Mandy had lunch with a bunch of other six-year-olds. After playing with four- to eight-year-olds on the playground, Teacher Susan and Mandy headed back to the examination room.

“I can’t recall ever seeing . . . Mandy playing with other kids like that,” Mrs. Gibson told Dr. Parker as the video feed to the playground was turned off.

“Lunch and recess are times kids are offered an opportunity to regress to their developmental level each day. We have found that socialization is easier for children when their body matches their social/emotional level. Given time, kids can see past the physical image, but meeting them at their level during certain periods allow that to happen more naturally. As you saw, even with Autism, Mandy could socialize more on an equal level with the other kids. That is because she interacted with kids her size and developmental level as equals. She also got to be a girl out there at recess. She has never had that opportunity before.”

“You want me to shift my thinking and perceptions of my baby instantly. That’s not easy. To be honest, I’ve worked hard never to view Toni at his true developmental level. Since he was three, I’ve been told his toys and other things needed to be ‘age appropriate’ for his biological age, not his developmental level. Now you are telling me it was supposed to be the other way around.”

“Yeah,” Dr. Parker cringed. “Sorry, that is a major issue that nomags have wrong. It is one of the most important things we have to reverse in the families of our students. You have come to this conclusion faster than most parents do. It is the right conclusion, but the journey to change your ways only begins with this knowledge.”

Mrs. Gibson looked into the examination room as Mandy and Teacher Susan entered, “How am I supposed to do this? If she is a six-year-old girl on the inside, but a twelve-year-old on the outside, certain problems arise. If I buy the cutesy little girl clothes she probably wants, there is no way they will fit her. Do I buy her Fisher-Price Little People and sippy cups? What are people going to say?”

“Look at her, Mrs. Gibson. She is the little girl you see in there. It doesn’t matter what other people say. Her mental health and future success are directly linked to whether we let her be herself or not.”

“You’re probably right there, but this is going to be hard.”

“Yes, it will be,” Dr. Parker smiled weakly. “We’ll help where we can, but this is a personal journey that every parent of a child with disabilities must take.”

The two watched in silence as the evaluation continued. Mandy would do some work, play a little bit, and then do more work. Even during play, the magical pen would be marking stuff on the tablet.

“She’s just changing clothes on the doll. What could the magic pen be recording about that activity,” Mrs. Gibson asked?

“Throughout the day, she has put a few different outfits on the doll. The various outfits have included zippers, buttons, lacing, tying, buckles, and snaps. We have tested her ability to do and undo those fasteners. Fine motor skills are needed to get the outfits on and off. Teacher Susan has triggered conversation and asked questions to test vocabulary and communication skills.”

“All that just from playing with dolls, ingenious.”

“Everything she does gives us some level of information. She thinks she is just playing, but we are gathering lots of data. The toys in that room were all chosen to help with the testing. Even lunch and recess were part of the evaluation.”

“You haven’t asked me much about . . . Mandy’s abilities and weaknesses. All her previous evaluations always had me filling out extensive questionnaires.”

“Without magic helping to get everything we need, that would be necessary. We have found that asking a parent or former teacher what a child can do often leads to inaccurate information. By stripping away learned skills and testing various abilities, we get a fairly accurate representation of what they know. The hard part is getting as many life and social skills as possible. The meal at lunch was chosen to see her ability to use a fork, spoon, and knife. Drinking skills were tested at lunch with a regular cup, but she had juice boxes or cups with straws for snacks. We’ve given her enough liquids to determine her level of bladder control. We have determined her skill with time, measurement, and money in various ways. Some through play, others through direct testing, but some by telling her something will happen at a specific time and seeing if she knows when it’s coming.”

The two talked about what Mandy’s day at the school would be like. Then there was a discussion on how the program changes as she gets older and what is done to prepare children for transitioning out of the school at age twenty-one. By the time Mandy was done with the evaluation, Mrs. Gibson was finally ready to allow Mandy to attend Cauldron Academy.

“She has a few more minutes of promised play time before we go in there,” Dr. Parker said as she stood up and went to the two-way mirror. “I want to double-check to ensure you agree to everything we discussed.”

“I still can’t believe I said yes, but I can do this for my baby.”

“Your husband?”

“He was the one that thought enrolling . . . Mandy in this school was a good thing. He read through that TSS form twice before signing it. He always wants what is best for our kids. It will be a shock to him as it was to me, but he’ll agree I made the right decision. If he doesn’t, I’ll remind him that he signed that form against my recommendations.”

