Best Friends

Part 1

Friendship is a great thing, yet there's something about it that's quite strange. In the most unlikely of situations, you can find the bonds of the friendship growing closer than ever expected.

It all changed about a month ago. I really didn't expect it. Who would've thought that such things could happen so fast? Oh, I'm sorry, it seems I forgot to introduce myself. My name's Tom. I'm a senior in high school. It's supposed to be one of the best times for me, the time where I leave the halls of minor education and walk out into the real world. But then you have Fate.

It started when I was waiting at my best friend's locker for him at the end of the day. Dan, my friend, was coming from gym class. Probably one of his favorite classes, considering he was so good at it. He was a jock, but not really by appearance. He looked more like a bad boy, I guess, with his short, spiked hair, clean goatee, and tattoo banded arms. But give him a basketball or a football, and he was all pro.

I, on the other hand, was far from the jock. Sure, I liked to play ball with my friends, but a 115 lb, 5'3 guy isn't that great at football or basketball. My size really wasn't a problem for me otherwise. I was not bad looking, fairly smart, good personality, so I never saw it as a disadvantage. But you can't blame me for being jealous of the average or tall person, including 6'1 Dan.

"Hey man," Dan said as he approached his locker. He must've really had a good time in gym, his hair was still wet from sweat. He was carrying his bag on his left shoulder and his gym shoes in his right. I was waiting for him cause I agreed to give him a ride today. His truck was being fixed. "Were you waiting long?"

"No," I replied. "You sure worked up a sweat in gym class."

"A good game with the guys in b-ball." He opened his locker and placed his stuff in, taking out some books for homework. I knew he really wasn't going to do the homework. "Too bad you weren't in our class."

"Yeah," I said hesitantly. It would be fun to be in his class with my other friends, but I would most likely just sit on the bleachers and watch. I really didn't have much of a chance playing ball with them.

"Ready to go?" he asked as he looked down at me.

"Ready if you are, big guy," I said as we walked down the hall towards the exit. We reached my car and got in. It was a quick drive to Dan's house. The conversation was simple. I tended to ramble on about upcoming tests and the like while he would mention scores of sports games. Not that we didn't appreciate what the other was saying, it was just we provided a different side to the "news" I guess you could say.

"I'll see ya tomorrow," Dan said as he got out of the car and grabbed his stuff.

"Need me to give you a ride to school, big guy?" I asked looking out the window at him.

"Sure thing, little dude," he said with a laugh before he jokingly punched me in the arm and walked towards his house. "That would be funny," he said with a laugh. "If you were a little dude, you would be like..."

"Your conscience." We both laughed at the thought. I knew he was just teasing me about the nicknames. I had started calling him big guy when he hit his growth spurt and it just stuck, like his height. I drove off home, laughing to myself. What nonsense friends can talk at times.

I woke up the next day, showered and got dressed. Something wasn't right, though. My clothes maybe? What was it about them that didn't seem right? I couldn't tell. My shoes felt a bit bigger than usual. Maybe I had accidently grabbed size 8 1/2 instead of 8. They were new. When I put my belt on, I saw that it fit into the next hole. Was I losing weight?

It didn't stop with getting dressed, though. At breakfast, I almost couldn't reach the floor. The steering wheel to my car seemed wider, and the pedals farther away. I had to readjust my seat. I could still drive, luckily. I picked up Dan at his house and we made our way to school. My mind must've just been playing a joke on me. Dan was still the same height compared to me, and so was everyone else.

Everything seemed fine again for the first few periods, and I was glad I could focus on doing the work. But at lunch, things weren't right again. When I picked up my milk carton to take a gulp, it seemed bigger in my hand. And everytime I would lift my pizza to my lips to take a bite, my watch would slide down my arm a bit.

"You all right, dude?" Dan asked me when we went to throw our trash away. Was I looking up more to him? Did he grow another inch? "You look, worried," he said breaking my thoughts. "Maybe you should see the nurse."

"I'm fine," I said. "Just, one of those funny days where something doesn't seem right. You know, like the times you think you forgot something at home, or when you can't remember where you placed something."

"I bet it's that chemistry test we took this morning," he said. "Man, you aced it, no question. And I'm pretty sure I passed with a C with all the studying you helped me with."

"Yeah, I guess it could be that," I said. "And give yourself some credit, Dan, you're not stupid. I'm sure you got a B or better."

"Well," Dan said with a grin as we reached our lunch seats again, "with my little conscience around I bet I did." I laughed back, remembering what he said yesterday.

After lunch, the day went pretty smooth, and I drove Dan home again. When he was getting out of the car, I asked him, "Will you have your truck tomorrow?" He nodded in reply. "Good, you can give your little conscience a ride to and from school."

He laughed back and agreed. "Get ready to hang out this weekend," Dan added. "We'll go see that new movie tomorrow. You can crash back at my place." I nodded with a smile as I remembered tomorrow was Friday, which meant it was movie night for me and Dan.

Part 2

That night I had a strange dream. I was waiting for Dan at his locker after school like I usually do, but everything seemed funny. Everything seemed... bigger. I wasn't sure why. I was still me in the dream, nothing unusual about my looks. Then Dan came, and he was taller, not just by a few inches, but by what seemed to be feet.

