Shrunk In Translation, Part Two

Copyright 2004 Littletoy

A high-pitched squeal behind me made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I turned around to face the beady eyes, twitching whiskers and long teeth of a black rat the size of a sheep. He was after my food, my treasure, my precious survival. I screamed and dug into my side belt for the broken off safety pin. I jabbed it in the rat’s direction. It squeaked and moved in towards me, determined to have fresh meat for his breakfast. I backed up against the garbage can as he moved closer, then he got down on his rear and hissed menacingly. I screamed like a baby as the rat lunged for me, meeting the tip of my safety pin with the end of his nose. The rat gave a high-pitched shriek, and then abruptly turned and dash off. It hadn’t gotten more than a few feet when the cat that had been waiting for me all along suddenly pounced out of the shadows. I seized the hapless rodent in its jaws and dashed away, the rat squealing in fear and terror.

            I decided not to wait for the rat’s buddies to show up. I high tailed it out of there as fast as I could. I dashed across the alley and was headed straight for the small hole in the building that was my main entranceway when the back door to the printer shop opened up and Miss Watanabe came out. The young daughter of the older gentlemen who owned the shop was heading across the alley right for me. All these times I had eluded her, I was caught for sure. I decided to accept my fate and simply surrender in hopes she would not hurt me. Surely she had seen me in the alley by now. I looked up at her, the knee length white stockings and shiny black shoes clomping closer and closer to me, her long pale legs disappearing into the white skirt and blue blazer she wore for school. Even at my size I marveled at her slender waist and perky breasts which pushed out from her school uniform. I waved my tiny arms upward to get her attention as she towered impossibly over me. She wasn’t stopping; the heel of her shoe came down, its shadow falling over me as it descended rapidly. This was to be the ignominious end of my long strange odyssey in Japan…

            The shoe came down not on me, but right overhead and crashed to the ground ten feet above me. I looked overhead just in time to get a flash of white cotton panties from the giant girl as she walked across the street, oblivious of where I was. I watched her skirt flare out as her clomped up the alleyway into the main thoroughfare, a place I dare not venture into because there were literally swarms of giants every which way. I preferred the safety of the alleyway, even with the myriad of perils that befell me there. 

            I managed to finally scurry across the alleyway to my hideout. I hoisted myself up on to the curb and ran across the sidewalk and ducked into the hole in the wall, leading to the hideout that had been my home for the last few weeks. It was dark, the only light coming in through the entrance hole. I had to crawl through, and once inside I blocked off the entrance with the some stiff cardboard I had found, and then I had come up with a makeshift way to bolt the door, using a couple of old nails and some safety pins. It kept the bugs and the rats and the cats out, and it kept me dry during the winter. My home was just a space between the masonry and the drywall from the offices in the building. It was narrow, only maybe ten feet (by my reckoning) wide and about fifty feet long, and it extended upward all the way to the top of the building. The good thing was there was an open space near the top, which allowed me ventilation when I wanted to make a small cooking fire. Although it was dark I had a stolen penlight and some batteries for light. I had found the light but had stolen the batteries from a local electronics shop whose owner had tossed out a box of them, supposing they were out date. I had managed to lug quite a few into my hole in the wall so I had plenty of light when I so desired. Outside my hideout I could hear the sounds of the bustling city day and night.

            I still could not believe how stupid I had been that day I had escaped Tomiko. What the fuck was I thinking? Now I had no way to get back to her, well, not specifically her but to her fathers device that had shrunk me. Any hope of my restoration was lost among the millions of Japanese that day in the crowded subway station when I had stupidly acted on a spur of the moment impulse to escape my captivity.  I didn’t know exactly where I was, or where Dr. Suzuki’s house was, or exactly where the device was. I stopped and closed my eyes, the mental pain of what I had done hitting home again. I thought about my once quest, long since given up, of finding the American embassy. I had no idea where that was; it’s hard to explain how impossible it is to judge time and space when you are so out synch with both. It was all I could do to navigate the alleyway nowadays.

