"Will you clean up when you are done?" asked Abby's grandpa, hanging up his lab coat. "I've got to get ready for my flight. Be sure to lock everything up and turn off the lights."
"Sure thing Pops!" She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. The old man's white mustache tickled her face. "Good luck in London with your seminar." He smiled at her as he walked out of the lab. Abby continued to organize the various parts scattered across the table. A giant mess always followed her grandpa around. He may be one of the best inventors in the world, but he could not clean up to save his life.
On the other hand, Abby liked everything in neat containers with labels that made it easy to find equipment. Spending a lot of time in the lab growing up, she had developed a knack for working on mechanical and electrical objects. At just ten years old, she had taken apart and fixed the family's toaster oven. Alongside her grandpa, Abby had been exposed to all sorts of crazy inventions over the years.
It took Abby another 20 minutes to get everything in order. The lab, located on the college campus, was extensive. The main room was a big circle, located in the old observatory, and filled with various workstations. Smaller rooms around the perimeter were from specialized testing and equipment, as well as storage. The government funded about 60% of projects Abby's grandpa and team worked on. They created specialized tools for the military, FBI, and other branches of the government. 30% of the work was experimental, sanctioned by the university, and sometimes subsidized by probably private companies. Abby's grandpa was allowed to spend the rest of his time on projects of his own. These were the ones she helped with the most.
Abby walked into Testing Room 4, where her favorite invention was going through final testing. It did not look like much at first glance. Most would probably assume it was a communications device, as it was reminiscent of an old cell phone or walkie-talkie. However, the invention was much more than that. It was a working shrink ray. Abby never thought such a thing would be more than science fiction. She picked it up, examining the sleek black case, control buttons, and antenna sticking out of the top. The device didn't have to be that big since the energy needed was created from the fusion of two very powerful but tiny cells.
The shrink ray was in the final phases of testing. Everything was in order for it to move past the prototype stage, successfully passing all the safety tests. In fact, it could shrink and regrow living organisms with no observable adverse side effects. They had started with plants and then moved to animals when they were sure it was safe. Abby hated that her grandpa used live animals, but it did go to show that the shrink ray was safe. It had not been tested on humans yet, but there was a 98% chance that it would have no harmful effects. Regardless, the primary purpose of the device was to shrink objects, not living things. Abby's grandpa could probably make a fortune by selling it to a shipping company; however, he was unsure what he was going to do with it yet.
For a while, Abby had been fascinated with the idea of shrinking. Shows like Honey We Shrunk Ourselves and Ant Bully made her wonder what it would be like to be tiny. She also fantasized about having a shrunken person as a pet. Now she was holding a real-life shrink ray in her hand. Just for fun, Abby aimed it at the table across the room and fired. A beam of bright light shot out. Almost instantly, the table began to shrink and was reduced to the size of a matchbox. Abby picked it up, marveling at the tiny details. She had seen it work many times before, but it still amazed her every time. By changing some settings, she was able to return the table to its normal size.
As Abby prepared to leave, she got an impulse to take the shrink ray. Her grandpa would be away for two weeks, and none of the other lab technicians were aware of the device. No one would know if she had a little fun with it.
Abby only felt a small twinge of guilt after she dropped the shrink ray into her backpack and left. The air was warm with summer approaching. Abby popped her headphones in as she walked to the bus stop. She was listening to Alice in Wonderland, one of her favorite books, which ironically contained shrinking. Only half listening, Abby thought of the things she could do with her grandpa's invention. She could show it to her friends Carmen and Luke. They would definitely be impressed.
Abby also thought it would be funny to prank her brother by shrinking his stuff. Even more mischievously, she was also tempted to shrink him. Or better yet, Gavin, her pervy ex-boyfriend. Abby could finally put him in his place if he were only an inch or two tall. Caught up in these thoughts, she barely noticed the 30-minute bus ride to her house. Dinner was in the oven when she arrived, so she slipped her backpack with the shrink ray under her bed for safekeeping. Abby pushed all thoughts of it out of her head for the night. The next day, she decided she would...
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