While walking down on the road with my sister, I took a glimpse up: my mouth was left opened, as I was watching small fluffy clouds passing by slowly. My eyes expanded, the more I was looking at the sky.
"Watch your steps, shorty." My sister pulled my hand towards her.
I turned my head, staring at my big sibling. My cheeks were getting puffier, as I was frowning in front of her.
"I hate that nickname! I'm not short!" I was walking in tiptoes, trying to keep my balance.
She smiled at me, while giggling with her mouth shut.
"Why the hate?" Jessie looks ahead. "Actually, you should be very happy about it."
My right eyebrow lowers down, as I was staring my huge sister.
"How? What's so good about being small?"
"It makes you, the cutest brother of our town!" Jessie's eyes sparkled, while holding her fists, as she returns to watch me.
"That's stupid! I don't like being cute at all!" I puffed my cheeks even more and my face was slowly turning slightly red.
"Ih ih! All younger brothers are cute! Especially you, since you're still the youngest!" She pats on the top of my head.
"Being the youngest is no fun! Did you know, that I can't play with all my other relatives?!" I frowed again, as I downturn my mouth.
"Now, don't start another drama, gnome! You know that your siblings love playing with you." Jessie moves her right forefinger up and down, in front of me.
"But we always play small stuff! Squid riding, Hide and Seek, Hopscotch…" I was counting with my left hand, while looking up.
"What about Mini-Wrestling? It's your favorite game!" She winks at me, while giggling.
"Because I can only play it, with you! And even then… you always win." I looked away, while sighing.
"Really? I thought it was the opposite! At the end, you clearly get the prize!" She raises her right forefinger straight up, while winking at me.
I smiled shyly, at the idea of those cuddles… notably the ones coming from Jessie!
"Hiii!"
Hey, there's my other big sister! … wait, who she was again? July? Isidora? Squidarella? I don't remember… I have so many brothers and sisters, that I don't think I meet all of them yet! Let alone memorize their names!
"Good morning Mia!" She waves her right hand, while talking with closed eyes. "Do you need something, sis?"
"Yes! Today is my turn to keep an eye on Jack!" She connected both her hands and smiled wide.
Jessie let my right hand free: it smelled something particular on its palm. I sniffed on it, recognizing a sweet scent. My mouth was gradually filled with saliva.
"What's this stuff?" I showed my right palm to Jessie as I gulped down a bit of saliva.
My sister tilted towards my hand and sniffed on it, calmly.
"Oooh, this comes from a secret dessert I'm creating!" . She smiled and returned to her normal stance.
"Really?! What's it?! WHAT'S IT?!" My hands clenched into fists and I start moving my legs on the spot.
"Eh eh eh…" Jessie catches out her tongue a bit. "I'm not telling!"
I stared my sister, while moving my legs in place much faster than before, as I tightened my fists even more.
"Nononono, please! Tell me! I need to know! Pleeeeaasseee!" My eyes start to appear watery, as my mouth was moving in a wavy way.
Both my big sisters laughed, with their eyes closed: Mia was covering her mouth with both her hands, while Jessie was covering her mouth with only her right hand.
"Sorry shorty, but it's going to take a while before I show it to mom." She caresses my head, with her left hand.
A single tear was dropping from my left eye and my mouth becomes more wavy.
"But I heard we have Chocolate Bread, for breakfast!" Mia grabs both her hands, while watching me.
Suddenly, my eyes expanded before I know it! No longer my mouth was wavy: instead, it smiled wide and opened just a little bit.
"CHOCOLATE BREAD?! IwantitIwantitIwantit!" I shaked my fists up and down, in front of Judy… I-I mean, Mia!
She giggles some more.
"Then, you have to be a clean little Squid and go to the"
I sprinted so fast, that I could hear a ricochet sound coming from behind me!
"JACK, DON'T RUN! WAIT FOR MIA!"
"Waaaaiiitt!"
