I sat in my mother's hand as she walked into the kitchen. She stopped at the counter and held her hand over it. She tipped her hand down, and I rolled off of her fingertips and tumbled onto the counter. 

"There you go, honey." She said, squatting down so that her face was level with me. "I'll let you sit there while I make us a little something to eat. How does bacon and eggs sound?" 

I nodded my approval, and she smiled at me. 

"Good boy," she said, ruffling up my hair with her finger. Her eyes shut as her face grew closer. "Mmm…" 

I tried to back up, but her wet lips clamped onto my face all the same, rubbing back and forth as I was smothered in them. 

"...mmm MWAH!" she chuckled, watching as I fell on my ass. "Just sit tight, baby." 

She stood up and turned to the refrigerator to get the ingredients and start cooking.  

With her back turned, I sat there on the counter, taking in my surroundings. 

It was all too unreal. I was just… sitting here on the countertop, and I couldn't leave if I tried! I hated this so much. 

Then, I felt my pocket vibrate. 

I froze for a second. 

My phone had shrunk with me, unlike my wallet and keys, which I had dropped just before I shrank. 

I pulled it out of my pocket and tapped the home button. The screen lit up, and it was working normally. I read the notification, and my heart skipped a beat. 

It was a text message. 

From Rosey. 

I unlocked my phone and opened my messages. 

"Babe, where are you?" 

As soon as I read it, another came in. 

"You get lost or something?" Followed by a smiling emoji. 

My heart ached as I read the messages, my beautiful princess blissfully unaware of the hell I was in. 

I stared at the screen for at least half a minute. I just didn't know what to say. 

How do you explain a situation like the one I'm in? 

"I got held up" I sent nervously. "I can't come." 

"Did your Mom catch you?" Was the reply. 

"Yeah" I sent. 

"What happened to 'we're adults and she can't tell us what to do?'" She typed. "Now you're just gonna let her walk all over you?" 

Oh god! If only she knew. 

"It's not that, babe" I messaged. 

"Then what is it?" 

"You don't understand!" I started. "I literally can't leave." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

"She shrunk me." I typed, and there were no replies for a few seconds. 

"What do you mean she shrunk you?" I read. "Since when does your Mom have a shrink ray? Those things cost a fortune!" 

I looked up at Mom, who was pouring the eggs into the pan. I looked back at my phone. 

"I don't know!" I said. "I tried to leave and she just pulled it out and zapped me!" 

"Where are you now??" asked Rosey "Did she unshrink you?" 

"No," I said. "I'm sitting on my kitchen counter. She's making breakfast." 

"Hmm…" I heard above me as my Mom looked in the fridge. I quickly shoved my phone into my pocket as she turned around. 

"Looks like we're out of bacon, sweetheart," my Mom said. "You ok with sausage?" 

I quickly turned to look at her as if I'd just been staring off into space. I nodded. 

"Yeah Mom!" I shouted as enthusiastically as I could. My pocket vibrated. "That's fine!" 

She smiled sweetly and turned back to her cooking. I pulled out my phone again. 

"How small did she make you!?" Rosey had sent. "And WHY??" 

"I'm still only like 2 inches tall!" I typed. "Apparently she did it because this way she can make sure I can't leave. It's so unfair!!! And that's not even the worst part!" 

"Omg! Baby that's so awful! 2 INCHES??" Rosey typed just before I sent my last sentence. She saw it and messaged again. 

"Oh no," she said. "What's the worst part?" 

"She's not growing me back until quarantine's over." I said. 

"WTF!?" I read. "She can't DO THAT!!" 

"Not according to her." I said. 

"Unbelievable!!! Oh, my poor baby, she must look so big to you!" Rosey asked. "That must be so scary!” with a scared emoji and a pouty eyes emoji. 

I smiled. I loved her so much. She was so concerned for me. Then, she made an unexpected request. 

“Take a picture! I wanna see for myself." 

"Ok," I said. I tapped the camera symbol in my messages, and raised my phone to make sure my mother was in the frame. 

Without warning, she turned around! Faster than I could register, Mom looked down at me as she held the pan. I guess she was gonna show me the eggs to work up my appetite, but when she saw the camera, she posed for it. Without thinking, I tapped my thumb to take the photo. My Mom laughed. 

"Capturing the moment, sweetheart?" She cooed. "You're so cute! Now give me a minute to finish up here. I wanna see how I look!" 

She turned back to the eggs and sausage as I looked at my phone in horror. The way that my phone worked, it instantly sent the picture that I took to Rosey. What she received was a slightly low-angle shot of my Mom happily showing the camera her scrambled eggs and smiling. 

I anxiously awaited her reply, and my heart sank when it finally came. 

"Omg…" She had typed. "Seriously? Wow, weird prank, babe! Was this your Mom's idea?" 

"What!?" I sent. "No, baby please! I didn't know she was gonna turn around like that! I swear!" 

"Uh huh," came the reply. "Sure…" With a rolling-eyes emoji. 

This couldn't be happening. Now Rosey didn't even believe what was happening to me! 

"Next time," she texted. "Just tell me that you forgot to set an alarm and slept in, silly!" 

"Baby, please believe me!" I sent. "I got up on time, and I was gonna come! She shrunk me!" 

"Ok, babe," she said. "The joke's over now. I just can't believe that you got me all riled up for a second there!" 

I stared at my phone in shock at the sharp turn of events. There was no way to convince her now. Could I blame her? Who would believe something like this? 

"I'm not that mad, just try and sneak out tomorrow! I'll still be here waiting for you!" With a winking kiss emoji. 

Then, she sent a photo. 

She was standing in front of a mirror. She was wearing patterned nylons, a backless skater dress, and a choker. 

