Another Episode (2023)

In 2005, during his high school years, Daniel Price found himself at the centre of a high-profile accident. A mishap in the science lab, fuelled by his inexperience with chemicals and their volatile fumes, led to a bizarre and unprecedented incident. As a result, Daniel's size began to diminish progressively. Previously standing at an impressive height of 6’1”, Daniel's new reality was astonishingly different. He now found himself reduced to the size of a computer mouse, barely reaching 2 inches in height.

Eighteen years have passed since the accident, and it's now 2023. Daniel has adapted to a life that is as normal as it can be under his unique circumstances. His parents, ever supportive, built him a miniature house mirroring their own, catering to his new scale of living. 

Unable to hold a conventional job, Daniel discovered an unexpected source of income. His best friend since high school, Jay, had always been a macrophile—a fact that Daniel never found bothersome. Following his size change, Jay's excitement and support only grew. He eventually persuaded Daniel to explore the world of size conventions. This venture proved to be more than just financially rewarding; it opened avenues for networking and enriching his social life. Together, Daniel and Jay have traveled extensively, their journey extending beyond size conventions, leading to encounters with a diverse array of people and experiences.

As they arrived at an annual size convention in New Jersey, Daniel and Jay entered their 2-bed hotel room, ready for the exciting weekend ahead. Both wore specially designed bracelets signifying their attendance at the convention, with Daniel's bracelet meticulously scaled down to fit his diminutive size.

"Alright, all settled in," Jay said, placing a special apparatus that transported Daniel—a tube-like structure resembling a miniature trailer—on the bed. "Though these beds are definitely too big for you."

Daniel emerged from the capsule onto the bed.

“That's okay, at least it's comfortable,” he replied, bouncing lightly on the mattress. His tiny body made barely any impression on the tight bedding. “Not like I'm actually sleeping in it, after all.”

“Yeah, it’s taking me way too long to realize I only need one bed,' Jay remarked, somewhat flatly, considering his wallet for a second. He tossed his luggage onto his bed, inadvertently sending Daniel flying through the air.

“Gah!” Daniel exclaimed. “Jay! I've asked you to stop doing that.”

Jay chuckled. “I know, but it's just too funny watching you fly like that.” He noticed Daniel's stern look. “Okay, okay, that was the last time.”

“What’s on the agenda for this weekend?” Daniel inquired, watching Jay unpack his clothes.

“Well, the panel scheduled for Sunday got canceled because someone caught COVID,” Jay responded, “So that leaves us with just Saturday’s activities. We actually have time to explore Sunday for once.”

Daniel looked up at Jay. “To be honest, I’m not really in the mood for anything other than the panel. Is that okay with you? Feel free to go out and mingle though.”

“Are you sure?” Jay asked, sitting down on the bed, his presence immense compared to Daniel.

“Yeah, it’s all good,” Daniel said, sounding a bit downcast as he settled beside Jay’s towering thigh.

Jay sensed Daniel’s hesitation. “You know, you haven’t had an episode since 2009. I think it’s safe to say you’re not getting any smaller.”

“It’s not just that,” Daniel began, then paused, feeling Jay’s skeptical gaze. “You're just better at socializing in these events. Last time, you couldn’t really enjoy yourself, and I want you to have that chance this time, especially if we don’t have plans Sunday.”

“That’s thoughtful of you, but I can’t exactly let loose when I'm looking out for you, little guy,” Jay teased, playfully poking Daniel with a finger.

Daniel laughed, nudging Jay’s finger away. “You can, and you should. I won’t get any smaller, like you said, and I’ll be safe in my trailer. You won’t need to worry about me.”

“I’ll think about it. It's only Friday, anyway,” Jay conceded, standing back to his full height. “Let’s grab some dinner for now, and we’ll figure out the rest tomorrow.”

With that, the two spent a relaxed Friday evening, as the convention buzzed with preparations for the weekend ahead.

