July

“He looks like he’s healing nicely,” Dr. Connors, Evan’s vet of choice, said of Marshmallow’s leg. She stroked the grey tabby, who purred. Dr. Connors was a middle aged woman with light brown hair, with a slightly clinical air, “I would like him to lose some weight.”

“Oh come on doc,” Evan protested from his spot on Eve’s shoulder, “I’ve been trying to get him to lose weight since before I was tiny!”

“I am well aware,” Connors muttered. She paused, her enormous face leering at Evan a moment, “I must say Mr. Armstrong, given your… condition, I would think you would find giving a cat orders easier, simply command him to eat less!”

“Look, we tinies have a connection with animals, and it’s true he does a lot of stuff I ask,” Evan chuckled, “but if I tried that? He’d never listen.”

“Hmm…” the vet said, eyeing Eve, “I don’t suppose I can trust you to put this cat on a diet that sticks?”

“I’ll uh, do my best,” Eve muttered.

“While you are here, would you like me to perform a check up on Evan?” Dr. Connors asked, causing him to gulp. The vet seemed to chuckle at his reaction, “I’ve wondered why you’ve avoided coming to see me yourself Evan, worried about getting chipped?”

“Uh, yeah,” Evan muttered, “a lot actually.”

“Well, the Shrinkee Protection Act is out in a few days,” Dr. Connors said with a sigh, putting her hands in her pockets. “I’ve never much approved of it, nor the way that veterinarians suddenly became medical providers for you… supposedly we have more appropriate equipment for small bodies.” Connors shrugged, “Not that you little people have much in the way of health problems, even your worst injuries seem to heal before I can even get you in. Still, taking some vitals would be good.”

“Uh…” Evan looked up at Eve, who smiled. “Okay, sure.”

Doctor Connors smiled and took Evan in a gloved hand. As he was set down on the table he flinched as the cold stethoscope touched his chest, covering it easily. All things considered it wasn’t much different from any other checkup, he was weighed, reflexes tested, temperature taken, with a no-contact thermometer no less.

“I told you,” Eve giggled, “I’d get you to the vet by the end of the lease! When do you sign the house over?”

“No chip, no win,” Evan said, crossing his arms. “Also, you wouldn’t have ever gotten the house.”

Eve frowned, “what do you mean?”

“Oh,” Evan said, laughing, “I actually had the house put into a trust with me as the beneficiary, Laurie’s been the trustee since I shrank, anyone who captured me wouldn’t have been able to touch it. We’re actually going over to the courthouse next week to put me back on the deed.”

Eve’s mouth fell open, “so all this time-“

“Game was rigged from the start,” Evan laughed, “chip or no chip.”

“I won’t be chipping Mr. Armstrong anyways,” Connors said coldly, “unless…” she looked at him quizzically, “I do provide it at the tiny’s request… if that’s something you want.”

“No!” Evan said quickly, “I’ll uh, I’ll pass.” He frowned, “why would anyone want one?”

“It can be an uncertain world for tinies,” Dr. Connors said, finishing up the checkup and writing down his information, “many trust a friend or family member with the code for theirs, so that if anything should ever happen, they can easily be found. It’s quite dehumanizing I’m sure, but not everyone is as brave and capable as you are.” She smirked, “the story of what happened at your uncle’s house is spreading through the community like wildfire, I’ve got to say you sent those thugs packing better than most full-sized men would have.”

“He’s my hero,” Eve said with a smile, “he’s one of the best people you could have in your corner.”

Evan beamed, he could be tiny, he could be getting an examination in the vet’s office, but in that moment? He felt ten miles tall.

…

 Eve set Evan down in the cupholder as she got into the car, “if I’d told you a year ago that you’d be leaving the vet with a girl, what would you think?” Eve asked with a giggle. She set Marshmallow’s crate on the floor of the front seat, and the cat meowed in protest of his captivity.

“I’d guess I was fucked,” he said with a shrug. “It has been almost a year, hasn’t it?” He laughed a moment, “Where did the time go? Do you want to renew the lease?”

It was a pointless question, she mostly just paid for utilities and upkeep on the house these days, the monthly rent transfer was little more than a formality for the couple.

“Can I flirt with the landlord for a lower rate?” she joked with a smile. “Also, seeing as how it’s going to be a few months for the top floor to be repaired… I think I should get a discount.”

“Sure, we should negotiate that later,” he chuckled, leaning over the side of the cupholder. “Okay, where are we off to now?”

“Well…” Eve drawled with a smile, “we’ve got another vet to visit, one a little less… ethical.”