"Hey little dude," he said as he grinned down at me, his deeper voice vibrating through my ears. I was only just above his belly button, or so I assumed since he was wearing a shirt. "It was another great day in the gym class," he said, jokingly shaking his gym shoes below my nose. They were huge! As big as basketball player shoes.

"I'm glad to hear, big guy," I replied. Why was I acting so calm to the size difference? Was this supposed to be normal? Didn't Dan know I was shorter now?

Then the scene flashed, the halls quivered, and the dream turned into me standing by Dan's truck as he got in. "Climb on in if you want a ride," Dan said. I did so, fumbling a bit into the large chair. I buckled the oversized seatbelt and we made our way down the road. Dan was rambling on about a basketball game as I just took in the large interior of the truck. But as he kept talking, the truck was growing. The seat stretched farther, and soon I found that my legs couldn't hang over the front. The back of the seat stretched high above me like a tower, and the seatbelt felt very loose so I had to hold on to it. The dashboard drew farther away, and the radio music increased in bass and volume. The window soon became out of reach, and I was left feeling like a doll in the seat.

When I was about half the size I was before, I turned to Dan. He was huge! A giant of a man, a behemoth of a teenager, and a titan of a friend. And he just kept growing as I kept shrinking, and I soon found myself a few inches tall sitting in the seat of my best friend's truck as he sat there driving. He kept talking to me like he hadn't even noticed, talking about football now, or maybe it was hockey. His voice was deep and unclear to make out.

The truck finally stopped, and Dan turned to me, instinctively knowing to look down, way down. He smiled his cool, care-free smile at me, the kind that could melt the ladies yet give reassurance to his best buds, and said, "We're home." We're home? What did that mean. Then I saw movement from the steering wheel, and his hand turned to reach for me. His hand was huge, his fingers long and thick like trees. They opened out far, prepared to grab me firmly in his strong hold. I screamed, crawled back from the advancing hand.

Before the hand could reach me, I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock. I wiped away sweat from my brow. Was I that scared? I turned over in my bed and recalled the dream. "All of this because I called myself his little conscience?" I asked myself. The mind has a funny way of playing tricks on you. I assured myself it was a perfectly normal dream to have and headed for the shower.

Part 3

Dan didn't let me down. Right at the time when I had been picking him up for school, he appeared outside my house in his truck. We greeted each other as I got into the truck and he drove me to school. I was surprised when he started talking about the boring things we were covering in our history class. Dan never talked about school unless I brought it up.

"This is a first," I said when Dan pulled his truck into his parking space at school.

"Well, the studying has been helping, thanks to you," he said as he grabbed his stuff and walked towards the school. I followed him. "I actually get what that windbag of a teacher is mumbling about."

"I'm glad I'm not the only one," I said with a slight sigh. "Makes me feel like a nerd in that class."

"You're definately not a nerd, dude," Dan assured me. "It's just the teacher. It's hard to really pay attention with her rambling on about who knows what. You just make that extra effort to try. You don't even need to, though. You understand practically everything in all your classes with ease. Me, it takes two weeks of you helping me study to understand the outcomes of one freakin' war."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Dan," I said as we reached his locker. "You're not that stupid. You understand plenty. You can't help it if history is not your thing."

"I guess," he said as he grabbed his morning class books. "I'll see ya during English." I nodded my head and went to my locker as Dan went to his homeroom. Only bad part about us being friends was our names were at different ends of the alphabet. That meant two different homerooms, and usually different sides of the classroom if the teacher sat us alphabetically.

When I reached my homeroom something didn't seem right. I knew what it was when I sat in my seat. The seat seemed bigger, like my seat during breakfast yesterday. What was going on? Was I not getting enough rest? Everything else seemed fine. I finally just let it go and went on with the rest of my day.

After homeroom I had gym. I only had a few friends in my class, most were underclassmen, a fair portion of them taller than me. That didn't stop me from having fun playing basketball or whatever we played. It just felt good to get the body moving after waking up. I took a shower after gym class and went to anatomy class. Another boring day of reading out loud from the textbook. That's when I remembered my desk in homeroom. For some reason, the desk I was sitting in now was just fine. I probably had a rough night of sleep.

After Anatomy, I went to my locker to get my stuff for english. I also grabbed my lunch since it was right after english class. As I lifted the literature book up, it seemed heavier. The top rack of my locker seemed a bit higher too. Was I... shrinking? I couldn't be, "that's impossible" I told myself. But why was everything seeming different to me? I might be getting sick, I thought. I hoped I would be fine tonight so I could hang out with Dan. He needed my help studying. Besides, we were gonna go see that new adventure movie tonight.

I made it to english class and saw Dan and the guys standing around before the class began. I walked over to them and was greeted with the usual nodding of the head and the occasional "hey" or "what's up".

The class was boring, but I managed to pay attention like always. Afterwards me and Dan walked down to the cafeteria for lunch. We grabbed our usual table in the corner with some buddies and then they went to lunchline while I opened my bagged lunch. The first thing that surprised me was the apple rolling out and the size of it. It looked unusually larger than my fist. I placed my hand on it and it seemed bigger than a regular apple.

Things like this continued, though. When I got up to throw my trash away, I noticed that the table came up a little more on my stomach than usual. When I returned to the table, I tripped on my oversized shoes. Luckily I kept my balance no one said anything or was looking at me.

After lunch, I tried acting as cool as I could so as not to attract attention. I was shrinking. I knew it. This was no optical illusion or figment of my imagination. Somehow, for some reason, I was shrinking. I went on the rest of my school day just waiting for it to be over. Thankfully there were no more changes. It had stopped for now. Hopefully, it had stopped forever.

History class came, and after history class, I went to my computer class. Every couple of minutes I would look at the clock, hoping the day was over. I was tired, mentally exhausted from the idea of actually shrinking. Part of me believed it was true, but as the minutes went by without another sign of growing smaller, the majority of me just passed it off as simple mind tricks.

Part 4

Finally the bell for last period rang, and I was off to my locker. I gathered what books I needed for homework and studied and then went to Dan's locker. I waited for a good ten minutes, checking to see that I hadn't shrunk any furth. Dan didn't show. He must still be in gym class. Of all the days for him to stay late and probably shoot some extra hoops. The gym door was locked, so I figured I would wait in the locker room.

Going down the stairs I almost fell as my pants leg got stuck in my shoe. They were longer than normal. "Damn," I said to myself as I continued going down the stairs. I opened the door, heavier than usual, and quickly slid into the locker room. Just then I saw Jim, my friend, walking towards me.

"Where's Dan?" I asked.

"He's just putting the stuff away. He'll be down in a few minutes." We tapped our fists together like most teenage guys in my school and then he left. I decided to wait for Dan at his locker. I sat down on the bench in front of his locker. The lockers seemed a lot taller now, and the bench was higher. My feet didn't touch the ground, though my shoes did when they fell off. "Damn," I said again. "I'm shrinking more."

I practically jumped off the bench and just stood there, staring at the door where Dan would be coming from. I heard a "clang" as my watch fell to the ground. I looked at my arms and watched the sleeves of my t-shirt slide further down. My pants began to fall, and all I could do was hold them in the front as the back slid below my butt, revealing my boxers.

My pant legs wrinkled and folded amongst themselves as my legs grew shorter and shorter. The left part of my shirt slid over my shoulder, revealing my chest and upper arm. I could even feel my boxers begin to slide down my hips. "Come on Dan," I said to myself as my pants grew too heavy and big to hold any more. Soon I could feel my shirt falling around me. My socks were thick mats underneath my feet growing larger and larger, and soon my boxers were covering me like a giant blanket. What light the locker room had was quickly blocked out by the massive layers of jeans, shirts, and boxers that covered me like a giant circus tent.

I looked for a way out of the mess. I had no clue where to go as I tried to push the heavy material away from me. Finally I saw light and crawled out from under my own clothing prison. I turned around and noticed my hill of clothes looming over me. From the looks of things; height of the benches and lockers, the width of my shoes, the length of the tiles; I would have to say that I was around five or so inches. Not small enough to be unheard by Dan, but not large enough to be easily seen

Then came the moment I was not prepared for. The door to the gym stairs opened, and in walked Dan. I had never come to think of how Dan would look as giant. I wasn't expecting him to be so... big. His sneakers, large at being a size 12, were like giant rubber trucks pounding against the tiled floor. The only noise was of those monstrous things hitting the floor in the rhythmic pattern that was Dan walking. If I was only about five or so inches, then that made Dan... over 70 ft tall.

As he grew closer to his locker I could only stare up at him in both admiration and fear. He was my best friend, but he was... he was also a titan now. I watched him as he reached his locker, pulling the skyscraper tall door open with the greatest ease. He was covered in sweat, and I watched as a few beads the size of baseballs dropped to the ground around him. Dan always liked to get a good work out no matter what he played.

He grabbed a towel and his clothes from his locker and placed them on the bench. During that time I made my way around my own pile of clothes and practically stood underneath my best bud. He noticed the pile at his feet, and nudged it away from his area with his giant black and white nike sneaker. The pile showed no resistance to the giant and quickly glided across the floor. "Guys probably messing around with the left behind clothes," he said in his all too deep voice now. I covered my ears.

I finally shook my head and got over the fact of seeing my friend as a giant. I had to get his attention. I looked up to yell his name, but I was greeted by a giant gray canvas. Dan had taken off his jersey and dropped it to the ground by his feet. Before I could open my mouth to yell, the massive sweat soaked shirt covered my body. I could feel its heavy weight on me, pressing me to the floor. The fact that it was filled with Dan's sweat only made it that much heavier... and that much more uncomfortable for me as I had to breathe in the smell.

As I started my crawl out from under it, I could hear Dan's huge sneakers pounding the ground some more and then they stopped. Then I could hear more loud thudding, but I could tell it was Dan's barefeet hitting the tiles now. I finally found the light and freed myself of my buddy's jersey only to see Dan standing over me only in his boxers. His back was towards me, so there was no chance of him casually seeing me on the ground. He grabbed the towel and headed towards the shower. I yelled his name a few times, but his own footsteps must've tuned out my cries. I finally collapsed, sat naked on the ground and fought back the tears.

