[BUMPER GRAPHICS: COVER to COVER with Jeanne Wilkinson]
[Jeanne Wilkinson strolling through a large black empty space, next to a large calendar showing DECEMBER 2013]
“Welcome back to our retrospective on the Shrunk virus. After the initial wave, in the winter of 2013 most countries assumed the pandemic was ending. The number of new cases had dropped and new cleaning and distancing policies had lessened the amount of transmission. Thanksgiving and Christmas came and went but the restrictions on social gatherings lent the holidays a muted tone. The smallest shrinkees were around the size of the shortest people with dwarfism that had existed prior to the pandemic. Some mild cases had only shrunk their victims by a foot or or a few inches.
A vaccine was under development and in the testing phases, due for rollout and mass inoculation in early 2014.
However, unbeknownst to most researchers there was a new mutation spreading that was airborne and more virulent. The SHR(u)-13-2 “Beta” Variant had appeared and was capable of re-infecting already shrunken individuals as well as shrinking people faster and smaller than the original baseline virus. It also had other, unpredicted side effects that will be discussed later.
[Dr. James Krutsz]
“We had thought the worst was over, and case counts were dropping. A surface virus can be defeated with rigorous hand washing and other procedures, but then already Shrunk patients began to manifest renewed size loss, and we realized we had a mutation on our hands. We learned to our dismay that contracting Shrunk once did not guarantee future immunity from it next time. Beta did not show up on the tests that had been developed for baseline at first, so we had to revamp all our procedures, and meanwhile it was hitting us harder and faster. It was in the depths of the Beta wave that we found the smallest patients were hitting well under 12 inches in height, and all the way down to 3 inches. It was then that i knew this was going to get a lot worse, and that everything about human society was going to change.”
[ Interview: Valerie Tonkin, compliance manager. Age 31. Height: 3.5 inches]
[A tiny young woman is wearing a loose T-shirt and yoga pants and is sitting cross legged on the lid of a jar of jam. She appears to be on a large kitchen tabletop surrounded by bowls and plates much larger than she is.]
“I got Shrunk in the first wave, to 22 inches. I was in college at the time, and I thought i was so tiny I wasn’t going to survive. Today I’d barely come up to old me’s ankle. And I’m way bigger than the smallest shrinkees I know, like my college roomie Dana, who’s down in the millimeters, and fits between my toes. Uh, don’t ask how i know that, hahah, are you gonna put that in the final edit?”
[Dr. Krutsz]
“Around this time we started to develop our terminology. Shrinkee was a general term for anyone who had shrunk by any amount. Anyone between 2 and 5 feet tall was classified as “Mini”, to be distinct from those with dwarfism (who, by the way, were not immune to the virus). Anyone between 12 and 24 inches in size is classed “Small”, and 6-12 inchers are “Tiny”.
Under 6 inchers are “Micro”, but later we had to add “Nano” for shrinkees under 1 inch. It remains to be seen if “Pico” and “Femto” and such will need to be deployed.
[Jeanne Wilkinson]
The vaccine was the number one priority of various world governments, and several companies had produced vaccine candidates for approval in the winter and early spring of 2014. Stablent, Keepgro, and Bigufix were approved by the FDA and other health agencies in February 2014 and vaccine rollouts were issued, with millions lining up for the injections. A certain percentage of the population strongly refused vaccinations, for various reasons, some calling themselves “proshrinkers” and some even deliberately trying to contract Shrunk. Many of these individuals are now extremely tiny.
Other protestors believed the vaccine was ineffective, claiming the virus was a government plot to control the public by taking away their size. The “Stay Big” movement, as they called themselves, subscribed to an elaborate conspiracy theory involving a theft of size by the United Nations and tiny lizard aliens. Stay Biggers regard the shrinkees as “bugs” or vermin to be tortured and crushed. Such individuals are arrested like any other serial killers when found. Torturing, eating or killing a shrinkee of any size is a criminal offense the way it would be for anyone.
The vaccine did work against baseline SHRu-13 and provided immunity with boosters for some time. However, the other variants did not seem to respond well to the vaccine, so it was still possible to contract Shrunk Beta or future variants. The population of shrinkees continued to increase at almost the same rate as before, and infections led to smaller shrinkees.
The economic impact of Shrunk was profound and increasing. The governments of the world took various emergency measures to prevent a complete disaster, with mixed success.
[ Interview: Senator Bill Veers (D-Mass). Age: 59 Height: 6 1/2 inches]
[Senator Veers is sitting at a doll-sized armchair in a scaled-down version of a Senate office with federalist furniture, and one wall is a row of large law books taller than he is]
“I’m proud to say that during Shrunk, we managed to keep the economy on a reasonably even keel with stimulus payments of $1000 to all shrinkees and job guarantees paid to employers. We also passed legislation to prohibit size-based discrimination and serious penalties for abusing or violating the consent and autonomy of any uh, size-diminished individuals.”
