?? adjusted the car's speed according to the speed limit signs and vehicles surrounding him as they entered the highway. Sensing the thrill of the trip, he asked, "Okay, what do you want to listen BTS? I know how much you love them Maria or what about Beyonce. I know she's your favorite Susan." he said, waiting for a response, but not one sound, silence.

"Oh, come guys don't tell me you already regret- "he couldn't finish his phrase because a snore stopped him?

*Skvx-x-x-x*

*SHVX-X-X-X*

As he heard their snores, he couldn't resist seeing the three of their faces. After altering the rear mirror just right to see their faces, he couldn't help but chuckle. The three of them were tilting back with their mouths open. His daughter's personality was getting closer to their mother's every day that passed.

?? pities whoever falls in love with his daughters. He should understand. After all, he is married to their moth- he refused to finish the thought, remembering his father's words.

"By her hands, you can tell a lot about her. For instance, if they're placed around your throat, she's upset. Remember son women, know everything, even your thoughts." a man of few words but wise words. Well, time to enjoy the next hour all by himself.

…

As they reached the beach, he nudged Suan to wake up and get ready. He noticed that it was not that packed yet, which is weird because New York City is infamous for its population. He wasn't complaining, though. It made it easier to find a parking spot. As they parked, he couldn't help but feel the iconic "I got a bad feeling about this." he said to himself, thinking it was the alarm in the morning. If not that, what could it be? Maybe it's a cosmic force telling him, but who knows? But he trusted his instincts, and they said don't get out of the car. He was so entranced in his thoughts that he failed to notice his family getting out of the vehicle. 

Susan got out first, but ?? just stood there and stared out the window. Having waited long enough, she unbuckled Sarah and opened the car door for Maria to hop out of the vehicle. "I will head to the changing room with the kids. Why don't you find a spot to put down our things… and if you ever need to talk about anything, I am here for you." Susan said, concerned that her husband had his head in the clouds too much today.

Yeah, everything is going to be okay. ?? reassured himself. Plus, he got a promise to hold, and his gut feelings won't impede that. He owed his family this much. "Yeah, I'm going. But do you have a bad feeling about today or is it just me? "?? answered, taking her invitation to let out his feelings, but what he found was Susan already leaving for the changing rooms, oblivious to what he said. Yeah, she was ignorant of things.

He made sure his family reached the changing room by supervising them. That's an excellent way of putting it. When he was mainly gawking at her wife, she had a lean athletic body from all her school years playing soccer. She had below-average, perky, and round tits. And her waist was rather skinny, but that further improved her ass, making her have the perfect heart shape. Her smile and laughing while talking were the most noticeable features.

They looked like a lively family from where he stood. Hopefully, this never disappears. After making sure they entered the changing room, he began unpacking the beach towel and umbrella and tried to find an open space to place it on. At first, it was hard to find one, but he spotted an empty spot next to a hunk. That reminded him of "Greg..."?? spat. Did he ever mention how much he hates Greg? No, well, now you know.

As he strolled to the spot, he couldn't help but observe the environment, the salty scent of the sea. The embrace of the warm sun on his skin and the seagulls just menacingly staring at him, looking to scoop up whatever he drops. He couldn't enjoy this feeling first thing out of the house because of-.

"Ahem, Greg, that 6'4 hunk with blond hair, perfect jaw, what does he have that he doesn't have? Did I mention how much I hated him?" 

?? kept walking straight, leaving tracks on the sand till he stood in the middle of the beach, content with this spot's open space. ?? started setting up shop. Get it because he uh nevermind. As he finished putting down the towel and setting up the umbrella, he couldn't help but stare at the distance. 

A sign near the dock collecting dust, barely making out a faint ScF3 from being in the weather for countless years. Isn't that known for having shrinking properties under heat? Hm, why would there be a sign there? Wouldn't the government-

"Excuse me, mister, can you please stop staring at my family?" as ?? heard this, he nearly jumped by surprise. Only to discover the source was just a boy probably in middle school. This boy is perhaps 5'7 because his head reached my mouth like my wife, which is 5'7 as well—not quite hearing his question. 

"Excuse me; I couldn't quite hear what you asked? May you repeat it, young man."?? asked.

"Back to your farm, old man! Stop playing dumb!." the young man answered with aggression to ??. He felt offended he didn't consider himself old.