It was a good ten minutes before I heard the shower shut off. I looked around for the best place for Dan to see me. I knew staying on the floor could be dangerous. I saw his sneakers, both pairs. The black and white ones were his gym shoes, and the white sneakers were his casual wear. I climbed onto the toe of the right white sneaker and just sat there, waiting for the time he would put them on. Dan appeared again, drying his hair with his towel and wearing a clean pair of boxers. He reached his bench and dropped the towel, luckily not on his sneakers. He put on his socks first. I was sure he would see me then, but he didn't. I would've called to him, but I figured I'd let him get dressed first. Next he slid on his jeans and his belt. After that he put on a t-shirt and then reached for his sneakers.

ADDED 10/31/03:
Part 5

Dan's face when he saw me was priceless. I doubt that he knew it was me at first. He just stared at me like I was some kind of strange creature on his sneaker. Maybe he wasn't even sure if I was a human or not. I mean, if I saw some human looking thing around 5 inches tall, I would doubt "Oh, someone shrunk" might have been my first guessed. I probably would've thought that it was some action figure. Maybe that's what Dan thought, until I moved.

I waved my arms at him. "Hey Dan!" I called out. His eyes only widened more.

"Tom?" he asked, his deep voice sounding like it would come from a monster or something. It sent shivers down my back. It was only one reminder of my predicament.

"Yep!" I called up to him.

"What the ...?" Dan said, shaking his head a bit. He wasn't fully believing what he was seeing. "I must be hallucinating or something. There's no way..."

"I'm real, Dan," I said with a bit of sadness in my voice. Even I didn't want to admit it, but I had to. "Dan, I shrank somehow. It started slowly, but then I just shrank out of nowhere."

I could tell Dan was having a bit of a hard time totally hearing me. The room wasn't good for picking up softer sounds, and my voice wasn't nearly as deep as it was when I was big. I guess that's why Dan decided to do what he did next. At first sight, his giant hand scared me senseless. Those huge fingers, that powerful grip; I was petrified. I almost yelled or ran, but I was still on his sneaker. I felt my heart pace stronger as it grew closer. Even though he was my friend, this was scary!

But luckily for me he didn't grab me. Instead, he placed his palm out on the ground in front of his sneaker. "Climb on in, Tom," he said down to me, almost like a kid coaxing a frog or mouse into his hand. But I was no frog or mouse, and Dan was no kid. Dan's hand was huge, the size of a mattress. I couldn't believe this hand was really his.

I took my first step onto the palm near his index finger. The skin felt soft under my feet. They were still moist from the shower and the smell of soap and probably shampoo rose up from the skin. Dan's hands were tough and hard from years of basketball and football, but at my size, and probably mostly due to the shower, they were soft, like a giant and somewhat firm pillow. The power that they held, though, reminded me they were no pillow.

I easily lost my balance as the platform of skin under me rose higher into the sky. The pull of gravity was too strong and unexpected, which left my body victim to a slight fall backwards across the grooves and contours of the palm. At least it was Dan's palm, my best friend's palm; that was the only comfort I had at this size.

I couldn't tell who was examining who more. My eyes took in all that I could see: the stubble across his face, the small bumps and dents in his skin, the giant drops of water that ran down his sideburns and hair, the giant pillows of pink that were his lips. His eyes were doing the same. I then realized that I was naked. I thought of covering up, but that was the least of my concerns right now.

"What happened, dude?" Dan asked. His voice was louder now, more powerful. A force that easily sent a ringing through my ears. His breath was powerful too, a giant wave of scents over my body. Dan had pizza for lunch I remembered, and I could now tell he had some sort of chocolate bar for a snack in a class or something.

"I don't know," I replied. "I started noticing that I was shrinking slowly. My clothes were getting bigger. I ran down here to tell you, but I only shrank more."

"A lot more, dude. You must be... a couple of inches tall now. Do you have any clue how this happened?"

"Not one," I replied. "I noticed it a few days ago, but it was nothing much for anyone else to notice I guess."

"I didn't notice it at all, sorry. What do we do now, man?"

"Well, I don't know. You're the only person who knows."

"Should we go to the hospital or police?" I thought over Dan's suggestion. All I could imagine was me in a lab with a scientist poking at me with some needle like device.

"Please no, Dan." He could sense the fear in my voice.

"You can stay at my house until we figure this out."

"Really, Dan?" He nodded. "Thank you."

"Uh, Tom," Dan said, his voice a little shakey. I knew what he was going to ask. "Why are ya naked?"

"My clothes didn't shrink with me."

Part 6

Dan had dropped me softly into his shirt pocket while he put his giant sneakers on. I could hear his heart beat behind the cotton wall. I could feel the heat coming from his huge body. I could smell the scent of soap and what I guessed was Dan through the shirt. It was the strangest thing I had known, being placed in the pocket of my friend. He was a living skyscraper behind the cloth material.

My small, cotton ride bounced and wiggled often with the movements of its giant wearer. Every step, stretch of the arm, turn of the waist, and even breath had some sort of effect on the pocket. It wasn't the most comfortable ride, but it wasn't painful. It was actually sort of fun, but I knew Dan would have to get used to my size before I go anywhere in his pocket again.

