Emily brought me up to the bathroom where she filled up a Dixie cup with water, very warm but not scalding hot. I took off the jeans but kept my underwear on as I got in. It was a relaxing soak and the warm water really helped take the chill out of my bones. Emily left me the smallest wash cloth she could find to dry off with after I was done. To me it was the size of a large blanket but it was very soft. I called out to Emily, who had been waiting outside, and she carried me back to the basement and into the Bat Cave so I could get dressed.

I heard the music before we even came downstairs. When we reached the bottom of the steps we saw what they were up to. The TV was switched to one of those channels that only play a certain genre of music while everyone else danced and sang along. By the time we arrived everyone was right in the middle of rapping along to Can’t Hold Us by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Nicole, who I had just learned had brought her bass with her, was playing along to it.

“Ooh! I love this song,” Emily exclaimed. “Here Pete, you can let yourself in.”

She carefully deposited me on the roof and then went over to the wall opposite of the large TV where a Yamaha keyboard was set. Emily had only been playing piano a few years, maybe four or five, but this was one of the first songs she learned once she became good enough. Just as the chorus came on she began playing along with Nicole. I watched the scene for a minute, just enjoying the moment for all it was worth. Everyone dancing around and singing along like kids put my mind at ease for the first time in, what felt like, a really long time. Since I got here I’ve moved from one form of danger to the next, and it was really beginning to wear me out. But now, surrounded by friends who care for me, I felt like I could finally take a break from being afraid, and it felt good.

So while everyone was distracted I slipped my barely clothed body inside and got dressed. My style is pretty simple and consistent, a T-shirt with any design I deem cool, jeans, and sneakers. After getting dressed I just leaned against my bed as I listened to the music. I was soon joined by Joseph and I laid my hand on his head for comfort. I never thought I’d grow so attached to the little guy but now he’s as good as any dog in my eyes. When the song ended the girls all laughed and high fived each other for their “performance”.

“Ok, that . . . was pretty awesome.” I heard Melanie say.

“Fuck yeah, girl.” Ashley responded. “Let’s do another one.”

“Ok. What song?” Tara asked.

Then Jess spoke. “How about a Katy Perry song.”

As soon as those words registered on my brain my eyes snapped as wide open as they would go.

“Hell no.” I whispered to myself. I jumped to my feet and rushed over to the nearest window as fast as I could. Then I cleared my throat and spoke in my best “old man” voice as I shook my fist at them..

“You kids and you’re goddamned rap. That’s not music that’s just noise!”

All eyes turned to me as quite a few eyebrows rose.

“Oh really? You think you could do better?” Ashley asked.

I turned back to Joseph to shoot him an exasperated look before returning my attention to them. “You’re damn right I could do better. In fact if I had a guitar with me right now I’d-”

I stopped in mid sentence just because I had to do a double take. Joseph was clicking his head off as he scurried along the side of my bed. It took me a few seconds to get my head together and investigate.

“Pete?” Melanie called out. “Something wrong?”

I looked over my shoulder and called back “Yeah I’m fine. Just give me a second.”

Looking back I saw what had Joseph going back and forth around my bed, a solid black case. The case was nothing special, black leather, rectangular, and big. Where the hell this thing came from I have no fucking idea. There was no noise, no rush of air, no flash or anything. Things like this just appear out of thin-fucking-air and I have yet to see how or why. I was seriously beginning to consider witch craft and aliens as an explanation. I just couldn’t see how any of this was even remotely possible. But enough preamble, I flipped open each of the locks and opened it up.

I don’t think I had ever seen a more beautiful guitar in my life. It was a solid black with white outlines all around the edges. The design was plain but the craftsmanship put into it was what blew me away. One look at the head told me why. In gold painted script was the name Martin. Now I’m not really an expert on guitars themselves, I only play them. But even someone like me knows that Martin is the highest quality manufacturer of acoustic guitars in the world. This instrument was probably worth $1000 at least.

Very slowly and very carefully I removed it from the case and slung the strap over my shoulder. Looking back in the case I found a pocket containing a pick, and a capo. With a pick between my thumb and finger I strummed a single chord, the sound was unbelievable. Each individual note was crystal clear and pitched perfectly. I didn’t care where this thing came from, it just may save my life. As quickly as I could I put the guitar back in the case and flipped the locks back on. Then I rushed over to the window.

“Just give me a minute.” I said to no one in particular before running back to grab the case.

There were no straps for me to sling over my shoulders, only a handle. This made carrying the thing to the roof a difficult problem. I had to prop it against a wall as I climbed up the hatch door, then reach down and haul it up. Naturally everyone was slightly curious.

