THE FLOOR BENEATH HER FEET

by

Edmund

“It's through here, her Alison announced, bet you didn't know there was a sub

basement, did you?”

Alexi shook her head, no she didn't.

Together, the three of them descended downward, after her Edward lifted the

carpet, exposing a grate that he easily lifted. One by one they climbed the

twelve steps downward, Alexi marveling at what she saw. A computer…or, a series

of computers was more like it. Who knew that Edward had all of this stuff? It

was like a mini lab or something.

Just two short weeks ago, Alexi had shown up on their doorstep. It was now

officially the longest she'd ever been away from home. Her goal was to attend

University once the summer was through. In the mean time, she would get a job

and pay rent, even though Edward (her Uncle) and Alison (her Aunt) said that she

didn't have to if she didn't want to. They were fairly nice overall, though

sometimes a bit strict for her liking.

Alexi hadn't spent that much time with them growing up, as her family had

lived fairly far away from them, so it was nice to catch up with the both of

them. They had given her her own room on the main floor, downstairs from their

much more spacious loft. That was fine with her. If she hadn't thought of asking

them, she'd be paying $900.00 a month for anything this close to downtown.

“What is all this?”, Alexi asked, brushing her hair from her eyes.

“This, since you asked earlier, is how we do it…” answered her Uncle Edward,

standing close to his wife and putting her arm around her. Both of them were

tall, always had been, but since she got here, Alexi couldn't help wonder if

they seemed taller than they were when she'd seen them last.

“This is how you do what?” Alexi asked, not knowing what he meant.

Edward walked towards her and rested a hand on each of her small shoulders.

”This is how we…”

He paused.

Alison stepped forward and looked down at Alexi.

“What he's trying to say, she said, looking Alexi firmly in the eyes, is this

is how we have gotten as tall as we are”

Silence.

Alexi laughed.

“Very funny. Thought about standup comedy?”

Edward looked to his wife, who continued looking at Alexi.

“Honestly, honey, this is the truth. But you can't tell anyone”

Alexi laughed again; actually, she hadn't stopped laughing from the first

time.

“No. I'll be sure not to tell anyone that you're getting taller with that

computer there. It'll be our secret, ‘kay?”

Edward pulled out his driver's license.

“Look at this”

Alexi did. It said that he was five feet, ten inches.

“Big deal”

Edward calmly walked to stand against a measuring tape that they had fixed to

the wall. He pressed his back firmly against it.

“How tall does this make me, Alexi? Come and see”

Alexi did.

“You're six one. So what? The height on your license is a mistake”

Alison sat down, crossing her long legs and stretching them out before her.

Alexi looked at her Aunt with this new information in mind. Alison wasn't short,

that's for sure.

“We're telling you this for a reason, honey, she said, we're telling you this

because we would like your help for the next stage”

“You need my help to grow more? What, you two want to be giants?”

Her Aunt and Uncle laughed at this, each looking to the other, knowingly.

“No, not giants, but both of us would like to be well over six feet tall”.

Alison gestured to her husband, “He is, but I'm still five ten”

Alexi laughed, this time less enthusiastically. She herself was only five

six, making both of them far taller than she was to begin with.

“You're serious?”

Her Aunt and Uncle both nodded.

“How can you prove to me that this is real?”

Both Edward and Alison walked towards her again, appearing on either side of

her. The sight of both of them looking down at her became a bit intimidating.

“Just trust us, okay?”

* * *

Alexi was a trusting person for the most part. Giving people the benefit of

the doubt was just something she did.

This was different though.

This would take too great a leap in faith for her to accept. Still, part of

her wanted to humour her Aunt and Uncle, not wanting to hurt their feelings. She

wasn't particularly close to either of them, but had hoped that this trip, her

living with them for the summer, would change that. So she decided to help them

anyway she could and told them exactly that.

“Fine, Edward said to her, we'll do it tomorrow evening, how's that sound?”

With that, life proceeded as normal. Alexi went out, early in the morning to

look for employment while Edward and Alison resumed their daily lives. Her Uncle

had worked at a biotech firm, had for as long as she could remember. Aunt Alison

taught tennis, played occasionally too. She was very good, rumour had it.

Alexi's day was made better by the anticipation of what lay in store. She

laughed about it several times that day, even when she met with little luck

looking for a job, the absurdity of her Aunt and Uncle being convinced that they

were each still growing brought a smile to her face. What were they doing

anyway? What's behind this joke of theirs? How long until they burst into

laughter and say “Got ya!”

Those very questions were what was on her mind as she returned to their home.

No luck with the job hunt, but there's always tomorrow.

“Hi, I'm home. Ready to get taller?”

No answer. Guess they're not home yet.

Alexi flopped her young, thin body down onto the couch, staring at the

ceiling. Her eyes took in the room as her mind traced back to earlier memories

of Aunt Alison and Uncle Edward.

Photo album.

There was one practically staring at her amidst the books in the bookshelf.

She wanted to look through it, but knew that her Aunt and Uncle valued their

privacy. This had been a touchy subject at some moments since she had moved in,

Alexi thought, as she thought back to the first time she had seen their house.

Her Aunt Alison had been showing her around and had been very firm, very

particular about where Alexi could venture in the house and what was strictly

off limits. That's fine, Alexi had thought. It's their house, right? Still, they

had their rules. A lot of them. Take your shoes off at the door and stuff like

that. In some ways, they were stricter than her parents were, but, like she kept

telling herself…it's their house and I'm not paying any rent.

She rose from the couch and pulled the photo album out. It was a fat one,

exceedingly full of photos, some not even bothered to be pasted in. As Alexi

opened it, she knew why. There were dozens, no hundreds more than the actual

album was designed to hold. Various unsorted snapshots spilled onto her lap and

her hands scrambled to contain them.

In the minutes that ensued, Alexi flipped through photographs from their

past. She was even in some of them, much younger of course. They weren't sorted

or assembled from early on in life to present day, but she flipped through most

of them anyway, as neither Alison nor Edward were home yet.

