Parenting isn’t a simple job. It can worsen, how? Well, if you're a working mother. Doing her best to balance her day-to-day work life with family bonding, it will be difficult. Susan always Assumed she did all the parenting. In reality, parenting is a two-person job. Taking ??’s aid for granted, not fully realizing how important he was in her daily life. That is till today.

Susan was going to learn the life of a single parent. She isn’t single, but considering her husband’s current state, she might as well carry the responsibility of two parents. If he tried to help this morning, he would probably end up underfoot as she scrambled around, getting everything done. Susan wasn’t an octopus. Even with her haste, she could only do one task at a time. Susan couldn’t cook and fetch the car while taking care of Sarah and attending to Maria. She had to adapt fast. It was easier with ?? around. She was briefly recollecting how it was.

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flashback 

“Go do breakfast while I wake the children. Don’t forget to fetch the car.” Susan said 

“WOMAN! I OUGHTA-” ?? froze due to receiving an icy glare from her. That said, I wish you’d finish that sentence.

“I oughta go fetch the car *only if she was this feisty in bed…*” ?? mumbled.

“What did you say, honey?” Susan asked.

“Nothing, buttercup,” ?? answered, turning around blocking the nervous sweat drops that formed from nearly summoning the beast within her.

End of flashback 

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She smiled at remembering her small request, but as they say, the little things matter the most. Thinking about it now, it was more like ordering than teamwork, but the point is, ??’s helping hand lessened the weight on her shoulders. No, her husband isn’t dead, but his help might as well be nonexistent. Why? When your husband is the size of a toy. No, a toy is too generous. A bug is more accurate. Let’s see how much help he can give. He’s currently trapped underneath a cup of glass downstairs for his safety. She will release him later, but right now, worrying about stepping on him while hustling with their daughters didn’t seem appealing to her. Since he began shrinking, Suan couldn’t help but feel she needed to be protective, more affectionate because of his dwindling. Unaware that these feelings were maternal instincts, like if he was a third child… She promised she’d be there for him, always, thick and through. Besides, that was their wedding vows, but there was also another feeling lurking within her mind. She couldn’t help but feel a dark spark in a sea of light when she discovered him this morning, trapped under her yoga-covered behind, desperate to get her attention, pounding on her leggings. Only one word came to mind. “Pathetic.”

Susan couldn’t help but compare him to a bug when she saw him. She felt guilty because she knew this comparison was wrong, but ?? wasn’t an average human. At least, that’s what her subconscious told her. He can’t walk outside without being killed. Cradling their one-year-old daughter is impossible for him now. Sadly, he was more relatable to a bug now, but she still considered him human, a mix of insect and person at a subconscious level. Then she came up with the term “Tinie” Yeah, that sounds right, she thought. 

She couldn’t help but worry. What if she sat on ?? fully? Would a spider find him when everyone was gone? Did she need someone else to help her with ?? Greg Maybe, but she prefers someone in the family; then it came to her. 

You never fully realize the actual value of something until you lose it. The stress will keep piling on. Susan will have to find a solution soon. A babysitter or someone to take care of him and the house, but who and will they be able to handle seeing a human the size of a quarter of an inch and keep it secret? Lusi is the perfect option.

“Mom, I am done changing what now?” Maria said, pulling Susan out of thinking. She turned to see her daughter, with a Blunt Bob hairstyle. White shirt and blue pants, the uniform required in her school. She felt proud. Why? Because even with ?? out of commission in his holding cell. Susan got through the morning without his help. Her secret strategy Well, she ran back and forth, fro and to, carelessly running between rooms to do the work ?? should have but couldn’t.

“Sweetie, why don’t you wait downstairs while I care for Sarah, Oh don’t forget to greet your father under the cup” Suan answered focusing on her other daughter giving little time for Maria to ask the essential question of “why is Dad under a cup.”

“Okie Dokie,” Maria replied happily pretending what her mom just said was like any other morning, skipping down the stairs out of view.

