Tom had enough of it. He works as an intern at a big company, after he spent few years at college. The pressure from work, the constant need to prove his worth to his bosses, the loud noises of the big city he rents at, this whole fast pace of life. All of these, put great amounts of mental pressure on him, and he just had to take a vacation. However, Tom isn't going to settle in a standard vacation of a mere weekend at some sunny place with a nice beach. No, Tom wants a true escape. While browsing online, he came across the shrinking option.

Shrinking is available for some time now, some people decide to live their lives in a smaller proportion. Most of the shrunks do it willingly, they live in special resorts dedicated for their small size. Some people, like convicts, are shrunken too, but they face a different fate than a dreamy resort, something much more fatal. Some people volunteer to be shrunk and shipped to the food industry, alongside the unwilling shrunks.

Tom came across a tempting proposal. A shrinking company offers a 30 day trial. They can shrink you temporarily, and send you to a special resort. At the end, they bring you back and resize you. If you want, you can ask to be kept shrunk, but then you have to give up on your old life and transfer all of your savings to the company. Tom wants the temporary shrink vacation. He knows that this is the only way which he will get a true quite holiday without any interruptions from the big world. He books a ticket at travels to the shrinking agency.

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When Tom arrived at the agency, he met Kayla. Kayla was a young lab worker, which means she was in charge of receiving patients, shrinking them, and sending them to their correct destination. During her time at the agency, she saw all kinds of people to be shrunk. She saw couples wanting to change their lifestyle, she saw convicts escorted by police, she saw what she like to call "willing snacks", and also the temporary shrunks like Tom.

"Hey there! My name is Kayla, and I'll conduct your procedure today. What is your name sir?"

"Hi… Umm, it's Tom."

"Haha, funny. I had another "Tom" just before you got here. But he was escorted by police, not coming here willingly like you. Oh don't be shy, just go on and fill this form over there, I'll be back in a minute to take you to the shrinking chamber."

Tom was excited. He felt a bit embarrassed by the warm welcoming and smiley face of Kayla. He went out to fill and sign the correct forms, making sure he circles the "30-day trial" option. He was thrilled to see Kayla coming back, wearing gloves this time. He is eager to start his vacation.

"All set Tom? Let me see the forms… Ok, looks good. Follow me please. Now, I need you to remove any clothing and jewelry, and enter through the glass door over there."

Tom felt awkward at first, he didn't realize he would have to undress in front of her. Lucky for him, Kayla wasn't in the mood to see him naked either, so she turned around. The shrinking chamber had a rough glass door, like in a shower. Once inside, he closed the door behind him. Kayla heard the door closes and turned back around.

"Hmm, so I see you circled the temp shrink… destination is the temp shrunks resort… ok no problem. Hehe, it's really funny when I get two people with the same name one after the other. The other guy kinda even looks like you, odd… never mind, just relax and stand there, let me do all the work. You'll see some blinding light, than darkness for about 15 seconds, then you'll see everything around you huge. I'll come inside the chamber, pick you up, and place you in a dedicated small comfort cube. The cube is like a small motel room, and would be send to the resort at the end of the morning shrinking period, together with today's other shrunks."

Tom felt nervous at first, but kept in mind his dreamy vacation. He waited inside the chamber patiently. Before he knew it, he heard an electric noise, and underwent the process exactly like how Kayla described it. When Kayla used her gloved hands to delicately grab him and put him in his small room, he felt like their size differences makes her feel like she owns him. Fortunately, she was a professional, and knew how to handle him with proper care.

Inside his small cube, Tome couldn't know what's happening outside, there was air conditioning and ventilation but no windows. A bout an hour later, he heard the muffled voice of Kayla talking to another woman.

"Ok, I need to go to my lunch break, we have these three to go to the permanent resort, that "Tom" guy is a convict to the food industry, the other "Tom" is for the temps resort, those couples over the back are to the permanent too, and those two in the front are willing, but into the industry too. Got it?"

"Yeah yeah no problem, go enjoy your lunch, I'll manage." The other woman answered her.

