Chapter 1: Coffee and Catastrophe 

“An Americano with two pumps of hazelnut syrup, and a double espresso please.” Sophia said with a smile, hesitating as her eyes drifted over the glass display case stuffed with pastries. “…And two blueberry scones.” 

The barista behind the counter smiled knowingly at the last minute addition, jotting down the order and replying with the cost. The machine beeped as Sophia held her phone over it, electronically charging her card before she turned and scanned the busy café, looking for the table that her girlfriend, Poppy, had hopefully found. She spotted her across the room, close to a window and a display of local crafts and other goods.

Sophia found herself staring, watching as the light made Poppy’s auburn hair gleam with a reddish hue. She was scrolling on her phone, oblivious to Sophia’s gaze, her lips forming a faint smirk as she saw something that amused her. The clean white halter top she wore stood out against the dark leather chair behind her, a suitable top for the hot summer day. Not wanting to look creepy by staring too long, she let her eyes wander around the small café. It was called The Barn, an appropriate name given its history. Before the new owners bought it it had been a rundown barn, used for storage of forgotten equipment and home to nothing but spiders and mice. They had managed quite the glow up however, turning the dusty cobwebbed building into a cozy coffee shop. Creaky floorboards, tables made from large wooden spools and crates, and patchwork leather armchairs only added to the rustic vibe.

“Americano, Double espresso, and two scones!” 

She snapped out of her idle thoughts, swiveling to accept the drinks and baked goods, balancing the plate of scones in the crook of her arm as she gingerly walked over to the table. As she set the drinks down Poppy reached out and picked up the cup, taking a sip without looking up from her phone. She hummed happily, swallowing the hot drink. 

“Mm.. That’s good.” She muttered. “Hey have you heard anything about this new virus?” Her eyes still locked to her screen.

The leather chair protested mildly as Sophia settled into it, adjusting her pink sundress, her brow creased with concern. “No.. Is it bad? Should we be worried?”

Poppy shrugged. “I dunno. I think they’re still trying to figure it out. It’s like all over TikTok though. If you catch it you like shrink.” 

“Shrink? Like in that one movie?” Sophia replied, taking a sip of her coffee as she mulled over the news. 

“Yeah! Like some people are only like a few inches tall now, pretty crazy. Here look at this.” She tapped a few times on her phone, then turned it around so Sophia could see. 

On the screen was a TikTok video with close to two hundred thousand comments and nearly double the favorites. The view was a close up shot of a nude man standing on a marble floor that seemed to stretch out around him. He was covering his privates with his hands and was shouting something, but the audio of the video had been muted in favor of strangely pitched text-to-speech. The computerized voice relayed briefly that the man was the brother of whoever was filming the video, and that they had found him shrunken that morning. Something about the perspective was off, and Sophia realized why as the camera pulled back. The man was only an inch or two tall, and was standing in the center of a marble-topped kitchen island. The camera view flipped to show a blonde girl making a shocked expression, then cut to another shot of the same girl, now holding the man in her flat palm and making kissy faces at him as the voice relayed how cute she thought he was. The man looked terrified and embarrassed, feebly attempting to both keep his balance on the massive palm and cover his indecency. Just before the video ended and started from the beginning it looked like he stumbled forwards when the girl carelessly moved her hand. 

“Oh my gosh! I hope he’ll be okay!” Sophia gasped, before Poppy turned the phone back towards herself, her fingers returning to swiping. 

“He seems fine, just small.” Poppy replied casually. “I think it’s kinda funny. There’s already so many cases popping up. Everyone’s posting about it. A few girls I follow even have a few people in like hamster cages. Isn’t that hilarious?” 

“Yeah..” Sophia frowned, starting to nervously play with her long blonde hair. She had always been a little anxious about getting sick, and this new virus was causing her anxiety to flare. “Are they saying how it’s transmitted?” 

Another shrug lifted Poppy’s shoulders. “It’s so new. I don’t think they know anything about it really.” She reached forward and grabbed her scone, nonchalantly taking a big bite. “Don’t worry babe. If you shrink I’ll take good care of you.” She said through her half-chewed mouthful, winking across the table. 

