Poppy

I can’t sleep. Lying back in my bed, I smile as his words reverberate in my mind; “Yes, God” – he had accepted me as his one true God. The power feels incredible.

I’ve had this deep-seated lust for power for as long as I can remember. When I was younger, I would spend most of my days in the garden looking for insects to play with. Upon finding a nest of them, I loved to pretend it was an entire city whose people were awestruck by the giant that now dominated their skyline. The tiny little bugs had no chance as I crushed the life out of them. I liked to imagine what it must be like for them. Though I was just a little girl, I towered over them, holding their tiny lives in the palm of my hand. To them I was an unstoppable giantess – to all intents and purposes I was their God.

Most people grow out of their childish habits, but mine only became more intoxicating. At school, I was one of the popular kids; confident, good looking and ruthlessly manipulative. I would take great pleasure in demeaning my teachers. They were at least twice my age, but I had them on string. Once, Mr Talbot had tried to escalate the situation and call for my expulsion – I had practically put the cuffs on him myself when I recalled the propositions, the inappropriate touching, the private notes. The tears had certainly helped. Everybody believes an innocent little girl.

I wasn’t tall though, so the control and manipulation was always limited. I couldn’t physically dominate anyone, and that frustrated me. When I realised daddy was shrinking, I was unbelievably excited. Soon he’d be looking up to me, his own daughter. I’d be the big one. I’d be the one in charge.

And now I am.

Playing with the little bugs when I was younger was a lot of fun, but I had no way of communicating with them. I could imagine how they saw me, imagine the fear I instilled in them. To actually hear someone declare me as their one true God is almost too much to take. Such is my power that they’re willing to deify me and do everything I tell them to do.

It’s easy to forget Clara’s involvement in this. I can clearly see that she doesn’t feel quite the same as me but, despite the fact she is older than me, she’s malleable and I can shape her just the way I want. I know that ultimately there is only room for one God in our father’s life, but in time she’ll get bored and move on, that’s just the way Clara is. In the short term, her involvement will help keep him in check, and keep mummy off my back.

A warm tingling sensation fills my insides as I drift off to sleep, imagining him on his knees in prayer to me.

Harry knew he had to get out of here. A little over a week into his shrunken life and his daughters were already founding a religion based around themselves. Surely his chances outside of these four walls had to be better than living here for even a day longer.

Where could he go though? Perhaps the surgery? They had diagnosed his condition after all. Perhaps there was a cure, and this whole nightmare could be over. But how can he get there? It was at least 5 miles away, and he sure as hell wasn’t driving a car at his size. He’d have to think a little closer to home. He’d moved to this neighbourhood just over a year ago, and was reasonably well acquainted with a few neighbouring families – was ‘acquainted’ enough though when he would be appealing to them at his current size?

He considered his options; two doors down lived the Hampton family who had always struck him as friendly – John, Hailey and their daughter Sarah, who was, he guessed, early twenties. Then there were Mike and Laura Turner, recently married with no kids. They’d come around for dinner a few times and he had certainly taken a shine to Laura who was just his type. He was closest to the American family who lived next door -  Larry, Meghan with their three kids, Nicole, Timmy and Marissa. The children were a little bratty though, which struck him as a risk given his height, or lack thereof. Emily lived very nearby of course, but he instantly ruled her out upon recollecting her last words to him – “I’d love to have a little man all to myself. You and I would have a lot of fun Harry” – now that would be out of the frying pan and into the fire, he thought, grimacing.

Hearing the clock ticking, Harry knew that time was very much against him. Who was to say how small he would get? He was under 6 inches now and only getting smaller – leave it much longer and he’d have real issues getting anyone’s attention. What an awful way to go that would be; crushed unknowingly under foot.

Taking a deep breath, Harry resolved to make a break for it the next day. Though he was still undecided about just where he would go, there had to be someone out there who would appreciate the gravity of his situation and get him the help he needed. He just hoped he could get through whatever twisted games his family would undoubtedly have planned for him in the morning, and find a quiet moment to slip away undetected. He wasn’t going to accept this new way of life, this new religion that had been foisted on him by his megalomaniacal daughters. His story was going to have a happy ending, he just knew it.