"Hmm, let's see… the couples for the permanent, the other three over here too… Hmm, wait, which Tom is for the temp and which is for the industry? Crap, Kayla already left. Well, I hope I'm not mixing the two…"

Tom only heard her with half attention, he heard his name, but didn't really know that a huge mistake has just happen. From his perspective, he anticipated to feel his chamber moving, from being shipped and all, and to wake up tomorrow morning right into a heavenly resort. He felt like he was going to sleep inside a cabin on a ship. He felt his box being moved around, heard some external noises, but he was calm. He knew that all he has to do is going to sleep, waking up tomorrow morning, and his door will be opened into the majestic view of the resort. Kinda like taking a cruise ship. He went to sleep, completely oblivious to the accidental cruel fate that awaits him.

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Do you know the good feeling of waking up after a restful sleep, plus waking up into a day you know will be stress free? That's how Tom felt waking up. He felt his box laying still. He felt excited, he thought that the movement ceased because he arrived his destination. Well, indeed he arrived at the destination, but it was a different one. He went on to open his door.

When Tom opened the door he saw darkness, he couldn't even see the stars above. Apart from darkness he felt cold, not just chilly, but really cold. That is strange, he thought for himself. The resort should be a sunny place near the beach. It shouldn't be night time now and it definitely shouldn't be so cold. Maybe he is still in shipment? But then again, why doesn’t he feel any movement? As well as the darkness and cold, Tom smelled a strong smell of fruits, vegetables, and foods. Now that his mind has recovered from sleep, he also noticed a humming sound coming from somewhere.

While his little mind tried to figure out these strange sights, a bright light blinded his eyes, accompanied by a strong burst of warm wind. When his pupils recovered from being assaulted by the light, he saw the inside of a huge refrigerator's door. Then it hit him. He wasn't at any resort, he was inside someone's fridge.

How did he get here? What's happened? Who is this full sized woman he saw reaching for some foods before the door was closed back again? His mind worked its gears hard, but then he remembered. He remembered hearing a female employee voice about mixing between two shrunks named Tom. The realization that he got to be shipped as food instead of the other guy who was a convict felt like a punch in the gut. Now he was inside someone's fridge, and that someone is going to eat him. This was too much for him to handle, he fell back on his small bed and blacked out.

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When Tom woke up, he wasn't in his box anymore. Instead, he was lying on a hard plastic board. A quick look around confirmed that he was no longer in his box, nor inside the fridge. Instead, he was on a cutting board on the kitchen's countertop. It looked huge to him. He saw a woman washing some vegetables in her sink. He couldn’t get up because a heavy object (heavy for him) was laid on top of him, preventing any escape. He tried to shout to the lady.

"Excuse me!!! Right here! Please! You have to listen to me! There has been a huge mistake! I'm not supposed to be in here, I'm not a convict, I was supposed to be sent to a special resort, I'm only a temporary shrunk! Please! You have to believe me, I need your help!"

Tom shouted with all of his might. The woman on her side only heard a low volume squeaky noise coming from the tiny. She could make an effort and bring her ear down closer to him and try to understand what he says, but she didn't want to. When she looked at him, trying to squeak at her, Tom saw her face clearly for the first time. At the first few seconds Tom felt like she looks awfully familiar, but can't remember exactly who she is. She spoke to him, or rather to herself.

"Ha, no need to squeak little one. You should have known that you'll become food once they shrunk you. Didn't they tell you that? You little degenerate punks deserve this. Besides, you're going very well on salad with some fresh vegetables."

Tom's mind was overworking. "… you little degenerate punks… ". He heard that before, with this exact voice. Then it hit him. This woman whose kitchen counter he is on is Miss Bauer, Lena Bauer. She was one of his teachers back then in school. Whenever kids made any trouble or misbehaved she used to say that phrase "little degenerate punks". Now he recognizes her.

His first instinct is to feel relieved. If he can make her to take a good look at his face, notice who he is, and hear him out, he might survive. If he can pull this out, she'll help him to get back where he belongs. Surly she'll want to help one of her former students rather than eat him. Or at least so he believes.

Miss Bauer, Lena, finished washing the vegetables and came straight to him. She picked him up with her fingers, and started to strip him off his clothes. Tom felt very embarrassed, but he reminded himself that he got bigger problems than having his former teacher seeing him naked, he tried to wave his arms, calling her name, using every bit of his voice to get her attention. At first she ignored. Lena simply took his naked body to be washed with cold water as well. However, when he was thoroughly washed, she took a closer look at his face. Something about it seemed familiar. She decided to try and listed to his squeaks.

