I was awakened by a blinding light. "Am I in heaven?" I thought. But no, it was a familiar light. I had experienced it before. I sat up, sitting on the floor, as the tremendous light faded. I was in a transparent booth, and through it, as if in deja vu, I saw the figures of Hugh and the government reduction center agent. Immediately something caught my attention. They were no longer giants! That could only be because...
The agent walked over, opened the door to the booth and held out a hand to help me up. I stepped out and Hugh immediately held out a shirt and pants. Realizing that I was naked, I immediately got dressed, embarrassed. The agent pointed to a piece of paper in Hugh's hand and said:
-Well, that's done then. As soon as you destroy the contract, Thomas will be a normal citizen again, with all his rights.
Hugh, with an expressionless face, calmly tore the paper to shreds and threw it into a wastebasket. My heart was pounding, I was human again! The agent then said goodbye and left through an adjoining door. I looked at Hugh, still stunned. He looked back at me, with the same inscrutable expression, and said only, as he turned away:
-I just couldn't do it...
He then walked out into the center's parking lot and motioned for me to follow him. When he reached the car, he stopped and said to me with a grim expression:
-Parker will kill me if he finds out about this. Eventually I'll tell him, but for now I'm going to make him think I got rid of you. I need you to disappear for a while... -I agreed, still dazed and overwhelmed by the situation. He continued: -I talked to your brother Roger -I was about to say something, but he stopped me with a gesture-. Yes, I know you're not very close, but I told him you needed a place to stay for a while and he agreed to let you go to his house. Here are some clothes -he showed me a travel bag in the trunk-. There's also your laptop and cell phone. I bought you a bus ticket, so get in and I'll take you to the station!
I nodded and got into the car. It was really quite unfair that Hugh was still running my life that way, but I was so grateful that he had allowed me to live and had brought me back to my size that I wholeheartedly accepted everything he asked of me. My older brother Roger and I didn't really get along badly, but we had hardly had any contact for several years. He was a rather odd, introverted guy, had been retired for a couple of years and had gone to live in a small town in the country. I assumed that was where I was now going.
During the car ride, which didn't take long, I didn't dare speak, still taking in the situation, and Hugh didn't make the slightest comment either. When we arrived at the station, we both got out of the car and my still-husband said to me:
-Don't worry, I want to make things right. We'll get a proper divorce, sell the house and you'll get your share. Please don't try to contact me. I will email you the papers.
He was going to go back to the car, but he seemed to hesitate and, looking down, said to me:
