Population Miniscule

Chapter 6: Population Miniscule

Kendon was just outside Catherine's office when it happened. He didn't hear a peep from the kids. That was good. They knew better than to be too loud in the house at night. He had no idea what had happened, but he knew it was bad and it was loud. A noise thundered from the office; it sounded like some type of game or strange music.

Kendon ran into the room. The kids stared at the screen dumbfounded with their hands over their ears. Kendon's ears were nearly ringing. Before he knew it, he was on the desk. The lump in this throat wouldn't let him say anything. He just ran with his arms out. The kids turned mid-stride and ran with him to the shadows. They tried to hold their breath and listen, but they were all four winded. Then the hall light popped on. Suddenly, they could barely breathe at all. They just stared. Catherine rounded the corner into the room with sleep still in her facial expression. She squinted at the tablet screen illuminated on the desk. She was sure she had turned if off. She blinked a couple times and looked around. She retraced her steps back to the door way and flipped on the light. The shadow where Kendon cowered with the children brightened and he felt horribly vulnerable. This was not good, not good, not good. The words repeated in his head. The four of them stood wide-eyed and transfixed. Catherine crossed the room.

“What is really going on?” She eased into her desk chair with a yawn.

Kendon and company stood frozen in their not-so-shadowy shadow. Catherine picked up the tablet and pressed the power button. The screen went dark. She slid her hand back on the desk between the monitor and computer tower to cut off the speakers just to eliminate anymore unwanted interruptions in her sleep. She missed the knob and bumped the speaker in her sleepy state. The speaker toppled and four tiny people scattered. Catherine drew back her hand in a quick gesture and inhaled sharply. She rocked from side to side peering around all the computer hardware on the desk. “The mice!” she thought.

Kendra lost her footing on the slick desk surface and fell with a squeal. Kendon rushed to help her and lifted her to her feet with heroic ease. He glanced up into Catherine's huge face. She sat staring; her jaw dropped. This situation was going from bad to worse by the millisecond. Kendon froze in panic. Catherine rubbed her eyes and opened them wider. No words came she just stared in disbelief. Kendon took a step backward and Catherine gasped.

“What...?” she managed a whisper.

Kendon froze again. After being out of school for so long he couldn't remember the first word of the creeds he'd been taught for thirteen years to recite if this ever happened. Minisculum took extra classes in school on top of the regular reading, writing and arithmetic to learn to stay hidden from the large ones. One of those classes, Creeds, included numerous recitations they were taught if any of them were ever captured. Jack spoke deeply.

“We are a people just like you.”

Catherine could barely breathe. The voice came like a whisper.

“Wha...wha...what?” she stammered.

Did she really just try to talk to this...tiny person? Kendon was paralyzed. This was it. This was the end...of it all. Jack spoke stronger this time. It was almost a yell.

“We are a people just like you. We are just small in stature.”

Catherine sat frozen.

“I'm hallucinating.” she said to herself. Jack continued.

“We have ambassadors trained to work with you. We have medical experts who can tell you whatever you want to know.”

“Wait.” Catherine mustered.

“I'm hallucinating.”

Kendon stepped forward. “You're not. Please don't hurt my children.”