When they reached Kristine’s place after a short, calm ride, both women decided to relax a bit before dinner. Nicole still had a few messages to reply to, most of them regarding planning the trip she and her friends were going on. She took a seat on a small, green sofa standing by the window in the living room, her full attention on her phone. At the same time Kristine decided to finish the book the arrival of Sean interrupted yesterday and so she grabbed her glasses, which she left on the coffee table next to the magnifier, and sat comfortably in the wicker chair. With the book on her lap and Sean in a cage around her neck, she figured she could unwind a little, and so continued the lecture from the last page she read. The book’s quality hasn’t impressed her thus far, quite the opposite in fact, and upon finally reaching the ending she was left unsatisfied. ‘What a waste of time, money and paper this was’ she thought, closing the book and setting it aside on the coffee table. She crossed her legs and adjusted her seating position, then looked down at the cage containing Sean. She grabbed it between her thumb and forefinger, bringing it to her eye level. ‘How are you doing, little one?’ she asked, smiling at the little figurine within, not expecting to hear the answer. ‘I think I’ll later put a cotton ball inside, so that you have something comfortable to sit on’ she added, admiring the object she was holding, turning it in both directions and looking over the minor details of it.
‘Maybe you should let him out for a while?’ Nicole said, glancing at her aunt from the sofa.
‘Oh? Oh, you’re right’ Kristine said, surprised ‘He could stretch his legs a bit before dinner’
She leaned in and put the cage on the coffee table, opening the door and waiting for Sean to get out. When he did, she smiled at him and leaned back out, watching him walk around. He looked so minuscule in comparison to various objects on the table. The book, while not a doorstopper by any means, seemed almost three times as tall as he was. The lenses of her glasses were as big as a cinema screen each. Even the round glass of the magnifier seemed as wide as a pond. Kristine watched him approach each of these objects, walk around their sides while he inspected them, visibly curious about the surrounding world at his diminished size, and couldn’t help but smile. There was something almost innocent, almost child-like about this little being and his curious escapade.
Sean, from his part, was glad to be free from the cage and able to walk around freely, even if his roaming ground was limited to the surface of the coffee table. Still, at his size even such a small piece of furniture was like a vast plain. And the common objects he was busy checking out felt more akin to curious natural formations. He couldn’t have possibly imagined what journeys he would set out for just by reducing his size. Despite his excitement, he could still feel Kristine’s eyes follow his every move from above. Soon the other pair of eyes joined in, as he saw Nicole get up and approach the coffee table, kneeling near it and observing him. ‘What’s Sean doing?’ he heard her voice booming above, followed by Kristine’s equally loud reply: ‘Sightseeing’. And then he heard a rapturous, repeating thunder, as the two women giggled. Even though he knew they weren’t specifically laughing at him, Sean suddenly felt so insignificant, so utterly tiny compared to the two goddesses looming over him, watching every step he took. His thoughts went back to Mandy and the conversation the three women had. He wondered whether he would ever get back to his normal size or whether he was stuck as this forever, condemned to a life as a source of amusement for his giant caretakers. And then, he heard a suspicious noise coming from Nicole’s face. As he turned towards it, he saw her taking short breaths in, her eyes closed, her face tense and contorted. He knew what was about to happen, but he could do nothing to stop it. A loud noise, not unlike a shot from a cannon, erupted in the air and a sudden blast of strong wind blew Sean from his feet and the coffee table. He screamed as he flew, then as he fell, only stopping when he hit the ground and finding out he miraculously survived. Better yet, he appeared to be unharmed. A quick glance at his grey, dusty surroundings revealed he landed somewhere in the carpet. ‘Just great’ he thought, resigned. Although he was happy the fibres softened the impact considerably. He took a series of closer looks over himself. No bruises and nothing was broken, that was good news. The bad – he still had to get out of the carpet, unless the girls would find him first. He figured it’d be easier for everyone if he got out of the dusty, grey fibre jungle and he began to walk forward.
‘Oh God’ Nicole gasped, as they saw Sean’s tiny form blown off the table by her sneezing and vanish in the carpet below ‘Oh my God, I am so sorry, auntie. I didn’t mean to-’
‘We must find him’ Kristine said decisively, grabbing the magnifier and getting on all fours ‘I’ll search here, you look over there. And try not to get on the carpet’ she commanded, wasting no time in scanning the fibres with the glass, trying to find any sign of movement, anything that would indicate Sean was down there. He could need her help. He could be hurt. She tried not to let it show, but it was clear to Nicole her aunt was getting exasperated, and so was she. They looked for several minutes until Kristine finally stated: ‘There. I found him’. Nicole saw her lay her hand down and lift it soon after, noticing Sean’s tiny frame within it.
‘Are you hurt, little one? Let me get a closer look’ Kristine said, rising the magnifier over him and inspecting his body, telling him to turn around and back front. She saw him give her thumbs up and even mouthing “I’m okay” several times. She sighed in relief and put the open cage in her palm, asking him in a gentle, but slightly stern tone to get in and he obliged. She locked it and slowly stood up, turning her face towards Nicole who was still kneeling by the carpet, despite Sean having been found. ‘I’ve got some leftover paella for dinner. I’ll go heat it up. Come to the kitchen in ten minutes’ she told her, her tone calm and showing no anger, as she walked out of the room.
They ate in silence, Nicole still feeling embarrassed about the whole situation. Sean was sitting on the edge of Kristine’s plate, tearing microscopic morsels out of a piece of meat and a singular rice grain and eating his fill. When they were all finished, Kristine asked Sean to jump down on the table, as she grabbed the empty plates and brought them over to the sink as she washed them. Nicole still sat on her chair, wanting to speak out, to apologize, but feeling too nervous to even open her mouth. And then she felt Kristine’s hands on her both arms.
‘Hey, cupcake. I’m not mad at you’
‘You’re not?’ Nicole asked, tears gathering in her eyes.
‘Of course not, I could never get mad at you. It wasn’t your fault and I’m sure Sean feels the same way’ she pointed to the table.
Nicole looked towards the spot Sean was in, relieved to see him lift his left arm, not holding it against her.
‘You know what’s really good in moments like these? A hug. Come on, get up’ Kristine followed with a smile and the two embraced, holding each other close for a solid minute as Sean stood and awkwardly gazed at the giant reconciliation. ‘Now let’s get back to the living room and you will tell me all about that trip’ Kristine said and placed a finger down on the table, lifting Sean up and putting him back into the birdcage. With Nicole’s mood now improved, they all left the kitchen.