Chapter 4

He moved along the wall of the rectangular waste bin at a light jog while he wiped tears away with his forearm. He reached the wall the back of the bin was placed tightly against but there was still enough room for him to walk down the narrow alley it created if he positioned himself sideways. He was desperate for a moment of peace. He had some time to cope
with the idea of scale but realized he had rushed headlong into this new world without contemplating it more than when he fantasized about it. After sidling down the alley and stepping over pebbles, hairs and dust his path became blocked by an empty and crushed up sugar packet. It showed signs of someone rolling it into a tiny ball between their fingers like he found himself
doing without thought when he drifted away into his daydreams. Bits of rubbed off text folded over themselves and the paper had a brown hue in places where the skin of whoever was rolling it rubbed off onto the paper. Even though the packet was a quarter of the size it must have been when it was full it still rose what seemed to be ten feet over his head, the sphere it once was had been crushed
into an oval by the wall of the waste bin. He pushed his back against the wall behind him and a knee on the wall in front of him and slowly made his way upward to the top of the packet. He grabbed the top of it and his arm stirred a cloud of dust chunks that stuck to his arm. The dust between his arm and the paper made his arm slip back and his heart jumped when he grabbed a fold in the paper. He pulled himself up and over the ball sliding down and dropping onto the other side of it. Here there was a small scratch in the drywall that chipped out an opening which must have been about a half inch deep. It created enough of an alcove for him to be able to sit comfortably inside and stand if he tilted his head down. He sat in the small coating of dust on the ground made of coils and chunks that cushioned him nicely. 

What have I gotten myself into, this isn't some bullshit fantasy, I almost died. He thought to himself. What if I never see my family again, everything I have done my whole life is worthless if I throw it away. I need to figure out what happened to me and if there is a way back, but fuck me this is what I've always wanted. Thoughts of the girl that almost crushed him like nothing raced back into his head. Fuck, I was nothing to her. She was a colossus, I couldn't even see her as a human at this scale. She was a landscape. There is no way I could get the attention of someone at my size, all that shit about climbing someone I read about is garbage. Everyone assumes if you shrink you suddenly become fucking spiderman. I need to get my shit together and take this one step at a time.He found himself shivering, he needed some sort of covering, the chill of the tile was seeping up through through the dust. That's easy enough, I'll cover myself up, walk to the other edge of this waste bin and find some food. I still haven't eaten anything after laying under that dresser for god knows how long. He felt fatigued, the adrenaline of the fall and encounter wearing off now. 

He walked back over to the wad of a sugar packet, kicking something in the dust while he rose. He couldn't tell what it was exactly, it was about the length of his forearm and a hard material with a sharp, pointed end. Perfect he thought as he picked it up to examine it. It was thick and flexible as he tapped it off a wall but it held sturdy and would make a decent weapon or tool, it felt like plastic but there wasn't a way to know. He jammed the pointed end into the sugar packed and tore off a piece twice as long as his torso. The paper didn't react like paper though, after he made a hole it took all his strength to rip through the strand like fibres. It was thick and not very flexible, like thick leather that had little fibbers sticking out from all edges that looked like weird fur. He made another hole in the middle of it and wedged his head through it, folding both ends over his body like a poncho. He grabbed a hair from the dusty ground, it was thick and tough to bend but he wrapped it around his waist and over his shoulder. Sliding the piece of plastic beneath the hair on his back, he was on his way. He set out down the alley of the waste bin and made his way towards the white light of the other end. 

He took a moment and emerged from behind the waste bin keeping his back to the bin and staying well under the metal overhang that offered some reassurance of protection. I'm going to need help from someone, at this size, no one is going to see or feel me, skin must be a meter thick. I'd look like a dust mite or fruit fly to anyone who did spot me. I'd better stay out of sight, although that shouldn't be hard. I should also find someone with an imagination who would be even remotely open to the ridiculousness of my situation. I guess that'll be the next step. Than I can worry about finding out what happened to me. He felt fine again, the panic gone from him, he had a new determination. He was happy he at least had an idea of what to do now. His head still swirled with thoughts of the giant flip-flops. I've figured out my priorities but I am definitely not going to ignore this opportunity to live out my dream. This is going to be as much of an adventure as I can make it. He thought to himself as he stepped out from under the metal ridge and moved slowly along the wall. 

He scoped out his setting. He had a hard time figuring things out at this size, it was nothing like putting a camera on the floor and taking a picture. The distance blurred before him as it stretched into endlessness, despite it just being the corridor of a shopping mall. There weren't many people, the place seemed mostly dead. He lost his train of thought as a massive construction boot screamed past him in slow motion and exploded to earth with a thud as he watched the other leg roar past it for a few miles before the other one as the mammoth creature lumbered away. From the fall he knew his body reacted differently to the environment at this size, the smallest breeze could carry him through the air. Gravity still seemed to work the same for him but drafts and breezes could carry and blow him, that's likely how he survived the fall. Everything also seemed to move more slowly around him. From the interaction with the giant girl, people around him seemed to move in slow motion, he seemed to react far more quickly to everything which made him feel like he was a super hero in a way. The ground beneath him started rattling and a low rumble began to grow around him when a massive wheel creaked past him. It crushed its way over pebbles and debris on the tiles as it rolled forward followed by two other wheels and the biggest sneaker he had ever seen. The wheels rumbled the world around him and the sneakers accompanied the commotion with padded booms as a woman pushing a stroller became clear when she made her way into the distance. Straight in front of him he saw a food court. His stomach growled and snapped him out of the awe he lost himself to while he watched the giants lumber about their business. There didn't seem to be anything to his left for the moment and the wall the waste bin was against offered protection from the right. He sprinted forward keeping along the wall. 

He reached the food court safely after running for about twenty minutes. Everything was going to be a marathon for him now. He took in his surroundings once again and saw a woman eating french fries with her teenage daughter. Perfect. There is no way I'm headed near any dudes at this size. he thought to himself as he began to make his way toward the table.