Despite Tim’s recent torturous experience, the mental trauma he’d suffered, and the unspeakable embarrassment of being shoved into his aunt’s panties and forced into the crack of her ass while she exercised, the rest of the day was, much to his relief, relatively normal. After giving him a bath in the bathroom sink to getting him all cleaned up, Julia barely said a word to Tim the rest of the morning, nor much else that afternoon. In fact, for the remainder of the day, Julia actually treated Tim like a true, benevolent caregiver would: she helped get him dressed, cooked him lunch, then let him relax on the coffee table and watch TV pretty much the whole afternoon while she puttered around the house and tidied things up, almost as if she was actively avoiding him.

     At one point, Julia did sit down on the couch with the tube of foot cream, making Tim very apprehensive and worried he might have to give the giant woman a foot massage again; to the contrary, Julia merely rubbed her own feet and applied the cream herself, although she did playfully wrinkle her nose at him when she caught Tim looking back at her once or twice.

     Tim wasn’t trying to peep, however; he just wasn’t comfortable having Aunt Julia sitting behind him out of his line of sight, and was anxious that she might slam her bare feet on the coffee table again, trying to scare and intimidate him, or even just do it absentmindedly. Either way, Tim wanted to remain prepared, just in case.

     Such a scare never happened, thankfully, although Julia DID give the tiny teenager her usual, stern warning not to say a word about what had transpired that morning to his mother when she got home, lest he be forced to go give her another foot massage…this time, with him underneath her soles. She even threatened to take pictures and show all his friends at school if he talked, despite Tim reminding her about what his mother had said about keeping the whole shrinking thing quiet.

     Tim wasn’t exactly keen on the idea of continuing to keep his mouth shut about his mistreatment, especially considering everything that had happened that morning, yet he still reluctantly agreed: he most certainly didn’t want ANYONE finding out about being shrunken down, nor any of the other embarrassments he’d suffered during that time either. Notwithstanding, he also didn’t want Aunt Julia to stomp him, but certainly wasn’t complaining about how the rest of the day was going; if enduring all her humiliation and keeping his mouth shut was what it took to get Aunt Julia to start treating him better, especially after all the torture she’d already put him through, it might well be worth the price.     

     “I’m home,” Natalie called out as she walked through the front door that evening.

     “Hey, sis.” Julia said as she stepped into the living room from the kitchen. “You’re home a bit late.”

     “I know,” Natalie sighed dejectedly, kicking off her flats by the den. “It’s been a long, exhausting day. I was running around all day trying to supervise my lab techs, test samples, and work on the analysis of that formula. It wasn’t until most everyone lab left for the day that I could actually get to my paperwork.”

     “Have you made anymore progress?” Julie inquired.

     “A bit,” Natalie nodded, setting some papers down on the corner of the coffee table, dropping her purse onto the floor next to it, “but I’ve still got a lot left to do, so I brought some home with me. Everything go alright around HERE today?”

     “Yeah, everything’s good,” Julia shrugged, motioning over to her nephew’s position on the coffee table. “Tim’s just been in here watching TV while I’ve been making dinner.” 

     “Oh, bless you, Jules!” Natalie extolled, placing a hand on her sister’s shoulder. “You didn’t have to do that.”

     “Oh, it’s no trouble, Nat,” Julia scoffed. “Really. You weren’t home yet, so I figured I’d start cooking and have dinner ready by the time you got home.”

     “Ah, I’m so glad you’re staying here this week, Jules,” Natalie sighed contentedly. “You’ve been an absolute GODSEND throughout this whole order!”

     “Hey, what’re sisters for?” Julia replied off-handedly.

     “Hey, sweetheart,” Natalie called over to her son as she stepped around the coffee table.

     “Hey, mom,” Tim squeaked up as his mother bend over to hear him, a sympathetic grin on her face.

     “How was your day?”

     “Well…” Tim shrugged. “…it’s been OK, I guess.”

     “You ‘guess’?!” Natalie replied suspiciously, putting her hands on her hips. “Did something happen I should know about?”

     “Oh, he’s just a little irked ‘cause I made him workout with me this morning,” Julia butted in slyly, “but I’ve pretty much been letting him relax this afternoon while I’ve been busy doing a little housework.”

     “Well….I guess that’s fine,” Natalie sighed, shifting her gaze back and forth between her tiny son and her sister, “but I’m not sure I like the idea of you leaving him on the coffee table all by himself while you’re off in another room.”

     “Nat, he’s fine,” Julia reassured, motioning to the coffee table with her hand. “I’ve been checking in on him regularly to make sure nothing’s happened. Besides, he’s a teenager: you put him in front of a screen and he’s happy for hours….plus, it keeps him out of trouble.”

     “Well, I guess as long as he’s safe, that’s all that matters,” Natalie shrugged, doting over her tiny son.

     “Yeah,” Julia nodded, “well, why don’t you come in, take a load off, get changed…Dinner’s gonna be a little while longer, so you can just relax a bit.”

     “Oh, thanks Jules,” Natalie replied appreciatively, “but I still need to take a look at some paperwork this evening.”

