Ground Rules

Tom spent the balance of Wednesday night with Tess and Sam in their room. Neither he nor Sam made comment to Tess of the earlier sexcapade they had enjoyed. Looking back, Tom was a little surprised by the intensity of Sam’s passion and a little part of his mind was slightly intimidated by her. He definitely did not want to be tied to another hairbrush and used in similar fashion to the way Janine had used him.

Wednesday night Tom slept fitfully. He wasn’t sure if it was because of the difference in his sleeping arrangements, given his makeshift bed made out of a folded up facecloth or the fact that every time Tess moved on her bed it sounded like a brontosaurus was going to come crashing through his roof. Or, if Sam might try and sneak him out for a little more intimate play. “What would Tess do if she caught them? Whatever the reason, he tossed and turned restlessly, drifting in and out of sleep for the balance of the night before finally achieving some measure of decent slumber in the early morning hours.

Thursday morning, he was awakened from his stupor when Tess pulled the shoe box out from under her bed and set it on her lap. Removing the lid, “Morning sunshine,” she greeted, big smile on her face as she looked at her brother nestled into the folds of the light blue face cloth.

“Ugh,” he groaned in response, rolling over and waving a hand at her as if trying to shoo her away. “I don’t want to go to school today.”

She chuckled, “Now that I have you back, we are going to have some rules that you will follow,” she asserted, expression growing serious.

Knuckling his eyes, he sat up and looked at her.

“First, I don’t want you wandering around our room when we are in class, it could be dangerous,” she said. Fully clothed, Sam came and sat on the bed beside Tess, eyes looking into the box.

“Hi,” she said, almost shyly.

He grinned and waved.

Tess looked from one to the other before continuing, “Second, if you are going to be using your cell phone, keep the volume at a reasonable level,” she instructed.

Tom rolled his eyes, “I get it, I’m grounded and no wild parties, sheesh,” he grumbled.

“I’m serious Tom,” she cautioned. “I swear, I’ll tape up the door I made for you and you’ll be stuck in here,” she threatened, eyes narrowed and menacingly green.

“I’m serious Tom,” he mimed using a smarmy voice, moving his head from side to side in his mockery.

She raised a warning finger and pointed it at him, cocking her head to the side. “I just got you back yesterday and thankfully in one piece. I’m not about to lose you again,” she said, voice firm and unyielding.

He shook his head and snorted, “Yeah, yeah, I know warden, I’m on lockdown, no yard privileges,” he replied, exasperation in his tone.

“Tom, you’re not taking this situation very seriously, come on, you’re so small lots of bad things can happen to you, very easily, and you don’t seem to give a damn,” she stated. “If you’re out and Sam or I don’t know where you are, we could accidentally step on you or sit on you, squish you or something, you know?”

He let out a long sigh, “Tess, believe me I know, I’m the little one. The world takes on a whole new perspective from an ankle height vantage,” he stated.

“And if anything ever happened to you, mom and dad would never forgive me, so stop playing silly bugger and start acting like you care. Just so you know, I have been in communication with grandfather and I’m hopeful we can find some way to reverse this problem of yours. Okay?” she petitioned, hoping she could talk some sense into him.

“You’ve received a reply from grandfather?” he asked.

She nodded rather than speak, choosing to omit the mysterious ambiguity and cryptic nature of his exchanges.

Tom grinned, “That’s great,” he said, nodding.

Tess smiled, “I have to contact Harrison Kinsley next week,” she advised.

Slapping his hands down on his thighs, Tom hooted, buoyed by the prospect of being restored. Part of him knew he was going to miss the exhilaration of being tiny and spending time with amorous women, but not enough to want to remain little indefinitely.

“So listen,” Tess started, bringing his attention back to the moment, “Sam and I have to go to class now, but I’ll be back or we’ll be back at lunch time. I’ll bring you some fresh food then. Alright?” she inquired.

He nodded, “I’ve got my phone, I can nap out, I’ll be fine,” he assured, stretching his arms over his head and yawning.

“Okay,” Tess replied, demeanor softening slightly.

Sam half smiled, giving him a playful wink.

Reaching into the box, Tess tussled his hair gently before putting the lid back on the box and returning it to its spot under her bed.

Watching another YouTube clip on The 100 Greatest Movie Insults of All Time, he was startled when he felt the box starting to move. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but it certainly wasn’t enough to be lunch already, not unless he gapped out and lost an hour or so. Putting his hands down to steady himself while the box was in motion, he wondered if Sam was ditching again to spend some ‘quality’ time with him, feeling a mixture of excitement and trepidation at the same time. Was that why she winked? He puckered his face up, readying a movie quote.

When the lid was moved away, the expression on his face evaporated, replaced by one of surprise as he looked into the face of the person who had removed the lid. It was neither Tess nor Sam who looked down upon him, grim smile on her face. Knowing he was now in a whole world of trouble, he swallowed hard.