…

Amber squeaked as she was dumped onto the reception desk of Dr. Nicole’s Shrinkee Clinic and Spa. While technically a licensed vet, Dr. Nicole was infamous in Shrinkee communities nearby for her “shrinkee focused” practice. From the look on Amber’s face she recognized it from the advertisements. While the clinic was far from the worst place a tiny could end up, many of the virus victims found their treatment there... patronizing, was the polite way to put it. Dr. Nicole herself was relatively young a tanned and bleached blonde woman who had only barely passed veterinary school, and she giggled as she chewed a pen, looking over the tiny woman.

“We’d like a standard freshly adopted shrinkee package,” Eve said with a grin.

“Oh my,” Dr. Nicole giggled, “she is a cute one. I wish more women shrank,” she glanced at Evan and winked, “no offense to the boys of course, you’re super fun to play with too.”

“H-Hey!” Amber protested as a gloved hand came down and fondled her naked form, “quit it!”

“Ooh! And so feisty too!” Her fingers wrapped around Amber, quickly trapping the squirming tiny in her grip. She glanced over at Evan, who was watching from Eve’s palm, “what about that one?” she asked, pointing at him.

“Oh,” Eve muttered, “He’s uh, already processed.”

Dr. Nicole shrugged, carrying the thrashing and screaming Amber into a room behind the lobby. The “treatment room” was a large sterile looking white room with a glass wall that allowed persons in the lobby to see the tiny being “worked on.”

“Okay, let’s start by getting you cleaned up!” Dr. Nicole said in a bubbly voice. She brought Amber over to a sink, and while her back was to the glass, Eve and Evan could hear Amber’s screeching as the vet squirted some hand soap into her palm and began to scrub the tiny woman all over. A moment later she reached for a roll of paper towels, pulling one off and then ruffling the still protesting Amber dry.

“S-Stop!” Amber wailed as she was brought over to the exam table.

Dr. Nicole hummed to herself as she pinned the tiny woman to the mat, a small iodine swab appeared in her hand and she swished it over Amber’s left buttcheek. The tiny redhead’s eyes bulged, and she seemed to realize what that meant as she thrashed angrily. A moment later the syringe gun came down, and with a pneumatic hiss, and then a loud *click* the chip was injected into Amber. She flinched once, then she seemed to go limp as the realization set in.

“Oh no,” Amber wailed. It’s in… oh god it’s in… the tracking chip would forever let her “guardian” easily find her, it could even monitor her vitals. It was a small thing really, but as she felt the lingering sting in her bottom it felt like something of her had been stripped away.

“Oh, cheer up,” Dr. Nicole beamed, “we’re going to make you so pretty!”

Before Amber could react, Dr. Nicole swept her naked form up off the table, carrying her over to a small cylinder with a series of electronic dials and displays on the side. Amber looked around like a trapped rat as she was lowered, feet kicking, into it. The doctor reached down, delicately forcing her into the steel cylinder, taking care to make sure her long hair remained outside of it, dangling down the side. It looked like it was just tall enough that her head peeked out, and narrow enough that she had to keep her hands at her sides.

“And one quick sting,” the doctor said cheerfully, flicking a switch.

There was a *zap* and a quick smell of ozone as the inside of the cylinder flashed, Amber’s eyes went wide and she screamed once, like she’d been stung. The doctor quickly reached in, pulling her out of the cylinder, revealing tender red skin that was rapidly turning pink again as the shrinkee healing factor kicked in.

“Instant all-over hair removal!” the doctor said with a giggle. Amber looked down in shock at her now hairless skin, it was like the perfect wax job. “Don’t get too excited,” Dr. Nicole said, waggling a finger playfully, “your little bodies are just so good at fixing themselves, you’ll need to repeat the treatment once every six months if you want it to last.”

“Like hell I will,” Amber muttered. She shivered slightly, everything felt a little colder since being small, and having her body hair zapped away just made the feel of the building’s air conditioning against her skin feel all the more potent.

“Now let’s end on a nice one,” Dr. Nicole said, ignoring Amber’s discomfort. She dangled Amber by one arm, bringing her over to a table with a long row of squirt bottles. She beamed and looked over to the glass, where Eve and Evan were watching. “Which scent did you want?” Dr. Nicole called, “Sorry, I forgot to check the form!”

“Peach Smoothie!” Eve shouted with a grin.

The doctor pressed down on the nozzle of one of the bottles, squirting a few globs into each hand. The gloved fingers descended on Amber, rubbing the fruit-scented lotion into her skin. She couldn’t help but gasp as it tingled up and down her spine, at this size, and after the hair treatment, her skin was extra sensitive. It was all she could do to stay lucid as those powerful fingers massaged every nook and cranny, pressing into her muscles and…

“Oh god,” Amber moaned as the gloved finger went a little too low.

