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Yet another statement that refused to be compressed into an audio file. Jon had such a good run with digitising them lately, he found himself flinching at the loud static that played upon opening the file. The drawer in his desk was opened and a big grey rectangle removed. The tape recorder was a clunky old thing and felt heavy in his hand, as his other hand fished out its cable. Loud clicking buttons pressed, a new tape inserted. The words trailed from his lips once more as he read of sudden disappearances and a strange man with a lightening scar that chocked along his throat. Reading these stubborn statements onto tape always left him feeling more hazy than otherwise and he took a second to look around his office to regain his composure.
"Sasha looked into the police reports. The police never found anything for the disappearance of Mr. Fischer's friend as well as his son and closed the case a few years later. We managed to get in contact with him again, but he could offer us no new information. People vanishing seemingly into thin air is odd, though not uncommon enough to make me believe this statement is anything of the paranormal."
It was late and Jon cared to get home at a reasonable time to still make dinner, so while he spoke he'd already started moving the documents back into its box.
"The only reason I looked more into it was the man with the lightening scar. He's already turned up in one statement and I doubt it was a coincidence, given that his appearance seems far too unique to confuse him with another person. In any case the-"
Jon trailed off when his fingernails brushed against something on the bottom and he leaned over. It looked like a magazine. And with its grey back it blended almost too well into the cardboard.
"Hm."
Jon lifted it out. To call it old would be one way to describe it. It looked well used. The print was scratched off on the sides and where one staple was missing, some duct tape had been used to keep a rip in the paper from letting it fall apart completely. The cover presented some anthropomorphic mice, in hats and coats, along with the title "Family Mice's Vacation" in a hand written font.
He raised an eyebrow as he took the bend edges between his fingers to skim through the pages. The list of provided evidence only contained some family photos, police reports and a book. Which, if a book was attached to a statement, Jon didn't doubt it would already be locked into artefact storage. Inside the magazine were comics of the mice family and some puzzles, filled out with marker.
"Ah, it seems someone put… children's comics with the evidence, suppose as a joke. I will have to get rid of it as it's not part of the statement."
He set it down, cleared his throat and recalled where he left off.
"In any case I will notify the others to keep an eye out for any more mentions of the man in future statements. Recording ends."
Jon reached over and the tape recorder gave a satisfying click as he turned it off and the tape stopped spinning. A sticky note was put on the recorder with the number of the statement he's just read. He unplugged it, put it back inside its drawer and collected all the files into the proper box, closing the lid. The magazine lay next to it and Jon lifted it up again, this time looking through the pages slower and gently as to not damage it any further, as he wondered how it got here. Gertrude didn't seem the type to have children, or grandchildren for that matter, and he doubted this would be the kind of literature she would indulge in, much less store in the archives.
Flipping through the chapters detailed the vacation the mice went on, from packing, to hitching a car ride and time spend at the beach. Some of the text was too faded to read. The last few pages teased the next part of the story where the mice would celebrate easter. As Jon turned to the very last page, interested if he could find out when this was printed, he froze at an impossibly familiar stamp. He threw the magazine across the room with a shriek, some of the pages becoming loose and scattering across the floor.
From the library of Jurgen Leitner.
His breath hitched before turning into violent heaves of his chest. Jon looked around his office, but it seemed unchanged, the same books and folders sorted into shelves. Apart from his breathing and heart, he could feel beating to his throat, it was eerily quiet. He frantically padded himself down. All limbs still attached, no extra ones. His flesh and skin felt normal and, he could only guess, but his bones didn't feel changed either. Jon had stumbled back against the shelf, iron grip on the cold metal as his legs threatened to give out.
Then someone knocked on the door. The sound made him freeze and hold his breath, his eyes going impossibly wide. The door opened swiftly and behind it stood Sasha, bag over her shoulder and coat hanging down to her knees.
"I just wanted to say bye before I-" She trailed off as she saw Jon, no doubt looking very shocked back at her. His vision felt hazy.
