What´s More Convenient? - Chapter 4 (Patreon)

Chapter 4

Kyle was in despair. His height was altered, he´s loosing inches and inches and inches! His body remains practically the same as it was, proportional, however, he´s standing two inches shorter.

He was annoyed enough not to stand at six-feet-tall. He stood at 5´11”, but that was gone!

He walks down the office, concerned. He´s unsure as to how this works, uncertain about the true mechanics behind this. All he knows, or believes to know, is that this is magic.

So far, he realized one thing. For some reason, people have the power to shrink him. Not that they are aware, but whatever height they say he is, that´s the one he´ll stand at. So, if they perceive him as an inch shorter, he´ll be losing an inch.

He wonders if it´s possible for people to grow him back, what if they perceived him taller? Could that work?

Now, there´s also another thing, something he´s recently learned. Apparently, he can also alter other people´s heights. Why? He doesn´t have time, or the chance, to ask.

Yesterday, he told a lady she was 5´11”, to ensure he wouldn´t lose any height. And, before his eyes, things changed! He lost no height, instead, the lady grew taller!

He´s curious about that, can he make people shorter too?

Kyle´s currently standing at 5´9”, and he´s looking for someone to try a little something. Someone at the office who he can persuade to admit he´s taller.

It´ll be crazy if he told them a witch has a spell on him. So, he must be casual, discrete.

Now, how is he going to make it happen? How can he casually ask someone else to say he´s taller? How can he turn things into a height-related conversation?

“Kyle…” he heard a voice, a female´s voice, calling his name. “Shouldn´t you be at your desk, working?” she asked.

Kyle turned, and immediately spotted his boss. Mrs. Sinclair.

“Oh… hi.” He smiled.

Mrs. Sinclair was a mature woman, probably in her mid-fifties. She had blonde hair, and deep-blue eyes. And, most of the time, she had a stern look in her face.

She didn´t greet him back, instead, she just rose an eyebrow at him. She might be the last person he wants to meet, but still, could she do him that particular favor?

“Why aren´t you at your desk? Working?” She said, once again. All she wants is for employees to be productive, and not to take unnecessary breaks. She doesn´t like work avoiders.

“Oh, well… I took a break, you know… a quick bathroom break. I was actually on my way back.” He lied.

“Are you sure? It seems to me that you were looking for something…” she caught him. He was turning everywhere, looking for someone to help him out. And she noticed.

She walked towards him, her heels, clacking as she made her way. Kyle was concerned, she was the type of lady that immediately points everything out.

If people are tucked in, if their ties are poorly done. Stains on shirts. Messy hair. Every single detail. And now, there´s a big chance she´ll point out about his height. She just notices everything!

“Shit…” he thought, was he going to be shrunken down by the boss?

Mrs. Sinclair wasn´t a particularly tall woman, she stood at 5´7”, a decent height, but not amazon level. Her legs were thick, and he could see her plump calves below her skirt level. And he also noticed her heels. Apparently, they were two-inch heels. Not too much, but still, enough boost to make her the same height he is.

All he was begging was for her not to say a thing. She´ll notice if they are both the same height. She´ll say something, and if she says it the wrong way, then he´ll shrink!

“Please don´t notice. Please don´t notice…” he begged, internally, as he smiled at her. Standing straight, as tall as he could.

She had a cold look in her eyes as she approached. And the closer she got, it was easier for him to tell she was just as tall as he was.

“Tell me, what are you doing here? Isn´t there a closer bathroom to your desk?” she asked, standing right before him, and just as tall as him!

“Well… there is but… they were cleaning it so… I had to come all the way here…” he lied.

“I see… ok. But, now that you´re here, why don´t we talk a little about your performance. Your productivity levels are going down, should I be worried?” She asked.

“My…? Oh, no. I… I´ll work on that. Sure, by the next week, you´ll see some better numbers.” All he wanted was for her to dismiss him and walk away. If someone was going to point his height out, it was her, for sure!

“Please, make sure. Else, I might have to call you to my office. Let´s take this as a verbal warning, ok?” that means he can leave, right?

“Sure. Of course, I will.” He was waiting for her to turn back and walk away, but she didn´t. She stayed there.

Her eyes went up and down his face. She noticed! She looked at him, then, she took a step back, and scanned him. From head to toes. It felt awkward, he was worried.

“There´s something different about you…” she stated.

Fuck! She noticed!

Kyle kept an innocent smile as he played dumb. “Different?” he asked, trying to fool her.

“I don´t know…” she said. Thinking.

“Maybe… it´s my hair? I just… cut it last week.” He said.

“That´s not it…” she replied.

“Well… this shirt´s sort of new…” he added.

“I´ve seen it before. There´s something else, but I can´t quite… oh, I got it!” He was screwed. And her next words just put the last nails on his coffin. “Weren´t you taller?”

She said it.

Kyle´s heart sank on his chest. It´ll be nice if she just said he was 5´9”, that´ll be his accurate height. And, what will happen if people just say how tall he is? If they say he´s 5´9”, then he remains 5´9”, right?

