HOME | DD

Description

The 5th Annual Mayor's Summer Gala kicked off to a successful start as some three hundred and fifty people, representing the city's most wealthy and influential patrons, gathered under the sprawling canvas pavilion set up for the exclusive event. Local businessmen networked as their wives caught up on the latest gossip; couples strolled from station to station enjoying hors d'oeuvres, sipping wine, and listening to a series of string quartets positioned at strategic locations throughout the venue; and groups of wealthy young socialites took selfies for Instagram in their Summer dresses while occasionally posing for pictures taken by professional photographers commissioned for the event. Like years prior, the main purpose of the Gala was to raise money for the Cancer Society as well as to rub shoulders with the types of people who get invitations to the Mayor's Summer Gala. But this year, a second and special occasion attuned to the private event. This year's gala marked the first full year of "zero cases" after the decade's long "Great Shrinking Pandemic" devastated the world's population and then ebbed away as mysteriously as it arrived; leaving some 40% of the male population shrunk along with 5% of the female population. In celebration of this momentous milestone, the Gala Executive Board included an amenity missing from prior years. An amenity which sought to impress the invited guests and bring an air of whimsy to the proceedings. An amenity which the organizers hired to put on the Gala hoped would be the talk of Society until next year's Summer Gala. This year, there were tiny people volunteering as waitstaff; each of them trained to take and serve drink orders to the assembled guests.

Some sixty little men dressed in doll-sized black suits with little vests scurried around the venue floor; dodging and weaving in between the menacing footfalls of their giant superiors whose towering legs loomed above their field of vision. Arriving at a stationary guest, the little men would carefully tug on the hem of their garment or gently touch the side of their ankle to gather the giant's attention; gingerly committing their order to memory and then dashing back to the bar to recite that order to the full-sized bar staff. It was hard and tiring work, but each tiny person was more than grateful to be there. This was their chance to show the best of Society that Tiny People had value too. To maybe convinced some important person at the Gala to advocate on behalf of their plight and help turn their collective social status and political fortunes for the better. In fact, the social status of Tiny People had been so far degraded over the years that volunteering as waitstaff without pay was better than the alternative; even for a little man who was a medical doctor before catching the Shrinking Disease. This was primarily because the Shrinking Disease represented an enormous shift in society, governments, and the global markets; even after the world carried on to eventually adjusted to the new normal. Today, the surviving remnants of the shrinking disease face hardships, humiliations, and widespread wanton discrimination; mostly living off government subsidies and food vouchers (which are widely politically unpopular) as they struggle to survive in a giant world that is no longer meant for them. As such, the more enlightened and charitable citizens of all income levels started to take Tiny People into their homes as domestic servants. This arrangement was applauded by even the staunchest opponents of "Tiny Rights" as it gave Tiny People a purpose, food, shelter, and occasionally a private income outside of the government services provided by full-sized taxpayers. However, some of these arrangements eventually became abusive as the giant masters of the household fell victim to the psychological phenomenon in which one feels increasingly disgusted by the utter helplessness of Tiny People and their pitiful efforts to complete simple tasks; efforts which are a constant reminder of their inability to provide any real value to the household outside of amusement at those pitiful efforts themselves - relegating some Tiny People to little more than family pets or accidental jesters after just a few weeks of domestic service. Over several years, this disgust became nearly universal amongst the population; only increasing the stigma surrounding Tiny People and making their lives more desperate and precarious.

Dr. Mallory, as he was known prior to the Pandemic, was a firm believer that his performance as a volunteer waiter at this year's Gala could help how the public viewed his people; polishing his tiny shoes to a mirror shine the night before and ironing his uniform to a sharp crease in the morning. During the event itself, Dr. Mallory was determined to outwork his peers. He filled some seven drink orders within an hour; remembering them by heart and bringing each oversized glass of alcohol back to the same giant who gave the order - being quick in his gait while cradling each container against his chest as not to spill it. All was going well until he brought back an order of red wine to a notoriously bratty socialite and her equally spoiled sister whom he'd recognized from the tabloids. Approaching them from behind, Dr. Mallory had to somehow attract their attention; standing under their long smooth legs as they each rose above him like a pair of Giant Sequoia trees disappearing into the mountain of fabric that was their coordinated knee-length floral dresses. Attempting to secure the glass flute with one arm as he reached out to one of the giant's ankles with the other arm proved to be a colossal mistake. As soon as he shuffled the glass from one arm to the next, the wine sloshed in just the right way to completely throw off its balance; sending the glass and its contents falling to the floor with a loud and high pitch ring - the type of sound a hollowed cavity of tempered glass makes when hitting a marble floor without shattering. As the glass "ting" sound occurred during a natural lull in conversation, several guests heard it and glanced downwards to see what happened. Dr. Mallory felt humiliated and he knew things would only get worse if the gigantic spoiled girls standing far above him decided to stir up drama for the tabloid press in attendance.

Thinking quickly, Dr. Mallory threw himself at the mercy of the socialites. He literally dropped to his knees in front of everyone and started vigorously kissing the exposed toe of one of the giant sisters with shameless abandon; repeating "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry" over and over again between kisses.

Dr. Mallory would be immediately fired and ejected from the Gala for his mistake.

But on the bright side, he got a voicemail from one of the sisters the next morning. She was wondering if he would be interested in coming to join her staff of tiny domestic servants.