Jon broke out of his frozen stage, his voice quiet. "S-Sasha?"
"Yea?" Her eyebrows furrowed "What's gotten into you, Jon?"
"The-the uh- A Leitner." Hands shaking he pointed to the comic on the floor, one of the pages that fell out lay near her feet.
"What!?" She jumped and stepped back from it. "Jon, why would you pick that up!"
"I di-didn't know it was-"
"Did you read it."
"I-I-"
"Jon. Did you read it?" Her voice stern but alarmed.
"I- Not really… No." He had only skimmed through them, not bothered to read the speech bubbles properly, though he might have read a few words here and there.
Sasha's frame relaxed a bit at that, her expression changing from startled to concerned. She looked like she wanted to approach him, but was being hesitant. "Do you…" She gestured with hand at nothing in particular, searching for the words. "I don't know… feel anything?"
"No? No I-" He padded his sides down again, for demonstration and his own calm. "No pain, nothing unusual."
She sighed. "Then let's hope you got lucky."
Jon gave her a nod and both of them eyed the magazine as their breathing calmed down. He could still feel his heart beating rapidly.
"So…" He looked at her to watch her carefully avoid stepping on the pages to get closer. "You're the boss, what do we do with it? I am pretty sure everyone from artefact storage already had their shift end."
Jon pulled out his phone to look at the time, hands still shaking, it was later than he'd thought. "I'm not sure…"
"If you have nothing, I have something in mind, but I doubt it would work."
"I really don't like carrying this thing around." Sasha was carrying a plastic bag, magazine inside, carefully holding it away from her body.
"I don't either, for the matter, let's hope your idea works."
They had decided to burn it, or try to.
Sasha and Jon selected a secluded alleyway to carefully set the thing on fire. She shook the contents of the bag out on the pavement and both sighed in relief that it was able to burn. Jon didn't want to ask as to why Sasha carried a lighter with her. He was surprised it burned like how paper should. They watched it turn dark and crumple into ash, the red flames illuminating their faces. The was a certain comfort in them. Some passerby gave them a weird look.
"What do we do with… the remains?" Jon had his hands in his pockets, the night's air was cold against his face, his breath almost visible.
Sasha's eyes traveled to the ground, judging the scene. "I don't plan on picking them up. Best to just wait for the rain and let it do its thing."
Jon stared down as well at what remained of the Leitner by their feet. The pile of ash blended in with the concrete and wind sweeping through it was already scattering it.
"Suppose so."
"Didn't think I would spend my evening doing this." She chuckled lightly.
They took comfort in the short silence. Sasha seemed to have a bigger knowledge on the topic of Leitners compared to the rest of his team. It must have come from her previous position in Artefact Storage, Jon presumed. Then Sasha interrupted the silence with a gasp as she looked at her phone.
"Oh, I have to catch my train!" She turned heels and waved. "I'll see you tomorrow, Jon."
"Of course, until tomorrow, Sasha." He looked at his phone as well, to see which bus he could catch.
She walked away a few steps before turning back. "Hey. If you do notice anything weird happening to you, you can call me, alright?"
"I ah- Yes, thank you, Sasha." She nodded before rounding the corner out of sight.
It felt too easy. The way the pages burned down as if they were just that, pages. Nothing special about them. Jon didn't even make the big dinner he planned, opting for a ready meal from the oven. Maybe this was some sort of prank, a joke, a really bad one, but just a joke. He kept checking himself for any changed but his body remained the same. Sleeping didn't come easy to Jon and he yawned all the way from his bed to work. Tim pointed it out.
"Stayed in too late, boss?" He looked up from his monitor, smirk on his face. Tim would tease him about working himself to death sometimes.
Jon had just left his office to grab a new pile of statements to record. "Hm? Oh, I just had trouble falling asleep."
Sasha looked up too, equally busy on her laptop. "But you're.. alright?" She put an emphasis on the word, referring to last nights events.
