Jalirian Summer

[Zenra_Yade]

On the first day of summer break, my mother called me into her room. She looked nervous as I sat on the bed beside her. "What's up?"

"I want to tell you something, but I'm not sure how you'll take it." Her voice trembled.

"You're not dying, are you?" She laughed, though I was half-serious.

"No, it's nothing like that. I've met someone."

"That's great, mom. Who is he? How did you meet him?"

She pointed to her computer desk. "His name's Alphonse, and he lives in there. That's why I’m so nervous."

"A lot of people meet online. It's not a big deal."

Mom shook her head, walked to her desk, and picked up a snow-globe. "No, he lives in here. In my mini-city. The mini-city I've owned since your dad died, the one I never told you about."

I peered inside the glass and saw a bustling island metropolis. Though she held it on its side, the water remained flat. "That's cool. But he'd have to be pretty tiny. How will you make it work? Will he live here?"

She set down the globe and sat in front of it on the desktop. Her bubble-butt could swallow the populace whole if not for its glass shield. "No, I was thinking the opposite. I figured I might pay him a visit for the holidays, and I was hoping you could look after Jaliria while I'm gone."

I shrugged. "Sure. Is Jaliria the mini-city?"

Mom nodded and crouched in front of the snow-globe. I wheeled the chair beside her. "That's Jaliria. In essence, I'm asking you to be their god and mine for twelve weeks. You have to control everything from the weather to their power and waste management. Don't worry, I've set most of it to a schedule. Except for some general maintenance, you're free to do what you want. I'm not the most technical person in the world, but I got a book with it. What you don't find in there you should find online."

I sat back in the chair and looked at her. Due to her job as a physical trainer and part-time yoga instructor, her body looked younger than it should. A smile crept on my face as I imagined her tiny in the mini-city, my mini-city. "Don't worry, mom. I know a bit about mini-cities. Jaxie had one, remember? I can't do any worse than him. His dad took it off him before he committed genocide. How many people live in Jaliria?"

"Mm, three million. Give or take."

"And how big is it?"

"In a relative sense, it's ten-thousand square kilometers. To you, that’s about four square inches not including the water."

"Wow."

"I know, and I'm going in there."

"When and how?"

She handed me a thin textbook, The Mini-cities Maintenance, Repair, and Accessories Manual. "Any time after you read that, Mister I-know-everything-about-mini-cities!"

While Mom packed her bags, I read the book thrice. Jaxie didn't have anywhere near mom’s setup. Mom wheeled her first port over to me. "Have you figured it out?"

I set the book down, turned the dial on the scale-a-porter, and fired her bag through to customs. "Yeah, I've got it."

When I shot through the rest of her bags, she smirked. I turned on the customs feed as her bags arrived. "They went through safe and sound. Can I ask a favor?"

I almost fell out of the chair when she stood beside me. "Sure, but can we talk through the door? I want to get changed."

I stopped her. "Can we have dinner before you go?"

Mom pulled my face deep into her sweaty cleavage and embraced me. "Of course."

"Not as you are now, but, in your in-between state. The book says to rescale you to one-sixth of your original height before you scale-a-port. I figured we could have a fun meal together while you're at that size."

She shrugged and tossed her black dress on the bed. "You're my god now. Why not?"

I aimed the scale-a-porter and half-turned the dial. "Are you ready?"

When she started to nod, I pulled the trigger.

In a flash, she disappeared. In her place stood a familiar-looking doll. My hand shot for her in silence. She raised her arms as I gripped her torso and lifted her. Shock hit us both like a battering ram. "I'm not holding you too tight, am I?"

"No."

"That's good. We better have a shower before we eat."

Mom’s forearms pounded against my thumb and forefinger. Her legs kicked as though she tried to outswim a shark. A second later, she stopped. "I'm sorry, John. I don't know why I did that."

We began our short journey to the bathroom. "Instincts, I guess? Any other day, this wouldn't be right, would it?"

Mom giggled. "I guess, it wouldn't."

