Because they stayed up late they were late to start in the morning. Serine, Sandra, Bill, and Tom were the first up, followed by Cameroon and then the others. They ate a disorganized brunch and chatted up some more and tried to watch TV as the clock inched ever so slowly towards one.

            At one o’clock on the dot Betty showed up at the house and told the contestants that it was time. They followed her in an irregular group back towards the compound.

            “I wonder what it feels like!” Exclaimed Annie in a whisper.

            “I wonder what it does to you!” Said Serine.

            “I wonder who it’ll pick,” Said Bill.

            “What will it mean either way?” Tom said. “We don’t even know how we’re competing.”

            “Wait until you’re small.” Said Bill. “Or until some else is small. The power play that will begin is unimaginable.”

            “I sure hope it’s not me,” Sherri said.

            “Me neither,” Said Sandra.

            “I don’t think any of us wants it,” Said Tom. “But someone’s going to get it.”

            “Let’s hope it’s you!” Said Serine at Tom, waving a finger.

            “Come on now, there’s no way we can tell.” Said Cameroon. “It’s going to be an interesting time.”

            “Yeah,” Said Annie. “Just thinking about being small gives me the shivers.”

            They reached the room in the compound. It was a dark, intimidating-looking room. It was steel gray concrete all around them and a creepy control panel on the wall.

            “This is how it’ll work.” Betty said. “I have the numbers of those of you that will be shrunk on these cards. When I say your number and name, you will step forward into the machine. The process will be painless and will last only a few seconds. After you are small, please kindly exit the other-side door. When the four of you are shrunk, I will meet you and re-introduce you to your opponents.

            The eight of them looked at each other nervously.

            “I also want to reassure you the process is completely reversible.” Said Betty. “Whether or not we will reverse it is up to you.” Annie gave a shrudder. Tom shuffled. All of them were very tense.

            “I will read off the numbers and names in no particular order.” Said Betty, shuffling the cards. Although Tom and Serine and Bill peered, they could not see what was on the botTom. “You must be prepared to accept.”

            The contestants continued to stand, barely moving. They were clearly all scared and showed it to varying degrees.

            “I am prepared to read.” Betty said at last. “Are you ready?”

            Heads nodded. “Good.” Said Betty:

“Number Six: Bill”

            Bill walked tentatively forward and swallowed a great lump in his throat. Kharma, wasn’t it? Or just fate? Somehow, he knew in the back of his mind that he was going to be the first one shrunk. Betty gave him a supportive smile and urged him into the shrinking machine. Bill did not look back at his competitors. As Bill entered the door closed and soon there was a flash. The air was tense as Betty held up the next card.

            “Number Seven: Serine”

            Serine was clearly trembling. She tried doing some arm stretches as she walked up to the machine as if she was preparing for some sporting event. Of course, she knew it wouldn’t really help her, but somehow it made her feel better. She knew she was strong, and she knew she could handle anything, even small. She dissappered into the machine and there was another flash. Six awaited the next card.

            “Number One: Sherri”

            Sherri gulped audibly and walked forward, trying to look purposeful but she came off a bit wobbly. She had been trying to mentally prepare herself for being shrunk but she was close to just running and calling it all off now. But she remained strong and marched forward into the machine. After all, Betty said it would be safe. She just hoped that Tom would be next, he kind of creeped her out. Once again, the door closed and a light flashed. The other five waited, knowing they were only one card from retaining their size.

            “Number Two: Cameroon”

            Cameroon flashed the rest of the group a look like someone about to go on a frightening roller coaster or off a really high dive. The rest of the group could not hide their utter relief. Cameroon resigned himself to the reality and stepped forward to accept his fate. He walked into the machine and there was another flash.

            Annie, Dave, Sandra, and Tom looked at each other. So they were the big ones, they were the bosses. They tried to size up what they made of it. They were all relatively young and with the exception of Sandra they were all fairly-proficient flirters. Betty smiled at them knowlegably; they had retained their size through the first round of shrinks.

            Bill had walked into the room that was much like a shower stall except with no nozzle or anything on the walls. Almost immediately a light went off and he suddenly felt dizzy and disoriented, and he would be left seeing dots for about a minute. But he came too in a second, and immediately felt different.

            The stall had become twice it’s height and eight times its volume. The celing was over three times as high as he was, and the walls were far apart to make it a decent-sized bedroom, whereas when he walked in it was only the size of a large shower stall.

