In these age regression short stories, at least one person ages in reverse or experiences a more sudden reduction in their age.
Age Regression Short Stories
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Mrs. Button goes to the hospital for the birth of her first child. Mr. Button soon follows to see how everything went. Doctor Keene is upset and cuts ties with the Button family. The nurses are startled and unhelpful. Mr. Button is finally led to his newborn and discovers the reason for everyone’s shock.
This story can be read in the preview of F. Scott Fitzgerald Short Stories.
“The Man Who Never Grew Young” by Fritz Leiber
The narrator stays the same age while those around him get younger. Maot, whom he loves, is getting younger and is a bit restless. The narrator envies those who grow young and doesn’t know why he’s different. He wanders from place to place.
“Old Pipes and the Dryad” by Frank Stockton
A seventy-year old man known as Old Pipes lives in a hill-side cottage with his mother near a village. Every afternoon he plays his pipes outside, which causes the flocks that are grazing on the hills to come in. He’s paid a small salary for this by the village, which he and his mother live on. Unbeknownst to him, the flocks no longer respond to his pipes. With his advanced age, he doesn’t have the strength to play loudly enough anymore, and he can’t hear the deterioration. A few children bring the animals in every day. The villagers continue paying him anyway.
Read “Old Pipes and the Dryad” (PDF Pg. 277)
“The Rememberer” by Aimee Bender
A man experiences rapid, reverse evolution. He goes from man to ape to sea turtle, losing about a million years a day. A biology teacher estimated the process would take about a year, but it seems to be going faster than that.
“Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Dr. Heidegger invites four old acquaintances over to take part in an experiment. He claims that a friend of his discovered the famed Fountain of Youth and has given him a bottle. The guests are invited to partake of the liquid.
I’ll keep adding short stories about age regression or reverse aging as I find more.
