My first day being shrunk turned out to be rather uneventful. I mostly stayed in my room, though eventually I did grow bored and decided to explore a little. Still wearing the dress Emily had given me, I headed downstairs, which took some time since each step was now three feet high to me. I tried to find some way out of the house, but the door handles were all way too high for me to reach, as were the windows. It was also pretty cold outside and I wasn’t dressed very warmly, not to mention being barefoot as well, so I decided to stay indoors today. I went to the living room, climbed onto the gigantic couch (which took quite a bit of effort) and decided to watch some TV.

Later that afternoon, my mom came into the room, looking for me. I turned off the television and she sat down on the couch next to me. Her great size once again made me feel puny and inadequate. Mom noticed how ill at ease I looked and lifted me up with her hands, then sat me down on her knee. She kept me from falling by wrapping her fingers around my waist.

“So, I see Emily has found something…interesting for you to wear,” she said, looking amused. “I have to say, you look really pretty in that dress, dear. Would you like to keep it on while you’re this size, or would you like me to make you something a bit more manly to wear?”

“Yes, please!” I blurted out. “Being this tiny is awkward enough already! I don’t want everyone to make fun of me for wearing girls’ clothes too.”

“It’s all right, I understand,” Mom replied. “I’ll see if I can find something for you by tomorrow. I’m heading in to work tomorrow morning, by the way, and I’d like to take you with me, if that’s okay with you. I would like to perform some more thorough tests on you, just to see if you really are okay and everything.”

“Uh…okay. Is it just gonna be you and me…or will there be other people there too?”

I was really afraid of letting others see me like this, especially people I didn’t know. Mom reassured me that there was nothing to worry about. She would introduce me to a couple of her colleagues who had helped her work on the shrinking serum, and who were eager to find out if their hard work had borne any results. But for most of the day, she told me, it would just be me and her in her laboratory. I agreed to come along with her.

“Thank you, Ben,” she said, giving me a hug. “You really are very brave, you know, agreeing to take part in all of this, just to help your mother with her research. I’m very proud of you!”

“Thanks, Mom!” I said, her huge arms squeezing me tightly against her chest. “I’m actually enjoying being this tiny, you know?”

“You are? That’s good news, sweetie. I’m glad you decided to trust me, even though the size reduction process is still completely experimental and untested.”

“I know…but I also know how smart you are, Mom. You promised me that you could bring me back to normal, and I know you’ll keep that promise.”

“That’s right…even though I must admit, having a little doll-sized teenage son does make my life a lot easier! You’re so much more manageable now, and a lot easier to take care of as well!”

I knew she was only joking, but a part of me wondered what my life would be like if I really was stuck like this forever. There would be loads of things that I’d never be able to do, including going out with my friends, driving a car, getting a job, living by myself one day...I suddenly remembered what Emily had said, about letting Kara know about my present condition. Maybe if I asked Mom about it, she could give some advice? As I sat on her knee, I told her about my plan, and asked her if she thought it was a good idea or not. Her answer surprised. me.

“Why, I think it’s a wonderful idea, Ben!” she said. “Yes, I think you should definitely get in touch with Kara and tell her about our little experiment. Maybe she’ll be excited…”

“Or maybe she’ll think I’m a total weirdo and she’ll never want to see me again!” I interrupted.

“Oh, come on!” Mom scoffed. “You don’t really think she’s that superficial, do you, Ben? I’ve never met her myself, but from what you’ve told me about her, she sounds like a wonderful, kind, intelligent young lady. Why would she abandon you just because you’re going to be smaller than her for a short while? Or are you telling me she really is that shallow, and that she’s only interested in you for your looks? In that case, maybe you shouldn’t call her…or maybe you should and tell her that it’s over between the two of you.”

“But we haven’t even begun…I mean, we’re still only friends…but I really like her, Mom, and I don’t wanna screw things up between us. And she’s not shallow! She likes me too, I know it, it’s just…”

Mom held me firmly by the waist, her long fingers easily wrapping around my shrunken body.

“Call her,” she told me, and I nodded obediently. “Invite her over and let her see what you’re going to be up to for the next few weeks. I’m sure she’ll be very excited that her boyfriend…oh, sorry, potential boyfriend, I mean…is busy making history.”

“But what if she doesn’t believe me, Mom? What if she thinks it’s just some stupid prank that I’m playing on her, and she doesn’t want to see me anymore?”

“Now you’re just being silly, Ben. If you ask me, I think you’re just trying to come up with an excuse not to see her. But you needn’t worry – I’ll call her for you. I’ll just get her number from your phone and give her a call, maybe sometime tomorrow. Then I’ll invite her over after school. She’ll be thrilled to see you, I know it.”

“If you really think so…okay. You can call her from my phone any time you want, Mom. Thanks.”

“No problem! Then I can also make sure she promises not to tell anyone else about this secret experiment we’re busy with. In any case, I’m just glad there’s something I can still help you with, sweetie. What with you already being grown-up by now, I sometimes feel like we’re not spending any more quality time together. But we’ve got a chance now, haven’t we?”

