They spoke at length the following morning. She would be his confidant, she promised, and would help him as best she could. They were going to be together a long time, she wanted him to be happy and comfortable.

It was to this end that therapy was first suggested. Abi had been researching online, she was dedicated to being the best Guardian possible, and had found a number of courses nearby. She was sure they would be of help and would assist with a smooth transition.

She had paused before mentioning the catch. Though it wasn’t expensive, even with the money he was paying her she couldn’t afford it. He had beamed at her and praised her for being such a good friend. He could afford it, he had a little money left and would pay.

Their first session came a week later. It was a mix of group, couples and then solo. The group was a cross section of society, the illness didn’t discriminate. There were siblings, partners, and parents with their children. There was even another Guardian, a young man who had signed up to look after his friend.

He came away thoughtful and with a new booklet to add to his small collection. Most of what had been discussed was to be expected though there were a few suggestions they had agreed to implement.

The main one was regarding perspective. For the affected, the biggest change was seeing the world from a new angle. Rooms were disorientating, seemingly stretching into the sky, as was the sight of common things; chairs, tables, TV remotes, everything blown out of proportion.

People though, that was by far the worst. Seeing other human beings, their former friends and family massive beyond belief was mind blowing. It was reported that a significant amount of infected, following the change, suffered panic attacks, heart attacks and complete meltdowns upon encountering normal humans for the first time.

It had been suggested that this is why so many Shrinkys were easily captured, they were literally struck dumb at the sight of a regular sized person towering over them. This had only been mentioned in passing though, the aim of the therapy was to help with the change, not scare the subjects unduly.

To combat this shift in worldview, he was encouraged to spend time lying on the floor. As absurd as it seemed, the mere action of looking up towards a distant ceiling fan or light fixing would help to prepare him for the inevitable.

The plan he had been set was simple. First he would spend a few hours alone each day, ideally when his housemates were at work, lying on the floor in different rooms. He should take in his surroundings, get used to seeing under refrigerators and couches.

It sounded silly but then so did a global pandemic that would reduce its victims to an inch in height.

He had been doing this for four days before he felt ready to go onto the next step. Abi had agreed straight away, whatever it took to help him adjust.

She was late from work on the first day they tried it. He was lying on the floor of her room, the door closed lest Sofia come home and catch him.

He could feel her footsteps as she walked down the hall, a gentle thump on the wooden floors. He closed his eyes as the door opened.

‘Hey,’ she said softly, ‘how’re you doing down there?’

She waved down at him, a foot either side of his head. The tops of her ankle boots were level with his eyes, her jean clad legs rising up above him.

‘How do I look?’ she blushed, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, ‘you feeling ok?’

He shrugged as she sat onto the bed. Rolling onto his side, she was obscured by the bottom of her boots. ‘I don’t think its working’, he mumbled as she slipped off her boots, ‘I’m just lying on the floor.’

‘Give it a couple of days,’ Abi smiled. ‘I’m sure you’ll get it. I spoke to Sofia too, I hope you don’t mind. She is happy to support with this. You’ll be living with her too so we both want to make sure you’re comfortable.’

He remained on the floor as she drew her legs onto the bed and opened a book. She did not speak to him again.

His therapist had told them about this. Despite the best intentions of the Guardian, there would always be times when they had more pressing tasks to focus on leaving their Ward unattended. He would need to get used to his own company.

He was still dwelling on this two days later, lying in his spot on the kitchen floor. He must have dozed off as Sofia’s voice woke him.

‘Fido,’ she cooed, ‘wakey wakey.’

She was standing over him, her long bare legs disappearing into a pair of her signature shorts. She had curled one leg behind her and was stretching it out, her hand steadying herself on the counter.

‘Having fun down there?’ the athletic young woman asked, a dangerous smile on her face, ‘feelin’ like a bug yet?’

Before he could answer, she released her leg and slammed her foot down barely half an inch from his head. The sound clapped in his ear, causing him to flinch. He began to stammer a response, rising onto his elbows. His face was pink with embarrassment.

