As Kelly pondered her next move, she noticed something. There was a little girl who looked no older than four; she had several felt tip markers and was drawing on the face of a red-haired doll. That red-haired doll reminded Kelly of someone the teenager knew and much disliked.
Her name was Heather, and Heather was the high school's resident gossip girl. Heather's wealthy parents were rarely home which left Heather with plenty of time for gossip; there wasn't one bit of teenage dirt on campus that Heather did not have her nose in and she reported all of it on her blog. There had been a girl who lost her hair to cancer and attempted to hide the secret with a wig, but Heather made sure everyone knew though neglected to mention the part about cancer. Kelly herself had nearly had to change schools when
Heather started a rumor about her having an STD which turned out to be a ploy to steal Kelly's boyfriend.
As she thought about Heather, an idea occurred to Kelly or rather a scenario. In her mind, as she looked over at the tot playing with her toy, the red-haired doll was replaced with Heather. In her mind, Kelly saw the Barbie-sized Heather struggle in the child's grasp to no avail.
"You're almost ready for the party dolly," the little girl told her doll. "But first I gotta do your hair," she added, holding up a pair of safety scissors. In her mind, Kelly saw the terrified Heather screaming as the scissors loomed ever closer.
Suddenly, a noise took Kelly from her thoughts; nearby a baby in a stroller was crying and as Kelly looked on the baby changed (in Kelly's mind) into Heather. Kelly saw the baby sized Heather struggle for freedom from the stroller.
Kelly looked and saw more things, and each time her mind put Heather in a new situation. Heather was a baby doll being painfully slapped on the back by her eight-year-old mother. Heather was a squirrel Pinky was barking at, a toddler running from her nanny, a five-year-old that was being forcibly restrained into a child's safety seat, and a tiny ant just trying to survive.
Kelly knew who she was going to use the Reducer on. Her mind filled with more scenarios as she dropped Pinky at home. Some of her imaginations involved her younger sister Megan or her two-year-old cousin, Sara. How happy would Megan be to get a doll that could walk and talk? How comfortable would Sara be dangling a girl shaped snack into her mouth? Each scenario brought joy to Kelly as she imagined Heather, who bragged about her designer clothes forced into a Barbie dress. Then she thought of reducing Heather to toddler size, dressing her up, and just leaving her somewhere like a daycare or preschool.
Kelly finally reached High school, she called the office and told them she was a family friend of Heather's and for the teen to meet her in the parking lot. As Heather came walking out, Kelly grinned. When Heather saw who was waiting for her, she rolled her eyes, "and what do you want Kelly?"
With a smile on her face, Kelly responded as she aimed with the Reducer...