The Inventor, Paul Ralston, is eccentric. He insists that people call him "The Inventor" or "Mister Inventor". If he wasn't such a genius, he would have been put in a mental hospital. Instead, he is a professor of physics but the university hires several T.A.s to look after him.
The Inventor lives in an old, Mock Tudor style home by himself. It is a large house with many rooms including a basement, second floor and attic but most of the rooms are filled with The Inventors various collections. These collections are strange but useful. He has collected several microscopes, bunsen burners, molecular model sets and other pieces of scientific equipment.
The Inventor himself has thin but blindingly white hair. He either wears a tweed jacket with patches on his elbows or a blue sweater with patches on his elbows. He often has a pipe in his mouth but no one has ever seen him smoke with it.
Jason knocks on the door. He has been hired by the university but this is his first time meeting the strange professor. Jason has heard rumors and seeing the messy condition of the home only confirms that those rumors might be true.
The Inventor hollers, "Come in." Jason opens the front door, walks through the vestibule and foyer before finding the professor sitting at a large desk covered in papers on one end of a library. Piles of books are everywhere: too many to fit on the shelves.
"Hello, I'm Jason Fletcher. The university sent me to be your new assistant."
"I don't care if the university sent you. I decide if you stay or not. Now take that pile of books there and box them up. I'm done with them."
Jason begins packing up the books. He's recieved some instruction on how best to care for The Inventor. "As much as possible, let him think he's in control. As long as he thinks he's making the decisions, he will be open to your suggestions. He is far too focused on his own inventions to resist you." So even though packing boxes is not part of Jason's job description, Jason packs the boxes thinking this is a good way to keep the professor agreeable.
After the books are boxed, Jason stands up, "Okay, that's done. Professor Ralston, have you taken your meds today?"
The Inventor pulls out a ray gun and shoots Jason. "You're hired." Before Jason can react, he shrinks out of his clothes, The Inventor fishes him out and lifts his naked body up to the professor's face. Jason screams but The Inventor patiently waits for Jason to calm down.
"What did you do to me?"
"Isn't it obvious? I shrank you."
"Why?"
"Because you packed up those books like I asked you to. All the others the university sent over refused saying it wasn't part of their job description. I've had to tolerate those selfish assistants cause I needed them but I think I'm going to enjoy having you for an assistant."
"You shrank me because I packed books? Am I the only person you shrank?"
"Yes."
"Because I packed books?"
"You act like its the end of the world. Did you really think I would shrink you without returning you to normal?"
"I didn't think you would shrink me, period."
"Yes, well I can see how you might have been surprised by that. Now let me tell you how I expect you to do your job. I will remind you as often as needed until you get it right. You will call me Mister Inventor. You will not call me professor. I may let you call me Paul or Mister Ralston on occasion but most of the time, you will call me Mister Inventor, is that clear?"
"Yes, Mister Inventor."
"Good, I'm about to return you to normal height but before I do that, you need to know that I can control your size at any time. What I shot you with embedded a tag in you so that anytime I send a super low frequency radio signal out, that tag will respond by changing your size. So don't even think about running away or telling anyone. You wouldn't want to find yourself shrunk somewhere out there in this great big world. Super low frequency radio signals can travel much further than normal radio signals. And don't think about attacking me either. I have programmed for you to shrink at the same time each day so you want me around to return you to normal. Do you understand?"
Jason nods. The Inventor sets him on the floor and flips a switch. Jason grows back to normal size but sits there quietly putting his clothes on.
"I wouldn't be so quick to get dressed if I were you. I want to shrink you again."
Jason stops, "You're asking me to volunteer to be shrunk?"
"No, I'm going to shrink you and use you as a guinea pig whenever I want. I just want you to know that I'm not completely heartless. I have a heart that I misplaced somewhere in all this clutter. Now, if you try to leave, I will shrink you. If you tell me you are ready to be shrunk, than I will shrink you and go take my medicines like you want me too. I'll be a good patient. But if you aren't ready to be shrunk than just hang out here in the library with me. You could read or put your headphones on and take some time to think about it. I won't shrink you. I'll go back to grading these papers as long as you stay here."
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