The kid's sudden aggression towards him dumbfounded him, but he could tell he was faking it like a goose against an elephant. The goose is scared, yet it steps forward to protect its flock. He wasn't about to fight a kid. It had to be something that made him act like this. ?? looked back at the ScF3 sign trying to put together what it was. Then he put the pieces together. He noticed a Hispanic family not too far from it comprising a mother, daughter, and what looks like a grandmother. 

"Oh no, you got a misunderstanding, kid. You see that sign over there? I was just worried about it."?? pointed at the sign. Making sure the kid was eyeing it. "Hey, I don't want to keep calling you kid or young man. My name is ??. What is yours?" 

"Just for the record ??, I still don't trust you still, but my name is Brian, and if you ever offend or hurt my family, you'll pay," Brian said confidently. 

Brian, huh? What a lovely name and a family guy at that. If he had a son, he would have also named him Brian.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Brian had to adapt to this new world. Let me tell you, being tiny in a Hispanic household is challenging. It isn't a picnic for my overbearing mother, dealing with my demonic sister and forgetful grandmother. The world kept on changing with you or without you. 

The world changed into one where some treat Tinies as toys, insects, or pets if lucky, just ignored. Others treated Tinies as human beings, equal no matter their size, and finally, some were submissive to Tinies. Weird, right? All that depended on the circumstances you were born in and the situation you sadly couldn't control. It was like a roll of the dice, but your opponent is fate. 

I remember as a kid seeing Ant-man and thinking how cool it would be to see everything his size. Grass as tall as pine trees, a simple puddle is like a lake to him, so much excitement. That changed when I shrank and returned to school as a "Tinie" from the looks of everyone's faces. I wasn't human anymore. Teachers would have stepped over me, ignoring me. Girls would poke at me curiously, and boys would make fun of me. No one would help me or stand up for me. That wasn't even the worst of it.

 A trusted friend I have known kidnapped me and did unspeakable things, all those nights of torture. I can't erase the fear of pencils or fingers, even if those fingers belonged to my family. At night I would ask myself, "Why me? I didn't choose this. I did nothing to deserve this God. Please save me… how many more are in a similar situation as me." I slowly stood up in my cage, covered with bruises. I limp towards the light generated by the bedroom window that poured into my metal cage. I stretched my hand out as if an angel would carry me away. "God, hear my cry. Hear my cry *sniff* you love us all right?... Help me… PLEASE, IF YOU EXIST, ANSWER MY PRAYERS!!..." No matter how much I prayed, there was no salvation, no matter how many tears I shed, no matter how much I begged my captor. That monster saw nothing wrong with what he did, no shred of sympathy. He looked at me how you would look at a toy with simple curiosity and nothing more. That day I realized the horror of this virus. It wasn't the size that made it destructive but how it destroyed the social hierarchy. Destroyed the idea of equality, making people think they are above us, "Tinies," a whole different species. 

Sometimes it takes imprisonment to find liberation. Just basking in the pain and sorrow does something to a man you make promises to yourself "If I ever get out. Never again." The possibility of being like this horrified me and almost broke me. Yet hope showed its face as my caring mother. She barged through the door when no one was home and saved me. To this day, I do not know what she went through to find me, but luckily, she did. Thank you, Mom. It traumatized me for a while. My loved ones were always there for me. That was the first healing step, feeling comfortable around giants once again. I slowly healed, even more, recalling when I was under the guidance of ?? and being around him. He taught me how to move around in our size, which boosted my confidence. ?? trained me by doing drills for what-if situations. No matter how much we run, we can't escape a massive being unless we are in an environment surrounded by obstacles and a place where those giants can't reach us.

Let me tell you. I died laughing when a what-if turned to reality. 

...

Flashback 

My Mom dropped me off in the afternoon because I'll never tell him this, but I think of him as a role model or more like a father figure, but today was special. Why? Well, when we had drills, it would be on the coffee table. Still, he decided the carpet would suffice for a reason, so we used one of many ladders implemented throughout the house since ?? shrank. 

Suan somehow forgot to put Sarah in her playpen today. The effect was seeing him running and screaming "HELP ME!!" all that confident talk had suddenly disappeared when Sarah crawled to him. Sarah ignored me surprisingly, constantly crawling to her Daddy babbling baby nonsense, probably somewhere in her language saying, Dad. Instead of worrying about him, I laughed because Sarah wouldn't kill him, just severely toy with him, probably a few traumatic experiences. Still, it was all good fun, and the fact is when we shrunk, our bodies were pretty resilient. No, we are not immortal. Still, at least we can survive someone's entire weight. How do we know that? A story for another time. Back to the matter at hand. All that training he forced on me finally came to bite him. Ahh, Karma. Vengeance would be swift, and he isn't escaping. We all know the laws of physics. A quarter-inch man can't outrun a baby man. As pathetic as it sounds. 