Somehow the gesture did not make Sophia feel better. She felt hot, beads of sweat forming on her brow as she grew more panicked. “I uh.. I have to go the bathroom.” She muttered, pushing the chair back and standing up quickly.

Poppy grunted in acknowledgement, eyes still glued to her phone as Sophia walked away from the table. She felt dizzy, and even had to steady herself against a display of t-shirts emblazoned with the café’s logo for a moment as she made her way towards the bathroom. 

The sliding barn door of the single person bathroom slid shut behind her, the lock left unlatched as she staggered to the sink. She looked into the mirror, a blotchy, sweaty-faced version of herself blearily staring back at her. Her head swam, she would have fallen to the floor if not for the grip she managed to maintain on the edge of the sink. With a shaky hand she turned the faucet on, splashing cold water into her face in a desperate attempt to wash the intense nausea away. It did little to help though. Her breathing quickened, she staggered drunkenly backwards, barely keeping herself upright. 

“H..el.. Help..” She stammered weakly, before everything tipped backwards, and she fell into the dark embrace of unconsciousness.

Sophia awoke with a start, bolting upright, gasping deeply. Her arms flailed against the heavy fabric pressing down around her, pushing it away from her face. Confused and disoriented, she rolled onto her stomach and tried to regain her bearings. Her head ached horribly, as did the rest of her. It felt like her entire body was one big bruise. She pushed herself shakily onto her knees, sitting up, the strange pink fabric draping over her. Was she under a collapsed tent? She looked down, noticing with shock that she was nude, at least she didn’t appear to be in public anymore… 

“Hello?!” She cried out weakly, her voice hoarse and scratchy. There was no reply. “What is going on..”

Crawling on her hands and knees, the tent-like fabric smoothly sliding over her, Sophia anxiously swallowed. Enough light filtered through the thin material covering her that she could see, thankfully. The further she went the more and more she was coming to a deeply uncomfortable conclusion. Her suspicions only grew when she crawled past another swath of fabric that looked suspiciously like the underwear she had put on this morning. 

“Oh god.. Please let this be a dream..” She murmured, desperately trying to convince her own mind that this couldn’t be real. 

The light grew brighter, and brighter, until she finally saw the end of the strange tent she found herself under. She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the light, and her jaw dropped in shock as she took in her surroundings. 

It was the bathroom. The same one she had collapsed in earlier. In the distance stood the white porcelain toilet, it’s bulging frame towering over her. The sink she had been holding on to now loomed overhead like a skyscraper. The realization hit her all at once, forcing her to sit back in pure shock and disbelief. She had shrunk. The virus Poppy had told her about, she must have caught it somehow. 

Her mind raced with panic. What should she do? She needed to get back to Poppy. What if someone else found her like this? How would she explain this to her boss? Who was going to water her plants? 

A series of knocks at the door snapped her out of her spiral. Each one creating a powerful boom that seemed to vibrate through her. “Hello? Anyone in there?” A loud, unfamiliar voice, muffled slightly by the wooden door, echoed through from the other side.

Sophia froze, she was happy that she had locked the door. She didn’t want to be found by a stranger, she wanted to be found by Poppy. But maybe they would help her? They could get her to her girlfriend safely. Conflicting outcomes battled within her, until her stomach dropped as the door shifted and began to slide open…

It seemed to move in slow motion, the agonizing anxiety and indecision keeping her transfixed. Slowly but surely the colossal form of another patron revealed itself. Sophia could hardly believe her eyes as she took in the unbelievable sight. It was a woman, middle-aged, her legs clad in a tight pair of jeans that curved out at her hips. A simple warm yellow shirt tucked in at the waist, dark brown hair spilling around her face. A huge pair of eyes framed behind thick tortoiseshell glasses glanced down towards the floor, scanning the loose pile of clothing with concern as the woman paused in the doorway. Sophia’s heart skipped a beat as the woman’s gaze landed on her tiny form. The eyes widened with shock as the woman gasped loudly, taking a step back and looking over her shoulder. She expected the woman to shout, to scream at her as if she was a mouse, but instead she just checked behind her as if looking to see if anyone had noticed her startled reaction. 

A pit formed in Sophia’s stomach. Every instinct inside her screaming at her to run, to hide, to find Poppy. As the woman turned back to her, an excited look in her eyes, she knew she couldn’t let this person take her. 

