When Jenny reached the living room, she nearly gasped. Emily was fiddling with the remote again. The ironing table was open, but it appeared that Emily had abandoned her laundry. It seemed she could not shake her curiosity about the remote.
Jenny walked in quietly, clutching her Barbie dolls, never taking her eyes off of the remote. If only she could get it back for a few seconds, she could fix everything. She just hoped that Emily would put it down for a minute before she made things worse.
“I really wish I could make sense of this thing. What is it?” Emily said as she turned the remote over and over in her hands, examining it. “I mean, it doesn’t really seem like a TV remote or anything.”
Jenny sat down on the floor with her dolls. She hardly dared to breathe.
“What does this button do?” Emily pressed a button.
Jenny gasped and flinched, but she did not feel the familiar changing sensation.
Emily pressed another button.
Another wave of distortion hit the world, similar to the one from when Jenny had grown into a toddler. Panicked, Jenny started checking her body all over to see if anything had changed. She appeared to be the same, maybe slightly taller even. She looked up at Emily and cried, “Whoa!”
She was huge.
The formerly 5’8” Emily was now at least half a foot taller than she had been a minute ago. It was hard to tell from her perspective, but Jenny thought that Emily might be about 6’6” now. Not only was she tall, she also seemed more athletic, muscular even. Because the remote had altered reality with her, all of her clothes had grown to fit her. Only now, they appeared to be more casual work out clothes, a pair of track pants and a tank top straining to contain her large breasts.
Jenny stood up, leaving her dolls on the floor. Her earlier suspicion seemed to be true; she was a bit taller now too. She looked at the photos on the walls. They now showed a very tall Emily standing with equally taller versions of their parents. Though, in some of the more recent photos, Emily even towered over her own father.
Jenny thought about the photos and her own growth for a second. It made sense. They all shared the same genes. If Emily was taller, then the whole family should be taller as well.
Next, Jenny noticed a lit trophy case standing against one wall of the room. That had not been there before the change. In it were gold and silver plated volley ball trophies, plaques, and medals. There were photos of a long-legged teenaged Emily in a uniform clutching a relatively small volley ball. Giraffe comparisons came to mind. Other photos showed her lined up with a team of other teenaged girls. Naturally, she towered over them all. Then, there was the photo in the center showing her as an adult with other tall women in volley ball uniforms with the title, “National Champions,” above it. There was even a framed magazine cover with a low-perspective photo of Emily on it with the caption, “Standing Tall.”
Emily was a sports star.
“Nope, I just don’t get it,” said Emily, jolting Jenny back to the present moment. The remote. Emily was still holding the remote, but she seemed more frustrated with it now than curious. Clearly, she had not noticed any of the changes again. “Eh, I’ll ask Dad about it later.” She walked over and set the remote on the mantle above the fire place then started on ironing her clothes.
There it was now, just waiting for her, if only Jenny could reach it. She examined the situation. Even with her new added height the remote was still out of reach. She might be able to move a chair over to the mantle and grab it, but that would take time and make noise. Emily would stop her before she got to it. She would have to distract Emily somehow.
“Mommy,” she said.
“Yes, dear,” said Emily, not taking her eyes off of her ironing.
“I’m thirsty.”
“Thirsty?” said Emily, only half listening to her.
“I want some milk.”
Emily sighed and carefully set down the iron. “Okay,” she said. Jenny waited for her to leave the room. This was her chance. “Come with Mommy. We’ll get you your milk.” Jenny’s shoulders slumped. Emily was not going to leave her alone, which made sense, considering that there was a hot iron in the room. Jenny took Emily’s outstretched hand and walked with her into the kitchen. She was amazed at (and a bit intimidated by) how large and powerful Emily’s hand seemed now.
The situation was looking bad. At this rate, Dad would be home before Jenny could get the remote and fix things. That could be a disaster. She had to think of something quick.
“Mommy!” she said tugging Emily’s hand as she was taking the milk out of the refrigerator. Emily barely budged. She was solid as a rock.
“What now?”
“Can I pour?”
Emily grabbed a sippy cup out of the cabinet. “No, Sweetie, it’s a big carton. Too big for a little munchkin like you.”
Jenny sighed, she realized what she needed to do, even if it turned her stomach to do it. “Pwetty pwease, Mommy?” She begged. Then, she added the icing on the cake, “I wuv you.” She could have barfed just listening to herself.
“Oh, all right.” Emily effortlessly lifted Jenny up onto the counter in front of the carton. “You can help Mommy pour. Now, hold on tight to it. Ready?”
Jenny grasped the carton and, “Oops!” fell forward, spilling the whole carton all over the counter, letting a waterfall of milk drip over onto the cabinets and down to the kitchen floor.
Perfect.
Emily gasped and carried Jenny to the edge of the spill. “Now look what you did. Do you see what I mean now? You’re too little.” Jenny had no argument with that statement. “Wait here,” said Emily as she walked to the garage. She returned a minute later with a mop and bucket. “You stay there while Mommy cleans up. I can’t believe this mess.”
In her mind, Jenny counted to five as she watched Emily clean up.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5…
She took off running into the living room, toward the remote. She grabbed the nearest wooden chair and started pulling it into position in front of the fire place. It scraped loudly on the wood floor.
“Jenny?”
“Crap!” she said. “Not much time!” She climbed up on the chair.
“Jenny, I told you not to leave the room!”
Jenny reached for the remote. It was at her finger tips, just out of reach. Heavy footsteps were coming closer.
Please let there be time for one change, she silently prayed.
“Jenny, get down from there.” She was in the room!
At last, she got the remote into her trembling hands. Quickly, she turned it on. Footsteps getting closer. Only seconds left!
Jenny fumbled with the buttons and activated the remote just as Emily pulled it out of her hands.
A wave of distortion rippled through the room. Something was changing. Something was definitely changing.
It was then that Jenny noticed that…