Dr. Parker held her hand up to her mouth, holding a chuckle back.

As the two of them entered the exam room, Dr. Parker nodded at Teacher Susan, who was at the door heading to the school's classroom wing. Teacher Susan nodded back and left the room.

“Time to go home, Munchkin.”

“Mommy! It’s really fun here. Can I come, please?”

“Yes, Munchkin. Yes.”

Mandy bounced up and down, flapping her hands.

Mrs. Gibson turned to Dr. Parker, “And that is the stimming behavior seen when excited. I don’t know how you pulled it off, but I don’t recall her stimming before now. Excitement involves jumping up and down with hand flapping, but when frustrated or upset, you get shrieking and hand flapping.”

“We have a lot of experience limiting the upset and frustrated state. Excitement, however, is not something we try to avoid.”

Once Mandy had calmed down, Dr. Parker approached her and got down on a knee, “Mandy, I need you to go back into the circle. It is time to turn your body back into a twelve-year-old.”

“No!!!!”

“You are coming back to this school, and you will get a chance to be little every day if you want to,” Dr. Parker explained. “But every day when you go home, you’ll have to turn back into the body you came to school in.”

Mandy looked down at her dress, “But, but . . .”

“Mommy has agreed to let you wear girl clothes at home. When you’re at school, you will always be a girl. Sometimes you will be a little girl, but at other times, you will be a big girl. Either way, you will be a girl whenever you come to school.”

“Really?” Mandy looked between Dr. Parker and Mom.

Mom smiled down at Mandy, nodding her head.

“Right now, I’ll make a deal with you,” Dr. Parker looked straight at Mandy, even though Mandy never made eye contact. “You get back into the circle to finish the evaluation today. I will have it leave you in a girl's body. You will keep that until you go through the portal to return to your house.”

“I like being a girl. No, I am a girl.”

“I know,” Dr. Parker said. “That’s why you’ll get a girl’s body when you go through the portal to this school. Your Mommy knows, too, so she has agreed to let you wear the clothes you want at home.”

“But I don’t have any girl clothes at home,” Mandy frowned and looked down at her dress.

“We can buy some,” Mom interjected. “And Dr. Parker has offered a gift. She will make some magical changes to your room, including some of your clothes.”

Mandy looked up at Mom and Dr. Parker, “Really?”

“Yup, but I need a crystal to make those changes. The only way I can get that crystal is for you to step back into the circle and finish the evaluation. Do you think you could do that for me, so I can make some changes to your room at home?”

Mandy nodded her head.

“Do you want me to change your dress into a big girl dress or just make that one bigger to fit you as a twelve-year-old?”

“This one? I can keep this dress?”

Dr. Parker nodded.

“I want to keep this one.”

Hand in hand, Dr. Parker and Mandy went over to the multicolor circle on the floor and stepped inside. Letting go of Mandy’s hand, Dr. Parker stepped out of the circle.

“One last question,” Dr. Parker smiled at the little girl who had a blank expression. “Hair like it is now, or like it was before?”

A smile spread on Mandy’s face, “Pigtails!”

“Okay, I will leave it long enough to keep in pigtails. Do you want them up high like they are or down lower like a twelve-year-old would usually wear?”

Mandy looked at Mom.

“It’s up to you, Munchkin,” Mom responded.

“I like them the way they are right now,” Mandy stated.

Dr. Parker twirled her index finger, “Gender, hair, and clothes shall stay the same, sizing up with the body. End the evaluation and deliver me Amanda Gibson’s data.”

Bringing her hand into a fist and then spreading all five fingers out in the direction of the circle, the colors on the circle shot up, encasing Mandy in a sphere. Ten seconds later, the spinning colors turned back into a column. Instead of retreating into the floor, it went above Mandy’s head and formed another sphere. It turned white and shrunk until it was a little bigger than a tennis ball. Then it floated down and landed in Dr. Parker’s waiting hand. It slowly changed shape, and a crystal was sitting in her hand when the light faded away.

Mandy had watched and was focused on the crystal, “What is it?”

“This crystal has all the information we learned today about you. It will help Hootie assist the teachers and school when they do magic on you. The spells will access the crystal and guide the magic to be specific to you.”

Mandy’s expression clearly showed confusion. Dr. Parker continued, “This way, when they cast a spell to make you little, you will turn into a six-year-old instead of a baby.”

“That’s good. I’m a big girl, not a baby,” Mandy responded. “Who is Hootie?”

“Hootie watches over the school. Let’s go meet him,” Dr. Parker gestured toward the door to her office.