Once my feet hit the tile, I pinched her yoga pants by the crotch and slid them off. She feigned shock as I held them in front of her, though her smile revealed the truth. "John!"

My finger slipped under her breasts and flipped off her sports bra. She scoffed. "What? Oh, I get it. Here."

I removed my shirt and yanked down both my shorts and underpants. "Now we're both naked. Is that better?"

When Mom looked down at my semi-erect dong, she nodded. My ring finger caressed her well-groomed landing strip as I turned on the shower. My thumb bounced her firm, silicone-enhanced breasts this way and that. Once the water heated, I soaped her up and ran her over my entire body. Mom squealed as she passed over my ass cheeks but cooed when I mashed her against my genitals. She slipped her arms inside my foreskin and held on for dear life. Our tug-of-war game felt incredible. When her tongue slipped into my slit, I blew my load all over her face and hair. The last thread shot into her mouth and made her cough.

Once we were clean, I dried us off, slipped on my dressing gown, and held her again in front of my face. “None of this ever happened. We had a little trouble getting the scale-a-porter working. That's all."

Mom smiled like a pixie. "Good cover."

I ordered us a meat-lovers pizza, something she'd never eat. I set her down on the coffee table and sat down on the couch. "Dance for me."

She swayed her hips, crouched down, spread her knees, and thrust her crotch back and forward. I enjoyed her performance so much that I almost missed the doorbell. Once I returned from the door, I knelt beside the coffee table, placed the pizza box beside her, and opened it. I stood her atop the plastic separator on the pizza. As she steadied her balance, steam rose beneath her. I grabbed a slice and watched her touch herself while she balanced. She fell face-first onto the cheese when I grabbed the second slice. I sandwiched her between two slices and lifted her to my lips. My tongue tickled her bare soles. Her skin trembled when I licked the sauce from her muscular calves. I flipped her over, yanked off the top slice, and marveled at the mess. Cheese, sauce, and flecks of meat speckled her body as she masturbated with a ball of gray meat.

Mom’s legs spread wider. I pushed the meatball inside her with my fingertip. Her ecstasy mounted when I pursed my lips over her sex and sucked the meat out of her. Little hands pushed against my top lip until she exploded. I tasted her pleasure’s succulence. "Oh god! What have I done?" Mom’s lucidity returned.

"You didn't do anything you wouldn't have done with somebody else in Jaliria. When Jaxie got his mini-city, his Aunt scale-a-ported from a facility and raped the customs team. You wouldn't believe how deplorable it looked."

"Oh god!"

"The worst part, Jaxie edited the footage together and sold it to some porno company. I thought I'd sort it all out here so some Jalirian doesn't steal the footage and share it on the internet. Jaxie's Aunt got pretty screwed up after that."

Mom sat up on the slice, crossed her legs, and covered her bosom. "I understand, but couldn't you have told me about all this before you shrunk me?"

“I could have, but would you have still wanted to go?"

"No, but-"

"But nothing. You're not my mother now. You're a mini on her way to Jaliria, and I'm your God. The law states I can do whatever I want with you. Heck, I could keep you like this as my pet if I wanted. I won't, but I could. So stop worrying and eat up. You leave soon, remember?"

Mom lowered her arms and got comfortable. A brief glimmer of the nymph-sized nymphomaniac returned. "You’re right, John. It's not like we did anything wrong."

"Like I said before, mom. Nothing happened."

She nibbled on the topping as I had a few more slices. When we finished, mom leaned back on her hands and rubbed her bulging stomach. Her musculature tensed as I reached for her. I stopped short of grabbing her. "We'd best clean you up before you leave. You don't want to go to Jaliria looking like that, do you?"

"I guess not, but don't you want to finish what you started?"

Mom traced her hands between her breasts and licked her fingers. I grabbed her with the intensity a turtle's jaw might entrap a small fish. She giggled as I ran my tongue over her body. I licked her all over as I walked to the bathroom and filled the sink with warm water. Martha yelped as she slid down the cold porcelain. She threw up her arms when she entered the water. "Would my god mind soaping up his favorite worshiper?"

