So I spent the rest of my lunch break down at the labs so Dakota could run tests on me.

“Everything seems normal” she said, “all your vitals are back to average levels”

Right when I was about to calm down the large crate started to dwindle down till it was the size of Rubix cube. Dakota then stopped whatever test she was doing on me and rushed over to her computer and started typing away. After she finished whatever data she was entering she started staring at me as if she was waiting for something.

“OK, well I know your social skills aren’t the best Dakota,” I say to her from me seat a little agitated, “but staring at me like a damn test subject is not right thing to do right now!”

It takes a couple of minutes for her to register what she was doing. “I’m so sorry! Its just a force of habit!” she said apologetically “here, let me finish checking your vitals”

For the next ten minutes we both waited for something to happen, the machine had never been tested on living things before so as far as I know I could just drop dead.

Suddenly the crate started to grow back to its original size.  Dakota with a disturbed look on her face rushed over again to jot the data down.

“Well I guess you didn’t that problem of keeping things small huh?” I asked her

“No, I suppose not.” She says frustrated, “but it doesn’t look like you are going to go through the miniaturization process.”

“Well…” I start, “thanks for the heart attack, but I think I’m going back to the safety of my cubicle”

“Wait!” she says rushing over to grab my arm “You can’t leave yet! You still have radiation from the machine emanating from your body! Please stay for the rest of the day for observation. Besides we aren’t allowed to use live test subjects yet so the whole project could be compromised if anyone finds out what happened!”

“RADAITION?!” I yelled ignoring everything else she said, “Am I going to get cancer from this thing?”

“No, of course not!” she goes on in a lecturing tone, “in layman’s terms the machine sprays an object with certain type of light like an x ray that produces the radiation that causes the cells in your body shrink.”

“Well thanks for your concern” I said back to her slightly confused “but the sooner I get out of here the better I’m going to feel.”

“Seeing the crate grow back definitely put some years back on my life.” I go on, “if anything does happen from a head ache to growing a third arm the first place I will go will be right down here ok?”

“Alright.” She says “just be carful! I don’t know exactly what will happen but I could get in real trouble!”

“Trust me I don’t want anyone else to know as much as you do”

Walking back to my cubicle I’m tempted to just call in sick and go home, but against my better judgment I decide to just tough it out.

So I get back to my desk and the last thing I want to do is chit chat with Ana but there she is sitting in my seat.

“Hey Ana” I said in aggravated tone

“Oh hi! Mr. grumpy!” She turns around in my chair all bubbly, “so where did you go on your lunch? I thought we would eat together today but I couldn’t find you in the break room?”

“Oh and you decided to wait for me here at my desk? How thoughtful!” I said sarcastically.

“Sorry” I quickly correct myself, “I just had a rough day and I didn’t mean to take it out on you”

She smiles at me and touches my arm “Oh Eric! You are so cute! What happened that has you all gloomy?”

“Well I can’t really talk now I have a lot of work to do and my break already went on longer than what I wanted.” I responded.

“Ook, I get it I’ll leave you be. For now” she said smiling as she gets out of my chair and leaves my cubicle.

Sitting my desk I start to balance some of the accounts and I start to feel better. This mindless work is helping me forget what happened today when all of a sudden I can feel heart pounding. 

“No” was I could whisper just before my world started spinning.

I felt so sick and I couldn’t get my bearings. A loud ringing sound was all I could hear. The only I could do was just get myself into a ball and close my eyes.

“I have to get back down there into that lab” was all I could think about before I vomited.

Everything started to come back into focus and I wanted to look for something to clean my mess with. When I look around me I almost want to throw up again. I’m standing on the floor of my cubicle looking up at this monolith like structure that was my chair.

“Fuck” I said to myself trying to get a grip on my new situation “what the hell am I supposed to do now?”

Then I hear the usual thumping of Ana’s high heeled boots as she walks over to my desk. Only this time instead of the usual annoyed feelings I get it is fear. I try to hide by one of the wheeled legs of my office chair so I can think about how I want to play this out.

Ana’s into my office space clearly looking for me and then starts walking towards my desk. The floor beneath me is vibrating to the steps of her boots. Looking at this gigantic woman is frightening. She could end me in an instant without even knowing it. I have to get to somewhere safe, then I hear a loud thump and creaking above me.

Ana has sat down in my chair and but who knows what she is doing up there. I hear her pick up my phone and starts dialing and then puts her feet back under my chair. I am almost knocked out by a boot heel traveling, in my perspective, 50 miles an hour.

I hear a ring from my pocket, I felt around in my pocket and luckily my phone shrunk with me, finally I catch a damn break. Ana is calling me; hopefully I can sort out this whole thing and get down to the labs.

“What the hell?” Ana booms from above me, “That sounds like Eric’s phone.”

She stands up and moves the chair I was hiding under. Everything was moving so fast I didn’t really have time to react to anything. I hear the claps of her boots as she turns around and I can she’s looking on the floor for what she thinks is my phone. Her eyes are right on me and I can see a confused look on her face.

“Oh my” she says trying to focus her eyes on the small object on the floor, “Eric? Is that you?”

She starts to bend down and I back up instinctively. Having a mountain size thing move closer in your direction would make anyone scared. Her face goes from a confused look to a more predatory one as her manicured hand reaches right for me.