Feeling every inch like a monster, Wendy laid down her lucky carpet and set up her lap top.  What would her family say?  “You shrank and kiddnapped your best friend?  That’s nice, dear.”  She couldn’t manage to sit down, so she put the device in voice mode as she paced back and fourth. 
    “Aethernet!”  She instructed, “Chat with home.!”
    Presently, Sirius’ icon appeared, followed closely by mother’s.  She almost felt her knees give way from relief.  She was shaking but she couldn’t seem to sit down yet, so..
    “Go to voice mode:chat.” She told the device.
    “Honey?” Mother sent.
    “Hi Mom.”  She started, “First: I’ve found my gift.”
    Sirius: What is it?
    Mom: What is it?
    “I can shrink things?” No other description came to mind.
    Mom: Shrink things?  Like make things smaller?
    “And,” She realized, “I seem to have some way to analyze things...get a sense of their structure...I don’t understand that part yet...?”
    Sirius: Buttercup seemed pretty upset.  What did you shrink?
    After a long pause Wendy managed to say, “Sondra.”  Then, “and her car.”
    Mom:Sondra?
    Mom: Sondra the person?  Sondra your friend?
    “Mother, she was cursed.”  Wendy was glad whining didn’t translate through the chat, “It was a dark and old curse.  The record company people did something to her....I had to stop her from going to them.”
    Sirius: Can you show it to us?  The curse. Be careful.
    Wendy summoned an image of the runes she had seen around, carful to only bring part of the pattern to light.
    “I’m sending them to you in a one - three - two pattern.”  She put the first, then last, then middle part of the hex on the lap top....in order it could be dangerous.
    Sirius:Got it.  I’ll get everyone on it.
    Mom:I see it.
    Agatha:I am here.  I see it too.
    “The slow walker had a similar aura” Wendy observed. 
    Agatha: I know this.  Very dangerous.  It’s called “The Martyr’s Curse” or “The Curse Of Saints.”  Tell me child, do you consider Sondra a good person?
     “Yes.  Absolutely. “  Wendy stated.  “She’s irreverent and angry, but I believe she strongly seeks the light in her own fashion.”
    Agatha:  That is what the curse will use against her.   It will use her determination against her.  Blind her to some things.  It will use her quest for goodness as a means to consume her.”
    “That’s....”Wendy choked, “That’s not fair...how could they even do that?”
    Agatha: It takes one off the path of the light-seeker and sets them on the road of the fanatic.  She won’t even be able to see it as a curse.  Why wouldn’t somebody like her want more drive?  More focus?  More determination? 
      “What about the return?”  Wendy felt a twinge of anger through her grief.  “What price do they pay?”
    Agatha:  That’s why it’s dangerous.  To them also.  They are basically attacking goodness itself.  They are generating so much “bad karma” with this that they are vulnerable.
    Mom: Is there a way to break it, Agatha?
    Agatha: It would be very difficult.  I can see no way for Sondra to participate in her own salvation.  In fact, (I’m so sorry child) within a week it will become so much a part of her that it will be unbreakable.
    Wendy choked back tears.  She couldn’t speak.
    Sirius: Wendy, honey?
    “I’m here....what do I do?” Wendy managed.
    Mom: Honey.  We’ll think of something.
    “Isn’t there someway I could just tell her?” Wendy knew the answer.
    Mom: Not without betraying the Goddess.
    The screen changed a bit as Constance came on.
    Constance: Hon.  There might be a way.  A short-cut that would allow her access to our knowledge...and maybe break the curse in the process.
    Sirius:  It takes years to initiate someone!  Constance we don’t have time.
    Mom: The shortest initiation I’ve ever heard of took months.
    “LET HER TELL ME!” Wendy screamed.
    Constance: Wendy, sweetheart, you can’t initiate her, but you CAN make her your familiar.
    “What?” Wendy felt a little stunned, “You only do that with animals!  Don’t you?”
    Agatha: Usually.
    Sirius: That could work.
    Mom: Honey, I’m not sure you can do this.
    “STOP!”  This wasn’t helping, “Someone explain, please!”
    Agatha: A familiar must submit to you, completely.  They must see you as we see the Goddess.  The sharing, the connection becomes complete.  There is no need to keep secrets from a familiar.
    “That’s...that’s...” All the words that came to Wendy’s mind were words she would never use with her family. “With a person?  With Sondra?  She...she’s my friend....I....I can’t.”
    Constance: Then kill her.
    Mom: CONSTANCE!
    Sirius: No!
    Constance: Then bring her here.  I’ll do it for you.  I can make it painless.
    “Constance,” Wendy wanted to cover her eyes, but she couldn’t. “Please, stop.”
    Constance: Because your friend will betray everything she stands, she will compromise and compromise until there’s nothing left of her and then she’ll be consumed by darkness.  If you do it now, she will have a much better chance in the next life.
    “I don’t know how..” Wendy wept.  “What do I do?”
    Agatha: Sex.
    “Huh?” That didn’t make any sense.
    Agatha: You said you made her tiny?  You have her there?  The quickest way to control someone is through control over their sex. 
    “I...I, um...” This just turned awkward. “I’ve never....”
    Mom: Start by doing what you do with Buttercup.
    “What?” This wasn’t happening, “What?  Did she tell you....?”
    Mom: Sweetheart, at your age you have a fairy following you around and doing favors for you, and the rest of us, for no price.  We all know what’s going on.
    “All of you know?” Wendy kind of felt like she was shrinking herself now.
    Sirius: Yep.
    Agatha: I knew.
    Constance: Oh, yeah.