“Not again. How is it possible you pooped again after I changed you, you little pooping machine?” Susan said, giggling while nuzzling her nose against Sarah’s nose. 

“Let’s get through this together. Daddy will need your support.” Susan told Sarah, smiling at her one-year-old daughter. But couldn’t help but pray that ??’s condition isn’t permanent. She needs him, and their daughters need a father as well.

…

?? walked in circles, his cell, more accurately, a glass prison that disoriented his view of the outside world. The vast living room looked cartoonish and misshapen. ?? thought about the forcible future while looking at the misformed items in the living room. They had to install ladders and stairs around this house to be more accessible. Most importantly he had to change something, or his wife would keep confining him to a spot—?? regretted not going to the government when he first showed signs of shrinking. They would probably have something in Area 51 that could construct little ladders and stairs. Yet again, if he went to the government, he would probably be an experiment. Maybe he can meet a martian then tell Batman all about it.

While ?? was planning on what adjustments they could make for him throughout the house, as if he was a house designer, he was unaware of the presence behind him. But it was made apparent when he turned around. He instinctively jumped 4 feet back on his scale. A mouth stood outside the barrier. Even with the disoriented view, he could make out plush pink lips littered with wrinkles. They reminded him of.

“Maria” ?? whispered. 

The lips opened revealing a large chasm, before he could continue staring at seemingly endless darkness, a large gust of warm morning breath came out. The glass fogged up from Maria’s exhale. Even from within the dome, he could make out the smell of her morning breath. Then, unexpectedly, using the foggy surface, she began drawing a heart with the letter D in the middle, like seeing a child in the car on a rainy day drawing on the windshield.

“Love you, daddy,” the giddy and excited Maria said. Maybe a little too excited. Her booming voice sounded weird within his cell, which he couldn’t help but giggle. Tremors were felt abruptly.

“MARIA MALCOLM, what do you think you’re doing?” Susan said, practically dragging Maria by the arm to the front door, presumably ready to take her to school.

“But Mom, I was just telling Dad how much I-” Maria said, annoyed at her mother’s reaction to her just saying, “I love you.” 

Then they left ?? as if he didn’t exist. Just another great thing he’ll have to get used to. Not being able to hear what they are saying when far away. No, that’s not right. When they decide he shouldn’t listen, that’s a scary thought.

…

“Look, Maria, I understand you were showing your love and support to your dad, but there are better ways of doing it,” Susan said while driving down the road, staying alert to the passing cars as they headed to school.

“Mom, I don’t get what the big deal was,” Maria asked, irritated and confused about what she did wrong. Unaware that simple action may be deadly to ?? now.

“Sweetie, picture it from his perspective,” Suan answered. 

“What does perspective mean?” Maria asked.

“Hmm, well, imagine how he saw it, a big scary mouth, smelling bad since we didn’t have time to brush our teeth. That is all he saw and… smelled.” Suan answered.

“SO…” Maria said, feeling guilty but not admitting it. 

Not wanting to waste time making her admit her mistake, Susan blurted out the primary topic of discussion in this car ride.

“We need rules, and I came up with three simple ones. Rule number one, no more walking around the house with sneakers and shoes. Before you say anything, listen to my reason. If we ever step on him, we will soften the blow with our socks, barefoot, and some slippers like fluffy ones. The second rule is one of us always knowing where he is at all times. The final rule is never revealing him to anyone. Maria, people, will react horribly, but more importantly, they will take him from us.” Susan said as she pulled up to the school, remembering that she would have to call Lusi her mother later and eventually tell ?? about having her move in. Just imagining his reaction to this made her feel bad about making the decision without his input. She was about to pull out the phone when she realized she had left it at home.

At home, her phone sat next to ??’s phone. The phone was ringing, but it wasn’t Susan’s but ??’s phone, and it read Brian.

