Penny was always the younger of the two daughters, barely 10 years old when her mother Sarah met and married her soon-to-be husband. The change was jarring for Penny, who felt like an outsider in he

Once upon a time in a charming town resided a vivacious 10-year-old girl, Penny. The close-knit neighborhood was alive with her giggles, but her most favorite place to be was at home with her 36-year-old mom, Sarah. They shared an unbreakable bond, one that could be compared to best friends, but on one particular day, their bond took an interesting and magical turn. On a breezy afternoon, a box arrived and sat at their front door. Penny, brimming with curiosity, hurriedly brought it inside the house. It was addressed to Sarah and it was a sight to behold when she opened it. In the box were a pair of elegant, shiny heels, the kind her mom would wear on her fancy night outs with her soon-to-be-husband. "Can I wear them, mom?" Penny asked, her eyes gleaming with excitement. She loved her mom's sense of fashion and was always eager to play dress-up. But Sarah only gave her a chuckle and a shake of her head and said, "You're too young for heels right now. These are for mommy." But Penny wasn't easy to persuade. She pleaded, she beseeched, but Sarah only grew stern, eventually raising her voice to outlaw the idea. Not wanting to spoil their day, Sarah decided to leave Penny at home and go for a change of scenery in the form of a shopping trip. The quiet house ignited Penny's mischievous side. With her mom away, she managed to sneak into her room and swiftly grabbed the box of heels. With no one to stop her, she managed to squeeze her tiny feet into the towering shoes, doing her best impersonation of her mom's poised and glamorous walk. Little did she know, her joke was about to turn into reality. To Penny's disbelief, her feet began to grow, oddly and unexpectedly, until they transformed into the mature feet of a grown woman. The same feet that belonged to Sarah, right down to the exact pedicure she had on. She tried to remove the heels, but the changes were irreversible. Suddenly her lively eyes mirrored that of 36-year-old Sarah’s; her height shot up, her kiddie clothes replaced by her mom's favorite blue blouse and skirt. Thoroughly shaken, the little girl inside her gradually faded as new and completely grown-up thoughts and memories took hold. She forgot that she was ever Penny; instead, she only remembered being Sarah. Seeing the heels and the shoe box on her child’s carpeted floor, she was shocked, and her sweet natured demeanor was replaced by a kind of motherly sternness. Taking the heels and stuffing them into the box, Sarah decided to communicate her situation to her fiance. He needed to know what was going on and what had caused her sudden transformation. She was ready to confront her errant daughter for not listening to her mother, even though she was standing in the very shoes Penny had once asked permission to wear. As she took another look around the room, she shook her head, wondering where her little girl was. It was sure to be a long day ahead.