Finally, she stopped on one photograph that caused her pause.

She was in the photo. So was her Aunt Alison. They were standing on a beach

together, smiling for the camera. Both were in bare feet and both were wearing

bikinis. The strange part was, that they appeared to be almost the same height.

That photo was taken less than two summers ago.

Then the door opened. They were home.

* * *

Edward and Alison brought in take out food since they didn't want to be

bothered with cooking a big meal – especially not when Alexi had agreed to help

them with their “size change” (which, for the record, she still didn't fully

believe).

After they chomped down their sushi, the three of them once again headed down

to the basement. Alexi hovered near the back of the room, watching with a more

concentrated effort than the last time. If they are tricking me on this one, she

thought, I want to be sure and see how it's done.

At the same time, Alexi acknowledged that it made sense in sort of a tv movie

way…“The rarely seen Uncle and his wife who disappeared for months at a time,

only to re-emerge months later now working at a different firm hundreds of miles

from the last…”

“You're probably wondering why we needed your help on this”

Edward looked at her, waiting for an answer. Things had become rather odd

since seeing the photos of Aunt Alison mere hours ago – the reality of this had

begun to sink in.

“Just tell me what you need from me and I'll do it, Alexi answered, you paid

for dinner after all”

Her Aunt Alison chuckled at this, but then added, “This isn't a joke, you

understand?”

Alexi looked to the two of them, “Yes, I understand, I'm just trying…I'm

trying to lighten the mood here. I'm kind of nervous about this, okay?”

Edward stood before her, looking down.

“That's fine. Nervous is okay. Just remember, what your Aunt said is true.

This isn't a joke”.

Alexi nodded and then watched as both of them stripped down to their

underwear.

“Are you sure you want me to witness this?” Alexi asked, getting a bit

uncomfortable seeing her Aunt and Uncle in their briefs.

Alison looked to her, “May tear our clothes otherwise. We're hoping to each

grow an inch and a half”

* * *

Edward had explained the machine, which, in it's own way, looked like a cross

between a radio shack experiment and a prop from a cheesy science fiction film.

As the two of them stood against the wall, a beam would emit from a small turret

on the ceiling, rotate several times as it stopped to focus on each of them.

Since the growth was so gradual, nothing would be visible to the naked eye.

That's all they told her.

Alexi watched as Edward set the controls and did whatever it was that he had

to do in order for the machine to commence. Her job was to videotape the

experiment, which she had no problem with. Still, since she was curious what he

was doing, she paid particular attention.

Moments later both her Aunt and Uncle stood against the wall. Alexi looked to

the controls, seeing that they had been preset.

Both settings read – 104%

She wanted to ask what happened at different settings, but the serious look

on their faces, not to mention that fact that she herself had begun to sweat

from nervousness prevented her from doing so.

“Ready on the camera?” her Uncle Edward asked”

Alexi nodded.

“Alexi, Alison asked, step away from the machine, will you?”

How did she even know I was standing beside it, Alexi wondered to herself.

“Okay, she said, pressing the record button on the camera, all set”

* * *

Alexi awoke early the next morning. Another day of hitting the pavement for a

summer job. Wasn't that cheerful a thought, but it had to be done.

Maybe she should try waitressing, she thought. She was certainly good looking

enough. Her friends from home had always said she looked like a slightly younger

version of Naomi Watts. Alexi didn't even know who this was, but took it as a

compliment just the same.

She emerged from her small room and stretched out her back, which, more often

than not, was sore from sleeping on that damn mattress. She would have preferred

a real bed, you know, with a box spring, but this is all they offered her at the

time and she vowed that she wouldn't complain. After stretching, she strode into

the kitchen, surprised to see that Alison had already awoken. She wore her

pajama top and some tight fitting boxer shorts (were they the same ones she had

seen her Uncle Edward wearing last week? They're so tight!)

“Kinda early, isn't it?”

Her Aunt turned, smiling like she knew a secret.

“Is it?”

Alexi shuffled forward. “Where's Uncle Edward?”

“He's gone to the office already”

Her Aunt Alison was making a blender drink. She poured it into a glass and

gulped it down quickly.

“So did it work?”, Alexi asked.

“What's that? Did what work?” her Aunt asked, pretending that she didn't know

what Alexi was talking about.

“You know what I mean”.

Alison set down her cup, wiped her mouth and began to walk towards her. She

was in bare feet, Alexi noticed this first off, not wanting to misjudge her

alleged gain in height based on her choice of footwear.

Alison stopped just shy of bumping into her.

“You tell me. Have I grown? Am I bigger than I was yesterday?” Alison

grinned. She knew that she had grown, but only wanted to hear Alexi confirm

this.

Alexi looked at her…looked up at her. Oh my gosh. She is taller!

Alison glowered at her for a moment, reveling in her mind trying to accept

it.

“Be a dear, will you? Clean up my breakfast dishes?”

* * *

Throughout the day, Alexi had to continue reminding herself that this wasn't

a prank. There's no way that anything like this could be faked. It was too

elaborate. Besides, she had spent a month at their house. She'd know if someone

grew over an inch. She would!

And she did. There was no questioning it.

* * *

Alexi returned home to find Edward sitting with his wife. His height had also

grown, turning him into a fairly tall man, by anyone's standards. Edward,

however, didn't bother rubbing her face in it like her Aunt had. No, he was

irritated by something else entirely.

“Alexi, can you please keep your things confined to your room? It's hard

enough keeping my work organized without your nail files and your…your

newspapers lying around”

Alexi stopped to consider her retort before replying.

“My mistake. Sorry”

She wandered into the kitchen. Her Aunt looked at her, a small wry grin on

her face.

“We're going to take dancing lessons, Alexi. Just the two of us”

“That's good. Sounds like fun”, was all that Alexi could say, thinking how

they'd stand out in a class full of people shorter than them. The fact that they

were good looking didn't hurt either. At their new heights, they were

powerhouses. The types that you could see doing pretty much anything.