            I put down my bounty of food and walked over to my penlight. I snapped it on and walked over to a dry box of matches. I took a match, and some try twigs I had from earlier and started a small fire. A bottle cap served as a cooking pot as I cut up some of the vegetables and tossed them into the bottle cap. Salt and Pepper packets from discarded fast food meals served as seasonings for my makeshift stew. I had no meat but at least I wouldn’t starve. An hour later I was full and warm. I crawled over to a used glove that served as my mattress and lay down. A wad of toilet paper served as my pillow and a handkerchief made a soft blanket. I listened to the rhythm of the crawling expanse of city, of cars and busses roaring back and forth, of people going about their everyday business oblivious to my comings and goings amongst them. I looked up into the vast space above me, wondering how long I could live like this. I tossed some more twigs onto the small fire at my feet, pulled the handkerchief up tightly around me and finally dozed off.

            It was the scratching that woke me. I could hear a bustling, a scratching noise above me. I jumped off of the glove at once and grabbed my safety pin/sword. I looked at the doorway, it was secure. My attention was diverted but something caught the corner of my eye, dropping down behind me. I couldn’t make out the shape, but I could see more shapes dropping down to the floor, then I series of high-pitched squeaks that made my skin crawl.

            They were on me practically before I could react. I hastily grabbed my makeshift bad of odds and ends and dashed to the doorway only a couple steps ahead of the huge black rats invading my home and hunting for me mercilessly. I screamed in panic as I quickly unbolted the door, the whiskers of the pursuing rats on my heels. I crawled out the hole into bright daylight. I was mid morning already. I ran from the hole in time to see the rat poke his head through, the duck back in. He was too fat to pursue me, but soon one of his thinner friends got through, and then another and another. I stumbled backward toward the curb and jumped down to the alleyway but I twisted my ankle badly in the process. I was now panicked; sure my life was going to soon be over, this time for real. I limped down the alleyway as the rats now surrounded me on all sides. I had but one way to go, and that was in the direction of the busy avenue. I could see the legs of men and women walking along the sidewalk as I ran toward them. The rats were running after me, apparently either unfazed by the people or too focused on the fresh meat limping ahead of them. My sprained ankle was killing me but I dared not stop for a second.  I saw a small grass area to the right with an empty bench on it. I hobbled as fast as I could toward it. As I did so the rats followed me but at that moment a sidewalk sweeper suddenly appeared out of nowhere, sending the rats scurrying in all directions. I looked back and saw the rats were no longer pursuing, and so slowed down as I neared the bench and went underneath. I sat down on the grass and grabbed my ankle in pain. I rubbed it, hoping to ease the stinging. I had no idea what I was going to do now. The rats had invaded my home and were waiting for me. I was worse off now than I had ever been. I started sobbing, not noticing the large shadow over the bench, blotting out the sunlight.

            “OH GODDAM IT FUCK IT ALL!!! I HATE THIS WORLD! *#&*(&#)&)(!!!”

            “Who’s there? Who said that?”

            I heard a low female voice all around me. I was astonished because the voice was in English, without even a hint of access. I looked up at the iron bench. I could see the enormous rear blotting out the light where it was showing through the open holes in the wrought iron. I cautiously walked out behind the bench so I wasn’t seen, I could see two enormous legs touching the ground behind me, and in front of me I followed the back of the bench and saw the outlines of a back, then long strands of auburn-red hair. From the looks of her from behind and the sound of her voice she wasn’t Japanese. My mind raced. It was another American! Finally I could get help and get to the embassy, maybe even back to Dr. Suzuki’s lab! I would be saved!

            “I said that. Down here!” I shouted at the top of my lungs

            She turned around and looked down and spotted me. I could see she was in her early twenties, with full lips and sparkling eyes and high cheekbones. I froze in place, afraid to move as she stared at me breathlessly. I could see she looked like she had been upset and there were tears drying on her cheeks.

            “Oh my god. What are you?”

            I realized my mistake too late. I didn’t want help from somebody. Everybody was just so frigging HUGE. I turned and tried to scamper away, but my ankle gave out once and for all and I fell to the ground in a heap.

            “Oh! You’re hurt? Who are you? Why are you so small? Don’t run away I let me help you. You won’t get very far on that ankle.

            “I’m ok, just leave me alone thank you very much.”

I looked over my shoulder to see this incredible bulk raise herself off the bench and whirl around behind at an amazing speed for someone her size. She crouched down next to me, a look of concern, mixed with what I detected to be wonder in her eyes as she examined me before her.”

