"Okay, fine," you say. "Wait right here. I'll be back in a few minutes."
Alex lies down on the ground, closing his eyes and quickly starting to doze. Shaking your head in disappointment, you turn around and start to explore the kitchen.
There's no doubt about it. This kitchen is laid out exactly the same as yours, right down to the last details: the homework stuck on the refrigerator, the same dishes and silverware in the same cabinets, the photo of the you and your brother from a couple of years ago over by the telephone. You think for a second after you look at the photo. Was there something weird about it? You look back at it, and are stunned to see it almost hazy, as if you can't make out the details. You rub your eyes, but the image stays the same. Strange, you think.
Shaking your head, you turn your attention back to exploring the cabinets. Unfortunately, the tongs are kept on a shelf above the oven, so you wouldn't be able to reach them without climbing up onto the counter. Maybe that would be a last-ditch effort, you think, but for now you look around some more.
Snapping your fingers, you think of something. There's a grabber tool that you use to help clean up garbage and other debris from the front lawn. It should be in the garage, leaning against the workbench, easy enough to reach. You head out of the kitchen, past the stairs and down to the garage door, which opens with a loud creak.
The garage is dark and empty. It's unusual for both your mom's and your dad's cars to not be parked here, especially at night, but that isn't the first unusual thing you've seen so far. You have an idea to maybe open the garage door, but looking up, it too is out of your reach, even moreso than the key. Scowling in frustration, you climb down the three steps onto the cement floor, then run over to the workbench. Sure enough, the grabber tool is there, though it's as tall as you are now. Wrapping your hands around the midsection, you lift it up. It's heavy, but not too hard to carry it with you.
You slowly move back up the steps, seemingly a little more steep than before, and into the house, making sure you quietly close the garage door behind you. As you make your way back to Alex, you notice him stirring and eventually sitting up. When he does, you nearly drop the grabber tool on the ground.
He is significantly larger than he was before, and his clothes prove it. His pajama shirt, tight but still covering his entire chest before, are now a half-shirt, ripping against his arm muscles and revealing a surprisingly-toned stomach. His shorts (you're sure they were full-length pants before) are now skin-tight, near the breaking point and leaving little to the imagination.
He yawns, then stands up, and your jaw drops. He's taller than you now, by a good three or four inches. He looks down at you, surprised a little, then sees what you have in your hands. "Oh, the grab-thingy. Good idea!"
You stare at him for a second, then shake your head in disbelief. "Alex, what happened to you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Look at you! You're clothes are all tight, and you're taller than me now! You're huge!"
Alex half-grins and cocks his head slightly. "Are you sure you're feeling all right, Justin? I've been taller than you for nearly a year now."
For a moment you're speechless, then you shake your head. "No you haven't! Just a few minutes ago you were like eight inches shorter than me! Remember, you stood on my shoulders to try to reach the--"
You stop as you notice the key, which you're pointing at, is now much further away. It was still on its hook above the door, but that door was now much bigger as well. Looking around, you realize that everything in the house has seemingly gotten bigger.
"Or maybe I've shrunken somehow…" you say to yourself. "But wait! Your clothes! They're much tighter on you than before! You must've grown, somehow!"
Laughing, Alex shakes his head. "Nah, bro, I just haven't changed my PJ's in several years. These give me good luck!"
You try to formulate a response, but before you can answer, you hear the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. Twirling around, you see...