Julia was still grinning as she headed back down the hallway towards the living room, thinking up a fiendishly clever scheme to search for Tim…
“Everything alright, Jules?” Natalie called out as she suddenly emerged from the kitchen.
“Oh…” Julia yelped in surprise, jerking slightly at her sister’s sudden appearance.
“Sorry, sis,” Natalie apologized. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“That’s okay, Nat,” Julia sighed with relief. “Yeah, everything’s fine. I was, uh…”
Julia’s voice trailed off slightly; a clever smirk grew across her face.
“…Actually, I just came from checking on Tim,” she said.
“Sis, I thought I told you to just let him be!” Natalie retorted sternly.
“I know….I know, you did,” Julia acknowledged, nodding her head, “but…I thought I heard him squeaking when I walked by after getting dressed. I just looked in on him to make sure he was alright. Poor, little guy was just having a nightmare, that’s all. I think me opening his door might’ve scared him awake. Luckily, I was able to get him back to sleep, so shh, make sure you’re quiet when you walk by.”
“Aw, my poor boy,” Natalie sighed, shaking her head. “You know, I don’t think she slept very well last night. Maybe I should look in on him before I leave.”
“Sis, I literally just got him back to sleep,” Julia protested. “You wouldn’t wanna wake him back up, would ya?”
“Eh…no, I guess you’re right,” Natalie acknowledged. “I’ll just leave him be for now and check on him this evening when I get home.
“Just remember what I told you,” she continued, pointing her finger at Julia, “keep him safe, but don’t just leave him in there all day, alright?”
“Don’t worry, Nat,” Julia reassured her. “Trust me, he’s gonna have plenty of time to run around and stretch his legs. Oh, and that reminds me, there’s something else I need to ask you…”
From his hiding place under the dresser, Tim could just barely hear his mother and Aunt Julia having a conversation down the hall. He was still apprehensive about coming out, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying and needed to get closer.
Tim instinctively looked around (as if he honestly needed to check and see if the coast was clear), then scurried over to his bedroom door, pressing his ear to the wood in hopes of overhearing what the two, giant woman were talking about…
“…it’s in the coat closet, by the foyer.” Natalie replied, pointing. “Why?”
“Oh, well, I figured since I already cleaned and mopped the kitchen and bathroom yesterday, I might as well just finish cleaning up the rest of the house today.” Julia explained.
“Oh, Jules, you don’t have to do that,” Natalie replied cordially.
“It’s not a problem, Nat. Really. Besides, other than watching Tim, I really don’t have anything else to do today. I don’t wanna get bored.”
“Aw, you’re a gem, sis,” Natalie lauded. “Really. I’m SO glad you’re here this week.”
“Me, too,” Julia grinned widely.
“Whelp, I’d better go finish getting ready,” Natalie said, walking towards her sister. “I still need to finish blow drying my hair and put on my makeup.”
“Okay, sis,” Julia replied hurriedly, practically stepping in front of and blocking Natalie’s access to the hallway. “Just remember to be quiet going past Tim’s room…and don’t go in. You wouldn’t wanna wake him up.”
Tim’s heart sank listening to Aunt Julia’s latest words. If his mother didn’t back come in to check on him, he’d be completely at Aunt Julia’s mercy for the whole day. His window was quickly closing, and he knew he couldn’t afford to miss it.
“MOM!” Tim shouted, pounding his fists on the door. “MOM, HELP! COME IN MY ROOM! PLEASE, MOM!”
“Thanks, Jules,” Natalie replied as she started walking past her sister. “I’ll be quiet, OK?”
“Actually…” Julia spoke up again, blocking her sister’s path, “…you know what? Why don’t I just come with you and help you finish getting ready?”
“MOM, NO!” Tim shouted, pounding more frantically on his door. “DON’T LISTEN TO HER! MO-OM!”
Tim slammed his fists into his door in frustration, stepping back to gauge his situation:
His bedroom door towered overhead, the only hope of opening it being the door knob which was obviously too far out of reach. His gaze lowered as he desperately scanned the door and racked his brain for an idea…
Tim’s eyes fell upon the gap beneath his door, between the doorframe and the carpet. There wasn’t much clearance, but there might be just enough room for an inch-tall human to squeeze underneath. Tim quickly crouched down and slid on his belly underneath the door jam.
