Justine’s face was the first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes the following morning. It loomed over me, big as a billboard, as its owner knelt by my bed. ‘Are you awake?’ she asked and for a moment I was startled by how loud her voice seemed to sound.

‘I am now,’ I replied and sat on the pillow, rubbing my eyes. ‘What time is it?’ I glanced in the alarm clock’s direction and noticed it was almost noon. Quite a nap I had there.

‘I thought I’d check up on you. How are you feeling?’

‘Good, I guess.’ I looked around. I wasn’t surprised in the slightest that the world changed its dimensions while I slept. ‘I must be a foot tall now.’

‘More or less,’ Justine said with a hint of sadness in her voice. ‘Oh, I almost forgot. I brought you this.’ She presented me with another tunic, one more adjusted to my size.

‘Right. Thanks.’ I put it on. It was a bit tight, but I knew it wouldn’t be the case for long. ‘Well, no point in lying in bed all day. I’m hungry.’

‘Maybe you should stay here and rest,’ Justine proposed. ‘If you need anything I can get it for you.’

‘That’s okay, I could use a walk anyway.’ I stood up and approached the edge of my bed, trying to climb down.

‘You want me to help?’ she asked, already reaching out towards me.

‘No, no. I’ll manage.’ Getting to the floor took me a moment. At one point I slipped on the sheets I was climbing down and almost fell. But soon I was down there. As I passed Justine’s giant, kneeling frame and approached the door, I turned to face her again. ‘I’ll be careful, promise.’ She nodded and smiled at me, though I could still see some concern behind that smile. I stepped outside and headed towards the kitchen.

It was only when I made a few steps in that direction did I realize how much hassle it will be to get anything to eat, much less to prepare a meal. I suppose it was all just an excuse to get out of the room. That, or me still thinking I can live like I used to. I was no longer sure whether I was that quick at adapting to the changes. The floor felt cold against my bare feet, the path was longer than I could imagine and I got tired in the middle of it.  As I stopped to catch my breath, I noticed Maddie leaving the kitchen. Worse yet, she noticed me as well.

‘Oh. My god,’ she exclaimed as she got closer, her giant bare feet threatening to run into me. She stopped when she was close enough, crouching over me. ‘Look how small you are!’

I raised my head to look her in the face. She was all I could see at the moment, as if I needed further proof of how utterly tiny I now was. ‘Thanks, I guess?’

‘Aw, cute. Where are you going, anyway?’

‘To the kitchen. Why?’

‘Want me to carry you there?’

‘Uh, no?’

‘I’ll carry you there anyway.’

‘No, don’t-‘

She reached out and grabbed me with one hand, as she stood up and turned towards the kitchen. I wiggled in irritation, much to her amusement, but before I knew it she placed me on the table. Apparently the girls had toast for today’s breakfast too, as there was some of it left on a platter nearby. She broke a piece and handed it to me as she took a seat and watched me eat, a grin never leaving her face.

‘Having fun?’ I asked in between bites.

‘I am.’ Her grin grew larger. ‘It’s kinda funny seeing you like this.’

‘I’ll take your word for it.’

‘Don’t be so gloomy first thing in the morning. It’s not like I did you any harm.’

‘Except snatching me up a few minutes ago.’

‘Oh, don’t get worked up over such things,’ she pouted. ‘In fact, you should be getting used to it. I mean, seeing how small you are you can’t expect me or Justine to ask for your consent every time we need to pick you up. Or want to.’

As much as I hated to admit it, she had a point there. Besides, it wasn’t like I could stop them from trying.

‘We had a talk while you napped,’ she continued, ‘About what we should allow you to do or not. And you’ll be pleased to know I convinced her to let you roam the place freely, as long as you watch where you’re going. I mean, that’s what you’d want anyway, right?’

I nodded. Even if I had to walk miles every day, it still seemed a better idea than being carried around from place to place by these giant women. At least, I’d feel less awkward about it.

‘But. There’s three conditions. First, you stay close to the wall. Second, you always check before you enter a room, any room. We can’t risk stepping on you, can we? And third, the most important – you respect our privacy. Got it?’

Again, I nodded. I was almost sure these were Justine’s contribution to the idea. Then again, they seemed reasonable as rules go.

‘Great. Oh, and you don’t have to worry about eating or hygiene either. We’ll be leaving food and water for you on a platter on the kitchen floor. And a bowl of hot water and a napkin in the bathroom, since you’re too small to shower now. See? I’m on your side after all.’ She looked proud of herself.

‘I’m almost impressed. What about a place to sleep, did you think of that too?’

‘Oh. That. I don’t suppose you could use a shoebox?’

‘Maddison.’

‘Jeez, fine. I’ll string some matches together and make a ladder to your bed. How’s that?’

‘Splendid. Now, can you get me down so that I can have that bath?’