I wrapped my hands around my mouth. "Come on, ?? represent man. REPRESENT!!" I Screamed, then went into a laughing fit, rolling around on the carpet fibers that reached my neck. I lay down, letting myself sink into the carpet, listening to his rebuttal. 

"You ungrateful punk! You wait till I shove that representing crap up you're a- "I heard him stop talking, so I got curious and stood up, my head out like a rabbit in his hole. Instead of a hole, it was the long grass-like fibers to see him wearing an evil smirk, reminding me of the grinch.

"As my father once said, Brian, ONE FOR All, All FOR ONE!! A man with few words but wise words indeed." Pfft, it is not like those words will- wait, what is he doing? Oh no, OH NO NO NO. he was running towards me. That wasn't what horrified me, but she was following him—a baby the height of 696 feet and more power than any tank. Probably an entire fleet might as well throw the swat team for extra credit. I felt the adrenaline going through my blood. I felt like Usain Bolt, so I ran. Just from behind, I heard multiple things.

"Brian, don't run now. What happened to all that represent crap? I told you I would shove it RIGHT UP YOUR!!- "

*BOOM* 

"GAGA!!"

…

After escaping a few close calls, Susan entered the living room from the kitchen. Only to find that Sarah wasn't in her playpen. She felt her anxiety rising until her daughter's angel voice was heard. After hearing her baby laugh, she looked over the couch positioned not too far from the dining table. Only to find her daughter running in circles chasing the boys. She saw their predicament as "adorable," and a light bulb lit her head. They have stressed her out daily. Add work and come back only to take care of their daughters while ?? did nothing. Now she found the perfect opportunity to take a break. Why not let Sarah and the boys have fun playing together? Plus, they we're the size of toys. Who was she not to use said toys? It's just harmless fun, not like they didn't enjoy it. She swore she heard squeaking before entering, but it was probably her mind making it up. The guy's voices are practically inaudible to her. She Officially dubbed it playtime they all get to benefit.

To her, a way to distract her daughter and get a break, and no, don't get it twisted. She cared about them and knew the risk of this. That's why... she pulled up a rocking chair to sit on while reading in front of the location. She decided playtime would take place between the coffee table and couch, the perfect spot. If Sarah tumbled over, the carpet would help and an open space for them to play. Also, to make sure nothing goes wrong. It's a win-win situation. Sarah would benefit from dad and daughter bonding. Brian would benefit from interacting with a baby at his size, and ?? can... have fun. Yeah, that's the word! 

…

Damn, ?? was right. Susan is dense when we need her not to be. Sarah was now in our drills… and Susan. How? She is incredibly thick-headed. Doesn't she see a significant size DIFFERENCE? 

Sometimes she would dub "play with us" she would be on her daughter's team because to even the playing field. The first time she intervened was when ?? and I ran pretty close to the rocking armchair, like always. It became a pretty simple strategy to make Sarah crawl in circles until she tired out. When she came close enough, ?? thought of a way to avoid her vision. Just by hunching over, we would disappear into the carpet. Susan seemed to notice this after watching us "play" countless afternoons. 

"Come on, Brian, catch up, or I will leave you beh- " 

*Boom*

*Boom*

*Boom*

*Boom*

There was a loud noise so intense that my ear started hearing static, and the noise that followed was like war drums making the floor vibrate to its beat. I see ?? get launched from in front of me, all the way behind me. Something with enough force must have landed to send him hurling. Perhaps a toy? Just as my hearing was coming back, I looked towards the object that caused the noise, leaving my mouth open, and it wasn't a toy but a fuzzy closed-toe slipper with her pale heel only shown. The heel would go up and down in rhythm, causing tremors. As her heel would go up, she would give us a glimpse of her sole extending up into a tower, her heel at the top. Wrinkles and cracks are decorating this tower.

