A Science Fiction Short Story
Greg fired the shrink ray. The needles on the gauges darted into the red as he drained energy from his boss’s body. Maddeningly, nothing seemed to happen. Lynn looked the same as before. Even without her leather boots on, she was still tall enough to reach the highest shelves in the lab. Frowning, he took out a tape measure and held it against her. “Well, you’re a tiny bit smaller. You lost about two inches.”
She sighed. “Another failure. I don’t understand it. It worked so well on the rats. Algernon practically disappeared!”
He let the tape measure retract, watching it snap back into place. “Sure, but lab rats have much less mass.”
She wagged a finger at him playfully. “Are you calling me fat?”
“I’m just saying you have more quark binding energy than the average rodent. We’re trying to get the quark adjuster to do about three hundred times more work. It’s like the Wright Brothers deciding their fourth generation plane should be a supersonic jet.”
She rolled her eyes. “I know it’s difficult. It’s my project.” She sighed. Even when they were just physics postdocs, men thought they needed to explain your own invention to you.
He yawned and stretched. “Why have we been doing human trials all night? I thought the grant was just about finding a way to carry more freight with less fuel.”
“Freight includes farm animals, obviously. We need to test on living creatures. I’m fine with experimenting on rats, but I’d hate to hurt a pig or a horse. They’re so intelligent. So that means testing the shrink ray on me.”
He nodded. “Sure, but even you don’t entirely understand how the mass reduction effect works. What if something goes wrong? We could look for volunteers, or hire someone. Losing mind like yours would be a tragedy.”
She shrugged. “Thanks, but it’s my invention. I should be the one taking the risk. And don’t be such a sycophant.”
“Kidding again?”
“No.”
“Sorry, boss.” Greg threw the shrink ray into reverse. Lynn regrew two inches, but again, the difference was hardly noticeable. “There you go. Back to normal.”
“Thanks.” She gestured to the computer screen. “Print today’s binding energy data for me. I’ll go over it at home, see if I can figure out some workarounds, and we can try again in the morning. We might need to redesign the storage cells.”
“Sounds good. Maybe you can invite that boyfriend of yours to watch the next test? You said he loves science, right? And I’d like to meet him. He sounds like a cool guy.”
She shook her head. “Ron doesn’t get out much. He’s a real homebody.”
He headed for the computer, but paused. “Lynn, is testing on yourself really about protecting animals? You don’t just want to be smaller for some reason?”
She looked away, pretending to be interested in the electron scanner readout. “Why would I want that? So I could buy clothes in the kids section?”
He laughed. “Hey, those pajamas with feet look super cozy. Other than that, I don’t know why anyone would want to be shrunk.” He sent the new data to the printer, and then shoved the stack of warm papers in a folder. “Personally, I’d hate to be smaller than I already am. Other than the extra leg room on planes, being short stinks. Half the women on dating apps won’t message any guy under six feet.”
She took the folder and pulled on her boots. “Just keep looking. There are plenty of women who love shorter guys. They’re easier to keep under control.”
He started to ask what she meant by that, but she was already walking out the door.
This late at night, the subway station was mostly empty. No panhandlers asking for cash or creepy guys asking for her number. Crowded trips were the worst. Guys would act like they were pushed into her, but it was really just an excuse. Someday she would have a fully-functioning shrink ray she could take onto the subway and make any man who touched her small enough to crush under her heels. But she wouldn’t. Probably not, anyway.
She put on her headphones and listened to some music, imagining the wonderful man waiting in her room. She had been working sixteen-hour days lately, but Ron was so patient, and always so excited to see her. He never acted superior, never tried to explain science to her. He was practically perfect.
When she got to her stop, she hurried up the stairs to the surface. There were hardly any pedestrians around, but she kept her eyes open, crossing the street whenever a man was walking too close. They were probably walking home just like she was, but you could never be sure. Thankfully, it was a short walk to her door.
She stepped inside, tossed the folder on the kitchen table, and headed to the bedroom. She got down on her knees and opened her dollhouse. Sighing, she gazed longingly at the miniature furniture and the tiny figure standing by the bed.
Romance Ron, so handsome with his perfect hair, painted abs, and plastic smile. He was so much better than any of her ex-husbands. He would never leave her. Romance Ron was always faithful, always kind, and always happy. He understood her in a way no man ever could.
She picked him up and kissed him. “I’m making good progress with the shrink ray. We’ll be together soon, my love.”
