Every story has a beginning. Before Zeke and Lily got to know one another and before they took a Caribbean cruise to the Bahamas they were perfect strangers who shared a common interest in a fetish. This is the story of the day they first met face-to-face at a mall in Lancaster County, PA. It is the prequel to the story: “Zeke and Lily - Overnight” which is followed by the short novel: “Zeke and Lily - Making a Memory.”

Once Upon A Beginning…

Lily Paddington got into her car and flipped the sun visor down, using the mirror to check her make-up and hair. A trip to the mall usually meant she was about to go on one of her relentless shopping sprees. But not today and not on this trip. This was a very important day, and one that she didn’t want to be late for. But she was all ready late and it only made her more nervous than she all ready was.

All the phone calls and emails led to this. She was actually going to meet him face-to-face. Can fairy tales really come true? This was the question on her mind as she pulled out of her driveway on Lime Street and drove past the General Hospital in the center of Lancaster City. Her destination: Park City Mall. At that very moment, there was a guy waiting for her in the J. C. Penney’s food court whom she had met online. She was going there to meet the guy who might be able to show her that fairy tales can come true.

She turned onto Lemon Street and then onto Harrisburg Pike. She was practically begging for a speeding ticket. Passing through Franklin and Marshall College, she began to wonder what he would be like in person.

His profile and emails told a story to her. The chat she had with him online showed that he wasn’t obsessed about ABDL and had an engaging life beyond it. On the phone, his voice had a calming tone to it. They never ran out of things to talk about. But now, she was going to met him in person.

She recalled talking with him about what a person’s eyes can say about them without ever saying a word. She wondered what his eyes would say about him, and if her eyes would make it obvious that she was nervous.

That nervousness as well as the excitement she was feeling had given her a stirred up feeling in her tummy, like butterflies were fluttering around inside her. With every thought, she got herself more and more worked up.

She reached under her dress and felt the elastic edging of the diaper she was wearing. She smiled, happy that she had convinced herself to wear it and it only added to the anticipation she felt for an evening she hoped she would never forget. But her mind still worried. Maybe she shouldn’t have worn the diaper, but she wanted to see what she would feel like if she were wearing it when she met him. It would be a heart-pounding experience for sure.

She pulled into the Penney’s/Sears parking lot at breakneck speed, finding the closest spot to the entrance. She parked and flipped the visor down again, taking a final look at her make-up and hair.

She got out of the car and began briskly walking to the entrance, but then slowed her pace down when she realized how noisy her diaper was. She began to worry that she might be “discovered”. Wearing a diaper in public was something she had only ever tried once before. It was a thrill to be out in public in a diaper, but she couldn’t bring herself to get out of her car.

She walked a little more slowly up to the covered entrance area. Walking towards the glass doors, she could see people inside. Her hands began shaking as she reached for the door handle and opened the door. As she walked in, she lowered her chin and began to scan the crowd of people in front of her, looking for him.

There were lines of people standing at the food counters. Every seat at every table in the eating area was filled. Little kids ran by. People walked in and out of the Penney’s entrance straight ahead. People were riding the escalators up and down to the main floor. There was no way she would be able to find him in this sea of bodies. Then she got an idea.

She took out her phone and speed dialed his number, listening for his ringtone. He said his ringtone for her was “Be my Baby” by the Ronettes. She listened as best she could through the noise in the room. Then behind her at one of the tables she heard a cell phone ring.

“The night we met I knew I needed you so,” she heard coming from a phone. “And if I had the chance I’d never let you go.”

The guy sitting at the table stood up as the ringtone continued to its end.

“So won’t you say you love me? I’ll make you so proud of me,” she heard as she slowly crossed over to him, taking one last chance to straighten the yellow summer dress she was wearing. “We’ll make ‘em turn their heads every place we go.”

Lily folded her hands in front of her, clutching her jean jacket. Suddenly, everything around her seemed to fade away and get quiet. He stood almost six feet tall. She had to look up to see his face. This didn’t shock her. She knew how tall he was. As he turned around, she saw the Kansas City Chiefs hat she forgot she was supposed to be looking for.

Then their eyes met.

“Zeke?” she asked softly.

“Lily,” he said, smiling.

She was as nervous as could be, but still batted her eyelashes and smiled as she gracefully walked over to him and embraced him. She was still trembling from having been late, but his arms wrapped around her and she experienced a feeling she had never felt before … little. She stopped trembling instantly and placed her head on his chest, listening to his heart beat while feeling the warmth from his body.

They ended the embrace and she took a moment to look into his eyes before speaking. This gave her that moment to see what his eyes said to her, as well as another second to figure out what the first thing she said to him would be.