“What the hell is that and where the hell did it come from?” Emily asked.

I waved her question away. “Get over to the piano and start singing. Everyone else, be quiet until I start.”

“Start singing what?”

I smirked. “You’ll know.”

Opening up the case I withdrew my new instrument, a few of the girls actually gasped.

“Where did you get that from?” Melanie asked.

I held a finger up to my lips to silence her. Taking one last look at the room I swallowed a nervous lump in my throat and started plucking individual notes.

Normally when I’m in my room alone I’m not afraid to sing along with what I’m playing. But in front of other people I chose to spare them of that particular pain. Well, actually I’m ok at singing but when others are around I prefer to leave it up to them. So I plucked out the notes in a familiar pattern for a until Emily recognized it and began singing.

“Sometimes I feel like there’s nobody out there. Sometimes I feel like my only friend is the city I live in, the city of angels. Lonely as I am, together we cry.”

There was a slight pause until I picked back up, only to be joined by Nicole on the bass. And even though there was no keyboard in the song Emily played along anyway. Everyone else just sang along like a choir.

Now I know what you’re thinking right now: ‘Oh my God, this story is such a sell out he even wrote in a musical number straight off the top ten charts. That’s as lame as a Disney movie.’

I bet it probably does sound lame and corny as Frozen, but I guess you had to have been there to understand. For a little more than a week I’ve literally been fighting for my life. Bugs, rodents, and people around every corner just waiting to kill me. But right now none of that mattered. Right now I was surrounded by friends I trust and singing along to the Red Hot Chili Peppers greatest song. The fact that everyone here was doing all of this just to help me get through being shrunken down touched me pretty deep.

When the song had come to a close the girls erupted into laughter and applause, I even took a bow. Melanie cast a grin over at me. “That was very good . . . but how about playing something we can dance to?”

I returned with a grin of my own as I began to strum the opening to Counting Stars by Onerepublic.

*****

Most of the day went by with us jamming out to songs we knew and loved. Some of them were modern, others were more classic rock and I had to teach some of the girls how they went. After that was over we all ordered pizza, where I had bits from everyone else’s. Then we watched some of the best comedy movies ever made, such as Airplane!, Monty Python and The Holy Grail, Spaceballs, and The Birdcage.

It was pretty late by the time we were done but none of us were quite ready for bed yet, so instead we just stayed up chatting.

“So in a nutshell, that’s what it’s like living in a plastic Bat Cave with an ant for a pet.” I said.

Melanie nodded. “Let me just say this. I give you serious props for getting through this. I mean, if it was me, I doubt I’d have survived as long as you.”

“I know right,” Jess agreed. “Can you imagine what you’d be doing at two inches tall?”

“Panic?” Ashley interjected.

I shook my head. “That really means a lot to hear you say that, but I can’t take too much of the credit. Emily’s the one who’s probably saved me more times than I have myself.”

Emily shrugged. “Yeah, but I’m not the one who fought back a giant spider or mouse.”

My voice was light but serious at the same time. “Even so you’ve given me a home, a bed, weapons, entertainment, and you’ve taken care of me the whole time I’ve been here. You’ve done more for me than I can ever hope to repay.”

Pretty much every girl there said “Aaaaaaawwwwwww.” It might have been my imagination but I could have sworn I saw Emily blush. “It’s what friends do for each other Pete. You taught us that.”

I wasn’t sure what she meant by that but before I could ask Tara yawned. “I don’t know about any of you but I’m ready to pass out.”

Pretty much everyone else agreed so we all got ready for bed. Rather than be taken back to Emily’s room, Joseph and I slept in the Cave downstairs with everyone else.

*****

I knelt down on one knee, naked, sweaty, and bleeding. I remained there, kneeling in Emily’s palm, too afraid to look up at her. I was struggling to catch my breath as if I had just ran ten miles. I wasn’t sure where the blood was coming from either, maybe my back, but it ran down my arms as well. It felt warm.

“Please . . . ,” I gasped between pants. “Just tell me . . . tell me what you want me to do . . . “

Laughter came from up above me, against my better judgment I looked up. Tara, Jess, Ashley, Melanie, and Nicole all looked down on me from behind Emily. Emily’s mouth turned up in an evil smile. Not that almost-evil smile she uses when she’s joking but trying to frighten you, her eyes contained a cruelty I’d never seen before.

“We want you to go away, forever.” And just like that she dropped me.

The whole time I never even screamed, not even after I woke up. I jolted up in my bed but I never screamed. Instead I just looked around me, at Joseph, at the girls sleeping outside in the living room, and at the journal. Then I wrapped the blanket around me to stave off the shivers and reluctantly went back to sleep.