Turned Upside Down

Chapter 6

Evan's morning stretched on in endless silence, broken only by the occasional, faint ding of his phone on the nightstand above him, an unreachable beacon of normalcy. At first, Evan had made light of the situation as best he could, taking the opportunity to explore his usually small apartment with curiosity and zeal, but as the early morning light began move past his window, Evan's irritations grew. Every buzz, every incoming text and missed call made his heart twist with frustration and helplessness. He had no way to respond, no way to reach out, and as the hours dragged by, that steady flow of notifications only reminded him of just how cut off he was. Even if he managed to climb his way back up onto his bed, there was no way he would make it onto the nightstand by himself, the gap being too far to jump.

As his stomach grumbled, he realized he hadn't eaten since the night before. The thought of food made his frustration rise again—he couldn't even hope to open the fridge, let alone reach something he could eat at this size. His mouth felt dry, and the edges of his vision seemed a little hazy as everything loomed around him. He tried pacing back and forth to distract himself, but it only made the hunger sharper, the thirst more insistent. Evan let out a heavy sigh and flopped onto his back, staring blankly at the ceiling that seemed to loom miles above him. He felt trapped, restless, a small figure dwarfed by everything he once took for granted. The idea of staying small, isolated, unseen for who knew how long began to press down on him, and he felt the first real prickle of panic creeping back in.

Then, suddenly, a loud banging sound echoed through the apartment, shaking the walls and making the floor vibrate beneath him. Evan jumped, his heart racing as he got to his feet again quickly, trying to figure out what was happening. He froze, his eyes widening as the sound repeated, louder and sharper each time. His blood ran cold as he realized what the unfathomably loud sound was. It was someone knocking—no, pounding on his door. For a second, he was too stunned to move, his mind racing until he heard a familiar voice echo through the apartment.

"Evan? You home?" The booming voice called out, deep and slightly muffled, but recognizable.

Evan's heart skipped a beat as relief flooded through him. It was Mason. He must have come to check on him, maybe worried because Evan hadn't answered his calls or texts. He'd probably used the spare key Evan had given him ages ago, just in case of emergencies.

Alleviation flooded through Evan, and he felt his chest swell with gratitude that his best friend had come to check on him. But his relief was quickly tempered by a new wave of anxiety that made his eyes widen in terror all over again. Mason's... a giant. He's going to be a giant, Evan realized, the thought sending a chill down his spine as he instinctually took a step backward, closer to the bed, feeling the blood drain from his face. He didn't know if he was ready to face his friend like this, to see him towering above him, utterly oblivious to his tiny presence. But at the same time, this could be his chance to finally get help.

"Hey, Evan? Your phone's been blowing up, man," Mason called out, his footsteps heavy as he entered the apartment and closed the door behind him, his voice echoing through the space like distant thunder.

As the rumbling footsteps drew closer to the bedroom, Evan stumbled backward, his panic rising. As door creaked open, Evan's heart raced, his eyes nearly bulging from their sockets at Mason's unfathomably large figure filling the doorway. He darted under the bed, hiding in the shadow cast by the towering frame. Mason's footsteps echoed through the room, each one shaking the floor beneath him, a heavy thud that seemed to rattle Evan's bones. He stared out, watching in wide eyed horror as Mason strode casually up to the bed, his sneakers stopping mere yards—no, mere inches—from where Evan hid. Every step was like a small earthquake, the vibrations reverberating through Evan's entire body. He felt a wave of awe and terror wash over him; Mason was massive, his presence filling the room, his face high above, barely perceptible from Evans perspective, peering around the bedroom with a concerned frown.

"Evan?" Mason called, his voice deep and booming, the sound filling the entire space. Evan flinched backward even more, his knees shaking and threatening to give out beneath him while his ears rang from the unexpectedly deafening sound. Mason glanced at the phone on the nightstand, and seeing it still plugged in, checked it , shaking his head. "Where'd you go, dude? You didn't even look at my texts." Mason's tone oozed concern as he scrolled through the unopened texts and unanswered calls that filled the lock screen. He looked around the room again, his gaze scanning the floor in thought.

Evan held his breath, ducking further back under the bed. He didn't know why he was hiding, why he couldn't just step out and call for help. But something about the sheer scale of Mason, the way his voice echoed so powerfully around him, froze Evan in place. He wanted to scream, to wave his arms, but his voice caught in his throat, a whisper compared to Mason's thunderous words.

Mason wandered around the apartment, calling Evan's name, his footsteps heavy and unrelenting. Evan watched anxiously from the shadows, feeling both an overwhelming sense of loneliness and a gnawing frustration. He knew this was his chance, that he needed to find the courage to step out, to wave and yell, to do something. And yet, he remained hidden, the overwhelming terror of the situation and his current predicament keeping his feet rooted to the floor beneath the bed. But it wasn't until Mason returned to the bedroom, searching the small space again before he sighed heavily, turning toward the door, as if he were about to leave, that desperation finally forced Evan's fear aside.

With his legs moving faster than his mind could comprehend, Evan darted out from under the bed and ran to the edge of the shadow, stepping into the late morning sunlight being cast through the curtained window. "Mason! Mason, down here!" he yelled, his voice cracking, sounding almost ghostly in the vast expanse of the apartment.

Mason stopped mid-step, frowning. He glanced back over his shoulder, his thick brown eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Evan?" he said, slowly turning and looking around the room again.

Evan shouted again, his voice tiny and distant, barely louder than a whisper. "Mason! Please, I'm down here! Look down!"

Mason's questioning gaze finally dropped, scanning the floor with confusion until his eyes landed on the small figure near the side of the bed. For a second, he looked baffled, his large, green eyes squinting as he bent at the waist. Then, realization dawned, his expression shifting from confusion to shock.

"Evan? No way..." he whispered, taking a couple hesitant steps forward before crouching down until his massive face loomed above Evan, his eyes wide and disbelieving. The sight of Mason this close, his face nearly filling Evan's entire field of vision, was overwhelming, and Evan felt a shiver run down his spine. He craned his neck back to look up at his friend, his knee's trembling violently, and part of him wanted to turn and run back under the bed, back out of sight.

"Um...Y-Yeah, it's me," Evan called up, trying to keep his voice steady as he forced himself to stay still. "I don't... I don't know how, but I've been...shrinking. This... this isn't the first time."

Mason's jaw dropped, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to process what he was seeing, unable to comprehend that the tiny figure speaking to him was his childhood best friend. "Evan... what the hell... I can't believe this," he whispered, shaking his head slowly, his voice almost gentle, as if he were afraid his words might knock Evan over.

Evan swallowed, feeling his throat go dry as he looked up at his friend, who now seemed like a storybook giant, every detail of his face magnified - the small hairs along his jawline, the wrinkle lines beside his mouth and eyes, the light freckles that scattered his skin - all of it was impossible to ignore. Yet, somehow, Evan knew that this massive being was still his best friend. "I-I need your help, Mason," he said, trying to keep the tremor out of his voice. "I don't know how long this will last... but I don't know what to do anymore."

Mason let out a breath, nodding slowly as he tried to wrap his mind around what he was witnessing. "I got you, man. I... I don't know how I can help, but we'll just take it one step at a time."

Hearing those words, Evan felt a surge of relief, releasing a tense breath he didn't know had been trapped in his chest. For the first time since this nightmare had started, he wasn't alone.