Everything was happening incredibly fast. My brother had just woken me up, shocking me with his now ridiculous stature. He asked for my help, I was going to help him. I really was. Everything happened so fast. We may not have been the closest siblings, but I didn’t hate my brother. I don’t think he hated me. He treated me nicely, he helped me out whenever I was in need and I couldn’t even return the favor. Dead, twice. It was all my fault. A person can’t die twice, but if he wasn’t dead the first time the book definitely finished him off. I shouldn’t have moved so abruptly, I should’ve thought about the sheer differences in our sizes. How can 17 years of living together end so suddenly? I was quietly sobbing. I can’t believe I had killed my own brother. My eyes stung as the tears streamed down my face. It wasn’t fair. I wanted to take care of him, I wanted to be someone’s source of warmth. I longed for someone to share conversations with, but I didn’t want to ruin the fine balance established between me and my brother by annoying him with my life. This was a great opportunity to escape my loneliness, and I had ruined it. Not only that, but now he was gone. I couldn’t stop crying, my heart was in pain and guilt welled up within my heart. Even though an hour had passed, I was still shedding tears. The pain was strong, but I managed to convince myself that I had a duty to at least give him a proper burial. It took a lot of courage, but I couldn’t just leave the book on top of him. I had take it off and wipe away the blood from his squished body. As I reached down my hand started trembling and I almost couldn’t do it, but I had to. I lifted the book off of his body.

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I couldn’t breathe well, the pain had long-since subsided but the horrific memory was still quite fresh and disturbing. I don’t think my lungs were damaged, but a tremendous weight pinned my entire body to the ground. Though muffled, I could hear my sister sobbing somewhere close and it pained me to have put her through such an awful experience. Though I can’t say it didn’t pain me as well, I still felt responsible. I just dragged her into this. My being 1” wasn’t her problem, it was selfish of me to worry her with my well-being and selfish of me to die in front of her. Or at least that’s what should have happened. I was certain that many of my bones had shattered and that I had fatally wounded myself from the fall. The book should’ve sealed the deal. I wasn’t dead though. In fact I seemed to be alive and healthy, despite the fact I was trapped underneath a giant book that likely weighed many tonnes. The pressure was unbearable, but for whatever reason my body withstood its strain. It wasn’t pleasant, but it was a small price to pay for my life persisting. I could only wait, now. Annie would eventually lift this book. I’d apologize. I don’t think I could make up for what she just went through, but I’d do something. I felt a guilt unlike the one from before. I’d done something shameless then, but it hadn’t really affected her. This time I had made her bear the weight of a murderer, the simultaneous guilt and pain of having killed her own brother.

My thoughts were cut off as I soon realized the unbearable weight above me was lessening. Annie was lifting the book. I wasn’t prepared to face her, I didn’t know what to expect. I should’ve greeted her with a smile, but I couldn’t remove the sorrowful expression from my face. Even as the book was removed from my body I was unable to move much, my body ached and throbbed with sharp pain as I tried to move. I saw Annie and she saw me. A look of anguish was on her face, but it abruptly changed into a look of confusion and then relief. “Oh my god, Andrew! Are you okay?” she said as she began to cry again.

