Karl woke up much as he had every day the last week. He felt rested and ready to take on the day. He got up and turned on the coffee maker, humming the Camila Cabello song from the night before. Walking into the bathroom, he stripped off his silk bikini briefs while looking in the mirror. His hair style from last night was all in a shambles and he would have to wash his hair again this morning to get it in reasonable shape for work. Karl's bleach blond hair was not just long, but it had so much body and a natural wavy curl. In fact, some of the guys at work had started calling him big hair. None of that mattered to Karl. He was proud of his hair and actually took the nickname as a compliment.
Remembering the previous day, he studied his arms and shoulders. Yes they maybe looked a little slimmer, but his body proportions did not look that far off. Turning on the tub and shower he got the temperature right and started to step in. As he did, his foot caught on the side of the tub and he tumbled over against the pink shower tile. Luckily, he did not get hurt, though he did break a couple of the hanger loops on his favorite Little Mermaid shower curtain.
Getting up he adjusted the shower head down so it would hit him right and began his cleaning routine, singing Let it Go from Frozen as he went. Washing and conditioning his hair, a tune from South Pacific came into his head and out of his mouth, Gonna wash that man right outta my hair, gonna wash. Feeling his legs and armpits, they were still smooth, so no shave was necessary. He did take a moment to neaten up his pubic area; it was getting a little wild down there. Finishing his shower, Karl almost tripped again getting out. So weird, he thought, not for the first time recently. Toweling off, he applied moisturizing lotion to his legs and arms and hyaluronic moisturizer to his face. Teeth brushed and a little Orpheon Eau de Parfum unisex cologne applied, he turned to his hair.
Carefully drying his hair, Karl decided to let it be natural with the curly waves doing their own thing; it was kind of a modern Farrah Fawcett style. Just a few brush strokes and shaking his head back and forth he had it just right for work. He pulled out a fresh pair of lime green silk briefs and a silver tank style satin undershirt and went back to the kitchen to have his coffee with soy creamer and a sugar free yogurt. As he sipped the caramel infused nectar, he thought, You know, I think I will ride my bike into work today. It is a gorgeous morning and no rain is expected. Coffee and breakfast finished, he returned to the bedroom and selected a cream colored pair of silk and linen pleated pants, a thin black belt, and a light blue rayon dress shirt. Finding his favorite pair of nylon trouser socks, he pulled them on and selected a pair of oxblood loafers with a slight heel that matched his belt. He put the loafers in his shrimp colored imitation Coach leather backpack along with his laptop and phone.
Karl then went to the coat closet to retrieve his taffy pink bike helmet and shimmery silver riding shoes. Double checking that he had everything, he headed for his bike storage room. Smiling as he pulled it out, he still loved his Pinarello Prince Ultegra road bike. He spent three hundred dollars to have the whole bike painted to match his Barbie Jeep and even changed the Prince logo on the side to say Princess. Yeah, it was maybe a step too far, especially considering what happened last night at the bar, but he loved how the bike rode and how it looked.
Thinking back, his parents had taken him to therapy as a kid and were assured by the therapist that there was nothing wrong with a boy that played with dolls or loved pink. It took a while, but his dad accepted him as he was and became proud of what he had accomplished. Even with his leanings to feminine things, he knew Karl was completely straight. Karl's mom, on the other hand, never really accepted him as her son. In fact, part of the reason for their divorce, Karl later found out, was that she was embarrassed to be seen with Karl in public and angry with Karl's father for not forcing him into normal clothes, sports, and the things that would make him a man. She had petitioned for custody of Karl's sister, but let Karl's father have the other daughter as she called Karl.
Karl re locked the storage room and swung his leg over the bike. Something was wrong. He got back off the bike and stared at it. It seemed too high for him. But that could not be. He had the bike fitted before he bought it and it was sized perfectly. Had he inadvertently adjusted his seat higher? That was what it must be. He grabbed the quick release and, with a lot more force required than he remembered, loosened the seat. He dropped it down about an inch and tried again. It was better, but needed just a bit more lowering. That done, he climbed on and rode away.
Arriving at work, Karl removed his helmet and stowed it in his backpack and then locked his bike. Heading into the office he waved at Cindy and Vicky as he passed them. Changing into his loafers, he smoothed his pants and made sure everything was in place with his hair and clothing since the bike ride. Satisfied that all was in order, he sat down at his desk with his leg crossed over at the knee, the loafer hanging off the toe of his bouncing foot as he reviewed today's crew workload.