I couldn't help but think about how inviting that smooth flesh looks as it flexes as if it was daring me. I looked up to see if Susan had put her foot down hard on purpose. The only thing I noticed was her continuing to read her book as if nothing had happened, but she couldn't hide her smirk and excitement. The hint, her knee was bobbing up and down. She was playing the cute "I did it, but I'm gonna pretend I didn't act." I stopped in my tracks and fell to my knees and started to feel empty. Not cuss of sadness or rage, neither the prospect of being played with by Sarah but my size, how pathetic I became. Blissfully unaware of what her stomp can do to the ear. Causing damage, ?? got launched away with just that single action. To her, it was a simple stomp. Just the motion of her heel bouncing up and down made the ground shake in unison to her heel, all this power in one size 8 foot. I can't take this humiliation any longer. I would punch her if I were normal-sized, but her toe wouldn't even feel my punch at my height. The tears I was about to shed were quickly getting overwhelmed with rage until I felt a hand on my shoulder. 

"Brian don't think negatively. Just think of this as training 2.0,"?? said, smiling, then he yanked me up, grabbed my hand, and bolted left. I questioned why we didn't go straight and around the massive foot. Later, I learned it was the best option after doing a bit of math. The foot size is slightly short of the Statue of Liberty. Walking around it is a mission when Sarah can crawl right over it.

From that day on, Susan would intervene from time to time. The training level would increase because now we faced an intelligent individual. We would be defeated if she got up to catch us, but she gladly never did that. She was focusing on relaxing, only helping her daughter. We thought we were wise to change our running route so we couldn't be near her until she threw her slipper at our path. Never underestimate a mother's sandal-wielding ability; her slipper always landed where she wanted it. 

Then we got introduced to the final training level, which was a rare occurrence only when Susan forgot to bring the rocking armchair from its original location. Two things would happen. The first possibility is to sit down and lean against the sofa while stretching her legs out and use her phone. How is this deadly? Her body took up 25 percent of the open area. Then she would stretch her legs, effectively covering another 25 percent of the space and limiting our places to run and hide. We thought we were smart and ran to her BB&T building tall feet for protection. Well, that didn't end well. 

The second possibility was she would lie on her stomach and help her daughter. That's a story for another time. 

 Sadly, we had no say, like always people decided for us. It would be easy to escape Sarah if Susan spread toys around or were too lazy to clean up, but sadly, she was a cleaning maniac. Most of the time, we had to run through the savannah-like environment of the carpet with no cover. Susan was like a god. Need cover? Okay, here you go. Want to make it harder, okay?. Slowly, I started taking this situation in a new light, thanks to ??. I had fun. I couldn't help but wonder why ain't he depressed over his new stature. His life ended.

"How do you do it? Being optimistic about this." I point at myself. "I gave up trying to fight or escape enormous things and just accepted that if it happens, I will die. Giant rat dead. Suppose I was stuck in a pipe, dead. Yet you made me do drills. How do you do it" I asked?

I saw him turn to look at me with a stern face. "there's brave few that are willing to step into warfare with beings of unimaginable power. They know death is likely. But still, they stepped. We need to be those braves few."?? answered.

"Was that another of your father's sayings?" Brian smuggling said.

"For a man of few words, he says a lot." 

They started laughing

End of Flashback 

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Tales assert that this virus evolution happened because of one man, not some outer space phenomenon. They're right. I was friends with this man. Some call this man a hero, devil, traitor to humankind, ally to humanity. To me, he was a role model that I… betrayed. I never realized how much pain, love, and finally the shame he hid under a mask. In my hands, I hold the journal of that man—the diary of ??. As I finish reading the journal, all that remains in me is my endless regret. 

"I should have stayed. I should have done something." Before I could continue wallowing in my sorrow, my mother came in.

"Hijo Mio, Brian! I told you not to be near the window. You know how dangerous it can be. What if a bird came and took you? What am I going to do with you?" my mother said with her booming voice. 

I cover my ears with my palms. Even after all this time, I can't get used to their ear-shattering voices. I looked towards her, my 5'0, pouting mother. Yet short, she was enormous to me, tall as the empire state building. Even at this size, she noticed something up with me and quickly put down her pout for a smile. Her smile radiated, bringing a grin out of me. Ah, that's mother's intuition for you.

As she walked towards me, the wooden floor below me vibrated to her steps, and her footfalls were literal quakes to him. She was making it hard to balance myself. In just a few steps, she arrived. It was incredible because it would take hours for me to transverse through the living room. As she put her palms on her knees and bent forward just enough for her face to take up my entire view, let me tell you that you see things that you wouldn't see at normal size. I rolled back because of the wind that formed when she bent down. Thankfully, no one was behind her to gawk at her ass in the air. Even if there was, I would have beaten them up no matter my size. As I stare at the face in front of me, I can tell good looks run in our family. She had a lovely face and a sculpted body. Yet she remains single because of me? 