"Yes. Yes, no, just worrying. Still don't feel anything so I'm very sure it must have been a fake."
"What? You mean like a prank?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Maybe." Jon crossed his arms. "I suppose I didn't look at the label too intently."
Jon heard a chair rolling across the floor, Tim had scooted to the side of his desk. "Anybody want to fill me in on what you're talking about?"
Martin didn't speak up, but he'd looked up from his work too.
Sasha spoke before him. "He touched a Leitner."
Tim pushed his chair back and gripped the edge of the desk. "Woah!"
"What!?" Martin had jumped to his feet, eyes wide.
Everyone working in their section knew the basic dangers of a Leitner.
"Oh, we burned it though." Sasha added.
Martin looked perplexed. "You could burn it?"
"Yes." Jon started, turning his head around as he spoke between the three of them. "Part of the reason why I believe it to be a fake. I read it and I do not feel any different."
Sasha squinted. "Woah wait, I thought you said you didn't read it."
"I didn't I- I looked at the pictures mostly, but I might have caught a few words."
"You…" Tim leaned back in his chair. "Don't feel anything? No spooky mangling of flesh and bones." He wiggled his fingers.
"No, Tim, I feel…" He sighed. "Very normal."
As quickly as it came the excitement left the room and they calmed down. Sasha resumed typing, Tim rolled his chair behind his desk and Martin sat back down.
"Now, if you'll excuse me." Jon picked up the pile with a huff. "I am quite busy."
The statements along with his commentary were recorded swiftly and none of them had any audio issues when played back. Tim added a note to one that he should cross-reference another statement so, wanting to get it done before lunch break, he walked over to the correct shelf. His fingers barely brushed against the folder. Jon knew he was a short guy, but he could remember being able to reach at least this high. With furrowed brows he checked if anybody was around him, then gripped a lower shelf with one hand and jumped, catching the statement between his fingers.
He went out for lunch alone, as usual, deciding to just take a sandwich back with him so he could eat it while filing, he wanted to get home earlier today. The bag with his food gently bounced in his hand as he made it down the stairs into the basement. Tim was in the hallway, heading the opposite way and they greeted each other before Tim squinted at him.
"Wait."
"Hm?" Jon stopped and stared up at Tim, who looked him up and down.
"Did you get… shorter?"
Jon's confusion turned into a scolding look. Tim's jokes were all fun and good, but he didn't appreciate this one. "I am aware of my stature, Tim, you don't need to make jokes about it."
Tim was taking back, lowering his voice. "I-I wasn't trying to."
Jon huffed and walked past him into his office, shutting the door behind him louder than intended. His legs felt a bit sore and he stretched them under the table before rolling himself towards it. Huh. It was a bit too high so Jon adjusted his chair's height back. Much like the mess of the Archives, it had come with Gertrude and was probably old. If he had luck it would break and he could get a newer, comfier one.
Recording the rest went by quicker than he had thought. It was about early afternoon when he put the last folder on the 'done' pile. As Jon stood up he found his legs aching, as did his back and shoulders. He didn't even sit that long today. Jon stretched them, but didn't find any relief. Maybe he could take a hot bath when he got home. He felt very tired.
But alas his assistants and him had a lot left to do so he walked through the Archive's shelves to pick out a box with a pink sticky note, one that he had skimmed through and found statements from multiple decades in. With a groan he got the heavy box into his arms and could barely open the door to get it to the others. He set it down with a deep exhale on the empty desk, save for more files.
"I recorded the statements from earlier so.. next box I suppose."
Martin was already up. Both of them paused as they stood next to each other. Had Martin always been this tall? Jon almost wanted to check if he was wearing heels. Martin seemed to notice as well, looking stunned but didn't mention it.
"I.. guess I will be taking these." He reached in to grab a few.
"Wait."
Martin and Jon paused and looked over at Tim who removed his ear buds and stood up.