He could also just admit it, then nothing will happen. But there was something stopping him. His ego. Even if he stood at 5´9”, he´d still say he´s 5´11”, that´s just how stubborn he is.

“Taller? I don´t… I don´t think…” he started, trying to change the subject, but, now that they were talking about it, why not trying to appear taller? Could he still change the topic so that things went his way?

No chance…

“I´m pretty sure I used to look up at you. Maybe… two, or three inches? But, right now, we´re at the same level…” she approached. Stood inches away from him, standing just as tall.

Kyle swallowed, he had to do something! And quick! Before she makes a mistake and he ends up walking away as a 5´8” man.

“I don´t think so… I mean, you´re a tall… you´re tall, ma´am. Perhaps, you might be taller than you think?” If this couldn´t go his way, then at least, it won´t work against him.

“Oh, I don´t think…” he interrupted her.

“I´m sure… maybe… maybe you´re taller than you think. You know… to me, you seem like… how tall?” What would be an accurate number? He made the math, his old height, minus two-inches… “5´9”? I mean, without the heels, of course…”

“Don´t you mean… with the heels? I thought you were about six-feet-tall. 5´11”, at least.” She stated.

“Oh, I am! I mean, I´m 5´11”… yeah.” Still, sure… a lie.

“I don´t know…” she said, she was not going to give up. But he´ll insist.

“Oh, don´t be shy. Height´s just… a number, right? An inch, two inches… Don´t you feel 5´9”?” he was trying to convince her.

“I guess, but without the heels…” she started, pointing out that she was 5´9”, IN those heels.

“Oh, heels on, heels off. You´re 5´9”, ma´am. And I won´t believe you´re not.” This was starting to get awkward. Even to her.

In order for this to be over, and for him to go back to work, she´ll give in. “I guess you´re right. I might be 5´9”.” She´s never seen someone getting so awkward about it. It wasn´t just his words, but his body language. He seems concerned, as if something bad would happen. She´ll keep that in mind…

“You are!” she agreed, that was great! Now, time to go. “Well, I gotta go, you know, if we want to see those numbers rising, I must be back at my desk, right?”

“I guess…” he was acting strange.

“See you later, Mrs. Sinclair.” And so, he turned over his heels and rushed.

Mrs. Sinclair had no idea what was going on. He was acting so strange. However, since she agreed on the height he set for her…

She expanded, a little. Two inches in height are something. She grew taller, without noticing, she was too curious as to what was going on with him.

She blinked, looked elsewhere. During that time, her body expanded. Taller, but also thicker, in all the right places. Her working clothes are too conservative for anyone to notice the changes, but those clothes surely seem a bit tighter on the chest department. And also on the butt…

Kyle rushed back to his desk. Feeling as if he had dodged a bullet. He was certain she had grown, he didn´t stop to see it, but he´s sure she did. Else, he would´ve felt the shrinking.

Once he gets back home, he´ll check on his height, just to make sure things are the same.

“That was close…” he started, “I think it´ll be better to try tomorrow…” Maybe he´ll have a better chance…

His perception of things was not that messed up. Two-inches in height, well that makes him feel annoyed, but there´s no such a difference. With things, of course, because with people, that´s a whole other deal…

His desk feels the same, the keyboard feels the same. Pencils, his mug. He could live the rest of his life as a 5´9” man, easily. But he won´t.

His resolution, his next move, is to try and trick someone to tell him he´s taller.

So far, he´s got a plan. A few, actually.

First, an easy option. Text his friend Jim. Just a casual text. Ask him to admit he´s 5´11”, and that´s it.

What would it take? An “ok”, a “yes”. Or maybe, being a bit strict, he must reply “You´re 5´11”.” He can hardly wait to try that one.

And another plan he´s got is, to order some heels. Not lady-like, more like insoles. To boost him back up to 5´11”, two-inch should do.

He´s got a lot to try. Plus, once he´s back home, he´ll check out if he´s still 5´9”, or, maybe, he could be back to 5´11”?

“No, just 5´9”.” He stated as he measured himself. No luck, however, someone else was lucky…

At a fancy place, a big house, with marble floors. There was a woman in particular. Mrs. Sinclair.

She was back at her place, and that height chat she had with Kyle, it just stuck in her mind. Not too much, but since she was back home, and with nothing else in mind but dinner, she started thinking…

“Why would he think I´m 5´9”?” With heels, that´ll make her 5´11”, and that´s weird.

She pulled out her driver´s license. And the numbers were clear. She´s 5´7”, or… was she?

She couldn´t stop thinking about it, what would make him think that? She had no idea, however, she stopped, right before she hopped into a nice bath, to look at her reflection in the mirror.

She couldn´t believe her eyes. Her body… it seemed different. More… firm. She was stranged by that.

She hasn´t been working out, not even following a strict diet, and, for some reason, she looks better than she´s ever done in months! Why is that?