“Mom!” he strained to call out, the low clearance making it difficult to breathe, “Mom, help…!”
“I’m…perfectly capable of putting on own makeup, sis,” Natalie chortled dubiously, “and I’m not really gonna put on that much, anyway.”
“I know, I just… thought you might like you little sister’s opinion, that’s all,” Julia replied anxiously. “I mean, you wanna look your best…”
“Thanks, Jules,” Natalie dismissed her, continuing down the hallway, “but I think I’ve got it.”
“Well…at least, let me keep you company,” Julia added quickly, putting her arm around her sister’s shoulder and escorting her down the hallway.
“Uh…Jules, you really don’t have to,” Natalie replied suspiciously.
“Come on, sis,” Julia chortled, “I could use a little grown-up girl talk.”
“Mom!” Tim called out weakly, straining to speak. “Mom, help!”
The gap under his bedroom door had proven tighter than Tim had initially anticipated, and now his midsection was wedged underneath the door about halfway between the bedroom and the hallway. Tim slowly moved his arms forward and grasped the hallway carpet, trying to use the leverage pull himself out from under the door, but he wasn’t moving, and quickly realized he was stuck tight.
“Oh, no,” Tim said to himself. “This isn’t good.”
Tim began to panic, frantically clawing and tugging at the carpet fibers to get himself moving. He somehow managed to get just enough leverage to scoot his body forward, just barely able to poke his head out into the hallway…
“Eek!” Tim squeaked as a giant, bare foot impacted the floor about a foot in front of him. His head quickly retreated back under the door jam, catching a glimpse of Aunt Julia and his mother walking down the hallway towards the bedroom.
“Help!” he squeaked desperately, but the two giantesses were already heading into his parents’ bedroom.
“Nuts!” Tim cursed. “If I don’t get to mom before she leaves, Aunt Julia’ll squash me for sure!”
“So, you really think one of these mixtures you’re whipping up’ll really get Tim back to normal size?” Julia asked as her sister turned off the hairdryer.
“Well, yeah, obviously,” Natalie retorted, somewhat irked at her sister’s silly question. “Like I said earlier, I won’t know for sure until I test them.”
“Any ONE in particular you think might work the best?”
“Uh…” Natalie uttered, trying to find her thoughts as she put away her hairdryer and picked up her lip gloss. “…Well, the first one I wanna test probably has the best shot: it’s the one I made directly from the original formula. It’s basically a mixture of all the molecular inverses directly synthesized from the original ingredients. It should trigger everything it binds with to break down into smaller components, which then should facilitate breaking more and more down. Basically the effect is exponential.”
“…Uh, sounds complicated,” Julia replied, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, in this case….” Natalie explained, spreading some lip gloss across her lips, “….it’s actually easier done than said. At least, the basic premise is…Jules’s I thought you wanted to have some ‘girl talk’, not ‘talk about my work’.”
“I’m just curious, that’s all,” Julia shrugged.
“Yeah, well, I think I had enough ‘girl talk’ for the morning. Why don’t you just go on wait for me in the living room. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Come on, sis,” Julia urged. “I’m sorry, I’ll change the subject…”
“Jules, just GO!” Natalie repeated firmly. “I just need to put on some blush. I’ll be there in a minute. Go on.”
Julia sighed and shook her head frustratedly, heading back through the bedroom and out into the hallway.
It was no use: Tim had been stuck in the same spot for almost five minutes. His head and arms we’re peeking out into the hallway, but he couldn’t flatten the rest of his body enough to get his shoulder blades the rest of the way out from under the door jam. His lungs were having a hard time expanding, and his breathing became shallow and rapid…
Just then, Aunt Julia’s towering figure appeared in the hallway, her bare feet pounding the carpet as they boomed in his direction.
Tim started panicking; she was going to spot him for sure!
He immediately pulled his head back under the door jam and yanked his arms back down to his sides, ducking out of sight as the giant woman approached his bedroom. Her bare feet stopped right in front of his door, her meaty toes pointing in Tim’s direction, wiggling playfully on the hallway carpet, as if they knew the tiny teenager was hiding under the door right in front of them.
Tim became extremely nervous as the giant feet stepped forward; they were literally right in front of him…
“Oh, no!” Tim thought, his heart sinking. “She knows I’m here. I’m a goner!”
