Back at the Monarossabergie House, Brandon is removing the cushions from the sofa in search of finding the cure of Joseph’s curse.

“What is something that would turn someone back to normal?” he mutters to himself. “Or symbolizes something small?” He straightens up then turns around to face the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Nick is contently eating his pre-nap snack that consists of a sandwich.

“Nicky, can you help me out here?” Brandon calls out to him in a pleading manner. “Please?”

Nick perks up from his sandwich. “Too busy with my pre-nap snack.”

With a huff, Brandon rolls his eyes. He then begins to pace around the inside of the circle of furniture with his hands clasped behind his head and head bent down. “I wonder how tall Joey is though…I mean, if he’s way taller than the Nest—”

From behind him, Nick’s eyes widen at whatever is ahead of the two.

Brandon straightens himself and shoots him a confused look. “What?”

Nick slowly puts his sandwich down and points ahead of them.

Brandon follows his finger’s direction. Once his eyes land on what he is referring to, they fly open and he jumps with a gasp.

The living room window is being taken up by a mint-green eye.

“Guys,” Joseph’s voice is heard coming from outside. “Open up. Open up.”

The house shakes two times immediately. SHUTTER, SHUTTER!

Brandon bolts to the foyer and swings the door open. On the street in front of the house is Joseph, who is on one knee, leaning toward the house. His massive hand is in a fist, inches from Brandon’s head.

Brandon dodges his head away from the fist. “If we do, you won’t fit inside!”

Joseph pulls his fist back to him. “I need my stick,” he informs him.

Brandon shoots him an incredulous expression. “Why?”

“I’m gonna play ocean hockey.”

Brandon swishes his eyes from side to side before landing them back on him. “Waters don’t freeze here…”

“They do up in the Arctic. And Budaj agreed to join me.”

Brandon appears taken aback. “Budaj?! What does he have to do with this?”

Joseph shrugs. “He’s up in Resolute. I kicked him up there for that time he saved my shot.”

Brandon darts his eyes down and mutters, “So that’s what happened to him.” He peers back up to him and says in his regular voice, “Look, Joey, your stick will be useless to you. It’s too small--”

“Give it to me,” he cuts in.

“Do you really think it’s—”

“Give it. To me,” he repeats harshly.

Brandon whirls around and rushes back into the house. A few seconds later, he comes back out with Joseph’s CCM Tack stick. In his other hand is a ruler for his own curious purpose.

Brandon holds the dark gray and yellow stick up at him. “See? The stick is tiny to you.”

Joseph reaches out to the stick and gingerly plucks it from his roommate with two fingers. He then scrutinizes it. “Hm.”

Brandon shrugs at him. “Told ya— WHOA!” He throws himself to the left as he dodges the stick flying back at him.

The stick hits the wall of the house and clatters to the porch’s ground.

“I need a bigger one,” Joseph points out snappily.

“Yeah, you do,” Brandon points out with a scoff.

Joseph begins to rise to his feet.

Brandon’s eyes widen at him. “Wait! Wait, wait, wait, Joey! Joey!” He rushes out of the porch and through the front yard, toward him with the ruler at hand. “I wanna see how tall you are!” He spots his giant roommate beginning to step away. “Wait, wait—!”

He extends his arm with the ruler out, measuring it parallel against the back of his shoe. Once it makes contact, Joseph’s feet instantly fly up into the air.

Joseph becomes parallel to the ground, falling down with his size reducing speedily along with the faint outlines of his previous sizes bubbling from him. His eyes are wide open with his hands outstretched toward the sky. “AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!”

“Whoa--!” Brandon holds both of his arms out in front of him.

Joseph immediately lands on them in his normal six foot height.

“Hah!” Brandon gasps, cradling his fuming roommate in both arms. “Caught ya!”

Without saying a single word, Joseph shoves him away from himself and hops onto his feet.

“Look at that!” Brandon looks around, then looks back at him with growing excitement. “You’re back to normal size! Ha ha!” He throws his arms out from his sides. “I can hug you right now!”

“Not happening.” Joseph then whisks past him and storms across the street, back toward the house.

Brandon jogs up to him, then wraps an arm around his shoulder. ”Boy, am I glad to have you back! So now we know--” He lifts his index finger from his hand that is on his shoulder. “--the ruler is the key.”

“Whoopie,” Joseph replies sardonically with a roll of his eyes.

They reach the sidewalk; Brandon lets go of him and quickens up his pace. “You’re not glad to be back to normal?” He steps up to the porch. “You’re now compatible with your stick.” He swipes the stick from the ground and holds it out to its owner.

Joseph stares down at it. Then he snatches it into his possession. He flicks his eyes up at him and shrugs. “I guess.”

Brandon flashes him his famous smile, which consists of upward slanted eyebrows and pursed lips. He then heads inside with his roommate following him.

“Alright,” Brandon starts as he ambles through the foyer and into the living room. “Now, for the big question: How did you turn small? And big? Tell me all.” He plops himself on the sofa.

Joseph settles himself next to Brandon. “The giant teddy bear from the back closet fell on me. Off the bat I grew big.”

Brandon nods his head as he stares ahead. “Okay, so we’re gonna have to get rid of that teddy bear.” He turns to him. “And when you turned small?”

“I was eating breakfast.” He shrugs.

“Anything you touched?”

Joseph’s eyes snap up as he rewinds his mental tape: “Countertop, fridge, spoon, yogurt cup…”

“Ingredients?” Brandon suggests.

“Just yogurt and the small cranberries…”

He eyes him. “SMALL cranberries?”

Joseph stares ahead as he processes what his roommate emphasized. Then: “Dang it.”

He raises his eyebrows at him. “First time you had them?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright, so problem solved!” Brandon slaps his hands against his thighs then gets up. “So we get rid of the small cranberries and the giant teddy bear—!”

Suddenly, an earth-shaking CRASH! rips through the whole room. The two roommates freeze in place.

Then they hear a deep voice that unmistakably belongs to Nick: “Aw, the giant teddy bear is no longer giant…”

Brandon proceeds to slap his face with squeezed eyes. “Oh man.”

Joseph shrugs like as if their predicament is not a big deal. “What difference would it make? Big Ritch is already as big as he is.”

Brandon whips out the ruler into the air. “Ruler to the rescue.” He then marches out of the living room, across the foyer, and into the narrow hallway.

Now it is Joseph sitting in the sofa all alone. He immediately perks his head up; his eyes are widen with sudden realization.

“Oh no...”

---

Meanwhile in the lonely island Resolute, Nunavut, Canada, Peter is struggling against a massive, whipping, nearly white blizzard with his shirt pulled out as his shield.

“JOSEPH!!!” he hollers through the howling winds.


The End.

Notes

E.6 "Down Here, Up Here!"
Part 4/4
Episode 6/20