I'm continuing to re-post this older story. I hope to have a new one soon.

A Little Problem Part Three

Rated: PG

Jack awoke slowly, rubbing the back of his sore head where it throbbed painfully. He took his time to sit up, groaning as waves of dizziness passed through him. As he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, it took him a moment to realize that he was on a bed at all. The last thing he remembered was being chased by the giant bug, tripping, and falling down a hill. How he ended up on a bed was a mystery to him, unless the whole thing had been some kind of bizarre nightmare. He looked around, taking in the surroundings of the bedroom where he had awakened. It didn’t look like his room at all. For one thing, he didn’t have pink frilly sheets.

A large pair of saucer-shaped blue eyes suddenly appeared in front of him. Gasping in surprise, he drew his weapon and pointed it at the enormous creature. He was unsure how his weapon would protect him against something so big. Hitting it would be like flinging a tiny, harmless pebble at it. It would have no effect. Jack O’Neill was helpless, and he didn’t like it. His long, slender hands tightly gripped the gun, the expression on his face one of anger and strength. He didn’t care how massive this thing was—he wasn’t about to let it see his fear. As if sensing his defensive position, the being backed away slightly. When it did, O’Neill saw the round, smooth, pretty face of a young girl. She smiled at him.

“Boy, they’re feeding you too many hormones, kid,” he said, taking in her giant stature.

“You’re awake!” She said, clapping her hands together.

The sound of her voice and the loud clapping of her hands were too much for Jack’s small, sensitive ears. “Ow! Not so loud, kid!” He said.

“Sorry,” she said, smiling and lowering her voice. She approached him cautiously, noticing the thing he was pointing at her. “I won’t hurt you. You’re safe here.”

Jack was never one to distrust a kid. He loved kids, even if they were overgrown like this one. He lowered his weapon and stared up at her in awe. “Are you one of those giant aliens that Daniel’s grandfather was jabbering on about?” He asked.

Ellie giggled. “You talk funny,” she said.

“Well, I’m glad you think so.”

“My name’s Ellie.”

“Call me Jack. Say kid…what happened? Where am I?”

Ellie cocked her head in curiosity. It delighted her to finally be talking to this tiny man. He was even more enjoyable than she imagined, and so much more life-like than any of her boring dolls. “You’re in my doll house,” she said. “It’s your new home. Do you like it?”

Jack looked around the obviously feminine décor of the doll house and grimaced. “It’s not exactly my style,” he said.

“We can change it,” Ellie said. “My mom decorated it.” She frowned as if she didn’t like the pink sheets, either.

Jack grinned slightly. Even if this kid was the size of Godzilla and could crush him like a bug, he was beginning to like her. She didn’t seem threatening for a being of her size. She was kind and engaging. After all of the weird things he’d seen during his time in the SGC, he adapted easily to new, strange circumstances. He supposed he should’ve been more frightened by waking up to the sight of this large child, but for some reason, he felt somewhat relaxed around her, even if it still took him awhile to get used to her size.

“Ellie,” he said, “what happened? How did I end up here?”

“I found you,” she said.

“Found me where?”

“In my backyard. You were sleeping. You looked hurt. Are you okay?”

She began to reach out to touch him, and he flinched, pulling away from the sight of her huge hand reaching inside the doll house. She sensed he was afraid, and she didn’t blame him. She understood how large she was in comparison to him. She pulled her hand away.

“Anyway,” she said, “you seem okay.”

“Yeah, I’m just peachy,” Jack said, getting up off the bed and pacing the room, rubbing the back of his head. “I could sure use some water, though.”

“The bathroom is right next to the bedroom,” Ellie said, pointing at the bathroom next to the master bedroom in the doll house.

Jack glanced in the direction of the bathroom and looked at her with disbelief. “It actually works?” He asked.

Ellie nodded. “Uh-huh,” she said. “Mom put electricity and water in it and everything.”

Jack walked toward the bathroom and Ellie watched him, a broad smile on her face. She was fascinated by him. This tiny creature proved to be much rarer and more special than she first believed. She was going to enjoy many years with him, entertained by his wit and his smallness. She thought he was adorable.

Jack turned on the faucet in the bathroom. Water flowed freely from it, and he smiled. “Sweet,” he said. He cupped his hands and took sips of it. It was the best tasting water he’d ever drank, and it tasted even better because it was quenching his thirst. He doused the back of his sore neck and head with icy water, gently rubbing it.

