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Story Notes:
This story is based on M.R. James' ghost story 'Canon Alberic's Scrapbook.

The Latin and Irish language used was determined by way of an online translator. If anyone fluent in either of these languages notices discrepancies between the language and the translation I apologise in advance.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Disclaimer: All characters portrayed within this story are fictitious and any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental. This story is based on an Edwardian ghost story, so copyright infringement is not only unintended but, quite possibly, irrelevant.


Jessica Callaghan was most impressed by the vaulted ceiling of St. Finbarr's. Her holiday in Bantry had lasted three days thus far and only now did she find a structure that caught her intrigue in no small part due to her intellectual interest in gothic architecture, a remnant from her teens when she would go backpacking across the British Isles. As she sat in one of the pews the stark white walls seemed to persuade her in losing interest in the vaulted ceiling and instead look over the stained glass windows. In her opinion the Catholic churches in Ireland had managed to retain a certain old worldly warmth that was absent in Protestant England, on the other hand English churches were more likely to have a picturesque and sublime appearance in their architecture whereas Catholic churches oftentimes had just a little bit too much whitewash.

About half an hour after she sat down Jessica thought she heard some footsteps coming from the entrance; thinking it was the local priest she leapt to her feet and prepared to apologise for her presence when she saw it was a woman of more senior years than her. Her garb suggested a significant connection to the church, most likely a sacristan.

"Oh. Please do not let me disturb you, child." She said as Jessica opened her mouth to offer her apologies for her presence. "We don't usually see anyone in attendance at this time." She then went into a small alcove, apparently to check the cleaning materials.

"Do forgive me," Jessica uttered hesitantly, "But I was just admiring the stained glass windows." The sacristan spared her a glance and then gave a soft smile.

"Oh, yes. A historian, are you?" It seems the subject matter made her ease away from the conventional clergy-type lingo.

"Not especially." Jessica replied. "I dabble a bit in archaeological circles but, mostly, I just like to look over medieval architecture. I find the atmosphere in these places rather soothing."

"Might you be interested in some of the texts depicted?" Jessica was puzzled by this but couldn't deny her sudden intrigue. As she went by each window the texts were predominantly typical of a small town church but one was unusual. In the window there was a tall saintly figure of a woman who seemed to be standing upon a cliff face gesturing towards a safe harbour where a vessel was turning towards in response; what made this depiction so bizarre was that there appeared to be a problem with perspective in that the woman's foot looked as though it were as big as the town. Jessica dismissed this as a flaw in the production of the window and looked at the text that went along with it; she wasn't that familiar with holy texts but this one seemed to be out of place for the Christian faith.
Hospitium hospites Fódla fugiens persecutionem ab Romanis ignoraret.[1]

Jessica wasn't too familiar with Latin and so was puzzled by this; her long pause did not go unnoticed as she turned to see the sacristan by her elbow, crouching in a position of veneration. Jessica sighed and returned to look at the window before saying.

"I'm afraid I'm not too familiar with this particular saint." The sacristan seemed to look forlorn for a moment before answering.

"Well, she's not typically thought of that way. It's a Christian interpretation of an old Celtic myth." Jessica nodded in response before catching sight of her host gently patting a spot on her garb with a smile like one would deliver when one's pet says hello after you've returned from a day's graft. "If you're really interested in the medieval arts, perhaps I might offer you something of interest." Taken aback by this Jessica pondered on the suggestion for a moment before answering.

"What sort of thing are we talking about?" The old lady seemed hesitant at this point before answering.

"I have a collection of papers that, in some cases, date back to the time of St. Patrick." Jessica thought over this some more, concerned about the prospect of being led into a stranger's home, however the opportunity to uncover some medieval writings was too good to pass up. After due deliberation she decided to point out that a couple of friends of hers were out and about and would be expecting her back at their hotel by sunset. Curiously the lady beamed at this news. "Oh, then mayhaps you'll have the chance to discuss these papers with them."

"Not likely." Jessica laughed. "They don't really have the same sense of historical curiosity."