Vicky came in as he worked and seemed very excited. She said she had to give him a hug. Karl got up from his desk and walked over as Vicky embraced him tightly, her large breasts pressing into his lower chest. She gushed that they had just received the first video and his voice overs were perfect. This was going to really expand their reach. George and Cindy were so thrilled, too. He should not be surprised if a promotion was not coming his way. Karl responded grinning, All I did, honey, was record a few words. That is not enough to be promoting me.
Vicky continued that it was not just the voice overs. It was how he had dedicated himself to working long hours and really stuck it out on the job sites even though that was not what he was really suited for. Karl was somewhat taken aback by the second part of that comment. He asked what she meant, darling, about not suited for the job sites. Vicky looked sheepish and said to never mind. He had done great. She told him to forget she said that part.
Just then, Tank came into Karl's office and did a double take. He asked if Karl had lost more weight. It almost looked like he was shrinking. Karl looked down at his feet and then thought about the shower and then the bike and suddenly got a little scared. He said he did not think so, sugar. Maybe it was this outfit that made him look smaller. Tank went on, yeah, speaking of that outfit, he did know they were putting in a sprinkler system today, right? That, Tank gestured up and down Karl's outfit, did not look like it would hold up well to being constantly wet. Tank was right, of course. How had Karl not considered the work today when picking out his clothes? All he had thought about was looking good and did not give any thought to where he would be working.
What Tank was getting at was exactly what Vicky had meant when she made the comment about Karl and working the job sites. He had worked very hard and most of the guys liked him, but he was, well, a little delicate. Today especially, he looked smaller. Also, this was not the first time he had shown up in stylish clothes that would be ruined at a site. Beyond the physical requirement, Vicky knew that George did not think Karl had the right mindset. Vicky was sincere about the promotion, but it was not just about how well Karl had done. It was partially to get him off the site work and into things that better suited his skills.
Once Tank had finished, Karl said he thought he had a utility jumpsuit around here. He would change into that before they went out, Tanky man. A little frustrated at this happening again, but still mindful and grateful that Karl had gotten him his job, Tank responded by suggesting that Karl work out of his office today. He and the guys could handle the sprinklers, and Karl had been wanting to do some long range planning. Karl knew what Tank was doing, but he could not argue. He said okay, that sounded like a plan. If Tank and those precious guys got behind, though, to let him know and he would hop like a bunny right out to help, Karl added trying to sound positive. Tank said he would do that, boss. He winked knowingly at Vicky as he left.
Standing there in a somewhat awkward silence, Vicky spoke up and asked, since he was in the office today, did he want to see the video and hear his impressive talents at work? Karl was still a little off balance from the previous conversation, so did not immediately reply. Finally he said yes, dumpling, he would like that. Maybe after lunch. Vicky replied that sounded great. She had a sales call at two pm, but maybe they could do it from one to one thirty. Karl, still somewhat in a daze, nodded. Before she left, Vicky gave Karl a tight but silent hug that said it would be okay, and then walked out. As she was hugging him, Karl remembered the first hug this morning and how it was not quite right. But what was wrong about it? He could not quite grasp what was bugging him about it and so just sat back down and started to work on planning for the next quarter.
Cindy came by his desk just before lunch and announced that she was going to bring lunch back for everyone from The Health Nut and asked Karl if he wanted anything. He said she was so sweet. He would love one of their cucumber salads with a green soy smoothie if that would not be too much trouble, as he flashed a bright smile. Cindy said sure, no problem, Karl, and then headed out. While in his office, she looked long and hard at him and was sure that Karl had changed, was changing, in some ways, but what? It was just a feeling, but Cindy could not shake it. He still looked like he always had, well maybe he looked a little shorter today.
After lunch, Vicky and Karl gathered in the conference room. They were joined by George and Cindy. Together they watched the first promotional video. It contained scenes from the early days of the company and a series of photos and clips from their wide expanse of jobs. Karl realized that Vicky was right in that his voice and delivery were ideal for the video. He was able to tone down the drawl, while keeping the professional and sultry quality in his voice; it worked perfectly. Given that most of the client companies were still run by men, Vicky and the Frankels knew that Karl's unconventional voice quality would appeal to them, even if they were mistaken about the gender of the person doing the narration. Once the video was over, everyone clapped. George shook Karl and Vicky's hands and Cindy gave them both a quick hug.