Alexi didn't use to think that size mattered. Even wondered why people were

fixated on it the way they were, but now…seeing them…it all made sense. She

understood why they wanted what they did. They were Amazons for crying out loud!

Who wouldn't want Aunt Alison to teach them tennis? And who wouldn't hire her

Uncle Edward, this tall, handsome, bright man. They seemed capable of anything.

All of this made Alexi feel small. She'd never had any particular feelings

about her height, one way or another, but rarely had she felt as short as she

did at this particular moment.

Her Aunt rose to her feet. She was still wearing her shoes but looking down

to Alexi's own footwear.

“What did we ask you about wearing shoes in the house, Alexi?”

This time, Alexi couldn't bite her tongue.

“But you're wearing yours”

“Yes, but mine are clean. Just like the rest of this house used to be…back

before you moved in”

Ouch. That had hurt. What was with the chill in the air here? Why were they

being like this?

Uncle Edward stood to his feet too. “Alexi, you'll need to videotape us

tomorrow night”

“What? You're doing it again?”

Edward looked at her, astounded that she would even question him.

“Yes, we are, not that it's any of your business. You're staying here for

practically nothing…is it too much to ask for you to point a video camera and

tape us?”

With that, he reached above her head and plucked something off the top of the

microwave, something that he'd previously been unable to reach, since the

microwave rested on the top of the fridge.

“Look, honey”

Alison smiled at this, then reverted her look to Alexi.

“Do you mind cooking for a change? We were thinking about a nice curry”

Alexi looked at her. Oh how her feet ached from walking around down town for

so long.

“Yeah, not a problem”

With that, Alexi began dinner. Edward and Alison went upstairs and Alison ran

a bath for herself.

“Make sure it's spicy” came her Uncle's voice a few minutes later.

Alexi bit her lip.

“Too bad someone couldn't get them back to their normal size…

She smiled, lingering on this thought. Smiling a moment.

…or smaller still”

To be continued

THE FLOOR BENEATH HER FEET - 2

That night Alexi had dreams like she'd never had before. Her Aunt and Uncle

were even bigger; each of them well over twenty feet high. Neither of them cared

that they couldn't fit into society, only content in continuing to alter their

size – bigger then bigger still. The two of them chased Alexi wherever she went,

when one failed to catch her the other would appear, picking her up and

threatening to rip her apart…

* * *

Alexi took off her shoes upon entering the house. “Anyone home?”

Muffled talking could be heard from the basement. Alexi went into the kitchen

and saw that the metal grate was ajar, indicating that the two of them were down

in the sub basement.

Alexi lay down on her stomach, her head just slightly descending into the

hole in the floor. The space below was about 500 square feet, big enough that

she couldn't see where they were.

But she could hear them just fine…

“I'm just saying that we shouldn't have shown her anything. She's too young.

Hell, I wouldn't have trusted myself at that age, would you?”

This was her Aunt's voice. A second later, her Uncle answered her.

“Well, what's done is done. Too late for regrets”.

Alexi shot to her feet as she heard the two of them approaching the stairs.

She tip toed to the front entrance and purposely slammed the door as if she'd

just arrived.

“I'm home,” she shouted, this time louder than before.

Alexi made her way into the kitchen a second time and then stopped as she saw

the two of them.

Her Aunt grinned mischievously.

“Go ahead, you can say it. You're not brain dead, are you?”

“You guys are…you're…”

Edward smiled at his wife.

“See. Told you she'd notice”

“You're….you're bigger…again”

And indeed they were. Both of them had grown at least another two inches.

Their heights were no longer something that could be hidden or casually

explained.

Aunt Alison looked down at herself; her long arms, her elongated waist line,

her lengthy thighs and calves…

“She's right, you know, we are…humongous”

With that, the two of them burst into laughter, the kind of laughter reserved

for a private joke.

”Alexi, dear. Fetch the tape measure and see what we're up to, hmmm?”

Alexi turned to do so, approaching the two of them but not fully realizing

the extent of their height until she stood close. The top of her head now barely

reached her Uncle's chest. He was the tallest, but Aunt Alison…oh my gosh, she

was beyond huge too!

Alexi measured both and then stood back, trying to get saliva into her mouth

and throat. She pointed first to her Aunt.

“You're 6 foot 3…”

Then she pointed to her Uncle.

“You're 6 foot 6…”

Both of them laughed again as if they too were surprised by the results.

“Don't worry, short stuff, her Aunt said, patting Alexi's head and then

draping her long arms down over Alexi's shoulders, we're going to reverse it

tonight, we just wanted to see what it was like to be this...big. Right, dear?”

Edward nodded.

“And now we know how wonderful it is to be huge”

They laughed again.

“How're you going to reverse it?”

Uncle Edward flashed her a condescending grin that might as well have said,

“You're too young to understand, dear”.

Alison's arms were still draped over Alexi's chest, her fingers interlaced

and forming a hold on her. Alexi fidgeted, hoping that her arms would release

their grip, but they didn't.

Across from her and now seated at the table (in a chair that looked quite

small), Uncle Edward chuckled as Alison withdrew her arms and slid them under

Alexi's arms, hoisting her into the air with only a bit of effort.

“Look, I can lift her like a ten year old”

Edward watched, marveling at the new found strength that his wife's height

now allowed her.

Alexi, try as she might, could not seem to wiggle out of her Aunt's grasp. In

an instant, she recalled what it was like to be a child, unable to stop someone

from forcing you into different positions.

“Put me down, please!” Alexi yelled.

Her Aunt let her down and folded her arms, impressed with herself.

There was silence where both of them just stared down at her, Uncle Edward

looking more than a little curious.

“I'm sorry, Alexi, but I've got to try too”

Edward headed towards her with a determined look in his eyes, as if he were

completely entranced with picking her up, knowing that this new found height

wouldn't be there tomorrow.

This isn't happening, Alexi thought, this is a bad, bad dream.

“Up and at ‘em” he said, his large arms quickly encircling her and hoisting

her upward. Indeed, she did appear light, like a child.

