Stories of Human Miniaturization: Part 2

Picks up the stories of a shrunken group of teenagers from Part 1

Followed from Part 1


Chapter One

Trina sat back in Fiona’s hand, her back against the palm, legs hanging off the edge, staring up at her friend’s massive face, with a wide grin of amusement. Her head was propped at the base of the thumb, which bulged slightly like a pillow with extra flesh. She smiled up at her friend.
“You look like you’ve never seen a tiny before,” she said up to the giant face, breathing out to amplify her voice as much as she could, so she could be heard. Fiona did hear her, smiling wider.
“Seeing little Huey didn’t count,” she said, “I was a distance away, and only said a few things to him. And I didn’t know him that well. I’ve been your friend since you were six. So this is really neat.”
“It’s the way I am now,” Trina said, propping herself up with her elbows, “The change is permanent.”
“I’m certain I’ll get accustomed to it,” Fiona said, “But for now, I just need to take the sight of you in.”
“And I need to take in the sight of you, which is…big.”
Fiona chuckled, sending a wave of warm air from her nostrils at Trina, who cringed. She felt small flecks of moisture. So gross, she thought.

Across town, Sybil knelt on the floor of her room, sliding a drawer closed. Her bedroom door opened, and Elsa intruded in. “What?” she asked in annoyance.
“Is your friend still coming over? Do you know when he’ll be here?”
“I don’t know when he’ll be here. But he’s not here yet.”
“I thought I heard a person at the front door.”
“It was a delivery person. A regular delivery. Not my friend.”
With that, Elsa left, closing the door behind her. When she was satisfied that her younger sister was gone, she slid open the drawer slowly, reaching in. Nosy eight year olds were so annoying, she thought.
Cal felt the whole ‘room’ move, and saw the bar of light appear, and then widen. A hand came into view, moving around wildly as if searching for him. It reached him, bumping him with a knuckle on the back of a finger. The hand turned over, and fingers slid around him and closed, wrapping him up to his shoulders. He tried to pull his arms free, but the huge hand was too tight. At least he could breathe.
He was pulled out of the drawer, and held in front of Sybil‘s face. “My sister is keen to see you,” she said, “Stupid girl is getting suspicious that you’re here.”
“Your parents know I’m here,” he said. He’d met them when he’d come out from the box he’d been carried here in. They’d been quite friendly, though Sybil insisted on taking him somewhere private.
“I told them not to tell her,” She said, “I’m certain they will anyway. I don’t want to share my new toy.”
“I was your toy before,” he said, wriggling in her hand, but it only closed tighter around him.
“We were dating then, and we both…amused each other. Now I’m the one being amused.”
“That’s an interesting way to call it,” he said, “I thought I’d been more effective when we…”
“Please,” she said, looking away in distaste, then back, “You have a lot lacking in that area.”
“Well I do now,” he said, “Everything about me is tiny.”
“It was tiny before. Your whole body is still bigger than it was.”
“Ouch,” he said, wincing. He knew it wasn’t true, she was only saying it to be vindictive.
“But we’ve broken up, and now we’re just friends. And I get to play with you as I see fit,” she said.
“You could loosen your hand,” he said, “it’s getting kind of sweaty. Your sweat, and it’s quite gross.”
She chuckled, and then reached up and set him down on her shoulder. An earring hung down from her ear, just within reach if he’d tried to. He sat down, his legs down her front. Strands of her golden hair hung down like wayward wires, what wasn’t put up when she’d tied her hair.
“So what do you want to watch?” she asked.
They picked a movie, and they watched on her TV in the room. He stayed on the cloth of her shirt, and she kept herself straight so he wouldn’t fall. He didn’t have to yell to be heard, which was nice.


Ten years earlier… There were rumors of scientists perfecting the ability to shrink living things. Decades of research, and some quantum physics breakthroughs, made the concept of something once thought impossible…a reality. Animals were shown at fractions of their natural size, first in videos and pictures, which could be faked, and then out in public, which could only be real. And news outlets put information and articles out about it occasionally. It caused debate, of course, especially when someone brought up the idea of shrinking humans. Everyone seemed to be against that, and scientists warned it would never happen…to many ethical dilemmas, they claimed.
Until one day, a university professor sat down with an interviewer, on a global news station. He had a box with him, and set it on a table between their chairs. Probably more shrunken animals, most assumed. The interview was a typical one, with the professor answering the pointed questions from the interviewer about what was now called “Miniaturization”. He brought up ethical issues, and the fact that animals could not give consent to be miniaturized. And how regrowth of the organism back to its original state never seemed to happen. “Well, it is meant to be permanent,” the professor said, “The process to reverse it just too expensive and resource intensive. And very hard and painful on the animal physically. So an individual that is miniaturized will stay that way.”
“Doesn’t that make it even more unethical?” the interviewer asked.
“We’ve been able to save countless species from extinction in the last few years by doing this. Creatures that no longer have a place in the wild will now be able to roam free, with plenty of room.”
The interview continued that way, until the interviewer eventually brought up, “What about fears that the process will one day be used on humans?”
“Governments will have to be very quick to put bans and protections in place,” the professor said, “and the process is so expensive that only well-funded labs and universities will have that ability. There will be no so called mad scientists shrinking people against their will. And we’ve already been in talks with government officials, regulators and even elected legislators behind closed doors, to discuss this. It’ll be a very heavily regulated process. And the technology is very well protected.”
“You speak as if human shrinkage is closer than a few years down the road,” the interviewer said.
The professor chuckled, “It’s actually much closer than people realize. It’s actually here.”
“So you’re saying you can do this…miniaturization now?” the interviewer asked, doubt in his voice.
“Yes, we can. We’ve gotten through all the barriers that prevented it. Legal and physical.”
“And how do you expect to find people willing to do this? If you ever were able to actually shrink a person, no one in their right mind would ever consent to do such a thing! Especially if it’s permanent.”
Truthfully…we already have.” He smiled, and reached over to the metal box, unlatched the sides from the bottom, and lifted the top off, leaving the contents on the table. Inside was a platform, with a row of tiny figures standing. Each seemed to be just a few inches tall. They waved their hands in greeting.
“Oh my…” the interviewer gasped, leaning on for a closer look. The tiny people turned their heads up and toward him. His microphone caught faint, high pitched voices greeting him.
He leaned back, and looked at the professor, aghast. “These are real people!”
“Yes, they are. All volunteers. All shrunk down to three inches tall.”
A few more high and squeaky voices, as the little people talked up to the man in the chair. He looked down at them, and whispered a few things. More tiny voices answered. Then, after a few short unheard conversations, he turned back to the professor. “This is incredible! And you say this is permitted?”
“All legal,” the professor said, “we got permissions from the Government, and followed strict protocols. And all subjects were well aware of what they were agreeing to.” A few more high voices came from the group, as the interviewer looked from them to the professor.
What followed was a barrage of questions, both to the interviewer and the row of tiny people. The interviewer was clearly amazed, and couldn’t take his eyes off the diminutive men and women on the table in front of him. The camera zoomed in on them, to see smiling and enthusiastic faces. All were eager to answer his questions, and didn’t show any signs of unhappiness at their present state.

