Chapter 10 - Fail Varnish

Natalie pressed the button with her foot and the vacuum stopped. Nick fell back a few centimetres from the head of the vacuum while his mother and his sister went upstairs. Unbelievable. His mother had almost sucked him into it! He could not believe he escaped. Recovering his spirits, he got up and resumed his run to the couch. Although he managed not to be sucked in, his mother had not finished cleaning and he was not out of the woods yet. Seconds later, he heard footsteps and saw Natalie and Flore came down the stairs. Nick accelerated his race as he saw them approaching. He had almost reached the couch when his mother's huge foot fell just in front of him and blocked his path.

- AAH!

With a jolt, Nick stopped and saw her pass in front of him.

- Here it is! - she said, seizing the varnish resting on a piece of furniture.

She opened it to check that it was the right one, but dropped the brush that then rolled under the sofa. The tiny boy saw the massive silhouette of Flore kneeling to recover it and tilting her head a few millimetres from the tiny boy. He did not believe it. The opportunity presented was just too good to be true! Nick grabbed a lock of his sister's hair. He was going to reach her ear and she and his mother would finally notice him! But when she caught the brush, Flore suddenly raised her head and Nick was forcibly thrown from the hair he held.

- Aaaaah!!

He lands on the top of his sister's head, completely lost in a jungle of hair. He felt his sister get up as he rose in the air.

- Help!

He heard Flore say:

- Thank you!

Then he felt her moving. Nick clung to her hair that surrounded him. He could not see where she was going, but he still felt that she was climbing the stairs.

- Flore, on your head!! - panicked the young boy.

Well, at least he was still in her hair. He only had to reach one side of her head and go down to one of her ears using her hair to get there. A few seconds later, Flore's head stabilized and Nick set off. He did not really know where he was going, but he thought he would reach one side of his sister's head sooner or later. He walked for several seconds before seeing a massive form appear above him: a brush.

- Oh no! Flore!!!

The giant brush passed right next to him. The boy began to run without knowing where to go, completely lost in the middle of his sister's scalp.

- Flore, stop, don’t brush!!

He tried to figure out how she was brushing to try to anticipate her movements when in a second, he was suddenly caught in the middle of the dozens of bristles that made up the brush.

- NO!!

Nick then got dragged by the giant brush and was pushed into the air before he felt himself fall.

- Aaaaah!

He suddenly managed to hang on to a lock of hair. He just had time to shout again:

- FLOOOORE!!

Then he saw the huge brush advance towards him again.

- Aaaaaaah!

The boy let go and began a long fall when he saw the body of his sister parade before his eyes. As he thought it was the end, he passed through the opening of the varnish tube that Flore had placed next to her and landed in the burgundy liquid it contained. He was covered everywhere, even on the face, and dimly viewed his sister through the small opening of the tube above him.

- HELP MEEE!

It was getting worse and worse. How could he suffer all this? How could all these people do all these things to him? Without even realizing it! He would never have thought of finding himself in such a situation. He was in a tube of nail polish, completely covered with a substance he hated. It was then that Flore plunged the brush into the tube. Nick saw it approaching him.

- NOT THAT!

He avoided it as she dipped the brush in the varnish. She stirred it a little then brought it back out and Nick had to face the facts: hanging onto the brush was his only way out of here. He waited a few seconds, staring at the opening of the tube when he saw the brush appear again. Nick stood ready. The brush hit him, covering him completely and plunged his whole body into the varnish.

- Wai …

The boy was completely submerged in the varnish. Without seeing anything, he succeeded in clinging to the hairs of the brush, and was raised in the air. As he passed through the opening, he saw his gigantic sister appear before him.

- FLOOORE! HERE ...

But no sooner had he called to her than Flore suddenly pressed the brush on one of her nails, spreading Nick onto it.

- Yuck! Ack!

He had swallowed varnish. It tasted terrible! He struggled to his feet because of all the varnish he had on him and then saw the brush appear behind him.

- NO! WAIT!!!

He just had time to take two steps when Flore slid the brush in his direction. The boy was pressed again against the nail of his sister who covered it with a new coat of varnish. Then she plunged again the brush into the tube. Nick tried to get up but the varnish surrounding him clung to his body. He turned his head and saw the giantess bring the brush towards him again.

- Flore! No!!

But fortunately for him, she applied the varnish on another nail. Nick got up with difficulty and moved down from Flore's finger. He absolutely wanted to clean himself, but painted that way, he might have had a better chance of being spotted. He turned around, ready to call to his big sister, but he saw her take a wipe and plunge it towards him.

- NO …

Flore then passed the wipe on what she certainly thought was a blemish in the varnish. Nick found himself trapped inside the fabric that she then screwed up and left on a corner of her desk. After making sure that the giantess had dropped the wipe, the boy took the opportunity to wipe off the varnish he had on him with it. It had turned out that it was safer to regain his original appearance. He was still inside when Flore suddenly grabbed the wipe.

- Aaaaah!! - shouted Nick, suddenly shaken.

Nick felt himself being lifted while Flore left her room, the wipe in her hand. He managed to create an opening by moving the part of the wipe that covered him and he found he was in the bathroom. Then he suddenly saw a tap above him.

- FLORE! NOT THAT!

Too late. Flore started the tap to moisten the wipe. Nick was afraid of the pressure the tap could generate for his size, but fortunately only a trickle of water hit him. The boy was then drenched and had to cling to the handkerchief so as not to fall into the sink and its siphon that was just below him.

- Flore!! Stop!

He was now all wet, but apart from a few stains on his clothes, he had no polish on him. Flore cut off the water and brought the wipe back to her room. He saw her body and her huge face above him.

- FLORE! LOOK!!! - Nick shouted, clinging desperately.

Without paying attention, she approached her desk to wipe away a varnish stain.

- Aaaaaah!!

She suddenly applied the wipe on the stain by pressing on it. Nick felt the pressure of her hand and the varnish sticking to the wipe.

- Flore, in the wipe!!

Nick was raised again then he felt himself suddenly fall.

- Aaaaaaaaaah!!

The landing was rather abrupt but thanks to the wipe, Nick did not hurt himself. The boy came out to quickly escape from there, but realized he was not on the floor. All around him was a long cylindrical wall. Seeing where he was walking, Nick understood: Flore had just thrown it in the trash!

To Be Continued …

Translated from French to English by jdragondawn