I think she has gotten overprotective after the incident and clumsier since the "Event." She might do more harm than good. Yet, I see maternal love in every action she takes. I wonder if it is due to me being the second person in history to get the virus? 

?? changed the world for the better or the worst-. I couldn't finish my thoughts before her finger and thumb pinched me and lifted me. I reacted fast, kicking my legs and pushing against the flesh. She slowly increased the pressure as if sensing I was about to have a panic attack. Two soft pads squished my body. Smooth, mattress-like skin overtook all my senses. What is that smell? Is it strawberry lotion? Nice trick, Mom. You know I like this lotion. I felt the pressure continue to increase, forcing the side of my naked body to her soft flesh, and felt my private part enter a fold. Oh no. The feeling of her finger's skin slowly engulfing it, encasing it, felt so lovely yet so wrong. I got rock hard naturally due to it feeling like heaven. Yet I tried to struggle with all my might to break free due to not fully recovering from my trauma. The temperature was slowly increasing because of her body heat. Imagine two warm, tanned fingers can do that! Yep ?? you changed this world. Did I mention I stand a quarter inch tall? It isn't my tale, not me Brian, but perhaps another time, but this is his tale. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

After ?? and Brian chatted a bit while ?? was subconsciously following Brian briefly, stopping right in front of the sign, unaware that a puddle was behind it. Finally earning his trust, he revealed a little about himself. Brian didn't have a father and lived surrounded by women. Poor kid probably never learned how to fight. How to ride a bike, and finally, how to act like a man. ?? could tell Brian felt like he needed to protect his family because of being the only man. Suppose he keeps going up to people being aggressive towards them from looking at his family. In that case, he'll eventually run into someone not so open-minded as him. If no one else would teach him to be more innovative, ?? took action.

"Let's exchange numbers. If you need help or feel scared, don't be afraid to call Brian,"?? asked as he pulled out his phone, then stretched his hand out. All Brian did was stare at his phone.

"You know, it's weird to ask for numbers when you just met. Do you have a thing for little bo-"

"Before you finish that phrase,"?? interrupted him. "To be honest, you're not man enough, and someone needs to show how to be a man." After finishing his statement, ?? stood, gauging his reaction. Brian stayed practically frozen till an outburst of rage came over him and pushed him. By reflex, he gripped his arm, bringing him as well.

His back hit the wooden sign, feeling sharp pain from the sign breaking and scraping his back. As he hit the ground, he couldn't help but notice he landed in a puddle back first. While Brian landed face-first in the puddle. ?? looked at Brian and couldn't help but notice he had gashes on his arm. It felt like intense burns around their wounds, assuming the salt touched their scratch marks. They were getting a similar reaction to how one would feel pouring alcohol on their injuries. They were unaware that it was ScF3f entering their bloodstream.

They both stood up but couldn't help but notice he had teary eyes.

"you're right. I'm not man enough, but that doesn't mean you're right, ??. The one to teach how to be one is not you." Brian said this, but it was a mask because his actions said another story. He picked up ?? 's phone not too far away from where they landed and quickly put in his number, dropped the phone, and ran off. After that interaction, ?? picked himself up and dusted all the sand off his body. Then watched Brian return to his family, also how all the family fawned over his scratches. Women, am I right? He couldn't complain, though having a female family is the best.

"DADDY!!" Maria shouted

?? turned around to see his cute eight-year-old daughter in a green bathing suit. There they were, his family, his female family, simply the best. 

He started jogging towards them, ready to have fun with his family.

...

Finally, after enjoying a much-anticipated beach day with family, they returned home, and ?? got the look from Susan, which means "SEX." Straight black hair, a somewhat skinny body, and signs of a beard are showing—well, time to give her the best night of her life. He happily checked himself. 

As he was about to leave, he couldn't help but notice his body was burning up. Probably an early sign of being sick. He checked himself one last time to see his shorts seemed loose, probably his imagination.

He walked down the hallway so fast that he would have broken record speeds. The reason for the meal he was about to enjoy tonight (Hubba Hubba), but when he opened their bedroom door, he saw his wife's eyes staring eye to eye. 

"Holy sh- no, I promised myself I wouldn't curse anymore after having kids. You know this is an exception. HOLY S- WHAT THE F- is happening!!"?? said in his mind. as he looked towards his wife.

"Swee—sweetie, I think… I might be shrinking. Don't panic..." as he finished, she fainted just great.