The water brought an enormous feeling of relief after an entire day of sitting. Jasmine rose to the surface after diving in to the large pool she had spent the day overseeing.

She had picked up a few part-time jobs to make ends meet since getting laid off from the office where she had worked previously, one of which was being the lifeguard at this hotel’s swimming pool.  It wasn’t particularly hard work, but it was tedious have to sit on the raise chair all day without being able to read or do anything else to pass the time. The convention center attached to the hotel was hosting an anime convention this weekend so the place was particularly crowded.

Now that her shift was over, it felt extremely good to dive into the pool and move around a bit after hours of sitting and yelling at people diving in the shallow end and running on the wet floor. She swam a few laps to work out the stiffness in her body, before climbing out of the pool and picking up her towel to dry off.  After checking her phone and taking one last look to make sure there were no objects left in the pool, she exited the pool room and began making her way to the locker room.

The hallway was quiet; everyone was making their way back to their rooms for the night. She didn’t run into anyone else until turning the corner toward the locker room entrance. In the opposite direction of where she was turning she caught a glimpse of a girl dressed in a black outfit with red trimming holding what appeared to be a large scythe. Jasmine hardly knew anything about the various characters the convention-goers were dressing as, but she still found it intriguing to look at their costumes. This girl appeared to be posing for a photo as a guy with a camera was standing across the hall from her. Jasmine wondered if he was her boyfriend. She had a hard time imagining herself letting a complete stranger take a photo of her.

The guy clicked the shutter of the camera and Jasmine was completely caught off guard by blinding blue flash that erupted from it. Jasmine looked away for a moment rubbing her eyes. She was still seeing stars when she looked back toward them, wondering how the girl in the costume had held her pose through that. In fact, she was still in the pose she had taken for the picture, she hadn’t budged at all. Jasmine wondered if she had even registered the blinding flash when suddenly, she started to grow smaller. Jasmine thought it was just her eyes messing with her after being subjected to such a bright light and blinked a few more times. When she looked again though, she realized she wasn’t imagining it, the girl in the costume was shrinking right before her eyes!

She couldn’t believe what she was seeing, but her disbelief did nothing to stop what was transpiring. As the girl continued to shrink, not moving at all from the pose she had taken a circle formed beneath her feet, growing into a small disc. As this was happening her skin and cloths took on a smooth appearance making it look as if she were made of plastic. Indeed, once she had shrunk down to a height of about four inches, she appeared to be a plastic figurine with no indication that she had just been a human.

Jasmine’s mind was racing trying to process what she had just seen. Had this man’s camera actually just turned the girl into a small plastic figure? How would such a thing be possible? Did the girl know this would happen when he took the picture? Is she still alive? Can she be changed back? Can she be changed back, or is she stuck like that forever? Her mind raced with all of these questions and in her confusion she obliviously blurted out “WHAT THE HELL!?!

The guy’s attention shot toward Jasmine. Completely shocked, she started backing away, not knowing if he had intended anyone else to see what had just happened. In her panic, she stumbled and fell over dropping her towel next to her. She pulled herself up to a kneel and brushed her hair out of her face just in time to see the guy raise his camera and click the shutter. The bright flash of blue light burst forth once more but this time, Jasmine did not blink in response. She tried to get back to her feet but her body did not respond to her attempts to move. She remained exactly as she was when the flash occurred. The room around her began to grow bigger and Jasmine came to the horrifying realization that what had just happened to the girl in the costume was now happening to her. Her dropped towel provided a scarily clear reference for how small she was becoming as it slowly became more and more giant from her point of view. Out of the bottom of her locked field of vision she could see the edges of a circular base forming, removing all doubt as to what was happening to her.

She despairingly wondered what this guy would do with her once she completed her transformation into a plastic figure. Would she even be alive to know? Would he keep her like this permanently? Was there even a way to change her back? Would anyone look for her? Even if they did, how would they ever figure out something as crazy as people being turned to plastic by a camera?

One of the questions was answered when the shrinking sensation stopped. She remained perfectly still but still conscious. Her eyes looked in place but still able to see what was in front of her. She tried desperately to move but it was futile as her body was now solid plastic. The full weight of her predicament was setting in. She had seen this change the costumed girl into a figurine, likely without her knowing what would happen, and now he had done the same to her to prevent anyone from knowing what he was doing…well anyone who could still move and talk anyway.

The guy studied the figure of the captured lifeguard for a few seconds before picking her up, along with the figure of the costumed girl, and making his way back to his room.