The door creaked open, and Kevin's father, Jack, stood in the doorway. His briefcase was slung over one shoulder, and his tie was half-loosened. He looked more tired than Kevin had seen him in a long time.
"Hey, bud," Jack said, stepping into the room and scanning it briefly. His gaze didn’t linger on the mess. He ran a hand through his graying hair. "Just wanted to let you know I’ll be heading out soon. Business trip. Should be back by Friday."
Kevin nodded stiffly, his mind racing. His hands fidgeted at his sides, brushing against the pocket that now contained the impossible reality of a tiny, panicked mother wrapped in his boxers. "Okay, Dad."
Jack looked at his son for a moment longer, as though waiting for more of a response. When none came, he sighed. "You doing all right? You seem… I don’t know. Jumpy."
Kevin’s heart thundered in his chest. "Yeah, I’m fine," he mumbled, avoiding eye contact.
Jack nodded, his face softening with a hint of concern. "All right. Take care of yourself while I’m gone. And tell your mom—" He hesitated, glanced at the floor, then cleared his throat. "Tell your mom I’ll call when I land."
Kevin nodded again. Jack gave him a final pat on the shoulder before heading out, the sound of his footsteps fading down the hall.
Kevin waited until he heard the front door close and the familiar rumble of his father’s car pulling out of the driveway. Then, he released the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. He pulled the bundle of boxers out of his pocket and opened his hands cautiously.
Beth tumbled out, gasping for air, her tiny arms flailing as she tried to regain her balance. Her clothes were rumpled, her hair a mess, and her face a mixture of fear and anger. She stumbled backward, glaring up at Kevin with wide, furious eyes.
"What did you do, Kevin?" her voice squeaked, high-pitched but unmistakably hers. "What is this? What happened to me?"
Kevin felt a wave of guilt and confusion wash over him. "I—I don’t know, Mom," he stammered. "It was the button. I pressed the button, and then… you were gone. And now… this."
Beth looked at him, her chest rising and falling with panicked breaths. "What button? What are you talking about?"
Kevin retrieved the strange device from his desk, holding it carefully in his other hand. "This," he said, showing it to her. "It came in the mail. I don’t know how it works or why it did this. I thought it was just some dumb thing I wasted my money on!"
Beth’s eyes locked onto the device, and her expression shifted from anger to disbelief. "You… bought this? Kevin, do you even know what you’ve done?!" She waved her arms at her tiny frame. "How do we fix this? How do I get back to normal?"
"I don’t know!" Kevin said, his voice rising in panic. He looked at the device, then back at her. "Maybe… maybe if I press the button again?"
Beth’s face paled. "No! Wait! Don’t just—"
But Kevin, desperate and overwhelmed, pressed the red button once more. The device vibrated in his hand and let out a low hum. For a moment, nothing happened. Beth remained her miniature size, glaring up at him with a mix of fear and fury.
"Nothing’s happening," Kevin said, his voice trembling.
Then the device let out a sharp beep, and Kevin felt it grow warm in his hand. The glow from the button spread outward, and Beth’s tiny form began to shimmer. Her expression turned to one of alarm as she clutched at her sides.
Suddenly, the glow stopped. Beth was still tiny.
"Well, that didn’t work," she snapped, crossing her arms and glaring up at Kevin. "Do you have any other bright ideas?"
Kevin felt tears well up in his eyes. "I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t mean for this to happen. I—I just thought it would be something fun, something to make me feel less alone. I didn’t think it would—"
His words faltered as he looked down at his tiny mother, still sitting on the floor, glaring up at him with a mix of anger, frustration, and confusion. He felt like a failure, like he had lost everything. Why did I do this? he thought, feeling the overwhelming guilt crawl through his chest.
Beth’s tiny fists clenched at her sides, her voice trembling as she spoke again, though still in the high-pitched squeak of someone no bigger than a doll. "How do we fix this, Kevin? You’ve got to fix this! I don’t know how much more of this I can take!"
Kevin’s stomach twisted into knots. He stared at the device in his hand, desperate, wishing it would offer some solution. He pressed the button again, but the red glow flickered weakly and then faded, as if mocking him.
"I—I can’t, Mom. I don’t know how it works," Kevin whispered, feeling tears prick at the corners of his eyes. "I tried everything I could think of."
Beth’s tiny form crumpled, her shoulders shaking as she fell silent, too exhausted to argue further. Kevin’s mind raced, trying to find a way out, trying to imagine any possibility where this could be fixed. But the truth was clear: he couldn’t fix it. Not now. Not with the device in his hand, not with anything.
A long silence stretched between them, the weight of it settling over them like a thick fog. Kevin slowly sank to the floor, his legs folding beneath him. He rested his head in his hands, staring at the small woman that was his mother.
"I’m sorry, Mom," he said again, his voice barely a whisper, filled with regret. "I don’t know how to make this right."
Beth didn’t respond, her tiny form still trembling as she sat on the floor, looking up at him in disbelief, her face twisted in anguish.
Kevin looked at the device one last time, knowing he had no answers. He had unknowingly crossed a line he couldn’t come back from. The reality of what he had done was sinking in. He couldn't reverse it. He couldn't restore her. And in that moment, Kevin realized the one truth that terrified him the most: Sometimes, once things are broken, they can’t be fixed.
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