Little Things In Life

Gerard and the Giant

A silent apartment sat in the center of New Jersey. Everything was undisturbed and quiet.

That changed when the sound of keys jingling came from outside the door and it slowly opened to reveal a man in a Misfits shirt and ripped black jeans. His hair was shaved on both sides, dyed red and the middle dyed black. It hung over his tired looking eyes as he tossed his keys on the table and closed the door.

He kicked off his black and white converse sneakers. He walked to the fridge and opened it, cursing under his breath when he noticed the lack of beer. He slammed it shut, causing the contents inside to shake as he dragged his feet out of the kitchen and down a dark hall. He tripped over a pile of clothes and caught himself on the wall. He growled at the pile of clothes.

The man's hand reached for his pocket when he felt his phone buzz and he looked at it. A text from a friend.

Alex: Hey Frank. I know u just got off work, but can u come in tomorrow? Tim's on vacation. Thx.

Franks calloused and tattooed fingers started tapping away once his tired brain was able to comprehend the text message.

Frank: Sure. But u own me 2 days off then.

He waited and leaned against the wall. Finally his phone buzzed again.

Alex: No problem.

Frank slipped his phone back in his pocket before stepping through a doorway into his bedroom. It looked like a hurricane had visited him. His clothes were everywhere, his bed was messy and there was garbage all over the floor and furniture. He disregarded the mess and placed his phone on the table next to his bed. His hand accidentally knocked into a small wooden box and he caught it before it fell on the floor. He set the box back on the table and moved away from it to undress himself.

Movement could be heard from inside the small box.

A soft knocking sound and it rocked slightly. He ignored it and removed his jeans and shirt, falling onto his bed in nothing but his black and red striped boxers. Frank folded his arms behind his head and closed his eyes in an attempt to drift into the quiet void, that was sleep. Unfortunately, the knocking from the box became much louder and it was starting to move a little. As if something inside was trying to knock it over. He opened one eye and looked at the box, watching it for a while. Once the movement began to get more violent, he turned on his side and reached over to grab it. The box was no bigger than a butter stick and frantic movement could be heard from inside as he set the box on his chest. The movement stopped and he eyed the box once again.

With delicate fingers he unlatched a small lock that was holding the box closed and turned the box on its side and the proceeded to turn it over. The figure of a small man tumbled out and curled up in the fetal position with his hands over his head of shoulder length black hair. He was about the size of Frank's middle finger. Frank poked him gently and the man curled up tighter.

Frank furrowed his brows and poked him again. This time he reacted with panic and scrambled across Frank's inked canvas if skin, away from his finger. The man tripped over his own feet, falling in reverse, on his backside. Frank was silent as he observed the miniscule man. Before he could get back onto his feet, Frank placed the pad of his finger on the small man's chest, applying a bare minimum about of pressure, preventing him from getting up. The small man squirmed and tried to get out from under his finger.

"What do you want from me!" he shouted. His expression was frustrated and scared. His little upturned, pointed nose scrunched up. Frank didn't reply. Instead he let his finger move up and down his stomach and the small man yelled.

"Stop petting me like I'm some sort of animal!"

"Why are you so small?" Frank asked. It was an offtopic question.