I lathered my hands in soap, picked her up, and ran them down her naked body. She tensed up as my fingertip grazed her anus, though each touch after relaxed her. I lowered Martha into the water again and rubbed shampoo through her gorgeous mane. Two stiff nipples breached the water's surface as she rinsed it out. Martha smiled as I squeezed some conditioner onto her hands. "You know, I won't be the first person who has moved to Jaliria. Do you remember Annie Davis?"

"Our former neighbor? The one who worked at the airport?"

"That's her. She lives there too. I'll bet she'd love to see how much you've grown."

When I was in grade school, I used to watch her tan through the fence. Annie’s little bikinis sent my hormones into overdrive. "I'll have to catch up with her soon. Is there anybody else?"

"Dozens of our friends have gone there. Through a facility, of course. I would have gone like that too, but why pay for what we can do for free?"

"I can't believe you didn't know about that little side effect."

Martha blushed. "Well, I never watched them come through the other side. I used to wait a few days before I’d invite them out to see me. When Yasmine moved in, I waited three days."

My jaw slacked open in shock. "Aunt Yasmine lives there? What about the girls?"

"Kiki moved with her. Irene decided against it."

"Cool. Are you sure you want to wear the dress you picked out?"

"What's wrong with it?"

"It's a little conservative, but don't worry. I'll pick out something better. Wait right there."

She laughed as I grabbed some of her toiletries and ran from the room. I scoured through every garment she left behind. I placed what I liked in a pillowcase along with her toiletries and rescaled it. When I got back, she whipped her hair out of the water. I laid a hand towel on the counter, set the pillowcase atop it, and grabbed her out of the water. My thumb knocked around her augmented breasts as I set her down. She ran over to the pillowcase, dried off, brushed her teeth, and spat into the sink. To my delight, she faced me, sat spread-eagle, and fixed her hair. I leaned my chin on the counter and etched every nanometer of her perfect form into my mind. Her hair flowed like golden rays of heaven. She looked in the sack and sighed. "You expect me to wear this? Then again, it's not my place to question God."

Martha dressed slow. Each movement flowed with choreographed precision. She slipped on a light-blue tank top, pulled on a black thong, and followed it with a short black leather mini skirt. When she stood and zipped up her knee-high army boots, I grabbed her. "You look so hot."

"Mm, thank you, sir."

"Oh, sir? I like that. Are you ready to go?"

She huffed. "I suppose I am."

"All right. Let's do this."

I brought her to her room, set her on the desktop, and twisted the dial on the scale-a-porter. "Have fun. I'll be watching." I fired, and she disappeared.

After I figured out the Omnivideo - Eyes Everywhere software, I found her locked in a small room with a bald guard. He looked at her in disgust. I hovered the mouse pointer over him and a name popped over his head like a video game, Oswald Gerald Baker. A question mark appeared over my terrified mother because nobody processed her information. Oswald grabbed a surgical glove from the opposing wall. My mother looked terrified as he snapped the latex on. "Sorry about this, ma'am. Procedure calls for any unexpected visitor to go through a thorough search process. If you wouldn't mind disrobing, we can begin."

I right-clicked Oswald and opened the chat function. "Stop. Tell her to stop."

My simple message flashed in front of his eyes. "Stop, ma'am."

"Apologize. Leave the room."

"I'm sorry, ma'am." Oswald marched out the door and closed it behind him. Before I followed him, I right-clicked Martha.

"Don't worry. I'll sort this out. Love, God."

Martha sat in the chair and smiled. "Thanks, John."

I turned back to Oswald. "Do you know who that woman is?" Oswald shook his head. "She was your goddess, and there's a chance she may be again. Process her, chauffeur her, and do anything else she asks. Do you understand?" Oswald nodded. "Say yes, sir."

"Sir, yes, sir!"

Within two minutes, Oswald drove Martha to Alphonse's house. I followed their journey with the click of a button. They pulled up in front of a beautiful homestead on the outskirts of Jaliria. A flurry of screams emanated from a few streets away. I checked the spectrograph, found their source, and switched the feed.