‘Well, the water in the one I drew this morning got cold, so I had to pour it out. Give me a minute, I’ll prepare a new one.’ She stood up and grabbed a bowl from the sink, turning the kettle on at the same time. When it boiled, she poured the hot water in, adding some detergent to the mix. She then took hold of me once more and carried the bowl and me to the bathroom. Her hand was getting sweaty, I didn’t know whether from the hurry or whether it was natural for her. What I did know was that I was looking forward to washing it off.

Fortunately, she left me alone soon after setting me on the bathroom floor, respecting my privacy for a change. I undressed and carefully stepped into the bowl. It took a moment to get used to the scalding hot water, but before long I could unwind and enjoy the sensation. I washed my skin thoroughly and got out of the bowl when the water started to get cold, wiping myself with the napkin Maddie left with the rest of the set and putting my clothes on. Maybe being small wasn’t so bad after all, I thought. If anything, we could save up money on water.

As I left the bathroom, I wondered what to do next. As Maddie said, I could go anywhere, but for what reason? The range of things I could do now was rather limited, after all. In the end, I decided to check up on Justine. I recalled her mood from before and I figured she could use some company. After all she did for me it seemed only natural to return the favour, in whatever way I could. And so I marched towards her room, making sure I stayed as close to the wall as I could. There was no telling if, or when, either of my giant roommates could emerge from their dens and start walking in my direction. Once there, I peaked in and saw Justine, as usual, on the couch, busy with painting her toenails. I could smell the nail polish all the way from the entrance and I wondered whether my sense of smell wasn’t becoming keener due to my shrinking.

‘Hey,’ I said, as I approached her. I seemed to have startled her. ‘Oh! Sorry, I didn’t mean to.’

‘It’s fine, I just didn’t hear you come in. What’s up?’

You, I wanted to say, but I thought better of it. ‘Not much. I just had a relaxing bath and now I’m looking for something to do.’

‘Ah, one of our yesterday’s ideas,’ Justine smiled. ‘I kind of envy you. The last time I had a bath was when I still lived with my parents. The shower just doesn’t cut it.’

‘It sure doesn’t.’ I glanced at her feet, the strong smell of the polish still hanging in the air. They were noticeably bigger than Maddie’s. Only the nails on the left foot were painted, I must’ve surprised her in the middle of work. ‘Black? I didn’t know it’s your colour. Come to think of it, I didn’t know you use nail polish at all.’

‘Oh, it was on sale. Besides, I wanted to try something new. Do you like it?’

‘Well, I’m no expert. But it suits you.’ I smiled at her and she smiled back. Good, I was glad I could improve her mood. ‘Want some help with the other foot?’

‘Are you that bored?’ she asked, visibly amused. ‘Alright, just try not to spill it on the floor.’ She put the bottle closer and handed me the brush. It wasn’t too heavy, but I still had to hold it in both hands to properly grasp it. And so I spent the next few minutes dipping the oversized brush in the black, oily liquid and carefully applying it on Justine toenails, as she watched me from above with a curious smile, her face resting on her first. The hardest part of the task was definitely enduring the choking smell of the nail polish. Despite this, it was a rather enjoyable experience, if not a bit surreal. I never painted anyone’s nails before, especially not a girl so many times much larger than me. I felt as if I was painting a piece of some giant statue, not putting a layer of varnish to the living tissue of a person.

When I was done with her smallest toe I put the brush back into the bottle. Not even a moment later I heard footsteps coming in our direction. I turned my head and saw Maddie enter the room. ‘What are you kids up to?’ she asked.

‘Andrew just painted my nails. Look how well he did!’ Justine replied with a certain glee, showing off my work.

‘Would you look at that, we’ve got ourselves a little pedicurist,’ Maddie teased, looking at me. ‘Maybe you’ll do mine next?’

‘Maybe some other time,’ I said. I wanted to follow it up with a teasing comment of my own, but I found myself coughing.

‘Oh dear,’ I heard Justine say, ‘I should’ve expected that. Here.’ She reached down and picked me, placing me on her lap. She then patted me several times on the back with her index finger, as I kept coughing. ‘Better?’ she asked when I finally stopped.

‘Better,’ I confirmed, wiping tears from my eyes, so strong was my cough. ‘Thanks.’

She gave me a comforting smile and brought her finger close again, ruffling my hair. It was a pleasant sensation and I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of her soft fingertip rubbing the skin on my head.

‘I don’t wanna spoil the moment,’ Maddie said, spoiling the moment, ‘But we need to think of what’s for dinner. Any ideas?’

‘Not from me, sorry,’ Justine said.

‘Since when do you ask US for ideas?’ I chipped in.  

‘Look, literally the only thing we have in the fridge is a chicken breast and a bag of frozen peas. So either you tell me what you want, and I go shopping, or we order pizza-‘

‘Pizza’ we said in unison.

‘I’ll go get the phone,’ Maddie groaned and left the room.