Chapter 1
It was a cool morning in November and Elizabeth Bennet was on her way to Netherfield. Her sister Jane was sick because she had gone riding in the rain. Jane had received an invitation to dine with Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst. Their Mother had insisted that Jane ride her horse so that she could have the chance to see Mr. Bingley before returning home.
Mrs. Bennet's plan had worked in a sense; Jane had stayed at the night at Netherfield. However, It had the side effect of giving Jane a bad cold. Elizabeth had decided to walk to Netherfield to visit her sister.
Elizabeth's sisters Kitty and Lydia had agreed to join her on her walk for the first mile so they could go to Meryton and look at the new ribbon in the shops. Elizabeth knew they also wanted to flirt with the officers even though the did not say so.
After leaving her sisters in Meryton, Elizabeth quickened her pace. She hoped to reach Netherfield as soon as possible. However, she had not gone far when she spotted something shiny on the side of the path. Because she was curious as to what it was Elizabeth bent down to examine it
It appeared to be a silver ring with a large pink stone. Elizabeth picked it up and placed it on her finger. It was a little big. Suddenly the stone blinked and Elizabeth was a fifth her usual height.
The remaining distance to Netherfield, which had been short at her normal size, now seemed extremely long. The grass on the path was now up to her waist. The mud puddles from the recent rains were ponds. The wildflowers on the side of the path were as tall as trees.
Elizabeth knew that despite these obstacles her sister Jane was still ill and in need of her care. Because of this knowledge, Elizabeth resumed her walk. However, because of these new impediments she traveled at a much slower pace.
Elizabeth had barely resumed her walk when she heard a horse and rider approaching. They stopped only a few feet away and the man dismounted.
The stranger shouted, "Caroline! Caroline! are you here?
Desperate for help from a normal sized person, Elizabeth replied, "Help, I am over here!"
The man quickly turned around and scooped her up into his fist. He examined her closely. "You are not Miss Bingley. You Tricked me!"
"I am Miss Elizabeth Bennet," Elizabeth promptly informed the man.
"What is your dowry?"
"One hundred pounds." Elizabeth wondered why he needed to know in order to help her. It seemed like a strange thing to ask on that occasion.
The man made a face and tossed her into a nearby mud puddle. Then he promptly mounted his horse and rode away.
Elizabeth was not happy. Now not only was she tiny but also soaking wet, and because it was November, she was freezing in her wet clothes. However, because her sister needed her Her, Elizabeth climbed out, of the mud puddle, and continued to walk towards Netherfield. The journey was quite strenuous.
Elizabeth's shoes and stockings were soaked and Elizabeth knew she was going to have blisters the next day. As she walked, she often sank down, into the mud all the way up to her knees; she would then have to work hard to extract her foot because it did not come up as easily as it went down.
Elizabeth's coat was wool, and it was full of water, and was doing more harm than good, the extra weight was slowing her down. After about a quarter of an hour she decided, to remove her coat and carry it, Instead. She found that without it, her dress dried more quickly.
As she walked, she considered the man she had met. It seemed to her that he had been trying to shrink Caroline Bingley. but had got her instead. From his question about her dowry she guessed that he had intended to force, Miss Bingley to marry him, his object being her money. From his leaving her in the mud, Elizabeth deduced that he intended to leave her to her fate, and try another day. Elizabeth hoped she could warn the Bingleys before it was too late.
After Elizabeth had been walking for a couple of hours, she encountered a pig who was also shrunk. She realized it was Longborn's pig, Prissy of whom Lydia was extremely fond. When it was butchering time, a couple of months earlier Lydia had set Prissy free and no one had seen the pig after that day. When Lydia was caught she claimed that Prissy was to nice to eat. Apparently, Prissy had been living in the woods the whole time she was gone.
It was also clear Elizabeth was not the first thing the strange man had shrunk. Lydia would be distraught when she saw what happened to her beloved pig.
As Elizabeth continued her walk, Prissy followed along. Elizabeth wondered just how many things the man had shrunk with his trick ring. She hoped they could all be found and returned to their normal size.
While Elizabeth walked, she guided Prissy along the path and watched for other animals and people a fifth there usual size. Prissy did occasionally walk away from Elizabeth to eat something on the side of the path, but for the most part she was a good listener.
About another hour after finding Prissy, Elizabeth reached the turn onto the gravel path that would take her to Netherfield. Elizabeth knew that meant there was only a half mile left until she reached the house.
The path was uneven. Between the pieces of gravel, there was water up to Elizabeth's ankles whenever she stepped on a rock it would shift slightly. Elizabeth had to carefully balance on the rocks to walk. It was like fording a shallow stream, only it kept on going.
On one side of the road there was a tall hedge and on the other side there was grass taller than Elizabeth's head. Elizabeth considered walking in either of these alternatives but decided against it. Of the choices, the gravel seemed the easiest.
After a couple hours on the gravel path the sun began to set. Elizabeth realized there was no way she was going to make it to Netherfield before dark. She started to look for a place to sleep.
Elizabeth decided the hedge seemed like the best place for Prissy and her to rest. It was rather prickly going in, but once they were inside the hedge it was nice and cozy. Elizabeth collected some leaves and made beds for Prissy and herself. Prissy promptly went to sleep. Elizabeth climbed into her bed of leaves and went to sleep thinking about the interesting day she had experienced.