Chapter Three

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”

                                                    Frederick Douglas

            Thousands of thoughts and idea’s swirled about my head on what I could do. However, the reality of the situation started to settle in. I really had two options that I finally settled on. I would climb into the ear of this young lady and hope she can hear me if I talk as loud as I can. If that doesn’t work, I will just have to set-up shop inside her apartment and live off the land.

            I have to admit neither option seemed that appealing, however if I could contact her, I could get her duplicate what did this to me, and hopefully it would reverse the process and I would return to normal and live out my life.

            I started to make my way out from underneath the car seat. The process was a lot slower going than I ever would have imagined. I couldn’t help but feel like I’m actually walking through a forest of gigantic trees. Well maybe it’s not that I couldn’t help feeling that way, but it eased my mind to think of it that way.  As long as I thought of this as a forest I could keep my sanity.

            As what felt like hours clicking by I grew more and more tired. I would look back every now and then still seeing the gigantic chair hanging over my head. It was like a constant reminder of just how small I was, and just how slow going this was.  However, the jingling of keys quickly brought my attention back to present. I stared upwards at the giant door as if it were the sky. As it swung open it seemed almost unreal that something so large could just swing open, however that wasn’t even the most remarkable sight. That honor would go to the young woman who I sold the car too who was standing right there seemingly larger than life itself. I watched as she lifted her foot up and it soared over me with ease and crashed down into the floor. It looked to be simply miles away.

            The tremor from her lone footfall shook everything around me. I stumbled to the ground and skid several feet. I never even had time to react as a second gigantic quake rumbled across the landscape. A loud series of banging and rumbling was off in the distance but it didn’t seem to cause any noticeable tremors. I could only surmise that it was her tossing her book bag, purse, or some other sort of item somewhere in the car.

            As I picked myself up I looked from left to right unable to believe that I was literally sitting between two flip flops that could just have easily been continents then female footwear.

            I decided to take a fairly safe gamble and start heading towards the left foot as most people drive with their right. Luckily for me, the gamble paid off. I heard the car roar to life and the voice of Brooke fill seemingly every square foot of existence.  I couldn’t make out what she was saying or doing but it was a loud and all encompassing noise.  Thoughts of her singing along to a song on the radio, or talking on a cell phone all entered mind as I made my way towards her left flip flop but none of that mattered much as it was nothing more than a escape for my mind.  As I approached the flip flop I begun to realize just how much of a chore this was going to be. I was reminded of the old saying; a journey starts with a single step.

The sandal was crushing thousands of grey pillars with absolute ease. I found myself forced to climb one of the gigantic pillars that was being partly crushed by her flip flop. I didn’t want to give myself a chance to hesitate so I reached out and grasped the carpet fibers of the car floor mat and started pulling myself up. The process really was like scaling the side of a mountain, only I had no safety harness in place. The carpet fiber had small groves which made for great handholds and footholds as I made my ascent.

I was climbing like a mad man. My heart was racing, my blood was pumping. As I reached upwards grabbing the next handhold I could feel the exhilaration and nervousness coursing through my body. As I looked upward and saw the carpet fiber ultimately bent underneath and being crushed by her flip flop I realized that a single movement on Brooke’s part could ultimately affect my life quite adversely.

I made it to the top of the carpet fiber after several harrowing minutes; I now just had to walk across the length of the carpet fiber which was being bent partially downward by Brooke’s flip flop. I found that it was more like walking across one of those old wooden foot bridges only instead of railing on either side you have nothing what so ever.

I looked downward for a moment and saw what would be to me a fatal death if I would fall, however no other option seems to exist. So I push myself forward trying t block out what could be a near fatal consequence if I make even the slightest mistake.

I take one deep breath and hold it as I start walking across the unstable bridge. As I inch my way across the bridge I find myself staring into a massive wall of pink. It just extends up further and further into the sky, many times higher than the carpet pillar I had just climbed. I realized this was my first time being this close to a person at my new size. I can only describe Brooke as a goddess. I crane my neck back as I walk struggling to see just the top of her sandal. I desperately wonder if this was such a wise move as all the sudden everything starts to shake.