Bridget stood there silently, as those around her talked to the enormous interviewer. A set of fingers placed a microphone on the table in front of their platform, the size of a half basketball. And the interviewer leaned in and asked questions in a soft and gentle voice. For someone who didn’t know in advance that he’d be interviewing minis, he seemed very quick to pick up how to talk to them. The professor did advise him to “speak softly and slowly, or you‘ll come across as a thunderstorm.”
“How much contact have you all had with the outside world so far?” he asked.
The girl next to Bridget, a slender girl with short blonde curly hair, spoke up, “We’ve been insulated very well, with only a few short excursions into…what you’d call the real world.” She was a talkative one, and no surprise she would answer many of the questions. She went on about the small model town they lived in, a main street with old fashioned buildings appearing to be made from brick. They were plastic of course, but they looked real. Their houses were off to the side of the main street, each one got their own home. Those were mostly plastic as well, with some doll house furnishings inside. It was a surreal way to live, they all felt like they were living in a doll’s world. Bridget felt like a doll sometimes. She’d been small longer than most of them, and had been acclimated to it with far more interaction with the real world. Bare plastic and cardboard walls and vast open spaces, with no decoration or pretty facades. She knew she was tiny, every second of the day. And she’d adjusted well, in her opinion.
“And this change is permanent,” the interviewer said, “Are all of you fine with being this way for life?”
“We are all fine with it,” another of the people in the row said, a young man, “We knew going into it that there was no going back. Each of us accepted that. Otherwise, more people might have tried it.”
Bridget knew that wasn’t true…not everyone did it planning to stay forever. She didn’t. She was one of the very few that knew the truth, the change was reversible. And she had the opportunity to grow back whenever she wanted. Once the public spotlight passed them by, of course. It wouldn’t be a pleasant process, she knew. Before she’d undergone the process, while preparing for it, former subjects who worked at the lab as researchers would say, “I don‘t envy you.” They’d been the first to be shrunk, the very first test subjects. And all had returned to their natural size.
“Why not?” she asked, sitting in a thin gown on the exam table as they scanned her body and took samples for various tests. She was nervous enough about this at the time. “Is being small that bad?”
“Being small wasn’t bad,” one woman had stated, “It was disorientating, and definitely the strangest experience of my life. And I was glad when it was over. But it wasn’t awful. The awful part was the growing back.” It was a slow process, and like having an illness. One was barely conscious, but when they were, they were nauseous and sore over every inch of their body. Constant dizziness, ringing ears, dehydration…some former subjects that she’d met claimed that they’d preferred to stay small if they’d known how had the regrowth was. But she’d intended to stay small for a longer time than them, and that terrible process would be well into her future. Even now, she was in no hurry to get back.
The interviewer asked a question, “So who was the first to do this? We any of you among the first?”
“I was,” a voice blurted out, and Bridget looked down the line to see Terri address the building sized man. “I worked in the lab, as they tested animals. And when they first brought up the idea of doing it to humans, I was curious. And they asked one of us to volunteer. I did.”
“And you did it, know it was permanent?”
“Yes,” Terri lied. In truth, Terri had been one of the first subjects to miniaturized, one of the lab workers who had decided to try it. And she’d hated the regrowth process. But not being small. So when they were looking for longer term subjects, she volunteered…again. “I’m not doing the growth process again,” she had stated, “I’m just going to stay small.”
“Are you absolutely sure?” the other researchers asked, certain she’d change her mind. They were wrong. “I’m absolutely sure,” she had said defiantly. And now, she had no interest in getting big again. The option was available to her, just like for Bridget. But she fully intended to stay small as long as she could stand it. And it seemed she was perfectly happy to stay that way for the rest of her life. Bridget thought that was crazy. But she herself did not know when she’d be returning to normal. She was finding life while small, while difficult and challenging at times, to be quite interesting.
“How unnerving was being shrunk to such a small size, and being the only one so small?” He asked.
“It was terrifying,” Terri recounted, “Everything was so big. Everyone I knew was huge. Everything I knew was…so much bigger than me now. Even things I considered small were bigger than me. And people’s movements…you’re never aware of how much people move, even when idle. They shift their feet, lean from one side to another, pivot their bodies or move their heads. They unknowingly do things with their hands all the time. All that is quite noticeable to a much smaller person. And disconcerting.”
“Did you ever adjust? Or is every day a nightmare?”
Terri laughed, “It’s not a nightmare. It never was that bad. It was just…it threw me off. And it took some getting used to, and a lot of mental effort on my part. But I did adjust. I got used to it…somehow.”
“Do you regret it at all?” the interviewer asked.
“No. I have no regrets. My world changed so much that day. I myself changed. Everything has been different since, one life stage ended and a completely new one began. But I’ve settled in, so they say. It became my new normal. But this is who I am now. I like who I am, and I like being small.”
“Interesting,” the interviewer said thoughtfully, then asked another question. And a different mini, a young man, answered that one. Bridget was hopeful that she didn’t have to talk at all.
“And how are your family and friends taking this?” he asked.
“Mine are supportive,” Terri said, “They knew it was a decision I pondered heavily.”
“Mine are finding out now,” a girl she knew as Marissa said, “Hi Mom and Dad! I’m tiny now!” She raised her hand and waved, with a wide smiled on her face. She’d been one of the earlier volunteers.
When the interview ended, the cameras went off, the lights got dim, and the interviewer leaned in and thanked them. “I’m really quite surprised seeing all of you, but I’m glad to have met you all.”
They answered that they felt likewise, and thanked him for his kindness. He smiled down at them. Then he got up, towering even more than before.
With the interview over, the professor covered the subjects and closed the box, and the interviewer thanked him. Then, it was over. The world knew.

Afterward, they stood around the platform on the table backstage. They’d been carted back, which was a nice and even ride, and set on the table. Now they could relax. So they milled around, occasionally a big person stopped by to speak with them, and they chatted up to the giant. And then they talked amongst themselves. This was an exciting even, they all knew. And hopefully the beginning of something great. The public finally knew about them. No more hiding, and no more secrets.
Lenny watched as the covered platform was taken away, with the ten little people once again safely hidden from sight. He got up, thanked the interviewer, had a short conversation, and went backstage. There, the cover was off, and the little people were congregating on a table top. A box had been sent down for their transport, but they were still standing around talking, out in the open. Passers-by looked at them oddly as they went on their after show duties.
He went to the group of little people, who broke off their conversations and looked up at him.
“Hi Lenny,” they said all at once in their squeaky voices, getting a smile from him. He crouched down.
“All of you did very well,” he said, “It’s very brave of you to introduce the public to miniatures this way.”
Some responded in their high pitched voices, others smiled on their tiny faces. They told him of their plans to talk with family and friends about their new lives now, and even with visit. That gave him a chuckle. He wasn’t the main researcher behind all of this, but he was one of the more involved scientists. And he was glad they were still enthusiastic about being shrunk.
After a short talk, they started to file into the box, into their seats to strap themselves in for the ride back to their habitat at the lab. But after they’d all went in, one stayed.
Bridget stood at the edge of the table, and he crouched down more so his eyes were even with her. The black haired girl looked at him expectantly across the chasm between the table edge and his chin. She wore a white patterned sundress with thin straps over her shoulders. She looked very much like a doll to his eyes.
“So Bridget, how was it?”
“I think it went well,” she said, “The others are glad to have done this. They liked answering the questions. I just hope the camera didn’t get a clear shot of my face. I don’t want to be recognized.”
“I’m sure you won‘t. The camera doesn’t zoom in that close.”
“I’m glad you talked me into this,” she said, “And the others are more comfortable with it, knowing one of the researches had his own daughter miniaturized.”
“I’m just glad you agreed to it,” he said, “And I know you’re mother likes the sight of you small.”
“Oh, I know she does. All the cuteness and reliance of a baby, but the mental abilities of a full adult.”
“Are you getting along with the others?”
“Yes, very well,” she said, “I have quite a few friends back at the habitat.” They hadn’t mentioned that there were many others back at the lab, who didn’t choose to be on TV.
After a short chat with her father, or his face, he stood up and stepped away. Bridget turned and crossed the table to the “room” where the other minis were waiting. She went in, found her seat, and strapped herself in. She thought back to when her father had first suggested she miniaturize. She’d been working at a restaurant, a job she disliked, but didn’t intent to try going back to college. Her future didn’t look particularly bright. And she still lived at home, with her parents. Hoping to get her own apartment someday. Now, she had a shoebox, but plenty of space.
It had taken some convincing by her parents for her to even consider being shrunk. They promised she’d be able to grow back, despite the cost to the Program. The Program needed more volunteers, and finding them for a secret experiment wasn’t easy. And Bridget seemed like a perfect test subject. So she finally agreed to do it, intending to get back to normal as soon as possible. But now, after months of being small, she was in no hurry. It was different, of course, but it wasn’t agony. And she didn’t have to work, and everything was provided to her. Her evenings of spending time with her massive parents was interesting, and she was used to being carried around. She found herself wondering if being small forever wouldn’t be so bad for her. An odd thought she’d never believe she’d have just a few months ago, when she was feeling helpless and gaping at the huge world around her. Now, with others her size, and conveniences designed just for her, life while small didn’t seem so bad.
…and that was how it went.


Chapter Two

Matilda had finally finished school. At twenty two, she had her life ahead of her. So when she spoke to her parents not long after, when they asked, “Are you still thinking about being miniaturized?”
She answered, “Not so much just thinking about it anymore. I’ve been planning on it for a long time.”
They were disheartened. Their young daughter had been talking about it for years, since her teens, and mentioning it since before she was a teenager. A few jokes when she was twelve soon became hypothetical situations when she was fourteen. By her late teens, she admitted it was always in the back of her mind. Whenever she thought about her future, she thought about it from the perspective of being three inches tall. It was something she wanted to do, she knew it deep down.
“Most of those miniaturized are old,” they reminded her, “In their fifties or older. And those younger are childless couples. There won’t be many people your age.”
“There will be some,” she told them, “I’ll have no difficulty making friends that are like me. And my current friends won’t stop being friends. I’ll just be really small to them.”
“What about your career?”
“When I was in school, I checked to make sure they had jobs in my field in the communities. They have plenty of demand for my degree. I’ll fit in nicely.” The girl smiled, they knew her mind was made up.
“I wanted to do this since I was a child,” she explained, “Though then it was a passing fancy. But as I got older, I knew it was what I wanted. I’ve reconsidered and reconsidered so many times, but I can’t convince myself not to do it. It’s just what I want.”
“To be shrunken?” her father said.
“Yes,” she answered, “To be shrunken. I want to be little. Just a few inches tall is right for me.”
They signed. Poor girl was so strange.


