I Shrank My Teacher by Bruce Coville

Author:Bruce Coville
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin
Published: 2020-08-03T16:00:00+00:00

“What have you done?” cried Pleskit in alarm.

“I tried to tell you—I can’t catch!”

Quickly he returned the pod to floor level. I had already picked up the box and was checking it for cracks or dents.

Pleskit took it from me. “You can’t catch?” he asked in surprise. He sounded amused.

“Don’t rub it in,” I said, turning my head away. I get sick of being teased over the fact that I am a total klutz.

“This is a great relief to me,” continued Pleskit. “I thought from the culture tapes I had experienced that all Earthlings were very physically adept. I am clumsy, too. I am so glad to know I am not the only one on the planet.”

I smiled, just a little. “So, did I break the shrinking ray?” I asked nervously.

Pleskit shook the thing. “I do not think so. By the way, the proper technical term for this device is Molecule Compactor.”

“Why?”

“Well, because that’s how it works. If you have studied the structure of an atom, you know that even the most solid-looking things are mostly made up of empty space.”

“Uh, I guess so,” I said, feeling a little guilty about the fact that I had read so much more science fiction than actual science.

Pleskit must have caught my uncertainty, because he expanded his explanation. “The atoms from which things are made are arranged something like a solar system. In the center is the nucleus, which is like the ‘star’ of the system. Orbiting it, pretty much the way planets orbit the sun, are electrons. Between them lies empty space. An atom is so tiny you might not think that space would amount to much, but if you enlarged an atom so that the nucleus was the size of, oh, an apple, then the closest of its electrons would be about five miles away! So you can see that most of what things are is… nothing! The Molecule Compactor simply squeezes out some of that empty space. Of course, that means that when you shrink something, it keeps its original weight, since nothing is lost but the emptiness. No matter how small you make a hundred-pound person, he will still weigh a hundred pounds.”

“Cool!” I said. “So, how small can we make Jordan?”

Pleskit closed his eyes for a second, as if he was consulting some in-brain data bank, then said, “We should probably not bring him down to less than two inches. The compactor could make him smaller. But the side effects would be… unpleasant.”

“Two inches is fine!” I said gleefully. “Uh—I hate to ask this, but how do we bring him back?”

“Oh, we don’t have to worry about that. The forces involved are so tremendous that the compacting can only last for a few hours. He will enlarge on his own—though it would be best if he is not in an enclosed spot when that happens. Now, come on—let’s get out of here before someone comes in.”

Tucking the Molecule Compactor under his arm, Pleskit led the way to the door.

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