"What does she want?"

It was a simple question really, something you could just answer with a yes or a no and be done with it.

But the room filled with a pungent silence as we stared at each other. Mom slowly shifted her weight back and forth considering the question far deeper than I thought she would.

It was no secret to anyone that age, stress and childbirth have taken a toll on her looks. Her body acted like any other, putting on some weight, growing gray hairs and deepening creases and wrinkles.

If it was up to me, I’d turn it all back. Make her thin again, return her hair back to being the vibrant raven color of before, and make her skin without blemishes.

But it’s not up to me.

“...Anything right?” Mom finally spoke up, breaking the silence. “It can change anything?”

“YES!” I immediately responded. “I mean-ahem. Yes, from what I can tell, it can…”

Mom lightly chewed her lip, mulling over the possibilities once more. She had an infinite amount of them and it felt like she was considering each one with a focus and fairness. She then lightly nodded and said “Let’s start simple.”

“Alright.” I replied before turning back to the computer, selected the human tab and began pulling up her profile. “What to change first?”

“My appearance.” I looked back to see her blushing, apprehensive on what to say. “I want to be in my 20’s again.”

“Age or appearance?”

“Appearance!” Mom blurted. “I-I hadn’t had you yet, so…”

“Good point, don’t want to accidentally unmake me.” I nodded and turned my attention back to the screen.

“Permanent or Temporary?”

“Permanent.”

“Transformation Duration?”

“Duration?”

“Yeah like, do you want to instantly look like you're in your 20’s or do you want it to take a minute? Or even make it look more naturally over days or even months.”

“I see.” Mom nodded her head, “Instantly, please.”

“Okay, next is awareness.”

“And that means…”

“Who is aware of the change and who isn’t. Like for the dollar bill I didn’t put any limitations on it so that anyone who saw it change would be aware it did.”

“Alright, None as well-” Mom paused, thought for a moment, then said “On second thought, just us.”

“Okay, Jack and Tracey Turner are aware.” I then clicked on the next box, and then paused. “Hmm.”

“What is it?”

“Well… It’s just the next category.”

“What about it?”

“Well, we are trying a simple change first but this category is anything but.”

“How so?”

“The first category is Transformation, which can be anything you like. A pencil to $100 if you will. The next box, reality change, breaks the rules. For example, superpowers. No human can fly without mechanical help but I can type ‘They can fly’ and it will be so.”

“I think I follow…”

“But it doesn’t have to be superpowers.” I explain further, “I could change relationships, location, or cause events to happen or not.”

“So if I get this right, a Transformation is a physical-”

“Or mental” I cut in.

“Or mental change.” Mom nodded, and kept going. “A Reality change, changes the rules or circumstance the target is in.”

“From my understanding, yes.” I said, she summed up my thoughts exactly.

“Just put nothing in the reality change for now.”

“Alright!” I nodded and turned back to the computer. “To review you want to have your looks and health of your 20’s, for the transformation to be instant and permanent, and only for the two of us to be aware of the change.”

“Correct.”

“Sending it!” Pressing enter, I quickly look back to see Mom. And faster than time itself, she was already changed looking like her old photos. A slender, 5”6’ woman with long raven hair and smooth white skin. She was beautiful, but the transformation was a bit more comedic than anything else. We had only changed her body, not what she was wearing. They were the same clothes from before she changed, the EXACT same clothes. Meaning her maroon sweater and blue jeans hung not just loosely, but slipping right off!

“Oh my!” Mom let out a sharp gasp as she quickly launched her hands to hold her clothes in place. “Jack, quickly!”

“On it! I’m on it!” I spun back in my chair, quickly right clicking the change. Selected edit, edit Reality change, and then wrote…