I could feel his body vibrate as the engine to his truck started up. Soon his arms were moving, and I could tell that we were on the road. All the time Dan never said a word to me, or even looked down at me in his pocket. Maybe he was scared someone might notice? Maybe he was confused about this whole thing still?

I curled my body into a ball at the bottom of the cotton prison. I found the heat from Dan's body so relaxing. His shirt was so soft, like a giant blanket under me. He had good taste in clothing. For the most part, the ride was enjoyable. The smell of Dan, sweat, and other things was noticable, though not strong, and I didn't mind all that much. I think it might've added to relaxing feeling somehow. I assumed I fell asleep a bit, because the next thing I knew my world was shaking and something was blocking the light from the pocket opening.

His fingers were massive compared to me. I was scared. What if he accidently hurt me? He could do so without even noticing. I couldn't fathom the strength that my friend possessed in his fingers, let alone in his hand, arm, and whole body. The huge pillars of flesh carefully pinched me between their warm and soft walls. I found myself being lifted, cradled gently by three of Dan's massive fingers. Given that he was a giant, he had enough strength to punch a hole into a building, but was careful enough to hold a life in his hand.

The lights were bright, and my eyes needed some time to adjust. I knew we were in Dan's room without even having to look around. Not that anything gave it away, but I didn't and couln't picture him taking me anywhere else. He was sitting on his bed, the door closed, his bag placed against the wall. Three huge windows brought what was left of the sun shining into his massive room.

Dan still was shocked at my size. His eyes told me that. It must take a while for something like this to set in, I assumed. I don't know how I stayed so calm myself. You would think sitting in your best friend's palm, being the size of a mouse or something would really make your mind race. I just didn't know how to address it, I guess, so I didn't react much.

"This is weird, man," Dan finally said, breaking the silence. "This is just... weird." I nodded my head. "I mean, people don't just suddenly shrink." There was silence again. "I'm sure it's just temporary," he said smiling down at me. I smiled back, trying my best to act like I thought it would be OK. I feared that this would be the life I would know from now on, though.

"You must be cold," Dan said. He was probably trying to figure out how to correct the situation. "I could give you a piece of a shirt or something," he suggested.

"Like a toga," I laughed in reply. "That would be nice."

His hand moved, and I found myself sliding off the warm comforts of Dan's hand and onto the cold, wooden desk top near his bed. I watched as his body leaned over and grabbed a shirt off the desk chair. I hoped it was clean. With his giant fingers Dan easily ripped off a corner of the shirt bottom. It didn't seem all that big in his hand, but as he lowered it into my arms, I could feel the weight of the cloth on me. It was the prefect fit, and I was able to wear it like a real toga (I had it over one of my shoulders and all).

"I'll see if I can find you something better later," Dan said as he watched me examine my toga.

"This is fine," I yelled up to him.

"You hungry or anything?" he asked.

"I'm all set," I replied. I just stood there looking up at him. "I'm bored, though."

"Me too," he said with a slight laugh. "We can still catch that movie."

"Sounds like a plan!" I yelled with excitement. "I can ride in your shirt pocket again."

Dan nodded, and in no time his fingers were reaching for me. Again I felt them wrapping around me. He picked me up with ease as if I weighed nothing (I was close) and then dropped me into his shirt pocket. We were then off to the movies.

Part 7

Again I experienced riding in Dan's pocket while he drove his truck. Now that I knew how the ride would be, I was able to enjoy it more. It was relaxing being in his pocket, the warmth of his chest against my body. I bet someday I would fall asleep on one of these rides.

About fifteen minutes later I heard Dan shut the truck off. We were at the mall where the movie theatre was. He didn't say anything as he got out of the vehicle, my world shaking when he closed the massive door. His footsteps echoed through his body, and the pocket bounced slightly with each contact of the sneaker to the ground.

I heard thunder rumbling in the sky, but realized it was just the sound of others talking. I guesed he was at the ticket booth. I knew for sure when he bought one ticket. I almost wanted to remind him to get me one, but I remembered that I didn't know one. I laughed knowing that I was getting in for free.

The pocket began to swing again and I knew Dan was walking some more. I thought at first he was going into the theatre itself, but he stopped after a few steps. I could smell something in the air, too, though I wasn't sure. There was a loud rumbling above, somebody asking Dan a question, and he replied. His voice was very loud, almost deafening if I was closer to his mouth, since it was his normal voice he used to talk to with other giants.

There was more walking and eventually a giant thud as Dan sat himself down in one of the seats at the theatre. It was dark, not just because I was in a pocket, but because the lights were dimmed even though the previews were on. It would be scary when it got really dark, me being so small and vulnerable in this world. What light that was coming into the pocket was blocked out as his huge fingers reached in and pulled me out again.

I was able to look around the theatre. I noticed we were on the left side of an aisle, Dan in the seat against the wall, and there was nobody around. Maybe thirty others were in the theatre, none near Dan, and most too busy on the previews (and eventually the movie) to really pay attention to my friend.

"I was thinking you could sit on my shoulder during the movie," he whispered to me. Even then his voice was fairly loud.

