"Maybe," Alison replied.  "I have some friends in the city that I think would be willing to check in on me or even take me in for a few days." 

"I think that some of them would be stopping by just for the curiosity factor," she said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I wish that the timing was better.  I expect that a lot of them are either going to be busy or traveling for the holiday."

"There's always my family.... but that's like being trapped in its own way," the tiny woman explained.  "If I went back home, I know that they'll treat me like a little kid again.  They'll say that it's for my own safety, but I refuse to live the rest of my life just hidden away."

"Alright.  That should smooth things over with some of the overprotective sorts around here.  I don't think we'll need to keep you under observation, but an extra pair of eyes on you for the next week would be a good idea."

Changing the subject, Jessica continues, "Yeah, I wouldn't want to hide away either.  Still, I'm not sure about the other extreme.  You know, going viral like the Flying Man and having a crowd outside your house?"

She trails off, muttering, "It was bad enough the last time..."

Alison nodded in agreement with Jessica's observations about what she might have to face with going public about her condition.

"Yeah.  I don't think that it's as impressive as someone who can fly, but maybe somebody would show up..." she said as though she was more amused by the prospect than worried about it.  "By that time, there will probably be someone else more unusual than either of us who will take away all of that attention."

"I can take a little bit of time to see what develops before I reveal this to the rest of the world."

"I know that this borders on being questionable as far as ethics go, but is there any chance that someone at the hospital can give me some type of medical excuse that I can send to my employer to explain why I can't be in the office for a while?  I mean, it doesn't have to be a lie, but maybe it could be worded vaguely so that people don't feel like they need to check in on me?"

Jess doesn't quite agree.  "Sure, the novelty will wear off, but that's only part of he problem.  There's also guys with weird fetishes.  It will only be a small number of people, but the obsession they bring..."

She shakes her head.  "Sorry.  I've had problems with harassment in the past.  Strangers sexting me just for being a gymnast.  And now I've got superpowers."

She sighs.  "Anyway, I'm sure we can do something with a doctor's note...  Actually, it wouldn't even be lying or unethical - It's not safe for you to be in the office right now, right?  A novel physical condition that does not appear infectious, but interferes with normal activities?  We recommend you stay at home while we study your condition?

"That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Alison cringed at Jessica's recollection of her past experience and her own imagination as to what it must have been like.  "That's just... terrible," she said, having difficulty finding the right words to describe the disgust at that kind of behavior. "Please at least tell me that you weren't still a teenager at the time."  Although Alison was aware of college gymnastics, the primary image that the media promoted were often the younger athletes.

"I dabbled in gymnastics when I was a kid," the tiny woman recalled with fondness after giving Jessica a chance to respond.  "I was only 'okay' at it.  I guess that I kind of knew that I wasn't going to be the next superstar.  I gave it up after getting totally run over by the 'puberty truck'," Alison joked.  "It wasn't long before I was closer to being six feet tall than being closer to five feet tall."

"Who's the 'Petite Princess' now, Daphne?" she said, twirling around as if to emphasize her new miniature size to a former rival.

"Sorry. That was a girl that I trained with back then.  She was always giving me a hard time.  She was better than all of us and wanted to make sure that I knew it.  Maybe she was one of those ultra-competitive types, but it always seemed to me like she was just being mean."

"We obviously didn't keep in touch after I quit so I don't know how far she made it in the sport.  For all I know, she might have been one of your teammates or might even be a friend of yours.  That was such a long time ago.  She might have changed since then."

So have I, Alison realized.  She was no stranger to being the recipient of unwanted attention either and had sympathy for what Jessica had experienced as well as the countless number of women that had similar stories.  Men could be such jerks! The doctor's warning was starting to sink in along with a greater appreciation for the reality of her situation and the jeopardy that she would now face by not being able to defend herself.  With her reduced size and weight, she was completely vulnerable and could easily be overpowered by men, women, and even children.  Common house pets were also going to be a threat -- she might not have owned any, but she was going to have to be aware of them and protected from them if she ever ventured out from the safety of her home.


"No," Alison acknowledged as a look of relief crossed her face.  "Thank you for offering to do that."

