Although I was tempted to test my device's full power, I decided to begin with a more modest test.
An 80-percent mass reduction would probably do very nicely. That would reduce Jason's weight from about 225 to an even 45 pounds, and his height to....but no, rather than make the calculation, I decided to wait and see for myself.
I set the device for a one-minute transformation time and pressed the activator. My heart pounded as listened anxiously outside the bathroom door for the first sign that my device was working. For a few long moments I heard nothing but the continued din of the party music.
But after perhaps 8 or 10 seconds, I heard Jason cry out -- "WHAT THE FUCK??" -- and a few seconds later I saw the doorknob turn as Jason tried frantically to open the bathroom door. But it wouldn't budge, in spite of his efforts.
At about 20 seconds, Jason started banging on the door and yelling "SOMETHING'S HAPPENING TO ME! HELP! SOMEONE LET ME OUT!!" Jason's formerly bass voice now sounded more like a tenor. The pounding on the door seemed to be centered around the level of my chest, which would put Jason at about my height or slightly shorter.
Jason continued yelling and pounding, but to no avail -- the music was just too loud for anyone but me to hear him. I smiled as I heard Jason's vigorous pounding become gradually softer as he became smaller and corresponding lighter and weaker.
"Is anything wrong in there, Jason?"
"Doug, is that you?" I could barely believe the sound of Jason's voice now.
"Yeah, it's..."
"DOUG, YOU GOTTA HELP ME!! I, I'M LOCKED IN, AND I'M, I'M..."
"Take it easy, big guy. There's a key out here. I'm coming in..."
When I turned the key and opened the door, I could barely believe what I saw:
It was Jason all right -- his face, his body, even his clothes, had the same shape, proportions as before -- but everything about him was on a smaller scale.
I gasped when I saw the new Jason - a man who had been nearly 7 feet tall when he'd entered the bathroom was now barely 5 feet tall and still shrinking noticeably as I watched.
"IT'S WORKING! IT'S WORKING!" I shouted, then worried that someone had heard, quickly entered the bathroom, closing the door behind me.
The little color that was left in Jason's horror-stricken face disappeared with my words.
"Wha..What d..do you mean, 'It's working!??" Jason stammered.
"I mean to say, little guy, that you're
about to see the world from a new perspective."
"Are you...did YOU...do this to me?"
I smiled and nodded down at the little man, now just 4 1/2 feet tall.
Jason bolted for the door and desperately tried to turn the knob.
I grabbed him by his now-small shoulders, pulling him easily away from the door and preventing his escape.
"Are you sure you want to make your grand entrance so soon?" I said laughing, and Jason glared up at me in rage and awe." He continued to struggle fruitlessly to escape my grip.
I felt the adrenaline rush of power as Jason shrank to the size I had chosen for him -- 45 pounds, and perhaps a bit under 4 feet tall.
When I saw and felt Jason's shrinkage stop, I smiled down and said, "What do you say, big guy? Ready to meet the host and the other partiers?"
"NO! NO, I CAN'T...I CAN'T GO OUT THERE LIKE THIS!!"
"Oh, but you CAN, and WILL -- unless, of course, you'd like a little more downsizing."
"NO, NO, YOU CAN'T MAKE ME GO OUT THERE!" Jason plunked his little butt down on the floor, crossed his arms, and looked up at me defiantly. If I hadn't know better, I might have mistaken him for a pouting 7 or 8 year old.
"OK, have it your own way," I said taking out my device again, resetting Jason's mass for 40% of it's current value and the shrinkage time for 10 seconds. "This ought to convince you."
I pressed the button and watched as little Jason immediately began shrinking again.
As soon as Jason noticed the change, he jumped to his feet. "NO! NO! MAKE IT STOP, MAKE IT STOP!" he said, reaching up to pound on my chest.
But he kept shrinking for the full 10 seconds until the top of his little head was a bit under waist high to me, making him a bit under 3 feet tall.
When he realized that the shrinking had ended, Jason stopped struggling, fearing any further size adjustments.
I reached down and patted the well-dressed little man on the head.
"Ready now?"
Jason looked up at me questioningly, but after a moment, he nodded hesitantly.
I opened the bathroom door, and we stepped out into the hallway -- me and my little, very little, friend Jason. The big man who had to duck under the entrance doorway now barely reached to the height of the doorknob.
It would be a big night for us both!