"That sounds cool," I stated. It would be uncomfortable for me to try to watch the movie from his pocket. Luckily Dan had realized that too. He placed me carefully on his left shoulder. I held onto his shirt collar just in case. I don't think anyone would've been able to make out my small figure on his shoulder, so I wasn't worried about being seen. Sitting there was fairly comfortable, probably more than the worn out chair Dan was in, so I smiled at that.

"I bought some popcorn," he whispered to me, his head still facing the screen, eyes glued to the preview. I stared at the outline of Dan's massive head and neck to my right. His adam's apple alone was probably half my size. Above me was the outline of his strong jaw, and above that the hills of his face, specifically his cheek. I couldn't see his eyes, but I could make out his ears and side burns which lead to the fields of his dark hair high above.

The theatre grew darker and the movie eventually started. At least my size hadn't stopped Dan and I from doing our favorite activity. For some reason, I was beginning to think this was better than when I was regular size. It felt so strange watching the movie from Dan's shoulder, but yet it seemed to make the experience that much more enjoyable.

The movie was loud, a little too loud to me, and it didn't help that we had picked an action movie. It was our favorite type of movie, however, especially when it was a comedy too. In this case it was. That's what made the movie that much better. Every time something funny happened and Dan laughed, I was bounced around on his shoulder, which made me laugh even harder. I liked it, almost like I was on a trampoline, though I really wasn't bouncing any more than a few inches (to me) off his shoulder.

I watched as Dan placed his hand into the bucket of popcorn and grabbed a handful. Just in one scoop he had enough to feed a whole army, that is, if the army was my size. It was a little scary, yet cool to watch him eat all that popcorn with ease. Eventually after his third helping he remembered me and handed a piece to me. It was larger than my head, and more than a snack, but I was thankful. It was a bit hard to eat at first, but with careful examination I was able to bite/tear pieces off of it.

Near the end of the movie, there was a loud rumbling under me. I was startled abruptly by it. I could see Dan's cheek stretch obviously since he was smiling. "I'm hungry," he whispered.

"Me too," I said, still holding the piece of popcorn in my hands.

"We'll grab some pizza after the movie," he whispered down to me. I nodded, but I knew he didn't see. Not that it mattered that I agreed or not. Dan was in charge. I hadn't really thought of that earlier.

When the movie was over I quickly slid down Dan's shirt and into his pocket before he stood back up and left the theatre. My stomach growled to me as I sat at the bottom of the pocket. "I know," I said to myself.

Part 8

I heard Dan say something, but not to me. It was too loud to be directed at me, thankfully. He ordered a small cheese pizza, and something to drink. He found a booth in the corner of the place and soon after he sat down I found myself again looking at his huge fingers. In no time I was sitting on the table, his arm blocking me from the rest of the dining area. It was just a little pizza shop in the mall, never really busy, but they had delicious pizza.

"The movie was awesome, don't ya think?" he whispered down to me. I nodded my head. We spent the next twenty or so minutes talking about how great the movie was as if I was still normal sized (besides the fact Dan was whispering). The man at the counter finally called our order, and Dan got up to get it. I was surprised when he just walked away from the table, leaving me in the open. Well, we were in the corner, the booth seat blocked anyone's view of the table, but it still was scary.

I thought of hiding behind the napkin dispenser in case somebody walked by, running the scenerio through my head. Soon enough, though, Dan returned, carrying the tray which he placed down on the table behind me. I turned and was greeted by what appeared to be a pizza the size of a flying saucer. I could feel the heat coming from it, and could smell the delicious scents of the cheese, tomato sauce, and seasonings.

"Let's let it cool off a bit," he said down to me. He then grabbed the water tower size container of soda, took the cover off, and carefully powered some into it. He set the cover before me which looked like a giant dark brown puddle. I leaned down and took a sip. Mmmm, Coca-Cola. It would be awkward drinking the soda, but at least Dan had thought about me.

Dan sprinkled some parmesan cheese on the pizza and then took a sip of his own soda while we waited for the meal to cool off a bit. He then grabbed one of the slices and tore the tip off of it, placing it on a napkin in front of me. To me, just this piece of a slice was bigger than a whole pizza my slice. It was more than enough, though Dan probably wouldn't miss it.

I wasted no time savoring that small chunk of pizza. It was difficult to eat it since it was thicker at this size, but I still enjoyed it. I had caught of glimpse of Dan eating his slice, and was amazed at how big of bites me took. I was also amazed at how fast he ate. Dan usually ate twice as much as me. Now he was eating hundreds of times more than me. I ate as much as I could, still leaving quite a bit of the chunk left, before I just sat there and watch Dan eat and drink. He didn't notice me. I couldn't help but watch, though. In no time he had eaten three slices, then four, then five, and finally finishing off the sixth one, the one where he had torn the piece for me off. In that same time he had drank all off his soda.

I almost jumped out of my skin when Dan opened his mouth and let out the loudest belch I heard. It was probably a normal sized one to him, but to me it was like a fog horn or something. He rubbed his stomach after that and just leaned back in the bench.

Part 9

After we had finished eating, Dan had put me back in his shirt pocket and drove us home. Well, it was his home, but I knew I would be calling it home for a while now. He said hi to his mom and 13 yr old sister before going to his room to do some studying. I knew he wasn't going to study, he just needed an excuse to be alone.