"Let's hope that it will only have to be a short leave of absence."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:22, Thu 30 Sept 2021.

With a shake of her head, Jessica responds to Alison's first question, "No.  I didn't start using social media until college.  I was too busy trying to qualify for the Olympics before that."

As for Daphne, "I don't recall any Daphne's.  But there's always someone like that.

"Wouldn't have minded a bit more from puberty, myself.  Might make me a worst gymnast, but high shelves wouldn't be such a pain.  Not that..." she cuts off.

As for the doctor's note, "No problem.  We're here to help.  We'll just have to see what happens in the future.  Who knows, it's Christmas in just a few days.  I normally wouldn't expect miracles, but who even knows this year?"  As she says the last part, she holds up an arm and the forearm bends into the shape of a question mark.

The fact that Jessica wasn't aware of her childhood rival was a relief but not surprising.  There were probably thousands of girls that start the journey and only a few of them have the talent or the drive to make it to the highest levels to compete at the collegiate level or Olympic level.  Maybe Daphne reached her limitations early and went on to do other things not even related to athletics.  In a way, it was also kind of a let down because it was a reminder of her own level of performance.  If the person who could outperform your best effort wasn't good enough, it meant that she wasn't as good as maybe she thought that she was.



Alison could tell that Jessica was trying to watch her words to avoid upsetting her.  Alison was still in a state of semi-denial that all of these realities of every day life hadn't totally occupied her mind.  The moment that she would try to return to a normal life would make all of this real and that could devastate her.  Instead, she deflected to avoid thinking how she wouldn't be able to reach even the lowest shelf in her home.

"I don't think reaching things from a high shelf is going to be a problem for you any longer when you can you can stretch out your arms like that," Alison reminded her pleasantly. "Can you do that with your legs too?" she inquired.  "If you can, you might be able to see what it feels like to be taller."



Alison visibly cringed and averted her gaze from the unusual shape of Jessica's arm.  With no experience with things like this, her mind still insisted that arms had bones in them and were not capable of appearing like this unless that person was horribly mangled and in intense pain.

"That's what I'm going to be hoping for... a Christmas miracle.  I'll even settle for a New Year's miracle or, or, Arbor Day miracle if that's what it takes."

Jess replies with a little smile, "Yeah, I can do legs, too.  Every part of me is stretchy.  The biggest problem is getting the proportions right."  That and holding the shape long term.  Stretching out is easy enough.  But holding a particular stretch, like being a few inches taller, is apparently a different beast.  Somehow, it's easier to be stretched out and typing across the room than staying at one height.  But that's probably a bit more info than Alison needs right now.



Jessica's mood drops at that, frowning as her arm snaps back to normal with a tiny squeak.  "Oh no, not you too."  After a moment, her expression shifts to guilt.  She's supposed to be professional and supportive here.

"It just looks so painful," Alison explained after daring to look back and seeing that the doctor's arm had returned to a normal state.  "You know, like when they show the replay of a sports injury."  Suddenly realizing who she was talking to, she quickly added "You've probably seen a lot worse as a doctor."

"Do you feel pain at all anymore?"

Actually, Jess hasn't seen that many truly awful injuries in person.  Yet, at least.  Well, not the kind of stomach-turning, anatomy-defying incidents that Alison is referring to.  In some ways, that's more of a sports medicine thing than emergency medicine.  But it's also that most bullet wounds, even if life-threatening, don't have the same kind of visceral shock or sympathetic pain that a ridiculously hyper-extended knee evokes.

But again, probably not worth sharing with Alison at the moment.

"Ah.  Yeah, when you put it like that.  I have had some time to get used to it.

"No, it doesn't hurt.  Actually, speaking of gymnasts we knew a long time ago, there were also some rhythmic gymnast at my gym.  You know, ribbons, balls, and hoops?  One of them was crazy flexible, even by gymnasts' standards.  She could bend backward and touch her butt to her head.  People kept asking her if it hurt, and she always laughed.  Yeah, Kate was her name."  She reminisces for a few moments.

"But to answer your other question, I still feel pain.  It's... somethings just don't cause me pain anymore.  I mean, my tolerances are different.  Stretching and bending don't do anything.  But I still feel it when I stub my toe, it's just that the pain goes away quickly since it just bounces back to normal.  And headaches are the same as always."