As I was running through the town, I still got the time to quickly greet with a wave to my 3 big brothers and 1 big sister. During my rushing, I saw another big sister coming out from her house and I greet her in the same manner, while shouting "HI, BIG SIS!". I almost got to the bathroom… so close…
Oh wait! I passed 2 big brothers and other 3 big sisters without greeting them! I come back a little and I did just that! Then, 2 big sisters and 1 big brother came from behind me! They hugged me, together. Uuuuhh… not… now… my belly was rumbling!
I slipped under them and I start running again. There's it! The bathroom! I got inside and did everything mom and dad ( along with all my siblings) taught me. I finished in record time and here I'm, running again through the town!
Now, all I have to do is to get to the table plaza and
THUMP!
… yeeooouuuccchhh! Ow ow ow ow ow! S-sniff… buueeeehhh!
"Oh no, Jack!"
"What happened?!"
"He tripped!"
Before I know it, s-sob, I many brothers and sisters all around me! Waaaahh! Ow ow, my right knee was slowly covered in yellow ink and… it starts to burn a lot! Booo hu hu hu huuuu! A sister picks me up and begins to cuddle me.
"Ssssh, don't worry Jack… your big sister is here now." She gave me some kisses on my left cheek.
Tears didn't stop coming from my eyes. However, I was breathing at a slower pace than before…
"I'll give him the needed medications."
I was too busy crying, to say anything about that. I didn't saw much from that point: just my sister brought me to the First Aid House and insert carefully two medical patches on the injury. I was sitting on a white table, watching my female siblings at the same eye height.
"Jack, how many times me and all the other siblings have to tell you to NOT run around the town?" Her hands are on her hips and she frowned a bit.
"S-sorry… I'll not run like that, again! I promise!"
She smiled at me, opening her eyes a little.
"That's better! Now… just for safety measures, we'll play Squid riding until we get to the table plaza. What do you say, Squidboy?" She extends her arms towards me.
I opened my mouth with a smile, while staring at my dontknowhername big sister. Tears no longer were coming from my eyes. She turns her back and leaned slightly. I climbed her posterior until I sat on her shoulders. My hands were laying on her soft head.
"Yuppie! To the Chocolate Mine!" I raised a fist up in the air.
And here we go! Yahooo! So much fun! I got around the town, looking at all my siblings waving their hands at me or calling my name out loud. They were also following me too: together, we marched through the houses and even improvised a little song. I tilted my head left and right, while singing and keeping the rhythm.
Whoa, we're already at the plaza? Mom and dad were waiting for all of us, at the head of the long… very long table. I usually sit between them, letting me watch everyone in front of me. The table was already prepared: a cup full of milk and a big Chocolate Bread sitting right next to it.
"Mommy! Daddy!" My sister let me touch the ground with my feet and I ran a little towards my parents.
"Snugglebunny!" My mother wraps me around with her arms. "How my little man is doing in this fine day?"
She lets me go: I quickly showed her my right leg, with the patches on the knee.
"Oh? You got hurt, cutie puppy?" She kisses my patches. "There. Now the big bag ache will disappear soon."
I noticed that the knee didn't have that burning feel at all!
"Thanks mommy!" I jumped with my arm and legs stretched up in the air.
"Eh eh, my boy!" My dad caresses my head with vigor. "You may be the youngest, but you have more energy than this man, after receiving a kiss from his woman!"
Everyone, including me, chuckled! My mommy gave my daddy a kiss on his left cheek, making him blush a bit.
"Ah ah! But what are we waiting for? Let's start our breakfast!"
Well said, dad! My parents helped me climb the rather tall chair and we waited for everybody to take their seats. After the last sibling sits down, we started to eat! I hastily took the Chocolate Bread with two hands and immerse it, into the cup, multiple times. Some amount of milk was flying all over.
"Dear, be more delicate!" My mom took my right arm and holds it.
I looked at mom, then I stared at the spilled milk on the table.
"… oops…"
My mom giggled a bit.
"That's ok, for today. Now eat the bread."