Ellie continued to watch his grooming ritual in fascination. She could understand why her mother enjoyed her job studying aliens from other planets. Jack was truly an interesting, unique specimen. She pictured herself taking her mom’s job eventually in the future, and she thought of all the possible wonderful things she could learn from this small human. What was his world like? Was it anything like hers, just on a smaller scale? Was it as exciting as the fairy tales about his species claimed it was? Dozens of fantasies filled Ellie’s excited mind. She wanted to know everything about him. She wanted to ask him about everything, but her tongue couldn’t seem to catch up with her rapid thoughts. All she could do was gawk at him. Jack noticed this and frowned.

“Ellie, could I have a little privacy, please?” He asked.

“Sure Jack,” she said, smiling and blushing. “I’m sorry, I’ve just never seen one of you before.”

“Yeah, well that makes two of us. I’ll be right out, okay? I just need a moment alone to think.”

“Okay Jack,” she said. “Take your time.”

He closed the bathroom door, briefly re-opening it to see if the giant child was still there, or if she had been a hallucination. She was still there, staring at him. It made him feel a little uncomfortable, and he shut the door for good. From what he could figure, he was still on the planet with the strange trees and the bug the size of a jumbo jet. MacGyver was right. Those unusual trees hadn’t been trees at all. He thought about what Ellie said about finding him in her backyard. Those trees were grass. It was beginning to make sense, or at least as much as it could given the surreal circumstances in which he found himself. He wondered where MacGyver was. Concern for him and the rest of SG-1 compelled him to open the bathroom door and return to the monster child, even though it still made him feel a little strange talking to her. He did his best to convince himself that even if she was a giant, she was still only a child. He could talk to her. She smiled broadly when he returned.

“Ellie, did you happen to see anyone else about my size near where you found me?” Jack asked.

“No, you were the only one,” she said.

“Are you sure? ‘Cause I was with several other people from my planet.”

“How did you get here?”

“Through the…that’s a long story, kid,” Jack said, not sure if she would know what the stargate was. “You see, the thing is, we’re a…team, of sorts. We’re explorers.”

“You mean, you visit other planets?” Ellie’s eyes widened.

“Yeah.”

“Wow! How do you do it? You’re so small!”

“Well…we’re not small on all planets.”

“My mom explores, too. She studies aliens. Someday, I want to explore, too. What have you seen? Tell me, what’s your world like?”

“Whoa, whoa! Take a breath, kid!” Jack said, overwhelmed by her questions. “Let’s just take this a little bit at a time, what do you say?”

Ellie nodded eagerly.

“Now look, Ellie, I would love to tell you all about my world, but I’m worried about my team. They’re my friends, you see. I have to find them. When I do find them, we’ll have to go back home.”

Ellie’s eyes filled with sorrow and disappointment. Jack hated to see that look on any child’s face. He hated even more to see it magnified on a large face.

“Back to your planet?” She asked.

“Yeah honey, I’m afraid so. I can’t stay here.”

Ellie’s eyes filled with tears.

“Oh…don’t do that,” Jack said. “Don’t cry. I can’t stand to see kids cry.”

“But you can’t go!” She said, her voice cracking with the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. “You can live with me now! This doll house is your new home! You have to stay, Jack, please.”

“I can’t,” Jack said, looking down at the carpet in the doll house bedroom, trying to avoid those sad eyes that filled his vision. He almost felt like he could drown in the tears that threatened to spill out of those immense blue depths.

“What’s wrong? Don’t you like your new home? I told you I’d change it until you liked it!” Ellie said, her voice rising as she grew more upset.

Her louder voice was once again painful to Jack’s tiny eardrums. “Shh, not so loud,” he said. “Listen Ellie, it’s gonna be okay.”

“How? How is it going to be okay when you’re leaving? I need you, Jack.”

“Why? I’m just a little old soldier. I’m sure there are plenty of other fun things for you to…”

“I don’t have anyone else to talk to, besides my mom, and she’s always at work,” Ellie said.

Jack smiled, doing his best to make her feel better. “I’m sure you have plenty of friends at school, a pretty girl like you,” he said. “You don’t need me.”

“No one talks to me at school,” Ellie said. “They think I’m weird because I’m smart. You’re the only one I can talk to, Jack. You understand me. Please, just stay. Please?”

