THE FLOOR BENEATH HER FEET

by

Edmund

“It’s through here, her Alison announced, bet you didn’t know there was a sub basement, did you?”

Alexi shook her head, no she didn’t.

Together, the three of them descended downward, after her Edward lifted the carpet, exposing a grate that he easily lifted. One by one they climbed the twelve steps downward, Alexi marveling at what she saw. A computer…or, a series of computers was more like it. Who knew that Edward had all of this stuff? It was like a mini lab or something.

Just two short weeks ago, Alexi had shown up on their doorstep. It was now officially the longest she’d ever been away from home. Her goal was to attend University once the summer was through. In the mean time, she would get a job and pay rent, even though Edward (her Uncle) and Alison (her Aunt) said that she didn’t have to if she didn’t want to. They were fairly nice overall, though sometimes a bit strict for her liking.

Alexi hadn’t spent that much time with them growing up, as her family had lived fairly far away from them, so it was nice to catch up with the both of them. They had given her her own room on the main floor, downstairs from their much more spacious loft. That was fine with her. If she hadn’t thought of asking them, she’d be paying $900.00 a month for anything this close to downtown.

“What is all this?”, Alexi asked, brushing her hair from her eyes.

“This, since you asked earlier, is how we do it…” answered her Uncle Edward, standing close to his wife and putting her arm around her. Both of them were tall, always had been, but since she got here, Alexi couldn’t help wonder if they seemed taller than they were when she’d seen them last.

“This is how you do what?” Alexi asked, not knowing what he meant.

Edward walked towards her and rested a hand on each of her small shoulders.

”This is how we…”

He paused.

Alison stepped forward and looked down at Alexi.

“What he’s trying to say, she said, looking Alexi firmly in the eyes, is this is how we have gotten as tall as we are”

Silence.

Alexi laughed.

“Very funny. Thought about standup comedy?”

Edward looked to his wife, who continued looking at Alexi.

“Honestly, honey, this is the truth. But you can’t tell anyone”

Alexi laughed again; actually, she hadn’t stopped laughing from the first time.

“No. I’ll be sure not to tell anyone that you’re getting taller with that computer there. It’ll be our secret, ‘kay?”

Edward pulled out his driver’s license.

“Look at this”

Alexi did. It said that he was five feet, ten inches.

“Big deal”

Edward calmly walked to stand against a measuring tape that they had fixed to the wall. He pressed his back firmly against it.

“How tall does this make me, Alexi? Come and see”

Alexi did.

“You’re six one. So what? The height on your license is a mistake”

Alison sat down, crossing her long legs and stretching them out before her. Alexi looked at her Aunt with this new information in mind. Alison wasn’t short, that’s for sure.

“We’re telling you this for a reason, honey, she said, we’re telling you this because we would like your help for the next stage”

“You need my help to grow more? What, you two want to be giants?”

Her Aunt and Uncle laughed at this, each looking to the other, knowingly.

“No, not giants, but both of us would like to be well over six feet tall”.

Alison gestured to her husband, “He is, but I’m still five ten”

Alexi laughed, this time less enthusiastically. She herself was only five six, making both of them far taller than she was to begin with.

“You’re serious?”

Her Aunt and Uncle both nodded.

“How can you prove to me that this is real?”

Both Edward and Alison walked towards her again, appearing on either side of her. The sight of both of them looking down at her became a bit intimidating.

“Just trust us, okay?”

* * *

Alexi was a trusting person for the most part. Giving people the benefit of the doubt was just something she did.

This was different though.

This would take too great a leap in faith for her to accept. Still, part of her wanted to humour her Aunt and Uncle, not wanting to hurt their feelings. She wasn’t particularly close to either of them, but had hoped that this trip, her living with them for the summer, would change that. So she decided to help them anyway she could and told them exactly that.

“Fine, Edward said to her, we’ll do it tomorrow evening, how’s that sound?”

With that, life proceeded as normal. Alexi went out, early in the morning to look for employment while Edward and Alison resumed their daily lives. Her Uncle had worked at a biotech firm, had for as long as she could remember. Aunt Alison taught tennis, played occasionally too. She was very good, rumour had it.

Alexi’s day was made better by the anticipation of what lay in store. She laughed about it several times that day, even when she met with little luck looking for a job, the absurdity of her Aunt and Uncle being convinced that they were each still growing brought a smile to her face. What were they doing anyway? What’s behind this joke of theirs? How long until they burst into laughter and say “Got ya!”

Those very questions were what was on her mind as she returned to their home. No luck with the job hunt, but there’s always tomorrow.

“Hi, I’m home. Ready to get taller?”