I agreed, then told my mom that she could carry me around with her for the rest of the day. She was right that we didn’t spend much time together, since I was always hanging out with my friends instead, or with Kara these last few weeks. But I didn’t mind hanging out with my mom for a while – especially since I didn’t really have much choice at the moment, nor was there much else I could do on my own. Mom picked me up and held me up against her chest, so that I sat on her forearm.

“How about we go for a little walk outside?” she suggested. “You must be feeling so bored, being trapped in the house like this.”

“Okay…but what if someone else sees me?”

“Don’t worry about that! I’ll just carry you like this, wrapped up in a blanket, so that only your face is visible. You’ll look just like a little baby to any passers-by, unless they look really closely, which most people don’t do when passing someone else in the street. It’ll also help keep you warm, which I don’t think that lovely dress you’re wearing will do on its own.”

Her plan seemed good to me, so I agreed. Mom fetched a little pink baby’s blanket, which had once been Emily’s when she’d been an infant, and wrapped me up completely in it. It was nice and warm and only my face was let uncovered. Then she positioned me on her right forearm and stabilized me with her left hand, just as if she were carrying a baby. I was perfectly comfortable and could look around with ease. Mom told Emily that we’d be gone for a short while, then left the house with me in her arms. I didn’t tell her so, but I was secretly enjoying this experience. She walked all the way to a nearby park, chatting with me all the while. There were very few other people out and about, since it was a cold day and everywhere was covered in a blanket of snow. Mom sat down on a bench and cradled me in her arms.

“I can’t wait to tell my friends about this, once they get back from their holidays,” I said as my mom held me tightly. “You don’t have any more of the shrinking stuff left, do you, Mom? I think it could be a lot of fun if some of my friends tried it as well.”

“My, my, you really are enjoying this, aren’t you?” Mom said, giving me a wink. “You want to invite some of your friends over and have a ‘shrinking party’, is that it?”

“Well…yeah…if it’s possible…”

“I’ll think about it…but first, let’s make sure all of the size reduction formulas I’ve been working on are safe to use first, okay?”

“By testing them on me?”

“That’s right! You volunteered for this, remember? If something does go wrong, I’ll restore you to your normal size immediately, don’t worry.”

“I’m not worried. So, how much longer until you make me even smaller, Mom? And how small am I gonna be then?”

“I don’t know. These potions haven’t been tested on human beings before, remember? As to when, I’m thinking next Saturday would be a good time to give you the second potion. That gives you one whole week at sixteen inches tall.”

“That sounds great! Hey Mom, could we maybe go back soon? This is really fun and all, but it is pretty cold out here…”

“That’s okay, Ben, I’ll take you back right now. I definitely don’t want you to catch a cold while you’re shrunk, that’ll just ruin the whole thing, wouldn’t it? Here maybe this will help.”

She took me and tucked me underneath her coat, carrying me hidden away like this all the way back home. Once we were back, Mom removed me from my blanket and dropped me off on the living room couch, then went to start preparing dinner. Emily came and kept me company and we watched TV together for a while, with me sitting in her lap and her arm draped across me, as if she wanted to stop me from getting up and leaving, which I didn’t plan on doing in any case. At dinnertime, Mom came and picked me up again, her fingers curled firmly around my waist, and took me to the dinner table. There was a plate with a tiny amount of food on it for me, as well as a little cake fork for me to eat with. Eating with this oversized utensil turned out to be quite a challenge, but eventually I got the hang of it. As we ate our dinner, Mom brought up the subject of my personal hygiene – specifically how I would be taking baths.

“There’s a large washing basin in my bathroom that I think would be perfect for you,” she told me. “I’ll fill it up with hot water every evening, then I’ll give you about ten or twenty minutes to wash yourself and get dressed again. Does that sound good to you, Ben?”

“Yeah, uh, thanks, Mom. That sounds great. Are you sure you won’t mind?”

“No, not at all. It’s the least I can do. After all, you were kind enough to agree to my experiment in the first place. By the way, dear, have you…um, how do I put this…have you felt the need to go to the toilet at any time today?”

“Actually…no, I haven’t,” I answered. Suddenly I felt very worried. “Why? Should I have…I mean, nothing’s gone wrong, has it?”

“No, I don’t think so. In fact, this was one of the predicted side-effects for the shrinking formula, so I’m actually glad to see that my predictions were right. The size reduction process causes many bodily functions to fluctuate – for instance, your hair shouldn’t grow any longer than it is now, and your facial hair shouldn’t grow either. As for going to the toilet…well, that shouldn’t have stopped entirely, but you won’t have to go nearly as much as you used to when you were still your regular size.”

“Okay, I understand. It’s very weird, though…but then, everything about this feels weird and abnormal!”

Mom laughed and stroked me gently with her hand.

“You’re very brave, sweetie, as I’ve told you before” she said. “Come on, finish up your dinner, then I’ll take you up to my room for your bath.”