She could see tenderness and kindness in his eyes, in the way he smiled, and how he spoke to her. All initial indications made her believe he was a good guy, but he would have to show his heart to her before she would trust him further. Still, her cautiousness didn’t inhibit her happiness.

“Sorry I’m late. I have butterflies and I’m a little nervous,” she rambled to him. “Traffic was moving so slow, and … well, how was that for a hello? Pretty strange, huh? Yeah, I know. I’m a little quirky.”

“You look beautiful,” he said, as her nervousness began settling. “And you just took my breath away.”

His words stopped her in her tracks. She was expecting him to say something sweet and probably forgetful, not memorable.

“So you are the guy on the other end of the phone,” she said while recovering from the compliment.

“And you are the girl who came out of nowhere,” he said while offering his right hand to her. “I’ll never forget that first message.”

She took his right hand with her left hand and they began walking towards the escalators.

“I’ll never forget your response,” she said, smiling while nibbling her bottom lip. “Do you remember the first question you asked me?”

“Yeah. I asked you if you were really female,” he said, laughing.

“Okay. That’s right,” she said, returning the laugh. “How about the second question you asked me?”

“I believe I asked you what you dreamed about when you went to bed at night,” he said.

“And do you remember my response?” she asked with a playful twinkle in her eyes.

“Yes, you said it was hard to put into words,” he replied as they stepped off the escalator and headed down the mall. “Come to think of it…that’s all you said. You never answered the question.”

“I will,” she said sweetly as they stepped onto the escalator.

“Okay,” he replied with a laugh. “Let me know when some time.”

“Patience,” she said with a smile. “That’s not information I want to tell you in the middle of a mall.”

“Speaking of which … why did you choose Park City Mall to be our meeting place?” he asked. “It’s shaped like a spider. Aren’t you afraid of spiders?”

“I’m afraid of every little creepy crawly that exists,” she answered.

“So I suppose that a camping trip in the future is out of the question?” he asked with a grin.

“Way, way, way out of the question,” she said, laughing. “I picked this mall because my grandfather used to bring me here when I was a little girl. He would buy me whatever birthday present I wanted and then he’d take me to McDonald’s, which used to be right there.”

Lily pointed to the store right next to the escalator.

“But now it’s a music store,” she said. “I would always get something at KayBee Toy & Hobby.”

“Which is now a dollar store,” Zeke said. “It’s sad how things change like that.”

Zeke was a very normal sounding guy. He was easy to talk to and she didn’t have the impulse to run away when she met him. This was a good thing. They made their way through the mall, headed towards Damon’s Barr and Grille. She began to feel more comfortable with him. But it wasn’t hard to find that comfort. She knew a lot about him all ready, but in person she was re-discovering the comfort she felt when just talking to him on the phone.

“What kind of toys did you play with when you were young?” she asked.

“I was a Lego Maniac,” Zeke replied. “And He-Man. I take it you were a Barbie Doll girl?”

“Of course,” she said, developing a playful glow in her eyes. “And I still am.”

“I bet you are,” Zeke said with a smile as they approached the entrance for Damon’s Bar and Grille.

“It’s almost like a hobby,” she said as he opened the restaurant door for her.

“A hobby, huh?” he asked.

“It’s a little more than a hobby…much like other things,” she surreptitiously whispered in his ear as she walked in.

They were taken to their table with very little wait. The dinner rush had come and gone. So the restaurant wasn’t crowded, and they could talk a little more easily about “other” topics. But not just yet.

“So what is the one hobby you cherish more than any other?” Zeke asked as he pushed her chair in.

“I like to lie in bed at night and gaze up at the stars in the sky through my window,” she said. “I read that your dreams often tell you things about yourself that you never knew. Do you dream?”

“Yes, but I never remember my dreams when I wake up,” he said.

“Why not?” she asked.

“I wish I knew,” he replied.

“What do think they might say about you if you could remember them?” she asked.

“They’d probably tell me to stop dreaming and get some sleep. I have a bit of a sleeping problem,” he said, smiling.

“What do your dreams say about you?”

“Okay, okay. I’ll tell you,” she said, laughing. “My dreams tell me about a love for infantilism I never knew I had.”

“Oh wow. Tell me about the first ABDL dream you had,” he said.

The waiter arrived with their appetizer, and they paused from their conversation until he left.

“Okay,” she began, preparing herself to reveal this dream to someone for the first time. “I woke up in a crib wearing the cutest little pink footed pajamas I had ever seen. It felt so warm. I was lying on my tummy and I turned over and sat up. My hair was super curly and I had pigtails. The crib was filled with all kinds of stuffed animals…zebras, giraffes, elephants, teddy bears, monkeys, puppies and kittens.”

“But no lions or tigers, I suppose,” he said.

