The following morning Frank awoke in the on-site sleeping quarters. Perhaps he'd grown back to his old size overnight? Experimentally he stretched his legs down inside the bed clothes. Not matter how far he stretched he still couldn't reach the bottom. He was still small.
Getting up he saw that he'd gone to bed naked with the exception of his socks. He also noted that he had a pleasantly dopey feeling, not unlike the early stages of being drunk. He scratched himself and belched; that felt good, why hadn't he noticed that before? Frank had no idea that overnight he had slipped a few more IQ points. He was now little more than an average Joe, albeit one of conspicuously below average size.
Frank ambled over to the mirror, a full length one. There he stood, a mere 62 scrawny inches in his socks. He studied the changes closely for the first time. He'd shrunk more or less in proportion and although he'd lost muscle bulk he didn't appear to have gained an ounce of extra fat so the result was wimpy but toned. He'd also seemed to have lost a bit of body hair and what hair he did have seemed thin and wispy. He ran a hand down his tiny smooth, flat, hairless stomach. There was something almost quite sexy about being so transformed. He flexed a egg sized biceps and before he knew what was happening found that he was beginning to become aroused. Just however as he was stiffening he felt a sudden blow to the back of his head, looking up he saw Terry; he did not look pleased.
"Hey bud, what's the big idea? You want to jack off you do it in private, in your own time, not the company's. Jesus! I want to see you outside at your place in five minutes. Five minutes! Do I make myself clear?"
Frank had never been so embarrased in all his life. This dumb construction worker, four years his junior, was lecturing him like a kid. He was being treated like some sad dumbass who saw nothing wrong with jacking off in the restroom. It didn't help that with Terry in his workboots Frank in his socks reached no higher than chest height.
"Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes"
"Yes what?"
"Yes SIR"
"OK, That's better"
Five minutes later Frank was outside, dressed for work in shorts, Tee, boots and high visibility vest. Terry seemed to have calmed down because he gave Frank a playful thump on the back (that almost sent him sprawling) and patted him on the head.
"OK, little fella, maybe I was a bit tough on you there but this is a building site and rules is rules. No hard feelings, but just don't let me catch you it again"
Today was the day for Frank to learn more about the site and his various tasks. Surprisingly, he was finding this tough going. He just couldn't get things straight in his head and kept doing things wrong. Terry and the other workers were patient but they gave him a new nickname: "Einstein". At lunchtime Tery was relaxing by doing a crossword. It was a simple, non-cryptic type and Frank thought he'd reveal a little of his intelligence by helping with some of the clues. Who knows he might even win some respect.
Terry caught him peering over his shoulder. He ignored him for a while then said;
"Look Bud, no hard feelings or nothing but if I can't get some of these clues I don't think you're going to do any better. No disrespect Einstein but you don't look the reading type."
Frank said nothing. He'd hoped to start suggesting clues but as he looked at the puzzle he found that his mind was a complete blank. He looked on as Terry laboriously finished. Frank didn't know how he did it; these questions seemed so hard, the words so unfamiliar.
Had Frank but known it his humiliation was complete. He was the shortest guy on the site, the lightest, the weakest and now also the dumbest. He was however not so dumb not to notice that the other workers always spoke especially slowly when they gave him instructions. Repeating them over and getting Frank to repeat them back. In fact Frank at last established soem sort of niche for himself as the little dumb one. He was the butt of most jokes and was always being caught out by little tricks. He just didn't see them coming. How could these guys be so smart all the time?
Sean followed all this at a distance. Ome day when Frank looked to be settling in he threw in another few changes. Frank was to lose another inch of height and five years in age. The changes would come on over about a week. Frank knew straigtaway that something wasn't right. He'd got used to reaching a certain point on each guy; chin height with the smaller ones. Chest high with the big men like Terry. Now everyone seemed a little bigger. He tried standing up very straight to compensate, but this was tiring and when he stood more naturally it was more than ever like being in a land of giants. The other s quickly noticed:
"Hey Einstein, you shrinking or something?"
The loss of years also had its effect. Frank had bulked out a lot in his early twenties and before this had been skinny. Within one week Frank would have been taken for 17 years max. He even didn't have to shave so often (but he carefully his this fact by continuing to use the razor each day). In bars he was no longer served
What would happen next?