Hours had passed since the fuse had blown and Troy’s Troubles had started. He had yet to move from his chalk drawn square and had gone over every possibility in his mind until the realization dawned on him that he could not get out of this alone, he had to get help from someone in his house…

The sunlight streaming through the window told Troy that it was getting towards the afternoon his mother was probably picking up Amber and Adam from school right now...

“Well I can’t stay up here it could be days before someone comes up to the attic” Troy thought out loud as he stood up and brushed himself off. With one last look around the room that used to be so familiar he turned around and headed to the door and the unbelievably tall stairs.

Troy was definitely happy the stairs were carpeted. The fibers made it a much easier climb down. He had gone halfway down in an hour and at this rate may be he could make it before... As soon as the thought crossed his mind as he heard the front door open and the sounds of his younger siblings rushing in, dumping their backpacks and kicking off their shoes in the hall.

“IT’S FRIIIDAY IT’S FRIIDAYY YAY YAY FOR FRIIIDAYY” his little sisters voice reverberated all the way through the house.

“I’m only 4 stairs away I can do this”. The door at the bottom of the stairs, still ajar from where Belle ran out whimpering earlier creaked open in front of him and his mother appeared in the frame,

“TROY ARE YOU UP THERE? WE BROUGHT CHINESE FOOD HOME”. He cursed his habit of not answering his mother when he worked. If he had been a little more courteous in the past she might have realized something was wrong and come looking for him, but instead she disappeared from view leaving the door wide open. Amber rushed past the door being chased by Adam who was closely followed by Belle letting out barks like thunder. Troy looked back up the stairs amazed at how far he had come and when he looked back he was face to cold wet nose with the giant dog. “Wah!”

SNIIIIIIIIIIIIFFF. With hurricane scale winds Troy was lifted off his feet and into the air. “No! Bad dog!” Troy landed on Belle’s nose still screaming at the dog as it trotted up the stairs he spent so long climbing down. In a matter of seconds he’s back in the attic and he knows where Belle’s going even before he feels himself slipping, then falling, then landing in the empty stadium sized bowl.

Troy is so concerned about the giant furry monster looking down at him that he never heard the stairs creak as Adam came up to the attic. In fact He doesn’t realize there’s another human in the room until Adam reaches down and grabs his prison.

“Why is your food bowl up here Belle? Goofy mutt.” Adam turns in a circle looking around the room sending Troy rolling head over heels in the bowl. “Wonder where Troy is. Probably not even home, He gets away with everything, even skipping school. It’s not fair...” Adam’s gaze locks onto the shrink ray. “I wish this stupid machine would work may be he’d shrink into nothing and be gone forever.”

Troy couldn’t believe his ears, his little brother surely didn’t hate him that much! As Adam carried the food bowl back down stairs Troy tried to think back over the past few years had he been a bad brother? 

Troy could hear the thunderous impacts of Adam's feet on the stairs and the creak of wood under carpet. His entire line of sight taken up by the giant's body over head as he carries the bowl down to the kitchen. Unaware of his speck sized brother under his nose. 

"Adam, look down here! You have to help me! My machine works!" Troy screamed at his gargantuan brother but it was no use, his tiny voice couldn't even come close to reaching Adam's ears at this distance. 

The sound of Adam's footsteps change to the slap of barefeet on tile and Troy knew they'd crossed over into the kitchen. The transition caused him to panic because he knew if Adam feeds the dog then he's surely kibble. Luckily Adam simply set the bowl on the counter next to the sink and disappeared from view.