"Please, Miss Bauer! It's me, Tom! You were my teacher in school few years ago, don't you remember me? Please, you have to believe me, I'm here by mistake!" Tom shouted.

"Hmm… Tom… Tom… Oh right! Yes, I do remember you. You were not so little punk yourself back then. Ugh, if only you had listened to what I tried to teach you, you wouldn't have come to this situation. There is not much I can do right now, I am going to eat you in my salad." Lena replied.

"No no no Miss Bauer, I swear, they had a terrible mix between me and another guy who's also called Tom, I was supposed to go to a vacation, not your kitchen." Tom shouted back, there was real fear behind his voice.

"Ha! Right. Your pathetic excuses weren't any good back then when you didn't do your homework, and they are equally irrelevant now. I don't know what is it you did to deserve this, and I don't care. All I know is that I'm having a salad with fresh vegetables and a tiny, and you are that tiny. I am going to eat you, end of discussion."

Tom felt shattered. He couldn't believe this. His former teacher actually thinks he's a true convict like any other murderer or thief out there. Lena put him back down on her cutting board, secured under the weight of a dull metal knife so he can't escape.

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Lena began preparing her salad. She started by chopping some tomatoes into cubes, after the tomatoes, she went to chop some cucumber. After that, she added some small lettuce leafs. Before she put her dressing, she decided that the salad is too green, and need more red. She added some small cherry tomatoes cut in half. For dressing she only sprinkled some salt and a little squeeze of a lemon. She mixed it all well, and put Tom right on top of the salad.

"Now little punk, you have two choices. You can lay there still, like a good by, letting me enjoy my salad peacefully. I'll simply swallow you whole as I eat it. This is the non-violent option. Your other choice is to try and escape, make a fuss, misbehave. In that case I'll have to bite off or crush your hands and feet. This will be painful, and might lead me to simply chew on you bit by bit. This option is much more violent than the first. Remember the choice is yours, punk."

If Tom could say one thing about Miss Bauer, is that she never makes empty threats. She honestly made him even more scared then he already is. She makes him feel like he has almost already accepted his wrongful fate.

Lena started eating. Tom did nothing but sit there, on top of fresh cut vegetables which made his body sticky and wet. He saw his former teacher sending down her fork to stab pieces of salad and deliver into her mouth. He saw the pieces of tomato or cucumber entering her mouth to be chewed with loud crunches. He saw her throat muscles moving when she swallowed. He gulped as well, but out of fear rather than swallowing his food.

Before long, more than half of the salad bowl was already empty. What used to be there was now digesting inside Lena's stomach. Now it was Tom's time to go. Bauer sent her fork down once more. This time instead of sticking it into some vegetables, she placed it under Tom's body and scooped him up. Without saying any word, offering not a single sign of saying goodbye, she simply parted her lips and put him on her tongue inside her mouth.

Inside Lena's mouth, Tom could smell her breath, and the smell of the chewed salad. Inside his former teacher's mouth was much warmer and more humid than outside, and darker as well. Her lips closed behind him, sending him to complete darkness. She started sucking on him like a candy. Her slimy saliva coated him from all over, some even entered his mouth as he tried to breathe. Tom couldn't believe this is happening, his mind refused to accept that this is the reality, and that she is actually eating him alive. Without any warning, Tom was pushed into the back of Lena's mouth by her tongue, she swallowed him down whole.

Down down down Tom slides Miss Bauer's esophagus, and into her stomach. Once splashing down, immediately he took notice of the awful vomit-like smell. A mixed mush of chewed salad, digestive juices, and remnants of whatever Lena ate earlier engulfed little Tom. The stomach walls were moving, sloshing it all together for better digestion. Tom sat there and knew that this is it, this is the last place where he'll be alive. His survival instinct told him to try and punch the stomach's walls, maybe she'll throw him up. Needless to say that it had zero influence, she didn't even feel that.

With that, Tom was ended, digesting alive inside the stomach of his former teacher alongside the salad she ate him with.