On His Way Out (2023)

As the late morning sun shone through the windows of hallway, tiny Jose made his way towards his roommate’s room. He wasn’t sure what happened, but he woke up the size of a grain of rice. After spending the early morning hours getting off his bed, he heard his roommate walk through the home. First, he heard a loud cough ring through the air, indicating he was awake. This was followed by two audible thuds. Jose was halfway down his own sheets as he heard Brad going through his morning routine. Going to the bathroom, making his breakfast, before coming back upstairs, all the while from the other side of the door of his roommate, Jose was just reaching the floor.

Making his way to his door, he quickly ran underneath it with ease, a fact he wasn’t happy about. Making his way down the hallway, he heard his roommate laugh loudly. Then talking. He was on the phone.

“Nothing on my end,” he heard Brad say. Then silence.

“Yeah, I can do that,” Brad continued. “We can meet at the corner there.”

He was leaving! He can’t leave!

“Brad! Stop! You have to help me!” Jose yelled into the vast openness as he quickened his pace, which turned into a run.

Brad’s voice got louder as he moved about his room and Jose got closer.

“ALRIGHT, MAN. SEE YOU SOON.”

“Brad!!” Jose screamed. Reaching Brad’s door, he was contemplating how he was going to get into the room. They were redoing the floors, so his floor was like a mountain he was forced to climb. What was he going to do?

The choice was taken out of his hands as the door opened, and Brad stood at the door, checking he had everything. Jose backed up in awe as the toe of Brad’s socked foot hung over the edge. Brad was a big guy at normal sized, and now he was nothing short of a God. The giant coughed and cleared his throat, the simple action reminding Jose just how loud everything was at this size.

“BRAD!!!” Jose screamed as loud as he could. “BRAD!!! LOOK DOWN!! HERE! HERE!!”

Jose continued shouting to Brad, as his giant roommate put his phone in his pocket, never once looking down to see where the screams were coming from. He simply didn’t hear them. Jose screamed as Brad’s foot flew over him as he stepped out of his room, the foot slamming the floor behind Jose.

Falling to the ground, all Jose could do was watch as his roommate unceremoniously walked down the hallway and out of sight, never once acknowledging Jose’s plight.