Nailed It (2022)

Note: Sorry this one took a bit longer. This story heavily inspired me, and I went a bit ham on it. I had to condense it down. 

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On a quiet Saturday morning, Tom finally woke up. His hand glided down the bed, encountering the soft fur of his feline companion. The gentle caress of his cat's fur became a delightful morning ritual, coaxing him further into wakefulness.

Within the tranquil confines of their home, Tom called out to his roommate. "Aaron? Up yet?" The house maintained its calm, offering no immediate response.

Lifting his head from his pillow, Tom contemplated the situation. "Must be out," he thought, a contented smile on his lips. The absence of his roommate didn't concern him; it granted him a sense of liberation. Tom rose from his bed, gliding toward the bathroom, relishing the rare luxury of an uninterrupted morning.

After completing his bathroom routine, he wandered to the kitchen for a bowl of cereal and then settled on the couch. He found nothing amiss with each step through their shared space, navigating the house with his characteristic disregard.

Seated comfortably on the couch, Tom extended his right foot, resting it against the coffee table as he enjoyed his breakfast. Minutes slipped away, yet there was still no sign of Aaron. Tom's brow furrowed with silent confusion, prompting him to text his roommate, inquiring about his whereabouts. Oblivious to the fact that Aaron's phone was still charging on his nightstand and, more crucially, utterly unaware of Aaron's actual location and situation, Tom casually placed his phone beside him and awaited a reply.

As Tom leaned back, his eyes drew attention to his toenails. They had grown a bit long. Looking around, he locked his eyes on the nail clippers from his last session on the coffee table. Eureka. Setting his cereal bowl down, he seized the clippers and bent over his knees to commence the task.

 —

Aaron found himself in a state of sheer panic. He awoke earlier than his usual Saturday routine. Still, this particular morning was anything but typical as he readied himself for a shower. An inexplicable event occurred, rendering his body minuscule, no larger than a tiny insect, in the bathroom. Distressed, he hurried out to the living room, desperate to find a way to capture Tom's attention once he woke up.

The issue was this—while the living space wasn't cluttered, the inevitable dust and debris, remnants of Tom's daily activities, always necessitated a bit of sweeping. This routine, however, took on a new significance with Aaron's new size. 

How could Tom possibly notice him? Tom's casual glances rarely ventured downward, and if Aaron knew anything, it was that bugs were never safe when Tom was around. The fear of being mistaken for an ordinary insect squashed in an unintentional misstep haunted him. He envisioned finally catching Tom's attention, only to be met with a giant, expressionless face and the impending doom of a colossal hand poised to crush him into oblivion. Tom would remain oblivious that he had inadvertently ended Aaron's existence. Shaking off this morbid mental image, Aaron focused on his immediate task—finding a solution to his predicament.

Just as he grappled with the enormity of his predicament, a low rumbling filled the air. Words, carried by the mysterious vibrations, seemed to resonate around him.

"AARON…?" The voice reverberated, searching. "UP YET…?"

"Tom!!!" Aaron's desperate cry pierced the open expanse of the living room. "Help!!"

Silence hung heavy in the air, an anxious stillness that left Aaron questioning whether his desperate cry had reached the ears of his normal-sized roommate. Then, another echoing sound followed, accompanied by two delicate but unmistakable thuds reverberating through the floor. Tom was up and about, stepping out of bed. The subtle thuds gained intensity as Tom started his journey out of his room.

Aaron was utterly beside himself. While his imagination had conjured many scenarios, he had never truly prepared himself for the awe-inspiring sight of a giant, let alone the one who shared his living space. As Tom emerged from his room, Aaron cast aside any concern for Tom's undress and unleashed a desperate shout of his name. His voice cut through the expansive living room like a sharp cry, pleading for attention. However, Tom pressed on, oblivious to the diminutive figure on the floor, striding into the bathroom without acknowledging Aaron's existence. The vastness of the living room suddenly seemed more isolating, accentuating Aaron's insignificance in the face of the giant roommate who was unaware of him. 

A loud rush of sound pierced the air, causing intense discomfort in the tiny man's ears. He instinctively covered his head with his hands, his small frame shuddering with the noise. As the bathroom door swung open, Tom sauntered out casually, and the noise reached its peak before mercifully subsiding. Unbeknownst to Aaron, that cacophonous event was the sound of the toilet flushing.

Looking up at Tom as he went to the kitchen, Aaron contemplated calling out again. "Tom!!" he yelled, though his voice appeared to stretch no farther than a few feet before him. Tom continued his routine, retrieving cereal from the kitchen before returning to the living room. His colossal barefoot landed with a resounding slap, yards away from where Aaron stood, as Tom passed overhead and sat on the couch. The vast chasm between their sizes felt insurmountable. Aaron couldn't help but ponder how he might make himself known to his oblivious roommate.

Aaron dashed towards Tom, positioning himself beside Tom's colossal foot. He had no idea of the events above as the giant leaned forward and grabbed something off the coffee table. He observed with anticipation as Tom's other foot slammed down, placing him between them. With held breath, Aaron watched as Tom leaned down, his eyes and face expressing apathy and concentration.

"Yes!! Tom!!" Aaron cried out, hopeful that Tom could notice him. However, Tom remained unresponsive. His left hand approached his substantial foot, lifting it off the ground as his fingers cradled the bottom. It was a sight to see. Tom's right hand followed with what looked like nail clippers and settled just above the giant foot. 

The massive foot to Aaron's left lifted slightly, Tom's toes adjusting overhead, homing in on Aaron's location. Struggling to maintain his balance, Aaron staggered backward. He landed on his back, his vision dominated by the looming underside of Tom's toes. The vast difference in size left Aaron feeling overwhelmingly small and vulnerable in the shadow of Tom's gigantic presence.

With a surge of urgency, Aaron crawled backward before swiftly getting up and darting out from under the colossal foot. A wave of disbelief swept over him as he escaped the shadowy refuge. 'How can he not see me down here?' Aaron thought, his mind grappling with the sheer scale of his predicament. He continued running, desperate to distance himself from the colossal feet that could inadvertently squash him.

Suddenly, a resounding snap reverberated through the air, jolting Aaron to a standstill, his heart racing. Swiftly, he pivoted, catching sight of colossal fingers tending to a recently trimmed nail. The formidable hand effortlessly plucked the toenail away, treating it as inconsequential. Subsequently, the index finger flicked, propelling the just-severed toenail nonchalantly toward the ground—directly in Aaron's direction.

A startled gasp escaped Aaron's lips as the massive toenail collided with his body, sending him sprawling backward. As he struggled to regain his composure, the overpowering scent wafting from the nail seized his senses, causing him to choke as he attempted to crawl away. Additional nail clippings, accompanied by assorted dirt and debris, littered the floor around him, and a realization slowly settled in—he might remain this way. Above, Tom shifted his attention to the other foot, leaving Aaron to grapple with the surreal aftermath.