Thinking Outside the Box

Working together, Josh and Julian were able to peel away enough of the sodden cardboard to make a hole big enough to slip through one at a time.

Julian leaned back, extending a hand toward the ragged looking opening. “It’s your plan, after you,” he invited with broad smile.

“Ham can you make sure to put the panties over the hole?” he asked.

The big muscleman nodded and moved closer. “Be careful out there,” he offered, smiling.

Josh nodded and slapped Ham on the shoulder before dropping down to the ground near the hole they’d make in the base of the wall. Being thicker through the chest than Julian, the opening was tight for Josh, the smelly damp cardboard cool against his skin as he struggled to pull himself through the crude hole.

It was fairly dark on the outside of the box. The texture of the ground beneath his feet felt fairly coarse, like thick carpet fiber. The outlines of a few other boxes visible deeper in the gloom. The welcomed fresh air held a light subtle fragrance of something floral and clean.

“Come on,” he urged, helping Julian to his feet once the taller but more slender man was through the hole.

“I’m good,” Julian said, brushing away bits and pieces of cardboard fiber and tipping his head back to inhale deeply. “That’s nice,” he said, letting out a long breath and breathing in again.

Nodding, “Let’s go,” Josh said, moving to his left and keeping close to the exterior wall of the box from which they had just escaped. Rounding the corner, he bumped into a half-peeled curled sticky label near his head height. Pushing it back and unraveling it, barely enough light, he squinted to read the lettering there, Nike Women’s Flex Element, Size 9, White. He frowned. A shoebox.

“What is it?” Julian asked, leaning in close and whispering.

Shaking his head, Josh released the edge of the paper, allowing it to curl back in on itself, “Nothing,” he remarked, eyes up ahead on the broad open space, though still poorly lit, at least it was a little better illuminated than where they were standing.

Crossing the shadowy expanse, he came to stand near the open space. What he saw defied his ability rationalize. It just didn’t make any sense in the logical portions of his mind. This appeared to be a bedroom, the décor, decidedly feminine and he was standing under the hem of a blanket that was hanging down from a bed overhead, the open bedside night table, vanity, and a desk, all wooden and absolutely enormous. There was a book case along one of the walls, a handful of books, but the shelves mostly populated with a variety of plush animal toys ranging in size from grizzly bears to elephants.

The light in the room was coming through a double window in the wall, the sky beyond the glass fading to hues of magenta and violet.

“I don’t believe it,” he mumbled, mind reeling as he continued to survey the area. There were three doors in the room, two standing open with one of them leading into blackness which he presumed must be a closet, the other to a bathroom. The third door he surmised was the door to the room itself.

Julian draped an arm loosely over Josh’s shoulder, “You still clinging to that whole non-giant girl thing?” he asked, chuckling.

Josh shook his head, “But, this can’t be, I mean, it just can’t” he said.

Laughing, Julian leaned in close, “You going to pass out? Because now would definitely not be a good time Joshie,” he teased, “funny yes, timely no.”

“No,” he whispered, at a complete loss. It was like being punched in the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him.

Still close, Julian’s face changed, expression growing serious, “Right now you can take a good look but you’ll have to save it for later. This is what it is and we have got to make some bloody tracks before she comes back and finds us not in the box,” he urged.

Josh turned his head back to look back into the darkness where the box was sitting. It was a shoebox. What they were saying was all true. All of it. They were small. How no longer seemed to matter. The reality, however improbable, was he and Julian were tiny and trapped inside the unbelievably massive interior of the girl’s room.

“Come on,” Julian prompted, tugging Josh’s arm and dragging him out from under the bed and into the open area of the floor.

Josh allowed himself to be pulled somewhat, though because he dragged his feet he was more akin to deadweight for the much leaner man.

“Come on,” Julian repeated, yanking Josh’s arm harder, “left, right, left, right, you know the drill or I swear I’m just going to leave you behind,” he threatened, cocking his head slightly to the side.

Josh nodded mutely, Julian was right, they needed to move. His autonomic system kicking in, adrenalin pouring into his system, flight mechanism engaged, he started to run, the sudden motion almost bowling Julian over.

“And they’re off,” Julian joked, lengthening his stride to keep pace beside Josh.

“Where are we running to?” Josh asked, looking at Julian.

Before Julian could answer, they both heard the sound of approaching footfalls emanating from the other side of the door.

“It’s her!” Julian shouted, tone filled with fear, his eyes widening as he frantically sought a place of refuge.

“There!” exclaimed Josh, pointing toward the bookshelf full of toys as he ran.

Nodding, Julian ran to the shelf, Josh hastily boosting him up onto the bottommost shelf.

With Julian up, Josh leapt up, grabbing the edge of the shelf and quickly pulling himself up as the door swept open and inward into the room.

Desperate for cover, Josh dove headlong between a fluffy white polar bear and similarly sized black yellow and white penguin plush toy, rolling over onto his side as bright light filled the room.