In a land far, far away ...

Swimming Sweatpants

"Holy guacamole, Batman!" I jump back and the lid to the washing machine slams shut.

There was something in there.

"Please don't be a snake, please don't be a snake ..." I repeated to myself as I inched the lid back open.

I would have left the dang thing if I hadn't dropped my favorite pair of sweatpants in there. Why must I be so attached to a material item?

Sure enough, my sweats had landed on top of something, and that something was swimming furiously in a circle around the agitator.

Note to self: always look into the machine before throwing dirty clothes in.

I look around for something to grab my sweats. I'm not about to use my hands.

I laugh as I see one of those grabby thingies people use when they can't reach down to pick stuff up. Conveniently, they could also be used to reach dropped quarters that roll behind machines, oh, and to grab favorite clothes off of creatures inside washing machines!

Alright. Time to get this over with. I place my self as far away as I can. Legs apart to brace myself for any incoming attacks. I reach with the grabby thingie into the wash machine.

Carefully, I pinch my swimming sweatpants while trying my best not to disturb the creature underneath. I lift.

"Yay!" My sweats, although dripping water everywhere, were now safely out of the machine. I pull them to me, grab my clothes, and plan to just leave the creature and warn my apartment manager.

I decide to close the lid so it doesn't escape. I use the grabby thingie again because I am not about to see what it is. Curiosity will not kill this cat.

That's when the creature decides to launch itself from the closing lid and fly right at me. I shoot backwards trying to avoid it, fall flat on my behind, and of course, it lands right on my chest.

"Ahhhhhhh!" We both scream at the same time. Faces inches from one another.

"Y..you're a tiny d...dragon," I stammer out. Good thing I'm not the fainting type.

Actually, I'm a leviathan. A deep, watery voice fills my head.

This little blue water dragon? A leviathan? I laugh. "Leviathans are big, scary sea monsters, and you, my tiny friend, are not."

Laugh all you want. That evil sea witch who resides in this building cast a spell on me to make me tiny because I refused to join her army to take over the world.

"Why should I believe you?" Suspicion runs through me.

The leviathan looked taken aback. The sea witch will be back to check on me. We can wait and ask her if you like.

At that moment, the door in the stairwell opens and footsteps begin to descend towards us.

"Alright. I'll help you reverse the spell."

Not these again. It mumbles as I toss it then my sweats into my laundry basket.

"You'll survive."

And so our journey began.

*This is for the Day #2 Prompt in the Aim to Engage contest.*