.....nothing. His phone started ringing at that moment.
"Hang on guys. I have to take this call."
He stood up, leaving two disappointed mischievous five year old male twins. As Oliver stood, his ring unknowingly slipped from his finger. The boys noticed it, Jackson lunging for it first. Giggling, they got in a wrestling match. There was a slight shift in size between the twin brothers.
Jackson, the slightly smaller of the two twin 5 year olds, suddenly found himself on top of his brother. And wearing his clothes! Conner was now on the bottom in this latest wrestling match between the pair while wearing Jackson's clothes! They untangled from each other as they looked at themselves. A double identical "whoa!" escaped from their lips simultaneously.
Jackson was now sporting a scar on his knee his brother had gotten recently while on the playground and wearing his brother's red soccer shorts and bright yellow Tshirt. Connor was sporting Jackson's long navy blue Nike track pants, his bright blue Nike T with a neon green football printed on the front, and long navy sleeves that makes it look like he's wearing two shirts.
Conner noticed a couple of moles on his brother's face that wasn't there before. And Jackson noticed Conner's face was unusually spotless. A wild conversation between the five year old twins ensued, where they basically concluded they had somehow turned into each other.
The brothers had also come to the conclusion their uncle's ring may have had something to do with it. After all, he had said he was going to do a magic trick! So maybe this ring was magic?
The two boys didn't know how it worked. They just knew that they were now each other. They did eventually figure it out. While wearing the ring, Jackson decided to push his twin, now that he was the bigger one for once. Not that he wasn't a pushover against Connor during their frequent wrestling matches. The size differences between the two was not a whole lot. But Connor did have the edge in both size and strength. So he "won" more often than not.
All the sudden, he found himself flailing backwards as HE was the one that was suddenly shoved!
Another identical set of "Whoa!"s escaped, as they were back to normal again. Another conversation between the two ensued as they looked at their Uncle Ollie who was still too busy talking on the phone to play with them. What five year old identical twin brothers talk about to each other, is a mystery that will never be solved. But talk among themselves they did.
With conversation nearly concluded, Connor finally said, "well, maybe one of us could switch with Uncle Ollie?"
His brother agreed. They also agreed, after a bit of conversation between them and the impressive amount of reasoning the boys could do at just five years of age, that Jackson would be the one to switch with Uncle Ollie. After all, they reasoned, Jackson's body was the smallest one in the house. Wouldn't it be great to make Uncle Ollie the smallest? Since Jackson was back to being himself, he would try to become Uncle Ollie and make him Jackson instead!
They had to be patient, though. As patient as conniving mischievous small boys could be. After all, Oliver was on the phone, and they didn't want to mess anything up with whoever he was speaking with. But it was taking way too long for little Jackson. He couldn't WAIT to be his big fun adult uncle! So he charged at Oliver in a playful manner with ring in hand!
One moment, Oliver was talking to someone from work on the phone. The next moment, one of the crazy little monsters that were his nephews, rammed his entire 40 lb being full-body into his legs. The little guy's size and weight wasn't sufficient to budge the big man. But Oliver found himself flying backwards onto his butt anyway. The ring flying out of his hand as he landed!
Confused, he looked at his legs....his really, REALLY short legs! And his feet inside some REALLY small black shoes with bright green laces, and bright green and blue soles. A stylish pair of Nike sneakers he never owned in his life. Impossibly way too small! He was also wearing....one of his nephew's double-layered Tshirts! Looking up....way up....way....WAY up....was a spitting image of....himself!
"I got it!" Yelled one of his nephews behind him. He ran away giggling with whatever prize that he "got."
Still dazed and confused, Oliver just sat there looking UP at....himself! Then down to at the tiny little five year boy's body he had inherite. Jackson was doing the same in reverse. Looking DOWN at his former now shrimp-sized form with big round btwn eyes looking up at him in disbelief. Then checking out his huge new adult body after dropping the phone. The change was so extreme, it took quite a while for the guys, both big and little, before their situations would begin to settle in.
While Oliver had already experimented with it once and turned himself into a little boy briefly, he wasn't at all ready to find himself suddenly a little boy again! Especially with different-looking little fingers and clothing. Even more especially when he was caught so off guard talking to someone from work!