[Jeanne Wilkinson, voice-over, accompanied by footage of shrinkee workers on oil rigs, lumberjacks, etc]
Shrunk had a major effect on the military, industry, sports, and many other areas of society. Shrinkees who were too small to operate helicopters, trucks, aircraft, oil rigs, forestry, manufacturing, or other blue-collar jobs were forced to go on disability leave and many lost their jobs to Bigs. Discrimination was rampant, despite legislation, and shrinkees can still have trouble finding jobs and accommodations to fit their new sizes. It was made all the worse by shrinking again months after you thought you were at your final size. Many shrinkees are reliant on basic-income stipends for living expenses, indexed to their size.
[Wilkinson walks up to a table, at which there are a row of tiny, plastic houses that look like architectural models or dollhouses, in various sizes]
Special housing modules for shrinkees began to appear around this time: 3-d printed modular apartment or house units, customized to the shrinkee’s proportions, and filled with dollhouse furniture. These “tiny houses” could be a condo or a McMansion. A smartphone on the wall could be a home theater. If a shrinkee was a family member or spouse of a Big, their housing could be kept in the full-sized home. Alternatively they were stacked in vacant lots or RV parks, formed into apartment complexes or compounds, covered with bird nets, provided with hookups for water and electricity, and rented out at low cost to shrinkees. A $1000 stimulus check could purchase one of these housing units, fully furnished, with a year of utilities and maintenance. More luxurious shrinkee housing developments would appear in later years, and many shrinkees became avid fans of tiny home improvement.
[a clip from the cable home improvement show Tiny Beautiful with a designer showing their tiny home makeover]
“We did the living room in the very on-trend borrower chic. The spool of thread table and the pencil support beams provide a homey, mouse-hole touch. We upgraded the wiring to USB-C and there’s a walk in fridge. All furnishings are fully adjustable in case of further shrinking and there’s low level conversation tables and ladders if any nanos come to visit.”
[ Interview: Chef Trey Partridge, owner-operator: Tiny Bites Restaurant. Age: 33. Height: 4.25 inches]
[Chef is preparing a single huge blueberry, cut artfully into thick slices]
I got Shrunk in the Beta wave, and I was running a restaurant at the time. My business partners removed me when I dropped under 2 feet and I agreed with them - I wasn't able to run the line as I wanted so I took my severance and took a break. For a few months I didn't have much going for me, feeling sorry for myself, but then I realized that shrinkees needed to eat too, and I managed to scrape up enough to open Tiny Bites.
[Trey shows the walk-ins and storage pantries of the restaurant, full of giant cans and spice bottles as tall as he is]
"Look at this: one bag of Big groceries and we can run this place for a week. And last year we opened Tinier Bites for nanos and it's been going gangbusters. They eat even LESS food. And then a few months ago my original partners, still Bigs, contacted me about a special project. But I can't talk about that just yet."
[Wilkinson]
The cost of living as a shrinkee is quite low. A shrinkee can survive for days on an amount of food that a Big would eat in one meal, or one bite. This cost savings is significant and has led to many people deliberately catching the virus and becoming shrinkees out of economic necessity.
Clothing, furniture and other items shrinkees might need is available in any size these days. The costs of materials for a jacket worn by a tiny person is low, but the labor costs and other factors are the same as a Big’s so mini, small, tiny, or nano clothing and items can be more expensive than expected.
The costs of food and housing may be low, but a shrinkee’s resources might be lower still. Since 2014, homeless shrinkees appeared in corners of parks and backyards. They live as they can manage on scraps and discarded food, and the human rights crisis of these unhoused shrinkees is ongoing and severe. It’s hard enough to be a homeless person in a major city, and even harder when a rat is a major threat. Many such shrinkees have died to local wildlife or weather exposure. Charity groups have worked to provide housing units and improved safety for shrinkees who need them.
Aside from housing, clothing and feeding millions of shrinkees, another problem is interacting with Bigs. While shrinkees down to a few inches tall can communicate with Bigs, very tiny shrinkees can find it difficult to be heard or seen without amplification.
[Dr. Krutsz]
"The main thing about being a shrinkee, especially a micro or nano, is that distances become vast. At my nano size it would take me hours to walk the length of a single footstep from a Big. Also, my voice is too high-pitched and squeaky to be heard by any Big or mini. I happen to have access to a 1.6 meter tall bipedal robot that I can pilot from a cockpit in the robot's head. Those Providence Dynamics mecha are a godsend, as I can maneuver in the world as if I was a Big. My face is shown on the screen and my voice is pitched down to Big levels, and I can walk, socialize and conduct business with Bigs without any obstacles. The robot can fold up and travel in airplane luggage compartments. However, those custom robots are not available to most shrinkees, and the cost is significant. My robot cost over $100,000 and requires frequent maintenance. The time may come when those robots are more common and affordable, however. In the meantime there’s the Remys.”