This time Alexi didn't say anything. The humiliation was too great. She

remained in the air, telling herself that saving rent money by staying here was

no longer worth it. She'd move out as soon as she could. When her Uncle finally

lowered her, she'd had enough. Her face was red and her eyes had begun to water.

He lowered her.

“Oh come on, he said, rubbing the top of her head rather roughly, don't be a

baby. We were just joking!”

Instantly, she was pulled to his chest, where he attempted to hold her until

she calmed down. Alexi tried as she was able, but the maximum strength of her

arms was nothing compared to that of her Uncle's.

“Let me go!” she shouted and finally she was released. Alexi spun and slammed

her fists into his rib cage to little effect.

“No need to get violent, we were just having some fun”, with that, he pushed

her backwards, not too forcefully, but enough for her to fall on her bum…hard.

Alexi sat there on the floor, almost sobbing.

“Don't cry, her Aunt said compassionately. This is something we've never

experienced. You have to understand that”

Alexi slowly nodded. She was moving out so it didn't matter. She just needed

to gain her senses and then she'd start packing her things.

Her Uncle's voice sounded from above. “Didn't hurt you, did I?”

Alexi shook her head. She wouldn't let herself admit it in front of them. She

stood to her feet and headed to her small room. Small room for a small girl she

thought to herself.

“Don't forget. Tonight you need to help us again” her Aunt's voice called

after her.

* * *

The evening came and Alexi still hadn't told them that she planned to move

out, thinking they'd be more hurt if she left without telling them. That's what

she wanted to do – to hurt them – to hurt them for making her feel the way she

did…small.

She did what they asked her, performing her task with the machine while the

two of them stood against the wall like they had before. When it was over, the

pair of them seemed saddened at the thought that when they woke up, their

heights would be back to normal.

* * *

It was morning and Alexi had packed her room while her Aunt and Uncle had

slept. She wanted them to leave for work before she herself would depart.

“There she is, her Uncle's voice bellowed, just ask her!”

Alexi closed the door to her room, not wanting either of them to see her

packed up belongings. She turned innocently, looking at them and wondering what

she had done this time.

“What's the matter?” she asked.

Her Uncle Edward suddenly was marching towards her with great speed. He

stopped, mere inches from her face, looking down at her.

“This, he said, this is the matter!” he said, pointing to the cuffs of his

dress shirt.

“Your shirt is a little long, so what?”

“So what?, he said, looking like he was going to smack her, so what? Well,

let's just say that prior to the weekend, that it fit perfectly, that's so

what!”

Alexi looked downward. Surely she was going to get the blame for this.

With that, he stormed from the room, leaving Alison alone with Alexi.

“How is this my fault?” Alexi asked, looking like a lost puppy dog.

Alison approached her, “It's not, dear, you didn't do anything wrong. It's

just a minor fluctuation. He knows that too. He's just a little stressed. It was

quite an exciting weekend for us you know. He didn't want it to end”

Alexi looked up to her Aunt. “And you're fine? You're okay?”

“No problems here. I'm back to my regular height and happy about it”

With that, her Aunt Alison kissed her on the top of her head and squeezed her

shoulders firmly, “You have a good day, okay?”

Alexi smiled a bit and nodded. Maybe she wouldn't move out just yet. Maybe

things were about to get better.

* * *

Alexi spent the day (yet again) looking for a job. She was actually offered

one too, but turned it down. Not paying rent meant that she could be choosey if

she so desired.

Arriving home, Aunt Alison was curled up on the couch, relaxing with a

magazine. She didn't appear too concerned about anything at all.

“Have you talked to Uncle Edward?”

“About what?” she asked.

“Well…about last night…his height?”

Aunt Alison chuckled.

“I'm not too concerned. If something had happened, he'd have called me”.

Alexi thought this strange. If her husband had lost half a foot in height,

she'd want to know what was going on.

In the background the garage door could be heard.

“There he is now. Wait a second and you can see for yourself”

Alexi sat down on the couch next to her Aunt and together they waited.

After a few moments when Edward still hadn't still hadn't shown his face,

Alison sighed and stood to her feet.

“Aren't you concerned?” Alexi asked.

“No, not really. Whatever happens, fluxuation is normal for 24 hours or so.

He told me that himself”.

She turned to face Alexi.

“And besides, she said, no matter what happens…I'm still way taller than you

are”. With that, she laughed to herself. It occurred to Alexi that this, in an

odd way, was her Aunt trying to connect with her.

“I'll go see what's keeping him”

With that, Alison headed down the stairs and into the garage.

Since she didn't return automatically, Alexi busied herself by straightening

up the living room – pillows, magazines, etc. Didn't want to give him any reason

to yell at her again.

Then, without warning, she heard her Aunt Alison below with laughter.

A few moments later, she emerged, climbing the stairs with a smirk on her

face: an expression that was not without a trace of concern.

“Wait to you get a load of this!”

She turned behind her and a few moments later, Uncle Edward also ascended the

stairs.

He was smaller.

Presently, both his pant cuffs and his arm cuffs were rolled up to hide their

otherwise conspicuous bagginess. He glared at Alexi, as if somehow this had been

her fault.

The three of them stared in silence for the longest time.

Alexi averted her eyes, long enough not to notice her Aunt approach and pull

her upwards off from the couch, leading towards her Uncle. Alexi resisted at

first, but knew that it was no good. The scene itself resembled the type of

resistance you'd imagine a child putting up when being pulled to get their hair

cut.

Finally, she relented and allowed herself to be nudged closer in his

direction. Surprisingly, he didn't move, or react at all for that matter. From

behind her, Alexi heard her Aunt's voice.

“Go closer, honey. I want to see if he's still taller than you!”

For such a serious situation, her Aunt was certainly not taking this too

seriously.

Reluctantly, Alexi took the two steps forward in order that she stand

directly in front of her once domineering Uncle Edward. They looked at each

other for a long moment.

They were the same height.

Alexi looked downward. Maybe it was her footwear…maybe he's not actually my

height.