—

The panel unfolded smoothly, and Daniel was in his element, adhering to his usual standard of eloquence and openness. He fielded questions about his condition, recounting the hows and whys of his extraordinary transformation. Amidst the sea of curious faces, he was pleasantly surprised to recognize a few familiar ones. These regulars approached afterwards to exchange greetings and shared their usual camaraderie. They extended an invitation to Jay for the customary Saturday social. Initially hesitant, Jay paused, then relented with a non-committal, “I’ll probably show up.”

Daniel felt a sense of happiness hearing Jay's decision. Over the years, Jay had been more than just a friend; he had been a steadfast caretaker. Daniel believed Jay deserved this opportunity to relax and enjoy the company of fellow macrophiles, instead of constantly watching over him.

With the panel concluded, the two made their way back to their room, Daniel riding comfortably in Jay's hand as they navigated the hotel corridors.

“So, maybe an hour or two, is that okay?” Jay inquired, his voice a mix of eagerness and concern.

“You can stay out all night if you want, Jay,” Daniel called up, reassuringly. “I'll be perfectly safe in the trailer. What could possibly happen?”

“I guess you're right,” Jay finally agreed, his tone reflecting a mix of relief and anticipation. He unlocked their room and gently set Daniel down on the bed, placing the trailer beside him. “I won’t head out for a bit. Feel free to hang out while I shower and get ready. Cool?”

Daniel approached his tiny house and opened the door. “Cool!” he replied with a smile, disappearing inside, leaving Jay to prepare for his evening out.

An hour later, Jay emerged from the bathroom, dressed casually in a blue shirt, jeans, and his familiar flip-flops. He leaned down to gently knock on Daniel’s tiny door, which swung open moments later.

“That’s your outfit?” Daniel teased, eyeing Jay’s attire.

“Careful there,” Jay retorted with a mock sternness. “I can just sit right here,” he gestured towards the open space surrounding Daniel, “and spend the night watching TV, you know.”

Daniel quickly backpedaled. “Sorry, that was for my flying lesson yesterday. Are you all set for tonight?”

“Yeah, I’m ready,” Jay confirmed. “And you’re sure you’re okay? I don’t have to—”

“GO!” Daniel interjected, almost shouting.

Jay raised his hands in a mock surrender. “Okay, okay, I'm off. Thanks again, Dan. I’ll be responsible, promise.”

“Have fun!” Daniel called out as he turned back to his door. “I’ll be perfectly fine tonight!”

“Do you want me to put the trailer on the de—” Jay began, but his question was cut off by the sound of Daniel’s door slamming shut. “...I guess that’s a no.”

With a final glance around the room, Jay left, giving Daniel his space for the night.

—

Daniel had been comfortably ensconced in his bean bag chair, a repurposed hacky sack from his youth, deeply engrossed in the miniature crossword puzzle book. The intricacy and precision of how they managed to scale the book down to his size never ceased to amaze him. Working on these puzzles not only provided a pleasant pastime but also kept him connected with current events, a small yet significant link to the larger world outside his miniature domain. Eventually, he fell asleep.

After a few hours, Daniel awoke to a noise outside of the hotel room, some guys just being drunk and loud. Resting his eyes, he laid there in his chair and tried to fall back asleep. However, as time ticked by, restlessness began to seep in. He questioned his decision to encourage Jay to go out, realizing it might have been more for Jay's benefit than his own. With a sigh, Daniel clambered out of the chair, stretching his tiny limbs.

As he stood up, a strange, all-too-familiar sensation washed over him. It was then that his bracelet, scaled to his size, slipped off his wrist cleanly. Staring down at the bracelet, a wave of dread engulfed him.

'This can't be happening,' he thought, panic rising in his chest. 'No, not now, not here...'

His heart raced, denial mixing with fear. He couldn't be experiencing another episode of shrinking, not at this moment, not in the midst of the convention.

The sensation in Daniel's head persisted, a clear sign that his shrinking hadn't ceased. Anxiety gripped him as he approached the door, noticing with alarm how much height he had already lost. The door, once easily manageable, now loomed over him, over half his height.

