleeping in the car (Millie) or nearly do so at the fair (Alex), but their mother had prepared for it. The girls changed quietly in the car after their mom had toweled off the worst. Even in their new, dry sweatpants, they'd soon be damp from sitting on the towels. There was nowhere else to sit. Millie was done crying: she was still embarrassed, but the emotional discharge was gone. She had no more energy left for big emotions. She was tired, but couldn't and didn't dare go to sleep again, fearing she might have another accident. Alex fell asleep again as they pulled onto the road again and got going. Millie tried staring out the window to distract herself, both from residual embarrassment and from boredom, but it was too dark to see anything. Instead, she looked at her sleeping sister. As they passed a rest stop— marked by a street light that looked so out of place it was like the last remnant of a town that had once stood here, out in the country, and mysteriously vanished—she noticed that her sister was beginning to stir in her sleep. Her thighs rubbed together, and although she clearly wasn't awake, she was squirming in her sleep. Did her sister have to pee too? Should she wake her up? No. She's a camel, after all. An adult who'd never pee her bed. Unlike... Me. She almost cried again, but managed to get herself under control. Instead, as they neared their own hometown, she watched with fascination as her sister squirmed more fiercely than ever, but still did not wake up. Perhaps she needed to pee so much she was dreaming about standing in line? Perhaps even reliving the port-a-potty? Finally, they pulled into the driveway home. Alex opened her eyes and immediately squeezed her crotch, but then she closed her eyes again and her hands did not stray. Millie got out of the car and helped her mother carry in the two shopping bags they'd filled that day, mostly with trinkets bought at various vendors, fun things Millie had wanted spontaneously when she saw them but had now forgotten all about. She couldn't remember a thing she'd spent money on, except the bet with the magician, and yet she knew there were many things in those bags that belonged to her. Her mother called to Millie as she walked towards the front door: 'You girls definitely need a shower before bed. Don't you agree? Would you like to go first?' She would very much like to go first, to really scrub herself clean of the icky feeling of the accident. The towels were only a band-aid. Her mother found clean clothes for her, and instructed her to clean herself up thoroughly. 'I'm sure you'll feel much better once you've had a shower, honey.' Millie took the pajamas and panties she'd been handed and stepped into the bathroom. She stripped off her pants still damp in the rear from the towels in the car, and immediately felt freer. Once she stepped into the shower and felt the water touch her skin, it was like the last feelings of shame and embarrassment went down the drain with the last urine. She luxuriated in the hot water, the feeling of cleanliness, and she lost track of time. A sharp knock on the door brought her back to reality. Someone was insistently banging on the door and yelling something, so she turned off the shower head and opened the curtain. 'Millie, please open up, it's an emergency!' It was her sister. Now Millie remembered that her sister had seemed like she needed to pee. No wonder, either, with all she'd had to drink that day and only relieving herself once. I shouldn't have occupied the bathroom so long, she thought. That was unfair to her. I should have woken her up in the car. I knew she needed to go. Millie immediately got out of the shower and, casually holding a towel so that it kind of covered her—it was nothing her sister hadn't seen before, anyway—she opened the door. Alex stood on the doorstep with her legs crossed. As she stepped in and closed the door, Millie saw a dark spot between her legs. Another step towards the toilet, and it started to grow. Alex froze, two steps from the toilet. The look in her eyes was like that of a wounded animal faced with a large predator. 'I can't stop it,' she said. The dark spot starting growing, and Millie could now hear an audible hiss as her sister wet herself, peeing all over the bathroom floor. Alex's inner thighs were wet from the crotch to the ankles; there was a rather large spot in-between her legs. She continued going, and then widened her stance as a continuous stream of liquid fell between her legs to the floor, a tiny Niagara. She'd had so much water that the pee was almost transparent: only a faint yellowness could be seen in the spreading puddle on the floor, and there was no odor she could pick up. Once the worst of it was over, and it might have been a minute of forceful peeing until she got there—time had slipped for Millie again, as she witnessed an adult have a complete wetting accident for the first time—but finally, Alex seemed to gain the ability to move again, and awkwardly shuffled over to the toilet. She pulled down her soaked pants, revealing panties that had gone transparent, white ones with a small yellow discoloration: those she didn't even bother removing, simply finishing the accident into the toilet. Millie didn't know what to say. She looked over at her sister, and saw that tears were welling up. Perhaps she hadn't realized fully what had happened until now, too sleepy or too absorbed with the relief itself. 'I wet myself... I was awake and I just didn't make it to the bathroom. On my eighteenth birthday.' She sobbed, but managed to gain control of herself, and while she had tears flowing down her cheeks, her voice was steady. 'I'm so sorry for hogging the bathroom,' said Millie. What else can I say? I mean, she didn't have anything to say to comfort me about my accident. But she wasn't mean about it either, even though I peed on her and made her sit on a wet towel for hours. I thought this never happened to adults: what do you say to comfort someone who's had the impossible happen to them? Like a meteorite. She'd seen them on television. What if a big rock simply fell on your house from space and destroyed all you owned and cared for? It couldn't happen, but what if it did? Surely it was worse than wetting yourself as an adult, but to Millie, it was in the same realm of impossibility until she saw it happen. 'Please don't tell mom,' Alex said. 'She'd think I was such a baby for—' she stopped herself. 'I'm sorry, sis. You're not a baby for having an accident. But you are six years younger than me. There's no excuse for an adult—my age says I'm an adult—and I'm trying so hard to be one. And I failed today, massively. I barely made it to that port-a-potty. If that woman hadn't let me go before her... After that, my mom must already consider me immature. And then this...' Millie walked over, nude, and gave her pissy sister a hug. 'Thank you,' said Alex. 