Chapter 1 Page 1 - Meet Mati and his family! The One Inch Son chapter 1 by The Reaper

The scent of vanilla and cinnamon drifted through the living room, a warm haze that usually signaled safety, but for Mati, it was simply the backdrop to his invisibility. He stood on the mahogany expanse of the coffee table, his small, rounded belly pressing against the fabric of his black shirt as he looked up at the giants who shared his blood.

"Did anyone see where the remote went?" Derek asked, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through the wood of the table and rattled Mati's very bones.

Mati shifted his weight, glancing at the black plastic rectangle resting barely three inches away from his feet. He wanted to shout, to tell his father that the object of his search was right there, but the effort of being heard often felt like trying to scream underwater.

"Check under the napkins, honey," Alice suggested, stepping into the room. The hem of her red apron brushed against the table leg with a sound like a crashing wave, and Mati instinctively stepped back to avoid the sweeping fabric.

"Not here," Derek sighed, his massive hand descending like a falling sky to pat the table. Mati scrambled backward, his heart hammering against his ribs as a palm the size of a city square missed him by a mere fraction of an inch.

"I'll find it!" Paula chirped, bounding into the room with an athletic grace that made Mati feel even more stagnant. Her blue jeans hugged rounded hips that moved with a confidence he could never possess in his one-inch world.

"Be careful, Paula, don't trip over your own excitement," Werka whispered, trailing behind her sister in a flowing pink dress that looked like a silken waterfall cascading toward the floor.

Mati watched them, a speck of black against the polished wood, feeling the familiar ache of isolation. He loved them, but he existed in the margins, a secret kept in plain sight, forever observing the towering architecture of his family's lives.

"Oh, look at the little thing," Paula suddenly gasped, her sparkling blue eyes locking onto him. She leaned in, her massive bust creating a wall of white cotton that blocked out the living room lights.

"Leave him be, Paula, you know he gets anxious when you loom," Alice said softly, though she smiled down at her smallest son with a look of profound pity that always made Mati feel smaller than an inch.

"I'm not anxious, I'm irritated," Mati shouted, though to their ears it was nothing more than a high-pitched, barely audible chirp.

"What was that, sweetie?" Werka asked, leaning over. Her delicate features were magnified, her blue eyes like two shimmering lakes reflecting his own tiny, weary face.

"He's probably complaining about the dust," Paula teased, reaching out a manicured finger to gently poke his rounded belly. The force of the touch sent Mati stumbling backward, his small legs flailing.

"Stop it, Paula!" Mati yelled, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring up at the golden-haired giant.

"He is so cute when he's grumpy," Paula giggled, her voice a thunderous melody. "Why don't we take him to the kitchen? I bet he's hungry."

Before Mati could protest, Paula's hand swept down. The world blurred into a whirlwind of skin and scent as her fingers closed around him, lifting him high into the air.

"Put me down! I can walk!" he screamed, though he clung to her thumb for dear life, feeling the terrifying height of the living room floor beneath his dangling feet.

"You're just too precious to walk," Paula whispered, bringing him close to her face so he could smell the faint scent of citrus and sunshine on her skin.

"He's not a toy, Paula," Derek reminded them, though he was smiling, his white hair gleaming under the ceiling lights as he finally spotted the remote.

"He's my favorite little brother," Paula countered, squeezing him gently against her palm. "I think he needs a bath and a snack."

Mati sighed, resigning himself to the journey. He was a man of thirty-one, but in the hands of his sister, he felt like a stray kitten, utterly dependent on the whims of the giants.

As Paula carried him toward the kitchen, the movement of her hips created a rhythmic sway that made Mati's head spin. He looked at the expanse of her chest and the sheer scale of her world, wondering if he would ever be more than a curiosity in his own home.

"Wait," Paula said suddenly, stopping in the doorway and looking down at the small man in her hand with a sudden, mischievous glint in her eyes. "I think I have a better idea for how to spend the afternoon."