“No, and I didn’t see Toto the dog either,” she laughed. “I looked up and saw a mobile above me with small ducks and chicks and goats and sheep dangling down from it on different colored pieces of ribbon,” she said, taking a sip of her soda. “I lied back down, rubbed my eyes with my hands and then I looked at my fingers. They were so tiny.”

She paused to take a drink, and then continued on.

“Then my tummy began to rumble, and I felt a hunger like never before. Almost like fate had decreed it to happen, the door to the room opened,” she said, taking a bite of the appetizer. “Someone walked in. The light was dim in the room, but I could tell it was a guy. He was too far away for me to make out his face. He was very blurry. I squinted my eyes, but even as he got closer to me, he still remained blurry.”

“Who did you think he was?” Zeke asked.

“I have no idea, but for some reason I didn’t fear him. I was actually overjoyed to see him,” she recalled. “He lowered the side of the crib and placed a baby bottle between my lips. I kept trying to make out his face as I started drinking from the bottle. It was filled with a sweet-tasting liquid that I savored on my tongue as I swallowed it. I clutched the bottle with both hands and nursed it down.”

Lily paused from telling the story and shifted in her seat, re-adjusting her diaper but doing so as to not alert Zeke she was wearing it.

“Then what happened?” Zeke asked.

“This next part is really embarrassing. I don’t know if I can tell it,” she said as her shoulders shrunk up and her chin lowered slightly.

“It’s okay Lily,” he said as he touched her hand, used his finger to raise her chin, and made eye contact. “This dream was very important. It had a lasting effect on you, and found a way to touch your heart. Please go on.”

The waiter appeared with their meals and then left. Lily hesitantly continued the story.

“He was rubbing my tummy as I drank from the bottle,” she said in a whispered voice. “He unbuttoned the lower half of my pajamas and pulled my legs out. His hands felt so kind and his touch was so gentle. I felt his hand slide under me as he felt the back of my diaper. I didn’t even know I was wearing a diaper. He unfastened the diaper, folded it down from the front. Then his left hand grabbed my ankles, put them together, and lifted my legs into the air. He was so very careful with how he touched me. He was very loving and nice.”

“It sounds like it came to him naturally,” Zeke said.

“Yeah, and he was so much bigger than me. I felt so little and helpless in his grasp. But I was never scared by him. And …” she said, pausing as she buried her hands in her face as she tried to conquer her embarrassment.

“It’s okay,” Zeke whispered back softly.

She lowered her hands and continued.

“I had pooped in my diaper, and he began to wipe my bottom clean. I was an awkward feeling, but one that I welcomed. While still holding my legs and bottom in the air, he unfolded a new diaper and placed it underneath me. As he did this, I began to feel like a baby. Here was this guy who was so very endearing and nice to me. And he was caring for me as if I were a baby. It was such a wonderful feeling.”

“You bonded emotions with him,” Zeke said.

“Yeah and I felt a love for him that was different than any other love I had ever felt for anyone,” she continued. “He lowered my legs back down and then powdered me. He fastened my diaper into place. Right at that moment, I finished my bottle. He placed the bottle on the crib mattress and unbuttoned the top of my pajamas. He lifted me out of the pajamas and up into his arms. I rested my head on his shoulders and closed my eyes. His body was so warm and it felt so good to be next to him.”

“He sounds like he was a very attentive Daddy,” Zeke said.

“He was,” Lily confirmed. “I looked up at his face for a moment, but it was still blurry. He kissed my forehead and I returned to resting on his shoulder. He began walking around the room with me in his arms. He bounced me up and down very, very slowly while he patted my bottom and my back. This must have gone on for a few minutes before I finally burped. Then, I became very sleepy. He placed a pacifier in my mouth, and in a matter of a few seconds, I was asleep. And that was the end of my dream.”

“Everybody has a different starting point when they fell in love with infantilism. That is the most incredible, touching story I think I’ve ever heard,” Zeke said with awe in his voice.

“I woke up and had such a collection of butterflies in my tummy, I curled up in a ball and rolled around,” she said, smiling. “And those butterflies return to my tummy every time I get nervous or when thoughts of being a baby enter my mind.”

“Do you have a lot of dreams like that?” Zeke asked.

“Some are a little different, but in every dream, I get to be a little girl again,” she said. “I get to return to that time in every girl’s life when everybody loved her, unconditionally. When she was held and hugged and kissed. Everybody made a fuss over her, and played with her and made her laugh. She could run around and bounce up-n-down and do whatever made her happy. Nobody wanted anything from her, except a smile and to hear her say she loved them.”

“You probably never feel that way as an adult female,” Zeke said.

“Never, but I don’t feel like an adult inside, and as a BabyGirl I don’t have to act like one,” she said.

