diagnosed, part 1

A commissioned story

[part 1]

"Are sure you don't want me to open it?" Her mother asked one more time. 

"God, mom, stop asking!" she repeated, annoyed on the phone. "I'll be home next week! There's no reason why you should stick your nose in my business!".  Her mother Donna paused; she probably didn't like the answer, but she couldn't get herself to say anything back. After all, Erin never gave her a reason to be worried, plus she was an adult, and it was true. She didn't have the right to  get into her life anymore. And even though the letter seemed kind of important, she decided to  put it in a drawer and let her daughter deal with it. If it had been Rachel, that would have been another story. She knew she couldn't trust her like she trusted Erin, but she was glad that at least one of her daughters had come off right.

"Ok honey, i'll see you thursday" her mother hung up, and Erin sighed. Who knew how many more times she'd have to have this exact conversation again. She couldn't help but wonder what the letter was about, but right now she was in the middle of finals, and she couldn't afford any kind of distraction. Hell, she had even paused her volleyball practice. She knew she couldn't afford to stay too long without training, but this exam was particularly important, and her team could do without her for a week or two. Just as she was about to focus again, her telephone rung. This time, an unknown number. "Damn call centers" she said to herself. She refused the call, and blacklisted the number. She turned her head to her books; it was going to be a long week.

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She had aced her exam. Not that she or anyone else had ever had any doubts about it, but it had been a stressful time. She couldn't wait to just get to her parents home for the long weekend, and lay down on her bed for three days straight. She would probably contact her friends for a night out, but right now she only wanted to zone out. Rachel had opened the door, and Erin had rolled her eyes the instant she saw her. She looked like she hadn't left the house the whole day. She was sporting her house shorts and a pink tank top, and was wearing her flipflops, showing her chipped green nailpolish. "Here" she'd dropped her bag at her sister's arms whitout even asking, and she had entered the house. "Moom, i'm home" she screamed. "Greetings to you too" Rachel sounded sarcastic as she dropped Erin's bag on the floor. The moment her mother entered the living room, she hugged her older daughter like she hadn't seen her in years, while she had visited no more than a month earlier. "Oh Rachel" She had said "Don't drop that there. Since your sister is so tired, why don't you take her bag to her room?" Rachel pouted, but she did what she'd been asked. "You know, my shoulders are killing me" Erin teased her while she walked with her bag towards her room. "I could use a massage later" She winked, as Rachel mostly ignored her. "No way" she said as she left the room. "I have practice this afternoon". Donna waited until she was out of hearing range, and said "I don't know what to do with her. Since she's out of school, Volleyball is basically everything she does. And she's not even remotely as good as you". Erin only shook her head. She was so used at being the smart one that a sentence like that didn't even need a reply.

"I think we need to celebrate!" The girl's mother said when Rachel came back. She was referring, of course, to the latest achievement of her older daughter. "But hey, i think you can open your letter now". Erin really didn't feel like it, but she decided that it would finally shut her mom up. "Sure, ok" she said as she opened it, only to drop it a few seconds later when she saw its content. Donna and Rachel were confused at first, and since Erin couldn't get herself to say anything, Rachel finally picked up the letter and read it out loud. It was from the hospital: Erin had been marked positive for the shrinking virus.

The following month had been hell. Erin was desperate. The diagnosis meant that her life was practically over. She hadn't even bothered going back to the campus. Over the course of less than a year, she would be any size from 2 feet to even a cm tall, depending on the strain. If she had known earlier, her body would have had a better chance at fighting it, but she had ignored the letter and refused any calls from the hospital. She was condemned. Her mother had tried to console her to no avail. She would barely leave her room and wouldn't speak to any of her friends. Then the day came. The moment she felt the first effects, she called an ambulance, who took her away when she was already a few inches shorter than her normal stature. Her mother had begged to go with her, but she had stoically refused.

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A few days later, without any warning, a courier from the hospital rang the bell. Rachel took her sweet time to get out of bed; apparently Donna wasn't home. She was still dazed when she opened her door, and tried to explain the courier that her mother would be home in a few hours. The guy looked like he was in a hurry. "Look" he said as he handled her a sealed box. "Are you over 18?". Rachel paused at the question. Why was he asking? "Yes" she answered timidly. "Then just sign here, i have so many deliveries today". Rachel signed the waiver without reading, and was handed the relatively compact package. It was about as big as a shoebox, but it was riddled with holes. "Oh, the cage needs to be returned to the hospital in 7 working days" the courier said as he walked back the driveway. "Cage?" Rachel thought as she entered her house back. Then she gave a good look at the box. Could it be? "Erin?" she called, tentatively. No answer. She was probably wrong. Then she dropped the box on the table along with the paperwork that came with it, and was about to leave when she heard "Rach?" with the faintest voice she'd ever heard. "No fucking way" she said out loud as she walked back to the table. 

She found the lid on the package, and slowly opened it with the slow pace of an expert poker player. Inside, the box looked exactly like a miniature room, with a bed, lights, and even a tiny tv. But the most incredible thing was her sister, dressed only in an hospital gown, that was in the middle of it, smaller than a barbie doll that looked at her with the most pitiful expression she'd ever seen on a human being. "Oh my god!" she laughed as she put her other hand in the box, aimed at her shrunken sister. "Wait no!" Erin cowered, in a vain attempt not to be invested by the gigantic appendage, but she had literally nowhere to go.

Rachel was incredulous. The sudden rush of power that she felt as she kept her sister in her hand had made her basically deaf to her panicked screams. She had held other tinies before, but this time it was different. This time it was her perfect stupid older sister, and she was so freaking small! It was a shame that her mother would claim ownership or better "be her legal guardian", otherwise she would have so much fun with her. It took her some time to realize that Erin was actually speaking to her. She was so focused with her newfound power that she had completely ignored her words. "Have you lost your mind? You can't just pick me up like that! Do you have any idea of how scary this is? Haven't you read the papers that mom signed?" Rachel panicked. She hadn't read anything. Her sister had suddently regained her usual authority to her eyes, and she instictively dropped her on the table. "Sorry" she said. Then, without actually thinking, she said "Anyway mom didn't sign. I did". She didn't know why she'd say that, but the look on Erin's face made her realize it was actually a big deal. "What do you mean YOU signed it" Erin hissed. "Why, what's the problem?" rachel had screwed up. She didn't know how to remedy to her mistake, but more importantly, she had no idea of what she'd done. "You dumb fuck!" She heard Erin say, as she dropped on her knees. "You dumb, dumb fuck". 

Erin didn't seem like she was going to explain anything soon, so she decided to read the papers herself. She had to read a particular sentence at least three times, and not because it was hard to understand, but because she couldn't believe her eyes. She had inadvertenly signed the papers to be the legal guardian of her shrunken sister. She practically owned her now.

[continue...]