He entered 12 and pressed Go.
While the machine powered up he planned on testing out the effect of the perception shift by presenting
himself to his sister once the changes occurred.
The physical and mental changes began simultaneously. Jeff remembered how he had stopped growing around 11 and
a half, all his classmates began to rocket above him, entering their growth spurts. Doctors tried everything
to kick start his puberty when he was 13 but his body rejected all drugs and he broke out in terrible rashes
and hives as a side effect. Finally, around 14 and still not looking any older than 12 he convinced his
parents to stop trying to mess with his body as it wasn't working and he didn't like the side effects.
Reluctantly, they agreed.
School wasn't as bad as he expected it would have been. He still had friends, he sucked at sports and it was
rare that a kid would pick on his height or body structure as it was accepted as a noticeable genetic disease
of some kind. Jeff was actually kind of popular as he was always up for a good time and never had to deal with
the emotional hormonal fluctuations that made everyone else a little crazy some days. The girls actually loved
to hang out with him because they thought of him as "adorable" where other guys were usually described as
cute, or handsome but also jerks and typical guys. The distinction hurt but it wasn't their fault. He had no
sexual interest as his body wasnt mature enough to actually do anything anyway.
The new reality settled in and Jeff realized that he had shrunk significantly though his clothes followed
suit. Running to the mirror he saw his 12 year old self staring back, it was weird but at the same time seemed
normal. No more sideburns or stubble, the baby fat that had melted away over the last 4 years had returned,
the muscle definition he had earned through hard activity and play was gone. He was still an active child but
without the testosterone to help with the building of muscle mass his muscles never had any significant gains.
"Huh" Jeff squeaked in a prepubescent voice. "Weird." He ran downstairs and called to his sister. "I was
wondering if you were doing ok with your homework or if you needed help?"
She said, she was doing fine but might need some help later if he didn't have plans. She stood up to grab a
glass and fill it with water. It was then that Jeff realized how much taller she was than him...
A moment later he realized that girls start puberty earlier than boys and now he was an exceptionally late
bloomer just beginning his growth spurt.
Satisfied that she wasn't freaking out by his new appearance Jeff returned to his room to reverse the settings
and go the other direction.