Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

As hard as Josh tried to reconcile the information the others were sharing, namely the fact they claimed someone actually had the ability to shrink another person, he just couldn’t buy it. He needed more information. About the nature of the experiment, about the other men, everything. Turning to Henry, “Who has been here the longest?” he inquired, looking in turn at the each of the other four men, seeing if he could find the loophole in the insanity.

“Julian,” Henry answered, jabbing a thumb in the tall lean man’s direction. “Five days judging on the light cycle, that about right?” he asked, turning his head to Julian.

Josh smiled. Of course it’s Julian, he’s in on it.

Julian nodded slowly, long dark hair bobbing, “Making today day lucky number six,” he replied, holding up his right hand with his fingers spread and giving them the middle finger off his left hand.

Josh shook his head, mouth tight. Six days? There wasn’t much shelf life for the detainees stuck in the box, or subjects in an experiment.

“Five day turnaround seems pretty standard,” Julian said. “Why do you ask?” he inquired, smarmy smile on his face.

“Curious is all,” Josh replied with a curt nod. “Another thing I’m still curious about is this unnamed girl I saw in the library you all collectively seem to think is responsible for our predicament. Why her?”

“She’s the last thing any of us saw before we woke up here,” Ham explained.

Henry nodded. “I was in the dog park walking Winston, out little Boston terrier,” he said, “she jogged passed and then I woke up here three days ago,” he explained.

“She didn’t say anything?” Josh asked, shaking his head, fragments of his dream coalescing in his mind as his memory returned. “She just ran passed?”

The older man nodded and shrugged. Josh got the impression the man was hiding something, he just wasn’t sure what. Could he be the one?

Josh grinned slyly, “Come on Henry, what else happened?” he prompted.

“No, nothing,” he countered, looking guilty.

“Nothing?” Josh said.

“Listen, when she ran passed I stopped to tie up my shoe,” he explained, pausing, “wait, no, there is something, she walked up to me, but,” he shook his head.

“So you were checking her out you sly old dog?” Julian sniggered.

Henry shook his head again.

“Little piece of chicken runs by and you turn all big bad wolf,” Julian taunted, making a howling noise.

“Shut up,” Henry remarked, turning away to conceal his embarrassment.

“It was the gym for me,” Ham interjected. “I was at Fitness Planet, chest day, I was on my third set of wide grip decline press and she was across from me on the Smith machine doing squats. I finished my set, sat up, and like Henry, I woke up here,” he explained.

“What about you?” Josh asked, turning and looking over at Julian, trying to get the slender man to maybe slip up.

“Me? I was just hanging out minding my own damn business,” he replied, chuckling.

“You’re a drug dealer. You were out selling your weed,” Carver snorted.

“Yeah, whatever, anyway, it was coming on night and I caught sight of this sweet stunner strolling passed the mouth of the alley. I decided to go get myself a closer look at this sexy little filly and poof, wake up here,” the slender man supplied.

“Alone?” Josh asked.

“Nope, when I got here, there were two others, Cliff and Anson. And I know what you’re thinking Josh, this is some kind of trick. Cliff tried to explain it to me the same way we’re trying to explain it to you, but I thought it was a trap, that Cliff was probably a narc or something, part of some cop sting,” he laughed bitterly. “No trick, no gimmick, and now everyone who was here when I got here is gone.”

Josh frowned, lips pursed.

“It’s that girl. I told you, she’s a witch or a sorceress or something,” Julian replied.

Josh shook his head. Why? Surely someone would notice all sorts of random people vanishing. “And you Carver? I’m guessing basically the same deal?” he asked.

Carver nodded, jowly flesh under his chin making a sound. “Elevator at my office building, I was done for the day and she was in there, smiling” he answered, then shrugged. “That’s all I remember.”

“And this is why you think she is responsible and shrunk us all down and stashed us here in this box?” Josh challenged, grinning. “Because you think this one girl is the same girl we all saw?”

Ham shook his head. “We’ve all seen her since, when she brings new ones in. Josh she is huge,” he said, eye round. “Like Statue of Liberty huge,” he added.

Josh thought the muscle head simple, but even his body language seemed so goddamn convincing, and it wasn’t just the big man, it was the others too. They all seemed to be agreeing. Could they all be in on it? Like some unbelievably elaborate hoax or prank and I am the only one blind to the test?

Julian laughed, “It doesn’t matter whether you believe us or not, you’ll see for yourself soon enough bucko. It’ll tighten your nut sack right up like when you were ten years old,” he chortled.

“So you’ve all seen her? Gigantic? With your own eyes?” Josh asked, turning to meet the eyes of each man, searching for duplicity. There was none he could detect. They have to all be in on it and they’re doing a fantastic job and setting the stage.

“What about you, we’ve shared our encounters with the girl with you, why don’t you tell us what you remember from the library, maybe there is something there that will help us connect some of these dots,” Carver suggested, nodding.

Josh frowned, images surfacing in his mind, “Sure, why not,” he said, launching into his last memory.