I did just what mom said: hhmmmm! Delicious…! Just as I always remember them! I wish that every breakfast has Chocolate Bread… but you can't always have them all, can you? While I was eating, I watched all my siblings eating and chatting with each other: so many brothers and sisters, that I couldn't count all of them!
Sadly, we finished breakfast… aaawwww, when I'll get to eat more of this bread?! Next full moon? Maybe! For now, all the members of our family scrambled around and go playing whatever they like. There was one particular game though, that I never tried because I'm too small: Ink Splat!
Going to the playing arena, which is located near the table plaza, there were slides, swings, a mini cavernous maze and the space dedicated to the mentioned Ink Splat game. I could already see brothers and sisters, wielding a weird gray thingy called Splattershot Jr. and taking free positions.
There were many rocks, bushes and other natural elements all around this place. Someone hides behind one of them and tries to shoot Ink, against whoever gets close. Its color is Yellow, which is the same for everyone.
Boys and girls go around this arena, to cover each other with Ink. I think that there are no winners or losers in this game: I couldn't tell, since I never got the chance to play one round. I was watching carefully every step and moves, my siblings were pulling off to each other. Mia was near me, sitting on the ground.
"Mia, can I try Ink Splat?" I watched her, holding my breath.
"Sorry, Jack. You're too small to play." She was looking at the play scene.
"Why?! I don't understand!" I moved my arms around.
"Oh, the reason is silly simple. You see those weapons?"
"Yeah! What about them?" I tilted my head to the right.
"Those are as big as you! And very heavy too… for someone of your size, speaking."
"Shucks! That's not fair…" I lowered my head… however, I suddenly lift it up. "Mia! How can I grow up?"
She laughs at it! Then she looks at me, with a smile.
"It takes time to reach our size, lion cub! You need to be a cute little brother for a while…"
I puffed my cheeks and frowned.
"I'm not cute! I'm a monster! Rrraaaawwwrrr!" I start walking slowly but heavily, towards my big sister.
"Ooooh, a cute little brother monster!" She hugs me, softly.
I lifted my head up, with my eyes closed.
"Noooo, stop that! I'm serious, sis: I wanna be a super-ultra-mega giant! Is there a faster method to be as big as daddy?"
She stood silent for a moment…
"Well… technically, yes. I heard something about that…"
"Really?! Sweet! Tellmetellme!" I slipped down and looked at Mia.
"Uhm… I think that dad told us a legend about the Woody Forest." She looks up, while massaging her chin with her right hand.
Woody Forest? It's a forest right next our town! There's a gate at its entrance… and if I remember correctly, mom said once that its purpose is to protect us from strangers.
"I know that forest! What about it?!" I was tilting forward, while holding my breath.
"According to daddy… hhmmmm… yes!" She raised her right forefinger up. "If you go deep in the forest, there's a pond full of water! Not just ordinary water, though… no sir! If you drink that, your size will change! You'll become bigger and bigger, the more you drink it…"
"Wooow!" My eyes started to sparkle. "Then I'll drink all that pond and come back as huge as a mountain!"
"Wait! There's a catch! If you drink too much from the pond, its power will reverse on you!" She points at me, by touching my nose with her right forefinger.
"Reverse? What that means?" I looked at the forefinger.
"Instead of growing, you'll shrink! You'll be smaller and smaller if you keep drinking… and become as small as a little ant!"
I gulped loudly and I started to sweat a bit.
"Oh, oh… maybe I'll take a sip. I don't wanna be a tiny brother!" I shaked my head.
"Silly puppy! Why worry about that?" She turns, looking at my siblings play Ink Splat. "There's no way you'll get inside that forest! First thing, there's me and all the others guarding over you. You'll not even get an inch into"
I didn't listen to her words: I started dashing again! This time, headed towards the Woody Forest! Yeah I know, I promised to not run around… but screw that! I wanna be big! HUGE! No longer I'll be seen as the adorable brother to cuddle everyday! I can't wait to find this pond and drink a bit of its water!
I can't wait to grow up!