1999….

Bryce Banta alias Captain Miniature had been out of his ageless slumber since 1995. (See Chapter 3). He was looking forward to a date with his girlfriend Emma Nation, but was currently scouring Sydney at his tiny size in search of his arch nemesis Red Moll (who was revealed in later chapters to be Red Mol, a servant of the Sons of Molech, until Louise Waters shrank them into a sub-molecular universe).

On this occasion, while shrunken, Captain Miniature had not acquired any powers that enabled him to leave the ground under his own steam. So it came to him as a pleasant surprise, when a man his own size came to land beside him on what looked like a flying motorcycle.

“Captain Miniature, I presume,” he said, “I recognise the costume well.”

“You have the advantage,” said Captain Miniature.

“I’m Jacoby Kurk, and this is the Slipper Cycle. It can fly, drive on land, and cross the dimensional barrier to the other three parallel earths.”

“There are parallel earths?”

“Oh yeah. Earth-T has people of our current size. Earth-B has people who are double our normal size. Earth-G has giant people who are as large in comparison to our normal size as this earth-A’s people are in comparison to us right now.”

“A whole earth full of people who’d be the same size as me while I had my powers,” said Captain Miniature, “I’m getting nowhere trying to get a lead on Red Moll. I don’t suppose you’d care to take me to earth-T for a bit of a reconnaissance.”

“It’d be an honour to take Captain Miniature anywhere. Hop in.”

Jacoby used the dimension spanning controls for the Slipper Cycle, and they were soon travelling the void or limbo between dimensions. Suddenly a dimensional storm shook the Slipper Cycle off course, and the new diminished duo found themselves having to land and check the cycle out.

“By the size of everything, I think we can take it that we’re back on earth-A,” said Jacoby.

“On a footpath just before dawn too,” said Captain Miniature, “Look at this stuff that’s been put out for the council’s pick-up to take to the tip.”

“Maybe we’d better go back to normal size to be less noticeable,” said Jacoby.

They both grew back to full size, and Jacoby picked up the Slipper Cycle to carry it by hand. Captain Miniature began browsing through a pile of discarded books and magazines, until he came to one that took his breath away. It was a paperback, titled “Rhymescribe Presents Captain Miniature.”

He opened the book to the first page and then leafed through to the first chapter and began to read:

It was 1964 in Sydney, where a boy called Bryce

Was befriended by a scientist. She gave some sound advice.

Dr Ann O’Malley offered him the Super Schoolboy Stuff.

Once he took it, seeking super powers, he found he had enough.

Then they used him to reboot the Aussie market for TV,

As the star of his own show, with viewers who would watch and see

Captain Miniature as just a doll, controlled by Ann’s remote.

But the secret of his stunts in fact was worthy of this note.