As the new year approached, Tom was laying in his bed, reading a book set in the old west. It was something that he really enjoyed. Cowboys and Indians, shootouts at the saloon, duels at sunrise in the middle of town. The lores and myths just fascinated him. And he always sided with the good guys. And it made him think of the current situation his family was in. 

His parents had made a choice, and his younger sister received a shot that made her grow exceptionally tall, and she would only grow taller. They had to move into a new house in a new development. It was like he was living in one of his western novels, a family looking for a better life, settle down in a new frontier town. But in this case, it was a development that was initially sparsely populated, but rapidly filling in. He just hoped that it became one of the peaceful towns that the citizens of his books always sought, and not one inhabited by the likes of a Black Bart, or worse.

But as he was reading, there was a knock on his door. He said enter, and Cindy came in. She said that she was going to go to the playground at the edge of the development, and wanted to know if he wanted to come along. Her friends, Lucy, Sally, and Patty were going also. 

At first, Tom felt like saying no, but said yes. That brought a smile to Cindy's face. Although she was over 8’ tall, she was still only 9, and her parents didn't want her to be out without her brother being with her. Tom quickly got dressed, and once he was ready, brother and sister headed out. It gave them the opportunity to talk. 

Ever since their parents took more of an interest in being home to raise them, the free time that they used to enjoy when they were by themselves was few and far between. Occasionally, before bed, they would chat, but it always felt rushed. Now, with just the two of them alone and enjoying the open air, Tom asked his sister if she was getting more used to the house. Cindy told him that she wished she could definitely say yes, but to her, the house didn't feel like home like the old house did. 

Tom told her that was understandable. They had been in the house for almost a year, and it seemed as huge now as it did then. And it was still taking him a long time to get used to the fact the house would never get smaller for him, and he suspected that their mom and dad felt the same way. But he told her what he had been telling her. It would get easier for her as she grew. She just should enjoy the journey. Besides, he told her that when she grew to her projected height, he was going to enjoy hiding things from her by placing them under the furniture. She laughed, and teased him that the same thing would be true for her. All she had to do was place something that was shoulder level to her, and he would struggle mightily to get to it.

They both laughed at that. Tom had developed a way to make Cindy feel optimistic about the future, and to put a smile on her face. She realized that without him, she wouldn't be able to handle her situation. He gave her strength.

They reached the playground, which sat on the border between the development and the part of town for regular sized families. Lucy, Sally and Patty were waiting for Cindy. They had gotten to know Tom from the frequent walks they took through the development. While the girls used the swings, he just walked around, as he wasn't tall enough to reach the bench or use any of the equipment. But he didn't mind. Seeing his sister smile and at ease with her friends made him feel good.

Just then, a group of high school boys riding bikes past the playground started yelling at the girls, calling them freaks and losers, and other nasty things. Tom could see the girls getting upset, so he ran after them, telling them that they should apologise to the girls.

The boys turned their bikes around and headed towards him. But Tom stood his ground. The boys got off their bikes and moved towards him, demanding that he repeat what he said. Tom did, telling them that they should apologise to the girls. One boy laughed, saying that there was no one there to make them. 

Tom’s heart was beating a mile a minute, but he repeated his demand. Suddenly, he found himself surrounded, and before he knew it, he was punched in the side of the head. He suddenly started swinging his fists, and felt himself connect against one boy. But then two others grabbed his arms, and the boy he hit was coming towards him with anger in his eyes. Tom just glared at red boy.

Suddenly, the boy was stopped in his tracks by a pair of large hands. It was Cindy, with her three friends by her side. The highschool boy suddenly looked very afraid, as did his two friends. The four girls bent down and looked the highschoolers in the eye and told them to apologize to Tom. 

The boys looked at the girls, then each other, then the girls again, then at Tom, and meekly offered apologies. The girls told the boys that the next time they wouldn't be so lucky, and told them to go, before they got mad. They highschoolers quickly got back on their bikes and sped off. 

The girls went over to Tom, who had a bloody nose and a quickly blackening eye, and made sure that he was alright. Except for the nose and eye, he was alright physically. It was just his male pride that was slightly bruised by the fact that his sister and her friends had to rescue him from a fight that he was losing. But he couldn't let those high school boys insult his sister and her friends, especially since they were older and supposedly more mature. Now he knew why his parents wanted him to be with Cindy while she was outside. 

The playground lost its appeal for the day, so they all said goodbye. Tom and Cindy walked home, and she kept making sure that he was alright. He kept telling her that he was. She thanked him for sticking up for her and her friends. He told her that she would never have to worry about that. He stopped and looked up at her and thanked her for saving him from those older boys. She bent down and gave him a hug and said that he was her brother, she would never let anyone or anything happen to him. He laughed at those words, only because he knew them to be true. It was the new reality.