A musclebound behemoth chased two girls through a dark alley. I right-clicked and tagged him as a dangerous criminal. Both girls stopped when flashing lights surrounded them. The man didn't notice. When he caught up with the girls, a dozen officers piled on him from the darkness. Four officers lifted him into the back of a van and drove away. The two who remained spoke to the girls. "Can either of you tell me what happened?"

The redhead brushed some hair from her face. Her black-haired friend remained keeled over. "We were walking home when this weird guy started coming onto us. Kiki told him we weren't interested, but he didn't listen."

When the dark-haired girl tossed her head back, I recognized her as my cousin and right-clicked her. "Hey, Kiki. It's John. Are you all right?"

She smiled and looked around. "Does your mom know about this, John?" As she yelled her response, the others looked at her in alarm.

"Yes, she knows. It's been a while since we've seen each other. Why don't you pay me a visit?"

Kiki pointed to the redhead. "Can Hayley come too?"

"Sure."

I right-clicked the officers. "Escort these girls to customs for immediate scale-a-portation. Nod if you understand."

Both moved their heads up and down. "Please, come with us."

The redhead adjusted her silver tube dress and looked at her friend. "But we didn't do anything."

I right-clicked her. "Don't worry, Hayley. You're not in trouble."

Hayley sat in the cruiser and turned to Kiki. "Whoa, your aunt, our goddess, wrote me a message."

Kiki smiled again. "It's not our goddess, but her son, John. We're going to meet him."

"That's so cool. I've always wanted to see Jaliria as a normal-sizer."

My cousin shook her head. "We won't become normal-sized, but we'll grow much larger than we are now."

"Like, how much bigger?"

Kiki tried to count on her fingers, and I selected them both. "You’ll grow about one-hundred times bigger than you are now, which will make you about half a foot tall."

"Whoa. I didn't realize we were that tiny." Kiki rolled her eyes.

The police left the girls in front of the customs building. I approved the scale-a-portation. A few seconds later, they materialized on the desktop portal in front of me.

All color drained from Hayley's face as Kiki stepped off the pedestal and lifted her arms. "And I thought the other guy was big."

When my hand caught Kiki in a soft yet firm embrace, she giggled. "Yeah, my little cousin really grew up."

Her red cocktail dress peeked out from between my fingers. She stained a patch of my thumb with her heavy lipstick as I lifted her. While her arms could have draped over my fingers, they instead covered her cleavage. I pecked the top of her head and placed her back on the desktop. Kiki leaned on her elbows and stared up at me. "So what happened to Aunt Martha?"

I typed Alphonse's address and centered on Martha and her partner. They sat beside each other on the couch. "She's visiting her little boyfriend and she left me in charge."

Hayley raised her hand as she wobbled on the ledge of the pedestal. Kiki looked at her friend. "That makes him our god, not our teacher, Hayley. Put your hand down." Hayley almost fell as her arm descended.

"Right. Well, your majesty, could you help me off this thing? My heel's stuck. Could you hold me too? I've lived in Jaliria for five years and never seen a god before."

I wrapped one hand around her sequinned waist while my other pried the arch of her footwear off the plastic lip. Her arms raised over my thumb and forefinger, though her hands gripped the top of her strapless dress. As she ascended, goose-pimples formed over her milk-white flesh. My gaze fell to her silver shoes. "Aren't they uncomfortable?"

Hayley nodded and breathed deep. I unbuckled her shoes and tossed them to the other side of the room. "Oh my god! Those shoes cost more than my house. They're all right, aren't they?"

Kiki laughed as she unwrapped her roman sandals. My eye-line shifted from one girl to the next. Kiki's pink panties lured my vision. "Even if they're not, John could afford to buy you some more. He's our god, remember? If he wanted, he could buy you a shoe shop, or leave you barefoot for life."

I lifted her closer to me and smiled. "Your god's not that mean. Especially not to worshipers as cute as you."

Hayley blushed. "You think I'm cute?" I nodded.