'Mom can never know about this. If you don't say anything, I'll show you how to use the washer, in case you ever need it. She thinks I don't know how to do my own laundry, but I do. Not that I've ever needed to hide something before... But I'm trying to be an adult, I like knowing how to do adult things. I'll be moving out soon...' She was rambling. 'I won't say a word. I swear. You don't have to bribe me. I understand.' 'Eighteen is like, happy birthday to you, you've gone from child to grown up in one day. And I try, but I guess it's not something that happens over night, you know? You're still so young. Treasure it. The freedom to be a child a little longer.' And she said more things, whispered in her sister's ear, soothing things, meant to soothe herself more than anything, but it also soothed Millie. After a while, it became uncomfortable to hug with one of them sitting on the toilet with wet pants around her ankles and the other standing beside her, dripping nude. Millie dried off with her towel, then put it on the floor and, with the application of several more towels, managed to mop up Alex's puddle. Alex undressed fully and rinsed off in the shower. The wet clothes were put in the washer, and Alex instructed Millie how to program it to also engage the drying function, in the hope they'd be dry enough by tomorrow morning to fool their mother. Alex set an alarm so she'd wake up in time before her mother caught the clothes in the washer, then she wrapped herself up in towels and headed to bed. Millie put on the pajamas her mother had given her, and laid down in bed. But something didn't feel right. Oh. She got out of bed again and made sure to go to the bathroom. As Rita did the laundry the next day, she found only one pair of wet panties that belonged to Alex, and they were the ones that had been stained by Millie's accident. The spare ones she had given her were entirely dry, not a spot on them. I guess she passed the panty check once again. Maybe she finally learned her lesson. Almost wetting yourself in public and then seeing your sister do it all over the car in one day ought to do it. Lilia, SummerDress, Flush and 8 others 11 Quote Link to comment
orbgon 34 Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Brilliant! I picked 2 but 3 was my favourite. Quote Link to comment
satyr 1,314 Posted February 13, 2014 Author Share Posted February 13, 2014 Thank you, orbgon. It's always nice to hear it's appreciated when you put a lot of work into a story. Or three in one, as it may be. Quote Link to comment
Flush 282 Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 A great story, in my opinion, I enjoyed it a lot, the idea of having different endings was a fun twist! (I guess everyone will have a different opinion, but as for myself; I preferred ending 2) Quote Link to comment
satyr 1,314 Posted February 14, 2014 Author Share Posted February 14, 2014 Thank you, Flush. Personally: I wrote ending 1 first, and like it a lot. But not so much that I wanted it to be the ending. I had other ideas too, ideas that might entertain the readers, so I wrote all three. Originally I'd planned to do a fourth ending, so that all the possibilities were covered: one where each of the two main characters wet, but not the other; one where both wet, and one where both are desperate but make it. But I realized the fourth ending would have to be written completely anew, different from all the other endings, and I decided it would be too much work for an already long story just to complete the least interesting ending. I hope the story works whether you read only one ending, or you read all three. That was the goal: a story where each possibility can stand on its own, but can also cast a new light on the others, so that the whole becomes more than the parts. That way, people can enjoy it either way. Sometimes when I read a story or experience, or witness something myself, it can be more exciting not to know what might have happened (especially if what actually happened wasn't exciting), because then you can fantasize, imagine for yourself. Whereas a definite ending, whether it be to a story or a real-life experience, kind of cuts off that speculation and fantasy for me. I guess that's why I personally am not a fan of fanfiction (although I have no problems with people reading or writing it, it's just not my thing). For me, the original text is the canon, and it doesn't feel "right" or I can't really immerse myself in something that strays from the canon. But that's me personally, it's not meant to be a judgment about others. So that's why I suggested you might not want to read the other endings when you've read one. Either the one you read was exciting, in which case the others will likely be a disappointment; or it wasn't exciting, and you have to consider whether you think your own imagination can come up with a more exciting ending than mine. orbgon 1 Quote Link to comment
murphdog 39 Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Very well done, excellent story line and I love the ending options. As a parent I can really relate. Quote Link to comment
Shygirl1998 0 Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 I was a little confused in the middle when it went to talking about the butterfly effect, but your idea of multiple endings was interesting and it cleared my confusion up. My favorite ending was number 3. Good work! Quote Link to comment
LameJoker 19 Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 I was hoping for ending 3 to be one where both wet in their sleep. I was kind of disappointed. Quote Link to comment
SummerDress 17 Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 Truly a fantastic story, very well written and all endings were great. I'd love to see more from Millie and Alex in the future, I'm sure there's plenty more timelines possible. This could be a great start to a canon of your own. Quote Link to comment
Lilia 142 Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 This was a really well-written story (stories?)! I shamelessly read all endings, although I liked 3 the best. Your descriptive writing is very nice. Looking forward to seeing more of your work! Quote Link to comment
randomkath 349 Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 I like quanttum physics terminology, because I'm a nerd. And I absolutely love the idea of Alex putting it off deliberately, and trying to hide her squirming from her family. I can see her wriggling butt in front off my inner eye and imagine that I'm the "lanky teenager clearly checking out her [...] ass". :) I too read all endings, and like #2 most. I thing Rita is trying to teach the wrong lesson to her daughter, though. Clearly, it should not be about going sooner, it should be about training yourself to be better at holding it. By the time she hits 20, Alex should be able to make the entire trip dryly, without any pee breaks. Port-a-potties are gross anyway. Quote Link to comment
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