Ty closed his eyes for only a moment and heard a sharp gasp from next door as Mrs. Paulson suddenly stopped.
He opened his eyes, trembling, and watched with a terrible nervousness in his gut as the beautiful woman's hand suddenly clutched the door frame before she staggered and fell to her knees with a cry.
Oh shit! Ty thought to himself, and swiftly ran across the yard and up the steps to his neighbor's porch. Still shaking, he grabbed her other hand and helped her up on shaky feet.
"Mrs. Paulson, are you all right?" Ty said, at once marveling at the feel of her soft skin in his grip. He gulped as she stood to her full height and came up a little shorter than she had stood when she went down, as evidenced by the fact her housecoat was now quite a bit looser and hanging over her ankles.
"Oh, Ty!" She said dizzily. "I don't know what came over me. Thank you for... thank you for..."
The woman let out another gasp and frantically grabbed onto the door frame behind her and Ty's hand.
"O-Oh!" She said sharply, swaying dizzily, as another shrinking spurt hit her. Ty's eyes widened in disbelief and amazement as he *felt* her hand shrink suddenly in his grip and *watched* the woman lessen a few inches. Her housecoat pooled over her feet and when she opened her eyes they widened in sudden shock.
"T-Ty!" She said, confused. "You're..." She looked down at her housecoat, her smaller hand held in Ty's, looked down again in confusion, and then her other hand shot to her heart. Her face contorted into first shock and then disbelief. "I-I'm..." She raised her hand to Ty's head level and then slowly compared it to herself.
Ty gulped, eyes widening, as Mrs. Paulson cried out again and her back arched, his hand pulling away with hers as she got smaller in size. This was a big spurt that lessened her quite a bit. When she opened her eyes again, swaying groggily, she looked at Ty and her face went paler as she realized in horror she was only *slightly* taller than the boy. Her housecoat had slackened around her dwindled form and both her nightgown beneath and the coat now pooled around her feet like a train. Ty caught a glimpse of her large breasts hanging down unsupported through her neckline, still huge despite her losing size, and he blinked at the image.
"T-Ty..." Mrs. Paulson gasped. Her eyes widened and she stared at him pathetically, almost in tears. "What's happening to me?!"
Ty felt both fascination and guilt at the proceedings but let it continue for another round. His shock was genuine, at least. "Y-You're... you're shrinking."
"Oh God!" Her hands quickly shot to her mouth and her eyes watered. "I know! What do I do?!"
"You... you should get inside." Ty warned, quickly turning his head to scan if anybody had seen.
"Oh!" She suddenly grabbed his hand again, terrified, and looked around as well, her cheeks burning bright red. "Please, come with me! I'm scared!"
Ty nodded in a stupor, overtaken by a million emotions, and very carefully helped Mrs. Paulson over the ridge of her own front door, holding her hand tightly and watching her carefully step over her swimming clothing and carry it with her.
Once inside, Ty closed the door and stared at the diminished woman. Now, he willed.
Mrs. Paulson cried out in terror and looked up at Ty frantically as another spurt hit her body. Dwindling down past the boy's head, smaller... smaller... she now only came up to his chest. This time she couldn't help it, she began crying frantically, terrified. "Tyyyy!" She whimpered, throwing herself against his chest and sobbing. "Help me!"
"Easy... easy..." He motioned, startled and at the same time pleased. He gently caressed her back. "You need to stay calm, just in case that's making it worse."
She dried her eyes and rubbed them like a distraught child, looking up at Ty in terror. "O-Oh... okay." She gulped and looked over herself, horrified as she realized her bare breasts were now visible through the neck of her nightgown. She quickly grabbed her housecoat and covered herself, blushing deep red. "Sorry..." She took a deep breath and continued to hang on the verge of either breaking down or screaming. "C-Can you get Becca? Please?"
"Where is she?" Ty looked around.
"She's out." Mrs. Paulson said simply, staring up at Ty with pleading eyes. "We need my phone."