Jessica noticed that the old lady didn't live far from the church, it was still visible from the street by the time she made for a door. At one point she had stumbled and Jessica had to steady her for a moment; she noticed a look of distress cross her face before another pat upon her garb offered some relief. 'Could it be a crucifix under there?' Thought Jessica as she helped the sacristan find her feet.

The door to the old lady's home opened quite suddenly before she could lay a hand on it; Jessica saw that there was a somewhat meek-looking woman inside, quite possibly in her early twenties.

"Seanmhá', a é seo?"[2] She asked.

"It's OK, Eilish," The sacristan addressed her, explaining about her interest in the window in the church and whispering something to her in Gaelic, which really seemed to reassure her. With that Jessica was invited in and offered a cup of tea by Eilish while the old lady went in search of the papers she was talking about.

As she waited Jessica noticed that this younger lady seemed to have a similar habit to her senior of patting one of her pockets from time to time with a look of adoration. Wondering as to how deeply this family's faith ran Jessica asked if she could see her crucifix. There was a slight pause before Eilish gave a disarming smile and lifted one on a chain around her neck, nowhere near where she was patting.

At this time the sacristan returned with a portfolio and presented it to Jessica. She cautiously took the folder and slowly opened it up; the detail of the contents was quite amazing, the penmanship was distinctly early in its style, quite possibly eighth century, which would explain the fact that she couldn't understand a single word. The sacristan warned her against reading anything out loud before they could make a deal on it. Jessica frowned at this before deciding that it was her prerogative if she wanted to sell it to a tourist like her. Further browsing revealed some later work, probably more akin to the twelfth century, but still in the same archaic Gaelic instead of the more expected Latin.

"Where did this come from?" She asked.

"One day," The sacristan spoke, "When I was a spritely young miss an old herbalist came into town and went asking questions of morality among all us young ladies before she said to me 'You're the one. Take care o' this.' And just about shoved these papers into me arms before departing with great speed. Alison, I think her name was. Some said she were heathen and older than she had right to be. I don't know where she got them works meself but I'm gettin' on, the Lord has all my time, and Eilish don't feel too right about them, so I'd like t' leave them to you." Jessica was stunned upon hearing this. She decided to look through them a bit longer. As she came to the back she found the writing was in a more recent style, probably early 20th Century, and while it appeared to be Gaelic none of the words seemed to be familiar whereas before the occasional word was recognisable as being quite innocuous Irish.

As she turned the last page she saw an illustration rather similar to that one window in the church. In it was a small town that bore a fine combination of Edwardian and Victorian architecture, but it was surrounded by a setting that reminded her of the stately homes of England, specifically it rung of a more quaint version of a Georgian drawing room. The most stunning aspects were the exquisite detail of the town, including the barely discernible human figures within, and the figure watching over it all. There was a lady who had a vague resemblance of the one in the window, looking down upon the town in a manner that suggested maternal protection. The quality of the picture was so striking that Jessica had a brief twitch in her mind that suggested it was drawn from life.

"How much were you looking to sell it for?" She finally asked as she closed the portfolio.

"Oh, I guess €164." Came the reply. Looking between the portfolio and the sacristan Jessica declared.

"Ma'am, I'm sure it's worth a lot more than that. Why some of those texts are from a period where very little's been found."

"€164." The old lady repeated. "Not a cent more." Jessica considered this. She did have €200 on her at the time having had little opportunity to go shopping on this day. Not wishing to look a gift horse in the mouth for too long she quickly presented €170 and was stunned by how firmly the change was thrust into her hand. "God speed." The lady whispered loudly.

With her purchase tucked away in her shoulder bag Jessica bade the two farewell and made her way to the door. Her hand had just rested upon the knob when a sudden outburst made her turn sharply to see Eilish standing behind her.

"Might you like a hip pack to go with it?" She asked. Jessica was momentarily concerned as to how much it might cost and didn't really see much point as Eilish presented one to her, which was of such fine workmanship that she couldn't help but be tempted by the prospect.