"I get it... I think," Alison said, admitting her uncertainty about this whole crazy situation she found herself in.  Even if she had remained her normal self or hadn't met Jessica, Alison would be trying to wrap her mind around the revelation of a man who could fly and catch airplanes.

"How many people have you told about what you are now able to do?" the tiny woman asked.  "And how did they treat you afterwards?"

"Not that many," Jessica responds.  "I mean, who'd believe it?  And you can't take back telling someone."

Several emotions show on her face as she picks her next words.  "No, I... I also got scared.  The hospital staff has been polite, and my mom was supportive after the initial shock.  But Dave- my ex-fiance Dave didn't handle it-  he completely freaked out.  He stormed out and I haven't talked to him since.  He broke up with me by mail, and took all his stuff out of our house while I was at work one day."  She's obviously unhappy about it, but she's not completely crushed by it.  Like she's accepted that it happened, but not necessarily made peace with it yet.

There's a knock on the door, then Dr. Williams enters Alison's room again. "How are you feeling, Alison? I want to let you go home, but I'm not sure if that would be a good idea, given your current state... I don't know how safe that would be for you. Do you understand?"

"I'm sorry that happened to you," Alison said sympathetically after Jessica revealed that her fiancé ended their relationship over it.  Alison didn't know if she should try to reassure her that maybe he just needed some time to process the idea or if she should tell her that she was better off to learn what kind of person he was before they were married.

However, it also reminded Alison that she wasn't as fortunate to have someone special in her life to support her through what was probably going to be a life-changing event.  Marriage wasn't necessarily a priority for her at the moment but she always assumed that it would be there when the time was right and she found that one special person.  The same thing applied to the possibility of starting a family.  Her thoughts were now full of pessimism.  Like that's going to happen with me looking more like the figure decorating the top of a wedding cake.



"I understand... and I really appreciate all of the concern, but I managed to survive a few days in my home like this already.  Everyone here has been so kind and I'm not in a hurry to leave, but unless you have a way to treat what happened to me, there's not much difference between me spending time here or spending time at home," she explained.

"I guess that you'll probably want to schedule some follow-up exams, just to make sure that I'm still doing okay.  That seems reasonable to me." Alison said seeking agreement.

"I see," Dr. Williams says with a slow nod. "You did survive, but I'm not sure mere survival is a good measure of success. I'm assuming your home is not set up for someone of your size... Are you going to be able to cook and eat? Clean yourself? Will you even be able to open and close the door?

"If you insist on going, I can't really stop you, but I can't advise it, at least not until we've assessed your living situation and made the necessary adaptations..." He looks to Jessica, obviously hoping for her to add something to the discussion.

"It's obvious that my home isn't set up the way that I need it to be," Alison conceded. "I don't think that anybody's home would be.  It's not practical because..."

There is a catch in her voice as she seems to have gained a better understanding of the reality of her situation. ".... Because there's nobody else this small."

Or maybe there was.  Somebody who was still trapped in their home just like she was or someone who was simply hiding from the public.  Alison wasn't sure if that would be comforting or would make her feel bad for that person.

"Maybe I'm just being an optimist or maybe I'm just in denial, but I'm hoping that this is all just temporary and that everything will be normal again if I'm patient enough to let it work itself."

"If you think that it's better for me to stay here for a few more days, I'll do that.  If you want to send me home with daily visits from a nursing professional, I won't be going anywhere in the near future," she suggested.

Jessica does agree with Dr. Williams' points, but she also has a lot of sympathy for Alison's situation.

"I appreciate wanting to keep her safe, doctor, but I don't know that we need to keep her in the hospital for that.  I already asked Alison, and she has people who should be able to help her out around her house, or that she could stay with.  It's not a long-term solution, but we don't know what the long-term outlook is for her.  Maybe she is stuck at this size, maybe she finds a way to get back to normal.  She could even get smaller, or switch over and grow giant-sized.

"I'm also not sure how closely we need to monitor her.  You said she was fine, other than stress and malnourishment.  If there were any other issues, I'd be all for keeping her under a close watch.  But that doesn't seem to be the case.  As long as she has some help at home, I don't see that we need to keep her here unless she wants to stay."