“Is it a hormonal thing?” She wondered as she looked at her boobs. They seemed fuller, firmer. She turned, to look at a firmer butt, more peach-shaped than before.

“Am I getting fat?” Maybe she was getting thick in all of the right places? But then, as she wondered about body changes, another one came to her mind. Height.

Could it be? Could that be? She had no idea, but after the bath, she´ll make sure to check…

“I can´t believe what I´m doing…” she thought as she stood straight in front of the wall, and drew a line, right above her head.

This felt foolish. Dumb even. She´s a woman in her fifties, there´s no chance she´s still growing. But the changes on her body… she feels good, she looks better. She´s just checking, to be sure.

It´s not like she´s got something better to do right now…

“No… way…” she, as a well-prepared woman, has a bunch of things she keeps “just-in-case”, amongst that, there´s a measuring tape. And, as she pulls the tape all the way to the mark, she can see her height. Her actual height. “5… 9?” Apparently, she´s 5´9”.

But how? Her license says she´s 5´7”, she´s been 5´7” her whole life. And now, just now, she´s 5´9”?

How? What has happened? 5´9” on her bare feet? How could she grow two-inches without even trying? Wouldn´t she need a surgery or something?

The only thing she´s done different was that weird conversation, that awkward conversation with Kyle. Could that be?

“No way, Cristina Sinclair, you´re overthinking…” But what if there was a possibility? What if?

She looks better, taller, sure, but her body. There´s a few more changes than just height. She wonders, could that be… good? And, how could she use this in her favor?

Imagine, a fountain of youth, and also of growth…

Not everyone´s the same, but older people, they certainly miss their younger days. Some even dream of a chance. What if, to Mrs. Sinclair, this was it?

She cannot waste a chance…

“I forgot, Jim, how tall were you?” Kyle texted.

“You know already. Gosh, what´s with you and height? I´m 6´.” Jim replied, a bit annoyed about how constant Kyle was with this.

“Sorry, man. I was just curious. BTW, do you remember how tall I am?” This was his chance. If he writes back 5´11”, then he might grow back.

Kyle was lying at his couch as he waited for the reply. It was late noon, and he wanted to make sure if this´ll work. He had the measuring tape ready, even if there was already a mark at his wall.

Maybe Jim was annoyed already. Maybe he does say it too often. Maybe this is why that witch cast this spell on him. Does he deserve this?

His moment of deep thought was cut off when he heard the bell of his phone, a message was delivered.

“You´re 5’11”, right?” Jim was tired of this, but Kyle was still his friend. He was a little annoyed, but he´ll let it slip. At least for now.

Jim seriously believes that, one of these days, Kyle will leave this aside. Little does he know, Kyle´s currently in a situation when he´ll bring this up more and more and more often. After all, he´s on a spell…

“Nice! Great to know you´re aware ;D” a silly reply.

“Yeah, you´ve only bring that up like twenty times… this year.” Jim replied.

“Sorry for that, man LOL” Last reply, and now, time to check if his plan worked!

He rushed, stood before the wall, standing as straight as he could and… the line was still set at 5´9”.

“Shit…” Well, at least he didn´t lose any height. “Ok, let´s order the insoles then…” and so, he went on and ordered a pair online.

He even thought about going to three-inch ones and boost himself up to six-feet-tall. But that would be too much.

“A week?! I have to wait a week!” there were not many options available. To deliver two-inch insoles, there was a seven-week frame for delivery. Too much of a wait.

But not much people order insoles. Plus, most of them are just one-inch. And he needs two inches.

A week was not too much time for something you don´t need. However, for something you do need, that´s a LOT!

If he can survive a week, then he´ll be fine. But, what would happen if people start pointing his height out? What are the chances?

Chances are, if anyone, by any chance, says something that cost him inches. Well… then those insoles won´t work. Those two-inches will do little to nothing to boost him back up to 5´11”.

“Ok, let´s order three-inch too. And… I should consider shopping higher platform shoes.” The things he must do.

There´s a few other things he has in mind. Does the spell have an expiration date?

If only he could find Aurora. If only he could apologize. He´ll do whatever!

“Aurora?” He said, as he stood in the middle of an empty room. Called for her, in the hopes that her voice will talk back.

She´s done it before, whether inside his mind or not, she talked to him without being at the same room. Or, she´s spying on him. Either way, she should be able to tell.

“Aurora, are you listening?” Apparently, she wasn´t, because there was no reply. Or so he thought…

Aurora could see him, she could listen as she looked at her crystal ball. And yes, it´s a bit of a cliché, but… she´s got a crystal ball.

“Sorry, you won´t hear from me… until we meet in person, of course. Hopefully, it´ll be soon…” of course she was aware of him. Of course she kept an eye on him from time to time.

When will she meet him? She´s not sure. Soon, as she said. After a couple more inches? To tease him with some hope? She´s unsure, but she´ll love to see him beg!

This will be a lesson he´ll never forget…