--------

Alt version:

Description

The 5th Annual Mayor's Summer Gala kicked off to a successful start as some three hundred and fifty people, representing the city's most wealthy and influential patrons, gathered under the sprawling canvas pavilion set up for the exclusive event. Local businessmen networked as their wives caught up on the latest gossip; couples strolled from station to station enjoying hors d'oeuvres, sipping wine, and listening to a series of string quartets positioned at strategic locations throughout the venue; and groups of wealthy young socialites took selfies for Instagram in their Summer dresses while occasionally posing for pictures taken by professional photographers commissioned for the event. Like years prior, the main purpose of the Gala was to raise money for the Cancer Society as well as to rub shoulders with the types of people who get invitations to the Mayor's Summer Gala. But this year, a second and special occasion attuned to the private event. This year's gala marked the first full year of "zero cases" after the decade's long "Great Shrinking Pandemic" devastated the world's population and then ebbed away as mysteriously as it arrived; leaving some 40% of the male population shrunk along with 5% of the female population. In celebration of this momentous milestone, the Gala Executive Board included an amenity missing from prior years. An amenity which sought to impress the invited guests and bring an air of whimsy to the proceedings. An amenity which the organizers hired to put on the Gala hoped would be the talk of Society until next year's Summer Gala. This year, there were tiny people volunteering as waitstaff; each of them trained to take and serve drink orders to the assembled guests.

Some sixty little men dressed in doll-sized black suits with little vests scurried around the venue floor; dodging and weaving in between the menacing footfalls of their giant superiors whose towering legs loomed above their field of vision. Arriving at a stationary guest, the little men would carefully tug on the hem of their garment or gently touch the side of their ankle to gather the giant's attention; gingerly committing their order to memory and then dashing back to the bar to recite that order to the full-sized bar staff. It was hard and tiring work, but each tiny person was more than grateful to be there. This was their chance to show the best of Society that Tiny People had value too. To maybe convinced some important person at the Gala to advocate on behalf of their plight and help turn their collective social status and political fortunes for the better. In fact, the social status of Tiny People had been so far degraded over the years that volunteering as waitstaff without pay was better than the alternative; even for a little man who was a medical doctor before catching the Shrinking Disease. This was primarily because the Shrinking Disease represented an enormous shift in society, governments, and the global markets; even after the world carried on to eventually adjusted to the new normal. Today, the surviving remnants of the shrinking disease face hardships, humiliations, and widespread wanton discrimination; mostly living off government subsidies and food vouchers (which are widely politically unpopular) as they struggle to survive in a giant world that is no longer meant for them. As such, the more enlightened and charitable citizens of all income levels started to take Tiny People into their homes as domestic servants. This arrangement was applauded by even the staunchest opponents of "Tiny Rights" as it gave Tiny People a purpose, food, shelter, and occasionally a private income outside of the government services provided by full-sized taxpayers. However, some of these arrangements eventually became abusive as the giant masters of the household fell victim to the psychological phenomenon in which one feels increasingly disgusted by the utter helplessness of Tiny People and their pitiful efforts to complete simple tasks; efforts which are a constant reminder of their inability to provide any real value to the household outside of amusement at those pitiful efforts themselves - relegating some Tiny People to little more than family pets or accidental jesters after just a few weeks of domestic service. Over several years, this disgust became nearly universal amongst the population; only increasing the stigma surrounding Tiny People and making their lives more desperate and precarious.

Dr. Mallory, as he was known prior to the Pandemic, was a firm believer that his performance as a volunteer waiter at this year's Gala could help how the public viewed his people; polishing his tiny shoes to a mirror shine the night before and ironing his uniform to a sharp crease in the morning. During the event itself, Dr. Mallory was determined to outwork his peers. He filled some seven drink orders within an hour; remembering them by heart and bringing each oversized glass of alcohol back to the same giant who gave the order - being quick in his gait while cradling each container against his chest as not to spill it. All was going well until he brought back an order of red wine to a notoriously bratty socialite and her equally spoiled sister whom he'd recognized from the tabloids. Approaching them from behind, Dr. Mallory had to somehow attract their attention; standing under their long smooth legs as they each rose above him like a pair of Giant Sequoia trees disappearing into the mountain of fabric that was their coordinated knee-length floral dresses. Attempting to secure the glass flute with one arm as he reached out to one of the giant's ankles with the other arm proved to be a colossal mistake. As soon as he shuffled the glass from one arm to the next, the wine sloshed in just the right way to completely throw off its balance; sending the glass and its contents falling to the floor with a loud and high pitch ring - the type of sound a hollowed cavity of tempered glass makes when hitting a marble floor without shattering. As the glass "ting" sound occurred during a natural lull in conversation, several guests heard it and glanced downwards to see what happened. Dr. Mallory felt humiliated and he knew things would only get worse if the gigantic spoiled girls standing far above him decided to stir up drama for the tabloid press in attendance.

Thinking quickly, Dr. Mallory threw himself at the mercy of the socialites. He literally dropped to his knees in front of everyone and started vigorously kissing the exposed toe of one of the giant sisters with shameless abandon; repeating "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry" over and over again between kisses.

Dr. Mallory would be immediately fired and ejected from the Gala for his mistake.

But on the bright side, he got a voicemail from one of the sisters the next morning. She was wondering if he would be interested in coming to join her staff of tiny domestic servants.

--------

Alt version: