“Oh shit!” Shawn yelled as he saw this sight. A part of him wanted to stand there and simply accept this fate, as when else would he have the chance to be under the bottom of a lovely women at such a height. To make it even more exotic of an experience, this was an alien female! Of course, the more logical side of him reasoned that if he stayed, Iris’s butt would be the last thing he saw. Sprinting with all his might, he threw himself out of the way, only narrowly missing being trapped under Iris’s alien posterior by a few millimeters. Breathing heavily, he looked up at the gigantic female as she casually examined the room. Shawn took to his feet, which was admittedly difficult to do being next to the small dip that Iris’s butt made in the couch.

“Perhaps he was unable to fall asleep and went upstairs?” Iris reasoned with herself as she got up and decided to go check. Shawn barely noticed the fact that Iris was now at a good enough height to where she could easily navigate through his home without worry that she might bump her head, he was far too concerned with the fact he was only an inch tall and his only hope of returning to normal height was walking upstairs and had no idea he was this short.

“Wait!” Shawn yelled to Iris, who didn’t hear him. After several seconds of watching Iris walk to his stairway, Shawn tried going after her. It was a long shot, but he hoped that perhaps he could tap her foot or something and get her to notice him. As he drew towards the edge of the couch, he realized this might not be a great idea. “Damn it” He muttered to himself upon realizing this. “I can’t stay here, I run the risk of getting sat on and suffocating”

He then looks to the floor. “Then again, if I’m on the floor. She might crush me” After taking a few seconds, his biological nerd begins to kick in. “Alright, this is weird, but also probably the coolest thing that has ever happened to me. To think, technology exists that was able to re-size my entire body with seemingly no consequences. This is amazing! Of course, also pretty scary. I’m hoping I can be returned to normal height, else I might find myself having to be taken care of by my alien guest…”

As he looks around his couch, a stroke of genius hits him. “Wait, there’s a small string going down to the floor on the side of the couch. If I can grab hold of that, I could probably slide all the way down.” Shawn comments to himself.  After several minutes of walking, he made his way to the edge of the couch. “This is dangerous” He told himself as he nervously glanced at the string. “This is my only shot” He reminds himself before taking a running start and jumping towards the string. After seconds of free-fall he latches onto the string and slides down a bit before losing his grip. Luckily, he’s rather close to the ground at this stage and doesn’t get too hurt. “Phew, I’m alive. I don’t think anything is broken, this works out well.” He begins trekking across his grey carpet towards the staircase. As he does so, he hears Iris’s gentle footsteps coming from upstairs. He is both ecstatic yet worried as he notices Iris’s right foot step onto the carpet. At this height, Shawn was able to see Iris’s gigantic body fully. It was like a mountain of beauty that seamlessly glided along. Shawn was immediately taken out of this trance when Iris’s foot slammed down right in front of him, knocking him over from the force of her foot coming down. As Iris took another step, Shawn watched as the massive foot went over his body. It was sort of interesting seeing something this large, sort of like from another creature’s perspective of the normal world. It was very intriguing to the man, but also frightening, as his mind was filled with worry if she decided to put her foot back down while it was still over his tiny frame. Luckily, his worry was subsided as Iris’s step carried her easily over his body as she returned to the couch with a sigh.

“Where could he have gone?” Iris asked herself “It’s not as though he would have abandoned me…” A thought rang through her head that perhaps he had run off in order to turn her in for money or something. She didn’t want to wish this to be true, but with no idea of where he was, she left no idea out the window. As Shawn focused on making his way over to her, Iris sort of verbally muttered her thoughts of the man. “He seems quite nice, I would hope he would never do such a thing to me. It would be a shame if he did, it would be nice to have a companion back home.” Shawn heard none of this as he approached her massive feet. He knew he would have to attract her attention, but how?

His first thought was simply to tap on her feet, but he worried that perhaps she would assume he is a bug or something before actually checking and step on him, likely crushing him if she weren’t careful. Though he had concerns, he knew there would likely be no other way aside from physical contact. Shouting hadn’t worked, and climbing up could also be bad, as she could potentially walk off during that time. Shawn decided he would just go for it, but as he went to make his move, Iris shifted her foot and with much ease trapped half his body underneath. Though Shawn was fine, he had concerns. All Iris had to do was apply pressure, and Shawn wouldn’t have working legs anymore. Shawn hoped for the best and tried to tickle the underside of her feet. He soon found, that Iris was quite ticklish. With just the simple attempt at his tiny self, Iris broke out in laughter and lifted her foot up. Shawn rolled away right before it slammed back down, which likely would have crushed almost the entirety of his body. Iris then looked down, gasping slightly as she saw the tiny little creature. Gently, she scooped it up to take a closer look, only to recognize it as Shawn. “Shawn!?” She said questioningly. Her voice was booming at his tiny height, with him close to her concerned face. “What!? How!? Since when did humans have shrinking powers!? And why would you do this around me!?” She wanted to be more calm, but her mind raced over all the ways she could have accidentally killed the poor soul.

Shawn, heart pounding, replied with. “I don’t have shrinking powers” He confessed, hoping she was able to hear him. Iris nodded slightly, confirming she had heard him. “When you woke up, I saw this device on you. It intrigued me and I just gave it a little touch. I was given a jolt of electricity and taken down to this tiny height. Is there any way I could return back?”

Iris takes a few seconds to calm herself. “Alright, the device you touched is something that recognizes the user only and uses that as a defense mechanism” She then adds “You can be returned back, but it needs to recharge. It should be ready in a day or two”

“A day or two?” Shawn squeaked “Please, please tell me there’s some way to return me to normal height sooner!”