'How much smaller will I get this time?' he wondered, a mix of fear and curiosity in his thoughts.

Cautiously, he opened the door to find the room engulfed in darkness, Jay hadn't left any lights on. The clock on the nightstand read 12:30 AM. 'I need Jay here, now,' Daniel realized, a sense of urgency washing over him.

As if on cue, the sound of a key turning in the lock echoed in the room, followed by the door swinging open.

“Shh… we have to…be quiet,” slurred a voice that Daniel recognized as Jay's.

“Oh, really?” another, unfamiliar voice chimed in, slightly teasing. “You got, like… company?”

“Something like that,” Jay slurred, stumbling towards the trailer.

Suddenly, the room was flooded with light, and Daniel, peering out from his door, was struck by the immense figure of Jay, now appearing like a giant he’s never seen the likes of before.

From his reduced size, possibly no bigger than a thumb, Jay's presence was overwhelming. He was more giant than before, and seemingly more dangerous. Jay, his eyes glazed, gave the trailer a cursory glance, seemingly oblivious to Daniel's situation.

“Jay!!” Daniel shouted from the doorway as Jay seemingly looked at him, fear keeping him from stepping out, especially with the presence of another giant figure who nonchalantly walked past. “Jay, help me! I’m shrinking!”

But Jay, removing his shirt, didn’t seem to hear. His attention was elsewhere, his bulky and hairy frame dominating Daniel's field of vision.

“Who else is here with you?” the unknown man inquired, apparently oblivious to Daniel's desperate calls. As he sat on the bed, the trailer shook violently, knocking Daniel to the ground.

“Hey! Be careful!” Daniel yelled, but his plea went unheard.

“Just a friend of mine,” Jay replied indifferently, starting to unbuckle his jeans. He glanced at the trailer, but the open door went unnoticed.

“What’s this?” the stranger asked, pointing at the trailer, yet failing to see Daniel cowering in its doorway.

Jay, with a half-hearted glance, seemed reluctant to explain. “It’s…well, that’s…you know what? It’s nothing, I'll just move it,” he mumbled, reaching for the trailer.

Panicking, Daniel retreated into the trailer as Jay’s hand descended. “Jay! Wait! Stop!” he screamed, realizing the door was still open and he needed to close it.

But it was too late. As Jay lifted the trailer, it tilted, sending Daniel sliding out the open door and plummeting to the carpet below, all unseen by Jay.

Daniel landed with a faint thud, just as a massive foot loomed over him and then thudded down, narrowly missing him. Jay, oblivious to Daniel's plight on the floor, moved towards the desk to place the trailer down.

From Daniel's perspective, Jay looked like a monstrous figure, completely unaware of his presence below.

“JAY!!!” Daniel tried to scream, but his voice, weakened by his further reduction in size, failed to reach Jay’s ears.

“Alright, let's get to bed,” Jay announced, moving back towards where Daniel lay. As Jay kicked off his flip flops, one flew over Daniel, hiding him from view. Bending down to remove his pants, Jay was still unaware of his tiny friend desperately trying to catch his attention.

The stranger, now settling into his bed for the night, questioned, “Okay, but where’s your friend?”

From his concealed position under the flip flops, Daniel peered out, his gaze fixed on his towering friend above him, clad in only his underwear. 'Please, find me,' he thought desperately, his plea silent and unheard.

“Don’t worry about him,” Jay slurred, his words slightly muddled by alcohol. He stepped over Daniel with his massive bare foot, unaware of his tiny friend below, and staggered to his own bed. “He’s already sleeping.”

“No! Jay!” Daniel tried to shout from the floor, realizing his dire situation. “I'm here! Down on the floor!”

But his calls were futile. Jay, succumbing to the effects of the alcohol, crawled into bed without a second glance and turned off the lights.

Plunged into complete darkness, Daniel could only listen as the two giants exchanged their goodnights and soon fell asleep. The room was filled with the thunderous sound of their snores, leaving Daniel alone and unnoticed in the immense and darkened space.

