Middle School Miniature

Chapter 16, Backpack Backpack

"So it worked." The black-masked man said, musing to himself with a strangely deep, serious, monotone voice that would have been right at home in a move.

"Yes sir." The grandmotherly woman with curly, blond hair answered curtly.

"Then you must not fail this time in your attempt to catch the mutated creature." The masked man said.

"But you can't seriously want that child to-" the blond grandmother started but was cut off.

"Because if you do, other measures will have to be taken." Threatened Mr. Mask.

"Understood, but where-" She was interrupted again by the nearly emotionless voice.

"That should not be an issue for you. You have the rest of the week. Go and get it." With the final word said, the masked man turned his heel and left the woman silently standing in the ally, her head raised indignantly with the task before her.

-------◆-------

I sat in boredom. Again. I sit in boredom a lot I guess.

Because, when there isn't a giant in the room, being a tiny person isn't all that exciting. The only thing to do is look at the view of the cliffs. The deadly height of that chair, the canyon-sized space that lies in between any of the tables or furniture, and the ceiling that seemed to stretch at least halfway to the sky.

I considered what to do next. Should I explore again? Should I just wait here? I was upset at my dinner being cut short but the snacks were on the dresser and out of reach of my unwilling body. I felt tired. And this blanket I was on was decently comfortable, but I didn't necessarily like the fact of being out in the open. So the question I asked myself was where could I sleep? Looking around, I spotted a coat and a backpack lying at the end of the giant bed. I decided that the walk and low climb into the already partially unzipped bag would be doable.

I picked myself up and began the springy walk over to the bag while being hyper-vigilant about any fluffy animals that might make their way into Max's room. I also looked over at the sloped edge of the bed. It was a deceptively slippery slope that ended up going strait down like a waterfall of blankets, I found this out because when I  was getting my look, I nearly lost my footing and, had it been an actual waterfall, I probably would have been swept away to my probable injury or death. I was shaken out of my groggy state and continued to quickly walk to the backpack. My left foot had a slight ache from the twist it took to avoid the fall.

Arriving at the bag, I reached up on my tip toes to grab the zipper of the smallest front pocket and yanked it down to where it stopped just above waist height. I grabbed the fabric and pulled myself upwards enough to get a leg over the zipper and then fall forward into the pocket. It was snug yet spacious and I peeked over the zipper to check the rest of the room before retreating fully into my new hiding and snoozing spot.

Nothing happened for the minute I was watching the room and I quickly became bored and sleepy again. I laid back in relaxation and a self-righteous sense of security.

---

Where in the world could she have gone?! I can't trust the tiny girl to do anything. She probably died already. Where the heck is she?
I stood still, staring at the spot where I last saw Amelia. I searched for where she might have hidden and noticed the coat that was slung next to my backpack was gone. Wait. Mom was doing laundry?!

"Mom!" I yelled as I ran toward the laundry room at full speed. I turned the corner and took the stairs in twos. I opened the door to find my mother pressing the start button on the washer and looking up at me with a surprised expression.

"What's wrong!?" She asks baffled.

"No!" I shout in response as push in front of her and stop the laundry machine. I open the door and begin digging, getting wet up to my elbows from the water that started pouring in. Frantically but carefuly, I dug through the pile looking for my coat, praying that the girl was alright.

"What in the world are you looking for?" My mom asked exasperated. "Unlike you, I check all the pockets before putting them in the washer." I stopped my panicked search with a flutter of hope and dread.

"You do?" I asked

"Yes, I do." She replied, "All I found today was a quarter, a penny, and a sticky note."

"Oh. Thanks then." I awkwardly said with an 'every thing is fine' and quickly walked out of the room my wet arms still dripping and my mother giving me a confused look. I kept an eye on the floor and trim just in case. I didn't see her on the way to my room, or in my room for that matter. Deja vu or whatever. This is the same thing as when I came home from school. She's probably just lying on my bed under covers or something, laughing while I panicked and searched the place for her.

I scanned the bed and then, finding nothing, sat down thinking. I looked around trying to think like a tiny human. A small voice called out faintly and I froze trying to pinpoint the location.

"Hey, what's up?" Looking over, the miniature girl stood out of the backpack pocket a mere foot away from me. For a second I was shocked and just stared, then...

~~~~~♢◇◆-------

His expression darkened. Oh, shoot.

I stired from my nap when the sounds of doors and moving giants became much closer than my subconscious would allow. There was a rustle of a lot of fabric just on the other side of my backpack cave. I stayed where I was until the sound faded away, then I got up to my knees and peered once more over the zipper. All was still until I saw Max come in, freak out, and run back out. It was a little funny to watch. I just shrugged to myself and leaned back with my arms behind my head. I heard footsteps come thundering back into the room and I poped back up to watch the giant. He was looking around with a worried expression scrunching up his face. I decided to call out to him. Maybe I should have just kept quiet.

"What the heck are you trying to accomplish with your stupid disappearing acts? I thought you died or something!" Max said in almost a shout, glaring so hard that I drew back from the weight of it. I covered my ears as best as I could but it still felt like I was blasted by a big angry speaker.

~Ema