No answer. Guess they’re not home yet.

Alexi flopped her young, thin body down onto the couch, staring at the ceiling. Her eyes took in the room as her mind traced back to earlier memories of Aunt Alison and Uncle Edward.

Photo album.

There was one practically staring at her amidst the books in the bookshelf. She wanted to look through it, but knew that her Aunt and Uncle valued their privacy. This had been a touchy subject at some moments since she had moved in, Alexi thought, as she thought back to the first time she had seen their house. Her Aunt Alison had been showing her around and had been very firm, very particular about where Alexi could venture in the house and what was strictly off limits. That’s fine, Alexi had thought. It’s their house, right? Still, they had their rules. A lot of them. Take your shoes off at the door and stuff like that. In some ways, they were stricter than her parents were, but, like she kept telling herself…it’s their house and I’m not paying any rent.

She rose from the couch and pulled the photo album out. It was a fat one, exceedingly full of photos, some not even bothered to be pasted in. As Alexi opened it, she knew why. There were dozens, no hundreds more than the actual album was designed to hold. Various unsorted snapshots spilled onto her lap and her hands scrambled to contain them.

In the minutes that ensued, Alexi flipped through photographs from their past. She was even in some of them, much younger of course. They weren’t sorted or assembled from early on in life to present day, but she flipped through most of them anyway, as neither Alison nor Edward were home yet.

Finally, she stopped on one photograph that caused her pause.

She was in the photo. So was her Aunt Alison. They were standing on a beach together, smiling for the camera. Both were in bare feet and both were wearing bikinis. The strange part was, that they appeared to be almost the same height.

That photo was taken less than two summers ago.

Then the door opened. They were home.

* * *

Edward and Alison brought in take out food since they didn’t want to be bothered with cooking a big meal – especially not when Alexi had agreed to help them with their “size change” (which, for the record, she still didn’t fully believe).

After they chomped down their sushi, the three of them once again headed down to the basement. Alexi hovered near the back of the room, watching with a more concentrated effort than the last time. If they are tricking me on this one, she thought, I want to be sure and see how it’s done.

At the same time, Alexi acknowledged that it made sense in sort of a tv movie way…“The rarely seen Uncle and his wife who disappeared for months at a time, only to re-emerge months later now working at a different firm hundreds of miles from the last…”

“You’re probably wondering why we needed your help on this”

Edward looked at her, waiting for an answer. Things had become rather odd since seeing the photos of Aunt Alison mere hours ago – the reality of this had begun to sink in.

“Just tell me what you need from me and I’ll do it, Alexi answered, you paid for dinner after all”

Her Aunt Alison chuckled at this, but then added, “This isn’t a joke, you understand?”

Alexi looked to the two of them, “Yes, I understand, I’m just trying…I’m trying to lighten the mood here. I’m kind of nervous about this, okay?”

Edward stood before her, looking down.

“That’s fine. Nervous is okay. Just remember, what your Aunt said is true. This isn’t a joke”.

Alexi nodded and then watched as both of them stripped down to their underwear.

“Are you sure you want me to witness this?” Alexi asked, getting a bit uncomfortable seeing her Aunt and Uncle in their briefs.

Alison looked to her, “May tear our clothes otherwise. We’re hoping to each grow an inch and a half”

* * *

Edward had explained the machine, which, in it’s own way, looked like a cross between a radio shack experiment and a prop from a cheesy science fiction film. As the two of them stood against the wall, a beam would emit from a small turret on the ceiling, rotate several times as it stopped to focus on each of them. Since the growth was so gradual, nothing would be visible to the naked eye. That’s all they told her.

Alexi watched as Edward set the controls and did whatever it was that he had to do in order for the machine to commence. Her job was to videotape the experiment, which she had no problem with. Still, since she was curious what he was doing, she paid particular attention.

Moments later both her Aunt and Uncle stood against the wall. Alexi looked to the controls, seeing that they had been preset.

Both settings read – 104%

She wanted to ask what happened at different settings, but the serious look on their faces, not to mention that fact that she herself had begun to sweat from nervousness prevented her from doing so.

“Ready on the camera?” her Uncle Edward asked”

Alexi nodded.

“Alexi, Alison asked, step away from the machine, will you?”

How did she even know I was standing beside it, Alexi wondered to herself.

“Okay, she said, pressing the record button on the camera, all set”

* * *

Alexi awoke early the next morning. Another day of hitting the pavement for a summer job. Wasn’t that cheerful a thought, but it had to be done.