Then, Tim heard the doorknob jostling…
“Oh no, AAH—!” Tim squeaked as the door slowly swung open, dragging him along with it. His belly was immediately rubbed raw from being slid several inches through the carpet. He frantically reached out his arms, grasping at the carpet fibers to keep from sliding back any further…
“ACK!” Tim exclaimed reservedly through gritted teeth as the underside of the door slid along his back until his tiny body was freed, leaving him prone on the floor. The excruciating pain felt like someone had just pulled a huge Band-Aid off his back.
Unfortunately, before Tim could recover, something huge landed on top of him…
As Julia left the master bedroom and headed back down the hallway, she paused outside Tim’s bedroom, facing his door. She looked back to make sure the coast was clear, then stepped forward and slowly turned the door knob, quietly pushing the door open and taking one step inside.
Julia scanned the large, open section of carpet just in front of Tim’s bed, half-expecting to see her nephew’s tiny figure scampering across the floor, but there was still no sign of him.
“Where are you, you little bug?!” she cursed quietly, her eyes moving along the carpet towards the door, just to make sure Tim didn’t try to slip past her feet.
Julia suddenly heard a drawer slamming shut from behind the closed bathroom door across the hall. Realizing that Natalie was probably finished applying her makeup and would be coming out of the master bedroom any second, Julia quickly, yet quietly pulled Tim’s door shut and slowly turned the latch to prevent it from making any noise. Then, she scurried the rest of the way down the hall, disappearing around the corner into the living room.
A few minutes later, Natalie was finished getting ready and headed back down the hallway towards the living room, finding Julia standing over by the coat closet.
“Alright, sis,” Natalie inquired as she turned the corner into the living room, “since you were so invested before, how’s my makeup look?”
“Uh…perfect,” Julia replied with slight hesitation. “Just the right amount of lipgloss.”
“See?!” Natalie remarked, slightly condensing. “I told you I had everything handled. Don’t forget, I was the one who taught YOU how to put on YOUR make up when we were kids.”
“You’re right, sis,” Julia said, putting her hands up defensively. “As always.”
“Anyway, did you find the…?” Natalie asked, motioning to the coat closet as her voice trailed off.
“Yep,” Julia replied, closing the closet door, “I was just taking a quick peek at it. I’ll pull it out after a bit.”
“Do you need me to show you how it works?”
“Uh…I’m pretty sure I can figure it out, sis,” Julia replied with admonishment. “I’m not an idiot.”
“Alright, no need to get pissy,” Natalie replied defensively as she stepped over to the coffee table to retrieved her purse and gather her work papers. “Just make sure Tim’s out of earshot when you turn it on. He might be sensitive to the noise; I don’t want him to get scared.”
“Don’t worry, sis,” Julia replied smugly, “I’ll make sure Tim’s right where he needs to be.”
“Good,” Natalie acknowledged, stepping over to the edge of the den and slipping on her flats. “Oh, and if you DO decide to clean up in Tim’s room, make sure you get under his bed and all the hard to reach places. It’s probably pretty dusty.”
“Trust me, sis. I’ll be VERY thorough,” Julia smiled, nodding her head assuredly.
“Awesome,” Natalie replied appreciatively. “Thank you SO much for doing this, Jules.”
“Not at all, Nat,” Julia smiled. “Believe me: it’s my pleasure.”
“Great. Anyway, I’m off.”
“Have a good day, sis,” Julia said, giving her sister a hug. “Hope everything works out.”
“Me too,” Natalie said, kissing Julia on the cheek. “Bye, Jules.”
“Bye,” Julia replied, waving slightly as her sister left through the front door.
Once she heard her sister stepping off the porch, Julia smiled and stepped back over to the coat closet, opening the door and rolling out a large, upright contraption.
“Oh, Tim’s gonna LOVE this!” she giggled contemptuously.
Tim cringed as he slowly returned to consciousness, immense pain coursing through his tiny body; he felt like he’d just been hit by a truck. He slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times to adjust to the light, then carefully pushed his torso up, moaning with discomfort. His brain was foggy, and Tim shook his head a few times to shake off the delirium before checking his surroundings:
Tim found himself lying on his bedroom floor; the carpet fibers, although still rather short even at his current size, created a sea of uneven grass, with the fibers immediately surrounding him apparently flatter than those a short distance away, as if they’d been trampled by a huge mass. Then, there was the unmistakable smell of feet—Aunt Julia’s feet, to be precise. Tim knew that potent stench all too well after being stuck to the giant woman’s sole almost the entire day prior.