—

As dawn broke, the first rays of morning light filtered through the room, gently rousing Daniel from his uneasy slumber. He found himself still hidden beneath the massive expanse of Jay's flip flops. In the new light, the treads of the footwear were more visible, revealing bits of dirt, debris, and small rocks embedded within. 

The sight sent a shiver down Daniel's spine. 'Could I end up like those tiny rocks, unnoticed and trapped?' he wondered, fear creeping into his thoughts.

His contemplation was abruptly broken by a loud snore resonating from above. It was undoubtedly Jay, still lost in deep sleep. Daniel felt a mix of relief and frustration at the normalcy of Jay's snoring, a stark contrast to his own precarious situation.

As Daniel took in his surroundings, a startling realization dawned on him: he must have continued shrinking during the night. The carpet, which had seemed like a recently mowed lawn just hours before, now bore a striking resemblance to a vast field of wheat. Each fiber stood as tall as his knee, transforming what was once a familiar texture into an expansive and intimidating terrain.

A few hours later, the mysterious stranger stirred from his slumber. Daniel, concealed and unnoticed, could hear the distinct sounds of the man stretching in his bed. The sound of two heavy thuds reverberated through the floor as the giant rose and lumbered toward the bathroom, his massive feet stomping ominously close to Daniel's hidden spot.

Soon after, the snoring that filled the room ceased—Jay was waking up. The bed creaked and two more thuds followed as Jay sat up.

“Hey, you up?” Jay's voice boomed through the room, a stark contrast to the familiar, unassuming tone Daniel remembered when he was 2 inches tall. Now, from his much smaller vantage point, Jay's voice was a deep, thunderous rumble that vibrated the air and caused a slight ache in Daniel's ears.

“Yeah, just in the bathroom,” the stranger's voice echoed in response.

Jay got out of bed and ambled over to the desk. Leaning down, he whispered to the tiny, empty trailer, “Good morning to you,” his voice low and gentle. It was then he noticed the trailer's open door. His brow furrowed in confusion as he scanned the desk area, but Daniel was nowhere in sight.

Jay’s gaze swept over the room and the floor, yet he saw no trace of his tiny friend. “...Daniel?” he whispered tentatively. He reasoned that Daniel wouldn’t dare wander with a stranger in the room. Concluding that the door must have inadvertently opened during the night and that Daniel was still soundly asleep inside, Jay decided to softly close the trailer door, opting to let him rest.

Meanwhile, Daniel was desperately trying to get Jay’s attention from the floor.

“Jay!!! Down here!” he called, his voice tiny and strained. He watched in disbelief as Jay seemed to look right at him before shifting his gaze away. Daniel’s heart sank as he realized he might be too small to be seen. With a sense of shock and helplessness, he watched Jay shrug and gently close the trailer door, leaving him stranded on the vast carpeted floor as Jay went about his morning routine. 

Unaware of Daniel's presence, the giant Jay bent down to pick up his jeans from the floor, oblivious to his minuscule friend perilously close by. In a moment of panic, Daniel dashed away just as Jay began threading his feet through the jeans. His enormous bare feet emerged from the leg holes, looming like colossal towers over Daniel before they crashed down on the floor around him. Each movement of Jay's feet was a potential threat, nearly crushing Daniel in their path.

After slipping on his shirt and sliding his feet into his flip-flops, Jay casually sat back down on the bed, still completely unaware of the tiny figure evading his every move.

Meanwhile, the stranger reappeared from the bathroom, and the two started exchanging idle conversation, the room filled with their deep, resonating voices. In this world of towering giants, Daniel felt a profound sense of insignificance as he ventured towards the immense landscape of Jay's feet, encased in flip-flops. Unfamiliar with such a daunting task, he began to climb the side of the flip-flop, reaching its surface just as Jay was deep in conversation with his companion. Determined, Daniel hurried over to Jay's foot and started pounding on it with his fists. His efforts felt futile; his tiny hands made barely any impact on Jay's tough skin, and it seemed as if he was accomplishing nothing.