“How does it make you feel?” he asked.

“You feel safety, security, comfort, and you learn how to trust people with your heart. When you’re bathed and fed and spoken to like a baby, and when someone treats you like a baby, you begin to feel like a baby,” she said, smiling. “It feels wonderful. Your tummy gets a flustered feeling inside. Your skin tingles and you just wanna curl up in a ball and giggle. When you’re not in charge of your life, your senses hunger for someone to take control of you. When you know everything will be taken care of, then you stop worrying and start enjoying yourself…. But that’s a really dangerous wish to have in my heart.”

“Why?” he asked.

“Without the right person who sees it the same way, I’ll not only be disappointed, but I’ll be putting myself in a dangerous situation,” she answered.

“But what if the situation were right, like in your dreams?” he asked.

“Then I’d be in Heaven. I’d be the luckiest girl in the world. A helpless feeling of being little would come over me, and I’d imagine I would find a new sense of love,” she said with a twinkle in her eyes.

“A new sense of love? What would that be?” he asked, inquisitively.

“I have no idea. I have never felt that little before but I anxiously want to know what it feels like,” she admitted.

“Babies have a different wardrobe, toys, accessories, you name it. If you could have any baby item, what would it be? Better yet, dream really big. Name them all.”

“Bright colored pacifiers and stuffed animals galore. Nighties and onesies and Baby Ts and more,” she said, starting to laugh at how she rhymed.

“This is beginning to sound like a song from a musical,” Zeke said with a smile. “How about bath times with bubbles and stories read from rocking chairs? Spaghetti meals and finger food and ribboned pigtails in your hair?”

Lily laughed out loud and then covered her mouth.

“That all sounds wonderful,” she said, enjoying his entertainment. “Keep going. I’ll tell you when you get one wrong.”

“Baby Bottles for nursing and blankets for wrapping. Barbies to play with and cribs for your napping,” he said. “Night lights to brighten your world as you dream. Mountains of pillows to jump on with glee,” he said.

Lily clapped her hands with excitement, and then got quiet remembering where they were.

“One more,” she said while resting her chin on your hands, taken in by how creative he was.

“Footed pajamas that snuggle you sweetly. Diapers that cover your bottom discreetly,” he said as they finished their meals. “Nursery time nighty-nights, soft lullabies. Endless your smile and twinkling eyes.”

“I think you named it all,” she said with a wide smile.

They left Damon’s Grille and entered the mall. It was Lily’s plan to not enter the mall after they ate if she felt uncomfortable. She would say goodbye and polite leave. She had it all worked out in her mind. But she never felt uncomfortable and the butterflies of “nervousness” that plagued her stomach on the way to the mall were gone. They were replaced by butterflies of “elation” that were telling her she was at the beginning of something wonderful.

She had a back-up plan ready to go if her escape plan was needed, but she wasn’t able to get away from him. Her back-up plan was to go to the Bath & Body Works store for what she would call “a necessary purchase”. She would walk into that store and give a signal to her friend Kara who would be working there tonight. Kara would have a fake message to give to Lily that would cause Lily to have to leave immediately. But her escape plan wasn’t needed. So the back-up plan wouldn’t be needed either. She felt it important to go to that store and tell Kara that all was well. So she led Zeke down the Boscov’s mall towards Bath & Body Works.

“I have a dream nursery,” she said as she slowly walked hand-in-hand with him down the mall. “It’s a dream nursery in my mind.”

“Oh yeah? What does it look like?” he asked.

“The walls are pink with colorful butterfly stickers all over the place. There is a crib with pink Disney Princess sheets, and it’s loaded so full with teddy bears that there is just enough for me to lay down in it,” she said as her eyes envision it in her mind. In the far corner of the room, there is a toy chest filled with every toy that I used to play with as little girl.”

“What toys are in it?” he asked.

“My Little Pony, Rainbow Brite, Cabbage Patch Dolls, and Barbies, galore of course,” she said with a giggle and a smile.

“Of course,” he said, smiling.

“Oh! And also She-ra the Princess of Power,” she quickly added. “I bet you don’t know who she is.”

“She-Ra is the sister which He-man never knew he had,” he replied.

She looked at him with a delighted surprise.

“I’m impressed,” she said. “Do you remember how they finally met?”

“No, but I remember he met her in the cartoon movie that was released to the theaters,” he answered trying to recall.

“How did they meet?”

“I don’t remember either,” she admitted, laughing. “I was hoping you knew.”

She paused for a moment, looking over at him. There had to be something wrong with him. He couldn’t possibly be this good. Up to this point, he hadn’t over-stepped her boundaries once. He had no idea where she lived, and he didn’t pressure her to tell him.