"Okay this isn't me trying to make fun of you." He had a firm expression as he pointed to Jon. Tim stood next to him and put his palm over Jon's head, then let it glide to his chest for comparison. Jon should come up to his shoulders. "You're definitely shorter."
Jon looked between Martin and Tim, who had always been taller than him, but now they looked a whole head taller. His eyes squinted in disarray and he paused. "Do you have any measuring tape or-"
Sasha interrupted him. "Oh I think I still have some."
Rummaged through her drawers until, with an 'Aha!' she pulled out the tape and walked over. She looked taller as well. She kneeled down besides him and held the end of the tape next to his feet, then pulled it up and told Martin to take it, who pulled it up. Tim watched with crossed arms.
"What does it say?" She asked.
"One- wait what?" Martin looked confused.
"Martin." Jon gave him a look. "What does it say."
"Well… about 135."
"That's…" Tim did the math in his head. "Like 4 feet 5 inches?"
Jon didn't believe his ears. Idiot must have misread it. "What? Give me that."
He swatted Martin's hands away with a scoff, who where going between his head and the tape. Jon took the tape in his own hands and straightened his posture with extra effort. His back still ached. He put his hand on his head and carefully moved it over to the tape. Turning his head he could see his fingers where just under the 1 meter and 35 centimeter mark.
"See. I told you I wasn't joking before." Tim gestured to the tape.
"That's…" He inhaled sharply, then checked again. Same result. His eyes wandered to the floor in search of an answer. "But How-" He cut himself off. People don't randomly get this much shorter.
Sasha got up to her feet again and took the tape from Jon's hands. "I don't know, did you touch anything weird, any a-"
Jon got the same ideas as she said it.
"The Leitner."
Martin spoke up. "I thought you said you didn't feel anything though?"
"I didn't well- My muscles have been aching a bit, but I just thought it was my posture."
As if on cue the aching suddenly turned into a sharp pain and he let out a grunt as he tensed up. The others all took a step backwards, as if he was going to explode. For a moment it felt like his skin itself was pressing in on him. It was over quickly and Jon tried to collect himself, breathing heavy, as he found all of them staring at him.
"I…" He began.
"Has that happened before?" Sasha asked quickly, looking concerned. Similar expression painted on the others' faces.
"No, f-first time." Jon took a deep breath looking around. "I think I should sit down."
The chair felt clearly bigger than it should have. He leaned back in it.
"I think I'll bring us all some tea." Martin spoke up and turned heel to leave the room.
Jon wanted to protest, give some snarky remark, but he had to be honest, some tea sounded nice right now. It was, soon as Martin came back and it had cooled down enough to drink. The warmth felt nice and Jon tried to relax. As much as he could.
"How's the pain?" Tim asked.
"It's uh- fine, it's fine. It's just the aching now." He set the mug down and picked at his clothes. They still seemed proportional to him. "Can you measure me again?"
Tim nodded. Martin kneeled down to hold the tape this time. Sasha had gone off to research.
"Yeah no.. shorter. 133." Tim checked twice again but the results were the same.
"So.." Martin rose up to his full height again, looming over him. "You're… shrinking?"
"I uh.. I suppose so? I don't really know."
Jon told them he still had work to do, but two more waves of pain came and went and they were practically forcing him to take a break and keep sitting. By the time the evening came his feet had trouble touching the ground in his chair.
"122." Sasha read off of the tape.
"Barely 4 feet." Tim converted, kneeling to hold it.
"Christ..." Martin stared down at him and Jon felt his neck hurting the longer he looked back. "How are you going to get home?"
"I mean I still could." He must have been the same height he was at 10, where he was already taking the bus home alone. "But I uh.. I'm not sure I should?" He sighed. "I don't know how much more height I will loose while sleeping, but I don't want to wake up alone, unable to reach a doorknob."
"What? You'll just sleep in your chair?" Sasha asked.
"If you keep this up, it would get more roomy."