"And what price are you asking?" She checked before seeing the young lady smile sympathetically as she was handed the hip pack and was told.

"Nothing. You're more than welcome to it, miss." Jessica wondered if this family had such generosity as a congenital flaw before expressing her gratitude and making her exit.

Jessica immediately returned to her hotel, deciding that she'd rather examine the portfolio in a the safety of her room instead of risking damage or theft in a cafe or restaurant. Besides the hotel's dinner menu was quite cheap by comparison. Indeed her prize was of such an apparent value she dared not share any news of it with the others at table. When her friends returned there was only momentary greetings before they each went to their rooms to check over their respective treasures from the activities of the day. Jessica sat at the small bedside table and made a more extensive perusal of the papers, marvelling at the quality of the writings and seeking any indication that they were forgeries but all evidence available pointed to them being totally legit. As she read page after page, occasionally consulting a Gaelic phrasebook, she got the feeling that there was something potent in the room; it was like the sensation of a thunderstorm building but without any of the atmospheric signs. It didn't take long for Jessica to decide that at least some of these writings were enchantments, presumably written down in the earliest days of Celtic Christianity as an example of superstitious practices that were meant to be brought down by the Christian faith. She took a moment to make herself a cuppa and look over the hip pack, which seemed to have unusually padded pockets in a greater number than was necessary. She set this upon her bed and, before long, turned to the final two writings in the scrapbook.

Pondering over these strange writings, and finding no mention of any of the words in her phrasebook, Jessica made an effort to try and decipher them. Her concentration was so intense she didn't notice that she was actually reading the words out loud. After the first of the two pages she felt a sudden sense of refreshment and rejuvenation akin to stepping out of a sauna but without the sweating. She started to read the second text when there was a tap on her door. Bothered she nevertheless opened the door and politely greeted one of her friends who had come to enquire about the reason for her mumbling. Jessica decided to explain to her what had happened and invited her in, pausing before closing the door when she thought she saw her friend encased in a strange glow out of the corner of her eye.

Having finished her initial explanation Jessica did her best to allay her friend's concerns over this by offering her the chance to check the pronunciation of the final page, what with her having a better understanding of Gaelic than Jessica. As Jessica finally read out the final page in full she glanced up to ask about whether she spoke it accurately when she was stunned to find no sign of her friend. She paused for a moment attempted to determine where she'd gone. Back to her room out of boredom? No, didn't hear the door and she wouldn't without saying something. In the bathroom? No, door's open and the light's off. Out the window? Surely she wouldn't... what's that?

Jessica stopped in her search of the room when she espied something moving on the floor. There was no way it was a spider for it did not have the angular movements. An ant? No, too blue. A stray piece of fabric? Not long enough. Jessica crouched down and looked as the item in question seemed to be leaping over and over slowly making its way towards her. Swiftly Jessica grabbed a magnifying glass from her handbag and looked intently. Good God! It looked like a human being would if seen from out of the window. Getting a closer look Jessica gasped. It was her friend. The same girl she thought had left the room. Stumped by this she began to reach for the little lady before noticing a sudden very high pitched squeak and her friend... let's call her Laura... cringing in the shadow of her fingers.

Jessica realised that Laura was now no bigger than her fingernail and, as such, attempting to pick her up between her thumb and forefinger would've been potentially dangerous for such a delicate figure. Thusly Jessica instead turned her hand round and rested it upon the floor as an invitation for Laura to climb aboard. In response the cringing figure suddenly leapt to her feet and ran straight into her waiting hand. It was a strange sensation for Laura's miniscule feet to be running upon her hand; Jessica had to focus on keeping steady and not let the tickling sensation get to her. Once Laura seemed to be comfortable Jessica carefully lifted her up to her eye-level and slowly stood up, holding the magnifying glass over her belittled friend.

Laura gave her a wave with one arm, apparently no longer afraid about her predicament but instead delighted at being recognised by the living mountain of Jessica Callaghan.

"H-How?!?" Jessica whispered in shock and wonder, whereupon Laura took a step back with a posture of surprise and momentary alarm before steadying herself and cupping her hands to her mouth to shout up a reply.

