The evening light was dim, but as Matt came closer to Paul the older man could see
something was wrong. Matt should have been about the same height as Paul, but he
wasn't. In fact, the closer Matt got the clearer it was this neighbor kid was half a foot
shorter than normal. Paul looked back at Jim, who didn't seem to think anything was out
of the ordinary, and then back down at Matt who was standing a little too close.
'Just play it cool,' Paul thought, taking a breath. "Let me show you where I'd like you to
mow," Paul said, putting his beefy arm around Matt's neck and patting the young man's
shoulder. It was a brotherly gesture, one that allowed Paul to start leading Matt away from
Jim where they could talk in private.
Matt smiled at the attention he was getting. Before they could even take a single step, he
piped up. "I'd be happy to help out, with your household shrinking and all."
Quick as a blink, Paul's world grew. His hand slipped against Matt's swelling body, and he
curled his fingers as they shortened slightly. Clothes shifted against his hairy body,
tickling his skin softly. Frustrated by his powerlessness, Paul leaned in close to Matt.
They were now the same height, but he still outweighed the boy by a significant amount of
muscle mass. "Damn it, Matt" he angrily whispered, almost nose-to-nose to the startled
teenager. "Wipe that grin off your face and undo this thing you've done to me."
Matt was startled by Paul's sudden aggressiveness, and tried to pull away but was held by
the stronger man. While all Paul's attention was focused on Matt, he practically forgot
about Jim. Before Paul could say something sufficiently menacing to motivate Matt, Jim
piped up cheerfully. "Looks like that isn't the only thing shrinking around here!"
The words landed like a blow, startling Paul with his new and sudden smallness. It was
one thing for Matt to shrink him -- this was their secret. Having Jim participate so boldly
was dizzying. Paul staggered as his legs shortened, and Matt easily broke away.
Thankfully, the reduction was over as quickly as it started, and Paul righted himself
without falling. Matt had grown significantly in the last round, and Paul found himself
looking up at his youthful tormenter. Jim was also moving to place his even larger form
between the two of them. In the dusky evening air, Paul considered his options.