Once the Frankels had left the room, Vicky stepped over and gave Karl another tight hug saying, see, I told you. You were perfect in that video and I know it will be the same for the next ones, too. As the hug continued, the nagging feeling about the hug that had been bothering him crystallized and he suddenly broke the embrace thinking back to the hug from last Sunday. He realized that her breasts were hitting him in the chest, not the stomach. Vicky asked concerned if something was wrong. Karl collected himself. He looked at Vicky's feet thinking she might be wearing tall heels, but no, she was wearing simple flats. Finally, he distractedly said no, Vick, he just had to take care of something. With that, Karl walked out and headed for the bathroom, stopping by his desk first to grab a tape measure and a pencil.
Once in the bathroom, he entered a stall and put his back against the side. He flattened down his poofy hair and then made a pencil mark on the stall divider level with the top of his head. Stepping away, Karl measured from the floor to the mark with a tape measure. The tape read sixty eight inches. That would make him five feet eight inches tall, not five feet ten inches tall. Denying it, he shook his head saying he could not believe it. Taking another measurement, this time making sure he kept the pencil level, he came up with the same result. He had shrunk. He thought that he had lost two inches. Karl was so rattled that he did not even consider that he was wearing shoes with a one inch heel.
Wondering how far this had gone, he trotted down to the loading dock and to the calibrated scale they used for weighing materials. Dropping the tape measure and pencil, he stepped on the scale and was shattered to see it read one hundred fifty eight pounds. Accounting for the weight of what he was wearing, that meant he had lost about twenty pounds. He zeroed out the tare on the scale and stood on it again; the same one hundred fifty eight pound reading. Yes, he had been trying to eat better, but how could he lose twenty pounds without realizing? And how on earth could he lose two inches of height? Even as he asked those questions of himself, he knew the answer. Lisa.
Karl slowly walked back to his office, but could not really concentrate on planning or anything else. It was almost three pm and he walked down to Cindy's office. He asked Cindy if he could take these old bones on home. He was at a stopping point and he planned on working some from his apartment over the weekend. Giving him another intense look, Cindy said sure, Karl. Have a good weekend. Oh, and great job on the videos. Karl replied thanks, sugar plum, he really appreciated it. See her Monday. Cindy watched him go and thought that yes, he did look shorter. Shaking her head to clear the thought, she went back to working on the payroll.
Karl changed from his heeled loafers back into his bike shoes, put everything he needed in his backpack, and headed down the office stairs to his bike. On his way, something popped into his head and he stepped back into the bathroom stall. Beside one of the pencil marks on the stall partition, Karl wrote the date. He did not know why, but just felt like he should do that. Leaving the bathroom and stepping outside, he unlocked the bike from the pole it was attached to and, once again, swung his leg over. Again, it did not feel right. Karl started to well up with tears, knowing what it could mean, but decided to ignore it. Slightly uncomfortable with the too high seat, he made his way home.
Getting back to his apartment, he absently put the bike in the storage room and walked up to his door and in. He stepped into the bright and cheery den with the framed Disney posters on the wall, silk flowers on the table, and Hello Kitty souvenirs around the room. The room smelled like vanilla and cinnamon and it was Karl's sanctuary. All of this did make him feel better, but he still worried about what was happening. Taking a moment, he thought back to the note he read a few days ago. It talked about changes. He saw nothing at first, but then yesterday he was weaker and today he was actually shrinking. He thought ominously that the note was real. Lisa was making him small and weak. But how and why? Then he thought, jumping up from the sofa, no, it was not Lisa. How could he be so dumb? It was Jeannie. She was the witch.
Sitting back down on his couch, Karl picked up his bejeweled phone. Hands shaking, he texted Jeannie, I know what you are doing to me. We have to talk. Jeannie immediately responded, startling him, okay, I will come to your apartment in an hour.
He thought, breathing hard, that she did not even try to deny it or feign ignorance. She was doing this to him. Almost regretting his bold move, Karl knew that he would have to go through with the meeting even if he was more than a little scared. Karl opened a bottle of his favorite pink Bonavita Rosato and gulped down two glasses trying to calm his nerves. Then, he waited.
Jeannie and Grandmother and the Ulterior Veil
Almost exactly an hour later, Karl heard a knock at the door. Nervously, Karl walked over and opened the door. Jeannie and some older woman that Karl did not recognize stepped in. Jeannie said that this was her grandmother. The grandmother, looking around the apartment, said with a smile and a slightly sarcastic tone that she loved what he had done with the place. Karl, missing the sarcasm, answered with thank you, ma'am. It reflected who he was pretty well. With this Jeannie laughed and then sat down on the pastel yellow couch, playing with a Hello Kitty stuffed doll on the coffee table.