Using all of his sensory inputs, Tim begin piecing together the events of the past few minutes: he remembered being trapped under the door jam…then, seeing Aunt Julia’s feet approaching as she opened his door…then, he recalled sliding along the carpet before slipping free of underside of the door…the last thing he remembered was something landing on top of him…but after that, it was all a blur. Tim figured he must’ve blacked out…
“Mom!” Tim cried out as he suddenly remembered his prior mission and scrambled to his feet, “I’ve gotta get to mom before she leaves for work!”
Tim pushed through the pain as he stood up and quickly jogged back over to the bedroom door. He knew the door jam hadn’t exactly been the best escape route before, but it was the only one he had. He bent over and scuttled along the door jam towards the dresser, trying to find a larger gap he might be able to squeeze through…
Tim suddenly heard foot stomps coming down the hallway, along with a strange, unfamiliar squeaking sound, like something was being rolled across the floor.
“Oh, Tim,” he heard Aunt Julia call out from the hall, “I have a surprise for you!”
Tim freaked, immediately taking off and diving underneath his dresser as the giant woman approached.
The doorknob turned loudly, and the huge, bedroom door creaked open. Tim looked back from his prone position under the dresser, seeing Aunt Julia’s bare feet entering his room, right behind something rolling into the room.
The tiny teenager got to his feet and ran to one of the dresser legs; then, he carefully peeked out to see what was happening…
Tim’s blood ran cold; his heart sinking into his chest…
Aunt Julia was standing over their vacuum cleaner!
The family’s vacuum cleaner was a cyclonic upright model, which had a dust bin for easy clean-up afterwards. After Natalie left for the lab, Julia had taken a moment to clean and empty the dust bin before heading back down the hall to Tim’s bedroom, making sure she’d easily be able to see her tiny nephew inside if and when she sucked him up.
“Alright, Tiny Tim,” Julia said apathetically as she began unwinding the cord from the vacuum cleaner, “if you don’t wanna come out, I’m just gonna have take more drastic measures.”
“No!” Tim exclaimed quietly, anxiously watching as his giant aunt plugged the gargantuan machine into the wall outlet on the other side of his bedroom door. “She—She can’t be serious! She wouldn’t…!”
Alas, Tim could only watch in horror as Aunt Julia lifted her bare foot pressed the pedal on the vacuum cleaner.
The monstrous machine roared to life, its thunderous howl causing the tiny teenager to scream in terror and cover his ears. He immediately ducked back behind the dresser foot, doing his best to stay out of sight.
Meanwhile, Julia began vigorously vacuuming the carpet in the large, open area of Tim’s bedroom. She doubted she’d see him out in the open; she was to trying funnel and corner him beneath a piece of furniture, slowly working her way towards what she assumed was her nephew’s most likely hiding spot: under his bed.
Tim scrunched himself into a ball behind the inside corner the dresser foot, his hands still firmly over his ears as he sheltered in place, trying to ride out the storm. All the while, he wondered anxiously just how long he could remain hidden. Aunt Julia was already bound and determined to find him, and would no doubt start vacuuming underneath the rest of his furniture once she finished vacuuming the open areas of the floor. Unfortunately; his options for hiding were minimal at best. There was nowhere else close he could go, and the moment he left cover Aunt Julia would immediately spot him; he’d get sucked up for sure! Tim felt his best option was to stay put. At the very least, he took a sliver of solace in the fact the vacuum couldn’t reach under the dresser.
Tim felt the ground beneath him start rumbling, and could hear the vacuum’s roar coming ominously closer. He grit his teeth, pressed his hands over his ears, and bore down…
Julia scowled as she swept the vacuum back and forth over the bedroom carpet, muttering curses under her breath at the fact that she’d had to resort to such measures just to find one shrunken teenager. Although she was sure Tim had taken shelter under the bed by now, she wanted to be as thorough as possible. Besides, Tim’s bedroom carpet was proving to be a lot grittier and dustier than she’d realized. Who’d have thought one lousy teenager could be so messy?