“Why do you need to return to normal height so quickly?” Iris asks “I know it is a concern in terms of risk of death, but don’t you trust me to take care of you until then?”

Shawn chooses his next words carefully “When you’re like me, and used to being a tall guy, it’s both strange and fascinating to see someone from a smaller creature’s point of view, but it’s also scary. Of course, it’s also somewhat scary, because now you’re at risk of being crushed, be it intentional or not”

“Hmm, so a desire to stay big and dominant as opposed to being small?” Iris tries to confirm

“I guess you could say that” Shawn answers. He didn’t mind being put into the care of Iris, he was sure she would be quite helpful, but the worry that not only did she have full control over him, but the fact she could end his life just on pure accidental terms worried him.

“I suppose I know how you feel” Iris answers “All my life, I’ve been sort of the bug so to speak in how my people are. I can ascend to their heights due to the technology of my people, but I’m not normally that way. I can recall many a time where I have been toyed with due to my lack of height. I can relate to your fears of being small and seemingly insignificant. However, I wish to exemplify something I learned, which was learning how others see things in order to form a better understanding of it. I hope this little experience will help us both learn. How others see and treat me, and how it feels to be like me.”

“So, since I’m this height, what would you like me to learn?” Shawn asks

“Well, I’ve had to do the ‘dirty jobs’ so to speak due to my tiny size. Generally lab testing and overall personnel maintenance. It’s not fun, not in the slightest, but as a biologist, you might be more interested than I am in such activities” Iris explains

“I don’t know if I like where this is headed” Shawn replies

“Well, it shall be a learning experience for us both. I shall learn what it feels like to be treated like a giant peer, where as you can play my role that I normally play in my society” Iris answers “While also fulfilling a goal of yours and learning how my body is like”

Shawn blushes slightly, but keeps it hidden from Iris “What do you mean by that?”

“Well, you’re a biologist, correct?” Iris begins “From what I understand, biology is about the study of organisms and how they function. You’ll be getting distinct insights as to how my body works first hand. Just think, you are the only human to have obtained this honor”

“I’m flattered” Shawn says sarcastically

“Good to see your enthusiasm” Iris answers, not taking note of the sarcastic tone.

“So, what’s first on the list?” Shawn asks

“Well, I suppose just looking over my general body could be the first step. But, before that, I suppose you should perhaps demonstrate to me an earthly diet. I must satisfy my hunger at least twice per day, else things will be bad.” Iris answers

“What do you mean by things getting bad?” Shawn asks

“Well, let’s say that I’m much less nice and caring when I’m hungry.” Iris responds “And, I doubt you’d want a firsthand look at my digestive system”

Shawn shutters “Yeah, that doesn’t sound fun”

“Of course, with my normal diet you should be fine. On my planet, we don’t eat much meat. Unless we’re starved for food of course. So, you should be fine exploring there so long as I’m not hungry” Iris replies

“So, if you ate me with a couple of carrots I’d be completely fine?” Shawn asks, the thought still bringing a shiver to his body.

“Yes and no. You’d most certainly be alive if you made it to my stomach, but I couldn’t guarantee your safety from my teeth if I ate you alongside carrots” Iris responds “Not that I would eat you of course. So long as I remain fed, you should never have to worry”

Shawn, who is still disturbed, points towards the kitchen “Well, head to my kitchen and we should be able to find you some food there”

Iris nods and gets up before walking to the kitchen. As she opens the fridge door, Shawn becomes concerned. He had forgotten to buy groceries the other day, and was rather low on the food department. “I calculate about a day's worth of food”

“I suppose I should really hope that the device returns me to normal height tomorrow so I can buy some stuff at the store” Shawn answers

“I most certainly agree. You are my friend, and I would hate for my hunger to come between things” Iris replies

“Real quick, can you explain to me why hunger would cause you to eat me?” Shawn asks, just curious as to why

“When I grow hungry, I lose a lot of my reasoning and caring towards others. Eating the easiest and most nutrient rich thing in sight. Despite your relatively small size, you’d make for a nutrient rich meal. My hungry would be satisfied, but once I regained my senses, I would be disgusted with myself and likely sad as well” Iris answers, growing concerned herself “And, when I’m sad, that is also likely concerning”

“How could that be more concerning than the risk of being digested alive!?” Shawn asks, somewhat panicked himself.

“When my kind grows sad, we temporarily lose one of our main five senses. That is of course concerning, as that can create panic. If I grow panicked, my kind will send for me. That is concerning as that will raise human awareness of my kind, and if they believe they are attacking trying to find me, then that could cause a war. Considering our technologies, we could easily enslave all of mankind, which is not something we desire, but could happen if war arose” Iris answers

“So, what’s the solution to all of this!?” Shawn asks, shaking nervously in Iris’s blue palm. He liked the girl, but she was the scariest being he had ever met.

“Well, I shall eat now. One meal, which leaves another meal for later. By the time I wake up tomorrow, I will hope you have gone away and hidden yourself, as I will likely grow hungry later in that day. Stay hidden, and eventually I shall eat. Once I have eaten, there should be a guarantee the device is done charging. After that, I shall return you to normal height, you can grab groceries, and I shall be here waiting for you” Iris answers

“Good to know” Shawn replies, still nervous.

“In the meantime, I suppose you wish to explore my body for your biological purposes. I shall allow you to climb up and down my body for examination in exchange for this food. And as perhaps a premature apology if I get to you in my hunger.” Iris responds “While you do so, I’ll jot down notes in your journal for you. I feel it only fair since you’re currently incapable”

“Iris, you scare me somewhat” Shawn confesses “But, you’re also one of the most interesting creatures I have ever met in my life”

“I shall take it as a compliment” Iris answers with a smile