Sofia silenced him with a word, ‘No.’ Her gym shoe clad foot swung over him, resting on his chest before pushing him firmly back onto the floor.

‘What do you think you’re doing? I thought you were supposed to be in training?’ she chastised him, ‘Do you think once it happens you can just go back to your normal size to escape awkward situations? Forget about it. You need to get used to your new place in the world.’

She increased the pressure on his chest as she spoke, lifting her heel to focus her weight on the ball of her foot. He winced with pain but dared not to interrupt her.

‘Abi asked me to help get you ready for your new life and that’s what I’m gonna do. She might want to pretend to be happy families and treat you like a regular person but I’m here to set you straight. I’m not gonna lie to you or pretend everything will be rosy. For you, life will be tough but you will have to learn to accept it.’

She relaxed the pressure, her expression warming though her foot remained atop him.

‘You’ll rely on us for everything. You’ll have to get used to waiting your turn, to being patient, to being ignored, to not having a voice. When it happens, you won’t be a person anymore; at least not a person who gets autonomy. You’ll be more like a baby or a pet, maybe something in between, and you know what? I think you’ll adapt just fine.’

Sofia stepped off him, her voice full of sunshine. ‘That’s where I come in. From now on I’m gonna impose some new rules in this house. First of all, there will be no more backtalk or checking in with Abi when I tell you to do something. When she’s here, you’ll just do what I say, no matter what and with no complaints. When she isn’t here, you’re still gonna do as you’re told but you’ll confirm you understand by saying ‘Yes Miss Sofia’. Do you understand?’

Her face was a picture of sweetness, despite the angle at which he looked up at her, though her eyes were cold. He hesitated, afraid to give her this power over him but swayed by what she was saying. ‘Yes Miss Sofia,’ he mumbled.

‘Good,’ she clapped her hands together and stepped away from him, dropping into one of the wooden chairs stood waiting by the table. ‘Now, I want you to get up off the floor but remain on your hands and knees and with your head bowed. Can you do that for me?’

‘Yes Miss Sofia.’

‘Good boy, who’s a good boy?’ she reached over and ruffled his hair before kicking off her gym shoes. They landed beneath his face, the warm scent tickling his nostrils. ‘Now these are pretty much clean but I want you to get used to obeying commands, regardless of how you feel about them. So for the next hour, until Ab gets home, I want you to sit on these cold tiles and lick the dirt off the bottoms of these shoes.’

His mouth hung agape as she stood and walked past him. He tried to protest, to think of something, but she was too quick. She half turned to face him, a devilish look in her eyes.

‘Is there a problem Fido? I certainly wouldn’t have a problem if I were you. If I were you I want to do anything I could to please the woman who would be looking after me at my most helpless. The woman who in only a few weeks would have complete control over me and my life. I’d want to make sure she was as happy as she could be. I certainly wouldn’t want to do anything that would upset her. I’d want to be a good little pet. Do you want to be a good little pet for me Fido?’

He held off saying it for as long as he could, his teeth gritting as he replied, ‘Yes Miss Sofia.’

‘That’s so good to hear,’ she said warmly, ‘because you know you’re broke, that Abi already has all your money. You know that no matter what happens you aren’t going to risk leaving here and ending up lost and tiny somewhere out in the world. There’s going to come a day sometime real soon where it’s just me and a very, very small you.

I probably don’t have to tell you this but that day will not go well for you if you tell Abi about any of this. We’ve been friends for a long time, I’ll lie and she’ll believe me. She’ll be disgusted that I found you in here wanking over my sneakers. I’ll convince her to forgive you of course, I don’t want to see my little Fido left out in the rain, so you’ll still be here when it happens. After that, well maybe I come home one day and sit on the couch, forgetting to check if my tiny housemate is already sitting there? Accidents happen all the time so you had better keep your mouth shut.

Otherwise, this fine piece of art could very well be the last thing you ever see.’

She slapped herself on the ass and winked at him, both actions designed to drive the point home.

‘Go on then Fido, get to work. Clock is ticking.’

‘Yes Miss Sofia,’ he bowed, his voice low with defeat as she walked off down the hall leaving laughter in her wake.