Shrunken Perspective - Chapter 4

After all commotion had dwindled, Bennet was finally granted some peace when all folk walked off. Curly-mustache, whose actual name was Randolf, allowed him the time for a free roam throughout their settlement before he would be summoned when needed. It was made clear to Bennet that every attempt to escape was deemed futile. The only entrance was near a clearing and visible from almost every spot in the settlement. Beside that, the entrance was also guarded. However, even if escaping was a possibility, Bennet would probably not attempt it. He was far from the brave adventurous type, and he didn’t have a clue where he was.
It was a sheer contrast to be plunged into an unknown world and be surrounded by hostile people while, technically, he was still at home.
Bennet tried to make a rough estimate on their current location in his head, but it was much harder than expected.
He had a good sense of the spot where they dove through a crack in the wall, but after that it felt like navigating through murky water.
He found it hard to recall the taken route when they drove through the darkness. Especially since he didn’t feel very comfortable being surrounded by three total strangers, whose intentions he did not know.
Bennet knew they’d made a few turns, but couldn’t recall how many or which directions they were. Judging by the length of the journey Bennet was almost certain they were still somewhere within the wall adjoining his father’s workshop and Taylor’s room. 

To kill time, Bennet decided to make some exploration throughout the settlement and tried to speak to a few people. This whole situation boiled up a lot of questions in his head. He was eager to know who all these people were and how they ended up residing in some crack in the wall while being tinier than a crumb of bread even.
Being socially awkward, talking to a stranger was already somewhat of a threshold for Bennet. To make things worse, these people didn’t seem to have an inviting attitude regarding social calls. Most people just ignored him, while some of them took the trouble to grant him a scowl before they carried on with their daily business.
Bennet was thinking about the girl with the salmon dress he saw earlier. The sight of her seemed chillingly familiar and judging by her facial expression when their eyes met told Bennet it was the same for her.
He looked about, but could not find a trace of her salmon dress anywhere. Bennet let go of the search and tried to make an assessment of his surroundings. He noticed that this whole settlement was built in a hollowed out space within a gypsum wall. An ingenious closed flue system hung over his head, ducting all smoke from the chimneys towards a narrow slit in the wall. Based on the number of houses he could count and the crowd he saw earlier, his estimation was that this community consisted of about a hundred people. He saw plenty of ‘normal’ objects. Stuff which were apparently shrunk down just like these people. Things like; tools, some furniture and he could even hear the rumbling sound of a generator in the background. That meant these people had electricity at their disposal. He could also see two beaters next to the ragged jeep he sat in earlier. These cars were in an even more worse shape than the jeep. Bennet wasn’t really the technical type, but he had great doubts these things were even able to drive.
When he took a glance at the structures these people were living in he noticed they were built of remnants from his father’s workshop. The walls were fabricated with a mixture of sawdust and metal scraps, glued together by some clotted substance. 

Bennet’s eyes were transfixed while admiring this creative design of a simple home for people to live in when the crunches of approaching steps made him to pivot on his heels.
 

“I bet your father would never expect his garbage to be used in such a fruitful way,” Honeyed-voice came standing next to him. “The name’s Soap by the way.” 

“Soap? As in….soap?” Bennet asked with uncertainty, making a movement of washing his own body. 

Soap made a gurgling cackle and laughed even harder when he saw Bennet reacting with a frantic leap, causing him to stumble and plunge on the floor, butt first. Soap reached out his hand and grunted deep, still sputtering with laughter, when he pulled Bennet on his feet. “as in soap, yes.” He gave a reassuring smile. 

“You’re a quite skittish one, aren’t you? −he cocked his head− “well, can’t blame ya with a sister like that.” 

“What do you know about my sister anyway?” Bennet blurted out. He was surprised by his own bravado. Soap’s assumption made him somehow angry. It took him only a second to realize Soap’s statement wasn’t even an assumption. 

“Sorry.” Bennet said with a meager voice. 

Soap granted him his characteristic warm smile and spoke, “There were times I wish I could shout at your father for not doing anything. I can say with utmost certainty that on that day whereby Taylor smashed some of your ribs down in the hallway, he was within earshot, but apparently chose not to interfere.” 

Bennet wasn’t completely surprised by Soap’s statement. He was fairly certain himself that his father must have heard the racket when Taylor was clinching him in the corner. Between every smashing wheeze, his eyes kept checking the hallway in hopes that his father would come to aid. He never came. Still though, a small naïve piece of Bennet’s brain kept fostering hope that there was a reasonable explanation for his father’s absence that moment.
It was a shattering revelation to know that it was a mere act of cowardice when his father left him to suffer at the hands of Taylor. 

Bennet always had the sense that his father was a bit anxious for Taylor, perhaps even more so than himself. He had never seen him taking stance against one of her rebellious deeds. The only other person in this house able to withstand Taylor, was their mother. It was without a doubt that Taylor was physically stronger than their mother, especially since the former was a semi-professional kickboxer. Either way, their mother’s voice carried a natural authority when she was compelled to restore order in the house. In home of the Dilworth’s there was no question that the women ruled the roost. 

Soap gave Bennet a tab on the shoulder when he saw his sullen expression and said, “It will probably not make you feel any better, but the truth is that your sorrow is but a petty thing next to what the people in The Depth have to endure under your sister’s reign.” 

Glad to be yanked out of his gloomy train of thoughts, Bennet looked up in surprise and said, “That is the umpteenth time I hear about this Depth thing. Would you mind enlighten me please?” 

“Sure. I suppose it's needless to say that we weren’t always like this, crawling within your walls like scattered vermin.” Soap spat upon the floor. “just like you, we were prowling about on this earthly existence, chasing dreams and craving for the ones we couldn’t get, when on some ill-fated day our path crosses that of your charming sister.” A glum sight escaped his mouth. 

“What happened?” −Bennet frowned deep− “she just like… shrank you? All of you?” Bennet asked. 

Soap looked him in the eyes and nodded gravely, “I was one of her first victims, together with a bud of mine.” He looked away. “May the Lord Christ have his soul.” 

“How many people did my sister shrank already?” Bennet asked. 

“That’s hard to tell. When I escaped from The Depth, I’m guessing there were around four thousand people I think.” 

Bennett’s eyes bulged insanely, blurting out, “four thousand you say!?” 

“Mmm,” Soap acknowledged. “But we’re talking about three years ago here. Things have changed drastically in the meantime there. You see; we we’re first put into a glass jar, but when things became too crowded we ended up taking residence in a fish aquarium. That impish brat shrunk us even further to avoid overcrowding.” 

“I can't believe I was unaware of this for all these years! -Bennet slapped his own forehead- “this is like … abduction on an insanely massive scale! She may be my sister, but she must be brought to justice immediately!” 

“Well good luck with that. As you will notice, Getting things done is hard when you're merely a fraction of your former size.” 

“Sorry, I guess you're right.” 

A sudden voice roared, “Dilworth!” putting an immediate end to their conversation. Two men came walking by, not looking too friendly, “you’re summoned.” 

Bennet looked nervous at Soap and reacted, “What does he wants with me?” 

“Only one way to find out.” Soap tapped him on the shoulder and led the way for Bennet to follow.