“Don’t worry whatever you are. I won’t hurt you. I’m Charlotte, what’s your name?”

“It’s…Jack…Jack Thomas. Can you take me back to my home, please? I live in a hole in the wall in the alley way just around the corner.”

“But I just saw a bunch of rats in there. Look at you. You’re filthy and you look like you haven’t had a decent meal in ages. How can you live like this?”

“I have no choice; I have been living like this for some time.”

“That’s no place for someone to live, even someone as tiny as you.”

“Look I don’t know who you are or where I am but I’m trying to get to the American embassy as soon as possible. I need their help to see if I can’t find the person who did this to me and restore my size. I was a businessman here on a trip when this happened to me. So if you could perhaps you could tell me where the embassy is?”

“Um, isn’t that in Kyoto? You’re in Tokyo silly how did you get here? Plus I don’t think they’d receive you looking that way, why your little clothes are dirty and tattered, and your ankle sprained so badly you can hardly walk. I have a better idea, if you come with me to my hotel you can get cleaned up and I can do something about that ankle, then we’ll see about finding the embassy ok?”

“But but but-“

“But what? You are going to stay here out in the open? In the alley to get eaten by rats? I don’t’ think I could sleep at night knowing I could have helped someone. Besides I have a lot of room. My husband is away on a fashion shoot and won’t be back for a week. I have lots of room.”

            I was about to protest when I felt something soft and firm slip under me. The smiling face of this girl beamed down on me as she scooped me up in her palm. She got to her feet and held me in front of her face. I felt naked the way she was studying me. I yelled at her to put me down this instant but she either didn’t hear me or more likely was ignoring me. I looked off the side of her palm at the ground a hundred feet below. The more I panicked the more this young woman seemed both concerned and amused. I felt her palm tip and I then expected to plunge to my death. I screamed as I fell but after only a couple of feet I landed feet first in a cloth sack that came up to my shoulders. I looked up from the front jacket pocket of her sweater to see her giggling at me.

            “That should keep you safe until we get back to the hotel. You’ll have to duck down when we get there; I don’t want that Kelly to see you. We’ll have to sneak upstairs to my room come on lets go.”

            I tried to protest, but we were already on the move. I was able to look out as the girl strode down the impossibly huge and busy streets of Tokyo. Giants and giantesses passed me by without giving me as much as a glance. I was almost reclining, I was at an angle caused by Charlotte’s breasts poking up against my back under the jacket pocket. It made the ride much softer as it absorbed most of he shock of her footsteps. I could only pray I was in good hands but I really had no idea and I had no choice.

            The ride to her hotel went by dizzily. Charlotte kept asking if I was comfortable but I still said I’d be more comfortable if she took me straight to the American embassy. She laughed and paid me no mind as we entered a towering hotel building. It was so tall it made me dizzy just to look up at it.

            “Oh there’s that Kelly. I can’t stand her, she’s an idiot. Keep down I don’t want her to see you.”

Her finger came into the pocked and pushed me down on top of my head. I sank into the pocket as we entered the hotel lobby.

            “Charlotte, how are you.”

            “Oh hi Kelly. Fine thanks.”

            “GREAT! When is John going to be back, I HAVE to get together with him and arrange for him to take my picture? I love his work.”

            “Yeah, me too.”

            “Of course you do. Say maybe I’ll see you at the bar tonight ok?”

            “Maybe. Bye.”

            As we walked into the elevator I poked my head up through the top of the pocket again. I saw her reach out and press the button for the 67th floor.         

            “I can’t stand that woman. I swear she has the hots for John, too.”

            “Who is John?”

            “My husband, but don’t worry, he isn’t due back for a week. He doesn’t see much of me even when he is here though because of his work.’

            The elevator door opened and we walked over to a door. Charlotte got out her room card and swiped the door. As it opened up I reflected how in just a few minutes I had gone from living in a crack in the base of an office building to being on the 67th floor of a luxury western style hotel in the heart of Tokyo, with all the modern conveniences you could ask for. I was going from primitive living to penthouse living in the blink of an eye, only I was no longer on my own. Once again I was in the possession of somebody else, this time an attractive young American woman.