Trina stood in Fiona’s hand, held in front of her face. She could have jumped onto her nose if she’d wanted. Her bare feet on the smooth skin of her palm, she stood straight and faced the giant girl.
“I’m glad you’ve been able to make it back so much,” Fiona said. This was the second visit in a month.
“The ride here isn’t that bad,” Trina said, “It’s very comfortable, even for hours. I don’t have to drive or anything, I just sit and read or whatever. And it’s nice to get away from my family.”
I’m sure it is,” Fiona said, “I’d visit, but…I don’t think I’d be welcomed.”
“You’d crush everyone’s houses,” Trina said, “And we’d have huge footprints in our streets.”
“And I’d probably step on a couple of you,” She said, “Do they even have any doors for big people?”
“No, nothing sized for big people to enter. It’s a dome, so you’d have to crawl near the walls.”
“What do you want to watch?” The big girl asked after a moment.
Trina said a movie, and Fiona lowered her hand, down her chest and stomach to her legs. Trina hopped out of the hand onto the leg, and the hand withdrew. Soon a movie was on, and Trina sat on the fabric of her pants, just short of where they ended and the skin was exposed. Beyond her knee was the TV screen, and Trina sat and watched, as her friend watched from above. These outings were getting fun.
When the movie was over, Trina was laying on her back, on the skin of Fiona’s leg. Her arms were propping her up to keep her head and shoulders raised. Her friend’s skin was smooth, with no stubble from leg hair, which was nice. Trina sat up, and looked up at her friend, who was looking down at her.
“So what now, short stuff?” Fiona asked.
“In the mood for a snack?”
“I am, actually.” With that, Fiona started to rise, her leg inclining. Trina jumped down, as the colossal figure stopped. “Sorry,” Fiona said, “I forgot.” With Trina standing on her bed, she stood all the way. Then she reached down and scooped her up with a cupped hand. Trina lay there as her enormous friend walked. Held just under her breast, which bobbled overhead with each step.
In the kitchen, Fiona set her down on the kitchen table, and then went to root through the cabinets and drawers. She returned and sat down, unwrapping a Twinkie. She took a bite and set it down next to Trina. She heard the whump as the oblong yellow cake hit. “I know how much you like these too.”
“Especially giant ones,” Trina said, stepping over to it and reaching down and pulling off a handful. She dipped it in the white cream, and stepped away. Fiona picked it up again and took another bite.
When she set it down again, Trina swung her leg over it and sat down on the cake. She began taking bits off and eating one after the other. She pushed her hand deep through, getting at the cream inside. When she was satisfied, she got off from it, and a pair of fingers reached down and picked it up. It came back without much left. Trina got a few more bites before signaling to her friend, who loomed over her like the front of a three story building, who picked it up and put the rest of it in her mouth.
“Now that was nice,” Fiona said down to her, “Did you get enough?”
“I got more than you did,” Trina said up to her, “And yes, I got plenty. I love giant Twinkies.”
“Just Twinkies. There’s nothing giant about them. You’re just really little.”
Trina laughed. Fiona stood up, the chair scraping against the ground far below as she pushed it back. And then Trina was back in her hand, walking back to her bedroom. Such an interesting encounter, one she wouldn’t have imagined a year before. Having giant friends was so interesting.
Fiona laid down on her bed, propping her head up so her chin was against her chest. She placed Trina on her chest, just in front of her breasts. Trina sat down and faced her friend. Now they could talk.
“So you don’t mind the size thing at all?” Fiona asked.
“Nope. Not one bit. It’s different…but it isn’t bad. I don’t understand the science fiction shows that have people get shrunk, and they’re so intent on getting back to normal. I don’t see the rush.”
Fiona laughed, and her chest shook underneath Trina, and she sent waves of warm air down at her.
“And the benefits are so good,” Trina went on, “Do you know how little water we drink? One water bottle can last weeks, for us and our neighbors. And food is so plentiful and cheap.”
“You’re doing the environment a major favor by doing all of this,” Fiona said.
“And the vehicle that brings us is solar powered. They charge the cells when not in use. Since it only drives two days a week, one to bring us here, the next to being us back.”
“Neat,” Fiona said, “So tell me more about the town.”
Trina went into detail about their new lives. She’d said all this before to her, but she wanted to hear it again. And there might be details she had missed. Fiona listened with interest, her eyes fixed on the small figure on her chest. Trina thought it odd that talking to a giant face was becoming routine.


Cal stood on the table, casually chatting up with the giants. The three of them were leaning in together, shoulder to shoulder. One was his friend Ted, the others were Ted’s parents. They were not blinking, just looking down at him in wonder. They knew he’d shrunk down to three inches, he’d spoken to them over the phone since then, but they’d never seen him in person. For his first visit with his friend since the ordeal, it was going as expected. He hid his discomfort, as he did every time he interacted with big people. It was all he could do, after all. Hopefully soon they’d get over their amazement and treat him normally. But that had yet to happen to anyone so far.
He’d spent a few hours in a box, in a courier van. The van had shelves of boxes with minis in them, as it went from place to place, dropping them off to their destination. Ted was expecting him, so took the box, thanked the man, and set the box on the kitchen table. The box had opened, and he’d stepped out, to see the three people gazing at him. Luckily Ted’s sister didn’t know he was coming, or there’d be one more looking down at him. He’d suggested they sit, and he’d taken his position and talked to them. Fortunately it was a normal conversation so far, they’d already talked about the process and his new life months before. But he knew they didn’t care what was said, they just wanted to stare.
“I think I’ll let you boys have some time,” the father said, and the mother nodded in agreement. The two got up and left the room, their footsteps echoing in Cal’s ears. Ted looked down at him sadly.
“I hope that wasn’t excruciating, talking to them,” he said.
“Not at all,” Cal said, “They’re nice to talk to.”
“Yeah but…having giants like us looming over you, looking down and gawking at you must be awful.”
Cal laughed, “I don’t mind big people. And I can excuse the gawking the first time, it’s expected.”
“You have to be intimidated by us, aren’t you?” Ted asked.
“Nope, not one bit,” Cal said, “There’s nothing intimidating about buildings or statues, or any large figure, even if they move and talk. Big people don’t make me uncomfortable in the least.”
Ted seemed to accept that, but still had a doubtful look on his face.
Cal had been around ‘big people’ far too often to find it unnerving anymore. After interacting with his grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousins, and now friends, it was beginning to feel ‘normal’.
“So what do you want to do? I’m glad you’re able to visit, but I’m unsure how to keep you entertained.”
“I’ll just watch you play pc games,” Cal said.
“Okay,” Ted said, reaching out and pausing, “Uh, how do I…handle you?”
“Just lay a hand out, I’ll sit in it as you carry me.”
“That seems kind of…weird,” Ted said.
“It’s perfectly normal for people my size to be in hands,” Cal said, “It isn’t weird.”
Ted shrugged, and laid his hand out. Cal stepped into it and sat down. “Just go slow!”
With that, he was lifted up, and Ted carried him slowly to his room.
He was set down on the computer desk, and his friend sat down and loaded up the game.
Cal sat near the keyboard, looking up at the screen, turning to chat with his friend behind him.
Soon, the uncomfortableness faded, and they were acting as if everything was normal again. This was the way things would be from now on, after all, Cal reflected.