“Oh,” Dr. Nicole giggled, “sorry about that, if it happens just let it all out, you little cuties just can’t handle your lotion massages, usually it’s the guys that have this happen though.” She shrugged, finishing up the lotion application and gently dabbing the dazed Amber off with a tissue. With a snap she pulled her gloves off, tossing them in a nearby waste basket.

“I-Is it over?” Amber whimpered, trying to cover herself again.

“Almost,” Dr. Nicole said with a smile.

Her thumb and forefinger hooked under Amber’s armpits, drawing her over to another table with a pair of large cabinets on it. Dr. Nicole flipped them open, revealing row upon row of identical doll’s clothing. She settled on an aisle of red dresses with white polka dots, fashioned with a belt in the center like something out of a 1950s garden party. She held several of them up to Amber, gauging her size, then she slipped one on. The fabric was scratchy, not at all like the tailored suits, skirts, and dresses Amber was used to, but at the same time she almost felt happy just to have clothes again. A moment later a pair of ill-fitting plastic shoes were slipped onto her feet, and she was set on the desk to try to delicately balance in them. A massive, to her anyway, brush went through her hair, quickly straightening and parting the red mess that had become mussed and tangled during her ordeal. The final touch was a small ribbon tied into a bow in her hair, tightening slightly as the good doctor expertly tied the tiny knot.

“There we go, super pretty, don’t you think?” Dr. Nicole said, leaning down and beaming at her. A small makeup mirror was on the desk, and Amber caught sight of herself. The powerful business woman with the fashionable taste and the steely eyes was gone, in her place stood… a doll.

Amber was stunned as Dr. Nicole gently picked her up, carrying her back out to the lobby where Eve and Evan were waiting.

“Oh Amber, you look so good!” Eve said with a smug smirk.

“So how was it?” Evan asked, arms crossed, “did you enjoy the Shrinkee experience?”

“Okay,” Dr. Nicole said, handing the tiny woman over to Eve, “here she is, chipped, cleaned, and ready for a nice garden party or evening at home!” next she handed Eve a stack of papers, “and here’s her certificates, guardian registration, all that. I have to say, it’s odd that you wanted all this given that the Shrinkee Protection Act expires in a few days, but you’re the customer,” she shrugged.

“What do you suppose is going to happen to this place?” Evan asked, a slight edge to his voice, “given that Shrinkees are going to have full legal rights again in a few days…”

“Aww, you’re so sweet to worry!” Dr. Nicole said. There wasn’t any sarcasm there, and Evan blinked, confused as she patted his head in a patronizing manner. “A lot of little guys and a few girls actually contacted me and told me they want to keep up their regular appointments!”

“Weird,” Evan muttered, thinking over the humiliating “procedure” they’d just watched Amber subjected to. Who’s paying to have that done to them?

“Interested Evan?” Eve teased.

“No thanks,” he said with a grimace.

The vet for her part seemed oblivious to Evan’s distaste for her practice, “will that be cash or card?”

“Card,” Eve said with a grin, handing the vet Amber’s credit card.

That was the straw that broke the camel’s back for Amber. She’d been handled like an unruly pet, stripped of her dignity, her body hair, her autonomy, and then gussied up like a Stepford wife… and she’d paid for all of it. She felt her knees turn to jelly, and she fell into Eve’s palm, numb.

A few minutes later the three of them were in Eve’s car, and she laid the two tinies on the dashboard. Evan distanced himself slightly from the near-catatonic Amber, letting Eve speak to her.

“See these papers Amber?” Eve said harshly, holding up the guardian forms, “for the next three days I literally own you, did you have fun at the vet’s office?”

“NO!” she wailed, “I’m so sorry!”

“Eve,” Evan said quietly, “I think she’s had enough…”

Eve fumed a moment, “I’m going to run all these documents through the shredder as soon as we get home,” she said quietly, “I already talked with Dr. Connors, and you’ll get the chip taken this time next week, should be pretty quick and clean.”

“R-Really?” Amber sniffed, standing up slightly. She cleared her throat, “uh, thanks…”

“Now,” Eve said with a sigh, “is there anyone we can leave you with? Friends, family? Charles told me your emergency contacts were your parents, and they hung up on me when I called about you.”

Amber looked at them, her lip quivering a moment.

“Oh, you’re fucking kidding me,” Eve muttered, “nobody? An old roommate? A barber? Come on you always had people around you at work!”

“Do you think I want to be around them!?” Amber squealed, “after all the shit we said about tinies? That I said about tinies?”

“Oh, goddamn it,” Evan said, chuckling as he kicked his foot against the car’s dashboard. “Eve, I think we’ve got to take her home with us.”

…

“Who’s ready to party!” Laurie shouted, bursting through the door of Evan’s house. The top floor was still being rebuilt, but the fire marshal had apparently declared the bottom floor safe for habitation. In one hand the blonde had a box of fireworks, and in the other a bottle of bourbon. “Fourth of July baby! Independence Day!” She whooped happily, “it’s gotta feel good being a citizen again, huh Evan?”

