Beth sat on the smooth surface of Kevin’s cluttered desk, her tiny legs dangling over the edge. She wrapped her arms around herself, her bare skin prickling from the cool air. Rationally, she should be overwhelmed with fear or humiliation, but instead, a strange sense of calm settled over her. She watched her son rummaging through the chaos of his bedroom, his oversized frame dominating her vision.
At her new size, everything about him seemed magnified—the way his hair fell over his forehead, the concentration etched on his young face as he searched for the mysterious object. Her heart felt a pull she couldn’t quite explain, a peculiar mix of awe and… warmth? Beth blinked, startled by the unexpected sensation.
What’s wrong with me? she thought, shaking her head as if to clear it. But her eyes drifted back to Kevin. There was something oddly majestic about the way he moved, his arms sweeping through piles of clothes and papers as he muttered to himself. She found herself momentarily mesmerized by the sheer scale of him compared to her, as if he were a protector rather than the same little boy she had nagged to clean his room just days ago.
Beth snapped out of her daze, startled by the direction her thoughts were taking. Focus! she told herself, rubbing her temples. This situation was absurd—terrifying, even. She was four inches tall, completely exposed, with no control over what would happen next. Yet she wasn’t panicking. Why wasn’t she panicking?
Kevin finally straightened up, holding the device in one hand and the crumpled package in the other. His cheeks were slightly flushed, and he hurried back to the desk, his large footsteps making the surface tremble slightly beneath her. As he placed the items on the desk beside her, Beth flinched at how massive they seemed now. Kevin sat down, his eyes wide with a mix of worry and curiosity.
“I found it,” he said, holding up the package for her to see. He pointed to the bold, capitalized words on the front:
"Send a dollar NOW for an instant pet! It’s not a gimmick! Make all your lonely dreams come true!"
Kevin frowned. “This doesn’t make any sense, Mom. How could it—how could this thing turn you into…” He trailed off, his gaze flickering nervously to her tiny form.
Beth’s eyes locked onto the words on the package, and a chill ran down her spine. She replayed everything that had happened in her mind—the glowing device, the sudden transformation, and, most vividly, the overwhelming comfort she had felt when Kevin held her in his hands.
Then it hit her.
Her breath caught in her throat as the realization settled like a weight in her chest. An instant pet. The phrase wasn’t literal in the traditional sense—it wasn’t about receiving a pet in the mail. It was about becoming one.
Beth’s stomach churned as her thoughts unraveled. The sensation of being cradled in Kevin’s hands, the inexplicable sense of safety and belonging, the strange comfort she felt in his presence—all of it now made horrifying sense. The device hadn’t just shrunk her. It had altered something fundamental inside her. It had redefined her role, her very essence. She was no longer simply Beth, Kevin’s mother.
She was now his pet.
Beth’s tiny hands gripped the edge of the desk as she tried to process the implications. The warmth she had felt, the adoration she had experienced while watching Kevin, even her calm acceptance of the situation—it wasn’t entirely her. It was part of what the device had done to her.
Beth looked up at Kevin, who was staring at the package, his brows furrowed as he tried to puzzle through its meaning. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Her throat felt dry, and her thoughts were a whirlwind of fear, confusion, and—she hated to admit it—an undeniable pull toward the boy who had unknowingly caused her transformation.
She swallowed hard, her heart pounding.
What does Beth do now?
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