———————————————————————

The stars were like lucid snowflakes as they sprinkled the night sky. STARS ARE THE DRUGS OF GODS- I mean, they provide gods with a feeling like no other. While ?? gazed, the moon shined on him through a lattice of leaves, patchy sky & stars seen in glimpses through tree breaks. Time flowed slowly as if this moment could stretch for eternity. He heard tales of everything slowing down at the end of one’s life. They were right. His wheezing created puffs of clouds in the chilly night like a dragon. His body felt drenched, probably from his blood, and he thought, “How did it get to this point?” Have you ever sat down and questioned yourself? But in a fragile moment, a heartbreaking moment? Don’t understand, let me explain.

For example, breaking up with your significant other, losing your loved ones. These situations hurt your mental and emotional state, sometimes more brutal than any physical wound can inflict. These situations cause thoughts to invade your head, but the most famous words are .” What or how?” Pfft, that isn’t anything, possibly, but it’s what comes next that will make your cheeks clench. “What if I loved them more? How did this happen?” All these thoughts overtake your mind and make you believe.” I should have done something else, tried harder.” Thinking turns into a trap, constantly wondering what if things had been different? Then you get lost… trapped in the prison that’s the past, and sadly, some stay lost forever. ?? was the same, currently lying down on his back in a pit, staring at the moon and dark clouds, while hearing the creature they just escaped and whimpering at the thought of not having dinner tonight. The tunnel-like hole made his vision narrow and obstructed, seeing only a fragment of the sky. Some would say the moon is the light at the end of the tunnel. Just wondering how it got to this point, and he wasn’t alone.

“Who would have thought to put a pipe in the damn forest not connecting to anything? Damn crazy people.” ?? said with a wheezing breath. Blood sputtered out of his mouth. He was trying to deflect his harsh predicament with humor.

“Now is not the time to be funny, Mr. ??,” Brian said, somewhat scared, his body shivering from the night’s cold.

?? gazed into the boy’s eyes. Dry blood marked all over his face, probably a head injury from the fall they just had. “When did you call me Mr. ??? I recall when we first met, it was Oldman, and you almost considered me a-”

“Will I ever see my family? Yes, my sister is an asshole, and I probably hate her, but I don’t want to die and never see them again. Will we die here?” Brian asked, interrupting ??’s speech.

The pipe’s walls are rusted and smooth, allowing no way to climb. ?? bit his lip, knowing escaping here was probably impossible. He thought that if one of his daughters were here instead of Brian, what would he say? “Brian, we will get out of here and have a good laugh. No matter what,” putting on a smile and confidence.

Few had the misfortune to experience a near-death experience and survive. Those who do, say the same thing: those what-if questions come the most when your life is about to end, poetic and harsh, right?. “would I make it to my daughter’s ninth birthday? What if I wasn’t so small? If I didn’t confess to Susan? What if this never happened?” These past thoughts clouded his mind but didn’t overtake him because of a straightforward thing. He’s an adult, and a child stands next to him. ?? has mastered the life skill “Letting go.” The things that have happened in the past… the things that aren’t happening right now… Let it go. If you want to be free, stop locking yourself in the prison of your past. Release the heavyweight from your back. Letting go of how a particular person did ?? and Brian wrong. As he took deep breaths, repeating this phrase, ?? remembered his dad, a man of few words but wise words.

“You would never allow a thief to enter your home and live there rent-free. So why do you allow thoughts that steal your joy to enter and live inside your mind? Son Letting goes forgiveness. Forgiveness is giving up the hope that the past could be any different. It is accepting that it has happened to you. And what are you going to do about it?”

A spark lit up in ?? like never seen before. He is a grown-ass man. Now is the time to pull up his big boy pants and do something better. Brian shouldn’t suffer from a mistake that he made. He turned his head to the side and said, “Brian, you’re getting out of here no matter what.”

Even if ?? doesn’t make it out, Brian shall live. He needs to feel life’s embrace, the bad and the good. In a sense, if Brian manages to get out, he won’t be dead. ?? taught Brian how to live in this size. In a sense, he’ll become his living Legacy. He’ll live on for both of them.

August 29, 2023, one day before the event.