Wrong. He was. She was only wearing socks.

A wave of awkwardness swept over Alexi as she realized this isn't how it's

supposed to be.

Uncle Edward was the first to avert his eyes and as he did so, Aunt Alison's

joyous laughter continued, spurting like a fountain as she clapped her hands.

Apparently it was the funniest thing she'd ever seen.

“Edward, you two are the same size!”

Edward flashed his wife a glance, as if to say, “I noticed” and then calmly

as he could, climbed the staircase to his bedroom.

* * *

Another day of job searching came and went. The past night had gone

uneventfully. She didn't see her Uncle again for the rest of the night. She did,

however, detect a slightly more concerned Aunt Alison, who would descend the

stairs now and again after talking with her husband. Whatever they were talking

about had increased her already worried face. But still, she continued to do her

best to hide that fact.

“I'm home” Alexi bellowed and then instantly regretted how loud she had

announced herself. Before she got more than two steps in, her Aunt Alison walked

from the kitchen to the living room, directly for her.

Her face could no longer hide her outright concern.

“Is he okay?” Alexi blurted out.

Her Aunt approached closer, lowering her voice.

“He shrunk another inch or so, but I think…both of us think…that it'll be

okay tomorrow”

“How much smaller? Should we be worried?”

Her Aunt shook her head unconvincingly.

“It'll be fine”

Uncle Edward was nowhere to be found, since he'd taken refuge in the

basement, apparently looking over things with the machine. Meanwhile, Alexi

retreated to her room and spent the rest of the night there. Alone.

* * *

The next morning, Alison opened Alexi's door without knocking, catching her,

however briefly, in her underwear. In a house of so many rules, Alexi grabbed

her jeans and quickly put them on. She was not without an attractive and shapely

body, that much was certain.

“Don't worry about that, dear, she said, listen, when are you leaving?”

Alexi looked at her, noting that it appeared that her Aunt had slept very

little.

“In half an hour or so”

“Well, let me know before you do. Your Uncle doesn't want you to see him,

okay? Not until he's normal again”

Alexi nodded, understanding.

When the time came, she left through the back door, though part of her

actually wanted to see her Uncle. Not in a mean spirited way, but merely as a

curiousity. What was he like? How small had he become? How would it feel to

actually be taller than him? At this point, the thought made her uncomfortable.

* * *

Heading home, she noticed that the front door was ajar. Considering all the

rules that her Aunt and Uncle had, this must be a sign that something's wrong.

Alexi's head peeked into the living room, after taking care to leave her

shoes at the door. Inside, deeper into the house, she could see her Aunt sitting

at the kitchen table. She was alone and was staring at the floor, despondently.

Alexi entered cautiously.

“Aunt Alison? What's the matter?”

Her Aunt looked at her and then slowly got up from her chair.

Alexi didn't need to stand face to face with her to know that her Aunt had

also begun to diminish in size.

“Where's Uncle Edward?” she asked.

“He's sleeping upstairs”

“Did he…is he smaller?”

Her Aunt nodded, looking more shocked than anything, as if seeing another

person, someone that hadn't been affected and was retaining their normal size

was a little off-putting. Alison was sizing Alexi up, looking her up and down

and it was making her very nervous.

Alexi looked at her Aunt and in her mind, imagined what her Uncle must be

going through. Such a proud man. For all of the awkwardness surrounding these

feelings she was having, even seeing her Aunt stand before her, Alexi felt

slightly flushed, as if (preposterously) the dread of seeing them diminish in

size brought with it, a small bit of satisfaction…a bit of pleasure.

Things may get more interesting in the coming days, she thought to herself. I

can't wait to see how small Uncle Edward is, she thought guiltily.

To be continued

THE FLOOR BENEATH HER FEET - 3

The following morning with her Uncle Edward still hiding from sight, Alexi

decided to stay home from her fruitless job search. She made her Aunt breakfast,

who in turn, took some upstairs to her husband.

Occasionally, when her Aunt and Uncle weren't home, Alexi would parade around

in her bra and boxer shorts. If she heard them come in, she would change before

they saw her, fearing their disapproval, which seemed to manifest in so many

ways.

Presently, since she wasn't going out, she was in blue jeans, t-shirt and

bare feet.

Soon her Aunt returned, looking exhausted, to sit at the kitchen table once

more. She barely ate any of her breakfast and once her plate was taken away, she

slumped over the table looking more like a depressed teenager than a grown

adult.

“Want to go for a walk later?” Alexi asked.

Her Aunt looked at her.

“It might do you some good, she continued, you could ask Edward if he'd like

to join us…”

Slam. Aunt Alison pounded her fist down onto the table and marched towards

her. She wasn't about to let her height stop her…“No, I don't think that a walk

is such a good idea right now!”

Alexi looked down at her Aunt and then leaned back onto the cupboard, hoping

to make her newfound height advantage a little less imposing. Problem was, even

then, even leaning back so that she wasn't standing straight, her Aunt still

appeared shorter. This fact caught Alison by surprise. She looked at Alexi,

casting her eyes over her, from her bare feet up to her pretty face. That brat

is an inch taller than me, she though, and she's not even wearing shoes!

And then she started to cry. Not hard, but the tears couldn't be held back.

Alexi opened up her arms and her Aunt Alison fell into them. Alexi tried to

soothe her, gently rubbing her Aunt's back.

“I'll do whatever it takes. I can run errands. I can cook. Whatever. I'll do

it all until Uncle Edward figures out how to stop this, okay?”

Her Aunt nodded again, appearing to be reassured by this. Alexi continued to

rub her back, noting how strange this sensation was becoming, like she was

comforting a bruised child.

* * *

It wasn't until later in the evening that Alexi first came across Edward.

Perhaps he didn't think she'd be home, or thought she'd be in her bedroom, but

in any case, his head emerged from the basement staircase and his eyes

immediately fell on Alexi, who was making some tea.