Kiki stood up on the desk and waved up at me. "Hey, John. I love this little catch-up, and I'm so thankful you saved us, but I'm so tired. Could I get a little shut-eye while you and Hayley get acquainted?"

I picked up Kiki, rolled over to the bed, and threw her on a pillow. "How is that, Kiki? Are you comfortable enough?"

Kiki nodded, pulled her dress over her head, and danced around for a minute. I pinched the fabric, yanked it off, and revealed a matching pink bra. She circled the dress over her head like a lasso and flung it off the bed. "It's super comfy. Thanks, God." Kiki’s feet flew out from under her, and she snored before her body hit the pillow.

I began to roll back to the desk, but something got stuck in one of the wheels. With another step, the wheel spun again. Hayley near melted into my fist. "Do you want me to put you down yet?"

As Hayley bit her lip, her eyes burned hot enough to melt steel. "Don't put me down. I like you holding me."

Her words danced in harmony as my finger neared her bosom. Corneal sparks caught my heart in their emerald snare. My want, my need, my lust for power waned in her presence. She rehumanized me with a look, and I craved only her enigmatic essence. Hayley's blood proved the oil poets burned to fuel their brightest lamps. Her sweat, the elixir actors drunk before their greatest shows. Her spit, the resin musicians used to coat their strings before they played for kings. I don't know if it was love, but I don't want to know. My fingertips stroked her hair.

Alphonse and Martha embraced in an aphroditic crescendo of passion. Cupid struck twice that night. I right-clicked Martha. "Alphonse seems nice. I'll have to meet him tomorrow. Have a good night."

Martha jolted away from her lover, smiled, and sighed."Good night, John. We'll see you tomorrow."

Alphonse waved to nothing. "Good night, God."

When I switched the feed to the assailant's cell, Hayley gasped. "It's all right. He can't hurt you. What should we do with him?"

"I don't know. He only scared us, he didn't do anything, so-"

"But he could have, and if given the chance, he'd do it again."

Hayley rubbed my thumb and stared dead ahead. "Yes, but I don't want him hurt either. He's a man, not a monster."

"Well, how about we send him to prison for a long, long time to think about what he's done?"

"I don't know about a long time, but prison sounds like the best place for him. Maybe a few months behind bars would change him."

"How about we split the difference and say a year?"

She nodded. "That sound's fair," I informed the officer outside his cell door. "You've done so much for me, your majesty. May I make a request?"

"Anything, and please, call me John."

Hayley’s cheeks matched her hair's ruby-red hue. "Could you show me Jaliria, the way you see it, John?"

I picked up the mini-city and brought it up to her face. Her hands pressed against the glass. "Inside, three million people live in a ten-thousand square kilometer island paradise. When I found you, you were near the middle, where the skyscrapers are. Outside that are farmlands, two beaches, a small desert, and a forest. To me, it looks lifeless, but to you and the other three million inhabitants, it's home."

As she leaned in closer, I put it back down on the desk. "Seeing it like this puts our insignificance in perspective."

I shook my head and placed her down atop the glass. Her legs folded, and her hand reached back. "Significance isn't related to size. I will cherish the moments we shared forever. Even if they’re all we ever share. You’re significant because I see you and you look back. Now, stay just like that." I pulled my phone from my pocket and snapped a photo of her. She didn't smile, though, I've never seen a more perfect picture. "All hail the queen of Jiralia. May she reign forevermore."

When I revealed the glorious shot, Hayley laughed and fell. I caught her before she hit the wood. Her arms wrapped around my thumb and forefinger. She guffawed until a frustrated shriek emanated from behind me. "Goddammit! I’m trying to sleep!"

I carried Hayley to the lounge room and sat on the couch. She threw off her dress and dropped atop my genitals. I caressed her tender spine and turned on the television. She hid her bare chest, but the sight of her panty-clad ass comforted me. We fell asleep to an all-night black and white monster movie marathon.

