Sara walked out of the house, and Jordan was greeted with a blast of hot sweltering air as the sun brightly shone on him. The chirping of some nearby songbirds led him to cower a bit closer to Sara. He knew that they would leave him alone as long as he was near her. It was an unsettling reminder that if he were ever to be out by himself, he would be nothing more than a snack to one of these cutesy songbirds.
It was an oppressive reality that Jordan found himself in. As much as he hated to admit it. He had a certain reliance on Sara. The kitchen yesterday was another stark reminder. The playful kicking of Sara and Ellie would have been enough to seriously injure or kill him if he had been caught up in that. The amount of air there kicking displaced had been enough that he felt his body being pulled slightly off the ground.
When Jordan heard a concerned yell from Sara, he felt relief. He hated how safe he felt once he had been lifted up away from the floor, and Jordan wished he didn’t somehow feel safer when he was near Sara. Even with the events of just a few minutes ago, Jordan couldn’t help but feel a bit humiliated at how Sara was able to turn him into putty in her hand. How her touch manipulated and massaged his body, providing comfort that a part of himself craved.
“You’re lucky you found me, mister. You wouldn’t survive days like today.” Sara said as she casually walked down the sidewalk towards the driveway stopping on a cement pathway. She crouched down, plucking Jordan from her shoulder with a growing casualness from getting more used to owning a small man.
As soon as Sara set Jordan down on the sidewalk, he could feel the harsh heat radiate upward like the heating coils of an oven. It wasn’t long before Jordan started dancing from side to side. Sara lowered her hand down a few inches from Jordan, who quickly scurried to her hand, leaping onto it. He looked down at the cement and saw her hand resting easily against the hot pavement. Jordan reached his hand down and quickly pulled it away. The cement was burning hot to his new small frame.
“You okay? I didn’t want to hurt you. I just need you to understand. You can’t do things you used to. You can’t just venture out on your own like you did yesterday in the kitchen. If I put you somewhere cleaning the island or whatever, you need to stay there till I get you. If you see an open door, you can’t just dash outside, as you will get burned or injured. Your little body is more susceptible to the hot and cold.” Sara explained while standing back up. Jordan hated how this illustrated yet another way he was reliant on her. But he understood the lesson.
He made it to Sara’s yard by luck alone. The tall grass hid him from predators like birds, but a degree of it also involved chance. If he had tried to cross a driveway or walk down a sidewalk, he would have likely died. These hot days turn the cement into barriers, and soon once the temperature starts to fall and snow becomes a possibility, the frigid cold weather creates yet another prison. As Jordan’s tiny body would not be able to provide enough heat to keep him alive on a cold day. He wondered if he could survive outside in temperatures below 32 degrees. He was doubtful but also didn’t want to find out.
“I-I understand,” Jordan said as he climbed from her hand back onto her shoulder. Sara smiled and gave him a gentle pet meant to reassure him. But to Jordan, it reminded him of his place and who he belonged to. However, he would be remiss if he didn’t admit that her pets did cause his body to betray him by releasing dopamine into his system.
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