"Tim." They all said in unison, though Jon sounded a lot more bitter.
"No." Jon began. "I have a room set up in the Archives for working late, I can sleep in there."
For a few hours the assistants did their usual work while Jon sat in his office. He tried to do some work, but after the chair wouldn't go up any higher and the pain got worse, he decided to pull his legs up and lean back. The pain came in waves, sometimes worse, sometimes less. Tim had brought him some painkillers, but they only helped so much. Martin brought him more tea and he couldn't deny the small comfort it brought.
He listened back to the tape he last recorded. The gentle wiring behind his own voice with a fake authority. It offered no answer nor solution to his problem, the people in the statement simply vanished. Jon questioned if the same would happen to him as well, shrinking in pain until he wasn't even a speck in the human eye. He pulled his legs closer.
They made sure to check if most if not all people, in the building had gone home before Jon actually moved to the other room. He didn't really care to let even more people know about his state. The cot went up to his thighs now. Sasha and Tim had already left, but Martin had insisted to stay longer and make sure he was alright. He looked taller again and Jon didn't feel like checking that at the moment.
"And you're sure you're fine?" Martin was kneeling in front of the cot, making him eye level with Jon who sat at the edge.
"Yes, I have everything. I'll be fine, Martin."
"Okay, just making sure. If-if you need anything, you can text me, alright?"
"Yes, yes. Now, can I be left alone?" Jon didn't hide his resentment.
"Yea, of course, yeah." Martin stood up and went for the door. "Goodnight, I'll see you tomorrow, Jon." He smiled at him shyly before closing the door.
While the pain had left him exhausted, he still wouldn't fall asleep, so he entertained himself on his phone until he passed out. He didn't think about it, but should have expected that he would see Martin's face first thing in the morning. The knocking woke him up.
"Jon?"
Jon gruntled as he sat up, his muscles ached more than yesterday. He had kept his glasses on and there was a clear mark of them on the side of his face.
"Good morning, sorry, I just wanted to check-"
"Martin?" He looked on his phone. It was a lot bigger than yesterday and luckily left near his head. It was barely 7 in the morning. "What are you doing in so early?"
"Oh! I uhm… I just have a lot to work through, So I thought I should get started sooner."
"Right." Jon tried to stretch his muscles, but it only hurt.
Standing up made him dizzy, his vision blacking out for a moment and Martin reached out a hand, but Jon stepped back from it. Then he looked up at him. A soft 'Oh' escaped him as he cranked his neck up. Way up. He was maybe half his size now, possibly less.
"Do you want me to get the tape?" Martin carefully asked.
Jon nodded and watched him leave to grab it. Martin didn't even need any help holding down the tape, he could do it himself effortlessly. Down on his knees he wasn't even eye level.
"86 centimeters, maybe 87, if you round it up."
Jon wasn't even 3 feet anymore. He could see how much smaller he's gotten just by looking around, but having a number to confirm it made the situation really sink in. He wondered how much smaller he would get. "Good lord…"
"How is the pain?" Martin carefully inched the tape back inside.
"Not better really, but also not worse." Jon rubbed his aching arms.
Martin hummed in sympathy, but stopped when he looked to his feet. "Did… did you sleep in your shoes?"
"I uh.. yes. I was afraid if i didn't wear them they wouldn't shrink with me like my clothing. Same thing with my glasses."
"That makes sense, I guess." He looked back at his face. "Do you want some tea before I start working?"
The tea mug was huge in his hands and he couldn't finish it. The rest of the day he spend on the cot, rolling around bored and in pain. Sasha and Tim also came in to check on him and later bring him some take out for lunch. He really should have requested finger food, everything was oversized and using a fork proved difficult. He felt like a child compared to everything, being the size of one at the moment. And he couldn't deny his swelling anxiety of everything gradually getting bigger around him.