Chapter Three

Moira stood on the kitchen counter, as her mother towered over her, her arms working as her body swayed unconsciously. She had walked across the kitchen and climbed the rope past the drawers, to reach this high point in the house. High to her, waist level to everyone else. “Mother,” she said, pushing her voice to be as loud as possible over such a far distance, “How do you want me to help?”
The giant woman looked over and spotted her tiny daughter, against the light colored counter. She smiled, “Well, Dear, you could do some work for me as I make dinner.”
“Yes,” Moira said eagerly. She wanted to be productive. Two giant hands set down on the countertop.
Moira found herself ducking into a paper bag, to see the rounded shapes of tomatoes. She pushed and wedged herself between two of them, and pushed off the one closer to the opening. It rolled about an inch. She got fully behind it, and pushed it, hand over hand. It rolled out of the bag, with her behind it. She rolled it across the countertop, toward the looming woman. “Here’s your tomato.”
“Wonderful, Moira,” her mother said, smiling again. A hand came down and grasped the vegetable, and lifted it away. Moira was out of breath from pushing it, and her Mom just effortlessly picked it up.
Next, she ducked into another bag, a plastic one. She had to pull the opening over her head to get in. Once inside, she pulled out her knife, a small one made for people her size. She knelt next to a stalk of a plant, with leaves that needed to be removed. The stem wasn’t good, but the leaves provided flavor. Each leaf was the size of her hand, and it was time consuming for a big person, and required delicacy. She hacked at the leaves, cutting them off from the stem. Then she gathered them in her arms, and left the bag. She dropped the leaves in a pile, and went back in. She removed all the leaves, and left a good sized pile, which her mother gathered up in her fingers and lifted away.
Moira then found herself slicing a piece of garlic into smaller pieces. To a normal sized person, they’d be flakes, but to her they were slivers. When it was appropriately sliced into a pile, she went back to the space in front of the giant. “I’m all done, Mommy,” she said.
“Wonderful,” she said, “Now, can you slice up this carrot?” She plopped a tree sized carrot down in front of her with a thunk. Moira took her knife, and sliced into the vegetable, cutting off small pieces. Their food would be much finer, she knew.
“Oh, Baby,” her mother said, “I almost forgot to tell you. We’re having another party in a few weeks.”
“Will I have to talk to another couple planning on miniaturizing?” she asked.
“No, nothing like that. You can interact if you want, or you can stay away and avoid the crowd.”
“I like talking to people,” Moira stated, “And I didn’t mind your giant friends the last time.”
“They’re not giants, Baby,” her mother reminded her, “You’re just small.”
“Yeah, I know,” Moira said, “But they’re giants to me. Luckily, they’re nice giants. I don’t know what I’d do if I ever met a mean one. Probably shriek and run away and hope they don’t grab me.”
“No one’s going to grab you,” her mother said, “We keep you safe.”
Moira was thoughtful, then said, “I think I will interact with your guests. As long as I have a method of escape. For when I need my alone time. But I’ll talk to the big people for a few hours.”
“Excellent,” her mother said, smiling a content smile. A hand thumped down and scooped up the carrot shavings Moira was preparing, the tiny girl having to step back to avoid it. Then she went back to slicing up the log sized vegetable, sitting on it as she cut. Life while small was so interesting, she reflected.
When she was done, and after dragging some things across the counter to her mother, and cutting some things, and arranging others, her mother told her she was done. “I’ll save you a trip down to the floor if you’d like,” she suggested.
“Yes,” Moira said, and she was scooped up into a hand, laying in the cupped palm as she was carried the few steps to the kitchen table. She was set down, and hopped out of the hand onto the wood surface. She stood there and waited, as things were set down around her for the meal. Then, her own table and chair were set down, and she took her seat. She watched as the food was set out, and waited for her family members to arrive. Each smiled and waved at her, or said a warm “hello.” As they slowly came and sat down, she went from food item to food item, gathering the food that she’d need. If she got it all early, she could stay clear of the many hands reaching and arms swinging everywhere. Then when the meal started, she had another nice, relaxing dinner with her giant family.
When she was done eating, she strolled around the table, talking up to each of her family members. Her tiny self was a common sight these days, so they interacted with her normally now, without the staring or gawking that had come early on. She was just Moira now, no longer the strange new oddity. Which was good, she was glad they were used to her being small, and considered it normal.
She reached her youngest sister’s place, where the ten year old was making unhappy faces as she ate the vegetables. “I cut those myself, so you better enjoy those,” Moira said.
The huge girl swallowed, and unpleasantness crossed her face, “That must have taken lots of effort.”
“It did. But it was worth it, since I was able to help with making dinner.”
The girl set her fork down with a clang, and rested her arm and hand on the table nearby with a thump. “I was wondering you would want to play with me and Bethany later?” she asked hopefully.
“I’m nineteen years old,” Moira said, “I’m much too old to be playing with dolls.”
“Well…” the girl said slowly, “You wouldn’t exactly be playing with someone. More like someone would be playing with you. And you’re not playing with dolls if you are the doll.”
Moira crossed her arms over her chest, “So you and your friend want to play with me as if I’m one of your dollies?” Her sister nodded. “And manhandle me and dress me up, force me to talk to figurines of plastic, and do all sorts of weird things with my tiny body?”
“Well…” her sister said, her eyes going off to the side as she was trying to think of a response.
“How long have you been waiting to ask to play with me?” Moira said. It was a new request.
“Ever since you shrank. You’d be a fun toy to play with.”
“I’m not a toy,” Moira said, “I have to keep my dignity. Sorry, but I won’t be playing with you…or you won’t be playing with me.” The girl frowned, but Moira was resolved. She turned and stepped away from the humongous child, and hear the fork being picked up and eating noises resume.
She stopped at her brother’s plate, as the boy reached for a glass, took a drink, and set the tank of water down, vibrating the table some. He set his eyes on her and stopped what he was doing.
“How’s your meal, little brother,” she said up to him playfully. He chuckled.
“You’re still my little brother,” she said, “Even if you are taller.”
“If I was only taller, then yes,” he said, “but the only thing you can call little is a dust mite.”
She laughed, then stepped up onto the plate. “Since I’m so little, then I can stroll across your plate.”
“You can,” he said, “Just don’t touch any of my food.”
She stepped a few paces, reaching a biscuit. She bent down and set her upper body on top of the biscuit, laying her arms next to her, so her elbows sank into the bread. “So, are we hanging out tonight?”
“Yes, for sure,” he said, smiling. “I’m going to be working on my model car. And you can help.”
“I actually can,” she said, “I can fit all those tiny pieces in the places they need to be.”
“They’re very delicate,” he said, “It’s hard not to break some things with my fingers.”
“I don’t have enough strength in my whole body that you have in your thumb,” Moira remarked, “So I don’t think I’ll be damaging anything. Can I fit in this car once we’re done?”
“No,” he chuckled, “The scaling isn’t right. You couldn’t fit in the seats. Almost, but not quite.”
“Aw,” she said, “I wanted to pretend to drive, since I can’t actually drive anymore.”
“They don’t let minis have cars?” he asked in surprise.
“We don’t need them,” she said, “Not at the habitat. Everything is close, and meant for walking. Or trains, if we really wanted. And it’s supposed to be ecologically friendly, remember?”
“That’s a good point. But surely you could use a small car to get around when you’re here. Don’t minis have something like that for when they’re in big people’s houses?”
“”Not really. It’s too dangerous. Too many big people walking about for us little people to go anywhere are fast speeds. That’s how we get stepped on.”
“Yikes,” he said. She agreed. Then she stood up, and walked to step off the plate. And crossed the table to the next family member she would bother.
When dinner was over, she went back over to her brother, who was standing up. “Want to join me, short stuff?” he asked as she trotted around a pot and out in front of him. “Heck yeah,” she said.
He reached down and moved to scoop her up, sliding his open hand toward her, and she hopped up onto his palm as it reached her legs. She sat down, and he carried her carefully through the house.
Hours later, his head lay on the pillow, as Moira sat down on the mattress of his bed. She’d helped him with is model, making fine adjustments and tweaking it so it looked much nicer. He’d watched her wander around on her desktop as she worked, careful to reach around her and not to move too quickly to startle her. He was amused by seeing his sister prance around on his desk in front of him, all three inches her. And he’d carried her to his bed when he was tired, satisfied that they had made good progress. And now they talked, about regular things.
“Will you be going back to the habitat soon?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said, looking off into the distance, “But I need to come back for another visit. Mom and Dad are throwing another party, with their adult friends. And they want me there to impress them.”
“You don’t have to do that,” he said, “If they want to show you off, you don’t have to go along with it.”
“I don’t mind,” she said, “And talking to the older people is interesting sometimes.”
“Tell me more about your habitat, and your life there.”
She talked more about her daily life, and the odd things they did to entertain themselves. She didn’t tell him about the community saunas, where everyone was naked, nor the swimming holes, where everyone was naked. OR the random encounters with naked people wherever you went. It seemed an odd thing on the outside, but minis were not opposed to social nudity at all, for some reason. Perhaps that was something to be studied someday. Of course, everything about minis should be studied. People that were willingly shrunk, with no way to get back…it really made little sense to most people.
When he was falling asleep, she climbed up the pillow, and put a hand on his cheek, and kissed the wall of skin. Then she slid down to the mattress, and started walking toward the edge. There was a rush of air above her, and two fingers dipped down in front of her. “Need a lift down?”
“Yes,” she said, turning around to face him. The fingers curled around her midsection, and tightened to where she could barely breathe. She was lifted into the air, glided over the edge, and lowered. The fingers released, and she fell the last few inches to the carpeting. The hand withdrew, and she began walking toward the door. She crossed the room, and exited through the narrow gap in the door. Then it was the long walk down the hallway and to the room where here accommodations were. Another fun day with the family, she reflected. And she still didn’t regret shrinking.
The next day, Moira walked down the hallway, with its high walls and wide swath of carpeting. She passed in front of her sister’s door, and heard voices. Her sister had a friend over, it seemed. It was early afternoon by now, since Moira had spent so much time in her ‘bedroom’. There was a gap between the doorway and door, and she slipped through. She saw to two figures in the middle of the room, playing with their toys. She trudged through the carpeting toward them, and they got bigger and bigger in her view. The pair of ten year old girls looked like buildings to her as she approached, oblivious to her presence. But she thought about how surprised they would be to see her, and she felt a wave of excitement. This was the fun part of being miniature, she thought.
She walked out in front of them, and her sister spotted her first, and smiled. “Hello Moira!”
The other girl looked down, and her mouth dropped open, then close with a smile, and excitement shown on her face. “It’s your tiny sister!” the girl exclaimed. Then looked back at Moira.
“Yes,” the sister said, “Moira won’t let us play with her, but she’s nice.”
“Can I hold her?” the girl asked, still staring, as Moira stood awkwardly.
“Ask her”, Moira’s sister said with a shrug. “Can I hold you?” the girl asked.
“Yes, but be delicate,” Moira said, “Little people are very crushable.”
An open hand reached toward her, blocking out the light. The palm pressed into her, and the fingers closed around her, until she was closed in a fist from her shoulders down. The flesh pressed tightly around her, as she was lifted up into the air. Her stomach seemed to be left behind, however.
The girl held her in front of her face, eyes stuck on her as she studied her. Moira pushed to force her arms to move some, and the grip loosened slightly. She wriggled more, until it loosened so she could breathe and not feel as crushed. She looked back at the girl, and the big, wide eyes.
She was asked questions, and answered. She wanted to sate the child’s curiosity, after all. It was getting hot in the hand, and it began to squeeze some unconsciously. Moira just wriggled more until the grip loosened. Her sister was watching her, no doubt watching bored. There was nothing interesting about Moira anymore, she was just little to her now. Then, Moira started giving vague answers, tired of being asked. Finally, she was lowered. The hand opened, and she slipped through to the carpeting. The hand withdrew, sending a nice breeze at her. She addressed both girl some, and went on her way. They went back to their play, and she crossed the room and left the way she’d come. It had been an interesting encounter, she thought, and what she should expect with children. She’d be sure to avoid them now.


Chapter Four

Cal stood on the dresser, looking up at Sybil. She stood there impatiently, looming like a skyscraper as he stood on the edge of a cliff. She was in her bra, the top of her breasts that seemed to be trying to spill out from the fabric holding them back, with her hand on her waist.
“So what do you want to do now?” she asked.
“Well, we just got done watching a movie. We ate earlier, and thanks for the bit of sandwich by the way. And before that you watched me as I swam in that pot that you filled with water. I’m not sure what else we can do. I know if we were the same size, we’d probably be making out.”
“We definitely would be,” she said, “but since we can’t, now I’m bored.”
“We could play some games or something,” he said, “That time you dropped me into a pillow was fun.”
“Fun for you, not so much for me. You little people are boring. Maybe I’ll take a nap, and let my little sister have you. She’d love to have a littler person to play with.”
“I’d rather not,” he said, unsure if she was serious.
“Then come up with some way to entertain me.”
“Uh…” he started, then realized he couldn’t think of anything.
“Fine,” she said, and she reached out with her hand. She closed her fist around him, and lifted him off the dresser. “You’ll like playing with her, she’s fun.”
“What…wait!” he shouted, as she walked out of the room, and into her sister’s. The girl was playing with some toys on the floor. She looked up, to see Sybil with her closed hand out in front of her.
“Do you want a playmate?” she asked, “My friend Cal has offered to keep you company while I nap.”
The girl’s face lit up, “Yeah!”
Sybil bent down and placed her closed hand on the floor in front of the child, and opened it. “Have fun you two!” She withdrew her hand, stood, and walked away, her shoes thumping on the carpeting.
Cal looked up at the imposing form of the little girl, eagerness showing on her face. He’d feel bad just walking away, the poor child seemed excited. He shrugged, “What do you want to play first?”
And with that, a small hand reached down for him. This would be interesting, he thought to himself.
Not long after, he was back in Sybil’s room. He stood on her bent knee, even with her face.
“How was it?” she asked.
“Fun. Playing with your sister was exciting. It was like being in a movie.” It had actually been tiring.
“I enjoyed my nap, if you were wondering.”
“I wasn’t, but that’s good to know.”
“Now, you can entertain me for a change. Tell me about your little friends.”
With that, he started talking about the people he knew back in the community. She listened, boredly.


