Stories

Chapter Five Panic

Peter was speechless. He wished all of this were a nightmare. However, the cold air was tangible around his ears and the science lab was absolutely too real for a dream.

"Why are you suddenly so big, Peter?" the tiny Scott squeaked.

Peter froze. Was he the one who suddenly grew? Maybe Scott was just normal and he was enormous.

But then Peter noticed the tables around him were all the normal size. Which could only mean one thing: Scott had shrunk.

Then, to his surprise, he burst into peals of laughter.

"Why are you laughing?" Scott shouted to be heard over Peter’s laughing.

"Because... you're... so... small..." Peter punctuated each word with a giggle.

Scott laughed too. For several minutes, neither of them was able to speak because they were laughing so hard.

"You're so big, Peter," Scott remarked, and started another round of laughing. Laughing made Peter feel somewhat relieved. It made him think everything was fine and normal.

However, he finally came to realize how ridiculous they were acting. They were in a big emergency. Scott might be going through great pain or disease. Their so-called 'father' had gone to China, leaving them alone for two weeks. And here they were laughing their heads off.

"Snap out of it, you dope!" Peter said angrily. Scott stopped laughing.

"This is so crazy,” Peter went on, as he threw his hands in the air, “Is this a big joke or something? These things aren't supposed to happen in reality."

Scott grinned at Peter. There wasn't the slightest fear or worry in his tiny face. "Yes they do."

Peter stared at him. "How did you grow so small?"

"I drank that," Scott said. He pointed at the beaker on the teacher's desk, where there was the slightest bit of green liquid left in it.

"Of all the stupidest things to do!" Peter yelled outrageously.

"Sorry," Scott said in a small voice. He was covering his ears. "Gee, the world trembles when you shout."

Peter drew in a deep breath. You have to keep your sanity, he told himself, although he knew that was close to impossible. "I think we need to call an ambulance," Peter said, as calmly as he could.

"And tell them what? 'Please help me, my brother shrunk and he's no bigger than an ant now'? Then you'll take me to the hospital, where I could accidentally be crushed? What kind of a brother are you?"

His scolding tone made Peter grow fierce with rage. Still, Peter knew he had to tolerate it.

"Okay, so we won't call the ambulance,” Peter said, shrugging. “But what else can I do besides that? Stick you in my penholder?"

Peter’s crazy brother's face lit up. "That's a good idea! I've never been inside a penholder before. I wonder what it would be like in there."

Peter groaned.

However, Scott didn't seem to sense his panic. He just had a goofy grin that seemed to be permanently pasted on his face. "Chill out, Peter. Being small isn't all that bad," Scott said. “I’ll be okay.”

Peter scooped the tiny Scott up, careful not to crush him with his fingers, and stuck him in his pocket.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing? Let me out! Let me out!”

Peter ignored him and ran out of the dim, creepy science lab, where some unusual chemistry had taken place.

As he left the room, he thought he heard someone say in a deep voice something that sounded like ‘awesome’, but decided it must have been his imagination. Maybe Scott’s craziness was contagious.