Maybe she should try waitressing, she thought. She was certainly good looking enough. Her friends from home had always said she looked like a slightly younger version of Naomi Watts. Alexi didn’t even know who this was, but took it as a compliment just the same.

She emerged from her small room and stretched out her back, which, more often than not, was sore from sleeping on that damn mattress. She would have preferred a real bed, you know, with a box spring, but this is all they offered her at the time and she vowed that she wouldn’t complain. After stretching, she strode into the kitchen, surprised to see that Alison had already awoken. She wore her pajama top and some tight fitting boxer shorts (were they the same ones she had seen her Uncle Edward wearing last week? They’re so tight!)

“Kinda early, isn’t it?”

Her Aunt turned, smiling like she knew a secret.

“Is it?”

Alexi shuffled forward. “Where’s Uncle Edward?”

“He’s gone to the office already”

Her Aunt Alison was making a blender drink. She poured it into a glass and gulped it down quickly.

“So did it work?”, Alexi asked.

“What’s that? Did what work?” her Aunt asked, pretending that she didn’t know what Alexi was talking about.

“You know what I mean”.

Alison set down her cup, wiped her mouth and began to walk towards her. She was in bare feet, Alexi noticed this first off, not wanting to misjudge her alleged gain in height based on her choice of footwear.

Alison stopped just shy of bumping into her.

“You tell me. Have I grown? Am I bigger than I was yesterday?” Alison grinned. She knew that she had grown, but only wanted to hear Alexi confirm this.

Alexi looked at her…looked up at her. Oh my gosh. She is taller!

Alison glowered at her for a moment, reveling in her mind trying to accept it.

“Be a dear, will you? Clean up my breakfast dishes?”

* * *

Throughout the day, Alexi had to continue reminding herself that this wasn’t a prank. There’s no way that anything like this could be faked. It was too elaborate. Besides, she had spent a month at their house. She’d know if someone grew over an inch. She would!

And she did. There was no questioning it.

* * *

Alexi returned home to find Edward sitting with his wife. His height had also grown, turning him into a fairly tall man, by anyone’s standards. Edward, however, didn’t bother rubbing her face in it like her Aunt had. No, he was irritated by something else entirely.

“Alexi, can you please keep your things confined to your room? It’s hard enough keeping my work organized without your nail files and your…your newspapers lying around”

Alexi stopped to consider her retort before replying.

“My mistake. Sorry”

She wandered into the kitchen. Her Aunt looked at her, a small wry grin on her face.

“We’re going to take dancing lessons, Alexi. Just the two of us”

“That’s good. Sounds like fun”, was all that Alexi could say, thinking how they’d stand out in a class full of people shorter than them. The fact that they were good looking didn’t hurt either. At their new heights, they were powerhouses. The types that you could see doing pretty much anything.

Alexi didn’t use to think that size mattered. Even wondered why people were fixated on it the way they were, but now…seeing them…it all made sense. She understood why they wanted what they did. They were Amazons for crying out loud! Who wouldn’t want Aunt Alison to teach them tennis? And who wouldn’t hire her Uncle Edward, this tall, handsome, bright man. They seemed capable of anything.

All of this made Alexi feel small. She’d never had any particular feelings about her height, one way or another, but rarely had she felt as short as she did at this particular moment.

Her Aunt rose to her feet. She was still wearing her shoes but looking down to Alexi’s own footwear.

“What did we ask you about wearing shoes in the house, Alexi?”

This time, Alexi couldn’t bite her tongue.

“But you’re wearing yours”

“Yes, but mine are clean. Just like the rest of this house used to be…back before you moved in”

Ouch. That had hurt. What was with the chill in the air here? Why were they being like this?

Uncle Edward stood to his feet too. “Alexi, you’ll need to videotape us tomorrow night”

“What? You’re doing it again?”

Edward looked at her, astounded that she would even question him.

“Yes, we are, not that it’s any of your business. You’re staying here for practically nothing…is it too much to ask for you to point a video camera and tape us?”

With that, he reached above her head and plucked something off the top of the microwave, something that he’d previously been unable to reach, since the microwave rested on the top of the fridge.

“Look, honey”

Alison smiled at this, then reverted her look to Alexi.

“Do you mind cooking for a change? We were thinking about a nice curry”

Alexi looked at her. Oh how her feet ached from walking around down town for so long.

“Yeah, not a problem”

With that, Alexi began dinner. Edward and Alison went upstairs and Alison ran a bath for herself.

“Make sure it’s spicy” came her Uncle’s voice a few minutes later.

Alexi bit her lip.

“Too bad someone couldn’t get them back to their normal size…

She smiled, lingering on this thought. Smiling a moment.

…or smaller still”

To be continued