Alexi's first instinct was to back away, to retreat to a corner and busy

herself some other way, thereby allowing her Uncle time to climb the stairs and

disappear up to his bedroom. But seeing the scorn on his face, the disapproval,

she decided to stand exactly where she was. She knew he had shrunk even more

than his wife and he knew that Alexi knew. It was a stand off.

“How's it going down there?” she asked, instantly biting her lip at the

strange play on words.

Edward hesitated and then slowly made his way up the rest of the stairs,

knowing full well that in doing so, he'd be forced to compare his height to

Alexi's, since they'd both be standing opposite one another.

“It's going fine, he grumbled, couldn't be better”

With that, he stood level with Alexi, daring to raise his head, daring to

look her in the eyes. And that's when it hit him just how small he'd become. He

figured that if Alexi approached closer, that she could have comfortably rested

her chin on the top of his head.

Alexi, feeling the awkwardness with every fiber of her being, swallowed.

“Is there anything I can help you with?”

Edward motioned to the tea Alexi had in her hands.

“Yeah, you can make me a cup of tea”

Alexi nodded. “Here you can have my cup”

Edward turned and walked away, heading to the couch in the living room.

“Bring it in here”

Alexi stood still for a moment, considering. She didn't know whether to laugh

at how funny his height made him look, be angry at his request or to be happy

that he was at least talking to her again. So she followed him into the living

room, tea in hand.

“Aunt Alison, she called, there's tea down here for you!”

A moment later, Alison entered the room, “Fine, I'll take two sugars” she

said, not even looking at Alexi, who stared at her as she sat next to her

husband. Her stunned expression must have been noticeable, as Alison looked up

to her and said…

“Maybe we could drink it while it's still hot?”

Alexi snapped back to reality, set the tea down and immediately turned to get

the sugar.

And so it began…Alexi's transformation into full-time maid was a gradual one.

So gradual, that she didn't notice at first.

They had her cooking, they had her cleaning and they had her grocery

shopping. None of this really bothered her, since Edward continued to busy

himself in the basement, trying numerous tests to reverse what was making them

smaller, while Aunt Alison, when not helping him, spent her time looking more

and more worried at her husband's lack of success.

Their anger towards her – towards life in general – grew in those short days

(no pun intended). Alexi was keenly aware of this and began to walk on tiptoes,

fearing they would find fault in every action she took.

But what would happen if they found out what she had done? Alexi pushed this

thought to the back of her head. Not the time to deal with that.

* * *

The following morning, Alexi rose from her very cramped room to hear a cry of

astonishment from above her. It was Edward. “He must have shrunk again,” she

thought. Alexi rose to her feet and stretched out her back, which once again had

a kink in it from sleeping on that terrible mattress. She then ran to the main

foyer, unsure whether she was scared that they were smaller or excited. Sure

enough, both of them had shrunk in size. It was comical, really. Two full

adults, people Alexi had looked up to her entire life were now getting shorter

every time she woke up.

Some things had returned to normal at least as Alison was now shorter than

her husband. They stood together, perhaps a sign of solidarity against Alexi.

“What are you staring at?” Edward spat.

“Nothing, Alexi said, still in her pajamas and bare feet, you two shrunk

again…didn't you?”

“Tell us something we don't know”, said Alison, the first to stomp towards

her and into the kitchen. Instinctively, Alexi mouth flickered a very brief

smile as her Aunt passed her by. It was the type of reflex smile reserved for

the zoo or for small babies…she couldn't help it. Edward was the first to pick

up on it.

“You think we're funny?”

The smile instantly disappeared and she cursed herself for having let herself

do so. “No, not a bit. I'm just trying—“

“You're mocking us”, he continued, approaching her.

“I am not mocking you”, Alexi said, feeling herself getting defensive, but

also, a little afraid of what her Uncle was going to do to her.

“Didn't think it was so funny when we were over six feet tall, did you?” he

shouted, now almost “face to face” with her.

“Not too long and you'll be back to your full size, I'm sure”, Alexi

flinched, prepared for anything. Her Uncle had stopped in front of her and had

once again miscalculated her size when compare to his own. His face now stared

directly at the buttons of her pajama top, less than an inch from where her

breasts jutted out towards him. Alexi had to lower her chin to continue holding

eye contact, suddenly aware that if this continued, he would be eye level with

her breasts. What would that be like, she wondered? She couldn't help but

continue to stare at him as if hypnotized. Seeing someone typically over six

feet tall, now so short that you actually have to look down to catch their eye

was truly remarkable. Though the moment itself lasted mere seconds, Alexi felt

that feeling again – the fear…or to be more accurate…the absence of fear. It was

disappearing. Who was this man? He wasn't a man. He was a boy. He was - -

That's when Edward punched her squarely in the stomach.

Alexi doubled over, winded and completely surprised.

“We're not here for your amusement!”, he spat and then walked into the

kitchen to join his worried looking wife. Alexi remained in the living room,

trying to catch her breath. She had wanted to yell, to curse, to throw things

around the kitchen at them, but she didn't, instead, after she collected

herself, she ventured out onto the front patio, squinting into the bright sun.

She paced back and forth, thinking about what to do.

Did they suspect? Could that explain their anger? Or was it just a growing

frustration over their diminishing size? That must be it…

Alexi ventured back into the house and grabbed a light jacket. Not that it

was cold, but she thought it'd help disguise the fact that she was still in her

pajamas. She walked for more than an hour in total, trying to make up her mind

about what to do.

It was past lunch when she returned. Silence from inside the house. They

couldn't have gone out, she thought, but where were they? Alexi ventured in

further and found the kitchen an absolute mess, like they'd gone on a rampage.

Smashed plates, cutlery all over the floor, crumpled newspapers…

Alexi took it in, sighing heavily as she stooped to begin cleaning, doing so

nervously. After all, what on earth could explain this mess?

That's when an object, thrown from behind, struck her on the back of her

head.

Seeing stars is something that you read about in comic books and that's

exactly what was happening to Alexi right now. Still in her pajamas, Alexi's

hands shot out in front of her to stop her forward fall caused by the force of

the object. She wanted to spin around to see what it had been, but her body

wouldn't respond fast enough. The room spinned as she began to feel heavier and

heavier, as if she were going to pass out.

Then…another blow. Whatever hit her this time fell to the ground and

shattered. Alexi managed to pivot on her knees and then fall back onto the

floor, landing on her bum. She looked down where she noticed the remnants of a

broken plate.

Someone was throwing dishes at her head.

Thunk!

Another direct hit. One more she thought and I'm out like a light. The room

continued to spin as she felt her right eye begin to water. It felt red hot as

if being held close to a burner. Alexi visualized what she'd look like in a few

hours and grimaced to herself.

A smaller, sharper pain was felt in her back. It was a fork. They were

throwing cutlery now. Whoever they were. Was the house being robbed?

No, she thought, they've discovered what I've done…

Alexi felt herself about to collapse, the weight of her head suddenly became

too much. Blackness swept around her. This is what falling unconscious feels

like she thought. And then she saw them:

It was Edward and Alison. The two of them had been hiding in the corner – one

at the opposite end from the other. Each had additional projectiles ready to go

and Alexi certainly didn't relish the thought of a coffee mug being hurled at

her face, so she raised her arms in defense.

“Please. Please don't”, she whispered.

“And why not, her Edward spat, you fixed the machine to do this to us!”

Alexi's entire face felt on fire and she could feel a trickle of blood

running down the back of her neck.

“Answer him, her Aunt shot out, still standing her ground, admit what you've

done”

Slowly…and with great effort…Alexi began to nod.

She HAD fixed the machine. She HAD altered the settings.

Her Uncle stomped his feet, “I knew it, he said to his wife, I told you,

didn't I?”

Alison nodded, then looked back to Alexi.

“But why? Why did you do this?”

“Wanted to feel how it'd be to be bigger than you two for once…so you'd know

how it feels to be belittled”

Alexi's throat had become dry and her eyelids felt heavier than ever. She

felt a new trickle of blood. This one from her forehead. It ran down the

distance of her face and soon found it's way into the crevice of her mouth. She

tasted it. Despite being in the most pain she'd ever been in, Alexi managed to

smile.

Uncle Edward suddenly held up a butter knife, gesturing towards her with it,

but still keeping his distance.

Why aren't they coming any closer? Alexi wondered. Surely they could knock me

out if they wanted to.

“How small will we get!?!” Edward snarled.

Alexi pulled out her knees from under her and pain shot through her back

making her vision somewhat cloudy.

She swallowed again, trying to moisten her mouth with saliva.

“Within two weeks…she paused, still managing to muster up a bit of a

smile…you'll be so small that you'll be sleeping in my tennis shoes…”

Edward and Alison's mouths hung open like miniature caves.

Alexi struggled to her feet. Not an easy task considering that she still felt

close to collapsing. The instant she straightened her legs and was fully erect,

she knew why they hadn't approached any closer than they had.

They'd shrunk again.

Edward, in all his glory, was now no taller than her breasts! Alison – even

smaller!

A fork flew in her direction, thrown by Alison. Alexi blocked the fork with

her arm, but it still managed to break skin before it fell to the floor with a

clang. A coffee mug was next. Under normal circumstances, Alexi could have

easily blocked it, but due to her current state, it hit her in the collarbone,

wracking her with additional pain. Alexi fixed her stare at the two of them and

expressions of fear rose on both their faces.

She charged forward towards her Uncle, veering her body towards the kitchen

entranceway, hoping to block the pair of them from running towards the front

door.

Neither must escape she told herself. She'd be in way too much trouble. How

could she possibly explain what she did – what she intended to continue to let

happen?

Alexi connected with her Uncle, arms forward, hitting his chest area and

completely winding him. The surprised look on his face suggested that he hadn't

counted on her being as powerful as she was. Alexi was surprised too – half

expecting him to have knocked her aside with the side of his hand, instead, he

was truly taken aback by the force of her blow.

Small slapping hands pummeled Alexi's backside, stinging her, but providing

no real harm. It was her Aunt Alison. Soon she had a hold of Alexi's pajamas and

pulled at them while continuing to slap at her – anything to try and get away.

Alexi turned from her Uncle who was now on his knees, gasping for air, in

order to face Alison, who had managed to pull Alexi's pajama bottoms down far

enough so that when she motioned to step forward, she fell forward onto the

kitchen floor.

Thud.

A blow from behind hit the back of Alexi's head, causing agonizing pain to

ripple through her body. Edward had hit her from behind, his blow hurting far

more than his wife's. Alexi struggled to pull up her pajamas and then hoisted

herself to her feet. She motioned to strike at Edward, but caught sight of

Alison making a break for the door. Alexi turned and ran towards her.

At first glance, she thought there was no way that she'd catch her. But after

a few hurried strides, she became aware of another advantage to her size – her

legs could move her far faster than theirs could. In four big steps, Alexi had

caught up to Alison and pulled her back, placing herself between them and the

closest way out of the house.

All three of them stood still for a moment, each of them panting heavily from

exertion. Alexi considered what to do before casting a quick glance at her own

body. Her pajamas were ripped in two sections; buttons missing from the top

exposed the cleavage leading to her breasts. Her leg ached, but not as much as

the back of her head did. Blood had pooled in numerous crevices of her body and

she would be very bruised in a few hours.

Slowly, but with purpose, Alexi began to walk towards the two of them, one

step at a time. Edward and Alison, too exhausted to try anything else, stood

their ground, though she moved behind him.

Alexi had been curious exactly how small they were at this point and now she

was going to find out. Two more steps and she stood directly before Edward, him

flinching, but determined not to show any fear. Alexi stood intentionally close

to him in order to maximize the difference in their heights. Her breasts poked

his face from beneath her torn pajamas as she moved closer still. Alexi

continued to breathe heavily, still reeling from the attack.

That's how big I am, she thought. This little guy is only as tall as my

breasts!

Alexi relished every second of this moment. She'd withstood their attack –

the greatest threat that they were likely to provide. She had proven who was

dominant and had come out victorious.

Slowly and deliberately Alexi moved her hands onto her hips, glaring down

into the eyes of Edward, nudging his face ever so slightly with her breasts.

“Let's talk about some of the new rules of the house”

TO BE CONTINUED

THE FLOOR BENEATH HER FEET – 4

It was now Monday night. Edward and Alison had fallen asleep far earlier than

expected. I guess shrinking more than a foot in height takes its toll, Alexi

reasoned, still not believing what she was about to do.

Under the assumption that neither would stop shrinking for another few days,

Alexi reasoned that she no longer had a reason to fear either of them. She had

withstood what would surely be their greatest attack and though she would have

many bruises and cuts to show for it, she was the victor. Besides, time wasn't

exactly on their side…every hour they waited, their power to stand up to her

grew smaller and smaller.

With some difficulty, Alexi pulled the fridge out from where it stood, slowly

nudging it over top of the entranceway to the sunken basement. That done, the

trap door was nearly inaccessible, at least for them it would be.

Finished, she sat down on one of the kitchen chairs, exhausted. Her head

still throbbed from the earlier encounter with the pair and she suspected that

it would be even worse when she woke up.

“You weren't serious, were you?” came a voice from behind Alexi.

She turned to see Alison standing before her, looking more subservient than

before, like she was beginning to fear Alexi.

“Serious about what?”

“About the shrinking. About h-how much we're-we're going to get even

smaller…”

“What made you think I wasn't serious?”

Alison stared at Alexi fearfully while Edward looked to where the fridge had

been pushed and began to size it up. I could push that out of the way, he

thought. I'm still strong enough. He was already planning how he would wait

until Alexi was asleep and then budge it out of the way. He'd get downstairs and

reverse this process. It'd be so much easier now, he thought, now that he knew

what she'd done. It had never donned on him that the controls had been set to

shrink. It wouldn't be hard to reverse at all…

A grin had surfaced on Alexi's face.

“Actually, I've got a deal that you two may be interested in”

Both of them looked up at her, eagerly, Edward thinking that if he went along

with her, that he could eventually turn the tables. She'd be sorry.

“I'll agree to stop the process…to stop your shrinking…even reverse it…”

Edward and Alison looked stunned.

”You could do that?”

Alexi smiled, “Yup. Pretty easily, actually”

“I'll reverse the process this Friday. No strings attached.”

Edward folded his arms, “Provided?”

Alexi's face turned a light coat of red as the next words came out, somewhat

awkwardly.

“Provided that I'm allowed to boss you two around from now until then. You'd

have to do whatever I say”

Alexi found herself enjoying the stunned look on their faces.

“Essentially, it'll be no different from how it was, except it'll be me who

gives the orders”

“You?” Alison croaked, not believing that this sweet, innocent girl had so

successfully turned the tables on them.

“Yes, me. In fact, until Friday…we'll pretend that this is my house…and that

you two are staying here as my guests”

Edward could no longer hide his growing anger.

“That's absurd, he said, you've flipped your lid you little brat!”

Alexi stood from her squatted position, unaware until she straightened her

legs, that the pair of them appeared even smaller than hours earlier.

“Little brat?” she asked, raising her eyebrows at her Uncle.

Both of them fidgeted and exchanged looks. Edward had no plans to do anything

Alexi asked, but he needed to buy time.

“Fine, but do we have your word that on Friday, you'll do what you say?”

Alexi nodded, happy that they'd made the right decision.

“You have my word”

It made her feel funny at first, bossing them around, but whenever she felt

the sting of her numerous bruises, her charity seemed to disappear.

* * *

The ever-dwindling pair made their way into the kitchen the following

morning. Alexi was already seated at the table, wearing tattered jeans and a

very old, thin t-shirt that didn't quite extend to cover her belly. Her bare

feet were propped up on a chair opposite her, something she'd been told not to

do in their house.

“Morning, she said to them, how are you feeling?”

Neither of them replied, but by the disgusted, hateful looks on their faces,

it was easy to tell that neither of them relished what was to come.

“Ready to start listening to the new boss?”

Alexi withdrew her feet from the chair and then stood, walking towards

Edward.

“Come closer, please”

Reluctantly, he did, not wanting her to glower over her height advantage, but

knowing full well that she would anyway.

“I knew it, Alexi beamed, you're even shorter than yesterday, would you look

at that?”

Edward looked up at her, meditating on the face that he would later make

suffer. Her gloating wouldn't last for long, he thought to himself, quietly

planning his revenge as he looked up at her.

“Soon you'll get even smaller!” she rang.

Edward's present height now put him in the position of having to look up to

her bosom – to look up to actually see her breasts. This wouldn't have been so

bad if it weren't for the huge smile on her face.

“This is how we're going to start everyday from now on – by measuring you two

in comparison to me”

“Everyday until Friday is what you mean, right?” countered Alison.

Alexi looked over to her, still smiling, “Friday?”

“Yes, Friday, Alison continued, that's when you promised that you'd reverse

this ridiculousness”

Alexi began towards Alison, “Oh, yes. How can I forget about Friday? I did

promise, didn't I?” She stopped just shy of coming into physical contact with

Alison, obviously enjoying how it felt when they were stacked up against her.

Alison was even shorter than her husband, putting her face just inches above her

navel, a fact that produced considerable laughter from Alexi.

Alison stared at Alexi's partially bare midriff, watching it move and shake

along with her laughter.

“So, she said, just to recap, Edward is just shorter than my breasts and you,

she said, happily pointing down to Alison, will be the same height as my belly

button by…what? The end of today?”

Alison shrugged.

“Wow, Alexi said, this is just great don't you think?”

Alison looked to her husband, as if to say, no, it's not that great.

“Let's start breakfast, Alexi announced, I'm going to read the paper while

you two cook for me, okay?”

“For you? We're hungry too, dear” said Alison.

“I'm sure you are, Alexi replied sitting back down at the table and unfolding

the paper, but I'm bigger and need more to eat than you two”. Ale

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