I glanced down at the trail mix below me. To someone my size—roughly the size of a grain of salt—it was a sprawling mountain range of almonds, M&Ms, raisins, and bits of granola. I had no choice but to jump. The counter was still, and Jake was just over there, completely unaware of my presence. He’d need something to get his attention. Something big. Something I could do to shake things up.
I crouched and took a breath. The jump from the lip of the bag to the trail mix was far, but if I could land in the mix, I’d have a chance to stir up enough movement to make him notice. I flexed my legs and pushed off, heart pounding in my tiny chest.
The world rushed by as I flew through the air. My landing wasn’t as graceful as I’d hoped; I tumbled through the almonds and M&Ms like a ragdoll caught in a rolling boulder. But the trail mix shifted beneath me—some pieces rolled away from my landing zone, while others clattered softly.
I lay still for a moment, waiting for the sound of footsteps. Maybe that would be enough. But nothing came. Jake didn’t seem to have noticed. The mix of nuts and candy settled, the only sound now being the faint rustle of the bag as I slowly tried to climb out of the chaos I had just caused.
I glanced up, hoping to see Jake’s face over the lip of the bag, but all I saw was the edge of the counter. He was still moving around the cabin, and I realized with a sinking feeling that my tiny crash might not have been enough to get his attention.
My heart sank as I realized that Jake was walking toward the counter, oblivious to the tiny presence inside his bag. I could feel the rumble of the cabin beneath me as he got closer. The bag trembled slightly as he made his way to the counter and plucked the trail mix bag from the counter.
He didn’t see me.
Jake opened the bag casually, unaware that I was in the mix. I had no choice but to hold on as the bag tilted upward, sending me tumbling again. My heart raced as I found myself inside the bag with the candy and nuts, helplessly tossed around as the bag shifted and tilted.
Jake’s fingers snaked into the bag, grabbing handfuls of the trail mix. He brought the first handful to his mouth, and I saw, to my horror, that his hand was coming straight for me.
I froze, my stomach flipping. If he didn’t notice me, I would be scooped up with the rest of the mix. I could be swallowed, crushed, or—worse—chewed up along with the almonds and raisins. As Jake’s hand came closer, I scrambled to the edge of the mix, but it was no use. The hand was enormous, and I was just a speck among the mountain of food.
I heard the crunch of nuts and the squelch of raisins being eaten, and I clung to the side of the bag, hoping Jake wouldn’t accidentally scoop me up. But the smell of his breath, warm and faintly sweet, grew stronger as he brought the trail mix toward his mouth. He casually picked up another handful, and I could see his lips stretching, unaware of the minuscule person fighting for survival just beneath the massive pile of food.
If Jake continued eating without noticing me, there was no telling what could happen. The weight of the trail mix would crush me. If I wasn’t careful, I could end up being chewed, ground into tiny pieces, or worse—swallowed whole without him even knowing I was there. My tiny body would be lost among the nuts and candy, a speck in the vastness of the trail mix.
I had to move. I couldn’t let that happen.
---
1. Climb to the Top of the Trail Mix: I could try to scramble up the pile of trail mix to the very top, hoping that Jake would notice me as he continued to eat and realize I wasn’t supposed to be there.
2. Make a Desperate Leap Toward His Hand: As Jake picks up another handful of trail mix, I could try to leap into his hand, hoping he’d feel me land there and finally take notice of my existence.
3. Cause a Disturbance in the Mix: I could start kicking around the almonds and raisins, hoping the noise and movement will be enough to alert Jake to the fact that something is wrong before he eats the rest of the trail mix.
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