Julia turned the corner around the bed and began running the vacuum up and down the lane of carpet between the bed and the dresser, keeping her eyes peeled on the off chance her tiny nephew happened to peek his little head out into the open…
The ground was literally shaking as Aunt Julia rolled the vacuum cleaner back and forth along the carpet just on the other side of the dresser foot at Tim’s back, and he could practically feel the suction from the roaring beast trying to suck him into its hungry maw. To make matters worse, the monstrous machine was now so loud now that Tim practically had his head in a literal vice-grip to keep his eardrums from bursting. The noise was pounding in his head, and Tim was clenching his teeth to the point of pain…
Julia pressed the off switch with her foot, reaching around and trying to remove the dust bin to check for any spoils.
“Man, this room is dusty!” Julia griped in disgust, slightly shocked at the amount of dust and hair in the vacuum’s dust bin. “Ugh! Geez, Tim, don’t you ever clean your room?!”
She gently shook and jostled the waste bin, maneuvering the dust around as she looked for any sign of her tiny nephew.
“Hmph,” she muttered aloud, “nothing yet. Oh, well. Looks like I’m gonna have to get out the suction tools…”
Tim breathed a huge sigh of relief when Julia switched off the vacuum cleaner, but his momentary reprieve was short-lived: when he heard Aunt Julia talking about using the suction tools, his anxiety increased another notch. He quickly un-scrunched himself from his hiding corner and crawled over to the edge of the dresser leg to take a look...
Julia removed that attachable hose on the back of the vacuum cleaner and connected it one of the extender arms, setting a smaller, narrower extension attachment down on the bed for the time being. Then, she turned on her phone’s flashlight, knelt down on all fours, and shined the light under the bed:
“I know you’re under there, Tim,” she growled as she scoured the underside of the bed with her flashlight, “This is your last chance to come out before things REALLY get bad for you!”
Seeing no sign of her nephew, Julia set down her phone, snatched up the vacuum hose, and reached back to hit the on switch with her hand.
“Alright, Tiny Tim,” she said irately. “You asked for it…!”
Tim reeled, immediately clasping his hands over his ears again to prepare himself…
The humongous vacuum cleaner whirred to life once again. Tim quickly ducked back out of sight, bracing against the inside of the dresser foot in a desperate attempt to shield himself from the noise. He watched with gritted teeth as Aunt Julia shoved the vacuum hose as far under his bed as it could reach, and although Tim may have been relatively safe for the time being, he knew it would only be a matter of time before the giant woman started sweeping the vacuum hose under the rest of his furniture. He’d be sucked up for sure!
Julia only grew more and more frustrated as she swept the vacuum hose back-and-forth under Tim’s bed, sucking up every last dust bunny and dirt clod she could find, but alas, there was still no sign of her tiny nephew. Refusing to give up, she laid down on her belly and crawled partway underneath the bed stretching out her arms and legs to get as far under the bed as possible…
Tim reeled as Julia’s left foot suddenly shot his direction. He stumbled backwards onto his butt, yelping in surprise as the woman’s giant toes clasped the dresser foot between the big and second digits. Desperate to avoid them, Tim frantically scooted himself back, alternating his hands between covering his ears and using them to assist in propelling himself across the carpet. His back unexpectedly hit the opposite wall of the dresser foot; Tim pressed himself against it, desperately trying to avoid the meaty digits reaching for him, but they just kept stretching and inching their way closer. The tiny teenager screamed in panic, knowing that if Aunt Julia’s toes even so much as touched him, he’d be found out…
“Damn it!” Julia cursed, quickly reaching her breaking point. She would’ve bet a hundred bucks that she’d find Tim cowering under his bed. Not only that, as she tried to make herself comfortable while splaying her body out to reach further under the bed, her left foot kept hitting the dresser behind her. In frustration, Julia tossed away the vacuum hose, shoving it behind her, then worked to reposition her legs and feet, scooting her body further under the bed…
The end of the vacuum hose smacked the lip of the dresser with a loud crack, landing on the carpet with its nozzle pointed underneath the dresser…directly towards the very leg Tim was hiding behind. The tiny teenager screeched in terror as he suddenly found himself staring down the barrel of the ominous hose, the suction on his body pulling him closer. He immediately lunged the opposite direction, grasping the edge of the dresser foot to prevent himself from being sucked in. Tim tried to pull himself around to the other side of the dresser foot and clear of the hose’s intake, but the suction force was too strong, and he could barely muster the strength to even keep his grip.