"I think you've found a real spell book!" Jessica strained to hear her tiny voice but the shrunken lady's proximity to her seemed sufficient for a strong shout to be picked up. Astonished by this revelation Jessica made her way back to the scrapbook and looked again at the text she last read.

"Maybe if I say it again you'll grow back?" She said hopefully before looking back at her passenger who was holding her head in response to the sheer volume of Jessica's voice. "Oh. Sorry." She lifted her up again and brought her really close to her eyes, causing Laura to stare in awe at her enormous oculars.

"Don't try it yet!" She replied. "It might make me smaller still." Jessica gasped at this and thrust her hand away, causing Laura to topple over. After a minute of gesticulating Laura got Jessica to lift her up closer to her ear. "Set me down at the edge of the page." She was grateful not to have to shout so much from her new position. "I might find something you can't see." Jessica complied with a half-smile, watching Laura slip off her palm like it was one of those bouncy castles that come with a slide. As she lifted her hand away Jessica watched Laura scamper across the page. It took a fair number of minutes before a wave persuaded Jessica to lower her ear down to Laura's level.

"Whoa." She gasped at the sight of Jessica's head looming over her. "Um, actually there's nothing here you haven't already seen. Perhaps the next page?" Jessica jolted up at this and gave a strong nod and gingerly reached for the leaf as Laura hopped off the scrapbook and couldn't help but duck as Jessica's arm sailed over her in the process. Once the final page was visible Laura leapt back on and stopped as she noticed a written note as small to her as the earlier writings were to Jessica. Once she was over it Laura knelt down and looked over the note. As she began to translate the Irish she felt a warm breeze on her back, causing her to glance nervously back before toppling head-over-heels at the sight of Jessica's face towering over the page.

"Sorry." She whispered, blowing Laura's coiffure all out of position in the process. "Found anything?" Laura nodded emphatically before stepping over to the sentence in question and sitting down in a manner reminiscent of a Japanese woman's style. She'd barely settled when she found Jessica's hand waiting for her at the other side; with a sigh she got up and climbed into her palm before once again being whisked up to her ear.

"There's a sentence or two on my scale." She called up. "It says 'Fódla faire thar a muirir. Curtha in oiriúint don bhean Alison ag muintir na Tearmannbeag. Lig an Tiarna logh léi as a bheith ar an chúis ar ár cinniúint. Bunaíodh ár bhaile i mí na Nollag 1894 agus labhraíonn sí d'aois nua dúinn ar Oíche Nollag 1901.'[3]"

After a few minutes of Laura taking the time to translate the text and then strolling over to Jessica's ear to deliver the news it soon became apparent to Jessica just what the sacristan and her young Eilish were doing when they were patting their clothes. She promptly set a folded cloth on the table for Laura to sit on while she opted to go back to the start and try reciting the earlier definitively Gaelic texts in the hope that one was the antidote. After a few pages Laura stood up and waved urgently up at Jessica, her small size being no barrier to catching her attention. Once it became apparent that she had something to say Jessica once again held out her hand for Laura to use as a lift and put the little lady as close to her ear as she dared. Once she heard a few little coughs along with the message in question Jessica held her up to her eyes and gave a soft nod before setting her back down on the table and going to make the both of them a drink.

While the kettle boiled Jessica gave a glance back at the bedside table and attempted to fathom just what Laura could use for a drinking vessel. Once that issue was resolved and the tea was poured Jessica opted to take one of the complimentary packets of biscuits. When she set these items down both herself and Laura now truly realised just how small she was when Jessica's teacup towered over her. Sitting down Jessica figured that the best way to share the biscuits was to break a quarter off one and put it down for Laura, who was momentarily preoccupied by the size of this piece and the fact that it equilibrated to the quantity Jessica took with every bite. Laura herself could only manage about one gram of crumbs before she decided she was full.