She tried to walk quickly and tripped over her own housecoat, hitting the floor with a thud and cringing.
"Oh!" The shrunken woman looked at herself caught in a pool of her too big clothing, and flailed frantically, trying to both cover herself and stand up at the same time. Ty chose that moment as he bent down to help her up, his now giant hands holding her own.
He felt her shrinking again. So did she. "No! No! Not again!" Mrs. Paulson cried, breaking down and sobbing. Her voice had grown higher in pitch and her despair was a peculiar sound. "Look at me! Oh God, what if I keep going until I'm nothing? Why is this happening?"
Ty stared down at a full grown woman who was now only a little over three feet tall and very gently rubbed her back. "Y-You have to stay very calm. That's what's making you shrink more." He lied, knowing full well he was controlling it.
Realization hit Mrs. Paulson she she shook herself out of it, suddenly a little more in control as the fake reason seemed logical. "Yes! Yes, of course. You're right!" She dried her eyes and stood up again, holding her housecoat closed as Ty kneeled in front of her, though he still caught a glimpse of her long (but shrunk) leg.
"Deep breaths." He said calmly, managing his own nervousness as he realized this was really happening. "Close your eyes and relax."
"I-I'll try." Mrs. Paulson agreed, closing her eyes and calming herself with slow breathing.
Just for effect, Ty let the constant tingling stop and she opened her eyes and let out a sigh of relief. "Oh... I think it's going away. I think I'm all right."
"Thank God." Ty said in mock relief, and the two stared at each other awkwardly.
"Ty... I... don't think I can walk like this." The tiny woman gulped. "C-Can you... can you give me a lift?"
"Of course." Ty said nervously, and reached out for the tiny woman. She allowed him to scoop her up, her lovely little bum resting in his palm and she threw her arm around his neck, looking down at the long trail of her empty housecoat dangling below her.
She looked up at Ty and blushed deeply, her usual brown becoming a red, and she sheepishly giggled. "This is... this is pretty nuts."
"Yeah, this is weird." He agreed, blushing just as much.
Ty rose carefully, still cradling her tush on his forearm, and stood up carrying the shrunken woman like a breakable living doll, which she wasn't.
She glanced down at the drop and closed her eyes in panic, trying to calm herself lest she shrink away more.
"I hope this isn't permanent." She whispered. "I don't know what to do like this."
"It's okay." Ty offered sweetly, stroking her face with giant fingers. Her eyes shot open and they both blushed deeply, the tiny woman almost breaking into a warm sweat.
"My phone?" She said, higher voice cracking.
"Yes... where is it?"
Ty carried her in silence to the kitchen table as she motioned, and watched as Mrs. Paulson grabbed her cell frantically, more like a large tablet to her now, and dialed her daughter. As it rang, Ty sat them down on a kitchen chair and waited nervously, exchanging glances.
"Hi, mama! We're on the way to the beach!" Becca said cheerfully.
"Listen... honey." Mrs. Paulson said shakily, realizing her voice sounded so peculiar. "I need you to come home. Something's... well, I need you."
"O-Okay!" Becca said suddenly, the confusion and fear in her voice evident. "We're not too far away. What's going on? Are you all right? You sound strange."
"Don't speed. Everything's okay for now." Mrs. Paulson said. "You'll see when you get here."
"Oh, man, okay." Becca said urgently. "Just... stay put. Okay?"
"Okay." Mrs. Paulson said shakily, and the line went dead.
Ty watched as Mrs. Paulson put the phone down, her tiny hands covered by her robe sleeves, and she looked up at Ty sickly.
"Okay." She said, trying desperately to stay calm. "Thank you so much, Ty. I don't... just, thank you."
"Do you want me to put you down?" Ty asked, blushing.
"No!" Mrs. Paulson spat in alarm, frantically grabbing the giant boy's neck. "No, this is keeping me calm."
"Okay." Ty said, blushing from both amazement at the situation and total terror at what he had done. Either way, this path was now in motion, so might as well go with it.