He picked me out of the pocket and placed me down on his desk near his bed. He then kicked off his shoes, the very act of them crashing to the floor making me shake from their power, and then sprawled out on his bed, his arms behind his head. "It was a good night," he said.

"Dan?" his mother called before I could agree. "When is Tom coming over?"

Dan immediately sat up and looked at me. I could tell he was nervous about what to say. "Tell her you haven't heard from me since history class and you just assumed I was busy." Dan nodded and obeyed.

"Have you tried calling?" his mother asked.

"There was no answer earlier, and it's late now," Dan said. "I'll try tomorrow." I nodded to Dan and smiled. This was how we were going to handle the shrinking. The city would think I had disappeared. There was no other way. I didn't want officials knowing about this in fear that I might be some science experiment. Dan would be the only one that knew, and maybe others if I decided they should. I wanted Dan to tell my mom and dad, but I knew they wouldn't be able to keep it a secret and inevitably I would end up in some lab with men in science jackets peering down at me through a magnifying lens. I shook at the thought.

"I'm getting tired," Dan said, which made me look at the clock. 10pm. It was still early, but I too was tired. Maybe all the stress of me being small really wore the two of us out. I nodded my head up at him. "Man, where can you sleep, though?"

I watched as he looked around the room. His eyes fell on a few things. For a minute there, I was thinking Dan was gonna put me in one of his sneakers. Sure, it would be warm and comfortable and a good hiding place, but I would hardly get any sleep with the strong smell in there. Luckily, Dan reached for one of his shirts, a light blue one.

"You can sleep in this on the desk top," he said as he placed it wrinkled up beside me. "It should be warm and comfortable, plus you will be hidden."

"Oh k," I said as I climbed among the folds of the shirt. It smelt clean, though there was still the smell of maybe Dan on it. It was a good thing that the nights weren't too cold, and that Dan's shirt was nice and warm. I folded some of it over like a blanket while using the rest as a mattress and pillow.

"You good?" he asked looking down at me. I nodded. "I'll see ya in the morning."

I watched him climb under his blanket and shut the lamp off on the desk. His massive form faded into darkness, though I could still sense it near me. "Good night Dan," I said with a smile.

"Good night, conscience," he said with a laugh. I laughed a bit too, and then went to sleep in the darkness. The first day of being small was over, and tomorrow started my first full day of being Dan's little friend.

Part 10

Morning was a little uneasy for me. The small amount of light that entered Dan's window was more than enough to wake me up, though to Dan it barely got him to stir. I just looked at my friend, a long hill under a blanket on his bed. I pushed the shirt off me and stretched my limbs, getting rid of the sleep that dared stay still in my body. With a quick yawn and shake of the head I was awake, standing alone on the desk staring at my friend.

There wasn't much for me to do, if anything. I was hungry, and could use a bath or shower, but I was helpless without Dan. So all I could do was sit there and rest. An hour went by, and finally I saw Dan begin to stir. First it was his body shifting over, turning on his back, then his arms moved and he began to stretch. In a few moments his torso rose up, his body sitting up now with his head looking down. He rubbed away the sleep and stretched some more before turning to me.

A little shock on his face greeted me before he said "Good morning." I guessed he might've thought it was all a dream.

"I wish it was a dream too," I said. He didn't reply. We both just waited there in silence.

"You hungry?" Dan asked. I nodded. "Well, what would you like?"

"Whatever you're having," I said. I didn't want to be a hassle.

"I'm having scrambled eggs," Dan stated. I smiled. He knew that was my favorite.

"So am I," I added with a laugh. He placed his hand down next to me and I climbed in.

This ride on Dan's hand through his house was amazing. Everything was so new to me, even if I had been coming to his house since I was 8 yrs old. The furniture would loom over me if I was not already over five feet off the ground. Even the people in the pictures around the house would be bigger than me if they were real.

We made it to the kitchen where Dan put me down on the table. Suddenly panic washed over me at the fact I had been in the open all this time. What if someone saw me. "Dan!" I yelled to my buddy. "What if someone sees me?!"

"No one's home, man," he replied calmly. That would explain the quietness. "My sis is out with her friends, and my parents are working." I had forgot all this even though it was a natural fact on Saturdays that only Dan was around his house (sometimes) in the morning.

"Phew," I said as I sat down. "Now, how about those eggs?" I asked, smiling at Dan.

"Coming right up," he replied as he walked over to the fridge. I couldn't imagine how big the food would compare to me. An egg itself would almost be as tall as me, and no doubt many times heavier. A slice of cheese would be like a picnic blanket and the milk jug would be almost as big as a house. I watched as Dan easily carried three eggs, a slice of cheese, and the milk jug easily in his giant hands. What weighed so much to me was nothing to Dan who could easily bench hundreds of times heavier weight.

I watched Dan stand at the counter, his giant back towards me. He looked a giant skyscraper with an enormous white shirt draped over it. I could hear the eggs being cracked, the yolks and whites dropping into a bowl. He mixed in some milk, stirred up the eggs, and then got the frying pan ready.