The woman stepped forward, sliding the door shut behind her. As her wedged heel hit the floor it sent a tremor through the ground, driving home the sheer difference in size between them now. The floorboard creaked beneath her massive weight, a ear-piercing screech as the plank of wood warmed her of what was coming. Sophia turned and broke into a dead sprint, bare feet pounding on the rough wood floor, sharp edges that she would barely even notice before digging into her soles. She didn’t know where she was running she just knew she had to get away. 

“Where do you think you’re going Sweetheart?” The woman purred, her voice was low but it still rumbled like thunder, driving Sophia’s anxiety even higher. 

Another heavy footfall shook the floor, causing her to stumble, falling forward and twisting in the attempt to regain her footing. She slammed into the ground, gasping in pain as something sharp drove into her side. Sophia reached down and grasped the splinter protruding from her body, blood already welling around the thin spear of wood. Forcing herself to ignore the pain she scrambled to her feet, limping forwards, wincing as every movement caused a sharp pang of pain as the splinter shifted inside her. Another bone-rattling quake caused her to fall again. She cried out, gritting her teeth as pain flared angrily. 

“Oh poor thing.. Did you hurt yourself?” The woman cooed, her words dripping with a saccharine tone that betrayed the falsehood of her kind words.

Grunting with effort, Sophia flipped herself over and immediately wished she hadn’t. The woman loomed overhead, looking down at her, the flesh of her neck folding to create a double-chin. The underside of her breasts would have blocked Sophia’s view of her face, if not for the woman leaning forwards slightly. Imposing wedged heels stood solidly nearby, much too close for comfort, the intricate details of the rattan patterned weave of the thick sole visible thanks to her low perspective. She could see the woman’s bare toes, each crack of the chipped red nail polish adorning them, and the faint sour smell wafting off of them making the nightmare all the more real. Her stomach twisted and turned as she tried to take in the horrific sight, desperately pushing her feet against the floor, scraping her bare butt over the rough floorboards in a feeble attempt to put some distance between her and the woman’s massive feet. 

“You’re coming home with me little miss.. We’re going to have a lot of fun together.” 

The woman’s voice shook Sophia’s soul. She watched, frozen with terror as the giantess began to crouch down, a manicured hand reaching out to collect her new plaything. Sophia closed her eyes. This couldn’t be happening. Any minute now she would wake up and be back with Poppy, drinking her coffee and eating her scone. The sharp pain of the splinter in her side made it hard to believe her own desperate thoughts. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad… Maybe the woman would actually help her… Maybe… 

A hard grip grabbed her arm, a hand clamping down on her bicep. A hand that was her size. She opened her eyes right before she was roughly dragged to the right, pulled by the strong arms of another shrunken person, a man. He grunted with the effort of dragging her, teeth clenched and arms flexing. 

“Hey! What are you doing?!” The woman shouted indignantly, her hand speeding up as it descended towards the pair of tiny people. 

The man dragged Sophia another couple feet, stopping near a floorboard that had a chunk missing where it met with its neighbor. With a final grunt he pushed her into the hole, then jumped in after her. The floorboard shook as the giant woman’s hand slammed into the spot they had just been standing, it’s owner raging overhead at the loss of her prize. 

Panting in the darkness under the floor, Sophia lay in the dusty dirt. Her chest heaved as she regained her breath, each one sharply reminding her of the literal thorn in her side. The panic and stress of the last few minutes had completely drained her, and the blood loss certainly wasn’t helping. Her eyelids began to droop as the man who had saved her shuffled into view, kneeling beside her, his face obscured in the shadowy darkness.  

“Hey. Hey are you still with me?” He asked, grabbing her arm and shaking her gently, before noticing the wound in her side. “Oh shit.. Hey, no no don’t pass out, just… stay… wit-“ 

Above the woman’s voice still boomed, heavy footfalls shaking loose dust and dirt that drifted down around the diminutive pair. Sophia’s eyes slowly closed, the man’s desperate pleading and the woman’s loud stomps fading into muffled noise as she drifted into unconsciousness. Her last thought was of Poppy, her red-brown hair shining in the light.