Jack looked around the doll house. Despite the ultra-feminine appearance of the place, it was quite comfortable, just like a real house. He could live in it, but the question was, did he want to? He tried to imagine being trapped on this planet of giants, living inside a toy house, being a young girl’s plaything and companion. As much as he loved kids, he couldn’t imagine living that way. He shuddered thinking about it. Jack O’Neill was a soldier, and he hated feeling so small and defenseless. He wanted to be back among people and things that were more his size. This planet and living that way was not normal. He tried to formulate a response to Ellie’s desperate pleading when the sound of creaking wheels outside the open window in her bedroom interrupted his thoughts.

***

MacGyver awoke to the loudest creaking noise he’d ever heard. For a moment, he thought it might be the screeching of a hawk, flying overhead and seeking him out as prey, but when he opened his eyes, he saw what looked like a massive wheel leading up to the red body of a wagon. A giant sneaker was only inches away from him, the foot inside threatening to crush him if it moved. Carefully, MacGyver backed away. The owner of the sneaker spoke, and he could hear him clearly, his voice echoing through the yard.

“Still talking to your dolls, aren’t you Ellie?” The voice asked, sounding like a rough, bullying little boy.

“I’m not talking to dolls Billy, I’m talking to Jack!” Ellie shouted down at the boy.

When MacGyver heard the name of his cousin, he knew where he was. From the direction of the sound of the girl’s voice, it sounded like she was on the second floor of a house. He could make out the white paint of the side of the house slightly through the thick blades of grass. It amazed him how close he actually was to the house. Still, it wouldn’t be easy for someone his small size on this oversized planet to reach Jack. He looked up at the wagon, beginning to form ideas.

“Whatever,” Billy said. “You’re a loser.”

“And you’re an idiot!”

“You’re so ugly your dolls probably don’t even like you! No one likes you!”

“You’re stupid!”

While the childish argument continued, MacGyver had managed to cut off a long piece of shoelace that was dangling from the boy’s sneaker with his knife. He was glad this boy apparently never tied his shoes, because the shoelace was going to make an excellent climbing rope. He found a sturdy twig and tied it to one end of the shoelace. Backing up until he could see the rim of the top of the wagon, he stood on a nearby rock to see it clearer, and then he tossed the shoelace rope into the rim, tugging on it until the twig caught on the edges like a grappling hook. Giving it a good tug to make sure it was stable; MacGyver began to use the shoelace to climb up inside the wagon. Once inside it, he found it was filled with rolled-up newspapers.

“You’re just jealous because Jack’s way cooler than you’ll ever be!” Ellie shouted down to Billy.

“Ellie, that’s enough! Leave Billy alone!” Ellie’s mother Susan said, entering the backyard to meet Billy.

“Mom, he’s being a jerk!” Ellie shouted.

When Susan wasn’t looking, Billy stuck his tongue out at Ellie, and she returned the favor.

“Here you go, Billy. Thanks for the paper,” Susan said, handing Billy a quarter.

Before she could reach down and grab the paper of her choice, MacGyver made sure to crawl inside it so he could have a direct route to the inside of the house. Susan never noticed him.

“You’re welcome, Mrs. Swanson! Thanks for the quarter! Have a nice day!” Billy said, doing his best to sound polite. He smiled pleasantly at her, and when she turned to go back into the house, he stuck his tongue out at Ellie again before turning to leave.

MacGyver felt the unusual sensation of being carried inside the newspaper. He listened as the sounds changed from outdoor sounds to indoor—the hum of a refrigerator, a radio playing in the background. The sounds were magnified because of his small size, and he could hear everything clearly. He felt solid ground beneath him where before the paper had been a little flimsy and he was no longer moving. Susan had put the paper down on a countertop in the kitchen.

Carefully, MacGyver peered around the edges of the newspaper to get a sense of his new surroundings. He saw kitchen cabinets the size of high-rise buildings towering over him. Realizing how small he was in comparison to everything on this planet still overwhelmed him. Taking a minute to adjust to his unusual surroundings, he continued to look around. He heard the girl talking upstairs.

“Ellie, come on honey! It’s time for school!” Susan shouted up the stairs.

MacGyver saw movement out of the corner of his eye. The woman’s large hand was reaching for her purse, which sat nearby the newspaper where MacGyver was hiding. As she began to lift it from the counter, he saw a strap hanging down and decided to leap for it. If she was going upstairs to see the girl, and the girl had Jack upstairs, he figured it was the best transportation option available to him at the moment. He would need climbing equipment to scale the massive stairs otherwise, and it would take too long to reach Jack.