I watch in a mixture of shock and awe as her foot starts to move. The carpet fiber which was being held down by the mighty weight of Brooke and her flip flop is now beginning to lessen by the second. I push my fears to the back of my mind as I take off running across the carpet fiber now as my life flashes before my eyes. Images of the carpet pillar snapping back to its upright position and me hurdling through the air is about all I can picture.

The seconds tick by like minutes as I watch her foot lift upwards. My only chance of survival is getting more and more out of reach by each passing moment; this only causes me to press my body harder. I can feel my adrenaline pumping through my veins. I can feel my want to survive encompassing me as I run harder and harder finally leaping into the air as the carpet fiber starts rapidly snapping back to its fully upright position. As I soar through the air reaching out towards the mighty pink wall of salvation the most unexpected thing happens. The wall starts to move towards me.  My eyes bug out as the pink wall slams against my body. I dig my hands into the uneven surface as her flip flop which explodes back against the surface of the floor. I look downward now at the floor which is now literally hundreds upon hundreds of feet to the floor.

The realization of what just happened flashes through my mind. That was nothing more than a simple unconscious fidget on her part. As I look back upwards at the pink wall I find myself staring up at hundreds more feet to the top.  However for the moment I find myself just relieved to be alive, however if a simple fidget on her part causes all of this, I shudder at thought of what a step will be like.

I rest my head against the pink wall, as I attempt to catch my breath. My muscles are crying out in pain as my heart beats against the side of my chest so fast it feels as if it’s trying to power a car for the Indy 500. Several minutes pass as I finally start to regain enough strength to start the hellish climb.

As I lift my arms up they feel like lead bricks as I pull myself up what I know can only be a couple of inches at the most. I have seen these cheap foam flip flops at stores everywhere over the course of my life. Never once did I picture myself being forced to climb one in a dangerous game of survival.

The roar of the engine was silenced and I could hear the unmistakable thunderclaps from Brooke shuffling things around. However nothing could prepare me for what was about to come.  I felt her foot lift upwards as the car door swung open. The world whizzed by like I could never imagine. One moment I am soaring upwards at what feels like the speed of light and then the next being thrust forward at the exact same speed and then finally impacting the ground at what feels like it has the force and impact of the Hiroshima bombing.

My mind was dizzy and my body struggled to maintain its grip and I couldn’t help but think that this was only one step.  As the next step came I found that I couldn’t even catch my breath as I appeared to be moving faster than my body could take in air. I looked beside myself as Brooke walked to god only knows where and I found myself realizing that it doesn’t even matter where. My objective is to gain her attention. I found myself using that train of thought while holding onto my hand and foot holds of her flip flop as she walks. 

As Brooke walks the entire world is a blur of colors not allowing me to focus on anything. I hear encompassing rumblings of her voice and other peoples as she enters a building.  The constant footfalls and the speed of which she seems to travel is simply unnerving and forcing me to my limits just to hang on.

Everything pauses for a moment as I look forward to see a gigantic brown object swing open and then the familiar blur is one again on the move only this time for a brief few seconds.

As Brooke enters what I can only assume to be a door way she immediately turns to her left and raises her foot above a row of sneakers. The flip flop starts to shake violently as it swings back and forth. My limbs no longer able to hold on they release as I watch the flop flop slams against the ground. The impact sends a blast of air up which lifts my tiny body up even higher into the air.

I let out a panic scream as I start hurdling back towards the earth once again. Everything is cruising by at what seems like mock 20.  I can’t even comprehend what the blurs are as I speed down towards the earth. I finally close my eyes not even wanting to see what is going to finally do me in. However, a part of me wonders if anyone will notice my existence splattered across it?

My body slams against something, and then proceeds to tumble downward until I smack the floor. I pause with my eyes closed wondering how I can even be alive, but not wanting to look a gift horse like life in the mouth.  I slowly open my eyes to my find myself in a familiar yet different world. Gigantic black pillars extend upwards into the sky, and beyond that gargantuan black walls seem to encompass everything.

“Shit” I curse to myself as I lay on the ground staring up at what can only be a sneaker. I curse my luck as I lay sprawled out on the floor content not to move for now after an arduous journey of life and death.

I try to think of a way out but my brain hurts too much, my limbs feel like they have three ton bricks on them. I close my eyes for but a moment to relax before I get up and look for a way out. However, that is all takes for sleep to overcome me and exhaustion win this first battle.