Refreshed the two of them once again turned to the scrapbook in search of any possible option to restore Laura's original size. Eventually they found themselves looking at the same two pages that were open when she came in, which meant only the earlier text was left. With no other option Jessica read it out loud again and felt the same sense of rejuvenation from the last time. When she looked back at Laura she noticed that not only was she still tiny but was staring at her in awe once again, despite the fact that she appeared to have got over the shocking side to her predicament. Crouching down Jessica asked.

"Is there something wrong?" Deep concern was writ right across her face. For a few minutes they kept their eyes locked as Laura approached the giantess at a steady pace before crying out.

"You glowed for a few seconds!" Jessica's eyebrows rose sharply as she repeated this statement as quietly as she could to make sure she heard correctly. Looking over herself Jessica was sure she was no taller or shorter than before and, in response, asked Laura if she could read it out herself. The reply was a series of gestures that indicated she wished to be at a higher altitude in order to clearly read the words rather than walking up and down the page and risk skipping or repeating anything unnecessarily. Jessica complied with the request and once again held Laura at shoulder height before exhibiting concern about her fingers blocking her view. However it soon became apparent that, if she positioned her hand correctly, Laura could read the whole page through one of the gaps. This time Jessica noticed the glow that surrounded Laura, harkening back to when she came in. Turning round afterwards Laura called up about the sensation she had.

"Me too." Jessica whispered back. Just then there was yet another knock on the door and her other friend's voice came through, asking after Laura. Concerned about this Jessica looked about her person before she remembered the hip pack; with a swift apology she slipped Laura inside one of the pockets and carefully laid it close to the scrapbook, hoping that if Laura read the spell that affected her it may undo the effects. Laura conceded to this on the basis that, if she read it, it wouldn't make her any smaller. As she busied herself with quietly looking over the words before trying to recite them Jessica answered the door.

Jessica did her best to explain the apparent absence of Laura from her room while trying to avoid causing any unwanted distress. Her other friend... who from henceforth shall be named Deborah... was about to buy into the suggestion that Laura was in the bathroom until she caught sight of the open door and the dark space beyond. Jessica was just about to offer another excuse when Deborah suddenly felt dizzy and her vision was filled with a brilliant blue. When she finally recovered from this she was bewildered by the sight of a pair of gigantic lady's shoes before her gaze wandered upwards, following the legs that were curling into a crouch and espying a great torso before she saw Jessica's massive face staring down at her. With a swift apology including some words that were confusing, especially at the apparent volume, she lowered her hand. Deborah, being less composed than Laura, suddenly attempted to run back to her room when Jessica's hand blocked her path. For the first time Jessica found that she had to actually grab someone as her fingers encased the frantic female and lifted her effortlessly up to her eye level.

Jessica made her way straight back to the table after closing the door. Laura was standing just outside the hip pack. Checking her over with her magnifying glass Jessica could just make out the look of guilt, which in turn made her glance back at her fist and exhibit the same feeling. She immediately bent down to get her ear as close to Laura as possible.

"Sorry." She squeaked. "I was so bothered by how Debbie would react that I guess my focus caused it to work on her instead." Jessica sighed, nearly blowing Laura over, and replied.

"It's my fault. If I hadn't read it out loud with you here and if I hadn't left you to read it alone..." Laura waved at her with such energy as she wished for Jessica to stop.

"If it were just you and me you might've shrunk, too." The look on Jessica's face spoke volumes, especially when it appeared to be the size of a castle to Laura. She settled back into her chair and slowly opened her hand to get a look at Deborah; she sat up in her palm and stared at Jessica for a moment before letting out a scream and scrambled to find a way out of her grasp before a slight shift in her arm caused Deborah to fall over. She picked herself up and shimmied back until one arm slipped through a gap between Jessica's fingers, prompting the giantess to give a mighty yelp of warning before Deborah curled up into a ball and a series of frightened squeaks emanated from her. Jessica lifted her closer and closer to her ear until she could hear the tiny pleas when all that could be seen from her hand was her hair.

"Please don't hurt me. I'll do whatever you say." Was all Jessica could make out before bringing her hand back round to where she could clearly see Deborah and promptly answered.

