Lilly is on her hands and knees in the middle of the thick, knotted cream rug, the soft fibres pressing into her bare palms and the tops of her bare feet. Her baby-blue floral dress has ridden up, the frilled hem fluttering against the backs of her thighs, exposing the thick white padding that crinkles softly with every tiny shift of her weight.
Blonde Barbie dolls lie scattered around her—one still carefully posed in a pink ballgown, the other sprawled on its back with its plastic legs at awkward angles. She is completely absorbed, murmuring little baby voices under her breath, the quiet click-clack of plastic limbs the only sound besides the low murmur of the television.
Behind her, mummy is curled into the corner of the beige sofa, tablet glowing in her hands, the soft blue light reflecting off her face. The living room smells faintly of fabric softener and the warm, slightly musty scent of the carpet. For a few precious minutes the only thing Lilly can feel is the gentle bulk between her legs and the cool air on the backs of her thighs
Her face freezes mid-play. Heat floods her cheeks. She feels the sudden, warm, heavy give of her nappy as it fills, the padding swelling and softening against her skin. The thick plastic rustles loudly in the quiet room. A sharp, unmistakable smell—warm, sour, and deeply personal—begins to rise from between her legs and drift across the rug.
Lilly stays exactly where she is, still on all fours, dolls clutched in her hands, too embarrassed to move. The wet heat spreads, clinging to her skin, the once-crisp padding now heavy and squelching slightly whenever she shifts her knees. She can feel mummy’s eyes leave the tablet. A soft, resigned sigh. The quiet thud of the iPad being set aside