            Not forgetting, Bill walked out the other door, realizing that the doorknob was at eye-level and the size of a softball. He felt nervous at the prospect of encountering the others at a reduced size, but he comforted himself knowing that at least the next three people he saw would be small too.

            Bill almost jumped when he heard footsteps. But he realized the direction they were coming from and it was the shrinking booth’s next victim. There was a flash of light and in a few moments the door opened and out stepped Serine, the same size as Bill.

            “Hi,” Said Bill, nervously. Serine said “Hi,” back, very quietly. The nervousness was thick in the air as the two of them felt like the two smallest people in the world. They moved closer together.

            The door opened once again and Sherri stepped out. She smiled and waved meekly but did not say anything. She didn’t join the two of them but stayed a little bit out of the group and remained quiet.

            A second later the door opened and Cameroon appeared, the last of the shrinkees. He tried to hide his own insecurity in a warm smile that he gave the rest of them. They were all glad for Cameroon’s comradity with them, but it made them think about who was left full-sized. Sherri’s fear of a full-sized Tom was proven, and a full-sized Sandra might be worrisome if she ever stopped resigning herself to solitude.

            Bill tried to analyse the situation. Two men and two women small, two men and two women large. Was it planned this way or was it random? There was no way any of them could really know.

            A minute later a door behind them opened and Betty walked in. The hostess was a giantess to the shrunken four. They merely came up to her waiste and were simply dwarfed by her huge size. The four of them stared at her in awe; everything about Betty was enlarged and magnified to a great scale. Betty soaked this in and smiled.

            “Well, I trust you are getting used to your new size.” She said. “You may feel somewhat at a disadvantage for a little while, but there are ways you can use of maintaining a good relative size.”

            The four tiny people stared up at Betty. All four of them together equaled merely half Betty’s mass, and they were so awed of the fact they couldn’t even speak to her.

            “I’m sure you’ll get over your tounge-twistedness soon enough.” Betty said, smiling down at them. “For now it’s time to re-introduce you to your colleuges.”

            Betty motioned for them to follow her out the open door. The four of them were reluctant to follow but they didn’t want to stay in the big empty grey room, so they followed. They followed her down a short hallway that went around the shrinking booth and back into the room they all started.

            The door opened, and Tom, Dave, Sandra, and Annie looked over to see Betty returning with the four shrunken versions of Bill, Cameroon, Serine, and Sherri. Instantly Annie put her hands up to her mouth, Dave did a double take, Tom said “wow” softly, and Sandra just stared, open-mouthed.

            The shrunken four were reluctant to move further into the room but Betty urged them on. The small people looked up at the big people in awe.

            “Wow,” Said Annie as she knelt down to get a better look. “I can’t belive it’s really you guys! Bill! And Sherri!”

            Tom leaned forward to look but did not bend down. He was amazed at the whole thing and could not belive these were real people. Dave and Sandra didn’t yet move.

            “What did it feel like?” Annie asked them.

            Bill was the first of the small people to speek. “It was alright,” He said. “A little disorienting, but that’s all.”

            “You look so—you look so—can I pick you up?” Annie almost whispered. Betty broke in at this point.

            “It is time for you to return to your house.” Said Betty. “You will spend the next fifty hours at this size. On three o’clock Wednesday afternoon the next change will take place. More details on your change will be coming Tomorrow.”

            She ushered them all outside of the building. The mismatched group of short and tall walked along together to the house. Once they were inside they started to talk again.

            “So how does it feel,” Tom asked, “To be small?”

            “Well, it’s a bit scary, honestly,” Said Cameroon, speaking for them all. “But It comes with it’s benefits. I mean, now we don’t nearly take up so much room or eat so much food.”

            “Hmm,” Said Dave. “I don’t think I’d call that a benefit, but who knows.”

            “Let’s go in the living room,” Tom said, taking charge. For the moment the others allowed him to do this and they all followed and sat down. They soon broke out into chat, with even little Sherri and Serine participating. Sandra, although she didn’t leave, didn’t contribute much.