Karl noticed that Jeannie looked tired. Her eyes were hollow and she had dark circles under them. Her exotic good looks were still there, but it looked like she had not slept in weeks.
Jeannie asked with a flat affect what he wanted. Karl said he wanted to know what she was doing to him and why. He woke up yesterday weaker and woke up today shrinking.
Jeannie replied that if that was all, just weaker and shorter, well today was his lucky day, Karli, honey, because they were going to show him just how much he had changed. With this, Jeannie's grandmother stood in front of Karl and pulled out a small red velvet bag. Opening the bag, she removed some gray powder and said some words in a language Karl did not understand. She then blew the powder on Karl. He coughed and then wiped his face. As he looked up, Grandmother said that the veil was lifted. He saw and knew it all: the hair, the voice, the handwriting, the colors and styles, the skeletal structure, and now his height.
Standing up he turned to Jeannie and said, in his real voice, his old manly baritone voice, how she was doing this, why she was doing this, and what he had done to her.
Jeannie gave him a dirty look and then said in a menacing tone that she told him after he hurt Lisa the first time that he had better do right by her. She foolishly trusted him and thought he would do just that. Then, he started seeing that Vicky woman, started cheating on her Lisa. How long had the affair been going on? How could he cheat on Lisa? She loved him with all her heart.
Karl, head reeling, responded that he never cheated on Lisa and never would. He loved her with all his heart. He was only working on a project with Vicky for work. She came over so they could finish up a presentation.
Slapping him, Jeannie continued that it was bullshit. Lisa saw her cuddling with him and saw Vicky's sexy silhouette posed in the doorway when she drove away. She saw the loving note that the Vicky bitch left him, too. Should have gone to my place, she said. He was not only a cheat but a dumb one at that.
Karl begged that she had it all wrong. He could prove all he was saying was true. Please let him. They could call Vicky, he pleaded, picking up his phone.
Jeannie said calmly that they had already heard enough of his lies. They came today because he said he knew what they were doing. She gave him credit for figuring some of this out, but trusted him that he would not have that knowledge for long. Lisa was healing, with her help, and she would be by her side from now on. She was hers to protect. He would never hurt her again. She would see to that.
Suddenly picking up on what Jeannie said, Karl asked if Lisa did not know anything about this, gesturing at himself and around the apartment. He asked if this was not her decision or her wishes. Feeling a surge of righteousness, Karl put a finger in Jeannie's face and said that she was doing this because she wanted Lisa for herself. It would not matter what he could say or what he could prove. She had made up her mind that he was going to be changed and somehow be kept away from Lisa. He was right, was he not?
Rising in anger, Jeannie pushed the diminutive Karl down on the floor and said that he was wrong. She was doing this because she was the only one who cared about Lisa's happiness. She was the only one who could protect her from rats like him. Once he was changed, she would make sure that no other man ever hurt her like he had again. She would be happy because of her, and that was all that mattered.
Taking a deep breath, Jeannie looked down and said that he had had his audience with them and had seen what they could do, what they were doing. Now it was time for him to go back into his little world, Karli. It was time his changing resumed. She asked her grandmother to do the honors.
Jeannie's grandmother paused uncertainly for a moment and then looked over at her granddaughter a little worried about this conversation. Jeannie waved her to proceed as Karl looked on frightened from the floor. The grandmother once again pulled the velvet bag from her pocket, removed some powder, and then stood over Karl. Mumbling again she blew the dust down on him. He tried not to breathe it in, but that did not have any effect. Moments later he passed out. She said that the veil was replaced.
Jeannie and her grandmother picked up Karl's sleeping body and placed it on the couch sitting up. Grandmother looked at her watch, seeing that they had been there about ten minutes, and pulled out another little bag with green dust in it this time. She said a few words and sprinkled the dust on Karl's watch and forehead. As they walked out and quietly closed the door, Karl woke up. He thought he must have dozed off there. Remembering what he was getting ready to do, he picked up his bejeweled phone. Hands shaking, he texted Jeannie, I know what you are doing to me. We have to talk. Instantly, a response came back that the number he was texting did not allow messages or calls from his telephone number. If he believed this was in error, please contact the party directly and ask them to call customer service. Karl muttered that it was a dead end. Jeannie was blocking him. Little did Karl know that Jeannie was blocking him in many more ways than just his phone.