The tiny man continued to scream his futile protests.
"Tommy, just tell him to leave," the bug-sized scientist screamed.
As he sprinted over his kitchen tiles, his tiny, pale form blended well with the mottled, subdued coloring of the floor. He was making his way toward Tommy, although the towering teenager filled his tiny form with trepidation.
"SO, MR. SMITH HAS A PROBLEM WITH BUGS?"
Diego smiled and explained that his visit is simply part of a monthly prevention program.
Mr. Smith knew that he couldn't allow Tommy to leave with the package now. He would be stranded bug-sized without that antidote.
"Help me!" He yelled. Settled into a spot on the floor in front of Tommy's sneakers, the tiny man leaped wildly and waved. "Down here!"
When Tommy appeared to glance down, the tiny man celebrated. "That's my boy! Please, see me."
But Tommy just raised his eyes again when Diego asked another question.
"So, what's in the package?"
Tommy shrugged. "Dunno. Must be important. But Mr. Smith's one weird dude, so no telling. You ever met him?"
"Yeah, when he first hired me," Diego answered. "And he was a little weird. Kept staring at my fucking boots!"
Tommy and Diego shared a laugh that frustrated the tiny speck at their mighty feet.
Despite the peril inherent in his situation, the bug-sized professor sprinted closer to the teenager's shoes.
"What the hell?" The tiny man complained. "Why the hell would they think I'm weird?"
"I should really get going," Tommy said, and spared a glance at his feet. "What the..."
He squinted as something pale and puny scurried near his sneakers.
"I think your monthly preventative program might be missing a few, dude," Tommy informed the exterminator.
"Whatcha mean?" Diego asked, and looked at the floor when Tommy pointed at the scurrying little pest.
"There's always a few odd bugs," he said. "Why don't you do the honors?"
"Sure," Tommy said, lifting his closest shoe.
"No, wait!" Mr. Smith cried out. He turned away from the titanic teenager, sprinting as fast as tiny legs could carry him.
The vast kitchen looms all around him, and he scans desperately for shelter. The barren space is devoid of any hiding places within easy reach.
A shadow falls over him, and he looks over his shoulder as Tommy lowers his sneaker. He can see all sorts of debris he would never have noticed at normal size that has been smashed into the rubber soles of the colossal sneaker.
"Tommy, it's me! Don't step on me!"
"Wait!" Diego shouted at the last minute, thinking that perhaps he should identify the species of bug in order to know if he has to deal with something new.
It's too late, however. Tommy has already stomped down.
"What is it?" The confused teenager asked.
"Just should have checked to see what kind of bug that was," Diego said.
He dropped down on one knee. "Lift your foot."
Tommy obeyed, but Diego sighed in disgust. There wasn't enough left of the pitiful bug to even attempt to identify it. Tommy's stomp had been very accurate and had pulverized the big beyond recognition.
When the teenager lowered his foot, Diego joked with him.
"Once you're out of school, you should come work for me. You've got a real talent for exterminating."
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author