“It’ll be nice to be recognized by government branches other than the IRS,” he said with a shrug, “but sure, I’ll shoot off some bottle rockets with you!”

“I’ll watch from the porch,” Eve said with a smirk. She frowned a moment, “hold on, Evan, are you saying they made you pay taxes after you shrank?”

“Isn’t that fucked up?” Evan laughed.

“Uh, hi, Miss Laurie?” a meek voice called. Laurie looked down at her feet, where a tiny Amber in a red and white polka dotted dress was looking up at her nervously.

Laurie frowned, “What’s she doing here?”

“I’m asking myself that same question every day,” Eve muttered.

“She doesn’t really have anywhere else to go,” Evan explained.

“Uh yeah, I’m just kind of crashing here, until I get back on my feet,” Amber said shakily. She gulped; she still wasn’t used to talking to big people…

Normal sized people Amber realized with a start, I’m the one who’s small, they’re normal sized…

“Well, spit it out,” Laurie said testily.

“Evan and Eve said you volunteer with a lot of… people like me,”

“Tinies,” Laurie said impatiently, “yeah.”

“Could you maybe… help me find a job or something?” she asked, biting her lip.

Laurie leaned down to pick her up, causing the tiny woman to squeak in surprise as her feet left the ground.

The blonde held her up and regarded her casually, “There aren’t a ton of good employers for tinies in this area,” Laurie said finally, “one is the company Eve works for, and I’d say your bridges there are pretty well burned.”

“Yeah,” Amber said sullenly, looking down.

“Funny thing Amber,” Eve said, “all those emails they sent when Charles shrank? They actually recommended all the women in the office get tested for vulnerability to the virus, the company even offered it for free.” She shrugged, “guess you shouldn’t have ignored all those tiny-rights presentations and emails…”

Amber clenched her fists, her face burning red, “I-Is there another place you know that hires people… my size?”

Laurie thought a moment, “The other one is a spa a little ways north of here, they have a full tiny staff, and-“

“That one’s also out,” Eve said, rolling her eyes, “she pissed them off too.”

“Wow, little miss popularity, aren’t you?” Laurie mused. “Okay, well let’s worry about that another time. For now, I want to shoot off illegal fireworks.”

…

The group watched the flowers burst in the dark summer sky, in the near countryside of the Armstrong estate they could see the distant reds, whites, and blues as far-flung fireworks displays and individuals fired their own salvos, celebrating the holiday.

Eve lay on the grass, Evan nestled in her cleavage as she looked up. Laurie lay a few feet away, having exhausted her own supply of fireworks, and even Amber was sitting in grass that was now almost as tall as she was, looking up in silence.

The only sound was the distant booms of the sky flowers. Each of them was consumed by their own thoughts, thinking of pasts, presents, futures... mistakes made, successes, losses. A sense of subdued peace had fallen over them, marinated in the muggy summer evening as the smokey smell of the fireworks wafted over the countryside.

Somehow, all four of them could sense that the others were in a similar emotional state, and when the final red bloom in the distant sky burst, the silence persisted. Gradually the sound of insects returned, and the smell of the smoke was carried away on the summer wind as the stars covered the sky.

Finally, Laurie sat up, the only remaining light coming from the porch and the stars above.

“I’m going to head out,” she said with a smile, tipping her straw hat. “Evan, Eve, it’s been wild. Come by and see me on Sunday, we’ll cook burgers.” She glanced down to Amber, “I’m going to go meet with some tiny rights types tomorrow, there’s a lot of work to do… Do you want to come stay with me and head over and meet them tomorrow morning? You might find some friends there, even given your… history.”

“Uh,” Amber said slowly, “sure.” She stood up, and Laurie bent down to grasp her around the waist and lift her up.  Laurie nodded at Evan and Eve again, turning to leave. “Wait!” Amber shouted suddenly, “I… I know it doesn’t mean anything now,” she said quietly, “but… I’m sorry.” She blinked away a quick tear, and Laurie waited another moment. When it was clear the tiny woman had nothing left to say Laurie smiled and waved at them, leaving for her truck without another word.

“You know,” Evan mused, “a little therapy, maybe some time to figure herself out… she might turn into a halfway decent person someday.”

Eve snorted, “maybe, until then I’d rather not hang out with her.”

She sighed, picking up Evan and walking up to the driveway. She paused, looking up at the still half destroyed house. The stars twinkled through the rafters, the signs of new construction over the old frame evident even in the low light.

“I love you Evan,” she said softly.

“I love you too Eve,” he said leaning against her palm.

Somewhere on the distant horizon, a few final fireworks burst.

The End