Lila stretched lazily, her long hair tangled from sleep. She yawned and glanced at herself in the mirror, noting her favorite oversized sweatshirt and plaid pajama pants. The world felt peaceful, the air tinged with the scent of blooming lilacs from the open window. Suddenly, a tickle pricked her nose, and she sneezed, softly but sharply.
Lila blinked, confused. Her clothes suddenly felt baggier, the sleeves drooping past her wrists. She stepped closer to the mirror, heart thumping as she realized she seemed just a smidge shorter—her head no longer aligned with the smudge on the glass she’d always used as a height marker. "That can’t be right…"
The tickle returned, stronger this time. Lila tried to stifle it, but another sneeze burst out. Instantly, her pajama pants sagged at the waist, slipping lower on her hips. She gasped, clutching the fabric, her feet barely touching the floor as she sat. "No way… is this actually happening?" she whispered, awe and worry mingling in her voice.
Desperate for answers, Lila rushed to the bathroom, only to sneeze yet again as she passed her dusty bookshelf. This time, the change was unmistakable—she shrank another inch, her sweatshirt now hanging off one shoulder, pajama pants pooling around her ankles. "If I keep sneezing, what’s going to happen to me?" Her voice trembled, echoing in the tiled room.
Lila dialed her best friend, voice shaking. "Jess, something weird is happening—I’m shrinking every time I sneeze. Please, you have to come over!" She paced in circles, every movement exaggerated by her loose, oversized clothing. Her reflection in the hallway mirror looked like a child playing dress-up.
The light faded, and Lila shivered in her now-comical clothes, eyes darting to the window at every car that passed. Each tickle in her nose made her tense, terrified she might shrink again. Yet, as dusk deepened, a glimmer of hope sparked—maybe, together, she and Jess could find the answer, before she disappeared altogether.