Hours went on and nothing happened as the others continued on with work. Jon spend most of the time in a haze, taking more painkillers than was probably healthy. Before their shift ended they all found themselves in the small room. Martin had not gone home earlier like he had planned. Jon wasn't sure he needed to know how small he was know, it was very obvious he'd lost even more height, but Sasha insisted.
"Wow, pretty much exactly 50." She read off, kneeling on the floor, next to Jon.
"What's that in imperial?" Martin asked, seated on the floor.
"Uh..1 foot 7-ish." Tim answered, sitting next to him.
Sasha pulled the tape back, sitting down on her knees. "Did the pain get any better?" She had a look on her face that told she could guess at the answer.
Jon shook his head. "Not.. really."
"Any idea when this might stop?" Tim leaned forward, equally concerned expression.
Jon shook his head again, sighing this time. "None."
They all gave him sympathetic looks and discussed what to do next. Jon didn't feel much in the mood for higher conversations and leaned against the cot's metal leg as another wave of pain hit. They decided to leave the bigger questions for tomorrow, hoping Jon would feel better by then. He made it clear he wouldn't want to tell Elias, not eager to loose his new promotion so soon just by virtue of not being careful enough.
Jon stood up from the floor as they did, judging the hight of the cot. He could maybe pull himself up on the bed now, but he was far too tired in the moment. "Could uh.. someone give me a lift?"
"Oh sure." Tim was the first to lean down.
Jon yelped as his hands neatly wrapped around his torso, his fingers intertwining. They were so big in comparison. His arms were raised and his shirt pulled up a bit as his feet left the ground. "Tim!"
He held onto the fingers and couldn't help himself kicking his legs, before pulling them close as he was raised up, only forcing himself to straighten them out so Tim could set him down. He felt a bit shaky on them.
"There." Tim pulled his hands away and Jon tugged his shirt back down. He added with a wincing expression: "Sorry."
Jon gave him a glare, though it softened quickly. "Give me a warning next time, please."
Martin was the last one to leave again, insisting on bringing him a fresh glass of water. He said his goodbyes and was about to close the door.
"Martin could- when you come in tomorrow first again, could you check for me?" He was afraid he would need more help tomorrow with getting around.
"Of course, Jon."
Falling asleep went harder than it did last time and he tried not to think how much smaller the bed got around him. He fell asleep when the painkiller started working. It was that kind of short bad sleep where Jon woke up, not feeling like he fell asleep at all. He turned around and found himself surprised how much better he felt, his muscles feeling tired and raw, but not aching. It was still dark, but he quickly realised it was because the blanket covered him. He tried to find the ends of it.
"Jon?" It was muffled but he could make our Martin's voice. It seemed louder.
He heard shuffling, something under him shook, then his whole world turned around as the blanket shifted. He landed on the cot and slightly bounced. Jon blinked to adjust to the light as the blanket was removed from him. Martin face came into view and he was looming over him. He moved closer and his head blocked out the lights above, bathing Jon in shadow.
"Oh." Jon was on his back, propped up by his arms. He had already been small last evening, but this was worse. The assistant looked huge in comparison.
Martin seemed to be in shock too, mouth hung open. He closed it and his eyebrows knitted in concern. "How.. how are you feeling, Jon?" Even held low, his voice was loud and rumbled through Jon's chest.
He cleared his throat, raising his voice as he faired he wouldn't be heard. "I uh… better, I suppose." He stretched an arm. "The ache seems to be less at least."
He hoped that meant something good. Maybe if the pain was connected to shrinking this meant that he had stopped. "I just hope I won't get smaller."
Martin put his hands on the cot and Jon noted how much bigger they looked. "I mean… you are already pretty tiny."
"I am aware, Martin, I don't need it pointed out to me."
"Sorry, sorry."
Jon moved up into a sitting position and looked down on himself. Sleeping with shoes was uncomfortable, but at least they still fit his feet, same with his glasses. Not having changed his clothes since he started shrinking they felt gross and sweaty and Jon wished for a nice shower.
"Now that I feel better," Jon began. "I think I we should discuss what to do next with the others."
He stood up and walked over to the edge but even from here he could see it was quite a drop for him now. "I uh.. I think I require some assistance getting to them."
"Oh, what like- Should I pick you up or…"
Jon wasn't found of the idea, but he couldn't see a better solution. "I don't see any other option." With a stern expression he added: "Be careful."
"Alright, uh…"
He watched Martins hands reach out to him, they got bigger and bigger until they were right next to him. Laying on their sides they went up to his waist. Jon tried to stay still and calm as Martin's fingers approached from different sides, only to retreat with disproving noises. He felt the back of his shirt tucked on, but a look made Martin drop the idea.
"Wait." Martin pulled his hands back only to lay both of them palm facing up on the bed. "What if you just… kinda stand on them?"
"That… I suppose that might work."
Jon could see a smile across his face as he approached. One palm would be enough area to stand on and he decided to go for the one on the left. He carefully put one foot on the palm to test it, it gave a bit away under his weight. His second foot joined and he stood in the middle of it. It felt a bit surreal.
"Ready?" Martin asked.
Jon nodded in response, then felt the ground under him shift. His stance immediately widened as he felt his balance shift. But Martin's hand kept moving higher, his feet stepped around first before he entirely lost his balance and fell back.
With an 'oof!' he landed and looking around he saw he nearly fell off, had it not been for Martin's second hand under him.
"Martin! I said be careful!" He gruntled as he pushed himself back on his feet.
"Sorry, sorry, I'm trying!"
"Try harder!" Jon stood back in the middle of the palm, but he still felt unsteady, the hand kept twitching.
"Maybe you should just sit down, Jon?" His shoulders were hunched up and he sounded very unsure.
Jon enjoyed the authority he still had, even if he now fit inside his hand. He stared up at him, then down as the shifting of the hand made him readjust his stance. He sighed. "Fine."
He lowered himself and sat on his knees, hands resting in his lap. His stomach dropped as Jon got lifted up high, higher than he was normally tall, to Martin's eye level. One of his hands reached out to press against Martin's palm for support and balance. He swallowed down some fear thinking of falling from this height, his breath shaky. He told Martin to go slower, who apologised again.
His second hand held the other after he opened the door and walked down the corridor. Seeing a figure approaching them he was about to instruct Martin to hide him from view, but it was only Tim.
"Oh, how is our little Archivist doing?" He must have just arrived, still in his jacket.
"Tim…" Martin moved his hand out of the way for a clearer view and lifted him higher.
"Sorry, I didn't…" He trailed off as his eyes landed on Jon, staring down at him stunned. "Woah."
Tim's huge eyes looked down at him and it started hurting Jon's neck to keep eye contact. There was something unsettling about his face taking up his whole vision.
They all stood in silence until Jon cleared his throat. "Let's uh… let's discuss this my office."
Martin set him down on his desk and Jon climbed up a few folders to feel some kind of authority, while they loomed over him. Tim texted Sasha to come in as soon as possible.
Jon turned to Tim after he pocketed his phone. "Can you measure me again? I want to make sure it has actually stopped."
He nodded, but Martin was quicker to grab the tape. "What makes you think it's stopped?" Tim asked after Martin handed it over, pulling out a few inches.
"I haven't felt any of the pain since last night, I thought they might be connected." He pointed out and Tim hummed in response.
Jon watched as Tim held the end of the tape down and stretched it out with one hand. His hands were huge as well. His free one rested a fingers on top of his head and Jon reminded himself to keep his posture straight as it glided to the tape, messing his hair up a bit.
"That's… Wow. Pretty much 5 inches."
He looked over to see his finger rest at 12.8 centimeters before Tim moved it away, letting the tape loudly snap back. Jon fixed his hair. "We'll keep checking over the next few hours, to see if it changes."