            Charlotte carried me into the hotel suite. I gulped as I could see out the window the city of Tokyo spread out before me. I couldn’t believe how high up we were. There  was no way I was going to get down from here without her help. She walked over to the bed and set me down on it. It seemed to spread out in all directions for acres and acres. I couldn’t believe normal people slept on this. Charlotte told me to stay put and then she walked into the bathroom and closed the door. I heard the water running as I took a step toward the edge of the mattress. I looked over the side and nervously stepped back as it was just so far down. I decided to climb down to the floor. I’m not sure why but I think I just felt too intimidated on this giant bed. I got about halfway down when I felt a strong force clamp about my back, lifting me away from the bedspread.

            “Help!”

            “Oh hush you big baby. Look what I have for you.”

            Charlotte lifted me to her lips and smiled at me. Standing to her full height she carried me tightly in her fist into the bathroom. I was set down on the vanity. I could see steam rising from the sink full of water, and soap bubbles on the surface. I looked up at Charlotte again. She was staring at me.

            “Well go ahead. I told you I would clean you up. Now take off those rags and I will get you something suitable to wear. Go on, it’s ok.”

            I looked back up at her as I fidgeted with my clothing. She seemed to get the idea and giggled as she turned her back to me.

            “Ok fine I won’t look.”

            I didn’t wait for a second reply, but I stripped the clothes off in seconds and dove into the sink. As soon as she heard the splash Charlotte turned around to see me soaping myself up with the lather and bubbles. I had to admit after all this time a hot bath felt great. I closed my eyes and sank down into the water, relaxing for the first time in a long while.

            “There now you relax and I will find something to wear for you.” She said, and then headed into the other room. The relaxing bath and surroundings soon kicked in and I found myself dozing off. 

            A little while later a knock on the room door woke me up. I assumed it was room service, but when I heard Charlotte unlock the door I hard another female say hello.

            “Oh hello Kelly how can I help you?”

            “Well, seeing you in the lobby a while ago I forgot to mention that your husband left some photos of a test shoot we did together for me. Did he mention them to you? I’d really like to see which ones I want to use for my publicity shot.”

            Kelly didn’t wait for an answer, she just walked through the door like she owned the place and in a second was scanning the room for what she was looking for.

            “Um they might be over there. In that pile. Maybe. I don’t remember listen Kelly I don’t really feel too well could you maybe come back later?”

            “Hey can I just look over there in the pile? Thanks hon. Say I’ll be right back I want to get a Kleenex from the bathroom.”

            “NO!”

            “Silly I just want to get a Kleenex its not like gonna do anything else.”

            I heard the footsteps and saw the towering blond step through the doorway. I ducked down into the water, burying my head in an island of bubbles. I was hidden well as I studied the towering blond girl. 

            “Here they are. Thanks Charlotte hey do you know you’re sink is filled?”

            I look with terror as a huge firm arm darts out, the fingers extending toward me, in any second her fingers will be squeezing about my middle as Charlotte will try to explain my presence.

            “HEY what do you think you’re doing?”

            “You don’t want the sink to overflow do you? I’ll just see what’s clogging the drain.”

The hand plunged into the water around me, causing a wave that rolled over me and the bubbles around me. I was close enough to her fingers to touch them but as they plunged deep into the water straight down for the drain. 

“Stop! I want that sink filled for a reason. I’m…washing the stain out of a sweater, yes that’s it. Listen Kelly if you don’t really mind I have kind of a headache so, I think that folder over there is what you’re looking for, OK?”

            The hand retreated above me, dripping water down on me as the long nails receded. I saw the towering form of the blond leaving the bathroom. As soon as she left I popped my head out of the water. I could hear the two giants in the next room.

            “Oh OK, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to bother you. I just take them and go. See you later in the bar if you feel better, bye.”

            I heard Kelly leave and the door to the room shut. Then footsteps approaching swiftly. In a matter of seconds Charlotte was through the door, her towering form just in front of the vanity.

            “I think you’ve had enough bath time, ok?”

            She didn’t wait for my reply, but reached in and grabbed me. I was embarrassed as her fingers closed around my naked form. I shot into the air, the soap and water dripping off me, as Charlotte held me above her head.

