Ellie Blish took a long walk on a Saturday morning, until she reached the neighbouring village. It didn’t have a co-educational high school like her own, but instead had Colleen’s old girls school at the near end of the village, and a boys high school at the far end, and a co-educational prep school somewhere in between. She went into the park and saw a handsome boy a few years younger than her on one of the swings. She was in her final year at school, while he was around 14. She sat on the unoccuppied swing beside him, pushed her skirt back into place, and began swinging beside him, while he continued to sit there.

“See if you can go as high as me,” she said, “I’m Ellie.”

“Okay, I’m Linden.”

He launched himself into a swinging motion, and kicked out with his legs. As they swung together for several minutes, Ellie consistently went higher.

“I guess you win,” said Linden.

“Come on a walk to the shops with me,” she said.

They walked together and talked on the way, until they reached a corner store.

“Would you like to have an ice block with me?” she asked.

“I’ve spent all my allowance for the week.”

“I meant that I’ll buy you one,” said Ellie.

“But shouldn’t I be able to buy you one?”

“No,” she said, “Don’t worry about it.”

“Well thank you.”

She bought two lemonade ice blocks and a bag of lollies. They sat down at the chairs and table out the front of the corner store, and Linden watched Ellie licking her ice block, and started on his own. Then she opened the bag of lollies and said, “Help yourself to as many as you want.”

“If you come here again next week, I’ll save all my pocket money and buy something for you to eat,” he said.

Ellie said nothing, but picked up a small candy man, put him onto her outstretched tongue, drew it into her mouth, and soon swallowed it.

“Another candy man, down my throat, never to return,” she said.

“I never thought of it that way before.”

“Would you like to hold my hand and walk me back to the park?”

“Yes,” said Linden.

They found the park empty when they got there, as it had become very overcast. They went into the gazebo, and looked out at the rest of the park, as the rain began to fall.

Ellie put her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek.

“Did you like that?”

“Yes, very much.”

“Now you can kiss me back.”

He kissed her cheek too.

Then she kissed him on the lips for well over a minute, and then hugged him, cheek to cheek, as they both looked out at the rain falling more heavily than before onto the abandoned park.

“I’ve got a secret to share with you,” she said, “It’s something I’ve never really told any other boy.”

She took out the shrinking device from her pocket and reduced him to tiny size.

“That’s incredible,” he said.