Leon’s heartbeat rose, this guy meant business, but Leon was just off the back of a broken video game console, and he had been saving up all his pocket money just to get a new one. One hundred dollars would be a dream come true! He only needed one more Christmas gift of ten dollars anyway, so imagine what nine ten dollar notes could afford him! That toy store down the road won’t know what hit them if he had that much money. He peered down the empty middle path leading up to the small steps to the podium the man was standing on, trying to measure his height with a hand gesture, his gears turning trying to make heavy calculations of addition and subtraction and the newer times tables he learnt recently. His heart had skipped a beat when he looked up at the potential jockey.

“Deal.”

Douglas scoffed.

"Easy money. My shoes needed a touch up anyway.”

Douglas took a good look at the kid as he took his sweet time walking at a snails pace out of the speakers box and towards the steps of the podium. The child wore an orange flannel shirt (with two buttoned up pockets), what seems to be beige hiking shorts with loosely tied straps being a testament to his naivety.Thanks to the crowd opening up a clear view to the kid from earlier, he could also see his uninteresting black socks and hiking boots. His fair hair from a distance looked combed, but far from what a real man’s do could do.

Douglas on the other hand was just smitten, he had taken the liberty to come to a conference meeting wearing his best attire, shirt and tie, black formal pants and even a business shoes adding two whole inches to his height! With a solid 5 feet of height to work with, there’s no way a boy who looks as young as he does could ever be taller than he. Poor Douglas. If only he knew what kinda story he was trapped in. He drew the short straw as well, not many stories like these exists as well so he was particularly unlucky.

Douglas reached the first step, the people around the boy were unimpressed by the charade being put on from what was supposed to be an important storm warning plan of action. He glanced at the child standing above the other people, the odd one out supposedly out to embarrass himself to get a few laughs from his school friends hiding elsewhere recording him.

He took the first step down…. Then another…

His brain started to churn as he realised, the boy had to look down at him. And Douglas has his breath stolen away for a second. The more steps he went down, the taller this little kid seemed. The chair was his saving grace as he realised it's existence and snapped out it.

“Since you agreed boy, you should step down to an e-even…battlefield…wouldn’t you agree?” Douglas challenged, and Leon slowly nodded his head, and hopped down from his seat, and excused himself from the crowd, standing in the middle of the runway.

Douglas continued his departure from the podium, his legs cramped up, he had nightmare legs, the kind that were well suited to a horror game experience. He was on ground floor, and the people on the ends of the rows towards the middle row started shaking their heads, hoo boy. With his petrified legs, Douglas’ already snails pace turned to a tortoises midday jog…. if you can choose believe if either one is faster. He crept on closer, fearing the worst.

Those words K'O'ed Douglas's legs he was barely managing to stand up straight.

Leon had hopped down from his seat. The complaints among the crowd were making him feel a little awkward.  But on the other hand, he really wanted to see if this dude was actually shorter, he kinda liked the thought, but the lure of ninety dollars was more at stake here ( well, one hundred dollars but ten was needed for a new console). He’d just run away if it seemed bad anyway. But he didn’t really like the idea of the chances of seeing this guy again, so he walked on closer to the smartly dressed man.

Nearer and nearer, the closer Leon came to Douglas, the more Douglas started to cower. Douglas felt a slight dizzying sensation, witnessing the boy’s approach with absolute stupor.

Douglas had a bead of sweat coming from his forehead.

*Step, step.*

Oh no... This kid can't be...

Douglas could see the boy’s curiosity being fed with wonder on the spot. His foot falls becoming painfully more detailed evidently from his big bloody battle boots...errr hiking shoes actually.

.T’was the sound the boys shoes made when he halted himself in front of Douglas, both mouths were agape. Both eyes were scanning each other, one with malicious escapism, the other with wonderland amounts of curiosity.

“B-b-boy! Don’t try and cheat! Don’t stand on your toes!” Douglas stammered. The pit fall from beneath him sent him straight into the pit he had dug himself as he saw the child fluster a little in response.

“Uh-uh uhmm… Sorry, but…” The boy almost stopped himself from proving himself before reluctantly rising in height as he stood on his toes. Taller than Douglas, with Douglas’ eye level being just at the mouth, otherwise his nose bridge if he hadn’t stood on his toes.

...

...

Gutted, shocked, ….would be just a few of the many feelings that arose from Douglas as he looked up and down at the boy, even attempting to stand on his toes as well, but no matter how hard he tried, he was still shorter that the little kid. Granted, not by much, but still noticeable enough to warrant the boy’s amazement that’s currently rocketing towards an epiphany towards financial success.

“H-ho-how old are you?” Douglas stuttered.

“T-turning eight this year.” answered the not really little boy.

Douglas could feel the strength being sapped away from himself, seven years…just seven years it took for this boy to become taller than 35  years of living as a man. Well, a Jockey but still, ol’ Doug’ was having a rough enough day as is, never realising that  the brief dizzy spell he had shrunk him an inch. The boy was also 5 feet tall. As evidenced by a bit of exposed belly indicating a recent growth spurt.

“You….you win …. Ch-champ…. “ absolutely depressed, and feeling like his body is starting to receive a depression on itself, he reached for his wallet, and pulled out…

“O….No..I’ve…” adding salt to the wounds, Douglas eyes went wide