            “Whooooooah!”

            “I’m sorry, I just can’t get over how light you are. I can barely feel you in my hand. Here let me rinse you off then you can dry off.”

            I was then lowered with frightening speed back down toward the water. She dunked me under water and held me for a second as she agitated me back and forth, then took me out. I was immediately deposited on top of a white towel, which closed in on me. I tried to yell but my words were muffled by the towel as it pressed all around me. Finally the towel dropped away on all sides. I grabbed a fold of towel to cover myself up as I looked up at her in embarrassment. I had been picked up again like a doll with no say. It hadn’t happened for a while since I had been with Tomiko. Now it was becoming a regular occurrence once again. I wasn’t comfortable staying in a hole in a building but at least I had my freedom.

            Charlotte lowered a washcloth down to me. “Here you can use this until I get you some clothing ok? I noticed a department store just down the street I will find some suitable doll clothes for you. “

            I grabbed the washcloth and wrapped it around myself.

            “Thank you Charlotte, but please I’m not a doll, I’m person who was shrunk by a scientist. I really need your help.”

            “Hmmmm come over her to the bed and you can tell me all about it.”

            I was scooped up into her palm and carried me out to the other room. She walked over to the bed and set me down on one side, then climbed on and lay down on the other side. I was scooped up again and set down on her stomach. It rose up and down as she breathed, and so did I with it. I have to admit it was kind of cool being light enough that I caused no displacement on a girls stomach.  I looked up at her and relayed the whole story from the start, how I had gone to see Dr. Suzuki, how he had shrunk me and bequeathed me to his daughter, how I had stupidly escaped and had to live like a rat until she found me earlier. She listened with concern as I relayed my tale and I hoped she would take me right away to the authorities but instead I was plucked off of her stomach as she rose up off the bed.

”Hey what are you doing? Charlotte set me down I’m getting dizzy.”

            “Shhhhh I’m just putting you someplace safe until I get back. I’m going out to get you something to wear OK? Then when I get back I’ll get you something to eat.”

            I looked at the room spin around as she carried me over to her dresser. She pulled out the top drawer and lowered me inside. I looked up at her helplessly as she waved down to me and then pushed the drawer closed partway.

            “Back in a little bit my little friend. Now be good and stay put.”

            “Awww don’t trap me in here like this.”

            “Its for you own good now hush and I’ll be back in a while.”

            I watched her colossal form move away, then I heard the door open and shut. I sat down in the drawer among Charlotte’s various tops. Her clothes all had the pleasant scent of her on them. I didn’t want to just sit here though. Even though I was told to stay put I just had to explore my surroundings a bit. After all I was an adult capable of my own decisions. I walked over to the edge of the drawer and looked down. It was a daunting distance at my height but I was determined to walk around the room and stretch my legs a bit. I saw a lamp cord hanging near by and I was confident I could leap over to it and shimmy down to the floor. I took a huge breath, then leaped off the edge of the drawer. I managed to slam against the wall hard, and bounce off as I grabbed the electrical cord. I wrapped my feet and hands around it and slid down like a fireman to the floor.

            On the floor I looked up at my surroundings. The furniture towered around me like the office buildings of downtown Tokyo. I couldn’t believe how tall everything was. I walked over to the door, and I noticed there was room under the door between the door and the floor. I couldn’t really resist, I was bored so I squeezed myself under the door and took a look at my new envoirment. I was in a huge hallway that stretched miles in each direction. Door after door lined the hallway into the distance. I decided to do a little reconniseance and see what was around Charlotte’s room. It never hurt to be familiar with my surroundings in case Charlotte became unpredictable and I had to escape.

            I hung close to the baseboard as I slowly made my way around the hallway. The hallway was pretty empty because it was the middle of the day. Far down the hallway, I could see the maid’s cart as she went into each room, changing sheets and cleaning up. I could hear the hum of the ice machine at the nearby. I decided to check it out and see if there was a candy machine. Who knows maybe I could scavange some dropped M&M’s.        

I scurried as fast as I cold, clinging to the baseboard for safety. It took several minutes to reach the little nook in the hallway where there was an ice machine and a candy dispenser. I looked around for any dropped candy but the place was spotless.

