------- Chapter 1 ------

            Early morning light slanted in through the shutters, falling across my face with a gentle warmth. Outside, I could hear the sounds of nature stirring, birds chirping, and the morning activities of our neighbors as they began their day. Murmuring, I peeled the covers off and slumped up, blinking glumly as I tried to orient myself.

            Not being much of a morning person, I rubbed my eyes and tried to collect my thoughts. Today was the first day of school, and I wasn’t quite used to walking up at this early of an hour yet. In a way, I was excited and mortified at the same time. While a part of me knew that senior year was going to be fun, I still longed for my now fully gone summer vacation. It was back to the grindstone for me.

            I realized that my alarm hadn’t gone off, which seemed odd. With a body accustomed to waking up at the crack of noon, I was surprised that I had stirred this early. What time was it anyways?

            I peeked out of the corner of my eye long enough to catch the red digital display of my clock. 7:12. In a weird way I felt a bit proud of myself for rising this early on my own, yet for a second debated catching a few more minutes of sleep. With what seemed like a herculean amount of willpower, I planted my feet on the ground and stood. The temptation to sleep was strong, but I felt a growing anxiety in my stomach. It was time to get ready, and I wanted to start this school year fresh.

            I opened my eyes for the first time that morning, and was completely dismayed by what I saw. Shock coursed through my system. It was in my same old bedroom, sure, but things were strangely different. Different enough to make me feel vcry uneasy. I’ll try to explain, but it’s just something that words don’t do justice.

            First off, my room was much larger and the ceiling was far higher than I remember.  It must have been over twenty five feet tall. My closet, bed, and other possessions were all my own scale, which overall left a great deal of empty space. It was like I’d woken up in another dimension, one similar to my own but scaled much larger. It was freaky, like something out of the Twilight Zone. I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

            Moving over to my dresser, I quickly opened the drawers. Everything was in its rightful place. I quickly threw on some clothes before investigating my desk. Again, nothing too out of the ordinary- it was just how I would have left it. Actually, all the details of the room were perfect, with the one exception of the size. I slowly came to grips with this alternate version of my room.

            I plopped down on my bed and drank it all in. What the hell was going on? Was I on drugs? This was like, some trippy Alice in Wonderland experience. As I struggled to wrap my head around the situation, I heard a thundering noise emanating from the hallway.

            Footsteps, by the sound of it. Big ones. I stared at my doorframe, which was easily three or four times as tall as I was. The door looked huge and ominous, and I spotted a smaller second door cut into the main one, almost like a dog door. The footsteps came closer, booming as bare feet slapped on hardwood floors. I began to feel my chest tighten up with anticipation. If this was a dream, it was a remarkably life-like dream!

            There was a rapping at my door, followed by the high pitch of my mother’s voice.

            “Dean? Time to get ready for school honey.” Thundering footsteps continued on as she went back to her business.

            It seemed as if my heart was going to burst through my chest. I wasn’t necessarily afraid of the situation, because despite the obvious size difference it seemed rather mundane and ordinary. I was afraid I was losing my grip on reality. This new world was surreal, incredibly accurate with the exception of some minor details, and yet I was beginning to suspect that this wasn’t a dream. This was something else, and I wasn’t quite sure yet what to make of it.

            Curiosity got the better of me, and I had to investigate more.

            Tentatively, I made my way to the smaller door, the one that looked like it was built for me. My mind raced, putting the pieces together. If this door was built for me, who was the bigger door for? I was fairly certain I knew the answer, and just wanted to see it with my own eyes.

            Tightly gripping the knob, I tenderly opened my bedroom door and stepped into the vast expanse of the hallway. It was like a canyon to me. Much like my room, all the details were perfect, yet the scale was totally off. Above my head, I noticed a familiar portrait that my mother liked, yet the picture frame was now probably taller than I was. Down at the end of the hallway, I peered into a monstrous bathroom, and noted the countertop to the sink was far above my head.

            Suddenly, the door to my mother’s room flew open, sending a forceful breeze across my body. Titanic feet thundered forward as she made her way towards me.

            “Morning Dean. Are you all ready for some breakfast?” She asked cheerfully, nonchalantly affixing an earring.

            Petrified, I fell to the floor in awe of her. In front of me stood the tallest being I’d ever laid eyes upon, and my suspicions were quickly confirmed.

            The woman was monstrous, nearly twenty feet tall by my estimate, clothed in tight fitting jean capris and light green shirt. Her long blonde hair was done up in a professional looking pony tail, and her big brown eyes blinked awkwardly at me.

            With a look of concern, she took another thunderous step closer to me, her body filling my entire view. “Dean, honey? Are you ok?”

