Rhea looked frantically around the house, a cold dread creeping into her chest. It just wasn't like her girlfriend to suddenly disappear without a word, not without a quick message or even a mumbled "be right back." They always told each other where they were going, even if it was just to the corner store. This silence was heavy, unlike her, and it made Rhea's stomach churn with worry.

She started her search in the living room, checking under the couch cushions where dust bunnies gathered and the faint smell of citrus air freshener lingered, then peered behind the curtains that filtered golden sunlight into the room. As if her girlfriend might have simply melted into the furniture. Then she moved to the kitchen, opening pantry doors that creaked slightly on their hinges and glancing into every cupboard, the scent of coffee beans and baking spices filling her nostrils as her mind raced with all sorts of impossible scenarios. Each empty room she checked made the knot in her stomach tighter.

The bedroom was next, then the bathroom with its cool tile floors and the faint hum of the exhaust fan, then the small spare room they used for storage where the air felt stagnant and dusty. Every familiar space felt strangely hollow without her girlfriend there. Rhea called out her name, softly at first, then louder, her voice echoing in the sudden quiet of the house. There was no answer, just the growing thud of her own heartbeat in her ears.

Rhea was about to throw in the towel, her hope starting to fade with each empty room. One last look, she thought, heading back to the bathroom. Her eyes scanned the familiar blue and white tiles, the fogged mirror, the edge of the tub still damp from this morning's shower. Just as she was about to turn away, a whisper of a sound reached her ears. It was faint, barely there, like a tiny squeak against the porcelain. She paused, straining to hear it again over the sound of her own breathing.

Then it came, a tiny, almost inaudible voice calling her name. "Rhea?" It was so small, so soft, she almost convinced herself she'd imagined it. But no, there it was again, a little louder this time. Her head snapped toward the sound, which seemed to be coming from... the sink? She leaned closer, her eyes scanning the curved porcelain basin. And there, nestled near the silver drain, was her girlfriend. But not as she should be. Her girlfriend was... tiny. Incredibly, unbelievably small. Rhea blinked, then blinked again, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. It was definitely her, but shrunken down to the size of her thumb.