Beth Chambers rolled over and glared at her alarm clock, she gave it a solid slap and slowly sat up.
She stretched and went to the bathroom, then put on her favorite blue jeans and a light blue t-shirt with the words “go ahead worship me!” written on it. She slipped on her favorite pair of bright green flip flops and headed into the living room. Her daughter Karen was laying on the couch watching TV an empty bow was in front of her with a spoon in it.

Beth picked up the bowl and dropped it in the kitchen sink and poured herself some coffee, she set her coffee cup on the table and headed out into the early morning light to retrieve the paper. She looked up at the sky and smiled it was promising to be a bright and sunny day, she pulled out her cell phone and sent her personal assistant a quick text “Working from home today, come by later -Beth”

She dropped her cell phone back in her pocket and headed inside. From up the stairs she could hear the sounds of someone taking a shower, she knew it had to be her oldest daughter Melissa, she very much doubted Amy, her youngest, would ever wake early without being made to. She sighed as she thought about her stepson, his father had vanished on a business trip a few years back, she had let the boy stay because she knew he had nowhere else to go.

She glanced over at the TV as she walked through the living room as a smiling woman in a lab coat said “N.G.C. building a brighter tomorrow for all humankind!” she let out a soft laugh. Karen looked at her and frowned “That commercial is kind of old mom, when are you going to have them make a new one.”

Beth smiled “You just want me to order a new one so you can beg me to let you be in it!’

Karen smirked “Oh come on mom it IS your company it’s not as if they would say no”

Beth laughed and sat down to read her paper, she looked at the clock as she took a drink of coffee, she would give her two little late risers ten more minutes, she decided. Ten minutes later she headed up the stairs, she heard Melissa vacuuming her room, and smiled. She knocked on Amy’s door and opened it waiting patiently for her youngest daughter to actually stand up and start moving around “Come on you gotta take your shower before you go to school come on chop-chop!” she said gently Amy rolled her eyes and nodded.

Next she knocked on her stepsons door, she opened it and frowned, the room was empty. “Hello?” she called. She stared at the messy room, clothes piled on the floor, the bed unmade, and shook her head. “you know I’m going to be mad enough if he took off with that girlfriend of his without telling me, but if this is how he is actually leaving his room!” She sighed, “the hell with it, I‘ll just clean it and deal with him later.”  she decided She turned as Melissa pushed the vacuum into the hall “Oh honey just leave it there I’ll be needing it in a moment anyway! She said.

Melissa scoffed “Oh come on mom make him clean his own mess!” she whined

Beth shook her head “Now is not the time young lady, ok please just don’t start with me.”

Melissa muttered “sorry” and headed back into her room to get ready for her day, and Beth turned her attention to the messy room.


I sat up slowly blinking my eyes, as my eyes adjusted to the early morning light I realized something was way off. I was surrounded by a vast and bizarre landscape, a truly strange sky stretched above me. I walked along this strange and soft ground and suddenly realized where I was. I was still in my bed but somehow I had shrunk to less that an inch tall! Suddenly I lost my footing and tumbled forward, I screamed as I fell off my bed which now seemed several stories tall. I landed hard on the carpet below and gasped, I was still alive!


I began walking towards my door, I wasn’t sure who I was going to go to for help, but I doubted staying put would be much help. I could hear the roar of the vacuum cleaner in Melissa’s room and immediately ruled her out, the thought of being accidentally vacuumed up alive scared the hell out of me.


I hadn’t made up my mind yet as to who I was going to see, but suddenly  heard several deep thuds approaching my door and I felt the ground shaking, someone was coming my way. I thought a moment and felt relieved as I heard the knock on my door it was my stepmother Beth! As she opened the door and turned on my light I began waving my arms and hopping up and down “Beth I’m down here hello! Help me, I’ve been shrunk!”