Matilda stood on the coffee table, next to a stack of magazines as tall as she was. Her family knelt beside at the edge, looming over her now. She put her hands on her hips, letting them take in the sight of her. Nearby was the box she’d been brought in, by the courier that did transportation for the community. She’d been there a month, and had decided it was time to visit. So now her parents and siblings looked down on her, smiling or just staring. It wasn’t much of a shock for them, she’d been talking about this for years. Now that she’d finally done it, she was relieved.
“That’s a nice outfit,” her mother said.
“Thank you,” Matilda said, twirling around so they could get a good view. She’d made it while she was big, spending hours cutting the cloth and getting the proportions right. She had many such outfits, and all fit her perfectly now, she had found. Making the work that much more fulfilling.
“Is it scary?” her sister asked.
“Not at all,” Matilda said, “You’re just all a lot bigger than before. It’s not like I’m only an inch tall.”
“How is the community?” her father asked. She’d talked to them from there, so she went and repeated much of what she’d said before. “There aren’t many people my age, as expected, but I’ve found a few friends. Trina is a bit younger, and Audrey is a bit older. Jinni is my age though, and so it Keri. They were like me, planning on doing it from a young age. Kassie did it because her parents did, though, she’s a year younger than me. But that’s all the women close to my age, it’s a good thing we get along.”
Her family tried to hide their amazement at the tiny girl that was their daughter, but she knew it was an unusual sight. They’d get used to it, she knew.
As they knelt there, they tried to talk about regular things, but she knew they were holding things back. They wanted more details about her shrunken life, but there really weren’t any. There were some oversized flowers and things at the community, but she really hadn’t been exposed to the outside world, not until her visit here. This was her first experience with the reality that she was shrunken.
Her youngest sister broke in, “Can we…um…” she looked at her sister and parents, “Can we…hold you?”
Matilda sighed, she knew this would come. She’d told herself that she wouldn’t allow herself to be held or manhandled by them. But here and now, it seemed a trivial thing. “Ok, you each can hold me.”
With that, the young girl laid her hand out in front of Matilda, with her palm up. Matilda stepped onto it, her feet feeling the softness, and as she stepped, she could feel the bones in the hand under her feet.
The hand rose slowly, they’d obviously thought this through with how gentle she was being. But Matilda still struggled to keep her balance. The hand stopped in front of the girl’s face. Matilda stood there, letting the huge eyes inspect her. She could see the intricate detail in her irises, and her own reflection in the black pupils, as the eyes bored into her. After a few moments, the hand moved away, and she swayed with the movement, again trying to stay balanced. The hand glided over, until being met near her arm by another hand, from her other sister. She stepped from one hand to the other, this one was slightly long and wider, but still just as soft. She was brought in front of the top of the bridge of the nose, with eyes on either side. She examined the irises as she herself was examined, they were the same shade of hazel. The nose had light freckles, she saw, too light to see at much of a distance.
She was handed over to her mother, and then her father. His hands were bigger and his skin rougher, as expected with a man. He set her down on the table again, and the four of them were grinning, having enjoyed the experience. Matilda walked over to the stack of magazines, and climbed up to the top. She walked to the center, feeling the smooth film of the paper under her bare feet.
“So now that we’ve gotten that out of the way,” she said, “What else do you want to know?”
The topics of conversation went back to what they’d been before, the group seemed satisfied at that point. She didn’t tell them she’s already met a boy there, Hugh was a few years younger than her, but they both liked each other and would soon be dating, she was sure. But that was normal type of conversation, and they clearly weren’t in the mood to hear about mundane everyday things. What she’d done was extraordinary, unthinkable just a few years before. When she was born, there was no way to know she’d live her life so small. But here she was, and she was much happier for it. Things were much more exciting now, even here with her family was a thrill. They were so big, and she so small.

Afterward Matilda was back at the community, walking with Hugh in one of the parks. Others strolled by as the couple chatted. They stopped at a fountain and sat on the edge of the basin. Hugh was talking about the last visit with his family, and sitting inside his sister’s purse. Matilda winced at the mention of it.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“You, in a purse of all places,” she said, “Putting us in places like that seems to disrespectful.”
“I consented to it,” he said, “It isn’t so bad to travel, though occasionally things fall on me. Luckily the things my sister carry aren’t heavy. And it’s better than a stuffy pocket.”
“A pocket!” she said, aghast, “You’ve really been stuffed into someone’s pocket?”
“Yes,” he said, “My sisters and brother carry me anyway they can.”
“Why not just sit inside a comfy box, and have them carry the box,” she said, “That’s how I travel.”
“It’s a lot for them to carry,” he said.
“No it’s not. It’s barely anything! It’s like carrying a box with a cupcake in it. Except I’m the cupcake.”
“It’s still a lot of trouble for them, it’s just easier to sit in a purse or a pocket.”
“Ugh,” she grunted, “So undignified. We are small, but we’re not mice. We have to keep our dignity.”
“It isn’t that undignified,” he said, “It’s just pragmatism. It isn’t like we’re ever going to be back to normal size again, looking at them eye to eye. Might as well go into small places if we fit.”
“It still seems so disrespectful,” she said, “Being stuffed places. Do your sisters take you anywhere…”
“They take me into the bathroom,” he said, “I stay on the floor, I don’t see more than their leg.”
Matilda made a horrified face.
He added, “I did have to hand her a hygiene product one time.”
“Ew,” she said, “At least you didn’t have to help put it in.”
“No, that would have been too disturbing.”
“So you’re content to just be carried around, like a pet or a trinket or something?”
“Not a pet,” he said, “I’m just easy to carry. It’s just part of being small. I don’t feel lessened by it.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, “It seems pretty demeaning.”
“It doesn’t have to be. I don’t let it affect my self-confidence, I still feel proud of who I am. That’s the important thing, that you keep your pride. You can do disrespectful things, but as long as you don’t let yourself feel less by it. And make sure others don’t either. Regular people can play in the mud, it doesn’t make them animals. We just need to respect ourselves, it doesn’t matter if we’re carried or tossed.”
“Tossed?”
“Yes, tossed. It’s actually a lot of fun. My siblings and friends like to drop me into pillows. Really fun.”
“Ugh,” she grunted again, feeling a shudder come on.
“It’s all in fun, Matilda,” he said, “We have a great opportunity to do fun things, things no one else can do. We should take advantage. It may be a little silly, or lose us a little respect, but that’s what fun’s for.”
“You do have a point,” she admitted.
“I mean,” He added, “We’re tiny people. So why not do things that tiny people would do. There’s no reason to hold ourselves to the standard of big people, and avoid things they don’t do. Because we’re not like them anymore. Little people so things differently, we’re not afraid of losing a little face.”
She signed. His argument made sense. When she’d done this, she’s promised herself she wouldn’t let herself be carried around in people’s hands or stuffed into bag or boxes. But now, that really didn’t make much sense, there was not much reason for that. She was a tiny, might as well act like it at times.


