“Are you sure you don’t want any food?” Joy asked while hanging a damp coat near the front door. Savannah shook her head. 

“Thanks, Mom, but I already ate. I am stuffed,” Savannah patted her stomach. “You know I can’t help myself around Dad’s pecan pie,” she smiled. “And you know how good that deep fried turkey is.”

“How is he doing?” her mother spoke into the closet, her voice echoing slightly. After closing the door, both of them moved to the living room and Joy helped Savannah set down her baggage. 

“He’s good. He misses you,” she looked away. Drifting snowflakes gently stuck to the window near the door and the wind whooshed over the house. Joy didn’t respond, but Savannah didn’t expect her to. After a pause, she looked up. “Where’s Anton?” 

“I think he’s upstairs. We just finished cleaning up and putting away all the food,” Joy walked to the bottom of the staircase and readied herself to yell. “Savannah’s here!” Footsteps from upstairs thudded along the carpet, and Anton sauntered down the wooden steps.

“Merry Christmas,” he smiled and wrapped his arms around Savannah. Although he was younger, he was quite a bit taller than her. His long arms pulled her into his chest, and his hand ruffled the top of her hair. 

“Merry Christmas, little brother,” Savannah grinned. “How long has it been? Three years? Did you have to move so far away?”

“Yeah, well, I couldn’t pass up that scholarship,” Anton shook his head and moved to the living room. His hands wrapped around a log and set it in the dim fireplace, the lingering coals revealing themselves from under the disturbed ash. 

“Yeah, well, you could visit sometimes,” Savannah rolled her eyes. 

“Yes, you should!” Joy exclaimed from the other side of the kitchen. Savannah held her hands in front of the flickering flames as they gently curled around the fresh wood. The small fire crackled to life and slowly engulfed the offering, the lovely aroma of smoke mixing with the smell of holiday foods. 

“Oh, Savannah, Hailey left this for you,” Joy plucked a small, wrapped present from beneath the decorated evergreen. “I don’t know what’s inside, but she said it’s the most fun she’s ever had.” 

“Thanks, I’ll open it later,” Savannah answered while her cold fingers soaked up the fire’s heat. She hadn’t seen her friend Hailey since college, so the present was an odd surprise. She was always working on the craziest ideas and made many prototypes both in their shared dorm room and the university labs. Savannah always felt like a dummy when Hailey explained the complicated processes behind her inventions. 

Joy, Anton, and Savannah caught up near the fire while the snow piled up outside. Their mother relished in listening to her children’s stories from far-away places, a smile on each of their faces. Sunlight became moonlight while the large log crumbled into coal and ash. Laughs and stories freely passed between them just like the bottle of red wine on the coffee table. 

“I think it’s time I went to sleep,” Joy’s eyes widened at the time on her phone screen and leaned her head back to yawn. “Let’s do this again tomorrow before you leave, yeah?” she asked Anton. 

“Of course,” he nodded and yawned as he walked upstairs. 

“Hey, can you turn off the lights when you go up?” Joy asked without looking at her daughter. 

“Yeah,” Savannah grabbed the small, green present with her name written on top and flicked the lightswitch as she climbed the staircase. Only the orange glow of the fireplace lit up the dim space, the reflections shimmering off the Christmas ornaments. 

Savannah closed the door to the guest room and tossed the present on the bed. The tired woman changed into pajamas and tore into the green wrapping paper. Underneath was a simple, blank cardboard box. Her fingers lifted the lid, and she paused at the note and device inside nestled within bubble wrap. “Don’t shoot yourself with it! xD” was all it said. She checked the back of the note for more info, but there was nothing else. The metal device looked like a gun with a small satellite dish mounted on the front. Her cautious fingers wrapped around the grip and lifted it out of the box.

            “What the fuck,” she whispered. Savannah rustled through the barren box, but only bubble wrap remained. Is it a gun? Her squinted eyes scanned the object all over, but the construction looked relatively simple. She looked around the room and listened for any noise; it was silent save for the wind. Aiming the device at the extra pillow next to her, she apprehensively squeezed the trigger and winced.

A bright, green flash saturated the room with color for only a second. It made a reverberating sound, but there was no way anyone else heard it. Savannah, mouth agape, stared at the small object on the bed where the pillow was. It looked like… “a pillow?” she reached out for it and scooped it up. Another long pause followed as she brought the tiny pillow to her face. It looked identical to its normal-sized counterpart other than the huge size difference. The pillow squished between her fingertips as she manipulated it, her mind deep in thought. New possibilities had just opened up for her, and what was impossible before was now resting in her hand.

Savannah pointed the shrink gun at the box it came in and pulled the trigger. Another green flash later, the box became a much smaller version of itself. She shook her head in disbelief. The alcohol on her breath hadn’t yet worn off, and her inebriated mind was bustling with new ideas. 

Suddenly, she thought of the prank Anton pulled on her years ago. While she slept, he crept into her bedroom and released a box of live cockroaches under her sheets. To this day, she still checks under her sheets from time to time. Savannah had not forgiven him for such a crime. Her eyes shot to the bedroom door, and a smile stretched across her lips.

Making sure to twist the knob slowly and quietly, the prankster slipped out of her room with the shrink gun in-hand. It would be a harmless joke just like the cockroaches. Twisting the knob and pushing the door open quietly, Savannah’s alert eyes darted around the room. Her brother was lying on his side facing away from the door, his deep breaths and her footsteps the only sounds around them. 

She lifted the device, pointed it at Anton, and pulled the trigger. His body and the room briefly flashed, and Savannah was momentarily blinded by the brightness in such a dark room. It took her a second to find his small form on top of the comforter, moonlight shining in from the open curtains. Her face hovering over her shrunken brother, she was shocked that he was still asleep. The boxers he was wearing had shrunken as well, and it was the only piece of clothing he had on. His minuscule body was even smaller than the cockroaches he had released on her. The giant sister held her breath to stop the air blowing down on him. She was completely in amazement at the situation unfolding before her.