            I was walking dejectedly back to Charlotte’s room, my little exploration for naught. I realized I was helpless without the help of big people.  Suddenly I head from behind me, one of the rooms down the hall open up and I saw a gigantic figure walk out of it. I could tell far away it was Kelly, the bothersome blonde who had almost discovered me twice already. She had an ice bucket in her hand and was making a beeline for the machine. I stared upward at her long legs as she got nearer and nearer to me. I decided I had to run forward toward the ice machine so I could hide behind it. I didn’t want another person to see me, especially Kelly who was attractive but seemed ditzy. God knows what she would do with a little man if she found one. I decided not to make it easier.                   

            Kelly loomed nearer and nearer as I dove underneath the ice machine. She had noticed something moving and screamed loudly.

            “Eeeeek! A mouse!  A mouse! Somebody call the manager! Help save me help!”

            I covered my ears and cringed as Kelly yelled out to nobody in particular. One of the maids came out and listened to her tirade, then went back to her cleaning as if she hadn’t understood a word. Kelly looked around exasperatedly, then realized nobody cared that she had just seen a mouse so she turned and stomped off to her room. She reminded herself to mention it when it came time to pay the bill.

            With another close call I decided it was time to get back. I ran along the baseboard down the hallway and was about to slip under the door when a long shadow cast over me.

            ‘Just what do you thing you’re doing out of the room, huh?”

            I looked up to see the face of Charlotte, holding some packages and looking none too pleased.

            “Oh hi, I was, er, um, getting some ice and an candy bar down the hall but they were all out, see so I was…”

            “Oh save it. This is the thanks I get for trying to help you. You’re coming right inside.”

            “No wait Charlotte I-“

She bent down and snatched me up. Her fist was around me, constricting my movement as I was swiftly brought up to her face. She scolded me with her free index finger and then opened the door and brought me inside. I was set down on the dresser as she rummaged through her drawers and brought out a bra. She put the bra down beside me and I looked at it. What was she going to do with it? Then she opened one of the packages and brought out the contents.

            “I went out and got you this and you try and escape. I should just keep you in the washcloth if that’s how you are gonna show your gratitude. Put these on I need to see if they fit you.”

            Her hand opened up in front of me and I grabbed a tiny Hawaiian shirt and shorts and tiny sandals. They seemed to be my size. I eagerly dropped the washcloth and put on the doll cloths, not caring that she was watching the whole time.

            “Charlotte I’m sorry really I wasn’t trying to escape I was just looking around its boring being in the drawer please don’t keep me in there.”

            “Oh you’re staying out of the drawer all right but need to be punished in the time out room.”

            “The what?”

            “This.”

I felt her fingers wrap tightly around my body as she plucked me from the dresser top. She dropped me in the bra cup and folded the bra in half, trapping me in between the two halves like I was in a globe of fabric, and then she wrapped the rest of the bra around the cups so that I was sealed inside her bra.

            “Hey let me out of this thing dammit.”

            “You can just stay there for the next two hours while you learn your lesson. You need to realize little man you need me to survive now. Without me you’ll end up rat food or even captured by another person, someone like the Kelly. I bet you wouldn’t like that at all.”

            “I don’t know she looks kind of hot.”

            “WHAT DID YOU SAY?”

            “I said captured by Kelly I think not.”

            “Uh-huh. Well I will be back in two hours.”

            It was a long two hours. I tried in vain to push myself out of the bra but the elastic material was to strong. Finally I sat down and just stewed. Finally the door opened and I heard Charlotte’s voice accompanied by a male voice. I cringed as it was quickly clear to me this was John, her photographer husband.

            “I can’t believe you’re going off to Nagano with that bimbo!”

            “I told you Charlotte its just a photo shoot. You are so jealous of her I swear.”

            “When you told me you were back early I thought it was because you wanted to spend time with me.”

            “Will you stop being so selfish, this is a very important job for me. The exposure for my career is important don’t you understand?’

            “I understand you came back early to go off with Kelly.”

            “Oh jeezus, I’ll be back in two days I promise, ok?”

            “Ok.”

            “Hey why are you leaving your bras out on the dresser?”

            “John don’t! Be careful that’s my new friend.”

            “Huh?”