Chapter Five

Trina watched her cousin work, as she attempted to be a tutor. A tiny tutor, at just over three inches tall. The humongous boy made unhappy and intense looks at the paper as he wrote. Then he scratched something out, seemed to think some, then write some more. Making a loud commotion as he did. She felt a slight chill in the air, she was wearing simple shorts and a t-shirt, lighter than what she usually wore when out of the Habitat. For two years she had worn the custom dresses her grandmother had made for her, but sadly they did not fit any more. She’d been sixteen when she’d been fitted for them, and while still skinny, now she was broader in the shoulder and hips, and had more in the chest. And she was taller too, if she were regular sized she’d be a couple inches taller than two years earlier. Unnoticeable to a regular sized person, all they ever noticed was her short brown hair and sliver of a body.
“You might want to rethink that last answer,” she said to him, looking over his paper. He looked up at her questionably.
“You should add something,” She told him, “to give a more complete answer.”
“Are you going to critique everything I write?” he asked his tiny cousin.
“It’s why I’m here, isn’t it?” she asked, “Otherwise, I could go out and about, getting into stuff.”
He sighed, and scrawled some more on the paper, the pencil making a grinding noise to Trina’s ears.
She sat on a stack of books, her legs trailing down the spine of one, and her feet kicking the top of another. Studying supplies lay scattered about, and a stack of papers lay in the open area in front of the looming boy. Her father’s sister’s son was just a few years younger than her, and taking the high school classes she once took. She’d been big then, at her old school. So even though it was a few years for her, it still seemed a long time ago. Everything that happened when she was big seemed long ago.
“What about this question?” he asked, thumping a finger on the next paragraph on the page.
“What does it say?” she asked, then said, “Never mind,” and pushed off and hopped down from her perch. She walked across the desk top, stepped onto the page, and went to the paragraph. He’d miss things when reading aloud, so she trusted herself to read better. Her eyes scanned the large lettering, then she looked up at him, as he looked down on her curiously. “It wants you to…” she explained.
She walked back to the stack of three books, and climbed back up to the front cover of the top book, and sat at the edge, her previous spot. He wrote what she’d told him to write.
“I wish I could bring you to the test,” he said, “You could sit on my shoulder and tell me the answers.”
“I’m not helping you cheat,” she said flatly, “You’re supposed to learn, not just pass tests.”
“Yeah, I guess minis aren’t that much of a secret,” he said, “You’d be discovered and I’d be in trouble.”
“You’d be in trouble? I‘d be the one in trouble,” she said, “Sneaking into a high school that I don’t attend…and an adult like me helping a child take his tests…I’d be in huge trouble.”
“You’re not an adult,” he said, looking up and looking her over, “You’re a kid, just like me.”
“I’m eighteen now,” Trina said, “And I’ve graduated school and gotten my diploma. The rules work differently for you once you’re a full adult. I might be small, but I’m a grown woman.”
He shrugged, and said, “You don’t look like a grown up,” and went back to writing his clumsy answers.
“Ugh,” she grunted, wondering why she kept volunteering to help him. Maybe it made her feel smart.
He read out a few more questions to her, and Trina did her best to explain the answers, but he didn’t want an explanation, he just wanted to know what to write. Trina was getting frustrated.
There was a knock on the door. He stopped writing and put his pencil down. “Yes?” he asked.
A girl came in, smiling. “Hello,” she said playfully, “I thought I’d give you a break from studying.”
“I absolutely need a break,” he said, “Did my Mom let you in?”
“Yes,” the girl said, taking some approaching steps. Trina got up and scampered across the book, and lowered herself on the other side, out of sight of the towering girl as she reached his side.
He stood up, and the girl giggled as he reached his arms around her lower back. She led him to the bed, and Trina looked out from behind a cola can to see they were making out. “Ugh,” she voiced.
She sat down on the opposite side of the can, resting her back against the metal. Unfortunately, she couldn’t just leave, there was no way to get down off the desk, and the girl had closed the door.
Trina waited and waited, moving to behind the stack of books, getting more and more annoyed. But at least she didn’t have to hear the never ending kissing noises. It got boring, but there wasn’t a way to go anywhere else. Finally, there were footsteps and the opening and closing of the bedroom door. “Finally,” she said, getting up and walking around the corner of the books, and out into the open.
She walked out to the open area of the desk, and saw to her surprise the girl was sitting there on the bed, hands folded in her lap. She was looking toward the window, looking blissful. Trina let out a curse, and turned and walked back to her hiding spot. Suddenly the girl’s head turned in the general direction of the desk. Trina sat behind the books, as a she heard footsteps thumping. Then, the books slid away, and light poured into her dark corner. She looked up, to see the shadowed face of the girl, looking down at her in surprise. “What in the world…” the giant girl said. Her eyes locked onto Trina, who smiled awkwardly up at her. “Hello,” Trina said weakly.
“A little person!” the girl said, shock on her face, “Wow.”
“Yep,” Trina said, “We exist. There are a lot of us, haven’t you seen one before?”
“No,” the girl said, “Never. I heard…but never actually saw one.”
“You’ve never seen a mini?” Trina said in surprise, “You don’t know a single person who knows someone? Or caught sight of one in a restaurant or at a festival or something?”
“No, never,” the girl said, “There aren’t that many of you, are there?”
“No, there aren’t. And we don’t exactly walk down the street, and if we did, you wouldn’t know.”
The girl’s expression changed, “Were you watching us?” she accused.
“No!” Trina said, “I’m helping him with his schoolwork.”
“But he’s not doing schoolwork,” the girl said, “He’s being with me.”
“He was, until you interrupted,” Trina said, crossing her arms and giving her an annoyed look.
“So he knows you’re here?”
“He did, but it seems he forgot.”
“Then why didn’t you leave?”
“There’s no rope hanging down for me to escape. No elevator, and no other way down.”
“Why not just drop onto the chair, and then to the ground?”
“That’s a two story drop. That’s like falling off the roof of a house. I’m not dropping that far.”
“So you’re stuck here, until someone lets you down,” the girl said smugly, grinning.
“Yep,” Trina said, “Could be awhile, since he doesn’t come here very often, with the schoolwork here.”
The girl chuckled, “I’ll let you down. I don’t want you watching us.”
“Good, just set me on the floor, and have the door open enough for me to get through.”
The girl extended her hand, opening it and reaching for her. The palm approached, and Trina inhaled. The flesh wall slapped against her, and closed around her. She was enclosed, feeling herself being squeezed from all sides. Then she felt a sensation as if she were falling, as she was lowered. She couldn’t breathe, and felt as if she were being crushed. Then the hand opened, and she dropped, her feet landing in the carpeting. The hand retreated, and the girl was looking down at her, her face just a stones toss away. “Now go, tiny girl, be free,” she said.
“That was rough,” Trina said, “Please don’t hold any small people in the future. You’ll crush somebody.”
“Uh, sorry,” she said, “I’ve never held a whole person in my hand before.”
“Obviously,” Trina said, and she turned away from the massive girl and started walking away. She heard the girl stand up behind her, and looked over her shoulder to see her watching her leave. Trina reached the doorway, and went through the gap between the door and frame, out into the hallway. She would go to see her aunt and uncle, reaching them after a long walk through the house. They were due a visit. And she would definitely tell them being a tutor wasn’t working out at all.


Chapter Six


Nearly ten years earlier, Bridget was at dinner with her family. The tiny girl sat near the middle of the table, with her family members looming at the edges, with expansive plates in front of them, piled with food. She sat next to a bowl of noodles, the side coated in condensation, the smell thick in the air. She had her down plate, with bits and chunks her mother had prepared for her. She had to eat with her hands, as there were no utensils for her. She scooped it up and put each bite in her mouth, looking out across the table and over a pot at her brother, who was engrossed in his own meal. Finished scooping, she ran her finger over the plate and licked it clean, and swallowed the last bit, and set the plate down. Luckily no one noticed her complete lack of manners. She’d never have eaten like this while big, but being tiny had changed so much about how she acted. With her plate empty and her stomach satisfied, she got up and walked over to the massive form of her brother.
She walked around the pot of vegetables, and past a salt shaker. As she approached, he looked up and spotted her. “Hi Bridget,” he said casually.
“Hi Clark,” she said, knowing her voice was mostly a squeak to his ears. But he could still hear what she was saying, through the squeakiness. She reached the plate, and stood next to it.
“Did you enjoy yours?” he asked.
“I did,” she said, “but food tastes so much different to me now. I can tell all the stuff mixed in there.”
“Yeah, you have to eat it bit by bit,” he said. Then he asked, “Any chance that you’ll come back here to live full time?” He picked up his cup that sat nearby, drank, and thunked it down again. She could feel it.
“I don’t know,” she said heavily, “I like being around others like me. But I miss home, and you, Mom and Dad. I was thinking of splitting my time, but I’m not sure how much to spend at each place.”
“I’ve heard a lot about minis lately,” he said, his massive hand reaching for the cup again, and wrapping itself around it. “Since the big reveal a few weeks ago, it’s been talked about a lot.”
“I’ve talked to my friends on the phone about it,” she said, “But they have no idea that I am one.”
“Will they?” he asked, picking up the cup and taking another drink. He set it back, gentler this time, but it still made a loud noise to her ears, and she felt it with her feet.
“I can’t let them know, if I’m ever going to grow back,” she stated, “If they see me small, and then big again, they may tell people that the process isn’t permanent. And that information can’t get out.”
“So if they see you small, you’ll have to stay that way,” he said. She nodded.
“Sounds like you need to decide whether you want to ever go back or not,” he said.
“I’ll go back at some point,” she said, “I just don’t know when.” She could see in his eyes that he had his doubts about that. Her parents likely wondered if she’d choose to stay small forever, too. She herself did not know, but it was seeming like she would stay this way for good. She had no urge to go back yet.
She turned and walked away, aware that he was watching her cross the table. She went around the pots and bowls, to visit each of her parents. They’d all been talking above her head the whole meal, and she felt it would be rude not to interact with them. So she walked up to each of them, stood beside their plates, and had a short conversation with both of them. Her father had much to say about things.
“We were thinking of incorporating a company,” he said, “Independent of the University labs, that would handle the miniaturization process. We’ve been getting a lot of inquiries from people that are interested in doing it. So we’ll have to stop calling them test subjects, and clients instead.”
“Interesting,” she said, “I had no idea it would be so popular.”
“Most of it is people that are just curious, who won’t follow through with it. And the permanent aspect turns a lot of people away. Which is good, the labs can’t afford to grow back all the people that have been miniaturized already. It really would be permanent for them.”
“This thing can really become big,” she said, “relatively speaking.”
“We’re sure the interest will die down eventually, as everyone gets used to the idea. But we anticipate have many more shrunken people. We may have to build actual communities for them. And work out some way to transport them safely from place to place.”
“Making thousands of people comfortable won’t be easy,” Bridget said, “It’s going to be quite the endeavor. Whole new things will have to be designed and made for them.”
She did not know how big miniaturization would get, or how many would truly go through with it. But she did know things would be vastly different for many people because of it.


Chapter Seven

Hugh sat on Regina’s knee, his legs trailing down the rounded part. He was high up, the knees was bent, with her foot and hip both a dozen inches below in front and behind. Her face was in front of him, with strands of hair framing her face. The young girl, who had just turned twelve, has always seemed so small before, now she was just another building sized person.
“I’m glad you came to visit again,” she said, “I like you coming every few weeks.”
“I like to visit,” he said, “I’m getting used to the size differences.”
“Me too,” she said, “It’s too bad I’m not into dolls anymore. I’d play with you.”
He chuckled, feeling no regret, “My loss, I guess. But we don’t typically let ourselves be playthings.”
“Yeah, I can understand why. You need to respect yourselves, and have others respect you.”
“That’s exactly right,” he said, “That’s how staying this size becomes manageable.”
He felt the surface under him shift, as Regina straightened her leg. He descended as he felt the muscles shift, until her leg was flat. He got up, and hopped off, landing with his feet in the carpeting, next to the wall of flesh that was her leg. She continued to look down at him. “I have to get up,” she said.
With that, she stood, until her feet were planted in front of him. He felt the rush of air from such a large mass being displaced as she stood. Then she stepped away, the feet crushing the carpet fibers as they came down. He began his own walk, trudging through the carpeting, crossing the room and reaching the door long after she was gone. Then he went out to the hallway, toward the main part of the house.

