"Honey, what happened?" my mom asked, careful to keep her voice quiet.  Either she didn't want others to hear her talking to herself in the bathroom stall, or she realized loud noises were painful for my shrunken form.

"The maid shrunk me," I said. 

A look of confusion washed over her face.  She leaned closer to her hand. 

"What?" she asked.  "I can't hear you."

I stood up, and yelled, "At the hotel! The maid shrunk me!"

This time she heard me, though she still seemed confused, and asked "Why? When did this happen?"

I replied. "This morning! While you were in the shower!"

A look of understanding replaced her confusion.  "Oh my god...honey, you...were in my shoe the whole day? I..walked on you all day?" Fear and guilt were now evident on her cute, slightly-tanned face.  "Oh, no..." she murmured, looking away from me.

I felt terrible.  She was indeed feeling guilty, and that was the last thing I wanted to happen.

"Mom!" I shouted.  "It's okay! It's okay now! Just take me back to the hotel!"

She looked at me again.  "Was it painful? Did I hurt you?"

I looked down, but lied and said "No! It wasn't painful!"

She noticed my face and instantly knew I wasn't telling the truth.  "I'm so sorry," she replied.  "I know it must have been very terrible, especially with my high heels on.  If only I knew! I felt something under my foot after I rubbed them a few minutes ago.  I'm sorry I didn't notice earlier."

We both remained quiet.  My body ached with dull pain and numbness.  I could already smell myself--the smell of female feet--and was simply glad to have been found and rescued.  Our next step would be to find the maid and reverse my condition.

"Mom!" She looked back at me.  "Take me to the hotel! We have to find the maid!"

She didn't answer for a moment.  Didn't she hear me?

"Honey," she said.  Something was wrong.  "Honey...I can't."

What? Now I was the one confused.

She continued.  "I have a meeting with the vice president of marketing in less than 10 minutes.  It's a deal that wraps up the last six months of work for me.  It's the reason I came to the conference today!"

"You have to reschedule!" I shouted.  "Please!"

She seemed sad now.  "Honey...I can't! If I don't meet with her, the whole deal will be lost.  I have to take you with me! After the meeting, we can go back to the hotel."

"Okay! Put me in your purse until then!"

Looking away, she said "I don't have it.  I left it in an office downstairs.  We're on the eighth floor of this conference building.  If I go back to get it, I'll be late for my meeting."

"But you can't leave me here!" I yelled.  "What if someone finds me! What about your pockets!"

"I don't have any," she answered.  "By the way," she said, looking at me again, "where were you earlier today?  Under my toes?"

Why was she changing the subject? What did it matter?

"My face was! But my body was under your sole! It was the only way I could breath!"

"Oh, okay," she murmured.  "Honey...I don't know how to say this.  I have to put you back inside my shoe."