“HEEELLLP!” Tim screamed in futility, holding on for dear life as his tiny legs and torso flailed helplessly in the air. “HEEEEEELLLP!”
The suction was starting to overtake him; his knuckles burned and ached as he struggled to hold on, but he was quickly losing his grip…
“SHIT!” Julia exclaimed irately, mumbling curses as she scooted herself out from under the bed and sat up on her knees. “Damn it, Tim! Where are you?!”
Julia snatched up the vacuum hose next to her and smacked the off switch with her fist…
“I swear to God, you little shit,” he heard Aunt Julia say as she stomped her foot on the floor and pushed herself into a standing position, “I’m gonna SQUASH you the moment I find you!”
Just as Tim’s strength was about to give out, the vacuum switched off; his tiny body fell to the carpet with a tiny thump. The giant woman’s dire threat had Tim cringing anxiously, but he was mostly focused recovering from the recent episode, panting heavily, and trying to catch his breath while he rested his sore, aching hands.
He could both hear and feel Aunt Julia stomping past the dresser foot, the vacuum’s wheels squeaking as the giant woman rolled it through the carpet. All the while, Tim prayed the giant woman didn’t suddenly drop to the floor and search under the dresser while he was still recovering. Thankfully, it sounded like Aunt Julia was headed towards the other end of the room.
Tim recovered enough to crawl forward and poke his head around the dresser foot, peeking around the corner to see what was happening. He couldn’t see Aunt Julia over the corner of his towering bed just across the way, but he did have a clear enough view through the underside of his bed of the giant woman’s bare feet stomping around the somewhat narrow swath of carpet between the other side of his bed and the wall. She was bound to start vacuuming again any second, and it would only be a matter of time before she started cleaning under dresser. Staying put was no longer an option; Tim HAD to get out of his room ASAP!
The tiny teenager quickly retreated behind the dresser foot, staying hidden as best he could as he frantically looked around for an escape route. He began scanning the wall behind the dresser through the darkness, wondering if there might be a mouse hole or something he could escape. Of course, even if Tim had seen one, he wasn’t sure going though would’ve been a good plan anyway: he could get stuck wandering through the walls for hours trying to find an exit, and if he happened to run into an actual mouse at HIS size…
Unfortunately, the gap beneath his bedroom door seemed like Tim’s only likely mode of escape, but if he didn’t fit before…
Tim had one last desperate plan, but would it work?…
…He had to chance it!
Tim jumped as the vacuum cleaner roared to life yet again. He clasped his hands over his ears and peered around the dresser foot again, catching a glimpse of his giant aunt as she vacuumed the carpet under the far side of his bed before he quickly retreated back out of sight. Thankfully, Aunt Julia wasn’t looking in his direction, but with her now in front of him partially facing the dresser, Tim knew he’d have to find the right moment to make his move.
Tim took one last fleeting glance of Aunt Julia to make sure her attention was elsewhere, then quickly scampered to the dresser foot of the dresser opposite him—the one nearest the bedroom door—hurriedly slipping into the narrow space between the dresser foot and the wall. He stayed put for a moment, listening to see if the vacuum turned off: a clear sign Aunt Julia had somehow spotted him…
…The vacuum was still running, and Tim didn’t hear loud stomps heading in his direction. For the moment, it seemed the giant woman hadn’t noticed him.
Tim peered out from behind from the outside corner of the dresser foot, taking one last look to make sure Aunt Julia wasn’t looking, nor had a clear view of his escape; then, with only a couple seconds of hesitation, the tiny teenager emerged from his hiding spot and dove underneath the corner of the door jam. He’d figured it would’ve had the widest gap between the door and the carpet, and his best chance at escape.
Tim scrambled to slide himself forward, paranoid that Aunt Julia would somehow spot him trying to squeeze under his bedroom door should she gaze in his direction.
“Please, let me keep going…” Tim repeated to himself, praying he wouldn’t get stuck again. “Please, just let this work…!”
