Despite my desolation at the state I was in, the days began to pass faster than I thought they would. My father went to look for Finn again, only to find that he had got away. His apartment (MY apartment) was empty and a neighbor informed him that she had seen him leaving with suitcases.
-The coward! -I said when my dad informed me -But we should at least report him.
-I wouldn't advise it, sweetheart. It's his word against yours, and he has a document that you couldn't even deny signing. Besides, the corrupt official at the reduction center, to save himself, would testify against you, corroborating his version that you did it voluntarily. We wouldn't stand a chance. Don't worry. We will find a way to make him pay for what he has done to you.
My father was right and I resigned myself to not being able to do anything for the time being. In the meantime, he took care of making my life as easy as possible. He set me up with a small room, protected by the bars of the cage, with all the comforts and bought me a tiny, fully featured computer, which helped to make my existence a little less dull and desolate. With all this and my dad's love for me, despite my disturbing feelings towards my giant progenitor, I reached a relative state of calm and well-being that allowed me to live while the time to become human again was gradually shortening.
Indeed, more than two months had already passed and only a couple more weeks separated me from my release, when my father made an announcement that did not amuse me much. My brother Axel was coming to spend a few weeks with us for the summer vacations. I felt quite uneasy and said to him:
-Dad, I thought no one else would see me in this state... I...
-Take it easy, Artie, you have nothing to worry about. Your brother already knows about your situation and is eager to see you and help. Besides, you'll be able to stay out of the cage longer. He'll be able to take care of you while I'm at work. It'll be much better for you! Come on, honey, cheer up... there's not much time left for this to be over -my father said jovially.
I nodded, not very convinced. My brother Axel was 22 years old and our relationship had been fairly typical between siblings. We were neither very close nor did we get along particularly badly. Since I had become independent, we had had very little contact. Being 5 years younger than me, I had often teased him about his small stature when we were younger, even subjected him to play fights... things like that. I hoped that he wouldn't remember that now...
So, two days later, when I heard the door announce that my father was coming home from work, not one but two giants entered the living room. They immediately approached the cage and my dad opened it, inviting me out. I shakily stepped out and again unknown feelings overwhelmed me. There stood my brother Axel, little Axel, now a colossus of gigantic proportions. He was wearing a T-shirt and denim shorts that perfectly highlighted the beautiful shapes of his athletic body. Again, I felt an intense blush as I came face to face with a huge, bulging crotch, the size of a building. My brother brought his huge face close to my body, and exclaimed, somewhere between amazed and amused:
-Wow, he's really small! He's... like a hamster!
Then he extended a gigantic finger at me and began to tease me, giving me little nudges, while laughing:
-Hey, "big brother." I guess you're not so big now, huh? I don't think you could beat me in a fight right now. Well, the truth is that you wouldn't even beat my big toe, hahaha...
He kept teasing me until he made me fall a couple of times. My father then stopped him:
-Stop it, Axel. This is not easy for him.
-May I grab him? -my brother then asked.
-Of course, but be careful -my dad answered. The fact that they were talking about me as if I wasn't there made me feel more insignificant than ever.
I tried to pull away, but Axel's huge hand immediately grabbed me and I was lifted up to his face. He opened his fist and I was standing on his palm. He looked at me intently with those beautiful eyes that were now almost as big as my body. You cannot imagine how disturbed I felt. I was standing on a gigantic hand, a hand that could tear me apart at any moment, and that hand was that of my little brother, the one who had always been shorter than me and whom I had always been able to dominate effortlessly.