Her Tiny World

Chapter 11. Found

Max

I arranged the blanket and pillow on the floor so she could have the bed for herself. Despite the fact that the furniture was overly large for her this seemed the right thing to do so she could be as comfortable as possible. I ran my eyes over her little body while she was sitting on the bed. She looks a little less scared now. At least I hope so. I wanted to spend more time with her, to talk to her even if she didn't answer me, but I didn't. It was late and we both needed to sleep.

"See you in the morning. Sleep tight." I smiled at her.

I lay down beside the bed. I just couldn't stop thinking about everything that was happening, about what I was seeing before my eyes. A tiny girl the size of my index finger. Did someone so minuscule that I could effortlessly hold in my hand really exist? It was so small. That was impossible, wasn't it? Neither the teachers nor the biology books, not even the Internet. None of them had ever mentioned the existence of such a being. But she was there. She was real. I thought about our awkward meeting. The poor little thing was terrified. It took a while for her to calm down and get used to my presence. Should I tell the others about her? Nick and Josh were my friends after all. I couldn't hide it from them. I knew they would be impressed with her just like I was. I was excited to show her to them. However my body demanded a little rest before anything else, so that was for the morning. She was still on my mind as I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

The cell phone alarm went off at 7 am. I stretched and rubbed my eyes. I rolled to the side, yawning as there was still some sleep in me, then I remembered. The tiny girl! I took the hair out of my face and sat up. Even sitting I was still just above the mattress level. I turned my head so I could see her.

"Good mor-" I stopped as I didn't see her. "Little one?"

I looked all over the bed. She wasn't there. That made me worried. What if she fell to the ground and I rolled over her while I was sleeping? I looked down, my blood froze in terror. 

"Oh my!"

I felt the blanket under me with my fingers trying to feel if she was there. I ran my hands all over the place around me, even through my clothes. There was nothing. I sighed in relief, however she was still missing. I bent down to look under the bed. Nothing. I looked under every furniture to find no sign of the girl. I stood in the middle of the room to get a wider view of it all.

"Tiny? Where are you?" I called out to her. Surely she could hear my voice if she were there. "Please, come out. You don't need to hide from me."

Nothing.

She wasn't in my room. Had she run away? No, there was no reason to. I had taken good care of her. She must be somewhere in the house. The morning was cold and a light rain was falling outside so I put my hoodie and my sneakers on. I walked slowly down the hall, scanning every corner of the floor.

"Little one?" I hissed looking sideways. "Are you there?"

When I went downstairs I could see Nick and Josh sitting on the couch in the living room, watching TV. The rain had gotten stronger. The sound of drops hitting the windows covered the sound of my footsteps. They hadn't noticed my presence so I tried to tiptoe. I needed to find her. I didn't have time for them. As I walked to the kitchen Toby barked at me, making me stop. I got caught.

"Max?" Josh asked so I turned to him.

"Morning, guys." I said awkwardly.

"You arrived just in time for the show." Nick replied. "They're going to cook something French today."

"Why were you sneaking into the kitchen?" Josh raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't want to disturb you."

Josh could tell when I was lying or not. I wasn't good at it, but that wasn't exactly a lie. He stared suspiciously at me, but eventually relented.