The hallway carpet was in sight; the tiny teenager stretched out his arms and frantically grasped at the fibers, pushing through the pain, and pulling with all his might…
*POP*
Tim pooped out of from under the door jam, somersaulting a few inches before rolling to a stop. Sharp pains shot through his shoulder blades, and he winced and clenched as he waited for the pain to deaden.
For the moment, at the very least, the tiny teenager had escaped his bedroom and the menacing vacuum cleaner…but what was he going to go now? Tim was still stuck in the house with Aunt Julia for the day, and if he didn’t get out of the middle of the hallway, he’d be spotted the moment she opened the door. He needed a safe place to hide, and fast, but where?
Tim looked around the hallway, his gaze falling upon the doorway to his parents’ bedroom at the far end of the hall. Even for someone of his tiny stature, it honestly wasn’t very far; in fact, he could just head across the hall and slip underneath the closed door to the bathroom and access the bedroom from there. There’d be plenty of places to hide—under the bed, behind one of the other pieces of furniture…—and there’d be two potential exits if he needed to make another hasty escape. Unfortunately, that option would just leave him stuck in the exact same situation he’d just escaped from: hiding under a piece of furniture while Aunt Julia searched the house and vacuumed the carpet until she found him.
Tim looked the other direction, eyeing the entrance to the living room at the opposite end of the hall: it offered far more options to hide and keep out of sight, but it was a much further distance. If he didn’t make it there before Aunt Julia emerged from his bedroom, he’d be right out in the open with no cover. He’d be sucked up or stomped for sure!
“Come on, Tim!” the tiny teenager urged himself. “You’re wasting time. You’ve gotta get moving!”
With only a few moments of hesitation, Tim sighed heavily, then began jogging down the hallway towards the living room, praying he could avoid the unwelcome fate that awaited him if he didn’t stay hidden all day.
——————————————————————————————————————
“DAMN IT!” Julia cursed in frustration as she scoured Tim’s closet. “I’ve been cleaning and searching this whole stupid room for over an hour and I still haven’t found that little brat! Where the HELL could he have gone?!”
In her frustration, Julia haphazardly tossed aside some shoes in the bottom of Tim’s closet without any regard that they might accidentally land on and potentially crush her tiny nephew if he’d actually been hiding in there. She was certain she’d find the tiny teenager hiding in there; it seemed like an ideal spot for him to hide, especially since it was so unkempt, but Julia had combed the floor, tossed aside dirty clothes, and checked every possible nook and cranny she could think of—even inside his shoes—and had still come up with nothing.
This was not how Julia pictured her morning going: even after discovering Tim had escaped, she figured she’d easily find him within half an hour once she started cleaning his room, but she’d vacuumed the entire carpet—in the open, under the bed, beneath the nightstand and dresser…and still no luck. At the very least, she’d been able buy herself the whole day to look for him, keeping her sister unaware of the situation when she left for work, but the clock was ticking. Julia needed to find Tim before Natalie came home or there’d be hell to pay.
“This doesn’t make any sense!” Julia sighed frustratedly, her eyes anxiously scanning the room for any spots she may have missed while conducting her search. “I mean, I’ve searched everywhere and there’s no sign of him…But he HAS to be in here! It’s not like he could’ve gotten out—!”
Julia’s gaze suddenly fell upon the bedroom door: more specifically, the narrow streak of light peeking through the door jam. She hurriedly stomped across the room, dropping to the floor to examine the underside of the door: Julia could just barely slip her fingers into the door jam, yet could still reach far enough to feel the bottom edge of the hallway side of the door…not much clearance, but just enough for someone of Tim’s size to squeeze through.
“Shit!” Julia cursed, springing to her feet, “I should’ve thought about shoving a towel under here before I started vacuuming.”
Julia threw open the door, making sure to check the area just outside the bedroom before stepping into the hallway.
“Alright, you little shit, now where did you go?!” she seethed just above a whisper, as she scanned the carpet up and down the hallway, ponder where her tiny nephew may have gone. Her eyes glanced past the bathroom door just across the hall, then further down to the master bedroom at the far end.
“Now, would you try to make it to the living room,” Julia pondered aloud, “or did you just hide in your parent’s bedroom?”
Julia scowled, knowing she’d probably have a long day of searching ahead of her.
“You can’t hide forever, you little brat!” She called out bitterly. “You hear me, Tiny Tim?! I’m gonna find you….even if I have to vacuum this whole, damn house!”