However, above him, Jay did feel a faint tickle on the side of his foot. It was a sensation not entirely unfamiliar, but far from his mind was the idea that his now tinier friend was attempting to communicate with him. Casually, he lifted his foot, wiggled his toes in response to the tickle, and then placed it back down, completely oblivious to the fact that Daniel had lost his balance in the process. Daniel found himself precariously situated under the toes of his giant friend, a situation that was both terrifying and surreal.

Trapped under the colossal weight of Jay's toes, Daniel was gripped by panic, fearing that his friend might inadvertently crush him without ever realizing it. Desperately, he pushed against the massive foot looming above him, but his efforts were in vain. The sheer size and weight of Jay's foot were overwhelming, rendering Daniel's attempts useless.

“…so, that’s the story,” Jay concluded, having finished explaining Daniel's extraordinary condition to his new friend. He stood up and walked over to the window, lost in thought as he gazed out over the courtyard. Unbeknownst to him, he felt nothing out of the ordinary beneath his foot as he stood there.

“So he’s in there now?” the friend inquired, gesturing towards the tiny trailer. “Can I meet him?”

“Sure, when he wakes up,” Jay chuckled, finding his way to a chair by the window. He casually kicked off his sandals and crossed one foot over his knee, completely oblivious to Daniel's real location.

“That’s crazy,” the man mused. “Imagine being that small. The world must seem monstrous and dangerous.”

“Yeah, but he's been stable since we were 19. He's safe,” Jay assured him, absentmindedly grabbing his foot. His index finger brushed against a small piece of debris on his sole, which he began to idly roll back and forth.

“He sounds great,” the man said. “I’m looking forward to meeting him.”

“He's actually the best,” Jay responded with a touch of pride in his voice, still fiddling with the tiny speck on his foot, not noticing its smaller size. “I've been taking care of him for about seven years now. He’s the greatest friend anyone could have. I’d never let anything bad happen to Daniel.”

—

In those harrowing moments, Daniel was engulfed in sheer agony. As Jay stood up to walk towards the window, he unknowingly shifted all his weight onto the tiny figure of Daniel beneath his foot. Miraculously, and to Daniel's simultaneous relief and terror, he wasn't crushed. He lay there, immobilized and wracked with pain, but still alive.

The moment Jay took his first step was a mix of pain and dread for Daniel. The pressure momentarily lifted, offering a brief respite, but it also meant he was now adhered to the sole of Jay's foot. In a terrifying instant, the giant foot descended once more, plunging Daniel into darkness under the oppressive weight of 225 pounds of man.

Relief washed over Daniel as Jay lifted his foot out of the sandals, flooding him with light as his giant foot exposed the tiny man to the window’s light. Daniel frantically began pounding on the tough skin of Jay’s sole, but his efforts seemed futile. Suddenly, a shadow loomed over him, and he looked up to see Jay’s enormous hand descending.

“Yes! Jay! You found me!” Daniel cried out ecstatically, his voice filled with hope. But his relief was short-lived. The hand clasped the very foot Daniel was stuck to, and a massive finger landed dangerously close to him. It appeared monstrous, like a basilisk poised to strike. And strike it did. The finger suddenly jutted forward and touched Daniel’s legs, then moved to his groin and stomach, the overpowering scent of last night’s alcohol emanating from it. Just as the finger threatened to cover his face, it curled, and Daniel felt an immense pressure as Jay’s finger began to roll him back and forth across the sole.

“Jay!! MMM-mphhhhh,” Daniel’s cries were muffled and cut off as the relentless finger flipped him over, pushing him towards Jay’s toes.

Regaining his voice, Daniel screamed, “Jay!! Stop!! I’m here!! Please!! Find me!!” He stretched out an arm in a desperate plea as the finger inched him closer to the giant toes, threatening to entrap him.

He felt the familiar feeling in his head as the giant finger began getting bigger.

As the finger began to push him between the toes, the last words he heard from Jay echoed with bitter irony, sending Daniel into a state of hysteria as he shrunk more.

“…I’d never let anything bad happen to Daniel.”