The next morning, I awoke to Hayley lying face-up on my crotch. Impure thoughts entered my head, though her stirrings quashed them. When her eyes opened, she screamed. I turned my head as she slammed her hands over her bosom and giggled. "Sorry, John. Good morning. I forgot where I was."

Hayley stood and stretched her elbows behind her head. I scooped her up. "Good morning. How did you sleep?"

"Fine. Hey, did you see where my dress went?" When I picked it up from the carpet and handed it to her, she tossed it over her shoulder. "Thanks. Could I use your bathroom? I need to tinkle."

I nodded. "Sure, but could you hold it? Best to make one trip." I grew worried when I entered the bedroom. Kiki wasn't on the pillow.

A squeak from the opposite side of the bed drew my attention. Kiki dangled from the sheet. A stain formed on the fabric between her legs. Her hands gripped the cotton tight. The stench of stale urine burned my nostrils when I picked her up. "Thanks, John. I thought I was going to fall. I had to go. I'm so sorry. I tried calling out, then I saw my dress or what's left of it, and I don't know. I thought I could go to the bathroom by myself. Oh god. I'm so ashamed."

I saw the shredded fabric and crushed silver shoe on the carpet and remembered when the chair got stuck. "Don't worry, Kiki. Let's get you both cleaned up."

In the bathroom, I set Kiki on the hand towel laid out on the counter. Hayley tossed her dress at her friend before she slunk out of her underwear and slung them into the sink. I held Hayley over the toilet bowl and watched piss rocket from her furry snatch. I pulled down my shorts, unleashed my semi-erect member, and pissed beneath her. Before I flushed, I ripped off a small piece of toilet paper, wiped her groin, balled it up, and tossed it in the bowl. I set Hayley down beside my cousin and filled the sink with warm water. I broke off two slivers of soap and handed a piece to each of them. "Thanks, John. We should manage now. Could you find us some clothes?"

Hayley unclipped her embarrassed friend's bra and wrestled it off her. "Come on, Kiki. You don't have anything any of us haven't seen."

Kiki's bare chest looked flat, especially compared to Hayley's. Hayley crooked her fingers in her friend's panties and yanked them down. Kiki's hairless gash drew even Hayley's attention. They slid into the water, and I returned to my mother's room. I sprayed the bed with disinfectant, shrank two matching sundresses, and returned. "Hayley and I were talking, and we think we owe you for saving us and we've come up with an idea."

As Kiki slipped her tongue down her friend’s throat, jealousy bubbled inside me. I threw up my hands. "Stop. I don't want this. Get off her."

My words shocked me. The girls looked at me in awe. They knew something I didn't, and I didn't care to ask what. I tossed the sundresses on the hand towel. I dried Kiki off and plopped her down on the towel. As my fingers entered the water again, Hayley guided my pointer finger to her crotch. I closed my eyes as her hair patch tempted me. Even if I wanted, I couldn't pull my hand away. At that moment, she became like a part of me. Hayley raised my finger to her pendulous breasts. Her nipples hardened at my touch. As fast as our heaven came, it left again.

Reality jolted us both back with the crack of an inaudible whip. I dried off Hayley and set her down beside Kiki. Hayley struggled to pull the dress over her hips. She filled it out better than my waifish cousin. "This has been fun, but I'll bet you both want to get back to Jaliiria."

Hayley embraced my thumb so tight I thought I might lose circulation. "Will I see you again?"

I put Kiki down on the desk and brought Hayley up to my face. "What's your last name?"

"Jane, Hayley Jane."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Hayley Jane. I'm John Cook. Now I know your full name, I can chat with you whenever, and you know what to do when you want me."

I kissed the top of her head and put her on the platform beside my cousin. "What do I do?"

Kiki nudged her shoulder. "Don't worry, Hayley. I'll tell you later." I waved to them as I picked up the scale-a-porter. Kiki threw up her hands. "Wait. Could you send us back to Hayley’s place instead of the customs office?"

I searched Hayley Jane, found her apartment in the city, and set the scale-a-porter. "Are you sure this is safe? I read in the manual I should always port minis to customs."

