The Princess of the Atom by Ray Cummings

To Dianne, and to the guard in the doorway, I was a figure an inch or so in height, plainly to be seen if I moved too fast, or left the shadows of the floor. But I did neither. I reached Dianne safely, though it took me a long time.

I circled behind her. I climbed upon the heights of the cushion, I touched her robe. Did I dare pluck at it? I thought I might perhaps attract her attention.

I took another ten minutes, or it may have been half an hour, climbing along the cushion to its other side. And presently her hand, as she idly moved it, came to rest quite near me. I looked up and saw that her face was turned my way.

I decided to chance it. I darted forward and stood against the curve of her wrist. She felt me. Her instinctive movement of the hand knocked me over, but I fell into the soft billows of the cushion. I lay quiet, praying that she might not cry out.

She recognized me! She made no sound, did not even move. But near me one of her fingers was gently swaying.

I held myself motionless, waiting. In a moment I could feel her turning cautiously, so that her robe might hide me from the guard's view.

A fold of the robe presently came over me like a great golden curtain. Her finger, larger than my body, came carefully feeling for me. I reached for it. Clung to it. It pulled me as it slowly shifted away. And then her thumb came near. I was carefully lifted, carried with a gentle swoop through the air and set down twenty feet away.

A deep shadow was here; I was near the back wall of the cabin. I knew Dianne wanted me to stand quiet; knew that she was planning how we might communicate. Her voice sounded as she spoke to the guard. Their native language -- I could not understand it, but quite evidently she was telling him that she was tired, for presently she lay prone, with her head on the cushion.

Her face was turned toward me, and away from the guard. She had made our opportunity. I ran forward. The guard could have seen me then, but he did not, and in a moment Dianne's head was between me and him. I climbed again upon the cushion. I stood beside Dianne's face. Her ear was near me.

"Dianne!"

Her lips moved, whispering, "Yes, Frank!"

"Dianne -- I came, riding Togaro. I have the drugs."

"Be very careful, Frank."

I had no conscious plan. I was unarmed now -- I had dropped my weapon in the cabin of the other ship when I leaped for Togaro's waist. But there must be some way of getting Dianne out of this room, out of the ship, back to Drake.

"Dianne, do you think if I could get larger and surprise this guard that we could get out? " She had seen more of our surroundings than I.

"No! " She was plainly agitated, but she held herself quiet, just her lips moving in the faintest of whispers. "No! Don't get larger -- not now! The passage is full of men -- they're loading the ship. We'll be starting soon, Frank, you can escape! Go! Go now -- get back to Drake."

"No," I murmured. "Dianne, then you must get small."

"Frank! Run!"

Togaro had returned! I leaped from the cushion and hid near by.

An hour passed. I think it must have been that long. Togaro was talking with Dianne. They spoke in English. He was very gentle with her. He told her they were almost ready to start; told her with triumph that his expedition was larger and in better shape than he had expected.