            A tremendous hand came down from on high as my mother reached for me. Scared stiff, I let out a tinny squeak as her fingers wrapped around my chest and she lifted me up into the air.

            As I felt my body go weightless, I couldn’t believe what was happening. This was no dream. My mother’s thumb, easily the size of a summer sausage, pressed into my chest. Her long red painted nails pricked my back and arms as she lifted me up to her eye level. For the first time in my life, I was terrified of her, of what she might be able to do to me at her now much increased size. I instantly regretted any arguments we may have had in the past, and wanted nothing more than for this titanic woman to spare me.

            A second powerful hand wrapped partway around my waist, further securing me. I was sure I was no taller than her knee, and was therefore big enough so that she needed both hands to make sure that I didn’t fall. A giant finger stroked my head as she spoke.

            “What’s the matter baby? Are you hungry?”

            Her steps thudded as she walked towards the bathroom, sending tremors through my body. I gazed up at her, taking in all the features of her now expansive face. Her expressive brown eyes, the lashes thick with mascara, gazed down at me with concern.

            She smiled playfully and then clutched me to her breast in a hug. “Oh, schools not going to be that bad. You’ll like it, you’ll see. Just try to keep an open mind.”

            With that she set me down on the bathroom counter and opened her huge makeup bag, rummaging around for a bit. I sat cross legged, still in awe of the whole situation. By this point I’d concluded that this woman was indeed my mother, and in fact she meant me no harm. Slowly, my initial terror at her massive body was giving way to intense curiosity.

            Just what was going on?

            My mother, with little regard to my blatant staring, continued to apply her morning makeup as if this was a normal, everyday thing. She was even humming softly to herself, her sweet high pitched voice singing like a songbird. Except that now, at her size, even the sound of soft humming held a degree of impact, a type of sonic force that only massive vocal cords could deliver.

            Lifting her huge arms above her head, she undid the ponytail and began styling her hair. Across the sink (which itself was as big as a hot tub) I could see she had a massive curling iron set up. She grabbed it and began curling her long blonde hair, while I sat and watched, soaking up the scene.

            As she worked on beautifying herself, she talked to me, as if we did this sort of thing all the time.

            “So are you excited? Wondering if there are going to be any new girls this year?”

            My own head swimming with questions, I suddenly decided that it would be best to play along with this situation for a bit, before I started freaking out. If I went all spastic, who knows what could happen in this alternate reality? Perhaps my giant mother would simply get sick of me and stomp me into the dirt.

            “Ah… yeah. That’s it.” I rubbed my head, wondering what the rest of the day had in store for me.

            My mother laughed. “Let’s just hope they take a liking to you. You don’t want a repeat of last year.”

            I was confused, but tried my best not to show it. What did she mean by that?

            “Why, what happened last year?” I tried playing stupid, baiting my new giant mother to release more information.

            “You should know!” She poked me with one finger, nearly sending me tumbling over. “All those things those girls did to you last year? Did you forget already?”

            “Uh… I guess.”

            She put her curling iron away, and fluffed her hair a bit, satisfied with her now voluminous look. “Well, you just be as nice as possible, and hope they’ve matured a bit more. Honestly, I just think they pick on you because they like you, but you never listen to me.”

            The girls at school pick on me? I always remembered that before they hardly noticed me. Now in this new reality they tease me and stuff? This was terrible!

            A thought dawned on me. If, in this reality, my mother was this big…… how big were the girls at school?

            “You don’t think they’ll hurt me, do you?” I genuinely asked, more than a little afraid for my well being.

            “Oh no, they just play a little rough. You know young women Dean.” My mother pulled out her lipstick and pulled off the cap. “They haven’t quite learned how fragile men can be. Give them time.”

            Fragile? I audibly gulped at the thought.

            My mother brushed her bangs aside.  “Well, you just stay close to your sister. Alison will make sure you make it to school safe.”

            The woman leaned forward, and puckered her lips for a second, readying herself for her lipstick. Then she thought better of it.

             “Wait, why am I doing this?” She handed me the lipstick and leaned down to my level. “Ok, honey.”

             Expectantly, she puckered her big plush lips inches from my face, an obvious gesture that I was supposed to apply it for her. I held the gigantic tube of lipstick with both hands. It was eerie, holding lipstick the size of a wine bottle. Cautiously, I played along with the situation and drew the point across my mother’s lips. Apparently, judging by the way she was acting, I did this sort of thing all the time.

            When I was done she smacked her lips and made a kissy face. “Thanks baby! You always do that so much better. You’re going to make some woman very happy someday!”

            With a cheery smile, she scooped me up in her arms, whisking me back down the hallway. Her long strides carried me with ease, and I gazed downwards in awe, watching her broad feet smack into the hardwood floor, and wondering what this new reality had in store for me.