    All this was too much. 
    Sirius: Please, focus Hon.  She cannot see you falter.  She must see no other way than your mastery over her.  I know you can be strong.  I’ve seen it.  Be strong for your friend.
    Constance: And feel free to enjoy it.
    Mom: Constance.
    Constance: Yes.  Enjoy it.  Sex is about pleasure.  If you don’t let yourself enjoy it...She will have no chance of yielding to the pleasure.  This is seduction as well as control.
    Wendy just stared at the screen for a long while.
    Until....
    Mom:Sweetheart.  Nobody else has your connection with your friend.  Only you can do this.  But, if you can’t....bring her here....we won’t make you watch...
    Wendy took in a small sharp breath, her vision blurred through tears.
    “No.” She said, although she wasn’t sure what she was saying no to.  “I’ll take care of her.....I’ll save her....I will.”


    Wendy hesitated at the bedroom door.  She slowly opened it and peeked in.  That was a mistake, because Sondra was standing there, in the cage, arms crossed.  She should have just walked right in.  She would’ve looked more strong and decisive.
    “Ah!” She tried to sound casual. “You’re awake.”
    Sondra only glared. 
    “There is something I need to tell you...” Wendy began.
    “A CAGE?” Her tiny friend yelled.
    “Sondra.” Wendy tried again.”That’s...”
    “YOU PUT ME IN A FUCKING CAGE?”    
    Yep...not sounding happy.  This was gonna be easy.
    “SONDRA,” Wendy actually raised her voice that time. “You need to...”
    “ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND?”  Her face was pink now. “A FUCKING CAGE?”
    Wendy popped the top of cage open and reached in.  Sondra reflexively went into a defensive stance.  Too late she tried to dodge out of the way and Wendy’s hand seized her shrunken form.  Pulling her up to eye-level Wendy gave it her best shot.
    “THERE!” She made her point and calmed, “You’re outta the cage.  Care to talk now?”
    Wendy hated the wide eyed expression on her face.  She wanted to hold her.  To comfort her.  Why did this have to be so hard? The terror in Sondra’s eyes almost made Wendy the relent until...
    “Wendy,” Sondra gasped, “there’s still time. Just drop me off that the record company. They’ll know what to do.”
    Wendy hated the curse. More than anything in the world she hated the curse. She pretended she was speaking directly to the curse, when she said. “You’re not going anywhere. You’re not going to do anything unless I want you to do.”
    Now Sondra was looking at her like she was just stupid.  What did it take to make her listen? 
    “Wait.”  She squinted.  “What?”
    Summoning up her most imperious voice, Wendy explained.  “You belong to me now, Sondra.  I own you and that’s just the way it’s going to be.” 
    Grasped in a giant hand, looking up at her seeming giant friend Sondra said.  “Well....no.”
    By all the gods and goddesses! What did it take to make her see the facts?  She was tiny, helpless before her.  Wasn’t she already scared?  
    “I mean it.”  Oh, that sounded good.  “You will submit to me....”
    “Wendy!”  Sondra shouted back, “Stop talkin’ crazy and take me to...”
    Yeah, yeah...time for a demonstration.  With her free hand, Wendy ripped Sondra’s top off.
    “Hey!” The palm sized woman protested. Then, “Whoooaa!” as she was flipped over.      Wendy pinched the back of her bra....then pinched it again (stupid clasp)....and once more and then tossed it to the side.   She let her small friend slip slightly, so she held her under her arms, once the tiny shoes and socks were off, Wendy pinched and pinched and finally got her pants off.  Sondra’s little face a picture of surprise. Then the little panties were dropped to the floor.
    “Wendy, I lov...” Sondra started weakly. 
    But Wendy wasn’t listening, she held her helpless captive face down and gave her a light swat on her butt.
    “There!”  Wendy hadn’t intended to say that out loud.
    “OW!”  Sondra protested.  Her little fists clenched.
    >Smek<  Wendy delivered another blow to the tiny bottom.
    “You’d better not!” Sondra choked.
    Wendy felt the whole small form tighten with impotent rage.  She dropped her fingers in a light punishing arc. 
    “You’d better....” then it came, “EEEEEEEEEE.........”  The scream was high and desperate.  It continued , a single note for what seemed like minutes.  It sounded to Wendy like she was torturing a child.  It sent a chill through her...freezing her.
    “Sondra.” Wendy said, gently.
    The scream continued.  High and hopeless and continuous.
    “SONDRA”  Wendy barely managed to over-shout Sondra’s wail.  But the toy sized girl stopped and Wendy set her back in the much hated cage.
    “What?”  She managed, gasping, as she slid from her friend’s hand to the floor of the cage.
    “We’re done...” Wendy said, trying to sound amiable.  “You’ve learned your lesson.”
    “Why are you doing this?” Sondra grumbled.
    Try to sound mysterious.  Try to sound mysterious.
    “You will learn that when the time is right.”  Wendy summoned her impersonation of Aunt Agnes. Still, ouch..corny.
    “Bitch!”  Sondra Screamed, still on her knees...her face crimson, her hair wild.  “I’m gonna KILL YOU!”  Her lips curled back.  “Kill you and rip your fucking eyes out.....!”
    Wendy turned away....trying to not seem to hurry.  Her friend’s deep rage aimed at her back.  The threats and screams muffled when she closed the door to the bedroom behind her and walked to her lucky carpet.   Her knees seemed to lose all the purpose as she collapsed and began bawling.   She curled into a ball on her side as tears painted her face.
    “Why?” She moaned to the universe.  “Why us?”