All over the country the same add was broadcast on TV. Participants were wanted in a new kind of reality game show, one of a type that had never been seen before. If vieweres eighteen years of age or older were interested, they were to send a small package consisting of brief personal information and a video entry.
Several thousand people applied for the show, but in the end only eight were chosen. All the people chosen fit a certain pattern: between eighteen and thirty-five years old and unmarried, and did not appear to be in a relationship, and, although the studio would never admit this, were at least somewhat attractive.
Word was announced that the eight finilists had been chosen. Released to the public was a brief profile of each person, including a picture.
Name: Sherri
Sex: F
Age: 23
Height: 5’3”
Occupation: Cable Girl
The picture showed an image of a young blonde-haired woman sitting on a chair in her apartment, facing her computer. She was smiling at the camera and appeared excited and happy. She was wearing blue jeans and a bluegreen shirt that exposed part of her belly.
Name: Cameroon
Sex: M
Age: 31
Height: 5’11”
Occupation: Distribution Center Worker
The picture showed a tall man with dark brown hair, wearing a yellow and red jersey playing soccer. His head was lowered, concentrating on the ball between his feet. He was slightly darker than average and although he was thin he also looked fairly muscular.
Name: Annie
Sex: F
Age: 18
Height: 5’6”
Occupation: College Student, Freshman
The picture showed Annie standing in the midst of several college friends at some kind of bar or club. Annie had light brown hair and was wearing a low-cut tank-top, blue jeans, and flip-flops. She was also smiling excitedly at the camera.
Name: Tom
Sex: M
Age: 25
Height: 5’9”
Occupation: Accounting Assistant
This was another picture of a person at a desk, but this time the subject, Tom, was sitting back with his black-leather-shoe-clad feet up on the desk, smiling smugly as he read the paper. He had dark brown hair, and he was dressed in formal office attire, right down to the tie.
Name: Sandra
Sex: F
Age: 28
Height: 5’7”
Occupation: Hair Stylist
In this picture, Sandra stood in her stylist studio shrouded by dozens of objects that she used on people’s hair. About chest level and barely visible was a manakin head, and Sandra was holding a pair of scissors and a spray bottle over it, giving a stern look towards the camera. She had darker blonde hair.
Name: Bill
Sex: M
Age: 30
Height: 5’10”
Occupation: Marketing Execuative
This picture showed a well-groomed broad-shouldered man walking along the side of a large rocky mountian. He had brown hair, and was smiling as if in the conquest of the hill. He could obviously afford to buy expensive hiking equiptment, and his hiking suit was black with bright red patches.
Name: Serine
Sex: F
Age: 31
Height: 5’8”
Occupation: Hospital Phisical Therapist
This picture showed Serine sitting down on a floor mat, reaching her toes in a stretching exersize. She was wearing athleticly tight clothes and had brown-blonde hair tied behind her back. She had a concentrated look on her face from the effort of the stretch.
Name: Dave
Sex: M
Age: 20
Height: 5’6”
Occupation: College Student, Junior
The picture showed a young man wearing a football uniform sitting on a bench and enjoying an orange drink. He had brown hair and a smug impression on his face. Behind him you could faintly tell that this was in some stadium.
Those were the eight contestants. Sherri, Cameroon, Annie, Tom, Sandra, Bill, Serine, and Dave were all part of a reality show of like likes they had never seen before. But none of them knew exactly why yet. They only knew that they were in for something that they would most likely never have suspected.
-Day 1-
Serine was the first one in the room. As the others would not be coming in for a little bit she decided to sit down in one of the chairs and stretch her long, muscular legs and read a magazine. She started to do so for a few minutes, then Dave walked in.
Dave glanced at Serine but didn’t say anything. Serine looked up at him but continued reading the magazine. Already without saying a word they didn’t really have a good impression of each other.
Next person who came in the room was Bill. He barely glanced at Serine and didn’t even look at Dave. “Hi,” He pronounced briskly and professionally. Serine looked up at him from her magazine. “Hi,” she responded.
Sandra walked in, radiating an instant air of unpleasentness. She looked at Dave for a second before brushing right past Bill and sitting down two seats away from Serine.
Next in was Cameroon. He saw Bill first, saying “Hi.” The two men greeted each other with a firm handshake, the first positive interaction between anyone that day so far. Cameroon started to talk to Bill about the selection process, and pretty soon they were working up a conversation. At last, Serine put down her magazine and joined in.
Next came Sheri, who instantly started up a conversation with Dave about how annoying things were, and the two of them got on pretty well. At long last, Annie walked in followed by Tom, and they joined in the conversations that were following. Tom politely, and Annie enthusiastically. Even Sandra joined in the conversation.
After several minutes the room was buzzing with conversation. As Betty the hostess watched a smile came across her face. Just as she hoped, they were all starting to get to know each other. Now it was time to break the news.
“Okay, people,” Betty said authoritatively as she entered the room. “I’m glad to see you’re all getting along so well. That’s okay, you’ll have time to hate each other soon enough.” There were general chuckles amoung the group.
“Well, you were promised to be told the nature of this television show.” Betty said. They were all listening. “The key to this show is a scientific breakthrough. This size breakthrough is the technology of the shrinking machine.”
There were cries of disbelief throughout the crowd. “You’re going to shrink us!” Exclaimed Dave, and Annie looked particularly horrified.
“Yes, I’m afraid most, if not all, of you will end up being shrunk by the end of this television series.” Said Betty. “But it’s too late to turn back now. You all signed the contracts.”
“But it says we won’t be subject to anything dangerous!” Exclaimed Sherri.
“It won’t be dangerous.” Said Betty calmly. “The shrinking will be highly regulated. No one will get hurt.”
“I hope so!” Said Bill.
“Well, the game starts now.” Betty said. “The rules of this game will gradually unfold as you go along. I will only tell you what you immediately need to know. And today it is this: you have until one o’clock Tomorrow to enjoy your sizes, for at that time four of your number will be reduced to half your original height. That choice will be completely random.”
The group of them was making various noises representing differing levels of surpise and discontent, but Betty only said. “To the house! It is almost dinner time and I’m sure you are hungry.”
The contestants followed Betty out across the brief cortyard to the smallish house that would host them for the near future. Inside they found a common living room and a kitchen. There were eight bedrooms branching off and only two bathrooms. The bedrooms were spartian, not much use for anything but sleeping and sulking. By contrast, the living room and kitchen were both large and well-suited for large group events.
The contestants put their bags in their rooms and indeed they were quite hungry. The process that brought them this far certainly was a long one and it had been many hours since dinner. Cameroon, Sandra, and Serine formed an impromptu committee to make dinner, since they were the best cooks among the group. The others sat around the table and chatted with each other.
Dave and Annie were chatting and flurting with each other, but Tom was trying to steel Dave’s thunder and butt in. Bill and Sherri were talking and occasionally Tom tried to butt in there too. At the kitchen Cameroon and Serine talked a little, and Sandra worked in silence.
When dinner was ready they talked relatively little but all silently agreed that the chefs had done a great job. After dinner Bill and Sherri joined in the cleanup, while Tom and Dave vied for Annie’s attention as she flirted with both nontroubled.
After dinner Sandra retired to her room. Serine did a series of exersizes on the floor but could not hide her nerves. Cameroon started talking to Annie, putting Dave clumsily on the outside, and Tom started vieing with Bill for Sherri’s attention.
Eventually they tapered off and went to bed, and they all had a pretty good idea of each others personalities. They all slept a tad uneasily, thinking about the next day when they very well might be the ones shrunk.