They all turned around to the noise of the door open swung open. It was Sasha who looked out of breath as she set her bag down.
"Sorry my-" She paused and blinked as she saw Jon. "My train was delayed."
"It's fine." Jon reassured her, raising his voice so she would hear. "Now that everyone's present.. I think we should plan what to do, it will be harder to keep up my duties at this stature, especially any live statements."
"Couldn't you ask for some leave?" Sasha took her coat off.
"Yes, but that would only be for so long and I…" He trailed off. He hadn't put much thought into it, but his might be permanent. While he was glad about not shrinking out of existence, Jon was not physically capable of most things. He betted even writing an email would be a huge effort. "Well I am not sure how long this will last."
They all nodded and Tim gave a 'hmm'.
There was a knock at the door and all of them froze, silent.
"I'll see who it is." Martin volunteered.
"Don't let them in!" Jon screamed after him, Martin nodded in return.
Martin opened the door, by just a gap, and seemed surprised. Jon couldn't make out words. but he recognised the voice. A short conversation was held and Jon thought about hiding somewhere before the figure pushed past Martin.
"Sorry, Jon, I couldn't stop him." Martin trailed behind. If Jon weren't busy he would have wanted to scold him.
As if he didn't need to search the room Elias' eyes immediately fell on Jon with a weight that made him feel nailed to the spot. He walked up to him, staring down in stunned silence.
"Well, that's certainly… a predicament." Elias folded his hands behind his back. The way his eyebrows moved almost made him look like he expressed concern. "How did this happen?"
"We believe it was a Leitner." Tim explained.
"A Leitner? In the Archivist's office?" Only his head turned towards whoever spoke.
Jon watched it turn down to him. "It-it was with some evidence and looked misplaced. I didn't realise that 'book' referred to a comic book."
Elias made sounds, not in agreement, but just to let him know he understood. "And where is it now? Artefact Storage, I presume."
"We burned it." Sasha interrupted to explain. "Everyone in the department had already gone home."
"You burned it? Hm." He seemed a bit surprised they were able to. "And you don't think there will be further.. changes?"
"No, I uh- I think the shrinking has stopped. We'll keep checking my height for any fluctuations."
Martin held up the tape and Elias gave a nod.
Elias' composure was uncannily well for the situation and he seemed more judgemental of Jon burning the comic. He looked content, having his questions answered, but still like he was studying Jon, eyes burning into him.
"What are you even doing down here, big boss?" Tim asked, making Elias turn his head to him.
"I thought I should check in on," He turned back to Jon. "the Archivist's work performance."
"You seem to be taken this well." Sasha commented.
"Don't get it confused, I am very perplexed, but I am no stranger to the paranormal. And if it was a Leitner's work, well… I am mostly glad our Archivist isn't in a worse shape."
Jon had to agree with him, for a Leitner's doing it could have gone a lot worse. He knew that first hand. Elias' voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Can you still record statements?"
Jon looked down on the folder he was standing on, it was huge in comparison but he could walk around the page to read it. "I suppo- yes, I can."
"Good, you can keep doing that for now. I'll try and see for myself if there isn't as solution to your… state."
Jon perked up. "You think this is reversible?"
Elias sighed. "I am hoping it is. I'll keep an eye out either way."
"Should-" Martin began. "Should we do the same?"
Elias hummed, then nodded. "Probably for the best." Then made his way over to the exit. "Notify me in case anything important happens."
Jon nodded and watched him leave, closing the door behind him. Everyone let out a sigh and it felt like the air got easier to breath.
Tim shook his head. "Making you work even when you're 5 inches short.. what a wanker."
"Tim, don't call him that…" Martin interjected.
Sasha nodded in agreement. "No, Tim's got a point. You should take at least a bit off."
"No, it's- it's fine. I feel a lot better already." Jon stretched his back before getting off of the folders, looking over the desk. Recoding statements should be easy enough. He eyed his laptop.
"Uh… could someone open my laptop for me?"