As James walked the mall with Elspeth he promised himself that, whatever else she might do to try and embarass him, from now on he wouldn't let it work. So what if he was dressed in a frog costume intended for a toddler? It wasn't like he knew anybody here or cared what they thought of him. And if Elspeth kept messing with his voice he just wouldn't talk. Eventually she would get bored and take him back to her home where, he had been assured, he would quickly grow back to his usual size.
He knew that, whatever happened, he couldn't afford to shrink any further. His current size wasn't just inconvenient, it was starting to get scary. Elspeth wasn't a tall woman by any means, but he was barely above her knee height as he walked next to her, and was struggling to keep up in a mall that seemed at least twice the length it should be.
He felt like almost anything could harm him now. A guide dog walking alongside a blind shopper had appeared monstrous to James, like some giant beast that could have eaten alive him if it had wished. It was a stark reminder that he could not let himself get any smaller under any circumstances.
"Ok, why don't we stop in here for a bit?" Elspeth asked her little froggy friend as they reached a large, loud and colouful toyshop.
"Ribbit?" James asked with concern. What business did the elderly witch have here? There last place James wanted to be now was anywhere intended for kids. Nonethless, he had no choice but to follow his master.
"Wait here a minute" Elspeth instructed James as they reached to a creche area part way through the store "I have a few things I need to pick up for a ..... project I'm working on"
"Ribbit!" James panicked a little at the prospect of being left alone here "Ribbit! Ribbit!"
"I won't be long. This is just a convenient place to meet ok?" Elspeth answered impatiently before dissapearing into the crowds.
James folded his arms and stood away from the assorted toys lest anyone think he might wish to use them. He began his wait for Elspeth's return when he was rudely interrupted by a voice behind him.
"Hey look at that kid in the frog costume!" What a dork!"
James turned round to see a young girl with pigtails pointing him out to her younger brother with a wicked grin. She couldn't have been any older than six or seven but she was a good foot taller than he was. Even if he was able to talk, scolding her would be a bad idea.
"Why don't you hop off froggy, this is our play area?" the girl pushed James a little.
Despite his every effort to avoid it, he felt his costume getting baggier around him as he realised he was currently being bullied by a seven year old girl and could do next to nothing about it.
"Hey look!" The bratty girl informed her brother perceptibly "he gets smaller when I'm mean to him! That's so cool!"
She then returned her attention to James, a wicked glint in her eye "Lets see how tiny I can make you!"