Meanwhile, Jackson was also taken off-guard, but in a different way. He purposely rammed his little body into his big fun uncle. But he wasn't ready to see big hands and being so TALL! He clearly didn't think it through. And so, it took a bit for the two to become oriented as Connor ran off somewhere and hid with the ring like the little monster he, and now Oliver, both were
Oliver was the first of the two swapees to compose himself. He stood up on the two short little legs of his nephew. He still couldn't believe he was back to having to look up at everything in his house. Especially since he didn't do it to himself this time.
As much fun as it was to become a young boy the first time, Oliver didn't plan on becoming one of his nephews. Part of the reason being, is the fact that his own sister had birthed the two little creatures just five years ago. In Oliver's mind, they were still the little babies he had first seen in the hospital room that day 5 and a half years ago. But now, he guessed, he was being given the perspective that the boys were no longer actual babies, but rather, young children now. Young children with their own unpredictable little minds.
He also didn't expect that ring had the power to actually swap bodies. Transform them, yes. But not an actual body-swap. But then again, the instructions weren't terribly explicit about the other powers it had or might gain. In any case, he needed the ring back. He didn't know what a five year old might do in a grownup body. It seems like that 5 year old was going to enjoy it....
With a big grin on his face, looking down upon the little wide-eyed boy below him that used to him, Jackson said " Ok you two! Time for a nap!"
"A NAP!?" Oliver yelped in the high-pitched voice of his little nephew.
"Yup. You heard me, KID! Time for a nap!"
Oliver quickly started to dash away, off to find his new twin brother and the ring when he was suddenly grabbed from behind. He was lifted swiftly into the air! All 40 lbs of his new small little body. His entire being was easily swung underneath what was his former armpit, one large arm securely clutched in the crook of an arm as if Oliver were nothing more than just simply a piece of lightweight luggage.
"Wait a second! We have to get the ring back! *I* have to get the ring back!" His high-pitched little kid voice making him wince. It wasn't as much "fun" his first go-around. At least he was all alone in his own home then with nobody around to hear his humiliating childish little voice. But now there was. Now there were two people around to hear the small little voice he had, even if it was the very voice of those 2 very people. He could never be taken seriously by either of them in this situation. He was now equal in terms of stature with the other twin. And tiny to the one in his adult body.
Struggling against the strength of just a single arm of his old body, Oliver decided his best chance was to use his own new small and flexible little size to his advantage. He started wiggling around until he finally dropped down out of his new "uncle's" own grip!
"Why, you little..."
Terrified, Oliver ran across the kitchen, down the flight of steps to his own basement where he saw the other brother flee. (He still wasn't sure which one he was; Connor or Jackson. He knew one was slightly heavier than the other, and had a couple of moles on his face. The other was clearer skinned and slightly smaller. He could never remember which was supposed to be which. He figured it would be just his luck to end up being the smaller of the twins .)
Anyway, down into his basement he went. He had picked up a strange feeling he knew exactly where the other brother went to hide. But adult Jackson was close on his heels. As soon as he got to the bottom of the stairs and turned the corner, Jackson was right there, reaching out for him. Suddenly, Connor jumped out from behind with a "HAH! I got you now!" And with that, Connor and Jackson had swapped bodies, with Connor now the adult and Jackson as Connor. Oliver was still the smaller Jackson twin.
There was a brief pause as Connor now was disoriented, finding himself suddenly as an adult.
"Oh, man!" piped up Jackson now as Connor. But he found himself in possession of the ring, for it was in Connor's hand for the latest swap!
Thinking quickly, Jackson tagged Connor and they swapped again. Seeing his opportunity as the brothers were now at odds with one another in an ensuing body swap war, Oliver jumped right in to grab for the ring that was still firmly in the hand of what was supposed to be Connor.
As soon as he touched Connor's body, he found himself in it and with the ring! He reached out to swap with whoever was now in his body, and found himself as an adult again! The little twin boys started a wrestling match as the ring was finally dropped. Thinking quickly, Oliver reached down for the ring and suddenly had that familiar feeling of disorientation as he found himself clothed once again in that small blue track pants and blue double-T shirt.