“Y-yeah, I am.” I said, a slight bluff as it took a lot of effort to force myself to say that because the sharp pain but for the most part true, considering I should be dead. It was fairly obvious I was in pain to some degree, Annie looked worried again but I spoke again to reassure her. “W-while it hurts to move, and to speak -- I’m doing all right considering the fact I just fell over twenty feet and was crushed by a multi-tonne object.” I raised my arm to give her a thumbs up, trembling quite a bit. She sighed, but was still visibly worried. After a few more minutes, I began to be able to move a lot more with much less pain, though a dull-ache persisted for quite awhile. “You know, I’m really sorry.” I said.
“Sorry?” She looked confused. “For what?”
“Oh, well I made you worry. It seemed like I had died, and that undoubtably troubled far more than you deserved. This isn’t your problem, yet I selfishly burdened you with the responsibility of my life.” I explained to her. She looked a little upset, but I continued. “I shouldn’t have asked you to help me, I don’t want to take the chance of hurting you again. I’ll figure this out, I can manage on my own of I’m smart about it.”
“That’s not fair.” she said. “You’re as you are for reasons out of your control. Why should you alone be troubled with a problem you didn’t deserve to have, especially when you have family here who’s willing to help.. That’s what family’s for. It’s an older sister’s duty to take care of her younger brother.” Once again, Annie’s kindness knew no limits. But I had to refuse her kindness. I really didn’t want her to get hurt again, this was my own problem.
“I understand, and I appreciate you saying so. But look at how goddamn small I am? Do you not understand? What just happened could easily happen again, it’s almost an inevitably  given how tiny I am. I can’t put you through that. This is not something you need to be concerned with.” As I said this to her she just frowned. I’m such a bad brother, I keep giving her all these negative emotions. I looked at her one more time before I turned around and started walking towards the door. I knew not what the future held in store for me, but I had to figure out how to return to my natural size at least. I don’t really care if I ever solve the mystery behind why I shrunk, I just don’t want to have to live in such an impractical and agonizing way. Even if I couldn’t die, or was very resistant to death I could still feel pain. Feeling the pain of dying multiple times is definitely something I’d rather not have to go through with.
“W-wait wait wait!” Annie abruptly shouted. Before I was even halfway to the door she scooped me up in a flash and held my entire body in an embrace. “I don’t want to lose you a second time,” she cried out. I could hear her fine, but I couldn’t see as held my firmly against her chest. “I don’t care if its something I don’t need to be concerned with, I want it to be.” she admitted. I couldn’t move but the tightness of her embraced lessened. She released me from her body and held me firmly in her left hand, taking care not to grip my body too tightly. “Don’t unreasonably trouble yourself trying not to get me involved. I care about you, you’re my brother. Whether or not you like it, I am involved regardless so at least let me do my part so I can be relieved in knowing you’re not out somewhere getting eaten alive by a neighborhood cat or something.” I hadn’t considered her feelings on the matter, but what she said was also true. I sighed
“Well, there really isn’t much point in arguing this. I really can’t do much on my own at this size, but if you would be more worried if I went off alone I really can’t just do what I want, now can I?” I said, looking up at her huge face with a smile. It seemed that to some extent, she wanted to take care of me. If that’s what she wants then it’s best for the both of us. I don’t really mind letting her take care of me until she grows disinterested.

It was now twelve o’clock. Midnight. We were both tired, having been through a lot and prepared to go to sleep. There wasn’t really any preparation though, Annie was already in her sleepwear, and it was out of the question that I’d strip my clothes. What was left was to decide where I would sleep, or rather where I could sleep out of harms way. “You’re not sleeping on the floor, and you’re not sleeping on my table. You could fall, or a bug could eat you. I don’t really want you on the bed either. I could roll over and crush you.” Annie said to me.
“Not necessarily. That book weighed several tonnes to me, and even landed on me after falling with a lot of momentous force. Your body weight distributed across the bed probably wouldn’t put too much force on me if you rolled over, especially considering the bed compresses unlike the harder, carpeted floor.” She could probably sit directly on me and I’d I’d still be unharmed, actually so I wasn’t too concerned about sleeping on the bed. Though, it might be a little awkward sleeping next to a girl, even if she was my sister. That hadn’t stopped my earlier that night, though admittedly I’m far less curious now than I was --- and also filled with regret for having trespassed onto her body without her knowing.
“Well, if that’s the case why don’t you just sleep here” She said plainly, pointing to the breast pocket on her pajamas. I was a tad shocked at her suggestion, and it seems she too was as she latently reacted to her own suggestion a few seconds afterward with an overwhelmingly red face. Though, she didn’t retract what she had said. Apparently that was the plan, as she scooped me up with her hands and move me towards her breast pocket. I could tell she was slightly nervous as her hands were shaking a little, but pointing out or questioning her discomfort might not help the situation. It seemed she had already made up her mind on the matter anyway, even if she was a little uneasy she placed my within her breast pocket. Though my ‘bed’ wasn’t flat, I wasn’t particularly uncomfortable. Thankfully her pocket was shallow as my head was exposed. We said goodnight to eachother, though we both had difficulty falling asleep despite our tiredness. Every once in awhile I could hear and feel her heartbeat get faster and then eventually slow down. She was probably conscious of my presence. Although her room was slightly chilly, warmth seeped from her body through her pajamas and kept me nice and comfortable. At first going up and down with her breathing made me feel a little uneasy, but I soon grew used to it and it soothed me to some extent. After an hour she began to snore, so I knew she was asleep. I was also quite tired at that point and soon after joined her in sleep.