John sat on a tiny chair, specially provided for use by those who are Reduced, atop the defendants' desk. Normally there would be a number of lawyers and clerks seated here next to their client but, unable to pay for representation, John was alone, his small seated frame stranded amidst the sea of desk around him. His hands we bound, a precaution against someone his size making a run and escaping  if the proceeding did not go his way. He would be defending himself in the matter for which he had been summoned here. 

Amidst the background chatter, a shout of "All rise!" from the Bailiff, and a shockingly young looking judge entered her courtroom.

"The court is now in session - the honorable Judge Miss Amy Jackson presiding!". The court settled down and silence came over the echoing wood-paneled room.

"Thank you, Bailiff" the Judge said, brushing a lock of blonde hair over her ear. She sat down and took a sip of the coffee she had brought in with her.

"What do we have on the docket?" She asked, almost bored.

"First case, your honor, is a simple recategorization request; a Miss Carol Smith vs. Reduced John Thompson".

John looked on, slightly taken aback by the initial attitude of the court - this was the most important day of his life, but it seemed to be either just a bit of fun or a boring technicality for everyone else involved.

"Miss Smith, would you like to express your request to the court?" the judge asked.

One of her lawyers, a pretty Asian woman in a tight black business suit stood to respond. 

"Your honor, Danielle Spencer, attorney at law for Spencer Trent & Warren, representing Miss Smith in this matter."

John looked on as the impressive woman spoke from the ranks of lawyers surrounding Carol, by contrast he sat alone at his desk. Carol sat with a smirk, money was no object for her and everything seemed to be in her favor, she was confident she would get her demands approved.

"... Miss Smith is currently married to the defendant, a Reduced John Thompson, and she is seeking a recategorization of his person due to his continued obstruction of her lifestyle, recalcitrance, disobedience, and breach of prenuptual contract." The lawyer continued.

The words 'recategorization' rang in John's head - this was the first he knew that this was what Carol was seeking. He had thought that she wanted a divorce or at least something similar... that she was seeking recategorization was such a shock that he could hear blood pumping in his ears.

The lawyer continued, "The defendant was already reduced when Miss Smith agreed to marry him, at great risk to her fortune and wellbeing she entered into a relationship which has been greatly exploited."

John couldn't believe he was hearing this - for the last four years since their marriage his relationship had rapidly become a nightmare. Carol very quickly had started to turn on him after his reduction, playfulness moving to teasing, teasing turning to bullying, bullying turning to cruelty. Carol had dark moods, she would make ever greater demands on his small person. Making dinner for a person a thousand times your size took him hours upon hours, and if it wasn't to her liking she would withhold food from him for 24 hours. Once he didn't eat for 8 days. And still she gave him tasks - painting nails, moisturizing and massaging toes, cleaning and tidying. Any attempt to speak up would be dominated into silence by her physical presence, now a literal giantess next to him.

He listened in disbelief as he heard her team describe him as lazy and exploitative, and then a bombshell:

"... not only has the defendant explored and abused Miss Smith emotionally, but despite his diminutive size, he has also been physically abusive to our client."

Shock - how could he possibly be accused of being physically abusive? His wife was a towering goddess to him, he was smaller than her big toe. This powerful woman... who once in punishment for being 20 minutes late with her dinner had thrown him into the cold water of her toilet for the night, more than once waking to relieve herself on top of him as he shivered below in terror that she would flush - was accusing him of being physically abusive to her?

The judge spoke up "A horrifying claim counsel, I am shocked by this allegation. Defendant!" She seemed to bellow at John, "stand to address the court, is this true?"

John slowly stood, his mind racing trying to process what was happening so quickly - he felt dizzy, sick to his stomach. He tried to speak, but his throat was dry. He took a breath and tried again.

"Your honor, I..." He stammered from his tiny spot in the middle of the desk "this is an... utterly untrue allegation, how could I possibly abusive to my wife? I... I weigh 5 grams, do you know that?"

"That is not a valid excuse defendant" the judge said coldly.

John's head was spinning "Do you know... my wife is like 170lbs" he continued in disbelief, "she's... 15,000 times bigger than me, how could I..."

"Again, defendant", interrupted the Judge "Not. A valid. excuse.".

John was gobsmacked, he was being accused of somehow abusing his wife who had lorded over him like a malevolent god for the last four years. The unfairness, the hypocrisy, had paralyzed his thoughts.

The moment of silence was interrupted by the pretty lawyer "Your honor, if I may demonstrate a sample offense with recording exhibit number 1?".

"Of course" replied the judge warmly.

As John sat down in disbelief as to what was going on, a set of large screens next to the prosecution lit up.

"I'd like to direct your attention to this recording made two weeks ago your honor."

The screens sprang to life, they showed what looked like a hand-held recording from a high quality cell phone, the picture focussed and John saw the carpet from Carol's expansive bedroom on the screen. The picture zoomed in, shaky at first, but then came to rest on a close up of a set of toes. Carol's toes. Beautifully pedicured by none other than John himself, they were French tips, Carol's favorite, and also the most time-consuming and exhausting for John to finish. A full pedicure might take him two days work.

The recording was shot from above, Carol's perspective... and he remembered almost immediately this event. She had been bullying him with her toes, using that thick glossy big toe of hers to push over his inch tall body to a peal of giggles for about 30 minutes. Each time she knocked him down she demanded he get to his knees, and begged forgiveness for 'hitting' her 'precious toes'. She would gesture for him to stand up, only to knock him down immediately again. He remembered this was an excruciating and exhaustingly cruel game she had concocted. As he watched the video on screen however, none of this was shown... instead it looked like a slow-motion recording... and then he remembered...

She had said, after a good 30 minutes of this kick-down beg-to-get-up game, that she would end the game if he could hurt her big toe... that if she felt pain, the game would be over and she would let him sleep off the beating. But that it had to be a real attempt.

He had psyched up every last scrap of energy and threw himself like a madman at her toe, and that seemed to be what was about to play out in slow motion to the court right now. He had been framed.

The video showed John, naked and with a ferocious look on his face run into frame and smash into the pedicured toe that dwarfed his body. He struck and struck with his arms and kicked her toe with his legs, he sunk his teeth into the tough thick skin to the side of that glossy nail. On screen and in slow motion, the court saw a madman thrashing, pushed to the breaking point by a cruel game that had built frustration within him to an explosive level. But the court saw nothing of the precursory cruelty enacted upon him, just his animalistic attack, an attack that he knows had had no effect on Carol whatsoever, she was not hurt in the slightest, but an attack which now played in front of thes court had made him appear shocking and feral.

The video ended and there was silence in the room.

He looked over at his wife, she was looking right at him. She had such a smug superior smile. She was going to get exactly what she wanted.