In no time the sound of sizzling filled the air and the smell of omelettes laid heavily in the kitchen. I smiled contenly at the king- sized meal Dan was cooking. He had also prepared some toast while he was at it, and in no time he placed a plate larger than a wrestling ring down in front of me. It was filled with mounds upon mounds of golden eggs with melted cheese flowing over it. Along the edges of the plate were huge triangles of softly crisp toast. Then Dan placed a huge glass of milk behind me that towered like water tank.

I spent the morning eating the largest breakfast of eggs and toast that I had ever had. I sat on the table at the edge of Dan's giant plate, where he had seperated some scrambled eggs for me away from his own. He also broke off a piece of toast that was half the size of my torso, but to Dan it was hardly anything worth eating on its own.

I had to use my hands, which was messy, but I had never had a more delicious meal in my life. My togo was covered with gooey cheese and crumbs of toast, but it was well worth it. I even had the milk jug cap full of milk to drink. I almost ate all the eggs that Dan gave me. What was left was still a good helping to me, but hardly anything that Dan's giant fork could pick up. He finished a little after me. I couldn't help watch him eat like I had done when we had pizza. This time he didn't burp though.

When we were done, Dan cleaned up the plate and other stuff. He then walked over to me and said, "I'm gonna take a shower. I'm sure you could use a bath, too." He laughed as he noticed the remains of cheese on my arms and toga.

"And then we can study," I said. He moaned at the thought. "Hey, this is the perfect oppurtunity."

"Oh k," he agreed. "Let's go." I had expected Dan to place his hand down for me to climb in, but instead he wrapped his fingers around me. It was sort of scary. I thought Dan was mad at me for suggesting we should study. It wasn't like he had to agree. I mean, he was in charge. He wasn't that rough grabbing me, though, which was good.

Part 11

When he finally let go, I was on the bathroom counter. He started to turn the water, making sure it wasn't too hot or too cold. Eventually after we both tested it for a few seconds we found the right temperature. He filled up the sink half way with water before plugging it. "This good?"

At first I had thought Dan was going to take me into the shower when he suggested I needed a bath. I was nervous about that. I was glad that he was really suggesting for me to take a bath. "This is perfect," I said as I started to take off the toga. Dan then went around the corner (the bathroom is sort of an L shape) where he turned on the shower. He came back with a piece of soap for me and placed it near the water's edge. Then he went back aroun the corner and took off his clothes (though I couldn't see him).

I finally got the toga off and slid down into the comforting bath. This was better than taking any shower. I grabbed the piece of soap Dan had left me and washed myself clean. When I was done, I just leaned back and enjoy the warm water.

I heard the shower turn off, but I didn't take much notice of it. I was enjoying my bath too much. Eventually I felt uneasy, and when I opened my eyes I saw Dan standing there, examining his face in the bathroom mirror over the sink. The water was slowly flowing down his naked torso, and eventually some dripped down in my relaxing bathtub.

After he was done (probably seeing if he should shave today or not), he looked down at me. "You all ready?" "You sound like a woman," Dan said with a laugh. Then I heard something splash, and when I opened my eyes I saw Dan's giant hand in the sink with me. He wasn't grabbing for me, though, but instead grabbed the plug to the sink and pulled it up, letting the water swirl around his hand before he lifted that out of the water. I watched as my warm bath disappeared around me, leaving me naked and vulnerable to the cool air.

"Jerk," I said as I got to my feet and climbed out of the sink. I used a face cloth nearby as a towel before I wrapped myself back up with the toga. Once I was done Dan wrapped his soft and damp fingers around me and carried me back to his room.

I tidied up my bed (the shirt I had slept on) while Dan was putting on some clothes. I just needed something to do while he got dressed. Though he didn't really mind that I was in the room during this, I felt weird anyways. When he was done, I heard him sit down on his bed next to the desk. I walked over to the edge next to him.

"You really want to help me study?" he asked, looking at me puzzled.

"Of course. You're my best friend. If I can help you in school, why shouldn't I?"

"I just hate studying," he said. "After this, though, we gotta do something fun."

"Of course," I said. "Studying isn't my idea of fun, but we all need to do it."

"I guess," he said, and then reached over and grabbed his bag. He pulled out some books and placed them on his bed next to him. "What do we start with?"

"I think history is a good idea." He glared at me with a slight hint of anger, but complied. We spent the next two hours studying as much as we could in all the subjects and topics that Dan needed help in. It wasn't that he was stupid, as I have said earlier, but he just didn't focus, and I didn't want him to slack off and becoming less than he could.

When we were done, Dan carried me to the living room where we spent the next few hours watching a football game. I sat on Dan's thigh, leaning against his stomach, as he was leaning back in his comfortable chair. I realized this would be the life I knew. Even if I never turned back, I couldn't really complain. While I had lost a lot, I had gained the best thing in the world: a real friend.

Dan is my giant. He is my protector. I rely on him to survive. And I am there to help Dan, too. I am there to make sure he does well in school, to provide him with support when he needs it, and of course laughter when being serious gets to be too much. My bed is his shirt, my breakfast table his plate, and my ride his pocket or hand. I guess it could be worse. Oh well, this is the life I now know.

I hope if you ever found yourself shrinking, that you have a good enough friend as Dan. Maybe someday I'll tell you more of my adventures with Dan as my giant. For now, I guess this is the end of my tale.