            Dave sat against one end of the couch and Annie in the middle, little Bill leaning against the far end. He was trying to not notice Dave’s blatantly obvious and clumsy moves on Annie that were being completely ignored by the aloof girl. Sandra sat on a chair to the left of the couch, Cameroon sitting not far from the base. Over to the right of the couch sat Tom, leaned back and relaxed. Sherri sat uneasily on the ground between Bill and Tom, and Serine sat on the other side of Tom’s chair, her muscular but no-longer long legs stretched out before her. She was the most steady of the small people but this was a façade for some turmoils she was undouwbtly feeling inside.

            The talking went on for several minutes as the small tried to ignore the fact that everything was so big around them. Eventually Tom was the first to get up, poking around in the refrigerator for a snack. Bill used this as an excuse to move further from Dave and Annie and sat near Serine, who welcomed his company.

            Sandra saw Tom rummaging for food and decided to make dinner. Now that Cameroon and Sherri were both small, she felt as though she had to do it all herself. Tom had some cooking expertise and offered it to Sandra, which she accepted grudgingly. It now lay to Annie and Dave, the two youngest, to keep watch over the little ones.

            Annie had moved away from Dave at last and was talking to Bill and Serina. The conversation went back to how it was to be small, and once again Annie asked Bill, “Can I pick you up?”

            Bill looked at Annie uncertainly, but said, “Will you be careful?”

            “Yes, I’ll be careful!” Said Annie enthusiasticly.

            Bill braced himself. “Okay,” He said.

            With a rush and thrill excitement, Annie put one hand around Bill’s middle and hoisted him up. Bill grabbed around Annie’s neck for support. Annie couldn’t believe how light Bill was. He was smaller than a child! He couldn’t have been more than twenty, twenty two pounds.

            Annie stood up to her full high, which to Bill seemed like eleven feet off the ground. Dispite his tough-guy exterior he held on hard as Annie walked around the living room.

            “This is the coolest thing ever!” Annie said. “You’re a grown man, yet I’m carrying you around like a child!”

            Dave came up next to them. “Wow, you’ve actually got him!” Dave said. He bore fists in a mock boxing stance. “Put ‘em up! Put ‘em up!” And he popped Bill one in the shoulder.

            “Ow!” Excalimed Bill, holding out one tiny hand to ward off future attacks. Dave snickered a little at this.

            “Hey, don’t be mean to him!” Annie said, shocked at Dave’s behavior. “It could have been you that was shrunk today!” And with that she turned her back on Dave. “Are you okay?” She cooed to Bill.

            “I’m fine, honest, it didn’t hurt that much!” Bill said, embarrassed by the giant girl’s toating. “Can I just…be on the ground now?”

            “Okay,” Said Annie, sounding disappointed but understanding. She lowered Bill to the ground and he disembarked from her hold, where he greatfully slid out onto the floor. By this time Cameroon had joined Serine in conversation, and Bill walked over to them. By now, Dave had gone to bother Sandra and Tom in the kitchen. They gave him some minor chores to do.

            Annie now moved her attention away from the three shrunken people talking to little Sherri, who was sitting all by herself and trembling visibly.

            “What’s wrong?” Annie asked.

Sherri didn’t talk at first, but then she said, “I’m scared about being shrunk. It’s…it’s so strange! They’re so big!”

“It’s okay,” Annie said. “Do you want to go to my room for a bit, get away from them?”

“Y-yes, please,” Said Sherri. Sherri allowed Annie to pick her up, and in a second the couple of them were out of the main room and into Annie’s room. No one noticed but Tom, who had been watching out of the corner of his eye.

A few minutes later dinner was ready. The tall and small people both sat around the table, the small having exceptional trouble reaching the table. Annie and Sherri made their way quietly back in and they began dining. No significant conversation happened over dinner.

After dinner Tom and Dave cleared and cleaned the dishes. Sandra had overestimated the amount of food that four normal-sized and four small people would eat and there was a significant amount of left-overs. Sandra didn’t want to admit this and she quietly put it away before going back to her chair and flipping on the television.

Night was falling and everyone found themselves in front of the TV. Under a large blanket draped over them Bill and Serine were finding their way closer and closer to each other. Sherri leaned against her reliable Annie, and Tom sat between Dave and Annie on the couch. Cameroon was sitting under the blanket as well.

Eventually it got late and the group of them went to bed, slowly, in segments. Annie was the last full-sized person to go to bed, and she first had waited until Cameroon and Sherri had gone off. Bill and Serine were the very last people to go to bed, holding hands as they told each other good-night.