Far away, his girlfriend Matilda sat atop a pile of hard-shelled candies, sitting in a bowl, on an end table next to a chair. Her father sat in that chair, reading. She was on another visit with her parents, and her sisters were coming over shortly. They’d be having dinner together, which was well worth a trip to the big world.
“Huh, says here,” he spouted some off fact from his book.
“Wow, that’s interesting,” Matilda said, trying to sound genuine. He looked down at her, “I know you don’t care baby, but I find it interesting.”
“I found an interesting dust bunny under the couch,” she stated. “It was really clingy.” He smiled.
“It was as big as I was, and it tried to fight me. At least it felt like it, the thing was really clinging to me. It even wrapped itself around my legs. I finally got it off. And that’s my last excursion under the couch.”
He chuckled at that. “My three inch tall daughter, fighter of dust bunnies.”
“I could fight a shrimp,” she said, “Or a crawdad. Or a beetle.”
“What about a spider? We have a few of those around here.”
“Ugh, no!” She shivered, “Keep me far away from those. I don’t know if they’d be actually dangerous to me or not, and I don’t want to get close enough to find out.” She couldn’t hold back another shudder.
“I’d assume not,” he said, “Your mother is afraid of them, and she’s much, much larger.”
With that, he went back to his reading. Matilda turned her attention to the TV, which he was ignoring.
Not long after, her sisters came into the room. “Is Matilda getting here soon?” they asked.
“She’s here now,” he pointed to her. “You’re mother picked her up and brought her in half an hour ago.”
“Aw,” Trisha said hurrying over to the table and the bowl Matilda sat on. Elsa followed. Everything shook as they walked. They stuck their faces close to her, closing in on her like walls, peering at her with wide smiles and gleaming eyes. She’d been uncomfortable with that before, but no longer.
Matilda stood, careful not to dislodge a candy and lose her footing, tumbling off her pile. “Hello!”
“Hi Matti,” they said at once, “how was your trip?”
“Nice,” she said, “They keep us buffered from the outside world, so I didn’t see anything big until emerging from my box when I got here. It was a relaxing trip.” They kept her very comfortable.
She talked with the three of them, her father sitting in the chair, his book set down like a mattress falling, and her sisters, bent and looming over her, their straight hair hanging down like curtains. She gave updates on the boy she was dating, on her new friends, and life in the community. She spoke highly of it, she was happy there and liked it. And it was doing so well for the environment. “Do you know how little water we drink? And we don’t produce any trash, everything is made like its three hundred years ago. We use clay fired pottery, we use wood and stone to make our cottages and houses, we produce zero emissions. Everything is solar powered, and we don’t need heating or cooling, since the dome we live in is kept at a comfortable temp. We compost our refuse, we eat vegetables we grow ourselves, and use imitation meat that’s produced there, everything is self-sustaining.”
“I read somewhere that the technology that they use on the little people communities is going to be used on colonies on other planets,” her youngest sister said.
“That’s true. And space travel will be so much cheaper when the travelers are small,” Matilda added.
They discussed this for several minutes, until their mother came into the room. She and Matilda had already had a long chat, before being brought here. She stated that dinner would be ready soon.
“I guess I getter get going,” Matilda said, “If I don’t want to be late.”
“We can carry you,” Trisha said.
“No, I’ll walk. Just don’t step on me while I’m crossing the room.”
Trisha grimaced, but Matilda stepped carefully down the pile of candies. Trisha extended a finger for her to use for balance, and Matilda put her hand on it, glad for the support. She hopped down onto the surface of the table, as the looming faces of the giants watched. She walked to the edge, where the rope trailed off the edge. It was a string to them, tied around the lamp and reaching to the ground. It was how she’d gotten up, and would be how she’d get down. So she took the string and descended, keeping her feet planted on the side of the table as she hand over hand to walk backwards. Behind her was the ground. She reached the carpet not long after, and stepped away from the rope. She walked between Trisha’s shoes, with bare ankles, and shins rising up like thick columns. She passed the shoes, and began her trek across the room. After a moment, the shoes picked up, as did the other pair of shoes nearby, and stepped with thumps past her, walking out of the room. Matilda followed, taking her time to cross the expansive space, her feet sinking into the carpet with each step.
She reached the tile floor of the kitchen, and moved much quicker than trudging through the carpet, with fibers brushing her ankles with each step. She noticed the scratches and scuffs that were so small and light, they’d be invisible to anyone else. The table loomed up, getting higher and higher as she approached. Her sisters and mother were already seated, they were talking. Waiting for her, obviously. She reached the table, with the top just above her head. A string dangled down to her, with knots tied throughout its length. She took hold and hoisted herself up, climbing up from the floor. It was arduous work, climbing up and down furniture, but it was the best way for someone her size to get around. It had given her amazing muscle tone in her arms and legs, and she was much stronger now. One could always tell the minis that went to the big world often, they were always in excellent shape.
Arms tired, she reached the top, pulling herself up and onto the table surface. Pots and pans were spaced about, like small houses, steaming and smelling of food. The three giants had plates and glasses in front of them. She walked toward the center, toward a small table and chair set for her, and the towering figures stopped their conversation and watched her.
“I see you’ve decided to join us,” her mother said.
“It was a long walk,” she said, pushing her voice so the distant woman could hear.
Her father soon joined them, and she sat down at her own table on the table. This was how meals were here now, she reflected. Little her and her big family.
Matilda ate her meal while everyone else talked. The conversation was happening high above her, across the table, and she got tired to yelling. She was in the middle of the table, and they had difficulty hearing her from so far away. So she gave up and ate. When she finished, she decided to get up. She made it to her youngest sister’s spot, and stood next to her plate. Most of her food was gone, with only a pork bone left, grease splattered all around it.
“I have some chunks left, of you want them,” Elsa said.
“No thank you,” Matilda said up to her, “I’m full.”
Elsa shrugged. Then she said, “I bet you can’t lift this.” She tapped the bone with her fork.
“I’m sure I could,” Matilda said, “I’m not that weak.”
“I don’t know, bone is pretty heavy.”
“It’s like a log.”
“A log is made of wood, and wood floats. Bones just sink. So bones is much heavier.”
“Fine, we’ll see.” Matilda kicked off her shoes, which were more like tight fitting slippers, and stepped up onto the plate. She stepped to the bone, her feet landing in the leftover slop and grease. She disregarded it, bent down and put her hands under it, and lifted. She grunted, it was indeed heavy, but she got one end of it up, and held her arms straight over her head, the bone at an angle to the plate. Fingers reached down and took hold of it, and Matilda stepped away. Elsa let it fall with a clang.
“Ok, you were right,” Elsa said.
“I know I was right,” Matilda said, reaching in and delicately picking missed meat off the bone with her fingers. She looked up and talked with Elsa some, standing on the plate. Then she stepped off, and wiped her feet on the napkin. That had been interesting, she thought.
After dinner, her sisters cleared off the table, as she talked with her parents. Her sisters cleaned up and then joined them, arms resting on the table in front of them, like fallen trees. Matilda had to yell across to be heard, or her mother just repeated what she’d said. Looking up at them was odd, of course, but she was getting accustomed to it. It would be this way forever, after all.
Her sister suggested a game, and the rest of the family liked the idea. Soon, a board was set up for a trivia game. Matilda fully participated, of course, picking up a card and holding it out in front of her to be read, still yelling to be heard. Then she’s walk along the table, positioning herself close to each family member for a time, so no one was left out. It was a lot of walking and lifting, she realized. And by the time the game was done, hours later, she was exhausted.
“I’m ready for bed, if someone wants to take me to my box,” she stated.
Trisha, who was the one towering over her at this point, raised an eyebrow. “But I thought you liked walking on your own? And you did not like being carried, you were very clear on that.”
“Yeah,” Elsa said, “It’s only the next room, after all.”
“Her box is in her old bedroom,” her mother said, “Across the house. Quite a walk, even for her.”
“I don’t care,” Matilda said, “I’m just tired. Someone can carry me. Just this once.”
“Goodnight,” her family said, one after the other, and she waved at them, saying the same.
Trisha set her cupped hand on the table, and moved it at an angle toward where Matilda stood. The bottom edge knocked her legs out from under her, and she fell into the hand. She was scooped up, and lifted off the table. Trisha held her in front of her face, smiling. “I’ll take you back to your box, little sis.”
With that, Trisha stood, holding her hand out in front of her, with Matilda laying in it. The hand swayed as she walked, crossing into the next room and going through the house. Matilda watched the rooms of the house drift by. “Now this is traveling in comfort,” she commented. Trisha smiled.
She reached her old bedroom, and was set down on the floor. Her travel box sat a few paces away, with all the comforts she needed. She stood at Trisha’s feet, looking up at the girl, whose face was far above.
“I’m ready for bed myself,” The giant said, “luckily carrying you is easy. Have a good night.”
One foot lifted up, and the massive body turned, and the remaining foot twisted. The first one set down a few dozen paces away, and the close foot lifted up, as the body completed its turn, so Trisha’s backside was above Matilda. The lifted foot set down beyond the first, and Trisha stepped away. Matilda watched her walk, thumping down with each retreating footstep. Until the girl was out of sight, and she could only hear the rumbling sounds of her steps.
Matilda went into the box, which would serve as a bedroom while she was here. She got herself comfortable, and relaxed for a few hours until she was ready for sleep. She slipped into the bed, noting how fun the events of the day had been, interacting with giants was quite interesting.
The next morning, Matilda woke up and had to remember where she was. She wondered if the night before was a strange dream. But then she saw the penny propped against the wall, and the ribbon that lined the wall. She’d forget that she was small back at her new home, in the community with the others who had been miniaturized. It was easy to forget there. Of course, there were some reminders. But it was usually far from their minds. Here, back in the real world, it was much harder to forget.
She got up and stretched, and then put some clothes on. She read some of her book, and then called her boyfriend. After talking for a while, Matilda then went back to her book, unsure when to emerge and rejoin her family. She didn’t want to be rude and avoid them, but wandering the house with them walking around, with their big feet, did not seem wise. So she stayed in, until she heard the rumbling of footsteps come into the room. They stopped outside her ‘room’, and she heard a massive body moving outside. She got up and emerged from the box, looking up to see Elsa crouched in front of her. “Do you want to watch a movie?” the young teenage girl asked.
“Yes, I do,” Matilda said. A hand was laid out in front of her, and she stepped into it. She sat down, and was lifted up, as Elsa stood. Then she was carried yet again, through the house.
She spent the next few hours on the arm of a chair, watching movies and chatting with Elsa and Trisha. She changed chairs, to talk with both of them for equal time. Hanging out with the building sized girls again seemed extremely odd, but Matilda pushed those feelings aside. She would have to get used to this. This would be the way she’d interact with them from now on, whenever she visited.
She saw the hand reaching for her, with two fingers extended. She stood up, and let Elsa press one finger on her chest, and the other on her back, and tighten so she could barely breathe. She was lifted off the arm of the chair, and set down on her leg, with the thick fabric of her pants under her.
“And you didn’t want to be manhandled,” Elsa said, “Didn’t work out today, did it?”
“No, it did not,” Matilda said up to the girl, looking up past her stomach and chest.
“Are you uncomfortable, being so itty bitty?”
“No, I’m really not,” Matilda said, “Which is surprising. I guess my friends told me enough to be expecting it, and to not be surprised.”
“Good,” Elsa said, “I’m sure it must be intimidating.”
“But it’s not,” Matilda said, “I must be getting used to the size difference.”
“That takes all the fun out of it,” Elsa said sadly.
“There are other ways to have fun,” she said.
Not long after, she stood on her father’s work table in the basement, as he worked on assembling something with wood. She intended to spend much of the day with each member of her family, so she’d had Elsa bring her down here. He’d been quite happy to have her join him.
“Do you need me to crawl into something? I can fit in tight places and be useful,” she said up to him.
He laughed. “Just stay out of the way, sweetie. I don’t want to drop something on you.”
She walked up to a block of wood, that was as high as her shoulders. She pulled herself up, and sat down on the edge, with her legs trailing off the side. “You’re not making a dollhouse by chance are you?”
He chuckled again, “No, sorry. This one isn’t for you. It’s a shelter for the squirrels.”
“As if they need any help,” Matilda said, “Have you seen those things close up? They’re huge.”
“Everything is huge to you, Sweetie,” he said. He asked her about the community, and if people did construction type work there. They didn’t, she told him, no one really did any work, building or fixing or otherwise. And then they got to chatting. Another nice conversation, she found.
They were soon joined by Trisha, who seemed more interested in glancing at Matilda than their father’s project. Can I…uh…take her?” she finally asked.
“Yes, you can take her,” he said, “We’ve gotten to hang out enough I think.”
With that, her hand reached for Matilda, who stood up and waited. The fingers curled around her, closing her in a fist, with her head and shoulders sticking out. Trisha held her in front of her as she went upstairs, the fist bobbing as she walked. Matilda felt the movement in her stomach. They reached Trisha’s bedroom, and Matilda was set down on the bed. A laptop was placed next to her, and opened. Then came the earth shattering impact of Trisha laying down on the bed.
“Want to watch a show?” the giant asked.
“Yes,” Matilda said, “Can we watch…” Within a minute, her requested show was on the screen.
Matilda sat on the laptop, with the movie sized screen in front of her. Behind her, Trisha lay with her arms folded under her head. She could hear her breathing, but that was expected with such a huge girl.
After watching multiple shows in a row, for hours, the last one ended. Matilda stood up, and turned to her sister’s face. The credits scrolled on the screen behind her. The girl’s eye’s shifted from the screen to her, without moving her head. Matilda stood on the plastic of the base of the laptop.
“That last one was pretty good,” she commented.
“It was,” Trisha said. The two talked about what they had watched, a giant to a tiny. Matilda stood there talking to the face, and they conversed as if it was completely normal. Another unique thing she would have to get used to. After a few minutes, Trisha pushed herself up, so she was sitting with her bent knees in front of her. She reached down, and plucked Matilda up with two fingers. She lifted her and set her down on her knee, with the fabric of her pants under Matilda’s feet. The leg bent more, the knee rising to in front of the girl’s face. Matilda braced herself from the movement, maintaining her balance. Once again in front of the massive face, she continued the conversation. So strange that things like this were becoming commonplace, she reflected. Just the way things were for a small person.