"Oh no! I am NOT going back to being a little boy again!" he piped up. It was fun the first time, as already mentioned. But now the thought of being a small boy wasn't so much fun at all.
The war over the ring got rowdier as the three males continue swapping bodies. Finding himself back in his own body once again, Oliver jumped up and started running up the flight of steps in childish triumph. But a little hand caught his foot as he was sucked right back into the blue-panted little Jackson! The occupant of his adult body fell up the stairs! The ring suddenly flew into the air, hovered for a couple of second in front of all three sets of eyes, sparkled a shiny blue, and with a bright blue lightning-like flash, blew apart in half! Both halves of the ring then dissolved into a fine rain of dust.
Oliver couldn't believe his eyes! He watched helplessly as the final pieces of dust had settled on the steps and the basement floor! He was like a deer in headlights as the full implications of what was occurring had immediately flooded his mind. It was kind of like a game of musical chairs and he had lost! He couldn't bear to get up and confirm his worst fears.
All sorts of thoughts flew through his mind all at once in that heart-stopping moment the ring was destroyed. Everything from... how would a 5 year old function as an adult? Would he, Oliver, have to go to kindergarten now with the other five year old twin and be treated like the little child he now was? What would all of this even look like!?
"Uh. Oh." Said whoever was stuck with Oliver's grownup body. "Uh.....now what?" he said in Oliver's deeper, more mature voice.
Heart pounding, Oliver slowly got up and checked himself out. He couldn't believe it! He was way too little! Stuck as a god damn five year child! He looked back up at his former face and saw the fear and confusion plastered all over it.
Oliver had to think for a moment. He would have to go back to the shop where he found the thing! That's it! They would just go to that shop.....which was....a half hour drive away....
"Ah, shit!" he said so adorably in his charming little boy's voice. 30+ miles might as well be the other side of the country. He couldn't entrust the mind of a 5 year old kid to drive a car. He thought for a second he could do it himself, but looked over at the impossibly young little face of his counterpart and knew how utterly ridiculous that would be, as he imagined he was now stuck with that exact same adorable little boyish face! And a body far too small to even reach the pedals, nevermind being able to look out the windshield.
"Shit!" He said again, this time more under his breath.
"Connor. Or Jackson....who's got my body anyway!? Who ended up as me!?"
"I did," said whoever was the adult.
"I know "you" did, but WHO are you!?"
"Oh. I'm Connor."
"Ok. So that means you're Jackson and I guess I'm Connor now...."
"Um. No," said Jackson. "I'm Connor and YOU'RE Jackson."
"Wait a second! If your Connor, and you're claiming to be Connor, then who the hell is Jackson!?' asked Oliver.
"You are!" Piped up two voices. One deep the other high-pitched. They looked at each other and laughed as tensions were eased between those two.
Groaning, Oliver asked once again of the adult:
"You're Connor, right?"
"I'm uncle Ollie now!" he said.
"Alright, but who WERE you this morning when you first woke up!?" (That's another thing: there's a small bunk bed waiting for him at his sister's home now. Oliver had to shove that chilling thought to the back of his little mind. As well as this slight cute little speech impediment he was stuck with that both twins had.)
"Oh! That's easy! I was Connor!" said the grownup in a childish gleeful manner.
"Ok. So that leaves the fact that you were Jackson this morning," Oliver said, sizing up his new "brother."
He noticed the other one was slightly taller than him. "Great," he thought as he realized none of them were with their original bodies. "The other two became bigger, even if slightly so in the case of one, and I wind up with the short end of the stick...."
He groaned at his own "short" joke. If he didn't get the three of them organized and over to that shop to see if they could fix this situation, he was going to be short for the rest of his life. Or at least, for the next ten years.
Ten years? It will be more than that before he could even get a license...! Nevermind graduate from high school....high school....oh man! Nevermind high school, I hadn't even restarted ELEMENTARY school yet....
Anyway, he had to shake off these random meandering thoughts. First thing's first; they have to make their way to the shop that sold him that damn ring!