"Deb, don't worry. You're safe, but we can't find a way to reverse this." With these assurances Deborah slowly uncurled herself and gazed up at Jessica's face with a surprising sense of wonder. Before she could get a word in edgeways Jessica lowered her down to the tabletop, upon resting her upturned hand on it neither of her little friends moved for they couldn't be sure which of them should. With a resigned sigh Jessica slowly tilted her hand, but by the time Deborah realised she couldn't stop herself from sliding right onto the paper. Once Jessica withdrew her hand Laura scampered over and embraced Deborah. Jessica watched the two of them converse for a while before lowering her face towards them in the hopes of catching some of their conversation, however by the time she was near enough to hear them talk at a comfortable volume her breath had alerted them and so they just stared up at her.

"These are Celtic spells?" Deborah finally broke the silence. There was another awkward pause before Laura managed to prompt Jessica to repeat her story.

Once it was over Jessica saw her friends putting a fist over their mouths, stifling a barely visible yawn but their habitual politeness was now more of an indication for Jessica than if they'd yawned out loud. With a sweet smile she stated to them the prospect of a good night's sleep.

While Jessica went into the bathroom the two shrunken girls looked about them as they tried to figure out just how they could get ready for bed and where they could sleep; all they had was the clothes on their backs and a few things in their pockets and there was nothing they could immediately use as a bed, even the folded cloth would be unsuitable by their standards. It didn't seem long before a series of rhythmic thuds brought their attention to Jessica exiting the bathroom. Being a bit too tired to be particularly courteous she simply swiped the two of them off the table and held them before her eyes.

"Jessie, we've got no night attire for our size!" Laura called out. "And there's no bed." At this Jessica smiled in a somewhat unnerving way.

"Don't worry. Just strip to your undies and I can be your bed for the night." As she said this she held them further away and a bit lower down as she gestured to her chest, causing the two of them to blush. She set them back down on the table and gestured to the corner of a page in the scrapbook. Laura got the idea and tucked her first garment underneath it as Deborah stared. "What we have here is something of terrible power." Jessica remarked as she turned her own bed down, interrupting their disrobing. "We'll have to be very careful about saying those words."

Once the bed was turned down Jessica slipped in and reached over to her friends and deposited their miniature forms upon her collarbone.

"What'll we do about the rest of our luggage?" Deborah called up. Laura made a remark to her about 'next of kin' and then made a call up to Jessica.

"We put you down as our next-of-kin, remember?" Jessica almost sat up, which would've sent them tumbling into the covers, as she recalled that each of them had put the other down in that field. Nevertheless there was still what they had back home. Settling back down she gently tapped each of them with a finger to head underneath her nightie as she reached with the other to switch off the light.

In the dark Jessica slept soundly with one arm across her chest in a subconscious act of maternal protection as Deborah slumbered warm and cosy between her assets while Laura was still awake, contemplating her new position with Jessica.

I'm like a pet to her. She thought. I'm her responsibility. That could help her to decide how to use this power responsibly. And yet, somehow, I don't mind belonging to Jess at all.

The three of them have a new future that, in their college years, had never been conceived. Jessica had such a sense of responsibility and friendship that, no matter how many people she'd end up shrinking, Laura and Deborah would always be her most valuable and her closest confidantes. It took them about a year or so to discover that the only other spell effectively made the one reciting it physically a year younger each time, which proved quite valuable in their efforts to accommodate this new way of life.




THE END
Chapter End Notes:
Footnotes

1: Fódla welcoming pilgrims fleeing persecution by the Romans.

2: Granny, who's this?

3: Fódla watching over her charges. Adapted for lady Alison by the people of Tearmannbeag. Let the Lord forgive her for being the cause of our fate. Our town was founded in December 1894 and She speaks of a new age for us on this Christmas Eve 1901.


When I wrote this story in a Word document the original intention was for the shrinkees' dialogue to be in a smaller font size. Due to the nature of HTML writing I had to substitute their perspective when Jessica speaks, hence the bold-type.
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