Survival (2022)

Bruce and Jeff, colleagues at a local mechanic shop, shared a long-running Friday tradition. Every other week, they would enjoy lunch together at a nearby park, savouring hotdogs from a favoured street vendor. Outside of work, their paths seldom crossed, but these Friday lunches provided a unique opportunity to hangout, complain about their boss, or just shoot the shit. Jeff had a habit of taking his shoes off to air out his feet from the morning rush.

On a day that would mark a turning point in their lives, particularly for Bruce, the routine of their Friday ritual was about to be altered forever.

"Alright, we'd better head back," Jeff suggested, meticulously wiping his hands with a napkin and finishing off the remainder of his drink. He grabbed his shoes, and put them on. "The boss got on my case the other day about these long lunches."

Bruce rolled his eyes in shared exasperation. "Yeah, I got the same lecture. Alright, let's hit the road."

Jeff and Bruce rose from their usual picnic bench. As Jeff started towards the car he had driven them in, he was a few steps ahead of Bruce. Suddenly, he paused and turned around.

"Hey, and remember, don't mention what we discussed earlier—Bruce?" Jeff's voice trailed off as he realized Bruce was nowhere in sight. "Where'd you go?"

Perplexed, Jeff retraced his steps back to their previous spot. He scanned the area, but there was no sign of his friend.

"That's strange. Did he leave without me?" Jeff muttered to himself, though he knew it was unlikely. They were in the middle of an open park, after all.

Puzzled and slightly unsettled, Jeff shook his head in bewilderment before deciding to move on.

"Guess I'll see him back at the garage," he murmured to himself, still processing Bruce's sudden and inexplicable disappearance. With a lingering sense of confusion, he continued his walk back to the car.

At that very moment, Bruce experienced an extraordinary and bewildering transformation. Just as Jeff turned away, Bruce shrank to an astonishingly minuscule size, comparable to that of a bug. He stumbled to his feet, utterly dazed. Towering above him were colossal blades of grass, reaching skywards like green skyscrapers. The air was filled with an intense symphony of unfamiliar sounds – the amplified buzzing of insects and a myriad of other noises he couldn’t decipher.

Suddenly, a thunderous voice shattered the air. "WHERE’D YOU GO?" it boomed, causing the ground beneath him to quake. Bruce's heart raced as he witnessed a gigantic shoe plummet down just a short distance away. Lifting his gaze, he was struck with awe and terror to realize that the shoe belonged to Jeff.

"JEFF!!! DOWN HERE!!!" Bruce shouted at the top of his lungs, but it was futile; Jeff continued his search, oblivious to Bruce's cries.

"Guess I'll see him back at the garage..." Jeff's voice resonated like a distant rumble, fading as he turned away.

"JEFF!! NO!! COME BACK!!" Bruce's pleas were desperate, but they went unheard. With a sinking heart, he watched as Jeff walked away, climbed into his truck, and drove off, leaving Bruce alone and vulnerable in this newfound, gigantic world.

—

Two weeks elapsed since Bruce's inexplicable disappearance, leaving everyone, including the local authorities, baffled. Bruce seemed to have vanished into thin air. Jeff, deeply troubled by the turn of events, found himself at the center of intense scrutiny. As the last person to have seen Bruce, he faced a barrage of questions and suspicions.

The situation weighed heavily on Jeff, who struggled with his own mix of emotions – confusion, concern, and a sense of loss for his missing colleague. Despite the intense investigation, no evidence surfaced to explain Bruce's disappearance or to implicate Jeff in any wrongdoing. Eventually, Jeff was cleared of any suspicion, but this did little to alleviate the mystery or his distress. Both he and the police were left wondering how someone could simply vanish without leaving a single clue behind.

As life at the garage gradually returned to its usual rhythm, Jeff found himself mentoring a new mechanic who had been brought in to fill Bruce's shoes. Despite the lingering sense of loss and mystery, Jeff decided it was time to resume his regular routine.

One day, he invited his new coworker to join him for their customary Friday lunch at the park, the very spot where he last saw Bruce. They settled at their familiar picnic table, and Jeff, relishing the gentle cool breeze, decided to take off his shoes and socks for added comfort.

While Jeff and his new coworker savoured their hotdogs at the park, the conversation naturally drifted to Bruce. Jeff reminisced, sharing anecdotes and fond memories of his missing friend, their voices filled with a mix of nostalgia and sadness. This very spot, their regular lunchtime haven, held the poignant distinction of being the last place Bruce was seen.

Unbeknownst to them, a tiny figure, Bruce himself, was in their midst. Transformed by his two-week ordeal in the grass, now a vast and perilous landscape to his insect-sized form, Bruce was racing towards Jeff's feet. This was his latest attempt, driven by a mix of desperation and hope, to catch the attention of his former colleague.