“Umm… hello?”

Badly startled for the second time today, Chuxi lost his balance on her shoe and fell into a heap on the floor.

“Oh I’m sorry!” she apologized quickly as he rushed to his feet. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Chuxi stood up straight, head lowered, and his hands at his sides in what he hoped looked a non-threatening pose – not that he could threaten her in even the smallest capacity.

“Oh my God! Are you bowing at me? That’s ridiculous – please stop.”

Uncertain, Chuxi raised his head up. He confirmed his initial suspicion: she was very pretty. Soft, milk chocolate eyes regarded him with a mixture of curiosity, confusion, and alarm. A tentative smile curved her lips, as if that was her default expression emerging despite the unusual circumstances.

A long pause ensued, neither party sure how to proceed in this wholly new situation. As uncomfortable as Chuxi felt at this moment, he knew the girl felt more so, simply because she was bent at the waist with her head under the desk, one hand braced against the top, and the other gingerly holding a sock (that’s how disgusting they were). He surmised that she must have spotted him while getting ready to leave, negating the need for his paperclip struggles. Holding this position must be tougher than some yoga poses, and when she began to get red in the face, he finally said something.

“Hello,” he blurted.

This brought out an immediate sigh from the girl. “I was worried you couldn’t speak English,” she explained. Then she frowned in thought. “Wait, hold on. Everyone can say ‘hello.’ You can speak English, right?”

“Yes, I can,” he called up.

“Well that’s good,” she said. Chuxi could make out the signs of strain in her face. “Umm… well… do you have a name? Are you a person?”

He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. “Yes, I’m a person. But wait – maybe you should pick me up and put me on the desk or something. You don’t look very comfortable.”

The girl blushed even redder, if it was possible. “I’m not the most flexible,” she smiled. “Here.” She placed her palm flat on the ground in front of him, and he clambered on before she slowly raised him up to the desk. He marveled at the pink skin of her hand: soft yet very firm, these tree-trunk fingers could end his life all too easily. His new size did not help his penchant for dark thoughts.

Chuxi tried to hide his nervousness, even as another part of him wondered if that was even necessary. At his size, could she even see his face? Once he clambered off her hand onto a page covered in scribbles (organic chemistry, he noted), he turned to face the girl, who looked visibly relieved to be sitting up straight again.

“I’m Chuxi,” he said, trying to project his voice as much as possible. It felt like was he talking to a building, a feeling he tried his best to ignore.

“Sushi?” she asked hesitantly. “Like the Japanese food?”

“Sure,” he replied, not bothering to correct her. He never did.

“Well, I’m Haley.” She extended a pinkie, which Chuxi automatically shook. After what he had been through in the last hour or so, he was beyond questioning anything. “And I must be studying too much, since I’m seeing little men with paperclips under my desk.”

“There’s more little men?” Chuxi asked urgently.

“What?” she asked, confused.

“You said ‘little men’ just now. Are there more little men?”

“Oh, I did?” she pursed her lips in thought. “Yeah, I guess so – that’s just a turn of phrase, though.” She shook her head and blinked, as if expecting him to disappear. When he didn’t, she shrugged and continued. “No, you’re the only little man I’ve seen today.” Chuxi didn’t know how to feel about that: was it better that he was the only one? Probably not. “So… are you a little robot or what?”

Sudden laughter escaped from his lips in spite of himself: at this point, him being a little drone definitely seemed more probable. “No, I’m not,” he said. “I was actually studying back there,” he pointed towards his own workstation a few desks over, “when I woke up this size. I have no idea what happened to me.”

“Oh, so that was you!” She squinted at him, as if seeing him for the first time. “You do look a little familiar.” She looked down at him with her soft brown eyes, that same tentative smile on her lips. She clearly had no idea how to feel about this either. “You seem to be taking this all in stride.”

Chuxi laughed again, this one a deeper, truer laugh that came from the belly. While it felt good to laugh, part of him felt like that was all that kept him from crying. So far he had successfully fended off the realities of his new size, but how long would that last?

“Thanks,” he said finally. “Listen, I don’t mean to impose, but at this size,” he gestured to himself, “I’m utterly helpless. Do you think you could, I don’t know, take me to the front desk or something?”

“Absolutely not,” Haley replied forcefully, sending a thrill up Chuxi’s spine. “There’s no way I’d leave you with those old bats. They can’t even get the air conditioning fixed.” Her expression softened, possibly because she realized how imposing she was to him. “I’ll take care of you for the time being.” She put a finger to her lips as she thought. “I think our first move should be to take you to a doctor.”

That seemed like a sensible plan. While he wasn’t sure that a doctor could do anything, it couldn’t hurt. Honestly, he was just grateful that she was doing anything for him in the first place. “Thank you so much,” he said, trying his best to convey just how appreciative he was. It struck him that up until that moment, he had no idea if Haley would help him at all. Now that she had pledged at least some modicum of support, he felt a part of the tension inside of him release.

“I know a doctor nearby who I really trust,” Haley explained with a smile. “We’re really close; I even have her cell number. Plus, she’s really smart – she’ll know what to do. The only thing is…” she trailed off, but not ominously. A mischievous sparkle lit up in her eye, teasing him.

“What is it?” Chuxi asked.

“She’s my gynecologist.”