Dr. Williams listens to Alison and Jessica patiently, then nods understandingly. "I apologize. I wasn't aware that you had people who could assist you, Alison. If you're comfortable leaving the hospital, I'm not going to force you to stay. However, I would like you to return in a few days, after Christmas, for some follow-up. Of course, if anything changes between now and then, please reach out immediately. I'll give you my direct contact information." He jots some notes down on his clipboard, then adds, "If that seems reasonable, I can work on getting you out of here and back to your family and friends."

"It's... I just don't know.  Everything's happening so fast," the doll-sized blonde said as she raised her head and pushed hair way from her face as if she was emerging from being underwater.

"A few weeks ago, I was just looking forward to the holidays and getting some time to just celebrate with my friends.  And then over the last week, I thought that I had been kidnapped and drugged.  And in just a day and a half, the entire world has changed!  A man can fly, the local hospital has a doctor who can stretch like a rubber band... and I somehow shrunk!"

Alison clenched her fists, suppressing the urge to scream in frustration at whatever cruel twist of fate led to this moment.  If this had been one of those cheesy holiday movies that the networks were running non-stop since Thanksgiving, this would have been the set-up where she was changed to be this way until she learned the true meaning of Christmas or found romance.  Maybe she was being drafted to be one of Santa's elves (though it hardly seemed like a very Santa-like way of doing things) or maybe she was meant to bring some enjoyment to a little child that might not make it to see the next Christmas with a visit from a sugarplum fairy or a living doll.

If only it were that easy, she thought.

"I just need to be somewhere quiet where I can process all of this until it somehow makes sense again.  I don't think that's here," she informed them quietly.

Dr. Williams gives Alison a slight smile, then asks, "And do you have any particular place in mind, Alison?"

"Just my home," Alison responded.  "It's safe, quiet,...." Her voice drifted off as if she was becoming lost in her thoughts.  "And hopefully it will even start to feel familiar again."

The idea of another location never occurred to her.  Where would she possibly go?  On a vacation to the beach? A cabin out in the middle of the woods?  A spiritual retreat?  The last one was probably going to be very similar to what she was going to be doing at home -- hiding away and constantly praying that this condition reversed itself and made her normal again.

"Is there a friend or a family member we can call to pick you up and take you home? I suspect you'll need some assistance around the house," Dr. Williams asks.

"And Dr. Kowalski, thank you again for coming in. Since it looks like we'll be sending Alison home soon, you should go home and relax. Today was supposed to be a day off for you, wasn't it?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:12, Tue 07 Dec 2021.

"I'm hoping that at least one of them doesn't have any major plans for the holidays," Alison said despite her uncertainty. "I haven't exactly been keeping track of what everyone said that they would be doing," she admitted.  "I guessed that I missed the party where I was hoping to catch up with all of my friends."


OOC: Like many people these days, Alison probably relies on the speed dial function of the cell phone which she doesn't have with her and doesn't remember too many actual phone numbers.  She will mentally go down the list, trying to remember as best as she can, and then hoping that the ones that she is able to reach will also be free to at least get her back home (or to their place).
I don't have anybody specifically in mind so if there's something you want to explore (single friend / friend with family / an ex-boyfriend or current romantic interest / a trustworthy neighbor / etc.), we can go with that.



Upon hearing that Dr. Kowalski was sacrificing her personal time to be here, Alison suddenly felt guilty.  Grateful, but guilty.
"I'm so sorry if I ruined your plans for your day off," the miniature-sized woman apologized to Jessica.  "I really appreciate that you came in just to talk to me.  It helped... it showed me that I wasn't alone in this."

Jessica waves it off.  "It is, but it comes with being a doctor.  I wasn't going to pass up this particular case, either.

"I'm glad I could meet you as well.  I've also been wondering if it's just me or not.  We should talk again after the holidays..  Thank you."  She says her goodbyes, exiting if no one else has any questions for her.

"Okay. We'll make sure you two stay in touch," Dr. Williams says as Jessica leaves. "And Alison, I'll get a nurse in here to help you find someone to pick you up."

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