     “Well…bring it on in the kitchen and sit at the table with me,” Julia offered. “We can chat while you and I are working.”

     “OK,” Natalie agreed. “Why don’t you grab Tim and bring him in with you? I’ll be in once I’ve changed.”

     “Why?” Julia rebutted, shrugging. “Just leave him in here and let him watch his show.”

     “Oh, Jules,” Natalie shook her head, “you know I’m not keen on leaving him unattended, not with what happened last night!”

     “Nat, he’ll be fine,” Julia reassured her, “Don’t worry. Nothing’s gonna happen. He’s been fine all afternoon, and we’re just gonna be in the next room.

     “Besides,” Julia continued with a shrug, walking around the couch towards the coffee table, “Tim doesn’t wanna just sit on the kitchen table listening to our girl talk, do ya Tim?”

     “Mom, I swear, I’ll be fine,” Tim squeaked faintly, surprised and slightly taken aback that Aunt Julia was being so supportive and defending his independence. “I promise.”

     “Alright, fine,” Natalie reluctantly agreed. “But don’t you DARE move from that spot, mister, you HEAR ME?!”

     “Uh huh,” Tim nodded in agreement. “I won’t. I promise.”

     “Good,” Julia said, turning back towards the kitchen, “we’re all settled. Just come into the kitchen when you’re all changed, sis.”

     “OK, I’ll be in in a few,” Natalie replied, heading the opposite direction, giving her tiny son one final glance before disappearing down the hallway.

     “So, what exactly are you working on?” Julia asked, joining her sister at the kitchen table, having a free moment while the food on the stove was simmering.

     “What do ya think?!” Natalie replied mockingly, barely taking her eyes off her paperwork. “It’s the chemical analysis of that shrinking formula.”

     “Yeah, I know that, Nat,” Julia rolled her eyes sarcastically. “I meant: what PART of the analysis are you working on?”

     “Well,” Natalie sighed heavily, “I’m working on separating out and identifying all the separate ingredients. Most of it’s pretty normal stuff: plant extracts, natural oils, organic compounds…nothing really unexpected…but there’s one compound here I haven’t been able to identify.”

     “Well, what is it?” Julie inquired with curiosity.

     “I don’t know,” Natalie said bluntly. “I just told you: I haven’t been able to identify it.”

     Julia sighed frustratedly and diverted her eyes, not appreciating her sister’s sarcasm.

     “Based on my initial analysis and its chemical properties,” Natalie continued, “it looks like some kind of complex, organic molecule, but I haven’t been able to find a match for it in any of my usual databases. Given everything else in that formula, it’s GOTTA be the key ingredient. I’m SURE of it! I just…don’t know exactly what IT is. Luckily, I’ve managed to isolate it; I’m gonna run a structural analysis on it tomorrow when I get to work. I should have enough time to do it alongside my other work.”

     “What do you mean a ‘structural analysis’?” Julia inquired curiously.

     “You know, figuring out its molecular structure,” Natalie explained, “what elements it’s made up of, how they’re arranged and put together…Hopefully, I can, at LEAST, figure out an approximate structure.”

     “Great…” Julia chimed in, “…and then what?”

     “Well, if I know its structure, I can figure out how to break it down; either what enzymes or chemicals I can use to dissolve it, and maybe even reverse the process. Hopefully, I’ll have some good news by the time I come home tomorrow, but I might be home late again.”

     “Hey, no worries, sis,” Julia said as she got up from her seat. “Take all the time you need. I’m sure you’ll figure it out eventually.” .

     “Yeah…” Natalie replied anxiously as Julia stood up and headed over towards the stove, “…hey, Jules?!”

     “Yeah?” Julia asked, pausing in her stride

     Natalie glanced past her sister towards the living room and lowered her voice before continuing:

     “Listen, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say anything to Tim about this. I mean, he’s counting on me to get him back to normal size, and I don’t want him worrying about the trouble I’m having…you know, until I know more…”

     “No problem, Nat.” Julia replied with a shrug. “I know how to keep a secret.”

     Much to everyone’s relief, the remainder of that evening was pretty normal and laid-back. Everyone enjoyed the dinner that Julia had provided, with Tim eating his fill, while eagerly asking how his mother’s analysis was coming along:

     “So, mom, how’s it going analyzing that formula?”

     “Oh…it’s going,” Natalie replied anxiously, trying to stay positive. “Slowly, but surely, I’m getting it figured out.”

     “And then you’ll be able to get me back to normal?!” Tim asked eagerly.

     “Well…” his mother replied with a slight hesitation, “figuring out all the components is the first step. Once that’s finished, I’ll start putting together and testing some potential antidotes to see if I can neutralize and reverse the effects.”

     “See kiddo,” Julia chimed in with a chipper smile. “Your mom’s got this. Just be patient, and you’ll be back to normal in no time!”

     Soon afterwards, the trio retired to living room to watch a movie: Tim sat on the coffee table on his makeshift, floor mat, while Julia and Natalie sat on opposite ends of the couch, the latter with her feet kicked up as she relaxed and casually browsed over the paperwork she’d brought home.