            I felt my bra upended as the material was un wrapped around the cups, then the cups separated and I saw Charlotte standing in front of me and behind her a skinny guy of medium height.

            “What the fuck is THAT?”

            “Oh I found him outside, isn’t he-“

            “Charlotte HOW COULD YOU? I THOUGHT YOU TRUSTED ME AFTER ALL IM YOU HUSBAND!”

            “What we didn’t do-“

            “You have something like this in our room and you don’t tell me? Do you have any idea how much some of these Japanese tabloids will PAY for a picture like this? We can stay here an extra six months on what I can make off this! Let me get my camera!”

            “John wait I-“

            “Hey I don’t want my picture taken please.”

            “Charlotte honey put him in your palm for scale. That’s good. Ok, hold still…”

            I felt the flash go off and I was temporarily blinded. It went off several more times as John snapped away. By the time I could see clearly he had his bags and his arm around Charlotte as I was set down in Charlotte’s drawer.

            “I will see ya in a day or two babe. You did good we’ll make a fortune off this.”

            I protested as he moved close into Charlotte for a kiss. I screamed up at the two of them but Charlotte just pushed the drawer shut. I was a prisoner and was now about to be exposed for riches in the Japanese media. The only good news is he said he was selling the photos to the tabloids. I knew most people didn’t take them seriously so I was relieved at the prospect of people thinking it was a hoax. In the darkness of the drawer I fell asleep to the sounds of Charlotte and John having goodbye sex. It depressed me no end to know I was too small and out of reach of everyone and everything in this world.

            Later Charlotte tried to make it up to me by taking me out of the hotel for a cup of lemon ice from a stand down the street. It was raining and she had on a raincoat and an umbrella. When I complained I was too hot in her pocket I was plucked out and she set on top of the umbrella. I slid down to the end of one of the ribs and hung on for dear life while Charlotte monitored me while she walked. It took all my might to keep from plummeting to my death but Charlotte was always a finger away.

*********     

            --TWO DAYS LATER—

            I was lounging in Charlotte’s drawer, sitting on a pair of denim jeans when she burst in from outside brandishing a newspaper.

            “Look at this! You’re famous!”

            I looked in horror at the front page. There was a full color of me, sitting in Charlotte’s hand. Inside there was a brief article and more photos of me with Charlotte. I couldn’t believe this. The bastard had actually gone and sold the photos.

            “Oh my god!”

            “They are calling you the Amazing Chibi Chan, isn’t that adorable!”

            “Chibi-WHAT! This is ridiculous I gotta get some help.”

            “Don’t worry Chibi-chan, you will be safe with me. Now I have to go out to see some friends so I am gonna push the drawer closed. Try and get some rest ok? I will see you later my Chibi Chan.” She giggled and pushed the drawer closed, trapping me in again.

            “Dammit stop calling me that! My name is Jack. Jack Thomas.”

            “And now its Chibi Chan until I say differently. Later” I heard her coo from outside the drawer.

            Dejected I had no choice but to try and get some rest. I was gonna get out of this mess or my name wasn’t Chibi Chan, er Jack Thomas.

            At the same time, a young girl of seventeen was walking back from school, her backpack slung over her shoulder, brown hair waving in the wind. She passed by the news stand near her block and looked at the teen magazines as usual. She was about to continue when her eye caught the front page of one of the daily Tabloids that printed lurid stories of the weird and of the odd. She froze when she saw the headline scream about “The Amazing Chibi Chan” and the accompanying photos. She threw money at the newsstand operator and took the tabloid, running at full speed the rest of the way home.

            Dr. Suzuki was working from home that day, alone in his study when his daughter Tomiko burst in waving a tabloid.

            “Daddy its Mr. Thomas-san! He has been found by an American staying in Tokyo. There are pictures of him in the paper. Daddy he is ours and I want him back. Daddy please you have to help.”

            Dr. Suzuki put down his pen and stared at the photograph. He had no use for the reduced American any longer but there was danger in having him in a position to expose what he had done. Perhaps it was better if he took care of this for both his daughter’s sake and for his.

            “Run along Tomiko. I will see what I can do to find out where he is.”

He picked up the telephone and dialed a friend he had at the prefecture. The first step was to find the young American who had possession of Mr. Thomas. After that things would fall into place…