[Wilkinson, in front of what looks like a wingless helicopter with a glass canopy and seat with controls. A large rubber torus protrudes from one side - it’s a gigantic earbud, like a Bluetooth headset with a pilot seat.]
Robots are not the only way for smaller shrinkees to interact directly with Bigs. The “Remy”, also called the Marble, or just the Earpiece, looks like an earbud with a seat. The shrinkee sits on this seat and can speak to a Big through the earpiece and using sound tones from the controls. [examples of various beeps and chirps] The shrinkee pilot gives the Big commands, like “walk over there” or “approach Mr. Jones”. When the shrinkee speaks, the Big speaks by proxy, without consciously thinking about it. The Big in effect becomes m a piloted giant robot under control of the shrinkee. Larger shrinkees can position on the Big’s shoulder.
It takes a certain amount of training to work as a proxy and they are paid quite handsomely for their time. The Big cannot be made to do anything illegal or dangerous and the role is similar to that of any servant or bodyguard. Remy proxies have become common sights at many conferences, business meetings and in-person social events.
[Interview, with subtitle: Perry K, full time proxy. Age 32, height: 6 feet]
“I’ve been a remote proxy for shrinkees for four years now, for hundreds of different pilot-clients. It’s work that requires you to listen and respond without question. Once I’m in the zone I don’t even remember specifics about what the pilot had me do. I will balk and refuse orders if it’s something dangerous but otherwise I’m at their command.”
[Footage of a TED talk with Perry K speaking while piloted by a 3-inch tall Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Computer]
“I quite like my role, and when I am working with a pilot I really synch with it’s a true pleasure. Not every pilot is skilled, but most shrinkees can pick it up after about fifteen minutes. It’s a little strange when I am commanded to do something intimate like hug a shrinkee’s Big spouse, but I’ve done it, and while I don’t do more, other proxies will perform other services for, uh, additional costs.”
[Wilkinson]
Transportation is another area where shrinkees have certain restrictions. While shrinkees with special adapted controls can drive cars and trucks, it’s more difficult at smaller sizes. Just getting in and out of the car is a challenge. And most insurers and state dmvs will not allow shrinkees below mini size to drive.
[Wilkinson, with a diagram of a city sidewalk: most of it is painted yellow, with narrower blue and red stripes parallel to the yellow zone]
For shrinkees on foot, who leave the safety of their housing units, the sidewalks in most towns and cities have been marked by size. Bigs are required to keep to the yellow markings, and the blue stripes are for minis, smalls and larger tinies. Micros and nanos do not usually walk but fly drones to their destinations.
[Wilkinson, standing beside a single person drone]
For more and more shrinkees the only way to fly is by drone.
[Footage of drones lifting and flying with boxes of shrinkees in seats like a bus, as well as sleek single-occupant small drones the size of toys]
[Wilkinson: voice over]
Shrinkees under 12 inches can travel in a so-called 'lunchbox' or pelican case: a small protected chamber with transparent walls that can be carried in a Big car or by hand, in a rack on a bus or train, or by drone. Each pelican can hold one or more shrinkees in luxurious comfort or functional safety. Passenger drones buzzing through our cities skies have become a common sight, taking shrinkees from their tiny housing complexes to offices or schools, or on longer trips to an airport or vacation destination, often controlled directly by a shrinkee pilot instead of remotely. Smaller, personal drones are available for one or two shrinkees, more like a sports car or personal helicopter. There is even a low-altitude air traffic control for shrinkees to avoid mid-air drone collisions. Outdoor cafe patio areas can be roped off as a drone landing and recharging zone, complete with tables for various sized shrinkees to enjoy snacks and socializing.
[Wilkinson is standing in front of a large table of statistics and a bar chart showing exponential line of increase labeled “Number of Shrinkees”, both worldwide and in the United States]
By the end of 2014, despite vaccinations and mitigation, the number of shrinkees had risen to over 50 million worldwide and an unknown number more had symptoms yet to appear. On January 1 2015, the smallest shrinkee on record was 26 millimeters tall, just over one inch in height. The average shrinkee was around 10 inches in height.
As the years passed, the number of shrinkees only continued to rise, despite additional attempts at curbing the spread of the virus. The United States elections were won by the candidate who promised the most benefits to shrinkees, and the 11 inch tall President Bailey was sworn in standing atop the Bible in the famous inauguration photo. He was re-elected in 2020.
By last year, the number of shrinkees worldwide exceeded 1.5 billion. The virus is still out there, and 17 known variant mutations exist. The smallest known shrinkee as of 2023 is 1.1mm tall, and the largest percentage of shrinkees is the United States where over 40% of the population has shrunk to some degree or another. The average shrinkee is 5.75 inches tall and that number has been dropping for some time as new variants hit harder. Some shrinkees have shrunk five or six times over the years as they acquire different variants of the virus.
When we get back from the break, we will continue with our look at the cultural impact of the Shrunk virus, ten years later. The next segment deals frankly with issues of sexuality and is intended for mature viewers only. You’re watching Cover to Cover, on CTN.
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