"Yeah, it's fine. Your mom sent me home all the time after our family visits."

I cocked my head. "Mom had family visits?"

"Yeah, my mom, your mom, and sometimes Irene, when she was in town. She said she saw you last time."

Almost a year prior, Irene stayed with us for the night. I didn't ask why, and I didn't question why she spent so much time in my mom's room. She said she had to study, and that was the quietest room in the house. "Cool, we'll have to have another one of those. You, me, your mom, my mom, Irene, and you too Hayley." Kiki smiled before I ported them home.

I thought about Martha and Alphonse, so I pulled up the feed in his house. After a quick search, I found them in the shower together. Martha's face pressed into the glass as Alphonse pumped her from behind. They screamed in tandem. Alphonse pulled out of her with a plop, and Martha kissed him. I selected them both. "Good morning. I know you're having fun, but I want to talk to you both. I'll port you out when you're ready." Martha pushed closer to Alphonse as if to hide her nudity. Alphonse kept his arm around her.

"Good morning, god. May we clean up first?"

Alphonse’s clenched Martha’s ass cheeks as I responded. "Hmm, all right." Alphonse scrubbed his dick and stepped out. Martha soaped her genitals and rammed the shower head inside herself as she rinsed out his seed. By the time she stepped out, Alphonse had dressed in a button-up Hawaiian shirt and blue jeans. He looked ridiculous. Martha slipped on a pair of white spandex booty shorts and an old tie-dyed tank top. As they turned to leave, I scale-a-ported them to the desk. They waved up at me. I snatched Martha and got to my feet. "Alphonse, it's great to meet you, but I need to talk to Martha alone for a moment. This won't take long." I didn't hear his reply as I carried her to the lounge room. “You'll never guess who spent the night here."

"Was it Annie Davis? I knew you two would hit it off."

"Nope. Kiki introduced me to her amazing friend, Hayley. You should meet her, mom. She's incredible."

"It sounds like my little Johnny's got a crush."

"It's more than that, mom, and my name is John. Anyway, I like her, and I wanted to tell someone. I know you and Alphonse have your own thing, but I’m all aflutter."

“That’s wonderful, John.”

I returned to the bedroom. Alphonse sat cross-legged on the middle of the desktop. I set Martha down beside him and sat on the chair. "Sorry about that. How are you, Alphonse?"

He bowed his head. "I am fine, my god. Thank you for asking."

"There’s no need to be formal, dude. A few seconds ago, I saw you plow my former mother in your shower. John's fine."

“I have an idea, John. Why don’t you invite your Aunt Yasmine around for a visit?”

I typed in my Aunt's name, and the feed closed in on her room. She lived in a studio apartment near Hayley's place. Yasmine stood on her head behind her bedroom door with her eyes closed. Once she opened them, I right-clicked her. "Hey, Aunt Yasmine. Its John. Do you want to come out for a visit?"

Yasmine flipped upright with near inhuman grace. "Sure. I'm ready when you are."

A second later, she stood on the pedestal. "Hey, John. Martha? I can’t believe you did it. You really did it!" Yasmine leaped off the plastic disc and caught Martha in a tight embrace. She kissed Alphonse on the cheek and tugged Martha's cleavage. "Looks like I won't ride in here again any time soon."

Martha slapped Yasmine’s hand, put her finger to her lips, and laughed. As they spoke, I grabbed Alphonse and leaned back in my chair. He looked me over as I looked at him. "So, John. What now?"

I shrugged. "I don't know."

"The Elks-Bumbridge game's on."

"God damn, Alphonse, that's a hell of an idea. Let's go."

I dropped Alphonse in my shirt pocket, grabbed Martha and Yasmine, and retired to the lounge room. I set the two women on the coffee table and sat Alphonse on my shoulder. The little women pointed at us and whispered. Ophidian Prawley landed three hits on the Birch pass before quarter time. Konner Farlant held a red king, so it fell for naught. The game looked neck and neck. Alphonse shouted at the television. "Come on, Bumbridge! What the hell was that?"

Life couldn’t get much better.