"I got all dolled up for you and everything!" The caption read, with a crying emoji at the end. 

It was torture seeing that photo. Oh god! 

If only I had been a little quieter, or gotten up a little earlier, or left a little more quickly! Then I would be holding all of that, all of her, in my arms right now! 

She ignorantly spoke of a tomorrow, as if we had one together any time soon! 

Then, just as I felt all of that, my baby innocently struck the final, agonizing blow to my heart. 

"Oh well!" She then said. "Better luck next time!" With a laughing crying emoji. 

I wanted to curl up in a ball and sob. 

"No baby! You don't understand!" I texted. "There won't be a 'next time' for a long time!" 

I then took a breath before sending "She's keeping me under her feet!" 

There was no reply to that for what felt like an eternity. 

"Um… ok?" She typed with a confused emoji. "This was already a weird joke, but seriously, that just took it to a whole new level." 

Before I could even type something to respond, my heart fluttered as she sent. 

"Is that your awkward little way of saying you wanna see my feet?" She asked with a smiling emoji. "You could’ve just asked me, silly!" 

"No!" I texted as my heart started racing. 

"Awww, it's ok baby!" She texted with a heart eyes emoji. "I don't judge you! I've always taken great care of them, and I've always loved when you rub them for me!" 

Then another photo came. 

This time, the camera was pointed at the soles of her feet in their nylons as she sat on her bed. In the background, she was blowing me a kiss. The picture likewise came with a winking kiss emoji. 

"Alright," my Mom said, plating the food. "Breakfast, my love! But first, let me see my photo!" 

She walked up to the counter as I tried to type something else to Rosey. 

"Are you texting that to someone?" Mom asked. "Let me see." 

She looked at me expectantly as I froze. 

"Put your phone down and take a few steps back, mister." She said, a little sternly. 

I hesitated, but only slightly as I set my phone on the counter and took four steps back. I knew what she was gonna do as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the shrink ray. 

She pointed the mini chrome gun at my phone and pulled the trigger. In an instant, my phone was normal sized again. I shuddered as I saw that it was far bigger than me. 

The screen was still open as my Mom picked up the phone. 

"Oh, it's Rosey!" My Mom said excitedly. I watched nervously as she scrolled up and read our entire conversation. She laughed. 

"Oh my!" My mother chuckled. "Seems like your girlfriend is a little skeptical, thanks to my impeccable timing and photogenic nature." 

My Mom dramatically flipped her hair as she said that, continuing to laugh at the irony of the situation as I stared straight up at her helplessly. 

"Well," Mom said. "What do you say we really prank her?" 

I ran to the edge of the counter and pounded my fists on her stomach. 

"No Mom, don't!" I shouted. 

"Oh hush, little guy," she chided. "It's just good fun!" 

She giggled as she quickly pulled up her tank top enough to pull it over me and snap me against her stomach. 

I struggled against her belly. The smooth skin was malleable, thanks to a healthy layer of fat, and I gently sank into the slightly pudgy flesh. 

I felt a hand press on my back as my Mother giggled uncontrollably, bending over a little. This only smothered me more into her stomach as the fat gently rolled, and my squirming only intensified. 

"Oh! Hahaha! Stop it, baby!" She laughed, typing away on my phone. "Heeheehee! That tickles!!" 

The shirt was lifted off of me as I immediately backed away from my Mother in discomfort. I looked up at her, and our eyes met. Hers shined with playfulness as she brought her finger up to her lips and kissed it. Then, I watched as it descended until she pushed it into my face. 

"Mwah!" She giggled as I fell over. I looked up at her as she teased. "Do you like tickling Mommy's tummy, huh? You silly boy~!" 

She shook my phone in my hand. 

"Wanna see?" She asked. 

Without waiting for my answer, she lowered the phone so that I could see it. 

After my girlfriend's foot pic, my mother had sent a heart eyes emoji, which was supposed to be my reaction. 

In any other situation, that would honestly probably have been my reaction. My Rosey did have very beautiful feet. However, now was not the time. 

There was a pause as it was then followed by a message that read: 

"Alright, dear. Now this is your boyfriend's mother!" 

It was followed by a smiling selfie from my Mom. 

"Gonna have to take this away from him for a bit as I continue his 'punishment.'" Followed by a winking emoji. 

"Nice to hear from you!" Rosey sent. "And lol, you two have fun!" With a laughing crying emoji. 

"Oh don't worry," my Mom sent. "We will…" 

I felt so humiliated, and almost betrayed. Now, I had no one to turn to in this. I felt so alone as Rosey resigned me to my fate, blissfully and ignorantly believing that nothing was wrong. 

And it was all because Mom had simply turned around at the wrong time. It was an accident, and she still found a way to make my life worse with it! 

"Now," my mother said, clicking the lock button and darkening my phone screen. "I may let you have this back later today if you're good." 

She slipped it into the opposite pocket from her shrink ray. 

"For now, though," she said, turning and grabbing her plate. "Let's eat! Hop on!" 

I expected her to lower her hand for me to climb on. This would have been a first anyway, as every other time she had just grabbed me to pick me up. Instead, she lowered the plate to the edge of the counter. 

"Come on!" She encouraged me. 

I looked up at her as she looked down expectantly with an amused expression. 

I then looked at the platform I was supposed to be climbing onto. It held a landscape of fluffy, yellow piles of eggs taller than me, and discs of meat that could have doubled as mattresses for me to sleep on. 

This only further served to drive home my new size as a man who could fit in Barbie's purse. 

In the middle of the plate, however, I noticed something. 

It was a tiny, shrunken plate, filled with my own breakfast.