Situation Desperation

Yet to decide, what it was they were going to do next, there was a loud thunderous knocking from the bedroom door.

“Nick?” came the sound Asha’s voice from the other side of the door, “I thought I saw you arrive earlier. Are you still in there?” she inquired. “Listen, I just got off the phone with my mom, work called your dad away for the weekend, he would have contacted you himself but I guess he doesn’t have your number, anyway my mom said she and I can still go shopping with you to help spruce up your room if you’re okay with that? Nick?”

“Asha,” Tom said, eyes huge as he looked toward the door.

Nick nodded slowly, eyes also moving to the gigantic portal.

The door opened inward, Asha’s massive head appearing up high as she leaned in, “Nick?” she repeated, verdant eyes sweeping the room. Had she looked down, maybe she would have seen the two tiny little youths there on the floor, as it was, she never noticed them.

Nick froze, feet remaining rooted to the carpet. Seeing her at this scale was truly daunting. She was at least over a hundred feet high. Dark haired pulled back, save for a few strands hanging loose to either side of her huge lovely face.

“Where the heck did you vanish to?” she asked rhetorically, frowning as she withdrew her head from the room and closed the door.

“Oh my god, did you see her? She was so beautiful, like a goddess,” Tom said, voice animated and filled with a high level of excitement.

Nodding, Nick put up his hands, “Easy there Hoss, it seldom works out in favor of the mortal who pines for a goddess,” he said through a frown. There was no denying Tom’s assertion on her beauty, it was the sheer magnitude of her presence that was unnerving.

“It was amazing,” Tom said, rolling his eyes and shaking his head.

“What happened to ‘This is terrible, we’re doomed’?” he asked with a wry grin.

“Asha happened,” Tom said. “She could help us,” he suggested, nodding eagerly, “she could save us.”

“I suppose, if she doesn’t accidentally step on one of us first,” Nick countered.

Tom shuddered, “That would definitely not be good,” he said, shaking his head as he contemplated that fate.

“There is also the fact that her room is on the upstairs and we, my wee little enamored compadre, are on the downstairs,” Nick said, spreading his hands.

“Hmm, that does seem to be a bit of a wrinkle,” Tom conceded, nodding to himself, a contemplative look on his face.

“A bit,” Nick said, motioning Tom to follow as he started moving toward the door.

“There has to be something we can do to get up that handful of stairs,” Tom said.

“I’m all ears,” Nick responded, not bothering to look over.

“The stairs are carpeted right?” Tom queried, a gleam in his eyes.

“Yes,” Nick answered, trying to figure out what strategy Tom had devised.

“Couldn’t we try and climb up the carpet, you know, like one of those exercise walls with the handles and stuff?” Tom asked, grinning.

Nick thought about, the carpet was a short pile, their hands were small enough to grab individual strands. Kind of like climbing a peg board in the school gym. “Maybe,” he said nodding, wondering whether or not Tom possessed sufficient upper body strength to make such a climb. If not, they would have to find something to lower down to help Tom. “Do you think you could climb up using only your hands?”

Tom frowned, “I’m not sure,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders. “I think I could do a few chin-ups, but to climb up, ah, don’t know.”

Nick nodded, “I guess we shall find out,” he said, clapping a hand on Tom’s shoulder.

Crossing the room, they arrived at the door. The narrow gap under the door looked like it might be a tight fit to try and squeeze through.

“I’ll try,” Nick volunteered, “if I can get through, it should be a cinch for you,” he said.

Tom nodded.

Dropping down, Nick lay on his stomach, trying to shimmy under the door. The passage was very tight and left some furrowed scratches on his back and minor abrasions on his stomach, but he made it through. “Okay, now you,” he said.

Tom got down and pulled himself under.

“We need to stay near the wall,” Nick said, pointing down the hall toward the stair.

Tom nodded, falling in behind Nick as he set an easy lope down.

The stairs, once so easily scaled, now seemed mountainous and near impassable. “This isn’t going to be easy.” Nick said, turning his head and grinning at Tom.

“Aphrodite dwelt atop Olympus and I would make that climb,” Tom said, undeterred by the herculean task before them.

Rolling his eyes, “Okay then you try first, see if you can climb up using the carpet,” Nick said, sweeping a hand at the riser.

Rubbing his hands together, Tom nodded and walked over. It took only one attempt for Tom to concede there was no way he could do it. It hadn’t been close. “See if you can,” he urged Nick. “Because if you can, then all we need is something to use like a rope or something to help me climb.”

Taking hold of some of the carpet fiber, Nick launched himself upward, swaying from side to side to ascend hallway up the first stair. Letting go, he dropped back down neat Tom. “Piece of cake,” he said with a grin.

“Show off,” Tom scoffed, rolling his eyes.

The doorbell rang, sounding loud in their little ears.

“Coming!” Asha yelled, her footstep crashing as she descended the upper flight of stairs to the door.

Nick glanced at Tom, who simply appeared rapt by the sight of the gigantic girl.

Opening the door, Asha stepped back as the TJ and Carissa entered the house.

“Marty is gone till Monday night and mom will be back tomorrow. The house is all ours,” Asha said, closing the door.

“What about Nick?” TJ asked.

“Not sure where’s at,” Asha replied with a shrug, “but, with the three of us here, that poor little boy from Minnesota doesn’t stand a chance,” she said, projecting out her lower lip in a mock pout, eyes sparkling.

The other two girls chuckled.

Nick frowned. What the hell did that mean?