Conquering his fear of heights was hard enough when he was on earth and everything around him was the same size as he was. Dangling from a purse strap in a world where everything was much larger than he was became even more of a challenge. MacGyver tried not to look down as the purse ascended the stairs, clutching the purse strap tightly.

“Ellie, you heard me, young lady—time for school,” Susan said, entering Ellie’s bedroom.

Fortunately for MacGyver, her purse was now only inches away from the rooftop of a doll house. He used it as an opportunity to jump off of the purse. He rolled and almost lost his grip, sliding down the roof. He clutched desperately at the wooden shingles with his fingernails. Once he regained control, he hid behind the house’s chimney so the woman and her daughter wouldn’t see him. So far, they hadn’t noticed him. He considered himself lucky. He didn’t know if Jack would be inside the doll house. He just figured the roof was the best place to release his grip for dear life on the purse strap. Jack heard the noises on the roof and wondered who it was. Hope rose within him when he thought it might be his cousin.

“But Mom, I’m talking to Jack,” Ellie said, whining.

Susan looked inside the doll house. Jack O’Neill, United States Air Force Colonel, was sitting on a pink frilly bed inside a doll house, swinging his long legs. She stared at him in amazement.

“You’re awake,” she said.

Jack arched an eyebrow. “And…you might be?” He asked.

“I’m Ellie’s mother, Susan.”

“Call me Jack.”

Susan smiled. There was an unexpected charm about this tiny man. He was lively and engaging and seemed to have more energy and strength in his little body than anyone her size on her planet. She could see the fire and passion in his deep, coal-black eyes. She blushed, finding herself attracted to him, wishing he was her size.

“Well, I hope you feel welcome here,” she said. “We mean you no harm. I know we’re a lot larger than you are, but trust me, we’re gentle.”

“I know,” Jack said. “I’ve been talking to your daughter. She seems like a sweet kid.”

“Are you all right? Ellie says you were injured when she found you.”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. My head’s just a little sore.”

“Well,” Susan said, “make yourself at home. This doll house has all the amenities, but let me know if you need anything else.”

“A new bedspread would be nice, for starters,” Jack said, frowning in disgust at the pink lacy sheets on the bed.

Susan laughed. “I can understand,” she said.

“Mom, tell Jack to stay. He says he has to leave. Please, tell him to stay!” Ellie said.

“Oh no, you can’t go!” Susan said. “At least not yet, anyway. I want to learn more about you and your world.”

Jack sighed. Why was it he always had to be the object of curiosity on these planets?

“I really do have to get back,” he said. “Back to my home, my friends, and my planet. I need your help, though. I came through the stargate. Do you know what that is?”

Susan frowned and shook her head. “No, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it before,” she said.

“But your daughter says you study people from other planets. Didn’t they come through the stargate?”

“No, the people we encounter come in ships.”

“Great,” Jack muttered. He was marooned on this giant planet with people who didn’t know what a stargate was, and with his small size, it could take him years to make the trek to find it.

Susan could tell Jack was frustrated. She even noticed sadness around the edges of his dark eyes. “I know you miss your home,” she said. “I understand. I will help you return after you tell me a little about your world. For now, please make yourself comfortable. My daughter’s late for school, and I have to take her.”

“But wait!” Jack shouted after them as they left.

“Bye, Jack! I’ll see you later!” Ellie said, waving her large hand at him.

“No, wait! You…” Jack sighed in frustration and smiled awkwardly, waving back to Ellie before she disappeared around the door frame. He waited a minute before continuing his desperate rant. “Oh, come on! You can’t just leave me here! I’ll get bored sitting in this pink house all day! What am I supposed to do? You don’t have a cat, do you?”

MacGyver managed to climb down the roof to the point where he could enter the doll house where judging from the volume of Jack’s complaints, it was clear Jack was inside the doll house on the top floor. Bracing himself, clutching the edge of the roof, MacGyver swung into the bedroom where Jack was, colliding with him and knocking him to the floor.

“Jeez, Jack, would you quit whining? I’ll bet the whole neighborhood can hear you!” MacGyver said, pushing himself off of Jack.

Jack stared at him, recovering his breath from being knocked over. “Mac?” He asked.

To be continued…