     By about 9:30, Tim was getting quite sleepy and was on the verge of passing out, having stuffed him full with the thanksgiving-sized dinner he’d had earlier. With few objections, Natalie gently scooped up her son and carried him back to his room to tuck him into bed for the night. At Tim’s request, his mother used his cell phone to put on some soft, relaxing music—something Tim hadn’t been able to do all week—and soon, the tiny teenager drifted off to sleep.

     Meanwhile, Natalie quietly tiptoed back down the hall and plopped back down on the sofa next to her sister.

     “Tim all tucked in?” Julia asked wittily.

     “Yup,” Natalie sighed, a blank expression on her face, and her hands clasped anxiously in her lap. “Should be all good for the night.”

     “Somethin’ wrong, sis?” Julia inquired.

     “Well,” Natalie sighed again, this time dejectedly. “first off, I wanna say that I really appreciate you being here, Jules, and for watching Tim for me this week, not to mention trying to save face and keep him optimistic about my analysis on that formula…”

     “Of course, sis,” Julia smiled. “You know you can depend on me.”

     “Yeah,” Natalie said, “well, I didn’t want to say this to you earlier, especially with Tim in earshot, but…honestly, even if I DO figure out that the component in that shrinking formula….there’s still a pretty good chance I may not be able to restore Tim to his normal size.”

     “Oh, sis,” Julia tutted, “you can’t think like that. You’ll figure it out. I KNOW you will. You just have to stay positive.”

     “Jules, let’s be realistic for just a moment,” Natalie rebutted, shaking her head as she looked her sister squarely in the face, “let’s say, I finish the analysis on that last ingredient, and I know EVERYTHING there is to know about that formula…then what?! I mean, there’s no guarantee that the effects are even reversible! Look, if there’s just some trace chemical lingering in Tim’s system that’s keeping him small, then, yeah, it should be relatively easy to break it down and restore him to his normal size, but if it’s ANYTHING more complex than that—like an exotic protein that’s somehow altered his DNA or cellular structure on a molecular level—it could take MONTHS, or even YEARS just to figure out exactly what it did to him, let alone reversing the process…IF it’s even possible!”

     “Nat, calm down!” Julia instructed, reassuring her sister. “Don’t stress yourself out! Look, you’ve only been working on it for a few days. I’d say you’ve done pretty good so far with what little time you’ve had to work on it. Just go into work tomorrow and run that….structural analysis, or whatever you called it, and wait for the results. I mean, you’re smart, you’ll figure it out…eventually. So…Tim might have to stay small for a little while longer…he’s just gonna have to be patient—We ALL are—and once you finish that analysis, you’ll be one step closer to curing him.”

     “But Julia,” Natalie rebuffed, “what if I CAN’T?! I mean, what if Tim’s stuck this way for the rest of his LIFE, huh?! What then?! What am I supposed to do, keep him in a…in a HAMSTER cage the rest of his life, like he’s some kind of PET?! Even if that WERE a viable option, I-I can’t keep him hidden here at home FOREVER! Sooner or later, someone’s bound to find out about him, and then, who KNOWS what’ll happen?! He’ll probably end up in some lab somewhere—and not mine—treated like some kinda… guinea pig the rest of his life!”

     “Sis, you gotta calm down!” Julia instructed forcefully, comfortingly placing her hands on her sister’s shoulders. “Look, there’s no sense panicking until you know for sure. Just go into work tomorrow, finish your analysis, figure out that last ingredient and then…we’ll go from there. All we can do now is just…wait and see.”

     “Yeah,” Natalie sighed, nodding her head reassuringly, trying to calm herself down a bit. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m getting ahead of myself. I just have to…go into work tomorrow, run my analysis, and then…*sigh* hope for the best.”

     “See, there ya go. Just keep doing what you’re doing, and I’m sure…eventually, things’ll work out. If Tim’s small for a little while longer, he’ll just have to deal with it—again, we ALL will—once we know something for sure, we’ll start making plans.”

     “Ok,” Natalie sighed heavily again, standing up from the couch. “Well, I think I’m gonna head to bed, Jules. It’s been a long day, and…I‘ve got a another long day ahead of me.”

     “OK, Nat,” Julia chortled, standing up herself and giving her sister a hug goodnight. “Sleep well.”

     “Thanks,” Natalie moaned, “Mm, I will. Are you coming to bed soon?”

     “Uh, I think I’m gonna stay up for a little while longer,” Julia replied.

     “OK. Goodnight, Jules.”

     “Night, Nat,” Julia replied as her sister headed out of the living room and disappeared down the hallway.

     Julia sighed and slumped back down onto the couch. She sat quietly for a minute, lost in deep thought as she mulled over the events of the past week…

     Then, a sly, half-grin grew up one side of her face…

     “Hm, shrunk for a while, huh?” Julia said smugly to herself as she reclined back on the couch with her hands clasped behind her head, kicking her feet up on the coffee table. “I could certainly get used to that…”