Chapter Eight

Cal sat inside the travel case, across from Trina. It had been two years since they had been miniaturized, and being small was just part of life now. Both were strapped into their cushy chairs, though the couriers were good at keeping the ‘room’ level and not shaking it much. They heard and felt the impact of the box being set down. They waited a moment, just in case, until the green light came on near the door, indicating they were at their destination. They unstrapped and got up, and went to the door. Cal pulled the lever, and the door unsealed, and then slid open. They stepped out onto the wooden surface of a table. Other travel cases had been set next to theirs on either side, with multiple in a row, and another row across a narrow path from theirs. It was like houses on a street. Others were emerging from their cases, and meeting up and talking. The pair made their way down the ‘street’, as did others, toward the end of the table. There was an open space there, and a couple dozen were congregating. All were close to their age, late teens or early twenties, boys and girl. Some in the group talked quietly among themselves, but there was an overall subdued mood. This wasn’t a pleasure outing, they were all here to work. While they didn’t need jobs, and rarely had them, they did do volunteer work. And Trina and Cal had volunteered, choosing to do something productive away from the habitat, which was getting boring. Their parents had suggested it, and the pair decided to do it.
This job was at a museum, working with historical artifacts. They had taken history in high school, but didn’t have much of a background. But the work sounded interesting. They all wore working clothes, ready but not sure what they were ready for. As they waited, a big person came into the room, their footsteps echoing loudly on the bare floor, and walked to their edge of the table, looming over them like a skyscraper. They all stopped talking, and looked up at the woman as if she were a giant idol. “Thank you all for coming today,” the older woman said down to them.
Various people in the group muttered assent. The woman continued, “Today, you will be tasked with cleaning recently discovered artifacts. When a regular sized person does it, there’s a risk of damage, so we prefer to use little people. Your tiny hands are incredibly delicate, and your tiny arms lack the strength to do real damage. You also may come across shallow grooves, hard to see lines or faint artwork, too difficult for one of us to see. Please report that to us, so we may be aware to study it. We may use some of your eyes from time to time, since you see more up close detail than us.”
They muttered and nodded agreement. Cal thought the job sounded interesting, as did Trina.
“I’m going to have you broken into groups,” the woman said.
An hour or so later, they were busy spraying and chipping dirt off what appeared to be a clay pot. One of them had a hose that shot high pressure water, dislodging more of the muck, while Cal used a mop like thing on the side of a stick to push off any stray bits. Trina had a handheld sponge, and she would wipe along the surface, wiping away any surface dirt and try to find grooves. As Cal worked, another handheld sponge girl worked nearby, and got a little too close for his comfort, and he stopped before he accidentally bumped into her. “Sorry,” the girl said, “I don’t mean to get in your way.”
“I can use a break,” he said, putting the sponge on a stick down. “It’s a lot more work than it looks.”
“Exactly!” the blonde haired girl said, “This is exhausting. All for a little clay pot.”
“It needs to be us, though,” Cal said, “A thumb could break this thing apart.”
“A thumb could break us apart, too,” the girl said flashing a smile. She pushed her long golden blonde hair from her shoulder to behind her back. Then she exhaled tiredly.
“Look at the artwork we’re uncovering,” he told her, and she stepped back from her work.
“Wow,” she said, standing beside him, “That’s neat.” There were detailed animals etched onto the side. “It’s like one of those cave walls,” the girl said, “Except it’s a tiny pot.”
“Yeah,” Cal agreed, “It’s a wall mural to us. Really good artwork on it.” The girl agreed.
“I’m Veronica,” the girl said, “You can call me Vera, or Rona. People like both. Or Nika. Or Rika.”
“I’m Calvin,” he said, “You can call me Cal.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Cal,” she said, “That girl that came with you, is that your girlfriend?”
“No,” he said with a chuckle, “She’s my sister.”
“Oh, okay,” Veronica said, then asked, “So how long have you been miniaturized?”
“It’s been just over two years,” Cal said.
“Wow,” she said in awe, “I’ve only been this way for a few months. I can’t imagine years.”
“It goes by fast,” he said, “Do you live in a habitat?”
“I do,” she said, “Cricket’s run.”
He told her his own habitat. Then asked, “Do you live there with your family?”
“No,” she said, “It’s just little ole me.”
“You’re not old,” he said, “But you are little.”
“I’m very little,” she said playfully, “My brother calls me Thumbelina now.”
He chuckled, “So you’re the only one in your family that’s small? Interesting.”
“Yep,” she said, “Just me. I’ve visited them, and wow it is different!”
“I have to ask, how old are you then?” He inquired. She was slightly shorter than him, the top of her head at his ear, and her face looked middle teens. So it was surprising she’d been shrunk on her own.
“I’m twenty,” she said, “I applied to be miniaturized at eighteen, shortly after my birthday. Had two years of my parents and the rest of my family asking when I was going to go to college. Minis don’t need college, since we don’t have careers, but they didn’t know I was going to be a mini. So I just worked and told them I was going to wait a year, then another year. Then I finally told them when I was twenty. They didn’t like it, of course, but I’d already made up my mind. And I don’t regret it.”
“I’m also twenty. My whole family did it two years ago,” Cal said, “Mother, father and sister. We all lived together at first, then my sister and I got our own cottage next to theirs. It works out really well.”
“I bet it does,” she said, “I don’t miss living with my family. I’d like visiting from time to time, even though I'm small, but I’m glad I don’t have to live there. Especially as small as I am, that would be awkward.”
They spent the rest of the day paired up, working on cleaning a knife, and then the jawbone of an animal. Spraying, sponging and polishing. They got separated from Trina at one point, but he didn’t look for her. He’d rather talk to Veronica. They talked, getting to know each other as they worked. And they worked together the next day as well, side by side for the rest of the time working in the museum. It did not take long for them to realize they wanted to date.

To be Continued in Part 3...