Before leaving the circle, Mandy looked down at her dress and put her hands up to feel her pigtails. She spun around to let the dress twirl out. Then she went over to the two-way mirror and looked at herself in the mirror.

“She has never cared about clothes or hair before,” Mrs. Gibson commented.

“Setting Amanda free will change her in various ways,” Dr. Parker noted as she opened the door.

They went through the office and back to the entryway to the school. On the opposite wall to the glass doors going outside was a statue of an owl between two double doors leading down a hallway. They stopped in front of the statue.

“This is Hootie,” Dr. Parker gestured toward the statue. “Hootie, this is Amanda Gibson. She likes to be called Mandy.”

Suddenly the statue’s wings flapped, and it hooted twice, “Hi, Mandy. Welcome to Cauldron Academy.”

“It talked?” Mandy’s eyes went wide. “Is it real?”

“No,” Dr. Parker responded. “It is just a magical statue.”

“Do you have her crystal,” Hootie asked?

“I have it right here,” Dr. Parker held the crystal out for Hootie. “We will need a portal crystal and a trans room transformation crystal.”

Hootie’s wings spread out, and he hooted twice. The crystal in Dr. Parker’s hand floated up to the owl’s stomach. The wings wrapped around the crystal, causing it to be absorbed into the owl. The wings spread out again, and a small pink and a small green crystal came out of the owl’s stomach. They floated over and landed in Dr. Parker’s hand.

“Thank You, Hootie,” Dr. Parker said as she looked at the two crystals in her hand.

“You’re welcome. Always enjoyable to help you enroll a new student,” Hootie then turned its head and looked at Mandy. “Mandy, I look forward to watching you grow and learn here at the school.”

“Mommy, the magical statue talked to me. Isn’t that cool?” Mandy said while bouncing up and down, flapping her hands.

Hootie returned to his original state, and the group returned to Dr. Parker’s office.

“Mandy,” Dr. Parker asked. “Do you have any questions?”

“Can I learn how to do magic?”

“Sorry, Mandy, a non-magical being can not do magic. You’ll get to see magic every day, and occasionally, you’ll meet magical creatures. You might even go on a field trip to visit unicorns.”

Mandy’s eyes and smile went wide.

“Do I have to go in the bubble every time you let me be a little girl?”

“No, now that Hootie has your crystal, any teacher can instantly change you,” Dr. Parker wiggled her fingers at Mandy and said, “Little Time.”

Mandy was engulfed in light for one second and suddenly was six years old again. Looking at her tiny hands and legs so small her feet stuck out straight, she smiled.

Dr. Parker wiggled her fingers and said, “Change back.”

Mandy was again engulfed in light for one second, and she was back to being a twelve-year-old girl.

“I like the little me better,” Mandy complained.

“I know,” Dr. Parker commented. “That is why we give you time every day to be little if you want to.”

“I want to. I really do.”

Dr. Parker smiled, “Any other questions?”

Mandy sat there and thought for a moment, “Just one. Will my teacher be nice or a mean old witch?”

“Toni Gibson!!! Apologize,” Mom reprimanded.

“It’s okay. Little Kids and Autistic individuals are usually very blunt. I want Amanda free to ask any questions she wants,” Dr. Parker stated before turning back to Mandy. “You have already met your teacher. It will be Teacher Susan. We had someone else teach her lessons today so she could get to know you. What do you think? Is she nice or a mean old witch?”

Mandy giggled, “She’s super duper nice and really good at updating my picture schedules when we start something new. She zaps them, and they instantly change.”

“Okay, unless either of you has any other questions, I think we are done here,” Dr. Parker looked at the two before standing up. “Don’t forget your backpack Mandy.”

Mandy picked up her backpack and looked at it, “Mommy, can I get a girl backpack with Hello Kitty or a Unicorn on it? Ooooo, or Sofia the First!”

“I think we can do that . . . Mandy,” Mom went up and hugged Amanda.

Dr. Parker grabbed a small box off her desk, and the three returned to the entryway. Mandy was directed to go up and press one of the green-colored stones along a long wall.

Looking at the wall, Mandy saw many green stones sticking out. They were at different heights. Mandy found one at the height of her chest and pressed it. A portal opened up in its spot.

“That will take us to your house. Ready?”

“No,” Mandy grumbled.

“Come on, Mandy,” Mom took Mandy’s hand. “Remember, we have magic to do in your room.”

The two stepped through the portal, followed by Dr. Parker.